Third Time a Charm: Wolves of Gypsum Creek Read online

  Third Time a Charm

  (A Fated Mates Paranormal Romance)

  Serena Meadows

  Copyright ©2018 by Serena Meadows - All rights reserved.

  In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

  Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  About the Author

  Exclusive Offer

  Chapter 1

  ***Sophie***

  Sophie brought her car to a stop, turned off the ignition and leaned her head back against the seat. When she’d set out from Knoxville, she’d had no idea that the trip to Gypsum Creek would be so difficult or so terrifying. Everything had been fine until she’d turned off the main highway to find a dirt road that snaked its way straight up the side of a mountain.

  Accustomed to driving on the hilly roads of central Tennessee, Sophie had been sure the trip into the Appalachian Mountains would be just as easy. The mountains weren’t especially high, not compared to other places in the country, but the road wasn’t much more than a single track in some places, the drop-offs hundreds of feet.

  To make matters worse, her GPS stopped working after only a mile, and for most of the trip, she wasn’t even sure she was going the right way. But then she’d emerged from the trees and had been rewarded by the view of the little valley, the creek running right through the middle, and she’d relaxed.

  Now, she sat in her car, trying to get up the nerve to take the next step in her new life, one that she’d have never imagined herself taking a few months ago. Taking a few deep breaths, she opened her door and stepped out of the car, noticing for the first time that the town looked deserted, almost like a ghost town.

  But then a tall man stepped out of the store; he was in his late fifties and wore the usual jeans and tee-shirt that was common attire for these mountains. When he saw her, a giant smile appeared on his face, and he removed the ball cap he’d been wearing to reveal a startling pair of blue eyes.

  “You must be Sophie Decker,” he said, walking over to her, his hand extended, “I’m so glad you made it; those roads can be a trial for strangers.”

  Sophie couldn’t help but return his smile, relieved to be getting a warm greeting. “It was a little scary,” she admitted.

  “Well, you’re here now,” the man said, then shook her hand. “I’m George Sinclair, mayor, sheriff, and owner of this fine establishment, but you can just call me George.”

  When he gestured over his shoulder at the store, Sophie looked at the little building thinking that she’d stepped back in time. “It’s nice to meet you, George,” she finally said, wondering if she’d made the right decision to come here.

  “Come on inside and let’s have something cold to drink, and then I’ll show you the schoolhouse,” George said, leading the way into the store. “Then you can follow me in your car to your cabin.”

  Sophie thought that something cold to drink sounded terrific. “Thank you, that sounds nice,” she said, following him inside.

  She was beginning to think that everyone had been wrong about this place. She’d been warned so many times that strangers weren’t welcome in these hills, that no one would want her here, that she’d been preparing herself for a hostile welcome. But George’s welcome was anything but hostile, and when she stepped into the dark store, she felt hope beginning to stir inside her.

  Following George to the back of the store, she saw shelves packed with not only groceries but just about any household good one might need in such a remote place. George gestured at the shelves, “I’ve got just about anything you might need, but if you really want to stock up, I’d suggest you go back to town.”

  Sophie shivered and said, “I think I’ll make do with what you have to offer for a little while; I’m not looking forward to going back down the mountain.”

  George laughed, “It’ll get easier, but if you need something let me know; someone goes down the mountain most every day.”

  At the back of the store, Sophie was surprised to find an old-fashioned soda fountain tucked into one corner. There were two tables stuffed into the small space, but it was charming and unexpected.

  “Oh, this is cute,” she said, walking up to the little counter.

  George walked behind the counter and took two tall glasses down off a shelf. “My grandfather put this in when soda fountains were all the rage,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ve kept it going all these years; don’t make much money, but it gives folks a place to go when they want something special.”

  Sophie watched him making sodas, thinking about what a special outing had meant in her old life. To her family, something special would have been dinner at a five-star restaurant, or a trip to the Caribbean, not a trip to the soda fountain. It hit her then that she’d come to a place where life was simple, where just having enough to eat was an accomplishment.

  George handed her a soda, then gestured to one of the tables. “Let’s take a load off for a few minutes and chat,” he said.

  Sophie chose a table and sat down. When he joined her, he took a big sip of his soda, then sighed. “Nothing better than a fresh soda,” he said, gesturing for her to try hers.

  Sophie took a small sip of her soda, not sure what it would taste like, but then there was an explosion of tiny bubbles on her tongue followed by the tangy flavor of lemon and lime. “This is really good, like a 7-up but better,” she said after she’d taken another big sip.

  They sipped their sodas in silence for a few minutes, then George said, “I knew your grandmother; she was a good woman. We were all sad when she passed. I remember you from that summer you spent with her.”

