Elemental Enchantment Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Elemental Enchantment Copyright © 2014 Bronwyn Green

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also Available from Resplendence Publishing

  www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Elemental Enchantment

  A Witch Way Story

  By Bronwyn Green

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Elemental Enchantment

  Copyright © 2014 Bronwyn Green

  Edited by Michele Paulin and CJ Slate

  Cover Art by Les Byerley

  Published by Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  1093 A1A Beach Blvd, #146

  St. Augustine, FL 32080

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-759-9

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic Release: April 2014

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  Photographer Meaghan Boulton thinks a steamy one-night stand with a member of the bridal party seems like a great idea. And it is…until the ghost of a missing child shows up in the wedding photos and her one-night stand turns out to be a cop who suspects her of being involved in the child’s abduction.

  Eli Jones is having a rough week. The woman of his dreams—the woman he’s been infatuated with since high school—skips out of his hotel room after the hottest hook-up of his life. Worse, she’s got information on a kidnapping that she couldn’t possibly have—unless what she says is true and she’s a witch.

  Despite the cloud of suspicion that hovers between them, they need to work together to find the missing child. When it’s over, will anything be left of their passion to salvage?

  For Carolline Greene—my Green(e) Sister. She’s a lover of books, animals and life, and she always makes me smile.

  Huge thanks to Heather Newbury Almendarez for answering my photography questions.

  Huge thanks also to Cussy Bimbleberry for sending me inspiration via email.

  Chapter One

  “No. Just…no.” Meaghan Boulton sighed as she interrupted Rowan, her best friend, again. “I know that you and Gwydion are the picture of freaking domestic bliss. And hell, so are Emma and Ian, but it’s not for me.”

  “C’mon, Megs,” Rowan coaxed. “I just want to see you happy.”

  “I am happy.”

  “I know, but—”

  “Honey, I adore you, but no love spells. They never work the way they’re supposed to, and besides, what I really need is to get laid. That’s it.”

  “What about—”

  “Shit!” From the corner of her eye, Meaghan saw the black streak tear into the street, and she slammed on her brakes. Almost immediately, she lurched forward. The seatbelt tightened uncomfortably across her chest, and her head smacked the upper edge of the steering wheel as the truck that had been following her hit the back of her car.

  A rush of adrenaline flooded her body, and her breath caught in her throat.

  “Are you okay?” Rowan demanded, her voice suddenly shrill. “Meaghan? What happened?”

  “I’m all right,” she murmured. “But I need to call you back.” She disconnected the call then ran a shaky hand through her hair, blinking slowly. She waited a moment for her vision to clear before glancing into the rearview mirror. The guy behind her looked pissed as he scrubbed a hand across his face before motioning her forward.

  Of course. A virtually deserted road and she still managed to get into a car accident. Lifting her foot off the brake, she steered toward the side of the road then put the car into park. At least, the impact hadn’t been hard enough to set off the airbag. Meaghan took a deep breath, pushed the door open and got out.

  She was already late for a photo shoot. She didn’t have time to wait for the cops to show up. Her boss would kill her. Toby was great, but she had a thing for punctuality. Not that Meaghan could blame her.

  She turned toward the other driver at the sound of gravel crunching. Anything she might have said died in her throat at the sight of him. The guy was gorgeous. Definitely not her type, but gorgeous, nonetheless. Her gaze skittered over him—tall, broad shouldered, piercing blue eyes and full, firm, bitable lips. His sandy blond hair was short—not quite military short, but close. Yeah, so not her type.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” the guy demanded as he stalked toward the front of his truck.

  And he just lost points for attractiveness. “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she snapped. “I’m fine, too. Thanks for asking.”

  He frowned then leaned closer. “You’ve got a mark on your forehead. Did you hit it?”

  Her hand automatically lifted to her face. It felt tender to the touch. Oh yeah. That was going to bruise. Wonderful. “I’m fine. Are you all right?”

  He nodded absently, still studying her. “What happened?” he asked. “Why did you brake like that?”

  “A cat ran out into the road. I was trying not to hit it.”

  He rubbed a hand across his eyes then glared at her. “A cat. You caused a car accident because of a cat.”

  Meaghan took a step forward and pointed at his truck. “It’s fine. Look. You don’t have any damage. No big deal.” Her rear bumper was pretty well crunched, but whatever, she’d driven worse. “I’ll give you my information, and if something ends up being wrong, you can call and file a claim with my insurance company.”

  He scowled at her then pulled his phone out of his pocket and punched in three numbers.

  “Seriously? You’re calling the cops over this?”

  Scowling at her the whole time, he reported the accident. When he hung up, he said, “They’ll be here as soon as they can.”

  Meaghan fought the urge to roll her eyes and leaned against the side of her car. “Fabulous.”

