Harvest Dreams (11 page)

She laughed. “Shh! She’d never cook in the kitchen again if she knew what we did in there.”
“I plan on kissing that table every time I’m there.”
She smacked him. “Just behave. We have to go in.”
He pulled her hand to his chest and looked at her. “When do I get to be with you again?”
She looked at him and her heart pounded. “I don’t know, there’s so much going on Steven--I just don’t know.” Inside she was trembling and wanted to tell him every day.
He held her hand for a moment and searched her eyes. “Okay.” He sighed. “Let’s go see what that poorly timed message was all about.”
*
Rachel barely greeted anyone spotting Leena sitting at the end of the table. She jogged over and leaned her head down to rest on Leena’s her stomach. “How’s my baby today?”
Owen blinked. “I thought it was our baby?” He grinned when Rachel lifted her head and shook it at him.
“Nope. I’ll be your best babysitter, so you just call Aunt Rach when you’re ready to have sex again after the birth.” She dropped down beside Kasey and grabbed a croissant.
Owen looked at Leena. “She has a point.” He got smacked.
Cora sat up and rubbed her side lightly as she looked at Rachel. “How was your evening?”
Rachel shrugged. “Good and yours?”
Cora shrugged. “It was okay.”
Dade met Steven’s eyes and gave him a sympathetic look. “You need to check Cora’s side, she’s been rubbing it all morning.”
Steven got up and nodded. “I can do that.” He winked at Cora. “Take off your top for me, Coralee.”
Cora’s eyes widened. “It’s on the side of my waist in case you’ve forgotten, Doctor.”
“Right.” He said grinning as he kneeled down beside her. “You’ve been keeping it uncovered?” She nodded. He pulled the skin gently. “Well after brunch we’ll remove all those strips.” He winked at her. “The itching is a good thing.”
She grinned. “Good now maybe mother Jones will go mother someone else.”
Dade pouted. “I thought I’d been really nice to you, honey.”
Cora patted Dade’s hand as Steven stood. “You have I’m just more used to your growl, Dade.”
Dade laughed. “Well I’ll try to growl at you laterto make you feel better.”
Chris filled up Steven’s cup after his own and winked at Kasey after he did. She laughed.
Steven sat back down. “So, Patrick is coming this morning?”
Chris nodded. “Yes, I spoke to him last night. He has news and judging from his tone it’s not good.”
Rachel grabbed another croissant. “Do you have any ideas?”
Chris shook his head leaning back. “No, he seemed in a rush. He just told me to get everyone together today.”
Rachel sighed. “I really don’t think I can take more bad news right now.”
*
Steven wished he were sitting beside her. “I’m sure...” His phone rang. Sighing, he stood up as he flipped it open. “O’Reily.” He glanced at Rachel and walked away from the table. “Okay, keep me posted of any changes and I’ll swing by this afternoon.” He glanced at his watch. “Yes thanks.” He closed the phone and looked at it for a moment.
He walked back over in and stood behind Rachel. Leaning down he spoke in his soft doctor’s voice. “That was an update on Ricky; I left instructions to keep me informed.” She turned around and looked up with worried eyes. “He had a really bad night with the side effects. They’ve given him something to help him sleep, so we’ll go by this afternoon.” She nodded and reached up to touch his cheek. He kissed the top of her head and went and sat back down.
Kasey reached over and squeezed Rachel’s hand. Rachel smiled at her and picked up her coffee.
When the doorbell rang Kasey looked over at Chris. She hadn’t answered the door since the note arrived. He was already on his feet walking out of the room.
A few moments later he walked back in with Patrick and a dark haired woman. All jaws Dropped when the woman reached up and pulled the wig off. It was Rhonda.
“Oh my gosh!” Kasey was on her feet so fast she skidded to a halt in front of her. She hesitated. “Can I hug you yet?”
Rhonda grinned. “Gently.”
Kasey wrapped her arms around her careful not to squeeze. “You look so good.” She grinned up at Chris. “Get her a chair, Chris.”
