by Kim Hornsby
Eve laughed out loud. “Ask Caspian when he returns what happened. I have a hunch he has secrets he hasn’t told you yet.”
I did too.
Eve’s theory was bizarre, that was clear, but I had another question that had been bugging me. “I’m not sure if I should have let him die or not. Even though I prevented Caspian from dying today, it had to have changed everything in the world after that. Also,” I said sheepishly, “I told him my name was Rachel Primrose. I’m not sure why that popped out of my mouth.” I hadn’t divulged that bit of information to Rachel earlier. “So, when Caspian met my mother twenty years ago, he must’ve thought it was the same person who’d saved his life. He must’ve been shocked.” My eyebrows had been furrowed for so long, they now hurt.
“Go on,” Eve said.
“Then, he realized that Rachel had no freaky-ass hocus-pocus abilities and figured out it was me who was the witch, per se. But I hadn’t grown up yet. So why hasn’t he told me that he remembers me from that night on the ship?”
“Maybe he can’t because he either doesn’t remember the incident, it hadn’t happened yet, or he’s not supposed to tell you.” Eve’s voice went way up at the end in a question.
“He said ‘remember me.’ Then, he disappeared, and I haven’t seen him since, except for a strange dream-like moment in the hotel. And, today, I believe he brought me back to this bed and built the fire.”
I wanted to make a flow chart, a drawing, or a spreadsheet of all this because it was hard to keep track of but then I wouldn’t be able to see it. “I remembered him. I remembered meeting him in 1850. So why isn’t he here?”
“Maybe once you remembered him, he was able to pass on.” Eve had just voiced my biggest fear.
Was Caspian gone? Had I banished him forever by doing what he’d asked me to do? I didn’t need to find his bones. Asking that of me was only to help me remember the ship, that night, the bay. “He’s gone,” I said. “Oh, my God, Eve! I did what he needed and now he’s gone.” Our final moments together and I was unconscious.
My heart broke and spilled all over the bed, in realizing what I’d done by going to the beach and trying to summon Caspian today.
Chapter 12
The next morning, I woke with a skull that felt like my burning brain was bursting to get out. I groaned out loud, then felt a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s just me, Bryndle,” my mother said from the other side of the bed. “I slept in here. You were crying.”
Then I remembered. I’d lost Caspian by remembering him. But that’s what he’d wanted of me.
Hot tears rushed to fill my sore eyes and I covered my mouth to keep a sob from escaping. I’d gone to sleep in a cloud of grief, mourning the loss of my sweet Caspian. The man who’d had such a profound effect on me in such a short time.
Not until last night had I realized how strong my feelings for him were. And now he was gone. I’d helped him cross over, which is what I do for spirits. Had I known it would feel like this with Caspian, I’d never have gone to the beach to try to find him.
I sat up in bed, determined not to cry again. Rachel hugged me from behind, like a real mother.
“Do you still think he’s gone for good?” she whispered against my shoulder.
“Yes. I know it.” Rachel patted my back and just as I expected her to tell me to pull up my big girl panties and move on, she said something quite out of character. “You two had something special.”
I didn’t want to hear that we made a nice-looking couple or that Caspian’s eyes followed me wherever I moved in the room. “Please, Mother.”
“You had an understanding, something implied between you.”
I wanted her to stop talking but I had questions about the first day we met Caspian with Belinda McMahon. “When you first saw Caspian, twenty years ago, did it seem like he recognized you?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Think hard. Did he recognize you or maybe did he recognize your name?”
Rachel took a deep breath and let it out. “I do remember he looked shocked at my name because I asked him why the surprise. Did he know another Primrose? Our ancestors were from around here.”
I sat up and turned, even though I couldn’t see my mother. “You never told me that. Our Primrose ancestors were from Oregon?”
“Yes, more towards Portland, I believe. Grandma would know.” Rachel said this like it might not matter to anyone.
I made a mental note to ask my grandmother next time we talked. “I thought the Primroses were all from Eastern Washington.”
