GhostlyPersuasion (2 page)

Katie scanned the document. It was a standard room
reservation except it had a balance due of zero. “Mom even paid for the room in
advance?”

“Payment was prearranged.”

“I see.” Katie wasn’t completely comfortable with Áine’s
answer but didn’t know what had transpired between her mother, the lawyers and
any of the staff at Tullamore. Knowing it would be pointless to argue, Katie
signed the check-in slip and slid the papers back across the desk to Áine.

“Very good. Here is your copy.” She folded the paper into
thirds and handed it to Katie. “Now let me show you to your room.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can find my way.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’m going to show you to
your room.” Áine looked offended that Katie had thought otherwise.

Áine put away the documents and produced a couple of card
room keys. She made her way around the end of the long counter. “If you’ll
follow me, please?”

Katie strongly suspected that was more of a command than a
request. Still, she grabbed her bag and followed Áine to the elevator.

“There are two modern lifts in the hotel. There is a much
older model in the family wing if you’re interested in a bit of history. Most
of our guests avoid using it however. You’ll also find stairs here to your
right.” She indicated a carpeted staircase that curved around the elevator
shaft.

“Tullamore has a lot of history,” Áine continued as she
pressed the button to call the elevator. “As a guest at the hotel, you’ll have
full access to the gardens and grounds. There is a brochure in your room that will
describe many of the activities in and around the castle. You can also call the
front desk if you have any questions or need to locate anything.”

The elevator doors opened, saving Katie from having to
reply. She followed Áine into the elevator but noticed the second floor was lit
on the control panel. If she had known that was as far as they were going she
would have suggested they take the stairs. It wasn’t as if they were dragging
luggage. Speaking of which, she hoped it wouldn’t take long for them to deliver
her bags.

“Your luggage will have been delivered to your room
already.”

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened as Katie
gaped at Áine. It took an effort to shake off the notion that Áine was reading
her mind. She hurried out of the elevator to follow Áine to her assigned room.

Not far away Katie found Áine sliding the keycard through a
lock and opening the door. She held the door open so Katie could pass ahead of
her.

Katie had assumed she would be moved to a regular hotel
room. She was unprepared for the opulent furnishings and the size of the suite
she had been given.

“Wow.”

Áine breezed in behind Katie and headed to the windows on
the far side. She pulled the curtains aside and let in what was left of the
sun.

If there was some kind of problem with the suite, Katie
couldn’t see it. And thankfully that included ghosts.

“You’ll be able to observe the main gardens from here,” Áine
said. “And, as I’m sure you noticed, you’ll have ready access to the lobby.”

“That will be nice,” Katie murmured, still enthralled by her
surroundings. She wondered if it was part of the original castle or a later
addition.

Áine crossed the room to an open doorway. “I’m afraid
renovations have not been completed in this suite. While the bathroom has been
completely redone,” she flicked on the lights, “the bedroom area has not.”

“But it’s lovely as it is.”

“Thank you. We have been preserving as much of the original
structure as possible with our renovations but we also want to ensure our
guests’ comfort. Many of our rooms now have thermostat-controlled fireplaces
that allow our guests to better regulate the room temperature. Wiring is also
being upgraded to incorporate current technology for all the gadgets everyone
carries these days.”

“I imagine I’ll be perfectly comfortable in here, even
without those things.”

“I certainly hope so. We do try to exceed our guests’
expectations.”

Katie, curious to see what the bathroom looked like, crossed
the room to the doorway.

“Oh wow.” There was sand-colored tile from floor to ceiling.
The sinks were white porcelain and the silver fixtures gleamed as if they had
just been polished.
This must be what bathrooms in heaven look like.

“I believe you will find everything you need in either the
nooks on either side of the mirror or the linen closet at the end of the
counter.” Áine pointed to a small door at the far end of the bathroom.

“I’m sure,” Katie mumbled, still dumbstruck. The enormous
tub in the center of the room held her attention.

“Many of our guests have reported that a long soak in a hot
bath using the lavender bath salts helped them unwind after their flights.”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful.”

