THE FALCON TAMES THE PSYCHIC

A Nocturne Falls Universe Novel

By

Candace Colt

Dear Reader,

Nocturne Falls has become a magical place for so many people, myself included. Over and over I’ve heard from you that it’s a town you’d love to visit and even live in! I can tell you that writing the books is just as much fun for me.

With your enthusiasm for the series in mind – and your many requests for more books – the Nocturne Falls Universe was born. It’s a project near and dear to my heart, and one I am very excited about.

I hope these new, guest-authored books will entertain and delight you. And best of all, I hope they allow you to discover some great new authors! (And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the Nocturne Falls Universe offerings.)

For more information about the Nocturne Falls Universe, visit http://kristenpainter.com/sugar-skull-books/

In the meantime, happy reading!

Kristen Painter

Dedicated to my fabulous readers.

THE FALCON TAMES THE PSYCHIC

A Nocturne Falls Universe Story

Copyright © 2017 by Candace Colt

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—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.

This book is a work of fiction and was made possible by a special agreement with Sugar Skull Books, but hasn’t been reviewed or edited by Kristen Painter. All characters, events, scenes, plots and associated elements appearing in the original Nocturne Falls series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kristen Painter, Sugar Skull Books and their affiliates or licensors.

Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or Sugar Skull Books.

Published in the United States of America.

Chapter One

Who on this planet would ever paint a house bubble gum pink?

Brianna Putnam leaned on her rental car and tapped her sunglasses on her lips. If the GPS was accurate, the three-story Victorian looming in front of her was the Carpe Diem. Though the flying pig weathervane indicated North straight ahead, she knew she faced East.

Somebody should fix that.

A pint-sized Jack Sparrow whirled by, but not before jamming his little black boot on Brianna’s sandaled toes. Hopping on one foot, she massaged the other as she sliced a ‘gee-that’s-okay’ grin to the wild child’s apologetic parents.

No sooner had that troupe gone on their merry way, along ambled two adults dressed in fringy B-western cowboy outfits.

Wasn’t the first week in October a little early for trick-or-treating?

She glanced over her shoulder as a tram chugged past and choked back laughter as the guide pointed out highlights.

Highlights indeed. Brianna had heard nothing but lowlights about Nocturne Falls all her life from her father.

She doubted tourists would hear his version of a town full of eccentric looney tunes who honestly believed they were supernatural beings passing themselves off as normal humans.

As children, Brianna and her brother Samuel made their father retell his stories over and over. Awestruck about a town where every scary creature imaginable lived and breathed, they’d begged him to bring them here.

Each time he vehemently refused. And to this day, he had never explained why.

If there was more to Nocturne Falls than cute storefronts, then a juicy expos would get her a front-page story. Best of all, she’d graduate from copy editor at La Grande Bouche tabloid to feature article writer. A headline on page one.

And the raise would give her enough money to get an apartment of her own. She could only dream of the day when she’d have a private bathroom.

Sharing an LA apartment with four other women had stretched her tolerance to hair thin. One consistently left the sink in chaos. One borrowed anyone’s deodorant. And one always used the closest toothbrush.

All Brianna had to do was wheedle her way into this town and snoop. But with every step to the Carpe Diem’s front door, her heart raced faster until she thought it would leap from her chest.

Playing this undercover game seemed easy when she first hatched the idea. But pull it off for a whole month? If she wanted this story, she would. Maybe no one else believed she could do it, but she knew she could. It had taken some high-powered convincing to get this assignment, and she wasn’t about to fail.

Just one little barrier.

The owner of this building that looked like it was right out of a Tim Burton movie was Echo Stargazer. The same person her father had warned Brianna and her brother about all their lives.

His mother. And Brianna’s grandmother.

She slid her sunglasses on top of her head, smoothed her skirt, and marched up the steps to the front door.

She gulped, shut her eyes, and gripped the door handle. Then she saw the sign. ‘Temporarily closed. Re-opening on October 20th.’

This jimmied her plans all to heck. Nothing online said the place was closed. October 20th was three weeks away. Her entry point into the town was meeting Echo. A solid Plan A.

There was no Plan B.

Confident a brilliant idea would eventually come to her, Brianna followed the wrap around porch to the side of the old house, every footstep creaking on the weathered wood. Some might say this added charm. To Brianna, this place looked like a house flipper’s dream.

There was a quaintness to it, though. And a real old-fashioned wooden porch swing.

She ran her hand up the heavy chain. From how old it looked, no doubt her father had sat here as a kid.

Who’d notice if she swung in it for a few minutes? For sure, her pirate-stomped foot would be happy. Though her toes barely touched the floor, she managed to rock the swing.

She relaxed a bit and glanced around the neighborhood, likely the same as when her father lived here.

Maybe smaller back then, the trees were probably here, too. A sudden gust of wind swirled leaves around her feet. She picked up an amber one that had lifted in the air and landed beside her.

As she ran her finger around its ruffled edge, she considered sending her father a quick photo of the old house.

What would that accomplish? He had nothing good to say about the town. Besides, he didn’t know she was here. If he found out, he’d go off the rails.

“It’s not open.”

Shaken from nostalgia, Brianna searched for the voice’s owner. On the driveway behind her stood a man in a filthy T-shirt and jeans, and a backward ball cap.

With hands on his hips, he glared at her. Must be the lawn man or caretaker.

She stood a little too quickly, and the swing slapped the back of her knees sending her wonky-legged.

“Sorry.” Why was she apologizing to a man who for all she knew was a burglar?

Cripes. Maybe he was, and she’d interrupted him in the middle of a break-in. “Can I help you?” He asked, a bit more agitated.

Well, after all, she had taken her sweet time to answer. And would a burglar strike up a conversation?

“Uh. No. Actually. I was about to leave. I was checking phone messages.” Right. Sure. Sitting on a stranger’s porch swing checking messages. This was not going well.

He removed the cap and wiped his brow. Maybe he was hired help, but he certainly had a to-die-for body. Those arms were about to burst through his shirt. His tight abs met his waistline like an old friend and his jeans hugged him in all the right spots.

Good grief. Pull it together. Long flight from LA and drive from Atlanta. Long day all around.

“There are more shops downtown.” His voice had the edge of a weary guard-dog.

“I heard so much about this shop. I’m disappointed,” she said.

“Sorry. Can’t help you. Like I said, more places up the street.”

Though he acted like a troll guarding his bridge, he was far from a wart covered hobgoblin.

She hadn’t traveled this far without at least peeking at the place where her father lived.

“Okay if I walk around outside?”

He turned and stared with the most remarkable blue eyes. Sharp eyes that made her feel like a one-inch-high moron.

“It’s just a yard. Nothing special,” he said. “But I guess it’s okay.”

She darted her glance along the edge of the driveway and noticed blooming chamomile and lavender. “I love herbs. Are there more in the back?”

He held his hands open toward her. “Probably. The owner is famous for herb teas. It’s kind of overgrown so stay on the path and be careful.”

The meandering cobblestones were bordered by an unkempt hedge encroached with leggy plants. Instinctively, she broke off several distressed sections from a rosemary bush, releasing its delightful savory scent.

A few steps later she spotted a tiny lemon balm sprig strangling in a weed vine. She pulled the invader away from the herb. “Now, that’s better,” she whispered. “Wish I had time for some of your soothing tea.”

At the end of the path was a small fire pit. Brianna kicked a rotted limb out of the way and dusted leaves from the benches that circled the pit.

If there was such a thing as an enchanted garden, then this was it. Or, it could be.

It took weeks for a garden to fall into disarray, and it would take weeks to bring it back to life. But with care and know-how, the place would be spectacular. Just like her mother’s rose and herb garden at home.

Do roses even grow in this part of Georgia?

If this was her grandmother’s garden, why would she let it get this bad? Was she ill? Was that why the place was closed?

She hadn’t come to this town for garden restoration. If nothing else, the brambly mess gave her clues that there was more here than met the eye.

She wound her way back to the run-down building where backward-cap man had disappeared.

Brianna poked her head inside. The place was packed to the rafters with boxes, dilapidated furniture; even an old jon boat. Dust drifted like fog.

Fighting a sneeze, she shouted, “Hello, again.”

Wearing earbuds and with his back to her, he apparently didn’t hear. “Sir,” she said louder.

Startled, he swung around and bumped an old dresser. The box he carried dropped from his hands and the contents scattered.

“Let me help.” Brianna bent over and scooped what she could to refill the box.

“Don’t bother.” He squatted beside her. “I got this.”

As they reached at the same time, his long leg connected with hers causing her to fall flat on her butt.

Hells bells. This was class-A bad.

The man gripped her forearms and effortlessly brought her to standing as though she was a down pillow.

"Are you okay?”

If mortified counted in the ‘okay’ column, then no she wasn’t. Good grief, he was strong. Those arms and pecs weren’t for show.

Calm down, woman. Not the place or time for desire bumps to show themselves.

“I’m sorry about the mess,” she said.

He snuffed a laugh and gestured around the building. “You and me both. Can you tell I’ve been hauling stuff out of here for two days?”

Not her place to say it, but what did it look like before? Overrun like the garden?

The sneeze she’d bottled exploded, followed by two more brain rattlers.

“Bless you,” he said.

She could use some blessings this month.

“I’m Brianna.”

“Connor.”

He offered her a firm, gentle handshake without a trace of callouses.

She was a little disappointed when he finally released his grip.

While Connor went back to work, Brianna’s eye caught on an old photo that had escaped the box and landed on the ground in front of her. She started to toss it back, but something compelled her to take another look at it.

Faded after years stored away, it was unmistakably a little boy eight or nine years old with a flat-top buzzed haircut, wearing baggy shorts and a plaid shirt.

So much like the few pictures her father had saved. This had to be him.

She waited until Connor turned away, then she stuffed it into her pocket to study later.

She wiped a sweat bead from her temple. This building was stifling.

“Couldn’t you find someone to help you?” Argh. She’d done it again. She’d lifted the filter between her big mouth and nosy monkey mind.

“It’s not that hard, and I don’t have anything else to do. I may go home and throw out everything I own. That minimalist thing sounds good to me right now. Like this, for instance.” He tossed a tennis ball-sized snow globe up in the air and caught it. “Why would anybody keep this?”

Brianna loved snow globes and at last count, she had twenty-two. Most were in her parent’s basement in Oregon, but she’d brought a few with her to LA.

Watching the swirling snow always calmed her, but wasn’t nearly as much fun as shaking the daylights out of it first.

“May I see it?” She asked.

He shrugged and handed it to her. “Keep it if you want. Next stop is the dump, anyway.”

This globe was made with a real glass ball, not cheap plastic. Brianna scraped some unidentified dried crud off the side, then turned it end over end. Once it had been a funky little souvenir that had entertained its owner for a few moments, or perhaps a few years, then joined the legion of the lost.

Had it belonged to her father? Or maybe it was just something that didn’t sell in this Carpe Diem store. One day she’d settle down in her own place, and this little globe would find a home with all her others.

Right now, settling down seemed a hundred light years away.

Connor reached into a cooler and took out two bottles of water. He offered one to Brianna, opened the other and took a long drink.

On the label: ‘Moonbow Water. Locally Bottled from the Falls.’ Interesting.

And it tasted like the Oregon mountain water she loved. Almost sweet. Pure and clean. None of that LA chemical tap water brew.

“I should be leaving. Sorry if I bothered you.” She scanned the building. “Good luck with your project.”

It seemed he needed more than luck.

As she walked by his truck, she scratched the head of a huge white cat resting on the hood. “Aren’t you a pretty one. And such a good kitty to stay up there and out of the way. I love your eyes."

Chapter Two

Connor Ford halted in his tracks; his eyes glued to the shapely backside of the petite curly-headed blonde walking down the driveway.

Impossible. Completely and totally. It did not happen. He did not see it. He was exhausted. Overworked. Hallucinating.

Unimpressed as usual, Crealde the cat stretched and yawned, spun in a circle and went back to sleep.

Connor had watched Brianna drink at least half the Moonbow water; more than enough to block a human from sensing supernatural beings.

Then how the heck was she able to see the obese and totally invisible Crealde?

The woman was a looker, no doubt about it. Those ruby red lips matched her painted toes, and that skimpy red dress barely covered important aspects of her anatomy.

Maybe she was a tourist dressing like Marilyn Monroe. He’d seen a few of those around here, though none pulled it off quite this well.

He’d squelched a laugh when she dropped to the floor like a stringless marionette. She was so light that he almost pulled her into his arms as he lifted her. Almost would have been absolute for the old Connor Ford.

Turning a new leaf sucked.

Connor 2.0 had made huge inroads toward better behavior. He had learned more lessons in the past weeks than in all his four years at the University of Georgia.

By any standards, those had been the lost years. He’d made terrific friends. Dated knock-down stunning women. Played football; second string but still on the team.

He’d kept the party going when he moved to Atlanta after college. Then last year, his father died and Connor’s mother, Solange, expected him to come home and take on a larger role in the family business.

Looming over his head like a Damocles sword had been the understanding that he and his brother Ryan would marry into a high-society family.

Fortunately, the Ford Financial Group’s senior team kept the company moving forward, though there were rumors of a takeover and an ouster of his mother as a principal partner.

So, he partied on, until everything changed.

Connor still couldn’t decide what had surprised him more.

His brother’s choice of a human mate? His mother’s blessing? Or his future sister-in-law’s decision to marry a falcon-shifter?

Once his big bro took that leap off the branch, Connor did the unthinkable.

He backed off from his wild lifestyle, though he was a long way from a rocking chair in front of a roaring fire.

Dancing all night at the Insomnia bar didn’t appeal to him half as much as it once had. Sleeping until two in the afternoon then pumping iron for two hours didn’t cut it. Getting comfortable with himself had been a new adventure.

Right now, his priority was learning about Connor.

He’d wasted years trying to find a mate that met his mother’s standards. In the future when it came time to choose, it might be a shifter. It might not. And on his terms and no one else’s.

But this Brianna woman who wandered in from nowhere, and who saw Crealde was a mystery. He should have asked more questions, starting with her last name. Why was she so troubled about the Carpe Diem? There were other places to spend money. What was that whole walk around thing about?

He had way more to do than ruminate on a stranger, attractive or not.

He’d promised to have this building cleared out before his brother Ryan returned from Boston. He’d be done if he hadn’t put it off for two weeks. Not everything about the old Connor had changed, yet.

Now, with less than six days to go, this monster mess got worse by the minute. For every ten truck loads he hauled away, twenty seemed to refill the place.

If he didn’t know better, he was sure the damn sprites had something to do with it. It had been a long, long time since they’d singled him out, but this had all the earmarks of their old game.

He shoved a box into the last available niche in the truck bed, then pulled a tarp over the whole jumbled pile. Before locking the building, Connor took a photo of the contents then waved the phone in an arc.

“For the record, don’t even think about putting anything else in this truck, or anything back in that building. Got it?”

Even though he was a shifter living in a magical town, he had no real way to back up a threat to his unseen nemesis. They didn’t need to know that.

It was worth the effort to put a little scare into them.

~*~

Minutes after unlocking the door to her room at the Gingerbread Inn, and without bothering to unpack, Brianna undressed, tossed her clothes on the bed and went straight to the shower. Savoring every sweet moment, she let the hot water run through her hair and down her back.

For a whole month, she wouldn’t worry about borrower roommates.

After towel drying and slipping into a pair of jeans and a blouse, she sat cross-legged on the chenille bedspread and examined the little photo. It had to be her father. Behind him was the building where she’d found the picture, and the same little footpath that she’d followed, though the plants looked much healthier.

The child held the serious no-nonsense look that her father always wore.

Brianna wondered who took this picture. His mother? Was it for a special occasion? And why wasn’t his little sister in the picture?

She tucked it into her portfolio then turned her attention to the snow globe.

Almost worn away on the base were the words, Souvenir of Nocturne Falls. Inside was a painted miniature rock falls. Brianna tipped it over, then upright, taking care with this one as she wasn’t sure how old it was.

Mesmerized, she watched the tiny flakes float to the bottom. Then something weird caught her eye.

No.

She shook her head. She was more tired than she realized. She put it on the bed stand and unpacked. But the globe drew her like a magnet. No indication that it was battery-operated. Just a simple snow globe and not a nightlight.

She tipped it over and waited.

As sure as sunrise, water flowed over the falls.

It had to be lighting effects on the paint. It was too old to be a computer toy. Something else had to explain it.

She held the globe up to the waning sunlight through the window.

As she predicted, nothing moved inside it. Imagination again. Must be triggered by her hunger.

Time to grab something to eat and explore the town. After a good night’s sleep, she’d rethink a plan B. Or was it plan C at this point?

Too bad Echo Stargazer wasn’t here. She’d like to meet her. But that meant everyone would know who Brianna was. It would be easier to snoop around if nobody knew.

There was a story here somewhere. It was up to her to crack it wide open.

Chapter Three

Big Daddy Bones barbeque was a touch of heaven on a checked tablecloth.

Sometimes eating alone in a restaurant had its advantages. Brianna jumped head first into her meal with no concerns about that date-politeness and baby-bird appetite stuff.

The ribs were so tender they fell off the bone. The loaded baked potato dribbled sour cream and butter. Brianna didn’t care what anyone thought. She ate that baby, crispy peel and all. And a side of fresh green beans with a touch of ham hock was divine.

The Gingerbread Inn proprietor’s restaurant recommendation had been spot on.

LA indulged every foodie whim on the planet, and local eateries in Portland were outstanding. But nothing compared to this meal, except everything that came from her mother’s kitchen.

Food this good always prompted her to try her hand at cooking. Thankfully, the thought always passed before causing any long-lasting commitments to the kitchen.

As the server cleared the table, she offered a dessert menu.

“I couldn’t eat another bite.” Somewhat true. She could chow down on a slice of peach cobbler if she was so inclined. But her expanding waistline disinclined. Tomorrow she’d find a running trail.

Dusk faded into night and the streetlights turned the already quaint town into a wonderland. With illuminated storefronts and people everywhere dressed in costumes, the whole town held an aura of fantasy.

Funny how her father had never mentioned any of this. She was tempted to go inside every store and start asking questions, but not on the first night. She’d use this evening to get a feel for the town.

She crossed the main square bordered by giant concrete gargoyles and could have taken an oath in court that one of them winked at her.

Another impossibility. She turned back once for a double-take, but the stone statue stared forward, unmoving.

Ahead was a sign for The Poisoned Apple. What a stitch. Everything in town had the cutest name.

A glass of Chardonnay meant another half-mile added to her next run. Who cared?

