“Who was that?” I asked.
No one answered, so I turned to face them. Carol had gone absolutely sheet white.
“Guys?” I prodded, looking at Deva and Beth.
Beth nibbled her bottom lip. “It probably wasn’t him. It’s been a long time. And it was dark.”
“Him who?” I pressed.
Carol spoke, her tone far too level. “It looked like Bryan. But after disappearing on me all those years ago, I know he’d never have the guts to show his face here again.”
“But--”
“It wasn’t him.” She opened her car door and slammed it shut.
My gaze met Deva’s. “It’s been a long night. Let’s just forget about it,” she said.
But if it was him, I was sure this wasn’t done yet.
They drove me home while an old song we all loved played. At first it was just Beth who sang along, but by the time we reached my house, we were all belting out the words. When the song ended, we all grinned at each other, and awkward hugs were exchanged in the car.
“I’m glad I came back,” I told them.
“We are too,” Deva said. “Now, do you know if it’s going to be permanent?”
I smiled. “Yeah, I just have to wrap up a few things back home.”
“Well, we’re here to help you wrap them up,” Beth said with a laugh.
I got out of my car, and Deva pulled a metal trash can out of the trunk, and we threw the little rat in that too. They watched as I climbed into my car, and then I headed to Daniel’s house. I spent the entire drive smiling. Beth was safe. The creepy creature was caught, and currently, a rat.
Life was good.
And, I had a feeling, it would only get better. Once I saw Daniel...
24
Emma
I had my brights on as I went down the little dirt road that led to Daniel’s cabin. To my surprise, I liked the dark woods around me and the quiet of knowing I wouldn’t be running into anyone else on this road. Whatever reason Daniel had chosen to live out here, probably bear-related, was smart. I’d love to live in a place like this.
When I pulled up outside of the cabin, I turned my lights off and just sat for a moment. His cabin looked so dang picturesque. I wished instead of me being here to bring him a rat, I was pulling up to a place that was mine too. Boy, that thought would probably freak him out. But I could almost picture us sitting together inside, drinking cocoa before a fire.
His door flew open, and he stood, silhouetted by what must have been a warm fire inside. He was wearing a white t-shirt and long pajama pants. Seeing the outfit on anyone else, I might have laughed. But he was all man in his clothes. So much so that my mouth went dry.
I killed the engine and opened my door as he came out toward me. “What’s going on?” he called, and I instantly felt bad about not calling him and warning him that I was coming.
“Everyone is okay,” I told him instantly and unbuckled.
“Then,” he hesitated. “Uh, is this a social call?”
I felt my cheeks heat. “No, I brought something for you.”
He lifted a brow. “A gift?”
“Not exactly.” I peered down into the metal garbage can in the seat beside me. “Well, Rat-Cliff, your time is up.” Grabbing the garbage can, I stepped out of the car. “This whole mess is over. The curse is broken, so to speak.”
Daniel seemed confused. “Come in and explain, please. And what’s with the trash can?”
I laughed uneasily. “Your gift. Well, not a gift. If this was a present, it would be the worst present ever.”
He gave me a funny look, but headed back up the porch, and held his front door open for me. I followed him inside, feeling confident until the door closed behind me, and I realized we were alone in pretty much the coziest cabin I had ever seen. This seemed like the kind of place you went to for a romantic getaway, not to deliver a man-rat to a potential love interest. It was also pleasantly warm inside with a cheery fire crackling away. But that was the only sound. A thick, hardback book rested in the seat of a recliner near the fire. Daniel had been reading.
I loved that. A man who liked to read. A rare commodity anymore. “I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No.” He took the trash can from me and motioned toward the couch. “You’ve made my night infinitely better by coming.” But then, he peered down into the can. “Um, what’s this?”
“That,” I said carefully, “is Cliff, Roger’s ex-business partner who has been missing for five years.” I plopped down on the couch and sighed, happy to be able to relax after such an exhausting day.
“Wh…” Daniel gave me a cockeyed glance. “What?”
“Set him down. He’s not climbing out of that. He almost chewed through the purse we had him in, so we had to find something he couldn’t get himself out of.”
Daniel nodded and put the can on the coffee table, then sat beside me. “Start at the beginning.”
“Okay, so we tracked the curse to a witch named Catrin who Roger had an affair with when he was married to Beth. I had to lean on Catrin a little, but in the end, I was able to get her to admit that she’d cursed Cliff.” I sighed and told the rest. “And when we went to the office to undo the spell, Cliff turned up. He, ah, he killed the witch, Catrin before we could even think about fighting back.”
A wave of sadness came over me. I’d help run a business for years. I wasn’t a soldier or a police officer. It wasn’t a part of my daily life to see people die. I didn’t think I’d ever forget watching that witch be attacked like that. It
