by Lynn Cahoon
William flashed the fingers on his hand. “Details. I never was good at the detail stuff. That’s probably why I’m an ex-journalist. Hard to admit that I was here for Aunt Adele’s birthday to beg for part of my inheritance early.”
“That’s why you were in town?” Mia stepped closer, but Trent grabbed her arm, keeping her next to him.
“Sad but true. You said there’s coffee?” William sniffed the air. “And soup?”
“Have a seat in the living room. Mia will bring it out.” Trent nodded to the fireplace. “You can slip off your shoes and warm up your feet.”
“Sounds divine.” William pulled off his boots, left them in the middle of the hallway, then went and landed loudly on the couch. “Sugar, no cream.”
Mia glanced at Trent. Quietly, she asked, “What?”
Trent leaned toward her ear and whispered, “I don’t want to let him out of our sight until we find out what happened to Mr. Mann.”
A chill ran down Mia’s back and she shivered. “I’ll get the soup. You want coffee too?”
Trent nodded, his gaze not leaving their guest’s back. “I’ll be right here.”
Mia walked into the kitchen. As she dug through the drawers for spoons, she found a knife small enough to fit into the pocket of her sweater. She patted the outside of the bulky cardigan, just to make sure it didn’t show.
Filling three bowls with soup and adding spoons to the bowls, she put a sleeve of crackers she’d found in the pantry that didn’t seem too stale on a tray. She carried the tray into the living room and set it on the coffee table. The men were silent and watched her as she entered. Even with the crackling fire Mia felt the chill in a room that a few minutes ago had been warm and cozy enough for her to consider throwing caution to the wind and bedding Trent. Just for fun. Now the room felt like a deep freeze, even with the third body.
“Soup’s on.” Mia tried to sound perky, to break the ice.
“Smells great.” Trent smiled at her, and for a second she wondered if he had picked up on her thoughts about throwing him on the bear rug and tearing off his clothes. When his smile widened her eyebrows raised. She definitely was going to have to find out what kind of power Trent had been keeping under wraps. Grans had told her that some families with long roots in the world of witchcraft passed on talents to their offspring, like reading thoughts. On the other hand, the reaction could be her imagination or his ability to read body language. Either explanation was perfectly normal and not supernatural at all.
When Trent chuckled Mia shook her head. Or not.
William grabbed a bowl and spoon, crunching crackers into the soup and shaking a ton of salt and pepper over the mixture without even tasting the broth. Mia groaned inwardly. She hated people who never tried the true taste a chef gave food without trying to mask the flavor with seasonings. The worse offender in her mind had been the dishwasher who worked at the hotel. Dusty carried an individual bottle of hot sauce to work. When he ate his employer-provided meal, no matter what they’d cooked that day, he poured hot sauce over the plate. Mia shuddered at the memory. The man was crass and creepy. Just like William.
She picked up her bowl and slipped into one of the wing chairs next to the couch. She tucked her feet under her and focused on eating. Who knew when they’d be able to leave the cabin, and the walk back to the road, and then maybe to town, would be long. They would all need food. She wondered if the pantry held any energy bars they could borrow. Watching the men eat, she wondered who would be the first to break the silence. Her money was on William.
He didn’t disappoint. As soon as he finished his soup, he belched, and then pointed at Trent. “You’re the grocery store guy, right?”
Trent nodded, still eating.
“The lawyer said he’s still waiting for your bill to come in to close out Adele’s estate. You need to send that so I can get out of this freezer and back to Arizona.” William pounded his finger on the coffee table, making the empty bowl jiggle.
“I send bills to my customers at the end of the month, dead or alive.” Trent didn’t even look up from his soup.
“That’s two weeks away. What am I supposed to do for two weeks? The worthless piece of man this town calls a lawyer won’t even release me money for living expenses. The Lodge isn’t cheap, you know.”
