Total Eclipse of The Hunt

Chapter One

Kelsey Gibbons stared out the window of the passenger bus, watching tree after tree go by. While there were a decent number of trees that still had their leaves, a large number were now bare. She felt she'd become something of an expert on the matter since she'd pretty much only had trees to look at for most of her journey. It had been somewhat jarring at first, as she'd spent so many years living in Boston that one didn't drive through endless trees with any sort of ease.

In fact, she didn't drive at all.

She'd never had a reason to learn.

Public transportation was how she'd always gotten around. Yet, this was the farthest she'd ever traveled on a bus, and she couldn't say she wanted to repeat the experience anytime soon. It had involved more than one bus change, the last happening almost an hour ago.

This bus was colder than the others, and she found herself tightening her jacket around her more, wishing she had a throw blanket or something to help cut some of the cold she felt. The outside temperature had dropped to the point that a coat was needed, but so far, snow hadn't arrived. She wondered how much longer before that would change. A small piece of her hoped it wouldn't be too long, as she'd love to see what the area looked like blanketed in fluffy white snow.

Her hand went to her backpack, which she'd kept close to her at all times as of late. She couldn't help but think about its contents. A few changes of clothes, her favorite pajamas with unicorns on them, a small amount of money…and the pendant that had turned her life upside down. When it had arrived on her twenty-fifth birthday, wrapped in purple paper with a giant white bow, she'd been confused, unsure who would send her a present. It wasn't as if she'd ever gotten a birthday gift in her life before.

She had no family to speak of, and she'd spent her childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home. She'd always kept mostly to herself while she waitressed during the days and took college courses at night. She'd never been very close to any of her coworkers or classmates. In fact, she wasn't close to anyone, despite desperately wanting to be.

She longed to have people. A network of friends. Someone to confide in. She had no one. No boyfriend. No one to notice she wasn't in Boston anymore.

That reality hit her hard.

She could vanish, and no one would report her missing. No one would look for her.

Sadness crept over Kelsey and she swallowed down the lump in her throat. No point in crying on a bus in front of strangers. That wouldn't help her any. It would only serve as a reminder that while she was surrounded by people, she was on her own.

That being said, she'd gotten by with her solitary existence, doing what she must to make a living while she studied history. Her hope was to one day work at a museum, tucked far away in research, never needing to interact with people much.

Then the mysterious present had come into her life. The pendant with a triple crescent moon and a purple gemstone was beautiful. Along with the pendant had been a bus ticket to Everlasting, Maine.

A place she'd never heard of.

There had been no card, no tag, no return address on the present. None of her neighbors recalled seeing anyone near her apartment door (not that they paid too much mind to one another, since they weren't close).

That had been nearly a week ago, and since then, she'd been basically hammered over the head with nonstop signs for Everlasting. There had been an ad on the side of the B-line bus that hadn't been there before the present came. Brochures for Everlasting were suddenly at the coffee shop she frequented and on campus. She'd even found a poster for the town pinned to the bulletin board where she worked.

Basically, it had been all Everlasting, all the time.

And then some.

She'd intended to ignore it all, but everything in her life had flipped onto its head. She'd unexpectedly been let go from her job for no reason. She'd gone to sign up for next semester's classes, only to find there was a hold on her account that no one could explain. Last but not least, her landlord had informed Kelsey that she wouldn't be renewing her lease, as she'd sold the building to someone else and, according to her current lease, she had to vacate the property at once so they could begin repainting and prepping for whoever the new tenant would be.

It was then she'd finally given the anonymous bus ticket to Everlasting serious consideration. From what she'd seen on the internet about the town, Everlasting was charming and small, yet thriving. It made its money through tourism for the most part. And the news that came out of the town was always positive. About how well the schools were doing. Or featuring this festival or that. Every photo she'd seen reminded her of a place locked in a golden age of small towns when everyone knew and cared about everyone else.

Hunger to be part of that burned in her. To know it if only long enough to discover who had sent her the pendant and bus ticket, and why.

Finding a place to live while she was in Everlasting had been a cinch. She'd lucked into an incredibly cheap cabin that she'd been able to rent for next to nothing and on a month-to-month basis. Of course, it was all done over the phone and the internet, so she hadn't actually laid eyes on it yet, but the photos she'd been given were breathtaking.

She'd followed the signs (literally) to Everlasting and could only hope it was for the best.

About all I can do.

