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Chapter One

The first spell failed so spectacularly it took Rowena three days to sweep all the feathers out of her workshop. Who would have thought that just one misplaced word in an incantation could wreak such havoc? She’d had to cast a heat spell over the chicken coop until their feathers grew back.

The second spell’s failure was less spectacular only in that it took two days instead of three to clean up all the leaves. She’d swept them all out to the yard, leading her neighbor to ask if she had some sort of blight problem with her trees. She could have sworn she’d been facing west during the incantation for the second spell, but since she’d always had a little trouble with her directions, perhaps she’d been mistaken.

The third spell quite hit the mark, but it zigged when it should have zagged, and zapped the neighbor’s cat into invisibility. She’d been so embarrassed by that misadventure that when he came looking for his cat she hadn’t been able to squeak out more than a muffled, “Sorry, can’t help you.”

It wasn’t a lie, after all. She took to putting canned tuna and a small bowl of milk outside the door every night. Really, you’d think that the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter would make a far better witch, but the Goddess seemed to have had a peculiar sense of humor on the day that Rowena had been born.

****

A tentative meow sounded at the open door of Rowena’s workshop and she glanced toward the noise. The sound of a tiny bell tinkled as small wet pawprints made their way to where Rowena stood.

“Hmm...been in the fountain bothering my goldfish again, have you? It’s no good, you know. I’ve strengthened the wardings on the pond since you got the last fish, you little thief. You’ve got an unfair advantage now, knowing that none of your victims can see you before you pounce. I’ll bet I’m wasting perfectly good tuna on you, and you’re probably getting fat.”

Meow.

“Yes, well, I’m working on a reversal. I don’t care if you don’t want to be seen again. I’m feeling very guilty that your master cannot find his cat. And I certainly don’t want you clearing my backyard of every small animal, bird and insect. It’s unnatural that you should have such an unfair advantage. At least you have the bell on your collar, for fair warning. Now, stay right there, I’m almost ready to try the spell.”

Rowena heard the faint rumble of a purr, then the tinkle of the bell receding as the cat did what all cats do: blithely ignore any order given.

“Don’t you dare leave, you little monster, I’m not done yet!”

Rowena followed the sound out of the workshop, so intent on looking for pawprints that she went sprawling as she tripped over the cat.

Meerrrrooooow!

Rowena rolled to her knees, searching for any sign of the invisible cat.

“Rowena—my God, are you hurt?”

Her neighbor Michael stood looking down at her with a quizzical expression on his handsome face and a hand extended to help her up. She let him help her to her feet, avoiding his eyes, pulling a dried leaf from a tangled curl of her cinnamon-colored hair.
“And did I just hear a cat squall?” he asked, looking around.

“Um, I thought I heard the same thing, but I don’t see any cats, do you?”

Michael surveyed the yard and agreed he did not.

“I’m sorry you haven’t found your cat yet, Michael. If there’s anything I can do...”

Rowena was looking at a point just under his chin when he said, “Well, that’s nice of you. I hope you don’t mind my coming into your yard like this, but the gate wasn’t locked and you didn’t answer your front door.”

Michael’s brows drew together. “How did you know I haven’t found my cat yet?”

Uh, oh...

“Uh...” Rowena searched her suddenly stupid brain for a response. “I’m just assuming you hadn’t, or you would have told me. Right?”

Oh, good save. Damn, she didn’t like to lie.

Michael’s expression cleared and he smiled. “Yeah, I definitely would have. Are you all right? What did you trip over?” He was eyeing the area by the door to the workshop.

“Er—I’m not sure.” Ugh, the lying again. “Um, what’s the little mo—your cat’s name again?”

“Tink,” he said, giving her a small smile. “Short for Tinkerbell. I named her that because she flits all over the place and I can hardly keep track of her. I had to put a bell on her collar so I could find her. She’s practically invisible when she wants to be.” Michael’s face softened when he smiled.

Rowena bit her lip to keep from smiling at his unintentional pun. He really had the nicest green eyes...mmmm...

His gaze roamed the yard and swept over her bare trees. “Too bad about the trees. Are you sure they aren’t dying?”

Rowena felt heat prickle over her face, and decided to go for nonchalant.

“Oh, I’m sure. It was probably that cold spell we had last week that made them lose their leaves. They’ll recover before you know it.”

She picked at a dead leaf on her shirt, allowing the silence to lengthen, but eventually glanced up to find him staring at her denuded fichus tree.

“Cold spell? I don’t remember that, and my trees seem to be fine.” He looked puzzled, and Rowena sighed.

“Well, I’m not a horticulturist, but I do know my trees and I promise they’ll be fine.”

Oh, great, now I sound like a complete idiot...

“What do you do for a living, then? I teach electrical engineering over at Southwest Tech.” He turned that beautiful green gaze on her and she bit her lip, lowering her eyes.

“Oh, a little of this and a little of that...”

Michael cocked his head in curiosity, but didn’t press further.

“Well, if you see her...?” he asked, a little smile on his face.

“...I’ll let you know,” she finished the sentence for him, grateful she didn’t have to lie again.

He paused for the smallest bit, as if he meant to say something else, but then just smiled again and turned to go. Rowena noted, not for the first time, how nicely his tight white T-shirt and faded jeans fit him as he walked out the gate.