But still… she raised her hand to her cheek once more. Those hands could feature in her dreams, if she let them.
Withregularapplicationsofthe burn creamsomeonemust have slipped into her purse, Maggie’s arm looked no worse for wear in a couple of days. She stretched as the sunlight broke through a gap in the curtains, waking her before her alarm. Sleepy mornings were the perks of a later shift. Still, she didn’t like to ask her hostess to make her breakfast outside of the posted hours. So, she hurried to get ready for her day.
Virginia had told her to make herself at home in the kitchen. Maggie was still her only guest due to the slow season. Tourists looking to fish, hike, or boat on the river wouldn’t arrive until late Spring or Summer. Certainly by then, she’d have found a place to rent.
Work had only been mildly awkward the day after the incident, and Maggie had decided to stay in Hawthorn Hills. Shewas enjoying the slower pace, the fresh air, and the fact no one knew about her past here.
Maggie would have been sorely tempted as a child to slide down the gorgeous mahogany banister of the old Victorian, but she wouldn’t have dared. But it was fun to imagine the kind of carefree childhood she never got as she jogged down the stairs. She rounded the newel post, briefly noting the flowers on the reception desk. Virginia must have an admirer. Or perhaps it was her birthday?
She found her hostess in the kitchen, her salt and pepper hair pulled back in a chignon. The kitchen’s stainless steel commercial appliances felt out of place with the rest of the house, but she was used to it now. “Good morning!”
“Good morning, Maggie! Would you like some breakfast?”
“I can just make myself a bagel, Virginia.”
“Nonsense, Raven is bringing me an egg delivery this morning, I’ll make you something fresh.”
“I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble! Sit yourself down.”
Maggie did as she was told, Virginia already pulling out her skillet. Since it was just her and Virginia in the B&B, they used the small kitchen table instead of the huge dining room. It had allowed her to strike up a sort of friendship with the old woman, and Virginia seemed to enjoy her company.
A honk sounded outside that reminded Maggie of a dying truck. “Is that her?”
“It is!” Virginia set her knife down on the cutting board where she’d been chopping ham into cubes and made her way to the back door. “Good morning, Raven!”
Honk!
That’s when a huge white bird came flapping into the kitchen, heading straight for Maggie. She jumped out of her seat andpulled the chair in front of herself. “Virginia! There’s a bird in here!”
Dear God, it had teeth! And its head came up to the table’s height.
“Duck! Get back here!”
HONK!
Maggie gripped the back of her chair so tight her knuckles turned white. “Tha-that’s not a duck…”
“Oh no, that’s just his name.” Virginia carried in a tray of eggs. “Duck, go see your mother!”
Duck hissed, which was a sound she didn’t even know birds couldmakeand waddled back out the door. His owner stood there with her hands on her hips, a wide-brimmed hat on her head.
“Silly goose.” She waved at Maggie through the doorway. “Hi, there! I’m Raven. Welcome to Hawthorn Hills.”
Maggie raised her hand and hesitantly waved back, but she didn’t get out from behind her chair.
Raven shook her head. “I’m sorry about him. I’ll take him back to the coop. See you later, Ginny!”
“Have a good day, my friend!” Having set the eggs on the counter, Virginia waved at Raven and shut the back door. She smothered a smile behind her hand and Maggie’s ears grew hot. “Are you alright?”
Her heart rate slowly returning to normal, Maggie sat back down in her chair. “I’ve never… seen a goose before. Are they all like that?”
“Well, no. Normally geese stay outside. But Duck is special. His mother abandoned him as a gosling and Raven raised him. He can’t fly but he likes to flap as if he were.”
“He has teeth…”
“Yes, geese have serrated beaks. But at least Raven’s chickens are very safe.” Virginia chuckled as she cracked eggs into a bowl.“Let’s get some protein into you, dear. Have you ever had eggs straight from the farm before?”
