Kiss and Spell (11 Valentine's Day Paranormal Short Stories)

by Liz Schulte

  “Ranger should be feeling better in no time.” Drea ran her hand down Ranger’s back at the same time Holt did.

  Their fingers touched for a brief second. Both of them jerked their hands off the dog.

  “What is going on here?” Ranger sat up and his head looked between his human and Drea. “Oh brother. I’ve never seen that goofy look on his face.”

  “Not my human, either,” Dodger growled.

  “Dodger,” Drea scolded. “You be a good boy or you will have to go upstairs,” she warned her trusty companion.

  “I don’t like the way he’s looking at you.” Dodger snarled.

  “I don’t like the way you are talking about my human,” Ranger gnashed his teeth toward Dodger.

  “Hey.” Holt snapped his finger and Ranger sat at attention.

  “Okay you.” Drea pointed to the door.

  Dodger’s ear laid back on his head, his tail tucked between his legs and he sauntered out of the exam room.

  “I’m sorry about that.” Drea didn’t like how possessive Dodger had gotten. “I’ve never seen him get that way.”

  “Don’t apologize. He seemed to be protecting his owner.” Holt smiled, it reached his eyes. The deep brown twinkled.

  “We are all done here.” Drea started to feel a little like she was prolonging the inevitable.

  It was time for Holt to move on out of her life like every other man she had found attractive.

  She helped Ranger off the table, though he didn’t need help and walked with them out to the front lobby.

  “What’s upstairs?” Holt asked.

  “I live here too.” She gestured up the steps. Dodger’s nose was hanging over the very top step. “The cost of living is very expensive in the bay. Plus it makes the commute pretty easy.” She winked, then suddenly felt sick over it.

  She was flirting and it felt so good.

  Is she flirting with me, Holt thought to himself. What were the odds that he was visiting this little town on business and yet finally found the woman of his dreams?

  Ranger tugged on his leash, trying to get out the front door of the cute clinic, but Holt held on tight.

  “Neat house.” Holt nodded and looked around.

  He loved old Victorian houses and when the innkeeper had told him the baby blue clap board house with the white picket fence and lace curtains right off the bay was the veterinary clinic, he knew he was at the right place when he pulled up.

  Say something, he told himself in his head. But he stood there like an idiot. She probably thought he was an idiot. She was smart. He could tell. The way she carried herself and handled Ranger without doing any tests. He glanced down at his dog. He was perfectly fine now.

  “How much do I owe you?” he asked and felt around for his wallet. He couldn’t take his eyes off her if he tried.

  Blondes were never his type, but there was something about her. Her light blue eyes bore deep into his soul like a trance. Almost hypnotic.

  “Nothing.” She grinned and looked down at Ranger. Holt secretly wished she looked at him like she did his dog. “It’s not a problem.”

  “No, I’ve got to pay something. I mean you were closing and it’s late.” He looked at his watch.

  “I’m fine. I’m here anytime for my clients.” She stepped closer to the door and continued to look at the dog. “In fact,” she bent down and stared at Ranger, “I’m sure Ranger is one hundred percent better. My advice is to stick with his dog food.”

  “Good advice.” Holt tugged on Ranger’s leash. “Let’s go, buddy.”

  “Enjoy your visit.” Drea called from the front door as Holt and Ranger went down the front porch steps.

  He stopped at the picket fence and looked back. She’d already shut the door. He couldn’t tell behind the stained glass window in the door if she was looking at him, but he hoped she was.

  “I just might give you another chicken tender while we are here,” he joked with Ranger before they jumped into the Jeep.

  “Stop, Dodger.” Drea shooed her trusty companion. It was way too early in the morning to get up.

  “Come on.” Dodger stood over top of her, panting with excitement. There was a full day ahead of them and Drea knew Dodger enjoyed every minute. The quicker the better.

  She rolled over and glanced at the clock. “Six?” Drea groaned and looked back at Dodger.

  His ears perked, his head turned, and his eyes stared at her.

