Dreams of the Witch

by Deanna Chase

  Faith wasn’t sure what it was about Hunter, but the man just inherently made her feel better. She’d been drained and had certainly overdone it when she’d been letting the effects of her father’s illness seep into her, but once she was in Hunter’s arms, it was as if she just released all of that heartache and tension right out into the universe. And while she was still worried and anxious to see her father again, she knew she needed the break and the food he practically forced her to order.

  “You need fuel, Faith,” he said. “Especially if you’re going to camp out at the hospital all day and night.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to stay at the hospital all night?” she asked and then took a bite of her crab salad sandwich.

  He gave her a flat stare.

  She couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. “Okay, you’re right. I have no intention of going home until I know he’s okay.”

  “That’s what I thought.” He shoved a fry in his mouth and offered her some.

  “Thanks.” She ate two fries and stopped. She still had more than half a sandwich left and a bag of chips. “I think I’m done.”

  He eyed her uneaten food but didn’t comment. He just wrapped her sandwich up and placed it back in the paper bag. “You can have it later instead of the turkey.” Hunter started to get up from the table, but when she didn’t move, he sat back down. “What is it?”

  “Why did you come?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him there. She did. More than anything. And that was the problem. She wasn’t used to leaning on any man other than her father. If he was only there out of some sort of obligation to her or Lin because he was working for them, she needed to know before she got in too deep.

  “You can’t tell?” he asked, gazing at her so intently she started to feel as if he was seeing straight into her soul.

  “No,” she said, fighting to keep from crossing her arms over her chest to feel less exposed.

  He picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “Because, Faith, that’s what people do when the ones they care about need support.”

  “You care about me?” she asked, not surprised, but wanting to hear him say the words again.

  “I think you know the answer to that question, but just in case you don’t, here it is… I’m falling for you, Faith. I could no sooner stay away from you while you’re in pain than I could Zoey when her dad was fighting for his life. That’s how much I care about you.”

  Tears threatened to burn her eyes again, but she blinked them back. She had shed enough tears for the day. “Thank you. It helps that you’re here.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She shrugged. “What’s there to say? He’s sick, and they keep saying they are doing everything they can, but I know the treatment isn’t working, or at least not working yet. And I’m so angry that I can’t do anything to help.”

  “Of course you’re helping. Just having you here lends him strength.”

  She wondered briefly if that’s what they’d told themselves the entire time they were waiting for Craig to wake up. But she kept the thought to herself and sighed. “I meant that my hands are useless. I can’t help clear the infection the way I can help speed the healing of sore muscles.”

  “I see.” He lifted her hand and traced a light finger over the lines of her palm. “Your hands are magic, Faith. The people of Keating Hollow are blessed to have you, but if you’re upset with yourself because you can’t heal your father, you’re putting way too much pressure on yourself. Even the healers can’t do what you’re suggesting.”

  She knew he was right. They were pumping her father with antibiotic potions and energy boosters. No doubt they’d bring in healers with healing hands, but they wouldn’t do that until he was stronger, when his body had the energy to help itself. “I know. I just… I can’t stand to see him so sick. He’s the lifeblood of our family, Hunter. If he…” She shook her head. “We can’t lose him.”

  “You won’t.” His words were strong and sure, and they were like a balm on her aching heart. He stood, and she rose with him. “Let’s go see how he’s doing.”

  “Hunter?”

  He reached over and grabbed the bag that contained her half-eaten sandwich. “Yeah?”

  “I’m glad you’re here.” She leaned in and kissed him. His lips were warm and soft and exactly what she needed. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him. “And thanks for pretending I don’t look like a hot mess.”

  “All I see is a gorgeous woman who’s not afraid to show her emotions.” He tugged her forward and said, “Let’s go before the guy behind the counter tries to steal you from me.”

  She glanced back at the balding guy using one of the machines to slice cheese. He was staring right at her, interest sparking in his big eyes. She smiled up at him. “I think you could take him.”

  “Maybe, but there’s no telling what kind of magic he’s packin’.”

  She laughed and followed him out of the deli and back into the hospital.

  It didn’t take long to figure out something was seriously wrong. The minute they arrived in the waiting room, the tension was so thick Faith’s skin actually started to itch. Yvette was standing near the window, staring out at the parking lot, while Abby was frantically texting on her phone. Noel was speaking to the nurse, her body trembling with what Faith thought must be anger.

  “What’s wrong?” Faith asked.

  Abby looked up from her phone and stared pointedly at a woman sitting across the room. Her honey-blond hair had been curled, and it framed her familiar face.

  Faith let out a small gasp and could’ve sworn she heard Hunter curse under his breath, but she was too focused on the woman staring back at her. “Mom?”

  Gabrielle slowly pushed herself out of her chair. She was thin, maybe too thin, and although she’d obviously taken care to style her hair, her locks were in desperate need of a cut and color. But it was her eyes that haunted Faith. They were sad with a touch of weariness, the mark of a woman with a million regrets.

  “She shouldn’t be here,” Noel snapped. “I can’t believe she just showed up here like this after all these years.” She turned to Gabrielle. “You’re not welcome here.”

