by Amy Star
As if sensing what she was feeling, Mason leaned in and pulled her close.
“The animals won’t live in the barn full-time until late October. That gives you almost four months after the baby is born before the real work starts. And if you’re not ready then, I’ll run it until you are.”
His words calmed her, and she realized that she would probably be ready to get outside and back at it long before then. Being able to bring their baby would make it easier, and she could do most of her work while the baby napped in the office.
“I’m going to need a video monitor in here if you expect me to get any work done,” she said.
“I already ordered three,” Mason said. “You know, for the nursery and wherever else.” He smiled sheepishly. “I like to be prepared.”
She grabbed his hand and tugged on it.
“Come on. Let’s see the rest of the barn.”
Amos smiled and led them by the bathroom and the separate changing room complete with a shower.
“They really did think of everything,” she said appreciatively.
“Wait until you see the wash rack.”
He took them to the first stall, which wasn’t a stall at all. It was twice the length of a normal stall, with a drain in the cement floor and thick rubber mats at each of the three wash racks.
“There is warm and cold water. Nothing too hot, but you can give a horse a bath in the dead of winter without worrying about them freezing,” Amos said, pointing out the hoses and the areas for hanging blankets and storing bathing supplies.
“How is rainwater collection going to provide this much water?” Clara wondered.
“I have a well,” Mason said.
“You do?”
“It was already scheduled to be put in before you got hurt. It went in about two weeks ago.”
“Oh. Well, that’s helpful.”
“It made more sense than relying solely on the rainwater collection systems. That way, if we have a dry season, we can still get water to everyone.”
Clara nodded.
“That makes sense. How many horses does this barn hold?”
“There are twenty stalls, each with their own equipment locker for their saddle, bridle, and halter. Then there are two feed rooms, plus one large tack room that can be used for feed or what I have in it now, which is wheelbarrows and tools. And in the hay lofts, there’s enough room to put nearly five thousand bales of hay.”
Clara was shocked.
“The stalls are twelve feet by twenty feet, so each stall holds about two hundred and forty bales. Twenty stalls mean forty-eight hundred bales,” Amos explained.
“I bought a small baler,” Mason said. “If we bale the pastures that aren’t being used and we rotate carefully, we should be able to produce quite a bit of our own hay.”
“I can’t believe how much trouble you’ve gone through to make this happen,” Clara said, beaming. “I guess I didn’t picture you as a horse person.”
“I wasn’t, but you convinced me. And Amos’ wife Taralyn likes horses.”
“When is she getting here?” Clara asked.
“She’s already here,” Amos said. “She’s staying at the cabin with our son and daughter right now.”
“Is the cabin big enough?” Mason said.
“It will do for now. The kids are having a hard time being packed so close together, but we can add onto it as the colony grows.”
“Can I meet her?” Clara said.
Amos looked surprised.
“Do you want to see the rest of the barn?”
“I took a virtual tour before I chose it. I can look at the barn all day. I would like to meet the people that are going to be sharing this place with us.”
Amos smiled, but Clara could still feel a sense of discomfort. She didn’t know why, but she wasn’t worried. Not everyone was as social as she was—something she’d learned throughout her life.
“I’ll go get her and the kids,” Amos said.
“Clara and I will meet you at the house. It’s about time for dinner, so plan on staying.”
Amos waved his understanding over his shoulder as he got into the small pickup truck and headed down the road.
“I want to show you the nursery before they come back,” he said. “Anything you don’t love, I’ll send back and get something you like.”
“That sounds good,” she said, walking past the truck and toward the house.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’ve been in that truck for over three hours. I can walk a hundred yards to the house, Mason. I’m fine.”
She heard him laugh, then he caught up to her, falling into step beside her.
“So, Amos and his family live all the way on the other side of the village?”
“Yes. It was the cabin on the land that he wanted. It’s small, only two bedrooms. I told him that there were others, but his wife wants a horse so bad, and the kids do, too. It’s the best place for a few horses.”
“Are all the cabins like that?”
“No,” he said, his heavy boots crunching on the fresh gravel walkway that had been put in when the barn went up. “And they won’t stay that way. Every cabin is completely unique. A lot of people lived here and built their own homes at some point. Some are more modern, like yours. And some, like Amos’, are primitive. I tried to convince him to stay here while we upgrade that cabin, but he doesn’t want to impose.”
“Do they own that cabin now?”
“No. I own everything but the land that belongs to you. That way, if someone leaves, I don’t have to worry about it. He can live in any cabin he wants, but the one they chose has a good-sized pasture area, direct water access, plenty of trees to break the wind during the winter, and a good, strong fence line to protect the animals.”
“I understand. That’s part of what made my family build where they did.”
“Exactly.”
He opened the door of the house and led her up the stairs. But this time, they stopped at the room next to the master bedroom.
“Close your eyes,” he said. “I want you to see it all at once.”
