Thanksgiving in Bull Creek E-Book

Robbie Cox

• Herausgeber: Sandy Shores Publishing
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Mated for the past two years, they're finally ready to get married, but the past has other ideas, and soon, they're fighting for their lives once again.

Eve Hartlow and Arlin Landry are ready to be more than destined mates; they’re ready to be husband and wife. That is, until Eve opens a gift at her bridal shower, and then bliss turns to panic.

It’s been two years since Arlin mated Eve, and during that time, Bull Creek has faced one villain after another. It’s finally time for something magnificent to happen, and this Thanksgiving, Eve and Arlin intend on getting married. The whole town comes together to help with the celebration. However, so does Eve’s past.

They thought Kyle Wagner was but a bad memory, but when Eve opens a gift from her ex, they realize the past is never truly gone. Soon, they’re fighting for their lives again as Arlin suddenly disappears.

Faced with the possibility that Kyle just might mean what he says about killing Arlin, Eve must make a fatal decision: to stay and fight for the life she wants, or run away to save the man she loves.

Thanksgiving in Bull Creek is the fifth installment in this paranormal suspense series, guaranteed to keep you up late at night turning the pages.

Leseprobe

Thanksgiving in Bull Creek

Bull Creek Holidays

Robbie Cox

Sandy Shores Publishing

Copyright

Thanksgving in Bull Creek

by Robbie Cox

First Edition

Copyright @ 2022 by Robbie Cox

All rights reserved

www.feelgoodreads.com

Cover art & graphics by Beautiful Mess Graphics

Editing by CTS Editing & Weis Editing/Proofreading Services

Formatting by CJC Formatting

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are strictly products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be reproduced in any form, except in assisting in a review. This book may not be resold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Contents

Dedication

1.

Chapter One

2.

Chapter Two

3.

Chapter Three

4.

Chapter Four

5.

Chapter Five

6.

Chapter Six

7.

Chapter Seven

8.

Chapter Eight

9.

Chapter Nine

10.

Chapter Ten

11.

Chapter Eleven

12.

Chapter Twelve

13.

Chapter Thirteen

14.

Chapter Fourteen

15.

Chapter Fifteen

16.

Chapter Sixteen

17.

Chapter Seventeen

18.

Chapter Eighteen

19.

Chapter Nineteen

20.

Chapter Twenty

21.

Chapter Twenty-One

22.

Chapter Twenty-Two

23.

Chapter Twenty-Three

24.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Acknowledgments

Need More?

About the Author

Also By Robbie

Writing as R.C. Wynne

Merchandise Store

Dedication

To the great people at TEPAS Breast Center.

Chapter One

Eve Hartlow just sat there and smiled, basking in the love of her friends and the excitement of the event. This was all for her. People gathered to bathe her in love and gifts and to tell her how lucky she was to find someone as amazing as Arlin. Even her mother had arrived two days ago to help her get ready for the wedding that no one thought would ever come to be.

She had to admit, she was worried when her mother, Judy, said she wanted to come down to Bull Creek because of the way things went two years ago when Kyle used her mother to find Eve and try to drag her back to Willow Vale. Yet, her mother, a shy and simple woman who seemed stuck in a time long ago, just smiled and doted on her daughter, sitting beside her and oooing and ahhing over every package Eve opened. It felt good to have her there, to have her as a major part of the ceremony. Since moving to Bull Creek, Eve had avoided visiting her mother, not wanting to leave the sanctuary of the small village, afraid to venture too far out into the world because she knew what the world held, and she didn’t much care for it. Arlin had taught her differently over the past two years, had eased her back out into the larger cities surrounding them. Even so, she hated to go too far. Bull Creek was safe. Bull Creek was home. She preferred home.

“Are you going to open it or just try to guess what’s inside?” Alanna Bradbury teased as she nudged Eve with a slight bump of her shoulder. “We still have a ton of gifts to get through.”

The others who filled Alanna’s small cabin all cheered and urged Eve to continue opening gifts as they lifted glasses of wine or bottles of beer into the air.

