by King, Thayer
He’d worked under his uncle from the age of sixteen until his uncle had fully retired five years ago. Everything he knew about working with wood, he’d learned from Uncle Hugh. Ronan took a seat on the couch. “I was your only apprentice,” he pointed out.
He grunted. “Tried to teach Brian, but he was never interested. Not enough money in it, he said.”
Ronan clenched his jaw. “Did Brian say something? Do something to upset you?”
“No. He just came to visit the old man on his birthday.”
“What is this, the first time he’s been by since you moved in? Why now?” Brian had been incensed when Hugh sold his house to move into the apartment. So furious, Ronan had had to take the day off to help pack his uncle up and move him in. Brian had refused. He’d been spitting mad that Hugh would sell the house when Brian and his wife and their two kids were living in a rundown mobile home. According to Brian, the house should have been his.
Hugh shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Did he want money?” Ronan couldn’t bury his suspicions.
“No. We watched the news. Talked about that poor lady they pulled out of the water.” He shrugged.
“Then why the long face when I entered?”
Hugh sighed and his shoulders slumped. He looked weary and defeated. For a change, he looked every bit of his seventy-eight years. “I did my best by Brian. After his mother left us, I tried to be a mother and a father to him. It makes me sad to see him so unhappy, so filled with hate.”
“He’s a selfish asshole,” Ronan said bluntly. “Don’t take credit for his failures.”
“No, no. He had it rough as a kid. I knew Rose wasn’t the one for me, but back in those days, I was stupid and impulsive. She was so beautiful it’d take your breath away. She was a strong witch, fairly crackled with energy when you looked at her. Unfortunately, Rose was about as big on motherhood as she was on commitment.” He ran a hand over his lower jaw, his graying whiskers making a rasping sound. Ronan had only been a kid when Rose left, but he did recall how sad his uncle had been and how angry Brian had become. Neither of them had ever really talked about it. Other than to say she was gone, Hugh seemed to avoid all mention of her. “Take my word on it kid, no matter how long it takes, you’re better off alone than settling down with the wrong woman.”
Ronan immediately thought of Nikita. She was the right woman, but convincing her of that fact was going to be hell. “Speaking of women, I found my one.”
“You don’t say!” A grin split his face. “Tell me all about her.”
“She’s a tiny little thing. Her head doesn’t even reach my shoulders. Beautiful enough to stop you in your tracks. She’s smart and feisty. You’d love her. Oh, and she kills witches for a living.”
Hugh blinked and set his chair to rocking. “Well, that’s a might bit of a complication, isn’t it?”
“A bit.”
***
Having never watched The Shining, Nikita couldn’t be certain, but she was sure she was nearing the point of ax wielding. She was bored out of her mind. Never having had this much free time on her hands, she had didn’t know what to do. She fed the cat, tried to watch television, sat on the porch and watched the cars pass by. Not that there were many.
It didn’t help that she still couldn’t sleep. Her unoccupied hours seemed to stretch on into eternity. It had been three days since Ronan had invited her to the Fall Harvest Festival and damned if she wasn’t already having second thoughts. The red behemoth had been notably absent of late. She’d seen his truck leaving early in the morning and then returning just after dark. That’s right. She was so bored she had nothing better to do than spy on her neighbors, a pastime she ordinarily would have considered beneath her.
Nikita was attempting to watch an old movie when the growl of Ronan’s truck sounded outside the window. She pursed her lips and stared harder at the television screen as fog billowed over the streets of a small fishing community. It didn’t matter that she’d lost track of the plot thirty minutes into the movie. She was determined not to become one of those people who had nothing better to do than peep out of their curtains at their neighbors. It would have been fine if she hadn’t completed her investigation. Gathering intel was acceptable. Purposeless snooping to alleviate boredom was not.
