Charmed and Dangerous: An Appalachian Magic Novel (Appalachian Magic Series Book 1) by Debbie Herbert Page A

and jeans, right?”
    She took a deep breath and slowly turned to see her father easing out of a silver Jaguar. He waved, oozing charm and confidence.
    “Showtime,” she tried to joke.
    James threw an arm over her shoulder and took a defiant stance.
    “That’s not necessary.” She elbowed him, but he didn’t flinch.
    Her father stood before them. He looked exactly the same as in the old photo, except his hair was a bit longer.
    “Callie.” He hesitated and then drew her into a brief embrace.
    She smelled something vaguely familiar; it tugged and teased the dark corners of her mind.
    “You look so young,” she blurted.
    “Good genes and good living,” he said with a smooth grin. He stepped back and eyed James.
    “This is my friend James.”
    The two men glared. An undercurrent of animosity and tension sparked the air. What was it about their two families that didn’t mesh? First, Mom’s suspicions, then his dad’s antagonism, and now this.
    With obvious reluctance, her father held out a hand. For a minute, she feared James would ignore it.
    “Mr. Bradford.” James’s voice and body were stiff, and his hand reached to his side pocket for something but came up empty. As James shook his hand, they leaned into one another and mumbled something.
    A mild rumbling erupted beneath her feet, and the late January wind crackled with red-hot energy.
    James turned his back to her father and stood directly in front of her. “I’ll give you some privacy and wait in the car. I’m across the street if you need me.” He shot a grim look in the vicinity of her father.
    Lucas Bradford ignored him and took one of her arms in his. “I see a bench. Why don’t we talk there.” He moved her forward, dismissing James without a word.
    She looked over her shoulder at James and waved in apology. He nodded and motioned he would wait by his car.
    “Is that your boyfriend?” her father asked once they were seated.
    “Yes.” A shadow passed over his face. “Why?”
    “Bad vibes, that one.”
    “Oh, please. Why do you care?” Was he actually going to pull the concerned father card after all these years?
    “You’re right. I didn’t mean to start us off on the wrong foot. I apologize.” His smile brought to mind a used-car salesman closing a deal.
    Unexpectedly, a ripple of pleasure shot through her veins like a mild psychotropic drug. She suppressed it immediately and placed a protective bubble around her body to stop the supernatural onslaught.
    “I know what you’re doing,” she accused. He was extremely powerful to smash the coven’s protection spell. The thought-form sensation he’d thrown at her penetrated her consciousness as if she was a defenseless baby. She’d better watch it.
    He didn’t act surprised or offended. “I was trying to ease the strain. It’s not every day you meet your only child after being apart for years.”
    “You never had any more children?” she asked curiously.
    “No.”
    “Ever remarry?”
    “Never. Once was enough.” His laugh was bitter. “What has Ginnie told you about me?”
    “That you’re dangerous and use magic for your own personal benefit.” She kept it deliberately vague. Let him do the explaining.
    “Doesn’t everybody use their talents to improve their life?”
    “It’s forbidden to use our Gifts in a way that will harm others or manipulate their will.”
    “Says who?” He kept his tone mild and his smile fixed.
    “Basic Witchcraft 101. Everyone knows hatred or revenge spells return threefold to the person casting them.”
    “Not everyone believes that nonsense. Have you had any personal experience with hexes?”
    “Absolutely not.”
    “You sound like your mom. How about opening your mind a little bit?”
    “I am not like her!” Immediately she saw the trap he’d laid.
    “Then loosen up and consider another point of view.”
    She focused her mind to discern his aura. The color of it could help her determine his true intentions.
    “Uh-uh, no.” He