Wild West Hauntings, page 14
“And how do you reckon all that?”
“Cause I was there.”
Dalton raised a brow and stared at her.
“Don’t give me that look. We’ve had some crazy dream-like, time travel, weird connection thing going on between us.” She wagged a finger between herself and him. “And at one point I got to witness your argument with her.”
“The connection.” He appeared to consider the words. “Yes, I seem to recall something about that. Down at the family plot… We talked about destiny, right?”
She nodded.
“So, Rae, had a sense that the situation was bad?”
Rachel bobbed her head again.
He was quiet for a few moments then shot to his feet, stormed over to the banister and slammed his hands against it. “Dang it all. I know who did it now. Son of a bitch.” Dalton punched the pole or at least he tried to. His fist and forearm shot straight through it. He swiped at it again. “Damn.”
“Dalton!” Rachel jumped to her feet and went to his side. She’d wanted a reaction but not such a violent one. “I tell you how you died and you don’t bat an eye, but you have a breakthrough, and this is how you deal with it?”
“Yes.” He started to pace. “I knew I shoulda done somethin’ ‘bout him.”
“About who?” Rachel stayed put and watched him storm up and down the planks.
“The Trip C’s foreman, Seth Flynn. He hated how my family moved into the area and started doing so well, thought he could make my family, me and Rae, leave. The man was a no good snake. A regular four-flusher mudsill.”
“Excuse me? Four what?”
“A low life cheat and liar. He tried to swindle the owner of the Trip C, Hank Allen, out of money and then get him to back out of the deal for the horse. The man was no good.”
“I wonder why Darlene never mentioned him in the journal,” Rachel said it as an off-hand comment, not really expecting an answer. If Darlene had written about him, Cassie would have come across the name.
“Ma never talked about him. She figured that if we didn’t pay attention to him, he’d eventually move on and not bother us. I’m not surprised she didn’t write about him.”
In the distance, a vehicle’s door slammed. Rachel sensed time was running out. She needed to warn Dalton, ask him to leave the ranch when Kane came back so he wouldn’t be sent away.
“Dalton, I need to tell you something else.”
“Shoot, sugar.”
“We’re going to have a shaman come in. Well, he’s almost a shaman, but…” She thought about what Kane had said about his journey and her. How he was just starting out. Did Dalton need to know all this? She decided he didn’t. “Well, never mind. Those details don’t matter. He’s coming in to get rid of an evil spirit, and I’m afraid you might get caught in the crossfire and disappear, too. So if you could make yourself scarce when he’s here, that’d be great.”
Dalton reached out and attempted to stroke her cheek. “I can’t go anywhere. I’m tied to this ranch, this land. If he comes and performs his ceremony, I will be a part of it. There is nothing I can do.”
The trace of cold tingled her skin. She missed her dreams of him and how they could touch each other. “Oh. I just thought…” Sadness welled within her. It seemed when it came to the two of them, nothing would ever go right.
“I can tell you that the evil spirit plaguing you and the ranch is most likely Seth. He’s always wanted this property and my family’s possessions. I wouldn’t put it past him to still be after them even in death.” He offered a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Speaking of dying, do you know how Rae passed?”
She nodded, growing more comfortable with divulging the information than she was when she started. “After you died, she went back east. Moved in with your sister and husband. A few years later, she died from a lung affliction, but your mother thinks it was more from a broken heart. She wrote in her journal that Rae tried to survive for the sake of the children but succumbed to the disease anyway.”
“Children?” Dalton’s posture straightened.
“Oh. Um, yeah, you wouldn’t have known about them, would you?” Rachel caught sight of Damon on the other side of the parking lot walking toward the lodge. She hurried to finish telling him what she felt he needed to hear. “She had twin sons, Dante and Dorian. Denna and her husband became their guardians upon her death.”
