“I um... I guess so.” I stammered, almost tripping over myself to get behind the counter and put some distance between us.
He moved closer, his steps graceful and light as a feather.
“Are you afraid of me for some reason?”
“Of course not,” I said with a nervous giggle, hating the sound of my own voice. “But why are you here?”
“Ah, so it is like that is it?”
I could feel the heat coming to my face, “No, I just mean, it’s so late in the storm coming in...”
“Horse and mule feed.”
“What?”
He smiled; it was a quick flash of white teeth in his tanned face.
“I’m here for horse and mule feed,” he repeated. “Preferably with molasses.”
“Seriously?”
“You sell feed, do you not?”
“Of course.”
He raised his eyebrow again, “Don’t tell me you’re closed.”
“Yes, but it’s fine.” I said, fidgeting from one foot to the other. “Well, what I mean is that it’s the least I can do.”
He kept looking at me with those amazing green eyes and amused expression.
I pointed to the bags stacked in the corner, “Just go ahead and take what you need.”
“I can’t do that Miss," he said with a shake of his head. “I can’t be taking what I haven’t paid for.”
I didn’t know how to react to his quick change in mood. It was almost like I had offended him or something, but something about it had me wondering how fast the police could get here.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly and opened up the receipt book. “How many bags do you need?”
“Just two.”
“Okay,” I said and went back to writing out his order, anything to give me something to do so that I wouldn’t have to look at him.
He moved closer, shadowing the counter.
“My name is Kieran,” he said in his musical voice. “Just in case you were curious.”
I didn’t look up, I couldn’t, my hands were trembling and I knew my cheeks were flaming. It would only be worse if I looked up.
Is he actually flirting with me?
He rested his elbows on the counter, close enough that I could smell the rich clover smell again.
“And what would your name be?” He asked, almost teasing me.
“Harmony,” I answered in a shaky voice. “Harmony Jacobson.”
“Well, don’t we have a pair of unusual names?”
I didn’t answer him. To save myself the embarrassment, I pretended that writing out his receipt took all of my concentration.
“I’m just making polite conversation here,” he teased. “You don’t have to be so embarrassed.”
When I looked up, he was staring at me with those intense green eyes. I couldn’t speak, all that I could do was take his money and hand him his receipt.
He went over to the corner and picked up the two bags of feed as if they weighed nothing, hoisting both up on one shoulder. Stopping at the door, he looked back and gave me one last dazzling smile.
“I shall be seeing you, Harmony Jacobson.”
I remained behind the counter after he left; my heart was beating so fast I was afraid to move from that spot.
Did that really just happen?
After what seemed like a long while, my pulse finally stopped thundering in my ears. I was able to let go of the counter edge and walk out to the fallen ladder in the center of the room.
I dragged it back into the storeroom and leaned it against the wall, knowing that it was not where it originally was, but not really caring. My earlier exhaustion was now completely mind numbing. All that I wanted to do was get to bed.
I picked up my keys, switched off the lights and stepped outside. As I locked the door, I could hear the music drifting over from across the street. Even though the rest of the town was dark and quiet, the camp at the fairgrounds was alive with lights and activity.
It was like an entirely different world, brought right here to our tiny little town.
Chapter 4
That night when I fell asleep, I dreamed about the mysterious strangers that had come to our town.
In my dream, it was a beautiful spring night. I was sitting out on the front porch, my fingers and toes numb from the chill in the air, but I still wasn’t ready to go inside.
Sitting next to me, very much alive, was Grandma, rocking back and forth in the old porch swing. Her lips were moving as if she was speaking to me, but it was as though she was muted and I couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Far off, piercing the stillness of the night, came a whining sort of sound that traveled on the breeze. My grandma and I both turned, straining to hear.
“What is that?” I asked, but my words didn’t make a sound, like the air just swallowed them up.
When I turned to see if she had heard me, I saw that she wasn’t looking at me. She had risen from the swing and was walking down the steps and off of the porch.
“Grandma!”
Again my words died in the air and didn't make a sound. She didn’t even turn to glance back. Where was she going?
I followed her, pushing through air that suddenly seemed thick as if to hold me back. I felt as though I was swimming, fighting to move at all. It was a struggle to even keep up with her as she moved down the street to the bridge, and down the steep creek bank.
Where was she going and why couldn’t I move faster?
I slid down the bank, falling to my knees at the bottom with my hands in the icy water. My grandmother was nowhere to be seen, but the whining sound was clearer to where I could tell now that it was a violin.
As I moved toward the music, I began to also hear the pulsating beat of a drum. Who was out here playing this strange music?
Far off, deep in the darkness, was a flickering light and moving towards that light and just up ahead, was my grandmother. She walked along the bank quickly, never pausing to look back.
