Witch in the Wind (Bandit Creek Books) Read Online Free

did she inherit from her parents? He noticed that her skin was outlined in a faint beige light. Her aura. It was so weak a lesser warlock would have missed it. He had at first.
    He fought against the urge to give his head a shake in disbelief. The Gwynn’s had conceived a child. A hybrid. And hid her in plain sight. In Bandit Creek, Montana.
     
     

Chapter Three
    Avy stepped out the door of the vet clinic and paused. “Well, Busby. I’m sure Dr. Egan will find your owner.”
    He’d promised to call other clinics for her and meet her the next morning at Ma’s Kitchen to give her an update. She felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t that she felt at all like dating right now. Maybe it was white coat syndrome or something, but just standing next to him seemed to make her feel better, to ease her grief. And his eyes. They were the strangest color she’d ever seen. Maybe Dr. Egan could be a friend. She really needed one right now. Someone to help her get through everything. To get through the funeral. The murder investigation. The terrible loss. Her breath hitched.
    Busby leaned against her leg and gave a soft bark.
    Avy smiled down at him. “Of course, you’re my friend too, Busby. You’re my best friend.”
    Busby barked his agreement. Then stood to await her lead.
    She sucked in a deep breath of the crisp mountain air and looked up at the endless cerulean blue of the sky. This was the one thing she missed about Bandit Creek. It was as if the air here was fresher, or maybe just easier to breathe.
    She wrapped Busby’s leash around her hand, shifted the bag of free dog food the vet had given her to the other hip, and settled her purse more securely on her shoulder. “We’ve got lots to do. Where should we start?”
    Busby grunted and hung the full length of his tongue out the side of his mouth and ran it from ear to ear.
    Avy felt a stab of guilt. “Oh, right. Sorry, buckaroo. Just because my stomach is too upset to eat doesn’t mean you aren’t starved. How about we stop at Ma’s for a quick coffee while I give you a bowl of chow?”
    She was counting on missing the Friday morning breakfast crowd but once there, that wasn’t the issue. The coffee took fifteen minutes but the hugs and chat took another forty-five. It was almost noon by the time they were back on the sidewalk.
    “Now, let’s track down the mysterious Mr. Shipley to fix the porch.” The night before, visible signs of her parents’ death struggle had been a shock. In the full light of day this morning, it looked like a dragon battle had been fought on her front lawn. The sight made her physically sick.
    A nudge from Busby got her on the move. She glanced at the small yellow piece of paper that Cora had given her and headed west along Walnut Street towards Murphy’s Boarding House where the handyman, Shipley, lived.
    It took less than fifteen minutes for Avy to find George Shipley and arrange for him to do the house repairs. She backtracked along Walnut. She knew she should go over to Brubaker’s Funeral Home. She couldn’t be sure when her parents’ bodies would be released, but she should make arrangements. Tears pooled in her eyes. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and blotted them away.
    She glanced at the sheriff’s office as she passed. She wanted answers he didn’t have yet. With nausea churning her stomach, she wasn’t ready to hear more details about their death. She decided to postpone the visit.
    As she passed Ellis Park, a voice drifted towards her. She knew who it was even before she saw him stretched out on the park bench. It wasn't clear whether Jack , or JD as he was also called, was his real name since his drink of choice was Jack Daniels . He'd been a permanent fixture of Bandit Creek for longer than anyone could remember . Some of the old townsfolk said Jack had always been here, but obviously, that wasn’t true since the town was over a hundred years old. Decrepit as he appeared, he wasn’t that