by S. E. Babin
I got a little giddy as I kept going to the back of the house and realized I was heading toward her studio. The smell of leather hit me square in the face and I gasped as my gaze caught sight of the most gorgeous bag I’d ever seen in my entire life.
It was black supple leather in a satchel shape, accented with purple and green fringe. On the front of the bag a forest scene with a hand-tooled silver full moon. Wolves and stags sat on the ground staring up at the moon as if in worship.
I didn’t even let River greet me. “Is this for sale?” I asked, forgetting to breathe.
River’s gaze went down to the handbag and back up to me. “It wasn’t supposed to be.” She was a slight woman with the longest, prettiest wild silver hair I’d ever seen. Her eyes were a bright, silvery blue and she never wore a stitch of makeup. She didn’t need it. River must have been pushing 70, but she didn’t look a day over 50. She was a handsome, talented woman and she knew it.
I couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment. My face fell. “Oh,” I said. “Okay.”
A smile played over her lips. “But I can make an exception for you, Helen.”
I gasped with excitement, but River held up a hand. “As long as you let me give you a reading.”
My head tilted in curiosity. That didn’t seem...outlandish. “Is there any other catch?” I asked her, trying not to pounce on her offer and look too eager.
She lifted a thin shoulder. “There’s always the risk you won’t like what it has to say.” She smiled sadly. “I’d say for this one it’s a distinct possibility.”
My mouth twisted to the side. I really, really wanted that purse. “Well, nothing is set in stone, right?”
“Free will is always there, Helen.”
“Deal,” I said.
River held out a hand and led me over to a small table. A purple and silver cloth covered it. On top of the cloth rested a single white candle, a cone of incense, and a deck of well worn tarot cards. It might have been hard to believe, but I’d never had a reading before. Most of my time was spent indoors reading, outside reading, at the coffee shop reading, or visiting Pepper’s shop. I visited Hank a few times a year, but mostly during planting season. The only reason I knew about River’s purses was because Pepper mentioned them to me and I jumped online to look.
I sat in the surprisingly comfortable chair and folded my hands in my lap. River sat down in the chair in front of me, lit the incense with a flick of her hand, and picked up the deck of cards to shuffle them.
When she was finished, she asked me to cut the deck. I touched it, concentrated, and cut the deck where it felt right.
She took the cards back, shuffled them again and began to lay the cards out. I didn’t know a thing about tarot so I watched River’s face carefully. But she was a pro. Her face was carefully blank.
When she finished, she took a deep breath and huffed out a laugh. “There have been changes in your life over the last couple of days, yes?”
I blinked. “Yes.”
“I can see maybe a new pet? Unexpected?” She concentrated on the cards in front of her. “And a man.” River frowned and tapped another one of the cards. “Two men. Though I don’t think you’ve met the other one yet.”
My heart sped up a little bit. Maybe the other man was the one.
“One of these men will not have your best interests at heart, though it will be very difficult to tell which one. One will steal your heart. One will steal your breath. Both might break your heart.”
“Uhhh,” I said.
River held up a hand to silence me. “You will undergo drastic changes over the next several months. A new way of life will open to you. Your magic…” River paused.
“River?”
Her lips pressed together. “Your magic will...change.” She shook her head. “I can’t figure out what that means.” She motioned for my hands. I put them on top of the table. River took them in her warm hands and opened my right palm. She traced one of the larger lines on my palm. “You will have a crossroads soon. You will be forced to make a choice. About what is not clear at this time.”
River let go of my hand and refocused on the cards. “And there will be someone else, a person who wishes you harm. But they will not act in a direct way.” River sighed. “You must be so very careful and choose who you spend your time with wisely. Midnight Cove is changing, Helen Reaper. You must be ready.”
I sat back in my chair stunned. “Gosh, River. That wasn’t intense at all.”
