A Get Witch Quick Scheme (Bewitching the Rich Guy Book 1) Read online

  Her gaze landed on the woman who’d been watching Martha and she grinned. Okay, almost any woman. That one seemed oblivious to Cash; her eyes still focused on the woman.

  Cash stepped up to the front of the room and smiled at everyone. “Thank you all so much for being here today. The next time we meet it will be at Marwood Manor.” He waited until the buzz that generated died down, then he continued. “Today we’re going to discuss the rules and what not to do if you don’t want to be disqualified.” He looked up just then and Stella could swear his eyes widened when he saw her. He smiled and her heart started pounding.

  Stop it, she told herself. Keep your eye on the prize. But her heart had other ideas and her eyes stayed focused on the bachelor’s brother.

  5

  That night Stella packed her clothes and toiletries. She didn’t worry about packing neatly, since Martha had told them anything they brought into the house would be thoroughly searched. Onyx jumped on the bed and crawled into her suitcase.

  “Onyx, no!” She tried to shoo him away, but he wasn’t having it. His tail whipped back and forth and his ears were flat against his head, signaling that he was upset. She sighed and sat down on the bed. He climbed out of the suitcase and onto her lap. She stroked his fur then leaned down and kissed his face. “I need you to be a good boy,” she told him. “Pixie’s going to come over to feed you and check on you while I’m gone. The whole show is supposed to take about 28 days, and there will be a couple of days where I get to bring Chadwick home, so I’ll see you before then.”

  He was purring, but he was still agitated. When she tried to move away from him, he swatted at her arm with his paw, leaving a trail of light scratches. She wanted to be angry with him, but she just couldn’t. She’d adopted him from a shelter two years ago. His owners had left him behind when they moved in the middle of the night. When the landlord found him several days later, he was severely dehydrated and nearly dead. The shelter was able to take care his physical needs, but he continued to be withdrawn and unwilling to trust anyone.

  Until she came along. She volunteered at the shelter every now and then, and for some reason, she’d decided to stop in that day. She heard the vet and his assistant discussing putting down a cat because of his anti-social behavior, and she’d had to take a look. When she opened his cage, he crawled out from under the piece of carpet he’d been hiding under and landed in her arms--in her arms and in her heart. They’d been together ever since.

  She picked him up and held him against her chest. “I’ll be back, I promise. I have to do this, but I’ll be back. And maybe Pixie can bring Henry over to play with you.” Onyx’s ears perked up at Henry’s name and she made a mental note to call Pixie and remind her to bring her cat. “I promise, I’ll be back.”

  Onyx stood up and stretched, then yawned. He turned back to her and head butted her chin, gently. “I love you, too,” she whispered, burying her face in the fur on his neck.

  The next morning, she opened the door to her cousin, Pixie Barlowe and her cat, Henry. “Hi Pixie, hi Henry.”

  Pixie hugged her and laughed as Onyx came running out of the bedroom to greet Henry. “Whoa, little guy, take it easy. I’m old, you know.”

  “You’re not old, Henry, you’re just mature.” Pixie giggled as the 20-pound ragdoll cat turned his blue eyes her way.

  “And you’re not as funny as you think you are,” he told her, nose in the air.

  “I’ll never get over you having a talking cat,” Stella told her cousin.

  “Why? We’re both witches and my accountant is a vampire. Why is a talking cat the thing that freaks you out?”

  “Good point,” she admitted. “Are you okay with checking on Onyx twice a day? I can set up a spell to feed him regularly and refill his water bowl, but I worry about him being alone.”

  “Of course. You’ve worked so hard to gain his trust; I’d hate to see him revert back to the frightened cat he was the first time I saw him. Henry and I will be here, for sure. I was wondering though, if he seems like he isn’t doing well, should I take him back to the bakery with me?”

  Stella sighed. She wanted Onyx to be able to stay in his home, but maybe it would be better for him to stay with Pixie.

