Read Online Spirit [New Crescent 2] (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Mary Lou George - Free Book Online Page A

and looked forward to seeing the final samples. So far, all of her plans had been approved without question. Part of her wondered if the owner ever really saw any of her ideas, but she refused to look a gift horse in the mouth. This was her opportunity to do what she’d always dreamed of doing, and in its way, it was very rewarding.
    “Why are you running away from him?” the voice asked, startling her.
    Without realizing she’d done it, in her agitation, Reggie had sought out the section of the garden with the iron gate. To top it off, she had pathetic timing. Unprepared to face the apparition, Reggie responded instinctively.
    “I have to run away from him or I’ll do something stupid,” she said under her breath.
    “Coward.”
    “What would you know about it?” Irritated, her temper got the better of her. “You’re not even here. Find the light already and head toward it.”
    The spirit laughed lightly. Reggie could see Constance McCann plain as day, but she could also see the gate through her, a perfect reminder that this wasn’t going to be a normal conversation.
    “Constance?”
    The woman continued to laugh. “So you finally know.” She danced around the little gate with grace.
    “What are you doing here Constance? Why me?”
    She continued to laugh at Reggie’s sober expression. “I’m here because I’m here, but I have no idea why it has to be you. So far, you’re the only one who can see me. Trust me, I’ve tried to appear to some of those very handsome workmen over there, but they have no more imagination than a tree stump.”
    “Don’t you wonder why you’re here, at this particular point in time?”
    “Time doesn’t matter. You’re too concerned about the things that don’t matter, and you ignore the things that do.” The woman, almost singing the words, refused to grasp what Reggie was trying to say. “I’d much rather talk about that very impressive man I see you with so often.”
    “Chase McCann. He’s your distant relative, so you might want to keep that in mind before you say anything you’ll regret later.”
    “Thanks for the advice.” Constance stopped moving and frowned. “Why do you resist your feelings for this man?”
    “That’s none of your business.”
    Constance smiled. “You’re wrong Regina Stanton. Unfortunately, everything about you is my business.”
    Confused, Reggie said, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Just that I know all about you and I find you boring.”
    Reggie was insulted. “Oh, easy for you to be all interesting, what with the being dead thing.”
    “I was interesting in life too, my dear.”
    Her comment brought Reggie to her senses, pushing her irritation aside, she asked, “Will you tell me about your life? What made you marry Vincent Bennett?”
    The apparition shook her head then appeared still and awkward for the first time. She put her hands to her ears. In a strident voice, she said, “No! I won’t listen to you…no!”
    She vanished.
    Constance stubbornly refused to reappear, despite Reggie’s pleas. Reggie chided herself for blowing it. Her own issues had distracted her, and she’d learned nothing from the spirit except that she was indeed Constance McCann. She definitely wasn’t prepared to talk about Vincent, but Reggie knew that at their next encounter, she’d have to insist.
    “Reggie?” Standing about ten feet away, Chase looked concerned. “Are you okay?”
    Nemesis in the flesh, but such tempting flesh, she thought. She took a moment before she answered him. He moved and didn’t stop until he stood directly in front of her. Before he could reach out a hand to touch her, Reggie sat down heavily.
    “I just had a conversation with Constance.”
    The excitement in his eyes was unmistakable. “What happened?”
    Reggie provided him with an edited version of the experience, careful to leave out any embarrassing bits about him.
    When she was done, he said, “So she said she knows all about you. Did she give