Gone With the Witch (41 page)

"There's no contact to, or from, the island, right now," Aiden said. "No landlines and no cell phone towers close enough."

"King is working to fix both," Storm said.

"We can work around that" Ward turned to Storm. "The
work is sporadic. Our psychics have different talents for
different situations. Sometimes they work in groups, some
times alone. I'd like a chance to sit down with you, now, if
you're willing, and talk about your specialties. The pay
isn't great, because we never charge the missing children's families, but finding children in peril is quite rewarding."

"Because it gives psychics an opportunity to use their gifts!"
Storm said, beaming. "I
do
have a gift for finding

missing
children. I've always known it on some level, but never for sure until ... well, you, Aiden, and Becky. I felt I had a purpose in life, but I couldn't put my finger on what, until you mentioned getting together with Mel to— Wait!"

Storm rounded on him. “Aiden McCloud, if you set this
up ... 'I needed to earn this on my own
. '
I don't need your charity."

Aiden honestly didn't know what she was talking about.
"What do you think I did?"

"You said that you and Mel should put something together for some kind of child-find funding."

"Storm, believe me, 'I didn't," Aiden said. "Ward, how old is PAC?"

"Six years in September."

"There you go," Aiden indicated Ward. "I asked my people to call Mel's people yesterday when I went to the
mainland, but 'I have no idea if they connected yet, and I've
never heard of
PAC.
"

"If I may," Ward said. "What people are you talking about connecting with, Mr. McCloud?"

"I was looking to connect the McCloud Foundation
with the Keep Me Foundation."

Ward whistled, and Stone looked fit to kill. "I'm telling
you, Aiden, if you promised to fund them so they'd take me
on
.."

Ward shook his head. "Miss Cartwright, I left the West
Coast to come east on business and find you three days
ago. Mr. McCloud couldn't have had anything to do with
our offer." He turned to Aiden. "So you're a McCloud of
the McCloud Foundation?"

"Sweet summer savory, he's
the
McCloud of the
McCloud Foundation."

Aiden sighed.
"So much for anonymity."

Storm
gave him a "payback" face.

So she'd
outed
him, because of his badly timed dragon play remark, the witch. That must mean she cared about what he had to say.

"Sir," Ward said. "We'd be honored if you kept an eye

on
PAC over the next year, check out the good we do. With
your approval, we could send semiannual reports. And if you have the ear of Ms. Seabright from the Keep Me Foundation, we wouldn't mind her keeping a lookout, either."

"I'm impressed," Aiden said. "You didn't hit me up for money on the spot"

"Please understand that 'I didn't come looking for
you.
I
came looking for Miss Cartwright. Also understand that
our development director's head would be spinning if she knew I hadn't solicited you. Let's just pray that she doesn't make the connection between you and Miss Cartwright."

"Okay, okay," Storm said. "You convinced me. You're not connected."

She must have realized that the job was hers and hon
estly earned, because Aiden saw her eyes go bright and her
demeanor radiate joy, as if from the inside out. God, he
was hooked. "Storm, can you juggle PAC with your job at the Immortal Classic?"

"Actually, I think Reggie wouldn't mind becoming a full-time employee at the Classic. Destiny said Reggie did my job all the time we were gone, and she did it well. I'd still be part owner."

Aiden realized that Storm's involvement with PAC
would mean more wild rides like the one they'd just taken.
Then again, wild was one of the things he loved most about
her. The
goth
rebel who'd cuffed him to the bed and listened for crying children was the Storm he'd fallen in love with.

He didn't care how much using her psychic gifts would impact them, having a wife who found missing children
would be an honor. He'd be happy as long as they had a life
together.

"So, what do you say, Miss Cartwright?" Ward asked. "Want to sit down and talk about your association with PAC?"

Storm hooked her arm through Aiden's and threw his heartbeat into overdrive.

"Mr. Ward," she said. "Meet me at the Immortal Classic

in
Salem tomorrow at noon, and we can talk over lunch.
Your treat."

"I hoped we could talk now," Ward said.

"Not now," Storm said, squeezing Aiden's arm and sending hope sluicing through him. "I have a previous
engagement."

chapter
fifty-five

AIDEN watched Ward leave. An engagement, she'd said.
God, he hoped she'd chosen the word carefully. "Where
were we?" he asked, unsettled and exhilarated.

Storm gave him her feline look and stance. "You don't have anybody to play dragon with ... and I'm taking that
position."

Aiden curled a lock of hair around her ear. "That was a Storm statement if ever I've heard one. You're taking which?
The PAC position ... or the dragon position?”

“Yes" Storm said. "But I'm still mad at you.”

“Zapping mad?"

"Don't worry. The family jewels are safe, but at that moment on the beach, playing dragon was
not
the point."

