Wicked Wishes (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 10)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “And why are you torn?” Jack always took a pragmatic approach when it came to things like this. He liked to get all the information before weighing in. That was one of the few things about him Ivy didn’t like. She wished he’d be more decisive … especially since she felt as if she were at a standstill when it came to picking flooring. An impulsive nature was exactly what they needed.

  “On one hand I really love the way the laminate looks,” Ivy replied. “It has a really cool feel to it.”

  “So go with the laminate. We can make any wall color work with the laminate.”

  “It’s a basement, though,” Ivy pressed. “That means it’s going to get cooler in the winter. Laminate might be cold on … um … little feet when it comes time to make bedrooms down here.” She quickly averted her eyes so Jack wouldn’t see her embarrassment.

  “Ah.” Jack grinned as he relished Ivy’s discomfort. “You’re saying you don’t want our kids to get cold feet. You’re such a good mom.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to embarrass me.”

  “Good. I don’t think you should be embarrassed about it. I’m looking forward to having children with you one day.”

  Ivy squirmed again. “That’s down the road.”

  “It is,” Jack agreed. He was perfectly happy living life with just Ivy … at least for now. They had plenty of time to add a kid or two to the mix down the road. For the time being, he simply wanted to enjoy her and what they could offer each other. Kids would happen, but they had a wedding to plan first. They also had a cottage renovation that was now stretching into its third month. “As for the floor, I’m fine with either option. You’re the one who wants to focus on the decorating, though. I think you should make the choice.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “This is your home, too. You’re supposed to be making decisions.”

  “Yes, but I’m fine with either option.”

  “You must like one more than the other.”

  “I … .” Jack opened his mouth, unsure how to answer. “Fine,” he said after a beat. “I like the idea of the Berber carpet in the basement. It will make it feel warmer, and until we have kids, this place is going to be my man cave.”

  Ivy snorted, amused at the way Jack puffed out his chest. “Berber, huh?” She glanced around. “I’m seventy-five percent in agreement with you.”

  Jack heaved out a sigh. “What is it going to take to knock out that other twenty-five percent?”

  “I need to think just a little longer.”

  “Ivy … .”

  Ivy held up a hand to cut him off. “Just while I’m over at my greenhouse doing some work. It’s March, after all. The nursery opens in a month. I have stuff to get done over there, too. I do some of my best thinking when I’m working.”

  Jack made a face. “Oh, I don’t want you to spend the entire day over at your nursery. I thought we could pick out a floor, call the contractor, and then spend the day in bed.”

  Ivy arched an eyebrow. “I see you had this planned out.”

  “Yes, and picking the flooring was going to be the only work we had to do. Er, well, the only work that wasn’t fun.” His grin turned wolfish. “Skip work and spend the day with me.”

  Ivy wanted to acquiesce – he asked very little of her, after all – but she honestly had to make headway in her spring cleanup or she would fall behind. “I have to get the greenhouse tasks done. I’m sorry.”

  Jack blew out a resigned sigh. “Fine. See if I take a day off in the middle of the week just so I can spend it with you again.”

  Guilt coursed through Ivy. “I’m sorry. I … screw the work at the greenhouse. I’ll just work a double shift tomorrow. We can spend the whole day together.”

  Now it was Jack’s turn to feel guilty. “No. I was playing you. I had extra days to burn so that’s what I was doing. Don’t start flogging yourself or anything. That’s not what I want.”

  Ivy tilted her head to the side, amused rather than annoyed. “So you were just manipulating me?”

  “No.” Jack traced his index finger down her cheek. “I simply wanted to spend time with you. Heck, I always want to spend time with you. That doesn’t mean we have to lose the entire day.”

  “No?”

  Jack shook his head. “What if I go to the nursery with you? I could help you do what needs to be done – we can finish whatever it is in half the time – and then we can spend the afternoon in bed.”

  Ivy brightened. “Would you really do that?”