She reached into her bag and touched a red velvet pouch. In the pouch was the pendant, on a black leather cord. It could easily be worn, but she'd never put the thing on. She'd merely stared at it, somewhat swept away by it, yet uneasy all the same. The compulsion to put it on was always there, just below the surface, but she didn't like the pull it had over her.

No. She'd fight the compulsion. Nothing good would come from totally giving in.

Content that the pendant was still close (not that she'd let it out of her sight since she'd gotten it), Kelsey closed her backpack and shifted slightly in her seat, ignoring the smells and sounds of the bus. Between the bathroom that wasn't far from her seat and smelled as if it needed to be cleaned, and the noxious fumes from the exhaust, she'd had a low-grade headache since she'd boarded.

Thankfully, the toddler who was taking a trip with his mother had finally fallen asleep. He'd spent the better part of the last hour running up and down the center aisle, pretending to be an airplane, before screaming endlessly because he didn't want to sit down and he wasn't tired.

The fact he was out cold was proof otherwise. Not that he looked comfortable. He was currently partially upside down with one foot up on the seat back, his head hanging off the seat cushion and his arms suspended in midair. His mother, who had been at wit's end with him, apparently subscribed to the mentality of letting sleeping dogs lie.

No one else on the bus was making any effort to help the child be more comfortable. They seemed happy he was down for the count as well.

There was a middle-aged woman on the bus, wearing pale yellow from head to toe, with a giant fake flower pinned to her coat. She'd been working on a crossword puzzle since Kelsey had boarded the bus.

Two young men who barely looked to be out of their teens were in the very back; each had earbuds in their ears and had scarcely spoken a single word. They seemed content to just sleep and listen to whatever it was they were listening to. It was evident they were related, from the similar facial structures, light dusting of freckles, and matching red hair.

The bus had others on it as well. An older gentleman across the aisle from Kelsey who hadn't seemed too bothered when the toddler was acting up. An elderly woman who clutched a small black book to her chest as she stared out the window. And a man who looked to be in his forties, wearing a pair of glasses that kept sliding down his nose while he read a newspaper.

Everyone going somewhere together, yet seeming worlds apart.

Kelsey patted her backpack and then stared out the bus window once again. A sign announcing Everlasting was twelve miles ahead was there. Leaves were accumulated at the base of it, matted to the ground. A sure indication that winter really was on its way. Maybe she'd get her wish and see snow there after all.

A man was walking on the side of the highway. He was dressed in a pair of faded old jeans, boots, and a worn army jacket. He wore a black knit cap covering half of his shoulder-length dark hair. His head was bent as he walked with a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. For a second she thought he might put a thumb out and try to hitch a ride, but he didn't.

As the bus drove past him, he turned his head slowly, his icy-blue gaze landing on her.

She jolted slightly in her seat. While he was a handsome man, there was something about him that said he was dangerous and someone to avoid. A shiver raced down Kelsey's spine. She just hoped Everlasting wasn't his destination too. She wasn't so sure she wanted to be anywhere near him.

When she realized she was judging a man without even knowing him, shame filled her. People had done that to her enough in her life to know what it felt like.

"I'm a horrible person," she said softly, lowering her head, her long brown braid falling over one shoulder.

"Oh now, I don't think that's true," said the older man in the seat across the aisle. His white hair was cut close to his head and his dark gaze held nothing but warmth as he looked at her. He'd not said much since she'd boarded at the last stop, but there was a certain peace about him that helped her feel calmer. She wished she could bottle it for later, as she'd not felt much peace in weeks. "I have a sense for these things, and there is nothing about you that is horrible. Ornery? More than likely. Horrible? No."

A smile touched her lips at the man's kind words. "Thank you."

"I'm Irwin Reyes. And you are?" he asked, a strange knowing look in his eyes.

"Kelsey Gibbons."

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Kelsey. Where are you headed?" he asked in a soothing voice.

"Everlasting. What about you?"

"Bakersville," Mr. Reyes replied. "The stop after Everlasting."

She glanced out the window again. "It's so pretty here."

"The snow will be here before you know it," said Mr. Reyes with a twinkle in his eye.

"I hope so. I love snow. It's always so peaceful and serene."

He chuckled. "But underneath it all, everything is as it was. It just masks things for a spell. When it melts, the same ground is there. Nothing has changed."

She'd never thought of it that way, but he was right.

"You visiting family or friends?" he asked.

She didn't have any family to speak of. "Just decided I needed a change of pace."

Not the total truth, but not a lie either. It was more like a higher force was at work, leaving her no choice in the matter.

