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Chapter 22
Roy stared out of the window in disbelief as he watched the old Indian sit peacefully next to the fire he’d built while men, women, and children in flames scrambled all around him. Their screams permeated the inside of his head. “Is this real?”
“It sure feels real,” Pete stammered as he and Jacob tossed water onto the shutters in hopes of preventing the rustic building from catching fire. “We need to be doin’ this to the outside. “
“Do ya really want to brave goin’ out with that ghost mob after seein’ what happened to Harold?”
Adam stepped forward. “Do you think they’ll pay us any mind with all that’s happening out there now? They weren’t on fire when they attacked Harold.”
“Ya mean, killed Harold,” Jacob corrected.
Mike had to make several attempts to light his cigarette with his trembling hands. “Ho
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Ghost Love Chapter 23
They gently laid Ian on the porch so that they could better inspect his condition, as well as come up with a plan to get through the sea of raging fire and spirits to where the old Indian sat. They’d concluded that they were witnessing the reenactment of the fire that killed the settlement.“Damn,” Jackson hissed. “She’s bit him so many times that his flesh looks like chopped meat.”Roy shook his head. “I had no idea she was so crazy. She seemed normal when she first got here, but, as time wore on, she changed.”“As did he.”Roy nodded. “As did he.”“We’re gonna need Doc to look at him.”Roy shook his head. “Let’s get him to the old man before we do anythin’ else.”Mike’s bellow of surprise as he was tossed through the closed door shook them both to the core. They were even more sh
Ghost Love Chapter 24
Jackson marveled over how quickly Adam managed to maneuver his way across the charred grass, while Angel still struggled to gain ground toward them. It was a testimony to the strength of the medicine man’s magic. He turned to the old man and asked, “How long do you think you can hold her back?”“She is very powerful. I have called in the ancestors for help. We will see if they can give it.”“If they can’t?” Jackson asked with raised brow.“She will take possession of his soul and leave the body where it lies.”Adam scowled. “I see the mess house is singed, but still standing. I need to either get him into the mess house so that I can treat him or fetch my doctor’s bag so that I can do something for him here.”Pete’s fear of the happenings kept him from following Adam and Melody when they returned from the river. The ex
Ghost Love Chapter 25
Once he was no longer needed, Pete joined Melody in holding vigil at the window. They said nothing, but each was well aware of the difference in the behavior of a few of the spirits that wandered the charred earth. Not only were they looking more alert and becoming more animated, but they were starting to speak with each other. Pete was relieved to see that it was only a small portion of the spirits that were coming to life, but it was still enough to worry him. If bullets didn’t work on them, what were they supposed to use if those devils decided to attack? Harold’s vicious end would be embedded in his mind forever.“I’ll shoot myself before I let them rip me apart,” he said in a voice so low and soft that Melody questioned if she heard him right. “Do ya think they’ll come at us if we stay out of sight?”“I believe that is why we came indoors,” she mused as she contin
Ghost Love Chapter 26
Melody’s refusal to abandon their boss and the courage she showed during the ordeal earned her a new and permanent respect with the men; even the newly hired ones. Jackson smiled with a heartfelt warmth in her direction as he watched her pamper Ian back to health. There was no denying that she’d make him a good wife.It was decided that the old Indian would sleep until the light of day, after which he insisted that he be taken back to his people. He was exhausted from the ordeal, the tension of fetching the old man and what happened afterward, but how could Roy refuse? He made his excuses and fell onto his cot to grab what little sleep he could manage before he’d be called upon to return the medicine man to the Blackfoot encampment. His only consolation was the old woman he knew the chief would send to his tent as a gesture of hospitality. It wasn’t even the sex that he was thinking of. It was simply the comfort of a warm, loving body
Ghost Love Prologue
Spring 1889“Miss Bellamy! Miss Bellamy!” The teenage boy called, breathlessly, as he raced up the hillside as fast as his long and lanky legs would let him. When he reached the top, he placed his hand on his thighs to support his torso as he focused on regulating his breathing. “Miss Bellamy.” He swallowed hard while speaking. “Your father is mighty angry to find you left the settlement, once again. I fear you will not fare well if he discovers that you wandered this far away.”“Call me Lucille or Lucy. Anything, but Miss Bellamy. This is not the first time I have asked this of you, Charles.”The young man’s face reddened. “I will try to remember, Mi… Lucille.”Lucy looked down upon the valley below her. Patches of green grass as far as the eye could see struggled against the melting snow as winter made way for spring. Off in t
Ghost Love Chapter 1
Early Summer 1899The settlement of Muddy Creek had long been destroyed, but that didn’t stop Ian from traveling there to inspect his newly acquired property. It was part of the parcel he’d recently purchased. The Union Pacific purchased it on speculation that the railroad would go through. When a more forgiving and favorable terrain was acquired, this land was considered good for very little and, thus, sold to Ian for a very appealing price. It may not have looked like it was worth much to the railroad, but to Ian Murry it had the makings of a good and solid sheep domain to add to his already established cattle ranch.The remains of the burned and abandoned settlement were positioned on the far west of his newly acquired thousand acres. More mountainous and hilly than his five-thousand-acre cattle ranch, it was the reason he intended to raise sheep on it. For a cattle rancher to pair his stock with sheep was unheard of
Ghost Love Chapter 2
Melony Jameson paced the porch in nervous agitation. Ian was late. He’d promised her father that he’d come for dinner. She’d spent days scheming for ways to hint marriage to him and finally came up with a viable plan. Her friend, Sally Conway just got engaged to the eldest son of the Bar X ranch. It was the perfect bit of news to lead into a conversation that would hint on him asking her for since she’d returned home from school in the east. It was time to take things further. She’d worked it all out in her head, but how could she put it into motion if he didn’t show up?With summer on the horizon, the sun was setting later and later. For a young woman who came from means with time on her hands, this wasn’t always a good thing. Life could prove lonely. Any man worth a grain of salt would take advantage of the extra daylight to squeeze in a bit more work. For most ranchers, days wer
Ghost Love Chapter 3
Ian was so tired from the grueling schedule he’d kept in making ready for the arrival of the sheep that he stumbled just a bit when he got off his horse in front of the little house he’d decided he’d occupy while in the newly cleaned up, former settlement of Muddy Creek.Roy, his cook’s helper who was sent there a few weeks earlier to cook for the clean-up crew, limped out onto the front porch of the house they’d salvaged for him. It was slightly larger than the one Ian would occupy, which was good since it was to serve as a mess hall as well as a bunk house for Roy. By the expanse of space that looked like it once had structures on it between that building and the one that Ian would occupy, he guessed two, possibly three buildings had once stood. Opposite the cook’s mess house was a freshly repaired house that would serve as the bunk for the eight hands. “Over here’s the cook’s hut, boss. I got a pot of
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