Page 75 of Clearly Charmed

He shook his head. ‘Aster was talking a mile a minute, and Lia was too far ahead.’ The hard line of his shoulders deflated. ‘I should have been clocking you behind me.’

‘You didn’t do anything wrong. I grew up in these woods. On these trails. For years, Lia has been telling Aster and me not to get too close to the edges of these ridges. Hell, I even told you that when we were hiking a couple of weeks ago.’

He continued to stare at me like if he blinked I might disappear before his eyes.

‘What happened today was my fault. I know better. Please do not blame yourself.’

The grip of his warm hands on my shoulders remained. ‘Watching the three of you today. How you can almost read each other’s thoughts. Play to each other’s strengths. It’s really extraordinary.’

‘Except for when one of us veers from the plan,’ I said, trying to shake this conversation.

His beautiful mouth remained firm. ‘Don’t do that. Don’t make light of what just happened.’

‘Bryce, I. Am. Okay. Let it go now.’

There was a lingering question in his eyes that I did not want to address. This was not about magic. It was about understanding this terrain. Each of us confident in our own special skills. Our connection to each other. But no matter how much I insisted on that truth, I’m not sure he would believe me.

‘They’re sending the four-wheelers this way to take us down. Are you two ready to go?’ There was a tease in Aster’s voice like maybe we wanted to be left here alone.

Bryce slid his hands down my arms, and I couldn’t hold back another wince as my raw skin protested his touch. He leaned in and brushed his mouth over the shell of my ear. ‘You’re coming home with me. Tonight, let me take care of you.’

The insistence in his voice made heat curl in my stomach. ‘I have to take Banjo to the clinic.’

‘After you’re done, then.’ He threaded his fingers through mine. ‘Please, don’t say no.’

I should have drawn a line in the sand. Held my ground. What we’d done in the truck felt like leaning too close to an open flame, but being alone with him in his home? That was walking straight into the fire.

He held my gaze and that cord between us wound tighter.

I was tired of being brave. Putting up a front. Tonight, I wanted to take whatever he offered, no matter the consequences.

Chapter Twenty-Three

You’d Be a Fool Not to Listen

Indy waited by the door. He did a little prance the moment he saw Flora beside me. I walked inside Bryce’s cabin and gave Indy’s head a gentle pat. Not a single tremor coursed through my body.

‘Hope you don’t mind that I brought Flora. She was wound up from all the chaos at the clinic with Banjo, and I couldn’t leave her behind.’

‘No, I’m glad she’s here. By the looks of it, Indy is too,’ Bryce said.

The two dogs chased each other in a circle before speeding out of the room.

‘Kind of a bummer way to end the festival, but I’m glad Mara is safe.’ Bryce slid the satchel off my shoulder and set it on an old antique table by the door.

‘Bree came by the clinic to help me. She said none of the tourists knew what was happening. And according to Judge Greene, we were way over our regular attendance numbers.’

‘Is Banjo okay?’

‘Unfortunately, he has two toe fractures in his right paw. He’ll have to wear a splint for several weeks.’

‘And Mara? Is there any update?’

I loved the way he’d become so invested in Darren and his daughter. How his eyes crinkled with worry when he’d asked about Banjo.

‘Her collarbone is fractured, but Darren said she’s home and doing well. Her friends have been coming over to check on her, which has helped extinguish a lot of her fears.’

‘You forget how hard it is to be a kid sometimes until you witness it first-hand. The way she climbed out of that rescue litter, though, with her chin up, eyes filled with determination even though she was in pain, was amazing. She’s a tough girl.’