Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (11 page)

Taylor laughs.

I’m barely out of the shower when Emma Rae calls. I tell her to come early to poker night. She catches on and doesn’t ask any questions. Taylor and Nick have cautioned us all to be careful of what we say on the phone. I convince the guys to tell Diane and Emma Rae what happened at the McNish. Emma Rae, in all likelihood, will ask questions, and she deserves the truth.

I slip into some blue jeans and a bulky button-up sweater. The sweater is black with green accents and plush to the touch. I add a little makeup and leave my hair down. I pull on my over-the-knee boots, and I’m ready. Before we parted earlier, Jake and Sawyer suggested we all show up before the poker players to give us time to discuss the situation an
d brainstorm a little more. I go through the house, checking the back door and turning on the light over the kitchen sink. I grab my coat when I hear Jake honking.

Neither Diane nor Emma Rae seems surprised by our version of what happened at the McNish. Diane says that I’m usually with Jake and Sawyer when things happen. We have a fun evening, and a good turnout for poker, but Nick never shows.

The Kihn have been eerily quiet throughout December. Taylor says to be grateful, but it makes me oddly apprehensive. Ben and Lucy host Christmas Eve every year, and the immediate family comes for the whole evening. Other branches of the family and friends drop in throughout the night. We visit, laugh, tell stories, and overeat.

I make sure Nick and Taylor know they are welcome, and Taylor shows up early and stays late. He comes without Nick, and when I ask where Nick is, Taylor makes an excuse about Nick waiting for a phone call.

Lucy fixes punch from a new recipe, and as soon as Sawyer arrives, he spikes it. Lucy is delighted everyone is enjoying her punch and can’t understand why everything is so funny. She never did drink much.

Sam stuck up mistletoe in the wide doorway between the living and dining room. At one point, Taylor and I pass underneath at the same time. I’ve forgotten about the mistletoe, but Taylor grabs my arm and points up. I laugh, thinking he’s going to give me a quick peck. After all, people are watching. He tips my chin up, leans toward me, and brings his lips to mine. Then he’s wrapping his arms around me, bending me over his arm just like you see in the movies. He lays a kiss on me potent enough to make my toes curl. When he releases me to cheers and hoots, I stand there dazed until Aunt Jordy leads me away. For the rest of the evening, I feel as if I blush beet red every time I look at him.

Nick doesn’t arrive until nearly eleven, which I think is extremely rude, but I let it go. I think he’s mad at me. I firmly warned him not to get me a Christmas present. I don’t do presents. Period. I mean, I give presents, but I don’t want any. Nick stopped in early that morning to talk to Jake, and when I came into the living room, he was livid. He was looking at our Christmas tree and noticed a gift to him from me. So, he acts a little cool toward me, which kind of hurts my feelings. I feel as if he’s punishing me.

Jake and I invite family and friends to stop by Christmas day as we leave in the wee hours of the morning. I invite Taylor to come the next day. He takes my hand as we say goodnight and presses something into my palm. He’s out the door and gone before I have a chance to discover he’s given me a charm on a fine, silver chain. Carved from what appears to be jade, the charm is small and exquisite. It’s some type of strange animal with the body of a lion and the head of a howling wolf.

Nick walks me out to Jake’s truck. He asks if he still has an invitation for the next day since he was acting like such an ass. I give him the best kiss I can, tell him, “Merry Christmas,” and I look forward to seeing him the next day.

On Christmas, our house overflows with love, laughter, and loads of people.

When I confront Taylor about his gift, he insists I keep and wear the necklace. He says the charm will ward off evil spirits and asks for my promise to wear the charm at all times.

So, I’m wearing it. I figure, it can’t hurt, right?

On New Year’s Eve, Nick and I double date with Jake and Diane. We drive to Springfield to dine at a fancy restaurant.

When Diane and I shopped earlier in the week for festive party dresses, Diane found a dress the exact blue of her eyes that showed a good amount of leg and cleavage. Jake’s eyes light up when he sees her in it.

