“We’re sisters! You can tell me anything.”
“Sometimes, I imagined what it would be like to bake us a wedding cake.”
“You’re a baker, Snow. That’s not weird.”
“But I didn’t mention who the grooms were.”
Red’s eyes lit with understanding. “I sometimes think about that, too,” she whispered, an uncharacteristic blush staining her cheeks.
“They are both very handsome,” Red mused. “And kind. The family has been good for Thistle Grove. After the war… well, I guess we were both too young, but Mother says it was just terrible. The Wicked Witches truly lived up to their name.”
Snow glanced out the window. “I’m glad both sides have upheld the treaty,” she said, shivering as a chill ran through her. “Although sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to grow up in the Woodlands.”
Red snorted. “Mother says it sounds better than it really was. Lots of crazy witches who liked to eat children and all sorts of evil step-mothers. I, for one, am glad we’re here in Thistle Grove. We’ve been peaceful and prosperous under the protection of the Knox family.”
“I worry, though,” Snow said, her brow creased in concern as she gazed at the tree-line behind the bakery. Awareness prickled at her spine as she approached a truth she didn’t want to face. “How long will peace stay without them here? What if the Witches attack here?” She thought of the disappearing children. “What if the Witches have already attacked and taken the Knox brothers?”
“It could have been the wolves,” Red remarked.
The bell over the shop door went off, and Ruby Hood entered, her dark eyes stunning against her pale skin and brown hair. “Oh, don’t even mention wolves,” she said with a shudder.
“Hey, Ruby,” Snow greeted with a smile. “All wolves or just one in particular?”
Ruby held up her hand. “Do not even mention his name,” she warned, but her eyes twinkled with playfully. “I swear the man is trying to shut down my business.”
“Speaking of,” Red said. “Several people took business cards. Do you have any more on you?” Ruby fished around in the pocket of her long red cape and pulled out several business cards for Ruby’s Concierge Service: no errand too small.
“Thanks for helping me promote my business,” Ruby said. “With Grandmother down with pneumonia, I’ve felt so powerless. I am really scrambling to get everything done on the homestead and start my own business. From one business owner to another, I appreciate it.”
“No thank you,” Snow said, coming out with several baskets of baked goods and a cup of coffee for Ruby. “Your errand and delivery service has helped my business grow.”
Ruby smiled and inhaled the coffee, letting the heat and caffeine soak into her senses. The Cake Fairy was her favorite place in town. Well. Unless you counted Cinder’s shoe shop, The Perfect Fit. Because who didn’t find joy in a new pair of shoes?
Red waited until Ruby had settled up before saying, “So what has the too sexy Sheriff Avery Wolfe done this time?”
“Ooh, he is all tall, dark, and sexy,” Snow teased, laughing as her friend blushed.
“And hairy. Have you seen the man’s back?”
“No,” Red said, eyes crinkling with laughter. “We’re all ears. Tell us all about it. And his muscles, too, as long as you’re talking.”
“Do they bulge the way that vein in his forehead does when he’s angry?” Snow chimed in.
Ruby’s eyes flashed with irritation, but she laughed. “You two are terrible,” she scolded, smiling. Red had that effect on people. “Last summer swimming, Red. Get your mind out of the sewer. Anyway, our esteemed sheriff found out I had three new clients – three brothers. Wolfe went out there and talked to them.”
“Well, he is sheriff,” Snow said with a little shrug. “He is supposed to take care of us.”
Ruby shrugged. “I guess. But one of them was cute, and after Wolfe’s ‘chat’ with them, he hasn’t even so much as been in the same room with me.”
“Sounds like maybe a certain big bad wolf is jealous.”
Ruby finished her coffee and handed the cup back to Snow. “Then perhaps he shouldn’t keep moving little young things in and out of his house,” Ruby said with a little sniff.
