She hesitated, hearing the little voice in her head. Don’t be stupid. This isn’t smart. You can’t win. Fred’s voice. But there was something about the glow of that Yule log fire that made her believe in the magic.
“Say it,” urged Joe. “Tell me you want me.”
“I do…I want you.”
This time there was no stopping. His mouth made its way down her neck, his lips hot, his teeth nipping gently. She pushed the jacket off his shoulders, unbuttoned his shirt, anxious to touch the flesh underneath. His strong, broad chest was covered in dark hair, exactly as she’d imagined. She rubbed her face against him, reveling in his scent, a heady mixture of soap and musk. She ran her hands along his muscles, feeling the contours and hollows, the strength of steel under velvet. She wanted more. She wanted everything, and somehow, in the heat of the Yule log, she asked for what she wanted...and Joe was more than happy to oblige.
Afterward, Joe and Serafina lay on the rag rug in front of the fire, their legs entangled, and the flickering flames sending a soft, orangey glow across their skin. Joe stoked the fire, yanked a soft quilt off the couch to cover them, and they slept.
***
The next morning Serafina awoke to find herself cradled in Joe’s arms. His chest felt warm and strong at her back. He nuzzled the nape of her neck, sending delicious shivers down her spine.
“I owe you an apology,” Serafina said.
“Not for last night, I hope. Because if you think you need to apologize for that, I’m going to kill myself.”
She laughed. “No, for what I said yesterday. Whatever happened with your family—it’s none of my business. At all.”
“It’s…hard to explain, but I think I’d like to try,” Joe said, rolling onto his back and looking up at the ceiling. “My brother Manny was nine years older than I was—I worshipped him. He and Ginny were high school sweethearts. She was fun, and pretty—Riah takes after her—and I had a crush on her ever since I was a kid. Manny loved her, he really did, but…he took after our dad. He chased women, constantly. Even back then I could see that Manny’s behavior was due to his own issues, not to any shortcomings on Ginny’s part, but of course that didn’t ease Ginny’s hurt one bit.”
Joe fell silent for a moment.
“And…?” Serafina encouraged him.
“That night—the night Riah told you about—I had dropped by for a visit right after Ginny and Manny had had a fight over yet another affair. Manny had taken off, and Ginny wound up crying on my shoulder. We both had a couple of drinks, and somehow….” He shook his head and blew out a breath.
“I know how these things can be,” said Serafina, trying to be understanding. “You were both drinking, and one thing led to another.”
“Not really, no. I was saying good night, we were at the door, and…Ginny rose up on her tiptoes and kissed me. She was beautiful, older and, I thought, wiser than I was, and…just for a second, I gave into temptation and kissed her back. It was only a moment before I pushed her away, but unfortunately, little Riah had woken up and come out looking for her mommy. She saw us kissing, ran into her room and locked herself in.”
“And then?”
“That’s it.”
“That’s it? Just one kiss?”
“One very stupid, misguided, inappropriate kiss.”
“I understand that, but…surely Riah can’t have held that against you all these years.”
Joe shrugged. “We’ve been okay, but the last couple years have been tough. I think the whole incident is wrapped up, in her mind, with the loss of her parents.”
“They died soon after?”
He nodded. “The very next weekend Manny and Ginny were killed on their way to the coast for a romantic getaway, hoping to save their marriage. I…I was the one who talked Manny into it, to try to make things right between them, for Riah’s sake as well as their own.”
“So the upshot is that Riah doesn’t know it was her mother who kissed you, and not the other way around. And she blames you.”
“How can I tell her something like that? Poor kid’s already dealt with so much.”
“But Joe…don’t you think she should hear the truth? You are the most important person in her life right now, and even though it’s important for her to be able to cherish the memory of her parents, she has to understand that you’re a good man.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if she would be able to understand. She’s not mature enough.”
“I think she might be more mature than you realize.”
He grunted, but wrapped his arms around her again and held her tight. They lay together for a long moment, and he started to kiss her neck.