My dress, a wispy little red number Diane convinces me is perfect, shows a good amount of leg and cleavage too. Nick’s eyes light up when he sees me in it. Jake’s do not. He scowls and asks me where the rest of my dress is. Go figure!

The first week of January brings us snow and a bridal shower for Dawn Hayes, hosted by me, her maid of honor. We have a good turnout of Dawn’s friends and coworkers. Dawn’s aunt is giving her a shower with her family, so tonight it’s a group of young women having a few drinks with the light buffet I’ve prepared. A bunch of women with a little alcohol means a lot of laughter and quite a bit of well-meaning advice—or just plain mean advice.

We play several games and then
it’s gift time. As Dawn opens each package, the giver of said gift imparts a bit of wisdom about marital bliss. As it turns out, she gets an earful of each person’s experience or, in the case of the single women, something their momma has told them. Dawn receives advice on everything from lots of rest before the honeymoon to no sex for two weeks before the wedding.

Polly Walker tells her men only have two faults: everything they say and everything they do.

My aunts surprise me the most. The advice they give is old local sayings, but hearing them from Lucy and Jordanna make them outrageously funny.

“Any woman who thinks the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach is aiming a little too high,” Lucy tells Dawn, her expression sober. The room erupts in laughter and not a few ribald comments.

Jordy, with the same seriousness, tells Dawn, “What I’m about to tell you is very important for your new husband to understand.” Jordanna pauses. “There’s one gift a woman does
not
prefer to come in a small package.” Dawn looks at Jordy for a moment before she busts out laughing.

My cousin Polly notices my red face, and I receive a fair share of teasing. I follow Dawn into the kitchen, and as I pass by Bobbi and Teresa, they mumble something sounding like a disparagement on my virtue.

“Sofie, will you go outside with me to get my purse from the car?” Dawn asks. “I want to show everyone pictures of my sister’s new baby.”

We cross the porch to the back door. I’ve left the door open with the storm door closed. Dawn walks in front of me, and I reach around her, flipping on the outside light.

Standing in front of the glass door, looking in at us is, as a rule, something you only see in a nightmare.

Chapter Eight

D
awn lets loose a bloodcurdling scream. I grab her, pulling her away from the door, slam the main door shut, and throw the dead bolt. Dawn decides to scream some more as I drag her back to the kitchen. Some of the other women have rushed in to find out what’s happening.

“Diane!” I yell, unsure of where she is. “Call Jake! Emma Rae!” She stands in the kitchen doorway. “Lock the front door and get the shotgun out of the hall closet.” I open the pantry door and pull out the 12-gauge stashed inside.

The other women want to know what’s happening. Dawn has stopped screaming but is still freaking out, and Jordanna has a hold of her, trying to get her to calm down.

“They’re on their way!” Diane yells over the chaos. “Should I call nine-one-one?”

“No, wait for Jake.” As loud as I can, I yell, “Everyone!”

“Shut up!” Emma Rae bellows, getting everyone’s attention.

“Y’all need to calm down!” I say loudly.

Dawn chooses that moment to declare she’s seen a monster. The semi-hysterics return.

“Emma Rae, please stay at the front door until the guys get here,” I ask, unsure if that—thing will try to get through a locked door or not. “Listen to me!” I yell again.

“Why should we listen to you?” Bobbi asks nastily. Now, how did I know she’d be the one to give me trouble at a time like this?

“Because I’m the one with the gun,” I reply, stepping up to her.

She looks as if she wants to hit me. Instead, she storms out of the kitchen toward the front door, which I think is a stupid move on her part. If she gives Emma Rae grief, she might actually get herself shot.

“The men are here,” Emma Rae yells.

I hand the shotgun to Jordanna and head to the front door. It looks as if they’ve all come from the card game, even Billy. Jake sends Sawyer, Sam, and Taylor outside to look around, then gives me a quick hug. “Are you okay?”

“I am. Thanks for getting here so quickly.”

I’m glad to see Nick. He wraps his arm around my waist. “Did Jake call you?” I ask.

“No... I was at the Shotgun Shack.” This surprises me. He rarely—if ever—shows for poker night. I’m not sure what he does Friday nights. He never says, and I don’t ask.