  “He says he’ll be fine here, as long as Pixie and I stop by to check on him. I explained that you aren’t leaving him, you just need to take care of some business, and he understands.” Henry sighed, “Poor little guy’s been through a lot. But he loves you and wants you to know he’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll never question the value of a talking cat again. Thank you, Henry! That makes me feel so much better.” Henry bowed his head then started licking his paws. Stella looked at her cousin, eyebrows raised.

  “He’s still a cat, Stella,” she laughed. “Come on Henry. We need to get back to the bakery. I’ve got lots of work to do.”

  She hugged Pixie goodbye and after she shut the door behind them, she leaned against it, suddenly bone tired. Once she’d finished packing, she made some popcorn and lemonade. She turned on her favorite action TV show and snuggled with Onyx on the sofa until it was time for bed.

  6

  When Stella arrived at the manor, she thanked the driver who’d picked her up and turned to view what had been her family home. She’d seen it before, of course, but never this close up. Her heart was racing at the thought of getting to go inside. Her great-grandmother had been the last to live there, until Mabel Marwood stole it.

  Another car pulled up and she recognized the contestant who’d been crying the day before. As the woman got out of the car, she didn’t thank the driver or anything, barging past Stella to get to the front door.

  “Strike two,” Stella whispered. She turned and saw Fiona, who discreetly winked at her, then turned away. They’d all agreed they would act like they’d never met each other. It wouldn’t look good if anyone found out they were best friends. The rules didn’t say anything about that, but from watching other reality TV shows, friends and showmances got targeted first. They had to stay in the house long enough to solve the mystery and find the jewelry, so they had to play it cool.

  Martha was standing on the porch, near the front door, with her ever present headset. She called for everyone to gather near her. When they’d all arrived, she spoke into her headset and the front doors swung open. Stella heard a couple of impressed gasps and she snickered, unwilling to admit she’d almost gasped herself.

  Now was the moment that would make or break the whole plan. She held her breath as first Poppy, then Fiona crossed the threshold into Marwood Manor. She was next, followed by the woman who liked Martha, then Raven. She made it through, her knees nearly buckling in relief. She turned just in time to see her friend Raven walk through, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. They’d done it! They’d made it into the manor. They’d cleared another hurdle.

  “Welcome ladies, it’s so nice to finally meet you.” Chadwick Crawford was standing at the top of the staircase, looking down at them. “I can’t wait to spend time with each and every one of you.”

  He was charming, for sure, and handsome, but he didn’t make her heart race like his brother did. That was perfect, though. She didn’t need the distraction. The other women could fight over him while she focused on her objective. Relieved, she turned to find herself staring into startling green eyes. “Hi Stella.”

  “Hi Cash. I didn’t think you’d be here this morning.” She clenched her fists, willing her palms to stop sweating.

  “I thought I should be here to make sure things go smoothly, since this is the first day and all.” He grinned and dimples appeared in both of his cheeks.

  Stella felt her face flame as she had inappropriate thoughts, and she was relieved when Chadwick interrupted them.

  “Hi, I’m Chad. And your name is?” He smiled, displaying the same dimples as Cash. She shook hands with him, smiling her best smile, and when he turned to his brother, she was surprised to find he looked angry. “You okay, Cash?” he asked.


  “Fine brother, fine. I’ve got a lot to do, so I’ll be going. Nice to see you again, Ms. Spinney.”

  “Ms. Spinney?” Chad asked. “Of the Spinney Hills Spinneys?”

  Stella mentally rolled her eyes. He hadn’t shown a bit of curiosity about her before, but suddenly, after hearing her surname, he was interested.

  “I’m sorry, could you excuse me for a moment?” She headed off in the direction Cash had gone. It probably wasn’t wise to be rude to the bachelor of the dating show, but Cash’s reaction had been strange, and she was concerned about him.

  She went through an archway and found a small alcove with a picture window overlooking the garden. She walked over and peered out, mesmerized by the beautiful scene. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Cash walking past her.

  “Cash? Is everything okay?”

