A Haunted Twist of Fate

by Stacey Coverstone

  “Pardon me, Norma,” he said, tromping past her to peek out the window.

  “Better hurry if you want to catch her. I don’t know what you just said or did, but she looked ready to bolt,” Norma teased.

  Shay flipped her cell phone shut just as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him. “Good news, or bad?” He noted the confused expression on her face.

  “You decide. That was Brenda. You won’t believe what she just told me.”

  Thirty-Six

  Shay started by giving Colt the Reader’s Digest version of the time she’d spent with Brenda, both in the saloon and in the graveyard. She also removed the chain and old ring from her pocket and enlightened him on how she’d found it cradled in the grass at the foot of Everett’s tombstone while Brenda was in the trance.

  He examined the ring by rolling it between the pads of his fingers. “This is real interesting, but it sounds like I was right about Brenda. The name Elizabeth doesn’t even come close to Callie. You have to be disappointed.”

  “I was thinking about that when she and I parted a while ago. It crossed my mind that perhaps Brenda had seen another spirit in my bedroom, one called Elizabeth, and that’s how she came up with that name.”

  “Unlikely.” Colt didn’t seem impressed.

  “I confess it was a stretch, but I wanted to believe Brenda and was hoping she could help. She did sense the card-playing ghosts, and we both experienced the evil basement guy. And she led us to Everett’s grave.”

  “But you said she blanked out once you got there. Her psychic abilities didn’t guide her to this ring either. This seems like a significant clue she shouldn’t have missed.” He handed the gold band back.

  “True. She said nothing like that blackout had ever happened to her before, so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt on that one.”

  “So, now where do you turn if you’re done with her?”

  Shay shook her head. “That’s just it. I don’t think I should be done with her. Just now on the phone, she told me that shortly after she left the Buckhorn, something drew her back. She turned her car around and found herself standing on the sidewalk below my bedroom window. When she looked up, Callie was staring down at her. Colt, that’s how Brenda referred to the woman. Callie. Brenda said the young woman’s name popped into her mind, as clearly as if the spirit had spoken to her. Brenda wanted me to know her first name is Callie. Callie Elizabeth.”

  She waited, hoping his reaction would be the same as hers, which was one of excitement and renewed trust in Brenda’s abilities. Although Colt didn’t comment negatively, he was as easy to see through as cellophane wrapping. Doubt was written all over his face. Or was it something else?

  “What is it?” she asked. “Do you still think I shouldn’t work with Brenda anymore?”

  “It’s your decision,” he assured. Snaking a protective arm around her waist, he guided her around the corner into an alley, where he surprised her by gently backing her against the wall. With his hands on either side of her face, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a deep kiss that sent a shudder thundering through her body as his lips molded to hers.

  When the kiss broke, she was unable to utter a word. She simply stared into his emerald pools, mesmerized by her reflection in them, and the way his touch had sent her spinning into another world.

  “Shay, I’m falling in love with you,” he blurted. “I know you probably think it’s too soon to feel that way, but it is what it is.”

  “I…ah...” Her breath locked deep inside her throat. It felt like a grenade had gone off in her stomach. Colt had such a hopeful, eager expression on his face. “Ah…” Not knowing what to do or say, Shay wriggled free and turned her back to him.

  Although she was falling for him, too, they barely knew each other. While her heart told her one thing, her head told her another. It wasn’t safe to trust her heart.

  As she stood wringing her hands, she could feel his eyes boring into her back. No doubt he waited for a response. He’d just told her he loved her and was probably hoping to hear the same thing in return. When she swung around to face him again, he’d shoved his fists into his jeans pockets. The eager expression on his handsome face had been replaced by disappointed longing.

  “Colt,” she murmured.

  “I figured it was too soon,” he mumbled. “But I’m honest to a fault. Remember?”

  She nodded.

  “The last thing I want to do is put you on the spot. I understand you can’t make your heart feel something it doesn’t.”

  “It’s not that.”

  His finger touched her lips to shush her. “You don’t have to say another word.”

