“Not funny, Reg,” said Travis. “I’m with Chase. Since he’s the only one Ernestine thinks can help you, then you’re stuck with him. It’s either Chase or all of us and Ernestine can go to hell.” He was deadly serious.
Serenely, Gillian said, “Chase is right, Reggie.”
The next day, Reggie moved into Bennett House. Not quite a dream come true, Reggie mused. Chase had helped her bring her stuff upstairs to the master bedroom. It was positively painful to act naturally around him with that huge bed standing between them. She cursed her vivid imagination and refused to look him in the eye.
Nervous, she filled the room with chatter.
“I called Pat Somers’s agent, and she said it was fine that I stay here. She knew about the thefts and vandalism. I guess Duncan told her. I said nothing about you staying too. You’ll have to do that yourself. That’s not my responsibility.” She stopped talking for a second and smoothed a sheet over the bed. He grabbed the other end of it and tucked it in. It was a very domestic little scene, and it disturbed her more than she cared to acknowledge. He hadn’t told her where he intended to sleep, and she was afraid to ask.
Instead, she stated, “I feel like chips,” and walked out of the room and down the stairs. She had to get away. Chase’s proximity was starting to erode her self discipline. He didn’t speak much, so she couldn’t take umbrage with anything he said. The tension was palpable. Reggie’s hold on her temper was slipping, and his presence was unsettling. She couldn’t stop remembering what it felt like to be kissed by him, and in a few hours, they’d be spending the night together. She was becoming a nervous wreck. Soon she’d weigh two hundred and fifty pounds if she didn’t find something other than food to alleviate her stress.
After grabbing a bag of potato chips from the kitchen, she rushed outside to the garden. She was glad she’d thought to bring groceries. At this rate, she’d be forced to replenish her supplies on a daily basis. She’d frowned when she noted that Chase had brought supplies of his own. It all felt a little too domestic.
The work on the house and grounds was moving right along despite her distraction. Desperately, she clung to her work, trying to take her mind off Chase. She’d selected most of the interior paint colors and looked forward to seeing the final samples. So far, all of her plans had been approved without question. Part of her wondered if the owner ever really saw any of her ideas, but she refused to look a gift horse in the mouth. This was her opportunity to do what she’d always dreamed of doing, and in its way, it was very rewarding.
“Why are you running away from him?” the voice asked, startling her.
Without realizing she’d done it, in her agitation, Reggie had sought out the section of the garden with the iron gate. To top it off, she had pathetic timing. Unprepared to face the apparition, Reggie responded instinctively.
“I have to run away from him or I’ll do something stupid,” she said under her breath.
“Coward.”
“What would you know about it?” Irritated, her temper got the better of her. “You’re not even here. Find the light already and head toward it.”
The spirit laughed lightly. Reggie could see Constance McCann plain as day, but she could also see the gate through her, a perfect reminder that this wasn’t going to be a normal conversation.
“Constance?”
The woman continued to laugh. “So you finally know.” She danced around the little gate with grace.
“What are you doing here Constance? Why me?”
She continued to laugh at Reggie’s sober expression. “I’m here because I’m here, but I have no idea why it has to be you. So far, you’re the only one who can see me. Trust me, I’ve tried to appear to some of those very handsome workmen over there, but they have no more imagination than a tree stump.”
“Don’t you wonder why you’re here, at this particular point in time?”
“Time doesn’t matter. You’re too concerned about the things that don’t matter, and you ignore the things that do.” The woman, almost singing the words, refused to grasp what Reggie was trying to say. “I’d much rather talk about that very impressive man I see you with so often.”
“Chase McCann. He’s your distant relative, so you might want to keep that in mind before you say anything you’ll regret later.”
“Thanks for the advice.” Constance stopped moving and frowned. “Why do you resist your feelings for this man?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Constance smiled. “You’re wrong Regina Stanton. Unfortunately, everything about you is my business.”
Confused, Reggie said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that I know all about you and I find you boring.”
Reggie was insulted. “Oh, easy for you to be all interesting, what with the being dead thing.”
“I was interesting in life too, my dear.”
Her comment brought Reggie to her senses, pushing her irritation aside, she asked, “Will you tell me about your life? What made you marry Vincent Bennett?”
The apparition shook her head then appeared still and awkward for the first time. She put her hands to her ears. In a strident voice, she said, “No! I won’t listen to you…no!”
She vanished.
Constance stubbornly refused to reappear, despite Reggie’s pleas. Reggie chided herself for blowing it. Her own issues had distracted her, and she’d learned nothing from the spirit except that she was indeed Constance McCann. She definitely wasn’t prepared to talk about Vincent, but Reggie knew that at their next encounter, she’d have to insist.
“Reggie?” Standing about ten feet away, Chase looked concerned. “Are you okay?”
Nemesis in the flesh, but such tempting flesh, she thought. She took a moment before she answered him. He moved and didn’t stop until he stood directly in front of her. Before he could reach out a hand to touch her, Reggie sat down heavily.
“I just had a conversation with Constance.”
The excitement in his eyes was unmistakable. “What happened?”
