White Trash Witch (4 page)

"Wiley, the guy was obviously completely blind, and
stupid as a post. You'd be any man's dream of the perfect wife," he
said, thinking how good that sounded.

Her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Is that why you don't want to go out with the super
hunky cop?" he asked.

Nodding, she said, "Victor is a nice guy, but he's a
hunk. I'm never going to fall into that trap again."

He tried to take her mind off her problems. "I'm
divorced too. She married me for money. When we split up, she took
most of it with her. She was a beautiful woman, who had a cold
heart."

Wiley shook her head. "I'd pick you over money any
day. She was insane. Must have had too much peroxide on her
roots!"

Laughing, he finished his pie.

"Thanks, I needed that. The talk, and the pie. I
think I'll buy one to take back to Walter and Jeffrey."

"That's very sweet of you. No pun intended."

It had been a long time since he'd laughed so
much.

"Are we done touring for the day?"

"Yes, I think we are. It's my day off tomorrow, after
I deliver the pastries, do you want to continue? You're a nice man,
and I like talking with you." He figured that was her way of
letting him know that she'd only see him as a friend.

"I'd like that. What do you have planned?"

"I'll let you know tomorrow. I'd like to surprise
you."

"I can't wait."

"Well, they are off to a start, anyway," Serafina
said, appearing to be concerned.

"Oh, please, they are not going to get together. You
two are kidding yourself," Nigel said, laughing as he messed up
Serafina's hair.

"Hey, keep your dirty hands off me. You know the
rules. The dark angels can't touch the white angels," she said in a
huff.

"They never said I couldn't mess your hair," he said,
crossing his arms.

"What do you want, Nigel?" Zan asked, frowning.

"Nothing from you, prissy boy. I'm here to watch over
my charges." Nigel grinned when he saw the looks on Serafina and
Zan's faces.

"You stay away from them. They are our charges, not
yours."

"I'll bet you that I can keep them apart, and you two
will fail in your quest within one week," Nigel said, grinning in
triumph.

"What do you know that we don't?" Serafina asked.

With a smug air, Nigel looked down on the departing
car. "I know something about them that will ensure that they keep
their distance from each other. Wiley will end up with the hunky
cop and be miserable, never trusting another man. Ryder will never
find a woman he can trust and die young and single, leaving his
entire estate to some stupid charities."

"No!" Zan said.

"Yes!" Nigel chuckled.

"You had better man your guns then, dark one, because
you have just met your match. Those two are going to fall in love
and live happily ever after and you can go to he"

"Serafina!" Zan shouted.

Nigel laughed.

"I was going to say, heaven!"

His laughter died. "How dare you insult me like
that!" he snapped and disappeared.

"Were you really going to say heaven?" Zan asked.

With a sneaky grin on her face, Serafina shrugged. "I
guess you'll never know, will you." When she left, Zan took one
last look as Wiley's car disappeared over the horizon and then he
too vanished.

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"If only I can find a spell that will repel gorgeous
men, then I won't have to fight so hard to refuse them," Wiley
said, studying her Book Of Majick.

"I still don't understand why you think that if a guy
is handsome, he's no good," Nat said, swaying her feet back and
forth as she sat on the edge of the table in Wiley's basement.

"Experience. That's all I can say."

"Wiley, what gives with you, and Ryder?"

"What do you mean?" She looked up distractedly, while
she fingered through the pages.

"Well, you spent all afternoon and evening with him,
and tomorrow you're going touring all day."

Lifting her head, she grinned. "He's easy to talk to,
not overly attractive, and knows how to keep his hands off me. What
more do I need? He's the perfect man."

"What if he tries to kiss you? Isn't that, like,
gross?"

"No. I think he's attractive, in an unattractive
way."

"I think you've finally lost your marbles. The man is
bald and boring. Victor is a much better catch. He's tall,
handsome, sweet…"

"Bossy, overbearing, and gorgeous! All strikes in my
ballpark. If you want him, he's yours. Please, by all means take
him."

"Are you even aware of what you're saying?"

