Four

“Oh! I’m sorry. Please excuse me. I—I’m Echo.” Her thoughts were rattling around in her head like a lone penny in a child’s piggy bank as she blushed under his scrutiny.

“Can I help you?” She forced herself to speak, pushing the words past her constricted throat muscles. The sharp call of a meadowlark whistled in the distance and all the colors of the morning seemed to intensify.

“I’m Randall Halstead. You contacted my office.”

The timbre of his voice washed over her. She stood transfixed, not wanting to break the spell.

“Please, please come in,” she managed to say. Drawing in a deep breath, she took a step back, letting him into the hotel.

He removed his hat in a habit long ago forgotten by most men. His golden-brown eyes astounded her. His straight brows knitted together. “You wanted me to see about your mural?”

“Um, oh yes—the mural.”

Echo stepped to the side, allowing the good-looking man to enter the foyer. She pulled a cord hanging at the side of the drape she had artfully placed over the mural. Sliding back, it exposed the artist’s rendition of voluptuous flesh. Randall Halstead must think her an idiot. Why was she having such a difficult time communicating with this man?

“My God,” he cried in astonishment. “A Björn Nord painting!” Turning toward her, his eyes lit in excitement. “But what happened to the mural? It’s in terrible shape!”

“It had wallpaper covering it. This building was used as a rooming house for a while. Apparently, the women weren’t welcome.” She smiled shyly at him. “I suppose I damaged the painting in removing the paper.”

The lines of distress across his face softened as he looked at her. “Well, you couldn’t have known. And to think you called me!”

Randall ran his hand around the edges of the mural. “He was a master. I’ve studied his work for years.”

“Then you know this artist’s work?” Echo asked, cradling her arms. Something about this painting gave her the willies. Even in such bad shape, the women’s eyes pulled at her soul.

“It’s much more than that. I guess you could say his work is my obsession.”

Echo looked at him. “Then you’ll fix it for me?”

“I’d love to work on this but be prepared for it to take time—the condition of it, you know.”

She bobbed her head in agreement. Looking at him more closely, she saw that if taken on their own, none of his features were perfect. There were fine lines around his eyes and a small scar on his cheek, but put together, they were wonderful. “Well, Mr. Halstead, I guess all we need to discuss is price.”

Pulling a pen and small pad from his pocket, he began jotting down notes, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he studied the mural. “I wonder who these women were?”

“From what I’ve found out recently, they lived here when the house was open for business. I’ve done a bit of research since I found the mural by scouring the local newspaper office archives. They have papers dating back over one hundred years.” Echo tipped her head and looked at the painting. “The girl with the black hair is Lolly. I saw a picture of her in the paper. She came in on the train to wait for her fiancé and thought this place was a real hotel. The community thought that was quite funny.

Randall laughed, then stretched his tall frame, reached to an upper corner, and scratched at a flake of wallpaper. “That’s a funny story, but I’d guess she was horrified.”

“From what the article said, Lolly was appalled. But after her fiancé died in a mining accident, she ended up working here. Thus, her picture on the mural.”

“A lot of the women stayed in the community after a stint of living here.” He snapped his head toward her, his sparkling eyes open wide.

“Many of them became pillars of the community, and the stories keep circulating.”

“And they became well regarded in the community? Prostitutes?”

“They sure did. Many of the women who worked here found husbands and the families stayed in the area.”

“Interesting.”

Silence between them grew as he measured and jotted down items on his tablet.

The longer he pondered his estimate, the more nervous Echo became. If the repairs were too costly, she’d have him stabilize the work. She’d then cover it with an impervious material, and wallpaper over it again.

“So, what else did you find out?” he asked absently as he continued to study the mural.

“Not much, really. One day, they were just gone without a trace.” Taking a deep breath, she finally asked, “So, what’s the restoration going to cost?”

Turning, he caught her in his intense gaze.

“Oh, ten thousand should do it!”

