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“Breathe new life …” Alana gasped. “Oh, my god, I think you just gave me an idea of how we can fix this.” She bounced to her feet. “I have an idea, but before I tell you what it is, I need to make sure I can make it work first.” She rushed toward the front door, and Cohen was on his feet, following behind her as soon as the door shut.

“Hold on,” Mrs. Francis called out to him from the front porch. Cohen looked down the street where Alana was making a quick getaway, beelining it for her store. Mrs. Francis called out his name again before saying, “Give Alana some time. She is going to be a little bit self-conscious about her idea.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“That’s not my story to tell, Cohen. If you want to get to know Alana, maybe stop biting her head off every time she opens her mouth. I promise you that she is a good person. She has the best interest of this town at heart, just like the other women in her family, just like me. Just likeyou, Cohen. Be nice to her.”

He grumbled, and the older woman chuckled.

“You like to play the big tough guy, Cohen, but you forget I know your history. I know that you are closed off because love hurt you. That heart of yours is still in there, just ready and waiting to be used. You’ve got a great capacity for love, Cohen. Maybe it’s time you use it.”

He left before Mrs. Francis said anything more that would upset the very narrow balance he had on his emotions.

If Alana needed time, he would give it to her, but Cohen didn’t want her to be alone. He was pulled to Wixx by forces that were way beyond his understanding.

And this time, he didn’t even blame Alana for it.

He blamed himself and the magic that was keeping him safe, locked in his past.

TWELVE

ALANA

Alana sat in her favorite chair, staring down at the crystal ball she had never been able to use. Oh, but at that very moment, she would have given just about anything to see the future in the shiny orb.

It would be so much easier if she could simply figure out how to fix the Half Moon Key protection spell without actually spending any more time with Cohen Pierce.

Only danger lay that way.

Not the kind of danger that Alana could get behind. It wasn’t simply a broken heart that Alana wanted to avoid. There were other dangers too.

She didn’t want to kiss Cohen, and she definitely didn’t want to ... all of a sudden ... stop hating him. Disliking him was much safer, especially now that she knew exactly what it was like to kiss him. And wow! The man knew how to kiss.

Alana shook her head to clear her thoughts, but without fail, every time shedidclose her eyes, she saw Cohen. Either he was about to kiss her or ...

The curtain parted, and Alana would have jumped to her feet from fright at the interruption had she not been expecting this very visit.

She knew he would follow as soon as she left the council meeting. It wasn’t only because he had called out her name. There was something else between them now that they had a truce in place.

A truce and a few kisses.

Alana felt differently about Cohen now, though when exactly that had happened, she didn’t know. Maybe part of her had always wanted to be somethingdifferentwith Cohen.

Something else.

The man himself was something else, indeed. Cohen stood there in her personal space, glaring at her with his arms crossed. “That was quite the exit. I thought we were a team. The truce?”

She snorted dryly before laughing. “Oh, yeah. Our truce. I couldn’t stay there, Cohen. I can’t have the weight of Half Moon Key on my shoulders. I do not have that kind of power.”

He shook his head. “But you don’t have the weight of the town on your shoulders, Alana. Or if you do, you’re not the only one carrying it. I’m there, and so are Mason, Parker, Jack, my deputies, and Mrs. Francis. You’re notalone, Alana.”

She continued to stare at the crystal ball, wishing there was a fire in it. At least then, she could explain why her cheeks were burning.

“I know that you’re overwhelmed, but you need to take a breath here.” Cohen sat beside her, and his legs were so long that his knee almost touched her own.

She wanted to press her leg into his for comfort, and that was precisely how she knew that she was well and truly losing her mind. How could she even consider taking comfort from the sheriff? From Cohen Pierce? The man who always, always,alwaysstole her booth.

“Alana,” he whispered. “Look at me.”