Honor of the Witch: Witches of Keating Hollow, Book 12, page 1
HONOR OF THE WITCH
WITCHES OF KEATING HOLLOW, BOOK 12
DEANNA CHASE
BAYOU MOON PRESS, LLC
Copyright © 2022 by Deanna Chase
Editing: Angie Ramey
Cover image: © Ravven
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, business establishments, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
Bayou Moon Press, LLC
www.deannachase.com
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
About This Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Deanna’s Book List
About the Author
ABOUT THIS BOOK
There’s a reason Brinn Taylor will never leave Keating Hollow. It’s the only town that gives her peace from ghosts who haunt her. As an adult, Brinn has everything she’s ever wanted. Well, almost everything. The one person she’d had to give up was Austin Steele, the love of her life, when he left town to follow his own dreams. Only now he’s back, and he’s bidding on her at the first annual bachelorette auction. The problem? He’s only in town temporarily, and getting close to him again isn’t an option.
The moment Austin Steele drives into Keating Hollow, all he wants to do is reconnect with Brinn Taylor. Unfortunately, she’s not interested. And for good reason. Once he settles his grandmother’s estate, he’s headed back out of town to the life he’s built for himself. But when there’s a mystery to solve regarding his grandmother’s estate, there’s only one person who can help him—Brinn Taylor. Now he’s ready to do whatever it takes to get back into her good graces… even if it means bidding a fortune for her company at a charity auction.
CHAPTER 1
Brinn Taylor made her way to the counter of Witches in Stitches, Keating Hollow’s newest yarn store, and stared at her cousin’s stash of skeins in disbelief. “You’re buying all of that today?”
“Of course I am,” Wanda said and grinned at her. “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing. Right, Blake?”
Blake, Wanda’s half sister, brushed her long dark hair off her shoulder and rolled her eyes at Wanda. “Your craft room is already overflowing with projects. You’re going to have to have Cam build you a she-shed if you keep this up.”
Wanda sniffed and straightened her shoulders. “It’s not a craft room. It’s a studio, and there’s plenty of space if I just buy some more rolling organizers.”
Brinn laughed as she shook her head. The two women couldn’t be more different. Wanda had fiery red hair and the personality to match. Blake had dark hair and dark eyes and was far quieter than her larger-than-life sister. It wasn’t that Blake was shy, she just tended to take longer to open up to those around her.
“Is that all you’re buying?” Wanda asked Brinn, raising one eyebrow.
“I only need one skein to get started,” Brinn insisted. She turned to the older woman standing next to her. “Right, Ms. Betty?”
“That’s right, dear,” Ms. Betty said, her white hair bobbing as she nodded enthusiastically. “Crocheting is just like dating. One is good when you’re starting out, but once you have some experience, you’re going to want to try them all.” She gave Brinn an exaggerated wink. “That’s how I found out I like my yarn just like my men—super bulky.”
Brinn let out a cackle. “Where do you find these super bulky men?”
“The gym over at Enchanted Dreams,” she said with a shrug, referring to the retirement village on the outskirts of Keating Hollow. “They don’t have anything else to do besides pump iron and meet for happy hour.”
“You’re saying the men over at your retirement village have six-pack abs?” Brinn asked, highly amused by the older woman.
“More like six packs of empty beer cans,” Betty said with a snort. “Though Xavier has the forearms of a fifty-year-old.” She curled her hand into a claw shape and added, “Raaarh. That man gets me going just by rolling up his shirtsleeves.”
Brinn smiled at her. “I want to be you when I grow up.”
“Oh, sweetheart. Don’t wait forty years to start,” Ms. Betty said, patting Brinn’s arm. “Go out and find yourself a man… or woman,” she added with a wink, “with a set of forearms that revs your engine and get it, girl.”
“If only.” Brinn let out a sigh. “It seems I’m always attracted to ones who can’t wait to leave Keating Hollow.”
“They don’t all leave, Brinn,” Wanda said, side-eyeing her cousin. “You know that.”
Brinn shrugged. It was true. Plenty of good men stayed. But the only one Brinn had ever loved had left and never looked back five years ago. He’d disappeared, leaving only a letter. No forwarding address. No phone number. No calls. And she’d been heartbroken. Dating after that had just been a chore. “If only I’d fallen for one of them.”
“Brinn,” Ms. Betty said. “You don’t need to fall for a guy to enjoy his forearms.” She waggled her eyebrows, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “How do you think I stay so young? It’s not all that cold cream the beauty industry tries to push on us mature women.”
Chuckling, Brinn paid for her yarn and said, “Whatever you’re doing, it’s working for you.”
“You should let it work for you, too,” Ms. Betty insisted. “It will do wonders for your complexion.”
