Nolan’s body half covered her in a protective cocoon. The kiss deepened, and she couldn’t think beyond that perfect moment. He caressed her face, his thumb running along her lower lip as he pulled away. They breathed hard, their breaths mingling in the close proximity.
“I won’t apologize,” he whispered.
“I won’t ask you to.” Something tickled her neck, and she gasped to realize they were in an open field and the bed was grass. The hospital IV stand stood beside them, still connected to his hand. “How…? Where are we?”
Nolan glanced around, not as surprised as she was. “Thanks for the escape. That was easier than I thought it would be.”
“I did this?” She pushed up and he let her sit. Mountain peaks dotted the skyline, and the valley stretched for miles. There was no sign of civilization. “Oh, crap, what are we going to do? I don’t even know where we are.”
“It looks familiar…” He stood and turned in a circle. The IV tubing wrapped his legs, and he frowned before pulling the IV from his hand.
“You might need that,” Lily said. “We don’t have any supplies and—”
“Relax,” he soothed. “I’m more worried about not having clothes to cover my naked backside.”
“Nolan, I’m not joking. This is serious. I don’t know how I brought us here. I didn’t want you to leave the hospital. I wanted the doctors to finish checking you out. Everyone is right. My powers are bad luck.”
“I recognize this valley. We’re only about ten miles away from the mines. It’s fine. We can walk that.” He reached down to help her to her feet.
“But your leg. They said the puncture wounds were several inches deep. You should be taking it easy.”
“Do you think you can control your powers enough to get us back to the house?”
She shook her head.
“Then we walk. It’s that simple.”
“Should we take that IV bag with us?”
“It’s saline. I don’t think drinking it is advisable. It would be like drinking salt water. And I’m not going to try to insert that needle into our hands.” Nolan motioned that she should walk.
“You don’t even have shoes.”
“I have werewolf feet.”
“Are you sure you can walk?”
“Can we go before I sunburn my backside?”
Lily automatically glanced down his body. The hospital gown offered little protection, and she could see the outline of his form through the material from the bright sunlight. She nodded and began to walk the way he’d indicated.
After they’d moved several feet, with Nolan walking behind her, she said, “You kissed me.”
“I’m still not apologizing for that.”
Lily glanced back and smiled. “I’m not asking you to.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Where have you been?” Dante stood on the front porch with his arms crossed over his chest. Next to him, the sign gnome held an empty sign. “Do you know how worried I’ve been? I thought someone kidnapped you. Deputy Do-Nothing told me there was nothing they could do because you were an adult and a Goode. I wanted to hex her, but Polly didn’t let me.”
Lily was too exhausted to argue with her brother. Trekking ten miles through mountain valleys and trees wasn’t the same as ten miles on a straight sidewalk. At least they’d made it back before nightfall. Her throat was parched, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse into a cool bath. “We’re fine. We had a slight magical mishap.”
“You should have called,” Dante insisted.
“No phone,” Nolan answered for her. “Move out of her way. She needs water.”
“Nice dress,” Dante teased.
“Leave him alone, Florus.” Lily tried to walk into the house.
Dante stepped aside but grabbed her arm. “I thought something happened to you.”
“It did, but I’m fine.” She patted his shoulder. He didn’t let go. “I magically transported us to nowhere, and we walked twenty-thousand miles to get back. I also think I caused a rockslide and an animal uprising.”
“The elk stampede wasn’t your fault,” Nolan said, “and that wasn’t a rockslide.”
“It was,” she mouthed to her brother.
“Your superpowers really do suck.” Dante let her go.
“Yeah, they are not cool.” Lily made her way toward the kitchen for a drink. A row of garden gnomes blocked the hallway so she turned into the living room to avoid stepping over them. Chattering caught her attention, but she was too tired to be startled by the raccoon lounging on her broken antique couch, and she kept walking to the kitchen sink.
