His smile was wry. “I’m not sure you should count on me. I’m not considered all that reliable.”
“I think you are a very reliable man,” she assured him. “You’re a man who never goes back on his word. And you rescued the dog, who needed a home.”
“Those men were trespassing. In fact, I can’t guarantee they won’t be back.” His face darkened at the idea of sweet Rachel facing bastards like the ones he’d rescued Harley from. He knew that slime like that wouldn’t think twice of preying on an innocent woman, though he doubted he’d have to worry about Maya. He figured she’d take them out with one whack of that cast-iron frying pan she loved so much.
As they ate their meal, Jared looked at Rachel.
“I’ve got someone coming out in the morning to install a satellite dish,” he said. “I’m going to stick around the house, so I can make sure there won’t be any problems, or that Maya doesn’t scare the guy off.”
Rachel looked bewildered. “Satellite dish?”
“I’m a guy. I can’t go without my sports channels for too long. Football season will be here before we know it.” Jared wondered where Maya had disappeared to. He noticed she always seemed to be gone by dinnertime, although a few evenings she’d been around when he got home, but was gone by the time he got out of the shower.
After they finished eating, Rachel insisted on washing the dishes, and shooed him out of the kitchen when he offered to help. He decided that the older woman must not be feeling well and had gone upstairs. Not that he could imagine her ever feeling under the weather.
He went upstairs to work on one of the bedrooms. He had dismissed the idea of using the master bedroom, after walking in and feeling as if he’d been encased in ice. Jared never thought of himself as someone attuned to psychic energy in a room—he was definitely a skeptic—but he knew something evil had happened in there. Instead, he chose a room at the other end of the house that was just as large and didn’t make him feel as if he needed to cleanse himself.
The door to the room he knew Rachel and Maya shared was closed. It was always kept closed. He never opened it. He didn’t want them to feel he would invade their privacy. It didn’t stop him from wondering what they had in there. Considering the clothing they wore, he had to assume they didn’t have much.
Jared had worked for a construction company during summers when he was in high school, so he had a good feel for what to do to the house. At the same time, he realized that what he’d learned then didn’t cover everything he had to do now. So far, he’d been busy replacing old boards with new ones.
“Even if you are a lawman, you enjoy building,” Rachel commented.
He looked over his shoulder, spotting her in the doorway. He’d been so busy with his project he hadn’t heard her come up the stairs. Nor had he smelled the hint of jasmine that always seemed to precede her.
“Police work involves using your brain and sometimes just plain luck,” he said. “Getting out and using my hands is a nice change. But after doing all this work I think I’ll be glad to get back to the station when my vacation time is up.”
She walked into the room and settled down in a corner with her skirts tucked neatly about her legs. She looked around with a faint smile.
“The floor up here is still pretty dirty,” he warned her.
Rachel didn’t look worried. “Dirt never hurt anyone.”
They both turned their heads when they heard thumps on the stairs.
Jared grinned at the sound. “Harley really likes running up and down those stairs, doesn’t he?”
She smiled back. “I don’t think he likes to be alone. Do you notice how he always comes to whatever room we’re in?”
“After what he’s been through it makes sense.” Jared nodded.
A moment later, the puppy skidded into the room, stumbling over his big feet as he attempted to make a quick stop. He ran up to Jared, received a scratch behind the ears, then made his way over to Rachel. He leaned against her side, then plopped down with a big doggy sigh of contentment. She stroked his fur as he yawned widely and rested his head in her lap.
“What kind of dog do you think he is?” she asked.
Jared grinned. “Spoiled.”
She shot him a please-be-serious look.
He shrugged. “The vet thinks he’s shepherd with some rottweiler in the mix. He’s a perfect dog for the outdoors, and should grow up to be a pretty good guard dog.”
Rachel ducked her head as she continued stroking the pup’s head. “Yes, he loves the outdoors.”
She continued running her hand along Harley’s back. He immediately rolled over so she could rub his tummy. “You chose this room for yourself?”