“Dante and Dorian. The names we talked about.” Dalton’s smile brightened, crinkled the laugh lines around his eyes. He tilted his head like he had down in the graveyard, seeming to listen to something again. “Brilliant! I have to go now. No need to worry about the shaman and what he needs to do.” His semi-solid form wavered, faded bit by bit with his words. “Remember our love, sugar. Clear your mind. Clear your heart. All will—”
Rachel blinked, and he was gone. This time though there were no forlorn feelings or hopelessness upon his leaving. Peace settled within her.
Damon hurried up the steps. “Rachel? What’s up? Is everything okay inside?”
“Uh, yeah.” She quickly glanced around. The words and tone of voice Dalton had used to express his happiness had caught her off guard, as did his saying the same phrases as Kane had earlier. “I’d just come out for some air.”
“Well, come back in. I have some news.” He waved at her to follow and made his way inside.
Bristol and Marianne stood as they entered.
“Did you get in touch with Kane?” The desire for good news was written all over Bristol’s face.
“Yep. He said he’s going to try a couple of things, and that we should relax and try not to worry about the trickster tonight.”
“So he’s taking care of the poltergeist?” Marianne bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Sure sounded like it. While I was out, I ran into Cassie and Dak and some of the other hands and let them know, too.” He hugged Bristol. “Didn’t I tell you, darlin’? All will be all right.”
All will be all right. Rachel was pretty sure that was what Dalton was attempting to tell her when he was disappearing. She wasn’t certain he was right. Would everything be okay? After the past few crazy days, she’d only believe all was good when she experienced it.
Chapter Fourteen
Christmas Eve morning
Rachel woke the next morning to noise in the lodge below her room and shouts outside. She threw her hair up into a ponytail, donned a sweatshirt that matched her sweatpants and hurried downstairs.
Dakota, Damon and Kent stood near the office, arguing.
Across the way near the fireplace, Rachel spotted her sister and the other ladies. They too were still in their sleep outfits. She headed over to them. “What’s going on?
Marianne pulled her close. “Seems the poltergeist is causing some problems. Horses have escaped the stalls. There’s been some destruction of property around the area. The men all think it’s just a bunch of kids messing around. We all think it’s the ghost.”
“I thought Kane was taking care of him.”
Bristol tisked. “That’s what I thought, too. Guess he didn’t do so great a job. I can’t believe this. I’m supposed to be getting married later.”
“Breathe, Bristol.” Cassie rubbed her friend’s back. “Maybe Kane did do something, and it pissed off the spirit. Maybe he’s still trying to do whatever it is he’s doing.”
“Cassie, I know you want to make me feel better, but please, I just want to find out what’s going on with the men and learn what Kane’s done or hasn’t done so I can get on with my day.”
Cassie nodded and stepped away. Damon, Kane, Kent and a couple of other ranch hands entered the room and the men came over.
Bristol immediately started in on them. “So, what’s the deal? This isn’t going to hold up the wedding, is it? I thought you were supposed to be on top of things.”
Kane glanced at Bristol, his stoic expression formidable.
“Darlin’, chill.” Damon held her shoulders, made her gaze focus on his. “It’s just bored teens having some fun on their school break. We’re going to go out, round up the loose animals and right any wrongs that have been done.”
Rachel’s instincts screamed that the trouble going on wasn’t being caused by kids but by Seth, the guy Dalton had told her about. “No!” Rachel covered her mouth with both hands. She hadn’t meant for the outburst to happen, but hearing Damon say they were going out to get the animals triggered memories she didn’t want to experience again and put her nerves on high alert. She dropped her arms. “Sorry. But I don’t think you guys should go out there. I believe it’s not some crazy teens but the poltergeist doing the damage. His name is Seth. He’s out to hurt the people on the ranch and get revenge.”
Kane’s head shot up at her statements. His gaze narrowed in on her. “How do you know this?”
Oh, why do I let my mouth run away from me? She couldn’t come out and say anything about her dreams and interactions with Dalton. There wasn’t enough time. Thinking fast, she remembered what Miguel said about the other spirits the day she’d arrived. “I was told by one of the Mr. C’s. His name was Dalton, and he was the founders’ son.”