“I will leave you to it then.” Áine headed to the suite
entrance then paused. “Your bags have been left next to the bed. Your room keys
are on the table next to the window. Call the front desk if there’s anything
you need.”

Kathie dragged her gaze away from the tub to respond. “Thank
you. I will.”

Áine nodded then slipped out, quietly shutting the door
behind her.

Katie took one more look at the tub. Oh yeah. That was
definitely getting used tonight.

“Oh my God, Jenny. You should see this place,” Katie
exclaimed into the phone.

“Is it as wonderful as their website showed?”

“Even better.” Katie spun herself around in the middle of
her suite. She was still in awe over the furnishings and the ambience and the
fact that she was in a twelfth-century castle. “They must have done a lot of
work to keep this place in such good shape.”

“I’ll bet. You do have indoor plumbing then, huh?” Jenny
teased.

“It looks like I have my own spa in here,” Katie said as she
trooped back into the marble-lined bathroom for the fifth time. “The bathtub
could hold three of me and the shower has one of those fancy waterfall
fixtures. Funny thing is, despite it being completely covered with stone or
tile, it’s not cold. I think the floor is heated somehow.”

“Oooo… Send me a picture so I can be even more jealous.”

“I hate it that Mom spent so much money. There is no way
this was a cheap trip.”

“Your mom loved you, Katie. Just think of it as her way of
spoiling you one last time.”

Katie sighed into the phone. “I really miss her.”

“I know you do. So do I.”

Katie sniffed back the tears she felt coming and forced
herself to focus on how wonderful her room was. “All right, I better go. I need
to see if I can get some sleep so I can adjust to this time zone.
And
I
don’t want to run up a huge phone bill.”

“Okay. I’m glad you made it safely.” Jenny yawned, making
Katie regret waking her up so early.

“I’ll let you know what I’m doing throughout the week.”

“Okay, sis. You have fun over there. And keep an eye out for
available, hunky Irishmen.”

Katie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. I’ll be sure I do that.”

“Send me pictures when you do,” Jenny said with another
yawn.

“Uh huh. Sorry to wake you. I’ll talk to you later.”

Katie clicked off her cell phone and dropped it into her
jeans pocket. She unpacked about half of her clothes as she dug around looking
for clean underwear and a t-shirt to sleep in. Her body was tired but she
wasn’t sleepy and the lure of the oversized bathtub was more than she could
resist.

She turned on the water, found a temperature she was happy
with then added some of the bath salts that were sitting on the ledge over the
tub. The smell of fresh lavender floated up with the steam rising from the
water.

If that didn’t help her relax, nothing would.

She dropped her dirty clothes onto the floor then kicked
them into the corner, out of the way. She made a mental note to find her
laundry bag later. Just before stepping into the decadent-smelling water and
steam, she remembered to grab an extra towel off the rack at the end of the
counter.

When she sank into the steamy bath she sighed with pleasure.

Now
this
she could get used to very quickly.

Katie allowed her thoughts to drift and float where they
wanted. Some of them were based in reality, like what she would need to do
about finding a roommate when she returned home. The others were nowhere near
being real. Her mind strayed to the idea that a hunky Irishman showed up in her
room and offered to rub away all her aches and pains. He, of course, would know
exactly where to touch her and would want nothing more than to spend all day
and night pleasuring her.

Then, after making love to her multiple times, he would
declare his undying devotion to her.

She snorted to herself.
Yeah right. And maybe monkeys
will fly out of my butt too.

It was a lovely thought however. Especially the part where
she had three orgasms before leaving the bathroom. Twice in the tub and once
while bent over the vanity counter. Her fantasy man was extremely talented.

Katie sighed as she stepped out of the tub. It was too bad
no such man existed outside of Jenny’s beloved romance novels.

As she dried off she thought about her last few boyfriends.
None of them had created that special spark she felt should have been there. As
much as she cared for her last boyfriend Alan, she was glad now that he had
panicked and broken up with her right before their college graduation. It hurt
at the time but, looking back, it had been the right thing.

