Whispering Lake was picked up by Hearts on Fire Press on August 15 , 2008 , as an e - book . As of November 15th , it is now available on Amazon Kindle , Coffee Time Romance , and Hearts on Fire Books as an e - book ; as well as being available on Amazon as a paperback ! Yes , you heard me … it 's finally in paperback ! It was mid - October and Cassandra Morgan was admiring the changing leaves outside of her bedroom window as she packed her suitcase . Her friends had decided to take a trip to Whispering Lake , North Carolina . Cassie was twenty - one and in college , but she still lived at home . Blue Ridge State University was thirty minutes away from her hometown and her parents wouldn 't pay for a dorm room . They were still upset that she hadn 't decided to go to Oglethorpe , Rhodes College , or some other high priced university . Her punishment was attending a college that could be paid for through scholarships and grants , which meant she had enough to attend the local state university . She only had three semesters left before she graduated so she was trying to make the best of it . Cassie threw her favorite pink sweater and jeans into the suitcase and zipped it up . She had already packed her toiletries , her i - pod and some magazines to look at during the trip to the lake in a smaller bag . She glanced around her room one last time to make sure she hadn 't missed anything . She caught her reflection in the mirror across the room and walked over to it . Her hair was a mess as always . The long chestnut waves hung down almost to her waist . She had green eyes and a peaches and cream complexion . The only thing she hated about herself was her freckles . She was five - feet - two - inches tall with an hour glass figure . Her hour glass was a little more pronounced than most with her thirty - six DD bust and wide hips . She had a tiny waist , but her hips kept her firmly in a size eight . Cassie turned around and headed toward the bedroom door . She picked up her bags and started to leave when she felt a sudden chill in the air . Looking over her shoulder , she saw her friend Matt sitting on her bed . He looked gorgeous like he always did . She guessed that was one of the perks of being a ghost , perpetual youth and good looks . Matthew Spencer had been about six years older than Cassie when he died , which made him twenty - seven years old for an eternity . He had been dead for over fifty years . Cassie had tried to get him to talk about his life many times . Every now and then he would let something slip about his past , but other than his name and his age she didn 't know very much about him . He had been a very nice looking guy , standing at over six feet tall and having a muscular build . Matt had sandy blonde hair and sky blue eyes . It had apparently been late in the day when he had died because he always had a five o ' clock shadow on his jaw , which in Cassie 's opinion just made him even sexier . Since Matt had first met her when she was about fifteen she was fairly certain that he saw her as more of a pesky sister than date material … not that they would be dating since he was dead and all . Lord knew that she 'd had her fair share of fantasies though . She only hoped that she didn 't talk in her sleep ! Ever since Cassie was a little girl , she had been able to see , speak to , and touch ghosts . When she was little , her parents had just called them her imaginary friends . When she had gotten older , she had learned that her ghostly friends needed to remain a secret . Her parents had often looked at her with worried expressions when they caught her talking to a ghost . To everyone else , it just looked like Cassie was having a conversation with herself … which isn 't a good thing if you want to stay out of the psychiatric ward . It also made it rather difficult to have a boyfriend . " Leaving without saying goodbye ? " Matt had a wounded expression on his face . " It 's easier to say goodbye when you 're here . I thought you had forgotten that I was leaving today , " Cassie said with a grin . Cassie put her bags down and walked over to Matt . She sat in his lap and threw her arms around him in a big bear hug . This was one of the times that Cassie didn 't mind her gift so much . While she had trouble speaking with most living guys , she was able to be herself with Matt and could talk to him about anything . They had been best friends since the day they met five years before . Cassie and Matt had gotten to know one another very well over the years . They were so comfortable with each other that many mornings Cassie would wake up to find Matthew in bed with her . He never did anything inappropriate , much to her chagrin . While she knew they could never be together as a couple , she sometimes wished he would take advantage of her . They hadn 't even shared so much as one kiss , not unless you counted a kiss on the cheek . " I already know that I 'll miss you , but that isn 't why I wish you would stay here . I just have a bad feeling about this trip of yours . " Matt sighed and buried his face in her neck . " I wish that I could go with you . " Cassie sighed and snuggled closer to him . She would love nothing more than to have Matt with her over the next week , but they had both researched the matter extensively and hadn 't found a way for him to leave Ashton Grove . Well , that wasn 't entirely true . Cassie knew that she could bind Matt to her with magick , but she didn 't want to take away his free will . What Cassie couldn 't figure out was what kept Matt in Ashton Grove . He had told her on more than one occasion that he wasn 't from Ashton Grove and he hadn 't died there . If he had been able to leave the place of his death , why was he stuck in Ashton Grove now ? It didn 't make any sense . " I wish you could come with me too , but we haven 