A Wishing Moon by Sable Hunter Read Free Book Online Page A

more than that, she could feel the fierce protectiveness the young mother felt for her child. “I can’t give you details, yet, but they did come outside.”
    “ So, do you sense they were forced to leave with this man?”
    “ That’s what I’m getting, Rachel.” Arabella wanted to tell the grieving woman more, but she wasn’t confident in her ability to interpret everything her mind could see. “In a matter of hours my family will be here and I am positive that, together, we can help you. I promise I will bring them over just as soon as they arrive.”
    “ All right. I don’t guess I have much choice. The police, they think Kathy and Lea have left with someone, voluntarily. You, on the other hand, see Kathy allowing a man to come into my home and then you see them leaving. You also feel the man became violent, that he attacked my girls. Why can’t the police find any evidence of this? Why won’t they go and look for Kathy and Lea?”
    “ Maybe they don’t have any substantial leads. I hate to keep repeating myself, but when mother and grandmother get here, they’ll be able to tell you more than I have. Please believe me, they will help.”

    * * * *

    Arabella left the distraught woman and returned to Wildflower Way. She wasn’t surprised to see her grandmother’s car already sitting in the driveway. The doors had not been locked, so she knew she would find them already making themselves at home. Despite the serious circumstances, Arabella couldn’t help but be excited at the prospect of seeing them. She literally ran up the walk and bounded up the steps. “I’m home! Where are you guys?”
    “ In here!” Evangeline answered. The two cousins hugged with glee and Nanette and Angelique were there to embrace Arabella as soon as Evangeline turned her loose.
    “ I am so glad you are here. Mother is on her way. I talked to her a few hours ago.”
    “ Let me look at you.” Nanette took her hand and twirled her around. “You look beautiful, cher.”
    Nanette saw an Arabella the mirror did not reveal, always telling her she was an angel. She never thought of herself as beautiful. Slightly taller than Evangeline, Arabella stood five-eight. Her hair was full, straight and hung to her hips, its color almost black with hints of burnished copper. Eyes, a shade of brown reminiscent of European dark chocolate, were framed by lashes, thick and long. High cheekbones and a graceful mouth were set in an aquiline face granted to her by her French ancestry.
    “ Who is he?” Nanette asked out of the blue.
    “ What?” Arabella was incredulous. How fortunate she wasn’t actually trying to keep her sleep-time mystery a secret.
    “ You look loved,” Angelique said quietly.
    Evangeline’s eyes held a million questions, and Arabella couldn’t wait to get her alone so she could answer them.
    “ I saw love in the cauldron last night,” Nanette announced as she headed back to the comfortable chair by the fireplace. “I didn’t know if it would be you or your mother. Her energy is still highly associated with this place.”
    Arabella did not know what to say. She knew this hadn’t been the revelation that sent her grandmother across the river into Texas. Her silence didn’t deter Nanette in the slightest.
    “ Are you involved with a man?”
    “ Not in the conventional sense.” Arabella took a deep breath and was ready to plunge into an explanation. There was no use trying to keep anything from this bunch. Before Arabella could elaborate, Elizabeth breezed in.
    “ Now the festivities can begin.” Elizabeth made the rounds, properly, greeting each one with a hug and a kiss. “Are you talking about Arabella’s lover?”
    My mother has absolutely no manners .
    “ I am replete with manners, my dear.”
    “ Mother, stop reading my mind!” She wished she could get mad at her mother, but she couldn’t. Elizabeth was just too cute, by far. Maybe, she would feel better if she just laid bare her soul. “All right,