She hadn’t told Alan about her “gift”. That alone should
have been a big indicator the relationship wasn’t going to work. If she didn’t
feel comfortable enough confiding that information, something had definitely
been missing.

After rubbing some lotion on, she slipped into a clean pair
of boyshorts and pulled a t-shirt over her head. With her hair wrapped in a
towel, she padded out to the bedroom. As soon as she had a clear view of the
four-poster bed she skidded to a stop, stunned by the sight of a strange man
lounging against the headboard.

“Excuse me, but what are you doing?” Katie demanded.

The man continued to stare up at the ceiling with his hands
behind his head as if he hadn’t heard her. He appeared to be deep in thought.

Katie was distracted from her irritation by the sight of his
wide shoulders. Her mouth went dry as she ogled the stranger. Even through the
linen shirt she could see he did more than computer programming or living a
life of luxury. He had a rugged look to him that said he knew how to work with
his hands and his body. Her eyes were drawn to the patch of bare skin exposed
by the open V of his shirt then down to the waistband of his trousers. His tan
pants looked as if they were part of a period costume but fit his long,
muscular legs nicely.

The way he was lounging on her bed with his legs spread
across the coverlet made her think that he had no plans to leave anytime soon.

She mentally shook herself back to the situation. There was
a man, although a very masculine and, well, let’s face it, a downright yummy
man, in her room. She didn’t know him and she certainly hadn’t invited him in.

“Uh, hello?” she said a little louder, trying to position
herself behind the nearest chair, hoping to hide the fact that she was wearing
very few clothes.

The man didn’t even twitch.

“Hey! You there.” Katie watched the man closely, looking for
any kind of response but his only response was a slight twitch in one foot.
“Can you hear me?”

Either the man was deaf or he had earphones in. His
reddish-blond hair was tied back, letting her see there were no cords hanging
down, but it was possible he had a wireless device. She hated to draw attention
to herself given her lack of clothing but didn’t believe she had another option
since her cell phone was sitting on the bedside table right next to the hotel
phone.

She checked the area around her for something to toss onto
the bed. If she could get the man’s attention she’d simply point out he was in
the wrong room and he needed to leave. There were a few breakable trinkets on
the bookshelf behind her along with, obviously, books. She spotted a small
metal dish within reach. Since she wasn’t sure how valuable any of the items
were, she opted for the item least likely to break.

The bed was only fifteen or twenty feet away so Katie
figured she could Frisbee the dish onto the bed, maybe even make it land right
next to the man. That should be enough to get his notice.

“Hey, Mr. Hunky Irishman! You need to get out of my room!”
Katie said in a much louder voice. Still no response.

Okay.
Katie stepped to the side of the tall-backed
chair so she could leverage the dish properly.
Here goes nothing.

The tarnished silver dish sailed across the span and landed
on the foot of the bed as she planned. Thanks to the flat, smooth bottom, the
dish skimmed across the bedspread and into the man lying on the bed.

Into the man. She blinked mutely.

Not up next to him.

Not bounced off.

Into
the man.

Katie gaped at him, unsure of what she was seeing. He looked
real. He appeared to be corporeal. He didn’t have the hazy, semi-transparent
body that she associated with most spirits. But the dish had passed through
him.

What the hell was he then?

As she stared, he turned his head and looked at her. Their
eyes met. Katie’s chest ached at the loneliness she saw in the depths of his
gaze. Before she realized what she was doing she had stepped around the chair
and was moving toward him.

He sat up suddenly and asked, “You can see me, can’t you?”

His native accent lent even more appeal to his deep,
baritone voice. Even though she heard the faint echoey sound she associated
with spirits, she had a very physical reaction. This was one of those rare men
she would gladly listen to as he read stereo instructions.

Katie gave a slight, hesitant nod. She didn’t like revealing
her gift but figured her face and her reactions had already given her away.

The man jumped up and crossed the room quicker than she’d anticipated.
With a squeak of alarm she darted behind the chair when he came to stand right
in front of her.

“Who are you? And what are you doing in my room?” she
demanded, pulling her courage around her like a cloak.

“Ah, lass, you have nothing to fear from me.” He spread his
hands out in front of him in a placating manner.

