More Than Cookies (The Maple Leaf Series) (21 page)

“Why would there be needles in a hay stack?” Myah crinkled up her nose, and Orion almost laughed again.

“Well, what’s a needle snack?” Landis asked, giving Myah a big, silly smile.

Myah shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just an expression.”     

Sencotte huffed impatiently. “Let’s have a look-see in the basement and that barn.”

“Fine by me.” Orion walked to the hallway and opened the door to the basement. “Have at it.” He knew his voice now had a tone—a disgruntled one.

“Stay right here,” Sencotte said.

“No, I don’t think so. This is my house and I’m going to accompany you into
my
basement and
my
workshop.” Orion turned to Myah. “Stay here with Gramps, Myah.”

She nodded obediently and sat on Ian’s lap. “I’m hungry, Gramps.”

“Breakfast,” Sage said as she came back into the living room. “Officers, may I take Myah and Ian to my house next door and make them some breakfast while you finish up here?” She shot Orion a quick glance, and he wanted to fall at her knees in gratitude for her ability to read his discomfort. Nothing worse than having one’s father and daughter watch as a couple of cops gave you the third degree.

Landis looked at Sencotte and the two of them had a telepathic conversation of some kind. “That should be okay. Don’t go anywhere besides your house, Ms. Stannard, was it?” She tapped on her phone, ready to type Sage’s name into her notes no doubt.

“Yes. Do you want me to spell it for you?” Sage smiled sweetly though her voice pretty much said
fuck you
instead.

God, if he weren’t in his current situation, he’d fall in love with her. Right here. Right now.

“No need. I’ve got it,” Landis answered with the same over-the-top sugary tone.

“C’mon, Myah. Ian.” Sage held out her hand and Myah climbed off Ian’s lap, stopping to grab Muddie off the couch.

“C’mon, Gramps.” Myah tugged on Ian’s arm. “Sage, do you know how to make pancakes?” She put her little hand in Sage’s.

“I do, but my cousin-in-law, Lily, makes superfantastic pancakes. Let’s call her up and see if she can make some for us. My cousin, Rick, makes maple syrup, so we can bug him too.”

Good,
Orion thought.
Distract Myah with lots of people.
People whom Orion guessed were just as awesome as Sage. He hoped to be rid of his Adriana problems and meet the people important to Sage someday soon.

Myah and Ian walked out the back door Sage held open. She glanced back at Orion and said, “Jack is on his way. Come over when these two are done with this nonsense.”

He walked over to the door and took her hand. “Thank you.” He dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek.

She cupped his cheek with her palm, gave it a light tap, and disappeared out the door. He stood in the threshold until Myah and Ian were settled in her pumpkin car.

“Ready, Mr. Finley?” Sencotte stood at the top of the stairs leading to the basement.

Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly, Orion shot a laser glare at Adriana’s car in his driveway then turned back into the house.   

 Even when she was missing, Adriana managed to screw him over completely.

****

Sage ushered Ian and Myah into her house—a house that hardly felt like home yet. She’d felt more comfortable at Orion’s where she’d spent the night.

Spent the night!

How in the hell had that happened? She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but everything was so… cozy over there. She’d had an absolute blast playing games with Myah, joking with Ian, and flirting with Orion. Something about her new house was so quiet, so empty. She was used to being at her mother’s where Joy was constantly bustling around, involved in some project, and Hope was always around to shoot the shit. Rick and Lily were in and out of Joy’s house too. It was never quiet over there.

Sage had been sure quiet was what she’d wanted. Now? Well, now she wasn’t so sure anymore. Being with Myah, Ian, and Orion made her feel needed. Maybe she wasn’t meant to live all by herself.

“Can we call Lily now?” Myah tugged on Sage’s shorts then propped the stuffed bear on a bench in the foyer.

“Of course.” Sage pulled out her phone and dialed Lily. “Ian, how we doing? We okay?”

He gave her a big smile and a thumbs up as he went over to the huge bouquet of lilies. “These are pretty. Thirty-six green leaves.”

They were, and she hadn’t had the heart to throw them away. She hoped there wouldn’t be any more of them though.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lily,” Sage said. “Are you busy right now?”

“If you don’t call watching Rick give a coyote a bath busy, then no, I’m not busy. Why? What’s up?”