I moved faster, staggering among the puddles and driftwood. I knew that there should be houses up and down the bank, but there was only darkness. There was no light to guide me other than the orange glow up ahead.
As I moved closer to the light, I could see that it was a campfire of some sort. My grandmother slowed to where I was able to catch up with her, and even though I took her hand, she never turned to me and didn’t answer when I spoke to her.
On the other side of the campfire, sitting on large logs of driftwood, was Kieran and the dark haired man that led the parade. Kieran was playing some sort of drum and the other man was playing a violin while the two girls danced around the fire.
I clutched at Grandma’s hand and hung back in the shadows, frightened by the noise and activity, but dazzled by the beauty of these strangers.
I recognized the girls as the black haired beauty that walked with Kieran and the horses, and the stunning flame haired fire eater. They spun in circles, their flowing dresses standing out so that I could see their slender and tanned legs.
Why were they here on the banks of the creek where everything was damp and cold?
I wanted to ask my grandmother why they were here of all places, and again, the air took the sound out of my words. I turned to her, but she was already pulling away from me.
She was moving closer to the light of the campfire and with each step she seemed to be growing younger and younger until she looked no older than the other girls. She was a beautiful, young, dancing stranger.
All I could do was watch as she danced while the music got louder and louder until it filled my head and pushed out everything else. Everything began to spin, Kieran and the other man, Grandma and the dancing girls. All of it faster and faster, until suddenly I was falling into a pit of nothingness...
I woke up on the floor next to my bed, tangled in the blankets with an aching lump just above my temple.
The next morning was a blur as I was still tired from the night before and could barely concentr
ate long enough to write out customer orders. Again and again I had to ask people to repeat what they wanted or I gave them the incorrect change.
Poor Alec repeatedly apologized for me, jumping in to save me from my frustrated patrons.
“What is up with you today?” He asked when the morning rush was over. “You seem sort of out of it.”
I rubbed my hands over my face and through my hair.
“Oh, I don’t know," I said. "I guess I just didn’t sleep well.”
Alec nodded as if he understood. “It must be hard; you’d probably miss your grandmother a lot. I always missed my dad more at night too. It took a long time before that got better.”
I flinched, instantly feeling guilty that it wasn’t a nightmare that ruined my night, that maybe I should be missing her even more.
“Something like that,” I whispered.
He went over to the counter where I stood, reaching out and placing his hands flat down on its surface, very near mine.
“Well,” he said trying to meet my eyes. “I meant it, if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
I pulled my hands back, “Thanks.”
It was awkward, I felt like I should say more, but I wasn’t sure what. I glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost midday.
“Do you think you could watch things here for a while?” I asked, pulling off my apron and hanging it on the post behind the counter.
He seemed a little surprised that I didn’t immediately confess all of my misery to him.
“Sure,” he mumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I think I’ll just go grab a sandwich,” I said, not sure why I was explaining anything to him. “Maybe the fresh air will get me out of this fog.”
That seemed to soothe his ego to some degree because he smiled and waved his hand at the door. “Go ahead, I got this.”
“Do you want anything?” I offered, “I could bring you something back.”
“Nope, I’m good.”
I stepped out into the heat of the noon day sun and onto the sidewalk, crossing Chestnut and walking down Capitol Avenue. It was a peaceful walk; I only passed a few elderly tourists coming in and out of the shops.
The diner sat on the corner looking busy and crowded even from the sidewalk. I walked in, straight up to the counter, and began reading the menu. I could hear the people in the booths and at the tables carrying on typical lunchtime conversations, but every once in a while I’d overhear something about the new visitors in town.
“Did you see all the campers at fairgrounds? There sure are a lot of them.”
“Forget about campers, did you see some of those men?”
“They’re definitely easy on the eyes.”
“What about the girls? Have you ever seen girls dressed like that?”
“Yes, but it was years ago.”
“Really? When?”
“It was back when I was a kid and the Irish travellers came to town.”
“Irish travellers?”
“You know, the gypsies.”
“Do you think that’s what these are?”
The door opened with a clang of the bell at the top and the diner fell quiet. I glanced over my shoulder and saw that it was Kieran walking in.
I quickly covered my face with the menu, ducking down as far as possible. I didn’t want to see him! I had no idea what to say after he rescued me from my own stupidity only last night.
It was dead silent in the room as Kieran walked up to the counter and ordered a simple roast beef sandwich in that enchanting accent of his.
I peeked over the top of the menu. He was very near, close enough I could see the faint shadows under his green eyes. I cowered back down before he noticed me.
I waited until he got his food and left before I lowered my menu and the diner burst back into loud conversation.
“They are a handsome breed of people.”
“They are, but there is just something odd about always going from place to place was no permanent home.”
I did my best to ignore all of the talk. I didn’t want to think about Kieran or the others. I ordered my own simple sandwich and got out of there as quickly as possible.
