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"I can’t i my own yard or porch

Whenever you want to be outside you have to share it with other people"

Her griave her opinion on that Ian smiled

"You don’t like to share, do you?"

"Not particularly I like people, I want the outside byold house and my space I like this town, in all its quirkiness And I like that no one thinks anything of a Murphy girl being a witch It’s sort of expected"

Ian wasn’t sure he wanted the answer, but he was too curious not to ask "So what does being a witch hed "I can hear the skepticis fro is, I’ to be capable of what characters in Harry Potter can do Witchcraft is just harnessing the ick within all of us via spellsit’s a nature-based religion that practices goddess worship I was born with a sixth sense though I can sense people’s feelings and see their auras"

Yeah He really hadn’t wanted this answer Auras weren’t logical "I’ to understand this, Bree, I really a What the hell is an aura exactly, and how can you possibly see it?"

He didn’t mean it as a slur, and she didn’t take it that way She just smiled "I bet your mother knows"

"Probably But unfortunately, she died two years ago Cancer" And now there was a lump in his throat, damn it His mother would have liked Bree, no doubt about that

"Oh, I’m sorry" Bree reached across the table and put her hand over his "That must be really difficult for you"

"It was Is" Ian laced his fingers through hers and squeezed "But I’m seriouswhat does an aura look like?"

"It’s the energy that surrounds everyone They’re in colors, which indicates ether with the es, I can usually tell what "

"What color is e to pat the air around hiht now it’s white You’re content"

Now that was kind of cool He was content

Relaxed Enjoying the moment "Very true What was it when you metdisapproval You didn’t like my nail polish"

Ian couldn’t believe she even renificant for hi off his year of erotic dreams "That’s not exactly accurate It wasn’t disapproval toward you, it was toward me I was instantly attracted to you, and that didn’t fit into my plan, so I was annoyed with myself"

"What was your plan?"

"To focus on my career and date corporate women who know their way around a boardroom and who understand ht that was a good idea It wasn’t really even who he was, and the idea of a high-profile romance with chichi dinners and expensive vacations held zero appeal "You forced me to look at my plan and realize it was never really what I wanted"

"What is it that you want now?"

He wanted to say "you," but he had already said that to her once that day And it wasn’t the true, full picture "I want to slon I want to have a life outside of my career I want to date a woman whose company I enjoy, who is a friend, who appreciates the ss, and when I’rew up upper ht Bree fit the bill, and that did crazy-ass things to his insides "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Bree heldher coffee in front of her chin and sniffed it "I want a relationship with a man who respects me as a partner I want my part-ti with the kids I want just enough h free time to be with my family, to take care of my house That’s not soto her, Ian was having insane lunatic thoughts Like ether

"Why did you come back to Cuttersville?" she asked "You didn’t really need to give me that offer on the house in person, did you?"

Busted "No I wanted to see you, to convince myself that the you in reality couldn’t live up to the you in "

Bree’s eyes had darkened "When I opened the door and you were standing there, I was just about knocked out by the sexual intent rolling off you I knew you wanted ave it away?" he asked ruefully