  “Noel, please,” Abby said, pleading with their sister. “Now isn’t the time.”

  “No, it isn’t. Our dad is sick, and we don’t have time to indulge her.” Noel snapped her attention back to the nurse. “She’s not to see Lincoln Townsend, do you understand? He doesn’t want to have anything to do with her.”

  “You don’t know that,” Abby said.

  “Noel’s probably right,” Yvette chimed in, finally turning to stare at their mother. “At the very least, we should wait until he’s coherent to ask him.”

  “We won’t let anyone in who isn’t immediate family,” the nurse said. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “I’m his wife,” Gabrielle said.

  Everyone turned to stare at her. Faith couldn’t believe she’d had the gall to claim some sort of marital privilege after all the years she’d been gone. And as she stood there staring at the woman she’d spent most of her life wishing would walk back into her life, Faith felt nothing. Not anger, not regret, and certainly not joy. She was indifferent, and that just made her sad.

  “She’s his ex-wife,” Noel shot back. “Ex. Dad filed for abandonment over fifteen years ago. You don’t get to just waltz back into his life, our lives, and act like nothing happened.” She pointed to the exit. “You should go.”

  Gabrielle glanced around the room at her four daughters, and Faith had to avert her gaze. She couldn’t handle her mother’s haunted eyes. Not then. Not when all of her energy was focused on her father lying in a hospital room.

  “I understand,” Gabrielle said softly. “I didn’t mean to intrude. I just…” She shook her head. “I hope Lin is all right.” Then she ran out of the waiting room.

  Abby let out a little sob, and in the ne
xt moment, she took off after her.

  Faith, Yvette, and Noel stared after them in silence. Then Yvette let out a sigh and followed Abby.

  “What about you?” Noel asked Faith. “Are you going to let her just waltz back into your life like nothing happened?”

  Faith didn’t appreciate her sister attacking her, but she understood where the anger was coming from and instantly forgave her. “No. I don’t think so,” Faith said. “I don’t have it in me.”

  Noel closed her eyes and nodded. Then she turned to the nurse and said, “I’m sorry. We had no idea she was coming.”

  “It’s all right, dear,” the nurse said. “We’ve seen it all.”

  “Are you all right?” Hunter whispered in her ear.

  She turned and pressed her hand to his chest. “As okay as I can be.”

  He stared down at her, seeming to search her face for any sort of emotional distress.

  “I swear. I’m okay. I really don’t have the emotional energy to deal with her right now. It was strange seeing her, but I just felt… nothing. I guess I purged everything the other day when I spoke to her.”

  He brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. His touch was so tender, she wished he’d never stop. But then he dropped his hand and pulled back. “There’s something I need to take care of. Are you going to be all right?”

  “Sure,” she said, frowning. “Don’t tell me you’re doing work at my dad’s place or the spa, because—”

  “It’s not that,” he said, cutting her off. “I just need to make a phone call. I’ll be back.”

  Right. He probably needed to call Vivian. The thought bothered her. If there wasn’t anything between them, why did he have to call and check in? She immediately felt ashamed. It probably had to do with Zoey. He’d already told her that he was stepping in to fill Craig’s shoes. It only made sense he’d be communicating with Vivian. “Sure. Thanks for stopping by. Having you here really made a difference.”

  He gave her a strange look. “Were you under the impression I was leaving?”

  “Well…”

  He chuckled. “Faith, I’m glad I made a difference, but I’m not going anywhere yet. I just need to take care of something. I’ll meet you back here, okay?”

  “Okay.” She gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry. It’s been a day.”

  “I know.” He bent down, kissed her, and then strode off.

  Faith sat down in one of the chairs, suddenly exhausted.

  “That’s a new development,” Noel said, taking the seat next to her.

  “Yeah.” Faith said with a sigh. “We had our official first date last night.”

  Noel ran a knuckle over Faith’s cheek. “Is that why you have whisker burn?”

  Faith jerked back. “I don’t have whisker burn!”

  “You just keep telling yourself that, little sister,” she said with a laugh. Then she turned and eyed her. “For the record, it looks good on you.”

  Faith rolled her eyes. “Stop. You’re embarrassing me.”

  “That’s what big sisters are for.”

  “Trust me, I know.” As the youngest, Faith had taken the brunt of the sisterly teasing her entire life. But she’d also been blessed with three older siblings who’d stood up for her just as often. Faith glanced at the hallway leading to her dad’s hospital room. “Have you been in to see him lately?”

  “Just a few minutes before Gabrielle showed up. They gave him a sedative to help him sleep.”

  It didn’t escape her notice that Noel was calling their mother by her first name. Noel wasn’t even ready to talk to her, much less call her Mom. “Why the sedative? He was sleeping fine when we were in there earlier.”

  “Fever dreams were making him restless. Martin said that when the antibiotics start to kick in the dreams will stop.”

  Faith stood, intending to head back into his room, to just sit by him while he slept, but a giant yawn overtook her, and her eyes started to water. She glanced down at Noel. “I think I’m going for some coffee. Need some?”

  Noel pressed two fingers to her temple and said, “Yes. Large. Black.”