All at once, we hear yelling out back. Jake and Nick tear out the front door. I start to follow before deciding it’s probably best if I don’t. A pickup truck pulls into the driveway, and after the headlights shut off, I can tell it’s Ben. I step out on the front porch.

“What’s going on, Sofie?” I explain, watching his face for his reaction. He doesn’t give much of one. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He looks at me closely. “I’m fine, Ben.”

“Where’s Lucy?”

“She’s in the kitchen.”

As we make our way down the hall, I hear Sawyer and Sam talking about what’s happened in the backyard.

Dawn and I must have scared the one away from the back door, and it either climbed up on the roof, or there were two of them. When the guys checked out back of the house, Taylor spotted the creature on the roof.

“That sucker leaped and hit the ground running!” Sawyer waves his arms excitedly.

I push my way into the kitchen. I see Nick squatted down in front of Bobbi, sitting in a kitchen chair with crocodile tears rolling down her face.
Oh brother, what a phony!
Nick’s holding her hands, asking if she’s okay. I make what I think is a warranted disgusted sound and leave. Emma Rae, bless her soul, still stands guard at the front door.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Men are so… gullible,” I mutter. I grab one of Jake’s coats and step out on the front porch as Jake and Taylor come around the corner of the house. “They were on the roof?”

“Yeah,” Jake answers as he rakes his hand through his hair. “What happened here, Sofe?”

I tell him and Taylor everything, which isn’t that much. That is, if you don’t count seeing a monster.

“You’d better check all the upstairs windows,” Taylor suggests.

“Yeah, that’s what I was just thinking. Where’s Nick?” Jake asks.

“Consoling Bobbi.” The men exchange a quick glance, but before I have a chance to consider it, Rose and Sam walk out the front door.

“I’m gonna run Rose home, and I’ll be back,” Sam says.

I give Rose a hug. She’d been as scared as everyone else, but she’d kept it together. I tell them to drive extra careful. After they le
ave, more of the shower guests depart. I wonder what they think about it all but decide not to ask. On her way out, Polly Walker tells me I give a helluva party. Taylor thinks that’s funny.

We stand in the front yard talking. Nick joins us, and at about the same time, Teresa’s car backs out the driveway.

“Sofie?” I turn to Nick. “What happened?”

I study him for a moment. “Why? Didn’t Bobbi tell you?” Jake clears his throat and mumbles something about checking windows. Taylor offers his help. They scuttle off.
The cowards.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick asks after they’ve left.

“Just what I said.” I don’t think it’s that puzzling of a question.

He sighs. “She was upset, frightened.” I smile. “Sofie, she was crying.”

“I saw.”

“What? You don’t want me to help a woman when she’s traumatized?”

“Traumatized?” I give a short, harsh laugh.

“So, you’re pissed at me?”

I look at him with more than a little surprise. “Nick, I’m not mad at you. You’re right... I wouldn’t expect any less of you than to help someone in distress.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he asks.

“I didn’t say there was a problem.”

“Sofie!” he says in exasperation.

“You asked me what happened, and I asked if Bobbi had told you or not,” I respond.

“And?” His voice betrays his impatience.

“And did Bobbi tell you what happened? I mean, she was all upset and crying. Why? Didn’t you ask her?”

“Sofie, I can’t figure out what you’re getting at or what’s going on with you!”

Now I
am
pissed. “What’s going
on
with me
is my friend and I came face-to-face with a monster tonight. I had to try to keep a houseful of women from getting hysterical. I didn’t know what would happen! I armed myself at one door and Emma Rae at the other. I tried to keep everyone calm while praying that—
thing
didn’t try to come into the house.” My voice keeps breaking. Maybe it’s my turn to be hysterical. Perhaps I need someone to comfort me, but I sure as hell don’t want comfort from Nicholas Sinclair! I take a deep, cleansing breath. How did this turn into an angry confrontation?

Nick reaches out, and I step back. At that point, it dawns on me; he hasn’t asked if
I’m
okay.

Not once.

