Shiver and Spice

Dax vicknair carried another heavy box out of the plantation and placed it against the others already lining the majority of his brother-in-law's truck. Ryan Chappelle, the brother-in-law in question, merely shook his head and grinned. "How much more does she have in--" He stopped speaking and hustled toward the porch, where Monique was attempting to carry a box twice her size down the stairs. "Woman, you're going to be the death of me," Ryan groaned, taking the heavy box. "You already died once," Dax reminded him, smirking, then turned to Monique. "You better go easy on him this time, sis. He's not ready for the light again yet." Monique gladly let go of her end of the box and let her husband take over. She wiped her damp forehead with her palm, pushing thick blond curls away from her face. "He doesn't want me going easy on him, regarding anything," she said. "Isn't that right, dear? He likes things hard, and so do I." Ryan's smile said way more than any words could have managed, and Dax didn't really want to hear about it anyway. "Too much information," Dax grumbled, heading back in for another load. He paused momentarily when an echo of laughter invaded his thoughts, a little girl's laughter. He'd heard it a few times today and knew what it meant: a ghost was on the way. Probably before the day ended, he'd have a young spirit to help. Another one to help, but no one on the other side was willing to help him. He frowned. Sure, he was mad at the powers that be for not seeming to care that he'd lost his heart to a ghost that was gone, but the little girl who'd be visiting him soon wasn't to blame. He'd have to suck it up and put on a smile, for her sake. She'd already died young; she didn't need to be faced with a pissed-off medium, too. So Dax would cheer up before she got here. Right now, however, he was going to wallow in being jealous of all the love currently surrounding him, courtesy of Monique and Ryan. Truthfully, he wasn't bothered that his sister was so blissfully happy in marriage, or even that she was moving out of the plantation and into a home in Ormond, near her beauty salon and Ryan's new roofing job; he was bothered because he wanted a little bliss, too. Then again, his foul mood didn't seem to dampen spirits around here. Monique and Ryan were in full newlywed mode, only a month since they tied the knot in Vegas, and Gage, Dax's older brother, had recently become engaged and was also perpetually smiling lately with his fiancÉe, Kayla, by his side. In short, they were all way too happy for someone who was currently in a don't-piss-me-off mood. Misery truly loves company, and so far, Dax hadn't found anyone else as... "Listen, if you two are done with Dax, I could use his help, and I'm talking about his brain, not his brawn," Nanette said from the front door. Her arms were crossed against her chest, one foot tapped the threshold impatiently and dark brows drew together in a scowl. Clothed in a black blouse and black skinny pants, she resembled a prison guard waiting for him to enter his cell. Dax grinned. Leave it to Nan to bring the atmosphere back down to his level. Nanette was always in semibitch mode. She tried to act like that was just the way she was, but Dax knew better. She was scared to death that the Vicknair family was about to lose their beloved plantation and perhaps therefore lose their ability to help the spirits, something she deemed part of the "Vicknair legacy." The home had taken a big hit from Hurricane Katrina, and the parish president, Charles Roussel, had been trying to put it on the top line of the demolition list ever since the storm. So far, they'd fought him every time, and won, every time. Right now, however, the problem wasn't with Charles Roussel and the locals. Oh, no--in an effort to bypass Roussel's authority entirely, Nanette had decided to try to get the Vicknair plantation added toSt John, Kelley is the author of 'Shiver and Spice ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373793532 and ISBN 0373793537.