't been able to find anything on the subject of ghosts traveling from one place to another . I know there has to be a way , but we 're out of time . My friends are leaving in less than two hours . " Matt took Cassie 's hand in his . He had grown very fond of her over the past few years and would hate for anything bad to happen to her . When Matt had been alive , he 'd had the ability to sense danger coming to those he cared about . His ability seemed to have followed him into the after - life . But what good was this gift if it didn 't tell him exactly what Cassie would be facing ? If he couldn 't protect the one person who had come to mean so much to him , what good was his gift ? If he were completely honest with himself , he would just admit that he loved her and be done with it . There had been many nights that Matt had lain beside Cassie on her bed , just watching her sleep . He would love to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless , but he knew they couldn 't have a future together . She deserved someone alive that she could grow old with and have children with . Matt was obviously not that guy . Cassie smiled at Matt one last time and picked up her bags . She headed downstairs and sat her suitcase and small bag in the entry hall . As she walked toward the kitchen , she could smell breakfast cooking . " Good morning , Mom , " Cassie said as she walked into the kitchen . She plopped down in her favorite spot at the kitchen table . Her mother brought pancakes and sausage over to her along with a glass of orange juice . It smelled wonderful . " Yep , all set to go . I 'm meeting Kari at Amber 's house . Amber said we could ride with her . She has a Ford Explorer so we 'll have more room in her car . " " Well , eat your breakfast . You don 't want to be hungry before you get there . " " I 'll be fine , Mom . " Just the same , Cassie tried to eat a little extra that morning just to make her mother happy . Cassie was lucky enough to have a high metabolism so she never gained weight . She could probably eat an entire cake and not gain a pound . When Cassie was finished with her breakfast , she got up from the kitchen table and went to get her bags . She loaded them into the trunk of her little blue VW Jetta and drove to Amber 's house . Small towns in Northeast Georgia tended to have winding roads , which meant that Cassie had a beautiful drive . Cassie drove through the heart of Ashton Grove and looked at the beautiful old homes . Every house in this area was at least fifty years old . Every time Cassie drove through this part of town , she wondered if any of this had been around when Matt was alive . She was really going to miss him ! There had seldom been a day in the last six years that they hadn 't been together . Cassie pulled into Amber 's driveway and drove around to the back of the house . Kari 's red Honda Del Sol was already parked beside the garage . Cassie parked next to the Honda and got out of the car . She pulled her bags out of the trunk and walked up the back stairs of Amber 's house . Amber 's parents had died in a car accident a year ago . She had inherited the house and their new Ford Explorer . The house was beautiful . It was a two - story red brick home built in the nineteen forties . The inside was spectacular with hardwood floors , oriental carpets , stained glass windows in various locations throughout the house , and french doors . Kari Matthews was about four inches taller than Cassie and had medium length straight blonde hair and blue eyes . Kari had a willow thin model 's figure . The girls had met in Ms . Robinson 's kindergarten room and had become fast friends . No one had been able to tear them apart ever since . Kari was more popular than Cassie , especially with the guys , but that had never bothered Cassie . As far as Kari was concerned , Cassie 's dating status and popularity rating , or rather lack - thereof , made her the perfect friend . She could never be friends with someone she saw as competition . Kari had always been one of those girls who always had to be the center of attention , especially when guys were around . Even though she was about to graduate from college , she hadn 't changed much . Amber Tyler was about the same height as Kari , but she wore a size twelve while Kari wore mostly fours and a few sixes , not that she would admit to ever wearing a size six . To Kari , a six was fat . Amber had long red hair that frizzed if she didn 't straighten it and pretty green eyes . She wasn 't what most would call beautiful , but she was pretty . While she didn 't date as much as Kari did , she had been on her fair share of dates and had one or two serious boyfriends over the years . Amber had been friends with Kari and Cassie since she moved to Ashton Grove six years ago . The three girls were almost inseparable . If you saw Cassie at the mall , you were sure to see Kari and Amber as well . Each of the young women had a special gift . Cassie could see , touch , and speak to ghosts ; Kari sometimes would see glimpses of the future through her dreams ; and Amber was an empath , which meant she could feel other people 's emotions . The three of them very seldom spoke of their unusual gifts unless they were alone . Cassie and Kari were also Wiccans . Amber knew of their beliefs , but no one else in town did . In a small southern rural town , being anything other than Christian was a death sentence of sorts . The south wasn 't considered the Bible belt for nothing . Kari and Cassie were both solitary practitioners of Wicca , but that is where the similarities in their beliefs ended . Cassie followed the Druidic tradition , based in nature and the elements , while Kari practiced the Dianic tradition , based more on feminism . Both women cast spells , but Cassie only did so when she had to . Cassie felt