“Do you
know
why Bobbi didn’t tell you what happened tonight?” I ask.

“She did—”

I interrupt him. “She didn’t know. She didn’t go to the door and see her worst nightmare. She didn’t stand there, with everyone terrified, knowing that if that
monster
decided to come through the door, there might not have been anything any of us could have done!” I don’t notice Emma Rae and Jordanna step out on the porch, nor Ben standing in the front doorway, witnessing my meltdown.

“No, all she cared about was being difficult. When you got here, she turned on the waterworks, and you fell for the phony bitch’s act! Traumatized my ass!” I reach the front porch, and Ben steps aside quickly as I march into the house.

Did I forget to mention I have a bit of a temper?

I head for my bathroom and splash my face with cold water. I brush my hair and head back to the kitchen. Jake and Taylor are grilling poor Dawn. Eli has arrived, and he sits beside her and holds her.

“I... I’m not sure about the hair or h-how tall.” Dawn gives me a “help me” look as I enter the kitchen.

I go to her and give her a hug. She trembles as she hugs me back. “Are you ready to go home?” I whisper. Her nod is almost frantic. “You can get your gifts later.” To the room in general, I say, “Dawn is done here. She’s going home now.”

Eli and I help her stand, and I walk with them to the back door. Dawn turns from the door. “Sofie, you saved my life tonight. You saved all of us. If it hadn’t been for you...” She shakes her head.

I take her arm and lead her across the back porch. “Be safe going home. I love you both.” They give me a hug and leave. I watch them get into Eli’s truck.

“Are you okay?” Sawyer steps up beside me. I loop my arm through his and look up into eyes as familiar as my own.

“I don’t think so,” I whisper.

“Sofie!” Jake calls.

Sawyer feels my body tense. “You don’t have to deal with this tonight if you don’t want to. We can take off.”

“Where would we go?” I ask.

“Somewhere far, far away,” he answers softly.

He’s going to make me cry by repeating our childhood mantra. As kids, Sawyer always knew when my emotions were shaken. Most of the time, it had something to do with my parents. And I was the only one he ever talked to about his dad.

I chew on my bottom lip, certain I don’t want to go back in the kitchen. Nick is in there. I saw him in the doorway when Dawn heaped praise on me.

“Sofie?” Jake sticks his head out the door. “Can you come back in here, please?”

“I’ll stay with you,” Sawyer promises.

I wipe my eyes with my fingertips and straighten my spine. I truly don’t want to do this.

I enter the kitchen with Sawyer beside me. The room is full of men. Diane is the only other female in the room. Ben stayed, which gives me comfort. Logan Rivers and Terry Joe Wooten stand by the refrigerator. They must have been at Sawyer’s when we raised the alarm. Andy’s presence surprises me. Just that morning, Emma Rae told me he was out of town. He stands by the pantry with two men I don’t know, but something about them seems familiar. Taylor stands with them too. I hesitate, seeing the strangers.

Taylor notices and steps forward. “Sofie, you know Andy of course.” I give Andy a slight nod, and he smiles. “This is Lucas and Max. They are the... hunters we’ve been waiting for.”

Hunters? I guess they are hunters. Monster hunters. Seems they’ve gotten here just in time.

“Hello.” I give them a small smile. I’m not sure which one is Max and which is Lucas. I study the one looking at me. He is middle aged with gray in his hair, and I now recognize him as one of the two men who attended the first community meeting on the cattle crisis. I’m not altogether sure the second hunter was the other stranger. I didn’t get much more than a quick peek that night, and I’m not getting any better of a look now. He stands a couple of feet behind the other men and wears a baseball cap with the bill pulled low on his forehead. I can’t see his eyes, but I know for certain he’s looking at me. I feel his gaze like a warm blanket.

I want to see his eyes.

The older man smiles. He must be in charge. “Hello.” His voice is courteous. “Sorry to meet under these circumstances.” I guess he’s speaking for them both. Yes, clearly he’s in charge.

Jake pulls a chair from the table for me, and I sit sideways to view everyone in the room. I’m facing the men by the pantry, and Taylor pulls out another chair so he can sit facing me.

