Dearly Departed

By

Boone brux

Copyright

Copyright © 2019 by Boone Brux

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is coincidental.

This book contains content that may not be suitable for young readers 17 and under.

The Author of this Book has been granted permission by Robyn Peterman to use the copyrighted characters and/or worlds created by Robyn Peterman in this book. All copyright protection to the original characters and/or worlds of the Magic and Mayhem series is retained by Robyn Peterman.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dearly Departed: Magic and Mayhem Universe (Poppy Carlyle Chronicles, #2)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

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Foreword

Blast Off with us into the Magic and Mayhem Universe!

I’m Robyn Peterman, the creator of the Magic and Mayhem Series and I’d like to invite you to my Magic and Mayhem Universe.

What is the Magic and Mayhem Universe, you may ask?

Well, let me explain...

It’s basically authorized fan fiction written by some amazing authors that I stalked and blackmailed! KIDDING! I was lucky and blessed to have some brilliant authors say yes! They have written brand new stories using my world and some of my characters. And let me tell you...the results are hilarious!

So here it is! Blast off with us into the hilarious Magic and Mayhem Universe. Side splitting books by fantabulous authors! Check out each and every one. You will laugh your way to a magical HEA!

For all the stories, go to https://magicandmayhemuniverse.com/. Grab your copy today!

Chapter One

I’m a grim reaper. Pretty cool, right? Not really. My name is Poppy Carlyle, and I’m a not-so-lean, not-so-mean angel of death.

Sometimes I think I’ve seen it all—done it all. I’ve faced down violent spirits, sending them to whatever ethereal plane they’re assigned to. I’ve gone toe-to-toe with more Otherworldly beings than I can count. Not to mention having to deal with my redneck family members on a daily basis. Trust me, that bunch of knuckleheads would try the Dalai Lama’s patience.

But tonight, I was sweating like a whore in church. Fear nearly paralyzed me. Nothing I’d ever experienced prepared me for what I was about to face. Dinner with my boyfriend’s family.

The Jackson’s were an affluent mountain lion Shifter family here in Bumfucknowhere, West Virginia. They owned the largest construction company in the south, employing thousands of people. Among the Shifter community, Martin Jackson, my boyfriend’s grandfather, had a lot of influence. Most of the Jacksons were pompous elitists who looked down their perfect noses at my family.

To be fair, I couldn’t really blame them for thinking less of the Dolbinrods. The members of my family heralded from a not so impressive armadillo Shifter line. They lacked the beauty and grace of the regal mountain lion and were a simple lot. Slow movers who seemed to struggle with staying out of the way of fast-moving vehicles.

Just last week, a bicycle had plowed into my cousin Zeek as he crossed the street. At an early age, he’d learned to tuck and roll. The guy was a walking miracle.

Funny thing was, Martin Jackson and Burl Dolbinrod, my grandfather, used to be the best of friends. Sometime during the 70s, they’d had a falling out. I don’t know all the details, but people still gossiped about the events of the Muddy Holler Incident in hushed speculation. That topic was off limits in my family. Nor were we ever, ever, ever allowed to mention Martin Jackson’s name.

So, the fact that I was dating the grandson of my grandfather’s arch nemesis was a thorn in everybody’s paw. Except for Jax and me.

I liked to think that our relationship was a bit Romeo and Juliettesque, without the suicide part. We definitely had the warring family thing going on. 

As we walked up the front path, my gaze skated over the front of the ridiculously massive house. Tall white pillars stretched across the front of a wide porch, and a crystal chandelier glimmered just beyond a tall arched window.

My footsteps faltered. I didn’t belong here. Jax’s hand settled against my lower back. Though his touch comforted me, it also gently propelled me forward and kept me moving. It seemed his confidence in my commitment to take our relationship to the next level wavered as much as mine did.

“You okay?” he asked.

“They’re going to eat me alive.” I looked up and gave him a strained smile.

That statement might have been truer than not. The Jacksons were awe-inspiring in their mountain lion forms, each one powerful and majestic. I won’t lie, the sight of Jax shifted nearly melted the panties right off my body. So hot.

“Just be your charming self,” he said. “Eventually they’ll warm to you.”

A snort erupted from me. “You’re adorable.” I patted his cheek. “Naïvely optimistic, but adorable.”

“I admit it might be rough going at first.” He pulled me to a stop and swung me toward him. Craning my neck, I looked into those mesmerizing golden eyes of his. “But I’ve seen you single-handedly take down a crazy badger poltergeist.” His lips gently brushed mine before pulling back. “You got this.”

“Damn your optimistic confidence.” Lifting onto my toes, I hooked my arm around his neck and pulled his mouth to mine. If I was going to face down the Jackson horde, I needed to fortify my courage and remember what I was suffering for. Jax was totally worth it.

I opened my mouth, and his tongue swept inside. Heat flushed my body, and I couldn’t stop the moan from vibrating from me. His hand traveled from my lower back to my ass. With a gentle push, he pressed me against him. Oh yeah, there was a reminder for me.

As I leaned into him the front door opened. “Jaxson? Is that you?” his grandmother called.

I jumped back. She may as well have dumped a bucket of cold water on me. Thankfully, the light from the front porch didn’t reach to where we stood. I brushed my hands down the front of my dress, not so much to smooth out a wrinkle, but more to wipe the sweat from my palms. That woman had great hearing. Probably a mountain lion thing.

Jax wasn’t so easily spooked. His arm tightened around my waist, and he hauled me to his side. “Yeah, Grandma, it’s me and Poppy.”

“Well, stop loitering and come in.”

He glanced at me, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “We’ll finish this later.”

“Can’t wait.” I cocked a brow. “Maybe the night won’t be completely torturous.”

His hand slid across my rear end, gave it a little pat, and then drifted to lock fingers with me. “Not if you play your cards right.”

As I climbed the front steps I couldn’t help but feel like one of those virgins who were sacrificed to the volcano gods—minus the virgin part.

I would endure tonight for the good of my relationship with Jax. He was worth the utter humiliation I was about to experience. Worth the thinly veiled insults that would slip into polite dinner conversation. Worth the probing questions deployed in an effort to find out how serious we were. Yes, he was worth all that and so much more.

I wouldn’t like it but I’d endure it because I suspected I was falling hard for him. We’d said the L-word before, but since Jax was convinced we were a mated pair, I wasn’t sure our feelings weren’t more about hormones than actual emotions.

Before he went rogue and took a security position policing the paranormal population in our area, Jax had been the golden child and heir to the Jackson’s multi-million-dollar construction company. Needless to say, his grandfather and father had not been happy with Jax’s life choices and voiced their disapproval every chance they got.

Dropping me into the mix, a non-shifter and a member of the enemy family, well, Jax had shot straight to the top of Martin Jackson’s shit-list. Yeah, this evening was going to suck big mountain lion balls, for sure.

Glenda Jackson, Jax’s grandmother, stood in the soft glow of the hall light, the thick necklace at her throat glistening like a golden collar. As usual, her hair had been teased and taunted to an impressive height before being frozen in place with half a can of hairspray. The style reminded me of a lion’s mane and added a good four inches to her statuesque frame. I wondered what she’d look like if she brought her hair into this century. Unless she fell into the Snake River, I doubted I’d see that in my lifetime. Southern habits died hard.

Ignoring me, she held out her arms. “Jaxson Jarvis Jackson, it’s about time you came to see your grandmother.”

Wait, Jarvis was his middle name? How did I not know that? Pressing my lips together, I tried not to laugh. Hadn’t naming him Jaxon Jackson been bad enough? But Jarvis? I could have sworn he told me that had been his dad’s favorite hunting dog. Thank God Jax was handsome, smart and funny, because his parents certainly hadn’t had his back in the name arena.

“Hi, Grandma.” He gave her a one-armed-hug but didn’t let go of my hand. Stepping out of her hold, he sniffed. “Something smells good.”

“It should. I’ve been cooking all day.” From the way she fussed with his collar and then brushed back his hair, not looking at me, I assumed she was pretending I wasn’t there. “I made all your favorite dishes.” She cupped his cheeks between her slender, claw-like hands. “Maybe my cooking will convince you to move back home...where you belong.”

It seemed the manipulation was off to a stellar start, but Jax was as diplomatic as he was kind.

Covering her hands with his, he gave her a pointed stare. “I’m happy where I’m at, Grandma. But I do appreciate your fine cooking.” He dragged her hands from his face, gave them a little squeeze, and then reach for me and dragged me forward. “You remember Poppy?”

“Yes, of course.” Her smile faltered for a second, her eyes darting to Jax, and then back to me, but she managed to work up a tepid greeting. “Welcome, Poppy.” She raked my yellow sundress with her gaze. “You look very...” She sniffed, her smile tightening. “Charming tonight.”

By charming I assumed she meant I looked like a country bumpkin, but I liked to think of my style as rustic chic. “Thank you. Jax said dinner would be casual.” I gestured toward her tailored designer suit. “Maybe he should have expounded on that a little.”

“Don’t be silly.” He leaned in and kissed me on the temple. “You look amazing.”

“No need to apologize, dear,” his grandmother said. “I’m afraid he’s been away from the family for far too long and has forgotten all rules of etiquette.” I hadn’t actually been apologizing, but I bit back my reply. I knew this was just the first of many veiled insults to come. “Mia, stop lurking in the doorway and take Miss. Carlyle’s things.”

A young woman I recognized from town glided into the entryway. She was younger than me by a couple of years and several pounds lighter. Gold-green eyes and a mass of sandy blond hair gave her away as another mountain lion Shifter. “Yes, Mrs. Jackson.” Her eyes darted to Jax, held for a second, and then drifted to me.

I smiled. In response, her gaze narrowed, and her lips pinched together. Alrighty then. It looked like Jax had an admirer. Then again, Jax had many admirers around town, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that one of them worked for his family.

“Thank you, Mia,” I said, handing her my purse.

As she took the bag for me, her gaze darted back to Jax.

He returned a smile. “How’s it going, Mia?”

“Hey Jax. Really good.” The woman’s expression softened, her eyes rounding. Oh yeah, she was crushing hard. “I just started working for your family a few weeks ago.” Wrapping her arms around my purse, she smashed it against her chest. It might not have been expensive but it was my favorite. She needed to ease up on the squeezing. “So, I guess I’ll be seeing you around more often.”

“Yes, yes, Mia,” his grandmother said. “That is if we can ever get him to visit.” She made a shooing gesture at the woman. “Run along. Dinner isn’t going to finish itself.”

Mia gave Jax one last longing look and then scurried away. From what I remembered about her family, they didn’t rank high in the mountain lion pride. Still, she beat me out by simply being a Shifter.

“Jaxson,” his grandfather’s voice boomed. “Good to know you haven’t forgotten your way home.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Grandpa.” They embraced, pounding each other on the back. The force of the greeting would have dropped most people to their knees. “Nobody here would ever let that happen.”

“Because you’re blood and part of the pride. That will never change.” Though a couple of inches shorter than Jax, Martin’s presence filled the room. Broad-chested and arms like small tree trunks, the old guy still sported a muscular physique that commanded respect. His gaze slid to me and constricted for a split-second. “No matter how many poor choices you make in your life.” Okay, ouch. A predatory smile crept across his mouth. “Poppy, nice to see you again.” The lie rolled off his tongue with the ease of a seasoned politician.

“Good to see you too, Mr. Jackson.” I pasted on a pleasant smile. See, I could sling bullshit with the best of them. “You have a beautiful home.”

His grin curled into a genuine smile, and he squared his shoulders. Score one for me. No doubt killing them with kindness would leave a bitter taste in my mouth but it might get me through the evening relatively unscathed.

“Thank you, Poppy.” He stepped toward me and draped his arm around my shoulder. My knee-jerk reaction was to ninja chop him in the throat, but I stopped my defensive move in the nick of time. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”

“Everybody is waiting for you in the dining room. Come say hi.” Glenda looped her arm through Jax’s and pulled him in the opposite direction. When he craned his neck to look at me, she patted his arm. “Don’t worry about Poppy. Your grandfather just wants to show her around.”

Divide and conquer, that seemed to be their plan. I wanted to reach for him and beg him to not leave me but I needed to be strong. I wondered if they could smell fear. Probably, so instead of cowering, I squared my shoulders and let Martin lead me in the opposite direction.

