Bewitching You

by Estrella, Viola

  “Sorry.” He cut her off. “I shouldn’t have said that, but the guy was checking you out like you were piece of prime rib yesterday.”

  “He was not.” Sofia shoved against his stomach. “Elijah may have been a little bit frisky as a teenager but he’s a grown man now. A grown religious man.”

  “Right. I forgot. He must be a saint of a man with an angelic family living amongst all these virtuous people.” If Gray could’ve been more sarcastic, he would’ve.

  Sofia set her hands on her hips. “What are you trying to get at?”

  “I’m sorry to break it to you, sugar, but men are men no matter what clothes they wear or vehicle they drive. If we see a woman as attractive as you, we’re gonna look.”

  “Even if you’re married?”

  Time to shut up now, Gray. “Some men more than others,” he mumbled.

  She rolled her eyes at him. “I don’t know where he lives, but the closest house that I know of isn’t too far away. We’ll have to walk to the end of this road, turn right and it’s, I don’t know, a mile or two down that way.”

  Gray surveyed the area again. “Why don’t we cut through this cornfield to save some time?”

  ~ * ~

  Sofia inhaled the sweet scent of the corn and tried not to think about the note in her pocket that Gray hadn’t mentioned all day. Darn him.

  He’d been grumpy and quiet, and Sofia wished he’d say the words she desperately wanted to hear. Unless, of course, he didn’t believe them anymore.

  She heaved out a sigh, and Gray gave her a brief glance before setting his focus toward their trek through the paths of the enormously tall cornstalks. His manly-man decision to cut through the stupid cornfield had gotten them lost, Sofia was sure. They’d been walking for at least an hour.

  Why hadn’t she taken one of Nana’s many wristwatches to check the time? Who knew if the airplane would go up today, tomorrow, or a week from now? The only clue Sofia had was that it would happen around five o’clock.

  Gray stopped short, and Sofia bumped into him. “Fuck,” he said, and shoved his hand through his hair. “This is nuts.”

  “What?” She peeked around his waist and saw what caused his cursing. Broken, crooked stalks appeared where they’d once been. “Are we going in circles?”

  “It appears so, Sofia,” he grumbled. “Which doesn’t make a damn bit of sense because according to the sun, we’ve been going the same direction this whole time.” He shivered and spun around. “Did you feel that?”

  “Feel what?”

  “The cold air.”

  Sofia wiped a bead of sweat from her temple. “No cold air over here. Are you feeling okay? Want to take a break?”

  “Just for a minute. I need to think.” He snatched his wrinkled dress shirt from his back pocket, shook it out on the ground, then gestured for her to sit.

  He may be a grump, but at least he was still a gentleman.

  Sofia dropped to her bottom, and he sat down next to her. His hands trembled as he wrapped them around his knees.

  “Gray? What’s wrong?” She inched up to him and cradled his jaw. His skin was cold to the touch.

  “Nothing. I’m fine.” He eased her hand away and set it on her lap.

  “What’s going on with you? Are you feverish?”

  “I said I’m fine, Sofia,” he snapped, and met her eyes. “Sorry. I just get this feeling that…never mind.” He pressed his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut.

  “What, Gray? You’re starting to scare me.”

  “I don’t mean to… I’m sorry.” He opened his eyes and reached for her. “Come here, sugar. I need you.”

  Without question, she allowed him to pull her onto his lap. She’d do anything to make him feel better.

  Their lips met, and he slipped his tongue into her mouth as if he hungered for her. Nothing was cold about his lips. They were quite warm and tasty. As were his hands as they slid up her shirt, finding her breasts. He squeezed her flesh, and Sofia inadvertently let out a whimper against his mouth.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “Just a little sore from last night. It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not. I never want to hurt you. Are you sore here too?” He gently rubbed between her thighs.

  “Sort of. Nothing a hot bath won’t take care of.”

  “I was too rough last night. Should’ve been more careful with you.”

  “No, you were fine. It was wonderful, Gray. Especially after I found the note.” Sofia couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “I love you too.”

