 
STRANDED

DARKNESS FROM WITHIN

BOOK 1

by

Kitty Margo

Copyright 2019 by Kitty Margo

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

ISBN 10: 9781981822966

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Disclaimer: The persons, places, things, and otherwise animate or inanimate objects mentioned in this novel are figments of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to anything or anyone living (or dead) is unintentional. The author humbly begs your pardon. This is fiction, people.

DEDICATED TO:

Joseph Clifton

Billy Joe

and

Joshua Daniel.

Life is so much sweeter

because of you.

PROLOGUE

A cool breeze ruffled the curtains as Cate lay in bed, wide awake. A noisy bullfrog croaked in the pond behind her cottage, issuing a sultry invitation to the lady frogs that he was ready to make some tadpoles. She would swear that each of his deep throated admonishments was aimed directly at her.

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

The full moon cast a sliver of light across the foot of the bed, making her wish she was a witch with the power to cast a spell on anyone of her choosing.

Impotence.

A cricket chirped a mournful melody that proved to be the only comforting sound on a night of scarce comfort.

Her horoscope in the morning paper had read, "Today will mark a new chapter in your life".

No shit.

Hours earlier, the man she had been engaged to for the past three years had made the stunning declaration that their upcoming marriage, the one she had spent every waking moment of the last six months meticulously planning, was off. For crying out loud, she had already been the giddy recipient of not one but two bridal showers. What would Emily Post recommend that she do with the vast array of gifts they had received as a couple? Return them? The horror.

Since Rex had been cohabiting with her for over a year, they had already opened, and used, practically every one of their small kitchen appliances, plush towels, and the ever thoughtful gift cards. She seriously loved her new Keurig, her waffle iron, and a set of the softest bed sheets on the planet.

How could Rex do this to her?

Just like that.

Out of the blue.

Her soon-to-be ex fiancé had stopped by after work with a melancholy expression on his devilishly handsome face and a nervous tic under his left eye. Although the tic was always a red flag, in Cate's stunning naiveté, she had assumed he was there for a little afternoon delight.

In reality, the only delight exhibited in the room during the course of their fifteen-minute interlude was the light of newly-minted love dancing in his devastating baby blues.

"I have something to tell you, Cate." Rex had suddenly become extremely jittery, bouncing from foot to foot as his hand nervously jingled loose change in his pocket.

"What is it?" Cate's smile had brightened as she imagined Rex planning an exciting adventure for the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Kayaking and camping on the Pee Dee River. Renting a cabin by a bubbling spring in the North Carolina mountains. A trip to the Outer Banks in search of pirate lore. The Tarheel State had so many options to choose from, the possibilities were endless.

Then again, the way he was hem-hawing around, opening and closing his mouth like an oxygen deprived guppy, maybe not. Bless his heart. Apparently he couldn't find the right words to spit out whatever was currently lodged in his throat like a sideways fishbone.

"What is it, darling?" Cate smiled patiently, tossing him a sultry grin for good measure. She had gone to the YMCA after work for weight training and spent an hour on the treadmill. As usual, with so much adrenaline pumping through her veins, she was feeling frisky. "You know you can tell me anything."

Rex drew in a ragged breath, glancing toward the door wistfully. Wistfully? Here lately, much to her dismay, Cate's come hither glances occasionally failed to elicit the desired response.

He was obviously extremely uneasy about whatever it was he felt so compelled to announce. "I've met someone, Cate."

Someone?

"Really?" Cate walked over to where he stood, hoping to calm him. Her heart plunged to her feet like an out of control elevator when he immediately moved across the room, away from her touch. "Did you meet a new friend at the gym?"

"Perhaps I should reword that statement." He brushed at invisible lint on his perfectly creased jeans before raking a trembling hand through his silky brown hair. What was he so worked up about? "Actually, I didn't just meet Regina. I met her a few months ago."

Regina?

"And?" Cate prompted. What was the big deal? They both had friends of the opposite sex. It had never presented a problem before.

Apparently tired of pussyfooting around the subject, Rex walked further across the room. Was he afraid of her reaction? Taking a deep breath, he blurted, "I... actually... we... fell in love."

Okay, so this was his idea of a warped joke. Humor never was his strong suit. Should she play along?

Because their wedding was in sixteen days at the chapel right around the corner from her parent's house. She had already paid for the dress, the flowers, the photographer, the DJ, and the caterer. The only monetary offering his family had shelled out, was for their two-week honeymoon.

While Cate leaned back against the sofa with a patient smile, waiting for Rex to burst out laughing and yell, "Gotcha!" he hung his head and whispered softly, "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday, Cate."

This wasn't a joke.

Rex was actually calling off their wedding.

"Are you serious right now?" Cate shrieked as her heart began a wild thumping against her ribcage. "What about our honeymoon in Bali, the scuba diving and rain forest tours we booked, the honeymoon suite in the fabulous villa...?"

"Regina and I will be using it."

What the actual fuck?

"I know you didn't just tell me that you and some slut will be going on our honeymoon?" Cate was beyond livid, blinded by an unrelenting and rapidly intensifying fury fueled by disgust. "Even if I'm not asleep and this is really happening, I cannot believe you are standing in my house admitting that you are taking another woman on my honeymoon! You loathsome, low down, slimy piece of...."

"That's enough, Cate. There is no need for name calling."

"You don't tell me what to do, and believe me, you sick asshole, the name calling has only begun!"

Suddenly his mood flipped. His words were almost cheerful when he stated, as calmly as if they were chatting about planting a vegetable garden in the spring, "You should be happy that the non-refundable trip my parents paid for won't go to waste."

Cate's jaw actually dropped, completely stunned by such an oblivious comment. Who was this man? He was breaking her heart into a million tiny pieces, and didn't seem to care. "Did you really just say that I should be happy you're taking another woman on my honeymoon?"

Rex had the nerve to smile at her, nodding his head. "Actually, it will be mine and Regina's honeymoon since I've asked her to marry me." He turned his back on her and gazed out the window, not even concerned enough to witness her reaction to his latest death blow. "The arrangements have all been made, Cate."

Of course, she was asleep.

She had to be dreaming.

Even though Cate felt the air being painfully squeezed from her lungs each time she tried to breathe, she was determined to hear every last sordid detail of his macabre tale. "What about the arrangements that have already been made for our wedding, Rex? Do you, or Regina, plan on reimbursing me?"

"Hopefully you still have time to get back a portion of the money you spent on your wedding."

Before she could even address such a ruthless remark, another notion suddenly struck her and Cate felt her cheeks stain scarlet with embarrassment.

She would have to confess to her family, her friends, everyone at work - who had already received an elegantly embossed, gold foil stamped, laser cut invitation \- that the wedding was off. "How am I supposed to tell everyone we know that you dumped me for some sleazy home wrecker two weeks before our wedding?"

Two weeks!

Dear God.

The sheer humiliation.

She supposed the one silver lining in all of this, if one could be found, was the fact that Rex hadn't waited to dump her in front of over one hundred of their family and friends.

"You've got it all wrong, Cate. Regina certainly isn't some sleazy home wrecker." Surely, he wasn't defending her. "In fact, she's a highly respected lawyer."

Cate's bravado evaporated like fog burning away under the morning sun, and she knew only loss. A hollow, gut wrenching loss that left her soul in shambles. Scalding tears shimmered on her glistening lashes as she fought desperately to hold them back. "You told me, just last night while we were making love, that you loved me, Rex."

He shrugged his broad shoulders, refusing to comment on the bald faced lie. Shrugged. "Regina says our love was meant to be." A radiant smile formed on his soft lips, one that she knew so well, as his eyes took on a dreamy quality at the mere mention of his paramour. "We met in line at Starbucks one morning. She was in front of me and Regina has one of those butts... well... you know how I am about a well defined ass."

Honestly.

There were no words.

"We just started talking and one thing led to another as they say." Finally gathering the courage to face her, Rex crossed his arms over his chest and walked across the room to tower over her. "If it's okay with you, there are a few things in your closet that I'd like to grab before I leave."

Without a word, since she couldn't have formed a coherent sentence if her life depended on it, she motioned toward the bedroom closet where more than half of his entire wardrobe hung.

Alone with her thoughts, Cate tried to focus on anything besides the man who was systematically gutting her life with a very sharp knife. She watched quietly as a bright yellow butterfly happily fluttered from hanging basket to hanging basket, sipping sweet nectar, while Rex quietly filled his suitcase with underwear, socks, and the tattered remains of her heart.

No matter how desperately she tried to ignore the goings on in her bedroom, her lower abdomen tightened with a quick jolt of desire when a whiff of his delicious cologne drifted through the room. Apparently, he wanted to smell nice for Regina.

There was no further conversation as Rex carried several suits, stacks of jeans, and neatly pressed shirts to his car. Everything had been said. Although it crossed her mind to throw herself at his feet and beg him to stay, she refused to grovel and be one of those women.

She remembered someone saying, maybe Oprah, that this too shall pass.

With that thought in mind, Cate drew a fortifying breath, forcing her mind to push thoughts of Rex to the deepest, darkest recesses of her brain and focus solely on the upcoming weekend. She was driving out of town tomorrow evening after work. She had never needed a vacation, or a break from reality, more than she did now.

When Rex appeared with the final bag, toiletries, he paused in the doorway, almost as an afterthought. "No hard feelings, huh?"

Cate could only glare at him. Was there even a rational response to such a ludicrous question that didn't involve screaming at the top of her lungs or gleefully skipping into the kitchen for a meat cleaver?

"It was fun while it lasted, Cate, but the spark was gone, you know? Life with you was becoming... routine." He hung his head, almost apologetically. "With Regina, it's that heady rush you get with a new love. Remember how good that feels? The I can't wait to be with her kind of feeling? Like right now, all I want at this very moment is to be in Regina's bed, making love to a woman who has to be the most voluptuous creature on earth. It's almost like her incredible body was molded to fit perfectly with mine." As he spoke the words, Rex unconsciously rubbed his groin. "I'm finally happy, Cate. Don't begrudge me this happiness."

Then he was gone.

Out of her life.

Leaving her to pick up the pieces of a shattered existence.

Alone.
Chapter One

The following afternoon, a hot, sultry wind rustled the towering corn stalks that reached toward an ever darkening sky. Dry leaves crackled eerily as a muggy breeze caused them to rattle against each other.

Cate shielded her eyes with her hand as distant thunder rumbled and heat lightning began to play across the heavens. She breathed a sigh of relief when a huge black shadow fell across the land as black clouds marched in to cover the sun. The temperature immediately dropped by several degrees.

A dirt road that snaked between soaring fields of corn was a hell of a place for her car to break down. Granted, her old Honda had been driven over 260,000 miles, yet it had never once left her stranded, until now.

Before her car had gasped its last wheezing breath, she had topped a hill and was met with nothing but corn as far as the eye could see. A muddy river wound its way through the low grounds. Cate had heard of people being led astray by their GPS but this was ridiculous.

In hindsight, she knew she shouldn't have turned off the highway. Although, in her defense, Justin Timberlake's new song had been playing on the radio and when he was crooning to her nothing else seemed to matter.

Obviously she had screwed up. Still, after the hell she had been through over the last twenty four hours, she wasn't about to let this small setback unravel her. She tossed a few bottles of water and several Little Debbie raisin cakes into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. One thing she hadn't seen in the distance was a house, or any signs of life.

Cate drew back her arm, tempted to toss her useless smartphone into the cornfield. The GPS had led her straight into this maze from hell and promptly lost signal. Fortunately, she had a moment of clarity and tucked it in her back pocket. There was really no need to panic, yet.

It was still early evening, around 4 p.m. She had plenty of time to walk out of the cornfield before dark. She had water and snacks, so she wouldn't starve and, hopefully, she would have a signal again once she cleared these never-ending fields of corn. When she reached the highway, she would have her raggedy piece of shit car towed to the nearest scrap metal heap and hire a taxi to drive her to a rental car agency.

Now that she had a plan, she locked the doors on the Honda, situated the backpack on her shoulders, and began walking toward the highway at a brisk pace.

Five hours later, after trudging through intermittent downpours, followed by blazing sunlight, Cate was still forcing one foot in front of the other. Her clothes were dripping wet, her breathing was slightly labored, and she had one bottle of water left when her trembling legs finally stumbled to a halt.

She was stunned.

Shocked to the roots of her hair.

Why was the river in front of her when she had been walking in the opposite direction?

How was it possible that she was now standing before a rushing river, that had been at the bottom of the hill, with no way to cross it? That meant civilization was at least ten miles behind her.

Still, she was positive that she had walked downhill the entire time.

Toward the river.

How could this happen?

As the question tumbled around and around in her head, Cate plopped down on the muddy riverbank, defeated, as the sun slowly dipped below the trees.

Unless a miracle happened in the next few minutes she would be sleeping on the ground, alone, and in the dark.

She had been raised on the riverbank in a small North Carolina town about an hour east of Charlotte and was a seasoned camper. The thought of sleeping outside didn't bother her. However, she had never passed a night at the river without a sleeping bag, a tent, and a companion with a gun.

Removing her backpack, she retrieved her last raisin cake and tore into it with a vengeance, holding it in her mouth for a few extra seconds to savor the last bite of sweet, delicious goodness. Who knew when she might get another morsel of food? She couldn't really see herself trapping and skinning a rabbit to roast over an open fire. She probably could, if she was starving, but she wasn't to that point, yet.

A fire would have been a good idea to keep the woodland critters away, but she'd had no cause to carry matches or a lighter in her backpack. In all honesty, she would much rather face an ill tempered raccoon than go through the tedious process of rubbing two sticks together long enough to create a spark.

She was totally exhausted, both mentally and physically, as the sun mocked her with a playful blast of sunshine before taking its last bow.

Her best friend Olivia's engagement party was tomorrow night and she had been driving to South Carolina to spend the weekend with her. Cate would be the first to admit that Olivia's timing couldn't have been better. She desperately needed a change of scenery after Rex's joyous new wedding revelation.

Now, here she was on a riverbank with only her NC State sweatshirt for warmth and protection from the elements. Perhaps she was being a tad overdramatic, since they were in the dog days of summer and it was sweltering. Yet, even though she wasn't in danger of frostbite from being stranded in freezing temps, she had a nagging feeling that her level of discomfort would go through the roof before this night was over.

"Suck it up, Buttercup," her mom would say.

While her dad would be quick to remind her, "How many times have I told you it was time to trade in your old Honda for a new one?"

Cate loved the 2001 Honda Prelude her parents had given her for her sixteenth birthday. She had been determined to drive it until it stopped.

Evidently, she had.

Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing to be done about her circumstances tonight, she rolled up her sweatshirt to use as a pillow. Were there coyotes in these woods? Trying to push the disturbing image to the back of her mind, she closed her eyes and fell into the deep sleep of exhaustion. She slept through the noises the night critters made as they came frolicking to life in the cornfields around her.

Sometime during the night, she woke up thirsty, feeling dehydrated. Her throat felt parched. Rummaging around in her backpack, she grabbed her last bottle of hot water and drained it, immediately noticing a strange aftertaste. She looked closely at the bottle, but it was too dark to see if anything unusual had been in it. Besides, it was too late to worry about that now, after chugging the entire bottle. Rolling over on her side, she found a semi comfortable spot, hopefully with no anthills, and dozed off again.

Then she dreamed.

Of a man's lips and hands caressing her body. Of words of love whispered in the heat of passion. At some point, the dream became so vivid that she felt her body in the throes of the most intense orgasm of her life.

Wow.

Just... wow.

She moaned softly as her insides quaked with slowly diminishing spasms of ecstasy that left her limbs weak and trembling.

Cate lay there for several minutes, reveling in the aftermath of the sensuous dream until growling noises from her stomach brought her fully awake. She sat up, her mouth watering as her senses were assaulted by the delicious smell of bacon. Stretching luxuriously, she smiled contentedly as her thoughts tumbled back to the erotic dream.

If physical exhaustion brought on dreams like that, she would take a five mile hike every day.

As her nose once again picked up the scent of bacon, she could only hope that the fine folks in the low country were as friendly and neighborly as the state's public relations department claimed.

She was about to find out.

Returning the sweatshirt to her backpack, Cate zipped it up, resting it on her elbow. Her shoulders still ached from carrying it for so long yesterday. Okay. She had practically been raised on a riverbank and knew the woods like the back of her hand. She had hiked five miles in, so she could just as easily hike five miles out, but man was she hungry. Following a trail of bacon, she headed through the woods.

She hadn't gone far when she came to a cabin on stilts. It was an old house with fishing nets, rods and reels, cane poles, and two rocking chairs on the porch facing the river. Cate stood, quietly, listening.

She expected to see a dog come loping toward her, or a cat peek out from the porch rails, or a pot bellied pig run around the side of the house, but nothing. No signs of life.

Cate might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she knew bacon didn't fry itself.
Chapter Two

When no one answered her knock, Cate pushed on the door and watched it creak open before her. The smell of bacon was stronger inside the cabin, although the frying pan and any dishes used for the meal had been cleared away. The bed had been made, the floors had been swept and there wasn't a speck of dust to be found. The one room cabin was spotless with everything in order, meticulously so.

On a shelf were arranged rows of five pop top cans each of spaghetti-o's, ravioli, pork and beans, and Vienna sausages. Cate counted five boxes of unsalted top saltine crackers and five jars of kosher dill pickles. There was no refrigeration, therefore no perishables, but she had definitely smelled bacon. Where had the bacon come from and, better yet, who cooked it?

First things first. She smelled like a polecat after sweating at least a gallon of perspiration during her five hour trek yesterday. One whiff toward the vicinity of her armpit assured her that she was in desperate need of a bath. She glanced around the room, looking for anything that might cover her body while she washed her smelly clothes and hung them in the sun to dry.

Opening a drawer in a nightstand beside the bed, she found five neatly folded white tees. With a wide grin, Cate snatched one up and held it to her chest lovingly. In the next drawer she found five pairs of men's briefs. Tighty whities. Reaching all the way to the back she discovered five pairs of regular grey boxers. Convinced the owner was a kindly old curmudgeon, who would be happy to loan her his underwear, she laid the boxers on top of the tee shirt.

Cate's gaze fell to the open door where she noticed a towel hanging on the porch rail. How convenient. Although she wasn't thrilled with the prospect of using a piece of material that had probably been rubbed all over someone else's crotch, she was of the firm belief that beggars couldn't be choosers. Before she could change her mind, she snatched up the light blue towel and a bar of soap that rested on a neatly folded washcloth and headed for the river.

Her descent down the muddy riverbank and into the water had given her pause. What was the point of taking a bath if one got filthy all over again while climbing out of the water?

While pondering this dilemma, she happened to look to her right and observe a set of stairs that had been carved into the bank at some point during the last twenty years, with logs functioning as steps.

Whoever lived here had thought of everything.

Cate clung to the handy, yet rotting, wooden rail as she made her way carefully down the log steps into the cool water. She closed her eyes, sighing blissfully as it enveloped her body and soothed away a fraction of the soreness from the long walk. She made a point to stay close to the edge and not venture out too far. Even though she was a strong swimmer, she knew from years of experience how swift the river currents could be.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she stripped naked and lathered every square inch of her skin, washing away the thick film of sweat and grime that clogged her pores. When she was squeaky clean, and almost feeling human again, she washed her long brown hair and dipped her head underwater.

Cate was busy rinsing suds from her hair when she was startled by a bright flash of light behind her closed eyelids. Cracking open one eye, she reached down into the murky water to retrieve a round, shiny object. It was a metal disc with an intricate design carved into it, attached to a thin black rope.

Olivia was a collector of Indian artifacts. Although she had no idea whether the piece was an authentic relic, or even from Indian culture, Cate had a feeling that her best friend would be thrilled with the odd piece of jewelry.

Since she couldn't scrub her clothes and hold onto the necklace at the same time, she slipped the rope over her head.

With her ablutions complete and her clothes clean, she stood on the log steps to dry off with the used towel. Definitely unsanitary. Nonetheless, she donned the tee shirt and men's boxers, finger combing her long tresses as best she could.

Climbing the rickety wooden steps, she laid her khaki shorts, lavender tee shirt, bra and underwear over a tree branch, musing over a question that continued to play over and over in her head.

Who had fried the bacon?

With nothing better to do, and lacking the energy or desire to even consider walking through the cornfields and up the long hill to the main highway, she sat in a chair under the cabin, praying for a miracle.

Having been distracted for several minutes by some unusually large and furry red ants building a mound in the soft dirt, she peered down the river and noticed something moving on the riverbank. Was it an animal? Whatever it was, it was getting closer.

Walking to the edge of the water she shaded her eyes, almost jumping for joy when she realized that a man was walking toward her.

Thank God!

Cate settled back in her chair since he chose to pause often, taking the opportunity to cast his reel when he came to an open area along the riverbank. It seemed to take hours for him to finally arrive. And, sadly, when he was close enough for her to see him clearly, he didn't appear to be the friendly sort at all. However, that was making assumptions. She should wait to cast judgment after meeting him. Still, it was glaringly obvious that he was no kindly old curmudgeon. More like a sexy, virile stud.

"Hello," she greeted cheerily.

No answer.

"Um... I hope you don't mind that I made myself at home. You see, my car left me stranded in the cornfield and I thought I was walking toward the highway, when I was actually walking toward the river.

He hung his rod and reel on a well organized rack with other fishing equipment, totally ignoring her. Talk about rude and socially unacceptable behavior.

She continued with her explanation of why she was trespassing, pretending as though he had given her a proper greeting. "When no one answered my knock at the cabin, and the door was unlocked, I went inside and borrowed a tee shirt and underwear. I hope you don't mind." She pointed to her own clothes presently decorating a cottonwood tree. "Mine desperately needed a good scrubbing."

His body tensed as his narrowed eyes raked over her unfettered breasts. One hand gripped a stringer of fish until his knuckles whitened while he closed his eyes, inhaling deep, calming breaths.

This man had issues.

Although they certainly weren't in the looks department. He was a little over six feet tall and drop dead gorgeous, with shiny brown hair that hung to his shoulders in silky curls. On top of that, he had been blessed with astonishing green eyes and a superbly muscled chest that made one imagine running their hands over it... and nope.

Stop it.

Snapping out of an increasingly lusty daydream, Cate folded her arms across her braless chest as he strolled past her. "Is this your cabin?"

"It belongs to my uncle," he mumbled, staring straight ahead.

Not to be outdone, Cate ran to stand in front of him, blocking his path. With one arm covering her chest, she extended her free hand. Why in the ever loving name of bad timing did her nipples get hard at a time like this? "I'm Cate. It's nice to meet you."

Ignoring her hand, he offered her a slight head nod and kept walking, causing her to walk backward or risk getting run over by a manly freight train. "Puddin'."

"Pudding?" she asked, for clarification.

"Puddin'." he repeated.

"Okay, Puddin'. Nice to meet you."

He pointedly walked around her, still without making eye contact, and headed toward the cabin. "Do you perhaps have a phone, Puddin'?"

He shook his head.

"A vehicle?"

Again, the head shake that made his soft curls bounce on his broad shoulders. He dropped the fish on a cleaning table under the cabin and marched up the stairs with purpose, pointedly ignoring her. Irritated at being so rudely dismissed, Cate followed him up the stairs and into his house.

Clearly upset that she had trespassed, he went straight to the underwear drawer and jerked it open. Removing each tee shirt, he refolded it reverently, as gently as though it were a newborn baby. He did the same with the underwear, lifting each pair with loving tenderness and rearranging them to his satisfaction.

Seriously weird.

Next, he went to the shelf and with his index finger counted each and every can of food.

"I didn't touch your food," Cate announced peevishly, only as a means to soothe him.

His shoulders visibly relaxed as he peered around the room, obviously relieved that everything was in its proper place and she hadn't pilfered anything other than his underwear drawer.

"Although, I am starving," she was quick to add. Glancing at the shelves of canned food, she quickly deduced that fried fish sounded infinitely more appetizing than ravioli, or pork and beans with saltine crackers. "Are you thinking about frying those fish?"

"Follow me, but don't touch anything else." Exhaling a long suffering sigh, he walked past the window, glancing toward the tree she was currently using as a makeshift clothesline. "Your clothes look dry. Could you change into them now?"

"Sure, no problem. I'll take your clothes down to the river and wash them."

"No!" he shouted, spinning around to glare at her, his eyes brimming with undisguised terror. What was up with this guy? "That isn't necessary. I'll wash them."

"Okay." Taken aback by his abrupt Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mood swing, she muttered, "Jeez, calm down."

Cate followed him outside, lifting her clothes from the tree and strolling into the woods to change. She could use a few minutes alone after probably the most bizarre encounter of her life.

Sitting on a fallen tree by the river, she wondered how in the hell she had gotten herself into such a weird predicament. When no answer was forthcoming, she watched the swirling eddies rush past as she replayed the strange interaction with Puddin' over and over in her mind.

She had to get back to civilization.

The sooner the better.

As she was walking back to the cabin the sizzling sound of fish filets being dropped into a pan of boiling oil caused her stomach to rumble. She stood a few feet from Puddin' as he rolled hushpuppies and lowered them in with the fish.

With his lousy attitude, she wasn't sure if he intended to share his meal or not.
Chapter Three

Cate sat at the picnic table under the cabin watching as the muscles in his back bunched whenever he moved. He was definitely model material, with the body of an Adonis. She just wasn't sure who to compare his mind to, having never met anyone with an array of character flaws equivalent to his.

Puddin' chose that moment to turn and catch her ogling him. Of all the rotten luck. With a dark frown, he immediately dropped his eyes and placed a plate overflowing with crispy, golden brown fish and hushpuppies on the table in front of her. It looked every bit as tempting as a platter of fish at Rocky River Springs Fish House. He handed her a bottle of lukewarm water from one of several cases under the steps. Cate zipped her lips, thinking it might be pushing her luck to ask for tartar sauce.

"How long have you lived here, Puddin'?"

He plopped down on the bench across from her, not even bothering to hide his annoyance. "I don't talk much."

"Okay, Captain Obvious."

Evidently he failed to see the humor in her comment as he popped a whole hushpuppy into his mouth. Exhaling a ragged breath, he once again chose to ignore her by gazing across the river toward three turtles sunning on a flat rock.

She ate, carefully picking the bones from her crappie and placing them in a pile to put in the trash when she finished her meal. He had a trash can at the end of the table where he tossed each individual fishbone. Cate sighed with pleasure. "This fish is delicious."

They finished their meal in silence, with him constantly cutting his eyes toward her neat pile of bones. She knew her untidiness was aggravating the pure hell out of him. Still, she would be the first to admit that she took a smidgeon of selfish pleasure in actually getting a reaction from him.

The second they finished eating he swept the bones into the trash and dusted off the picnic table with a dark blue cloth, the kind used in mechanic shops.

"I know you don't like to talk, Puddin', but I'm guessing the only way out of here is on foot." Cate tilted her head toward the cases of bottled water stacked under the stairs. "Apparently you've been going out for supplies."

"Someone brings me supplies."

"When will the next visit be?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders.

"You don't happen to have a boat do you?"

"It sunk months ago."

"Then I guess I'll be walking out since I'd really like to attend my best friend's engagement party tonight."

No response. He struck her as being the type that didn't really give a fig about a damsel in distress.

Absently, Cate reached for the necklace and pulled it out from under her shirt, surprised by how warm it felt in her hand. She was studying the inscription on the back when she heard a strangled gasp, followed by a sharp cry of alarm. She glanced up to see Puddin's wide, horrified eyes glaring back at her.

"Where did you get that?" His eyes never left the round metal disc as he slowly backed away from her.

"I found it in the river when I was bathing." What was his problem? "Is it yours?" She reached up to remove the necklace, when his chilling words stopped her cold.

"Don't take it off!" Puddin's voice shook as he scrambled backward until he was leaning against one of the cabin stilts.

"Okay," Cate murmured softly. "I won't take it off. Just calm down, okay?"

"You need to leave," he cried, pointing toward the dirt road. "Start walking."

Start walking? "Could I at least have a can of ravioli and a few crackers for lunch?"

The look on his face when Cate asked if she could take one of his precious cans of food was all the answer she needed. Fear. Primal fear. Before her eyes, he began shaking violently from head to toe, slowly sliding down the pole until he was sitting on the ground in a crumpled heap. "Please, I beg you. Don't touch my food."

"I won't," she whispered, moving toward him. "I promise."

He held up a hand to stop her before she could invade his personal space. "Don't touch me."

"Puddin', please let me help you," she pleaded, kneeling down in the dirt beside him.

"Leave!" He cringed away from her touch, continuing to point a trembling finger toward the road. "I can't help you now! It's too late!"

"Too late for what?"

"Go," he whimpered pitifully. "Please, just go."

"Okay, okay. I'm leaving."

Was he insane?

Did he have multiple personalities?

"Thanks again for the meal."

Puddin' took one last look at the necklace and squeezed his eyes shut, whispering a... prayer? His breathing was rapid and he was perspiring heavily.

The instant Cate turned her back he raced up the stairs to the cabin, slamming the door behind him. She heard the sound of a bolt lock being thrown into place.

Too late for what?

Chapter Four

Already dreading the long walk out, Cate was pulling her backpack over her shoulders when she heard, "Good morning."

She turned, huffing out an irritated breath. While she had walked into the woods to relieve her bladder, Puddin' had used the time to change clothes and pull his shoulder length hair into a low pony tail. He now wore khaki cargo shorts and a green Charlotte 49ERS tee shirt that displayed his muscled shoulders to perfection. Good morning? Hadn't they, or she, already exchanged pleasantries once? "Good morning," she mumbled testily. "Again."

His lips curved into a sexy as all hell grin, chuckling as he walked to the edge of the river with a bait net. "Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"I wish."

He turned to look at her curiously.

Cate pointed to the hard ground. "This was my bed last night."

"In that case, I would probably be grumpy too."

She once again had the pleasure of watching his muscles ripple underneath his shirt as he stretched his arms over his head, tossing the swirling net high into the air. Even though this guy was a certified nut job, he really was a fine male specimen. Under normal circumstances she would have taken an interest in more than his net casting skills.

"Do you like to fish?" he called over his shoulder, effortlessly pulling a net filled with thrashing minnows onto the bank.

"Sure." Now that he was having a moment of sanity, perhaps they could carry on an actual conversation and Cate could get to the bottom of his too late theory before she left. "My dad and I fish all the time."

"Fishing soothes the soul." Picking up about thirty or so shine minnows, he tossed them into a bucket of water.

With his bait caught, he squatted down to peer across the swiftly moving current of water. "I used to love it here."

No doubt about it. He suffered from a split personality disorder. "Used to?"

"When Uncle Simon lived here, before all the crazy happened." Even before the words had left his mouth Cate heard a door slam and looked up to see Puddin', wearing the same jeans and blue tee shirt he had been wearing earlier. Without even glancing their way, he walked down the cabin stairs and followed a path into the woods.

Twins?

With a broad grin, Puddin's twin extended his hand. "I'm Kane. Nice to meet you, ma'am."

Identical twins. "Wow," was all she could think to say.

"I know." When he smiled, his eyes danced with mischief. "Sometimes our own mother couldn't tell us apart."

"Do you live here too?"

"No. Kyle married Kaitlyn last summer. They came here for their honeymoon and never left." He picked up a rock, sending it skipping across the surface of the water. His eyes were troubled as he peered into the dense forest. "Then his life fell apart."

"His name is Kyle?"

"He told you Puddin', didn't he?"

"Yes."

"That was his wife's nickname for Kyle." He sent the net swirling through the air in a graceful arc. After it landed in a perfect circle in the water, he pulled in another dozen or so minnows. "She always called him her Puddin'."

"I'm confused." That had to be the understatement of the year. "What do you mean when you say his life fell apart?"

Evidently deciding that he had enough bait for the time being, Kane spread the net on the ground to dry. "Strange things started happening when they moved here. Unexplainable things."

Why didn't that shock her? "Such as?"

"According to Kyle, Kaitlyn started having horrible nightmares and visions shortly after they discovered she was pregnant. She became obsessed with the number five. For instance, her sister gave her a baby shower and Kaitlyn would only bring five of each of the items she had been gifted with home with her. Five bags of diapers, five pacifiers, five sleepers, five blankets etc."

Cate nodded. "I noticed that the number five figured prominently inside the cabin."

He gave Cate his full attention, obviously shocked by her words. "Kyle allowed you inside the cabin?"

"He wasn't here when I first arrived. I thought maybe it was a vacation home and the cabin was empty for the weekend, although I did smell bacon cooking."

"Are you sure you weren't smelling yesterday's fish fry?"

"Positive. It was bacon. Anyway, I went inside and borrowed a tee shirt and some of your brother's underwear, which clearly upset him a great deal when he saw me wearing them."

"Did he freak out when he discovered that you had entered his wife's shrine?"

"A little." Freaking out was a mild term for Kyle's reaction. "Why?"

"He's been that way since Kaitlyn died. He insists that everything remain exactly the way it was when she was alive. He's even continuing her obsession with five."

"What happened to his wife?"

Kane scrubbed his hands over his face, raking a hand through his hair before meeting her eyes. "She slit her wrist five days before her due date."

Cate gasped. "Are you serious?"

He pointed to the shaded balcony overlooking the river. "Kaitlyn was sitting on the balcony one morning while Kyle fished from the pier. He just happened to look up and notice something red dripping on the ground under the cabin."

No wonder he was so messed up in the head.

"Kyle detected a subtle change early in Kaitlyn's pregnancy, like the weird obsession with five. He came home from fishing one day and found a black trash bag filled with food, clothes, shoes, and cooking utensils." Kane shook his head. "Every single item left in the cabin was in increments of five. Even her prenatal vitamins. She tossed all but five in the river. Kyle finally started leaving five pills in the bottle and hiding the rest in the woods."

"Did Kaitlyn's doctor have an opinion as to what might be causing her unusual obsession?"

"Her doctor had never heard of such a reaction to a pregnancy before. His only diagnosis was that whatever was wrong with her was related to hormones and should go away after she delivered."

"Only she didn't deliver, did she?"

Kane shook his head wearily. "Kyle rushed Kaitlyn to the hospital, but his wife and children were dead on arrival."

"Children?"

"Kaitlyn was pregnant with twins."

"That poor man."

"My brother hasn't been the same since." Kane picked up the bucket of minnows to carry under the cabin and place in the shade. "I always catch bait for him when I come. Although Kyle has mad fishing skills, he struggles with the technique of casting a net."

Cate was still struggling with Kyle's traumatic past. "How long ago did his wife and children die?"

"April fifth of this year. That's why I came today. The fifth day of the month always seems to hit him the hardest."

"Is it true that twins feel each others pain?"

"I felt indescribable pain the day Kaitlyn died." Kane turned to meet her eyes, his awash with sadness. "I was at work when Kyle called to tell me his family was dead. Although I already knew something terrible had happened to Kaitlyn. I felt it."

"You were very fond of your sister-in-law, weren't you?"

He picked up a stick, scribbling in the dirt as his feet. "Kaitlyn was special."

"What about your brother?" Cate's eyes strayed to the path where Kyle had entered the woods. "Could you persuade him to return to his old life?"

"Kyle feels closest to Kaitlyn and his twins here. He refuses to leave."

"I can understand that. I guess."

Brushing his hands on his cargo shorts, Kane smiled. "Moving on to more pleasant topics, would you like a ride out? I saw your car parked at the top of the hill. Let me guess. Your GPS led you straight into the twilight zone."

"Yes, thank you. I would love a ride out. Although truthfully, my encounter with Kyle isn't as troubling now that I know what caused him to be the way he is. A tragedy such as the one your brother faced would leave anyone scarred for life. I just wish there was something I could do to ease his pain."

Kane's eyes strayed to the woods. "I probably don't have to tell you that my brother is pretty anti-social these days. The way I see it, why waste my day here when he's only going to ignore me?" Opening the hatch on his Jeep, he lifted out a case of water. "I'll unload his water and supplies and we can be on our way."

"Let me guess, you brought five cases of water."

"You got it." She could almost feel his sadness. "Four or six cases and you would have witnessed a total meltdown."

Kane stacked the water under the stairs and put several bags of supplies on the bottom step. "Give me one second." Then he walked down the path through the woods, evidently to say goodbye.

Cate considered following him, to thank Kyle for sharing his meal, but reconsidered. The sight of her might bring on another panic attack. Reaching for the necklace, she held it in her palm. It was warm, almost hot. It certainly absorbed her body heat.

Why had Kyle been so terrified of the necklace?
Chapter Five

Kane drove a desert tan Jeep Wrangler Sahara. Nice. Cate loved Jeeps.

"Hop in," he called from the path leading out of the trees.

She did, relieved when he joined her and turned the AC on full blast. The South Carolina humidity was a force to be reckoned with.

"Where were you headed?" After buckling his seatbelt, he whipped the Jeep around and drove up the long, dusty road toward civilization.

"To my best friend's engagement party in Charleston. When we get to an area with cell service, I'll call my parents to let them know I'm still alive. I'll also call a tow truck and a taxi."

"Or you can ride with me," he suggested. "I'm headed to Charleston for a few days."

"Really? How weird is that?"

He quirked an eyebrow her way. "It's only about an hours drive from here. Relax." He laughed. "If I was some crazed serial killer you wouldn't make it out of these cornfields alive."

Cate's heart skipped a few beats when she realized they weren't out of the cornfields, yet, and Kane was little more than a stranger. "Will my car be safe if I leave it here for a few days?"

"Probably." He gave her a teasing wink, causing her insides to quiver.

Feeling saucy, Cate returned his wink. "I'll have you know my Honda is a collector's item, thank you."

"I noticed that." He reached into the console and pulled out a pack of Big Red gum, offering her a piece. "If you ever decide to sell it let me know."

"Get in line." Unwrapping the stick of gum, she popped it in her mouth, inhaling the slight burning sensation from the cinnamon. "Every male in my town between the ages of sixteen and sixty has already made an offer on my car."

Kane reached for her wrapper, tossing it in the side pocket of his door. "I should be sent to the front of the line since I rescued you from The Nightmare on Seltzer Street."

"True. Okay, you get dibs."

"In all seriousness, did you leave anything valuable inside your car? Like a Rolex, Grandma's pearls, or a diary filled with your deepest, darkest secrets?"

"Umm...none of the above." Was he really interested in her deepest darkest secrets? "I just need my suitcase."

"Then it should be safe." His smile was definitely contagious. "Hardly anyone comes down this road besides me."

Kane parked beside her car so she could retrieve her suitcase. Once they were off the rutted dirt road and on the main highway, he settled back in his seat. "So tell me about yourself, starting with your name."

"I'm so sorry." Cate slapped a hand to her forehead. "I forgot to even introduce myself."

"I'll forgive you, this time." He winked as he adjusted the vents on her side of the Jeep to direct the air flow toward her. "It sounds like you've had a stressful twenty four hours."

"That's putting it mildly. Anyway, I'm Cate Cooper."

"Kane Seltzer. Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"Tell me about Cate Cooper."

Cate hated talking about herself. Still, he was being nice enough to give her a ride so she felt obligated to grant this small request.

"About me. Let's see. I'm thirty two and I live in Twin Rivers. I've never been married, no children, and I work in accounting at the tire factory."

"A numbers girl."

"I guess. What about you? Wife and kids?"

"I married my high school sweetheart right after college. Unfortunately, it didn't work out and we weren't blessed with children. So to occupy my time, I build buildings. That's why I'm headed to Charleston, in fact, to bid on a new high rise office complex. I'm going down a few days early to turn off my phone and enjoy some uninterrupted quiet time."

"I imagine owning your own business can be stressful at times."

"Especially when you have almost one hundred men working for you, with families to support. I've worked long hours and invested over the years to get myself to a good place financially. However, a few of my employees, really good employees, live paycheck to paycheck. Therefore, I still put as much effort into finding work as I did when I first started the company."

"They're lucky to have a boss like you."

"It depends on which day you ask them, I guess." He smiled. "What does a person from Twin Rivers do for fun?"

"Naturally we spend a great deal of time at the river fishing, kayaking, swimming and having fish fries. I probably have as much river mud flowing through my veins as I do blood."

"Ever come close to marrying?"

He had to ask. "Once."

"How close?"

Sighing, she looked out her window, focusing on the trees rushing by. "I bought the dress."

When he reached out his hand to touch hers, Cate felt a... tingle that was hot-wired to the pit of her stomach. What was that about? She jerked her hand away as though it had been burned.

"I'm sorry." He rested his arm on the console. "That must have been a painful time for you."

"Yeah, it was Thursday..." She stopped short, wishing she could retract the words. Why had she spilled her guts to this man after knowing him for all of sixty minutes?

She could hear the shock in his voice when he asked, "You broke off your engagement this past Thursday?"

"Nope. My fiancé left me for another woman."

"Your fiancé left you for another woman?" Kane repeated incredulously. "He must be insane."

Cate couldn't help but feel all warm and tingly at the compliment. "From what I gather, Regina has a bigger backside than I do."

He was speechless for a few minutes before finally finding his voice again. "That has to be the #1 most ridiculous reason I have ever heard for calling off a wedding."

"I blame Sir Mix-a-lot," she teased.

Kane burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but I have already checked out your ass and it certainly was not found lacking."

Cate felt the blood rush to her cheeks, in a good way. "Thank you for the vote of confidence."

He turned on his signal to move to the inside lane and pass a slow moving sedan. "It sounds to me like you're better off without that asshat."

She tumbled his words around and around in her head for a few minutes. She couldn't agree with him right now, as of this very minute, but hopefully in the near future she could.

"Not there, yet?"

Was he a mind reader or what?

"Not yet."

"It will happen. Probably sooner than you expect." He gave her that sexy smile, showing off pearly white teeth. "I'm hungry. What about you?"

"Starving."

After a conversation with Siri concerning restaurants in the area, Kane suggested Olive Garden, Lone Star Steakhouse, Taco Bell or a local burger joint. "I don't know about you but I could really go for a big juicy burger."