Inside, the pub had an old-fashioned tavern atmosphere with its dark paneling, deep green paint, and luscious leather upholstery. Rather than sit in a booth, she chose a seat at the bar.

As she sipped the pleasing, fruity wine, she asked a few subtle questions of the bartender but didn’t get deep, revealing answers. Perhaps the townspeople knew better than to say anything that would tip off a stranger.

She’d have to be crafty to work this story. The ‘gee-golly-gosh-I’m-family’ card would be the last one she’d play. If she got this right, she might even open the door to her father’s heart.

The sober little boy staring out from that photo still dug under her skin. A smile from him was rare and hard won, even today.

She scooted her barstool a little to allow room for someone to sit next to her. The scent of bay rum cologne wafted her way. Not overpowering. Just nice. Pretending to focus on her phone, she cast a slant eye stare at the man.

Nice khakis. A form fitting T-shirt hugged a toned torso.

“Evening, Brianna. Anyone sitting here?”

Connor from the Carpe Diem? She didn’t mind, though there were other free stools at the bar. The bartender placed a pint of stout in front of him without a word. He must be a regular.

“Hello,” she said.

Connor offered another handshake. Surprised at how gentle his grip was, she was pleased at how he lingered this time. Mr. Backward Hat had disappeared. This was one classy maintenance man.

She snuck a quick look at her chest. Oh, great. A fine time for the girls to snap to attention. And a bad idea to wear a gauzy top. Tightening her arms to her sides, she clasped her hands together on the bar.

“Everything going okay so far?” His soft-spoken, deep voice was pleasant, and much friendlier than before. What did she expect earlier? After all, she had overplayed the role of nosy tourist.

“Yes. I’m staying at the Gingerbread Inn. It’s quite nice.” Brainless dodo. Never tell a strange guy at a bar where you’re staying. What was she thinking?

“Good choice. I’m Connor Ford. I don’t believe I caught your full name.”

His piercing eyes sharpened. He might be hitting on her, though she doubted it. Either he was genuinely nice, or she was under the spell of a half-glass of wine.

What the heck. Why not tell him her real name? No one around here likely knew her family anymore, especially someone young like Connor.

Her grandmother, Echo, had changed her last name to Stargazer. Brianna’s father and his sister left town a long time ago.

“Brianna Putnam.” There. She said it and he didn’t seem shocked or alarmed.

“Sorry if I sounded rude earlier,” he said.

“I guess it seemed pretty bold to sit on the porch swing.”

Connor glanced over his shoulder and down the line of people seated at the bar. He must be waiting for someone. Wonder what type of woman he dated? He seemed the long, lean brunette type.

And not short and less-than-lean blondes.

She squeezed her curls. “If you need this seat when they get here, I’m leaving soon,” she said.

His eyebrows raised as his head cocked to one side. “When who gets here?”

“I just thought. Aren’t you looking for someone?” She touched her lips to the rim of her glass but didn’t take a drink fearing she’d choke on the wine.

“Not me. Thought maybe you were,” he said.

She finished the sip and sure enough, the liquid went down the wrong pipe.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

She nodded as she coughed.

“Raise both arms over your head. That clears it every time,” he said.

Ah, not such a good idea in this blouse. “Maybe…some…water?”

Connor motioned to the bartender. A few sips and Brianna was fine.

“Are you on vacation?” Connor asked.

“Yes. A friend told me about this town.”

“What do you think so far?”

“From what I can tell, it’s interesting.”

His hearty laugh was infectious but all she managed in return was a weak smile.

“Good word to describe it,” he said.

“Have you lived here long?”

“My whole life.”

Her first lead. Now to weave in some subtle questions.

“I’ve never seen or heard about a place like this, outside a theme park. Is it like this all year?” She asked.

“You mean Halloween? Twenty-four seven. Three sixty-four.” He sipped his beer. “I’ve never understood why so many people flock here.”

Spoken like a true townie. He might prove to be an excellent ally.

“So, if you’re from here, I guess you know everyone,” she said.

He nodded and motioned his empty glass to the bartender.

“Would you like another glass of wine? On me,” Connor said.

Brianna rarely had more than one, but she felt like she had him on a roll and didn’t want to lose the momentum. If she drank water between sips of wine she should be okay.

Letting him pay didn’t seem fair. He obviously worked hard for his money.

“Yes, but I’ll get my own,” she said.

~*~

Ian, the bartender, shot Connor a wide-eyed ‘are you kidding?’

Connor returned a silent warning not to go there. It was a rare day for a Nocturne Falls woman to buy her own drink when he was around. This woman obviously wasn’t from here.

Kind of nice for a change.

The bigger puzzle was why an attractive woman was sitting alone.

An hour later and finished with her second glass of wine, Brianna hadn’t told him anything more than she lived in LA and was here on vacation.

No denying that Nocturne Falls was a great place for tourists. But a world-class singles’ travel destination? Not-so-much.

Of course, Connor had a way of talking more than listening. Maybe his constant voice overs didn’t give her a chance.

About to give up on her, he remembered how Crealde was as real to her as this pint of stout on the bar. Only a supernatural could see that invisible behemoth cat.

“I should be going. It’s been a long day,” she said.

“Any questions about the town I might answer?”

She paused a moment and turned her head toward him giving him an opportunity to see her gorgeous big blue eyes.

“Is there someplace where I might learn more history? Travel sites don’t give much detail other than restaurants and places to stay,” she said.

Imagine that. Nothing on the Internet about the vampire family that founded the town? Or the beautiful mermaid he dated once. Or the exotic fortune teller at the hair salon. Or the falcon-shifter Ford family.

“There’s a library,” he said.

After she had left, Connor ordered another pint.

Ian took Brianna’s empty glass and wiped the bar. Under a wad of napkins, he retrieved a silver infinity bracelet. “Before you got here, she had this thing going like a fidget toy. She’s one spooky chick.”

Connor sputtered into his glass as he laughed. Spooky chicks abounded here, and Ian had seen his share.

“How was this one different?” Connor asked.

“A barrage of questions about the Carpe Diem. And she asked about Echo Stargazer like she was a concerned friend. She wanted to know if Echo was sick. Seemed strange but maybe it’s just me.”

“Maybe.”

Why didn’t Connor drop this? She was a curious tourist on vacation and would be gone in a few days. But this fascination with the Carpe Diem was peculiar, especially since Echo had disappeared two months ago.

“Something else.” Ian leaned toward Connor. “I didn’t think much about it at the time. Thought it was a coincidence. I pulled a back muscle last night hauling kegs.”

“And?”

“She asked if I’d tried a cold pack on it.”

“What’s wrong with that? Good advice.”

“I never said anything about my back.”

~*~

Brianna leaned on the headboard and braced her laptop computer on her thighs. With a light buzz from the wine, she’d almost floated along the sidewalk.

The bedside lamp bathed the room with a homey glow. Lace curtains, overstuffed pink upholstered chair, and the white enameled armoire made her feel like a princess in one of her favorite stories.

All she needed was a knight in shining armor.

Sleep seduced her, but she had to submit her daily report, a condition of getting this assignment. Aside from wandering around her grandmother’s weedy garden, having a fantastic meal and meeting Connor Ford, there wasn’t more to say.

Usually able to figure out a man soon after meeting him, and especially after one drink, this one was an enigma. Dressed like a maintenance man before, then this evening like he was ready to party. Probably one of those who lived for quitting time so he could head out with his buddies.

He seemed nice but he wasn’t much help about Nocturne Falls, aside from suggesting the library. Connor had yammered more about his brother’s woodworking than anything personal.

She held the photo and stared into the little boy’s face looking for anything that explained his dark memories of Nocturne Falls. And maybe something that might help her understand his obsessive protection of his children.

Part of it was over his daughter’s health. Brianna had missed half of first grade with recurring headaches. For a solid year, she lived wondering when they would hit. Her head would burn like fire. Then the disturbing thoughts and thinking she heard people talking to her.

She’d had brain scan after scan. No physical answers. She’d even been to a child psychiatrist who confirmed she was a normal little kid. How were debilitating headaches normal?

Then the week of Brianna’s eighth birthday, a small package arrived in the mail from her grandmother, Echo Stargazer. Her parents had argued over letting her open it, but her mother won.

Under a layer of brown wrapping paper, Brianna discovered a small, pink jewelry box with a shiny silver bracelet. Inscribed on the inside, Forever in My Heart.

It had fit her tiny wrist perfectly, and with each growth spurt, the bracelet somehow adjusted.

And the sick headaches disappeared, along with the voices.

Traveling, time changes and the wine had caught up with her. The Chardonnay’s pleasant lightness was quickly being replaced with the first twinges of a headache.

Instinctively, she gripped her wrist, bolted upright, and shoved her sleep shirt sleeve up to her elbow. Throwing back the down comforter, she ran her hand over the mattress and under the pillow.

On her hands and knees, she looked under the bed.

Retracing her steps to the bathroom, she scanned the floor, dresser, and sink counter.

She dumped her purse on the bed and sifted through the contents.

The bracelet was gone.

Chapter Four

“I’m sorry Miss Putnam, but nobody’s turned in anything like that,” the Inn’s proprietor said the next morning. ‘I’ll call Big Daddy’s. Bet they have it.’

“I had it on after dinner. You don’t need to call the restaurant.”

“How’d you know that’s what I was going to do?”

The dumbfounded expression the proprietor wore was the same as the bartender’s when she suggested a cold pack on his back.

Hadn’t these people spoken to her?

Or had these been voices in her head?

Was it starting all over?

Brianna grabbed an espresso at the Hallowed Bean hoping it would knock out her roaring headache.

Her boss’s answer to her quick report last night had been terse and to the point. ‘Get more.’

That meant a long day digging into library resources and interviewing anyone who walked across her path. No time for pain or phantom voices.

She’d walked right past the Inn’s attractive array of breakfast foods, none of which appealed to Brianna’s queasy stomach.

Nor did an investigation into this little town in North Georgia. What had she been thinking? Was a job promotion in a tabloid run by an editor that reminded her of a wild bull, worth the effort?

She’d put her career on the line chasing after her father’s bitter memories.

Besides, that photo might not even be her father. What if she’d agonized for the last eighteen hours over a picture of someone else?

~*~

“Hold your horses.” Connor went inside the kitchen where Crealde sat at attention amid cat food cans he’d knocked to the floor, howling in a relentless ‘I-am-starving’ siren.

“Did you think I’d forget to feed you?”

Crealde turned and raised his tail, flashing his bottom toward Connor.

“Keep that up and see what you get.” How could one cat be so egocentric to think nothing in the world meant more than a filled dish?

Connor restacked the food tins on the counter, then decided to put them in a corner on the kitchen floor, where they’d land anyway.

“Buddy, what would you like this morning? A nice liver pâté? Chunks of beef in gravy?”

A can slid across the floor and careened off Connor’s foot. “Guess it’s ocean fish day.”

Connor held his breath and spooned the fishy goop into the dish. Crealde pushed his head between Connor’s feet and immediately began scarfing down the unappetizing gumbo.

“Bon appétit.”

Though he’d only been in the Carpe Diem a few times before he agreed to house sit, Connor remembered how noisy and busy the place always was. Except for Crealde’s meal-slurping in the kitchen, the tomb-like quiet in the building was unnerving.

After her sudden departure for what she called a ‘time travel adventure,’ Echo had turned the building and business over to his brother’s fiancé, Jess Callahan.

Connor had no doubt Jess could handle it. There were few women like her and Ryan had been darn lucky to get her. Though gifted with clairvoyance, Jess was still human. Putting up with a falcon-shifter husband would be a full-time job by itself.

At least it would be for Connor’s mate.

Crealde jumped up by the sink and enjoyed a post-breakfast tongue bath while Connor rinsed the cat’s food dish.

He looked out the window at Echo’s pickup truck and its tarp-covered load.

The latest trip to the dump would be two hours out of his life that he would never get back. No big deal.

He’d already chalked up all these care-taker duties as a portion of the penance he owed to the universe. If he helped every old lady he saw cross the street for the next ten years, it wouldn’t make up for his reckless past life.

But he didn’t regret a minute of it.

“Crealde, I think it’s time we get this day going.”

With a flaumph, the cat dropped to the floor and waddled to the screen door. He rose on his back feet, stretched a front paw to catch a claw in the handle, and then opened it.

Before Connor caught it, the door banged shut nearly smacking the cat on its behind.

“Damn it, Crealde. I wish you’d stop that.”

But why would a cat give a flip that most everyone in Nocturne Falls had superhuman hearing, and every loud noise drove them up a wall?

Wonder how Brianna was feeling today? She’d downed that wine like a pro, but as small as she was, it might prove a mistake this morning.

Ian was right. She was a little spooky, and just the type who’d have a great time in a library; a place he’d rarely visited.

Connor doubted she’d find anything exciting among the dusty files. The real Nocturne Falls story wasn’t written anywhere.

Thanks to the Ellinghams’ foresight, this old town had found a new life. Without a place like this to live and prosper, his family would have been screwed.

He checked the tie downs on the truck and crossed his fingers. When he got to the dump, he better find it was a load of junk.

The last time, everything he’d loaded had been returned to the building and the truck bed was full of leaves and branches.

Damn those sprites or whoever they were.

That was another thing. Brianna had cherished that old snow globe like it was gold. Whatever. To each their own.

~*~

Of course, Nocturne Falls was spic-and-span clean this morning. Not a paper or straw on the streets. And not her bracelet.

Espresso and two pain pills had reduced Brianna’s raging headache to a hum. But it was still there, thunking away on her skull as she scanned every nook and cranny on the sidewalk.

She’d worn that bracelet for almost eighteen years, taking it off so rarely that she forgot when the last time was. All those years just to lose it here?

And those voices. Jumbled and indistinct, they filled her head. Half sentences. Half thoughts.

Hallucinations had held hands with her severe migraines. She remembered how awful these were when she was a kid.

Were they back?

Wheels on the sidewalk caught her attention.

“Good morning.” A cheerful voice called from behind. Or at least she thought it was a real voice.

Thank goodness. It was the bartender from The Poisoned Apple.

He hopped off his skateboard and walked alongside her. “Glad I found you. I think you left something behind last night.”

“My bracelet?” Of course. That’s where she’d taken it off, sometime during the first glass of wine, for no good reason, other than nerves.

“I’m on my way there now. It’s in our lost and found.”

Someone drove by and honked, sending a shockwave through Brianna’s skull. She turned to the street and recognized the old pickup truck from the Carpe Diem. Connor, backward hat in place, hoisted his arm in a salute out the window of the muffler-challenged truck.

Ian waved and yelled back, right into her ear. Stereo sound explosions.

She tossed back the last of her coffee, happy that the pub was only a half-block further.

“That’s it.” Brianna slid the silver bangle on her arm. “Thank goodness.” Moments later, the tight band strangling her head for the last nine hours was gone. She’d been stressing more than she thought.

She thanked Ian and explained that not many people in an LA bar would be this honest.

“That’s the way we are here. I’d have brought it to you, but I didn’t know where you were staying,” he said.

“I’m just happy to have it back. It was a present from my grandmother.” She averted his gaze. She’d almost said Echo’s name.

“Hope you enjoy your day,” he said.

Indeed, she would. Outside, she glanced at the clock in the town square. The Gingerbread Inn still offered breakfast for another hour, and she was starving.

~*~

On the way back from the landfill, Connor stopped at the Ford estate to inventory his brother’s tools and supplies. If the sprites left him alone, he’d have that building cleared out and ready for his brother’s studio with only one or two more trips. He hoped.

He was surprised to find his mother, Solange, inside the studio. Arms folded across her chest, she leaned on the back-door frame looking out to the pine trees bordering the property perimeter.

“Made your decision?” She asked without turning around.

“I have.” He had his eye on a one-bedroom cottage not far from the Carpe Diem, with enough room for his weight machine and a carport for his Porsche.

He hadn’t driven his baby for two weeks. Echo’s pickup was fine for hauling trash but didn’t have much highway jazz.

“I hate the thought of living here alone,” she said.

Connor knew what was next. The poor me song. He wouldn’t feed into it. Not today. “You know what I think you should do.”

“I won’t sell.” She turned to Connor, her face dark with worry. “Your father and I came to this town with nothing. We built this place. We raised both of you here.” She walked to the threshold leading to the driveway. “And he died in that house.”

Even more reason to pack up and move, if you asked Connor. If cleaning out Echo’s shed took loads of dumpster trips, he shuddered to think about emptying a five-bedroom house. His mother could hire someone for that.

The ceiling in here was higher but the new location had more floor space. The collaboration of Jess’s carpentry skills and Ryan’s design ideas would turn an old shed into a showcase.

And not a minute too soon. Ryan’s client orders came in from all over the world.

A few weeks ago, Connor took his brother’s place and flew on a private jet to deliver a commissioned carved stallion to Dubai. Connor had never been prouder of his brother than when he witnessed the new owner’s delight.

Ryan Ford had found his niche. He had the love of his life. He was happy.

Connor Ford glanced at his reflection in a wall mirror. In a sleeveless t-shirt, holey jeans, and greasy cap, he stared at a man with an uncertain future.

He made an overhead press with a three-foot section of an oak tree trunk that Ryan had started carving. If he had his way, Connor would buy a fitness center and work out all day.

“The board of directors is going into special session at the end of the month,” Solange said.

Connor’s arms weakened, and he dropped the wood on the concrete floor.

“Why?” He looked for any dings or nicks. The last thing he needed to do was ruin Ryan’s next commissioned piece.

“It’s been almost a year since your father died. They’re ready to install a permanent Chairman,” Solange said.

“You think they’re still planning a hostile takeover?”

“Our attorneys do. But I think we can still win the majority.”

Who’s this we? Ryan had no interest and Connor didn’t know enough to be dangerous about corporate operations. And Solange had left decision making to her late husband.

“How do you propose that happens?” He asked.

Three inches taller than Connor, Solange was an imposing sight at a distance, let alone as she walked toward him.

She placed her hand on Connor’s unshaven cheek.

“I have an idea,” she said.

Her icy words poured over him and triggered his sudden urge to shift and escape on the wind.

Chapter Five

Fueled on a cinnamon crunch sweet roll, peach compote, fresh yogurt, and two glasses of hand-squeezed orange juice, Brianna worked straight through lunch and into the late afternoon. The Nocturne Falls public library had tons of history resources, and the librarian had been delighted to provide her with anything they had, no questions asked.

More than once a twinge of regret plucked Brianna’s heartstrings. No matter what she found, she’d made up her mind that she’d tell the truth about this town. So far, she hadn’t found a single shred of diabolic scandal.

A family named Ellingham had rescued the little down-and-out town and rebuilt it into a tourist destination. The community embraced the concept of Halloween all year-round. There were monthly festivals and celebrations.

