by Cindy Miles
Allie could feel the despair and hatred pouring off the soul in heavy, suffocating waves.
She drew a deep breath and knelt down beside Gabe. She rested her hand on his biceps and stared at his wife’s spirit. “Leave him,” Allie ordered. “Please, Kait, leave him alone.” She stared, unafraid, at the spirit. “If you’ll let me, I can help you—”
A terrible groan sounded from the soul, threatening, overwhelming, and yet no words formed.
Gabe’s wife simply screamed. And with the one eye remaining looked at Allie, pointed, and her flailing mouth smiled.
And then the soul vanished.
Chapter 27
“Gabe! Wake up!” Gabe jerked and sat up. His heart hammered in his chest, his breath quickened, and he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.
Christ, another dream . . .
A soft hand stroked his, and he jumped back. Startled, he stared into a pair of wide eyes.
“Gabe, it’s Allie. Look at me. Breathe.”
The cobwebs of the nightmare still clogged his brain, and he slid his hand round the back of his neck. He did breathe. He closed his eyes and his body began to shake.
“Gabe, look at me.”
That same soft hand rested against his cheek, grasped his jaw, and turned his head. “Gabe.”
Gabe opened his eyes and recognition set in. He heaved a sigh, took a deep breath, and heaved another. “Christ.”
Allie. It was Allie. She eased onto the bed, leaned against the short headboard, and pulled Gabe to her. He went willingly, slid his arms around her waist, and settled into her softness. Her arms went round him and she held on tightly. He felt her mouth press against the top of his head. Neither said anything for quite some time.
Then Allie spoke.
“This is why you’re awake at the same time every morning,” she said, her voice gentle. “She comes to you.”
Gabe inhaled Allie’s scent, and it calmed him. “Aye. And I should’ve told you. I was goin’ to that night at the wharf, but Sean interrupted.” He sighed again. “I suppose I was hopin’ to handle it myself, or that she’d see I’d moved on with my life, and leave me and Jake alone.”
Allie’s soft fingertips trailed his hairline, his ear. “She’s not going to, Gabe. She’s so miserable, so angry.”
In the silvery light, he glanced up. “At first, ’twas just dreams—or so I thought. Then they became so bloody real, I couldna tell if I was dreamin’ or if her spirit was haunting me.” He squeezed her tighter. “Her soul came to me the other day during the waking hours. She knows you’re with me, Allie. She’s told me several times to make you go. She doesna like you.”
“There’s always a first for everything,” she said, and Gabe could feel her smile in her voice.
He leaned up on one elbow. “I think she’s dangerous, Allie. I dunna want you near her.” He rested his head next to hers. “I can handle it.”
“You’re not doing such a swell job, MacGowan,” Allie said. She turned and looked at him, and gently brushed the areas beneath both eyes. “Look at you. You’re being tormented, Gabe. And honestly, I can help.”
A rush of fear swept over Gabe at the thought of Allie interacting with Kait’s soul. He rolled off the bed and walked to the large picture window. Pressing his forehead against the cool glass, he watched the treetops sway from the wind.
“When I walked into the room it was like ice,” Allie said, behind him but not touching. “She’s torturing you, Gabe, and she’ll keep torturing you until her spirit is eased. She’s so sad, so full of guilt and pain—and she doesn’t know why.” Allie placed a hand on his back. “She’ll continue, and maybe get worse, until her soul is mended—”
Gabe turned and took Allie by the shoulders. He leaned toward her and locked his gaze on hers. “Listen to me, lass. I dunna need your help with me dead wife.” He gave her a gentle shake. “Do you hear me? I want you to leave it be.” He’d not be able to live with himself if something happened to Allie.
She smiled and searched his eyes. “But I can’t. I’m involved. And I cannot bear to see a soul suffer. She appears frightening because she’s troubled, Gabe. Unlike the Odin’s lot, who appear as they did in life, Kait appears as she probably did after death took its toll. She cannot help herself. Whether by guilt over the mistakes she made, her uncertainty, or a truth that is unknown—it’s all made her soul demented.” She shook her head. “No matter her mistakes, and no matter how much she has tortured you, you must understand that no soul deserves to toil forever like that. She needs my help.”
