Charmed Spirits

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “Now that you’re back, just know that I’m the mayor of this town,” Prescott sneered. “And we don’t need any of your kind here. So watch your step, and I’ll be sure to watch it as well. You aren’t welcome here, Jordan Cross. And if you cross me or my town, I’ll stick Sheriff Tyler Cooper on your ass so fast you won’t be able to hex anyone this time.”

  Prescott looked up and narrowed his gaze. “Ah, there is our Sheriff now. You’re lucky this time.”

  Jordan bit her tongue. She didn’t hex people. It was a moral rule of hers. But damn Prescott and his insults anyway.

  “If that’s all…” She tugged on her door, and Prescott pulled away, his fake smile back on his face.

  “Welcome to Holiday, Jordan.”

  She slammed the door closed, revved her engine, and pulled away. Jesus, what had she been thinking coming back?

  Holiday wasn’t her home, not anymore. She’d do her job and leave. She had to because, if she didn’t, no amount of spells would protect her heart or her sanity.

  Chapter 2

  Matt Cooper walked into the hardware store in a daze, his body going through the motions while his mind tumbled in an array of memories, anger, and longing.

  She’s back.

  Jordan Cross, his high school love and childhood best friend…back. She’d left without a word, leaving a mess of dashed possibilities and his broken heart in her wake.

  But, Jesus, she looked even better than before.

  Her green eyes seemed darker, more haunted or sorrowful, than before, like she’d fought more than she’d bargained for and was still losing. Her hair was longer now, very glossy sable locks falling to the middle of her back in careless waves. He’d had loved to run his fingers through it when they sat at the lakeside watching the sun set.

  Yes, they’d been that clichéd in high school, but he’d loved her.

  Loved.

  Past tense. Because he didn’t love her anymore. She’d left him. Left him with his problems, his everything and yet nothing.

  Matt shook his head and went behind the counter, trying to ignore the dull pain in his temples. Darn witch, she shouldn’t be here. He didn’t want to think about her. Didn’t want to deal with it all over when she left again.

  But, she’d looked so lonely in that store, even surrounded by people.

  Without her grandmother, she was alone.

  Dammit. He couldn’t think like that. She didn’t want him. She’d proven that when she’d left. She’d even had the forethought to leave the ring on her pillow for him. He dug his hand in his pocket and gripped the small circle of white gold and the little diamond he’d been able to afford.

  Right, so why had he put it back in his drawer that morning instead of returning it? Why had he kept it all this time? And why, for some odd, unknown reason, had he stuck it in his pocket this morning? Maybe Jordan had whispered something on the wind, and he’d heard. She was a witch after all.

  “Boss? You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Brad, his assistant, asked as he leaned against the counter next to him.

  The irony of that statement was not lost on Matt.

  He cleared his throat and took the binder off the counter to check inventory. “I’m fine.”

  “Really?” Brad asked, his eyes wide. “And seeing Jordan Cross didn’t do anything to you?”

  Matt turned, eyes wide. “How the hell did you find that out so fast? You’ve been in the store the whole time.”

  Brad smiled and wiggled his iPhone. “Modern technology and Facebook. There’s already a poll going on the Holiday Page to see if the two of you get back together.” He leaned closer, grinning. “So, you have any inside scoop?”

  Matt snorted. “Unfreaking believable, and even if I did, I wouldn’t give it to you.” He shoved the binder toward his assistant and shook his head. “Go do the inventory and tell Sally to man the register. I’m going out for the day.”

  “To Jordan?”

  “Fuck off.”

  “Hey! Watch your language. I’m your employee, and you could corrupt me.”

  “Yeah, and I knew you when you were in high school, smoking weed behind the bleachers and trying figure out how to get in Sally’s pants. I could always tell Sally about how you feel if that would make us even.”

  Brad paled and looked frantically over his shoulder. “Exnay on the pants thing. Okay?”

  “Just because you failed at your attempt, doesn’t mean you didn’t try.”

  Brad let out a sigh. “Tell me about it.”

