A Frost Untimely: Blackstone Witches

By Phaedra Weldon

This is a novella which takes place between Ill Met By Moonlight and Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

 

Melody Blackstone wants a greenhouse built next to her shop. Enter Riley Pritchard. He's polite, sweet, tall, handsome…

 

And Mildred Thumper's nephew. 

 

But as Mildred's fight to prevent her nephew from getting involved with a Blackstone begins, the Blackstones and some of Castle Falls' citizens notice there's something wrong with Mildred, something only the magic of the Blackstone Witches, and Mildred herself, can cure.

 

The Blackstone Witches is a series of novellas highlighting each of the Blackstone children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caldwell Press
• Release date: Sep 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393816638

Book preview

A Frost Untimely

A Frost Untimely

Blackstone Witches: Melody

Phaedra Weldon

Caldwell Press

For all the Mama D’s in my incredible family. But most of all for my mom, whose tenacity and strength have held us together as a family all these decades.

---

I love you mom.

Melody Blackstone wants a greenhouse built next to her shop. Enter Riley Pritchard. He’s polite, sweet, tall, handsome…

And Mildred Thumper’s nephew.

But as Mildred’s fight to prevent her nephew from getting involved with a Blackstone begins, the Blackstones and some of Castle Falls’ citizens notice there’s something wrong with Mildred, something only the magic of the Blackstone Witches, and Mildred herself, can cure.

One

I want a greenhouse, Melody Blackstone said aloud to no one in particular.

Not that her antique store was empty. There were six customers browsing, and she’d just finished the sale of an antique grandfather clock. Melody was happy to be rid of it. The ghost of an elderly gentleman resided inside of it. Melody lived upstairs and often found the intruder wandering through her rooms, always after she stepped out of the shower. Of course, she was going to have to ask her grandmother, lovingly referred to by everyone as Mama D, to help her with an exorcism if the ghost didn't move on with the clock.

Just…not today.

She did warn the buyer of the clock, but he was a long time resident of Castle Falls, South Carolina. Most of the residents were aware of the oddities associated with the town, and the unconventionals who lived there. But the buyer was a member of Mildred Thumper’s little Christian Right group, and the clock was going to be used in their place of meeting, so the man said. Of course, he’d also asked her not to tell Mildred where he bought the clock, and to remove all the sales tags before it was delivered.

You have the best prices for miles, Melody, the man had said.

So… let them deal with Mr. Perverted Wandering Man ghostie.

One of the customers in the store was Mr. Grover Ragland. He owned a bed and breakfast at the edge of town on the way to the infamous Castle Falls themselves. He usually bought from her to furnish his place, and today he was looking at an exquisite Tiffany lamp. It was a classic mushroom design, with pink hues of stained glass and all of its red fringe intact. He looked at Melody where she stood behind her counter. Twinkle, her cat and Familiar, lay on the warmest panel of glass to her right, purring. A greenhouse? What for?

For me. I like to make sachets and wellness teas. She frowned. Oh don’t look at me like that, Grover. Ginger’s not the only one in the family who can grow things.

Uh huh. He carefully picked up the lamp and brought it to the table and set it down. Care to haggle over this one?

Not by much, dear. She put her hands on the counter. I paid a pretty penny for that piece. It had a mate, but someone bought just one.

That was my wife, he winked. Now she wants the set.

Melody laughed. Oh I see. So...maybe a larger discount.

Tell you what, Grover retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. You give me this half off—since I already have the other one—and I’ll give you the name and number of someone in town who can build you that greenhouse. And it won’t cost anything but material.

Deal, Melody rang up the transaction and took his cash.

Grover’s smile was infectious. He took a pen from her collection in a decorative glass vase and she pushed a flowery pad of paper to him. He scribbled a name and number. His name’s Riley Pritchard. Good young man. Recently moved here to take care of his aunt. He’s excellent with a hammer. I think he went to college for architecture. He shook his head and pushed the pad back to her and replaced the pen. I can’t remember.

Melody looked at the pad and smiled. Thank you, Grover.

He picked up the lamp and nodded. You're welcome, Melody. Say hello to your Grandmother for me. He turned and left the store.

She eyed the pad and paper for a bit and checked her clock. It was nearly lunch and she had lunch plans with her younger sister Daphne at her new place. Melody decided to call in the afternoon.

Daphne and Jason’s place was something of a fixer-upper. That was Melody’s opinion when she pulled up and parked under a huge oak. It looked to her as if they’d somehow found a plantation house in Georgia, plucked it out of its grove, and set it down in the most picturesque spot in all of South Carolina. The fact they were minutes from the Falls was a bonus. Melody could feel the power of the thundering water from where she stood, looking at the house.

Twinkle eased (sort of fell out) his way out of the car and followed Melody to the door. She carried a basket of goodies Mama D had sent with her. There were gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies, pickled things in jars Melody couldn’t identify, and there was something in a box for Jason.

Jason met her at the door. He was beautiful. She’d thought David was nice on the eyes, but the fact that Jason was a good bit younger looking than David masked his true age, which Melody didn’t even want to take a guess at. Jason was David’s mentor, and his best friend. David had had a bad maker,