Charmed & Dangerous

by Candace Havens

  Oh, and I have to go back and check on Mr. Gunther to see how his memory potion is doing. He was resting when I stopped by today and I didn’t want to disturb him.

  Margie says he continues to write like crazy, so I hope everything is working the way it should.

  Sunday, 1 A.M.

  That Margie’s a sneaky toot. I think she invited every single guy in town but there were only three women at the party. Margie, her friend Sarah, and me. Didn’t matter, though, we had a hell of a time.

  There were about five men for every woman. Not bad odds. She set up a karaoke machine and that provided hours of entertainment. Some of the guys weren’t too bad. Bill Thompson, the pharmacist at the drugstore, sang Elvis tunes, and if you closed your eyes it sounded like you were in the presence of the King.

  But Cliff, who works out at the Barneses’ ranch, needs to think twice before quitting his day job and heading to Hollywood. He warbled through U2’s “It’s a Beautiful Day” and even the dogs howled.

  Surprised myself when Margie and Sarah dragged me up with them to sing “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” We did hand motions and the whole bit. I can’t remember being that silly since I was about twelve and my best friend, Mary, decided we had to dress up like supermodels for school. We wore three-inch heels, tight-fitting dresses, and makeup that would make a Sunset Boulevard ho jealous. It was great fun, till we got called into the principal’s office. He made us wear school T-shirts over our outfits for the rest of the day.

  But at Margie’s no one cared. We pranced around like Cyndi Lauper and sang at the top of our lungs. As we were taking our well-deserved bows I noticed Sam standing in the arch of the doorway. The sight of him made my heart dip to my toes. And my lower extremities instantly warmed.

  What made me think I could ever just screw this guy and let him go? I wanted to jump into his arms and wrap my legs around him. Hardly appropriate for the moment.

  I needed a drink. Moved to the bar and poured myself bourbon and Diet Coke. Crammed a sausage roll in my mouth and waited. Should I go to him? Will he come to me? Shit. Took a deep breath and made myself meet him halfway.

  “Hey.” Brilliant, Bronwyn. So good with the words.

  “That was quite a performance.” He touched my arm and his fingertips shot shock waves through my body.

  “I don’t think we’re quite ready for the concert tour, but with a few more rehearsals…Um, how are you?” Tried not to slosh my drink, and to look cool at the same time. My hand shook, so it wasn’t easy.

  “Good. I had to attend a charity event with my mom and dad and just got back to town. Thought you were out of the country for a few more weeks.” He led me to the backyard and we sat down on Margie’s wooden porch swing. I wondered how long we would be talking around things. At least we were conversing, which was more than I’d expected.

  “Yeah, well, after everything that happened last week I thought it might be good to come home and straighten things out. I kind of like it here and I didn’t want to move.” I looked away from him and stared out onto the lawn.

  “You would have been proud of Simone. She was very brave.”

  There was a small twinge at the mention of her name, but now that I know nothing happened, there’s no reason to feel that way. “I am proud of her and she’s always brave. She’s a little crazy, but she means well.”

  “On that we both agree.” He sighed. “Look, we could talk around this for days but—”

  “Can I apologize first?” I turned to look him in the eyes. “I’m sorry about not returning your calls. I could say things got busy and it wouldn’t be a lie, but that’s no excuse. The truth is, I don’t understand what’s going on between us. And I’m just confused.”

  “Honestly, I’m not much better at this.” He shook his head. “There’s so much I need to tell you and I don’t know where to start. All of this happened kind of quick and it was definitely unexpected.

  “I moved to this town for many reasons.” His brow furrowed. “One of which was to get away from a woman who I had been engaged to for more than a year.”

  Couldn’t keep the shock from my face. And he squeezed my hand as if he feared I might bolt.

  “We never talked about past loves and I didn’t see any reason to, until now. My relationship with her ended on a bad note. Well, it’s a total cliché. Found her in my bed with two guys from her office.”

  “Kind of a twist on that old cliché, I’d say.” I laughed. “Sorry, it’s not funny.”

