Ghost Train (Haunted Souls Book 16), page 14
“I am. Just a little bump to the head. Do I know you, umm, what’s your name again?” Ten asked on a giggle.
“Not funny!” Ronan said. “We’ve had enough concussions in this family to last a lifetime.”
“How about you?” Jude asked, pulling Cope in for a hug.
“My throat’s a little sore, but nothing some tea and honey won’t fix.” Cope rested his head on Jude’s shoulder.
“Let’s take a ghost train, you said. It will be fun.” Ronan rolled his eyes. “Remind me not to go anywhere with any of you ever again.”
“What about me, handsome?” Bertha Craig asked, appearing beside Crow.
“Jesus, Bertha!” Ronan got to his feet and gave her a hug. “How is this possible?”
“There’s so much psychic energy in this room. It’s like a power plant. I’ve got a full charge in my battery.”
“Mimi!” Everly cried, running to Bertha’s side. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too, honeybunch.” Bertha released Ronan and knelt down to hug Everly.
“I can’t thank you enough for finding Samuel and keeping our family safe,” Jude shook Crow’s hand.
Crow nodded. “Like Tennyson said, family is everything.”
“Uh, Jude, is that who I think that is?” Bertha asked, pointing to the window, where President Lincoln stood silently.
“Holy shit!” Jude blinked several times, unable to believe his eyes. Cope had mentioned seeing him aboard the train but never could have imagined seeing the former president for himself. “It sure is.”
“I can’t believe it’s really him.” Bertha wiped tears from her eyes. “Where are the rest of my grandbabies? I need to hold Lizbet.”
“I’ll go get everyone,” Jude said. He headed for the door to the Lincoln car. When he was in the hall, he turned back, watching his family for a few minutes. They’d had another close call, but aside from the cut to Ten’s head, everyone was safe. His hands shook from the excess adrenaline coursing through his system.
He’d almost lost his husband. Again. Jude vowed to himself to spend the rest of Cope’s life making it up to him. Crow was right. Family was everything.
20
Cope
Cope woke up the next morning feeling like a brand-new man. Yes, his bruised throat was still sore, but he knew the effects of Augusta’s attack would fade with time. The memories of what happened yesterday would take a lot longer to dissipate. He didn’t want to think how close to the end he’d actually come yesterday.
Picking up his phone, Cope flipped through the dozens of pictures he’d taken of Bertha with Lizbet and the other kids. There were a couple of great ones with Jude as well.
After all the hubbub calmed down, they’d all had dinner together in the caboose. Everyone seemed to be back to their usual selves, including Everly, who didn’t appear affected by Augusta raging in her face. Cope had a feeling the ramifications would rear their ugly heads at some point.
“Hey, you good?” Jude asked, walking out of the bathroom in their compartment.
Cope nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Looking forward to getting the hell off this train tomorrow.” They’d spent the morning in Chicago visiting the Navy Pier. The original plan had been to visit the Drake Hotel, infamously haunted by the ghost of Marilyn Monroe, some claimed, but after what happened yesterday, no one had been in the mood to ghost hunt, least of all Cope and Tennyson.
At the pier, everyone rode the famous Ferris wheel and then the teacups before having pizza, and finally a stop at Build-A-Bear. The kids picked their favorite animals while Jude got Cope a mermaid bear. He was ridiculously excited over the teal bear with her shimmery costume.
“The good news is that we’re the only ones left on the train besides Aloysius and the staff.”
“Yeah, thank goodness for that. I was so done with everyone yesterday. I’m looking forward to it just being us until we get off in Minnesota tomorrow.” Originally, they’d been scheduled to take another train to Deadwood, but they decided the ninety-minute flight from Minneapolis to Rapid City would be much better than two more days on the train.
“Same,” Jude agreed. “What do you really think happened with Samuel? Every time I’ve witnessed the light, there have been family members there welcoming them home. Hell, the last time we saw the light in Cincinnati, we saw Lizbet.”
Cope would never forget the day their daughter-to-be introduced herself. “You know, I’ve been wondering the same thing. Augusta died mere months after Samuel. He might have still been getting used to things on the other side. Maybe he was too busy with his afterlife to show up.”
