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Shaving equipment and toiletries were on the counter by the sink, and the old claw-foot tub Sandy had bought to replace the original one was damp. Sandy’s guest had obviously had a bath or a shower before finding himself mesmerized by the blood his imagination had conjured up.
    When Kelsey left the room and walked down the stairs, she saw that neither Sandy nor Mr. Simmons was in the main saloon area. She wasn’t sure if they’d run outside—
    or if Sandy had managed to calm him down. She pushed open the swinging doors and looked out at the street. No one there. Kelsey quickly returned to the kitchen and the table where she’d been about to drink her now-cold coffee.
    Simmons and Sandy were sitting there, but Simmons wasn’t drinking coffee. A shot glass and a bottle of whiskey stood in front of him. He’d apparently downed several shots already.
    Sandy and Simmons both turned to Kelsey. She shook her head. “There’s nothing there, Mr. Simmons. Nothing at all.”
    He gaped at her, disbelief in his eyes.
    “I swear to you,” she added quietly, “there’s nothing.” IN PROCESS EDITION - JAN. 10, 2012
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    He groaned, lowering his head, pressing his temples between his palms. “Well, that’s just great. I’m going crazy.” Kelsey drew up a chair next to him, setting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Simmons—”
    “Corey. Call me Corey, please,” he interrupted gruff ly.
    “Corey,” she said. “You’re not going crazy. You’re merely human, which makes you susceptible to the history of places like this. Everyone knows the stories about the Longhorn.
    You know the room was covered in blood at one time, and not that long ago, either. So, in your mind, you saw it covered in blood. You’re not crazy. What happened wasn’t a fun ghost story. It was reality.”
    “I should just not rent out that room,” Sandy murmured.
    Corey waved a hand in the air. “Not your fault,” he said.
    He gave them both a rueful grimace. “I asked for that room.
    I told the boys going to the rodeo that I’d be sleeping with the ghosts. I was a real hotshot. I didn’t know I had a crazy susceptible mind. At least…that’s what I’m going to believe, Miss…?”
    “O’Brien. Actually, Marshal O’Brien,” Kelsey said.
    “Kelsey’s been working with the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Key West,” Sandy explained.
    “A U.S. Marshal,” he repeated, looking at her as if she were some kind of alien life form.
    She smiled at him.
    “You don’t look like a cop,” he said.
    “Technically, I’m not a cop.”
    “But you…you do cop things.” He still seemed confused.
    “More or less.”
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    “Can a U.S. Marshal get my stuff out of that room?” he asked.
    “I can do that for you, Mr. Simmons. And I’ll help you find another location to stay, too,” Sandy told him.
    “Um, can you just put me in another room?” he asked.
    Sandy was clearly surprised by his request. “Of course I can. But you were pretty desperate to get out the door, Mr. Simmons.”
    “Corey,” he said again, smiling. He f lushed. “Ladies, I’m going to ask you to do me a massive favor. Never repeat the fact that a six-foot-three two-hundred-and-thirty-pound bronco buster ran out of his room screaming like a baby.” Sandy laughed softly. Kelsey shrugged.
    “Please,” he murmured, looking at Kelsey.
    “Don’t worry. I don’t really have anyone to tell,” Kelsey said. She checked her watch. “You two will have to excuse me. I have a meeting this morning. That is, if you’re sure you’re all right now, um, Corey?”
    “I’m feeling like the biggest fool in Texas, and that’s some mean space,” Corey said. “I’ll be fine.”
    “Good.” Kelsey glanced at Sandy. “You call me if you need anything. And, Corey, as soon as I’m back, we’ll see to it that all your things are moved to your new