Whispers (Argent Springs)

by Cindy Stark

  “No, no, no.” Livia shook her head, her long, dark hair brushing across her shoulders.

  “I just—that would be unbearable.”

  “Have some faith and don’t forget you have Annabelle and Rosa working on your side.”

  She prayed that was true, but even if they were real, how much power did two ghosts have?

  * * *

  Rick sat on Kellan’s worn leather couch, a beer in his hand, an empty on the coffee table in front of him. The Seahawk’s game blared from the television. Kellan was across the couch, outfitted in worn sweat pants, drinking his own beer. He was a poor substitute for Erin’s company, but Rick had to do something to take his mind off the tragic state of his love life.

  Melinda wouldn’t leave him alone, and as much as he’d tried, Erin wouldn’t answer the door or return his calls. Something had to give.

  It had only taken long enough for his anger over Annabelle’s betrayal to settle when he’d realized his mistake. Stark realization had slapped him hard upside the head. He never should have moved out of the house. Never should have left Erin.

  Melinda wouldn’t like it when he told her, but she was history. He just needed to figure out how to tell her.

  The doorbell rang, but he didn’t get up. He looked expectantly at Kellan instead. It was his house. He should answer the door. Kellan locked eyes with him, both waiting for the other to cave. Finally his buddy groaned and stood.

  “If it’s Melinda, I’m not here,” he called after him.

  “Fine, but you owe me. You’re cooking dinner,” Kellan said as he headed for the door.

  Rick didn’t care as he sank lower in his seat so he wouldn’t be noticed by their visitor. Dinner was in the future. Football was now.

  “Hey, Kellan.” Livia’s sultry voice wafted toward the couch, tinged with an extra bit of sexiness.

  Sensing a little something-something going on, Rick shifted on the couch so he could watch the plays there as well.

  “Hello, Livia.” His friend’s voice seemed interested as well. “I didn’t expect to find you on my doorstep.”

  “Well, I’m here, so how about inviting a girl inside out of the cold?”

  “Absolutely.” He stepped back, a grin on his face. “Want to come in and watch the game?”

  Shit. Rick nearly laughed out loud. Since when had his buddy and Livia been so friendly with each other? He thought Livia had a boyfriend. Maybe that had changed. Now that he was living in a bachelor pad, he sure was seeing a whole lot more of what went on in his town.

  “Actually, I came to see Rick. I have some information I need to pass along.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t stay and have a beer,” his friend cajoled.

  “Hmm…” she purred. “Maybe I will.”

  Rick rolled his eyes. If they kept that up, they’d have to get a room.

  Livia floated in, a cloud of something sensual floating along with her. Scents like that were created to make a man lose his head.

  “Do you have a minute, Rick?” she said. “There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

  * * *

  Erin walked into the laundry room carrying dirty sheets minutes after her latest guests walked out her door. They were headed home after a week of skiing on Argent Springs’ fresh powder, and she was left alone in the house once again.

  The house echoed without Rick or Annabelle there. Echoed with the hollowness of an empty heart. Cold, barren and lonely.

  She shoved the sheets into the washer and grabbed fresh linens from the closet. She’d found her days were better if she stayed busy. Heartbreak gripped her during idle times. As she stepped into the hallway, the sound of a door closing grabbed her attention. She looked toward the front door expecting to see possibly Livia standing in front of her.

  Empty space greeted her.

  She glanced at the stairs, certain the sound had come from that direction. “Hello?” she called, but no one answered. The sound of footsteps on the upper floor triggered her fight or flight response.

  She quickly switched directions and headed into the kitchen, dropping the sheets on the counter before she slipped into the pantry and quietly closed the door. Like a protective friend, Annabelle’s gun waited for her behind the box of snack cakes.

  She grabbed it and pointed it toward the closed door. She’d never shot a gun before, and she prayed the thing was loaded. Even if it wasn’t, it might deter someone from hurting her.

  With her hand shaking, she slid her phone from the pocket in her jeans. She could call Livia, but that might put them both in danger. She thought about calling Rick because, even though he might not love her, she was sure he did care. Instead, she dialed the emergency police number.

  “There’s someone in my house,” she whispered after the dispatcher answered. Her heart pounded as the calm female voice on the other end asked for her address and then told her to stay on the line until the police arrived.

  She tried to remain composed as minutes dragged by. Her breathing seemed amplified in the confined space, and it felt as though the shelves were trying to push her out. She needed air, but she didn’t dare open the door.

  “They’re outside your house now, ma’am,” the dispatcher informed her. “If you feel safe enough, you can open the door. Otherwise, they do have the option of busting it down.”

  “I’m not sure. I think I’m okay to let them in.” She had a gun to protect her, and if someone tried to get her, the police were already there. She slowly opened the pantry door and peeked out. No sight of anything amiss.

  She kept the gun at the ready as she crept into the hallway, nearly jumping out of her skin as a loud knock sounded on the front door and someone announced “Sage County Deputy Sheriff”. She hurried as fast as she could to the door and unlocked it.

  Two deputies had their weapons pointed at her, and she quickly raised her hands into the air. “Thank God you’re here.”

