Dances With Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 5)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Angel looked horrified at the prospect. “No way. Now I never want to ride a horse.”

  Tyler shot her an apologetic look. “That is not what I meant. Riding horses can be great. I simply don’t want to risk them today.”

  “Nobody does,” Hannah reassured him. “Can’t you guys pick something else to do?”

  “I guess.” Lindsey’s enthusiasm level had been halved. “Can we go in the bar and practice making drinks?”

  “No.” Hannah found her patience waning. She’d always thought it would be cool to be a mother — somewhere far down the line — but now she was re-thinking that. “How about something else?”

  “Can we see Cooper shirtless?”

  Hannah hesitated. Of all the things the girl had asked for, that was the easiest to deliver. Of course, it would involve asking Cooper to do something he really didn’t want to do, and she wasn’t comfortable putting that sort of pressure on him. “You can ask Cooper to take off his shirt,” she replied finally. “If he says no, though, then that’s it.”

  “He won’t say no.” Lindsey was sure of herself as she slid through the gaps in the fence and started toward the spot Cooper sat working on his laptop in front of the saloon. “I’ll be right back.”

  Hannah chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Lindsey swing her hips. Even though she was only a teenager, she’d obviously been practicing her sultry walk. “Do you think this is a bad idea?” she asked Tyler, legitimately worried.

  When he didn’t answer, she risked a glance at him and found the veterinarian doubled over at the waist and silently laughing. “What?” she prodded defensively. “Do you think he’s going to be mad?”

  “I think this is the best entertainment I’ve had all day,” Tyler replied, swiping at an errant tear. “I mean ... she’s going to ask Cooper to take his shirt off. What could possibly go wrong in that scenario?”

  Because his mirth made her uneasy, Hannah switched her attention to Angel. She was afraid to see what might happen across the street and it seemed easier to talk with the quietest member of the group. “Do you like dogs?” she asked when she found Angel sitting on top of the picnic table stroking Jinx’s soft head.

  Angel nodded as Hannah took a seat on the other side of the big dog. “I always wanted one, but my dad is allergic. My mom tried testing him around those Labradoodle dogs because they’re supposed to be more tolerable to people with allergies, but he could barely breathe after twenty minutes.”

  “That sucks.” Hannah was legitimately sympathetic. “Maybe when you’re older and have a place of your own you’ll be able to have a pet.”

  “Maybe.” Angel was noncommittal. “I think I would rather just spend time with my dad right now and not think about it, though.”

  “I get that.” Hannah didn’t know what to say to make the girl feel better. “I’m sure the second one of them wakes up that the doctor will call Boone and he’ll get in contact with you.”

  “Probably,” she agreed. “Unless they don’t wake up.”

  “I thought the doctor said they were most likely going to wake up.”

  “He did, but he also said they would probably be awake this morning. They’re not awake yet.”

  “That doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

  “It feels like it means something.”

  Hannah wanted to reassure the girl, promise everything was going to be okay. She couldn’t, though. It would only make things worse if something happened to her parents and they didn’t wake up. Hope was important. A false sense of security could lead to ruin, though.

  “How about I call Boone and see if he has an update?” Hannah suggested. “It’s likely he would’ve called as soon as he got the news, but he’s very busy with the accident. He has a lot to do. It can’t hurt to at least ask.”

  Angel looked so hopeful it almost broke Hannah’s heart. “Would you really do that?”

  “Of course. I can’t guarantee anything. I can definitely call, though.”

  “Thank you.” Angel wrapped her arms around Jinx’s neck and hugged him as Hannah dug for her phone. At that exact moment, one of the goats managed to hop onto the bench and butt his head into Jinx’s hindquarters. The dog yelped and bolted from the table, heading for the fence. He was through it before Hannah could call out to him.

  “Good grief,” Hannah muttered, starting after the dog. “I’ll call in just a minute,” she promised Angel. “I have to get him first. He chews on everything if you don’t keep an eye on him.”

