A Haunted Twist of Fate (17 page)

“No. I needed to run some errands and buy groceries,
so a neighbor is keeping an eye on Frank.”

“Is he doing any better?”

Opal shook her head. “He has some good moments, but
his mind comes and goes. Sometimes he remembers things from the past when he
can’t even recall what he watched on TV an hour earlier. When you left the
other day, he asked me to bring out a picture. It’s an old one of his daughter.
He just about started crying when he looked at it. It killed me.”

“Oh, that’s sad. Colt mentioned she died years ago. Do
you know the story?”

“No. Frank never talks about her, but what I wanted
to tell you is that he asked if I thought you looked like her.”

Shay blinked, and the hairs on her neck stood on
end. “That’s strange. He showed Colt and me a picture of his grandmother.  Although
I don’t agree, both of them think I look like
her
. We didn’t see the
picture of his daughter. What’s your opinion? Do I look like the daughter?”

“I didn’t see much of a resemblance at first, but
I’ve sneaked a peek a couple of times since, and I believe Frank’s memory is
keener than we think. I can see why you remind him of her. He’s taken with
you.”

“I remind him of his daughter?”

“Oh, yes. He’s looking forward to your next visit. You’re
all he’s talked about. See what I mean about him remembering certain things?”

Shay smiled and hid the ache she felt in her chest. “That’s
nice. Please tell him I’d love to visit again. I’ll try to stop by soon.”

“Okay.” Opal climbed back into her car and drove
away.

Once she was out of sight, Shay bent at the waist, braced
her hands on her knees, and dragged fresh air into her lungs. She’d never
fainted or hyperventilated before, but there was always a first time for
everything. She’d kept it together while talking to Opal, but now the ache in
her chest turned to a deep, agonizing burn. She squeezed her eyes shut, hissing
against the need to let tears flow.

It wasn’t enough that ghosts, and Colt, were messing
with her life and her emotions. Now, a delusional old man believed she was his
reincarnated grandmother or daughter. Enough was enough!

Twenty-Eight

Colt had barely been able to keep his mind on
business throughout the day. Since leaving Shay last night, she’d been all he
could think about. Thirty short minutes and he’d see her again.

After showering, he stood in front of the bathroom
mirror with a towel wrapped around his middle and slapped after-shave on his
face. The reflection staring back at him was that of a contented man.

In the past few years, no woman had come close to
touching his heart. He’d built a fortress around it; positive that there was no
one out there he’d want to share the rest of his life with. And then Shay
Brennan had showed up, walked into his life, and the walls holding up that fort
had begun to crack.

It didn’t make sense to feel so connected to her
after this short time, but it was as if they’d always been together and always
would be. He felt as if they’d always known each other.

Colt slipped into jeans and buttoned a shirt. As he
pulled on his boots, his gut began to spasm. Could he be falling in love with
Shay? It had been so long since he’d allowed himself to be open to
possibilities. Permission to feel something honest for a woman had been long in
coming. It wasn’t a feeling he intended on taking for granted. Nothing had ever
seemed more right since the day he’d asked Denise to marry him seventeen years
ago.

He grabbed his keys and turned out the lights and
locked the door. They hadn’t known each other long at all, but it didn’t matter
what anyone thought. Love had pierced his heart, and he ached to tell Shay.

She was standing outside the Buckhorn leaning
against the hitching rail when he pulled up.

“Don’t get out,” she called, meeting him at the
truck and yanking the door open. Her long, shiny hair bounced on her shoulders,
and she looked beautiful in a blue sundress. A soft white sweater was draped
over her shoulders, and she held a small box wrapped in silver paper in her
hand. After she slid onto the seat, Colt’s chest tightened in response to being
so near to her.

“You’re as pretty as a picture. This is going to
sound corny, but you take my breath away.”

Shay smiled her appreciation and then her gaze
traveled over him. “Thank you Colt. You look quite handsome yourself.”

He’d take the compliment and any others she wanted
to throw his way.  After leaving the way he did last night, he was glad to see
she was smiling.  He didn’t want to ruin things by trying to kiss her, so he
refrained.

“I’m nervous,” she confided, once he’d left the town
limits and they were tooling down the highway.

“Why? You met my family already.”

“For about ten minutes. I hope your brother won’t
mind me tagging along.”

“Brady won’t care. He’s a laid-back guy. Mama wants
to get to know you better. She thinks you’re the sweetest thing to come along
since sugar, and Daddy keeps commenting on how pretty you are.”

The widening of Shay’s eyes reflected a flash of
surprise, probably that he and his folks had been talking about her, but she
recovered well.

“Your family all seemed really nice.”

She stared straight ahead, more closed-mouth than
usual, and fidgety. Her fingers drummed softly on the box in her lap. They’d
parted last night with some tension between them, but he was over that and
hoped she was, too. He wondered if there was something else wrong, or if the
events of the previous evening were still bothering her. Ghosts were the last
thing he was interested in discussing, however, so he made mention of the box
instead.

“I had no idea what to get your brother for his
birthday, but I didn’t want to arrive empty-handed. It’s a bolo tie with a
sterling silver and turquoise slide. Do you think he’ll like it?”

“He’ll love it, but you didn’t have to buy him
anything.”

“I know, but I wanted to. If you’re invited to a
party, you bring a gift. That’s how I was raised.”

“Well, he’s going to appreciate it.”

During the break in conversation, Colt pondered when
the right time would be to tell her he was falling for her. The truck was
definitely not the place. It would have to be later, after he’d driven her back
home. He wanted to hold her in his arms and gaze into her sparkling eyes when
he expressed his feelings. He felt like a teenager, the way he’d been
rehearsing in his mind what he’d say.

“Are we going to the Double M Ranch?” she asked,
peering out the window.

