EARTH GODDESS
by
Crystal Inman
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
Published by
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
Copyright © 2008 by Crystal Inman
Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 (five) years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or the publisher.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-60313-269-5
Credits
Cover Artist: Nancy Donahue
Editor: Chere Gruver
Printed in the United States of America
Other Books by Author Available at Whiskey Creek Press:
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
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Perfect Timing
The heart has a mind of its own. In any time. What happens when a small-town librarian is picked to be the subject study for a man from the future?
Love An Anthology: “The Arrangement”
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Hate: An Anthology: “What Goes Around, Comes Around”
Whiskey Shots Vol. 2
Fire Goddess:
Kelly Marshall is queen of the soaps. And her producer has a brilliant idea for upcoming sweeps: a fairy tale come true. Sloan Davenport reluctantly agrees to help build sets for the soap opera. But it’s a world he loathes on sight.
Wilda is Kelly’s guardian. She must succeed in her task for herself and her sisters. But mostly for the two headstrong mortals who don’t realize their importance to each other until it’s almost too late.
Water Goddess
Erin Sanders is a school teacher with a past that has scarred her very soul. She is close to no one until a chance encounter turns her world upside down.
Daniel Rodriguez is a man who knows what he wants. He’s a serene soul who feels drawn to Erin through a brief meeting and vows to find out more about her.
But Erin has secrets that tear at her world.
Daniel doesn’t heed Erin’s words or warnings. He vows to gently open her eyes to a world she didn’t know existed. A world where a man will give anything to be in her heart.
Wind Goddess
Sylvia Masters lives her life by numbers. She’s a wedding planner with an ambitious eye and a will to succeed. When Tristan Calhoun hires her to put together his sister’s wedding, sparks fly. He’s a man accustomed to giving orders and being blindly obeyed. Sylvia assures him that she’ll be the one giving orders and blindly obeying isn’t in the plan, either.
Tempest, the Wind Goddess, must guide Sylvia to a happy future to ascend to a higher level. But it’s a tall order when the Wind Goddess finds herself trying to help a woman who is as stubborn as she is.
Three powerful people. A couple who don’t know whether they want to kiss or kill each other. And a massive wedding to plan.
It’s going to take a goddess.
~~To my mother, Iris Brown, an earth goddess in her own right.~~
Author’s Note to Readers
Dear Readers,
I’m knocking on forty. A fact that both baffles and delights me. And with this age comes a great deal of self-examination. But the most important question I ask myself is this: Have I embraced all that I am?
At twenty, I didn’t know who I was. At thirty, I thought I was sure but found out differently. So here I am almost a decade later truly well with who I am and the decisions I made.
It’s not the twilight of my life, dearest readers. It’s the breaking of the dawn.
I wish all of you the strength and determination to push past the boundaries and find yourselves no matter your age. Paint a masterpiece. Change the spark plugs on your vehicle. There is art and mastery in everything. Don’t sell yourself short. Ever.
My best,
Crystal Inman
Prologue
Tempest held her arm out as a jade green bracelet appeared on her wrist. She cooed and traced the symbols branded into the metal.
“And aren’t you the prettiest piece of jewelry I’ve ever worn?”
Wilda snickered. “You two need a moment?”
Tempest’s head snapped back up. She glanced at her sisters. All of whom were trying desperately not to laugh. She held her head high and smoothed her dress. “I worked very hard for this.”
“We know, sister.” Kendra smiled and then looked at Eden. “You are the last.”
“I am.” Eden brushed her thick chestnut hair back from her face.
Wilda walked over to Eden and put her arm around her shoulders. “The wisest of us all.”
Eden snickered. “Well. The oldest. I have a feeling ‘the wisest’ is about to be put to the test.” She took a deep breath. “I have a confession.”
Kendra’s light blue eyes widened. “A confession?”
Wilda arched an eyebrow. “Well. This ought to be good.”
Eden bit her lip. “Oh yes. It’s absolutely great.” She moved away from Wilda and faced her three sisters.
Wilda wore a filmy ruby dress that left her arms bare. She let her hair fall in long waves down her back. Her green stare fixed on Eden.
Kendra wore a light blue pantsuit that clung to her slender curves. Her hair worn pulled back into a long ponytail tied with a blue ribbon. Her light blue eyes were troubled as she looked at Eden.
Tempest wore a jade sari with her hair unbound. She played with her bracelet and watched Eden carefully.
It was almost too much.
Eden smoothed down her own copper gown and turned from them. She pulled her thick hair back into a simple chignon and gathered her thoughts.
They were bound to be furious. As would their father be, if he ever found out. What she had done was forbidden. But it had been necessary. Hadn’t she gone over her actions again and again until a headache formed?
Eden turned back to her sisters. “I helped a mortal.”
Wilda blinked. “That’s what we do.”
Eden shrugged her shoulders. “This wasn’t exactly along the line of what we do.”
