White Trash Witch (6 page)

She didn't know how she got there, but when she
opened her eyes, she was sitting on his lap. Blinking, she stared
up at him and licked her lips.

Ryder stayed quiet, studying her eyes.

"I won't apologize for that. I wanted to do that
since the minute I met you."

"I…I..." Cupping his face in her palms she pulled him
close for another kiss. She lost herself in him, feeling tingles
race up and down his spine. She smelled sweet grass and spice, her
senses filled with him.

When she finally released him it was dark, and the
movie was starting. Both of them were panting, staring at each
other in awe. They'd fallen off a cliff and floated to the heavens
with a tender kiss. Wiley wondered what making love to him would be
like. If it had a tenth of the sensations the kiss brought, it
would be spectacular.

Shaking her head, she moved back to her seat and ran
a trembling hand through her hair.

"Wow," she said.

"Wow is right," he answered.

She didn't watch much of the movie, she was so lost
in him. They didn't kiss again, though she felt sure he would want
to. The problem was that she feared that they wouldn't be able to
stop.

Sharing popcorn, they slowly nibbled away, their
hands touching now and then when they both reached for some kernels
at the same time. Tuned in to the passion she felt for him, she
became guarded, her protective barriers breached.

At the end of the night, she drove him back to the
Bed and Breakfast and turned the car off.

"Thank you. This day has been…amazing," he said
quietly.

Reaching over she cupped his cheek with her hand and
pulled him closer for another kiss.

"Aren't they cute?" Jeffrey asked, peeking out his
bedroom window.

"Young love. It's so sweet. I wonder if she'll get
her tongue back after losing it in his throat?" Walter mused.

Chuckling, Jeffrey swatted him, and continued
watching the couple necking in the car.

"Come away from the window, pervert. She might call
the cops on you," Walter teased.

"Ha! She wouldn't call the cops because Victor would
come running. He ran the plates on Ryder's car this afternoon. The
look on his face was thunderous."

"I hope our boy isn't a criminal. That would really
upset her. She's the most honest, kindest person I know," Walter
said.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see then, won't we?
Come to bed now," Jeffrey said, turning down the sheets.

The phone rang and Walter gave Jeffrey a surprised
look. It was well after midnight and no one called that late unless
it was an emergency.

"Hello?" he said. His eyes widened and he placed a
hand over the phone. "Get Wiley in here, fast."

Throwing on his robe, Jeffrey raced down the stairs
and shouted to Wiley as he made his way to the car, puffing for
breath.

The couple sprang apart. Wiley's eyes widened, and
she got out of the car.

"I don't know what it is, but it's an emergency on
the phone. Hurry, Walter's taken the call."

"Oh, God!" she said, running up the stairs with the
men right behind her.

Once in the hall, she picked up the phone.

"Hello? She what? Where? Okay, I'll be there in the
next hour-and-a-half." She put the phone down and stared at the men
with tears in her eyes. Fear snaked down her spine, leaving her
stunned.

"My sister Dara is in the hospital in surgery. She's
been in a bad car accident. Mom and Dad are already there. They
didn't know where I was, so they just left. Oh, God, my sister!"
She was shaking, and Ryder pulled her close.

"Listen, where is she?"

"In Toronto at St. Mike's hospital."

"I'll get my stuff together in a jiffy. I'm driving
you there."

Turning to Jeffrey, he said, "Get her a glass of
brandy or wine, whatever you have," he said, then raced up the
stairs, nearly knocking Walter over as he passed him.

Walter rushed into the room, and pulled Wiley into
his arms.

"I have to…the pastries, work, I…I don't know what to
do."

"Honey, I'll call Diana and Nat. Don't worry about
the pastries, you just take care of you. You're in shock."

"Please, sit down and drink this, Wiley," Jeffrey
said, handing her a glass of brandy.

Wiley drank the whole thing in one gulp, not
realizing what it was, she was so distracted. Gasping, she pushed
the glass back at Jeffrey, and fought to catch her breath.

Ryder rushed into the room, his bag ready.

"Come on. We'll take my car."

"Will you be back, Ryder?" Jeffrey asked.

