All the Pretty Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 6)
Page 20
“Yeah. Isn’t that what you saw?”
“Not so much.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, perplexed. “Um ... maybe I didn’t see it after all. Maybe it was a dream. That makes more sense, right?”
He regarded her with an even expression. “I don’t know. Personally, I felt a little underwhelmed about what happened. If you saw more, though, then that could explain things.”
“Or it could mean I’m crazy and I don’t want to give you a reason to lock me up.”
Cooper smiled. “I would never lock you up.”
“No?” Hannah found she was hopeful. “How come?”
“Because then I would have to lock myself up.”
“How does that work?”
“I can’t live without you. So, if you get locked up, I get locked up, too.”
The statement was simple, but the emotion in his eyes was like a tempest. “That’s kind of sweet,” she said after a beat. “I don’t want to be locked up, though.”
“I think I can guarantee that won’t happen.”
Hannah wasn’t convinced. “Does Jackie want to lock me up?”
Cooper let loose a heavy sigh. “No. I know you think she’s out to get you, but she’s really not.”
“Not out to get me. Only crazy people think that way. Given the fact that I saw a chasm nobody else saw, I would like to avoid any conversations ... or opinions ... or even fleeting thoughts … that might point to me being crazy.”
He chuckled. “Baby, you’re not crazy.” He slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her close, frowning when she grunted. “You’re in serious pain, aren’t you?”
“It’s not really pain. It’s more like pulled muscles ... all over my body.”
“That sounds like pain to me.”
“And yet it’s not. I don’t want to go to the doctor either.”
He made a disgruntled sound deep in his throat and then, resigned, gently reached for her shoulders. “Try to relax.”
“Why? What are you going to do?”
“Rub your cares away.”
“Do you have magic hands? I think you need magic hands to rub my cares away. There’s a lot I care about right now.”
He dug in and started massaging, causing her to moan. “What do you think? Are my hands magic?”
“I’m going to need more of a demonstration to decide.”
“I figured as much.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of her head and then attacked her sore muscles with gusto. “What do you remember?”
That was an interesting question, Hannah noted. The previous day’s events had been terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. Various memory strings overlapped and she was no longer certain how everything had played out.
“They’re gone, right? All three of them are gone.”
“I believe so, but you would know better than me.”
“I’m pretty sure they’re gone. I know Bettina is. I felt her go.”
“And Amelia?”
“She didn’t want to go. Bettina was willing. There was peace when she passed over. I think there might be claw marks left on my soul from the fight that Amelia put up there at the end.”
Cooper’s frown was pronounced. “Did she hurt you?”
“Not the way you think. It was more tiresome than anything else.”
“Well, that’s good ... I guess.”
“She had plans,” Hannah volunteered. “I saw them at the end.”
“And what were her plans?”
“She wanted to take over Casper Creek. The nexus ... it was more than we realized. She thought if she could take up residence here that she would be able to control pretty much everything. She liked the idea of being in control.”
“Do you think Clement is the reason behind that?”
Hannah hesitated and then shrugged. “Probably. I know he technically helped us, but he was not a good guy.”
“Well, he’s gone now ... at least I think.”
“He willingly left, too,” Hannah confirmed. “He wanted to return to the other side. That’s where he felt he belonged.”
“Because demons were his sort of people?”
“Maybe. It’s simply what made him happy. I’m thrilled he wasn’t an issue. Although ... what happened with Carl?” She glanced over her shoulder to make eye contact, cringing at the twinge in her neck.
Cooper planted a soft kiss on her lips and then directed her to face forward. “You’re sore. You’re going to let me dote on you all day. If you play your cards right, you’ll feel like a new person when I’m finished.”
“Do I get to pick the person? Because, honestly, I would pick Jennifer Lopez. She looks amazing.”
He choked on his laughter. “And that right there is exactly why I love you. Even when you’re in pain following a trying day, you’re still making jokes.”
“Who was joking? Her body is amazing.”
“It is. I happen to be a big fan of your body, too.”
