Page 21 of Clearly Charmed

‘As a journalist, I have to admit the stories Mo spins are interesting.’

‘Let me guess. She told you my mother suspiciously wound up pregnant three times. No fathers in sight. That she floated in the lake in front of my grandmother’s house surrounded by flowers, did some incantations, and poof, her babies were gifted magic.’

He scrubbed at his chin. ‘Yeah, it was something like that.’

I huffed out a bitter laugh. ‘Well, if you believe that, I’ll sell you some magic beans that’ll grow into a giant green stalk. Take you to a magical place with a golden singing harp.’

His full lips quirked up into a wide smile. ‘I know better than anyone you need a good lead if you’re going to sell a story. What Mo is spinning does feel pretty contrived…’

‘But…’

He took two steps closer. That scent of ink and cedar heavy in the air.

‘None of what she told me matters. The truth is that I’m here to do a puff piece. Take some gorgeous shots of the scenery. Sell the small-town charm.’

‘If that’s the truth, the people here will be more than happy to talk to you.’

‘Everyone but you, I take it.’

‘Oh, you do not want to talk to me.’ I crossed the street to get to my truck and barely had the door open, when he jogged after me.

‘Wait. What about the…?’ His heavy gaze darted to my lips.

‘Don’t worry about the kiss, Bryce,’ I said, that awful ache crowding my chest again. ‘It was nothing. An emotional reaction to what happened to Indy.’

‘I disagree.’ He stepped closer as I slid behind the wheel. ‘I may have been wrong about not telling you who I was, but you know as well as I do that our kiss was…’ He gave me a rueful smile like he was replaying it in his head.

‘A mistake,’ I said emphatically.

He sighed. ‘What about the other thing?’

‘For a serious writer, you sure talk in circles.’

‘Why did you take off from the coffee shop like your ass was on fire?’

Ice shot through my veins at the reminder of what Aster had revealed. That Max was not my soulmate. That this stranger in front of me with hair that was the shade of the valley at dusk, and eyes so brilliantly blue it was hard not to stare, was supposed to be my perfect match.

No. Aster had been wrong once. She was wrong this time too.

‘It was just a small sisterly disagreement.’

His mouth thinned like he didn’t buy my answer.

‘Make sure Indy stays hydrated. Eats small bits of food over the day.’ I turned on the engine, hoping he’d get the hint.

‘I noticed the signs around town about your vaccination clinic tomorrow. When is it over?’

‘Three o’clock.’

‘If Indy is up for it, I was considering taking one of those beginner trails you mentioned yesterday. I’ll be there at four. I think Indy would like to see Flora.’ His gaze locked with mine. ‘It’s been a long time since I’ve connected with someone the way I did with you last night. Don’t shut me out, Dani. We can put rules in place about my job. What is on and off the record.’

A flicker of vulnerability flashed across his eyes, and for a moment I let myself believe it was real, until I remembered that his job was to get close. Squeeze as much information out of me as possible so he could get his story.

‘It’s clear where we stand now, and I can tell you for a fact that neither I, nor my sisters, will be speaking to you for your article.’

He gave a nod like he was expecting that answer. ‘Figured as much but let me counter with this. Everyone in this town is eager to speak with me. Would you rather I get stories about your family second-hand from a person like Mo, or get the real story from you?’

‘What I’d rather is that you leave town and never come back.’