"Where are you coming from?" he inquired.

She smiled. "Boston."

Surprise showed on his face. "Well, then you certainly picked the right location for a change of pace. Everlasting will seem like it moves at a crawl for you."

"I'm not sure how I'm going to do with that," she admitted. She liked being able to walk to everywhere she wanted to go and have public transportation available should the need arise. And she enjoyed most places being open at nearly all hours. Plus, she had something of an addiction to Dunkin' Donuts coffee. There was more than one location along her old walk to work each day. She didn't think Everlasting had one. But Everlasting had a charm about it that appealed to her greatly.

He winked. "Everlasting calls to those who need it most."

She paused, glancing at him briefly, reflecting on what he'd said. It had been as if the town was calling to her in the week leading up to her travel. It was hard to deny all the signs that seemed to come out of the blue.

The man glanced out the window on his side and hummed softly. It was a catchy tune. She'd never heard it before, but it stuck with her.

The smell of the bathroom hit her again, and Kelsey grumbled. Public transportation had its advantages and disadvantages for sure. It was affordable, but it wasn't the cleanest. She still wasn't a hundred percent sure what the mysterious stain in the seat next to her was.

The bus continued, and it wasn't long before Kelsey spotted a lighthouse off in the distance. She couldn't get a good view of it with the seemingly endless amounts of woods on each side of the road.

Mr. Reyes offered a warm smile and a nod. The man reached into the oversized brown bag on the empty seat next to him before pulling out what looked to be the start of a hand-knitted blanket, two knitting needles, and a ball of yarn.

Knitting was a skill she'd always wished she'd had, but had never learned. Mr. Reyes looked to be exceptionally good at it. If they weren't almost to Everlasting, she'd have asked him to show her how to do it.

He worked silently. She found the work oddly hypnotic. The longer she watched the needles, the drowsier she became. She began to nod off again and caught herself, ripping her gaze from the act of knitting to stare out the window once again.

The view changed somewhat as the bus drove down the wavy stretch of highway. Now the woods were only on one side while a cliff was on the other—the side Kelsey stared out from.

The drop-off was steep, and the ocean was clearly visible. It was breathtaking. A sight she'd never tire of. Serenity for as far as the eye could see. She stared down at the waves breaking over the rocky bottom below.

The bus continued and then slowed as they entered the town itself. There was a fuel and service station with its garage door standing wide open. It looked like something from the fifties—as if it were frozen in time.

Excitement welled in Kelsey. Already Everlasting was just as it had been depicted on the internet— charming.

A strikingly handsome man was leaning against the garage doorframe. He was tall, built, but not overly bulky, and had a head of wavy black hair that hung just past his ears. She couldn't entirely make out his face from the angle in which he was standing, but what she could see was sheer perfection. From the looks of his uniform, he was in law enforcement. She'd always had a thing for men in uniform. She caught sight of an SUV in the garage with "Sheriff " written across the hood.

Kelsey couldn't help but stare as the man turned, putting his back to the road, looking to be in deep conversation with a woman dressed in old gray overalls. The man in the sheriff 's uniform had a backside that was hard to tear her gaze away from.

Thankfully, the bus kept going into town more. Kelsey wasn't so sure she could have handled all that hotness upon arrival. She'd never been extremely skilled at interacting with the opposite sex. Okay, with interacting with anyone, but she tended to become something of a wallflower the minute an attractive man was around. She hoped that if she got nothing else from the journey to Everlasting, that she'd at least get a bit of bravery. After all, she was showing up in a town she'd never heard of a week prior, by way of a ticket that had mysteriously shown up on her doorstep.

That had to count as very brave.

Or very stupid.

Chapter Two

"That's something you don't see every day," Mr. Reyes said as he continued to knit while he glanced out the window of the bus.

Kelsey followed the man's gaze—and did a double take when she saw an older woman, done up as if she were headed to church at any moment, swatting a guy who looked to be about thirty over the head with her umbrella. The guy didn't even flinch. If anything, he seemed to be amused by the woman's antics.

The man had on a t-shirt that read "Full Moon Fishing Charter." It wasn't warm enough for t-shirt weather, yet the guy didn't appear to be suffering from the cold in the least. He and the man next to him—who was dressed in a pair of designer slacks and a high-end sweater, making him look as if he fell out of the pages of Lands' End—were laughing as the woman continued to swat at them.

