Charmed

by Catherine Hart

  “You have lessons tomorrow?” he asked, his disappointment evident.

  “Yes, tomorrow and Wednesday. Then we get four days off for Thanksgiving weekend. However, I’m going to call in sick in the morning so that I can stay home with you.” He smiled. “This is good, as long as it does not cause trouble for you at your school.”

  “They can easily get another teacher to take my classes for two days,” she told him. “For the next week, I want to concentrate on nothing and no one but you.”

  Chapter Thirty

  For the second time in just a few hours, Nikki jerked awake, her ears assaulted by a loud wailing. Beside her, Silver Thorn sprang upright into a sitting position.

  Nikki pawed for the alarm. “It’s okay. It’s just my alarm clock,” she muttered. She punched the button, but the screeching continued. “Damn hard rock!” she grumbled, slapping at the buttons again. “I only set it to this station because I’m afraid I’ll sleep through anything less raucous.”

  The din continued, and she peered at the clock through bleary eyes, wondering why the blasted thing wouldn’t shut off. The dial read 5:45. She frowned. “Huh?”

  “It is not your clock, Neeake,” Silver Thorn told her after the fact. “If my ears do not fail me, that is Macate we are hearing, in another part of your wigewa.”

  “Macate?” she repeated dumbly. “Don’t tell me that dratted lynx came forward with you!”

  “I did not bring him, wife. He must have come on his own.”

  “Nuts!” Nikki clawed her way out of bed and stumbled toward the hallway. “If he’s hurt Her Nibs, I’m going to turn him into a throw rug!”

  “Her Nibs?” he echoed.

  “My cat.”

  Nikki trudged downstairs, Silver Thorn right behind her. The racket was coming from the living room. When she cleared the arch, Nikki stopped so suddenly that Silver Thorn bumped into her. She stood gaping, hardly able to believe her eyes. “Oh . . . my . . . lands. They’re . . . they’re . . .”

  “Mating,” Silver Thorn supplied.

  “But they can’t!” Nikki exclaimed in a fluster. “They mustn’t! Her Nibs is a full-blooded Angora! A very special and expensive breed.”

  “Evidently the cats do not know this or they do not care,” he commented. “Moreover, did you not tell me that in your time a lynx is very rare? Would that not make Macate as prized as your pet?”

  The cats had finally separated, and were now eyeing the two humans with like expressions of disdain, as if chiding them for their untimely voyeurism. Her Nibs looked like a bedraggled, badly mauled stuffed toy. Her fur was damp and matted into globs, as if she’d just been through the spin cycle of the washer. Her round green eyes still held a glazed look, one with which Nikki could readily empathize.

  “I know just how you feel, baby,” Nikki commiserated.

  “I do not wish to hurt your feelings, love, but that creature you call a cat more resembles a hairy rat. She is very homely and small. Is she yet a kitten, perhaps?”

  “She’s a full-grown house cat, Thorn,” Nikki huffed. “A domestic pet. She’s supposed to be small. Unlike that unruly, wild beast of yours, she lives indoors. And she’s trained to use a litter box and not claw up the drapes and furniture, which I’m sure is more than you can say about Macate.”

  “If I tell him to behave properly in the house, he will,” Silver Thorn informed her.

  Nikki’s brows arched in open skepticism. “Oh, really? Then tell him to keep his big paws, and other assorted and sundry parts, off of my pedigreed pet!”

  Silver Thorn chuckled. “Neeake, I think perhaps it is too late for that; and even were it not, Her Nibs seems to enjoy Macate’s attentions. Much as you enjoy mine, little goose.”

  Without giving her the opportunity to argue the point, he swept her into his arms and carried her back up to her bed. There, he made passionate love to her until she was too sated to think about much of anything, let alone two horny cats.

