Under Her Spell (9 page)

Zach glanced over at her, suddenly wary. "Don't tell me --"

"That's right," she said. "I'm one of those 'loony tree huggers' standing in the way of progress. That lagoon is a precious natural resource. It belongs to the thousands of birds and other wildlife that live there. What do you think will happen to them when people start building swimming pools and golf courses just a few feet away?"

"They'll go somewhere else," Zach said with a shrug. "That's the price of progress."

"It's too high a price. Far too high." Bryony shuddered at his casual disregard for the lagoon she loved. They settled into a stony, uncomfortable silence. Bryony's throat closed up as she contemplated the end of their enchanted evening. The argument recalled for her, again, how different they were. Zach was blind to everything she held dear. And yet she still couldn't bring herself to hate him.

They said goodnight, the disagreement over Seashore Estates casting a pall over their relationship. Bryony thought she saw a hint of regret in Zach's eyes, but he didn't apologize.

As she climbed the steps to her room, Bryony felt weighed down by an exhaustion that was more emotional than physical. She changed into her favorite
nightgown,
ivory cotton edged with lace, and picked up the book on meditation she'd been reading. Curling up in her curved wicker chair, she tried to concentrate on the words.

Instead, she found herself staring out at the moon. Zach kept intruding on her thoughts. She didn't understand him at all. How could he seem so caring one moment and so callous the next?
Her own
reaction to him was even harder to fathom.

Sexual attraction was one thing, and she had to admit that she was attracted to him. Even thinking of him as she sat alone in her room made her heart jolt in her chest and her breasts tingle under the soft fabric of her gown. When they were together, she was aware of him with an intensity she'd never felt with another man.

Still, there was something more. When his steely expression melted to tenderness, when she caught a flash of delight in his eyes, she felt a corresponding joy rise up in her. When they laughed together, she felt giddy with happiness. She was suddenly very afraid that her whole plan was backfiring on her.

She couldn't be falling in love with Zach, she just couldn't. That would ruin everything. He would go back to the city in another week, and where would that leave her? He would mock her in his column, and the entire world would know that he didn't love her back. So she would just have to put a stop to these feelings, and she had to do it now.

With that resolve in mind, she went to bed. Unfortunately, a simple decision wasn't enough to keep her from thinking of him. Even sleep couldn't do that. In her dreams, Zach taunted her, laughed at her, and then -- just before she woke, drenched with sweat -- kissed her gently and sensually on the lips.

"So, what did I miss?"

Bryony rolled her eyes. "Where do I start? Kasey, you won't believe everything that's been happening around here."

Kasey
Stollmeyer
, Bryony's only employee and her best friend since high school, widened her eyes in anticipation. "I leave town for one week, and already I'm behind on the gossip. Another fist fight at the Chamber meeting?"

"Not exactly." Bryony straightened a display of Tarot cards and moved on to restocking the incense. Technically, she had the weekend off, but she couldn't stay away from Heart's Desire. Even though she trusted Kasey with the shop, she liked to make sure things were just so. Besides, she wanted to get her friend's advice on the situation with Zach. "There's this man . . . ." she began.

When she reached the part about the love potion and Vivien's idea, Kasey's mouth fell open. "And he agreed to this? Zachary Callahan, playboy publisher, agreed to live with you for almost two weeks?"

"That's right," Bryony said. "And we'll be alone in the house in a day or two. He's off helping
Viv
and Kevin move into their new place as we speak."

"Wow." For once, Kasey was nearly speechless. She tossed her mane of blond hair over her shoulder and threw herself down in the stuffed chair Bryony kept near the book racks. "I've seen pictures. He's a total babe."

"Yes, he is," Bryony said. "And he's not the least bit in love with me. In another week, he'll go back to San Francisco and tell the world I'm a fraud."

"Is that really what's bothering you, that he'll make fun of your love potion in his column?" Kasey asked. "Because I seem to remember you saying the potion was just for fun. So maybe it's him not being in love with you that's the problem."

"What do you mean?" Bryony asked. "Are you implying that I --"

"Have certain feelings for this guy, and wish he would reciprocate? Exactly."

"I have to admit, there are moments when he's not so bad. But we can't even talk without fighting. Besides, he's got a thing for rich, sophisticated blondes. I can't compete."

"Hey, you think he'd be interested in me?" Kasey asked. "Except for the rich part . . . . No, really. I don't see why he shouldn't fall in love with you. You're beautiful, smart, and fun. What else could a guy ask for? You've just got to approach this thing from the right angle."

"The right angle?" Bryony raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. You need a plan."

"Oh, no," Bryony said. "Not a plan. Between you and Vivien, I'm surprised none of your plans have killed anyone."

"Not yet," Kasey said with a grin, bouncing up to grab a pen and a pad of paper from beside the cash register. "Now, here's what you have to do . . . ."

Ten minutes later, they were nearly rolling on the floor with laughter. Kasey had covered the piece of paper titled "Plan for Making Zachary Callahan Fall in Love" with a dozen items, "Cook his favorite meal" being the least outrageous.

"What's this?" Bryony asked, jabbing her finger at one item on the list. "Kasey, I'm not going to seduce him. That's ridiculous."

"Well, it's the last resort," Kasey said with mock solemnity. "Don't do that unless all else fails. Except, of course, if you really want to." She smiled devilishly, leering at her friend until Bryony rocked with laughter.

"Oh, please," Bryony said, giggling so hard her stomach hurt. It felt wonderful to let go after the tension of the past few days. "I don't think I'm that desperate."

"Oh, no?" Kasey said, sobering a little. "Come on, Bryony, when's the last time you even went out on a date?"

"It hasn't been that long," she said. "I don't know, a few months?"

"Try last year. With Stephen Prescott."

