by Trisha Telep
He chuckled. “Aye.”
She breathed. In, and out. In, and out. She stared at the small worn footpath alongside the road. She glanced at the sea, and then behind her at the ruins. Then again at Justin Catesby. “You’re really walking beside me.”
“Aye.”
Dari noticed the Clachan up ahead. “We’re walking together, toward the inn.”
“Aye.”
She slowly shook her head. “It’s really, really hard to believe.” She glanced at him and stopped. “Do you live here?”
Justin crossed his arms over his chest. “I live wherever,” he said. “Mostly on the opposite coast, in a wee village called Sealladh na Mara.”
She nodded. “And where else, if not there?”
He pointed. “Along the coast, in the North of England, Dreadmoor Castle and Castle Grimm. I’ve friends in both.”
She again nodded. “And where else?”
He pointed. “West, close to Inverness, the Munro clan. A fine lot o’ lads, and the laird’s wife is a fine, fine woman.”
Dari stared at him for several moments, clapped her hand over her forehead, and started back up the road. “This is crazy.” She walked until the Clachan’s gravel path came into view. “So, what do you do? Find hapless people and stalk them until they finally admit they believe you exist?”
He blinked. “Nay.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Then why me?”
“Well,” he said, drawing close, his accent thick, “there’s just somethin’ about you, I suppose.”
Seven
Dari bore her gaze into his ghostly one. She shuddered.
He really did have a way with words.
“Shall I walk you to your room?” Justin asked politely.
She narrowed her gaze. “No, I’ll be just fine, thanks.” She began up the path, then stopped and turned back. Justin stood in the same place. “We leave in the morning,” she said. “We stay in Edinburgh for one day then fly home.”
Justin nodded. “I would very much like tae accompany you.”
Why she’d hoped he’d say that, she didn’t know. But she was glad. She could do nothing more than accept her fate: she’d encountered a spirit. She believed.
“OK,” she agreed, then narrowed her gaze once more. “But no sneaking around and peeking at me in my room and in my knickers,” she said, slightly mortified that he’d seen her half-naked. “Ask if you want to come in.”
He gave a low bow. “I’ll take that as an invitation, then,” he said, then smiled. “Until.”
And with that, he faded away.
“Wait!” Dari called.
“Aye?” Justin said, reappearing just as fast.
“Where are you going?”
A slow smile pulled at Justin’s mouth. “Are you saying you’d rather no’ be rid o’ me just yet?”
“Well,” Dari said, looking around. “I don’t exactly have anything scheduled.”
Captain Justin Catesby smiled. He inclined his head to the sea. “Care for a walk along the shoreline?”
Dari grinned. “Sure.”
So together, they walked.
Dari discovered her mind was easily convinced. Ghosts really did exist. Not all can see, and not all spirits can make themselves known. Just her luck she ran into a certain circumstance. It had a name.
Captain Justin Catesby.
The wind off the North Sea swept over the sand and pebbles and rock; it whipped Dari’s ponytail and made her squint. It smelled crisp, salty, and it added to the fact that she was in the magical Highlands walking with a miracle.
“And from where do you hail, Ms St James?”
Dari rolled her eyes. “Dari. Call me Dari. And I hail from Charleston, South Carolina, on the south-east coast of the United States.”
Justin grinned. “Ah, that accounts for your fetchin’ speech then, Dari.”
She blushed.
“And do you have kin?” he asked. He found he wanted to know all about her.
“I do. A mother, father, two brothers and a sister.” She looked at him. “You?”
A somber feeling washed over Justin; it hadn’t happened in some time and for the life of him, rather unlife, he couldna figure out why it washed over him now. “Nay. Only my surrogate kin.”
They talked for nearly two hours; the sun warmed overhead, making the water sparkle. The seabirds caused quite a ruckus, but Dari was thrilled with them and she took several photos.
“Do you always wear that?” she asked, giving his attire a glance. “I think it’s wicked sexy, but, you know . . . Walking around with a sea captain may cause people to talk.”