  Angel giggled as she focused on the goat, who stood in the spot Jinx occupied only seconds before. He looked as if he was puffing his chest out.

  “I’ll help you catch Jinx,” Tyler offered, moving with Hannah. “Angel, keep the goats in line. They’re obnoxious when they get big egos.”

  Angel laughed again, a sound Hannah particularly enjoyed.

  “Jinx!” Hannah called out to the dog, who was halfway down Main Street. He looked back at her, an accusatory expression on his face. “It’s not my fault you antagonize the goats,” she explained in her most reasonable voice. “If you would leave them alone, they might leave you alone.”

  As if to voice his disagreement, Jinx let out a sharp bark.

  “Oh, calm down,” Hannah muttered. “You’re perfectly fine. That goat barely touched you.”

  Jinx barked again.

  From his spot in front of the saloon, Cooper looked intent on whatever Lindsey was telling him. His eyes flashed with fury when the request finally sank in. “Hannah?”

  “Just a second,” she replied, not as much as glancing over. “I have to get Jinx.”

  “No, you have to tell me why you said it was okay for me to strip for a teenager,” he countered, his eyes flashing.

  “I didn’t say it was okay for you to do it,” Hannah shot. “I told Lindsey to ask you because I didn’t want to answer for you.”

  “Yes, but you knew what my answer was going to be.”

  “Most definitely,” Hannah agreed, frowning when Jinx began to whimper, his tail between his legs. “What’s wrong, buddy?” Cooper’s discomfort with Lindsey’s adoration was no longer a concern as Hannah focused on her dog. “Are you okay?”

  “Maybe the goat hurt him more than we thought,” Tyler suggested, increasing his pace. “I’ll check him out. It will be okay.”

  When Tyler was two feet in front of Jinx, the dog jumped to his feet and started madly barking. Hannah was taken aback — she’d never seen him act so aggressively — and her heart was suddenly seized by fear. “Jinx?”

  Tyler instinctively held out his hand to keep her back, but Jinx barreled past him and didn’t stop until he was in front of his mistress. Then, to her absolute shock, he grabbed the leg of her pants and started tugging toward the nearest building.

  “What’s he doing?” Tyler called out from his spot in front of the saloon. “What’s happening?”

  Before she could answer, a new noise joined the fray and Hannah jerked her gaze to the west. The sight that greeted her was enough to have her stomach constricting. “Dust storm!” She pointed toward the sky.

  “That’s what he was warning us about,” Tyler realized, leaning forward to scoop up the dog. “Everybody inside!” He pointed Hannah toward the post office, even though she would’ve preferred returning to the saloon. There was no time, though.

  Cooper understood what was happening and nodded, grabbing Lindsey and shoving her inside the saloon. He turned to check on Angel and found her standing in the middle of the paddock, the animals already taking cover inside, and staring at the storm as if possessed.

  “Angel!”

  Slowly, the girl slid her eyes to him.

  “Get inside,” Cooper roared. “The storm will be fast.” He cupped his hands around his mouth to make sure she understood. “We’ll come for you as soon as it’s over. You have to take shelter inside, though.”

  Dumbly, Angel nodded and raced toward the barn. That was the last thing Hannah saw before Tyler shov
ed her inside the post office and slammed the door shut.

  At the saloon, Cooper instructed Lindsey to hide behind the bar as he fought with the storm doors. “Don’t poke your head out for anything,” he ordered. “This should be fast, but it could be brutal.”

  Lindsey’s eyes filled with tears. “I want my dad.”

  Sympathy washed over him. “I know. Your dad is fine, though. I promise. Just ... put your head down. It will be over before you know it.”

  6

  Six

  The storm was fast, just as Cooper predicted, but he was a nervous wreck for the duration. Lindsey sat on the floor behind the bar, as he instructed, and buried her face between her knees. She didn’t make a sound, but Cooper recognized she was barely holding it together. He reassured her on a constant loop, even as he worried incessantly about Hannah and Tyler.

  The second the wind stopped howling he was on his feet. “Wait here.”

