Spellbound Falls (42 page)

“If you’ve got Internet, then Google it,” Sam suggested, his eyes narrowed on her.

“Thanks, I’ll do that.” She gave him a forced smile. “And you be careful of Ezra here,” she said, gesturing toward her friend. “Because he’ll likely try to make you pay for whatever gas is still in the tank.”

Ezra muttered something she couldn’t quite make out before speaking up. “You going to show Sam that phone you got from Mac?” he asked. “Because I’d like to know if we really do have cell phone service up here now, so I can get my own.”

“We don’t,” Sam said, still studying Olivia. “Mine stopped getting a signal around Turtleback Station when we came through with the horses. And I’ve checked out a couple of places up here on high ground, and still nothing.” He held out his hand. “Let me see the phone. Ezra said he thought it was too small to be satellite, but I’ve seen some that were pretty compact.”

Good Lord, what had this guy done in the military? “That’s okay,” she said, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “I’ll just ask Mac when he gets back.”

“Olivia,” Sam said when she started toward the lodge. “If Oceanus is bothering you, I can have a little talk with him,” he said quietly, his steely eyes unreadable again.

“No, I’m good.” She started walking backward. “But I do thank you for offering, considering that Mac said if I needed anything while he was gone to go see you.”

She certainly didn’t have any problem reading Sam’s surprise. “He told you to come see me?”

She shrugged. “I guess you two working on the obstacle course together the other day gave him the impression you’re a go-to guy. Ezra, you’ll stay for supper when you get back from Turtleback, won’t you? Sophie and I will give you a ride home after.”

“That would depend on what you’re cooking.”

“We’ve been barbecuing all week while Eileen’s gone. How does a big juicy steak with potatoes slow-roasted in hot embers sound?”

“Wrap up a potato for me, then,” Ezra said, rubbing his belly. “And Sam and I will stop and get one of Vanetta’s strawberry-rhubarb pies for dessert.”

Olivia turned and headed back into the lodge, wondering if the receding wave she’d been standing in since she’d met Mac wasn’t about to finally suck her out to sea—even as she tried to decide if she should break the news to Carolina that her mom and dad were arriving tomorrow.

No… maybe she’d just let it be a surprise.

Dawn cracked so loud that the windows rattled and the walls shook with the sonic boom. Sophie screamed from her bed, and Olivia raced down the hall—shedding Mac’s jacket just before she ran into the bedroom.

“You’re okay, sweetie,” she said, sitting on the bed to hug her daughter. “That was probably just a fighter jet doing low-flight training.” She smoothed down Sophie’s hair, giving her a lopsided smile. “And I bet Missy Maher is already on the phone with the Pentagon, reading them the riot act again. It’s still early; do you think you can catch another half hour of sleep, or would you like me to make us some oatmeal and toast?”

Sophie flopped back on her pillow and pulled the blankets up to her chin. “Can’t I just stay home today? I… I think I’m coming down with something.”

Olivia held her hand to her daughter’s forehead and nodded solemnly. “Yes, I do believe you’re developing a bad case of spring fever.”

“Please, Mom?” Sophie whined even as she rolled her eyes. “I haven’t missed one day of school since Christmas vacation. And Henry’s getting out of his room this morning,
and I haven’t seen him for three whole days. Mr. Sam said when Henry’s done doing hard time that he’d take us riding so I can show him some of the trails.” The girl even went so far as to bat her eyelashes. “And you and I could go on a picnic, just the two of us, before Gram and Grampy get home today.”

Olivia sighed, wishing Henry were here to see another pro in action. She tucked Sophie’s blankets snugly around her, then used them to pin her in place. “I’ll let you miss school just today, just this
once
.” She canted her head. “In fact, I hereby declare two days each year—one in the fall and one in the spring—as official Sophie Gets to Skip School Days.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Honestly really? I can skip school twice a year without even being sick?”

“Yup. And you get to pick the days, and we’ll do anything you want.”

“Um… since I didn’t get a free day last fall, can I have another one this spring?”

Olivia stood up with a laugh. “Sorry, only one official skip day a semester. So decide if you want it to be today or not. If you do, we can take a couple hours to go on a picnic, and Carolina and Henry can go with us if you want. But I’m expecting some mystery guests to arrive this afternoon, so we need to be back by… oh, I’d say by three at the latest. Gram and Grampy should get home around then, too.”

“Then I declare
today
my official Sophie Gets to Skip School Day,” the girl said, snuggling back under the covers. “And so is it okay for Henry and me to go riding with Sam this morning?”

“Yes, as long as you invite Carolina to go with you.”

“Mom,” Sophie said, stopping Olivia at the hallway. “I declare that you’re the best mom in the whole wide world.”

Olivia’s heart started thumping so hard it hurt. “Thanks, sweetie. That means a lot coming from the best daughter in the whole wide world.”

She picked up the jacket she’d shed in the hall and headed to the kitchen, Sophie’s words making her feel warm and
fuzzy and prickly all over—much the same way she felt in Mac’s arms. Olivia stopped in the middle of the kitchen and slipped on his jacket with a shiver, being careful
not
to zip it as she remembered how she’d gone on the Internet last night and looked up
marita
.

Then, somewhat dazed by what she’d found, she’d typed in
theurgist
.

