PRAISE FOR ROBIN D. OWENS
Winner of the RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance by the Romance Writers of America
“[Robin D. Owens] provides a wonderful, gripping mix of passion, exotic futuristic settings, and edgy suspense.”
—Jayne Castle, author of Deception Cove
“Will have readers on the edge of their seats . . . Another terrific tale from the brilliant mind of Robin D. Owens. Don’t miss it.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“[A] wonderful piece of fantasy, science fiction, romance, and a dash of mystery . . . A delight to read.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“[This] emotionally rich tale blends paranormal abilities, family dynamics, and politics; adds a serious dash of violence; and dusts it all with humor and whimsy.”
—Library Journal
“Maintaining the world building for science fiction and character-driven plot for romance is near impossible. Owens does it brilliantly.”
—The Romance Readers Connection
“Dazzling . . . Robin D. Owens paints a world filled with characters who sweep readers into an unforgettable adventure with every delicious word, every breath, every beat of their hearts. Brava!”
—Deb Stover, award-winning author of The Gift
“A taut mixture of suspense and action . . . that leaves you stunned.”
—Smexy Books
“A delight to my . . . heart . . . hits all my joy buttons.”
—Fresh Fiction
“The author’s creativity shines.”
—Darque Reviews
“I keep telling myself that [Robin D. Owens] just can’t get much better, but with every book she amazes and surprises me!”
—The Best Reviews
Titles by Robin D. Owens
HEARTMATE
HEART THIEF
HEART DUEL
HEART CHOICE
HEART QUEST
HEART DANCE
HEART FATE
HEART CHANGE
HEART JOURNEY
HEART SEARCH
HEART SECRET
HEART FORTUNE
GHOST SEER
Anthologies
WHAT DREAMS MAY COME
(with Sherrilyn Kenyon and Rebecca York)
HEARTS AND SWORD
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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GHOST SEER
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2014 by Robin D. Owens.
Excerpt from Ghost Layer by Robin D. Owens copyright © 2014 by Robin D. Owens.
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.
BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-0-425-26890-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-63113-3
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / April 2014
Cover art by Tony Mauro.
Cover design by George Long.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
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ONTENTS
Praise for Robin D. Owens
Titles by Robin D. Owens
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Counting Crows Rhyme
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
THIRTY-FIVE
THIRTY-SIX
THIRTY-SEVEN
THIRTY-EIGHT
Author’s Note and Acknowledgments
Excerpt from GHOST LAYER
To all my readers who follow me into my different worlds; To those who love the Old West; And to those who love stories about ghosts; this one is for YOU!
COUNTING CROWS RHYME:
One for sorrow,
Two for luck;
Three for a wedding,
Four for death;
Five for silver,
Six for gold;
Seven for a secret,
Not to be told;
Eight for heaven,
Nine for [hell]
And ten for the devil’s own sell!
ONE
PLAINSVIEW CITY, COTTONWOOD COUNTY, SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA, AUGUST 23RD, MORNING
THE MINUTE HE walked through that door, Zach Slade’s career, the one he loved, was over.
Who was he kidding? His time as a cop—a deputy sheriff here in Cottonwood County, Montana—was already over. Due to a mistake on his part and a crippled foot and ankle. His leg hurt less than the emotional ripping inside him. He thought he could feel the weight of his badge in his jeans pocket, but he couldn’t. Only the weight of this last duty.
His gaze slid around the wide marble-floored corridor of the old County Hall, which housed the Sheriff’s Department. No one around to see his hesitation, how his hand trembled as he put it on the door handle. All the frosted glass and wooden doors were closed.