by Lauren Dane
He managed to drag his eyes open to see he’d left a pretty obvious love bite on her neck. “I may have.”
She giggled. “You must have fucked me stupid because I’m not even mad. Tomorrow I will be. Probably.”
“Get used to it, Katie Faith. Wolves like to leave marks.”
She shivered again. “I guess I’ll have to.” But she smiled as she said it.
Chapter Thirteen
Katie Faith stopped by to see her parents after she closed up one afternoon two weeks later.
“I’m going to the grocery store so I thought I’d see if you two needed anything,” she said as she entered the living room where her dad watched television at an alarming volume and her mom attempted to read a book.
“Hey, baby.” Her dad held his arms out and she gave him a hug.
“How’d it go today?” He had a doctor’s appointment first thing that morning so her parents had spent the night near the hospital and had come back a few hours ago.
“I’m looking great.”
“Did you have them check your hearing? Jeez, Daddy this television is so loud I could hear it from the porch.”
Her mother snorted as she stood to kiss Katie Faith’s cheek. “He claims there’s nothing wrong with his hearing.”
“Uh.” Katie Faith didn’t want to get in the middle of this argument, that was for sure. She just hoped Jace wouldn’t watch TV that loud when he was an old guy like her dad.
“Anyway, he’s telling you the truth. The doctors said he’s doing fantastic.” Two of them were witches, so they had taken into account Avery’s sped up metabolism and healing, so it was even better to hear her dad was doing great from people who knew his whole story.
“That’s a relief.” She hugged her dad again. “So anything from the market?”
Her mother made a list of some basics. “Thank you, honey.” Her mother walked her to the car. “Not just for this grocery run. But for everything. For putting your life on hold to come here. For being so loving and helpful. We sure are proud of you.”
She hadn’t realized how much the words would mean until her mother gave them to her. Tears welled up. “Every single time in my life when I’ve needed help, you and daddy have been there. Of course I’m here. And you know what? I’m glad. I have a good life here. I see Aimee every day. I see you two every day. The Counter is doing great. I just got two contract jobs for some basic bookkeeping so I can easily cover the snow tires I’m going to need soon enough.”
“That boy is nuts about you.” Her mom patted her hand. “You two come for dinner this upcoming weekend. We want to know him better. Oh and I saw Patty in town a few days ago. She and I thought it would be nice to have a unified Thanksgiving. What do you think?”
“It’s not even October yet.”
“There’s no call not to be prepared then, is there?”
Her mom was seriously good with the disapproving tone. “You’re totally right. Of course I’m in. I’ll talk to Jace about dinner this weekend. I have to check with him to see what shift he’s working.”
“Let me know the best time. That’s easy enough to work around.”
“You should make a roast. You know, for company and all,” her father added.
“I’ll make roast beef. You can have trout. Your brother brought some over yesterday so it’ll be perfect. And good for your heart.”
Avery’s grunt of annoyance that his younger brother had brought over fish made Katie Faith laugh.
“I’ll be back in a bit.” She took the list from her mom and when she hugged her dad as she passed by, she told him she’d bring him back a treat.
This was the reason she’d come back. To help lighten the load on her parents. It pleased her that she could. Pleased her that she was able to have them back in her life on a regular basis too.
The parking lot at the small market in town was full, but she found a place a ways from the doors. The building was one of the oldest in town and one Katie Faith remembered going to from a very early age. It was a nice thing to have those memories and those roots. Small towns had their drawbacks. There wouldn’t be forty types of jam on the shelves and they closed at 10:00 p.m. If she wanted anything rare or exotic, she’d have to venture out of the mountains and head to a big city, or order online.
But the roots? The way she waved at friends and family as she grabbed a wobbly cart and headed inside were firmly in the plus column.
She was still smiling as she picked up a flat of peaches and slid it on the shelf on the bottom of the cart. Maybe she could con Miz Rose into making some cobbler for her if she brought over the raw ingredients.
“I nearly didn’t recognize you, Katie Faith.”
Katie Faith, however, would recognize that voice anywhere. She straightened and turned to face Scarlett Pembry.
“Hello, Scarlett.”
“I’ve been looking for you in town, but now I realize, I may have seen you multiple times but didn’t recognize you.”
Wow, that was a world class backhanded compliment.
“Well, the years have been kind to some of us.” Katie Faith smiled bright, loving the way Scarlett’s smirk fell off her face right quick.
Katie Faith added some plums and nectarines, hoping Scarlett would wander off.
“I haven’t been able to welcome you back to town in person. I did ask your momma to come down and have ladies lunch with us, but she’s so darned busy.”
“Thanks. This upcoming weekend it’ll be two months now. We’ll see how happy I am when the snow comes.” She gave Scarlett a quick smile. “As for Momma, she’s still working at the Counter and of course Daddy needs someone around as well. She’s got a lot on her plate just now.” And she doesn’t like you because you’re terrible.
That last bit she kept in her head.
