by Sandra Cox
“I find you fascinating. If someone didn’t take the time to get to know you, they’d fall for that ditzy demeanor you sometimes present, but underneath it is a very intelligent, warm young woman.”
Still balanced on his elbows, he leaned forward and ran his thumb across my bottom lip, the touch as light and delicate as a surgeon’s. My mouth opened, and my breathing became shallow. His lips touched mine.
Thunder exploded in the sky, and a white jagged lightning bolt struck next to the blanket.
We jumped back and stared at each other. Shrieks sounded in the background as a nearby baby cried. My eyes filled. This was so not funny.
“Did the earth move or was it just me?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
Liam stood with his arms crossed, glaring at me.
“What are you staring at?” Patrick waved a hand in front of my face.
“Nothing,” I whispered, my chest tight.
He looked at the sky. “Not to take anything away from our kiss, but I thought the heavens were about to open. But there’s not a cloud or a drop of rain.” He held his hand palm up.
I swallowed past my thickened throat. “Dry storm.”
“Must be.” Something in my voice caught his attention. He leaned forward and caught my chin to study my face. “What’s wrong?”
I jerked my head away, afraid Liam might take exception. But Liam had disappeared. “Don’t you find this”—I flapped my hand around—“a little odd?”
“All the electricity in the air when we touch?” He grinned at me.
“Yes.”
“I find it a romantic coincidence. What else could it be?”
“Yeah, what else could it be?” I bit back hysterical laughter.
He leaned closer. “Shall we try again?”
I jumped back. “What could top thunder and lightning? I think I’ll have another brownie.” I scooted back and reached for a brownie, trying to ignore my tingling skin and racing heart.
“I don’t want any complications right now,” I mumbled indistinctly around a mouthful of decadent dessert.
“It was only a kiss, and a brief one at that.”
With difficulty, I swallowed the large bite of gooey chocolate. “Kisses lead to complications.”
“Is that the voice of experience talking?”
“Yeah.” As of five seconds ago.
“No pressure then. When you decide you’re ready for the complications, plant one on me. I’ll cooperate fully.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“You’re very special, Patrick.” I started to cover his hand with mine, then thought better of it.
“Glad you noticed. And speaking of noticing, they’ve changed bands again.”
We turned our attention to the stage. Gradually, I relaxed, but the shine had gone out of the evening. My preoccupation was such it took me a while to notice the growing buzz of the crowd. “There.” “Look there.” “How’s that possible?”
I stood up and looked around. Liam carried a bunch of balloons. A balloon vendor ran behind him flapping his arms. At each child he came to, Liam handed out a balloon. It looked as though the balloons floated through the air to the children. A few parents thrust bills into the vendor’s hands, thinking it was a magic act.
Laughing children followed the trail of balloons, squealing, “Me, me.”
Liam continued to pass out the brightly colored, helium-filled rubber until only one remained. With children still trailing behind him, he walked to me. Children jumped in the air for the one remaining balloon that floated in the air. Solemnly, he handed it to me.
My hand reached out of its own accord, and our gazes locked for a long moment. Light shimmered up and down the string from his hand. The balloon glowed and expanded, while the crowd ooh’d and ah’d. With a loud pop, it burst, the pressure too great for the thin rubber casing. Liam disappeared as well.
The crowd that had followed the balloons slowly dispersed, chatting excitedly.
My limp legs gave. I dropped to the blanket, clutching the string and broken casing.
“Wow.” Patrick plopped beside me. “I’ve got to tell you, I’ve never been on a date quite like this before. We touch hands and sparks fly, we kiss and thunder booms, and then a helium balloon floats right into your hand.”
“Helium?” I still felt numb. It wasn’t helium responsible for the balloon ending up in my hand. A certain ghost had placed it there, but I was perfectly happy for him to think it had floated there of its own accord.
“What else could it be? And those balloons going to the children…awesome. I’d love to know how the vendor did it.”
I could tell him, but I wasn’t about to. I put a shaky hand to my forehead. Liam hadn’t hurt anyone. He was capable of it, but he hadn’t hurt anyone. I repeated it to myself like a mantra.
I sat through the rest of the concert like a zombie, nodding occasionally at the—I hoped—appropriate moments when Patrick spoke.
When the last band began tuning up, we scooted out. Liam, who’d been conspicuously absent, met us at the car. The ghost slid into the back seat, his arms crossed, his head turned toward the side window.
As we drove home, Patrick critiqued the bands and marveled on the unusual events of the evening, still carrying the conversational ball. I added an occasional ‘uh-huh.’ When he pulled in the drive, I leaped out. “You don’t have to see me in. Thanks, I had fun.” Until a certain ghost stuck his nose in.
“I did too. I’ll call you or you can call, especially if you want to put the moves on me.”
Liam rumbled beside me. Then he disappeared…again.
Uneasy, I stepped away from the car. It began to roll backward out of the drive.
“Whoa.” Patrick grabbed the wheel.
Even though I knew it was useless, I yelled, “Hit the brake!”
“I am!”
The car continued out into the street where it rolled to a stop. Thank God, there weren’t any other cars around.
