The Witch Bride's Charm

Chapter 1

Something wicked this way comes. Welcome to Keating Hollow.

Dahlia Day felt a smile tug at her lips when she spotted the sign on the side of the highway. The last time she’d read those words, she’d been coming into town for her wedding.

The wedding that she’d run out on.

This time she was returning to Keating Hollow for a fresh start, sans fiancé. Thank the gods.

The wind blew through her hair as she stepped on the gas, maneuvering her silver-blue 1958 Corvette convertible through the curves of the highway.

The redwoods towered over the road to the right, while the Keating Hollow River was to the left.

The fresh cool autumn air made her feel as if she was home even though she’d never lived there before.

But there was just something in her soul that said Keating Hollow was home.

Dahlia was a big believer in trusting her gut.

And that was why, when she’d woken from a dream last month with a clear vision of her living in her fairy godmother’s house, she hadn’t hesitated.

She’d needed a change from her life in San Francisco and her soul-sucking finance job for a Fortune 500 company.

Instead of staying and devising yet another way to keep them from downsizing their most valuable staff, she’d given her notice, cashed out her stock options, packed her bags, and left that life behind.

She’d even contacted a local dog rescue and made arrangements to adopt the most adorable redheaded Havapoo. In fact, she was stopping on her way into town to pick up the precious girl before heading to their new home.

Dahlia turned onto Main Street and let out a squeal of delight when she spotted a bunch of classic cars all lined up.

There was everything from a Model-T to a rare 1970 Plymouth Hemi Barracuda.

A man with a 1965 Mustang convertible reached into his car, honked the horn, and gave her two thumbs up as she slowly drove past. She grinned and waved at him.

The cars were so captivating, she barely noticed that most of the storefronts were spelled with some sort of magical element. The yarn shop had magical needles knitting a sweater, while the bookshop had an animated wizard and dragon acting out a scene in a popular novel.

Keating Hollow was everything she’d remembered and more.

It took her a while to find a parking spot. She had to pull off the main road and park on a side street, but before she left her car, she hastily put the top up and made sure to lock it since she had it loaded with all her personal belongings.

Satisfied none of her things were going to walk off without her, she headed into the heart of town.

As she passed Incantation Café, the town coffee shop, she caught the scent of pumpkin spice, making her mouth water.

She checked the time, hurried in for a coffee and a pumpkin scone, and then strode down the street to the popup rescue where she was meeting the volunteer to pick up her new pup.

“Hi,” Dahlia said, nervous anticipation making her heart flutter.

She smiled at the woman behind the table, mortified when her eyes misted with tears, quickly blinking them back.

Dahlia had been wanting a dog for a few years, and today was finally the day.

“I’m here to pick up Strawberry Shortcake. ”

“Oh, yes!” The tall blonde stood. “You must be Dahlia Day.” She held out her hand. “It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

Dahlia shook her hand and then let out an audible gasp of delight when the woman gestured to the little redheaded lady in a crate a few feet to the left. “Oh my gosh. Is that my new baby?”

“Yes, indeed.” The woman had her sign some paperwork and then retrieved the eight-month-old Havapoo from the crate and handed her over.

Strawberry Shortcake snuggled right into Dahlia’s arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

It was love at first sight.

Dahlia hugged the pup, cooing at her, and said, “You are such a good little girl. Look at how pretty you are. Are you ready to come home with me? I promise you’ll have the softest blankets and we’ll never run out of treats.”

The little girl’s tail wagged vigorously, and Dahlia let out a laugh.

The volunteer chuckled. “Looks like it’s a match made in heaven.” After going over the pup’s veterinary records, the blonde handed Dahlia a bag of supplies and said, “Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.”

“I won’t,” Dahlia said. She then dressed the pup in a harness and clipped her to a lead.

Strawberry Shortcake sat right at Dahlia’s feet, staring up at her adoringly until Dahlia said, “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get home and settled in, and then we’ll both get a walk.”

Dahlia waved at the rescue staff, clutched her bag of puppy goodies, and with the leash in her hands, she guided her new puppy down Main Street.

Her heart was full. After everything that had happened in the past year, she finally felt content.

She was in the town she wanted to be in, and she’d already lost her heart to the adorable Havapoo.

“Hey! Watch out!”

The shout came from somewhere behind Dahlia. She immediately came to a full stop and ducked as an overhead sign came crashing down right in front of her and Shortcake.

The leash came loose from her hand, and Strawberry Shortcake darted away from her.

