Sometime Yesterday

• Synopsis
  
• Acknowledgments
  
• Dedication
  
• Chapter One
  
• Chapter Two
  
• Chapter Three
  
• Chapter Four
  
• Chapter Five
  
• Chapter Six
  
• Chapter Seven
  
• Chapter Eight
  
• Chapter Nine
  
• Chapter Ten
  
• Chapter Eleven
  
• Chapter Twelve
  
• Chapter Thirteen
  
• Chapter Fourteen
  
• Chapter Fifteen
  
• Chapter Sixteen
  
• Chapter Seventeen
  
• Chapter Eighteen
  
• Chapter Nineteen
  
• Epilogue
  
• About the Author
  
• Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
  

Successful artist Natalie Chambers impulsively buys a Victorian house overlooking the Pacific Ocean after her divorce. Immediately, her dreams are haunted by Sarah and Beth, two lovers from the past and the Dark Man who controlled their lives. When she begins to look for explanations for the things going bump in the night, the only answer she can get from the locals is that several previous owners had fled screaming into the night.

Landscaper Van Easton hasn’t had a serious relationship since her partner died. Content to let women and alcohol distract her from her pain, she is surprised at the intensity of emotion that bubbles to the surface after she meets Natalie. Contracted to restore the gardens at Natalie’s house, she refuses to believe that the mansion is haunted. Until the ghostly Dark Man follows her home.

It appears he will stop at nothing to keep the new lovers apart, and the violence continues to escalate. Can they solve the mystery that will set Beth and Sarah free and banish the evil presence in the house? Or will the evil echoes of the past destroy them as well?

Sometime Yesterday

Brought to you by

eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

Please respect the rights of the author and do not file share.

Sometime Yesterday

© 2012 By Yvonne Heidt. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 13: 978-1-60282-721-9

This Electronic Book is published by

Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 249

Valley Falls, New York 12185

First Edition: August 2012

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Credits

Editor: Cindy Cresap

Production Design: Susan Ramundo

Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

Thank you. Those two words don’t seem nearly enough for the appreciation I hold for the wonderful people at Bold Strokes Books. Radclyffe, I will always be grateful for the chance you took on me and the wonderful opportunity I received from Jennifer Knight to be included in the NADF.

For the amazing Victoria Oldham, who gets me and always knows which button to push to make it all better. Without your encouraging words and understanding of my little quirks, I wouldn’t have come this far. I appreciate you.

As my senior editor, Cindy Cresap deserves a medal, really. I am grateful for the time and expertise you put into this story. It’s a fine art form to teach with patience and humor. All of my hair has grown back; how about yours?

Maralee Lackman, my BFF—who literally saved my life. Thank you for loving and believing in me.

Shelia Powell for the gifts you gave me. My personal journey is forever changed by the experience.

I would also like to thank my very first readers—Melody Starkey and Paris Honsowetz, who loved my story and hounded me for more. Without you, I would have never finished Sometime Yesterday.

Special love and thanks to Mom and Papa, for never giving up on me, even when you should have. Unconditional love and gratitude goes to my living children, Kerri-Ann and Daniel, who deserve much more than I could ever possibly give them in this lifetime.

Sandy—thank you for loving me unconditionally through all of life’s twists and turns. What a ride the last eleven years has been!

For Deserae Marie

My beautiful daughter

Who sends me love on the delicate wings of butterflies

“That which is dreamed, cannot be lost, cannot be undreamed.”

The Sandman

Good-bye, old friend. I know I said I would love you forever.
Natalie Chambers took one last look around the Tudor house she and her very recent ex-husband had shared. The movers had been in earlier and had taken all the furniture and boxes that she carefully tagged. Jason and his new wife, Tracy, would be back from their honeymoon at the end of the week. The only thing left to do here was say good-bye. She pulled on her coat, grabbed her keys, and leaned into the doorframe for a moment.

Natalie almost couldn’t blame him for being attracted to the beautiful coed. Almost. Tracy Chambers was everything Natalie wasn’t. Tall. Blond. Thin. Oh, and let’s not forget young, pregnant, and married to the man Natalie had expected to spend her life with. She locked the door and gave it one last loving pat.
I’m so sorry that forever turned out to be twelve years and a generous divorce settlement. If it’s any consolation, House, I will miss you more than I will him.
Natalie was surprised at that. Somehow, she thought she should hurt more or feel something, anything. Instead, she felt strangely relieved that this awkward and completely disappointing period in her life was over.