"With cheese and extra chili." Cate dug her hairbrush out of her purse, using the mirror on the sun visor to pull her hair into a high ponytail. She wasn't comfortable enough to apply eyeliner and mascara in front of him. She settled for lip gloss.

Kane glanced at her with a look that spoke volumes. "Perfection."

She met his emerald gaze, taking in his chiseled features, glossy brown curls and stunning smile. "You should know."

With a wink that oozed sex appeal, he opened his door and jumped out. They met in front of the Jeep, walking inside as though they were a couple.

Why did just the thought of being one half of a couple with this man give her the warm fuzzies?

Inside the restaurant, they settled into a back booth and ordered sweet tea and homemade chips as an appetizer. For their entrees, they each ordered a bison burger with sweet potato fries.

Cate checked her phone, scrolling through about fifty messages and as many emails. After responding to the ones that couldn't wait, she gave Kane her full attention. "Sorry, but twenty four hours without cell service in my life is almost tragic."

He laid his phone down as well when the waitress placed chips and ranch dressing on the table.

Cate decided that now was as good a time as any to ask a question that had been bothering her. "You don't have to answer this question if you don't want to."

He squeezed a lemon slice into his tea and stirred it with his straw. "Okay."

"Have you ever tried to get your brother into therapy?"

Kane sipped his tea, seeming to ponder his answer. "Uncle Simon and I staged an intervention. It didn't go over well." He peered at her over the rim of his glass. "All Kyle wanted to talk about with his therapist was the witch."

Cate focused on dipping a chip in the ranch dressing in a determined effort to keep her mouth from gaping open. "As in hairy wart, pointed chin, and all that?"

She knew he was too good to be true.

This dreamboat had issues just like his brother.

"Kaitlyn insisted that a spirit, of some sort, appeared to her at night while Kyle was asleep." He dipped a crispy chip in the dressing, biting into it with a loud crunch. "Later, she began referring to the visitor as a witch."

Cate leaned back in her seat, still swirling her chip in the dip and wondering if this was his idea of a joke. Never in a million years would she have believed that she and this extremely attractive man would be sitting in a diner having a legit discussion about a made up character from a children's fairytale. Just to see what his response would be, she took a sip of tea and asked, "Did she happen to mention what the witch looked like?"

"More or less. She described her as a terrifying figure that wore a black hooded cape. Kaitlyn never saw her face."

Not once did he smile. Then she noticed the pain in his eyes. Pain for his brother and sister in law.

Cate had no idea what the correct response should be to such an incredible revelation. "I would have been scared out of my mind."

"In the beginning, Kyle enjoyed the visitations, saying it was the only time that hot ass cabin felt like it was air conditioned."

This wasn't a joke to him.

"Are you saying he actually felt a noticeable drop in the temperature?"

"A huge drop. Kyle swore that on the hottest night in September, his breath would turn to fog in the cabin."

"Didn't he think that was, I don't know, spooky?"

"Not at first. He jokingly referred to the witch as the spirit of bacon."

"Why?"

"Kaitlyn claimed the cabin always smelled like bacon following the witch's visit."

She had definitely smelled bacon in that cabin.

"Were these visitations out of the norm for Kaitlyn? Do you know if she had ever claimed to see other things, prior to moving there?"

"I asked Kyle that question once. According to him, the first appearance of anything supernatural began shortly after Kaitlyn discovered she was pregnant."

Did he seriously just say supernatural?

Cate was intrigued by his story. She had never heard a first-hand account of an actual haunting. Her only experience with the paranormal came from horror movies and she kept her eyes closed during most of them.

The waitress brought their meal and the subject of witches was shelved for the time being. When she glanced up, Kane was watching her closely. "So, how long have you and Olivia been friends?"

"We met in college." Cate bit into a delicious sweet potato fry. Since she was born and raised in the South, she savored the fried goodness. "We were assigned a room together and were inseparable during our four years at State. Sadly, we lost touch for a few years after she returned to South Carolina."

"That's how it usually goes."

"Olivia and I were sort of an odd couple to begin with. I live in a two stoplight town between two rivers, while she lives in an oceanfront mansion on Sullivan's Island. Her dad's a surgeon, mine works in the tire factory. I guess it's true that opposites attract."

"Did Olivia's husband-to-be receive the best friend's stamp of approval?"

"I've never met him, although from what Olivia tells me Kevin is a great guy." Her thoughts unexpectedly drifted back to Rex. "She actually lucked up and reeled in a decent man from the dating pool."

Kane reached across the table to take her hand. "Believe it or not, there are still a few good ones left."

Coming to a decision that she had been mulling over in her head for the last few minutes, Cate pulled on her big girl panties with a beaming smile. "What are your plans for tonight? If you're free, you are welcome to come to the party with me."

His lips curved upward in a dreamy smile that would have caused a ninety-year-old woman's heart to palpitate. "As a matter-of-fact, I have no plans at all."
Chapter Six

The party was in full swing when they arrived at Olivia's parents' house. A DJ was playing love songs, the scent of a delicious barbecue buffet wafted through the air, and the bartenders were hustling.

"Cate!" Olivia squealed with delight. "You finally made it."

"I was beginning to have doubts myself." Cate laughed as she fell into Olivia's outstretched arms, returning her hug.

"Rex!" Olivia shrieked, looking over Cate's shoulder. "It's so nice to finally meet you." She released Cate and moved toward Kane with her hand extended. "Have you done something to your hair? You look different than your Facebook photos."

Having decided to wait and tell Olivia about her broken engagement in person, Cate gasped, opening her mouth to correct the egregious error. Kane only grinned, taking Olivia's hand. "Kane Seltzer. It's nice to meet you, Olivia."

"Kane?" Olivia turned toward Cate with her hands firmly planted on her hips "You have some 'splainin' to do, girlfriend."

Cate felt her cheeks flushing. "I suppose I do."

"Excuse us, everyone. My best friend and I need to have a heart to heart." Olivia led Cate past the pool, the buffet line, the DJ who was currently playing I Love You Just the Way You Are, and around to the flower garden behind the house. When they were seated on a bench, away from prying ears, she put her arm around Cate's shoulder. "Spill, sistah."

"There really isn't much to tell." Cate dropped her head, suddenly ashamed for having fallen so hopelessly in love with a heartless womanizer like Rex. "Rex fell in love with Regina, who has a bigger butt. Therefore, not only are they to be married in a few weeks, they are taking our honeymoon trip to Bali."

"Please, tell me you're joking." Olivia's eyes hardened to the consistency of flint as she dropped her arm from Cate's shoulders, clenching her fists by her sides. "Please, I beg you, before I hire a hit man. All it will take is a phone call."

Olivia's family had the resources to make it happen.

She needed to calm her down.

"What do you think of Rex's replacement?"

"Kane?" All thoughts of Rex seemed to be carried away on a sweet smelling breeze. "The man is positively yummy. Humph! If I had Kane Seltzer, I wouldn't give Rex whoever another thought."

"Actually, I haven't thought much about Rex at all since I met Kane." Cate leaned over to smell a fragrant blossom and sighed just thinking about him.

"So, you aren't... suicidal or anything."

"Of course not." Was she serious? "You know me better than that, Olivia."

"Okay, then. If you're happy, I'm happy. I want to hear all about your new man tomorrow. For now, let's get back to my party. It's time for you to meet the love of my life." Olivia led her out of the garden with a smile of pure bliss curving her lips.

Cate had never seen her best friend happier.

Kane was sipping a drink and chatting with Olivia's dad when they rejoined the festivities. "What's your poison, Cate?"

"Bloody Mary."

"You had to ask?" Olivia was eyeing Kane suspiciously. "How long have you two known each other? Cate only drinks Bloody Marys."

"What is it now?" Kane glanced first at Cate, then at his watch. "Two hours?"

Olivia threw back her head and laughed. "I can't wait to hear this story."

Cate and Olivia were walking toward Kevin when his raised and angry voice suddenly assaulted their ears. Not the I'm really pissed off at you right now kind of angry. More like the I really hate your fucking guts kind.

"And another thing," Kevin snarled when his fiancé came into view. "Can I just say something that has been eating away at me for months, Olivia?" His harsh tone gained everyone's attention. You could have heard a feather drop.

"Excuse me." Olivia left Cate's side, walking over to stand in front of her fiancé. "Not that this would be an appropriate venue to air your grievances, darling, but since it seems important to you, go ahead." She reached out her hand, which he refused to take, glowering at it like it was a dead fish.

In fact, he was glaring at her like he despised every single thing about her.

"I never really loved you, Olivia," Kevin stated in a very matter-of-fact manner. "Did you know that?"

Olivia's shoulders visibly slumped just before she stumbled backward, as though she had been struck.

Loud gasps of outrage were heard, followed by low mutterings as all eyes fell to Olivia. The assembled crowd was left speechless, almost breathless, as Kevin continued. "You were always my second choice. You knew I was still in love with Lauren and you were only a rebound fuck."

Olivia flinched, clutching the back of a chair for support.

"You would have to be blind not to see that I'm only marrying you for your family's money. I mean, the oceanfront mansion, the extravagant yacht, vacations all over the world, the Range Rover you gave me for my birthday. Come on, Olivia. Did you honestly believe I was in love with you and not your wealth?"

Cate hurried over to put her arm around Olivia's waist when she looked like she might fall to her knees.

Unfortunately, Kevin was just getting started. He glanced around at the assemblage of family and friends, obviously thrilled to have an audience. "God, you don't know how long I've wanted to tell you this. And, for the record, your jiggling thighs disgust me. Have you ever thought of, I don't know, joining a gym or having the cellulite sucked out by a cosmetic surgeon?"

"That's enough," Kane stormed, walking past Olivia and Cate to stand face to face with Kevin.

"Piss off," Kevin mumbled, making the mistake of shoving Kane in the chest. When he did, Kane knocked him flat with an uppercut to the jaw.

Kane turned around to take Olivia in his arms, comforting her. "I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"I'm not sorry for speaking the truth," Kevin snarled, holding on to a table to pull himself up. Still a little wobbly, he held his jaw while glaring at Olivia with pure loathing in his eyes.

"I would advise you to hold your tongue." Kane warned.

"Stop this at once!" Olivia's mom shouted. "What has gotten into you, Kevin? You two are making a spectacle of yourselves."

You two?

Olivia hadn't opened her mouth.

Grabbing Olivia's arm, Olga steered her away from her fiancé and inside the house. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she motioned for Cate to follow them.

Cate squeezed Kane's hand. "I won't be long."

"Take your time." He cut his eyes at Kevin, almost daring him to speak. "I'll be right here."

When Cate entered the house Olivia and her mom were sitting on the sofa. She took the chair opposite them.

"Olivia, darling, what has gotten into you?" her mother cried. "You and Kevin were... are so much in love."

Olivia glared at her mother, aghast. "Did you hear the things he said to me, mother?"

"Rex didn't mean what he said, Olivia. You know that." Olga threw up her hands in disgust. "What on earth happened to bring this about, especially after I dedicated so much time and expense to making your engagement party a success? To make such an embarrassing scene in front of our relatives and friends is, why, it's utterly appalling. I have never been so thoroughly mortified in all my life."

"Forgive me for ruining your party mother," Olivia ground out.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, darling. It's just..."

"I can't deal with this right now." Olivia dropped her head in her hands, sobbing so pitifully that Cate's heart broke for her. "Can I please be alone with Cate now?"

"But..."

"No buts, mother. I don't want to talk about it." Her words were final. Grabbing Cate's hand, Olivia raced up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind them. She fell on the bed, sobbing pitifully.

Cate knelt beside the bed, rubbing her back in tiny circles. She knew exactly how Olivia felt. What she didn't know was how to comfort her. What she needed to hear at a time like this. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Olivia could only shake her head as her slender frame shook with gut wrenching sobs.

Suddenly she sat up and reached into a drawer in the bedside table to pull out a bottle of pills. Before Cate could ask any questions, or attempt to stop her, Olivia popped four pills in her mouth and swallowed.

"Olivia!" Cate cried. "What were those pills?"

"Relax. It's just sleeping pills."

"How many were you supposed to take?"

"Two."

"You took four!"

"I want to sleep, Cate. I always take four when I need to check out for a few hours." Crawling under a frilly pink comforter, Olivia drew her knees up and curled into a fetal position, as if to protect her bruised and battered body from future blows.

Cate sat quietly in a white rocking chair by the bed, holding Olivia's hand as her heartbreaking sobs slowly changed to sniffles and then hiccups.

Thirty minutes later, Olivia was snoring softly, in a deep sleep. Hopefully she would sleep through the night and have a better outlook on how to come to terms with such an earthshattering blow in the morning.

Cate opened the door to leave. As an afterthought, she picked up the bottle of pills, slipping them in her pocket. She wasn't taking any chances.

She found Kane sitting by the pool with Olivia's dad. Everyone else had left, which made sense. What was the point of continuing an engagement party when there was no longer an engagement to celebrate?

Cate joined them, choosing a lounge chair between the two men. She reached for Olivia's father's hand as he said, "I was just telling your friend here that I have no idea what could be going on in Kevin's head. Minutes before you arrived, he was telling us that he couldn't imagine spending one day of his life without Olivia. The next thing I know he's shouting that he never really loved her."

Cate felt shell shocked. "Is it possible that he'd had too much to drink and didn't know what he was saying?"

"Kevin isn't a heavy drinker. I would wager that he was still nursing his first drink of the night." The older man shook his head wearily. "I haven't been able to come up with a single logical explanation for what happened here tonight."

"Neither have I."

"All we can do is hope that tomorrow will be a better day. It certainly couldn't get any worse." He appeared to have aged ten years in less than an hour. "If you two will excuse me, I believe I'll turn in for the night."

Cate reached over to kiss his cheek. "Good night, Mr. Turner. I hope you rest well."

"Good night, Cate, Kane." He looked toward his daughter's window. "I need to check on Olivia before I retire. I'll see you both tomorrow."

When Olivia's father walked inside, closing the door quietly behind him, Kane took Cate's hand. A tingle rushed through her insides, causing her stomach to knot. "Can we take a walk on the beach before I go to my hotel? Maybe it will relax you enough to help you fall asleep."

"I would like that."

The sound of waves crashing on the shore was soothing in the otherwise quiet night. Cate removed her flip flops to walk in the warm foaming surf, enjoying the feel of the sand squishing between her toes. She breathed deeply of the salty sea air, feeling... content as the glow from the full moon played across the water.

"This night seems so unreal, Kane. I talked to Olivia for two hours while I was driving down yesterday, before my surreal experience in the cornfields, and she sounded so happy, almost ecstatic about her engagement and upcoming marriage. My darling Kevin this and my wonderful fiancé that. It just doesn't make sense that we could both lose our future husbands in less than forty eight hours."

"It happens, Cate. People fall in and out of love every day. I've been there myself." He reached over to tenderly push a strand of windblown hair behind her ear. "I carry the scars to prove it."

"Even people who are madly in love with each other?" Scratch that. What was she even saying? "What do I know? A few days ago I would have sworn that Rex was madly in love with me."

The moonlight reflected in Kane's eyes making them sparkle. "You seem to be handling the break up well."

"I've been too distracted lately to allow any wayward thoughts to get the best of me. With my car breaking down, meeting your brother, and now Olivia's broken engagement, there hasn't been time to worry about my own sorry lot in life."

Kane stopped walking, causing Cate to turn and look up at him. "I'll be happy to do whatever I can to help you get over Rex."

What exactly did he mean by that? Was he talking a date? A one night stand to occupy her mind for a few hours? A lifetime commitment?

"Can we sit down for a few minutes?" Cate massaged her temples as an overwhelming weariness suddenly assailed her. Why was she so exhausted? "For some reason, I'm completely wiped out."

"I'm sure the ground wasn't the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements last night."

A shiver of scorching desire trickled down her spine and caused a vein to thump somewhere in her lower anatomy as she recalled the erotic, pulsating dream.

It had seemed so real.

Kane eased to the ground, pulling her down beside him. "There's no reason for both of us to wallow in the sand."

Too tired to argue, Cate didn't resist when he maneuvered her onto his lap. Besides, she was way too comfortable in her current position to struggle with decorum. Leaning her head on his broad shoulder, she realized with a jolt that there was no place she would rather be in that moment.

Nope.

Not even with Rex.

What a mindboggling thought.

Snuggling closer to his neck, her skin tingled where the soft flesh of her cheek met his. Cate smiled, inhaling the intoxicating fragrance of his heavenly aftershave.

She could get used to this.

The sound of piercing screams awakened them. Heart wrenching, spine-chilling screams. Screams of agony that were ripped from the bottom of a soul. Screams that forewarned of tragedy. They both took off running up the beach steps and down the long boardwalk to the house.

Cate opened the front door and staggered backward. "No! Olivia! Dear God! No!" she screamed, just before she fainted into Kane's arms.

Lifting her gently, he carried her inside, stopping dead in his tracks.

Olivia had leapt from the balcony with a rope around her neck.

One of her pink fluffy bedroom shoes lay under the balcony, the other one rested five feet in front of them on the shiny black and white parquet floor.
Chapter Seven

Cate awakened to the blazing morning sun spilling across the bed and into her eyes. Where was she? Judging by the TV on the corner stand, with a mini fridge tucked into the cabinet beneath it, she was in a hotel room. Rolling over, she found a shirtless Kane lying next to her.

Surely she would remember if they had...

A quick glance under the cover assured her that she was still fully clothed. "Was it all just a bad dream, Kane?" Her grief-stricken eyes drifted up to his, filled with impossible hope.

"No, Cate." He reached out to pull her into his warm embrace, smoothing the hair from her face. "It wasn't."

Hot tears filled her eyes to spill unchecked down her cheeks. It was true then. Olivia was dead. "It's all my fault."

"Why would you even say something so absurd?" Kane propped up on his elbow, watching her closely.

"I shouldn't have left Olivia's room last night. I should have stayed by her side the entire time." Cate pulled out of his arms long enough to grab a tissue from the box on the nightstand. "I knew how upset she was. I also knew that Olivia never handled stress well. She might still be alive if I hadn't abandoned her in her time of need."

"You can't know that. You would have gone to sleep at some point during the night. Remember how exhausted you were?"

Cate returned to the shelter of his waiting arms as tears ran in rivulets down her cheeks.

Kane held her long after her tears had been reduced to sniffles. When she finally dried her eyes he tilted her face up to meet his. "Are you hungry?"

"Believe it or not, I'm ravenous."

"Are you a coffee drinker?"

"I'll take an entire pot if you have it."

"I'll call room service."

"Where are we, by the way?"

"Planters Inn on North Market Street."

She rolled to her side as he made the call, wanting only to sleep and forget the never ending hell of the past twenty four hours.

Cate was awakened by the sound of a room service cart rattling into the room. Her movements were sluggish. Actually, she felt drugged. She came more fully awake when Kane poured an aromatic cup of coffee and placed it on the bedside table.

"Cream and sugar?"

"Just cream. Sugar is toxic to the body."

Snatching two packs of sugar from the cart with a sheepish grin, he turned his back to dump it in his coffee.

"I saw that," she teased.

"Old habits die hard."

"A lot of things die hard." The words seemed to wedge in Cate's throat as a horrifying image of Olivia's bulging eyes and slack tongue flashed through her mind. "Tying a rope around your neck and jumping off a balcony couldn't have been easy."

"I can't argue with that."

"We don't ever really know a person's mental state, do we, Kane? What they can and can't take? What will send them over the edge? I mean Rex basically did the same thing to me and I never once considered ending my life over him. Maybe I didn't love him a much as I thought I did."

Kane handed her a plate filled with scrambled eggs, grits, crispy fried bacon and buttered toast. "Or you're a stronger person than Olivia was."

"Actually, the complete opposite is true. Olivia was the strongest person I knew." Cate chewed thoughtfully on a piece of bacon, taking a sip of coffee to wash it down. "I really expected her to make mention of Kevin's tiny... um... you know... and give him tit for tat. Instead, she practically cowered in the corner while he hurled degrading insults at her. Trust me, that wasn't the Olivia I knew."

She held up her cup as Kane walked over with the coffee pot, meeting his steady gaze. "I could get used to being pampered, you know."

"You deserve to be pampered every single day of your life."

She grinned. "I like the way you think."

He gave her a sultry wink that caused the end of her toes to tingle. "Even I was surprised when Olivia didn't fight back, especially with the jiggling thighs comment." He ambled back to the desk to finish eating. "Most girls I know would have lost their shit over that one."

"Normally, Olivia would have bared her claws at a remark like that. I just can't figure it out." Cate's phone rang. She inhaled so sharply that coffee sloshed over the rim of her cup when the caller ID revealed Olivia's name. "Hel...hello."

"Hi, Cate. It's Olga. Using Olivia's phone was the simplest way I knew to get in touch with you."

"Good morning, Mrs. Turner." Cate's voice shook as she leaned over to place her cup on the nightstand. "How are you holding up?"

"I've had better days, as I'm sure you have." Olga sounded business as usual this morning. "Did you get a hotel room last night? We were worried about you."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Turner. Yes, I stayed in a hotel."

"Of course you are more than welcome to stay here with us. Just be aware that we have family coming out of the woodwork right now."

Cate would never enter that house again without seeing Olivia at every turn. "Thank you for the offer."

"I called to give you the arrangements for Olivia's funeral."

"Thank you for thinking of me."

"You were my daughter's best friend, Cate. She loved you like a sister." Olga paused for a minute to blow her nose. "Her funeral will be at St. Phillips tomorrow afternoon at 4:00. Please stop by today if you can and help us eat some of the casseroles that have been delivered. Honestly, I don't know what to do with all this food."

It would never cross Olga Turner's mind to donate the food to one of the homeless shelters in the area. Cate really wanted to end this conversation. "I'll try to stop by later today, Mrs. Turner."

Even before she hung up, she knew the words were a lie.

Kane refilled her coffee and took her empty plate away. "Are you ready to face the day, or would you rather sleep?"

"I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to face another day." Chiding herself for sounding so morbid, she scooted down in the bed, pulling the cover up to her neck with a pasted on smile. "Are you always so sweet?"

"Ninety-nine percent of the time. Unless you seriously piss me off."

"I'll try to remember that." Cate glanced around for her suitcase and purse. "I barely remember coming here last night. I'm almost certain that I didn't think to grab my purse or suitcase."

"Olivia's father gave you and Mrs. Turner a sedative to calm you."

That's why her tongue felt like it was covered with fur.

"Your suitcase and purse are in my Jeep. I couldn't carry both you and your luggage." Kane shot her a sexy wink. "I'll be right back."

He had carried her? He really was too good to be true. What did her mom always say?

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Chapter Eight

Cate was awakened by the sound of Kane shoving open the heavy door with both suitcases. Her backpack and purse were slung haphazardly over his shoulder. Dropping their luggage on the floor at the foot of the bed, he tossed her backpack and purse in a chair by the window.

"I'm going to take a shower." He unzipped his duffle bag and pulled out a bag of toiletries. "Or would you rather go first?"

"Go ahead," she mumbled drowsily. "I might catch another ten minute nap."

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Pausing mid-zip, Kane turned toward her with a look of concern. "Dr. Turner said the sedative should wear off in a few hours."

"I'm fine." She forced a cheery smile that she was far from feeling, strictly for his benefit. Would she ever really be okay again? "Just tired."

The next passage of time that registered in Cate's sleep drugged mind was Kane rummaging around in his suitcase. Drops of water from his wet hair trickled down his incredibly sexy back to be absorbed by a towel slung low over his hips.

Umm... seriously?

He turned around to face her as the thought crossed her mind that his body could have been sculpted from clay. Broad shoulders, defined pecs, six pack abs, and an intriguing glory trail that led into a hidden wonderland that she might be very interested in exploring, some day.

Cate forced her gaze away from his muscular physique and sat up in bed. She wouldn't mind waking up to that every morning.

Going to her suitcase, she removed bikini briefs, a bra, a pair of jean shorts and a yellow tank top. She remembered all too well the humidity of Charleston.

Showered and dressed, Cate stepped out of the steamy bathroom to cool off with her hair wrapped in a thick towel.

Kane's eyes focused on her bare legs for several seconds before moving up to meet her gaze. Evidently he was a leg man. "Feel better?"

"Much." She stretched luxuriously. Even though her heart ached with each beat, the hot water had worked its magic and brought her fully awake.

Her eyes were drawn to his muscular chest when he raised his arms to apply a manly smelling deodorant. Even that gave off sensuous vibes. "Sit down and I'll brush your hair."

When she stood rooted to the spot with a quizzical expression, he motioned toward a chair in front of the mirror with a chuckle. "It won't hurt. I promise."

Cate sat down at the desk, unwrapping the towel from her head. If she'd had any inkling of how captivating his hands were, she wouldn't have hesitated for a second.

His mere touched converted her bargain store hairbrush into a magic wand. The simple act of pulling the brush through her long brown tresses was, in reality, a tiny slice of heaven. She sighed blissfully as he ran the soft bristles through her hair, massaging her scalp over and over. His ministrations were better than a deep tissue massage and she could almost feel her bones melting into the chair. She would be asleep in seconds if the soothing strokes continued. Cracking open one eye, she studied him in the mirror.

He nodded to the shiny metal disk lying just above her cleavage. "That's an unusual necklace."

"It was for Olivia." Cate reached for the necklace, surprised by the heat radiating from it. Why was the necklace always warm to the touch? What was its source of energy? "She loves... loved Indian artifacts. I plan to put it in the coffin with her tomorrow."

When her hair was tangle free, Kane handed her the brush and walked over to his suitcase. He left her completely stunned when, without warning, he dropped the towel, bare assed, to step into his boxers. She found nothing lacking with his backside either. "I guess we need to go shopping since I didn't bring any dress clothes with me."

"I need... a... um... dress and shoes," she stammered, dragging her eyes away from his amazing physique.

Kane hid a mischievous grin. Apparently she wasn't the first female to be struck dumb by the sight of his naked assets. "We can drive to King Street to shop or we can walk, whichever you prefer."

"Let's drive, if you don't mind." Her body already felt overheated and had set up a persistent pulsing in her lower region. "I've had more than enough exercise lately."

After choosing dress slacks for him and a sleeveless black dress with strappy sandals for her, they went to the Visitor's Center and hopped on a bus for a tour of the city. It was air conditioned, the horse drawn carriages were not.

Immersed in history, they toured White Point Gardens, Rainbow Row, the Nathaniel-Russell House, the Old City Jail and several other historic sites in the Holy City.

As it turned out, they were both huge fans of Civil War history.

Just as the tour was wrapping up at The Battery and everyone was piling back on the bus, the skies suddenly darkened and it began to rain. Nightlights throughout the city flickered on as the sun hid behind threatening black clouds. For a few minutes, the rain fell in a steady drizzle, before swiftly changing to a heavy downpour accompanied by intense lightning and booming claps of thunder that shook the ground.

Cate almost jumped out of her skin when lightning stuck a tree behind her, followed by a loud cracking sound as a giant branch crashed to the ground not ten feet away.

As luck would have it, Cate and Kane stood at the end of the line to enter the bus, soaked through and through. She chided herself for actually wanting to urge the elderly couple in front of her to either push their walkers a tad bit faster, or allow them to pass.

When they finally reached the steps of the bus Cate noticed a lady sitting in the front seat where a young, newly married Asian couple had sat throughout the tour. She was an older lady, appearing to be anywhere from her late eighties to one hundred and ten years old.

Her snowy white hair was pulled back in a French twist and her face and neck were creased with deep wrinkles. Her teeth were severely discolored, with several missing. "I should have stayed on the bus too." Cate felt obligated to make small talk with the geriatric lady, since she was staring her dead in the eye. The line had come to a complete stop, leaving her standing on the steps directly in front of the solemn woman. "That storm is no joke."

The curious woman neither smiled nor frowned at Cate, never once breaking eye contact. In fact, she showed no emotion whatsoever as she held tightly to her purse, clutching it like a drowning person would a life preserver.

Cate had the chilling premonition that this woman knew a deep, dark secret. One that she was waiting patiently to share.

What if it was a bomb?

She doesn't look like your typical suicide bomber, but you never know these days.

It was taking forever for the elderly crowd in the back of the bus to stow their items overhead and take a seat. When the line eventually began to move again, it came to another abrupt halt with Cate standing in the aisle beside the woman's seat.

The old woman's eyes still held hers, refusing to budge. When her feeble hands moved to open her purse, Cate actually tensed, praying there wouldn't be an explosion.

Instead, her bones almost jumped out of her skin when a rat stuck his head out.

A fucking rat.

Not a tiny rat either. When it climbed out of the bag Cate saw that it was a large wharf rat. His rope like tail was at least an inch in diameter and looked to be about a foot long.

Cringing away from the hideous rodent, she backed into Kane. She was about to turn around and make a hasty exit from the bus when – lo and behold - the rat jumped about three feet into the air, landing on her shoulder.

Dear God in heaven!

No!

She screamed bloody murder as the vile creature immediately grabbed her earlobe and began chewing viciously. "Please!" Cate could feel blood running down her neck and into her cleavage as she sobbed, "Get it off me!"

The rat's sharp claws pierced the tender skin on her shoulders, digging into the bone as his thick corded tail wrapping around her neck and squeezed.

He was trying to choke her.

Grabbing the rat by the tail she slung it, taking half her earlobe with it. It slammed against the window with a loud whack and slid to the floor. Cate prayed fervently that the nasty thing was dead.

The blow didn't appear to even stun the rat.

The rodent quickly scrambled up the seat and leapt again, his feral eyes sparkling as he landed heavily on her chest.

Before she could fully take in what was happening, the ghastly creature bit her bottom lip, tugging and chewing. Cate tasted his god awful fur in her mouth and gagged. She shrieked when one of his pointed hind claws penetrated her nipple, sending a current of electricity shooting through her body. His laser sharp front claws had a vise grip on each side of her neck as he gnawed her bottom lip to shreds.

"Kane, please, help me!" she screamed, her words muffled by the rat's huge head. Her mouth pooled with blood when his sharp teeth penetrated the tip of her tongue.

While everyone else on the bus calmly watched her intense struggle with the rat, without one person offering to help, Cate grabbed the filthy vermin by the tail and slung him out the open door.

Thankfully, the bus driver was in the process of closing the door and it shut just in the nick of time. When the rat regained his senses, he repeatedly flung himself against the door, making a shrill screeching sound as he clawed wildly at the glass, trying desperately to get back inside the bus. When he finally realized the door wasn't going to open, he began vigorously chewing on the rubber trim around the glass in a determined effort to continue his vicious attack on her.

What in the ever loving hell was wrong with the demented rodent!

Cate sat in the seat behind the driver, watching closely as he steered the vehicle up Meeting Street. The crazed rat held on for several blocks before he finally dropped and was flattened by one of the tires.

Relief washed over her when she rushed to the back of the bus and witnessed his dead carcass, splattered in the street. Thank God. Jerking around, she was still panting and struggling to breathe when she confronted Kane. "Why didn't you help me?" she cried. "What kind of man are you to just stand there while I was being brutally attacked?"

Taking her by the shoulders, Kane lowered his face to hers, gazing into her wild eyes. "Attacked by what, Cate?"

"Attacked by what?" she cried incredulously, glaring furiously at him. "A giant rat!"

"There was no rat, Cate." Kane knelt in the aisle and reached out to take her hand, shaking his head sadly. "You were swatting at air."

"At air?" She looked at the bus driver in his rearview mirror. "Sir, did you see the rat?"

"No, ma'am." He shook his head, eyeing her like she was an escapee from the nuthouse. "Like the gentleman said, I only saw you fighting something that wasn't there."

Cate spun to the side, ready to accuse the old woman in the front seat. Only she was no longer there. It was once again occupied by the Asian couple.

When did that happen?

Grabbing her hand, Kane led her to their seat in the back of the bus. Once they were seated, he whispered sympathetically, "Did you really think you saw a rat, Cate?"

"No, I didn't think I saw a rat." She hissed. Was everyone on this bus blind? "There was one on me. The disgusting thing almost tore my earlobe off."

Kane's eyes moved from one earlobe to the other and apparently, judging by his skeptical expression, they were both perfectly intact. "Your ears are fine, Cate."

She touched her lip with her finger, completely astonished to find that it wasn't bloody or swollen.

Surely she hadn't imagined the entire episode.

Leaning her forehead against the cool glass of the window, she noticed that rain was now flooding the streets. It was already a foot deep in some areas. Hopefully it would wash every last rat in this city down the drains and into the sewer.

Kane's soft voice drew her back to the present. "Would you like to talk about it, Cate?"

"What is there to say?" She took several deep breaths in an attempt to steady her racing pulse and come to grips with the insanity that had taken complete control of her life. "Evidently, I now suffer from hallucinations."

"I don't know if I would go that far."

"I would. What other explanation is there?" Cate met his eyes, hers shimmering with fear and humiliation. "I saw something that wasn't really there."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately."

"I won't argue your point, Kane, but this was real. I tasted my own blood in my mouth when the rat was gnawing on my lip. I felt his awful fur rubbing against my tongue. It wasn't my imagination. It was really happening." Cate's bottom lip quivered as she wrapped her arms around her waist, rocking back and forth. "At least, I thought it was. Can stress cause hallucinations?"

Kane consulted Google, answering a few minutes later. "Although it is very rare, stress has been known to cause hallucinations."

"Very rare."

"Yet entirely possible."

"I guess that makes me feel better."

"It should." Eager to change the subject, he had a suggestion. "I checked the radar and the rain is almost over. We could grab a bite to eat and take a relaxing boat tour around the harbor. He pulled a brochure from the visitor's center out of his pocket and handed it to her. How does that sound?"

Not nearly as exciting as crawling under the cool sheets in the hotel room and ordering room service, but Kane didn't drive to Charleston to stay holed up in a hotel room with a crazy lady.

Cate lifted her head and sat up straight, glancing at the brochure. It wasn't Kane's fault that her brain was taking a vacation from reality. Perhaps the heat and humidity were getting to her, making her imagine things that weren't really there. Not bloody likely. "Great," she lied, determined to push the terrifying episode to the back of her mind and pretend to enjoy the rest of their day together. "Maybe if I keep busy there won't be any more hallucinations."

"Your best friend just died, Cate." Kane reached out to trail a finger along her cheek. "I'm sure that grief, as well as stress, can make the mind do weird things. You need to relax and take time to deal with your loss. The boat tour will only last an hour. Afterward, we can go back to the room and watch a movie."

She had never felt more grateful to anyone in her life. "I would like that."

Kane bought tickets for the tour as Cate strolled around the Visitor's Center, pretending to enjoy the exhibits until the rain finally tapered off.

Then the lowcountry humidity really kicked in.
Chapter Nine

They sat at the back of the tour boat as the warm ocean breeze sent Cate's hair into wild disarray. The tour guide's microphone crackled when she pointed to one of the tallest spires in the historic district. "St. Phillips Episcopal Church was built in 1836 and the spire was completed in 1850. This beautiful church lays claim to being the oldest religious congregation in South Carolina."

Cate's heart ached. "Olivia will be laid to rest there tomorrow."

"It's a beautiful church." While the tour director took a break to sip from a bottle of water, Kane took the opportunity to ask, "Have you visited Charleston before?"

"A few times." She met his steady gaze, unsure about revealing the details of her personal life. She had nothing to hide. "Rex proposed to me in the gazebo at White Point Gardens."

"What?" Kane turned wide eyes of disbelief on her. "Why didn't you tell me, Cate? I would never have brought you here if I'd known."

"You couldn't have known, Kane. Anyway, it's no big deal. Rex is past history now. At the time, I was thrilled to be engaged, yet sad that Olivia and her family were visiting China and we didn't get to meet each others fiancé. If I'd had the opportunity to meet Kevin sooner, perhaps I could have warned her of what a gold digger he really was."

Kane placed his arm around the back of Cate's folding chair, gently nudging her head to his broad shoulder. "Will Rex really be so easy to forget, Cate?"

"Give me a few weeks and I'll let you know." Inhaling the salty sea air, Cate felt the tension slowly ebb from her body as she relaxed against him. "You made it out of a divorce in one piece. A broken engagement seems insignificant in comparison."

"There is nothing insignificant about what you've been through, Cate. When my wife told me she was no longer in love with me, I wasn't sure I would make it through the next day."

Cate glanced up, noticing a shadow of pain briefly flicker across his eyes.

"The first few months after she left were a living hell. I can't think of better words to describe that period of my life."

"I'm sorry, Kane."

He peered across the gently rolling swells toward a tall earthen fort in the harbor, listening as the tour guide continued with her speech. "Just before sunrise on April 12, 1861 the first shot of the Civil War was fired from Fort Sumter."

Kane turned back to Cate. "Somehow I survived the heartbreak of divorce and lived to tell the tale."

"Unlike Olivia."

"We all have our moments of weakness."

"But for most of us they pass, and we continue living."

"When a tragedy strikes, I often feel like it was meant to be. Almost like it was my destiny."

"I don't believe we're destined to be sad, Kane."

"Some of us are." Having said that, he snapped to attention when the tour director pointed out a Carnival cruise ship docked in the harbor. "I've always wanted to go on a cruise. I just never took the time."

She and Olivia had taken a cruise the week after receiving their degrees. Cate closed her eyes, trying to shut out the pain as thoughts of her best friend suddenly crushed her, threatening to cut off her air.

As always, Kane knew exactly what she was feeling. "There's nothing you could have done to prevent what happened to Olivia, Cate. Kevin alone will shoulder that burden for the remainder of his days."

It still didn't ease Cate's pain. "Do you think Kevin will attend Olivia's funeral tomorrow?"

"If I was him, I probably wouldn't show my face in a congregation filled with Olivia's loved ones."

"You wouldn't have to. You could never hurl such venomous insults at a woman. You don't have it in you."

"What strikes me as odd is that Kevin didn't seem like the type either."

What?

How could he make such a rash judgment call when he had never even met Kevin prior to the engagement party?

When she pulled out of his arms and turned toward him with an irritated frown, he held up a hand. "Just hear me out, Cate. Please?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, not liking where this conversation was headed, yet willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Okay."

"After you followed Olivia and her mother inside, I followed Kevin. My intention was to try to beat some sense into the guy."

"And did you," she asked, almost hopefully.

He shook his head. "I found him sitting on a bench in the garden. In tears."

Cate unfolded her arms and relaxed, slightly.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I actually felt sorry for the guy, Cate. I listened as he poured his heart out. Kevin was extremely remorseful. I would bet my bank account that he's genuinely sorry for the things he said to Olivia."

"You believed him?" Why did she suddenly feel so betrayed?

"Actually, I did. He is convinced that something unusual happened to him that night, almost like he was under a spell."

A spell?

As in a witch's spell?

Kaitlyn's witch?

Suddenly their eyes met, each painfully aware of what the other was thinking.

Cate shivered even though the day was exceptionally warm. "We need to pay Kevin a visit."

"Do you have his address?"

Cate pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I can Google it."

Less than an hour later, Kane parked his Jeep behind Kevin's black Range Rover. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Positive."

Kevin answered the door on the third knock, wearing the same clothes from his engagement party. His hair was a mess and he needed to shave, bathe, and apply a few swipes of maximum strength deodorant. "What do you want?" He slurred his words, not at all happy to see them.

Cate struggled not to turn her head. Body odor and strong drink are a potent combination. "Can I talk to you, Kevin?"

"I see you brought your bodyguard." He glanced toward Kane and nodded.

"I don't have my car," Cate explained. "He drove me. Can we come in?"

"Why would you want to come in?" Kevin's eyes met hers, obviously confused to find her standing on his doorstep without a gun or a ball bat in her hands. "I'm sure you hate me now, like everyone else."

You have no idea.

Yet, she needed answers.

"Olivia's dead, Kevin. We can't bring her back. I just need you to help me understand what happened."

Leaning his body against the doorframe, as if he didn't have the energy or willpower to go on with the day to day drudgery of life, Kevin heaved a deep sigh. "How can I explain it to you when I don't even understand what happened, Cate?"

"What do you mean?" Before he could answer, she repeated, "Can we come in?"

Kevin threw his hands in the air, apparently exasperated with the entire situation. "Excuse the mess."

The mess was hard to excuse. The coffee table was littered with empty beer bottles, an empty pizza box, and overflowing ashtrays that were spilling their contents onto the table and glistening hardwood floor.

"Let me guess." Judging by Kevin's expression, he would rather be anywhere besides in that room at the moment. "You want to know why I said such awful things to Olivia?"

"Yes."

"To be perfectly honest, it's as much a mystery to me as it is to you." He shoved both hands in his pockets like he couldn't figure out what else to do with them. "Now she's gone, and I'll never have the opportunity to make it right again."

Cate glared at him in disbelief. "Are you saying that you were not responsible for your actions, Kevin?"

She knew the second her gaze met his that the pain in his eyes was genuine.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

She didn't know what to believe anymore. "You said such horrible things to Olivia. Was that how you really felt about her?"

Shoving a greasy hamburger wrapper to the floor, Kevin fell down on the sofa, leaning his head back. "You don't know me, neither of you do, but what happened last night, wasn't me. Whether you choose to believe me or not, I never meant to say any of those god awful things to Olivia."

Confused, Cate sat down in a straight backed chair by the fireplace, perched on the edge of the seat. Kane took the chair opposite her. "Why did you?"

"It was... I was...I don't know. Once I started, I couldn't seem to stop. Dammit, I'm not stupid, Cate. I knew I was ruining everything that I had worked so hard to achieve."

"Meaning Olivia's wealth."

Kevin nodded, not even bothering to lie. "My mother was a raging alcoholic. Without food stamps and welfare, I would have starved to death."

Olivia had never mentioned this.