Lily turned on the water, leaned over, and drank straight from the stream coming from the faucet. Everything ached—her heels, her ankles, her calves, her brain. Feeling more than seeing Nolan behind her, she moved away from the running faucet to give him a turn. When he leaned over, the back of his thigh became exposed and she forced herself to look away.
“All I want is a bottle of wine and a bath—” Lily’s words ended sharply as she looked through the kitchen window. A flashlight beam danced in the shadows, shining over the barn debris while hiding whoever carried it. “Someone’s in the backyard.”
She leaned closer to the window.
A figure came from below, jumping in front of the window. She yelped in surprise before realizing it was the black cat.
“I don’t see anyone,” Nolan said, his eyes shifted.
“By the barn. There’s a…” Lily pointed out the window but there was nothing there.
“Stay here. I’ll go look.” Nolan tried to go outside to investigate, but she stopped him by grabbing hold of his hospital gown sleeve.
“You can’t go out in that outfit.” She stared at the window, watching for the light. “There, by the barn. Do you see that?”
He came to the window. “That glow?”
“What is that?” She leaned closer to the pane. The glow grew by the barn, joined by another. The forms filled out, growing limbs. “Am I crazy, or do those look like…?”
“Ghosts.” Nolan wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her against him. Two ghosts turned into three, which turned into six. Soon, more than two dozen figures drifted over the lawn. Their features were undetectable, but the shapes of their bodies formed the unmistakable outlines of people.
“Dante,” Lily called, “Polly?”
“Ow, damn gnomes! Who keeps putting you…” Dante swore from the hallway a few times before his voice trailed off completely.
“Who invited guests?” Polly appeared in light blue pajamas with pink bunny slippers. Her bright red hair was wrapped with a sheer pink scarf. “Oh dear, sugar bee, they’re not very happy. Did you summon them from the bad place?”
“I didn’t summon anyone,” Lily protested. “I drank water.”
“Oo, I like it, wolf-boy, very breezy. The hospital gave us your belongings, but I like this outfit much better.” Polly nodded at Nolan’s hospital gown in approval. Nolan grabbed the back of his gown and held it together while turning his back to the counter. “Finally someone around here with a little fashion courage.” Then, lowering her voice, she winked and said, “Nice bum.”
“Polly, please, I need you to focus. How do we keep ghosts out? Or better yet, send them away?”
“I’ll get the salt,” Polly said.
“Yes, salt circles to keep ghosts out. I remember hearing about that somewhere.” Lily nodded.
“No, for margaritas. You look like you could use a drink to relax. You’re too tense. I blame Mara. She has a spotted aura.”
“Mara.” Lily couldn’t believe she’d forgotten all about the woman. “Is she still around? Did she come back? Is she all right?”
“The hitchhiker you picked up? No, Polly said she ran out of here.” Dante joined them.
“She wasn’t a hitchhiker,” Lily clarified.
“Florus and I cleansed the house while you were out,” Polly added. “And put up a few protection spells.”
“Is that what you were doing? I thought you were decorating.” Dante narrowed his gaze and walked toward the window. “Are any of you seeing this?”
The ghosts had drifted to stand on the lawn, looking at the house. Well, to be honest, she couldn’t tell if they were looking or facing away, but either way they were creepy.
“Polly, can’t you do something to get rid of them?” Lily asked. The woman didn’t answer. When she turned around, Polly was gone. “Polly?” She hurried to the dining room. “Polly?” She tried the living room and library before running to the stairs. “Polly, where did you go?” She circled back to the kitchen. “I think she ran aw—”
Dante and Nolan were gone too.
“Away,” she whispered.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A steady knock sounded on the back door. She shivered, going toward the noise. She stood several feet back as she peered through the storm door. A transparent figure looked in at her, the features more filled out than those of the specters on the lawn. Color filled in the ghost’s translucent features. Long dark hair fell over her shoulders. A floral dress cinched tightly to her waist and flared at her hips.