“It seems to be contagious. For shiitake’s sake, did you see how that charming Charlie ran off on Cinder? You’d think he would have appreciated a sweet, hardworking girl like Cinder.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “She’s better off without him. Just like I am without the sheriff.” She gave brief hugs to Snow and Red. “Okay, ladies, I’m off. Be safe.”
“You, too,” Snow said. She sighed. “Do you think the sheriff will be able to find Knox brothers? You don’t believe they’re actually gone, do you?”
Red sighed and came up behind her sister to give her a reassuring hug. “We can’t think like that. They’ll be found, and all will be well again.”
Snow raised an eyebrow, determined to slough off her sour mood. “I’ll start working on a new cupcake recipe in honor of their homecoming. Something with honey in it. They always loved pouring honey all over my scones.”
“That’s the spirit!” Red smirked. “Even with a sweet tooth, you have to admit, the man was fine coming and going.”
Snow laughed, a deep throaty chuckle that echoed against the pine boards of the bakery. “You’re so bad,” she scolded without heat.
Red helped her sister take the dirty dishes to the large double sink in the back of the bakery. “Sheriff Avery has to keep looking, doesn’t he? I mean this is the Baron of Thistle Grove, we’re talking about. And the Baron’s brother.”
Once the dishes were done, Red turned the CLOSED sign around, and the shop was officially opened for business.
“Mother asked me to get a few things at the market. Should I go now, or wait until you’re done with the last batch of cookies?” The bell over the shop door rang with a charming peel and Red greeted their customer.
“Mrs. Brown, how are you?” Red said, dimples flashing as she brightened before the customer. It was always like this, she thought. When customers came in the shop, it felt like she was an actress on stage and the house lights went on.
By the time Mrs. Brown left, the shelves were reduced by two loaves of bread, one cake, and two cookies. One for each of her children, of course.
“You do that so effortlessly,” Snow said, wiping her hands. “The last of the baking is done for the day, and the dishes are done. If you want to get mother’s items, I can help the customers.”
Red brushed a small kiss on her sister’s cheek and grabbed her maroon cloak. “Mother needs cheese, milk, and you have been officially ordered to save her a loaf of bread,” Red said as she danced out the door.
Snow smiled wistfully at her sister. Her sister wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day but would instead be caught up chatting with neighbors and friends. Just for a moment, Snow wished she had Red’s verve and energy. Dutifully, she took a loaf of bread and wrapped it in a piece of linen to take home to their mother.
The sheriff came in an hour before closing. He went to close the door gently but the wind took it from him, and it slammed, reverberating through the small building. “Sheriff,” Snow said, coming out from behind the counter to greet him. She swallowed nervously as she stared up at the tall, imposing man and thought better of teasing Ruby about him. This was not a man you took lightly. She wished her sister were there with her. Or Mrs. Brown. Ruby. Anyone, really. “How can I help you?”
Avery’s smile did nothing to allay her fears. His nose was rather sharp and elongated, and Snow was certain the man simply had too many teeth. “Just following up on a lead, Miss Snow,” he said. One impressive paw of a hand dug into his trench coat and pulled out a pen and pad. “One of the Hamm brothers said he saw the Baron and his brother in your shop right before they disappeared. Can you tell me anything about that?”
Snow paused and licked her plump lips. “Everyone comes in to visit,” she
said. “The Baron and his brother enjoyed my baking, is all.”
Avery scratched his full five o’clock shadow and looked skeptical. “Every afternoon?”
Snow had the good grace to blush. “I guess they really liked my scones,” she said, but it sounded lame even to her own ears. She was saved from further questions by the bell over her shop ringing.
“Ruby,” Snow said with a frown. “Did you forget something, sweetie?”
Snow noticed the change that went over Avery’s body. His shoulders tensed and she was pretty sure even his teeth reacted to Ruby’s nearness.
“No, I got everything earlier.” Ruby turned shrewd brown eyes to the sheriff. “I just wanted to make sure Sheriff Wolfe didn’t bother you too much.”
“It’s an investigation, Ruby,” Avery growled. “Unless you don’t want me to find the Baron and his brother?”
