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other shops within the city limits, but the walls resonated power which had nothing to do with the location.
    Today when he walked in, he was instantly pleased with his timing. A pair of long shapely legs and a fine ass belonging to a woman on a step ladder were just inside the entranceway. She was clad in a pair of denim shorts, and a snug black tee shirt emblazoned with the shop’s logo showed off the rest of her figure well. Her ebony hair hid most of her face, but he glimpsed the rosy cheeks and pert nose of Brenawyn, as she glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll be right with you. Just let me get this box down.” She said as she struggled with the box.
    Stepping forward, “Do ye need help?” Alex asked.
    “No, it’s not heavy. It’s just a bit… awkward,” she huffed out as she renewed her efforts to wrestle the box off the shelf. “Take a look around and be sure to let me know if you see anything you like.”
    Alex smiled at her comment and decided to keep his thoughts to himself. She would find them sexist and chauvinistic—not complimentary as he intended them.
    He glanced around but his attention was almost immediately brought back to her legs as she raising herself on her toes—complimentary indeed. It did luscious things for her and he itched to run his hand up her leg. She gave a little grunt of satisfaction, which was enough to pull him deeper into his fantasy, but to his disappointment, it only meant that she had the box in hand.
    “Ahem.”
    Alex looked toward the source of the noise and was met with a look of disapproval from Maggie, who stood behind the counter. He sauntered over and gave her a wink, but what he saw sobered him immediately. He caught her chin just before she shied away and angled her head to get a better look. The harshness of the fluorescent light cut through the heavy concealer to reveal the shadow of a faint bruise under her right eye.
    “Who dae I need ta ha’ a conversation with?” as he touched her cheekbone lightly with his thumb.
    Maggie bolted upright and broke contact. She cowered back in the confined space leaning down to brush her hair to cover the telltale contusion, whispering, “No one. I…I fell…fell at home.”
    Alex followed her gaze to Leo, who was approaching. The weight of her hand on his arm refocused his attention, and with a slight panicked shake of her head, she mouthed, “Don’t. She’ll worry.”
    He’d listen, at least until he investigated further. So when Leo hobbled up to join them, he showed no outward sign of concern, but she was no one’s fool.
    “Something the matter?”
    Maggie didn’t look her in the face so it was up to Alex to divert Leo’s attention. He leaned against the counter and admitted, “Oops, she caught me,” hitching a thumb back at Brenawyn, “appreciating beauty. I’m so ashamed.”
    Maggie attempted to play along but her laugh was stiff and hollow. Leo furrowed her brow, glancing at her, but Maggie didn’t give her any answer. With a ragged sigh, Maggie’s shoulders relaxed and she unfolded herself from the corner, a ghost of a smile on her lips. She leaned over the counter, poked him in the chest, and said, “What’s wrong with you? Behave yourself! You’re acting like a teenager. You’re a little old for that, aren’t you? That’s Brenawyn, Leo’s granddaughter, for heaven’s sake!”
    Alex turned around and now that he could see her face, he recognized the family resemblance. She had her grandmother’s big expressive eyes and her dark hair, which was twisted up haphazardly and held by two pens. Tendrils fell about her face attractively. He tore his eyes away from her at last and looked back at Leo, “I met yer granddaughter and her dog this morning at th’ bakery. I doonae ken why I didna recognize her then, she resembles ye quite strongly.”
    “Huh, she didn’t mention meeting anyone. Well, anyway, she’s staying indefinitely, or so she says. She even quit her job and sold the