  “At least you let me sleep ten more minutes today.” She threw back the white, light coverlet, giving Dodger the signal he needed to bolt down the stairs and wait patiently by the door while she got ready.

  She dangled her feet over the side of the bed and turned on the lamp on the bedside table. She eased off the bed and curled her toes in the plush, white area rug she’d picked out after she had restored the old clapboard house. It was her favorite room and with the best view of the bay.

  It had really come at a lucky time for her. She was working for a big box store that had a clinic but she had a hard time following their rules about medicines and the animals’ well-being when she had her gift to rely on. The income was good and she was busy. The cost of opening her own clinic was high, but she knew that if she found the right place in Blossom Bay and stayed true to her gift, the clients would come and she’d be able to pay her loan back.

  The clapboard house was really a gift from the Universe. The day she started looking for the perfect place, the owner of the old house was nailing a sign in the yard as she was driving by. Granted the house was run down and deserted, but she saw the potential, plus the view was phenomenal. And the owner had kept the house as a vacation home, but like most vacation home owners, life got busy and they came to the bay less and less.

  After Drea told the owner what she was planning to do, the owner agreed to sell it to Drea if she’d take a look at the owner’s dog who continually gnawed on his paws. Of course the two-hour trip to the owner’s home was well worth it. The dog was allergic to the poison ivy bed in the back of the owner’s fenced-in yard, which happened to be the dog’s favorite place to run up and down, barking at the walkers on the street. Drea gave the dog a little home remedy and even went out back to help the owner pull up the ivy. It was time well spent after the owner knocked a few thousand off the sale price.

  She knew the wall-to-wall wallpaper and carpet had to go. Not only because it wasn’t her taste, but animals had accidents and she wasn’t about to get stock in Resolve. It was much easier to clean up messes on linoleum and wood flooring.

  Drea was pleasantly surprised when she took down the drywall and found shiplap in perfect condition. With a good cleaning and a fresh coat of white paint, the walls were done. It didn’t take long to redo the original hardwood floors and she was in business.

  What she’d saved from the sale price, she spent on the equipment she needed for the clinic.

  Drea walked over to the small bay window and looked outside. There was a fine orange line where the horizon met the ocean. She knew if she ran a little faster than usual to her favorite spot, she and Dodger were going to see a spectacular sunrise.

  She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and pulled on a pair of running shorts, tee, and her shoes.

  “Ready?” she asked Dodger even though she really didn’t have to ask.

  He stood with his nose at the door and his tail wagging.

  She ran across the street with Dodger next to her in a slow trot. It wasn’t until she hit the public beach access bridge did she hit her full stride turning north up the beach. Her shoes beat on the hard sand where the water had receded from high tide, making it perfect running sand. Dodger didn’t keep pace with her, he was too busy running in the water and chasing the waves back to the deep ocean. He didn’t let her get too far out of his sight.

  He’d yell after her, but to the human ear it sounded like a bark, and she’d slow down a pace or two to let him catch up, but not too close or he’d take pleasure in shaking the salt water off his fur to
get her all wet.

  She loved the mornings. Especially before everyone else in Blossom Bay woke up. Drea had never run with earphones in her ears. The lap of the waves hitting the sand was music enough and the fresh air filled her lungs pushing her to exceed even her own expectations of just what her own body could do.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw the sunrise was quickly approaching. She darted up the next access to the road and ran up the hill with Blossom Bay Bed and Breakfast in her sights. Not only did the bed and breakfast have the best view in the entire bay area from its perch on the top of the hill, but it also had the best food according to Drea. Not that it had anything to do with her sister, Priscilla Daily, being the chef.

  Dodger bolted ahead of her. His fur was drying with each step. His ears pinned back and his tongue flung out to the side. Drea knew he’d had a few treats from her sister before she even stepped foot on the inn’s property.

  Instead of heading straight to the front porch, Drea headed east in the dense woods, causing her to slow to a walk. There wasn’t a clear path to run, but she didn’t care. Forging through the lower limbs, and climbing over the moss-covered tree trunks that had been there for years was well worth the sunrise view she’d discovered when she was a kid.