“I told you why the Knox brothers were always over here. Use your brain, Wolfe. Red and Snow are beautiful women, and I am sure the Baron and his brother noticed.”
Snow blushed again and opened her mouth to say something, but just then, the sheriff engaged Ruby in an argument. Snow sighed, turned the sign on the door and settled into a chair. Once these two started arguing, she knew she wasn’t leaving the shop anytime soon.
<<<>>>
Errands done, Red spent the rest of the day chatting with the owners of several shops and the butcher even promised her an extra lean cut of beef. Leaving the butcher’s shop, Red was reluctant to return back to the bakery. It wasn’t that she didn’t love helping her sister, but really. The weather was perfect, and the woods lured her with the promise of an afternoon’s exploration.
Red set out for home from the picturesque hamlet of Thistle Grove. She decided to take advantage of a shortcut. The autumn sun was warm against her skin, but the breeze on the air brought with it the promise of a temperature drop. She pulled another one of her sister’s cookies out of her basket and took a healthy bite. Her sister, Snow-White made the best pastries in the area, and Red was known to partake regularly.
Red patted her ample backside and smiled. Her sister’s cookies were so good, it was worth a few extra pounds, she decided. She tossed her long red hair behind her, spread her arms wide, and danced in the swirl of crimson and toffee leaves kicked up by the wind.
A prickling sense of unease trailed its icy fingers across her spine, and she paused mid-dance and looked around for the source of her discomfort. The sun still shone, and the breeze still trailed along, but something had changed. Mixed in with the scent of loam and trees was the unmistakable stench of decay. Red sniffed and recoiled as her senses were assaulted by the gag-worthy odor of rotten lettuce.
Red hurried through the darkest part of the wood as she headed home. Soon the rotten lettuce stench cleared and the overwhelming sense of dread lifted from her delicate shoulders. For the first time, she began to wonder if walking through the woods was such a great idea. What had once been a simple decision had changed after Baron Knox, and his brother had disappeared.
As she passed over a small stone bridge, a noise caught her attention. She darted behind a stone support, her red woolen gown spiraling around her as she knelt in the damp soil. There, in the clearing, sat the largest bear she’d ever seen. Sunning himself.
Red smiled with delight as the bear rolled to his feet and began chasing a bug too far away for her to see it clearly. A bee or butterfly, maybe. This gentle, lumbering giant chasing a butterfly enchanted Red.
She lost track of time as the afternoon waned and the bear moved on from chasing butterflies to splashing in a nearby stream. An ache grew in Red’s breast as she longed to play with the bear, dancing in the fall sunlight. Splashing in the brook. Eating berries from a nearby bramble. Slowly, awareness of her surrounding settled in and unease surrounded her. Panic rose as Red realized she wasn’t alone anymore.
Her green eyes darted around, barely noting the encroaching darkness. There. In a small niche beside the clearing stood Gaul. The little man had only recently come to Thistle Grove, and Red didn’t know much about him. He had only come into the bakery once, and Snow had taken an instant dislike to the diminutive, bearded man. Red hadn’t noticed anything besides a residual oddness and shook off her sister’s concern.
But now, alone in the woods with only a bear and Gaul, Red felt waves of animosity, avarice, and hatred pour off him in waves. She made a mental note to listen to her sister’s intuition more often.
Red swallowed and felt her eyes grow round when she saw Gaul pick up a large rock and place it in the pocket of a slingshot. Was he going to shoot the bear? Anger rose in her. How dare the little man attack the bear? The bear had been enjoying himself and doing whatever bear business bears liked to do in the woods. Why was Gaul intent on harassing the majestic animal?
The bear chuffed and eyed up the little man. The bear rose on his hind legs as if to prove his physical superiority to the measly human. Red’s feet were frozen to the autumn cloaked ground, and her heart beat heavily in her chest as she awaited the outcome of the battle playing out before her. Gaul was no match for the huge bear, but she didn’t understand why the bear hadn’t either charged or run away.
