Holding Out For A Hero: SEALs, Soldiers, Spies, Cops, FBI Agents and Rangers

by Piñeiro, Caridad

  “It made perfect sense. You think you’re so special, you tie up our town’s contractor when we need him for emergency repairs. You tie up the deliveries with supplies to make all those fancy changes to the Henderson place. You think you can get some kind of special deal by cozying up to Gideon, but I’m here to tell you, you’ll be getting nothing from him.”

  “Look, lady, I don’t know what your problem is, but it’s not me. I’ve got as much right to hire anyone I want, how I pay for the work is my business, and since you’re so well informed, I’m sure you’re aware that Gideon made the bid on my repairs long before this,” she waved her hand at the stained walkway, “happened. So don’t be spewing your snotty-ass attitude all over me. I didn’t do anything to deserve that nastiness and I’ll be damned if I’ll tolerate it.”

  Well, go her. Miki tamped down a slightly hysterical giggle. She seemed to be getting over her confrontation issues. Maybe this town was good for her.

  Before the older woman could snap out her response, a meow at her feet caught their attention. Both glanced down, Miki in surprise, Fish-Face in horror, at the black cat wrapping its way around Miki’s ankle.

  “What is that?”

  “I’d heard they didn’t stick around, but even so, you must recognize a cat.”

  “You moved here with a cat?” Fish-Face clarified.

  “Nope, the cat showed up and adopted me.” Miki leaned down and picked it up, glad to have the comfort of its warm fur in her arms. Maybe she was standing up to the confrontation, but it still wasn’t easy on the nerves.

  “It won’t last.”

  “I’ve got a dozen cans of crabmeat that says different.”

  “You’ll find out before too much longer here that I tend to be right,” the woman told her. With a spiteful look, she leaned in close. The cat’s hiss had her backing up, but the intensity of her glare was just as strong—maybe even stronger—from a foot away.

  “I’m in charge of this town and you’re not going to get in the way. I’ll tell you this once, and only once. People here have plans that don’t involve you, and that includes Gideon.” Miki’s mouth dropped and even the cat stopped purring long enough to turn her head and stare. Neither seemed to faze Fish-Face. “Don’t be thinking you’re gonna come here and snag yourself a man. Or even grab onto one of those cash-or-couch renovation deals. Gideon’s not available to you and you might as well back off right now.”

  “Who the hell do you think you are—”

  “I’m Gideon’s momma, that’s who I am. And more to the point, I’m his campaign manager. Gideon’s gonna be too busy with his civic responsibilities to play with you, young lady. So you’d better just stay out of his way.”

  Ears ringing, Miki could only stare. Campaign? Civic responsibilities? Questions swirled through her head, but all were overshadowed by the sick realization. This nasty-mouthed harridan was Gideon’s momma?

  The woman gave Miki and her cat a wide berth as she swept around them. Hand on the door of the General Store, she glanced back over her shoulder.

  “Matter of fact, your best bet is to head on back to the Henderson place, pack up your stuff, and get on out of here.”

  Miki saw red. Anger surged through her like flames, flickering hot and steady. She grabbed at the heat, balling it tight in her fist and raised a hand to throw a ball of energy at the bitch. The cat growled, nipping at Miki’s shoulder.

  “Ow, dammit. What’d you do that for? She deserves it.” Not that Miki thought her zing would have worked. She’d likely used up all her pitiful allotment of energy fixing cans in the store. Karma still had a firm hand on her magic, giving her one shot a day, then turning everything wonky.

  The cat growled again and Miki realized they’d had an audience. A large woman in bright fuchsia stood between Miki’s car and another, a smirk on her moon-shaped face.

  “Ya better listen to Deloris. She’s mean when riled.”

  “Obviously,” Miki muttered.

  Without another glance, the woman got in her car and tried to start it. A series of gurgling noises was all it made.

  “Fred,” the woman bellowed out her open window. “Fred? C’mon out here. Those hoodlums must’ve sugared my gas tank too. Come on out and push me down to the garage.”

  Miki noticed the number of cars parked at the full-service gas station at the end of the block. Apparently, Fred’s sugar had been put to use.

