by Mlyn Hurn
Without pause, Broderick lifted his arm and pulled Kerry closer until her head rested on his chest. Stroking her soft hair with his hand, he fell asleep a few minutes after he heard her snore just once, quietly.
Chapter Eight
Broderick awoke to an empty bed and sunlight was streaming through the arched windows of his room. Groaning loudly, he sat up and swung his legs around to the side of the bed. So much for the pleasant ending to the dream he’d been having moments earlier. Cursing his luck for oversleeping, Broderick made his way into the bathroom. He sped through a shower and left the day’s growth of whiskers on his face. Dressing in jeans, sneakers and cotton T-shirt, he was threading his belt through the loops as he started downstairs.
In the hall, he paused. Turning to the right would take him down the back stairs to the kitchen. By turning instead to the left and basically going straight down the hallway, it would undoubtedly take him in front of Kerry’s closed bedroom door. Shaking his head, he ran his hands through the damp strands of black hair, hopeful that would make him appear a bit more respectable, or some passable semblance of acceptable. He was still a little miffed to awaken to an empty bed.
Lifting his hand, he prepared to knock on Kerry’s closed bedroom door. Before he could rap on the wood, he heard soft noises from within the room.
Rap…rap….rap…
Tap…tap-tap…tap…
Broderick chose to skip the knock and walk in. It was appearing obvious to him that something was going on inside the room. As he turned the knob, he remembered the sight of Kerry leaning against the wall. Pressed flat to the wallpaper, his eyes had been mostly glued to the delicious jutting of her nice, firm, full ass cheeks.
Light on her rounded bottom had distracted him from what was really going on. Her hands and fingers had been exploring the section of wall in front of her. And now, with better light from the sun filling the room, Broderick could see that Kerry was outlining what might have been a door at one time.
“Property values tend to drop with holes in the walls.”
Kerry turned and laughed at Broderick’s observation. She had arisen quite early and had sat in the kitchen reviewing her research once again. With what she knew, she could guess why this was all going on here at this lovely bed and breakfast. Finally, she decided she couldn’t wait any longer and had started up to her room to check out the cold spot she’d felt for the first time last evening.
Today, the room was warm until she was right next to the wall. Turning at Broderick’s words, she grinned back at him.
“I agree, but with a ghost, this place could become very popular, and quite quickly.”
Broderick crossed the room toward Kerry. She smiled and turned to face him, her back against the wall. “I do believe we have a real secret here. I’ve been able to feel plywood on this wall, and it’s not on the other walls. I think it is hiding something.”
“Are you suggesting tearing down this perfectly matched paper to look for something when we are not even sure what it is we are hoping to find?” Broderick crossed his arms across his waist, watching Kerry. Her hair was pulled up into two ponytails today, and she was dressed in shorts and T-shirt. He was fully appreciative of the fact that she was obviously braless, and made a mental note to show her his appreciation quite soon.
Kerry pushed him back onto the bed and then seated herself. “Last night I could feel a coldness that was overwhelming. And I followed it, right up to the wall and through it.” Pointing with her hand, she continued, “Today I can still feel the coldness, but mostly only where I rest my face against it.”
“Coldness? You mean when you came in here last night you felt a chill in the room?”
Kerry nodded eagerly, turning sideways on the bed. “Exactly! I felt this cold come over me near the bed.” She stopped and pointed at the bench at the foot of the big bed. “Right there, and it sort of came up from the floor and enveloped me—”
Broderick interrupted her. “Honey, of course you felt cold moving up. I still had your pajama bottoms.”
Kerry jumped up from the bed, glowering back at Broderick’s grinning face. “That is not what it was at all. It was something weird and I followed it to the wall.” Walking over to the wall again, she began lightly running her finger along the slight indentation beneath the paper. “I bet there is a door behind this wall and it has been boarded over.”
Broderick sighed heavily. “More ghost stuff?”
“Scoff if you want, but I did find some interesting facts while I was looking around through the library yesterday.”
“But we’ve never had a ghost here, Kerry.”
“Maybe you did, but your family didn’t tell you about it.”
“That is highly possible. I inherited this from a great-aunt on my father’s side of the family, but my mother was never one for the whole Colonial thing. She preferred New York and I remember traveling down here just once or twice to visit my aunt. Most of the house was boarded up until I began fixing it up again.”
“Well…I can’t remember it all without my notes, but you had an ancestor with the same name as yours and he fought in the American Revolution.”
“And that is who you think our ghost is? A revolutionary war hero? Hmm, I can’t say I like the idea of a ghost, but a revolutionary one would certainly help business here.” He stood and reached out toward Kerry. She didn’t resist as he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. And when he kissed her a moment later, she joined in quite eagerly.
He moved one hand to her breast. “Hmm, now that feels nice,” he murmured softly while pressing kisses down the side of her neck. “I needed to confirm my opinion regarding your apparent braless state.”
Kerry shifted on his lap, pressing her breast more fully into his cupped hand. She’d been busily kissing her way toward his ear. Catching the lobe with her teeth, she began a sensual nibbling, licking program that was definitely having the desired effect. She could feel his hardness pressing against her one leg.