“Shortcake, no!” Dahlia dropped her bag and sprinted after the scared pup. She skirted the fallen signage, keeping her eyes on Shortcake as the dog darted around the people filling the streets. “Excuse me!” Dahlia called as she bumped a man, nearly knocking him over.

Shortcake came to a full stop, her little head moving from side to side before she scampered under a woman’s feet, causing her to topple over into another man. They both went down, taking their barbecue grill with them.

Immediately a fire broke out, and with her heart in her throat, Dahlia leaped over the fire, chasing Shortcake into a small alcove.

The pup coward against a closed door, shaking so hard that Dahlia’s heart nearly broke.

She kneeled down in front of the small dog and attentively put her hand out, trying her best not to scare the dog any further.

Shortcake stayed put, pressing her little body against the door.

The smoke from the ruined barbecue filled the space, making Dahlia’s eyes water. She pulled her shirt up over her mouth to help herself breathe and blinked rapidly as her eyes started to water.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.” Dahlia very gently stroked the pup, smoothing her hand down her back. When she didn’t try to get away, Dahlia reached for her and pressed Shortcake to her chest.

The Havapoo snuggled into her, burying her head against Dahlia’s body.

“You’re safe now, sweetie,” Dahlia cooed and let out a sigh of relief. This was not the ideal way to start their time together, but at least the puppy seemed to trust her.

There was a loud bang that sounded like an explosion. She spun around and let out a loud gasp when she saw that the flames from the barbecue grill had suddenly grown three times in size. The smoke was thickening, and both she and Shortcake were trapped in the small alcove.

She spun around, tried the door to the darkened storefront, and let out a curse when it didn’t budge.

Dahlia had magic, but not the kind that could unlock doors, control fire, or even break the glass of the window so they could try to escape through the back of the store.

But she didn’t have much time. She’d have to do something, or the smoke was going to overwhelm both of them.

Just as Dahlia was about to turn back to the glass door, determined to find a way to break in, she heard a man’s voice shout, “Estinguere!”

The heat of the flames vanished, and the smoke started to dissipate.

Still clutching Shortcake, Dahlia squinted, trying to peer through the smoke. A faint outline appeared as the man asked, “Are you all right?”

“We’re okay,” Dahlia said, tears of relief filling her eyes. “Thank you.” She held her breath and stepped through the smoke to the sidewalk. She turned away, breathing in the fresh, clean air and then froze when the man spoke.

“Dahlia? Is that you?”

For just a moment, she panicked, thinking maybe her ex had followed her to Keating Hollow.

But that couldn’t be right. Myles’s voice wasn’t that deep, and besides, he was too busy following Blossom around to care about what Dahlia was up to.

She turned and blinked twice at the handsome man who was grinning at her.

The man she hadn’t seen since the morning after her wedding.

The one who’d saved her from marrying Myles.

The one she’d shared one magical night with and then ghosted the next morning.

“Dutton?” she choked out.

“Long time no see,” he said, grinning at her. Then his eyes flickered to the dog still curled up in her arms. He reached out and scratched her behind the ear. “Who’s this?”

“Um…” she stalled, completely speechless, but she wasn’t sure why.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know Dutton was living in Keating Hollow.

She hadn’t had any reason to think that he’d moved.

Though she hadn’t expected to run into him less than a half hour after arriving in town.

Nor had she expected him to be her knight in shining armor…

again. She cleared her throat. “Ah, this is Strawberry Shortcake. We’re still getting to know each other. ”

“I see.” Though his tone implied he didn’t. “Are you sure you’re both okay? I was just down the street when I saw the fire start. It took me a minute to get here to put it out.”

“We’re fine,” she said, finally mustering up a grateful smile. “Thank you. I was about to smash a window in to try to escape through the back of the building. It’s lucky you were here.”

“Thank the car show organizers,” he said with a faint smile. “Otherwise, I’d be at the shop, tinkering with the ‘54 Chevy that was just dropped off yesterday.”

“You opened that classic car shop you talked about last winter?” she asked, returning his smile. There’d been a reason they’d hit it off so well.

“I did.” His eyes twinkled in the afternoon light. “And what about you? Did you make, uh, any changes in your life?”

This time she let out a bark of laughter. “Changes? You could say that. I don’t even know where to start.”

His smoldering sapphire blue eyes traveled the length of her body and then raised to meet her gaze. “Why don’t you tell me about it over dinner?”

What had started out as a near tragedy had just turned into something fortuitous. She took a moment to appreciate his muscled physique. Turnabout was fair play, right? Then she gave him a flirty smile and said, “13 Moonveil Lane. Pick me up at seven.”

Then without another word, she and Strawberry Shortcake strode off.