Chapter One: The New Town

“My ass is getting sore, Thorin. Are we almost there?” Imara shifted from side to side on the bench and put her hands on her low back as she arched and stretched away the searing pain.

Thorin rolled his emerald green eyes and shook his head. It was only about the hundredth time his sister had asked that question since they left the hotel this morning. “It isn’t much longer now, my dear.”

As the scent of hay from the fields reached her nose, Imara crossed her arms as she looked around her and noticed it was mostly farmland and woods. “Please tell me that there is at least some kind of proper shopping and entertainment here. I don’t want to be just sitting around talking to you all day.”

Thorin sighed as he rearranged the reins on his hands. “Imara, I understand that it isn’t easy for a young woman to be stuck out here in the country with nothing to do, but we’re in hiding, darlin. Remember? The less people that see that pretty ole face of yours, the better.”

As the house came into view down the road, Thorin smiled and looked at his sister. “We’re home, Imara. There it is.”

When he made the turn for the drive, Imara saw a large French Colonial with weeping willow trees lining the sand and gravel driveway. She put her hands over her mouth as she gasped back in awe. “Oh, Thorin, it’s beautiful.” Then, she clapped her hands together. “Look at that porch swing! I just love it.”

Grinning at his little sister’s enthusiasm, Thorin pulled around the driveway circle and parked near the door. After he jumped down from his seat, Thorin extended his hand to help Imara down from the buggy, then began to tend to the luggage and horses.

“Go on in , Imara, dear. They should be along soon. Open the windows and air it out before they arrive if you don’t mind. This place has been locked up tight for years.”

Imara dusted off the skirt of her dress and then rubbed her hands together to wipe away the dirt. She looked over the beautiful home and smiled. “Yes. This will do just fine.”

She pushed the skeleton key into the door and jiggled it for a moment before the lock popped open. When Imara pushed the door aside, she was smacked in the face by the stale, musty air of a house unloved for too long. She coughed a few times and swatted away the stench and dust. Imara looked back over her shoulder. “Thorin, can you bring my bag please? It needs a proper saging. It’s full of spirits.”

Thorin blew out through his mouth as he leaned across the buggy and grabbed her bag. “Imara, it hardly matters. We’re witches for Pete’s sake, it seems a bit silly to be afraid of a few ghosts, don’t you think? Just ignore them and they’ll go find some poor human to bother when they realize they can’t harm us.”

“I don’t like them watching me when I change my clothes and take a bath,” she yelled back.

He chuckled to himself over how silly Imara could be sometimes. “Here you go. Now, after you’re done chasing away the boogeyman, can you come out and help us with the crates and bags? I hear them coming down the road now.”

Imara set her bag on the table in the foyer and searched through it. “Fine, fine. I won’t be long.” Imara found a bundle of sage in her bag of holding then snapped her fingers causing it to ignite. As she blew out the flames, the smoke circled around her and she walked from room to room while she fanned the smoke. “Be gone you all. It’s time to leave and go wherever you mortals go. You don’t live here anymore.”

As she came back down the stairs, she was met by Thorin in the foyer with an arm full of sheets that he’d just removed from the furniture. “So, what are your thoughts Imara?” Thorin asked as he pushed his dark hair off his face.

She looked around and smiled as she nodded her head. “I have a good feeling about this. Better things are coming for us.”

He smirked as he laid the sheets on the table. Imara’s youth has been full of sadness and frequent moves. She didn’t know anyone other than Thorin and the servants. He was happy she finally felt peace somewhere. “Well, that is something, I suppose.”

She twisted her lips to the side and looked back around the room. “Yes. It is. Everything’s going to be great, I just know it.”

“Where should I put this?” asked Shaw as he and Thomas carried a trunk through the door.

Imara nodded her head to the side. “Kitchen’s this way.”

Imara followed them as they inched towards the other side of the house. “What do you think, Shaw?”

He set down his end of the crate and wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief. “It’s very nice. Not a lot of neighbors. Seems safe enough. You like it?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I do. Maybe we could stay here a while this time.”

Shaw wiped the back of his neck and furrowed his brows. “Don’t go falling in love with this place, Imara. This is the third time we’ve moved this year.”

Imara sighed and sat down on the chair at the small kitchen table. “It’s safe here. Who’s going to come looking for us all the way out here in the boondocks? No one’s bothered us in ages, anyway. I wager no one at the Order even remembers who we are anymore. I’m not moving again. I won’t. I swear I’ll die here.”

Shaw bent down in front of her and lifted her chin until she met his eyes. “It’s safe when I say it’s safe. You’ll do as you’re told.”

An orange haired, short, plump lady came through the side door with a stack of dishes in her hands. “Are the three of you going to help me? We’ll be here til Kingdom Come if I have to unload that wagon all alone. We have deliveries coming and nowhere to put them, you know.”

Imara walked past her and said, “Yes, ma’am.”

Thomas, the handsome blue-eyed English born butler, handed Imara a small crate of flatware. “You’re far too old to have Shaw dictating your life to you. It’s time for you to have your own adventures and find some nice man to settle down with.”

Imara huffed through her nose and smirked as she looked up to him. “They treat me like a child.”

Shaw grabbed a large trunk from the wagon with a jerk. “I’ll stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like one. Now stop flapping your gums and move your ass.”

