by J. L. Farey
Table of Contents
A Note from Kristen Painter
1
2
3
4
5
EPILOGUE
A Note from Kristen Painter
Dear Reader,
Nocturne Falls has become a magical place for so many people, myself included. Over and over I’ve heard from you that it’s a town you’d love to visit and even live in! I can tell you that writing the books is just as much fun for me.
With your enthusiasm for the series in mind – and your many requests for more books – the Nocturne Falls Universe was born. It’s a project near and dear to my heart, and one I am very excited about.
I hope these new, guest-authored books will entertain and delight you. And best of all, I hope they allow you to discover some great new authors! (And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the Nocturne Falls Universe offerings.)
For more information about the Nocturne Falls Universe, visit http://kristenpainter.com/sugar-skull-books/
In the meantime, happy reading!
Kristen Painter
THE NYMPH TIES THE KNOT
A Nocturne Falls Universe Story
Copyright © 2018 by J. L. Farey
Cover design by Rebecca Poole
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction and was made possible by a special agreement with Sugar Skull Books, but hasn’t been reviewed or edited by Kristen Painter. All characters, events, scenes, plots and associated elements appearing in the original Nocturne Falls series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kristen Painter, Sugar Skull Books and their affiliates or licensors.
Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or Sugar Skull Books.
Published in the United States of America.
To Nic, my soulmate.
1
“Laurel! Where do you want the potted palms?”
Pushing a stray hank of hair out of her eyes, Laurel Barker—owner of the Mount Olympus Nursery and Garden Center, which she’d opened at the edge of Nocturne Falls, but only after Marigold Williams, owner of the Enchanted Garden, had assured her there was plenty of business for both of them—looked up from her clipboard. “Over there.” She pointed with the non-business end of a ball-point pen.
Jason Raza grunted and returned to work. Laurel grunted back, then laughed at herself. Jason was an interesting fellow. A bit shy and prone to monosyllabic communication, she’d had her doubts about hiring him, but he’d turned out to be a hard worker and popular with the customers. But, when it came to customer favorites, no one ranked higher than Bailey. Laurel looked over at the black-and-white, pit-bull mix lounging on a colorful beach blanket beside the cashier station. He was in his element, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth and nose pointed in the air, while a young mother and her toddler crouched beside him, scratching behind his ears and treating him like the big deal he knew he was.
Knowing full well he could hear her, Laurel whispered in his direction. “You are such an attention hog.”
His response was to sigh, lower his head, and roll over so the now-giggling child could scratch his belly.
The mom looked up at Laurel. “I hope you don’t mind. Scotty just loves dogs. When we saw yours, we had to come in.”
“No problem at all. That’s why I bring Bailey with me. He complains if I leave him home.”
The woman nodded. “Barks till you do what he wants, huh?”
“Something like that.” More like reminding her, quite convincingly thanks to his British accent, that his presence brought in customers. If the woman was a supe, Laurel would have said that. But, she wasn’t. “How long are you visiting Nocturne Falls?”
An odd expression crossed the woman’s face, as if she’d thought of something unpleasant. “How did you know we were visiting?”
Laurel shrugged. “It’s a small town. Since I haven’t seen you before, you’re either moving in or visiting. I took a guess.”
“Good guess.” She hesitated, then added, “I’m Crystal, by the way.”
“Laurel Barker. I own the place.” She motioned with her hand like an overzealous model at a car show. “The nursery. Not the town.”
“I know.” Crystal’s eyes widened. “I mean, I know you didn’t mean you own the town. That’s just silly. Who owns a town?”
“The Ellinghams,” Laurel answered without thinking.
“What?”
“Never mind.” Time to move the conversation back to safer footing. “If you want a living souvenir to take along, I can recommend a few things. Succulents travel well. But if you decide to browse the cacti, be careful around the Angel Hair. They come off all soft and fluffy, but the needles are deceptively sharp.”
“Thanks for the warning, but we have to get going. I’ve got an appointment—” Crystal seemed about to say more but shut her mouth abruptly. She ruffled Scotty’s wavy, golden-brown hair, then took his hand and stood up. “Come on, honey bear. Time to go.”
Scotty made an unhappy face. Bailey’s mournful wail didn’t help.
“Puppy’s sad,” Scotty said.
Crystal nodded patiently. “I know, but we’ll come back. Promise. Now tell the puppy goodbye.”
Bailey jumped up, and Scotty hugged him in a stranglehold. “Goodbye, puppy.”
“Before you go, I’ve got something for you.” Laurel took a square paper out of the top pocket of her utility vest and handed it to Crystal.
The round sticker featured a picture of Bailey’s head in all his doggy-smiling glory, surrounded by the words, I hugged Bailey at the Mount Olympus Nursery.
Crystal laughed. “This must happen fairly often.”
“He’s something of a local celebrity. I may have to start a fan club.”
Scotty tugged on the hem of his mom’s t-shirt. “What is it?”