Jared nodded as he looked around. “It seemed like a good idea.”
“I thought the room in the back of the house was the master bedroom,” she said casually, noting how he had arranged the furniture.
“It probably was, but I like this one better. It will catch the morning light and it has a better feel to it.” He drilled holes in the wall and attached a curtain rod over the window, then carefully draped a sheet over the rod.
“Most of the rooms seem the same.” She obliged Harley by scratching behind his ears.
Jared shook his head. “I’m not superstitious or anything, but that back bedroom is…” He paused.
“Is what?” she prompted, curious to hear his observation.
He set the drill on the floor and sat down with his legs stretched out in front of him. “My work involves a lot of unhappiness,” he said finally. “A murder investigation usually means notifying the next of kin, getting a positive ID of the body and then finding out who murdered the victim. Sometimes I’ll walk into the crime scene and just feel something there. Maybe it’s anger still lingering in the air, maybe sorrow. It’s as if what happened in the room has become a part of the space.”
“And you felt something in that other bedroom,” she guessed.
He nodded.
“Something not good.”
He nodded again. “I’d say something very bad happened in there and it still lingers in the atmosphere.” He looked around. “I’m surprised that feeling doesn’t permeate the whole house.”
Rachel knew exactly what had happened in that room, but she wasn’t about to talk about it. Even after all these years, the memories were still strong within her. She kept trailing her fingers across Harley’s back in long strokes that were meant to soothe her more than the young dog.
“And you do not feel it in here,” she murmured.
“Nope.” He got to his feet and moved over to the other window, where he efficiently drilled holes and hung the other curtain rod. “You and Maya don’t have to share a room, you know. There are plenty here. I doubt I’ll be doing anything with them all anytime soon.”
“We like each other’s company,” she said, looking at the furniture. It was like the man—functional, with no fancy carving in the wood. The sheets on the bed were light blue, with a navy bedspread partially pulled back. The only sign of disarray was a faded gray T-shirt tossed on top of the bed. Two pillows were placed against the head of the bed. Even the throw rug by the bed was dark blue.
She couldn’t recall ever seeing a bed as large as his. Her face burned at thoughts of what had happened in that bed in the past, and what, she was certain, would happen in the future. Jared was too male to remain celibate for long. She resisted pressing her hand against her stomach. Just thinking about it sent a strange feeling through her.
“Do you like being a police officer, Jared?” she asked, desperate to say something before her fanciful thoughts took her down a road she shouldn’t travel.
“Funny thing is, I do. When I was a kid I was given the choice of going to jail or going into the army. The idea of sitting in jail didn’t sit well with me, and I figured the army would be easy. I didn’t expect to have a drill instructor who knew how to put fear into a smart-ass recruit like me. Tests showed I’d be good in law enforcement. I thought
that was pretty funny, considering I was usually on the other side of the law. Maybe I was good at it because I could figure out what some guy would do before he did it. And it beats what could have happened to me if I hadn’t made that choice.” He returned to his spot on the floor.
She cocked her head to one side. “What do you think would have happened if you had not joined the army?”
Jared chuckled. “That’s pretty easy. I would have spent a few years in prison.”
Rachel’s eyes grew large. “Why would you have spent time in jail? You are not a bad person.”
“Back then I was considered a kid who was well on his way to hell,” he said without apology.
He paused for a moment, his expression pensive as he thought back to early years that obviously didn’t hold pleasant memories for him.
“You have to understand that my role model when I was growing up was a father who didn’t see anything wrong with breaking into houses and stealing whatever small things he could carry and easily fence. He prided himself on not using a gun or a knife, so he could never be charged with armed robbery. But he was also a mean drunk with a hot temper, who liked to vent his rage on his only son,” he said matter-of-factly.
“What about your mother?” she whispered, feeling a wealth of sympathy for the damaged little boy he’d been. “Couldn’t she protect you?”
He shrugged and shook his head. “She couldn’t take his beatings anymore, so she took off when I was six.”