“No. The Double M is the family business. We’re
going to the house I grew up in.”

“Oh.”  Her slow smile reflected her pleasure. “So I
get to see the room you slept in as a boy?”

“That’s possible.” The thought occurred to tease her
about making out on his old twin bed, but considering her subdued mood, it
didn’t seem appropriate.

“Does your room still look like it did when you
lived there?”

“It functions as a guest room now, but Mama has kept
all my football and basketball trophies and sports memorabilia on the shelves. I’ll
warn you now. She’s probably going to drag everything down and show them off.”

“That’s okay. I won’t mind her telling stories about
when you were a boy. You were a jock, huh?”

“You could say that.” He wondered about the types of
men she’d been involved with before but wasn’t interested enough to ask.

A few miles out of town, he turned onto the paved
road that led to the Morgan ranch. “About there,” he said, pressing on the gas.

Shay turned her body to face him. “I forgot to ask,
did you go see Frank today?”

“No. I had a closing and a couple of showings. I ran
out of time. My schedule might be less crowded tomorrow, so I’ll try to swing
by there. Speaking of Frank, did you get to the historical society as you’d
planned?”

“Yes!” Her demeanor grew animated, which pleased
him. “I found a newspaper article that confirmed Callie’s death by
strangulation. Everett Rawlins
was
the man who killed her. And get this.
Dean Averill killed Rawlins.”

“Huh?” He didn’t want to talk about the Averills or
that pesky dead girl in the saloon.  But at least Shay had perked up, which set
his mind more at ease. Maybe he hadn’t done anything to upset her after all.

“The article said Frank’s grandfather claimed it was
self-defense. Rawlins was attacking Callie when Dean entered the room. When
Rawlins pulled a gun, Dean shot him through the heart.”

Colt parked in the driveway in front of the
two-story farmhouse with green shutters and a brick chimney on the side.  “I
never heard Frank mention that before,” he said, cutting off the motor. “I’ll
have to ask him about it tomorrow.” He jumped out and sauntered to her side and
opened her door. He tried to sound nonchalant when he said, “If you’re not
busy, why don’t you plan to come with me? Now that Frank’s met you once, maybe
he’ll feel more comfortable opening up. You might learn something new.”

“As a matter of fact, I saw Opal in town today.  She
said Frank would like me to come back.” She accepted Colt’s hand and stepped
out of the truck. The touch of her hand sent electricity racing through his
veins.

“You don’t say?” That was convenient, he thought.
Thank
you, Frank
. “It’s a date then. Ready?” He kept hold of her hand and hoped
she didn’t comment about calling tomorrow a date.

She took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Oh, wait. Let me get Brady’s present.”  He released
her hand and leaned over the side of the truck and lifted out a box and fit it snugly
under his arm. When he reached for her hand again, she wrapped both her hands
around her gift. It was a subtle move, but the message came through loud and
clear that she didn’t want to hold his hand.

They strolled up the walk in silence, where Hannah waited
at the front door.

Twenty-Nine

“Come on in,” Hannah said, welcoming them into the
foyer. She kissed Colt on the cheek and gave Shay a warm hug. “So glad you
could join us, Shay.”

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Chet sauntered into the hallway, followed by Brady
and a woman with curly dark hair. “Hello again,” Chet said, offering his hand. Brady
did the same and then introduced her to Dawn, his girlfriend.

“Nice to meet you,” Shay said.  Dawn looked and
acted a lot younger than Brady, popping chewing gum in her mouth.

“Same here,” the woman answered. “Hi ya, Colt.”

“How you doing, Dawn?” he rhetorically asked.

“Happy birthday,” Shay said, handing Brady her
present.

His dark eyes lit up. “Thanks. I wasn’t expecting
anything.”

“Can’t have a birthday party without presents, can
you?”

“Guess not.”

She and Colt exchanged smiles, and he shoved his box
into Brady’s chest. “This one’s from me. Happy birthday, kid.”

“Thanks, bro.”

“Let’s go into the dining room,” Hannah said,
leading the way.

Shay gazed around at the home’s modest but
comfortable furnishings as they moved through the living room into the dining
area. “This house is very warm and inviting, Mrs. Morgan. I can tell it was a wonderful
home for your sons to grow up in.”

Hannah turned and grinned. “Thank you, Shay.” She
winked at Colt and chuckled. “I think this one’s a keeper.”

When he turned and gave Shay a wink of his own, her
heart skipped a beat. Seemed she’d earned a point with Colt’s mother, but
endearing Hannah to her would only make it more difficult to tell Colt they
couldn’t see each other anymore. Her stomach was already twisting in knots,
dreading the conversation to come later.

“Y’all can have a seat,” Hannah said. “Supper is
ready to be served.”

“It smells delicious, Mrs. Morgan.”

“Every year Mama makes our favorite meal for our
birthday,” Brady said, dropping her and Colt’s gifts beside two more presents
setting on a buffet table.

“That’s sweet,” Shay replied, glancing at Colt and
wondering what his favorite meal was.

Dawn joined in. “Brady’s is barbecued ribs, biscuits
with gravy, sweet corn, and baked apples with cinnamon and sugar. Have you ever
heard of such a weird combination?” She elbowed him in the ribs and pulled out
her own chair and took a seat at the dining table.

“It sounds delicious to me,” Shay said. “Of course,
anything sounds good right now. I’m hungry.” She knew she was commenting more
than necessary, but she tended to chatter when she was nervous.

“For such a petite thing, Shay likes to eat,” Colt
announced, with a grin. “She’s not a nibbler.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Hannah replied, inching
into the dining room with bowls of food balanced on her arms like a
professional waitress. “Because my life revolves around food. I don’t feel
needed if I’m not feeding people.”