Page 7

Adam put two loaves into the oven to bake and closed the door. He figured by the time he was done mowing, the bread would be ready. He hadn’t started the stew like he’d planned, but that could be for dinner. It would be easier to make a sandwich for lunch, especially now that he’d have bread.

Nothing like a ham and cheese on freshly baked— The doorbell rang. He went to see who it was and found Sydney at his door for the second time that day. He arched a brow at her.

“Hi.” She was holding a rectangular glass container of food, but that wasn’t what he was focused on.

She looked different. More casual than he’d seen her.

Her hair was knotted up in a messy bun on top of her head, and her T-shirt and shorts seemed damp in places.

Maybe she’d been cleaning. How did being disheveled make her even prettier?

Maybe she was a witch like Veronika and was using some sort of glamour.

She smiled tentatively at him. “I hope I’m not interrupting. I just wanted to bring you this. It’s lentil and sausage soup. Homemade. I made it. No guarantees how good it is, but I followed the recipe exactly. I’m sort of new to cooking.”

“I, uh …”

“Please accept it. I feel the need to pay you back in some way for all the help you gave me with the moving. Please.”

There was such sincerity in her eyes that he took the dish from her. “Thank you. We’re even, now. Really. Helping was the right thing to do.”

Her smile took on some confidence. “Well, I appreciate it all the same. I hope you like the soup.”

He nodded. The dish was warm. “Lentil and sausage is actually one of my favorites.”

“Oh, I’m so glad. Listen, if you ever need help with anything, don’t hesitate to ask. I mean, I’m right next door so, seriously, just ask.”

“Okay. Thanks.” He couldn’t imagine what he’d ever need her help for, but it might be worth making something up. She was nice.

Then again, she was also a woman. And at the moment, he had no real desire to spend time with one who would probably be as much trouble as the one who’d just stomped all over his heart. As much as he might want to think Sydney was different, what were the actual chances of that?

She was beautiful. So was Veronika. And he’d yet to meet a beautiful woman who didn’t know the power she wielded. Veronika certainly had, and she’d used it like a weapon.

“Well,” Sydney said. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yep.” He wasn’t sure what else there was to say. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She waved and went down the steps.

He closed the door and took the soup to the kitchen.

The subtle aroma of baking bread was just beginning to drift from the oven, stirring his appetite.

He glanced at the container as he set it on the counter.

Curiosity got the best of him. He unsnapped the lid and snagged a spoon from the cutlery drawer.

He lifted the lid and inhaled. The soup smelled good.

There were cubes of carrots, diced onion, chunks of tomato, and plenty of lentils and sausage bits.

Knife skills weren’t great, but she said she was new to cooking.

He dug the spoon in all the way down to the bottom and got a healthy serving, which he promptly stuck in his mouth.

It was good. Better than he’d expected. Layers of flavors that married well with the spiciness of the sausage and the earthiness of the lentils, all balanced by the sweetness of the carrots and tomatoes. He chewed.

And bit down on something hard, nearly cracking a tooth. He dropped the spoon.

Instantly, he knew what it was, and the realization sent a shiver through him, the clanging resonance of like recognizing like.

He spit the thing out into his palm. A tiny stone.

He shook his head. It was a beginner mistake, or a sloppy one.

She hadn’t picked through the lentils. Or maybe she hadn’t known to do that since she was new to cooking?

Either way, it was a good thing he wasn’t human, or he might have actually broken a tooth.

He stared at the pebble, his mind churning. What were the odds that Sydney actually knew who he really was? Because if she did, this stone might have been left in the soup on purpose.

His eyes narrowed, and he turned to stare in the direction of her house. She’d come to him and made a request—that he ask her for help anytime. Then she’d given him a stone, fulfilling the ancient magic that caused a gargoyle to be bound to another being.

But did she really know what she’d done? Her request had been followed with an offering of stone … What were the odds it was just a coincidence?

The heart of a gargoyle’s purpose was to protect and serve. Plain and simple. It was what they had been created for. And regardless of whether Sydney’s actions had been purposeful or not, he was now powerless to do anything but obey. The ancient magic she’d enabled bound him.

He growled out a frustrated sigh. The best way to deal with this was to get it over quickly. He’d come up with something simple, something easy, something—wait. He set the tiny stone on the counter and thought a moment.

Maybe he was going about it all wrong.

Simple and easy wasn’t going to deter her. If Sydney knew what she was doing and she thought getting him to rely on her in some fashion was a way to integrate herself into his life, simple and easy was only going to encourage her.

He needed something that would make her think twice about helping him again, because he had no intention of falling into another woman’s snare.

The grass could wait.

