Tears immediately fell down Cate’s cheeks. “Do you think?” There was such a hope in her voice.
Micki didn’t want to get her hopes up that maybe there was the slightest glimmer of hope that one or more of her beloved siblings were still alive…somewhere. Yet after the last few months, Micki knew anything was possible.
“I don’t know, my darling, but what I do know is that we have fresh hope. You are a survivor. You beat all the odds. Maybe your brother and sister are survivors, too.” She pointed to the desktop computer across the sitting room from where they sat. “The answers might be easier to find than you think. It’s going to be quite an adventure though. One we will take together.”
About the Author
Natalie-Nicole Bates is a book reviewer and author.
Her passions in life include books and hockey along with Victorian photography, Frozen Charlotte dolls, and antique poison bottles.
She currently resides in the UK where she is working on her next book and adding to her collection of 19th century post-mortem photos.
Visit Natalie online at www.natalienicolebates.com
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No Arrows Needed
Skylar McKinzie
To Dustin, thanks for the title! Mama loves you!
Note from the Author
I hope you enjoy No Arrows Needed. Look for more from Tara, Todd and Tabby coming up soon!
1
“Dammit, not another one.”
Tara Reid slammed the lid on her laptop, coming close to throwing it on the floor and stomping on it for good measure. She picked up her cell phone, quickly punching in the number of her supposed best friend, tapping her foot impatiently while she waited on her to answer.
“Before you yell, let me explain,” Tabby said when she answered the phone on the third ring.
“Explain? Explain? Tabby, I’ve told you again and again not to try to set me up with any of your so-called friends.” She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, where a headache was starting to form.
“To be fair, it’s a reputable dating site, and they aren’t my ‘so-called friends.’ So…that means you didn’t tell me not to set you up a profile.”
“Reputable? The man who just contacted me wanted to know if I wanted to go dance naked on the beach with him under the full moon.” Hearing the sudden choking on the other end of the line, Tara breathed deeply. “Do not laugh Tabby. If you do, I’ll be tempted to come over there and wring your skinny neck.”
“You have to admit, it’s a little funny.” Tabby giggled.
“Yeah, maybe.” Tara chuckled a little at the thought of the picture he had sent via email of the two-hundred-pound man frolicking on the beach with no clothes on. “Don’t do it again.” At the sudden silence on the other end of the line, Tara repeated herself. “Do not do it again.”
“Spoilsport,” Tabby said with a whiny voice. “Okay, geez, I just want you to have a life.”
“I have a life.”
“I know, I know. You have your work and your books. You tell me all the time. News flash, BFF, there is more to life than libraries, books, and movies on Friday nights.”
“Promise me.”
“Okay, okay, I solemnly swear to never sign you up for another dating site.” She paused for a second. “But what about that cute dentist at work…”
“I’m hanging up now. See you Thursday night.” Tara air-kissed at her friend through the phone and hung up with her still talking. Heading to the kitchen to put on a much-needed pot of coffee, she thought about the many men whom Tabby had tried to set her up with over the last five years. She just didn’t seem to get that Tara was happy with her books, her work, and curling up on the couch to watch movies alone on Friday night. She didn’t have time or room in her life for romance right now.
Everyone’s thoughts were turning to love since it was spring and the annual Bunny Hop at the library was only two weeks away. It was held every Easter, and she had been in charge of it for the last three years. She didn’t buy into the whole “Love at First Sight in the Spring” theme they had going on this year, but it was fun to play the games and spend time with the families that came to the event. Her boss had recently fallen in love and was getting married. They swore they had been shot by Cupid’s arrow and it had been love at first sight.
Tara had to laugh at the thought of Cupid in a diaper shooting her amply endowed boss in the butt. She shook her head. It wasn’t an image she wanted to carry around with her. Instant, true love from Cupid didn’t exist, plain and simple. As if trying to prove her wrong, a pair of lovebirds landed on the sill of the kitchen window she had opened to let in the mild spring breeze. They cooed at one another, much like Angel and her new boyfriend did at the library all day, every day.
Tara carried her mug of coffee out on the patio so she could enjoy the sunset. The idea of love was for fools, and her mama hadn’t raised her to be a fool. That was for sure.
Tabby hung up the phone and walked into her kitchen, her loose, pink silk robes swirling around her thin body. Tara had been her best friend since the day they’d started college as innocent freshman, but the girl was irritating beyond belief when it came to anything romantic. She was a die-hard cynic and had been for years.
Making herself a nice cup of herbal tea, Tabby decided that if she couldn’t get her friend to fall in love—or at least entertain the thought of it—the old-fashioned way, then she would have to resort to drastic measures instead.
Pulling out her book of spells, she leafed carefully through the pages while she sipped her tea. Settling on a spell that she knew would work, she concentrated on the task at hand and called to the one person she knew could easily make Tara fall in love.