“Yes, dear.” He joked as he went and pulled two over from the corner. He placed Rhonda’s in among the women and then carried a chair down to put beside Steven. “Grab a seat, Patrick. You look ready to drop.”
“I am,” Patrick said looking around the table, “and suddenly hungry.”
Steven held up the coffee urn. “Coffee’s good and hot too.”
Patrick grinned as he filled a cup. “Much obliged.” He nodded down towards the women with their heads together. “I’ll just enjoy some of this and give them a chance to settle down.”
Steven glanced down at Rhonda. “You’re almost looking like you’re ready to dance again, Rhonda.”
Rhonda grinned back at him. “Soon, Doctor.”
Kasey jumped up. “Oh, be right back,” she ran out of the room.
Chris grinned at Patrick. “You get used to it.”
Patrick took another sip before setting the cup down and leaning on his arms. “We won’t be staying too long, took a chance coming as it is.” He glared down at Rhonda. “
Someone
got rather stubborn about the whole deal.”
Dade leaned on the table. “So what’s up?”
Kasey came sliding back in the room and handed Rhonda a small bag. “All the stones you asked for.”
Patrick raised an eyebrow at her but looked back to Dade before he spoke. “I received a note, personally at the station from our maniac.” A few of the women covered their mouths. “So he knows who I am and where I am. This is why Rhonda and I are going on a little holiday.” He glanced at Steven. “The doctors released her into my care with a long list of instructions, but all in all she just needs to keep up her exercises now.”
Steven nodded. “What did this note say?”
Patrick sighed. “Pretty similar to the one Kasey received only the sick bastard wants me to take her to his home so he can
cleanse
her.” He said the last part between clenched teeth.
“Fuck!” Dade spat. “I’d hoped after giving him a scare he’d just go off and die somewhere.” He looked at Patrick suddenly. “Does he know Rhonda by name?” Patrick nodded slowly. “So he could come after Cora too?”
Patrick sat back and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “I don’t know. This is the most bizarre case I’ve ever worked.”
“Will you be able to keep in touch?” Cora asked quietly.
Patrick nodded. “Yes. Of course Rhonda has been in touch with all of you since I got her that damn phone.”
Rhonda smiled. “I didn’t make any actual calls as per orders, just messages.”
Rachel looked from one woman to another all around the table. She turned her head slowly and looked at Kasey. “Do you have any apple juice Kase?”
Kasey bit her lip. “Not sure, we can go look.” She got up and rushed out beside Rachel.
Steven followed them with his eyes and then turnedback to listen to Patrick.
“I need to go to the ladies room.” Cora said quietly and got up.
Rhonda stretched a bit. “I’m so sore after the drive, think I’ll go wander around.” Chris nodded at her as she stood up and then turned back to Patrick.
Leena patted Owen’s hand. “I’m going to see if there’s any tea.”
“Okay, baby.” Owen grinned at her and looked over at Patrick.
Steven’s head came up and he met Dade’s eyes across the table.
“Fuck!” Dade bolted from the table.
Steven clenched his jaw and looked over at Chris.
Chris looked around. “Not again!” He jumped up and left.
Patrick looked from Steven to Owen.
Owen got up shaking his head. “The women notice they’re all gone at the same time.”

Chapter 12

Owen led Patrick to the other men who stood outside the temple room. “Kasey lock you out again Chris?” Owen asked quietly.

Chris shook his head. “I don’t think it’s just her this time.”
Steven stepped up and tapped the door. He jumped and shook his head. “It’s fucking electrified.” He grit his teeth. “Rachel, open the door, now!”
“Girl talk, Steven. Go diagnose someone.”
His jaw dripped. “Girl talk, my ass,” he muttered.
Owen stepped closer to the door making sure not to touch it. “Baby, open the door.”
“Soon, Owen.” A breeze blew over them.
He turned and shrugged. “Well it’s better than the rain.”
Patrick stood there shaking his head. “You gentlemen have your hands full.”
“Stay out of this Patrick.” Rhonda said quietly through the door.
Patrick glared at the door and then crossed his arms and took a step back.