  Matt laughed. “I’m going to head over to Jackson’s. He wanted me to check out the banister because one of the balusters looked loose. Don’t steal from the register.”

  Brad put his hand over his heart, his eyes wide. “Moi? I can’t believe you’d think that!”

  Matt raised a brow. “Uh huh. Adios.”

  “Say hi to Jordan for me,” Brad teased.

  “Sure thing. And say hi to Sally.”

  Brad blushed and cursed under his breath as the cute redhead came up to the register, completely unaware of his decade-long crush.

  Unrequited love. A bitch at its finest.

  Matt got into his Chevy and started toward Jackson’s. His eldest brother still lived in their family home since no one had wanted to sell it after their parents had died in the car accident that haunted the Cooper brothers’ dreams. Matt lived in a small apartment above his hardware store, though eventually, he’d planned to move to a home he could build on and make his own. After all, he wanted to raise a family. It was just the whole finding-a-wife thing that got in his way.

  He pulled up beside his brother Justin’s Jeep and turned off his truck. He hopped out and grinned at his older brother. Well, all of his brothers were older, but that was beside the point. Justin was his height at around six foot one but wore his hair slightly shorter. They all shared the same blue Cooper eyes, though.

  “Hey, you here for dinner?” Justin asked, a grin on his face. His brother grinned often these days and was pretty laid back, a far cry from the troublemaker he’d been in his youth. Now the elementary school principal could smile and laugh with the best of them.

  Matt nodded. “Yeah, I got here early to fix one of the balusters on the railing for the staircase. Why are you here so early? I don’t even think Jackson is here yet.”

  Justin shrugged as he opened the door. “I got off early and didn’t want to go home only to have to come back here. I figured I’d start on dinner, drink a beer, and watch the game while I waited for everyone to show up.”

  Matt laughed and searched through the toolbox that the ever-prepared Jackson had left near the end of the stairs for him.

  “What are we having?” he asked as he set to work.

  “Chili and cornbread. You want a beer?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll finish this up. It won’t take long, and I’ll help you out if you want. Though I do like how Jackson invites us to dinner and we always end up cooking.”

  Justin shook his head. “Nah, I got it. You know Momma taught us all how to cook. And as for Jackson, he works too much to actually cook. He just likes offering his place because it’s bigger.”

  “Yeah, because she didn’t think we’d get married, and she didn’t want us to starve.” The familiar ache of her loss settled deep in his stomach, though as time had moved on, it didn’t burn as deep.

  “Well, she wasn’t too far off on that, considering we’re all still single.”

  “True.” Jordan’s face popped in his mind, and he held back a grimace. He really needed to stop thinking about her like that. She might be back now, but she’d leave soon, and he’d be alone. Again. Maybe he should just stick with Stacey.

  He held back a shudder. Okay, maybe not.

  The front door opened, and another brother, Tyler, walked in, a laid-back smile on his face, a six-pack in one hand and his sheriff’s hat in the other. He closed the door behind him and ran a hand over his newly shorn hair.

  “I’m surprised yo
u’re here this early,” Matt commented. “I’d thought you’d have a date.”

  Tyler grinned full out, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight shining through the windows. “Not tonight, buddy. Like I’d miss dinner with my beloved brothers.”

  Matt raised a brow. “Got stood up, did you?”

  Tyler set the six-pack and hat down on the table in the foyer and shook his head. “It’s not my fault my dates talked to each other this morning.”

  “Dates?” For a ladies’ man, Tyler was an idiot sometimes.

  His brother shrugged, unrepentant. “I double booked. Sue me.”

  “You’re the law in this town, bro. At some point, you may just have to arrest yourself.”

  “It wasn’t as if I was planning on marrying either of them.”

  Matt set his tools down and took the offered beer from Tyler. “But you don’t have to be an ass about it.”

  Tyler glared. “I’m not an ass. I’m up-front. I’m not looking for a wife. I don’t go out and sleep with every date I have. I’m safe and honest. Just because I messed up my schedule doesn’t make me an ass.”

