Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
“Odd?”
“Like yours. Not quite sure if what they saw was real. When you were showering, I checked my grandfather’s journal, and he said he saw Giles when he was sixteen, at Samhain, when the veil is thin and—”
“—the dead brush gently against the living.”
I grinned at him. “You read his entry as well.”
He nodded. “Yep. Same as you, I went and found it when you were in the shower.”
“Great minds and all that,” I teased him.
“Well, your grandfather wasn’t sure if he saw the hedge-rider or something else, like a shapeshifter.”
“I read up to the part where he said he doesn’t stay long. Did you read more?”
“I did, but there wasn’t much else. Your grandfather did say that when he spoke to the land a few days later, there was no sign of Giles.”
“See?”
Deep sigh from him.
“Love, if you don’t want to go to the dinner, we can say we’re snowed in.”
“No,” he grumbled, putting the Jeep in gear and pulling away from our home.
Halfway there, he sighed again.
“Better?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “You know I’m not a fan of things I have no control of.”
I smiled at him. “I do know.”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“What?” I said dramatically. “Me?”
When he leaned sideways and kissed me, I was very pleased with him.
The house was, as always, beautiful, inviting, and warmly lit. And while I loved my cottage, the polished wooden floors here, the enormous steel-and-glass refrigerator, endless counter space, and the dishwasher were all things I coveted.
After Cass took my butter, garlic, and herb mashed potatoes from me, using the ancient potholders I’d brought with me, James grabbed our coats, hung them, then walked us into the living room. There were six people there, and everyone said Lorne’s name at the same time and then laughed. He smiled, but I noted it didn’t reach his gorgeous midnight eyes. Over the winter, his beard had grown out, and that, as well as his mustache, were both thick. With that, and the flannel he had on, he did, in fact, resemble a lumberjack, as James’s friend Willa suggested.
There were three couples—Brett and the aforementioned Willa, who couldn’t keep her hands off my husband, Stafford and Brooke, and Hamilton and Thessaly. It was odd, but after being there a short time, I had the most ridiculous desire to ask James if Amanda could come over and join us. I felt…out of place. James fit, Cass fit, and even Lorne, whom everyone hugged or kissed. Even if he wasn’t friends with these people, he was familiar with them. I had none of that. If my best friend were there, she would have held her own. She was as wealthy and worldly as they all were, but I was different, small town, small life, and that was all I would ever have or ever be and—
I gasped suddenly, and the room went silent.
“Xan?” Lorne asked, walking over with a glass of water for me and an old-fashioned for him. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I rushed out. “I just need a quick minute.”
I walked slowly out of the living room. Once I was around the corner, I darted down the hall and out the back door to the porch. The wind was whipping around, kicking up snow, dusting the air, making the trees moan. Spreading my arms wide, I stood and let the icy gust blow all the self-doubt, insecurity, loathing, and pain off me. It was alarming how fast the feelings had nearly eaten my heart.
After a moment, when I shivered hard, I hugged myself, and then was suddenly engulfed by strong arms and clutched tight.
“You’re gonna freeze out here,” Lorne murmured, kissing the side of my neck. “What are you doing?”
“Something happened, and I’m not sure what.”
“What do you mean?” He let me go, took my hand, and led me back into the house.
Once he closed the door behind me, I smiled up at him. “You came to find me.”
He squinted. “Of course.”
“I’m still not used to having a husband.”
His chuckle warmed me more than being inside. “Well, I’m the guy holding your hand, in case you forget.”
“Yes.”
“But you said something happened. What was it?”
“I need to figure that out. Let’s go back to the others.”
Once there, everyone was happy we returned, and Thessaly came to take my arm. “Xander, come tell us all about you. I’m dying to hear how you managed to snag our dear Lorne when I saw so many other beautiful men and women try.”
Translation: what was so great about me?
Instantly, I could feel the fear and defensiveness prickling over my skin, but this time, I brushed it off, as I did her hand, and took a seat across from her with the coffee table between us. Everyone was watching, probably because I’d just, somewhat rudely, extricated myself from the woman’s grip. They were probably waiting to see what Thessaly would do. All except Lorne, whose expression showed me that he was confused.