Hacienda Moon (The Path Seekers) (18 page)

“I’d like a moment with Ms. Harrison if the two of you don’t mind,” Saul said without moving his eyes away from Tandie.

“I mind,” Tandie said right away. A look passed between Frieda and Sasha.

“We’ll only be a moment,” Saul said to his date who was handling his inconsiderate behavior better than Tandie could ever have done.

“Come along, Miss Sasha. I’ll show you the way to your table,” Frieda said and stretched her eyes at Tandie just before she walked away. The grin on Saul’s face made her feel murderous.

“The times when a man should remember his comrades become most significant in all matters of race relations whether it be an issue of war, peace, or prosperity. Let this statue sit forever in our midst as a reminder of the ones who fell for our country.” They were the words to the dedication she wrote, and Saul memorized every single one. “Stunning tribute, Ms. Harrison.”

Tandie was speechless. Clearing her throat, she said, “I’ve told you before. I’m not a grandma quite yet. So no more Ms. Harrison, please.”

“It’s mighty good to see you again, Tandie,” Saul said, studying her eyes. “You’ve been crying.”

“I have not,” she said and scratched the back of her neck.

“The things that the contractor I hired has done for the house is astoundingly beautiful. Why did you flinch when I mentioned the contractor?”

Damn him. He doesn’t miss a thing.
“I didn’t flinch, okay?

“I knew this would happen. No Fontalvo has ever been able to keep his hands to himself.” He shook his head and made a scoffing laugh.

She challenged his gaze this time. “Really? So you set us up then?” Tandie demanded, the blood surging through her body.

His face turned serious. “I hired a man to fix the plumbing in my house. I didn’t however give him permission to grope my tenants.”

“You know, Saul Chelby, you must have the biggest balls ever,” Tandie blurted before she could stop herself. Saul was probably about to receive some of her frustrations about Eric too. “You disappear for an entire month; the damn house could’ve floated away with me in it by now. I put my sweat, tears, and money into fixing it up without a word of thanks. You show up at a charity function with Barbie-Bad-Ass on your arm, something that my good friends organized let me add. And then you have the nerve to question me about my sex life?”

“I only mentioned the contractor. You’re the one who brought up your sex life,” he said, a smile easing across his lips. “But if you’d like to make a test run of that first thing you accused me of then I’m ready when you are.”

“There’s something seriously wrong with you. Can you not see that?” Tandie asked.

A man rushing toward the auditorium bumped into her, shoving her up against Saul’s chest. Her forehead bumped against a hard object inside his jacket. She moved her hands up to it, feeling the outline while Saul glared at the man.

“Watch where you’re going, would you?” Saul hissed at him.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Chelby,” the man answered back.

“Okay, so that corny banana-in-your-pocket joke doesn’t apply here because yours are up too high. So do you want to tell me why you’re carrying a gun around,” Tandie said.

“That’s not a gun. It’s a cigarette lighter,” he said in a monotone voice.

“You don’t smoke, and I used to work for the NYPD, remember?”

“Let it go, Tandie.”

“No. What’s going on?”

“You handled everything so well tonight, Tandie. And your wording is stunning,” Shania said breaking into that electrified tension between them. Her eyes briefly scanned over Tandie as she moved away from Saul’s chest.

She made a small frown and then continued. “The function was a complete success, Mr. Chelby. We raised almost $550,000 dollars in donations. Now we can care for our vets, and still have money left over to construct a base for our sculpture.”

“That’s great to hear, Mrs. McKinnon. Time to celebrate with good food and wine,” Saul said. “I’ll see both of you inside.” He nodded toward Tandie and walked away toward the auditorium.

“Are you all right, Tandie?” Shania asked. Her mood was different now.

“Yeah, sure.”

“He’s not the one we talked about, right?”

“Oh, goodness gracious no,” Tandie said.

“Too bad for him. He has a serious thing for you. Any fool can see that,” Shania said.

“Then I guess it is too bad for him then. Hey listen, I don’t feel well, Shania. I think I’m going to head home. Please tell Frieda for me if you don’t mind.”

“Go home. Get some rest. And remember what we talked about, okay?” Shania embraced her.