  Nikki could swear she heard water running. These days just the thought of water, let alone the feel of it, and her bladder sent emergency signals to her brain. She fought it as long as she could, but the discomfort grew, rousing her from sleep. Her eyelids drifted open, and she automatically reached toward the other side of the bed, seeking Silver Thorn. He wasn’t there. But for her, the bed was empty, and for one dreadful moment Nikki thought she’d dreamed the whole thing—his unexpected arrival in the middle of the night, their lovemaking, all of it. Then she heard the toilet flush and more water running, and her heart resumed its normal rhythm. He was here, in the bathroom. He really, truly was here with her after all.

  Smiling, she rose and walked to the open bathroom door. Her grin grew as she saw what he was doing. Absorbed as he was, he didn’t notice her right off.

  “Ahem.” Nikki cleared her throat loudly and waited.

  Silver Thorn’s head snapped up, and he gave her a sheepish grin. “I was seeing for myself how they work.”

  “So I assumed,” she said. The lower vanity doors were open, exposing the plumbing below the sink, and the taps were open full bore. The lid was off the toilet tank, and Silver Thorn’s arms were wet to his elbows. “I hope you satisfy your curiosity before my water bill rivals the national debt.”

  She went over and shut off the faucet. “I think I ought to mention that we’re charged a fee for every gallon of water we use. I don’t try to conserve all that much, but it’s not a good idea to deliberately waste water, either. It’s like throwing money down the drain.”

  Silver Thorn could scarcely conceive it. “You must pay for water in your day?” He shook his head in disbelief. “Do they also make you pay for the sunlight and the air you breathe?”

  Nikki gave a dry chuckle. “Not yet, but it might come to that someday. As soon as they can figure out how to measure the amount each person uses and tax it.”

  She gestured toward the tub. “Would you like to take a shower this morning?”

  He gave her a questioning look. “Are you sure I would not be using too much water?”

  Nikki was immediately contrite. Going up to him, she pulled his dark head down to hers and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I don’t mean to be such a bitch. There’s just so much that you have to learn about life in the twentieth, soon-to-be-twenty-first century. I want to help you, but if I get too bossy, just tell me to tone it down, okay? Now, about that shower . . . .”

  She showed him how to operate the levers, handed him a towel and washcloth from the cupboard, and indicated the soap and shampoo. “Take as long as you like and enjoy it,” she told him. “Just be sure to keep the shower doors closed so the floor doesn’t get wet.”

  He eyed the big tub, then turned his luminous gaze on her. “Do you not wish to shower also, Neeake? Surely this bathing tub is large enough for the two of us.”

  She smiled. “I suppose I could join you,” she said, her own eyes alight with deviltry. “We might even conserve water if both of us bathe at once.” She waggled her eyebrows at him playfully. “Then again, maybe not.”

  He looked fabulous in his new blue jeans and pullover shirt. The denims hugged his thighs and buttocks as if he’d been poured into them. The knit jersey molded itself across his massive chest and shoulders. Nikki nearly drooled.

  “I had to guess at your size,” she said. “Maybe I should have gotten a size larger. Oh, well, we can go shopping later. I just wanted to have something on hand and ready for you because I didn’t know when you would appear. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t begin to estimate your proper shoe size or I’d have at least bought you some Nikes, like mine. I suppose your moccasins will suffice for a couple of days.”

  “I think these things you call briefs are too small, also,” he informed her, tugging at his crotch.

  She shook her head. “No, they just take some getting used to, darling. If you prefer, we can buy you a different kind of men’s underwear called boxer shorts. They are less restrictive.”

&
nbsp; “Do they also have the hole and flap in the front?” he inquired. “It feels strange, as if I could pop through it at any moment.”

  Nikki laughed. “I know it must feel odd after wearing a breechcloth, but you must admit the slot is convenient. I’ve always wished women had a similar setup so we didn’t have to half-undress just to go to the bathroom.”

  “I like this zipper better,” he said, peering down at the fly of his jeans.

  Nikki’d had to laugh at him when she’d first shown him how it worked. He’d been like a kid with a new toy, working the zipper up and down repeatedly, fascinated by it.

