A Viking Ghost for Valentine's Day (Gambling Ghosts Series Book 2)
Page 8
“There are beautiful, Swedish maidens waiting to take care of all of your needs.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I do not want a bevy of maidens. I want …”
“Abby.” Brunhilde finished his sentence. He couldn’t be sure, but he could swear her hard eyes softened in that moment.
An instant later he was back with Abby.
20
Sweet Endings
ERIC SIGHED AS HE STOOD AS CLOSE to Abby as he could. Inhaling her womanly scent made his spirit stir. “Death doesn’t get any better than this.”
Abby laughed.
“Tell me, äskling, how do you feel about being haunted by a Viking?”
Her eyes locked with his. “Bring it on.”
How many human women would want to be haunted by any man, let alone one as old and crusty as him? He wished he had something special to give her. Then he got an idea. “Tell me, Abby, about your writing.”
“Well, I write mysteries”
“Is it the writing you like or the mystery?”
She blinked. “Both, I guess. Why?”
“I’d like to be your partner.”
“You’re a ghost.”
“I know that.”
“A dead ghost.”
“Got that.”
She smirked. “What are you suggesting?”
Eric floated back and forth across the room. “Azalea has an attic.”
Abby stared at him as if he had lost his mind.
“I could persuade her to let us use it. The ceiling is high and the light from the old lamps has a warm, golden quality. The front window overlooks the cove, and through the back window you can see her garden.”
“That sounds nice. I guess. But what do we need an attic for?”
“The heat in the house rises, so it is always warm up there. You wouldn’t need to pay much for heat.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And the teahouse has an excellent night cleaner.”
“You got that right.”
“The area is respectable enough and everyone in town knows where the house is, so when they ask where your office is and you tell them, the teahouse, they’ll know where to find you.”
“My office?”
“Every respectable detective has an office. Even I know that.”
Abby walked over to her sofa and plunked herself down. She rubbed her forehead. “I’m not a detective. I’m a wannabe writer.”
“You figured out how to take care of Louis. I would call that fine sleuthing. You understand the Google.”
“Uh-huh. And what would you do?”
He gave her his most devilish smile. “I’m your muscle.”
***
ABBY RAN A HAND THROUGH her hair. It had to be the craziest idea she had ever heard of —opening a detective agency with a ghost—but something about it, felt absolutely right. Just being with Eric felt right. Talk about crazy times. Her life had taken a turn away from normal to something much better, filled with magic and love. Did she just think the love word? Oh heck. It must be because of all the excitement. No one falls in love this quickly.
“I can’t imagine there are many mysteries in our small town,” she said, trying to keep her mind on practical things.
“You won’t know unless you ask.” His deep voice held enough confidence for the two of them. Sweet Jesus she … cared … for this guy. He made her feel as if the impossible task of starting a business was possible. Her shoulders dropped an inch. Maybe she didn’t have to struggle to feed her children. If she could pull off a day job on top of a night job, maybe … just maybe she could make a decent living.
“But I don’t know how much to charge people. Or how to advertise. Or …”
“All in good time. First we talk to Azalea. She’s good at business. I’m guessing she’ll rent you the attic for free at first, and she’ll help you with the paper stuff. Having a good business upstairs will help her business. You two work well together.”
Abby thought about the strange woman with the white hair piled on top of her head. They had developed an unusual bond.
She shook her head. “Wait, just one moment. About the muscle.”
He laughed. “My äskling, you’d be surprised what I can do. You must know, I would do anything to protect you. I would move heaven and earth if you asked me.”
She had Googled äskling and found out it meant darling, and the way he said it with his deep gravelly voice made her knees wobble. Torn between trying to drown the idea in her mind with skepticism and her heart leaping for joy at the thought of pursuing a dream she never dared admit to, she ran her hand through her hair. “The Ghost and the Widow Inc?”
Eric tilted his head. “How about Valhalla Investigations? Working with Abby would be his Valhalla, his heaven.
“Tag line: I’ll get your man.”
“Heh, I’m your man.” The timbre of his voice deepened. “Always and forever. You don’t need any other.”
“Uh-huh” She grinned as if she mocked him, but her insides quivered. As if … as if it were the truth.
“If that’s okay with you.”
“We’ll see,” she said, but her heart already knew.
21
Valentine's Day
THE NEXT MORNING Abby woke up to Jonathan and Jinx jumping on her bed. The mattress went up and down with their enthusiasm as if it were a trampoline. “Mommy, Mommy.”
“What?” She cracked an eye and sniffed. Was that coffee she smelled?
“Look. Look what we found in our beds this morning,” said Jinx holding up her treasure.
