Midnight Surrender: A Paranormal Romance Anthology (5 page)

“
Channie, get down here. We’re all waitin’ on you.”

“
Yes sir. Be right there.” Channie wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and tied the ends then hiked her skirt up to climb down the ladder out of the loft.

Abby curled her lip and narrowed her eyes at Channie. “I ain’t never got a new dress and new shoes on the same day.”

Daddy turned away from his shaving mirror and glared at Abby. “She works for Wisdom. What she chooses to give Channie ain’t none of your business.”

Abby snorted and folded her arms across her chest. “But, it ain’t fair.” The whiney sound of her voice was worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

Daddy’s face bloomed scarlet. “Abundance, that’s enough.”

Everyone froze, even the trips. When Daddy used your power-name, you knew you were in trouble. Channie started counting silently in her head and prayed she’d get to ten without Daddy taking off his belt …eight …nine …ten.

Daddy exhaled through pursed lips then rubbed the side of his face with his palm. “I’ll be in the bus.”

Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief and went back to whatever they were doing.

Momma grabbed Zeal with one hand then licked her thumb and rubbed at the corner of his mouth. “What in tarnation have you been eating?”

“
Nuffin.” He squirmed out of her grasp and made a dash for the door with Coco hot on his heels.

Savvy tugged on Momma’s dress and batted his feather-duster eyelashes at her. “It’s booberry jam. Coco shared wif Zeal but not me.”

Momma held Savvy’s chubby cheeks between her palms and kissed his forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Abby. “That jam was on the top shelf. You’ve got to do a better job of watching these babies. Especially Courage and Zeal.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “You’re the one that gave ‘em their power-names, don’t blame me.”

Channie ducked outside before she got caught in the middle of Momma and Abby’s argument. She rarely agreed with anything Abby said, but she was right about the trips’ power-names.

Daddy laid on the horn then stuck his head out the window of their old VW bus. “I’m leaving! Y’all better git your bee-hinds in this here vehicle right now or plan on walking.”

~***~

By the time they got to the gathering, most of the food was gone. Channie wasn’t surprised. Most folks’ pantries were bare by the end of winter. You came to Spring Gathering for the games, music and dancing, not the food.

Momma gave orders as she spread their quilt out next to Old Pappy and Aunt Wisdom. “I expect everyone to stay in the clearing. Don’t go wandering off into the woods. Abby, don’t let them babies outta your sight for one second, you hear me, girl?”

Abby rolled her eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

“
Channie, take the food to the community table and if you see so much as a single fly, recharge the bug-be-gone spells.”

“
For the whole table?” The darn thing was made out of heavy cedar planks and spanned the north end of the clearing. If she protected the entire table, not only would it drain most of her magic, it’d leave her too tired for dancing.

Momma raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. “You got a problem with that?”

“
No, ma’am.” Channie waited until she was out of range then cast a bug-be-gone spell on herself. She kept her gaze lowered to the ground to be sure she didn’t see any damn flies.

A line formed behind Channie as she wove her way through the crowd.

Momma fed the family biscuits and gravy before they left so Channie wasn’t hungry. She set Momma’s squirrel casserole on the table and scooted it to the side so the folks behind her could dig in. But she hovered over the apricot pie and scanned the crowd, looking for Hunter.

The pie would be gone in a matter of seconds, so she cut a piece and put it on her plate. Her mouth watered but this piece was for Hunter. Where the hell was he?

Hunter’s daddy waved her over. “I’ll give you a catfish for that there piece of pie.”

“
Sorry, it’s spoken for.” Channie ducked her head to hide the blush heating her cheeks.

Mr. Feenie rubbed his chin and smirked at her. “You wouldn’t be planning to waste that on one of my boys, now would you?”

“
Uh …”

He laughed and patted her back then pointed towards a crowd of young men. “They’re all over yonder, watching Hunter and Shep arm wrestle.”

Channie’s face went from warm to hot. “Thank you, sir.”

Hunter had looked mighty good when they met in the middle of the night under the sycamore tree. He looked even better in broad daylight.

At the last gathering, Hunter’s hand-me-down dress shirt had hung off his shoulders and covered all but the tips of his fingers. Now, it strained across the muscles of his upper body. The cuffs ended a good three inches above his wrists.

Shep was eleven months older than Hunter, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the two boys. Shep scrunched his face into a grimace and ground his teeth. His whole body trembled.

Veins stood out on the backs of Hunter’s hand, but his arm didn’t so much as twitch. A smattering of fine blond hair dusted his upper lip and sparkled in the sunlight. He grinned at the crowd, obviously enjoying all the attention.

When his gaze met Channie’s, she lifted the plate to show him the pie, and mouthed, “For you.”

Shep slammed Hunter’s arm onto the stump they were using as a table then raised his fists over his head with a shout of triumph.

Hunter grabbed Shep’s arm. “I was distracted by Channie’s pie. I wanna rematch.”

Shep laughed and shook his head. “I’m gonna go get me a piece before it’s all gone.”

“
Too late.” Channie had just come from the table. “This is the last piece and I got it for Hunter.”

Shep elbowed Hunter out of the way and reached for the plate. “To the victor go the spoils.”

“
You don’t want this.” Channie dodged his grasp and tapped into her power-name, but Shep got his shield up in time to repel her persuasive magic.

“
Oh yes I do.” He made another lunge towards Channie.

Hunter stiff-armed him with one hand and reached for the plate with the other. “You keep away from Channie.”

Shep arched an eyebrow as his gaze darted back and forth between Channie and Hunter. “I thought you and Lovie—”

“
Uh-uh.” Hunter shook his head. It was hard to understand him with his mouth full of pie, but it sounded like he said, ‘Lovie’s just for fun.’