Mia bit her lip. So that was why William had taken Barney to lunch, trying to get estate money released. The lawyer had stood his ground and got a free meal. He’d played the game well.
“Not my problem.” Trent set his bowl on the coffee table and focused his gaze on Mia. “Amazing soup. I can’t believe you got so much flavoring out of cans.”
“You supplied the owner with some fantastic product. I made a list of what I used so we can restock.” Mia bit into the last bite in her bowl. “I’m definitely buying some of this dried pasta. Who makes it?”
“Actually, a local producer. They run a small organic farm in the summer, selling to me and out at the farmers market in Sun Valley. In the winter they produce pasta. You should try their goat cheese ravioli. Heaven.” Trent leaned back in his chair, but Mia noticed he’d turned the chair to face the couch, where he could keep a watch on William.
“Food? We’re talking food?” William snorted. “I’ve got a major problem here and all everyone I meet wants to talk about is freaking food.”
“What do you expect when you’re sitting with a caterer and someone who runs a grocery store?” Mia laughed. “We aren’t going to be chatting about auto repair.”
William waved his hand, dismissing her comments. “Even the lawyer wanted to talk about how great the food they serve was at that dump of a golf course where he agreed to meet me. You would have thought it was his last meal.”
A chill ran up Mia’s back at his words. She glanced at Trent and, setting her bowl on the table, moved her hand closer to her pocket. “Where is Mr. Mann now?”
William grimaced. “Still in Twin Falls. He said he had some business to complete. I think he wanted to hit the all-you-can-eat buffet before going back into isolation. You’d think he’d lose some of that weight while he hibernated during the winter. It’s not like you can get a decent meal in town.”
Mia focused on Trent, wondering if his mind reading worked on important things, like whether the portly lawyer really was working his way through The Fall’s Buffet or lying dead somewhere in an alley. When he shook his head slightly Mia interpreted that as good news for Barney and released her grip on the sweater pocket.
William pulled out his cell. “Crap, still no service. Don’t you guys have cell towers here at all?”
“Depends on the provider. Most cell towers are closer to town. People build houses here to get away from all the techie gadgets that run their normal world. Downtime.” Trent stood and stretched. He picked up the tray. “Coffee?”
“More instant,” William whined.
“Definitely. You still want some?” Trent waited.
“Better than nothing, I guess,” William leaned forward, his leer focused on Mia. “Maybe I can get to know you a little better while we wait.”
Mia popped up and out of her chair. “Sorry, have to help Trent.”
As they walked out of the living room, Mia heard William mutter, “Your loss.”
When they reached the safety of the kitchen Trent turned to her. “You okay?”
“Fine. That man is a total pig. First he accuses me of killing Adele in front of the entire community, then he wants to,” she added air quotes to her words, “‘get to know me.’ What a creep.”
Trent filled the teakettle with bottled water. “Remind me not to tick you off.”
“Funny.” Mia searched through the cabinets for fresh cups. “I’m tired and cold and worried about Grans and Christina.”
“Christina seems to have a good head on her shoulders. And your grandmother could hunt and skin a bear in the middle of a snowstorm if she needed to, so I think one night without you watching over her won’t hurt.” The kettle started scr
eaming and Trent moved it off the stove, pouring the hot water into the cups. “Unless there’s something you’re not telling me.”
Mia pursed her lips. Should she mention her fears about her cookbook and the real reason Christina was in town? Could Trent ease her mind about Christina or, worse, confirm that she did have something to worry about. She decided this wasn’t the best time to discuss ex-boyfriends and Isaac’s schemes. “Not really. Well, there is, but this isn’t the . . .”
Her words were cut short by a loud knocking on the front door.
Trent smiled. “For a deserted cabin in the snow, this place is quite the way station.”
They joined William, who had reached the door and just stood there, watching the shadowed figure on the other side of the frosted window.