“What exactly did you do?” Tempest looked scared but desperately tried to hide it.
Of all the sisters, Eden bore the most responsibility. Always levelheaded. The peacemaker. She had been the glue that held the sisters together.
She met each of her sister’s eyes in turn. “I saved one.”
Kendra clapped her hand over her mouth. Tempest looked to be in shock. Only Wilda spoke.
“Well, damn it all, Eden!” She strode over to her sister and scowled. “What possessed you? What in the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking she needed to live.” Eden’s brown eyes snapped in fury. “I thought it was a damn shame that an eleven-year-old girl needed to give up her young life.”
“Hold up.” Tempest paced. “So you stepped in and helped her.” She glanced up at Eden. “So what?”
“She would have died.”
The sisters gasped. Eden was right. It was forbidden. They could g
uide. But they couldn’t completely alter a mortal’s life. And Eden had done just that.
“Oh. Shit.” Wilda sank into a seat that appeared under her. She rubbed her temple. “This is bad. This is extremely damn bad.”
“I bear full responsibility.” Eden held her head high. “I would do it again.”
Tempest growled. “Well, that’s damn peachy.” She walked over to Eden. “Was she worth it, Eden? To break the rules? To almost certainly be punished by Father?”
“Every damn second.”
Kendra spoke. “Tell us what you did.”
Eden clasped her hands in front of her. “We always watch them. You know that.”
The sisters nodded in unison.
“It happened many years ago. I had been planting irises. I remember it so well.” Her brown eyes softened in memory. “I was down on my knees in the garden when I heard a small cry.”
She looked at her sisters. “It tore at my heart. The sound.” She gestured helplessly. “It sounded like a soul dying.”
Kendra shivered.
Wilda nodded. “Continue.”
“I dropped my trowel and willed myself to the clouds. When I looked for the mortal, I was frantic.” Eden shook her head. “I don’t know how to explain it. I had to find her. I had to do anything and everything in my power to help.”
“And you did.” Tempest put her hands on her hips.
“She had been broken,” Eden whispered. “A slip of a girl lying on the ground. She was unconscious as soon as she fell.” She looked at her sisters. Anguish in her eyes. “Her soul cried out to me. I couldn’t turn from her.”
“And then?”
Eden looked at Kendra first. And then Tempest and Wilda. “The mortals gathered around her. They knew it had been a horrible accident. Her right leg.” Eden took a breath. “It was crushed. The girl had been riding a horse when it occurred. The horse fell and rolled onto her. Her head hit the ground so hard that her brain bled. She would die. And I couldn’t let her.”
“Why this girl?” Wilda demanded. “Why did you jeopardize who you were for her?”
“She’s a part of me.”
Her sisters gasped. No less than what Eden expected. As many mortals as they had helped through the centuries, not one had mattered enough to break the rules for.
“Explain,” Tempest demanded.
“I looked at her. Through her,” Eden explained. “There was a connection between us. A mortal girl who knew nothing of goddesses. And the Earth Goddess who knew nothing of mortal girls.”
“What did you do?” Kendra asked softly.
Eden smiled at Kendra. Of the sisters, she knew Kendra had the softest heart and would understand the easiest. “I mended her brain tissue. I couldn’t wholly fix her leg because the mortals would have been suspicious. But I healed the leg as best I could. There were so many bones broken.” She dabbed at her eyes. “And I talked to her.”
“I am so disavowing knowledge of this conversation when Dad finds out,” Tempest muttered.
“She needed me.” Eden smiled softly. “So I sat by her bed when she was asleep and talked of nonsense.” Eden frowned. “Her parents ignored her, for the most part. They only came when the reporters did.”
“Reporters?” Wilda frowned. “You took a lot of risks.”
“I did,” Eden acknowledged. “And as I previously stated, I would again.”
“What happened to her?” Kendra asked.
“I’m glad you asked.” Eden stepped to the edge of the clouds and waved them away. Her sisters stepped forward to peer down at the mortal world. And then the woman appeared.
The mortal knelt on a mat in front of her garden with a handful of bulbs and a trowel. Her short brown hair twisted and clipped in the back to keep it from her face. An old pair of blue jeans and a faded blue T-shirt clung to her curvy frame. She wore gardening gloves and swiped at the sweat on her brow periodically.
The mortal dug with a single-minded purpose, her dark brown eyes intent on pulling weeds and placing bulbs in the rich dirt. A pitcher of lemonade and a single glass waited for her in the shade.
The garden was a beautiful maze of landscaping. A wooden gazebo sat dead center in the middle of the lawn with an amazing handmade picnic table and benches.
“How old is she now?” Tempest asked.
Eden smiled. “She turned forty in the winter. A woman who has lived a full life. A strong spirit who has conquered many fears and believes all the hopes she had that never came true did so for a reason. She thinks she’s in the twilight of her life.”
