Our Red Hot Romance Is Leaving Me Blue Read online

  “I don’t see the, uh, crystal vase,” Debbie Sue said.

  “I put it away,” Justin said curtly, his eyes on Sophia. He didn’t sit down. He crossed his arms over his chest and assumed a wide-legged stance. “I’m waiting.”

  After a few beats, Sophia scooted to the edge of her seat, her knees and feet tightly together, her palms coming together as if she were praying. Debbie Sue was thinking of praying herself.

  “Justin, I understand your concern,” Sophia said. “It’s a lot of money to spend on someone you know nothing about.”

  Justin didn’t budge. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m not spending any money until you prove yourself. Didn’t Debbie Sue explain that?”

  Silence. Sophia’s expressive eyes grew wide.

  Debbie Sue cleared her throat. “Justin, I told her you had agreed to pay for her trip here and back to El Paso, plus any expenses while she’s here. Meals and such. She usually gets her fee up front, but she understands that in this case, the fee is payable only if the results warrant it.”

  “That’s fine,” Justin said. “That’s what I agreed to. Sorry to come across as a jerk, but I don’t intend to be a sucker and allow a stranger with a crystal ball or access to the Internet coming into our…my home trying to make money from the death of my…my…” Turning away he walked to the back door and looked out, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His jaw muscles flexed. Debbie Sue feared he might break into tears.

  She didn’t know if Sophia would exit the room in a huff or break into tears herself. She couldn’t blame her for doing either. Before she could say anything to try to make everyone feel better, the young visitor from El Paso spoke in a soft, smooth voice.

  “Justin, to take advantage of your circumstances and make money from the loss of your loved one, I’d have to be willing to do the same thing to my grandmother. There’s no amount of money that could make me do that. She was all I had in the world.

  “The one thing I’m unable to do, Justin, is give you a guarantee. A mentalist is merely an open receptacle, a person who can sort of TiVo someone’s life. Or not. I have no way of predicting when visions will come to me, or even if they will come. If I saw things all the time, continuously, I wouldn’t be able to live in this world. I can only promise that I’ll share with you what I learn, when I learn it. I wouldn’t expect you to pay me if my performance doesn’t meet your expectations.”

  “Yeah,” Edwina said, picking up a mug of coffee. “That makes sense.”

  Justin’s shoulders slumped. He ran his fingers through his hair and turned from the door, looking at the floor. “You must think I’m a real jerk.”

  Sophia smiled. “Oh, no. I would never think that. Your reaction is normal and you’re being fiscally responsible. It was earlier this morning, on the road, that I thought you were a jerk.”

  Justin smiled and looked intently at Sophia. She beamed, looking back into his eyes.

  Debbie Sue exchanged glances with Edwina, who was holding her coffee mug suspended as if she were mesmerized. Edwina leaned to Debbie Sue and whispered behind her hand, “What just happened here?”

  Debbie Sue shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe that tequila’s a good idea.”

  “I guess you can go ahead and do whatever it is that you do,” Justin said to Sophia.

  Debbie Sue breathed a sigh of pure relief. The tension in the room had dissipated. With Justin’s blessing in place, she shooed him and Sophia out of the house so the Domestic Equalizers could get to work installing surveillance devices.

  thirteen

  Debbie Sue and Edwina stood in the living room surrounded by the cameras and audio equipment they had brought inside from the pickup.

  “Where do you want to put these?” Edwina asked, holding two cameras.

  Debbie Sue tapped her finger against her lower lip, giving the question some thought before answering. “Let’s put one over here, near the couch. We can mount it just above this family photo. That angle should be perfect.”

  “And the other?”

  “Well, Ed, I hate to tell you this, but I think it’s got to go in the kitchen.”

  “That’s what I figured. You put it in there. I’m not walking in that room again, ever.”

  Mental sigh. Debbie Sue might as well be pissing in the wind as try to explain to Edwina that if a ghost really was present in this house, it wouldn’t be confined to the kitchen. It would have the freedom to be anywhere it wanted to. “No problem. Give it to me.”

