Bake This! (A 300 Moons Novella)

by Tasha Black

  “Could you pull a sleigh?” Tess asked.

  “Sure, but we don’t have one,” he replied.

  “Is there a tool box here someplace?” Tess asked.

  “Yeah, back in the basement,” Will said, already heading for the stairs.

  11

  Half an hour later, Tess stepped back to admire her work.

  One of the plank tables in the break room had been the perfect beginning to a sleigh. All she’d needed to do was seal the openings between the planks and add rails. Admittedly, they had scavenged materials from all over the barn, but she figured Kate Harkness would forgive her. And she could always take the sleigh apart and put almost everything back once everything was over.

  “You don’t have to go with me,” Will said, looking at the sleigh and then out the window at the ten foot drop into the snow.

  “If anything goes wrong with this sleigh, you’re going to need me,” Tess replied.

  “You are one brave lady,” he told her.

  “Let’s do this,” she said.

  He began to remove his clothes.

  For an instant she forgot and stared openly at him.

  Then she remembered, he had to turn into his wolf.

  “There’s a spell on me,” he muttered. “Makes it hard for me to shift.”

  “Oh, that’s right! Hedda told me all about it. I can’t wait to meet Mrs. Cortez - how powerful she must be,” Tess said, before noticing how embarrassed he was.

  Her sister had explained how all of the shifters at Harkness farms received help controlling their animals from a special enchantment when they were first brought in. Tess was looking forward to meeting a witch who could craft a spell like that.

  “Well, here goes nothing,” he said.

  Tess had never actually seen anyone shift. Hedda had described Derek’s change as falling into his bear, effortlessly.

  Right now, Will was squeezing his eyes shut as the air around him seemed to blur.

  He clenched his fists at his sides.

  The wavy halo around him undulated.

  Will blew out a measured breath.

  Suddenly he was gone.

  In his place a massive brown wolf stood before her. His intelligent eyes were hazel, just like in her dreams.

  Tess stepped back, instinctively.

  The great wolf lowered his massive head and folded his ears back, letting his mouth hang open in a sort of smile.

  Tess smiled back and extended her hand.

  He crept up to her slowly and pressed the top of his huge head into her palm.

  His fur was warm and impossibly soft.

  He lowered his head further to butt against her hip. Then he mortified her by snuffling at her thighs.

  “Stop that, you,” she scolded, pressing her legs together.

  He leapt back, rear end in the air, front paws splayed, tongue hanging out of his mouth in a pirate’s grin, like a puppy asking to play.

  “It’s time to go,” she told him.

  He stood and held himself tall while Tess fitted him with the harness she’d fashioned out of rope and an enormous pair of canvas overalls.

  She opened the large windows and pushed the sleigh outside. She held her breath, but it rested on the surface of the snow as she had hoped it would.

  She turned back to see Will standing behind her, panting in the cool snowy gusts entering the window.

  “Hang on,” she told him. “One more thing.”

  She showed him the garland of Christmas bells she’d found on one of the Christmas trees upstairs.

  “In case the harness breaks and you get lost, or I do. These will help us,” she explained.

  He lowered his shaggy head and she hung the bells around his scruff, then wound a second garland of bells around her own neck.

  “Okay, time to go,” she said.

  He leapt over her head and out the window, landing on the sleigh.

  It still didn’t sink. A good sign.

  Tess climbed gingerly out the window and added her own weight to the conveyance.

  The wind cut through her clothing instantly, chilling her to the bone and drowning out all sound. Will was right - she could hardly see ten feet ahead of them.

  The massive wolf belly-crawled into the snow, sinking down a bit as she attached the sleigh to the harness.

  “Whenever you’re ready,” she shouted, hoping he could hear her over the onslaught of wind and snow.

  12

  Will had a hard time getting them going. He pulled and tugged, spraying snow out behind his paws.

  Then the sleigh jerked forward and they were off.

  Between the falling flakes and the rush of the wind, Tess felt her senses numbed. She hoped that Will’s wolf senses were powerful enough to bring him home. The distance wasn’t so great, but it would be easy to turn slightly and bypass the farmhouse altogether.

  Shadowy shapes began to form in the swirling snow, and she forgot to be afraid of anything else.

  At first, it looked like a trick of the light, making it appear that the wind had wings.

  Then the bird was above her, its form a shimmering mass of darkness and crystalline flakes, big as a man.

  “Will,” she cried, but she couldn’t see him anymore. She could only see the snow, all around her, and the shape of the immense bird descending.

  Tess remembered her sister’s account of the shadow demon that had nearly gotten the best of her and Derek on the mountain. This must be something like that, drawn to the magic - either hers, or the spell on Will.

  Afraid to use any more magic, Tess lashed out at it, striking the creature with her fist.

  It toppled like a snowman, but three baby birds arose to take its place.

  The sleigh was going so fast now it was practically flying.

  But the baby birds were already growing quickly, pecking at each other.

  Tess clung to the boards and prayed they would arrive before they grew large enough to attack her.

