Spellbound Falls Read Online Free PDF

please forgive me, for I believe I’m supposed to call you
madam
, not Olivia. My mama would be quite upset with me if she knew I was calling a lady by her Christian name.”
Olivia smiled warmly. “And what’s your mama’s name?”
“Cordelia. But when Father speaks of her, he calls her
Delia
. My last name used to be Penhope, but now it’s Oceanus.” He went back to frowning again. “Only Father is also thinking of changing my first name. I suggested we might change it to Jack or even Jake, only he said those names aren’t noble enough.”
“But what’s wrong with
Henry
?”
The boy shrugged. “Father says
Henry
is too English.”
“It’s too—” Olivia spun toward the sound of a truck door slamming and saw Mark push down the locks before blindly fumbling with the ignition as he watched Mac through the windshield—who was standing a few paces away, his arms folded over his chest, staring back at him. The pickup started and the tires spun on the loose gravel as Mark sped onto the road without even checking for oncoming traffic.
“See, I told you Father would be civilized,” Henry said, giving her shoulder one last pat before he hopped in his seat and fastened his seat belt. “He didn’t kill the bastard even if he did deserve to die.”
Despite meeting Mac and Henry less than thirty minutes ago, Olivia had a feeling they were going to be a tad more of a bother than merely setting two more places at the table. For as precocious and direct as Henry was, his father was even scarier. Maximilian Oceanus was an undeniably large, imposing figure; the sort of man who not only would stand out in a crowd but likely command it. He had to be at least six feet four inches tall, his shoulders filled a good deal of the front seat of his full-sized SUV, and he had picked her up—twice—as effortlessly as if he’d been handling a child. But it was when he looked directly at her with those intensegreen eyes of his that Olivia felt her world tilt off center. Kind of like when a person stood in a receding wave on a flat sandy beach and had the illusion of being sucked out to sea even while standing perfectly still.
She never should have let Eileen talk her into breaking her rule of no private parenting sessions. She should have at least recognized what she was getting herself into when Mac had summarily dismissed her repeatedly gentle but firm refusals to let him come to Inglenook three weeks early—much the same way Mark had dismissed them this afternoon. Only whereas Mark had attacked her, Mac had gotten his way using good old-fashioned bribery. Did
anyone
listen to her? Honest to God, she needed to throw
gentle
out the window and put a lot more emphasis on
firm
—preferably while she was holding a baseball bat.
Which meant she should probably start working out and take up running again, considering how easily Mark had overpowered her, and sign up for one of Inglenook’s meditation classes, considering her emotional breakdown afterward. She was still shaking uncontrollably and fighting back tears, which was why she’d jumped out of the truck the moment they reached the turnoff, before she humiliated herself again.
Only Henry had shot out of the truck right behind her. At first it was obvious he’d felt duty bound to continue comforting her, but once Olivia had assured him she was feeling much better, the boy had taken off to explore the nearby woods instead.
That is, after he’d dutifully run back and asked his father’s permission.
Mac had also gotten out of the truck but had merely leaned against the front fender, his feet crossed at the ankles and his arms folded on his chest, apparently content to let his son deal with the welling tears he’d seen in her eyes. She was still wearing his leather jacket, and should probably give it back since he was standing in the cool March breeze in only his shirt, but the warm security of its weight surrounding her simply felt too wonderful to relinquish.
She buried her