Tails of Ugly Creek

by Cheryel Hutton

  And then it was over.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The three of us, with Rose carrying Scrappy, walked together into the living room. There was a broken window, and both Aunt Ruth’s and our things were scattered around by the harsh wind that had shoved its way through the house. My arm was around Rose’s shoulders, and I felt her shaking. The storm had left everything a little chilly, but I’d put my money on adrenaline, not temperature. “How about we find you some clothes?”

  Even her smile was shaky. “I’d like that, but I think all my stuff is at Shay’s.

  I hugged her close for a moment. “Shay’s smaller than me, let’s see if she has something that might fit you.”

  She frowned. “Are you sure she won’t mind?”

  “Of course not, she’s family.”

  I turned to Hunter. “Rose and I are going to steal, I mean borrow, some clothes from Shay.”

  His mouth twitched like he was trying to hold back a smile. “I’m going to check outside.”

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.” He gave me a quick kiss, squeezed Rose’s shoulder, then headed for the door.

  Rose was dressing when I heard a car pulling in the driveway. I looked out to see Shay and Ace jump out of his car. It was then I realized I’d left my cell phone in my car. A person cannot be faulted for not thinking straight in the middle of a damn tornado.

  Rose pulled the sweater over her head and turned toward me. “Was that really a tornado?”

  I looked into her wide eyes. “We won’t know for sure until the experts take a look, but it sure seemed like it was.”

  A shiver moved through her body and I pulled her into her arms. “I’m just glad we found you before it hit.”

  “Me too.”

  Rose was crying and I was holding her close when Shay peeked into the room. When Rose finally lifted her head, Shay handed her a box of tissues. “I’m glad you found something to wear.” She put a bag on the bed. “I brought some of your stuff in case you need it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Scrappy leaped up onto the bed, and Rose scoped her up.

  Shay wrapped a sweater around me. “Sweetie, you’re soaked.”

  I looked down and cringed. “I probably got you wet, Rose.”

  “I’m fine, but you should go change.” Rose’s expression was so grownup I had to catch myself to keep from laughing.

  “Yes, ma’am. Let me check on Hunter first, though.” I caught her eye-roll as I turned to head out.

  Hunter stood at one corner of the house, conferring with Ace. I went to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. His clothes were soaked and dripped as I held on.

  He pulled me close and wrapped his long arms around me. “You’re freezing, sweetheart.”

  “So are you.”

  “Me big, strong man. Me be fine.”

  “You big, crazy nut who needs to change clothes.”

  “In a minute.” He leaned toward me and kissed me long and carefully. When he came up for air he held my gaze. “You’re going to be the death of me, woman.”

  “Same to you, big man.”

  “I’ll get some clothes from the car and change, but only if you do too.” He leaned close to my ear and whispered. “Preferably in the same room.”

  He turned to go, but I grabbed his arm. “Why do you have clothes in your car?”

  He studied the ground for a moment, then met my gaze. “Because I checked out of the B&B, but my heart wouldn’t let me leave.”

  He slipped out of my grasp and headed toward his car. I took a moment to blink back the tears, then went for the house.

  ****

  Within two hours after the tornado, I was pretty sure everybody in Ugly Creek had ether called, come by, or was standing on our lawn. It had been a long day and I was just about ready to crash. Rose had changed to her four-legged form, run the yard for a while, and was currently curled up with Scrappy and asleep on the porch. Warm arms wrapped around me, and I leaned back against Hunter.

  “Do you think anybody would notice if I became Trixie and joined them?”

  “Don’t know. Think they’d notice if her human boyfriend came too?”

  “Terri girl.” The voice came from behind and to my right.

  I went rigid as I turned to face him. A furtive glance toward the porch told me that Scrappy was alone. “Hello, Daddy.”

  “I know you don’t want me here, but I had to make sure my girls are safe.”

  “We’re fine.” Was that tears in his eyes?

