by Tia Wylder
He collapsed back onto the single piece of furniture remaining in the living room, pulling her on top of him. Her round belly rested on his waist, and he leaned up to capture her lips with his own.
“This is the happiest day of my life,” she blurted. “And I can think of only one way to make it better. Let’s say goodbye to this shoddy apartment in the best way I can think of,” she murmured, pulling her shirt off over her head. She tossed it to the side, stretching out on top of him much like a pleased feline. He wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning back as she fidgeted with the button on his jeans.
“There are a lot of memories on this couch,” he murmured, breathing a sigh as his length was set free. She settled on top of him, intent upon enjoying the last moments they would be able to make love before the baby came along.
"And we'll be making dozens more, together. A lifetime more," she murmured. The two moved together in a smooth rhythm, and Hercules breathed a content sigh before speaking.
“A lifetime for you. Two lifetimes for me, technically,” he said teasingly. She smiled, nudging his shoulder gently.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better ghost to haunt my bedroom,” she said warmly. He paused for a moment, pressing up into her before speaking in a strangled voice to correct her.
“Former ghost.”
The Texas Rancher’s Bride
By Anne Ulsterman
Chapter One
Of the two sisters, Joanne was the pretty one. Jennifer was the brain of the family; the one with the good grades who did well at school, acing the debates and winning medals at the spelling bee. But this never seemed to come close to Joanne’s lighter complexion or her hazel eyes, which changed color with the weather or her mood.
None of this mattered once Joanne disappeared, shortly after leaving home to get married. Jennifer was as worried about her sister as her mother was. She knew something had to be done when she came home one afternoon to find the apartment quiet and dark, the curtains drawn and the television off. There was no sign of her noisy twin brothers who were usually jumping on the sofa watching cartoons this time of her day. And her mother wasn't cooking dinner, as usual, filling the house with delicious smells of home cooking. Instead, she found her mother, Angela, in her room, sitting on the bed, staring in front of her.
"What's wrong, mom?" Jennifer rushed to her mother's side. "Are you all right? Where are Ty and Damian?”
Angela inclined her head slightly. “Downstairs,” she whispered.
Jennifer nodded. The neighbors in the flat below them also had children, and the twins liked to play there sometimes.
“I had a call from Arthur. He drove over to the ranch. In Bonham.”
Jennifer felt her heart starting to beat faster. She knew her mother was going to ask a cousin of hers who lived in Texas to drive over to the farm where Joanne was heading to after she left. She had given them the name of the farm and the man she was going to marry. Sean Perry and Valley View. This was all they knew. She had left over a month ago and apart from one phone call shortly after her arrival in Bonham, they had not heard from her since. This had been her mother’s last resort, actually sending someone to go to the farm to check if anyone had any information about Joanne.
Tears streamed down Angela’s face. “They’ve never heard of Joanne! Arthur spoke to the maid and some of the farm hands there; no one has seen her. No one fitting her description even visited the farm!”
“What about Sean Perry?”
Angela shook her head. “He couldn’t find him. Seems not around. Folks said they rarely saw him. Arthur had to get back home, he couldn’t wait around all day.”
Something had clearly gone terribly wrong. What had happened to Joanne? Why hadn’t she called?
“Do you think we should call the police?” Angela asked.
Jennifer nodded curtly, although she had little trust in the authorities.
“I’m going down there, see for myself what is going on.”
Angela's eyes widened in fear, and she grabbed her daughter’s arm. “No, don’t go!”
“We have to know what is going on,” Jennifer said, trying to be gentle.
“How long will it take for the cops to get down there? They knock on the door once and what then? Go, ‘Oh, there is no sign of her, here?’ We need some answers.”
“But what if something happens to you?”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Jennifer said, with more certainty than she actually felt. “I will call you every day and give you a progress report.”
“What about the money?”
Jennifer bit her lip. She was saving up money for college, but she knew this was more important. Until they knew what had happened to her sister, there would be no peace in her family. She would take her savings and travel to Bonham in Texas, all the way across the country. She had never been that far from home before, but she knew this was something she had to do, not only for her mother but for her sister as well.
Jennifer called Mrs. Fries, whose children she was currently watching in the afternoons and explained the situation to her. She needed some time off as soon as possible. Then she booked her plane ticket to Dallas. She would leave first thing in the morning.
Then she went to get takeaways and fetched her brothers from the neighbors. Ty and Damian yelled and pushed each other on the stairs, running into their little apartment, immediately filling it with their boisterous energy. Jennifer felt cheered by them. She saw the way her mother looked at them as well, with a mixture of sadness and hope. They were only ten years old and knew so little of the world.
Jennifer explained to them that she would be going away for a while and that they needed to be good. They nodded, listening solemnly.
“Will you be okay while I’m away?” she asked her mother as the boys ran off for their bath.
Angela worked as a housekeeper downtown. Her hours were long, and she often came home late. Jennifer usually helped with the twins until she was home.