“Or maybe he didn’t want to be there,” Jude said carefully. “Augusta could have been the kind of mother who suffocated Samuel.”
“That’s possible too,” Cope agreed. “Families are hard to deal with under the best circumstances. You and I have our occasional disagreements. I’ve been known to be Tiger Mom at PTA meetings. Who knows what will happen to us when the kids are old enough to think they don’t need us anymore.”
“When that happens, we’ll travel the world together. I want to have sex in every country in Europe! In every position! In the tub. On the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. In the gladiator quarters in the Colosseum.”
Cope patted Jude’s cheek. “Dream big, babe! I’ll bring the lube and bail money.”
“Seriously though. You scared the hell out of me yesterday. I didn’t think I was going to get to you in time. If Crow hadn’t shown up…” Jude buried his head against Cope’s shoulder.
“I know,” Cope agreed. “It was another close call. Do you think we should just go home tomorrow instead of going to Deadwood?”
Jude shook his head. “No, I think we’ll be okay at the ranch. The kids will ride sheep. Maybe we’ll learn how to throw a lasso, which could come in handy in the bedroom.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Wait! Did you say ride sheep?” Cope wondered if Jude had misspoken or if he’d lost his mind entirely.
“Sheep riding is a rodeo event. It’s called mutton bustin’. The kids climb on the sheep’s back, and the goal is to stay on for six seconds.”
“Stop fucking with me, Jude.” Cope had never heard anything so ridiculous in his life.
“You don’t believe me? I’m crushed. Here.” Jude handed Cope his phone.
“Holy shit, it’s a real thing. Look at this little boy with a cowboy hat and rodeo vest holding on for dear life.” Cope burst out laughing at the next picture, which showed a little girl in pink pants and matching boots. “Okay, this looks like fun. Do you think Wolfie would want to give it a try?”
“Does a sheep shit in the woods?” Jude burst out laughing. “Of course he’ll want to try it. Hell, so do I, and you know Ronan will too.”
“Says here that you have to weigh less than sixty pounds, but we can put you on a bull. Look at this sweet little boy. He’s perfect for you. His name is Black Magic.” Cope tilted the screen toward Jude.
“You trying to widow yourself or what?” Jude took the phone from Cope. “He weighs sixteen hundred pounds and has a power rating of ninety-one.”
“What does that mean?” Cope asked.
“Roughly that ninety-one out of one hundred rides, the bull bucked the cowboy off.”
“Oh, that sounds much more dangerous than riding a sheep. Maybe you shouldn’t try bull riding.”
“Gee, thanks.” Jude wrapped his arm around Cope. “We’ll sit around the campfire, make s’mores, and watch the stars come out. How does that sound?”
“That sounds nice, but you’re forgetting one thing,” Cope cautioned, all the while grinning at his husband.
“What’s that?”
“We’re going to Deadwood, one of the most famously haunted gold rush towns in the United States.”
“So, you’ll shut your gift off and enjoy a real vacation. There’s a spa at this ranch. You can get a hot stone massage and spend time in the hot tub. It will be nothing but rest and relaxation. Doesn’t that sound nice? We’ll hang out with the kids at the indoor water park. Eat gourmet dinners. Spend long nights in bed. “What could possibly go wrong?” Jude asked.
Everything Jude was laying out sounded wonderful. Oh, who was Cope kidding? They were going to Deadwood. What could go wrong?
Only everything.
EPILOGUE
Jude
Two days later, Deadwood, South Dakota…
“Holy shit!” Jude said from the back porch of the Double D Ranch. “I can’t believe we’re here.”
“Me too,” Ronan agreed, holding his hands over the roaring fire.
“What are we gonna do first?” Fitzgibbon asked.
“Sleep!” Jude and Ronan said together.
“Don’t be grumpy old men. We’ve never been here before. Let’s do something adventurous.” Fitz pulled out his phone. “They’ve got horseback riding lessons. You can learn to rope steers and ride bulls.”
“Do all of those things come with a complimentary ride to the emergency room?” Jude laughed. The absolute last thing he needed was a broken leg. Or a broken neck. Or a broken head. “Jesus, Ronan’s had two concussions in the last five weeks and woke up seeing dead people. I was nearly murdered in my hospital bed last spring. Not to mention that we all could have died when Augusta lost her shit on the ghost train.”
