Page 8

Chapter Seven

Buck

Tingles went up my spine, and I knew Harry must’ve been behind me. Stretching wide, I leaned back in my seat to see him peeking around the corner and watching me, Stevie, and Scotty while we were working on a puzzle. “Hey, love.”

Straightening his spine, he came into the parlor fully, fiddling with his cufflinks like he hadn’t been spying on me. Pride filled me knowing that he’d sought me out. Not even his mumbled, “I’m just checking the house to make sure everything’s closed up for the evening,” phased me. If pretending he wasn’t here for me made him feel better, then so be it.

“I already checked all the doors and windows, Mr. Harry,” Scotty said. “We’re all locked up.”

“Oh. Well, good.” Harry turned, walking slowly to leave like he couldn’t have just popped from here to wherever he hid away.

“Why don’t you come help us with this puzzle?” I asked, stopping him in his tracks.

“You definitely should,” Stevie said, rising up from his chair. “Scotty and I were getting ready to go up to his room and play video games for a while.”

Scotty’s head shot up, staring at his brother in confusion. “We were?” Stevie widened his eyes, and Scotty giggled, hopping up. “You’re right.” He hit his palm against his temple. “Silly me. I must’ve forgotten.”

Harry blinked after them as they quickly left the room with only the sound of Scotty’s footsteps and their laughter following them. He faced me, face flaming red as he flickered. Would I ever get enough of his blushing? Probably not. “Uh, I didn’t mean to disturb you and your friends.”

I pushed Scotty’s chair back with one foot, an unspoken invitation for my skittish butler to sit down. “Come hang out.”

He thumbed back over his shoulder toward the hallway. “I should probably—”

Appearing in front of him, I gripped his shoulders. “What you should do is come hang out with me. If I recall correctly, we had plans for tonight.”

The flickering began again as his eyes roamed the room, looking anywhere but at me. Oh yeah, my Harry was embarrassed. How freakin’ cute was that?

“Well. I mean, yes. We did, but things have obviously changed now.”

Capturing his chin between my thumb and index finger the best I could with his quivering image, I tipped his head back to meet my eyes. He immediately settled, and his form completely solidified like I grounded him. Huh. Good to know. “What’s changed, love?”

“Well, with whatever’s happening with the oak, everything is all…” He fluttered his hands at his sides.

“What’s happening out at the pond is perplexing, but that little mystery hasn’t done anything to dampen how much I want to spend time with you.”

“It hasn’t?” he asked breathlessly.

Bending in, I pecked him on the tip of his cute little nose. “Not even a little bit. If anything, it reminds me that we don’t have this afterlife all figured out. Not even you, which means we should snatch every opportunity we can spend together and cherish it.”

Harry smacked my arm. “When did you get so charming?”

As if…I snickered. “Is it working? I’m kinda faking it till I make it over here. I wasn’t sure where I stood since you didn’t want to see me today.”

“I never said that,” he protested in his most haughty tone.

“You sent me away.”

“I wanted to prepare the snack by myself while I centered and gathered my thoughts. You’re the one who abandoned me for the rest of the day.”

He sounded so affronted that I realized I’d definitely misunderstood what he’d wanted from me. Was it terrible that it warmed my belly knowing that he’d missed me? “And that’s my bad. I was trying to respect your wishes.”

He let out an uncharacteristic snort. “Since when? I told you to go away a million times since you moved in, and yet, you’re always underfoot.” He frowned. “Until today.”

Pulling him into my arms, I said, “That’s because before, I wanted your attention. I kinda thought I have it now after what happened between us earlier.” I waggled my eyebrows.

His gaze dropped to my chest. “You did…until you ditched me.”

He sounded like a petulant child, and it was the most adorable thing I’d ever heard. I liked him this way. Less uptight and more relaxed. More real. “Forgive me. I promise to ignore your request for space and stay up your ass from now on, love.”

His arms finally came up and encircled my waist, putting him closer to my body. “See that you do.”

With a laugh, I focused, attempting to do what he had earlier when he’d zipped my essence with him from one spot to another. Frustrated when it didn’t work, I tried again.

