Free Hunting for Love by Virginia Nelson Page A

it, she called out, hoping someone, anyone, would wake and
investigate the fracas.
    “Louisa?”
    His voice, weak but awake, drew her to his side.   “Henry, the room!   It’s on fire!”
    He joined her efforts but in his weakened state, and
coughing from the acrid smoke, he was unable to move either the wardrobe or
budge the door.
    Falling to her knees, Louisa sucked at the remaining air.
    “This can’t be it.   This can’t be the end.”
    He turned to her and—
    Heather awoke, gasping and coughing.

 
    Chapter
Two
     
    “So, your blind date is ghost hunting?   Really?”
    The doubt on Michelle’s face didn’t deter her.   Heather decided long ago that the right man
for her would understand and respect her connection to the other side.   She wasn’t interested in an unbeliever and
told the blind date service as much in her letter.
    “Yes, ghost hunting.   There’s an old plantation supposedly writhing in spirits that we’re
going to visit.   It actually sounds like
fun to me.”   Heather applied lip
gloss.   For just a moment, another face
seemed to be transposed over hers but she blinked and the illusion was
gone.   Shaking off the shiver of
remembered fear the familiar face caused, she forced a smile for the sake of
Michelle.
    “I love you, darling, but have I mentioned you’re a bit
weird?”
    Snorting in laughter, Heather turned to face her best
friend.   “What’s weird about getting
locked in a haunted plantation for the night with a strange man?”
    Michelle hugged her.   “Nothing at all, doll face.   You
have at it.   Be safe, though.   You’re sure the dating service isn’t hooking you
up with an axe murderer or a…I don’t know, zombie or something?”
    “I’m sure.   The dating
service comes very highly recommended and even if the date sucks, I can check
out the plantation. I’m really looking forward to it.”
    Butterflies danced a staccato beat in her stomach.   She was looking forward to it but for some
reason, tonight felt like one of those crossroads points, one of those epic
life moments that change a person forever.
    The last time she felt this way…
    Nope,
not thinking about Gavin.   Not now.
    Tugging her purse strap up on her arm, she headed for the
door.   “You have my cell number.   I’ll text you.   If something goes wrong and he pulls an axe,
you’ll be the first person I call.”
    Michelle groaned.   “See, this is why I worry.   The
first person you call is the police.   Then you call me and tell me the authorities are on their way and you’re
hiding in a closet.”
    “Yeah, ancient wooden closet door versus axe?   And you call me the illogical one?”
    ****
    Gavin Wright tugged the worn, military style sack out of the
back of his pickup truck and hefted it to his shoulder.   Glancing back at the large white house,
spread across acres of what once was fertile farm land, he couldn’t tamp down
the shivers of excitement rippling through him.
    Tonight meant something.
    His gut screamed it and he listened to his gut.   Life changed in a heartbeat and the only
thing that could cause such excitement would be finally achieving his life’s
work.
    He would prove, for once and all, that there was life beyond
this one.  
    Since his twin brother died when they were kids, ghosts
fascinated him: life beyond the curtain of death.   Having been the healthy one while Garrett,
his mirror reflection, lost his hair, grew thinner and finally gave into the
sickness devouring his body from the inside out left Gavin wondering, why him ?   The thought that he could just blink out,
game over, and it be done?   Unacceptable.   There had to be more than this.
    He’d searched everywhere for answers—from the cry of a
newborn to the blood of the battlefield and none came.
    The cancer was something Garrett was born with, something
inside him from the moment they both left the womb.   How could they have the same eyes, same
smile, same laugh while one of