Wanda threw her head back and cackled as they watched the older woman cross the shop to the classroom where they were all gathering in a few minutes. “You should listen to her, Brinn. It’s been far too long since you’ve been out on a date and even longer since you had… any forearms to rev your engine.”
“Stop,” Brinn insisted, waving a dismissive hand. “I don’t need a reminder about my pathetic love life.”
“Oh, no. I’m sorry,” Wanda said, giving her a sympathetic frown. “You know I didn’t mean it like that, right?”
“Sure,” Brinn said, forcing a smile. The fact was, she did know that her cousin wasn’t trying to make her feel bad. All she wanted was for Brinn to have some fun.
“I don’t think you do,” Wanda said, suddenly sounding fierce. She took Brinn’s hands in both of hers and squeezed them as she stared her in the eyes. “No one thinks you need a man to make you whole. No one, and especially not me.” She let out a bark of laughter. “Remember when I used to say I was too set in my ways to live with a man?”
Brinn couldn’t help it. She smiled and nodded. “Yep. No one was more surprised than me when you hooked up with Cameron.”
“Except me.” Wanda grinned. “Here’s the thing. I was happy before he came along. And if he hadn’t, I’d still be that same happy person. But sharing my life with him is something special too. All I’m saying here is that I don’t want you to close yourself off to possibilities. I want you to have fun and enjoy yourself. You’re young; enjoy it. Try not to take it so seriously.”
She meant dating. Brinn understood what her cousin was trying to say. Ever since Austin had broken Brinn’s heart, she’d pretty much sworn off dating and men altogether. The idea of losing someone she loved again… It was just too much. But a date certainly didn’t need to lead to anything serious, did it? She knew lots of women her age who dated casually. Why couldn’t she do the same?
Brinn nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Maybe I should get out there again.”
“I’ll help you set up a dating app profile,” Blake said, already pulling out her phone.
Wanda turned to her sister with a curious expression. “What do you know about dating apps? Do you have a profile out there?”
“What if I did?” Blake raised a questioning eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”
“No, I just…” Wanda let out a frustrated huff. “I know you’re not a child, but if you’re going to be meeting strangers off the internet, we should really set up some safety protocols just to keep you safe.”
Blake smirked. “Like what? Having you call ten minutes into the date with an emergency? Or were you thinking something a little more hands on, like eating at the same restaurant so that you can follow us after we leave? I could always just hire you as my driver. Then I’d always have an escort, just like the olden days.”
“Okay, smartass,” Wanda said with her hands on her hips. “Seriously? Have you been meeting strange men off the internet?”
Blake rolled her eyes. “No, Mom. But I did consider it. It’s not like Keating Hollow is overflowing with boys my age.”
“There’s Cam,” Wanda pointed out, referring to Cameron’s son.
“Cam and I are… friends,” Blake said, shifting her gaze so she wasn’t meeting her sister’s eyes.
“I see.” Wanda slipped her arm through Blake’s and started to lead her over to the couches. “Just promise me you’ll let me know if you meet someone from a hookup app or go on any sort of blind date.”
“Will you follow me with your golf cart?” Blake mused.
“Probably.” Wanda turned her attention to Brinn as the three of them took their seats across from Ms. Betty. Miss Maple, the owner of the shop a few doors down, A Spoon Full of Magic, sat next to her with her crochet hook already moving quickly through a ball of yarn. “I’ll follow Brinn, too. No one goes on a date with an internet stranger without a backup plan. Got it?”
“Who said I’m going out on a date with an internet stranger?” Brinn asked. She was not at all excited about hookup apps. She was more the type to meet someone in person and then decide if there was any chemistry. That was also probably why she hadn’t been on a date in forever. Besides the bookstore, where was she going to meet anyone?
“Oh, sweetie. Have you tried Winker yet?” Ms. Betty asked.
“Winker?” Brinn frowned. “What’s that?”
“You know, that dating app where you wink at the hotties and if they wink back, you’re a match.” Ms. Betty pulled out her phone and brought up her profile. “Oh, hot damn. Look at this one.” She flipped the phone around, revealing a tall, heavily tanned man with white hair. “Isn’t he just lickable?”
“With all that hair coming out of his ears?” Blake asked. “I think he could use a day at the spa first.”
“Pshaw!” Ms. Betty shook her head. “He can be trained. Men will do just about anything to get a piece of this.” She waved a hand, indicating her body, and gave them a Cheshire Cat grin. “One word from me and he’d have that ear hair trimmer out faster than you can say hairy beast.”
“Okay. Well anyway…” Brin stared down at her ball of yarn and wondered when the class was going to start.
“We should sign Brinn up for the bachelorette auction,” Miss Maple said.