“Where are we going?” My voice wavered slightly, my nerves getting the better of me.

I doubted he wanted to show me anything. More like lecture me on the dangers of dating his grandson. Maybe he’d try to pay me off. Give me a big lump of cash if I’d break up with Jax. I wondered how much getting rid of me was worth. Not that it mattered. No amount could buy me off. But still, I was curious.

“Right through here.” Letting his arm fall from my shoulder, he led me into his office. “On the veranda.”

Needing to put some distance between us, my steps slowed. Martin continued forward and opened the French doors leading to the terrace. Without waiting for me, he stepped into the night. I inched toward the opening, my heart racing. Why outside? Was he going to use the cover of darkness to threaten me? To cover his nefarious deeds?

“Alrighty.” I stopped just outside the doorway, ready to bolt or scream. Whichever came first. The whirring of katydids whispered through the evening, and the glow of fireflies winked across the dark expanse of land that stretched beyond the veranda. Normally, it would have been a magical sight. At that moment? Not so much. “What is it you wanted to show me?”

“My pride and joy.” Martin strode to the edge of the brick patio and stopped next to a giant cannon. The rusty thing looked ancient. He patted the backend of the big gun. “This cannon has been handed down from father to son for over three centuries.” He turned to me and smiled. “It still works.”

“Wow, that’s an amazing piece of history,” I said, actually meaning it.

“One day, I’ll pass it on to my son Frank, and he’ll pass it down to Jaxon.”

I nodded. “Cool.”

“Yes, it is...cool, isn’t it?” Turning away from me, he edged toward the end of the cannon, running his hand along the black barrel. “Tradition means a lot in my family. We honor our ancestors, respect the rituals handed down through the generations.”

“I think that’s great.” Which I did, but also understood the point he was trying to make. Sons followed in their father’s footsteps. Shifters married Shifters. They stuck with their own kind. That was not me. I attempted to change the subject. “So, when was the last time you fired it?”

The predatory smile crept back across his face. “About fifty years ago.” He pointed across the expanse of darkness. “The Snake River is just beyond that tree line.”

“Oh.” It took a second for his meaning to sink in. “Oh.” I straightened and folded my arms over my chest, trying to chase the sudden chill that ghosted across me. “You shot your cannon at my family’s homestead?”

“Yes.” He pivoted and faced me. “I assure you it was completely warranted.”

“I’m sure it was.” I smiled, pretending I’d missed his thinly veiled threat. “My family can be incredibly irritating.” I shrugged. “Maybe you’d let me have a go at it sometime.”

Before he could reply, Jax’s mom strolled onto the veranda. “Martin, what are you doing out here? Holding poor Poppy hostage?”

“I wasn’t holding her hostage. Just showing her the family cannon.”

“Yes, we’re all very impressed with your big weapon.” She strolled to where I stood. “But dinner is ready.” Her gaze drifted to me, and she smiled. Finally, a friendly face. “Poppy, I’m so glad you could come.” Her greeting seemed genuine. Gripping my shoulders, she leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. “Don’t you look lovely tonight?”

“Thank you, Mrs. Jackson.”

Her golden gaze softened. “Call me Donna, honey. We’re practically family.” A low grunt huffed from Martin. Clearly, he didn’t agree. Instead of releasing me, she twined her arm around mine and locked it in a firm but gentle grip. “You can stay out here and stroke your cannon for as long as you like, Martin, but I’m taking Poppy with me.”

With that, she swung us toward the house and guided me inside. When we turned the corner, I glanced at her and whispered, “Thank you.”

She patted my hand. “He’s not so bad if you can ignore his taciturn and unpleasant personality.”

A laugh hiccupped from me. “I see where Jax gets his sense of humor.”

“A sense of humor is the only way to make it in this family.” She patted my hand again and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m rooting for you, so hang in there.”

“I will.” Warmth spread through me, her vote of confidence fortifying my commitment to my relationship with Jax. Winning over the rest of the family might be impossible but having Jax’s mother on my side was a big victory. “He’s worth it.”

“I think so, too.” She glanced at me and smiled. “Then again, I might be a little biased.”

We rounded the corner, and the determination I’d mustered to get through the night nearly vanished. What the hell? Had every Jackson in the county been invited to the family dinner? “Oh shit.”

“Yep.” As if to stop me from bolting, Donna wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Oh shit, indeed.”

She paraded me around the palatial dining room, introducing me to cousin whoever and uncle what’s-his-name. I tried to squirrel away each person’s name, but by the time we reached Jax, all the introductions had evaporated from my brain.

“Hey there.” He retrieved my hand from his mom’s hold as she handed me off like a baton in a relay race. “You’re still standing.”

“Of course, she is,” his mom said, winking at me.

“Donna, come help me in the kitchen,” Jax’s grandmother called.

“Be right there.” A sigh slipped from her. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m being heralded by the queen.” Releasing me, she strolled toward the door of the kitchen.

Watching her departure, I said, “I like her.”

“I knew you two would hit it off.” He wrapped his arm around my waist, and my body relaxed against him. Being held by Jack’s calmed my nerves and gave me balance. Though I still found it difficult to believe we were truly a mated pair, my reactions to him made it hard to argue. “I think she likes you too.”

“I think she just wants you to be happy, and if I’m the one that does that for you, she’s going to support us.”

“Jaxson.” Frank, Jax’s father strode toward us. “You finally made it.”

A wave of dread washed over me. I didn’t care for the man, and I was fairly certain he didn’t like me much either. I’d had a run-in with Martin and Frank at the beginning of my relationship with Jax. They thought I’d been the one making trouble on their property. In fact, it had been three crazy poltergeist honey badger’s that had gotten a hold of some dynamite. They’d had a grand time blowing stuff up.

I’d been dispatched to reap them, but since nobody except me could see the poltergeists, and nobody knew that I was a grim reaper, it had looked like I was the one who had blown up an old pickup truck.

Jax had thrown me in jail, and his dad had insisted on pressing charges. In the end, things worked out, but I suspected Frank still held a grudge.

“Hi, Dad,” Jax said. His hold tightened on me. “You remember Poppy, right?”

“She’s rather hard to forget,” he growled.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Jackson.” Man, the lies were just rolling off my tongue.

He cocked a brow and then turned his attention back to Jax. “I need to talk to you.”

“Dinner,” Donna called as she carried a giant platter of steaks into the dining room. “Lynette and Virginia, go help carry in dishes.”

The girls groaned and skulked past us. Virginia and Lynette were twins, and I often wondered if they shared one brain. Neither were particularly bright or independent like their sister Sammy. And the stunning good looks that ran through the Jackson family seemed to have jumped over the two girls.

“Why doesn’t Sammy have to help?” Lynette whined.

“Because I asked you,” Donna said, cutting off further argument.

“How about we talk after dinner?” Jax said to his father, tugging me toward the table. “After dessert.”

His dad didn’t reply except to nod once.

The twins marched back into the dining room, each hoisting massive mounds of meat. Though his mother and grandmother followed with smaller bowls of veggies, potatoes, and baskets of bread, meat seemed to be the center of attraction.

Once all the food had been laid out on the table, we took our seats. Martin and Frank claimed the chairs at each end of the table, lording over the meal like a couple of kings, while everybody else filled in around them. Sammy, Jax’s cousin, plopped down in the chair to my right, giving me a brilliant smile. Out of all the Jackson cousins, Sammy was the only one that didn’t treat me like I was something to be buried in the cat box.

“Brave.” She nodded, respect clear on her face. “Good.”

“Thanks,” I said, keeping with the one-word answers.

Jax sat to my left, and his mom directly across from me. Though it wasn’t blatantly obvious, I suspected their positioning was a subtle show of support.

Palmer, another of Jackson’s cousins, reached across the table and jabbed his fork into it giant steak. With lightning speed, Glenda smacked his hand with the wooden spoon, wielding it like a weapon.

“Have you forgotten your manners, boy?” Laying the spoon across the bowl of mashed potatoes, she settled in her chair and folded her hands. “I don’t know how you run things in your house, but in my home, we say grace before we eat.”

Palmer’s fork clattered onto his plate as he snatched his arm back. He rubbed the red welt darkening on his hand, his lower lip turning downward slightly in a pout. Though well into his thirties, he looked like a scolded boy. “Sorry Grandma.”

Without prompting, Martin launched into his prayer. “Lord, thank you for this food we are about to receive. Thank you for bringing the family together and showing Jaxon his way home. Lord, help us all to stay on the straight and narrow path, to do what’s right and expected of us. To honor our family and our pride. And not to stray off the course you have set before us. Amen.”

Several unenthusiastic amens filtered around the table.

“Amen!” Glenda gave her husband a nod of approval. “Very nice, dear.”

Jax’s hand rested on my thigh under the table, giving me a gentle squeeze. I covered his hand with mine and squeezed back. If Martin praying for Jax to dump me was as bad as it got tonight, then I’d be lucky. “Yes, Mr. Jackson,” I said. “Very nice.”

A quiet chuckle snickered from Sammy. Not looking at her, I instead maintained eye contact with Martin. It was a little like staring down a beast. He eyed me, probably trying to figure out if I was serious. I wasn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.

With his gaze still locked on me, he jabbed his fork into the top steak and dragged it onto his plate. Maybe I was being paranoid, but his actions seemed like a threat.

“So, cousin,” Sammy said, handing me a basket of biscuits. “How’s life in the big city?”

I smirked and retrieved the basket from her. Our big city consisted of one main drag and a couple of blocks of residential area. It was small, but that’s how I liked it.

“Going great.” Jax plopped two biscuits onto his plate and handed it off to his Uncle Newton. “My office is almost done, and I’ve settled into the job.” He bit off a hunk of bread and chewed, nodding. “Things couldn’t be better.”

His dad grunted. “It would be better if you got your ass back home.”

“I don’t even know why you’d want to live in that ratty old apartment.” Virginia gave a delicate shudder. “It’s so dirty and gross.”

“Yeah,” Lynette chimed in. “The only people to talk to is that grouchy old lady that runs the grocery store and a few other town folks.”

“I get by just fine,” Jax said, sliding a steak onto his plate. “Besides, I have Poppy to talk to.”

“Yes,” his father said, “We’ve noticed.”

“Now, what’s going on with you two anyway,” Jax’s Aunt Anita asked, venturing into the conversation.

My gaze slid to Jax, but I didn’t say anything. No way was I taking the lead on this.

“We’re dating, Aunt Anita,” he said.

“Yes, we all know that, but what does that mean exactly.”

I jabbed at the lump of potatoes on my plate, still not saying anything. To be honest, I was a little curious what dating meant to him as well.

“It means spending time together. Going out on dates. Enjoying each other’s company.”

Sammy snorted. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

“Hush, Samantha Jean,” Glenda snapped. “Keep your filthy comments to yourself.”

Though Sammy complied with her grandmother’s command, she didn’t bother wiping the smirk off her face.

“I think what your aunt means,” said his Aunt Vickie, “is that we’re all wondering just how serious the two of you are.”

At her words, everybody at the table froze. Their attentions were riveted on Jax. Even Palmer stopped hacking at his steak and stared.

“I thought this was supposed to be a nice family dinner,” Jax said. “Not an inquisition.”

“I think it’s only fair we know where you and Miss. Carlyle stand,” his Uncle Newton said.

“Actually.” Jax set down his fork and folded his arms over his chest, leveling an unwavering stare at his uncle. “It’s not anybody’s business.”

Go Jax. I glanced at him. The muscles of his jaw flexed, and his gaze remained riveted on Newton. It was a given that I’d get a lot of flak tonight, but I don’t think Jax thought he’d be so openly grilled. Not caring if anybody saw me, I laid my hand on his thigh. Hine glanced at me, and I nodded, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Let’s cut to the chase.” Martin leaned forward and rested his arms on either side of his overflowing plate. “Where do you see your relationship with Poppy going?”

Jax was silent for so long I wasn’t sure he was going to answer. It was clear he didn’t want to, but this was his grandfather asking. In the south, respecting your elders was a huge deal. In a Shifter pride, even more so.

He’d answer, no matter how much he wanted to tell his grandpa to go to hell. Okay, maybe I was superimposing my own thoughts into the situation.

“All right.” Jax set his fork down and crossed his arms over his chest. “You want to know where our relationship is going? I’ll tell you.” He paused. “I don’t know.”