  Lindsey finally lifted her face, as if registering his voice for the first time. “You can’t leave me.”

  “I’m not leaving you. I’ll still be in town. I have to check on the others, though.”

  “What if the storm comes back?”

  “It won’t.”

  Lindsey jutted out her chin, defiant. “You don’t know it won’t come back. You’re not a weatherman.”

  Cooper had to force himself to refrain from snapping at her. “I’m not. I have a job to do, though. You’re safe in here.”

  Lindsey shook her head and scrambled to her feet. “I don’t want to be left alone.”

  Because, in his heart, Cooper understood that, he merely nodded. “Fine. You can come with me. Don’t get in the way, though.”

  Lindsey grumbled something under her breath that he couldn’t quite make out but didn’t otherwise complain. He had to tug hard on the pocket storm doors to get them to open, but when he did, he was gratified to find the town looked largely okay. Other than a few errant shingles that had landed on Main Street, which were easy enough to fix, there didn’t appear to be any broken windows or sagging fence posts.

  He started for the post office first, his heart making a terrific leap when he heard the door open. Jinx was the first out, yipping excitedly as he raced toward Cooper. The security guru smirked when he saw the dog and dropped to his knees to pet him. “You were trying to warn her, huh? That’s why you were acting so funny.”

  The dog made a snorting sound and bucked his head, as if nodding in agreement. Cooper gave him another stroke and then stood, blowing out a sigh when he saw Hannah and Tyler emerge. “Are you guys okay?”

  “Yeah.” Tyler’s grin was lopsided. “Remind me not to take shelter in the post office again, though. The building is tiny and Jinx apparently has no self-control when frightened.”

  Cooper furrowed his brow as he brushed Hannah’s hair away from her face. She looked a little pale but otherwise none the worse for wear. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Jinx took a big dump in the middle of the post office,” Hannah replied. “I’m going to have to clean it up before we do anything else.”

  Cooper snickered. “Oh, well ... things could be worse.”

  “Oh, yeah? You spend twenty-five minutes in a room the size of a closet with a huge pile of dog crap,” Tyler suggested. “We’ll talk once you’ve done that.”

  “I’ll take a pass.”

  “We need to check on Angel,” Hannah said, her eyes going to the barn. None of the animals were outside, which didn’t necessarily mean anything but was eerie enough to have her heart rate picking up a notch. “I can’t believe she was alone for that storm.”

  “Let’s check the barn,” Cooper agreed, linking his fingers with Hannah’s and starting down the street.

  “How are you?” Tyler asked Lindsey as the girl fell into step with him.

  “I’m fine.” Her smile was fast and quirky. “Cooper was a little worked up, but I was completely together. He did take his shirt off for me, though, so that made the time go by faster.”

  Cooper was horrified. “I didn’t take my shirt off for you.” Worriedly, he focused on Hannah. “She’s making that up.”

  Hannah’s chuckle was dry. “Relax. I wasn’t worried about it. I know how she is.”

  “Oh, yeah? How am I?” Lindsey’s tone promised trouble if she didn’t get the responses she was looking for.

  “Theatrical,” Hannah replied, sliding through the fence that led to the barn. “You like to put on a good show. Don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with that.” She cocked her head, listening for the telltale sound of the animals. It was eerily quiet in the barn, though. “Angel?”

  There was no answer, so she tried again. Cooper and Tyler exchanged worried looks and increased their speed. “Stay here,” Cooper ordered.

  “Like hell,” Hannah muttered, pushing past him so she would be the first in the barn.

  Tyler checked the stalls as they passed, counting animals in his head. “The horses are all here. Where are the goats?”

  “There are three over here,” Cooper replied.

  “There are two over here,” Lindsey called out as she checked another stall.

  “That leaves two,” Tyler muttered.

  “What about the chickens?” Lindsey queried. “I don’t see any of them.”

  “They’re probably in the coop out back,” Tyler said. “They know when to take cover. I just need to find those goats.”

