The Silver Rose

by Rowena May O’Sullivan

  Alanna snorted and shot Beth a look of sheer annoyance. “How is it you know this delectable tidbit and yet forget until just now?”

  Beth shrugged and grinned. “I was overcome by his magnificence. All sanity evaporated with one look.”

  Rosa was momentarily amused. Alanna hated being the last to know anything. The ends of her wild red locks curled in a fiery display of temper. “Cut the theatrics, Alanna,” Rosa reprimanded. “And tone down the magic. You’re not impressing anyone with that hair thing.”

  Alanna huffed, pushed her hand under her hair and flung it upwards in defiance. Ignoring her, Rosa keyed the cash register open. Aden’s presence outside was adding to her anxiousness. It was nearly ten. Time to open the gallery to the public. Time to concentrate on work.

  “If it is him, why hasn’t he come in to introduce himself?”

  “Maybe he’s shy,” Beth offered, provoking the intended derisive laughter from Alanna.

  In an instant, her temper was gone. “Shy? Look at him. There isn’t a shy bone in his aura!”

  All three sisters returned to staring out the window. Rosa absently straightened a display tray beneath a glass counter. “Surely he realizes we’ve seen him staring at us.”

  It was a crisp morning. People scuttled up and down the street making their way to work, but Aden Dragunis stood motionless on the edge of the curb, inches from the bustling foot traffic. Did he think he was invisible or something?

  “He’s assessing us!” At a loss to explain how she knew or felt about this, Rosa masked her concern by checking the electronic cash link to ensure it was working. And still Aden’s attention remained focused on them. It was altogether too unnerving.

  She picked up a pen and clicked it repeatedly. Go away, she mentally intoned. Go away! She wasn’t ready to face her future today. Today she wanted it to be quiet and ordinary. She needed a few hours to mull over the available options and choices to be made in the next month. She wanted to be alone. Yet, here she was, scheduled to work while Beth and Alanna used the time to create pieces for the gallery.

  “I suppose we’re small fish to someone like him,” Alanna declared heatedly. “Didn’t his mother ever teach him it’s rude to stare?”

  It was widely reported that Aden Dragunis shunned photographers and refused to play their game at every turn. No one could recall seeing an image of him in a magazine or on the Internet. How could someone so famous escape the lens of today’s paparazzi? Perhaps if Rosa had so much as glimpsed even a single image of him before now, she might have been more prepared for the impact of his physical presence. Nah. He was knock-your-socks-off material. No normal woman would remain unaffected by someone so dynamic.

  “All I care is, he said yes! And now that I’ve seen him in person — ” Alanna was practically drooling, “ — I’m ecstatic he’s here even if he’s a few weeks early!”

  “Invite him over.” Beth snagged Alanna’s elbow and steered her toward the entrance. “It’s freezing outside. He’s going to turn into Mr. Frosty if he stays out there much longer!”

  “And we wouldn’t want any of his precious appendages to snap off.” Alanna winked conspiratorially.

  Beth hooted with laughter but Rosa, too perturbed by last night’s untimely tolling of the bells and Aden’s way too early arrival, failed to see the humor. She was certain these two events were connected. Nerves frazzled, she felt edgy and out of sorts. She wanted to stop them and say, No! Don’t invite him in! But she knew such a reaction would only result in questions she wasn’t ready to answer.

  So she held her tongue and said nothing.

  Alanna unhooked her arm from Beth’s eager grasp and, with an indifference Rosa recognized as feigned, reached to unlock the door. In that instant, their guest spun on the heels of his highly polished black leather boots and strode down the hill to the corner café, his coat flapping behind him, leaving all three women gasping in surprise. Whether it was a deliberate snub or not, all three were silenced for several long seconds.

  “Friendly creature,” Rosa muttered, breaking the unnatural silence.

  “A missed opportunity,” Beth nodded in agreement.

  “Who for?” Rosa retorted. “Him or us?”

  “I think we should showcase him instead of the articles he’s bringing with him.” Alanna licked her lips and rubbed her palms together.