Eve giggled as she nodded, apologizing for getting lost in the moment, so to speak. She couldn’t help it, though. These people were her friends, and while she knew she would do anything for them, she also knew they would do anything for her. And many of them had.

“Are you crying?” Adira asked, leaning over and placing a hand on Eve’s knee. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Eve gave a weak shrug. “Sorry, I guess it’s just a little overwhelming.” She glanced around at the small gathering of ladies. Adira and Alanna sat closest to her, along with her mother, and then there was Winnie, Lainie in her deputy’s uniform because she was still on duty, Noel, Brianna, Ash, Maureen Mondor holding a flask of whiskey, and Sade and Deedra Darrion, the newest witches in their small community. So many loving people had never surrounded her before, and she couldn’t help the overwhelming feeling it gave her. “I’m just so glad everyone could make it.”

Adira squeezed her knee. “Sweetie, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Now, keep opening presents before Josh and the other men come barging in here and ruin a good time,” Alanna teased.

Brianna giggled. “Yeah, I’m not sure how safe it was leaving Wes and Jake to handle the bar on their own without a mediator.” She turned to Noel, the third in the town’s triad, and nodded. “We may have a mess on our hands when we get back.”

“What is it this time?” Eve asked, glad to have the attention off her if even for a couple of minutes.

Noel sighed. “Thanksgiving is getting closer, and you know how Jake gets as the holidays creep up on us.”

“And how Wes doesn’t get,” Brianna said with a chuckle.

Noel nodded. “Yeah, Jake’s all, ‘Let’s do this and that,’ and Wes is like, ‘Leave my bar the hell alone’.” She shook her head. “I like June and August. Nothing really happens in those months.”

The other ladies in the room just laughed, most nodding their heads, having been privy to the men’s constant bickering in the past.

Eve laughed as well, clutching the brightly colored package in her hand as she did. Then she turned to Alanna, one brow cocked. “Is Josh planning anything for the holidays? He is in charge of those still, right?”

“What’s there to be in charge of?” Maureen groused as she lowered her flask to her lap again. “You cook a turkey and everyone eats and then sleeps. It’s the perfect holiday. Not a lot of fuss, just a bunch of food, and then an abundance of napping.”

Alanna rolled her eyes at the older witch. “It’s Josh. He could make a fuss out of Washington’s birthday if given half the chance, probably with busts of the president as decorations.”

“Hey, he could do a reenactment of Valley Forge or something,” Lainie said, grinning.

“Don’t even suggest it,” Alanna warned.

“Didn’t a lot of of his men die at Valley Forge?” Adira asked, her brows pinched.

“Yeah, mostly from diseases,” Alanna replied. “And it was freezing and people starved. So, let’s not give Josh any ideas, all right? Who really wants to celebrate that?”

Eve laughed again as she ripped the paper off the package, drawing everyone’s attention back to her. Opening the box, she felt the blush color her cheeks as she reached in and pulled out an extremely see-through nightie.

Catcalls and whistles filled the cabin, as well as more laughter.

“I can see straight through it,” Eve exclaimed, clamping her hand over her mouth.

Her mother giggled. “The fun part is when he takes it off.”

“Mother!” Eve cried out.

“Nope,” Maureen said with a shake of her head. “The fun part starts once it’s off.” She winked over at Eve’s mother, who simply grinned and nodded.

Eve felt her blush deepen as she decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to bring her mother to her bridal shower. She quickly stuffed the lingerie back into the box and tried to shove it to the side, but Alanna wouldn’t let her off that easily.

Instead, Alana grabbed the box, trying to open it again. “Are you sure you don’t want to try it on, just to make sure it fits? I mean, we wouldn’t want Arlin disappointed on his wedding night, right?”

“Trust me,” Eve hissed as she yanked the box out of her friend’s hands. “He won’t be disappointed.”

“Oh, really?” Her mother said, leaning back and studying her daughter as if seeing her for the first time. “Something you care to share with us?”

“No, mother,” Eve said, her embarrassment growing. “There’s nothing I wish to share. Now, let’s just keep opening packages, shall we?”