  The minute Justin had escorted Sophia Paredes out of the house he had become uncomfortable. He hadn’t been close to such a beautiful woman—or any woman near his age—since Rachel’s passing. He hadn’t so much as noticed another female, but he had to admit that even his Rachel had not been as striking to look at as Sophia.

  They strolled across the yard, with him nervous and searching for something to say. A part of him still felt foolish for agreeing to participate in such an off-the-wall venture. Finally he hit on a subject. “Uh, want to walk out to the corral and take a look at the horses?”

  “Sure,” Sophia said, and they began to walk toward the corral and barn. “What are Debbie Sue and Edwina doing in the house?”

  “Installing hidden surveillance equipment to see if somebody’s coming in and messing with things when I’m away from home.”

  “Oh. I thought they might have ghost-detecting instruments.”

  “I don’t think so.” He gave an uneasy laugh. “I’m not sure any of us believe in ghosts.”

  “I understand,” Sophia replied. They walked in silence a few more steps. “Must be hard on your husband, your being able to read his mind.”

  “I don’t have a husband. But even if I did, I probably couldn’t read his mind. I’m not a mind reader, Justin. I know it’s hard for people to understand what I have the ability to do. Sometimes I don’t understand it myself.”

  “So if you don’t have a husband,” Justin said cautiously, “do you live alone?” For some reason he didn’t want to hear she might live with some guy or might have a boyfriend. He chastised himself for having those thoughts.

  She ducked her chin. “Yes. Until my grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, I lived with her.”

  Justin heard sadness in her reply. He only hoped she wouldn’t cry. He might not be able to handle her tears. “So then, uh, do you make your living, uh…fortune-telling?” The question was the best change of subject he could come up with.

  She looked at him with wide hazel eyes framed by thick black lashes and he felt his pulse race a little. “I’m not a fortune-teller any more than I’m a mind reader. What I am, Justin, is an elementary schoolteacher. This past school year was my first teaching job. But if you need to attach a label to me, then call me a mentalist. Or even a spiritualist.”

  “Oh, sorry. I don’t know the lingo exactly for people who do…what you do.”

  “I know you’re doubtful and I don’t blame you. If I hadn’t had visions myself for many years and hadn’t seen my grandmother perform miracles from the time I was a small child, I’m sure I too would be a doubter.”

  They had reached the corral. The horses ambled over to the fence and one snorted at Sophia. “Does that mean he likes me?” Her face broke into a smile so bright it threatened the sunshine. “I haven’t been around horses much.”

  “They’re naturally curious,” Justin said.

  “It’s funny, yes? I was born in Texas. Most people think Texans live on horseback. But not me.”

  “These animals belonged to my wife,” Justin said. “When she was alive, she treated them like big pets.”

  “Debbie Sue told me about your wife. Her name was Rachel? She’s the one you want to reach out to?”

  Justin was stumped for a minute as to what his answer should be to someone like Sophia. “I don’t know if I believe that’s possible. It’s just that some things have happened…”

  Sophia placed her small hand on his forearm and to his dismay, he found her touch co
mforting. “Please don’t apologize for your doubts,” she said. “It’s the most natural thing in the world. The fact that you have opened your mind to the extrasensory possibilities reveals much about you. It shows that you loved Rachel very much. And she must have loved you. Did it ever occur to you that she might have turned her back on eternal peace to bring a message to you?”

  “No. Well, yes…I’ve wondered. Maybe.” God, he was babbling like a fool.

  “I’m so very sorry for your loss and I only hope I can help you. I do not want to bring you more grief.”

  A bloated silence loomed between them. He had faced the awkwardness many times after well-meaning people expressed their condolences, as if they didn’t know what to say next. Sophia’s words rang more sincerely than any he had heard up to now. With her soft words and gentle touch, like a cozy blanket, an odd sense of warmth enveloped him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt such tranquility.

  Then Sophia broke the silence with a cheery voice. “Tell me what you do know about these beautiful animals. I’m a teacher, but this time I’ll be your pupil.”

