Page 40 of Must Love Scones and Secrets
“A message box can’t reach him, but his fiancée, Tansy, can. She has a workshop above Thistle and Thyme, Juniper’s herbalist shop. Help… My magic is for baking, but I know someone whocando big magic. There is a wizard in Moonshine Hollow. He will know what to do.”
Bjorn nodded. “Okay, let’s work together. I can go seek out the dryad.”
“And I’ll talk to the wizard. We can meet at Elder Thornberry’s later.”
The sun was awake now. A rosy pink light spread across the horizon, shading everything in a gold hue.
Having completed what work they could, the fairies zipped back into the shadows of the forest.
“Shall we?” Bjorn asked, gesturing back to the cottage.
I nodded.
As Bjorn and I walked back, I could feel his emotions stirring. Suddenly, he seemed tense and not because of the Ley lines.
“Rosalyn,” he said as we reached the cabin, his voice oddly formal. “About last night?—”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” I said softly, echoing my previous words.
He smiled, but the humor didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I wasn’t going to. I just… I need you to know that it meant something to me.Youmean something to me.”
Relief flooded through me but was quickly followed by concern at his serious tone. “But?”
“No but,” he said, taking my hand. “Just… There are things about me you don’t know. Things I need to sort through.”
I studied his face, trying to read the struggle I saw there. “Whatever it is, Bjorn, you can tell me.”
Oh,no. He’s married. That has to be it. At the very least, he has a girlfriend. I’m a girl’s girl. If that’s the case, I will never forgive myself—or him. I’d never do that to another woman… Ugh!
Bjorn looked pained. “I want to. I will. Just not yet. Let’s see to the Ley lines before something bad happens. The rest… Please just know, no one has ever made me feel seen the way you have. No one. Thank you, Rosalyn,” he said, a sad tone in his voice.
Okay, so maybe not a girlfriend.
I didn’t understand his meaning, but I nodded anyway. “I love being with you, Bjorn. Whatever it is, take the time you need.”
The relief in his eyes was palpable. He pulled me close and set a tender kiss on my lips. I could feel the shift in his energy. His confidence was gone. Now, I sensed fear. He kissed me deeply, soaking me in, his kiss almost desperate, as if he feared it might be our last.
When we finally pulled back, he pressed his forehead against mine. “Rosalyn,” he whispered, uttering my name like it was something precious. He gently touched my chin. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I’ll find you,” I assured him, trying to ignore the knot of worry forming in my stomach.
He nodded.
Slipping into the cabin, I gathered Merry, who was thoroughly unimpressed with being awake so early, and prepared for my journey back to Moonshine Hollow. As I left, Ilooked back to see Bjorn standing on the porch, watching me go. His expression was unreadable, but the slump of his shoulders spoke volumes.
Whatever secret he was keeping, it weighed on him heavily.Charmedelf. That was what the fairy queen had called him. Did that mean something I didn’t understand? What was I missing? I sighed. Despite the magic we’d shared the previous night, I couldn’t shake the feeling that when daylight came again, it might have swept away the connection we’d found in darkness.
As I spread my wings and lifted into the air, I made a silent promise—both to him and myself—that whatever stood between us, I wouldn’t let it end our story.
After all, I was Rosalyn Hartwood, baker extraordinaire and notorious romantic.
And I didn’t give up easily on the people who mattered to me.
And right now, no one mattered more to me than Bjorn Runeson.
A meow called from the basket hanging on the crook of my arm, as if Merry had read my thoughts and protested.
“And you, Merry. That goes without saying. Always you.”
