When Fiona opened her eyes, she saw Gideon’s face close to hers, his eyes bright with concern.

She blinked, struggling to make sense of her murky thoughts. Something was wrong…her brows drew together and she swallowed, her dry throat rasping with the effort.

Then she remembered: Brad Forth. She must have tried to cry out a warning, for Gideon covered her lips with a pair of gentle fingers.

“Shh…he’s not going to hurt you, baby…He’s gone.”

“Brad…?” she managed to whisper.

“Yes, Brad. I must say, I’d rather hoped my name would have been the first thing you said…” He smiled gently. “Instead of his.”

Fiona couldn’t hold back her own painful grin. She didn’t know what happened, or how Gideon had managed to be there, but he was—and he had made a rare joke.

Two miracles in one night.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, murmured something that sounded like “I love you” and then pulled away to look down at her.

His face was so dear to her, so handsome and familiar and so wanted…Fiona felt like she was going to get lost in the warmth and love in his eyes.

Something had changed with him. The shutters had fallen from his face, and it was open, glowing, soft.

Fiona became aware that they weren’t alone and she struggled to sit up on a sofa. People were moving around, talking, lights were on…

They were in the shop, she realized, her mind still foggy as she recognized the back room. Yes, that was right—Brad had brought her here, then pulled a gun on her.

She shuddered, and Gideon pulled her close to his warm, solid body that smelled—not of overpowering cologne, but of maleness and strength. Goosebumps lifted on her bare arms, and he smoothed his beautiful hands up over her skin, gently caressing her chilled arms.

“What happened?” she managed to say, just Helga van Hest walked up to them.

“How are you Fiona?” she asked, reaching for her wrist to check her pulse before she could reply.

“I’m fine. I just…want to know what happened.”

Helga gave Gideon an ambiguous look, then replied, “Bradley Forth has been taken into custody for assault, battery, and attempted murder. Thanks to Gideon here, he was apprehended before he could escape—or perpetrate his ultimate goal.”

It was Helga van Hest’s very straight face that told Fiona that was only part of the story. But before she could ask more questions, a medic was there, poking and prodding on her everywhere.

Finally—once pronounced well enough to go home and, thankfully, not to the emergency room—Fiona demanded, “What happened, Gideon?”

He told her that Iva and Hollis had been worried about her, and that was why he’d tracked her down at the shop—only to be accosted by Brad Forth.

“How did you get the gun away from him?” Fiona asked.

Gideon looked uncomfortable, as though he couldn’t find the words. “He got—er—uh—distracted, and I smashed him on the head with that Buddha statue.”

“Distracted?” But Fiona was already beginning to suspect what had happened.

Gretchen’s Lamp—perhaps even Gretchen herself—had helped them out.

She reached to touch Gideon’s cheek. It was warm and prickly from the stubble that had already begun to spring up, and she slid her hand around to cup his jaw. How she’d missed touching him!

Then she remembered Rachel, and jolted back from him. Oh God.

“Where is she? Rachel?” Her joy drained away.

“She’s not here, Fiona. She’s not going to be here…it’s over between us.”

“No, Gideon, you can’t—” With every last remnant of strength and integrity, Fiona turned to look at him, fierceness in her eyes. She wouldn’t let him do that.

“Shush, baby…shhh…It’s over.” He pressed a kiss with exquisite tenderness to her forehead. “Rachel and I—err—agreed it would be best if we didn’t get married after all. I’ll still be involved in the baby’s life, of course—my child’s life—but not with the mother. Not with Rachel.”

“Gideon…” She realized her face was buried in his broad shoulder. It smelled so good. So familiar, so delicious…so like him. “Are you sure?”

He nodded against her, his face bumping into the top of her head. “Yes. We both agreed, Rachel and I. Fiona, I’ve been lost without you…I want you in my life. I told you tonight, I love you. I…I want to be with you.” He stopped suddenly, then plunged on, “I know you were scared, and things were moving too fast before. We can slow things down, but—”

“No,” she said quickly. “No to slowing things down. I love you, Gideon. I could barely get through the words, telling you to be with her…”

He held her for a long moment there on the floor, in the corner and away from Helga and Captain Longbow, and the sheriff’s team, who’d come in to help with gathering evidence.

Suddenly a familiar peremptory bellow reached their ears. “Gideon! Fiona!”

Gideon Senior and Iva burst upon them, both demanding to know if they were all right. Gideon’s grandfather’s glasses were askew, and Iva was wearing some sort of house slippers…and they both carried worried and concerned expressions on their faces.

“For God’s sake, sit down, Iva.” Gideon Senior yanked a chair over for them and propelled her into it. “You can see they’re all right now, so you can stop your yammering.”

Fiona saw that despite his harsh words, his attention raced over Gideon and herself to make sure they were, indeed, all right.

Trying to make light of the situation, she looked at Iva and grinned. “Reading Tarot cards now, are you?”

Iva flushed and looked down at her hands. “Well, I thought I’d give it a try. My first time, and since you were on my mind…and Gideon, and the whole situation with Bradley Forth…well, I just meditated on you and pulled a few cards.”

Gideon Senior rolled his eyes, smiling broadly now that all was well. “Foolishness. Such foolishness I never heard, eh, Gideon? What are we going to do with these two women and their penchant for the mystic?”

Fiona felt Gideon shift beside her, and she looked to see a very sober expression on his face. “Grandfather, I have to say…I’m never going to poke fun at them again.” He hesitated, then glanced at Fiona and closed his mouth.