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him along after her. “Let me give you a tour of the house, and then we’ll have breakfast. You can admire all the newfangled kitchen gadgets while I’m fixing our food. It will be a treat to prove to you that I actually can cook a meal without burning everything to a crisp.”

  Nikki showed him the rest of the upstairs first, starting with the newly decorated nursery. “This is the baby’s room. Do you approve? My friend Sheree helped me choose the border. I was delighted to find those little Indian guardian angels. I like them much better than any of the cartoon figures or a lot of cutsie ducks and teddy bears.”

  Silver Thorn stood in the center of the floor and turned in a slow circle. “It is very nice, but it seems strange that our son will have a room of his own when he is but a babe. How will you hear him when he is hungry?”

  “It’s not as if he’ll be living on the next block, Thorn,” she chided with a chuckle. “I’m sure any son of yours will have a healthy set of lungs, and our room is only a few feet away. Also, if we don’t get one as a shower gift, I intend to buy a baby monitor. It lets you hear everything going on in the nursery from anywhere in the house. How do you like the cradle? I got it at a yard sale. Babies grow out of those so fast I couldn’t see paying full price for a brand new one. Dad sanded it down and repainted it for me.

  “The bigger bed, the one that looks like a cage, is for later, when he no longer fits the cradle?” Silver Thorn deduced, walking over to inspect the crib.

  “Yes. It also turns into a toddler bed. When he’s big enough to crawl out of the crib by himself, the side rails remove and the mattress lowers so he can manage more easily without the risk of falling so far and possibly hurting himself.”

  “I must make him a dream catcher,” Thorn decided, “to hang over his bed. It will catch the bad dreams in the web and allow only the good dreams through to him.”

  Nikki nodded. “A dream catcher would certainly be more unique than a run-of-the-mill mobile.”

  Silver Thorn had glimpsed the living room earlier. “I’ll show you how the stereo and television work later,” she promised. “And the VCR.” Her study was too cluttered to bother with at present, other than to let him take a quick peek. Nikki actually dreaded having him discover her computer, for she couldn’t imagine trying to explain it to him when she didn’t really understand it that well herself.

  The dining room wasn’t that dissimilar from the one at the Galloways’ house and didn’t hold much interest for him. It was the kitchen that enthralled Silver Thorn, from the moment he stepped into it. He gazed in wonder at the many cabinets, the counters, and all the shiny, intriguing appliances in every corner of the room. Nikki showed him the stove, the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the microwave and smaller appliances—briefly explaining the use and convenience of each. She tried to limit her admonitions to the most important issues.

  “Never put anything metal into the microwave,” she warned him.

  He grinned. “Is this another thing which would make you require my head on a platter?”

  “Absolutely. More than that, it would totally ruin the oven. Metal causes electrical arcing, or some such thing. All I really know is that microwaves are not built to work with metal. It might even cause the blasted thing to blow up or start a fire and burn the house down. Also, if your bread gets stuck in the toaster, you must remember to unplug it before trying to pry the bread out. If you don’t and you stick a knife or fork in there and connect with the coils, you’re going to get one hell of an electrical shock, which could very well kill you. It would be similar to being struck by lightning, I’d guess.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Too much to mention at one sitting,” she replied. “I’m just glad you’re so intelligent, because trying to learn all of this in such a short time would certainly be beyond my mental capacity. Now, why don’t I teach you how to make coffee?”

  He took to the favored American brew like a duck to a June bug. As he sipped, he watched Nikki as she prepared the batter and poured it into the waffle iron. Minutes later, she presented him with two perfect blueberry waffles, along with heated syrup and a tub of butter. “Dig in,” she told him, setting the plate on the table before him. “There’s plenty more where that came from.”

  Silver Thorn wolfed down half-a-dozen waffles before settling back in his chair with a gluttonous groan. “I greatly regret poking fun at your cooking, Neeake. In truth, you are a wonderful cook.”

  “As long as I’m on familiar territory,” she admitted with no false modesty.

