Page 64 of Welcome to Blackbird Hollow
“Your wards,” I explain. “Out at Cade’s. They let some redcaps through.”
“Shit,” she breathes out, but there’s not a scrap of panic in her eyes. “Tell me what you saw.”
I nod, recounting the scene to her as best I can. Her amber eyes are solemn and attentive as a hawk’s, her sharp features drawn with concern. She looks ancient and impossibly young all at once, like all the most powerful witches. I take a moment to wonder if we’ve all missed something about Willa. If there might be more to her than just her uncommon talent for wards.
“Mossy footprints?” she asks, shaking her head. “That’s not redcaps or pixies. Nor’s it likely to be the hellhounds.”
“Not exactly footprints,” I muse. “Sort of, but…I don’t know, not reallyformed. Just made me think of footprints, I guess.”
She nods, glancing at Sally, who shakes her head. “That’s one of the High. Hard to say which one.” Sally’s eye catches sightof Belle, who’s pulling carrots. “Stay in that row, baby girl.” She winks at me. “Don’t want her pulling up the mandrake just yet.”
Willa smiles at the little girl before turning back to me. “I’ll get out there tomorrow, after the Hunt’s gone, and take a look.”
“Thank you,” I reply, though there’s something in Willa’s voice that hesitates, like she’s unsure about something. I glance down at the giant gourd in her wheelbarrow and grin, sure I’ve sussed out the source of her uncertainty. “Can I help you get this monster pumpkin somewhere?”
Willa laughs. “No, I’ve got it. It’s for the gym.”
I nod, frowning a little as I follow her across the square. We’re all on edge today. “It was a good idea to do trick-or-treating there tonight—should keep our kids and the leafer kids safe. Wanda says you thought of it.”
Willa smiles faintly, but her eyes are sad. “Kids are precious. Can’t have ’em snatched up.”
I wonder what that sadness is about for the briefest of moments, but as we pause to cross the street, Willa’s hand skims across her belly, and the sadness in her eyes intensifies. Sorrow pangs in my chest. Too many of us have been through too much.
Barnes Whitney waves from across the street, shouting that Janey’s got my order ready.
“Good luck tonight,” Willa says as we part ways. Her fingers brush my arm as she passes. It’s a friendly gesture that leaves me warm and a little sleepy-feeling. I blink a little as she says, “I’ll call tomorrow evening and let you know what I find out about your footprints.”
“Thanks,” I reply, before jogging in the opposite direction. I have the nagging feeling that I’ve forgotten something, but I’m not sure what it is. There’s probably just too much going on today.
Barnes waits for me. “Got everything ready for tonight. We need an extra gun or two? My cousin Julius came up with Mona last night.”
Barnes’s cousins are worth ten of the folk around here when it comes to dealing with Them, and Julius’s wife Mona was a sharpshooter in the last of the conflicts out West. “I’d sure appreciate it. You all head out to the house in a couple of hours and we’ll get you fitted with the right ammo. Cade’s got a couple of new toys.”
Barnes raises an eyebrow. “Blackstone?”
I nod, glaring a little. “Sure thing. Kid’s got a death wish, but it’s convenient this time.”
He grins, shaking his head. “We’ll keep ’em in line.” With a clap on my shoulder, he squints at me. “We’ve got this, Hayes. This time tomorrow, we’ll be out at Lupine Falls getting the bonfire started.”
I nod, but there’s a tight sort of feeling in my throat. Mama always used to say that nothing’s over ’til it’s over, and I’m afraid she’s right.
Janey sticks her head out the door of the diner, a paper bag in hand that smells like maple donuts, bacon, and buttery goodness. “Mac fried up some bacon, and put some of those crumbles into the butter for dipping, the way Fallon likes.”
“Thank you, Janey,” I reply as she blows me a kiss.
Barnes nods to me. “See you in a bit.”
“Sounds good,” I say, turning back toward the truck.
The sun feels like it never rose all the way today, and there’s a tense feeling in the chill air, like time’s about to stop. I feel a little relieved that Julius and Mona showed up, but the only thing that gets us through tonight is to keep moving. It’s time to get this show on the road.
As I pull up to my house, Caden and Fallon are out front with Fern and Alice. Fern dances around, while Fallon laughs so hardthat she has to wipe her eyes, and Cade’s face is red, while Alice moves her hands, describing something I can’t hear just yet.
Her eyes sparkle with delight that they’re laughing, but she’s not giggling at her own tale. There’s nothing that looks like the tension she held in her face last night about Cookie, but there’s a tightness to her movements I’ve come to recognize as worry lurking beneath her skin. But then her gaze snags on the truck, her eyes going straight to mine, and she looks almost peaceful, her shoulders relaxing the tiniest measure.
And in that moment, I know I’m done for. All I’ve ever wanted is for someone to look at me like that. To look at me like I’m just the thing they were waiting for. And my heart nearly bursts, because I was waiting for her, too.
Chapter 29