  “But I want to. I’ve never met anyone like you before,” she whispered.

  “You never will again.”

  She wanted to believe him, but she’d trusted before and had ended up broken-hearted.

  Her mind replayed the moments she and Colt had spent together. Neither Gary nor Tom was Colt. He was ten times the man either of them had been. She’d come west to start fresh, and starting over was all about risk-taking. She’d taken a risk buying the saloon and putting down roots in a new town. Why couldn’t she acquiesce to these feral sensations and take one more chance at love?

  Without another word, Colt stepped out of the alley and turned the corner, ripping her from her mixed-up thoughts. She followed him back to the office wishing she had the courage to return his affection the way he deserved.

  “Call Brenda back,” he said, at the door. “I think she may be able to help with those ghosts after all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “It’s not for me to judge her, or you. It’s your life. Do what you want.” His gaze held steady. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he kept his mouth shut and placed his hand on the doorknob.

  Her heart sank, feeling as heavy as lead. Colt was dismissing her the way she’d dismissed him before.

  He eased the door open. “I have more information on Frank’s daughter, Alicia, if you’re interested.” His words were dry and unemotional.

  “I am.” Smiling, she hoped he’d reconsider being friends.

  “My dad gave me some insight on what happened to her. It was a typical Romeo and Juliet story, only Alicia’s Romeo had been quite a bit older than her and Frank disapproved. Alicia ran away with the man after Frank threatened the guy. Frank and his wife only heard from her once after she left. A letter came, but they had no idea where she’d gone. The postmarked had been illegible. Next time they received any word was seven months later, and she was dead. She’d died in a car accident.”

  The shock stung Shay like a slap in the face. “That’s terrible. Do you know who sent the letter to Frank and his wife informing them of Alicia’s death?”

  “I didn’t think to ask Dad that. He probably doesn’t know. Could that be important?”

  “Maybe. I’d like to ask Frank some specific questions about his daughter when I see him next, if he’s up to talking about her.”

  Colt nodded. “Good luck. I need to get inside and back to work.”

  She didn’t want to say goodbye yet. “I’ll call Brenda,” she said, stalling. “I’ll show her the ring I found and see what else she can come up with about Callie. I’d still like to know why she asked for my help.”

  “Sure. Hope you solve your mystery, Shay.”

  “Thanks.”

  Colt stepped through the door to leave her standing on the sidewalk alone, sad and confused. Walking toward the Buckhorn, she wondered why relationships had to be so complicated. Why couldn’t she let go of the past and trust that Colt wouldn’t hurt her? With her parents gone, she had no one on this earth to love anymore. By some miracle, she’d come here and met Colt, and he’d fallen in love with her. She should be ecstatic—and she was.

  It had been so hard to keep her emotions in check when he’d confessed his feelings. True love and happiness were what she yearned for, but she wasn’t sure those things existed anymore. Co
lt might think he loved her today, but love didn’t matter if their goals in life were not the same.

  Was meeting Colt her destiny? Or was he another cruel joke fate had chosen to play on her?

  When she reached the saloon, Shay stopped dead in her tracks. Sitting on the hitching post in front of the building was a bluebird. Its beady eyes latched onto her like a laser beam. Their gazes remained locked until he started chirping his song.

  “Is it you?” she whispered, sensing he was the very same bird who’d followed her around the cemetery. Remembering what Colt had told her about the power behind the bluebird’s message, she quietly recalled his words.

  The bluebird comes to show you about happiness within. He signifies contentment and fulfillment that is happening or about to happen. Listen to the song of the bluebird in order to find your own joy with an awakened confidence and internal peace.

  The appearance of the bluebird, twice, had not been a coincidence. It symbolized fulfillment and internal peace, according to Native American legend. If she believed that lives from the past deserved respect and eternal happiness, certainly her own life deserved the same. How could she ignore this sign? With her heart soaring, Shay spoke to the bird and didn’t care if anyone on the street heard her and thought her crazy.

  “Thank you, bluebird, for coming to me with your song. I understand, and I won’t take your message for granted.”

