Ben loomed over Atkins. “Why didn’t you tell the marshal in Silverton?”
“You hardly believe me. What would he have said?”
“Did you sacrifice that bear down in the valley?” Cal asked.
“Augustus did it. He learned of spells and such from the Ute. He used it to rid the spirits.” He shook his head. “But it ain’t workin’.”
Cal inhaled sharply. “No, it’s not.”
“It’s Hallowe’en tonight, and it’s always bad on this night.”
Cal scanned around them, the area still cloaked in fog. “Then why are you here?”
“Because I thought I should move Betsy’s body. Augustus and I dumped her in a mine shaft and I’ve never felt right about it since. Maybe if I put her to proper rest, she’ll leave me be.”
“She still lives with you at your cabin?”
Lem released a ragged breath. “Yep. I stay away as much as I can but my nerves can’t take much more of it.” He lowered his voice. “She follows me.”
“I can help you with your wife, but first I need your help. Harley Jessup needs to leave this earth, once and for all.”
Lem shored himself up. “Alright, whatta you want me to do?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jennie found herself in a thicket. She could hardly see before her so moved slowly, clutching Tunayó to her, the cub nestled against her, clinging and agitated. As she inched forward, her foot caught and she tumbled. The cub was pulled from her arms as she rolled. Stunned, she came to rest hard against a tree trunk.
Lying on her back, she winced when she tried to move. Above her, a starry sky peeked through the treetops. Slowly, an object fluttered toward her from above, spinning and twirling, until it softly landed upon her nose. She reached up to examine it.
A black feather.
A crow’s feather.
Jennie wondered over the oddity of it landing right on her face.
A shadow blocked the twinkling stars and Jennie repressed a gasp as a large snout loomed above her.
Mama bear.
How had she not heard the animal’s approach?
The musky scent of fur assaulted Jennie’s nose as the large beast huffed in rapid succession. With a pounding heart, Jennie tried not to move, not to breathe. If she was motionless, maybe the bear would leave her be.
Jennie squeezed her eyes shut, praying she wasn’t about to be gutted. Please, please, please.
The bear swung its head back and forth, but stopped as the bawling cub approached. Tunayó clambered onto Jennie’s torso, but Jennie restrained herself from handling the animal. She lay as still as she could, as if she were already dead.
The mama bear huffed and snorted loudly as Tunayó began to bawl. Jennie watched it all through slitted eyes, struggling to breathe as the heavy cub sat atop her chest.
Finally, the mother bear turned to leave. Tunayó leaned over and licked Jennie’s face.
“I love you too, little one,” Jennie whispered. “But you need to go with your mama.”
The cub clambered off of her and ran to catch up to its mother.
Jennie listened—unmoving—as the two of them disappeared into the night.
As sad as she was to say goodbye to Tunayó, she couldn’t believe her luck in not being attacked by the mother.
She sat upright and pulled sticks and leaves from her hair.
Beyond, she saw Simon, along with at least twenty additional mountain people, all male from the look of it. She’d never before encountered so many Tommyknockers in one place. “I thought you all didn’t come here.”
“We’ve made an exception,” Simon replied. “We’ve come to help you.”
“Did you just save me from the bear?”
“No. You seem to have the protection of the Crow.”
Jennie stood, remembering the black feather, but it was lost now on the ground. “Can you help me find Cal and my father?”
“Yes. Everyone is in agreement this one time. We’ll help you.”
****
Cal waited in the woods with Ben and Lem. Soon, Betsy appeared, summoned by her husband. She didn’t acknowledge any of the men, but moved past them—as impenetrable a manifestation as when he’d seen her the previous night. It was uncanny how real she looked.