She did, letting him take her by the hand and following him into the room. When the light turned on and he told her to open her eyes, she gasped.
In the corner by the window was the rocking chair her grandmother had rocked Caroline Finch in. A handmade quilt was thrown over it, and a thin cushion was tied to the rungs that ran along the back.
“I found that quilt in a large trunk in the back of the closet of the room beside yours when I went to get the rocking chair,” he said. “I was going to take it to the drycleaner to wash it, but there wasn’t a speck of dust on it, and it had smelled freshly laundered.”
“It was a spell,” she said, picking up the quilt and inhaling the familiar scent. “Everything my grandmother washed smelled like this.”
“Like rain and fresh mountain air,” he said.
Tears threatened as Clara hugged the quilt to her chest and breathed in again.
“It’s like she’s still here,” she said, closing her eyes against the flood.
She felt Mason wrap his arms around her, and she leaned into him.
“I can’t believe you bought furniture that matched this rocking chair.”
“It was harder than you think,” he said. “But so worth it. I had Amos take a picture of the room in your cabin and the rocking chair to the Baby Boutique and they matched it.”
“How did he get in?”
“I told him to ask nicely.”
She laughed, swiping at the tears and leaning into his chest.
“You are so thoughtful and amazing.”
“I want everything to be perfect. I know that you don’t have your family here with you, so I tried to make sure that you felt them here with you.”
“The pictures are a nice touch.”
“Amos said they were on the end table when he was walking out, but he doesn’t remember them being there when he walked in.”
“The book,” she said, laughing through the last of her happy tears.
“Book?”
“I’ll show you another time,” she said. “It will have to be moved here when I move in, and it’s a little…feisty.”
“I can’t wait.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
Mason laughed, hugging her close and kissing her quickly.
“When do you want to move in?”
“Tomorrow,” she said. “We can get the horse stalls ready in the morning and move those two, then we’ll worry about my things.”
“What about the furniture?”
“I’m not sure yet,” she said, but she was already formulating a plan. “Let’s worry about dinner now. I’ll figure the rest out when the time comes.”
THE FINAL CHAPTER
A knock on the door announced their visitors just as Clara took the pan of fresh rolls out of the oven. Mason answered the door while Clara emptied them into a cloth lined basket and took them to the table, then took off her apron and hung it in the kitchen.
By the time she was done, everyone was in the dining room admiring the spread on the table.
“Clara, you already know Amos. This is Taralyn, their son, Talon, and their daughter, Arianna.”
“I’m five!” Talon exclaimed, running forward to hug Clara excitedly. “Are you going to have a baby or did you just eat too much?”
Talon’s parents laughed nervously, but Clara’s laughter filled the small room as she hugged the child back and ran her fingers through his thick, glossy black hair.
“I’m going to have a baby.”
“Oh good. I hope it’s a boy, because I already have a sister.”
“Talon!” his mother hissed.
“It’s alright, Taralyn,” Clara said. “He’s five.”
“I’m really sorry about that,” Taralyn said. “Can I help with anything?”
“It’s all set. All you have to do is enjoy.”
“Thank you for inviting us into your home,” Taralyn said softly.
Clara smiled, but she watched Taralyn’s face, surprised to see that the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Something was bothering the woman, but Clara couldn’t put her finger on it.
They all sat down at the table, and pretty soon, they were chatting like old friends, with Talon jumping in with adorable five-year-old chatter now and then. Taralyn stayed mostly quiet, as did Arianna.
Clara caught Mason watching the two of them, too, and she could tell that he’d noticed their reticence, but he appeared to chalk it up to shyness. Clara wasn’t convinced. Something was making Taralyn very uncomfortable, and it wasn’t Clara.
“I can’t wait to be a bear like my daddy,” Talon said, then covered his mouth.
“It’s alright, Talon,” Amos said. “Everyone on the mountain knows about us. It’s safe here.”
“He can’t shift yet?” Clara asked, surprised.
“Not until puberty. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live with humans undetected. Could you imagine trying to keep a child as rambunctious as Talon from shifting whenever the urge hit?”
“No, I really can’t, but that’s a relief. I wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of trying to feed a newborn bear.”
Mason choked on the wine he was sipping, covering his mouth with his napkin as he coughed and laughed simultaneously.
“Why didn’t you just ask me?” Mason said when he could breathe again.
“It didn’t occur to me at first.”
“Are you not a bear?” Taralyn asked quietly, her head still down. “I thought humans couldn’t carry a werebear baby.”
Taralyn didn’t flinch, but when she said the last sentence, Clara very clearly felt her flinch internally and get angry at herself for asking the question. Something about her final statement was connected to her quiet demeanor, Clara was sure of it.
“You’re a witch, aren’t you?” Clara asked, deciding that being bold was better than silently ignoring the elephant in the room.
Taralyn stared at her, dumbfounded, though she didn’t deny it.