Reggie provided him with an edited version of the experience, careful to leave out any embarrassing bits about him.
When she was done, he said, “So she said she knows all about you. Did she give any indication of how?”
Guilty, she said, “No, I was so unprepared I didn’t think to ask. Damn it! How stupid of me!”
He smiled and tried to reassure her, “Don’t berate yourself. Conversations with dead people can rattle a person.”
“I just want to get this show on the road. The suspense is killing me. It gives me the creeps to know that the Big Bad is in the library, not so far away.”
He nodded, “Who can blame you? Rest assured, if it takes to wandering in the night it’ll come for me first. I’m going to bed down on one of those couches in the living room tonight. I’ll be closer. I don’t suppose you’d take pity on a fella and offer to share that big bed upstairs?”
Uncharacteristically lost for words, Regina stood and walked away from him. It was her only defense.
Chapter 8
Work on Bennett House sped along despite a number of minor accidents and the odd disagreement. Reggie had made great strides decorating the upper levels of the house. She’d decided that the main level had to wait a little longer because they still hadn’t found a way to safely confront the entity in the library. Living in the same house as Chase had turned out to be much easier than she’d thought. For the most part they stayed out of each other’s way. He slept downstairs; she slept upstairs. Once the sun went down, Reggie saw very little of him.
“He’s the anti-vampire.” She rolled her eyes at her own lame attempt at humor. She was walking through the garden hoping to catch a glimpse of Constance. Lately, Reggie had been singularly unsuccessful in her attempt to contact her. With virtually no direction, Reggie didn’t know what to do. Every day, she walked in the gardens trying to spy something that might indicate Constance was still lurking about.
“Vampire? Who is?” Blushing, she turned to see the contractor, Duncan Taggert, smiling at her.
She laughed. “You don’t want to know.”
He shrugged. “Probably not. I just came back here to tell you that the paint you ordered has arrived. Did you want to check it before signing the invoice?”
Reggie walked with him to the front of the house where she double checked the paint delivery. She’d always liked Duncan. She’d even dated him a few times, but he was more taken with her than she was with him, so they’d settled for friendship. It was nice to be in his undemanding company. There was no tension between them, and Reggie was able to relax. He was a great contractor. It was amusing to see his reactions to her more creative ideas, but in the end, they’d both been happy with the results of their collaboration. She signed the invoice and handed it to Duncan.
“How’s Tom?” she asked, referring to one of his men who’d cut himself the day before.
Duncan smiled. “He’s going to be fine. The emergency room was packed, but in the end, I think he kinda liked the pain killers the doctor gave him after stitching him up. He’ll be back in no time.”
They walked together through the house and noted the progress made in each room.
“Duncan, have you had more accidents on this job than on others? I know Chase has had problems with his crew. It seems that just about every day someone either gets hurt or starts a fight.”
He nodded and paused with her in the doorway to the master bedroom, “Yeah, there have been some pretty near misses too. I’ve done big jobs like this before where I’ve had twice as many men and had half the problems. I’m glad it won’t be too much longer before we’ll be done. I’m starting to run out of men.”
She nodded. Leaning against the doorjamb, she rested her hands on the framing behind her. Duncan looked down at her with a smile that told her he was still interested if she was, but she’d have to make the first move. She didn’t.
“You’ve had some materials stolen, too. I haven’t heard anything since I’ve been spending nights here. Have the thefts stopped?”
He hesitated a second before he answered. “Yeah, if memory serves me right, we haven’t had a theft since you moved in. Maybe you should go into the security business.”
She laughed. “I have a job already and another one in the wings. Thanks.”
They were smiling at each other when Chase found them. With a frown, he said, “You’re needed outside, some delivery.”
Reggie straightened and started to move with Duncan. Chase stalled her. “I was talking to Duncan.”
Taking the grand staircase, Duncan looked back at Reggie and shrugged innocently.
While working in the house, Reggie never wore heels, so Chase towered over her. She wasn’t accustomed to feeling small. But he managed to make an astonishing success of it. The thought irritated her, and she didn’t bother trying to keep it out of her voice when she said, “That was rude.”
He ignored her and walked into the master bedroom. Reggie refused to follow. The sight of him so close to that massive bed ratcheted the tension up another notch. One more turn and she feared she’d spin off into the stratosphere.
“Have you tried to connect with Constance today?” he asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I have. I was doing just that when Duncan came. He found me in the garden and told me about the paint delivery.”
“And you ended up in the doorway to your bedroom. That makes perfect sense.”
His harsh tone failed to anger her. Instead, it exhilarated her, and she almost thanked him for it. She’d needed an outlet for her tension. She was ready for a fight, and he’d just given her the perfect opportunity to let it rip.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to get at, but my relationship with Duncan is no one’s business, least of all yours.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Relationship?”
She walked into the bedroom and stood in front of him. She wanted to hit him, make contact, anything to crack his calm.