Rachel looked horrified. “She left you with such a horrible man?”
“I guess she was more worried about herself.” He ignored the pangs of long-buried sorrow that his mother could leave him so easily. “Who knows? With the way his temper blew at times, she might have been right to get out when she could.”
“Was there no one to help you?”
“Child Protective Services stepped in a few times and put me in foster care, but as long as my dad appeared sober, and was holding down a job, they’d hand me back to him,” he said. “It got so when I knew he was out getting drunk, I just took off, so I wouldn’t be there when he got home.” He looked around the room. “Most of the time, I ended up out here. The apartment we rented was on the outskirts of town, so we didn’t live all that far away. Plus I figured he wouldn’t look for me here. There were lots of stories saying this place was haunted. Funny thing was, I was never afraid here.” He looked a little embarrassed by his stark admission.
She understood more than he would ever know. “You needed a safe place and you found it here.”
“Yeah, I guess I did. Anytime I was here I felt as if someone was watching over me. Sometimes I brought a friend with me. Her home life wasn’t much better than mine,” he said.
Rachel was content to sit there and just let him talk. She sensed Jared kept a lot of his past to himself. The fact that he was talking about it with her suggested he felt he could trust her. She knew he had no idea he was talking to someone who had watched over him when he was younger.
She remembered seeing and hearing a boy’s anger at the mother who’d abandoned him, and the bitter hatred directed toward a father who believed violence was the answer. Rachel doubted he’d talked to anyone else back then. What boy wanted to admit his father beat him? Out here, he talked out loud, as if he thought someone was listening. Little did he know someone did listen to his anger and anguish. Rachel had heard every word and tucked them away in her heart. She’d ached for the boy, but now that emotion had changed into something entirely different for the man. She felt something for Jared she’d never experienced before. The dizzying feelings that invaded her body frightened her.
She knew Maya was right to worry. With Jared living here, both women’s very existence, or lack thereof, was in danger. Rachel didn’t regret that he had discovered her that night. Indeed, it was a relief to her that she didn’t have to hide from him. And to be honest, she enjoyed his company. It had been a very long time since she had been able to have a conversation with someone. She had forgotten how good it felt.
Rachel looked at Jared. She studied his solemn expression and listened to the words spill from his mouth. She enjoyed listening to him talk. She found his deep voice pleasing to the ear. Sometimes he paused, as if he was mentally searching for just the right word. At other times he spoke quickly, caught up with enthusiasm. She wanted to chuckle when he joked about the ghosts haunting the ranch. She wondered what he would say if she told him he was talking to a ghost right now.
She also wondered what would happen if she told him the truth about herself. What would he say if she admitted she had been born in 1856 and died in 1880 at her husband’s hands, when he discovered she was going to leave him? What would Jared say if she explained that, as her husband stabbed her to death, a bruja, a local witch, had leveled a curse at her? That from the moment of her death, Rachel was doomed to an elusive existence where she was nothing more than a gentle breeze during the daylight hours, and could take human form only at night? Maya had tried to intervene in an attempt to protect her mistress, appealing to her own ancient gods to save the young woman she saw as the daughter she’d never had. They listened to Maya’s pleas and gave Rachel a second chance; Maya was allowed to remain with her. Except the older woman’s human existence was limited only to daylight hours. Which meant Rachel was doomed to a lifetime of loneliness at night.
As she studied Jared’s rugged features, she knew she couldn’t say a word about her past to him. How could he understand what had happened to her when there were times she herself didn’t understand? She knew she would have to make a concerted effort to find the key that would free her—before Jared learned the truth about her.
A part of her feared there was a darker side to Jared Stryker’s nature. But as she watched Harley wake up and amble over to his owner, who started playing with the dog, his laughter rich and full, another part of her worried that it would be very easy to fall in love with him. She had always yearned for a man to ride in like a knight in shining armor and carry her off to his castle. Restore peace to her mind and spirit.