  “You and me both,” Beth responded just as quickly.

  “He’ll be back,” Alanna stated unequivocally.

  “Of course he will.” Rosa only hoped, as he was early, he would take his time introducing himself to them.

  Alanna cupped her hands and made a suggestive squeezing action with her fingers. “I have a sudden hankering to sculpt his butt in granite for posterity.”

  Chapter Three

  Rosa was grateful for the initial quiet start to the working day after Alanna and Beth left, but then a steady stream of customers started pouring through the door in the hope they might meet Aden, the famous, handsome, and oh, so rich artisan who had chosen the Greenwood Gallery to showcase his work.

  As the day wore on until nearly closing, the influx of visitors never let up, and her mental resources were fully taxed with making polite conversation. A jumbled concoction of stories eagerly imparted by gossiping acquaintances mutated into the stuff of fairy tales, but one story persisted. Aden was asking questions about them all and, in particular, about Rosa. What exactly did Aden want to know about her? And why?

  She checked her watch. He wouldn’t come now. It was ten minutes to closing, and the day had all but sucked dry what was left of Rosa’s remaining energy. She wanted to go home, light the fire, collapse in a heap with a glass of Merlot, and warm herself from the outside in.

  Her skin prickled and she knew that wasn’t to be. There was a shift in the energy fields of the gallery and then Aden strode into view. This time he didn’t stand and stare. This time, without hesitation, he pushed the door open, bringing with him an icy blast of wind and a flurry of crisp autumn leaves.

  Rosa swallowed back a mix of fear and anticipation. Her heart skipped an erratic beat in her chest and then upped its tempo. She had known she would have to face Aden eventually but had hoped it wouldn’t be when she was so frazzled, so tired and out-of-sorts. His commanding energy swirled wildly about him, his aura a seething mass of spectacular color, and suddenly the spacious gallery was far too small to accommodate both of them.

  Rosa lifted her hair off the back of her neck. It felt heavy and wasn’t helping her headache any. She twirled it into a long coil and with a brief whisper of a spell it felt lighter. The relief was immeasurable.

  It was astonishing he did not belong to the magical fraternity. How could one with so much power, so much potential, be human only?

  Rosa pasted an artificial smile of welcome on her lips. “You’re lucky to find us open. I was just about to lock up.” His earlier snub rankled, and the increasing throb behind her eyes pained her. It was rude not to acknowledge who he was, but she wasn’t feeling particularly friendly right now. “Perhaps you’d care to come back tomorrow to view the exhibits when the light is better.”

  Dressed in a polo-necked black wool sweater and faded denim jeans, Aden wore his dark brown hair long and bound into a ponytail with a piece of thin leather. His skin was olive, his cheekbones defined. He possessed an intense, hungry air. A silver lightning bolt in his right earlobe glinted with the fiery rays of the setting sun shining through the gallery windows. For a second Rosa thought she saw the same glint reflected in the dilated pupils of his eyes — eyes so dark their color could only be described as midnight.

  Here stood a man used to getting his own way. It was in his stature, in the way he stood before her, confident, direct, and arrogant.

  “I’m interested in the sign in your window,” he said, jerking Rosa out of her intense regard.r />
  She blinked in confusion. What sign? “The window?”

  “Lavender Cottage. I understand it’s for rent.”

  Comprehension penetrated her addled brain. She released a short, audible gasp of surprise. “You want to rent Lavender Cottage?”

  That Aden agreed to participate in the Totara Festival in their small town had both shocked and delighted all three sisters. When they’d issued the invitation, the idea had been he would ship his work to them to display and sell, but they’d been astonished, pleased, and excited he had responded by stating he would love to accept their invitation and would attend the festival as well.

  Now, he not only had arrived early, but he intended to reside within their Circle of Three. The man didn’t know what he was asking.

  Stay calm. Rosa inhaled. Aden’s essence washed over her, and she wished she didn’t feel so giddy. “Lavender Cottage,” she repeated, and could have kicked herself for acting like a sullen teenager.