Abby cracked the other eye. They both held chocolate Valentine hearts the size of their little hands.
“Oh my goodness.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw a vase filled with long-stemmed roses on her bedside table and a box of chocolates with a red ribbon wrapped around it.
The Viking was more than muscle.
Epilogue
Zane with the help of a police dog found Rebecca healthy, but a wee bit confused. She said she’d had a bad dream. Her mom came home and their family is happy.
Abby and Eric started Valhalla Investigations in the attic of the haunted teahouse. They haven’t had any cases yet, but they talk a lot about finding the ancient magic that would breathe life into his ghostly specter. We may need to check in on them later.
Aknowledgements
Thanks go to my team:
Cover Designer: Steven Novak
Editor: Dr. Philip Newey
Beta Readers: Gina Smith and Sandra Singleton. I could never do this without you ladies.
and PJ, my husband who always supports me even though romance on paper is not his thing.
A Note From Jo-Ann
Dear Readers,
Every time a reader leaves a review an aspiring writer gets a new pencil or two.
It may sound like a cheesy-line, but it’s true. Reviews help readers find books. Please, take a few minutes and write a review. Don’t be intimidated by the task. I’m not asking for a book report, just a review. All you need to do is string a few words together. If you’re stuck, I’ll give you some examples: 1) I loved A Viking Ghost for Valentine’s Day and can’t wait to read Jo-Ann Carson’s next book. Or 2) A Viking Ghost for Valentine’s Day made me laugh and cry. It’s a fusion of fantasy, adventure and romance. I enjoyed it. 3) A sexy Viking, an evil poltergeist, intrigue and romance. It all added up to a fun read. The best place to post my reviews is on Amazon. The next best is Goodreads. I’d love both. Word of mouth and written reviews are pure gold for budding writers, like me.
You can learn about my latest publications from my newsletter (sign up here). Want to connect? My home on the Internet is my Website, which contains all my social media links.
To send me a personal note, you can email me at connect@jo-anncarson.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the story.
On the next few pages you’ll find information about the other books.
Thank you for reading my story.
Jo-Ann
Other Books by Jo-Ann Carson
Gambling Ghost Series (a sweet and saucy mix of fantasy, adventure and romance)
Confessions of a Pirate Ghost (available for pre-order – 99 cents)
Gambling Ghosts Series, Novella #3
To escape from the clutches of a mobster, art forger Harley Davis dives off a yacht and swims ashore to Sunset Cove, where the only light in the town comes from a haunted tea-house. Shivering from hypothermia she makes her way to the front door. No one in their right mind would enter such a creepy place, but she has no choice. Harley needs to hide.
Caribbean, pirate ghost Three-Sheets enjoys his extended life on earth, gambling and flirting with the ladies, but when he meets Harley, he discovers he wants more out of death than a good gambling hand.
As the charming Three Sheets woos Harley, her former boss puts out a contract on her head.
What do you get when you mix a saucy thief, a pirate ghost and an angry godfather? Another fun Gambling Ghost story.
Confessions of a Pirate is a sweet and sassy fusion of romance and fantasy guaranteed to lighten your day with laughter, thrill you to the bone with ghosts and touch your heart with love.
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A Highland Ghost for Christmas
Gambling Ghosts Series, Novella #1
Jilted by her fiancé, librarian Maddy Jacobson is nursing a broken heart, when her best friend gives her an early Christmas present. Intended to be a fun, psychic reading in a spooky, tea house, the gift turns out to be life changing. Maddy becomes haunted by a mischievous, Highland ghost.
Ruggedly handsome, Cullen Macfie, the Highlander, has been dead for over three centuries, and never in all those years has he been so attracted to a woman, as he is to Maddy. He falls hopelessly in love and decides to woo her.
Can there be a future for a librarian and a naughty, Highland ghost?
A Highland Ghost for Christmas is a sweet, romantic comedy guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart, make you laugh out loud and leave you craving a man in a kilt … and shortbread, of course.
* * *
The Mata Hari Series (A single woman ~ A double life)
Covert Danger
Ancient Danger
Lovin’ Danger
* * *
The Vancouver Blues Series (danger waits in the alley)
Black Cat Blues
Ain’t Misbehavin’
* * *
About Jo-Ann Carson
Jo-Ann Carson writes romance twisted with suspense and polished humor. Her strong characters take the reader on a fast and fun journey.
Currently she’s writing the Gambling Ghost series, a sweet and saucy collection of stories that mix fantasy, adventure and romance, guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart, make you laugh out loud and leave you craving a ghost of your own.
Jo-Ann loves to interact with readers on social media:
Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook