“I’ve been with a boy, but I’ve never been with a man.”

Well, she was sure as hell with a man tonight, but not nearly as intimately as Dax would have liked. Would they be given another chance?

Hell, both of them had helped Prissy first, in spite of the fact that they’d been two months without seeing each other, and without knowing if they’d ever see each other again, and the powers that be evidently hadn’t taken that into consideration before they’d pulled her away-again.

The front door of the plantation slammed, and he jerked toward the sound. He couldn’t control a swift surge of adrenaline at the possibility that Celeste had returned. But if she had come back, she wouldn’t be using the door. “Who is it?”

“Dax?” Nanette called, then he listened to her footsteps as she headed up the stairs.

He buttoned his shirt, not bothering to tuck it in, since his hard-on was going to take some time to give up the ghost. Literally. “In here.”

“Well, is she here?” Nan asked, entering the sitting room and looking around as though expecting to see someone with him.

“Who?” How would she know about Celeste?

“Your little ghost,” she said, crossing the room and dropping into Adeline Vicknair’s bentwood rocker. “Wait, I’m not sitting on her, right?”

“No,” he said, still not quite believing how close he’d been to finally making love to Celeste only seconds ago. “She’s with her parents, and for the record, Celeste isn’t here either, though she was.”

Nan’s green eyes widened. “Celeste? She came back? How? When? She crossed, didn’t she?”

“No, she didn’t, and she came back with my ghost.” He swallowed thickly. “And now she’s gone again. Only I have no idea where she went. She was here until a few seconds ago, when the powers that be decided, without any forewarning whatsoever, that it was time for them to take her back.”

She frowned. “Oh, Dax, I’m sorry. I know how much you wanted to be with her again.” Nan tucked her legs beneath her. “So, she hasn’t crossed?”

“She hadn’t crossed,” he clarified. “I have no idea if she crossed tonight or not.”

“Surely not,” she said, as though completely certain of the fact.

“What makes you say that?” Granted, he wanted to hear that Celeste was still hovering between the two sides, because obviously that meant he might get to see her again. But how could Nanette be so sure?

“Well, if she didn’t cross before, with Chloe-that was the little girl she stayed behind for, right?”

“Right.”

“Then why would she cross now? I mean, it must be something else that’s keeping her in the middle. Something other than helping another spirit through.”

“Part of me feels like I didn’t cross because I couldn’t leave you.”

Dax really wanted to believe that was it, that she could control her destiny merely by wanting to be with him, but something told him there was more to it than that. And in order to help her stay on this side longer, maybe even permanently, he had to figure out what it was.

“How did she seem?” Nanette asked. “I mean, is she the same way Ryan was, where he chose to stay in the middle because he didn’t want to cross? If memory serves, he rather liked it in the middle.” She giggled. “Leave it to Monique to convince him that he’d rather satisfy one woman for life than tons of them in their dreams.”

Dax blinked, and thought about what she’d said. “Ryan did control whether he crossed or not, didn’t he?”

“That’s what he said.”

“I’m going to take a ride to Monique and Ryan’s new place. I need to talk to my new brother-in-law.” Dax stood from the settee.

Nan nodded, understanding dawning. “You think he can tell you how to keep her on this side.”

“Well, if anyone can, it’s him, and if there’s any way possible, I am going to get her back.”

Dax could feel his blood stir. Ryan had stayed. He’d been a ghost in the middle for over a year when he was assigned to Monique. Now he was living and breathing…and married to Dax’s sister. Surely Ryan would know what was happening with Celeste, and how Dax could get her back to stay.

“He might not have all of the answers, but he’d sure have more than the two of us,” she agreed. “He’s lived in the middle, after all. When are you going to see him?”

“Right now.”

“Well, tell me what you find out in the morning. I’ve got to get some sleep if I’m going to tackle all those ninth-graders first period. And they probably won’t be all that thrilled to see me after I gave them that history assignment.” She grinned. “Hey, I don’t suppose you had a chance to look up any more information about our history tonight, did you?”

Dax shook his head. “Afraid not. From the time you left until just a few moments ago, I was fairly busy helping one ghost find the light…and trying to keep another one from even going near it.”

“No problem,” she said. “There’s always tomorrow.”

“You do realize that I work tomorrow, too,” he said, “and that I’m somewhat preoccupied with getting Celeste back.”

“Shoot, you’re a pro at multitasking-keeping up your work, helping with the house, getting ghosts to the other side. And if there’s a way, I’m betting you’ll get Celeste back too. Face it, you always get the job done, no matter what the job is.” Nan uncurled her legs from the chair and stood. “Why would this time be any different?”

She was right. Why shouldn’t he be able to pull it all off this time? Only, this time he was talking about the ghost who’d controlled his entire being with her kiss.

“And Dax,” she said as she started to walk away.

“Yeah?”

“Let me know when you get Celeste back.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let everyone know.”

He left the house with Nanette’s final words echoing in his thoughts. Nan hadn’t said if you get Celeste back; she’d said when. And that was exactly how Dax felt. He’d lost her twice, but, on the reverse side of that, she’d made it to him twice too. If she could make it twice, she could make it again.

Third time, he prayed, was the charm. And hopefully, Ryan would offer a little insight about how to make it happen.

5

THE DRIVE FROM the plantation to Ormond, where Ryan and Monique’s house was located, typically took about thirty minutes. Dax made it in twenty. He pulled onto their street and immediately noticed that the small house they were renting was lit up like an airport runway, with Ryan’s truck piled high with furniture and backed up to the front door.

Dax parked the car and climbed out, immediately noticing that Tristan was here; his Jeep was parked outside. Obviously, Monique had recruited the oldest male cousin of the bunch to help unload, since her brothers were both preoccupied with hospital duty and helping spirits. Dax could only imagine the cussing Tristan was doing at being the only Vicknair here.

As if on cue, Tristan’s tall frame exited the open front door of the house and he swore a stream of expletives that would make a sailor blush. “Did you leave anything at the plantation?” he asked sarcastically.

“Oh, stop complaining,” Monique said, dusting her palms together as she followed him out. “This is the last load, and I’ve cut your hair for free since I opened my shop. You owe me.”

“Shit, I’d rather pay for the cut.” Tristan tested the weight of a tall dresser by lifting one end. “Tell your husband to get out here and help me with this one,” he said, then apparently noticed Dax. “Scratch that, Dax is here. Come on over here. It’s about time you showed up.”

Monique brushed a big blond curl out of her eyes. “Hey, did you come to help?” she asked, then frowned. “You look terrible. What’s up? Something wrong?”

“Yeah,” Dax said. “Something is definitely wrong.” A major understatement. He’d lost the woman he loved-twice.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Celeste. She came back, and then she left again.” Dax helped Tristan maneuver the dresser off.