Kane nodded, as if understanding what she meant without further questioning.
Kent, backed by Hugh and Jake, took turns saying a ghost couldn’t hurt them, couldn’t do anything to them.
“Regardless of whether it’s kids or ghosts,” Dakota cut into the arguing. “We have to get out there and save our livestock. And the longer we stay in here yammering, the more we can lose.” He turned on the heel of his boot and left.
The men followed without anymore say on the matter.
Bristol’s face flushed to a dark red. She looked ready to burst.
“Bristol, breathe,” Cassie ordered, placing a hand on her shoulder with concern tainting her expression. “You have to relax and be careful about your blood press—”
“Don’t tell me to calm down.” She slapped her friend’s hand away from her shoulder. “In several hours the wedding is supposed to happen. Damon needs to be in the lodge getting dressed and ready for the event. Not out and about with the boys working. Especially when the weather reports aren’t favorable.”
Cassie attempted to touch Bristol again in a soothing gesture. “Look, Roxy and her staff and the florist are supposed to arrive soon. All the men need to do is round up the horses and make sure they’re secure. They’ll all be back and ready before you know it. Let’s go upstairs and try to relax for a little bit. Okay?”
Rachel watched Bristol calm and nod and be led off by Cassie. Hearing the mention of inclement weather set her nerves on alert. Flickers of anxiety shot through her. She kept telling herself that history wouldn’t repeat itself. Fate wouldn’t be that cruel to the women of the ranch.
Her internal pep talk didn’t do the trick. She wanted to hail Dalton for his gentle but strong presence so she could lean on him and draw from his strength, but she couldn’t because he’d left her. Trying not to think about that and how it hurt her, she reminded herself he wasn’t alive to begin with so it wasn’t like they’d been in a true relationship.
“I need something to take my mind off things.”
Marianne glanced at her. “Well, we can have some breakfast, get changed then take the few decorations that are on the tree off. This way when Roxy arrives she can redecorate it in Bristol’s wedding color scheme. Then if we rearrange the furniture in here and the dining room, it’ll save time when the event supplies arrive.”
“Sounds good to me.”
She and Marianne put the plan into action. As they boxed up the last of the decorations from the tree, Cassie came in to help out. They’d just finished moving the last piece of furniture to the side of the room when Roxy and her staff arrived. Between all of them they made quick work of doing the last bit of rearranging, setting up folding oak chairs and deciding the best spots for the wedding decorations.
They were on a break, sitting at one of the high round tables, drinking mugs of hot tea, when the men returned.
Cassie was on her feet and over to Dakota’s side in a flash. “What happened? You look worn out and wet.”
“I’ll explain once all the hands are back inside. As for being wet, it started to rain while we were out there, and since I was at the far end of the property, it took me a while to ride in. Right now the rest of the men are seeing to the horses and tack. I needed to come in and get dry.”
“I’ll go get you a towel.”
“Thanks, Cassie.”
Minutes later, Kent, Hugh and Jake followed Damon into the room, and Cassie returned with an armful of towels.
Rachel wondered where Kane was but figured that’d be part of the story Dakota had to tell.
Dakota accepted a towel and dried himself as everyone surrounded him. Without preamble, he spoke, “Once the horses were rounded up and back in the stalls, Kane went down to the campfire area with a small CD player and its speakers, and I followed. While the CD played Native American drum music, he lit a fire, tossed some special herbs and twigs onto it then sat beside it. Before I knew it, he went into a meditative state.”
“Herbs and twigs?” Rachel asked.
“Easy way of sayin’ stuff he uses to help induce a spirit quest,” Kent supplied.
Dak nodded. “When he came out of the meditation, he said he’d called upon his ancestors, went on a journey to find answers.” He narrowed his gaze on Rachel. “Kane met up with that Seth character you mentioned. Had a bit of a chat with him. Interesting, don’t you think?”
A shiver of panic ran through her at his dark gaze and curt words. Her hands and face grew icy.