She smiled at me, her bright white teeth glinting in the lower light. This area of the room was darker than the others. The magic here was deeper somehow. “I could sense the changes coming to you in your aura. It made me want to dig deeper. Helen, be careful. You have much joy ahead of you, but it will not come without a price.” River stood and went back over to her work table. She picked up the purse. “It isn’t quite ready yet. If you give me a week, I can make sure it’s ready to go. There were some final touches I needed to make to it.”
I stroked my hand over the supple leather. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pay for it?”
River shook her head. “Your payment was your reading. My kind of magic needs to come out. If it doesn’t it will cause major issues with my health. But approaching someone like I approached you freaks people out.”
“I’m a necromancer. There isn’t much that weirds me out.”
River laughed. “And I am glad for it. I also know you’re here for another reason.”
I’d forgotten all about the will!
She reached over, rummaged through her purse and pulled out a manila envelope. “Martin’s will.” River handed it over. “I haven’t read it.”
One of my eyebrows quirked up. “Seriously?” My lips twitched. “I suspect you may be in for a surprise.”
“That’s part of the reason. I don’t want anything to do with those heathens he calls family.”
I grinned at her then and told her I’d just left the courthouse. When I told her I’d raised Martin so the will I was holding would be the final, tears shone in River’s eyes.
“So whatever this will says, it’s final.”
“Wow,” she said. “You have an unparalleled talent, Helen. Imagine how many people you’ve helped and how many families you’ve stopped from taking advantage of their relatives.”
I reached out and gave River a hug. “Thank you. I’ll be back exactly seven days now for that purse.”
She laughed and gave me a squeeze. “I look forward to it.”
I gave her a wave and headed back to the car with the envelope in hand.
Judge Sinclair gave me a grateful look once she opened the door to let me into her office. I handed over the new will and watched as the judge opened it. Her only reaction was a slight quirk of her eyebrow.
The Klink family was fidgeting like crazy.
“What is that?” Mrs. Klink kept asking, but Judge Sinclair ignored her until she was ready to speak.
“Martin Klink has bequeathed his entire estate to one River Romanov, except for a single horse kept on the property of his farmhouse. He has bequeathed that to his two children with a note that says only, ‘Good luck.’”
I pressed my lips together to keep from grinning. What a ridiculous day this had been.
“What?” said his widow. “That can’t be true.”
“Based upon the evidence Mr. Klink gave today, this will is the most recent and true copy. This will stands.”
His children wore mutinous looks. “I do not want that horse,” his son hissed.
“Neither do I,” his sister muttered.
“We will see you back in court,” Mrs. Klink hissed.
Judge Sinclair sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I’m not sure what part of the country you’re from, but if you haven’t noticed, the rules are a little different here. This is a final ruling. I will transfer this will over to the one and only estate attorney in our town. He will be responsible for dividing the estate appropriately. You will tak
e the horse,” she said pointedly to the children. “And you will vacate Mr. Klink’s property immediately,” she said to his widow. “There is no monetary gain left to be had.” The judge turned her attention to me. “And thanks to the testimony of Mr. Klink, I’ve already contacted the banks to have the family’s access stripped from his accounts.” She smiled at me and turned her attention back to Mr. Klink. “You will be required to return any purchases you made from Mr. Klink’s account within fourteen business days. Anything that can’t be returned will have to be reimbursed through the estate lawyer.” With a nod, it was obvious we were all dismissed.
Mrs. Klink was shaking like a leaf. The kid walked out wearing identical sullen expressions. I couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad for them. Martin Klink didn’t seem to be a terrible guy, but he certainly hadn’t been faithful.
I gave a nod to the judge and began to gather my things up.
“You did a good thing today, Ms. Reaper.”
My hand stilled. Normally people were super weirded out by my talent. What was happening today?
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
“Have you ever thought of working outside your home? Midnight Cove has quite a bit of open real estate. I can imagine you’re doing pretty well, but opening a shop might open up a whole new world for you.” Her glasses slid down to the edge of her nose as she studied me.
