Nick jumped in his seat, his heart thudding so hard he was afraid it would leap out of his chest. A bright light shone inside the car. He squinted toward the beam as he tried to see who had interrupted his first kiss with Abby.

As the light dropped lower, he found himself staring into the gruff face of a policeman. Nick groaned. Of all the nights for this to happen. He pulled away from Abby and lowered the window. "What can I do for you, officer? Is something wrong?"

As the policeman shined the light on the passenger seat, his eyebrows pulled together and his forehead creased. Obviously, the cop couldn't see Abby, and Nick knew he must look ridiculous sitting in the car with his arms wrapped around—nothing—while he passionately kissed—air.

"Are you stranded?" the man questioned warily.

"No, I—" Nick glanced at Abby, whose hand covered her mouth, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "I was tired, so I pulled off the road," he continued as he looked back at the officer.

The policeman narrowed his gaze as he focused his light on the passenger seat again. Shaking his head, he lowered the flashlight. "Well, this isn't a very safe street to take a nap. I suggest you move on."

Nick nodded. "Thank you, sir. I will." He bit his lip so as not to laugh out loud. Poor policeman, what he must be thinking...

Nick waited for the policeman to drive off, but the man of the law was clearly waiting for Nick to make the first move. He sighed, started the car, and pulled away from the curb.

Beside him, Abby laughed and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm quite certain that policeman thinks he's going daft."

"I think you're right." Nick pulled her close to him once more. "I'm sorry we were interrupted, but maybe it's a good thing. Making out in a parked car isn't what I want to do."

Abigail stroked his arm. "What do you want to do?"

"If this would have happened to me several months ago, I wouldn't have a problem telling you what I want." He glanced her way quickly before watching the road again. "But things have changed. I have changed, and what I want to do and what I will do are two different things. I hope you don't think less of me if I take you back to my office now." He squeezed her knee. "As much as I want to be with you—intimately—I think we both need time to cool off. After all, you haven't kissed a man for nearly a century, and I—well, I just want to do things the right way."

She cuddled closer to him. "Why would I think less of you for being a gentleman? I know men in your century do things differently, but men in my century had high standards, and they respected women. You have always reminded me of the men in my time, and I'm very glad you said what you did."

He reached his office building, parked the car, took Abby's hand, and escorted her up the sidewalk. He knew he looked strange since nobody else could see her, but he didn't care.

Her beautiful eyes fluttered when she looked at him, and a blush stole across her cheeks. "Whatever it was that brought us together like this, I'm grateful for this time with you."

He smiled. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

They entered his office and he shut the door. Before turning on the light, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, her soft tresses cascaded over his hands seductively.

He brushed his lips over her eyelids and her nose, and then captured her mouth. The kiss he gave her this time wasn't as passionate as the one in the car, but it still left him breathless. When he pulled away, he said tenderly, "You were made to be in my arms."

Abby giggled. "If you really think about it, Nick, you're kissing an extremely old woman."

Shaking his head, he grinned. "I don't want to think about it that way."

"What are we going to do, Nick? How long will this last?"

"I wish I knew, my darling Abby. But we will take each day as if it were our last. We will make our time together as special as we can."

Tears came to her eyes. "I don't want to leave you."

"I don't want you to leave."

"Is it too soon to tell you—" She swallowed hard. "I think I love you, Nick."

His heart ached as he considered their uncertain future. Though he'd had many relationships with women, he'd never felt this way before. "I know I love you, Abby."

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she reached up to kiss him. She flung her arms around his neck as he held her close. Joy beyond all comprehension filled him, and he never thought he would feel this way, yet he knew it wouldn't last long. She was a ghost, destined to cross over once he found her killer. Life was so cruel and unfair.

* * * *

This is heaven! Abigail cuddled against Nick's chest as they sat together on the black leather couch in his office, staring out the open window.

The night had passed with great difficulty, only because she couldn't wait to see him again. Once he had arrived at the office, he had rescheduled some of his appointments just so they could spend some time together. Being in love felt so wonderful, and she hoped she'd get to experience more of it before she finally went to Heaven.

Nick rubbed his hand slowly up and down her arm then gently kissed her neck. "I can't get enough of you."

Abigail smiled. "I feel the same."

"What were you like as a girl?"

She shifted so she could look into his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"I want to know everything about you."

"You're so romantic." She smiled. "My father was very loving, but he was so busy with the newspaper that I rarely saw him. When he finally spent time with me, he spoiled me considerably. When I was older, I realized he was trying to use money to make up for his absence."

"What kind of things did your father give you?"

