Dead People In Love (Haunted Hearts) (7 page)
Read Dead People In Love (Haunted Hearts) Online
Authors: Edie Ramer
She admired that. She did. But once in a while, she wanted his mind, plus a few body parts, to be on her.
And not just when her body temperature was right for conception.
She started toward Jim’s office, and her heels clicked on the linoleum floor. Laughing under her breath, she stopped and took them off. She wanted to surprise Jim with a good surprise. No. A wonderful surprise.
His door was closed. Habit, she supposed, since no one was here except him. She heard him speaking. Couldn’t make out the words. Just his voice. Probably saying lines from the sermon he was preparing. Then his voice stopped, and she imagined him frowning at his computer screen while he wrote the next line.
She started to undo the buttons of her coat, then decided it would be sexier to do it inside with him watching. Kind of like a stripper.
Stifling a giggle, she turned the handle and flung open the door.
“Surprise!”
Cattitude
Edie Ramer
It’s all in the Cattitude...
After Belle the cat switches bodies with a psychic on the run from a murderer, she wants her perfect cat body back instead of this furless human one. But she doesn’t count on falling in love with her former owner. Or that a CEO and a beauty queen want to use up her nine lives. Now is her chance to prove anything a human can do, a cat can do better.
“Cattitude is a magical tale that you won’t soon forget. Edie Ramer has a writing voice that charms, and she pulls the reader right into Belle’s amazing world.” –Cynthia Eden, New York times best-selling author.
Excerpt:
Belle’s brain ached from talking. Meowing was so much easier. Humans made everything difficult, even communication. So few words, so many meanings.
“You want to tell me about yourself?” Max asked.
She put a hand on the bruise on her forehead, just like Annette in today’s TV show. “Amnesia.” She’d practiced saying it while watching the show, the
mmm
sound easier than the
nnn
. “I have amnesia.”
“Amnesia?” He looked at her with disbelief. “The only people I’ve heard of with amnesia are actors in bad TV shows. If you’re afraid of someone, tell me. I’ll protect you.” His gaze shifted to her ring. “No matter what. You have my promise.”
She nodded. Of course he’d protect her. She’d never thought anything different.
“Do you want to tell me?” He moved closer, bending, the same concentration in his blue eyes as when he was reading one of his travel books.
“Pretty eyes,” she said.
He snapped back. “You don’t need to flirt with me. I already told you I’ll protect you.”
“You have pretty eyes,” she repeated. He also had a pretty face and body, but she decided not to say that.
What had she done wrong? Max told her all the time how pretty she was.
“Pretty Belle.” “Beautiful Belle.” “Pretty kitty.”
She always liked it. Didn’t humans like to be called nice things?
“Well, thanks.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and backed up. “I’ll order the pizza. You like garlic bread?”
She shook her head. She liked meat. Lots of meat.
“We’ll probably eat in about a half hour.” One corner of his mouth flicked up. “Don’t go anywhere.”
She shook her head. Where would she go? This was her home.
As soon as he left, she stretched, holding the position for a long moment. Then she rubbed her cheek against the pillow. It was soft and smelled of Max. Now her smells mingled with his, her cat body and her human body.
A knock rattled the door. A mewl came out of her mouth, the unfamiliar words forgotten for a second. The door opened before she remembered how to purse her lips and where to stick her tongue to tell whoever it was to come in. Unless it was Caroline. Her she would tell not to come in.
“You’re decent? Too bad.” Ted strolled inside, clothes draped over his arm. “Max said you’re eating with us tonight. I thought you’d like a change of clothes.” He tossed his armload of garments on the foot of the bed. “They’re my sister’s exercise clothes. They should stretch or shrink to fit you. Tory won’t mind if you wear them.”
Belle nodded. Tory liked her. Tory had wanted to take her to New York, but of course Belle couldn’t go. This was her home. Why would she want to live anywhere else?
“I’ll leave now.” Ted glanced at his watch. “You have enough time to take a quick bath or a shower and change.”
Watching him leave, Belle felt sick inside her stomach.
Bath? Shower?
No, no and no!
She wasn’t going to do it. She refused to do it.
But if she didn’t, they’d smell her. Cats groomed themselves all the time, but they didn’t wash away their scents. Any animal knew scents were good. Water was for drinking. Inside the body, not outside.
Her mouth set. She threw back the covers, rolled out of bed, marched into the bathroom, knelt by the bathtub and turned on the faucets the way she’d seen Max do so often. Anything a human could do, a cat could do—no matter how disgusting and unnatural.
But she’d better find Sorcha and get her body back. Fast.
How many more indignities could she stand?
OTHER BOOKS BY EDIE RAMER
Contemporary
MUST WORSHIP CATS (a Miracle Interrupted novella)
STARDUST MIRACLE (a Miracle Interrupted novel)
MIRACLE LANE (a Miracle Interrupted novel)
YOU’VE GOT MURDER co-written with Karin Tabke
Paranormal
CATTITUDE
DEAD PEOPLE
DEAD PEOPLE IN LOVE (short story)
DRAGON BLUES
THE SEVENTH DIMENSION (short story)
Science Fiction Romance
GALAXY GIRLS
MIXING IT UP (a Galaxy Girls novella)
Short Stories and Essays
The Fat Cat
in ENTANGLED, A PARANORMAL ANTHOLOGY
(all proceeds go to Breast Cancer Research Foundation)
The Kiss
in EVERY WITCH WAY BUT WICKED
(all proceeds go to Kids Need to Read)
Killing the Rat Bastard Disease
in AUTHOR MOMENTS
Fighting Back
in AUTHOR MOMENTS II
(all proceeds from both Author Moments books go to Cancer Research UK)
About the Author
Edie Ramer is funnier on the page than in real life. A multiple award-winning writer, she writes stories with heart, attitude and magic. She lives in southeastern Wisconsin with her husband, two dogs, and one important cat. She loves hearing from readers at [email protected].
Acknowledgments
It’s true that the busiest people are the ones who will stop and make time to help you. Dale Mayer is an amazing writer as well as a friend. Huge thanks to her for stopping her own work to design this great cover – and for being there for me when I needed her.
Connect with Edie Online
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