  His chirping halted, and the bird flapped his wings and disappeared.

  Shay unlocked the saloon door and closed it behind her with the blood rushing to her head. Colt was not like any man she’d ever known. Since she’d met him, she’d felt more alive than she had in years. He was in love with her. She was falling for him, too. What kind of fool would she be to let him go?

  Thirty-Seven

  Shay punched in Colt’s number on her cell phone. After four rings, it went to voice mail. Let down, she flipped the phone shut without leaving a message. The blare of her phone ringing seconds later caused her to jump. The number flashing at her was Colt’s.

  A thrill threatened to creep into her voice when she answered. “Hello, Colt.”

  “You rang?”

  “Yes.” He obviously saw the missed call.

  “That’s a coincidence, because I was just going to call you.”

  “You were?” She couldn’t imagine why, since she’d just made her intentions clear. But she was ecstatic, because she’d had a change of heart. Maybe he was calling to ask her to reconsider their friendship.

  “I just hung up from Opal. Frank would like to see you.”

  “Oh.” That’s not what she’d expected or hoped to hear, but she kept her tone light-hearted. “I’d be glad to stop by. When is a good time?”

  “Anytime you’re free.”

  Colt didn’t sound the same. His answers were short and to the point.

  “I could go over this evening,” she said.

  “I’ll give you the number. You can call Opal and let her know.” There was no teasing or humor in his voice.

  Shay hated this. She wanted to go back to the way they had been. “Colt, what would you think about going over with me? I was hoping we could talk some more. I don’t like the way we ended today.”

  The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. The thump thump thump of her heart felt like beats of a tom-tom as she waited for his answer.

  “Okay. I can do that.”

  The sense of relief had never felt so strong before. “Thank you,” she said. “I can drive. Is seven all right for me to pick you up?”

  “Sure. See you then.”

  * * * * *

  When Colt glided onto the passenger seat, Shay assaulted him with a long apology that came straight from her heart. “I’m so sorry for the way I’ve been acting. Everything has happened so fast between us. I got scared. I haven’t had the best luck with men. I’ve been engaged twice. Both men betrayed me, which has made me afraid to give my heart to someone again. And with my parents dying so close to one another—well, I just can’t bear another loss.”

  She hadn’t meant to blabber or become emotional, but it was impossible to keep the tears from leaking out of her eyes.

  Despite the shocking revelation that hearing she’d been engaged twice must have been, Colt smiled and scooted over and wiped her tears with his finger.

  “Can you forgive me?” she asked.

  He trailed his finger down her wet cheek. “You don’t need forgiveness, darlin’. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve been moving too fast. For that I apologize.”

  She hiccupped. “Thank you. I do like you, Colt. Can we take this one day at a time and see where it goes?”

  “Of course.” He palmed her cheek.

  As she drove to Frank’s, she felt the weight that had burdened her shoulders lifting.

  Opal greeted them at the front door. “Go on in. Frank is waiting for you. I’ll be in the living room if you need anything.”

  “Evening, Frank,” Colt said, striding to his bedside.

  “Howdy, Colt. Hello, Miss Brennan.”

  Frank sat up in the hospital bed with several pillows cushioning his thin back. Shay was grateful to see his eyes looked clear and bright, and he’d remembered her and her name without being reminded. Last time she’d been here, he’d called her his daughter’s name. Hopefully, she’d be able to learn a lot more about his family tonight, since he did appear lucid and ready to talk.

  “Please Frank. You can call me Shay.”

  “If you insist.” He cleared his throat. “I want to tell you about Alicia.”

  Shay met Colt’s gaze over Frank’s head. They pulled chairs up to the bed and listened as he told a couple of stories about his daughter when she was a girl growing up. “My poor girl,” he said after a long pause, in which he’d closed his eyes and Shay thought he’d gone to sleep. “I killed my own child.”

  That admission startled her. What was Frank talking about?

  Colt laid his hand on Frank’s arm. “Frank, you didn’t kill Alicia. Why would you say such a thing?”

