Rule one of any good matchmaker—trust your instincts.

Ebony Reynolds had been hearing that rule her whole life. Even now as she approached the fortune teller's shop she could still hear her Aunt Sage reciting those words, paired with a kindly pat on the shoulder. There was just one problem. Her instincts were telling her to retreat back into the car and drive further down the mountain, past the touristy shops nestled amongst the rainforest and to her weather-beaten house, because telling fortunes was like believing in magic. Fairy-tale nonsense. But Sage had insisted on a visit to the fortune teller, and how could Ebony refuse? Sage was her boss, a master match-maker, while Ebony was soon to be unemployed if she didn't produce one successful match within the next month. This was her last hope, and it was borderline crazy.

Hands in her jacket, she peered through the shop window. Scarves were pinned artfully in the corners of the room. Low bookcases lined the walls, and a multitude of gems hung from the ceiling, catching the sunlight. It could have been a lot worse. Like voodoo dolls and shrunken skulls, or a witch's hat on the woman behind the counter. Fortunately, the woman talking on the phone looked normal—a little on the hippy side, but stylish.

Ebony leaned against the glass door and pushed it open, inhaling a blend of citrus and floral oils that were burning at toxic levels. A bell jingled above, announcing her entrance. The woman behind the counter lowered her conversation into the antique phone. Ebony was immediately drawn to the woman's bony wrist as she held the handset. The woman might very well survive on cups of tea, if only to read the tea leaves.

"I'll have to go," the woman said to the caller. "A young matchmaker has walked in for a reading. Just in time, too! ... I will ... Talk soon." She placed the phone back on the cradle and smiled.

"Wow, you're good," Ebony said. "You can really tell that by looking at me?"

"It's on your car, dear. Kismet Matchmaking Agency." She pointed through the window. "I saw you pull up."

Ebony laughed. At least the woman was honest.

"Mrs Harrostone," she introduced, her voice catching. "And you are...?"

"Ebony." Just Ebony. No need to give too much information. Who knew if she did background checks on her clients to ensure better readings.

The woman offered her hand, and as Ebony shook it Mrs Harrostone's smile weakened. The woman almost looked ready to cry, but released Ebony's hand as if nothing was amiss. Either this was part of the act, or the woman was having a strange turn—whether it was other-worldly or of the everyday variety Ebony couldn't say. As Mrs Harrostone stepped out from the counter and motioned Ebony through the archway, she tripped and grabbed the edge of the doorframe.

"Are you okay?" Ebony asked, steadying the lady's elbow.

Mrs Harrostone smiled reassuringly, but she looked even more out of sorts than before. She patted back the hair that had fallen around her face. "I'm sorry, I lost my grounding there for a moment. I might take a small break."

"You look very pale. Let me drive you to the doctors."

"Not necessary. Nothing a good coffee and a brownie won't fix."

"Okay." But Ebony didn't believe a word of it.

"Now I do have someone waiting before you. I hope that won't be a problem?"

Ebony shook her head and followed Mrs Harrostone into a dimly lit room.

The glowing fish tank caught her attention first. Its reflection shone watery rainbows upon the walls and ceiling, making Ebony wonder if it had been strategically placed to calm a client before a reading. She was still admiring the fish when Mrs Harrostone cleared her throat and said, "Jake, could you please entertain Ebony? I need a few minutes."

"Sure," a rich voice replied.

Ebony stilled. She hadn't noticed the leather sofas on either side of the room, let alone the man sitting to her right, ankle crossed lazily over his knee. All those months of celibacy must have screwed up her pheromones, because this was a man who should have been impossible to miss. Dark brown eyes, chiselled jaw, and dark hair just long enough to be ruffled back. It was like seeing Superman lounging in the waiting room, but as his alter ego in a shirt and tie, wearing a biker jacket.

"Hi," he said, standing and offering his hand.

