Cursed

by Shyla Colt

Cursed Copyright 2012

Shyla Colt

Cover by Staci Perkins

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

For Grandma Betty, who welcomed me to the family with open arms, made me feel at home, and remains a firecracker no matter how much time passes.

Thank you to my family and friends, who put up with my strange hours, time spent on a computer, weird research questions, and other eccentric behavior I like to blame on writing. To my girls who inspire me to reach for the stars and to you, dear readers, who took the time to pick up this book and lend your support. I hope you love Baxter and the Edgeworth family just as much as I do.

“I got a batch of the good stuff in, boys. Come out back and bring your Mason jars with you,” Willie said.

The older man with the lengthy salt-and-pepper beard shook a ceramic tan and brown jar of moonshine in the air. A gleam of triumph glinted in his dark blue eyes, and Colton chuckled. No matter how much time passed, his grandfather never changed. A self-proclaimed bachelor after his wife Mae passed when he was just twenty-two, he’d raised his two boys on his own. It was why the Edgeworth men were so wild—according to the locals, who thought they were the authority on everything. That was the worst part about living in Baxter, Mississippi. It was too damn small, which meant everyone knew everyone else’s business.

His father rolled his eyes and nodded his head toward Hunter, who stood from the table and walked over to the honey-colored kitchen cabinet that held the drinking glasses. Sunday dinner was a tradition at the Edgeworth homestead, but moonshine was usually reserved for special occasions. Colton exchanged a curious gaze with his brother, Randy, who shrugged as they rose to their feet. Hunter returned, handed them Mason jars, and they all moved out on to the back porch. His grandfather poured a few fingers of the potent liquid into the glasses.

“Drink up, boys.”

They downed the clear alcohol. Colton coughed; the abrasive fluid burned a path down his throat and into his belly, where it settled into a slow burn.

“What exactly are we celebrating, Pa?” his father asked.

“The end of this dang-blasted family curse.”

Colton would have scoffed at the old legend, if he hadn’t seen it in action one too many times. He’d never considered himself to be the type of man who believed in the supernatural. The full moon didn’t make him nervous, and as far as he was concerned, there was nothing in the swamp other than gators, frogs, and venomous snakes. Hell, he’d once owned a black cat named Shadow. Still, he had to concede to the truth that had been slapping him in the face for years. The Edgeworth curse was real. Great–great-great grandpa Joe had screwed them when he conned the daughter of the town witch and got the males in their family cursed to never find love. At thirty–three years old, his brother, Randy, was on his second divorce. At thirty, the baby brother, Hunter, chased everything with two legs and a decent cup size; and at thirty-five,
Colton
got antsy at the mere mention of the word commitment.

It was an ingrained reaction he couldn’t curb, no matter how hard he tried. His last girlfriend, Hailey Marie, had been a sweet girl with a fantastic sense of humor, superb cooking skills, and a beautiful personality. With her ash-blonde hair, big blue eyes, and curvaceous frame, she was any man’s dream girl. Regardless of all this, just like every time before, the walls had begun to close in around him at the four-month mark. The utter devastation he’d witnessed when he’d broken things off had soured him from dating altogether. He only ended up hurting the woman in the end, and that was never his intention. That had been about a year ago.

He tipped his bottle of beer back and studied Randy out of his peripheral vision. He’d lost weight since Lisa had left and become more withdrawn. They’d made it a year. For a minute there, Colton had thought the curse was going to be broken by love. The thought was laughable now.

“How’d you figure we do that?” his father asked.

“The Voiles family just moved back into town. They’re setting up some kind of frilly looking shop in town and staying at their old home just up the way.”

The huge white house with green shutters had sat empty since the couple who’d rented it out moved a little over a year ago.

A silent excitement swept in through the room as the mood shifted. The possibility of real happiness dangled in front of their faces like carrots to rabbits.

“What do we need to do, Grandpa?” Colton asked.

“Get them to remove the curse. We got to show ‘em we’re different this generation,” Grandpa said.

“How exactly do we do that?” Hunter ran a hand through his shaggy, russet, chin-length hair and frowned.

“
You
can’t do anything. It has to be the eldest male.”

“Hell, we might as well call it a day then,” Randy grumped as they all moaned. His grandfather was charismatic, but not a charmer.

“I tell you what, if I put my mind to it, I could charm the pants off any young filly. How do you think I got your grandma Mae? She was the prettiest gal in this area, and I had her wooed and wed by the time we left high school at eighteen.” The indignation in his tone made Colton smirk.

“He didn’t mean it the way it sounded, Grandpa. Tell us more about how to break the curse.”

“We got to get back into their good graces, gain their trust, and get them to say they revoke the spell out loud. And by
we,
I mean you, Colton. It has to be the eldest of the youngest generation.” He pointed his jar in Colton’s direction.

“That’s decades of bad blood to overcome.” Colton shook his head and sipped his liquid fire again.

“If anyone can do it, you can. Women melt when you turn on the charm and flash the dimples,” Randy said.

“Yeah, until he breaks their hearts. One false move and we may end up impotent on top of everything else,” Hunter retorted.

“If that ain’t the pot calling the kettle black.” Colton narrowed his eyes at Hunter, who shrugged.

“Just calling it how I see it, brother.”

“Now’s not the time for bickering.” Their grandfather’s voice made them all stand up straight. When he talked, you listened.