I won’t lie, I was a little disappointed by his answer. Not that I didn’t agree, just that I was hoping for something more. A glimpse into Jax’s thoughts about us. Wanting to show support, I chimed in, “Yep, we don’t know. Just taking it day by day. Having fun. I mean, what’s the rush?”

Jax smiled at me. That one look chased away all my doubts about sitting through the torturous dinner.

“Well, you’re certainly not getting any younger,” Anita said.

“That’s right,” added Vickie. “At a certain age, women start having trouble bearing children. They call it advanced maternal age.”

“That’s true.” Anita nodded, her eyes rounding to the size of quarters. “Why, I know for a fact that when Emma Porter got pregnant at thirty-five the doctors acted like it would be a miracle if she was able to deliver her baby at all.”

“Yep,” Vickie said, picking up the story. “They likened her uterus to rotting fruit.”

“Oh geez, Aunt Vickie,” Palmer whined. “Stop talking about your womanly parts.”

“Yeah,” his brother Peter said. “That kind of talk should be saved for your lady lunches or whatever it is you women do together.”

“God, you are both such idiots,” Sammy said, glaring at the brothers. “Do the world a favor and never reproduce.”

“Don’t worry about Poppy,” Jax cut in. “She has plenty of time.”

“So, you guys have already talked about having kids?” his grandmother asked. She was tough to read. Her expression gave nothing away.

“No, we haven’t talked about it at all,” Jax said.

“Then you’re not serious?” his father asked. From the way his shoulders relaxed, his relief was clear.

“I didn’t say that either,” Jax barked, his voice raising a few decibels. He inhaled, holding up his hand, and then blew out a breath. “I will tell you this, I don’t see things between us changing anytime soon.” He paused again, probably for effect, and then said, “Or ever.”

“I hope you’re not saying what I think you’re saying,” his father growled.

“What is it you think I’m saying?”

“That you’re planning on marrying this girl.” Frank gestured toward me. “The granddaughter of your grandfather’s enemy.”

After several long seconds in which we all held our breath, including me, Jax simply shrugged. His silent answer sent the table into an uproar.

“I won’t have it!” Jax’s dad slammed his hands on the table and stood, knocking over his chair. “No son of mine is going to marry a human.”

“Well, dad,” Jack said, slowly rising to his feet. “You don’t really have any say over it.”

“The hell I don’t.” His dad glared at him, ignoring me completely.

“No, you don’t. If I want to marry a human, I will.” Which I was not. “If I want to marry a witch, I will.” Also, not a witch. “Hell, if I want to marry the grim reaper, I will.” Bingo.

Through gritted teeth Frank Jackson said, “Over my dead body.”

Geez, I hope it didn’t come to that—no matter how much I might enjoy it. Jax extended his hand. I took it and rose. “Come on, Poppy, I’ve lost my appetite.”

Fine with me. The knot in my stomach made it impossible to eat. “Thank you for...” What the hell was I thanking them for? I looked at Jax’s mom. “Everything.”

Apologetic sadness dripped from her smile.

Without another word, he guided me to the front hall. Mia stood at the door with my purse, a smug grin on her face. I snagged the bag out of her hands and let Jax drag me out of the house and down the steps.

When we made it to the truck, I stopped and turned to him. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

“Yeah, it went much better than I thought it would.” Sarcasm tinged his answer. He sighed and pulled me to him. “You know what the worst part is?”

“That we didn’t get to eat?”

“Exactly.”

“That bread smelled so good,” I moaned.

He hauled open the passenger door. “If we hurry maybe we can get to Big Ray’s Rib Shack before it closes. They’ve got killer corn fritters.”

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.” The L-word slipped out so naturally it didn’t seem weird.

He leaned in and kissed me. “If you play your cards right, I’ll give you a couple more reasons.”

Tonight was ending better than I’d ever imagined. Corn fritters and sexy times...lucky me.

Chapter Two

I woke with Jax’s warm body pressed against my back. The sun streamed through the tall windows of my bedroom, and I couldn’t help but stretch like a contented cat. This was bliss.

His hold tightened on me, and a low growl vibrated against my neck. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The words going to make coffee hovered on my tongue, but his hand drifted up my waist and cupped my breast, diverting my train of thought. “Nowhere, now.” A pleased purr hummed from me as he stroked my nipple. His erection pressed against me. I arched, pushing my rear end against him. “Good morning to you too.”

Without warning, he flattened me on the bed and covered my body with his. As if they had a mind of their own, which they did when it came to Jax, my legs parted to accommodate him. Maybe I was giving myself too much credit, but I loved that he had an insatiable desire for me.

Yes, I was naked and rubbing against him, but I wasn’t always like that. Most of the time I had clothes on and still got this reaction. It was all part of the mating game Shifters bought into.

When Jax first told me we were mated, I’d been skeptical, and a little freaked out. I’d read romance novels. The whole one-mate thing, I’ll turn into a monster if I don’t have you scenario put a lot of pressure on a girl. I mean, what if I hadn’t liked Jax? What if he’d been a misogynistic asshole who lived for NASCAR? I would have ended up reaping him. But I’d lucked out, and though I’d accepted that we were mated, we hadn’t tossed the L-word around much. For now, I was happy playing house and fooling around. Especially the fooling around part.

His head lowered, his mouth covering mine. Zings of endorphins rushed through my veins, making my skin tingle. My lips parted and his tongue glided against mine. His hand drifted around my thigh and lifted it as he pressed into me. Another purr slipped from me as I welcomed his sweet invasion.

Like the true mountain lion he was, Jax’s mouth glided from my lips to my neck and gently bit. Another growl rumbled from him as his body rocked into me. My nails dug into his back and I cocked my head, giving him better access.

I’m sorry, did I say stretching in the sunshine was bliss? No, this was bliss. The way he claimed me. The way he made me feel completely wanted. It had been a long time since that had happened.

It didn’t take long for Jax to get me where I needed to be, his own release quickly following. I could get used to waking up in his arms, making love, knowing that he’d be in my bed at night. Call me old fashioned, but I wanted a happily-ever-after.

When we’d finally recovered from our love match, we hopped in the shower and spent another twenty minutes making sure every inch of skin got washed. There’s something to be said about the way cats clean with their tongues.

Finally, I wrestled my very happy body into a pair of cargo capris and a Big Rays Rib Shack T-shirt. I went to the kitchen to make us a hearty breakfast of sausage, eggs and biscuits. In case Jax got the hankering for a little afternoon delight, I wanted to make sure he kept his energy up.

Needless to say, he cleaned his plate, popping the last bite of biscuit into his mouth as he headed out the door.

“See ya tonight?” I called as he jogged down the stairs.

He stopped and looked up at me. “Sooner, if I’m lucky.” With a wink, he took the last set of steps two at a time and headed out the door.

A sigh slipped from me. I couldn’t help it. Jax brought out all sorts of girly emotions. I could manhandle a resistant spirit into the afterlife with no problem at all, but with just a wink and a smile, Jax turned me into a pile of pudding. It was kind of disgusting, but I loved it.

Though my weekend had started off with a bang, it was still the weekend, which meant domestic chores. First on the list, laundry. The mountain of wash had been stacking up for two weeks. If I didn’t tackle it  today, I’d have to start washing my undies in the sink. First off, gross. Secondly, gross.

After shoving the first load into the washing machine, I added soap and pressed start. Nothing happened. I pushed it again, but still nothing. So, I punched the button three more times because obviously the first two times hadn’t been enough. No light. No happy song signaling the joy of doing laundry. Nothing.

Leaning around the machine, I strained to check the cord. It was still plugged in. Well crap, like a lot of things in my life, I’d ignored the tired chug and odd rattle of Mags. That’s what I’d named my washing machine.

I’d inherited it from my Aunt Sugar, who had received it as a wedding gift when she married my Uncle Jessup. Mags had loyally churned out load after load for a couple of decades, and I just didn’t have the heart to resuscitate her.

Giving the machine a gentle pat, I whispered, “Don’t worry, Mags, I’ll never be able to replace you.”

Actually, I would. I’d been eyeing a nice front loader at Deacon’s Hardware, but never seriously considered buying it. Even admiring the gleaming red machine had felt like two-timing on Mags. But now that she’d passed on, she’d want me to be happy. And if happiness meant a 4.5 cu. ft. front loading machine with steam technology, then by God, I’d buy it—for Mags’s sake.

That didn’t solve my immediate problem of no undies and a mountain of dirty clothes. It looked like my Saturday would be spent in the sultry confines of the local Suds-n-Duds Laundromat. It was just a block down the street, but it would be a bitch lugging all my dirty laundry to it.

Quarters, I needed lots of them. The only good thing about using the laundromat was that I’d be able to do my wash all at once.

I glanced at the clock. Eight-forty-five. It was still early, which meant if I hurried, I might be able to commandeer the big washing machine. Mrs. Peebles usually bogarted the machine to wash her bedspread. My question was, what did the woman do that warranted washing the thing every week? And did I really want to know?”

After dumping my laundry into a giant lawn bag, I shoved the jug of detergent and a box of dryer sheets into my canvas tote and grabbed my wallet. With grunting steps, I dragged the load to the door.

I stopped at the top of the steps and eyed them. In this case the path of least resistance would be best. Giving the lawn bag a solid push, I nudged the mass over the threshold and crossed my fingers, praying the bag wouldn’t split and spew my clothes all over the place.

The black plastic blob eased down the first three steps, picking up speed around step six, hitting hauling-ass velocity at step eight, and then slammed into the closed door at the bottom. Hallelujah! It held.

I jogged down the steps and shoved the bag into the corner of the landing. First, I needed quarters. No sense in lugging the thing to the store with me. Doubting anybody would steal my dirty clothes, I left the building unlocked and headed to the store.

Being that this was Shifter territory, our town wasn’t very welcoming to humans. We tell ourselves that it’s for their own good. That gives everybody an excuse to not roll out the southern hospitality.

Take the grocery store for example. If a tourist passing through town stopped for supplies, all they’d find at the front of the store would be dusty canned goods, rock hard loaves of bread, and some not-so-fresh fruit. People don’t tend to linger when there’s nothing edible to buy.

But locals know to ignore the Employees Only sign and go through the back door. That’s where all the action happens.

I pushed through the flaps of thick plastic hanging across the entrance and strolled to the counter. “Morning, Lurleen.”

“Poppy. You’re up early.” As usual, the store sentinel perched on her stool with a cup of coffee steaming next to her. “Was that Jaxson I saw leaving your place this morning?”

Did I mention that secrets were impossible to keep around here? It was a miracle that nobody besides Jax knew I was a grim reaper.

“It was.”

No use in lying. I knew she knew, and she knew I knew she knew. Plus, she’d probably called three or four people already this morning, so chances were good that most of Assjacket knew that he’d spent the night at my place again.

“Looks like things are getting serious between you two.”

Though she hadn’t posed it at as a question, it totally was. “Things are going really well, thanks for asking.”

She lifted the coffee to her lips and peered over the rim at me. “I heard there might be wedding bells in the future.” Tipping the cup, she took a long noisy slurp, and then swallowed. “Heard his daddy wasn’t too happy about it.”

“You heard that, did ya?” Around here gossip traveled like a dry brush fire, especially when it involved the Jacksons, but the rate at which it traveled still surprised me. “Interesting.”

“So?”

I laid a twenty on the counter. “Can I get two rolls of quarters, please?”

“Yep,” she said, hitting a button on the register. The drawer clanged open, and she extracted two rolls, depositing my twenty inside. “Mia Henry’s mom came in this morning. Said her daughter was at the house last night. Saw the whole thing.”

Of course. I’d forgotten about Mia. I scooped up the quarters. “Let me set the record straight. There are no wedding bells in our future. He hasn’t asked me to marry him. Nor have we even talked about it.”

“But the part about his daddy not being happy was true, right?” She sipped again, her attention fixed squarely on my face.  No doubt looking for any hint of me lying.

“That’s not really a surprise, right?” I said, stating the obvious. “Our families haven’t been on good terms for decades, and I’m not a Shifter. The fact that his dad isn’t happy with us dating isn’t really gossip, is it?”

Disappointment crossed her face. “I guess not.”

“Okay then.” I held up the quarters. “I gotta get going. My washing machine died so I’m headed to the laundromat.”

