Conjure by Lea Nolan Read Free Book Online

running, I gape. He has taken my place, wedged himself between me and whatever is out there. “GO!” he yells, and I do, tapping into an unknown reserve of adrenaline, speeding toward the caretaker’s cottage. Cooper is right behind me.
    The porch light glows up ahead. I pump my legs and zoom toward home and safety. The woods thin, and the path widens. Charging up the porch steps, I yank the screen door and hold it open for Cooper.
    A six-point buck blasts out of the woods next to the cottage and sprints across the front lawn, then down the gravel driveway.
    Chest heaving, Cooper roars in laughter. “Nothing but a dumb deer!” He doubles over and grips his side. “But Lord, you had me spooked there for a minute.”
    There aren’t enough words to express how supremely stupid I feel. “Well, it sounded scary.” My cheeks burn as my pulse rages. “And you saw those yellow eyes.”
    He rolls his baby blues. “Uh-huh, a real monster.”
    “Bucks have been known to attack people during their rutting season.”
    Cooper just shakes his head.
    The front door yanks opens. Dad’s scowling. “What’s going on? What’ve y’all been up to?” He looks exactly like Jack plus twenty-five years and a whole lot of manual labor.
    Still sucking for air, my mouth opens to answer, but my brain is empty—how can I begin to explain what happened today? Instead, I laugh, releasing pent-up fear, panic, and exhaustion. It must seem like I’ve lost my mind.
    Dad isn’t amused. When I stop to take a breath, he says, “Emmaline Claire, I just got back from Charleston searching for some nonexistent parts for the weather vane Missy wants restored. I’m tired. Just tell me, are you okay? And why’s your brother in bed already?”
    Cooper saves me. “We’re fine, Uncle Jed. Just wiped after a long day. Jack was so tired he crashed early.”
    Dad quirks his brow. “Oh-kay.” He shifts his gaze between the two of us. “It’s late. I’m packing it in. Best you two do the same.”
    I find my voice and reply, “Be right in.”
    “You do that.” Dad shuts the door.
    “It’s been a crazy day,” Cooper says.
    I smile, his new height making me tilt my head back more than normal. “You can say that again.”
    He grips the screen door handle but turns to face me. “I’m so glad we were together, Emmaline. I couldn’t have gotten him home without you.”
    I shake my head. “Well, you carried him—” My cheeks fill with heat.
    “Yeah, but you still helped.”
    He bends down and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close in a tight embrace.
    I melt against him. “No problem,” I manage, clinging to him as my heart races, and wishing he’d never let me go.
    …
    “Dang, Em, that hurts.” Jack jerks his right hand from the ointment I’m squeezing onto his fingertips and scoots away from me on the couch.
    I clamp his wrist and yank it back. “Well, what do you expect? It’s a burn. It’s not supposed to tickle.” After all his whining this morning, he’s exhausted my patience.
    He stares at the ceiling, tears welling. “You can’t imagine how much this hurts.”
    I sigh. “What else do you want me to do? I’ve followed all the burn-care instructions. Unless you want to go to the hospital, I’m out of options.”
    His eyes flash. “No, no hospitals. They’ll ask how it happened, and then we’ll have to tell them about the treasure. I don’t want anyone to know.” He inches his hand back toward me and winces, anticipating the pain. I hold his palm as gently as I can and dab a tiny bit of cream on his middle finger. He bites down on his tongue and lets out a high-pitched moan.
    “Can we at least ask Dad to take you to his doctor?” I apply the ointment to his other fingers as quickly as I can.
    “No,” he grunts. “Can’t tell Dad. He’ll tell Beau.”
    “Fine.” I loosely wind a strip of gauze around his tender fingers and tape the end down.
    “Thanks.” He exhales and collapses back onto the couch.