  “I realized when I told you I wanted to take a step back that you thought I meant never wanting to see you again. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just needed to—”

  “I get it, really I do. Sounds like you have big trust issues, and rightly so. Unfortunately, I have the same problem. So it’s smart for us to use a slow approach. Now if I’m really honest—and I usually am—you have to know that I don’t like to do anything slow.”

  He smirked.

  “Okay, well, that’s different.” I frowned. “Gutter brain. And for the record, you know I like it fast and slow. Actually I like just about any way we can do it.”

  He laughed. “How about if we date? Like good old-fashioned, I take you to dinner and we kiss on the porch when the night’s over kind of dating?” His smile made the butterflies in my stomach take flight.

  “No sex?” I couldn’t help it. I really like the sex part of the relationship.

  “Not right away. Trust me, Bronwyn, it’s as difficult for me as it is for you.”

  “Okay, now you really do sound like Dr. Phil.”

  “I know you and I were made to be together, but we need to take our time in making that happen. We’re both young, busy, and I say we take it at our own pace.”

  “I agree, but I still don’t understand why we can’t have sex. I mean, like, are you talking weeks or months of going without?”

  “Well, if you keep smiling at me like that it may be minutes.” He pulled me closer and hugged me. His spicy scent made my mouth water, and I wanted so much to reach down and touch him.

  He whispered. “Let’s just play it by ear.” He kissed me and then pulled me back into the party. The McClellan boys, who could all be linebackers on a pro football team, were belting out a Bon Jovi tune and swaying to the beat. Sam and I laughed until we couldn’t breathe.

  He kissed me again at my car and we agreed to meet for church this morning, which is seven hours away and I need my beauty sleep. I like the idea of taking things slow but it’s not going to be easy. Just the image of him in that suit, with his starched white shirt and tie, will make me want to jump his bones. Methodists are a forgiving bunch but I think they might draw the line at making out in the church pew.

  3 P.M.

  The McClellan brothers invited Sam and me out to their ranch for a barbeque tonight. Caleb and Kira are back in town and we made plans to go together. Should be fun.

  Sam was sweet in church and held my hand. He had an emergency call at the nursing home so we couldn’t do lunch, but we’ll hook up tonight. Oh, that reminds me. I need to go by and check on Mr. Gunther tomorrow. Should do it today, but I really want to get in one of those good Sunday afternoon naps.

  Monday, 9 A.M.

  It felt very couply at the barbeque last night. Kira and Caleb couldn’t keep their hands off of one another. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen him so happy. She grabs him an iced tea and he gets up to find her butter for her corn on the cob. Hokey, but kind of sweet.

  The look in Caleb’s eyes when he watches her is nothing short of pure devotion. When they touch, I can feel the magic between them. Never seen Caleb so moony-eyed over a woman.

  The McClellans sure know how to serve up a feast. Sam and I were up to our elbows in rib bones. We flirted and ate until neither one of us was sure we could fit behind the wheel to drive home.

  I tried to drag him in the house and got him as far as the porch, but he stood strong. Well, sort of. When he kissed me good-bye he shoved me up against the fr
ont door and pressed his body hard into mine. There was no mistaking the fact that he wanted me. His mouth didn’t leave mine for a good three minutes and he tasted every inch of it. When he pulled away we both gasped for breath.

  Put my hands on his chest to keep from sliding to the ground. “Sure you don’t want to come in?”

  “Oh, you know I do.” He grabbed my hands and pulled them around my back, holding them tight. “But we’re going to do this the old-fashioned way, remember?”

  “Sam, I’m not a very old-fashioned girl and I need you.”

  “Not half as bad as I want you.” His words made my insides feel like a big old pile of mush. Seemed so stupid to deny ourselves such pleasure, but in the dark recesses of my mind I understood. The guy had been engaged and I didn’t even know it. We needed time to learn about each other.

  I hate it when I’m sensible.

  Made him let go of my hands and then I gently pushed him off the porch. “Go away, handsome man, and call me tomorrow.” I blew him a kiss and he waved good-bye with a smile.