  A dark-haired female deputy with a slender build and intense eyes held out her hand. “I’ll take that.”

  Erin handed Annabelle’s pistol to her. “I was afraid,” she explained.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the woman answered. She removed the clip from the gun.

  “We received a call that there’s an intruder on the property.” A young, blond-haired male deputy glanced beyond her.

  “Yes,” Erin said, sagging with relief. “Someone closed a door and then I heard footsteps upstairs. I thought maybe one of my friends had come over, but no one answered.”

  The woman nodded. “We’ll check it out. If you’re overly concerned, you may wait in our vehicle.”

  Erin glanced at the SUV parked at the edge of the curb with flashing lights. “Can I just stay here? On the porch?”

  They both nodded. “I’ll take the upstairs,” the man said to his counterpart, and both of them entered the house, their weapons drawn.

  Erin stood in the doorway, listening for any kind of commotion, but all she heard was footsteps. A few moments later, the man and then the woman rejoined her.

  “Nothing downstairs,” the female deputy reported.

  The blond deputy shook his head as well. “Nothing upstairs, either, ma’am. One of the bedroom doors was shut, but other than that, nothing seems amiss. Do you live here alone?”

  Erin nodded, trying to find some solace in their words, but none came. “My aunt died recently, and occasionally I rent rooms to guests, but the last ones left just a little while ago. I’m the only one here now.”

  The woman looked at her partner and shrugged. “No pets that might have made the noise?”

  “No.” Nothing short of someone in her house would explain the noise, and she was certain all of the bedroom doors had been open. She’d been upstairs only minutes before. Someone had closed that door.

  Or something.

  “Well, we’ve scoured the house, and no one is inside,” the man said.

  “Also, all of the doors and windows on the ground level are closed a
nd locked.” The woman’s mic crackled, and she paused to turn down the volume. “We’re pretty sure your house is secure. If you’re still concerned, perhaps there’s a friend you could call to come stay with you until you’re feeling more comfortable.”

  Her thoughts immediately went to Rick, but he wasn’t an option. “Yes, okay. I think I’ll do that. Thank you so much for coming.”

  “No problem. Make sure to lock up after we leave,” the woman said, and both deputies headed out her door.

  Erin did as she suggested, locking the door and securing the bolt like Rick used to do every night before bed. She turned and faced the house, expecting a rush of lavender-scented air.

  Nothing.

  “I know you did that,” she called into the ether. “It had to be you.”

  She actually waited for a response even though she knew doing so was ludicrous.

  Then the lavender came.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  It only took Rick a few minutes to walk to Janice’s house. Melinda answered the door wearing a brilliant smile. He was certain she wouldn’t have the same expression when he said what he needed to say.

  “Put on your coat, and let’s take a walk.” He tilted his head to the frosty night behind him. He figured talking on neutral ground would be much preferable than having it out, knowing Janice could jump in at any minute.

  She gave him a quizzical look but left for a moment to retrieve her coat. “What’s up?” She linked her arm through his as they stepped off the porch and headed toward the sidewalk.

  “I thought maybe we could go to Krog’s and get a beer.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  Silence accompanied them as they headed into town, the warmth and noise of the local tavern greeting them as they walked inside.

  Rick nodded hello to Penny, signaling they’d take their usual and then steered Melinda toward an empty table near the rear of the building. He was still a little pissed at Penny for how she’d treated Erin, but he figured now that she’d been caught red-handed, she wouldn’t do it again.

  Melinda shrugged off her coat. The white sweater she wore beneath it hugged her curves, and that along with her light blond hair made her seem like an angel. Quite the illusion.

  “I’m glad you decided to take me out. I always loved it when we’d come here. Do you remember the time Kellan made us play quarters, and then he hit on that out-of-town ski bunny, practically begging her to go home with him?”

  Rick chuckled. “We were all so young and stupid back then.”

  “We’re not so old now,” she said with a smile.

  “But smarter, I hope,” he added.

  She narrowed her eyes, but nodded.

  The waitress arrived with their beers, and Rick gave her enough to cover the cost plus a generous tip. It was his way of spreading Annabelle’s money to those who could appreciate it.

  Melinda took a drink and then licked the suds off her top lip. “That’s good. I’ve really missed this place. They have the best beer. It will be hard to leave it behind when we move to Los Angeles.”

  The time had come. “I’m not moving with you, Melinda. What we had was good, but my heart’s no longer in it.”

  She frowned, a wrinkle appearing between her brows. “How can you say that? We’re meant to be together.”

  He shook his head. “No. Despite her underhanded tactics, Annabelle was right. We’re not meant for each other.”

  “No. This is right. We’re right. I’ve made all my plans around us being together.” The expression in her eyes was so cold, so calculating. In contrast, Erin had started crying immediately when she thought he was leaving her.

  “What plans? We’ve never talked about moving or really anything about our futures. I expected we’d always stay in Argent Springs. I like it here.”

  She took another sip of beer, and he could almost hear the wheels in her brain working, trying to think of a way to spin things her way. “It’s because of that woman, isn’t it? Annabelle’s niece. Nothing would have made Annabelle happier than to find a replacement for me. She made that perfectly clear.”