“As in dollars?” Echo asked in total dismay. Where on earth would she get that much money? She thought of what wallpaper to cover the mural would cost. It would be minimal, and the mural would be protected until she could afford to have him do the restorations on it.

As he waited for her answer, he looked around the foyer and its unfinished state. “Is that a problem for you?” He turned to look at her.

Echo had to face reality. As much as she’d like to have the mural restored, she couldn’t pay for it right now. “It sure is. I have most of my money sunk into The Yellow Bordello. I can probably afford half of your price, but...”

Taking out a small tool from a little case in his hip pocket, he squatted down on his boot heels and scratched at a corner of wallpaper. He studied the wall for a moment, and then he looked back at her. His eyes followed the length of her, from her feet up over her knees exposed by old cutoff jeans, and slowly up to her face; she suppressed the urge to jump into an icy stream.

“Your hospitality for half of the fee.”

“H-hospitality?”

“Room. Board. Your company for a couple of months while I work on this.” He tipped his head toward the wall. His smile showed a row of perfectly straight, glistening teeth.

“Mr. Halstead,” she began angrily, “this isn’t the type of establishment that rents out women. My company cannot be bought!” Echo felt the muscles in her jaw jumping as she gritted her teeth.

A mortified look crossed his face as he stood. “No! I said that wrong! Please forgive me. I wasn’t thinking about that. I just would need a place to stay while I work on the mural.” Randall’s eyes grew wide, his face paled under the soft-looking beard.

“Oh,” Echo whispered, her face flaming with embarrassment, “since you put it that way, your terms are quite agreeable. Would you like a cup of coffee while we discuss this, Mr. Halstead?”

“That sounds great...and just call me Rand. Mr. Halstead is way too formal!”

~ * ~

“DID YOU SEE THAT?” Magnolia squealed with delight as she appeared in the lounge. “I loved the way he kept looking at her body.” She wrapped her arms around herself in an exaggerated hug.

Jewel came into view behind the carved oak bar. “Are you kidding? Of course, we saw that. Echo’s found herself a man!”

Magnolia leaned her peach satin-clad derriere against a table and laid her wrist across her forehead in a mock swoon. “‘Oh, Mr. Halstead, my hospitality?’” That girl wanted him to sweep her into the nearest bedroom and play her like a vio—”

“Quiet!” Miss Fire broke into the conversation, her spirit emerging slowly. “How many times do I have to tell you girls that we don’t want them to hear us? Besides, Magnolia, you are much too naughty!”

“No, no, honey, I’m not naughty, Echo is! He stirred her blood.” Raising a dainty eyebrow, she shrugged, tipping her head coyly. “I know these things. I saw her blushing and bouncing on the balls of her feet. That’s a sure sign. And I saw her pulse beating out of control at the base of her throat.”

“Now that’s how I wanted you girls to act around the customers years ago,” Miss Fire exclaimed, “but you couldn’t understand what I wanted.”

“Oh, we understood, all right, Miss Fire.” Lolly laughed, nervously playing with the end of her braid. “But I don’t think men looked like that when we were bouncing for silver dollars!”

“Lolly! I’m surprised at you,” Jewel cried, trying not to laugh.

“He sure is cute, though,” Lolly whispered longingly.

“Well, if I’d found one like that, honey,” Magnolia added with flair, “I sure wouldn’t be here right now. I’d be in heaven lovin’ him into our next lifetime!” She hoisted her thin, ghostly frame onto the bar.

“Oh, cut it out, Maggie,” Lolly said. “I thought she looked perfectly businesslike.”

“I know one thing for sure.”

All the ghostly eyes in the room turned toward Jewel.

With a romantic sigh, she continued, “It’s soooo wonderful to see two people in love.”

~ * ~

ECHO UNLOCKED THE CARRIAGE house door and flung it open. “It’s pretty dreary in here,” she said. “There has been little done to it.”

Rand stepped around her into the dark interior. He located the light switch on the doorjamb, switching it on. Light danced from a sparkling clean chandelier. The room had been papered in a masculine blue plaid topped with an animal border. The smell of leather filled the room from the handsomely arranged furniture.

