Olivia Hardin
Copyright © 2015 by Olivia Hardin
All rights reserve. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
To the readers who asked for more.
Because sometimes it takes your demands to wake up the voices in my head…
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Trivia from Olivia
Acknowledgments
About the Author
I’d been crouched down behind the storage shed so long that my legs were asleep. Patch was hiding between my knees, tail pointed straight out and ears perked up. She was absolutely on high alert.
I could hear scuffling and footsteps from the building just across from me, and I knew that any minute he would find me. I wanted to use my magic so badly that my fingers twitched. It went against everything in me to let anyone get the best of me, but no matter how tempting, I refused to conjure my wand.
I closed my eyes and held my breath, waiting … waiting …
“Tag! You’re it!” Justin exclaimed as he tapped me on the shoulder and then jumped up and down with glee. “Cover your eyes and no cheating. Count to ten while I hide.”
A grin tugged at my lips, but I covered my eyes with one hand and began counting slowly and loudly. I reached ten and then popped my head up and scanned the woods all around.
I spotted Jilly to my left immediately. She was supposed to be hiding too, but instead she was leaning against a tree, both hands against the bark and her ear to the trunk. Her eyes were closed, and there was a look of absolute contentment on her face. It was times like these that I noticed how much she’d grown in the years since I’d first met her. There was maturity to her expression as she magically communicated with the woods that belonged to her as a nymph.
As I passed by her, I stretched out my arm to brush her red curls with the tips of my fingers. It was a small gesture, but a big one, too. I kind of wanted to stop, lean down and smack a big kiss on top of her forehead, but for Lynlee Lincoln, that would have been a bit much. In fact, the day I did that would probably be the day I died or something.
This was our fourth round playing Hide-n-Seek, and in my mind, that was about four too many. Still, each time it was Justin’s turn to hide, he did so in the area just east of his dad’s work shop. Patch was leading the way, her head high in a cocky sort of gait. She apparently knew Justin’s game as well as I did.
Just as I was sneaking up to a stack of wood that I suspected he might be behind, I heard the slam of a vehicle door, and Patch and I both turned around in quick response. My pup’s hackles were up in alarm. I, on the other hand, was so excited that if I’d had a tail it would have been wagging.
Beck was home. Which was important in the “I love my boyfriend and I’m glad to see him” area, but most especially in the “please save me from another round of Hide-N-Seek” corner.
“Hey, gorgeous!” He had a briefcase in one hand and a duffel bag in the other, the latter of which he raised to wave his fingers at me. “I’ll be right back out.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll just come in.” The exuberance in my voice might have been a little much, but, hey, I was slightly desperate for some adult conversation.
Even though his hands were full, he held the door open for me, and as I passed, he leaned in and pecked me on the cheek. A smile so big it nearly split my face in half crossed my lips, and I had to urge to grab his cheeks and lay an even bigger kiss on that sexy mouth of his.
Instead I took his briefcase from him and followed him to the bedroom. “How were things this go-round?”
He shrugged as he tossed his bag onto the bed with a thud. “Eh, not bad. Hopefully only one more trip will be necessary.”
“Oh.”
I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. He looked at me with one eyebrow cocked and then stalked towards me. “Is that puppy dog face because you miss me when I’m gone? Or is it because you’ve been left with my kids about five times in the last two months?” Then before I could answer, his mouth swooped down over mine, and any coherent response I might have made flew right out of my brain.
He pressed himself against me, and I backed up just one pace so that my rear was against the wall. Beck’s hips ground into mine, and a tiny moan welled up within me. “God, when you make those kinds of sounds, it drives me crazy,” he breathed against my ear. “But I’m nasty from the trip, and also two little munchkins will probably be barreling through the front door any minute.”
Seconds was more accurate. He’d no sooner said the words than the front door slammed open hard enough to smack into the wall.
“Sorry!” Justin exclaimed, and by the sound of his voice, I imagined he was probably heading for the kitchen. He wouldn’t take long to find us so I leaned up and pecked my lips against Beck’s one more time, then extricated myself from his embrace just as his son came into the room.
“Dad!” He wrapped his arms around his father’s legs in the kind of hug only kids seem capable of giving. One corner of my lips ticked up in a half-smile.
“Where’s your sister?”
My eyebrows raised, and I pulled my head up and down in a big nod. “Ah, well, she’s occupied, I think, with a big oak tree out back.”
“A what … oh, the nymph thing?”
I heard a scratching sound and realized Patch must have gotten left outside and wasn’t entirely happy about it. As I crossed the house to open the door, I responded to Beck’s question. “Yeah, she’s been spending a lot of time out there. I imagine the tree is struggling. It probably showed signs we would have missed, like losing its leaves earlier in the fall or …”
I couldn’t finish my statement because the moment I opened the door, my little white and black dog yelped in excitement, then scrambled across the floor, her claws ticking against the hardwood.
