Page 108 of A Curse On Black Lake
He frowns. “Why didn’t I ever see you?”
“We usually sat in the back, and I slipped out as quickly as I could. Large groups of people can make things hard for me.”
“But won’t that happen if we go?” he asks.
“It’s okay, I want to go. I think I need to.”
A serious expression sits on his face, and he leans forward, pressing his warm lips to my forehead.
“Give me ten, and I’ll be ready.”
He releases me, and I run up the stairs, grabbing one of my few dresses, and push a brush through my hair. I grab my nicer pair of brown cowboy boots with a snip toe and run back down the stairs.
“You didn’t have to go that fast,” he says with a small smile.
I shrug and grab a cup of coffee. “It doesn’t take me long to get ready.”
He stares at me with heat in his eyes, and I can feel my body flush under his gaze. I picked a light green checkered dress I made with a square neck and straps that tie into bows.
“You look beautiful,” he says.
“Thank you.”
When we slip in the back, Pastor Beckett is already at the pulpit. The church is small, it’s the only one in town. When I came with Grams after my change. People looked at me strangely, but Killian’s father never did. We spoke briefly, but he always treated me with kindness. He told me people are afraid of things they struggle to understand. I know he was talking about me, but he never questioned the Spirits, and I always appreciated him for it.
Killian’s hand rests on my thigh, and I put my hand over his. I think we both need the encouragement. At least the Spirits are at a low hum. I don’t have a headache growing.
Before service finishes, he takes my hand and tugs us out the back. “I’d go to church by myself, even though Dad was the pastor, but for some reason I’ve tied this place to him, and I didn’t think I could step foot in there again,” he says opening the passenger door to the truck for me.
“It’s almost painful how things you used to do with someone you love are linked with grief when they die,” he says.
“Even if they’re good things, they feel tainted,” I mutter.
He jerks back. “Yeah, and they shouldn’t be, but they are.”
“It’s always the things you’d never expect.”
Killian grabs my hand and brings it to his mouth. “Thank you for coming with me today,” he says and presses his lips on my knuckles.
“You’re welcome,” I rasp over the tightness in my throat.
I miss her so damn much.
“Let’s stop at your place and check on things,” he says.
I nod because I can’t speak, and I was planning on asking him to do that anyway.
We ride in silence across town to my house, and my stomach twists tighter as we get closer. I didn’t realize the break away from my house, my Grams’ house, was relieving for me. Every inch of space, inside and out, reminds me of her. It didn’t matter because I had nowhere else to go. Now that I’ve been away, even for a short time, it hurts.
He pulls into the driveway, and I force myself out and head for the front porch. Nothing looks out of place, but I hesitantly open the door. A burst of herbs fills my nose, and I sigh. I need to get these things done.
I feel Killian coming up behind me and look over my shoulder.
“You can go back to the ranch if you want. I’m going to be here for a while,” I tell him.
His hand clasps my hip and gently pushes me forward. “I’ll be right here,” he says.
I flip the sign that I’m open and hope maybe I can get a few customers. While I work, Killian finds a book, and makes a fresh pot of coffee.