  “I’d like to see Rose.”

  “That’s up to her.”

  “It’s okay, Terri. I want to see Daddy.” Rose went to him and gave him a big hug. “There was a tornado.”

  Daddy closed his eyes and his knees seemed to buckle. Rose had hold of him and I moved to grab his other arm. “Daddy, are you all right?”

  He took a deep breath and straightened up. “So it was a tornado?” He looked from one of us to the other, and there were definitely tears in his eyes now. “I couldn’t get in touch with either of you, traffic was totally stopped on the Interstate, and I was terrified my girls would get hurt.”

  “We’re fine,” I told him. “We got back here just in time and took cover in Aunt Ruth’s house.”

  “Terri and Hunter took care of me,” Rose told him.

  Daddy eyed Hunter disparagingly. Hunter moved toward him and held out his hand. “My name is Hunter Devereux, and if Terri thinks she can put up with me, I hope to soon be your son-in-law.”

  “You’d be my brother,” Rose squealed.

  Hunter grinned. “I would.”

  “Cool.” Rose hugged him, then did a little dance of joy. “Lots of family.”

  Speaking of which, Shay slid quietly in beside me, with Ace close behind her. “I can’t believe we never knew about her,” she whispered.

  “We missed out,” I whispered back.

  Rose looked at me with a perky little grin. It’s hard not to eavesdrop when you can hear a pin drop a quarter mile away. That thought brought another, and I turned to see Daddy looking at me, a sad expression pulling at his face.

  “I know I screwed everything up with both of you,” he said. “I scared you, Terri. Not just a little, either. I terrified you. Becky was convinced I would hurt you and, it wasn’t logical, but I was afraid somehow maybe I might. So, when she asked that I not have anything to do with you, told me that it would be better if I left, I figured she was right.”

  I held his gaze. “I’m your daughter and I needed you.”

  “I know. I let fear and insecurity get in the way of what was best for my baby. I am sorry.”

  He turned to Rose. “I swore I’d do better with you, but then I took a job with a lot of travel, and I just sort of fell into the easy place of letting your mom take care of you. What did I know about little girls? And I sure didn’t want to scare you like I did your sister.”

  Rose crossed her arms and settled a serious glare on him. “You weren’t around and Terri and I didn’t know each other, so we each had to stumble through the shifting stuff alone.”

  “What she said.” I gave him a glare of my own.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “We’ll work at training.”

  “Wait.” I took a step toward him. “You had training?”

  “Some.”

  Rose and I exchanged a look, and he sighed. “I’ll train both of you.”

  “When?” Rose’s arms were crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed as if she dared him to say the wrong thing.

  “Soon.” He sighed. “Right now, I’d better get Rose back home. Her mother’s worried.”

  Shay stepped closer. “Could you maybe stay one more day and share our Halloween party? Rose’s mother is welcome to come too.”

  Daddy smiled. “You’re Shay, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I am.” She looked a bit flustered.

  Daddy smiled. “I’ve seen pictures. Besides, you look a lot like your mother.”
/>   Wait. I hoped this wasn’t going where I thought it might be. “Pictures?”

  Daddy looked me in the eye. “Becky sends me family pictures a couple of times a year.”

  “I’ve seen them,” Rose said. “That’s how I knew what you looked like.”

  “You’ve been looking through my computer?” he asked.

  She lowered her head, though she didn’t look all that contrite. “I happened to see the pictures one day and the next time you let me use your computer I checked them out. And found out I have a sister.”

  “I’m glad,” he said. “I should have insisted the two of you get to know each other.” He turned to Rose. “I’m staying at the local B&B. I’ll get you a room there if you want, or you can stay with your sister. One more day, then back home. Understand?”

  Rose grinned so big it hurt my lips to look at her. “Thanks.”

  Daddy sighed. “Karen’s going to kill me.”

  Rose gave Shay the big-eyed look. “Could I stay with you tonight?”

