HAUNTED HOUSE is my young adult romantic short story. It appeared in Wax Romantic Magazine's October 2004 issue. Here's a brief excerpt...

Ellie stood at the huge wrought-iron gate that guarded the deLacy mansion like the three-headed dog guarded the underworld, dripping fangs and all, except these fangs were small pieces of iron that dripped water from the falling rain.

Ellie grimaced and ran a perfectly manicured hand through her short blonde curls. She passed a glance at Adam to see how he was taking the ferocious image in front of him. Much to her chagrin, he smiled that wide smile of his that made her all tingly, and winked at her. God, but the guy annoyed her. “So, Sherlock. What exactly are we supposed to do in there?”

Adam walked up to the gate and pushed it open. It emitted a loud squeak that made Ellie cringe. It was like hearing someone run their fingernails down a chalkboard. Adam wiped his hands on his Levis, Levis that hugged his buttocks to perfection. He turned back towards Ellie and motioned for her to join him. When she reached his side, he grasped her hand in his and said, “We have to stay in there for two hours, exploring or whatever.” He shrugged and pulled her behind him as he walked up the long drive.

Ellie held onto Adam’s hand like a lifeline. She was tougher than most girls her age, given the fact she was a tom-boy to the very marrow of her bones, but right now she was scared our of her pink g-string panties. It wasn’t that she was exactly partial to ghost stories or anything. Heck, she didn’t believe in the paranormal. But every year on Halloween, people heard strange noises – really LOUD strange noises, coming from the deLacy mansion. It sounded like people were dying in there. Ellie shivered and held Adam’s hand tighter.

JUST ONE NIGHT appeared in the November 2005 issue of Wax Romantic Magazine. Here's an excerpt...

“Here you go, Sebastian. If you can’t get hold of anyone there, you’re welcome to stay here for the night. The way that storms going, you might have to anyway,” she said as she handed the phone over.

Nicolette looked at her mom with brow raised high. She just smirked secretively, like she knew something that Nicolette didn’t.

Sebastian smiled and dialed a number.

Nicolette moved away a little to give him a bit of privacy. When her mother didn’t do the same, Nicolette frowned. It wasn’t like her mother to listen to another’s conversation. And her grinning like the cat that got the cream!

Ignoring her mother, she watched Sebastian instead. The way his mouth moved when he talked, the way his deep voice made her feel like she had just swallowed an enormous amount of warm milk chocolate, and the slight furrowing of his black brows when whomever was on the other end of the line responded to his question.

“Fine, Sylvia, fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He clicked the phone off and smiled sheepishly at her mother. “Mrs. De Ambry, I might have to stay the night after all. My fiancée can’t make it out here tonight. I hope I’m not going to be intruding on anything.”

Abilene smiled brightly. “Not at all, Sebastian. We were just preparing dinner. You could come help my daughter Nicolette,” she motioned with her dainty fingers at Nicolette, “if you’d like. Or she could show you to the living room and you could watch some television if you’d rather not deal with a family of thirteen preparing dinner together.”

His brows shot upward and he whistled low. “Eleven children, ma’am? You don’t look any older than my sister.”

Her mother had the grace to blush like a schoolgirl.

Nicolette rolled her eyes.

Honestly.

“Mom, I’m sure he’d rather watch television. No one in their right mind would willingly walk into the chaotic mess of a de Ambry dinner.”

Sebastian looked at her with those green eyes of his and arched his brow at her, as though to say, “Want me to prove it?” Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. That always worked wonders all those other times. Say nothing and no one notices you. And as shy as she was, that made everything all the better for her.

“Actually... Nicolette was it?” he asked. She nodded, feeling giddy that he remembered her name. “I’d find the ‘chaotic mess of a de Ambry dinner’ quite thrilling and a little of a challenge.” He grinned at her mother. “I’d be delighted to participate in such a fiasco, ma’am. Only thing is I’m afraid I’m soaked.”

Abilene laughed giddily and clapped her hands. “Well, that’s not a problem. I believe one of my sons is about your size. Hold on just one minute while I go find you a change of clothes.”

Good Lord, had her mother somehow planned this?

Abilene returned in record time and Sebastian quickly changed in the bathroom.
Eric’s clothes fit surprisingly well, she thought as Sebastian came out nice and dry.

“I believe I’m good to go,” he said.

“Good. You’ll be helping Nicolette this evening. She usually manages her part all by her lonesome, and though she is quite talented, I’m sure she’d like help sometimes,” Abilene said looking at Nicolette with an arch to her brow that dared her to disagree.

Really, what had gotten into her mother?

Nicolette sighed and shrugged. She glanced at Sebastian and said, “If I were you, I would’ve chosen the television. You really have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He chuckled and held his arm out for her to take. She did so hesitantly. He’d definitely be getting into her mothers good book if he kept all this gentlemanly stuff up. She fawned over others who did so.

They headed into the kitchen and an unstoppable, yet thrilling, chaos.