Falling in love was not an option for her.
After all, what good would it do for a ghost to fall in love with a mortal man?
Chapter 4
“I am sorry. I think I was wrong to have you put the cabinet there.” Rachel pressed her fingertips against her lips. “It really does not look good against that wall.”
Jared swallowed the curse that wanted so badly to creep up his throat. Even with the windows open, the warm spring air didn’t offer a lot of relief inside the room, which he swore soaked up the day’s heat. He knew he’d have to consider getting an air conditioner before summer fully settled in.
But then, spending the evening moving furniture around wasn’t a good way to cool off, either. After dinner, he’d asked Rachel to make sure the cabinet was lined up against the wall correctly. He’d had no clue she would have other ideas for it. Or that she’d pretty much have him moving everything in the room except the TV.
“In case you haven’t noticed, there are only four walls in this room, Rachel,” he pointed out unnecessarily. “And there’s a large window that takes up almost one whole wall, and a door in the other. It’s not as if you have unlimited options for this thing.”
“But that also means we have two walls where it can go. And now that I think about it the cabinet did look much better when it was over there.” She pointed toward the opposite wall.
He silently vowed once the cabinet was settled in one place it was staying there. Forever. He’d nail it to the floor if he had to. “Are you sure?”
She swiveled her head to look at the large, heavy cabinet. “Yes. Yes, I am. It must go back.” She nodded emphatically.
Stryker took a deep breath, then grunted as he laboriously pushed the piece of furniture across the room to the exact same spot Rachel had earlier deemed unsuitable. With his back against the side of the cabinet, he slid down the side until he sat on the floor with his legs sprawled out in f
ront of him. He glared at Harley, who was snoozing on the couch. The pup knew he wasn’t allowed on the cushions, but that didn’t stop him from climbing up there every chance he got.
Lucky dog. He didn’t have to move heavy furniture and worry that he might strain something in the process.
With her skirt rustling as it brushed the bare wood floor, Rachel walked over and held out a bottle of water she had retrieved from the kitchen. He mumbled, “Thanks,” and drained half the contents without taking a breath.
“Please tell me you won’t change your mind again,” he begged once he’d finished.
The slightest of smiles curved her lips. “You did ask for my advice.”
Jared winced. “Yep, I did.”
“And you only had to move the couch and your chairs once,” she pointed out.
Something he was very grateful for, since the couch weighed at least a ton.
He looked up at her face. The shadows he remembered from the first times he’d seen her were almost all gone. Even now, though, he still knew very little about her. To date, she hadn’t even shared her last name with him, and he hadn’t pushed for the information. He had no idea how her husband had died or why she’d come out to California. Or how she’d ended up with Maya. Or why she wore the same old-fashioned dress all the time. He hoped the time would come when she would feel comfortable enough with him to divulge more pieces of her past.
He noticed that Rachel preferred asking him questions, not answering his, but he couldn’t complain, since he was usually the one who avoided revealing pieces of himself. He’d found from the beginning that questioning Maya didn’t get him anything other than a headache. He swore the old woman just plain ignored him or pretended not to understand English.
Each morning Jared woke up and told himself that was the day he would rent a car and drive Rachel and Maya into town to a shelter. And every evening he looked into those luminous purple eyes and told himself he’d do it the next day, or the next. Or maybe he just didn’t want to add any more sorrow to those eyes, which he sensed had seen a lot of grief in their time. It was easy enough for him to put off taking Rachel to the local shelter, since he didn’t see her during the day. But then, for the past couple of weeks, he was always outside, working on the property, and only came in for lunch. He rarely stayed long after his noonday meal, since there was so much to do around the place. He never asked Rachel where she went during the day. He sensed she wouldn’t give him a truthful answer, although he guessed she hadn’t lied to him. Yet. As a man who kept his own secrets close to his heart, he didn’t feel it was right that he ask her to bare hers. And he’d bet everything the lady had a lot.
After the Midnight Hour Page 6
