Haunt Me (12 page)

“Spares being spares after all.” Mac nodded. “Bloodlines tend to let the first son inherit and everyone else kind of fends for themselves if they aren’t married off.”

“Basically. So Benedict and Penelope had a small group they’d put together, other couples and some singles, all committed to making a real go of it. The best way to do that would be to found their own town—and Penelope fell in love with this area, so Benedict set down roots and the first town construction began.” Justin drained his coffee cup and rinsed it out before setting the mug on the counter. “Unfortunately, as idyllic as their spring, summer, and autumn were, winter proved to be a challenge. The snows came in deep, the rivers flooded, and they didn’t always have enough supplies. Most of the town survived, but Benedict was taken by a fever in the late part of the winter.”

“Oh.” Mac’s heart broke for the woman.

“Penelope was five or six months pregnant, and alone, and they had a half-finished town. The other families banded together to help take care of Penelope and finish Benedict’s dream and they named it Penny Hollow in honor of her. When her son was born in the summer, she named him for her husband and raised him here. She never married again, and the legend goes that she mourned Benedict until the day she died. Penny Hollow is the dedication of his dream and a tribute to the love she had for her husband—and to true love itself.”

It was really quite beautiful and Mac had to blink back tears. “But it’s also very tragic and sad.”

“It is, but life in those days was hard. They took pleasure in the simple things and in honoring all of their history. Of those families that came with Benedict and Penelope, seven remain—and those are the founding families of Penny Hollow.”

“You’re one, aren’t you?”

Justin raked a hand through his hair and nodded once. “Benedict’s last name was Kent.”

“Oh.” It was a legend about his family. “But what does that have to do with you being afraid of ghosts?”

“They say Penelope never let go of Benedict because he never left her. That for all the years of her life, he walked one step to her right, and that if the light caught her just right, you could see him.”

All the hairs on her body stood up at the description. “That sounds wonderful.”

“You’d think, but it’s also a bit of a curse. Because Penelope was never free to love again, in our family, we’re only allowed one great love.” His gaze fixed on her face. “We get one chance at it. If we blow it, we don’t get another. One and done.”

Had Justin loved someone and lost them? Mac tried to swallow around the sudden lump in her throat.

“If I believe in ghosts,” he told her solemnly, “then I have to believe that I only have one chance at that kind of happiness. Doesn’t leave much room for failure.”

He never looked away from her, and her heart thudded against her ribs. “But isn’t that what a great love is all about? Finding the person that fits you?”

“You’d think.” With a gentle brush of his fingers, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear in a gesture that was both gentle and proprietary. “But it also means that all the other legends associated with this place might be true—and some of Penny Hollow’s secrets are bloody and violent.”

“But what about my ghost?”

He shrugged. “Your family legend is that the ghost is friendly—protective. At least, that’s what all the stories said.” He followed his hand with his mouth, lightly kissing the tip of her ear.

All the air sucked out of her lungs and moisture fled her mouth. “Justin…”

“Hmm.” He nodded slowly and leaned over. She didn’t quite register his intention until his mouth brushed hers. Electricity arced through her brain, sizzling the sluggish neurons to life, and she sighed under the massage of his lips on hers.

He pulled away, and a satisfied gleam warmed his beautiful blue eyes. “We can talk about ghosts later. Right now, we have to go if we’re going to make our appointment.”

Her mouth still tingling from the contact, she tried to get her brain to come back into gear. “What appointment?”

“We’re going to see Clint.”

It all flooded back. Kevin. His lawsuit. The house. How could she have forgotten? “Oh.”

“It’s going to be okay, Mac,” he promised. “I mean it.”

It was so easy to believe him. Trusting him shouldn’t come so easily, and yet— “I believe you. But please don’t make promises you can’t keep.” The words echoed familiar.

“I’ll fix this. Trust me.”

Chills raced over her skin. Justin seemed to excel at that—fixing things.