Ebony found herself slipping her hand into his. It was warm, calloused, and his fingers encompassed her hand like a familiar glove, one destined to be worn again and again.

"Hi," she said.

Did she normally sound that breathless?

A smile flashed across his face, and Ebony found herself smiling back. She stopped immediately and released his hand. She must stick to her vow. Never, under any circumstances, be lured by a charming man! Out of desperation, she turned to Mrs Harrostone.

Mrs Harrostone had already left the room.

Disaster.

Removing her jacket, Ebony took the sofa on the left, giving her enough space from Jake that they could avoid conversation entirely, but giving her a prime view of the man opposite. She was starting to appreciate the fish tank's presence. It was by no means exciting, but it did serve as the perfect distraction. A quick glance at the man opposite saw him reach over to the side coffee table and pick up the first magazine he found. When he read the title 'Pregnancy' his eyes widened, and Ebony almost laughed. He opened the magazine, wincing and grunting every now and then.

Ebony considered making a quick joke, an icebreaker, but couldn't bring herself to speak. Strange, considering she spoke to single men every day with complete ease, asking questions so intimate they could have been dating. But those questions were for a database, a way to pair clients. Apparently, outside office hours, the prospect of talking to a man left her mute.

"Magazine?" he asked, ready to dump the magazine into the pile.

Ebony shook her head. "That might be a little too graphic for me. I think I'd rather go into that adventure as blindly as possible."

"Then you might want to skip pages forty-one to fifty."

"Childbirth?"

He nodded, then froze. "You said going into that adventure blindly... Shite. You're expecting, aren't you?"

"What?"

"I'm sure experiencing pages forty-one to fifty isn't as bad as it looks."

"I'm not pregnant." She laughed and patted her stomach. For some reason she wasn't just making a point to him, but had the sudden need to reassure herself. Her stomach was definitely flat under the white blouse, and her plum pencil skirt was hugging her hips in all the usual places. She let out a breath. "Definitely not."

"That's a relief."

"Tell me about it."

Considering the last time she'd been with a man was six months ago, she would have had a bulging baby belly if she were pregnant, and having Dave as the father would have been a nightmare. The thought reminded her of another woman with a bulging baby belly. Dave was the father.

Jake rubbed the top of his head, troubled. "So much for entertaining you. I've managed to upset in all of three minutes."

"You haven't. Blame my ex-fiancé. I saw him yesterday, and his partner is seven months pregnant. It kind of hit me hard."

"How long had you been engaged?"

"A month."

He raised a brow. "And when did you break up?"

Ebony wished she hadn't mentioned anything. "Six months ago."

A muscle flickered in his jaw, but his gaze softened as he looked at Ebony. "Now I see why you're upset. But at least you found out what a worthless twat he was before you'd married him. Now that would've been shattering."

"Yeah. I guess."

"Trust me."

She nodded. The pain in his voice surprised her. Whatever had happened in his past it had left some serious scars.

She'd been sure he'd been about to speak, then his eyes narrowed. "But I'm guessing that you've met someone since then?"

"Ah. No." This was the one downside of the 'No men' vow. The humiliation. The failure.

As he rubbed his jaw, she would've given anything to know what he was thinking. If only she had telepathy or some psychic ability. Like Mrs Harrostone. That's if the lady didn't turn out to be a fraud. "You're serious?"

"Very."

"You sound almost pleased."

"I am." Kind of.

His brows rose. "You don't want to put yourself out there—in case you get hurt. Right?"

Okay, that was pretty much it. "I made a vow six months ago. No relationships, no flings. Nothing. It's going well," she said, smiling.

"That is one of the worst tragedies I've ever heard."

"Why?"

He leaned forward in his chair. Even though there was a room's length between them, he felt closer with his eyes on hers. "I was considering asking you out, but now..."

"But now you won't?" She wanted to bury her head in her hands. She'd just spilled her secrets, thinking she'd never see him again. Call it free therapy. And he wanted a date with her! The worst of it, she wanted that date with him!

