Charmed
Page 53
"I've missed Ireland," Ana said simply. "I think the goose is nearly ready." After opening the oven and taking a heady sniff, she nodded. "Ten minutes more," she predicted. "I'll just go see if everything's on the table."
"Won't even discuss it," Maureen said to her husband when Ana slipped out.
"Tell you what I'd like, my dove. I'd like to take that young man and send him off to some nice frozen island. Just for a day or two, mind."
"If Ana wasn't so sensitive about such matters, I could brew up a nice potion to bring him around."
Padrick patted his wife's bottom. "You have such a delicate touch, Reenie. The lad would be bound by handfast before he could blink—which would be the best thing to happen to him and that darling child of his." He sighed, nibbling his way up his wife's arm. "But Ana would never forgive us for it. We'll have to let her work this out her own way."
Frustrated by a day of canceled flights and delays, Boone slammed the car door. What he wanted was a long hot bath, and what he had to look forward to was an endless night of dealing with those terrifying words Some Assembly Required .
If Santa was going to put in an appearance before morning, Boone Sawyer was going to have to put in some overtime.
"Come on, Jess." He rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been traveling for more than twelve hours, if you counted the six he'd spent twiddling his thumbs in the airport. "Let's get this stuff inside."
"Ana's home." Jessie tugged on his arm and pointed toward the lights. "Look, Daddy. There's Morgana's car, and Sebastian's, and the big black car, too. Everybody's at Ana's house."
"I see that." He felt his heart begin to trip a little faster. Then it all but stopped when he saw the For Sale sign in her front yard.
"Can we go over and say merry Christmas? Please, Daddy. I miss Ana." She closed her hand around the zircon she wore. "Can we go say merry Christmas?"
"Yeah." Glaring at the sign, he gripped his daughter's hand. "Yeah, let's go do that. Right now."
Move away, would she? he thought as he strode across the lawn. In a pig's eye. Sell her house when he wasn't looking and just take off? They'd just see about that.
"Daddy, you're walking too fast." Jessie had to trot to keep up. "And you're squeezing my hand."
"Sorry." He drew in a long breath, then let it out again. He scooped her up and took the stairs two at a time. The knock on her door wasn't so much a request as a demand.
It was Padrick who answered, his round face wreathed in a fake white beard, and red stocking cap on his balding head. The minute he saw Boone, the twinkle in his eyes died.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Brave enough to take us all on at once, are you, boyo? We're not all as polite as my Ana."
"I'd like to see her."
"Oh, would you now? Hold it right there." He gave Jessie his charming smile and lifted her out of Boone's arms. "Looks like I got me a real elf this time. Tell you what, lass, you run right on in and look under that tree. See if there's not something with your name on it."
"Oh, can I?" She hugged Padrick fiercely, then turned back to her father. "Please, can I?"
"Sure." Like Padrick's, his smile faded as soon as Jessie raced inside. "I came to see Ana, Mr. Donovan."
"Well, you're seeing me. What do you think you'd do if someone took your Jessie's heart and squeezed it dry?" Though he was more than a head shorter than Boone, he advanced, fists raised. "I won't use nothing but these on you. You've my word as a witch. Now put 'em up."
Boone didn't know whether to laugh or retreat. "Mr. Donovan…"
"Take the first punch." He stuck his whiskered chin out, looking very much like an indignant Santa. "I'll give you that much, and it's more than you'd be deserving. I've listened to her crying in the night over the likes of you, and it's boiled my blood. Told myself, Padrick, if you get face-to-face with that weasel of a man, you'll have to demolish him. It's a matter of pride." He took a swing that spun him completely around and missed Boone by a foot. "She wouldn't let me go after that other slimy bastard when he broke her poor heart, but I've got you."
"Mr. Donovan." Boone tried again, dodging the peppery blows. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Hurt me! Hurt me!" Padrick was dancing now, fueled by the insult. His Santa cap slipped over his eyes. "Why, I could turn your insides out. I could give you the head of a badger. I could—"
"Papa!" With one sharp word, Ana stopped her father's babbling threats.
"You go on inside, princess. This is man's work."
"I won't have you fighting on my doorstep on Christmas Eve. Now you stop it."
"Just let me send him to the North Pole. Just for an hour or two. It's only fitting."
"You'll do no such thing." She stepped out and put a warning hand on his shoulder. "Now go inside and behave, or I'll have Morgana deal with you."
"Bah! I can handle a witch half my age."
"She's sneaky." Ana pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Please, Papa. Do this for me."
"Could never refuse you anything," he muttered. Then he turned glittering eyes on Boone. "But you watch your step, mister." He jabbed out a plump finger. "You mess with one Donovan, you mess with them all." With a sniff, he went inside.
"I'm sorry," Ana began, fixing a bright smile on her face. "He's very protective."
"So I gathered." Since he wasn't going to have to defend himself after all, he could think of nothing to do with his hands but shove them in his pockets. "I wanted to—we wanted to say merry Christmas."
"Yes, Jessie just did." They were silent for another awkward moment. "You're welcome to come in, have some wassail."
"I don't want to intrude. Your family…" He offered what almost passed for a grin. "I don't want to risk my life, either."
Even the faint smile faded from her eyes. "He wouldn't really have harmed you. It's not our way."
"I didn't mean…" What the hell was he supposed to say to her? "I don't blame him for being upset, and I don't want to make you or your family uncomfortable. If you'd rather, I could just…" He turned slightly, and the sign on her lawn caught his eye. His temper rose accordingly. "What the hell is that?"
