A Charming Cure
Charming
Cure
Magical Cures
Mystery Series
Book two
Also by Tonya Kappes
Women’s Fiction
Carpe Bead ‘em
Anthologies
Something Spooky This Way Comes
Believe Christmas Anthology
Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery
Series
Splitsville.com (Book One)
Magical Cures Mystery Series
A Charming Crime
A Charming Cure
Grandberry Falls Series
The Ladybug Jinx
Happy New Life
A Superstitious Christmas
Never Tell Your Dreams
A Divorced Diva Beading Mystery
Series
A Bead of Doubt
Non-Fiction
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This book is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination
or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or
persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, without the permission in writing from the
author or publisher.
Edition: September 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Tonya Kappes
All rights reserved
Cover Artist: Laura Morrigan
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This
ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to
share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for
each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was
not purchased for your use only, then please return to the publisher and purchase
your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
What others are saying about Author
Tonya Kappes
“Full of wit, humor and colorful
characters, Tonya Kappes delivers a fun, fast-paced story that will leave you
hooked!” Bestselling Author, Jane Porter
“Fun, fresh, and flirty, Carpe Bead
’Em is the perfect read on a hot summer day. Tonya Kappes’ voice shines in
her debut novel.” Author Heather Webber
“
I loved how Tonya
Kappes was able to bring her characters to life.” Coffee Table Reviews
With laugh out loud scenes and can't put
it down suspense A Charming Crime is the perfect read for summer you get a
little bit of everything but romance. Forgetthehousework blog
"This
book was fun, entertaining and good to the last page. Who knew reading auras
could get Olivia in so much trouble? Sit back, smile and cozy up to
Splitsville.com, where Olivia does the dumping for you. There's heap loads of
humor, a dose of magical realism, sprinkles of romance, and mystery when
someone ends up dead!" Author Lisa Lim
“This book
was funny and clever with a unique premise. I truly couldn't put it down.”
Author Diane Majeske
“I loved this book. Grandberry Falls is my kind of town and I
for one would love to live there and get to know all the local folks. I enjoyed
reading this book and can't wait to read the next book about Grandberry Falls
by Tonya Kappes.
I have added Tonya
Kappes as one of my new favorite authors.” Jean Segal
“This was
the first of a great new fantasy series. I got to discover things right along
with her, which I loved. As the mystery unfolded, and June learned more and
more about herself, the fantasy world that Kappes introduced came to life. This
is definitely one series that will be on my To Be Read list as subsequent books
come out.” author Andrea Buginsky
Dedication and Acknowledgments
I want to thank every single member of
the Tonya Kappes Street Team! They are a group of readers who have stood by me
and supported me. Readers are so important to me and I’m honored that at the
end of the day they take the time to escape into my imaginative world. You guys
rock!! AND I love you to death!
And to reader and friend, Amy Becker
for winning the contest to name a character in A Charming Cure Name the Character
contest. Raven is the perfect name for this new character in The Magical Cures
Series.
Thank you, Judy Beatty, for turning my
work into a polished work. Your talent is greatly amazing.
Of course a big magical hugs to my
guys, Eddy, Jack, Austin, and Brady. They never complained once when we had
take-out for the tenth day in a row while I completed this novel.
Chapter One
“Bubble,
bubble.” My hands hovered over the copper cauldron, I leaned back. It was the
first time I had ever used it and was a little unsure of the effects. If
something was going to fly out, I didn’t want it to hit me. Plus, I didn’t want
the fertility potion I was making to hit me. My fertility was fine exactly the
way it was . . .non-existent. A puff of relief escaped my lips when nothing out
of the ordinary happened, causing my blunt bangs to fly up in the air.
I
stood up straighter, pulled down the edges of my jean jacket and picked up the
Magical Cures Book. Little did I realize that when my mother, Darla, left me
the book in her last will and testament, it would teach me who I really was.
Slowly,
I opened the leather bound book and found my page. I held it up to my nose.
With a deep inhale, and with a bee fertility cure in mind, cinnamon, sage,
yellow jasmine and Marsh tea took over my senses. I sat the book down next to
the cauldron and placed my hands back over it.
Nothing
happened so I continued. This time I spoke a little louder, “Bubble, bubble.
Clear the bee’s troubles. Let the bee’s create honey, to keep bringing Petunia more
money.”
Steam
flew upward as I pinched off different ingredients and tossed them in the
simmering pot. Petunia peeked around the partition, making me a little nervous.
Originally,
I had the cauldron in the back of A Charming Cure, but I didn’t like going in
the back and leaving the shop unattended. So, I had the counter made taller and
a partition to block off any and all magic happening behind it.
I
ducked as a mini-tornado whirled and churned like mad over the steam.