“Hey, girl.” Beck knelt down to rub the pup’s ears. Patch’s tail was wagging so hard that her entire back end was moving with it. Beck was just about to stand up when Jilly finally came stomping into the room.
“Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy,” she chanted, then jumped into her father’s arms with excitement enough that he almost fell over.
“So it seems everyone in the family’s happy to see me.”
Happy. Relieved. Thrilled.
“And thankfully I don’t have to leave again for two more weeks.”
I was pretty proud of myself. I managed to restrain
myself and didn’t issue a single expletive.
“Oh, my word…”
I was leaning against the counter, chin in my palm as I watched Rhiannon roll her eyes in delight as she chewed an enormous bite of chicken enchilada casserole.
“Oh. My. Word,” she said again, this time with a moan that might have been better suited for the bedroom. “This is so good. Like, seriously.”
I smiled, then shrugged as if the compliment wasn’t all that important. “I just followed Charley’s recipe. Easy peasy.”
“Okay, let’s get one thing clear,” my BFF said, scooping one last enormous bite into her mouth. “I have never, ever known you to cook anything that turned out to be edible. I’ll eat almost anything, but you have been known to make even me turn my nose up at your food. Follow the directions or not, this was an amazing accomplishment for you.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be hurt by her frank comment about my overall cooking ability or just accept the compliment. I decided on the latter. “Thanks.”
She replaced the lid on the storage container and put it back into the bag I’d carried with me, then rounded the counter and put her arm around me. “I’m so proud of you, Lynlee. You’re turning so … so … domesticated.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes, sliding myself out of her embrace. “Yeah, that’s what Beck says.”
We were at the house of one of my previous clients. Grammie Charley had passed away months ago, and the sweet little old witch had left me all of her possessions. I’d never understand why, but it had fallen to me to take care of things.
Rhia opened the front door, and I was surprised to see a few people already milling about the yard sale. It was only six thirty in the morning, and I’d put seven o’clock in the ad.
“Is there trouble in paradise?” Rhia asked, glancing at me over her shoulder.
“No, not at all actually.” That was true. Beck and I were getting along really well, and despite my grumbling about his weekend work trips, the kids and I had developed a pretty good routine without him. “It just doesn’t seem right. I mean, I never really thought I’d settle down. I thought I was married to my career.”
“Did you just say the M-word?”
I was saved from responding when a woman approached with a stack of vinyl records in her hand. “Would you take five bucks for these?”
“Deal!” I took her money gladly and tucked it into a little metal money box. No one would know to tell it, but the box was charmed and would turn glowing hot if anyone other than me or Rhiannon grabbed it. Nothing like paranormal security.
A few hours later, I was quibbling with a woman over a chest of drawers that I was certain dated back about twenty years but was in fantastic condition. From the corner of my eye, I saw my friend talking to a woman who had Charley’s wedding gown in her hands. I kept an eye on them as I sealed the deal and tucked another thirty bucks into the box.
When I made my way to the clothing stack, I saw the wedding dress was back on the table, a big sticker that said $500.00 on it. I groaned in exasperation and marked through the price, changing it to $50.00.
Rhiannon and I had a deal. If the wedding dress failed to sell today, I would try it on. If it fit, I would keep it. And, she presumed, if I kept it I would marry Beck in it. Although I’d told Beck I wanted to marry him, and I knew I honestly did, I just didn’t like to be pushed into doing anything.
So I was counting on the damned thing getting scooped up by a much more enthusiastic bride than myself.
“Excuse me, but are the pulls on that dresser original?”
I turned to face a very short and stout woman who was probably no older than I was. My focus followed the point of her finger to an old dressing table with a center mirror and drawer sets on either side. The reflection in the mirror was scored due to damage to the silver backing and the wood was especially worn on the left hand side of the table.
Biting down a sharp retort, I smiled and lifted one shoulder. “I’m really not sure. This is an estate sale, and I don’t know a lot about that particular piece.”
“They don’t look original. It really affects the value,” she sniffed, crossing her arms in front of her.
My brows pulled together in a frown, and I stepped away from the money table to look at the dresser. I lifted the tag hanging from the spindle and read the price: $35.00. I let the slip of cardboard drop from my hand and then dropped my head so that my chin was close to my chest. With a long, deep breath, I turned towards her. If I’d had the power to shoot magic from my eyeballs she would have been a dead woman.
She didn’t flinch, just raised an eyebrow and stared at me. I gritted my teeth before speaking. “The price is $35.00. Take it or leave it, but either way leave.” Then I turned on my heel and headed back to my table.
