Yule Be Magical (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 8) by Sara Bourgeois (top 100 novels .txt) 📕

okay. He was really old and he went out with a smile on his face.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Dad answered.

“We’ll just leave it at that then,” I said.

“Yep. Okay,” Dad said and rubbed his hands together, “I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

He was downstairs for about five minutes when I got too curious to sit there and wait for him any longer.

“Have you heard from Thorn?” he asked when I approached. Dad was going through a box of old clothing, and he didn’t look up at me.

“I thought we didn’t have to talk,” I said, but the question didn’t sting as much as I’d expected.

“You don’t have to answer,” Dad said as he put the lid back on a box.

I waited until he was done opening the next one. “I haven’t. I went to the sheriff’s station, and apparently, he’s taken a few days off. Jeremy didn’t know where he was, though.”

“He might have already had a few days off planned for your honeymoon,” Dad offered as he pulled a red suit out of the box he was searching.

“We didn’t plan a honeymoon yet,” I said. “We were still trying to work that out.”

“Just because he didn’t plan it with you didn’t mean he wasn’t going to surprise you,” Dad said.

“Great, so he’s probably off on some tropical island without me,” I lamented.

“I doubt that,” Dad said.

“I did visit with Azriel while I was there looking for Thorn,” I admitted.

“Oh?” Dad sort of half choked out.

“Yeah,” I said, but I immediately wished I hadn’t said anything.

“And?” He obviously wanted more information, and I knew that if I told him to forget it, he’d just worry.

So, I told him everything Azriel said. While I talked, he found the rest of the costume and put it into a bag.

“What do you think?” I asked when I’d finished the story.

“Honey, I’m not really sure what to think of that,” he said.

“Do you think he’s lying?” I asked.

He appeared to think about it for a few seconds. The fact that he didn’t immediately say that Azriel had to be lying made my stomach do a flip-flop. I felt the color drain from my face, and my father’s expression suddenly turned stricken and apologetic.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to worry you,” he said. “I don’t want to believe anything like that about Thorn. I had hoped he would prove he wasn’t anything like the man we suspect is his biological father…”

“But you think that he could be,” I said. “You think he could be a psychopath, and what Azriel said he did would make perfect sense.”

“I don’t want to jump to that conclusion either, but you’re my daughter. You’re also carrying my grandchild. I have to be careful what I say before I make any pronouncements that might lead you to put yourself in danger,” Dad said.

That made me sigh. “The men in my life are always worried about me putting myself in danger. Well, you and Thorn anyway. Dorian seems to encourage it, so there’s that.”

“I have to worry about you because you’re my kid,” Dad protested. “I know you’re more than capable of handling yourself, but maybe I’m not just talking about physical danger. I have to worry about your heart too. One of those men is dangerous to your emotional and mental well-being, Kinsley. I don’t want to push you into that man’s arms.”

“I understand,” I said. “I just wish I knew what to do.”

“I’m not saying it’s what you should do, but you know that if you decide to raise the baby alone, your mother and I would be there for you every step of the way,” Dad said.

“I…” I wasn’t sure what to say. “I had never considered that, Dad. I mean… I appreciate the reassurance. I really do, but that’s not how I want to raise my baby. I want her to have a family. A complete family. It’s what I had, and I want it for her too.”

“I understand,” Dad said and offered me a soft smile. “Just know that if push comes to shove, we’re here for you.”

“Thank you,” I said. “But, I know he’s going to come through for me. I can feel it in my gut.”

“Who?” Dad asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You said he would come through for you, but you didn’t say who he was. Which of them are you talking about, sweetie? Who was in your head when you said that?” Dad asked.

“Thorn,” I said without hesitation.

“You and your mother have an unrivaled intuition, Kinsley. The only times I’ve seen you get in real trouble is when you ignore it,” he said.

“Are you saying I should trust Thorn and ignore Azriel?” I asked.

“I’m saying there’s a little voice inside you that will guide you if you let it,” Dad said. “I’m also saying I’d really love some pancakes. Would you accompany an old man to breakfast?”

“Sure, Dad. I’d love that,” I said.

“First we’ll stop at the Santa house and drop this old thing off. I don’t really want to wear it when I’m on my way to and from playing Santa.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said. “You think they’ve got it set up already?”

“Oh, yeah, they’ve been working all morning. They’ve got the entire square done up for Christmas and Yule. Lights, holly, and tons of garland,” Dad said.

“I can’t believe we start Christmas in November now,” I said.

Dad just chuckled.

He was right. I couldn’t believe how fast they had flipped the square from Halloween to a little Christmas village. It was almost enough to make me less grumpy about how fast we’d sped into the Christmas season.

Almost.

Of course, it wasn’t cold enough for there to be any snow yet. Warmer temperatures often popped in for a visit during November and December in our region, and that year was no exception. Tourists had made a return due to the lovely weather, and they were milling around taking pictures of the Santa house and all the additional holiday