“Is everyone okay?” Elsa asked.
Rachel leaned into Garrett’s chest and he squeezed her tight.
“Yeah,” she said. “Everybody’s fine.”
Epilogue
A solarium wasn’t quite right for Rachel’s needs. She preferred the greenhouse they had built onto the back of their new two-story house. She sat at a round table nestled against the outer windows, watching Garrett run after the twins while Hiram, their eldest, wrestled with Dante and Elsa’s daughter, Alexis.
Deirdre took a tumble and started to cry, but Garrett swooped her up into his arms, checking her knees for scrapes, then giving her kisses and tickling her till she laughed. Dylan clung to his leg, giggling madly.
Life was good.
Rachel turned her attention back to her notebook on the table. Elsa and Dante were planning a signing at the Bookwyrm to celebrate their latest collaborative effort—a children’s book they had written together and Dante had illustrated.
Rachel was designing an exhibit for the paintings Dante had made for the book. They would hang in Jazz’s gallery and tie in with the signing. All the proceeds were going to fund a new wing for the local hospital that would specialize in pediatric medicine.
A high squeal outside made her smile. Such a good cause.
The wind chimes hanging above her head sounded, a cold breeze stirring the pages of her notebook. Rachel planted her hand on the paper and let out a sigh.
“Rachel…” The voice was right at her ear.
In a calm voice Rachel said, “Yes?”
She took a sip of her tea.
There was a pause. Most spirits were confused when their introductions were met with nonchalance. The windows rattled in their panes. Great. One of these again.
Rachel frowned. “There’s no need for theatrics. We’re having a cookout this afternoon. Please don’t make a mess.”
“I will do what I want!”
The rattling kicked up and one of the plants scooted closer to the edge of its shelf.
“I can make your life hell. Make you wish you were—”
“Let me stop you right there.” Rachel smiled as the ghost paused in its spectral posturing.
Rachel pulled on the cord that hung down next to her seat. It flowed through grommets set into the greenhouse’s frame and ended on the far side of the space. The cord was attached to a gauzy cloth that covered a large mirror suspended high in the opposite corner. The lever that let her adjust the angle of the mirror was also right at hand. She took another sip of her tea, adjusting the mirror so that she could scan the room.
“Ah, there we are.”
The ghost was standing next to her. They usually did. Rachel barely ever had to move the mirror at all.
This one was a woman. She might have been in her early twenties when she died.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Rachel said. “But that doesn’t excuse such poor manners.”
“I… You can’t talk to me that way!”
“Oh sweetie…” Rachel smiled. “Let me tell you how this works.”
She set down her tea and dipped her finger into the warm liquid, slowly swirling it around in a circle. As she did, the runes she traced in saltwater on the mirror every morning started to glow.
The ghost turned to face the mirror, eyes widening in her pale face as she saw her reflection. Gray clouds swirled around her, pulling her into the glass and trapping her there.
Rachel set aside her cup and flicked the tea from her finger. Her mother might not have taught Rachel how to handle her powers, but Lillian Montgomery had taught Rachel how to dominate social interactions. Rachel only cast an occasional glance toward the mirror, letting the ghost know that she was not worried in the least by the presence of a spirit.
“I hope the accommodations will be comfortable for you while we work to resolve your issues. Please understand that I can’t have ghosts who are willing to throw their weight around running freely near my home. There are children to consider. The safety of my family and our guests.”
“How did you…”
“It’s neat, isn’t it? One of my friends used to be a set designer for a theater. He’s a brilliant engineer, though he mostly paints nowadays. Set the whole thing up for me.”
Dante had used cords and pulleys rather than electronic motors. The manual system was much more difficult for ghosts to interfere with and had a cool steampunk look.
“I understand that you might have lost touch with certain aspects of your civility,” Rachel said. “But I must ask you to try to remember to treat me and mine with respect. I will do my best to reciprocate.”
She paused to let that sink in with the ghost. Mutual respect or mutual antagonism. Those were the choices. Rachel wanted to be sure the ghost understood just what it would mean if she chose to make Rachel her enemy.
“You will remain in the mirror until I am certain that you pose no danger to anyone, living or dead. If you threaten me, my family, or anyone else…” Rachel stared at the ghost. “Ready or not, you will move on to the next plane, and whatever is waiting there for you.”
The ghost shrank back from Rachel, becoming a bit more transparent. Good.
“But if you are willing to be courteous and explain your situation calmly, I’m willing to hear you out.”
Rachel smiled.
“Now. Let’s see what we can do for you.”
About the Author
Cassandra Chandler has studied folklore and mythology for her entire life and been accused of taking fairy tales a bit too seriously. In her youth, when not reading or watching science-fiction movies, she could be found running through the wilds of Ohio and Florida. Raised in a household where tarot readings and viewing auras were considered mundane, she spends her time writing and trying to appear normal. At least the writing is working out.
Her romances range from sweet to scorching, set in extraordinary worlds and driven by characters searching for a deep and lasting love. Her sincere hope is to make her readers look twice at that knobby old tree and perhaps decide to keep salt packets within easy reach, just in case…
She has always seen the starry sky as a destination rather than a matte painting. Her primary residence is on earth, where she lives with her amazing family and a wide variety of stuffed animals, many of whom have multiple PhDs. You can follow her thoughts on writing, life and mostly writing at www.cassandra-chandler.com or see her real-time ramblings on Twitter (@casschandler). She loves to hear from readers through email at [email protected]!
Look for these titles by Cassandra Chandler
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Whispering Hearts
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Her heart is in the stars…and he’s the man who can take her there.
Evelyn Chambers is a nerdgirl and damned proud of it. Always the odd girl out, she’s found a home in academia, channeling her fantastical imagination and love for the stars into getting a PhD in astronomy. And at last it seems those stars have aligned to send her a match.
Vacationing foreigner Adam Smith gets her, from her field of study to her offbeat sense of humor. He’s also drop-dead gorgeous—and woefully ignorant of the world of science fiction, which she’s only too happy to remedy.
Adam knows more about the stars than he dares reveal. As commander of a starship for the Coalition of Planets, he’s been there.
With his shore leave over, it’s time to return to the coldness of space—unless he takes Evelyn up on her offer of marriage. But he doesn’t want a green card. He wants Evelyn, and he’ll do whatever it takes to stay at her side. But if she discovers his secrets, he has to hope she’ll believe alien
s—and his love for her—are real.
Warning: Contains terrible puns, intergalactic nerd-love, and plenty of probing.
A leap across time is easy...if you throw your heart first.
A woman with a secret…
Elsa Sinclair’s ability to bring stunning realism to her historical novels is a secret she must never reveal. She does her research first-hand—by traveling back in time.
When she stumbles across the man behind the legendary Phantom of the Opera, she is moved by his strength, his kindness…and the moments when his solitary existence seems unbearable. She can’t simply sit by and leave him to his fiery fate.
A man out of time…
Dante Lucerne is shocked to find himself pulled from certain death and carried to another time and continent. The new world is full of wonders, not the least of which is the woman who saved him.
A darkness threatens…
As Elsa helps Dante adjust to his new world, she makes a terrifying discovery—she is falling in love. And it is Dante who must find a way to help her let go of secrets that run deeper than her power. Into the very heart of what they could lose if he fails…
Warning: Contains a fiery heroine, a brilliant hero, and a love passionate enough to span a century.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Whispering Hearts
Copyright © 2016 by Cassandra Chandler
ISBN: 978-1-61923-273-0
Edited by Holly Atkinson
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: January 2016
www.samhainpublishing.com
Whispering Hearts Page 27