A Haunted Twist of Fate (6 page)

“Thank you, Mrs. Morgan. Mr. Morgan, Brady. I’ve
enjoyed meeting all of you, and I had so much fun tonight. You have a great
setup here.”

She and Colt said their goodbyes and stepped
outside. The temperature had dropped. “It’s cool,” she said, shivering.

“Will this help?” He wrapped an arm around her
shoulders and they walked to his pickup that way.

It had been a long time since she’d been touched by
a man, or felt a strong arm around her. It felt good.  She glanced at his
profile. She’d have to stay firm in her convictions if she was to escape Colt’s
charismatic ways.

Once she was in the truck and he’d shut the door
behind her, he slid onto the driver’s seat and stuck the key in the ignition. “Let
me get this thing started up, and I’ll turn on the heat.”

Shay smiled, despite herself.
  You already have
.

Nine

The moon floated high in the sky when they returned
to the Buckhorn. Colt held the passenger door open and offered Shay a hand. He
couldn’t help but admire her shapely legs once more as she swung them out of
the truck.

It was hard to comprehend, and completely
unexpected, but the woman had done something to him. There hadn’t been this
spark with anyone, this tug on his heart—not since Denise. What was even
funnier than feeling this way so fast was that he believed Denise would have
liked Shay.

In fact, he believed Denise had been telepathically
communicating with him all day. He never would have admitted such a ridiculous
thing to anyone, but he swore he’d heard her voice speaking to him clearly in
his head. It had been as if she’d been sitting next to him, urging him to go
for it, to pursue Shay. That kind of thing had never happened to him before. He’d
tried to tell himself he was imagining it, but her words had echoed in his mind
all day that she didn’t want him to grow old alone.

If anyone had asked him, Colt would have said love
didn’t happen so fast. Even with Denise, it had taken over a year for him to
tell her he loved her. But from the first moment he touched Shay, he physically
desired her. Did that make it love? More likely the churning he felt in his gut
and the fire that burned in his loins was lust, or infatuation. When he touched
her, electricity raced through his body, lighting up his insides like a
Christmas tree. He wanted to kiss her and hold her, but that didn’t mean he was
falling in love. Love was a tricky business. Business he didn’t need to get
mixed up in. That fact aside, he was a man, with a man’s needs. Sex was a
different animal from love.

The two of them stood next to the truck with her
back pressed against the passenger door. She fumbled with the latch on her
purse and fished out her keys. “Found them,” she said, jingling them in the air.

When her chin lifted and she peered up at him, the
moonlight danced on her face. Her eyes sparkled and her skin shimmered, like an
angel. He had the strongest yearning to cup her cheek in his palm and slide his
fingers under her hair and over her slender neck. The craving for her was
nearly uncontrollable.

“What would you say to inviting me in for a
nightcap?” he asked quietly.

The question seemed to have taken her off guard. “I
don’t have a living room, or even a comfortable place to sit and talk,” she
apologized, “but I guess you could come inside, if you don’t mind sitting at
the bar or at a game table.”

Not at all ready to say good night yet, he nodded
and slipped his hand into hers, and they stepped onto the sidewalk. His mouth
went dry as sawdust and his groin swelled with anticipation, but another
peculiar sensation suddenly swept over him.

Feeling like eyes were upon him, he looked up and
glimpsed what he thought was someone standing in the second floor window. Was
it a woman? Wearing a slip or a nightgown? Her penetrating gaze slowly shifted
from the street to Colt. But the moment their lines of vision connected, she disappeared
in front of his eyes, and he marveled at whether he’d only imagined her.

“Shay, is that your bedroom window?” he asked,
pointing.

“Yes. Why?”

“I think I just saw…”

“What?” Her gaze flew to the window. “Did you see
the woman I told you about?”

He shook his head, not wanting to admit it. “Maybe. I
don’t know. It was probably the curtain moving in the breeze, and the light
from the street lamp reflecting in the glass.”

Shay squeezed his hand and expelled a long breath. “You
can tell me the truth. If she’d show herself to you, you’d know I’m not crazy.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy.”  Deep down, that
verdict was still out with the jury. He took the keys from her hand and felt
his arousal wither. “Let’s go inside.  We’ll talk about what you think is
happening here.”

After Colt unlocked the front door, Shay flicked the
inside switch and the saloon was bathed in light. “At least it’s bright in
here,” he said, closing the door behind them. “Ghosts do their haunting in the
dark, right?” His attempt at joking fell flat, because Shay acted as if she
hadn’t heard.

“Would you like some coffee?” Suddenly, she seemed distracted.
“I can put a pot on.”

“Don’t make it special for me. I’m strictly a
morning coffee drinker.”

“I don’t need it this time of night either.”  She
slowly glanced around the room. Rooted to her spot, she chewed her lip.  She
was edgy, and understandably so. The hair had stood up on the back of his neck
the moment they’d walked in.

“We’re not alone in here,” he stated.

“So, it’s not just me. You sense them, too?”

Colt angled his head and listened to the murmuring
that sounded like distant thunder. “Yeah. Feels like this room is crowded with
people. I can almost feel them moving around us.” He sniffed the air. “Do you
smell that?”

Shay snuggled against his shoulder.  “It’s cigar
smoke. I smelled it yesterday, too.”

They stood as still as statues. He heard what
sounded like poker chips clinking together on the game tables. When the piano
in the back suddenly plinked out a few notes, his spine grew rigid and sweat trickled
down his back. What was going on here?

Shay wedged herself into his chest. His arm moved around
her shoulders.  As he held her secure, he could feel her heart beating in
rhythm against his. The staccato rasps of their breathing seemed to be the only
living noises in the room.

