Whispering Hearts

by Cassandra Chandler

  “We need to keep ourselves hydrated after that afternoon,” Garrett said.

  “And for tonight.”

  Rachel ran her hand down his chest, trailing her fingers almost all the way down the dark river of hair that bisected his torso. If she went too far, it would be a while before they ate.

  “Maybe we should have put some clothes on…”

  She hadn’t even thought about the fact that they were standing naked in his kitchen. She was that comfortable with him. And he must be that comfortable with her. The thought delighted her and she giggled.

  “When a man’s body starts to get ready to please his woman, he’s not looking for giggles.”

  Her gaze dropped past his waist and a different kind of hunger altogether stirred in her.

  “Stop. Stop looking at me like that.” He turned her around and playfully swatted her backside as she walked toward the living room. Then he slid the plates and glasses across the counter.

  “Hand me a couple of towels, will you?”

  He didn’t ask why she wanted them—just opened a drawer and grabbed a pair, then handed them to her. She draped them over the barstools.

  “They look cold,” she said.

  “Good thinking.”

  He joined her on the other side of the counter and they started eating, sitting so their knees touched.

  When they were about done, Garrett said, “I have to ask. Did you ever tell your parents about what you can do?”

  Rachel snorted. “My dad—no. And I didn’t have to tell my mom. She already knew.”

  “How?”

  “Because she can do the same thing.”

  Garrett choked on his last bite of sandwich. Rachel reached out and patted him on the back. He took a long sip from his glass when he’d cleared his throat.

  “Lillian Montgomery is psychic?” he asked.

  Rachel laughed again. “Please do not ever tell her that you know.”

  “I wouldn’t dare. She’d probably have me killed.”

  Fear clawed at Rachel’s heart suddenly. Her mother was capable of much more than hearing ghosts. Terrible things.

  “Garrett, you really need to be careful with my mother. She’s much more dangerous than you think.”

  He laughed. “I think I can take her.”

  “No,” Rachel shook her head. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”

  “You mean aside from hearing ghosts?”

  “Listen to me. I told you that Hiram crossed over to protect me. Something happened… Something terrible.”

  “This is that story you mentioned earlier. The one I won’t like.”

  She didn’t want to have to tell him this, but it was a vital part of her past. He needed to know, both to understand the regular nightmares when they returned and so he knew the true horror that was Mrs. Lillian Montgomery.

  “I talked about Hiram all the time when I was a kid. Even in front of strangers,” Rachel said. “When I was younger, my mother could explain it away as an imaginary friend. But when I grew older, people started giving me strange looks. Then they started giving her strange looks.”

  Lillian Montgomery had found that unacceptable. Rachel felt her cheeks tingle with rage over what her mother had done to control her disobedient daughter.

  “What did she do?” Garrett’s voice was a low rumble. This wasn’t going to go over well.

  “My mother took me to a town a few hours away. She never paid much attention to me before that day. She had nannies for that. I was so excited.” Rachel shook her head. She refused to cry over this. Not anymore.

  “We walked into this abandoned building on the outskirts of the town. It had burned down years before. I was scared, but she was with me and I thought she would keep me safe, because that’s what mothers are supposed to do. We walked to this huge empty room and she said, ‘Playing with ghosts isn’t all fun and games.’ Then she stood there and smiled while they came for me.”

  Rachel was shaking. Dammit! She shouldn’t be shaking. She dared to look at Garrett. His jaw was working again, his lips so tight they were bloodless.

  “It had been a maximum security prison before a riot that killed dozens of prisoners in addition to several of the guards. I was eight.”

  “Jesus!” Garrett grabbed her hands and squeezed them.

  She didn’t let him pull her close. Didn’t dare rest against his chest and cry. This was an old pain. She wanted him to know she could deal with it.

  “After that, word spread about what I could do among ghosts that were not as kind as Hiram. That’s why he brought Chloe to me. He contacted her during one of her rituals. He’s the one who came up with the plan to pretend that I lost the ability after…”

  Rachel shook her head, trying to turn her mind away from those horrible memories.

  “Chloe taught me about poppets and helped me learn, and Hiram…” Rachel couldn’t stop a few tears from rolling down her cheek at the thought of losing him. “Hiram crossed over as part of a ritual Chloe designed. He was able to grab a couple of the ghosts who had been especially…unpleasant…and take them with him.”

  Garrett didn’t need to know just how bad those spirits had been. Judging from his reaction so far, Rachel had better not tell him about the ones who were able to affect the physical plane. About the scratches and shoving and the light touches to her hair she could almost convince herself she imagined.

  Chloe had assured Rachel that Hiram wouldn’t be dragged to the same place as those spirits. Rachel wouldn’t have let them try the ritual otherwise. She was sure those ghosts were headed for suffering.

  “How could your mother just stand by and listen to that?” Garrett asked. “How could she subject you to it?”

