Page 19 of Clearly Charmed

I’d never seriously considered leaving Harvest Moon. It was my home. But on days like this, when the shroud of gossip and the burden of stories spun about my family were almost too much, I wondered what it’d be like to take off and never look back. Have a life where no one had any preconceived notions about me. Where I could just be a normal person, run my practice and have what I’d demanded of Mo.

Peace.

Only a few steps outside the tavern, I came to a stumbling stop. Bryce leaned against the crumbling white paint on the building. His toned arms hung loosely at his sides. Red-hued stubble covered his chin.

Persimmon with a gold outline, Aster had said. I narrowed my gaze like I thought I could envision it. Instead, all I saw was the pinch at the corners of his crystal-blue eyes. Eyes that screamed he was a damn liar.

Chapter Seven

Weird and Uncomfortable

‘How did you know I was here?’ The edge to my voice was sharper than a blade.

‘I didn’t at first. Came by to say thanks to Mo for telling me where your grandmother lived so I could get Indy to you last night.’

My blood pressure skyrocketed again. ‘You can go in and talk to her now, because I’m done in every sense of the word.’

He tugged his hat down. Blew out a rough breath. ‘I know this is wild for me to ask, and, of course, you don’t have to answer, but are you all right?’

Was I all right?

‘Are you screwing with me right now?’ My roar made him take a step back. ‘Was this a game to you? Figure out a way to intercept me at the trail? Play nice. Maybe even make your dog sick, all in the hopes you might get some information for your story?’

His eyes went wide. ‘Not telling you who I was at the clinic was a dick move, but purposely making my dog sick? Not even you believe I’d be that craven.’

‘Don’t act like you know me,’ I flung back.

‘I swear on the trail I had no idea who you were, Dani.’

‘It’s Dr McGuire.’ It was a petty comeback, but I wasn’t feeling kind at the moment.

‘I swear to you that it wasn’t until I asked Mo for help with a local vet that she gave me a name and an address.’ He scrubbed a hand behind his neck. ‘If you recall, you didn’t introduce yourself on the trail. Not until you walked out of your grandmother’s house did I realize who you were. At that point, I kept my mouth shut because I was desperate for you to help my dog.’

‘And after? When you knew he’d recover, but you still kept quiet. Kissed me,’ I said with an indignant huff. ‘What kind of man does that?’

He let out a heavy breath. ‘It’s why I pulled away from our kiss. It wasn’t fair to you. I should have come clean as soon as I knew Indy was out of danger.’

‘What stopped you?’

‘The minute I told you why I was in Harvest Moon, the easy rapport between us would’ve disappeared. I meant what I said at the clinic. You’re very good at what you do. I wanted to be in that space with you without it getting weird and uncomfortable.’

‘Well, guess what? It’s worse than weird and uncomfortable now.’

‘Yeah, I know that, especially after you shoved me out of the clinic this morning.’

The streets filled up around us with tourists darting in and out of the shops. More animals tugged their owners in my direction, and panic filled my chest. The last thing I wanted Bryce to see was the way the dogs in this town reacted to me. He’d already gotten too much of that with Indy.

I took off in the direction of the pharmacy, and like a bad rash, Bryce was hard to get rid of.

‘You seem like a quiet, reserved sort of person, but you were giving Mo an earful in there.’

Now he was eavesdropping?

I came to an abrupt halt, and he had to put out his hands so he wouldn’t crash into me. His warm fingers skimmed over my shoulders and, damn, did his grip make the blood hum in my veins. Flashes of the way he cupped my head, slid his lips over my mouth, made heat rise on my cheeks.

‘Not that it’s any of your business.’ I forced myself to take a step away. ‘But I was ordering her to stop telling people like you that my sisters and I have magic. It’s all a bunch of bullshit to make tourists visit the town.’

‘Magic? Yeah, I don’t believe that, but those kinds of stories start somewhere. I’d be interested to know their origins.’