"I'll bring her home if her parents don't. Thank you,
for everything," he said, shaking hands with them.

Putting his arm around Wiley's shoulders, he whisked
her out of the house and into his car. He helped her into the seat,
doing up her seatbelt after throwing his bag on the back seat. Once
he was in and they'd buckled up, they were off, racing to
Toronto.

Wiley shook all the way there, terrified she'd lose
her sister.

To distract her, Ryder asked her questions about her
family as they drove. She was still in shock, but her color was
coming back.

"Tell me about your sister."

After taking a deep breath, she said, "She's a few
years older than me and married to a drunk. He was driving the car
when they had the accident. He got off without a scratch. The other
car T-boned her side. She's in surgery, but there has been no
word."

"Do they have kids?"

"Yes, a thirteen-year-old, named Lacy. She's in the
'gotta wear all black' stage. She's had a pretty though time with
her Dad. He's never given her the time of day. You'd think it
wasn't his child at all. She's pure rebel."

"What do your mom and dad do?"

"Mom works at the grocery store in Cobourg and Dad
runs the farm. We only have twenty cows and fifty hens, but it pays
the bills. We raise the cows for meat and sell some of them in the
fall to local butchers. The hens are half for meat and half for
eggs."

"I only have to go to the grocery store and pick out
what I need there. I imagine it's a lot of work."

"Sure, but when you taste home grown meat and eggs,
that city food just doesn't taste any good."

"Maybe that's why everything tasted so good at the
diner. I thought it was just because you served it."

Her eyes shot to his. "You say the sweetest
things."

"I have a cell phone if you want to call the
hospital."

"Really? Oh, I don't have the number."

"Use directory assistance. They'll give you the
number. There's a pen and paper in the glove box."

"You think of everything."

A few minutes later she hung up the phone.

"Nothing new, but I gave Mom your number, like you
suggested. Thank you for doing this for me. I really appreciate
it."

"No thanks are necessary. If your parents need a
place to stay, I have spare guest rooms at my place. I'd be happy
to put you all up."

"You have extra rooms?" she asked. In her house,
every room was used for one purpose or another. There was no such
thing as a spare room.

"I told you that I'm well off, didn't I?"

"I thought you were kidding. Oh…rich," she said, as
though she'd just eaten something bad.

"What's that look all about?" he asked,
chuckling.

"Well, it's only that I would imagine rich people
aren't very reliable."

"Why?"

"Well, it stands to reason that if they can buy
whatever they want, then they wouldn't respect what they have. Take
Gerry. He doesn't have money, but he has looks and charm. He uses
them to get what he wants, no matter who he hurts along the
way."

"I didn't always have money. I grew up in Regent
Park. Back then, it was the poorest part of Toronto. We were on
welfare and our Sunday night feast was powdered mashed potatoes,
canned spaghetti, and eggs."

"Ew. Powdered mashed potatoes? Gross."

"That was the feast. For breakfast we usually had
powdered milk and puffed wheat. We used to dump a ton of sugar on
it to give it taste then scrape it off the bottom of the bowl when
we were done. We never wasted a meal."

"Puffed wheat? That's disgusting. How did you grow up
so healthy?"

"Love."

"Love?"

"My parents loved me, and my sister, Bethany. It made
all the difference in the world."

"So how'd you get rich?" she asked. "Oh, I'm so
sorry. It's none of my business. Don't answer."

"I won the lottery ten years ago, and invested the
money. I'm now a multi-millionaire and have a successful business."
Realizing that he was giving too much away, he changed the
subject.

"We should be there in the next twenty minutes. We're
lucky that the roads were clear. Most people on a Saturday night
have better things to do than drive."

"Yeah, except for drunken bums like my
brother-out-law!"

Reaching over, he threaded his fingers through hers
and fell silent.

Just before entering the hospital, Ryder adjusted his
spell so that only Wiley would see him as Ryder. To everyone else,
he was Duncan Ryder.

Seeing her parents in the hallway, Wiley cried out
and rushed to them, throwing herself into their arms, tears pouring
down her cheeks. It took a few minutes to get a hold of herself and
when she did, she asked, "Any word?"

