Doggone Ugly Creek

by Cheryel Hutton

  About halfway to her bedroom she stopped. “Miz F knew what I am.”

  I blinked, trying to think of something other than the obvious. “You mean that you’re a shapeshifter?”

  She nodded. “I don’t know how, but she knew.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “She talked to me like I was human.”

  “A lot of people do that.”

  Terri shook her head. “There’s a difference between the way a human speaks to a human and the way they talk to animals.”

  “Interesting.”

  “Then she said it had been a long time since she’d seen one of my kind.”

  My head went spinning without me. “How could she possibly know?”

  She shrugged. “You’d know more about that than I would.”

  Made sense, I guess, but I’d never thought about what was different about Terri, or Trixie, that would clue me in to the fact she was different. Then it hit me. “Your smell.”

  Terri’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  “I don’t mean it like that. You know how I’m always saying you smell vaguely like dog right after you shift back?”

  “Yeah, and I should probably be insulted.”

  “Probably,” I bit back the smile that would likely lead to being blasted by loud music every day for the foreseeable future. “The thing is, it never entirely goes away. Now that I think about it, Trixie smells a little like Terri too.”

  “Makes sense, I guess.”

  She plopped down beside me.

  “So, do I smell like Trixie?”

  I did an exaggerated sniffing exploration over her head, face, and shoulders. The girl had just showered, but sure enough, there was a lingering scent of dog. “Yeah, you do.”

  “In a bad way?”

  The worried expression on her face tore at my heart. “No. Just a slight, sweet scent. I’m not even sure I’d recognize it as canine if we hadn’t been talking about it. It’s stronger right after you shift,

  “Hm, glad I don’t stink.”

  “I would never have agreed to spend an entire year with you if you were a stinky mutt.”

  “Trixie’s not a mutt.” She hugged me anyway and headed off to bed.

  Before I could start thinking about one handsome beach bum and if he’d ever get past the whole doggie-cousin thing, I forced myself up and toward my bed. I had to believe Ace and I could work things out, or I’d probably melt into a puddle of tears. I loved the damn man. I couldn’t help myself.

  I’d come to Ugly Creek to learn to live without the responsibility of another person. Instead, I was living with an irresponsible shapeshifter and involved with a man who couldn’t even keep up with his phone.

  I spent the night waking up every few hours wondering how I’d managed to get myself tied up in responsibility all over again.

  The sun was coming up when I woke with Ace’s words in my head. “You aren’t responsible for your cousin’s actions.” Wasn’t that true? Terri and Ace were perfectly capable adults. Neither of them needed me to take care of them.

  With this startling insight, I covered up my head and resolved to sleep till noon. That plan only lasted an hour or so when my phone rang. “Hello,” I mumbled, my eyes still closed.

  “When you get a chance, could you come down here? I’d really like somebody to talk to.”

  Chapter 18

  I pushed open the door to Blackwood Antiques with a stomach full of worry. Stephie was with a customer, but she smiled and mouthed thank you. I wandered around, enjoying the variety of items in their store.

  A few minutes later, the woman left, and Stephie headed my way.

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “No problem. What’s going on? You sounded upset.”

  She nodded and indicated the sales counter. “Would you like some coffee first?”

  “I’d love some,” I told her.

  We went over to the counter, and she poured two mugs. “You know about the FBI agent being the dognapper, right?”

  “I was there when he was arrested. Let me tell you, he’s not a nice man.”

  Stephie nodded. “I heard you were there, but I don’t trust rumors.”

  “Don’t blame you.”

  She took a deep breath. “Because he’s a criminal, all of his work on the break-in at Z-Com Tech is now under suspicion. Even his partner was pulled off the investigation. Two new agents have taken over, and they’re basically starting from scratch.”

  My heart tore and sank to my belly. “Oh no. Poor Steve and Liza!”

  “I’m sorry to drag you here. I know I could have told you all this on the phone.” Tears filled Stephie’s eyes and she blinked them away. “The thing is, Jake went out there, and I stayed to keep the store open. It didn’t take long for me to realize I couldn’t stand being here by myself.”

  “Don’t feel bad about calling me, Stephie. I’m your friend. Friends are there for each other.” I smiled. “Besides, coming here and looking at all the things you have is hardly an imposition. More like a treat.”

  The sound of the door caught my attention, and I turned to see Aunt Octavia stroll in.

  Stephie rushed to hug the gray-haired woman, who wore a bright orange track suit today. They embraced, then Psychic Woman took Stephie’s hand and proceeded to rub her finger over Stephie’s palm. “Good tidings await you very soon.”

  Stephie frowned, but said, “Thank you,” and hugged Aunt Octavia again.

  When the woman turned to me, I forced a smile. “Hello again.”

  “So you were visited by the wise one. What an honor!”

  “Um, wise one?”

  A knowing smile pulled at her lips. “She of the golden horn.”

  My jaw damn near hit my chest. “You mean the unicorn?”

  “Such a crass name for so regal and ancient a creature.”

  She touched her fingers to my cheek.

  “You should be honored to have been chosen.”

  “It said something about me untangling something. Any idea what that means?”