  “Got it.” Faith headed down the hospital hallway, looking for the cafeteria. Unsure of where to go, she made two wrong turns before she backtracked and ended up in a part of the hospital she didn’t recognize. After consulting a map on the wall, she headed out the glass doors, intending to cross the campus, and came to a dead stop.

  Off to the right, near a cluster of trees, she spotted her mother and Hunter. His entire body was tense, and his hands were curled into fists. There was no question he was angry. But about what? Gabrielle intruding on her and her family? She started to move toward them but froze again when her mother raised her voice and pointed a finger at him.

  “And what about you, Hunter?” she said, her voice carrying in the December air. “Have you been honest with her? Have you told Faith that I’m the one who raised you and you’ve known all along where I’ve been? And what about Zoey? Does she know who her real father is? Don’t talk to me about honesty. We all have our secrets. When all of your skeletons are outed, then maybe you’ll have room to lecture me. Until then, keep it to yourself.”

  A cold chill ran through Faith as she waited for Hunter to contradict her. To deny her accusations. But he didn’t. Instead he said, “I’ll tell her in my own good time.”

  I’ll tell her in my own good time. The words rang in Faith’s head. He hadn’t denied anything. What she’d said was true. Gabrielle had raised Hunter? Hadn’t he said he’d lived with his uncle and his live-in girlfriend, Gia? Gia was a nickname for Gabrielle. And what about Zoey? Had her mother just implied that Zoey was really Hunter’s, not Craig’s?

  She had, and Hunter hadn’t denied any of it.

  Everything he’d said had been a lie. Her entire body was numb as she calmly turned around and walked back into the hospital.

  Chapter 18

  Hunter fumed silently as he walked around the hospital campus trying to work off some of his anger. He couldn’t believe that Gia had just shown up at the hospital with no warning. He understood that she’d been invited to Keating Hollow to see her daughters, but that was before Lin had been rushed to the emergency room.

  He didn’t care how worried she was about Lin or her daughters. Today wasn’t the day for her crap. And worse, when he’d found her talking with Abby and Yvette, she hadn’t been truthful about where she’d been. He’d overheard her say something about Tucson, Arizona, making it sound as if she wasn’t just a few hours’ drive away. After Abby and Yvette made their way back inside, he’d taken Gia by the elbow and let her know in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t going to allow her to lie to her family. If she was determined to reconnect, they deserved to know the truth about her.

  That’s when she’d thrown the only crap she could at him and accused him of lying to Faith. He hadn’t. At least not about his relationship with Gia. Hadn’t he just found out who she really was? He’d intended for Gia to tell Faith and her sisters about her past. But if she was going to lie, then he’d have no choice. He wasn’t a man who kept secrets from those he cared about.

  When it came to Zoey… well, Zoey didn’t even know the truth yet. And until she did, Hunter wasn’t going to be broadcasting the fact that he was her biological father. When the time was right, they’d tell her. Until then it wasn’t anyone’s business… including Gia’s. The only reason she knew was because when she and Mason had come to Craig’s funeral, they’d overheard Hunter and Vivian arguing about how to handle it.

  The last person he would’ve told was Gia. If she managed to stay clean, she’d keep the knowledge to herself, but if she had a lapse and got back on the potions, there was no telling what she’d do or say.

  Hunter walked the perimeter of the hospital a half dozen times before he finally headed back to the waiting room. He wanted to check on Faith and see if he could do anything for her. Make sure she was okay.

  He found her standing near a window, staring out at th
e town of Eureka with a cup of coffee in her hand. Placing his palm on the small of her back, he whispered, “Hey. How’s it going? You doing okay?”

  She didn’t even turn to look at him as she said, “Doing fine.” Her tone was void of emotion as she asked, “Did you get your errand done?”

  “Sure.” He frowned. Was it his imagination, or was she angry at him? She seemed cold and distant. But even as the thought popped into his mind, he berated himself. Her father was seriously ill, and her long-lost mother had just walked back into her life at the worst possible moment. Of course she wasn’t okay. Anyone could see that. Asking her to ease his fears was only making things worse. “Any change with your dad?”

  She shook her head, still not looking at him. “None.”

  Her body was so tense that her muscles bunched as if she were waiting to strike at someone. Her mother, probably. Or even just the universe for inflicting cancer and life-threatening bacterial infections on her father.

  “Try to relax a little, Faith,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders and kneading at the knots he found there.

  Faith let out an audible sigh and stepped away from him, putting enough distance between them that he couldn’t touch her without moving forward.

  “Too hard?” he asked, referring to the amateur massage he’d just tried to give to a certified massage therapist.

  “I think you should probably go, Hunter. I need to focus on my dad and my family right now.”

  “Oh, all right,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t mean to overstay my welcome.”

  She didn’t respond.

  Hunter wanted to reach out and envelop her in his arms, hold her, and make sure she felt loved, but the determined look in her eyes and her closed-off body language held him back. She clearly wasn’t interested in being taken care of anymore. “Okay then. You’ll call if there’s anything I can do?”

  “I won’t call. There’s nothing anyone can do but wait. Thanks for stopping by. That was thoughtful of you.”