“Where’s your drum, Chris?” Dade asked stepping in front of the door.
“Don’t even think of it, Dade Jones. His drums are in here.” Cora’s voice came from the other side of the door.
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “Sweetheart, what are you doing in there that you’ve locked me out of my own damn room, again.”
“Um, looking or at least we’re going to as soon as you all stay quiet.”
*
Steven was seething inside. His anger mixed with the worry and he found himself fighting to control the magic he usually kept a tight rein on. Holding his hands out away from his body he drew a deep breath and focused, pushing his magic out, seeking a link to the women inside. He had a very strong link with one of those witches on the other side of that door and he
would
connect with her, one way or another.
His eyes were open, but he didn’t see as he pushed harder, picturing Rachel’s face. Taking a deep breath he envisioned inhaling her subtle appealing sent. He heard a feminine growl from the other side of the door and knew he’d reached his target.
She was pushing back at him, causing burns to bite along his skin. “That all you’ve got, Angel?” he growled. Lifting his hands, palms towards the door, he hissed out a breath and shoved with all of the frustration he felt inside.
He heard her voice cry out in surprise and his magic faltered just long enough for her to fight back. It wasn’t stinging bites this time it was like an explosion that slammed into him and shoved him back hard into the wall across from the door.
He stood there and took a few breaths, trying to regain his focus.
Dade turned and looked at him with his mouth hanging open. “What the...”
Steven shook his head and stepped back over to the door. Chris met his look. Steven clenched his jaw a few times and glanced at him again. “How attached to this lovely door are you?”
Chris shrugged. “Not as attached as I am to the little witch in there I’m going to strangle, as soon as I make sure she’s all right.”
“Good.” Steven stepped back a few feet from the door. “Last chance, Rach. Open the door.” His tone was stronger than he’d had ever used before.
A brush of air pushed him back a foot. “Fine, we’ll do it that way.” The other men stepped back further as he clenched his jaw and raised his hands towards the door again.
The floor trembled slightly just before it starting to shake violently. He jerked his hands up and the hinges snapped. Sparks flew in all directions as he broke through the magic the protection charm the women put on it.
Steven lifted his hands and the door flew up a few feet from the floor and then set down with a thud. He stepped through the doorway and looked down at the women sitting in a circle. Rachel stood among them panting and looking as mad as he felt. “
That
was being nice.” He smiled at her glare.
Chris gave him a wide birth as he stepped in and immediately met Kasey’s eyes. She was chewing on her lower lip. He pointed to the spot in front of him. She stood up and walked over to him with her eyes shooting darts at him. “I thought we agreed you ladies weren’t doing anything like this again.”
Cora leaned back against the cushions. “No, you men decided, we weren’t really asked.” Dade shot her a stare.
Rachel stepped right in front of Steven. “Cute trick, Doc.” He just stared down at her. “You know we would have included all of you if you had a reasonable thought in your heads.”
The floor began to shake beneath them as he glared at her.
She stomped a foot and it stopped immediately. “You need to stop,” she said quietly.
Steven turned and walked from the room, sending the door crashing down the hall with a wave of his hand.
*
Patrick looked at Dade. “Did you...”
Dade shook his head. “Had no idea.”
Rachel growled and stomped past the men after Steven. Sparks were flying out around her as she went.
“Ah, Chris, I know you want to discuss all this with Kasey, but your home is presently at risk of falling down or burning down.” Owen said quietly as he pulled Leena to her feet.
“Shit!” Chris looked at Kasey and turned running through the door.
“Right behind you.” Dade said on his way past Patrick.
*
When she caught up to him he stood out on the deck looking out across the back lawn. The sky had darkened all around them.
“You want to tell me what that was about exactly?” Rachel demanded stepping out onto the deck. “A simple, Rachel let us in to help would have been much more productive.”
He spun and looked at her. “Do you have any idea, any at all at how afraid we are something will happen to one of you?” He turned and gripped the banister it began to shake. A loud crack of thunder shook the boards they stood on.
