Collards & Cauldrons

by Bella Falls

  Collards & Cauldrons

  A Southern Charms Cozy Mystery

  Bella Falls

  Copyright © 2019 by Bella Falls

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law or for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All Rights Reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Also by Bella Falls

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Southern Charms Cozy Mystery Series

  Southern Relics Cozy Mysteries

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Bella Falls

  A Southern Charms Cozy Mystery Series

  Moonshine & Magic: Book 1

  Lemonade & Love Potions (Southern Charms Cozy Short)

  Fried Chicken & Fangs: Book 2

  Sweet Tea & Spells: Book 3

  Barbecue & Brooms: Book 4

  Collards & Cauldrons: Book 5

  Cornbread & Crossroads: Book 6 (Coming Soon)

  *All audiobooks available are narrated by the wonderful and talented Johanna Parker

  For a FREE exclusive copy of the prequel Chess Pie & Choices, sign up for my newsletter!

  Share recipes, talk about Southern Charms and all things cozy mysteries, and connect with me by joining my reader group Southern Charms Cozy Companions!

  Chapter One

  I might be a little biased, but I would swear to anybody the pretty baby in front of me must be the cutest in the entire world. Stroking her hair, I stared back at her big eyes looking up at me. Even if time stopped, I would always care for and love this little one.

  “Who’s a pretty girl? You are,” I crooned, my fingers scratching the crown of her head and around the base of the diminutive bump of a horn. With my other hand, I held out a carrot.

  The tiny unicorn took the treat with a gentle tug of her teeth and gnawed on it. TJ snickered as she finished her examination. With a grunt, she stood up from her crouched position and slung her stethoscope around her neck.

  “You’re spoiling her,” my sister-in-law accused, her hands palpating down the small creature’s body.

  “Of course, I am. Who wouldn’t? It’s a freakin’ baby unicorn!” My voice came out high and squeaky like the ecstatic little girl I was inside. “I wonder where her mama is?”

  TJ blew out a breath and rubbed her already shrunken tummy. “I don’t know. And this one seems to be doing fine on her own, although I’m glad we’ve already got a mare with a colt here. If we have to, we can set up kind of a foster mom for…what did we decide to call her?”

  The young unicorn nudged my hand, sniffing it and searching for another treat. I scratched her muzzle instead. “We haven’t. I kind of felt like since she appeared on the same day you had Charli Junior that my niece and goddaughter should have a say.”

  TJ sighed. “I told you we gave her the middle name Charlotte only because after you called her Junior so many times, we couldn’t not give her your name. But her first name is still Rayline.”

  My mother’s name. Every time I heard it, my heart got pulled in two, half a little sad at her absence and inability to hold her first granddaughter and half pleased that we now had our own new ray of sunshine in the family.

  “I know,” I gave in. “But she’ll always be Junior to me.”

  “And she’ll always look up to her Auntie Charli.” TJ stepped aside so the unicorn could lie down to nap. She closed the wooden gate to the pen and joined me in staring at the tiny miracle.

  “Traci Jo, we’ve got a real live unicorn living here,” I exhaled in wonder.

  TJ nodded. “I know. But I think if we wait until Junior…I mean Rayline is old enough to speak, this little one will go nameless far too long.”

  What did one name a unicorn when, up until the night of my niece’s birth, I thought they were a pleasant myth? We had a legendary creature living in the old barn on my property with other horses. Names were too important to take the task of giving one lightly.

  “Are y’all still starin’ at the poor thing? Why don’t you leave it alone, Birdy?” My brother’s voice cut through our reverent silence.

  “Because she’s cute,” I countered, slapping Matt’s arm with the back of my hand without taking my eyes off the tired baby.

  My brother playfully smacked me back without hesitation. “You’d think you’d be paying more attention to your niece.”

  “I pay plenty of attention to Junior,” I replied, using my nickname to rile up my brother. “Speaking of, if you’re both in here, then who has Rayline?”

  Matt ignored my question, caught up in marveling at the unicorn. When I repeated my inquiry, it takes a nudge of my shoulder for him to respond. “Hmm, what? Oh, Beau’s watching over her. You know, for an old vampire, he’s pretty adept at being a babysitter. We might have to call on his services if I’m ever gonna have a chance at alone time with my wife.”

  “Hey, you aren’t your baby’s main source of food. I can’t be away from Rayline too long. I should go back to the house.” TJ’s words trailed off when the little unicorn rustled in her straw bed and twitched her iridescent tail. “I should also call Caro Whitaker and make sure I’m doing everything right by this little one.”

  At the mention of one of the Red Ridge sisters, my stomach flipped. Even after two months, my goodbye to Dash still affected me. Although I could call him anytime using my spell phone, I wanted to give him space.

