Good grief, that was embarrassing. How did she control it? Geez.
An hour passed of mostly uninteresting calls in which one lonely person after another shared stories of bad luck that could only be contributed to a curse. Just as she was about to doze off, Luke made things interesting.
“I thought I’d share a little research I did tonight on the topic,” he said. “The legend of the skinwalker is prevalent in many Native American cultures, and since our closest neighbors here are the Cherokee, I wonder if any of our listeners have any tales of that sort to share. Call in and let me know. Rumor has it a curse can cause a person to transform into any animal. Fact or fiction?”
A few minutes later, an older-sounding man came on the line. His tone was slightly stilted in that way that indicated a Native American accent. “You mentioned the legend of the skinwalker.”
“I did. What can you tell me?” Luke asked.
“I grew up on the reservation in Cherokee, and I’ve heard many stories of the skinwalker. My cousin claimed he knew of one. She’d been cursed because of some bad actions of her ancestors. Every night, she transformed into a cat. In the daylight, she was as human as you or me, unless she chose to transform at will.”
“A cat?” Luke scoffed. “Why not a wolf or bear? A cat seems so simple.”
“The cat was her totem animal. It is different for every person.”
Hailey rose and arched her back. Totem animal? What the what?
The conversation detoured away from skinwalkers and curses in general, but Hailey continued to listen, feeling her first spike of hope since this ordeal had begun.
After asking Scarlett again to run the store, Hailey spent the morning researching skinwalkers and curses online. She couldn’t find much in regards to the Cherokee origins of the legend, and certainly nothing to suggest a way to end the curse, assuming she was on the right track.
Frustrated, she got dressed and decided she had no choice but to turn to the one person who might believe her—if she could convince him this wasn’t a joke.
Jerking open her front door, she gasped and sprang back.
Luke stood there, hand poised over the doorbell, a cup holder with two coffees balanced on his other hand.
“I stopped by your shop, but the girl there said you were sick.” His eyes sparked with heat as his eyes raked over her. “You look okay to me.”
Warmth heated her cheeks. He looked delicious, too. “I’ve taken a couple of mental health days after what happened.”
His expression softened. “How are you doing? I wanted to come check on you. Make sure you were okay.”
He’d driven all the way to Mason to check on her?
“I was coming to see you, actually.” She stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
“Really?” But he didn’t sound surprised.
She shut the door and considered how best to approach this as she shrugged out of her jacket. “Can we talk?”
“Of course.”
He took a seat on the sofa, and she sat, one leg curled under her so she could face him. He passed her a coffee, and she sipped it gratefully.
“Have you heard anything from the hospital?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t checked.” Clearing her throat, she glanced at him from beneath her lashes. He was watching her, a hint of wariness mixed with interest glinting in those gray-blue depths. “Luke, I need to tell you something. You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I’m being completely serious.”
“I’m listening.”
She began carefully, sharing the details of the past few nights. Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop, and her voice rose and sped up with each word. “And then I woke up again this morning and I was human again. Oh god, I sound like a lunatic.”
She buried her face in her hands.
After a few seconds, her fingers were pried away. Luke frowned, even as he curled his fingers around hers. “Baby, look at me.”
She met his gaze and saw concern etched there.
“You’ve had a shock.”
“I’m not crazy, Luke.” She swallowed. “Am I?”
He shook his head and tugged her across the space separating them. His heat comforted her as he pulled her into the curve of his arm. “Of course not.”
“You believe me?”
His hesitation spoke volumes. “You said yourself—you heard the caller last night. That’s kind of a coincidence, don’t you think? Maybe your subconscious…I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”
He thought she was suffering from some kind of delusion? The jerk! She shoved away from him. “Fine. Why don’t you stay with me tonight and see what happens?”
His tone was slightly strangled as he repeated, “Stay with you tonight?” He cleared his throat, his mouth ticking upward. “Baby, as tempting as that is, I have a show. You know that.”
“I’ll come to the station with you.”
His eyebrows lifted. “You want to come to the station with me?”
She shrugged. Why not? It could solve two purposes—either prove she was telling the truth or that she was crazy. And if she was telling the truth, Luke could invite his listeners to offer solutions.
She moved to her feet and crossed her arms. “Yes.”
He sighed and stood, too. “I guess we can do that. In the meantime, why don’t we stop by the hospital and check on the old lady? It might ease your mind if she’s no worse.”
She considered it. “Maybe.”
“Come on. You need to get out of the house for a while. We’ll spend the day together. I promise I’ll help you through this.”
His words tugged at something deep inside her and triggered a wave of longing so strong it ached. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Considering all he’d learned today, it was no wonder Luke was feeling a little overwhelmed as he directed his car into the parking lot of his apartment building. His show didn’t start for another few hours, but it would be dark soon.
Maybe he shouldn’t have brought Hailey with him, but the idea of leaving her alone after what she’d confided had seemed innately wrong.
Their visit to the hospital hadn’t put him at ease either.
