Oberon Boxed Set (Books 1-3) Welcome to Oberon

by P. G. Forte

  “Uh, yeah, I’m sure that’s the reason, all right,” he answered, sounding not sure at all.

  Marsha studied him, thoughtfully.

  “You know, you still haven’t told me what brought you out here today,” Nick said a little too quickly; leaving her to wonder why he was changing the subject. “Because, I’m telling you, that was not a pleasant surprise, either.”

  Marsha sighed sadly. “Truthfully? I wasn’t sure whether Sam was really coming back or not. I didn’t feel like waiting until the weekend to find out.”

  It was Nick’s turn to look thoughtful. “Why’d you think he wouldn’t be back?”

  “Oh, gee, I don’t know, Nick. How would I know what he’s gonna do? What do I know about the guy, after all? Shit. I didn’t even know his fucking name until yesterday,” she said, unable keep the bitterness out of her voice.

  He nodded. “Yep. That one’s a real bitch, ain’t it? But there are worse things, you know.”

  Something in his tone made her look at him then, and she was surprised to see the smile on his face.

  “This is not the same as you and Scout,” she told him firmly.

  But Nick merely shrugged. “Maybe not. But I still say that, just because you knew him by another name, it doesn’t mean you don’t know the person he is. C’mon, you’re smart enough to figure that out. And he’ll be back. You’ll see.”

  “Are you sure about that?” she asked skeptically.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m sure. Basically, you know, people are a lot like birds.”

  Marsha bit back the hysterical laughter that threatened to erupt. “Birds, huh? How do you figure that, Nick?”

  “I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot, lately. Some are monogamous, some aren’t. Some are hunters. Some are scavengers. Hell, Marsha, some of them are even vegetarians, like you.”

  He nodded toward a tree at the edge of the clearing, where a small black falcon was perched. “You see that bird over there? It’s Fall now, and he’ll probably head south in a few weeks. But you know he’ll be back again come Spring.”

  “I don’t think so, Nick,” she said gently. “That’s a Merlin. They don’t migrate. In fact, they don’t even live around here generally. So whatever that one is doing here, count on it, when he goes, he’s likely to stay gone.”

  Nick shook his head. “Okay. Poor example. But I still say they’re both coming back.”

  “Well, whatever,” she sighed. “I’m just glad you showed up here when you did. I guess I owe you guys, huh?”

  “Funny you should say that,” Nick smiled. “Because it just so happens that I need a favor. Just how friendly are with that priest at Lucy’s church, anyway?”

  Back to Top

  * * * *

  Chapter Thirty Two

  * * * *

  Scout was back. Nick got the message she was on her way home when he returned to the station. He wasted no time finishing up his work and speeding there himself. He had made the trip to her house in less time on at least one other occasion but not by much.

  Her car was in the drive when he pulled in, although the big black van parked alongside it was a surprise. When he entered the house, only the dog came to greet him. A large wooden packing crate sat parked on a wheeled dolly in the middle of the foyer, he had to edge his way around it before he could stalk down the hallway and out to the kitchen. The door to the patio stood open. Laughter and the murmur of voices wafted in from outside.

  Nick stopped at the door and took in the scene before him. Scout sat at the edge of the hot tub in her bikini, dangling her feet over the side and laughing as she kicked water into the faces of the three men who were partially submerged in the bubbling spa. Two of the men were very young, very muscular, weight-lifter types. The third was older, pot-bellied and balding, with what was left of his hair tied back in a long, somewhat scraggly ponytail. But it was Scout who held his attention, as always. She looked relaxed and animated and as lovely as he’d ever seen her. He couldn’t help but smile as he imagined his mother’s reaction, or Lucy’s or... hell, any of them, really, to this picture.

  “Very cozy,” he commented, lounging in the doorway.

  Scout turned; her face lit up when she saw him. “Nick! Oh, good. You’re home early.” She scrambled to her feet and came toward him with that look in her eyes that could always make him forget there were any other people on the planet.

  “Omigawd, Scout!” Nick heard the older man gasp. “Girl, you didn’t tell me he was gorgeous!”