  “I love…what? What note?” He bunched his forehead seeming genuinely perplexed.

  “The note you wrote me.” The words rushed out as a squeal.

  “Sofia, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Seriously? He was going to play games like that, huh?

  “The note where you said you loved me. Why are you doing this? If you don’t mean it anymore, then say so.” She launched from his lap.

  He grabbed her waist and held her down. “What are talking about?”

  Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back. Anger, not tears, was what this man deserved. How dare he play with her heart like this? She dug her hand into her pocket, plucked out the little yellow paper and shoved it against his chest. “There. I have it still. You can’t deny it.”

  He picked up the crumpled note with one hand and held her down with the other. After reading the words, his face paled. “Sofia, I didn’t write this.”

  ~ * ~

  The slap across Gray’s face stung.

  “Let me go.” Sofia struggled against him, tears brimming her eyes.

  “No. We need to talk this through. Where did you find this note?”

  “Stop it, Gray. I get it, okay? You don’t love me. You think I’m nuts.” Her breath came up in spurts as she held back her sobs. “Be a man and admit it.”

  He couldn’t release a breath. Air packed his lungs, useless and painful. The note wasn’t even in his handwriting, but he had a damn good guess whose it was.

  Only problem was how could that be possible?

  Sofia squirmed against him again so he drew her into an embrace, shoving aside every other outlandish thought in his head. The woman in his arms was all that mattered now.

  “Nothing’s over,” he said softly against her ear. “I do love you, Sofia. I love you so much it hurts, but I didn’t write that note. Now tell me where you found it.”

  Before she could answer, someone pushed through the cornstalks. A large, husky man with a beard and a black hat stared down at them.

  Elijah.

  “Everybody okay, here?” he asked.

  Gray stood, bringing Sofia with him. He set her down, picked his shirt off the ground, and wiped her tears with it. She let him, staring at him with a stunned expression. Gray wanted to kiss her, but they had an audience.

  Thank God. “We’re good,” Gray said. “We were lost. Sofia got scared.”

  “Oh?” Elijah looked to Sofia for confirmation and she nodded. “Well, then, you two lovebirds need a ride?”

  “That would be great. Thank you.”

  ~ * ~

  Sofia sat snug in between the two large men as the buggy sped down the bumpy road with the horses clip-clopping in front. The blanket-covered bench seat bounced them up and down as the wobbly wheels of the carriage dipped in and out of gravelly cracks and grooves.

  “Yah, yah,” Elijah yelled and cracked the whip. Like they weren’t going fast enough. Was the man insane?

  Gray’s arm tightened around her waist. The poor guy was sitting at the edge and there didn’t seem to be much of anything that kept him from falling out with the next big bump.

  Sofia got a grip on his jeans belt loop. She wasn’t losing him now. Not after hearing that he loved her—for real. She’d nearly lost all sense and reason when he’d told her he hadn’t written the note. But, then, who had? A ghost?

  Hmm… What about the c
hilled feeling she’d experienced in the kitchen right before she found the note? No. Spirits couldn’t write and leave messages. They didn’t have the power to interfere in people’s lives. Did they? And, if so, then why? Why would some spirit floating around at Nana’s house leave her a love note and sign Gray’s name?

  Sofia shook the mystery from her head for now. Maybe they’d figure it out later and maybe they wouldn’t. She didn’t really care. The note didn’t need to be real. Just the love.

  She met Gray’s gaze and he smiled at her. I love you, his gorgeous lips said silently.

  Yep, that was all she needed. She smiled back, so big that her cheeks hurt.

  Quit being a dork, Sofe.

  Ah, who cared? Obviously, the man loved dorks.

  “Whoa,” Elijah said, as they pulled into Tom’s Auto Body shop. This was as far as he’d been willing to take them, which didn’t bother Sofia one iota. The less time on the horse and buggy, the better.

  Gray jumped down and then lifted Sofia to the ground. “We appreciate it, Elijah.” He picked his wallet out of his back pocket and began to pull out a twenty.