“Better hurry before Mrs. Peebles gets there. I heard she spring cleaning. Bedspreads, curtains, blankets, the whole kit and kaboodle.” Lurleen shook her head. “That woman has a real problem. Seems all she does is clean since her husband up and had his heart attack.”

“You know what they say. Cleanliness is next to godliness.”

“If that’s true, then she’s giving Jesus a run for his money.” She took a swig of her coffee, downing half the contents. “She’s the best argument for finding a husband I can think of.”

“Maybe you should help her with that.” It was evil, I know, but diverting Lurleen’s attention to a more worthy endeavor meant she might stop prying into my life. Plus, the Widow Peebles would no doubt find love. “I bet you know all the eligible bachelors around the county.”

“I do.” She set down the cup and reached for her phone, sliding it toward her. A serene smile curled her lips. “Well, I won’t keep you, dear. I know you want to get started on your washing.”

I’d bet she couldn’t wait to speed dial whoever was at the top of her gossip phone-tree. Mission accomplished. Sorry Mrs. Peebles, but all was fair in love and war.

“Alrighty, then.” I shoved the rolls of quarters into my pocket. “Have a great day. Don’t work too hard.”

Lurleen gave me an absent wave, her attention already fixed on her new quest. Feeling pretty proud of myself, I strode through the front of the store and stepped onto the sunny sidewalk. Unfortunately, my self-satisfaction was short-lived.

“Poppy!”

I spun toward the person shouting my name and groaned. My Aunt Sugar waddled toward me with my cousin Honey and Aunt Charlotte bustling behind her. Farther back strolled my cousin Amy. From the shitty grin on her face, she was already loving whatever was about to happen. “Hey, guys.”

The smell of gardenias arrived several feet before Aunt Sugar did. She claimed it was her signature scent and that people would remember her even after she’d left. No argument there. The cloying scent saturated everything she came in contact with. Before I could dodge her, she pulled me into a hug. Well, crap, I’d have to shower again.

“Oh, Poppy.” She clutched me to her. Her stiff hair brushed against my cheek. “We heard about last night.”

“Really?” I gently eased away from her and stepped out of arms reach in case she got the urge to hug me again. “What about last night?”

“About the fight between Jaxon and his father,” she said.

“Yes,” my Aunt Charlotte chimed in. “That he threw a punch at Frank to defend your honor.”

“And that Jax said he was going to marry you whether his family liked it or not.” A wistful sigh flowed from my cousin Honey. “It’s so romantic.”

“Wow, okay.” I held up a hand. “First off, Jax would never hit his father. He’s a law officer, remember? It goes against everything he stands for. Secondly, he never asked me to marry him. So, please stop spreading that rumor.”

“He never mentioned anything about your relationship to his parents?” Amy asked. I glared at her, knowing she was trying to stir up trouble. “What?” A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. “I’m just trying to get to the truth.”

“Yes, Amaryllis Jean.” She hated that name. Using it was tempting death, but she totally deserved it. “We did talk about our relationship. No, his father was not thrilled that we were dating, but there were no punches thrown.”

Charlotte glanced around, checking for eavesdroppers, and then dropped her voice to a loud whisper. “I heard Jax’s mother threatened to divorce Frank if he didn’t accept you into the family.”

“Come on, Aunt Charlotte, does that even make sense?”

“Well...” She fumbled with the giant plastic beads at her neck. “It’s what I heard.”

“Y’all need to stop gossiping.”

“But you and Jax are still dating, right?” Honey asked.

“Yes but—”

“Has he told you he loved you yet?” she said, cutting off the rest of my answer.

“Yes, but only once. It’s not like we’re tossing I love you all over the place.”

“But he said it.” Aunt Sugar gripped Aunt Charlottes arm. “We need to start planning.”

“Yes.” Charlotte spread her fingers in jazz hands and swiped wide arcs in the air. “I’m thinking summer peach and blush for the colors.”

“With a hint of watermelon pink to make the whole thing pop,” added Sugar.

“Wait.” I waved my hands at them, but my aunts ignored me, already too deep in planning my dream wedding.

“We could do Mason jar center pieces with fairy lights,” Honey said.

“And butterflies,” Amy added.

“Oh yes, lots of butterflies,” Charlotte said, clapping her hands.

“And maybe a gazebo draped in gauze and flowers,” Amy prodded, working my aunts into a wedding frenzy.

“Shut up, Amy.” I scowled at her.

“What?” She gave me a look of mock innocence. She was loving this way too much. “I’m just excited about you and Jax, that’s all.”

“Listen.” I grabbed Sugar by the shoulders. “We’re not getting married. There’s no wedding to plan.” From the glazed expression and wide grin on my aunt’s face, I could see she wasn’t listening. I raised my voice to nearly a shout. “There is no wedding.”

“Not yet maybe.” Sugar gave Charlotte a conspiratorial nod. “Maybe one day... soon. If you play your cards right.”

“I’m playing my cards just fine, thank you very much. Besides, I don’t need a husband to have a fulfilling life.”

My two aunts and cousin Honey burst into laughter. I sighed, my gaze drifting to Amy. She raised her eyebrows, shaking her head. “You’re the one who wanted to date Jaxon.”

“Would you please do something? This is getting out of hand.”

“Oh, you think this is getting out of hand?” Her gaze drifted to somewhere just beyond my shoulder. “Just wait.”

I didn’t want to look, knowing I wasn’t going to like whatever was headed toward me. I turned, anyway. “Well, crap.”

Burl and Bonnie Dolbinrod, my grandparents, were on a collision course with me. “Poppy Mae,” my grandpa barked. “I want a word with you.”

I plastered on a serene smile and folded my hands in front of me like an obedient granddaughter. “Isn’t this my lucky day? All my family in one place, coming to see me. What a surprise.”

“Is a true?” my grandpa asked.

I played dumb. “Is what true?”

“That you’re marrying into the Jackson family.” My grandmother’s question came out with a squeak. “And that Jax and his father got into fisticuffs over you?”

“No! That is not true,” I said.

“Don’t try to protect those people, Poppy.” My grandpa grabbed my cheeks, holding my face between his hands. “If Frank Jackson has done anything to besmirch your reputation, then it’s the Dolbinrod’s duty to defend your honor.”

Oh my God. How had things gotten so out of hand? I shook my head, nearly knocking my messy bun loose from its hold. “No grandpa, there was no besmirching of reputations. I had a very nice dinner at the Jackson’s. That’s all.”

At that point, I figured it was better to lie than to arm my grandfather with anything he could twist into a reason to escalate problems with the Jacksons.

“That’s not what we heard,” grandma said.

“Obviously.” I needed to put an end to this. “But you heard wrong, so you can set your minds at ease.” Backing up, I started my slow retreat. They followed, speaking all at once.

Movement across the street caught my eye. Jax strolled out of his office, his intent to join us clear. Luckily, my family was in deep conversation about the state of my relationship and didn’t notice him. I caught Jax’s eye and gestured for him to stop. His steps faltered and slowed. I shook my head. His trek reversed its course, backing toward his office again. Smart man. If my family got ahold of him while in their frenzied state, Jax would never get free.

I stopped next to my apartment door, pondering my next step. Clearly, my family didn’t have any intention of leaving, and I still needed to get to the laundromat before Mrs. Peebles claimed the big washer. Deciding to make the best of a bad situation, I opened the door and handed the tote bag to my Aunt Sugar.

“Can you guys help me with this?” I rolled the lawn bag out the door.

“Good gracious, Poppy, what’s in that bag?” my grandma asked.

“My laundry.” I pulled the door shut. “My washer broke so I’m taking it to the laundromat.”

“You’d better hurry up before Harriet Peebles gets there.” Charlotte shook her head. “I heard she’s spring cleaning.”

Sugar hoisted my bag over her shoulder. “I heard that too.”

“Here, give me that.” Though my grandfather stood several inches shorter than me and was about half my weight, he hefted my laundry onto his shoulders with ease.

“Be careful, grandpa. It’s heavy.”

He made a dismissive grunting noise and headed down the sidewalk. My aunts, grandma, and cousin Honey followed at a speed walker’s pace behind him. I hung back to walk with Amy. If I was lucky, they’d have my laundry sorted by the time I got there.

We walked in silence for a couple of yards before Amy asked, “So, was it really a pleasant event at the Jackson’s last night?”

I cocked an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

She gave a disgusted snort. “I figured.”

“The food hadn’t even been served before Frank started in on Jax.” I trusted Amy with almost all of my secrets—almost. We’d been best friends forever because unlike my other female relatives, she didn’t gossip and had the same sick sense of humor as me. “It pretty much went downhill from there.” I shrugged. “The only one who was nice to me was Jax’s mom, Donna.”

“Well then, you’re in,” Amy said.

“Hardly, the rest of the family would rather I disappear forever.” I laughed. “At one point I actually thought Martin was going to try to bribe me to stop seeing Jax.”

All traces of humor evaporated from Amy’s expression. “Did he?”

“No, but he did show me his big cannon.”

She stopped and yanked me to a halt. “He showed you his what?”

“His cannon.”

“And by cannon you mean his...”

“I mean his cannon. As in a large weapon that is pointed directly at our family’s homestead.” I started walking again.

“Shit. I almost wished he’d flashed you his junk instead,” she said.

“I’m torn.” I see-sawed my hands. “Blow up the family home or have that image burned in my mind forever. Tough call.”

“Can I offer you a word of advice?” Amy asked.

“Always.”

“Don’t mention any of this to the family. They’d be all over it like ticks on a dog.”

“My lips are sealed.” I mimed turning a lock and throwing away the key. “Oh shit.” I grabbed Amy’s arm and propelled her forward. “Mrs. Peebles just pulled up. Come on.”

Wielding my amazing skill of manipulation, I managed to get my aunts to do all my loads of laundry. Not only did they take charge of my wash, but Sugar ran to Lurleen’s and bought a stack of velvet covered hangers I desperately needed and two laundry baskets.

I didn’t know what I would do with two baskets but I appreciated her commitment to my laundry.

When everything was finally finished, we marched it back to my apartment and deposited it onto my bed. Refusing to let them put my clothes away, or clean my apartment, I escorted everybody to the door, thanking them profusely for all their help and concern.

Grandma pinned me down for dinner on Friday night, insisting that I bring Jax. She assured me that unlike his family, he’d be welcome. That warmed my heart. Despite my family being a bunch of knuckleheaded hillbillies, they were good people with big hearts.

“Seriously,” Amy said, stopping just inside the apartment. “Let me know if you need to talk.”

“I will.” I appreciated her offer. If I was going to pour my heart out to anybody, it would be her. Underneath her tough shell and sarcastic demeanor, Amy was a great listener and confidant. “Where are you off to now?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got a job at BYesig Earl’s Burger Palace and Bait Shop.”

“Wow, that’s taking the entrepreneurial spirit to a whole new level.” I grimaced. “Which side are you working on? Burgers or bait?”

“Both. The place isn’t very big. The trick is to not mix up the orders.”

“Remind me not to eat there,” I said.

“Don’t knock it till you try it.” Amy stepped into the hallway. “Who knows, maybe bait burgers will be the new trend.”

“I sincerely hope not.” I pulled her into a hug and whispered, “You’re living your best life ever.”

She pushed me away, laughing. “You and me both.”

With that, she jogged down the stairs. I closed the door and released a long-suffering breath. As an afterthought, I locked the door. Between last night’s dinner with the Jacksons and the craziness of the morning, I’d had enough of family.

“I thought they’d never leave,” said a voice behind me.

I swung around to see my Aunt Tula sitting on the couch.  “Aunt Tula, what are you doing here?”

“I’ve come for a visit.” She crossed her legs, fluffing the floral skirt around her ankles, and draped her arm across the back of the couch. “We need to talk.”

“But...you’re dead.”

Chapter Three

As a grim reaper I’d met my share of dead people. It was part of the job. But having one show up in my house and casually sit on my couch like it was the most natural thing in the world, totally creeped me out.

“What does being dead have to do with anything?” she asked.

“Well, it’s just...now that you’ve passed on you don’t need to concern yourself with the affairs of the living.” The argument sounded pretty good to me, but I wasn’t sure I was right. Maybe the dead did watch over us. Maybe they did care what went on in the physical plane. “You should be enjoying the afterlife. Doing whatever you do over there.”