“Some were, but your grandmother’s mother, Sarah Primrose was from Portland.”
I continued. “If he recognized the name Primrose, or Rachel Primrose, what did Caspian say that day?”
“He said yes, he had known someone named Primrose a long time ago. Belinda gave him the strangest look.”
My mind tried to process this new information my mother doled out. Caspian knew it wasn’t my mother who saved him. I wonder if he suspected it was me, but I wasn’t old enough yet to look like the female doctor he’d row back to the beach. Or, if he believed the woman who saved him was a relation to my mother and me.
Nothing changed the fact that Caspian was gone and so was the ring he’d given me. Regardless of what happened when we rowed in and touched down on the 2019 beach, I did not have the ring on my finger and my wrist did not suddenly have a ghost bracelet around it. It was like we’d never exchanged that jewelry months ago to solidify our deal to help each other. Had the ring disappeared when my end of the deal was done? No one but me could even see it.
I was tempted to stay in bed all day and cry, but Hodor needed to go outside and I had to buck up for my dog’s sake. Rachel had flopped back down on the bed and I knew she’d shut her eyes to go back to sleep. She’d done her motherly duty with a hug and information about ancestors and must’ve been exhausted from all the effort.
I slipped into my boots, pulled my big fuzzy bathrobe around my shoulders and left the room with Hodor, who was delighted to not have to wait for me to shower and change.
The kitchen was cold, and I heard the wind tossing the tree branches outside. It would be a stormy day. Going back to bed seemed like a good idea after I fed Hodor. I might have to give in because of the headache. I went directly to the door and unlocked it to let my dog outside. The sound of his nails tapping across the veranda told me he was taking off in a rush after something he’d spied. Probably a bunny or one of the feral cats.
I stood at the doorway letting the cool wind bathe my face and toss my hair, then moved a few steps out onto the covered veranda. It wasn’t raining, not that I could hear, but the waves below the cliff were crashing against the rocks at the bay’s edges. I imagined there were whitecaps out on the vast ocean and rain might even be coming soon. I knew this scene, having seen it many times when Caspian was here. I didn’t want to grieve again so soon but losing Caspian would take its toll.
I would have to grieve for my eyesight later. I couldn’t face that yet. I’d been lucky to have had moments of sight, to have seen this house, Caspian’s face, Eve’s new hairstyles, footage from our show. Thinking that I’d never see again was too much for me to think about today.
I waited for Hodor, staring blindly in front of me, listening to the waves, smelling the salty air until I thought I could see the outline of the cliff in front of me—the scrub grass, the rocks, the fence. Then, the scene lightened, and the ocean came in to view, grey with flecks of white as far as I could see. Hodor sniffed around a clump of bushes to my left. I held my breath. “Hodor?” I called, and he turned towards me.
I spun around to search for Caspian, but no one stood on the veranda with me. He wasn’t in the kitchen. I searched the yard, the cliff wondering if I was hallucinating. And then I saw him. First, there was slight movement at the cliff’s edge, then I saw the top of a dark head of hair gradually coming into view. My heart jumped and I took two steps forward, hoping this wasn’t anothe
r premonition.
Caspian mounted the last of the stairs and continued across the grass towards me. Seeing me at the door, he stopped, tipped his head and smiled. I smiled back. He was here. He’d come back. I ran off the veranda across the grass towards him and as I got closer, he held out his arms.
“Bryndle,” he said pulling me into his damp chest and holding me hard against him.
“Please stay. I have so much to say to you, so many questions, things I want to tell you,” I said into his chest. I looked up and our eyes met in understanding. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
He nodded and smiled sadly. “You saved my life.”
“I saw you go under.”
The thought that I was going crazy and could be seen from the house standing out of the lawn by the cliff by myself posing strangely, passed through my mind, but I didn’t care. Caspian was here again. I wasn’t crazy. He’d come back to me.
“You didn’t leave me here without you,” I said touching his face with my fingertips. “I didn’t make you go forever.”