Maybe he can fix me…
The thought drifted through her mind, a barren, feminine whisper, and another shiver raced up her spine.

…

The drive into town was relatively uneventful. Justin had double-checked all the locks on the house before they headed out, then they’d paused at his place so he could change clothes. She half-expected to see Kevin waiting for them in her driveway, or even out on the road. Thankfully, she hadn’t. After their conversation over coffee, she thought she and Justin would have more to talk about, but he’d fallen as quiet as her. Maybe it was better not to press her luck.

Although, really, her luck seemed to be made of some fairly odd stuff lately.

“We’re here,” Justin murmured, pulling her out of her thoughts. They were parked outside of a rather ordinary looking two-story building just off the main street. A small sign posted over the door read
Pope and Hawkins
. Like the rest of the town, trees lined the street and gave it the feeling that the adjacent forest shared space with the traditional Old World buildings.

“Clint is a partner in the law firm?”

“His father is, though Judge Pope is retired these days. Clint’s a junior partner, but he’ll take over when old man Hawkins steps down. Of course if Mallory comes back to Penny Hollow, then Clint might have to deal with her as his partner.” A corner of Justin’s mouth kicked up into a smile.

“They don’t like each other?” She had no idea who Mallory was.

“Oh, they really liked each other once upon a time and then they didn’t. The last couple of years of high school they pretty much hated each other’s guts.” Justin circled the truck and opened her door. “But she’s an attorney, too and a founding family member. It’s her dad’s law firm just like it’s Clint’s, so…”

“They’ll have to figure it out?” How weird would it be to be so interconnected to all the people in a town from childhood to adulthood to careers? Mac could count on one hand the number of people she was still in touch with from her childhood and she’d still have fingers to spare.

“That’s what we do. We make it work, though it can make council meetings tense.” Another sliver of a smile warmed his expression, and he caught her in a one-armed hug. “How are you doing?”

Self-conscious about being so close on a public street, she stiffened against him. When Justin wasn’t deterred and gave her waist a squeeze, she blew out a breath and leaned against him.

“Um, since I came to Penny Hollow I’ve been obsessively writing a new book, and I had to deal with my great-aunt’s crumbling estate and a very persistent neighbor who’s made himself important to me. Now my ex-husband is here threatening to sue me and you think I might be haunted…how am I doing with all of that, you mean?”

His mouth curved. “Yeah.”

“I’m not running screaming up the street.” This close, the rich masculine scent of him filled her nostrils and she wanted to bury her face against his shirt and hide in the security of his arms.

It’s been so long…

Where had that thought come from? Unnerved, she pulled away.

He let her go with a frown. “It’s going to be okay.”

She fought for some levity and distance. Sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she glanced at the law office. “Even if we say that a lot it still doesn’t make it true.”

His laughter rolled over her and she caught herself grinning at the warmth in his chuckle. “And that’s why I like you, Mac.” He pulled the door open. “You’re sexy, you’re witty, and you’re very dry.”

“You make me sound like a bottle of wine.”

“Considering how drunk you make me, it’s an apt description.” He gave her a wink and then they were inside.

“Justin.”

A tall, familiar man with sandy-brown hair and an assessing smile strode down the short hallway. It took her a moment to place him, and then she wanted to kick herself. Clint Pope had been the attorney who’d made Justin’s offer to buy in the first place.

He shook hands with Justin briefly before transferring his attention to her. “Ms. Dillon.”

“Mac,” she told him and accepted his handshake. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. It’s good to see you again.”

“And you, though apparently not under the best of circumstances either time. If you will come on back. Justin, you can wait out here.”

She and Justin shared a look at Clint’s suggestion and he lifted his brows. “Legal matters usually include privilege, and while I agreed to represent you Mac, I also represent Justin’s interests. I’m not sure either of you need to be privy to the others’ business matters.”

Indecision struck her.

“It’s fine, Mac. Clint will take good care of you.” Justin gave her arm a squeeze. “Go talk to him—”

“No, I’d rather you were there.” She knew Justin, but Clint was still a stranger. “And you were there last night when Kevin showed up.”