  He oozed the raw, brooding power of a creative man, a man who employed his hands to create exquisite jewelry and artifacts. The prospect of being able to see and touch his work in person was cause for excitement. Now, she wasn’t so sure she wanted excitement of any kind.

  “Yes. Lavender Cottage,” he responded, and this time he smiled, but it didn’t reach all the way to his eyes.

  She hadn’t fooled him. He knew she knew who he was.

  “Perhaps I should have started with my name.”

  Rosa couldn’t pretend she didn’t already know. “Aden Dragunis. We saw you this morning.” He held out his hand. She hesitated, reluctant to touch him until she determined why she was experiencing this intense reaction to him, but innate courtesy outweighed any qualms she had, and she reached out to grip his hand.

  “Rosa Greenwood.” Panicked by the suddenness of her runaway pulse, she quickly released her hold, wondering if he’d felt her strong pulse at all. Her mouth was dry, her voice surprisingly husky.

  “I’m sorry. It was rude not to come in. It’s a long way from Paris to Raven’s Creek. I’d barely slept in forty eight hours, and I’m not the best company when tired.”

  He was lying. Why would he lie? No dark circles framed those dark-as-molasses eyes, no lines of fatigue etched his golden skin. How could she believe him when she had not slept since hearing the bells? She was all too aware of the dark circles rimming her own eyes. Her head ached, and she was ready to collapse from the untimely and unwanted weighty predicament she now found herself in. And he claimed not to be getting enough sleep?

  “We didn’t expect you for another two weeks at least. You should have advised us you were arriving early. We could have organized alternative accommodation for you.”

  “A spur-of-the-moment decision,” Aden explained. “But, as you see, now I’m here.” The corners of his mouth lifted into a fragment of a smile, softening his jaw line slightly. A semblance of satisfaction stole into his eyes. “As luck would have it, I met a Ruth Fielding earlier today. I gather you know her well. She mentioned Lavender Cottage was available and partly furnished.”

  Super Sleuth Ruth, as Alanna had dubbed her, was at it again, sticking her beak where it wasn’t wanted. What excuse could Rosa give to deter him from living in the small cottage just a stone’s throw from her own home?

  “The cottage belongs to my sister, Alanna. It’s not mine to rent.”

  Aden, looking hopeful, turned on the charm. He smiled. Just a little smile, but it was the cajoling tone in his voice and his deep dark eyes that seemed to almost mesmerize her. “I’m told it has a studio with excellent light and rear access to a stream that leads into Raven’s Creek itself.”

  She blinked and the moment was broken. Her eyes narrowed as she studied his aura again. She’d thought for a minute he had been using magic to wheedle what he wanted from her but she saw nothing. No doubt he had already been to see the cottage for himself. Fiddling with the pen in her hand, she searched her mind for a valid excuse to keep him in town and not anywhere near her home, near Beth’s home, and inside their Circle of Three. The circle bound the sisters’ magic together and was sacred territory. Only those who knew the sisters well and also possessed knowledge about their magical natures had ever been invited to stay within it since the untimely and tragic death of her magical but very mortal parents several years ago.

  “The studio was originally a sunroom. It’s very small and the ceiling is low.” She looked up at him, intimating he was far too tall for such a tiny studio. “You’d probably knock yourself out on one of the beams.”

  His mouth quirked into what she thought might be dismay. “I sit when working. What I need is plenty of good, natural light and a more peaceful, less raucous situation at night.”

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess what he was referring to. “And of course you won’t get that at the local inn.” The inn was notorious for breaking noise curfews practically every night of the week. There weren’t all that many venues in their small town where functions could be held, so it was the prime site for family birthdays, weddings, and conferences.

  Aden leaned over the display counter and peered at the jewelry on display in front of Rosa. He indicated the intricate silver thread and bead jewelry, a tag, Designed and crafted by Rosa Greenwood, tied to the piece. “It’s exquisite. And I’m sure you appreciate just how important good light and the ability to concentrate when working are in order to produce quality pieces.”