“But you sounded a little too confident there,” her mother pressed, a mischievous twinkle in her blue eyes. “I mean, these are your friends, right? You don’t have secrets from your friends, do you?”

“Oh, look, a bright pink box,” Eve said, reaching for the next gift.

The others laughed. “Chicken,” Alanna said as she wrote down the name of the gift giver so they could send thank yous later.

“You know it,” Eve agreed as she ripped the next gift open.

This time, she pulled out a small leather journal with sunflowers etched in the corner with a fancy pen. “It’s beautiful.”

“I knew you’d get plenty of things for your house or, um, the bedroom,” her mother said. “I wanted you to have something just for you. You told me when you moved here that you wanted to write your book. I haven’t heard much about it over the last couple of years, but I thought this might be fun for you to write your thoughts down.”

Eve smiled over at her mother. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

Her mother nodded once, a softness glistening in her eyes.

The party continued, bouncing back and forth between opening gifts, nibbling finger foods that the others all brought, and drinking Willow Blaze, an alcoholic drink that Jake made for shifters with the help of the only male witch in Bull Creek, Xavier. Now there was finally a drink strong enough to give a shifter a buzz without them having to drink the entire bottle. Of course, they kept it away from Eve’s mother, along with the fact that they were all shifters, something Eve had never confided to her mother. She never saw the point. At the time, it wasn’t like her mother would ever visit her in Bull Creek. Then Arlin had to go and propose, guaranteeing that her mother would, indeed, be around Eve’s supernatural friends. Hopefully, there would be no incidents like when Noel’s mother arrived in Bull Creek over two years ago. Circumstances forced Noel to shift in front of her mother when The Order of Wardens took the woman captive. Not exactly the best introduction into the world of shifters. Eve would not allow her mother to find out that way, but she had yet mustered the courage to tell her mother the truth of what she was now—a tiger shifter.

“I need a break,” Eve said as she leaned back after opening another sexy nightie. Was this party for her or for Arlin, she wondered as she stared at the stack of lingerie.

“Too much sexy?” Lainie asked as she pointed to the stack of clothes. “You can’t really blame us. After all, you already have everything you need to set up a house.”

“There. Open that one.” Maureen pointed to a box at the edge of the table. “I guarantee it’s not some flimsy piece of cloth that you’ll only wear for a minute.”

Eve stared at the older woman for a moment, not sure whether or not to trust her. Maureen had a cantankerous side, and one could never tell what would come out of the woman.

Well, she needed to open her all her gifts. She might as well get it over with.

Opening the box, she stared at several items positioned within white packing tissue. “This looks interesting.” She pulled out a pouch of potpourri, taking a whiff as she held it to her nose. “Nice.” She set it to the side and then reached back in to pull out the rest of the contents: a pack of herbal tea, a tube of bath salts, a candle, a garnet stone, a cedar smudge stick, and a sheet of paper with what appeared to be instructions. “What is all this?” she asked as she raked her gaze up and down the paper.

“It’s all the ingredients you need to perform a winter cleansing ritual.” Maureen replied. “And the instructions on how to carry it out.”

“A ritual?” Eve’s mother asked, staring at the things Eve pulled out of the box, and Eve closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. They had almost made it through the evening with nothing supernatural being said. Eve’s mother then turned to Maureen, the two women almost the same age. “For cleansing, you say? Cleansing for what?”

Maureen shrugged, her arm dangling over the side of the recliner, a flask dangling from her fingers. “One should never go into a marriage carrying the baggage of everything that went before. The cleansing ceremony will wash all that away.”

Her mother stared at the box, and Eve could tell the woman wanted to ask more questions. She kept them to herself, however, for which Eve was thankful.

“Thank you,” she said, lifting the box in the air slightly before handing it to Alanna, who had been keeping track of the gifts and who gave them to her.

When Eve looked around, she realized there was only one gift left, and this one had come by mail. She reached for the box sitting on the table, but when she looked to see who the package was from, there was no return address. She felt her brows pinch together in her confusion. “That’s odd.” She glanced over at her mother. “Did you know of anyone sending a gift?”

