Andrew's ghostly experience ~ Find a #BookBoyfriend ( @rmsotera @evernightpub bl0g h0p )

Today I'm sharing a new, free short story from Andrew's POV that ties into a scene in Wild West Hauntings. You don't need to have read the book to follow this scene since it stands on its own. Enjoy!

* Hi all. Andrew Mathison here. The folks on the ranch call me Dru. I mentioned in an interview the other day that I’d have a bit of a story to tell in regards to the most interesting thing that’s ever happened to me. So here it is.
* I’d been on the ranch for a couple of weeks, and over the course of days after Christmas, everyone had slowly filled me in on the poltergeist activity that occurred right before my arrival. At first I didn’t believe one word. How could I? My upbringing and science education always taught me such things didn’t exist. Rachel had thought the same way as far as I knew, but after hearing her story I can understand how she changed her mind. This ranch is some place. I was also told there are still ghosts haunting the area. Up until the night I’m going to tell you about, all I wanted to say to that was ‘bupkis.’
* And, I haven’t told her (or anyone) yet, but when it comes to believing in ghosts and the paranormal…I’ve changed my mind, too.
* Sure, when Rachel first told me about her dreams and visits from the ghost and poltergeist, I figured maybe the stress of finishing her masters and all that had finally got to her. But her sweet face showed no signs of deception, so how could I not believe everything she was telling me? Of course, I never even hinted that for a moment I thought she was full of it. Then last night I had the strangest experience. At first I chalked it up to it being a strange dream. That was until… Well, let me just start from the beginning, and you’ll find out what happened.
* After a long day of working on the ranch, I decided to lie down for a while before dinner. The sun, in its process of setting, cast an amethyst hue with gold highlights in the room. I shucked my boots, put my hat on the table and lay on the bed on my back. Furniture shadows grew long and thin, stretching toward the bed and eventually claiming me. I drifted off into the land of slumber (or so I thought) and dreamt I was taking a walk along a moonlit path on the property. The packed dirt trail wound its way through the scraggly brush and short thorny trees. Several minutes later I strolled closer to an area that had a mound with upright, curved stones on it. I don’t know if the force I felt was due to what Rachel told me or not, but it seemed as if a hand laid upon my back guiding me toward what I now saw was a cemetery.
* A light mist, glowing silver in the moonlight, surrounded the area. A cold breeze blew over me, but the power directing me cloaked my body and shut out the chill. I stepped up onto the small hill, gazed upon the gravestones. A semitransparent, white-ish cloud figure sat on one of the larger markers. Its presence startled me and stopped me in my tracks.
* Come to me, a male voice commanded in my head.
* I didn’t want to move. Yet my feet involuntarily stepped forward as if the wispy character had taken over my body.
* I shouldn’t even be here, the wispy figure stated. It has taken most of my energy to return. Please do not fight me. I need to show you something.
* My curiosity got the better of me. What did this ghost have to tell me? And why me? With a nod of my head, the pulling sensation ended, and I strolled over to him without coercion. The features of his face came into view, but still weren’t defined enough for me to know who he might have been. He motioned me closer still. The moment I was mere inches from him, he rose, reached out and clutched my shoulder. The icy touch sent frigid knife-like sensations straight into my bones. The scene before me wavered, lightened until brightness overtook me and the area. I blinked then shielded my eyes. When I dropped my hand, it was to a sunlit, bright blue sky day. The ghost-man was gone.
* Yet deep inside me I knew I wasn’t alone. Somehow I understood I was him, and he was me. We were still on the ranch, but it wasn’t the exact place I’d arrived at several days ago. The main house on the ranch didn’t appear as old and built up as it had when I first stepped foot in it, nor were the stables and round ring that I stood in front of.
* Rae’s coming.
* Rae? I wasn’t sure who he spoke about, but inwardly nodded anyway and fed off his excitement as we waited, looking toward the house. Moments later, a beautiful woman with red hair tied in a thick braid walked down a stone path toward us. A full length blue and yellow calico dress adorned her body. Extra pounds padded her but not enough to call her overweight. She blushed as she neared. A milky-white, round face with almond-shaped green eyes stared at me…us. Her features seemed so familiar. As if I’d seen her before. But how? I was clearly no longer in my own time or body, so could not have met her previously.
* “Dalton. So where is my present?”
* “My dear Star. Aren’t you the impatient one.” A rumble of a laugh bubbled out of the man whose deep voice I finally heard. “Come. She’s in the ring behind the stables.”
* So, the man was Dalton. My ancestor. Interesting. That meant Rae was…
* My thoughts cut off at her squeal of pleasure. She entered the ring and headed toward a beautiful, dun colored Appaloosa. From the Triple C, stated Dalton. Rae is beautiful, too, is she not? She’s my star, my love.
* “Oh, Dalton, she is gorgeous. Thank you for buying her for me.” Rae hugged the horse then skipped over and threw her arms around us.
* “You are quite welcome, sugar.”
* When her soft lips touched ours, I felt at peace…at home.
* Yes. That’s it, Dalton agreed. You know her soul as well as I and are connected to her. You and I are linked. In your world, your lifetime, you have a chance with her again. Take it and don’t let her go.
* Rae broke the kiss, and all the sudden a loneliness I never experienced before filled me. Before I could process the full effect of what was going on, a sucking sensation pulled on me, reminding me of the ocean’s undertow. I didn’t want to leave the Rae’s embrace, miss a moment of the love emanating from her.
* You won’t.
* Before I knew it, I was back in the cold graveyard. Dalton’s cloudy figure sat in the same place as earlier.
* Go to her. To the soul who is now called Rachel. Be with her. Treat her well. Love her with all your being as I loved her when she was Rae.
* The ghost, who once was a man named Dalton Dougan, rose, walked toward then through me. A chill racked my body. I turned, searched the area, but he was gone. Closing my eyes, I rubbed a hand across them and my face. When I dropped my hand and opened my eyes, I found myself back in my room on my back on the bed.
* Dream? One would think so. I did at first. That was until I realized my boots were on and my hat was hanging on the post of the headboard. Not a dream, but a message. At that point I believed everything Rachel had told me and in the paranormal realm. I no longer wanted sleep.
* I wanted the woman of my dreams who was hanging out downstairs with her sister. I went to find her, to tell her I love her, and I planned to take Dalton’s advice and never let her go.