“Nolan? Help?” Lily whispered, unable to make her voice any louder.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The knock sounded again, but the ghost woman didn’t move. Lily stared at her, willing her to go away, watching for the moment she’d float through the door and come inside. Her heart beat fast and hard and she found it difficult to breathe. This ghost was not like Stan the miner. This one didn’t speak, didn’t laugh.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“This isn’t happening.” Lily shivered as a chill washed over her body.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Aunt Polly?”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Dante? Come on, Dante, where are you?”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Stop it,” Lily ordered
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Nolan, please, where are you?” she begged.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Fine, hello, hi, how can I help you?” Lily yelled at the door. “What do you want? No, you can’t come inside. We’re not buying. No solicitors.”
She waited, but the knocking stopped.
“Hello?” she repeated. Why was the ghost just staring at her? Why wasn’t she moving?
“Do ya know one of yer guests has one of them fancy dinners swimming around in their room? Want me to fish it out of there so we can fry it up?”
Lily spun to where Stan sat on the kitchen counter. His thumbs were hooked in his waistband. He kicked his feet. His heels dipped through the doors of the bottom cabinets.
“What do they want?” Lily motioned toward the yard.
“Who?” Stan leaned over to look. “Ah, yeah, the floaters. Wonder what they’re doing here. Normally they don’t leave town.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Oh, quiet.” Stan waved his arm at the woman ghost at the door. “No one is letting you in to leak ectoplasm all over the place.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Stan leapt off the counter and began thrusting his hips side to side in a strange rhythm as he sang, “Thud and a thump. Thud, rump, bump. Thump, bump, hump. Thumpity, thump, thump.” His song ended with a knee slap.
Thump!
The woman ghost gave one last knock before she disappeared from the doorway.
“I can’t believe that worked. She’s gone. How did that work?” Lily looked out the back door, leaning from side to side to get a wider view. The glowing figures of light still stood on the lawn.
The black cat jumped in front of the window and she jerked back.
“Ee-hee-hee-hee.” Stan’s laugh was mocking. “Ya should see yer face.”
“What do they want?” Lily ignored the spirit’s merriment.
“To suck yer life from yer veins,” Stan said.
Lily grabbed her neck in fright.
Stan’s laughter rang out over the kitchen, grating against her nerves. “What do you think they want? They’re floaters. You invited them over and they float. Sally’s a knocker. Always with the thump, thud, thump. She wanders door to door, knocking and waiting. No one ever lets her in.”
“I didn’t invite them.”
“Someone called them.”
“Can you make them leave?” Lily wasn’t sure how she felt about Stan being her ally in this situation, but considering everyone else had disappeared on her, she wasn’t given much of a choice.
“Tell me about that feisty redhead walking around the place. She’s a whole crate of dynamite. Boom!” Stan’s beard hairs shifted as he grinned. “She got a man?”
“Polly?” Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. She never said.”
“Yeah, she’s got a man. The fiery ones always do.” Stan sighed longingly, even as he smiled. “Moths to a flame. Dynamite.”
“Boom,” Lily muttered, watching the lawn.
“Yeah, boom.” Stan nodded.
“Stan, do—?” Lily looked at the counter to see he was gone. She was alone. Feeling a hand on her cheek, Lily let that someone turned her head. The world shifted, and she was staring at Nolan. The hard kitchen floor was beneath her back.
“The ghosts are gone,” Dante said.
“She’s back,” Nolan answered. “Lily? How do you feel? You fainted.”
“No, you disappeared.” When she tried to push up from the floor, she felt dizzy and had to lie back down.
“Take it easy. I think you’re overheated.” Nolan’s concerned gaze examined her.
“Margaritas!” Polly entered holding a pitcher. She leaned over to look at Lily. “What are you doing down there?”
“Talking to dead people,” Lily answered.
“Oh.” Polly nodded as if it made complete sense. “Very well then. Margarita?”
“Yes,” Lily said.
“No,” Nolan answered for her at the same time.
“Open wide.” Polly made a motion like she was going to pour the margarita into Lily’s mouth directly from the pitcher.