Wilda frowned. “That’s nice. But why tell us this now?”
Eden smiled a secret smile. “Her name is May. And I choose her.”
Chapter 1
The bitch of it was standing up. May groaned and shifted until her weight rested on her left leg. Then she rocked a bit until she could find the strength to rise. She moaned a bit at the pain and grimaced. She’d overdone it. Again. Big surprise there.
When she finally made it to her feet, May looked down at the small garden patch with a great deal of pride. She brushed her mahogany hair back from her face and absently wiped her hand across her forehead. Her dark brown eyes studied every hole she’d dug, and she nodded in approval. It would be gorgeous. She would see to it.
May limped a bit over to the table that held her lemonade and gulped down the tart goodness she couldn’t seem to live without during the spring and summer. The liquid hit her throat with a refreshing coolness that seemed to signal the beginning of another season for her. Lemonade and gardening. Two of her favorite things.
She finished one glass and poured herself another. May eased herself into the nearest chair and closed her eyes. Starting earlier in the morning worked better for her. The sun only now covered most of her yard.
It’s a good day.
The birds chirped, and the bees buzzed happily around her yard. May let the sounds wash over her with a satisfied smile on her face. Spring a time of new beginnings. She always felt refreshed and more alive this time of year. So many possibilities. She inhaled deeply.
The earth. The smell unlike any other. It clung to her now. On her hands and clothes. More than likely across her forehead and cheeks. For some reason, she couldn’t get enough of it. May mourned the fall and winter when the only gardening she could really do was inside her house. There were several dozen houseplants at any one time in her home.
And the sun. May sighed and stretched her hand out to feel the warmth on her skin. After being in and out of hospitals for most of her adolescence, the sun was a gift. It meant she was alive.
A slight breeze stirred the air, and she sighed. It couldn’t be much better. She let the peace wash over her.
“No!” a child screamed.
May knocked her hand against her glass of lemonade, and it spilled along the top of her small table. She grabbed the glass and righted it quickly. Her dark brown eyes shot open to see exactly where the earsplitting shriek came from. A towhead little girl stood right by the open gate and put her hands on her hips. She looked up at the man who approached her with a stubborn look May was sure she wore quite often. The girl couldn’t have been more than a little over a year old. Her blond curls were short and bounced haphazardly on her small head.
“Billie!” the man said sharply and shot May an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry.” He moved forward and scooped the little girl up. She promptly let out another lengthy shriek. The man grimaced and situated her comfortably on his hip. As comfortable as he could with a squirming, screaming child.
May smiled. “Your daughter?”
“Niece,” he said shortly. Eyes the color of hot cocoa studied her. He sighed. “I had hoped to introduce myself under better circumstances.” He stilled the child with a sucker he obviously kept in his jean pocket for emergencies. Miracles of all miracles, the girl popped the sucker in and laid her head down on the man’s shoulder.
“Chandler Hughes.”
He extended his hand, and Ma
y accepted it with a smile.
“May Fairchild. Pleased to meet you.”
“I really am sorry.” Chandler patted Billie on the back. “This one’s a little escape artist. I had the moving men bringing my things in the front door. She was in her playpen. I know she was. I blocked the stairs off. The next thing I know, she shot out the door and over here.”
“You bought the house next door?”
“Yes.” Chandler smiled. “It’s a lovely old home. Just what I had been looking for.” He frowned when he saw the mess on the table. “I’m so sorry. I’ll keep a better eye on her from now on.”
May smiled. “No problem, Mr. Hughes. These things happen.”
“And the screaming.” He shook his head. “She doesn’t have much of a vocabulary yet, but she doesn’t do anything by half-volume.”
May tilted her head to the side. “I imagine it can be extremely frustrating to not have the words to communicate your needs or wants.”
Chandler smiled in relief. “Yes. Exactly.” He grinned conspiratorially. “Most adults don’t realize that. They simply hear the shrieking. And I’m not fond of it, myself. But I think that sooner than later, little Miss Billie here will be talking everyone’s ear off. Just like her mother.” He motioned to the chair beside May. “May I have a seat?”
“Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” Chandler eased himself into the seat and situated Billie again. She sighed once and then began to suck on her lollipop again. “My sister, Amanda, works during the day and goes to school at night.” He tapped his fingernails on the glass top of the table. “I imagine you’re bound to hear more of Billie than you would ever have imagined.”
“You have her every day?”
“No.” Chandler chuckled. “Amanda drops Billie off at a friend’s house Thursday and Friday.” He patted the little girl again. “I need some time to work. I put together video programs. My home is my office.”
May studied the young man in front of her. Good manners dictated she offer him a glass of lemonade. But that would mean wedging herself out of her chair and hobbling to the kitchen. Not exactly the first impression she wanted to leave him with. She bit her lip and smiled. “Would you like a glass of lemonade?”
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