  Blossom Bay was her playground when she was growing up and after she discovered her gift, the woods and the animals become her best friends. Her family knew of her secret spot and that was it. None of them ever went up there after the first time she took them because they didn’t like traipsing over and around Mother Nature, nor sitting on the edge of a cliff where there wasn’t much room. That was part of her family secret gift, not theirs.

  The old dried out tree stump was waiting for her just like a yoga mat waiting to be used before the guru gave timely advice, only the sunrise was her guru. She sat down, but not without first giving gratitude for her gift with a small bow to the approaching sunrise. With her legs crossed and her hands resting on her thighs, she inhaled deeply through her nose and exhaled slowly out of her mouth. With each breath, the burnt orange and yellow colored sun crept up an inch.

  “Spectacular.” The voice next to her made her nearly fall off the cliff.

  “Holt.” Drea found the shock of the stranger sitting in the brush strangely enjoyable. “It is spectacular.” She looked up at the horizon.

  “My favorite time at the beach is sunrise.” He didn’t bother looking at her, though she stared at him. Suddenly she didn’t care if she saw the sunrise. She’d seen it many times before.

  “Mine too.” Her voice was just as sweet as the sunrise unfolding before him.

  He had no idea when he got up and decided to venture into the wooded area next to the bed and breakfast that he’d find such a remarkable clearing that had the perfect view of the horizon. Seeing Dr. Drea was a bonus. He’d seen her in his dreams last night, but he’d never had dreams come true.

  “Something magical around here.” He wanted to grab the words and slap them back in his mouth. Those weren’t words from a man. He didn’t dare look at her or his face would be flushed to the same shade as the sunrise.

  “How did you find the cliff?” she asked. He was very aware her eyes were on him. He didn’t understand why she wasn’t going to watch the sunrise. Not that he didn’t like her staring at him, but he felt vulnerable around her for some reason and didn’t know why.

  He was there to do a job. At least that was what he’d told himself this morning when he woke up with her on his mind. Do the job and leave. Go home. Back to reality and back to dating women who weren’t as smart or pretty as Drea.

  “I decided to go for an early morning walk and it pulled me here.” He sighed as the sun poked over the horizon. The rays bled across the ocean in an angelic haze. “That is worth all the pokes in my head from the brush.”

  “It is beautiful.” Drea hadn’t taken her eyes off of him. He looked over at her. They stared a little too long and the silence between them was deafening, but so comforting at the same time. It was exactly how they had looked at each other in his dreams.

  Drea broke the silence, “How is Ranger this morning?” Her voice was soft as the wisps of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. The sun reflected on her tan skin and softened her cheeks.

  “Good old Ranger.” He smiled, happy to see her return it. “He’s good. He’s not an early riser. Dodger?”

  “Dodger.” Drea jumped up. “He’s probably getting full of liver brownies.”

  “Liver brownies?” His face contorted, he wasn’t following.

  “The inn. My sister is the head chef and when we do get up early enough to watch the full sunrise, I come here and he goes there to beg her for food. She creates these amazing liver brownie treats for dogs,” she said.

  He tried to wipe the goofy smile off of his face, but he could sit there and listen to her honey voice all day.

  “Your sister is Chef Priscilla?” he asked, almost tasting the Spiced German Cookies she had baked. The inn keeper, Julia France, had left a tray filled with the buttery spice cookies, which were a cross between sugar cookies and gingerbread, blending the best of both worlds, on a plate along with a glass of ice cold milk in his room as a before dinner treat.

  She’d left a note saying the cookies and milk were the perfect combination to create a good night’s sleep. She was right. It was the first time in a long time that he’d not woken up in the middle of the night, thinking about business and his job. That was one thing he did love about staying in little mom-and-pop places when he traveled to these small towns for his job.

  “I can still taste those spiced German cookies.” He licked lips.

  “Oh.” Drea’s brows lifted. “She made you the family recipe.”