  “You will understand at the proper time.”

  “Thanks. That was so not helpful.”

  The knowing smile was back. “What fun would it be if we knew everything?”

  She turned and was almost at the door, while I stood there looking stupid. Then it hit me. “How did you know I saw a unicorn?”

  She turned that knowing smile on me again.

  “To those who know what to look for, it’s obvious.”

  With that she walked out the door.

  “You saw a unicorn?”

  My face went hot and I shrugged. “That’s what it looked like.”

  Stephie chuckled. “Trust me, if it looked like a unicorn, it was a unicorn. This is Ugly Creek, after all.”

  I dropped into one of the tall stools behind the counter. “What is it with this place?”

  She squeezed my shoulder as she walked behind me to perch on the other stool. “There are theories, but nobody really knows why this area seems to exist on some other plane.”

  “Psychic aunts, unicorns, Bigfoot.”

  “Faeries, aliens, leprechauns, oh my.”

  She had to be pulling my leg. “Aliens as in not from this country?”

  She slowly shook her head. “Aliens as in not from this planet. Or maybe this reality, I’m not sure how it works.”

  Wow! “Thank you for opening up about the creatures around here. Nobody else will tell me anything.”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t that long ago that I was wondering if I were losing my mind because I was seeing furry critters. Turns out, Bigfoot is the least weird thing you’re likely to see.”

  I started to ask about the faeries, but the opening of the door interrupted me. When Jake walked in, Stephie rushed to him, but it was the man behind him that caught my attention. Ace met my gaze, and I saw him swallow. For a few seconds, we were the only people on earth. Then what Jake was saying sank in.

  “The place
is swarming with government agents, and they were very clear they didn’t want anybody there who wasn’t involved with the case. We finally gave up and left.”

  “I thought they were only sending two other agents.” Stephie’s face had lost some of its color.

  “That’s what Steve thought too. There are two who are running the investigation, but they brought an army with them.”

  “I so want to take a baseball bat to that Killian jerk.” Anger roughened Ace’s words.

  I turned toward him. His mouth was set in a straight line, and his eyes flashed anger like I hadn’t seen on him before. “Ace,” it came out as a whisper.

  “He has no respect for anything or anybody. He kidnaps dogs for profit, and now, because of that, Steve and Liza have to go through more crap.” He looked at his feet, his chest rising and falling in a hard rhythm.

  My hand touched his arm before I realized what I’d done. His gaze captured mine, and heat moved through me. Great, my friends were falling apart all around me, and my traitorous body was thinking pleasure. “I’ll help you,” I said. “With the bat.”

  His lips twitched. “Thanks, but you already had your shot.”

  I cringed. “Yep, that’s me. Punched a federal agent while a cop was holding him. Go me.”

  He chuckled. “I can see it now, big awesome FBI dude tells the judge how a little redheaded spitfire punched him.”

  My face went hot. “Well, when you put it like that.”

  Jake and Stephie were deep in conversation. It was time to go away.

  “I’m leaving, you guys,” Ace said, before I could get the words out myself. “There’s nothing we can do, and I have to get ready for the tar and feathering tonight.”

  “Can’t they change the meeting date?” I asked.

  “They could,” Jake said, “but they won’t.”

  Ace shook his head. “Carlisle and Vanetti would raise hell”

  “We’ll be at the meeting,” Stephie said, and pulled Ace into a hug.

  “Absolutely.” Jake shook Ace’s hand.

  There were goodbyes, and Ace and I walked to the street where both our vehicles were parked.

  I was taking my time, wondering what to say, when I realized Ace had stopped. I looked where he was looking, but there didn’t seem to be anything there.

  “This is a beautiful little town,” he said.

  “It really is.”

  “I let myself get too attached, to forget that reality always destroys the dream.”

  He looked at me.

  “I started to believe I could have it all.”

  My stomach twisted sideways. “What are you talking about?”

  He took my hand in his, and I saw tears glistening in those incredible green eyes. “I don’t want to leave Ugly Creek.”

  My heart banged against my ribs so hard my chest hurt. “You won’t have to leave.”

  His somber smile told a story of hurt suffered over years, and it was all I could do not to throw myself into his arms and sob with him until we were both drained. Years of experience kicked in, and I shoved my feelings back into the abyss I’d hidden them in most of my life. “Your friends aren’t going to let a couple of sour-hearted old varmints force you away from your home.”

  “There may not be anything you can do.”

  An odd tingle rushed through me, and my mouth went on autopilot. “This is Ugly Creek. Anything is possible.”

  His smile was weak, but I was glad to see it nonetheless.

  “You’re buying into that?”

  I leaned closer to him and whispered, “I saw a unicorn.”

  His smile widened. “Writers!”

  I smiled back. “It’s true. I really did see one.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You’re making that up.”

  “Nope. Saw her in the woods. Freaked me out.”

  He was still looking at me with suspicion, so I continued the story. “Aunt Octavia calls them ‘wise ones’.”

  “So you told Aunt Octavia?”

  “No. She just looked at me and knew. I asked about what it said, and she told me I’d understand about the untangling when the time is right.”