Gabe heaved a frustrated sigh. He brushed a stray curl from Allie’s face, then held her head with both hands. He leaned close, brushed a kiss across her lips, and gave her a hard look. “I love you for wanting to help me, Allie Morgan, and Christ, for wanting to help Kait. But I canna allow it. Her soul is dangerous.” He pulled her into a fierce hug, and he buried his face into her neck. “Just then, before you chased Kait away, I couldna wake myself up. ’Twas like I lay trapped.” He traced her jaw. “I dunna know how she’s able to use me strength against me, but she is and I couldna live with myself if she hurt you. Leave it alone, I’m beggin’ you. I’ll be fine.”
Allie’s arms wrapped around his waist, and she rested her head against his chest. He wanted to put Kait from his mind, didna want to think of Allie getting involved in something so dangerous.
He let his hands slide down Allie’s back, over her hips, and just enveloping himself with her presence comforted him.
And it was then he noticed just how verra little Allie had on.
“Christ, woman,” he said against her ear. “Are you tryin’ to kill me yourself?” He nuzzled her neck. “What in bloody hell are you wearin’?”
Allie gave a soft laugh. “It’s a tank top and shorts, silly. Perfectly acceptable bedtime attire.”
Obviously, Allie failed to realize what a thin top and a cold room could do to a woman’s body. With a groan, he set her back.
Before he took her against the bloody picture window.
He looked at her and stifled a groan. “ ’Tis passed now, Kait’s presence. She never stays for verra long. Go back to sleep. We’ll get up early and take our time drivin’ back to Sealladh na Mara.”
“Okay.” She stared at him a moment, her eyes searching his, and although she smiled and didna mention Kait or the dream again, he knew ’twas on her mind. And that she was strong enough and willing to face whatever evil Kait had to offer, just to help him? Christ Almighty, what a woman.
His woman.
Gabe watched her leave the room and close the door. In the hall, her soft footsteps led her to her own room.
He closed his eyes and prayed the moon would sink, and the sun would rise soon.
With a groan, he flung himself back onto the bed, threw an arm over his eyes. Before sleep took him, visions of Allie beneath him, her bare skin glistening from the faint light of the moon, and the sweetness of her body as it moved with his overtook all thoughts of malevolent ghosts and night terrors . . .
The ride home the next morning was beyond breathtaking. Before she and Gabe left the cottage, they’d taken an early morning stroll through the wood and down to Loch Ness, where an eerie mist had slipped along the shore and blanketed the water. She’d borrowed one of Gabe’s big sweaters, and together they walked the pebbled beach, looking for the infamous waterhorse.
Nessie had decided to keep to herself that morning.
Afterward, they’d driven into Drumnadrochit for breakfast, and then they’d started home. Gabe drove past another small ruin, a field dotted with white fluffy sheep, and then through Wester Ross.
At a craggy rock, they’d witnessed a majestic stag with a full rack of antlers, staring out across the moors. With the mist slipping through the air and the cool stillness of the morning, it nearly took Allie’s breath away. Every sight felt new, memorable, beautiful.
As did the man beside her.
She’d never forget the strength he’d shown
the night before. It made her feel proud that, even in the midst of an electrical current of pent-up desire, Gabe MacGowan held true to his sobriety vow. God, she’d always remember it.
As soon as the sign for Sealladh na Mara came into view, Allie felt at home.
Strange, given she was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The day had turned overcast, the wind had picked up, and the few small fishing boats anchored in the loch bobbed with the tide. The whitewashed buildings of the village stood stark against the grayness of the midmorning, but the flower boxes, filled with pansies and geraniums, lent a surreal color to the bleakness.
Come to think of it, the bleakness really wasn’t all that bleak.
Gabe hadn’t said anything more about Kait or the dreams and ghostly visits that had plagued him for God only knew how long. He’d made it quite clear how much he didna need Allie’s help.
