Page 7 of Hallowed Tree
“We finished the parlor, and you promised to take a walk with me by the pond.”
He straightened his vest, glaring at me like I’d broken his favorite vase in the front hall. Which technically, I had, but he didn’t know that. I’d glued the chip back in place with Jetty’s help, and we’d spun the little imperfection around so it was against the wall.
“I most certainly did not. You kept saying it, but I never agreed.”
Sighing, I crossed my arms over my chest and let my head fall back to stare up at the bright blue sky.
“Good. I’m happy you see reason,” he said.
Before he could pop back into the house, I held up a finger. “If you go for a walk with me out to the pond one time, I’ll never ask you to do it again if you hate it.”
He huffed. “Fine.” Then he disappeared.
Laughing, I closed my eyes and transported myself to the pond. I found Harry tapping his foot impatiently six feet from the edge of the water. “What took you so long?”
“Well, the goal was to take a walk out here. Don’t you ever just want to explore the property? Chance—”
“Mr. Chance.”
“Yeah, him. He’s done such a beautiful job with the gardens. Now that the property is cleaned of that malevolent spirit, there are more animals wandering around.”
He held up his hand, stopping me. “What do I care about the outside? The inside is my domain.”
“Think how much watching the birds and butterflies fluttering around would cheer you up.”
He frowned—which I still found adorable, but I’d never tell since then he’d probably stop. “I can hear the birds from inside.”
This man was so ridiculous. “Well, there’s a bunny who seems to have claimed the yard for his home. He’s so cute. Watching him hop around puts a smile on my face.”
He rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t surprise me. You’re like a child. I bet you still watched cartoons as an adult.”
Harry
Buck threw his head back, laughing. “Are you kidding? I still watch them now with Scotty and Stevie. Don’t be so grumpy.”
Ignoring him, I stared out at the water for a minute. “How much longer do I have to stay out here?” I demanded. Our new guests would be checking in any minute, and I really did have things to do. I wasn’t one to waste the day away.
He sighed. “One lap around the pond.” As I side-eyed him, he added, “Please.”
Throwing my arms up in exasperation, I stomped past him to circle the pond once. I saw a few other spirits around who immediately disappeared the minute they saw me glaring in their direction.Good!At least someone realized that I wasn’t one to be trifled with.
Why was I doing this anyway? Giving in to Buck’s silliness wasn’t going to make him less irritating. If anything, he’d probably grow worse. It was time to tell him that he needed to move back out to the pond. Or move on to the other side. That thought made a pang shoot through my heart, which…weird. I hadn’t felt physical sensations since my death except when it came to Buck.
“Here you go,” he said, holding out his arm.
I grabbed onto it and stepped over the large log laying half in and half out of the water. “Thank you.”
He patted my hand before I could move it. “You’re welcome. I wouldn’t want you to trip.”
A part of me wanted to remind him that, hello…we could’ve just poofed to the other side. Or even hovered over it. We were nothing but spirits after all, but I held my tongue. It really was very considerate of him.
“You know what I like best about Willowhope Manor?” Buck asked conversationally as we continued our stroll.
I snorted. “I know what it is. You like scaring the guests.”
He snickered. “No, but that’s my second favorite thing.”
That surprised me. He’d ended up under my tutelage because he scared a woman so badly that her husband was ready to commit murder. I’d had to explain to him that we give them enough paranormal activity for them to get goosebumps, but not enough to send them running and screaming into the night.