"Out of respect for your vow, I won't ask. Because I'm quite sure I could behave on the first date, maybe the second, but after that, I think I'd struggle to keep my hands off you."

Ebony's lips parted, imagining his hands exploring her curves, those calloused fingers of his brushing her skin, making her breathless. She bit her lip, hoping that pain could distract her from an even deeper ache. The biting didn't help—Jake's attention was drawn to her mouth, and his dark broody gaze was undoing her vow in seconds.

With all the magazines on Jake's side of the room, Ebony was reluctant to cross the distance, but she wasn't about to sit there staring at him. She was still recovering from the hot flush Jake had caused. Not really wanting to look at the fish tank again, she walked to it anyway, and swore Jake's gaze was following her movements.

Waiting rooms were a funny thing. All it took was a few minutes to make chit-chat, or tell your life story to a stranger. How many times had she heard the former park ranger's hunting and rescue stories in a waiting room, or had a crochet lesson from Mrs Dobson, regardless of whether Ebony wanted a crochet lesson or not? Perhaps it was a way to fill in time, knowing it was unlikely to see that person any time soon. Harmless. Until today. Now the story of Dave was out there, she felt naked. And in front of a guy like Jake, being naked left her nervous.

Beside the fish tank was a miniature signpost saying, 'Feed me. Just a pinch!'

Shrugging, Ebony picked up the jar of fish food and plucked out some flakes. She sprinkled them along the water and watched the fish race towards the surface, but when she pulled her hand away her bracelet snared on the corner of the tank. Beads and charms went flying, some plonking into the tank water, others scattering across the room. At twenty-five, she was too old to cry over a bracelet, but as she sunk to the floor, scraping up bead after bead, she was very close to letting the tears fall.

She was searching under the tank's table when Jake knelt beside her with a collection of charms in his hand. "You really loved that bracelet, hey?" he asked.

"Yes," she breathed, snatching up a charm with a rune symbol. Ebony sat back on her knees, brushing her black hair from her face. As she peered up at him, there was no missing the concern in his eyes as they shone under the weird glow of the fish tank. Again, Jake seemed too good to be real. It was like she was stuck between a dream and a nightmare, considering she was unable to stop the rest of her life from falling apart. Even her voice sounded different as it took on a husky tone, and she said, "It was a birthday present from my mother."

"It was an accident. I'm sure she'll understand."

"I doubt she'd care."

He raised a brow. "So, let me guess... Your mother is a heartless witch, and that bracelet was the best gift she's ever given you?"

Ebony laughed emptily. "For all I know, she could be a witch."

"Well, I doubt that's true."

"It could be. I've never met her."

"You're adopted?"

"More like dumped on my Aunt Sage's doorstep when I was a month old."

Jake cursed. "At least tell me the aunt took you in?"

Ebony nodded. "Sage is the closest thing I have to a mother. But every year my real mother sends me a gift without fail. For some reason, I delude myself that her gifts mean something. Stupid, huh?" She picked up a piece of amethyst and added it to the pile in her hand. "I got this one yesterday."

"Hell," he said, rubbing his jaw. "We'll fix this, alright? It can't be that hard to put back together." He clasped her arm gently, adding weight to his promise. She almost believed him, as much as she could believe any man. He tipped several beads and charms onto the tank's table and began searching the floor again.

A minute later they were crawling back to the table when she saw his gaze dip below her face before looking away again. She peered down to find her blouse gaping, giving a full view of her lace bra. With a sigh, she sat up, unsure whether she was irritated or flattered. Either way, she made a point of glaring at Jake.

The glare just rolled off him. More than that, he was smirking a fraction as he stood up and removed his jacket, then slipped off his tie. It was as if seeing her underwear had given him a green light to strip! That shirt fitted him too well, she thought. Then he began removing that, too! His white singlet emphasised way too many muscles and lightly tanned skin. It was like staring at a blinding light from which she'd never recover.