  Justin’s ego lifted a little. He knew little of horses himself, but he might know more than Sophia. “Well, look,” he said and managed a self-deprecating laugh. “This thing on their heads is called a halter.” He reached for one of the horses’ halters and brought the animal’s head around to the fence. The horse snuffled at Sophia and bared its teeth.

  “Oh, my goodness. I thought he liked me. Does he want to bite me?”

  “No, he’s, er, these are mares, so he’s a she. She’s just being friendly. Saying hello. Pet her nose.”

  Sophia delicately touched the mare’s nose. “I’d forgotten their noses feel like velvet. What’s her name?”

  Justin scoured his memory for the names he had heard Rachel call these horses. “Uh, Maxie, I think.” He was sure he had heard Rachel say Maxie, though he wasn’t sure which horse it applied to. “They’re registered, so they’ve got official names as long as my arm, but yeah, I heard Rachel call her Maxie.” Justin felt a half smile tip one side of his mouth. He was enjoying himself. Now, not only did he feel like a fool; he also felt guilty.

  “Oh, it would be so wonderful to know how to ride a horse. You must have been riding before you were walking.”

  “Well, actually, Rachel was the horsewoman.”

  Sophia continued to rub the mare’s nose and the mare responded by nibbling at her hand.

  “She’ll eat out of your hand,” Justin said, eager to keep this encounter and his good feeling going. “Let me get you something to feed her.” He hurried into the tack room, where bags of oats were stored and scooped some into a bucket. When he returned to the fence where Sophia waited, he told her, “Just put some on your palm and hold it out for her. But keep your hand flat so she doesn’t grab your fingers. She wouldn’t bite you on purpose, but if she caught one of your fingers accidentally, it would hurt.”

  Sophia laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. “I can see that. She has such big teeth.”

  Justin gave her a silly grin. “All the better to bite you with.”

  God, what was wrong with him? He was acting like a teenager. And he felt as if he had stepped into a vortex.

  With equipment tested, calibrated and set in place, Debbie Sue dusted her palms and announced, “Our work is done. Time for Sophia.”

  “Let’s give them a few more minutes alone,” Edwina said, plopping down on the sofa.

  “Ed, we’ve talked about this already. No matchmaking.”

  “What matchmaking? I just need one minute to rest my tired old bones. I’m no kid, you know.”

  “Your bones aren’t tired, Ed. You constantly use your age to your advantage. Depending on the situation, you’re either too young or too old.”

  “Guilty,” Edwina admitted. “I’ll bend anything to my advantage. It’s called a survival instinct.”

  “No, it’s called bullshit,” Debbie Sue said. She reached for Edwina’s hand and tugged her to her feet. “C’mon, let’s go.”

  “Can’t we just wait for them to come back?”

  “No, Ed. They probably went to the barn. I want to go to the barn myself. I want to take a look at those horses.

  “How do you know they went to the barn?”

  “Where else would they go? They’re not sitting on the porch in the rocking chairs.” She dragged Edwina through the front doorway and toward the barn, platform shoes and all. She spotted Justin and Sophia coming from the shed with a lead rope hooked to the halter of one of the mares.

  Despite what she had told Edwina about matchmaking, Debbie Sue had to admit that Justin and Sophia were a truly beautiful couple. Justin was tall enough to cause a woman no bigger than Sophia to have to stand on tiptoe to kiss him on the nose. And Sophia, with her luxurious black hair, her big eyes and her flawless skin, looked like something right off the pages of a magazine.

  Debbie Sue was sorely tempted to turn around and return to the house and leave them alone, but her own words to Edwina about matchmaking came back to haunt her.

  As if reading her very thoughts, Edwina said, “They look perfect together, don’t they?”

  “Anyone would look perfect matched up with either one of them,” Debbie Sue replied. “They’re so damned pretty.”

  Edwina smirked. “Told you so.”

  “Looking good together doesn’t make a perfect union. They’re not even looking at each other. Hell, Ed, Quint Matthews and I looked good together. We even had a lot in common. But that didn’t mean we were made for each other.”

  “I have to disagree. Other than Buddy, I can’t think of a better match for you than Quint, even if he’s a little prone to stray from the herd. He just needs a good woman to tug on his reins every now and then.”