  Matt smiled, at ease with their old argument. “I give up. You’re perfection and I shall bow at your feet.”

  Tyler scoffed. “It’s about time you learned your place. Or maybe go out and find yourself a date.” He grinned, and Matt fisted his hands.

  He didn’t like where this was going.

  “I date.” Sometimes. Okay, it’d been a few months. Wait, maybe nine? Jesus, he needed to go out. And running from Stacey and her perky…smile…didn’t count. Again, Jordan’s face came to mind, and he bit back a groan. She’d been in town for only a few hours, and she was already taking over his mind and life. Typical Jordan.

  But that was why he’d loved her.

  Emphasis on the past tense. Because he didn’t love her now. No way.

  “You okay in there?” Tyler asked. “Let me guess. This is about a certain brunette high-school sweetheart of yours that came back to town today?”

  Matt closed his eyes so he didn’t have to see the knowing gaze. No matter what he did, he couldn’t avoid her. And, frankly, it was getting harder to tell himself he even wanted to. “I take it you saw the announcement on Facebook?”

  Tyler’s eyes gleamed. “Oh, I saw the announcement, and the poll on whether you and Ms. Jordan were getting back together.”

  “Damn, why is it that Holiday loves polls so freaking much?”

  “Yep. It’s about fifty-fifty right now. But that’s because not enough people were there to see the chemistry and don’t want to rely on second- and third-hand accounts. So there is another poll on whether or not they should concoct an event to put the two of you together. How does it feel to be a Holiday celebrity?”

  Matt fought the urge to punch the smug look off his too-happy brother’s face. “I’m a Cooper; I’m already a Holiday celebrity.”

  “True. But when the betting gets going, I want to win. So you have any insider’s scoop for me?”

  Matt threw a small piece of wood at him, and Tyler ducked smoothly. “No, we’re not getting back together.” Damn. “She’s just back to clean out her grandma’s place then she’s leaving.” Again.

  Tyler nodded, a too-understanding glint in his eyes. “Oh, and just so you know, I saw her today. She’s still pretty as ever.”

  “Watch yourself, Tyler,” Matt growled.

  “I won’t poach. But I will warn you that I had to warn off Prescott already.”

  Matt went on alert. That fucker. He’d always hated the guy. It was a wonder how he’d become mayor. No, scratch that. No one had wanted the job badly enough to go against the St. James money. “What did he do?”

  “Just acted like the ass he was and was a little too close to full-out harassment in my opinion, so I made sure I was around in case it escalated. I couldn’t tell if Jordan was relieved or not. You know how she likes to deal with her own problems. But I didn’t want her to feel like she was alone as soon as she came back.”

  “Thanks, Tyler.” Though he wished he’d been there to help. But he didn’t think Jordan would have welcomed his help.

  “No problem, man. You know Jordan was like family back in the day. I hated to see her leave too.”

  Matt nodded and gave a small smile. “I know.”

  The front door opened again, and this time, Brayden walked through the door, beer in his hands and grease on his jeans. Fuck, had he missed the BYOB memo? “Shit, Bray, didn’t you shower before you came over?” Tyler laughed.

  “Shut the fuck up.” Brayden scowled, and Matt bit back a laugh. And people said that Bray was the nicest of the Coopers. “I washed up, somewhat. I can’t get this stuff off me most days. Deal with it.” His black hair curled a bit at the ends and was still wet, proving he’d at least cleaned something.

  “Is that Bray?” Justin called from the kitchen.

  “Something smells good,” Bray yelled back. “Chili?”

  “Yep, and cornbread,” Matt answered as his stomach rumbled. He took another swig of his beer, the bitter brew doing nothing to cool his thoughts of a certain brunette.

  Fuck. He needed to stop thinking about her. Anytime now.

  Justin walked out, drinking a beer. “Dinner won’t be ready for a few, but the game’s about on.”

  “Sounds good. The Broncos are going to kick some ass tonight,” Tyler said as he walked toward the living room.

  The others followed him, bashing the other team and praising their Denver team. The Broncos had been their father’s favorite, and the Coopers were loyal to a fault. They sat, drank beer, and watched the kick-off as the smell of chili filled the room.