Echo looked around in surprise. The spirits had been busy renovating and cleaning. She wasn’t sure of this older style of decorating, but it fit Rand Halstead.

She turned to watch Rand as his gaze roamed up toward the large loft above the living room and dining room, and he walked past the freshly waxed dining table and four chairs into the kitchen.

“This galley kitchen is more than I’ll need, since I cook little. Soup and sandwiches are all I fix for myself,” he said as he walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and found an array of cold cuts, salad greens and a bowl of fruit. “When did you fill the larder?”

Echo shrugged. This was another one of those strange things. She didn’t mind that someone else did all this work, but it was getting right down spooky!

“This is great, Echo. I’ll love staying here. Nothing else in town can compare to this. How about I take a little off the restoration price since this is much nicer than I had expected?”

“It’s better than I remembered, too,” she said as she looked around in wonder. “The loft holds the bedroom, the bathroom is through there, and,” she showed a short hallway, “that’s the entrance to the garage and storage.” She straightened her spine, closed her eyes momentarily and asked, “How much will you take off your bill?”

Rand looked down at her and smiled. “Half.”

“You’re chopping the already discounted price? Like I’ll only owe you two-thousand-five-hundred dollars?” Her words flew from her in a high-pitched shriek. “Are you sure?”

Rand crossed his arms and leaned back against the base cabinet. “You’re not excited about this, are you?” His laughter rolled, deep and resonant.

Echo avoided staring at the man. His sexy eyes glistened as he laughed. “I’ll leave so you can settle into your new abode. If you need anything, please, just ask.” She didn’t really want this encounter to end. But what could she do? “W-would you come over for dinner tonight?” The words flew from her before she throttled down her enthusiasm.

“That sounds fantastic, Echo. Just let me know what time and I’ll be there.”

He walked her to the front door, and she felt his eyes on her butt. She could always tell when a man did this.

“How close are you to having your renovations completed?” Rand asked.

“I have the third floor to paint and paper. It’s cleaned and repaired, but I just haven’t had time to get all the final changes completed.” She didn’t want to walk out the door and go across the terrace to the lonely depths of the mansion. Rand Halstead filled her with desire.

“Rand, there’s something that keeps pulling at the edges of my mind. Your name, it sounds so familiar. Did we go to school together? I can’t seem to place you.”

“Does the Sage High School lunchroom ring any bells?”

Echo shook her head, then a flash of remembrance struck her. “No! You’re not Randy!” she stammered. “You’re not Randy the geek?”

He nodded; a look of amusement played across his face, giving him a boyish look. A look that did not resemble his high school yearbook pictures. “No one has used that nickname in a long, long time.”

“We met a lifetime ago.”

He studied her for a bit. “Yes, we did.” He continued to stare, but a twitch at the corners of his lips belied the humor of the situation.

The deep, melodic timbre of his voice spread over her like spring honey. Echo looked out from under her black fringe of eyelashes and into his glistening brown eyes flecked with gold. Bedroom eyes. That was the only way to describe them. Her stomach fluttered, and she felt the heat of a blush creeping up her neck. It had been a long time since a man had nudged her hibernating hormones into wakeful attention. Her lips stretched into a tremulous smile as she dropped her wide-eyed gaze to the floor.

Echo felt as if an eternity had passed as she stood there totally flustered.

Suddenly, he looked away. “Oh, come on now. You’re embarrassing me.”

What a surprise—geeky Randy Halstead had turned into this gorgeous man. Never had she expected such a thing. Groaning inwardly, Echo remembered her most embarrassing moment in high school. The day Randy Halstead had asked her to the prom. And in the middle of the lunchroom, no less. In an era where her heroes wore their hair long and flowing, Randy wore his hair clipped short. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had thick-framed glasses and high-water jeans.

In her surprise, Echo had shouted out for the whole school to hear, “Go out with you? No way!” She had flipped her long black braid over her shoulder and walked away, leaving Randy standing by himself in the middle of the laughing crowd.