Another bear huffed, and terror replaced her earlier anger at Gaul. Now she was alone in the woods with two bears and a mean, slingshot-wielding man. She scanned around the ground until she found a sturdy stick she could use to defend herself, if needed.
Man and beast continued to eye each other up as Red’s mind scrambled for a way to break the growing tension. Red leaned forward, her feet involuntarily inching towards the tense scene before her. She lifted her stick, determined that she’d go down fighting if needed. Not watching where she was going, her right foot slipped on a leaf and with a little shriek of surprise, found herself sitting on her bottom in a small puddle.
When she looked up, both man and beast had fled the battlefield. Red sighed with relief and stood up. She didn’t like Gaul very much but didn’t want to see him being eaten by a bear, either. Brushing dirt and leaves from her cloak, Red scurried towards home. Sunlight had waned, the charm in the autumn air was turning cold and humid, and all she wanted was a hot cup of tea.
Click to purchase on Amazon: Red
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Other books by Summer Donnelly
Shifter Special Forces
An all new shifter romance series!
Her Lonely Mastiff
Her Broken Bear
Her Mountain Lion’s Mate (Coming soon!!
Witches of Warren County books
Where magical realism meets happily ever after
(in suggested reading order, but each book is a standalone in the series)
Cupid’s Bow Anthology – Dear Kitty
Hummingbird Dreams
Hummingbird Lost
Fae and Frost, a Christmas Romance
Dandelion Wishes
Releasing Sloane Harper (part of the Creek Corner sub-series)
Loved by Beauty (part of the Creek Corner sub-series)
Honeysuckle and Roses
The Failed Ex-periment
Earth Angel
The Three Wish Mermaid
CyberWar: Digital Battlefield Anthology (CyberPrime) – Stronger Together
Haunted Hearts I – Broomstick Breakdown
Under the Mistletoe
Harper’s Mill Historical
Dear Kitty
Harper’s Mill YA universe
Autumn Kisses
A Snowball’s Chance
Spri
ng’s Promise
He Loves me, He Loves Me Not
Seasons of Love (collection)
Creek Corner Road stories
(Related stories set in the Harper’s Mill Universe)
Phoenix Romance Anthology – Adventures in Bobby-sitting
Holiday Heartwarmers Anthology– One Dollar and Eighty-Seven Cents
Releasing Sloane Harper
Loved by Beauty
Apple Blossom, NC books
(In suggested reading order)
Phoenix Romance Anthology - Waiting for Poppy
Midnight Honey
Mysterious Hearts Anthology - Girls just Want to Solve Crime
By Any Other Name – Shortshanks and Sweet Porridge
Let Down Your Hair - Anthousa, Xanthousa, Chrisamalousa (Primed Fairy Tale)
The Grifter Sisters
The adventures of two runaway sisters making their way the only way they know how. Is it their fault that’s more than the law allows?
Here Come the Grifter Sisters
Back to School with the Grifter Sisters
A Dose of Medicine for the Grifter Sister (coming March, 2018!)
Finding Trouble with the Grifter Sisters (coming May, 2018!)
The Art of the Grift (coming June, 2018!)
A Home for the Grifter Sisters (coming July, 2018!)
Standalone Anthologies
Prime Fiction (Phoenix Prime Anthology)
Prime Fantasy (Prime Tales)
Journal With a View: July - August - September (Phoenix Journals)
Belle-Belle and Geirald the Coward (Primed Fairy Tales Book 6)
Bluebeard (Primed Fairy Tales Book 7
Fairy Ointment (Primed Fairy Tales Book 8)
Hearts in the Sky - Can I be Your Hero?
The Klondike Bride Series (with Mildred B. Lewis)
A sweet mail order bride series
Sweet Charity
A Touch of Grace
New Series Thistle Grove Tales
Where fairytales meet real life
Red
Snow (Coming April, 2018!)
Her Broken Bear: Shifter Special Forces Page 8