Two hours later, Tabby set a cup of coffee in front of the last person in the world anyone would expect to be supernatural. He was actually a god. Todd was a perfect specimen of manhood with his curly blond hair that just touched his collar, light blue eyes, and muscles that went on forever.
“You want me to what?” Todd asked her, taking a sip of the steaming coffee.
“Ugh, how can you drink that stuff, and black at that?” Tabby asked, wrinkling her nose. The smell was almost as bad as the taste in her opinion.
Todd started ticking the reasons for his love of coffee off on his fingers. “Late nights, early mornings, and a need to show the guys at the bar that I’m not a fairy. I’m Cupid for God’s sake. Why can’t they tell the difference?”
Setting her cup of cinnamon spice herbal tea on the kitchen table, she dropped a kiss on his head as she walked to sit across from him. “Don’t let them get you down. They’re just jealous.”
“Yeah,” he said begrudgingly, his brow still wrinkled at the thought of being called a fairy. “Now, just what is it that you want me to do? Don’t forget, the last time I interfered with one of your friends’ love lives, she ended up joining a nunnery.”
“How was I supposed to know that she was saving herself for God?” Tabby raised an eyebrow in her classic it-isn’t-my-fault way. “She looked like a normal person to me.”
“As opposed to you, a witch that doesn’t know how to stop meddling in other people’s love lives? You have no idea the trouble I got into with the boss for that one. Besides, you know that I’m supposed to stick to the list I’m given. They’re cracking down on rouge Cupids, you know.”
Tabby rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t that bad.” She patted his hand across the table at his suddenly thunderous look and went on. “Anyway, it’s for my dearest friend, and I can assure you that she has no intention of going into a nunnery. Besides, what could happen?”
>
Later, Tabby would remember those prophetic words, because something certainly did happen—something that the bosses upstairs would never in a million years condone.
2
Todd stood under the marquee of the only movie theater in town, biding his time until the moment was right. He grumbled under his breath at the amount of people on the streets. For a small town, this place sure was busy. He impatiently waited to do what he had come here to do. Tabby’s friend had gone into the movie theater a little over two hours ago, and now the crowds were surging out into the darkened street.
He couldn’t help but grin at the girl’s choice of movie. The movie she had chosen was billed as an action flick—none of that sappy stuff for this girl. He himself loved anything with fast cars and lots of things blowing up. Not only were they usually great movies, they were the perfect place to bring lovebirds together. In his experience, single men went to action movies and single women went as well to see what made the single men tick. In his opinion, going to the movies beat waiting in a smoky, crowded bar to bring a couple of drunk lovebirds together.
Sighing with relief as the crowds cleared, he stepped forward a little when Tara stepped out of the theater. He already had the perfect man in mind. He even knew him from his own frequent trips to the theater on Thursday nights. The manager of the West Wood Cinema was tall, with a military haircut and a no-nonsense demeanor. Todd didn’t know the woman he was striking with love’s arrow—she wasn’t on his list, so he didn’t have a description—but he did know Neil, and he was ripe for love. All Cupids had a list they were given when handed an assignment. This list included the couple’s name, their interests, and a description of them so the Cupid could be sure they had the right couple. All Tabby had told him was that the woman was a librarian. They were stuffy and boring, right? She would be the perfect match for stuffy and boring Neil.
Neil was knelt next to the display case, filling it with Goobers, Skittles, and various candy bars when Tara walked by. Todd turned his gaze onto the large glass window in front of the theater and sent two arrows flying toward the soon-to-be-in-love couple. At that exact moment, another couple walked in front of the arrows and became the unintended targets of true love.
Todd groaned. He had known this was a bad idea. If the boss found out about this one, he would lose his wings for sure. Not that he loved being Cupid or anything, but hey, it paid the bills. As he hurried to try and fix the mistake by touching the couple and drawing out the arrows of love, Todd wasn’t watching where he was going. He tripped over the curb as he was heading into the theater, and the next thing he knew, Tara was lying in the middle of the sidewalk and he was lying on top of her.
Tara groaned. Her head was pounding, and her chest felt like an elephant was sitting on top of it. She had just been walking out of the theater, minding her own business, when she was mowed down by what felt like a Mack truck. Opening her eyes against the pain in the back of her head, she looked into the most gorgeous light blue eyes she had ever seen.
“Get…off…me,” she grunted, pushing at the massive weight pressing her body into the dirty pavement below her. Her hands paused automatically when they felt the muscles flex in the chest she was pushing on. Wow, now this guy is built, was her first thought. Then she turned beet red, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her.
“What the hell happened here?” a voice said, causing her to look up. She saw Neil, the manager of West End, standing over her. Trying to keep the disgust off her face at his appearance, she pushed at the man on top of her again.
Heaving a sigh of relief when the giant pulled himself to his feet and offered her his hand, she let him help her up, not failing to notice how the man oozed sexy all over the place.
