Page 4 of Ella and the Enchanted Bookshop

“Probably unadvisable, but you might have at least asked if he’d be around again anytime soon.” Belle looked up and met my gaze, her own brown eyes laughing. Belle was one of the least flirtatious women I’d ever met, which made what she said sound even more ludicrous.

But then again, he had bought me a book.

When I turned to Margaret, however, she was watching me with a speculative gaze. “Just a moment,” she finally said, holding up her index finger. “Don’t go yet. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m going to have the tax people down my throat if I get anything else for free,” I called after her. But Margaret ignored me as she headed to the far corner of the store and pulled a book off the shelf. After blowing the dust off, she came back and handed the book to me.

I stared at it in confusion. It wasn’t a new book by any means. In fact, the leather binding made it look older than Margaret. Its blue book ribbon was frayed and pale, the page edges were yellow, and it was heavier than I’d expected.

“This isn’t a gift,” she said as I turned it over in my hands. “I’ve lent it out many times. Once you’re through with it, you can bring it back, too.” Her eyes suddenly twinkled dangerously. “But it’s just the thing for cozy nights at home.”

I started to open the book, but she pressed it closed again. “Best wait to start it until you actually have time to enjoy it. Now, I have to go, so you take yourself home. Enjoy your treats, and don’t let your stepmother work you too hard.” With this, she fairly shoved me out the door. “Happy birthday, love!”

“Um, thank you!” I called over my shoulder. But the door was already shut, and the OPEN sign already read CLOSED. So with a shrug, I took my birthday gifts and made my way home.

2

Cake in the Fridge

Iarrived home twenty minutes later to find my stepmother’s luggage in the entryway of the house, and this time, I didn’t even try to suppress the sigh that escaped me. She was back from her conference.

There were benefits, of course, to having her back. For one, she actually knew how to take care of the horses. Even though she preferred me to do it, in a pinch, the woman was quite skilled. It was one of the reasons Dad had noticed her when they first met. And with her around, it would no longer fall on me to hint to my stepsisters that they should do their chores.

But Casey being home also meant tension. It meant arguments about money and threats to sell the horses. It meant passive-aggressive remarks about my less-than-stellar college grades and reminders not to make excuses when I pointed out that running a ranch and doing school simultaneously was no walk in the park.

But in an attempt to start her return with a sliver of civility, I pasted on a smile and made my way into the kitchen, where Casey was emptying the dishwasher.

“Hi, Casey,” I said, putting my stuff on the counter. I’d eaten the cupcake on the way home, and the books were in my satchel, so now I was only holding my drink.

“Oh good, you’re home.” Casey straightened. Her red hair was pulled up into a stylish knot, and she was still wearing her favorite green suit jacket, white blouse, and matching green pencil skirt. “Where is the detergent? I told Harper to put it back under the sink each time.”

“I think it’s behind the paper towels.” I paused, trying to gauge her mood. “How was the conference?”

Casey liked to attend breeder, industry, and show horse conferences more than she enjoyed actually working with horses. Which might not have been so bad if Dad had still been alive. That was how they’d met, after all. But conferences were expensive, and the ranch was not up to supporting expensive things at the moment.

“One of the more mediocre ones. I’m hoping the next one is more useful.” She waved a hand at me. “How did the camp go?”

I nodded. “It went well. They got some sort of grant, so we got three more riders than we expected.”

“Good.” She started the dishwasher. “I’ll talk to them and see if they would be interested in doing long-term lessons. If they’re able to get another grant, it could mean a good income source in the future.”

I studied my drink. I had actually enjoyed running the camp that week. It had been Casey’s idea to offer a riding camp to one of the retirement homes nearby for older riders who had prior experience riding horses. I wasn’t qualified to give actual equine therapy, but what we offered could supplement it. I would have enjoyed it more, however, if it hadn’t been dropped on me just before my finals.

“...made new gains recently in the microbiomes of struggling foals.”

I snapped my attention back to Casey, who was, apparently, still talking. But at least she was talking and not lecturing.

“I also ran into that vet… the social media one. Oh, I forget his name. But his wife knew your father from some class they took together twenty years ago. So that was a fun coincidence.” She paused and looked at me. “You’re awfully quiet.” Then she zeroed in on my drink and books spilling out of my open bag. “Treat yourself today?” The question was casual.

“Um, no, actually. These were gifts. From friends.” I didn’t dare mention Margaret by name. As much as I adored the nosy bookshop owner, my stepmother did not. Margaret had spent a lot of time checking on me after Dad died, and Casey had found it insulting. Someone who meddled that much, according to Casey, was insinuating that she couldn’t take care of me as well as her own children.

To be fair, Casey was probably right.

As was Margaret.

I wondered for a moment if Casey would press now to know who had bought me the gifts, but after a moment, she went back to the dishes. “I need you to eat dinner quickly tonight and get ready for the final night of camp,” she said as she began putting the dishes away. “Hopefully, we can turn this into something more regular.”

I hesitated.