“No, I didn’t! I was trying to get you to see how—”
“Noah, stop it! You’re doing it right now. Get out of my head!” Her eyes flashed.
Noah’s hands clenched into fists and his face grew hot. He threw Willow’s jacket at her.
“I thought I was supposed to help you. I didn’t realize what a pain-in-the-ass spoiled little brat you could be when you didn’t like what I had to say. Underline little!” He turned away and stalked off into the woods.
“Noah, wait! I’m sorry.”
Stick it!
Noah walked south for several minutes. His mother had always told him that he had a long fuse, but his fairy could burn through it in no time. A small clearing opened before him, a place to pace and cool off.
Should I go back?
No! She can find me, and apologize. I didn’t do anything wrong.
At least I don’t think so.
Noah heard a low-pitched buzz overhead but forced himself not to look up. He stood with his hands jammed into his pockets. Willow fluttered down in front of him, jacket in one hand. Noah looked away.
“Please don’t be angry with me, Noah,” she said. Her voice spoke tears. “I just discovered I hate it when you’re angry with me.” She rubbed her hand up and down his arm. “I’m sorry.”
Of their own accord his eyes found hers, saw the distress he had caused.
I swear I’ve looked into your eyes a thousand times before.
She was probably right about not needing protection. He stood silent before her. She withdrew her hand and waited. After another long moment, Noah reached out, took her jacket, and threw it over his shoulder. She moved as if expecting a hug.
Am I in love with you? Or your magic?
“Do you ever read any science fiction?” Noah asked.
Willow looked confused. “What?”
“My favorite book is Dune, by Frank Herbert. The main character makes a profound statement. ‘Beginnings are such delicate times.’ I try to keep that in mind but today I forgot.” He gazed into Willow’s eyes.
“You’re so familiar, Willow. I forget I’ve only known you four days because it feels like I’ve known you forever. I shouldn’t have pushed you the way I did. I’m sorry.” He paused for a moment and surveyed her beautiful, sober little features. “I hope you’ll excuse my but,” he said with his most serious look.
Willow didn’t catch the pun at first and looked perplexed. Then her features softened and filled with mischief. “Why excuse it? I like your but.”
Noah let himself grin. “Which one?” he asked.
She tilted her head to one side. “That should remain part of the mystery.”
“The mystery of woman?”
“No, the mystery of Willow.”
Noah smiled, and then turned somber again. “I wish I could unsay some things,” he said.
Willow shrugged. “I said some mean stuff, too.”
“Still friends?”
“Still friends.” She patted his chest. He took her hand and led her back to the path. They turned south and meandered deeper into the woods, hand in hand.
They had expended much energy over an issue and settled nothing. Noah knew there would be more issues and more arguments, more tears and tantrums. Despite this prospect, he liked this mysterious woman. Noah’s heart and hers meshed closer each moment. Whether that was a good thing or bad was yet to be seen.
They strolled in silence down the path, until it sloped down into a rocky ravine. Twenty yards along the bottom of the narrow valley, Noah stopped and examined the limestone walls.
“Are we lower than the Big House here?” he asked.
“Yes. The Big House sits at the highest point on the property. You can’t tell unless you’re in the air. We’re about thirty feet below the front porch.”
“What about the pond? It’s lower, too, isn’t it?”
“Sure. What are you thinking?”
“That spot by the Big House isn’t all I found today. I picked up a structure underground that starts at the back of the house and runs south-southeast for at least two hundred feet.”
“What could that be?”
“A cave, or maybe a tunnel.”
Willow’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Dowsing can find that sort of thing. When your parents disappeared, I assume the sheriff’s men checked the property for freshly turned earth?”
“Yes, we searched everywhere. That’s what’s strange about the place you found. I know we looked there and couldn’t have missed any signs of digging. That area was part of the lawn at the time. Their bodies couldn’t be there.”
“Maybe there was another way to get them there.”
