Chapter Nine

Renee took a deep breath as they started on a narrow path into the north woods. The oppressive air replaced the usual crisp scents of autumn. Even the sunshine felt heavy on her shoulders. She dashed a tear from the corner of her eye, afraid if she started to weep, she’d never stop. She tried to force those emotions down, but it got harder the deeper they went into this part of the woods. Gran’s presence gave her some comfort, but for the first time, it wasn’t enough.

“While we look for the tree, can we also keep an eye out for a fairy ring?” she asked, forcing lightness into her voice.

Parker halted. His back went stiff, and his shoulders tightened. “What? Why do you want to look for a fairy ring?”

“Miss Dee told me to ask the fairies about the tragedy here.” She gave him a brief smile. “After all, it can’t hurt.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking. Forest fairies are flighty and may not want to talk to you. Worse, they could try to lead you deeper into the woods to get you lost.”

“Hold up a second.” Renee stepped in front of him. “I wasn’t serious, but you sound like you think fairies are real.”

“These woods are old. Like centuries old. No one knows for sure if fairies are real or not, or even if they live here at all.”

Renee leaned closer to him. “But you think they’re here and that they are very real, don’t you?”

Parker walked around her and stopped by a large maple tree. He laid his hand on the trunk and bowed his head. “There are things you don’t know about me, about Garland Falls. We’d better find your oak tree. The sooner we do, the sooner you can get back to your city life and your boyfriend.”

Did he stumble on the word boyfriend? “We don’t have to look for fairy rings if you don’t want. Let’s get back to our search for the oak tree.” She smiled. “I find I’m not in too much of a hurry to leave Garland Falls. It’s starting to grow on me.”

“What about your boyfriend?”

She shrugged. “What about him? I’ve thought about ending it with him for the past couple of months. I feel like we’re going through the motions of a relationship. There’s no real emotion between us anymore. I don’t think there ever has been.”

Parker turned and stared at her. As she watched, he stumbled forward into her arms. She saw the sea captain’s ghost as he floated by the tree. He saluted before he disappeared, and she turned her attention to the man she held close. She should let him go, like right now. As she held him, butterflies danced along her spine and twirled in her stomach. Her arms broke out in goosebumps. Warmth spread through her body, letting itself cuddle against her heart.

Could this be what love felt like? If so, she could get used to feeling like this all the time.

****

Parker tried to be angry at the captain but couldn’t. The ghost had forced him to take the step he’d been too afraid to. Renee looked so beautiful when the speckled sunlight highlighted her hair. Her green eyes had sparkled when she talked about the fairy ring. Of course, he knew the location of the fairy ring. He would hold the ritual there when the new moon rose on Halloween.

He held her close, and she fit against him like she had been made for him. He’d never wanted someone as much as Renee Tate. Her warm, soft skin smelled like fresh flowers on a crisp autumn day. How could he let her go after she accomplished her goal? He hadn’t wanted to get close to her to avoid heartbreak when she left. Well, he’d failed that plan. She wormed her way under his skin and into his heart from the moment he first laid eyes on her.

The moment had come to tell her about himself. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “If you want to look for fairy rings, I’ll help you. Not sure if you’ll get an answer. We should get back to our search for the oak tree first.”

He watched as she nodded her head. “Yeah. I guess we should.”

Neither of them made a move to break apart. The captain nudged him, a small reminder he still had a task to accomplish. He gave her a light squeeze, then stepped away. A nervous laugh escaped her, and he looked everywhere but at her. He took a step and felt the warmth of her hand in his. He glanced at her, and she smiled.

“Why don’t you tell me more about Garland Falls?” She squeezed his hand. “You said there were things I didn’t know about the town and about you.”

He knew she waited for an answer. Why couldn’t he get the words out? “It’s just talk. People say you need to have some magic in you to even find the town.”

“Well, that’s ridiculous. I found it with my GPS. It popped right up.” A sly grin curled her lips. “Unless you’re saying I have a magic GPS.”

“I don’t think there are such things as magic GPS’s.” He shook his head. “Like I said, it’s just talk.”

