“I don’t know how to explain it.” Hannah sipped her iced tea to lubricate her dry mouth and tried to organize her thoughts. “It’s just ... so weird. I mean, so freaking weird. Right before it happened, Cooper was being all romantic and we were trying to pick new bartenders. He wanted us to get through it so we could go upstairs and ... um ... eat dinner.”
Boone smirked. “You were going to eat dinner at five o’clock, huh? I didn’t realize you guys were suddenly senior citizens.”
The corners of her lips edged up. “We were going to hang out before dinner,” she clarified. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together.”
“Oh, I know. It used to be that Cooper had breakfast with me in town at least twice a week. He hasn’t shown up in two straight weeks. That’s because he prefers to have his breakfasts with you now.”
For some reason, a flash of guilt caused Hannah to start shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to monopolize all his time.”
“Honey, I’m not blaming you. Your relationship with Cooper is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”
“Does he say that?” This time her smile was genuine.
“He doesn’t have to say it. I’ve known him for years. He lights up when your name is mentioned. Heck, he was doing it before you guys actually started dating. I knew this is where you would end up. You don’t have to apologize for making the man happy. What I’m concerned with is why you’re so unhappy.”
“I’m not unhappy.”
“I mean right now. In general, I know you’re happy, too. I’ve seen you two walking toward the creek together, swinging your hands like teenagers. It’s obvious you’re both happy. Right now, though, you’re shaken to your very core. Cooper can see it, too, and he’s confused.”
“That’s because I don’t think he realizes that something happened to him,” Hannah admitted, opting to take the bull by the horn ... so to speak. “I think there was a creature there, and I think it was controlling the men.”
“Just the men?”
She nodded and glanced around, as if she expected the dancing man to appear again. “I saw him during the fight. I was already starting to think something terrible was about to happen, though. The men were fighting for no reason, and when Cooper got out there he started talking like ... someone else.”
Boone furrowed his brow. “Like gibberish?”
“No. Like ... he was about to erupt in a volcano of testosterone.”
“Huh.” Boone scratched his cheek. “That’s not like him. He’s usually calm in situations like that. He’s seen much worse overseas.”
“That’s why I was confused. He was basically ready to whip his ... you know ... out and measure it against the other guy’s and it only got worse when that Trent guy started saying sexual things about me. I would’ve ignored it, but Cooper was irate.”
“Well ... he’s protective of you,” Boone hedged. “He adores everything about you. It’s only natural he would want to stand up for you.”
“Yeah, but he was acting weird even before it happened. He’s usually not aggressive like that. I don’t know how to explain it but there was a moment I thought Cooper was going to start throwing punches.”
“Okay. That can’t be the only reason you’re upset, though.”
“No. I saw ... a man. That’s the creature I mentioned. It was a man … kind of.” She was babbling and she knew it, but she couldn’t stop herself. “At least it looked like a man. He was between the dry goods store and the post office. He was watching ... and laughing ... and dancing.”
“Dancing?” Boone’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “I don’t understand.”
“I don’t either. I was about to point him out to Cooper, but then things got really tense. I suggested we separate the men, get one down the mountain and have the guy in the ticket office down there message when the coast was clear so we could send down the other.
“At first I thought Cooper was going to argue with me, maybe start a fight or something, but it was like he regained control of himself for a minute there and realized he was acting out of sorts,” she continued. “He agreed it was the right thing to do, and when I looked over at the man again, he seemed agitated. He’d stopped dancing.”
“I don’t understand what you’re getting at,” Boone admitted. “Are you saying this dancing man was a guest?”
“I don’t know. He was between the buildings. I think I’m the only one who saw him. The thing is, I was the only female out there, and I was the only one acting like myself.”
“So ... you think this man, or monster perhaps, could somehow influence the men.” Boone leaned back in his chair and exhaled heavily, thoughtful. “Do you know what kind of creature could do that?”
“No, but I’m like the dumbest woman in the world when it comes to paranormal stuff.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“You didn’t. I did. I don’t know what he was, but when Trent grabbed the gun to shoot Rob — and, honestly, there was no reason for any of it to happen because they didn’t even know what they were fighting about — I looked over at the man and he disappeared. Right in front of my eyes. Once the shooting was over, he left.”
“Like ... poof?”
“Yes.”
“Huh.” Boone lifted his head at the sound of footsteps on the wood. He wasn’t surprised to find Cooper joining the party. He knew it was only a matter of time before the security guru’s instincts kicked in and he checked on Hannah. “Did you see a guy between the dry goods store and the post office?”
Cooper was taken aback at the question. “I
