Page 3 of Dragon Her Heels

“I’m already preapproved for the mortgage, so hopefully that will limit the delays on closing.”

“It’ll help,” he confirmed.

In reality, I had plenty of money to pay in cash, but I kept that card up my sleeve. If I did just buy the home outright, I’d pretend I still had to pay my mortgage to prepare for maintenance and rainy days.

Florida had a lot of rainy days.

“I could be talked into a cash sale, but it’d have to be a good talk,” I admitted, keeping an eye on my real estate agent.

“I could probably take the owner for some landscaping if I play like you’re hesitating over the scrub removal.”

I grinned at the man’s changed attitude. “Now we’re talking business.”

* * *

The house was my personal version of heaven, and nobody would be able to convince me otherwise. I appreciated the lack of carpeting in the home, and I would love the process of purchasing area rugs to transform the place into an expression of my interests. I would leave the places where the sun came in and warmed the hardwood underfoot alone, offering the simplest of luxuries.

The grove lived up to my expectations, and an old working of magic whispered of how another hedge witch had offered blessings to the trees and the nearby water. Baby alligators played where the land met the lake, and a few of the braver ones came up to see what we were about. One liked climbing onto my toes to bask.

The alligators would be a problem, but not for the reasons most Floridians expected.

Hedge witches tended to attract the local wildlife, and reptiles liked me more than I preferred.

Sighing, I bent over, picked up the little critter, and placed it closer to the water. Making chirping croaking sounds, it vanished into the lake, leaving ripples in its wake.

“I see you don’t mind alligators.”

“I don’t mind them, and I actually like the iguanas.” I would have to take steps regarding the iguanas, and I would create a habitat for them so they wouldn’t disrupt my gardening and livestock plans. “The snappers might be a problem, though.”

“They really are; the species is endangered, and there are at least two nests near the property.”

“That explains the rangers coming to check on them. I’ll keep an eye out, and if one wanders inappropriately, I’ll call the wildlife folks to remove it for me.”

In reality, I’d be making a sanctuary for them and inviting them to their personal heaven within my home. I expected they’d live on the other side of the wall in the buffering zone leading up to the actual property line, but I could use my magic to offer them comfort and safety.

If I had my way, the various species would play nice with each other while on my land and take their disputes elsewhere.

“That will make your life easier, yes. So, do you want to buy?”

“I do, and I like what I’ve seen enough I’ll pay cash to close faster.”

“I’ll ask about the landscaping incentive,” he promised.

I pointed at the section that would serve as my garden. “I’d like two acres of that prepared for gardening, and the rest just needs to be mowed.”

“I’m certain I can get that concession out of the other side when I tell them you’re considering a cash close. How soon do you want?”

“As soon as you can finish the paperwork. If a curse is going to get me this place for a bargain, I’ll even send a thank you card to the person behind it.”

“Dragon,” Mr. Haggart replied. “It wasn’t a person. It was a dragon, and local legend says that one day, that dragon will be back, and he’ll rise from the lake when he does.”

I raised a brow. The events in Georgia had done a good job of convincing the world dragons were real and had returned, but I hadn’t heard anything about Lake Hancock hosting any legends. “Well, if there’s a dragon, then I’ll see about buying him a pie and welcoming him to town. I suppose I could try baking one, but it might be safer for the dragon if I buy it. I’ll certainly have enough fruit trees to make at least a pie or two from the bounty. But if learning how to bake a pie might spare me from the dragon, some sacrifices need to be made.”

My real estate agent burst into laughter. “Does anything bother you, Miss Culling?”

“Mosquitos,” I replied in a despairing tone.

“I recommend you invest in good bug spray. You’re going to need it.”