"During my senior year of high school, for once in my life, the fates smiled upon me. I was lucky enough to land a basketball scholarship to State. Although, we attended the same college, somehow Olivia and I didn't meet until a few years ago at our ten year reunion." He smiled at a fond memory. "She was supposed to fly home to Charleston the next morning on a 10:00 a.m. flight."

Cate had heard this story numerous times, but played along. "Did she?"

Kevin shook his head. "Olivia spent the next several days with me, in bed."

"It was love at first sight for Olivia, Kevin. What about you?"

He hung his head, refusing to answer her question directly. "Olivia was smart, beautiful and, most importantly, wealthy. Everything I had dreamed of was finally within reach."

"That's the part I can't wrap my head around, Kevin. Why would you throw it all away?"

"Why can't I make you understand, Cate? I would have fought tooth and nail to marry Olivia. She was my dream come true. There is no way in hell I would have intentionally screwed up my entry into her lifestyle of wealth and privilege."

Kevin stood, walking across the room to look out the window into the quiet evening. "Last night, when I started spewing those hateful words, I couldn't stop. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shut my fucking mouth. Even as the words were spilling out I knew that I was pissing away my pot of gold."

"Did you ever really love her, Kevin?"

He closed his eyes, smiling for the first time since they arrived. "I was extremely fond of Olivia. Let's just leave it at that." He looked at Cate and she believed him when he said, "I would have made her blissfully happy for the rest of her life."

None of this made any sense to Cate. "I still don't understand how you could turn on her like you did. How you could be so... sadistic?"

Kevin raked both hands through his hair and leaned his head against the cool window. "I don't expect you to believe me, but something came over me last night. It's almost like it wasn't me speaking." Dropping his head in his hands, he finally broke, sobbing the heart wrenching tears of a defeated man. A man who had lost everything. A man who was right back where he had started from.

He hardly glanced up when they said their goodbyes and Kane closed the door softly behind him.

They were quiet on the ride back to the hotel. It was late and Cate was beyond merely tired. She could feel the weariness seeping into her bone marrow.

Once they were in the room, she went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas, leaving the door ajar so they could talk. "Do you think Kevin could be in need of a psychiatric evaluation? Or do you believe his story of what happened?"

"My head tells me his story is the tale of a man who can't accept the blame for his part in his fiancé's suicide, while my heart, as strange as it seems, keeps insisting that I believe him."

Groggily, Cate turned back the cover and crawled in bed. "I can't seem to get enough sleep. Which is strange. I never go to bed at night before 11:00, then I'm up by 6:00 a.m. to get ready for work."

"I'm surprised you can even get out of bed with the amount of stress you've been under lately. Your body needs to shut down for a while to recuperate, Cate." Kane picked up the remote, flipping through channels.

She was asleep before he could decide which movie to watch.
Chapter Ten

Somber organ music filled the air as Cate and Kane made their way into St. Phillip's Church the following afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows as the overpowering scent of funeral flowers assaulted her.

She hated that smell.

An usher handed her a funeral program and her eyes filled with tears as Olivia's strikingly beautiful features smiled back at her. Why did you do it, Olivia? Cate clutched Kane's arm for support as they made their way down the aisle, past pews overflowing with mourners, to pay her final respects to her best friend.

Her body tensed as she neared the coffin. Olivia appeared to be asleep, resting peacefully. She was always so vivacious and full of life.

Yet, she hardly resembled her Olivia at all. Her long golden hair, which she typically wore in either a ponytail or braid, lay across her chest in fat sausage curls. If Olivia wore her hair down, which was rare, she straightened it first. As a final travesty, her lips shimmered with bright red lipstick. Olivia always wore pink lipstick, if she wore it at all.

She was dressed in a black and very conservative buttoned down church dress that Olivia wouldn't have been caught dead in. Cate cringed at her choice of words, but her friend loved color. The thought crossed Cate's mind that Olga hadn't really known her only child at all.

When they approached the coffin, Cate laid her hand on top of Olivia's cold, dead hand. It was like touching an ice cube, as though her body had been frozen in time. She reached out to stroke one of her soft, silky curls, the only part of her body that still felt like Olivia. She shuddered, once again castigating herself for leaving her best friend alone at a time when she needed her most. If only she had stayed with her instead of walking on the beach with Kane.

Would Olivia still be alive?

Tears spilled from Cate's eyes as she thought back over the good times they had shared as college roommates. After graduation they had gone their separate ways, although they had made time for a vacation together at least once a year. Then Olivia had met Kevin and began devoting the majority of her free time to him. At the same time, Cate had fallen in love with Rex and thought she was living the dream with her soul mate. With both of them focused on a new love, they had stopped calling each other several times a day to discuss the minutiae of their lives.

"Good bye, dear friend," Cate whispered. "I'll see you on the other side."

As she and Kane turned to move toward their seats, Cate suddenly remembered the necklace, her gift to Olivia. She raised her hand to lift the thin black rope over her head, when her eyes were drawn toward a movement near Olivia's face.

She froze.

She couldn't breathe.

Cate's hands clawed at her chest as she struggled to release the air that was trapped in her lungs. She felt the blood drain from her face as her knees became too weak to support her. All she could do was open her mouth for a bloodcurdling scream that sent chills racing down the spine of every person in the room.

Olivia's beautiful blue eyes were open. Her gaze was locked on Cate's as her lips began to move.

Although her words were soft, Cate heard them clearly. "Kill the babies or you will die."

Kill the babies?

Cate fell back against Kane, covering her eyes with trembling hands as a buzzing roar filled her ears, drowning out all other sound.

"Cate?" His arms encircled her waist protectively as his words finally penetrated the thunderous noise in her head. "What's wrong?"

When the clamoring between Cate's ears finally died down, she found the courage to remove her hands and look at Olivia. Her friend's eyes were closed and her lips were still. "Did you see her, Kane?"

"Who?" Kane held her close to his chest, pressing his lips against her ear. "Did I see who, Cate?"

"Olivia." Cate turned in his arms to face him, trembling with fear as her heart threatened to hammer out of her chest.

"What about Olivia?" Kane pressed. "You're not making any sense."

"Olivia opened her eyes and... spoke to me."

Kane took a step back, startled, before moving into action. "Come with me." Clutching Cate's hand, he led her away from a crowd that was mumbling amongst themselves and glaring at her like she had committed an unforgivable sin. "You need fresh air."

They walked past Olga who had her arms crossed and her lips pursed. She took a step back as Cate approached. She hated embarrassing scenes.

Once they were outside, Kane steered her to an ornamental bench under the shade of a huge oak tree. "You've had too much excitement today. For a few days, actually. All the stress is getting to you, Cate."

He didn't believe her. Who would? "I know what I saw, Kane. Whether you believe me or not, Olivia opened her eyes and spoke to me."

"Okay. On the off chance that you aren't suffering from hallucinations brought on by a double dose of stress, what did Olivia say to you?"

Leaning her head against the trunk of the tree, Cate closed her eyes, clutching her trembling hands in her lap. Her head was beginning to pound as the humidity sucked the energy from her body.

"Cate," he pressed. "What did she say?"

"She said, 'Kill the babies or you will die.'"

"Kill the babies?" Kane shrieked, unable to sit still. He stood to pace the sidewalk, stepping over giant tree roots that pushed up through the cement. "Are you sure she said... kill the babies?"

"Yes."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "What babies?"

"I don't know," she whispered sadly. "I honestly have no idea."

"I'm totally confused here." Kane chuckled, although the laughter didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm sure that even you will admit how strange this sounds, Cate. I've never really been a fan of the paranormal and I certainly don't believe in ghosts."

She opened her eyes, confused. "Ghosts?"

"Olivia is dead, Cate. If she opened her eyes and spoke to you, she was communicating from the afterlife. Do you really think that's possible?"

"I... don't know. I hadn't thought of it that way." She shook her head slowly. "Wherever Olivia is, she spoke to me, Kane."

"Your best friend instructed you to go out and kill some babies?"

"Yes."

Sitting down beside her, Kane pulled Cate back into his arms. Even under such horrible conditions his touch was soothing. "Are you pregnant, Cate?"

She was taken aback by his question. The thought hadn't even occurred to her. "No, of course not. I'm on the pill."

"Good." Kane glanced at the crowd gathering on the church portico, watching their every move. "Let's get out of here. I don't think you should put yourself through the added stress of a funeral today."

Cate's mind was racing in a million different directions when he led her away from the church. "It just doesn't make any sense, Kane. Why would Olivia instruct me to kill... babies?"

Unlocking the Jeep, Kane opened the door and helped her in. "My question is, whose babies?"
Chapter Eleven

They were quiet, watching the scenery of one of the most beautiful cities on earth past by the window as Kane drove his Jeep down tree lined Church Street. Although her brain felt scrambled, Cate was enthralled by the historic city with its narrow streets and a tourist with a free map from the visitor's center at every corner.

"Where would you like to go now? We could have a picnic at the Battery, or drive over to Shem Creek and have an excellent seafood dinner." He was going out of his way not to mention what had happened in the church. "I'll even supply the wine and cheese if you choose a picnic."

"Hot wings."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm craving hot wings."

Steering the Jeep down Market Street he grinned, apparently pleased with her choice. "Sticky Fingers it is."

Once they were seated in the popular restaurant, Cate ordered screaming hot boneless wings. She didn't really care to gnaw on a chicken bone in front of Kane. Nor did she care for him to see her with hot sauce and ranch dressing smeared from one side of her face to the other.

Kane shared no such modesty. He dug into his bone-in wings with a vengeance, constantly wiping his mouth and fingers and declaring them to be the best wings he had ever eaten.

Sipping on a perfectly-seasoned Bloody Mary, Cate gazed out the window at the horse drawn carriages slowly clip clopping down the street toward their stables. She had to wonder if they were happy, well fed and content, or miserable and nervous from dodging insane traffic all day.

Kane's chin rested on his folded hands as he watched her closely. "What are you thinking about, Cate?"

"Horses," she answered truthfully.

He nodded, as always, knowing exactly what she meant. "I toured one of the barns a few years ago and the stables were almost pristine. I was told the horses are rotated regularly and the ones that aren't working are sent to a farm where they're allowed to run free for a few months each year."

"That's good to know," she mumbled around a celery stick.

Kane reached across the table to take her hand. "Tell me what's really on your mind."

"How to stop what's happening to me." Did he have to ask? Cate scrubbed both hands over her face and took a deep breath. "Last week I was going to work every day, in love with my fiancé, and positively giddy with wedding plans. Now..."

"Now, your entire world has been turned on its ear."

"Pretty much. I guess my question would be, why me?" She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Is this all in my mind, Kane? Is it all nothing more than the workings of a vivid and overactive imagination?"

"You didn't imagine Rex being an asshole. He really is. You didn't imagine my brother teetering on the edge of reality. He really is."

"And Olivia? Did I imagine her speaking to me from the grave, or the rat attacking me?"

Kane's eyes were filled with compassion when they met hers. "I don't have the answers, Cate. In your mind, you believe these things happened to you. What if the shoe was on the other foot? What if after we had passed by the coffin, I told you that Olivia had opened her eyes and advised me to kill some babies? What would you think?"

"That you had lost your ever loving mind." She smiled up at him. "I see your point."

"I'm not saying it didn't happen. I just want you to realize how unlikely it would be."

Cate was nibbling on her third celery stalk to cool the burn on her tongue when Kane excused himself to go to the men's room.

Peering around the restaurant, she found it to be filled to capacity with as many foreign tourists as Americans. She was smiling at an adorable little girl across the aisle when a gust of wind blew the front door open. Menus, napkins, and children's plastic cups were suddenly airborne. Chaos ensued as customers scrambled to calm their frightened offspring and dodge flying objects.

A waitress finally pushed the door closed and paper products drifted slowly to the floor as the customers began to settle back down.

Cate was finishing off her Bloody Mary while the wait staff returned the restaurant to order, when her eyes were drawn toward the front of the establishment.

Her hands flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp when she noticed a beautiful blonde leaning casually against the bar. A very beautiful and very... familiar blonde.

Cate held her breath, leaning back in her seat when the blonde started walking toward her. She closed her eyes, silently praying that the attractive woman would walk past her table without even glancing her way.

She didn't.

Olivia walked straight toward her, wearing the cute floral sundress she had worn to her engagement party, not the somber black travesty she was buried in. Her hair had been braided to the side and her moist lips shone with her signature pink lipstick.

She possessed a glowing, ethereal beauty that should have drawn the attention of every man, woman and child in the room. Yet, no one even glanced her way.

"Olivia," Cate whispered when her best friend slid into the seat across from her. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, Cate." Olivia reached out to touch Cate's hand. Her skin was ice cold, and hard, rock hard. "It's me."

Cate knew she should be terrified out of her mind, but she wasn't. Olivia would never hurt her. She actually felt at peace for the first time in several days. "How... why are you here?"

"I need you to listen closely to what I have to tell you, Cate."

Olivia's voice was soothing, causing Cate to relax, even though she was having a conversation with a ghost. "I'm listening."

"Things aren't what they seem to be. You are in grave danger if you don't do exactly as I tell you."

"You told me to kill the babies."

"Kill your babies, Cate," Olivia insisted. "It's the only way you can live. There is no other way."

"I'm not pregnant, Olivia."

"Yes, Cate, unfortunately you are."

This isn't really happening.

It's just another hallucination.

"Even if I am pregnant, why would you insist that I kill my own children, Olivia? Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

"The witch is very powerful." Olivia squeezed her hand, holding her gaze. "You can't fight her."

"Kaitlyn's witch?"

"All I can tell you is that you have been cursed, Cate. Don't let your guard down for a second. She knows your weaknesses. She will get to you through them."

Dear God.

Only her parents, and Rex, knew about her phobia of rats and mice.

"Why would a witch be after me?" Cate threw her hands in the air, even more confused. "What did I do to make her so mad?"

"Just know that the witch will not rest until she has fulfilled her Curse of Five," Olivia replied solemnly. "You are number three, Cate."

"Why is this happening to me, Olivia? Why did you have to die?"

"I died because I didn't want to continue my life without Kevin. I knew he was in it for the money. I didn't care, as long as he was... in it... with me."

"Oh, Olivia. I didn't know," Cate cried pitifully. "You should have told me the truth."

"To be perfectly honest, I was too ashamed to tell anyone. The simple truth is that I loved him more than my own life, Cate. I couldn't imagine existing even a single day without him. I'm not as strong as you are."

"You would have eventually gotten over him. Kevin wasn't worth..."

"To me he was." Olivia's tone was final, end of discussion.

"I should have stayed with you that night. I could have prevented you from..."

"No one could have stopped me from doing what I had already set my mind to do, Cate. You know that. If not that night then the next, or the next. It would have eventually happened. Don't waste another second blaming yourself."

Cate smiled into her friend's troubled eyes. She would give anything in her possession to bring her back. Her future seemed so bleak without Olivia's bubbly presence in it.

"Promise me you will do this, Cate. Before it's too late."

Suddenly the door to the restaurant flew open again and a cold wind rushed through the room, sending napkins and menus swirling through the air in a wild whirlwind.

When Cate looked back, Olivia was gone.

Had she really been there?

Of course not.

Olivia was dead.

The people in the surrounding booths were glaring at her with wide eyes, whispering among themselves.

Apparently, she had been talking out loud, to nothing but air.

"What happened?" Kane slid into the seat Olivia had vacated. "It looks like a tornado touched down in here."

"A strong gust of wind blew in when the door was opened."

She couldn't tell Kane about Olivia.

He already thought she was crazy.

"How about some dessert?" Kane picked up a menu from the floor and read, "Homemade bread pudding, peach cobbler, Ernie's pecan pie, banana pudding, chocolate lava cake, or a chocolate milkshake topped with whipped cream and a cherry?"

"None for me." After Olivia's astonishing appearance, Cate's stomach was too queasy to even consider another bite of food. "I'm stuffed."

Forgoing dessert as well, Kane paid the waitress, leaving a generous tip.

They strolled hand in hand into the humid evening air. The Market was closing for the night and several people were gathering for a walking ghost tour of the historic district.

Fortunately for them, they had to pay to see a ghost.

Lucky devils.
Chapter Twelve

"Where to now, lovely lady?" Kane clicked a key fob to unlock the doors of his Jeep.

Cate knew her answer as soon as he asked the question. Without hesitation, she replied, "Home."

"Home it is."

Once they were on the road, he took a right on Laurens Street and then left on East Bay.

"No... wait. I don't expect you to drive me home, Kane. Could you just drive me downtown to the nearest rental car agency?" She pulled out her phone to request directions from Siri.

His hand was warm as it caressed the top of hers, causing a surging heat to radiate up her arm. She was forced to suppress a blissful sigh. "What kind of heel would I be if I allowed a distraught woman to rent a car and drive for four hours, alone."

"A sensible heel," she replied with a quirky smile.

"I couldn't live with myself if I allowed you to drive in your condition, Cate."

"My condition?" She caught the note of edginess in her tone, determined to suppress it.

"Yes, your condition." Either he didn't notice her tone, or chose to ignore it. "Whether you care to admit it or not, you've been on an emotional roller coaster for the last few days."

Cate could hardly argue with his reasoning. At times, even she wondered how much more she could take before snapping under the pressure.

Cupping her hand in his warm fingers, Kane's tone was final. "I will be more than happy to drive you home, Cate. I'll swing by the hotel, grab our luggage, and we'll be on our way."

Now she felt like a heel. "You said you wanted a few days of quiet time, Kane. No phone, remember?"

"Things change."

"But I feel awful asking you to..."

"You didn't ask me to do anything," Kane was quick to remind her. "I volunteered."

Cate still wasn't sure how she felt about his in your condition remark. "You think I'm losing my mind, don't you?"

"Of course not." He stopped for a group of tourists meandering across the busy street. "Why would you even ask something so ridiculous?"

"Well, for starters, I'm being attacked by imaginary rodents?"

"Hopefully, that won't happen again."

"I'm also forced to accept the alarming fact that dead people are talking to me."

"You've been under a lot of stress..."

"And, before that, my best friend decides her life is no longer worth living."

"That wasn't your fault."

"And before that, my fiancé dumps me for someone with a bigger ass." Cate's voice was rising with each word. She was practically shouting when she added, "With a smile!"

"That was his loss."

"Oh, and let us not forget the fact that your brother totally freaked out on me."

Kane suddenly turned serious. "Kyle?"

"Did I forget to mention his disturbing reaction to the necklace?"

"Yes." He couldn't hide his baffled expression. "Why would Kyle freak out over a necklace?"

Cate thought back to Kyle's shocking behavior when he saw the necklace. Pulling it out from under her shirt, she held the thin metal disk in her hand. "Have you ever seen this?"

"No." Reaching over, he held the disk, shocked by the amount of heat being released. "I haven't."

"The mere sight of this necklace caused your brother to take a total break from reality."

"How so?"

"The instant he saw it he suffered a panic attack, backing away from me like it was a ticking bomb ready to detonate. He started screaming at me to leave, saying he couldn't help me. He said it was too late."

"Too late for what?"

"I have no idea. Honestly, I was afraid he was on the verge of a mental breakdown."

Kane released the metal disk to focus on the road, rubbing his hand on his slacks.

Leaning her head back, Cate closed her eyes, replaying the drama in the church over and over in her mind. "Why do you find it so hard to believe that Olivia spoke to me, Kane?"

He opened his mouth to answer but hesitated, unsure. "If it did happen, only you could see it. I was watching Olivia's face the entire time and I didn't see her lips move."

Cate jerked her hand from his, placing them both in her lap. "You think my mind was playing tricks on me, don't you?"

"No, Cate. I'm not saying that at all."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I don't know what to believe, but I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Thank you."

Kane gave her a brilliant smile as he merged into traffic on the Ravenel Bridge.

"How am I supposed to find out whose babies Olivia was referring to, Kane?" At the top of the bridge Cate glanced across the Cooper River toward Patriot's Point. She had a brief memory of touring the battleship and submarine as a child. "Where do I even begin?"

It was obvious that he had no answer as he drove across the towering bridge. "I wish I knew."

As they entered Mt. Pleasant he was quick to change the subject. "I thought we would take the scenic route on Hwy. 52 rather than dealing with interstate traffic on I-95."

"That's fine with me." She pulled out her phone to be ready for a possible Kodak moment. "I adore historic houses, the gowns, the hairstyles, basically anything from the antebellum era. So much so that I'm convinced I was Katie Scarlett O'Hara in a past life."

"I imagine you were quite the vision in one of the extremely low cut bodices and hooped skirts of that era. No doubt you had all the beaux sniffing at your heels."

Thrilled that he was also a lover of history, Cate snapped photos of a live oak dripping with Spanish moss when Kane stopped the car at a roadside stand. "I hope you like boiled peanuts."

"I love them."

For the next hour, as they ate salty boiled peanuts, their conversation centered around their college experiences, jobs, anything but the mysterious happenings in Charleston.

Who knows?

Maybe the Holy City really was haunted.

They were on a quiet, tree lined stretch of highway 52 when Cate's neck started tingling. When she reached up to scratch her skin her finger brushed against the necklace. The metal was burning hot.

Rubbing her neck, she removed the necklace and placed it in the door pocket, determined not to wear it again.

Kane noticed the bright red circle on her chest. "Was the necklace irritating your skin?"

She cringed. "More like burning it."

"I felt the heat from it too. I know you said it was a gift for Olivia, but where did you get it?"

"Actually, I found it in the river. In front of Kyle's cabin."

"No kidding." Slowing the car, Kane flipped on his turn signal. "Are you in a hurry to get home?"

"Not really. I called my supervisor and requested three day's vacation time. I don't go back until Thursday. What are you thinking?"

He nodded toward the turn off onto a dirt road a few feet ahead. "That's the road to the cabin. My gut tells me that we should stop by and see why my brother is so terrified of a necklace."
Chapter Thirteen

They parked as close to the cabin as the thick grove of pine trees would allow. Cate could see Kyle sitting on the pier with a fishing pole in his hands, ignoring the bobbing orange cork.

What else was there to do here?

Kane grabbed the bait casting net and a bucket from under the cabin. "He's probably running low on bait."

"And you're a naturally gifted net thrower. I'm curious though. Why doesn't Kyle catch his own bait?"

Kane leaned toward her as they walked to the waters edge, speaking softly. "Kyle suffered a broken shoulder when he was a child and it never healed properly. You wouldn't know it until he tries to raise his arm over his head, which he can't do. His right arm, his throwing arm, will only extend straight out in front of his body, so he can't gain enough momentum to toss the net. His few attempts always ended in a tangled up mess."

Kyle glanced up as they approached, dropping his eyes sullenly.

This should be fun.

Undeterred, Cate walked the length of the rotting pier and sat down beside him, hanging her legs over the side. Kyle had an unreadable expression as he watched Kane cast the net, effortless, into the water.

"I need some answers, Puddin'."

"You can call me Kyle, if you want."

Cate glanced up at Kane, seeing the surprise play across his face. "Thank you, Kyle." Lowering her eyes, she focused on a school of minnows swimming in the water at her feet. "Can we talk about what happened to Kaitlyn?"

Kyle's hands gripped the fishing pole as his eyes immediately moved to Cate's neck. "Where is the necklace?"

For some reason she felt the need to lie. If he knew the necklace was in the Jeep he might freak out, and she had no desire to witness that again. "I threw it into the ocean while we were in Charleston."

"That's good," Kyle mumbled. "I guess. Not that it will do you any good."

"What was it about the necklace that scared you, Kyle?"

He pulled his legs up to sit Indian style, a myriad of emotions playing across his handsome features. "The necklace started it all."

He was silent, gazing forlornly toward the opposite shore until she softly asked, "All of what, Kyle? What did the necklace start?"

"The nightmare that ended with the deaths of my wife and children."

"I'm not sure I'm following you, Kyle. How could a necklace cause their deaths?"

He stood then, pacing from one end of the rickety pier to the other. "All I know for sure is that Kaitlyn was swimming in the river one morning and found the necklace. When she came back inside, she was wearing it."

Kaitlyn's circumstance sounded eerily similar to her own.

"That night, she insisted that she smelled bacon cooking. Only we had no refrigeration. Plus, I didn't smell it." He dropped his head, shoving both hands through his already tousled hair. "She would get so mad because I couldn't smell it too."

Cate's insides twisted into a tight knot of dread. The smell of bacon had led her to the cabin that morning.

Kyle plopped back down on the pier, pulling in his line. Finding the bait gone, he strung another minnow onto the hook. "That was the first night she was visited by the witch, or ghost, or demon, or what the hell ever that thing was that hovered over our bed."

"Hovered?"

"That's what Kaitlyn said. Later on, she would awaken to find her sitting in the rocking chair, or at the kitchen table, or sometimes on the side of the bed beside her." Tossing the line back into the water, he watched the orange cork ride the ripples. "I never saw a witch, but I woke up more nights than I could count to find the cabin freezing cold."

"Did the witch ever speak to your wife?"

"No." He returned the fishing pole to a white cylindrical tube attached to the pier and glanced toward the sky. "She just watched her and kept her awake at night."

"Kaitlyn must have been terrified."

"She was." Leaning over, Kyle peered into the water as though searching for answers from the river. "Then, as though her life wasn't already a living hell, her friends and family started dying."

"That's right." Kane appeared startled by his words, cutting his eyes toward his brother. "Kaitlyn lost her brother, didn't she?"

"Her brother and her best friend. Then, her own life and our twins made five. After five deaths, the curse was satisfied."

Olivia had said there would be five deaths?

"How did they die?"

"Her best friend died when her parachute failed to deploy during a freak skydiving accident. Her brother was struck head on by an out of control truck carrying diet sodas."

"How awful," Cate whispered sadly. "My best friend took her life a few days ago."

Kyle jerked sideways, his eyes riveted to hers. "How many days ago exactly?"

"It was Saturday, so two days ago."

He exhaled a beleaguered sigh. "Prepare yourself for more death, Cate."

Dear God.

Please.

No more death.

His bone chilling words were said entirely too casually for Cate's comfort. "Why would you even make such a horrible and unfounded statement, Kyle?"

"If Kaitlyn's history with the witch is any indication of what's in store for you, someone you care about will die on Thursday."

"That has to be the most outlandish nonsense I've ever heard!" Cate jumped up, feeling a jagged piece of wood from the dilapidated pier gouge into her leg. How could he utter such ruthless words so casually? Was she supposed to just take his word, accept the fact that another one of her friends was about to loose their life because of her and move on? He really was crazy.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound cold, Cate." Seriously? "Yet, those are the facts."

"Those are not the facts!" she stormed. "I understand that your wife's brother and her best friend died. However, it's ridiculous for you to even suggest that the same set of circumstances are destined to happen to me."

"I didn't mean to upset you, Cate." He almost sounded contrite. "However, you must accept the fact that tossing the necklace into the ocean won't stop it. You wore the necklace. That's all it takes to set the wheels of the curse in motion."

She had to get rid of the necklace.

"My wife threw the necklace in the river when she finally realized what was happening. Yet she still had to die. She had already been cursed by the necklace. It was too late."

Too late? Cate sniffed the air and glanced toward the cabin. The smell of bacon was strong.

"Did you cook bacon for breakfast, Kyle?"

"It's a sign the witch is near, Cate." Kyle shook his head sadly. "When you get home you will start organizing everything in your house in increments of five. Five hairbrushes, five toothbrushes, five pillows on the bed and five flowers in a vase," he prophesied ominously. He pointed to the back of the cabin where two windows had been boarded over with plywood. "Five windows." A nail had been driven into the dock and Kyle reached down to unhook a stringer of fish, lifting it from the water. He handed the mess of crappie to his brother. "You clean and I'll cook."

Kane took the fish with one hand, carrying the bucket of minnows with the other.

After they walked up a slight incline Kyle nodded toward a tackle box set against one of the cabin stilts. "That's my medicine chest. You'll find alcohol and bandages inside. You should clean that cut before it gets infected." He continued up the stairs and into the cabin while Kane set about cleaning the fish.

What he said couldn't be true. Of course there was no witch. Maybe Kaitlyn had been depressed, or needed psychotic meds.

Yet, Olivia had said there was a witch too.

"Your brother seems different now, Kane. Nothing like the nervous wreck he was the last time I was here."

Kane looked up from scraping fish scales. "Perhaps he's finally ready to move on with his life."

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't push him." Cate warned as she applied a bandage to her clean wound.

"You can't push Kyle." Kane chuckled. "He's like me in that he has to do everything at his own pace."

"I'm nothing like you." Kyle walked down the stairs with a bag of cornmeal and a can of evaporated milk. "You were always behind me, even coming out of the womb." He poured cooking oil into a pan and placed it on a Coleman cook stove. He then proceeded to mix a bowl of cornmeal with a few other ingredients and roll out hushpuppies.

Was this his standard meal every day?

Cate couldn't help but wonder what had brought about such a drastic change in Kyle. He seemed normal now, when before he had cowered in the corner like a frightened child.
Chapter Fourteen

After supper, while the men fished, Cate sat in a chair enjoying both their splendid identical forms. The sharp jab of a bloodthirsty mosquito as it pierced her neck drew her attention. She squashed the irritating insect, leaning over to wipe its bloody entrails on the grass. She was about to ask Kyle if he owned a can of bug spray when a glorious sunset in varying shades of pink, blue and purple rendered her temporarily speechless.

Kane called to her, bringing her attention to a magnificent bald eagle soaring majestically over the water. His wings were parallel as he glided on a gentle breeze, drifting toward the tree line.

Turning her head to follow the impressive bird over the cabin, Cate jerked so hard that her chair almost toppled. Her knees turned to jelly as her hand flew to her mouth to prevent a scream of absolute horror from erupting from her chest.

Something was standing on the balcony rail.

Something in a black cape.

A cape that billowed out behind the... thing in the breeze. A hood was pulled over its head, so if it had a face, Cate couldn't see it.

There really was a witch!

"Kane!" she screamed, pointing toward the cabin.

"What is it, Cate?" Jumping to his feet, Kane glanced toward the cabin. Apparently finding nothing out of the ordinary, he rushed across the pier to take Cate's hands and pull her to a standing position. "What do you see?"

Before she could answer, the witch turned toward Cate and laughed, a fiendish cackling sound that sent shivers of fear trickling down her spine. Straining to get a better look at the creature Cate noticed that everything under the hood of the cape was black, except the eyes. The eyes were milky white, with no dark center.

"Don't you see her?" Why were Kane and Kyle watching her like she was an insect under a microscope, instead of the witch who was now lifting her arms toward the sky in a mock salute. "Don't you hear her laughing?"

The witch's shrill screech echoed in Cate's ears, almost deafening. She watched, paralyzed with fear, as the witch pointed a gnarly finger at her and leapt from the balcony, howling demonically as she took flight and sailed over the trees.

Kyle's eyes were fixed on the balcony. "I believe you, Cate."

Kane cut his eyes toward his brother, brushing away his words. "It was only your imagination. Come on, I'll show you."

Kane led the way up the stairs to the cabin with Kyle close on their heels, all but pulling Cate through the one room structure and onto the balcony.

Nothing.

"I know you don't believe me." Cate was painfully aware that she was inching ever closer to her breaking point. "But the witch was here. She was standing on the balcony rail."

"Sit down for a minute." Kane's tone was soothing, even though his next suggestion caused her cheeks to blaze. "Perhaps you got too hot outside?"

"I'm not suffering from hallucinations brought on by the heat, Kane. I know what I saw!" She couldn't sit still, jumping up to pace the length of the balcony for several minutes before walking back inside. She immediately noticing the almost empty food shelf. There was one can of Spaghetti-o's, three cans of pork and beans, one box of crackers and no pickles left. She whirled toward Kyle. "When did you lose your obsession with five?"

"As soon as you took the necklace away. I felt like the spell had been broken and I was back to my old self." Kyle left her completely dumbfounded when he asked, "Who is the father of your child, Cate?"

"I'm not pregnant," she replied offhandedly, her mind on more pressing matters.

"Yes, Cate." Walking over to stand in front of her, he placed both hands on her shoulders. "You are."

She sat down in a straight-backed chair in front of the cold fireplace, dazed.

Of course.

Olivia's words were true.

Kane walked over to bend down beside her. "I thought you said you were on the pill."

"I am."

Kyle sighed, dropping his head in his trembling hands. "Kaitlyn was too."

She had to find a way to end this nightmare, before it was too late and someone else died. "Is there a way to break the curse, Kyle?"

"Yes." His eyes were filled with a mixture of pain, sympathy and loss when they finally met hers. "However I must warn you that it won't be pleasant."

Cate clasped her hands in her lap to still their shaking as sweat trickled down her neck and into her cleavage. The sweltering heat in the cabin, along with the overpowering smell of bacon, was making her nauseous. She wanted to go home. "How do I break it?"

"By no longer being pregnant."

"What if I'm not pregnant?"

"Only pregnant women can see the witch, Cate." Kyle's tone was solemn, forlorn, as though he had already accepted her fate. Now all he had to do was convince her. "There has to be five deaths in order to satisfy the curse."

Olivia had said she was the third victim of the curse.

She stood, pacing around the room. "Let's just set aside the notion of whether or not I'm carrying a child for the time being. Do you know of anyone else who has ever been cursed by the witch?"

She couldn't deny the truth any longer.

The witch was real.

"There was one woman."

Cate sat beside him, eager to hear about this other woman. "Who was she?"

"In the beginning of her haunting, Kaitlyn spent every minute at the library, using their Wi-Fi to research the curse. Just before she died, she found a lady on the internet. She lives in a small town called Hamlet, North Carolina."

"That's about an hours drive from where I live."

"Her name is Venice Ledbetter. She claims to have been under the curse as well. Unlike my family, she survived and lived to talk about it." Kyle stood and walked to the balcony door, mesmerized by the dark stain on the wooden deck. Leaning against the door frame, he closed his eyes. "Even after numerous scrubbings with bleach and a wire brush, and several heavy rains, the stain refuses to fade."

Cate wanted to go to him, hold him. When she attempted to stand, Kane placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

Kyle walked back into the room with his hands in his pockets, stopping directly in front of Cate. "Suffice it to say that your future will be bleak if you choose to carry your twins to term."

Cate shook her head, refusing to believe that was her only option. "I intend to visit Miss Ledbetter as soon as possible, Kyle. Surely she can tell me a way..."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up, Cate. The witch is too powerful. You won't stand a chance against her."

An owl hooted from a nearby tree to remind them that nightfall was approaching. The sound snapped Kyle out of his melancholy mood long enough to issue an invitation. "You are both welcome to spend the night here if you'd like."

No chance in hell would she ever shut her eyes in this place.

"I really need to get home." Cate cut her eyes at Kane to make sure they were both on the same page. They were. "Thanks for the offer. Maybe next time."

"I can't say that I blame you." Kyle grinned, kicking off his threadbare canvas boat shoes and making himself comfortable on a well worn love seat. "This place holds a lot of bad memories for me."

"Why don't you ride out with us." Why did he insist on staying here? "Get a glimpse of the outside world? Go out to eat, take in a ballgame, do something fun," Cate suggested. "Take a break from the bad memories."

Kyle cocked his head as if it was the strangest request he had ever received. He shocked them both by saying, "Now that you mention it, I don't suppose there's any reason for me to remain here, cut off from the rest of the world. The next time you come I should be ready to leave."

Cate stood on her tiptoes for a quick hug before walking to the Jeep. "I'll hold you to that."

Kyle's eyes were inscrutable as he watched Cate walk away. "She reminds me of Kaitlyn in so many ways."

Kane's eyes followed Cate's every move. "That's what worries me."
Chapter Fifteen

They arrived at Cate's house around midnight. She adored the quaint little cottage set back in the woods that she had inherited from her grandparents. The house had a fresh coat of white paint, the porch was adorned with rocking chairs and hanging ferns, and the car shed was empty. She needed to go car shopping first thing tomorrow.

"Home sweet home," she remarked when Kane turned off the ignition. "What do you think?"

A nightlight on a telephone pole cast a golden glow on the rustic country setting. "It's perfect. I could be content to spend the rest of my days here."

Cate smiled, warmed by his reaction. "Come in and see the inside. Dad and I completely remodeled it a few years ago."

"You didn't tell me you were into construction. Be warned, the sight of a girl with a tool belt slung low on her hip does a number on me."

She winked saucily. "I'll remember that."

Kane paused with his foot on the bottom step to listen to a frog's bellowing croak and the whine of a thousand crickets. "What's not to love about this place?"

Cate opened the door, reaching inside to turn on the porch light. When she turned toward Kane, she noticed that he carried not only his duffle bag but also a plastic Target bag.

She faintly remembered him pulling into the all night superstore before promptly drifting back to sleep.

He saw her eyes lingering on the bag. "I bought a pregnancy test."

"Kane..."

"Cate, Kyle isn't known for flights of fancy. Whatever happened in that cabin, he is slowly working his way past it." His eyes met hers and held them, refusing to budge. "It would be irresponsible to write off what he told us as the ravings of a madman. We need to know for sure, one way or the other."

"Okay." In all honesty, Cate gave in so easily because she was simply too tired to argue. Ever since she had awakened on the riverbank, on a scale of one to ten, her energy had been zero, practically nonexistent. "Would you like something to drink?"

Kane covered a wide yawn with his hand. "All I want is a soft place to lay my head."

"You came to the right place." She walked down the hall, motioning for him to follow her. "We added an additional bathroom when we remodeled. Check out the tile in the shower. I personally installed each piece."

Kane nodded with approval as he traced the perfectly symmetrical tiles with his finger. "Nice."

"Thank you." She felt her cheeks flush with pleasure. "You take this bathroom and I'll use the one in my bedroom."

"Sounds like a plan."

Cate emerged a short while later wearing a pink floral tank top with matching soft and comfy shorts. Kane was wearing very distracting boxers.

There were two bedrooms.

"It's your choice." Kane immediately picked up on her thought process. "I can sleep in the spare bedroom, or I can sleep in here with you. It's a no brainer for me. However, being the gentleman that I am, I leave the decision in your capable hands."

"I would rather you sleep with me," she replied without hesitation. "I rest better knowing you're near."

She noticed the relief in his eyes. "Same here."

With that settled, Cate removed a half dozen decorative pillows from her bed and turned back the covers. Climbing onto her plush pillow top mattress, she released a contented sigh.

Kane was about to turn off the lamp and join her when he asked, "Did you check the doors?"

"No," she mumbled drowsily, tossing off the covers. "I totally forgot."

"Stay where you are. I'll do it."

"Thank you," she murmured, immensely relieved that she wouldn't have to move a muscle.

When Kane returned she was fast asleep.

Crawling in behind her and curling up to her back, he reached around her waist to pull her back against his chest. Within seconds, he had joined her in deep slumber.

Bright sunlight streaming through the window woke Cate the following morning. When she cracked one eye open to peek at the clock, it read 9:36. Kane was still snoring softly beside her.

Slipping out of bed she dodged two creaking floorboards in her bedroom to tiptoe quietly into the living room. The Target bag was on the kitchen counter. Even though every nerve in her body was screaming for a coffee fix, she grabbed the plastic bag and padded down the hallway to the guest bathroom.

This was it. No turning back now. Tearing into the box, she pulled out the instructions and read. It seemed simple enough. One line for negative, two lines meant she was carrying two precious lives inside her. That alone terrified her.

She peed on the stick and picked up a People magazine, prepared to wait the required two minutes. Before she could find out if Kylie Jenner had reached billionaire status yet, there were two bright red lines.

Two.

According to the instructions, that was a positive. Cate closed her eyes and dropped her head in her hands as hot bile rose in her throat. The second she closed her eyes she had a clear image of Olivia lying in the coffin. Her best friend's eyes flew open and her lips started moving. "Kill the babies, Cate. Or you will die."

She cried out, placing her hand on her flat stomach as she choked back tears, aware of one absolute truth.

She could never kill her own children.

But they weren't just her children.

They were Rex's too.

Would he want to raise their children, together, when he learned that he was going to be a father?

With ninety nine questions and not a single answer, Cate opened the bathroom door with a heavy heart. Kane was leaning against the wall. He didn't need to ask the question that was burning in his eyes. The answer was reflected in her crystal clear gaze.

With a look of abject defeat, he scrubbed a hand across his face. "Where do we go from here, Cate?"

"To the Honda dealership," she chirped, rushing past him to get dressed. "I need a new ride."

"Cate?"

"Not today, Kane. Please?" She held up her hand to stop his words, hoping he would understand that she couldn't deal with this today. "Can we just have one day of normalcy? After the last few days, I think I deserve that much."

His face broke into a sympathetic smile, even though his eyes were troubled. "To the Honda dealership it is. How about we go to the one on Independence Boulevard? Later, we can swing by my house."

"Sounds good.

She couldn't wait to see how this dreamboat lived.

Chapter Sixteen

Later that afternoon, Cate drove her black Honda Civic through the winding streets of Sleepy Hollow Estates, a gated community in Mint Hill. Parking her shiny new baby in the driveway behind Kane's Jeep, she opened the door and stepped out, impressed by the two story brick house with a wrap around porch and immaculate landscaping. Apparently he shared her love for rocking chairs and ferns.

"This is really nice." Following him up the steps, she turned to gaze across a thick green carpet of grass. "Do you live in this big house alone?"

He paused with the key in the door, turning to face her. "For now."

The gorgeous house could have easily been featured in a Better Homes and Gardens spread.

Kane grinned sheepishly upon noticing her appreciation for his well appointed décor. "I can't take credit for any of the furnishings. Every room was decorated by Rooms to Go."

"Great choice of decorators. You have a beautiful home." How under impressed had he been with her hand me down furniture?

"Thanks, I built it." He looked around the room with pride. "Actually, my company built it."

Cate walked across gleaming hardwood floors to look out spotless glass doors onto an expansive back lawn. No postage stamp yard here. An inviting pool, complete with a cascading waterfall surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, graced the landscape. She could only imagine the serenity of drifting off to sleep with the soothing sound of splashing water to serenade her.