Once outside, I stopped on the sidewalk and pulled my sunglasses down from the top of my head.
“So why were you hiding from me?”
I turned in there was Kieran, looking at me with an amused smirk on his face.
I blushed and turned away, “I wasn’t.”
“Really?” He laughed, following me as I tried to walk away. “I didn’t know that menus were the latest fashion.”
I wished the sidewalk would open up and swallow me whole. I could feel his eyes on me, making me very aware of how I walked, how I carried my bag of food, and how I bit my lip when I was nervous.
“What happened here then?” He asked, pointing to the knot on my head. “I didn’t do that, did I?”
“No,” I mumbled. “I fell out of bed.”
He turned and walked backwards so that he could face me.
“You are an absolute hazard to yourself,” he said with a chuckle.
I narrowed my eyes, almost blurting out that it was sort of was his fault and the fault of all the others in my dream, but there was no time. We were back at the feed store.
Kieran performed an elaborate bow, "Well then, you have a good day and take care of yourself.”
I turned to go inside, but he called to me again.
“Oh, and Miss Harmony,” he said. “Be careful when you go to bed.”
I was too shocked to say anything. All I could do was watch him cross the street whistling an oddly familiar tune. Once he reached the other side, he turned, bowed again and smiled impishly before turning and walking into the fairgrounds camp.
Chapter 5
The next day, I tried to keep myself busy with the mundane tasks of running the feed store. It was easy enough to fill of my time with orders and customer calls, but despite all of that my mind kept drifting back to Kieran.
Why did he keep turning up everywhere? What was it about him that made it so difficult to think? Was he really flirting with me or was it all just in my head?
Why was I doing this to myself? What did it matter how good looking and charming he was, when he would be gone in just a few weeks?
It seemed as though I was watching for him each time the door opened. It got so ridiculous I turned the store over to Alec and resigned myself to the back room. At least back there I could try to focus on something other than Kieran.
I could hear Alec out front talking to customers, always cheerful and helpful. How did he do it? No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get that excited about oats and corn.
It was easy to see that I was lucky to have someone like Alec working here, especially with the mess my grandmother left behind. I was sick to see that nothing was organized, the storeroom and barn out back were a mess, and there were stacks of bills to be paid.
I took a deep breath and sighed. How was I going to cope with all of this? Where was I supposed to even start? It was clear that I had no idea what I was doing.
I slid down to the floor, right next to the ten chicken feeders that I would never sell, covered my face and tried not to cry.
I can’t do this... It’s just too much...I’m just a kid...I just got out of high school...I should be starting college...Not dealing with all of this....
My heart was pounding in my head was starting to ache. I had to somehow make all of this work. I couldn’t just toss away everything my grandmother worked so hard for. If I screwed up and lost all of this, it would be like losing her all over again. I just had to figure it all out.
To make matters worse, the voices of the customers out front drifted back to me, and of course, they were talking about the camp at the fairgrounds.
“Did you see all the campers they have set up now?”
“And all of those children! All of them running around like holy terrors!”
“What
do you expect? They breed like rabbits.”
“Other than the noise over there, they have been a nice change of pace.”
“I have to say, I saw a group of the women at the grocery and they were just as nice and friendly as they could be.”
“Well if I was you, I would keep my guard up and watch out for the roofing and driveway sealing scams to start any day now.”
Alec tried to keep the peace, “Now you don’t really think that, they haven’t done anything to hurt or bother anyone.”
“Really?” I heard one elderly man bark, “You’re too young to remember how it used to be when that trash would come through town with their trashy women and fighting amongst themselves. They would camp in the fields, rob us blind, and then leave their rubbish for us to clean up.”
That stirred everyone up, and again it was Alec they came to the rescue.
“Grandpa,” he said patiently. “I told you not to come in here talking like that.”
It grew quiet out front and a short while later Alec was knocking at the storeroom door.
“Harmony?”
I stood up and dried my eyes, “Yes?”
He opened the door and just wide enough to peek his head in, “I’m sorry, but I need to get my grandpa back home. Is there any way that I can go ahead and take my lunch now?”
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost noon,” he said with a glance over his shoulder.
“Sure,” I mumbled, twisting my hair up and poking a pencil in the tangled mess to hold it. “Go on. I’m going to lock up and go get a bite myself.”
“I can wait.”
“No,” I said as I gathered up all of the bills and papers. “I’ll just leave the key in the mailbox in case you beat me back here.”
He hesitated, “You sure? I wouldn’t ask, but –“
“Go on,” I ordered.
Alec nodded and went to leave, but turned back one last time.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
I looked away, afraid I would start crying if I tried to explain.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “I’ll see you after lunch.”
Faery Realms: Ten Magical Titles: Multi-Author Bundle of Novels & Novellas Page 104