Cal pulled his Colt and retrieved a stone from his shirt pocket. He needed to prepare for a physical encounter, but he knew it could just as likely be a supernatural one. He rarely used the stone, but the gift from his granny—Bonnie Boggs—was meant for just such a conflict as this. It had come from the Forest of Rothiemurchus, in the Highlands of Scotland, a place strongly tied to the otherworld. Most men couldn’t handle the touch, but as Granny liked to say, “Ach, my grandsons aren’t most men.” The forest carried the spirit of Seath Mor, a great warrior of long ago and Chief of the Clan Shaw. Through Cal, the stone would amplify the great chief’s spirit and channel the man’s strength.
The mist cleared and a half-moon now hung in the sky above, offering illumination to the surroundings. A man entered from the shadows and was greeted by Betsy. Cal didn’t need confirmation to know that it was Harley Jessup.
The gathering happened quickly—Ben and Lem to Cal’s right, a large huffing black bear and cub behind Jessup and Betsy, and the sudden appearance of Jennie with a band of short men. Cal held his surprise in check as his eyes met hers. The brief look of elation on her face was directed solely at him, warming him through. Then her eyes found her papa’s, and Cal shook his head to keep her from running to her father. He hoped the little mountain men would keep her safe.
Then the crows came, a molmacha filled with dozens of birds. Their ear-splitting cries echoed throughout the ravine, with a cacophony of rattles and clicks interspersed. But as they settled onto the tree branches above, they became eerily quiet.
Cal focused on Jessup. The man was as solid as Betsy, and Cal could full well understand why Ben thought the man still lived. But now that Cal was in his presence there was no mistaking it—Harley Jessup was good and dead.
“Time to move on,” Cal said.
Jessup cocked his head. “Who’re you?”
“I’m cleaning up loose ends. You don’t belong here. If you weren’t dead already, I’d take care of that for the deeds you’ve done.”
Jessup chuckled. “I ain’t dead.”
“I don’t really care what you think. I made a promise to a little girl and I intend to keep it.”
“Sure is a lot people here tonight.” Harley swung his gaze to Jennie. “You ran off, sweetheart.”
The man’s hungry interest in Jennie sent a surge of alarm through Cal. The crows came to life and dropped from the trees, swarming the group. Ben, Lem and Jennie all fell to the ground, but Cal remained standing, grasping the stone in his hand as a tingling energy flowed from it.
Harley Jessup never stood a chance.
The crows opened a doorway and Cal sent Jessup through it, then he dropped the scorching rock to the ground.
Jessup was gone. The heavy oppression hanging in the air evaporated.
“I guess he really was dead,” Ben muttered from where he’d crouched. “Jennie!”
But Jennie was gone.
“Where is she?” Cal asked the mountain men, who all gaped at what had just occurred.
“She was here a minute ago,” Simon said. “The crows frightened us.”
“Where’s Betsy?”
Lem took off running. “She’s gone to the mine shaft.”
Cal retrieved the stone, then he and Ben followed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jennie tried to stop herself but an unseen force propelled her forward.
Betsy moved alongside. “I can’t help you now, Jennie.”
“I don’t understand.” Jennie tripped but was compelled to stand and run. She thought to pull the gun from her coat pocket but she knew bullets wouldn’t work on the woman.
They stopped at the edge of a chasm and Jennie screamed, balancing so as not to fall from the sid
e. She clung to a nearby rock, fearing that Betsy meant to throw her over.
Betsy peered over the side. “That’s where Lem left me.”
“I’m so sorry. I wish we could’ve helped you.” Her foot slid and she struggled to keep hold of the boulder.
“Harley Jessup wasn’t so bad. He was just trying to protect this area for himself. I killed those men to help him.”
“I’m sure you thought you were doing the right thing.”
“You don’t understand what it’s like out here.”
Jennie clambered to find a hand hold. “I do, Betsy. I do. It’s very lonely, isn’t it?”
“You live with the animals, and then you become one.”
Jennie’s tenuous hold on the only anchor she could find ceased to be effective. She was about to slip from the side. “Betsy, please help me.”
The old woman simply watched her.
