Lost Bird
Coffeeshop Coven 2
Lost Bird
Sachi Wolowitz overcame horrific tragedy as a teen and has rebuilt her life, alone. She’s happy working at Many Blessings and teaching her first love, skeet shooting. She’s not looking for love. Especially not with the handsome plumber or the nameless cutie she bumps into at the grocery store, who both have unusual auras that speak to her soul.
John Evans and Oscar Weinstein have been friends since childhood. Each survived having their heart shredded and they are now roommates simply existing. John feels an attraction to Sachi when he replaces her water heater. Oscar recognizes her from the news, but is too nervous to make the first move.
When John’s elderly aunt thinks she’s seeing ghosts, Sachi and her team must investigate to discover if there’s really paranormal activity, or if his beloved aunt is going senile. Will Sachi find the proof she seeks, or get more than she bargained for and take a risk on love with the two hunks?
Genre:
Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal
Length:
68,003 words
Coffeeshop Coven 2
Tymber Dalton
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
LOST BIRD
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62741-677-1
First E-book Publication: May 2014
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of
Lost Bird
by Tymber Dalton from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Tymber Dalton’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Dalton’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
To Hubby, for giving me the freedom to go do what I love even though he has no interest in skeet. To Sir, Uncle Ron, and Uncle Dean for all the great times at skeet and dinner. I wish Uncle Jamie was still here to enjoy them with us. Somewhere, I hope he’s shooting twenty-five every day.
This book picks up a few days after the events of
Many Blessings
(Coffeeshop Coven 1) and overlaps a little with some of the events of
It’s a Sweet Life
(Coffeeshop Coven prequel). While all the books in this series are standalone and can be read independently of each other and in any order, here is the suggested reading order to avoid spoilers.
All of the titles are available from Siren-BookStrand.
1.
Out of the Darkness
(Coffeeshop Coven Prequel)
2.
It’s a Sweet Life
(Coffeeshop Coven Prequel)
3.
Many Blessings
(Coffeeshop Coven 1)
4.
Lost Bird
(Coffeeshop Coven 2)
LOST BIRD
Coffeeshop Coven 2
TYMBER DALTON
Copyright © 2014
Despite the sweat trickling down her back from the muggy Florida late June heat, Sachi Wolowitz tried to keep her expression neutral as she lifted her Browning 12-gauge over-under shotgun, mounted it against her right shoulder, and locked her right elbow into the correct position. She pressed her cheek against the stock and sighted down the barrel before swinging to her hold point.
“Ha.”
Her father hit the button on the remote control that sent a high house clay sailing out through the window and across the field. She pulled the trigger, clamping down on the groan that wanted to claw its way out of her throat from the feel of the shotgun’s recoil hitting the still-healing wound in her shoulder.
Unscathed, the clay landed on the far side of the field, where it shattered as it hit the ground.
“Lost bird,” he said.
She broke the gun open, removed the spent shell, and put a fresh shell in the lower barrel. “Option,” she muttered, her mood dark. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d missed high house one.
He nodded, waiting.
She took her stance again, trying to calm her mind. “Ha.”
The high house machine cycled above them, launching the bird across the field.
She clenched her teeth and fired, squarely nailing the clay, pieces of it falling to earth and some of them landing on the center bunker.
“You’re still in pain,” he said.
She lowered the gun. “Low house,” she said.
When she broke the Browning open to reload for the low house shot, her father reached out and wrapped his fingers around the forestock. “No. You’re done.”
“I only broke one bird.”
“We had a deal.
My
call,” he said, his jaw firmly set in a look she knew all too well. “You’re done for today, Miki.”
Only her father still called her Miki, even this many years later after she’d legally stopped being Miki.
She suspected she’d always be Miki to him.
“Dad, I
need
to shoot.”
“You need to heal. You
got
shot.”
“I’m fine. Fucker only hit me with a goddamned .22.” She tried to pull the gun free from his hand, wincing as she did, but his fingers only clamped more firmly around it.
“No. Doctor told you it was probably too soon. Give it a rest. Let it heal a little longer.”
She stared across the field toward the low house, at the window where the clay would fly from if he would just.
Push.
The fucking.
Button.
“Dad, I haven’t shot in weeks. I’m going crazy.”
“You’re already crazy,” he playfully said. “You got that from my side of the family.” He finally won the gentle tug-of-war and tucked the shotgun under his arm. “You’re done for today. That was our deal. I let you take a test shot, and you’re obviously still in pain. I gave you the second one because I knew if I didn’t so you could break that bird, you’d be impossible to live with.”
He turned, dragging the controller and its cord with him as he walked back to the table under the shelter near station four at the top of the field.
Discussion over.
I’m twenty-seven, and he can
still
use that tone on me.
And I
still
give in.
She stood there watching him walk away with her shotgun.
Goddammit.
“We had a deal,” he called out without looking back. “Home. Now.”
He pointed as he walked. She looked to where he was pointing and spotted a bright red male cardinal swooping across the field, stilling any argument she might have tried against her father.
Muttering under her breath, Sachi followed her dad back to the shelter.
* * * *
Sachi didn’t protest when her dad simply pointed to the car without letting her get her gun or shooting bag. Since his arrival from Idaho a couple of weeks earlier, she’d secretly thrived on his doting attention, his stern care, his protectiveness.
For once in her life, even though she’d have to get shot again first before she’d ever admit it out loud, she wasn’t too proud or stubborn to let him take care of her.
After what she’d been through, she’d gladly accept it.
He finished loading everything in the trunk. After he slid behind the wheel and cranked the engine so the air conditioner could cool the car, he looked at her.
“I called a real estate agent today. While you were at work at the shop.”
Her jaw tensed. “Yeah?”
“He said he thinks he could sell the house pretty quickly. Lots of hunters and winter sportsmen are looking for places in the area. Said I could easily get what I want for it. Maybe more.” He shrugged. “Maybe even a lot more.”
She didn’t dare nod. “Yeah?”
“I also called around to a few airports in this area. I could probably have my pick of jobs. Several places are hiring. Three asked if I could come in for interviews today.”
“Yeah?”
“How would you feel about that?”
“About what?”
He let out
that
sigh. “Miiikiii…”
Her gaze dropped to her lap, where her fingers aimlessly picked at each other. She hadn’t worn the sling the past three days, ever since officiating Mandaline, Ellis, and Brad’s handfasting ceremony on Saturday, even though it hurt more when she didn’t wear it.