“That’s exactly my point,” Fitz said. “We didn’t die. Ten was the only one with a scratch on him. Let’s live a little.”
“For tomorrow, we die!” Ronan crowed.
“Asshole.” Fitz rolled his eyes. “What are the chances we’ll ever be out this way again?”
“Slim to none,” Jude grumped.
“So, let’s live like we’re dying.” Fitzgibbon held up his mug of hot chocolate.
Ronan held his mug high. “To living like we’re dying.”
It was on the tip of Jude’s tongue to call his friends crazy, but something stopped him. He’d grown up watching rodeo with his father. When he was ten years old, he’d dreamed of learning to rope and ride. What would it hurt to live his dream now? “To living!” Jude toasted, not wanting to jinx himself.
“Let’s start with horseback riding lessons. They’ve got the perfect one for you, Ronan. Her name is Rain Cloud.” Fitz turned his phone around to show a picture of the dappled Appaloosa. “I’ll ride Sunshine, and Jude can ride Tornado Joe.”
“Tornado Joe?” Jude asked on a snicker. He got up from his seat and headed for the door leading back into the lodge.
“Where are you going?” Ronan called out.
“To kiss my kids one last time. If I ride that horse, I might not live to see tomorrow.” With a backward wave, Jude left his friends laughing without him. Cope had the kids at the water park, and he didn’t want to miss a moment with them. Life was too short to sit on the sidelines.
THE END
THE WESTERN ADVENTURE CONTINUES IN DEAD WOOD! COMING SOON!
HAVE YOU MET PSYCHIC TENNYSON GRIMM AND COLD CASE DETECTIVE RONAN O’MARA? GO BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN WITH DEAD SPEAK!
Boston Police Detective Ronan O’Mara enlists the help of Salem psychic Tennyson Grimm to help solve the cold kidnapping case of five-year-old Michael Frye. Ronan, ever the skeptic, is out of leads and out of options. He very well could be out of a job if he fails to solve this case.
When the child’s body is found, the work to identify his killer begins. As Ronan and Tennyson get closer to solving the crime, the initial attraction they feel for one another explodes into a passion neither man can contain.
Will working together to bring Michael’s killer to justice seal their fledgling bond, or will unexpected revelations in the case tear them apart forever?
DEAD SPEAK IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, PAPERBACK, AND AUDIO BOOK.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07769VFJR
WHO IS COPELAND FORBES? WHY DOES HE THINK JUDE BYRNE IS THE ONLY MAN WHO CAN SAVE HIM? FIND OUT IN GHOST OF HIMSELF, BOOK ONE IN THE HAUNTED SOULS SERIES.
When a reclusive psychic shows up looking for Jude Byrne in his adopted hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, the private investigator’s walls go up instantly. Psychic or not, this mysterious man knows secrets about Jude’s past that are better left buried in the New Mexico desert. Stranger still is the personality change that comes over the flirty P.I. after he meets the newcomer.
Psychic Copeland Forbes is a man on the edge. The once popular and well-respected medium has lived in seclusion since an attack by a former student has shaken his confidence in his abilities. Sickened by an ailment no doctor can diagnose, he travels from his home in Louisiana to seek out the one man he believes he can help him, if the rumors are true.
Faced with an enemy possessing powers greater than either man has ever faced alone, will Jude and Copeland decide to work together to defeat this dark magick? Or will both men continue on as they are now, ghosts of themselves?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KV4S2XH/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1543092345&sr=8-3&keywords=ghost+of+himself
GHOST OF HIMSELF IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, PAPERBACK, AND AUDIO BOOK.
JUDE AND COPE ARE BACK IN GHOST FRIENDS FOREVER!
What if your imaginary friend wasn’t so imaginary after all?
Detective Jude Byrne, sick of working alleged cases of infidelity, takes on client Sam Jones, a man looking to reconnect with his first love. As the search for Greta begins, Jude realizes Sam might be the reason his lost love has fallen off the grid. Determined to discover the truth at all costs, Jude tracks down the woman, who has her own version of events, making him wonder if Sam is more dangerous than he originally thought.