  They were enchanted, that much was clear. The whole storm was probably magical. There had never been a snow like this in Tarker’s Hollow - Will had said so. Certainly no snow had ever covered over the farmhouse.

  What if the thing behind this magic were specifically after the old place, and the children inside?

  What if they were leading them right to it?

  “Stop, Will, turn back,” she screamed into the wind, but she could hardly hear her own words.

  They slowed.

  She could just make out the shape of the top of the farmhouse ahead of them. It was too late.

  The triangle of slate shingles appeared to be raising its hand and opening its mouth to ask for help. But the hand was only the brick chimney. And the mouth was the enormous attic vent fan.

  Oh.

  Tess shivered from the cold, and concentrating was nearly impossible with the sharp beaks of the snowbirds lengthening before her eyes.

  She knew it was dangerous, but she closed her eyes and called to her magic anyway.

  It pulled at first, like salt water taffy, then at once it was pliant. She reached for the fan with it, explored the simple motor and the razor sharp blades.

  Then she beckoned it.

  At once the fan sputtered and coughed to life.

  Tess wrenched with her mind, and the fan sailed out the window and over her head.

  She urged the motor and clung to the wood of the sleigh as the wind changed directions.

  The birds fluttered their wings in protest as the fan drew them nearer, elongating their snowy heads and then plucking them from the sleigh to be turned to mist between the metal blades.

  When they were gone, Tess collapsed and let the fan fall into the snow.

  The wind slowed almost to a stop.

  The snow fell gently, delicate lacy flakes drifting down, as if in a mockery of the storm that had come before.

  Had she undone the source of the storm’s magic, or merely scared it away?

  Will scampered onto the boa
rds of the sleigh and nosed at her with a wet snout.

  She was shivering from head to toe, but she sat up to show him she was okay.

  That was when she saw the first little face peep out of the hole left behind by the fan.

  “S-santa?” the little boy ventured, looking at Tess in confusion.

  13

  The trip back to the barn was much more fun than the trip over had been. Tess held five-year-old Aidan on her lap and Kate carried baby Luna on hers.

  Will dashed through the snow, bells jingling merrily.

  “You’re both crazy to come for us in that snow,” Kate said with a smile. “Not that I’m complaining, but why didn’t you stay put?”

  “Will told me that you had a new furnace. I was worried that it was a high efficiency model and that the vent would be buried in the snow,” Tess replied, grateful that the scrupulously honest answer to the question wouldn’t embarrass her. She’d used a good bit of magic fighting the snow-birds, and she’d be paying her price for a while.

  “Carbon monoxide,” Kate remarked. “Smart girl. As a matter of fact, it is a high efficiency heater, but I’m a farm girl so I pay attention to how things work. We turned off the heater right away. I was more worried about the rafters. They were groaning something fierce under the weight of all that snow.”

  “Wow,” Tess replied. “I didn’t even think about that.”

  When they arrived at the barn Kate insisted that Tess curl up on the sofa in the break room with a cup of hot tea, while Will pulled the sleigh back and forth a few more times to get the rest of the crew.

  By the time the whole family was gathered in the break room, Tess was finally warm again. And the price of her magic was nearly paid in full.

  Happily, she’d been able to hang back a bit, and no one had asked anything of her that she couldn’t answer honestly without making a fool of herself. Everything was going to be okay.

  Will had shifted back into his human form. He sat beside her on the lumpy sofa, his big body radiating delicious warmth.

  Across from them, Johnny held Neve in his lap on the floor. The fingers of her right hand absentmindedly caressed the shining ring on her left.

  Kate had the smaller kids sitting at the remaining plank table eating apple pie. Tess was glad she’d chosen the one she and Will had… christened, to make the sleigh. The thought of it brought a warm rush to her cheeks.

  Derek and Hedda were having a heated discussion in the corner. Tess wondered what could be going on with them. She knew she needed to have a serious talk with Hedda about the magic in the storm. But that could wait, for now.

  “I’m going to check on my sister,” she whispered to Will and got up.

  “Okay, baby,” he said, the words sending a little shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.

  Derek noticed her heading in their direction.

  “Tess,” he said with a smile. “Ethan’s on his way.”

  Oh, no.

  She tried not to make eye contact, but she could feel the words trying to spill out.

  “Do you—” Derek began.

  “—No, Derek. I won’t go on a date with your friend,” she said loudly.

  Tess was almost sure she’d allowed enough time to pass, but she must have used more magic than she thought. The price was still being paid.

  “I broke the irrigation pump,” she continued, unbidden. “I broke the cash register. And I slept with your brother.”

  Her words hung in the air of the suddenly silent room.

  “I was just going to ask if you wanted him to stop for some dry clothes for you,” Derek replied.

  “You broke the irrigation pump?” Kate asked.

  “You slept with his brother?” Hedda asked.

  “Don’t look at me,” Johnny said quickly. Neve slapped him on the head and rolled her eyes sympathetically at Tess.

  “She means Will,” Neve said. “Right?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do mean Will,” Tess replied immediately in a clear voice.

