Ghostly Touch

Zula. Connor Devlin had a son when he lived in St. Louis, but like I told you, he was a wild one in his younger days. The girl’s father forced them to marry of course, but the child’s mother died while giving birth and Connor had no idea how to care for an infant. His mother lived here in Greenfield, so he brought the child for her to raise and that’s how the family line continued.
                  “The Connor you met today is my Connor’s great-grandson and he’s the perfect man for you.”
                  Zula laughed. “Not if he’s anything like his great-grandfather! I cast the spell for a man and the goddess will bring the perfect one to me, Grandma, so you don’t have to play matchmaker.”
                  “It doesn’t matter how wild the man, Zula. Even the wild ones fall in love and change their ways, but you don’t have to worry about that. I have it on very good authority that even though Connor passed on his handsome looks; he left his rakish ways behind. Your Connor is a good man and you deserve each other.”
                  “He’s not my Connor! I don’t even know him. We just met, for crying out loud.”
                  “Zula,” the elder Zula said softly. “Open you heart, open your mind and let love come to you.”
                  “Believe me, I am open to love. It’s why I cast the spell. I want to fall in love with someone who loves me with the same ferocity of feelings.”
                  “I know you do, and just so you also know, Jana heard you and she sent Connor to you. So go get your man, my dear!

~ Four ~
A New Friend
     
                  Zula yawned, stretched, and looked around. She was in her own bed and everything was back to normal. “Wow, what a crazy dream,” she said, and got out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower.
                  Downstairs, Zula put on a pot of coffee to brew and smeared cream cheese on a toasted bagel and sat at the counter to eat and read the morning paper. Still, the events of the previous night wouldn’t leave her alone. Great-grandma Zula had seemed so real and Zula remembered details from her grandmother’s story that she hadn’t known before, but how was it possible? If her great-grandmother had really been there, then love really never died and could move across the centuries. The idea gave Zula new hope and a brand new outlook on life.
                  The doorbell interrupted her thoughts and she glanced at the clock on the wall, only eight o’clock, way too early for a visitor. She slid off the stool and walked through the dining room into the living room and felt energy fill the room.
    “Grandma, I know you’re there, ” she said softly. “Thank you.”
                  Zula could see Connor standing on the other side of the door through the wispy curtain that covered the window and she smiled broadly. This was the kind of company she could use.
    She opened the door and said, “Good morning. What brings you here so early? ”
    Zula couldn’t help but let her eyes roam quickly over his body. He was just as handsome today as he was yesterday, wearing Levi’s with a black belt and silver buckle, and this time he had on a blue T-shirt with a pocket on the breast. He wore scuffed boots and Zula thought she’d really like to see him without a stitch of clothing. She quickly brought her eyes up to his and smiled; glad he couldn’t read her thoughts.
                  “Good morning,” Connor said with a smile. “I’m on my way to my first job of the day and thought I’d stop by to give you the estimate on your pipes.”
                  “I didn’t expect you to have it done so fast. Do you have time to come in and have a cup of coffee?”
                  “Sure, I have time for a cup.” He followed her into the kitchen and sat on a stool at the counter, and Zula could feel his eyes on her as she retrieved a cup from the cabinet and filled it for him.
                  “Cream and sugar?” she asked.
                  “No, just black, thank you.”
                  Zula set the cup before him and took a stool across from him. “How long will it take to replace the pipes, and most importantly, how much damage will it do to my bank account?” Zula asked with a laugh.
                  “I think