  “Of course you can stay with us. You’re family.”

  My heart drooped. “Rose, you can stay with me. We haven’t had nearly enough time together.”

  Rose patted my arm. “There will be plenty of time later. Right now you and Hunter need to talk.”

  “You’re pretty grown-up for a puppy.”

  She grinned. “I know.”

  ****

  Thanks to my awesome family, within ten minutes, the visitors had vanished. Hunter and I stood facing each other in Aunt Ruth’s living room.

  He spoke first. “I’m an idiot.”

  I bit back the smile and put my hand against his cheek. “Just seriously stubborn.”

  “No wonder you were so frustrated with me.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. “You were trying to tell me something crucial and I wasn’t listening.”

  “You’re listening now, that’s what’s important.” I swallowed. “You’re really okay with what I am?”

  His lips tightened and he looked away. “I won’t say it’ll be easy.”

  Pain tugged at my heart. I lowered my chin so he couldn’t see the tears in my eyes.

  “Thing is, you are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I love you too much to walk away just because you’re a much better and more successful writer than I.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m not.”

  “You are.” His face lit up with pride. “I read your new manuscript, and it’s fantastic. You’re great.”

  I took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, I looked up into a pair of mischievous eyes. “I should bite you.”

  His lips tugged to one side. “Promise?”

  I let out a huge, heartfelt sigh as I let my forehead fall forward to lean against his shoulder. Laughter filled my belly and chest, and it came out a little at a time, until I felt his laughter mixed with mine.

  “We are one weird couple,” I said.

  “Us? What about the B&B owner and the leprechaun. McDuffy is a real leprechaun, right?”

  I studied his face for a moment, trying to make sure he really wanted to know. “Yes, he’s a for-real leprechaun.”

  He frowned in apparent thought. “And the woman at the courthouse. Costume or real?”

  “Ugly Creek is best taken one shock at a time.”

  He looked a little pale. “So, that’s a yes.”

  “Enough, Hunter. There will be plenty of time later to deal with your newfound acceptance of the paranormal. I have other ideas in mind for tonight.”

  A smile pulled at his wide, handsome mouth. “What sort of ideas are you thinking about?”

  “Well, since we finally have some time alone.” I jerked his shirt out of his pants put my hands underneath, and slid my palms up his chest. “I was thinking about making up for lost time.”

  He groaned. “I like the way you think, sweetheart.”

  His hands grasped me around the waist, and before I could blink, I was thrown over his shoulder and we were headed to my bedroom. He dumped me on my bed, followed me in, and proceeded to show me just how great a man could make a woman feel.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  As the sun slowly slipped behind the mountains, werewolves howled, monsters mashed, vampires snarled, ghosts moaned. What can I say, Shay had some killer Halloween music and sound effects. It would be one out-of-this-world party.

  We were gathered in Ace’s big white house. Rose was on the phone with her mother, trying to smooth out rumpled emotions. Hunter and Ace were doing an incredible job of decorating both outside and inside the house. Who would have thought those two could do scary weird? Shay and I were making snacks in the big, amazing chef’s kitchen that Ace rarely used. What a waste.

  “Did you talk to your mom?” Shay asked.

  “Yeah, but it was hard to really work things out over the phone with her on the other side of the world.” I stuck my finger in the cupcake icing and tasted. Perfect!

  “She admitted to being in contact with Daddy, and that she had asked him to stay away.” I glanced toward the door behind which my little sister was trying to make her mom understand our connection. “If it was my child, I wouldn’t let anybody keep me away.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Thanks.” My phone vibrated and I smiled when I saw the name. “Finally.”

  Shay had seen the name too. “Tell her I said hi.”

  “I was beginning to worry,” I told Diara.

  “Oh, so you take precious time out of your horribly busy day to call your best friend, and you’re worried because she isn’t right there waiting for your call?”

