Page 30 of A Curse On Black Lake (Black Lake Gothic Cowboys #1)

Chapter twenty-three

Eliana

The next morning, my bones ache as I get ready for the day. At least I slept all night. Killian and I had to move two herds and do it twice as fast since we started later.

Tiny shoves his nose under my arm, begging for some bacon off my plate. I slip it to him, and I swear the dog smiles at me. I pat his head and rub his soft ears as he stares up at me, while drool drips from his mouth.

“You know I only have so much bacon, and I’ll feed you as soon as we get to your daddy’s house.”

He shifts as if to say, yes, but I’m hungry now.

I roll my eyes and grab him a hard-boiled egg I had left in the fridge. He swallows it whole and looks up again.

“You’re going to eat me out of house and home if you keep this up,” I tell him. I should probably have a bin of his food here. Killian wasn’t going to let him come, but the dog followed the truck nearly to the property line when we were headed back to my house. So Killian gave in.

I smile remembering how Killian grumbled to himself, and put the dog up into the truck bed, anyway. And I didn’t miss when he told Tiny to take care of me before he left for the night. The sore ache turns into a new one the more I think about him.

“Where is he?” I ask myself and Tiny. It’s fifteen past five, and he’s usually here by now.

Sipping my coffee, I look out the window, and Tiny barks. Then wood creaks outside of the house like someone stepped onto the porch, then a knock echoes through the house.

I don’t know why he bothers knocking. I thought we’re past the pleasantries at this point.

Grabbing the handle, I yank open the door, ready to say something sassy to him about the niceties, and the words die on my lips, finding him squatting in front of a small box that’s beautifully wrapped.

He glances up at me and then back at the box, inspecting it. “Did you get me a gift?” I ask him. Even though part of me knows he didn’t because why would he be looking at it like it’s a bomb?

“No, but someone did.”

I frown and bend over to grab the box. He grabs my wrist and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me back behind the threshold of the house. “Wha—”

“I know you have enemies, but would you have enemies that would go as far as to hurt you?” he asks.

A quiver of fear hardens my stomach. “I don’t know,” I rasp.

He grunts and studies me for a moment.

“Do you have any … admirers?” he asks.

My eyes meet his, and I swear I see a ‘I sure hope not’ in them. I shake my head, and his shoulders drop.

“We could call the police,” he says.

“Do you think that’s a good idea based on the current situation?”

His hand twitches on my stomach, and I realize his arm is still around my waist. I’d like for it to stay there, he’s basically holding me up at the moment.

“I have no idea who would send me anything, well…” I trail off, and he faces me again, hands still on me.

“Well what, Eliana?” he asks.

“You,” I whisper.

He licks his lips, and my knees quiver for an entirely different reason. “I would, but I would hand it to you, and sorry, but I’m not that good at gift wrapping.”

Pinning my lips together, I try to hide my smile and step out of his arms. “Welp, there’s only one way to find out,” I say and ignore the fear that this is a strange bomb and I’m going to die the moment I pick it up. Oh well.

“Eli—”

Killian’s words are cut off the moment I pick up the package and turn it in my hands.

You must not be so reckless with your life. The Spirits say.

Why do you care? You’ll probably go haunt someone else. Believe it or not, we are with you for a reason, and we do care about you, child.

“What?” I ask him.

Killian puffs out a breath and takes his hat off. His jaw ticks, and his expanding chest betrays the stress in his body.

“Do you think I should open it?” I ask him. It all seems normal. The small box is wrapped in beautiful dark green wrapping paper with a texture to it, reminding me of Black Lake and the cypress trees on its edges.

Around it is a supple black velvet ribbon, tied into a perfect bow. It’s simple but elegant.

I drag the end of the ribbon between my fingers, and it’s so soft. There is no way this kind of ribbon is sold in town.

“Come on, come inside,” Killian calls, gesturing for me to move. He sticks his head out the door, looking back and forth before closing the door and flipping the deadbolt.

I go back to the kitchen and set the package on the table. There’s nothing on it that says who it’s from or what it’s for.

Killian sits next to me stiffly and says, “You might as well open it, your fingerprints are all over it now.”

I roll my eyes and pull the ribbon. Setting it to the side, I carefully thumb under each fold of the paper.

Not a corner of tape could be seen, who ever wrapped it wanted it nearly seamless and used double-sided tape.