Her mother shook her head. “Not that I’m aware of. Kitty Wolcott might have sent something, since she couldn’t make it, but I would think that would be for the actual wedding, not the bridal shower.” She gave a small shrug of her shoulders, looking just as confused as Eve felt. “Perhaps there’s a small note inside telling you who it’s from.”

Eve ripped the box open, only to find another box inside, this one wrapped in bright orange paper with a black ribbon tied around it. “Curiousier and curiousier.” She pulled the wrapped package out, setting the cardboard box to the side. Lifting the gift into the air, she searched the outside for a note, but found nothing. She glanced over at Alanna, who had the box it came in near her. “Is there a note inside?”

Alanna glanced into the open box, but only shook her head. “It’s empty.”

Eve giggled. “Well, who doesn’t love a good mystery?”

Shrugging, she ripped into the package, dropping the colorful paper at her feet. A white box rested inside, and she quickly opened the lid.

And stared, her heart racing.

“What is it?” her mother asked, leaning closer in her attempt to peer inside the box.

Eve glanced at Alanna and then over to Lainie. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she reached inside the box and pulled out a ceramic tiger curled up inside a cage of iron bars. A note rested on top, which caused her blood to run cold.

“I promised there would be no escape,” Eve read out loud.

Her mother reached out and took the gift in her hands. “Now, this is a strange gift.”

Chapter Two

Arlin sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee resting between his hands as Eve went on and on about the gift Kyle sent her. Or rather, sent them, she insisted. Thankfully, Alanna had called and given him a heads up about the incident at the bridal shower and the state of Eve’s mood. He then made a pot of coffee for him and poured her a glass of whiskey and set a bottle of beer on the table, not knowing which she would prefer in her mood.

She had stared at the drinks when she entered their cabin, glaring over at him. “No fair having Alanna scout for you,” she snarled as she stormed over to the glass and downed half of its contents. She then held up the gift Kyle had sent her, waving it in the air before slamming it down on the table. “Can you believe this shit?”

Her mother had been right behind her. They had offered for her to stay in the spare bedroom to be close to Eve before her wedding, seeing no point in her staying in St. Cloud or Melbourne. Of course, Arlin knew that would put a damper on his pre-wedding frolicking, but it was worth it to see Eve happy.

He had merely watched his bride-to-be, as she chugged the liquor. One brow cocked, he chose to remain silent. The shock of Kyle’s gift warranted a little embalming fluid. He would need to talk to Jake about getting a bottle of his Willow Blaze to keep on hand for just such emergencies.

Then she fell into a chair and sighed, her shoulders drooping as she held onto the glass, staring at it. “How the hell did he even find out? This is supposed to be our day. Ours! We’ve earned it with everything we’ve gone through. And now he’s going to fuck it up.”

Judy walked over to the kitchen cabinets and pulled out a coffee mug. “Why do you think that gift was from Kyle?” She glanced over at Eve, confusion bunching her brows. “I mean, why a tiger figurine? That makes no sense. And there was no name on it showing who it was from.”

“It’s Kyle,” Eve said. “I just know. And he never made sense.”

Of course, they both knew why the tiger in the cage was significant, but it wasn’t as if they could explain it to Eve’s mother because Eve had yet to tell her mother about the animal inside of her.

Arlin held onto his coffee cup with both hands as he stared over at her. “Kyle can’t ruin anything. And this is still your day.” He reached out, taking her hand in his and pulling it closer. “He’s just trying to mind fuck you. Don’t let him.”

Eve sighed as she dropped her gaze to the table. “I’m scared he’s going to do something stupid.”

Arlin nodded, squeezing her hand. “And for good reason, but he won’t ruin our wedding. This is your day, and it’s going to be spectacular. I promise.”

“But how did he even know about it?” she asked, the woeful look on her face breaking his heart. “I thought we were through with him when we scared the shit out of him and sent him speeding away. Why didn’t we go after him and just finish him then?”

“Eve!” her mother shouted, shock masking her face.