Schools and shops just as anywhere else. A local newspaper. Hair salon. Bakery.

All the trappings of small town USA.

All cozy and sweet.

Perhaps too cozy and too sweet.

Brianna needed to burn off energy and clear her head. She had time to walk back to the B&B, change and get a good three-mile run in before dusk. The break would do her good.

She ran along a gentle rolling trail that led through beautiful woods. The crisp late autumn air invigorated her, though she could only manage a slow jog around the families with baby strollers, kids on skates, dog walkers, and bicyclists.

A blessing in disguise, this forced her to slow down and absorb the natural beauty around her. There were places in Oregon near her parents’ home that were like this. In June when the roses were in full bloom, Portland was the most beautiful place on earth. But this part of the world was a close second.

A few yards ahead, she stopped at a bench to stretch her legs.

Down a few feet from the bench was a stream flowing over flat rocks. A fat squirrel, oblivious to the intrusion of people around him, munched on a prized acorn.

Her city-wise hackles skittered up her back as she sensed someone approaching from behind. She dropped her foot to the ground, prepared to run.

“Brianna?”

She jerked to attention. “Connor?”

“Sorry if I startled you. Didn’t expect to see you out here.” Shirtless and glistening with sweat, Connor’s chest heaved as he caught his breath. He worked out and from the look of his six-pack, a lot.

He stretched his arms overhead and to the sides allowing her a wonderful view of the elaborately tattooed wings that capped each shoulder.

As he flexed his arms, the wings seemed to come alive.

She battled with her desire to run her hands over those wings, and other places.

“I love running, and this trail is awesome,” she said.

“Running keeps me sane,” Connor said. “So, which way you headed?”

She looked around and realized there were fewer people than before. The sun had dropped behind the trees casting long shadows.

“I should get back to the Inn.”

“Mind some company? It’s safe out here, but since you’re new, you might not be used to it.”

They fell into a comfortable jog, side by side. Soon they were the only ones on the trail, and the only sounds were their footsteps and their breath.

The path seemed longer going back, and much lonelier. Typical for her, she’d ventured out farther than she realized. She glanced over at the strong man running next to her.

It was a relief having him at her side. He was right about not being used to this place.

Her mind was messing with her. Twice she imagined something stared at her from the trees.

She glanced down at her silver bracelet. She couldn’t blame every irrational thought on the migraines.

Up ahead was another bench and a water fountain.

“Can we stop a minute? I’m thirsty,” she said.

Connor pressed the fountain button for her while she drank the fresh, cold water. As she wiped her hand across her lips, she realized he was staring off into the trees and hadn’t let go of the fountain button.

He did a quick double take, noticed she was done and took a drink himself, then stared back to the woods.

“What is it?” She asked in a hushed voice. If only she had her pepper spray.

“Nothing. Ready to go?”

Would nothing cause a man’s arm muscles to clench?

A pair of bicyclists raced past, laughing as they pedaled ahead. Good news. They weren’t alone out here. She didn’t fear Connor, but she sensed he didn’t like what he saw in the trees.

They ran in silence for the next fifteen minutes until they reached the town. She felt a little out of place running along the sidewalk with Connor, but much safer.

In front of the Inn, she thanked him for coming along with her and apologized if he went far out of his way, all the time unsuccessfully prying her eyes away from his body.

“Not a problem. I’m staying upstairs over the Carpe Diem until the owners come back. Maybe I’ll see you again?”

Upstairs over the Carpe Diem? Oh, yes, he would see her again. And soon.

~*~

Connor sprinted up the back steps to the apartment, where Crealde sat squarely in front of the door, his tail wrapped around his front feet.

“So, I’m fifteen minutes late. Sue me.” After unlocking the door, Connor attempted to nudge the cat to the side. When Crealde wouldn’t budge, Connor stepped over him and into the kitchen. “I await your dinner choice, your royal catness.”

While Connor dripped sweat in the middle of the kitchen, Crealde slowly tapped his nose along the top of each food can, finally stopping at the seafood medley.

“Your wish is my obligation.” Connor opened the tin and dropped the blob into the cat dish, then shook his head in bitter disgust at the smell.

This was one lucky animal.

In what parallel universe would a falcon become a cat’s manservant?

He peeled off his running shorts and tossed them and his socks into the washer,then padded naked through the apartment toward his bathroom.

As he rounded the corner from the kitchen, he plowed his thigh into the dining room table.

“There’s no room to walk through this damn place,” he yelled.

“I beg your pardon?”

Connor grabbed a placemat off the table and covered his privates the best he could. “What the hell?”

“Don’t let me interrupt your shower plans. I can wait.”

“Who can wait?” Connor’s eyes darted around the room. “Who are you?”

Crealde jumped on the table and shifted his body side to side as though rubbing on something.

Connor scooted behind an overstuffed chair.

“I looked inside the shed. You’ve done a great job cleaning it out. Sorry there was so much. I can’t resist new things, nor can I throw out anything.”

“Echo,” Connor whispered.

“Go take your shower. I can’t stay long and I need to talk to you. Fully dressed might be more appropriate.”

Heat bloomed on his neck and circled his ears. “I need to get to the door. Mind turning your head?” That is if she had a head to turn in this state.

“I most certainly have a head, young man. And I can still read your mind so be careful. Now skedaddle.

Placemat installed as a frontal cover-up, he backed his way into the bathroom. On the counter were a fresh pair of underwear, a T-shirt, and shorts.

How did she do that?

He raced through the shower, dressed in the clothes laid out for him, and came back to the dining room. A plate of his favorite rigatoni and sausage, a hot garlic roll, and a glass of peach ice tea waited for him.

“Now then. Have a seat. Enjoy your meal,” she said.

The initial shock had faded, replaced by a ravenous appetite stimulated by the glorious aroma of Italian spices, though he had no idea how the food got there.

“Home delivery from Guillermo’s,” she said. “I put the bill on your tab.”

He sniffed a laugh then bit off a chunk of the garlicky roll. “If I’m supposed to carry on a conversation with you, would you mind mentioning if you’re standing or sitting, and where?”

“Sitting right across from you, sweetie.”

There was no trace of anyone there, but if that’s where she was, she was.

“I wasn’t spying on you in the woods earlier. But I think you can guess who it was,” she said.

“Mother?”

“Bingo.”

“I will never understand her. What’s her problem?” Connor asked.

“My opinion? I suspect she’s worried about you and that new woman.”

Did Echo know everything?

“Not everything, sweetie. Remember, sometimes it’s a lucky guess.”

“So, what brings you back? Or should I say halfway back?”

“Don’t get cute, Connor. If there’s an emergency, it’s always possible. Do you remember it was an invisible me who kicked your brother in the behind to fly out to the Sanctuary the day of the fire? But, I must say, it’s challenging to jump forward from the seventeenth century. So, it was much easier for me to leave my body back there.”

Connor opened his mouth to say something clever but thought twice. There were more important questions that needed answers. Why did she leave? And why’s she here now? Why not wait till Jess comes back?

“It’s complicated, Connor.”

He bet the bank that was right.

Chapter Six

Talking to a mind reader’s disembodied voice was surprisingly easy, once Connor got over the ‘no body’ issue.

He circled his plate with a piece of garlic bread to sop up the last of the marinara sauce.

Cannoli would be a nice touch.

“Don’t push your luck,” Echo said.

“So why here and why me?” Connor pushed his plate away.

“Like your mother, I’m worried about the new woman.”

Brianna Putnam. The nosy little blonde.

“Yes, her,” Echo said.

“Would it be easier if I spoke all my thoughts out loud? It might save some lag time.”

“Sorry. I left my blocking bracelet back there. If you don’t mind me saying, I never knew your mind was so noisy.”

“In a minute, you might want to turn the channel,” Connor said.

“Let’s get to the point. I need your help.”

“My help?”

Crealde raised his hindquarters as Echo’s unseen hand scratched his back.

“I sensed something’s going on with this woman. That’s why I’m back. Whatever she’s up to isn’t good for Nocturne Falls. I don’t think she wants to do it. Something or someone’s put pressure on her.”

“She can see Crealde and she reads thoughts,” Connor said.

“I’m aware.”

“So why don’t you hang around and listen in?” Connor took his dishes to the kitchen.

“That silver bracelet blocks her ability to hear thoughts, and when she has it on, it blocks my ability to hear hers. This is going to take more than my gift.”

How did Echo know about the bracelet?

“I gave it to her,” Echo said.

The fork and knife fell from Connor’s soapy hands and tumbled into the sink. He walked back into the dining room, still wiping his hands on a towel.

He stared at the empty chair and the unseen person with whom he’d been talking to for the past forty minutes.

In any place except this town, everything that had happened inside this room would make a case for his swift committal to psychiatric rehab. There was still an outside chance he was crazy as a pet ‘possum.

“Echo what did you just say?”

“You heard me. I gave her that bracelet. Oh, not directly; I mailed it to her. Somehow my daughter-in-law convinced my pig-headed son to allow her to have it. I knew Brianna had the gift. Her father knew it, too. But he’s still in denial.”

“Wait. That means—”

“Brianna’s my granddaughter. Her father and I don’t get along. Once he left Nocturne Falls, we never had any further contact. That was over thirty years ago.”

Connor didn’t get this at all, nor why he was privy to a family secret. But at least it explained why Brianna saw the cat and how she read thoughts. And why she was so nosy about the Carpe Diem.

“She needs to discover that Nocturne Falls is a decent place filled with decent people. She needs a strong person, and a good friend, to find out what’s eating her,” Echo said.

“You can’t mean me?”

“None other, sweetie.”

Crealde jumped off the table and headed to the door for one last trip outside for the night.

“I’ll let him out,” Echo said. “You think about what I told you. Ciao.”

Echo and the cat disappeared into the night.

Which one would return first?

Chapter Seven

If Brianna had tried, she couldn’t have picked a worse place in the entire Nocturne Falls library to concentrate on a pile of books.

The window overlooked a peaceful courtyard of brick paths, benches, and archways of flowering plants. Beyond was a thick stand of trees.

All of it beckoned like an ancient siren.

Her windowless cubicle at La Grande Bouche minimized distractions. Just as the editor wanted it.

All he cared about was turning out the stories and generating more revenue.

But here, after every other page or two, the compelling view hijacked her attention. Such a beautiful day and here she sat, glued to a chair going through old historical library records.

Brianna didn’t want to hurt the librarian’s feelings after he’d combed the collection to find these for her. But this was the most boring project ever.

And the deadline loomed.

What’s the use of plowing through the rest of this stuff? She hadn’t found anything new. She’d try one final document, a small business directory, then head out on the town.

She scanned down the index. The same names appeared that she’d seen before.

Until she hit on one that stood out like a beacon in a storm.

Solange and John Ford, primaries in Ford Financial Group, or FFG. Associates, Ryan and Connor.

Connor Ford?

With renewed energy, Brianna ran a computer search for Ford Financial Group.

The company’s net worth was more than the GDP of a small country.

Now she had a lead. A real lead.

A half hour later and with a file full of information on the Fords, she shut her laptop and turned her attention to the squirrel in the courtyard.

None of what she’d read made sense. Why would a family that ranked among the richest in the southeast live in this small town in the Georgia mountains? They could live anywhere they wanted. Sure, it was a cute place, but isolated.

Her father had never mentioned the Fords. Perhaps they came to town after he left. Or, had their wealth been part of his resentment?

Her father didn’t talk about why his widowed mother brought her two little kids here, but Brianna suspected Echo didn’t make a lot of money running a gift shop.

This assignment had shifted gears. How had a quick and dirty tabloid story deepened into finding the truth about her family? Too bad Echo wasn’t around. Brianna would love to meet this woman and find the real scoops, or at least hear her side.

As for Mr. Connor Ford, she’d be darn sure he’d buy her a drink next time.

~*~

Connor waited a distance away from Brianna, seated at a study table. Surrounded by books, folders, and her laptop, she looked like an adorable college student studying for finals.

If Echo was right, Brianna wasn’t cramming for a history test unless it was Nocturne Falls history.

He needed an excuse to be here and a strategy to get the answers he needed without raising her suspicions.

He sat down at her table, clasped his hands, and leaned forward.

“Hi, Brianna.”

Though she managed a pleasant ‘hello,’ everything about her shouted ‘what the hell are you doing here?’ He deserved that. “Finding what you need?”

A smile edged across her red lips. She didn’t look a thing like her cousin Jess, but he didn’t look like his brother Ryan, either.

She nervously scooped the materials into a pile, away from his side of the table.

He snuck a glance at them as she shut her computer. On top was the city directory. Guess she knew who he was now.

“Anything I can answer?” He asked.

She seemed to relax as she thought a moment. “How is it that most small rural towns are nearly broke, but this one’s thriving?”

“It wasn’t before the Ellinghams took over. After that, people started moving in and opening businesses.”

“From what I read it was a ghost town.”

“You could say that.” And now it’s a vampire, shifter, fairy, mermaid, pick-your-supernatural town.

She continued her line of questions. If Connor didn’t know better, he’d think her interest in Nocturne Falls was genuine. After what Echo said, he doubted it.

He picked up one of the musty old books. “There’s a better way than this. I’ll treat you to lunch then give you the grand tour.”

After lunch at Mummy’s Diner, they walked up and down Main Street, going inside stores and meeting townspeople.

He watched her sharp edge mellow. It didn’t seem fake to him, but she might be a good actor.

He’d met his share of players and thanks to his mother, almost married one.

If he ever became serious about a woman, it would be on his terms. A falcon mates for life and he’d rather be alone forever than suffer in a miserable mother-induced match.

Falcon mate choices in Nocturne Falls were slim. Not zero yet, but approaching. Though his playboy game had faded, Connor’s reputation still followed him and not every suitable woman wanted anything to do with him.

Unless he devised a good alternative, which seemed unlikely, he might soon be running the family business. Real work gave him heartburn.

But, it might be his ticket out of town and back to Atlanta, and a whole new pool of available women.

Before his father died, Connor didn’t give a hoot about Ford Financial Group as long as he had his monthly allowance. Now there was a strong possibility that he’d lead the entire corporation. What he wouldn’t give for more time to mentor under his father.

What good did it serve to look back? Not one damn bit.

They stopped at the Hallowed Bean for coffee and took their drinks to a shady spot outside. Brianna sipped some frothy concoction, while Connor drank an espresso.

“I’ve been thinking, and I still can’t understand why so many people visit here. Once they’ve wandered around and shopped, what’s left to do?” She asked.

A line of creamy froth coated her upper lip, drawing him to her red lips. He pretended interest in three pigeons pecking at crumbs on the ground.

He glanced back as she ran her tongue over those lips. Was she deliberately tempting him? Or was she one of those naturally sexy chicks who had no idea how attractive they were?

He shut his eyes and finished his espresso.

“People come here for the same reasons some go to theme parks. They get caught up in the magic.” Connor tossed his empty paper cup in the trash. “And where else can grown adults play dress up in the middle of the day, and nobody pays attention.”

“Do you ever wear costumes?”

“In second grade I was a knight.” After he’d discovered his ability to shift into a falcon, playing dress-up didn’t mean much.

“A knight? Really?” She poked her straw in her drink. “Mind if I ask what you do, that is beside hauling trash?”

Her question stung like being hit with a two-by-four. “What I do?”

Her silver-dollar-sized eyes locked on his. “I doubt cleaning out sheds is your full-time job.”

Full-time job. There’s a joke. How did he spend his days? Two hours on the weight machine. At least a five-mile run. Drive too fast. Annoy his brother. Shift into falcon when the mood struck. And until a few weeks ago, party the night away downtown.

Next day. Sleep. Eat. Repeat.

“Our family owns a business.”

Chapter Eight

It wasn’t much to go on, but it seemed Brianna had finally cracked Connor’s reluctance to talk about himself.

No wonder. Why would he share with a stranger that he was filthy rich? The Fords had been a part of this town since the Ellinghams revitalized it. Perhaps they helped orchestrate this whole Nocturne Falls scheme.

Connor hadn’t taken his eyes off Brianna for the last five minutes and hadn’t said another word.

She misjudged the distance to the straw and winced as it jammed into the top of her mouth.

He reached a hesitant hand toward her. “Are you all right?”

With her tongue flat on the roof of her mouth, she mumbled, “Yeth. I’mth finth.”

Embarrassed all to heck, but fine.

“If you’re up to it, there are more places I’d like to show you,” Connor said. “Or maybe you need some down time?”

Not a chance she’d go back to her room, now. She had a deadline and Connor was the only lead she had so far. She’d endure.

“Let’s keep walking,” she said.

By four o’clock, they’d been inside every store and met every shop keeper, and passed more kids in space travel costumes than she thought ever existed.

Brianna’s feet were screaming by the time they reached the Carpe Diem. But Connor seemed to have endless energy.

“I don’t think I can go another block,” she said.

“I figured that. You’ve seen almost everything else, but I thought you might like to see inside the store.”

“I thought it was closed?”

“It is. The owners won’t mind,” Connor said.

The empty porch swing easily rocked in the breeze. She imagined what it would be like if her grandmother were in it waiting for her. Would they even recognize each other?

Brianna walked inside the store and stopped in her tracks. Had she walked into a Halloween-R-Us store?

Shelves were loaded with knickknacks; pumpkins, black cats, cauldrons, spooky caricatures, scrying tools, crystals. And that was just in the first few feet inside the store.

After a long exhale, she managed, “Ohhhh my goodness.”

Connor laughed as he removed his sunglasses. “Now you see why I saved this place for last?” His brilliant blue eyes twinkled.

“I don’t believe this.”

The store where her father had grown up and from the looks of it, remained untouched all these years. Cobwebs in the corners. Paint peeling.

Either it was part of the creepy Halloween theme, or her grandmother hadn’t gotten around to a fresh coat of paint.

Either way, Brianna wondered if she’d wandered into a time capsule. She didn’t get a vibe that this was the typical imported junk store.

Composed, she took a self-guided tour and realized the place wasn’t a helter-skelter shop at all. There was a definite organization, though the average person might not see it.

Further in the back were ritual materials. Herbs, cauldrons, athames, candles, incense. A Wicca superstore. She had friends who would die to see this.

“What do you think?” Connor asked.

“I love it.” She was drawn to a shelf where crystal and stone pendant necklaces hung on a rack. As she brushed her hands under them, they began vibrating. Was there a draft in here?

She looked around, but nothing else moved, except Connor who’d been leaning on a doorframe but now stood tall and stiff. His expression hardened.

She pulled her hand away wondering if she’d done something wrong.

“You know what pendulums are, right?” Connor asked.