The woman's obnoxiously large blue hat blew off, and the man in the sweater retrieved it, covering his mouth with one hand as he laughed at the woman who was openly scolding the other guy. Sweater Guy held the hat out for her, and she took it with haste.

The bus came to a full stop, and the driver looked up at the rearview mirror, his gaze landing on her. "Everlasting, miss."

She nodded and stood, grabbing her backpack as she did. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Reyes."

"You too, Miss Gibbons. I'm sure we'll meet up again soon. Take care and enjoy your time in Everlasting."

She made her way down the aisle of the bus and paused before walking down the stairs, her gaze going to the woman who was still whapping the man with an umbrella.

The bus driver laughed. "Don't mind them. That there is Mrs. Mays, and she does her best to keep the rowdy youth in line."

"Youth?" asked Kelsey. "That guy she's hitting is like thirty!"

The bus driver grinned. "I'm far older than that, miss. To me, he's just a baby. So are you."

She couldn't argue his logic as she started to exit the bus.

"Ellswerth, are you giving the young lady a hard time?" asked Mr. Reyes from the back of the bus.

"Don't you have a blanket to finish up?" asked the bus driver with a wink.

The men laughed as Kelsey got off the bus. The minute the door closed behind her, she heard a woman's shrill voice.

"Hugh Lupine, if I catch you threatening to eat Buster again, I will string you up by your toes from my clothesline!"

"Call me first so I can get pictures," Sweater Guy said with a laugh.

"Curt, don't think I won't do the same to you," the woman warned. "You two have been getting into trouble together since you were knee high. One will lie, and the other will swear to it. And whenever Sigmund gets back from his vacation, he'll be right in the thick of it again with you two."

Kelsey walked around the front of the bus and paused as a giant pink Cadillac drove past slowly, a redheaded woman at the wheel. Kelsey blinked, sure she was seeing things. The woman had what appeared to be decorative snowflakes sticking haphazardly out of her hair. That couldn't be right, could it? No one would purposely shove what looked like recycled Christmas ornaments into their hair, would they?

The car kept going, and Mrs. Mays pointed at the man in the sweater.

The Sweater Guy lifted his hands as if to surrender. "Mrs. Mays, I'm a good boy who rarely misses a Sunday service…unlike Hugh there."

"Hey," said the man in the t-shirt.

"Wilber Messing is right, Hugh. You are a heathen," spat Mrs. Mays as she gave a look of disgust in the direction of the man with the t-shirt. "Hugh, tell me how it is you manage to be married to such a sweet young woman when you're so you? Penelope is a doll. I have no idea what she sees in you."

Hugh stood to his full height, which was impressive, and offered a sheepish grin. "I'm just lucky, ma'am. Real lucky."

"I'd say so," she said before walking off, trying but failing to get her large hat back on correctly. She paused partway down the block and glanced over her shoulder, her gaze skimming over Kelsey momentarily before returning to Hugh. "And stop threatening to eat poor Buster. If you don't, I'll call Penelope and tell her you're being mean again."

Hugh nodded, and once the woman was far enough away, he glanced at the man in the sweater. "Curt, where's Buster?"

"Why? Want to eat him even more now?" asked Curt, putting his thumbs in the belt loops of his slacks.

"Yes."

Curt laughed and moved up alongside Hugh. "This I have to see."

Hugh glanced at Kelsey and paused, sniffing the air in a rather dramatic fashion before narrowing his gaze on her. There was something about the man that screamed alpha, and Kelsey wanted to shrink away into the shadows.

You're not going to be a wallflower here, she reminded herself.

Curt stiffened and looked directly at her as well from across the street, his green gaze holding fast to her. The edges of his lips curved upward, and Kelsey didn't need to be told the guy was a ladies' man. It was written all over him. "My, my, what do we have here?"

"Dear lords above, do not try to make a move on a woman four seconds after she arrives in town," snapped Hugh. "Didn't my wife already explain to you that women don't appreciate that?"

Kelsey froze, falling into her old habit of trying to fade away when any attention from a handsome man came her way. And Curt was most certainly a handsome man.

He winked at her and jogged over, extending his hand. "Curt Warrick, miss. I'm the unofficial welcoming committee for the town."

Hugh grunted and then came for Curt, tugging his friend back a bit from Kelsey. Hugh smiled, and while he was very handsome as well, his smile was more half-hearted, and there was a certain gruffness about him that made her think smiling didn't exactly come naturally to him. "Sorry about him. We do our best to keep him away from people. He's something of a tomcat."

