by Sandra Cox
“When Anna’s cracked, she slipped out, looked straight at me, and said ‘I have to find William’ and was gone. Once again, I saw a bright light and angels and once again, I had to stay put. I can’t very well move on without Anna. It just wouldn’t be right.”
“That has to be one of the most selfless things I’ve ever heard.” My chest constricted and my eyes stung. “So if you weren’t determined to find Anna and put her soul to rest, you’d be an angel now?”
“Well, now, I don’t quite see myself as an angel, but I believe I’d be in the light.”
“So instead of heaven you landed in what you thought was a bordello.” For some reason this struck me as funny. Laughter bubbled in my throat and spewed out. It had a tinge of hysteria to it. I couldn’t seem to stop.
“Are you all right?” Energy cracked. The sharp scent of limes and cinnamon intensified as he leaned toward me. I breathed him in. His presence steadied me.
I took another deep breath that mingled his scent with tangy damp ocean air and had an epiphany. “I know what we have to do.”
“And what might that be?” He gave a puzzled laugh.
I leaned toward him. Excitement buzzed along my nerves just under the skin.
“We have to find Anna and William and reunite them.”
“Well…” Before Liam could finish, thunder boomed, the earth shook, and a bolt of streaky white lightning hit the ground so close the air sizzled.
Chapter 6
Oppressive heat thick as molasses engulfed me. Hot air burned my lungs.
“Jeeze-us.” The whites of Liam’s eyes shone bright against the dark.
“Holy crap.” I hit the button and the top rolled up. Sand spurted from the tires as I jammed down on the pedal and fishtailed out of the lane.
Back on the road, I realized not a single drop of rain had fallen. The pressure inside the car eased. “Well, what the heck do you think that was?” When Liam didn’t respond, I glanced over.
He wasn’t there! I checked the rearview mirror. If he was in the backseat, he wasn’t in my line of vision. “Liam?”
The silence lengthened. My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I slowed my speed. “Liam, where are you? I thought we were linked, that we couldn’t be separated.” Hysteria rose in my voice.
“We can’t.”
Taken by surprise, my foot hit the gas. The lights illumed the car in front of me. I had to pull around it or smash into it. Luckily, there wasn’t a car in the oncoming lane or I’d be between the proverbial rock and hard spot. “Geez, Liam, you’ve got to stop doing that. You’re going to give me a heart attack. Where were you, anyway?” I managed to ask after I’d caught my breath. I let off the gas and dropped my speed down.
“I went back to see what caused the disturbance on the beach.”
“I thought we couldn’t be separated,” I repeated.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” His voice held an edge to it I hadn’t heard before.
“Yeah, but I didn’t think we could be separated even that much. You must have been five miles back.”
“I pushed against the link as hard and as long as I could till I was snapped back like a…”
“Rubber band?” I added helpfully, “Which is a circular, stretchy piece of rubber that holds things together.”
“I know what a rubber band is.” His voice had lost its sharp edge and now sounded dry. A smile slid into it, like the rustle of velvet. “It holds things together…like us.”
“Yeah, like us.” My insides went warm and fuzzy.
Up ahead, the lights of Faire twinkled in the dark.
“So did you find anything at the beach?” Tap. Tap. Tap. My fingernails clicked against the steering wheel, and I kept checking the rearview mirror. I let up on the gas as I hit the city limits.
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Excuse me?” The hair on the back of my neck rose. A chill crawled up my spine. For a few blissful seconds, I’d managed to convince myself it was a dry storm.
“Something was back there. I could feel it. Couldn’t you?” Liam asked. He straightened the cuffs of his shirt.
“I felt the air turn thick and clammy like a storm was coming. And then lightning and thunder. It had to be weather related.” I held on to that thought like a lifeline.
“It wasn’t the weather.”
“What do you mean, it wasn’t the weather?” Cold from the steering wheel seeped into my palms as I nosed the Vette into the driveway.