“Things that swing inside a clock?”

He tipped his head and stared at her.

“No. Seriously,” she said. “What are these swinging things?”

“Run your hand under them again. This time slow. See what happens.”

Sounded foolish, but he seemed so serious about this that she tried it. She brushed her hand under the pendulums and they started vibrating just as before. Small vibrations turned to stronger ones.

One crystal almost jumped from the stand.

She pulled her hand back and grabbed her wrists behind her. “Did you do that? Did you flip a switch or something?”

Connor shook his head while he removed the chain with the crystal and showed her how to hold it, so the point was over her open palm.

“Hold the chain right where my hand is,” he said.

She slipped her hand over his, hesitating a moment while she gave him a quick smile. Slowly he withdrew his hand from under hers.

He then guided her other hand so that her palm was inches away from the crystal.

“Stay still and wait,” he said.

She scanned his face for any hint that this was a prank. If it wasn’t a joke, and he truly thought something was about to happen, she had more concerns than ever.

“Exactly what am I waiting for?” She asked.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he kept his eyes on the dangling pendulum. This was getting scary. Alone in this store with a guy playing games.

“See?” He asked.

Brianna cast a slant eye to the pendulum. It vibrated as before, but this time faster.

Ridiculous. Connor had talked her into thinking something was happening. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. She’d had about enough.

“Brianna,” Connor began in a low tone. “Look at your hand.”

She huffed a breath and reluctantly watched her palm. Her skin was warming up and a hint of an image appeared.

Her stomach cartwheeled. “Connor, what’s going on?”

The pendulum made slow figure eights over her palm until an infinity symbol appeared.

Infinity? Like her bracelet?

The chain slipped through her hands, and the crystal hit the wooden floor, spun and slid under a cabinet. Neither one spoke as the image faded.

Connor took her hands in his.

“Brianna Putnam, we need to talk.”

Her heart thumped inside her chest like a war drum. “What I need is to sit down.”

“There’s an apartment upstairs.” Connor’s smile went a long way toward calming her nerves. “We can talk there.”

Chintz and pink everywhere, down to the appliances, walls and kitchen curtains, the apartment seemed like an oversized doll house. And no way suited to the hunky Connor Ford.

He filled her crystal glass with ice water, then sat across from her at the kitchen table.

“Okay, what was that all about down there? A trick?” She rubbed her fingers across her palm where the lighted symbol had been. “A hologram?”

“Not a trick, Brianna.”

Crealde hopped on the table between them. As Brianna petted him, the cat’s purr grew to the roar of a Blackhawk helicopter. When he’d had enough, he flopped on his side and fell asleep.

“He’s a sweetie, but man what a voice. Those blue and green eyes are captivating,” she said.

“What I’m about to tell you isn’t going to sound rational, but will you promise to hear me out?”

Brianna screwed her mouth into a question mark. What possibly required this much preamble?

Whatever it was, her chances of landing the money-story were rising like the sun.

She took a long drink of water. “Go ahead.”

“You’ve never been to Nocturne Falls before, right?”

She nodded.

“Never met Echo Stargazer?”

She shook her head. Nor had she ever seen the woman’s photo.

“What happened downstairs only happens to people with a special psychic gift. I’ve heard people talk about the infinity sign. Believe me. It is real.”

That was completely nuts. The town was full of delusional people, just as her father had said all along. Too bad this gorgeous man across from her was part of the loony bird club.

If she played along, she might get more dirt.

“You think I have a magical gift?”

“Yes. I suspect that’s one reason you came here, isn’t it?”

She didn’t want to lie but she couldn’t tell him the truth, either.

Crealde chose this moment to jump down, catching his claws on the table cloth. As he whipped his paws to release them, his tail hooked her water glass.

Connor and Brianna’s hands met on the crystal as it was about to tumble to the floor.

His grip around her hand lingered as their gazes locked. Connor’s blue eyes could charm the wings off a plane.

In another time and place, she would pursue this man. This wasn’t the time or the place.

She slipped her fingers away from his.

“I should go,” she said.

“You haven’t heard me out.”

His claim that she had a magical gift wasn’t the whole story? Okay, mister knight of the round table.

“You’ve got five minutes and I’m out of here,” she said.

“Brianna, Crealde is invisible.”

Chapter Nine

“That does it. I’m out.” Brianna stood to leave. Connor was imbalanced. No telling what was coming out of his mouth next.

“Wait. I’m serious,” he said.

“You saw that cat. He was right here on the table.”

“Only people with unique gifts can see him, Brianna.”

Gifts. Gifts. Gifts. Why does he keep harping on that?

“And don’t forget the pendulum,” he said.

A hidden light. A magnet. There had to be some explanation.

“Echo’s your grandmother, isn’t she?” He asked.

Cripes. “How did you find out?”

His lips puckered to one side. “That’s complicated. If I can prove Crealde is invisible will you level with me?”

Though she still thought he was missing a few screws, there wasn’t much choice if she wanted this assignment to work. A story about a town full of unbalanced people would be as good as one about supernaturals posing as fake mediums and snake oil salesmen.

“Well, if you think you can prove it, sure. Why not?”

~*~

After Connor had made a few calls to arrange for the sales clerks to come in, the Carpe Diem opened for a one-night-only moonlight madness sale.

Packed from the minute the door opened, the store’s check-out line never dropped below ten people for two hours. All while Crealde managed to stay put in a basket on a high shelf behind the register, in full view of anyone who made a purchase.

Connor sat on a stool nearby, smiling and visiting with customers, and offering an occasional nod to Brianna.

When a family with two small children admired a display of ceramic and stuffed cats, Brianna asked if they’d noticed how much the white ones resembled the resident store cat.

Brianna gestured to the basket then glanced at the bewildered customers whose confusion mirrored hers. Crealde was curled up in a ball, snoozing. How’d they miss that?

Back out of this and fast. “Oh, he was just there a minute ago. He must be wandering around.” She pretended to look for him under the counters and around corners.

The family kept their distance from Brianna as she cast a glance at Connor. He tipped his head to the side with an ‘I-told-you-so.’

She had to hand it to him for coming up with one heck of an elaborate hoax. But how did he get all these people in on it?

She needed assurance that she wasn’t insane. At Crealde’s basket, she reached to pet him. Her fingers disappeared into his thick, and very real, fur. His purr turned into a wide-mouth yawn.

One of the teenage clerks handed Brianna a cat treat. “Give him this and he’ll be your friend for life.”

Brianna shifted her eyes around the room to see if anyone was watching, then offered the treat to the cat. He sniffed it with his warm nose, then scarfed it down.

Wait just a damn minute.

That family didn’t see the cat but the clerk could?

Where was the hidden camera? About now the television host should pop out from somewhere, and everyone will applaud and laugh at the good joke.

That had to be it. The whole crowd was in on this. Connor pulled off a good one. Why he’d do this, she had no idea.

Maybe these mean-spirited people were another reason her father resented Nocturne Falls.

Arms crossed over her chest, Brianna’s toe tapped the floor. She’d show them. What a great hook for a story it would be to turn the tables on them.

Ten minutes went by. Then fifteen. No cameras. No production crew.

Besides herself, the only other annoyed person was a boy who stared at her as though she had three heads and horns on each, while he tried to reach something behind her.

Finally, Connor motioned for her to follow him back upstairs. She hoped her shaking legs would survive the climb.

~*~

In the kitchen, Connor poured two glasses of Merlot and offered one to Brianna.

“Believe me now?” He asked.

Brianna flicked the glass as she stared past him. She didn’t answer. He anticipated this wouldn’t be easy. Coming to terms with magical gifts never was.

The discussion with his parents about being a falcon-shifter had been clumsier than their ‘birds and bees’ talk.

To seven-year-old Connor and eight-year-old Ryan, the concept of sprouting feathers and flying had been hysterically funny and unbelievable.

Until the night they hid behind the garage on the estate.

Unwilling to wait for their parents to make good on their promise to teach them, the brothers made their first attempt at shifting.

Trying with all their might, they had grunted and groaned as they rubbed their arms and wiggled their toes.

All while their father watched from a discrete distance. After letting them struggle, he had walked up to them and asked if they wanted to see him shift.

As ready as two boys could be, they witnessed their father change; slowly and gradually. In a matter of fact voice, he had explained what was happening to him as someone would explain how to tie knots or saw a board.

Once the shift was complete, he remained in falcon long enough to prove a point, then returned to human.

The image still etched in Connor’s mind. That was the day he realized he was different. And beginning that day, their father started the process of training them to shift wisely and not on impulse.

Connor was still working on the impulse part.

Someone did a disservice to Brianna Putnam. It wasn’t fair or right to let someone grow up without understanding an essential part of who they were.

Echo better know what she was doing. Connor ventured into dangerous territory.

“Brianna, if you aren’t ready to talk about this, I understand.”

She turned her head toward him in slow motion. “Maybe you understand. I sure don’t.”

~*~

The knot in her stomach grew to the size of a basketball. “Everything that happened downstairs was real, wasn’t it?”

Connor nodded. “Remember when we met in the driveway? You saw Crealde. Downstairs the tourists didn’t see him. But you did.”

Brianna shook her head. “No. I can’t believe you.” It was all nonsense. “But the clerks saw him.”

“Yes. And so did I. And everyone that I introduced you to in this town can see him.”

The wine soured on her tongue. “May I have some water?”

Connor handed her a bottle of Moonbow water from the fridge. The cool liquid soothed her dry mouth and frazzled nerves.

“Remember when I gave you a bottle of this before?” He asked.

“I loved it. It reminded me of Oregon.”

“It’s bottled here especially for our tourists. We must be careful not to reveal who we are. Moonbow ensures outsiders won’t be freaked out by an occasional slip-up.”

She held the bottle at arm’s distance, then put it down. Was the water laced with drugs?

“Why are you telling me all this?” She asked.

“Because you’re Echo’s granddaughter.”

Why did he keep saying that? She’d told no one.

Brianna twisted her silver bracelet around her wrist until the skin turned red, then took it off and spun it so fast on the table that it flew into Connor’s lap.

‘This thing’s solid silver.’

“Yes, it is. I’ve had it since I was a kid,” she said.

‘Probably about the time the psychic gift emerged.’

“Stop with the gift talk, Connor. I don’t believe in it.”

“Brianna, I never said a word.”

Chapter Ten

“Yes, you did. You said it was solid silver.”

Connor shook his head and handed the bracelet back to Brianna. “Those were my thoughts. I never said anything out loud. Your grandmother is clairsentient. She hears what people are thinking. The only way she can block it is when she’s wearing a bracelet. Just like you.”

Brianna extended her wrists and stared at them. In a barely audible voice, she asked, “Are you telling me the truth?”

“Nobody, even regular humans in Nocturne Falls lie about these things. Especially people like us.”

Like us? Now what was he trying to tell her?

She slipped the bracelet back on and collected the few wits she had left. Without the bracelet, relentless voices and headaches.

With it on, her mind quieted.

“If my grandmother has some clairsentient thing going on, and maybe, just maybe, I do too, are you saying this whole town is like that place in Florida where all the mediums are supposed to live?”

Connor chuckled. “You mean Cassadega? We have a lot more than psychics here. But to answer your question, there are a few.”

Oh, hallelujah. Finally, what Brianna had been waiting for. Someone to spill the beans. There had to be some scam aspect to all this.

Most psychics were tricksters. This so-called gift was just her imagination working overtime.

As she sat forward in her chair waiting to hear more, one of the clerks called upstairs for Connor to lock the doors. While he was gone, Brianna took a quick walk through the apartment.

No one had mentioned when Echo was coming home. Brianna hoped it would be before she returned to LA.

Whoever decorated this place had a passion for pink, and Brianna had to admit it grew on her. There was a sense of order among this chintzy chaos just as there was downstairs, though it was a little cramped. And lace covered. And over the top girly.

Brianna laughed as she ran her fingers over a crocheted doily on the back of an upholstered chair. She remembered that Crealde, the so-called invisible cat, wasn’t a lace fan either.

How had Brianna’s father managed to live here with his mother and sister? It wasn’t exactly a boy’s world.

“Want to see the rest of the place?”

Brianna jumped at the sound of Connor’s voice over her shoulder. “I shouldn’t be poking around.”

“Why not? It’s your grandma’s home, so as much yours as hers. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

“Where is she, anyway? Nobody will tell me.”

Connor’s cheeks turned crimson. Odd reaction to a simple question.

“She’s on an extended trip.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “She loves traveling.”

Reasonable answer. But somehow it didn’t feel like the full truth.

“It’s getting late and I should be leaving.” At the top of the stairway she stopped. “Maybe one more favor. Could I see the bedrooms? I’m sure one of them was my father’s. I doubt it looks the same.”

“I’m staying in that room. I’ll show you.”

Brianna had followed him down a long hallway before it hit her. Though she was half-peeved at him for screwing with her mind, she was following this attractive man to his bedroom.

Cripes.

At the end of the hall, Connor flipped on the bedroom light. “Sorry for the mess. I wasn’t expecting company.” He threw a blanket over his unmade bed and kicked shoes and socks to the corner.

Brianna stepped through the threshold and realized she’d walked into a time warp. Shelves were crammed with toys and books. A ball bat and glove hung on a wall. Sports trophies. Photos. High school diploma.

And not a stitch or scrap of pink anywhere.

She picked up a stuffed teddy bear from a shelf. It was missing its nose and had mended ears. She hugged the well-worn toy to her chest and nuzzled its head.

Her father never talked about living in this bubble-gum house, or in this room. What horrible thing had come between a mother and son to drive him away for so long?

Her grandmother hadn’t touched anything in here. It was probably just as her son left it.

Brianna realized that she was holding her breath and that these walls were closing in on her.

“Connor, I need to get out of here.” She spun toward the door. “I’m sorry. This room is creeping me out.”

“Brianna, wait.” Connor gently grasped her arm. “I’ll walk with you.”

She wiggled loose. “I’ll be okay. It’s not far.”

Downstairs, Brianna leaned on the porch rail filling her lungs with fresh air. The boy who’d lived in that bedroom had an ordinary life. Sports. Toys. Awards. Nothing about the room felt angry or resentful.

Something deep inside her wanted to find that little boy in the tattered photo and hug him tight. And give him a safe space to explain why he grew up hating this place.

Brianna eyed the porch swing. “I need a minute.” She scooted into the corner of the swing.

“May I sit with you?” Connor gestured to the spot next to her.

She really wasn’t ready to go back to the Inn and could use some company.

The gentle motion of Connor’s strong legs rocking the swing calmed her. No use hiding who she was any longer. Connor knew it anyway.

“My grandmother can really read minds?”

“Echo is scary good at it. She gives card readings, too.”

Brianna’s father banned card games. Or Ouija. Or anything else he considered dark magic. She had to sneak her Harry Potter books into the house. Though she hid them, she’d read them cover to cover, fantasizing that she lived in such a wonderful world.

“Tell me about her bracelet,” she said.

“I wish Jess was here. She’d tell you everything. All I know is that when Echo takes it off, she hears the other person’s thoughts as though they were talking out loud.”

Hears thoughts like talking? Like those scrambled words that came into her head?

The doctors had called it everything from having secret friends that she’d grow out of, to dissociative disorder and borderline schizophrenic.

When the silver bracelet arrived, everything changed.

Her thoughts congealed like a bowl of sticky noodles. Memories of probes, adhesive patches, scans, interviews, clinics.

An invisible cat. Her father’s childhood bedroom. Finding his photo.

Everything ping ponged inside her skull.

Top it off with rocking next to a gorgeous man whose muscular thigh was centimeters from hers.

And a freaking La Grande Bouche deadline.

From the woods, a lonely animal’s howl crackled the hair on the back of her neck. What next? Werewolves?

Her brilliant idea to walk alone dissolved.

“I changed my mind. I’d appreciate an escort,” she said.

Somewhere between the first block past the Carpe Diem and the last block to the Inn, Connor’s hand had slipped under her elbow.

He leaned close and spoke in her ear. “See the Hunter moon?”

Perhaps it was his warm breath and deep voice thrumming in her ear. Or the autumn evening dancing with the seductive wisps of his cologne that set her heart on fire.

If she could bottle this moment, she’d make a killing.

The street lamp illuminated his chiseled chin and cheekbones while he kept his eye on the sky, as though he was looking for something or someone.

Standing next to this mysterious and hot-looking man tore Brianna in half. She’d come to Nocturne Falls to write the breakthrough story.

Now it seemed she was part of it.

How would she ever make sense of what happened tonight?

Connor’s grip on her elbow tightened.

“Brianna, I’d like to see you again.” He cleared his throat. “I mean, to show you around. You haven’t seen the falls. I’d love to show you Harmswood Academy where I went to school.”

“I’d like that.”

Connor took her hands in his. Before she finished a breath, he bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Quick? Not on his life.

Brianna stood on her tiptoes and interlaced her fingers around his neck, staring into his eyes for any reason to stop.

Their second kiss was deep and tender. His lips demanded, and she answered with urgency, surprised at the desire welling from inside. The borders between their bodies disappeared as she entered a mystical, warm place.

His fingers massaged her lower back as he brought her closer, causing her tiny moan to escape into his mouth.

His rum scented aftershave and musky male scent overpowered her senses and sent tingles up her spine.

She brought her hands to his shoulders and eased away from him.

“Now, that’s more like it,” she said.

Chapter Eleven

Crealde the invisible.

No.

Now you see him; now you don’t.

Absurd.

The fantastic, stupendous, outrageous feline.

Dumb. Dumb. And dumber.

At a small outside table at the Hallowed Bean, Brianna deleted each one.

Disgusted, she slammed the laptop shut.

She had to make something work.

After last night’s delicious good night kiss with Connor, she’d made the mistake of opening an email from her editor. Her assignment ended if she didn’t submit the first thousand words by five o’clock today.

Missing that deadline meant leaving Nocturne Falls and going back to the cubicle.

She and Connor had agreed to meet at 10:30, but she’d arrived an hour early to bang out ideas on her laptop. She’d wanted this done and out of her hair.

How hard was this writing thing? Staff writers turned in articles by the boatload on short notice. Why couldn’t she even find the first sentence?

~*~

Connor needed a break from the frou-frou apartment. After feeding Crealde, he drove to the estate to get fresh clothes. On the outside chance he’d dodge his mother, he ducked inside through the pantry door intending to take the back stairs to his bedroom.

He tapped his finger on his lips as he passed Sabrina, the housekeeper, in the kitchen. With an eye roll toward the dining room door, Sabrina flashed three fingers, part of the secret code they’d invented to identify Solange Ford’s whereabouts. His mother was in her office. Once holed up in there, she often didn’t emerge for hours.