"Perfect! This one should do it. I take hair of the
dog, bark of an oak tree, a piece of meat and…a bone? What
the..."

"Sounds like a spell to make a dog happy."

"It must be all in the words. ‘Fidollo, racedacom,
comalipus'. Hmm…I think I'll try it. I mean, what's the worst that
could happen, right?"

Early the next morning, Wiley delivered the pastries
to Walter. She didn't have to wait for Ryder for more than a
minute.

"Good morning," he greeted her, selecting a blueberry
Danish.

"Hi. Once you're done breakfast, we're heading out."
Wiley took a blueberry Danish also.

"You like blueberries?" he asked.

"It's my most favorite fruit. I go picking once a
year, but most of them end up in my mouth before I get out of the
orchard. Lucky they don't weigh us on the scales before we leave
the fields or I'd be paying big time." After winking at him, she
poured a coffee, and sat down.

"Ah, there she is. Good morning, my little dove,"
Jeffrey said, ruffling her hair.

"Hello, darling. When are you going to leave that man
and marry me?" she teased.

"I'm sorry, Wiley, but he has much more money than
you."

"Oh, you brat! I'm telling Walter what you said!" She
giggled.

"I already know that he only wants me for my money.
Perhaps I'll auction him off and you can buy him." Walter leaned
down to kiss Wiley's cheek.

Laughter filled the room.

"Maybe I could get him for a buck or two!"

"Hey, no fair. Don't hurt the poor man's feelings,"
Ryder said, winking at Jeffrey.

"At last, someone who is on my side! They're brutal
when they pick on me," Jeffrey pouted.

"Oh, honey, I was going to buy you. That means I want
you, big boy! Who else is going to clean my house?" Wiley
snickered.

"Oh, you are so cruel! Ryder, when you have her in
the boat, pitch her overboard!"

"Boat?"

Smiling, Wiley shook her head.

"Spoiling my surprise now, are you?" She growled,
reaching out to tickle Jeffrey. He was extremely ticklish and
reacted instantly, jumping back, and giggling.

"Sorry, pumpkin. Consider that payback," he
teased.

"Oh, there'll be payback all right. See if I make you
your favorite Danish for the next two weeks."

"No. I can't take it. No lemon? How will I survive?"
he cried, over-acting his devastation.

Wiley laughed, and turned to face Ryder.

"We'd better get out of here before we have a
theatrical overload! Do you have shorts and a t-shirt?" she asked,
eyeing his long pants, and long sleeved shirt.

"Yes ma'am. I'll run up and change right away."

"Bring long pants and a sweater. I plan on keeping
you busy until past dark!"

"Lucky me," he teased. Winking at her, he raced up
the stairs, feeling younger than he had in years.

"You're spending the whole day with him? You hussy!"
Jeffrey teased. Since her divorce, Walter and Jeffrey had become
her closest friends, besides Nat.

"That's right. The big hussy here! I plan on wearing
that man out at no charge!"

"No charge? How will you survive?" Walter asked, his
eyes filled with mirth.

"I'll just have to sell myself on the streets. Maybe
I'll head for Toronto." After licking her fingers free of the sweet
icing, Wiley finished her coffee.

"He's a nice man, sweetie. He fits right into the
narrow little bracket you formed to fit the most eligible men
into."

"Walter, I like him. He seems genuine and never
pushes me into the ‘S…E…X' thing. I like that about him."

"The man's not dead, muffin. Give him a break if he
does push the packet. He's only human, and he's definitely not
gay," Jeffrey said, sipping his coffee. "Mores the pity!"

"I know. I'll try not to jump his bones the minute I
get him alone," she teased half-heartedly. Inside her stomach did
another flip, and she cringed. Her relationship with Ryder was
becoming complicated.

"All ready," the object of her thoughts said as he
returned to the room.

"Great. Let's go." After winking at the men, she
turned and led the way out the front door.

Ryder turned back to them and gave them a hand sign
that said, ‘she's hot!'"

Walter and Jeffrey chuckled as they watched the
couple leave.

"I have a feeling that she likes him more than she
wants to admit," Jeffrey said.

