perfect.” The
tingly feeling in my stomach was out of control.
“ Crazy last few days, huh?”
Callahan smiled. “I’m glad the spell is gone.”
“ Me too. I’m still trying
to grasp what really happened.”
“ I’m ready to get on with
my life and put that ugly period behind us.” He lifted the cork out
of the bottle.
I sighed and looked away. “Me
too.”
“ Is something wrong?” He
cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my face toward
him.
I nodded. “It’s Mindy. She hasn’t been
acting herself since Cooper came to town.”
“ What do you mean ‘not
acting herself?’”
“ She isn’t really talking
to me. She spends all of her time with him.”
“ Do you think they’re
dating?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t think so,
but I’m not sure what to think. She had been dating someone else. I
just have this sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach that
something’s wrong.”
“ If there’s anything I can
do to help, you know I will. Please don’t hesitate to ask. I owe
you.” Callahan handed me a glass of wine.
“ You don’t owe me anything.
And I don’t want to hear you say that again. Deal?”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
The bright moon smiled down on us with
approval. Lying there on the grass, looking up at the star-strewn
sky, I felt save in Callahan’s arms. As we watched the glimmering
stars, Callahan and I laughed over stories about high school and
college. He told me more about his parents and brother, and I told
him about my father who’d abandoned us when I was a baby. I had
shared more with him than I’d shared with anyone except for Mindy.
In between sips of wine and nibbles of cheese, we shared passionate
kisses. Callahan’s eyes flashed with desire, a raw sexual
excitement.
His lips whispered over my mouth, then
his tongue slowly found mine. He deepened the kiss as he ran his
fingers through my hair. Callahan’s movements were slow and
deliberate, as if he wanted to savor every moment. He opened his
mouth wider, slow, and sensual. I let out a soft moan when he
nibbled on my bottom lip. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He
tasted sweet like the wine. Callahan nibbled and licked a path down
my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs. I ran my hands across
his chest, and he sucked in a deep breath. Callahan traced the
outline of my arms, stomach, and legs.
“ Are you cold?” he asked
breathlessly.
“ I’m okay.” I snuggled back
against his chest and he wrapped his arm around me as we stared at
the sky. The next thing I knew, it was morning. Birds chirped and
the sun popped up over the horizon.
The whispers of ghostly talking had
woken me.
“ I can’t believe they slept
out here all night,” Anthony whispered.
“ They make the sweetest
couple,” Seth said.
“ I can’t believe they
didn’t do it,” Mae remarked.
After kissing Callahan goodbye, I
jumped in the shower, still on a lover’s high from my moonlit
picnic with a gorgeous hunk of a man. The soap flew from my hand
when Anthony belted out the lyrics to “Your Cheatin’
Heart.”
“ Get out of here,” I
yelled, pulling the shower curtain close to hide my
body.
Chapter Nineteen
Several days had passed since Cooper
had showed up in Magnolia. Something wasn’t right. I felt it. He
remained close with Mindy, and she remained distant with me.
Anytime I’d called her, she’d come up with different excuses as to
why she couldn’t talk to me. When I drove by her house, she was
never home. Cooper was occupying all of her free time. It was as if
her soul had been kidnapped. Somehow, I didn’t think this was a
coincidence. I needed to find out if something more sinister was
going on, or if I was just being paranoid.
If I didn't know better, I'd say I was
jealous, but I had to remember I'd been spending a lot of time with
Callahan, too. Some might say we were getting hot and heavy…but not
that heavy yet.
All that might change tonight though,
as I'd invited him over for dinner. I'd
tingly feeling in my stomach was out of control.
“ Crazy last few days, huh?”
Callahan smiled. “I’m glad the spell is gone.”
“ Me too. I’m still trying
to grasp what really happened.”
“ I’m ready to get on with
my life and put that ugly period behind us.” He lifted the cork out
of the bottle.
I sighed and looked away. “Me
too.”
“ Is something wrong?” He
cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my face toward
him.
I nodded. “It’s Mindy. She hasn’t been
acting herself since Cooper came to town.”
“ What do you mean ‘not
acting herself?’”
“ She isn’t really talking
to me. She spends all of her time with him.”
“ Do you think they’re
dating?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t think so,
but I’m not sure what to think. She had been dating someone else. I
just have this sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach that
something’s wrong.”
“ If there’s anything I can
do to help, you know I will. Please don’t hesitate to ask. I owe
you.” Callahan handed me a glass of wine.
“ You don’t owe me anything.
And I don’t want to hear you say that again. Deal?”
He chuckled. “Deal.”
The bright moon smiled down on us with
approval. Lying there on the grass, looking up at the star-strewn
sky, I felt save in Callahan’s arms. As we watched the glimmering
stars, Callahan and I laughed over stories about high school and
college. He told me more about his parents and brother, and I told
him about my father who’d abandoned us when I was a baby. I had
shared more with him than I’d shared with anyone except for Mindy.
In between sips of wine and nibbles of cheese, we shared passionate
kisses. Callahan’s eyes flashed with desire, a raw sexual
excitement.
His lips whispered over my mouth, then
his tongue slowly found mine. He deepened the kiss as he ran his
fingers through my hair. Callahan’s movements were slow and
deliberate, as if he wanted to savor every moment. He opened his
mouth wider, slow, and sensual. I let out a soft moan when he
nibbled on my bottom lip. I wrapped my arms around his waist. He
tasted sweet like the wine. Callahan nibbled and licked a path down
my neck. My heart hammered against my ribs. I ran my hands across
his chest, and he sucked in a deep breath. Callahan traced the
outline of my arms, stomach, and legs.
“ Are you cold?” he asked
breathlessly.
“ I’m okay.” I snuggled back
against his chest and he wrapped his arm around me as we stared at
the sky. The next thing I knew, it was morning. Birds chirped and
the sun popped up over the horizon.
The whispers of ghostly talking had
woken me.
“ I can’t believe they slept
out here all night,” Anthony whispered.
“ They make the sweetest
couple,” Seth said.
“ I can’t believe they
didn’t do it,” Mae remarked.
After kissing Callahan goodbye, I
jumped in the shower, still on a lover’s high from my moonlit
picnic with a gorgeous hunk of a man. The soap flew from my hand
when Anthony belted out the lyrics to “Your Cheatin’
Heart.”
“ Get out of here,” I
yelled, pulling the shower curtain close to hide my
body.
Chapter Nineteen
Several days had passed since Cooper
had showed up in Magnolia. Something wasn’t right. I felt it. He
remained close with Mindy, and she remained distant with me.
Anytime I’d called her, she’d come up with different excuses as to
why she couldn’t talk to me. When I drove by her house, she was
never home. Cooper was occupying all of her free time. It was as if
her soul had been kidnapped. Somehow, I didn’t think this was a
coincidence. I needed to find out if something more sinister was
going on, or if I was just being paranoid.
If I didn't know better, I'd say I was
jealous, but I had to remember I'd been spending a lot of time with
Callahan, too. Some might say we were getting hot and heavy…but not
that heavy yet.
All that might change tonight though,
as I'd invited him over for dinner. I'd
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