She knew without looking that the kitchen would have stainless steel appliances and tons of cabinet space. She was right on both counts.

Kane gave her a tour of the house, pausing at his office door. "I should check my email. You can lounge by the pool, watch TV, or sit in here and keep me company while I work."

"Or I could ride over to Carolina Place Mall and grab a bathing suit."

"That definitely works. I'll drive you."

Cate had a better idea. "What if you stay here and catch up on your work so you can join me by the pool later this evening?"

"I like the way you think." He pulled a one hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to her. "Do you mind grabbing a couple of steaks, baking potatoes and salad fixings while you're out?"

"Will do." She folded the bill and stuck it in her purse. "I typically try on several bathing suits before I find the one I like, so I could be gone a few hours."

"I eagerly await the opportunity to view your choice of swimming attire." With a provocative wink Kane handed her his iPhone. "Put your number in my contact list please." When she did, he called her so she would have his number.

This would be the first time they had been separated in three days.

Kane followed her to the front porch, sitting in a rocking chair as she backed her car out of the driveway. It was impossible to decipher what he was feeling from his rather stern expression.

She rolled down the window to wave and heard him call, "Be careful, Cate." His voice held a note of urgency that caused a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Cate returned two hours later, ten times more exhausted than she had any reason to be, to find Kane still in his office and on the phone. His voice had an edge to it, one she hadn't heard before. "When I hired you, I hoped you would be able to put out these minor fires without me having to hold your hand, Seth."

Seeing her standing in the doorway, he hung up the phone with a forced smile as she placed his change on the desk. "Hold on, I'll help get the bags out of the car."

"That's okay," she called over her shoulder, noticing him eyeing the two dollar bills and some coins curiously. "I've got it."

On the way back inside she heard him talking again. He sounded much calmer. "Hey, Lisa. I need you to book a flight to Cincinnati out of Charlotte in the morning. Seth's having some trouble with the plans for the new apartment complex. Hopefully I can fly out tomorrow night, if not, Thursday at the latest. I'll let you know as soon as I find out." Kane paused, listening to her speak. "Thanks, doll, I don't know what I would do without you."

Doll?

Cate tossed her empty Bojangle's cup in the trash as she dropped the last grocery bag on the counter. Hopefully Kane would fire up the grill soon. She was starving. Reaching into the bag, she pulled out a smaller bag of five baking potatoes.

Five?

She only needed two.

Gasping, she slowly backed away as choking tentacles of fear spread throughout her body.

Why would she buy five potatoes?

With her eyes closed, she was taking deep calming breaths to soothe her troubled soul when Kane came out of his office. "I'll help you put the groceries away." Her racing pulsed had almost slowed to normal when he reached into a bag to lift out a family size package of five thick sirloin steaks. With a broad grin, he quipped, "I like a girl with a hearty appetite."

When Cate didn't respond, he turned to find her trembling, her face ghostly pale. He was quick to react. "I'll just put three of these in the freezer. Trust me, they won't go to waste. Oh, and if you ever run out of room in the freezer, or need to hide a body, there's a large chest freezer in the garage," he teased with a sexy wink.

"I'm sorry, Kane." Cate dropped her eyes as her cheeks blazed with embarrassment. "I don't understand what would make me do something so completely insane."

Gathering her hair into a ponytail, he held it on top of her head as his lips brushed along her neck, making her knees go weak. "I promise you, we will figure this out together, Cate."

"Who is Lisa?" Pulling out of his arms, she was determined to forget the humiliating incident and move on.

"My office manager slash right arm slash little old lady." Kane was apparently loving the fact that she sounded a wee bit jealous.

While her back was turned, he transferred five tomatoes, five bell peppers, five cucumbers, five bags of shredded cheese, and five tubs each of butter and sour cream to the refrigerator.

Cate noticed the alarming amount of vegetables out of the corner of her eye. She chose not to comment, thus allowing the embarrassing situation to die a natural death.

"If you'll make the salad, I'll go fire up the grill." Kane's eyes were filled with compassion as he leaned over to kiss her, so softly. "If you can't find anything just come to the backdoor and call me."

She felt the familiar tightening in her stomach, only this time it shot straight to her loins.

An entire flock of butterflies was cavorting about in her midsection when she put two potatoes in the microwave and Lipton tea bags in a pot of boiling water to steep. She knew Kane was a fan of sweet tea. He ordered it whenever they went out to eat. Next, she sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers into a bowl of mixed greens.

Still feeling the urge to kick her own self in the rear for being so stupid, she added plates, forks and napkins to a tray, carrying it out to a large glass table with a wide umbrella. Kane's back was to her as he flipped the steaks.

"Could you make mine extra well done?"

"Sure thing." He turned toward her with an arched brow. "If you like to chew on cardboard. Steak should be eaten medium rare."

She immediately felt bile rise in her throat at the mere suggestion of eating a bloody, half-cooked steak. Raw meat, essentially. Apparently she was turning green around the gills because he hastily added, "Hey, if you want a burnt steak, that's exactly what you'll get. In fact, I think I'll cook mine well done, too."

Without a word, since she didn't trust herself to speak, Cate hurried inside to hold a cold paper towel to her throat, practicing deep breathing exercises.

It took a minute for the spell of nausea to pass. After it did, she made the tea and carried it, along with potatoes, salad, a bowl of sliced lemons, and ice-filled glasses outside.

Sitting down at the table she inhaled the delicious aroma of charred meat as Kane forked a steak onto a plate and placed it in front of her.

"Does your steak look well done enough?" His gentle voice was laced with concern. "If not, I can cook it a few more minutes."

"It looks delicious."

"Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks." He sat down across from her, turning serious. "I'm worried about leaving you tomorrow, Cate. Could you stay with your parents, or maybe a friend until I get back?"

His words tugged at her heartstrings. Still, he wasn't her keeper, even though it was beginning to look more and more like she might need one. "I'll be fine, Kane. If it makes you feel any better, I promise not to go off the deep end while you're gone."

"I wasn't insinuating that you might. It's just that, well, you're pregnant and I don't want anything to happen to you."

His heartfelt words caused her eyes to glisten.

Did he really care?

Even though she carried another man's child?

"Nothing will happen to me, Kane."

"See that it doesn't." He laced his fingers with hers. "I've grown rather fond of having you around."

Wiping her eyes with a napkin, she sniffled. "I've heard that pregnant women are hormonal, but this is ridiculous."

Kane slathered his burnt steak with A1 Sauce, sawing off a hunk and popping it in his mouth. Chewing vigorously, he sighed with such pleasure that one might think it was a tender slice of prime sirloin from a five-star restaurant. "Now this is a good steak."

Cate cut open her burnt piece of shoe leather to make sure there wasn't even a hint of pink to be found. There wasn't. She swiped a betraying tear from her cheek, took a small bite, and agreed with his assessment. "It's delicious."

After chewing on the tough piece of meat for a few minutes, he gulped it down with a large swig of tea. "I just need you to be safe, Cate."

"I know what you're thinking, Kane. The fact that I have developed an apparent obsession with five makes me look completely unhinged. I understand how crazy this must all seem to you. Although, if you think about it, the urge to buy five of each item doesn't really do any harm. It just fills up the cabinets."

"Cate..." he began.

Fortunately, the ringing of the phone prevented him from finishing what had to be a depressing thought. It was Lisa calling with Kane's itinerary. His flight was at 10:30 the following morning.

When he hung up, he turned to face her with a tender smile tugging at his lips.

Could a simple smile from him actually make her heart flutter?

After clearing the table, they went inside where Kane pulled her against his broad chest, making her knees go weak. "Are you ready for that swim now?"

Cate hated to disappoint him. Yet she was one hundred percent convinced that she would fall out on the floor if she didn't soon get some rest. "I have recently discovered that pregnancy makes you very, very tired," she admitted, covering a wide yawn with her hand.

Kane nodded, stroking the line of her jaw with his thumb. "It was a challenge to keep your eyes open long enough to finish your meal." He slipped his hand around her waist, guiding her toward the stairs. "We can swim another day. Let's go to bed."

He scored major brownie points with those words. She was following him up the stairs when she made the surprising observation that there were no family portraits in his house. None. Not one of him, or Kyle, or any other family member. The hallway was painted a soothing baby blue with ocean landscapes decorating the walls. Surprisingly, there was no memorabilia of any kind.

The walls in his room were the same shade of baby blue with white sheer curtains, hardwood floors with thick braided rugs, and gas logs in a stone fireplace. She could only imagine how cozy and delightful this room would be on a snowy winter's day as she dozed in Kane's arms in front of a toasty fire.

He handed her one of his tee shirts to sleep in, which she accepted gratefully.

When they were in bed, Kane took her into his arms, nuzzling his lips against her hair and breathing his warm breath on her ear until she fell asleep.
Chapter Seventeen

Kane left for the airport early and Cate slept until noon. On the way home, she stopped by the grocery store since her cupboards were embarrassingly bare.

With the trunk of her Honda filled with all the necessary food stuff, she called her mom.

Of course she could never tell her about the weird happenings (rats, ghosts, strange compulsions) that had suddenly consumed her life. Nor was she ready to confess to her dad that his unmarried daughter was pregnant.

Truth is, she would never be.

He had recently undergone knee surgery and her mom had her hands full caring for him. According to her latest health report, however, Pop was moving around well with his walker. She invited them to dinner.

"Today is my last day off work," she reminded her mother. "I would love to see you both."

"Of course we will come, dear." Cate imagined her mom in the kitchen, still using a wall phone with a ten foot cord. "We're moving a little slower than normal these days, but we should be there in under an hour."

Before she could begin to put the groceries away, Kane called. Totally forgetting about the milk, butter, and other items that required refrigeration, she lifted the cordless phone from the base and sat in a rocking chair on the front porch to chat.

"I miss you so much, Cate." Kane's voice lifted her spirits, making her miss him even more. "I feel like I've lost my right arm."

"It's nice to be remembered as a body part."

His passionate response oozed through the phone, flaming out in her nether region. "Trust me, Cate. I can easily recall each and every one of your body parts, vividly."

They were still talking when Cate's mother parked her car in the driveway. "I have to go, Kane. I invited my parents to dinner and they just arrived."

"A dinner party without me?" he teased. "Or are you just not ready for me to meet the parents?"

"The tire factory is giving dad a retirement party soon. How about you meet the parents then?"

How had they progressed to automatically assuming he would meet her parents, after only knowing each other for a few days?

"Can't wait. I'll call you later this evening."

"Bye, Kane." Cate hurried down the steps to walk alongside her dad. He appeared to be a little unsteady on the gravel driveway. "How's the new knee, dad? Are you ready to go dancing?"

"Give me a few weeks and I will dance you and your mom under the table," he assured her with a confident grin. "I'm sore, but getting better by the day."

"I'm glad to hear it." She would always be a daddy's girl. "How does baked pork chops, garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus sound?"

"Like a meal that will stick to my ribs. Your mother has been trying to starve me with all her brown rice and grilled chicken salads."

"Now, Albert, you know the doctor said you needed to lose a few pounds. He doesn't want you to put too much pressure on that new knee," her mom insisted.

"Humph! Lose a few pounds, not starve me."

Inside the house, her dad plopped down in a reclining chair with the remote, immediately punching in the numbers for ESPN. Within seconds, he was flailing his arms and talking back to the broadcasters.

Her mom followed Cate into the kitchen, shaking her head at the idea of men and their obsession with sports. "I'm so sorry about Olivia, Cate. First Rex's unbelievable betrayal, and now this. Are you sure you're okay, darling? Your father and I have been so worried about you."

"I'm fine, mom." The sad truth was that with all the weird happenings in her life, Cate hadn't even thought about the death of her friend today. When she did, the loss hit her like a punch to the gut. "I still can't believe she's gone."

"It will be an adjustment for all of us. Olivia was such a sweet girl." Her mother gave Cate a warm hug and set about putting away the groceries. "Did they have a sale on macaroni and cheese and spaghetti sauce at the grocery store?"

Cate was busy shuffling items around to make room in the fridge and immediately tensed. "No, why?"

"I guess you just decided to stock up on a few staples."

Cate's palms began to sweat as possible ways to explain this madness to her mother raced around and around in her head. She had to lie. She turned in time to witness her mom sliding five boxes of mac and cheese, and five jars of spaghetti sauce into the cabinet. With her heart pounding, she reached in a bag and pulled out five boxes of noodles, five cans of tuna, and five jars of taco sauce.

Dear Lord.

Just like last night, she hadn't even realized she was buying five of each item when she was tossing them in the cart.

When Cate finally accepted the fact that she was truly being haunted by a diabolical witch, she was too preoccupied throughout dinner to enjoy her parents' company.

Thankfully, as soon as the table was cleared, her dad complained that his new knee was giving him a fit. They were forced to cut the evening short so he could return home for his pain pills.

After hugging both parents and walking her dad to the car, Cate carried her bag of toiletries down the hall, terrified of what she would find inside. The bag was much heavier than usual. That in itself was a huge red flag. She put the bag on the bathroom counter, peering at herself in the mirror.

Pregnant.

How long could she wait before telling her parents the truth? Should she make a doctor's appointment?

Drawing a deep breath, she reached into the bag and lifted out five boxes of toothpaste, five containers of deodorant, and five packages of dental floss.

This was crazy.

Why did she keep doing this?

She was nowhere close to unraveling the mystery behind her peculiar new spending habits when Kane called. They talked for two hours. Wisely, she chose to leave out the details of her afternoon shopping spree.

"I tried, Cate. I just couldn't make it home tonight. I walked into a hornet's nest when I arrived here."

"It's fine, really. I miss you, but all is well on the home front."

Another lie.

Her obsession was definitely escalating.

"No more... visitations?"

"Not a one."

"What about the obsession with five?"

He had to ask.

"I'm still working on that one, but it's... under control."

They talked a few minutes longer until she heard him attempt to stifle a yawn. "You sound exhausted, Kane. Why don't you try to get some sleep?"

"I'm worried about you, Cate. If you need me, I can fly home tonight and come back tomorrow."

"I'm fine." Was she? "I promise. Now get some sleep."

"You talked me into it." He yawned again. "It was one meeting after another all day and I'm beat. However, let it be known that I would sleep much better tonight if you were at your parent's house."

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself," she insisted. "You just come home safe and sound."

"I intend to. I'll see you tomorrow come hell or high water. Good night, Cate. I...."

"Yes?"

"Nothing, we'll talk tomorrow."

"Good night, Kane."

What had he been about to say?

When they hung up, it was just after 11:00 p.m. and she was wide awake, already dreading the thought of trying to sleep without him beside her.

Should she call Rex and inform him that he was about to become a father?

Was it right to keep such life altering news from him?

She tossed a package of popcorn in the microwave and hit start, deciding it was too late to call Rex tonight. He and Regina were probably... otherwise engaged.

Flipping through the channels, searching for a good movie, she was nibbling on a bowl of buttery, salty popcorn when the phone rang.
Chapter Eighteen

Expecting to hear Kane's sweet voice telling her he couldn't sleep, Cate answered the phone cheerfully and heard, "Hello, Cate," in a less masculine and much less anticipated voice.

Shoving a handful of popcorn in her mouth, she flipped off the TV. "What do you want, Rex?"

"That's some way to greet the man you claim to love."

"Also, an appropriate greeting for a lying cheat who dumped me after a three-year engagement for some trashy home wrecker."

"I agree."

What? Whether from the conversation, or the salt in the popcorn, Cate could feel her blood pressure rising. "You agree." The man was a habitual liar. "Where's the she's not some trashy home wrecker. In fact, she's a respected lawyer, bullshit?"

"I made a mistake, Cate? I realize now that I wasn't in love with Regina. It was more like a simple case of misguided lust. After I had been with her for several months..."

"Wait?" Cate couldn't have heard him correctly. "Did you say months?"

"Our wedding day would have been our six month anniversary."

Rex had to be the lowest form of life on the planet yet, for absolute closure, she intended to hear the full story.

Cate breathed a forlorn sigh. "If only I'd had more junk in the trunk, you wouldn't have turned to another woman."

"Your ass is fine."

"Just not as fine as Regina's."

"It's hard to explain, Cate."

"Give it your best shot."

"Regina was almost like an illusion. She was out of my league and then, all of a sudden, she wasn't. I think I lost my mind for a short while after she began a wild and relentless effort to seduce me."

"Gee, life had to suck the three years you were with me."

"Life was fine with you, Cate." Fine? "I was happy, or thought I was, eagerly anticipating our wedding day, until..."

"What?

"Until Regina batted her long eyelashes and asked me to stop by her condo for a drink. I made the mistake of falling under her spell that night."

There was that word again.

Spell.

First Kevin, then Kyle, and now Rex.

"Aw... the typical office romance. Instead of coming home to your fiancé, you went home with the office tramp?"

His non answer was her answer.

"What caused the relationship between you and Regina to sour, Rex? I thought the two of you would be packing for Bali by now."

"Regina informed me at dinner tonight, just out of the blue, that she had changed her mind about the marriage." He sounded at a complete loss to explain her mindboggling behavior. "She told me in no uncertain terms that I wasn't the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with."

How fucking poetic.

"Just up out of the blue." Rex actually sounded astonished when he had the nerve to add, "Can you believe that shit, Cate?"

She couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Are you really asking me that question?"

"Oh, sorry." He exhaled loudly. "I forgot."

"Being the victim of a love triangle sucks, Rex."

It was clear that he didn't seem too keen on dwelling on her pain.

"Rumor has it that Regina is known for her office flings. Get this, Cate. As I was leaving work today, I passed by the break room and overheard her co-worker say that Regina had already upgraded to the vice president of the company. I just wish someone had thought to disclose her past to me before I got involved with her."

"I just wish you had thought to tell me before you got involved with her."

"I see now what a scumbag I was to you, Cate."

He had no clue.

"Hindsight is 20/20, Rex. Still, look on the bright side. Her parents paid for the wedding so you won't be out any money."

Rex cleared his throat in such a way that Cate knew the next words out of his mouth would not be uplifting. "Actually, I paid for the wedding, Cate. You're my accountant, so I knew you would eventually notice the substantial drop in my 401k."

Surely she hadn't heard him correctly. "Excuse me?"

"Regina didn't have any savings. She told me, point blank, that if I wanted to marry her, I had to pay."

He was so infatuated with the shameless hussy that his tight ass paid for Regina's wedding, when he didn't offer one thin dime while she was struggling - and working all the overtime the tire factory would allow - to pay for theirs?

Breathe, Cate.

Just breathe.

"Can you get a refund on the honeymoon trip to Bali?"

"I don't want a refund." Rex attempted to turn on the charm, and failed miserably. "I want us to use it, baby."

"Us?" There was no us! And who was this bottom feeder calling baby? "What do you mean, Rex?"

"I want to come home, Cate. I want to marry you and find our happily ever after. I'm ready to settle down and have a family with you."

Have a family.

Sweet Jesus.

His shocking confession bewildered her so that Cate had momentarily forgotten about her impending motherhood. Regardless of how she felt about Rex, no matter how much he disgusted her, no matter how sickening the thought of him ever touching her again was, he was still the father of her unborn child.

"Do you really want children, Rex?"

"Of course, I do. Every man wants a son to follow in his footsteps." Apparently, he re-thought that sentiment and decided that it might be best if he re-worded it. "Actually, I want my son to be a better man than I ever was."

She and Rex were about to become parents.

There was no denying that fact.

Was this meant to be?

"Everyone makes mistakes, Cate. I can now truthfully say that Regina was the biggest mistake of my life. Even you have to admit that I'm not the first man to fall for larger than average tits and an ass that just won't quit, and I won't be the last."

"You're probably right." What was she saying?

"Can I come over and talk to you, Cate?"

Wait.

No.

Did he honestly believe that she would just forgive his heartbreaking deception and pick back up where they left off?

"There is nothing for us to talk about, Rex."

Yet, she had to tell him the truth.

He deserved to know that he was going to be a father.

"Please, Cate."

"Okay," she whispered, against her better judgment.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Chapter Nineteen

Cate steeled herself against an onslaught of any long buried feelings that might suddenly resurface when she came face to face with Rex. Thankfully, there was no rush of love or any other emotion, except annoyance, when she opened the door to find him on her porch.

Although Rex was as handsome as ever, he looked different. Sad. Not the happy-go-lucky man who had crushed her soul like a bug under the heel of his expensive leather loafer, packed his freshly laundered Fruit of the Looms, and strolled out of her life.

She was stunned speechless when he put his hands on her waist to pull her into his arms, grinning from ear to ear. Pressing Cate's head to his chest, he rubbed his lips against the top of her head as he whispered pointless sweet nothings. "You don't know how much I have missed you, darling."

His chest wasn't as broad or as muscular as Kane's.

With his finger on her chin he tilted her face up, lowering his lips.

Disgusted, and belatedly coming to her senses, Cate jerked out of his arms to venture into the living room, out of reach. "Are you crazy, Rex? Did you honestly think I would fall back into your arms? After you happily informed me that your every waking moment was spent daydreaming about making love to Regina?"

"To be honest, yes." Rex appeared confused by the question, shrugging his shoulders as if to say didn't we already discuss this? "Like I told you on the phone, Cate. My fling with Regina is over, past history. Can we just pretend the last few months never happened?"

"Um...no." She couldn't believe the actual audacity of this patronizing idiot. "We can't."

"Do you mind if I get something cold to drink?" Sighing heavily, as if he had hoped to avoid this conversation altogether, he walked into the kitchen. "It's obvious that you're going to make me beg."

Make him beg?

What a colossal loser.

"All I ask is that you give me a chance to prove that I'm a changed man." He drained a glass of tea and wiped his mouth on his shirtsleeve. "Regina taught me a very valuable life lesson."

"What was that? How to cheat on your fiancé?"

"Good one." Pouring another glass of tea, he gulped it down like he had been stranded in the desert for a month. Excessive guilt, perhaps? "She taught me to never again cheat on my fiancé."

"How am I supposed to believe anything you say from now on, Rex? I never even imagined you were capable of such deceit."

"I know this doesn't make any sense to you." He met her unwavering gaze. "But it was almost like I was under her spell."

Spell?

"What do you mean?"

"I knew I wasn't in love with Regina. I was in love with you, Cate. When she came charging into my life, all of a sudden I had this irresistible urge to experience one last hoorah before settling down to being a family man with the old ball and chain."

Cate cut her eyes at him. "Ball and chain?"

"I was only teasing. Lighten up. The truth is that I want children, and Regina is definitely not the woman I would choose to mother them. For one thing she's too self-absorbed. When she dumped me, I was finally able to see her for what she really is. That's when I realized that you are the only woman for me, Cate."

Regina was too self-absorbed?

If that wasn't the pot calling the kettle black.

Still, he wanted children.

"Perhaps you don't remember telling me that life with me was too routine, Rex. But I do. Or that you no longer got that I can't wait to be with her feeling with me, as you did with Regina."

Rex was licking the bottom of the suck up bottle when he whispered, "Even when I was with her, I was thinking of you, Cate."

"Sure, you were." What a compulsive liar. "Probably only when you were comparing our asses."

He handed her a glass of sweet tea, sitting down next to her.

Cate slid over until she bumped into the arm of the sofa and couldn't go any further. "Thank you."

"I didn't come here to fight with you, Cate." He nuzzled his body closer to hers, taking her glass before she could take the first sip of tea. With a look of determination, he placed it on the coffee table and took her hands in his. "I came to put the past behind us and start over. If you were really in love with me, it would be impossible to fall out of love in less than a week."

Would you like to bet?

When his arm slid around Cate's shoulder, it took considerable effort not to cringe from his touch. She wanted Kane's arms around her, not his. Yet, she was carrying this man's children. Was it right to deprive a child of his or her biological father? Would they grow up hating her for it? In a panic, she blurted, "I'm pregnant, Rex."

His entire body stiffened as his jaw fell open. A strange light shone in his eyes as he removed his arm from around her shoulders, speechless. He walked over to stand in front of the fireplace, propping his hand on the mantle.

"Aren't you going to say anything, Rex?"

"How far along are you?"

It was difficult to judge what he was thinking with his back turned. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen the doctor, yet. I just took a pregnancy test yesterday."

He recovered quickly, turning toward her with a beaming smile. "I wasn't planning on having to share you so soon, however, it's out of our hands now, isn't it? Have you already cancelled our wedding?"

"No, I haven't really had time to think about it what with Olivia's..."

"Then the wedding is still on." Taking her hands, Rex pulled her to her feet as his lips lowered to hers. This time she didn't resist, although she felt none of the old passion. Deep down she knew that, if at all possible, a child should be raised by both parents in the same household. "In ten days you will be my wife, Cate. To have and to hold from this day forward."

Sweet Jesus.

What about Kane?

"Why the sad face, darling? I thought you would be ecstatic that our wedding is back on. Even though we lost each other briefly, that's all behind us. Now we can look forward to a bright future, as a family."

"I just have a lot on my mind, Rex."

"I imagine you do, what with an upcoming wedding and a baby."

Still holding her hand, Rex led her toward the bedroom.

"What are you doing, Rex?"

He didn't turn around to acknowledge her question. He just plowed straight ahead. "Taking my fiancé to bed, so I can show her how much I love her."

Was he serious right now?

"I'm not going to bed with you." Jerking out of his grasp, she placed both hands on her hips, glaring at the insensitive lout. "I need time alone, to think."

"What is there to think about?" He turned around, bringing her hands to his chest with a suspicious glint in his eyes. "Surely you don't intend to punish me for a minor affair."

"Minor!" she shrieked. "You made arrangements to marry another woman!" Cate was livid as she walked to the door, snatching it open. "It's time for you to leave, Rex."

"I will agree to leave on one condition."

She glared at him, giving him a clear indication of what he could do with his conditions."

"Allow me to take you to dinner tomorrow night."

"No."

"Please, Cate. Just give me a chance to prove my love to you. I promise you won't regret it." It had slipped her mind just how devious Rex could be, until he moved in for the kill. "After dinner, we could visit my parents and tell them about our baby."

Our baby.

She and Rex had conceived new life... together.

"Can you imagine how happy our announcement will make them?"

She could imagine.

His mother would be over the moon with joy.

Not so much her ultra conservative parents.

Rex was a creature of habit. She knew from past experience that he would turn around at the door and try to kiss her. Not if she could help it. As soon as his feet crossed the threshold she closed the door on his heels, hearing him mumble angrily under his breath.

Once he was safely on the other side of the door, Cate's heart inexplicably softened toward the father of her unborn children. She cracked the door open. "I'll meet you at the Deluxe Grill tomorrow evening at 7:00."

What could it hurt?
Chapter Twenty

After turning out the lights and locking the doors Cate slipped into her pajamas and went to bed. The glow from the nightlight filtered through the curtains casting dark shadows across the room as she lay wide awake. Sleep wasn't happening anytime soon. Rex had made sure of that.

Why was the room so cold? It felt like her bed had been plopped down in the middle of a walk in freezer.

Needing something to occupy her mind, she turned on the lamp beside her bed with the hope that reading might put her to sleep. She cringed when an icy shiver tingled down her spine.

As trepidation swelled in her chest, Cate slowly lowered the book to the nightstand, wishing she were anywhere but in this house. Alone. Even Rex would be welcome sight right now. Almost against her will, her eyes were drawn to a movement on the ceiling.

Straining into the darkness, she noticed something black floating across the room. She raised up on her elbows for a better look.

On closer inspection, as her pulse began to pound like a sledgehammer in her ears, she realized the thing wasn't actually... floating. It was walking across the ceiling on its hands and knees.

Not only was the witch in her house.

She was in the room with her.

When the sorceress was directly overhead, her tattered black cape hung over the bed, almost touching Cate. A horrible smell accompanied the supernatural being, like charred meat that had been left on the grill for several hours too long.

When the witch tilted her head sideways for a better view, Cate's heart threatened to crash through her chest.

No matter how still Cate lay, no matter how determined she was to not make a sound, she screamed when the hideous being flipped over to float a few feet above her.

She was going to die tonight.

Goosebumps popped up over every square inch of her flesh when the witch cackled. It was a dry, croaking, insidious sound that caused Cate to close her eyes and silently plead for mercy.

Not wanting to die with her eyes closed, she opened them and sat up, backing against the headboard as far as she could go. For a brief moment, bits and pieces of Cate's life flashed before her eyes as the witch slowly drifted toward her. Only one emotion played across the witch's face. Hatred. Plain and simple. The horribly disfigured creature didn't stop until her face was less than six inches from Cate's.

Up close, her face was even more frightening. Her flesh was hideously scarred, like she had been burned in a fire. Her hair was white and coarse, reminding one of broom straw. Her eyes were wide and milky as she glared venomously at Cate.

She froze when the witch reached out a skeletal hand to caress her stomach, mumbling a singsong chant.

"Get off me!" Cate screamed, shoving the bony hand away. With a sickening feeling that she had stared death in the face, she scooted down and rolled off the bed. She hit the floor running and didn't slow down until she had raced through the kitchen and yanked the back door open. When she turned, the witch was upright, hovering just inside her bedroom door.

Cate's voice quivered when she finally found the courage to speak. "What do you want with me?"

The witch threw back her head, laughing maniacally as thick white curls of smoke began rising up between the cracks in the hardwood floor, filling the air with caustic smoke that made it difficult to breathe.

The smoke curled along the floor in wispy tentacles until they reached Cate. She felt the warmth on her thighs as the smoke trailed up her legs, wrapping around her waist. It seeped into her nose, choking her. Coming to her senses, she flung open the screen door and raced down the steps, breathing deeply of the clear night air.

She sprinted across the lawn, almost to her car when she remembered her keys were still in the house.

No way was she going back in there.

Hoping to get as far away from the house as she could get, she ran to the end of the pier, dropping down on an old plastic chair. With her knees drawn up to her chest she looked around for anything to use as a weapon if the witch decided to attack. Nothing. Water, a pier, and a chair. Neither of those items would slow down her demonic intruder. Basically, she was on her own against a pissed off witch with an axe to grind.

Cate sat on the pier for hours, watching as thick wisps of smoke slowly enveloped her house. All was quiet. No sign of the witch. Did she leave? Was she waiting for Cate to return so she could proceed with her haunting? If so, she would have a mighty long wait.

The noise of a frog's croaking bellow, the night call of the birds, and the forest animals cavorting in the woods around her sounded especially loud tonight. She kept her eyes peeled toward her house, almost expecting it to go up in blazes.

When nothing else happened, she wondered if the witch was even real, or just another hallucination?

All Cate knew for sure was that the drama unfolding around her was one for the record books. Any sane person would be as close to the end of their rope as she was. Was it any wonder her mind appeared to be slipping?

As she tried to find a comfortable position in a very uncomfortable chair, she accepted the fact that she would probably require pharmaceuticals to achieve even a few brief moments of serenity in the days to come. It was her intention to call her doctor first thing in the morning and request a prescription for mind numbing medication. She would love nothing more than to zombie out for a few days.

She was smiling at the thought of a happy pill to numb her senses when she felt the hair on the back of her neck rise to attention. She stood, spinning in a circle to see what was coming as an icy cold shiver rushed down her spine.

Cate closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. When she opened them, eerie tentacles of wispy fog, similar to the smoke, were slowly floating across the water toward her. Giant fingers rising up from the surface of the pond. She tilted her head toward the trees when she heard the sound of startled forest critters thrashing through the woods.

What had spooked them?

Screw this.

She was sleeping in the car.

She raced down the pier and across the back yard in her bare feet, crying out when a sharp pinecone dug into her big toe. She cried even louder when she tripped on a tree root and executed a face plant in the dirt.

She yanked open the car door, digging around in the back seat until she found a hoodie. Closing the door and locking it, she buried into the back seat as far as she could go, covering her face and arms with the sweatshirt.

Why was this happening to her?

It was insane.

The stuff that horror movies were made of.

She hadn't been huddled in the backseat for more than five minutes when she became aware of a noise from the vicinity of the front seat. Like the fluttering of wings.

As she peered into the scant light coming from the porch, the fluttering became even louder. The noise grew steadily worse until she reached up to turn on the overhead light. She was surprised to find a moth clinging to the steering wheel. A giant moth. With a wingspan of at least five inches.

She had never seen a moth of that size in real life, even though she knew exactly what it was. A Death's-head hawkmoth. Named so because of the image of a skull on the back of its head.

Often referred to as a harbinger of death.

Cate knew the name because of the notoriety the moth had received after its appearance on the movie poster for Silence of the Lambs.

She shrieked when the insect darted between the seats at an astonishing speed. It hovered directly over her face like a hummingbird, watching her with black, beady eyes.

How did this creepy overgrown butterfly get in her car?

Uneasy with such close proximity to anything with DEATH in it's name, she swatted at the insect, batting it against the side window. Undeterred, the moth immediately rose into the air, issuing a high pitched squeaking sound as it dive bombed toward her.

Cate covered her head with her arms just before the gigantic moth reached her face.

Enough of this madness. What could a moth do to her anyway?

Plenty evidently.

Apparently the insect had strong mandibles. She screeched with pain when the creature pierced the tender flesh on the underside of her arm.
Chapter Twenty One

With one arm thrown over her face to protect her eyes, Cate used her other hand to fumble around the floor of the car until she located an empty plastic Diet Pepsi bottle. Clutching it tightly, she brought the bottle over her head and drew back, ready to knock the stuffings out of this winged demon.

When all was quiet, she slowly lowered her arm, squealing when she saw the giant moth hovering a few inches from her face.

Stay there for one more second, you little shit.

Eye to eye with it, she brought the bottle over her head with all her might, squashing the irritating bug.

Take that.

His loud squeaks bounced off the car windows as he plunged to his death. Cate breathed a satisfied sigh as the sound gradually grew dimmer and dimmer until no breath was left in his annoying body.

She opened the door and raked the behemoth out, leaving the door cracked open for fresh air.

The frogs were unusually loud tonight. She stuck her nose to the crack, inhaling the smoke tinged air as the cicadas echoed a mournful melody.

The fog was otherworldly.

Cate glanced out the car window, toward the house. The fog was so thick she could no longer see her porch light.

The mist had completely surrounded her car, like a shroud. A death shroud. Tiny droplets of moisture fell on her face when she stuck her head out to gaze at the full moon. Only a faint glow was visible through the increasing swirls of fog.

She had never seen fog like this, except in horror movies. Even the air had a sinister feeling.

She pushed the door open when she heard her cat Millicent mewling. Millie was her mouser and worth her weigh in gold.

"What's wrong, Millie? Are you hurt?" When there was no response, Cate whispered, "It's so damp out tonight. Why don't you sleep in the car with me? I could really use the company."

When no answering purr was forthcoming she opened the car door and, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, Cate stepped into the fog. A light sheen of moisture immediately blanketed her face.

She headed toward the back yard where Millie's cries had seemed to be the loudest. Hopefully, the fickle feline was inside her cozy cat house under the woodshed and Cate could turn right back around and return to her car. Regardless, she knew she wouldn't rest until she was sure Millicent was safe and sound.

After stumbling blindly around the yard until her feet had to be bleeding, she finally heard her cat purring softly. Thank God. Wrapping her hands around her middle, Cate stepped lightly toward the sound, not making any sudden moves. There were sharp axes, saws, and a few rolls of barbed wire lying under the open shed. "Millie, keep making noises so I can find you."

Apparently, Millie had suddenly gone mute, or back to sleep, because she refused to make another sound.

Something didn't feel right.

Cate turned around, eager to return to the safety of her car. How stupid had she been to take a random walk through fog that would make a horror movie director proud?

Which way was her car?

When she finally admitted to herself that she was lost in a thick cloud of pea soup fog, having no clue which direction her house, or car, was in, she was tempted to give up. To just sit down and have a good cry.

A whole hell of a lot of good that would do her at a time like this.

After rambling aimlessly for what seemed like thirty more minutes to an hour, common sense assured her that she had to be getting closer to the car shed, or the next state, by now. She held her hands out in front of her, crying out when something sharp dug into her right heel. She hopscotched across the yard, hoping the cut wasn't deep.

Cate held her breath, expecting to bump into a solid wall or trip over the back porch steps at any minute. Then she could walk around to the front porch and find her car.

Her hands were still stretched out in front of her a few minutes later when she felt herself falling. And falling. She opened her mouth to scream, which only allowed water to gush down her throat.

Cate was choking, gagging on a mouthful of pond water, and sinking fast.

Her entire body submerged as she struggled to swim to the surface. Her heart dropped when she realized that the more she struggled the quicker she was sinking to the bottom.

Why was the water so deep?

She couldn't have mistakenly walked out of the yard and into the pond. Could she? From anywhere in her yard, there was a gradual incline one had to follow for several feet before the water was deep enough to cover your head. The only deep water was in the middle of the pond.

Nonetheless, she distinctly remembered the sensation of falling.

Had she walked all the way to the end of the pier without realizing that her bare feet were walking on wood, instead of grass? Are you kidding me? Surely she would have known the difference between hard splintery wood and a soft carpet of grass.

Come on!

At any rate, the water was filled with snapping turtles, snakes, and other pond dwellers that she didn't particularly care to take a midnight swim with.

Pushing off the slimy bottom, she cringed when she sunk in mud up to her ankles. She was forcing her mind to a better place, fantasizing about taking a nice hot shower, when she felt something bump against her back. Something cold and slippery. That was all the impetus she needed to streak toward the surface. She plunged through the muddy water using her hands to brush lily-pads and pond ferns out of her way. She was about to break the surface, so close, when her foot snagged on something.

Twigs?

Reeds?

An old bicycle wheel?

Actually, it felt more like something was clutching her foot.

Almost like a bony hand.

Whatever it was, Cate drew her free leg up to her chin, kicking back as hard as she could. When her foot came loose from the death grip, she swam for all she was worth.

Just as her lungs were threatening to explode, she finally reached the surface, gasping for breath. The fog had lifted enough that she could make out the ladder attached to the pier. She swam for it, praying feverishly that whatever was in the water with her couldn't swim faster.

Either it couldn't, or it didn't try.

Shooting up the ladder, she raced down the pier as though her life depended on it. Fortunately, after years of experience, she knew the direction of the house by heart. She didn't slow down until she had crossed the back yard, flew up the porch steps, and locked the door behind her. She leaned against it for a few minutes, drawing in a ragged breath.

Cate was no longer afraid to be inside her house. Whatever was after her was outside now. In the pond.

In the bathroom, she stripped naked, standing under the hot water as the steady stream rinsed away the pond scum, waterlogged leaves, and bits of debris from her hair. Her legs were quivering so that she was afraid to even attempt to move. She stood in place until the water from her hot water heater ran cold.

Still shaking violently, she dried off, pulling one of her long flannel granny gowns over her head.

Someone, or something, had tried to hold her underwater in the pond. Obviously, the witch had been in the water with her.

Clean, dry, and comfortable again, she opened the medicine cabinet, overjoyed to find that Rex had left a bottle of sleeping pills behind. In his warped mind he had undoubtedly assumed that Regina was the only drug he would be needing now, or in the future.

Fuck off, Rex.

As far as bad vibes intruding into my life go, you are presently at the bottom of the totem pole.

Swallowing two pills with a cup of water she finally slept, like the dead.

Her last thought was that she needed to pay a visit to Venice Ledbetter, immediately.
Chapter Twenty Two

Venice Ledbetter was a lady in her fifties. She was massive, morbidly obese. The scales would probably tip at least seven or eight hundred pounds if she were able to stand up. Which she wasn't. She sat up in bed with her legs spread wide, a sheet covering only her torso. Actually, her bed was several mattresses stacked on top of each other, supported by an underpinning of cement blocks. The bed frame had probably given out years ago.

Her legs were too huge to close, with ballooning pouches of fat on each thigh that would have prevented them from ever coming together. Yet, it was the sheer size of her stomach that was so unbelievable.

A gigantic apron of fat hung over each side of the bed. Oddly, her face was normal size and she didn't have double or triple chins. From her shoulders up she looked like someone of average weight. How much food did this woman eat? She had to consume twenty or thirty thousand calories a day to sustain her current weight.

At present, Venice had a family sized tub of KFC all to herself. She was munching contently on a chicken leg. She had five biscuits lying on a napkin on her stomach, a large open bag of salt and vinegar potato chips propped against her hip for easy access, and a box of a dozen glazed doughnuts for dessert. She reached over to take a large gulp from a three liter bottle of orange soda, not even bothering with a glass.

"Would you like a picture?" she asked around a mouth filled to capacity with the stripped clean remnants of a chicken leg.

"What?" Cate could feel her face blushing. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It doesn't really bother me." Venice waved away her words. "I'm quite the spectacle, I know."

Cate was actually speechless as she watched the women suck another chicken bone clean.

"So," Venice asked, eating an entire biscuit in two bites, "what can I do for you?"

Cate had seen a TV show once about men and women who weighed 600 pounds or more, although seeing it in real life was a truly eye opening experience. "I need you to tell me how to survive the witch's curse."

Venice stopped in midair with a chicken thigh to her lips, dropping it back in the tub. Wiping her mouth with a paper napkin, she folded up the bag of chips and placed them on the bedside table. "Who told you I could?" She stuck a long manicured fingernail in between her front teeth, prodding until she pried loose whatever was lodged there.

Cate stood at the foot of the bed since there were no chairs in the room. Apparently Venice didn't have many visitors. "Kaitlyn Seltzer's husband, Kyle."

"I read in the paper that Kaitlyn had died shortly after we talked on the phone."

"She died a few months ago.

"How is her husband holding up?"

"He was struggling with a few issues, but he seems better now."

"Who wouldn't have issues?" Venice brushed the crumbs from her incredibly large stomach onto the floor. "I survived the curse, and look at me now. Two years ago I weighed one hundred and thirty five pounds."

"Really?" Was it even possible to gain over six hundred pounds in two years?

"Trust me, it's the truth." She glanced pointedly at Cate's flat stomach. "How far along are you?"

