Free Ghosts of Winters Past by Christy Graham Parker Page A

Florida. They wanted a real castle.”
    Cara stared at her in mock horror. “Tell me you didn’t just say that.”
    Other theme parks were evil in Cara’s opinion. The Lost Islands, the new theme park owned by Cara’s family, would open in two weeks. Lexy had been invited to a VIP preview, a last hurrah before she moved cross-country the next day.
    Lexy shrugged. “Sue me.”
    “And they didn’t move,” Cara said. “In 1555, Dresdonia was invaded by Anders Severon. The royal Delamere family–”
    “I know. I know,” Lexy said. “You’ve told me. I came to ride today, not to learn.”
    “Okay, fine. But when you enter the castle, you’ll be asked to help find the missing princess.” Cara crossed her arms in mock disgust. “Don’t blame me when you fail completely.”
    “I’ll take my chances,” Lexy said. “Besides, I already told you—she moved to Florida.”
    Cara punched her arm. “Stop.”
    A carload of screaming guests passed over the castle’s stubby towers. Whoever heard of a castle housing a roller coaster? The dilapidated building should have been a haunted house.
    “I can’t believe you’re leaving tomorrow.” Cara changed the subject.
    Lexy blew an errant piece of hair out of her eye, then gave up and released the tangled mess from its clasp. “Please. You’ll be so busy, you won’t even notice.” She shoved the barrette into her pocket. Cara had a new park to run, family nearby, and a steady stream of men begging for the opportunity to buy her dinner. Lexy had…well, she had the promise of a thirty-five-hour car ride to a new city filled with complete strangers and a depressing number of boxes to unpack.
    Lord? she prayed. Seattle is where I’m supposed to be, isn’t it?
    “It’s not me I’m worried about,” Cara said. “You’ll get to the West Coast and forget all about Texas. Of course, on the other hand, maybe you’ll finally find someone special.”
    Lexy crushed a discarded piece of popcorn with the toe of her tennis shoe. “I don’t need or want someone special. Thank you very much.”
    Cara slid out of the way as a family of five passed by, kids running up the steps to get to the castle. “Just admit it. Sometimes it’d be nice to have a man around.”
    “Sure,” Lexy said. “Just like the Delameres. Fat lot of good a man did the poor queen when that Severon guy killed her.”
    Cara’s expression grew wistful. “At least they had each other in the end. Think about it—a king and queen standing strong, knowing the end is near, but caring enough about their land and people to fight anyway. It’s so romantic.”
    Lexy snorted. “I find nothing even slightly romantic about being slaughtered by a man named Severon.”
    “What am I going to do with you? It’s all about giving yourself to a higher cause, fighting the good fight. Maybe romantic’s the wrong word, but it’s noble.”
    Lexy glared at her friend. “I’ve seen too often what happens when women try to stand against an evil force coming at them. Get out of Dodge. There’s nobility in that . It’s called life.”
    Cara paled. “I’m sorry.”
    The apology hit Lexy in the pit of her stomach. Her work at the battered women’s shelter made her sensitive, but Cara wanted it to be a fun day. “No. I’m sorry. The move’s made me antsy. I should loosen up.” Lexy waved toward the castle. “Tell me about this roller coaster of yours. And not the history lesson part.”
    “The Labyrinth is the most sophisticated roller coaster created to date.” Cara spoke with passion and pride whenever she talked of her work. What would it feel like to have that sort of passion about your work? “Even the queue’s one of a kind.”
    “The castle?” Lexy asked.
    Cara nodded. “The castle’s the queue.”
    “You should print that on tee shirts,” Lexy said. “Maybe you could make money off the hideous thing after all.”
    “Forget it. I’m not offering you a job in marketing.”
    “Like I’d work