  “Noooo,” Elijah grumbled. “Glad to help.” He tilted his hat and winked at Sofia. “Take care now. You stop by and visit some time, hear?”

  Then he cracked the whip and was off, just like that.

  Gray clenched his jaw, probably holding back a growl.

  She squeezed his hand. “We made it here alive at least.”

  His frown thawed into a warm grin, and they turned to see Tom standing at the door to the white building with no windows. Just a garage with an old Pinto up on the racks.

  Tom had on a filthy used-to-be-white tank top that barely covered his beer gut, and suspenders that held up a pair of grubby tan slacks. A toothpick stuck out of his pasty face that displayed a deep scowl. “What you two’s want?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  After Gray had explained their situation, Tom finally let them into his office. Any friend of the Amish was no friend of his, he’d said. Which was odd, considering the location of his shop. But Gray wasn’t going to argue. The man had the only phone in a twenty-mile radius.

  “I assure you, he was only giving us a lift,” Gray had told him. “I can’t stand those people myself.”

  Sofia had nudged him. He’d pay for that later, he was sure. The truth was, he didn’t have anything against the Amish, especially after one of them had done him a huge favor by getting him out of a dead-end cornfield in a matter of seconds.

  It’d been embarrassing to discover if they’d only walked another ten feet, they would’ve reached the road, and across it was Elijah’s family home. Ten children had scurried outside to see what all the commotion was about, along with a very pregnant wife who didn’t smile once.

  Gray didn’t blame her.

  Sofia had cheered up right away, saying hello to each and every one of those kids. Lord, he hoped she didn’t want to have that many children. Three was the limit for him. He shrugged. Maybe four.

  Gray halted that thought process. Kids? Marriage hadn’t even entered his mind. Until now. He watched her charm the suspenders right off Tom with her sweet little smile, and realized he wanted nothing more than to marry and spend the rest of his life with Sofia.

  “Gray?” She patted his arm, breaking his thoughts. “Tom says he has a car we can borrow.”

  “Rent,” Tom corrected.

  “For a small fee,” she added and smiled.

  “Sounds great. What is it?”

  “It’s right out back. Let me show you.” Tom gestured for them to follow.

  “Wait,” Sofia said. “Do you have a restroom I could use?”

  “Sure thing. It’s right through that door right there. S’cuse the mess. It ain’t been cleaned by a lady in a while.”

  “Oh.” The smile disappeared. She looked up at Gray. “I won’t be long.”

  He brought her hand up to kiss. “Meet you out front.”

  Tom led Gray through the backdoor and into what appeared to be a scrapyard. More than twenty cars were gutted. Others were melded together with mismatched parts. A red hood on a blue car, a primer gray door on a white car, and far in the distance behind a stack of tires, Gray spotted it.

  His BMW.

  “This here’s a fine car.” Tom banged the hood of a purple Honda Accord with yellow doors. The car had been lowered to about two inches above the ground. “Have to watch it on the bumps, but it runs like a fox chasing after a jackrabbit.”

  “That’s my car,” Gray blurted out, thinking of no other strategy to get his baby back.

  “What you talking about?”

  “That black BMW over there behind the tires. That’s my car. Did you find it alongside the road?”

  “Maybe. How do I know it belongs to you?”

  “Check the registration. My name’s on it. Grayson Phillips. And—” He yanked his keys from his pocket and hit the keyless entry button. The lights blinked. “I have the keys.”

  “Well, now,” Tom said with blazing red cheeks. “Why’d you leave a perfectly good car out on the road like that? Someone coulda stole it. Good thing I was there with my tow truck.”

  “Right.” Gray held his tongue. If the car still didn’t start, he might need to persuade Tom to take a look at it. To Gray’s delight, the engine turned over immediately. And—he did a once-over of the exterior and interior—everything seemed to be in order. No scratches or dents or rips. His baby was perfect, as usual.

  He drove the car to the front of the shop and waited for Sofia, proud to be able to show her one of the things he’d accumulated by working his ass off. Over his shoulder, Tom stood at the front door, wringing his filthy car-thieving hands together.