She peeled the sticker from the paper and read the words to him as she put it on the chest of his shirt. “Now everybody will know you and Bailey are friends.”
The boy grinned and hugged Bailey again, this time with enough enthusiasm that Laurel was certain the dog’s eyes bugged out a bit. After a final thank you and another promise to return, Crystal and her son left the nursery.
Usually, Laurel enjoyed interacting with tourists. But for some reason, the exchange left her feeling uneasy. “Something about that was off.” She looked down at Bailey. “What do you think?”
“I think that’s one strong boy,” he said, scratching his neck with his back paw.
“But you didn’t think anything was weird?”
“I think all humans are weird.” With that, he flopped back down on his blanket, splayed out like a bearskin rug in front of a mountain lodge fireplace.
“Thanks for the input.” She reached over the counter and grabbed one of his favorite treats, then dropped it in front of his nose. “And thanks for helping with the customers.”
Bailey was happily chomping on his treat as Laurel walked through the nursery. She went past flats of bedding plants, containers of every color and kind of flower imaginable, and pots of bushes and ferns. The farther she went, the taller the plants got, until she was surrounded by young trees in huge, wooden tubs.
Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and stretched out her arms. As s
he let the breath out, she became aware of a light movement in the air. It was as if all the trees where whispering their greetings and encouraging her. She couldn’t make out words, but she understood just the same. Head tilted back, she grinned up at the sky, lifting her arms and reaching for the sun like the branches around her.
“You’re beautiful when you’re communing with nature.”
The familiar sound of a deep male voice brought her arms down, palms slapping against her thighs, but the smile stayed on her face. Aiden Morris leaned against a decorative concrete pillar, arms crossed and head cocked to the side. His lips quirked into a grin that would have been downright lecherous coming from anyone else.
“And you,” she said, taking slow, measured steps toward him, “are incredibly sexy when you’re spying on people.”
“It’s my specialty. Around the station I’m known as the super-sexy-deputy-sheriff.”
Laurel put her arms around his waist and looked up into his honey-colored eyes. “I thought that was Wade,” she said, referring to his partner and good-natured competitor.
He frowned, and a growl rumbled in his throat. “I think you’re confused.”
“Oops.” She fluttered her eyelashes innocently. “Maybe you can help straighten me out.”
“My pleasure.”
One arm tightened around her as he pulled her close, while his other palm cradled the back of her head. Laurel melted into his kiss. She could have stayed there indefinitely in their own little bubble, but her customers had other plans.
“Yes, we have lots of trees! They’re in the back! I’ll show you!” Jason’s voice, overly-loud and with the emphasis in all the wrong places, broke in on her intimate moment.
Aiden took a step back and laughed. “No one will ever accuse him of being subtle.”
Laurel looped her arm through his. “And no one ever accused me of giving up.” She pulled him farther into her mini-forest.
“You miss it, don’t you?”
“Miss what?”
“Your tree.”
She glanced up at Aiden. “Between our home and this place, I’m surrounded. How can I miss them?”
Aiden stopped and turned to face her. “I mean Horatio. The tree you were soul-bound to.”
A bittersweet memory came with the mention of Horatio, the oak she’d rescued before it could be bulldozed to build a golf course. Horatio was the reason she’d come to Nocturne Falls in the first place. And it was in Nocturne Falls that a very bad man from her past had tracked her down and killed Horatio in a lighter-fluid-fed blaze. If Aiden hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t taken over the binding, Laurel would have died, too.
“Sure, I miss Horatio. What Dillon did to him was horrible.” She put her palm against Aiden’s chest. “But what you did, that was amazing.”
The lighthearted twinkle in his eyes was replaced with an unusual seriousness. “Then you’re happy with the way things are now? Between us?”
“Of course. Are you?”
“Absolutely. I just—” An old-school ping-pong sounded, signaling a text. Aiden pulled his cell from his back pocket and checked the screen. “It’s Wade.”
“I guess your break is over.”
Aiden nodded. “Duty calls.” He smiled and kissed her on the nose. It was adorable, and it was something Aiden had never done before. “I’ll see you at home.”
He was walking away when Laurel called after him. “I’ve got dinner tonight.”
Without missing a beat, he pivoted, pointed a finger in her direction, said, “Thanks for the warning,” then faced front and kept on going.
Laurel leaned against the edge of a wooden container and watched him walk away until he turned a corner and left her sight. Above her, skinny branches dotted with young, bright-green leaves swayed with the breeze. Aiden was right. She did miss Horatio. Being soul bound with a tree was quite different than sharing that bond with a human. With Horatio, it had been a mutual sharing of energy and support, as if their life forces fed each other. The connection she’d felt to her tree was convivial, like she’d feel for a close friend or one of her sisters. But her connection to Aiden was so much more. She’d been falling in love with him even before the binding, but after, it was more than romantic love. It was a completeness, a unity of heart and mind, of feelings and desires. He was, quite literally, her soul mate.
