Tuesday tales: From the Word PAN

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales, the blog where you get a peek at what a small group of us are currently working on. John continues to do well, although he’s frustrated by what he considers his slow progress. Still, I think his recovery is amazing. He’s back working part-time and is driving again.

I’m working on a new title for this story, so I can keep Pumpkin Spice and the other cover, which I love, for something else in the Cocktails for You series next fall. The new title should be more in keeping with the paranormal/romance theme. As soon as I nail it down, I’ll share.

Today’s word prompt is PAN, and here is your 400-word scene. Enjoy.

“While we haven’t had any serious damage from a hurricane in years, Nova Scotia got walloped last month. It’s just a matter of time before we get hit again. Even if the storm doesn’t make landfall, we may have rough seas, high tides, storm surge, and coastal flooding. These two properties have never seen much damage, but you never know. The storms can be vicious.”

“Like the one that sunk Hezekiah’s ship?”

Walt nodded. “Maybe. His ship was thought to have floundered off Cape Ann. Never understood why he would choose to sail into a storm like that, but if he heard about Hester’s death and was on his way to seek revenge … It’s probably just as well all those men were dead by then—were they?”

Anca shrugged. “I doubt it since Henley’s wife died a few months after the execution. What if Hezekiah’s ship didn’t sink in the storm? While Fearless Red probably wouldn’t have attacked him, Black Jack Bellamy might have. He was quite the marauder in this area. Sinking a merchant ship would’ve been right up his alley. And if Hezekiah was hellbent on revenge, maybe it was him and not Hester who cursed those men.” She frowned. “The magic is supposed to be on the Cole side of the family, but Hester, who wasn’t a Cole, was the one with the ability to heal.” According to Aunt Selma, she was also an empath, but unless she and Hezekiah were related … if they both had powers, any child of theirs would, too. Sadly, the only one hadn’t survived her birth. “You know, one of the men asked me today if I knew Hester’s maiden name. I don’t. Do you? Was it in the article you read?”

Walt shook his head. “Not that I saw, but I didn’t get to the end of the piece. I do know her mother was a Langford, but that’s all I managed to get from it.” He opened the fridge door to get the milk and then grabbed a pan from inside the cupboard.

“Okay. Maybe Aunt Selma knows. Hester had at least one cousin, Stone’s wife. Maybe there’s another out there who felt slighted, and don’t the Langfords still own that big farm west of town?”

“They do. I’m taking Snap, Crackle, and Pop to the pumpkin patch there on Tuesday to get pumpkins to carve into jack-o’-lanterns.”

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.