“So you like the no-bra look, huh?” she asked him a few moments later.
Broderick smiled at her while his hand began massaging her sensitive flesh. Kerry couldn’t control the wiggle of her bottom in response to his touch. “Let me clarify, sweet Kerry. I like seeing your boobies bouncing, but I’m not sure about taking you to a bar for drinks with you dressed like this.”
Kerry nodded her head. “It was hard letting you sleep this morning.”
“Sweetheart, it was quite hard when I awoke and found you missing.”
Kerry felt the heat staining her cheeks. His easy banter and words warmed her inside, to her soul. Feeling definitely perky, she scooted off his lap and then gave a shake of her shoulders and shimmy of her hips. Broderick’s heartfelt groan let her know she wasn’t just being funny.
“I’m hungry for two things, but unfortunately I’m not as young as I once was. My body demands food first, in order to fuel my demands upon your flesh. How about you tell me about my ghostly family while I make us breakfast?”
“Deal!” Kerry laughed as she replied. Her Mama sure didn’t raise an idiot. How many women could be sexually satiated by an amazingly attractive man at night, only to have him willing to cook for you the following morning?
* * * * *
“Your ancestor lived in this house for several years before the war. His parents stayed primarily in England, but I guess he was eager for exploration and all. And as tempers flared with the revolution, I imagine he split with them because of the war and he died quite soon after it started.”
Kerry paused to drink more juice and take a hurried bite of pancake. Before she could add more, Broderick asked her a question.
“His family continued to live here?”
“He never married, from what I could discover. Yet your family obviously retained the property. Perhaps his parents or another brother came over after the war.”
“Unfortunately, Kerry, my parents never stayed in close contact with my father’s f
amily. Beyond the great-aunt who lived here I don’t know anything.” He stopped to pour himself more coffee. “What makes you think this ghost is that guy? I’m sure lots of people have died here.”
Kerry sputtered at his words and hurriedly grabbed the water he had gotten her when she refused the coffee. “That’s a cheery thought.”
Unable to contain his grin, Broderick shrugged. “Sorry, but it must be the truth. Now, explain your thought patterns, Ms. Sherlock.”
Wrinkling her nose at him, Kerry nodded. “The dress, remember? You say it wasn’t you up in the attic with me and he looked like you. Except for the clothing…it looked revolutionary, colonial-like.” She held up her hand quickly and added, “I don’t make it a habit to prowl through other people’s houses. He invited me up there and showed me the trunk.”
“So, I have a male ghost haunting my attic. Could you see right through him, like they show in the movies?”
“He was quite solid, although I don’t think ghosts are able to hold that solid form for very long. And the cold spot I felt in my room last night. Do not remark on my lack of bottoms again.”
Broderick had to smile again at Kerry’s words. “Kerry, honey, as far as I’m concerned your bottom lacks for nothing.” As she blushed in embarrassment at his jest, he could no longer contain his laughter. “I’m sorry, Kerry, but I just couldn’t resist. Now, go on about what you felt in your room last night.” He quickly lifted his hands in surrender. “One more, and then you can tell me the rest, please. Personally, I think you felt quite fine in your bedroom, and will happily volunteer to continue feeling you up on a regular basis.”
Setting her fork down, Kerry rested her forearms on the table after pushing her plate back. “Geesh! What a generous guy you are!”
Broderick offered her a bite of pancake on his fork, dripping syrup. Resisting him was her first inclination. Instead she leaned forward and let him guide the food over her lips and between her teeth.
The eagerness he saw on her face was unmistakable, but it was hard to not stare at the entrancing cleavage her simple act of leaning forward had revealed. Already he was contemplating canceling the only appointment he had for the day and spending the remaining hours in bed, with Kerry.
“Well, the room was in darkness and so I started for the bathroom to turn on the light.”
“Why didn’t you turn the overhead light on as you entered the room?”
Kerry’s pause and glower warned him about interrupting. Broderick also assumed she would only answer what she considered important and intelligent questions from here on out. He smiled, shrugged and gestured for her to go on.
“So,” Kerry continued with an accepting nod of her head. Broderick listened as he thought how cute those silly ponytails looked. “I seemed to step into this cold spot all of a sudden and I felt as if I couldn’t move while it seemed to be moving up my body.”
“Sounds like I owe my esteemed relative a sock on the jaw for fondling my girl!”
* * * * *
Shivers chased one another through Kerry’s body at Broderick’s jesting words. She doubted that he really meant it, yet she couldn’t deny the warm, fuzzy feeling she had upon hearing him refer to her as “his girl.” Feminism demanded a protest, but the glow in his eyes and the smile on his face told her his thoughts were still straying to last night, which wasn’t devoted entirely to sleep as planned.
“This was different than the wisps of fog I saw before he appeared. No, this was cool and yet seemed soft somehow. It was not a cold blast, leaving me chilled. When it moved away, I felt compelled to follow it even though it disappeared through the wall.” Kerry reached out and covered one of Broderick’s hands with her own, meeting his intense gaze. Taking a deep breath to steady her voice, she forced herself to go on.