Sneaking into this McMansion required teamwork. Sabrina was the best.

With luck, he should make it upstairs without an encounter.

Taking the stairs two at a time, avoiding the squeaky boards, he reached his room where he changed into fresh khakis and a T-shirt.

House sitting had its upside. The apartment was all his. And except for Echo Stargazer’s surprise visit, nobody cared if he wore clothes or not.

Back in the kitchen, he blew a kiss to Sabrina and went out the door. He’d driven Echo’s truck to the house but left it parked on the street. Engine racket in the driveway would bring Solange to the door in a heartbeat.

Through the garage’s glass window, he glanced at his Porsche. He hadn’t driven it for three weeks. Desire to take his baby out cruising coursed through every inch of his body.

An image flashed through his mind of driving top down through the mountains. Engine purring. Gears singing praises. And Brianna Putnam beside him.

That woman’s red pouty lips tasted better than he had imagined. For sure, she knew how to kiss a man.

If Echo was right, and she usually was, Brianna was up to something.

That kiss didn’t mean commitment.

If she weren’t so damned cute, it would be a lot easier to keep his distance. What was it about this woman that dug under his skin?

“Connor.”

The flat, dispassionate announcement came from none other than Solange Ford.

“Oh, hey, Mother.” As though she’d believe his nonchalant escape. So close to freedom, yet so far.

“You might show the consideration to see me before you left,” Solange said.

“I thought you were busy in your office,” he said.

“I swear. Your collusions with Sabrina are comical.”

Connor’s spine shot stiff as rebar.

“Come on, son. Give me credit. I know when my boys are around. I need to talk to you.”

Connor checked the time on his phone. He was supposed to meet Brianna in less than an hour.

“I really don’t have time.”

“May I surmise your hurry is about a young lady?”

“Mother, can we talk about this later?”

“In fact, we will talk later. I’ve been in touch with our few allies left on the board of directors. If we don’t act by the end of the month, that special session goes forward. We don’t have a majority vote, even with our additional proxies. You must go to Atlanta in person.”

Part of him wanted to turn his back on this corporate BS. Yet this might be a chance to prove himself.

But his knowledge about the workings of FFG wasn’t deep enough to stand toe-to-toe with the big guns, despite intensive tutoring by his late father.

“I’d look like a fool in front of that board,” he said.

“With that attitude, you most certainly would. I could coach you, but we’d need to start immediately.”

“I made plans.”

“Later this evening then. I understand you need to stay the night in that trashy emporium but come back for a few hours this evening and I think I can get you up to speed. Then you’ll arrive in Atlanta better prepared.”

“I didn’t agreed to this. Don’t make it sound like a done deal.”

“You don’t seem to understand. We aren’t talking about a done deal. Our failure to hold on to FFG means we are done, period.”

~*~

Connor walked into the Hallowed Bean courtyard and waved at Brianna who was seated at a back table. Even in this crowd, it was easy to spot the curly haired blonde.

Her broad smile gave him hope that she wasn’t angry about last night.

“Sorry I was late. Business.” He pulled an empty metal chair across the bricks to her table and immediately regretted not lifting it. Though the mortals ignored the bone rattling sound, every supernatural around them slapped their hands over their ears.

Just as Brianna did.

And still she didn’t believe who she was?

“Can I get you something?” He asked.

She shook her head and pointed to two empty cups.

“I need coffee,” he said. Too bad they didn’t serve it with Irish cream.

When he returned to the courtyard he saw that Brianna was in a heated phone call. He stood back to allow her privacy.

Though she tried to cover her mouth, his sensitive falcon ears picked up her every word.

“I don’t have enough to write a whole story. I’ll get your thousand words by tonight. The full story will take more time.” After a period of silence, she added, “You’ll get your damn exposé.”

Exposé on what? Nocturne Falls? Was she cold enough to use her family connection and humiliate everyone just to promote herself?

So, this is what Echo meant about Brianna.

How close he’d come to being suckered into this little two-faced monkey’s scheme.

That was about to end.

~*~

Wearing shorts on wrought iron chairs was a big mistake.

The inevitable waffle-butt might show less if Brianna shifted to adjust her position.

Or she could ignore it and hope everyone else did, too.

Or she could sit here all day.

Connor walked up next to her. “How about a ride to the falls this morning, unless you have something else going on?”

“I’d like that.” She slung her computer bag over her shoulder, hiking it around to cover what she could of her back side. “I read a little about it yesterday.”

Connor didn’t say much on the drive to the falls. She gave up trying to pull conversation from him, though she had many questions about last night.

If anyone should be quiet, it should be her.

As it was, her brain barely comprehended what had happened.

Though it was comforting that a quirk in her genetic pool and not a psychiatric condition caused her episodes, it was more confounding why her father didn’t know it. And if he did, why would he traipse her around to doctor after doctor?

She looked away from the woods outside her passenger window and back at Connor, square jawed and intently staring ahead.

She’d kissed some odd dudes in her life, but never one who claimed to be supernatural.

He looked like a living, breathing human, and certainly kissed like one.

Shivers cascaded through her.

If not human, exactly what was he?

Chapter Twelve

“I know a short cut,” Connor said.

Brianna pointed to a paved walkway. “Everyone else is over there.”

“This way avoids the tourists.”

She shrugged and followed him toward a narrow opening in a stand of pines and oaks.

The deeper into the woods, the cooler and more beautiful it was, yet this was certainly not a public access path.

She stepped over thick tree roots and around rocks, nearly slipping twice trying to match Connor’s long stride.

He marched up the path like a man on a mission, glancing back only once.

Something was different about him this morning, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

What had happened to change him into this cold fish?

Connor’s pace picked up when they came to a smooth plateau.

She stopped to catch her breath. “Would you slow down a little? I can’t keep up.”

He kept going. “Only a little farther.”

What was Mister Personality’s problem? Couldn’t he at least give her the courtesy of looking over his shoulder?

His ‘little farther’ took new meaning as she stood at the base of a sharp rise at least ten feet high. Thinking for sure he’d help her up, Brianna fumed as she watched Connor’s backside disappear over the ridge.

She hadn’t dressed for mountain climbing and had no interest in scaling this rock pile.

But she wasn’t about to let him get the best of her, either.

Looking up to the top, she shielded the sun from her eyes with one hand as she batted away gnats.

If he’d climbed it, she could too. Too bad Connor’s stride was twice hers.

She plotted a path and where she’d put each foot along the way. The first two steps were easy and the pitch wasn’t that steep. She’d do this. No problem.

She’d show Connor, wherever he was. At least no one was following her and snapping photos. She was certain her backside was not in a flattering pose. What excellent fodder for her friends to plaster over social media.

It wasn’t long until the gradual incline turned nasty. She struggled to get a foothold on the mossy stones, slipping once and smacking her ankle on a rock.

Say hello to some serious pain.

She grabbed at a branch to steady her footing.

While she wobbled on uncertain ground, Brianna’s anger boiled.

She’d had about all she could take of this short-cut stuff. Why hadn’t he followed everyone else up the nice paved path?

Was he trying to prove something?

Or leave her in the woods to die?

That was stupid. What would he gain from that, especially after going to all the trouble of the big reveal last night?

Once on even ground, her resolve married fury. She stomped her way toward where the path took a sharp right turn.

If Connor Ford thought this was funny, it wasn’t. And she would tell him about it, once she found him.

Leaves rustled in a branch above her and she jumped. What was she expecting? A werewolf? Bigfoot?

“Don’t even think about it, who or whatever you are.” She glanced up but saw nothing. “Go about your business.”

The branches moved as something flew away.

“This is getting ridiculous.”

She charged forward to the bend in the path that opened to bright sunlight. In a clearing, sitting on a large stone and leaning against a tree, Connor.

“Took you long enough,” he said.

Brianna’s teeth clamped hard enough that they might crack. “I was enjoying the lovely scenery and the wildlife. Such a charming nature walk.”

He flashed the first real smile she’d seen on him all morning.

“See anything interesting?” He asked.

“Let’s see. I fought off a couple of pterodactyls.” She dusted leaf litter off her bare knees. “But that only took a minute or two.”

Connor choked on his barrel laugh.

At least he still had an ounce of humor in him.

She spotted a small feather, picked it up, and held it to the sunlight. Slate gray, brown and white colors blended as though painted by an artist.

“Is this from a hawk?” She asked.

“Falcon.”

“Ever seen one around here?”

He shot her a cryptic smile. “A few.”

She tucked the feather behind her ear and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. “So, what was the idea of leaving me alone to struggle? I could have used a little help.”

“You made it, didn’t you?”

Oooh. He’d plucked her last nerve with that.

“Look, I don’t know what I did to torque you off, but if you plan to be a jerk the whole time, take me back to town.”

“You’re missing the point.” His voice was so strange.

Brianna teetered on the verge of a meltdown as she vice gripped the flesh above her hips. “And what is the point?”

“The falls. You won’t see much if you keep standing with your back to it.”

Brianna sliced her gaze up, then to each side. She slid her hands behind her back where she threaded her fingers in a knot.

Glancing down, she made a slow turn. A waterfall is a waterfall. She doubted this would be anything special. She’d grown up a few miles from the Columbia River where waterfalls were—

“Gorgeous,” she whispered. All her bitterness and anger melted at the sight of this magnificent falls. “It’s enchanting. I feel good all over just looking at it.”

“Now see why so many people come here?”

“And Moonbow water?”

“From nearby falls. There are several around here but this is the main one.”

His tone and attitude had improved a hundred percent. Perhaps this was a magical place, if she believed in that stuff. Something had affected him and for the better.

Standing at her side, he pointed out places around the falls where he and his brother had played as little kids.

Were these Fords part goat? That would explain how easy it would be for little boys to scale rocks. But it didn’t make for a sexy visual nor did the thought that she kissed a smelly goat.

Connor placed his hand lightly on her lower back and pointed. “See that small stand of trees over there? Those pines were our lookout where we watched the tourists.”

She had no idea where he pointed. All the trees looked alike to her.

“Follow my finger.” He traced a line in the air in front of her, then up an angle, then stopped. “There’s a stand of pine trees taller than the others around them.”

If what she saw was the place, it was at least a quarter mile away and on the far side of the falls. How did he expect her to see that far?

“I’ll take your word for it,” she said.

From the corner of her eye, Brianna caught a hint of a blush blooming across his cheeks.

Even with all his moodiness today, Connor exuded sexy and she couldn’t believe she was standing here with him. And not back in her room where she should be hammering out a story.

Her feelings for him weren’t helping her growing guilt-trip. If. No. When she filed this story, she’d get out of town and never look back.

She stepped away, took her phone from her pocket, and took photos. “I’m glad you talked me into—”

Her words and her feet splayed in opposite directions as Connor grabbed her waist.

“Almost one step too far.” His resonating voice and breath in her ear worsened control of her scrambling feet and her heart.

At a safe distance from the edge, Connor held on to her until she regained her balance.

“That might have been ugly,” he said, his arms still around her.

“Yes, but what a terrific headline. Woman gets world record freefall selfie.” She turned to see his reaction to the lame joke, but her heart plummeted at the look on his face.

“You’re white as a ghost,” she said.

“Brianna, it isn’t funny. Every year out of towners do some pretty stupid stuff around here and pay for it.”

“But nothing happened, Connor.” She opened her arms out to her sides. “See, I’m fine.”

When he didn’t say anything, and kept staring at her, all she thought about were the times she accounted to her father for some dumb thing that had gone wrong. He’d go silent right before he’d launch into a yelling fit.

She and her brother learned early to cover for each other so they wouldn’t catch the man’s grief, at least not as often.

Connor didn’t seem the type to go ballistic, but she’d only known him a short time. What was going on with him? Why didn’t he say something?

“Connor?”

He stepped closer and in a blink, took her into his arms.

Swift and quick, his kiss paralyzed her.

This one wasn’t like the other night. Not curious. Not cute.

This one was all-out hunger. His hands moved to the nape of her neck then into her hair, where his fingers made gentle circles on her scalp, finding the places that always sparked an electrical explosion. Half the thunder bolt left through her toes. The other half through the top of her head.

Her hands skimmed his back until they stopped on his arms where she remembered those tattoos. His wings. Enfolding her. Protecting her.

He released Brianna’s lips, then nibbled down her neck.

An electrical buzz ran the circuit over her body.

She wanted his lips on hers again, but she didn’t want him to stop what he was doing.

Connor whispered something that she didn’t quite understand. Then he caressed her breast.

It had to stop. Now before it was too late. She stepped back, panting.

She would not tangle her emotions any worse than they already were. Once she left town, she didn’t want any regrets, or even more, guilt.

“Don’t get me wrong. I like you a lot. But you know as well as me that nothing could come of this,” she said.

“Because of the story?”

Brianna’s spine steeled at the same time her breathing halted.

Connor picked up a small rock and rolled it between his fingers. “I heard you on the phone talking to someone about a story. About Nocturne Falls.”

He threw the stone in the direction of the falls. It fell far short of its mark and dropped into the deep woods.

Chapter Thirteen

“This town has survived a lot worse threats than you.” He looked away from her. “For your sake, I hope whatever they’re paying is worth it.”

That’s what’s wrong. Connor had overheard her on the phone this morning with her editor.

She’d spoken out of spite and frustration. Now she knew there was no story here and certainly not one about a haven of lunatics.

She was over carrying her father’s bitterness on her shoulders.

Too many things swirled in her mind. One, coming to terms with a so-called psychic gift. Two, her feelings for this mysterious Connor Ford.

Three, climbing down the trail without breaking her neck.

“You knew all this and still brought me up here? I’ll let the part about leaving me with the dinosaurs go, for now. If you think I’m the evil one, why’d you kiss me?” She asked.

“The truth? I’m not sure why.”

“Because you liked it?” And she hoped it signaled his feelings for her.

“Maybe. Or a goodbye kiss.”

After a silent ride, Connor dropped Brianna off at the Inn. Skipping supper and a shower, she huddled under the bedcovers and sobbed into her pillow.

Connor’s words clanged like a cathedral bell. ‘Survived worse than you.’

As though she’d become a plague.

She hadn’t come here with the intention of falling in love with the town. Or with Connor Ford.

What the hell was she going to do now?

~*~

The magenta sunset splashed across the sky was lost on Connor. Parked in the Carpe Diem driveway, he stared a hole through the truck’s dashboard.

No woman ever had gotten under his skin like Brianna. The plan to let her stumble up the path to scare her a little, and give her a lesson about messing with his town and his friends, blew up in his face.

He’d assumed she would give up halfway, tuck her tail, and yell for help. All fine except she didn’t need help. When she didn’t cry out, he’d shifted to falcon, and risked her seeing him, to be sure she was okay.

Though he never pictured her as the rock climbing type, Brianna had scrambled to the top by herself. When she broke through to the clearing, and the sun glinted off her golden curls, it took mammoth restraint not to grab her into his arms right then.

Her stubborn resilience to hang on and keep climbing had amazed him.

At the same time, it served as a warning that she wouldn’t give up easy on this story idea, even if it meant selling out her grandmother’s town.

And why had he kissed her again?

To break her down and get the truth?

Kissing her was a big, wonderful mistake. If he hadn’t acted on his desire to hold her in his arms, she’d be packed and gone by now. And he wasn’t ready for that.

He opened then slammed shut the truck’s door.

“Oh, hell.” He’d forgotten about the meeting with his mother.

What a wonderful way to cap off the evening.

~*~

Profit and loss. Quarterly earnings. Fund performance indicators.

Not exactly the topics Connor wanted to discuss two hours after holding the foxy little Brianna Putnam in his arms.

But if that’s what Solange wanted, she’d get it. He didn’t hold back a nickel’s worth.

An hour later, Solange leaned forward.

“Well. I had no idea you were this versed in finance. Or that you knew anything about our company.”

Perhaps his father’s lessons had drilled into Connor better than he thought. He’d held his own with his mother.

Connor controlled the urge to gloat. “Latent genius, I guess.” And his secret love of reading business news journals.

His mother’s grin cut across her face. “The most important thing is to exude confidence a shade lighter than cocky. Come into that room like you own it, and them. In fact, you do. If they sense weakness they’ll go at your throat like tigers on an antelope.”

“Lovely analogy.”

“Truth, son. I’ve seen them. But I also observed your father in charge of that crowd. He was magnificent. No one in the room intimidated that man. Somehow it seems you’re channeling your father. And I couldn’t be happier.”

And Connor couldn’t be more exhausted.

He rolled into the Carpe Diem driveway at eleven forty-five. As he climbed the stairs to the apartment, dread poured over him.

Crealde.

He hadn’t fed the cat since this morning.

Connor prepared for every possible worst case scenario.

Would the theatrical feline be on his back, playing out a Shakespearean death?

Would he aim a tiny sawed off shotgun at the door, ready to shoot the first person who walked inside?

Or maybe as soon as he opened the door he’d be arrested by an animal rescue swat team.

What had Solange said? Enter the room with confidence a shade lighter than cocky.

Connor breezed into the kitchen and flipped on the light.

“Okay, buddy. Ready for a midnight snack? How do we get to yes on this?”

A tin of flaked tuna fired across the floor, careened off Connor’s foot, rebounded under the kitchen table, and stopped short of the cat’s food dish.

Connor expected that swat team any minute.

~*~

“But there isn’t any story.” Brianna put the phone on speaker and tossed it on her bed. “I was wrong, Angus.” About everything.

“I don’t give a damn if you think you were wrong. You hounded me for weeks about that town. Fakes and scammers. Crooks. Thieves. That’s all you talked about so I funded your trip to Georgia. This morning you told me, and I’m quoting, ‘You’ll get your damn story.’”

“Angus, but—”

“But, hell. I want a story, or you’re fired. Got it?” The man’s guttural snorts thundered through the phone like a raging bull about to charge.

Long after the call ended, Brianna sat in a chair across the room, hugging her knees to her chest. She stared at the phone still in the same spot on the bed.

What was she afraid of? That Angus-the-bogeyman would ooze out of it and chase her like a banshee around the room?

Or that she knew her decision? That’s what frightened her more.

The only way to write this ‘damn story’ was to make it up. She hadn’t read or seen anything that remotely resembled black magic or carnival charades.

With one exception. Crealde. And her ability to see him.

That was a large exception.

She had to try her hand at a draft. It would be pure fiction, but at least something on paper.

This would give her time to calm down and reconcile her feelings. If Angus fired her, so be it. She’d go home for a while and sort things out.

If she sent the story and by some miracle it published, she’d embarrass a whole town and especially Connor Ford.

