Harvest Dreams (3 page)

*
He smiled to himself.
They were watching for him.
Couples wandering around all night watching.
They’d tried it before and hadn’t found him.
The sinful women hadn’t shown themselves tonight.
Maybe tomorrow, he had time.

Chapter 3

Cora stretched out in the chair. “Kathy outdid herself this morning. I’m stuffed.” Dade rubbed his stomach and grinned. “She doesn’t even come close to your cooking, Coralee.”

“Flattery like that, Dade Jones, will be rewarded with meals.” Cora sighed. “I enjoy letting someone else feed you once in a while though.”

Steven smirked. Everyone there knew if they didn’t practically drag Cora out of the cabin she’d be in the little under equipped kitchen the whole time cooking up fabulous eats.

“That’s what I like to hear, honey.” Dade winked and rested his head back against the wall.
Steven watched Rachel go into her room then back out again digging in her backpack. “What did you lose, Rach?” Kasey asked her softly.
Rachel didn’t even lift her head from searching. “Damn phone cord, my cell’s dead.”
Kasey leaned back in Chris’s lap. “You can try my charger if you want, it might fit.”
Steven looked at her again for a moment. She’d been quiet and jittery since they’d gone to breakfast. At first he thought it was from the events of the night before but she had no trouble looking at him with a knowing sparkle in those sleepy eyes. Of course he grew hard each time she did that. “My phone is up by my cot if you need to call someone.” It hit him hard when she looked up and his heart flipped inside his chest to see tears forming. Now he knew what had been bothering her. “Go call and see how Ricky is, the reception’s good here.”
Rachel lowered her lashes for a second before looking back at him with a small smile. “Thank you, Steven.”
He watched her go up the stairs.
“That’s probably the third time in all the years she’s known you that she’s called you by your name. Is she all right?” Dade slid down the wall to lie on his side as he looked at him.
Steven sighed. “She’s just worried about her little guy.”
Cora studied him for a minute. “So, you think you’ll be able to help him?”
He shrugged. “Won’t know until I take a look.” Sitting up, he sighed. “I hope so for her sake.” He stood up and stretched. “I’ll go see if she reached him.”
*
Rachel sat looking down at the phone in her hand. All he wanted was to hold her right now.
“Did you reach him?” Steven asked as he leaned against the doorframe.
She nodded. “Yes, he said ‘I’m having a good day, Rach’.” Her voice was quiet.
Pushing away from the wall he went over and squatted down in front of her, taking her hands in his. “He may just be having a difficult time absorbing all the right nutrients Rachel, I’ve seen that many times. Don’t get yourself all worked up until we know more.” He shouldn’t tell her that, but he couldn’t stand to watch her worrying.
She lifted damp eyes to his. “You think so?”
He caressed her cheek. “We’ll have to wait and see.” She dropped her lashes hiding her eyes from him and then when she looked back at him something entirely different was reflecting in them. He smiled. “I think I’m going to have to fit in a nap today. I didn’t get much sleep this morning.” He chanced a light kiss on her lips.
Her eyes lit up as she grinned. “I know the feeling. I won’t last until the fire tonight if I don’t lie down later.”
Steven caressed his thumb over her lip tenderly. “I didn’t hurt you did I?” She shook her head quickly smiling at him. “Good. I have a few teeth marks myself.”
Rachel grinned. “Your own fault, Dr. O’Reily.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m not complaining at all, Angel. In fact I’m having a difficult time staying away from you this morning. I want to be...”
“Everything all right?” Leena stepped through the door.
Steven dropped his hand away from Rachel’s face when her eyes widened. Looking over her shoulder to the door he nodded. “Everything is good. Rach and I are going to head over to see how many munchkins we can get riled up.” Rachel smiled at him still not looking at Leena.
“I hope that adorable little blonde one is there. She’s so fun to do things with.” He pulled her to her feet. Turning to Leena she smiled. “Then I’m having a nap before tonight.”
Leena sent her a knowing smile. “Yes, my thoughts too, it’s going to be quite a night.”
Steven looked from one woman to the other with a curious look.
“With the ritual and burning then dancing, I get tired just thinking of it.” Leena added with a smile.
“I’m looking forward to seeing those new outfits.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I love to suffer.”
Leena laughed. “We’ll see if we can manage that for you, Steven.”
He nodded. “Good.” He grabbed Rachel’s hand. “Let’s go drive the volunteer’s looking after the kids crazy, we’ll get them all riled up.” She laughed and this time he noticed it reached her eyes.
*
Steven watched Chris drop down beside Dade sprawled on the grass under the hot sun. “The ladies are exhausting me. I can’t keep up with them today.”
Dade grinned and closed his eyes. “I’m resting up so I can drum all night and exhaust them in a much more viewing pleasurable kind of way.”