Patrick tried to turn it back into the driveway but it wouldn’t turn. Instead, the car started moving down the street away from me and the house.
My heart pounding, I raced to the end of the drive, but the car was out of sight. “This is so not funny.” I bit my lips, my hands clenched at my side. I paced back and forth on the sidewalk, lightheaded and overheated.
Finally, Liam appeared.
I shifted toward him and made an abrupt gesture with my finger. “You, to the back.” I strode to the pool area, which I was starting to think of as our place.
Liam glided beside me, his arms across his chest, his look less than cordial. “He’s fine. Just trying to figure out how his car turned into Herbie the Love Bug.”
“Saw that on television, huh?”
Liam shrugged.
“You’ve got to stop this. You’re ruining my life.” I pressed my knotted stomach, hoping acid would quit spurting out of it.
The pool lights shone on his face. His features sharpened and became clearer. For a moment, he looked stricken. Then he went on the defensive. “Ye’ve no business kissing someone ye aren’t betrothed to.” He floated a foot above the ground, his expression self-righteous.
“We’ve had this discussion before; times are different now.” I clutched my head and nearly howled.
“You’re right, of course. I apologize.” His voice sounded stiff and formal, his chin set at a pugnacious angle.
“Liam, I know this isn’t a walk in the park for you, but our joined-at-the-hips routine is playing havoc with my social life.”
He turned away from me and looked at the pool, his hands folded behind his back. I admired the long clean lines of him and, for a moment, wished… What was the use?
“Do you like him then?”
“Hm?” I was still caught up in the unearthly beauty of him.
He turned around but didn’t look at me, his voice low. “Do you like him?”
“Do y
ou mean like him, or like-like him?”
“Either. Both.” He shrugged in an offhand manner, but hunched his shoulders as if against a blow.
“I like him. Do I like-like him? The potential is there.”
Pain flitted across his face but was quickly masked.
My heart tightened.
“Then, I’ll try to be more tolerant, but leave the sparking till after I’ve moved on to the next plane. Would you?”
“Deal.”
He nodded and floated to the center of the pool.
“Liam.”
“Yes?” He floated back toward me, the pool light haloing him.
“If you were human, I’d be way past the like-like stage with you.”
He gave me a blinding smile. Oh my. My pulse jackhammered and my knees went weak. I bumped back against the chaise lounge and sat down.
“Lass, you’re human and I’m a ghost, and I’m already way past the like-like stage. If I were human, I’d ask you to marry me.”
My eyes filled, then ran over. Hot tears coursed down my cheeks and plopped on the chaise.
“Here now,” he said alarmed. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I swiped at my eyes, then whispered, “If you were human and asked, I’d say yes,” and knew it to be true. I’d always laughed at stories about star-crossed lovers. I never would again.
He looked at me with profound sadness.
What were we going to do? My heart constricted, painfully. Finally, I managed to shake off my despondency and ask, “Do you think that’s where you’re headed?” I pointed upward where a fat moon floated across the heavens.
He eased down on the chaise lounge next to mine and studied the moon. “I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s a heaven or if we keep coming back to Earth till we get it right. I just don’t know.”
“If you came back, would you find me?” I continued to study the stars, unable to look at him for fear he’d read the longing in my eyes.
“If I came back, nothing would keep us apart.”
His words warmed me, like a warm fire on a cold night. My ghost.
“But whether I move forward or come again, we need to find a way for Anna, William, and me to take the next step. I won’t be the cause of your unhappiness.”
“Your leaving won’t make me happy.”
“Nor me, but at least it won’t draw out the pain.”
My cracked heart cracked a little further. I rubbed at the ache.
Chapter 10
We were still sitting by the pool, both quietly absorbed in our confessions, when Liam announced, “I put together that list of boys interested in Anna.” He drifted up and away from me.
“Oh good.” My voice lacked enthusiasm. “What do you have?”
“Well, there’s Jimmy Joe Davis, Johnny William Smith, Billy Bob Cook, Harley Snow….” He continued the list till I threw up my hands in surrender somewhere between Jackson Fansler and Homer Newton.
“How many?”
“Twenty-five, well twenty-six if you count Jacob, but he was only thirteen.”
“Twenty-six?” Hammer-like blows throbbed at the base of my skull. “Can we eliminate any of them?” I stood. Caffeine would help my headache.
“How?” He trailed beside me as I headed for the house. The lights were out so I doubted if Marcy was home yet. From the movies, she’d probably gone to a party or spent the night with a friend.
“Did any of them marry while you were still alive, have children?”
“Good point.” He gave me an admiring look. “Homer, Jacob—”
“Just give me a total,” I interrupted ruthlessly.
He counted on his fingers. “That narrows it down to about twelve.”
“Your sister was very popular.” I flicked at a crumb on my shirt as I walked in.
“Everyone loved Anna,” he said simply. “What do we do with the remaining twelve?”
“Online research. I may have to purchase some genealogy software.” I headed for the kitchen, grabbed a soda, and guzzled. As the icy caffeine slid down my throat I could feel the tight band around my head loosen.
“What will that do?”
