by Jenna Roads
“So, you were alone the first time you noticed anything going on?” Cheveyo asked.
“Yes, but I had been with Logan earlier. You see, Logan had been taking me and showing me Albuquerque ever since the second day I arrived here. After writing it all down, it looks like it started on day three of me being here,” I said.
“When did you first notice something?” Cheveyo asked Logan.
“It was night four when I experienced the ghost or whatever it was,” Logan replied.
“So, on day three, you told Logan about the spirit and then he had an encounter on night four?” Cheveyo asked.
“I didn’t realize it was a spirit until day four and that’s when I told Logan,” I responded.
“You say you have been together basically every day since you arrived,” Cheveyo said.
“Yes, and until at least after dinner every night,” Logan said.
“Why don’t we do this? Let’s recount every place you have been and time frames of when you were with Logan since your arrival,” Cheveyo said.
We both filled in the blanks of all of our time together and places we had been. We gave him all the details and he studied them fiercely.
He said, “You really have been together the biggest part of the time haven’t you?”
“Yes, we have,” I affirmed.
“From all the things that happened, I don’t think the spirit means to bring harm to you, Isabella. I would have to guess that the spirit is trying to get your attention, and it is upset, maybe even sad,” Cheveyo said.
“Well, it definitely got our attention! What about the word ‘help’ on the mirror? Maybe it needs help,” I commented.
“But, what could we possibly do to help? I don’t know, but I can’t let this thing run Isabella out of her home and scare her beyond belief. This is crazy,” Logan said.
“What if we all go back there and camp out until we figure this out?” Cheveyo suggested.
“I don’t know if my heart can take anymore,” I said.
“We will be with you every minute, Isabella, and I swear I won’t let anything happen to you,” Logan said.
“That goes for me, too,” Cheveyo said.
“I guess I don’t really have a choice,” I said.
“You could stay here at my place, Isabella, and Cheveyo and I could camp out there,” Logan suggested.
“I guess I better go back there. My aunt has already left me a message and she might call. I would just be worried about the two of you the whole time anyway, so count me in,” I said.
“Okay, so why don’t I go and pick up a few things that I might need, and we will meet back at the Vista Hermosa house at say 2 p.m. Is that good?” Cheveyo asked.
“That sounds like a plan to me. I’ll bring the papers with me,” Logan said.
“I wish we each had a copy,” Cheveyo said.
“No problem. I’ll make us copies before we meet up. I have a copier in the other room on my desk,” Logan said.
“Great, I am outta here then,” Cheveyo said.
“Okay, catch ya later,” Logan replied.
Logan looked at me and I guess I looked worried, because he put his arms around my waist and pulled me into him.
“Nothing in the world will ever come between us, especially not a ghost. I will protect you, babe, and guard you with my life. Don’t be afraid.”
“Does this mean we are now ghost busters? Wow, this seems so ridiculous!”
“No, I think with Cheveyo, we are Spirit Warriors,” Logan replied.
“Who in the world would believe all of this? And what do I tell Aunt Carol?” I asked.
“I don’t know too many who would believe, but as you can see, my friend, Cheveyo, does. He believes enough to put his life on hold to come help us. I still say we tell Aunt Carol nothing because you would just have to be here to believe it. I think it will only upset her and make her question our sanity. For now, let’s just act like everything is under control and that is not a lie. We are somehow managing with our spirit. I have enough to tell her, what with falling in love with my job assignment and all,” he chuckled.
“I think you are right on all accounts,” I replied.
We gathered our things together and drove to a Red Robin nearby to grab a hamburger. We had plenty of time before meeting Cheveyo. We went in and sat at a table and placed our order. I got the sautéed shroom burger and fries and Logan got the guacamole bacon burger and fries.
He took my hand across the table, looked at my ring, and squeezed my hand.
“I am so glad I found you, Isabella,” he told me.
“I am the lucky one, Logan,” I replied back. “I can’t believe how amazing you are. I certainly would never have dreamed I would meet the sexiest guy in town and he would fall for me,” I said.
Logan smiled that great smile of his.
“The truth is, who wouldn’t fall for you, when you are like the brightest star on the darkest night? You shine with a love as big as the galaxy.” I smiled back.
“I have never met another like you. You are an original masterpiece,” Logan said.
“Wow! Be careful not to put me on a pedestal, because I will surely fall off. That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I love you, Logan.”
Our food arrived at our table and we ate our lunch. Mine was very good.
“How is your food?” I asked Logan.
“It’s good, just the way I like it. The guac makes it really good,” he said.
The waitress came by to ask about dessert and we declined. We were stuffed.
After paying, we got up to leave, and Logan left a tip for the waitress. I had tried to pay, and of course, he wouldn’t let me. When we got in the truck, I saw that I had another message on my phone from Aunt Carol, and I decided I must call her.
Logan said, “No, I will call her. It is past time anyway. I might as well get this over with.”
He dialed her number on his cell. I was anxious for him. I listened to his side of the conversation and it sounded like it was going well. After a few minutes, he hung up his phone.