  He stopped and turned towards her. “What are doing here? Why aren’t you with the others?”

  Bristling at his cold tone, she frowned. “Am I not allowed to be here? Am I restricted to a certain area?”

  “Of course not, I’m just surprised you’re here instead of talking with Chad.” She noticed the way his tone changed when he said his brother’s name. Maybe there was something going on between them and that’s why he walked away.

  “It seemed like you were upset or something, so I was looking for you. Then I saw this window and view and got a little sidetracked.” She turned and looked out at the garden. She felt him walk up next to her and her heart started racing again, just a little.

  “This is actually one of my favorite spots in the whole mansion; the view is spectacular.” He sighed. “I’m sorry if I was rude. I’ve got a lot on my mind, is all.”

  “You weren’t rude, Cash. I was just concerned.”

  “Well, thank you for that, but everything’s fine. I do need to get back to work and you need to get back to the group. They’ll be deciding the order of the dates soon, and you need to be there.” He smiled at her, then walked off down the hallway.

  She held out her hand and took the dice from the assistant. Martha waited until everyone was ready, then announced, “We’ll be using a roll of the dice to decide the order in which Chadwick spends time with each of you. On the count of three, you’ll all roll your dice. The person with the lowest roll will be first. The second lowest roll will be second, and so on. If there’s a tie, those women will roll again and the one who rolls the lowest will be ahead of the other. Everyone understand?” They all nodded, cupping their dice in their hands.

  “Okay, now. One. Two. Three!”

  Stella blew on her dice for luck and rolled. Snake eyes! She looked around and saw the look of disappointment on Raven’s face. She’d rolled two sixes, which meant she’d be probably be last.

  The assistant walked around writing down the totals. When she was done, she handed the paper to Martha. “Alright ladies, it looks like we have one tie. Could Susan and Poppy please roll again?”

  The two women looked at each other and Martha counted. Susan, the woman who was into Martha, rolled a three, while Poppy rolled a seven.

  The order had been decided. It would be Stella; Fiona; the emotional woman, whose name escaped Stella; cold eyed Stephanie; Susan; Poppy, then Raven.

  Stella was ecstatic. Going first was the best possible outcome. She’d get the dating out of the way and spend the rest of the time searching for something to exonerate her great-grandmother.

  Raven walked over and introduced herself. “Nice to meet you, Raven,” she replied. “It looks like we’re the bookends of this whole thing.”

  “That’s cute, Stella. Cute.” She winked at her friend, then wandered over to talk with Poppy and Susan.

  Martha marched over to her, a serious look on her face. “Since you’re up first, we’ll be taking you home tonight to prepare for a visit from Chadwick tomorrow. Our camera crew will be staying with you, to tape everything. Chadwick will arrive tomorrow morning, promptly at 10 am and you’ll show him around your home. You’ll be working with my production assistant to come up with ideas of things to talk about, etc. You’ll have lunch together and he’ll leave at 4 pm. The following day, Tuesday, we’ll pick you up at 9 am to get ready for your visit to the Sanctuary. You’ll spend the day with Chadwick, have lunch, meet some of the animals, and then you’ll leave at 4 pm. On Wednesday, we’ll pick you up at 9 am and you’ll spend the day with Chadwick on a mystery adventure. Tuesday evening we’ll let you know what to wear and/or bring with you, but you won’t know where you’ll be going until you get there. At 4 pm, the driver will bring you home and you’ll have an hour to pack up and return to the mansion. Any questions?”

  Stella’s head was spinning, but she shook her head no. “Good. Be ready to go in an hour.” As Martha walked away, Stella wished she could use her magic to slow the woman down a bit. But no, she was going to play it safe and reserve her magic for emergencies only.

  She sighed. She hadn’t even had a chance to look around and she was already leaving. She walked over to Fiona and Raven to let them know she’d be leaving for a few days. She could see the concern in Fiona’s eyes, so she reassured her that everything was going according to plan.

