“Yes.” I cringed at the reminder of the mountain lion and the so-called king. Nancy deserved to feel safe. If it weren’t for the mystery of her mom, I’d have handled the situation differently, but we needed to wait and do things slowly. She’d never forgive me if we didn’t follow every clue we had to finding her mother.
“What is it?”
“As I started to explain before, I’ve kissed you twice without taking you on a date.”
“And that’s a problem?” She pulled the sleeves of her sweater further down her arms, as if trying to cover her hands.
“Yes. A problem I plan to solve right now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. Grab your warm coat. We’re going out.”
“Going where?” She didn’t move.
“It’s a surprise. I just need a few minutes to set things up.”
“What do you need to set up?” She eyed me suspiciously.
“Nothing you need to worry about. All you need to do is put on your warm coat and some boots.”
“I need to worry about everything now.”
“Not this.” I knelt in front of her. “I promise this is the good kind of surprise.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
“Good. You should hold me to everything I say.”
“Everything?” She narrowed her eyes.
“Yes, everything.” I really hoped I wouldn’t regret that promise.
“Are you ready to tell me where we are going?” Nancy asked for the third time. To be fair, we were already over an hour into our drive before she first uttered the question. If the tables were turned and she’d been the one surprising me, I wouldn’t have made it nearly as long without starting in on the questions.
“You’ll see.” I smiled. I loved seeing her so relaxed beside me. Even when she started with the questions, she wasn’t stressed. She trusted me, and I wasn’t going to let her regret that.
“Not even a hint?” She set her puppy dog eyes on me.
Even without that look she was hard to say no to. “It has to do with home decor.”
“Home decor?” She unzipped her parka. “I thought this was a date.”
“It is. Be patient.” I was excited to show her the first part of the surprise. I hoped it went over well.
“But why would we need to drive this far? Aren’t you tired of driving after yesterday? We hit so much traffic.”
She was right about the traffic, although I hadn’t minded it at all. It had given us time to talk and plan. At first she’d been hesitant to turn over the mountain lion to my pack, but I already knew he wasn’t going to give us more information. We needed to bide our time until the ball. The party had significance, especially since it coincided with Nancy’s birthday and her father hadn’t held it since the night her mother disappeared.
“We needed to come up this way for a very specific reason.” A reason that just now was becoming obvious.
“What reason?”
“Look outside.” I pointed to her window.
“I’m looking.”
“Do you see anything different out there did you didn’t see in Forest Ridge?”
“Oh.” She pressed her hand against the window. “Snow.”
“Exactly.”
She turned back to look at me. “This home decorating needs snow?”
“The part after that does.”
She wrinkled her brow. “I’m lost.”
“It’s a surprise. You aren’t supposed to have it all figured out yet.” Maybe it was a little bit late in the day to be starting a multi-part date, but if we timed things right, it might just be perfect.
She laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“You surprising me.”
“How is that funny?” I slowed down and got into the right line.
“It just is. You’re so tough. So strong…”
“And strong guys can’t surprise people?” I turned off at our exit.
“No. I don’t know how to explain.”
“You don’t have to explain.” I drove down a poorly-plowed country road, glad I’d remembered to put chains in the back in case the roads were worse when we were ready to turn back. A few minutes later I pulled into a dirt parking lot.
A large white sign with green lettering spanned half the length of the lot: Billy’s Tree Farm.
“Wait. We are buying you a tree?” There was clear excitement in her voice. “But why up here? There have to be places closer.”
“I told you the reason we needed to come up here was for what we do next.”
“Oh. Ok.” She nodded. “I forgot this is a multi-part date.”
“Yes. This is only the beginning. I hope you’re ready for this part though.”
“Ready?” She unbuckled.
“You are going to teach me the art of picking out a Christmas tree.”
“Am I?” She put a hand to her chest.
“Yes.” I leaned over and zipped up her coat. We’d driven far enough north that it was going to be cold out there.
She looked down at her coat as I finished zipping. “You zipped my coat.”
“I did.”
“Why?” She put her hand over mine just under her neck.
“Because it’s cold.”
Her expression changed from confused to having the faintest hint of a smile. “That was thoughtful.”
I stared at her lips, ready to claim them once again. I shook myself. No. Not yet. The whole point of this trip was to slow things down and show her she meant way more than sex to me.
She pulled out her gloves and slipped them on. “What about decorations?”
I immediately missed the feel of her hand over mine. “One step at a time.”
“Oh, is that the next part of the date?”
“You’re going to have to wait and see.” I opened my door and hurried around to her side. By the time I got there she was already hopping down. I swallowed the words I wanted to say about her waiting for me to open it next time. She’d get used to me doing it eventually.
By the time we entered the farm, she had her powder blue hat on. She glanced over at me. “No hat or gloves?”
“Nope.”
“Oh yes, you never get cold.”
“I occasionally get cold.”
