They were met with weak cheers, and they quickly served bowls to each of the men.
“You’re a good dancer, Miss Abigail,” Tanner said, the young man’s eyes full of admiration.
Roan tamped down the jealousy that surged forward. Tanner was no competition, no matter what his gut tried to tell him.
“Thank you, Tanner,” Abigail said, patting his shoulder in the way she would pat Beastie’s head.
Roan grinned. No, Tanner was no competition.
“You know, I haven’t danced like that in years,” Edgar told Abigail as she served him his bowl. “You sure did take something out of me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said sweetly, turning the spoon so Edgar didn’t have to reach for it. “I hope this will help.”
Roan wasn’t sure if she had enhanced the soup or not, but everyone ate it so quickly, he could see their bodies beginning to perk up again.
He was glad to see it—he felt less guilty as he watched them grow hale and hearty before his eyes again.
“I think they’ll be all right,” Abigail said quietly as she came up next to him behind the bar, slipping her hand into his. The way she did it automatically made Roan feel lighter.
“Hey, Abigail, another bowl!” Travis shouted.
“Excuse you,” Roan growled, starting forward, but Abigail pulled back on his hand and he stayed.
“I mean—could I have more, please, Miss Abigail?” Travis asked meekly.
“I would be happy to get you more,” Abigail said with a winning smile as she hurried over to collect his bowl and return to the kitchen with it.
Roan fixed Travis with a glare, and the man withered, leaning further back in his seat.
“I think perhaps we had all better watch ourselves when it comes to Miss Abigail,” Conrad teased. “I think we may have had something growing right under our noses.”
Roan made eye contact with all the men in the room, daring them to say something, but they didn’t, and he nodded in approval.
The door opened.
All the blood in Roan’s body rushed to his head, and he could hear it roaring in his ears as the man who had cursed him walked in with a grin.
“Hello,” he said, sounding a little disappointed. “I see you’ve managed it.” He looked around the room. “Oh, wonderful job.”
“No thanks toyou,” Roan spit out.
“Ah, let’s see. I think it’s all thanks to me,” the man said with a glint in his eye that Roan didn’t like. “Without me, you never would have discovered how to love someone other than this dusty old place.”
“It’s not dusty,” Tanner said, and Roan would have laughed if he wasn’t so upset that the man was back. “It’s actually quite clean.”
Conrad agreed. “Much cleaner than I remember it being.”
Roan tried not to laugh.
“That’s beside the point,” the sorcerer said. “I don’t think you realize I was rooting for you all along.”
“Of course you were,” Roan ground out.
“I suppose I shouldn’t pick one of the roses outside, though,” he said with a dangerous glint in his eye.
“Don’t even think about it,” Roan muttered.
The man laughed. “Yes, I think my experiment was a success. How far back did you go?” he asked. “Just for curiosity’s sake.”