He didn’t respond. I pulled the car into the garage and waited for him to continue. He rubbed a thumb against his lean jaw. A ghostly rasp from the five-o’clock shadow on his cheeks echoed through the car. His outline grew sharper, more defined, and his lips drew together in a straight line. “Something or someone took exception to what you said.”
“What did I say?”
“I believe the gist of it was you were going to help Anna and William get back together.”
Thunder rumbled inside the garage. Luckily, the bolt of lightning hit outside but near enough to shake the sides of the building.
“Okay, you don’t need to tell me again.” I threw up my hands in surrender from where I huddled crunched down in the seat. I whispered in the vicinity of Liam’s ear. “What is it?”
He’d taken off his jacket. His heart glowed red and pounded a wild rhythm against the fabric of his shirt. A rapid pulse beat in his throat. He turned his head. His insubstantial lips were inches from my own. Pops of electricity snaked between us. I moved forward, all thoughts of the strange atmospheric conditions gone, my only reality Liam. Fire and ice shot through me, weakening my bones and softening my muscles. For the first time in my life, I wanted a man, or to be precise, a ghost.
The next thing I knew he stood beside the garage door that led to the kitchen, his breath coming in short sharp pants. He collected himself and moved back to the car. “Don’t ever try to touch me.”
“Don’t you want to touch me?” I asked, hesitant. I’d never been brushed off before.
He leaned his elbows on the car and clasped his head. “Lass, if you only knew.”
“Long dry spell, huh?” I surprised a laugh out of him.
“You’ve no idea. But even if not, I’m afraid your effect on me would be the same.”
“Afraid?” I tried not to feel rejected.
“I’m very much afraid that no matter if I’m ectoplasm, as you quaintly put it, or if I was in human form, you would still devastate my senses. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You’re so vital and beautiful.” His voice had dropped to a whisper.
My stomach fluttered. My lips parted. “This is insane. How can you exist and why am I aware you do? It’s like we’ve crossed some cosmic barrier.” I laid my head against the steering wheel, this time appreciating the cold smoothness against my hot forehead.
My scalp tingled as if he’d reached out to touch me, but the sensation was so short-lived I wasn’t sure I hadn’t imagined it.
“I know,” he said in a low voice. “I knew you sensed me the moment I popped out of the tube. I saw it on your face. Why, I don’t know, when no one else has. But I must say I’m very glad.”
I raised my head and stared into intense, stormy eyes. His scent enveloped me. His nearness cooled my skin and scorched my heart.
“Maybe we should forget about finding Anna and William. I’m not sure I want you to leave.” My eyes widened and I tensed. The last couple of times I’d linked those names together someone or something hadn’t appreciated it. I looked wildly around. Nothing happened. Maybe whatever was out there thought I was backing off.
Nothing moved in the garage, the silence absolute. “Do you think it’s gone?” A shiver rolled down my spine. I couldn’t believe Liam’s mere presence had made me forget there might be another entity with us. I cringed at the thought. What was I, a ghost magnet?
He closed his eyes and lifted his head. He stayed that way for sever
al moments, then opened them. “The atmosphere doesn’t feel as heavy.”
“You’re right.” The knowledge surprised me.
“You said you didn’t want me to leave.” He stared at me. Those full firm lips parted. For one brief moment, it looked like he would forget his own advice about not touching me. Then my cell phone blasted, and in a blink of an eye, he’d returned to the door between the kitchen and garage…after opening the car door for me, of course.
I dug into my purse, held up my phone, and checked caller ID. I groaned. Clayton. “It’s after midnight. What do you want?” I said by way of greeting.
“I’m sorry, darling, did I wake you?” He sounded solicitous and slightly drunk. The noise in the background and the slur of his words clued me to the latter.
“I’m still waiting for an answer. What do you want?”
“We really haven’t had an opportunity to talk since I came back from Europe. I thought maybe I’d come over.”
“You’re wasted. Go home and sleep it off.” I punched the phone off and shut it down for good measure.