“Steven,” she said softly. “Please calm down and talk to me.” She walked over and placed a hand over his. She saw the lightening in the distance and somehow knew he was the cause of it. She pushed a feeling of calm towards him.
He must have felt her pushing to help him stop when he dropped his head and took a deep breath. “Fuck! You women have to stop doing this to us.” He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her against him. “Every day for months now we walk around hoping while we’re doing our jobs your safe.” He curled his arm bringing her into his chest. “I have to know your safe, Angel.”
She could feel him shaking. “We’re all fine,” she said quietly wrapping her arms around him. She felt the moment when he calmed down. Later, when she wasn’t shocked half way to stunned she’d have to think about her affect on him.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair.
*
Kasey cuddled into Chris’s arms as they stood on the other side of the doors looking out at the couple.
“At least you ladies can calm them down after you get them riled.” Patrick said softly from behind them.
Dade wrapped his arm around Cora gently. “If they could skip pissing us off as often as they do it would be a lot better.”
Cora laughed and hugged him back. “Where’s the fun in that?”
Owen hugged Leena. “You guys are beginning to turn into characters from one of my books.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I wish I could turn into mist, I could get to the front of every line without waiting.”
*
Steven lifted his head. He was about to lean down to kiss Rachel when he grinned. “Audience,” he whispered.
Rachel turned her head then grinned back at him and flicked her stud out. “That’s too bad.”
He snarled playfully. “Someday you nasty witch I’m not going to care who is watching when you do that.”
Her eyes held questions; he gave her a lopsided grin. “I’ve never lost it like that before.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Please don’t, ever again. I’m not a strong witch and I almost blew a few veins trying to stop you.”
“One touch from you grounded me faster than any magic could.” He ran the side of his hand gently over her cheek.
She continued to look at him, her look softening. “We’d better go in. You scared the hell out of everyone.”
He chuckled and turned her towards the door.
“Has the storm passed?” Chris asked him as they stepped back into the room.
Steven continued to hold Rachel tight against him. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
Dade grinned at him. “You ever give up medicine and you’ve got a job with my crew bro. You could tear down a building in half the time we do it.”
Steven rubbed a finger over the bridge of his nose. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Patrick walked over until he was almost face to face with him. “That’s some pretty scary
skills
you’ve got locked up there, Doctor.”
Steven grinned at him. “It can be from time to time.”
Patrick grinned. “Well, just keep it locked up when I’m around will you? I don’t like screeching like a child in front of the ladies.”
Rhonda laughed. “Ignore him, he’s got a little bit of interesting skills hidden as well.”
Chris raised his brows. “Really? Well then I guess if you ever get close enough to this mystery man we won’t have to worry.”
“That’s the truth.” Patrick said quietly looking at Rhonda.
Kasey sighed and then grinned at everyone. “Go sit somewhere so we can look over those lists and tell Patrick about our latest thoughts.”
Chris pulled her against him and whispered. “I think the door shall stay off the temple room.”
Kasey nodded. “Yes it would be much better to put one of my walls there, and then you men could at least see what’s happening.”
Steven groaned. “I think staying out of that room all together would be best.”
Dade nodded. “Yeah.”
*
Patrick rubbed the back of his neck. “Justin and Gwen aren’t going to like that you’re looking at people they’ve known forever.”
Dade shrugged. “None of us do, but it’s an area we have to explore.”
“Okay then. I don’t know all these people as well as you so let’s take a look.” Patrick looked back down at the pages.
“Starting with the ones I know the best. There’s Kevin.”
Rachel shook her head. “No he was ready to pass out from running to get the kit for Steven, so he couldn’t have just run through the bush.”
“We ran into him on the way to Cora, so I agree.” Steven said.
Patrick nodded. “Okay. There’s Charlie.”
Dade snorted. “Old Charlie? Have you ever seen the speed his moves? Couldn’t be him or I would have run right over him.”
Patrick thought for a minute. “I don’t know who he is on this list but what about that drummer with the long blonde hair.”