“I thought you came back so she wouldn’t have so much on her plate. I know you have this budding romance with that Dooley boy but you should mind what’s really important.”
Katie Faith just gaped at Scarlett’s words for long moments. Instead of ramming her cart into the other woman, she steered around her.
“Huh. You and I must have different approaches on the meaning of things like what’s really important.”
Scarlett put her hand on the cart stopping its progress. “I wasn’t done.”
“Oh, I think you are. If you want to stand around here and insult me, more power to you. But I’m here shopping for my parents so I really need to get back to what’s really important.”
“There’s no need to be so hostile.”
“You’re right.” Katie Faith pushed the cart harder to underline that point.
“I want to ask you to move to a different part of town,” Scarlett said.
“No.” She won free of Scarlett’s hold on the cart and kept rolling herself toward the dairy section.
“You’re tipping the balance living in Dooley territory. Just because you’ve lowered yourself to being involved with one of them, doesn’t mean you have to destabilize the whole town.”
“Anything available in the Pembry part of town?”
Scarlett’s smile went very catty. “Yes, as a matter of fact. We’d be able to help you with the costs of moving and give you a break on the rent.”
“That’s what I figured. You can take your offer and stick it where the sun don’t shine.”
Scarlett, struck still by shock, watched as Katie Faith kept going. Once she turned the corner, she hustled her steps, wanting to be done and get the hell away from Scarlett Pembry.
This was short lived as she caught up to Katie Faith as she put the milk into the cart.
“We weren’t done speakin’.”
Anger that’d been simmering began to boil. “Oh, we were. Trust me on that.”
Again, Scarlett
grabbed the cart. “You’re not going to take the balance between Pembry and Dooley into account? It’s your damned place to do that.” Scarlett’s expression told Katie Faith just what she thought about witches.
“I think, between the two of us, it’s you who needs to mind your space.”
“You think a few years in the city makes you good enough to take me on?” Scarlett’s mean, narrowed gaze honed in as she let her wolf get alarmingly close to the surface.
Katie Faith’s power rose in response. Sharp and hard enough that Scarlett’s indecision showed in her gaze.
“I don’t think about you at all unless you’re in my face. Where I live isn’t your business. And don’t tell me it’s about balance when you’d be just fine with me living in your territory.”
“Lay down with dogs you gonna get fleas, girl. You’re choosing the wrong side. Your job as a witch is to rein them Dooleys in.”
Katie Faith was beyond boiling and fully into volcanic rage. Instead of louder, she went quieter, all her power focused on her words. “I have had it with you and your family. Don’t you dare tell me what you think my job is as a daughter, a witch or a citizen of Diablo Lake.” She looked Scarlett up and down. Utterly and totally sure she could, in fact, take her. And without a sweat.
In the time she’d spent with wolves when she’d been with Darrell and most definitely since she’d been with Jace, Katie Faith knew how she had to deal with shifters as powerful as the one she faced.
She used her magic to push her cart hard enough to overpower Scarlett’s hold. “Don’t think I’m going to allow you to push me around,” Katie Faith said as she walked past.
People had paused to watch the whole scene. Scarlett may crave all that attention, but Katie Faith wanted none of it.
“You know how dirty them Dooleys are.” Scarlett had given up trying to block her and was walking alongside now, barreling through anyone unfortunate enough to be in her way.
Scarlett’s country showed a lot more when she was pissed off.
“Ask me, Jace will turn out just like his father. Blood will out they say. And then how will your daddy be? When you’re abandoned?”
“I don’t know, Scarlett. He handled it fine the first time.” Katie Faith’s smile was saccharine sweet and totally fake. “Which is the last time I’m going to allow you and yours to harm my father. It happens again and you’ll have me to deal with.”
“You’re just a hole with some magical power to Jace Dooley. Don’t think you’re anything more.”
Oh how she wanted to slap the spit out of Scarlett Pembry!
“Oh you have a mouth on you, don’t you. I can see where Darrell gets his manners.”
“Hey girl!” Aimee rushed over and pulled Katie Faith into a quick hug. “What on earth has you over here on the bargain aisle?” She looked Scarlett up and down.
Thank god for friends.
Katie Faith laughed as she pushed her cart once more, leaving Scarlett standing there.
“I don’t want to talk about it here,” she said in an undertone to Aimee as they checked out under the scrutiny of at least a dozen people. “I have to take groceries over to my parents’ house. I’ll talk to you later.”
Aimee walked with her to her car and helped her load the bags before Katie Faith hugged her friend tight.
“Thanks for having my back in there. She said some pretty nasty stuff.”
“She’s out of line. And she’s wrong. You want to spend the night at my house? We can watch movies and eat junk food and gossip about how good Jace is in bed.”
“That sounds really good, actually. But I have some stuff I need to finish first.” She needed to process everything. So many things weighed on her mind right then that she really just had to be alone for a while.
Aimee told her to call if she changed her mind and headed back to finish the shopping interrupted by having to step in and escort Katie Faith from the store without getting into a brawl.