He just didn’t realize Allie’s potential. Mending souls is what she did for a living, and she accomplished it by actually being able to understand the spirits’ issues. And if anyone’s soul needed mending, it was Kait MacGowan’s. Why would Gabe willingly want to suffer if he didn’t have to?
Talk about suffering. Suffering was being held against Gabe MacGowan’s bare chest with his lips pressed against your neck, and then being told to go to bed.
That was suffering.
She glanced over at him. Jaw tight, eyes trained on the road ahead, that little space between the brows pinched. Fingers gripping the steering wheel as if holding on for dear life.
But then Gabe must have sensed her stare, and when he turned his head he flashed a wide, white smile. His green eyes softened and Allie all but melted.
She’d decided earlier, while suffering in Gabe’s arms against his bare, six-pack abdomen, that she was going to help Gabe by helping Kait’s soul—whether Gabe wanted her to or not. The poor woman had been miserable in life, and was even more miserable in death. And the more miserable a soul became, the more malevolent it became. It couldn’t help it. Allie didn’t think Kait MacGowan deserved it. Gabe’s wife had been young. She’d made mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes.
Besides. Kait was Jake’s mother. Allie felt pretty sure little Jake wouldn’t want his own mother suffering an eternity of misery.
The Rover pulled onto the one-track lane of Sealladh na Mara and started the incline toward Odin’s Thumb. No sooner had they pulled to a stop than the door swung open and a middle-aged woman wearing a gray suit ran out.
Screaming.
Gabe’s head turned and his gaze followed the woman as she ran across the street, jumped into a red two-door, and sped away. “Christ.”
Just then, Sean came hurrying out of Odin’s. Gabe and Allie stepped out of the Rover, and met the grinning younger man on the walk.
Sean glanced at the red car speeding up the lane. “Right. There goes another one.”
Gabe rubbed the back of his neck. “Another one?”
Sean nodded. “Two since you left. The Realtor called directly after and asked if the two appointments could be moved up.” He shrugged. “We handled it.”
Gabe scratched his temple. “I dunna even want to know about it—”
“Da!”
They turned and Jake came barreling out of Odin’s, followed by the five residing souls, plus Dauber.
Jake leapt into Gabe’s arms and the two hugged tightly.
“How’s me lad, aye?” Gabe said, and kissed his son on the cheek. “Have you been well behaved?”
Jake grinned. “Not so much.”
Gabe laughed. “Well, with your uncle Sean around I canna say I blame you.” He kissed him again and set him on the ground.
Then Jake made a beeline for Allie. She squatted down and Jake ran straight into her arms. When she hugged him, she caught Gabe’s eye, and he smiled.
The sight nearly made her melt.
Against her ear, Jake whispered, “Have you mended me da’s soul yet, Allie Morgan?”
Allie squeezed the little boy tightly, loving his clean scent and sweet concern over his father. “I think I may have,” she said. When Jake lifted his head, he smiled. “I knew you were the one.”
The profoundness of Jake’s confidence struck her, and Allie nearly teared up. She stood, and Jake took her hand in his.
Gabe watched on, smiling.
“I see you two had a couple of verra close calls,” Sean said with a grin. “I thought Drew was going to go mad.”
“I nearly did go mad,” the friar said, stepping forward and giving a mock glare. “I’m quite happy to see you two return safely.”
“You had a lovely trip, oui?” said Mademoiselle, her powdered wig teetering just a bit to the left. “Did you meet anyone interesting?”
Allie caught the eye of Captain Justin Catesby. He shook his head and laughed. Turning to Gabe, he gave a short nod. “Glad to see you home again, lad. And I thank you for keeping your word.”
Lords Ramsey and Killigrew watched on, devilment shining in their eyes.
She could only imagine what sort of naughtiness they’d conjured in the hours they’d been gone.
Just then, the door opened and Wee Mary poked her head out. The delicious scent of pot roast wafted out and mixed with the brine of Sealladh na Mara, and Allie’s stomach growled.
“Boy, dunna you feed the lass properly?” said Justin. “I can hear her bloody innards protesting from here.”
Everyone roared.