“Maybe you can take it for a test drive later.”
“Only if you allow me to spoil you rotten all day.”
“Like that’s some big hardship. Although ... shouldn’t I go downstairs and work? I kind of dropped the ball and abandoned Lindy multiple days this week.”
“And guess what? She handled herself perfectly. She didn’t complain once and the guests appear to love her.”
“Yeah. She is really good with them.”
“You almost sound sad about it?”
“I’m not sad. I just think that she’s a better worker than me. It’s kind of humbling.”
“Oh, well ... I happen to think you’re a fine worker.”
“That’s because you have a crush on me.”
“The biggest ever.” He kissed the ridge of her ear. “Now, relax and let me loosen up these muscles. You’re beyond tense.”
“I think my body went through a trauma yesterday. It didn’t feel like that at the time, but it sure does now.”
“Angel was sore when she woke up, too.”
Hannah froze, her heart leaping. She’d forgotten about Angel. How was anybody’s guess. Now that the girl had been mentioned, Hannah couldn’t think of anything else. “How is she?”
“Confused. The last thing she remembers is running from a dust storm.”
“And?”
“And we told her it had been almost two weeks from that day.” Cooper hesitated and then pushed forward. “We told her she was lost during that time.”
“Lost?” Hannah drew her eyebrows together. “How is that possible? She would be dead if she was lost in the hills that long.”
“Not necessarily. There’s water out there, berries. She could’ve survived if she had the right skills. She doesn’t remember anything, though. We took her to the hospital to have her checked out. Boone went with her ... and Lindsey. They were both crying when they got her back.”
“Boone blamed himself,” Hannah said. “He wasn’t the reason things went sideways and yet he still believed he was the one at fault. I’m glad he can start putting this behind him.”
“Yeah, well ... we’ve got a few things we need to be careful about,” Cooper countered. “Boone took Carl into custody. He doesn’t remember what happened either. When informed that he’d threatened his wife and children, he accused Helene of being a witch and casting a spell on him. That was before we told him about murdering the gas station clerk. He didn’t take that well at all.”
“Oh, well ... that’s weird.”
“Boone says it won’t matter what he says. They’re looking into him for embezzling from his job, too. It’s likely he will go away for a long time.”
“Clement said he was a bad guy.”
“I don’t think Clement should be judging anybody but that’s neither here nor there. He likely won’t be a concern ... other than the fact that Boone has to find a way to explain what he was doing out here.”
Hannah was taken aback. “I didn’t even consider that. How is he
going to explain that?”
“I have no idea. He said he would come up with something. Angel’s sudden appearance was easier to explain, and the fact that Bettina was barely eating actually benefitted us. Angel lost some weight and was dehydrated. The doctor says it was only mild dehydration and declared it a miracle she was in such good shape. As for the doctor taking care of her parents, Jackie went in and did a bit of memory modification. We’re hoping people kind of forget about Angel in the wake of Carl being caught.”
Hannah shifted, uncomfortable. “You don’t think Angel will suddenly remember down the road, do you?”
“I have no idea. I think we’re going to need to watch her. Right now, she’s too excited about her parents waking up to worry about her time in the hills.”
“What?” Hannah wiggled in excitement. “Are you being serious?”
He grinned. “I knew you would be happy. Apparently the parents woke up about an hour before Boone took Angel into the hospital. For the record, he told the doctor we found her under some brush close to the creek. We’re saying she appeared to be in a fugue state so that should explain anything weird she says.”
“It’s not a perfect ending, but it’s as close as we could hope for.”
“Pretty much.” He leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder. “In case you’re wondering, I wanted to admit you to the hospital. I was outvoted, even though I don’t believe the others should’ve gotten a vote, and instead we put you to bed. You slept for a good ten hours.”
“Huh.” Hannah rubbed her cheek. “Other than the aches and pains, which make me feel like I’m a good forty years older than I am, I’m feeling pretty rested.”
“You’re still spending the day in bed.”
“That sounds boring.”
