Blue Moon Enchantment (Once In A Blue Moon Series)

by Jeanne Van Arsdall

  “Aren’t you supposed to be helping your uncle on the farm?”

  “Everything’s getting done. Don’t worry about that.” His lips brushed hers. “Worry about staying safe. If anything were to happen to you...”

  “Geoff, the only person I’m not safe from is you. When I’m with you I feel—”

  His lips claimed hers, ravished them as his tongue dipped inside her mouth. When he pulled her against him, he knew she felt his hardness. He wanted her to feel it. Wanted her to know he wanted her. Oh, how he wanted her. Needed her.

  For weeks, he did the same thing three mornings a week. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday he met her after she volunteered and walked her home. Every day he left a bit of his heart with her as she closed the door.

  When he left her at the shop one Friday morning, she asked, “Are you coming to the dance tomorrow night?”

  “Yes. It’s the only way I can hold you without the town gossips’ tongues wagging.”

  Millie giggled. “I think they’re wagging anyhow. You had to expect they would with you walking me home each day. And your aunt and uncle never needed so many supplies before. You’re always in Pa’s shop.”

  “Are you complaining about seeing me too much?”

  She lowered her lashes. “No.”

  “Good, then I’ll see you at the dance tomorrow night.”

  ***

  Geoff rode his horse into town. Uncle Henry had been too sick to come and Aunt Ida refused to leave him. So Geoff didn’t need the wagon.

  He slid off the horse and tethered him to a nearby watering trough before heading over to the large barn where the dance was being held.

  His eyes scanned the room for Millie. His breath caught when he saw her. She had on the same light blue dress she’d worn the day he’d first seen her. Now she had a matching cape around her shoulders. She’d taken his breath away then and she still did now.

  How was he going to return to New York? Never to see her again? Could he leave her? He didn’t think so. But could he live here? Give up everything he was used to in the city? Or would she go back with him like his mother had done?

  And he couldn’t see Millie leaving town.

  That left only one answer, but was he ready to make it? These people meant nothing to him. He sighed. No, that was no longer true. It had been when he first arrived here, but now Aunt Ida and Uncle Henry were family.

  ***

  Walking closer, he pulled her into his arms as the music started. He saw busybody Mrs. Taylor watching him. He should have known she would. That woman had been the bane of his existence since coming to town.

  He reached up and untied the ribbon at Millie’s neck and removed her cape, draped it over his arm as he whirled her around the dance floor.

  Was that envy he saw in some of the other young men’s eyes? Probably. His Millie was the most beautiful woman in the room. To him anyway.

  “Did you have a busy day at the store today?”

  “We did,” she told him, peering up into his eyes. “This has been the oddest year. Pa keeps having to order plant seeds. We’ve never had such a run on them before. I don’t understand it. I really thought it was too late in the year to plant anything.”

  Not knowing much about planting, Geoff just nodded.

  ***

  An argument broke out in one corner of the barn. Mr. Taylor, the banker, was glaring out across the dance floor.

  “I tell you, someone’s been kissing, and I want to know who,” he shouted. His eyes rested on Geoff and Millie as they twirled by.

  “There’s the answer to our crops dying, I tell you. Who knows what that young whippersnapper from New York has been doing to our Millie.”

  Everyone on the floor stopped dancing.

  Drawing Millie to the side, Geoff pushed her behind him as he faced off with Mr. Taylor. He didn’t have to see her face to know she was blushing. She always did.

  Keeping his voice level, Geoff flicked his lashes at Taylor with disdain. “You can call me any names you want, sir, but when you start casting aspersions on my woman, I have to take offense.”

  “You saying you ain’t kissed her?”

  “I ain’t saying anything one way or another. What I do is none of your business, and I don’t appreciate you mouthing off about Millie in front of the whole town.”

  “Our crops are dying! Someone’s gone and kissed someone!”

  Geoff tensed, but tried to rein in his temper. “Sir, you may be my elder, but you don’t know your butt from your foot.”

