Do you believe in Ghosts?

 by Becca Dale

Do you believe in ghosts? Ever look at old photos and wonder if your ancestors are still around, clinging to the earth in a desperate hunt for closure? What if they could communicate with us—tell us their sorrows and share their joys?

For many that would be creepy or unsettling or even implausible, but it’s a question I ask myself frequently, especially this time of year. Is my loving grandfather hovering to make me and mine laugh from the shadows of death as he did in life? Is my great-grandmother still as feisty and determined to protect her fourteen children as family legends claim? I like to think they are. Well…most times anyway. I hope they turn aside from closed doors.

I learned recently that I am not alone in my confidence that spirits linger around us. According to a 2009 poll, nearly half of all Americans believe in ghosts and 1 in 5 have seen one. While I haven’t seen one, I have felt their presence around the family table, in the quiet by the fire, on the old farm place where I grew up…. My ancestors are very social apparently. :-D However, perhaps it is merely wishful thinking on my part. I may never know for certain, like anything that requires a leap of faith, but I do not doubt that there are things we cannot see or prove that are nonetheless real.

The characters in my coming release, The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door, may not at first believe in the supernatural, but that changes when faced with irrefutable proof of love beyond eternity. So do you believe in ghosts—are they scary or benevolent in your opinion? Leave a comment about ghosts or the Western Escape series below and you could win a copy of The Millionaire the day it releases as a Halloween treat. No trick—I swear.

AVAILABLE THIS HALLOWEEN

Do you believe in ghosts? Have an interesting story to tell? Follow the Rafflecopter instructions and  and one lucky winner will receive a copy of The Millionaire and the Girl Next Door and another Western Escape series title of their choice! You’ll be notified via email.

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Blurb:

Tired of chasing his family’s need for money and power, millionaire Jake Wescott heads to Freewill Wyoming and the beautiful piece of heaven that calls to him.

The girl next door, Christa Dunham puts family first, and she’s determined to protect them from the city boy before he ruins their hunting grounds or steals her heart and then walks away when the lonely nights get too long.

Neither of them expect the attraction that pulls them together nor the lost spirit who wants to drive them apart. Confronting the past leaves them both anxious to find a love beyond a lifetime.

Excerpt:

“Try this.” She tossed a crowbar to him, and the wicked piece of steel whizzed toward his head.

He dodged the wild throw. Irritated for a moment, Jake bent to pick up the bar then caught her checking him out. Her blatant appraisal made him want to forget the cabin and haul her off to his bed. She affected him too much for the amount of time he’d known her. Everything from her hair, just long enough for a man to wrap his hands in, to her tiny feet encased in chunky work boots turned him on. A smart man would kiss her until she gasped for breath, snuggled her soft curves against his chest, and let him strip her naked. Shaking off the inappropriate desire, he stuck the crowbar beneath the hinge pin and pried upward, but it slipped out of the niche he’d made.

Jake tried again, several times. Finally, she took it from him with a wry grin. “How do you dress yourself?”

He probably should have been offended, but since she treated him to a nice view of her backside while she bent to work the lower hinge loose, he didn’t see a reason to complain. Her faded jeans stretched when she moved and clung to her hips. His body tightened, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, desperately thinking of the boardroom and stockholder meetings to ward off the need to caress her rounded curves.

Chris worked until the hinges and lock gave way, but the door remained in place despite her efforts to push it open. She looked over her shoulder at him and lifted an eyebrow. “Are you going to lend some muscle or let me do all the work?”

“I don’t know. I could get hurt. I broke a nail this morning putting on my socks.” He held back a grin. Ready color brushed her cheeks and made her skin glow. She deserved to be embarrassed. The brat tried to make him feel incompetent at every turn.

“Smart ass.”

He chuckled. “Arrogant know-it-all.”

Chris turned to stand inches from him. Merriment danced over her face. “Worthless urbanite.”

Jake moved closer still. If she wiggled at all, her breasts would press to his chest. “Hick.”

Her gaze shifted to his mouth. Jake nearly groaned aloud when she bit down on her lower lip and swayed toward him. “Is that what you really think of me, city boy?”

A soft moan slipped from him as he steadied her with a hand on her hip. “Your brothers would gut and hang me from the nearest tree if they ever heard what I really think about around you, sweetheart. Sure you’re ready for the truth?”

Her eyes shifted to his mouth. Jake nearly groaned when she bit down on her lower lip, and Chris swayed toward him. “Is that what you really think of me, city boy?”

A soft moan slipped from his lips as he steadied her with a hand on her hip. “You’re brothers would gut and hang me from the nearest tree if they ever heard what I really think about around you, sweetheart.”