Cate gasped, her hand automatically going to her stomach. "How did you know I was pregnant?"

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't." Venice turned up the bottle of orange soda, sucking out the last drop before tossing it in the trash. "Your babies are due April fifth."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"If nothing else, that scarred up bitch is consistent."

"Meaning the witch?"

"The one and only. Look, I don't mean to sound heartless, but I have never been one to sugarcoat the truth. You can abort your babies now, or they will die on April fifth, along with you. Just like Kaitlyn and her babies."

"Did you say babies? As in plural?"

"Yes, Cate. You are carrying twins."

Twins?

Dear God.

Surely there had to be another way to end Kizzy's reign of terror.

"How did you survive the curse, Venice?"

"I had an abortion, plain and simple." She reached for a container of Tums and popped four in her mouth. "I was tired of all the bullshit with the number five, tired of waking up to freezing temperatures, tired of having to inhale all that choking smoke, tired of smelling bacon, and especially tired of seeing that ugly-ass witch at every turn. I couldn't take it any more. I knew I would lose my mind if I didn't do something. Plus, I figured any child I was carrying would be all kinds of screwed up from the curse." She pulled at a loose thread on her blanket as her face took on a haunted expression. "Kaitlyn would be alive now if she had listened to me."

"Can you tell me anything about the curse." She had no intention of ending up like Kaitlyn. "When it started. What caused it?"

"All I know for certain is that the curse only affects pregnant women. If you abort the babies, the witch is done with you."

Cate shuddered at the thought of murdering an innocent child. "That isn't as easy as it sounds."

"No, it isn't, and it hurts like hell. Not the actual abortion. Knowing that you are taking a life. Killing a part of you. I cried for days afterward."

"I can imagine."

"What it all boils down to is this. The only way to save yourself is to abort the babies." Venice reached for the bag of chips, shoving a handful in her mouth. "If you carry them to term, you will die."

Just like Olivia said.

As impossible as it seemed, Cate felt even worse after her visit to Venice. With a heavy heart, she drove home, already dreading her date with Rex.

Chapter Twenty Three

Cate met Rex at the diner at promptly 7:00 p.m. She turned off her cellphone on the way in, dropping it in her purse. She had a lot to say tonight and she didn't want any interruptions.

Rex was waiting at their favorite booth in the corner when she arrived. He looked exceedingly handsome in a yellow tee shirt and jeans. He had also brought dinner guests.

His parents.

"There's my beautiful fiancé now," he announced to one and all as she entered the local eatery.

Annoyance was the only emotion that registered on Cate's face as she returned the greetings from her friends and neighbors. Many of them had been invited to their wedding. However, there had been way too much chaos in her life lately to even entertain the notion of making an announcement to cancel the ceremony.

As far as her friends and neighbors were concerned, she and Rex were still a couple.

Should she tell them the truth, just to put Rex in his place?

Of course not. She would never embarrass his parents.

"Hello, gorgeous." Rex jumped up with a beaming smile. After pulling out her chair, he leaned over to plant a soft kiss on her lips. Cate could only glare at him. "I missed you today."

After he was seated across from her they ordered a round of sweet tea. Cate folded her hands on the red checked tablecloth, tapping one finger impatiently. Bored with that, and with nothing better to do, she twisted her two carat diamond engagement ring around her finger.

Rex noticed that she was wearing it again and grinned proudly.

Why did she suddenly feel so out of place?

She had shared a meal with Rex and his parents dozens of times over the last three years and enjoyed every minute of it.

His mother Rita reached for her hand. "Cate, darling, allow me to say that you have made me the happiest woman on earth. I can hardly believe that I'm going to become a grandmother after all this time. When Rex told us the joyful news, why, I very nearly fainted."

"She sure did," her husband Reggie added. "I almost ran to the bathroom for the smelling salts."

"You should talk," Rita teased. "Tell her what you went shopping for this afternoon."

"It's not like I made a special trip or anything. I had to go to Target anyway."

Rita arched a delicate brow and pursed her lips.

"Rita is making a big deal out of the fact that while I was there, I happened to pick up one of those little rod and reels for kids. Did you know they make one small enough for a toddler to cast?

"Tell her about the tackle box while you're at it," Rita prompted with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "And the little life vest."

Reggie cut his eyes at Cate with a conspiratorial wink. "Junior can't go fishing without a tackle box, now can he? And of course our little man had to have his own life jacket, for safety purposes."

Cate attempted a laugh that fell short. "You don't waste any time do you?"

"I try not to. If you ask me, becoming a grandparent is one of the most exciting times in a man's life. I don't intend to waste a minute with my grandson, or granddaughter." The older man grinned, reaching across the table to pat Cate's hand lovingly. "Don't let her fool you. Rita sat down this afternoon after Rex told us the joyous news and knitted a blue cap and a pair of booties."

"Why blue?" Cate asked curiously.

"We just feel like it's a boy, another little Rex." Rita smiled lovingly. "I hope you can see how happy you have made us, Cate."

"Yes, Rita." She sighed dismally. "I can."

Rita crossed her arms over her abundant chest, narrowing her eyes at her son. "I know you said the truth would destroy Regina, that she has already threatened suicide if you ever tried to leave her. However, be that as it may, I trust now that Cate is pregnant you will come to your senses and call off this nonsense about marrying that other woman. We won't have our grandchild raised in a divided home."

Rex hadn't told his parents that Regina had dumped him?

Rex reached out to pat his mother's hand soothingly. "Already done, mother."

What a liar!

He wanted his mother to believe that he had broken off the engagement to Regina because of his impending fatherhood, when in reality it was the other way around.

Could she keep quiet and allow his parents to believe his outrageous lies?

"Rex is a smart boy," Reggie announced proudly. "He knows he would be ten times a fool to let a girl like Cate slip away."

Rex winked at his father. "And we both know that I am nobody's fool."

Up until this very night, Cate had felt like a part of this family. Tonight things were different. She felt as though she no longer belonged, like she was an outsider looking in.

She couldn't do this.

"Rita, Reggie, I want you to know that whatever happens between Rex and I, you will always be our child's grandparents."

"What is she talking about, darling?" Rita looked to her son for answers. "Of course we will always be your child's grandparents."

Rex cut his eyes at Cate sharply. "I'm not sure that I know, mother."

She wouldn't allow him to lie his way out of this one.

"Of course you do, Rex." Cate smiled innocently. "We had this talk last night, remember?"

He ignored her question, reaching for a menu and pretending to study it closely. "Are we ready to order."

"Not yet," she was quick to answer. "To be honest, I was surprised when you expected me to come running back to you with my tail tucked between my legs. Especially after you left me for another woman and proudly announced your intention to marry her."

"Rex?" his mother stated nervously. "You said..."

"I know what I said, mother," he interrupted. "Cate is confused. She just needs time to think about this."

"No, Rex. I'm not confused at all. Actually, I'm happy to announce that I have met someone else as well, and I have never been happier." She propped both hands under her chin, meeting his steady gaze. "You can't fault me for doing the same thing you did."

"Of course, I can fault you." His voice was low, seething with fury. "Especially when you're carrying my child."

The smile deserted Reggie's face as the waitress delivered their sweet tea. When she walked away, he arched a steep brow toward his only child. "Are you going to sit back and allow another man to raise your son, Rex?"

"Of course not," Rex gritted angrily.

Rita again took Cate's hand. "I can't believe you would even consider doing something like this to our Rex, Cate? You would deny him the opportunity to raise his own son? I've known you since you were a child and you could never be so heartless."

"He broke up with me, Rita. I wouldn't have been in the position to meet anyone else if he hadn't." Although her feelings for Rex were dead, Cate had no desire to hurt Rita and Reggie. "I don't know what else to say. After Rex dumped me like yesterdays trash, was I supposed to just sit at home and wait for him to come crawling back to me?"

Rita's eyes screamed yes, yes, yes.

"Well, I didn't. I was on my way to Olivia's engagement party when I met someone. It just happened. It was almost like fate intervened to put us together."

"What's his name, Cate?" Rex's eyes smoldered with pent-up rage. "This godsend?"

"That's not important, Rex."

He shrugged his shoulders, reaching for his tea. "It will be easy enough to find out when I take you to court to gain full custody of my child."

Just as she expected.

Once an asshole, always an asshole.

"Would you really do that, Rex?"

"In a heartbeat."

She glanced at Rita and Reggie. "And you would stand behind him if he tried to take my child, after what he did to me?"

"It's his child too, Cate." Reggie reached for his wife's hand. "You should know that we will always stand behind our son it whatever he attempts to do."

"Even if he's wrong?"

"In this case, he wouldn't be."

With that, Cate stood, tossed her engagement ring into her glass of tea, and walked out of the diner, never once looking back.
Chapter Twenty Four

Cate's cell phone rang the second she turned it back on. It was Kane, sounding frantic. "I've been calling you for over an hour. Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I'm sorry." It was so good to hear his voice. I was visiting someone and I left my phone in car."

"You can't just run off without letting me know where you are, Cate, especially after everything that's happened lately."

"I'm sorry, Kane. I wasn't thinking."

"Where are you?"

She couldn't tell him about her dinner with Rex and his parents.

Not yet.

"I just got back into town," she lied, hating herself for doing so. "I was in Hamlet."

"Dammit, Cate, why didn't you wait until I got back home to go see her?"

"I couldn't wait any longer. Something... happened last night."

"What?"

"The witch came..."

"Where are you now? Pull over. I'm coming to get you."

"That's not necessary. Just talk to me. I'm perfectly capable of driving. Are you inside my house?"

"I had to break a window to get in and use the phone. I've been going crazy with worry trying to find you, Cate."

"Look in my kitchen cupboard, Kane. There's something you need to see."

"I've already looked." She heard the slight creak of the cupboard door as it was swung open. "It's getting bad, Cate."

"At the time, I didn't even realize I was buying five of everything. I might not have noticed it at all if my mom hadn't brought it to my attention."

Kane was silent for a few seconds, apparently processing these disturbing developments. "Did Venice Ledbetter tell you anything helpful?"

"She advised me to kill my babies."

"Babies? As in more than one?"

"Venice insists that I'm carrying twins."

"That's the first time you've referred to them as your babies. Cate, you can't allow yourself to get too attached..."

"Are you serious right now? Of course I'm attached, Kane. These babies are a part of me."

"You need to think about what you're going to do, if there are no other options."

"I won't kill my babies."

"Please stop calling them your babies."

"They are my babies, Kane. What do you want me to call them?"

"If there is no other way to break the curse, do you really expect me to just stand by and watch you die? I won't allow that to happen, Cate."

Kane heard a car horn blasting through the phone. The sound was too close.

"Can we talk about something else, Kane? I'm getting too distracted."

"Sure, just calm down. What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about growing up with a twin. I always wanted a brother or sister."

"Here's a bit of trivia. There have been male Seltzer twins born to each generation in my family as far back as records were kept."

"Were they all as cute as you and Kyle?"

"Probably not."

"I bet they were just as sweet though."

"At least half of them were."

"What do you mean?"

"My great great grandfather was Solomon and his twin brother is my uncle Simon. According to tales that have been passed down through the generations, Solomon had a mean streak a mile wide."

"Really?"

"Rumor has it that he beat his wife until she miscarried one of his children."

"Why didn't her neighbors, or anyone, help her?"

"In those days the authorities didn't interfere with domestic disputes."

"That poor woman."

"From what I've been told over the years, her life was a living hell until my great great grandfather Solomon killed her in a fit of rage. At least she was out of her misery."

"How horrible that she had to die in order to escape a madman."

"It didn't seem to bother great great grandfather Solomon much. He remarried and went on to father my great grandfather Augustus and his twin Addeson."

"Was your father a twin as well?"

"Yep, my dad was Orville and his twin was Owen."

"Then Kane and Kyle. I have to say, the naming of the family twins has certainly improved over the years. Have you given any thought to what you'll name your twins?"

"Jacob and Joshua, or Jayden and Jordan. Something along those lines.

"What about Landon and Logan."

"Are you almost home, Cate?"

"I'm pulling in the driveway now."

"I hope you're hungry. I made spaghetti." He exhaled a ragged sigh. "You have enough noodles and spaghetti sauce in the cabinet to feed an army."

Chapter Twenty Five

Kane came bounding down the steps two at the time, grabbing Cate by the waist and twirling her around like he hadn't seen her in a month of Sundays. "Promise me that you won't ever do that again."

Her entire body suffused with a warm glow. "I promise."

When he finally lowered her to the ground, Kane held her face gently in his hands as though it were impossible not to touch her. "I couldn't live without you now, Cate." His lips found hers, sending a jolt clear down to her toes. It was a soft kiss, tender, not demanding in any way, yet possessive. A kiss that said you're mine.

She threaded her fingers through his silky hair, pulling his forehead down to hers. "I can't imagine my life without you in it now, Kane."

His eyes shone with undeniable passion as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip. Dipping his head to scorch her mouth, his kiss was more urgent this time, yet still gentle. Drawing away, he took a deep breath and grabbed her hand. "Let's eat. I'm starving."

Huh?

Excuse me?

Cate was thinking more along the lines of let's go to bed and really get to know each other, but she kept such wayward thoughts to herself as she followed him inside.

With her insides churning furiously, she watched quietly as he dished out two plates of spaghetti. Realizing that yes they were about to sit down to dinner and no they would not be moving on to more passionate endeavors, she meandered around the kitchen scooping salad into bowls.

Still feeling put out, Cate took the garlic bread out of the oven while Kane poured two glasses of sweet tea. She was at a loss as to how to handle... what... rejection? It didn't feel like rejection, exactly. Rex had rejected her. This was different.

For starters, she had felt his hardness grinding against her stomach when he pulled her close. Therefore, she would swear that he wanted her as badly as she wanted him. So what was his fucking problem? Was he a slow starter? Should she take his hand and lead him into the bedroom? Force him to make love to her? Make him explain why he thought it was acceptable to get her all worked up and then just leave her hanging. This was crazy.

Even though her lower anatomy was quivering like a bowl of Jell-O, she had to admit that she and Kane worked well as a team.

Side by side, their shoulders touching, they sat at the counter on barstools. With no other means to release her pent up frustrations, Cate stabbed a cucumber with her fork. She was so focused on her own inner turmoil that she almost jumped out of her skin when he spoke. "I've been thinking, Cate."

She chewed on the cucumber while absently toying with a tomato. "About?"

"We need to destroy the necklace."

His mood swings were giving her whiplash. "Kaitlyn threw the necklace in the river, Kane. Yet the curse continues."

"Exactly. She threw it in the river." Finished with his salad, he twirled spaghetti around on his fork. "We need to destroy it once and for all."

"How?"

"I say we burn it, melt the metal disk. Or I could take it to a job site and toss it into a ton of concrete. Either of those would stop anyone else from having to deal with this madness."

"Although I agree that we should destroy the necklace, it still won't help me. According to Kyle and Venice, I've already been cursed."

Faced with this indisputable truth, Kane shook his head. "There has to be a way to break the curse, Cate, and I intend to find it." Kane took his plate to the sink and turned around to lean against the counter, crossing his feet at the ankles. "We still have several months to decide what to do. How far along do you think you are?"

"I'm... not sure." Did they really have to talk about this now?

"When was the last time you and Rex...?"

"Wednesday, before he broke off our engagement on Thursday."

Kane massaged his temples as though they ached. "The bastard." Walking behind her, he put his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I could be one week pregnant, or one month, Kane. I have no way of knowing."

"Have you made an appointment with the doctor."

"Not yet." Ducking her head under his arm Cate ambled over to the kitchen window, gazing toward the pond behind the house. "I haven't really thought much about it."

"Will you do it tomorrow?"

"Can we stop talking about it if I do?" The words came out more harshly than she had intended.

"Cate, your pregnancy is at the center of all this." He threw up his hands as if to say are you serious? Within seconds, he was towering over her. "I'm sorry. I just want you to accept..."

"My part in all of this?" Cate interrupted, finishing his sentence. "Trust me, I am fully aware of it. And, just so you know, I can handle this on my own if you're tired of dealing with it."

"Whoa." Kane backed away, holding his hands in front of him. "I can't believe you just said that." He shook his head, raking a hand through his tousled hair. "Do you want me to leave, Cate?"

"I'm sorry, Kane." She rushed to his side, taking his face in her hands. What was she doing? "Of course not."

"Then will you marry me?"
Chapter Twenty Six

Cate could only glare at him, wipe tears, and glare some more. Was this his idea of a sick joke? "What are you even talking about right now?"

Taking her face in his hands, he gazed into the clear blue depths of her eyes. "I'm asking you to marry me, Cate. I need to prove to you that I'm in this for the long haul. I decided days ago that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

"We only met a few days ago, Kane."

"I know, but your classic Honda is a major incentive. If I marry you it will be half mine."

This couldn't be happening. "Are you kidding?"

"About the car?"

She placed her hands on her hips and sniffled when his lips twisted into a crooked smile. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Kane, you don't ask someone to marry you just to prove a point."

"No, you ask someone to marry you because you love them with every ounce of your being and the thought of spending a second without them leaves a gaping hole in your heart."

Cate's heart was shining in her eyes when she whispered, "Do you really feel that way?"

"Yes, Cate, I do. I would hope that you share at least some of the love I feel for you."

She did.

In that moment, she knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Kane was her soul mate for life. "I love you with my entire being too." She had felt those words in her heart since the night on the beach. "I would be honored to be your wife."

Kane rested his hands on the slope of her hips as his lips curved into a grin. "I want to marry you at night while the moon is full, and then fly to a private tropical island for a month long honeymoon. After we tire of the bed, I want to make love to you on the beach, under the moonlight as the waves crash on the shore, in the ocean, and in a secluded rainforest. Just you and me. I'm not going to touch you until after we're married, Cate. I intend for our wedding night to be the most beautiful night of either of our lives."

That was why he had been giving her the cold shoulder.

"It sounds perfect," she whispered softly.

"So, you're okay with waiting until after we have been pronounced husband and wife to make love?"

"For what you just described?" Cate stood on tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his lips, so filled with longing that it left her breathless. "I can wait."

"I had a feeling you might say yes." Kane held her close, their hearts beating in rhythm, before pulling away with a smug smile. "I bought a watermelon to celebrate."

"Big spender."

He released her long enough to roll a watermelon out of the fridge. Grabbing her sharpest butcher knife from the rack he sliced the melon in half.

Cate licked her lips, rubbing her hands together. "I love watermelon sprinkled with salt."

"Deal breaker." Kane tossed the knife on the counter as he held up his hands, slowly backing away. "The marriage is off."

Surprised, she spun around with a bewildered expression.

"You can't seriously be one of those strange people that puts salt on a sweet watermelon."

Arching a delicate brow, Cate pursed her lips. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Nope. It's disgusting."

She forked out a piece of melon, sprinkling it with a healthy dash of salt. "Will you try it for me?" Squirming into his arms, she held the fork close to his lips.

"No way."

"Pretty please?" She moved even closer, pressing her soft breasts against his chest in a provocative manner. "With sugar on top."

When Kane's eyes glazed over and his hands squeezed her bottom, Cate knew he was weakening. When he opened his mouth to speak, she took the opportunity to pop the melon into his mouth. He chewed and, after a few gagging sounds, rushed over to spit it in the trash. "That's even more disgusting than I thought it would be."

"Some people just have no taste."

"I asked you to marry me, didn't I?" Then, for the second time that day, he picked her up and twirled her around and around the room. "I love you, Cate Cooper, and I want to marry you. However, and this declaration is non-debatable, you are hereby banned from ever putting salt on a watermelon again."

As he lowered her to her feet, Cate raised up to kiss the tip of his nose. "It appears that you, sir, will be in for a rude awakening concerning your future wife and her aversion to obeying orders."

His eyes traveled from her head all the way to her toes. "You will be putty in my hands."

"Keep dreaming." She turned serious then, placing her hands on each side of his face and meeting his steady gaze. "Why would any woman ever let you go, Kane?"

She felt his body go rigid, although the moment passed as quickly as it had come. "Good question." Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the couch and situated her on his lap. "In all honesty, there have been too few participants to conduct an accurate survey. I've only had one serious relationship, and I married her. Since the divorce I've basically been married to my company. I don't usually allow a woman to get too close."

"I guess you made an exception for me."

"You are the exception, Cate."

She closed her eyes, holding her breath as he leaned toward her. There was nothing gentle about this kiss. His mouth slanted across hers as their tongues danced a sensuous duet, causing her body to shiver.

Wait.

Was he giving her shivers or was it suddenly cold?

Kane drew away, rubbing his hands up and down her arms vigorously. "It's freezing in here..."

Their eyes met. Hers were filled with terror.

His were wide with alarm. "Is this really happening?"

She felt every ounce of blood drain from her face. "The witch is here, Kane."

"Do you see her?" He peered over her shoulder toward the kitchen.

"No, but I feel her."

Suddenly the sound of static buzzing filled the air and the lights flickered. Cate wanted nothing more than to burrow into the safety of Kane's warm embrace and hide from whatever had entered her house. Instead she stood, looking quietly around the room. "When the witch was here last night she didn't come out of my room."

Kane walked to the bedroom and flipped on the light. He glanced toward the ceiling and around the room, looking in every crevice and corner. "There's nothing here, Cate."

Taking him at his word, she walked into the bedroom, grabbing a thick housecoat from a hook on the closet door. "Should we turn...turn on the heat?"

"Go sit outside where it's warm. I'll open some windows and let the cold air out." He sniffed the air, wrinkling his nose. "Do you smell smoke?"

She nodded. "There was smoke when she was here last night." Cate pushed open the screen door and sat in a rocking chair on the porch, listening as Kane moved from room to room raising windows.

He pushed up the window beside her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She shivered as the freezing air rushed out of the house and slithered under her housecoat.

"I'm almost done."

When Kane finally joined her, he lifted her and sat down to hold her against his chest, wrapping his warm arms around her. Neither of them spoke as they listened for any sound from inside the house.

After several long minutes had passed, he leaned close to her ear. "We need to have a serious discussion about this, Cate."

"I just got engaged." She breathed her warm breath against his neck, hoping to distract him. "Can I at least enjoy the moment?"

"Cate, darling, in case you haven't noticed, there is some paranormal shit going on inside your house." His voice sounded incredulous. "I've never dealt with anything supernatural before. In fact, I'm not sure that I even believed any of this was real until a few minutes ago."

"You proposed a few minutes too soon, didn't you?" Even though Cate was terrified out of her wits, she couldn't suppress a giggle. "I'll give you props though, for being willing to marry a woman who appears to be on the fast track to the nearest psychiatric ward. I'll let you off the hook, Kane. We'll just pretend the proposal never happened."

"The proposal is still on, sweetheart. It will take more than some she-devil to keep me from meeting you at the altar."

As the smoke tinged Artic blast continued to pour out the window Cate's heart swelled near to bursting. Although Kane refused to allow her to savor the moment.

"We can't ignore the fact that the witch has a plan for you, Cate. Unfortunately, it's the same plan she had for Kaitlyn."

Cate shuddered, knowing his words were true.

"You can trust one thing though. If that happens, it will be over my dead body. So, please, just hear me out."

How could she argue with that? "Okay."

He held her tighter, as if she might try to run. "The only two people who have any knowledge of this curse, Venice Ledbetter and Kyle, have both offered the same advice."

"To abort my babies."

"Yes."

"You agree with them, don't you, Kane?"

He closed his eyes for a second, apparently choosing his words carefully. "Even Olivia agreed with them, Cate."

"No." Her tone left no wiggle room for argument. He needed to realize, categorically, that she would not be changing her mind on this. "I can't do it."

He exhaled loudly, dropping his chin against the top of her head. "Does the fetus even have a heartbeat yet?"

"Fetuses," she corrected. "And probably not. The babies won't have a heartbeat until the sixth or seventh week."

"Then it stands to reason that they aren't alive, Cate. Be reasonable. How do you know when someone is dead?"

"Their heart stops beating."

"Exactly. Therefore, how can you possibly be alive if your heart isn't beating?"

"Kane..."

"Please, just consider what I'm saying. That's all I ask." He tilted her chin, forcing her to look into his troubled eyes. She had never seen him more serious. "Nothing is worth losing your life over."

"Or losing my children's lives over."

Suddenly a fierce streak of lightning shot out of a clear night sky, striking a massive oak tree in the front yard. The tree crackled and sizzled and spat thick puffs of smoke into the night sky in retaliation for the affront. They were quiet, too shocked to even breathe as they listened to the threatening sounds. Then the night air was split by a loud, creaking groan that seeped from the tree in protest to this full on assault by mother nature.

Cate huddled closer to Kane's chest as the sound of splintering wood echoed around them. They were sitting ducks on the porch, surrounded by giant oak trees. She squeezed her eyes shut, screaming when the tree crashed to the ground right in front of them. The massive oak was so tall that only the trunk rested in her yard. When she opened her eyes, it lay not ten feet in front of them, so great in diameter that she would need a ladder to reach the top. The umbrella of the tree had landed on the shed, and her brand new car.

Terrified, she buried her head against Kane's chest, digging her fingers into the soft material of his shirt."

She could feel his rapid heartbeat pounding against her face. "What just happened?"

"I don't think she likes you talking about harming the... babies."

"So I'm supposed to just sit around and wait for someone else to die?" Kane clenched his fist, slamming it down on the arm of the chair as his eyes took on a steely glint. "You're getting rid of those spawns from hell now if I have to take you to the clinic myself."

Before Cate could answer, another bright flash of lightning lit up the night sky. A pine tree at the side of her property began a threatening cracking and groaning. Cate drew in a breath to scream, but quickly swallowed it when the tree came crashing down. It took out the telephone and power lines before landing on Kane's Jeep. "That diabolical bitch."

"Please don't say anything else about the babies, Kane. The next tree might strike the house."

She listened to his heavy breathing for the longest time before she felt him nod against the top of her head.

"We're stuck here, Kane." The words trembled from her lips when she pressed her mouth against his ear. "We have no power, our cell phones don't work, and no transportation.

"We're getting the hell out of here tomorrow and never coming back," Kane ground out. "Are we at least in agreement on that?"

Cate nodded softly as he carried her inside.

Would she even have a house come morning?

"I don't want to go in the bedroom." In truth, she didn't want to be near this house, but it was the only shelter they had, other than the wood shed, that didn't currently have a tree resting on it.

"The temperature inside the house is at least forty five degrees now. Apparently the witch decided that enough damage had been done and moved on to torture some other hapless victim." Kane sat down on the couch, maneuvering around until she was lying beside him. "Go to sleep, Cate. She's gone."

"For now."

The witch returned to the cabin shortly after 3 a.m. It was actually a relief. The air had become hot and stuffy with the windows open. It was a brief visit, evidently just long enough to make sure there were no more discussions of aborting the babies.

With the house much cooler after her visit, Kane was finally able to sleep.
Chapter Twenty Seven

The following morning, they walked about a half a mile up the road with their phones held high in the air until they had a signal. Kane called the rental car agency and ordered a car to be delivered. Cate spent an hour on the phone with the insurance company filing a claim on her car, her shed, and Kane's Jeep. Her agent promised to send an adjuster on Monday. Lastly, she called the power company and was told it would be several days before her power was restored.

While they waited for the car to be delivered, Cate packed a large suitcase. Kane cleaned everything out of the refrigerator and freezer along with last night's spaghetti and the barely touched watermelon. The food in the pots, and on their plates, had dried overnight, adhering to the surfaces like glue. With no other options, he put everything that was used for the meal in a metal tub and carried it to the pond. He dipped water with a pot to fill the tub, leaving the dirty items to soak.

When this nightmare was over, and if they ever returned, the house wouldn't stink with the nauseating odor of rotten food.

Cate stuffed a suitcase with enough clothes for a month, eager to leave her house and never look back. They stood on the porch to survey the damage. Her yard looked like either a tornado had touched down or her house had been dropped in the middle of a war zone. Her house sat alone, swathed in a cocoon of chaos. The front yard was totally obscured by the massive tree trunk. All that was left on the right side of her lawn were two gargantuan root balls. Even on her tiptoes she couldn't see over them. The tops of the two fallen trees completely obliterated the left side. It would take men with chainsaws, and heavy equipment, days, if not weeks, to clean up the destruction. "How will we explain the damage, Kane?"

"It won't be easy, especially since it was a cloudless night. I say we go with a microburst. Sudden downdrafts of wind have been known to cause severe damage. I've given considerable thought to what our explanation should be to the insurance adjustor, Cate, and that's the only plausible excuse I could come up with."

Hearing the sound of a car approaching, it took them five minutes to cross the yard, detouring around the gigantic root balls. A guy from the rental car agency had parked a white Ford Focus on the road in front of the house and stood in the yard with his mouth gaping open. "What the hell happened here? Did you guys have a tornado? He pondered his words for a second and shook his head, apparently realizing that he lived in the same town and hadn't felt so much as a slight breeze the night before.

"We think it was a microburst," Kane explained. "The wind came up out of nowhere and left as quickly as it had come. I've never seen anything like what happened here last night." He nodded toward the car. "Not exactly what I asked for."

The driver shrugged his shoulders. "It's all the local agency had."

Kane turned to Cate, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Not to worry, there will be a new Jeep and a new Honda parked in the driveway when we get to my house."

"Are you kidding me? I haven't gotten a check from the insurance company yet," Cate cried. "I'm not sure my credit score is high enough to carry two new car loans."

He picked up her suitcase, giving her a sultry wink. "Mine is."

Ever the gentleman, Kane opened the car door for her. As she was about to step in, Cate turned for one last look at her beloved house. She could only see the red tin roof sitting untouched amidst all the destruction.

She staggered backward and would have fallen if Kane hadn't been near enough to catch her. Covering her mouth to stifle a scream, she quickly turned away when she noticed a familiar black hooded figure perched on the chimney.

Kane helped her into the car and sat beside her, taking her cold hand in his. "She's still in the house, isn't she?"

"Sitting on top of the house," Cate corrected, releasing a staggering breath.

"The bitch can have it."

Sure enough, the cars sitting in Kane's driveway were identical to their previous vehicles. Hers had a bill of sale stamped PAID IN FULL lying on the passenger seat.

Ignoring Cate's vehement protestations, and vows to pay him back every penny, Kane carried her suitcase upstairs, placing it on a chair in his bedroom. When he came downstairs she was dropping teabags into a pot of boiling water. "Will you do me a favor, Cate?"

She turned around to face him with a wary expression. "That depends."

"That's the difference between us." He smiled in an attempt to soften his words. "If you had asked me the same question, my answer would have been an unequivocal yes."

"That's because you only have to answer for yourself." It broke Cate's heart to have to utter such heartless words. She turned her back to fill a tea pitcher with water so Kane wouldn't witness the anguish in her eyes. "My innocent children must be taken into consideration with every decision I make now."

"My main concern is you."

Cate released a defeated sigh. Why couldn't he be more understanding? "What's the favor, Kane?

"First, let me ask if you have a doctor preference?"

She grimaced. "No."

"No need to get huffy about it." His tone was teasing, but his words were serious. "Could I suggest Dr. Forte? He delivered Lisa's grandchildren and, according to her, he's the best in town."

Deciding to humor him, she chirped, "Sure, why not?"

"Good. You have an appointment at 3:00."

"What? No way!" she shrieked, slamming the tea pitcher on the counter and planting her hands firmly on her hips. "You didn't tell me you had already made the appointment. This is too soon!"

"Really?" He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his broad chest while giving her a puzzled look. "Lisa said you needed to start prenatal vitamins as early as possible, have ultrasounds, and..."

"I know about all of that, Kane. No one has to tell me that a woman needs regular prenatal checkups when she's pregnant." Cate knew she was fighting a losing battle. "I just didn't expect it to be today... never mind... I'll go."

"We'll go."

Really? "You're going with me?

"Of course."

Why even bother arguing with him? "Will you finish making the tea while I go upstairs and take a shower?"

"Sure." He grabbed a lemon from the vegetable bin in the fridge and sliced it into wedges. "We should be ready to leave by 2:30. Is that good for you?"

Cate pasted a fake smile on her face, wishing she could just close her eyes and sleep for the next twenty four hours. "Fabulous."

"Love you." She could hear him chuckling as she walked up the stairs toward his room. "Mean it."

Dr. Forte was young, thirtyish. "Your due date is April fifth, Miss Cooper."

Cate felt queasy. Everything was falling into place exactly as Kyle and Venice had predicted. Kane reached for her hand and squeezed as every ounce of blood drained from his face.

April fifth.

The day Kaitlyn and her babies died.

The day Venice Ledbetter had predicted Cate and her unborn children would die.

"According to your blood test, it appears that you are approximately one week pregnant." The doctor was quiet for several minutes as he focused on his computer screen, typing notes. When he finished, he crossed his hands on the desk and met Kane's eyes with a smile. "On your next visit we will listen to the baby's heartbeat. You might want to come for that appointment as well, Kane."

Kane's face was devoid of emotion as he mumbled, "I wouldn't miss it."

Wait.

They knew each other?

"I've called in your prescription for prenatal vitamins, Miss Cooper. I also have a list of things not to do while you're pregnant. If you have any questions, or should you begin having morning sickness, swollen feet, or heartburn just give the office a call."

"I will, doctor," Cate answered woodenly. "Thank you."

Kane extended his arm across the desk to shake the doctor's hand. "Thanks, Ryan."

Cate waited until they were outside on the sidewalk to confront him. "I thought you said Lisa knew the doctor."

"She does. We both do, actually. He was my neighbor growing up."

At that moment, a beaming young mother walked by pushing a stroller with an adorable blue eyed little girl inside. The child was picture perfect with blonde curly hair and rosy red cheeks. The toddler grinned up at Cate and, suddenly, the realization hit her like a bolt from the blue.

She was going to be a mother.

In a few months she would have her own children to love.

Cate turned to watch the mother load the beaming child into her car seat when she realized that Kane was calling her name. "What did you say? I'm sorry. I was preoccupied."

"I said let's swing by the pharmacy and pick up your vitamins. We can grab some lunch while we're out, then go home and spend the evening in the pool."

She smiled for the first time all day at the thought of relaxing in the pool. "Now that's a plan I can live with."

Chapter Twenty Eight

Within the hour, it was obvious that lounging by the pool wasn't going to happen. Rain hammered against the windows as a huge blast of thunder shook the house down to its foundation. Cate gazed solemnly through the glass pane, watching the rain rush down the glass in rivulets as a howling wind whistled eerily through the eaves.

Kane ordered pizza, then took her hand and led her to the sofa, pulling her into his arms. After only a few minutes in the comfortable position, listening to the rain splatter against the tin roof, Cate fell into a deep asleep. The ringing of the doorbell awakened her.

After giving the delivery boy a generous tip for coming out in the storm, Kane placed the box on the coffee table and opened it. The smell alone caused Cate's mouth to water over her half of the large pie, super supreme. His half was a very boring pepperoni.

They were so different.

"Why would you choose to eat a plain pizza?" Cate nodded toward what she considered to be his unappetizing half, then at her own piled high with sausage, mushrooms, ham, pepperoni, red onions, green peppers, black olives and added jalapenos. "Look at all the toppings you could have chosen from."

Kane wrinkled his nose with distaste. "Burnt steak, salt on a watermelon, and everything but the kitchen sink thrown on a pizza. Sometimes I think you are just too weird to bring into the family fold."

He had never mentioned his family.

Only Kyle, and Uncle Simon.

She reached for a thick slice of pizza, trying to play it cool and not sound too eager. "Tell me about your family, Kane."

He stopped with a slice midway to his mouth, dropping it back in the box. Pausing for a second, as if debating how to handle his response, he walked into the kitchen and poured two glasses of tea, adding lemon wedges. "There's not much to tell."

"You had to have a mother and father," she persisted. "Are they still living?"

"My parents drowned when their boat sank during a storm off the coast of Myrtle Beach a few years ago."

"Oh, Kane. I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"Kyle felt the loss of their deaths more than I did. I spent most of my childhood with Uncle Simon." Kane shrugged his shoulders, yet she noticed a flicker of pain in his eyes. "It's sad to say, but over the years my family has grown accustomed to death. My father's twin, Orville, perished when a radio fell into the bathtub and electrocuted him. His wife, my aunt, was convicted of the murder and died in prison." He handed her a glass of tea and took a sip of his own. "Are you sure you want to hear the rest?"

Cate lifted a slice of pepperoni from her pizza, chewing on it while he talked. "I'm sure."

"Do you remember me mentioning my Uncle Simon's twin, my great great grandfather Solomon?"

"The evil one?"

"Exactly. Grandfather Solomon died a gruesome death when he fell from his barn loft. It just so happens that he landed on a pitchfork."

"Dear God," she cried, almost choking on the pepperoni. "What a string of tragedies."

"His death was only the beginning. My great grandfather Addeson was shot and killed over a supposed gambling debt and his twin brother Augustus died from a stabbing in a nightclub fight over a woman. Both of their wives committed suicide."

Cate gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Longevity doesn't run in the Seltzer family, Cate."

"However twins do run in the family."

Kane nodded. "For the last one hundred years one of the Seltzer twins has fathered a set of male twins. The other twin is sterile."

Cate placed her glass on the table, leaning back on the sofa to ponder his words. "That has to be the strangest family history I have ever heard."

"If you think it sounds strange, you should try living it. Wait, I've already asked you to live it with me, haven't I?"

Although she was troubled by this latest shocking revelation, Cate refused to let it show. Leaning toward him for a soft kiss, she whispered, "I can't wait to share your life with you."

"Which brings me to my next point."

There was more? "What is it?"

"When Kaitlyn died, she was pregnant with Kyle's twins. Do you fully understand the ramifications of what I just said, Cate?"

What was she missing? "Not really."

"It means that I will never father a child. Kyle is the fertile twin."

Cate flinched as though she had been struck.

The children inside her now were the only children she would ever carry, if she married Kane.

She heard, and felt, the heartache in Kane's voice when he added, "If that's a deal breaker I will totally understand."

"Of course, it isn't." She couldn't allow him to see how upsetting his confession was. "We could always adopt."

"Are you sure you can accept the fact that I will never give you children, Cate?" The pain in his voice caused her heart to shatter. "You must to be absolutely certain on this point."

"I'm certain, Kane."

"You must also realize that in my family few of us live to a see a ripe old age?"

"You said I was the exception. I intend to see that you are the exception in your family as well. I'll take such good care of you, you'll probably live to be one hundred."

"Don't set your heart on it." He picked a black olive from her pizza and popped it in his mouth. "We Seltzer twins accept early on that we won't live to enjoy our golden years. Only Uncle Simon has been able to buck that trend. He's one hundred and four now."

"What's his secret?"

Kane's response was immediate, without hesitation. "He's too good to die."

"You love him dearly, don't you?"

"Uncle Simon has always been there for me, even when no one else was."

"Do you see him often?"

"At least once a week. He has a room at Queen City Autumn Care. I visited with him Saturday morning, before I dropped Max and Tucker off at Lisa's and delivered Kyle's supplies to the cabin."

"Max and Tucker?"

"My black labs." A smile lifted the corner of his mouth at the mention of his pets. "Lisa lives in the country on a sprawling ranch so they can run loose, chasing rabbits and squirrels all day. She loves having them come to visit as much as they enjoy being there."

"When are you bringing them home?"

"I promised Lisa I would swing by tomorrow to pick them up."

"I can't wait to meet them, and Uncle Simon."

"You will." Kane watched her closely over the rim of his glass. "Now that you know the truth about my family, are you ready to run for the hills while you still can?"

"I'll take my chances." Cate forced a smile she was far from feeling. "We'll just make sure you have regular check ups with your doctor and strive to keep you fit and healthy."

Kane met her eyes, determined that she remove her rose colored glasses and accept the truth for what it was. "The deaths in my family are never from natural causes, Cate."

Cate's hand trembled as she reached for the tea and tucked his words safely away in the back of her mind. "What about cousins? Nieces and nephews?"

"To my knowledge, I only have two living cousins. I think one lives on the coast, and the other lives in the mountains. I've never met either of them."

Cate couldn't imagine living life without her big extended family of aunts, uncles, and at least a dozen cousins.

"I knew you would eventually ask about my family." Kane picked up a slice of pizza, nibbling around the edge. "I almost lied to you since my family tree doesn't hold up well under scrutiny."

"Please, Kane." She reached out to take his hand and bring it to her chest. "Promise that you won't ever lie to me."

As he ran his knuckle down her flushed cheek, Cate was relieved to see the truth in his watery gaze. "I promise."

They ate pizza in silence as the rain continued to pound on the roof, making her drowsy all over again.

Kane's life must have been a living hell with no family to love, or be loved in return.

Thank God for Kyle and his Uncle Simon.

After the meal, Kane closed the pizza boxes and leaned back against the sofa, pulling her close. She was content to snuggle against him, inhaling his pepperoni flavored breath as his lips slowly dipped to hers. She shivered as a soft moan escaped her when his tongue caressed hers, causing her insides to jerk. His hand slid under her bottom, holding her close as he lifted her easily and carried her toward the stairs.

She was nuzzling her lips against his divine smelling neck when her female intuition urged her to glance over his shoulder. As she did, her eyes were drawn to a movement at the window.

Was that the shadow of a man looking back at her?

She opened her mouth to warn Kane of the possibility that a peeping Tom might be in the neighborhood. However, before she could speak, his head turned and his lips slowly moved down to cover hers. For the moment, at least, the thought of someone lurking in the bushes was immediately swept to the back of mind. Nothing else mattered besides the man holding her close.

As her insides clenched into a tight knot of desire, she ran her hand under the back of Kane's shirt, needing to feel his bare skin against hers. Even though she knew he would pull away at the last minute, just as he always did. To be honest, she admired him for having the willpower to wait until they were married to make love. Still, that didn't prevent her from touching him. It was impossible not to.

In the bedroom, Kane lowered her gently to the mattress with infinite tenderness, gazing upon her with so much love that her heart very nearly burst. "You are so beautiful, Cate."

