Romancing a Ghost

By Autumn Aere

Jessie is running for her life...again. Fleeing her abusive husband late one night, she runs from her home with no money, no ID, no phone, nothing but the clothes on her back, which at the moment consists of a thin cotton summer dress and a pair of slippers.

Panicked, she tries to find a safe place to hide and figure out her next step. Stumbling across the old Haskins place, she realizes that it's the perfect hiding spot. No one would suspect her of being brave enough to enter a spooky, abandoned house that is rumored to be haunted.

Even vandals and neighborhood children don't dare to enter this creaky old Victorian home, but Jessie isn't afraid. She doesn't believe in ghosts. She figures the biggest threats in the house are rats and asbestos, and those are far less terrifying than her violent husband.

When Jessie crosses the threshold, she will encounter not only a ghost, but a ghost who will come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined and forever change her views on life, death, and everything in between.

Warning: This book contains references to domestic violence which may be disturbing to some readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Autumn Aere
• Release date: May 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781310176746

Autumn Aere

Autumn Aere has a thing for sexy, bad-ass guys who have a heart of gold, and sweet, sensitive women who eventually learn that they're much stronger than they think. When these characters take over Autumn's imagination, she has no choice but to write like a crazy person until their story runs its course. After double-checking their spelling and grammar, she releases their story for the world to see. Then she takes a very long nap.

Book preview

Romancing a Ghost

by Autumn Aere

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2016 Autumn Aere

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission from the author. Book reviewers may quote brief excerpts from the book for the purpose of reviews.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This story is utterly and completely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places or things is utterly and completely coincidental. Utterly and completely.

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

About the Author

Chapter 1

I ran for my life, my feet pounding against the dark sidewalk. I didn't even know where I was going. I was in full panic mode and I couldn't think straight, thanks to the wallop I had just taken on the side of the head.

I needed to find a place to lay low and plan my next move, but I couldn't come up with a single idea of a place where I would be safe. Not in this town. So I kept running.

Up ahead, the soft glow of headlights illuminated the road, warning me that a car was about to round the curve and come my way. I quickly darted behind some low, thick shrubs and waited.

As the car passed by, I wasn't surprised to see that it was a police car. It went by too fast for me to get a good look at the driver, but I would have bet money that it was one of Chuck's buddies. Chuck had probably called him to help capture me.

The car glided by quietly, no sirens or flashing lights. Trying to keep a low profile, of course. They wouldn't want to call attention to themselves.

Ironic. I didn't want to call attention to myself either. I couldn't risk being captured again. Not this time. Not ever again. The last time this had happened, I had suffered severe consequences for trying to escape.

When the police car was out of sight I jumped up and continued running, keeping an eye out for other approaching vehicles in case I needed to take cover again.

I still didn't know where I was going. All I knew was that I couldn't stay with Chuck anymore. I needed to get away. Or die trying.

The problem was that I had nothing with me. No money, no ID, no phone, none of my personal belongings. All I had were the clothes on my back, which happened to be a thin cotton summer dress and a pair of slippers.

I was starting to get really dizzy and it was getting worse the harder I ran. That hit on the head must have done some damage. Slowing my pace, I raised my fingers to my right temple and touched it gingerly.

There was no goose egg there, so that was probably a good thing. I looked at my fingers and noted with relief that there was no blood on them either. But I was still dizzy and disoriented. I needed to find a place to catch my breath and figure out my next move.

As if in answer to my prayers, the old Haskins place loomed ahead of me in the darkness. From the time I was a small child there had been rumors that this old house was haunted. It had sat empty and abandoned for as long as I could remember, and probably for long before that.

No one seemed to know who owned the land, or if there were any more Haskins that might be in line to take ownership of the house.

As I approached the house now, I once again marveled at its beauty. Cosmetically, it was a disaster. Peeling paint, broken shutters; everything that could sag was sagging. It looked forlorn and forgotten. But architecturally, it was a true beauty. An old Victorian style, the house had immense charm and elegance if you could look past the obvious decay and disrepair. It even had one of those cool turret towers on one corner.

In the back of my mind I had always held a fleeting fantasy of buying this house and restoring it to its original beauty. But not with Chuck. He was never part of the fantasy. This was just for me. I imagined living here by myself, baking in the sunny kitchen, harvesting fruit from the backyard apple and peach trees, and relaxing on the shady lawn on hot afternoons.

Shaking my head, I glanced around warily. I needed to stay alert. Chuck and his buddies would be out cruising around, searching for me. Standing here in the open in front of an abandoned house in a white dress probably wasn't a smart move. Anyone glancing out at the street would spot me immediately.

Looking at the house, I realized that this was as good a place as any to hide. In fact, it was probably the best possible place because no one would suspect I would be brave enough to hide in a spooky old house.

I had never told anyone, but this house didn't scare me. Even when I was a kid, I felt sorry for it, sitting abandoned and neglected for so long.

While the other kids were telling ghost stories and daring each other to run up and touch the front door, I was mentally rolling my eyes. I didn't believe in ghosts, not even when I was very young.

The worst things in this house were probably rats and asbestos, which were serious concerns of course, but I'd be careful.

Hurrying up the front steps, I cast an anxious look over my shoulder, but there was no one around. The nearby houses were all dark and the neighborhood was quiet. With any amount of luck, the front door would be unlocked because breaking a window on such a quiet night would draw attention that I couldn't afford.

Grasping the doorknob, I