in front of her. “I’m keeping you two from dancing.” She patted Emily’s hand. “Will you come and visit me soon?”
“I’d love that.”
“I’m old-fashioned enough to be in the phone book. I’ll get you caught up on everything we know about your house, and you can fill me in on what you’ve learned from the ghosts.” She stood and waved with her fingertips. “See you soon.”
Restraining a laugh, Emily didn’t dare look at Jake until Dorothy was out of earshot.
“You have to bring her over to the house. I bet she can see them.”
“Right. I’ll bring her over so she can introduce me to my own ghosts.” She watched the lines deepen on each side of his mouth. “They are mine, right? If I own the house, I own the ghosts.”
“Absolutely. It’s in the fine print of every bill of sale: ‘The Seller hereby grants, bargains, sells, assigns, transfers, conveys, and sets over unto the Purchaser all ghosts, ghouls, goblins, spooks, specters, apparitions, and ethereal beings real or imaginary residing in or on the Property.’”
Emily swiped at laugh tears dampening her lashes. “I can’t wait to write the listing. ‘For Sale. Historic three-bedroom—’”
“Shoulda been four-bedroom.”
“‘Three-bedroom, two-bath home complete with fireplace, back porch, trapdoors, secret room, and quiet, well-mannered poltergeist.’”
“It won’t be on the market more than a week.” His smile waned and he reached for his hat. “Let’s not talk about that now.” He held out his hand. “May I have this dance?”
She slid her palm onto his. Warm, large, calloused, his hand closed around hers. She looked up at unruly sun-lightened hair peeking from under the black cowboy hat and tried to remember why she was supposed to say no. The band played the first few notes of “We Like to Party” as he pulled her to her feet and led her to the back row of dancers. As her feet began stomping in place in time to his, she remembered one of the reasons she should have declined. “I thought you hated dancing.”
His forehead furrowed. Boots tapped, hands clapped, and a grin split his face. “Where’d you ever get an idea like that?”
CHAPTER 18
Lexi stared at the words of the worship chorus on the screen above the platform. She usually loved this part of a Sunday service the best, but this morning the praise lyrics wouldn’t take shape in her mouth.
Adam sang the same as he did any other Sunday. Jake’s voice seemed louder than usual.
She should be praising God for saving Pansy. And sticking Ben in jail. It wasn’t that she wasn’t grateful for both, but nothing was for sure yet. How long would Ben stay there and what would he do to her when he got out? Would he take it out on her this time or give Adam her punishment like he usually did? And where would Pansy stay when she and Adam had to go back home? Grandma was allergic to cats. She had to take pills whenever she was around them.
Jake said Emily wanted to keep Pansy.
Not a chance.
Pretending she was concentrating on the words on the screen, Lexi watched Jake’s hands lifting, palms up. It wasn’t God he was all joyful about. It was Emily.
So much for Who Needs a Prince? So much for “I’m not really in the market.” She’d seen them Friday night, holding hands on the way to the car. Emily had come with Lexi and her grandma and left with Jake.
Lexi had no doubt God knew her every hope and dream, every wish she’d whispered on the first star of the night since Mom died. For a few hours on Friday she’d thought all her prayers were being answered. Ben was arrested and Jake came to their rescue and took them home, just the way she’d prayed it would happen.
And then he danced with Emily and wrecked everything.
Jake would marry Emily and they’d move into her house—a house with lots of rooms to fill with kids. But the kids would be Jake and Emily’s.
In her daydreams, Jake built a big house and she got to design her own room. They’d go on trips every summer. Boating and hiking and skiing all over the country, maybe even the world.
She’d never told anyone about her prayer. People would laugh. What were the chances a single guy Jake’s age would want to raise two kids who were almost teenagers? But God could do miracles. Even though he hadn’t healed Mom, Lexi still believed God answered prayers. Pansy was alive. That was