Harry tilted his head back and peered at me. “What are you doing? You look constipated.”

“Shh. I’m trying to transport us to the settee.”

Harry huffed, then, in the blink of an eye, we were standing next to the small couch. How did he do that? “Here?”

I sat down and grabbed his wrist, pulling him down next to me and lining us back together. It wasn’t a perfect fit. In fact, half of my body hung off, but that was okay. I didn’t actually need the support of the furniture to maintain my position.

“What are you doing?” He squeaked.

“Cuddling you.” I pressed my nose into the crook of his neck.

“Why?”

I bit back a chuckle at his horrified tone. “Because this is what couples do.”

He went dead still. Literally. “Oh.”

“It’s okay, love. Wrap your arms around me and relax. You’ll enjoy it.”

Stiff and awkward, he hesitantly moved his arms back around me. I adjusted around to give him space to slip one arm between me and the couch. Once he settled, I slipped one of my legs between his and inhaled deeply at his neck.

Senses had been interesting in death. Back in the hospital where I’d died, I’d initially been confused as to why no one answered me. It was like they couldn’t see me. Which…hello, it soon became apparent they couldn’t.

Then I noticed that the distinctive smells of the hospital no longer polluted my nose. Those odd medicinal and cleansing product scents were just…gone. Next, I realized I wasn’t cold. How was that possible? Hospitals were always freezing, but there I was, gown on and ass out, and I was comfortable. As I had been ever since.

In the time since, a metaphorical chill would run up my spine on a crisp morning or in the rain. Floral scents would permeate the air around me if I strolled through the gardens, and the beloved smell of yeast and sugar engulfed me when I baked in the kitchen. Of course, it was all nothing more than memories overlapping into my new reality.

Until Harry. Everything with Harry defied the normal rules of death. We never met in life. How could we with the century separating us? And yet, his unique aroma filled me as if we were still alive. Real. Tangible.

He smelled of citrus and sandalwood and mine. I’d been so bummed when I realized my life had been cut short, but now I knew Harry was my fate.

“I think I was destined to find you, love. The universe knew I had to make it here—that you were ready for me.”

He gasped, and I smiled against his skin, pressing a small kiss to his neck. I’d really been looking forward to getting my uptight, grumpy butler naked, but maybe this was where he needed to start. Snuggling and acting like any other new couple.

Harry

Never in my very long existence had a man held me so closely and spoke so sweetly. It was extremely disconcerting. And nice. Really, really nice. Rarely had I found myself at a loss for words since I found my calling here at Willowhope Manor, but I had no idea how to respond to him.

Bringing order to chaos, cooking, cleaning, and all the other tasks it took to run the B&B filled me with purpose. I knew how to serve and treat my employers with respect. But this…personal interaction with layers of intimacy deeper than meeting carnal needs…

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted softly.

“You don’t have to say anything. All you have to do is relax and let me hold you.”

Was that really all he wanted? All he needed? I felt myself solidifying more as I leaned into him and attempted to just be and enjoy it. As the silence settled around us, the familiar sounds of the house at night grew louder—the click of the second hand on the grandfather clock as it ticked away the passage of time, the creeks in the floorboards above as Scotty moved around his room, the hum of the refrigerator from the kitchen—and I unwound further at the familiarity.

The rustle of the wind in the trees outside drew my attention, bringing the newest dilemma on the property to the forefront of my mind. Why couldn’t we ever have a moment of peace? The absence of space I felt beside the old oak tree really jarred me. I’d never experienced a sensation like that before—living or dead—and I’d happily forgo ever encountering it again. Unfortunately, I didn’t think that was possible.

“What are you thinking about so hard?”

“Nothing.” It was well known that I was always the party pooper, obsessed with order and timeliness. Always fretting over every little thing. Just once, I wanted to be like Buck and go with the flow. Why couldn’t I ever turn off my mind?

He chuckled. “Hate to call your bluff, but where your hair should be is all wispy.”

“Wispy? What does that mean?” I grabbed the top of my head or tried to anyway. Instead, the whole upper portion of my head was nothing but floating dust—minuscule grains of my essence. “Goodness. What’s happening with me lately?”