“I’ll get up.” This time she fought the dizziness as she sat upright.
“Suit yourself.” Polly pointed at Dante. “Florus, get cups.”
“My name is Dante,” he muttered, as he did what he was told. He placed mismatched glasses on the counter.
“That’s not what your birth certificate says,” Lily teased.
“Stop it,” Nolan demanded, a little loudly. They all turned to look at him in surprise. “What’s wrong with you people? Not everything is a joke. Someone has threatened you. They’ve burnt your lawn, spray-painted your house, knocked down your barn, and not to mention the ghosts surrounding the house and driving my truck off a cliff—a truck Lily could have been in. You’re infested with gnomes and have a rabid raccoon coughing up magic hairballs. And—”
Lily placed her hand on Nolan’s mouth, quieting him with her fingers. His firm lips were warm against her skin. “We know all that, and I promise you, we take it seriously.”
Nolan pulled at her wrist, drawing her fingers from his mouth. “It’s too dangerous here. I think you should consider leaving Lucky Valley.”
“It’s dangerous everywhere,” Lily answered. “This is our home. We won’t be pushed out of it.”
“No inheritance is worth your life,” he insisted.
Lily stared at him, remembering the kiss. Her eyes moved to his mouth. His concern was touching, but unnecessary. She wasn’t running away.
“Are you two going to make out or something? Because I don’t need to be emotionally scarred,” Dante said.
“Shut up, Dante,” Lily answered, though she did lean back a little from Nolan. She resisted the urge to kiss him. Then to Nolan, she said, “Stan scared Sally away. She’s the knocking ghost. He said we should never invite her in. The ghosts on the lawn are floaters. It sounds like they’re harmless.”
“When did you talk to
Stan?” Dante asked.
“You say I fainted. I say you all disappeared, and I had a conversation with a ghost.” Lily stood and took a glass from Polly. “Now, I’m exhausted.” She took a long drink, thankful for the strength of the liquor in Polly’s concoction. Handing an empty glass back to her aunt, she said, “Stan has a crush on you. He wants to know if you have a man.”
“Captain Petey?” Polly asked in surprise. “Oh, I’ve seen our future, and we’re meant to always be close friends, but just friends.”
“Okay.” Though curious, Lily didn’t want to start a long conversation and she had a feeling that would be a big one. “Stan also wants to eat Herman. I’m going to bed.”
Chapter Sixteen
“You know we laugh and joke because it’s easier than crying.”
Nolan opened his eyes, coming out of a deep sleep. He was naked under the covers, having crawled in after taking a quick shower. His leg throbbed angrily from the puncture wounds and subsequent hike.
Lily stood at the end of the bed, watching him.
“Good, you’re alive. It’s past noon, and I just came out of my sleep coma, too. I think Polly’s margaritas had more than liquor in them.” Lily’s hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head. Her sleeveless blue t-shirt and jeans made it look like she was ready to work.
“Magical margaritas.” Nolan chuckled. He wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. Polly had ushered him off to bed soon after he drank one. He remembered starting to nod off in the shower. “Have you been standing there long?”
“Watching you sleep? Only about fifteen minutes,” she said. He arched a brow. Lily laughed. “See, jokes, we Goodes are funny people. No, I knocked and when you didn’t answer, I became worried. How’s your back?”
“Doesn’t hurt,” he lied. “How’s your magic?”
“Still misfiring. I hiccupped and set the kitchen curtains on fire. Luckily, Dante was able to put them out before any real damage was done.” Lily turned her back when he sat up. The covers slid from his chest to his waist. “Polly was telling me that the Crawford side is all potions, spells, and natural elemental magic. The Goode side is a little more fireballs and teleportation.” Lily sighed. “So before I teleport myself into a wall, or set the entire place on fire, I thought it might help to expend my energy doing something a little more productive while I wait for the bad luck to dissipate.”
Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes: A Cozy Paranormal Mystery - A Happily Everlasting World Novel ((Un)Lucky Valley Book 1) Page 12