Book Boyfriends...
They can be strong and sexy, dark and dangerous, rebellious and reckless or cute and quirky. We love to fall in love with these irresistible heroes and Evernight Publishing has them all!
The authors of Evernight Publishing invite you to a Speed Date challenge. Their cowboys, Doms, detectives, millionaires, royalty, vampires, soldiers, shifters, even steam-powered heroes are waiting to meet you on each author website. 50 heroes in 7 days! Are you up for the challenge?
Pull up a chair and get to know every single one.
And get this – There are prizes to be had! What’s up for grabs?
** One lucky hopper will win a KINDLE PAPERWHITE eREADER sponsored by Evernight Publishing.
** Every book blogger/reviewer site is giving away one free eBook from Evernight Publishing (winner’s choice of any eBook from Evernight Publishing’s website).
** Plus, each author offers their own unique prize! So visit each blog hop stop for a host of fabulous prizes to win. RM and I are going to give one lucky winner their choice of one signed print copy of one of our books along with something special that’s a surprise! Print books to choose from include: Wild West Weekend by C.R. Moss & RM Sotera - or - Cassadaga Moon by RM Sotera - or - Tracked by Casey Moss - or - Fate’s Deal by C.R. Moss (Information on these print books can be found on our websites.) OR ~ Should the winner choose, s/he can be put on a wait list for when Wild West Hauntings is available in print, which should be sometime during the summer of 2013. Also, if you're attending Hot Mojave Knights let us know and we'll put you in a second drawing for an extra special intimate event with C.R. & RM.
How to enter?
** Answer this question: What would you like to see in a contemporary western story? Be sure you leave the answer, your name AND your email address in the comments below to be eligible to win a prize. For extra entries into our individual blog prize, feel free to follow this blog via google connect in the column to the left and/or share this post via the share buttons under this post and let us know you shared.
Now what?
** Keep hopping to the next author or blogger. After you’ve met each hero click here to vote for your favorite book boyfriend. You’ll earn an extra grand prize entry!
- and -
You’re one step closer to meeting your next Book Boyfriend... Visit the links at the bottom of the first day's post click here for list.

RM and I have 2 novellas and a third novel length story in the works for this series. We're also planning a special intimate event at Hot Mojave Knights ~ A Romance Readers' Event in Las Vegas regarding our Wild West series of books! So come out, meet us, enjoy the weekend and find out what we have planned for the series. And if you follow this blog and the C.R.'s Blog, keep an eye out for upcoming blog h0ps for prizes and an extra special HMK prize from me and RM Sotera. ;)