With her arms crossed against the wind, Natalie flipped her long ponytail out of her coat, wiped her tears with her sleeve, and walked to her car. She was ready to head into her new life.

*

Late that night, Natalie pulled into her new driveway. It looked different in the dark but she still remembered how charmed she was by the pink four and a half bedroom house. She instantly fell in love with the hardwood floors and little nooks. She’d thought perhaps here she could finally find her fairy tale. When she entered the third floor turret room that overlooked the Pacific Ocean, she was sold. Natalie smelled the salty air and could easily imagine that on a windy day she could feel its misty spray. It would make a perfect studio for her painting.

She also recalled how shocked the real estate agent looked when Natalie made an offer on the spot. She was surprised at that herself. She’d never done anything so impulsive in her life.

While Natalie stretched her stiff legs and back from the long car ride, she caught a movement from the second floor window. She stared harder and thought she saw the curtains move. Great, she’d been here two minutes and was already seeing ghosts. She was tired, not seeing things.

Natalie felt a pulse of fear as she inserted her key. There was a face staring back at her. She giggled when she realized it was her own reflection and let herself in. “Hey, honey. I’m home.” She called out in the foyer.

She was excited to finally see the furniture she had ordered online since the purchase of her house. She’d spent many hours on the phone with her best friend, Mary, deciding which piece went where. Now that she was exploring the first floor, she already felt like she belonged here. She stopped in the living room.

Hanging above the fireplace was an old oil portrait. Natalie rubbed her upper arms in an attempt to warm them from the chill that followed her inside and stepped closer. God, the woman gazing from the oversized canvas was gorgeous. She stood in profile, looking out a window. Tall and slender, she had one hand gracefully on the window frame and the other resting on the back of a chair. Natalie frowned. Something about her seemed familiar. Her long, dark hair fell loosely in thick curls to her waist and she wore what appeared to be a flowing nightgown. The glow of the moon outside the window made the material semi-transparent, outlining the swell of her breasts and her tiny waist. Her legs and feet were blocked by the chair. Natalie could see the woman’s individual eyelashes and the flush of her cheek. Her red mouth was set softly as if she were blowing a kiss to someone, perhaps her lover, standing beyond the frame. Whoever had painted this woman was completely enchanted with her. The attention to detail spoke of a woman cherished, a feeling Natalie had been waiting for most of her adult life. She checked for the artist’s signature, but it must have been covered by the heavy, ornate frame.

She was sure the painting hadn’t been in the house when she first viewed it with the realtor, nor did she remember purchasing it. The room was cold and Natalie rubbed her arms against the chill. She would have to ask Mary where it came from.

Meanwhile, she needed to find the thermostat and start unpacking the few possessions she’d brought with her. Even in the short time she allotted herself, Natalie was super organized. The car didn’t hold much of her former life. A small suitcase that held enough clothes until the movers arrived, a train case full of her makeup and toiletries, some jewelry that her mother had given her, and pictures of her family. Her art collection would arrive later in the week. She refused to leave one painting for the newly wedded couple to enjoy.

Natalie paused to admire the workmanship that created the slender curved staircase. She loved the details in this house, the intricate Victorian molding near the arched cathedral ceilings, the restored walnut woodwork that framed all the built-in bookshelves and graced every doorframe. She was elated to find intact beautiful stained glass windows throughout the house. She knew that in a very short time she would be able to make the house feel like her own.

Natalie caressed the glossy wood railing as she climbed the stairs. The large master bedroom was at the end of the hall. The previous owners had knocked out a wall of an adjoining bedroom to add more space and a luxurious master bath. Natalie could feel a breeze from beneath the door. She stepped into the room and found the front window wide open. Funny, she hadn’t noticed the window open when she stood outside. She took in the breathless ocean view. It was just past sunset with dark purple streaks in the sky, and blue twilight undulated on the ocean’s rolling surface. The waves were peaceful in their endless motion. She searched for the first star and made a wish. The very first of her brand new life. Natalie double-checked the latch before going back downstairs.