She took a quick look at Iva, who was watching intently, and then reached to touch Gideon’s face. “You saw her, didn’t you? Gretchen?”

He nodded and Iva gasped in what could only be described as disappointment. “Do you mean she showed herself to you?” She looked around as if to catch sight of the Ghostly Presence herself. “After all the research and work we did, she didn’t even show herself to us?”

Gideon Senior’s mouth was hanging open. “What are you saying, son? You think you saw a ghost?”

Gideon bit his upper lip, raised one eyebrow as though he didn’t believe it himself, and nodded. “I saw a ghost.” He said the words and looked over at Fiona. “It was definitely Gretchen, and she looked just like you—except for the hair.”

“You really saw her?” Iva asked, her blue eyes perfectly round and her cheeks flushing in excitement. Her disappointment seemed to have ebbed. “What did she do? What did she look like? What happened?”

“She scared the bejesus out of Bradley Forth,” Gideon replied with great relish. “She was kind of greenish-yellow, and she had a hell of a gust of wind behind her. It felt like a damned tornado in here. She broke a lot of lamps—a lot of things. I don’t know if it was the wind or just her…moving things.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t experienced it for myself…but I did.” He looked into Fiona’s eyes with an uncertain gaze—as though he were afraid she’d laugh at him.

Before she could respond, Joe Longbow called out from across the room. “Fiona, did you see this mess over here?”

She and Gideon pulled to their feet when they saw where he and Helga were standing—next to the big old desk where Gretchen’s Lamp had stood.

The old white lamp was no longer in its spot on the desk—now it lay smashed on the floor.

“Right over here was the last crash I heard,” Gideon told Fiona as they stooped to look at what remained of the lamp. “Gretchen must have destroyed it as her last act.”

“What’s this?” Fiona reached for a wad of papers—a small notebook that had been folded in half and lay among the shards of milk glass. “It must have been inside the lamp.”

As soon as she pulled it out, the glass tinkling to the floor under it, she knew what it was. “Valente’s journal,” she and Iva said at the same time. They both squealed with giddy delight, though with Fiona’s head aching so, hers wasn’t quite as high-pitched as Iva’s.

They all looked at each other, Helga making furious notes on a neat steno pad and Joe Longbow scratching his head. “Journal?”

“That’s what Bradley Forth was looking for,” she told them. “And some bank books too.”

Iva took the journal and flipped through it, then dug for reading glasses. As she leaned over her shoulder, Fiona squinted, but couldn’t make out the brown spidery writing that had faded over time.

“I’m sure it must tell the whole story in here,” Iva said, shoving her readers in place. “It’ll say that he was Josef Kremer, one of Hitler’s elite, and that he came here to start a new life after the war.”

“And that his first love—Gretchen—found him, and when she came to visit him, he killed her for fear she’d divulge his identity. He actually killed the woman he loved—or at least had loved once upon a time.”

Gideon looked at Fiona, warmth shining in his eyes as he clasped her hand. “I just want you to know, my love, that no matter how long we’re married, and how angry you might make me…I’ll never bash your head in and leave you in a closet under the stairs.” He grinned a crooked, gentle grin.

Fiona felt a wave of love and tenderness as she fell into his gaze. She smiled, reaching to touch his warm, dear face. “Another joke from you, Gideon? Two in one day? Are you really the man I love, or are you an imposter?”

She leaned forward to press a kiss to his mouth, and felt like she’d come home. This was where she’d be, this was where she’d stay. Her home, her life, her commitment…her responsibility.

“I love you Gideon. And if that’s a proposal, I’ll accept it…but you’re really going to have to stop making so many jokes.”

* * *

A Note from the Author

* * *

By the way…were you intrigued by the little spitfire Bruce Banner, Juanita Acerita’s papillon? I’d like to introduce you to the inspiration for little Brucie—my own darling papillon named Ranger.

He’s just as feisty as Bruce Banner, and ridiculously cute, as you can see. If you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you’ll find that I often post pics or videos of Ranger.

He likes to lay on top of the floor vent in the kitchen when the furnace is running, so he can stay warm. What a life!

* * *

* * *

Diana Iverson needs a break--from her stressful job, from her philandering boyfriend, and from the rest of her fast-paced life. When she inherits her eccentric Aunt Jean's Wicks Hollow home, Diana takes a much-needed vacation in the cozy little town.

But when the lake house becomes the scene of multiple break-ins, Diana begins to suspect Aunt Jean’s death was not as innocent as it seems.

And then there’s Ethan Murphy, the sexy college professor who lives next door… He appears to know a lot more about Aunt Jean than he should, and Diana doesn’t trust him.

But most of all, there's Aunt Jean herself…who seems determined to communicate with Diana from beyond the grave…

* * *

* * *

Leslie Nakano needs to make a major life change—getting away from the dog-eat-dog corporate world, as well as getting past a personal loss—so she buys a large turn-of-the-century mansion in Wicks Hollow, with plans to renovate it and turn it into an inn.

She doesn’t care about the rumors that it’s haunted—she just wants a new life.

But she sure wouldn’t mind finding the missing gems that belonged to Red Eye Sal, a bootlegger who lived in the house during Prohibition.

Blacksmith Declan Zyler, who has more work than he can handle, working on historical restorations, has suddenly acquired a fifteen-year-old daughter he never knew he had. This turns his life upside-down when he decides to take on the role of single father.

When Leslie hires Declan to restore the iron staircase in her inn, neither of them realize they are disturbing a spirit from days gone by…and until they determine how to put that ghost to rest, neither Leslie nor Declan will be able to move on with their lives.