Heart of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow Book 2)

by Deanna Chase

  “I’m in. But we’re going to go check on Yvette first,” Noel added. “She’s been a little… off lately, and I want to make sure she’s okay.”

  “Sure!” Abby popped up off her chair and grabbed her phone. “Just let me tell Wanda we’re on.”

  Noel watched her do a crazy little dance and couldn’t help but be amused. For far too long, Abby had walked around in a cloud of sadness, and now she was this crazy golf-cart-racing fool who exuded happiness. It was pretty wonderful.

  “Mommy!” Daisy called as she ran in from outside. Buffy ran in after her, leaving a trail of mud in her wake.

  “Daisy! Don’t let Buffy track mud all over the house. Pick her up. Now.”

  Daisy skidded to a stop and barely managed to snag Buffy before she got mud all over the area rug. “Mom!” her daughter cried again, a wobble in her voice. “Hurry, it’s Grandpa.”

  Fear ran like ice in Noel’s veins. “Dad?” she called, already moving toward the back door. When she didn’t hear him respond, she turned to Daisy. “What happened, baby? Where’s Grandpa?”

  “This way.” She darted back out the door, Buffy still in her hands.

  Noel raced after Daisy, who led her straight to her father’s gardening shed. Daisy held Buffy with one hand and pointed inside. “He fell.”

  “Dad?” Noel rushed in to find her father sitting on the floor, trying to haul himself up. “Don’t move, Dad. You’re hurt.”

  He glanced over at Noel and grimaced. “It’s just a twisted ankle. If you can help me up, I can use those old crutches to get around.”

  She swept her gaze over him, scanning his body for any other obvious injuries. Other than his ankle and being pale and too thin, he looked like he was all right. She placed a soft hand on his shoulder. “Dad, stop. Just stay right there, and I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “I just need a hand, Noel,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “You need an x-ray and some pain killers.” Noel turned to Daisy. “Keep an eye on your grandpa. Make sure he doesn’t try to stand on that leg. I’ll be back in two shakes.”

  Noel spun around and nearly ran smack into Abby.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “He fell. Twisted his ankle. I’m going to get your golf cart so we can get him out of here.”

  Without hesitation, Abby pulled the key out of her pocket and handed it to her sister. “Go. I’ll get him something for the pain.”

  Noel nodded and ran across the property, tears threatening to blur her vision. “Dammit!” She angrily brushed the tears aside. This wasn’t the time for a breakdown. Besides, it was just an ankle. She was sure once they got him looked at, he’d be just fine.

  The only problem was she couldn’t shake the image of him looking so weak and helpless there on the floor of the shed. Her dad was her hero, her rock, the person she admired and leaned on the most. She didn’t want to think about his mortality or what their world would be like if they lost him. Noel knew she was being dramatic. It was just an ankle… this time. But he was still undergoing chemo treatments. An injury like this likely wouldn’t heal quickly, and reduced mobility was a concern.

  She jumped into the driver’s seat of the golf cart and wiped her tears. Her father needed her to be strong, and she would not let him see her shaken. Noel turned the key, flipped on the lights, and whipped the cart around the side of the house. Luckily, there was a clear trail that led to the shed, and when she pulled to a stop beside the building, Abby already had their father up and hobbling to the door. He had his arm around Abby’s shoulder while she bared the brunt of his weight. Luckily, he didn’t have far to go.

  “I can just use the crutches,” Lin said again, scowling as he leaned into Abby. “You girls don’t need to treat me like an invalid. And I don’t need to see a healer. It’s just a sprain.”

  Despite her father’s stubborn agitation, Noel felt the weight of fear lift off her. If he was being surly about their fussing, that meant he wasn’t in too bad of shape.

  “We’re not treating you like an invalid, dad. We’re treating you like a man who, at best, has sprained his ankle or, at worst, broke something. So yes, you do need to see a doctor. You don’t want to make it worse, do you?” Abby asked.

  Their dad tried to put weight on his injured foot and grunted.

  “See?” Abby said, rolling her eyes.