  Jack nodded, solemn. “There seems to be little I wouldn’t do for you.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair, though.” Ivy deflated a bit. “You shouldn’t have to work on your day off.”

  Jack kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s not work if I’m with you. I figure we can handle whatever needs to be handled, debate the flooring until we have a firm choice, and then order pizza and eat it in bed.”

  “You’re obsessed with spending part of the afternoon in bed.”

  “Do you have a problem with that?”

  Ivy immediately started shaking her head. “No. In fact, I’m looking forward to it. There’s nothing better than eating pizza in bed.”

  “That’s exactly what I thought.” Jack smacked a quick kiss against her lips and then pushed her to a standing position. “Let’s get to work. The faster we finish, the faster we can do what I want to do.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  “It sounds like a lovely plan,” Jack agreed.

  JACK GRUNTED AS HE lifted a huge bag of potting soil and stacked it against the wall closest to the greenhouse door. He took a moment to rub the back of his hand across his sweaty brow as he flicked his eyes to the other end of the building, which just happened to be where Ivy worked.

  She was tireless. She dressed in track pants and tennis shoes, which wasn’t her norm, and her concentration never broke as she counted pots and seed packets. She was never one for math and yet Jack didn’t doubt she knew exactly how many plants she would need to make the upcoming season a success.

  In truth, Jack had no idea what went into the spring season at a nursery. Ivy’s nursery was located at the back side of her property. She could literally walk to the property – and enjoyed doing so – but that meant she worked late hours, especially in the spring. Jack was already resigned to that.

  “What are you doing?” He crossed to her and stared at the pots. “Is something wrong?”

  Ivy shook her head. “Just counting.” She flashed a smile that lit up her entire face. “It’s weird to think about, but it’s almost been a year since we met.”

  Jack returned the smile as he slung an arm over her shoulders. “That’s not weird. I’ve been thinking about that, too. In six weeks it will have been a year. We should do something to celebrate.”

  Ivy arched an eyebrow. “You want to celebrate meeting?”

  “Don’t you? It’s pretty much the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  Ivy didn’t melt at the romantic words as much as she snickered. “You didn’t like me the day we met,” she reminded him. “In fact, I think you kind of hated me.”

  “That’s not true. I could never hate you.”

  “Fine. That was probably the wrong word choice.” Ivy held up her hands in capitulation. “You didn’t like me, though. That much was obvious. You thought I was crazy.”

  “I thought you were eccentric,” Jack corrected. “You had a dead body in your ditch and were running around barefoot. I mean … what’s not eccentric about that?”

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “Lots of people run around barefoot.”

  “Not when they discover a dead body.”

  “I beg to differ.”

  “Do you know a lot of people who run around crime scenes barefoot?” Jack’s eyes lit with mirth. “Do tell.”

  Ivy wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. “I know what you’re trying to do.” She made a tsking sound with her tongue. “You’re trying to draw me into a fight to get out of the wo
rk.”

  “I’m doing nothing of the sort,” Jack protested. That was mostly true. He didn’t mind the work because it was time they got to spend together and they’d made a huge dent in Ivy’s list. That meant she wouldn’t have to work as hard for the rest of the week – although she would still toil and labor to make sure things were done the way she preferred – and Jack was fine with that because he would rather give up a day off than watch her struggle to finish everything on time. He never wanted her to struggle.

  “You are so,” Ivy argued. “You want to fight so we can go home and make up. You still have visions of bedroom games playing through your head. I know you.”

  “You do know me,” Jack agreed, his lips curving. “And I do have bedroom games playing through my head. I’m fine doing this first, though.” He took a moment to glance around. “This place will be full of seedlings by the end of the week, won’t it?”

  Ivy nodded. “The hardest part is the pots and soil. You’ve done almost all the soil, though, in an hour. That will save me a full day.”

  Jack arched an eyebrow. “Wait … you usually move all that soil by yourself?”