“You going to open it?” Trent asked William. He looked, in Mia’s opinion, even paler than he had a few minutes before. For someone who lived in Arizona, the man must not get outside much; he looked whiter than an Alaskan accountant.
Not for the first time that night, Mia wondered about the whereabouts of the portly lawyer. Had he stayed in Twin Falls, like the smug William had said, or was there something more sinister to his absence?
“Get out of the way.” Trent shoved William aside and reached for the door handle. “If we’d acted this way when you showed up, you’d be frozen on the porch, instead of blocking the door.”
“But . . .”
Mia didn’t hear the rest of what William Danforth the Third planned on saying because just then, Trent swung open the door. Her breath hitched involuntarily as she watched the figure enter the room.
Levi walked through the door, brushing snow from his coat and stamping his feet.
William shrank back and let out a deep breath, like the Ghost of Christmas Future had just passed him by.
“Dude, you know how hard it was to find you in this storm?” Levi nodded to Mia. “Hey, girl. How are you feeling? Your Grans is worried sick. You aren’t having the best month now, are you?”
“How did you know we were here?” Mia asked.
Levi flashed a glance at his brother. “Let’s just say I got an emergency transmission when you went off the road.”
“Took you long enough to get out here.” Trent slapped his brother on the back. “I hope I’m not interrupting your storm party.”
“As a matter of fact you are. When I left the girls had just opened the tequila and were making margaritas. I hope they save one for me.” Levi’s face broke into a grin. “Get your stuff, kids. I’ve got a snowcat out there to take us back to town.”
“Seriously? That’s great.” William sat on the bench and started pulling on his shoes. “Hey, wait. What’s a snowcat?”
Levi grinned. “You’re about to find out.” He glanced at his brother. “You need to lock up?”
“I’ll walk through and make sure everything’s good. The fire’s burned down, so we should be good there if I douse it with some water.” Trent winked at Mia. “Wouldn’t do for the cabin to burn down. Not sure I could pay the replacement cost.”
Mia followed Trent back into the living room, where she cleaned up the plates and bowls they’d used. She rinsed them and set them in the dishwasher. “Hopefully they’ll be fine there until the owner reopens the cabin. I feel bad, leaving a mess.”
Trent helped her put away the last of the pantry items they’d used. “We need to get going before we don’t have any light at all. The road up the mountain can be pretty dangerous at night in the best of times.”
As they redressed for the trip into town, Mia felt the knife in the pocket of the sweater. When she slipped off the sweater and put on her coat, she kept the knife close. “Just in case,” she whispered. When Trent came to check on her, she pasted on a smile she didn’t feel. “Let’s get out of here.”
The three stood on the porch while Trent locked the door and replaced the key. Mia saw him whisper what she assumed was a protection spell for the cabin and then he turned back.
When their eyes met he had the good sense to look abashed at her seeing him perform magic. The man hadn’t told her the entire truth when they had told their secrets, now had he?
“Lowly grocery store owner, my butt,” she muttered as they followed Levi and William to the snowcat.
“I know enough to get myself out of trouble, that’s all,” Trent protested.
“And monkeys fly.” Mia climbed into the back seat of the cat next to William, leaving the shotgun seat for Trent. His brother might need his “help” as they inched their way back to town.
She gazed out the window at the quickly darkening sky. And that was the trouble with dating a witch, she thought. They never were completely honest with you. Mia thought about Isaac and his deception and betrayal, not only as her boss but as her lover. Maybe honesty just wasn’t a characteristic any man had.
Human or witch, it didn’t seem to make a difference.
CHAPTER 16
Mia kept her hand on the knife the entire trip up the Magic to town. Knowing she could protect herself made her feel powerful. Knowing she may have to because someone had already killed Adele and she might be sitting next to the killer made her want to throw up. When they reached the Lodge and William left the snowcat Mia’s body sagged in relief.
Levi glanced back at her using the rearview mirror. “You okay back there?”
