Free A Haunted Twist of Fate by Stacey Coverstone

his face was subtle,
but noticeable, all the same. The corner of his mouth twitched.  He sighed.  “Yep.
She lives right here town.  As a matter of fact, I went to school with her.”
    “Oh. Then you know she’s a psychic?”
    “Who told you that?”
    “Doris Rockwood. She’s a volunteer at the historical
society. She helped me find some books on the history of the town, and when I
told her about the ghosts haunting me, she suggested I speak to this woman,
Brenda Preston.”
    “You told a stranger about the ghosts?”
    She gathered by his tone that he wouldn’t have made
that choice. “Yes. There are stacks and stacks of material in that place.
There’s no way I could find what I was looking for without assistance, so I
told her so she’d be able to help. That’s her job.”
    He shrugged again. “Did you find anything?”
    “Some old photos of the Buckhorn. It hasn’t changed
one bit since 1885.  Even the piano looks to be the same one. There was a photo
of some saloon girls standing in front of it, and I was hoping to see the blonde
girl among them, but the picture wasn’t clear. Oh! And there was a photo of the
saloon when it first opened with Dean Averill standing in front of it, but it
was taken too far away to see his face. That was disappointing.”
    Colt rubbed a hand across his chin. “I imagine Frank
will have a picture of his grandfather, if you want to see what he looked
like.”
    Shay grew excited. “That’s what I was thinking, too.
I’d like to meet Mr. Averill. Do you have any idea when he’ll be able to
receive visitors?”
    “I’ll drop by and check on him. He has a live-in
nurse to care for him. I’ll find out how he’s faring and let you know.”
    She touched his arm. “Thanks. I can probably learn
more from him than any books I could read. Does he still live at home?”
    Colt nodded. “Yes. He refuses to be put into a
nursing home. Says he’ll die if he goes to one. I’m afraid his time is running
out anyway.”
    “You said he has a nurse. Doesn’t he have any family
to help out? No children?”
    “His wife passed on about twelve years back. They
had a child, a daughter, but she’s also gone. I don’t know the whole story, but
ever since I’ve known Frank, I’ve never heard him speak of her. I believe she
died many years ago.”
    “That’s sad. It’s nice of you to look out for him.”
    Colt smiled. “I do it because of my granddaddy. They
were best friends their whole life. Besides, Frank is a real nice fellow. He’s
always been good to me.”
    A moment of silence filled the space between them
before she confessed, “I walked by your office this morning.”
    His face brightened. “I’d meant to tell you where it
was so you could come by sometime. I’ll give you the grand tour next time you
stop.”
    “I’ll take that tour now if you’re headed that way. There’s
nothing to be done about this message, and I’d like to go back to the
historical society and dig around a little more. Your office is on the way.”
    “Yes, it is. We’ll walk together.”
    She relocked the saloon door and they started down
the sidewalk. “What about your truck?” She glanced back to see it was parked at
the curb.
    “I’ll pick it up later.”
    He took her hand again and held it as they strolled.
It was warm and he held tight, like he didn’t want to let go. Despite what
she’d told herself about not getting involved, his strong hand holding hers was
comforting.  Her stomach fluttered as if she were a schoolgirl with a crush.
    When they entered his office, he shut the door
behind them and pulled down the shade on the door. Before she realized what was
happening, he’d swept her off her feet and into his arms and carried her to his
desk, where he sat her down on top.
    “What on earth are you doing?” she light-heartedly
cried.
    “You’ll find out in about two seconds.”

 
     
    Fourteen
     
    Colt held onto her shoulders to keep her from
tipping back.  He leaned