“Ashley?” What is she doing here alone?
The whites of her eyes expand. “Gwynedd. I didn’t expect to cross paths with you here.”
This is peculiar. “Jeff is working. Who’s watching Aidan?”
“Oh…uh…” She shakes her head. “An undergrad offered to babysit.”
“Why are you hiking alone?” And on a rainy day—bizarre.
She chuckles. “You’re on the trail by yourself.”
“Ronnie dropped a glove here on a hike. I’m fulfilling my friendly duty and searching for it.” I wave my flashlight beam. “She’s about to pop any day and doesn’t need to be out in this dreary weather.”
Ashley averts her eyes. “Well, I should get back. The undergrad has to leave soon. Good luck finding the glove.”
“Yeah, thanks. Tell that sweet boy Miss Gwyn says hello.”
“I certainly will. He babbles about you every day. See you on Monday.”
She takes off jogging in the direction of the trailhead and I continue on the path, shining the flashlight to and fro at the ground. Suddenly, my body seizes. A magnetic pulse of magic pulls at me, and tachycardia clenches my heart. Putting the glove quest aside, I run toward the bog, gasping for breath. I reach the water and observe a strip of fog floating above the pond, no different from before. But the unexplainable magnetism continues to drag me closer. The dismal weather has kept hikers away, except for Ashley. It’s safe to inspect the area. I chant, summoning my witch’s energy, and an amber glow appears.
Using my magic, I examine the bog again but sense nothing new. Could Skye’s hypothesis be right? Is there a masking spell over this area? I try one more time with both hands, establishing an intention around Ronnie’s baby. The fog shimmers with flashes of silver. The pinching in my gut intensifies.
I rub my abdomen until the sensation subsides and look down at my feet. Ronnie’s water-soaked glove rests in a mud puddle next to my left shoe. Did my witch’s intuition send me running to find this?
As I remove the dripping clump of yarn and wring out the water, Ashley’s surprised expression flashes in my head. Why would Ashley leave Aidan with a busy, undisciplined undergrad for a muddy hike in near darkness? Two plus two does not equal four.
While I recap my experience at the park, I remove my wet socks and lay them on Archie’s steamer trunk. He leans back on the loveseat and pulls my feet into his lap, massaging them.
“You think your intuition directed you to the bog for a glove?”
“It appears so. Seems overly dramatic for a weather accessory, but Ronnie really was sad about losing it. Who am I to judge the universe? There has to be some kind of connection related to deep caring. It’s why we worry constantly about the people we love. Our sixth sense sends us warnings or answers when we need them.”
He wraps a throw blanket around my feet. “Aye. But you would expect it to have the decency to be more accurate.”
“You’d think. I wish I could supercharge it like Seamus. But even he couldn’t identify the magic residue at the Pumpkin House.”
“A witch’s puzzle for you to solve, my love.”
“I suppose. Oh, I almost forgot. I ran into Ashley on the trail.”
His eyebrows arch. “Rather odd. Did she say why she was there?”
“Hiking, I guess. She said an undergrad was watching Aidan, but I know she’s had terrible luck in that department before. Seems strange to leave him for a walk in the rain. If she needed some time to herself that badly, she could have called me.”
“She probably didn’t want to put you out at the last minute. She’s been under so much stress at school, and taking care of a child alone adds to the lot. Most likely, she needed a few moments alone.”
“I wish things would improve for her. She has a kind soul.”
“You improved things for her immensely by helping with Aidan. I’m sorry I questioned your motives.”
“Well, I can’t lie. I asked her for more information on Welsh folklore, but she said she won’t have time until the end of Winter Session. Yule will arrive before we blink, and Ronnie will deliver the baby soon. Also, I have to finish my last class project for my master’s degree. Patience has set up camp until then.”
A naughty smile erupts on his lips. “More time for me then?”
“What do you have in mind, honey?” I rub his crotch through the throw.
He squirms on the cushion and adjusts his jeans. “A pop quiz.”
I chuckle. “Before dinner? Sure, start the clock, professor.”
Chapter twenty-twoBaby Prep
Leslie starts our brief meeting on Thursday with three taps of her Elder staff. “Thank you for attending this circle. Elijah would like to deliver a few words before Trinity takes charge. Your turn, councilman.”
He stands, scanning the circle. “I don’t have enough ‘thank yous’ in my pockets to show how much I appreciate your help on Thanksgiving at the shelter. It’s been quite a while since we had a full coven volunteer. To boot, we have lots to be thankful for with the return of the kidnapped children. I’m eager for next year’s celebration. Perhaps mark your calendars this evening.”
He winks at us as he sits, and my fellow witches chuckle as they type on their phone screens. Leave it to Elijah to take advantage of our good spirits while we’re high on the recent news. We’re family, anyway. Why not spend it together helping those in need?
“At least the threat of those criminals is gone with their arrest,” Trinity says, pushing up from her chair. “I don’t have many items to announce this evening. Of course, we have the arrival of a baby in our circle soon, and being so close to the due date, Ronnie is not in attendance tonight. I will send out a group text once Wiggles makes his debut.”
I raise my arm. “Ronnie wants me present at the delivery. As soon as I know anything, I’ll send Trinity the information to share with all of you.”
“I’m offended,” Spence says, crossing his arms. “She didn’t ask me to be there for support, and I thought we were close.”
Skye grimaces. “Do you really think she’d want you in the birthing room, her legs spread out with her most intimate parts on display?”
