Bewitching You: A Maple Grove Halloween Novella by Katana Collins

Author:Katana Collins [Collins, Katana]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2019-10-02T16:00:00+00:00

7

Kandi

From across the room, I did everything possible to avoid staring at Ford. Ford, who helped kids paint their pumpkins. Ford, who became adorably animated with the kids and put on a pumpkin puppet show for his table. Ford, who despite his gruff exterior, had a soft spot for children and animals.

And princesses.

I smiled as he looked up, catching me staring. His brows lifted, eyes sparkling with intensity, as I waved goodbye to the few remaining families—Ronnie, Lex, and Olivia and Cam, Lydia, and Maddie.

It was only two o’clock, and I should have been exhausted. But I was wired—wound up and excited at the prospect of helping kids by doing something I loved so much.

I felt rather than saw Ford come up behind me and his hand slipped across my torso. Without thinking, I dropped my head back, resting against his broad chest, and sighed as his arms snaked around my waist, holding me tighter.

“I counted the donation box,” he whispered. “You raised one thousand two hundred and twelve dollars.”

I turned slowly to face him, blinking up at him in the warm light of the candy store. “My best year yet,” I whispered. “I can’t help but think having you here brought in some of those single moms who got their own eye candy while their kids got real candy.”

He snickered and shook his head. “Please. Those women don’t want a dirty farm boy.”

I laughed and shook my head. “You don’t know women at all, you know that?”

“Oh, I know women. I think I know them better than they know themselves sometimes.”

I snorted at that and rolled my eyes. Just like a man. “Are you seriously going to mansplain how women operate to me?”

He chuckled a deep rumbling laugh. “Absolutely not. I value my balls and I’m pretty sure you’d have them on a stake if I tried that.”

“Okay, then,” I said, somewhat satisfied. “For the record… watching you with children is super sexy.”

His brow arched impressively. “Oh, yeah?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice to answer. “You want kids?” he pressed.

“I do,” I answered. “After the incident where I thought I was pregnant, I realized just how much I wanted them. And then Ben’s reaction? Well…” I snorted. “I don’t have to tell you. You were there.”

His jaw clenched as he nodded. “I’m sorry that happened to you,” he added softer.

“It was a relief, actually,” I said, realizing the truth for the first time myself. He seemed surprised by my response.

“How so?”

“Well, as much as I want a baby, if I had really been pregnant, I’d still be stuck in a relationship with Ben.”

Ford’s expression darkened. “You would have stayed with him? After his reaction to the news?”

I shook my head. “No. No, I couldn’t have stayed with him after that. I just mean that our lives would have been forever connected with a child. Even if we weren’t romantically together. The fact that I was never pregnant was a relief because I could walk away from Ben with a clean break.

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