“Joe…I want to tell you something too. I didn’t mean to abandon my aunt. I really did think she had simply moved on. Even as an adult, I wrote her from time to time but never heard back. And she never, ever, answered her phone.”
Joe chuckled. “I’ll bet. Darlene didn’t really believe in phones. And she didn’t write anymore, not for the last several years, because of her eyesight.”
“I still, I could kill myself for not coming to visit, not insisting on seeing her. It’s just…it had been so long, and life gets so busy, and….” She blew out a long breath. “And there’s no excuse. But it wasn’t because I didn’t care.”
“I believe you. And Darlene knew it, I’m sure. That old woman knew everything. Somehow, she really did.”
They started kissing, and they both forgot everything but here and now and the sensations of skin and lips.
They rolled together on the floor, and bumped up against the card table. The stack of playing cards fell and splayed out on the floor in front of them.
Serafina began to gather them up, then froze.
“Joe…I know this sounds strange, but…I think Riah’s in danger.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s…look, it’s in the cards. The spades, they’re like the swords suit in Tarot. Riah’s the queen of swords, and she’s surrounded by them. And this, the ten of swords—she needs help.” Serafina looked up at Joe. “I know it sounds crazy.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in any of this.”
“I don’t. I didn’t. I…I don’t know what to tell you, except that looking at these cards now, right this moment, I know Riah is in danger.”
Joe was already up and dialing Riah’s cell phone. When he got no answer he phoned Angelique’s house. He spoke briefly with someone, then hung up and turned to Serafina, a terrified look shadowing his eyes.
“She’s not there. Angelique was asleep, they…they don’t know how long she’s been gone.”
Serafina reached out for his hand and squeezed it.
“Can you read anything more?” asked Joe. “Do they…do the cards tell you anything more?”
“I’ll try.” Serafina gathered the cards, sat at the table in front of the fire, shuffled them, and let out a deep breath to center herself, just as she remembered Darlene doing. Serafina really didn’t believe this would work, but had to try. She had to.
She started to lay out the cards, asking them to help her. To speak to her. To find Riah. At first there was nothing—they appeared to be regular old playing cards, good for nothing more than a game of solitaire. But then…that same strange golden glow was cast, and the numbers and suits began bobbing around in her mind’s eye, just as before.
“The road out of town,” said Serafina after several moments. “She’s running away. Joe, I think she’s walking toward the highway.”
Joe called the sheriff’s office, but there was an accident near the ski resort and they couldn’t promise to respond anytime soon.
He started pulling on his jeans, his mouth set in a grim line.
“I’ll come with you,” said Serafina, searching for the clothes that had fallen to the floor during last night’s abandon.
“I’d rather you stay here,” Joe said. “In case…if I can’t find her, I might need you to pull out that magic tri
ck again. Or…she might change her mind and come back here. Here’s my cell phone number. We’ll call each other as soon as one of us knows anything. Okay?”
Serafina nodded, pulled the quilt around her, and trailed him to the door. “You’ll find her, Joe. I know you will.”
“Serafina,” said Joe, pausing as he reached for the knob, “I’m really sorry about this. I don’t know what to say, except that if you want me, I come with a pain-in-the-ass teenager. For better or worse, we’re a package deal.”
Serafina smiled. “Who says I want you?”
Joe grinned, pulled her to him for one last long kiss—a kiss that promised the world—then ran to his truck still parked in front of McNally’s bar.
Serafina lingered in the doorway for a moment, despite the cold, watching Joe go.
“Mornin,’” said one of the Bench Boys, startling her.
“Oh! Good morning,” said Serafina, blushing furiously as she realized she was clad in only a quilt. She clutched it to her throat.
“Saw Riah come by earlier, but she left,” said another of the men. “Guess you and Joe weren’t accepting visitors yet. A mite early.”
With a sinking sensation, Serafina realized that Riah must have seen them lying together on the floor. Good lord, she thought. What a mess.
