This time it was Clint who answered. “Ginger says brain aneurysm, but one of her friends at The Egg says it was his heart. Whatever it was, the autopsy will find that he died of natural causes.”
Silas shook his head. “Do we really believe that?”
“Nope,” Travis said with certainty.
“What then?” Silas snapped.
Travis and Clint shared a look, before Clint said, “Travis found a few crumbs of cake in the cell with the body.”
“Frannie Smith,” Silas said, and both the men nodded.
It was murder, he supposed, but with someone as potentially powerful as Pierce what choice had they had? They couldn’t have let him go, not even into the hands of a law enforcement agency in Florida. His magic, his power, would’ve still been in force for days after he left town, and there was no telling what he might’ve done. Frannie had done them a huge favor.
“I hope you’re not as deadly as our last mayor,” Silas said to Clint, and then he left. The walls had been closing in on him; he needed fresh air.
He needed to see Gabi.
He walked from the small city government building, down Main Street, to Gabi’s street. There was no one else out and about, no one nearby to distract him,
Gabi could leave anytime it suited her. Would she? If she left, would he go with her? Did she want him to? Would she allow it? He wouldn’t follow her, wouldn’t become what she feared most. He would not be the reason she looked over her shoulder and locked the doors at night, even if it hurt like hell to watch her walk away.
He loved her. He didn’t dare tell her. He’d seen the expression on her face when Pierce had said those words. He’d used them to manipulate her. I love you had never meant anything to him.
Silas knocked; Judge barked, but it was a welcoming bark. Gabi opened the door within a few seconds. She smiled. That was a good sign.
Silas didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t an eloquent speaker. In the past he’d sometimes gone days without speaking a word to another human. Dogs, yes. Humans? Not so much.
So he said the first thing that came to his mind.
“I’d like to claim that drawer.”
When Mystic Springs held a festival, they did it right. People Gabi had never seen before came to Main Street to sell or share their wares. She didn’t know many of them, but others obviously did. They were Springers. The street was lined with tables where goods were displayed. Quilts; homemade bread; jam; honey; wooden decorations and toys; and plants in small pots.
The weather was perfect, sunny and mild with the occasional fluffy cloud set in a striking blue sky. She’d come to expect that for any and all special occasions. Now she knew why. It would never rain on a Mystic Springs parade.
Jenna had succeeded, somewhat, in her plan to rid the town of Non-Springers. The only ones left knew the secrets of Mystic Springs. Everyone was showing off today, because they could. Children were entertained by bubbles and rainbows that appeared out of nowhere. Janie Holbrook made plants grow with a wave of her hand, to an appreciative audience.
Ivy’s table of generous samples was always crowded, and now Gabi knew why. No calories! If only she’d known earlier…
She was sure there was dark magic in and around the town, as well as light. It only made sense. This town was different but it was a part of the world, with good and bad, love and hate. But for today there were bubbles and rainbows, and cookies that had zero calories and tasted like heaven.
Gabi loaded up on potted plants, both vegetables and flowers. She bought a few, then Janie gave her more as a gift. She’d have a garden this year, for the first time ever. Tomatoes and zucchini, banana peppers and basil. She bought bread and jam, and a simple white “Home Sweet Home” carving. It seemed appropriate, and she had the perfect place to hang it, in her living room near the front door.
Blake was dead. His body had been shipped home for burial a couple of days ago. Good riddance. He had no family left and she seriously doubted he had any real friends, but he did have business partners. It was best not to leave them hanging, though she had to admit, there would’ve been some satisfaction in just dumping his body in the river.
Maybe she should be sorry, but she wasn’t. There were moments she felt guilty that she didn’t mourn him in any way, but she knew now that the man she’d once loved had never existed. He’d been a fabrication; a mirage. A conman.
Blake was gone, and she no longer had to live in fear. No more looking over her shoulder, or fearing what might wait in dark shadows.
Last night after Silas left, she forgot to lock the door behind him.
She could go anywhere she wanted to go, now, without fearing who might be right behind her. But why would she leave? She had friends here, a thriving business, a home.
And she had Silas. Their relationship was still new, in so many ways, but she felt as if she’d known him forever. As if she’d needed him and never realized it. Even more, she realized that he needed her. It was a good feeling, to be needed. To be loved.
Neither of them had said the words yet. She wasn’t ready. Silas had bitten his lip a time or two, and she knew why. He understood why she distrusted those words. He held them in for her sake, not because he didn’t feel them. That only made her love him more.
