Read Happy Medium: (Intermix) for Free Online

things I can touch and hold. I’m not big on intangible stuff.”
    For a moment the silence in the room seemed to take on weight.
Things I can touch and hold.
He suddenly had an almost irresistible impulse to run his hands along her arms. To know the feel of that creamy skin, cool first, then warm, then . . .
    Whoa.
He took another deep breath. This was Emma Shea he was thinking about. Gabrielle DeVere’s buttoned-up assistant. Time to yank his libido back under control.
    “But you’re letting us set up here.” Her voice sounded slightly hoarse all of a sudden.
    It took him a moment to remember what they’d been talking about. “And being well paid for it. Let’s just say if you find anything here, I’ll be very surprised.”
    Outside in the backyard an evening wind rattled the leaves. He could hear an owl muttering in the oak tree.
    Emma gave him a faint smile. “In the movies that would be asking for it.”
    “Maybe so.” He pushed himself to his feet, stepping close enough to hear the slight rasp of her breath. “Want to see anything else?” He had a sudden vision of his bedroom upstairs, cool and dark in the late afternoon.
    She shook her head. “I’m good.”
    Yeah, babe, I’ll bet you are.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Time to get a grip. Emma Shea was a nice-looking woman, although right now she was a little the worse for wear. But she wasn’t the first nice-looking woman he’d seen. And he hadn’t exactly been living on an oil rig for the past six months. He wasn’t sure why he was having this reaction.
    If everything she said made him think of sex, he probably needed a cold shower. “Okay, then. I’ll work on getting the parlor into shape. I think this room’s already set.”
    She nodded. “I’ll find a table and chairs we can use. Will you be around if I have them delivered?”
    “Yeah, sure.” He started back toward the door, hoping she’d follow. After a moment, she did.
    She paused at the front door. “Well . . .”
    “Well. Let me know when she wants to do that dry run.”
Run along now, sweetheart. Before I do something that gets us both in trouble
.
    “I will.” She gave him a slow smile, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Then she shrugged. “I’ll be talking to you.”
    He watched her walk back toward her car, her hips swinging slightly in her slim gray skirt. Not the exaggerated saunter that DeVere had used, but a hundred times more enticing.
    In the yard, mourning doves murmured in the darkening pecan trees. He could hear children’s voices further down the street. A couple walked by, their arms around each other, taking in the cooler twilight air.
    Nice neighborhood. Nice yard. Nice house.
    He turned to go back inside, then paused.
    No. The house wasn’t nice. It was passable, and it would probably bring a healthy price when they finally sold it. But
nice
did not describe it. In fact, something about the hulking façade tonight made his shoulders itch.
    On the other hand, it suddenly struck him as a great place for a séance.

Chapter 3
    Ray’s phone rang at some ungodly hour the next morning. He checked his cell phone on the cardboard moving box he was using for a bedside table. Eight fifteen. Well, maybe not that ungodly after all.
    He hadn’t slept particularly well the night before. He couldn’t remember the dreams, but they hadn’t been restful. And he knew for a fact that Emma Shea had shown up in several. Not a good sign, considering they were going to be spending more time together.
    He checked the number for the call as the ringing stopped. Rosie.
Oh yeah, even better.
    His brother Danny was on the road for a couple of weeks with his girlfriend’s band. His folks were taking a month’s vacation on a cruise to Alaska. That left only one member of his family in San Antonio to pester him—his sister, Rosie. Who had just left him a relatively brief, definitely threatening voicemail. He hit redial.
    “Raymundo,” she purred after two