Page 43 of Mystery in the Mountains

“In time for what?” Asher asked.

“I’m not sure,” Bridget said as she stood from where she had been crouching to heal Sunny’s ankle. “But with Sunny’s return, it looks like there is a coven in Hecate’s Hollow again. I’ll see ye again soon!”

Bridget stood and left just as quickly as she showed up, leaving Sunny and Asher shaking their heads.

“What was that?” Sunny asked.

“Bridget.” Asher shrugged.

There was no explanation for her besides that. Bridget came and went as she pleased and usually left people scratching their heads.

“How’s your ankle?” he asked, helping her from the couch.

She took a tentative step and then another before turning and beaming up at him. “It’s fine.”

“Bridget . . . I’ll never understand her, but I’m just glad she’s on our side.”

“Right?”

“Well, not that I can walk a little better. I think I want to tackle a bit more cleaning . . . or did you want to go into the parlor?”

Sunny’s brow furrowed, and Asher ached to take the trepidation from her face.

“Let’s save that for another day,” she finally said.

“Okay, I’ll get the porch finished up.”

And just like that, they got back to work, fixing up the house and patching themselves.

Chapter

Fifteen

SUNNY

Sunny looked around the kitchen.

It was spotless besides a leaky faucet she put on the list for Asher to fix.

But she was packing a picnic lunch, hoping Asher would want to go with her. He seemed to have turned a page this morning, but she had thought that yesterday.

But it was fine. She was prepared to do whatever she needed to do to prove she was here for him again and show him how sorry she was for leaving him the way she did.

As she opened her front door, picnic basket in hand, the sight before her was just about enough to melt her on the spot. There was Asher, his dark curls pulled back, his shirt off, showing tattoos, while he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

Damn. He had always done it for her. But it would seem like the years had been kind to Asher. She took a breath, trying to steel herself against this man’s heat but then he turned and smiled at her. An audible sigh left her lips at the sight.

The grin turned into something with a little more bite to it . . . and it had her wishing he would take a bite out of her.

“How’s it going, Sunny?”

“Oh, ummm . . .” She shook her head, trying to shake off the spell he seemed to have her under. “Sorry. Are you hungry?” She held up the basket.

“Famished,” he said in a growl, the wolf making himself known.

“Do you want to go to the spot? I thought it was a nice, warm spring day. It might be nice.”

Before she even finished her sentence, Asher was at the foot of the stairs, offering a hand to help her down.

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