I glanced in the direction of the wedding dress and felt a shimmy of excitement roll along my arms as I noticed it was gone. Relief washed over me even as a rush of customers pressed forward to offer bills for their wares.
Before I knew it, six o’clock had rolled past us, and all of the larger items and most of the smaller ones were gone. Rhiannon stepped close to me and put her hands to the small of her back, bowing it with a groan and a pop. “Geez, I need a massage.”
I grinned, reaching down to pick up a few boxes and carrying them to the open garage. “Let’s just shift all the leftovers in here, and the Salvation Army will pick them up on Monday.”
“Will do, boss lady. You know you’re buying me dinner, right? I’m starving.”
She’d just finished off about three sandwiches not more than two hours ago, but I was feeling so happy about finishing the yard sale that I decided not to say anything. I dropped a few more boxes onto the concrete floor with a thud and then did a double take when I noticed a plastic sleeve with something cream colored and lacy inside.
“Rhia! What is this? Did you put this here?”
“Can’t exactly see right now, Lynlee.” Her response was muttered, and when I looked, I saw she was carrying an entire table in her arms, boxes stacked up on top. There were advantages to being a werevamp, I supposed. Superhuman strength was one of them.
I reached into the box and grabbed the hanger, picking up the wedding dress and holding it out to her in an accusing manner. When she finally had her arms and eyes free, she turned to me and then her face blushed before she slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“I swear, I thought you sold it. The only thing I did was correct the price. I certainly didn’t hide it in that box.”
I glanced at the tag and saw that she had added a zero to the price, once again making it $500.00 instead of $50.00. I leaned forward with a long sigh and then sank down to my backside on the cold floor. Rhiannon came towards me, kneeling down with an expression that was much more sympathetic than I knew she felt.
“C’mon, just try it on. It won’t mean you have to get married within twenty-four hours or something. It just means you’ll have to skip the whole dress shopping thing that all brides have to go through.”
“I don’t want to,” I muttered, my lip puckered out as a pounding began in my head.
She leaned forward, putting her nose close to mine, with an amused grin on her face. “Sure you want to. Even a kick-ass witch wants to look pretty every now and then. And this dress is the bomb! You have to at least try it on.”
I swallowed then raised my eyes to hers. “Now?” I whispered, and the corner of my lips began to tug up into a reluctant smile.
Rhiannon squealed and stood back up, jumping in excitement. I rolled my eyes but put a hand to one knee and pushed myself to my feet. She grabbed the gown from me and hurried into the house as I followed behind.
“Okay, okay,” she said as we went into what used to be Grammy’s bedroom. “You go in the bathroom and get dressed. Then come out here so I can see. Oh! But warn me before you come out so I can do the drum roll.”
“Ugh, Rhia.” But I dragged my feet into the bathroom and closed the door.<
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I stripped out of my jeans and T-shirt, then removed the wedding gown from its wrapping. There were a number of pearl-like buttons along the back, and it took some doing to open all of them. Careful not to damage any of the numerous beads on the gown, I held it down at about knee level and then stepped into it. The dress easily slid up and over my hips, and I realized immediately that there was no way I’d be able to fasten all of those buttons on my own.
When I reached behind me, it also struck me that a corset would probably have been worn with the dress. I figured it to be circa about 1910-1915. Edwardian ladies were still wearing tight stays at that time. I slipped my arms into the sleeves and pulled the gown tight behind me with one hand. The lace and beaded bell of the skirt was drawn up in layers on one side to an oblong beaded medallion at the left of my waist. I had plenty of curves, but the dress almost seemed made for me, the square neckline perfectly accenting my bosom.
I raised my gaze to the vanity mirror and twisted and turned to try to get a good look at myself. There was a full length mirror in the bedroom, but I wasn’t quite ready to step out just yet.
Even though the wedding dress was almost a hundred years old, it might have been made no more than ten years ago. The silk and lace moved and flowed without the slightest crease or show of wear.
Taking a long, shaky breath, I used my free hand to push open the door and stepped into the bedroom where Rhiannon was waiting for me, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Her hands were over her mouth, eyes wide, and when she gazed at me, those dark pools turned glossy with tears. “It’s just perfect!”
I was still holding the back of the dress together with one hand, but I managed to kick the bathroom door closed so that I could see my full image in the mirror there. Within an instant Rhia was behind me, her fingers on the buttons of the gown. As she began making her way up the back, my chest started to constrict.
“Whoa, I don’t think it’s gonna fit. I’d probably have to wear a damned corset, and I am not doing that, even if I do get married in this get-up.”
Reaping Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Series Book 4) Page 1