Curt grunted. "Funny. Don't you have a fire hydrant that needs to be peed on?"

"Isn't there a tree you should be stuck in?" asked Hugh before turning his focus to Kelsey once more. "Again, sorry for him. Pretty much need that printed on my shirt."

Kelsey relaxed, feeling more at ease around the men. She snorted, amused by the pair in spite of herself. "He's fine."

Curt put his hand out again. "I'm Curt."

"Yes, you said as much," she returned, making Hugh laugh.

Curt flashed another charming smile and stopped reaching out for her. "Can I get your name?"

"Kelsey," she supplied as the bus pulled away from the stop. She glanced up and spotted Mr. Reyes in the window. She waved, and he returned the gesture. When she faced Hugh and Curt once more, she found Hugh giving Curt a warning look.

Curt shrugged. "Stop glowering, Lupine. It's very unbecoming. Just ask Mrs. Mays. She says your manners are sorely lacking."

"I'll give you sorely lacking," Hugh returned.

"Is that before or after your sunflower gets shoved up my whoops-a-daisy?" asked Curt, blinking rapidly as if he was trying to look sweet and innocent. "Call me a fish stick again. That really is my favorite."

Hugh's nostrils flared, and he lunged for Curt, who somehow managed to dodge the man's grasp. The two then ran around in the center of the street. Curt took great pleasure in taunting Hugh with his moves.

Kelsey found herself standing there, laughing loudly, feeling more relaxed around strangers than she'd ever felt before. Though they did have strange inside jokes. Sunflowers? Fish sticks?

"So slow," said Curt, dodging another attempt by Hugh. "Is it a dog thing?"

"Wolf," snared Hugh before glancing at Kelsey and stopping in his tracks. He cleared his throat and motioned with his head toward her. "Not alone."

Dog? Wolf?

She wasn't sure what they were going on about but they seemed to be having fun.

Curt stopped his antics as well and righted his sweater.

"Don't stop on my account. I enjoy watching two grown men act like children in the middle of the street," she said with a grin, impressed with herself for coming out of her shell. "Even if one apparently pees on fire hydrants and the other gets stuck in trees."

Hugh laughed. "You'll do just fine here. I really hope you and my wife don't meet. The last thing she needs is another woman around who's willing to tell us like it is. She's already got Jolene who joins in. A third would be way too much for us to deal with."

Kelsey grinned.

Hugh waggled his brows. "And she's allergic to Curt."

Kelsey adjusted her backpack, already feeling more at home in Everlasting than she'd ever felt in Boston. "I like her already, and I don't even know her."

Curt winked. "I grow on you after a while."

"I'm sure you do." Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Can you guys point me in the direction of this address?"

She pulled her phone from her pocket and read off the address she had for the cabin rental.

The men shared a confused look.

Hugh stepped closer and put his hand out for her phone. "May I?"

She handed it to him. "I tried to get walking directions to it online, but it's not pulling up on the map."

Curt glanced over Hugh's shoulder and narrowed his gaze. "It's just out of town, in the other direction. Kind of in the middle of nowhere. Can I ask why you're looking for it?"

"I'll be staying there for a bit," she said. "It looks so charming."

Hugh coughed. "Charming? Uh, okay."

Curt rubbed the back of his head, tousling his dark hair. "Yeah, charming. Not sure Jake would agree."

"Jake?" asked Kelsey.

"I guess you could call him the last person to stay there for any length of time," said Curt with a snort.

Kelsey took her phone back, unsure why the men were acting so strangely.

The pink Cadillac that she'd seen only moments ago came down the street once more. Curt reached out and touched Kelsey's elbow, guiding her across the street to the sidewalk and out of the path of the oncoming car.

Hugh followed close behind. He waved at the redheaded woman as she drove past. "Think she's lost again?" he asked, glancing at Curt.

Curt shook his head. "Nah, probably thinking. You know Polly likes to drive when she's got something on her mind."

Hugh nodded.

Curt smiled. "My car is parked over at the Magic Eight Ball. I can grab it and take you where you're heading."

The offer was generous, but Kelsey had things to do in town before she went in search of the cabin she'd rented. After spending a chunk of her day on buses, she wanted to walk. "Thank you, but I'm good."

"If you change your mind, Hugh and I will be over at Chickadee's Diner," said Curt.

"Nice to meet you both." Kelsey walked in the direction of the general store. She'd need a few provisions. The things she couldn't live without. Peanut butter, bread, chocolate, and coffee.