She felt her cheeks bloom with color as his eyes greedily drank in her curves. Rex had never called her beautiful. Just as she reached her arms toward him, feeling an almost overwhelming desire to feel him inside her, the lights went out.

"Damn," Kane mumbled, effectively ruining the romantic mood. "The power is out."

"We don't need light," she whispered, hoping against hope that he might change his mind about his vow to wait until after they were married to make love. Who knew what tomorrow might bring? Perhaps he was as eager to fill her waiting arms as she was to feel his naked body against hers.

The sound of a dog barking just beneath the bedroom window startled her, accompanied by the sound of trashcans bouncing around on his concrete driveway.

"My neighbor's dog must be in the trash again. He's on a leash but still manages to get loose a couple times a month and dig through the neighborhood trash. He wouldn't even think about coming in my yard if Max and Tucker were home." Kane jerked on a pair of pajama bottoms, not bothering with a shirt or shoes. "Hold my place. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Cate lay in the quiet bedroom, listening for his footsteps on the stairs as the pounding rain drowned out all other sound. She couldn't be still. Jumping out of bed, she went to the window, gazing out into the stormy night. It was so dark.

Where was a streak of lightning when you needed it?

The rain was coming down in sheets, making it impossible to see past the window. To Cate, it felt as if the house had been covered by a cozy warm blanket of snow, instead of rain, and she loved it.

All she needed was Kane.

Just as she had that thought, the lights flickered on. She heard Kane bounding up the stairs and jumped into bed, pulling the covers up to her neck, suddenly shy.

"Just as I thought." He removed his wet shirt, wiping water from his broad shoulders and dripping hair with a towel. Evidently he had grabbed a shirt in the laundry room on his way out. "A dog turned over my trashcan, so I had a mess to clean up."

"Why didn't you come get me? I could have helped you."

"I would rather have you right where you are, waiting for me all warm and snuggly." His eyes swept over her body as his eyes glazed with lust. Cate knew, in that moment, they would make love. "Just let me get out of these wet clothes. In fact, I think I'll take a quick shower. I smell like moldy food."

"In that case, take your time," she replied, saucily.

"I'll be right back." He glanced over his shoulder with a look so filled with passion that a shiver of pure ecstasy traipsed along her spine. "Don't go to sleep."

With a wide, fake yawn, she snuggled under the cover and closed her eyes. "I'll try."

"On second thought, go ahead." He arched one eyebrow suggestively. "It might be more fun to wake you with my tongue."

What?

Who was this man?

She could get used to this new, raunchier Kane.

After unquestionably the quickest shower on record, Cate was wide awake when he came out of the shower, naked.

Her eyes were riveted to his masculine physique as he crawled in beside her, his body still warm from the shower. He pulled her against his muscled chest with one hand while the other roamed over her curves. When his lips found hers, his kiss was hard, filled with a pent up passion that spoke of promises to come. She moaned softly as his mouth crushed against hers, his hands exploring every square inch of her body. Then, as promised, he traveled the same path with his tongue.

Cate's feverish body writhed uncontrollably on the bed, unable to remain still, or quiet, as his tongue lavished circles on her very core. "Kane...please," she whimpered.

He kissed a trail up her stomach and over her breasts leaving her shuddering with desire. He sucked her tongue into his mouth as his hand moved under her to lift the soft cheeks of her bottom up to meet him.

"Kane, I thought you said you wanted to wait..."

Shockwaves of ecstasy sizzled along her spine as he silenced her with his mouth, grasping her knees to ease them apart. She felt sharp jolts of pleasure ricochet along her insides when she reached down to guide him home, moaning deep in her throat when he buried inside her.

Cate lost herself in wild, delicious abandon, reaching previously unattainable heights as her hips undulated against him. She gulped for air, arching her back to accommodate him fully and crying out his name when he sank even deeper.

His lips slid down the slender column of her neck as he throbbed inside her, going deeper and deeper still until she experienced the second most intense orgasm of her life.

Her body convulsed around him, squeezing until she drained him dry.

She was quiet afterward, lying still as her body quaked in the aftermath of their love.

Then he reached for her again and she crested on one tidal wave of desire after another, enjoying the long, languorous slide back down to earth for the remainder of the night.
Chapter Twenty Nine

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny. Cate finally got her afternoon by the pool. Everything was fresh and green after the rain, making the sparkling sunlight appear even more brilliant.

With their all consuming need for each other temporarily sated, they fell asleep just as the morning sun was peeping over the trees. Cate curled her body against his back. With her arm thrown over his waist, they slept until 3 p.m.

Sore, and having used muscles she hadn't even known existed prior to that night, she stood under a hot shower allowing the heat to soothe her aching bones.

What had happened to make Kane change his mind so abruptly?

Or had his desire, like hers, simply been beyond his control?

Although it was baffling to Cate that he had gone back on his vow within twenty-four hours of making it, her body rejoiced.

As she made her way downstairs, Cate noticed Kane sitting at the table sipping coffee and going through his mail. Not with his typical dutiful perusal of any correspondence received. Instead, he only gave the letters a cursory glance before tossing them in the trash.

There was a delicious bowl of fresh fruit and warm flaky croissants on the table.

She felt a bright blush staining her cheeks as her sore muscles caused her to slowly shuffle down the stairs. "The coffee smells delicious."

"Good morning, sunshine." Kane looked up from the mail, frowning when he noticed her moving so cautiously. "Are you sore?"

She nodded, cringing when her behind made contact with the unforgiving wooden seat.

"I'm sorry." Pouring her a cup of fresh brew, he grinned as she inhaled the wonderful aroma and sat gingerly in a chair. "Perhaps I was a bit overzealous last night."

Cate felt her neck flush as she peered at him over the rim of her cup. "Trust me, you have nothing to apologize for."

He flashed a broad grin, apparently pleased with her response. "What's on our agenda for today?"

Allowing my insides to recover from the beating they took last night? "I would love a day of lounging by the pool."

"Then that is exactly what you shall get."

He promptly returned to his mail, and ignored her. Sipping her coffee, she nibbled on a slice of cantaloupe, and then a second, while waiting for him to acknowledge she was still in the room.

He didn't.

If it was his intention to snub her all day, Cate would be more than happy to go back upstairs and spend the day in bed, sleeping. "What time are you bringing Max and Tucker home?"

He glanced up, clearly puzzled by her question.

"Your dogs are at Lisa's, remember?" How could he have forgotten so soon? He was just talking about them yesterday.

Strange.

"Of course, I remember, darling." Finished with his mail, he gave her that okay, I know you don't like being ignored, so what do you want to talk about look. "I wasn't suddenly afflicted with dementia, Cate. I was trying to remember answering the phone this morning while I was still half asleep. Lisa called and asked if she could keep them a few more days. Something about some break-ins in the area."

Didn't she feel foolish?

"Good idea."

While he was busily scrolling one political website after the other on his phone, Cate finished her meal and loaded the dishwasher. In all fairness, Kane had prepared breakfast. So by all rights it was her turn to clean up. Still, normally, he would be by her side helping with whatever chore she was doing.

"I'm going upstairs to change into my swimsuit." Even though she was nervous about him seeing her in a bikini for the first time, Cate was excited to witness his reaction.

He didn't even glance up from his phone. "I'll meet you outside."

When he stood, she noticed he was already wearing his swimming trunks. Apparently he had planned his day without bothering to consult her.

When Cate came downstairs, she watched from the patio doors as Kane carried two white fluffy towels and covered two lounge chairs with them. He reclined in one of the chairs, proceeding to read the Charlotte Observer.

Standing tall, and holding in her already flat stomach, Cate made her grand entrance, timidly. And waited. What a waste of effort. Kane was so involved in an article on the front page that he never even glanced her way. She sat down across from him, watching him from the corner of her eye.

After another fifteen minutes of twiddling her thumbs, her patience was wearing thin as she waited for him to glance her way and comment on a sexy yellow string bikini that hid few of her assets.

He didn't.

Thirty minutes later, after he had read the paper from cover to cover while she sizzled in the blazing sun, she blew out a long, irritated breath. "I didn't realize you were such a news junkie?"

Why did she sound so needy?

Pushing his sunglasses down over the bridge of his nose, he arched a brow. "There's a lot you still don't know about me, Cate."

"Such as?"

His attitude changed abruptly. "It will be more fun to allow you to make those discoveries on your own."

With an arched brow, she simpered, "When would you suggest I begin this challenging quest?"

He laid the newspaper aside, giving her his full attention. "There's no time like the present I always say. However, if you are too sore..."

"Be gentle," she whispered when he towered over her, blocking the sun.

Taking her hand, he led her down the steps and into the pool. Sweat trickled into her cleavage as she fell backwards, sinking to the bottom. Feeling a tug on the string of her bikini bottom, she opened her eyes to see him smiling at her. His rude behavior was all but forgotten.

As Cate swam to the surface he continued to tug on her bottom until he held it in his hand. He surfaced beside her, lifting her up until she could wrap her legs around his waist. With a firm grip on her bottom he maneuvered her until she was in the perfect position to receive him.

His entry was painful, until she leaned her upper body back and his lips found her breast. As he slowly began to pump inside her, any discomfort was immediately forgotten.

She felt only pleasure.

Earth shattering pleasure.

Pleasure so intense, he was forced to cover her mouth with his hand to prevent the neighbors from discovering their amorous activities.

They devoured each other, insatiably, until some time around dusk when they realized how ravenous they were for food, instead of each other.

They stood under the waterfall, allowing the water to cascade over them as he fondled her breasts, bending to suckle the rigid peaks. He was like a man starved, unable to get his fill. "I will need sustenance if you intend for me to retain this degree of stamina throughout the night."

Locking her arms and legs around him as though she would never let him go, Cate kissed him passionately, every bit as ravenous for him as he was for her. "Actually, I'm craving ice cream."

He leaned away from her, taken aback. "Are you having cravings so soon?"

Was she?

"I guess."

"I'll go."

"That's okay." Meeting him on the steps, Cate ran her hand across his well defined abs, astonished when her female parts instantly jolted to life. "You stay here and order takeout. I'll ride down to the corner market."

He followed her out of the pool to sit on a lounge chair. Drying his hands, he picked up his phone. "I don't remember. Do you like pizza?"

With her hands propped on her hips, she could only glare at him in stunned disbelief. "Kane Seltzer, you know how much I love pizza with all the toppings. Remember, everything but the kitchen sink?"

He slapped his hand to his forehead, shaking his head. "Can you believe that I completely forgot? I guess I've had too much on my mind lately."

"We both have." Cate leaned forward to take his face in her hands and lower her soft lips to his. "Like you said, we will figure this out together. We have to."

She returned from the market with five boxes of twenty four ice cream sandwiches each, stuffing them in the freezer. Almost finished with her first treat, she grabbed herself another and one for Kane and ambled out to the pool.

She found him scanning yet another political website on his phone. When did he become so consumed with politics?

Determined to gain his undivided attention, one way or the other, she tossed the frozen ice cream on his stomach before going inside to change into her second new bikini. Unfortunately, before she could make it up the stairs, the doorbell rang. She went in search of her purse for money to pay for the pizza.

Carrying the box to the patio, she placed the pizza on the table and opened the box containing a large super supreme with all the toppings. She was about to suggest they had received the wrong order when Kane picked up a slice heavily laden with onions, mushrooms, and green peppers. He sighed with pleasure after the first bite.

It was impossible to hide her confusion when his lips curved into a satisfied smile. "Delicious."

Totally perplexed by his baffling behavior, she ate in silence until the mosquitoes arrived on an unrelenting quest for blood. When one of the thirsty bloodsuckers landed on her thigh, in an unwavering attempt to guzzle his evening meal, she slapped the aggravating pest and stood. "I should go inside. I saw a news report just the other day on how fast the Zika virus is spreading."

He still hadn't mentioned either bikini.

Swatting at a mosquito on his earlobe, he wiped his hand on a napkin and led her inside.

When he locked the door behind them his eyes sparkled with lust. "I think we should take a shower and wash off the chlorine and mosquito remains."

"I wholeheartedly agree."

Washing each other's nude bodies made them both weak with desire all over again, so much so that the remainder of that night was spent much like the one before.
Chapter Thirty

On Monday, after a glorious weekend doing nothing except lounging by the pool, grilling steaks, roasting chicken, and making love, Cate parked her Honda on the road in front of her cabin. The insurance adjuster, Mr. Barrett, was already there, assessing the damage as he sipped from a large Bojangle's cup. Probably sweet tea, hands down the best in the state.

After shaking their hands, the older man looked around, surveying the damage with a keen eye. "It's the strangest thing I've seen in my thirty plus years on the job. I checked with the weather service and there were no storms in the area last week, at least nothing with enough wind to bring these monsters down."

"We think it might have been a microburst," Cate offered, refusing to make eye contact as she peered into a gigantic hole in the ground that was left when the towering tree was uprooted.

"That should have shown up on the radar as well." It was apparent that Mr. Barrett was completely bewildered and slightly skeptical about their suggestion of a microburst. "Actually, I'm having some difficulty finding a legitimate explanation for so much destruction."

His words left Cate feeling anxious. "Will my insurance cover the damage?"

"Without a doubt. The damage is obvious. It's the cause I can't explain. I'd like to take a look around inside, if that's okay."

Cate cut her eyes toward Kane. "There wasn't any damage inside."

"That's another thing." A bewildered frown creased the man's already dubious features as he glanced toward the cabin. "The wind was strong enough to topple huge trees, yet, it didn't blow a single shingle off the roof."

"That is... odd."

"Anyway, I still have to do a walk through of the house in order to file my report."

"Sure." Cate led him around the enormous root ball and to the front porch. Removing the key from her purse she shoved open the door and stepped inside the house. The interior was freezing.

The witch was present and accounted for.

"I didn't hear a generator running." Mr. Barrett rubbed his arms vigorously as he walked into the kitchen. "It's cold as a witch's tit in a brass brassiere in here."

"Excuse me?" Cate squeaked.

He chuckled. "That's just an expression my grandma used to say."

"I... don't have a generator," Cate mumbled.

"Then how is the air conditioner on?"

"It's not." Was it possible to lie her way out of this? "The cabin is always just... naturally... cooler."

"I could understand cool, but this ain't cool. It's colder than a well digger's butt in January in this house." He shivered, going so far as to raise an eyebrow in disbelief at her lame excuse. "Looks like you've had some vandalism."

"Really?" She followed his gaze to the broken window in the back door.

He placed his cup on the counter to examine the broken window more closely.

Cate waited for Kane to explain about the window. It didn't happen. He was too busy exploring the cabin from room to room, undoubtedly searching for any signs of real vandalism. "Kane was locked out of the house one evening while I was out of town. Since we don't have cell service, he had to break the glass to get in and use the phone. We've both been so busy lately that we haven't had a chance to get the window replaced."

The adjuster opened his notebook and made some notes. "Any other damage?"

"Not that we've noticed."

"If you don't mind I'll just walk around a bit."

"Sure, I'll show you around." When Kane returned to the kitchen Cate was peering at the pond, focused on the tub filled with dirty dishes. "Could I persuade you to bring the tub inside and load the dishes into the dishwasher while I finish showing Mr. Barrett around? Surely the power will be back on soon."

Kane licked his lips, causing her pulse to quicken. "If I can convince you to spend the next twenty four hours with me, in bed."

"With pleasure," she purred, moving into his arms just as Mr. Barrett entered the room.

The adjuster jotted a few more notes on a pad and flipped it closed, dropping the pen in his pocket protector. "I'll just take a look around back and see if there was any damage behind the house."

"I'll go with you." Cate glanced back to look at Kane on her way out the door. His eyes were filled with so much lust that she actually stumbled, prompting Mr. Barrett to reach for her arm to steady her.

With Cate and Mr. Barrett inspecting the property, her lover ambled across the back yard, walking out on a short pier and inhaling the sweet, country air. In no hurry to deal with the nasty water in the tub, he sat in a black hard plastic chair that had probably been white in its day.

Water lilies floated on the pond as dragonflies hovered over the surface. A snake stuck its head out of the water, spotted him, and quickly wiggled toward the opposite shore.

Noticing movement across the pond, he glanced up to see two young fawns drinking water. A third deer walked out of the woods to peer at him curiously, not afraid of humans. Apparently they had grown accustomed to Cate sharing these evening trips to their watering hole.

After drinking their fill, the gentle creatures walked further down the pond to where a salt block had been placed. Without a care for the stranger in their midst they licked the block repeatedly, absorbing the nutrients that their bodies craved.

A fish jumped and fell back into the pond with a loud plop. Standing, he walked to the edge of the pier to gaze into the murky water, jumping back with a sharp cry.

In the water, staring back at him, was what Kaitlyn had described. A repulsive... thing with a hideously scarred face and white hair floating on the water around her. He spun around to look behind him, but nothing was there. He had only seen a reflection in the water.

The witch was close by.

He felt an icy breeze that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up.

Hurrying back to the tub, he poured the stale water out and carried it back to the house, feeling her frigid breath on his neck every step of the way. Inside, he exhaled the ragged breath he had been holding and kicked the door closed behind him.

He could hear Cate and the adjuster on the front porch, still discussing the damage to the yard.

He walked to the kitchen window to look toward the pond and... froze, his feet automatically moving backward until he banged into the kitchen counter. He saw the witch's reflection clearly in the window.

Why could he only see her as a reflection?

Because even though she couldn't appear before him, she wanted him to know she was there.

The room was freezing.

Suddenly apprehensive, he loaded the dishwasher, eager to put a stop to Mr. Barrett's small talk so they could get the hell out of this house.

"Is the inspection almost over, Cate?" he called. "I need to head back to Charlotte."

"We're finished. I'm ready when you are."

"Okay, give me five minutes."

Without wasting a second, he stacked the last of the dirty items in the dishwasher. As he was about to close the door, he noticed the adjuster had left his cup on the counter and it had sprung a leak. He didn't notice that the contents of the leak had dripped off the counter and puddled on the floor.

He reached for the cup, intending to put it in the sink. When he did, he stepped in the puddle and his foot shot out from under him, sending him careening backward.

Feeling himself falling, he clutched at the air, unable to grab onto anything solid to stop his fall.

He landed on the open dishwater door.

On the blade of the large butcher knife that had been used to cut the watermelon.

He felt the sharp pointed blade slice through his back, even though he distinctly remembered placing the knife blade down.

That was his last thought.

Cate heard the crash when the dishwasher door broke loose under Kane's weight and fell to the floor. With her heart in her throat, she ran inside.

When she entered the kitchen, blood was pooling on the floor.

Too much blood.

She screamed, "Kane!" as she knelt down in the warm blood that was steadily streaming from his body. Her hands hovered over his chest. She didn't know where to touch him. When she looked up and saw the adjuster with a dazed expression of horror, she screamed, "Call 911! Please! Tell them to hurry!"
Chapter Thirty One

For the next several days, Cate could only watch helplessly as Kane lay in his hospital bed, so still, only his eyes occasionally fluttered. The machine that breathed for him caused his chest to rise and fall in rhythm as it forced air into his lungs with a steady whoosh whoosh whoosh sound. He couldn't breathe on his own. Without the machine, he would die. The only other sound in the room was the beeping from a machine that monitored his vitals.

His left lung had been punctured by the knife. He had been intubated in the ER and shortly after had slipped into a coma. The doctors were mystified, unable to explain why his body appeared to be shutting down. After a battery of tests, they were basically left shaking their collective heads.

They were even more bewildered when they attempted to remove him from the ventilator two days later and found that he still couldn't breathe on his own.

"These things just happen," one of the doctors explained. "Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason, it just happens."

The intensive care nurse came in to flush his IV, empty his catheter bag and check his blood pressure. She gently washed his face and put drops in his eyes to keep them lubricated. She squeezed a few drops of minty liquid on a little sponge attached to a stick, brushing it over Kane's lips and inside his mouth.

Before she was finished with her routine, an older man from the respiratory department came to inspect the ventilator and see that all was in proper working order.

When everyone left, Cate moved her chair beside the bed and held Kane's right hand. He had a prayer shawl across his chest that the ladies of his church had made and a prayer handkerchief in his left hand that a family friend's church had prayed over.

He was so pale. Lifeless. In a sudden moment of clarity, Cate had a stunning revelation.

The witch wouldn't stop until Kane was dead.

She felt this in her very soul.

He had been determined to persuade her to have an abortion. Therefore, the witch had taken whatever steps necessary to stop him.

The evil being would never allow Kane to wake up and risk the possibility of him convincing Cate to abort the babies.

Babies that the witch already thought of as her own.

When a nursing assistant came to bathe him, Cate went to the cafeteria for lunch. Although she had been trying to eat healthy for the babies, today she stood in line for a burger and fries, with a side order of cottage cheese.

Did it really matter anymore?

After paying for her meal, she was on her way to a quiet booth in the corner when she noticed her doctor, sitting at a table alone. "Hi, Dr. Forte."

"Miss Cooper, good morning. How is Kane today? I stopped by last night after my rounds but you were both asleep."

"Please, call me Cate." She attempted a smile, although it was obvious that her heart wasn't in it. "Unfortunately, there hasn't been any change in his condition."

"I'm sorry to hear that." His eyes shone with compassion as his brow creased with confusion. "His prognosis is unusual to say the least."

"That's what they tell me," Cate replied sadly. "I wanted to ask a question if I can, Dr. Forte?"

"Certainly." Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he motioned to the chair opposite him. "Please, sit down."

"Thank you." This was going to be harder than she thought. Still, she didn't have a choice. Kane's time was running out. "I wanted to ask you about an abortion."

"An abortion?" He was obviously taken aback by her unexpected request. "If you're considering this option because you think Kane might not pull through..."

"It isn't Kane's baby," Cate snapped, immediately regretting it. "I'm sorry. Please, forgive me. It's just that I was already pregnant when I met him."

"I see." Screwing the top from a bottle of water, the doctor took a sip before continuing. "What would you like to know?"

"How does it work? Do I tell you that I have decided to have an abortion, and you make arrangements for the... procedure?" Cate picked up her spoon, swirling a scoop of cottage cheese that had been artfully arranged on a lettuce leaf. "Is it that easy to end a life?"

The doctor reached across the table, patting her hand. "You don't sound like this is what you want at all."

"It isn't."

The doctor was clearly confused. "Please don't let anyone talk you into doing something that you aren't comfortable with."

"No one else knows."

"Then why are you even contemplating this outcome?"

"It's a personal choice." Cate grabbed a napkin to soak up the deluge of tears that she expected to flow. Surprisingly, none came. She had accepted what had to be done. "It's something that I have to do for myself."

"In North Carolina abortions are legal up to twenty weeks. You still have plenty of time to think about your options, Cate. Why not sleep on it for a few days?"

"If I'm going to do this, it has to be done before I'm six weeks pregnant," Cate murmured. "Before there is a heartbeat."

Evidently sensing her determination in the matter, he nodded his head. "Call my office when you make your decision."
Chapter Thirty Two

That night, Cate dreamed she was the mother of twin sons. They were on the beach in front of Olivia's parents' house. Her children were having the time of their lives splashing in the waves with her best friend.

Kane sat under an umbrella drinking a Corona with lime. Or was it Kyle? How could she be expected to tell them apart when their own mother had difficulty?

Cate's sons were identical to their father, carbon copies. Could she tell them apart? One stayed close to Olivia's knees, holding on to her hand and squealing with laughter as he jumped the waves. The other twin had to be constantly called back from venturing out too far.

While Olivia kept a keen eye on the children, Cate sat in the shade of an umbrella beside one of the Seltzer twins.

"Hello, beautiful."

It was Kane. Kyle wouldn't have reason to call her beautiful.

Finished with one Corona, he reached into the cooler for another, handing her a bottle of water. "Our boys love Olivia." His voice turned mushy and took on a sultry tone, looking toward Olivia with what could only be described as... passion... love... lust? What was that about? "Olivia calls them her little love bugs."

Why was she suddenly jealous of her best friend? "Does she now?"

He tilted his head toward the boisterous twins. "To look so much alike, those two are as different as night and day. Logan's a daredevil like his father. Not afraid of anything." He smiled proudly. "Even though Olivia can't have children of her own, our twins are the next best thing. She couldn't love them any more if she had given birth to them."

Cate glanced over his shoulder and noticed a pair of legs approaching the umbrella. She almost dropped her bottle of water when Rex stuck his head under the canvas top.

"Hey, Cate." His eyes danced with merriment. "Long time no see."

"Hi, Rex. Where's Regina?"

"She's in the hotel room with the kids. The baby was fussy. She'll be joining us when we all meet for dinner tonight."

They were meeting for dinner?

Cate's attention was drawn to a woman walking down the beach in an old fashioned bathing suit. Her blonde hair was in finger waves and she wore bright red lipstick. The top of her floral print bathing suit was high, revealing no cleavage, while the entire back of the suit was cut out. The swimsuit featured a drawstring waist that tied in the back. It was made from a stretchy material that adhered snuggly to her curves. The attractive lady reminded Cate of one of the iconic 1940's pin-up girl posters of Betty Grable.

Something about the woman was familiar.

Cate considered approaching the woman and asking if they had met, when one of her twins came bounding across the sand, huddling against the warmth of her legs. His teeth chattered as he wrapped his arms around his wet chest. "I'm cold, mommy."

She noticed a canvas tote bag sitting in the sun, with a folded beach towel sitting on top, and grabbed it. She couldn't help but beam lovingly at the adorable child. "Come to mommy and let me warm you up."

Scrambling onto her lap, the little boy laid his dripping head against her chest, purring with contentment as the warm towel enveloped his shivering body.

When he snuggled against her bosom, Cate experienced a powerful jolt of overwhelming love. The emotion was so strong that she closed her eyes to savor the moment.

It was a feeling like nothing she had ever experienced before.

She drew her child close, breathing in the scent of the ocean, sunshine, tropical scented sunscreen, and a salty breeze. The love she felt for this child left her breathless. She instinctively knew that she had never loved anyone as much as she loved this little boy. Nor would she ever again. He was her heart and soul. Her very reason for living.

Then she felt something kick her chair, hard.

Cate opened her eyes to see the other twin glaring at her with narrowed eyes. His lips twisted into a furious sneer of disgust. "That's not fair," he practically snarled. "You always choose Landon over me."

So the bundle of love in her arms was Landon.

The angry twin was Logan.

"What are you talking about, sweetie? There's room for both of you." With a bright smile, she held out her arms. "Climb on my lap and we'll have a snuggle party."

"Fuck you and your snuggle party." Cate's affectionate words seemed to make him even madder. In a fit of extreme rage, Logan knocked the bottle of water out of the cup holder in Cate's chair, grinning as the dry sand greedily soaked it up.

Cate looked toward Kane, or was it Kyle, expecting him to discipline the rebellious child. Instead, he beamed proudly at the belligerent twin.

No way in hell would she tolerate such inexcusable behavior from one of her children. When Olivia walked over to see what all the commotion was about, Cate stood, wrapping the towel securely around Landon and handing him over to her friend. Without a word, she snatched Logan up by his arms and plopped his little behind in her chair. "Now you sit there, young man, until you can apologize for your obnoxious behavior."

He glared at her with such malice in his eyes that Cate stumbled backward, almost expecting him to attack her. "Bite me, bitch."

Without thinking, she drew back her hand and slapped him so hard the chair fell over.

With the front part of his body covered in sand, the child sat up, spitting as he brushed the grit from his face. With a grin of pure evil, he looked her straight in the eyes and whispered, "Mother will be coming for you soon."

Cate had clutched her hands together to prevent them from striking the wicked child again, when she heard laughter. Malicious, hysterical laughter. She turned to see Rex, Olivia, Landon, Logan, and the pin up poster lady laughing, at her. They threw back their heads and laughed and laughed and laughed until the noise was almost deafening and she was forced to cover her ears.

Cate awakened from the dream covered in sweat and with the sheet twisted tightly around her body, effectively pinning her to the bed.
Chapter Thirty Three

After Kane had been on the ventilator for four weeks, with no signs of improvement, his doctor suggested it was time to make more permanent arrangements. He still couldn't breathe on his own.

"We don't like to keep a patient on the respirator for more than four weeks. We typically insert a tube into the trachea at this time, if the patient hasn't responded to treatment." When Cate was silent, the doctor added, "We will be transferring Mr. Seltzer to a long term care facility in the next few weeks, Miss Cooper."

Dear Lord.

They were shipping him off to die.

When Cate returned to Kane's room she knew, deep in her soul, what had to be done. The witch would never stop tormenting Kane if she didn't.

Her heart was heavy when she reached for her phone to call Dr. Forte's office. "This is Cate Cooper. Could I please speak with the doctor?"

"Hold on, please."

Evidently he was between patients because he picked up almost immediately. "Good morning, Cate. I hope you're calling with encouraging news."

"I wish." How long had it been since she had heard good news? "Unfortunately it seems to be in short supply these days, Dr. Forte. The doctors here are sending Kane to a long term care facility."

"I've been expecting this. Kane is no longer in need of intensive care, Cate."

The time for idle chitchat had passed. Without preamble, she simply asked, "When can I have the abortion?"

He was silent for so long, she wondered if he had heard her question. "Are you one hundred percent certain that this is what you want, Cate?

She couldn't back down now. Kane's life depended on it. "Yes."

"I can schedule you tomorrow if you're sure."

"I am," she answered without hesitation.

"I'll have my nurse call you later today with your appointment time. Please, Cate. Think this over carefully tonight. Should you change your mind, just call my office."

"I won't change my mind," she replied resolutely.

Later that evening, the nurse called with an appointment time of 7:00 a.m.

Would she be breaking one of The Ten Commandments?

Thou shalt not kill.

Or was it as Lucas had said, when our heart stops beating we die? If a baby doesn't have a heartbeat, he or she isn't alive until their heart starts pumping blood at around seven weeks after conception.

Cate set her alarm for 5:00 a.m., cooked a frozen pizza and went to sit by the pool, wishing for mind numbing medication to knock her out for the next several hours. A search of Kane's medicine cabinet revealed nothing stronger than aspirin.

Feeling bereft, like she might never know true happiness again, she ambled to the patio to sit in one of the lounge chairs, searching the stars for answers. None came. The sound of the waterfall normally relaxed her, but not this evening. Nothing could soothe her shattered soul tonight, make her feel less like a murderer. She was about to allow a doctor to perform an act on her body that was against all her religious and moral beliefs. Something that, under normal circumstances, she would never consider doing.

This time, she didn't have a choice.

Kane had been so happy, robust and healthy. Now his life was slipping away day by day, and it was her fault.

She had to fix this the only way she knew how.

Cate had finally dozed off in the early morning hours when her alarm sounded, startling her from a deep sleep and causing her to sit straight up in bed. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she left the comfort of Kane's bed and stumbled into the shower, allowing the hot water to wash away her heart wrenching sobs.

Blinded by tears of heartache and regret, she poured body wash on a sponge and scrubbed her body mercilessly as punishment for what she was about to do. Her skin was a bright shade of blistering red when she stepped out of the shower.

Cate was wrapping a towel around her torso when the phone rang, causing her body to go rigid. Who would be calling at this hour? With fear urging her on, she ran into the bedroom to grab it, all the while praying that Kane hadn't taken a turn for the worse. "Hello."

"Is this Cate Cooper?"

"Yes."

"This is Dr. Forte's receptionist. I'm calling to cancel your appointment for this morning."

What? No. "Should I reschedule?"

"We have scheduled another appointment at the Piedmont Abortion Clinic for two hours later than your previous appointment time. If you have a pen I will give you the address."

"I don't understand." An abortion clinic? "I thought Dr. Forte would be performing my procedure."

"I'm sorry to say the doctor has been involved in an accident."

"On, no!" she cried. "What happened?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss the details." She was all business. "Do you have that pen?"

"Yes." Cate wrote down the address and hung up the phone.

On legs that trembled, she walked to the front door and stepped outside to pick up the Charlotte Observer. On the front page, above the fold, she read, "Prominent Charlotte physician loses both hands in a chilling boating accident." Her heart dropped as she read the column. "According to his wife, the doctor was attempting to remove a fishing net that had become entangled around the boat propeller when the engine accidentally engaged, severing both hands."

In a state of complete mind numbing shock, Cate made coffee and sat on the patio, going through the pretense of enjoying a beautiful sunrise. The birds were waking up as the morning sun began to peek over the trees. The neighborhood was coming to life.

Kane should be here with her.

No woman should have to live through a nightmare of this magnitude alone.
Chapter Thirty Four

When Cate arrived at the clinic, there were at least fifty protesters, both pro-life and pro-choice, crowded onto the lawn with signs held high. She glanced at a few of the signs before leaving the relative safety of the taxi.

A WOMAN IS MORE THAN A WOMB!

ABORTION IS MURDER!

LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION!

AS A FORMER FETUS, I OPPOSE ABORTION!

KEEP YOUR ROSARIES OFF MY OVARIES!

HAVING A BABY SHOULD NOT BE A PUNISHMENT FOR A CONTRACEPTIVE MISTAKE!

Cate put on a pair of dark sunglasses and pulled a hat low over her face. She had been assured that a volunteer escort would be waiting to lead her inside.

No sooner had the taxi come to a halt beside the curb than a smiling lady in her late thirties or early forties opened the car door, reaching inside to take her hand. She shielded Cate as best she could, shoving her way through the throng of chanting protesters. With both sides screaming for her attention at the same time, their combined effort resulted in little more than white noise.

Her escort put her arms around Cate's shoulder, pulled her close in an attempt to shelter her from the angry mob. "It's okay. We're almost to the door. No one is going to hurt you." She didn't stop talking the entire time, trying to keep Cate occupied and not focus on the chaos around her. "We're here with you. You're almost there. Just a few more steps."

The abortion clinic was a locked and heavily guarded facility. Cate kept her head down as they waited outside. The protesters continued to chant, pray, and plead with her to change her mind. One woman squirmed through the crowd to shove a wooden crucifix into her hand.

When they were finally buzzed in, a security guard pushed open the door and ushered them inside. Cate heard someone shout through a megaphone, "God hates sinners and he hates you! Don't murder your innocent child!"

Inside the facility, with the door locked behind her, Cate's escort gave her a last brief hug. "See, it's okay. You're inside now. Everything will be fine."

"Thank you." Cate was shaken to the core by the animosity she had witnessed from people who, under different circumstances, would be her friends. Her heart went out to the volunteer escorts at abortion clinics who provided a safe haven in a maelstrom of hate. "Why do you do this?"

Before her escort could answer, they noticed a shift outside. The throng of demonstrators were no longer interested in Cate. A new victim had arrived in a taxi and the assembled crowd smelled fresh blood.

"As long as there are heartless people who hurl abuse at a woman for her private reproductive choices, I will do this work." The kindhearted volunteer hurried out the door to shield the new arrival, calling over her shoulder, "Clinic escorting isn't about abortion. It's about humanity." Then she was gone, pushing her way through the mass of chanting protesters.

Cate dropped the crucifix in her purse when she was handed a paper. After it was read and signed, she received a form to fill out. Even in the waiting room, she could still hear the chants from outside.

When she had signed her name on the last dotted line, she was led to a room with two other women. She ignored them, pretending to read a magazine that featured the exploits of the rich and famous. At the moment, she had nothing to say.

After a while, she was called into an office and asked, "Are you here of your own free will?"

"Yes."

"Were you coerced by anyone to have an abortion?"

"No."

She returned to her seat, picking up the magazine.

After what seemed like hours, she was taken to a dressing room. Cate was advised to leave her shirt on and given a tie on paper skirt to change into. The AC was cranked up and she could feel a serious draft under the tissue like skirt. She stood in place, shivering, until a nurse came to lead her to a room where everyone was dressed in the same skirt.

None of them chatted or took out their phones in the waiting room. They all stared down at their hands folded tightly in their laps, until one by one they were led to an ultrasound room.

An image of Cate's fetus was printed off and she was asked if she would like it as a... keepsake.

Although the tiny images on the monitor didn't have a heartbeat, and they were technically embryos and not fetuses, Cate saw her babies. Even though they didn't have arms and legs, it was the first and last image she would ever see of her children. It seemed to validate her pain, as well as her sore and swollen breasts. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"Yes... thank you." Wiping a scalding tear from her cheek, she realized that she must be a glutton for punishment. Why else would she ask for a memento from the worst day of her life?

Waves of nausea swept over her when she was finally called to the lab to have her blood drawn. The nurse gave her a prescription for pain meds, another for cramps, and yet another for antibiotics, for afterward. She accepted a cup of water and a pill to calm her nerves. She definitely needed to relax.

In twenty minutes, her anxiety had all but diminished and she was taken to a room with a TV, to wait. She watched an episode of Family Feud.

At last she was shown to the procedure room. The doctor, an older gentleman, walked in. "We're going to take good care of you, Cate. When you wake up all of this will be behind you." Before she could respond, she was given an injection that made her vision blur.

She felt the doctor's hand brush against her thigh as she heard what sounded like shattering glass.

That was her last memory.
Chapter Thirty Five

It hadn't been a dream.

Cate awakened to find herself surrounded by bits of broken glass. She felt the blood drain from her face when she noticed a three inch shard protruding from her upper arm. She shuddered, coughing violently when she tried to breathe, and discovered the room to be foggy with acrid smoke. Her lungs were filled with it. She glanced down at the fragment of glass again. Another inch and it would have sliced into her neck.

Accept the facts, Cate.

The witch will never allow you to abort the babies.

Nor will she hesitate to kill anyone who tries to help you.

It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe. On the verge of succumbing to a rapidly intensifying panic attack she glanced toward the only exit, sighing with relief when three EMTs rushed into the room.

"Get that oxygen mask on and let's get her out of this smoke," one of the paramedics ordered.

Cate's tense muscles slowly began to relax as another man placed an oxygen mask over her nose. She inhaled the sweet, clear air, grateful to be alive, and turned to the paramedic, mumbling through the mask, "Was anyone killed?"

He shook his head. "It was only a smoke bomb. Some pro-lifer just wanted to disrupt business as usual for a day or two."

Cate nodded.

"Take a deep breath, ma'am." When she did, he removed the glass from her arm, applying firm pressure to the wound. When the bleeding slowed, he wrapped gauze around her arm and taped it. "Let's get you to the hospital and see about those cuts and abrasions. A few of them will need stitches."

Cate touched her forehead, pulling away a bloody finger.

"The perpetrator threw a brick through the window first, then tossed in the smoke bomb. Be thankful the brick didn't hit you in the face."

Finally, something to be thankful for.
Chapter Thirty Six

From her hospital bed in the emergency room, Cate's heart ached for her mother's tender loving care. Why were so many horrible things happening to her? At the moment, her greatest desire was to go home to her parents' house and recuperate. She needed to feel loved and welcomed, instead of tortured. She longed for her mom's comfort food, her old bedroom that held so many treasured childhood memories, and her dad's loving words of encouragement.

First, she had to tell them the truth. At least about her pregnancy.

Her mother arrived thirty minutes later, all aflutter. "Were you at the abortion clinic as a protester, dear?" She busied herself with straightening the bed covers, refusing to meet her daughter's red rimmed eyes. She was obviously expecting an answer that Cate couldn't give her.

Unfortunately, Cate knew the truth would soon come out, so why try to hide it? "I was there to have an abortion, mom."

Her mother's gasp echoed around the room, her eyes swimming with tears. She cut her eyes toward the door, praying that no one was near enough to hear her daughter's blasphemous words. "Why would you even consider an abortion, darling?" she whispered for her daughter's ears only. "Even if you are pregnant and un... married, we could have worked through this, together."

Her mother, a devout Christian, was a bundle of nerves after learning her daughter had been in the abortion clinic during the explosion. Apparently it had been all over the midday news.

"I thought it was the right thing to do, mom."

Her mother yanked several tissues out of a box and patted her eyes. "I'm sure you had your reasons, Cate. Although I can't for the life of me understand what could have possessed you..."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Of course, dear. I won't pressure you, in your... condition." Her mom rushed over to gather her close, careful not to brush against her injured arm. The smaller cuts on her forehead had only required butterfly bandages. "I'll be here if you need to talk."

"Thank you, mom." Cate gave her a weak, one armed hug, breathing in the scent of her lilac perfume and Aqua Net hairspray.

Her mom brushed the betraying wetness from her cheek and closed her eyes, issuing yet another silent prayer, this time for guidance. She turned to face her daughter with a bright, and forced, smile. "Are we ready to go home?"

"I've signed my discharge papers and hopefully the police have finished questioning me. I should be good to go."

"I'm sure your father will be... happy to see you," her mother lied with a straight face, once again unable to look Cate in the eyes.
Chapter Thirty Seven

Cate didn't receive the love and support she was hoping for at her parent's house. Her dad was definitely giving her the cold shoulder. In fact, her normally sweet and caring father was barely able to hide his disgust and didn't seem to care if the neighbors heard it. "I cannot believe a daughter of mine was videotaped coming out of an abortion clinic of all places!"

Before Cate could even begin to defend herself against the indefensible, he grabbed his MAGA hat from a hook beside the door and held onto his cane with the other. "I guess I'll be skipping breakfast at Bojangle's with the fellows until this brouhaha dies down. If one more person asks me if that was my daughter on the news, being wheeled out of that slaughter mill on a stretcher, I'm liable to punch his lights out."

Yanking the door open, he hobbled down the steps onto the back porch. "Now the fake news media has gotten hold of it and it'll probably make the national news!"

Evidently he could no longer stomach the notion of eating at the same table with his daughter. He hollered from the porch to announce he was riding over to his best friend Jed's to wet a hook in his pond. "Keep me a plate warm."

"Are you sure you're ready to drive?" her mother offered hesitantly. "I would be happy to drive you."

"I'm damn well driving whether I'm able or not!" he stormed. "Stop trying to baby me, woman. I'm a grown damn man!"