  “I thought you said that potion was supposed to be for pain,” he said pointedly to Abby. “I’m sure all I need to do is rest for a few days.”

  “Dad,” Noel said, shaking her head. “Abby’s potions aren’t miracle drugs. And they aren’t a substitute for medical treatment. You know that.”

  Lin and Abby finally reached the golf cart. She helped him get settled in the front passenger seat, while Daisy and Abby and Buffy slid in behind them.

  “Onward,” Abby ordered.

  Noel didn’t hesitate. She stepped on the pedal, and despite Lin’s protests, she hauled him straight to the urgent care clinic on Main Street.

  Chapter 13

  “Wait here,” Noel said, as she pulled into the spot right in front of the clinic.

  “Do I have a choice?” her father grumbled.

  “No,” Abby and Noel said at the same time.

  Abby grinned at her sister and took Daisy’s hand. “Come on, little one. Sit up front with Grandpa and keep an eye on him.”

  Daisy crawled into the driver’s seat with Buffy on her lap. “It’s okay, Grandpa. I’m here.”

  Noel glanced between her daughter and her father and felt as if her heart was going to explode with emotion.

  Abby clutched her hand to her chest and let out a little moan. “Geez. Is that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, or what?”

  “Definitely the cutest.” Noel pulled the glass door open and followed Abby in.

  “Abby! Noel!” Gerry Whipple said from behind the reception desk. The older witch and her husband had been the town healers for over twenty years. “What brings you in this evening?”

  “Our dad fell and hurt his ankle,” Noel said. “He’s outside in the golf cart.”

  “Oh dear.” She pressed a button on the phone and spoke into the intercom. “Martin, we need your assistance, please.”

  “On my way,” her husband said through the line.

  “He’s just in the back catching up on some files. He’ll be here shortly.” Gerry rose from her chair, produced a wheel chair from the closet, and waited by the door for her husband.

  The older gentleman strode out of the back, wearing a white lab coat. His salt-and-pepper hair was more salt than pepper, and he had a kind smile for the Townsend sisters when he spotted them. “Good evening ladies. You just caught us before we were going to close up shop. What seems to be the problem?”

  “It’s our dad.” Abby pointed at the golf cart through the window.

  “Twisted ankle,” Gerry said. “I need you to help me get him into the wheelchair so we can check him out.”

  He nodded, and the pair of them went outside to help Lin into the chair. When they wheeled him in, Lin was quiet and paler than ever. Noel sucked in a breath, fear racing up her spine. He did not look good.

  “Just wait here, ladies. Let us check him out, and then we’ll come get you,” Martin said.

  Noel glanced out the window at her daughter still sitting in the cart. “Is it okay if we bring the puppy into the waiting room? Daisy’s out there with her, but—”

  Gerry placed a soft hand on Noel’s forearm. “It’s fine, dear.”

  “Thank you.” Noel opened the door and waved for Daisy to come inside. Her daughter ran in, her teeth chattering from the cold. She was wearing a fleece, but the temperature had dropped and must’ve chilled her to the bone. A shiver ran through Noel as her adrenaline wore off, and she waved a hand and imagined a rippling fire in the middle of the office. The air in the room instantly warmed.

  Daisy let out a sigh of relief, snuggled her face against Buffy’s warm body, and said, “Tha
t’s better.”

  “It sure is.” Abby sat down in one of the chairs and grabbed a magazine. “You should keep that trick handy for when we go out later.”

  Noel frowned at her sister. “Are you insane? We can’t go out later. Dad is hurt, and I have Daisy.”

  “Dad is going to be just fine,” Abby said, flipping a page in her magazine. “And I’m sure Faith won’t mind hanging with Daisy. The two puppies can visit.”

  “Yay!” Daisy said. “Buffy misses her sister.”

  Noel scowled. She hated it when her sister voiced her plans without asking Noel about them first. All it did was get Daisy excited, and then Noel had to be the bad guy when she said no. “You don’t even know what Faith is doing tonight. You can’t just—”

  “Faith is taking Xena to puppy school, and then she’s coming out to the house for a visit. She’ll probably be there by the time we get dad home.”