“Well, I have a starving little girl here craving pancakes with syrup…”

“Say no more,” Lily said. “We’re on our way.”

Sage hung up and said, “Lily and Rick will be right over. Let’s set the table.”

“Okay.” Myah looked around the kitchen. “I can carry the napkins. Napkins don’t break.”

“Good idea.” Sage grabbed a stack of napkins out of the holder on the counter and handed them to Myah. “The dining room is right through there.” She pointed through the doorway at the far end of the kitchen.

“Got it.” Myah skipped into the dining room with the napkins.

Ian regarded Sage, his head tipped at a contemplative angle.

“Penny for your thoughts, Ian,” she said.

He blinked slowly. “You’d be good for Orion.”

“Think so?” She could tell she was talking to the “real” Ian right now.

He nodded. “Once he has Myah all to himself, he should definitely try to get you next.”

“I think I like that plan.” She squeezed his shoulder and handed him some forks.

He looked at her for a moment longer then went into the dining room with Myah.

Sage busied herself, cutting up fruit and making coffee, while Ian and Myah sat at her kitchen island bulleting her with questions. Everything from what she was like as a child to how old she was to whether she liked cats or dogs better. It was a rigorous interview, and she hoped she answered to their satisfaction.

A soft knock at her front door had Myah hopping off her chair and yelling, “I got it!” She stopped short of the door though and turned back to Sage. “I mean, is it okay if I get it?”

“Absolutely.” Sage waved to the door. “Go for it.”

As soon as the door opened, Myah squealed and ran to Ian who immediately scooped the child into his arms.

“What’s the matter, panda bear?” he asked.  

“There’s a huge doggie at the door, Gramps! HUGE!” Myah hid her face against Ian’s T-shirt.

Sage unfastened the child from Ian. Not an easy task as Myah’s fingers were clamped extra tight on her grandfather. “That’s a perfectly tame coyote, Myah. She’s as gentle as a kitten.”

Myah’s body slowly relaxed and she peeked at Poe who hadn’t strayed from Rick’s side at his command. “It won’t eat me?”

Lily barked out a laugh. “Honey, that’s exactly what I thought when I first met Poe, but Sage is right. This coyote would rather snuggle with you than taste you. Trust me.” She kneeled down next to Poe and ran her hand along the coyote’s back. “Come here.”

Sage shot a glance to Rick who had the world’s biggest smile on his face. Not too long ago he’d had to introduce Lily to his coyote using the same methods. Lily had been terrified of Poe, but gradually she’d come to see how harmless his pet was.

Slowly, Myah shuffled her feet until she was behind Lily. “Are you sure it won’t eat me?”

“Positive. Here. Put your hand out like this.” Lily held her hand out and Poe sloshed a big kiss along her fingers. “See. I’m soaked, but otherwise perfectly unharmed. You try.” She gently took Myah’s hand and brought it close to Poe’s nose. The coyote sat and sniffed Myah’s hand with minimal interest.

Myah giggled and pulled her hand away a little. “That tickles and its nose is cold.”

“Here’s what she likes best.” Rick got to his knees now beside the coyote and proceeded to rub her ears.

Poe’s eyes narrowed to slits and a low, satisfied noise rumbled in her throat. She sank to the ground and rolled to her back, her stomach exposed. Rick ran his fingers over the coyote’s belly and Myah inched closer to the animal.

She put her palm on Poe’s stomach and rubbed back and forth, a slow grin spreading across her lips. The coyote batted a playful paw at loose strands of Myah’s hair.

“See,” Rick said. “Poe likes you.”

“She does?” Myah sat back on her heels and looked at Rick.

“Definitely.”

“And she didn’t try to eat me.” Myah kept petting Poe as Lily and Rick got to their feet.

“Nope,” Rick said. “She doesn’t like the taste of little girls.”

Myah giggled and Sage enjoyed the sound. She had a feeling the girl didn’t giggle much while she was under Witchy Ex-wife’s watch. Like, when Witchy Ex-wife was actually watching the kid and not abandoning her.

“Okay, let’s get going on this pancake emergency.” Lily rubbed her hands together.

“I brought the syrup.” Rick waved a bottle of Stannard Pure Vermont Maple Syrup made fresh from his own trees.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the smells of pancakes and syrup and coffee. Myah had dragged a chair over next to Lily at the griddle and had a ball flipping leaf-shaped pancakes. Ian had fallen in love with Poe, and the coyote appeared to be just as smitten. She followed Ian every time he brought something from the kitchen to the dining room.