  His lips pulled downward, and she forced herself not to stare at his mouth. “I don’t know what you’re complaining about. I’m the one who’s going to get the ticket.”

  “I’m the one who’s going to piss off her boss by being late to work. And don’t get bitchy with me. You’re the one who was riding my ass.”

  His gaze dropped briefly to where her ass rested against the car then returned to her face. He didn’t say a word, but his eyes flared brightly as they held her motionless.

  Awareness sparked to life in the pit of her belly, but she tried to smother it. “Whatever,” she muttered, waving her hand in his direction. “You’re the one who insisted on calling the police.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “This is Michigan. It’s illegal not to report an accident if the damage is over three-hundred bucks.” He glanced at her bumper. “That qualifies.”

  “Oh good. A Boy Scout.” Turning away from him, she reached into the car and pulled her phone from the cup holder. Punching in Toby’s number, she watched the other driver pace up
and down the side of the road as she listened for her boss to pick up.

  “Where are you?” the other woman said by way of a greeting.

  “I’m on Eighty-Fourth Street, waiting for the cops to show up.”

  “Oh my god! Are you okay?”

  Meaghan sighed. “Yeah. Just a little fender bender. I promise I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “It’s okay. The family isn’t even dressed, and the dogs they insisted on having in the pictures just took off after a rabbit.” The sound of shrieking on Toby’s end filtered through to Meaghan. “Aaaaaaaand never mind,” her boss said. “The youngest two kids just jumped in a huge mud puddle. This one’s going to have to get rescheduled. Just go home and rest when you’re done, okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Meaghan stifled a laugh. Family picture shoots were usually nightmares. It sounded as if this was worse than most. Shoving her phone in her pocket, she glanced over at the truck to see what Captain Crabby was up to.

  Arms crossed, he leaned against the front fender of his vehicle, head tilted back and eyes closed. Oh, he really wasn’t her type, but her fingers itched for her camera. She ached to capture the delineated lines of muscle running along his forearms, the long column of his throat as the sun shone down on him and the way his T-shirt stretched snugly across his wide chest. In the bright light, his hair looked more gold than blond, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was as soft as it appeared.

  She mentally shook her head at herself. Maybe, she’d hit the steering wheel harder than she’d thought. She went for shaggy-looking guys who played the guitar and wrote poetry—not ones who looked as if they could be poster boys for the American middle class.

  A small squeak near her feet pulled her attention from her ill-advised attraction. Looking down, she spotted a small black cat—little more than a kitten, really—peeking out from behind her front tire. Wide, gold eyes stared warily up at her. The creature looked as if it would bolt at any moment.

  Murmuring softly to it, Meaghan slowly lowered herself to the gravel and reached for the tiny animal. As soon as it rubbed its head against her hand, she scooped it up and stood, cradling it against her chest. It squirmed for a minute, but as she petted it, it began to calm, purring loudly. It even closed its eyes as it relaxed.

  “So this is what caused all the trouble?”

  At the sound of the guy’s voice, the cat’s eyes flew open and it hissed loudly.

  “It’s okay,” she murmured, holding the cat tightly so it wouldn’t run away. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

  The guy met her gaze and held it. The earlier awareness flared to life again in the pit of her stomach.

  “Nope. I’m a nice guy. Promise.” The low rumble of his voice did nothing to calm her fluttering nerves.

  She watched mesmerized as he reached toward her and rubbed the kitten’s head with his long, tanned fingers. It was impossible not to imagine his hands on her body, and she swallowed hard. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she couldn’t place it. Maybe, he’d been in a wedding party she and Toby had photographed. But, if that was the case, she was pretty sure she’d remember him.

  The sound of tires on the road broke the weirdly discomfiting spell that had fallen over them, and they both took a step back. Meaghan had never been so glad to see a cop in her life.

  A police officer parked behind the guy’s truck and turned on his flashers before getting out of the car. As he walked toward them, a smile split his face and he shook his head. “Eli. I wasn’t expecting to see you out here. What happened?”

  Just lovely. The guy, Eli, was apparently friends with the responding officer. Wasn’t that just peachy?

  Still holding the kitten, Meaghan approached the two men.

  “Ma’am.” The officer nodded at her. “Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what happened.”

  She sighed. “Look, officer. The whole thing is my fault. This cat ran out in front of me, and I braked to keep from hitting it. And Eli, here…” She glanced briefly at the man in question to find him watching her intently, and again, she had the feeling that she should know him. “He wasn’t able to avoid hitting me.”

  The cop looked at Eli as if looking for confirmation.

  Eli nodded. “To be fair, I was following her too closely. If I’d been back farther, I probably wouldn’t have hit her.”