Opening a shop in town gave me the hives. I wanted to, but it was hard to leave the comfort of my home. I shook my head. “I like working from the house.”
“Well,” she said, as if she suspected the reasons why I didn’t want to branch out, “there’s plenty of room for you if you decide to later.”
I finished packing up the rest of my things and bid her farewell.
I needed to cancel my next appointment because I was already late and I still hadn’t eaten lunch.
I rushed out of the courtroom and to my vehicle. My next appointment wasn’t terribly pleased, but I was able to squeeze her in the next day. I rarely had to reschedule but today’s case was so ridiculous it ran hours past when it should have. I drove to one of my favorite places, ordered two buttermilk chicken with corn salsa tacos and got it to go. All I wanted to do was get home, slip my shoes off, and inhale some tacos. Plus, I wanted to read a couple of chapters in the new paperback I’d just picked up. I had about three hours before my next appointment.
I pulled into the long wooded drive toward my house. This was one of my favorite things about it. It obscured my residence, so unless you knew there was a house back here, you’d probably drive right on by. It led about a quarter of a mile down a rock and gravel road until it opened up into a large clearing. There sat the cute little house I loved so much and...Hank’s truck.
My heart did a funny little skip of a beat, but it was quickly followed by anxiety. Had something happened to Margo? I pulled up to the drive, shut off my car, and grabbed all of my stuff. Just as I was exiting, Margo ran up and drooled all over my skirt.
“Aaack!” I yelled. She looked totally fine. “Hank?” I called.
He lumbered over to me with his slow easy walk and I swallowed hard as my gaze drifted up from the chest so accentuated in that white t-shirt he was wearing up to those warm eyes. He was, of course, scowling at me.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I slid out of my vehicle wincing at the long line of drool Margo had given me as a welcome home gift.
“Fine. I had a couple of appointments cancel today so I thought I’d come by early.”
And not text. Or call. I bit back a grumbly response. “Come on in. It’s been a weird day and I need to eat something.” I unlocked the door and allowed him to walk in before me. Not because I wanted to see his backside encased in snug denim. No sirree.
But it was oh so nice. I chewed my bottom lip and let my gaze linger a little bit too long before I shut the door behind me. Hank made himself at home in my kitchen.
“Devil’s?” he asked. “I love that place.”
I did not want to give up a taco, but that was polite, right? Sharing your oh so delicious tacos with friends? “Would you like my taco?” I asked Hank.
He blinked at me.
I blinked back and horror slid into the pit of my stomach. “Oh. Um” I forced out a laugh. I shoved the bag at him. “A taco. Not my taco. Well, technically, it is my taco. But not that taco.” I pulled out the contents of the bag and shoved the foiled food at him. “This taco.”
He took it. “If I ever wanted your taco, Helen Reaper, I would not ask so politely, but I would still ask. But yes, I will accept this taco.” Amusement seeped into his face, lighting it up like the North Star.
Woo boy. Hank was one handsome devil. And somewhere under that tough exterior lurked a sense of humor. Who knew?
My face burned with embarrassment, but I was never one to let witty repartee go by unanswered. “If I were to ever give you my taco,” I assured him, “I would ensure it was hot and ready. This one is merely lukewarm. A poor excuse for a taco.”
Hank swallowed hard. Our gazes clashed together like thunderclouds. “Are we still talking about tacos?” he whispered.
I slowly opened the foil wrapper. “I don’t know. Are we?” I winked at him and took an enormous bite.
I felt his gaze on me longer than was comfortable. Hank didn’t like blondes, I had to keep telling myself. Even though that felt suspiciously like very hot and dirty flirting. The man did not like blondes. I got myself and Hank a glass of ice water and we munched down our tacos silently. I wasn’t going to get those two chapters in today, but that was okay. The company was pretty nice.
“It’s going to take me awhile to study your property,” he said after he wiped his mouth and took a long drag of water. “Is that going to bother you?”