  “A little prone?” Debbie Sue said, incredulous. “You’re blind as you are crazy, Ed.”

  At the corral, Debbie said to Sophia. “Okay, kiddo, the house is all yours.”

  Justin gave Sophia a wary look. “Exactly what are you going to do?”

  “I’m just going to feel for vibes inside the house,” she said. “I’m hoping someone from the other side will speak to me.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Hey, Justin,” Debbie Sue said before he could say more to Sophia, “would you mind if I ride one of your horses?”

  He opened the gate and allowed Sophia to pass through before closing it behind him. He looped the end of the lead rope over the fence rail. “No, of course not. That would be great. These are supposed to be pleasure horses, so they should be giving somebody pleasure.”

  Debbie Sue wanted to keep him away from the house so Sophia could do whatever she wanted in privacy. “I’ll make a deal with you. Let’s saddle both of them and you can ride with me while Sophia’s inside the house. These sweethearts don’t look too rank to me. I’ll teach you the basics of riding safely.”

  Justin hesitated. He hadn’t quite gotten around to revealing to Sophia just how little he knew about horseback riding. Finally, he agreed to accompany Debbie Sue. What choice did he have?

  “Okay, then,” Sophia said. “I’m going back into the house.”

  Justin couldn’t hide the scowl that crossed his face. Now that Sophia was actually down to doing something, he didn’t like it. But he had agreed to it. “That’s probably a good idea,” he said to Debbie Sue.

  Sophia turned to Edwina. “Do you mind if I go in alone?”

  “Oh, Lord, no,” Edwina said. “Hon, you’d have a hard time getting me to join you. I’ve already told all of you that this isn’t exactly my kind of fun and games.”

  “Edwina, I’m sorry I don’t have another horse,” Justin said. “If you’d rather ride with Debbie Sue, I can—”

  Edwina raised both palms in a gesture of protest. “Nope, you go right ahead. I had an adventure on a horse once. After that, I vowed the only horse anybody would ever see me steering is my ’sixty-eight Mustang. Far as I’m concerned, the fear factor
in horseback riding is a close second to communicating with ghosts. I’ll just sit right over there in the yard under the shade of that sycamore tree and have a relaxing moment to myself.” She plucked an iPod from her pants pocket and freed the earphones. “I’ll be just fine. Me and ol’ Merle or George will be right here when you get back.”

  Sophia walked back toward the house and Justin stared after her. He suspected his doubt and even his fear was obvious.

  “Ready?” Debbie Sue asked.

  “I guess so,” he grumbled. “But if I’m going to learn to ride a horse, I need to learn how to saddle one.”

  “Great,” Debbie Sue said. “I’ll show you.”

  As Sophia stepped onto the porch, the dog that had been resting in the shade of the eaves got up, stretched and sauntered to meet her. She wasn’t surprised that the animal took to her. Animals had a keen sense of oneness with second-sight powers. They, much like humans, could react with calm or they could bolt. She smoothed her palm over the dog’s head and spoke soothingly to him. “You stay out here, boy.” He dutifully seated himself on his haunches at the doorway. She rewarded him with another stroke to his head and ears and walked into the house.

  Standing in the small foyer, she scanned the living area. She liked the décor. She had inherited her home in El Paso from her grandmother. It was accented with the flavor and bright colors of Mexico, the country of her grandmother’s origin. Justin’s home was filled with ruffled curtains and pastel floral cushions. The living room was so inviting and had such a strong woman’s touch Sophia could understand why the previous occupant would be reluctant to leave it.

  Walking up the hallway, she stopped and looked at photos of various sizes and shapes with images peering out from antique frames. The images in the pictures had one thing in common. They were all smiling except for one—a man in various stages of his life stood out from the others, not because of his diminutive height but because, in every picture, he frowned. Sophia traced his face with a finger. A chill raced down her spine. Something about this person was so negative, so malevolent that the glass protecting the picture failed to shield the vibes. She jerked her finger away and dug her hands deep into the pockets of her skirt. She wouldn’t touch that picture again.