Tempting The Dragon. Karen Whiddon

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ the horizon.

      Today, she fully expected Rance Sleighter to make an appearance. Her entire body heated as she pondered what she’d do if he tried to kiss her. And then, she wondered if she’d be disappointed if he didn’t.

      Inside the house, all was silent and still. Her entire family still slept. Her mother, Amber, didn’t believe in getting up before sunrise and Pearl and Sapphire were teenagers. Enough said.

      This morning in addition to opening up Dogs Off Leash, she’d be helping out her mom by opening their store, Jewels and Essence. Over the weekend Amber and Opal had each taken turns, since they’d given their healthy-oil classes to twenty-two attendees who’d signed up in advance. That part of the business had really taken off. While interest in aromatherapy had blossomed worldwide, Jade had a feeling the popularity of theirs had a bit to do with the way the townspeople believed she had magic.

      Opal and Amber weren’t bothered by this. In fact, they capitalized on it whenever they could. Pearl and Sapph rolled their eyes and giggled whenever the topic of magic came up.

      It appeared the only one bothered by the rumors and gossip was Jade, the so-called sexy witch. When she’d first learned of the tales of her sexual prowess, she’d been mortified. And then, the embarrassment had settled into a simmering anger, which made her retreat from any attempts at dating. Of course, it didn’t help that she’d recently turned twenty-nine and, with thirty looming on the horizon, was more than ready to settle down and have a family. With the ridiculous expectation looming over her, all any of the men in this town were interested in was seeing if it was true.

      Recently, she’d signed up for an online dating service and was careful only to go out with men from one of the neighboring towns, where they’d have no idea who she was. So far, while she hadn’t met anyone she couldn’t resist, none of the men she’d dated had any preconceived ideas about her. That had been a relief.

      She yawned and checked her watch. Time to finish her coffee and get inside and eat. Her first clients would be dropping off their dogs at 6:00 a.m. sharp.

      When she’d decided to open Dogs Off Leash, her mother and grandmother had scoffed. Her aunt and uncle had rolled their eyes and her sisters couldn’t have cared less. Only Grandpa Sam had clapped her on the back and told her he thought she had a fine idea. Since Grandpa rarely spoke to anyone since the dementia had taken hold of him, Jade considered his words a high compliment.

      In the year and a half since her doggy day care had been open, business had been brisk and increasing in increments. She’d taken her profits and reinvested in the business, adding on to the fenced dog play areas and hiring additional staff.

      Even better, she loved her business. Every morning she greeted the day with a smile on her face, eager to get to work. Raised as a child without pets, she adored being around the dogs, often sitting on the floor and rolling around with them. Even Sapph had taken to stopping by to play, much to the amusement of her twin sister.

      Once she’d eaten, Jade hurried to her room to grab her watch since today she needed to make sure to be aware of the time. With the timepiece clasped securely around her wrist, she went back to the kitchen, intending to make one more cup of coffee to take with her. When she got there, she stopped short, surprised to find her mother sitting at the kitchen table, her head down.

      “Mom?” Jade hurried over, alarmed. Amber never rose before sunrise. “Is everything okay?”

      When Amber raised her face, her cheeks were wet with tears. “Your cousin Diamond has gone missing.”

      Diamond, aka the Wild Child. Still... Jade stared. “But she just came to the family meeting the other day.”

      “I know.” Amber sighed. “My sister says she didn’t come home after that. They assumed she went out with friends, but she’s not answering her cell. They have no idea where she is and they’re worried sick.”

      This said a lot. Amber’s sister Emerald wasn’t the dramatic type. If she was worried, this meant she believed she had good reason. Of course, ever since Diamond had started running around with a partying crowd, Jade had been concerned enough for the both of them.

      “What are we going to do?” Jade asked quietly. “I assume we’re going to organize a search or something?”

      “I don’t know. Em said something about Diamond’s new boyfriend. No one has actually met him, but Di never stopped talking about him.”

      Which meant, Jade thought privately, he probably didn’t exist. It wouldn’t be the first time her cousin had made up a boyfriend. Especially since none of her friends had actually seen him.

      “It isn’t like Di to just disappear,” Jade mused. “Unless she’s pulling some sort of stunt for attention.” Attention appeared to be the one thing Diamond couldn’t seem to get enough of. Add to that the fact that several of Di’s close friends had done this exact same thing, and Jade figured they considered it a trend or something. Jade had never pretended to understand how her cousin or her friends thought.

      Amber’s frown deepened. “You do have a point, but I can’t see her willingly causing her mother this much worry. Something must have happened to her.” She took a deep breath. “Will you help?”

      “Of course. What would you like me to do?” When her mother raised her gaze, Jade knew. It always came down to this. Anytime someone had a problem, the family sent Jade to talk to Libby. To be fair, they had no choice, as Jade was the only person Libby would speak to.

      When Libby agreed to respond to Jade’s questions, her answers were always correct. Not seventy-five percent of the time, or ninety. But one-hundred-percent, every-single-time correct. Worse, when Libby went into one of her trances, she’d relay to Jade her visions. Often, these were ten times more vivid than any dream.

      Of course, the family knew Jade had magic, though they erroneously assumed she could do more with it than she could. And everyone regarded Libby as a Seer as well as a lake creature. Because there was no way any normal person could have all the answers. Only those who had been caretakers before her knew the truth. Amber knew. The magic was real and special. Because Libby wasn’t a normal person, or even a normal shape-shifter. She was one of a kind. Maybe the last of her kind. And Jade believed fervently that Libby didn’t deserve to be bothered with small stuff.

      Jade had gotten to the point of hating to have to ask favors of Libby. She wasn’t sure her cousin Di taking off for a few days warranted asking for magic.

      “Please,” her mother pleaded, correctly interpreting Jade’s hesitation. “Your Auntie Em specifically asked me to ask you since you and she are so close. She knows your connection to Libby. If I still had the ability, I’d ask her myself.”

      And therein lay the problem. No way could Jade say no now. Not to a worried-sick parent and her favorite aunt. Even if her cousin was a little bit...wild. Jade wondered if her aunt Emerald knew that several others in the crowd Di ran around with had taken off at various intervals for a few days, only to reappear suddenly, acting like nothing had happened.

      “Fine. I’ll do it.” Grabbing her stainless steel coffee mug, she poured one more cup, keeping herself busy as she added cream and sugar, and stirring.

      “When?” Amber pressed. “Can you run out there this morning?”

      Reminding herself that her mother felt a sense of urgency even if Jade did not, Jade sighed. “Remember, you asked me to open up your store for you?”

СКАЧАТЬ