Spellbound. Kate Hoffmann

need to be nervous. It wasn’t as if the dinner was a real date. Will Ross just wanted to talk to her about her business. And if she could charm him, then maybe she could bring him over to her side.

      Her breath caught in her throat. Was that what she really wanted? Life in upstate Maine was pleasant enough, yet there were times when she couldn’t bear the loneliness, times when she wanted to just pack up and leave. And yet, she had people who depended upon her, people who believed that she was the only person who could heal them.

      She had never really been sure whether her efforts actually helped. Most of her customers had regular doctors and used conventional medicines. But for some reason, they believed that her remedies held the key to their good health, so she was committed to doing what she could.

      But if push came to shove, would they really choose her help over traditional medicine? Maybe she ought to start thinking about her own happiness instead of everyone else’s. Maybe she should leave and find a place where she wasn’t known as the town witch.

      But Barstow Ferry was the only home she’d really known. It was the source of her power, the place that her ancestors’ spirits lived. The family home she now owned was here, as was the business she’d inherited from her great-aunt. She was the last of her family line, the last female descendant of Bridie Quinn, the powerful Irish witch. If she left, would she lose everything that made her special?

      Kelsey hurried out of the bathroom to the kitchen, then checked the bubbling pot on the stove. She’d found the recipe for the persuasion potion in the old leather-bound journal she’d inherited from great-aunt Tizzy. It contained all of Bridie’s magic, carefully written out with recipes and incantations and counter-spells.

      Though in theory she should have inherited Bridie’s powers, Kelsey had never considered herself a full-fledged witch. She knew the calming and healing qualities of plants, but she couldn’t affect someone’s behavior by just chanting a few words. She couldn’t blink her eyes and wiggle her nose and change the course of events.

      The potion’s recipe was complicated, and Kelsey wasn’t sure it would work, but if she ever needed a little help persuading someone to her cause, now was the time.

      She ladled a small measure of the potion into one of the glasses, then added ice and lemonade, before preparing a drink for herself.

      None of the herbs were dangerous. In fact, she’d used them all for various remedies. But this combination was supposed to work on a man’s mind, to make him more open to the power of suggestion.

      Will Ross was on a mission, determined to put her out of business. And she was just as determined to win him over. This was her livelihood, she had to use any weapon available to her, and if it took a little herbal concoction, then that was fair, wasn’t it?

      “Hello? Anyone home?”

      “Here we go,” Kelsey murmured as she picked up the glasses. She pasted a smile on her face, but the moment she saw him through the screen door, she realized that she was in a lot deeper than she thought. Everything about him—his eyes, his smile, the way his hair fell across his forehead—made her weak in the knees.

      “I—I thought we’d have something to drink,” she said, her voice cracking.

      Will opened the door for her and she walked over to the porch swing and sat down, holding his glass out for him. Rather than join her on the swing, Will leaned up against the porch railing and observed her silently for a long moment.

      “This is a beautiful house,” he finally said. “How old is it?”

      “About a hundred years,” she replied. She felt like a silly girl, all giddy and nervous and breathless. Why did things seem so uncomfortable between them?

      He took a sip of his drink. “It’s good,” he said.

      “Thanks. I made it myself.” If he could taste the potion, it didn’t show. He took another gulp and she relaxed, hoping the effects would show themselves soon. “How was your day at work?”

      Will groaned softly then pushed off the rail and sat down beside her. “I really don’t want to talk about work,” he said. “Why don’t we talk about you?” He stretched his arm across the back of the swing. “Tell me why the entire village board wants to shut you down.”

      Kelsey turned to look at him, and the moment her gaze met his, she forgot what she was going to say. She opened her mouth, ready to babble anything at all. She swallowed hard. “The council has its own agenda, but people have always been suspicious about my family. When bad things happen and there’s no one to blame, they blame me. People fear what they can’t control.”

      But Will Ross didn’t seem to have any fears at all. A moment later, he leaned forward and his lips covered hers in a sweet and gentle kiss.

      It was the last thing she’d expected. She hadn’t brewed a love potion! And yet, it seemed like the most perfect moment she could have wished for. His kiss was definitely persuading her to do a lot more than just…kiss.

      His fingers slipped through the hair at her nape and he drew her closer, and all Kelsey could think about was the exquisite taste of him and the sensation of his tongue touching hers. She’d never expected the potion to work, much less create such a strong reaction.

      But then, maybe it wasn’t the potion at all…