A Fistful of Demons

by Lily Harper Hart

  They spent the rest of the evening eating ... and talking. Once they broke the seal, they found it was much easier to relax around one another. Even though neither one of them could think beyond another kiss, they held it together and enjoyed each other’s company. When it was time for Cooper to say goodbye, he forced himself to remain calm as she walked him to the door.

  “I’m glad we’ve worked through this,” she admitted as she hovered in front of the opening. “I didn’t like fighting with you.”

  “I didn’t like it either.” His fingers were gentle as he slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. “Are you feeling okay?”

  She nodded even though she was certain her heart might burst out of her chest given his proximity. “Are you?”

  “I am. We need to talk more about the potential demon aspect tomorrow. For tonight, I think you should get some sleep.”

  “It’s hard. I spend all my time tossing and turning, worrying.”

  “About being sued?”

  “About all of it. Being sued ... the boy ... all of it.”

  “I can’t tell you not to worry.” He pulled closer. “It’s going to be okay, though. I know that’s hard for you to believe, but I want you to have faith. Can you at least try?”

  She nodded. “I can try.”

  “Good.” He leaned forward, and this time the kiss he pressed to her lips was soft and sweet. “Lock this door when I leave. I’ll make sure the downstairs door is locked, too.”

  She sighed, amused. “You never let this security persona go, do you?”

  “Not when there’s something to keep safe.” He gave her another peck and then stepped through the door, frowning when something glinted on the floor and caught his attention. “What’s this?” He scooped up the item and held it up in the light, frowning when he realized what it was. “Is this a key? Where did it come from?”

  Hannah forced her attention to the item in the palm of his hand. This time her heart skipped a beat for a different reason. “Where did you find that?”

  “It was on the floor.”

  “But ... where did it come from?” She lifted her eyes and searched the area around the door. “I ... do you know what this is?” She almost looked excited as she grabbed the key, her eyes immediately going to the locked cabinet against the far wall.

  Cooper followed her gaze, realization dawning. “That’s the key to the cabinet.”

  “The cabinet I haven’t been able to open since I moved here.”

  He grinned. It felt somehow kismet that two things had worked themselves out this evening, although he was still confused how the key had magically appeared. “Well, what are you waiting for? Open it.”

  Hannah had wanted nothing more — er, well, mostly nothing more — since she arrived in Casper Creek. Now that she had the opportunity, she found herself suddenly reticent. “Oh, well ... .”

  As if reading her mind, Cooper nodded in understanding and closed her fingers over the key. “Take your time. When you’re ready to open the cabinet, you’ll know it.”

  She exhaled on a shaky breath, relieved that he understood what was holding her back without having to explain. Suddenly the pressure was on and she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to deal with it at the same time she was dealing with everything else. “I just want to give it the night. You’re right about me needing sleep.”

  “You’re going to find that I’m always right.”

  She laughed, as he’d intended. “I’m glad you don’t suffer from a weak ego. That would be boring.”

  “You don’t ever have to worry about that with me.” He gave her another kiss and then blew out a breath, rueful. “I need to get out of here. I’m just delaying the inevitable.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “You don’t have to worry.”

  “As you’ve aptly pointed out, worrying comes with the business. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I’ll bring breakfast for you and Tyler. With the park closed, it will just be the three of us. That will allow us time to bandy about some ideas, though.”

  Hannah nodded, excited at the prospect. “Okay, well, then I guess I will see you tomorrow.”

  “You definitely will.” He winked as he slipped through the door.

  Hannah locked it as soon as he disappeared and then turned to find Jinx staring at her from his place on the couch. His expression was accusatory.

  “Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she chided. “It’s just a ... flirtation. He’s not replacing you. I promise.”

  Jinx didn’t look convinced.

  “Should we go to bed?”

  The dog recognized the word and raced in the direction of the bedroom, causing her to laugh. He took up more than half the bed, but he was worth it.

  Hannah squeezed the key in her hand and looked back to the cabinet, momentarily tempted. Then she shook her head. All things happened when they were meant to happen. She wasn’t quite there yet ... and that was fine.

  SHE TOOK EXTRA CARE WITH HER appearance the next morning, which made her feel shallow. That didn’t stop her from putting on a light coat of makeup and dressing in flattering shorts that highlighted her long legs. She also pulled on her favorite T-shirt, which looked simple but showed off her assets to their full effect.

  Cooper was just arriving in the saloon, a bag of food in his hand, when she descended the stairs. Jinx barreled past him when he offered a greeting, racing through the swinging saloon doors and heading outside without giving up as much of a sniff.

  “Apparently he’s over me, huh?” Cooper smirked as he shook his head, his heart rate picking up a notch when he got a full gander at Hannah. She looked ... great. There was no other word he could think to use. If he didn’t know better, he would say that she was glowing. “Hey.”

  Hannah’s nerves were back and they made her slightly jittery, something she internally admonished herself for as she settled at the table. “Hey.”

  They eyed each other for what felt like a long time. Cooper had just decided that it was time to turn the conversation to the elephant in the room when a cheerful whistle drew his attention to the doors. Tyler, freshly showered and clearly in a good mood, pushed his way into the room with Jinx on his heels.