Anxious to get to her car, Tandie walked out of the museum and inhaled deeply. The crisp evening air filled her lungs and cleared her mind. There would be no more sorrow on this night.

some time to think.” Eric stood by the door as if he expected Tandie to toss something at him.

“All men do. And for the record, I’ve already fired Ella. You don’t have to be psychic to know she’s bad news.”

Eric hesitated another long moment, shuffling his feet as he ran a hand through his thick wavy hair. “I have to leave for a few more days.”

Tandie scoffed. “Well, I expected that. Forgive me for assuming, but I kind of thought we were working towards developing something outside the discussion of paint colors and roof shingles.”

“And we are. Please trust me.” His intense hazel eyes filled with sadness. Whatever they hid must truly be grim.

“Does this have anything to do with Enrique Fontalvo? Or maybe even the kiss we shared?” She went for the hardest blows. Eric just stared at her with a guarded expression.

“Ah, I believe I’m one step closer to solving the great Fontalvo mystery,” Tandie said.

“To the first two things, yes. But I’m not running if that’s what you’re thinking,” he said with a strained expression on his fa
ce. He was struggling with something, perhaps an inner thought. His look turned serious just before he said, “It’s not safe for a woman to get involved with the men in my family.”

Tandie held his gaze, studying those sexy hazel eyes that were showing off more green highlights today. “What do you mean? Do the women suddenly blow up or disappear?” she asked with just a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

He gave her the strangest look, a combination between surprise and something else sad that made her want to take back her words. “Would you believe me if I told you there’s a curse? Well, I’ve been told that it’s a curse. Hell, it even has a name.” She could tell he was struggling with his decision to talk to her about this.

“After what happened here a few nights ago, I’d believe just about anything,” Tandie said truthfully. She moved over to where he stood and touched his arm. His muscles were like stone with all the tension inside them. “Got strange and odd? Then I’m your go-to-girl. Talk to me, Eric.”

Their eyes met. For the longest moment, the room silenced and was charged with what felt like a warm current. It was that heated energy the two of them always managed to create. Tandie’s heart sped up and her body ached to be touched again. Did Eric feel the same way?

As if he’d read her thoughts again, he took her hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers, and led her toward the study. “I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye and for not calling. It was wrong to treat you that way.”

“Well, it was humiliating, and I was ready to beat the crap out of you; but I’ll survive,” Tandie said and didn’t say anything else. He was on the verge of telling her a crucial secret and she didn’t want to break the trust they’d worked to develop between one another.

Eric squeezed her hand tighter, sighed, and continued. “A long time ago there was a feud between the Fontalvos and the Chelbys. I don’t know. There’s something about one of my ancestors, the one I told you about before, Enrique. Apparently, he had an affair with Thomas Chelby’s daughter, Alice.”

Tandie shrugged. “That sounds feud-worthy so far.”

“There’s more to it. See, Enrique arrived on a Spanish warship that attacked Brunswick Town. It happened in September of 1748. The survivors from that ship were either put in prison or did their best to blend in.” He stopped and glanced at their entwined hands, his mind lost in that same deep thought as before.

“This isn’t hard to figure out. I assume, Thomas Chelby wasn’t too happy with his daughter sleeping with one of the soldiers who attacked his town,” Tandie said, gazing at Eric’s profile and the way his thick dark hair framed his face perfectly. He was gorgeous, sensitive, strong…perfect.

“Chelby wasn’t happy and neither were the Cropsey witches,” Eric said.

“Cropsey witches?” Tandie asked.

Eric nodded. “That’s right. I only know bits and pieces of the story. I mean, after two-hundred plus years facts tend to get distorted.”

“I always heard that the old witch stories about this area were true. But then, my mind works in strange ways. So...”

“You’re naturally odd, which is why you want to hear all the gory details of my family’s history,” Eric said in a flirtatious voice. Tandie pulled her hand away and playfully narrowed her eyes at him.

“Good one, Mr. Jokester, when he shouldn’t be joking.”

“I’m sorry, but with everything that’s happened over the last week, I either have to make some jokes or go insane.” He shrugged and smiled.

“I know the feeling,” Tandie said, losing herself in his gaze. Still glancing deep in his eyes she said, “Okay, so one of the Cropsey witches fell in love with Enrique, who didn’t love her back. That ticked her off, and she wound up creating a curse to get back at him and Alice Chelby. A permanent one, so something bad happens on a certain day or time. Or even worse, something terrible happens to him or his wife.”