"She's in ICU. They said she's going to make it, but
she's still unconscious. There was a lot of damage to her right
side. They repaired most of it during surgery," her father
said.

Wiley absorbed that, and then realized that Ryder was
still standing beside her.

"Oh, I want you to meet Ryder. He drove me all the
way here. This is my mother, Lila, and my father, Willy."

"Pleased to meet you. I told Wiley that you are all
welcome to stay at my place while you're here. I have lots of
room," he said, shaking her father's hand.

"That's kind of you. I have to get back to the farm,
but Lila is going to stay, aren't you dear," he said, putting his
arm around her.

"Yes. Ryder that would be a blessing, if you are sure
you don't mind," Lila said.

"My home is only ten minutes from here, and you can
have use of my driver."

"Driver?" Willy said.

"He's rich, Dad. He has a driver." By the tone of her
voice, Ryder knew that she was furious about his wealth.

"Now, we won't accept charity. We plan to pay our
way," he said, feeling defensive.

"No problem. Pay me whatever you feel is right. Take
your time, too," Ryder said.

"Well, thank you, then. I think I'll go check with
the nurses."

"I'll come with you, dear," Lila said, smiling at
Ryder.

"Wow," Wiley said, once her parents were out of
hearing.

"Wow?"

"You have my Dad eating out of your palm. Mom, too.
You knew the right things to say. He would have been too proud to
accept your help if you'd refused his money."

"I've been there, remember?" he said. When he saw her
rub her arms, he pulled her close and hugged her. She melted into
his embrace. He couldn't remember a time when hugging someone had
felt so right.

Suddenly she stiffened, and pulled away.

"Horse! You had better have a good reason for even
daring to come here. You nearly killed my sister!" she snarled, her
fists clenched as her face turned sheet white.

"Get over yourself. She was the one that caused the
accident. She was yelling at me."

Willy returned, his face a mask of fury. "Is that why
she has a bruise on her left cheek? The one opposite of where all
the damage was?" he said, his voice a low growl. He lunged at
Horse.

The nurses called security, but Ryder had pulled them
apart by the time they arrived.

"This man is reeking with alcohol. I suggest you
remove him from here before he manages to swallow someone's fist,"
Ryder said, disgust in his tone.

Wiley watched them drag him away, wanting to use her
magic to make him pay. "Harming none, and helping many," she
muttered.

Ryder didn't have such sentiments and threw a spell
that tripped Horse and made him fall face forward on the floor.
When he swore and stood up again, his nose was bleeding. From the
bend in it, it looked broken. He gave Wiley a dirty look, and then
allowed the guards to take his arms as they led him away.

"Gee, if looks could kill," Wiley said, then noticed
a young girl standing to the side as Horse went past. She wore a
black leather jacket, white shirt, black miniskirt, and black
nylons. Her hair was pitch black, shoulder length and spiked in all
directions. By the look of the heavy black makeup on her cheeks,
she'd been crying.

"Lacy!" Wiley cried and rushed over to the girl.

"Hi, Aunt Wiley," she said, struggling not to
cry.

Wiley pulled her into a warm hug, and held her
close.

"We're here now, baby. Your mom's going to be all
right. I promise." Pulling back she looked the girl in the eyes.
"Aunt Wiley demands so! This here is my friend, Ryder. He demands
so, too!"

A tentative smile broke, leaving trembling lips as
she broke down and cried.

"If only I'd stayed home. Maybe I could have stopped
them from going out. He always drinks and drives. I hate him!" she
cried, burying her face in Wiley's shirt.

"Honey, you can't be held responsible for him. It
isn't your fault." Looking up at Ryder her eyes begged for
help.

Quietly, he said, "The nurse told me that he's up on
manslaughter charges. He killed two people tonight because he was
drinking and driving. The police are on their way to pick him up,
now that the doctors have looked at him."

"Oh, my God!" she whispered, stunned.

"Wiley, please, take Lacy home to Ryder's place and
put her to bed. I'll stay here with your father for a while
longer," Lila said.