by Tena Stetler
Pepper walked around to the driver’s side of the truck, climbed in. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her lips twitched as she bit back a grin. “Looking out for the best interests of the animals is my job. Brock wants more experience. Why not?” Pepper started the engine and turned on Main Street ignoring the stare her best friend was giving her. When the windows started to steam up, Pepper flipped the heater to defrost, turned the fan on low, and cracked her window. Gwen was sitting silently on her seat, arms crossed.
“Oh come on. You gotta admit he’s cute. Dylan said he’s very single.”
“Ok, he’s good looking, smart, and single. So what’s wrong with him?”
“Works all the time, according to his cousin. So you two would get along great. Besides, you said you needed a new vet last time we talked. I found you one. You’re welcome.”
Gwen blew out a breath. “You had this planned all along.”
“Don’t be silly. How could I know Brock would be walking down Maple as we left Kelly’s place?” Pepper turned onto the gravel road that led to the cabin, coasted into the driveway, and cut the engine.
“I don’t know.” Gwen huffed, opening the door, and hopping to the ground. Ember and Tonk came bounding up the path, raced around the SUV, then chased each other back to the cabin. “But I do know when you are up to something.”
Chapter Nineteen
What’s the Use of Magic, If You Can’t Use It?
A few days later, Lathen’s dad phoned to tell Lathen that he’d stopped in Denver to pick up Pepper’s mom and dad. Their flight would touch down in Bar Harbor in an hour. He also indicated that the rest of the pack members attending would arrive the day before the wedding. They had rooms reserved at the Sea Crest Inn. Lathen relayed the information to Pepper.
A rental SUV pulled up in front of the cabin as Lathen, Pepper, and Gwen were walking up the path from the office. The back door to the vehicle flew open, Pepper’s mom, Klaren, bounded out of the vehicle and down the path to envelop Pepper and Lathen in a hug. Pepper’s dad, Duncan, got out of the other side smiling and joined Klaren, careful not to step on Ember and Tonk circling the newcomers. He kissed his daughter and backed away from the fray.
“It’s so good to see you again,” Klaren declared. “Gwen, when did you arrive?” Klaren pulled Gwen into the group hug.
“Oh, I was able to sneak away from the sanctuary a few days early. So here I am.”
“Mom, Dad, it’s only been a few weeks.” Pepper kissed her mom and dad on the cheek and untangled herself from her mom’s grip. She spotted Elijah and Amy standing beside the vehicle looking out across the expanse of the property to the ocean. Lathen’s brother, Kolby and his wife Hayley walked toward Lathen, who also had escaped Klaren’s grip.
Tonk and Ember barked at the back of the SUV, circled then returned.
Lathen grabbed his brother’s hand then drew him into a hug. “Good to see you.” He reached over and gave Hayley a quick hug. “Glad you made it.” Lathen joined his dad and Amy, who hadn’t moved from the side of the vehicle.
“This is quite a place you have here.” His dad reached out and clasped Lathen’s hand, pulled him into a bear hug. “You did good, son.”
“Not me. Pepper is the driving force behind this Center. I’m just the handyman,” Lathen said, smiling wide. Leaning over he gave Amy a hug. “You keeping this old man in line?” He clasped his dad’s shoulder.
Amy chuckled. “Hardly. As you know, he’s a force to reckon with, but I’m doing my best.” Her gaze swept affectionately over her husband. She pointed to the various buildings. “This is a lot bigger than I imagined.”
“It’s growing by leaps and bounds. When we built it, we allowed for growth. Really glad we did. Apparently there was quite a storm while we were in Colorado. Most the habitats are full.”
“I can see you love the work. I’m so glad you…”
“Me too, Dad.” An awkward silence fell between the two.
Pepper elbowed Lathen out of the way breaking the silence and grabbed Hayley’s hands, swung them out to the sides and back. “Do I dare hug you?”
“Oh, very funny. Come here silly girl.” Haley turned slightly sideways to hug Pepper.
“You look great. How are you feeling?”
“Good. Except I can’t get behind the wheel of a car, and I haven’t seen my feet in what seems like forever. But the next baby, Kolby is carrying,” Hayley said with a laugh.
“Then there won’t be another one,” Kolby said firmly, shaking his head. “No way.”