"Yes, dear."

"Dad?" Cate was following him out the door when her mother grabbed her hand.

"Let it rest for now, Cate. He's in a bad mood."

Ya think?

Her mother stirred fried okra in one cast iron frying pan and potatoes in another. She had chicken baking in the oven to offset the cholesterol from the fried foods. "He'll simmer down in a few days. He's just disappointed about all that stuff on the news."

"Disappointed?" Cate took a fork from the dish drainer, sitting down at the table to dig into a jar of her mom's homemade dill pickles. "If I was twenty years younger he would take a belt to my backside."

Her mother added a stick of butter to her potatoes and continued stirring, not even bothering to dispute the accuracy of her words.
Chapter Thirty Eight

After a quiet dinner, Cate helped with the clean up. Since her mom didn't appear to be in a conversational mood, she refilled her glass of tea and slowly trudged up the stairs to her room. She had been through hell in a handbasket today, and it was all for naught. She had accomplished nothing. Her circumstances were exactly as they had been the night before. No, scratch that. One thing had changed. For the first time in her life, her father was ashamed of her.

Diesel, the old black lab she had raised from a puppy, followed her, carrying a tattered ragdoll in his mouth. He wanted to play fetch like they usually did when Cate visited. Her sweet boy couldn't be expected to understand just how emotionally bruised she really was. She leaned over to rub his back and he sighed, always willing to shower her with unconditional love, even when no one else was.

At the top of the stairs she sat down, leaning against the banister. The hallway was lined with photos from her youth. Her school pictures were in order, beginning with kindergarten all the way to her high school graduation photo in her cap and gown. She wouldn't be surprised if her dad yanked the pictures down and tossed them in his burn barrel in the back yard.

With her mind on happier times, she tossed the doll to the end of the hall for Diesel to retrieve over and over until her uninjured arm began to ache.

"I'm tired, boy." She was completely wiped out, and her shoulder was throbbing like a toothache. "I also need a bath to wash the smell of smoke out of my hair."

Surprisingly, Diesel stopped at the threshold of her bedroom door, refusing to follow her into the room. Plopping down on his haunches stubbornly, he growled a low steady rumble, looking out the window as the sun began to sink beneath the trees.

"What is it, Diesel? Aren't you coming in to sleep beside my bed like you always do?"

He didn't move. He just continued to snarl and show his teeth. When they heard her dad's old truck pull into the yard he raced down the stairs to greet him.

"Traitor," Cate called after him. "I see how you are."

She couldn't gather enough interest to watch TV or read. Perhaps a bubble bath would relax her body, making her drowsy enough to fall asleep.

She filled the tub with water as hot as she could stand it, tossing in a fragrant bath bomb. Stepping over the edge of the tub she submerged up to her neck, hanging her injured arm over the side. As she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of feeling her muscles instantly relax, she was suddenly besieged by thoughts of Kane.

The old Kane.

The one whose orbit seemed to revolve around her.

Please, wake up, and come back to me, my love.

She allowed her mind to drift to happier times, although, admittedly, there were few. They'd had so little time together.

As Cate sank deeper into the water, she closed her eyes, reliving their day spent lounging in the pool. Her insides quivered when she recalled the passion filled night that followed, the places he had scorched her with his lips. Her insides jolted to life with each memory of his tongue caressing her flesh until she realized how cold the water had gotten. Her flesh was shriveled up like a prune when she dried off, wrapping herself in a fluffy beige towel.

As extreme lethargy settled over her like a warm blanket, she crawled into the same bed she had slept in since she was a child, snuggling under a thin sheet in the hot, stuffy room. Since her dad's nerves were already on edge, she feared his head might explode if she suggested lowering the temp on the AC.

Still, she would never fall asleep in this heat.

Forcing herself out of her comfy bed, she turned on an old box fan and opened her window, peering out into the dark night.

Astonishingly, all the animals were sitting quietly in the yard under her window, mesmerized, as they stared at something in the stars. Diesel, as well as her old tabby cat, and even the chickens were spellbound by the night sky. Cate peered closer when she realized they were staring at a towering pine tree in the back yard.

Following their gaze, she jumped back, covering her mouth with her hands to stifle a scream that would surely bring her parents racing into her room. They couldn't find out that she was being haunted by a witch. Her dad would call an exorcist.

Perhaps she needed one.

The witch was sitting on a limb in the top of the tree, dangling her legs. As Cate watched, nervously backing up against the wall, thick plumes of smoke began to roll out from between the branches of the pine tree and slowly drift toward the house.

Her legs trembled so that she fell down in a chair with her back to the window, all the while assuring herself that she was safe inside her parents' house. The witch couldn't get inside, hopefully. Cate's confidence slowly began to erode when she noticed smoke seeping under the raised window and into her room. She had closed her eyes, hoping for a brief respite from this sudden deluge of terror, when her lungs began to fill with toxic fumes for the second time in one day. She jumped up, yanking down the window.

This could not be happening.

Would she be safe anywhere?

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like a finger squeaking against wet glass. The sound sent chills galloping down her spine.

The steam from the bathroom had caused condensation to form on the window. She turned around to face the window, speechless, as she watched the letter K appear on the foggy glass, followed by I Z Z Y.

Kizzy?

It was too smoky outside to see anything past her own hand. Leaning down for a closer look, she whispered into the eerie haze, "Is your name Kizzy?"

No answer.

"Why are you doing this?"

Before the last word was out of her mouth, something large was thrown, or crashed, into the window, causing a spider web of cracks to spread out from the center like a blossoming flower.

Hearing the witch's sinister cackle, Cate looked out the window in time to see the demonic creature spread her cape and take flight, rising above the smoke.

Before she was completely out of sight, Cate became aware of a whimpering noise. It sounded like an animal in pain.

Dear, God!

No!

She raced down the stairs and out the back door like the hounds of hell were at her heels. Even though she tried, it was impossible to hold back a scream when she saw her dog coated with blood and curled up in a painful ball, his breathing labored.

Diesel!

What has she done to you?

Bending down beside him, Cate took her faithful companion in her arms and held her face close to his, trying to breathe life back into his tortured body. She was holding him, her tears mixing with his, when he took his last shuddering breath.

Hearing her cries of agony, her mother ran out the back door. "Cate, what happened?" Immediately recognizing the depth of her daughter's despair she wrapped her arms around both Cate and their beloved pet. "Is he dead?"

Cate could only nod as mournful sobs shook her trembling body.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there. She felt her dad's hand on her shoulder and looked up with tear stained eyes to find him towering over her. He was leaning heavily on his cane, trying his best not to crumble beside his faithful companion. "The poor boy looks like somebody beat him with a two by four."

Levi, their neighbor, heard the commotion and walked over to offer his assistance. "My guess is that he was hit by a car and was able to crawl back home, to his family."

Her dad nodded and glanced toward the highway with an angry scowl. "People fly up and down this road like damn fools."

Numb with pain, her dad helped Levi lift Diesel into a wheelbarrow and push her sweet boy into the woods behind the house to bury him.

Her mother took Cate inside, pausing beside the bathroom long enough to reach into the medicine cabinet and drop a bottle of pills in her pocket. Filling a paper cup with water from the bathroom sink, she held it in one hand and her daughter's hand in the other as she led Cate to her bedroom. Motioning for her to sit on the edge of the bed, she placed the cup on the bedside table and shook two pills out of the bottle. "Take these. They should help you sleep."

Cate swallowed the pills without hesitation.

She needed to forget.

Everything.

"Sleep with me, Cate." Her mother turned back the covers while Cate climbed into bed with a grief-stricken sigh. "You shouldn't be alone tonight."

Cate cried into her pillow until the pill finally took affect and dulled the pain. Just before she closed her eyes, she decided to pay another visit to Venice Ledbetter.

Now that she had a name to go on, perhaps she could tell her who Kizzy was.
Chapter Thirty Nine

Venice Ledbetter was in the same bed, and in the same position, as before. Only the food surrounding her had changed. This time, an almost empty loaf of bread lay atop her enormous stomach. An empty package of sandwich ham, the cellophane from a package of sliced cheese, and a jar of mayonnaise lay scattered around her, along with an empty bag of salt and vinegar chips.

"Is the man who opened the door your husband?" Cate took a seat in a straight backed chair he had been kind enough to deliver.

"My husband, or enabler, is the title that most people shame him with." Venice shrugged her small shoulders. "What can I say? Rufus is attracted to big women. As for this." She motioned to her mammoth midsection. "He only does what I tell him to."

Rufus was rail thin and apparently several years younger than Venice.

"Some people have drug addictions. Some are addicted to sex. My addiction is food. I never get full, and while I'm eating all I can think about is what to have for my next meal. That's all I really want out of life now. My next big meal."

Cate got right down to business. "Have you ever heard of a woman named Kizzy?"

Venice thought about the name for a few minutes, mulling in over in her mind. "Nope, I can't say that I have. Who is she?"

Cate relayed her previous nights encounter with the witch.

"The old crone never gave me her name. You should feel special, Cate Cooper." Venice worked up a sweat trying to hold her arm up long enough to wash her face with a wet wipe. The poor woman had to be completely miserable.

"Do you ever get out of bed, Venice?"

"Haven't in the last several months." Venice shook her head, loosing a strand of oily hair from a high ponytail to fall across her forehead. "To be honest, it isn't worth the effort required to roll all of this fat around."

"The last time I was here you said you had gained all your weight in the last two years."

"Yep. From what I can tell, I'm gaining about two hundred pounds a year."

"That's insane."

"If that's what you want to call it." Venice tilted the potato chip bag to her mouth, savoring the last few crumbs. "I'm bedridden because my apron of fat is too heavy for my legs to support. If I fell, I couldn't get up on my own. Which means Rufus would be forced to call the paramedics and I don't want them in here nosing around."

"You don't like paramedics?"

"It's not that I don't like them. The fact of the matter is that I'm not a sight your average ambulance attendant sees on their daily routine. One of them could be so intrigued by the sight of all this blubber that he would feel the need to take a picture and blast it over the internet. I don't intend to be the next viral sensation."

"I see your point."

Venice chugged from a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew and burped loudly. "I wasn't expecting to see you again."

"I was hoping you could answer a few more questions."

The obese lady sighed a forlorn sigh. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"

Cate nodded.

"You didn't do what I told you to do, did you?'

"I can't."

Crumbling the chip bag, she tossed it into a trash can beside her bed. "You will if you want to continue living."

"No, I mean, I... tried, but the witch won't allow it."

Venice nodded her head as a light of understanding dawned in her eyes. "Is that why the abortion clinic got smoke bombed?"

"Yes." As Cate's father had predicted, the chaotic scene had made national news.

"Damn that spiteful old bitch to hell. She means business this time."

"And most of her ire seems to be aimed directly at me."

"Trust me, I feel your pain. Been there, done that. Got the fat cells."

If she was successful at breaking the curse, would she end up like Venice?

"I know the necklace is the root cause of the curse, Venice. How did you first come in contact with it?"

Venice's lips curved into a dreamy smile. "I made the mistake of falling in love with Augustus Seltzer."

Augustus Seltzer? "Kane's grandfather?"

"The one and only."

Cate was stunned. "What connection does Kane's grandfather have to the curse?"

"None, now. He and his wife are dead."

Every twin in the Seltzer family died young.

Just like Kane said.

"I'm not sure that my haunting had anything to do with Augustus, in particular," Venice continued. "The curse appears to be on the Seltzer family, the men in general."

"I don't understand?" The Seltzer family? "In what way?"

Venice picked up a folding hand fan, fanning her face and upper body. Sweat trickled from her temples, creating a path into the unknown depths of her cleavage. "It took me months of lying in this bed, struggling to fit the pieces of a bewildering puzzle together, before I came to the hard fought conclusion that the curse is on the Seltzer men."

"What do you mean?"

"It's simple. I was in love with Augustus Seltzer, Kaitlyn was in love with Kyle Seltzer, and now you and Kane Seltzer."

Finally, she was getting some answers.

But she was still confused.

"You were carrying Augustus' children, and Kaitlyn was carrying Kyle's. But why me? Kane isn't the father of my children."

Venice's eyes were alert as she laid down her fan. "Of course they are Kane Seltzer's children. The witch wouldn't be after you if you weren't carrying Seltzer twins."

"My ex fiancé is the father. Anyway, Kyle is the fertile twin, which means Kane is sterile."

"That's right. I forgot about one twin being sterile." Her gaze met Cate's. "Have you been fooling around with Kyle Seltzer?" She winked. "Shit happens."

"I have never been intimate with Kyle. Actually, I was already pregnant before I met either of the Seltzer twins."

"Are you sure about that?" Venice asked skeptically, with a hint of a smile playing across her lips.

Cate rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "Of course."

When she said this, Venice Ledbetter's high pitched laughter filled the room. Cate could only watch in amazement as the obese woman laughed until she was left gasping for air and was forced to take a few puffs from an inhaler. "Do you hear that, you ignorant old coot?" she shouted to the air when she could breathe normally again. "You fucked up, didn't you? You laid your stupid ass curse on an innocent victim. She's not even carrying Seltzer twins. Don't you feel stupid?"

When her laughter finally died and Venice had dried her eyes, Cate asked, "Do you know when the curse began?"

"For me, it began on a bright sunny day in July. Augustus had taken me to the cabin for a picnic at the river. No sooner had we arrived than I suddenly had an uncontrollable desire for him to make love to me in the water." Her lips curved into a secretive smile at a particularly fond memory. "Anyway, that's where I found the necklace, and also the day I became pregnant. From that day forward my life was a living hell, until I returned to the cabin and tossed the necklace back in the water."

"Then Kaitlyn found it and she was cursed."

"If I could have known then what I know now, I would have destroyed the necklace."

"You couldn't have known. None of us could. I just need to know why the three of us were cursed to begin with."

"Me too."

"There has to be a way to end the curse. Right, Venice."

"I would hope so, for your sake."

"Help me out here, Venice. Who could I go to for answers?"

"I would start with members of the Seltzer family. One of them knows something, or has heard some of the details of the curse over the years. Ask Kane who his oldest living relative is and start from there."

Uncle Simon.

Cate glanced out the window toward the traffic speeding by on the highway. "Kane has been in a coma for five weeks."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Venice shook her head sadly as she reached into a basket beside her bed, pulling out a package of cream horns. "What made the vengeful old haint go after him?"

"He was trying to persuade me to have an abortion."

"That figures." She opened the pack, chewing thoughtfully on one of the cream filled pastries. She looked almost delirious with pleasure as she shoved the last bite in her mouth and reached for another.

The sight of the creamy filling squishing out of the pastry made Cate nauseous. "On the morning that I was to have my abortion, the doctor lost both hands in a horrible boating accident."

"I saw that on the news too. I guess the old boo hag learned from her mistakes. She got careless and I was able to slip into an abortion clinic." Venice licked her fingers after devouring the second pastry. "She seems to be paying much closer attention to you than she did me."

"Exactly. So how can I have an abortion when the witch is aware of my every move? I don't know what else to do."

The room grew cold, icy cold. The temperature went from 75 to 35 in under five seconds. Suddenly, they were both breathing fog.

"Well, what do you know," Venice cackled. "She's ba.......ck. I haven't had an unwelcome visitation from her in years." She raised her arms and gloried in the cold air. "Hang around you withered up old bag of bones, this is the most comfortable I've been in forever."

Without warning, the lamp beside the bed began to shake. As Cate watched in stunned horror, Venice's bed rose up several inches, hovered, and fell back to the floor, only to bounce again. Her cover was yanked off, revealing rolling mounds of naked fat and upper thighs the size of tree trunks. The food jumped around on the bed until it finally rolled to the floor. The bed continued bouncing as Venice's massive body shifted toward the edge of the mattress.

"Don't let me fall!" she screamed, suddenly terrified. "I can't get back up if I fall." Her eyes rolled back in her head with fright. "If all else fails, use a coat hanger. Don't let this bitch win!"

Venice Ledbetter hit the floor with such force that the boards sagged under her crushing weight. There was a loud cracking and splintering of wood before the floor surrendered to the immense pressure. Cate screamed as the floorboards issued one last threatening screech before Venice crashed through the floor to the basement below.

Then all was still.

Her husband came running into the room and raced to the edge of the gaping hole, looking down. Tears filled his eyes as he fell back on his bony backside, dropping his face in his hands.

Cate walked around the bed to peer into the darkness below. There was enough light filtering down to see that one of Venice's legs was lying at an odd angle with a jagged floor board protruding through it.

They heard the corpulent woman groan in agony and whisper, "Call 911."

Chapter Forty

Cate left Hamlet shortly after the police and paramedics arrived to load Venice onto a flat bed truck and carry her to the hospital. The facility was in no way equipped for a woman of her size.

Getting her there had been a serious undertaking, involving the entire police force and fire department. A wheeled dolly from a local factory, that was used to cart giant bolts of material to machines inside the plant, was brought in to carry her out. After careful consideration, the sliding glass doors in her basement were removed to make an opening large enough for her body to exit the house.

Cate and Rufus gave their version of what had happened to a law enforcement officer. They had already decided to say the floor had simply given way under Venice's massive weight when she tried to stand.

As Venice had feared, many photos of her naked body were taken and would eventually reach the internet.

As she was leaving Hamlet, Cate received a recorded call from the energy company informing her that power had been restored to her cabin.

It was time to go home.

Since he was still mourning the loss of his beloved companion, apparently her dad's heart had softened.

According to her mother, he had supervised the massive cleanup and her yard looked better than expected. There was no grass now, only sawdust from where the trees had been sawed into firewood. Huge mounds of wood were stacked against the tree line with a tarp covering the woodpile for protection from the elements. Her dad had promised to sow new grass in the fall.

There was even a new car shed with a red tin roof. Everything in her life was new.

Everything in her life had been replaced.

Cate had stopped at the grocery store and somehow ended up with five containers of French vanilla coffee creamer, five boxes of Life cereal and five quarts of milk. Then she swung by Arby's, ordering five Buffalo Chicken Sliders and sweet tea.

She sat in a rocking chair on the front porch to eat two Buffalo Sliders, feeding the rest to the birds. Nothing about her property looked the same. During her childhood she had sat in the cool shade of this porch with her grandmother snapping green beans, shucking corn, or shelling peas long after the sun went down.

Her grandpa would sit on the porch steps at night watching her catch lightning bugs to put in a jar for her own personal night light. At some point during the early morning hours she would open the window and set them free.

Now the sun beat relentlessly down upon her, where before the oak tree had prevented a single ray from reaching her favorite rocking chair.

Brushing the crumbs from her lap, she went inside, surprised to find that the temperature was actually pleasant. A quick glance at the thermostat revealed a balmy 72 degrees.

No witch.

Maybe she could finally get some sleep.

Realizing that she couldn't go to work the next morning and focus on columns of numbers, she called her supervisor, requesting the remainder of the week off. Thankfully, since she had never once called in sick, he was agreeable.

She was running water in the tub and had already kicked off her shoes and lifted her shirt over her head when she heard a knock on the door. Who would come visiting at this time of night? Snatching the shirt back down, she opened the bathroom door and walked through her bedroom and into the living room.

Peering through the peephole, she was irritated to find Rex on her doorstep. "It's late, Rex. I was just going to bed."

"I have something important to talk to you about Cate. It will only take a minute."

"This had better be good." With an irritated sigh, and against her better judgment, she opened the door.

Rex strolled in like he owned the place, closing the door behind him and locking it. "Oh, it is." His eyes glinted as they raked over her from head to toe. He was furious about something.

Cate peered around, shivering. The temperature had dropped by at least twenty degrees when he entered the room. Rubbing her arms vigorously, she walked over to the thermostat on the wall, frowning when she saw that it now registered a crisp 44 degrees.

Had the witch followed him in?

When she turned back around, Rex was leaning against the doorframe to her bedroom. She was taken aback by his appearance. He no longer even resembled the man she had once professed to love. His lips pulled back in a smirk as his eyes shone like those of a nocturnal animal from the depths of the dark room.

"Why did you try to kill my baby, Cate?"

He knew.

She should have known he would see the video of her being wheeled out of the abortion clinic on the news. Everyone else had.

"I...I..." What could she say?

"Don't stutter, Cate." His voice came off as more of a snarl. "Just answer my question. Why did you try to murder my innocent child?"

"I didn't have a choice, Rex." She had no way to defend herself. She couldn't tell him the truth. "There are some things going on in my life that you wouldn't understand."

"I understand that you are still fucking that rich man from Charlotte." His face was mottled with rage. "Did he convince you to abort my baby? To be honest, I don't blame him for not wanting to raise another man's kid. I wouldn't either. But you, Cate? You were going to murder our baby? Just snuff out a life like it never even existed?"

"It isn't like that, Rex."

"Of course it isn't!" he spat. "Some father he would be anyway. From what I hear, he's little more than a vegetable."

He words successfully crushed Cate's soul to the point that it was difficult to speak.

"Do you have any idea how humiliating this entire ordeal has been for me and my family, Cate? As if your little show of theatrics at the diner wasn't enough, you had to go and get your face blasted all over the news being wheeled out of an abortion clinic!"

"Like I said, Rex..."

"I don't give a fuck what you said!" She couldn't recall ever seeing him so angry. "How could you even consider murdering a helpless baby, you stupid bitch? I hope you rot in hell because that is my child you were trying to kill. Have you forgotten that I am one of the most respected lawyers in this state? Even someone as dense as you should realize that any judge in this district will grant me full custody of my child, especially after you tried to murder him!"

She met his heated gaze, refusing to back down. "What did you call me?"

"I called you a stupid bitch and I can't think of anyone who deserves the title more. You have singlehandedly made it impossible for me to walk down the street and hold my head high in this town. My entire family is a laughingstock now, thanks to you."

She threw his own words back at him. "Could you fall out of love so fast if you had ever really loved me to begin with, Rex?"

"When I loved you, you weren't a slut. Or an attempted murderer." He walked over to stand in front of her, roughly jerking her chin up to meet his eyes. "I will say this only once, Cate, so listen good and take my words to heart. If any harm comes to my baby before it is born, I will kill you. Plain and simple."

"Are you seriously threatening my life, Rex?" From the look in his eyes he was deadly serious. "What has gotten into you?"

"I'm through catering to your every whim." Taking her hand firmly in his, he started toward the bedroom. "From now on we do things my way. We are going to start by going to bed."

Cate snatched her hand from his, anger propelling her body as she marched toward the door. "Get out."

His contemptuous gaze swept over her from head to toe. "You're not refusing me again are you, Cate?"

"Take it any way you want, Rex. Just get out of my house before I call the sheriff."

With a steely look of determination, he walked over and scooped her into his arms, carrying her kicking and screaming to bed. "All you have to do is lie still. I'll do all the heavy lifting."

"Heavy lifting my ass! I will not lie still while you molest me!" She struggled against his chest as his arms held her in a viselike grip. "I said no!"

It was so cold in the bedroom, her breath turned to fog.

Standing her on her feet, before she could even conceive of what was happening, his fist connected with her jaw.
Chapter Forty One

When Cate came to, her arms and legs were tied to the bedposts with her own silk scarves.

What the hell!

She lay naked, spread eagle on the mattress in a vulgar pose as Rex smiled down at her from the foot of the bed.

What did she ever see in this loathsome lowlife?

The only light came from the other room, behind him, so she couldn't see his face. Only his glowing yellow cat eyes and the pearly white porcelain caps on his teeth, which meant he was smiling.

Who was this man?

She jerked at her hands and feet, attempting to sit up. It wasn't happening. Tugging harder, she stopped and forced herself to relax. If she panicked, it would be harder to figure a way out of this degrading situation.

She was about to open her mouth and tell Rex exactly what she thought of his porn-worthy theatrics when she noticed a movement toward the ceiling. No, please no. She gasped, squeezing her eyes shut as her heart thrashed against her ribcage. The witch was hovering in the corner of the room, quietly watching the proceedings. Her black cape fluttering in a nonexistent breeze.

Forcing her eyes away from the demonic entity, Cate shivered when she heard Rex's belt buckle hit the floor. Why was he undressing after she had told him no? His shadowy movements seemed almost robotic.

"Rex," she cried. "Help me."

His words were monotone. "I intend to."

"Please, untie me, Rex."

"Why would you ask me to untie you, Cate? You've never minded a little variety in the bedroom. Besides, we've had sex hundreds of times and you never complained once. Why are you pretending to be so shy and uptight now? I'm only taking what is rightfully mine."

Ignoring his rightfully mine bullshit, she pleaded, "Rex, please, don't do this."

"Just lie back and enjoy it like you always do."

"No!" she screamed as he crawled between her thighs. "No! No! No!"

Cate heard the witch's sinister laughter ringing in her ears as Rex penetrated her forcefully. He was being too rough. She was dry. Her insides burned like fire as as he continued to shove into her.

"Stop, Rex! Please!" She moaned the same words over and over as he continued his brutal violation of her body. "You're hurting me."

"There is a fine line between pleasure and pain," he whispered close to her ear. His voice was ragged as he pumped faster and faster. Thank God, he was close to finishing his barbaric act. "Let go of your fake inhibitions and enjoy the pleasure I'm giving you, Cate."

His orgasm came with a loud groan as he collapsed on top of her, moving slower and slower until he was finally still.

"Get the fuck off of me," she seethed.

Ignoring her, he waited until his ragged breathing had returned to normal before sitting up and lighting a cigarette, keeping his back turned to her.

She refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry.

With one final drag, he walked in the bathroom to toss his cigarette butt in the commode. He took his time, slowly walking around the bed to untie her hands and feet.

Glancing toward the ceiling, she noticed that the witch no longer hovered in the corner. She smiled for the first time all night when her gaze slid down the wall to land on the ball bat leaning against the corner. She didn't waste a second leaping to her feet.

She paused when she heard him laugh and knew, as did Rex, that in a hand to hand battle with him she would lose. She sat down on the edge of the bed, deciding to let the police handle Rex's crime.

After stepping into his pants and tucking in his shirt, he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Remember what I said about the baby."

Cate seethed with rage, attempting to ignore the pain that settled between her thighs. Her eyes kept slipping toward the ball bat in the corner, her hands quivered at the thought of racing across the room and grabbing it. She could almost imagine the satisfying thump as it cracked his head like a ripe watermelon. "Get out of my house and don't ever come back, you fucking rapist."

"Rapist?" Rex threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "Give me a break. I could tell by your moaning and groining how much you loved having me inside you."

"I was moaning and groaning in pain, you idiot!" She decided on a new tactic. "We'll see if the sheriff agrees with me. It was rape, pure and simple. As you know, that's a felony."

"You're right, Cate." She didn't care for his tone when he added, "You will see."

Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him with enough force to break it loose from the hinges.

Trembling with rage, she ran to the door and yanked it open, screaming, "I'll see you in court, you sick bastard!"
Chapter Forty Two

The second Rex's headlights disappeared, Cate jerked on her clothes and raced to her car, eager to drive to the police station and report his vicious assault. If it was the last thing she did, she intended to make him pay for his heinous crime.

She had only been on the road a few minutes when she realized someone was tailing her car.

Rex.

She wasn't really worried. It was only ten minutes to the police station, on a winding country road. She turned her rearview mirror so he wouldn't blind her, tensing when he pulled up close enough to lightly brush his front fender against her bumper.

This is a brand new car you're scratching!

It didn't take long to realize that he wasn't in a joking mood when he bumped her car again, causing her to swerve sharply to the right. No sooner had she righted the car and taken control of her nerves, than he did it a third time. Only harder. Hopefully her Honda could outrun his jacked up truck. Doubtful.

She was coming up on the Rocky River Bridge. If he rammed her while she was driving across it, she could break through the guard rail and crash into the river below. Surely, he didn't hate her enough to try to kill her.

Did he?

She accepted, in that moment, that the man behind her wasn't Rex. He was a colder, meaner, more heartless version of the man she had intended to marry only a few short weeks ago.

Was he under the witch's spell?

Or were his true colors shining through?

Unwilling to take the chance that he didn't hate her enough to kill her, she sped up, almost losing control on a hairpin curve. Holding the steering wheel tightly with both hands, she floored it.

Her speedometer read 84 mph. How long could she keep control at this speed? This was insane! She didn't want to die like this.

Rex slowed down, falling back just long enough for her to relax. Good. She was less than five miles from town now. She couldn't wait to sit before the magistrate and sign the official papers charging him with rape. Hopefully, a warrant would be issued tonight and he would be arrested by morning.

But wait.

Was he speeding up again?

Dear God.

He was going to ram her from behind at full speed. She pressed back into her seat, steeling her body against the impending blow. Still, she wasn't fully prepared for the force of the violent impact. Her head whipped forward and snapped back as the seatbelt dug into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. It took a second to realize her car was spinning, flinging her from one side to the other at breakneck speed.

She attempted to grab the steering wheel for purchase but her hands were flying through the air, useless, as she was alternately flung against the seatbelt and pinned back against her seat.

When the spinning stopped, at last, she was airborne, coming back down to earth with a bone shattering crash amid the sound of breaking glass and crunching metal. Her Civic didn't stay on the ground long. She felt the car flip at least three more times before landing upside down. The noise was deafening. Each time the car landed on the ground the impact caused the metal frame to cave in closer and closer to her body.

She was trembling violently, in shock. It took a few minutes to regain her senses and when she did, she became aware of the sound of rushing water, as though from a bubbling stream.

Her head was wet. She could feel her hair being pulled along in a cold current of water. Raising one hand over her head, she found that she was suspended a few inches above 6 inches of water. Fortunately, her car had landed in the creek bed. At least she wasn't in the river. She had that small concession to be thankful for.

Nonetheless, her car was overturned in a creek, and she was hanging upside down by a seatbelt. Not an ideal situation to be sure.

Where was Rex?

She held her head as close to the shattered driver's window as she could, listening for him. All she heard was gurgling water. Thankfully her headlights still worked or she would be in total darkness. She could move her arms and legs, so none of her limbs had been crushed by the impact. Amazingly, nothing seemed to be broken. Nonetheless, she had to get out of the car and time was of the essence. According to the weatherman, it was supposed to rain tonight and, if it did, the water in this creek was known to rise rapidly.

Cate reached up to unhook her seat belt, realizing as she did that she needed something to hold on to. Or she would drop directly on her head. Since all her body weight was being supported by the seatbelt, she was going to be in a very uncomfortable position when she landed.

She located the gear shift, but her hands were too wet and slippery to get a good grip on it. It was about as useless as trying to dry her hands on a shirt that was soaking wet from splashing into a creek.

Taking a deep breath, she attempted to think the situation through more carefully. Perhaps the most sensible move would be to try to open her door. Then, hopefully, she could roll out of the car after she fell.

Grabbing the handle, she pushed with all her might. Nothing happened. The door had been crushed and was impossible to open. She would have to go through the window, which would be challenging at best. The spot her body was hanging in was the only open space in the car. The passenger side door had been shoved into the console, which meant she would have to drop on her head, then contort her body so she could push her feet out the broken window and go from there.

Where was Rex?

Did he wreck his truck?

Her heart dropped when she noticed yellow, feral cat eyes slowly moving through the woods.

Rex.

She held her breath as he drew closer, and closer, until she could just make out his face. And teeth.

He was smiling.

Cate was left dumbfounded when the car door miraculously opened under his gentle tug. Without a word of warning, he reached inside and grabbed her arm, yanking viciously. Apparently he didn't notice the seatbelt holding her in place as he relentlessly jerked on her arm. Or that each time he pulled, it caused the belt to press more firmly against her neck. Then again, maybe he did, because he pulled harder and harder, forcing the belt deeper and deeper into her flesh, effectively choking her. When she turned pleading eyes on him, he grinned.

He was actually enjoying this.

Rex was about to rip her arm out of socket while her neck was being crushed by the seatbelt. She clawed at the canvas strap with her free hand, trying desperately to pull her other arm from his firm grasp. Her struggles and gasps for air had no effect on him, other than making him pull harder, which only tightened the belt around her neck. No air was able to enter her lungs and they were on fire.

Please, God!

Just let me breathe one more time!

Evidently it wasn't meant to be. After a few more minutes of struggling, Cate felt herself blacking out.

He did hate her enough to kill her.
Chapter Forty Three

As the last of her energy slowly dwindled away, Cate gave one final and valiant effort to save her life. After an exhausting struggle, she was able to turn just enough to press her left foot against the door frame and push backwards. It wasn't much, yet it was enough to give her a quick, fortifying breath of sweet, sweet air. As her lungs filled, she was able to focus on something other than her own mortality for a few seconds.

Now that her chest wasn't screaming for air, and she could think straight, she remembered that her legs were the equivalent of finely-tuned machines. She didn't do four sets of eight, one-hundred-pound leg presses at the YMCA once a week for nothing. With a vindictive grin, she drew back her leg and kicked him in the groin with the full power of her well developed thigh muscles.

All of the wind left his body in a rush of hot air as he released her arm with a satisfying grunt of pain. She immediately put both hands flat on the creek bed and pushed upward, trying to wriggle out of the belt.

Rex was occupied with rubbing his groin, yet a burning fire shone in his eyes. "It's looks like you've gotten yourself in a hell of a mess this time, doesn't it?"

"This is all your fault, Rex," she cried, struggling to squirm out of the belt. "Are you insane?"

He studied the darkening sky as clouds rolled in to cover the stars. "Did you really think I would allow you to turn me in on some bogus rape charge and ruin my reputation?"

"Bogus!" Cate was so angry her eyes filled with tears and her body trembled violently. "You could have killed me when you ran me off the road!"

"It would have been all your fault." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "You were going to the authorities with a ridiculous story about me raping you. I had no choice but to prevent you from reaching the police station."

"You did rape me! When a woman says no and you continue against her wishes, that's rape, no matter how you try to spin it. I hope you rot in prison for what you did to me."

"It looks as though you might be the one rotting, sweet Cate. I don't see you getting out of this death trap anytime soon." He sniffed the air and smiled. "Smell that?"

She could smell rain in the air.

"Regina has changed you, Rex. You would never have stooped this low before. You used to be kind and decent. You're nothing like the man I fell in love with."

Rex looked puzzled, cocking his head as if he were trying to understand someone speaking in a foreign language.

"What do you mean?" He looked truly confused. "I haven't changed at all."

"For starters, we were engaged to be married when you began an illicit affair with Regina. I wouldn't call that exemplary behavior on your behalf. Then, you... hurt me." She met his eyes, remembering the love they had once shared. At that moment, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I refuse to spend the rest of my life in prison for something as simple as making love to my fiancé, Cate."

"We did not make love!" she shrieked. "You raped me!"

"See, there you go. I know the sheriff and your dad are best buds. If he got wind of these false allegations against me he would throw me under the jailhouse. I can't allow that happen, Cate."

"Then you will have to kill me, because I intend to have my revenge."

"No problem."

A streak of lightning lit up the night sky, glinting off something in his hand. A knife.

A hunting knife.

He shook his head, rubbing his finger along the sharp edge. "It didn't have to come to this, Cate"

She gasped when the blade slashed through the air, cutting her seatbelt.

Before she had a chance to grab for something, anything, to break her fall, she crashed headfirst into the stream. A sharp rock penetrated her scalp as she struggled to right herself. Ignoring the pain in her head, Cate immediately rolled to the side, thrusting her other leg out the door in an attempt to stand.

She didn't make it.

Before her feet ever hit the sandy gravel below she felt his hands feeling around her head. She cried out when his fingers dug into her sore scalp, yet her cry of pain didn't even slow him down. He grabbed two handfuls of hair and yanked her out of the car as she crumpled in excruciating pain.

Once he had her free of the car, he jerked her to a standing position, by her hair. Her body had been upside down for so long that she swayed dizzily when she finally stood upright. Shaking her head, she put both hands up to snatch his hands away from her hair. He dropped his hands by his side, grinning as she massaged her tortured scalp. A mixture of water and blood oozed in a steady stream over her forehead and into her eyes.

Cate tried to focus on the monster before her in the dim light of the forest, plotting her revenge. She was about to knee him again, and make a run for it, when he shoved her against the trunk of a tree. Seeing stars when her head banged against the tree, she slowly slid down the trunk to rest on her bottom.

When she opened her eyes again, his arm was drawn back. The knife glistened in the car's headlights. "I didn't want to have to do this, Cate. Unfortunately, you are giving me no choice."

She had to think fast.

What were his weaknesses?

"I'm carrying twins, Rex," she whispered softly. "It would kill your parents if anything happened to their only grandchildren." He lowered the knife a few inches. "Your dad wants a fishing buddy and your mom prays for a little girl she can teach to cook and sew and parade around in frilly dresses. Hopefully, we can give them one of each."

His brow creased with confusion. "I've never known you to lie, Cate."

"No, you haven't, Rex. I'm not lying now. Together, we have made two babies."

"You're right about my parents. They are over the moon with joy." He sighed with uncertainty, raking a hand through his hair as he lowered the knife to his side. "Do you know when the babies are due.

She knew his dad's birthday was April 18th.

"According to my calculations, it will be around April 18th."

Or 5th.

Close enough.

"On my dad's birthday."

Bingo. "Yes."

Whatever Rex's faults, he adored his parents.

He dropped the knife to the ground, reaching for her hand to pull her to her feet.

"If you breathe one word about anything that happened tonight to a single soul, I will kill both of your parents, Cate. I swear to God."

A chilling wave of panic washed over her at his words. Words that she didn't doubt for a second.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

She nodded.

"Answer me," he snarled. "I need to know that you fully understand what I am saying. If not, you will be attending two funerals."

"I understand."

Picking Cate up, Rex carried her to his truck. It crossed her mind to run, but her head was throbbing so that she wasn't even sure she could walk. He sat her down on the passenger seat, his eyes giving her a stern warning about not doing anything stupid as he walked around to the driver's side.

Rex broke the speed limit driving back to her house. He either didn't seem to care, or he had a death wish. He took hairpin curves doing ninety mph, ran stop signs, and ran off the road only a few feet from a thirty foot drop off. Cate closed her eyes, praying harder than she had ever prayed before.

Neither of them spoke.

Rex parked his truck in her driveway and said, "Get out."

She was pregnant by a madman.
Chapter Forty Four

Cate was lying in her own bed, still fully clothed, with a strip of duct tape covering her mouth. Rex was sitting across the room, sipping from a glass of sweet tea and watching her closely. A brilliant flash of lightning lit the room at the exact same moment as his cellphone rang.

How was that even possible? A cellphone had never had service in her cottage before.

"Hey, baby." A smile of pure joy curved his lips as he leapt to his feet in a hallelujah pose. "What's up?"

Baby?

Regina.

Smirking at Cate, he put his phone on speaker. Apparently he thought it would torment Cate to hear his conversation with the other woman.

"Hey, sugar." Regina's voice was sexy, smooth as silk. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"No, of course not." His entire face glowed with excitement from just hearing her voice. Rex still had it bad for Regina. What a pathological liar. "What's on your mind? But first, why have you been ignoring my calls?"

"I... wasn't ready to talk yet," Regina murmured sweetly. "I've had a lot on my mind."

The wind picked up, whistling around the eaves in a way that sounded like a woman screaming. His smile faltered. "What's bothering you, baby?"

"Life, love, family. Mostly mistakes. I've made a lot of mistakes, Rex."

Cate could hear the longing in his voice when he whispered, "What kind of mistakes?"

"Breaking up with you, for one. I've come to the realization that it was probably the worst mistake of my life."

Rex couldn't be still, jumping to his feet to pace back and forth across her bedroom floor. "I thought so too." He was grinning from ear to ear with a familiar swagger in his step. "What exactly are you saying, Regina? Don't get my hopes up and then crush my very soul like you did before. I don't think I could survive that hell again."

"I would never do that to you again, Rex." Her breathless words almost sounded sincere. "I still can't comprehend what made me do something so outrageously stupid to begin with. Not when it's plainly obvious that I'm hopelessly in love with you."

He stopped pacing long enough to switch to his macho pose, which was throwing his head back and thrusting out his chest. "What made you finally come to your senses?"

"The thought of you falling in love with someone else, I guess."

If she didn't sound so desperate her words would almost be comical.

Evidently the poor girl's pride was too great to let it be rumored about town that one of her lovers had returned to his ex so soon.

Cate wasn't even shocked when Rex murmured, "Did you really think I could ever love anyone else?"

"I wasn't... sure what to think." Now she just sounded weepy. What a brilliant actress. Rex was falling for it hook, line and sinker. "Imagine my devastation when I heard through the grapevine that you went to dinner with your ex."

Rex suddenly stopped pacing, cutting his eyes toward Cate like he would kill her with his bare hands if she ruined this for him.

"I have to know the truth, Rex," Regina cried as though her heart was breaking. "Are you and your ex getting back together?"

"Getting back together?" He guffawed. "Are you serious right now? Of course we aren't getting back together. I was at the diner having a casual dinner with my parents when she walked in. I'm not going to lie, she pleaded with me to take her back, and while she was there she did claim to be pregnant with my child."

"So, it's true." Regina really turned on the waterworks then, although the wind was howling so that it almost drowned out her whining voice. "Oh, Rex, how could you do this to us?"

Us?

"Just listen to me, darling. I will tell you the honest to God truth. It's all a lie. Cate made up this elaborate tale in a desperate attempt to force me to marry her. Like I told her, point blank. She might be carrying a child, but it certainly isn't mine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I haven't touched her in over six months, not since you and I have been together."

"You can't begin to imagine what a relief it is to hear you say that. I could never marry you if I thought you had made love to another woman while you were engaged to me."

"Trust me, darling. No man would ever want another woman when he had you waiting in his bed."

"So the baby she is carrying can't possibly be yours?"

"Of course not. In fact, when she realized her ruse was up, she threw her engagement ring at me and walked out of my life for good."

"I thought it was probably a lie when I heard it." Regina had to be very confident of her sexual prowess, because she giggled. "As much time as we spend in bed, I doubt you would have the energy for anyone else."