This person was adamant about the details.

My heart thuds at the thought. Could it be? No…why would he give me a gift?

He has been in your garden twice … that you know of. The Spirits say.

I sigh. They’re right.

“What?” Killian asks, leaning forward, worry twisting his handsome features.

“I don’t know,” I tell him. I told him about the person I saw in my garden, but I didn’t tell him about the second set of footprints I found when Tiny was with me for the first time. For all I know, it’s some stupid teenager trying to freak me out — at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

I turn the package and thumb open the last part of the wrapping paper, revealing a perfect little wood box. Setting the paper next to the ribbon, I inspect the box. Again unmarked, but beautifully constructed.

“Do you think someone made this?” I ask Killian.

He leans forward, tilting his head to inspect the box. “I’d say it’s likely.”

The lid slides between grooves on the sides of the box. To open it, I have to pull it back. I glance at Killian, and he gestures for me to slide the lid out. My hands shake as I tug it through the groves, revealing a perfume bottle.

“What the hell…” Killian mumbles.

“Uh-oh,” I mumble, somehow I don’t think it’s a teenager trying to scare me anymore. No teenager would leave something this pretty.

“What?” Killian grunts.

Ignoring him, I turn the box back and forth, looking at the bottle. It’s filled with a liquid, maybe perfume. And it’s nestled in black tissue paper. The top of the bottle is shaped like a glass knob, almost like a diamond sitting on top.

I lift the bottle out to study it, and get a whiff of lavender.

“Why are you smelling it? What if it’s poison?” Killian asks.

Frowning, I bring it to my nose and take another deep breath.

“Eliana—”

“It’s lavender,” I mumble and pull the lid off.

Grabbing a napkin from the table and I spray the liquid into it, and take a deep breath. It’s lavender perfume, but it’s not like any perfume I’ve smelled. I study the bottle closer, and there are no indicating markers, remnants of a label, or etching anywhere. “I think this is homemade,” I mumble.

“How would you come to that conclusion?” he asks.

I lift the bottle, turning it in the light.

“I grow a lot of lavender, and part of it is sold to people who make things with it, perfume, essential oils, extracts. But I also make my own for soap and essential oils. Everyone thinks it comes out purple like the flower, but usually it’s almost a light brown tint.

There is an undertone of purple, but it’s not overall.

Most people don’t realize that it’s dyed purple.

This is not, this is what it would look like from the extraction point. ”

“Maybe it’s mixed with something else?” Killian suggests.

I shrug placing the bottle back in the box. “It could be, but I don’t smell anything behind it, only the lavender. I love the stuff, so I feel like I’d know if there was.”

“Someone made you homemade perfume, wrapped it with care, and left it at your front door,” Killian says, stating the obvious.

My throat tightens, and I try to breathe through it, but I have to admit … I’m scared now. This isn’t normal. I’m not friends with anyone here except Killian, and he wouldn’t lie to me, let alone know how to make homemade perfume. Someone wanted me to have this.

“This was done with a lot of intention, which tells me whoever they are, cares about you.”

“I don’t know who. I don’t have any friends,” I whisper.

Tiny leans against my leg sensing my distress, and I rub his head.

“Why did you say uh-oh?” Killian asks, leaning forward, breaking the tentative barrier of personal space. But it’s not intimidating. It’s because he wants to know, for my sake.

“Um, well, I told you I saw someone standing in my garden staring at my house, and I’m not sure if they saw me. I stayed still, but I chalked it up to some kids messing with me, or something of that nature.”

He nods, listening thoughtfully.

“But a couple of weeks ago, Tiny heard noises outside, and I went to check, with my shotgun.”

Killian’s jaw goes rock hard.

“I found boot prints, ones that looked virtually identical to the ones before.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me this?” Killian roars, standing from his seat so fast the chair tips over behind him.

I wince and clasp my hands in my lap. “You have a lot on your mind,” I mumble.

“Yeah, you’re right, I do, and you’re one hundred percent of it.”

I gasp, and my head spins so fast, a muscle in my neck screams.

He grabs my chin and looks down at me. “You said it yourself. We are intertwined with something much bigger than us. I want you safe, and a stalker is not safe.”

“Okay, but what was I supposed to do? Call the cops? The only evidence I had was my eyes and impressions in the dirt. I know, and you know, they can’t do anything with that. Hell, they’ll probably think it’s some stupid kids messing with me.”