  Fuchsia and aqua crystal beads shone brightly under the display lights. Polished silver gleamed with a hue only magic could replicate, from the anti-theft protection spell Rosa had spent hours melding into the metal. She had finished the necklace and matching earrings only last week and was happy with the result. In her opinion, they were her best pieces to date even though they had given her an inordinate amount of trouble in the making. Now she understood why. Her magic was growing unstable, and she’d very nearly destroyed her work in the longer than usual process it had taken her to imbue the protective spell into the metal and stones.

  Rosa nodded and turned her attention back to him, her expression, she hoped, filled with the right amount of regret. “Unfortunately, I can’t give you an answer about the cottage tonight as Alanna is unavailable until tomorrow.” It wasn’t in her nature to prevaricate but she was cautious by nature. Years of being the responsible sibling were too ingrained. Plus she trusted her instinct. This man wasn’t just a jeweler. He was something else and she had yet to figure out just what.

  Rosa knew a quick phone call to the right people would be all that was needed to get the utilities up-and-running. Alanna would readily rent the cottage to Aden, no questions asked. Her sister would not have the same reservations when it came to others living within their circle, and she found herself wondering if Beth would feel the same. No. It was Rosa who had the issue. It was Rosa who prevented others from staying in their circle.

  Regret flickered in Aden’s eyes, and Rosa experienced a pang of guilt. The cottage had remained empty and forlorn for months, waiting for Alanna to move in and nurture life back into its walls, but instead she chose to live in the studio above the gallery, stating it was more convenient because she often tended to work right through the night. Rosa had cajoled and pestered Alanna on an almost daily basis to move into the cottage before finally giving up in exasperation at her sister’s outright refusal to live there.

  Chapter Four

  “I’ve taken a brief look at the property.” Aden’s manner was conversational, at complete odds to the silent stranger who had observed them this morning. “I met your sister Beth. She believes Alanna will be only too happy to rent the cottage as it’s been empty for months.”

  When he looked at her she felt he could see through to her soul. What did he see, she wondered? And what exactly had Beth told him about the cottage? “I had hopes Alanna would move in there herself, but sh
e doesn’t seem to be in any hurry.”

  “I reckon one more night at the inn won’t kill me.” He shrugged. “Still, it would’ve been good to sort everything out tonight. The pieces I brought for the gallery are still with customs officials. I may need to head down to Auckland tomorrow to collect them. I imagine speaking to Alanna can wait until tomorrow night. I take it she’ll be at Beth’s too?”

  “I assume so.” What was happening at Beth’s? “But maybe you need more time to get settled first.”

  Aden shrugged into his coat. “There’s no way I’m passing this opportunity up.”

  Come on, Rosa. Figure it out. “Well, then, tomorrow night it is.” She glanced at her watch. Past closing. Grateful she could begin the close-up procedure she moved out from behind the counter and began to switch off the non-essential lighting, leaving only the soft glow of a few illuminated display cases. The lack of light relieved the ache in her head somewhat.

  “I’m sorry,” Rosa explained. “I’m not pushing you out, but I’ve somewhere I need to be in half an hour.” And that place was home, where she had a medicinal herbal and a bottle of Merlot waiting for her.

  She unhooked her coat from the coat stand, her arm brushing Aden’s as he reached past and took it from her hands and held it so she could slide her arms into the sleeves. A charge of pure energy bolted like lightning through her veins, and she looked up at him in shock. What was that? But her coat was on, and he had stepped back and was shrugging his wide shoulders into his own coat. She didn’t like how he made her feel, of her own response to his nearness. She found it unnerving, potent, and completely unexpected.

  “So tell me.” Rosa dug for more information. “Why are you in Raven’s Creek so early?”

  Aden paused, and to Rosa his silence was more telling than his considered response, which to her ears wasn’t altogether truthful. “I’ve just taken on a complicated commission. I thought I’d start and finish it here rather than leave it half-completed on the other side of the world.”