  Sophie froze with her glass half-way to her mouth; she hadn’t expected anyone to link her with the grandmother she’d barely known. “That was one of the best summers of my life,” she finally said, wishing she didn’t sound too emotional.

  “You look a little bit like her,” George said, then when he saw the look on her face, he added, “She would have loved that you’ve come to live here, but let’s talk about happier things.”

  ***Jessie***

  Jessie stopped and leaned on the big stick he was carrying, and let his eyes roam over the clearing, then spotted what he’d been looking for. Taking one careful step at a time, he used the stick to test the ground in front of him, until he reached what he’d seen expertly covered with leaves.

  Lifting the stick, he drove it into the center of the trap then quickly pulled it back as the trap snapped closed with a satisfying clunk. He’d lost plenty of sticks when he wasn’t fast enough, but today had been a good day-six traps and he still had his first stick. Smiling, he started to move on, but a whiff of something sweet came in on a breeze, and he couldn’t help but stop and sniff the air.

  As he stood there, transfixed by the smell, he realized that he’d smelled it once before in his life, and that memory he quickly shov
ed to the back of his brain. Sniffing the air once again, he began to follow the scent until he came over a ridge and saw that he was almost in town.

  Quickly hiding behind a tree, he watched as a woman got out of her car and looked around. Even from this distance, he could see that she was stunning, and for the first time in a long time, he felt desire race through him. He took another deep breath of the air, the sweetness flowing through him and making his heart race.

  Overwhelmed by his feelings, he turned and sprinted back into the forest, headed for home. When he finally reached his mountaintop, it was a relief to be able to take a breath and not smell the woman’s sweetness. Pushing her from his mind, he headed for his little barn and the chores he’d put off that morning to spring traps.

  He worked through lunch, afraid that if he stopped, the memories the woman had awoken would swamp him with the depression that always came with them. It was a relief when he heard his cousin shouting his name, a welcome distraction that he hadn’t expected today.

  When he came out of the barn, David was huffing and puffing his way across his cornfield, the pack on his back nearly bursting. He rushed over to meet him and took the pack from his shoulders, then set it down on the ground.

  “What do you have in there, rocks?” he asked, slapping his cousin on the back, a bit startled by the sound of his voice, which was scratchy from disuse.

  “For one thing, I’ve got all those books you wanted,” David said, “and enough supplies to keep you fed for a while.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you this soon,” Jessie said, picking up the pack and throwing it on his back as if it weighed nothing, making David shake his head.

  “I’ve got to go down to Nashville for a few months. I’ve got a job working construction; should be enough money to keep us fed for the winter,” David said, falling into step next to Jessie.

  When they got to the cabin, Jessie opened the pack and began pulling out supplies, his mind on the books he’d requested. They were packed at the bottom, and when he pulled them out, he was pleased to see that they were all there. Then he noticed a box in the bottom of the pack.

  He pulled the box out, then looked over at David. “What is this? You know how I feel about these things.”

  “It’s just a cell phone, Jessie, not a bomb,” David said, holding up his hands to calm Jessie when he saw the look on his face. “I won’t be around for a while, and I just thought you might like to check in with me occasionally, that’s all. I’m not trying to get you to join the world.”

  Jessie sighed. He’d been having this argument with David for months now and didn’t intend to budge. “I don’t need a cell phone up here, and I don’t want one. The stupid thing probably wouldn’t work anyway,” he said, stuffing the box back into the pack.

  David took the box back out of the pack. “They just put a new tower up in Andersonville, so it will work. Just humor me and keep it. I’ll feel better if I know you have it,” David said, handing it back to Jessie.

  Jessie couldn’t refuse the only person in the world who still had anything to do with him, so he took the phone and shoved it to the back of an upper shelf in the kitchen. “There, are you happy now?” he asked, grinning at his cousin to let him know he appreciated his concern.

  “Yes, now are you going to feed me? I’m starving, and those books you wanted weigh a ton. I can’t believe I dragged them all the way up here for you,” David said, opening the stove and throwing kindling into its cold interior. “One of these days you need to get some electricity in this place, maybe a couple of solar panels or a little wind generator.”

  Over a dinner of left-over rabbit stew, they discussed the possibility, but Jessie couldn’t focus. His memories, now awoken, wouldn’t leave him alone, and as close as he was to his cousin, he’d never told anyone about that day and didn’t plan to share it now. The meal couldn’t have been over fast enough for Jessie, who wanted to be outside in the sunshine working his land or tending to his animals.

  As soon as David took the last bite of his dinner, Jessie said, “Let me show you the improvements I’ve made to the garden.”