that the God and Goddess would want her to try and solve things on her own before asking for their help and wisdom . Kari had a tendency to cast spells on a more regular basis as she liked to take the easy way out when possible . The threefold law apparently didn 't mean much to her . The three women talked as they loaded Amber 's SUV with their bags . They had a four hour drive to Whispering Lake from Ashton Grove , Georgia . Whispering Lake consisted of a fifty acre lake , about thirty cabins , a ten mile wooded hiking trail , and an assortment of activities and wildlife . The lake was surrounded by mountains , which gave it a secluded feeling . The interstate was a good hour away from the lake so it was a peaceful setting . No horns honking , no cars speeding by … it was going to be a nice relaxing week . The only thing that could have made it better would be Matt . Cassie really wished that he could have gone on the trip too . It felt strange knowing he wouldn 't be by her side for the next even or eight days . Whenever she needed an opinion on something , Matt was the one she asked . If she needed help with a class project , she would ask Matt . She relied on him a lot , but it was more than just that . She felt truly comfortable with him and a special kinship . If he were alive , she could easily see herself spending the rest of her life with him . Ashton Grove , Georgia , her hometown , only boasted a population of 875 . Cassie loved the quaint feel of small - town life , but she also enjoyed going to bigger cities like Atlanta or Knoxville when she had the opportunity . The one downfall of being in a small town was not having a decent mall . The Ashton Grove mall definitely could not compare to Phipps Plaza in Atlanta … and what girl didn 't love to shop ? Still , she was looking forward to their week at the lake . It would be nice to get away from it all … well , all but Matt . Cassie could tell she was going to have a hard time keeping him from her thoughts . " What kind of activities did the brochure say they have at the lake ? " Cassie knew that Amber would have practically memorized the brochure they received in the mail a few weeks before . Amber had been so excited that she had talked of little else for the past week . Amber smiled and started rattling off activities that would be available , " They have boating , fishing , hiking , and tennis . It said they also have special activity nights in the main lodge , like karaoke night . " Amber knew that Cassie loved to sing , but Cassie wasn 't sure she wanted to sing in front of everyone . Singing in front of her family or her closest friends was one thing , but to embarrass herself in front of complete strangers was another matter entirely . " Maybe we can go for a hike this afternoon . I bet the woods there are really pretty . " Being a Druid meant that Cassie tried to spend as much time in nature as possible . She always felt the most balanced after she had been in the woods or by a lake . Being in the outdoors was very soothing to Cassie . Cassie agreed . She would have preferred staying with her two friends than staying with people she had never met . She wasn 't shy . Cassie just felt nervous around strangers . She was always worried they would discover her unusual talent of talking to ghosts and would think she was a freak , or possibly schizophrenic . It wouldn 't be the first time that someone suggested she ' get help . ' Amber turned the radio on and the three of them settled in for the four hour drive . Kari was flipping through a magazine and Amber was concentrating on driving . Cassie pulled out her i - pod and closed her eyes . As she listened to Aimee Mann , Avenged Sevenfold , Green Day , and her other favorite artists , she thought of what this week could bring to her life . When Cassie had called to reserve her room , she had been told that the only available room was in a four bedroom cabin . The other three rooms had already been booked . The lady said she couldn 't tell her who would be staying in the cabin with her , confidentiality or something like that . Cassie just hoped they were nice . Amber pulled the car to a stop in front of the lodge at Whispering Lake . The three women got out of the car and gathered their belongings . They went into the lodge to get their cabin keys from the lodge manager . Amber and Kari were sharing cabin number eleven . Cassie was going to be staying in cabin number six with her mystery roommates . As they walked toward their cabins , they planned on meeting for lunch in an hour at the lodge . Cassie arrived at her cabin first . She went up the steps and unlocked the door . As she stepped inside , she found herself standing in a small living room with a fireplace , couch , coffee table and small TV . A small kitchen was to their left and the bathroom was to the right . There was a bedroom off the kitchen , and three others off the living room . Cassie didn 't get a response so she figured her cabin - mates were out . She would just have to find the empty room by process of elimination . She started with the room off the kitchen , but saw a duffel bag on the floor . She went back to the living room and entered the first bedroom she came to . She didn 't see a bag anywhere , but when she opened the dresser drawer she saw men 's clothing folded neatly . At least she knew the gender of one of her roommates . As Cassie closed the bedroom door behind her , the front door opened and three guys walked in . Uh oh … this wasn 't looking good . She was sharing a cabin with three men ? There had to be a mistake ! She could barely speak to men , much less live with three of them for a week ! " Hi . I 'm Michael . " One of the guys stepped forward with his hand outstretched . Cassie reached over and shook his hand . " I 'm Cassie . " Michael hadn 't expected