Page 4 of Demon and the Raven

“I think I’m going to remind Mrs. Burley about the area on the left side of her property that she’s going to have to pay to get cleared, and then point out that Mr. Taylor’s goats could be helpful in that endeavor. And clover is actually really good for the soil, so I’m going to remind Mr. Taylor that all he had was dirt in his backyard two weeks ago.”

It seemed like a good plan to me. There could be benefits on both sides.

“Let’s go,” Lorne announced to his deputy.

“Yeah, but what if they don’t listen to you?” Victoria asked him.

“Then I’m confiscating all her remaining rose bushes and all the animals.”

I didn’t think he could legally do that, but this was not the moment to bring that up.

“What are you going to do with goats and alpacas?” she wanted to know.

“I see a petting zoo in our future. That way the tourists can bring their kids.”

“We do need a small zoo in this town,” Amanda stated. “Just local animals and ones for the kids. I do think the dog park you proposed is a marvelous idea.”

“Thanks,” Lorne replied, smiling at her, and then returned to glaring at his deputy.

I really tried not to smile.

His growl was not subtle. “Do you understand how ridiculous it is that I’m having a conversation, as the chief of police, about goats and alpacas despite being told by my two deputies that they could handle this situation?”

“I do,” Victoria granted, which was quite brave of her. From the look Lorne shot her, she understood immediately that the question had been rhetorical.

Lorne kissed my cheek before turning for his car. “We’re doing it my way now, Deputy,” he ordered. “Get in your vehicle.”

She bolted away, and Amanda and I watched them go.

“You know, I bet he didn’t have to worry about livestock in Boston.” She snickered.

“I would have to agree.”

“About now he’s thinking, Why did I even come to this ridiculous town?” she said with a snort of laughter, like the thought was hysterical.

I did a slow pan to her.

“What?”

Narrowing my eyes slowly, I stared until she understood her faux pas.

“Oh yeah. Huh.”

It was my turn to smack her.

“The hell was that for,” she yelled at me.

“You can’t even kid about him not being here.”

In the beginning, Amanda didn’t like Lorne. But over the course of us falling in love, he grew on her, and now she was fairly smitten with him. She saw the full breadth of his warrior heart, and she appreciated how good and grounding he was for me. For his part, Lorne was not the kind of person who warmed up fast to people, so it took a while. The fact that he now counted on her as a friend meant a lot to her. And me. Amanda and her husband and kids were the closest thing I had to family, my own having crossed over ages ago, to Summerland, the place souls went between incarnations.

“Well, then maybe you should try and stay alive long enough so you can get married,” she snapped, returning my focus to her from my wandering thoughts.

I sighed. “Point taken.”

We were quiet a moment.

“Aren’t you late for something?” she mentioned casually. “Something at the library?”