Chapter 4

Jake cut a look over at Teddy. She had her window rolled down and the way the wind was blowing her hair, she looked like something out of a fairy tale—a princess or siren.

Dinner last night had been an event to say the least. Teddy had concocted some Middle Eastern dishes, spread throws, silk sheets and mounds of pillows on the living room floor. She’d greeted him at the door wearing a belly dancer costume that made him forget entirely about food.

A year ago, he’d have described the evening as some of the best sex he’d ever had and probably forget about it before the end of the day. Not today. Being with Teddy was different. It wasn’t just sex. As silly as it would sound if he spoke it aloud, it was a connection of more than just body parts. She touched something inside him.

Damn. It hit him like a rampaging bull. He was in love with Teddy. Lock, stock, and barrel. She had his heart.

That kind of scared him. Jake had never been in love. He’d liked a lot of women, but he’d never felt anything like this.

How had it happened? He knew she evoked feelings in him no one else ever had. She made him want to be a better man. No, she made him want to be the man of her dreams. The one who’d win her heart and ride off into the happily-ever-after sunset.

Holy shit.

She looked at him and the smile she gave him warmed him like the sun.

“Do you know anything about Jed’s friend, Colton?”

He shook his head. “Not really. I know he’s an ex-Army Ranger like Jed. But he was in the service a lot longer. I’ve met him and he’s a nice guy a lot like Jed. Not exactly the kind of guy who’s into small talk if you know what I mean.”

“Got’cha. And this scroll thing? He doesn’t have a problem with what Alex and I do?”

“Beats me. All I know is he asked Jed for help and…well you know the rest of the story.”

“Oh look, there’s a truck turning in.”

Sure enough, Colton turned onto the drive to the ranch just ahead of them. Jake followed him in. Colton parked and before Jake had done the same, people climbed out of the truck.

“Good god,” Jake muttered. He knew Colton was formidable but had no idea that his brothers were the same.

The three men that got out were big. Not fat, but tall and solid.

“Wonder which one is Colton?” Teddy asked.

“The biggest.”

“They’re giants.”

“Yeah, those are some big fellas.”

Jake parked his truck and just as they were getting out, Teddy’s phone rang. She looked at it and then at Jake. “It’s Alex. Go on. I’ll be just a minute.”

“Okay.”

*****

Teddy turned her attention to the call. “Alex? Where are you?”

“On my way. What’s this all about anyway?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, well…look, when this thing is over, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I think we both know it isn’t—not for either of us.”

“You’re making me nervous, Alex.”

“Don’t go getting all worked up. I just need to talk to you—just you.”

“Not Mik?”

“Not this time.”

“Okay, how about when this is done, you come home with me?”

“Deal.”

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.”

“K. Bye.”

Teddy stood there for a few moments staring down at the phone. Alex didn’t rattle easily but she sure sounded rattled. What now? It seemed like their lives had been nothing but a series of problems ever since they sold the farm.

Or ever since you got involved with Jake and his family.

Teddy was immediately ashamed of herself for the thought. Jake and his brothers had nothing to do with her problems. No, that fell on Dalton Manning and apparently his evil stepmother Deidre.

What was such a mystery was why they would have anything against her, Mik or Alex? Maybe Deidre had a burr up her butt over something that had happened with Jake’s dad, or even with Jed but she and her sisters had nothing to do with that.

None of it made sense. And right now she needed to put that out of her mind and get inside to see what the mystery was that had people flying here from Florida.

She hurried to the house and entered through the kitchen door.

Wow. Talk about a houseful of hunks. She’d always thought that the Nash family boasted of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen. The Marsh men definitely had their fair share of drop-dead gorgeous. Tall and big, they all had raven dark hair, eyes of blue and bodies that could send a woman into serious hormone storm.

Jake saw her and hurried over. “Hey, I want you to meet everyone. Everyone, this is Teddy Morgan, Mik’s sister.”

“Hey, Teddy.” A beautiful dark-haired woman sitting at the kitchen table with Mik spoke up. “I’m Lily, and that one—” She pointed across the room to a man talking with Jed and two others. “That’s my husband Clint. The two with him are Cam and Colton.”

“Nice to meet you all.” Teddy gave everyone a smile.

“And this is Ellie,” Mik said, gesturing toward the lovely woman seated beside her.

“Ellie, this is my sister, Teddy. Ellie’s married to Cam.”

“Hi, Ellie.” Teddy walked over and took Ellie’s hand. The unease that rolled off her had Teddy pulling Ellie to her for a tight hug.