  “Sugar’s sweet and oh so dear, but it doesn’t belong in here. Clear the tank and make it run, let this mischief be over and done.” With a flick of her fingers, a pile of sugar appeared beneath the rear fender.

  Wow. Miki bit back a grin. It worked.

  Miki gave the heavy-set woman a weak smile and suggested, “Why don’t you try it again? There’s so much sugar on the ground, maybe they missed getting most of it in your tank.”

  The lady rolled her eyes, but turned the key anyway. With a loud crank, the engine started and hummed happily. Without so much as a glance, let alone a thank you, the woman pulled away.

  “Could these people be any nastier?” Miki asked the cat. “Only one person in town who doesn’t hate my guts. And he’s just been declared off limits.”

  Damn if that didn’t make him just that much more tempting.

  There’s a New Witch in Town: Chapter Nine

  “Damn women are driving me crazy,” Gideon declared as he unlocked the side door that led directly to his office. Back when he’d built his house on the outskirts of town, he’d had a vision of it being a grand contracting firm serving Rossdale and the nearby towns. He’d planned to run it all from the domestic haven of his own home. The vision had included a lovely wife, cute kids, and, damn it all, a freaking cat.

  Just went to show how insane he’d been once upon a time. He’d totally bought into the fairy tale. Now? Now it was convenient to have his office a door away from his living quarters. No wasted rent, easy accessibility to food and TV.

  “Ain’t that their primary purpose?” Sam asked as he shrugged out of his flannel work shirt, then dropped onto the chair opposite Gideon’s desk. “I coulda swore that’s what my pop said back when he described to me the difference between boys and girls. He claimed women were the greatest creatures on earth, and the source of all man’s insanity.”

  “Right. Except in this case, we’re talking about my mother and some crazy matchmaking notion she’s hatched up. What the hell is that woman thinking?”

  “Jeez, Gideon. Don’t you know nothing?”

  “When it comes to what inspired this craziness? No. Not one single thing.” Gideon dropped into the leather chair behind his desk. “You’d think she’d be too involved with the ‘repair Rossdale’ committee to be messing in my life all of a sudden.”

  “From what I’ve heard, she’s already moving with her plan to repair Rossdale.”

  Gideon sat up and pinned Sam with a glare.

  “Something’s going on, isn’t it? I knew I wasn’t imagining all the sly looks and whispers, but usually someone’s willing to clue me in on whatever scheme Mother’s hatching. The last couple of days, though, everyone’s tiptoeing around and avoiding looking me in the eye.”

  Sam scratched his scruffy beard and frowned. “Something’s up, I know that for sure. The oddest thing is everyone seems to know part of the plan, but not the whole of it.”

  His back sore from a day of breaking concrete and hauling wood to set up for a new job in a neighboring town, Gideon didn’t have the energy to force the information out of Sam. Instead, knowing his friend’s need to gossip like an old lady over a hedge, he leaned back in his chair until the warning creak sounded, folded his hands behind his head, and made a show of closing his eyes.

  “Whatever it is, I’m obviously not in the knowledge loop. So I guess I’m free to focus my attention elsewhere,” Gideon claimed in a lazy tone.

  “Would elsewhere be anywhere in the vicinity of the old Henderson place?”

  Eyes still closed, Gideon grinned. The ima
ge of Miki’s sweet face and those long, luscious legs filled his mind. “Could be. The view there is mighty nice these days.”

  “City gals are a dangerous thing, you remember that, right?”

  “Generalization is a dangerous thing. So is stereotyping.” Gideon didn’t want to hear a lecture comparing his ex-wife and Miki. After all, other than the fact that they’d both lived in Southern California, the two women didn’t have a single thing in common.

  “I hear she had a run in with Deloris.”

  That got his eyes open. Gideon dropped his feet and frowned. “Miki and Mother? Now that’s not a pretty picture.”

  “Marcia didn’t get the details, but she saw it through the diner window. According to her, your pretty view held her own. Between her and her attack cat, they had Deloris on the run.” Sam rubbed his chin, then grinned at Gideon. “I’d have paid good money to see that. Nobody gets the best of your mother.”

