The Halo Legacy Series
by Genie Gabriel
Though she wished for a baby, Miss Stella never had children of her own. Perhaps that was why she took a special interest in a baby who came to live in her house in more modern times.
***Excerpt from CHASING THE LEGACY (Book #4 of the Halo Legacy Series)***
Grady stood on the sidewalk looking at the Waring House. He had always loved this house, right down to the ghost of Miss Stella who had sat in the turret for a hundred and fifty years waiting for her husband to return. His crush on Layla since high school didn't seem so long compared to Miss Stella's vigil.
I'm not here to see Layla, Grady told himself. Just to see if Charlie needs help.
Word had spread quickly that Charlie was remodeling the Waring House to lease spaces to local businesses destroyed when Halo exploded. It was also common knowledge the older man's hands bothered him--though Grady wouldn't insult him by mentioning this. Helping Charlie carve the woodwork that decorated the Waring House like the fine lace on Miss Stella's gowns would give Grady great pride.
A bonus would be seeing Layla more often.
Grady found Charlie in his workshop, toiling over a piece of ornate molding for the front porch railing. "Hey, Charlie."
Charlie jerked as if startled. "Well, if it's not one of the O'Shea boys. Grady, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir. I heard you were restoring this grand old house and wanted to help."
"Aren't you a cop?"
"State Police bomb squad. But sometimes the job gets boring and I wanted a hobby with more excitement."
A smile slowly formed on Charlie's face and then he chuckled. "A nerdy kid with a sense of humor. I like that. Sit down and show me what you can do."
Grady perched on a stool across from Charlie and picked up a long narrow piece of wood The smell of pine filled his nostrils as his fingers traced the grain. He wondered, not for the first time, if one of his ancestors had been a carver. In high school, when his siblings raced for the basketball court or soccer field, Grady sometimes sat in a quiet corner and traced the swirls and knots of a chunk of wood with his knife.
He watched Charlie's design for a time, then began carving. After a few minutes, Charlie said, "You ever talk to Miss Stella's ghost?"
"No. I've only seen her in the turret window as I've passed by."
"My girl, Layla, used to talk to her. Missed her mother. I couldn't make up for that, but Miss Stella seemed to in some ways." Charlie shook his head. "A grouchy old man was a poor substitute for a mother."
"I'm sure you did the best you could."
Charlie remained silent, seeming to focus on carving.
"Has Miss Stella always made her presence known?" Grady asked.
"From the time my Ginger and I moved in. Slammed doors and drifted through the curtains at the windows. Ginger just talked to her like a regular person. Said we were honored to share her space and hoped she would feel the same about us. That seemed to do the trick. She even seemed to mourn when Ginger passed."
Charlie frowned.
"Some losses never leave us, do they?" Grady said.
The two men carved in silence for awhile. Then Charlie started another story. "Miss Stella seemed to know Ginger was pregnant before we did. Baby clothes appeared out of nowhere--must have been stored in the attic. And sometimes Ginger swore she heard someone singing lullabies at night."
Charlie stopped carving and stared at the door to the workshop. As if expecting his wife to walk in with a smile and a hug?
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