“Wimp.” Hayley giggled wrapping her arm around his waist.
Pepper reached out, snagged Gwen’s arm. “Gwen, this is Hayley, Lathen’s sister-in-law, the one I told you about, and her husband, Kolby.”
Gwen clasped Hayley’s hand. “So glad to meet you. Pepper’s told me all about you and Kolby—well—everyone,” she said happily. “And you must be—Eli and Amy.”
“Guilty as charged.” Eli chuckled.
“Okay, what the heck is in the back of that SUV that has Tonk and Ember so wound up?” Pepper said stalking around to the back of the vehicle. “That’s enough you two. Leave it.” Dog and wolf quit barking but continued to sniff and paw at the door. That’s when she heard the yips coming from inside.
“Oh, in all the excitement, I forgot Timber is in her crate in the back. She couldn’t be trusted loose on the car ride here. Chewing issues and she was asleep when we drove up.” Klaren waited for Eli to unlock the door. He stepped out of the way a smirk on his lips. Amy grinned at him.
“No wonder Tonk and Ember are going crazy. Let the poor pup out,” Pepper insisted.
Klaren opened the crate door and caught the wiggling bundle of fur as it leaped out of the enclosure. She clipped the leash on and set the pup on the ground.
“Wow. She’s getting big.” Lathen watched Tonk and Ember greet Timber. “Easy guys. No rough housing with the pup,” he said sternly.
Pepper touched dog and wolf, narrowing her eyes. Tonk and Ember settled down and trotted onto the porch, with a couple backward glances.
“Pep we need your talent to corral Timber. She’s a little pistol.” Pepper’s dad took the leash from his wife and picked up the pup.
“Tonk and Ember will keep her worn out. A tired pup is a happy pup. We’ll work on a little training while you’re here.” Pepper laughed and snatched the pup from her dad, held Timber up to her face. “Won’t we girl.” Timber licked Pepper’s face and yipped, four legs flailing in an effort to get down.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to fence your meadow, away from the gardens of course, so Timber could run off her energy. Safely.”
“Sure.” Lathen glanced around to make sure no one outside their circle was in the vicinity. “Tonk and Ember can help with that.”
Duncan snapped his fingers and a chain link fence appeared around the meadow where the witches had spellbound Ben Bonchard on Halloween night. The gate swung open. Tonk and Ember looked to Pepper, who nodded her consent. They rushed in then paused as Klaren unclipped the leash from Timber and closed the gate.
“You two watch out for Timber,” Pepper instructed, slipping her arm through Lathen’s as they led the way to the cabin.
When Lathen stepped inside, there was a slight feeling of expanding air and a soft groan from the cabin. Somehow the living area seemed more spacious. Pepper cut her gaze to her mom, who was chatting nervously with Amy. Pepper excused herself from Gwen and Hayley, clasped her mother’s arm.
“Mom, could I see you for a minute?” she hissed into her mother’s ear.
“Oh, no dear, Amy and I were just discussing your operations here. Won’t you show the Quartz’s the Center before the sun goes down? They’d like to stretch their legs after sitting in the plane for so long.”
“That’s a great idea,” Pepper’s dad said loudly. “Hayley, Kolby you up for a walk with Elijah, Amy, and me?”
Pepper narrowed her eyes and shifted her gaze between her
mom and dad. “Lathen would be happy to give you the tour.”
Hayley held her hand up. “I’d like to just wander around the main area, close to a bathroom. I’ll save the outlying areas for another day. If you don’t mind.”
“Sure thing. Right this way.” Lathen whistled for Tonk and Ember forgetting for a moment they were in the enclosure with Timber. Kaylee whistled in return. “Hey, I think someone wants to join the party. I’ll go out and release the hounds. Toss me the leash for Timber.”
“I’ll get Kaylee and let her fly with you on the tour.” Pepper jogged down the hall to the osprey’s aviary, tugged open the door and Kaylee came soaring through the door, banked left, down the hall and into the living area. She landed gracefully on her perch in the living room.
Lathen donned a leather gauntlet and held his arm out for Kaylee. “Come on girl, you’re coming with me.”
