Free Ever After by Jude Deveraux Page A

between them during the night. Nor was she going to mention that she knew his sleep was drug-induced. What she wanted to do was try to stop both the drugs and the night terrors. “I want you to move upstairs,” she said.
    “And why would you want that?” He was still sitting at the table.
    She’d expected him to do more sexual teasing, but he didn’t. Instead, he sounded as though he was about to refuse—and she could guess why. He knew about his nightmares, but he didn’t want her to know. He wanted to keep his male ego intact and make her think there was nothing wrong with him.
    She wanted to be near him so she could soothe him during the night, then get back to her own bed. There would be no more sleeping on the couch or with him. And the bigger bed upstairs would eliminate the danger of his falling onto the floor.
    But Hallie was sure that if she told him the truth, he might…What? Leave? That was possible. Any man who had nightmares like his needed help and Hallie planned to give it to him.
    She turned back to him. “I, uh, well…I, uh…”
    He looked at her. “What are you trying to say?”
    “This ghost thing kind of…Well, it scares me. Earlier you said that my lack of fear made you like me more, so now I’m worried that you’ll like me less.”
    Jamie stood up and reached out to pull her to him. It was a brother-sister hug and he rubbed her back comfortingly. “I’m sure there’s nothing in the ghost story. Betty is probably right and her mother-in-law should be put under care. I don’t agree that she should be locked away, but she should get some help.”
    He held Hallie at arm’s length and looked into her eyes. “My guess is that old man Bell did something he didn’t want people to know about. And he probably spread the ghost rumor to keep people away.”
    “I’m sure you’re right.” Hallie lowered her eyes so she’d look properly frightened.
    Jamie drew her back against him. “Tomorrow we’ll call a locksmith and I’ll go in and look around.”
    Hallie wanted to say, Not without me! but couldn’t since she was pretending to be afraid. “So you’ll move upstairs into the other bedroom and I won’t be alone in this strange house?”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” His tone went back to being stern.
    Hallie pushed away from him. “Okay. I’ll move downstairs. But, no, that couch down there is too small to sleep on. I know. I’ll call Jared and see if I can stay in his house for a few nights. I know it’s empty. You’ll be all right here by yourself, won’t you?” She batted her lashes at him in innocence.
    Jamie looked like he was torn between anger and helplessness. “All right, I’ll move upstairs.” His teeth were clenched together.
    “That’s great!” Hallie said. “I’ll help you pack your things, and tonight I want to do some breathing exercises with you.” She headed toward his room.
    “Look only in the bathroom and the closet!” Jamie called after her. “I’ll take care of the desk.” He glared at the locked door that led into the tea room. “Whatever you’ve got hidden away in there, Henry Bell, I’m going to expose it, ’cause look what you’ve done to
me
.”
    He moved as fast as he could to get to the living room and dragged his duffel bag from under the bed. While Hallie was gathering toiletries from the bathroom, he slipped eight bottles of medication into the side pocket and zipped it.

Chapter Five

    J
amie was lying on his back on the floor of his new bedroom, his hands clasped and raised above his head. Hallie was seated beside him, leaning over his midsection, her hand just below his navel. Not that she could
see
his belly button, but she could guess at it. “I want to feel your breath coming from here,” she said. “Now deeper and slower.”
    “Are you sure this is going to do anything?”
    “Shhhh,” she said. “Don’t talk. Just breathe.” She watched him slowly raise and lower his hands and take long, deep