What is wrong with you, Tara? was her next thought. You’d think she had never seen a good-looking, muscular blue-eyed man in a pair of tight jeans and a form-fitting T-shirt before. Catching herself staring, she pulled her eyes away and faced Neil. “It’s fine. Just a little accident.”
The other man spoke for the first time since knocking her down. “I’m so sorry, miss. I wasn’t watching where I was going. Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”
“No, I’m fine,” she said, feeling the back of her head and wincing at the huge knot that was forming.
The blue-eyed man was beside her in an instant, gingerly parting her hair to examine her scalp. “You’re bleeding. Come on, my apartment’s right down the street. I’ll get you cleaned up. Thanks, Neil, she’s going to be fine.”
Neil blustered but finally gave in and went back inside, much to Tara’s relief. For some reason, she just couldn’t bring herself to warm up to that man.
“Umm,” she said in resistance. She might have been a little dazed, but not dazed enough to forget that she wasn’t supposed to go with a total stranger to his apartment, even if looking at him did make her knees go weak.
“I promise I won’t hurt you,” he said, gently leading her around the corner and into a brick apartment building that must have been his home. “It’s not much, but…”
“It’s fine,” she said, letting him lead her into the bathroom to fix her head, which now felt like it was coming off her shoulders.
Twenty minutes and four aspirin later, she was feeling at least a little less dizzy. “I guess I should go,” she said, following him back into the living room of his apartment. “But first I think I need to sit for a minute to stop the pounding in my head.” She sank down onto his couch and lay her head back against the soft cushions. “I’m going to close my eyes for just a second…”
Tara’s eyes opened slowly, and she sat up, gingerly pushing off the blanket that she had wrapped around her. “Where the hell am I?” she asked, seeing the unfamiliar living room with sunlight beaming through the windows. “Sunlight?” She hopped up, her head only pounding a little, and listened carefully to see what she could hear. She remembered coming here with the man who had run her over with his sexy body, and she remembered sitting on the couch to rest for just a second, but that was it. The sound of rattling pots and the smell of freshly brewed coffee led her from the spacious living room toward where she assumed she would find a kitchen.
“Well, good morning, sleepyhead,” a bright, cheerful voice called out.
The man from the theater was standing by the stove holding a spatula, and the heavenly smell of bacon filled the air, setting Tara’s mouth to watering. “Morning? What happened?”
“Evidently your head was hurting worse than you let on. You fell asleep on the couch. I couldn’t bear to wake you—you looked so sweet and peaceful—so I covered you with a blanket and let you be.” He slid the eggs he had been cooking onto a platter and, carrying it to the counter, set it down in front of a huge pitcher of orange juice. Then he poured her a cup of coffee and slid it across the counter to her. “Eat and then we’ll get you to a doctor to get that bump checked out.”
“Doctor? No, I don’t need a doctor. I’m fine.” Hearing what sounded like her cell phone ringing, she searched frantically, only to have the man hand her the purse she had dropped.
“It’s in there. My name’s Todd by the way, and you are?”
“Tara,” she said absently. She stood holding out one finger to tell him she would be right back and stepped into the living room to take the call from her best friend. “Tabby, you are not going to believe the night I had.”
3
Twenty minutes later, Tabby was glaring at Todd over a mug of herbal tea, tapping her foot impatiently until she could get him alone. She could not believe that he had actually mowed down her best friend in the middle of the street and then brought her home. That was not the way Cupid was supposed to act!
“Do you two know each other or something?” Tara asked, glancing back and forth between the two.
“Sorta, in a past life,” Tabby muttered, then caught herself. Tara knew nothing about Tabby being a witch and didn’t believe in the supernatural at all; she had said it was all a ton of hogwash.
“Excuse me.” Tara lifted her eyebrows at her friend.
“We knew one another in high school,” Todd said, recovering nicely.
“Oh, I see,” Tara said, but Tabby could see she didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. “Anyway, I need to head home to get ready for work. I need a shower.” She laughed, looking down at her dirty jeans.
“How about I pick you up after work and we have coffee?” Todd blurted out, earning a killer glare from Tabby.
Tara looked shocked. Then, biting her lip in thought, she blurted out, “Yeah, that would be great.” She picked his cell phone up from the countertop and quickly entered her number. “Call me around six, and I should be ready.”
Tabby rolled her eyes as Todd grinned and blushed like a middle school kid with his first crush. She began impatiently tapping her foot again.
“Awesome,” Todd said, his excitement evident. “See you then.”
“What the hell were you thinking? Actually, what the hell are you thinking?” Tabby asked, tapping her temple with one of her bright red nails. “In case you have forgotten, you’re Cupid!”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Todd said, running his hands through his already tousled hair. “There’s just something about her.”
“There can’t be something about her, Todd. She’s one of your charges.”
Todd held up his hand to stop her from talking, a thoughtful look on his face. “Actually, no, she isn’t. You are the one who got me to shoot her with a love arrow, so technically she wasn’t on my list.”
Tabby saw that he was serious about pursuing her friend. “You really like her, don’t you?”
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