  Rick snorted. “She did at that.”

  “So, it is Annabelle’s niece. Erin, is it?”

  He didn’t like the look in Melinda’s eye, and a fierce protectiveness came over him. “She has nothing to do with us. That’s all me and you and our inability to form something that could last forever.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit. You promised you’d wait for me.”

  “And did you wait for me? Or did you have someone keeping your bed warm until you felt safe to come home?” The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t deny that she’d cheated on him first chance she’d had.

  She took a deep breath, and he was sure she was about to lay into him. Instead, she released it with a smile. “Fine. We’ll stay here.”

  “You won’t be happy here. You never have been.”

  She shrugged. “Things change. I’ve changed.”

  He narrowed his gaze, trying to figure out where she was taking this game of hers. “Not that much.”

  “You might be surprised. Do you know one of the reasons I’ve hated it here? Because I never felt like I belonged.”

  That made no sense. “You’ve lived here your whole life.”

  “Yes, but I was always the poor girl, the one with nothing, meant to watch from the sidelines.”

  Wow. Her perception of their childhood shocked him. “You had far more than I did.”

  “But it wasn’t enough, was it? I know damn well you felt like I do. You used to tell me about your mother and how she checked out on you. How you had to fight for everything. That will change. For both of us.”

  He shook his head. “Melinda, that changed for both of us a long time ago. Neither of us are those poor little kids we used to be.”

  She snorted and then continued as though he hadn’t challenged her. “You might want to think twice about shacking up with Annabelle’s niece. Before long, she will be the one out on the street. With any luck, she’ll crawl back to wherever she came from and leave me with what’s mine.”

  Livia had told him about Melinda’s devious tactics, but to hear the way she talked of her plans shocked him. He’d waited for this woman? This shallow shell of a person?

  “What happened to you, Melinda?”

  She widened her eyes, taken aback. “What do you mean?”

  “When did you become so materialistic?”

  “Me? You’re just as bad as I am.” She rolled her eyes and took another drink of beer. “That’s why we belong together.”

  They didn’t belong together any more than a bikini belonged on a ski slope. “You want the money, too.”

  She opened her mouth as though he’d completely insulted her, but he’d seen the look of truth that had flashed in her eyes. “What money?”

  “You know I have half of Annabelle’s money. And I know you’re going after Erin’s house. You just want it all, don’t you?”

  “That house isn’t Erin’s. It rightfully belongs to me. Henderson was my grandfather. I’m his only living heir. Everyone in town knows he was a crazy old bastard, and if that old whore Annabelle hadn’t taken advantage of his senility, that house would be mine.” She glared at him, daring him to challenge her. “It should be mine.”

  He shook his head. “You know, when Livia first told me what you were trying to do, I was pissed. Now? I just feel sorry for you, Melinda. You’ll never be happy until you stop wanting what others have. You’re a beautiful woman with the brains to back it up until you get all crazy like this. Give it up. Go back to L.A. where you’ll be happy and try to have a decent life.”

  A breath of silence hovered between them as her expression switched from disbelief to anger.

  “Fuck you,” she whispered. “If you didn’t have her waiting in the wings, you’d come crawling back to me.”

  He studied her, the reality of her depth, or lack thereof, becoming very clear. He needed to bring
this conversation to an end before it escalated further. “No, I wouldn’t.” Not in a million years.

  “You’re a fucking idiot. I’ll walk out that door, and it will be your loss.”

  He shrugged. “That may be.” He’d obviously been a fool to think he’d find anything better than Erin. If Annabelle’s antics hadn’t thrown him for a loop, he wouldn’t be sitting where he was right now.

  “You’ll regret this. When I’m gone and you realize what you’re left with, you’ll hate yourself. No amount of money in the world will make you forget me.”

  “I guess you’d better get to proving me wrong, then.”

  The bottoms of her chair legs scraped on the wooden floor as she suddenly stood. “Jackass,” she hissed before she turned and stomped out of the tavern.

  He watched her go, a mixture of relief for himself and a need to protect Erin from Melinda mingling in his veins.

  His thoughts were derailed as someone started clapping. Then another person and another. He looked around to find most of the bar looking at him, all of the locals expressing their approval.

  He hadn’t realized they’d been loud enough for others to hear. He smiled awkwardly in appreciation and waved away their applause. He wasn’t one to air his difficulties in public. At least they approved of his choice.

  He’d made it to the front of the bar, when the idea struck and he turned around.

  “Thank you for your support. I’m proud to call Argent Springs home,” he said loud enough to be heard over the music. Several people responded by lifting their beer glasses. Penny turned down the music, and those who hadn’t been paying attention turned in his direction. “Truth be told, I’m hoping you all might help me with a little problem.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Relief filled Erin when Monday morning finally rolled around. Turmoil still ruled her life, but she had an appointment with Livia at ten. Her friend, acting as her attorney, would lay out their plan of attack against Melinda’s outrageous claims, and doing something trumped doing nothing. Erin had been trying her hardest to believe Livia’s counsel when she said Melinda didn’t have a chance.