  “So then take Faith on your golf cart races,” Noel said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Abby gave her sister a horrified look. “Didn’t you hear me earlier when I said Faith couldn’t stomach the donuts? Oh, no. I’m not doing that again. Faith is only good for leisurely rides along the river. No races.”

  “Abby—”

  “Good news, ladies,” Gerry said, striding back into the reception area. “Your dad just has a sprain. He’s a little weak, so we’re prescribing a couple of energy potions—”

  “What kind of energy potions?” Noel asked as she stood. “Abby’s already got him on one of her concoctions. Most of the other ones we’ve tried haven’t worked in the past.”

  “Oh, dear,” Gerry said, making a note. “Maybe Abby should come back so we can go over what has worked and what hasn’t.”

  Abby shook her head. “Noel would know better than I would. They tried quite a few things before I moved home.”

  “You’re sure?” Noel asked her, surprised her earth witch sister was willing to let her handle this one. Abby knew a lot more about potions than Noel did.

  “Yeah. You know what I’m giving him now and what he tried before. I’ll wait here with my favorite niece.” Abby squeezed Daisy’s hand.

  “Okay.” Noel waved to her daughter and followed Gerry into the back to an exam room where Martin Whipple was fitting her dad’s foot into an air cast.

  “Stay off it as much as possible the next few days. The air cast should do the trick, but when you’re ready to move to regular shoes, use an elastic bandage for support.”

  “All right,” her father said. He was sitting on the end of an exam table, and some of the color had come back into his cheeks.

  When Healer Whipple was done, he rose and headed for the door. “I’m going to go get that bandage and some anti-inflammatory medication for you. I’ll be right back.”

  “Noel,” Gerry said. “I wonder if I can see you for a moment?”

  “Um, sure.” She stood and glanced back at her father. “I’ll be just a minute.”

  “I’m fine, Noel. Go on,” he said, waving a hand. “Don’t look so worried. I’m in a clinic, for goodness sake.”

  “All right, all right. So, sue a girl for being worried, why don’t you?” she muttered as she followed Gerry into another exam room.

  “Have a seat,” Gerry said.

  Noel glanced around the sterile room. The only place to sit was on the exam table. “Um, Gerry, is this about my dad?”

  She shook her head. “No, dear. I want to take a look at you. Your energy seems low, and I want to make sure everything’s humming along as it should.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Just humor me, okay?”

  “Sure.” Noel climbed up onto the exam table as her nerves took over. “It must be something terrible if you can just sense that something is off.”

  The healer looked up at her with kind eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. “Not necessarily. I’m gifted at reading energy levels, and yours are dangerously low. Have you been over doing it? Feeling run down? Sore throat, maybe? Burning the candle at both ends?”

  Noel shrugged. “No sore throat. As for the rest, it’s no more than usual. I’m a single mom who runs an inn and is keeping an eye on her dad as he battles cancer. I guess you could say my stress is probably higher than normal.”

  Gerry nodded as she took Noel’s blood pressure. “It’s a little high,” she said when she was done. She listened to Noel’s heart, took her temperature, checked her glands, and then sat back. “Well, you certainly seem to be in good health, but you do appear to be rundown. Have you been getting enough sleep?”

  “Not really,” Noel said. “It’s been a little stressful, and I’ve had a bit of insomnia. Plus, we have the new puppy to care for.”

  Gerry nodded. “Then you could definitely use some more rest. So, here’s what I want you to do; I’m going to suggest a vitamin booster pack, and I also want you to make room in your schedule for some down time. Do something fun that helps you blow off steam. You can’t be worrying all the time. That kind of stress wears on you until it wears you out. Okay? Vitamin pack, rest, and destress, got it?”

  “I guess so.”

  Gerry scribbled the name of the vitamin pack onto a prescription pad and handed it to Noel. “I’m willing to bet if you take these vitamins, give yourself a half-hour a day just for you, and go out and have some fun, your energy will be back to normal in no time.”

  Right, Noel thought. The idea that she had to schedule personal time for herself just made her feel more stressed. But she took the prescription and nodded anyway. Gerry was just trying to help.