Taylor gives me a gentle smile and takes my hand. “Sofie, I apologize for asking this of you. I know you’ve already told some of us what happened, but I need you to tell us one more time so Lucas and Max can evaluate the situation.”

“Okay.” My voice comes out in a whisper.

I tell them the surprise of seeing the creature when I flipped on the porch light, how I’d gotten the shotgun out of the pantry, and how Emma Rae got the one from the hall closet. “We had to do something in case it tried to come in.” I hate talking to a room full of people listening to me and hanging on every word I say. I surely don’t care for people staring at me, either.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Every head in the room turns toward Nick. “Didn’t you remove the shotgun from the hall closet? Don’t you now keep it in your bedroom?”

What the hell?
Does he think I’m lying? I hate that my face heats and becomes flushed.

“I stowed another gun in the closet,” Jake answers for me. His voice holds a definite edge.

Ben gives Nick a glare that could peel paint. It becomes clear to me in that moment that Ben doesn’t like Nick much. Several things fall into place when I realize that. Nick nods and crosses his arms, leaning back against the wall.

I face the pantry, feeling the strangers’ eyes on me again. I finish my recollection with no further interruptions.

After a few minutes, Taylor asks the next question. “Can you describe to us what this creature looked like?” He gives me an easy smile. “I know you only had a quick look, but anything you can remember may be important.”

I take a deep breath, looking at my hands in my lap. “It was... medium height. Solid build. Kind of... thick-bodied and overly muscled. It had long, straggly, dark hair that hung to its shoulders.” My voice is soft and low, but the room is quiet. “It had extremely bad skin... mottled looking.”

The older man turns
toward the other hunter. I’m guessing the man in back is younger since I can’t see his face. His cap might be hiding gray hair. It’s hard to discern anything about him since he’s dressed all in black from the top of his head, covered with the black cap, down to the black leather jacket and jeans, to the tips of his black boots. I bet his eyes are black too. I wish I could see his eyes. Since I’m staring at his face, what I can see of it anyway, I notice a corner of his finely chiseled mouth twitch. I drop my head, my face burning, realizing he’s caught me checking him out.

“Sofie,” Taylor says, pulling my attention back to him, “can you tell us anything else?” I swallow. I can tell them a lot.

The man in black leans forward and says something to the older one. “Perhaps Miss Reece would care for a drink of water?” the gray-haired man asks. Had the mystery man suggested that?

“Sofie?” Taylor asks.

“Yes, please.” My voice does sound scratchy.

I wish they’d all quit looking at me. I rub my arm.

“I think Sofie’s done for tonight.” Uncle Ben speaks for the first time. “She’s tired.”

I am tired, but I don’t want to prolong this interrogation. “I’m okay, Ben. Let’s just get this over with.”

I think he’s going to protest, but instead he gives a quick nod. By the set of his shoulders, I know he’s not happy. He’s always tried to shelter me from unpleasant things.

As I drink, I know the man in black is watching me, and that makes me feel… a different kind of self-conscious. I take a good, cleansing breath and sit up straighter. “His eyes… You said they wore contacts—this one didn’t.” I quirk an eyebrow at Taylor. My voice is clearer and stronger now. “The pupils were not like ours, more like... a goat’s. Yellow-brown.” That gets some reaction from the crowd. Glancing at Diane, I see fear in her eyes.

I hold my hand to my ear. “The ears aren’t rounded on the top as ours are, not pointed... but different. The fingernails are long and thick. I’m not sure how to describe the smell—but it has a distinct odor. And this one had” —I hesitate— “pointed teeth.”

That
, of course, gets a response. The only ones in the room who remain quiet are the hunters.

I wait a couple of minutes, but no one else asks anything. I know the man in black is looking at me, and I return his stare. One side of his mouth finally lifts. “That’s all,” I say as I stand. I’ve told them enough.

Monsters—like the one I just described—have tormented me in my dreams since I was a small child. However, I won’t tell them that. I’m not telling them anything else. I need some alone time to think. I leave the kitchen with Diane right behind me.