“What I’m doing is watching a brewing storm.” She drummed her fingers on the back of the couch, but the action didn’t make any noise. “Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you’ve started?”

“Me?” I jammed my fists onto my hips, my indignation bubbling over the tight control I’d managed to keep until that moment. Wasn’t it bad enough I had to hear about this from the living? Now the dead were poxing me too. “We haven’t done anything wrong. We’re just trying to date like two normal people, but nobody will let that happen.” My voice raised as all the crap I’d put up with over the last twenty-four hours came to a head. “What I do in my private life—” I shook my head. “No, what we do in our private lives is not anybody’s business but Jax’s and mine.”

“I agree,” my aunt said.

Her answer drew me up short. “You do?”

“Yes, I do.” Drifting to a stand, she fluffed her dress again, and then squared her shoulders. “I’m not talking about the trouble between you and Jaxon. You two seem fine. I’m talking about all the dead relatives on both sides of the family. It’s like the ethereal version of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s over there.”

“But why?” I circumvented the chair and then plopped onto the seat directly across from her. This really was too much. “We’re just dating. No big deal.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She paced to the window and stared across the street at Jax’s office. “He’s a Shifter. And you’re a grim reaper.” She pivoted and looked at me. “That might not mean much down here because nobody knows what you do for a living.” She pointed her finger at the ceiling. “But up there everybody knows what you do.”

I still wasn’t understanding her point. Why did it matter that I was a grim reaper? Or that he was a Shifter? “So?”

“So,” she continued. “For the first time in history, the Dolbinrods have something to be proud of. Actually, I should say someone to be proud of.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.” She drifted back to the couch and perched on the edge, resting her elbows on her knees and folding her hands in a prayer-like pose. “Let’s just say having a grim reaper in the family carries a sort of prestige.”

“You’re kidding, right?” So far, being a grim reaper on the physical plane had proven to be more of a pain in the ass than a benefit. It certainly hadn’t been prestigious, or glamorous, or even convenient.

“I wish I was.” She drummed her fingers together. “To be blunt, your ancestors are riding on your coattails of success, and Jax’s kin aren’t liking it one bit. That’s why I’m here. I need to know what’s going on between you two. And I need you to be honest, Poppy, so I can go back and set everybody straight. Just how serious are ya’ll?”

“I wish everybody would stop asking me that.” I flopped back against the chair. “Dead or alive, it’s really nobody’s business. Plus, I don’t know how serious we are. We’ve only been dating a few months.”

“Well, unless you want perpetual houseguests, you need to figure that out.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning, if I can’t placate the restless spirits from both sides of the family, they’re going to start showing up.” Her eyebrow arched, and she cocked her head. “Right here. In your apartment. Demanding to know what’s going on.”

“Here?” My body shot forward, the horror of having not only my dead relatives but also Jax’s dead family floating around my house gripping me. “That can’t happen.”

“It will if you can’t pin down what’s going on.” She shook her head. “Imagine waking up at night and having Uncle Cyril looming over you.”

“Nooo.” The word squeezed from me as my breath tightened in my chest. “He was so creepy. He never blinked.” A shiver rippled through me. “After he got his arm cut off in that combine accident, he used to chase us kids around, waving his stump and trying to touch us with it.”

“You’d think the afterlife would have made him a little less off-putting, but it didn’t. He’s still as peculiar as ever.”

Getting the occasional visit from my aunt wouldn’t have been so bad, but there were a lot of dead relatives I didn’t want showing up uninvited. Setting my apprehension aside, I said, “I like him... A lot.” That wasn’t completely true. “Actually, I love him.”

“Really? Does he feel the same way?”

“I think so. We don’t toss the L-word around, but he’s told me he loved me.” I hesitated, not sure if I should share the rest of my thought. Images of uncle Cyril floated through my mind, making my decision for me. “Jax said we’re a mated pair.” I shrugged. “I think I believe him.”

Aunt Tula’s eyebrows nearly lifted to her hairline. “Well, well, well, that is news.” Her plump pink lips stretched into a wide smile. “Now that’s something I can take back to the families.” Her head bobbed up and down,cr and she stared at me as if seeing me in a new light. After a few seconds she asked, “Does Jax know you’re a grim reaper?”

“Yes, he does.”

“And he’s okay with it?”

It was my turn to smile. “Actually, he thinks it’s kind of cool.”

“Good.” The smile faded, her lips drawing into a straight line. “Does the family know you’re a reaper?”

Sometimes not telling my family what I did for a living felt a little like a betrayal, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to reveal my true nature. “No. I haven’t figured out how to tell them.”

“Probably for the best,” my aunt said. “Especially where Zeek is concerned.”

“He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

“It’s like that boy tries to make every armadillo Shifter look stupid. Can’t stay out of the way of a car to save his life.” My aunt shook her head. “I’m just amazed he’s still alive.”

“I know, right? He got sideswiped by an ice cream truck last week.” I raise my hands in the air and shook them. “An ice cream truck. The damn thing only goes about 15 miles an hour.”

“Like I said, maybe it’s for the best the family doesn’t know about you being a grim reaper.” She stood and fluffed her skirt again. “Well, I’m off. I think once everybody learns you’re a mated pair, things will settle down.”

“Thanks, Aunt Tula.” Now that she was ready to leave, I was a little sad to see her go. She’d come on urgent business, but we hadn’t gotten a chance to catch up. “And...don’t be a stranger.”

She smiled and cupped my cheek. “Now that I’ve got an official invite I will definitely stop by.”

A chill skimmed across my skin as she patted my cheek, but I didn’t let on. Ghosts couldn’t help that they were cold, and I didn’t want to insult her. “Thanks for taking care of this mess. Then again, you always did.”

“And I always will.” With that she lowered her arm and faded away.

I stood there for a few seconds, making sure she’d actually gone. No odd creaks or groans sounded. No sense of being watched touched me. Just as I started to relax, my phone blasted to life, filling the room with Chopin’s Death March.

It looked like I had a reap.”

Chapter Four

“Ahh!” I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to slow my racing heart. The phone continued its haunting dirge as I hauled it out of my back pocket. I swiped across Sharon’s name on my screen. “Hello.”

“Hey there,” she said. “You busy?”

Sharon was what I refer to as my handler. She doled out my reaping assignments, warned me of impending trouble, and kept me up to date on any pertinent info.

“Not anymore. What’s up?”

“I’ve got a quickie for you.”

A laugh snorted from me. “You know I like a good quickie.”

“Don’t we all, girlfriend.” The sound of ice clinking into a glass filtered through the phone. I’m not sure what it was about working with the dead, but a lot of us drank. Me included. It seemed whenever Sharon called, she was pouring herself a stiff one. And I never saw my porter, Bunny, without a pink cocktail in her hand. “Rick Birch.”

My shoulders slumped. “Oh no, not Ricky.”

“I take it you know him?”

“Yeah, nice guy. He’s an old racoon Shifter who lives on the edge of town.”

“Well.” The ice clinked again, and the sound of her swallowing reverberated through the earpiece. “It should be an easy reap. The notes say he knows he’s dead, so no surprises there.”

“Good. I need something to go right for me today.”

“How bad can things be? It’s barely noon.”

“You’d be surprised how much trouble I can get into in just a couple of hours.”

“No,” she said. “I actually wouldn’t be surprised at all.” She took another drink and swallowed. “Anyhow, let me know how it goes. A quick text is fine. I’ll log all the info here.”

“Thanks. Have a great weekend.”

“I always do.” Her laughter was cut short as she ended the call.

I shoved my phone in my back pocket. Poor Ricky. I couldn’t remember a day when I hadn’t seen him sitting on his front porch, rocking and watching people pass by. It was a sure bet that’s where I would find him today.

I locked my apartment door behind me, something I didn’t usually do. But after today’s craziness, I didn’t want to take a chance on any of my family members sneaking into my place and ambushing me. Not even Amy.

There wasn’t much I could do about my dead relatives. They’d come and go whenever they wanted, but the living I could do something about.

At the bottom of the steps, I peeked around the corner and scanned the street. The coast looked clear. I eased out and pulled the door shut. I started down the sidewalk at a pretty quick clip. My eyes darted everywhere, making sure I wasn’t being followed. From my first perusal, it looked like everybody had gone home. Thank you, Jesus!

Once I was past Darling’s Drugstore, I relaxed a little. Basically, that was the end of the business section of town. Everything beyond that point was residential.

I strolled down the next block until the sidewalk ran out and then crossed the street and followed the large row of hedges until I got to the small white wooden gate. Number Two, Main St. That was where Ricky lived, or had lived.

As I pushed through the gate, I glanced at the house. Just like it was a normal day, he sat on the front porch, rocking in his rocking chair. I waved and walked toward him, acting as normal as possible.

“Afternoon Ricky.” I stopped at the base of the porch steps. “Mind if I join you?”

Ricky leaned toward the shorter side of height and as he rocked, his feet lifted off the ground. Dark half circles arched below his beady black eyes, and his thin straight nose rounded at the end. His rocking stop for a second, and he eyed me. Finally, he said, “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” I sauntered up the steps and claimed the rocking chair next to him. For a few minutes, we sat in silence, watching the sporadic cars drive by. “Beautiful day,” I said.

“Yep.”

Sharon mentioned that he knew he was dead, but he didn’t know that I was a grim reaper. “So, Ricky, do you know why I’m here?”

He took a deep breath and then exhaled. “Well, I reckon it has something to do with me being dead.”

“Yeah, I’m here to help you crossover.” I continued to rock and stare at the street. He continued to rock and stare at the street. The seconds ticked by as I let the situation sink in, the creaking of our rocking chairs filling the silence. After a fair amount of time, I said, “Would that be all right?”

“I guess that’d be okay.” His rocking slowed, and he finally looked at me. “I always suspected there was something different about you, Poppy Carlyle. Just couldn’t put my finger on it.”

“Different is definitely a good word for it, Ricky.”

“I don’t know much about your daddy, but I reckon you got it from him.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I reckon I did.”

“Well then...” He placed his boney hands on the arms of his chair and pushed to his feet. “I guess we can get on with this. No sense in wearing out my welcome here.” He hitched his thumb toward the front door. “You’ll send somebody to take care of me, right? I’m in my chair. Decided to have a second cup of coffee. Sat down and never got up.”

“There are worse ways to go,” I said, standing. “And yes, I will definitely send somebody to take care of you. Right after I get you on your way.”

He nodded once. “That’ll be fine.”

We seemed to have run out of conversation. There was a lot more I wanted to ask him. Then again, I always did when I reaped a nice person. It never failed. I always regretted not getting to know someone a little bit better.

Ricky had lived in this house for years, but I’d only spoken to him in passing. As far as I knew, he’d never been married. And I didn’t think he had any kids, but I couldn’t be sure of that. I’d leave all the notifying of family and taking care of estate business up to Jax. After all, he was our local law enforcement. I was just the local angel of death.

“Bunny.” I glanced around, looking for any sign of my porter. Ricky’s gaze cut from me to the sky. It was a common mistake. Most people thought they’d be lifted to the ethereal plane, but transportation usually showed up in the form of an elevator. Not seeing the pink light indicating her arrival, I called again. “Bunny.”

At the base of the steps a thin pink line of light elongated and stretched. As the glow dimmed, a set of elevator doors materialized.

“Well, I’ll be.” Ricky’s salt-and-pepper bushy eyebrows lifted in surprise. So far that had been the only true emotion he’d shown. When the elevator doors slid open, his mouth rounded in a silent O. Totally gratifying.

From inside the garishly decorated pink car stepped my porter. As usual, she held a martini glass filled to the brim with a neon pink liquid. A gigantic strawberry bobbed around at the bottom of the glass, and a bright pink flower floated on top. It looked disgusting. I was more of a whiskey kind of girl.

Bunny was all about being pink. Today she’d dressed head to toe in blush pink. Her dress had more layers than a socialites wedding cake, and the earrings swinging from her earlobes reminded me of miniature donuts covered in pink icing and topped with rainbow sprinkles. Her usually teased hair hung in large soft curls around her shoulders. If she’d added some sparkles to her dress, she would have looked like a country singer. Not the new modern artists, but a classic singer from the 70s.