“I think this is a different ghost, Broderick. It didn’t feel like…Broderick, uhm…the other Broderick. It felt feminine—”
“Shit, Kerry! One ghost is tourist gold, two are a headache.” He pushed his chair back and picked their plates up from the table. Placing them in the sink, he turned and leaned back against the edge of the countertop. “I have an appointment this afternoon in Richmond.”
Kerry nodded and brought their glasses to the sink as well. “That’s okay. I could organize my notes from yesterday so you can look over what I have. Would you mind if I went up in the attic and looked around?”
Broderick pulled her close to his body, lowering his mouth to meet hers. “Feel free to wander wherever you want. The drawer next to the refrigerator has several flashlights and extra batteries. Take two, just in case. Do you have a cell phone with you?”
Kerry nodded. “I brought it, but left it on the charger.”
“Do me a favor and carry it with you. Let’s go into my office and we’ll exchange numbers so you can call me.”
In the office, Kerry wandered around a little, looking at the law books. She walked over to the oldest looking bookcase because it appeared to be built into the wall. This case contained lots of antique volumes and the former teacher inside her was unable to resist running her fingers across gold-embossed, leather bound books. Looking at this bookcase, and then across the room to where there were several windows and Broderick’s desk, with chairs for clients, she guessed that this had been part of the new additions to the bed and breakfast.
Broderick made two phone calls and then joined her. “Here is my number and John’s. You met him when you tried to check in the first night. He’s a good friend, if you need anything.”
Kerry took the paper and pushed it into her pocket. “I’ll be fine. I really think your ghosts are not malevolent at all.”
Broderick shrugged. “I’m not worried about ghosts in this house. I’ve explored about eighty percent of it, but that leaves most of the attic and parts of the cellar. Unlike others, I don’t really believe in them. Just be careful.”
Kerry reminded herself reluctantly that she should protest this protective tendency, but for a single woman it felt nice to be a little worried over. She accepted his hug and kisses eagerly. They parted reluctantly.
“It’s a two-hour round trip drive, plus meeting time. I’ll bring home dinner so you can devote all your time to ghost hunting.”
“Wise choice, sir. My talents don’t shine in the kitchen.”
Chapter Nine
It took her several hours, but Kerry finally had all of the information neatly arranged. She was surprised she had collected as many facts as she had, but what frustrated her most was that she still couldn’t form a decent family tree. Kerry decided the time had come to stop research, and get on with some “hands on” work. She left Broderick’s office and stopped for the required flashlight. She still had to get her phone and it was upstairs in her room.
The moment she walked into her bedroom her eyes immediately went to the suspicious wall. It was so tempting to check the wall out now, but logic was telling her to look in the attic before the sun started to set for the day. Grabbing her purse, she upended it over the bed, emptying the contents across the comforter. Kerry shoved her phone into her pocket and then put the strap over her head to drape the purse across her body. Her big flashlight was in the drawer, so she grabbed it too, and took off.
At the foot of the attic steps Kerry paused for a moment. Her stomach was a jumble of butterflies whose wings kept beating crazily with no rhyme or reason. In the attic, Kerry looked around quickly, not pausing until she came to the extra candles she had left from the other night. A smile curved her lips, remembering the passion they had shared up here, on the attic floor. With only the light cast upward by the flashlights, Kerry had made love with modern-day Broderick.
Rereading her research had only confirmed her convictions about her two earlier encounters of passion. Ghosts existed and one of them could appear in physical form, besides overtaking a human, and direct their actions to some degree. She truly hoped that a ghost could not make a person act against their true will. Even though she had received seve
ral very positive indicators that he was attracted to her, there were still some niggling doubts. Mentally, Kerry made a note that she was going to have to do some work with her therapist on her self-esteem issues.
Kneeling down beside the large trunk where the dress had been carefully packed away, Kerry opened it once again. Setting the large flashlight on the floor to cast its light upward, she used the smaller one to look into the trunk. What she had thought would be in there faded away as she saw several books, folded pieces of lace and a small wooden box. Kerry scooted back a little and sat on the wood floor. It took her a moment to decide whether to look at the books first or the box. Turning the box over in her hands, she couldn’t see how to open it. Frustrated, she set it aside and went back to the books.
The first book she chose was the largest. Immediately she could see that it had been the family’s Bible. Unable to curtail her curiosity, Kerry had to see if there was anything of personal note in it. Maybe it would have a list of children born or even of deaths in the family, either of which would be really helpful.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she rested the heavy, leather bound book on her legs. Slowly she opened it. In the front there were several pages with handwriting, most of it in the same style. Scanning through the names and dates, she soon found the first Broderick, born 1742. Above his name she read the names of his mother, AnnaBelle, and his father, Anthony. Another brother and two sisters were listed as well.
Kerry put the smaller flashlight down and lightly touched her index finger to where the original Broderick’s name was written. Closing her eyes, she pondered the past. These people had all lived such a long time past and it was sad to think their lives had been reduced to names written on a page. Lightly her finger caressed the paper beneath, feeling the texture, back and forth across Broderick’s name. She spoke softly, almost as if she were afraid of disturbing someone.