Owen grinned. “Just don’t tire them out too much.”
Steven smirked at Owen. “I hope Lee exhausts herself on you tonight you bragging bastard.”
Chris chuckled and stretched to reach the cooler. “I don’t think Kasey ever tires. But I’m not complaining.”
Dade sat up and glared at them reaching into the cooler. “I’m gonna use the base drum tonight and keep them going for hours, just to spite you two.”
“Someone’s a might owly today,” Steven mumbled quietly.
Dade raised his eyebrows. “It doesn’t bother you that we’re staying in a cabin with the constant touching and whatnot of these two with their women? Drives me crazy.”
Steven smirked. “You need a woman, my friend.”
Dade drank half the beer before replying. “Don’t see you with one yourself,
friend
!”
Steven leaned back at looked at him. “No comment.” He turned and looked at Owen. “Caught one of those looks between Leena and Rach earlier. I still say there’s something up that we don’t know.”
Chris scowled. “I agree, but can’t think what else to try to find out.” He lifted his head as Kasey came flying out the door at her usual top speed. Grinning he stretched out a hand towards her.
Kasey stopped and turned around. Seeing Chris she grinned. “I don’t have time to play Chris. I have to go find Gwen.” She blew him a kiss and started up the path to the main building.
“Strike.” Steven laughed.
Chris grinned at him. “Never when it counts.”
Dade stared at the bottle in his hand. “Justin knows what’s going on?”
“No, he’s as clueless as the rest of us.” Chris muttered.
“Makes me feel so much better when you put it that way.” Steven chuckled. Without looking, he knew Rachel was moving quickly towards the cottage. He’d always been tuned into her, but it was much stronger now. Lifting his head he looked behind him. “Wear out all the kids for them, angel?”
She stopped abruptly and nodded. “Of course. Has anyone seen Cora?”
Dade pointed to the cottage.
“Great. Thanks.” She almost ran the twenty feet to go inside without having to answer any questions.
Dade looked over at Steven and raised his eyebrows.
“So Chris you still any good at looking?” Steven asked him quietly playing with the grass in front of him.
Chris shook his head. “No, well, yes but I’ve vowed to Kasey I won’t do anything I used to along those lines.”
“You’re not helping the cause, Larkin.” Dade mumbled under his breath.
Owen leaned back and looked up at the sky for a minute. “How bad can it be guys? They’ve promised they’re not doing some spell or something dangerous, I say let’s deal with whatever it is when the time comes.”
Dade laughed.
Steven continued to look at the grass under his hand. “I haven’t made any promises about what I will and won’t do.” He knew they had caught his quiet words when none of them moved or spoke for several moments. He lifted his eyes and looked at Chris. Chris knew exactly what he meant. He watched him look quickly towards the cabin.
“If I did...”
Steven sat up. “You won’t be. I just need someone to be a strong amplifier to lend a hand.” Both Owen and Dade looked from one to the other. It was plain by the expression on their faces they didn’t know what Steven was talking about.
Chris looked at the cabin again. “When?
Steven shrugged. “Now.”
Dade leaned forward. “Now what?” he whispered.
Steven got up slowly. “You and Owen stay here and keep an eye out. Let us know if they come out.”
Dade nodded but still looked hesitant.
“Let you know how? Where are you going?” Owen was sitting up now too.
Chris scanned the treed area and motioned with his head. “Over there, it should be close enough.” He got up quickly. “If she finds out...”
Steven grinned at him. “She won’t.”
Chris snorted. “You say that now but the bond is really strong.”
Steven paused in his step and looked back at the other man. He held very strong and powerful magic and was afraid of little Kasey. Steven dared him with his eyes to back out. Chris sighed and continued walking.
*
When they were well out of sight Steven stopped and looked back towards the cabin.
Chris hissed out a breath as he looked around. “This should be far enough.” He looked at the trees overhead and then to the ground. “How do you want to do this?” He sent him a wary look. “Who are you going after?”
Steven rubbed his jaw. “Not Kasey, she’d just zap my ass and I’d probably have burn marks.” He noted the pride in Chris’s eyes as he tried not to smirk. “I’m going to aim for Rachel or Leena, definitely not Cora. If she so much as made a sound, Dade would thump me into the ground.”
Chris grinned. “And you don’t think Owen would?”
Steven shook his head. “Leena wouldn’t let him.” He let out a deep breath and then held up his hands, palms facing Chris. “Here goes nothing.” He closed his eyes and took slow breaths as he reached deep inside to the magic he held tightly within his body. He felt it climb through him and warm his skin. When Chris’s fingertips touched his, he felt a powerful boost to the magic gathering.