Justin laughed. “I’ll surprise you.”
They walked, they talked; he learned of her family, her job as a travel agent and photographer. She learned a little of his home in Sealladh na Mara, of his surrogate family, Gabe, Allie and young Jake; of his friends at Castle Grimm, at Dreadmoor, at the Munro estate. She even met old Godfrey.
Well, he’d just sort of shown up as they sat close to the shore on a pile of rocks.
“God’s knees, lass,” Godfrey said as he simply materialized before her. “You’re more fetchin’ up close for a certainty!”
“Whoa!” Dari hollered, jumping down. “Another one?”
Justin laughed. “Let me introduce a good friend: Sir Godfrey of Battersby.”
Godfrey, the fop, made a big production of bowing, that ridiculous plume flopping all over.
“’Tis wondrous to meet you, lady. I hope the boy here is minding his manners?”
Dari glanced at him, and her eyes softened.
At that point, so did his heart.
“Yes, he is,” she said. Then, shook her head. “I wish I’d met you at the beginning of this tour. It seems the time is flying by now. Soon—” she looked deep into Justin’s eyes “—I’ll have to leave.”
They’d connected; Justin felt it.
He didna want her to go.
“We’ll make the verra most of it, lass,” he said. “I vow it.”
Dari lay in bed that night, restless. She could hardly sleep. Didn’t want to sleep.
She’d not only encountered a ghost, and come to accept they actually share the same plane of existence as mortals, but she’d found she really, really liked Justin.
Enough so that when she left day after tomorrow she’d miss him.
A lot.
The night finally passed, Dari got a little sleep and, when she emerged from her room to meet the tour group downstairs, Justin stood in the corridor. He grinned and gave her a low bow.
“I shall meet you at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh,” he said, grinning. “We’ll have a day of it, and I’ll show you my Edinburgh.”
Dari smiled widely. “You’re on, pirate man.”
Justin burst out laughing.
It was the longest bus ride she’d ever taken.
Her insides were a nervous cluster of butterflies.
She was meeting a centuries-old, hot pirate in Edinburgh.
A smile crept across her face and stayed there until the Wilde Ride Coach Tours bus pulled into the city.
“Oh, Ms St James!” cried Malphus. “Shall I assist you with your bags?”
“No thanks, Mal!” she cried back. “I’ve got it. Nice meeting you!”
She didn’t even wait for him to respond. Pulling her rolling suitcase over the cobbles, Dari checked in to her hotel as fast as possible, found her room, threw her stuff on the bed and changed into her comfy worn jeans slung low on her hip, a long-sleeved black T-shirt and hiking boots. She’d let her hair hang free today, so there was no need to worry about it. After a quick look in the mirror, she dashed out.
At the front desk she asked directions to the Mercat Cross.
“Lass, ’tis in the center of Parliament Square,” the desk clerk said. He reached below and grabbed a city map. “Here you go.”
“Thanks!” Dari said. She ran out, glanced at the map, got her bearings and hurried up the street.
&
nbsp; As she weaved through the crowd on the Royal Mile, she could hardly believe the changes she’d seen, just since yesterday after falling into a hole. She’d met a man. He’d died centuries before.
He had no idea how.
And somehow, that had kept him here.
She was awfully glad.
At Parliament Square she found the Mercat Cross, ran to it and waited. People, tourists, were all around. She saw no sign of Justin.
Her heart dropped.
She wasn’t quite sure when she became so enamored with him.
“Excuse me?”
Dari whipped around at the familiar voice. The figure before her was not so familiar. Her jaw slid open, just a fraction. She couldn’t help it.
Justin Catesby stood, in totally modern clothes, wearing faded jeans, a cream-colored sweater and hiking boots. His long bangs were pulled back and gathered at the nape of his neck; the rest of his wavy brown hair hung loose.
She almost melted. “Good God,” she muttered, openly gaping at him.