“You shouldn’t be wasting your time on that one. He’s slick on the outside but shallow.”
“You’ve barely seen him.” I stuck the phone back in my purse. My ghost hovered a few inches off the floor, his arms crossed, a frown marring his perfect features. I slid out of the car, and we walked into the kitchen.
He leaned against the wall and watched me grab a soda. “I know the type. You deserve better.”
“I appreciate your concern, but there’s no need for it. I’m not interested in Clayton.”
“Are you interested in me?” A second ago, he’d stood across the room. Now he stood beside me, passionate inquiry on his face.
“And if I were?” I fought back the heat that tried to flood my face. I normally didn’t put myself out there when it came to dealing with the opposite sex, but everything about this relationship was different, surreal.
The silence stretched, broken only by the hum of the refrigerator. “Caitlin. Nothing can come of this. You’re alive and I’m…” He looked down at himself and shook his head. “Let’s just say we don’t dwell on the same plane. You need a man, not a ghost.”
My throat clogged. I swallowed down the lump in it. “But what if I want a ghost?” I whispered.
The hum of the refrigerator stopped. The atmosphere grew strained. “Then look me up when you die. But for now you need to find someone to grow old with.”
My head jerked back as if I’d been slapped. I guess that’s what I got for coming on to a ghost. What was I thinking? Well that answer was pretty simple. I wasn’t. My hormones were. They’d been seriously hopping ever since Mr. Liam O’Reilly’s appearance.
Up until the moment Liam had entered my life, I’d had no interest in having a sexual relationship. Now, I knew the old cliché about never having met the right man—or ghost in this instance—had the ring of truth to it. My longing for Liam was intense and painful.
I took a slug of soda and made a serious effort to compose myself. Pride came to my rescue. The ghost didn’t need to know I had a bad case of lust for him and that his response of finding someone to grow old with had hurt.
He obviously didn’t feel the same about me. Well so be it. I pulled myself together. “I’ll do that. Though by that time, I can’t guarantee I won’t have changed my mind.” I kept my voice light. “Want to go sit by the pool?”
A look of profound sadness crossed his handsome features. A moment later, the look of unhappiness disappeared as if it’d never been. “Sure. I like your pool. Do you want to put on one of the tiny outfits you swim in?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Uh, no.” I bit my lips and swallowed the laugh bubbling in my throat. Human or ghost, boys will be boys. He might not want to linger as a ghost while I grew old and gray, but he certainly didn’t mind looking at me now.
“Well that’s too bad.”
I ignored that and headed to the pool. I lay back on the lounge, kicked off my shoes, and wiggled my toes. A wispy gray cloud drifted across the sky and for a moment hid the moon. My silent companion had his hands behind his head and appeared lost in thought.
“A penny for them.”
“My thoughts?” He turned his head and looked at me.
I couldn’t decide which view was better: his profile that showed the high cheekbones, hawk-like nose, and the outline of bone and sinew, or the front with those stormy eyes and tantalizing lips. Oh yeah, had to be the front. I wet my suddenly dry throat.
“I’m thinking we need to move forward with our plan.”
“Our plan?” Absently, I outlined one of the magnolia imprints on the puffy cushions with my finger, the material coarse against my digit. The silence stretched. The intensity of his gaze drew mine. Realization dawned. “Oh, to find—”
My soda left my fingers, arced into the air, and tipped into my lap. The next moment the can sat on the table. The cold wet liquid had me sitting straight up. “Urg.” I jumped up and wiped at my slacks.
Liam raised a finger to his lips.
“Did you do that?”
He continued to watch me.
It took me a moment. “Oh.” I sat back down. I had been about to say William and Anna. “For a gentleman ghost, that was most unmannerly.” I thrust out my lip. “Being drenched in soda from the waist down is extremely uncomfortable.” I grabbed a towel draped across the glass table and dabbed at my slacks, then threw it down and plucked the sticky material away from my legs.
“I’m truly sorry.” He looked contrite. “But I’m afraid the alternative might have been worse.”