She was so determined to ignore the sounds from outside that she jumped when the doorbell rang. Standing, she turned off the television. Finding Ronan on the porch was no surprise. He wore a green and black plaid shirt that was flecked with paint. Faded and worn jeans molded his hard thighs and long legs. Ronan looked as though he hadn’t shaved since she last saw him. “Hi,” he said, a big smile spreading over his handsome face.
He seemed happy to see her. It wasn’t something that she was accustomed to. People acknowledge her presence and accepted it as fact. But no one had ever been happy just to be around her. It was strange and it made her uncomfortable. “What?” she snapped at him to cover her confusion.
“Chipper as always. Can I come in?”
She shifted to the side. “I thought it only took one invitation and then getting rid of you would be like stopping a bedbug infestation.”
He paused in the doorframe so that their bodies were only inches apart. She was forced to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. “I missed you so nothing you say is going to ruin this for me.”
Nikita rolled her eyes. “Get in already.” She closed the door behind him. “So what do I have to thank for this visit?” The lighting on the porch was dim. One of the blubs had blown. Nikita made a mental note to replace it in the morning. Once he was inside, she could make out paint splatters on his jeans as well. Sawdust powdered his strong forearms, mingling with the red hair there.
“I’ve been helping a buddy install a deck and I’ve missed you.” He grinned and ran a hand over his jaw. It looked like he had about two days’ worth of beard. He was dirty and his slumped stance spoke of his exhaustion. “Sorry I didn’t go home and clean up first. I’m so tired I’ll probably go to bed right after a shower.”
She was so not imagining that large toned body of his naked with soap and water cascading- Shit! She really was suffering from cabin fever. That could be the only explanation for her current insanity. Best to get rid of him quickly. “Um…hm. Well, don’t let me keep you.”
“Nikita, about the festival this weekend, I was wondering if you’d changed your mind.”
Nikita viewed him through narrowed eyes. She wondered if he’d been reading her mind. “Have you been spying on me?”
“No. Why would you think that?”
Unwilling to admit that he could be right about anything, she became defensive. “Isn’t that what witches do? Stick their long warty noses where they don’t belong?”
His red eyebrows arched. “Of the two of us, aren’t you the one who makes a living out of snooping?”
“I don’t snoop, I perform surveillance,” she pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. “Besides, what I meant was that I don’t know what witchy abilities you might have. For instance, can you read minds?”
“No, I can’t, but I do have the very real human capability of telling when someone is being evasive. Can’t you just admit you’ve had second thoughts and would like to go with me? I promise you’ll have a good time. There’ll be games, candy, and a haunted house. You should get a kick out of that. What do you need me to do to convince you? Beg?” He dropped to his knees and clasped his hands together in front of his face. “Please, say you’ll come with me?”
Even on his knees, he was an imposing figure. Nikita studied his broad shoulders and hard frame. He was too sexy for his own good. And, seriously, when the hell did red hair start making her wet?
“Come on. I’m exhausted. I’m hoping I can get up from here.”
His blue-green eyes were large and pleading. The color was striking with his ginger hair. She still wasn’t sure if she wanted to go to this thing, but it was difficult to say yes. Saying “no” to
him had become an ingrained habit. But now she’d only be spiting herself. “Fine. Get up.”
“That a yes?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.” She stepped forward to help him up. She couldn’t resist running her hands over his shoulders. They were incredibly broad and packed with hard muscle. What would it be like to have sex with him? To have all that power and strength focused on giving her pleasure? Nikita had a hand on his elbow. She released it as though his skin were on fire. Ronan rose so that he towered over her again and she had to tilt her head back to maintain eye contact. He was huge. He’d probably crush her. Without intending to, her gaze drifted down his long body and paused at the juncture between his legs. Or split her in two. She hadn’t forgotten the feel of him in her hands.
Swallowing, Nikita backed up a step. His lips curved slowly in a knowing smile. “See you Friday night. I’ll be by at seven.”