They searched in silence for a few minutes. Parker could hear Renee’s grandmother saying no to every oak tree they found. Nervousness tied his stomach in knots. What if she meant the tree at the ritual site? Her grandmother and the captain chatted like they were old friends. Why couldn’t he be at ease like that in Renee’s presence? If he’d learn to talk to more people, like Lucas suggested on numerous occasions, he’d have been able to speak up.

She slowed to a stop, and he halted with her. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Can’t you feel it?” She turned her face upward and closed her eyes. “Lily’s here. She’s watching us. Her grief is overwhelming.”

“You can sense her?”

She nodded. “Can’t you?”

Parker gazed between the trees and hoped this time Lily would show herself. He let go of Renee’s hand and walked to a large maple tree. “Lily? Are you here? Tell me how to help you.”

Heart wrenching sobs echoed around them, bouncing off trees, bushes, and fallen logs. Renee moved up to stand with him. She held onto his arm and looked around.

“Can you see her?” she whispered.

“No. She never shows herself. I can’t help her if I can’t find her.”

The sobs faded away and Renee stared at him. “You can communicate with ghosts, can’t you?”

“No,” he stammered. “I’ve done research on how to help spirits cross over. Let’s go. I have work to do this afternoon.”

They walked around for about another hour with no luck. They returned to the B and B, and he stood in the driveway while she walked to the door. He shifted from foot to foot and cursed himself. He should’ve come clean when the perfect opportunity presented itself.

“Did you want to come in for lunch?” she asked.

“No, thanks. I’ve got plants to pick up, and I have to check in with Mrs. Hall. She might need some other items delivered for the fall festival.”

“Will I see you for dinner?”

He gave her a small smile. “Sure. That’d be great. Around six again?”

“Sounds good.” She laid her hand on the doorknob. “See you later.”

****

As soon as she shut the door, she almost skipped to her room. She had another date with Parker Callahan. “Gran, is it possible to fall in love in record time?”

Her grandmother’s ghost appeared. “Of course. It happened for me and your grandpa. It also happened for your parents. Why shouldn’t it happen for you? I get the feeling you won’t need me matchmaking for you any longer. You seem to have found the perfect man yourself.”

“If it runs in the family, I guess it should happen for me, too. I love being with Parker. I get a sense we’re alike in more ways than one. Do you think he might love me, too?”

“I believe it with every fiber of my ghostly self. From the way he looks at you, I don’t think he wants you to leave Garland Falls.”

Renee walked to the window and looked out. The autumn leaves drifted to the ground. In another month or two, snow would fall in the same way. How pretty Garland Falls would be covered in sparkly, white snow. It would look like one of those fancy Christmas cards. This little, out of the way town had begun to feel like home.

“I’ve thought about that a lot. I’m not sure I want to leave. Since I have my own shop, I’d like to see if there’s a store for rent. I think the people here would like to have a custom-made leather goods. I haven’t seen another one on Main Street.” She turned and smiled at her grandmother’s ghost. “Do you think I should? I mean, I’d have to talk to the town council and get all the permits and my license to sell. It helps you left me a very tidy sum of money.”

“Garland Falls would be lucky to have you,” her grandmother said. “It wouldn’t hurt to check out the possibility. You should do it. It would be good for you to get out of the city and live somewhere nice.”

“You don’t fool me for one second, Gran.” She frowned. “You also like the idea of me being away from Wayne.”

“You caught me. He has a strange quality that makes me nervous when he’s around.”

Renee turned back to the window. “You never liked him, did you?”

“I didn’t like his attitude, and I never thought he treated you right.”

Renee considered her grandmother’s words. Wayne wasn’t bad or mean to her, but he wasn’t very attentive. Most times, he had to be reminded she stood with him in the same room. At company functions or even friends’ parties, he tended to ignore her and talk to everyone else. She sighed. That included other men’s dates. He just didn’t seem like the one for her any longer. A lot of her close friends had told her time and time again to dump him.

Maybe now, she would. Maybe now, she’d realized what all her friends had said for the past two months. Maybe she and Wayne were destined for other people. Her cell phone chimed and pulled her back to the here and now.

“Hello?”

“Hi, baby. Do you miss me yet?”

“Wayne? Um no, I mean yes.”

He’d called her and she had no desire to talk to him.