“It’s just a way to narrow things down. Help us trace the ancestry of the twelve men interested in Anna. See if they married, had families. You know, there’s nothing saying our specter couldn’t be someone from her past with a dozen children, but I believe it’s more likely to be someone that stayed single and pined.”
“It’s a wonderful idea, lass.” His voice filled with enthusiasm and his dark eyes sparkled. His appearance grew brighter, more defined. I itched to touch his sharp cheekbones, push back the tumbled lock of hair on his forehead, run my finger over his appealing lips. Instead, I gave myself a brisk mental shake. “Good. Let’s get started.” I picked up my soda and headed for the bedroom and my little office.
“Now?” Liam looked surprised.
“Sure, why not?”
“No reason I can think of. What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to make a list of those twelve or so people, put them in the computer, and see what we come up with.”
I opened the door to my little office alongside my bedroom. Liam glided through the wall. I turned to the left, he to his right, and we collided. An electric shock picked me off the floor and arced me through the air. I landed on my butt. “Oof.” Thank goodness for carpeting.
“Caitlin! Are you all right?” He was beside me before I hit the floor. He hovered nearby, wringing his hands, but not touching me. Dazed, I looked around and nodded. The hair on my arms stood straight up. I didn’t want to even think about the hair on my head. A tingle still sizzled through me, along with a buzzing in my ears.
“Lass, are you hurt?” He squatted beside me, his beautiful eyes anxious.
I shook my head. My hair didn’t move. It still crackled with electricity. I touched my arms. They were beginning to cool. Hopefully, my hair soon would too.
“Caitlin?” He leaned in.
“I’m okay.” I pushed cautiously to my feet, thankful I wasn’t a toasted marshmallow.
The ghost heaved a sigh of relief. His chest rose and fell through his old-fashioned clothes. He began to pace the room. “This is intolerable,” he burst out.
“It was an accident.” I reached out my hand before dropping it hastily as I realized what I’d started to do.
Liam’s jaw set. “I have got to get to the other side. I will not hurt you. Help me. Promise me, you’ll help me.” He leaned toward me, eyes glowing feverishly.
“Promise,” he repeated.
Even though it would break my heart to lose my ghost, I knew it had to be done. “I promise. Together, you and I will find a way to vanquish the evil spirit that is standing between Anna and your best friend and get all three of you to the other side.” I spoke quietly, putting as much conviction as I possibly could into the words.
He studied my face for several seconds. Whatever he saw must have reassured him. “Together then, we’ll follow our quest.” Sadness lurked behind his smile.
“Let’s do this thing.” I took a deep breath and straightened my shoulders. “We’ll start on the search.”
“No, not tonight. You need to rest. I nearly fricasseed you.” He grimaced.
“Actually, I feel just fine.” It was true. “Maybe a good jolt occasionally clears the brain and gets the body going,” I joked.
“It could have stopped your heart.” He looked both fierce and stricken.
“But it didn’t.” I didn’t bother to tell him my heart had stopped the first moment he appeared, and would never be the same again. “Now let’s see what we can find out, shall we?” I settled at the computer and pulled up the Internet.
“What are you doing?” Liam approached and looked over my shoulder, staying well back.
I twitched my nose like a cat and breathed in cinnamon and limes. “You smell so good.” I hadn’t realized I’d spo
ken out loud until he responded.
“You smell lovely yourself, lass.”
“Did everyone in your era say lass?” My nails clicked against the keyboard as I tried different names.
“Not everyone. My da used it quite a bit. Does it bother you?”
“No, I like it. Let’s try this site.” The directions were in small print at the bottom of the screen. It wasn’t free, but I could navigate in it. “I think this one is going to work.”
“Will this site show you what you’re looking for?” He shifted on his feet and hunched his shoulders, leaning a bit closer to get a better look.
“Hopefully.” I shifted to the side. My hair, which was still on end, touched Liam’s shoulder. For a moment, the long strands glowed. “Wow. Guess there’s some residual electricity left in my body.”
Liam blinked, shook his head, and stepped back. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“I’m fine, really. Got to get my credit card.” I pushed up from my chair, tentatively touching my glinting strands. They crackled with electricity.
“What for?”
“To pay for the software.” I trotted to the bedroom to get my plastic out of my purse, then entered the information and downloaded the software.
“It’s not right.” Liam rumbled over my shoulder.
“What’s not right?” My attention fixed on the screen.
“You shouldn’t have to pay to help me.”
“Don’t worry. It was a deal at thirty-nine ninety-five.” I made a dismissive gesture with my hand. “Now give me the first name on your list.”
“Jimmy Joe Davis.” Liam floated to the front of the computer. He put his hands on his hips and rocked back on his heels.
“Jimmy Joe Davis.” I typed it in.
Information scrolled across the screen.
“Great, there’s twelve Jimmy Joe Davises.” I groaned.
Liam moved behind me where he could read the screen. “But only two in Virginia and only one from Ruby Falls.”
“Right.” I tapped on the Jimmy Joe from Ruby Falls. We read the information together. “Looks like Jimmy Joe lived to the ripe ole age of eighty.”