  Oh, who was I kidding? I needed the space out of fear of so many things. With everything going on in Honeysuckle, from the grand entrance of my niece and a baby unicorn to my attempts to reconnect with Mason, I didn’t need a reason to run to a man who was still engaged, thanks to a blood pact he’d made.

  “Beau told me I’d find you out here.” The detective’s voice echoed off the wooden walls of the barn and bounced off my heart. The sunlight beaming through the barn’s entrance silhouetted his athletic frame.

  My stomach flipped again for a whole different reason, and I gripped the wooden gate and focused my eyes on the unicorn instead of the man who used to love me. But Mason no longer possessed the memories of those feelings.

  I’d heard from Nana that Rita Ryder had died from complications of cancer while in warden custody. After everything she’d done, including ripping the memories of me from Mason’s mind, I knew not one person walking this Earth would hold a parting party for that nasty witch.

  Mason clapped Matt on the back in a manly greeting and smiled at TJ. I received a curt dip of his chin while his eyes darted away from mine.

  The detective cleared his throat and glanced down at the stall floor. “Wow, I still can’t believe my what I’m seeing even though I’m looking right at it. A real live unicorn.” He whistled low.

  “I guess when something’s in front of you,
it’s easier to believe.” I winced from the unintended sharpness of my words. “She’s living proof that miracles can happen.”

  While a unicorn living in my barn was beyond amazing, if I could have any wish come true, I’d want to rewind time and stop Rita a few seconds earlier. Stop her from stripping me out of Mason’s mind. Cling to whatever had been blooming between Mason and me with everything I had in me. But none of what happened was his fault. Being mad at him all the time because of the changes in our relationship didn’t help.

  TJ stepped away from the stall. “I should be getting back to Rayline since I’m providing her lunch. Come on, Daddy.”

  I scrunched my nose. “Eww, could you not call him that in front of me? It’s weird.”

  “But I am one now,” Matt protested.

  “And if your wife wants to call you that in private, that’s y’all’s business.” I curled my upper lip for emphasis.

  Mason chuckled, and it warmed my heart, melting away a little of my icy anger directed at him. I wished with all my might I could do something else to earn that sound again.

  My brother pushed away from the stall, oblivious to the joke. “We’ve got a bet going as to whether or not Rayline will say Mommy or Daddy first. So, we’ve gotten into the habit of calling each other by those names.”

  “And yet, I don’t see hide nor hair of your blessed daughter here.” With dramatic emphasis, I strained to look for their baby.

  My brother pinched me under my arm, making me squeal. “You’re such a brat. Come on, Mommy, let’s go feed our daughter.”

  Dread built in my gut. They wouldn’t leave me alone with Mason, would they?

  “You say that like you have any part to play in the process,” my sister-in-law teased with a little exasperation. She patted me on the shoulder and gave me a look that conveyed her silent question if I’d be okay.

  Chewing on my lip, I glanced at Mason who leaned over the gate, staring at the unicorn. In the past couple of months, I’d attempted to reconnect with the detective in small ways. Meeting him for coffee at the Harvest Moon Cafe with our mutual friends. Joining everyone for a picnic under the Founders’ tree. Too afraid to be alone with him, I’d always made sure others were around in case he felt uncomfortable. Or maybe I was placating my own discomfort.

  I gave a quick nod of reassurance to my sister-in-law and watched my brother and her playfully bicker on their way back to my house. One of the horses snorted and shuffled around in its stall. Birds nesting in the roof tittered and flew around the beams, their wings flapping rapid beats.

  The head of my orange kitty Peaches popped up from between a few bales of hay. She hopped up on one of them, yawning and stretching. With a little chirping purr, she bounced down from her perch and trotted over to me. Her little fuzzy head rubbed against my leg and then the detective’s.

  I reached down and plucked her up. “What’ve you been doing out here, Peachy Poo? Are you keeping the mice away from our newest tenant?” Scratching her behind the ears earned me a strong rumbling purr.

  “I’ll bet she’s good at mousing.” Mason’s deep voice reverberated right through me.

  “She’s tiny but fierce. I’m pretty sure she could take on a dragon and win, if not by her claws and fangs then by her sheer cuteness. Isn’t that right, Princess Peaches Yum Yum Fuzzy Pants.” I buried my face into her fur to avoid looking at the detective.

  “Such a big name for such a little thing.” He reached out to pet my cat but waited for me to give him permission.

  I took a step closer so he could reach her, and his fingers stroked the fur on her head. She closed her eyes in enjoyment, and for a brief moment, tendrils of jealousy gripped me.

  Mason didn’t follow up with anything else, and only the typical barn noises interrupted our awkward silence. He stopped petting my cat when she squirmed in my arms to be let down. With regret, I let go of my one buffer between the detective and me. Peaches bounded away after some tiny prey, and I leaned on the wooden gate again. My body hummed with the close proximity of Mason’s presence.