She rested her head on Nick's shoulder and relaxed. "Twice a year he took me places I had only dreamed about. I think my favorite trip was when we went to Paris. He bought me a beautiful gown. All the girls at the school were jealous, but," she frowned, "it didn't make up for the time we didn't spend together." She paused for several seconds, and then asked, "Remember when I told you about personal items of mine disappearing right after my father died?"

"Yes."

"The gown was one of them. It always hung in my closet, yet it was missing for two days. I found it in the greenhouse, if you can imagine that."

"That doesn't make much sense. Even if you were devastated with your father's death, why would you put your gown there?"

"My thoughts exactly."

"Do you think someone was playing with your mind?"

Abigail shrugged. "I don't know. Why would they? The servants were like family. They didn't want me to lose my mind, because then Uncle Alexander would get the inheritance."

"Very true."

"Why someone would take my gown and not my hat is beyond me."

"I'm thinking your hat must have been too gaudy for anyone else to wear," Nick said with a grimace and glanced to the top of her head. "I'm glad you decided to remove that particular accessory."

"You didn't like my purple hat?"

"Don't get me wrong, the color brings out your amazing chocolate eyes perfectly, but...well, I'm just not used to seeing women wear those styles of hats."

"It was the popular thing in my day. Ladies didn't leave the house without one. In fact, I competed with my friends as to who could wear the largest hat."

"Oh, good grief. Who won?"

"I did, of course." She laughed. "Then again, I was probably the silliest-looking woman of all."

"Tell me about your friends."

He ran his fingers along the side of her face. "I didn't have a lot of close friends who were around my age, mainly because I spent most of my extra time at the newspaper to be closer to my father. Of course, that didn't work as well as I'd liked, but it kept me busy. The girlfriends I did have lived in my neighborhood, and our friendships were mostly superficial—you know, all the rich men's daughters getting together for social events."

"Did you ever regret not having many close girlfriends?"

"Yes, a few times. Lily was always there for me, but she was more like an aunt. There were a few ladies who worked at the newspaper who were my friends, but only if I was there with them."

"What about boyfriends? I bet you had a lot of young men lined up at your door."

Abigail laughed and shook her head. "You would have lost that bet then. My father kept a close eye on the boys who wanted to court me. Some were even afraid of him. Not only was my father threatening, but he had his friends and business partner watching out for me. They were so cautious. If I wanted to go out with a boy, I'd have to sneak away from the house to do it."

Nick kissed her forehead. "Well, if I ever meet your father, remind me to thank him."

"Why?"

"Because you might not have fallen in love with me if you had dated other men."

She straightened and turned to face him fully. "Why would you say that? I was never attracted to the boys who wanted to court me. I knew what they were really after."

He cocked his head. "What?"

"My father's money."

"Don't sell yourself short, Abby. You're a knockout."

She gasped and stared at him. "What? You think I'm a...boxer?"

He chuckled. "'Knockout' is my way of saying you're a very beautiful woman who is more passionate than I could have ever imagined."

She sighed and leaned against him again. "Why couldn't I have met you before I died?"

"Probably because I wasn't born yet."

She laughed and kissed him. He held her head as he nibbled on her lips for a second before she pulled away. "Maybe it's a good thing you were not alive in my time," she said.

"Why?"

"Because all the girls would have flocked to you, and I would have never had the chance to catch your eye."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. You caught my eye when I first saw you in my office."

"Only because I was dressed funny."

"Well, that too, but the more you talked, the more mesmerized I became. There's something about you that makes me want to be with you all the time. And your eyes are the most fascinating color I've ever seen. Every time I look at you, I get lost in those deep chocolate depths."

Relaxing against him, she sighed. "Oh, Nick. You say the sweetest things." She loved the way he made her feel more alive than when she was living. She also loved how he showed interest in her life. It'd been a while since she thought about those days. She'd wanted a beau so badly, but between her father and his manager at the newspaper...

Harry. Such a kind, endearing man. He was more like a favorite uncle or older brother than just a friend of her father. He watched out for her almost as much as her father did; he was almost too protective at times. She laughed and shook her head.

"What's so funny?" Nick wondered.

"I was just thinking about Harry, my father's good friend and business partner."

He arched his brow. "Why would you think about him while we're cuddling?"

She laughed. "It's not like that at all."

"Did you have a crush on him or something?"

She giggled. "Not likely. I never thought of him that way. He was a lot like my father, watching out for me, and wary of my friends."

"So why were you thinking of him?"

"The day before I was killed, Harry proposed to me."

Nick stiffened and stopped stroking her arm. "He asked you to marry him?"