Momentary surprise had flittered through him seeing the small tattoo just below the old woman’s collarbone. It had been a tattoo of a cat with turquoise-colored eyes. Many Native American tribes believed turquoise warded off evil.
Walking into his apartment with Hailey at his side brought back a rush of memories. She’d spent most weekends with him when they’d been together. It felt right, seeing her here again. Her presence filled the space like a warm heater on a cold day.
She paced, her eyes flicking to the clock over his TV every few seconds. “Do you have a video camera?”
“I use one on investigations.”
“Can we set it up?”
His mind immediately spiraled to naughty thoughts involving them and a bed. Or maybe the couch. Or the floor. Or wherever the hell she was willing.
She caught his look and must have mistaken his hesitation for something else. “Humor me?” She began tugging her jacket off, which did not help the direction of his thoughts.
He retreated to his bedroom to find the camera, made sure the batteries were charged and grimaced when they weren’t. He blew out a breath. Maybe they had enough juice to capture whatever she wanted captured.
He walked back into the living room and nearly dropped the device when his gaze saw that she was standing there, dressed only in a bra and panties.
“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.” Her tone was full of sass as she put her hands on her hips. “When I change, I don’t want my clothes getting in the way.”
He swallowed and set up the camera, careful not to let his eyes stray toward her, afraid he might start drooling if they did.
“I have to be at the station in a little over an hour, Hailey. Are you sure you want to come with me?”
“Meow.”
r /> Something brushed against his leg.
“Meow.”
Luke jerked upright and stared at the black cat twining itself between his legs. Holy freaking crap.
“Hailey?” There was no sight of her in the living room. Her bra and panties lay in a pile in front of his television. “Hailey, where are you?”
“Meow.” The cat stretched up and pawed at his knee.
“Hailey?”
The cat sat back on its haunches and looked up at him. There was something about the animal’s eyes that captured his attention. They sparkled with a green hue that was familiar.
Because Hailey’s eyes were that color.
“I don’t believe this.” Stunned, he looked around his apartment again, just to make certain she wasn’t hiding and playing some elaborate joke on him. The cat followed at his heels, meowing as if it was cussing him out.
Hailey wasn’t in the apartment. Her clothes, her purse, her license and phone and everything else she’d brought with her still was.
Plus, a cat was here.
Sweet mother in heaven. She’d been telling the truth.
The next morning, Hailey found she could barely meet Luke’s eyes across the table as they both struggled to force down breakfast. Waking up naked, curled up against him—where she’d fallen asleep as a cat—had been more than a little awkward given the circumstances.
He didn’t seem to have the same problem. He stared at her as if she were a science project he was judging.
“For god’s sake, what do I do now, Luke?”
He said nothing, but he finally looked away. Finally, he shrugged. “Someone has to know who the woman is. We need to find him.” He stabbed his eggs and pushed them into his mouth. “The guy who called the show the other night. I asked my producer to track him down, and he sent me a text this morning with the man’s phone number.”
She nodded and watched him beneath her lashes. It was nice, knowing that someone believed her. Even nicer because it was him.
“Thank you, Luke.”
A hint of a smile crossed his lips. “I’ve cancelled my classes for the day. We should get going. We’re meeting Mr. Vann, and it’s a bit of a drive.”
Mr. Vann turned out to be an elderly man in his seventies who lived outside of Cherokee. His weathered face was softened by his clean-cut appearance. A former lawyer, the man didn’t look like a Native American.
But he seemed to know a lot about his culture and didn’t mind talking about it. After Luke prodded, the man admitted he’d been the one to know the girl, a skinwalker, and not his cousin.
“The girl I mentioned when I called your show—yes, I knew her. Not a girl now. She’d be a few years older than me.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Leotie. Last I knew she was near Asheville. Mason, I think.”
“Do you know if she had a tattoo?” Luke asked the man.
“Of a cat. Yes.”
Hailey felt relief pour over her. Finally! They were getting answers. She scooted to the edge of the chair in which she was seated. “Mr. Vann, this is going to sound crazy, but you think she could really turn into a cat?”
The man considered her carefully. “I know it’s true that she did. I saw it happen. I tried to help her after that. Nothing we found would end the curse. Except—”
“Except?”
He settled back in his seat and looked at his hands. “We found a shaman who taught her how to control the change, do it at will, even transfer it if the need arose. He told Leotie that the curse would always remain with her until she died. He suggested that if she found a love approved by the spirits, the curse might end. She hoped it would be with me, but I only cared for her as a friend. It was a long time ago.”
“You said she could transfer it,” Luke inserted. “How?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It was a long time ago.”
Hailey’s optimism dulled, as no more answers were forthcoming. Luke drove her back to Mason in silence, obviously as disappointed as she was.
“Look, Hailey. We can still figure this thing out. I’ll find a shaman. We’ll get answers. It simply might take a while longer than we’d hoped.” His hand slid off the steering wheel to cover hers. “Don’t be discouraged.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one who turns into a cat every night.”
“We’re in this together. You hear me? I promise.”