Sweet Prometheus and Athena, she was in big, big trouble, because she had absolutely no business falling in love with an honest-to-God seat belt- and zipper- and tide-commanding supernatural agent of human affairs—better known as a wizard.

Except she already was so deeply and passionately in love with Mac, Olivia didn’t even care if he could only just
like
her enough to get married, because she had more than enough love for the both of them.

And that was a good thing, seeing how Mac was already calling her
wife
—which, come to think of it, was really quite arrogant of him since she couldn’t remember his ever proposing. But she did remember telling him—twice, actually—that she wasn’t interested in being another man’s means of getting a demanding parent off his back.

So now what was she supposed to do? Should she pretend to keep her promise not to fall in love with him, and hope he didn’t hear her heart shattering when he left in September? Though she was pretty sure she’d spend the summer making a complete fool of herself by wearing her big old sappy heart on her sleeve. She really wasn’t much of an actress and Mac
was
a theurgist, so if the man couldn’t even figure out she was passionately in love with him, then he might want to start looking for a new profession.

Oh yeah, she was in really big trouble, because if Mac asked her to marry him and move to Midnight Bay… well, she was going to say yes.

After all, there wasn’t any reason she couldn’t open up a family camp on the coast, was there? And when push came to shove, wasn’t
she
what constituted a home for Sophie, not some tract of land and a bunch of crooked old buildings?

Only she couldn’t leave unless Ezra was willing to sell his store and move to Midnight Bay with them. But if picking up and starting over again at his age was going to be too much for the old poop… well, she’d just have to—

The bell at the gate clanged loudly, making Olivia jump in surprise. She ran to the door and looked out the window, then turned to press her back up against the wall with a gasp. “Ohmigod,” she whispered, clutching her chest. She leaned over to peek out the window again and groaned. That had to be Mr. and Mrs. Oceanus, because only Mac and Carolina’s parents could be that beautiful.

What in hell were they doing here at the crack of dawn?

She stilled. That hadn’t been a sonic boom; that had been her guests arriving!

Olivia flinched when the bell clanged again, only louder and for a really long time.

Since she couldn’t very well leave them standing out there, she opened the door, stepped out onto her stoop with a welcoming smile, and calmly walked toward them.

God, they were beautiful. And if Mac was tall and imposing and commanding, Titus Oceanus was flat-out scary. Rana, however, was simply drop-dead stunning.

Olivia’s smile faltered under their intense scrutiny, as she figured Titus probably already had her pegged as a gold digger, and Rana was trying to find out if Olivia was worthy of her son. Why in heaven’s name had she asked Mac’s father if he knew why his son called her
marita
? No wonder the man had dropped everything to be here today; he needed to check out the woman Mac had obviously chosen to replace his hand-chosen bride.

“Good morning,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m Olivia Baldwin. And I can see by the resemblance that you are Mr. and Mrs. Oceanus.”

Mr. Oceanus didn’t so much as move a muscle, his arms remaining folded over his chest as he merely arched a brow—rather like Mac did way too often.

Mrs. Oceanus grabbed Olivia’s hand, only instead of shaking it she clasped it between her own. “Please call us
Rana and Titus, Olivia,” she said warmly, her smile genuine. “I’m so glad you invited us to visit. I’m really excited to meet Henry.”

“You’re in for quite a treat. Your grandson is positively precious.”

“Where is he?” Rana asked, still clutching Olivia’s hand as she looked around.

“Over there, in cabin ten,” she said, gesturing through the trees. “Probably still sleeping.” She slapped her forehead, looking directly at Titus. “What am I saying; dawn just cracked loud enough to wake the dead.”

And there was it was: that distinct Oceanus gleam in those vivid green eyes—despite his attempt to give her a threatening glower. “Please have someone get our luggage,” he said, turning away. “It’s sitting on the front steps of your main building.”

And why was she surprised it wasn’t sitting in the trunk of a car?

Olivia shot out through the gate to cut him off. “We don’t have bellhops at Inglenook,” she said, having to walk backward when he didn’t stop.

But just as she lifted her hand to physically stop him, Olivia cried out when her foot landed on a sharp pebble, and she would have fallen if Titus hadn’t caught her. “Ohmigod,” she squeaked when he swept her into his arms and plastered her up against his big broad chest.

He sighed hard enough to actually move her hair. “Do you not have the sense to put on shoes before coming outside?” He reversed direction and started carrying her back toward her house. “And what is this you’re wearing?” he asked, his gaze moving over her flannel pajama pants to Mac’s jacket—which she’d nervously zipped up as she’d walked out to greet them.

“This old thing?” she said, plucking at the leather. “It’s your son’s jacket. He’s letting me… um, borrow it while he’s gone.”

He stopped, presumably because he couldn’t walk and
talk and lift a brow at the same time. “It would appear you’ve been enjoying Maximilian’s generosity.”

“Oh yeah, your son’s the gift that keeps on giving even when he’s not here. See,” she said, straightening her right leg to pull up her pajama pant. “He gave me this on our first date. You don’t happen to know how the clasp works, do you?”

Olivia felt him stiffen, and half expected a bolt of lightning to shoot out of the sky and strike her dead. But really, having lived practically in Eileen’s pocket for eleven years, she had no intention of ever tiptoeing around another in-law again.