  If they hadn’t been in a hurry to save people’s lives, Gray would’ve called the cops to send Big Tom to jail for grand theft auto.

  “Wow. Tom rented us this for a small fee?” Sofia slid into the passenger’s seat and ran her fingertips over the beige dashboard and the leather upholstery. “Ooh. Very nice.”

  Gray wasn’t sure why, but he grew hard in his jeans. It was true then that a man’s car was an extension of his you-know-what. “Do you like it?”

  “I love it.” She swept a come-hither stare up his body. “It suits you.”

  “Well, that’s good.” Gray leaned over and kissed her. “Because it’s mine.”

  “Nuh uh. Are you kidding?”

  “I kid you not.” Gray revved the engine and left Tom in a cloud of dust.

  ~ * ~

  Penny lay in Sofia’s bed, glad to be home from the hospital. It’d been a scare, but everything turned out fine. Herbert had given them a ride home and helped Penny up the stairs. Of course, she didn’t need the help. She was finer than fine china. Not an ache in her old body. Nevertheless, it didn’t hurt to give the man a reason to stick around the house for a bit.

  Just in case she had a relapse.

  From the thoughts vibrating from Herbert’s mind, he was glad to spend more time with Laura.

  With a smile, Herbert said, “Call us if you need anything.” Then he closed the door behind him.

  Hmm. Daughter down, still working on the granddaughter.

  “You feeling better?” Hayes’s voice asked from the corner of the room, and then the side of the bed indented.

  “Much better. Thank you.” Penny wondered why she couldn’t read his mind this time. Could it be because he was on his way to crossing over?

  “I wanted to thank you, actually, for helping me. Your spell worked out great.”

  “That’s wonderful. So they’ve said they love each other?”

  “Yes, and I think I’ll be able to move on now, because Gray seems very happy.”

  Yes, Hayes was leaving. Penny’s heart went out to him. He was such a nice boy. “Wonderful. What of Rachel? Did she find true love?”

  “She’s well on the way. You might like to know she has a gift like your daughter does. She can see me and touch me. She’s even calle
d me, buy I don’t think she knows this.”

  “Interesting. I wonder if I know her mother or grandmother. Gifts run in the family, you know.”

  ~ * ~

  Rachel drove up to the Spencer Estate, as her mother liked to call it. Really, the residence was an immaculate museum, not an appropriate place for a child to grow up. Somehow, Rachel and her sister had managed without breaking too many things.

  She felt refreshed since Hayes’s last visit. The thought that she, Rachel Spencer, had the potential to do great things had given her a boost of confidence. A small one, but still. It was enough for her to shrug off the idea of dying and concentrate on living, as he’d told her to do. She wanted to make him proud.

  Besides, once she’d calmed down she realized taking her life wasn’t the answer. The very idea had been ridiculous. Selfish, really, now that she thought it through. Suicide? No, she couldn’t do that to her parents and her sister. Hayes was right. She really did have a lot to live for.

  Sighing, she shut down the engine and sat there for a moment. Her parents weren’t home, she knew. She’d called ahead and asked Therese, the housekeeper, when they’d be back. Therese had said Dad was at work until late, of course, and Mom was out running errands for the wedding.

  The wedding had turned into more of a hobby for her mother than anything else. Something she could talk about with her friends at the country club.

  Still, Rachel felt obligated to pay back every penny her parents had put into the ceremony. She grabbed the envelope on the seat next to her and made her way across the lush green lawn to the front door.

  She rang the doorbell and Therese answered right away. Her silver hair was up in a loose bun and she smelled like Pine Sol, as usual. “Rachel,” she said, as though it were a surprise. “What are you doing here? Your parents aren’t home.” The woman who used to push her on the swings and give her homemade shortbread cookies after school was getting up there in age. It seemed her mind was slipping as well.

  “I know, Therese. I just talked to you.”

  “Oh, that’s right. What do you need, my dear?”

  “I need a huge favor, actually.” Rachel handed Therese the envelope. “That’s a letter for my mother, but I was wondering if you could wait to give it to her until after tomorrow.”