  “No, we need to find Angel,” Hannah argued, her eyes wide as she turned to survey every corner of the oversized building. “She’s not here.”

  “Calm down,” Tyler chided, heading for the ladder that led to his loft apartment. “She probably headed up here because it’s more comfortable.” He climbed the ladder, shooting Hannah a reassuring smile, and then disappeared from view.

  “I don’t like this,” Hannah muttered as she moved back to the stalls, determined to check each one herself. “I don’t think she would go up there. Not with the wind howling like it was.”

  “Kids don’t always use the best judgment,” Cooper reminded her. “She might not have thought in a rational manner when the storm was hitting hard.”

  Hannah wanted to believe him, but she knew better. Something was very wrong here. By the time Tyler appeared again at the top of the ladder, she already knew what he was going to say.

  “She’s not up here.” He was grim.

  “Maybe she decided to wander around to look for us after the storm stopped,” Lindsey suggested, her lower lip trembling. “Maybe ... she’s just behind one of the buildings or something.”

  “We’re definitely going to look,” Cooper promised in his most soothing tone. “You need to call your dad, though. Tell him what happened. Tell him we can’t find Angel.”

  “And tell him we need bodies for a search party,” Hannah added darkly, starting for the door. “We need to start looking before he gets here.”

  “I agree.” Tyler moved to follow. “With any luck, we’ll have her before the search party arrives.”

  “Probably,” Cooper agreed.

  Hannah didn’t bother responding. She knew better than believing them. Angel was gone, and every warning alarm in her heart screamed that the girl wasn’t going to be found.

  BOONE WAS FURIOUS WHEN HE LANDED at Casper Creek. Lindsey had slowly eroded during the search for Angel and was a crying mess when she caught sight of her father.

  “Daddy!” She raced across the street and threw herself at him.

  Boone’s expression reflected surprise when he caught her, frowning at the way she clung to him. “Are you okay?” He pulled back to study her face, his hands automatically checking her head for signs of a bump. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

  Lindsey shook her head. “Cooper took me in the saloon and made me hide behind the bar. He wouldn’t take his shirt off to make me feel better or anything, so I’m really sad.”

  Boone rolled his eyes. “Somehow I think you’ll survive.” He released his daughte
r and focused on Cooper. “Where’s Angel?”

  The earlier optimism Cooper had been holding onto regarding the second teenager had evaporated in the thirty minutes they’d been looking for her. “We don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?” Boone’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “How can you not know?”

  “I just ... don’t know.”

  “It’s not his fault, Daddy,” Lindsey chided. “The storm came out of nowhere. We were all separated when it hit. Angel was down at the barn by herself and Cooper yelled at her to hide inside. The last time we saw her, that’s what she was doing.”

  “Then where is she?” Boone was not a man who liked unexplained events, and if the daughter of a critically injured couple were to disappear under his watch, he would never be able to explain it ... or live with it.

  “She wasn’t in the barn when the storm let up,” Cooper replied. “Tyler is back checking behind the buildings in case she left before we did and took cover someplace else, but we’ve been behind those buildings once already. I don’t think she’s back there.”

  “And Hannah?”

  Cooper swallowed hard. “She’s really upset.”

  “I’m really upset, too,” Boone snapped. “That little girl is gone and we have to find her.”

  “I agree. Hannah is ... really ... upset, though.”

  Boone held out his hands, incredulous. “What are you even saying?”

  “Hannah called some women who work here and demanded they come right away,” Lindsey volunteered. “I heard her on the phone, something about using magic. I thought I misheard her, but when the other women showed up, I heard one of them use the same word. They took off that way.” She pointed toward the west side of town. “They seemed really serious.”

  Cooper pressed the tip of his tongue to the back of his teeth. He had no idea Lindsey had been eavesdropping when he tried to talk Hannah out of leaving Casper Creek with Danielle Garrett and Jackie Metcalf in tow. The three of them made up Casper Creek’s coven these days, and they had magic on their minds when they departed.