Arlin ignored the older woman. “Because we’re not murderers.” He released Eve’s hand as he leaned back in his chair, shrugging. “I don’t know how he found out. What I do know is that I won’t let him steal this away from you.” He reached for his cup, lifting it to his lips. “Now, tell me about your night. I want to hear every detail.”

It took her a moment to shake the anger he could scent rolling off her, but eventually she settled down and shared her night with him.

He listened as she shoved thoughts of Kyle out of her mind and told him about each and every gift, her mother adding her own two cents’ worth here and there. Yet, he barely heard a word she said because in his mind, he was already working out what to do about her ex, even as she told him about the sexy lingerie, kitchen gadgets, and aromatic soap bombs she received tonight. No matter what he told Eve, he knew he had been an idiot two years ago, letting the abusive Kyle get away. The man had waited a year before appearing in Bull Creek to force Eve to return home with him. It wasn’t until both Eve and he had shifted into their tiger forms that Kyle raced off, hopped in his broken down vehicle, and sped off. They had thought him so afraid then that he would have vanished forever, and for two years, they had been right.

But then they weren’t.

Apparently, Kyle’s obsession held no expiration date, and he had started his reign of terror this time in almost the same way he had when he first appeared in Bull Creek, with a figurine meant to warn her of what he had planned, forcing her mind back to the past and making her fear the future. However, Arlin had every intention of keeping her focused on the present and their wedding.

“You’re not even listening to me,” he heard her say.

Shame colored his cheeks as he realized she was right. He had permitted his thoughts to drift so much about what to do about Kyle’s return that he had inadvertently tuned her out. He hadn’t even noticed when her mother retired for the night, leaving them alone.

“You were thinking of Kyle, weren’t you?” The scorching look she gave him brought a blush of shame to his cheeks. Throwing her hands up in the air, she shot from her chair and stormed into the kitchen. “See? He’s already screwing with us. It hasn’t even been three hours!”

He watched as she moved over to the sink, gripping the edge with white knuckles as she growled. Licking his lips, he eased out of his chair and went over to where she stood, placing his hands on her shoulders and squeezing. She stiffened at his touch, but he simply squeezed her shoulders again as he leaned in and kissed her neck. “I’m sorry. And you’re right. I was thinking of Kyle, but only about how best to give you what I promised.”

She turned around to face him, her body still tight as she reached behind her and gripped the sink once more. “And? How do we get rid of him?”

“Well, last time he was here, I went to Lainie, remember? She should still have that paperwork, so we could start there and let her take care of him.”

She nodded slowly. “Or, and just hear me out on this.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, which should have warned him about what she was about to say. “We could shift and let our animals rip him to shreds and leave him in the woods to rot.”

He chuckled as he slid his hands to her waist, leaned in, and kissed her forehead. “How about we save that as a last resort?” Leaning back, he smiled down at her sour face. “Who knows? If it’s like last time, you just might get your wish.”

“We should have done it last time,” she said, her expression still dark. “Then we wouldn’t have to be dealing with it now as we plan our wedding.”

“He will not ruin our wedding. Promise. We’ll deal with this, and he’ll be gone. You’ll see.”

“You trying to convince me or yourself?” she asked as she narrowed her eyes at him. Then she blew out a breath as she shook her head. “Fine. But I’m holding you to your word about him not ruining our wedding. I’ve looked forward to this my entire life. Nothing will sour my day.”

He nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Nothing. I promise.” And yet, as he said it, he wasn’t sure if he could keep his word. Kyle had almost gotten his way two years ago. If it hadn’t been for Arlin’s thick, shifter skull, Kyle could very well have stolen Eve away from him. Of course, the fact that she possessed a tiger inside of her now helped in keeping her ex from getting the upper hand. Now Arlin just had to ensure Kyle remained beaten.

“So, you’ve been planning it your entire life, huh?” he asked, hoping to take her mind off Kyle. “And just what have you planned? How did you see this day going?”