  I’m off to visit Mr. Gunther this morning. Can’t wait to see if he’s still writing in the journals. I changed a few ingredients in the memory potion that I think may help. We’ll see. Margie mentioned Mr. G’s been sleeping a lot more and I wondered if it might be a side effect of the potion. Margie said not to worry because old people sleep a lot but I don’t know. If I did something that caused him harm, I could never forgive myself.

  Seventeen

  Monday, noon

  Sweet, Texas

  Crybabies: 1

  A rgh! I have to make this work. Mr. Gunther has been sleeping too much. Even Sam said so. The good doctor had finished his rounds at the nursing home when I walked in. He had a frown on his face so I knew something had happened.

  “Tell me Mr. Gunther’s okay.” I yanked on his sleeve like a child. My voice sounded whiny even to me. The nurses looked up from their station and he pulled me off to the reception area.

  “Bronwyn, calm down. He’s fine, but he’s suffering from extreme fatigue.” Sam had that doctor mask on. The one where he goes all serious, but at the same time tries to look comforting.

  It didn’t work for me.

  “If I’ve done something, just tell me. It’s the potion, isn’t it?” Geez, if something happened to that old man I would never forgive myself. There’s something about the guy that just gets me.

  “Has nothing to do with you or the potion. At least I don’t think so.” He flipped a page on his clipboard. “From what I can see it’s a side effect of Alzheimer’s. Your potion helps with the memory loss but there are other problems that come with the disease. Depression, anxiety, and problems with equilibrium are just a few.”

  “I didn’t know.” I blew out a breath. “I thought the memory and disorientation were the big thing.”

  “They are, and you helped him with those. He’s tired, but he’s still mentally alert. He’s also old, Bronwyn, and his body is giving out.”

  “It’s not just the Alzheimer’s, is it?”

  “I can’t really discuss any more of his case with you.”

  “Oh, come on. That doctor–patient stuff doesn’t apply here. He’s perfectly aware I’m trying to help him. And it’s me.”

  “Sorry, but I can’t do it.” He had that “I’m so concerned look” again, but I didn’t buy it for a minute.

  “Fine, I’ll go talk to him myself. And while I’m at it, I’ll ask for permission to work with you on his case.”

  He shrugged. I swear I could have kicked his ass right then and there. But I had to get to Mr. Gunther.

  At the door I took a deep breath. The room had that antiseptic smell of too much medicine. The older man’s skin had turned so white his hand almost disappeared into the sheets. If it hadn’t been for the purplish bruises dotting his arms from the IVs and age spots, it would have been like trying to find Waldo in one of those insane books.

  His eyebrow lifted and one of those steely blue eyes popped open. “Are you going to stand there and stare, or are you coming in?” He pushed the button on the side of his bed and raised it so he could sit up.

  “Doc says you’re tired today. You been out partying all night again?” I pulled up a chair. Grabbed his hand and squeezed.

  “Well, got all those women to please. A man does what he can.” His grip tightened around mine.

  “When did all of this happen? Last I heard you were kicking Doc’s butt at chess.”

  “Just been the last two days or so. Woke up and didn’t feel like I could get out of bed. Don’t suppose you’ve got something for that in that witch’s bag you carry around in your truck, do you?”

  That small bright spot of hope in those beautiful blue eyes forced me to lie. I didn’t know how to help him, but he didn’t have to know that.

  “I might. But I need to talk to Dr. Sam before we try anything new. He says you’ve got to give him permission to work with me.” I rolled my eyes and the old man laughed.

  “You two have a spat?”

  “Nah, nothing that serious. Just a slight butting of the heads.”

  “Not a darn thing wrong with that, young lady, especially when there’s making up afterward.”

  “Mr. Gunther! I’m not that kind of girl.” I batted my eyelashes and he let out a hoot.

  “That’s not what I heard.” He smiled bigger than I’d ever seen, and I let it go. What a charmer.