“Hey there, Poppy.” Bunny’s frosty pink lips split into a dazzling smile. “How’s it going?”

“Everything’s great. Thanks for asking.” I placed my hand on Ricky’s shoulder. “This is Mr. Birch. Ricky this is Bunny. She’ll get you where you need to go today.” When he didn’t move, I gave him a nudge forward. “It’s all right. She won’t hurt you.”

She jabbed a finger in his direction. “Not unless you beg me to, honey.” Laughter cackled from her and faded into a contented sigh which she punctuated with a little hiccup at the end. “Anyhoo, come on now. Get your cute tush down here, Mr. Birch. I promise we’ll have a great time.”

He started forward, and for the first time ever, he smiled. I wasn’t sure, but I thought Ricky might have been crushing on Bunny a little. Who could blame him? She was like an effervescent fountain of pink sunshine that erupted all over a person. If I had to pin one word on her it would be contagious.

I escorted Ricky to the elevator but stopped about ten feet from the opening. Despite Bunny’s cheery disposition, I kept my distance. The number one warning when I first became a grim reaper was not to get too close to my porter. No matter how much I liked Bunny, I didn’t trust her.

I wasn’t completely sure how one became a porter, but I didn’t think being human was a requirement. Some of the porters I’d seen at conventions and on joint missions had me questioning whether they were human at all.

Rule number two had been to never get involved with the client. No helping them contact their loved ones. No helping them finish their unfinished business. But I usually broke that rule. I’d known most of these people all my life. It seemed wrong to shuffle them off the mortal coil without offering a little afterlife help.

“Is there any unfinished business you got Ricky? Any last messages for somebody special?”

“Yeah, there’s one last message I’d like to send.” He stepped into the elevator and turned to face me.

“Great. What is it?” I asked.

“It’s for you.”

My brow furrowed. “For me?”

“Yep.”

What could he possibly have to say to me? We barely knew each other. With the way my luck had been running, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. But since this would be the last time I saw Ricky, I smiled and asked, “What is it?”

“The heart wants what the heart wants.”

I waited for more, but he didn’t say anything else. My gaze skated to Bunny.

She looked thoughtful. “Well aren’t you the hopeless romantic, Mr. Birch?”

“I’ve been told that before,” he said with a wink.

She ran her fingers through his thinning patch of hair. “I bet you have. And you’re right.” She looked at me. “Heed his words, Poppy. The heart wants what the heart wants. There’s no use in fighting it.”

With that, she stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut, leaving me standing alone on Ricky Birches front porch. Neither one of them had given me time to reply or ask any questions. And though I didn’t want to admit it, Ricky was one-hundred percent correct. The heart wants what the heart wants, and sometimes the rest just didn’t matter.

I didn’t know what I was going to do with that pearl of wisdom, so I tucked it away until I had more time to examine my feelings.

I glanced back at the house. For about five seconds, I contemplated going inside to make sure the paramedics would find Ricky in a composed manner.

Tingles of anxiety skittered along my skin. I might have been a grim reaper but seeing dead bodies skeeved me out. “Nope. Jax could deal with that.”

Exiting Ricky’s yard, I closed the gate behind me, making sure it was latched, and headed toward town. That hadn’t been so bad. Sure, I never enjoyed reaping somebody I liked, but I looked at it this way. They were going to a better place, and I helped them get there. At least that’s what I told myself.

Most of the time that rhetoric worked. It stopped me from drinking excessively and helped me sleep through the night. Bottom line, somebody had to do it. Why not me?

As I approached Jax’s office, he stepped outside. “I was just headed over to your apartment.” He sauntered down the steps, his moves graceful. “I was thinking maybe we could get some breakfast.”

“I love that idea, but...”

“But what?” His smile pulled into a tight line, and his eyes narrowed on me. “This doesn’t have to do with your family showing up this morning, does it?”

“No, actually it has to do with Ricky Birch.” I flicked my head in the direction of Ricky’s house. “I just sent him on his way, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh man, poor Ricky.” Jax pulled me into his arms. “Did he suffer?”

“No.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and sunk into the embrace. After the morning I’d had, it was just what I needed. “He said he sat down to drink a second cup of coffee and never got up.”

“How did he take being dead?” he asked, his deep voice vibrating against my ear.

“Fine.” I closed my eyes and inhaled. The scent of fresh rain and sandalwood teased my nose. He smelled so good. “Ricky already knew he was dead. I found him sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch.”

“Damn.” His hold tightened on me, and he kissed my hair. “I hate that you have to deal with this.”

“I’ve got the easy part.” Resting my chin against his chest, I gazed up at him. “You’re the one that has to go deal with the dead body.”

His gaze captured mine, and he lowered his head. His lips gently brushed my mouth, lingering a few seconds, before he straightened again. “Yeah,  I guess I should get him sorted out.” He didn’t release me. “Do you have plans for tonight?”

“Not yet. What did you have in mind?”

“Dinner. There something I want to talk to you about.”

A cold coil of dread tightened in my stomach. I let my arms slide from his waist. “What is it?”

“We’ll talk tonight.” He released me, and I stepped back. “Pick you up at seven.”

I didn’t like surprises, good or bad. My heart started racing. Had the incident with his family last night and my family this morning made him realize dating me was just too much work? If that’s what he was thinking, I couldn’t blame him. The last twenty-four hours had been hell, and unless he broke up with me, I didn’t see them easing up.

I managed a smile and nodded. “Okay, see you then.”

“Can’t wait,” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket.

With his attention focused on the task at hand, namely Ricky, I turned and walked across the street to my apartment. He wanted to have dinner. It was a simple as that. He wanted to talk to me about something, but that didn’t mean it was necessarily bad.

Instantly jumping to the conclusion that he was gonna break up with me was stupid. He’d said we were a mated pair. To a Shifter that usually meant an unbreakable bond. I slammed my apartment door behind me and leaned against it. Then again, he hadn’t felt the full force of my family before.

“It’s about time you get home,” said an unfamiliar voice.

I jumped, for the first time noticing the woman standing beside my living room window. “Who are you?”

Lifting her chin in the air, she gave an indignant sniff. “Rosalie Jackson.”

From her perfectly coiffured hair and the size of the jewels sparkling at her neck, she was clearly from Jax’s family. But I’d never heard of her before, which could only mean one thing. She was dead. “I’d say it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Jackson—”

She cut me off mid-sentence. “Miss. Jackson. Never married. Can abide stupid man.”

“Miss. Jackson,” I corrected. “But you’ve invaded my home. Uninvited. Without my permission,” I said stressing my point.

“Normally, I wouldn’t have lowered myself to the task of coming here in person, but sometimes unpleasant deeds need to be handle discreetly and quickly.”

“Okay, that’s a little insulting,” I said.

“I’m sorry for being so blunt, but that gossip-mongering aunt of yours claims you and Jaxson are a mated pair and that you’re getting married.” She squared her shoulders and sniffed again. “I came to find out for myself if that was true.”

When I’d spoken to my aunt, I thought I’d been very clear on the point that Jax and I had no plans of tying the knot. Leave it to my family to twist my words and to use them to start trouble with the Jacksons. Wasn’t it bad enough I had to deal with the living? Now I had to sort out the dead too.

“Miss. Jackson, I’ll tell you what I told my aunt. As of right now, Jax and I have no plans to marry. We’ve never discussed it.”

“But,” she said, “are you a mated pair?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “But Jax believes we are.”

“Sweet Lord in heaven.” She paced across the room, stopped at the kitchen entrance, pivoting, and then glided back in the opposite direction. “This just can’t be. He comes from a long line of noble mountain lion Shifters, and you...” Her eyes raked me from head to toe, her hand gesturing in my direction. “You’re... you’re... well... you’re a Dolbinrod.”

The way she slighted my family raised the hair on the back of my neck. Sure, I had problems with my family, and I complained about them, but that didn’t give others the right to insult them. “And I’m a grim reaper.” I crossed my arms and gave her a smug look. “From what my aunt says that’s nothing to sneeze at.”

“I admit having an angel of death in one’s family does elevate one’s status.” Her spine stiffened. “But even at that your family is still just a bunch of backwoods, redneck, lowlife hillbillies. No offense”

“I’d rather be a redneck than a pompous elitist who can’t see past my own importance long enough to help anybody other than myself.”

“At least my family doesn’t make a habit of getting run over by cars,” she countered.

“But they do eat their young,” I snapped.

“You’re an unpleasant young woman. I should’ve known you’d be no better than your country hick kin.” She held her head at a regal angle, making it possible to stare down her nose at me. “I wonder if Jaxson really cares about you. Maybe he’s just leading you on.”

I flinched. “And why would he do that?”

“Let’s just say blood is thicker than water.” A sneer tugged at the corner of her mouth. “The feud between our two families has a long memory. I wouldn’t put it past Jaxson to use you in an effort to get back in his grandfather’s good graces.”

The thought had never crossed my mind, but now that she said it, I couldn’t help but wonder. Did Jax really love me or was he settling a family vendetta? No, he wouldn’t do that to me. He was different from his father. Without prompting, my skeptical side reared its ugly head. Was I just saying he was different because I wanted to believe that, or was it actually true? He’d never given me any reason to doubt him, and the old hag floating in front of me certainly wouldn’t make me question his affection.

“You’re wrong.” Even though she wouldn’t exit through the front door, I pointed in that direction to emphasize my point. “Now, get out and don’t come back.”

“My pleasure.” As she slowly faded, she said, “But mark my words, Poppy Carlyle, the only way you’ll ever be a member of my family is over my dead body.”

“Too late.” I took a threatening step toward her fading image. “And I suggest you remember who you’re talking to, or a lot more of your family members might be joining you.”

It was all bluster, but her eyes rounded, and she gasped, which was pretty satisfying. A second later, she winked out of sight, leaving me in my empty apartment. But, how long would it be until another deceased relative showed up? The dead were rising, and it was really cramping my love life.

Chapter Five

By the time Jax knocked on my door at seven o’clock, I’d worked myself into a pretty good frenzy. His Aunt Rosalie’s words kept turning over in my mind, replaying themselves. As much as I tried to ignore them, they eventually got the better of me.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yeah. Just need to find my purse.” I lifted the throw pillows on my couch. When I didn’t see my bag, I headed for my closet. “Sorry. I know it’s around here somewhere.”

“No worries.” He followed me to the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, while I rooted around in my closet. “Our reservation isn’t until eight o’clock.”

I stuck my head out of the rack of hanging clothes. “Reservations? Are you taking me someplace fancy?” I looked down at my cotton skirt and T-shirt. “Do I need to change clothes?”

“No.” He edged toward me. I didn’t move as he closed in. “I think you look perfect.” His hands drifted to my waist, drawing me to him. “After last night, I figured I owed you a nice dinner.”

I snaked my arms around his neck and lifted onto my tiptoes to kiss him. It was brief but satisfying, and as I lowered to flat feet, I said, “There was something you wanted to talk to me about, right?”

His expression grew serious. “Yeah.” Though he didn’t let go of me, he straightened, and his arms grew slack. “Yeah, there’s definitely something I want to talk to you about.”

I pursed my lips and squinted at him. “Am I going to like this?”

He let go of me and turned to walk out of the closet. If the topic had been something good, like he wanted to whisk me away on a vacation to Hawaii, then he wouldn’t have been so apprehensive. I could only conclude that this would not be that kind of discussion. From the vibe I was getting, I probably needed to brace myself for some bad news. Was he breaking up with me? Was he going to tell me that he liked me but couldn’t stand my family? Had his family finally gotten to him and convinced him to break it off for the good of the pride?

“I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this,” he said.

“Then why don’t you tell me about it now? Before we get to the restaurant?”

“No. I don’t want to take any chances of being interrupted. And besides, at the very least, I owe you dinner.”

Seeing I wasn’t going to convince him to talk about whatever was on his mind, I turned back to my closet. “Oh, there it is.” I yanked my purse off the hook, slinging it over my shoulder, and then looked at Jax. “All set,” I said, giving him a smile I didn’t feel.

Once in the car, the conversation flowed easily. He filled me in on what happened to Ricky Birch. It seemed Ricky had passed on from natural causes. Jax found the old man sitting in the chair, just like he said he would be. From the photos on the buffet, Jax had been able to track down a distant cousin in the next county over. He’d been able to wrap up the racoon Shifter’s business in a couple of hours.

