Charmed & Enchanted; Charmed\Enchanted

by Nora Roberts

• ISBN13: 9780373285747
• ISBN10: 0373285744
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-01
• Publisher: Silhouette

Summary

The fascinating and mysterious Donovan cousins share a secret that sets them apart from ordinary beings. But Ana Donovan has secrets she is certain no man can--or will--accept. Reissue.

Excerpts

When she saw the little girl peek through the fairy roses, Anastasia had no idea the child would change her life. She'd been humming to herself, as she often did when she gardened, enjoying the scent and the feel of earth. The warm September sun was golden, and the gentle whoosh of the sea on the rocks below her sloping yard was a lovely background to the buzzing of bees and the piping of birdsong. Her long gray cat was stretched out beside her, his tail twitching in time with some feline dream.A butterfly landed soundlessly on her hand, and she stroked the edge of its pale blue wings with a fingertip. As it fluttered off, she heard the rustling. Glancing over, she saw a small face peeping through the hedge of fairy roses.Ana's smile came quickly, naturally. The face was charming, with its little pointed chin and its pert nose, its big blue eyes mirroring the color of the sky. A pixie cap of glossy brown hair completed the picture.The girl smiled back, those summer-sky eyes full of curiosity and mischief."Hello," Ana said, as if she always found little girls in her rosebushes."Hi." The girl's voice was bright, and a little breathless. "Can you catch butterflies? I never got to pet one like that before.""I suppose. But it seems rude to try unless one invites you." She brushed the hair from her brow with her forearm and sat back on her heels. Ana had noticed a moving van unloading the day before, and she concluded she was meeting one of her new neighbors. "Have you moved into the house next door?""Uh-huh. We're going to live here now. I like it, 'cause I get to look right out my bedroom window and see the water. I saw a seal, too. In Indiana you only see them in the zoo. Can I come over?""Of course you can." Ana set her garden spade aside as the girl stepped through the rosebushes. In her arms was a wriggling puppy. "And who do we have here?""This is Daisy." The child pressed a loving kiss to the top of the puppy's head. "She's a golden retriever. I got to pick her out myself right before we left Indiana. She got to fly in the plane with us, and we were hardly scared at all. I have to take good care of her and give her food and water and brush her and everything, 'cause she's my responsibility.""She's very beautiful," Ana said soberly. And very heavy, she imagined, for a little girl of five or six. She held out her arms. "May I?""Do you like dogs?" The little girl kept chattering as she passed Daisy over. "I do. I like dogs and cats and everything. Even the hamsters Billy Walker has. Someday I'm going to have a horse, too. We'll have to see about that. That's what my daddy says. We'll have to see about that."Utterly charmed, Ana stroked the puppy as she sniffed and licked at her. The child was as sweet as sunshine. "I'm very fond of dogs and cats and everything," Ana told her. "My cousin has horses. Two big ones and a brand-new baby.""Really?" The child squatted down and began to pet the sleeping cat. "Can I see them?""He doesn't live far, so perhaps one day. We'll have to ask your parents.""My mommy went to heaven. She's an angel now."Ana's heart broke a little. Reaching out, she touched the shiny hair and opened herself. There was no pain here, and that was a relief. The memories were good ones. At the touch, the child looked up and smiled."I'm Jessica," she said. "But you can call me Jessie.""I'm Anastasia." Because it was too much to resist, Anabent down and kissed the pert nose. "But you can call me Ana."Introductions over, Jessie settled down to bombard Ana with questions, filtering information about herself through the bright chatter. She'd just had a birthday and was six. She would be starting first grade in her brand-new school on Tuesday. Her favorite color was purple, and she hated lima beans more than anything.Could Ana show her how to plant flowers? Did her cat have a name? Did she have any little girls? Why not?So they sat in the sunshine, a bright pixi