Allie held her stomach. “Well, thank you very much, Justin, for that announcement.” She led Jake by the hand and past the mischievous lot of souls and into Odin’s.
Wee Mary looked up at her and grinned.
And Allie grinned back.
And as they all pitched in and prepared for the Sunday pot roast crowd, Allie thought things could hardly be more perfect.
And the only thing left to do was to help right one lost soul’s mistake in life, and help her find the peace she so desperately craved.
Even if Kait didn’t realize it.
Nearly two weeks went by, and Allie was beginning to wonder if she’d frightened off the malevolent soul of Kait MacGowan.
Allie knew the spirits listened to her more closely than they did anyone else. Yes, she was still mortal, but because she’d died twice, they seemed to respect her a bit more, value her consult. At least, she liked to think.
Earlier, before they’d turned in, Gabe had finally admitted that his dreams had stopped, and Kait had shown herself no more. Gabe didn’t have to admit it, though. Allie had been able to tell by Gabe’s demeanor and attitude over the past two weeks.
It’d been an amazing transformation.
As Allie rested, duvet pulled to her chin and the smoky peat burning in the hearth, she thought of that amazing, transformed man. Funny, joking, and laid-back, Gabe MacGowan had done something he hadn’t done in years. Live life.
And she’d been lucky enough to witness it.
Before Sean had gone back to Glasgow, he, Gabe, and Jake had taken her on the ferry to Skye and Iona. The day had been absolutely breathtaking, with the sun shining full and bright. The air had remained crisp and cool, especially with the brisk sea wind. The white, fluffy clouds stood stark against a cerulean sky, and the sun had reflected against the choppy water like hundreds and hundreds of finely cut diamonds under a brilliant flash of light.
Although Jake had crossed over to Skye and Iona many times, he kept his uncle busy, darting here and there, wanting to sit on top deck, wanting to sit on bottom deck, wanting to get close to the bow, wanting to sit by the captain.
Excited by everything he saw.
Allie thought it adorable.
She ran with him a good bit, too. Heck, she wanted to sit by the captain.
But Jake’s father had other things on his mind. He’d grabbed Allie, and they’d stood at the Caledonian’s railing as they’d crossed to the isles. Gabe had gathered her in his arms, her back to his front, his chin resting atop her head. The sea had washed over
them, and Gabe had nuzzled her neck and brushed kisses against her ear.
By the time they’d reached Skye, Allie thought she might have to take a wee dip in the seawater to douse her desire.
The man certainly could get her worked up.
They’d then spent one day visiting the Isle of Skye, where they’d viewed the MacLeod stronghold, and the spectacular cliffs. Another day, they’d visited the isles of Mull and Iona, with the colorful red, yellow, and blue buildings of Mull’s Tobermory, and the ancient cloister and abbey at Iona. Serene and moving, the nearly 180 medieval-carved stones and crosses stood sturdy and proud against the fierceness of the Hebrides.
And Allie had never been more thrilled than to share it all with Gabe MacGowan. And she’d never thought she’d ever find a love so intense and real . . .
Allie’s eyelids grew heavy, and she had no idea how long she’d been asleep before a small voice awakened her.
“Allie, come quick!” cried little Jake. He grabbed her hand and pulled. “Please, Allie. Now!”
Allie jumped up and hit the floor running, Jake right on her heels.
Without even asking, she ran straight for Gabe’s room.
Chapter 28
When Allie threw open Gabe’s bedroom door, her heart nearly stopped. The lights flickered, and Gabe lay sprawled out on the bed, unmoving, pale.
And hovering over him, Kait’s ghastly spirit.
She wished Jake hadn’t seen his mother’s soul in such a state, but he had. He was just as receptive to spirits as anyone else in Sealladh na Mara.
“Go find the others,” Allie instructed Jake.
He took off down the corridor.
Slowly, she stepped into the room and eased in close to Gabe’s bed. God Almighty, she’d swear he was dead if not for the very slight rise and fall of his chest. Behind his lids, his eyes rolled restlessly back and forth. She didn’t know how, but Kait had him.