Either way, story or not, staying in Nocturne Falls was out of the question. With one foot in the natural world and the other somewhere, she didn’t quite know where, she didn’t belong here. Or deserve to be here.

Brianna opened her laptop. Once she started, the words tumbled out on the page. By two-thirty in the morning, she’d finished five-thousand words, enough for at least two articles in Angus’s tabloid rag.

Full of poppycock and drivel, it was a middle-of-the-night, hastily written crock of junk about every person she’d met in town. Total fabrication and the stuff of fairy tales. Just the thing for La Grande Bouche.

She’d changed the names of the townsfolk, but she’d assigned each one a fantastic character.

The flower shop owner was a reincarnated 17th-century European fairy princess. The concrete gargoyle was a frog waiting for the princess’s kiss.

The sheriff was a wizard.

Connor was an avenger of evil.

That would teach Angus a good lesson about ultimatums.

Brianna had a gut feeling it was going to be a long winter hanging out in Portland coffee shops, sipping espresso, and scouring online job sites. Time to dig out the wool sweaters from storage, unless her mother had already donated them.

Brianna reread the story.

Though it was off-the-wall absurd, it was pretty good. Might make a nice novella someday.

But nobody in their right mind would believe a word of it.

Chapter Fourteen

“My cousin? Here? In Nocturne Falls?” Jess Callahan’s carry-on bag landed on the floor with a loud thud that drove Crealde from under the table and into a back bedroom. “Could you have given me a heads-up?”

“I wasn’t sure how to tell you. I didn’t know it was your cousin until your grandmother told me.” Connor dropped his chin. That wasn’t exactly the best way to lead into this discussion. Oh well, the cat was out now; literally.

“My grandmother? Nana? What are you talking about?”

“What’s going on?” Ryan Ford came through the kitchen door hefting two more suitcases. “I heard Jess all the way downstairs.”

“You should unpack first then we’ll talk,” Connor said.

“No. We’ll talk first.” Jess took a seat at the dining room table. “Our flight from Boston to Atlanta was hell on wings. The bags came in on the next flight. Ryan’s car battery had died in long-term parking. My headache’s splitting.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and wiggled into position like a hen on a nest.

“Maybe later?” Connor asked.

“I’m all ears,” she said. “Now, please.”

For the next half hour Connor did his best to run the narrative, though the retelling was lame as a one-legged goose.

Jess remained silent through the entire recitation. Ryan interjected with a few questions.

And Connor, who had run out of steam, opened his palms to the ceiling. “That’s all I got. She’s staying at the Gingerbread Inn.”

Jess slowly nodded. “I’m going to unpack and take a hot shower,” she said through tightly pursed lips.

Once they heard the water running, Connor felt it was safe to talk to his brother.

“I’ve never seen her this upset,” he said.

“She’s just venting. That family has a lot of drama,” Ryan said.

“Doesn’t ours?”

Ryan ignored the comment and continued. “After Jess’s parents died, her uncle refused to take her in. That’s how she ended up with Echo.”

Connor snapped to attention. “Refused? Why?”

“She’s never told me. I’m not sure she even understands. I think she met her cousins once but a long time ago when they were kids. Does the woman look anything like Jess?”

“Not one bit. She’s short. Curly blonde hair. Huge blue eyes. Curves in the right places.” He trailed off, remembering what it was like to hold her. Their soft kiss. Her flowery perfume.

The bewildered look in her eyes when she tried to chew him out for letting her climb the rocks alone.

“She’s got a lot of sass and style,” Connor said.

“Bro, this sounds like—”.

“Don’t say it. Just don’t.”

~*~

Sweat poured like overflowing creeks down Connor’s shirt. This would either be ingenious, or an epic fail.

Ryan had spent two days calming down Jess; the same amount of time Connor needed to talk Brianna into seeing him again and meeting her cousin.

Both brothers walked on eggshells as they fired up the barbecue grill.

“It would save our bacon if Echo would show up tonight,” Ryan said.

“Don’t count on it,” Connor said. Though she’d be mighty welcome.

The screen door slammed and Connor glanced up at Jess balancing a foil-wrapped platter as she came down the wooden stairs.

“My cousin’s the one I’d bet won’t show.” Jess handed Connor the platter of chicken and a jumbo Portobello mushroom for the vegan, Ryan.

“She’ll be here.” Connor had offered to pick up Brianna, but she’d been adamant that she’d come alone.

Jess shrugged as she hooked her hand around Ryan’s arm.

Jess and Ryan. An unlikely pair but completely suited for each other. Yin to the other’s yang. The stuff in sappy movies. Still, they brought the best out in each other.

Connor only hoped that one day the right woman would drop into his life.

“Is this her?” Ryan whispered.

Connor took a deep breath and turned. Oh, yes it was.

Brianna walked toward them, wearing the same killer red dress she’d worn the first day he’d met her. His heart rate skyrocketed. He licked his parched lips and tried to speak.

The only sound that emerged was a lame crackle.

Ryan handed his brother a bottle of water and stepped forward toward their guest.

“Brianna?” Ryan offered his hand. “I’m Ryan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He gestured to Jess, standing at a distance behind him. “Your cousin.”

Jess didn’t move. Her expression was stone sober. This was not good.

Brianna must be freaking. Connor stepped to her side and lightly touched her lower back. The smell of her perfume was intoxicating. She leaned closer so their bodies touched.

“Are you two women going to stand there in a stare down all evening?” Connor asked.

“It’s been a very long time,” Brianna said.

Jess nodded. “It’s good to see you.”

Connor thought he felt a small quake in Brianna’s touch.

“Anyone care for a drink?” Ryan asked.

“Beer.” The women’s simultaneous answer caused both to laugh, if only a small one, and only for a fraction of a second.

Connor took that as a positive sign as he retrieved two bottles from a cooler.

Ryan and Connor attempted to drag conversation from the cousins through dinner but failed at every turn.

With nothing left to lose, and his tolerance for this standoff exasperated, Connor decided it was time to cut this mess to the chase.

“Brianna, I told Ryan and Jess why you’re in Nocturne Falls. And I told them you can see Crealde.”

Brianna toyed with her food. “I figured you would.”

“Did he also tell you these gifts run in our family? I’m clairvoyant. Nana, our grandmother, is clairsentient,” Jess said.

Brianna kept her head bowed. “Yes, he told me.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed about. A natural part of our lives, though it took me a few years to get used to it,” Jess said.

“They told me I was crazy.” Brianna turned the silver bracelet around her wrist.

“Who told you that?” Jess asked.

“Everyone.” Brianna looked at her beautiful red-haired cousin, her face shrouded in confusion. This meeting must be hard on her, too.

“But I’m not crazy.” Brianna’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “I’m not.”

Ryan sniffed a laugh and hugged Jess. “If you are, then we all are.”

“If we don’t block our vibes they will drive you nuts.” Jess held up her right hand. “This jade ring blocks my visions. I can’t predict what I’ll see when I take it off. So, I don’t.”

“When did they start?” Brianna asked.

“After I moved here. You know my parents died, right?”

Brianna gave a slight nod. “I was very little. I remember my parents talking about somebody dying. I didn’t understand who.”

Jess continued. “This was my mother’s ring. She was clairvoyant like me. This ring kept her sane and blocked the visions. After she died, Nana gave it to me when I was about eight. That’s when I started to see things.”

“Eight? That’s when my nightmares started. And then the voices. And when grandmother sent this bracelet to me.”

“That’s the one you left at the bar,” Connor said.

“Why did I take it off in the first place? Nerves, I guess. I had bad dreams all that night. I barely slept. Then I had a horrible headache the next morning until I found it.”

“Nana blocks with a bracelet, too.” Jess fixed her eyes on Brianna. “I see a lot of Nana in you. You’re about the same height and body type.”

“Where is she, anyway?” Brianna asked.

Connor, Ryan, and Jess scanned the four corners of the room.

Brianna followed with her eyes.

“We aren’t a hundred percent sure,” Jess said.

Brianna shook her head. “What’s that mean?”

“It’s a long story. We’ll explain later,” Connor said.

~*~

Tension hovered over the dinner table like filmy gauze, though it dissipated somewhat, thanks to the brothers’ efforts to keep to light topics.

To Brianna, it seemed these people had an agenda and were waiting to pounce on her with it.

But what and why? Jess Callahan was a beautiful, happy woman. Far from what Brianna had imagined.

Jess and Brianna’s brother, Samuel, were both tall with that red hair, just like Brianna’s father. Hadn’t Jess said Brianna looked like Echo?

And Ryan and Jess seemed like the perfect couple. Comfortable and loving together. It was obvious they genuinely liked each other.

When she could, and not be too obvious, Brianna exchanged smiles with Connor.

He’d worked hard to arrange this meeting. She had to hand it to him for taking the chance so she’d meet at least one of her relatives.

After coffee and dessert, they went into the living room. Jess and Ryan sat together on a two-seat sofa.

Since Crealde filled an overstuffed chair, Brianna took the only available empty seat; a hardback armchair across from them. Connor sat on the floor, half-way between Brianna and the sofa.

With all three of them staring at her, the only thing missing to make this a real interrogation was a bright, hot light.

“Nana taught me to understand and use the gift. I’m sorry you didn’t have the same privilege,” Jess said.

There it was again. Gift. Brianna would never accept this.

How could these seemingly sane people believe this stuff?

She scanned their faces. No suspicious clues.

Intent and sexy as hell, Connor’s eyes riveted on hers. But he couldn’t disguise the fear lurking in them.

Were they stringing her along? But why would they?

“Brianna?” Connor asked. “You’re awfully quiet.”

No kidding.

Brianna gripped the chair arms. Her throat tightened as she stared straight at her cousin. “Can you prove you are clairvoyant?”

Chapter Fifteen

“I don’t think she has to prove anything.” Ryan moved his hand from around Jess’s shoulders and leaned forward.

Brianna took in a deep breath at what sounded like his warning.

Jess rested her hand on Ryan’s arm. “It’s okay. That’s exactly what I’d ask if I were her. When I take off the ring, I have no idea what vision I’ll see. I can’t control it. And I don’t like to tempt it. For example, I tried to see where Nana was, but that vision didn’t come through.”

“Last summer, Jess saw a forest fire thirty miles away. She saved our animal sanctuary,” Ryan said.

Sure. And just last week, Brianna jumped over the top of the Los Angeles City Hall.

Jess slipped off the jade ring and handed it to Ryan.

“I don’t like this,” Ryan said.

“Don’t worry. Hand it back when I ask.” Jess closed her eyes.

There wasn’t a sound in the room except the ticking of a wall clock and Crealde’s light snore.

As though teathered by an invisible cord, Brianna couldn’t pull her eyes away from her cousin. If this was a parlor trick, the set up was brilliant.

After several minutes, Jess’s eyes flashed open. “Not everything I saw makes sense.”

Brianna gave Jess credit. She had the dramatic act down pat. Her cousin hadn’t seen a damn thing.

“You work for La Grande Bouche,” Jess said.

A simple deduction that anyone could find online. “Yes.”

“I see an angry confrontation. You need to be careful, Brianna. He’s not to be trusted.”

“Who?”

“A man. In his fifties. Silver hair.”

That gave Brianna nothing to go on. “That’s pretty generic.”

“His name is Angus.”

There it was. The big finale just like those TV mediums.

“Connor heard me on the phone. I probably said Angus’s name. A little Internet work and you put the pieces together,” Brianna said.

Jess slipped her jade ring on and shook her head. “Not everyone who sees, believes.”

“I’m sorry. I just don’t buy it.” Brianna turned her bracelet around on her wrist.

“The inscription says ‘Forever in my heart,’” Jess whispered.

“Echo told you that,” Brianna snapped back. “Or Connor. I left it at the bar.” Impulsively, Brianna slid the bracelet off and waved it at the trio.

“That’s how the bartender identified it. You told them didn’t you, Connor?” Brianna covered her eyes to hide her tears as the bracelet slipped from her hand and rolled in front of Connor. “Why are you all lying to me?”

How she’d wanted this fairy tale to be real. She’d gone her whole life not fitting in anywhere. This seemed like such a nice little town. Then they had to pull this nonsense.

She’d held this inside for so long. Of all the worst times, in front of three strangers, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Connor came through first. ‘I knew this would be too much.’

Jess next. ‘Nana, it would be a good time for you to drop by.’

At the touch of Connor’s hand on her shoulder, Brianna raised her head. He held the bracelet out to her. “Better put this on.”

“You didn’t say anything out loud, did you?” Brianna asked.

Jess shook her head as she handed her cousin a glass of water.

“Any chance you like Tai Chi?” Ryan asked.

Jess waved her hand toward Ryan. “Inside joke, Brianna. It doesn’t take psychic ability to see you’re in a mess. You aren’t the first skeptic who wanted to out us. You won’t be the last. From what I saw, you promised something to this Angus person, and now you can’t produce.”

Brianna stared into her glass then looked straight at Jess. “I don’t know what to think. Everyone and everything about Nocturne Falls looks normal. I came here looking for a story about a bunch of whackos pretending to be monsters and bogeymen.”

When the brothers bristled and flashed irritated glances, Jess put a calming hand on Ryan’s arm.

“Nocturne Falls is home to many kinds of people, not just psychics. It’s not easy to explain this but there are many dimensions to the universe. Some you can see easily. Some you can’t,” Jess said.

Where was her cousin going with this?

“With a few exceptions, for example myself, most people living here aren’t fully human,” Jess said.

Brianna nearly choked. “What? I’ve met a lot of them. They are as human as me.”

“Exactly. They have a side that appears human,” Jess said.

“Don’t tell me that the librarian or Sheriff Merrow, or Ian at the Poisoned Apple aren’t human?”

“I’m not sure she’s ready,” Connor said.

“Ready for what? So, tell me about Ian,” Brianna said.

“He’s an elf,” Jess said.

Brianna lost it. She gasped through laughter. “And I suppose Delaney Ellingham is a broom-riding witch.”

“She’s a vampire,” Jess said.

The trio certainly knew how to play it straight. “How about the sheriff?”

“A wolf,” Connor said.

The whole lot of them should be institutionalized. “Fine. I get it. And you and your brother are vampires.”

“Remember, that’s Delaney.” Jess reached for Ryan’s knee. “Connor and Ryan are falcons.”

Brianna smacked her palm on her forehead. “Of course, they are. Why didn’t I guess that? So, Connor, if you’re a falcon why don’t you just ruffle some feathers and prove it?”

“That’s not how it works,” Connor said.

“Because you aren’t one, that’s why.” She bumped her glass on the chair arm and splashed water on her arm. “You’re all a bunch of con artists. I’ve had enough for one night. Thank you for dinner, but I need to go.”

She darted through the back door and down the steps into the darkness.

Connor followed. “Wait. I’ll walk you back.”

She held up her hand. “If I need help I’ll just call the wolf. Sorry, I mean, the sheriff.”

~*~

Brianna stared at her computer screen after making minor tweaks to her story, then picked up the snow globe again.

This time there was no magical water running over the falls.

She put it back on the bed stand beside the photo and the feather she’d found. Three souvenirs of the strangest place she’d ever seen.

Angus’s revised story was done. Chock full of wolves, vampires, falcons, and other made up creatures, it was a whole lot better than the teaser she’d sent earlier.

“Ready or not, here you go.” With an artistic flourish, Brianna spider-crawled her fingers above the keys, then hit ‘submit.’

She leaned back on the bed and replayed the nonsense she’d heard tonight. They’d put a lot of work into calling her bluff.

And she’d almost bought it.

But Connor and Ryan Ford were falcon shifters?

She touched her hand to her lips.

Connor’s kiss came from a very warm blooded male. His strong arms and rock solid chest didn’t belong to a bird.

Nor did his broad shoulders that felt like velvet steel as her hands slid down his back. Nor did his strong fingers that got lost in her hair.

She picked up the feather again. Connor had insisted it was from a falcon.

Her quick online search confirmed it. And this one was from a Peregrine—the fastest animal on the planet.

Mother of oyster pearl.

That rustling in the trees above her on the trail. Had that been Connor? No possible way.

If she accepted that truth, then dominoes would fall everywhere. Ian. Delaney. Ryan. Sheriff Merrow. Everyone in every store? Restaurant? The library? The Inn proprietor?

Even Connor?

The glorious relief she’d anticipated after sending the story had U-turned into heartbreak.

What the hell had she just done?

She heard a gentle tapping on the door. Who’d knock this late?

Brianna looked through the peephole.

Connor? What did he want? How did he find her room?

She was wrapped in enough guilt as it was, let alone the mind-bender that he might be exactly what Jess Callahan said he was. A frigging falcon.

“Brianna. Please, I need to talk to you.”

She leaned against the door with one hand on the knob, the other on the chain. Inside this locked room, she retreated into a cocooned reality that people were people, though some like Angus were dirt bags.

Outside that door stood Connor Ford. An attractive man that any sensible warm-blooded woman would latch on to in a minute.

If a woman was into falcons.

Chapter Sixteen

It would serve him right if Brianna never opened that door.

Connor wanted to kick himself for letting her walk back to the Inn alone.

He didn’t fear for her safety in downtown Nocturne Falls. It was her state of mind that frightened him.

“I’ll stay out here all night so either you open the door, or you’ll find me asleep on the floor in the morning. Your call,” he said.

After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the chain slide and the click of the handle.

Brianna opened the door a crack. “Go home, Connor.”

An Inn guest walked past with her nose turned up in disgust. Connor greeted her with a nod and a bright grin. “Sleep well,” he said.

Brianna shut and relocked the door.

Connor slid to the floor, sat cross legged, leaned on the door jam, and began singing.

“Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall. Ninety-nine bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of beer on the wall.”

When he got to the eighty-fifth bottle, Brianna opened the door, and Connor tumbled backward into the room.

“I hate that song worse than any other in the world,” Brianna said as she choked back her rising giggle.

“It was a toss-up between that and the wheels on the bus go round and round.”

Brianna winced. “How did you know what room I was in?”

“Friends in high places.”

“And in the trees no doubt.”

Connor stretched to get the kinks out of his back. “May I sit down?”

Gesturing to a chair next to the window, Brianna caught her fingers in the curtain.

“Is everything in town chintz-bombed like this place?” She muttered as she shook her fingers free from the lacy web.

“I apologize if we came on a little strong,” he said.

She sat on the end of the bed as far from Connor as possible. “Oh, think nothing of it. Believe me, I’ve forgotten all about it.”

Even snarky, she was hands down delectable. “It’s a lot to take in.”

She scraped her fingers through her hair and stared past him.

“You heard the part about me being a falcon, right?”

“Umm. Right.”

She’d drifted far from this room.

“Brianna?”

She made a quick headshake. “Sorry. You said something?”