A week later, she had gone to apologize to him, only to find him acting cold toward her. He had been the one to turn his back that time as he walked away without a word. Randy must have felt humiliated, unbelievably. Regret about her reaction had plagued her for years.

“I—I’m genuinely sorry I was so rude to you back then.”

He laughed aloud, his head thrown back. “No problem. Your reaction cemented an idea for me.”

Echo’s black brows knitted together. “What idea, Rand?”

“I knew I had to change. And change I did. I came back that next fall with a new hairstyle, contacts, new clothes, and a plan for you, but you had moved.”

She grinned. “I caused all that, huh?”

Rand’s smile spread. “You sure did, and I never got to tell you thank you.” He hesitated, looked at her with his heated gaze framed by a thick fringe of lashes. “Thanks,” he whispered.

Echo saw the desire in his look, and it took her breath away. This was too soon, too intense. “Rand, now you’re embarrassing me.” She swallowed with difficulty before saying, “I’m leaving. I’ll see you later?”

He nodded, then said, “I couldn’t miss a nice dinner over at the mansion. Oh, what time should I be there?”

“Is seven too late?”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll see you then.”

Echo sensed his gaze still on her as she walked down the gravel pathway toward the mansion. Sneaking a peek over her shoulder, she nearly tripped over her own feet. He still looked at her backside, and she felt herself warming to the possibilities. The feeling of wanton desire confused and tantalized her at the same time. The piercing sensuality was like a song to her soul. She’d only come close to hearing that kind of sweet music once before, only to discover it had been off key and ended on a sour note.

~ * ~

RAND UNPACKED HIS DUFFEL bag, carefully placing his clothes in the top drawer of the heavy oak chest. As he reached the bottom of the bag, his hand touched a piece of paper. Dropping to the edge of the bed, he re-read the letter from his sister, Ann. She had been so angry with her husband, Paul. The man spent money without thought or planning.

The last time Rand had talked to his sister, Paul had just bought a fancy four-wheel-drive pickup that cost thousands of dollars. Rand felt his heart twist with irritation. He couldn’t understand her deep-seated need to run the family ranch in the tradition of the Old West. Ann had a career as a television newscaster, for God’s sake. She loved the land and adored living at the ranch, so he couldn’t fault her for trying to be happy. But the cattle market was down; no one was making any money now. Even the machinery Ann needed for swathing and baling hay had been damaged beyond repair.

Where in the heck did Paul get money for his fancy toys? Rand feared his sister would have to sell out, at the rate her husband went through money.

Rand dragged his fingers through his thick hair, pulling it away from his neck, letting the air reach the damp skin underneath. “Damn!” he said aloud, tossing the letter into the drawer with his folded T-shirts and jeans. The cold-heartedness of their mother’s will had caused this problem, and he couldn’t forgive her for that.

Why had their mother drawn up such a bizarre will, giving all the money to him and the ranch to Ann?

The will forbade him to use the money for ranch operation. As soon as he had received the inheritance, he had placed it with a broker, where it was drawing a nice monthly return. He didn’t need it; his restoration business afforded him a good living. He had called Ann last month to tell her of his plans to help fund the ranch out of those funds, and she had refused his help.

Well, he was going to be there when Ann got home. She couldn’t talk him out of this. No way. Tomorrow he’d talk to the family lawyer about the damn will to see how it had to be done. He didn’t need all the money. Ann certainly needed some of it to buy cattle, new equipment, and to hire some help.

Echo Brennen’s letter had been perfect timing. This carriage house would serve a purpose, too. He had planned to stay out at the ranch with his sister, but when he’d called Ann to tell her, he had gotten the old ranch hand, Wiley Grant, instead. Wiley had told him Ann and Paul were in Hawaii on vacation and had been adamantly against him staying there.

He shook his head in disgust as he flopped down on the bed and lay back on the pillows. It made no sense. Why in the world was Paul treating Ann to a vacation in Hawaii? Money was tight for them. Paul hadn’t worked since he and Ann had moved back from Colorado to run the ranch.