Kaylee whistled happily and glided to his arm. He wrapped his other arm around Pepper’s waist and leaned his lips to her ear. “I know what your parents did, but let them have their way. We needed the extra room anyway. Not worth scolding them over the use of magic for something they see as helping out. Let it go.” Lathen brushed his lips over her cheek. “See you later. I assume you’re going to stay with Hayley and Gwen?”
Pepper shrugged as a little line dug itself between her brows. “Yep.” She waited until everyone else trooped out the back door and eventually down the path to the office, and mammal habitat.
“This place is huge. How do just you and Lathen handle things?” Hayley asked rubbing her hand across her belly.
“Oh, we don’t. It’s grown a lot, and right now we are almost filled to capacity. Bad storm over Thanksgiving wreaked havoc with the wildlife in Arcadia National Park while we were gone. We have a couple of employees, Alec and Mike that handle a lot of the outside work. A vet, Dylan Foster, from Lobster Cove and her cousin visiting from Massachusetts, helped out while we were gone. He has a veterinary practice somewhere around Salem.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow.
Pepper winked at her. “He stopped by here to check on the animals since Dylan’s been under the weather.”
Hayley nodded and smiled knowingly when Gwen’s face flushed.
“No, no, no…any interest I have is purely professional; we need a new vet.” Gwen shook her head emphatically. “I don’t have time for personal relationships.”
“You better make time, or you’ll find yourself old and alone with only the animals at the sanctuary to keep you company. They won’t keep you warm at night, or care for you when you’re sick.” Pepper waved her off as her lips curved up in a mischievous grin. “Wait ’til you get to know him. You’ll see what I mean.”
“At least the animals won’t deliberately cause me heartbreak,” Gwen shot back.
Knowing full well the heartbreak of rescue, Pepper raised a brow. “Don’t they?”
“You embarrass me, and so help me I’ll…” Gwen started.
Pepper cut her off. “I won’t embarrass you. Fair enough?” She zipped up her coat. “Ready for a short walk, ladies?”
“That sounds good.” Hayley re-buttoned her coat and slipped on her gloves.
“Come on Gwen.” Pepper tugged her friend by the hand, led the way out the front door and around to the greenhouse.
After touring the greenhouse, mammal habitat, and resting for a bit in Pepper’s office, the girls trudged up the path to the cabin. Kaylee whistled high overhead and dove for Pepper just as she encased her arm in leather over her coat and raised her arm.
“That was quick,” Gwen commented accustomed to Pepper’s use of magic to protect her arm from the osprey’s talons.
“Yeah, the parka material protects my arm, but leather helps avoid replacing my parkas on a continual basis due to the material being shredded by sharp talons.” She laughed and touched Kaylee’s wing. “She was sitting in her favorite tree outside the office, so figured she’d join us.”
“She has grown stronger and more confident here.” Gwen removed her boots and hung her parka on one of the pegs by the door.
“Kaylee has. During the summer, she is about ninety-eight percent, but during the winter, the cold bothers her old injuries, so she spends less time outside, unless we are outside working.” Pepper started the fire in the usual fashion since Lathen had stacked wood in the fireplace earlier in the day. Flames licked at the logs and soon flickered high above the wood providing additional warmth to the room. Gwen and Hayley stretched out on the recliners while Pepper put coffee on and popped cookies in the oven that she’d pulled from the freezer earlier in the day.
“Hey, Pepper,” Gwen called from the other room. “Hayley was just wondering about this wreath of feathers hung on the wall behind the couch. Isn’t it the one you made with all the rescued birds we’d taken in at the Salem Wildlife Sanctuary? I don’t remember it having this glow about it in your apartment.”
Pepper stuck her head around the corner and glanced at the wreath. “Yes, it seems to have taken on a life of its own here.”
The back door banged open with a whoosh of bitterly cold wind. Pepper’s mom, with ice crystals in her hair, and Amy, rosy-cheeked from the cold, rushed in closing the door quickly behind them.
“The wind whipped up as we walked back from the apartment.” Klaren shivered and toed her boots off. “It’s cold in Colorado, but this is different. Burrr.”
“It’s the moisture in the air,” Pepper said out of habit.
The men trooped in with only a few pieces of luggage. “Where’s the rest of our bags?” Elijah wanted to know.