  “She wanted me to stop talking about ghosts. Her plan worked. And she didn’t know exactly what they said. Have you ever noticed that she wears two sets of earrings?”

  “That’s kind of a non sequitur. You’re going to have to build me a bridge.”

  He would get it in a moment. “One set is always the same. Understated little moonstone studs. They block the voices. Apparently, they were passed down from generation to generation in my family. Hiram asked around and told me. All the women are clairsentient.”

  “That is…a lot to process. I mean, I would never guess in a million years that your mom knew a thing about any of this, let alone that she could do something so awful to her own daughter.”

  “She always told me, ‘Watch what you say—a proper lady is neither smart nor psychic.’”

  Rachel felt her grimace as she said her mother’s favorite bit of advice. How many thousands of times had Mrs. Montgomery whispered those words in Rachel’s ear to keep her daughter in check?

  The set line to Garrett’s jaw made Rachel uncomfortable. He was planning something and she doubted she would like it.

  “I’m getting you those earrings. One way or another.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “No, I shouldn’t have to. She should have given them to you already.”

  Rachel let out another scoff. Her mother doing something supportive like that was such an alien thought.

  Chloe had said that families with powers like Rachel’s usually gave the children whatever tools were available to help them until they could control their powers. Lillian must have skipped that lesson from the grandmother Rachel had never met.

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay! She’s waltzing around like the Queen Bee while you’re trapped in here behind poppets. She’s your mother. She should have taken care of you, not…” He snapped his mouth shut, fuming.

  Lillian had never taken care of Rachel. That was what the nannies were for.

  Rachel kept the comment to herself. Garrett seemed ready to explode already.

  “I’m okay,” Rachel said
. “I’ll figure something out.”

  “What about our kids?”

  Rachel’s breath caught in her chest. Even though she had mentioned kids and he seemed on board, they hadn’t actually talked about it. She had always wanted a big family, but didn’t think it could happen for her because of her ability. With Garrett as her partner, anything seemed possible.

  “Our kids?” she squeaked.

  “What if we have three girls?”

  She could see the wheels moving in his head. He wanted to take care of Rachel, and he was already worrying about kids they didn’t have yet.

  Yet… Yet!

  The reality of her future was just hitting her. Rachel jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him long and deep.

  As she trailed her kisses along his neck, he said, “I don’t see how this is helping us find a solution.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” she whispered in his ear, then gave it a nip. “Someone made those earrings for her. I can make my own and sets for our girls.”

  Their girls!

  Rachel leaned back and gave him a fake-serious look. “We get to have boys too, right?”

  He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The smile on his face matched hers. He seemed as enthralled at the notion as she was.

  “We can have as many kids as you want.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?”

  They were going to do this right. Their children would be loved. So loved. Rachel’s chest felt over-full, warmth and love washing away the pall of remembering such awful events.

  “Okay,” he said. “But afterwards, we’re going to talk jewelry. Including rings.”

  Garrett grinned and carried her back to the bedroom.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “We’re going to need a bigger house.” Garrett couldn’t believe they were already talking about kids. Lots of kids. His heart beat faster just thinking about it.

  Rachel was sprawled across his chest after yet another round of lovemaking. She made a soft cooing sound and shifted her legs closer to his.

  “You should design it for us,” he said. “With plenty of bedrooms for the kids. Maybe one of those climbers like you see at playgrounds in the back.”

  She laughed and tightened her grip around his waist. “How about a pool?”

  “We can plan to put one in later, but not right away. Not until they all know how to swim.” The thought of a pool plus kids made his stomach sour. There were too many chances for them to get hurt. “Maybe not out in the country, either.”

  She pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him, her brow furrowing. “I thought you loved living out in the country.”

  “Too many wild animals.” More variables he couldn’t control.

  “Cities have too many people,” she said. “More people equals more ghosts.”

  “Right, I forgot for a moment.”

  He didn’t want Rachel to be plagued by spirits. Or their girls, for that matter. His chest tightened at the thought of a flock of girls running around in the backyard in dresses, squealing in delight as they played.

  “I like the look on your face right now,” Rachel said.

  He glanced back at her and smiled. “I’m not surprised. I suppose we can live in the country.”

  At least in the country the dangers were tangible. Rachel wouldn’t be the only one who had to stand guard. He hated the thought that some ghost could be talking to his kids and he wouldn’t know what they were saying or that they were even there.

  “It went away,” Rachel said.

  “What?”

  “The look on your face.” She ran the backs of her fingers along his jaw. “It makes me wonder what I need to do to bring it back.”

  That mischievous expression gave him some pretty good ideas about what she had in mind. He could think about their future later. Like she said, they would figure it out. For the moment, he wanted to focus on her.

  She was already sliding down his stomach when the room darkened quickly enough for them both to notice. Rachel rose to her knees, staring at the window.

  “The storm’s late today,” she said.