Thomas sighed and shook his head. “You’re not her father or any kind of relative at all, Shaw. It’s not your place to tell her how she should live her life.”

Shaw raised his brow to the much smaller butler and said, “I’ve been watching over her since the day she was born. I’m as much her father as anyone.”

When Imara came back outside the kitchen door, Thorin was inspecting the side of the home with Shaw. There must have been a storm recently because there was a large branch sticking out of one of the attic vents.

Shaw crossed his arms and backed up as he surveyed the damage. “We’re going to need a few workers, someone’s going to have to climb up on the roof and it’s not going to be me.”

Thorin laughed an amused chuckle at the thought of a big, strong man like Shaw being afraid of heights. “Finally, something you’re afraid of. I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

As the sound of hooves on the dirt road reached her ears, Imara turned and watched as a wagon with a lone rider came up the drive.

Imara’s heart began to beat against her chest as she saw the driver get down off the seat and walk towards her and Thorin. When he saw Imara, Ben’s heart fluttered and he found it hard to breathe as he looked over her bathed in sun light. She glowed like a raging fire the way the sun caught the red tones in her chestnut hair. He took a deep breath and whispered to himself, “It’s you.”

Ben extended his hand to Thorin and said, “Mr. Parker. I’m Ben Logan.”

Thorin smiled, then put his arm around Imara’s back and said, “Oh yes, Mr. Logan. Imara this is Ben Logan, he’s from the farm down the road.”

Ben looked Imara over then quickly looked to the ground as his heart broke in a million pieces when he saw Thorin embrace her. “Mrs. Parker.”

Thorin and Imara looked at each other and laughed, causing Ben to dart his eyes back to them.

“No, Mr. Logan. This lovely creature is my sister.”

With his hopes restored, Ben looked back to Imara, but before he could say another word, Thorin said, “The kitchen’s round back. Imara would you be so kind as to introduce Ben to Sofia?”

Imara nodded her head towards the rear of the home. “Please, come with me.” She crossed her arms in front of her as she slowly walked beside Ben. She tried to think of something to say, but words escaped her as the big man towered over her. Imara licked her lips then looked up at him and caught Ben admiring her behind. She turned her eyes back quickly and curled her lips under, hoping he didn’t see her because, deep inside, she wanted him to keep looking.

Sofia came out the kitchen door wiping a cup out with a dish towel. She smiled and nodded at Ben. “How do you do?”

Imara said, “Sofia, this is Ben Logan from the farm just down the lane. Mr. Logan, this is our cook, Miss Sofia.”

Ben shook Sofia’s hand. “I have your delivery, Miss Sofia.”

“Lovely. You can just bring it round the side here, dear.”

As Ben and Sofia exchanged words, Imara fidgeted with the charm on her necklace while she looked him over slowly. Ben was a tall and ruggedly handsome man. His wavy black hair covered his slightly prominent ears and he nervously pushed it off his face as he spoke. His shirt was a bit tattered, but it showed off the outline of his chiseled chest muscles perfectly.

Imara was staring at Ben’s body so intently that the weight of her stare caught his attention. He cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts. As she glanced away with embarrassment, Ben grinned and said, “I’ll be back in just a moment.”

As he walked away, Imara’s eyes snapped back to his ass and she fanned her face. “Great balls of fire!”

Sofia laughed out loud. “Yes, he’s quite handsome, isn’t he? Why, if I was 20 years younger.”

Imara turned her head to Sofia and huffed through her nose then swallowed hard. “My knees are shaking.”

Putting her arm around Imara, Sofia chuckled. “Yes. I think he was feeling the same, Imara.”

Imara licked her lips. “Really? Are you certain? How can you tell?”

“I’m old and experienced, Imara, and you’re young and not experienced. He was breathing so hard, I thought he might faint right here on the ground.”

Imara smiled and tucked her long, curly hair behind her ear as she saw Ben bring the wagon around the side of the house. When Ben climbed down from the seat, he locked eyes with Imara. His brown eyes were nearly as dark as the midnight sky and they peered straight through her. Imara shifted on her feet as she struggled to control her breathing when a sudden warm feeling surged through her body.

“Imara!” yelled Thorin as he walked around the corner.

Her eyes snapped away from Ben as his voice broke their moment. “Yes.”

Thorin came to her side and grinned at Ben before he looked at her. “My dear, I need to run into town to find someone to help fix the attic vent and remove that branch. Would you like to ride along?”

“I can do that for you, Mr. Parker,” said Ben quickly.

“Well, that would be fantastic. Whenever you have a spare moment, of course. Do you have someone who can help you? Our caretaker is terribly afraid of heights.”

Ben glanced back to Imara as she shyly met his eyes again before he looked back to Thorin and nodded. “Yes, I have help. I can come back tomorrow after my morning work.”

Thorin shook Ben’s hand. “Excellent. Come Imara, let’s allow Mr. Logan to get his work done. He’s probably anxious to get back home.”

As Thorin put his hand on her back and ushered Imara away, she looked over her shoulder. Ben stood beside his wagon and stared into her eyes until she finally left his sight. Ben looked up into the afternoon sky and smiled. “Thank you. I was starting to think you’d make me wait forever.”