Lynda K. Scott's...As The Cat Eats The Fish: Excerpt - Heartstone

Good morning! I thought I'd give you an excerpt for Heartstone and start a new contest. Enjoy!

Set Up:

In the small Michigan town of Roseberg, Keriam Norton and her cousin, Janna, are preparing a grand opening of their store, The Treasure Chest. This is quite a feat for Keriam since she can't bear to be touched. When she's touched, she imagines she can feel the emotions of the person who touches her and she fears she's losing her mind. Still, she refuses to fail her cousin and her store. She doesn't have to touch anyone to make change or arrange items in the store. Then something gives Keriam pause...

“It’s beautiful.” Keriam focused on the display, on the wedding
dress with its yards of lace, fighting the rush of anxiety and joyous
anticipation Janna was feeling. It would be worse if Janna actually
touched her, she knew, and kept a careful distance between them.
“Now. Let’s get ready for hordes of customers to make us filthy rich.”

“In your dreams,” Janna said, laughing. As she passed through
the door, she added, “Mine, too.”

Keriam stopped as the weight of unseen eyes danced over her
skin like thorny little ant-feet. She whirled, taking in the entire street
with a sweeping glance.

Roseberg’s small business district, composed of ancient brick
storefronts, would soon be bustling but now was serenely quiet.
And yet...

Someone was watching her.

Across the street, a large black dog sniffed a reproduction coach
lamp near the curb. Keriam dismissed the animal, letting her gaze
move toward the intersection. A shadow, long and sharp in the sun’s
slanting rays, moved and vanished before Keriam could identify it.
No faces pressed against the glass of the shops lining Main Street.
There was no traffic.

Her attention returned to the dog. It sat, tongue lolling, tail idly
sweeping the sidewalk. It had a feral tilt to its pale eyes that made
her think wolf. Which was ridiculous, there weren’t any wolves in
this part of Michigan.

Then...expectancy flashed through her body, heightening her
perception. From the east came the scent of the pig farms and the
rendering plant, faint but distinguishable to her acute senses. Automobile
fumes from the highway drifted, mingling with the occasional
perfume of green, growing things from the surrounding farmlands.
A silent call hung in the cool, morning air and she let the door close
without going inside. She shut her eyes, fighting the urge to follow
the call, to abandon Janna and the store.

A single, deep bark cut through the wild sensations and, as if
a door slammed shut, the scents were gone, the call silenced. Her
heart skipped a beat, then skittered like a wild thing. These episodes
were coming far too often. And too powerfully. How long before she
could no longer fight them?

How long before she lost her mind?

“Hey,” Janna spoke from the doorway. “Something wrong?”

“No.” Keriam shook her head, forcing a smile. “No. Nothing. I
was just...daydreaming. Come on. There’s still a lot to do.”