Magic Wand Ranch

by Caroline Mickelson

  "Paraphernalia?" He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair.

  She wished he wouldn't do that, he was beyond adorable when he did. He appeared oblivious to his own charm. At least she hoped he was unaware of how he affected her. Heaven knew she was doing everything she could to hide how attracted to him she was. "Paraphernalia means stuff. Belongings."

  "I know what it means." He tossed his hat through the truck's open window. "But you can't really need all of this." His eyes met hers, his expression hopeful. "Can we compromise at two?"

  Fiona shook her head. She was standing her ground on this one. "I think you're the one who's over-packed." She gestured to one of his boxes that he'd nestled in amongst the others as if it contained England's crown jewels. "Look how much room that thing takes up."

  He took a step closer to her, close enough now that she had to tilt back her head or she'd be staring at his chest. Which wasn't entirely a bad thing, but she needed to keep her wits about her if she was going to get her way.

  "That thing is my saddle."

  "But you told me your event was bareback bronc riding, right? So it would seem to me that your saddle isn't strictly necessary on this trip." She cocked her head to the side. "I've got you there, don't I, cowboy?"

  Cody settled his hands on his hips. "The only thing you've got is five minutes to fit your 'paraphernalia' into the truck, or we're pulling out without any of it."

  His eyes held hers for a long moment, long enough for her to feel mesmerized.

  "Can't you two kiss and make up?" Mitchell called from the steps. His words caused his little brother to laugh so hard that he doubled over, clutching at his stomach.

  Fiona held her breath as Cody dropped his gaze to her lips. The boys laughter faded away as the sound of her heartbeat grew louder in her own ears. The idea that Cody would kiss her was insanity, pure and simple. Certainly not what Bethany asked her to come here for. Not to mention Liam...but the very thought of her former boss was like a bucket of freezing cold water dumped over her head. Liam. Of course. This was her test. To see if she could resist temptation. And she had come dangerously close to failing. She stepped back just far enough that the moment was broken.

  She turned to the boys. "You both run in use the bathroom again because we're ready to go." Once they did, she turned to Cody. "Don't you need to get your horse?"

  "I'm not loading her up until I'm sure we're rolling out in less than five minutes."

  Fiona waved her hand as if to dismiss him. "We are. You get the horse and I'll take care of the bags."

  Cody blew out a breath that sounded awfully exasperated to her ears. Well, he wasn't the only one nearing the end of his rope. But to his credit he didn't question her again, instead he turned and headed in the direction of the barn.

  Once he was out of sight, Fiona looked over her shoulder to make sure the boys were still inside and that no ranch hands were looking. Satisfied that she was alone for a precious second, she took her keychain sized wand and, without giving herself a split second to question her wisdom, or lack of, she flicked her wrist just enough that her luggage rose and settled itself neatly and securely in the truck bed. She bit her lip as she held the wand up in front of her. The tiny handle was made of Lucite, which gave her a clear view of how much gold glitter was left. Luckily she hadn't used too much. She slipped the wand back into her pocket

  "But that's it," she said aloud. "Once and done. The rest is for London."

  "Who's London?"

  Fiona jumped at the sound of Mitchell's voice. "Where did you come from?"

  "The bathroom." He looked from the ground to the back of the truck and back. "Did Uncle Cody pack your bags?"

  She crossed her fingers behind her back. "I took care of them." Lying to children was so not cool. Time for a change of subject. "Where's Brian?"

  Mitchell shrugged. "I dunno."

  "Well, go find him please, and tell him we're ready to go."

  It took him only a few minutes to rustle up his younger brother. By the time they were buckled in the truck, Cody had finished loading his horse into the trailer. And then, with a quick word to his ranch foreman, he swung himself up into the driver's seat. He fastened his seatbelt, fired up the truck, and turned to her. "Last chance to change your mind and stay here."

  Fiona refused to consider that she was making a big mistake by going. Reason might dictate that she should stay at the house with the boys, it was definitely the safer choice. But safe wasn't what she wanted. Time with Cody was. "Let's roll."

