by Cindy Stark
“I’m glad one of us does.”
“Girlfriend, this might seem harsh to say, but I feel like someone needs to say it. It’s time to get on with your life. What are you waiting for?”
Sadness welled inside, and she lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “For my heart to say it’s okay, I guess.”
“Your heart has to toughen up, missy. Life can be a cruel, hard mistress, but death is more of a bitch. You don’t want to take your last breaths regretting that you never lived, do you?”
She blinked back her feelings and shook her head.
“You’re just scared. That’s all. And it’s okay. We’re all scared sometimes. But who does your life belong to? You or your fear?”
“You make so much sense.” A stressed laugh slipped from her lips, and she sniffed. “But I’m not ready to take that first step, yet.”
“Well, we’re getting you ready. If I were you, I’d be practicing on that sexy beast living under the same roof as you.”
“Rick? No.”
“Why not? He’s good looking, and he’s single.”
“Then why don’t you go for him?”
“What makes you think I’m single?”
Erin stopped and regarded her friend. “I’m not sure. Do you have a boyfriend? Or are you married?” Some kind of new friend she was, keeping their entire conversation focused on her.
Livia smiled, her expression a secretive look of love. “Boyfriend. Going on six months. He sells real estate in Sage.”
“He doesn’t live here in town?”
“No. But Sage is not that far. He usually drives up on the weekends, or I go to see him.”
“Are you in love?” Erin twisted her lips into a conspiratorial smile that spread to Livia.
“I just might be. For now, though, let’s focus on you. You’re the one who needs help.” She flipped the last card. “Look at this. It might be a hint at the future.”
Erin glanced down at her final drawing. “The Lovers.” A man stood in a lake, holding a naked woman around the waist and lifting her higher than himself. Fiery reds and oranges sizzled in the background.
“One of my favorite cards. So pretty. It’s as though he puts her on a pedestal, don’t you think?”
Erin didn’t believe in the power of these types of readings, but this card set her on edge. She didn’t want to consider a new love. Even though possibly…maybe, she should. “Can’t this signify something else, too, like the last two cards?”
“No, not so much with this one. It could mean a union or a different type of relationship, but in my experience it often means love. It’s about making choices that will build a solid foundation for your future.”
Livia caught her gaze, and Erin tried to mask her features. “You look like you’ve been handed a death sentence. Love should be a good thing, a happy thing.”
“Yes, but what if you think it’s love and you give your heart away, only to find out it’s something less?” Something much, much less.
Livia’s lips parted in a warm smile. “It’s a chance we all take. We’re definitely gambling, and sometimes we lose, but when we win, it makes it all worth it.”
“I hope you’re right.” More than hoped. She prayed.
* * *
Harsh morning light filtered through the dirty windows in Rick’s garage, illuminating everything with crystal clear light, adding to the headache building behind his eyes. He eyed the snowmobile he’d promised he’d get to today, and then glanced back at the SUV’s alternator he currently worked on. He really needed to hurry and get this done so he could start on the other.
Except he was having a difficult time focusing on anything at all. He’d spent the previous night tossing and turning, unable to get either Melinda or Erin out of his mind.
If he laid the facts out on the table, things didn’t look good for him and Melinda. She wasn’t acting like a woman in love who also happened to be working on her education. She kept in touch just enough to keep him hanging on.
A moment later, his phone started playing his favorite song, and he sighed. Melinda. Had she somehow tapped into his thoughts and knew she was running on a thin wire?
He wiped his hands and answered the phone.
“Hey, sugar.” Her voice was laced with charm.
“Hey.” He wanted to sound happier, but couldn’t.
“Sorry I missed your call last night. I was studying with some friends.”
“Yeah? Which friends?”
She hesitated. “Nancy… and Becca.”
What she didn’t say punched him in the gut. Her lies were as plain as the morning sun. “New friends?”
“Uh-huh. So, what are you doing today?”
She could forget the small talk meant to distract him. “I’m thinking about hopping on the next plane to California.”
He could picture the oh-shit look that must be hovering on her face as the silence dragged out between them.
“I would love that, Rick, but this really isn’t a good time. I’m gearing up for a presentation I have to make next week, and I don’t have much free time.”
“I see.” More clearly than he would have liked. Why did it take a kick upside the head for him to realize she’d been gone since the day she’d packed her car and left? “Then what if I wait two weeks? Will you have time for me then?”
“Don’t be like this, Rick. You know I’m working hard for our future.” Her voice came out as a nasally whine that grated on his already-sensitized nerves.
He inhaled and let the air slide out of him. “I think we’ve done this long enough, Melinda.”
“What do you mean?” He was happy to hear a slight tone of panic in her voice.
“Let’s just call this what it is, okay?” He steeled himself for her response and his next words.
“What’s that?”
The pain that sliced through his heart wasn’t as sharp as he’d thought it would be. “Over.” He hung up the phone and set it to the side, walking back to the SUV.
He’d get this damn thing done today if it killed him.
* * *
When Erin returned home just before lunch, she found Annabelle in the kitchen wearing her old-fashioned apron while she prepared two sandwiches. She guessed that meant Rick would be eating his lunch elsewhere.