  “Yup. I have a full day marked off on my schedule for it. Tomorrow. That means I can start planting the seeds early.”

  Jack was appalled. “Ivy, those bags weigh twenty-five pounds each. You have like a hundred of them. There’s no way you can lift those bags on your own.”

  “I’ve done it for years. It’s not easy, but I muddle through.”

  “But … that’s ridiculous.” Jack couldn’t help being upset on her behalf. “Why wouldn’t you hire someone to lift those for you?”

  “Because I’m strong enough to do it myself.”

  “You’re stubborn enough to do it yourself,” Jack corrected, shaking his head. “Good grief. I can’t believe you were going to move all those bags yourself.”

  “Why do you think I was excited when you agreed to help?” Amusement flitted through Ivy’s eyes. “I thought you might be able to move half those bags for me. I didn’t think there was a shot you would get all of them.”

  “I still have twenty-five left,” Jack pointed out.

  “Yes, but if you get all of them then you’ve essentially gifted me with an entire day and I won’t have to work as hard the rest of the week.” Ivy ran her finger over Jack’s solid chest and adopted a flirty smile. “If I don’t have to work as hard here, I’ll be able to spend more time with you.”

  Jack heaved out a sigh. “You don’t play fair.”

  “I don’t, but you have no idea how sore I would’ve been after moving all those bags myself,” Ivy admitted, turning serious. “You wouldn’t have been able to have any fun for days. You saved us both.”

  “I have no problem saving us both.” Jack pursed his lips. “I do have a problem knowing you were going to practically kill yourself to get this done. We’re going to have a talk about that later, by the way. It’s not okay.”

  Ivy knew he was merely talking to hear himself talk and was fine with it. “I love it when you get strict with me.”

  Jack’s expression softened. “You’re a terrible woman that way.”

  “Yeah, but I give a mean massage,” Ivy noted. “I even have a fresh batch of that lavender lotion you like and could probably be convinced to give you a long massage tonight given all the hard work you’ve done.”

  Jack would’ve done the work without the reward, but he was happy for both. “You had me at massage.”

  “I know.” Ivy was smug. “Thank you for doing this, though. I … you have no idea what you’ve saved me.”

  Jack leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “I have no problem doing it. You and I are going to put together a list of everything that needs to be done around here, though. I want to know what I can specifically help with and then we’ll come up with a schedule.”

  Ivy balked. “That’s not your job. You already have a job.”

  “No, but you’re going to be my wife.” Jack grabbed her left hand and ran his finger over the diamond he gave her months before. “That means we work together. That includes here and at home.”

  “And your job,” Ivy added. “I’ve helped with your job, too.”

  Since he was a police officer and “helping” with his job often consisted of her getting in trouble, Jack often wished Ivy wouldn’t be so helpful when it came to police business. He wisely kept that to himself, though.

  “You have. I’m going to get the rest of the bags and put them inside. How much more do you have to do in here?”

  About an hour’s worth of work.” Ivy’s grin was rueful. “Can you tolerate one more hour? I’ll make it worth your while when we get home if you can.”

  Jack knew from past experience she wasn’t exaggerating on that front. “An hour it is. Let’s get to it.” He cast his eyes to the window and noticed the day was starting to look overcast. “I think we might have a storm coming in later.”

  Ivy nodded in agreement. “It’s spring in Michigan. We have a saying across the state: If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes. The next few weeks are going to be unpredictable.”

  “I have you. My life is unpredictable.”

  Ivy giggled when he poked her side. “Are you complaining?”

  “Never.” Jack meant it. “Let’s get this work done and head home. I’m hungry and you’re going to rub me. That’s exactly how I want to spend my night.”

  “That’s the way I want to spend the rest of my life,” Ivy said, earning a grin from Jack.

  “That’s what I meant.” Jack moved toward the door. “You have exactly one hour. Not one moment longer.”

  “Deal.”