  Then she promptly burst into tears and ran from the room.

  14

  Tess’s feet carried her up the stairs. She pushed open the door to the Christmas-All-Year-Round Shoppe and dashed into the mini-forest of Christmas trees.

  It was dark in here, and felt reassuringly like being outside. The scent of the dried cranberry wreathes that lined the walls filled the air.

  The felt snow was soft under Tess’s feet. She went to the center of the room and curled up under a tree to finish crying. Though truthfully, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever stop.

  What an awful Christmas. It was just more proof that she ought to be holed up alone in a cabin on top of a mountain with a windowsill full of cats.

  The door creaked open and then clanked, as if it had been bolted shut.

  “Tess,” Will’s voice carried through the trees.

  She buried her head in her hands and bit her lip to stop herself from crying out loud. Maybe he wouldn’t find her.

  “Tess, please,” his voice was closer now.

  “Leave me alone,” she said, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing she could disappear.

  “Why are you hiding from me?” he asked.

  “Because I embarrassed you in front of everyone,” she sniffed.

  “Yeah, that was pretty funny,” He moved next to her on the pretend snow, until she could feel his warmth. “But I’m not embarrassed. Are you?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because I told everyone I broke everything,” she said plainly. “But especially because I said that I slept with you.”

  “Yes, that was a terrible lie, but we’re going to make that right as soon as we have an opportunity,” he replied.

  Tess stopped crying to stare at him, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.

  “I mean, sure, you had a mind-blowing orgasm, but I was left hanging, baby,” he said, winking at her and then running his finger down her arm lightly. “But why do I get the sense that I’m missing what you’re really upset about?”

  “Because you are missing it. I’m upset because I don’t know if you really like me or if you were just having fun. If you were just having fun then I’ve embarrassed myself and my sister and she may never forgive me.”

  “And if I really like you?” he asked.

  “Then I’ll be so happy because I like you a lot,” she said, then hid her head in her knees again. “It’s not fair, I don’t like having to tell you everything like this.”

  The room was quiet for a moment.

  “You’re right, it’s not fair for me to have a conversation like this with you when you’re stuck telling me the whole truth. But it’s irresistible, Tess,” he said at length. “I do like you, I like you a lot, as you said. And I feel like I know you better than I should after just a day, exactly because of this curse of yours. But that’s not the only reason.”

  He paused to stroke her hair, the weight of his big hand erasing tension she hadn’t known her hair could hold.

  “Tess, you’re amazing. You want to know how things work, you want to make them better, you care about helping people - you don’t just say it, you do it. I know you’re not sure yet what you want to do with your life, but whatever it is, I’m sure it’s going to be awesome. And, I hope you’ll do it by my side.”

  She looked up.

  Will was gazing down at her.

  “Wh-what are you saying?” she asked him.

  “I’m asking you to be my wife,” he told her seriously, his hazel eyes blazing.

  “After one day?” she asked.

  “Technically I was pretty sure after about six hours,” he admitted. “But it’s true I didn’t ask until just now. Do you want to marry me?”

  “Yes,” she said immediately, then covered her mouth with her hand.

  “I heard that, you can’t pretend you didn’t say it,” he teased her. “I’ll tell you what, I don’t have a ring, so you can test me out -
keep me as a fiancé on a trial basis, until they clear the roads and we can get to the jewelry store in Tarker’s Hollow. Does that sound okay?” he asked.

  But the magic had finally loosened its hold on Tess.

  Instead of answering she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him like he was going to war.

  He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her like she was a delicate flower, not the very sturdy woman she knew herself to be.

  She climbed onto his lap and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer, kissing him until she had to stop for a breath.

  “No more magic?” he asked sadly. “How will I know you’re not faking with me?”

  “You want me to be authentic?” she teased.

  He nodded enthusiastically.

  “Hm,” Tess said.

  “Hurry, woman, do some magic,” he urged her, lifting his hips to rock his very impressive erection against her.

  She was nearly distracted from her purpose. But then she remembered the trees around them. Of course.

  Tess closed her eyes and called on her magic. It came alive and slid eagerly into her fingertips.

  She sent it into the trees.

  One by one, their lights came on, filling the room with a soft glow. The bed of felt snow was illuminated in a rainbow of pastel colors.

  Will’s dear face was visible to her. He smiled and his love seemed to glow from within.

  Tess was safe. She was beloved.

  “Beautiful,” he sighed, and she didn’t know if he was calling her beautiful or the trees, but she didn’t care. Both were beautiful, she knew that now. She had seen it in his eyes.

  Will wrapped his hands in her hair and pulled her down to kiss him again. He tasted like home.

  Tess kissed him back for all she was worth.

  He flipped her over, laying her in the soft felt snow, and began removing his clothes.

  The soft light showed off the dark ridges and hollows between the planes of his muscles. He was breathtaking, like a living statue.

  He bent to help her remove the overalls and flannel she was wearing, kneeling over her when it was done for a long moment, looking down at her.