Steven thought. “Josh?” He laughed and looked at Dade. “Don’t think Josh is our man, he gets so...” He looked at Patrick. “He enjoys his herb too much,
way
too much to move after the drumming much less anything else.”
“Don’t know how he even drums.” Dade snorted. “If that were me and I was in that state the only thing I could do with my drum would be wear it as a hat.”
Patrick dropped his head down and tried not to picture that. “Okay, so are there any other herbally altered drummers we can check off?”
Chris leaned forward on his arms. “Only ones that aren’t are probably those of us in this room, because we’re well behaved now... ah, Justin, Kevin, Charlie and Kathy’s husband.”
“Ralph,” Cora supplied. Then she smirked at Dade. “I’d like to see your drum on your head, Steven where can I find these herbs?”
Steven held up his hands. “Don’t look at me, I only prescribe legal substances. Now,” he added quietly.
Patrick rubbed the back of his neck. “So we’re right back where we started.”
Chris let out a slow breath. “It would seem so.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “And it was definitely a male hand we saw.”
Rhonda nodded. “It was definitely a male.”
Owen looked over at her. “Do you recall at all, now that things have settled a bit more, maybe how tall he was or a general size.”
Rhonda grinned. “Well he wasn’t as big as you, I do know that.” She looked around at the men. “He’s definitely shorter than all of you, smaller in size too I think.” She stopped and grinned at Cora. “What do you feed these men?”
Cora laughed, “Anything.”
Dade leaned forward and spoke calmly. “Rhonda, if it wouldn’t bother you too much could you show us how he managed to get a hold of you?”
*
Rhonda lowered her head for a moment. “I can try. I see it every time I close my eyes.” She stood slowly and looked at Dade. “He came from behind me...” She watched Dade walk over behind her. “He held me more or less by the side of my head a-and throat.”
Dade reached out and cupped her jaw and neck. “Like this?”
She nodded. “Yes, but he wasn’t as close as you are. I couldn’t feel him near me in any other way.”
Dade backed up. “Just say if this bothers you too much.”
Rhonda nodded briskly again. “I will. That’s when he cut up my back... I remember turning, trying to get out of his hold, he must have had my hair because I couldn’t turn my head too far, that’s when I saw his shoulder.” She shuddered. “Um, then I was on the ground...”
Dade released her neck and stood beside her quietly.
“He cut my face, I remember trying to see with blood in my eyes, my hands... he did my hands next...” She sat down slowly and took a breath.
“You don’t have to continue Rhonda.” Patrick said softly beside her.
“No. I’ll finish. He, after...” She swallowed. “After I couldn’t move my hands he pulled my dress from me and used, I think. The handle of his knife to put that cross on me.” She lowered her head. “Gloves.” She looked up at Dade. “He wore gloves, I just remembered that.” Leena was beside her hugging her gently.
“You did great.”
Chris shook his head. “So where were her clothes?” Everyone turned to look at him. “I’ve just realized, I mean I know they were naked, not uncommon at a pagan event but there were no clothes with them when we got there.”
Patrick leaned forward and looked at him. “There were none anywhere near. I searched the whole area more than once.”
Rhonda sat back and took a few breaths as she looked from one to the other.
Steven sat forward with his arm still around Rachel. “He’s doing this and then calmly walking to the fit pit and burning everything?”
Patrick nodded. “He must be.”
“Son of a bitch!” Dade snapped. “He’s just walking back to the camp like a Sunday stroll and burning his victim’s clothes and probably the gloves he wears too.”
Owen rubbed a hand over his short hair. “So after we leave, how long does someone keep feeding the fire?”
Chris shrugged. “Charlie’s in charge of the wood, but anyone still hanging around could toss something in.”
Cora leaned forward. “How well does Justin or anyone know Charlie? I’ve gotten some pretty ugly vibes from him, from time to time.”
Leena smirked. “I don’t think he’s ever been in a good mood, does he smile, ever?”
Patrick nodded. “Had the biggest grin on his face I’ve ever seen when you ladies decided to change the dance to something more... appealing.”
Kasey blushed and dropped her head.
Cora cleared her throat.