“I’ll ask Betty to com’ look after ‘em,” her mother said, wearily.
Jennifer knew her sister’s disappearance had taken its toll on her mother. Ever since her father had been jailed for manslaughter and the family had to move into this cramped apartment in a poor neighborhood, the twins switching schools and the money drying up; Angela had become increasingly pessimistic about the future. She had not approved of Joanne agreeing to marry a man she had met over the Internet, saying no good could come of it. But Joanne had assured them that Sean was fantastic, that he had a big farm and that once she was married, she would be able to help them out financially. She had convinced them all, even Jennifer, who was always the more sensible one.
“Joanne is okay, ma,” Jennifer said. “I can feel it.”
But she wasn’t so sure. She hugged her mother quickly to hide the fact that her eyes were filling with tears.
Chapter Two
At the airport, Jennifer hired a taxi to take her to Valley View. She had Googled the address and had directions. Even though the drive was a few hours and quite expensive, she wanted to get to the ranch right away. She called her mother and told her that she had arrived safe and sound. Despite her full day of traveling, she was not tired. She felt rather invigorated by the whole experience. It was her first time on a flight, traveling alone and finding the right boarding gates had been rather exciting.
As she looked out of the window at the Texan landscape, she thought of her sister’s last words to her. Joanne had appeared to really look forward to her new life here. She had no reservations about marrying a man she had not even met. She told Jennifer that she had no prospects back in New York. The only work she could get was menial and poorly paid, and she didn't want to be a shop assistant or a cashier at the supermarket. Jennifer realized that her sister was disillusioned by the life that had followed graduation from school. When a relationship didn't work out, she had tried Internet dating and found the site where she met Sean. They got chatting, and when he pr
oposed marriage, she agreed. He sent her the money to travel to Texas and Joanne was looking forward to getting away from the city and becoming a rancher's wife.
What had gone wrong? Jennifer wondered as they drove through the rolling green hills, the wide open plains dotted with cattle. Something about the landscape appealed to her, even though Jennifer had grown up in the city and had never thought of leaving.
The taxi stopped pulled off the road at an elaborate gate with a sign that read Valley View. She got out, paid the driver and took a look around. Then she marched down the long driveway, giving no thought to what she would say or do once she got to the house. She tried not to be intimidated by the huge mansion that emerged in front of her. It was a beautiful stone house, with a slate roof and wide windows, surrounded by manicured lawns the likes of which she had never seen before.
She knocked on the door, firmly.
A Mexican housekeeper opened the door.
“I am here to see Mr. Perry,” Jennifer announced in her most authoritarian voice. She had her coat buttoned to the top and her most expensive boots on, an outfit she had carefully chosen, hoping that it made her look like a woman to be taken seriously.
"We have an appointment," she lied before the housekeeper could ask her. The woman disappeared to call her employer and Jennifer moved her travel case out of view.
“May I help you?”
Jennifer looked up and felt her heartbeat quicken. Sean Perry was taller than she had thought he would be. She was also not prepared for that deep tan and the bright blue eyes that stared at her, filled with curiosity. As for the curly blonde hair that curled about his face, well, she could see why Joanne had no qualms coming down here.
“Are you Mr. Sean Perry?” Jennifer asked.
The man in the tight jeans nodded.
“My name is Jennifer Keys,” she said. When he didn’t react, she added, “Joanne’s sister.”
Then she saw his face change color, to a deep red, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“So you do know my sister!” Jennifer exclaimed.
“I certainly do,” Sean said rather stiffly. “I paid for her to come down here and she stood me up!”
“You didn’t meet her?” Jennifer asked and saw something in his eyes, a shifty glance that told her something wasn’t right.
“No," Sean said, curtly. "She left the same day she arrived, and I have no idea where she's gone. So I will say good day to you…"
“Not so fast, Mr. Perry,” Jennifer said, as firmly as she could, stepping forward as he was about to close the door.
"My sister has disappeared without a trace, and you were the last person to speak to her. Over a month ago. We’ve heard nothing from here. My mother is worried sick.”
Jennifer pushed past him into the house, taking in the wealth she saw on display. There was no way her sister would have turned her back on all this, she thought, not after living in their damp little basement flat for all those years.
Sean ran his fingers through his hair. He seemed tired; weary almost. But Jennifer refused to feel sorry for him.
“I have to go to town,” he said. “I will give you a lift to the motel where she was staying.”
“I’m not getting into a car with you!” Jennifer exclaimed.
Sean gave a little smile as if it amused him that Jennifer didn’t trust him.
“I really can’t help you,” he said more gently. “I am sorry. Now, I really need to go town. I have an appointment with the dentist. Can I give you a ride?”
Jennifer shook her head. “I’ll walk.”
“It is a few miles to town,” he said, again with that arrogant smile that was beginning to drive her quite mad.