But it was Arianna’s expression that left no doubt in Clara’s mind that she was right. Amos was the first to speak; everyone else at the table was staring at Clara, including Mason. Even talkative little Talon had nothing to say.
“How did you know?” Amos asked. “We’ve never told anyone, not even Mason.”
“Because, I’m a witch, too.”
There was a long moment of shocked silence, then Arianna sat up a little straighter, fidgeting in her seat a little before she finally said something.
“Can you do magic and spells like me and Mama?”
“I can, but I’m not very good at it yet.”
“You’re probably better than me,” the little girl insisted.
“I don’t know. Have you ever turned your hair red before?”
Arianna giggled.
“No. What color was your hair before?”
“Blonde with streaks of color, but those came out of a box.”
“Do you think you can show me how to color my hair?”
Clara smiled at her.
“I love your hair the way it is,” she said, admiring the glossy black hair that was so close to her mother’s. “And I’m not the best person to teach you how to do spells. I mess them up more than I get them right, even with the help of the book.”
Taralyn perked up.
“The book?”
Clara shrugged.
“I guess, but I don’t know. My grandmother left it to me, along with a note telling me that I was a witch. I didn’t know until she died last year.”
“Can I see the book?”
“I don’t see why not. As soon as we’re done here, we can all go over to my family’s cabin and I’ll show it to you.”
The conversation seemed a little more relaxed after that, and Clara caught Mason smiling at her, the pride evident on his face without him saying a word. When they were finished, they hurriedly cleaned up the table. Mason caught her alone in the kitchen, pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.
“What was that for?”
“For being you. I don’t know how you always do it, but you put people at ease and make them feel welcomed. You learned more about Taralyn in five minutes than I have in the five years she’s been married to my best friend.”
“To be fair, I can practically read minds.”
“I know that, but it’s not just that you knew she was a witch. It was how you handled it and how you speak to the kids. You’re such an amazing person, Clara. I’m so lucky that I found you.”
“Technically, Bethany found me,” she laughed.
“Yes, but I was drawn to Bear Mountain for a reason. I thought that reason was to create a safe place for my own kind, but I think that there were many reasons, and you are a big part of that. If I hadn’t tried to buy your place, you wouldn’t have known it was here, and I never would have met you. It’s all so coincidental and absolutely perfect.”
“We call that Fate,” she said, kissing him tenderly.
“I never believed in Fate until I met you. Now, I know that it exists.”
They finished putting up the last of the dinner dishes then piled into Clara’s truck and drove down to the cabin.
“You did a great job on this road,” Amos said.
“I had to do something. It was like an obstacle course. Hopefully, by the time everyone starts arriving, we’ll have the dirt roads and paths maintained.”
“We have a lot to accomplish over the next year,” Mason said. “But as people and families trickle in, we’ll have more hands-on deck, and things will go faster.”
“I’m hoping to get renovation done on our cabin before winter,” Amos said.
“I should be able to help now that we’re back home,” Mason said. “If you want, Taralyn and the kids can stay at my place while we work. We have plenty of room.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Amos said as Clar
a put the truck in park by the front door.
“I love this,” Taralyn said, standing on the front porch and taking a deep breath.
“You can open the door and go inside if you want,” Clara said.
Mason looked at her, but she just nodded her head in Taralyn’s direction as the door swung wide without issue.
“Interesting,” Mason said.
“Very,” Clara agreed.
Clara watched them as they toured the cabin, which was smaller than Mason’s house, but as big as most three-bedroom houses in the city and nearly twice as big as the cabin Amos and his family were staying in, even though it only had one less room.
“Here’s the book,” Clara said when they circled back to the living room.
Clara held out her hands and the book flew from the shelf and into her outstretched arms. She nearly buckled under the force of the book’s excitement to see her, but she held firm, glancing at the page the book had opened to.
Spells for Blessing Homes and New Beginnings was the first spell on the page. Clara nearly laughed out loud.
“I hear you,” she whispered to the book.
“You hear what?” Mason asked.
Clara set the book down on the table, taking a deep breath and smiling at Taralyn.
“I had a feeling it would come to this, and now that I’ve had some time to get to know you, I know this is the right thing to do. Taralyn, Amos, this cabin has everything you were looking for: a place to keep horses, enough room for everyone, and plenty of land to grow. This property has been in my family for generations, and I think it’s only right that while I can’t live in it, another witch should live in it.”
“Are you sure?” Taralyn asked, tears welling in her eyes.
Clara nodded.
“It will always be mine, but I hate the thought of the barn and the cabin being empty now that I’m moving in with Mason. The cabin has a life of its own and being empty isn’t good for it. You can use the furniture or if you want something different, we can store it, and you can purchase your own. As long as you live on Bear Mountain, this will be your home.”
“Oh Mama,” Arianna said. “Does that mean I can have my own horse since we have room now?”
Taralyn laughed, a single tear slipping down her cheek.