“How snooped?”
“Top to bottom.”
“Everywhere?”
He walked up the steps. “You have no secrets. Unless they’re hidden in your box of tampons. I left that alone.”
Jade grinned. “Sounds like a good place to hide my valuables.”
He came to a standstill before her, trying to stop a teasing grin that would not be controlled. “And most important: If at all possible, please let you forgive me before I freeze my nuts off.”
Jade bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to grin at his humor. “You should know, one of the first rules of witchcraft is not to tell others what you’re wishing for.”
“Spellcasting 101, I’ll make a note of it,” he said, his head bobbing in acceptance. “And why is that?”
“Because if people know what you’re wishing for, they can work against you.”
“There’s one more. If you’re ever going to agree to marry me, please make it today.”
“I can’t.”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted. She could see disappointment register in his eyes, in his very soul.
“It’s not that simple,” she said, knowing she had confessions of her own to make.
“They say love never is, but you know what? Life never seemed so clear to me or so purposeful before I fell in love with you.” Mason focused on nothing briefly as he chose his words, then looked at her with such longing, it nearly broke her heart. “It is simple, Jade. Just take it one day at a time. I’ll never give you cause to regret it. And every day you’ll know that. And someday, a week or a month or a year from now, you’ll look back and realize it’s true.”
“Here’s the deal. I used witchcraft on you. It was before I said I wouldn’t, but I think you should know that I cast the spell that brought you here. Actually, as long as I’m telling you everything, it started before that. I cast the spell that helped Brenda make up her mind and take a stand, which is when you got dumped—”
“Jilted is starting to sound so much better.”
“And then I cast a spell for the perfect man, and they kind of got…mingled.” There, she’d said it, got it all out between them. Because with secrets like that between them, there was no hope.
Mason’s disappointment disappeared, replaced with a broad grin. “You think I’m perfect?”
“Focus, Mason. If you can’t focus, few of your wishes will come true.”
“But they might?”
“Hush, I’m not done. Then I cast a lot more spells to send you back.”
“How many?”
“I don’t know,” she said, exasperated.
“Cotton ball in my pocket?”
She nodded.
“Tupperware in the river?”
She had trouble looking him in the eye, but she did it anyway. She owed him that much. “Throwing a used article of clothing into the current signifies the owner getting swept away. I used your dirty sock.”
“Oh, right, the one you stuck in your pocket.”
“How could you know that?”
Mason winced, clearly uncomfortable with this. “I haven’t confessed everything yet. There were wireless cameras in the house, too.”
She would’ve shrieked, but she was too stunned. “Is there anything else?”
“God, I hope not. You?”
“I did maybe a dozen spells. But I stopped after I said I wouldn’t do any.”
“Hm.” He glanced at the dozen candles he’d just lit. “I don’t want to brag or anything, but it seems your success rate’s not as good as mine. I was going to ask for a good witch recommendation, but, hm, now I don’t know. See, there’s a certain woman I want to charm into marrying me, but she keeps telling me no when I want her to say yes.”
“Have you asked her lately?”
Hope flared in his eyes. He stuck out his hand. “Mason Kincaid, private eye.”
“What?”
“I thought, now that all our secrets are out, we should start over.”
Jade slipped her hand into his, and didn’t resist when he pulled her close, folding both her hands inside his. “Will you marry me, love?”
She loved when he called her love.
“Because, honest to God, I need you so bad, it’s hard to breathe without you. It’s hard to wake up in the morning without you, and go to sleep, and eat, and—”
“Yes, Mason. I will.”
He released her hands and swallowed her in the circle of his arms, hugging her one moment, kissing her the next, lifting her off her feet and swinging her around until they fell off the porch together, and Jade didn’t remember wishing for persistent, but was grateful nonetheless.
“Damn, I’m freezing,” Mason said, pushing snow aside, brushing more off Jade.
She graced him with a seductive smile and said, “I know a warm spot by a waterfall.”
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed Jade and Mason’s love story. They turned out to be two of my favorite characters! Next up in the Witches of West Bluff series is Annie’s story, then Courtney’s. Join me, won’t you, to see what’s in their future.
Fondly,
Jenna McKnight
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the witches around me who generously shared their beliefs, their way of life. Among them, Jan O., my friend. If I took a few liberties with the Craft, it’s because they all told me that each witch must do what feels right to her. And so I gave Jade, Annie, and Courtney free rein to do things their own way.
And where would I have been without all the great resources on Craft, the shop owners who like to share, the wonderful authors who live their lives in tune with the energy around them? May the Goddess and Spirits of your choice smile upon all of you.
Many thanks also to P.I. Dale A.F. Johnson, retired police officer, who generously allowed me to tap his knowledge of firearms and laws. Any incongruities herein are plot devices, not errors on his part.
About the Author
Jenna McKnight began writing stories when I was about nine. Back then, I was enthralled by television’s rugged cowboys, suave spies, and debonair doctors. Now I’m into more tangible characters—like Greek gods, angels-in-training, and ornery ghosts. Hey, no sense growing up too much. When I’m not writing, I like to meet up with friends around the country, hike, and dig through antiques malls. Sometimes I get to do all three at once, and then I’m in heaven.
You can keep up-to-date on my new books at www.jennamcknight.com. Fan mail’s always welcome at P.O. Box 283, Grover, MO 63040-0283. I’ll be happy to reply if you include a SASE.
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Avon Contemporary Romances by
Jenna McKnight
WITCH IN THE HOUSE
LOVE IN THE FAST LANE
A DATE ON CLOUD NINE
A GREEK GOD AT THE LADIES’ CLUB
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WITCH IN THE HOUSE. Copyright © 2007 by Jenna McKnight. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Microsoft Reader August 2007 ISBN 978-0-06-153645-8
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