  “Family recipe?” he asked thinking Drea had it all, smarts, looks, and the ability to cook the family’s recipe of spiced German cookies.

  “She makes them way better than my mom. I’ve tried and burn them every time.” She laughed. There was something so mysterious about her that drew him to her and her laugh was just as magical.

  “Well, she’s not a veterinarian like you.” He wanted to make her feel good. He’d never flirted so much in his life. “I guess you can’t have all the luck.”

  He might sound stupid flirting, but he didn’t care. He admitted he never really had to flirt with women, they just seemed to float toward him. Not Drea and maybe that was what was so enticing or attractive about her—at least that’s what he told himself when in fact he knew there was something special about her. And he wouldn’t mind exploring what that something special was.

  “I guess I better get back. I don’t want Dodger to get sick like Ranger and my sister wouldn’t understand.” Drea uncurled her legs and stood up. They were long, lean, and muscular in the right places. She took care of herself and he liked that.

  “I’ll go with you,” he said, but he noticed she looked at him funny. “If that’s okay?”

  “Sure.” She didn’t bother waiting for him and the slight breeze from being above the sea level waved across her and up his nose. He closed his eyes and let her smell take over.

  He stumbled over a tree root that was popped out of the ground, catching his fall with his hands.

  “Are you okay?” Drea rushed to his side, concern on her face.

  He was fine, but he let her bend down to help. He wanted her to bend down and help.

  “Oh no.” She grabbed his hands in hers. “You’ve scrapped your hands.”

  “Are you a human doctor too?” He made a funny, but she didn’t smile.

  “We need to get you back and cleaned up.” She helped him to his feet and he happily let her lead the way. She obviously knew her way around these woods and in no time they were back at the Inn.

  “I see you’re back to your old ways.” Drea grabbed one of the spiced German cookies off the wire rack, popping the entire thing in her mouth.

  She drowned out the clinking of pots and pans with each chew and buttery taste.

&
nbsp; “I’m so glad you are because I love these cookies,” Drea said with satisfaction.

  “I see that you have someone who’s smitten with you.” Priscilla looked out the kitchen window over the sink.

  After Drea and Holt had gotten back from the woods, Drea quickly cleaned up his scrapes with a little peroxide and declared that he’d live.

  Drea walked over and looked over her big sister’s shoulder. Holt was throwing a stick for Dodger and Ranger. The two dogs were happily taking turns and playing nice.

  “He’s in love with your cookies. He said he slept so good.” Drea knew the secret ingredient. In fact, as many people who raved about Drea’s skills, they raved just as much about Priscilla’s homemade cooking.

  “How is his dog?” Priscilla asked without saying what she really meant. She wanted to know what the dog had told Drea about his life with Holt.

  “He’s great.” Drea bit the edge of her lip. Holt’s bicep tensed when he threw the stick. “And so is the dog.”

  “Oh gosh.” Priscilla turned around and gave her sister a playful push. “You are just as smitten.”

  “No I’m not.” Drea shrugged off her sister’s comment and took another cookie even though Priscilla had made her an egg white vegetable omelet. Priscilla gave her the eye. “What? I have to run back. I need my strength.”

  “Your legs are too wobbly from a fainting heart to run.” Priscilla grabbed the extra cookies and put them in the pantry before Drea could eat them all.

  “They are not.” Drea jerked her head to look out the window. “So, why is he here?”

  “I don’t know.” Priscilla took out a pot from one of the hooks over top of the kitchen’s butcher-block island. Drea sat down in one of the bar chairs and happily watched as her sister worked her family secret into the food she made.

  Drea was so proud of Priscilla. Her sister had been the sous chef of LeBlanc and really loved it, but had always craved to be in charge of her own kitchen and menus. It wasn’t until Julia had come to town as a tourist selling Priscilla her idea of opening up the old rundown inn as a bed and breakfast where Priscilla could take her culinary skills and do as she pleased as inn’s head chef. Little did Julia know, Priscilla had a family secret too.