She wasn’t psychic, but she did possess her own share of women’s intuition.
Several people stopped to admire the sign she and Cindy had painted on the window of her newly acquired business. She would’ve made a mess of the job without Cindy’s help, but she was proud of the finished product.
Hair Lair was painted on the front window in tall and curvy but readable letters in soothing shades of green and beneath, in small blue letters, Cindy had added, I’m a beautician, not a magician.
People walking the sidewalk on this beautiful Saturday afternoon stopped to admire the sign and the notation at the bottom. Several of them laughed. A few made note of the number she’d added to the front door. The number of her shiny new cell phone.
Next she really needed to spruce up that customer waiting area. It looked as if she might be needing it in the coming weeks.
She was walking back toward the street, after stashing the last round of purchases on her dining room table, when she saw Silas in the distance. He held Mia close, while she tackled an ice cream cone that was almost as big as her head. Even from a distance Gabi could see that Mia had dripped ice cream all over herself, and all over Silas as well. He smiled anyway, not seeming to care. It wasn’t a big deal. He had a couple of spare shirts at her place, stored in his drawer along with a couple of other necessities.
Judge stood by Silas’s side, admiring the ice cream cone with a look that expressed his envy. Gabi patted her pocket, making sure she had a few of the doggie treats she’d made that morning handy. Ivy had given her the recipe a couple of days ago, and they were already a favorite of the bloodhound. Judge continued to stay close to Mia, but not quite as intensely as he had during the past couple of weeks. The danger was over. Somehow, the dog knew.
The connection between the child and the bloodhound was its own kind of magic, one that wasn’t contained by the protections over the town. No matter where they went the connection, the love, would remain.
Gabi said hello to a couple of customers on her way to Silas. They smiled and waved. Everyone seemed to know everything in this town, so they realized that they no longer had to hide who they were from her. She hoped they knew they were accepted as they were. Even the Milhouses. So, werewolves had no manners. What had she expected?
Mia was a bigger mess up close than she’d appeared to be from a distance. Strawberry ice cream was everywhere. Gabi laughed at the sight, took a treat from her pocket and gave it to an appreciative Judge, and reached for her daughter. Silas spun around, holding Mia tighter, thwarting Gabi’s attempt.
“You’re the only one of us who’s not sticky,” he said, laughing. “I’ll carry her until we can get her home for a change of clothes.”
�
�If you insist,” Gabi said, laying a hand on his arm and smiling. She had a lot to smile about, these days.
He leaned down to kiss her. Just a quick peck on her lips. That kiss, simple as it was, said so much.
“I love you,” she said instinctively. She didn’t regret the words once they were out of her mouth. It was the truth.
Silas grinned widely. His eyes said finally! “I love you, too.”
Mia didn’t want to be left out. She kissed Silas on the cheek and dropped what was left of her ice cream cone down the front of his shirt.
That last glob of ice cream made clean clothes an imperative, so they headed back toward the house for a change. Maybe a nap for Mia and a shower for Silas. They were just past Mike and Cindy’s house when Silas said,
“One day, I’m going to ask you to marry me.”
The light that filled Gabi’s heart was unlike anything she’d ever known. She hooked her arm through Silas’s and leaned into him. “One day, I’m going to say yes.”
About the Author
Linda's first book, the historical romance Guardian Angel, was released in 1994, and in the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight, writing as Linda Fallon) in the paranormal category. She’s a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than seventy books. Most recently she's been writing as Linda Jones in a couple of joint projects with Linda Howard, and re-releasing some of her backlist in e-book format.
Sign up for Linda’s newsletter here!
www.lindawinsteadjones.com
[email protected]
Also by Linda Winstead Jones
Mystic Springs
Bigfoot and the Librarian
Santa and the Snow Witch, a novella
Beauty and the Beastmaster
Romantic Suspense
Bridger’s Last Stand
Clint’s Wild Ride
Running Scared
Wilder Days
Time Travel Romance
Desperado’s Gold
On a Wicked Wind
Fairy Tale Romance
Into the Woods
DeButy and the Beast
Someone’s Been Sleeping in My Bed
Big Bad Wolf
Let Me Come In
Cinderfella
One Day, My Prince
Jackie and the Giant
Let Down Your Hair
Fantasy/Paranormal
The Sun Witch
The Moon Witch
The Star Witch
Western Historical Romance
Sullivan
Jed
Cash
For more, visit Linda’s website!
Beauty and the Beastmaster (Mystic Springs Book 3) Page 18