"Yes. He was worried about me being alone, and he wanted to help. Apparently he thought marriage would make things better."

"Maybe better for him, but what would you have gotten out of it?"

"Just his protection, I think. I didn't love him in any romantic way, only like a good friend. He was much older than me. I think he was only ten years younger than my father." Nick's body relaxed and she cuddled close again.

"I wonder what happened to him?" he said slowly as if in deep thought. "I'm assuming he's dead, but...I still have suspicions about that man."

Abigail turned her head and noticed Nick's narrowed stare and clenched jaw. "There is no need to be suspicious of Harry. He loved my father. He loved me and wanted only the best for me. He had no reason to kill me."

A lazy smile played across Nick's face. "So, you didn't have any boyfriends, and you had only a few friends. What did you do for fun?"

She closed her eyes and rested her head back on his chest. "I didn't do anything for fun. I didn't know what fun was back then."

"Now you do know?" he whispered against her neck.

"Hmm." She smiled. "I think so. Being with you has been an adventure."

His chest shook with a deep chuckle. "You can say that again."

Nick nuzzled her ear with his lips, his breath against her skin. She loved the closeness they shared. Nothing had ever been so perfect.

* * * *

The next day Nick met with several clients as Abby sat next to him. He didn't have to look to know she was there—he could feel her warmth and smell the sweet scent of berries.

Once the last client left and the door closed, Nick pulled Abby onto his lap and kissed her. She fit against him so perfectly, and he knew they were meant to be together. Yet his mind argued with his heart. After all, she was dead to everybody else but him.

After the kiss, Nick rested his forehead against hers. "I want this workday to be over."

"Me, too."

"I want to cancel all my appointments and do nothing but hold and kiss you."

She smiled. "That would be so nice."

As he captured her mouth again, his cell phone rang. He pulled away from Abby with a groan then grabbed the phone off his desk. The caller ID read Ruby Marshal.

His chest clenched. His mother usually only contacted him if she'd been injured, or if she wanted to deliver some news about his future. Of course, now he wanted to hear what she had to say, since he knew she'd been truthful about his soul mate.

He kissed Abby again quickly. "Honey, I have to take this call."

"All right."

She jumped off his lap and he stood, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Nick. Am I calling at a bad time?"

"No, Mother."

Abby's eyes widened and her mouth formed an "O."

"Good, because last night I had the urge to call you," his mother continued. "I don't know why, but the more I put it off, the greater the feeling became. I'm aware you think I'm crazy, but I need to see you today, son."

"Sure. What time?"

His mother sucked in her breath on the other end of the phone. She sounded surprised. He hadn't been close to her since his father took him away. Now Nick believed she could really see into the future.

"Can you come over after you get off work?" his mother asked.

"That's good for me. I'll see you around seven."

"Thank you." Her voice cracked before she hung up.

He clicked off the call and walked to the window as he slipped the cell back into his pocket. He didn't part the shades to look outside, just stared.

Behind him, soft hands trailed up his back. "Are you all right?"

"I think so. I don't hear from my mother that much, and usually when I do, she has something to say about how I'm living my life." He chuckled. "Then again, isn't that what mothers are supposed to do?"

"My mother died when I was young, so I don't have firsthand knowledge of that."

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying Abby's touch. "I grew up thinking she was crazy. My father influenced my opinion a great deal by constantly saying terrible things about her—always telling me that she was a horrible parent. I rarely visited her, and when I did, she embarrassed me." He shook his head. "Now I actually believe she was only trying to help."

Abby's arms wound around Nick, linking together on his stomach as she rested her head on his back. "I'm sorry."

He patted her hands. "Don't be sorry. I feel this way about her now because of you." He turned and wrapped her in his embrace, holding her against his chest. "You've opened my eyes to a lot of things, Abby."

She smiled. "That means I have done something good in my life."

"Yes, you have." He kissed her forehead. "I'm going to see my mother tonight after work. I hope you don't mind if I do it alone."

"I understand. Will you come back afterward?"

"Nothing can keep me away, honey. You're going to be by my side as long as I can keep you there."

"Oh, Nick." Abby sighed and pressed her face against his chest. "How long do you think that will be? I'm so scared now. I don't want to leave you. I don't care who killed me, not really, especially if knowing the truth means it will take me away from you."

He tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Let's not think about that right now."

The truth was, Nick didn't want to think about finding her killer either, not if it would mean she would have to cross over. What would happen if he dropped the case? Would Abby remain in her ghostly—but almost real—state, or would they be punished for trying to alter her existence?