My nerves, already raw, quivered and jumped. “Do you think it’s dangerous?”
“It certainly has the potential.” Features grim, he wrinkled his brow in a worried frown.
“Great.” I flopped back in my seat, picked up my empty can, and set it back down. “Oh, right. Empty.”
“Do you want me to get you another?” His shoulders hunched, he stared at the dark liquid puddled beneath the chair.
I brightened and almost said yes before sanity returned. Just the thought of Marcy seeing a can float out of the refrigerator to the pool turned me cold. “Uh no, but thanks anyway. So, do you have any ideas for proceeding with our quest?” Since he wasn’t going to stick around to watch me grow old, we might as well try to reunite the lovers.
“As a matter of fact, I do. How would you like to take a trip to Ruby Falls?”
Chapter 7
My mouth dropped. “What? Why?” The light came on. My discomfort forgotten, I snapped my fingers. “You think we’ll find…” It seemed to be okay to mention Anna’s name as long as it wasn’t in conjunction with William, but why take a chance?
“I’m guessing that’s where she’s headed.” Apparently, Liam was being careful as well. “Never mind. It was just a thought.”
My mind hopped like a frog. “No. No. It’s a good one. But Marcy’s going to Virginia Beach tomorrow, so the Vette won’t be available.” I jabbed at the air with my index finger as inspiration hit. “I’ll call Dad—no, better make that Mom—tomorrow morning to see if I can borrow their car.”
“You don’t have one?” He stretched out his long legs on the lounge chair and crossed them.
“It’s in the shop.”
“It’s broken?”
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
He wasn’t going to let this go. I cleared my throat and swallowed my embarrassment. “I had a little accident.”
“Were you hurt?” He swung his legs over the chair and leaned toward me, concerned.
“No, just the car, and since it’s a foreign make, I’m waiting on a part.” I made a dismissive gesture with my hand. “Never mind my car. Like I said, I’ll call Mom tomorrow morning and see if I can borrow hers.”
“You don’t want to ask your father,” my ghost said shrewdly.
“Nothing gets b
y you, does it?” I laughed, then sobered. “You’re right. Dad’s like a hound dog. He can scent when you’re not telling the truth or even stretching it. Let me tell you, growing up wasn’t always a picnic.”
“Your parents seem very nice, Caitlin.” He toed off his boots. For a moment, his socks floated in the air before dissipating. He wiggled his toes.
Fascinating.
The ghost had long, elegant feet. Would I ever get a view of the rest of his anatomy? The clothes of his era kept him pretty well covered.
“Your parents seem very nice,” he repeated.
“They’re wonderful, but I never got away with anything.”
He chuckled. “At our house, it was my mother.”
“Parents,” I commiserated.
He rose in a quick floating gesture and began to pace around the pool. My breath caught square in my throat as he cut straight across the center of it, the water sparkling beneath his feet.
“That’s amazing,” I breathed. “Even better than floating socks.”
“What?” He stopped his pacing and hovered over the water. “Oh.” When he understood, he moved to my side. “Caitlin, I’m in a damnable situation. I want to help my sister find peace, but I don’t want to put you in danger.”
A prickle of fear iced my spine before I tamped it down, impatient with myself. “I want to help her too.”
He squatted down beside me. “Lass, you need to give some thought to this before you just jump head first into what could be a dangerous situation.”
A light breeze lifted his shiny hair. I reached out to touch it before I realized what I’d started to do. My hand flopped back into my lap. “We don’t know that it will be dangerous.”
“No, we don’t,” he admitted. “But I hadn’t expected the reaction we got to your plan tonight, either.”
“That was a bit of a surprise. Who would want to keep them apart? Or have a vendetta against Wi—your friend.”
The lamppost cast a yellow glow over the pool. Moths swarmed around the light in a crazy dance of death. My mind whirled with them, searching for an answer, while my body sank deeper into the cushions. “You talked about both of them, and there wasn’t a problem until I mentioned—”
