“It doesn’t feel like magic,” Kaden mused as he held out a handful of soil, then breathed that in, too. He glanced up at her, nose smudged with dirt. Without thinking, she brushed it away. His eyes widened, and she froze, fingertips still on his skin.

“You had some dirt on your face…”

She lowered her hand slowly, her eyes darting to his lips as he grinned and said, “It just smells like dirt.”

Irene laughed. “That’s because it is dirt.” She dipped her own hand into the ground.

“Magic dirt,” Kaden said with a grin.

“All dirt has a little magic in it.”

“The Haywood dirt just has a little more?”

“It holds the town’s sorrow. Everything we take from the people who come to us, we put here, and the plants give us back fruits and vegetables, blooms and herbs in return.”

The plant seemed to be turning toward her, offering its petals. Irene plucked a flower and held it out to Kaden.

He eyed it warily. “I’m not sure I want to amplify my emotions again after what happened at the funeral. I’m sort of a mess right now…” His eyes flicked to hers.

“Even if the rosemary was responsible for what happened, it only amplifies what you’re already feeling. So, maybe you should hold on to it. You can eat it when you find something you do want to feel.”

Kaden arched an eyebrow. “Reading my aura, are you?” He leaned a little closer to her.

“Did I get it wrong?” she whispered.

Kaden glanced down at the flower she held between them. “Not at all.”

He took it from her. There was a glint in his dark eyes, a small smile playing at his lips as he marveled at the bloom like it held all the magic in the world.

He was about to pop it into his mouth, but instead he pulled his wallet from his pocket and tucked the flower between two punch cards. Then he held his hands out to her.

A sensation trilled through Irene—a little bit like magic. She held out her hand as a butterfly flew toward her. It landed on her knuckles. A second followed. It had been a long time since she’d felt this quiet sort of happiness.

“If I am going to kiss you, I’d rather feel it without any magic between us,” he said.

And that was it.

Irene’s heart was done for.

Kaden stood and offered her a hand up. His skin was rough and dry and gritty with dirt, and when she touched it, her own skin came alive. He led her back to the blanket they’d set up, where the setting sun was about to slip below the horizon.