  The old man’s wrinkled face bunched up. “I killed her as sure as if I’d used a gun on her. I drove her away and she died.” He hung his head and shook it back and forth slowly.

  “Dad told me Alicia died in a car accident. Is that what happened?” Colt asked.

  After a few moments, Frank admitted such. “Yes, but she never would have run off to Chicago in the first place if I hadn’t told that man to get out of town. I should have known she’d follow him. Alicia had a wild, stubborn streak in her a mile long. Guess she got that from me.”

  Shay’s ears pricked at the mention of Chicago. “Frank, how did you know Alicia had been living in Chicago? Who told you that?”

  He peered at her with longing. “You look so much like her. How can that be? My eyes are going, but I haven’t lost my mind completely.”

  She took his hand and held it. “I don’t know. It’s something I can’t explain.” There was no point in denying that she did resemble Alicia, but she was interested in hearing more about the girl’s connection to Chicago. “Do you remember how you found out Alicia was in Chicago?”

  His head moved up and down. “It was in the letter Bonnie and I got from the police chief.”

  Shay’s pulse sped up.

  “Did you keep that letter?” Colt asked him.

  “Yes. Bonnie threw it in the trash once she’d read how our only child had died. She said she couldn’t bear to have it in the house.”

  “But you kept it,” Shay said.

  “Yes.” He pointed to his dresser. “I keep the letter in a box in the top drawer. It and the first one Alicia sent us. It’s all I have left of her, besides her picture.”

  Standing nearest to the dresser, Colt pulled open the drawer and removed a rectangular tin box from beneath some socks and underwear. “Do you mind if Shay and I read the letter?” he asked Frank.

  Frank waved his hand. “Be my guest.”

  Moving to her si
de, Colt unfolded the paper and the two of them read it silently to themselves. The words were typed on stationary with the police department’s name and address on top. It was brief and basically stated that Alicia Averill had been the victim of a hit-and-run accident, which had not been solved as of the date of the letter. The police chief, whose name was Trevor McGinty, expressed his sincere condolences.

  “Frank, why did the police chief send a letter? Why didn’t someone call to tell you the news? Did they call?” Colt wanted to know.

  Shay was glad he’d asked, because she wondered the same thing.

  “They probably tried, but we had no phone at the time. It was on the blink. They must have found our address in Alicia’s belongings. Bonnie and I made arrangements to drive to Chicago as soon as we got the letter, but we were too late once we arrived.”

  “Too late for what?” Shay asked.

  A tear spilled down his cheek. “Too late to bury our child. They’d already done it for us. It about killed my Bonnie, not being able to kiss our baby goodbye.”

  “Who buried her, Frank?” Colt asked. “The City of Chicago?”

  “No. The police chief told us that Alicia’s funeral had been paid for by some people that wished to remain anonymous. They were good Samaritans, or some such nonsense. I never heard of other folks burying someone else’s child.” His mouth turned down.

  Shay wondered if the anonymous people had been related to the person who’d hit Alicia and they’d paid for a funeral out of guilt. She didn’t want to say that in front of Frank.

  “The chief told us they were just some folks who did this sort of thing when the need arose. They had a little money and took it upon themselves to see to it that every John or Jane Doe received a proper burial.”

  “But Alicia had family,” Shay said. “She wasn’t a Jane Doe.”

  Frank shook his head. “No, she wasn’t.”

  After a moment of contemplation, Shay asked, “Did you and Bonnie visit Alicia’s grave?”

  “Yes. The stone was nice. Simple. We only saw it that one time. Never went back. It’s a long way to travel.” He paused to take a deep breath before going on. It was obvious he’d been holding onto his pain and keeping the story to himself for so many years, and now it was flowing out of him like a river. “Bonnie and I came home together, but things were never the same. If I hadn’t threatened that man, Alicia never would have left with him, Bonnie claimed. It was my fault Alicia was killed. Bonnie told me so, time and time again. She never let me forget it. She blamed me for the loss of our daughter until the day she died.”