Page 97 of Clearly Charmed

His gaze moved to my face, and I hated how his first reaction was to check in with me. Try to clock how I was feeling about my mother’s presence. My heart twinged but I pushed the feeling away. There were bigger issues to deal with right now.

‘Nice to meet you.’ Bryce gave her hand a quick shake. ‘Wish it could be under better circumstances.’

My mother gave him a look that was part curiosity, part suspicion. It was a little too late for her to pretend to care now.

‘Go inside, Belladonna. Take Clo with you. We’ve got things organized out here.’

Like she understood the grit in my tone, she went to Clo and coaxed her back inside.

‘How long has your mother been here?’ Bryce asked with a careful voice.

‘You need to leave,’ I said, no longer interested in answering any of his questions. My anger must have carried across the yard, because Lia stomped toward us.

‘Now is not the time for the bullshit that’s happening between the two of you.’ She tipped her chin to the black smoke rising in the distance. ‘That is heading this way quickly.’ She closed her eyes, pulled in a full breath. ‘Those winds are going to gust up to forty miles an hour. We need bodies to keep the house and the surrounding property wet.’ Her eyes opened and turned hard. ‘Forget your drama and start helping.’

In years past when a wildfire had threatened the area near the cabin, the three of us girls had been able to keep it safe, but the rare look of fear in Lia’s eyes had me swallowing down my protests about Bryce. Any fire this time of year was bad, but with our current drought conditions, despite the small bits of rain we’d had, the blaze could easily eat up dozens of acres within an hour.

‘I’ll go help with the hoses,’ I said.

Bryce was right beside me. The heat of his stare said he wanted me to look at him, talk to him. Instead, I focused on working with my sisters to unspool the yards of green coils twisted together in the garage. Our arguments would have to wait for another time, because right now all that mattered was saving the only place I’d ever called home.

Chapter Thirty-One

Tinderbox

Bryce straddled his way over the second-floor railing and set his foot on the rung of the ladder set against the house.

‘You got it steady?’ I called to Lia as she waited below.

She gave me a thumbs-up.

‘Bryce, she’s anchored the ladder below. Go ahead and climb.’

He hesitated like he was measuring the drop to the ground.

‘Second thoughts? You don’t have to do this.’

‘It’s not that. There are so many things I want to say to you.’ The hitch in his voice was too raw.

‘Lia’s right. This isn’t the time. We need to get the roof sprayed down. When this is over, when Clo’s house is safe, we’ll talk.’

He bit into his lower lip, tucked the spout of the hose under his arm and began to climb, stopping at the roof’s apex. Once he was set, I leaned over the railing and called out, ‘Ready for the water.’

A screech of air passed through the tubing and a wide stream shot out of the spout. Bryce steadied himself on a rung and sprayed the hose back and forth, soaking every wood shingle.

I wanted to stay angry with him, but he’d sent my best friend and sisters to be with me after the ridiculous show we’d put on inside the tavern. He’d left that envelope by my door to prove he was telling the truth, at least about the pictures. And now, he was here, balanced precariously on a roof, helping us try and save my grandmother’s house.

‘Dani!’ Lia shouted. ‘Get your ass down here and start covering the dry brush.’

I rushed into the house and Belladonna followed me to the top of the stairs.

‘What can I do?’

‘Stay out of the way.’

Clo let out an irritated huff from where she stood in the kitchen.

‘Fine. Keep Clo company until the judge and Eric get here with the water rig.’