He pictured Rachel inside his mind and focused on her for a few seconds, testing. A heat spread through him as he felt the connection to her aura pass over his own. He searched for the way into her thoughts and felt her mind click open as if he’d turned a key. Taking a deep breath he concentrated harder.
His hands shook until he felt Chris funnel some of his own power into the sight he was trying to grasp. He could see all of the women and a multitude of colors as they moved around inside the cabin. He could feel nervousness and anxiety. Furrowing his brow his held onto the link as it started to change. He couldn’t sense what it was now it had somehow changed quickly. It was as if...
A blast of power shot through him and sent him sprawling to the ground. His hands were burning suddenly and it felt like he’d been hit across the head with something made of stone. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the leaves on the trees above him. Lifting his head carefully he looked around and spotted Chris lying flat on his back as well.
“We are in a lot of trouble, Doctor.” Chris sounded out of breath.
“Yeah,” he agreed and then turned his head towards the sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the cabin.
He was almost able to sit up when Rachel and Kasey came into view. Following right on their heels were Cora and Leena. None of them looked to be in a very good mood. In fact if he knew how to vanish, he would have tried to.
“Christopher!” Kasey stopped when she reached them and glared down at her fiancé. “What were you doing?”
Chris hissed out a breath and slowly got to his feet. He glanced at Steven and then looked down at the angry witch standing a few feet away. “I...”
“Wasn’t doing it,” Steven finished. He looked at Kasey with what he hoped was a passable expression of honesty. “Chris wasn’t doing it, I was. He just came to keep me out of trouble and I guess he got too close to me.” He propped himself up on one hand and wished it would stop hurting sometime soon. “Who the hell blasted me?”
Rachel appeared beside Kasey, and if Kasey had looked upset then Rachel looked pissed right off. “We did.” She scowled at him. “What were you doing? Trying to get inside my head?”
He shrugged. “Not exactly...”
“Couldn’t just be a normal peeping tom and look in a damn window,” Dade mumbled from where he stood behind Rachel.
All eyes turned to Dade.
Steven raised his eyebrows at him when no one was looking at him. Leave it up to Dade to find an out. He stood up and brushed off his shorts with still tingling hands. “I have to get my kicks somehow.”
Rachel turned back to him and huffed out a breath. “That freaked me out, you jerk!”
Steven tried to look repent. “Sorry. I’ve never actually done it before...”
She shook her head. “If you feel the need to experiment with crap like that, as least wait until we don’t have some maniac out there.” She let out a long breath. “At first I thought it was him...”
“Uh, I’m sorry, angel.” He went over and hugged her into his chest. “I didn’t think,” he smirked into her hair. “If it’s any consolation that hurt like a bugger when you zapped me.”
“Men!” Leena turned and stomped out of the trees. Cora shook her head and followed her.
Rachel relaxed for a brief moment in his arms and then pushed him away and followed the others.
Steven dropped his arms and looked over at Chris. Kasey was brushing the dirt from his clothes and cooing over him. He rolled his eyes at the other men, who were working very hard not to grin. When she finally left him with a quick kiss and went in the same direction the others went Chris let out a deep breath.
Steven smirked. “That was interesting.”
Chris glared at him. “Next time you want to get yourself fried, leave me out of it.”
Dade snorted. “You? Owen and I were left in the middle of the war path.”
Owen nodded. “I thought they were going to kill uswhen they came out of the cabin.”
Chris looked down at his hands and flexed them. “Did you at least find out anything?”
Steven exhaled loudly. “Nothing useful.”
Chris scowled at him for a few moments and then turned back towards the cabin.
*
Steven watched Dade sit, leaning on his drum looking in the direction of the cottage. The sun was almost set now.
Any moment they’ll come over that knoll,
he thought and he didn’t want to look away and miss the first breathless punch that always took his breath away seeing their latest outfits of torment. They’d had placed the women’s offering for the harvest for in the fire pit and now they waited. “It’s like being a kid at Yule waiting for present opening to begin,” Steven mumbled.
Patrick walked up and sat down beside him. “I don’t have to ask what you gentlemen are watching for. Damn near swallowed my own tongue at Solstice when your ladies made their appearance.”
Chris grinned. “You wouldn’t be the first.”
Owen tapped his fingers lightly on the rim of the drum. “Living with the creator has no advantage either; she wouldn’t give me a preview.”
Chris threw his head back and laughed. “Well, I got to see the material and have been picturing Kasey covered in it ever since.”
Justin leaned down. “Have orders from Gwen to light the fire now. So if you gentlemen will get ready to start I’ll go tell Charlie to get it ready.” Dade nodded and straightened up.