Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

could handle her power, even aid her to control it. At the moment, it was in his best interests to allow her spirit a little freedom so she’d continue talking.
    “Were you all raised on farms?”
    “No. Why would you think that?” She quirked an eyebrow at him.
    The sound of birds fluttering from branch to branch was loud in the small silence. A crow cawed. Another answered. His gaze shifted to the birds and then away. He pulled out his dark glasses and pushed them onto his nose. Lev was out there somewhere watching, and now, he was fairly certain he was correct. No one else had the kind of affinity for animals like his younger brother. The birds were definitely spying on him.
    “Look around you, Judith.” Stefan gestured toward the lush, prospering plants. “This farm is incredible. Someone has to know what they’re doing. I can take over a business and turn it around, but I have to know what I’m doing.”
    Her shoulders relaxed a little more. “Lexi, my youngest sister, spent most of her life on a farm. She runs things. We just do whatever she tells us and it works.”
    It probably helped the prosperity that one or more of her sisters was an element: air, fire, water or earth. His heart jumped at the find. Maybe all four elements were represented. With Judith’s powerful spirit, they would have no trouble using each of the elements to their advantage. The amazing gardens and rows and rows of vegetables, the groves of trees, made sense to him now.
    If he was right, this might be the single most dominant conclave of elements alive. They would be impossibly powerful together, especially with Judith’s spirit weaving through each of the talents. One was bound to the earth: Lexi. She would make things grow and prosper.
    “I can’t believe the job you’ve done here.”
    She gestured toward a small open trail wagon. “We can use this to get to the main part of the farm. Lexi was using the tractor on a new field recently. She said we could play around with it there without hurting any of her plants.”
    “Do you hurt her plants when you drive the tractor?”
    She gave a little disdainful sniff. “Ha! You wish. She was referring to your lack of skill, not mine.”
    Genuine laughter felt amazing. This woman had given him more firsts than he’d considered possible. Teasing was a foreign concept to him and yet he found he enjoyed it immensely. “I’m warning you, Miss Henderson, I’m a very quick learner.”
    “We’ll see.”
    He found himself weighing the advantages of pretending to be a little inept against showing off. He let her take the driver’s seat, slipping into the doorless vehicle beside her. “So Lexi is a genuine farmer and you paint.”
    “Don’t forget my kaleidoscopes,” Judith said. “I love my kaleidoscopes.”
    “You’re the artist. Tell me about Rikki, you said she was married. What does she do?”
    “She’s a sea urchin diver. She loves the sea.”
    He noted the pride in her voice. She had a soft spot for Lexi, but Rikki was very special to her. Her eyes lit up and she exuded warmth and happiness. He let his spirit absorb hers a little more, to feel that joy in her when she talked about her sisters.
    “That’s a strange profession.” An affinity for the sea. For water. Stefan looked around the farm at the lush plants, and then up at the sky. A water element would be able to control rainfall, giving their farm much needed water to prosper.
    “You mean for a woman?”
    He grinned at the little bite in her tone. He nudged her with his shoulder. “Judith, you are a secret feminist, aren’t you? No, actually I meant a sea urchin diver is something I haven’t ever considered being. Tell me the truth. Had you ever considered it?”
    She burst out laughing. “No, of course not. Rikki’s autistic. She needs the sea like the rest of us need air. The pressure of the water, the solitary way of life, all appeal to her. You should see her though, Thomas, when she’s on her boat or in the water, she’s just incredible.”
    “Autistic.”
    Stefan tried to imagine what that would be like. What kind of fucking worm would stoop so low as to use an autistic woman to hide behind? Damn his brother. Rikki had to have been out in the ocean when the yacht Lev was working on had gone down. She must have picked him up and being trained in the art of survival, Lev had adapted quickly, persuading the poor unsuspecting woman that he loved her. Stefan was furious with his brother for