“We have one chance to see this thing through. I’m tired of watching my boys suffer time and time again. With each generation, this thing has gotten worse. I lost my Mae not too long after your uncle was born, but the three of you haven’t even made it to the procreation stage or known true love. Not the kind I had. I want to bounce some great-grandkids on my knee and see you all married off before I leave here.”

“Don’t talk like that, Grandpa,” Randy said.

“Why? We all know I’m getting up there in age, and when the good Lord says it’s your time, your number is up.”

Colton sighed. He would never let this man down if he could help it. “Okay, Grandpa, I’ll give it my best shot.”

“As long as you keep your pecker in your pants, you’ll be fine, son.”

He walked across the porch to pat Colton on the shoulder and grinned, showing off his teeth.

How do I get myself into these things? Oh, wait, I’m an Edgeworth; it comes with the territory.

“I think I need a refill,” Colton declared. He lifted his jar up to his grandfather as the men around him chuckled. He had to get this right for them.

Avalyn Voiles beamed as she peered out the glass window of the quaint storefront she’d purchased with her mother.

Smack-dab in the middle of Main Street, the midsized, free standing building was the manifestation of the goals she’d dreamed up after obtaining her business management degree four years prior. For once, her family would be free to practice their craft and make a living under legal stature. It felt good. No more orders over the Internet or selling their items in other people’s shops.
Avalyn’s Apothecary
would be open for business in less than an hour. When the space became available, it was like a blazing beacon in the sky as far as her grandmother, Betty, was concerned. She and Avalyn’s mother, Margaret, had been contemplating moving back to Baxter for the past six months. This was the final push needed to fully commit. Avalyn thought they were crazy. She’d spent her whole life hearing about those damn Edgeworths and how they’d done poor Viola Voiles wrong.

It was the only time her family had gone against the core of their belief of harming none. Her grandmother had worried the past like a dog with a bone. As Voiles, they dedicated their lives toward healing and positivity. Their line had always been blessed with a special affinity for healing. Going against the natural flow of things had triggered adverse effects for them as well. Rules of the craft stated clearly whatever you sent out came back to you times three. Avalyn sighed as thoughts of her wayward father drifted to the surface of her mind. She hadn’t seen the man in over six years. Her mother’s father had died young in a freak accident, and her grandmother’s father had stepped out and created a whole new family. It was a painfully obvious trend that needed to end before she could ever consider any type of serious relationship.

That was providing a man could handle she was not only a strong woman, but a witch with a gaggle-full of opinionated women in her family. A wry smile curved the corners of her full lips upward. She wouldn’t trade her family for all the money in the world, and she was getting way ahead of herself. She needed to focus on making the apothecary a success and figuring out what secret her grandmother was sitting on. She’d claimed a hunch was what prompted the sudden desire to move here.

But Avalyn wasn’t buying it. The two women were keeping something from her, and that usually spelled trouble. The click-clack of heels sounded in the room, and she turned to watch her mother enter via the door from the storeroom entrance in the back.

“Are you ready, honey?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Avalyn nodded. The shelves were lined with handmade items: soaps, body oils, pouches, teas, bath salts, candles, and a few homemade remedies. Each was designed with a specific purpose in mind. Whether it be healing, an upset stomach, clearing up allergies, or attracting positive energy or love, they put a bit of themselves in every piece they made. It felt like she was gazing down on a roomful of her children.

“You’ve worked hard for this day.”

“So have you, Mom. I couldn’t have done this without you and Grandma.”

She bent down to hug her mother and took a deep breath.

“It’s time to open.”

She knew realistically this wouldn’t be a busy day, but somehow that didn’t matter. Her mother was on her lunch break when the doorbell chimed, signaling a customer.

“I’ll be with you in just a moment!”

She swiped her hands off with a towel and walked out to greet the customer. Her mouth went dry, and her eyebrows rose sky-high. This man had to be one of the sexiest she’d seen in a long time. His tan skin was flawless. His rounded jaw, high cheekbones, and oval face made her think of English royalty. The fringe of long lashes, combined with green eyes and dark red hair cropped short to his head acted like kryptonite. She was always a sucker for a handsome redhead. Her face heated when she realized her mouth was agape. She cleared her throat and pulled together her best professional persona.

“Hi, how can I help you today?”

“I just wanted to check out the newest addition to Baxter and say welcome. I’m Colton.” He stuck his hand out, and she grinned. The small town environment was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the city.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m Avalyn. It’s nice to meet you.” She placed her hand in his, and a jolt of electric current shot through her body. His green eyes widened, and she knew he’d felt it as well. His hand was large, warm, and calloused. He had long, tapered fingers and a sprinkling of freckles she found adorable. The honk of a car horn on the street broke their locked gaze. He pumped her hand up and down twice before he let go and stepped back.

“Can I help you find something for your mother perhaps, or your girlfriend?”

“My mother lives out of state, and I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Yes!

“Oh, well, then, feel free to browse around and ask questions.”
Like, if I’m available for dinner.

“Thank you.”

His voice was a pleasant, a smooth baritone that reminded her of a red wine. Full bodied and robust, it went down smooth but packed a punch. Her attention focused on the Wrangler jeans cupping his ass like a lover’s caress as he walked away. She bit her bottom lip and mentally smacked her own hand. He was a temptation for a woman who’d been flying solo for the past few years. At first she’d been busy with school, and no one she met piqued her interest. Then when she was finally ready, no one could handle her lifestyle. It wasn’t as if she made potions from of eye of newt and bat wings. People had a view of witches that was downright archaic. Eventually, she’d gotten tired of trying and stopped looking. She figured the universe would send Mr. Right her way when the time was right.