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He made another irritated sound.

"I will endeavor to restrain my temper if you will endeavor to take this matter seriously," he said stiffly. "Perhaps Goody Albright can help you with that. She has been at The Red Lion Inn in Hidden Hollow for longer than I have been here myself and she has much wisdom in these areas. Though she is also an interfering old busybody who delights in telling people things they have no wish to hear."

"Well, she sounds like a barrel of laughs," I remarked. "Do you think she can help me get home?"

"Not until you break the curse," Bartleby purred. He had jumped up on the red velvet bedspread and was making himself comfortable right in the middle of it.

"What?" Garrik turned to glare at the cat. "Who told you that? Has Cordelia been interfering with matters from beyond the grave again?"

"Of course she has," Bartleby said calmly, licking one paw. "You know how she was. She never could leave a problem alone until she'd solved it."

"Well, I wish she had chosen some other way to solve this one!" Garrik growled. "The last thing I need is an inexperienced witch wandering about my home, meddling with ancient magic she doesn't understand!"

"And the last thing I need is to be stuck in a haunted house with a ghost who keeps yelling at me!" I snapped back. "But apparently neither one of us is getting what we want tonight!"

"Apparently not," he said grimly, folding his arms over his chest again.

"But what do I do about work?" I asked, suddenly remembering that I still had my purse with me. "I know—I'll call and explain that I'm uh…uh…"

Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was going to say. Hi, Angie, I won't be coming in tomorrow because I accidentally walked through a magical doorway and now, I'm trapped in a haunted mansion with a talking cat and a very rude ghost. Somehow, I didn't think that would go over very well. But I reached into my purse and dug my phone out anyway.

"Oh, what is that device?" Garrik demanded, drifting over to look over my shoulder. "Some sort of magical artifact? I warn you, madam, I will not have you casting spells in my house without my permission!"

"Um, it's a phone," I said, trying not to laugh. "And it's not magical—it's electronic."

"It looks nothing like any telephone I have ever seen," he said, frowning. "Where is the receiver? And how the devil can you speak to anyone with a device that small?"

"Trust me, it works," I said. "Or at least, it usually does."

I wanted to tell him it was considered rude to look at someone else's phone screen, but I was distracted by the fact that there was apparently no service here.

"Damn! I don't have any bars," I groaned.

"Bars?" Garrik's frown deepened. "What kind of bars do you need? Iron bars? Wooden ones? There are several lengths of iron in the cellar, though I fail to see how they would help you operate that ridiculous little contraption."

"No, that's not what I meant." I would have tried to explain but I was distracted by him being so close to me. Even though I wasn't touching him, I could somehow feel the heat of his big body looming over mine. And I could smell him too—but he didn't smell like you'd imagine a ghost would.

He didn't smell like dust or cobwebs—instead I caught notes of leather and smoke and a warm, dark spice that was somehow wholly masculine. What I'm trying to say is that he smelled really, really good. And though it had been years since I'd found anything about any man even remotely attractive, I felt myself being drawn to him.

Which was ridiculous, of course. He was a ghost and this was a dream. Not to mention the fact that he had the personality of a rabid badger. But he was also standing so close that if he had been a normal man, his broad chest would have been brushing against my shoulder. And considering how long it had been since I'd had a man that close to me, I was finding it a little distracting.

"Do you have to stand so close?" I asked, trying to sound irritated rather than flustered. "You're practically breathing down my neck!"

"I am not breathing at all, madam," he pointed out dryly. "In case you have forgotten, I am currently without a physical body."

"Well, you're still invading my personal space!" I exclaimed. "Back up a little, will you?"

He drew himself up, looking offended.

"I was merely attempting to understand the workings of your peculiar little device!" he snapped. "I assure you, I have no desire to invade your personal space, whatever that might mean!"

"Good!" I said, though for some reason I felt a little disappointed when he drifted away from me. Which was completely stupid, considering that I'd just asked him to move.

"Though I must say," he added, giving me a rather pointed look, "you seem remarkably concerned about the possibility of my touching you for a woman who has already slapped me across the face and then offered to hold my hand."

"That's different!" I protested. "And besides, you're the one who wanted me to touch you in the first place!"

"Indeed I did," he said, his deep voice dropping slightly. "And I must confess, I found the experience most…pleasant."