“No. I will never leave you, Bryndle.” He pulled back and took the lion ring off his pinkie finger. “I must return your ring.” Caspian slipped the gold ring on to my finger, kissed my hand and pierced me with the sexiest look that has ever come my way. It wasn’t lost on me that Caspian had slipped the ring on to my wedding ring finger.
“I’ve fallen in love with you,” I said, new tears coming to my eyes. Happy tears.
“Or have you always loved me?” he whispered.
Our lips joined in a passionate kiss that had my knees weak and made my toes curl.
Caspian had returned.
The End
Thanks for reading Moody & The Ghost – COMING ABOUT
If you enjoyed this story, a review would be greatly appreciated on the site where you bought the book. Reviews help other readers find good books and make the author deliriously happy. I’m no exception. ~ Kim
Be sure to look for the next book in the series, Hoist the Jib, out in May 2019!
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Other Books by Kim Hornsby
Dream Jumper Series
The Dream Jumper’s Promise
The Dream Jumper’s Secret
The Dream Jumper’s Pursuit
Girl of his Dream
Dream Come True
Moody & The Ghost Series
Dead Ahead
Batten Down
Coming About
Necessary Detour
Christmas Romances
Christmas in Love – 4 Book Anthology
Christmas in Crystal Creek
Find these books on Amazon HERE
Acknowledgements
As well as my family and friends, I’m always grateful to my readers. I have the best group of faithful bibliophiles ever. Wonderfully supportive people I’ve never met face to face but share my love of reading and appreciate my stories. I appreciate you. Thank you to Kim’s Krowd and to The Kim Hornsby Beach Club who keep me on my toes to remain accountable and keep me writing for their waiting Kindles.
As always, I’d like to thank my literary manager, JD DeWitt. When starting out as a writer, I dreamed of having an agent champion for me and never expected to have a book to script agent. JD goes above and beyond for her clients and I’m grateful every day she believes in me. Moody was originally written as a TV pilot and is being shopped in Hollywood.
I’m appreciative of 5x5 Production’s Robin McLain, who gave my professional life such a kickstart by optioning my book series for film and loving my storytelling. You continually remind me, Robin, that anything is possible. Women in film and women in a man’s world!
To my hubby, who doesn’t read fiction (so I can say anything I want about him!). Your excitement and support for ten years has kept me pounding the keyboard.
RECIPE ROUNDUP
Jimmy’s Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
1 clove garlic, minced (1 teaspoon)
1 stick butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (can sub regular salt)
A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into 1-inch to 2-inch wide pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Pat chicken pieces dry: Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. Prepare melted butter and breadcrumbs: In a small bowl, stir the minced garlic into the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Piece by piece, dip the chicken pieces into the garlic melted butter, and then dredge into the Parmesan breadcrumb mixture to coat.
Note that if your chicken pieces are cold, they may cause the melted butter to thicken, leaving too much butter sticking the chicken pieces. If you see this happening, just reheat the butter.
Place chicken on roasting dish: Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9x13 (or larger) roasting dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. (You may need to use more than one roasting pan.) Drizzle with remaining garlic butter.
Bake uncovered at 450°F 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.
Bryndle’s Parm Chicken
Preheat oven to 450
Put 1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs in a bowl with ¼ tsp garlic salt, salt and pepper
Melt ½ cup of butter and mix with breadcrumbs
Roll chicken breasts in mix and then cover with that freshly grated parm you buy at the Smuggler’s Cove grocery store
Put chicken a baking pan with melted butter in the bottom
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes uncovered
Eat and then hide leftovers from Carlos in the vegetable drawer in the fridge.
Jimmy’s Garlic Bread Spread
1 stick of butter softened
½ teaspoon oregano
2 cloves of freshly minced garlic
4 tablespoons minced parsley
Spread mixture on French bread, then put on a baking sheet and toast in boiler for 2 minutes.
Bryndle’s Caesar Salad
Buy a bag of chopped romaine lettuce
Buy croutons and creamy Caesar dressing
Toss in a large bowl until someone tells you it looks good