She delivered the stuff to her parents, unloaded it, put it away for them and after hugs and kisses, she headed off. She didn’t tell them about what happened at the market because it would only upset them and it was something she had to figure out herself. She’d do whatever she could to protect them.
There’d be a few calls, if Katie Faith knew this town, and she thought she did. But she had some time, most likely until the morning. Anyway, if she didn’t mention it now, her parents might believe it wasn’t a big deal. She’d tell them after her father had a good night’s sleep. She’d be damned if she let Scarlett mess with his health.
Tomorrow morning. No need to interfere with his sleep.
Ha.
She needed to tell them. But she didn’t know how. Especially because she was still so upset she knew she’d lose her composure, which would make things even worse and she was sick of things being worse.
She needed to think and if she went home, Jace would be there and she wasn’t ready to talk to him about it yet either. Especially after Scarlett had said all that poisonous stuff about the Dooleys and Jace’s dad.
The batting cages sat on the outer edge of Robby Cuthbert’s land. Just two cages with pitching machines you loaded yourself. Nothing fancy, but they’d been well used by the last three generations of kids in Diablo Lake.
Everyone in town kept it up. She knew Jace made a habit of checking the machines on a regular basis and doing maintenance. Before him, others had done it.
Katie Faith’s dad had brought her out here when she was four. A lifelong Braves fanatic, he’d had her at his side watching games with him for as long as she could remember. He gave her a bat and a mitt for her birthday. And since that day, whenever she needed to think or blow off steam, she made the trip out to hit some balls.
At eight on a Tuesday night, it was abandoned, which was the way she preferred it. She put her headphones on, hit play and Ellie Goulding’s “Army” began.
She hit the release on the arm and let her magic free.
* * *
Jace knocked on Katie Faith’s door but no one answered. Seven already and he knew she’d closed up. She’d texted him earlier to say she was going grocery shopping and would see him later that evening so hopefully she would be returning soon.
It was odd, missing her the way he did when he saw her daily and slept at her side every night. But he’d gotten used to her in his life all the time. He liked it that way. Her scent was all over his stuff and he knew damn well she used his razor on her legs. But he didn’t care.
He went home, made himself some bacon and eggs while catching up with an old episode of Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda.
When she hadn’t texted him back by eight he began to get a little concerned. It wasn’t that she didn’t go out and do things with her friends and family. She was a busy woman, after all. But they touched base often enough that he was restless enough to text Aimee at eight thirty.
His phone rang immediately and he picked it up.
“I didn’t want to type out the whole thing in a text message,” Katie Faith’s best friend said.
“I don’t want to bug Avery and Nadine. I don’t want to inadvertently worry them by calling to see if Katie Faith is over at their place. It’s not that big a deal, but she and I had some plans and she hasn’t texted back.” He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling like a fool. But she’d called instead of texted, which meant there was something up.
Then she told him about the scene with Scarlett.
“I didn’t hear it all because I was trying to get from the doors to them and Scarlett actually stalked Katie Faith all through the place. But for sure it was mean and gross. She said a bunch of hurtful stuff. Katie Faith was so angry. I’m pretty sure that Scarlett wanted it to go physical.”
He growled. Those fucking Pembrys.
“Anyway,” Aimee
interrupted his growling, “she said she had groceries to take over to her mom and daddy’s place. I figured she’d go home and hang out with you.”
He wasn’t worried for her safety. Not exactly.
But that unsettled feeling grew and it would, he knew, until he found her. Because being his meant a whole new level of concern and protectiveness between them.
He sighed. “She’d want to keep this from her parents if she could.”
“Definitely. He just had a check-up so it’s on her mind even more than usual. And Scarlett brought that up.”
“That bitch brought up Katie Faith’s daddy nearly dying? This is a new low, even for her.” He’d have to deal with that at some point. For now though, he just wanted to be sure his witch was okay.
“Katie Faith’s not here, which is one of her places. And with you is another. Uh. Let’s see...” Aimee thought it over.
“Wait. I think I know where she is. I’ll text you once I check,” he told her as he grabbed his keys, stepping into his shoes on the way out the door.
He finally relaxed once he saw her car parked at the side of the dirt road next to the batting cages.
All those years ago he’d found her and she’d done something to him. Planted a seed of want so deep he’d never get enough of her. Today she was a woman hammering ball after ball as she sang at the top of her lungs.
He grinned so hard it hurt his cheeks.
He moved into her line of sight slowly, especially when he noticed she’d been wearing headphones. For long moments he just stared at her, loving the ferocity on her face.
And the jiggle of her tits.
But mainly the ferocity.
The machine spit out the last ball and she let herself relax and get her breath. He waved and she jumped, her vision, which had been blurred as she puzzled over something a million miles away, sharpened on him.
And she smiled.
“How did you know?” she asked him as she walked around the chain link gate and into a hug.
“How did I know where you were? This isn’t the first time I’ve found you down this way.” He kissed the top of her head, pleased she was so happy he’d shown up.