  “Want you to understand something, young lady, and it’s important to me.”

  “Sure.”

  “I told you before how much I appreciate what you’ve done, and you need to know what a gift it’s been for me.”

  Opened my mouth to object but he held up a hand. “I know you don’t like to take credit, but it’s due. Now here’s what you’ve got to understand. I only need a short time more to do what needs to be done.”

  “What do you mean?” He couldn’t give up. I’d just met him a few weeks ago and I wasn’t ready to let him go. There are people who come into your life that bring so much to it just by existing. I suddenly realized Mr. G was one of those people for me.

  “Look, I’m more than ready to meet the man upstairs.” He shook his head at my unvoiced protest. “I’ve lived a great life, one that would be the envy of most. A woman loved me more than any man has a right, and she gave me two talented and beautiful children.

  “We laughed and loved, and if I live a thousand more lifetimes, none will be as wonderful as this one. But I’ve discovered over the last three weeks, since you brought my memory back, that I want to leave something behind. I want people to know about my wife and kids and, hell, I’ve just got a lot more to say.

  “That’s where you come in. Give me some of that magic of yours to keep me going for a little while longer so I can get it down on paper. When I finish up this last journal, then I’ll be done and ready to move on. Can you help me?”

  Told him I’d do whatever it took and then got the heck out of there so I could sob uncontrollably in the truck. God, this isn’t fair. I was so upset I bought a dozen pink frosted cookies, with sprinkles, from the bakery and ate them all on the way home. If I were a bit more twisted I’d make myself throw up, but I think I’ll hit the Rocky Road instead. Or the double fudge with chocolate chips sounds good.

  Then my ass is in that workroom and I swear I’ll figure out something to help Mr. Gunther.

  Tuesday, 2 A.M.

  Potions: 23

  So tired. Got to get to bed and sleep for a few hours. I’m close with the potion but something isn’t right. If I boost the energy too much it will affect his memory and that’s exactly what he doesn’t want. I’ll figure it out, but damn it’s hard to find a balance.

  Talked to Sam for a few minutes and he offered to help, but I work faster alone. He thought I was angry about this afternoon, but I just needed to work. I want to be near Sam, but right now I don’t know. I have to do this.

  Getting up early tomorrow to start again. I must finish befo
re I head to Brussels this weekend.

  Note to self: Call Garnout to see if he has any suggestions on how to better balance the potion. If the two of us can’t figure it out, it can’t be done. And I refuse to even let that be an option.

  11 A.M.

  Potions: 26

  Garnout returned my message and told me to add pennyroyal and rosemary to the mixture. I’ve used pennyroyal to treat stomach ailments and cramps, but the wizard believes, mixed with the other ingredients, it will help balance the potion. The rosemary will increase the mental agility.

  “Have you found out any more about the hit out on me?” I asked while I had Garnout’s attention.

  “No, not even a hint of who is behind this one.” The sigh in his voice made him sound tired, which is unusual, even though he is over two hundred years old.

  “Is there something else going on?”

  “No, nothing you need concern yourself with. But do this old wizard a favor and try to keep out of trouble for the next few weeks. I’ve got my hands full with three new covens moving to the city.” I could hear the bell tinkle on the door of his shop.

  “That’s a whole lot of witches. What’s the deal?”

  “Capric Corporation has moved its offices to Manhattan and evidently they like to hire witches and warlocks. They’re involved with investment banking.

  “But it’s not a good thing. Whenever there is that much power that suddenly finds its way into a small area, conflict is sure to arise.”

  He spoke the truth. Once when I was in Paris a coven of witches moved in and there were fights every day. I likened it to L.A.’s gang problem.

  “And unfortunately, some of these witches are known for their dark magic, and that puts a whole new spin on our carefully balanced city.”

  “I’ve never heard of Capric. Do you need help? You know I’ll come if you ask.” I meant what I said.

  “I appreciate the thought, but it isn’t necessary. I’ve plenty of magical folk here to assist. You concentrate on your elderly friend and taking care of your diplomats.”