Dead People (Haunted Hearts, Book 1)

Author's note: Dead People is available on all e-tailers. It's on 3 bestseller lists on Kindle, and is on sale there for 99 cents. http://amzn.to/nT8ew8 This is the first book of my Haunted Hearts series. I plan on writing a stand-alone 2nd book, which should be published in February or March.

Chapter One

Cassie Taylor cruised down the snaking tree-lined driveway, her foot on the brake, as if her body knew something she didn’t. Ahead of her, a twilight shroud draped over the twin turrets of a pre-Victorian house. A greenish light shimmering in its tall windows reminded her of swamp gas, an effect she’d never seen before in centralWisconsin. Behind the house, the stagnant lake appeared murky, secrets hidden in its depths.

“The only thing missing is lightning,” she murmured. As if God heard her, lightning zigzagged across the graying sky.

“Looks haunted.” Joe lounged in the passenger seat.

“I sure the hell hope so.”

“If not, they’re paying you a bundle for nothing. Who designed the house?”

Cassie peered at the part gingerbread, part Addams family house. “A mad scientist.”

“My favorite kind,” Joe said. “Ghosts have become boring. A Frankenstein creature would be a welcome change.”

Glancing at him, Cassie stifled a sigh. His face was vibrant, eyes bright with intelligence, Elvis-styled chestnut hair gleaming. In his brown leather aviator jacket and black slacks, he looked trim and wiry.

The perfect man...except for one small problem.

“I’ll pass on the Frankenstein creatures. You’ll keep out of sight?”

He gave her his shit-eating grin. “What’ll you give me if I do?”

A gray rabbit darted across the drive. She stomped on the brake and flung out her hand to brace her passenger. Her fingers sliced through his arm, ice enveloping her hand like a frigid glove.

She jerked back, and the car swerved. She swore and straightened the wheel.

“Did you forget what I am?” Joe asked.

Shaking her head, she pulled up in front of the stone sidewalk leading to the double doors. “I never forget. That was a reflex.” She made a face as she released her seatbelt and opened the car door. “You’re cold enough to stop global warming.”

“I can turn solid.”

She stared at him. Cool October air wafted into the car, and a small army of goose bumps marched up her arms. Beneath the dome light, his face had a bluish cast. The spectral world’s king of practical jokers looked deadly serious.

“Are you shitting me?”

“Woman, you got a mouth on you.”

“It’s not 1955 any longer. Women swear as much as men.”

“I miss women who talk about women things.”

“You’re changing the subject. Keep it up and I’ll talk about my period. That’s a woman thing.”

He shuddered, his blue tint deepening. “I can turn solid, but it takes a lot of ectoplasm.” With a change of mood, he waggled his eyebrows. “Make it worth my while, and I’ll prove it to you.”

She wished he were solid right now—so she could whack him. “No wonder you’re stuck here on earth. God wouldn’t let you in heaven.”

“You’re breaking my heart, pretty lady.”

She jumped onto the blacktopped driveway. As she hiked up the front walk, fallen leaves crunching beneath her shoes, Joe floated alongside her. She punched the ivory doorbell and a bell tolled, bong bong bong.

“Sounds like it’s announcing the end of the world,” Joe muttered.

Shrugging, she supposed it would bother most people. Not her.

The doorknob turned and she braced herself. This bothered her. Talking to humans. Ghosts were so much easier.

The door creaked open and Joe shimmered to nothing. A man stood before her, average size and weight, but in no other way average. She could see ghosts, not auras, but she couldn’t miss the power pulsing from him, coming straight at her, invisible hot sparkles landing on her skin.

The air next to Cassie swirled, her invisible companion checking out her newest employer—late thirties, dark haired, olive complexion with a hint of mahogany, wide cheekbones, and unexpected sapphire-blue eyes that smoldered with disbelief.

She straightened her shoulders. He may as well wear a sign that shouted, THIS WOMAN IS A FAKE.