“I don’t care. You went through it yesterday, big time, and I’m going to play nurse all day. That’s all there is to it.”
Hannah let loose a heavy sigh. “You’re kind of bossy.”
“I also love you and will get my way on this, especially after you chased a demon like a moron.”
Hannah wanted to argue with the sentiment, but she knew he wasn’t wrong. “Fine. You can spoil me. I’m going to want soup and stuff, though, so you’d better do it up right.”
“I’m sure I’ll manage.” He kissed her cheek before returning to her massage. “Jackie believes Bettina, Clement, and Amelia are all gone. She says she can’t feel the same amount of magic here that she used to.”
Intrigued, Hannah cocked her head. “Huh. She’s right. The ground doesn’t hum like it used to.”
“Does that disappoint you?”
“Absolutely not. I’ve got a lot to learn as a witch and I don’t need a magical nexus threatening to open beneath my feet to add to it.”
“I think that’s fair.” He hesitated a beat. “I’m going to want to talk to you about that chasm you mentioned at some point. For now we can let it go, though.”
Hannah shot him a grateful smile. “That would be best.”
He grinned when she moaned, moving his fingers back to focus on the spot that hurt the most. “Are you all caught up now?”
“Except for Astra,” she said when she could speak again. “You haven’t told me what happened to her.”
“That’s because I’m not sure.” Cooper smoothed Hannah’s hair before continuing, organizing his thoughts. “She was angry when Jackie released her from the spell. She didn’t attack, but I’m not sure that’s out of the question down the line. She was ranting and raving about the nexus when she headed off.”
“What about Stormy?”
“She was on the other side of the creek. We wanted Boone to take her in like he did Carl, but she woke up before we could get over there and secure her. She seemed confused but had her wits enough to run rather than wait.”
“So ... she’s still out there.”
“And she could mean trouble,” Cooper confirmed. “We’ll have to deal with that when she pops up again ... and I do think she will. Astra, too.”
“Do you think they’ll want to start a war?”
“I don’t know. Whatever they plan to do, I don’t think it will be anytime soon. They both have wounds to lick.”
“That’s good. I need a break.”
“Yeah, well ... I’m not sure that’s in the cards.”
Since she was expecting him to suggest a week in bed rather than a day, the shift in his demeanor threw her. “What aren’t you telling me?” She was instantly suspicious. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
“I don’t happen to think so but there’s every chance you might.”
Hannah waited for him to expand. When he didn’t, she planted an impatient elbow in his stomach. “Are you going to tell me or what?”
He smiled. “I answered your phone last night. I wasn’t certain if I should, but I did just in case it was something important. You were dead to the world.”
“I don’t care about that. If you expect me to be angry, I have nothing to hide.”
“Of course you don’t. The call was from your father, though.”
“Oh, yeah? What did he want? He’s been kind of hard to get in touch with.”
“He wanted to let you know he’s coming for a visit ... and he’s bringing someone with him.”
“My brother?” Hannah was hopeful. “I would love to see both of them.”
“He didn’t mention your brother, so I’m not sure. He says he’s bringing a woman with him. His new fiancée to be exact.”
Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope.”
“He can’t have a fiancée. He likes to play the field ... and do weird science fiction crap. He doesn’t date.”
“Apparently that’s changed. He’s going to be here in a week.”
“But ... no.” Hannah moved to crawl out of bed. “I’m not ready for him to visit in a week. I have a million things to do.”
“And you’re not doing any of them today.” Cooper held her tight. “You already promised to spend the day in bed.”
“That was before I knew my father was coming. I have to clean ... and get a haircut ... and figure out where he’s going to stay.”
“You can do it tomorrow.”
“But—”
“No.” Cooper contorted so he could cover her mouth with his. “I’m the boss today. You can be the boss again tomorrow.”
Hannah thought about arguing but knew it was a lost cause. Besides, there were worse things than being waited on. So she would shut out the world for a day and face the terror of her father’s visit in twenty-four hours.
How bad could it be?
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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