"Won't even discuss it," Maureen said to her husband when Ana slipped out.
"Tell you what I'd like, my dove. I'd like to take that young man and send him off to some nice frozen island. Just for a day or two, mind."
"If Ana wasn't so sensitive about such matters, I could brew up a nice potion to bring him around."
Padrick patted his wife's bottom. "You have such a delicate touch, Reenie. The lad would be bound by handfast before he could blink—which would be the best thing to happen to him and that darling child of his." He sighed, nibbling his way up his wife's arm. "But Ana would never forgive us for it. We'll have to let her work this out her own way."
Frustrated by a day of canceled flights and delays, Boone slammed the car door. What he wanted was a long hot bath, and what he had to look forward to was an endless night of dealing with those terrifying words Some Assembly Required .
If Santa was going to put in an appearance before morning, Boone Sawyer was going to have to put in some overtime.
"Come on, Jess." He rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been traveling for more than twelve hours, if you counted the six he'd spent twiddling his thumbs in the airport. "Let's get this stuff inside."
"Ana's home." Jessie tugged on his arm and pointed toward the lights. "Look, Daddy. There's Morgana's car, and Sebastian's, and the big black car, too. Everybody's at Ana's house."
"I see that." He felt his heart begin to trip a little faster. Then it all but stopped when he saw the For Sale sign in her front yard.
"Can we go over and say merry Christmas? Please, Daddy. I miss Ana." She closed her hand around the zircon she wore. "Can we go say merry Christmas?"
"Yeah." Glaring at the sign, he gripped his daughter's hand. "Yeah, let's go do that. Right now."
Move away, would she? he thought as he strode across the lawn. In a pig's eye. Sell her house when he wasn't looking and just take off? They'd just see about that.
"Daddy, you're walking too fast." Jessie had to trot to keep up. "And you're squeezing my hand."
"Sorry." He drew in a long breath, then let it out again. He scooped her up and took the stairs two at a time. The knock on her door wasn't so much a request as a demand.
It was Padrick who answered, his round face wreathed in a fake white beard, and red stocking cap on his balding head. The minute he saw Boone, the twinkle in his eyes died.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Brave enough to take us all on at once, are you, boyo? We're not all as polite as my Ana."
"I'd like to see her."
"Oh, would you now? Hold it right there." He gave Jessie his charming smile and lifted her out of Boone's arms. "Looks like I got me a real elf this time. Tell you what, lass, you run right on in and look under that tree. See if there's not something with your name on it."
"Oh, can I?" She hugged Padrick fiercely, then turned back to her father. "Please, can I?"
"Sure." Like Padrick's, his smile faded as soon as Jessie raced inside. "I came to see Ana, Mr. Donovan."
"Well, you're seeing me. What do you think you'd do if someone took your Jessie's heart and squeezed it dry?" Though he was more than a head shorter than Boone, he advanced, fists raised. "I won't use nothing but these on you. You've my word as a witch. Now put 'em up."
Boone didn't know whether to laugh or retreat. "Mr. Donovan…"
"Take the first punch." He stuck his whiskered chin out, looking very much like an indignant Santa. "I'll give you that much, and it's more than you'd be deserving. I've listened to her crying in the night over the likes of you, and it's boiled my blood. Told myself, Padrick, if you get face-to-face with that weasel of a man, you'll have to demolish him. It's a matter of pride." He took a swing that spun him completely around and missed Boone by a foot. "She wouldn't let me go after that other slimy bastard when he broke her poor heart, but I've got you."
"Mr. Donovan." Boone tried again, dodging the peppery blows. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Hurt me! Hurt me!" Padrick was dancing now, fueled by the insult. His Santa cap slipped over his eyes. "Why, I could turn your insides out. I could give you the head of a badger. I could—"
"Papa!" With one sharp word, Ana stopped her father's babbling threats.
"You go on inside, princess. This is man's work."
"I won't have you fighting on my doorstep on Christmas Eve. Now you stop it."
"Just let me send him to the North Pole. Just for an hour or two. It's only fitting."
"You'll do no such thing." She stepped out and put a warning hand on his shoulder. "Now go inside and behave, or I'll have Morgana deal with you."
"Bah! I can handle a witch half my age."
"She's sneaky." Ana pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Please, Papa. Do this for me."
"Could never refuse you anything," he muttered. Then he turned glittering eyes on Boone. "But you watch your step, mister." He jabbed out a plump finger. "You mess with one Donovan, you mess with them all." With a sniff, he went inside.
"I'm sorry," Ana began, fixing a bright smile on her face. "He's very protective."
"So I gathered." Since he wasn't going to have to defend himself after all, he could think of nothing to do with his hands but shove them in his pockets. "I wanted to—we wanted to say merry Christmas."
"Yes, Jessie just did." They were silent for another awkward moment. "You're welcome to come in, have some wassail."
"I don't want to intrude. Your family…" He offered what almost passed for a grin. "I don't want to risk my life, either."
Even the faint smile faded from her eyes. "He wouldn't really have harmed you. It's not our way."
"I didn't mean…" What the hell was he supposed to say to her? "I don't blame him for being upset, and I don't want to make you or your family uncomfortable. If you'd rather, I could just…" He turned slightly, and the sign on her lawn caught his eye. His temper rose accordingly. "What the hell is that?"