“Are you sure?” It was the attorney who asked this time. He glanced from her to Justin and back again. “I’m going to be asking you some pretty personal questions.”

About her marriage. About her divorce. Mac nodded. She heard the unspoken additions. “It’s okay.” Hell, Justin already thought she was haunted and probably a little damaged. What could he hear about her marriage that would be wackier than that?

“ Very well, but you’ll both need to sign a waiver.” Clint shook his head, but pivoted and headed down the hall. “And a consent form allowing me to represent both of you.”

Justin held out his hand and Mac took it, threading her fingers through his. The shakiness inside her calmed and the butterflies doing belly flops in her stomach quieted. Holding his hand felt like the most natural thing in the world, and it should have scared the hell out of her.

I so can’t fall for him. I can’t. I just met him and this is insane…

But it had been so long. Too long.

And I’ve missed him.

This time she didn’t force away the unfamiliar voice that invaded her mind.

…

Justin smiled at the familiar music blaring from the speakers lining Main Street. Penny Hollow’s tiny population had turned out in droves for the annual celebration. Firefly Festival marked the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Kids went back to school, the town’s decorations changed, fall colors being the most prominent, and the splashes of color beginning to appear in the local foliage made this event beautiful each year. The weekend began green, with only a hint of rusty yellow or orange to the bushes and trees, but by Monday, many of those trees would begin their full-blown autumn redecorating.

It had been a long day. They’d spent most of the morning with Clint, and as Justin suspected, his attorney said he could definitely help Mac out. He also offered to check into the divorce settlement that had granted her ex-husband a portion of her royalties for the books she’d written while married. Clint had waved them off to go and enjoy the festival while he got in touch with Kevin’s attorney.

Mac hadn’t been able to relax, though, and had paced while they were in Clint’s office, then clenched her hands once they got back in the truck. He thought about taking her back to the Summerfield and then decided against it. Instead, he’d driven a couple of towns over and bought her lunch. Afterward, he took her on an impromptu shopping trip and they’d bought new clothes to wear to the festival. The time away from Summerfield and Penny Hollow seemed to do the trick—Mac no longer seemed as strung tight as a piano wire—although the closer they’d come back to town, the quieter she’d grown. The Firefly Festival would relax her, he figured.

Parking on a side street was at a premium, but he found a place to wedge the truck in. “Ready?” He glanced sideways at Mac.

“I think so.” Her sweet mouth turned up into a tremulous, nervous smile.

He leaned over and kissed her until they were both breathless. When he backed off, a dazed expression had replaced her anxious one. He’d wanted to find Kevin several times during her recounting of their marriage and subsequent divorce—the man had done a real number on her. He’d like to beat him within an inch of his life, but he’d be satisfied with making Mac smile. “Better?”

Her soft laugh and a hand pressed against his chest stopped a repeat performance. “If you keep kissing me, we’re not going to make it to the festival.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing.” Their absence would be noted, though, and it was better to just go with the flow. “But you’re right. We always have later tonight.”

“Oh.”

The little startled sound got to him every time. He loved that she’d held onto her innocence.

After sliding out of the truck, he circled around to open her door before she had the chance. Pink bloomed in her cheeks and he grinned again. Capturing her hand, he pulled her close, then led the way toward the celebration.

She’d dressed in a green sundress this time and a pair of strappy little sandals that did wonderful things for her legs, but made him miss her customary denim shorts. In Mac’s case, he was a true convert to the idea of less being more.

“Wow.” She stared down the street.

As usual, the lampposts had been dressed up with autumn wreaths. A live band played at the far end of the street. Someone had propped the doors to the Penny Whistle Diner open, and from experience, he knew a huge buffet of food waited inside. Barbecue was popular at these events, as were burgers and hot dogs. Student art decorated the window of the local hardware store and clerks in the
Penny & Dime
passed out bubble makers, balloons, and more.