  “Good morning,” he called out, taking a moment to greet Jinx with a hearty hug and stroking session. “Who’s a good boy?”

  “I am,” Cooper replied, finally breaking eye contact with Hannah and taking the seat to her right. He was antsy being in such close proximity without being able to touch her, but he reminded himself that it would happen again — was destined to happen again really — and he should show some patience. “I brought breakfast.”

  “See. I knew you were good for something.” Tyler beamed as he moved to sit at the table. “I take it you guys made up.” When neither of them immediately commented, he turned his full attention on each of them for the first time since entering the saloon. Immediately, he caught the furtive glances they sent one another. “Oh, so you guys really made up, huh?” He broke into a wide grin. “Did you make up all the way or only part of the way?”

  Cooper skewered him with a dark look. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m a kid at heart.” Tyler took the container of food Cooper handed to him. “Seriously, you guys must’ve had quite the night. Did you leave?”

  Cooper wanted to shake his friend until he stopped uttering nonsense. “I didn’t spend the night here. It’s none of your business if I did, though. You need to ... chill.”

  “Definitely.” Hannah appeared more amused at Tyler’s antics than Cooper, although that was to be expected. “You should totally chill.”

  “Oh, you’re so cute.” Tyler gave her cheek a squeeze and laughed when Cooper glowered at him. “This is going to be so much fun. I can see that already.”

  “You’re going to stay out of it,” Cooper muttered, opening his container and immediately reaching for a slice of toast. “There’s no need to act like a juvenile.”

 
“Says the guy who is sucking all the fun out of the room,” Tyler shot back. “I’m going to focus all of my attention on Hannah this morning. She’s prettier anyway. Tell me all the details.”

  Hannah was new to Casper Creek, but she’d become accustomed to Tyler’s antics in a short amount of time. “Well ... we found the key to Abigail’s cabinet.”

  Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Tyler turned to Cooper with accusatory eyes. “That had better be a euphemism for something. If not, you and I are going to have a little talk about the birds and the bees. You clearly don’t understand how this is supposed to work.”

  Hannah giggled, the sound warming Cooper’s heart. He realized that he was more than happy to put up with a little ribbing from Tyler if it meant she would laugh that way for the rest of her life.

  “It appeared out of nowhere,” Cooper explained, slathering his toast with jelly. “I found it on the floor when I was leaving.”

  Tyler made a face. “And you don’t know where it came from?”

  “No.” Cooper turned thoughtful as he chewed his toast, waiting until he swallowed to speak again. “I’ve been thinking about it, though. We kind of crashed into the doorframe a little bit. I think maybe the key was on top and we jarred it loose.”

  Tyler was back to being amused. “You crashed into the doorframe?”

  Cooper turned stiff. “That’s what I said.”

  “What were you doing when you crashed into the doorframe?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Tyler wasn’t about to let it go. Hannah and Cooper would be his sole source of entertainment for the day. He had every intention of milking them for everything they were worth. “Did you have your tongues down each other’s throats at the time?”

  “Don’t answer that,” Cooper warned, extending a plastic fork in Hannah’s direction. “Don’t dignify that with a response.”

  “You need to stop irritating him,” Hannah chided, shaking her head as she dug into her omelet. Cooper had included everything she liked, hadn’t missed a single item, and she found that little fact was enough to bolster her spirits. “What are we going to do all day if nobody is up here?”

  “Maybe you can learn to ride a horse,” Tyler suggested. “You’ve been putting it off since you arrived. Today might be the perfect day.”

  Hannah balked. “I know how to ride a horse.”

  “You said you rode a pony at the fair when you were a kid. That’s not the same thing.”

  “Don’t give her grief,” Cooper instructed. “If she doesn’t want to learn to ride, she doesn’t have to. Not everyone rides a horse here.”

  The words stirred curiosity in Hannah. “Do you ride a horse?” she asked Cooper, genuinely curious.

  “I can ride.” He evaded her gaze. “Let’s talk about demons.”

  Hannah had to press her lips together to keep from laughing out loud. When she risked a glance at Tyler, she found him equally amused. “Am I missing something?”

  Tyler shook his head. “Cooper can ride. He wasn’t lying about that. He just doesn’t do it very often. He’s never told me why. I think he might be afraid of the horses.”

  “I am not afraid of the horses,” Cooper snapped. “Some of us just don’t get the same thrill from riding a horse. Now, give me a snazzy Harley and an open highway and you’ll see exactly how well I can ride.” He winked at Hannah ... and then realized how filthy the unintended double entendre sounded. “Wait, that came out wrong.”

  Tyler laughed so hard he almost choked. Cooper had to slap his back to make sure his airway was clear.

  “This really is going to be fun,” he said once he was recovered. “I can’t wait until the others find out.”

  On that note, Hannah had to disagree. She wasn’t looking forward to that ... but it was a concern for another day.

  AFTER BREAKFAST, COOPER BROKE from the group so he could spy on the state pathologist’s people. He offered to take Hannah along for the ride, but she declined. She had no interest in watching them work.