I said, “Well, that sounded good.”
“It was great. She is so cool. She said she picked me for you and prayed we would get together. She was, well, ecstatic about it. She won’t take her money back. She said I did just as she asked and everything she prayed for. She asked if you were happy and I told her you were. She asked if you were with me, and I asked if she wanted to talk to you, and she said no. She said she found out everything she needed to know and even better news than she’d hoped. I told her I was in love, and she said she was so happy for us,” Logan recapped.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. I guess I can, because she kept asking about you and us and how we were getting along. That is so cool that she wants us together,” I said.
“Yes, I had no clue,” Logan said.
“That takes care of that,” I said.
“Are you ready to go to her house?” Logan asked.
“Sure,” I said.
We traveled toward Vista Hermosa and listened to “Not Over You” on the stereo by Gavin DeGraw.
“Do you realize that I have not cooked one time since I’ve arrived, and I have only driven once?” I said.
“Are you happy or sad about that?” Logan teased.
“I guess I am actually very happy about that because I’ve had a grand time with you, Logan Hayes,” I responded.
“Do you like my name?” he asked.
“Yes, I do,” I replied.
“Good. Because one day soon, I want to give it to you,” Logan said.
“Then, I guess I will just have to take it,” I replied.
He lit up the truck with his gorgeous smile and his green eyes were dancing with expectation.
I wanted to jump into them and party down.
He pulled up to the gate and punched in the code and we were in.
I asked, “How will Cheveyo get in when he gets here?” I asked.
“I t
old him I would meet him at the gate, so I’m pulling over here to the side for a bit,” Logan said.
We pulled over and looked up and there was Cheveyo. Logan got out and went to punch in the code for him. He got back in and we made it to the house. We collected our things from the truck and Logan unlocked the door to the house and took care of the alarm. Cheveyo came in behind us.
They conducted a walk through and I followed upstairs and then down. There didn’t seem to be anything out of place that wasn’t before.
“Are we going to go back over the papers about our visitor?” I asked.
“No, I think we need to take a break from it and relax. We need to do something to take our mind off of it. That usually helps in getting a new perspective. We can regroup and brainstorm again about it in a little while,” Cheveyo said.
“Okay,” I said.
“Since we’re camping out here, why don’t we just relax outside in the fresh air and maybe later pick up something to grill and treat this like a real campout?” Cheveyo suggested.
“I guess we can tell real ghost stories, laugh out loud. Oh, sorry, that was a very bad joke, especially since this is really freaky and scary,” I said.
“Actually, I think it’s good to be able to laugh at ourselves, even in a fearful situation. I think there is something to that saying about laughter is the best medicine,” Logan replied.
“I have a refrigerator and freezer full of food. I can take out some rib eye steaks for the grill and we can have baked potatoes and salad, if that is all right? It will actually be my first real time cooking here except for frozen pizza,” I offered.
“That sounds great. We can even take a swim if you want,” Logan said.
“You two go ahead. I did not bring a suit so I will just watch,” Cheveyo replied.
“I think we are the same size and I have a couple of swim trunks in my truck. I’ll loan you one,” Logan offered.
“Nice; I could use a cool dip in the pool,” Cheveyo remarked.
“I will get the steaks out to thaw,” I said.
“And I will get the swim trunks,” Logan said.
I got the steaks out and Logan came back in with the swim trunks. I noticed he gave the red and black ones to Cheveyo and he kept the one that matched my swimsuit. Awe! That was so sweet.
“I’ll change in this bathroom if that is okay?” Cheveyo asked, pointing to the bath downstairs.
“Sure,” I replied. “Logan, will you go upstairs with me? I’m still a lot spooked about being alone by myself anywhere in this house. I have to get my swimsuit and grab some towels,” I said.
“Anything, for the woman I love,” Logan said.
Going upstairs was uneventful. When we came back down, Cheveyo was out on the patio.
Logan said, “You change first and I will wait outside the door.”
After I changed into my suit, he went in and I told him, “I’ll be just outside the door. Yell if you need me.”
When he came out, I turned the music on using the wall switch so we could hear it while outside. We joined Cheveyo on the patio.
Wow, I hadn’t really noticed before just how hot Cheveyo is. He was much more ripped than Logan, and that dark Indian tan skin with his silky long black hair could make any girl swoon.
Cheveyo dived into the pool and the tan muscles on his arms ripped through the water as his long silky hair flowed behind.
“Ready, Isabella?” Logan asked.
The sound of his voice shocked me back to reality. “Yes, I am,” I answered.
I walked into the pool as Logan dove in like Cheveyo had. We swam around for a few minutes, and then the male competition started. Logan had picked up a rock from off the patio and the guys were throwing it and counting to three and diving in after it. I got out and made my way to the lounge chair by the pool and watched as the man I love got slaughtered in the game. Cheveyo was much stronger and faster and Logan won like four times to Cheveyo’s twenty.
Logan said, “You must work out a lot.”
“I try to keep in shape. Every day, I work out for an hour,” Cheveyo responded.