She settled on sarcasm, a rash decision. “You caught us, Chase. A second later and you would have caught us grabbing a quickie.” With theatrical exaggeration, she sighed. “Mmm, Duncan is insatiable. He can’t get enough. We’ve been doing it behind everyone’s back the whole time. That’s part of the thrill.” Feigning ecstasy, she ran her hand up her thigh, between her breasts to her neck, with her eyes half closed. “Duncan’s so hot. Other men can be so cold.” She stopped the provocative act immediately when she caught the look on his face.
His eyes flashed blue fury at her. He laughed without humor and said, “Cold? You think I’m cold? For a smart woman Reggie, you are almost pathologically stupid.”
His use of the word stupid fueled her already raging fire and she prepared to retaliate. Instead, he grabbed her elbows, and pulled her against him with force.
The flood gates opened. She fought back. At almost six feet, Reggie was not an ineffectual fighter, and at some point during her enraged attack, she knew she’d landed some pretty good blows. But she kept struggling until she realized Chase wasn’t fighting back. It was no good when he didn’t fight back. She chanced a quick look at him and was horrified to see genuine amusement in his face. For a split second, she considered wiping the smirk off his face by grabbing a most carefully guarded part of his anatomy. Then the absurdity of the situation struck her, and she started to laugh with him. They ended up collapsing on the end of the bed breathless, side by side.
Laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling, Chase said, “Better?”
Reggie nodded. “Much.”
He turned, propped his head up with an elbow, and said, “I came up here looking for you. I have an idea of how to make Constance appear again.”
She looked at him, the laughter still vivid in her eyes.
He said, “I’m going to make dinner for both of us tonight. We’ll even eat in the dining room. After dinner, we’ll take a walk in the gardens. It’s supposed to be a full moon tonight.”
She understood immediately. She didn’t like what he was suggesting but she wasn’t having much success contacting Constance on her own and Chase’s idea had merit. It was dangerous for her peace of mind but it just might work.
“Constance likes to see us together. If she thinks she’s made some progress, she won’t be able to resist giving us another push.”
Reggie raised an eyebrow at him. “Devious, but not bad.”
“Good. So we have a date?” He put his hand out to her.
She nodded and put her hand is his. He stood and pulled her with him. Bending his head toward hers, he kissed her lips quickly. As he walked away, over his shoulder, he said, “Thanks for the tussle.”
In a loud voice, she said, “Damn it, there’s never a hammer around when you need one.”
His full-bodied laughter echoed as he descended the grand staircase.
He was a good cook. As if it were a real date, they’d both showered and dressed in “date” clothes. Reggie wore a cream-colored dress with matching heels, and Chase wore a dark blue dress shirt and slacks that fit him just right. He left off the tie and Reggie was glad of it. She liked to see that little hollow at the base of his throat.
He’d turned the lights low and lit candles in the dining room. Reggie had to remind herself that this wasn’t an actual date. The music he’d turned on after he’d seated her didn’t help either. In an attempt to distract herself, she looked around the beautiful room. She was proud of what she’d done so far. It wasn’t complete, but with the lights low, it didn’t matter. An evening such as this in Bennett House was just what she’d always dreamed of, but with sadness, she reminded herself that tonight it wasn’t for real. It never would be. Bennett House wasn’t hers, and neither was Chase. She took a sip of the wine he had poured. It was delicious, damn him.
In a bright voice, she said, “Everything is so beautiful, Chase. When did you find time to do all of this?”
“Whe
n you do something, it’s always more satisfying to do it well. I’m glad I took the trouble. The room almost does you justice.” He smiled at her over his wine.
She wanted to be seduced by his words, to forget the charade, but in that direction, danger awaited, so she said, “Good line, Chase. The candlelight provides just the right ambience.”
He feigned a hurt look and shook his head at her. “Aren’t you going to tell me that I look good too?”
“You don’t need to hear it from me.”
He leaned toward her and in a low voice said, “Maybe I do.”
She forced a laugh and leaned back. “Oh, that was really good. I’ll have to remember the soft voice and earnest look. Very effective.”
For the first time in her life, Reggie wasn’t hungry. Using a fork to push food around the plate, it dawned on her that she couldn’t finish the wonderful meal because her stomach was filled with butterflies. There was no room left for food, no matter how well prepared.
Chase looked at her with concern as he took the dishes away, “Are you okay, Reggie?”
“Yeah,” she said, lying. “I wasn’t sure if you could cook, so I had a burger before dinner. Sorry.”
He shook his head. “Bet you’re sorry you misjudged me now, huh? Leftovers won’t be nearly as good. Did you want some brandy?”
“Sure.” She hoped the alcohol would help her to relax. Of course, just like everything else, it was excellent, and she closed her eyes as her first sip warmed her from the inside. Glasses in hand, they rose from the table and walked out of the dining room.
Without a word, they judiciously skirted the library hallway and made their way out to the garden.
Awkwardly, Reggie sat beside Chase on a bench. Her heart pounded. Would he now pretend to want her? The thought made her sick, and for a second, she was glad she hadn’t eaten much.
From the side of her mouth, she whispered, “What now?”
He leaned back and looked up at the moon. “Now we relax. Come here.” He put his arm around her, pulled her to his chest, and gently held her there.
Spirit [New Crescent 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) Page 6