Shep snorted and rolled his eyes. “Does her daddy know?”

Hunter’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and glared at Shep. “You keep your big mouth shut, Shepherd Feenie.”

Shep smirked and held his hand out, palm up. “The only way to shut my mouth is to fill it with pie.”

Hunter pressed his lips together so hard a rim of white encircled his mouth, but he handed the plate to his brother.

Shep shoved the rest of the pie into his mouth. His eyelids fluttered closed as he groaned and smacked his lips.

Channie glared at him. “If you’re done with my plate, I’d like to have it back, now.”

He licked it like a dog then shoved it at her. “Thank’s for the pie, Miss Enchantment. It was delicious.”

Channie crossed her arms over her padded chest and stepped back. “You are
not
welcome. And you can just go put that plate in my momma’s basket. I’m not touching it after you slobbered all over it.”

Hunter took Channie’s hand and led her away from the group of laughing boys. “It was right nice of you to bring me that piece of pie.”

“
I’m sorry your jerk of a brother stole it.”

“
Me too. But I’m in enough trouble with Lovie's daddy. I don’t need Shep spreading rumors.”

“
What’s going on with you two, anyway?” Channie licked her suddenly dry lips. “What’d you mean ‘Lovie's just for fun?’”

Hunter dropped Channie’s hand and shot her a sideways glance then scratched the back of his head. “There’s two kinds of girls. The kind you have fun with and the kind you marry.”

Channie untied her shawl and let the ends hang loose. She pulled her shoulders back, pushing her padded chest forward just a bit. “Why can’t a girl be both?”

“
It don’t work that way.” Hunter’s eyebrows arched as his gaze traveled the length of Channie’s body. “Though lord knows, I wish it did.”

Channie grabbed the ends of her shawl but before she could tie them, Hunter stepped in front of her and took both her hands. “I shouldn’t have said that. You’re definitely the marrying kind of girl.”

Channie’s heart leapt into her throat. Was Hunter declaring his intentions? They were a little young to get engaged, but Momma and Daddy had gotten married when they were sixteen.

Hunter caressed the back of Channie’s hands with his thumbs. “And someday—”

A shrill whistle interrupted Hunter. Someone yelled, “Grab a partner and line up!”

Channie recognized “Fire on the Mountain” even before the fiddler joined in. Hunter grabbed her around the waist and ran with her to line up in front of the band.

All the Feenie boys were light on their feet, but Hunter was by far the best dancer in the entire Ozark region. He whirled and twirled Channie ‘till she was so dizzy she could barely stand. His feet were a blur as he beat out a rhythm on the ground that had people dropping out to watch. When the music stopped, he kissed the back of Channie’s hand, thanked her for the dance … and disappeared.

~***~

An hour later, Channie still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Hunter, but she spotted Lovie Schmidt’s family. Lovie was not with them.

When Momma started in on Abby for losing track of the trips, Channie jumped to her feet. “I’ll go look for ‘em.”

She headed straight for the barn.

Lovie's high-pitched giggle boiled Channie’s blood. But it was the husky sound of Hunter’s voice that drove a knife through her heart.

“
Pleeease
, Lovie. You’re making me crazy.”

Channie froze then took a shaky breath and peeked through a gap between the rotting boards of the barn door. Dust motes swirled in the golden hued light of the setting sun.

Hunter pressed Lovie against the back wall. He held her wrists above her head with one hand and tangled the other in her hair.

Lovie’s lips parted as she lifted her chin.

Hunter kissed his way up her throat to her mouth.

Channie turned and fled into the lengthening shadows of the woods. Brambles snagged the fabric of her new dress and clawed at her skin; but she barely felt it. Why would Hunter practically propose to her then run off and do
that
with Lovie?

~***~

“
Channie?” Aunt Wisdom’s voice drifted through the woods. “Where are you, sweetheart?”

Channie swiped the tears out of her eyes and turned towards the sound of Aunt Wisdom’s voice. She reached out with her magic. “Over here.”

The soft glow of a kerosene lantern wove a trail of light between the trees.

Aunt Wisdom set the lantern on the ground then wrapped her arms around Channie. “He’s not worth it.”

Channie pulled back and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“
I mean…” Aunt Wisdom brushed the hair off Channie’s forehead. “That Feenie boy does not deserve you.”

“
What makes you think this is about Hunter?” There was no point denying she was upset, but she might be able to salvage a scrap of pride.

“
Well, my first clue was the way you lit up while you were dancing with him.”

“
You read my energy field?” Channie pulled away from Aunt Wisdom.

“
I didn’t have to. You were glowing like a sky full of lightening bugs.”

Channie buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Everyone knows?” Could this get any more humiliating?

Aunt Wisdom tugged Channie’s hands away from her face. “No one’s judging you, sweetheart. But that Feenie boy didn’t do himself any favors tonight.”

“
Why doesn’t Hunter like me the way he likes Lovie Schmidt?”

Aunt Wisdom gripped Channie’s chin between her thumb and index finger then tilted her face up. “You do
not
want any boy to like you the way they
all
like Lovie Schmidt.”

“
But it hurts.” Channie pressed her hands against her chest, as if that could ease the pain. “It feels like Hunter ripped my heart out and stomped on it.”

Aunt Wisdom hugged her again. “I know baby, I know.” She kissed the top of Channie’s head. “Someday, you’re going to find an honorable man. A man willing to place your happiness above his own. A man willing to sacrifice everything for your benefit. A man willing to lay down his very life, to protect you.”

“
Where am I gonna find a man like that?”

“
I have no idea.” Aunt Wisdom picked up her lantern then wrapped an arm around Channie’s waist. She guided her back towards the clearing — taking a large detour away from the barn. “But I do know this much … he won’t be from around here.”