  The other man shook his head and scratched a few things on his notepad. “Well, this definitely doesn’t happen every day—both parties insisting they deserve the ticket. Why don’t you get back into your vehicles and get out your licenses and proofs of insurance?”

  Meaghan kept hold of the cat and got back into the car, watching in her rearview mirror as Eli climbed into his truck. He handed his information to the cop, laughing at something the other man said. His smile was just as blindingly beautiful as the rest of him. She stifled a sigh. Rowan was all about the love spells—maybe Meaghan should talk her into a Get Meaghan Laid spell instead.

  Just as quickly as that thought popped into her head, she pushed it away and thunked her head against the seat rest in frustration. She needed to focus on the cop approaching her window, not fantasize about the guy who’d rear-ended her—the guy she’d never see again after they left this deserted stretch of road.

  Chapter Two

  Eli Jones watched as Kevin, one of the day shift cops, peered in Meaghan’s open window and chatted with her for a few minutes before taking her license and registration. Eli wondered if she recognized him, but he doubted it. Hell, and why would she? He’d moved from Spring Grove before he’d even graduated, and it wasn’t as if they’d been friends while they were in high school. She’d been a theater kid; he’d been a math geek. Sure, he’d been her Algebra tutor for a semester, but she’d been decidedly uninterested in math. And he’d never managed to work up the nerve to talk to her about anything other than equations. Back then, he’d always thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. The last ten years hadn’t done a thing to change that. If anything, he found her more attractive than ever.

  At first, he’d been so annoyed by the accident that he hadn’t recognized her, but as soon as she’d snapped at him, he’d known exactly who she was. Her glossy dark hair had been pulled into a loose ponytail and her dark eyes had flashed in irritation as she’d glared at him. He’d stared at her waiting for her to recognize him, but he was fairly certain she hadn’t. It had been impossible to keep his gaze from running over her body, though he’d tried. He didn’t want to be a complete letch or make her feel threatened while they were on a deserted stretch of road.

  As Kevin walked back to his cruiser to run Meaghan’s information, he smirked at Eli, and Eli discreetly flipped off his friend then slumped back in his seat. He was ninety-nine percent sure Kevin would give him the ticket. Hell, it’s what he’d do if the situation was reversed. And by the time Eli got to work tonight, the chief would already know about it, and he’d be pissed—one of the joys of working for a small-town police department. Eli had already gotten a speeding ticket last month. Too many more points and he’d be stuck on desk detail instead of out on patrol.

  As expected, Kevin reappeared at his window with a ticket pad. “Sorry, man,” he said as he passed the slip to Eli. “I’d like to let it slide, but I can’t.”

  Eli shrugged. “No worries.”

  As soon as Kevin had returned Meaghan’s information and walked back to his cruiser, she was out of her vehicle and headed in Eli’s direction. She stopped and stared up at him. For a moment, her teeth worried her full lower lip, and she watched him somewhat warily. Her large, deep brown eyes slightly narrowed as she shifted her weight and cocked her generously curved hip to the side. He dragged his gaze back to her face. She stared at him, one eyebrow arched and the wariness gone from her expression.

  She cleared her throat. “I just wanted to suggest that we split the ticket since technically we’re both at fault.”

  Of all the things he might have thought she
was about to say, that hadn’t even occurred to him. “What?”

  “I think we should split the ticket. Halvesies. You and me. Sharing and stuff.”

  “I have a better idea,” he heard himself say. “How about if instead, you let me take you out to dinner?” He’d surprised himself as it was coming out of his mouth, but once the words were hanging in the air between them, he was glad he’d spoken. There was something about her. Something that intrigued him, and he couldn’t help but want to spend a little more time with her.

  Her brow furrowed as she stared at him. Her mouth opened then closed again. He suspected she was as startled by the invitation as he’d been at first. Her gaze darted from his eyes to the door to the steering wheel before settling back on his face. It was as if she wasn’t sure where to look.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Her voice seemed less sure than it had a moment ago.

  He leaned toward the open window. Toward her. “Why not?”

  “I just don’t think it is.”

  Her hesitation vanished as if it had never been there, and a smile curved her soft, pink lips—lips he found himself desperately wanting to kiss.

  “Look, you seem like a really nice guy.”

  “I am.” He stared at her, waiting for the rest. “But…” he prompted.

  “But I’m not looking for a nice guy,” she finished breezily.

  There were a million things he wanted to say, but he managed to stifle all of them. Suggesting that what she needed was a good spanking was probably not the best way to convince her to go out with him. “What are you looking for?”

  She opened her mouth but closed it just as quickly. “Last chance to split the ticket, Boy Scout.”

  “Nope. But thanks.”

  A slight scowl creased her brow.

  “Sure you won’t reconsider dinner?” he asked.