Willow frowned. “I’ve been all over these woods in the last thirty years, but I’ve never seen anything like a cave. The land is flat around the house for several hundred feet.”
“True, but you weren’t looking for a cave, either. Could the entrance be in the house? Perhaps in the basement?”
“Maybe. I don’t make a habit of spending time in the basement. It’s spooky. Maybe we should go explore it.”
Noah looked toward the sun. “It’s late. We’ll explore another day.” He held his hand out to her and she took it without hesitation. They turned north toward the Big House. After walking in silence for a few minutes, Willow stepped in front of Noah and walked backward facing him, still holding his hand.
“Do you really think I could stop a football player?” she asked with her mischievous grin.
“Sure. I have the bruised shoulder to prove it.” He stopped walking, released her hand, and rubbed his shoulder.
Willow’s eyes twinkled. “Poor baby. Let me kiss it and make it better.” He turned the shoulder toward her and she kissed and patted it. “There, there, little shoulder.”
“You hurt my mouth, too, when you threw your jacket at me.”
“Let me take care of that, too,” she purred.
Noah knew what the twinkle in her eyes meant, but on the outside chance that she would kiss him, he bent down when she put her hands on his shoulders.
“Poor Noah,” she said as she rose up on her tiptoes. At the last instant, she darted her head in and gave him another slobbery lick across the mouth, then leaped backward and ran, laughing. Noah ran after her.
“You brat!” he roared.
“Remember! Healing properties!”
Noah chased her and by virtue of longer legs almost caught her.
You sure don’t run like a girl.
When he almost had her in his grasp, she took to the air.
“Cheater!” he bellowed. He stopped and leaned over to catch his breath and try to stop laughing. Willow zoomed overhead, cackled with laughter and, to his amazement, flew upside down loops. She flew near to him, but not too close, and fixed a serious look on him. Noah couldn’t mistake the sparkle in her eyes.
“You’re not mad at me are you?” she asked. He threw her jacket at her, which she expertly caught, and which triggered a new round of laughter.
“Get down here, you little brat!”
Willow swooped close again. Now she put on her most innocent face and used a little girl voice. “First the wicked photographer must promise not to hurt the poor little fairy.” She enjoyed saying this so much that she went into more cackling laughter, spinning out of control when she grabbed her stomach.
Noah shook his head, and raised his hand in the air as if taking an oath. “I promise not to hurt the poor little brat fairy.” With that, he began walking north again. Willow swooped down, landed upright beside him, and walked along. She was rosy-cheeked and breathing hard, her face all mirth.
You are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Careful, Noah.
Willow stopped abruptly and squeaked; her wings popped up and shook.
Noah laughed. “What’s wrong with your wings?” he asked.
Irritation flashed across her face. “Nothing’s wrong with my wings!”
A stron
g jolt of pain coursed through his body. “Okay, okay, truce! I’m sorry I blocked you, I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even know I could do it.” Willow’s wings twitched, but settled after a few seconds.
“I’m sorry, too,” she said. “We’ll have to learn better control.”
“Yes. Good idea.” Noah trembled, still shaking off the tremors. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving,” Willow said.
“May I take you out to dinner? Nothing fancy, just Ruby Nell’s downtown.” Willow hesitated. “Or we could eat at your place again if you’d rather.” Noah didn’t want to push her, but he was disappointed.
“The pub sounds fine. I need to get out. It will be good practice.”
Noah remembered the scene at the clerk’s office this morning. “I forgot there will be a lot of people. If you’d rather not it’s okay.”
“No, I need to be around people.”
“Great, let’s go.”
“I’ll need to clean up first, I’m all sweaty.”
“That’s not my fault,” Noah said.
“And I can’t wear these clothes to the pub.”
Noah couldn’t see anything wrong with how she was dressed but he chalked it up to one of the mysteries—fairy, woman, or Willow, he didn’t know which. “Why don’t you zoom over to the cottage and get ready? I’ll use the mundane mere human method and walk. That should give you time. I need to walk to the house and get my dowsing rods. I think I left them near the sweet spot.”