  The front door opened again, and his last brother, Jackson, walked in.

  “What the hell?” Jackson scowled. “Just take over my fucking house, why don’t you?”

  “Hey, at least I fixed the banister for you,” Matt retorted. “And Justin cooked for you because that’s how we always do things. Stop complaining.”

  Jackson grunted, went into the kitchen, and came back out with a beer in his hand. He sank into the couch and sighed. It was a freaking Sunday evening and his brother had worked a long hard day because he kept his doors open on weekends to accommodate others in town. He’d taken off his suit jacket and shoes and loosened his tie, but he still looked like a professional. Even if the guy was a dentist. And an ass. But the man was their brother so they couldn’t take him out back and shoot him with Tyler’s gun. Yet.

  Justin’s phone beeped, and he ran out of the room, calling, “Chili’s been ready,” on his way. They grabbed their bowls and ate while watching the game. During the commercials, his brothers teased him about Jordan. Damn. It didn’t look like they’d give up any time soon.

  Matt checked his watch and cursed. “Okay, I’m out. Let me know how the game ends.” The sun was about to set, and he had places to be. Well, one place.

  “God, you’re a pussy sometimes,” Justin teased. “Afraid of the dark, are you?”

  “Something like that,” Matt said evasively and ran out the door.

  He drove his Chevy to his place then hopped out and ran to the old Marlow place, the sun’s setting rays beating down on him like a hangman’s noose. He barely made it through the door and into the living room when the last tip of the sun went below the horizon. Panting, he looked down at his hands and bit back a sob.

  His hands faded to an eerily translucence, his arms, chest, legs, and the rest of him following soon after.

  No, he wasn’t afraid of the dark or even ghosts.

  Because on every full moon…he was one. And it was all Jordan’s fault.

  Chapter 3

  Jordan leaned against the wall, her brain not fully functioning in the early morning heat. It was freaking September in Montana. Why was it so hot? Stupid global warming. She desperately needed a cup of coffee. Damn, she missed the corner shops where she could just walk for a cup of organic brew. Now, she didn’t even have a coffee maker, and she didn�
��t want to leave the house to go to the diner to get it because, once she left, she was afraid she’d never come back again.

  And this time, she wasn’t just talking about the town. Her grandmother’s house was scary as hell. When she’d first walked in, she’d almost about-faced and run in the opposite direction. Dust and dirt covered everything that wasn’t covered in plastic. Even the plastic looked worn. Cobwebs filled the corners, broken floorboards stood in her way, the doors were off the hinges, and the counters looked like mold had found a new place to live.

  Her grandmother had been clean, even as she’d gotten sick. The vandals who had come to take over the creepy house on the corner were not. Jordan would kick every one of their bratty little asses. She’d never thought the house creepy, it was just the fact that her family was a family of witches, so of course the locals thought they were creepy and evil. So freaking close-minded.

  They’d ruined her home.

  Well, the only home she’d ever known.

  “Hey, stranger,” a voice called out, and she screamed, her heart racing. “Hey, Jordan! I’m sorry! It’s only me.”

  Jordan turned to see Matt, his face flushed and a small smile on his face.

  “Dammit! Stop sneaking around! It’s spooky as all hell.”

  “I’m sorry, Jor.”

  She ignored the way his nickname for her rolled off his tongue. He shrugged and held out his hands. That’s when Jordan noticed the steaming cup of coffee in each hand. Yep, this man was a god. A sexy god. No. Not thinking that.

  “I figured you might not have a maker, and I remembered how much you love your coffee in the morning.”

  Damn sensitive, caring, responsible man.

  “Thanks,” she grumbled, and took a deep gulp, the coffee almost scalding her tongue. At least that would keep her from saying anything stupid like, ‘I still love you.’ He leaned against the doorway, his blue eyes just as intense as ever, his dark locks begging for her fingers. She tightened the grip on her coffee cup. No, she wouldn’t touch. Or even think about touching because that led to things she couldn’t run away from.