  Tyler took Jinx with him to the stables, which left Hannah at loose ends. With nothing else to do, she decided to look around the town and familiarize herself with the various businesses. So far, she’d spent the bulk of her time in the saloon. Eventually, she wanted to branch out.

  When she first arrived in Casper Creek, she wasn’t sure what to expect. In truth, she thought there was a chance she would eventually sell the property — maybe even to one of the workers — because she didn’t think she would enjoy life away from the city. It turned out, she was wrong.

  Sure, she’d only been here for a few weeks, but she’d already settled in. She was comfortable here, felt as if she belonged. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt that way. She was starting to think it had never happened, which made what was occurring in Casper Creek a miracle.

  Er, well, other than the unexplained death part. That was pretty far from a miracle, but she was determined to figure out what was going on. She wouldn’t let this hiccup derail her new life.

  With that in mind, she let herself into the dry goods store and took stock of the layout. It wasn’t a true representation of what a store would’ve looked like in the Old West. In fact, it was more of a tourist trap than anything. That didn’t mean it wasn’t appealing, though.

  There were T-shirts, shot glasses, postcards, maps, and antique photographs. It was basically a souvenir hunter’s paradise. The walls behind the cash register were filled with authentic items, and those were what she focused on now. She was determined to learn what she could about the store ... and then maybe take a shift in it as soon as the park was open again.

  She was so lost in thought, fixated on what she was doing, she didn’t hear the sound of shuffling feet on the hardwood floors until they were almost on top of her. Expecting Cooper — and perhaps looking forward to another kiss or two — she had a broad smile on her face when she turned. It evaporated almost immediately when she realized who was standing behind her.

  “Patrick.” The name came out in a gasp. The boy, who looked perfectly normal other than some disheveled hair, had somehow found himself at the top of the mountain ... even though it shouldn’t have been possible. “What are you doing here?”

  Despair flitted across the boy’s features. He looked as if he were at the end of his rope. “My brother is missing.”

  It took Hannah a moment to absorb what he was saying. “Your brother is missing.” She repeated the words and dusted her hands off on her shorts as she swiveled. “Logan? You’re talking about Logan, right?”

  Patrick looked exasperated. “I only have one brother.”

  “And you think he’s here?” Hannah had no idea how to respond. “I don’t understand why you would think that. We’re shut down for the day. We’re not in operation. There’s no way for him to get up here.”

  Something occurred to her. “Wait ... how did you get up here?”

  “The same way we did the first time,” Patrick snapped. “I rode the chairlift.”

  That made no sense to her. “But ... the chairlift isn’t in operation today.”

  “Sure it is. How else do you think I got up here?”

  Hannah felt completely out of her depth. She knew for a fact that the chairlift wasn’t in operation. Ben, the operator, had the day off. The controls were locked. The chairlift most certainly wasn’t in operation.

  “But ... it’s not working.”

  “That’s how I got up here!” Patrick practically exploded, causing Hannah to take an inadvertent step back. Perhaps realizing how aggressive he was coming off, the boy immediately raised his hands in apology. “I’m sorry. I’m just ... afraid. I’m supposed to be watching him. He took off. My mother is going to be so upset.”

  Hannah’s heart went out to him. “Why do you think he’s here?”

  “Because he was making noise about wanting to come back yesterday. My mother said that was never going to happen and to get over it. He got angry ... and the
n he was gone this morning.”

  “Well, then we’ll just have to find him.” She forced a smile for his benefit. “Do you know where he might be?”

  “Why do you think I’m asking you for help?”

  “I just thought maybe he might’ve liked a particular attraction when he was here before. I wasn’t trying to upset you.”

  “Oh.” Patrick turned sheepish. “I get what you’re saying. Yeah. He liked the saloon. My father said he couldn’t go inside because it was full of drunks and he got mad because he couldn’t look around like he wanted.”

  Hannah opted to ignore the “drunks” comment. The more she heard about Todd Lincoln, the more she disliked him. Now was not the time to dwell on that, though. “Then we’ll head to the saloon.” On instinct, she squeezed the boy’s arm. “Don’t worry. If he’s up here, we’ll find him.”

  “We have to. My mom can’t take much more.”

  Hannah wordlessly nodded. She wasn’t sure she could take much more either. She had a job to do, a responsibility to this place and the people who worked here, so she couldn’t wallow. She had to be proactive, so that’s exactly what she decided to be.

  9

  Nine

  Hannah gripped Patrick’s hand as they left the store. She didn’t bother locking the door. She didn’t have the time to worry. And, even though the boy was old enough that he should’ve been uncomfortable holding hands with a virtual stranger, he didn’t give her any grief.

  “Come on.” Hannah gave him a firm tug and dragged him down the street. “We’ll start at the saloon. If we can’t find him, there are other people on the scene who might be able to help. I don’t want you to panic.”

  Patrick didn’t respond. The fear in his eyes, however, was enough to spur Hannah to move faster.

  When they reached the saloon, she pushed through the door without hesitation. Unfortunately, the space was empty. She raced up the stairs long enough to check her apartment, but the door was locked and the boy obviously wasn’t there.

  Where could he have gone?