Chapter Five
The town of Gray’s Landing had come to view Halloween in much the same light as that town in Footloose did dancing. Only they were slightly more tolerant. The Fall Harvest Festival, Ronan explained, had once simply been a Halloween Carnival. Particulars of the event had not changed. They still sold candy apples and decorated the place with hay and pumpkins. But there had been a backlash against Halloween due to misbehaving teens. Halloween pranks were few and far between. High school teens still trick-or-treating was a bigger issue. Many didn’t wear costumes and continued to collect candy late into the night. The town had finally had to establish rules setting age limits for trick-or-treaters. Time ranges for visiting houses were also put in place.
“And then there are the senior citizens who suddenly began saying that it was devil worship. I’m not sure what caused the sudden turnabout. Churches began holding their own parties to keep kids from going out on Halloween. They put on religious plays, play games, and give out candy bags.”
Nikita had arranged her hair in a braid that rested over her shoulder. She curled the tip of it around her finger. “It didn’t have anything to do with a coven of witches in their midst, did it?”
“Ha, ha.” Ronan gave her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye before returning his attention to the road. “My family has never done anything to endanger our position in society. My father is a respected attorney and my mom was president of the PTA. Her specialty is apple pie with a crust so buttery and flaky that she could have sold them for a living if she’d wanted to. But all she wanted to do was be a wife and a mother.”
“And they’re both witches?”
“My dad is. My mom isn’t. I might as well tell you now that magic doesn’t run that strong in my family. I do all right but I prefer to work with my hands instead of conjuring the results.”
How ironic, she thought, because his effect on her was nothing short of miraculous. She’d never been so attracted to a man that she couldn’t ignore it when she wanted. But Ronan seemed to slip under her skin. She found herself thinking about him when she didn’t want to. She’d begun to wonder if he’d placed her under a spell.
“The strongest witch in my family is my Uncle Hugh and his son is a dud.”
“A dud?”
“A non-witch born to two witch parents.”
“Sounds like a great guy. I’ll have to meet him sometime.”
He growled. “Just for that I should introduce you. All witches aren’t bad and all humans aren’t good.”
“I know that.”
He pulled into a parking lot that was already filled with cars. Red, gold, and orange leaves decorated the glass entryway to a large brick building. Pumpkins sat on bales of hay. Ronan parked. “I don’t know that you do. I bleed red blood just like a human-”
She grinned. “Trust me, I know that.”
He gave an exasperated huff and his hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Damn it. Nikita, you’re my destiny. Like it or not, I’m yours.” His gaze locked with hers and refused to let go.
Nikita’s heart thumped in her chest. She liked the sound of that more than she should. He was so insistent, it was almost enough to make her believe, but of course, it was ridiculous. They would never work. Even if she wanted them to. And she didn’t. Relying on people only led to disappointment. “Ronan, it’s only a matter of time before I leave town. Mrs. Williams could decide to come home any day.”
“And then where will you go?”
“Home.” She shrugged. “Maybe go on a mini vacation.”
“Vacation with me.”
She choked. “Where did you get the impression that I would be the slightest bit interested in spending time with you?”
“You’re here aren’t you?”
“After you got on your knees and begged me!”
“Yeah, and you liked that so much you were practically eye fucking me when I did it.” She gasped and looked away. He chuckled. “Not going to deny it? Good. I wouldn’t have believed you anyway.”
Her face felt hot with anger and embarrassment. She opened the door and clambered down from his big truck to escape. She heard his door open and close. He reached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before she made it to the entrance.
Ronan paid the entry fee. She could hear country music pumping through the speakers and winced. There were few types of music she didn’t like, but country was right up there at the top. She liked Taylor Swift’s latest album but most would argue that it was closer to pop than country.
“So what do you want to do first?” he asked. “There’s a haunted house-”
“Doubt it’ll be scarier than the house of the witch I met who-”
“There’s a hay ride,” he cut her off abruptly. “We could dance or go get treats. Or we could just mingle.”