“No, you don’t.” She bumped her shoulder into mine. “But thanks for pretending by wearing a coat.”
I laughed. “Didn’t realize you noticed.”
“You made good time.” Billy, the owner of the tree farm, walked over. He was wearing his usual uniform of a flannel shirt and jeans. “Good to see you, Norm.”
“Good to see you too.” I smiled at my old friend. “This is Nancy.”
He held out his hand to shake her hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” She took in his lack of a coat, and I knew she was sizing him up, trying to figure out what he was.
“I hear you’re the tree expert?” He leaned down to match Nancy’s height.
“Not an expert. My guess is you know a whole lot more than me since you work here.”
“Not just work here. Live here.” He ran a hand through his long, thick, beard.
“It’s his place,” I explained.
“Oh, ok. I didn’t realize. Nice farm you have here.” She opened her arms wide. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Why don’t you take a look around. Take your time. The place is all yours right now.”
“Great.” She headed into the forest of trees. I followed behind after nodding to Billy.
She stopped after a few moments. “What kind of tree do you like best?”
“What kind do you like?”
“I usually get a Douglas Fir. They smell really good and I can hang my ornaments easily, but if you want less of the fragrance go with a pine. And of course spruces are great too. Another question is height. You have fairly high ceilings in that spot. Wait, you are going to put it where I suggested, right?” She watched m
e expectedly.
I nodded.
“Ok, so what height were you thinking of?” I didn’t want her to think I was uninterested, but I was perfectly fine letting her make the decisions.
“I say seven or seven and a half feet. I like tall trees.”
“Is that the only thing you like tall?” I teased. It wasn’t as if Nancy was short, but at 6’4 I towered over her.
“No.” Color crept to her face.
“Sorry, continue.”
“Continue with what?”
“Picking out the tree.”
“Wait.” She shook her head. “No. This isn’t about me picking out a tree. I have my tree up, albeit it’s a fake one. But we are doing this together. This is a date after all.”
“Ok, so what would you like me to do? I’m new at this.”
“You’ve never picked out a Christmas tree before, like ever?”
“We’ve cut them down from outside and brought them in...” But the last time I did that I was a kid.
“How is that different than this?”
“More options here.” And I hadn’t been with Nancy any of those other times. This experience was something altogether different.
“Ok. So what do you think of that one?” She pointed at a tall tree.
“Nice.” It looked like most of the others.
“Wrong answer. Look at the branches on it.” She touched a branch with her gloved hand. “Where are you going to hang all the ornaments?”
“Ok, so what about that one?” I looked closer at the branches before selecting another that seemed to be about the right height.
“Perfect.” She grinned.
“You sure?” Was this another trick question?
“I was planning on that one too. Funny.”
“Not funny. It means we’re more alike than you think.” I put my hands on her hips and kissed her forehead. “You want to cut it down?”
“Like with the saw?” She adjusted her hat so it better covered her ears. She was cold. I’d have to do something about that and soon.
“Yes.”
“You think I’m strong enough to do that on my own?” She pressed a hand to her chest.
“Yes, I do, but it’s cold. Let’s mark it and then have Billy cut it and load it into the truck for us.”
“So we can get decorations?” There was palpable excitement in her voice.
“Yes, but not quite yet.”
“Why not?” Her voice faltered.
“We need to find our new vehicle first.”
“New vehicle? What’s wrong with your truck?”
“Nothing at all.” I smiled. I’d never imagined surprising someone could be so much fun.“But we can’t take a truck where we’re going next.”
“What kind of place can we be going where we can’t take a truck?” She glanced around as if worried something might jump out.
“You’ll see.” I slipped my hand around hers. “I think I’m going to have surprise you more often.”
11
Nancy
“The candy canes were my favorite part.” I’d been silently reliving my entire date with Norm as we drove to the ball. It was evening, and we’d left ourselves just enough time to make it to the event.
“Was it?” Norm glanced over before returning his eyes to the road.
“I’ve never seen someone make candy from scratch like that. It was so cool. And I can’t believe Mrs. Nellow let me roll some out myself.”
“She liked you.” Norm rested his hand right beside mine. My other hand was busy petting Remington where he napped on a blanket on my lap. We’d planned to leave him back in Forest Ridge, but he’d insisted on making the trip with us. I hoped our plan to have Norm’s associate keep an eye on him while he provided security outside the ball worked. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to my mother’s cat. He was all I had left of her.
“She likes you. She told me she used to slip you extra candy when you were little.”
Norm laughed. “She did. She did it for Ryder too.”
“I can’t picture you two as little boys.”
“I’ll show you pictures sometime.”
“Oh, that I have to see.” I relaxed back against the seat. “So the candy canes were my favorite.” I was tempted to pull out the one I’d slipped into my small satin purse. It was a cherry flavored one. I loved peppermint, but the cherry flavored ones were delicious too. Despite how good it sounded right now, I’d save it for later. “I also loved the hot cocoa on the sleigh ride.”