“I said I’m a three-legged platypus. And I might shift any minute.”

“Connor, I sent the story.”

Hello. “To that Angus guy, I suppose?”

She repeatedly stabbed a pencil into a notepad on the bed stand.

“I came home so mad I could have eaten nails.” The pencil lead shattered. “I can’t take it back now. It’s gone.” She covered her face with her hands.

“How bad is it?”

Brianna pulled up a copy and let Connor read it. Half-way through he shut the laptop. He didn’t need to finish. He had his answer.

If this story went public, there would be hell to pay.

“Maybe he won’t believe it,” Brianna said.

“I don’t know about that. Gotta hand it to you. You’re a good writer.”

Brianna hugged a pillow to her chest. “What am I going to do? Because of me, everyone in this town will be embarrassed, or worse. I’m such a fool.”

Connor moved to sit beside her. “Look, if there’s a contest for the biggest fool, I’ll win by a landslide. I’ve been in more trouble than you could ever dream up in a hundred years. And I’ve figured out some creative ways out of bad ones. Let me think on this and see what I come up with.”

“I can’t ask for your help,” she whispered.

“So, don’t.” Connor softly touched her chin and tipped it toward him. Her round lips begged his kiss, but it would be unfair to take advantage of her now.

“I’ll come by in the morning and take you to breakfast then we’ll talk about the plan.”

“You have one already?”

Not actually, but he would by then unless he’d lost his touch for last minute butt-savers. “Of course.”

He started to leave but was stopped by Brianna’s touch on his hand.

“Were you in the trees watching me while I flailed around in the dinosaur forest?”

“You weren’t flailing.”

She squinted her stare at him. “You could have helped me out.”

“You had a great hold on that vine.”

She attempted to elbow his ribs, but he gripped her arm before she inflicted a mortal wound. Their laughing eyes met, then her gaze softened.

“Would you kiss me?” She asked.

Before Brianna changed her mind, Connor pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. She relaxed into his embrace and returned his kiss, finding his tongue with hers.

Probing and exploring. Melting into each other.

Maybe she was human, but she had a supernatural hold on his heart. And on this nice, soft, queen sized bed, he could claim her as his mate.

In the distance, a phone buzzed. His? Brianna’s? Did it matter?

Brianna broke the kiss and found her phone. Her face blanched as she read the message.

“You are freaking kidding.” Her words rebounded off the walls. “He can’t be serious.”

“What? Who?”

“Angus freaking loves the story. He’s coming here the day after tomorrow to see the place for himself. Now what? We have to stop him.”

Connor churned his thoughts. There was a way. The hard part would be to get his family to buy-in, but with a little finesse, he’d make it happen.

“If he wants to see Nocturne Falls, then we’ll show it to him,” he said.

“You’ve never met Angus. I’m telling you this is horrible. You don’t want him here. He will take the little bit I wrote and turn it into a nightmare.”

Nightmare? No possible way. Angus whoever-he-was would be no match for Nocturne Falls. In fact, it might prove to be a pleasant diversion.

“Leave this to me. But promise you’ll be open to anything,” he said.

He hoped her quiet pause meant she was considering it. She rolled her lower lip between her teeth, then puckered into a seductive pout. Her eyes began to sparkle, and she flashed a hint of an impish grin.

“Does this plan involve creatures with wings?” She asked.

Connor’s relief danced on his exhale. “Everything is in the realm of possibility. Remember, breakfast tomorrow. Meet me downstairs at eight-thirty.”

He gave her a quick kiss. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

Chapter Seventeen

Nothing compared to deerskin leather.

Connor caressed the Porsche’s steering wheel, then glanced into the rearview mirror to secure his ball cap.

The engine’s crescendo surged through him as each system revved into a full-throated symphony.

How he’d missed this car.

With Ryan and Jess back, his house-sitting assignment ended. Good news, he had his car again. Bad news, he was back under his mother’s roof and hated it.

Though he’d lived a month inside a shoebox apartment over the Carpe Diem, he came and went without anyone giving a crap. Anyone except the voracious Crealde.

And Echo Stargazer’s all-to-hell embarrassing visit.

Once out on the highway, he accelerated to the speed limit plus a mile or two. No sense in pushing his luck. Or getting another speeding ticket.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. Backward cap. T-shirt.

Music blasting from the sound system.

Lead foot on the accelerator.

If he accepted what his mother felt was his rightful seat as chairman of the board and moved to Atlanta, that would mean moving off the estate. For good.

Yeah.

Connor Ford as chairman material? But, he’d be back in Atlanta. Good times.

And Sayonara, Nocturne Falls. Though after showing Brianna around this month, he realized it wasn’t that bad at all.

Ryan and Jess had decided to stay here after their upcoming wedding in December. That would keep his mother happy to have one son close, especially if her other son was running the business.

Closer to town, the road paralleled the trail where he’d caught up with Brianna the afternoon they’d jogged back to town together.

People were already out running and biking. Cool mornings like this were ideal.

If he didn’t have the breakfast date with Brianna, he’d have logged in a fast five. But thinking about her jazzed up his heart equaling a six-miler.

As beautiful as she was impetuous, Brianna was nothing like any woman he’d met. She didn’t take crap from anyone. She was bright. Smart. And had a gorgeous body that fed a man’s fantasy.

But misguided as hell.

If she’d admit her gift and use that energy, she’d be a dynamo. With someone like her at his side, what amazing things they could do with FFG.

All these were useless dreams that would fly to thunder once they went separate ways.

He’d come up with a plan to bail her out of this Bouche mess, and with luck and a little help, the idea might work.

But would Brianna be strong enough to go the distance with him?

~*~

Fresh croissants. Real butter. Homemade peach preserves.

Brianna scanned the tiny, handwritten signs in front of each breakfast item.

Granola. Fresh fruit. Swiss cheese and spinach quiche.

And nothing appealed.

Her appetite had tanked the minute she read Angus’s email last night. She’d already arranged with the Gingerbread Inn manager for Connor to have her breakfast. All Brianna wanted was coffee.

Brianna sat at a small table with a view of the courtyard, her fist on her chin.

A whirlwind month and what did she have to show for it?

Likely she’d lose her job. Okay. That’s not all bad. The farther from La Grande Bouche and that unscrupulous jerk Angus she could get, the happier she’d be. If nothing else, this humiliating fiasco taught her that much.

Her impetuously written story was so full of lies that she could never face anyone in Nocturne Falls again.

And after all this time, she’d finally connected with Jessica Callahan, though it wasn’t exactly a movie-script reunion with all that talk of psychic abilities and falcon shifters.

She’d be amazed if Connor Ford even showed up this morning. If the tables were turned, what would she do? He’d left her with a promise that he’d help her find a way out of this.

Unless he turned back the clock long enough for her to retract that story, was there any other solution?

A plate of food appeared on the table next to her.

“I’m sorry, I’m waiting for someone.” Brianna turned to see who insisted on sitting down, despite her explanation.

“They can sit somewhere else. Can you scoot the table a little? I need more room.”

Connor? So, he did show.

After they repositioned the table, Connor chowed down on his overflowing plate.

As he slathered jam on a scone, he flashed a smile. “I hate to eat in front of you.”

Sitting with him at breakfast seemed so natural. In another life, it might be after a long night of sweet lovemaking. With a falcon? Holy cats.

But he looked so human in his black t-shirt and jeans. She stared at a small spot of jam that clung to his lips. What fun it might be to kiss that away.

“Last night you said you might have a plan,” she said.

Connor licked his lips, and the jam disappeared. “I didn’t say I might have a plan. I said I had a plan.”

He gestured to his plate. “You sure you don’t want part of this?”

She shook her head. “The plan?”

“Give me time to talk to my family. If you can get Angus out to my mother’s house tomorrow night under the pretense of a party, I think we can convince him to pull the story.”

That sounded a little shady.

Connor tore a piece of bacon lengthwise and stuffed half in his mouth. If these people were falcons, surely, they wouldn’t dare swoop down on Angus and shred him to death like the bacon strip. Would they?

“You won’t hurt him?” Brianna didn’t like Angus, but she didn’t want him physically harmed.

Connor pushed his plate away and leaned toward Brianna.

“What made you think we would?” He asked.

Oh, any number of reasons. A scary Hitchcock movie about the killer birds. No sleep last night.

“Guess it’s stress,” she said.

“Look, I need to go. I’d take you with me, but I need to handle this alone.”

They agreed to meet later in the day for another trail run. Outside, a beautiful, crisp day. She had to get out of this funk. Perhaps another walk around town would help.

And this time she’d pay close attention. If there was truth to this supernatural stuff, she should be able to tell if she looked hard enough. Or asked the right questions.

Brianna looked along the street for the old truck. “Where’d you park?”

Connor tilted his head to the Porsche and laughed. “You’re standing by it.”

She turned to the cherry red convertible behind him.

“No. You’re kidding. This is yours?”

Connor got in and started the engine. “Later we’ll take her for a ride. Meet you at the trail head. Three o’clock.” He waved and drove away.

If she didn’t move soon, she’d become a pigeon roost. What part of Connor being a principal in Ford Financial Group had she forgotten?

~*~

“Does she mean that much to you?” Solange’s unwavering gaze glued to the computer screen on her desk.

“It goes beyond that, Mother. It’s about the town.”

“This is a surprising reversal. I never knew you had that much love for Nocturne Falls.”

“I didn’t either.” But Brianna’s story would ruin everyone.

Solange rolled her captain’s chair away and gestured to a seat next to the desk.

“Have you given further thought to our discussion about Atlanta? You need to get down there.”

Great. Bargaining time.

If he wanted to come out of this with a win, he’d have to outsmart a master negotiator.

And fast and on the fly. Fly. What a glorious thought.

Now or never.

“I think there’s a better plan for the company,” he said.

Her eyes opened a quarter inch wider. “Better plan?”

“I think it’s time to sell. Before the directors meet to block us, we exit and take away a fortune. You, Ryan and I are the majority owners. A call to the attorneys and we can get this in motion.”

“Sell?” She slumped in her chair. “What are you saying? You can’t mean this.”

He didn’t. But it worked to get her on the defense. Suddenly she wasn’t the alpha falcon.

“Think about it, Mother. Then you wouldn’t spend so much time staring at a computer screen, or worried sick about who was trying to screw us. Your golden years would be so much better.”

“My golden years? Are you saying I’m old?”

Connor fought back a laugh. Pushing the vanity button worked.

“Of course not, Mother. But wouldn’t you rather spend your days doing something other than staring at tabs on balance sheets?” Though Connor had no idea what the woman would do all day, besides harassing her sons. She’d never baked a cookie or planted a geranium in her life.

Solange returned to her computer and tapped the screen so hard, Connor braced it from falling.

“See these numbers? These spreadsheets? I love them. This is my life,” she said.

Volley.

“See. That’s what I mean. I’m not sure I’d do the position justice. I don’t think I’ll ever have that same joy as you once had.”

“Once had? You think I’ve lost my passion? I’ll show you passion. Right after we dispatch with this annoying tabloid thing, I’ll march into that board room myself. I’ll show them, and you and your brother, and anyone else who’ll listen, that I still have what it takes.”

“If you think you’re up to it.” Connor wished this was recorded for Ryan.

A deep breath filled Solange’s chest. She held it a fraction of a second, then exhaled.

“Your brother and Jessica are in his studio packing his equipment. I think it’s time for a family meeting.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past those directors, Connor. Are you sure we aren’t being played?” Ryan asked.

“What makes you think that?” Jess filled their coffee cups.

“Control,” Solange said. “Jess, your experience with falcons is limited to the three of us in this room. After the boys’ father died, we expanded to a worldwide corporation and we were forced to diversify the board.”

Solange stirred cream into her cup in a slow circle. “Sadly, not all of us are ethical. There are those who would do anything to shame or humiliate the Ford family and force us out. This whole exposé might be a reverse scam. It may not have anything to do with Nocturne Falls.”

“Maybe Brianna’s sudden appearance might be part of their plan,” Ryan said.

Connor pounded his fist on the table. “That’s enough, both of you. It has nothing to do with the FFG. Brianna Putnam is not a pawn of some takeover scheme. Hold up on the paranoia and keep these two things separate.”

“I wish I could,” Solange said.

“Look, if none of you will help, fine. I’ll take care of this myself. Even though Brianna caused this giant cluster, she needs help. And this town doesn’t deserve this story to get out.”

“The man will be here tomorrow. I say we risk it,” Ryan said.

“Mother, are you in?” Connor’s gut wound so tight it growled.

“On one condition.” Her smile pierced her stern countenance. “Atlanta.”

“Damn.” She was a patient falcon, through and through. While she waited for the right moment, she played him all along like a fine-tuned guitar, then pounced. At this point, there weren’t a bucket of options. “I agree.”

“Wonderful. Now, what time shall we expect your young lady friend and Mr. Angus whatever-his-name is?”

Chapter Eighteen

Brianna felt like a bird on a wire facing a hurricane.

That’s a laugh. Birds had sense enough to hunker down somewhere safe till a storm was over. Exactly what she wanted to do right now.

But she’d created this storm and she had to ride through it.

Connor sounded so confident as they had jogged along the trail together yesterday. ‘It’s all arranged,’ he’d said. All she had to do was get Angus to the Ford home for a meet-and-greet to welcome the visiting celebrity to Nocturne Falls.

Celebrity? If that’s what they wanted to call him. Stinking sack of caca would be a better description.

With Connor, she felt this would turn out fine. Alone in her room and after another sleepless night, the niggling doubts returned.

Then, forty minutes ago, Angus called that he was almost there. He’d sounded like a slobbering, ravenous dog, hungry for a bloody piece of meat.

She paced the sidewalk watching every car drive by. Smiling face after smiling face. Happy go-lucky tourists.

The librarian drove past, waving out the window.

“Hey, Brianna. Come back by when you can. Found more info you might like,” he said.

What a sweetheart. Wonder what kind of supernatural creature he really was?

A white sedan slowed to a stop at the curb.

Her stomach bounced to her throat. Angus.

Whatever Connor had planned better be good.

~*~

Angus Harper spent the whole time they were in the car on the phone, to Brianna’s relief.

He didn’t respect her any more than he did a paperclip. All he wanted was a story. Didn’t matter how he got it or who got it. He didn’t even acknowledge the crappy way he treated her on the phone two days ago.

She glanced at her bracelet. Though tempted, now would not be a good time to read his mind.

After ending the sixth call in a row, he turned to her. “Where is this place anyway?”

To tell the truth, she had no idea. She’d only met Connor in town, at the Carpe Diem, or at the falls.

“Your navigation screen says turn right in a quarter mile,” she said.

She didn’t know much about Connor. And thanks to her mucking everything up, she’d lost the chance to learn more. He’d drop her like a hot coal once this was over. Why wouldn’t he?

Angus pulled to a stop at a locked gate. “Now what?”

Somehow Brianna had pictured a much smaller entrance. Maybe a wooden arm that would lift. Not this mammoth iron castle gate. “They told me to press the speaker button. Number 36.”

In a moment, a woman’s voice greeted them. Once Brianna announced who they were, the gate unlocked and opened.

Angus muttered something about gates in a Podunk town being overkill while Brianna stared at the houses.

Huge, elegant homes. Expansive, manicured yards.

This had to be part of Connor’s game plan. He’d talked someone into hosting this pretend party.

After winding through the neighborhood, the GPS screen flashed that they’d arrived at the destination. Connor Ford had some mighty good friends.

Then it hit like a bomb. Ford Financial Group. The brothers were primaries. The Porsche. As smart as she was, why hadn’t Brianna pieced this puzzle together before now?

“Well, you getting out or not?” Angus had opened her passenger door.

She hadn’t noticed he’d even stopped the car.

Thank God it was Connor who answered the home’s front door.

“Please join us in the living room,” Connor said as he walked beside Brianna.

He slipped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a reassuring hug. She tried to smile but her lips were glued to her teeth.

She couldn’t even blink her eyes as she stepped into the foyer.

This wasn’t a home. It was a small-scale Versailles. Walls covered in framed paintings of pastoral gardens. Hallway tables held ornate porcelain vases.

Was the man in the dirty cap and grubby clothes she’d met in the driveway of the Carpe Diem a month ago, part of this?

No. This was a dream. She was sleep walking. Or, too much caffeine and not enough REM sleep. Big joke on her.

Here she was, a middle-class kid from Oregon standing in a million-dollar mansion. Connor Ford had his pick of women. That he’d shown any interest in her at all, even for the short time they’d had together, was a miracle.

When her eyes found Ryan and Jess, she calmed down an inch.

Red hair piled high, Jess was stunning in a black, sleeveless cocktail dress. Ryan wore a dark gray shirt and black slacks.

She cut a glance to Connor, still with his arm around her. Maybe she should pinch herself. He was so incredibly handsome. For a falcon, that is.

Solange walked toward them and offered her hand to Brianna.

“At last, we meet.” She held Brianna’s hand as she glanced at Jess. “What an amazing resemblance she has to your grandmother.”

Solange Ford was nothing like Brianna anticipated. Taller than Connor, she commanded the room in a way that seemed a bit overdone. A textbook foil for Angus Harper.

Solange gestured to the bar at one end of the room. “Please, everyone, help yourself. Sabrina will prepare any drink you wish.”

A full bar and bartender?

Drinks in hand, Solange and Angus stood off to the side chatting, one-sided of course. Angus had the social graces of a rhino and never knew when to shut-up.

Solange nodded and smiled. The supreme hostess.

“Hanging in?” Connor whispered in Brianna’s ear.

“Barely. I’m not sure what’s going on,” she said.

“When I give you the nod, make your way over to Jess. And Brianna, if it gets too intense, Sabrina will take you back to town. I’ll understand.”

He kissed the back of her hand, holding his warm lips long enough to make her wish they could find a room in this ginormous house where they might have privacy.

But leave? Nothing short of a nuclear blast would get her out of this house now.

Connor continued holding her hand as his eyelids narrowed. “Remember, stay with Jess.”

She smiled at him in an unsuccessful attempt to break through his steely stare. “I got it.”

Whatever ‘it’ was.

Ryan and Connor stood together behind the wingback chair where their mother had taken a seat. If they were dressed in period costumes, the trio would pass for a Victorian dynasty.

Something seemed odd. It was as though they were taking stage positions.

On his second martini, Angus sat across from them, still yammering.

Solange politely nodded as though she gave a rat’s left foot about what Angus was saying.

Jess sidled over to Brianna and took her hand. What the heck? Wasn’t this the same Jess who played the ice queen at the barbecue? Now she wanted to hold her long-lost cousin’s hand?

“Have you ever seen him shift?” Jess whispered.

