Heart of Fire: a Moonbound World series (Witches of Whitewood Book 1) Read Online Free

order, but she could be wrong.
    She’d been wrong before.
    “I’ll see what I can do, Mrs. Banfield. Thanks.” Kyle walked the box across the room and set it on top of the cases of water that would be going into the wagon, when he loaded it.
    “You can call me Mattie, sweetheart.” She flashed him a big smile. “You’re part of the family now.”
    A strange look passed over his face and Mattie paused. He pressed his lips together, flicking his gaze to the floor. “I’m not used to that. Sorry.”
    “What?” she asked.
    “Being part of a family.” He shrugged, rolling his head to one side.
    “You don’t have family?” Mattie put her hand on the table, wanting more than anything to reach over and stroke his arm. Comfort him. She could see the torment building behind his eyes.
    “I suppose when I was married, before the…” His eyes shot wide with shock. “Sorry. I mean… I’m not… I’m not usually this chatty. I don’t know what’s going on with me.”
    “Oh, I do.” Mattie tried to put all her motherly compassion into her voice. Poor guy wouldn’t be able to withstand the magick. “Look, Kyle, I’m a firm believer in everything-happens-for-a-reason. Whatever path brought you here, you’re here now.”
    “I need this job, Mrs. Banfield.”
    “Mattie,” she corrected, gently, a little pang resounding inside. “There is no Mr. Banfield, so you don’t have to call me that. And don’t worry. You’re going to work out just fine.”
    He offered an awkward smile. “I just can’t screw this up.”
    “You won’t.” She patted the table. The spell was doing its job. Breaking down the walls inside, making what’s hidden come to light. If there really was something bubbling under the surface between him and her daughter, the Cowboy Matchmaker would bring it up.
    It was a sort of version of the choosing spell, only with a tiny tweak to make a person act on latent feelings.
    This one could be unpredictable, and she’d seen it do everything from making a man move across the country, to helping him choose the color shirt that would stick out to his date’s preferences, to bringing about spontaneous confessions of love. And it often built up in a person’s system. So, the more Kyle used it, the more he’d know if Jamie was the one for him. And vice versa.
    Or, if they weren’t right together, it would help them see that, as well. It might have painful consequences, but it would make the choices easy. Fast.
    She could only hope that Jamie would listen to her heart when it spoke.
    Mattie had a feeling that her daughter’s emotions had been buried down deep for so long, there was no hope for revealing them, outside of magick.

Chapter Three
    “ Y ou think he’s hot , admit it.” Charity’s sing-song voice made Jamie cringe and she looked around the empty path to make sure no one could overhear. Nothing but white trees and underbrush and sun.
    “I don’t think he’s hot.” How could she hear that? Under all the complaining? Lord. Better bury that a little deeper, girl.
    “You do, too.” Charity clucked at her. “I can hear it. Not that it matters.”
    Jamie glanced at the house, which wasn’t very far from her. She stopped in the middle of the trail and brought her voice down. “Right. It doesn’t matter at all. He’ll trip himself up eventually. Men like that always out themselves in the end.”
    “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean we should get him fired.”
    Jamie stepped off the smooth path and rounded one of the larger trees, trying for some sort of privacy. “Charity!” Something crawled up the back of her throat, like she might vomit at any moment. “We can’t do that.”
    “You’re right.” A conspiratorial edge slid into her voice. “I can’t do anything. But you can.”
    Jamie shook her head, not sure what to say to effectively communicate what a dumbass idea this was. There weren’t enough words in the English language.
    “I’m not going to get someone