  “Forget about it, Larry,” she called over her shoulder, “You can’t have this one. He’s all mine.”

  She reached up and twined her arms around his neck. “Hi, there,” she whispered.

  “Hi,” he replied as he pulled her close. Her body was warm and damp and her lips tasted faintly of chlorine. “God, I’ve missed you,” he told her, lowering his voice as he continued, “Why is it we’re not alone?”

  “We will be,” she promised. “Soon.”

  “How soon?” he pressed.

  She laughed. “Maybe an hour? That’s when Bruce and Mike are heading back to LA. Larry’s gonna stay for the wedding, but don’t worry—I’ve got him booked into a little bed and breakfast right in town. The guys can drop him off there when they leave. Think you can stand to wait that long?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Hey, I missed you too, you know,” she told him. “That’s why I came home so early.”

  “Early?” he scoffed. “It seemed like twenty years.”

  “It seemed like three days,” she corrected. “Which was quite long enough, thanks. Besides – not that I’m complaining, or anything – but what are you doing here? I didn’t expect you for hours yet.”

  “Well, I wrapped up the case, so when I got your message I—”

  “You did? Nick, that’s wonderful!”

  He felt his jaw clench. “Yeah, well. It’s over, anyway. So—”

  “It’s not wonderful?” Her brow creased in concern. “What happened?”

  “Later. I don’t want to talk about it now. Why don’t you tell me how your trip went instead?”

  “I’ll do better than tell you,” she answered as her smile returned and lit up her face once more. “I’ll show you. Hey, you guys.” She turned back toward the hot tub. “Can you give me a hand?”

  Twenty minutes later, Nick found himself standing in the foyer, staring in awe at the large bronze sculpture that had just been uncrated.

  Scout stood beside him and asked nervously, “Do you like it?”

  “Like it? Scout, it… it’s incredible. I… I’m stunned. It’s—”

  “It’s you,” she whispered softly.

  He tightened his grasp on her shoulders. “Well, I can see that. But when—?”

  “I’d actually been working on it for a couple of years, off and on – you know, from memory. But I only finished it this summer. I had it cast several weeks ago, but then the foundry kept getting the patina wrong. And I so wanted to get it here before Saturday. That’s why I had to go to LA. I couldn’t just sit around up here and do nothing. It’s my wedding present to you.”

  He tore his eyes away from it with difficulty. “I don’t know what to say. It’s fantastic, and I love it. But I haven’t gotten you anything yet.”

  She bit her lip, laughing quietly. “Well, as to that, d’you think you could maybe just protect me from Lucy? She’s gonna kill me for sure. I was in such a rush to get back here, I completely forgot about looking for a dress. Nick, I still don’t have anything to wear!”

  “Not to worry,” he assured her. “I have the whole day off tomorrow. I’m sure if we spend a few hours shopping we can track down something.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Only a few hours? Why? You have something else planned for the rest of the time?”

  “Mmm-hmm. I absolutely do.” He nodded, his eyes straying back to the sculpture he still could not believe she had made…for him! “And nothing to wear is exactly what’s called for.”<
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  * * *

  The Totawka Brewery was crowded Friday night. Too crowded, Marsha thought, as she sipped moodily at her margarita and picked at the tortilla chips in the basket on the table. Too crowded and too noisy and their orders were taking forever to come, as usual. She was so depressed she just wanted to put her head down on the table and burst into tears. It was all she could do to hold herself together while Lucy and Scout animatedly discussed the events of the week.

  “So... Larry is your agent?” Lucy asked, still trying to get everything straight in her mind.

  “Yes. And I could not believe it when Nick told me you thought I was going out of town to have an affair!” Scout grimaced as she took a sip of her non-alcoholic beer. “And after the talk we had on Saturday? Lucy, what the hell is the matter with you?”

  “Good question.” Lucy shook her head in disgust. “Sometimes I wonder about it myself. Anyway, never mind that, now. I’m just glad you finally found a dress.”

  “Well...”

  Lucy glared at her. “Scout?”