“I am not afraid of a little walking, thank you very much,” she said haughtily, turning around and grabbing her case, wishing her heart wasn’t beating so much. The effect this man was having on her was very unexpected and confusing. She had to prevent him from seeing how his presence unsettled her.
She had barely started down the road when she heard a car pull up next to her.
“You know,” Sean Perry said, leaning out of the open window. “I am the wronged party here. We had an arrangement, your sister and I, and she was the one who let me down. If anyone has a right to be aggrieved, it is me.”
“Oh really?” Jennifer said, trying to control her anger. “Why don’t you wipe your tears with a few dollar bills? Lots of those to go round, eh? Fixes everything, doesn’t it?”
He drove off in a cloud of smoke, his wheels spinning in his rush to get away. Jennifer forced herself to calm down. She didn’t know why she let Sean Perry get her worked up like this. Usually, she was the calm one, the rational one. But something about this bloody cowboy rubbed her up the wrong way. She had to admit, however, that she didn’t think he had done anything to Joanne. As annoying as he was, his words rang true. She believed him, somehow.
It took a few hours, but she arrived at the Twilight Motel after dark. A farmer gave her a lift the rest of the way. Her feet were killing her. There was a room available and she took it. Before going up to her room, she asked if her sister had booked in at the motel a month ago.
“Oh, yes, here it is,” the lady behind the counter said. She pointed at an entry in her book. “Joanne Keys, I remember her! A real beauty. Your sister you say?”
Jennifer nodded.
“Oh, she was real happy to see her beau, I remember now.”
Jennifer leaned in closer.
“Really?” she said, anxiously.
“Yes, sure, he came by to pick her up the next morning. Good lookin’ fella.”
Jennifer suddenly was wide awake.
“A blonde guy? Cowboy type?”
“Oh no,” the woman said, shaking her head. “He was, well, you know, dark skinned, like you.” She blushed but Jennifer paid no attention. “Did you happen to pick up his name? Where they were going?”
The woman shook her head. “No, but I did hear him say they were going to rent a car? I recommended a place in town, maybe they’d have a record?”
Jennifer could not sleep that night. She lay in bed, trying to make sense of what she had heard about her sister. She had no reason to question the motel receptionist’s words. But why had her sister not called them to let them know that she had changed her mind? If she didn’t want to marry Sean Perry, why did she not come home? Where was Joanne?
These questions tormented Jennifer until the early hours of the morning when she finally fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
Chapter Three
Jennifer woke up the next morning with a terrible headache. She felt out of sorts and needed coffee. Dragging herself out of bed to the nearest diner, she ordered breakfast and strong coffee. She thought about the conversation she would have with her mother and she didn't know how to tell her what she had learned.
"I'd love to buy you that breakfast," someone said next to her, and when she turned, she saw Sean Perry. He looked so much better than she felt and that made her annoyed with him all over again. “As you pointed out, yesterday, I have so much money flying around, might as well treat you to some bacon and eggs,” he grinned.
“I’m sorry about saying that,” Jennifer said stiffly. “I was angry and worried and it got the better of me.”
“May I sit down?” he asked pointing at the stool next to her. She nodded and couldn’t help but breathe in the scent of him as he moved closer to her. It was a clean smell, of soap and water, but there was something spicy and exotic underneath.
Jennifer forced herself to pay attention to her food.
“I thought I might find you here, staying at the motel an’ all,” he said. “I wanted to apologize about yesterday,” Jennifer looked at him and their eyes met. She could not look away.
“I wanted to tell you that I really liked Joanne, and my intentions were honest. I really did want to marry her. But she called me that night, told me that she had changed her mind and that she was sorry. The only thing was, she did
n’t sound sorry at all.”
Jennifer thought about how much she was learning about Joanne over the past two days.
“Joanne was the older sister,” she said slowly. “But I always felt like the more responsible one. She was one for following her heart, I like to think things through. I wish I knew what was going through her mind….” Jennifer shook her head.
“She’s done things like this before?” Sean asked.
Jennifer told him how Joanne had broken off her engagement to her fiancé only two months before she started talking about marrying Sean. "I told her it was too soon," she said, shaking her head. Sean shifted in his seat, his thigh brushed against Jennifer and a shock of electricity went through her. She almost jumped into the air. It completely disorientated her.
“Looks like I might have been talking to the wrong sister all along,” he said in a low, husky voice, leaning closer to her. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye and Jennifer knew he was having fun with her. She quickly got up, wiped her mouth on the napkin and grabbed her handbag.
“Thanks for breakfast,” she said with a tight smile. “I have to find out what happened to my sister.”
“Wait!” Sean grabbed her arm. “I could help you with that.”
Jennifer twisted her arm out of his grip. “No, thanks.”
"I'd like to help you," he said again, letting go of her arm, sounding sincere. "I feel sorry about what happened. I have a car, a telephone you could use. We were nearly related, for goodness' sakes?"
He had a point there, Jennifer had to admit to herself.
“I know you don’t want my help, but please, allow me?”