  Two

  Jack felt electricity running through the air when he picked up the last bag of potting soil. He shifted so he could stare at the horizon, lifting his chin when he heard the first brief rumble of thunder. A storm was definitely coming and it was almost here. That meant they would have to hurry if they expected to get back to the house before the rain started.

  He hoisted the bag over his shoulder and turned, pausing when the unmistakable feeling that someone was watching him slammed into the spot between his shoulder blades. He swiveled quickly, narrowing his eyes as he stared into the dense underbrush hiding the trail that led to Ivy’s house.

  It was mid-March in northern Lower Michigan, which meant the weather could shift at any moment. The snow only completely melted in shaded areas two weeks before. More snow was still a possibility, although Ivy declared it was done for the year and, for some reason, Jack believed her. She wasn’t a meteorologist by any stretch of the imagination, but she was intuitive and sensed things.

  Oh, who was he kidding? She was a witch. She didn’t use the word when referring to herself, although her aunt Felicity did. Whatever she was, though, Ivy was special. She boasted certain abilities that Jack wouldn’t have believed possible a year before. Now, though, he knew better.

  It started with shared dreams. Ivy claimed he called her to him when his mind was troubled, and he wasn’t discounting that because he’d been messed up when he first arrived in Shadow Lake. He was terrorized by nightmares where he was shot over and over again by his former partner. Ivy appeared in those dreams and helped him get past them.

  That was definitely magical, but what she did after was virtually flabbergasting. She’d met a ghost and helped her escape a life of torment. She saw through a killer’s eyes. She’d even gotten to the point where she could sense Jack when he was close. Her abilities were starting to leak over onto Jack, too. In more than one instance he’d felt her when she needed him, which was both a blessing and a curse. There was nothing worse than knowing that the woman he loved, the woman who stole his entire heart, was terrified for her life.

  What was happening now, though, was something entirely different. Jack was certain someone had been watching him only moments before and yet he couldn’t see anyone in the woods. He couldn’t sense anyone moving through the tr
ees or crouching behind bushes to avoid detection.

  He did feel a severe case of dread, though, and he didn’t like it.

  “What are you doing?” Ivy appeared at his side on quiet feet and peered in the direction he stared. “Is something wrong?”

  “What?” Jack didn’t want to alarm her. She’d been working hard and they were almost done. He wanted to return home and relax for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Worrying her now served no purpose. “Oh, no. I thought I heard something.”

  “Over here.” Ivy took a step in that direction, causing fear to seize Jack’s heart. “It was probably just an animal. We get a lot of raccoons, skunks, deer, and even a random coyote or two during this time of year. They get more active when the weather breaks.”

  “Yeah?” Jack carried the last bag of soil inside and added it to the pile before brushing off his hands on the seat of his pants and glancing around the greenhouse. He’d paid little attention to Ivy’s efforts while carrying the bags, but now he could see she’d completed as much work as he had – maybe more – during his time of distraction. “Wow. You worked your tail off.”

  Ivy wiggled her butt and smiled. “It’s still here.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it until I can wash my hands.” Jack lifted his filthy palms for her inspection. “I don’t want to get you dirty.”

  “I thought we were going back to the house so we could spend the entire afternoon getting dirty.” Ivy’s expression was flirtatious. “Why do you think I worked so fast?”

  “I like the way your mind works.” Jack gave her a quick kiss. “We need to get moving, though. It’s going to storm.”

  “Yeah. I noticed that.” Ivy turned serious as she gave the greenhouse another scan and then motioned toward the door. “Let’s get going. I’ve gotten everything I can get done and now I’m looking forward to doing nothing but you for the rest of the day.”

  “You really are my favorite person.” Jack stepped outside and rubbed his hands over his pants to get rid of some of the grime. He watched as Ivy closed the greenhouse but didn’t lock it, furrowing his brow when she moved to start walking home. “Aren’t you going to lock that?”