“I need to talk to you about that. I have some land here. Were you just wanting to do the front landscaping beds?”
His gaze sharpened with predatory interest. “How much land do you have?”
And here’s where things got tricky. No one except Pepper knew how much land I had. I kept it pretty quiet because I was a single girl and there were things in Midnight Cove that didn’t just go bump in the night. I didn’t want anyone trying to take advantage of me or to fully discover exactly how much land I had. But Hank? For some reason I felt like I could trust him.
I usually didn’t feel like that with anyone except for Pepper. It wasn’t just that Hank was cute, because he was. I sensed a quiet soul within him. Someone trustworthy and honest.
Plus...permaculture. Could he really be a bad guy if he chastised me about plants and saving the Earth? Possible but doubtful.
“Ummm,” I hedged.
Hank’s gaze narrowed. “Helen, I’m a gardener, not a businessman. The only thing I want to do to your land is make it beautiful. And functional.”
I snorted. “I don’t tell a lot of people. I saved up a lot of money to buy this property.”
He shrugged. “This used to be Old Man Haverstock’s property, right? I don’t think he had much land. Maybe an acre?”
“He was notoriously private. There are seven acres attached here.”
Hank’s brows drew together in surprise. “Wow.”
“I haven’t walked all of it yet, but I’ve gone about 2 ½ acres so far.”
“Helen,” Hank’s voice was full of disapproval. “You don’t know what’s on your property?”
“Some of it.” I shrugged. “The rest didn’t seem pertinent at the time. I own it. It’s not going anywhere.”
“You should always know what you have,” he said. “Otherwise how are you going to know if it’s missing?”
I tilted my head. “A regular philosopher you are, Mr. Gardener.”
“Especially if you’re a young woman alone. “We’re going to walk the rest of your property today, okay?”
“I have another appointment. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take.”
“I’ll wait,” Hank said. “I’ll still need to draw up some s
ketches of your house and land. It will take me awhile.”
“Hank, when I do a raising...it’s private.”
He shrugged. “That’s fine. I won’t watch.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it. “I work outside. There’s an area in the back with a slab and some other things around it. If you could stay out of that area around 4:30 I’d appreciate it.”
Hank nodded and stood to rinse his cup out. “I’ve got my notebook in the truck.” He patted Margo, who had been suspiciously silent, on the head and walked out.
“That man is weird,” I told the puppy.
Margo gave me a strangled whine. “Hush now. You know it’s true.” I tossed a piece of chicken at her and she grabbed it right out of the air. “Good girl.”
I cleaned up the taco mess, slid off my shoes, and curled up on my couch with my paperback. I could read for a solid thirty minutes before I needed to freshen up for my next appointment. Margo jumped up beside me and rested her head on my lap.
“Helen?”
I startled awake and saw a pair of curious warm eyes staring at me.
“Don’t you have an appointment?”
I let out a hissed curse and scrambled off the couch, Margo groaning her annoyance at me. “Crap,” I muttered. “What time is it?” I looked around for my phone and couldn’t find it. My paperback had slid off my lap and onto the floor.
Hank looked amused by my chicken with the head cut off routine. “It’s 4.”
Thirty minutes. It was doable. The courthouse raising must have depleted me more than I thought. I rarely slept during the day. I yelled a thank you at Hank for waking me up and told him to make himself at home. It felt really weird to have a man in the house while I was getting dressed, but I wasn’t uncomfortable.
I pulled a white maxi dress with a long white cardigan and slid on a pair of white sandals. Over my neck I slid a chain with a large chunk of labradorite on the end. I was feeling a little bit ungrounded right now and the stone would help center my energy once I was within the ritual circle. I brushed my shoulder length hair out until it shone and rushed into the bathroom to pop my contacts out. My eyes were tired and gritty. I put on a pair of black framed glasses, brushed my teeth and swiped some peach lip gloss on. After that, I drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. It was time.