  A gasp went up around the room.

  “Your plants are dying, sir, because it hasn’t rained. Not because some man in this town had the level sense to kiss his wife.”

  “None of our men would have broken the League’s rules,” Taylor blustered.

  “Then I misjudged them all. They’re all just as foolish as you.” He grabbed Millie’s hand and pull her away from the accusing man.

  Taylor called after them, “Well someone’s done something they shouldn’t, and I’ll bet a day’s wages it was you. The likes of you doesn’t belong in this town.”

  Geoff stopped and Millie plowed into him.

  Turning, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the elderly banker. “You want to say that again?”

  “Geoff, please. Don’t make a scene,” Millie begged.

  He didn’t turn to face her. Kept his eyes on Taylor. “I repeat, you want to say that again?”

  “I said you don’t belong here,” Taylor shouted again.

  Geoff took one step toward Taylor when Millie’s father placed a hand on his shoulder. “No, son, don’t.”

  Geoff faced him. “He’s slandering your daughter.”

  “And the young man my daughter loves.”

  A gasp went up around the room.

  “You stay with Millie. I’ll take care of this.”

  He approached the banker. “Ed, the next time you choose to say something about my daughter, maybe you’d best get your facts straight before you listen to your harpy of a wife.”

  “Well, I never!” Esther Taylor said, her voice rising.

  “Well, now, ma’am,” Joe Baker inclined his head toward her, “that just may be correct. You see, Ed here is the only man in this town that ain’t been buying plant seeds from me here lately.”

  He eyed everyone in the barn.

  “Now while I have to admit I’m pleased to be having such a run on them at this time of the year, it tells me one thing. Every man in this town has been kissing his wife and has been planting new seeds to replace any that might die.”

  Again his gaze swept the room.

  “Am I wrong, men?”

  Grumbles sounded throughout the room, but all the men nodded.

  Baker told Taylor, “I believe you owe my daughter and young Standish an apology.”

  Ed Taylor mumbled something.

  “What was that, Ed? Couldn’t quite hear you.”

  “All right, said I’m sorry. But I’ll bet—”

  “Think I’d let that drop if I was you, Ed.”

  Joe Baker walked over to his daughter. Leaning down, he gently kissed her on the cheek and wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb. He reached out the same hand to shake Geoff’s.

  ***

  As Millie’s father walked away, Geoff watched Millie. She’d been shamed in front of all her friends and it had been his fault. Well, damn them all to Hell and back. He couldn’t let it end here.

  What was it her father had said? He’d called him the man his daughter loved.

  Did she really? Did Millicent Baker love him enough to marry him? Well, there was only one way to find out.

  Pulling her toward the center of the room, Geoff spoke loud enough so everyone could hear. “Millie Baker, you once told me I couldn’t kiss you because you didn’t love me enough to marry you.”

  He drew her into his arms.

  “Well, I love you enough for both of us—and I want you to marry me. I’m asking you, Millie. In front of
all of your friends. If I’m what you want, I’m here. Will you marry me?

  In answer, Millie stood on tiptoe and threw her arms around his neck. The next thing he knew, her mouth was pressed to his.

  He had his answer.

  Ignoring all the hooting going on around them, Geoff placed his arms around Millie’s neck and deepened the kiss.

  Outside, a loud crash of thunder sounded.

  Laughing, he pulled her behind him and headed outside for some solitude.

  “Did you mean it, Geoff? You really want to marry me?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked you in front of the entire town if I didn’t.” He laughed.

  “Then my wish came true,” she whispered.

  “What wish?” he asked, nuzzling her neck.

  “My wish on the Blue Moon. I was so lonely. I wished for someone to love me—and two days later you walked into Pa’s store. I hoped...but I didn’t believe.”

  “And now you do?”

  “Oh yes. I do. I really, really do.”

  Geoff lowered his head and kissed her again. New York or Georgia no longer mattered to him. The only thing that mattered was that he be with the woman who brought out the best in him. The woman he loved more than life itself.