He cupped my cheek with one large hand. “You can’t hide anything from me, love. It’s different than for the living, but it seems that even in this form, we have tells. Like when you’re blushing.”

Ugh . I’d hoped he’d never mention that. I scrambled out from beside him and floated up over the settee. How embarrassing. For the first time ever, my spirit form was betraying me, and in front of this man who wanted me. This wouldn’t do.

Buck joined me in the air and sat cross-legged, grinning widely. “This is fun. You should do it, too.”

The big goof. Why did I put up with his childlike behavior? I stared into his happy face and knew. Because he was fun. It was as simple as that, but for me, complicated. When had my life ever been fun?

I’d been content. I’d even enjoyed parts of my existence, especially since Chance had purchased the manor. But fun? No, that had never been me. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to follow Buck’s lead and mimicked his position, hovering in the air across from him.

“Cool, right?” At my reluctant nod, he continued, “Now tell me what’s got you so rattled your head is blowing away.” He snickered at his own joke.

“The tree.” I cleared my throat. “I was nervous enough about you or Stevie or even me being near the pond when Chance got rid of the poltergeist girl from hell, but this? We don’t even know what this is. And what makes it worse is the living aren’t feeling or seeing what we are, and that means…”

Buck sighed. “Yeah, I know what that means. Scotty and Stevie already told me that I need to figure out what’s going on. Don’t worry, I’ll investigate in the morning. There’s an old-timer who didn’t pass on that might have a clue. By the time you’re cleaning up after breakfast, I’ll have answers, I’m sure.”

My eyeballs felt like they bulged out of my head. “You plan to go out there by yourself?” Did he want to give me a heart attack? Or whatever the equivalent of that would be now.

He cocked his head. “Who else is gonna do it? Scotty doesn’t want Stevie out there, and you’re terrified.” He held up his hand in a stop motion. “Which is fine. I don’t really want you out there if it’s unsafe.”

Well, that was…sweet, but the thought of him going out there alone filled me with dread. What if he disappeared, and I never saw him again? No. No, that wouldn’t do at all. “I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Floating back down, I stood and held out my hand, compelling him to come on and get on with it before I lost my nerve. “Of course it is. We can’t live in fear. This is our home, and the others out at the pond will open up to you. They trust you. We have no choice.”

Buck scowled. “I have no choice. There’s no reason for you to subject yourself to that nonsense out there when I can handle it.”

Planting my hands on my hips, I glared at him. “You’re going from adorable to irritating.”

He grinned and disappeared, popping back with his chest brushing mine. “You think I’m adorable?”

I shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”

Buck waggled his eyebrows. “But adorable.”

His body so close was distracting, so I stepped back. “Let’s go and get this done.”

It was his turn to scowl. “Now? But we’re spending time together. And I already told you, I’m going alone.”

Poor Buck. He’d forgotten who he was dealing with. I’d mastered the art of looking down my nose at someone bigger than me decades before he was born. “Have you forgotten who’s in charge?”

He crumbled in thirty seconds. “Ugh. You’re impossible.”

I fiddled with my cufflinks. “Yes, I believe I’ve heard that a time or two.”

“If we’re going, then we’re walking. I’ve been looking forward to having you to myself all day, so if you insist on coming along on this quest now, then I demand a moonlit stroll through the gardens first,” Buck said, pouting out his lower lip.

Why was his ridiculousness so charming? “Fine.” I held out my hand.

He grinned happily, and I tugged him toward the door, giving him my back so that he wouldn’t see the smile blooming on my face. I’d never had a suitor, and I didn’t want him to see how ridiculously excited I was for this experience. Not the mystery part of the evening, but the journey out to the pond under the moon. How romantic.

As we cleared the doorway out of the parlor, Buck whispered in my ear, “Enjoy being in charge while you can, love, because once I get you in the bedroom, I’m the boss.”

Oh my. Now I wasn’t sure what had me more nervous. The creepy oak or this confident Buck who had so much more experience than me. What had I gotten myself into?