“The what?”
“That’s what I always call the spot with the strongest energy when I dowse. I guess it has double meaning here.” Willow smiled, nodded, and flew away.
“Willow, wait a minute,” he called. She circled around and hung in the air above him. “Do I need to clean up or change or anything?”
“No, you’re fine.”
“Did I get any dirt on my pants when you knocked me down?” He twisted in an attempt to see.
Willow circled behind him. “No, your butt’s fine,” she said with a flirty smile, and then cackled and flew straight up above the trees and zoomed away.
Noah took his time returning to the cottage. He found his dowsing rods next to the path by the sweet spot. When he reached the Big House, Shadow was asleep on the front porch. The big dog woke and gave the usual Labrador enthusiastic greeting. Noah put the rods in the box and strolled casually down the path behind the dog. Darkness was falling when he returned to the cottage. He rapped on the door.
“Are you decent?” he yelled.
“Sure, come in,” Willow called.
Noah pushed the door open and went in. He hung his coat on an open peg by the door and sat down to remove his boots. Willow appeared above the loft railing, doing something with her hair.
“Willow, can I freshen up a bit?”
“Yep. I’m way ahead of you. I have some things laid out for you in the bathroom, including a toothbrush, which you really need to use. I noticed when I healed your mouth.” She giggled and turned away.
Noah brushed his teeth and washed his face and hands. A shave would be nice, but he’d make do. He fluffed his ball-cap-flattened hair as best as he could. He wandered into the poolroom, which was warm and humid, with condensation heavy on the windows. The pool water was quite warm. “How do you heat the pool?” he called.
Willow appeared in the door, clad in tight black slacks and a white hooded sweater that concealed her wing hump. “There’s a coil mounted on the woodstove that circulates to the pool. Sometimes a girl likes a warm bath.” Her hair was damp, and her face still rosy. She crossed to a full-length mirror and appraised herself, straining to see her bottom. “Do these look okay?”
“Those look great to me. So do the slacks.”
Willow blushed. She opened her mouth to say something but appeared, for once, not to have a comeback. She shot him an exasperated look instead. Noah felt her embarrassment and loved it. He left the room to keep from laughing, wandered to the bookcase, and perused the titles.
Willow came out of the pool room and climbed the stairs without looking at him. “Jeans are better,” she murmured.
Soon, Willow bounded down the stairs. “Ready?” she asked, then “No, wait, shoes!” and she went back up.
Noah walked to the door, put on his coat, and sat down to pull on his boots. Willow appeared on the stairs carrying a pair of blue Mary Jane’s and a pair of white socks. She sat next to Noah on the step and pulled them on. He stood up, waiting patiently by the door.
Willow stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her jeans, fiddled with her hair and straightened her sweater, all rather nervously, Noah thought. “Do I look okay?” she asked.
What a crazy little fairy.
He surveyed her from head to toe, to tease, and nodded his head. “Let me put it this way. When we walk into the pub, it will be as if I don’t exist.” Willow’s expression was blank. Noah touched her cheek. “Willow, what I mean is no one’s going to look at an old cowboy when the fairy queen walks in.” Her eyes grew wide for a moment, but then she smiled and her cheeks glowed.
“Thank you.”
Willow grabbed her vest jacket and they went out. After making sure Shadow had fresh water and food outdoors, they patted him on the head and left.
Ten
Noah was right. Willow turned quite a few heads when they entered Ruby Nell’s. They found a private table for two near the back. Noah faced the front door, as he liked.
“I’ll visit the salad bar,” Willow said as they sat down. “If you hadn’t figured it out, I’m vegetarian.”
“Yes, I thought so. I suppose all your, uh, relatives are, too?”
“Yes.”
“Do you mind if I—”
“No, get whatever you want.”