He groans, dropping his hand from my face, and begins pacing back and forth, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up at odd ends.

“It’s true, if there isn’t any evidence or you couldn’t actually see who it is, they would have taken a statement at most. But there's not a lot they could have done. For all they know, the perfume was a gift from an old friend.”

I nod, still shocked at his earlier words. Did I hear him right? Did he say I’m on his mind one hundred percent of the time?

Well, child, he is on yours too. The Spirits say.

“Yes, well there’s a reason for that, isn’t there?” I ask them. Then realize I said that out loud, and Killian is looking at me strangely.

“The Spirits?” he asks.

I hum, throat too tight to speak.

“I made this worse,” he says.

I cough. “How in the world did you come to that conclusion?” I ask him.

“You’re my alibi, but you have this stalking issue, and it would be smart for you to call the cops. At least give them a statement.”

I huff a laugh and grab the ends of my hair, twirling them around my finger. “Do you think that’s smart? You clearly don’t trust Wyatt right now, and I can’t say I disagree, especially if he’s up to something. And like you said, they can’t really do anything, so what’s the point?”

“The point is they would have it on record, which is important,” he says.

“But Killian … if it is him. Do you think we should show our hand like that? He would know that we know.”

His stare weighs on me, gluing me to the seat.

“First, your stalker is not related to my issue. I’m being accused of murder, and I’m obviously not stalking you.

So the two don’t go together. I think it’s really bad luck, which is common in Black Lake.

But, Wyatt…” Killian swallows thickly. “If Wyatt is connected to this, then we should keep our cards close. But we need proof, irrefutable proof. We can’t go around town accusing the Sheriff of Black Lake of anything without it. ”

My stomach churns. I’ve known of the Sawyers my whole life. It would be shocking if it really is him, and none of us saw it. I can’t imagine how Killian is dealing with it all. “I understand. I don’t want to call them. Okay? And Killian?”

He drops his hand from his exhausted face, waiting for me to continue.

“Believe it or not, you’ve made everything a thousand times better. It’s probably some weirdo kid. The stalker issue isn’t as important as yours.”

“The hell it’s not!” he roars.

I slip my lips over my teeth to hide my smile because he’s upset on my behalf, and he doesn’t need to know that I find his irritation towards me funny. Actually, it’s pretty cute.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask him.

“You’re going to come and live with me. We can come back and get the animals later,” he states like it’s not up for discussion.

I bark in laughter and cross my arms. “No, Killian, I won’t.

I have things to do here. I have a business to run.

” It doesn’t matter if I’m terrified to go to sleep now.

I could keep Tiny with me, and a gun by my bed.

But if a stalker, or very mean teenager, got this close to the house, and I had no clue, who is to say he couldn’t get in without me knowing?

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t come back every day. But … it would be safer for you, and I care more about that right now,” Killian says.

Listen to him child, this is part of the plan. We know it is.

I thought you didn’t know what the full plan was. I tell them.

It is only as things are given to us. Trust him. He is right. It will keep you safe. Let him care for you this way. It is part of who he is. It will be better for both of you because we see so much darkness. It is coming, just as his father said.

My body tenses at their words. I try not to think too hard about it because it doesn’t make sense. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that I’m better off accepting things as they are right now, instead of trying to find answers I’ll never get. But what did Killian’s dad say?

“Why did you get all tense? What’s wrong?” Killian asks.

He squats down in front of me and grabs both of my knees.

I don’t want to ask him about his dad, but it would be good to know what they’re talking about.

“I … I know we don’t know each other that well, but everything is happening fast, and I think this would be safer for you,” Killian says.

“It would make you feel better, wouldn’t it?” I ask him.

His tongue dips out over his bottom lip. “Yeah, it would,” he rasps.

I puff out a breath, feeling simultaneously relieved and still angry that this psycho has the gall to invade my life as if he has a right to it.

“Will you let me keep you safe?” he asks.

How can I say no to that? Regardless of my romantic ideas with Killian, it might feel good to be around another soul instead of in a house all alone. It could be a positive thing — for both of us.

“Okay, I’ll move in with you. But it’s not a forever thing, cowboy. This is until it’s all over.”

He rubs his chin, and I swear I hear him say, “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”