MacGowan's Ghost

Table of Contents

 

 

“Spunky Abigail and typically gruff but warmhearted Ethan (and his rough and tumble kin) are sweetly entertaining.”—
Publishers Weekly

“When it comes to delivering charming, funny, and tender romances, Miles is at the head of the class. Not only are the primary characters wonderful; the secondary characters are engaging and bring depth to the story. This warmhearted book is guaranteed to leave you with a satisfied smile!”—
Romantic Times
(top pick, 4½ stars)

“This is a book to fall in love with and to read over and over. Cindy Miles has written a surefire winner for . . . fans of Scottish heroes.”

—
Affaire de Coeur
(reviewer's pick, 5 stars)

“Cindy Miles completely captivated me with
Highland Knight
. . . . I was glued to the story line and loved how the characters interacted with each other . . . downright sexy.”—Romance Junkies

“An enjoyable ride, start to finish.”

—
The Romance Reader

“Another sweet paranormal featuring a sparkling lead couple and a supporting cast of ghostly charmers . . . this adorable, otherworldly romp is sure to leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy.”—
Publishers Weekly

“Filled with humor, romance, mystery, and a lot of ghosts,
Into Thin Air
is a book that is hard to put down.”—Romance Junkies

“Absolutely delightful! Cindy Miles outshines the genre's best, writing with a charm and verve sure to captivate readers' hearts.
Spirited Away
is pure magic.”

—Sue-Ellen Welfonder,
USA Today
bestselling author

“A sparkling debut, reminiscent of favorites like
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
.”

—Julie Kenner,
USA Today
bestselling author

“This charming paranormal debut heralds an exciting new voice in the genre. Warm, humorous, fun-filled, magical, and spiced with deadly danger, this ghost story has it all.”—
Romantic Times
(4½ stars)

“Cindy Miles's love for the genre shines through in her endearing, quirky heroines and her larger-than-life heroes. As a reader, I was
Spirited Away
by the magic in each and every word.”

—Jolie Mathis, author of
The Sea King

“This is the most charming story I have come across in some time. It has such a wonderful plot, characters, setting, and dialogue; I eagerly await the next book.”

—Romance Readers at Heart

“A charming tale that mixes best what readers enjoy in medieval fantasy and contemporary romance. The less common ghostly theme will appeal to paranormal fans looking for variety, and the quirky, lovable characters will leave readers wanting to revisit the knights of Dreadmoor Castle.”—
Booklist

“An energetic, amusing ghostly romance starring a likable, intelligent mortal and a somewhat frustrated ghost.”—
Midwest Book Review

SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by New American Library, a division of
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:
80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
First Printing, February 2009

Copyright © Cindy Homberger, 2009

eISBN : 978-1-440-68753-2

All rights reserved

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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For Brian, because
we made it
.
I love you.
And for Kim, Betsy, Molly, and Rita-Marie,
for all the reading and encouragement for
MacGowan's Ghost
.
This one's for you.

Prologue

 

“
H
urry, before Himself returns!” Friar Digby whispered, glancing about the dimmed room. “Make haste!”

“Well, move your robe-garbed arse over, then, so I can see!” Captain Catesby elbowed in next to the friar and squinted at the computer screen. His eyes widened. “Damn me, but she's fetchin'.”

Three more souls sifted into the small stone-walled office and hovered behind the captain. Mademoiselle Bedeau gasped. The two fatal duelers, Christopher and Baden—both English—followed with like noises.

Friar Digby sniffed and lowered his voice still more. “I daresay the very last thing to be concerned about is her beauty, sir.”

“Aye, although she is a lovely maid,” said Christopher. He cocked his head and stared even harder. “Think you she will try to oust us from our home?”

Captain Catesby stared at the smiling face on the screen. “Nay. She willna.”

Mademoiselle Bedeau sighed. “How can you know that, sir?”

A slow smile pulled at the captain's mouth. “I can see it in her eyes, lass. This one's a wily lamb, but no' a threat to us.” He rose and grinned at his fellow ghosts. “I have a feeling Himself will get far more than he bargains for with this gel, truth be told.”

The heavy tread of boots in the corridor made all of their heads snap up.

“Himself returns!” said the friar under his breath. He shooed the duelers, frantic. “Quick, begone! But just inside the wall, there, so we can listen whilst he makes the call to the lady.”

The spirits scrambled and hastily seeped into the stone. With a much-stifled chuckle and a shake of his head, Captain Catesby followed, and waited.

Chapter 1

 

“
T
hank you so much, Ms. Morgan. I don't know what we would have done without you.” Mrs. Zolaster glanced around with unease. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Are you sure they're gone?”

Mr. Zolaster, a middle-aged man with a strip of brown hair encircling his crown, shifted his gaze from one side of the living room to the other. By the pinched expression, he didn't look very convinced.

Allie slid a glance over the heads of both Zolasters and straight into the naughty, smiling, and nearly transparent faces of three youthful spirits.

One of them winked and waggled his brows.

Allie ignored the playful gesture and met the expectant gazes of the Zolasters. “They won't be causing you any more trouble.” She smiled. “I promise.”

Relief washed over both of their faces, and Mrs. Zolaster held out her hand. “I can't thank you enough. Now, if I can show you out?”

Allie thought the woman was more than happy to see the last of her, too. “Absolutely.” She stepped through the door of the Zolasters' 150-year-old brick manor house and into Raleigh's crisp night air. No sooner had she made it to the end of the drive than the three young ghosts materialized beside her. Three teenaged brothers who, on a warm July day in 1861, fell to their deaths at the First Manassas.

They'd made their way home. Eventually.

But without the first memory of what had happened.

“Aw, Allie, come on. Don't leave,” one brother said in a North Carolina drawl.

“Yeah, the Zolasters seem nice and all, but they ain't no fun,” the other said.

“Not fun like you,” the third and eldest offered. “Please?”

Allie stopped and looked each brother in the eye. She sighed, then smiled. “Listen, guys. Now that you know how, where, and when you died, you're free. I found your family's history, you know what happened to your parents and the the rest of your siblings, and you're no longer forced to haunt the halls of your old homestead.” She waved her arms. “Go out, explore, have a little fun.” She narrowed her eyes. “But not too much fun. And please, leave the Zolasters alone. I promised them, you know.”

The three brothers grinned.

One scratched his forehead. “Can we come visit you sometime?”

Allie studied the three boys. All wearing drab gray uniforms of the Confederacy, their ghostly eyes revealed nothing more than hope. She gave them a wide smile. “I'd be upset if you didn't. Now stay out of trouble.”

“Yes, ma'am!” they all three hollered at once.

Then they disappeared.

Allie shook her head, made it to her trusty old Wrangler, climbed in, and started for home. A half hour later, she pulled into the Waterloo Apartments complex, growled when she saw a visitor had parked in her spot, found another, and climbed to the fifth floor. She pushed her key into the lock and let herself in to her one-bedroom corner abode.