"Exactly. Plus, have you seen her, Regina? She doesn't hold a candle to you in the looks department or in the bedroom."

Cate heard what sounded like her gas grill being thrown against the side of her house.

This storm was no joke.

"That's what I've heard," Regina simpered. "Rex, honey, do you promise you haven't been with anyone else since we've been together?"

"Yes, Regina." He lied through his teeth. "I do."

"Good, because when a man and woman have a child together, they are inexplicably linked to each other for life. As you know, I'm a very jealous woman, Rex. I couldn't take that type of stress in my life, with you running back and forth between us. Besides, I want you to be the father of my children, and only my children. I want us to be a family, just you me and our kids. Call me selfish, but I could never love someone else's child as much as I love my own."

"I wouldn't expect you to, darling."

"Can you come see me, right now? I need to feel you inside me. I have to know that you belong to me and only me."

"Of course I will. Allow me get dressed and I can be there in thirty minutes." Rex sighed a dreamy sigh. "Be naked and waiting for me."

"I will," she whispered. "Hurry, baby. I'm lonely."

Was he really going out in what she could only assume was an approaching tornado.

Placing his phone on the table, he walked over to Cate, viciously yanking the tape from her mouth. She cried out when the top layer of her skin went with it. "You lying, slime ball. I hope you burn in hell for all the lies you told tonight."

"As long as I get to fuck Regina every day for the remainder of my life, it will be worth it."

She knew Rex's moods. He was in a contemplative one as he walked over to look out her bedroom window, staring into the stormy night. He stepped back when the windows panes rattled from the furious tempest outside.

"This changes everything, Cate."

"No, it doesn't." She didn't like the sound of his voice, especially after the real Rex had been on display tonight. "You and Regina can get married and live happily ever after. She doesn't want stepchildren, which is fine by me. I wouldn't necessarily want my children around her to begin with. In fact, I will say the babies belong to someone else."

He turned on her then, infuriated. "You really are a stupid bitch, Cate. We've already told my parents that you're pregnant, remember? Do you honestly think they will ignore my children and pretend like they don't exist?"

Cate's blood ran cold as she whispered, "What are our options?"

"There is only one, really."

Suddenly the room grew colder. Rex rubbed his arms and turned to look at her with malice glinting in his ruthless eyes. "Why does it randomly get so fucking cold in this house. It's freezing in here."

Apparently, the witch didn't like where Rex's conversation was headed, anymore than she had when Kane had suggested that Cate abort her babies.

"We have to get rid of the babies, Cate."

Her heart rammed against her breastbone at his callous words. "Are you serious, Rex?"

"I have never been more serious in my life." He pulled a chair close to her bed, raking both hands through his hair before lacing his fingers under his chin. "Listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you. Can you do that?"

She nodded.

"Regina will always be the only woman in my life. I miss her so badly that I nearly lost my mind these last few days without her. I called her every hour on the hour, begging her to come back to me. In fact, tonight when I showed up at your door, I was suicidal. I only came to you in a useless attempt to get my mind off of her for a few hours. I thought a night of wild sex with you would do the trick. When you refused me, I lost my mind. I raped you because I couldn't bear the thought of going back to my empty house, alone, and possibly slipping so deep into depression that I would actually pull that loaded gun out of my nightstand."

Rex leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "Now everything has changed. Life is good again." He cut his eyes at her sharply. "Take it to heart when I say that I will not allow you to ruin my future with the woman I love, Cate."

His eyes had that dangerous glint. The same look she had witnessed when she was hanging upside down by a seatbelt. "I won't ruin it for you, Rex. I wish you and Regina nothing but happiness."

"Do you remember the ultimatum I gave you earlier, concerning your parents'?"

"Yes, I heard you loud and clear." He was clearly a disturbed man. She could only imagine what he might do if he thought she was double crossing him. "I won't tell anyone what happened tonight, you have my word."

"That's right, Cate, because you want your parents to live to see their golden years. Now I need another promise from you."

"What?" Cate's mouth was so dry she could barely utter the word.

"I want you to promise to get an abortion. I'll make all the arrangements. I'll even take you to the clinic myself as soon as we get an appointment. It shouldn't be more than a few days."

"What about your parents' Rex? They will be devastated. They're already planning..."

"Fuck my parents." He turned on her, his eyes shooting daggers of ice. "Regina is the only person that matters now."

Just agree with him.

"Okay, Rex."

"Smart girl. I'm glad to see you value your parents lives more than your own."

She could only nod.

"Oh, before I forget, I called one of my friends and asked him to tow your car out of the creek. He promised to hide it in his scrap yard until we decide what to do with it. For now, just file a claim on your insurance and report the car as stolen."

"I'm not going to lie to my insurance company, Rex!" Cate cried. "Are you crazy?"

"Whatever. Just tell any lie necessary to explain the disappearance of your vehicle." Rex glanced at his watch nervously. "I have to run now. As you heard, Regina is waiting. I'll call the abortion clinic first thing in the morning and let you know the day and time of your appointment." He actually had the audacity to lean over and drop a kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye, love. I can see myself out."

He really was insane.
Chapter Forty Five

At some point during the night, Cate finally drifted to sleep. It felt like she had just closed her eyes when she was awakened by the shrill ringing of her house phone. A glance at the clock informed her that it was 2:45 a.m.

Only bad news would come calling at this hour?

Had Rex gone after her parents?

"Hello," she mumbled sleepily.

All she heard in response were gasping sobs.

"Hello," she repeated. Half asleep, she hadn't bothered to look at caller ID.

"Cate? It's Rita."

Why was she so upset?

"What's wrong, Rita?"

"It's Rex." Her sobs increased in volume, sounding as though her heart was being ripped clear out of her chest.

"What about him?" Cate sat up in bed as an icy chill raced down her spine. "What has he done?"

"He hasn't done anything," she whispered. "He's dead."

"Dead?" Cate fought hard to keep her voice neutral and not allow her true feelings to show.

Was Rex really dead?

"He was so excited about becoming a father, Cate. His life had a new purpose. I had never seen my son so happy." Rita choked up, clearing her throat before she could continue. "Did he tell you that he had been looking at baby cribs online?"

"No." Cate held her tongue, refusing to speak ill of Rex to his mother, no matter how despicable his actions were. "What happened, Rita?"

"He worked late tonight." She blew her nose and hiccupped. "He was on his way home from work when a freak storm came up."

He was leaving her house?

"Lightning struck a tree, causing it to fall across the road. According to a state trooper on the scene, Rex must have swerved to miss the tree. He crashed through the guard rail on the Rocky River Bridge and drowned, Cate." Rita moaned for several minutes, unable to talk. "My baby drowned!"

Olivia and now Rex.

The second death.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Rita. I wish there was something I could say to ease your pain."

"There is nothing anyone can say or do to bring my son back," she sobbed into the phone, brokenly. "I just wanted you to know."

"Thank you for calling. I'm here if you need me, Rita." Hanging up the phone, Cate stared at the ceiling. She wasn't a bad person, yet, truthfully, the phone call left her feeling only one legitimate emotion.

Relief.

Three days later, even Cate's bone ached. She was sore from head to toe and her entire body resembled one giant bruise.

Rex would be buried today.

She had to go.

His family, nor hers, would ever forgive her if she didn't.

When they arrived at the funeral, Rita's eyes were almost swollen shut from crying, while, judging from his slurred speech, Reggie had needed a strong sedative to make it through the receiving line at church.

Cate hugged them both, moving on to offer condolences to the remaining family members, many of whom looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and pity in their eyes.

She and her parents took their seats in one of the middle pews. She adamantly refused to walk to the front of the church and view the body.

She no longer trusted the dead to stay dead.

"You two go ahead," she insisted. "I'll wait here."

After her mother arched an inquisitive eyebrow, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed her daughter's refusal to pay her last respects, she peevishly took her husband's hand and sauntered toward the coffin.

From her viewpoint, Cate could only see the tip of Rex's nose.

Thank God.

She read the bulletin from front to back while her parents waited in the viewing line. The picture on the cover was one she had taken of Rex last fall at Blowing Rock in Asheville. He looked so happy.

Her parents returned to their seats and the service began.

The choir sang Amazing Grace and Just as I Am and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. When the rustling of robes from the choir loft had died down, the pastor stepped up to the podium.

Clearing his throat, he peered around at the congregation. It was obvious to one and all that he was sweating profusely in the pleasantly air conditioned sanctuary.

The lady sitting to Cate's left nudged her and grinned. "He's sweating worse than a one legged hooker trying to work both sides of the street.

Her husband leaned around his wife to wink at Cate. "He's sweating worse than a sumo wrestler's jockstrap."

Even Cate's mom got in on the fun. "He's sweating worse than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs."

Not to be outdone, the town drunk, sitting behind them, leaned forward to say, "He's sweating worse than a nun in a cucumber patch."

The preacher cleared his throat again, cutting his eyes at the group of heretics, and swiping a handkerchief across his heavily perspiring brow. "Today I will address the importance of breaking a curse."

Wait.

Breaking a curse?

At a funeral?

Cate glanced over at her mother. She didn't appear startled by the pastor's choice of topics at all. In fact, she settled back in her seat, nodding along to every word.

Perhaps she hadn't heard him correctly.

Cate gave the pastor her undivided attention.

In a loud voice, he boomed, "I am here to confirm to you that curses are indeed real and they must be broken in order to receive healing."

Healing?

"A curse can be so powerful that only the Holy Spirit can break it. I'm not saying this to frighten you." Cate gasped when he looked directly at her. "But rather to make you understand the importance of ridding oneself of a curse before it's too late."

Cate's jaw literally fell open.

"The bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death, hell and the grave. He overcame all the powers of Satan, so that we, as born again Christians, are redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. The good book reminds us that only Jesus Christ has the power to break a curse in His name."

Was he warning her that only with God's help could she be free of the witch's curse?

The pastor left his pulpit and walked down the steps to stand in front of his flock. Meeting Cate's eyes, he intoned, "The Bible speaks of blessings and curses, which are both very real forces in the world. If you have been cursed by witchcraft, the door is open for Satan to attack your life. Every curse has a demon attached to it. It is this demon that will pour down his misery upon you."

The witch.

The pastor looked toward the ceiling, apparently for guidance, then back at her.

Before Cate was even aware of what she was doing, she mouthed the word, "How?"

"Close your eyes, ask God to hear your prayer, and repeat after me." His soaring voice echoed through the otherwise quiet church as he spoke directly to her.

She nodded.

"I renounce this curse in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ."

Cate whispered the words.

"During this, my darkest hour, I ask the Holy Spirit to join me. Father, I ask that you make me a blessing and take away the curse. I will get rid of any cursed objects in my possession."

She repeated the words.

Where did the insurance company take Kane's Jeep?

The necklace was in it.

"I ask that you, and the descendants of my loved ones, forgive me for anything I have done to bring about this curse. I forgive my ancestors and humbly ask in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that you break the curse that has such a powerful hold over my life."

As she repeated the words, she felt a tingling warmth rush through her body. She gazed up at the life size statue of Jesus hanging behind the altar and felt... love.

She screamed when the statue suddenly flew from the wall and crashed to the ground, landing a few feet behind the preacher. Hearing an unusual splintering sound, she glanced up to see a crack snaking down the wall of the sanctuary with large chunks of plaster falling from the ceiling.

In front of her, in the book pocket behind the pew, her bible burst into flames. Within seconds, every bible in the church was on fire. The horrified congregation was choking on smoke, scrambling to get away from the burning books, and wiping away streams of blood caused by sharp pieces of falling plaster.

In the next moment, the stained glass windows imploded and glass rained over the congregation. Children's cries were muffled as their parents shoved them under pews to protect their sons and daughters from flying glass. Cate held her hands in front of her face, afraid to open her eyes and witness what new horror might befall the terrified congregation.

After several long minutes had passed, she finally found the courage to open her eyes. The pastor was watching her closely as he mopped at the sweat pooling under his chin.

The room was as it had been earlier.

No damage had been done.

Cate released the breath she had been holding when the pallbearers left the front pew to surround the coffin. She wiped the sweat from her brow with a tissue from her purse as they carried the ornately carved mahogany casket outside to the waiting hearse for the short ride to the cemetery.

As he followed behind the coffin, the pastor nodded toward Cate. He proceeded down the aisle to stand in the doorway, shaking hands and speaking briefly with each person as they left the church.

When Cate passed by him, meeting his eyes and hoping for further instruction, he hugged her and simply said, "God be with you, and don't forget my words, Cate. You will soon need them."

What did he mean by that?

She knew there would be no more words of advice when he turned to the next person in line, dismissing her. "Thank you, pastor."

On wooden legs, she walked to the car, waiting in the backseat as her parents said their goodbyes.

On the ride home her mother was in a cheerful mood, considering the sermon. "What a lovely eulogy for Rex."

Lovely? "What were your thoughts on the pastor's message today, mother?"

"I agree with every word he said, darling." She smiled lovingly, a woman filled with the holy spirit. "Jesus does have a place for us in heaven, and it's a much better place than we are living in now."

Her father added, "I was especially moved when he reminded us that after we are welcomed into heaven, where the streets are paved with gold, the gates are made of pearl, and the walls are made of precious jewels, none of us would consider coming back here, even if offered the chance."

Not once during the service had she heard mention of streets paved with gold.

Her mother was looking at Cate in the rear view mirror. "As the pastor said, there has to be something more than the pain and suffering of this life. Something more than seventy or eighty years on this planet. Something more than being born, living, dying, and then being buried in the ground." She smiled a serene smile. "That something more is heaven."

Cate could no longer deny the truth.

She was going bat shit crazy.

Chapter Forty Six

After an early supper of arugula salad and her mom's chicken pot pie, Cate knew she was ready to return to her cottage in the woods.

It was time to end this.

Shortly after 9:00 in the evening, she parked her rental car under the shed, sitting quietly for several minutes and thinking over all that had happened in the last few months. She was lost in thought as she focused on her bedroom window. Was the witch inside the house, waiting for her? Releasing a pent up breath, she lifted her backpack out of the trunk and carried it inside, peering around the cottage nervously.

"I guess I should decide what to wear for my first day back at work?" she announced, ambling through the house to her bedroom.

Tossing her backpack on the floor of her closet, Cate began shuffling through the clothes, pulling a dress from its hanger only to toss it aside and grab another. None were quite what she was looking for.

"Aha." Stretching her arm as far into the back of the closet as she could, she pulled out a navy blue dress with an old fashioned white lacy collar and smiled with satisfaction. "This will do."

Spreading the dress across the foot of her bed, she began opening drawers in her dresser, shuffling and rearranging items to her satisfaction. When she finished, her trashcan was filled with perfectly good underwear, bras, and socks that she no longer had a need for. The remaining pieces were neatly arranged in increments of five.

Feeling a deep sense of accomplishment, Cate went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for bed. She closed her eyes, sinking down in the corner as the powerful jets of water soothed her troubled soul. She was sitting in the same spot thirty minutes later when the hot water ran cold.

Slipping into her comfy pajamas, she watched TV for about an hour, ate a bowl of Chex cereal, and went to bed. The temperature was still comfortable, not too cold.

There was no moon or stars out tonight and it was pitch black in her room, especially since the nightlight on the pole outside had apparently burned out. She made a mental note to call the power company tomorrow and ask them to send someone to replace the bulb.

She hated the dark.

Turning over on her side, she waited for about fifteen long, agonizing minutes, pretending to snore softly. In actuality, she was forcing her mind to contemplate what she might do with one billion dollars if the lottery ticket she had purchased that evening paid off. After coming to the conclusion that her first purchase would be a million dollar waterfront home on Lake Tillery, she decided that she had waited long enough.

Drawing in a deep breath to steady her nerves, she stuck her foot out of the cover, slowly inching it across the sheet. When she didn't notice a drastic drop in temperature, she snagged the clothes hanger of the dress she had laid across the foot of the bed and tugged it gently toward her hand.

Her grandma's old Sunday dress, the one she couldn't bring herself to part with, slid soundlessly to the floor. Cate pulled the metal hanger under the covers with her foot. Trembling from head to toe, her stomach was tied in knots to the point of feeling nauseous.

Although Cate was more terrified than she could ever remember being, she had to go through with her plan.

Venice had told her it was the only way.

The only way to save Kane.

The only way to break the curse.

Pulling the hanger close to her stomach, so she could grasp it with both hands, she attempted to straighten it. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as one might think. The thick antique wire was rusted and had been wrapped around the neck several times with a machine. It refused to budge no matter how hard she pulled. After struggling with the hanger for several minutes, she finally gave up as a single tear of frustration slid down her cheek.

Maybe it wasn't meant to be.

She couldn't have gone through with a self-induced abortion anyway, even if she had been able to straighten the clothes hanger. She had been fooling herself all along.

There had to be another way to break the spell short of bleeding to death in the process.

But what? She yawned, realizing how mentally exhausting her futile effort had been. Then again, simply breathing exhausted her these days.

In an attempt to get comfortable, and hopefully think of a solution, she flipped over to her other side. When she did, the clothes hanger slipped off the bed and clattered to the hardwood floor. The noise sounded amplified in the quiet room as the hangar spun several times before finally coming to rest.

Shuddering, Cate pulled the covers up to her neck, closing her eyes to pray.

Suddenly the sound of static electricity filled the room as three candles on her dresser flared to life, casting eerie shadows across the room. Rolling onto her back, Cate opened her eyes and saw the witch hovering over her bed. A piercing scream was torn from her throat as the witch opened her mouth and blew thick caustic smoke directly into her face. She coughed, choking and gagging on the acrid smoke and foul odor of charred meat.

Even though the witch's facial expression hadn't changed since the last time Cate witnessed her ugliness up close, she could feel the fury radiating from the entity like heat waves.

The witch glanced down at the clothes hanger and opened her mouth for a hideous scream that sounded like a thousand demons blending their voices together all at once. Cate covered her face as her heart pounded in her ears, terrified of what was yet to come.

When she opened her eyes the witch was in an upright position with her arm pointing toward Cate. The most terrifying moment of her entire life came when the witch smiled at her and began slowly floating toward the ceiling.

Cate felt something squirm against her foot.

Dear heavenly Father.

What now?

When she looked down her entire body seized with terror.

She saw... snakes.

Hundreds of them.

All shapes, colors, and sizes. They were crawling up the bed, and on her. Their tongues hissed out, tasting her skin before wrapping and twisting around her legs and arms. They slithered under the cover, under her pajamas, and into her hair while she lay paralyzed with fear.

When they began to cover her face she moaned and writhed on the bed, trying to get away, but she was tangled up in the cover. She couldn't move. Before she was over the horror of having hundreds of snakes hissing at her, she felt something biting her scalp with razor sharp teeth. She reached up and pulled a mouse out of her hair.

She threw the rodent across the room and watched it bounce off the wall before struggling to his feet to come after her again, his feral eyes gleaming. She cried out when she looked toward the doorway to see hundreds, thousands of mice streaming into her room.

They crawled on the bed, biting her legs, her arms and her face. The snakes moved to the side of the bed, making a path for the mice as they crawled over her face and every inch of her body, smothering her. She opened her mouth to scream and a mouse crawled into her mouth. Gagging, she grabbed it by the tail and hurled it against the ceiling. She felt them burrowing under the cover. The sound. The squeaking noise the mice made was driving her insane.

Cate opened her mouth and screamed until she was hoarse, yet they continued to gnaw at her tender flesh. She was still screaming when, suddenly, the cover was thrown off and she began levitating. The only sound she heard was the witch's demented laughter.

She was floating through the air. She glanced down to see the snakes writhing on her bed, raising their heads as they desperately tried to reach her. The mice were launching themselves off the bed, trying to grab her pajamas with their teeth.

Then she was upright, her body floating until she was directly in front of the witch, face to face. The witch opened a cavernous black hole that was her mouth and screamed into Cate's face. She felt... death fall over her like a veil.

All at once, a calming peace came over her and she began repeating word for word the prayer the pastor had taught her.

"During this, my darkest hour, I ask the Holy Spirit to join me. Father, I ask that you make me a blessing and take away this curse."

The witch backed up, hovering toward the ceiling. Louder and stronger, Cate shouted, "I ask that you, and the descendants of my loved ones forgive me for anything I have done to bring about this curse. I forgive my ancestors and humbly ask, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you break this curse."

The witch pointed a bony finger at Cate and she fell to the floor, hard, on a squirming carpet of scratching and biting rodents.

Cate remembered the crucifix that one of the protesters had shoved in her hand at the abortion clinic. It was on her bedside table.

With her heart threatening to bolt out of her chest and tears of agony streaming down her cheeks, she crawled through the mass of slithering snakes and squealing mice. They were under her pajamas, on her back and in her hair, biting, clawing and covering her entire body. When she was finally able to grab the crucifix, she held it in front of her and crawled toward the witch, screaming with pain as the rodents chewed through her flesh. She shouted to be heard above the deafening noise of the hissing snakes and squeaking mice.

"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.

With a shriek of rage that was almost deafening, the witch disappeared behind a thick cloud of choking smoke, taking the mice and snakes with her.

Cate rose on trembling legs, bloody, and in unbearable pain, yet grateful to be alive. Grabbing her purse and keys, and still in her pajamas, she ran to her car.

She was bleeding all over. Her arms, legs, face, and every part of her body was covered with bites. She stopped running, suddenly overwhelmed by such an intense feeling of loss that tears filled her eyes.

Feeling a warm gush between her thighs, she looked down to see a bright red stream of blood trickling down her legs.

She might have won her fight with Kizzy.

But her precious babies would pay the price.
Chapter Forty Seven

Cate drove herself to the hospital, doubled over in pain the entire way. Agonizing cramps ripped through her insides, making her temporarily forget the searing pain of the bites.

How would she explain her injuries to a doctor?

She called her mom, barely able to speak through the pain. "It hurts, Mom!"

"What?" her mom mumbled sleepily. "What hurts, darling?"

"I think..." Cate stopped, groaning loudly.

"What, Cate?" Her mom's voice became more urgent. "What's wrong, darling?"

"I'm having a miscarriage."

"You're what?" she gasped. "Are you on your way to the hospital?"

"Yes, but it hurts, mom!"

"I know it does, baby. Just keep talking to me while I put on some clothes and I'll meet you at the emergency room."

Fifteen minutes later, her mom was waiting at the emergency room entrance. She took one look at her daughter's blood soaked pajamas and stepped aside as an orderly rushed out with a wheelchair.

After Cate had been triaged and given a room, a nurse came in, her brow creased with confusion. "What were you attacked by, Miss Cooper?"

If she hadn't been in so much pain, she might have remembered to think of a plausible explanation.

"I was... um... camping and we were attacked by an army of mice?"

"How many?"

Thousands. "There must have been hundreds of them."

The nurse leaned over to shine a light in Cate's eyes. "We will need to file a police report."

"Do you have to?" Cate drew her legs into a fetal position as another pain tore through her insides, leaving her breathless.

"The doctor will be in shortly to order pain meds. However, to answer your question, yes, Miss Cooper. This was a vicious attack. You are literally covered on every square inch of your body with bites. This is a safety issue and the authorities will need to be alerted. If this had happened to a small child, it would have probably killed him."

Cate knew the answer before she asked the question, but she had to ask anyway. "Will I lose my babies?"

"I can't answer that." The nurse smiled patiently. "You will need to speak with the doctor. When was your last tetanus shot?"

"I don't remember."

"The doctor will most likely order one." She began typing on a touch screen monitor attached to the wall. "I'll need to cleanse and disinfect the bites."

Cate held up her arm. The appendage was angry red, and swollen. It no longer even resembled a part of her body. Her eyes had almost swollen shut, only allowing in a tiny sliver of light. A moan slipped from her lips when another cramp, much worse this time, almost took her breath away.

Finally, the doctor came in and ordered pain meds, a tetanus shot, and IV antibiotics.

Within minutes after an injection to numb her pain, it eased. Although groggy, Cate could still hear her mother's conversation with the doctor. "Is my daughter in danger of infection from so many bites?"

"She could be, if not for the antibiotics we will administer. Mice and rats are carriers of about seventy known diseases, such as rat Bite Fever. Humans bitten by rodents are also susceptible to tetanus infections.

"I thought she might need a rabies shot."

"There is a common misconception that rats are a major source of rabies infection. Humans get rabies from bats more often than any other species. Rabies transmission from rodents to humans is extremely rare."

"Thank God." Cate heard her mother's sigh of relief. "Will she lose her baby?"

Glancing at his pager, he mumbled, "I'm afraid so," before hurrying out of the room."

Though the next few hours were little more than a blurry haze of pain, at some point during the night Cate's body expelled the embryos.

Twins.

Was the nightmare finally over?

Would Kane live now?
Chapter Forty Eight

Cate sat in a chair beside Kane's hospital bed seven days later, a lone figure in a room filled with machines that beeped and whooshed and forced life sustaining air into his lungs. A glance in the bathroom mirror revealed that she still looked a fright. Most of the swelling in her arms and legs had gone down and the bites were healing nicely, although she still had the appearance of someone recuperating from a severe bout of measles or chicken pox.

Some of the deeper wounds had required stitches and were still covered with bandages. The ones that weren't, were shiny with antibacterial cream. She had passed enough strangers in the hall to realize that her appearance still caused children to stare and their parents to move as far to the other side as possible when passing her.

The EMTs were preparing to transport Kane to a long term facility when Cate leaned over to kiss him goodbye. "I will see you tonight when you get settled..."

Suddenly his eyes flew open, and he lay there quietly, glaring at her.

"Kane! Oh, my God! You're awake." Cate held his face in her hands, gazing into his eyes to see if he could focus on her. He did. "I have been so worried about you."

He slowly turned his head on the pillow, giving Cate a baffled look. Instead of, what the hell happened to your face? It was more like, why are you even here?

Didn't he recognize her?

"Kane, it's me, Cate."

Finally, she saw the recognition in his eyes. His brow furrowed in confusion as his gaze slowly raked over her face and arms, where the bites were slowly beginning to heal.

"I'm fine, really. It isn't as bad as it looks." Actually, it had been much worse. "I was in an accident. I'll tell you all about it later. For now, I'm just happy that you decided to open those gorgeous green eyes."

One of the EMTs stepped forward. "I don't guess we'll be making this transport after all." As they walked out the door, he added, "I'll send the nurse in."

Kane pointed to the ventilator.

Cate smoothed her finger along his wrinkled brow. "You weren't able to breathe on your own. The doctors tried, unsuccessfully, to take you off the ventilator several times."

He pointed to the tube, blinking rapidly. She understood exactly what he meant. He was confident that he could breathe without the machine this time.

The nurse came in and he repeated the motion, more vigorously. She glanced at his monitor. "You want us to remove the tube and allow you to breath on your own?"

He gave a barely perceptible nod of his head.

"The doctor will need to make that call."

His eyes narrowed, making it known to one and all that her answer was far from satisfactory. Lifting an arm attached to an IV tube, he pointed toward the door three times in rapid succession. The message he conveyed was clear. Then get the hell out there and go find him.

"Would you like me to page him?" the nurse asked sweetly.

Kane rolled his eyes, as if to say duh. Now that they understood each other, he relaxed against the pillow, raising his hand to give her the ok sign. When she set about plumping his pillow, he waved her away, giving her the universal sign for go, scram, vamoose.

"Okay, okay. I'm going." With a grin for her handsome, though ill tempered, patient the nurse left the room. Cate had never seen Kane so insistent about having his own way before.

Then again, she would probably feel the same way if she had a tube shoved down her throat.

After his examination, the doctor agreed that Kane could try coming off the ventilator. "The nurse informs me that you are in a bit of a hurry to have the tube removed. Therefore, I have already called respiratory therapy. Someone should be here shortly."

Kane blinked at the doctor.

He was listening to Kane's chest a few minutes later when the respiratory therapist entered the room and set about carefully removing the tube.

To Cate's great relief, he immediately began breathing on his own.

His hand went to his throat to gently massage his neck. "How long was I out?" After several tries he was finally able to croak the words, though they were barely above a whisper.

"Almost five weeks," the respiratory therapist answered as she pushed buttons and flipped switches to shut down the machine. It was eerily quiet in the room without the steady whoosh whoosh sound.

Once the therapist had taken her equipment out of the room, Cate moved to stand beside his bed. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been in a coma for five weeks," he croaked, quick to realize that his vocal chords weren't quite up to par.

His doctors wanted to keep him for another few days, to run more tests now that he was awake. They also wanted him to begin physical therapy to regain his strength as soon as possible. The doctors almost lost the battle.

Only the suggestion that the underwriters of his medical insurance might refuse to pay if he went against doctor's orders kept him in his hospital bed.

Cate returned to her cottage alone that night. At last, she felt like the curse was over.

Would the witch return?

She went straight to her bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink, pulling out the stick that verified her positive pregnancy test. Holding it tightly against her chest, she wept for all that she had lost.

Her twins.

Rex.

Olivia

Four deaths.

Kyle had said the curse would only be fulfilled after five deaths.

Venice had said the curse required five deaths.

Evidently, they were both wrong.

Unless Diesel could be counted.

Of course he could. She had loved him more than most of the humans in her life.

Cate knew for certain that she was no longer under the witch's spell when she went through the trash bag, returning her bras and underwear back to the drawer where they belonged.

The nightmare was finally over.
Chapter Forty Nine

Simon Seltzer, Solomon's twin brother, was 104 years old. He lived in an assisted living facility in Charlotte. Cate stood in the doorway as a nurse pointed him out, although she had immediately recognized that he and Kane were created from the same gene pool.

The geriatric man sat in his wheelchair, looking out the window as birds flocked around a feeder. Cate walked over to sit in a chair beside him. "Good morning, Mr. Seltzer."

He turned startled eyes on her. It was obvious that he didn't receive many visitors. Tugging on his shirt, he attempted to sit up straighter. "To what do I owe this pleasure, young lady?"

"I wanted to meet you, Mr. Seltzer." Cate held out her hand and he grasped it warmly. "I'm a friend of Kane, and Kyle."

"Ah... yes. My great, great nephews." He smiled at a pleasant memory, then frowned. "As different as night and day those two, just like all the male twins in the Seltzer bloodline. Kane is a dear, dear boy. He stopped by a few weeks ago, in fact. Are you Kane's girlfriend?"

"Actually, I'm his fiancé." She met his smiling eyes. "He proposed recently."

"Congratulations. You couldn't be marrying a finer man than my nephew." He tilted his head to look at her quizzically. "Why didn't Kane come with you?"

He had no idea that Kane had been in a coma.

"He hasn't been feeling well."

"I'm sorry to hear that. He's a fine boy. I've always been proud of Kane."

"And Kyle?"

"Unfortunately, Kyle took after my brother Solomon."

Kane had told her stories about his demented great great grandfather, but she wanted to hear Simon's take on his brother. "You make that sound like a bad thing, Mr. Seltzer."

"Solomon was evil, plain and simple. He was born without the capacity to love or show any emotion really, other than hatred." He reached for an oxygen mask and held it to his nose for a few minutes. "As his twin brother, I was most often the recipient of his nefarious deeds."

"In what way?"

"Solomon found pleasure in other people's pain. The only time I ever remember him smiling as a child was when he was hurting someone. My brother beat his women, his children, even his farm animals. Quite frankly, he was a man with an obsession for inflicting pain."

"He sounds like a horrible person."

"My twin was a bad seed, Miss Cooper. Just like every other generation of twins in our family. You have one good twin and one evil twin."

One good and one evil?

"When we were children Solomon shot me in the eye with a BB gun." He turned sideways to fully face her, so that she could see his shiny glass eye. "He cut off my big toe with an axe, intentionally, while I was sleeping. Of course he claimed that he was swinging the axe in the middle of the night and it slipped out of his hand."

"What a devious child," Cate cried.

"I woke up one night in excruciating pain to find my finger jammed into a sausage grinder. Solomon was furiously cranking the handle as the blades chewed off my finger." He held up his hand to show her that his index finger was missing down to the knuckle. "Of course, he alleged to be sleep walking that night as well." He paused to allow his words to sink in. "These incidents took place before we were even teenagers. Shall I go on?'

"No, I get the general idea."

"I thought you might." He shook his head sorrowfully. "Unfortunately my abuse paled in comparison to the torment Kyle has subjected Kane to over the years. Kyle was always jealous of Kane and wanted everything he had, from his business, to his house, and even his wife."

"Excuse me, but did you say his wife?"

"Kaitlyn had an affair with Kyle. That's why Kane divorced her."

"Kane was married to Kaitlyn?" Cate clutched the arms of her chair, feeling faint. She felt as though her throat was closing up, making it difficult to breathe. "Are you... sure?"

"Yes, dear." He gazed at her curiously. "I was the best man at their wedding."

"I... didn't know," she mumbled.

"You see, although Kyle was a brilliant engineer, he was extremely reckless with his money. When he got paid on Friday he would head to Cherokee to the gambling casinos. He would gamble by day and, from what I have gathered over the years, host drug-fueled parties by night. At any rate, he always stumbled home late Sunday night, broke."

Kyle had a gambling addiction?

And he was a drug addict?

"By Monday morning, he was borrowing money to make it until his next payday. He depended on his family for handouts, especially Kane. When he married, without a penny to his name, I allowed him to move into my cabin on the river with his new bride. He had nowhere else to go."

"You're a good man, Uncle Simon."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I was sorry to hear of Kaitlyn's passing. I grew rather fond of her when she was married to Kane. They rarely missed a Sunday without visiting."

Why hadn't Kane told her the truth?

"Have you ever heard of a woman named Kizzy, Mr. Seltzer?"

"Certainly. Kizzy Seltzer was Solomon's first wife?" His eyes danced at a long forgotten memory. "She was a real gem."

Dear God!

Cate clutched the arms of the chair and took several deep breaths to calm her rattled nerves. "Can you tell me about her?"

"Kizzy was a real beauty. If Hollywood had discovered her she would have given Betty Grable a run for her money."

The dream.

She remembered the lady on the beach that had reminded her of a famous movie star from the 1930's.

"Kizzy's only mistake in life was marrying a worthless excuse for a man like Solomon Seltzer. To be honest, the happiest day of my life was the day my brother died."

Wow.

"I tried to warn Kizzy before she married him, yet she refused to listen. Solomon put up a good front and was able to hide most of his brutal perversions when he was courting her." Simon shook his head sadly, gazing enviously at the patients whose family members still visited daily. "Kizzy thought she could change him."

"Did she?"

"No one could change Solomon. He was the devil's own spawn. The evil was bred into him."

"What happened to Kizzy?"

"She was asleep one Sunday morning in early April."

April fifth.

"Solomon had been out drinking and tomcatting with other women all night. He got home long before the sun came up and ordered her to get out of bed and prepare his breakfast. He wanted sausage, fried eggs, biscuits and coffee." Simon was quiet for so long that Cate wondered if his mind had drifted. "Kizzy informed him that they were out of sausage, but she could fry him some bacon."

Bacon.

"He became enraged because they were out of sausage and started knocking things around in the kitchen. He stomped around, throwing pots and pans across the room and shattering dishes."

"Her life had to be a living hell."

Simon nodded. "At the time, Kizzy was pregnant with their fifth child and dealing with morning sickness. She was forced to vomit into the slop pot before she could drag herself to the kitchen."

Five children.

The obsession with five.

"Apparently she didn't move fast enough for my brother that morning. He kicked her square in the stomach with his booted foot. She immediately bent over double, screaming with pain."

Cate's hands went to her own stomach, recalling the pain that had nearly torn her insides apart.

"After he kicked her, Kizzy felt something rip loose in her stomach and saw bright red blood streaming down her legs. She knew he had killed her baby. With a sudden burst of energy, she went after him in a rage, intent on clawing his eyes out."

Cate leaned forward, eager for him to continue. "What did he do?"

"My brother laughed at her, even as her life's blood was gushing between her legs. When the pain became too great to remain on her feet, Kizzy fell to the floor." Simon dropped his head, massaging his eyes with arthritic fingers. Solomon continued kicking his wife in the stomach and head until she eventually passed out. Kizzy basically bled to death at his feet."

Dear Lord.

"Unfortunately my brother was as selfish as he was cruel. He wasn't about to be stuck raising four motherless brats alone. So, in his mind, he did the only logical thing."

Cate shivered, afraid to ask. "Which was?"

"He set the house on fire, leaving his own children to be burned alive."

"How do you know this?" Cate cried, unable to imagine the untold suffering those sweet, innocent children had endured. "Who told you?

"Solomon told me on his deathbed, so I know it's true. He even asked for my forgiveness."

"Did you give it to him?"

Simon laughed, a harsh, chilling sound. "I told him my greatest wish is that he burns in hell for all eternity."

An ice cold breeze floated through the room as the plate glass window before them shattered and fell at their feet in a million tiny pieces.

Epilogue

Cate brought Kane home from the hospital to her cottage in the woods two days later. Home health would come three days a week to continue his physical therapy, however he was improving by the day. He was already walking without his walker, only holding on to a cane occasionally. When he wasn't walking, he was lifting hand weights to strengthen his arms. He had lost about fifteen pounds in the hospital and he was always ravenous.

He was out back grilling hamburgers as the sun started to set. Cate watched as he breathed a contented sigh, and smiled to herself.

Here was a man who was happy to be alive.

A man who was totally content with his lot in life.

Yet, he was a different man after the coma. He no longer lavished her with his love, or was receptive to her every need, or made her feel... special. At times, he was almost like a stranger. The doctor had warned her that these mood swings were to be expected, that his personality should return in time and he would be back to his old self.

She still hadn't asked him about his marriage to Kaitlyn. She hadn't found the right time to broach that subject. He seemed more on edge lately, short tempered, and she'd noticed his hands had developed a tremor.

She walked out the kitchen door to stand beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Is this what true happiness feels like?"

He put his arm around her, nuzzling the top of her head. "I finally have everything I ever wanted."

"Me too." She turned her face up, hoping for one of his soft kisses. Instead, he glanced toward the pond.

"Will you flip the burgers for a few minutes? I'd like to catch some bait so we can sit on the pier and fish before it gets dark."

The man loved to fish.

"We can have fried fish for supper tomorrow night." Cate smiled indulgently. "I'll invite my parents."

He grabbed the bait casting net and walked to the end of the pier.

Cate watched as he reached up with his right arm bent at an odd angle about chest high, and attempted to toss the net.

It didn't twirl through the air in a graceful arc and land in a perfect circle, as it did when Kane tossed it.

It fell awkwardly, plopping into the water in a wad of tangled net.

The End

To Order SEASICK http://a.co/2K9TIbE
Prologue

It was as hot as forty hells on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was also the tourist season in Avon and fishermen, sunbathers, kayakers, and lovers of pirate lore descended on the island in droves. Parents loaded down with umbrellas, chairs, and coolers danced lightly across the scorching sand, beside children who were complaining every square inch of the way.

Make no mistake, Callie loved living on Hatteras Island, unquestionably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Not so much the beach itself. She had been cursed at birth with porcelain skin, sky blue eyes, and strawberry blonde curls. Therefore, since melanoma was on her shit list, she was forced to smother her body with a thick layer of sunscreen if she so much as considered stepping out of the house. And a full day on the beach? Forget it. Unless she rented a canvas umbrella to cower under while everyone else frolicked merrily in the surf.

Most days she chose to sit in the shade on the upstairs deck of her father's canal house, as she was presently doing. A boisterous family had rented the property next door and the children were kayaking while two men loaded the back of a truck with, in her estimation, an excess of fishing gear for two men.

Having no desire to come off as nosy, she had just leaned back in her chair when one of the men turned, squinting into the blazing sun to meet her inquiring gaze.

His striking eyes were such a rich green color that she could see them clearly from the second floor. One head to toe glance at his well defined physique was all it took to convince her that he spent quality hours in a gym.

Callie's heart thumped a few extra beats when he raised his hand in a casual wave. Returning his neighborly greeting, she quickly dropped her nose to her laptop. She wouldn't care to appear overly captivated by his masculine presence.

He didn't need to know she hadn't been on a date in two years.

While the men climbed into a truck with their vast array of fishing apparatus protruding in every direction, Callie went inside to stir a bubbling pot of beef stew. Her dad would be locking his auto parts recycling shop and coming home for supper soon. She could count on one hand how many times he had been late for the evening meal in the last several years. She didn't expect today to be any different.

True to form, ten minutes later, she was filling two glasses with ice water when he climbed the stairs to saunter into the kitchen. The second floor was comprised of a kitchen/family room with the entire back wall being made up of floor to ceiling windows that made for a spectacular view.

"That beef stew smells delicious, baby girl."

She opened the oven door, giving him a whiff of the garlic bread that would accompany their meal.

Inhaling the delicious aroma, Gus rubbed his ever expanding stomach and sighed with pleasure. "I'm going to miss your cooking."

"Maybe you'll lose a few of those extra pounds the doctor has been pestering you about." Callie winked in an effort to soften words that she hoped didn't sound like nagging.

"Don't count on it. This is my vacation and vacation equals fun. Trust me, there is zero fun in counting calories." Walking over to the windows overlooking the canal, he gazed across the calm ocean. "I almost forgot." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a thin black rope. "I found something interesting today."

Busy plating the garlic bread, Callie briefly glanced his way. "What is it?"

"It's a necklace I found in one of the salvaged vehicles this morning."

The thin black rope was attached to a round, silver engraved disc with an inscription carved on the back.

Surprisingly, when she reached for the necklace, it warmed to her touch.

The

DARKNESS FROM WITHIN

Series.

STRANDED

SEASICK

SNOWBOUND

SECRETS

If you are a fan of historical romance, check out

my ten book bestselling series Curse of the Conjure Woman. The first book is free.

Lynna's Rogue

Lynna's Beau

Lynna's Promise

Lynna's Destiny

Jerica's Pirate

Clara's Song

Clara's Heart

Clara's Desire

Clara's Temptation

Clara's Forever

Note from the Author:

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