  While kissing her slowly, tenderly, a lightning bolt lit up the sky and mere seconds later thunder cracked.

  The drought was over. It had ended with a kiss.

  We invite you to read Leanne’s story,

  The Healer, in Highland Press Publishing’s companion book in the

  Once In A Blue Moon Series,

  Blue Moon Magic.

  Visit Leanne’s website at

  http://www.leanneburroughs.com

  Leap of Faith

  Jill and Julia

  June, 2006

  Marcella Richards shut off her laptop, relieved to be done with her latest murder case. She’d won, again, freeing yet one more loser to roam the streets and do God only knows what. Marcella sighed and shook her head. She was good–the best Chicago attorney money could buy, and she understood all about the rights of the accused to adequate representation. But lately, she’d been bothered by the lack of humanity in some of her clients. Like the bastard she’d just represented, a lucky bastard who happened to be her annual pro bono case.

  Having the air conditioning break down, trapping the jurors in a small, airless room to deliberate had worked to her advantage, but she didn’t feel good about it–had no sense of elation. The twelve Chicago citizens wanted nothing more than to get out of the sweltering room. Reasonable doubt was very easy for them to agree on, that hot, late June afternoon.

  Marcella closed the laptop, tossed her glasses on the desk and stood, reaching as far as she could to the ceiling, working the kinks from her neck and shoulders. Her penthouse apartment was quiet. Intent on getting the final documents prepared and sent off to her paralegal to be filed, she hadn’t even bothered turning on the stereo. Verdict in, case closed, paperwork finished. Marcella smiled. She could leave for vacation with a clear head.

  “Vacation,” she said, thinking how foreign the word sounded. How long had it been since she’d indulged in leisure time? Far too long. So long, in fact, she had no idea what to pack, where to go, what to do. She’d left those details up to her assistant, begging for a surprise trip somewhere, anywhere outside Illinois.

  She kicked off her heels, pulled off her hose, and padded into the kitchen to get a glass of white wine. Glass and bottle in hand, she headed for the living room, with its massive windows and incredible view of the windy city. She flopped on the overstuffed suede sofa, propped her feet up and took in the sight of the buildings lighting up the endless night sky.

  “Where are you now, Drew?”

  She poured herself a full glass of wine, a feeling of melancholy seizing her, much as it always did between cases, when her mind could finally relax and focus once again on her personal life. Or lack of a personal life. After a sip of wine, she closed her eyes. What would she do in the days ahead with nothing but free time? Time to reminisce...think about the last real vacation she had.

  The spring break spent in Cancun with Drew.

  She’d expected a marriage proposal, but instead, she’d accepted her walking papers.

  Eight years and hundreds of cases later, she still thought of him. Every day. No matter the season, no matter the circumstance, he was never far from her mind. “How pathetic.”

  Loser at love that she was, she hadn’t become involved with anyone else in all that time. Much easier to find fulfillment in work–she rarely lost cases–than to risk her heart at love. Heartache hurt more than lost legal battles.

  She finished her glass of wine and poured another. This should be a celebration, she’d won another case, would be on the front page of the Trib again, have even more clients banging down her door. She’d be able to watch the zeros accumulate in her bank account. It no longer gave her any sense of satisfaction, It had become...boring. And lonely.

  Standing, she walked to the windows overlooking the city she loved. She’d chosen this penthouse because of its view of the Sears Tower. She leaned into the glass and sipped more of the wine, enjoying the warmth that flooded her veins.

  Who was she to ask for more? Blocks away from the best shopping in the world, no ties, no commitments, rich beyond her dreams, what more could she want?

  “Drew.” She drained her glass and grabbed the bottle to pour another. The one and only thing she didn’t have that she wanted was the love of her life back in her life.

  “What the...?” Marcella squinted out the window. She pressed her nose up against the glass, but nothing changed. There wasn’t just one full moon in the sky anymore, but it was if it had suddenly broken in half, and now, staring at her were two brilliant, round orbs. She set down her wine glass and with a shaky hand, flipped off the light switch. Was it just a reflection?