Still, Serafina couldn’t help but think Joe would find Riah in time. He would. She knew he would.
She had seen it in the cards, plain as day.
***
Joe couldn’t stop swearing. He swore as he ran to his truck, swore as he sped down Main Street, swore as he started down the long winding road that led to the highway.
He had to catch Riah before someone offered her a ride. A sixteen-year-old who was stupid enough to run away was stupid enough to accept a ride from a stranger.
He would kill her. First he’d hug her, then he’d kill her. And then he’d hug her again. And then he’d lay down the law: no more Uncle Nice Guy. If she was seriously bent on pursuing this juvenile delinquent behavior, he’d get her some therapy and become her jailer. Maybe he’d get her a job doing hard labor on Leo’s old ranch, he thought. It had worked for him, after all. Leo’s son ran it now, and after a day of ranch work she’d be too tired to….
Just then, he came around a bend in the road and caught sight of a red jacket and bright yellow-striped scarf. Riah. Walking along the side of the road, just as Serafina said she would be.
When she heard the approaching motor Riah stuck her thumb out. She was hitchhiking.
He would kill her.
He pulled the truck as far to the side of the road as he could get considering the snow was piled up several feet high, screeched to a halt behind her, and put on his emergency blinkers.
Riah turned around, recognized Joe’s truck, and darted into the woods.
“Riah!” Joe yelled as he launched himself from the cab. “Dammit, Riah, get back here!”
“Go to hell!” Riah yelled in reply. “Both of you!”
Bogged down by the deep snow drifts, they moved as if in slow motion. Joe’s longer legs soon closed the distance between them, and with a leap he tackled the teenager. They landed together in a cushion of snow.
“That’s enough!” Joe barked as he held his crying niece. “What in the hell do you think you were doing?”
“What do you care?” Riah sobbed. “I don’t need you. Go back to Serafina. She’s all you care about anyway.”
Joe couldn’t believe the unfairness of her accusation. For years he hadn’t dated, wanting to provide Riah with some semblance of a secure home life. And this was the thanks he got? Then he thought about what Serafina had said, that Riah could handle the truth. So lying right there in the snow drift, looking like overgrown kids on the losing end of a snowball fight, Joe told Riah the truth about what happened between him and her mother that night.
“You’re old enough to understand these aren’t simple things. Your parents were good people, but they were flawed. But you know what? They loved you. Desperately. You were their reason for being together, you were why they wanted to make the family work.”
Riah’s face was blotchy and red from crying, and she looked very young. It reminded Joe of the first night he tucked her in, on that nightmarish day when her parents had died. It was in that moment that he realized the enormity of the responsibility he had taken on.
Joe pushed the hair out of her eyes, then hugged her. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse with emotion. “I love you so much, Riah. You’re my family. I don’t have anyone else. Don’t you know I would die if I lost you?”
“What about Serafina? You have her now.”
“I met her what, two days ago?”
“But there’s a connection there, isn’t here? Darlene foresaw it.”
“When was this?”
“Don’t you remember? She kept trying to tell you. She saw that you would find your soul mate…you and a bunch of other people in Snow Creek this Christmas. She prepared the Yule log with a spell for romance. Anyway, you and Serafina have each other now, you don’t need me.”
“First of all, this thing with Serafina…you’re right, it’s special. But you and I are family, and if Serafina didn’t like you then I’d choose you, you understand? Now, fortunately, she does like you. A lot. You should hear her talk about you.”
“Really?”
“Really. And frankly, I think we could do worse…the three of us make quite a trio. Not a sane one in the lot.”
Riah hit him with a snowball, and Joe heard something he hadn’t for far too long: the sound of her laughter.
On the way back to the ranch, Riah said, “Uncle Joe, there’s only one thing I really want for Christmas.”
“You are not getting a tattoo, young lady, and that’s final.”
Riah smiled. “That’s not it. I want you to take me to the Christmas Parade. With Serafina.”
“You’re sure?” he said, giving her a sidelong glance.