Eric leaned in toward Tandie, his mouth slack, and his posture stiff. “Did you just fool around in my head?”

“I--my ability can’t do things like that. Or, at least, not with someone close to me.” Heat surged through her cheeks.

“You repeated the exact detail of what I was told is called the Broken Heart Curse. Seriously, how did you do that?” Eric asked, his eyes studying Tandie’s face as if he just realized who she was.

“I don’t know. I just--I...” Tandie swallowed hard. “Something is happening, Eric. I did see three children in this house, and they weren’t living. Pages from my novel disappear and mysteriously show up later. Just now, I felt like something whispered that answer I gave you, in my ear.” She didn’t tell him about the strange dreams where Breena always walked on a beach, leading Tandie to a warship. Listening to him describe the circumstances surrounding his ancestor’s arrival, she’d already linked the ship she dreamed about to the Spanish soldiers that attacked Bolivia hundreds of years ago.

“The anniversary of that ship’s arrival is in five days. People around here call it Dark Souls Day.” He cradled her face in his palms. “I’ve already caused enough grief for my friends by coming back here. I don’t want to be around you when that day comes.”

“Can’t you see that’s exactly what we need to do? We have to work together. I can help you figure this thing out. Besides, it’s too late to run, Eric. I’m already involved now,” Tandie tried to assure him. Eric released her and moved back, his handsome face distorted by something painful in his mind.

Tell him about Breena. He needs to understand how connected you are to this situation.

“The consequence of you being involved in this is what scares me the most. I--I have to go.” Eric glanced at Breena’s photo, stood, and headed toward the front door.

A chill rushed through Tandie. “Don’t abandon Chelby Rose now, Eric. I’m scared.”

His determined look softened. He bounded over and took Tandie in his arms. She savored the familiar scent of pine mixed with a woodsy smell on his skin, and ached to feel his lips on hers again. “I’m not abandoning Chelby Rose or its new owner,” he whispered in her hair.

Tandie pulled back and glanced deep into his eyes. She thought about how great it would be to have her visions back. Then she’d be able to figure out the mystery known as Eric Fontalvo, the man who was very much like the dream character she had created in her novel.

But the sweet victory of experiencing ecstasy inside of a kiss wouldn’t happen tonight because Eric moved his lips to Tandie’s forehead, instead. His face twisted, and he turned around as if he were forcing his feet to move through the doorway. The wind howled the familiar song Tandie had gotten used to hearing, a sound she had always found comforting in an odd way.

She watched his Jeep disappear around the bend as a single tear slid down her cheek.

* * *

Eric’s mind told him to leave Bolivia again; but his heart knew he couldn’t do it. The curse on his family affected Fontalvo men and the women who loved them as well. Tandie was right. The Chelby children she saw were ghosts, no doubt.

After his encounter with the girl on the street the night before, he knew something bizarre was happening. The spot that the child touched the other night had completely healed by the next morning. Or maybe it was never there to begin with. The encounter seemed like a dream, but it couldn’t have been. And the picture of Tandie’s daughter stuck in his mind. The similarity between the ghost child on the road and the girl Tandie called Breena rattled him. He didn’t dare say a word to Tandie, though. She’d already experienced enough pain without him adding to her grief.

By hiring him as the contractor, Saul Chelby had brought them all together. He was willing to bet that had something to do with Tandie’s ability. But what? He eased his Jeep to a stop outside of his beach house and sat listening to the ocean for a while.

His family had always relied on him to be the voice of reason, the realist. What would they think about him now? Hell, Eric wasn’t sure what he believed anymore.

He got out of his Jeep, walked into his cottage, and headed straight for the bar. He filled a shot glass with vodka and downed it in one gulp, savoring the burn as the liquid trickled down his throat. The phone blared through the silence and Eric almost wet himself. His heart thumping, he answered it. His sister, Daniella’s hysterical voice sailed through it.

“Eric! Oh God, it’s awful,” she said through sobs.

Cold dread washed over him. His baby sister held a special place in his heart. To hear that she was so upset tore at him in a way that no woman had yet to touch. “Daniella, please, calm down and tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s Javier! The doctors just confirmed that he only has six weeks to live.”