“I always wanted a coyote shadow,” Ian said.

“She senses something good about you,” Sage said.

“Nah.” Ian scratched between Poe’s ears. “She just knows I’m going to be the one to drop the most food.”

As everyone was sitting down at the table, the doorbell rang. Again, Myah raced to the door to answer it. Again, she stopped herself. “Sorry. No one ever visits at Mommy’s house.” She looked down at her sneakers—pink ones with neon green laces.

“No need to apologize, Myah.” Sage grabbed her hand and led the child over to the door. “At my house, you answer the door all you like.”

Myah peered up at Sage. “I hope it’s Daddy. I miss him.”

Sage smoothed Myah’s hair and whispered, “Me too.” He’d been with the police for a long time. Too long maybe.

The doorbell rang again followed by a “Sage, we can see you standing there.”

“You’d better open it,” Sage said to Myah. “It’s my mommy.”

Myah pulled at the end of her T-shirt as if making herself presentable. She opened the door and Joy’s mouth dropped open.

“Okay,” she said slowly, Hope standing next to her with a matching shocked expression.

“Didn’t expect a kid to answer the door,” Hope said.

“Where did you get a kid?” Joy asked.

Sage put her hands on Myah’s shoulders. “This is Myah Finley, Orion’s daughter.

“The dude we found here?” Hope asked.

“That’s the dude.” Sage nodded. Had that only been a few days ago? Seemed like eons. So much had happened since then.

“Well, hello, Myah,” Joy said, extending her hand. “I’m Joy, Sage’s mom and this is Hope, Sage’s sister.”

They all shook hands.

“We’re having pancakes. You want some?” Myah asked.

“Only if they’re Lily’s,” Hope and Joy said at the same time.

“They are,” Lily called from the kitchen. “Get ’em while they’re hot.”

Hope and Joy came inside, and after being introduced to Ian, they sat at the dining room table with everyone else.

“You two know just when to arrive,” Rick said.

“We have a nose for this sort of thing.” Hope helped herself to a nice stack of pancakes.

Sage filled Myah’s plate and held the syrup over the pancakes. “Do you like a little syrup or a lot of syrup?”

Myah picked up her fork. “A lot.”

“I like this kid,” Rick said, winking at Myah.

Before digging in, Myah looked over her shoulder toward the front door.

Sage followed her gaze. “Do you want me to try calling your dad?”

Big blue eyes got bigger and bluer. “Yes, please.”

“You guys eat,” Sage said. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed away from the table and went into the kitchen. She found her phone only to hear it chiming with a message.

With a few taps, Orion’s voice filled her ear.

Sage, I’m heading to the police station for “further questioning.” I called Adam to get Ian and Myah in a little while. Thank you so much for taking them while I deal with this bullshit. It’s a lot of work knowing me, isn’t it? I promise to make it up to you. Often. Later.

Make it up to her? That could get interesting. She wanted to call him and say she’d be more than happy to hang on to Myah and Ian for as long as necessary, but figured he’d better concentrate on his situation.

The sooner he resolved this mess, the sooner he’d get to that making up part he’d mentioned.

Chapter Seventeen

Orion sat in an office at the St. Jamesbury police station feeling more and more like a low life though he hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. He would have preferred to be at the Danton police station but, due to recent budget cuts and the retirement of Avaline who basically ran everything, the smaller police department neighboring St. Jamesbury had been absorbed into the larger department. He knew all the people on the Danton police force, but none of their familiar faces happened to stroll by. Instead, Sencotte and Landis had escorted him into some detective’s office and had disappeared, saying the case had been handed over to someone else.

Is that a good thing?

He wasn’t sure. Generally speaking, any trip to any police station was not on his list of great ways to spend an afternoon, especially when the possibly of being with Myah and Sage existed. Clearly, being with them would trump any experience he could encounter in his present location. He was so grateful Sage had taken Myah and Ian, but he couldn’t help worrying about his father and daughter worrying about him.

Where the fuck are you, Adriana? And why is your car in my driveway?

He couldn’t for the life of him imagine what was going on. None of it made sense. He was about to puzzle through it again when the door behind him opened.