I liked when reaps were trouble-free, and I thought Ricky would’ve been happy with the way things were handled. Quickly with no fuss.

Our total drive took about thirty minutes. Jax had made reservations at a little mom-and-pop restaurant a few towns over. I’d never heard of it, but I guess by being the local law enforcement, he got tips on more than just cases.

The restaurant was a converted farmhouse. A wide porch stretched across the front, and the owners had positioned chairs for the waiting patrons, creating a welcoming and homey feel.

When I stepped inside, the smell of baking bread enveloped me and made my mouth water. In response, my stomach let out an embarrassing growl. I hoped the food was as good as it smelled. It might be the only positive part of the evening.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim interior, I could see we were the only ones in the place.

“It looks like we’ve got the restaurant to ourselves,” Jax said.

“Yeah, lucky us.” Was it a coincidence that we were the only patrons, or had Jax planned this so he could drop a bad news bomb on me? Before Rosalie’s visit, I wouldn’t have been suspicious, but she’d gotten in my head, and now everywhere I looked I saw conspiracy.

A thin man with a receding hairline smiled at us as we approached. “Good evening, do you have reservations?”

“Jackson, party of two,” Jax said.

“Excellent.” The man made a mark on the seating chart taped to the podium and then grab two giant menus from a pocket at the side. “Right this way.”

When he turned, I noticed he sported a long ponytail. Dude, business in the front, party in the back. Though I thought he was prolonging the inevitable slide toward baldness, I appreciated his need to hold on to the past. Hell, I still had several questionable fashion choices I’d bought a decade ago hanging in the back of my closet. One of them being Jeggings. Jean leggings—so comfy.

As we followed him into the dining room, Jax reached for my hand and twined his fingers with mine. That was a good sign, right?

We were seated at a two-person table near the back. A single candle burned in the center of the table and gave off just enough light to make it romantic.

“Here’s our wine list.” He handed a single page to Jax. “We also have domestic and imported beer, as well as hard liquor. Look that over and I’ll get you some water.”

“Thank you,” we said in unison.

With that, he scurried away, leaving Jax and I alone. I perused the choices. It took about five seconds for me to decide on the pork chops and baked potato. Setting down the menu, I folded my arms on top of the table and inhaled. “So, what’s this mysterious thing you want to talk to me about?”

Not taking his eyes from the menu, he said, “Let’s get our food and drink orders in first and then we’ll talk.”

Anxiety inched its way through me again. Did Jax feel like he needed to get me drunk before he could talk to me? That wasn’t a good sign. “Alrighty.”

On cue, the waiter returned with our waters. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’d like a dirty martini with three olives.” At that Jax’s eyebrows raised, but he didn’t make a comment. “And I’ll have the pork chops, baked potato with everything, and a salad with thousand island dressing.” I was definitely going to get a good meal out of this evening, even if I had to take it home in a doggie bag.

“I’ll have the exact same thing,” Jack said, folding his menu and handing it to the waiter.

“Excellent choice.” The man collected the various menus and then pivoted and scurried away.

“Alone at lasts.” He reached across the table and took my hands in his. “There’s something I want to talk to you about. You know I care about you a lot, right?”

“Yes.” I smiled and gave his hand a little squeeze, praying the conversation wasn’t about to take a huge downturn. “I care about you too.”

“And you know I would never do anything to purposely jeopardize our relationship.”

Purposely jeopardize sounded a lot like he’d inadvertently done something that would absolutely jeopardize our relationship.

My smile widened, as if I was trying too hard to seem okay with whatever he was trying to say. “Of course, Jax.” Cocking my head, I inhaled slightly. “But, now that you bring it up, have you inadvertently done something I should know about?”

“Maybe.”

My heart dropped to my stomach. Here it came. “What did you do?”

A high-pitched female voice cut off his response. “Jaxson, is that you?”

I silently groaned as I recognized his aunt’s voice.

“Aunt Anita, what are you doing here?” Jax asked, pushing to his feet.

In a flurry of lilac chiffon, she fluttered toward us. Behind her chugged his uncle Clarence, looking none too happy to be there.

“Well isn’t this just the most wonderful coincidence?” She pulled Jax into a quick hug and gave him an air kiss on his cheek. “I was at the beauty shop the other day when Florence Taggart mentioned this quaint little place, so we decided to check it out.” She grabbed her husband’s arm and tugged him forward. “Isn’t that right, honey?”

“Whatever you say,” he grunted. “Hey, Jaxson.”

“Hey, Clarence.” Jax redirected his attention at his aunt. “Wow, it is quite a coincidence that you chose tonight.” From his tone, I could tell he was suspicious of his aunt’s motives. “I mean, what are the chances?”

“I know. Happy accidents.” Her gaze drifted to me. “Hello, Poppy. Nice to see you again.” The cool edge in her greeting was in direct opposition to her overly bright smile.

“Nice to see you again, Anita,” I lied.

“Good evening,” said the waiter. “Do you two have a reservation?”

“Oh, heavens me, no.” Anita pressed her hand to her chest in a mock apology. “We didn’t know we needed one.” Her voice dripped with honey sweetness, and I could see the waiter softening under her southern sensibilities. “I have an idea. If you’ve got a table for four, you can seat us altogether. I’m sure my nephew won’t mind if we join them for dinner.” She turned up the intensity of her smile. “We’re family, after all.”

I hadn’t been sure what the evening had in store for me, but this wasn’t what I’d imagined. My gaze darted to Jax.

His mouth thinned as he lowered himself back to the chair. “I’m sure there’s no problem getting you your own table. I’d hate to interrupt date-night.”

He was being incredibly diplomatic. I, on the other hand, wanted to tell his aunt to move along. I knew what she was up to. She was there to run interference for the family.

“Don’t be ridiculous. This isn’t a date. We’re just having dinner.” She spun and surveyed the restaurant. After a second, she pointed. “How about that table over there? It’s perfect.” Without waiting, she flounced to the table and draped her sweater across one of the chairs. Clarence trudged to where she’d perched and claimed the chair next to her. “Come on you two.”

“I’m so sorry.” Jax lowered his voice. “I have no idea how she found us. I didn’t tell anybody.”

Before I could comment, another familiar voice rent the air. “Poppy? What in the world are you doing here?”

“Aunt Charlotte?” I craned my neck to see beyond her. “And Aunt Sugar? What are you two doing here?”

“Well,” my Aunt Sugar said, “I was at Darling’s Drugstore yesterday, and Florence Taggart told us about this new restaurant. We thought we give it a try.”

“That’s highly coincidental,” I said, gesturing toward Jax’s aunt and uncle. “Anita and Clarence are here too.”

“Oh.” One corner of Charlotte’s mouth hitched upward, looking like she smelled something bad. “Lovely.”

“Jax and Poppy were just about to join us for dinner,” said Anita.” From the look on her face, the challenge had been made. “We’d invite you over but...”

“Excellent idea,” my Aunt Charlotte said before Anita could finish her sentence. “I’m sure we can just shove another table next to yours.” She pinned our waiter with her beady brown eyes and fluttered her eyelashes. To say my Aunt Charlotte was an unfortunate looking woman would be putting it mildly. She embodied the essence of an armadillo Shifter, but she didn’t let that stop her from flirting. I would have admired her for embracing her shortcomings, but I didn’t think she realized she’d been slighted in the beauty department. “I just hate to be a bother, but would it be possible to join our friends? Maybe we could move that little table over?”

Unperturbed by my aunt’s request, the waiter smiled. “Of course. If others will be joining you, we have a larger table available in our private dining room.”

Both of the aunts hemmed and hawed. Finally, Anita said, “Maybe that would be better. You never know if somebody else will show up. Better to have more space than too little.”

“I agree,” Sugar chimed in.

“What is going on?” I whispered.

“I don’t know,” Jax said. “It’s like a horrible nightmare.”

“They planned this, right?”

He nodded. “Definitely. I just wonder how they figured out where we were.”

“You don’t think they followed us, do you?” The idea of them staking out my place was incomprehensible.

“Why would they?” Jax asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re trying to prevent something from happening.” I shrugged. “Maybe like you asking me something? Like this mysterious thing you wanted to talk to me about?”

“That’s crazy. How would they even know about that?”

“They probably don’t. They’re probably freaking out because they think you’re going to ask me to marry you,” I said, laughing like it was the craziest thing in the world. I stared at him, waiting for his reaction.

“Well, they’re all going to be sorely disappointed.” He stood, shaking his head, and picked up his glass of water. “But, since it doesn’t look like were going to be able to get rid of them, we may as well join them.”

“Yeah, if you can’t beat them join them.” As I retrieved my purse from the back of the chair and my glass of water off the table, I released a silent heavy sigh.

It wasn’t that I’d thought Jax was going to ask me to marry him. Far from it. But I had kind of hoped it was something along those lines. If his family knew about it, for that matter, if my family knew about it, the reason had to be something neither one of them wanted. And if it wasn’t marriage, then I had no idea what it was. And it looked like I wouldn’t be finding out anytime soon.

Chapter Six

Dinner had started out as the two of us. That had grown to four when Jax’s aunt and uncle had shown up. Then to six when Charlotte and Sugar coincidentally arrived at the restaurant.

By the time drinks were served, Jax’s Aunt Vickie, Uncle Newton, and two daughters, Lynette and Virginia, had joined us. My uncles Jessup and Zedikus arrived with my cousins Honey and Zeke in tow, heralding the entrée portion of the meal. And when it was time to order dessert, my cousin Amy and Jax’s cousin Sammy made their appearance.

Though everybody claimed they’d heard about the restaurant from Florence Taggart, and that it was just a coincidence we showed up on the same night, I wasn’t buying it.

As I lifted my martini for another much needed sip, another voice sounded behind me. “See, I told you something was going on.”

Who else had arrived? Most of my family already sat at the table. Steeling myself, I looked over my shoulder. “Oh shit.”

My Aunt Tula stood at the front of a ghostly crowd. A couple of the people I recognized, but most of them I’d never seen before. From their style of clothing, I guessed they’d died long before I’d been born.

Jax leaned toward me. “What’s wrong?”

“My family is here.” My gaze skated to him. “All of them.”

He turned, his brows pulling down in confusion. “Explain.”

“Even the dead ones.”

His brows shot upward. “Oh”

“I knew you were up to something, Tula Dolbinrod.” Jax’s Aunt Rosalie materialized directly behind Anita. “Always skulking about, poking your nose into other people’s business.”

“Me?” my aunt shrieked. “You’re the one always whispering nonsense in everybody’s ears, acting like you know more than you do.”

“Oh God.” A dull ache pulsed at the base of my skull. “This isn’t happening.”

“What?” Jax asked.

“Your Aunt Rosalie just arrived with her crew.” I rubbed my neck and rolled my head. “It’s like a spirit standoff.”

“Rosalie? I barely knew her,” he muttered.

“Well, she seems to have taken an interest in your personal life. She visited me earlier. No offense, but she’s not the most pleasant woman to deal with.”

“I’ve heard,” he said. “Can you see who else is here?”

“There’s about twenty of them. Here.” I held out my hand. On a reap once, Jax had been able to see Bunny and the spirits I’d been reaping. Maybe it was our bonded connection that allowed it, or maybe a fluke, but I seriously hoped it worked now. “Take my hand and I’ll try to show you.”

He pressed his palm to mine and locked fingers. “Shiiit.” The word hissed from him, and his eyes rounded. Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, he repeated, “Shiiit.”

“What should we do?” I asked.

“Hell if I know.”

“Bless your hearts,” Aunt Sugar cooed. “but aren’t you two the epitome of a happy couple?”

“That’s so sweet.” Charlotte rested her elbows on the table and locked her fingers together, resting her chin on top. “Don’t you think she’d make the most beautiful bride, Jax?”

“Stop,” I snapped and then turned to him. “I’m so sorry. Don’t answer that.”

“I just asked a simple question, Poppy.” Charlotte slumped against the back of the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s not like I asked him if he was going to propose.”

The table fell silent, all eyes zeroing in on Jax.

“But now that she’s mentioned it,” Tula said from behind me.

“Stop right there, you meddling hag,” Rosalie bellowed. “I’ll be damned if I let you hornswoggle my nephew into proposing.”