  “Is that where all this matchmaking craziness is coming from? She called this morning to ask me when I’d be available for a dinner party.”

  Sam squinted into space for a few seconds, then shrugged. “You know, I’m not sure matchmaking is her actual goal this time. I mean, yeah, I heard she’d asked Fred and Reba to invite their daughter to visit. But this seems bigger than her annual ‘marry Gideon off to the right kind of gal’ campaign.”

  Gideon gave a bad tempered shrug, trying to ignore the guilt nagging at the base of his neck. He knew Deloris would have greeted any newcomer with the same degree of unfriendliness. But knowing his mother, she’d added an extra dose of nasty if she thought there was a chance Miki might prove temptation to her son.

  His mother, the meanest woman to ever win every blue ribbon to be had at the county fair, up against sweet Miki? The image flashed in his head, and he shuddered. Leave it to his mother to derail his progress.

  Before he could work up a good cussing streak, the phone rang. With a ‘hang on a sec’ look for Sam, Gideon answered.

  Ten minutes, three pages of notes, and a huge grin later, he hung up.

  “That sounded good,” Sam said, leaning forward, his hands gripping his knees. If the twitching of his beard was any indication, this was Sam’s excited look. “That was the tournament guy, right?”

  “Right. He wants to come out next week, check out the lake and the amenities.”

  “What’s an amenity?”

  “Lodging, food, gas.” Gideon glanced at his notes. “Launch ramps, bait and tackle, that kind of thing. He’s a little concerned that we don’t have an official marina, so he’s gonna want to see how we’d meet their needs.”

  “Huh.” Sam tilted back in his chair, tugging at his lower lip. “I guess we should figure those things out.”

  “I say we pull together a modified town meeting. Find out who’s interested, what they’ll do. Fred Ambrose could order plenty of bait and tackle, Larry at the gas station could set up something out at the lake. I’ll get the keys to the Lodge, we can check the kitchens to see if old Joe can do some cooking on site.”

  “Are you sure you can get the Lodge keys?” Sam asked, the doubt in his tone echoed on his face.

  Gideon grimaced. “What choice is there? This is the answer. Rossdale’s depending on it. I’ll have to get them.”

  “Good luck with that.” With a nod, Sam rose.

  “Where ya going?” Gideon asked.

  “I’m gonna head home, make a few phone calls. If I can put together a list of what the average tournament anglers want, we can make sure we’re covered there, too. Might as well do this right.”

  “Thanks. How about we meet at the library in two hours?”

  “Is two hours going to be enough time?”

  Unfortunately, Gideon knew Sam didn’t mean enough time to gather the key players and information. No, his doubt was whether or not Gideon could pull off the key to the whole deal. After all, permission to use the lodge was bound to carry a heavy price.

  “No worries,” Gideon lied. “Rossdale’s in trouble. If my mother’s so hot on saving the town, she’ll do her part.”

  * * *

  “You’re sure this will work?” Miki asked through clenched teeth, pulling in as much energy as she could get. Her hair had to be standing on end, there was so much power surging through her. She stood in the center of her living room in front of a marble pedestal. Hovering inches above the pedestal was a smoky brown crystal sphere about the size of her palm.

  “Of course, I’m sure,” Lena drawled from the black velvet settee she’d conjured after declaring Miki’s furnishings too practical for her. The settee contrasted nicely—purposely, Miki was sure—with the filmy red dress flowing over Lena’s perfect curves.

  “Mom gave me specific instructions. She even sent the crystal herself. I think she said it was a gift from Dr. Cunningham. Not only will it help you ground and manage your powers, it’s supposed to help you find your path. Although, Mom says, you really should plan to take his three-month course.”

  Miki shot a glare at her sister’s smug face. Three-month course, her ass. Dr. Cunningham was the motivational guru of the witch community. From the paperwork Lena had arrived with, his course not only would help Miki reach her full potential, she’d be able to overcome parental issues, eating issues, and any sexual deviations she was hoping to leave behind.

  “That guy is a quack,” she declared.

  “Yup. Ryan and I told mom that too, but she’s desperate. You know how it is for her, worrying about her baby girl.”