“I was hoping we could sit in the atrium to eat,” her aunt said as she pulled a tray from beneath a counter and set their plates on it.
“Best idea I’ve heard all day.” The atrium was her favorite room in the house with an unfettered view of the glorious mountains reaching toward the sky. It would also give her a quiet, uninterrupted chance to question Annabelle more about the supposed ghost in the house.
“There’s some sweet tea in the fridge if you’ll be a love and grab it.”
Erin pulled the pitcher from the fridge and carried it along with two tall glasses to the atrium. She’d never tire of the view out the window, she decided. She could clearly see the tree line where she’d explored the other day, and if she studied the lay of the land, she could also discern where the swath of river cut across the yellowing grass. The bright autumn sun had melted all but the snow on the highest peaks, leaving a gloriously, fresh day.
Annabelle sat in her favorite chair while Erin took a seat on the couch. Her aunt had placed her tray on a small table between them, leaving just enough room for the iced tea and glasses.
“I wasn’t certain where you’d gone this morning. I returned home to find an empty house, and I’d hoped you’d be back before lunch.”
“I’m sorry,” Erin replied. “I should have left a note or something.”
“That would be lovely next time.” She lifted her sandwich and took a bite.
Erin took her sandwich as well, focusing on the contents between the slices of wheat bread. “Turkey?” she asked.
“With avocado and pesto,” her aunt mumbled, not worried if someone might think less of her for speaking with a mouthful.
Erin sank her teeth into her sandwich and nodd
ed her approval. “It’s good.” In addition to her aunt’s secrets to a happy life, she could learn a thing or two on how to make simple food taste so good.
She swallowed. No better time than the present to discuss what had been burning through her brain all morning. “Actually, part of the reason I forgot to leave you a note was that I kind of left in a hurry.”
Annabelle arched her brow and took another bite.
“Rick had left for work, and I was alone in the kitchen.” She kept her gaze focused on the fat pickle sitting on her plate. “At least I thought I was until someone touched my shoulder.”
A sharp breath from her aunt brought their gazes together. “Who?” she whispered.
“I was hoping maybe you could tell me that.”
Her gray eyebrows knitted together above her glasses as she looked about the room.
“The kitchen smelled strongly of lavender,” she said before her aunt could formulate a response that would counter what Erin was sure she’d experienced. “And I heard faraway laughter…that may or may not have come from the outside.”
Then her aunt’s face fell. “I guess it’s time to come completely clean. I should have been honest about Rosa’s ghost before you came to visit, and if not, then especially when you’d asked me. It’s not right of me to invite you into a house that’s haunted by the past, but I was afraid if I told you, you wouldn’t have come.”
Erin stared at her aunt, a little surprised. “I’m not sure how I thought you’d respond, but it hadn’t been with an apology.”
“I feel as though I’ve let you down. Family should be honest with each other, if nothing else. I wanted to say something when you’d first mentioned smelling lavender, but you seemed a little nervous about the whole thing so I tried to play it down to let you believe whatever you were comfortable with.”
“Aunt Annabelle, I’m not mad at you.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I’m just trying to understand what’s happening here. I have to admit I was a little spooked being here all alone, but I didn’t run screaming from the house.” Though she had hurried a little more than normal.
“Oh,” she said, suddenly looking much more relaxed. She took a bite of her pickle, the sound of it crunching through the quiet room. “In that case, Rosa has visited this house off and on throughout the years. She became particularly active when I started to seriously date Henderson. She left him alone, but made herself known to me. Best we can tell from accounts over the years, whenever there’s a new love relationship forming, it really triggers her. Instead of a once-a-month visitation, she started showing up daily.”
“So maybe your breakfast date this morning awakened her or whatever you want to call it.”
Her aunt shook her head thoughtfully. “I don’t think so, love. Charles hasn’t been here yet—I didn’t want to scare him off. Not to mention, you’d said you noticed her scent the day you arrived.”
“Could it be because I’m related to her? Maybe love isn’t the connection after all.”
“I suppose we could be wrong in our hypothesis, but the evidence is pretty strong. Maybe she senses the attraction between you and Rick.”
The hair on Erin’s arms shot up. “There is no attraction between me and Rick.”
She snorted. “Come on now, love. I don’t have to be a ghost to see what’s brewing between the two of you.”
Erin shook her head in warning, though she kept a smile on her face. “Rick said you love to play matchmaker, but nothing’s happening between me and him.”
Her aunt’s face grew seriously concerned. “Why not? He’s a good man, Erin, and you’re so lovely and kind and smart. You’d make a good wife.”
It looked like Rick had been right on the matchmaker part. “Um, because first of all, I’m not ready for a relationship. I thought you understood that.”
“I understand that you don’t think you’re ready, but that’s one thing us old people have come to understand. Time and love don’t coordinate schedules. It happens when it happens.”
Erin shook her head. “Even so, both parties have to want a relationship, and in this case, Rick’s not looking for anything serious, either.” He’d made that more than clear.
“He would be if the right woman came along, and look, here you are.”
“Oh, Aunt Annabelle. If life were only that easy.”
