A Witch's Tale Read Online Free PDF Page A

even entered his mind.
    “How about him?” he blurted out in an attempt to chase such dangerous thoughts from his mind. “Any reason why I couldn’t buy this little guy?”
    “Why , no, no reason at all.” H er beautiful face glowed with delight at the idea. “In fact, I think you two would make a perfect match.” And she realized what she said was true. This happy, loving animal was just what the man with the sad eyes needed.
    “You really think so?”
    “I’m absolutely certain.”
     
    This was probably the craziest thing he had ever done. He didn’t know anything about dogs. He’d never owned a dog in his entire life. What was he going to do with the animal, anyway?
    All these thoughts flew through his mind as he stood at the counter paying for the dog along with the array of equipment and food his new pet required.
    Why worry? the sensible side of his brain countered. It wasn’t as if he intended on keeping the mutt. He’d only bought it as a means of getting closer to Cassie, right? As soon as this assignment was over, he’d get rid of it.
    Oh, he’d make sure it had a good home. It wasn’t as if he was going to drop it off at the pound ... exactly. It was, well, who could expect him to tie himself down to a dog? The very thought was ludicrous.
    “Have you thought of a name yet?”
    “I beg your pardon?” He hadn’t realized how deeply he h ad been contemplating his new acquisition until he realized that Cassie was waiting for an answer to a question he hadn’t known she’d asked.
    “The puppy - have you thought of a name for him?”
    Mac looked down at the animal who was now tethered to the end of a brown leather leash. Circling th e pup’s neck was a thick, metal- studded collar. Dancing brown eyes looked out of one of the ugliest faces Mac had ever seen. The dog’s coat was a brown brindle and he had a white lopsided star on the middle of his forehead. His squat, stubby little body quivered with excitement at this new adventure.
    “Yeah, I guess I’ll call him Sarge . He has a striking resemblance to a drill sergeant I had when I was in the Marines.”
    Cassie’s heart did a funny little twist when he gave her that lopsided grin. Somehow she knew that he rarely smiled. How sad.
    “I, uh, I don’t suppose you give lessons on these things?” he asked, the smile still in place.
    “Give lessons ...?”
    “Yeah, you know, to teach me how to take care of him, when to feed him, when to walk him. I guess what I need is something like an owner’s manual.”
    “You’ve never had a dog before, have you?” Sudden understanding hit Cassie. It struck her as odd that the notion had taken this long to come to her. From the first moment she had seen this man she had felt a strong psychic connection. She was surprised she had missed this very important fact about him.
    “Well, no, not exactly. I’ve known a couple of guys who had dogs, but, well, Mom and I never managed to stay in one place long enough to acquire pets.”
    His brief statement told Cassie so much. A single mom, perhaps an only child, always on the move, never putting down roots. No wonder he had such a melancholy air about him.
    “We do have several good books on how to train your dog,” she suggested.
    “Right. I’ll have to buy a couple. But what I had in mind was more in the line of private lessons. I thought maybe you could spare a little time. How about giving me a quick class in puppy care over lunch?”
    The intensity of his gaze far outweighed the light banter of his words. A smile slowly lifted the edges of her mouth as she nodded her acceptance.
    She had planned on staying close to the store today, out of the public eye as much as possible. In fact, she and Shelly hadn’t been sure they should have even opened shop, given the horrible cloud of suspicion that hovered over them. But there was absolutely no way she could refuse him. The magnetic force between them seemed to have taken on a life of its own.
     
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