  Scout smiled. “Only kidding. It’s great. You’ll see.” She turned to Marsha. “So, you never finished telling me, what’s the deal with all these mice the boys caught?”

  Marsha sighed. “There’s no deal. And they only caught one. The second mouse was the one they bought to keep the first mouse company. Except now, the first one has managed to escape. So we’re back to one again. Only this time, it’s the other one. It’s not a real interesting story, I’m afraid.”

  “Well, no.” Lucy shot her a worried glance. “Not told that way, it sure isn’t. Are you okay, Marsh?”

  “And have you heard from Sam?” Scout asked, just as their orders arrived.

  Marsha took advantage of the interruption to change the subject. “So… I’ve been meaning to ask you, Scout, how’s Nick doing? Did he say anything more about the other day?”

  Lucy picked up a spare rib. “God, that must have been so weird for him, having to arrest one ex-girlfriend for the murder of another? How’s he taking it, anyway?”

  “Who, the human oyster?” Scout rolled her eyes. “Well, you know it’s gotta be killing him, but he’ll die before he admits it. I can’t believe Darcy turned out to be a killer, though. I get chills just thinking about it. She was in my house – she could have killed us all!”

  “Stop it,” Lucy ordered. “It’s bad enough how close she came to killing Marsha. What the hell were you doing out at the cabin, anyway?”

  “Yeah,” Scout said, turning to her again as well. “Good question. And while we’re on the subject, you still didn’t tell me if you’ve heard from Sam yet?”

  “I haven’t talked to him,” Marsha answered calmly around a mouthful of vegetable tamale, not feeling it necessary to mention that she had turned off the ringer on the phone at home, and given her staff explicit instructions at the tea shop to tell him she wasn’t in. She couldn’t understand why she needed to explain what she’d been doing at the cabin, either. She owned it, didn’t she? Why didn’t everyone just leave her alone? “And I really don’t expect to hear from him either. For all I know, he’s on his way back to New York already.”

  “Sam? Hell, are you two gonna start with that shit again?” Lucy demanded.

  “No.” Marsha told her.

  “Yes!” Scout insisted. “I don’t care what you think you know, Lucy. I spent six hours in the car with the man, and I am telling you, Marsha was all he could talk about. It was like a Brady Bunch routine.”

  “Oh, really?” Lucy looked at her speculatively. “Marsha? Don’t you have anything to say about that?”

  Marsha frowned. “Yeah. It doesn’t matter.” She took another bite of tamale and chewed quietly.

  “It doesn’t matter? What’s that supposed to mean?” Lucy demanded. “C’mon, I’ll be the first one to admit he’s not your type, but who are you trying to fool? There’s obviously something going on here. Are you hung up on the guy, or not?”

  “Oh, she definitely is,” Scout insisted, digging into her Chinese chicken salad. “I’ve been saying that for the past two weeks now, haven’t I? I still don’t understand why you keep trying to deny it, Marsha. Sam sure isn’t.”

  “Just what is it he’s not denying, by the way?” Lucy asked avidly. “This sounds juicy.”

  Scout smiled. “He’s not denying anything, and juicy? Let me tell you—”

  “Who cares?” Marsha interrupted, her face flaming. “And so what if I am hung up on him, as you put it? Who is it I’m hung up on, anyway? Face it. I don’t know this guy, at all. I mean, we’re all on the same page here, right? You both got the part where he lied to me about everything from his name, to what he was doing here in town, to—” She trailed off, aware of the discomfort radiating from both women, but too hurt to care much either. She shrugged. “Anyway, you know what I’m talking about.”

  “Marsha, c’mon,” Scout said quietly. “I’m getting married tomorrow, and you’re beginning to depress the hell out of me, talking like this.”

  “Yeah. Listen to the woman,” Lucy agreed. “Because she does know what you’re talking about. I mean, if there’s anyone who knows about this kind of stuff – about lying to the person you’re involved with, and falling in love with someone whose name you don’t know, and almost getting killed because of it – it’d be Scout, right?”

  Scout stared at Lucy in shocked dismay. “Okay,” she said after a minute, putting down her fork and pushing her plate away. “That’s it. Thank you both very much. I am now officially way too depressed to eat.”