  “So,” he started and stopped, rubbing the back of his neck.

  For some reason, his similar discomfort put me at ease. “So,” I exhaled with a slight smile.

  He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, still unable to look me in the eye. With a slight gesture of his hand, he waved at the sleeping baby in front of us. “So, a unicorn. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”

  “Yep.” My brain shuffled around the options of what I could say next, but everything seemed too trivial. The harder I tried, the dumber my ideas got.

  Mason blew out a long breath and clasped his hands together. “Listen, Charli, I know things between us are…”

  “Tense?” I offered up the truth because we both deserved that.

  He snorted. “Yeah. And I know you’ve been mad at me because I haven’t called you or really talked to you one on one. Until now.”

  My eyes jerked to his. “I’m not mad.” I recognized the lie once it left my mouth.

  He finally met my gaze, and the sadness pooling in his eyes crushed me. “I might not know you as well as you know me yet. But remember, I’m a detective. It’s my job to read people. You’ve been angry at me for a while now.” He held up his hand to stop my protest. “And you have good reasons. I understand we used to have something between us. A lot of people have told me, and I swear, I’ve been trying my hardest to remember.”

  I glanced down, willing the tears burning in my eyes not to drop. “I know you’re working hard. And it’s not fair for me to expect too much from you.”

  His warm hand covered mine. “You’ve been great, actually. You haven’t pushed me. You always make sure I’ve got friendly backup in case I’m uncomfortable. I can tell you’re a special person.” He squeezed once and let me go. “But if you’re waiting for me to regain my feelings for you, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”

  The absence of his touch burned, and I reached out to regain the physical connection, grasping his hand in mine. “You couldn’t disappoint me.” I stepped closer and willed him to believe me.

  Mason responded with a light brush of his thumb over my skin. “I can’t undo what’s been done. Even with the help of some of the strongest psychics we both know, they can’t return what’s not there. And I know that hurts you, which is the last thing I want to do to you, Charli.” His voice ended on a strained rasp.

  He was ending things between us. Closing the door on my efforts to return us to where we’d been. Dash had said I could save Mason. Looked like I was going to fail in my mission.

  “I understand,” I muttered, letting go of his hand. “I’ll leave you alone. I hope you have a good life, Mason.” In utter despair, I turned to walk away from him.

  “Stop, that’s not what I meant.”

  My feet refused to obey his command, although I slowed my pace. “What else is there for us?”

  “It doesn’t have to be the end of us. Why can’t it be a new beginning?” he called out after me.

  I continued to trudge away but with shorter steps. “I don’t know what that means.”

  “How about you not leave and stay here to finish our conversation?” Mason rushed forward and grasped both of my shoulders, stopping me and twisting my body around to face him. “For goodness sakes, stop being so stubborn, woman. It’s just so…so…”

  I couldn’t keep the corner of my mouth from curling up, but I did stop myself from mentioning how that had always been the way between us. “Fine. I’m listening.” I crossed my arms, digging my fingernails into the palms of my hands to distract myself from the heightened awareness of his softened touch still on my shoulders.

  The detective glanced down as he held onto me. His brow furrowed, but whatever thought frustrated him, he dismissed it and let me go. “I think we need to give up on trying to recover the past and see what we can do about the present. In other words, let’s start over. I’m Mason.” He stuck out his hand to shake mine.r />
  It was an ending, at least to my attempts to fix what Rita had managed to destroy. A part of me would always mourn what we had before, but maybe there could be hope for us if we left the past behind like he suggested.

  I accepted his offer to shake on a new start. “Charli Goodwin. Stubborn witch.”

  Mason chuckled and pumped his hand up and down. “I should say it’s nice to meet you, but I think we’re a little beyond basic greetings.”

  “You think?” My snark earned a genuine smile, and I internally high-fived myself.

  “I can tell you’re gonna be an interesting friend to get to know better,” the detective admitted.

  “Friend,” I breathed out. “I guess I can live with that. Plus, Alison Kate did pair us up in her wedding party.”

  Mason snorted. “Yeah, all your friends seem to conspire to keep us together.” He bumped my shoulder with his.

  I nudged him back, ignoring the skipped beat of my heart. “It doesn’t have to mean anything more than you escorting me down the aisle. I mean, after Ali Kat and Lee get married, not that we’d be getting hitched or anything. Pixie poop.” Clamping a hand over my mouth, I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to ignore the awkwardness.

  Mason’s hearty laugh interrupted my horror. He took my hand in his again, giving me the courage to stop internally cursing my tongue. A slow smile crept across my face and I joined him with hopeful chuckles.

  “It’ll be my pleasure to be the one to escort you.” He squeezed me once and let me go. I flexed my fingers at the absence of his touch.