  ***

  To Cody's surprise, his nephews did their level best to adhere to his rule that they each could ask 'Are we there yet?' only once per hour. He'd done his level best to explain to them that they were staying overnight at a friend's house in Las Cruces but they seemed far more content when he just threw a random number at them.

  He glanced over at Fiona. Unfortunately, content wasn't a word he could use to describe her. Not judging by the way she kept shifting in her seat, at any rate. "What's wrong?" he finally asked.

  She turned to him, startled. "Nothing's wrong. Why?"

  "You seem fidgety." He turned his attention back to the road. "You don't get car sick, do you?"

  "I don't think so."

  "You don't think so?" He shook his head. "Seems like that's something you'd know."

  But Fiona didn't respond, she just shrugged and looked out the window.

  And then it struck him that he'd made precious little progress getting to know anything about this woman. He knew almost nothing about her, well pretty darn near close to nothing anyway. But he knew how he felt about her, although he'd be darned if he understood how he'd fallen so far, so fast. But he wanted to know more about her. And he knew just who to call in for help. He glanced in the rear view mirror. His nephews were awake, but quiet. Perfect. "You guys up for a game of twenty questions?"

  He grinned as they both called 'Not it,' at the same time. "Not it," he added. "That leaves you in the hot seat, Fiona."

  She twisted around in her seat as far as her seatbelt would let her. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her smile at the boys. "I've never played but I'll give it a go."

  And so the boys began their barrage. Cody had to admire their stamina. They volleyed question after question at her, the huge majority of which were completely appropriate questions he was glad to note. Although a few were borderline nosey.

  "Who was your first boyfriend?" Mitchell asked.

  "That's easy. Douglas M. Pearson. Fourth grade."

  Brian wasn't about to be outdone. "Who's your boyfriend now?"

  "I don't have one," Fiona said.

  "Why not?" Mitchell asked before Brian could ask the obvious follow-up question.

  "I'm not sure," Fiona hedged. "I guess I've been really busy with my work. I travel a lot."

  Neither of the boys had anything to follow that up with and Cody sensed they were rapidly losing interest but he felt like maybe, just maybe, he might be getting a bit closer to finding out just who Fiona Cantrell was. "Best road trip ever?"

  "I'm going to have to say this one," she said after a brief pause. "Fair disclosure, it's my first road trip."

  Cody hardly knew what to say to that. Starting at a very early age, he'd logged thousands of miles traveling to rodeos with his dad. "Best vacation ever?"

  "A trip to the beach with my parents when I was six," she said.

  "Don't tell me that was the only vacation you've ever had?"

  She nodded. "It was hard for my parents to get away from work."

  "What kind of work did they do?"

  She hesitated for so long that he was certain she wasn't going to answer but she finally did.

  "I guess you could say we all worked in the family business. Sort of a cross between event planning and providing the ultimate in customer care."

  While that only made marginal sense to him, Cody didn't push her for an explanation. It was clear that she'd put an effort into answering it at all.
"Last question, I promise," he said, feeling the need to push the envelope just that little bit further. "Tell me something that you're afraid of."

  She didn't skip a beat. "I'm afraid of horses. You?"

  Cody grinned. "Not me, I like to ride."

  "That's not what I meant and you know it." She reached over and playfully punched his shoulder. "Play fair, Cody. What scares you?"

  He glanced over and shook his head. "Cowboys aren't scared of anything, don't you know that?"

  "You're not going to tell me?"

  He thought a moment. There was no way he was going to confess that the idea of falling in love with Fiona, and then watching her walk away with his heart, was the scariest thing he could think of.

  Chapter Eight

  By the time Cody took the exit toward Las Cruces, the boys were fast asleep in the back seat and Fiona looked about ready to nod off herself. Although it was only a bit after six o'clock, the February night sky was dark. The only light that broke through the dark was from the truck's headlights.

  "You must be tired, Cody." Fiona said, her voice low enough not to wake the boys. "Is your friend's house nearby?"