“That is a fantastic idea,” Wanda said, her tone full of excitement. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about that. It’s low pressure, a bunch of us will be there, and it raises money for the Artist in Residence program the town council is putting together.”
“You’re going to be in a bachelorette auction?” Brinn asked her cousin. “What does Cam think of that?”
Wanda waved a dismissive hand. “It’s just for fun and charity. It’s not like I’m going to actually date the winner. It’s just an afternoon of my time. No big deal. But you on the other hand, you just might find the man of your dreams.”
“I don’t think—” Brinn started, not liking where this was going. The idea of auctioning herself off for a date seemed rather desperate.
“Oh, come on, Brinn. Blake is going to do it,” Wanda said.
“I am?” Blake asked, looking surprised.
“Yes.” Wanda gave her a pointed look. “I asked you about it last week. Remember? I said you could make your date shortbread cookies?”
“Right,” Blake said with a nod. “It’s coming back to me now. You said you’d loan me your golf cart if I offered myself up, and then added I should make a double batch of shortbread so that you’d get some. I’m pretty sure I only told you’d I’d think about it.”
Wanda chuckled. “Sounds about right. But I signed you up already. You don’t want to disappoint Miss Maple, do you?”
Blake raised a skeptical eyebrow and then glanced at Miss Maple. “Would you really be disappointed?”
The owner of the A Spoon Full of Magic shook her head. “No, dear. But we would really appreciate if you could help us out. There’s just not that many single gals here in Keating Hollow anymore, and none as young and pretty as you.”
“How am I supposed to say no to that?” Blake asked Brinn, clearly looking for help.
“I have no idea,” Brinn said, unable to keep from chuckling. “These ladies are just impossible to turn down.”
“Excellent,” Miss Maple said, rubbing her hands together. “Then you’ll both participate?”
Blake threw her head back and laughed. When she contained herself, she smirked at Brinn. “You had your chance to get out of this and blew it.”
“You’re right. I did.” Brinn turned to Miss Maple and said, “I hope you find some cute guys to bid on us, because I’m not dealing with ear hair.”
“Don’t you worry, ladies. We’ve got that covered,” Ms. Betty insisted.
Brinn had her doubts, but there was really no way to bow out gracefully. At least Blake would be there. It couldn’t be that bad, could it? “What kind of date are we committing to? A picnic or something like that?”
“Anything you want. The only stipulation is that it happens right after the auction,” Miss Maple said. “A few hours of your time is all you have to commit to.”
Brinn frowned. “Normally I’d go for a date to the coast or a hike in the woods, but considering it’s been forty degrees out all month, I’ll probably have to come up with something else.”
“You should just Netflix and chill,” Ms. Betty said.
“Ms. Betty!” Brinn choked out a laugh. “Do you even know what that means?”
“Of course I do.” The older woman made a face, indicating that she was offended. “I’m hip.”
Wanda snickered. “I’m not sure that’s the word the kids use these days for being in the know.”
Ms. Betty grabbed her crochet hook and started working on her foundation chain. “So maybe I’m not up on all my slang, but I do know that inviting a hottie over to Netflix and chill takes all the guesswork out of it. You both know the expectation. If he’s any good and you like him, then you can ask him out for a real date.”
“So you’re basically test-driving him first?” Brinn asked.
“Of course. At my age, I don’t really have time to waste.” She winked at them.
Everyone laughed and then sobered when Zya appeared and snapped her fingers, making instruction sheets appear out of thin air. The tall brunette with long wavy hair held up her crochet hook and pointed at her yarn. The end started to wrap around her hook as she asked, “Are we ready to get started?”
Brinn nodded along with the rest of the group and found herself mesmerized by the woman’s soothing voice. Zya was a new witch in town. Kind, mysterious, and very beautiful. No one really knew much about her other than she was from Salem and had moved to Keating Hollow for a fresh start. Brinn guessed most of the women who’d shown up for the class had done so more because they wanted to scope out Zya rather than learn a new stitch. But that would have to wait, because as Zya started explaining the multiple stitches they were going to learn, it was clear there wasn’t going to be much time for gossip.
That would have to come later. Brinn quickly made a slipknot and got busy chaining her first row so that she could follow Zya’s instructions.
CHAPTER 2
“I’ve got it,” Austin said, pulling open the door to Witches in Stitches.
“Thank you, Austin.” Caroline Carmichael gave him a grateful smile. “You’re such a gentleman to walk me in. I promise I won’t be too long.”
He smiled down at his neighbor. “Take as long as you need. I’m not in any hurry.” Austin had just taken his late grandmother’s best friend out to lunch, and when she’d mentioned she needed some yarn for her latest project, he’d offered to stop so that she could check out the new store.