"I have a feeling that you're right." Walter watched
them disappear down the driveway and out of sight. Another car
began the climb up the hill and stopped in front of the porch. Two
men got out, dressed in suits.

"Good morning, gentlemen. We have two rooms left,
you're in luck."

"We aren't looking for rooms. We're looking for
someone." The man handed a photo to Walter. "Have you seen him?"
Walter stared down at a picture of a handsome man in his early
thirties with dark hair and blue eyes.

"No. Sorry. Are the police looking for him?" Jeffrey
asked.

"No. It's just business. His name is Duncan Ryder. If
you see him, call me, please." He handed Walter the card, and then
they climbed back into the car.

"Those men give me the creeps. I don't think I'd turn
him in even if we had seen him, would you?"

Watching the car disappear, Walter shook his head.
"No. I don't suppose I would. Hmmm, funny. Ryder Williams likes us
to call him Ryder. Ah, but he looks nothing like him. What a
coincidence."

"You're tipping the boat," Ryder cried, trying to
steady it while Wiley stood to get something out of the cooler.
When she bent over she gave him an excellent view of her buttocks,
encased in white shorts, very tight, white shorts. He swallowed
hard and pulled at his collar.

"Oh, I've got them. Just a second." Wiley stepped
backward, tripping on the fish net and careening toward him with a
pop can in each hand.

Ryder dropped the fishing rod and caught her, his
arms circling the life vest.

"This seems to happen a lot," he teased, his lips
just an inch from her ear.

"Ah, it's just part of my makeup." She stayed in his
arms for a moment but started as though she'd just realized he was
holding her. Gulping, she handed him his pop and moved over to the
seat across from him. Once settled, she looked around the boat.

"Where's the fishing rod?"

"Oh, I dropped it when you fell."

Ryder saw it at the same time as she did and put a
spell on it to bring it back. For some reason it flew across the
water, landing with a ‘thunk' in the boat. Surprised at the
strength of the spell, he fell silent for a few minutes.

"So, how long do you want to fish?" she asked,
sipping her cola.

"As long as you do since you're the tour guide."
Opening his pop, he took a long sip.

Wiley watched his throat as he swallowed and then
averted her eyes. He wondered if she was getting sea sick since she
kept placing her hand over her stomach. Maybe she was simply
hungry.

"Would you like to eat lunch now?"

He was surprised that they were on the same
wavelength. "Sure," he said, focusing on the fishing rod as his
groin began to respond to her husky tone.

"Okay," she said and put down her pop. She turned and
once again headed for the cooler.

Ryder nearly groaned aloud when she showed him her
butt again. This time she was careful and wiggled backward until
she got to her seat. His face grew flushed, and his pants tightened
as he watched her.

"Here," she said, handing him a sandwich.

He took it in silence, and opened it.

"I love ham and cheese, don't you?" she babbled.

"Yeah, love it," he murmured, taking a bite. He had a
hard time swallowing around the lump in his throat. He took a
healthy swig of his pop.

After taking a bite of her sandwich, her eyes on his
throat again, she choked. Coughing and sputtering, she grabbed her
pop and took a drink.

"Are you all right?" he asked ready to leap to her
aid.

"Yeah," she said in a strangled tone. "Went down the
wrong way."

"Do you need another pop? I can get one for you if
you'd like," he offered.

Nodding, she remained silent, her face flushed.

"Here, switch places with me," he said.

Carefully, they changed seats, and he reached forward
to get her a pop.

Wiley's eyes widened when she saw his Ryder's butt
encased in jean shorts. It was a nice butt, shaped just the way a
man's should be. Shutting her eyes tight, she tried to get the
image out of her mind.

"Here you go," he said, sitting down.

Opening her eyes, she focused on the can and
practically drank the whole thing down.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much."

"Maybe we should head inland," he suggested.

"Sure," she muttered, wondering if he'd noted her
flushed face. She wasn't hungry anymore, her whole body focusing on
him instead.

It took about ten minutes, but soon they pulled
ashore. Wiley got out and tied the boat up. Ryder handed her the
cooler and fishing gear before climbing out himself.