Justin laughed and inclined his head. “Sorry – I was waiting at the old Mercat Cross.” He pointed to the ground a few yards away. “’Tis the site of the original.” He grinned down at her. “I watched you run up here at full speed.”
Dari frowned. “I did not run.”
Justin just smiled. “Right. Let’s see the city, aye?”
And they did.
The day went by way too fast for Dari.
Justin showed her everything; they explored the castle, Greyfriars cemetery, every inch of the Royal Mile and several of the closes. He told her of the disease and death that had once plagued the city. Looking around at the bleak grey stone buildings of the old town, she could easily imagine it.
Soon, the sun began to sink.
Dari’s heart began to sink with it.
Damnation, he’d never wished a day to last longer.
Justin watched Dari openly; she sat on the bench eating fish and chips with gusto.
“Um,” she said between mouthfuls. “This is the best, Justin. Honestly.”
Justin grinned. “It seems tae be.”
She grinned. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
She’d be leaving in hours.
They walked and talked the day away; he’d had to dodge several people. The last time he was out in the public and a passer-by passed through him, they’d nearly died on the spot. He didna want anything like that to happen, so he kept on his toes.
It didna matter; it made Dari laugh, and he’d do just about anything to hear that pleasing sound over and over.
By the time the sun began to set, they’d walked to the gardens at the castle, found a secluded bench and sat. She watched him; he watched her.
Justin knew they thought the same thing because he went inside her thoughts and peeked.
Neither wanted to say goodbye.
“I know it sounds ridiculous,” Dari said, looking at him with sincerity. “I’ve only known you for a couple of days.” She glanced over the gardens, then back to him. “I’ve had the best two days of my life, Justin.” She shook her head. “I don’t want it to end.”
Justin’s heart leaped. “Nor do I, lass.”
They sat close; he moved closer, dropped his head to catch her downcast gaze. “I wonder if it would have been simpler to have left you alone?”
Dari’s head snapped up. “Why?”
“Because I was content before, sort of,” he said. Then, he looked at her hard. Her green eyes pools of confusion. “But now? Knowing you exist? Thinking of you yet not having you to myself?” He shook his head. “Bloody torturous, Ms St James.”
Dari leaned her head against the back of the bench, keeping her soft gaze trained on his. Her eyes filled with tears. “You’ll be the best memory I’ve ever had.”
It was then, Justin knew, he’d never be the same again.
Together they shared dreams, secrets, late into the night. Dari didn’t want it to end. She didn’t want to leave. Never before had a man touched her the way Justin did, and not just because he was so gorgeous. He had a kind soul. They connected.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
She slid him a look. “You’re asking? Usually you just go in and see for yourself.”
A twinkle of devilment shone in his brown eyes.
She knew then she was in trouble.
“I feel the same way,” he said after several moments. They walked along Princes Street, the lights casting long shadows over the walkway. “Mayhap you can visit again?”
Dari nodded. “I’d love that.”
Before she knew it, they were standing at the entrance of her hotel. She turned and gazed up at him. He looked so real, so tangible. Her hand moved without conscious thought to his jaw. Her fingertips tingled as they grew close to the lines of his form.
“Would you permit me one thing?” Justin asked, his voice low, his accent deep.
Dari nodded. “Yes.”
His eyes trained on hers, the muscles flexing in his jaw, he sighed. “Be verra still.”
Eight
Dari’s heart beat a thousand times per minute.
Justin slowly lowered his head, hovering his mouth over hers.
They stood there, beneath the lamplight in Edinburgh, and kissed the only way a live soul and a restless one could. Their essences melded in that one kiss, where his lips barely grazed hers, and tingles shot through her mouth, her skin, and clear to her heart.
“I’d give anythin’ for it tae be real,” he said against her, sending more shock waves across her nerve endings. He pulled back slightly and stared into her eyes. “I’ve ne’er met another like you, Dari St James.”
Tears burned beneath her eyes. She felt stupid; she’d only known Justin for two days, and she was crying? How could that be?