“It’s okay, you’re among friends,” she whispered.

Teddy could feel the relief that washed through Ellie. “Thank you,” she said when Teddy pulled back.

“Come on.” Teddy took her hand. “Let’s go into the den where it’s quiet. Get acquainted.”

“So, Jed tells me you’ve got a bit of a mystery on your hands,” Teddy said as she took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her.

“You could say that,” Ellie replied.

“You want to tell me?”

Ellie cut her eyes to the people in the kitchen then back to Teddy. “I’m afraid this will sound…crazy.”

“Honey, trust me, I’ve seen my share of crazy.”

“Well.” Ellie cleared her throat and paused to compose her thoughts. “Here goes.”

Teddy kept quiet for the nearly ten minutes it took for Ellie to tell her what was going on. When she finished Teddy nodded. “You have the scroll with you?”

“Yes.” Ellie reached for her shoulder bag that she’d set on the floor and pulled out the scroll.

Teddy reached for it but stopped at the sound of Alex’s voice. “Hold on Teddy.”

Alex entered the room and smiled at Ellie. “Hi I’m Alex. Teddy and Mik’s sister.”

“Ellie.”

“Hi, Ellie. Sorry, I wasn’t eavesdropping—oh hell, yeah I was. But I wanted to hear the story.”

“So why can’t I touch the scroll?” Teddy asked.

“Because of that.” Alex walked over to take a seat in a chair adjacent to the couch and pointed at Ellie’s necklace. “Haven’t you been watching? If she moves and it moves away from her skin the light inside it dims.”

“Really?” Teddy looked at the necklace. “Show me.”

Ellie lifted the chain so that the gem was not against her skin then let it fall back into place. Teddy’s eyes widened. “Very cool.”

“Touch it first,” Alex suggested.

“May I?” Teddy asked Ellie.

“Sure.”

“What’s going on?” Mik asked as she and Lily walked into the room.

Alex filled them in, and they sat down to watch. Teddy reached out and lifted the gem from where it rested against Ellie’s chest, closing her hand around it. She closed her eyes and for a few seconds there was no sound or movement in the room.

Unexpectedly, energy suddenly roared from the necklace and raced through her. She had no control but could feel her body suddenly arch back. Her eyes flew open, and she could see the light that was shooting from between her closed fingers.

At the instant the thought entered her mind that this was the coolest thing she’d ever experienced, Mik ran across the room and crawled onto the couch behind her. She wrapped her arms around Teddy as Ellie pried her hand open.

Teddy really wanted to tell them to stop, that she was in no danger, but she couldn’t get her mouth to work. In fact, nothing seemed to work. She was caught up in this feeling of bliss that was incredible.

When her hand opened and Ellie took the gem away, it felt like something suddenly sucked all of the energy from her body. She fell back against Mik, her breath coming hard and fast as her body tried to adjust to the sudden drain of energy. Images were suddenly flooding her mind, so fast that she could barely assimilate the information.

Ellie’s husband Cam hurried across the room and sat beside Ellie, wrapping one arm around her. Teddy could feel his concern and Ellie’s fear. Ellie thought she’d hurt Teddy and feared that everyone would hate her.

“Teddy?” Alex’s voice drew her attention.

She blinked and tried to smile. The images were stronger, clearer. She almost had them. Just another second. Oh my god.

Teddy cut her gaze to Ellie in surprise then looked at Alex. “She’s not human.”

“What?” Mik blurted from behind Teddy. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t…I can’t explain it,” Teddy said. “I just know. That necklace isn’t from this plane of existence. It’s from another place. A place where Ellie comes from. Or at least where her people come from.”

“That’s crazy,” Cam said when everyone else gaped at Teddy in shock.

“Maybe not,” Alex said and got up to wedge herself on the couch between Teddy and Ellie. “I may be able to help.”

“How?” Ellie asked “I can…” She cut her eyes at Mik and when Mik nodded, turned her attention back to Ellie. “I can talk to the dead.”

Teddy saw Ellie reach for Cam’s hand and felt her terror. She wanted what Alex offered but was scared.

“I…color me chicken,” Ellie said. “But this all scares me.”

“It’ll be okay,” Alex assured her. “I just need something that belonged to someone in your family who has crossed over.”

“The scroll.”

Alex held out her hand and Ellie placed the scroll in it.