“Dak, leave her be. It’s not her fault there are ghosts on the ranch.” Cassie swiped his bicep with the backs of her fingers.
He glared at Cassie then continued on with his story, “Turns out Seth lived here back when the land was still untamed, and he didn’t care much for the Dougans. Didn’t like how they set up a ranch and became well-to-do so quickly. He felt they were reaping rewards that should have been his and the people he worked for. Kane said Seth seethed over a woman and her ‘airs’. How she looked down her nose at him, thinking she was better than everyone out here who were trying to scrape out a living on the arid land.”
Knowing it was her past self whom Seth referred to in his chat with Kane, another chill swept through Rachel.
Dak went on, never noticing her unease. “Kane said that Seth wanted to teach the Dougans a lesson, make them see they were no better than the rest of the people around. So when the weather looked to be turning for the worst, he set the cattle free. Kane said Seth gloated over how the mighty Mr. Dalton Dougan fell through the ice of the pond trying to save a calf. Seth hadn’t expected anyone to die, but Dalton’s death seemed to be an added bonus. At least until that bitch opened her mouth, as Seth put it, and told her men and anyone who’d listen he was to blame.”
The large doors opened and a gust of frigid air blew in. Kane slammed them shut and approached the group. Dakota nodded and filled him in as to where he was in the story.
Kane bobbed his head once. “Seth wondered how she knew. Said it doesn’t matter now. Rachel was correct. The poltergeist is Seth. The evil man boasts that there’s no way anyone could, or can, stop him. The trickster warned that even if he’s stopped, he’s made some nefarious friends on the other side, and they’ll be glad to step up and take his place.” The soon-to-be shaman shook his head as a look of discouragement crossed his face. “I couldn’t get rid of Seth during my meditative states last night or today. I fear something is going to happen. I will return to my abode to gather some items to help fight off and destroy the poltergeist should he come searching for trouble.”
The news that ‘Seth the Poltergeist’ wasn’t gone yet didn’t sit well with Rachel. Everyone here deserved and needed a day without any drama, except for any the wedding provided. She prayed whatever Kane retrieved would work, and that he’d be strong enough to defend them all against an attack.
She hoped the day wouldn’t come to a frenzied end.
****
After a short nap, Bristol woke and hurried downstairs to check on things. The smell of holly and roses wafted to her nose. The florist’s helper had just delivered the bouquets and boutonnières for the bridal party. The owner, Jan, finished placing the last red poinsettia beside the twelve foot elegantly decorated Christmas tree as Bristol strolled into the room.
“Looks beautiful, Jan.”
The statuesque brunette smiled. A happy smile that touched her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re pleased.”
Bristol glanced around the room a second time now that she’d been in it for a few minutes. The vibrant red and gold bulbs on the tree along with the small white lights gave the tree a unique elegance. And each row of oak folding chairs lined with poinsettias and red velvet ribbon only added to the holiday feel of the special day.
“I truly am pleased. It’s breathtaking.” One last visual sweep and Bristol added, “I better go and start preparing.”
Jan placed another bulb high on the tree and then gazed down from the ladder. “Yes, of course. My best to you and Mr. Dougan.”
“Thanks.” Bristol waved as she headed toward the stairs leading up to the third floor. Once she’d reached the top of the stairs, she headed down the hallway toward Cassie and Dakota’s room.
Two hours and plenty of make-up later, she stood in her own room in front of the floor length mirror examining Cassie’s work.
“It’s time.” Cassie tapped on the bedroom door.
Speak of the devil. “Come in.”
The door opened and her best friend entered. Bristol continued to stare into the mirror. Her dark hair hung in long, soft curls around her face with the sides pulled back and clipped with white and crystal beaded combs. The pearl and diamond medallion and teardrop earrings her grandmother had worn at her wedding fifty years ago hung from her neck and ears. As she touched the earrings, her gaze caught the bracelet on her wrist—the one Damon bought for her while they were still in New York.