Jax and I both flinched. Too bad we were the only ones who could hear the ghostly insults sailing around the room.

“As tacky as it was to mention,” Jax’s Aunt Anita said, “Charlotte has made a good point.”

Jax shifted in his seat, squaring up with his family of spirits, and leveled an unwavering stare on his aunt. “What point would that be, exactly?”

“Just that...” She shifted in her chair, her eyes cutting first to her husband, who was too involved in his molten chocolate cake to care about what was going on around him, to my Aunt Sugar. “You and Poppy have been dating for awhile now. You brought her to dinner, and from what I hear, you’re practically living together. We’re just curious if you two have talked about getting married.”

“No.” His answer was direct. “We have never talked about getting married. Nor do we live together. I have my place, and she has hers.”

“Lurleen says she sees you leaving Poppy’s place every morning.” Lynette’s mouth pinched into a smug teenage smile. Lucky she wasn’t part of my family or I would have smacked the smartass right off her face.

“Yeah,” Virginia said, jumping into the mess. “She said sometimes you’re still buttoning up your shirt.”

“Lurleen needs to mind her own business,” Jax said.

I snorted. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”

“Seems to me you should make an honest woman out of my niece,” Zedikus said.

“This isn’t the eighteen-hundreds, Dad,” Amy said.

“That don’t matter, Amaryllis Jean,” Zeek cut in. “A woman’s virtue is her most precious commodity. Ain’t no man out there who want somebody else’s sloppy seconds.”

“Good thing you don’t have to worry about that, Zeek, because every time you open your mouth you drive another nail into the coffin of your lonely existence.”

“You shut you’re piehole,” Zeek said.

Amy shot to her feet and leaned across the table toward him. “Make me.”

“Both of you shut up,” Zed barked. “Amaryllis Jean, sit down and stop poxing your brother.”

“He started it,” she mumbled as she reclaimed her seat.

“Sweet Jesus.” Rosalie sniffed and shook her head. “Your family are a bunch of animals. I can’t believe my nephew would even consider marrying into that inbred horde.”

“You should be so lucky to have Poppy marry Jax.

The throbbing in my skull intensified. I had no idea what prompted this obsession with Jax and I getting married, but I’d had enough.

“We’re not getting married!” Both the living and the dead fell silent and looked at me. “I don’t know how many different ways we can tell you that.”

My Aunt Sugar pressed her hand to her chest. “There’s no need to shout, Poppy.”

“Obviously there is because nobody is listening to us.” My gaze skated around the table, but I resisted the urge to turn around and glare at my family of ghosts behind me. “We. Are. Not. Getting. Married.” I glanced at Jax. He squeezed my hand and smiled. I turned back to the table. “Stop nosing around in our lives.”

“It’s called concern,” Anita said. “With Jax living off the compound—”

Before she could finish her thought, he cut her off. “For good reason. I need to be in town for work.”

Clarence finally raised his head from his dessert. “You shouldn’t even be working that damn job. You should be in the family business. As the oldest grandson it’s your responsibility to—”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Jax said, holding up his hand. “I like my job. I intend on keeping it. That’s actually a good thing for you two.” He tipped his head toward his aunt and uncle. “If I don’t take over the company, your kids are next in line.”

It took a couple of seconds for his words to sink in. “I never thought of that,” Anita said.

“Yeah,” Clarence said. He turned to his wife, staring at her in silent question.

She shrugged. “Jax has a point. Neither one of the boys is all that bright. With Jaxson out of the way, Palmer will be next in line to inherit the business.”

“Out of the way seems a little strong,” Jax said.

“She just means with you busy doing all your policin’ work. That’s all” Clarence clarified.

“Okay, as long as we’re clear that I’m still part of the family, the first son of the first son.”

“Well, of course you are, sweetheart.” Anita rested her elbows on the table and gave Jaxson sweetest the smile. “That’s what we want too.”

Vicki stretched her arms out, indicating her side of the table which held the Jackson clan. “Why do you think we’re here?”

Jaxson shook his head. “I’m still trying to figure that out.”

“We just want to make sure you’re not slipping away from us. We hardly see you anymore.” Vicki shook her head. “And when you do come over, all we seem to do is argue.”

“That’s not my fault. No matter how often I tell the family that I’m happy doing law enforcement, you keep pushing me back toward the business. It’s easier just to stay away.”

“Well now, you know how your daddy is,” Newton said, finally speaking up. “He’s the most stubborn of all of us. He wouldn’t even come tonight. He said if you didn’t want to be part of the family than that was fine with him. He wouldn’t beg you. I think he had his heart set on you following in his footsteps. Any father would. I know I would’ve if I’d been blessed with the son.”

“Gee, thanks, Dad,” Sammy said.

“Now, don’t go getting your britches in a twist, Samantha Jean. You’re about as close as I have to a son and I appreciate the fact that you prefer hunting over makeup.”

“Uh huh, right.” Sammy looked somewhat placated, but not completely. “Anyway, what were you saying about Jax being part of the family?”

“Just that whatever he decides to do with his life we support him,” Newton said. “Because were family. The pride sticks together even if they’re miles apart.”

Silence blanketed the table as his poignant words sunk in. After a few seconds, Jax said, “That’s real nice to know, Uncle Newton. And I want to assure you that family is the most important thing to me.” A smile stretched his mouth and he looked at me. My stomach did a little flip. “That’s why I brought Poppy here tonight.” He lifted our locked hands to his lips and kissed my fingers. “I have something I want to ask her.” He released my hand and stood.

“Oh, my giddy aunt! He’s going to ask her to marry him,” Tula whooped.

“No, he’s not,” Rosalie snapped. “They just told the whole room they weren’t getting married.”

Jax dug in his pocket and pulled out a powder blue ring box. My heartbeat accelerated to a thousand miles an hour, and the room started spinning. Was this really happening?

“B-but,” my Aunt Sugar stuttered, “I thought you just said you weren’t getting married.”

“No, I said we didn’t have any plans to get married.” Jax shove the chair aside and knelt. “But I hope that’s all going to change.” His golden gaze captured mine, giving me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I planned on this being a lot more romantic. You know, without a crowd, but that doesn’t seem to be possible, and I’m tired of waiting.”

I could barely think let alone speak, but I managed, “That’s all right.”

He flipped open the box, and I gasped. Inside glistened the most beautiful diamond ring I’d ever seen. A combination of marquise and round diamonds created what look like cat paws on each side of the gold setting, and a diamond that had to be at least two karats rested in the center. It was perfect.

“It was my grandmother’s on my mother side,” he said.

“Jaxson, it’s beautiful.” I looked at him. “Did your mom know about this last night?”

“Yeah, she gave me the ring a few weeks ago and has been waiting for me to pop the question.”

“Weeks? You’ve been planning this for weeks?”

“I’ve been planning this since the night I threw you in jail.”

“But that’s when you found out—” I bit off the rest of the sentence. Nobody else knew that I was a grim reaper, and from the way they’d handled us dating, I didn’t think they’d be able to handle another surprise. “Are you sure you want to marry me? I mean, I’m not your normal girlfriend.”

“There’s never been anybody but you, Poppy.” As he pulled the ring out of the box, I held out my hand. “Poppy Carlyle, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

It was as if everybody in the room held their breath, waiting for my reply. I glanced around the table. My family had big grins on their faces, and though the Jackson’s didn’t seem all that happy about the marriage proposal, they didn’t outright object.

I glanced over my shoulder, and my aunt Tula gave me a thumbs up. “Go on girl, before he changes his mind.”

“Well?” Jax whispered. “What do the spirit say?”

“That I had better say yes before you change your mind.”

He edged the ring up my finger. “Is that a yes?”

“I’d be crazy not to marry the man I loved.” I smiled and pushed my hand toward him. “Jaxson Jarvis Jackson, It would make me the happiest woman in the world to be your wife.” I arched an eyebrow at him. “For better or worse.”

“There goes the family,” Rosalie mutter.

Ignoring her, I leaned in a laid a long wet one my fiancé. Cheers erupted around us, probably all from my family, but I kept kissing Jax, never wanting this moment to end.

Chapter Seven

It had taken another hour before we were able to break away from our families. I sat next to Jax in the truck with my head resting on his shoulder, and his hand resting between my thighs. The windows were down, and the balmy night seemed to wrap us in a cocoon of intimacy. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been happier. This was the perfect moment.

My thoughts drifted through the last week and everything that had happened tonight. I couldn’t believe that in a few months I would be Poppy Jackson. As Jax slowed down and turned the corner, I smiled. Truth be told, I could’ve skipped all the wedding hoopla and gone straight to being married.

I’d been lost in my thoughts and didn’t immediately noticed that Jax had turned down a road I didn’t recognize. I lifted my head. “Where are we going?”

“I want to show you something.”

“Does it involve you taking off your pants?”

“You wish.” He pulled to a stop in the clearing and shut off the engine. “We’ll save that for later.”

I gave him a little pout. “Party pooper.” He opened the door and climbed out, turning to me. I took his hand, and he helped me down from the truck. “What is this place?”

“This is what I really wanted to talk to you about tonight.” He led me across the clearing, stopping at the edge.” Look.”

From where we stood, I could see the snake River. Lights glowed on the left and right banks. “Is that my family’s homestead?” I asked, pointing.

“Yep.” He motioned to the right. “And that’s my family’s place.” He stepped back and held his arms out to his sides. “And this is where I want to build our house. That is, if you agree.”

“You mean you own this?”

“We own this,” he corrected.

“And you want to build a house for us?”

“Yeah.” He motioned toward the river. “I think it’s a good compromise. Were halfway between each family’s homestead and yet far enough away that we should get a little bit of privacy. Though, after tonight, I’m not convinced we will ever truly have privacy.”

I stared across the river, speechless. I shook my head and tried to find the words to express how I was feeling. “Wow,” was all I could work up.

“Wow good? Or wow bad? Because we don’t have to live here if you don’t want to,” Jax said.

“No!”

His hopeful look evaporated. “So, you don’t want to live here?”

“Yes, I mean, no. I mean, yes I definitely want to live here.” I turned to him. “This is perfect. And I love you so much for doing this. And I love you so much for putting up with my family.”

“Well,” he said, strolling toward me. “That goes both ways.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist. “And I love you for accepting me for who I am.”

“What are you talking about? It will be so cool to be married to an angel of death.”

“You know what this means though, right?”

“That we could have unexpected guests at any time, and they might not be alive?”

“Yes,” I said, lifting onto my tiptoes and kissing his chin. “But also, we might need to tweak our wedding vows.”

“Why?”

“Because till death do us part doesn’t apply.” I grinned up at him. “Honey, you ain’t never getting rid of me, even if you kick the bucket.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He bent and captured my lips with his. I sank into him and gave a contented purr. Though stretching naked in the morning sun with Jaxon was amazing, I needed to amend my definition of bliss. This was the perfect moment—pure paradise.

A second later, his phone sprang to life, the jarring ring disrupting the minute of ecstasy we’d found. “Don’t answer it,” I mumbled against his mouth.

“It might be an emergency.”

I grasped his hand and slid it to my breast. “This is the only emergency you need to worry about.”

“Right,” he said. My phone erupted from somewhere inside the truck. “Don’t answer it,” he repeated.

“I never considered it.” I opened my mouth and his tongue swept inside.

We both ignored the incessant ringing until it stopped. No doubt the word of our engagement had spread through town, and our world was about to blow up.

We had such a short amount of time before we’d be bombarded with questions and demands. I fully planned on forgetting the craziness waiting for us back home and turned my efforts to getting Jax out of his pants. I didn’t think it would take much cajoling.

Out here we were just two lovers getting busy in the woods. No warring families. No dead people needing to be reaped. For now that was enough.

The End

(Until it’s time to plan a wedding.)

To check out all the side-splitting books in the Magic and Mayhem Universe, go to https://magicandmayhemuniverse.com/

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FOR MORE INFORMATION on Boone Brux go to https://boonebrux.com

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About the Author:

Boone Brux is a USA Today Bestselling Author. Her books range from high fantasy to romantic comedy.

She lives in the icy region of Alaska, where she writes full time with her husband, two daughters, and a myriad of animals.  Always looking for the next adventure, it’s not unusual to find her traversing the remotest parts of the Alaskan bush. No person or escapade is off limits when it comes to weaving real life experiences into her books.

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