Alex looked at Teddy and Teddy reached out and put her hand on the scroll. They both extended hands to Ellie. She clasped hands with them, and Alex spoke. “Okay, now I want you to think about who this belonged to. You don’t have to tell me, just think about them.”

Ellie did as Alex instructed. She closed her eyes.

Teddy could feel what Alex said as she spoke. The scroll was speaking to her, but the man who had owned it was presenting himself to Alex.

“Your father was a White Horse,” Alex said. “I know that’s your last name, but in the beginning, when his people first came here, they disguised themselves as white horses, big powerful creatures with long flowing manes and tails. When the door to their world closed, trapping them here, they adopted the name Whitehorse.”

Teddy spoke up next. “Your father left you this scroll and the necklace in hopes that you would be able to open that door and allow your people to return home.”

Ellie looked around at the other people in the room and the expression on their faces mirrored what she felt. Disbelief.

“I…I don’t want you to take this the wrong way because I’m really grateful to you.” She looked around at everyone. “To all of you. But…but this can’t be true. I’m human. Just like you. Just like my father. He wasn’t some…he was…”

“Fae,” Alex said.

“Fae?” Cam blurted. “What the heck is that?”

“Fairy,” Teddy answered.

“That’s just plain crazy,” Cam argued.

“I have to agree,” Clint said from the doorway.

Ellie looked around again and finally back to Alex. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, honey.”

“Tell me what you saw or sensed. Tell me about my father.”

Alex smiled. “Okay, I get it. A test?”

“Oh no! No!” Ellie gave Alex’s hand a squeeze. “It’s just that I haven’t seen him since I was very young and…and…”

“It’s okay,” Alex said. “He’s a big man. Tall and brawny sort of. Black hair. Really black, like yours. And blue eyes. He smells like Camel cigarettes and clove gum. He likes dark ales rather than beer and loves to sing. Painting is—was one of his passions. That was the only way to lose himself and escape the pain.”

“What pain?” Ellie asked.

“Of losing you. Your mother. All of you. His entire family gone. Taken from him.”

“I wasn’t taken from him.”

Alex looked over Ellie’s shoulder. “As good as. If he hadn’t left you with your grandmother, you might have been taken. It was the only safe place for you; he hid you from the Dark Fae by leaving you with one of their own.”

“Dark Fae?”

“Light and Dark. There are people of both everywhere,” Alex replied. “Your father was Light. Your mother Dark. That’s why her family exiled her. She chose the Light.”

“Enough,” Ellie said and released Alex’s hand. “Thank you. I mean that. But I…god am I dreaming this? Am I still in that hospital having some kind of medicated hallucination or dream? This just can’t be real.”

“But it is,” Teddy said softly. “And you have to finish what you started, Ellie.”

“Which is?”

“Take the scroll home. Recite the words and see what happens. I think…” She looked at Alex. “I think there’s someone looking for you. Someone important to you.”

“Yes,” Alex agreed. “Do what she said, Ellie. It’s the only way to know for sure.”

Ellie turned to Cam. “What do you think?”

“I think you need to do what’s right for you. And whatever that is, I’m with you.”

She nodded then looked around at everyone else. “Thank you so much. I’m in your debt and if there’s ever anything I can do to repay your kindness, all you have to do is say, and I’ll do it. No matter what it is.”

Mik got up and gave her a kiss on the top of the head. “How are you at washing potatoes? I was thinking that maybe we should have a cookout. Steaks on the grill, potatoes, some fresh green beans and if I can talk Teddy into it, a fresh apple pie for desert.”

“I am a most excellent potato washer,” Ellie said with a grateful smile. “And if Teddy doesn’t want to be bothered, my grandmother did teach me how to make one heck of an apple pie.”

“You’re hired,” Mik said and headed for the kitchen, spouting orders. “Jed, you and the guys make a beer run, fire up the grill and clean off the picnic tables. Oh and how about cleaning out the fire pit and bringing in a fresh load of wood. We can have a fire, it’s gonna be cool enough.

“Teddy you and Alex help me and Ellie. Make some tea, find the tablecloths…”

Teddy could have kissed Mik. Her manner was diffusing the tension, putting everyone back on normal ground and easing them. She smiled across the room at Jake and when he smiled back she was rewarded with an insight that had her reeling.

Jake loved her.

As strange as it might be, that threw her for much more of a loop than discovering she was going to have dinner with a woman whose family was not human.

Teddy’s smile turned to a grin. One thing was for darn sure. Life was full of surprises on the Nash ranch.