  David looked like it was the last thing he wanted to do, but he got up and followed Jessie outside. “I’d better get back down the mountain after that; I’m leaving in two days, and I still haven’t packed.”

  When he bid his cousin goodbye at the edge of the field that he called his garden, he realized that for the next few months, he was truly alone. But then he caught sight of a white head in the trees and smiled, realizing that he wasn’t alone; his brother was close by as always, watching over him.

  Chapter 2

  ***Sophie***

  Sophie stood staring at the little schoolhouse, wondering if she’d gone back in time. “It’s only one room, but it’s enough for our little town,” George said, gesturing for her to follow him up the front steps.

  The steps creaked ominously as she climbed them, and she wondered how long they’d been there. Like the schoolhouse, they were weathered to a dull gray and looked as if they’d been there for a hundred years. The porch seemed sound enough when she stepped up on it, but when George pulled on the big front door, it wouldn’t budge.

  “Probably swollen from the rain we had last week; just give me a second,” he said, then he kicked the door and pulled again.

  This time the door popped open, and he turned and grinned at her. “Ladies first,” he said, stepping back.

  Sophie stepped inside and let her eyes adjust to the dim interior. Then she looked around, dismayed to find a jumbled mess of desks and chairs, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, and a blackboard so old it looked like it belonged in a museum.

  “It’s a bit of a mess since we haven’t had a teacher for a while, but it shouldn’t take much to whip it into shape. There’s even a little money in the budget for some supplies,” George said, not noticing her reaction to the mess.

  Sophie wasn’t sure what to say; when she’d taken the job teaching in this tiny town, she’d expected to at least have a decent place to teach. She walked over to the window and used her finger to trace a clean place in the grime that had clearly been there for a long time. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes; and took a deep breath, this wasn’t the end of the world, she’d faced tougher things in her life.

  Turning from the dirty window, she opened her eyes and looked around the room again, trying to picture it cleaned up and organized. Looking at it that way, she realized that once spruced up, the big windows would give the room plenty of light, and it was a spacious room. She could divide it up into sections, make a reading area, a math table, then the ideas started flowing, and before long, the little school didn’t look so bad to her.

  “I think I can make this work,” she said, turning to George who had been watching her carefully the entire time.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “I was so afraid you’d see it and run,” he said.

  “Well, it’s not quite what I expected, but a good cleaning should help,” Sophie said, suddenly excited about the project. “But I’m going to need some cleaning supplies.”

  “You’re welcome to anything I have in the store,” George said, beaming at her. “And if you find any critters living in here, you come get me, and I’ll take care of them.”

  Startled, Sophie looked at him, hoping he was joking. “Critters?”

  “Oh, you know, squirrels, raccoons, rats,” he said, ticking them off his fingers.

  Sophie shivered. “If I find anything alive in here, I can promise you I’ll come get you,” she said.

  George laughed. “Once I had to go all the way to your grandmother’s house to get rid of an opossum for her; she couldn’t do it herself, so she sent for me. He sure did taste good though.”

  Sophie remembered eating opossum when she’d been here as a girl but wasn’t sure she’d be willing now. “That sounds like her,” she said, wishing her grandmother was still alive. If she had been, her life would have been very different. “I only got to spen
d the one summer with her, but I’ll never forget it.”

  “Is that what brought you up here?” George asked.

  Sophie knew the answer to his question but paused, not wanting to tell him too much. “I needed a change and a place where I could make a difference, and I had such fond memories of being here.”

  George nodded as if he understood, “Guess I’d better show you your cabin,” he said, then pointed to a trail that led up into the trees. “If you take that path, it will lead you right to it, but it’s a pretty steep climb so you might just want to drive here.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind a little exercise,” Sophie said, wondering if George knew about her family and their abilities.

  “Well, there is plenty of opportunity for that out here, but stay away from Swensen’s Mountain; that’s the one place you don’t want to go,” George said, a serious look on his face—the first one she’d seen.

  “What’s on Swensen’s Mountain?” she asked, looking to where he’d pointed.

  “Well, it’s haunted for one thing,” he said. “I’d tell you that story, but we don’t have time. I’ve got to get back to the store and open it for the afternoon soon. But first, let’s get you moved in.”

  Sophie knew when someone was diverting the conversation, and George had just done it expertly. “You lead the way, and I’ll follow,” she said, even though she wanted to ask about what else was on that mountain.

  There was nothing Sophie liked better than a good mystery, and George had just thrown one in her lap by avoiding her question. She didn’t believe in ghosts, had never seen one, but clearly there was something up on that mountain that kept people away, and she was going to find out what it was.