  Gerry led her back to her dad’s exam room, where she and Lin waited for Martin Whipple to return.

  Her dad turned to her. “What was that about?”

  “Gerry just wants me to start taking some vitamins.” She showed the script to him. “She says my energy levels are low. I’m probably just working too hard.”

  “There’s no doubt about that,” Lin said. “You’ve always burned the candle at both ends, but you can’t keep that up for forever.”

  She pretty much had to, didn’t she? No one else was going to run her inn or pay the bills. But she didn’t say anything to her father. He knew all too well the pressures of raising a family on his own. She glanced at his air cast. “Did they get an x-ray?”

  Her father nodded. “I told you it was just a sprain.”

  “So you did,” she said and moved to sit next to him. “You know we were just worried about you, right?”

  Lin put his arm around his daughter and pulled her in for a sideways hug. “I know, sweetheart.”

  “It’s just better to be safe than sorry. With everything that’s going on, we need to make sure we’re keeping you as healthy as possible.”

  Her father was quiet for a moment. Then he turned and looked her in the eye. His gray gaze searched hers as he asked, “Is everything okay with you, Noel?”

  She blinked. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  He let out a small chuckle. “Why wouldn’t I? The healer just told you your energy is low, and you weren’t even here for a checkup, which means she was concerned enough she gave you an impromptu exam. Plus, you’re wound up so tight, I’m surprised you haven’t started spinning.”

  “Dad.” Noel sighed. “Don’t turn this around on me. I was just concerned about your ankle. What if you’d have broken it? Were you just going to wait it out?”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about.” He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m talking about the heaviness you carry around with you everywhere you go.”

  “It’s just a stressful time,” she said, turning her head to look away from him. Why did she feel like a fifteen-year-old all over again? “I’m not the one being a pain in the ass about medical treatments.”

  He laughed. “You got me there.”

  The sound of his amusement was contagious, and she looked back at him, smiling. “So, you’re admitting it then?”

  “I admit to nothing,” he s
aid with a wink. But then he sobered. “Listen, Noel, I heard about your visit to Eureka.”

  She stiffened. “Did Abby tell you that?”

  He gave her a strange, searching look. “No. Clay did. He didn’t realize I didn’t know.”

  So it was Abby, Noel thought. She should’ve known her sister couldn’t keep a confidence. She was the same old Abby, blabbing everyone’s business. Of course, Noel hadn’t exactly told her sister not to say anything. And it was perfectly natural for her to talk to her fiancé about it.

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” her dad asked, concern in his tone. “That must’ve been really hard, thinking you were going to identify Xavier.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she hated herself for it. She’d vowed never to cry over him again, and yet here she was with her dad, blubbering like a fool. “I just… didn’t want to talk about it.”

  Lin nodded. “That’s understandable. But you know, talking about it helps.”

  Noel let out a tsk of disbelief. “Really, Dad? How often did you talk about Mom after she left?”

  “To you girls? Only when you brought her up,” he said. “I didn’t want you to hate her in case she actually showed back up. But to my therapist? A lot. I had plenty of issues to work through. I imagine you do, too.”

  “I’m fine,” Noel said.

  Lin laughed. “Like father like daughter, right Noel?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Both of us are as stubborn as a mule, that’s all. No one would ever call either of us pushovers.” He winked and bumped her shoulder with his.

  She wanted to be mad, to blow off this conversation, but maybe he had a point. It wasn’t like she didn’t know she was being stubborn. “A counselor, huh? Did it help? Did you ever stop resenting Mom for leaving?”

  “Not really.” He placed his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers. “But I did learn how to trust again.”

  Trust. There it was. The six-hundred-pound elephant in the room.

  “And how to love again,” he said softly.

  A sob got caught in her throat.

  “Listen, baby. Maybe we should’ve had this conversation months ago. But you have to understand that most people aren’t like your mother and Xavier. They don’t willingly leave families they love. Your mother…” He shook his head. “I don’t think she was ever happy. To be honest, I don’t think even she knew what she wanted. Maybe we married too young. Or maybe she felt trapped.”