Page 19 of Hallowed Tree
I’d been content. I’d even enjoyed parts of my existence, especially since Chance had purchased the manor. But fun? No, that had never been me. Throwing caution to the wind, I decided to follow Buck’s lead and mimicked his position, hovering in the air across from him.
“Cool, right?” At my reluctant nod, he continued, “Now tell me what’s got you so rattled your head is blowing away.” He snickered at his own joke.
“The tree.” I cleared my throat. “I was nervous enough about you or Stevie or even me being near the pond when Chance got rid of the poltergeist girl from hell, but this? We don’t even know what this is. And what makes it worse is the living aren’t feeling or seeing what we are, and that means…”
Buck sighed. “Yeah, I know what that means. Scotty and Stevie already told me that I need to figure out what’s going on. Don’tworry, I’ll investigate in the morning. There’s an old-timer who didn’t pass on that might have a clue. By the time you’re cleaning up after breakfast, I’ll have answers, I’m sure.”
My eyeballs felt like they bulged out of my head. “You plan to go out there by yourself?” Did he want to give me a heart attack? Or whatever the equivalent of that would be now.
He cocked his head. “Who else is gonna do it? Scotty doesn’t want Stevie out there, and you’re terrified.” He held up his hand in a stop motion. “Which is fine. I don’t really want you out there if it’s unsafe.”
Well, that was…sweet, but the thought of him going out there alone filled me with dread. What if he disappeared, and I never saw him again? No. No, that wouldn’t do at all. “I’ll go with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Floating back down, I stood and held out my hand, compelling him to come on and get on with it before I lost my nerve. “Of course it is. We can’t live in fear. This is our home, and the others out at the pond will open up to you. They trust you. We have no choice.”
Buck scowled. “I have no choice. There’s no reason foryouto subject yourself to that nonsense out there when I can handle it.”
Planting my hands on my hips, I glared at him. “You’re going from adorable to irritating.”
He grinned and disappeared, popping back with his chest brushing mine. “You think I’m adorable?”
I shook my head. “You’re ridiculous.”
Buck waggled his eyebrows. “But adorable.”
His body so close was distracting, so I stepped back. “Let’s go and get this done.”
It was his turn to scowl. “Now? But we’re spending time together. And I already told you, I’m going alone.”
Poor Buck. He’d forgotten who he was dealing with. I’d mastered the art of looking down my nose at someone biggerthan me decades before he was born. “Have you forgotten who’s in charge?”
He crumbled in thirty seconds. “Ugh. You’re impossible.”
I fiddled with my cufflinks. “Yes, I believe I’ve heard that a time or two.”
“If we’re going, then we’re walking. I’ve been looking forward to having you to myself all day, so if you insist on coming along on this quest now, then I demand a moonlit stroll through the gardens first,” Buck said, pouting out his lower lip.
Why was his ridiculousness so charming? “Fine.” I held out my hand.
He grinned happily, and I tugged him toward the door, giving him my back so that he wouldn’t see the smile blooming on my face. I’d never had a suitor, and I didn’t want him to see how ridiculously excited I was for this experience. Not the mystery part of the evening, but the journey out to the pond under the moon. How romantic.
As we cleared the doorway out of the parlor, Buck whispered in my ear, “Enjoy being in charge while you can, love, because once I get you in the bedroom, I’m the boss.”
Oh my.Now I wasn’t sure what had me more nervous. The creepy oak or this confident Buck who had so much more experience than me. What had I gotten myself into?
Chapter Eight
Buck
I was digging the bi-product of blushing Harry had going on. He was so flickery after my last comment that I didn’t even have to see his face to know he was red with embarrassment. I couldn’t wait to see how much of his body that blush covered once I got him horizontal, but first the damn tree.
I’d never admit it to anyone, but I’d been giddy about sleuthing since Stevie and Scotty helped me understand why this was my mystery to solve. Like, Chance and Elyse got to do all the cool stuff normally. Yeah, I could see and talk to spirits, too, obviously, but I hadn’t been able to until I was one. How lame was that?
They had these cool mythical powers that let them do things that no one else could. I’d always wanted that. As a little boy, I’d dreamed of growing up to be a superhero. But alas, I’d been a normal dude. To get the opportunity to do something special now, something that would hopefully calm and reassure everyone else? It was awesome.
Sure, Harry was coming with me, and Stevie could’ve, too, but they hadn’t formed the relationships that I had with the other ghosts out at the pond. It wasn’t that they were mean to outsiders, but Stevie hadn’t spent as much time out there as I had because he was usually with his brother. And Harry, well, my grumpy man, was a bit of a snob.