  He leaned toward me, some of the connection we’d shared reflected in his face. “The unicorn talked to you?”

  “Actually more like ESP, but yeah, it communicated. Between the unicorn and the psychic, they have me totally confused. Apparently I have somebody’s house key and I’m supposed to help them untangle their knitting.”

  Ace chuckled and my heart leaped.

  “I doubt that’s whatever she, or the unicorn, said is supposed to mean.”

  I did an exaggerated eye roll. “I suppose Aunt Octavia is right and I’ll have to wait until the ‘proper time’ and then it’ll be all clear and stuff.”

  He wrapped his arms around me.

  “Sweetheart, you could almost make me believe in forever.”

  I was trying to wrap my head around what he’d just said as he touched his lips gently to mine. Then turned and walked away.

  Chapter 19

  The meeting room was just inside the town hall entrance and took up a good third of the building. Still, most of the seats were filled, and the number of mulling citizens had to far outnumber the few remaining chairs.

  I pushed through the mob, determined to find out how Ace was holding up. A familiar voice had me cringing, and I looked toward the source. There was Miz Carlisle, dressed in one of her familiar housedresses, this one white with a pattern of pink and yellow flowers. With her were Vanetti and a couple of middle-age-crabby-looking folks. She pontificated on how things had gone to hell since Ugly Creek had started letting “all kinds” live there.

  In an effort to prevent myself from going to jail for smacking an old lady around, I forced myself to focus on looking for Ace.

  Toward one side of the room I saw Lily. I smiled, hoping she saw me. Odd, when her gaze briefly touched mine, she turned and spoke to the man next to her. Then she headed out the door without looking my way. A couple of minutes later, the man turned toward the hallway and an alert sounded in my brain. His gaze was down and he wore a ball cap, but I recognized him.

  What the hell was Lily Bennett doing with one of the head security guys at Z-Com Tech?

  I slipped out of the room to the wide hall in time to see the man round the corner toward the side exit. I followed slowly, hoping I could get close enough to check out the situation without being seen. I could really use Terri’s canine ears, but there was no answer to my text.

  I peeked out the glass door and saw Lily and the security dude standing toe-to-toe in a corner formed by the outside wall and some foliage. The shadow of a big tree provided additional cover, making it clear they wanted privacy.

  I surreptitiously watched them gaze at each other while I slipped out the door and circled around to a point where I could hear them, but they couldn’t see me.

  “We need to leave tonight,” the security guy said.

  “Not just yet.” Lily said. “I still have things to arrange.”

  “What if they figure it out? I could go to jail.”

  “They won’t figure anything out.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “It’ll be fine, Ronnie.”

  Lily’s low, sexy voice aimed at a man who wasn’t her husband made me want to smack her. Ken seemed like a great guy, I couldn’t believe his own wife would treat him like that.

  “I’d better get going. The more we’re together the bigger risk of being seen.”

  “Go ahead, I need to get back in there and do my bit to support Ace.”

  A few seconds later Ronnie took off toward the parking lot. Soon after that, Lily came into my sight briefly as she headed back toward the side door.

  I edged back into the shadows until I was sure both of them were long gone, then strolled around the building toward the front. As I went, I pulled my cell from my pocket. The phone had vibrated while I watched Lily and friend and I couldn’t check it. I w
asn’t surprised the text was from Terri, or that I saw my cousin heading toward me from the direction of the parking lot.

  As soon as she got close, she asked, “Did you need something?”

  “I could have used Sleuth Dog’s super hearing, but I managed with stealthy spying.”

  She frowned. “What’s up?”

  “Long story. Let’s go let Ace know we’re here for him, and I’ll explain later.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  She wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

  “Let’s go support our Ace.”

  I wanted to say my Ace, but that was silly.

  Terri, with her canine senses, had no problem heading directly to the man of the hour. He sat in the front row surrounded by some people I didn’t know and several I did, including Jake and Stephie.

  Terri hugged him.

  “Thanks for being here,” he told her.

  When she moved back, his gaze met mine. He stood and pulled me into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  He kept hold of me as he turned back to his seat, where the spot beside him magically opened for me. He spoke with the people around him, but he never let go of my hand.

  A few minutes later, newly appointed Mayor Sophie Paradise called the meeting to order. For almost two hours, ordinary business was discussed. Then the topic the crowd had been waiting for came up for discussion: the zoning change.

  The proposal was read then Miz Carlisle spoke. “Ugly Creek is a quiet place because we’ve always been selective about the type of people we allow to live in this town. Outsiders have always been required to meet our standards before they were allowed to join our community. Sadly, over the last few years our little town seems to have stopped expecting perspective new citizens to meet those traditional standards. As an example, Ace Ellison was allowed to move into our community and with him has come a plague of loud, nasty, dangerous mutts. His home is overrun with these animals, and they frequently find their way into the community. These filthy creatures represent both a blight on our community, and a very real danger to those of us who live here in Ugly Creek. We have a moral obligation to rid ourselves of this kind of problem, so let’s do what should have been done long ago. Let’s zone our beloved community to prevent small businesses from blighting our neighborhoods. Thank you.”