He went straight out of the house, across the yards and up onto Sydney’s porch. He knocked, not bothering with the bell.

A couple of yips from Mackie answered him, then Sydney opened the door. “Hush, Mackie.”

She had a box cutter in one hand, and there were several open boxes on the floor behind her. Now that the question of who was at the door had been answered, Mackie’s focus had shifted. He was trying his best to get into one of the boxes, but he couldn’t get past the flaps.

Sydney’s grin went ear to ear at the sight of Adam. “Hi! Was the soup that bad or that good?”

“You said if I needed help to come over.”

She nodded right away, her expression becoming more serious. “Yes, absolutely. What do you need?”

“I need help buying a suit.”

“A suit? Like a business suit?”

“Yes.”

Her gaze coasted over him as if mentally taking his measurements. “I bet you’re not easy to fit.”

“Nope.” One of the reasons he’d let Veronika supply most of his clothing was because buying off the rack with a body like his rarely had good results. Veronika, with her witch’s magic, had been able to conjure up whatever he needed.

“When do you need this suit by?”

He almost smiled. “Tomorrow night.”

She blew out an upwards breath that caused the little hairs around her face to lift. “Oh, boy. That’s pretty short notice for something like that.”

“You said you wanted to help?—”

“I do. I can. Yeah, okay, we can make this happen. Um, do you know if there’s a place in town that sells menswear? And hopefully does alterations on the spot?”

“Not a clue.”

She scratched her temple. “You want to go right now, I take it?”

He took a small amount of pity on her, seeing as how she was unpacking. “As soon as I mow the yard and get a shower, yes.” That would buy her a little time, but he wasn’t giving her more than that.

Her mouth hitched to one side as she looked back at the boxes.

“All right, that works. I need to finish a few things and get a shower myself. How about we say an hour? And then we’ll get you a suit.

Somehow. I mean, we will. We’ll totally find something.

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s shopping. ”

He nodded. Her confidence was admirable, but it wouldn’t last. “Great. An hour. I’d better get to work.” He waited until his back was to her to smile.

She had no idea the frustrating afternoon that lay ahead of her, but she’d soon find out.

He mowed quickly, stopping a little more than halfway through to get the bread out of the oven. The house smelled incredible, but he went back outside to finish his work.

When he came in again, despite being sweaty, he sliced himself a thick piece of bread, slathered it with butter, and ate it while he went in to shower.

As promised, Sydney was at his door when the hour was up. She’d changed into a green tank top, slim white pants, and gold sandals. Her hair was clipped back with a few loose pieces around her face, and her makeup seemed fresh.

She would have been beautiful in a paper sack, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. He’d gone with jeans and a plain black T-shirt. She checked him out, smiling. “You look nice.”

He hesitated. “I do?”

“Yeah. I think so, but then again, I’ve never seen you in anything but grubby clothes.”

She thought his clothes were grubby? He frowned. What had she seen him in? T-shirts and sweatpants mostly. Maybe she had a point.

“Listen,” she went on. “I’ve found two places in town we can try and a third if we get desperate.”

“Really?” He hadn’t counted on that. Probably should have done a little research himself before assuming shopping in town would be impossible.

“Yep. How do you feel about thrift shopping?”

“Thrift shopping? You mean … with coupons?”

She laughed. “No, I mean secondhand clothing. Does that weird you out, or are you okay with it?”

Veronika would have had a coronary before stepping into a thrift store. He shrugged. “I’m okay with it. Why, does it weird you out?”

“Nope,” Sydney answered. “Why should it? There’s some great vintage stuff out there, but besides that, it’s environmentally friendly, too.”

He nodded. “I guess if the clothes are in good enough condition, who cares? Probably be cheaper, too.”

“Definitely cheaper. But there’s also a highly rated menswear store in town.”

He was already starting to regret this, but what could he do? He was bound to her by magic now. That tiny little stone. He had no option but to grin and bear it.

And hope she found the next couple of hours more frustrating than he did. Although he was probably only feeling this way because having to do the bidding of any woman felt like being under Veronika’s thumb again. Once this little trip was over and he’d let her help him, he’d be free.

“Okay,” he said. “I guess we should go. I can drive.” She’d probably hate his old Bronco as much as Veronika had.

“I’ll be the navigator, then.”

He cut his eyes at her, but she didn’t notice. She was way too happy about this, which made him think his plan wasn’t going to go the way he thought.

Too late now.

He went down the steps after her toward the garage.

“So what do you need this suit for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Just a meeting I have to go to.” That was all the answer she was getting, too. If he told her the truth, that he was going to be in a bachelor auction, she’d show up. He just knew it.

And that was the last thing he wanted.