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Chapter Twenty-Three

SUNNY

T he week had finished as she and Asher split their time between fixing up her house and working at the shop.

They had to work on the Midsommer Fest coming in a couple weeks. But right then, she was sitting up in her father’s office, staring at the board.

He seemed like he was getting close to something?—

But what?

She stared at the name Bradford Wilkes. It had ties strung to the coal company, the town, and a notecard that said Church of Divine Deliverance .

Bradford Wilkes.

She knew that name—but how? She’d asked Betty, and Betty didn’t know. And if she didn’t know, then he wasn’t from here.

The screen door opened and slammed as Asher came in.

“Hey, Sunshine. I got the meat for the cookout tomorrow. Abe went over to the next town and got supplies to fix your roof and then we’ll fire up the grill,” he called from downstairs.

“Sounds good,” she called back as his footfalls found their way up the steps.

He came to the office and knocked, trying to get her attention.

“Do that again,” she said quickly.

“Do what again?”

“Knock.”

“Ooookay...”

She was unsure of why she was asking, too. But then he did, and just like that, it hit her.

She pushed past Asher and dashed down the stairs.

He followed. “Sunny, what’s going on?”

Her feet skidded on the last step as she held onto the banister for balance.

“Sunny, slow down. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

By the time he finished that thought, she was already in the dining room, sorting through the mail on her table.

“Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”

“This!” she said, shoving the manilla envelope into his face.

“What is this? Is this the offer to buy your house?”

“Yes! And look at the name. Does that look familiar to you?”

“Bradford Wilkes.”

“It’s him!”

“It’s who?”

“The guy from my dad’s board!” Sunny yelled as she turned and made her way back upstairs as the radio blasted “Coal Miner’s Daughter.”

“I figured it out! Well... I figured out something, at least.”

Asher went into the living room and turned off the radio before heading upstairs as Sunny stared at the board.

“It has to be the same guy. Don’t you think?”

Asher scratched through his beard as he peered at the board. “I would imagine. He worked for VenDeer then and still does now, and he seemed to be after the land before. But why is he back? He hasn’t been poking his head around in the last four years... Why now?”

“That’s a good question... That sounds like a question for Bridget. Where is she, by the way? I don’t think I’ve seen her in over a week.”

“Yeah, you know how she is. She comes and goes and always shows up in the nick of time. Hopefully, she and Esther will be back soon. It does feel like we are onto something.”

He stopped and examined the board.

Sunny added the folder with the offer to the rest of the papers. “The Church of Divine Deliverance... Why does that name alone make my skin crawl?”

“I know, right? Have you ever heard of it before?”

“No, I haven’t. How would you feel about letting Abe up here tomorrow? That man’s mind is a steel trap. He might remember something.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

She walked over to him and slipped her arms around his waist. “On a completely unrelated note... I was doing some journaling this morning,” she said as he turned and held her close. “I noticed... the moon is full tonight.”

A growl rumbled deep in his chest. While he didn’t voice it, she could still feel it.

“What do you say we have some fun?”

He licked his lips, and it was like she could see straight through to the beast within. “What kind of fun did you have in mind, little witch?” he asked in a low voice that shot straight to her lady bits.

She reached up on her toes and put her mouth right next to his ear. “I was thinking of the kind where you chase me through the woods and claim me under the full moon.”

His hand snaked up her body and wrapped around her neck, holding firm. “Do you know what you’re asking me for?”

“Yes,” she said before biting his earlobe. “I know exactly what I’m asking for.”

And she did. His wolf would be in control that night. She knew it would get rough. She knew what she was in for, and her core throbbed at the thought.

He pulled her close and hitched her body to his. “I say as soon as the sun goes down and the moon is high in the sky, it’s fucking on.”

“Well, after my shift at the bar... I might just come home and take a stroll in the woods and hope no big bad wolf comes upon me,” she said with a playful glint in her eye.

* * *

Later that night, Sunny was opening the door to the Corner Tap, ready for her shift.

“Hey, Dusty, how’s it going?”

“Good,” she said as she wiped down the bar. “We have karaoke tonight, so I’ll be behind the bar with you. It can get pretty busy on weekend nights with karaoke.”

“Sounds like a good time. Let me go put my stuff in the back room,” she said, making her way behind the bar into the office off the storeroom.

The music from the jukebox and the noise of the patrons filled her with a warm welcome feeling. She liked being a bartender. It gave her a chance to talk to all kinds of people, and if Sunny was anything, she was a people person.

The only drawback to being a people person and a seer smacked her in the face as she turned to join Dusty behind the bar. There, taking a brown paper bag from her, was Nox Whittaker.

Ducking back into the storeroom, she poked her head out, watching them. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he appeared to be thanking her.

He seemed friendly and took the bag.

Dusty continued to talk to him, and he said something that made her throw her head back in laughter.

Everyone seems to love him, but there has to be something, right?

She’d never seen anyone with glowing red eyes after having visions about them for weeks.

He turned to leave, and Sunny made her way out the bar.

“Who was that?” she asked, hoping to get an honest opinion.

“Nox? Oh, he’s the music teacher for the elementary school. I think he also teaches piano.”

“How long has he been in town?”

Dusty cocked her head. “A couple of years. I think he came here when you were gone.”

Clearly...

Sunny nodded. “What do you know about him?”

“Not much, really.” She shrugged. “He is nice enough when I see him around town.”

“What was in the bag?”

“He’s headed into Charleston to take some Ol’ Ray’s moonshine to his sister.”

“Nox has a sister?”

Dusty pushed off the bar and put her hands on her hips, evaluating Sunny.

“What?”

“I thought you and Asher were back together?”

“We are.”

“Then, why the interest in Nox?”

“Oh.” Sunny shook her head. “It’s nothing like that. I just didn’t recognize him. Just being nosy.”

Dusty gave her a skeptical look before wiping down the bar.

“And while I’m being nosy... Have you ever heard of the Church of Divine Deliverance?”

Dusty stopped again and turned to her. “Sunny.... Don’t tell me you went and found Jesus on your travels.”

“Nothing like that. I just saw something in my dad’s office, and he wasn’t a church-going guy either... so I wasn’t sure.”

The door opened, and a large woman carrying a speaker entered. “Hey. Up on the stage?”

“Yep. Do you need any help?” Dusty asked.

“Nope, I got it,” said the woman as she made her way to the stage.

“I’m going to stock the cooler,” Sunny said before heading back to the storeroom.

Well, I could have handled that better.

She loaded up the cart with the beer she needed to restock, lost in thought.

By the time she got the cooler stocked, the karaoke setup was ready, and the bar was in full swing.

This would serve as a good distraction. But her thoughts kept meandering to a handsome distraction who would meet her in the woods that night, and that thought would get her through just about anything.

When the bar slowed down and karaoke was over, Dusty sent her home and told her to come in on Monday. Sunny said yes but didn’t pay too much attention. She had a date in the woods.

She went home and hopped in the shower, trying to wash the scent of the bar off her. Asher would be able to smell that a mile away... Who was she kidding? He would be able to smell just about anything a mile away.

She put on a pretty nightgown and loosely braided her hair over her shoulder. Slipping on her Birkenstocks, she got a blanket from the back of the couch before heading out the door.

She thought about getting a flashlight, but the moon was full, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Even without the heightened senses Asher had, she could make it to the meadow alone. It had been so long since she’d done anything this magical, and she was ready.