“It’s only as difficult as you make it,” she countered.
Erin could see she was on the losing end of this argument, so it was probably best to change the subject. “I think we were talking about Rosa, not my love life.”
Annabelle looked at her with clear eyes that promised a future conversation on the topic. “So we were. Well, she seems harmless other than playing matchmaker herself. We think after her disastrous marriage and the affair that ended up being the death of her, she’s trying to make amends by helping other couples.”
“What else does she do?”
“You’re the first person to claim her touch as far as I know, other than Henderson. Most people just sense a presence and smell the lavender. I hope she won’t scare you away.”
Erin snorted. Surprisingly, she wasn’t at all afraid. “Not a chance. I love it here.”
“Would you consider staying another week? I feel like we haven’t had long enough.” Her aunt’s pleading gaze tugged on her heart, not that she needed any extra persuading.
“I might not have a job if I do.” Suddenly that didn’t seem to matter so much. It wasn’t as if she’d been working her dream job and making an irreplaceable salary. “But I think I’ll take that risk. I actually considered working as a massage therapist here if I could find a good place to set up shop.”
“That’s a great idea.” Annabelle gave her a hopeful smile. “You could offer massages to the skiers and summer vacationers. Maybe partner with the hotel, and they could advertise and rent space to you.”
“That sounds promising.” Two weeks with her long-lost aunt was not enough, and the thought of heading back to lonely Salt Lake seemed so bleak. Another puzzle piece in her life shifted into place.
“Good. I’m glad. We’ll walk over to town after lunch and make some inquiries.”
The front door slammed, startling them both.
“Annabelle?” Rick’s voice echoed through the house.
Her aunt’s features crumpled into a frown. “What on earth is he doing home?”
Chapter Thirteen
Annabelle grumbled as she set her lunch plate aside and stood. Erin did the same and followed her out into the hall.
Rick leaned against the door, his face as white as a sheet, his features contorted with pain.
“Oh my god,” Erin said and pushed past Annabelle. “Are you okay?”
He grimaced. “I’ve done something to my back. I lifted a small motor and kind of twisted at the same time, and shit…I know better.”
“Let’s get you off your feet,” Annabelle said. “You’ll be more comfortable upstairs in your room if you can make it.”
Rick glanced up the polished wooden steps and groaned. “I can make it. Can you call Doc Albert, Annabelle? See if he can stop by?”
“Of course, love. Can you help him upstairs, Erin?”
Erin nodded and hurried forward, slipping beneath his arm. She wrapped an arm around his waist, her fingers pressing into his solid flesh in order to get a good hold on him. The scent of grease and gasoline hit her, stirring up needs she preferred to ignore. It had been two years since she’d been this close to a man, and damn if it didn’t feel good. “You’re freezing. Where’s your coat?”
“I left it at the shop.” A heavy sigh slipped from his lips as he settled his weight against her and they moved toward the stairs. “I didn’t lock up, either. Do you think you could go back and do that for me?”
“Sure. Whatever you need.”
He leaned on her as they made it up the first step. “Shit,” he hissed. “I must have pulled something good.”
She didn
’t know how to respond, so she stayed quiet and allowed him to focus on making progress up the stairs. She remained next to him as they traveled down the hall and she opened his door. Once inside, he let go of her and made it to the closer of the two beds in the room before he bent over and rolled onto the mattress.
He released another groan. “Dammit.”
“I’m sure it’s a lower back strain. You’ve probably pulled a muscle, and it’s screaming in response.”
“I think it’s more than that.” He inhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes.
“Strains like that can be pretty painful. You’re in great shape, so I doubt you’ve ruptured a disk or something like that. Some muscle relaxers and a couple days of rest, and you’ll probably feel much better.”
“What are you, a damn doctor?” His tone held a bite that sank deep into her heart. Part of her ached from it, but another, stronger part reared up.
“No, I’m not a doctor, but I am a massage therapist, and I’ve seen my share of messed up backs. I’m trying to help here, and I don’t appreciate your tone.”
He lifted his eyelids a touch, and a jolt of energy shot through her. “I’m sorry. I just—”
“Hurt. I know. Let me go see if Annabelle has reached the doctor. Where are the keys to your shop?”
He dug into his pocket and struggled to pull them free. Erin placed a hand over his, stilling his motions, before she moved his hand and pulled the keys out herself.
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
* * *
Goddamn if his whole back wasn’t on fire. Rick tried to lift his head to fix his pillow and every fucking muscle in his back spasmed. He dropped back down with a groan. If he could just chill for a few minutes, he was sure his muscles would ease.
Footsteps sounded in the hall, and he moved his gaze to the open doorway. Annabelle appeared with a concerned look on her face and a sandwich in her hands. Erin followed behind her.
Annabelle stepped close to the bed and put a warm hand on his shoulder. “Doc won’t be back in town until tomorrow. He has some muscle relaxers at his house you can have to help ease the pain. I’ll send Erin to fetch them. We’ve brought an ice pack that will help, too, and Doc said to give you one of my painkillers. But you’ll need to eat something with it, or it will tear up your stomach.”