Which is why that sweet little peck on her nose still bothered her. He was hiding something.
BY THE TIME SHE GOT home that evening, Laurel was exhausted. On a normal day, she’d dig a pizza out of the freezer and pop it in the oven. Instead, she searched the kitchen and came up with the ingredients for Aiden's favorite dinner. She tossed a package of steaks on the counter, followed by a broccoli crown, and two potatoes for baking. Because today wasn’t normal. Not the way she was feeling—like something bad lurked just around the corner, waiting to spring.
The front door burst open, slamming against the wall with a bang. “Hello!”
Laurel gasped and spun around, holding up the knife she’d been using on the broccoli. Surprise turned to annoyance when she saw her sister, Aurora, posing in the doorway as if she’d just received a standing ovation.
“What are you doing here?”
Aurora sashayed into the room. “Do I need a reason to visit my favorite sister?”
Laurel laid the knife on the cutting board and wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Yes. Especially after you left without saying goodbye.”
Six months earlier, Aurora had joined her and Aiden on a trip to Nashville, where they’d exonerated Aiden’s father in the murder of his former business partner and even caught the real culprit. You’d think an experience like that would forge a bond between sisters, but Aurora’s disappearing act proved otherwise.
“Oh, that.” Aurora wrinkled her nose. “I thought it was best to make a clean break.”
“From your sister?”
“What? No, not you. Wade. He was getting too attached. And you know me, when I decide to go, I go.” She sat on the couch beside Bailey, who immediately laid his head in her lap. “I thought you’d understand.”
Yeah, she understood. Her sister was selfish, impulsive, and single-minded. It would be one thing if any of it were caused by meanness. But Aurora was a free-spirited forest nymph who communed with nature and was generally the queen of all she surveyed. Laurel couldn’t stay mad at her for being who she was.
“Okay. You’re forgiven.”
“Oh good. What a relief that is.” Aurora let out an exaggerated sigh, then giggled as she scratched Bailey’s ears.
“You’re spoiling him,” Laurel said, returning to meal prep.
Aurora shook her head. “Impossible. A little love never spoiled anybody. I’m surprised his girlfriend hasn’t shown herself, though.” She looked around the room. “Where is Lola?”
Lola, a one hundred percent non-magical, non-talking, normal golden lab, had joined their family after she and Bailey bonded in Nashville. Laurel noted the little whine he made at the mention of her name. “Aiden took her to work with him. She’s helping out with the mentoring program.”
“Doing what?” Aurora gaped, obviously not expecting such news.
Laurel smiled with gratification. It wasn’t every day she was able to surprise her sister. “It turns out Lola is a great emotional support dog. The mentees love her.”
“Of course they do. What’s not to love? Right?” Aurora rubbed Bailey’s jowls and got a sloppy kiss in return. She laughed and wiped drool off her cheek with the back of her hand. “He agrees.”
“Are you staying for dinner?” Laurel asked, looking at the two steaks in front of her. “I think I can stretch this out for three of us.”
Before Aurora could answer, Lola ran in through the still-open front door with Aiden close behind.
“Why’s the door open? Any old varmint can run right in.” Aiden stopped in his tracks when he saw Aurora. “I rest my case.”
Aurora puckered her lips in an air kis
s. “Always good to see you, too, Aiden.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.”
Laurel looked over her shoulder. “Soon? It’s been six months.”
“What? Oh, yeah. I meant I wasn’t expecting to see her at all.”
There it was again. The way he stammered and looked away, like there was something he should tell her but wasn’t. “Are you okay?”
“Great. Hey, I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Wade to dinner. He’s right behind me.”
“Literally.” Wade walked in, noticed Aurora, then did an about-face for the door.
Aiden grabbed his arm and turned him back around. “Oh no you don’t.”
Laurel bit her lip. Maybe this explained the weird vibe coming off Aiden. Aurora and Wade were like oil and vinegar. When they were mixed together, they could combine into something wonderful, but only temporarily. They could be in for a bumpy evening.
“Hey Wade,” Laurel waved in his direction as she turned and checked the fridge for more steak.
Aurora moved to Wade. “You don’t look very happy to see me. It’s all right. I don’t bite.”
He glared at her, his bright-blue cat eyes narrowing. “I do.”
“Promises, promises.” Her laugh popped in the room like champagne bubbles. Then she turned to Aiden. “Is your other cabin available for rent?”
“It is. Are you planning to stay for a while?”
“I am.”
The room was silent as they waited for more information. When she failed to provide any, Laurel motioned to the hooks by the door. “There’s a spare key right there.”
Aiden snatched it up. “I’ll take you over. Make sure you get settled.”
A minute later, they were gone.
“That was weird,” Wade said, confirming Laurel’s feelings before she could voice them.
“I’ve been feeling that way all day,” Laurel said. “Must be something in the air.”
“Must be.” Wade wandered into the kitchen and stood at the counter beside Laurel. “Can I ask you a question?”
