Dreaming Ivy. Rhonda Lee Carver

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СКАЧАТЬ man! She seethed. “Are you telling me what to do now?”

      He chuckled. “Lighten up. What’d you eat with breakfast? A shot of speed? The boards won’t hold our weight.”

      She knew her cheeks must have turned bright red.

      “Ahh. Finally quiet.” He snapped a pensive expression at her as he stepped off the porch and headed to his Jeep.

      Time seemed to stand still for Ivy as he grabbed his bag from the back seat and slammed the door. When he reached the doorway where she stood with her arms crossed over her waist, he said, “Regarding your crack about my job, all I can say is that not everyone’s a believer.” He swept past her and tossed his bag on the floor inside the door. “You’re a semi-believer.”

      She shifted in her heels. “What?”

      “I’m getting a good idea which side of the fence you hang on.”

      Her muscles tightened. “Is that right?”

      He scanned the entranceway and tried the light switch. It still didn’t work. “I know you’re not a fan of my work or my books, but I’m not convinced that you don’t believe in the spirit world.”

      “I’d believe anything with proof.”

      He went back to his car, unloaded more equipment bags and slammed the lift gate with one hand. She didn’t move from the doorway when he approached her. His gaze met hers in conflict. Tedious seconds ticked by until he finally snapped, “Excuse me.”

      She sidestepped. “Maybe we need to sit down and clear the air.” Ivy closed the front door with a loud thud. Then a thought caught her. The door that had barely opened for her was now swinging without any trouble.

      “Whatever.” He brought her attention back. He started for the stairway. “I can explore and listen at the same time.” He made his way up the stairs two at a time.

      “Fine.” She left the doorway. Her patience grew thin. The man’s ego was enough to cause her exasperation. She stomped up the stairs behind him, huffing and puffing. “Look, I understand you’re not keen on sharing this house with me for the next few weeks.” No response. She shrugged. “You know, I don’t find this a pleasurable experience, either. I think if we both want to survive this we should accept that we’re here together and make the best of it.”

      At the top of the stairs he paused long enough to glance down the hallway, then headed in the first open doorway. She watched him give the space a quick inspection. It was simply decorated with a chair and nothing else, and he seemed satisfied. “Mind if I take this room?”

      “It doesn’t have a bed.”

      “I have a sleeping bag.” He bent and unzipped one of the duffel bags he’d brought.

      Momentarily sidetracked by the way his jeans fit his backside as he bent, she shook her head. “Fine by me. I had my eye on the master bedroom.”

      “Great.” He pulled a small notebook from a side pocket of the bag and an expensive-looking camera from the inside.

      Max stepped back into the hallway. She trailed close behind. “You didn’t answer me.”

      “About?” He stopped to examine the wall, delicately pulling at the peeling wallpaper.

      “If it’s possible that we can find common ground between us and work together.”

      “We both know it didn’t require a response.” He scribbled something onto the notebook. “Do you have any experience in hunting ghosts?”

      Ivy laughed. He shot her a sour expression. He was serious. “No, I’ve never hunted a ghost before.”

      “Then you’re no use to me.”

      Ivy gritted her teeth. She squeezed her hands into fists until she felt the sting of nails biting into her palms. The man was incorrigible. A half an hour into this situation and she’d already had enough. She stopped walking and closed her eyes, taking a deep, calming breath. Eventually she’d verbally lay into him because no one could be expected to deal professionally with the likes of a man like Matt Shepard. He’d definitely give Marshall a run for his money. She opened her eyes in time to see that he’d come to a sudden stop, but not in time to keep from crashing into his broad back. She went bouncing backward and caught herself against the wall. He didn’t seem to be troubled by her impact as he made a quick examination of another room.

      Feeling slightly ignored, she squeezed between the space of the wooden doorframe and his large, muscular body. This room was much like the last. Insufferably bare. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped. She stared closer at the window. It had a thin horizontal crack. Along the top was a small vertical one, connecting the lines to make a T. Both lines were perfectly etched. “Did someone intentionally do that into the glass?” Ivy whispered as she strolled across the room and touched the splintered glass. It was odd. She couldn’t feel the crack but it appeared to be broken all the way through.

      The clicking of a camera interrupted her thoughts. She heard the soft shuffling of Max’s boots against the wood floor as he came up next to her. He bent and inspected the glass. With the tip of his forefinger, he followed the long, straight line. “Interesting.”

      Ivy got a whiff of his woodsy scent. She started to lean nearer, wondering what cologne he wore, but caught herself. Definitely not a good idea. She cleared her throat and looked past the broken window into the captivating view. “Wow. Beautiful.” A group of deer grazed along the edge of the woods. The clear blue sky seemed to go on forever along with the overgrown field dotted with purple wildflowers.

      “Nice.” Max snapped the view. “This is enough to make the blood pressure drop.”

      She started to nod in agreement when she realized he was latently referring to her as the reason his blood pressure was high. She turned and braced her hands on hips. “If you’re still sore about me hitting you, remember I did say sorry. I’d hardly say that was enough to cause your blood pressure to rise. I have made an effort to end this ridiculous attitude you are airing in my direction.”

      His voice was calm as he said, “The cheek still stings, but I’m beyond that.”

      Ivy wanted to say something, anything, but his piercing glare held her silent and the amount of space his massive frame dominated in the room made her feel…different. It wasn’t suffocating, but she had an uncomfortable, breathless feeling. His height towered over hers. No words formed on her lips. Her brain seemed to stop functioning.

      “If you’d like for this situation to work, I suggest you do your work quietly and allow me to do mine by staying out of my way.”

      “For your information, Mac–”

      One corner of his mouth twisted. “The name’s Max. Not Mac.”

      “Excuse me, Max.” She put blatant emphasis on his name. “You may not want my opinion–”

      “I don’t remember asking for it,” he said frankly.

      “You asked for it the moment you came in here presuming you could get by with being an ass,” she stated firmly.

      “Then please, by all means, tell me what you’re СКАЧАТЬ