  There was humor in her voice, but ouch! “I’m sorry, Diara. You’re right, I have seriously neglected my best friend duties. I owe you.”

  “Yes you do. Where are you anyway? Is that Shay’s Halloween music?”

  “Yep. We’re having a little party. That’s actually why I’ve been trying to call you. I was hoping you could come.”

  “Sorry I can’t make it. I was sort of hiding out.”

  The hurt I heard in her voice raked at my heart. “What happened?”

  “When did my ability rub off on you?”

  “You don’t have to be psychic to hear hurt in your best friend’s voice. Now, what happened?”

  “Some old thing. I tried again to warn Finley about Scott, but instead of just brushing me off, she accused me of being jealous of her life. She said I was trying to break them up because I didn’t want to see her happy.”

  “Oh Diara! I’m so sorry. I really do wish you were here. We’d have a blast tonight.”

  “Except the last thing I want is to get in the way of your new romance.”

  “You could stay with Ace and Shay.”

  She laughed. “Because their romance is so much older than yours. I think I’ll stay here where I can watch out for my big sister.”

  “I’m here if you need me.”

  “Oh great, Mom’s calling. Remember you said that when I show up at your house screaming and crying because my sister finally shoved me over the cliff.”

  “I’ll be right here with a good, solid rescue rope. And cookies.”

  Her laugh was anemic, but it was a laugh. “That’s why I love you, girlfriend.”

  We hung up, and I turned to watch the festivities, only to find Daddy headed across the living room toward me.

  “Happy Halloween, Terri.”

  “You too, Daddy.”

  He leaned close and lowered his voice. “What’s up with the woman next door?”

  I shrugged. “She’s mean, and probably crazy.”

  “You watch out for her, baby.”

  I searched his expression. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He glanced around the room, then caught my gaze. “Have you smelled anything strange in her flowerbed?”

  “No. But then she doesn’t let anything get close to her precious flowers.”

  “I don’t blame her. The other day, I
came by here as canine.”

  “Spying on us.”

  “I caught the scent of decomposition.”

  I tried to shrug it off. “It’s a flowerbed. There’s no telling what she’s using in that thing. Plus, the demon cat probably buries his rats there.”

  “Demon cat?” I could tell Daddy was fighting the smile.

  “We’re mortal enemies. Except when we’re friends.”

  He shook his head. “It’s nothing like that. I didn’t get a chance to check it out, but it smelled a lot like human decomp.”

  I stared at my father. “How the heck would you know that?”

  He swallowed. “Before I married your mother, my canine worked for the FBI as a cadaver dog for several years.”

  “Wow.” I stood staring at him until he smiled gently and pulled me into his arms.

  “Just watch yourself, please.”

  “I’ll be careful, Daddy,” I promised.

  ****

  Our friends started arriving just as the sun slid behind the trees and excitement of the holiday began to grow. Jake and Stephie came dressed as rag dolls “You two are adorable,” Shay said.

  “Ah, he’s so cute.” Ace grinned at Jake.

  Morticia elbowed Gomez. “Try to act civilized, Ace.”

  “It’s okay,” Jake said. “It’s what you’d expect from a man who spends so much time with dogs.”

  Ace growled at his friend, and we all laughed. Behind me, I felt a warm hand against my back. “Tell him, Jake,” Hunter said.

  Hunter, dressed in a brown suit, white shirt, and bow tie; shrugged. “I’ve done the others from time to time. I just happen to like eleven the best.”

  “Terri makes an adorable space cowgirl,” Shay said, looking at my brown sleeveless dress, gun belt, and fake futuristic gun.

  “I think this wig makes me look like you.” I pulled at the auburn curls.

  “What are you talking about? My hair is black.” Shay swung some of her knee-length, black wig over her shoulder.

  “More like Stephie,” Jake said, and tugged at her red yarn wig.

  “Hair maybe, but Shay and Terri resemble each other without props.”

  “Do I look like them?”