“Oh, I took care of them. Yours are in the apartment, and Hayley’s and Kolby’s are in the other guest room. I didn’t know who the smaller ones belonged to so figured you guys could sort them out.” Pepper glanced out the window a smile turned up the corners of her mouth.
“I like having a witch in the family.” Amy sighed, following Pepper’s gaze to the beautiful sunset.
Duncan stood near the doorway hands in his pockets. “We need to open the cottage. Have to stock it tomorrow. So how about we all meet back here in about an hour and have dinner at The Cliffside?” He cut his gaze over to Klaren. “Our treat.”
Remembering Lathen’s words, Pepper agreed and walked them to the rented SUV. When she set foot in the door of the cabin, Lathen was grinning from ear to ear as was Elijah.
“Dad’s agreed to officiate at our wedding.”
Pepper threw her arms around Eli’s neck then kissed his cheek. “Thank you. It means a lot to us.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” Eli replied.
Two hours later they were all seated around a large table covered with a crisp white cloth and a lit candle in the center. Pepper warmed her hands around a china cup filled with freshly brewed raspberry tea and watched as a waiter poured steaming coffee into each person’s cup.
Another waiter dressed in black with a towel draped over his arm crossed the polished wood floor and paused at their table. “Are you ready to order?”
“I believe so.” Pepper glanced around the table as everyone nodded.
The waiter started with Amy and went clockwise around the table taking each person’s order. “Wine?”
“Maybe after dinner. We’ll peruse the wine list.” Lathen turned to Elijah handing him the list. “They have an extensive selection of wines.”
“Excuse me.” Pepper eased up from the table. “I want to check on our arrangements for the rehearsal dinner.”
She’d just stepped away from the table when a manager came up behind her. “Wanted to let you know we’re all set for your dinner next week. Did you need any changes to the menu or anything else? Kelly contacted us about the decorations.”
Pleased, Pepper smiled. “No not at all, I was going to check, but you’ve already addressed my questions.”
“Our pleasure, Ms. McKay. We look forward to your party.”
“It’s Pepper and thank you.” She returned to the table.
> “Looks like you’ve gotten everything taken care of,” Klaren said a bit of disappointment in her voice.
“It was crazy until we decided to hire Kelly from Wedded Bliss. She took care of everything I hadn’t, and did a beautiful job with the reception. I didn’t want you to run yourself ragged when you arrived.” She smiled at her mom and hoped to alleviate some of her disappointment of not being able to help in the wedding plans. She would have driven me crazy.
Lathen cleared his throat and gave her a thumbs up behind his napkin with a wide grin.
She winked at him as the corners of her mouth turned up in a saucy smile.
“Okay, what’s going on between you two?” Gwen wanted to know.
“It’s on a need to know basis.” Pepper’s lips twitched, then turned up into a mischievous grin. “And you don’t need to know.” She returned to her seat.
“Well, la ta da.” Gwen chortled. Nearby customers turned their heads in her direction. One hand flew to her mouth as red patches bloomed on her cheeks.
After dinner, everyone returned to the cabin. Pepper’s parents left for the cottage, everyone else went their own way leaving Pepper and Lathen alone sitting in front of the roaring fireplace.
“See, everything is turning out perfect,” Lathen whispered, trailing a line of kisses along her jaw line to the soft swell of her breasts above the plunging neckline of her sweater.
She giggled. “You’re right. Nothing to worry about.” She tucked her hand under his chin and brought his mouth up to hers. Tracing his lips with the tip of her tongue, she pressed her lips to his, caressing his mouth more than kissing it. He took control of the kiss, parting her lips, slipping his tongue inside stroking, tasting until her senses reeled as if short-circuited.
In a husky voice, Lathen said, “I think we need to take this elsewhere…” He slipped an arm under her knees and swept her into his arms, carried her up the stairs to their room without a sound.
****
For the rest of the week, Pepper was thankful that sunshine was unusually abundant, there was only a gentle breeze allowing family excursions to the ocean, tour of the town and surrounding areas. Several members of Lathen’s pack arrived a couple days before the wedding and joined the family outings. Feeding the large group at the cabin was a challenge. But with everyone pitching in, the meals went smoothly and turned into gab fests and planning sessions for the next day’s activities. Occasionally, Lathen made advance reservations at local restaurants to accommodate the large group.