  Nope, the blasted things were still there.

  She watched them, thinking they would merge together, or one would disappear as fast as it had appeared, but it didn’t; the two moons just stared at her like yellow eyes, watching. Was that a blue moon, then? She’d heard the phrase before, but had never seen one—hadn’t known they actually existed.

  “Once in a blue moon...”

  She whipped around, and flicked the light back on.

  “Who’s there?” She hadn’t imagined the squeakily uttered words, no way. Too much wine, maybe, but that weird little voice hadn’t come from inside her head.

  “Look down, lovey.”

  “What the hell are you?” Marcella had to be imagining this. Had she fallen asleep? Was she dreaming? First a second moon in the sky, and now some freaky little creature…not two feet tall, wearing a purple cone-shaped hat, striped tights, glittery shoes with the points curled up…and a feathery red boa around her neck. Marcella blinked. “Oh my God, what was in that wine?”

  “Now, now, no need to curse.” The creature walked closer, forcing Marcella to back up against the window.

  “Lola Lewinsky’s my name, and I’m whatcha call a gnomette.” The little person snapped her fingers and a cigarette, in an old-fashioned, long ivory holder appeared. She took a drag and blew the smoke right up in Marcella’s face.

  Marcella coughed lightly and shook her head, trying to get a grasp on the situation. “There is no such thing as a gnomette.” Her analytical-lawyer-mind couldn’t wrap itself around the thought.

  “Well, what do I look like to you, then, lovey?”

  “An intruder. Get out before I call the police.” Marcella slid along the window until she reached the cell phone she’d left sitting on the table. Her eyes never left little Lola.

  “Aren’t you the tiniest bit–no pun intended–curious why I might be visiting you?”

  “You have a reason?”

  “Well, duh.” Lola exhaled another puff of blue-grey smoke and then coughed like she was ready to hack up a lung.

  “Talk fast little woman, or I’m dialing 911.”


  “Sure you will.” Lola chuckled and plopped on the sofa, setting her tiny feet on the coffee table in front of her. “What would you say, exactly? There’s this chick no bigger than a doll in my house and I can’t get rid of her? Puleeze. You might be some smart lawyer girl, but you would sound a might bit, umm...loony.” She emphasized her opinion by circling her ear with a finger.

  “Why are you here? You know I’m an attorney. Are you in some kind of trouble? Do you want money?”

  “So suspicious, so defensive!” Lola clucked her tongue. “Did that come from years defending crooks and killers?”

  “How do you know who I am?” Marcella suppressed the urge to stomp her foot.

  “Oh, Marcy, I know every little thing about you, lovey.” She laughed.

  “Marcy?”

  “Yeppers. Ain’t that what the studman used to call you? That special man a’ yours?”

  “Drew,” Marcella whispered and sat on a chair across from the woman, certain she must be hallucinating, or at the very least, quite drunk.

  “I’m here ‘cause you asked for me, girl. You asked to have what you didn’t have, but what you wanted. So here I am.” She spread her arms wide and grinned like a Cheshire cat.

  “I did not ask for some odd little creature to break into my house.”

  “Now, now, careful what you say. You’re liable to hurt my sensitivities.” Lola crossed her feet at the ankles and wiggled them side to side while taking a long drag off of her cigarette.

  “Will you leave if I do?”

  “Sure thing. Hate to be a burden, and all.” She stood, started to walk toward the wall, but paused and looked back over her shoulder at Marcella. “’Course, won’t you always wonder what I came here for?”

  When she turned around and started her odd little swagger back to wherever she’d come from, Marcella heard herself say, “Wait!”

  “Now you want me to stay?” Lola shook her head. “Make up your mind, already.”

  “Why did you come to me, Lola Lewinsky?”

  “Well now, that’s an easy one.” She moved closer to Marcella, and stopped. “You saw the blue moon, and you made a wish, even though you may not realize it.”