  “It rained a little earlier while you were sleeping. This must be another one.”

  Florida’s humidity didn’t just come from the ocean. The afternoon summer rainstorms did their part. It didn’t rain long, and usually at the peak of the afternoon heat. Garrett glanced at the clock. It was already past five.

  Thunder boomed in the distance and rain started to pound on the roof. Rachel stared at the ceiling.

  “That’s really loud. Did you ever pull your car into the garage?”

  “No.”

  The noise above was rising, interspersed with pings and thuds that were unmistakably hail. Garrett jumped up and pulled on his pajama bottoms.

  “I can bring it in for you,” she said.

  He leaned over the bed and kissed her for longer than he’d intended. When he finally was able to pull himself away, he said, “Darlin’, there’s no way I’m letting you go out in this.”

  She raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. “Letting me?”

  “How about, ‘I’d really prefer if you stayed inside.’”

  “Fine. But I’m coming along to watch and help if I can.”

  She grabbed the T-shirt she had borrowed from him earlier and pulled it on. Garrett was mesmerized by the thin fabric floating down over her body, imagining the feel of it against her skin.

  Rachel clapped her hands. “Let’s go!”

  Smiling, he trotted out of the room. His keys were on a table in the foyer. He picked them up as he opened the door to the garage and stepped through it. Rachel was right behind him.

  “You don’t have to come in with me.”

  “I’m okay,” she said. Her smile was a bit strained. “I’m going to have to go into garages again eventually.”

  “But not now if you don’t want to. You’re already doing enough. You don’t have to go so fast.”

  She crossed into the garage and stepped in close to him as she ran her hands up along his arms. “I like to go fast sometimes.”

  Damn. He was starting to tent his pajamas. He leaned down to kiss her again, deep and wet. Maybe he could give her some better memories to drown out the others.

  There was a table next to the washing machine at just the right height to set her on. She could wrap her thighs around his waist while he rocked into her.

  He was already reaching down to lift her from the ground when a thunderclap brought him back to earth. They both jumped. It probably wasn’t the safest time to be doing anything too adventurous.

  She smiled at him as she pulled away. “We should get the car in the garage before it’s covered in dings.”

  “I suppose so.”

  She hit the button to open the garage door and the sound of the rain instantly intensified. Her smile faltered along with his.

  Water ran into the garage from what could only be described as a torrential downpour. They walked as close to the door as they dared. Mist floated in and stuck to his chest. He couldn’t even see the car.

  “You need to go inside,” he said.

  “It’s not that bad.”

  He shook his head. “I’m going to have trouble seeing. I don’t want you here when I pull the car in.”

  “I guess that makes sense. I’ll be waiting just inside the door, though.”

  “Okay.”

  She grabbed his hand and pulled him down for a quick kiss.

  “For luck,” she said.

  He smiled and watched her walk away, waiting to turn around till she was safely out of the garage. Unlocking the door with his key fob, he took a deep breath, then plunged into the water.

  It was always colder than he expected. In the middle of the summer, when
the air was oppressively hot, the rain should match. But it didn’t. And this storm was colder than most. It took his breath away.

  Hail bounced off his shoulders and stung his scalp. Running flat out for the twenty or so feet to his car, he was still soaked when he slid into the driver’s seat. They were going to have to dry off the upholstery. At least the driveway kept him from getting sandspurs lodged in his feet.

  The rain was even louder inside the car. Hailstones almost as big as golf balls pelted it. They seemed to be getting bigger. Nearby, a dark looming shape shook itself frantically back and forth—one of the palm trees in his front yard. The thing was practically bent in half.

  “Jesus,” he murmured under his breath.

  He started the car, eager to get back inside—back to Rachel. The wiper blades did almost nothing to improve his visibility. Luckily, he knew his drive well enough that he made it into the garage without scraping anything. His car was definitely going to have some dings.

  As soon as he was in, he killed the engine and stepped out, then closed the driver’s side door. Rachel was standing in the doorway to the house, holding some towels.

  “I wanted you to know I stayed safely inside the whole time.”

  “I appreciate that.” He smiled at her as he slicked his hair back from his face, water trailing down his back.

  She hit the button to close the garage door, then walked over to him and handed him a towel. He wiped his chest and arms, then went to work on his hair.

  “I’m sorry you’re so wet.” She walked around behind him and started to work on his shoulders. “But I am really going to enjoy drying you off.”

  His teeth were chattering. “I think I’ll enjoy it a lot more when I’m warmer. We should take a shower later.”

  She dabbed the water from his back with her towel. “What are you doing in five minutes?”

  “You, I imagine.”

  She laughed, and he turned around and grabbed her, pulling her against his chest and lifting her feet from the ground. Her laugh deepened—the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

  So what if his car was all wet. He had a gorgeous, brilliant, incredibly imaginative woman to bed. He turned back toward the house with her already nibbling on his neck.