Jennie shrieked as the ground began to shift beneath her. She desperately grabbed at anything that would keep her from falling, trying to brace herself with her feet. A hand seized hers just as the ground fell away.
Cal!
He hauled her up and, holding her close, took her away from the edge. Jennie embraced him, shaking. When she looked up, she saw his stoic face, blanched with fear.
“I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispered.
Without thinking, she kissed him. His stiff response didn’t deter her; she pulled him closer and fully slanted her lips over his.
“Jennie.”
Her papa’s voice broke the spell and Cal released her, his face unreadable. Had she been wrong about what lay between them?
She went to her father and hugged him. “I’m glad you’re alright, Papa.”
“What happened?” Ben asked, releasing her.
Lem knelt by the edge of the drop-off. “Is she gone?”
“Yes,” Cal replied.
Lem looked up at him. “Did you cause that earthquake?”
Jennie caught sight of Simon, who said, “No, that was us.”
But none of the men appeared to see him.
“That was a stupid move,” Cal said. Apparently, he could hear Simon.
“Causing the tremor?” Lem asked, not realizing that Cal spoke to the Tommyknocker.
“You could’ve killed Jennie.” Cal barely contained his anger.
Hope flared in her heart. Maybe he does care. The taste of him lingered on her lips.
“It wasn’t me.” Lem stood, prepared to argue with Cal.
“I’m not talking to you,” Cal said. “There’s a Knocker here.”
“They’re real?”
“Yes,” Jennie answered. “Thank you, Simon, for trying to help.”
“Sorry we botched it up,” the mountain sprite replied. “It’s a good thing the Crow is looking out for you. I think you’re in good hands.”
Jennie didn’t answer, afraid she’d embarrass herself in front of Cal.
“The others have left,” Simon continued, “so I’m off too. Farewell, Jennie. See you in the hills.”
“Goodbye, Simon.”
Her father swung his gaze to her. “Who is Simon?”
“It’s a long story, Papa. Can we just go home? Then, I’ll tell you all about it.”
Ben placed an arm around his daughter’s shoulder. “Alright. I’ll leave this place, but I plan to return. Lem, I’ll be filing a claim on the vein with the assayer. I can include you in it.”
Lem nodded. “Yep. I think it might be time to try again here.” He turned to Cal. “Are you gonna take me in for the murder of my wife?”
In the moonlight, Cal’s dark hair shone like the body of a crow. “No. I’d say you suffered enough. Before I leave, I’ll let the marshal know it was an accident. You helped me get Jessup. I’d say we’re all even now.”
“I’m indebted to you,” Lem said.
“Where will you go now?” Jennie asked Cal, unable to stop herself, the sensation of him slipping away hitting her full force.
“I expect I’ll go see my brother, Jack. His daughter was born on this night.”
“How do you know?”
A smile graced his lips, not unlike the one he’d gifted her with on the day he offered to take her into the ravine. “I know.”
Was it possible to ask him to stay? Would he even consider it? How could she entice a crow to remain?
A knot formed in her stomach. A man like Callum Boggs, who straddled the divide between the living and the dead, surely would find domesticity far too confining to consider.
Sadness enveloped Jennie. It was clear that her life would never be the same without him.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Cal awoke from the dream and stared at the flowered wallpaper, visible in the moonlight shining through the window. The room at the Silverton Hotel was small and clean, and he’d accepted that this was his refuge for the last night in this town. He planned to leave on the train in the morning.
But the dream cloaked him like the warm embrace of a lover.
Jennie.
He wanted her, but it wasn’t in his nature to stay. Anywhere.
But the vision had been clear—two children, a boy and a girl, and they both resembled Jennie too much for him to doubt they were hers.
And his.
When Jennie had kissed him at the ravine, the connection had shot clear to his toes. It had taken everything he had not to respond to her. He wanted to crawl into the darkness with her and never leave. But they’d had an audience, and Cal wasn’t one to lose control over a woman.