“Soulmates, mayhap?” Justin offered. He grinned. “Sorry. ’Tis just too tempting.”
Dari smiled at him. “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”
He returned the smile; longing and passion shone brightly in his gaze, and it saddened her to think she’d never get to fully experience Justin Catesby.
She’d take what she could, though.
He stayed with her the whole night.
As she lay there in bed, he sat beside her, stretched out and looking just as mortal as anyone. They talked until sleep claimed her. Just as she slipped into slumber, she heard his voice; his deep, sexy brogue speaking a language unknown to her. It soothed her, comforted her and made her want him all the more.
When her alarm went off at 5 a.m., Justin Catesby was gone.
A hole began to tear, unravel a little more inside her heart.
It was the longest transatlantic flight she’d ever experienced.
Her sister Becca was at the airport to meet her.
She immediately knew something was up.
“What?” Becca protested. “Something happened, I can tell. Spill da beans, woman.” Then her eyes stretched wide. “Oh. My. God. You met a guy and had to leave him there. Didn’t you?”
Sometimes it really sucked that her sister knew her so well. “Sort of.”
“Sort of? What does sort of mean?” Becca demanded. “I want details and I want them now.”
Dari smiled. “Let’s do it tomorrow, OK? I am so tired.”
Becca stared, then blinked. Then, she hugged her. “I’m sorry, Dar. It’ll be OK. Let’s go home.”
Becca drove through Charleston, and Dari stared out of the window silently. Justin lay heavily on her mind, and she highly doubted he’d ever leave it. She’d found someone and gained a broken heart, all in two days.
It’d take a lifetime to get over it.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay the night?” Becca asked.
Dari smiled. “No, Bec. I’ll be fine. Pinky promise.” She blew her a kiss. “I’ll call you in the morning. K?”
“Love you,” Becca said.
“Love you back,” Dari said. With a sigh,
she turned and walked up the steps to her house. It faced the Atlantic, a small beach cottage she’d gotten for a steal from a satisfied travel client. That was her perk, she guessed.
She walked in, dropped her belongings, and went straight to the double glass doors leading out to the deck. The moment the brine washed over her and the sea breeze caught in her hair, memories of another sea, another wind, crashed over her.
“About bloody time you got here.”
Dari nearly jumped out of her skin. But as fast as she turned, her brain registered the voice faster. Justin Catesby sat, reclined in an Adirondack chair, in the corner of her deck.
With a wicked smile on his face.
She grinned and fought not to launch herself at him. “Justin!” She hurried to him. “What are you doing here? How did you find my house?”
Justin stood, still wearing the beguiling modern clothes she’d last seen him in. “I’ve been around a long time, lass,” he said, and winked. “I’ve got people.”
Dari laughed. “Well. Welcome to South Carolina.” She’d never been so happy to see another person in her life.
“Well, I fancy you feel the same way as I do, lass,” Justin said. “Now, I’ve one question for you.” He drew closer, dropped his head a bit, his eyes boring into hers.
“What’s that?” Dari said, breathless from his closeness, and the incredible urge to kiss him.
A smile stretched over his handsome face. “I know ’tisna fair to ask you tae give your heart to a spirit. ’Twouldna be right.”
Confusion clouded her mind. “Go on.”
He lifted a hand, and where his knuckle trailed close to her jaw, her skin tingled. “How far would you be willin’ tae go to help me reverse whatever curse has kept me here, as a spirit?”
Dari blinked. “I didn’t know you were cursed.”
Justin grinned. “I didna either. But if there was a way to mayhap reverse it, would you want that?” He leaned closer. “Would you want me? Because I bloody hell want you, Dari St James.”
Dari felt breathless and full of life at the same time. “I’d do anything.” She lifted a hand and grazed his bottom lip. Her finger tingled. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked into his eyes. “And yes, Captain Justin Catesby,” she said. “I bloody want you, too.”