His gut twisted in a knot. Something wasn’t right. Rand pushed away the gnawing worry.

He smiled and clutched his hands behind his head. Mother, you’re gonna lose this battle, he thought, closing his eyes.

The ten-hour drive from Salt Lake City had taken a toll on him and he drifted off to sleep as he thought of Echo. She had blossomed from the pretty girl he remembered from high school. Now her beauty reminded him of a freshly opened rose, dewy, fragrant, and soft.

~ * ~

ECHO PULLED A STRIP of pre-pasted wallpaper from the wetting tray and moved over to the window seat in the third-floor bedroom. She was perplexed as she looked around the room. It needed something else. But what? The white-on-white wallpaper and the bleached wooden floor, once darkened from layer after layer of wood finish, caused the room to shimmer in the sunlight that poured through the huge bay window in the mornings. The solid surface bench cried out for a thick cushion that would be one of the last decorating items for the room. It needed color, and that’s where she was stumped. What color? And on what?

Her gaze moved from the room to the outside. She could see the carriage house from the window. All the windows were dark. She had expected Rand for dinner, but he hadn’t come. She was disappointed, but she knew better than to get all worked up over a man. No way would she let herself in for disappointment and heartache again.

Sighing, she went back to her project. Taking the wet strip of paper, she laid it on the plastic tarp covering the floor and folded it over. While it was setting, she climbed the ladder to take the measurements for the next strip.

The aroma of expensive cologne reached her as she neared the juncture of the ceiling and wall. It brought the thoughts of pine trees and balmy surf pounding against rocky cliffs to her mind. Many strange noises and aromatic traces of the past clung to the rooms of this old house, but this one was new.

“Here you are!”

“Oh!” Echo jumped as a man’s voice rumbled through her silent thoughts. “Rand...you’re here. I missed you at supper.” Rand walked into the room. He looked so good. She pulled a pencil from behind her ear, jotted the measurement on the plaster wall so she wouldn’t need to re-measure the area again, and slid the pencil back behind her ear.

She wiped a stray strand of hair from her eyes as she stepped down off the ladder. Oh, he smells so good too, she thought as she moved closer to him. He stood watching her, his hands jammed into his pockets. Her gaze moved up his body. He wore loose black jeans, just tight enough to show an outline of his thigh muscles. No, no, don’t go there, she thought, and forced her gaze to the silver, southwestern design of his belt buckle. A leather case attached to his belt held a small cell phone. Swallowing hard, she raised her eyes over his narrow waist and taut stomach to broad shoulders under a black T-shirt.

Sweat beaded along her hairline. He was darn sexy.

What had she told herself moments ago? She wouldn’t get worked up over a man. Even one who could pass for a sultry rock star? She doubted her strength.

“I fell asleep.” His smile glistened behind his slightly curled whiskers. “It was a long drive.”

“So, are you hungry?” she asked, her voice a lustful mixture of muted tones. “I fixed a plate for you and put it in the refrigerator in case you came by later.”

“You did? That was more than considerate of you.” His light gaze drew her in. She wanted to get closer to this man. She wanted him to make all her fantasies come true.

She squatted to pick up the booked strip. “Let me get this section of paper up and I’ll go down and nuke it for you.” Somehow, she had to get her mind onto something besides the desirable Randall Halstead. She suppressed a shudder, and the fine hairs on her arms stood up as a wave of cool air touched her.

Jewel spun around. Her ample hourglass shape had always taken up its share of room, and death hadn’t changed a thing. Had she just touched Echo as she walked past? From the startled look on the woman’s face, she knew she had. Miss Fire would surely get all huffy with her now. Jewel raced toward the window, trying to change the direction of the airflow into the room. Maybe if she moved fast enough, the girl would think it was a gust of wind.