She weighed her options. A hay ride sounded messy and it was chilly out. The blouse she wore had long sleeves but they were sheer. Dancing to this music was out. Mingling. She hadn’t had much call for socializing in the last few years and her social skills had never been up to par. She wasn’t sure she even knew how to do that. “Tell me more about these treats.”
“There are cookies, cake, candy, cereal treats, cotton candy, candy apples.”
“Sounds good.”
He took her hand and led her through one large open room that was being used for dancing and into a smaller room. Several people had nodded, waved or called out to Ronan as they progressed. A few had glanced at her with questioning looks. Tables lined the walls to the left and the right. Each was covered with food. In the center of the room people stood about talking and eating whatever items they had purchased. “What would you like?”
“Let’s look around.” A walk down the line of tables showed that pumpkin had been used as an ingredient in many of the cookies and cakes. Other than pumpkin pie, Nikita wasn’t crazy about the gourd. “Do the proceeds for this go to a charity?”
Ronan nodded. “It changes yearly. I forget what this year’s cause is.” He stopped to buy both of them cones of cotton candy. Pink for her and blue for him.
“Why, Ronan, I didn’t expect to see you here!”
A leggy blonde and a shorter redhead approached them. The blonde had a wide thin mouth that was currently stretched in a phony smile as she looked from Ronan to Nikita and back again. She clasped Ronan’s wrist and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek that was entirely too close to his mouth. “I haven’t seen you since the night of Tim’s party.” She laughed. “You promised to call. That was weeks ago, you naughty boy.” She shook his wrist playfully. “What have you been up to that’s kept you so busy?”
“Um, you know how it is.” Nikita hid a smile. Ronan had found plenty of time for her. Sure, he’d considered him a nuisance, but still…. “Vicky, this is Nikita. Nikita this is Vicky and her cousin Sophie.”
“Hi,” Sophie said kindly.
Vicky gave her a slow once over, perusing her from her high heeled boots to the roots of her black hair. With a barely perceptible nod, the other woman immediately returned her attention to Ronan. “Save a d
ance for me, okay?”
Ronan’s eyes flew to hers as though to judge her reaction but she only raised her brows. He cleared his throat. “Sure.”
Vicky’s lips spread so wide, Nikita thought it was possible her face would split in two. “I’m going to hold you to that,” she said before walking off. She let her fingers linger on Ronan until she was so far away that they dropped off his wrist.
“Ex?”
He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Not exactly.”
“Ah.” Understanding dawned. “A one night stand.”
“No! No, it was nothing like… We kissed once at the party she mentioned. It was a cookout. I’d had a few too many beers. It got late. She’s tall. She’s been after me for a while and she caught me at a weak moment.”
“Hey, you don’t have to explain. You don’t owe me anything.” She turned to head to the next table which featured brownies and blondies.
Ronan grabbed her elbow. “The hell I don’t.”
He didn’t but she didn’t want to argue about it and she didn’t want to dwell on the fact that that hussy had her lips on Ronan. “She left her mark,” she commented casually before moving on to picking out the perfect candy apple leaving Ronan scrubbing at the bright red lipstick on his cheek.
***
Ronan sipped on a cup of apple cider as he watched Nikita make her way to the restroom. His height gave him the ability to see over other people’s heads and he was able to watch her disappear through the doors on the far side of the room. Maybe bringing her here was a mistake. She seemed determined not to enjoy herself. He completely was out of his depth. He’d never had to convince a woman she was his soul mate. He supposed he was spoiled. Women generally liked him. Nikita didn’t like anything or anyone. She was sassy and mean. And, damn, if she didn’t turn him on.
He finished off the cider, crumpled the paper cup and tossed it into a large gray trash bin.
“Nice piece of ass, Big Red. On the small side for someone of your size. If we were fishing, you’d have to throw that one back.”