  Lena tossed one long, black curl over her shoulder with a roll of her eyes. The quintessential witch, she not only exuded a casual command of her powers, but was absolutely comfortable with her sexuality. A vivid contrast to her little sister.

  “Mom shouldn’t worry about me,” Miki muttered through teeth clenched to hold the energy.

  “First you step off the path, denounce your magic to marry that loser. Then you lose the loser, whap yourself in the karmic ass with a rebounding curse. Now you’re hidden away and she has no clue where. You are, for all intents and purposes, a magical disaster.”

  Lena plucked a green grape from the fruit platter next to her and popped it in her mouth. Her lack of sisterly concern over Miki’s being a disaster came through loud and clear.

  “Tell me, Lena, why is it you don’t seem to give a damn that I’m a wreck? Mom’s calling in professionals. Ryan’s taken to selling my furniture on eBay and reading spell books trying to find answers to my curse problem. You? You’re lying on your ass eating fruit.” And Miki? She was standing there like an idiot, pointing at a crystal to keep it floating in the air while trying to keep the image of a hot hunk of a contractor out of her head.

  “Technically, I’m lying on my side.” Lena grinned at the teeth-bared growl Miki sent her. “And it’s not that I don’t give a damn. It’s that I don’t feel there’s anything to worry about.”

  Thoroughly irritated with her sister, Miki waved her hand, sending the tray of fruit to the opposite side of the room just as Lena reached for another tidbit.

  Lena raised a brow, snapped her fingers, and a glass of iced water appeared in her hand. Miki watched through narrowed eyes as her sister sipped. It was the look in Lena’s eyes, a mischievous hint of glee, that tipped her off.

  Miki threw up her free hand, blocking the water thrown at her with a shield of energy. Like peering through a window, she watched the liquid drip down her shield, then snapped her fingers to dry it up before it soaked the floor.

  “What the hell was that for?” she griped.

  “That,” Lena said as she waved the tray of fruit back to her, “was why I’m not worried about you.”

  “Because I’m fast enough to avoid getting soaked?”

  “No, although it’s good to know you’ve got quick reflexes.” Lena used her chin to point to the crystal sphere. Miki followed her gaze, then shrugged.

  “So?”

  “So?” Lena repeated. “Mik, you don’t have problems with
magic. You’re juggling multiple acts here, handling my distractions without a hitch, and if you look close, you’ll see you’ve charged that crystal full.”

  Miki’s gaze snapped to the smoky quartz, which indeed seemed full if the glowing aura surrounding it was any indication.

  “So you need a little practice,” Lena said with a shrug as she rose from the settee. “Your power is there, Mikaela. You’re as strong a witch as any of us. You might not have a specific focus yet, but I’m sure that’s going to come with time. Just give yourself a break, quit worrying so much, and let it flow.”

  Lena snapped her fingers and the settee disappeared. She raised a brow at Miki and then waved her hand, sending the pedestal off into the mists too. Not sure how she felt about her sister’s expression of confidence, Miki crooked her finger, and the crystal flew over to land in her outstretched hand.

  “Flow, huh?”

  “Flow.”

  Miki pursed her lips, running the rounded stone through her fingers. Its warmth comforted her almost as much as the ‘chill already’ look on Lena’s face.

  “So ya want some lunch?” Miki asked, pocketing the sphere.

  “Definitely. I’m so sick of my own lousy cooking. And given how well your curse is working, I don’t dare eat out for fear of seeing public displays of pig sex.”

  Miki gave a groaning laugh and led the way to the kitchen.

  Two hours later, she stood on her front porch and watched her sister disappear in a glittery flash of purple light. Miki heaved a sigh and fingered the sphere in the pocket of her baggy khaki pants. At least the pants weren’t as tight as they’d been when she’d arrived in Rossdale.

  “Meow.”

  Miki looked down and shook her head.

  “Where have you been? I wanted you to meet Lena. You always seem to disappear whenever my sister or brother come around.”

  She bent down to lift the cat, cuddling its fluffy black fur. Before she could scold the cat further, her cell phone chimed. Feeling confident and enjoying the cool afternoon breeze, Miki snapped her fingers to bring the phone to her.