  "It's only about ten miles more." Cody glanced over at her. It was too dark to see Fiona's face clearly but he didn't doubt she was tired. By his own choice, he wasn't used to having company while on the road. Solitude on the open road gave him time to mentally prepare for competition before he arrived at an event. It surprised him just how much he'd enjoyed having Fiona and the boys along for the ride, although a part of him knew he'd have to work twice as hard to stay focused and in the zone when it came time to compete. "I bet you're tired."

  "I am. I had no idea how exhausting it is to sit still for so long." She shifted in her seat. "But I'm not complaining. I can't, not after the boys were so well-behaved today."

  Cody smiled. "They were, weren't they? But you get a good deal of the credit for keeping them distracted."

  They didn't speak again until Cody pulled the truck up in front of the house where they were going to spend the night. A buddy of his, who'd already arrived in Tucson, had offered Cody the use of his house and stable overnight. It was an offer he'd gladly accepted. He cut the engine, hopped out of the truck, and came around to open Fiona's door. "Here, let me help you. It's dark." He held out his hand and felt a surge of a mingled affection and desire as she slipped her hand into his. For the love of Texas, he was in over his head. "Watch your step."

  Despite the warning, her foot missed the running board and she pitched forward with a startled cry. Cody reached out, slipped his free arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "I got you." He lowered her so that her feet touched the gravel drive but he didn't loosen his hold on her. "You okay?"

  Fiona looked up at him and nodded, although she didn't say anything. She didn't pull away from him either. Her hands were braced against his chest. Could she feel his heart hammering in his chest? There was just enough light coming from the cab that he could see her features in spite of the dark. He dropped his eyes to her lips. At that moment he wanted nothing more in the whole world than to kiss her.

  And he would have too, if his horse hadn't kicked the back of the trailer to signal her impatience at being kept waiting. "Hold on, Chica, I'm coming." He loosened his hold on Fiona and took a step backwards. "I've got to see to getting her fed."

  "Of course." Her voice was slightly breathless. "Should I wait here with the boys?"

  "No, I'll carry them in first." He opened the rear passenger door and reached under the seat for his flashlight. He handed it to her. "There's a key under the doormat, think you can find it?"

  She laughed. "Gee, I don't know, Cody, that sounds like a pretty high tech security system but I'll try to crack it."

  He grinned. Again. He'd never known a woman who made him smile as much as Fiona did. "What can I say? It's a free place to sleep." He scooped up a still-sleeping Brian and took a groggy Mitchell by the hand. "Lead on."

  Once the boys were settled in one of the guest rooms, Cody slipped out of the house so he could see to his horse. He was grateful for the cool night air as he led the mare down to the barn. He was equally grateful for the time away from Fiona. "She does a number on me, Chica," he whispered as he stroked her velvety muzzle. "She's turning my world upside down."

  The buckskin, however, appeared far more interested in the feed bucket than in Cody's confession. He rubbed her neck affectionately as she ate. Horses he understood. Women, not so much. He took his time giving the mare a thorough brushing but after he'd stretched every task out as long as humanly possible, he knew he couldn't put off going back up to the house any longer. "What am I so afraid of?"

  But he knew exactly what scared him. "What am I going to do after she leaves?" He hoisted himself up onto the wooden railing and sat with his legs dangling into Chica's stall. "She's beautiful, funny, smart, and nice. Like, really good-hearted nice. But she throws me way off my game, you know?"

  The horse lifted her head and stared at him as if to say, 'Don't know, don't care'.

  Cody grinned. "Got it, you want your beauty sleep." He jumped down and gave her one last affectionate pat. "See you in the morning, Chica girl." With one last check that the mare had everything she needed for the night, he secured the stall door. "You can stop worrying about me now. I'll watch my step with Fiona."

  ***

  "Watch where you're stepping," Fiona called down to Cody as she clung to the saddle's horn. "There might be a snake somewhere." She shifted from side to side but there was no getting comfortable. "Can I get off now?"