“Yeah, just wanting to get home.” Mia leaned back in her seat and relaxed her shoulders. She had been sitting straight as a board for the entire trip back into town. Every time the snowcat shifted she tensed, until she’d become so stiff, she couldn’t imagine relaxing.
“No worries. Next stop, Mia’s school for wandering children and orphans.” Levi grinned at his brother. “Where do you want to be dropped off, dude?”
“I’ll go with Mia. I want to check out that building. You could help me hook up the generator before you take off for your party.” They had stopped at the van on the way up to grab the piece of machinery and check on the condition of Mia’s car.
“My continued absence will be mourned by one and all, but I can do that.” Levi turned the snowcat back onto the road. Snow had been falling for hours in town, making the roads almost impassable.
“An hour. You can miss your snow bunnies for an hour.” Trent shook his head. “Little brother, you are a horndog.”
“I came to rescue you, so just hush. You’re making me look bad in front of the little woman back there.” Levi’s eyes twinkled as he gazed at her in the mirror.
“You keep calling me the ‘little woman,’ you’re the one who’s going to need to be rescued.” Mia watched the snow fall as they drove. “And how exactly did that rescue work? I know we were out of cell range.”
“Brothers have a special connection. That’s all I can say.” Levi grinned. Trent didn’t even turn his head to look at her.
“Whatever. As long as you and your specially connected brother get my generator set up, I guess I don’t care how you communicate.” Although deep down inside, she did. Had Trent cast a spell, did they have telepathic abilities? Had the owner of the house installed a shortwave radio? She focused back on the street and watched the snow pile up. The town looked deserted. Shops on Main Street were closed and dark. Even the fake gaslight streetlights had been turned off or lost power from the storm. City Hall blazed bright at the end of the street and several officers bundled in parkas worked on cleaning off the steps, sidewalks, and police cars, only keeping in front of the falling snow for a few minutes. Emergency response would be slow tonight, even with their diligence.
Curving around the square, Mia caught her first glance at her building. The school still had lights. The front walk looked recently shoveled and the entry looked inviting. She really needed to start bringing in some cash before the house ate up all her savings in utility costs alone.
As they pulled into the parking lot, three figures emerged from the front door and headed out to meet them. When she slipped out of the cat Grans grabbed her in
a hug. “I was so worried. When Levi called to let us know you were stranded I knew something was wrong. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She glanced at Levi. “Thanks for getting hold of her.”
“No problem. I figured you’d want her to know you were being rescued.” Levi smiled. “And, of course, I wanted the credit.”
“Brat.”
Grans slapped her on the arm. “Don’t be spiteful. Levi didn’t have to go out of his way to save you two. But then we found out that Barney and Mr. Danforth had been stranded as well.”
“Wait, Barney was with William?” Trent stood by Mia now, questioning her grandmother.
“Right after Levi left we got a call from Officer Baldwin saying Barney had called from the road, and he was stuck too. And he told Baldwin that Mr. Danforth was also on the road to Magic Springs. Did you find them?”
Levi and Trent passed a long look between them. “Help me take the generator in, then head back to City Hall. Tell them what we know. Then give them the keys to the cat and get back here. You’re not going back down. Now it’s police business.”
“But—” Levi started, and Trent shook his head.
“Help me with the generator, then do what I said.” He put his hand on his brother’s back and led him toward the cat.
Mia did the same to Grans, but gently aimed her toward the door. “Let’s get inside where we can talk.”
Another arm went around her grandmother, and Mia looked up, expecting to see Christina. Instead, James caught her eye. Reading her expression, he quickly explained. “I found your grandmother’s car stuck in the snow a mile from here. After we got here the roads got too bad for me to leave. I guess you’re stuck with me.”
“And he’s teaching me how to make clam chowder,” Christina added.
“As long as you’re being helpful, you’re more than welcome.” She smiled at him. “Thanks for bringing her here. I should have had her come earlier.”