Noah flipped open the menu. “Is Shadow vegetarian, too?” he asked.
Willow shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t be fair to him, since he’s a carnivore by nature. He eats dry food most of the time, but he does get an occasional fresh treat, plus whatever he catches when he’s out and about.”
They sat in silence for a few moments.
“How are you doing?” Noah asked. “I mean with all the people.”
“I’m fine,” she said without smiling. Noah felt some anxiety in her, but much less than she had exhibited at the clerk’s office.
Noah ordered while Willow filled her plate at the salad bar. She came back with it heaped and plowed in with enthusiasm. They spoke little. Willow was busy eating and Noah was analyzing, trying to make sense of everything he had learned today. Not just his mysterious dowsing find, but also the things he had learned about Willow.
When Noah’s steak arrived, Willow was piling up a second plate at the salad bar. She returned and began eating again, somewhat slower.
“Tell me more about your parents’ farm,” she said.
“It’s your typical Wisconsin dairy farm. Dad has about forty cows. He does some breeding. Do you…” he began, then lowered his voice and leaned forward to whisper. “Do you work with domesticated animals, too?”
“Sure.”
“Maybe I should have you chat with Dad’s bull. He’s a real pain. Anyway, it’s a typical farm with the standard barn with a hayloft. Mom and Dad are great. Mom always keeps my room ready if I want to stay over. I live only ten miles away, but I stay sometimes to make her happy.” Noah smiled as his thoughts wandered back to Wisconsin. “They always make things homey. Christmas is really special. They decorate the place like a mall. We have a big get together and Dad plays Santa for my sister’s three kids.”
A couple coming in the front door caught Noah’s eye. The man was Louie Miller. The woman with him looked very much the grandmother type, with grey hair and wire-rimmed glasses accompanied by a pleasant smile. Louie nodded and spoke to some people near the door. His eyes swept the room to see who else might be in the pub. He spotted Noah and waved. Then he saw Willow. A shocked look came across his features, but it quickly changed to excitement. He
spoke to the woman and the two walked toward Noah and Willow.
“There’s Louie,” Noah said. Willow turned to look. From his vantage point, Noah could see Louie’s expression when Willow waved; there was no mistaking the affection.
“Hello, Ms. Brown,” Louie said. “You remember Catherine, I’m sure.”
“Yes, of course,” Willow said, as she extended her hand to the older woman. “I haven’t seen you for a long time, but I don’t get out much.”
“It’s good to see you again, too, Willow,” Catherine said. “Such a pretty name for such a pretty young woman.”
“You’re too kind,” Willow said.
Noah was forgotten momentarily, but then Louie turned to him. “Oh, Catherine, this is Noah Phelps. He’s the young photographer I told you about.” Noah stood to greet Catherine, shook hands with Louie, and sat down.
“So what brings you two out tonight?” Louie asked.
Willow smiled. “We’ve made a day of it, actually. Noah was kind enough to drive me to Danville this morning to straighten out an issue with the taxes on the property. Then he took some pictures of the pond and we spent the afternoon exploring the woods and the Big House.”
“Willow nearly walked my legs off,” Noah said, “so I made her stop and come to dinner with me.”
Louie laughed and winked. “She can be a real slave driver when she git’s her mind set on something.” Willow blushed but smiled.
Louie and Catherine made their way to a table across the room. Noah and Willow went back to their food.
Between bites, Willow kept the conversation going. “Noah, how did your pentacle do what it did in my parents’ room?”
“Magic, I guess. The pentacle has been recognized as a protection symbol for centuries, which is one reason I always wear mine. It provides some protection against evil and bad fortune. I can’t imagine there being any evil in your parents’ room, so I think what it did today was provide a focal point for me to help break the hold of whatever enchantment was controlling me. Us.”
“Focus,” Willow said quietly. “That’s what’s helping me tonight, I think. As long as I stay focused, I can handle the people. Good idea to sit facing the back, too.”