Echo turned toward the window. Just a breeze from the evening, spring air blowing into the room, she thought. “It’ll just take a moment to put this strip on the wall.” She stepped onto the ladder. Reaching the top, she unfolded one end of the gooey paper, butting it against the strip already hung. She picked up the smoothing brush and worked the air bubbles out as she smoothed the paper onto the wall. As she moved down the steps of the ladder, she repeated the procedure.

Rand moved closer to the ladder and took hold of the dangling sheet of wet paper. “You smooth, I’ll undo it as you go.” Hesitating for a second, she resumed her methodological strokes. It was apparent he knew how to paper a wall. “Be careful. This strip has set for longer than I like, it’s really soft...”

The words had barely left her lips when a soggy clump of paste dropped onto Rand’s hand with an audible splat. “It sure is,” he laughed. “It’ll clean up easily enough.”

As they worked together, the textured strip was in place without difficulty. Stepping back to admire their work, Echo handed him her clean-up cloth. “I’ll get your food ready while you unstick yourself.” As she started out of the room, she motioned toward a lone sink in the room's corner, nearly hidden by the open door.

“That’s strange. Just a sink in the room?”

“Think about it, Rand. There was only one bathroom on this floor. What was this house used as?” Echo bit on her bottom lit to stifle a chuckle.

“Oh.” His face reddened as the realization struck him.

“See you downstairs,” she said, knowing he could hear the laughter hidden in her voice. The look she had seen on Rand’s face as she turned out into the hallway was delightful. He appeared afraid to use the sink, as if all the previous tenants were watching him.

~ * ~

LOLLY WALKED AROUND Randall, looking him over. He surely was a fine-looking devil. If she’d been alive, she’d give Echo a run for her money. She sighed dejectedly, then slapped her hand over her bow-like mouth as Randall turned to look around the room.

“Do you intentionally try to call attention to yourself?” Miss Fire demanded as she entered the room.

Lolly shrugged her thin shoulders. “Maybe I do, Fire. I certainly am tired of living in this limbo.”

“Land sakes, girl. Why don’t you just let all of them emotions rip and scare everyone out of the house?

Lolly’s eyes narrowed with anger. “Y’know, I’d rather watch them than watch the fly’s mate on the walls!”

“I swear! You two are kickin’ up a ruckus again. We have work to do,” Magnolia chided from the doorway. “I found the trunk in the attic. Let’s go.”

Lolly looked longingly back into her bedroom. This room was the one place in the hotel where she’d had time to herself. She’d never accepted gentlemen callers here. All that had taken place on the second floor. The third floor had been the girls’—and Miss Fire’s—home.

~ * ~

ECHO WATCHED RAND FINISH the black coffee from the stoneware mug she had brought from the cafe. He downed the reheated food with a hunger that only a man can show.

“I’ll take samples from the painting tomorrow,” he said, setting the mug down on a place mat. “I must determine the chemical makeup of the paint used. At times, Bjorn used milk paint. I hope he didn’t do that for this painting.”

Echo frowned. “Could you still restore it if it is milk paint?”

He nodded. “It would just take much longer. I’d have to order the pigment from a company in France. It’s the only place specializing in that base.”

Echo felt a rush of joy spreading through her as she silently prayed the paint base was milk! Was it awful of her to hope for the worst?

“Do you know their names?” Rand asked.

Echo chewed her bottom lip as she formed her thoughts. “They are four of the prostitutes that once lived here. The gorgeous redhead was the madam and the little one with white hair was her daughter, Juliet. Everyone called her Jewel.”

The ringing of Rand’s cell phone interrupted the titillating thoughts of him spinning through her mind. Should she leave to give him privacy, she wondered, as he answered the phone. But his next words stopped her before she could move out of the room.

“It happened in Kauai?” he asked in a flat tone as his face lost its color.

His hand trembled as he smoothed the side of his hair back over his ear and changed the telephone from one ear to the other. “Is she all right?” His tone seemed to beg the caller to say things were fine. Then he closed his eyes. A groan from deep within came rushing out. “Life support? My God! I’ll take the first plane out.”