CHAPTER ONE
Miranda was kicked back in her recliner chair, watching the latest reality show on Netflix, while she enjoyed a quiet morning at home. She’d done her morning chores and when she was finished, she decided she’d spend the rest of the day just being lazy. There was nothing else she had to do, so why not spend the time simply enjoying doing nothing?
Hank, her adorable little Corgi dog, was laying on his back, softly snoring on the couch. His legs were sprawled out, as if he too, was enjoying the slow morning.
As she put the footrest down on the chair and stood up, he cracked an eye open. He appeared to be curious if there was going to be a change in plans. “Don’t worry, Hank,” she said. “I’m just going to look for something to munch on.”
He seemed to understand, because he didn’t move a muscle, and closed his eyes, returning to his lazy nap.
Miranda walked into the kitchen and opened one cabinet after another, only to find nothing worthy of becoming a quick snack. She’d been trying to improve her cooking skills, so her cabinets held only dried pasta, canned vegetables, and things like that. There were no packages of food or snacks that she could just open and munch on.
She shut the cabinet doors and walked over to the refrigerator, hoping to have better luck there. But when she opened the door, she quickly saw there was nothing in it that would work for a quick snack. Frustrated, she closed the door.
“Ugh,” she sighed. “I guess this means I need to go to the store.” She was definitely not going to spend the rest of the day binge-watching television with nothing to munch on, that was for sure. After all, the whole point of having a lazy day was to keep from doing work.
If she had to cook, then she’d have to wash dishes and clean up after herself, which seemed like more trouble than it was worth. A quick trip to the store seemed like a far better solution to her problem.
She left the tiny kitchen and reached for her keys on the end table where she always left them. “I’ll be back shortly, Hank,” she said as she paused the show she’d been watching. “I have to run to the store, so we have something to eat. Be good.”
Hank rolled over and looked at her, giving her his most pitiful look. He seemed disappointed at being left behind.
“Okay, you convinced me. I’ll get something special just for you,” she said as she reached down and scratched him between his pointy Corgi ears. That seemed to satisfy him, and he again closed his eyes. Miranda smiled to herself, thinking about what a unique and expressive dog he was. She walked out the door, determined to make the trip as quick as possible.
As she jogged down the steps and headed to her black Mustang, Miranda smiled to herself. Things had been nice and calm lately, which made her happy. She’d recently talked to her mother, Eve, who was taking the scenic route in her truck as she traveled to her next destination. Currently in Kansas, she planned to stop at a number of different locations along the way.
Eve had always been a sucker for quirky little tourist destinations, and she was making the most of her trip by stopping at some of them along the way. She may be on the road to find the person responsible for the murder of her husband, who was also Miranda’s father, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself.
Eve had sent pictures to Miranda showing her all of the fun attractions she’d seen on her trip, like the world’s largest hand-dug well. If Miranda was being honest, she’d have to admit she was a little jealous of her mother’s meandering road trip. Who knew where it might take her mother next? She envied Eve’s ability to head off in whatever direction her investigation led her.
Once she was in her car, Miranda realized what a beautiful day it was outside. She decided she didn’t need to rush, and instead slowly made her way to the grocery store, just enjoying the music on her car radio along with the sunny day.
There were no investigation cases hanging over her head and nowhere to be, and it felt good. Even when she’d lived in Las Vegas, there was always a feeling of “hurry up.” Everyone was always in such a rush to get somewhere that you got caught up in it. But not in Little Feather, Oklahoma. Here, everyone seemed to be relaxed and perfectly happy to take their time with whatever they were doing.
Pulling into the grocery store parking lot, Miranda found a spot near the door, and climbed out. As she was walking to the store, her phone chirped, indicating she’d received a text.
When she looked at her phone, she saw that it was a message from her friend, Joanne, who just happened to be a witch, although a very friendly one.
When you’re not busy, stop by, Joanne had written.
It seemed like forever since she’d spent time with Joanne, so she quickly typed up a reply saying she’d love to and would see her soon. She knew she had the time to go see her today, but she was so enjoying her slow lazy day that she didn’t want to pay a visit to Joanne. She was sure Joanne would understand.
Miranda walked through the automatic doors of the small grocery store, grabbed a shopping cart, and headed for the junk food aisle. She knew she needed some fresh vegetables, but she also wanted something that wasn’t good for her. Might as well see where that urge took her before she had to look for something healthy, so she could balance it out.
There were only a few customers in the store at this time of day, so when she began to round a corner to head into another aisle, she was surprised to see a shopping cart starting to emerge from it.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said quickly, as she came to a sudden stop. Thankfully, she’d stopped just in time to avoid colliding with whoever was coming out of the aisle as she headed in. Looking up, she saw a pair of familiar eyes looking down at her. “Jack,” she said with a smile. “I didn’t realize it was you.”
Hey, Miranda,” he said with his signature grin. “How are you doing today?” He wasn’t wearing his police uniform, which was a change from how she was used to seeing him. Instead, he was wearing a shirt that fit him perfectly and a nice pair of jeans.