She nodded. “Let’s have some lunch ‘cause I’m starving. Then we can go back to town. Wanna?”
“You mean you didn’t pack a lunch for your new life?” Joe grumbled.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Joe. Really sorry. I just…I just lost it, I guess.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Let’s get warmed up and fed, and we’ll see how we feel.”
“Hey, how’d you find me, anyway?”
“Serafina…she read it in the cards.”
“No way!”
“Way.”
“That’s so cool! I told her she had the gene!”
Once they got home, Joe made Riah call Serafina at Magic Baubles, while he notified the sheriff’s department that she was safe. A round of steaming showers, some dry clothes, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot chocolate for her and black coffee for him, and they decided they both felt like venturing back into town for Snow Creek’s annual Christmas Parade.
Joe parked the truck in front of Magic Baubles, but the store was closed. The streets were filling with townspeople and tourists coming together for the holidays in Snow Creek’s winter wonderland.
Joe finally spotted Serafina coming out of the Low Down Dirty Shame.
“Riah!” Serafina cried, and hugged the teenager. “You’re okay?”
Riah nodded. “Hey, I’ve got to go…do something. Talk to you later.”
Joe watched as she ran off. “She’s going to give me a heart attack yet.”
“But she’s safe, that’s what’s important.”
“Thanks to you,” Joe said. “Did you really read it in the cards?”
“I don’t really know what I saw. Maybe it was just intuition, but maybe….” She trailed off with a shrug. Part of her wondered whether Darlene’s spirit was still hanging around Magic Baubles, somehow helping out her friends and family from beyond the veil. “It really doesn’t matter now, does it? The important thing is that Riah’s safe.”
“I told her the truth about what happened between her mom and me. I think maybe a part
of her already knew. She took it well.”
“Obviously. She seems happy with you.”
Joe nodded. “So…I’m afraid to ask, but what were you doing at the Low Down Dirty Shame?”
Serafina smiled up at him, dropped her jacket off her shoulder, and turned her back to him. “Lift the bandage.”
Underneath was a brand new tattoo of the Queen of Hearts, right on her shoulder blade. “Peggy does beautiful work, doesn’t she?”
“Somehow you never seemed to me like the type of person to get a tattoo.”
“You’re right, I never used to be. But I’m finding that Snow Creek’s having an interesting effect on me.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Joe looked down at her and smiled…and then indulged in a long kiss.
Later, when the parade began and the Cornelius’s reindeer-impersonating ponies trotted by sporting their specially-fitted antlers, Joe was surprised to see Riah up on the sleigh with Santa—aka Mr. Cornelius—throwing candy canes to the crowd.
The Bench Boys sat up on their perch, watching the parade go by…but their eyes were on Joe and Serafina, who were standing on the other side of Main Street with their arms wrapped around one another.
“I think a January weddin’ would be real nice,” said Sully. “White as the snow.”
“That wouldn’t even give ‘em time for proper plannin’,” said Leo. “A weddin’s a big deal. Joe’s got a lot of friends, and Serafina’s racking up quite a few for a flatlander. Whole town’ll be invited. I say more like May.”
“June,” said Ray. “Sawbuck says it’ll be June.”
“No later than that,” Sully agreed with a nod. “Sawbuck says it’ll be no later than that.”
About Juliet
Juliet Blackwell is the New York Times and national bestselling author of the Witchcraft Mystery series, featuring a powerful witch with a vintage clothes store in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury neighborhood. She also writes the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery series, starring Mel Turner, a failed anthropologist who reluctantly takes over her father’s high-end construction company…and starts seeing ghosts behind the walls. Under the pseudonym Hailey Lind, Blackwell wrote the Agatha-nominated Art Lover’s Mystery series, in which ex-art forger Annie Kincaid attempts to go straight as a faux finisher: Feint of Art, Shooting Gallery, Brush with Death, and Arsenic and Old Paint.
Love on Main Street: A Snow Creek Christmas Page 7