Beauty and the Beastmaster - Linda Winstead Jones Page 0,15
about it. I can handle Gabi.”
Tyler made a harrumphing sound and leaned back. “Sounds like you actually like her. I’m surprised. I wouldn’t think she’s your type.”
She wasn’t his type, not at all. Gabi was a Non-Springer who would freak out if she knew what he could do. They came from different worlds; they wanted different things from life. She was focused on her kid. He didn’t much like kids. He hadn’t spent a lot of time around children, but they seemed to be unnecessarily noisy, demanding, and sometimes stinky.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll do what needs to be done.” Silas threw a few bills on the table and stood. He had a stop to make before he headed home. He’d been mulling on it all day, and he couldn’t wait anymore. He had to know if what he’d heard from Mia was a figment of his imagination, or an indication that she had Springer blood and could stay when the spell was cast. Gabi would have to be told, she could no longer be ignorant of the magic around her, but from everything he’d seen she didn’t mind being cut off from the world. In fact, she seemed to cherish her isolation.
Why? Mystic Springs was not exactly the kind of exciting town where pretty young women might like to live.
He didn’t care why she’d ended up here, he couldn’t care what had driven her to hide in this small town. If he did, how could he do his job and get her out of Mystic Springs before the equinox?
Gabi was washing dishes when Judge popped up and seemed to go on alert. A moment later, the doorbell rang.
No one visited her. Not after dark, anyway. She knew almost everyone in town, thanks to her business, but even those she considered friends didn’t drop by without warning. And since she had no phone, any visits were always planned well ahead of time. Something must be wrong.
Having Judge beside her as she walked to the front door was reassuring. Mia toddled along behind them, chattering happily. Gabi looked through the peephole before opening the door. The relief that washed through her at the sight of the man on her porch was strong and unexpected. She shouldn’t be happy to see any man!
“Change your mind?” she asked.
Why was Silas here? If he wanted Judge back, Mia would be devastated. What then?
“Can I come in?”
Her heart hitched. “Sure.”
Silas walked in, leaned over to scratch Judge behind his ears, then sat in the same place on her couch where he’d been this afternoon. He always seemed to be wound a bit tight, but at the moment he was really tense.
“What’s wrong?” She sat across from him, in her favorite chair, while Judge and Mia plopped down in the middle of the floor. Mia had her raggedy doll; Judge nosed at his stuffed animal, the mangled moose. They were both winding down, getting ready for bed.
Silas started to speak a couple of times, then shut his mouth. Whatever had brought him here, he was having a hard time finding the words.
“If you want Judge back…”
“No,” he said quickly.
“Good. Because you can’t have him.” She smiled.
He looked at Judge, and the bloodhound glanced up. She couldn’t quite decipher the expression on Silas’s face.
“Maybe we can have joint custody,” she suggested.
“Maybe,” he responded, only half paying attention.
Mia made her way to her feet and toddled over to Silas. She stood before him, her little hands on his knees, and chattered away. Gabi couldn’t understand a word her daughter said, other than an oddly clear and very excited “doggie.”
Silas’s eyes narrowed. “In a couple of weeks Mystic Springs will have a spring festival. For years we’ve thrown a shindig the weekend before the equinox, unless the equinox falls on a weekend, of course.”
He was rambling a little. She’d never met a guy who knew what or when an equinox was. If they did, they hadn’t bothered to mention it.
“I think you were here for it last year,” he added.
“I was, but I hadn’t been here long and only knew a couple of people. Mia and I were living above the beauty shop then. I watched from the front window and it looked like fun, but…”
“But you didn’t attend,” he finished for her when she faltered.
Gabi shook her head.
“You know everybody, now. You should come this year.”
“Maybe,” Gabi said, already planning to stay in. Social media wasn’t a big thing among the people of Mystic Springs, not that she’d