"That's right, Janie's cousin. And it turned out that jerk was already engaged to a woman in San Rafael, so it's a good thing we didn't go out again. Give me a break, Kasey. I've been busy with the shop."

"Not that busy," she said. "Anyway, I think you should give Zach a chance.
Seriously, now.
You said you disagree about everything, but have you really shown him your side of things?"

"What do you mean?"

"Show him who you really are," Kasey said. "Don't let him get away with his assumptions. Make him care about the things you love."

Bryony considered her friend's words for a moment,
then
nodded slowly. "I think you've got something there," she said, letting her lips curve into an impish smile. She'd just had a brilliant idea of her own. "That's actually good advice, for once."

"Gee, thanks." Kasey pretended to hit Bryony with a jade throw pillow. "It's about time you listened to me. So what are you going to do?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Bryony said. She tore the list off the pad of paper, wadded it up, and stuffed it in her pocket. "Sorry, Kasey, but that's my little secret."

"Not fair! You have to tell me."

"My lips are sealed," Bryony said. "Goodbye, Kasey." Her best friend's wail of thwarted curiosity trailed her as she stepped out of the shop and closed the door firmly behind her.

"Go away!" Zach shouted, groaning and burrowing his head deeper into his pillow. "Leave me alone, damn you."

The relentless pounding continued, drumming into his sleep-fogged brain. When he couldn't stand it any longer, Zach growled and sprang out of bed. He crossed the floor in three quick strides and flung open the door.

Bryony stood there, fully dressed, with her hair in a jaunty ponytail and her face freshly scrubbed. Her cheeks glowed with health and a good night's sleep. She had already raised her fist to hammer on the door again. She lowered it as he leaned threateningly toward her. "What?" he snarled.

"I've been knocking forever," she said, shaking her head. "You're obviously not a morning person,"

"You call this morning?" he asked, glancing at the still-dark windows. "The sun isn't even up. What time is it, anyway?"

"Time to go. We're running late already."

"Late for what?" Zach rubbed his eyes, squinting down at her.

"You'll see," Bryony said. "You'd, um, better put some clothes on."

He wore nothing but a pair of silk boxer shorts. Her eyes widened as she took in his well-muscled chest and the way the boxers clung around his narrow hips. His body was athletic and perfectly proportioned, from his wide shoulders to his long, compact legs. She took her time sizing him up, deliciously aware that she was turning the tables on him.

If he was embarrassed by her scrutiny, Zach didn't show it. He stood firmly in the doorway, hands on his hips, and let her look. The moment stretched into an eternity.
Bryony's heart turned over as her gaze traveled boldly down to the coarse, dark hair that gathered in whorls on his lower belly.

She forced her head up in time to see the arrogant set of his mouth and the teasing sparkle in his eyes. "See anything you like?" he asked.

"I see a man who's about to miss a spectacular sunrise," she said. "I'll give you five minutes to dress, not an instant more."

"Aye, aye, sir," he said, snapping her a mock salute and closing the door behind him. Bryony let out a sigh of relief. She'd been afraid he might balk and ruin her plans.

She fetched the thermos of coffee she'd prepared earlier, slipping it into her canvas knapsack with the carefully wrapped slices of crumb cake and the binoculars. Then she stepped out onto the porch to wait. The night was turning to gray as the first rays of sun leaked over the eastern horizon. The ocean's muted roar pounded in her ears like her own pulse. Even the birds weren't awake yet.

"So, where are we going?"

Bryony jumped at the sound of Zach's voice, as if he'd touched her. "It's a surprise," she said. "Come on."

He followed her to his car and followed her directions without a word of protest. Highway 1 was deserted, and the trip to the lagoon took only a few minutes. "Here," Bryony said, and Zach pulled off onto a dirt road nearly hidden by trees and other foliage. "Drive to the end."

He eased the convertible slowly down the road until they reached a cul-de-sac that served as an unofficial parking area. "Now what?" he asked.

Bryony opened her knapsack and pulled out a knee-high pair of waterproof boots. "I brought these for you," she said. "They were my father's. You'd better put them on, or you'll be soaked."

"What about you?"

"I'm wearing mine already," Bryony said. Besides the rubber boots, she'd dressed in old jeans, a denim shirt, and a down-filled nylon parka. It was her birding outfit, though she hadn't
worn
it in years. She was glad to see Zach had taken her cue and put on comfortable, faded clothes. They were going to get wet.

He'd realized what she was up to and looked a little ill at ease. Bryony stifled a chuckle. Despite his love of hiking, he was still -- as she had suspected -- a city boy at heart. She couldn't help but enjoy his discomfort.

"Follow me," she said, and began to climb down the small hill leading to the lagoon's tidal flat. The water rose around her ankles as she stepped in, and she could feel the chill even through the thick rubber of her boots. The rushes and cattails rose up past her waist. She turned to make sure he was behind her. He was, a long-suffering look on his face.

They edged carefully around the north corner of the lagoon, stepping gingerly to avoid pockets of deeper water. The day brightened incrementally as the sun stole up over the hills, casting long shining spears of light over the water. Bryony pulled the binoculars from her pack and scanned the lagoon.

She sucked in her breath as she spotted a brown pelican, unmistakable with its stout body and huge bill. "There," she whispered, handing over the binoculars. "Do you see the pelican? At two o'clock? It's one of the first of the season. Their migration doesn't really peak until August, when we'll have two thousand or more."

Zach's voice was hushed, too, as he replied. "Where do they all come from?"

"Baja California and the Channel Islands. They breed there, then fly here for late spring and summer."

"I've only seen them in books," Zach said, lowering the binoculars.

Bryony savored the look of awe on his face. "You haven't seen anything yet. Just wait."