Page 32 of Clearly Charmed

It would be easy to reach out, slide my hand around his neck and pull him in. Brush my mouth over his in a kiss I knew from past experience would be electric. He gave me a confident smile. Pressed his hips against mine like he wanted the same thing.

He leaned his forehead against mine. Breathed out my name in a low growl that made my core heat. He ran a knuckle down my cheek. Gently cupped my jaw. Warning signs flashed in my head, but my body was urging me to melt into him. To suck in his lower lip. To make him groan. I moved in an inch until there was a sharp knock at the door, and the judge barged in.

His gaze darted between us, a smirk drawing up the corners of his mouth. ‘Excuse me. I only wanted to check on Julius.’

‘He’s all finished,’ I said, putting space between me and Bryce. ‘Fifty-four quills this time.’

‘Oh! That’s our highest count,’ the judge replied.

I turned back to the counter, the burn of embarrassment heating my cheeks. ‘We’ll bring him out in a few minutes. He’ll need pain and anti-inflammatory meds for five days. And if you notice unusual swelling or abscesses, bring him right back in.’

‘Will do. Thanks again, Dani.’ The judge shot out his hand in Bryce’s direction. ‘Appreciate you assisting the doc today.’

‘Of course.’ He shook his hand. ‘Glad to help.’

‘See you both outside in a minute.’ The glee in the judge’s voice was not hard to miss. ‘Don’t forget about the festival planning meeting next Friday, Dani.’

‘I’ll be there.’

As soon as he was gone, I pressed a towel to my fingertip until the flow of blood stopped.

‘Hey.’ Bryce stepped closer. His hands out like he had every intention of pulling me in again.

‘Let’s not do this.’ I cut him off. ‘You were kind to help, but there’s nothing more between us.’

His eyes softened. ‘I’m not going to press you, but I want to say one more thing.’

He walked to the cabinet where he clearly remembered I stored the first aid kit. Once he had the paper off a Band-Aid, he slid it over the top of my finger. ‘This article. I have to write it,’ he said with a low rasp. ‘Like I said on the trail, I’d love to have your help with the research.’

Now that I knew his whole story, it was clear he wouldn’t let this go. At this point, I had two choices: let him have free rein. Only report on what the local business owners told him, because they had a vested interest in the publicity. Or, I could help steer the direction of the article. Convince him the rumors about my sisters, the town lore about generations of magic, were only stories told to add an air of mystery to our sleepy little part of the world.

As much as I hated that this was my reality, the answer was clear. I had to protect my family. Protect this community I loved so much.

‘Meet me at the library tomorrow at three o’clock. I’ll introduce you to Ms Ruthie. She’s the town’s main librarian and the keeper of Harvest Moon’s archives.’

‘Thanks. That would be very helpful.’ He hefted Julius into his muscled arms, strutting out the door like he thought he’d won. Little did he know I had a plan too. He could look through the archives all he wanted, but that didn’t mean he’d find anything. The last time a reporter came to town, he’d turned our lives upside down. After that horror show, Ms Ruthie promised that a stranger would never get close to the important documents about this town again, and I was going to make sure she kept her word.

Chapter Eleven

Standing at the Edge of a Cliff

Instead of being located in some historic brick and ivy-covered building, the Harvest Moon Library was housed in a narrow, two-story, oatmeal-colored storefront at the edge of the main artery of downtown.

Ms Ruthie ran the place with an iron fist, hunting you down on the street, your place of business, or even in a restaurant, if you had an overdue book that had a long hold list. Judge Greene was notorious for being the biggest ‘late fee’ culprit.

It was amusing to watch tiny Ms Ruthie go toe to toe with the judge at the bakery. The poor man was only trying to eat his jelly donut, not get a lecture on good citizenship. It was no wonder she was best friends with Clo. While they had the smiles of elderly grandmas, they could intimidate you like a military general.

I pushed through the opaque glass door. Ms Ruthie sat at the information desk, observing the library like its tried-and-true guardian. Her silvery-white curls framed her full face. The edges of her mouth twitched when she saw me coming.

‘What do I owe this surprise visit to?’

‘Can’t I come by and say hello to my favorite librarian?’

She pulled off her cat-eye glasses and gave me that look that often made misbehaving kids flee from story time. ‘Dani, let’s not play games. What do you need?’

‘Can you pull the records from the town’s early incorporation but leave out anything about the Perkins and McGuire families?’

Her right brow arched. ‘What is going on? Why do you need that information?’