“I don’t ever seem to have an hour on most days. I guess if I really wanted to, I could find an hour,” Logan said.
“It is truly a commitment, I can tell you that,” Cheveyo said.
Logan took a lounger next to mine and Cheveyo got one beside him. We were all lying facing the house and we were listening to our music and basking in the warm rays of the sun.
Life was so good! After being there for about forty-five minutes, Logan asked, “Don’t you think you should turn over, Isabella?”
“I think you are right,” I told him.
I got up to turn over and noticed someone in the window of the house. It was an Indian woman dressed in blue, motioning for me to come to her.
At first, I froze, and when I got to where I could talk I said, “Guys, look.”
They both looked up at me and asked, “What?”
I said, “Look at the window upstairs in the second room.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Holy crap, someone is in the house,” Logan said.
They both jumped up and ran toward the door and I said, “Wait for me.”
When inside, Logan said, “Wait,” and grabbed his gun from his overnight bag. Logan went first, then Cheveyo and I up the stairs. He went straight for the second room and found nothing. All of a sudden, the door shut and the door knob was being turned back and forth real fast. It made an awful sound. We all dropped our mouths because everyone saw and heard it.
There was a one to two inch gap at the bottom of the door and there were no feet in front of it while the knob was being jerked back and forth. My heart was beating out of my chest. I pointed to the crack under the door and they noticed what I had. There were no feet under the door.
Cheveyo yelled out, “What do you want?”
The window started going up and down. I looked toward the bed and there was an indentation like someone was sitting on the bed. I hit Logan and pointed to the bed. I was paralyzed in my tracks.
Cheveyo stood in front of me and held up his arm like he was protecting me.
Logan said, “Come out, you coward!”
Cheveyo said, “No,” and started chanting and walking back and forth and the window stopped going up and down. He kept chanting his spirit warrior chant, and then the indentation on the bed disappeared and next the door opened and the knob stopped turning.
Cheveyo said, “We can go out now.”
I looked toward the bed and up above it on the wall was the word ‘back’ in a shadow on the wall. I touched Cheveyo’s arm and pointed to it. We slowly started out of the room as the shadow disappeared on the wall.
We went downstairs and Cheveyo said, “Let’s get those papers out again and set up in the outdoor kitchen at the table.”
“Okay, I’ll get the papers,” I said.
“First, what did you say to her with your chanting? I asked. “I guess we can all agree this is a woman ghost/spirit or whatever.”
“Yes, we all saw her in the window,” Logan replied.
“I was just telling her to travel on home and wished her peace and rest. First, let’s all write down everything that just happened,” Cheveyo said.
We all wrote down everything that occurred.
Logan said, “I need a drink. Does anyone else want something?” We both said water and Logan picked up his gun.
Cheveyo said, “You can’t use that gun on a spirit. It is very clear that is what we are dealing with.”
“I guess you’re right,” Logan replied as he put the gun down on the table. He looked kind of ridiculous with that gun in his swim trunks anyway.
Logan brought our water back and sat down.
Cheveyo said, “Let’s start at the beginning. Logan is the caretaker of this new home that your aunt purchased and he was here working on the house doing upgrades and upkeep for more than a week. Then, your aunt decides to let you live here and you
move here from Florida, right?”
“Right. I moved in here and didn’t see or hear anything until after I’d been here three days,” I confirmed.
Logan said, “I am the caretaker for this vacation place indefinitely. Her aunt decided to let Isabella move here full time and she paid me to stock up and make sure everything is ready for her when she arrives. She also paid me to take her and show her all the sights for a week so she’d feel more comfortable. The day after she arrived is when I started being with her every day until evening. We fell for each other and I want to give back her aunt’s money, because I want to spend as much time with Isabella as possible.”
“So, you and Isabella have been together basically every day except the first, and no spirit activity until day three,” Cheveyo reiterated.
“That’s correct,” I affirmed.
“That is so strange that Logan worked here and you moved in and nothing happened until after she had been here for three days. Why, after all that time, would the spirit get upset because you were here?” Cheveyo wondered.
“I checked it out, and nobody was hurt or died on this property and it was not built on any burial ground,” Logan reminded him.
“Usually, if a spirit is here, it has unfinished business, which doesn’t make since that it showed up later instead of being here all the time,” Cheveyo said.
Logan nodded.
“Let’s look at what you did on the third day when you said it showed up. Here, I see that Logan picked you up at eight a.m. Then you went to the Petroglyphs. Well, there are a lot of spirits there.” Cheveyo laughed and then stopped. “Wait a minute; did you do the tour thing or go alone?” he asked.
“We went alone,” Logan answered.
“The lady in blue at the window we saw was wearing her wedding dress. The Pueblo Indians used to be buried in their wedding clothes. You did not touch the etchings, did you?” Cheveyo asked.
“As a matter of fact, I did. When I saw a hand the same size as mine, I couldn’t resist. I reached up and put my hand in it,” I confessed.
Cheveyo said, “There is a legend or story about a woman who died right after she took her wedding vows. She was allegedly killed by Conquistadores. The legend has it that she died with a broken heart.”