Meanwhile, psychic Copeland Forbes has his hands full with West Side Magick’s newest employee, tarot reader, Bozeman Fields. The two were business rivals during their days in New Orleans until Bozeman mysteriously closed up shop and inexplicably vanished ten years ago. Cope senses there’s something off about the man when he hears him arguing with himself in a seemingly empty room, but bides his time as no one else notices anything is amiss.
While keeping an eye on Bozeman, Cope overhears him yelling at an unseen foe, threatening to kill whoever is harassing him. When questioned about the bizarre incident, the psychic breaks down and tells a harrowing story about Indigo, his imaginary friend from childhood, who refuses to leave his side.
Who is Indigo? What is his endgame? More importantly, why has Jude and Cope’s young son started talking to an imaginary friend of his own?
https://mybook.to/GhostFriendsForever
GHOST FRIENDS FOREVER is available in eBook and Kindle Unlimited!
HAVE YOU MET THE LOMBARDI BROTHERS OF AMORE MATCHMAKING? ALL FOUR BOOKS IN THE SERIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE!
SHOUTING MATCH- Capone Lombardi is set up with police officer Fuller Sims. Will it be love at first sight or will the couple’s new romance be arrested before it can begin? mybook.to/ShoutingMatch
GRUDGE MATCH- Fio Lombardi’s long-lost love True Becker is back in town. Can the matchmaker get them to see eye to eye or will their old grudge keep them apart? http://mybook.to/GrudgeMatch
LOVE MATCH- Former Broadway star Nero Lombardi is giving the stage another try, but when a hotshot Hollywood actor blows into town and steals his role, will Nero throw in the towel or give as good as he gets? https://mybook.to/LoveMatchPandora
PERFECT MATCH- Matchmaker Brando Lombardi is search of his forever love. When a client of the agency is stood up, Brando fills in and falls hard. Is Jagger his perfect match or will Brando be unlucky in love yet again? https://mybook.to/PerfectMatchPandora
CHECK OUT THE MCCOY FOSTER BROTHERS IN PROTECT AND SERVE!
GUNNAR’S GUARDIAN:
Kennedy Lynch is a police detective trying to hunt down an arsonist, but how can he possibly do his job when his new neighbor is the one making him burn? http://mybook.to/GunnarsGuardian
GUNNAR’S GUARDIAN IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, AUDIOBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK.
DEACON’S DEFENDER:
Fire Captain Ozzy Graves is tasked with discovering the identity of the arsonist. Is it local reporter Deacon Fairbanks? http://mybook.to/DeaconsDefender
DEACON’S DEFENDER IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK.
SAXON’S SAVIOR:
EMT Dallas Haynes has a new and completely annoying partner. Can the two men find some common ground or will they be swamped by an approaching hurricane? http://mybook.to/SaxonsSavior
SAXON’S SAVIOR IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK.
HENNESSEY’S HANDLER:
Sparks fly between former Coast Guardsman Hennessey McCoy and Search and Rescue Dog Handler, Morrison Rowe, but can Hennessey and his wild ways be tamed? http://mybook.to/HennesseysHandler
HENNESSEY’S HANDLER IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK.
HOLT’S HOPE:
Former Army pilot Quentin Harding joins Holt's Robertson's cancer fight. Catch up with the entire McCoy family, Lola's antics, and Quentin and Holt's journey toward happily ever after! http://mybook.to/HoltsHope?fbclid=IwAR3JXYP53cFVYhc6xT6k1CEtwRwdu3TlzteqsKe0jL4LiyAvkn53KfalHSM
HOLT’S HOPE IS AVAILABLE IN EBOOK, KINDLE UNLIMITED, AND PAPERBACK.
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PandoraPine
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011377568851
Join my reader group, Pandora’s Box: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Pandorasbox11/
Join my Mail Chimp mailing list at: http://eepurl.com/dEc4-5
You can find all of my books here: https://www.amazon.com/Pandora-Pine/e/B013BSSBX0
Pandora Pine, Ghost Train (Haunted Souls Book 16)