“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you very much.”

He tipped his head. “I apologize for startling you. It’s
been a good many years since someone other than the local specters could see or
hear me. My excitement got the better of me.”

“Yeah, well…” Katie stammered. “I can kinda understand
that.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, who are you?”

“Seamus MacDonhnaill.” He made a short bow. “Formerly of the
County Donegal MacDonhnaills.”

“Formerly? Does that mean you got kicked out of that county
or that family?”

He chuckled. The deep, rich sound sent ripples of warmth
down to her core.

“Neither, actually.” He cocked his head to one side and
regarded her. “I have simply considered myself a resident of Tullamore Castle
for some time now.”

“Ah.” The way he said
resident
make Katie think he
did more than live here. She cleared her throat nervously. “I, uh… I don’t want
to be rude or anything, but I’m not comfortable standing here talking with
someone I don’t know when I’m only half-dressed.”

Seamus’ eyes quickly glanced down at the chair that was
keeping her modesty in place.

“Would you mind stepping out for a moment while I dig out a
pair of jeans or something?” Katie asked. Seamus raised an eyebrow in question
but Katie rushed on, “I know it’s silly with you being…” She was at a loss for
words. She was guessing Seamus was a ghost. Just unlike any she had come across
before. “Uh, not quite solid, but I have a rule about being fully dressed when
I meet new people.”

Katie forced a smile on her face, even though she knew she
was bright-pink from embarrassment.

To his credit, Seamus didn’t laugh but he did a poor job of
hiding his smirk. “Very well. When you’re comfortable, simply open your door.”
Seamus moved to the door then paused and turned to look at her. With a
mischievous grin he added, “I look forward to meeting you properly.”

Katie frowned at Seamus’ back as he passed through the
closed door and disappeared from her sight.

She scampered to her suitcase and pulled out a clean pair of
jeans. As she zipped them up it occurred to her that while she had demanded to
know who Seamus was, she hadn’t given him her name.

That had been very rude!
Mom would have been
appalled.

Shaking her head in disgust over her lack of manners, Katie
dug in the pocket on the lid of her suitcase for a bra. She looked over her
shoulder to where she’s last seen Seamus, just to make sure he hadn’t floated
back in. Reassured that she was still alone, Katie unwound the towel from
around her hair and head then quickly pulled her shirt up and put her bra on.

Part of her wondered why she was even bothering. After all,
as a spirit, Seamus wouldn’t be able to do anything other than look. A flash of
warmth zipped down her spine at the thought that he would look.

It was a shame he wasn’t flesh and bone. She’d actually
consider taking Jenny’s advice if Seamus was the “hunky Irishman”.

Now that she was fully dressed Katie felt less exposed. She
went into the bathroom, grabbed her brush then she sat on the edge of the bed
and debated the wisdom of inviting Seamus back in as she brushed the tangles
from her hair. Yes, he knew she could see him but didn’t know the extent of her
gift. If he had an ounce of sense he’d ask, however. And right now, she didn’t
know what she’d tell him.

She was curious why Seamus appeared different than other
ghosts. If that dish hadn’t passed through him she wouldn’t have realized he
was a spirit. But there was only one way to find out.

A picture of Seamus’ face when he first looked at her popped
into her mind’s eye. In those brief seconds she had seen a loneliness so deep
it was painful to recall. What had he told her? He hadn’t talked with anyone
other than a few ghosts in a long time?

There was no way she could turn him away.

Besides, it wasn’t as if he were pox-ridden with weeping
sores or anything else disgusting. As a matter of fact, she found him a little
too easy to look at.

Katie took a deep breath and released it. Her mind made up,
she went to the door and swung it open. She was disappointed he wasn’t there.

She stepped out into the hallway and looked in both
directions. The only thing she saw was a full set of armor standing guard a
little ways down the hall, across from her room.

“Seamus?” Katie called quietly. There was no response and
she didn’t see him anywhere. Where would he have gone? She shrugged and stepped
back into her room, leaving the door ajar to let Seamus know he could come in
if he returned.