  While she cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher, Silver Thorn played with the kitchen gadgets. He was particularly intrigued with the can opener and had opened three cans of peaches before she could get him to stop. The refrigerator was another fascination. He could not get over how cold it was inside that big box when it was so warm in the kitchen. He repeatedly opened and shut the door and that of the upper freezer compartment, exclaiming over the gush of frosty air that rushed out.

  Finally, Nikki called a halt to his antics. “Enough of that. The food won’t stay chilled for long if you keep letting all the cold air out.”

  She started the dishwasher. Silver Thorn, who had seen her depress the handle and push the buttons, reached out, tugged on the lever, and quickly opened the door. He peered inside, frowned, and told her. “Start it again.”

  She did. Again he stopped the machine in mid-cycle, jerked the door open, and looked. His frown deepened. “Why does it stop?” he asked. “I want to see the wheel go round and clean the dishes.”

  “Thank goodness it does stop when you open the door or we’d be knee-deep in water right now,” she said. “It’s designed to spray the dishes, not the floor, Thorn.”

  “Why do you need so many dishes?” he questioned, throwing open one of the cabinets and gazing at the array of plates and bowls. He opened another, filled with cups and glasses. And a third, stuffed with cans and bottles and boxes of food. “And all this food,” he marveled. “Do you have so many guests?”

  “Not really. I suppose I could get by with fewer dishes, as could most families, but this is what we’re used to. And food which can be stored for long periods without perishing is not only convenient, but a very practical necessity, especially in the dead of winter.” She gave a helpless shrug. “What can I say? Modern Americans are spoiled. We prefer variety, abundance, luxury, and convenience whenever possible.”

  It took most of the afternoon and early evening to catch up on what had happened to each of them in their time apart. Silver Thorn related how he’d escorted his mother and sister and several other members of his family and tribe safely to Mexico. His sister’s husband and other capable warriors had gone along and would be there to take care of the elders and children as they set up their new village.

  For her part, Nikki told Silver Thorn how Sheree, her parents, and her brothers had rallied round her. She also filled him in on his new persona and the problems she’d encountered with Brian Sanders. Silver Thorn was not pleased to learn about the nosy reporter.

  “You say you dated this man prior to meeting me. Explain this word dated. Does this mean he was courting you?”

  “Definitely not, at least not as far as I was concerned. It never went that far, Thorn, I simply went out with the man three times, to dinner and a couple of movies. He kissed me good night at my door
, sent me some flowers and a box of candy, and that was all. And before you get your briefs in a bunch, let me say that in today’s society, sharing a meal with a man does not constitute marriage or any other binding relationship.”

  “Yet he seems to think he has some claim on you, does he not?” Silver Thorn persisted.

  “Hey! That’s his problem, not mine—or it wouldn’t be if the idiot would leave me alone.”

  “He will leave you alone now, Neeake,” Silver Thorn promised darkly. “If he does not, he will find himself buried up to his neck in an anthill.”

  “Now, that I’d like to see!” she crowed with delight, flashing him a pert smile. “And while you’re at it, could you save a space next to him for my ex-husband?”

  “Gladly.”

  “At any rate, Brian wouldn’t bother me at all if I were certain he was going to accept this story about you. But he’s already tried to pry into your past, and he finds it odd that he can’t dig up any background information on you. I’m afraid he’s going to persist along these lines and really make waves. That’s why Denny and Jack are trying to invent a new and credible past for you. It’s also why it is so imperative that you learn to cope in today’s world as quickly as possible. If you display what people consider normal behavior, they won’t think to question it. On the other hand, if your behavior seems strange or foreign to them, it provokes their natural curiosity—and that is precisely what we want to avoid.”

  “Then I shall become what everyone thinks I am,” Thorn assured her, drawing himself up proudly. “I shall be Thorn Silver, this archaeologist who digs up old Indian weapons and pots and other artifacts. I will study your history. I will leam your modern ways. I will make them believe all the tales we must put forth to them. But they will also learn one steadfast truth among the lies—that you are my wife and carry my child. I will abide no other man attempting to trespass upon my territory or to steal that which is mine.”