Carefully, I reached over and threw in a dash of Marigold just like the
instruction in the Magical Cures book said to do. Only it didn’t say throw, it
said to gently stir.
As
soon as the Marigold flakes hit the bubbling water, sparks flew up, stopping
the cylinder from twirling. The cauldron shut off, letting me know the
bee-pollen potion was finished.
Petunia
stepped back from the partition.
“Scardy-cat.”
I smiled and picked up the ladle, stirring the mixture and making sure it was
the right consistency.
“I’ll
take licks and rubs over that any day,” she chimed from the other side of the
partition, referring to her four-legged creatures.
She
owned Gollybee Pet Store a few shops down. Every shop owner in Whispering Falls
had a psychic ability with a magical twist. The entire village was magical.
To
an outsider, Whispering Falls, Kentucky was just a tiny town with a population
of five hundred, set in the foothills of a few mountains. Most people that
visited our little village didn’t know how special we really were, but they
felt the magic while they were here, which was why they continued to come back
for more.
Meow,
meow.
Mr. Prince Charming ran over and created figure eights around her ankles. You
could always tell when my cat liked you. He would do his signature figure eight
move.
The
bell above the door dinged, letting me know that my first customer of the day
was here. I glanced up at the clock. There was still five minutes until A
Charming Cure opened, but I would never turn someone away that needed a cure
for whatever ailed them.
“Good
morning, Mr. Prince Charming.” In one quick move, Petunia picked up the cat.
Her hazel eyes narrowed and focused on the customer. Petunia pushed the stick
back in place that was falling out of her makeshift up-do she had created with
her long, brown hair. She always had some sort of nature hanging around in
there. Sometimes it was a small creature, but today it was a twig. Petunia’s
gift was being able to communicate with animals and Mr. Prince Charming loved
her.
“I’ll
be right with you.” I popped my head around the partition and stared at the
woman dressed in all black. I tucked my black bob haircut behind my ear, and
pushed my blunt bangs to the side to get a better look. She didn’t look like
one of my usual customers.
Without
acknowledging me or without a word, the woman’s long, thin hand stretched out
and retrieved a homeopathic bottle from the round, tiered table that sat just
inside the door.
Hiss,
hiss.
Mr. Prince Charming had jumped out of Petunia’s arms and stood at attention
facing the customer. He was never good at disguising his dislikes either.
“Mr.
Prince Charming!” I whistled him over, and he came running behind the counter.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll be right with you.”
Quickly
I grabbed the glass bottle that looked like a stack of lifesavers. The
rainbow-inspired bottle lit up when I touched it, letting me know it was the
perfect match for the bee pollen. I put a small funnel in the mouth of the
bottle. I scooped the potion in the ladle and carefully poured it into the
funnel. Slowly, the potion dripped into the bottle. I twisted the lid on
securely and waited until it was ready.
Meow,
meow.
Mr. Prince Charming jumped up and landed next to the box of Ding Dongs.
“You
know exactly what I need.” Carefully, I unwrapped the foil and took a big bite
of what I considered to be real magic. The chocolate treat was magic to my
soul. The best comfort food—ever! My go-to when I became stressed. And, for
some odd reason, the new customer seemed to put my intuition on high alert.
That
was my psychic gift. I didn’t have anything cool like the mediums, palm
readers, and tarot readers of the village. But, my intuition had never failed
me, so I guess it was a good gift to have, even though I sometimes wish I could
turn a few people into ants or fleas.
I
pinched a small piece off and fed it to him. I’d always heard chocolate wasn’t
good for animals, but fifteen years of eating Ding Dongs hadn’t hurt him yet.
He’d
never
been to the veterinarian. I tried taking him a few times in
Locust Grove, Kentucky, where we lived before we moved to Whispering Falls, but
somehow he’d end up disappearing right before my eyes. Finally, I gave up.
The
bee pollen glowed in the rainbow bottle. It was ready.
“All
done.” I held the bottle in the palm of my hand and walked out from behind the
partition. “Just add a few drops to the hive and you’ll be buzzing with babies
in no time. Pun intended.” A big smile crept up on my face.
I
was the youngest and newest spiritualist in the community and I was sure they
still didn’t know how to take the Samantha Stevens wannabe.
Petunia
didn’t smile at my joke. She took the bottle, but never took her eyes off the
customer who continued to pick up my bottles while curling her nose.
The
customer had picked up the lime green potion bottle that was sitting on the
corner shelf closest to the door. Tapping the bottle with her red-tipped
fingernail, her eyebrows raised.
“Do
I know you?” There was something familiar about her. At least that was what my
intuition told me, and it wasn’t in favor of her. Before I gave her a
not-so-nice potion, say a potion that would turn her hiccups into a croaking
frog or her negative attitude into one of giving, I needed to know her answer.