  “I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be looking for,” Raven muttered under her breath.

  “I know, but there’s nothing we can do about it now. Just keep your eyes open and when I get back, we’ll catch up.” She looked up to see the assistant watching them. “You can wish me luck if you want to,” she said, loud enough for the assistant to hear. “But I won’t need it. I’ve got this all locked up!” She thrust out her hip, patted her hair with her hand and smiled her sexiest smile. Raven groaned and Fiona smirked, but it was the stricken look on Cash’s face that stopped her in her tracks.

  7

  She was home, but it wasn’t home anymore. It wasn’t just the camera crew that was with her, but wardrobe, hair and makeup, staging and who knows who else. At least 8 people were waiting at her door when she arrived, and they were now busy rearranging her whole life.

  Onyx was in his cat carrier, with a blanket covering all but a small peep hole in front. She’d made everyone but the production assistant wait outside until she’d secured him, and she’d still had a hard time getting him into the carrier. He’d howled and yowled for the first half hour, which hadn’t helped anything. He’d finally quieted down, letting out a hiss every now and again just to let her know he wasn’t happy.

  “Is this all really necessary?” she asked for the third time. The long-suffering assistant rolled her eyes and for a moment--just a moment--Stella had to resist the urge to make her face stay that way, permanently.

  “Yes, Ms. Spinney. This is how reality shows work.”

  “But my apartment was fine the way it was. Are you going to put it back the way you found it?”

  “We’re making it work for the show. Remember? The show you agreed to do? That you’re being paid to do?”

  The woman had no idea how close she was to being turned into a toad. Stella’s eyes narrowed and she started to raise her hand when the door opened and in walked Pixie and Henry.

  “Oh no! I forgot to call you!” Stella rushed over to her cousin and hugged her tightly, needing the comfort of familiarity.

  “What’s all this?” Pixie asked, looking around.

  “She can’t tell you. It’s part of the non-disclosure agreement she signed. I’m Pamela. Who are you?”

  Her name was Pamela. Stella would remember that. There’d been a girl named Pamela at her grade school. She’d peed on the slide and for a week, it had been off limits. The other kids had nicknamed her Pee Pee Pamela. Stella wasn’t usually a mean girl, but she knew that was how she’d think of the assistant from now on.

  “This is my cousin. She’s taking care of Onyx for me. Can I at least tell her when to come back?”

  Pee Pee Pamela pursed her lips, then nodded. “That should be okay. But nothing else.”

  “You won’t have to check on
Onyx until Thursday morning.” She looked down at Henry and winked. He nodded and sauntered off. “Thank you so much, Pixie. I’m sorry you made a wasted trip.”

  “It wasn’t wasted at all. Henry and I needed a break from the bakery.”

  “Okay, you really have to leave now.” Pamela opened the front door and motioned for Pixie to leave.

  “Oh my, it looks like my cat wandered off. Henry? Where are you?”

  Henry came sauntering up, rubbed against Stella’s legs, then strutted out the door. “We’ll be back on Thursday,” Pixie told her.

  Stella went back to the sofa and checked on her cat. He was curled up, sound asleep. That Henry is really something, she thought. She was certain he’d said something to reassure and calm Onyx.

  “Okay everyone. We’ll meet back here at 7 am.”

  “7 am? Chadwick won’t be her until 10.”

  Pamela looked at her blankly. “You’re right. Scratch that,” she called out. “We’ll meet here at 6:30 am.”

  Stella groaned and buried her head in her hands. And she’d thought this would be the easy part.

  The morning was even more hectic than the night before. She got up at 6, hoping to get a shower before everyone arrived, but Pamela and the camera crew were ready for her. She opened her bedroom door to find them standing in her living room, cameras rolling.

  She held a hand in front of her face and grimaced. “Can you turn that off, please? I need a cup of coffee and a chance to wake up.”

  A paper cup was thrust towards her, giving off a delicious, familiar aroma. She opened one eye and took a deep breath. “Is this an espresso macchiato?”