Ghosts of the Falls (Entangled Ever After) Read Online Free Page B

fallen. She picked it up and brushed the pine needles away.
    Still warm.
    She turned back to the slate memorial. Derrick Hutchinson.
    D. Hutchinson.
    Dutch. That couldn’t be a coincidence.
    Dutch is the spirit. She held her head in her hands. What was going on here? He could have stopped her at any point since she had arrived. He’d called her family in the first place, for goodness’ sake.
    Did he want to be exorcised?
    “I was right, wasn’t I? You played puppeteer with the furniture to clear the motel. What were you trying to do, set up the need for an exorcism? Why would you do that?”
    Dutch didn’t answer, of course. She had paralyzed him and bound him to his grave beneath her feet. Acid shot up her throat. The preternatural bindings couldn’t be reversed with words; they were meant to be a one-way street to an exorcism. However, they weakened in time. Strong spirits had broken free in the past when the exorcism had been interrupted or delayed. She just had to wait.
    He must have been wearing only the pants and boots when he died if they dematerialized with him. Where had he gotten the shirt? She lifted the soft cotton to her face and inhaled his scent: faint cologne mixed with the fresh air from their walk and the natural essence of his skin.
    She imagined curling up at his side under a blanket, turning her face into his hair, and breathing him in. Only minutes before, she’d wanted a dinner date, perhaps a little more. How long had it been since she’d enjoyed a simple walk and conversation so much?
    She sat on the ground and leaned against the tree behind the grave. She held the shirt in her lap. Their morning together ran through her mind, every smile, every brush of his hand in slow motion.
    He’s a ghost . Jade shut her eyes and shook her head. She pulled a book from her bag and settled in to wait.
    …
    A rocking motion roused Jade from sleep. She’d fallen asleep? Groggy, she lifted her eyelids. Pitch blackness surrounded her, but so did warmth. “Dutch?”
    He held her in his arms. Leaves crunched underfoot as he walked.
    “Hello again.” His voice washed over her like a balm, but strain edged his tone. “I’m taking you back to your car.”
    The brown shirt he’d worn earlier lay across her chest like a small blanket. Her head rested against his bare, warm chest and his heart beat steadily under her ear. She lifted a hand and pressed her fingers to the pulse point on his neck. “That’s unbelievable.”
    “It’s an illusion,” he said, his voice toneless.
    She lifted her face, trying to make out his expression in the dark. “You’re damned lucky you came back to question me about the flowers. If I hadn’t seen you disappear, I wouldn’t have realized—”
    “I didn’t want you to know who I was. I called you here to perform an exorcism.”
    “I was afraid of that.” She paused. “How did you make that call, anyway?”
    “There’s a courtesy phone in the park office. I found out about your family in the first place while searching for exorcists on the computer on the desk. I haven’t had much to do over the years except watch people, so I know how to use modern technology for the most part. This was my first time in a car, though. Can’t say I enjoyed that very much.”
    Dutch stepped onto the road, where moonlight glinted off her parked car. He set her on her feet. She held on to his shoulders and didn’t move away.
    “We need to talk, but it’s late.” He lifted a hand to her arm. “You should go back and get warm.”
    He vanished. His face inches from hers, gone. His hand on her arm, gone. A cold breeze kissed her skin. A second later, even though she stood alone by the car, a hint of warm air brushed her ear and cheek like a soft caress.
    Dutch’s voice whispered, “Goodnight, Jade Clarence.”
    “Dutch?” Jade stood by the car, still holding the brown shirt. Insects buzzed around her head. “Dutch, come back.”
    And then his voice, gone.
    “Fine, but you