There was no such thing as ghosts, Colt reminded
himself.
There has to be an explanation for the smells, the sounds, the
feeling…

Shay suddenly grew stiff in his embrace.  She
whispered, “Do you sense him?”

Colt nodded. As much as he didn’t want to believe,
he was sure a powerful presence had entered the room.  Without a doubt, its
intent was to assert itself in a formidable manner. What felt like a dense
blanket of fog surrounded them, bringing with it the stench of something
rotten, like seaweed or spoilt food.

Something that felt like a fist punch to the stomach
made Colt grunt and suck in a sharp intake of air.  When he doubled over, Shay
disentangled herself from his arms. 

“Are you all right?”  Her eyes were wide.

He nodded, while acutely aware that whatever was in
the room with them was of a sinister nature.

Shay’s gaze moved around the room.  “He’s pure
evil.” Her voice was barely audible.

Without warning, Colt grasped at his throat. It began
to close and tighten, as if someone had stuffed a rag into his windpipe.

“Colt! What’s wrong?” Shay hit him on the back a
couple of times and screamed into the air. “Stop it! Leave him alone!”

The weight of the invisible hands immediately lifted,
and his throat opened up again.  He drew fresh air into his lungs. Whatever
Colt thought he’d felt in the room disappeared in an instant, along with the
awful smell.

“Are you okay?” Shay’s eyes bulged with terror, and
her hands clutched at his arms in a death grip.

“Yeah.”   He rubbed his throat gingerly. “Who were
you calling out to just now?”

“The ghost. I wanted him to stop hurting you. I
guess it worked.”

“I guess so.” Colt had no idea what he’d
experienced, but there had to be some logical explanation. There was no such
thing as ghosts. He stared into Shay’s face, trying to figure it out.  Her pretty
hazel eyes reflected back at him.

“That’s one ghost with anger management issues,” she
said, apparently trying to lighten the mood. “He’s definitely upset about
something. Maybe he doesn’t like that I’ve moved in. Tomorrow I’m going to
start researching the history of this saloon. I want to know who the woman
upstairs is, who this demonic spirit is, and whether they have some
connection.”

Colt nodded, still in disbelief about what seemed to
have happened. He’d felt hands on his neck. He’d smelled cigar smoke and heard
poker chips clinking. He’d heard the piano play on its own, and he’d felt
something ominous around them. What it all meant was anyone’s guess.

“I don’t think you should stay here alone tonight. You
were frightened to death a moment ago.  It’s not safe. That goon might hurt
you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he could reel them back
in. What was he saying? That he believed a ghost had throttled him and might do
the same to her? It wasn’t possible. Saying things like that would only serve
to keep Shay’s illusions alive.

“All he did was pull at my hair in the basement
today.”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Colt got the
distinct feeling she was holding something back. “What is it?” he asked.

“The night you had the dream about someone being
strangled in my room…”

“Yes?”

“It really happened to me. Someone choked me,
exactly like you were choked just now. But I’m sure the one who did this to you
is different from the one who choked me. That one was a female. This one’s aura
definitely feels masculine.”

Aura? Colt said nothing. What
could
he say?
He didn’t believe in auras or psychics or a bunch of mumbo jumbo about ghosts.
Still, he’d had that creepy dream and weird things were happening. They were
discussing dead people as if they were talking about Sunday dinner. Were they
both nuts? All he’d wanted to do was come inside and steal a kiss or two. The
evening hadn’t turned out the way he’d hoped.

“Colt?” She searched his face.

“I’m fine.” He noticed her gaze took on a faraway
look. “What about you?”

“This is my home now.  Last year I ran away when Dad
died because the pain was too great. I felt so alone. I’ve had some setbacks in
the last few years, and I’ve let fear rule my life. I have to be in control
here. This is
my
home, not
theirs
.”

Turning in a full circle, she became animated and shouted
into the air.  “Do you hear that, whoever you are? You don’t belong here
anymore. You’re not going to frighten me, and you’re not about to run me out! So
leave or get used to it, because I’m your new roommate!”

Colt spun Shay toward him and grinned. He didn’t
know much about her, but he liked what he saw so far. He liked her spunk, and
she was so very easy on the eyes. When he dipped his fingers under her hair and
let his hand linger on the back of her neck, he felt her quiver beneath his
touch.

“Shay Brennan. Ghost buster,” he drawled.

Her soft chuckle stoked the fire that had already
ignited in his belly. With both hands planted on the sides of her face, he drew
her close and kissed her. A spark kindled the moment their lips pressed
together.  Colt enveloped her into his embrace, wanting to crush her with his
heat. As his mouth eagerly played with hers and their tongues darted and
flicked, his groin hardened again and throbbed inside his jeans. When their lips
finally parted, he rasped, “Maybe you should come home with me tonight.”

Ten

Shay unraveled herself from his arms. “I don’t sleep
with men on the first date.”

“It’s our second, remember?”

Tempted to crack a smile, she refrained.  She found
his wit humorous but was still insulted that he’d imagine her to be that easy. Backing
up, she folded her arms over her chest to send him a message.

With a hangdog expression covering his smooth face,
he moved forward and caressed her hair with the palm of his hand. “I’m coming
on too strong, huh?”

“You think?” Her eyebrow lifted and she backed up
again.

He flashed a toothy grin. “I’m sorry, Shay. What I
meant was maybe you shouldn’t be alone tonight, with what just happened.”

“I think you meant exactly what you said.”

Smiling, he admitted, “I got carried away. It’s been
quite awhile since I—”

“Please. Spare me the details.” She threw her hand
into the air, uninterested in hearing about his love life. “I really enjoyed
our time together tonight, but we barely know each other. I like you, but this
is moving too fast for me. Besides, as you can see, I’m living in a saloon full
of ghosts. That’s taking precedence right now.”