Hailey wanted to lean against him and accept his warmth, but how could she? This was her problem. She cared too much for Luke to make it his, too. She’d been selfish in the past, putting her needs—or rather, her fears—above his. Not this time..
“Will you take me home?” She pulled her hand away. “I need to get back to work.”
“Hailey—”
“Please, Luke.”
He took her home, and Hailey hesitated in getting out of the car. Leaning over, she kissed him, soft, and whispered, “Thank you, Luke.”
After changing clothes, Hailey started for the shop. Jimmy Renwick was outside, throwing rocks at something. A scraggly orange and white cat darted away from her neighbor’s house.
She put her car in park and climbed out, yelling, “Jimmy Renwick! What the hell are you doing?”
His arm was drawn back to throw a brick this time. Spinning at her voice, he dropped it at his feet. “Miss Crawford. Hey. Uh, I was just trying to get rid of another stray. Damn cats keep coming around.”
Kneeling, Hailey stretched out her hand and made clicking sounds with her tongue. “How would you feel if someone threw rocks at you?”
His brows lifted. A soft chuckle left his lips. “I saw you do it one day last week.”
The skittish cat crept closer, and she scooped the ragged animal up in her arms. She shot Jimmy a glare over its furry head. “You won’t ever see me do it again. I catch you doing it, I’ll have words with your parents.”
Turning, she carried the dirty pile of fur and bones back to her house. Placing it on the floor, she hurried to set out a bowl and some tuna for the poor thing. “You can stay here for a while. No one will bother you.”
Scruffing the cat behind the ear, something stirred in her chest at the sound of its grateful purr. It brushed its head against her palm and flopped onto its back. Her lips tugged up. Maybe cats weren’t such bad animals.
Scarlett was beyond happy to see her return to the shop, and together they filled some new orders that had come in. It felt good, to be back at work. Normal. But the threat of nightfall hung over Hailey’s conscience like a weapon ready to strike.
For the first time, she wondered how her evening would go, now that she’d invited another cat into her home. Maybe she would put the animal out at night—just in case. Last thing she needed was to get into a catfight or fend off a horny animal all night.
Even though she knew she didn’t have much time, Hailey stopped by the hospital to share the woman’s identity with her doctors. It was the decent thing to do.
Leotie’s eyes were closed, machines beeping out alerts and humming in the otherwise quiet space. Hailey took a seat beside her bed and sat for several minutes, processing everything that had happened.
She wasn’t the same person she’d been three days ago. Oh, what she’d give to be able to take her niece trick or treating. Harper was an amazing child. Shame that she’d denied spending any time at all with the kid weighed like a cement block in the pit of her stomach.
And Luke.
Why had she driven him away? Love for the man filled her chest anytime she was near him, and most of the time when she wasn’t, if she were honest.
Slipping her hand into Leotie’s, Hailey leaned closer to the woman. Water blurred her vision as she whispered, “I’m sorry I did this to you. I’m sorry I treated you badly. If I could go back in time and change the way I treated you, I would.”
A gasp left Hailey’s mouth as she felt pressure grip her fingers. Glancing up, she saw the old woman’s eyes gazing back at her. For long seconds, neither on
e said a word.
“I transferred it to you only because I cannot change while I’m here,” the woman finally said. “It’s not permanent.”
Hailey sprang to her feet. “I’ll get a doctor.”
Leotie was still coherent as the doctor looked her over. When the man left the room, Leotie gestured Hailey over to her again.
“I can’t change while I’m injured. When they release me, I will reverse the curse.”
Hailey nodded. “I understand. Take as long as you need to recover.”
“You have changed.” Her mouth eased into a smug smile as Leotie’s eyes drooped. “Hurry. Almost dark.”
Hailey got home in just enough time to lock Harry—the name for her new pet had come to her during the day—into the spare bedroom with food and water before she poofed into a cat.
Luke had no idea who would be knocking at his door this early. Bare-chested, he was zipping the fly of his jeans even as he glanced out the peephole.
Adrenaline spiked through him seeing a flash of reddish-brown hair.
He jerked the door open. “Hailey. Everything okay?”
He hadn’t seen her since he’d dropped her off at her house. He’d figured she needed a little space, but he hadn’t planned to stay away much longer.
She held up a cup holder. Two coffees.
“Did I wake you?” She looked indecisive. “It’s almost eleven.”
“I had a late night.” He gestured her inside. “You okay?”
Nodding, she glanced around, her gaze stopping on his naked abdomen. “I hoped we could talk. I can come back later.”
“No.” He reached to stop her exit. “I’m glad to see you.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “I’m glad to see you, too.” She explained what had happened since he’d last seen her, adding, “I’ve been visiting Leotie every day in the hospital. The doctor says she should be able to leave in a day or two. I’ve offered her a job in my store. She loves flowers. That’s why she always hung around my boutique.”
“And the curse?”
“I’m getting used to it, but I trust Leotie to reverse it when she gets out of the hospital. She couldn’t risk turning into a cat while she was there. I was the most convenient person to do the switch with, and I’m actually grateful it happened.”
He couldn’t help smiling at her. “Care to explain that bit?”