“In other words, I should stick with sweets.” Norm squeezed my hand.
“The company on the sleigh ride was quite nice too.”
“Oh yeah? I kept you warm enough?”
“You always keep me warm enough.” My mind immediately went back to the evening before. We’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms, but we hadn’t had sex. My takeaway from the experience was my favorite way to wake up in the morning was with Norm’s kisses.
“After the ball we still need to decorate the new tree.”
“I’d like that.” I went over the list of ornaments we’d picked up at Mrs. Nellow’s store. My favorite one was the cat ornament that looked just like Remington. Well, Remington if he’d let me put a Santa hat on him.
“You look amazing.” He glanced over again.
“With a cat on my lap?”
“Yes, but without the cat too. That dress…” He trailed off.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Leif had been right. Norm looked amazing in a tux.
“Remember no matter what happens tonight, we need to stay together.”
“Oh, I remember.” Even if I wasn’t worried about some crazy person showing up, I would have wanted to stay close to Norm. “But I still don’t understand how we’re going to know what we’re looking for.”
“Whoever this is will find you.”
“How can you be so sure?” I trusted Norm, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t doubt his confidence.
“Because of the timing of everything. Your birthday holds some significance. Your twenty-first birthday did, and now your twenty-fourth does. Whoever this is, they will find you.”
I shivered.
“I’m here. I’m not leaving your side.”
“Good.” I wanted him with me for more than protection. The few days I’d spent with Norm made something painfully obvious. Trying to pretend my feelings for him weren’t something real wasn’t going to work.
I was in a daze as he parked the truck a few blocks away and gave over Remington’s care. Normally I’d have done valet, but that didn’t work when you had a cat with you.
I pulled my shawl tighter around me.
“I know I already said it, but you look beautiful.” Norm wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked inside under the elaborate garlands that hung from the two-story ceilings of the ballroom.
Inside the temperature was warmer, but I shivered with fear. There was something in that ballroom that meant me harm. No amount of dazzling lights or Christmas trees could hide that fact.
“Nancy. You really came.” Dad hurried over. He’d lost more hair, and his face had aged far more than it should have in just a few years.
“Hi Dad.” I waited, debating whether I was supposed to hug him or not.
He made the decision for me, pulling me into a hug I didn’t want to like, but it felt the way it always had. He released me and looked over at Norm. “I thought you’d be bringing Leif.”
“No. I thought I’d bring someone new this time.” I slipped my hand inside of Norm’s. “This is Norm.”
“Hello, Norm.” Dad nodded.
“Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Dad looked at our joined hands. “He’s not just a fill in plus one.”
“No, he’s not.” I smiled. “Not at all.”
“She’s even lovelier than I imagined.” A man wearing a black suit rather than a tux walked over. His eyes moved up and down my body in a way that s
ent fear and annoyance through me. Norm stepped in front of me slightly, and Dad tensed.
“Oh come on now, old man. You knew I’d be here. It’s why you had the ball.” His voice was cocky and cruel.
“No, I—” Dad’s brow furrowed as if he was confused.
The man in the dark suit laughed. “Oh wait, I forgot. You didn’t realize.” The cruelness in his smile cancelled out his otherwise attractive features.
Norm’s hand tightened around mine. “I know what you are.”
“Do you?” The man smirked. “Funny because I was thinking the same thing about you. I know that you are an unfortunate distraction. I will give you one chance to walk out of here alive, animal.”
Norm growled. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“You—” Dad pointed at the man. “You are the one who took my wife.”
“Good memory, old man.” The man grinned. “I was wondering when you’d remember. My spells can only last so long.”
“Spells?” I gasped. “You do magic?” Considering I was dating a shifter, the realization that there was magic shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.
“Yes, my lovely. I do magic. And so do you.” He stepped toward me.
Norm growled.
“Fine. If you won’t leave, we will.” The man locked eyes with me. There was a flash of light. I couldn’t see anything. I blinked over and over. I was cold. My hand was no longer in Norm’s. I was in completely darkness.
“Want some light?” The man’s deep voice echoed through the room.
“What do you want with me?” I wrapped my arms around myself, willing myself to stay calm enough to figure a way out of this situation on my own.
There was a whoosh, and I blinked as a small flickering flame appeared. As my eyes adjusted, I realized the flame was coming directly from the palm of the man’s hand.
I gasped, as I made an additional realization. We weren’t in the ballroom anymore. Instead we were in some sort of storage room. There were boxes strewn all over and heavy dark purple curtains blocked out all of the windows.
“What this?” He held out the flame toward me. “This is just a simple spell. More of a parlor trick. You will be doing that in no time.”
“There’s some mistake. I’m not like you. I don’t do magic.” I wished I was dreaming, but I knew I wasn’t. There was something too real about this man and the bright orange flame in the palm of his hand.
Full Moons and Candy Canes Page 7