  Lucy sighed. “Shit. Me too. Where’s the friggin’ dessert menu gone to, anyway?”

  * * *

  Nick closed the front door and turned to find his mother standing in the foyer, watching him.

  “Is your friend gone?” she asked, rather unnecessarily, he thought, since she’d just watched the man walk outside. She wasn’t all of a sudden so deaf she couldn’t hear the motorcycle starting up, was she?

  “Yeah, Ma,” he said, feeling a smile quirk his lips. “I think he’s gone.”

  “Is he coming to the wedding?” Something about her tone got Nick’s attention, and he looked at her curiously. He had seen his mother in a lot of moods over the course of his lifetime, but nervous was one emotion he’d seen so rarely he almost didn’t recognize it.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so,” he answered, still watching her closely. “What’s wrong, Ma?”

  “Wrong?” she repeated, clearly surprised by the question. “Nicky... what do you think is wrong?” She looked at him pleadingly. “Why are you doing this?”

  “What, marrying Scout, do you mean?” Nick sighed. Only a few more hours, he reminded himself wearily. Once we’re actually married, surely then this will stop... won’t it?

  “Because I love her, Ma. Believe whatever else you want, but that’s the truth. And, like it or not, I am gonna marry her.”

  “You love her, Nicky?” The surprise in her voice was not anything he was expecting.

  “I’ve always loved her,” he said quietly. He continued to watch her as she struggled with the concept.

  “But... love? You’re sure that’s the reason? It’s not... something else?”

  “Something else?” He cocked his head to the side. “Like what, for instance?”

  “Who knows?” his mother snapped. “Maybe – maybe it’s just sex. Or, you’re too stubborn to admit you’ve made another mistake. Maybe you feel guilty for what you did to her when she was a girl. Or you’re trying to get even for what she did to you. It could be you’ve gotten her in trouble, or you just want a mother for Kate. Or maybe... maybe you’re marrying her for her money! How is anyone supposed to know what you’re thinking when you never explain anything?”

  “I love her. Is that clear enough?” He paused for a moment, not sure how to proceed. How was he supposed to explain love, anyway? And why should he have to?

  “And does she love you, too?”

  “Yes.”
He steeled himself. “But there’s something else you should know. She’s pregnant.”

  He watched her eyes narrow again suspiciously and hurried back into speech before she could say anything. “That’s not why we’re getting married. But it is the reason Scout hasn’t been drinking.”

  “I see.” She thought about that for a moment, and Nick watched some of the tension leave her frame. “Hmph. Well. So how come you didn’t tell me any of this before, instead of making me worry so much?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, Ma, I guess I just thought... you’d know.”

  She frowned at him. “Nicky, a parent doesn’t always know everything her child is thinking. You should have realized that by now.”

  * * *

  Scout pulled up in front of Marsha’s house and pointed at the motorcycle parked at the foot of the drive. “See? Look there. What’d I tell you?”

  Marsha stared at the bike for several seconds, wishing she had never seen it. Wishing she could turn back time, and re-order the events of the last few weeks; make it so that Sam found some other town to hide out in. That he picked someone else to tell his lies to. She wished her life could go back to the way it had been before – lonely, and empty, yes – but without all the pain she was feeling right now. The pounding of her heart was so heavy, it even hurt to breathe. “You just don’t get it, do you? It doesn’t change anything, his being here.”

  Scout shook her head sadly. “I think you’re wrong about that, Marsha. I really do. You should give this a chance. Do you want me to come in with you?”

  Marsha sighed as she opened the car door and began to get out. “No, what’s the point? I can handle this myself. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The house was dark when she let herself in. He hadn’t turned any of the lights on, and she really didn’t want to either. Some things were better off not seen too clearly.

  She found him in the dining room. He got up from behind the computer as she came in, his face a mask of uncertain wariness.

  “Forget something, Sam?” she asked, looking pointedly at the computer. Trying hard to ignore the hope that bloomed at the sight of him. Was it possible? Had he really come back?