She giggled as she slipped her hands to his waist, running her thumbs under his shirt to touch his skin. “It’s silly, but when I was younger I wanted to get married in a hot-air balloon, and when the preacher pronounced us man and wife, we would lift into the air and float away from everyone. I pictured it over and over, even to the point of cutting out photos of hot-air balloons and pasting them on my walls. Drove my father crazy.”

“Why didn’t you say something when we were planning this, then? We could have made that happen.”

“It was a young girl’s dreams,” she told him. “Not very practical for families wanting a big reception afterwards.” She squeezed his waist, a soft smile decorating her lips. “This is perfect, just the way it should be, with family and friends surrounding us.”

He nodded. “That it is.” Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment before pulling back. “How does breakfast at Gracie’s tomorrow sound?” he asked as he squeezed her waist and stepped back. “And then we could do some shopping, grab some lunch in St. Cloud, make a day of it. Just us.”

“I think you forgot we have a houseguest,” she reminded him.

Arlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he saw his quiet morning with his bride-to-be flying out the window. “You’re right, of course.” He opened his eyes once more, forcing a smile onto his face. “We’ll make it a day for three, then. Show your mother some of the neighboring cities.” It wasn’t that he didn’t like her mother, because he did. It was the fact that Eve still hadn’t told the woman about the paranormal world and that she now had a tiger prowling around inside of her. That made conversations a little stressful, not wanting to slip up and say something that would freak the woman out. “When are you going to tell her about your furry half?”

She sighed as she left the counter—and his arms—and walked over to plop down on the couch. “I keep meaning to, but then when the time comes, I get scared of her reaction and chicken out.”

He walked over, sitting down beside her, and reached out to take her hand in his. “I get that, but sweetie, if you don’t tell her, then it’s going to come out at a time you’re not prepared and muck up the situation. Shifters, vampires, and witches surround Judy now. I think she kind of deserves a heads up, don’t you?”

“Yes, but you make it sound like it’s a simple conversation. It’s not. There are witches back in Willow Vale, but no one actually believed they were witches. It was merely rumors. Only a handful of people knew.”

He nodded once more. “You’re talking about your friend’s family. Kitty Wolcott, right?”

“Yeah.” She pulled her hand away from his and interlaced her fingers, twirling them around each other. “She was the one who told me about Bull Creek when I finally screwed up the courage to leave Kyle and his abuse.”

He never saw her so nervous before. Even when Kyle arrived the first time, she had been confident and firm. And then, learning that she was a tiger shifter after he marked her with the mate bite, she still went after it gung-ho, ready to explore everything as her animal, even sex. Now she seemed timid and scared, and he wasn’t sure it was all about Kyle.

He placed his hand over hers, bouncing her hands slightly. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you? About the wedding.”

She jerked her gaze up at him, shock covering her face. “What? No.” She scooted forward, placing her hands on his knees. “Not at all. I’m looking forward to being Mrs. Eve Landry. I love that we’re already mated, but this makes it seem like the best of both worlds, you know? A human marriage and a shifter mating. It fits us.”

He felt the smile that creased his face. “It does at that. I just wanted to make sure. I’ve never seen you so spooked before, even when Kyle arrived the first time.”

“It’s probably a combination of things,” she told him. “I was already anxious about Mom being here, and now Kyle’s bullshit, plus the wedding, making sure it goes right, and keeping Mom in the dark about my friends, and, well, everything.” She smiled over at him, the same smile that won his heart over two years ago. “I guess I just got a little overwhelmed, you know?”

“It happens, but you truly don’t need to stress about anything,” he assured. “I’ll make sure everything goes just the way you want it.” He squeezed her hands once more. “Now, how about we go to the bedroom, and I give you a massage to loosen those knots in your shoulders?”

She giggled as she fell into him. “I love your hands on me. They’ve always made me feel safe.”

He kissed the top of her head. “They always will, Little Warrior. They always will.” As he held her tightly against him, he allowed his gaze to drift over to where the ceramic tiger in a cage sat on the kitchen table. The meaning was clear, but then, so was Arlin’s determination. This time, there would be no escape for Kyle Wagner.