"I now realize that" He pulled her into his arms so she
couldn't run. "But you have to admit that it's a hell of a
perk."

Her chin came up.
"Granted."
She looked toward the
crew and urged him behind an ancient oak.

He liked where this was going. "God, you look great in that dress. What did you say about me in that tux? You
could eat me up with a spoon? Well, Snapdragon, I'm
looking for a spoon."

She tried to hide her smile as she looked down to play
with the snap on his jeans, his dragon rising in hope. "You
accused me of running when I left a few days ago," she said.

"I was frustrated," he admitted.

"I was running," she admitted. "But not really
. '
I was trying
to do the best thing for you—well, for the both of us in the
long run—and maybe, deep down, 'I was trying to protect
myself. It made me kind of `get' the whole turtle syndrome"

"I have an idea," Aiden said. "In the future, when either
of us is unsure, and we get the urge to run, let's run
toward
each other, and let it all out, and by that, I don't mean the dragon—though he does want out, you tease—I mean let's share our fears with each other."

"That could work," Storm said.

"Our strengths and weaknesses play off each other, so
much so, that your needs become my challenge—my
reason for living. You were the first to allow me in when you played dress-up. You welcomed the real me, showed me what home could be, and then you
became
my home.

"Storm, I can't live without you. I love you"

"You can't love
me"

"Why can't I?"

"I'm not lovable. I'm a bratty pain in the ass."

"You
are
lovable, and you can take that to the bank, to quote a famous dragon man"

"But I've been my worst self with you
. '
I kidnapped
you.
Cuffed you.
Humiliated you—unintentionally—but
you stuck by me and disarmed me, until I let down my
guard ... and—" She shrugged.

"And?" he said trying to read her.

"And wha'd'ya know
? '
I guess ... 'I love you, too."

"You guess
? '
I was hoping for something less vague."

She led him down to the beach again and brought him into the center of the spiral, and he felt as if something magickal was about to happen.

"I
know
'I love you," she admitted.

"That's the best magick I've ever heard" He took her in his arms, kissed her, and waltzed with her, there, on the
beach, holding her close and singing, "Can I have this
dance for the rest of my life ..

Storm sighed in contentment.

"What does the spiral stand for?" he asked.

"It represents a journey of discovery." She cupped his
cheek. "I can live in a motor coach, as long as I'm with
you. I'll journey with you wherever you want to go."

"
And I can live in one place, as long as I'm with you."

"You'd do that? Stop wandering?
For me?"

"I'd do anything for you, but I'm part of a package, now,
so you'd better think this through."

"I don't know," Storm said. "I think you're sunk. I'm afraid I'm in love with the whole package, but
you'd
better
do some hard thinking. 'I have baggage of my own now.
An
eleven-year-old who knows all the tricks of the extortion
tr
ade.
I need someone to help raise her right.
A father with a strong sense of family.
For Pepper, I'm asking for more than a home, Aiden. I'm asking for roots."

Aiden nodded. "When you walked away from me the
other day, I swear that I felt my roots curling into the earth,
and instead of running, like my old instincts called for, I settled in and let my roots grow. 'I stayed here and waited for you to come home to me."

"Aiden McCloud, you threw roots into the earth when
'I gave you the best excuse in the world not to?"

"I'm rooted, but I'd still like you to get in that coach
with me once in a while and go off on a jaunt, not all the time, and not necessarily alone. I want our family with us,
whether we're on wheels, sailing into the sunset, or staying
right here. Maybe I have windmills in my head, but Windmill Cottage won't be home until you move in."

"Did I ever tell you that I love you, despite your flaws, quirks, and hungry man dragon?"

"You love my hungry man dragon," he bragged, "but
lust
aside,
you have some flaws, quirks, and a lady dragon of your own"

"But you love me anyway."

"Go ahead, get cocky," he said. "Turns me on"

She shook her head. "When turtles flip on their backs, they use their heads to right themselves. You used your instincts to right yourself when your world went more topsy-turvy than any of us could have imagined. You did good, turtle."

They heard Pepper calling, so they left the spiral to the mercy of the tide and climbed the hill. Pepper stood in the
poppy field with Becky in her arms, Morgan watching over
them. When Becky pointed their way, Morgan saluted and walked back to the windmill.

"Rory walked us to Morgan," Pepper said, "and Morgan
walked us here. Becky was calling you both, so Vickie said
'I could bring her to you."

Aiden kissed Becky's and Pepper's cheeks. "Did you
ever want a little sister?" he asked Pepper.

"I never thought much about it. With a mother like
mine, siblings seemed pretty much a toss of the dice."

"Well, think about it," Aiden said. "First order of busi
ness, learn to be a babysitter. We'll be near that tree, if you
need us"