Ebony decided she could handle this better if she was standing, when she didn't look like an audience. She got to her feet quickly. Bad move. Now she was less than an arm-length between him and his partially naked body, and he had no problem looking down at her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, almost choking on the words.

He laughed. "What do you think I'm doing?"

She pointed an accusing finger. "I know what you're up to. You're trying to test me, see if I'll crack under the pressure. I've survived six months without ruining my vow, and I'm not about to be swayed by some hot guy taking off his shirt!"

There was a miniscule lift of his left eyebrow but nothing more. As he stepped forward she was sure he was about to lower his head and kiss her—he had already been so bold. Jake reached for the fishnet on the table. Stunned, Ebony stepped back as he swept the net through the tank and scooped up a crystal bead, then held it before her eyes. "I didn't want to get my shirt wet," he said. "I have to work after this."

"I see." She smiled sweetly, hoping that was enough to save her. He returned that smile, although his had an air of satisfaction that made her want to scream.

"This is an interesting development," Mrs Harrostone laughed, making Jake and Ebony jump in surprise. "Whatever are you two doing?"

"Ebony's bracelet broke," Jake explained. "We're collecting it."

Mrs Harrostone gave Ebony a nervous look. "Oh, dear. I hope it wasn't special?"

Special. Hearing that word made something inside Ebony break. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She turned her back, as if collecting her jacket was the most important thing at this moment. Who knew she could be more humiliated in front of Jake—first her failures with men and now crying over a gift! Ebony rarely cried about anything, even as a child, but now it was if a life's worth of emotions slammed down upon her and she was too weak to stop it.

A gentle arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she glanced across to find Mrs Harrostone almost as emotional. "I'm very sorry, Ebony."

"I'm the one who snared it on the fish tank. You hardly need to apologise," she said, standing taller.

"I don't know about that."

Ebony pulled away from the fortune teller. "What do you mean?"

Mrs Harrostone shook her head, as if torn. When she opened her palm, beads and charms glistened in her hand. "I believe this is one of my bracelets. Call it faulty workmanship on my part."

You're my mother? Ebony was about to ask, then realised the fortune teller had only made the bracelet for the shop. "Do you remember who you sold it to?"

"I'll replace this one for you. No charge."

Ebony shook her head, annoyed the woman had evaded the most important question ever. "No. You don't understand. That one you're holding, it can't be replaced."

"I see."

"Ebony?" Jake said.

Ebony had forgotten he was there. The last thing she wanted was to turn to him. She was a mess. She turned anyway.

"Why don't you have your reading first," he said. "That will give me time to fix your bracelet."

Who was this guy? "You'd do that?"

"Normally, no. But I've got time. Besides, out of the two of us, I think you need the reading more than I do."

"Great," Ebony grumbled. She was shocked when the fortune teller walked up to Jake and pecked him on the cheek, as if he'd presented her flowers for Mother's Day or a cheque for a million dollars.

"Did you let your staff know you were going to be delayed?" asked Mrs Harrostone.

Ebony thought that was a strange thing to say, but Jake laughed. "I did. And if I'm going to do this, you'd better set me up with some tools before I change my mind."

Mrs Harrostone nodded. "I'll also give you a bracelet to copy from."

"That would be for the best." Jake scraped up the beads from the table.

Ebony stood by, unable to believe that two strangers should care so much for a bracelet. But as Jake begun to follow the fortune teller into the front of the shop, he had the look of someone heading out into shark infested waters, such was his love of repairing jewellery. Ebony almost felt bad for subjecting him to it, but then again, he had offered. And she was truly desperate to have that bracelet back in one piece.

"Jake?" Ebony said.

He paused at the archway. "Yep?"

"Thanks."

With a wink at Ebony, he disappeared into the shop.

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Let me know what you think of Ebony and her predicament!

Jake is about to make a big mistake with Ebony's bracelet, find out in Chapter 3 . . .