“Good,” she said with a nod, trying not to be too obvious that she enjoyed what she was looking at, Jack in regular clothing instead of his police uniform. “I’m just grabbing a few things. And you?”
“Same,” he said gesturing to his cart. It contained mostly instant meals and things for making sandwiches. “Told you I’m not much of a cook.”
“I can see that,” she said. “Actually, I’ve been getting some practice now that I live in a place where there aren’t twenty-four-hour everythings,” she said with a laugh. “I think I’m starting to make some progress with my cooking.”
“Good for you,” he said with an envious look on his face. “What have you been making?”
“Nothing too gourmet, yet,” she admitted. “But I have mastered making cheeseburgers and chili.”
“Chili?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “There’s nothing I like better than a good bowl of chili.”
“I agree,” Miranda said, grinning. She couldn’t help it. Just talking to Jack always gave her a warm feeling inside. He was the only person she’d ever experienced that sensation with, and while it wasn’t bad, it was certainly confusing to her.
“So, how’s Jesse?” he asked, his eyes looking down towards the floor. He never seemed to hold eye contact with her when they talked about her boyfriend.
“Oh, good,” she said, nodding. “He’s been really busy lately, so I haven’t seen him much. He’s got some sort of reunion coming up that he’s planning. It’s been taking up all of his time.”
She didn’t really like the fact Jesse was spending so much time planning the reunion, but what could she do about it? After all, it wasn’t like she knew how to plan a werewolf family reunion.
“Ahh,” Jack said. “That explains the extra people out at his place.” When Miranda raised a questioning eyebrow, he continued. “When I’m out on patrol, I kind of get to where I know which vehicles belong where,” he shrugged. “One of the drawbacks of the job.”
“Or perks,” Miranda pointed out. “At least you know where everyone belongs.”
“I guess that’s true,” he admitted. She wondered if he’d been keeping tabs on Jesse because of her.
“I’m a little surprised you’re not in uniform,” she said as she looked him over again. He looked down at his jeans and solid color tee under an open button-up shirt.
“Yeah,” he said as he ran his hand down his chest. “Believe it or not, I do own some regular civilian clothes. I’ve been letting the other two deputies have a few more hours, so that I can try to have something of a life.” he sighed. “Not that there’s much to do around here.”
“Maybe I’ll bring you some chili next time I make some,” Miranda offered. “We could watch some TV or something. It would be better than eating it alone.”
Jack seemed surprised by what she’d just said. “You think Jesse would be okay with that?” he asked, searching her face.
“Jesse doesn’t own me,” Miranda reminded him. “And if he’s got other plans, well, I can make other plans, too.” She tried not to let the bitterness in her voice show, but she was not a fan of how often she was seemingly put on the back burner with Jesse.
She could totally understand being busy, but this seemed to be a bit excessive. Miranda believed you made time for the things that were important in your life. From the way Jesse was acting, it was clear to her that she wasn’t something he considered important.
“Okay then,” Jack said. “You’ve got my number. Just let me know when and where. I’ll be there.” He flashed his trademark grin at her that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She tried to ignore them, but they seemed to grow more insistent.
“I will,” she said. “Enjoy your time off.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say and didn’t want to end up being awkward.
“Yeah, I better get going. I still need to mow my yard and do a few things around the house that I’ve been putting off. Actually, I think my yard has turned into a wildlife refuge,” he said, chuckling. “I’ll see you around, Miranda.”
Pushing her cart around his, she nodded. “See you.” He turned and headed towards the front of the store, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching him walk away.
Once he was gone, Miranda gave herself a moment to regain her composure. She didn’t know how he did it, but he could make her feel as though her legs were made of rubber and at the same time, make her thoughts become all jumbled. She’d never before felt so flustered around a man as she did when she was around Jack.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to start walking. She still had plenty of shopping to do, and she was having trouble remembering why she’d gone to the store in the first place.
Turning to look at the shelves, she found her favorite cheese crackers and tossed a box in her cart. Hank would be waiting for snacks, so she needed to make sure there was something in the cart for him as well. He was a sucker for anything that had the ranch taste, so she grabbed some ranch flavored chips for him.
Miranda wondered if she’d overstepped her boundaries with Jack when she said she’d take some chili to him, then she shook her head. If he was a female, she would have offered to do the same, but a nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her that a woman wouldn’t be giving her butterflies in her stomach the way he did.
She knew how he made her feel, and she was almost certain he was at least somewhat attracted to her. She just hoped she hadn’t killed any chance she might have with him by what had gone on before, like when she’d fought the striga. She’d seen the hurt in his eyes, and it had hurt her far more than she’d realized at the time.
She sighed, not sure what to think, but she knew that at least they were friends. As long as nothing happened between the two of them while she was dating Jesse, she had nothing to feel bad about. Continuing down the aisle, she found herself mentally planning what she needed in order to make another batch of chili sometime soon. Since she’d mentioned it to him, she might as well start making plans to follow through with her promise.
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