  The amused twinkle in Cody's eye when he looked up at her would have normally caused Fiona to smile. But panic, being what it was, kept her from appreciating any humor in the situation. Why had she agreed to mount this beast? She felt far too high off the ground for her comfort. Which was ironic considering that she, as a fairy godmother, had spent more than her fair share of time with her feet far off the ground. But this was different. This was scary. Downright unnatural.

  "You volunteered, Fiona," he reminded her.

  "Correction, I volunteered to help you get ready to hit the road. Not to sacrifice myself. Big difference."

  Cody turned and began to walk backwards, all the while holding onto Chica's reins. "We put in a long day yesterday and we've still got to log more than three hundred miles to reach Tucson. That's a long time to have my girl cooped up."

  By his girl, Fiona knew he must mean his horse, but the idea of sitting in the truck for another five hours didn't sit well with her either. However, she'd choose a motorized vehicle over equine transportation any day of the week. Make that every day of the week. "Shouldn't you turn around so you can see where you're going?"

  Cody laughed. "We're in a round pen. Just what are you worried that I'm going to run into?" He turned his attention to his nephews who were perched on the railing. "Can you guys give some encouragement to Miss Fiona?"

  "You're doing great, Miss Fiona," Brian hollered.

  "Yeah, maybe you should try trotting now," Mitchell added.

  "No, cantering is better." Brian stood on the rail and flapped his arms. "It's like flying."

  Shows what little the child knew. Flying was a thousand times safer. Fiona forced herself to breath in and out before responding. "Walking is fine, thank you very much."

  But Cody apparently didn't agree. "Whoa," he instructed the mare to stop. "Let's let her run. I'll come up with you."

  Before she could protest, Cody's hand closed around her ankle. She watched in shock as he removed her boot from the stirrup.

  "Sit still," he commanded as he slid his foot into the stirrup and swung himself up behind her. He slipped one arm around her waist and pulled her close up against him. "Relax, Fiona, I've got you."

  He did have her, right in his arms, and that was precisely the problem. The proximity was intoxicating. Every single nerve in her body was on high alert. "I don't think this is a good idea. What if we hurt your horse?"


  "Not possible." With his free hand he took the reins from her and made what sounded to her like a clicking sound with his tongue. Chica began to trot. Cody's breath was warm against Fiona's cheek. "Lean back into me and just relax. Nothing bad will happen to you, I promise."

  Fiona closed her eyes and did as he suggested. Being in Cody's arms made her feel a thousand times safer than when she was alone. His body was lean and muscular but his arm that held her close was surprisingly gentle. She exhaled, glad to be able to breathe easily again.

  "You're doing great," Cody said, his mouth only inches from her ear. "We're going to go a little faster so Chica can stretch her legs. But don't be afraid, I've got you and I'm not going to let you go. Okay?"

  Fiona opened her eyes and nodded. She bit the inside of her cheek as Cody urged the horse to a canter. She was going to act brave if it killed her. Which, she realized after a few rings around the pen, it wasn't going to do. Far from it. As Chica continued to move, Fiona's body fell into a steady rhythmic movement that felt like she was connected to the horse. Connected to Cody. The morning sun touched her skin the same way the moment touched her heart. She wished their ride never had to end.

  ***

  "Uncle Cody, can I ask you something?"

  Cody stopped brushing Chica and looked over at his nephew. Mitchell sat up on the stall's ledge, watching him groom the mare. Aside from his short legs swinging from side to side, he'd been remarkably still. Judging by his furrowed brow, his mind had been hard at work sorting something out. "You can ask me anything, buddy. What's up?"

  "It's about Miss Fiona."

  Cody's eyebrows rose. That wasn't what he was expecting to hear. "What about her?"

  Mitchell cocked his head to the side. "Why do you act so different around her?"

  "Different how?" He began to brush Chica again, as much to get the job done as to have some place to look other than his nephew's curious face.

  "Oh, you know. Mushy different."

  "I don't know what 'mushy different' means."