“What? Who?”

“Connor,” Jess said.

“I saw him move closer to Ryan if that’s what you mean.”

Jess smiled and shook her head. “Stay close.”

“So, Angus. About the story Brianna submitted. Are you still planning to publish it?” Solange asked.

“Hell, yes. Our readers believe anything we put out there. This one will reel in the bucks. Right up there with the alien baby stuff.” He leaned forward in his chair, his forearms on his thighs, rolling his drink between his hands. “I’m sure you understand what I mean.”

He looked around the room. “This hobgoblin town has worked out well for you. There’s a sucker born every minute, they say.”

Solange sat tall in her chair and cocked a glance at her sons. “We would concur with that.”

Connor stared straight at Brianna and nodded. Jess’s grip tightened.

“I knew it,” Angus said through a malevolent laugh. “My kind of people.”

“I doubt that.” Solange gripped the chair arms. “Gentlemen, shall we?”

Chapter Nineteen

First the glimmer.

Solange and her sons were enveloped by a dim gray-white light that quickly turned to LED bright.

Then a distant whirring like the sound of a thousand wings grew louder, filling the room to a deafening level.

Brianna covered her ears as she tried to focus on Connor’s face that soon disappeared into an opaque shroud. She felt her cousin’s hug around her waist tighten.

“Jess?” Only one word had the nerve to escape.

And then it ended. The room quieted. The shimmering lights disappeared.

So had Solange, Ryan, and Connor.

In their place were three very large Peregrine falcons perched on the chair.

“Come with me.” Jess guided Brianna to an out of the way corner.

“Now, take some deep breaths.” Jess put her hand on Brianna’s back. “It helps.”

Between gasps, Brianna formed a feeble question. “What was that?”

“When they shift as a group, it’s quite a show,” Jess said.

“It’s true? Everything Connor said was true?”

“Judge for yourself. Look at your boss.”

She’d never been this close to uncaged predators. Their beaks and talons were designed to capture and kill. Who or what would be their next victim?

Their appearance was spellbinding. To think each of these was a human being moments ago. The one that had been, or was, Connor was broad chested and had a slight turn to his head while he kept his eyes on her.

Remembering Angus was in the room, she turned her attention back to him.

Bloodless as a corpse, his face was a portrait painted in fear. Hot damn. Seeing this was worth her own cardiac failure.

Solange was the first to return to human form.

She dusted a few rogue feathers from her lap, then smiled at the falcons on either side. “Nice job, sons.”

“Sabrina, please fix Angus a drink? I think he needs one,” Solange said.

“What about Ryan and Connor,” Brianna whispered to Jess.

“They’re fine. And you?” Jess asked.

“I wish I knew.” Brianna stretched her arms behind her back and gave one a pinch. Pain. Not dreaming. This was real.

Angus took a long drink from the cocktail Sabrina brought him. “Excellent show. How’d you pull that off? This has Las Vegas written all over it. Better than the old disappearing tiger act.

Solange exploded in a netherworld laugh that rattled the ice in Angus’s glass.

“You are in Nocturne Falls, my dear man.” Solange steepled her fingers. “The magic of Halloween extends beyond the celebrations and town decorations. Through the beneficent grace of the Ellingham family, we, and others can live in a community that embraces us.”

Solange cast a loving glance in the direction of Brianna and Jess, then continued.

“Our day-to-day lives are just like yours.” Solange tipped her head toward Angus and cast a dark stare. “Perhaps not exactly like yours. But we run businesses, marry, raise children.”

In an instant, Ryan reappeared in human form, and Jess walked to his side. Why didn’t Connor shift?

“We hope you understand why we ask you not to publish Brianna’s story,” Ryan said.

Angus tossed back the rest of his drink.

“Are you kidding? This story will put La Grande Bouche on the map and sell a million copies. Where’s that bartender? I need another drink.”

Brianna’s heart puddled at her feet. The plan had failed. Reasoning with this stubborn ox was hopeless.

She didn’t know this family well, but they had jeopardized everything to help her. And Angus had thrown it right back in their face.

It was all her fault. Was there anything she could do? If she could only get inside his scrambled thoughts and find a thread of compassion.

Inside his thoughts?

She had to try. If she suffered later, so be it. Better she hurt from a headache than hurt an entire town. She slipped off the bracelet and tossed it on the sofa.

Noisy voices started immediately. Ryan. Jess. Solange. She pressed her fingers to her temples.

Come on, sort through them. She hadn’t used this ‘gift’ deliberately before. Get a firm picture of Angus. Tune into his channel.

So hard. So noisy. Her own thoughts crashed through.

‘Photos. Get them to do it again. Right price.’

She’d hit.

‘Need better writer. Who can I get? Blow this wide open. Everybody has a price. What’s theirs?’

Brianna had enough. She marched up to Angus and wagged her finger in his face.

“This town and these people are not for sale.” Blood throbbed in her temples. “How dare you think they have a price?”

“Who said they did?” Angus roared.

“You did, and you know it.” Brianna tightened her fists. It would be so easy to pummel this liar. Would her arrest be worth it?

“Brianna.” Connor’s hands rested on her shoulders.

In her rage against Angus, she hadn’t noticed that Connor had shifted back to human. He slipped the bracelet back on her arm.

“Enough, everyone,” Solange announced. “Sabrina, we need you.”

Brianna’s head was still reeling, but did she just hear Solange order more drinks? Was she kidding?

“I suppose the next thing will be the bartender turning into a snake.” Angus’s chortle reignited Brianna’s fuse.

Sabrina casually walked into the room and stood a few feet from Angus.

“And what do you have for us?” Angus asked.

Sabrina’s answer came in a sweeping arc of her hand. Whatever Angus was about to say next, froze in the air as did his body.

Brianna cocked her head toward Angus, then walked around his chair, poking him several times. No reaction. No response.

“Is he dead?” She asked.

“Heavens, no,” Sabrina said. “I cleared his memory of the falcon shift and anything said after that.”

“He’ll be in this state for about ten minutes. Enough time for you to send him a retraction email,” Connor said.

“Where’s the closest computer?” Brianna asked.

Connor took her into Solange’s office and signed on to the computer. Brianna had the email ready in three minutes. She read it aloud to Connor, who asked her to repeat the last two lines.

“You heard me. I resigned. How about this last line? And you can take the Bouche and shove it,” she said.

“Maybe cut that part,” Connor said.

She shrugged, deleted the line, then hit send. Relief poured over her like a rain shower.

She’d just freed her soul from brutal captivity. And it felt so good.

“Your family was wonderful,” she said.

“You weren’t bad yourself. Pulling that bracelet off was gutsy. I know how it affects you.”

The unasked question danced around them. Even with her bracelet on, it was easy to read his thoughts.

“To be honest, I was scared,” she said.

“So was I.”

“I mean, about watching you. The whole shift thing.”

“I know.”

“What’s it like to fly?”

“I love it. Ryan hates every bit of it.”

“Jess seems to be fine with what Ryan is.”

“She grew up in Nocturne Falls. She’s lived with supernaturals most of her life. For her, for all of us, it’s what kind of person you are inside that counts.”

“Your mother made a lot of sense about living in a place where you are embraced and feel safe. I envy that,” Brianna said.

“It could be your home,” he said.

If only that were true.

~*~

With Angus still frozen like a side of beef on ice, everyone took their original positions.

The stage was set for the big thaw.

Though everyone else seemed casual and relaxed, Brianna thought she’d burst.

Angus’s eyes blinked then his right foot tapped the floor. He was coming out of it. What would he be like? Raging as usual? Meek as a mouse?

Solange took a sip from her fresh drink. “So, that’s Nocturne Falls, Angus. We’re not very exciting. Just a little tourist town in the mountains.”

Angus reached for his drink but seemed surprised that his glass was already empty. Sabrina stood off to the side with a wide Cheshire cat grin. Angus better keep his mouth shut. No telling what else this woman might do.

“Solange, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve wasted enough of your and my time.” He turned to Brianna. “If you want my advice, try fiction writing.”

Brianna picked an imaginary piece of lint from her knee to keep from laughing in his face.

“I’ll consider that,” she said.

Chapter Twenty

Brianna stood with Connor at the gate and watched the rental car’s tail lights disappear into the night.

Angus Harper was gone. For good. Forever.

“How did she do it?” Brianna asked.

“Sabrina? She’s a Draoi.”

“A what?”

“She practices ancient magic. Sabrina came here three years ago, after she was banished from her hometown. As hard-nosed as my mother is, she empathizes with outcasts. Sabrina was in a tough spot, so Mother brought her into our home.”

There was way more to this new world than Brianna could process tonight, or perhaps in a lifetime.

“Well, one thing’s certain. It seems Sabrina makes a darn good cocktail and I could use a drink,” Brianna said.

Inside, Solange, Ryan, and Jess sat around the enormous dining room table, laughing and joking about their performance.

Brianna wasn’t entirely sure she should intrude. If it hadn’t been for her, none of this would have been necessary. And without Sabrina, it would have been a disaster.

“Ah, there you are.” Solange rose from her chair.

Brianna’s gut twisted into a chain of knots. She’d witnessed the power this family held. If they wanted her out of their lives, would they ask nicely, or blast her into the ether?

“Brianna and Jess, please come with me,” Solange said.

The women exchanged surprised glances as Solange waited in the doorway. “Well, come on,” she said.

Brianna wished there’d been time for that drink. But she was in no position to argue with the person who had helped end the La Grande Bouche disaster.

Except for the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls, the walk down the long hall was painfully quiet.

They stopped in front of a glass door. A solarium? Why should this come as a surprise in this place?

It certainly was odd timing for Solange to show off her orchids, but Brianna would put on her best performance and say how beautiful they were.

Solange opened the door and beckoned them to enter. “I’ll leave you now.”

She had to be frigging kidding. From Jess’s look, she had the same thought.

Jess and Brianna held hands and walked through the threshold until they stood alone among hanging ferns, caladiums, and assorted flowering plants.

Jess’s face dripped from the humidity. “What’s going on?” She whispered.

Brianna wiped a trail of sweat off her temple. “Hell, if I know.”

“No need to swear.”

Brianna’s knees buckled to a near collapse. “Who was that?”

Someone stepped from the shadows. “My two precious granddaughters. Together.”

“Nana?” Jess hesitated a moment, then ran toward the small woman who almost disappeared in Jess’s embrace. “I can’t believe this. It’s you. Really you.”

Brianna stood in shock. This tiny woman was her grandmother?

“Honey, come over here,” the woman said.

Willing her feet to move, Brianna’s steps matched the cadence of her thumping heartbeat.

Her father’s mother. The person he’d warned her about, stood before Brianna with open arms.

“Are you really her?” How stupid that had to sound.

Brianna wanted this with all her heart and wanted to run away at the same time. Once in her grandmother’s embrace, Brianna wished for time to stand still.

The woman smelled of vanilla and lavender. Her soft cheek was a bit wrinkled, but the strength in her arms belied her age.

Tears blurred Brianna’s sight. “I don’t know what to say.”

Echo’s laugh tickled Brianna’s chest. “How about hello?”

Brianna and Jess sat on a wooden bench while Echo told them about her adventures in China, amending her descriptions with broad gestures. The woman was so adorable. How could her father hold anything against her?

Finally, Echo explained she didn’t have much time to spend with them.

“Why’d you choose to come back today?” Jess asked.

“To let you know that I was okay. And to meet my dear Brianna. And to add my blessing to the wonderful men you’ve chosen to marry.”

Brianna’s back stiffened. Chosen to marry? “I think you’re confused. Jess and Ryan are engaged. There’s no man in my life.”

“Honey, someday we’ll have a long, long talk. When I know something, I know it. You most certainly have a man. And your life with him is going to be wonderful. And both of you are going to give me some fine great-grands.”

Great grandkids? What was she talking about? Brianna had barely met Connor. Wasn’t it a bit too soon to order a wedding cake?

“Now, I need to scoot, but I’ll be back for your weddings. I promise.”

“Nana, don’t go yet. Please,” Jess said.

Brianna wondered if things could get any weirder. Afraid they might, she tried to shut down her thoughts. As though that was possible. And as though Echo wouldn’t hear them anyway.

If only she had her grandmother around to help with this psychic gift business. And maybe fill in the gaps about her father.

“Brianna, honey, there’s so much catching up we have to do.” Echo reached for Brianna’s hands and gently held them in hers. “I’ll be delighted to teach you everything I can when I come back. As for your father and me, well that will take a long time to sort out. He was so attached to his father. When we lost him…”

Echo’s voice hitched, and Brianna wondered if she had unintentionally opened an old wound. This tiny woman suddenly appeared so frail.

“I’m stronger than I look, honey.” The twinkle returned to Echo’s eyes as she cleared her throat.

“Both of you girls need to hear this. I suppose I can stay a few more minutes.” Echo wedged between Brianna and Jess on the bench and took each girl’s hand and gave a squeeze.

“My husband, your grandfather, was killed in action in Viet Nam. It wasn’t easy for me to raise two kids alone. We were so lucky to find this town.

My daughter’s psychic gift appeared when she was eight. Just as yours did. But my son, your father, Brianna, was just like your grandfather. A normal human.

I tried to make him understand he was perfect just as he was, but my son wanted to be like the other kids. He had no psychic gift. No supernatural abilities at all. I didn’t care. He was my little man. My rock. I still love him with my whole being.

But his resentment festered for years. He left here bitter, distrusting and angry. At Nocturne Falls. At his sister. And at me. When Jess’s parents died, he wouldn’t take Jess into his home. More of his misplaced denial of who we are.”

Jess and Brianna exchanged wide-eyed glances. Echo’s story left Brianna speechless. Painful as it was, she’d wanted the truth about her father. This had explained so much, but she was left with more questions that she dared to ask, yet.

“Now I need to go before the three of us melt into a pool of tears. I won’t have that. We come from sturdy stock. We are strong and can conquer anything.”

She gave each girl a kiss. “Ciao, my precious ones.”

And then Echo was gone.

After several minutes in silence, Brianna turned to her cousin. “Is it me or do people keep coming and going around here?”

“It’s how things roll,” Jess said.

~*~

“Anyone for a nightcap?” Solange announced as Brianna and Jess returned to the dining room.

“Not for me. I’m going back to the Inn. I’m exhausted,” Brianna said.

“We can give you a lift,” Ryan said.

“Ah, I got that covered,” Connor said.

Brianna felt the bloom of school-girl awkwardness flush up her neck.

On the ride, Connor kept the top down on the car. Brianna watched a shooting star graze the sky.

Somewhere out there her grandmother was practicing Tai Chi, several centuries in the past.

Inside the Ford mansion, a family of falcons had shifted before her eyes.

A woman cast a freezing spell on someone.

A prediction that she was going to produce great-grandchildren with Connor.

Her grandmother opened a door on her father’s past.

All in all, a typical date night.

The Porsche whirred to a stop in front of the Inn. Without a word, they walked to the porch.

When they reached the first step, Connor asked, “So, what’s next?”

Brianna took a deep breath and exhaled in a long sigh. “Next? I figure out the rest of my life.” Now with her grandmother’s story, she walked a high-wire between two worlds.

She interlaced her fingers and pressed her locked hands behind her back. “I suppose I’ll go home to Portland.” Which meant facing her father.

“You don’t have to,” Connor said.

Had he read her mind? No. He was a falcon. Not a psychic. Coincidence.

Connor ran his hands along Brianna’s arms until she released her fists.

“I need to go to Atlanta. Family business. Would you consider coming with me?” He asked.

The sweet sincerity in his gaze gave her happy chills. Her father had been wrong to leave here. And she would be right to stay.

“We’ve never been on a real date except when you took me to lunch.” Jogging. Coffee. Site seeing. Stranding her on a mountain. And scaring Angus half to death didn’t count in Brianna’s book.

“Meaning what?” Connor asked.

“Meaning, I think Atlanta would be a beautiful place for a real dress-up date. Don’t you?”

Connor gave Brianna’s neck a light massage, electrifying every cell in her body.

“People might talk,” he said.

She reached around and locked her thumbs in his waistband. “Meaning what?”

He leaned closer, pausing just before his lips met hers as their warm breath mingled. She knew in her heart that this moment would change their lives forever.

“Meaning this.” His mouth covered hers and found her tongue.

His fingertips swirled around those goofy spots on her skull that made her lose all rational control.

After a lovely, languid moment lost in his embrace, a giggle rose from her belly and escaped into his mouth.

He broke the kiss, and his puzzled expression made her laugh even harder.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“It tickles,” she said.

“Huh?”

She reached under her shirt and into her bra, then retrieved the feather from the falls that she’d brought for good luck.

“This,” she said. “Is it your habit to drop these everywhere? I’m not the kind of woman who goes around picking up after a man. Just want you to know that up front.”

He lightly kissed her cheek. “Got it.”

“And promise you’ll give me a little notice next time you plan to shift?”

He nibbled down her neck. “Uh huh.”

“And, will you please stop fooling around and kiss me right?”

He ran his tongue up her chin and around her lips.

The man drove her mad. For more.

He gave her lower lip a soft bite, then tipped her chin toward him.

“One more thing.” He kissed her nose. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

Moonlight glinted off the silver bracelet she held in her hand. “I already know.”

“You better put that back on. Some of my thoughts should stay private,” he said.

“Agreed. And for the record, I am madly and totally and featherly in love with you, Connor Ford.”

“Featherly?”

“Just kiss me.”

The End

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About the Author

Candace Colt lives and writes on Florida’s Gulf Coast. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing yoga, Tai Chi, or taking long walks on the Pinellas Trail. Before venturing into full-time writing, she taught in K-12 public school, two colleges and a university. She worked in health care and was a college library administrator.

She also became hooked on genealogy when she discovered her ninth great-grandmother, Rebecca Towne Nurse was hanged as a witch in Salem, MA in 1692.

So many characters, so many stories, so little time!

This is her second novella set in Nocturne Falls.

Connect with her:

Pinterest * Website * Twitter * Facebook

Special thanks to my amazing team

Cover Artist: Rebecca Poole

Copy Editor/Proofreader: Tammy Payne

Internal Formatting: Caitlin Labud

Beta Readers: Raven Winter, Brynda Wolf

Magical Muses: Wynter Daniels and Jax Cassidy

The Incredible Nocturne Falls Encyclopedia: Melanie Newton

World Creator: Kristen Painter

Coming Soon from Candace Colt:

THE PSYCHICS SAY I DO

Cousins Brianna and Jess are headed to the altar. But their plans run amok and even their psychic powers can’t undo the chaos. The entire town pitches in to help, but will it be enough to pull off their dream weddings?     