A Charming Potion

Charming

Potion

Magical Cures Mystery
Series

Short Story

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)

Color Me A Crime (Book Two

Magical Cures Mystery Series

A Charming Crime

A Charming Cure

A Charming Potion (short story)

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

The Tricked-Out Toolbox~Promotional and
Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs

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: October 2012

Copyright © 2012 by Tonya Kappes

All rights reserved

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

“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. This is definitely one series that will be on my To Be Read list
as subsequent books come out.” author Andrea Buginsky

“If you haven't picked
up this series yet, I highly recommend it. It gets five magical stars from me!”
Cozy Most Mystery Review

Dedication and Acknowledgments

For my STREET TEAM! Y’all keep me going!

One

Mmmm.
Closing my eyes, I stuck my nose
up to the kitchen window screen, sniffing the fresh air.

There was nothing better than waking up with the
crisp fall morning breeze floating through an open window, especially one in my
cozy town of Whispering Falls, Kentucky during the Halloween season.

“Let’s go.” I turned around and gave Mr. Prince
Charming’s lily-white fur a long rub down.

Meow, meow
. He
crisscrossed around my ankles in his signature figure eight he always did when
he was happy.

“Yes.” There was a magical feeling in the air. “It’s
Halloween eve.”

Mewl.
He jumped off the counter,
stretched out his paws, and began kneading the rug at the base of the kitchen
cabinet.

“Rise and shine,
sunshine
.”I tapped the round
glass ball sitting on the counter. Sarcasm was my specialty when it came to my
snarky-future-reading ball, Madame Torres.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Her bright purple eyes
were the only thing that lit up in the globe. “It’s way too early to give out
any advice. Especially in the
love
department.”

“Love?” It had to be too early for her. It’s the
time for spooking, not loving. “Whatever! We are leaving now. I’m sure there is
going to be a line of customers today.”

Hiss, Hiss.
Mr. Prince
Charming showed his teeth.

“What is wrong with you?” My brows furrowed as I
scolded him. He had never hissed at me before. “Is it the
love
word?”

I giggled, trying not to make him even madder, but
it was no secret that he was not a fan of the romance that was blossoming
between Oscar and me.

Hiss, hiss.

“Now stop that!” I shook my finger at him. “You know
that I love you.”

Opening the front door, I stepped out and felt a
chill as I looked into town.

The fog laid over Whispering Falls like a warm
blanket. Only a few of the shop lights could be seen from the overlook where my
cottage sits.

“Oh, it’s a little chilly.” I pulled the edges of my
furry vest up around my neck.

Meow, meow
. Mr. Prince
Charming darted off into Whispering Falls. With my bag over my shoulder, I shut
and locked the door and headed down the hill, ready for the day ahead of me.

“Good morning.” A very familiar deep voice chimed
out from across the street. “I got you a coffee.”

I smiled. Wouldn’t everyone want to start their day
with a hunky guy like Oscar Park and a cup of coffee?

“Yes, it is going to be a great morning.” Our
fingers touched when I took the coffee. A little spark flew from the touch. I
laughed sheepishly. “I guess we still haven’t gotten used to that.”

“It’s always a good morning when I see you first
thing.” His deep blue eyes were like magnets. I couldn’t look away. He kissed
the tip of my nose. “I’ve got to go and get caught up on files. And don’t
forget that I have sorcery class tonight.”

“I won’t.” I turned around and stood in front of my
homeopathic shop, A Charming Cure, and smiled. “It’s already a great day.”

Yes. Since moving to Whispering Falls a year ago, my
life had changed. Oscar Park had been my childhood best friend. We moved here
together after he took the Police Chief position. We remained best friends until
recently when we realized that our love for each other was beyond friendship.  

I also discovered that I came from a spiritualist
family and had a crazy intuition for not only making real homeopathic cures,
but also putting a little magic in them. Most of my customers come in seeking a
cure for something that ails them physically, but in reality, my intuition told
me exactly what was going on with their spirit and what was really causing the
physical pain.

Every shop owner in Whispering Falls had a psychic
power with a magical twist. The entire village was magical.

To an outsider, Whispering Falls was just a tiny
town with a population of five hundred, set in the foothills of a few mountains
in Kentucky. 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.

Ahh.
. .I let out a deep exhale and
looked up at the colorful awning hanging over the ornamental gate that read: A
Charming Cure.

Every day the amazing life I was living left me
breathless.

A Charming Cure was a sight to behold.

Beautiful
,
I thought, standing there.

The two little windows covered in moss, along with the
purple and white flowers that grow up and around the front door, add to the
magic that happens right inside the door.

Meow, meow
. Mr. Prince Charming
ran up to the door.

“Where did you go?” I bent down and ran my hand down
his body and up his long white tail.

Meowl
, he answered, as if he knew
exactly what I was saying. Which I’m sure he did.

“Time to work,” I said, as I unlock the front door.

The warm smell of pumpkin spice, allspice, thyme,
and many other ingredients waifed out of the shop and into the street, tangling
with the fog.

Flipping on the light, I looked around the shop. All
the round tables that were scattered throughout the shop were decorated with
different styles of lamps and unique shades. Thanks to Izzy Solstice, who owns
Mystic Lights, a local light company with many unique lamps. Sitting on the
tables were beautiful little bottles that held the most amazing homeopathic
cures.

The magic happened when the customer picked out the
cure they thought was going to help them and handed it to me. That was when I
would take the bottle behind my little petition that sits off to the side of my
counter and mix a little of the ingredients in my cauldron. With a little extra
umph, the real cure was made and everyone was happy.

With one more look around the shop before I opened,
I tapped each ingredient lined up behind the counter and one-by-one they filled
up.

Walking up to the front door, I made a little
adjustment here and there to make everything appeals to the customer.

While turning the sign to open, I glanced out the
window. As if someone had turned a light switch on, each unique shop in
Whispering Falls was now open for business.

Today was usually the busiest day of the year for
all the shops in Whispering Falls. After all, tomorrow was Halloween.

Two

“You’ve got to help me,” the young woman pleaded,
the leaves whipping around her ankles as she rushed in A Charming Cure. She
planted herself against the door with her arms out to the side. “June, I heard
that you would be able to make a cure for anything that ails you.”

Her short sandy-blond hair was a little windblown,
but I couldn’t blame the wind for her mismatched buttoned shirt.

“You are June Heal, right?” Her eyes were sharp and
assessing.

“I am,” I answered, grabbing a couple of Ding Dongs,
because if there was ever a Ding Dong moment, it was now. Plus, I just needed a
chocolate fix of my own.

Meowl, meowl.
Mr. Prince
Charming stretched, his back arching. He was always up for a little taste of a
Ding Dong. I know that you shouldn’t give cats chocolate, but Mr. Prince
Charming wasn’t just
any
cat.

He’s been my fairy god cat since I was ten years
old. Mr. Prince Charming didn’t have nine lives; he was going on one-hundred
lives. At least, that was what I was told from the other spiritualists in
Whispering Fall, Kentucky told me.

“Come on over here.” I gestured for her to come sit
on one of the stools that butt up to the counter. I put the Ding Dong on a
little plate and left it there for her to indulge. “Let’s have a little chat.”