During the return trek to Silverton, Cal had done his best to put the bone-deep connection he felt for Jennie aside. It was for the best. He’d depart the next morning, moving on like he always had. He wasn’t suited for settling down, and Jennie deserved better.
He was the Crow—bounty hunter, gunfighter, a Highland warrior who pulsed with Comanche blood. He faced down death and chased evil as a matter of course. But the love of one woman left him angst-ridden.
Jack had done it. When he found Hannah, he didn’t hesitate.
So why am I uncertain?
The dream couldn’t be denied. He sat upright in bed and scrubbed a hand over his face, scratching at the stubble on his cheeks.
The thought of leaving Jennie behind was gnawing a hole in his gut, alongside a persistent arousal. He’d never denied himself the pursuit of a woman if she was interested—and Jennie had made it abundantly clear she was—and it was near driving him mad.
Callum Boggs, you’ll never find another like her. His granny’s voice filled his head. She’s a Livingstone. Her ancestors came from Scotland, as well. She was destined for you.
A soft tap on his door caught him by surprise.
He stood, wrapping a blanket around his waist to cover his nakedness, and waited. The tapping came again. It couldn’t possibly be Jennie, yet he hoped. He’d certainly not given her any reason to come to him.
He opened the door and there she stood, eyes wide and face glowing. She struggled to catch her breath, as if she’d run here. Her eyes dropped to his bare torso and she licked her lips. Excitement coursed through him. He was such an idiot to think he could leave her.
“Just tell me one thing,” she said. “Do you like me, Callum Boggs?”
He grabbed her hand, pulled her into the room, and shut the door. He captured her mouth with his, tasting her, then deepened the kiss, letting her know just how much he liked her. The blanket dropped to the floor but she didn’t hesitate, didn’t withdraw. Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her against the length of his body.
Hunger for her pressed on him with such need that he pushed the heavy coat from her shoulders as her hands explored his chest and stomach, arousing him further. She helped him remove her boots, shirt and trousers then he guided her to the edge of the bed, laying her back, baring her to him. Her soft curves, always hidden beneath layers of clothing, beckoned—and he explored the luscious bounty with his mouth.
But he had little t
ime before his patience failed him. Bracing himself over her, he kissed her as his body joined with hers. He was her first, and he forced himself to pause. “I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you,” he whispered.
“No.” She buried her hands in his hair, her breathing frantic, and bent her knees to allow him deeper access. “Don’t stop.”
His body shuddered. With a primal need he took Jennie; she clung to him, matching his rhythm with her own increasing need, and in the release, the ancient connection revealed itself. Jennie was his. His heart had always belonged to her.
In the aftermath, still reeling from the encounter, he raised himself above her to look into her exquisite face. “Why did you come here tonight?”
A serene and satiated expression crossed her face. “I dreamt of you, and when I awoke, a crow was tapping on my window. I had to see you. I had to try and convince you to stay.”
He nuzzled her neck, inhaling the scent of this woman—his woman—that reminded him of the heather-capped Highland fields. It occurred to him that Silverton wasn’t so different than the Scotland of his heritage.
He ran a hand along the curves beneath him. “I tried to leave, but even before you came here I knew I wouldn’t be able to.”
“Then my convincing has seemed to work.”
He continued to love her until the sun rose.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Six Months Later
Winter finally broke and the town of Silverton enjoyed sunshine and warmth on the first day of May.
Cal knew exactly where his wife was headed, so planted himself at the bottom of the stairs of their small two-story home, located down the street from Ben Livingstone. He drank coffee and read yesterday’s copy of the La Plata Miner.
When Jennie descended a short time later, she placed her hands on her hips when she came to where he sat on the bottom step, blocking her passage.
He glanced up at her. Forced to wear loose skirts due to her expanding waistline, he enjoyed the more feminine look.
The Crow and the Bear (The Crow Series Book 2) Page 5
