Spellbound Falls by Janet Chapman Page A

basket. Looking him right in the eye while pointing off to her left, she’d said her
gut
was telling her she’d be more comfortable over there, then gracefully sauntered away, dropped to her knees, and started shaping the snow into a bed.
The lady should be thanking the gods they had an audience, as he’d been tempted to jump up and kiss that little smirk right off her face, and not stop until she melted into him. Or rather, into his jacket—the one he’d felt her
accidentally
brush her cheek against several times this afternoon in the close confines of the shanty, just before she would turn away with a soft sigh. The same jacket that now carried more of her scent than it possibly could have taken on in the brief time she’d worn it the day of her attack.
Oh yeah; Olivia was attracted to him, only the poor woman didn’t seem to know what to do about it. But Mac supposed being a shrine for four years could get a personout of practice. And for that, the local men’s loss was going to be his gain—at least for the next six months.
Mac sat forward just as Henry dropped down beside him with a groan. “Can you tell the fish to stop biting?” the boy whispered, pulling off his hat and wiping his sweaty brow. “Sophie and I just get a hook baited and reset the trap, and another flag goes up. And you drilled the holes so far from each other that we’re spending more time running after flags than flying our kite.”
“There’s not really enough breeze anymore, is there?”
“Well, no. But ice fishing is a lot more work than flying a kite, so I thought you could ask the wind to come back up and the fish to stop being so greedy.”
“Sorry, son; you’re on your own on both counts,” Mac said with a chuckle.
They both looked over to see Sophie flop down to cuddle up against her mother, and Henry released another heavy sigh. “How much longer is this picnic going to last?” he asked softly. “Because I’ve been thinking we could skip dinner and go find that clearing as soon as we get back to Inglenook. I’m still full from lunch, and if we get hungry you can just teach me what’s safe to eat in the forest like you did at the ocean.”
Mac leaned against the shanty again, pulling Henry with him. “Unlike tidal pools, the forest plants are dormant right now or buried under what’s left of the snow.”
“I saw fish in the brook while we were waiting for Sophie’s school bus. If we found another brook on our hike, we could catch some and build a fire and cook them.” Henry let out a yawn and relaxed into Mac’s chest. “I’m glad we came here. I like that there’s not as many people in Spellbound Falls as there are in Midnight Bay, even though I do miss Mr. Trace and Miss Fiona and Misneach.”
Mac stifled a chuckle. Midnight Bay had a population of all of a thousand people, whereas Spellbound Falls had maybe three hundred residents this time of year. Not exactly metropolises, either one of them.
Henry tilted his head back to grin up at him. “But I don’t miss your cooking,” he said, covering his giggle with his gloved hand. “Miss Olivia and Miss Eileen don’t burn everything.” His eyes suddenly turned apprehensive. “Um, I asked Mama last night if it was okay to address adults by their first names like Miss Eileen said I should, but this morning my heart told me that it’s just not right. So I decided to use
Miss
or
Mr.
in front of their names, just like I do with everyone in Midnight Bay. Do you think Miss Eileen will mind very much? Even if I tell her my
mama
said I should?”
“Ah, Henry,” Mac said, pulling him back to his chest with a deep sigh. “You go right ahead and do what your heart’s telling you to, son, and Eileen will just have to respect your decision.” He rubbed his thumb along Henry’s hairline. “Did you also ask if we need to buy you pajamas?”
Henry nodded without lifting his head. “Mama said that if I’m old enough for sword lessons, then I’m too old to be