their fourth roommate to be a woman , but he wasn 't complaining . She was beautiful ! " These are my brothers , Cole and Gabriel . " " Oh , here , let me help you with those . " Michael reached over and took her bags from her . " The empty bedroom is back here . " He walked toward the back of the cabin and pushed open the last bedroom door . He walked in and set her bags on the bed . " I 'll let you unpack , " he said , backing toward the door . After Michael left the room , Cassie closed the door behind him and leaned against it . Whoa ! Three gorgeous brothers all in one cabin … with her ! Each of them had been tall , almost as tall as Matt , and had coal black hair . Two of them had blue eyes and one had steel gray eyes . She was so in trouble ! Cassie was usually tongue - tied and clumsy around cute guys and these three were gorgeous ! They looked like fallen angels with that thick , black , wavy hair . On the other side of the door , all three brothers were looking at each other with dazed expressions . Michael and Cole were twins . They were both six - foot - one and were twenty - two years old , but they weren 't identical twins . Cole had gray eyes while Michael 's were blue , and their noses were a little different too . Gabriel , at twenty - four , was the oldest and the tallest . He was six - foot - two and very broad shouldered . All three brothers worked out on a regular basis . Cole was still in college , but Michael and Gabriel had forgone college to work in their garage as mechanics . Cole worked there part - time when he wasn 't in class . The garage had been their dad 's , but not they each owned an equal share . Cole planned on selling his share to his brothers once he was finished with college . He could technically still keep his share and just work there on weekends , but he didn 't see the point . His brothers would need the income from those hours more than he would . Gabriel looked at his brother with disgust . " Is that all you can think of ? Did you not notice that she seemed a little nervous around us ? I 'm betting the manager never told her she was staying with three guys . " Gabriel looked at him . " I don 't know , maybe she 's heard of your reputation ? Any woman with half a brain would be nervous to share a cabin with you ! " Gabriel shook his head . Michael was hopeless when it came to women . He thought he was God 's gift to women . Unfortunately , most women fell over themselves for a chance to date any of the brothers , so it was hard to convince Michael otherwise . It would be nice if just once a woman actually told Michael no . Cole walked over to Cassie 's room and knocked on the door . He heard a faint response that he took as consent to enter . He opened the door and peeked in her room . She was still unpacking her suitcase . " When you 're done , would you like to see if they have anything left for lunch over at the lodge ? Or did you grab a bite to eat on the way here ? " When Cole left , Cassie smiled to herself . He seemed like a nice guy . Maybe it wouldn 't be so horrible sharing a cabin with the brothers after all . They were definitely nice to look at , even if they weren 't Matt . Cassie sighed to herself . Was she ever going to get over Matt ? She knew that she couldn 't have a relationship with a dead guy , but she couldn 't seem to get him out of her mind . Even when she had first seen her roommates , she had automatically compared them to Matt . It was a habit she needed to break . They left the cabin and walked in companionable silence to the lodge . When they reached the lodge , Cole held the door open for her . Inside , Cassie could see a buffet set up for lunch . She didn 't see Kari or Amber anywhere . Cassie followed Cole over to the buffet and started fixing her plate . She grabbed a sandwich and some chips and turned to search for a table . " Wait up . I 'm almost done . " Cole said as he put a few cookies on his plate , to go with the two sandwiches and ton of chips already there . They walked over to a table near the large picture window and sat down . Cassie hadn 't expected for him to sit with her . Most guys like Cole never gave her a second look . Even the few who had , didn 't stick around once she started talking to ghosts . As they ate , Cole asked Cassie some basic questions … where was she from ; was she in college ; etc . They found out that they both lived in Ashton Grove and went to the same college . Cassie was a psychology student and Cole was studying biology so they didn 't have any classes together . It was funny what a small world they lived in . Imagine meeting people four hours away from home who lived in the same town . Even though they had attended the same high school , Cassie didn 't remember seeing Michael or Cole before . She wasn 't sure how she could have missed them ! Granted , they were a little older than her , but she still would have seen them in the halls . They ate the rest of their lunch in silence . When they were done , Cassie 's friends walked in . Cassie could tell that Kari was just dying to know who she was sitting with . Wait until they heard about her sleeping arrangements ! She was never going to hear the end of this . Cole got up when he noticed her friends were approaching . He didn 't want to intrude , but he definitely wanted to get to know Cassie better … just being near her made him feel more alive than he had all year . The week was definitely starting to look up . Kari and Amber sat down with wide eyes . It wasn 't exactly the norm for Cassie to hang out with hot guys . " Who was that and what did he mean he would see you at the cabin later ? " Kari demanded . " Remember how I made my reservation a little late ? And the manager said I was sharing a cabin with three other people ? Well , Cole and his two brothers are those other people . " " Oh my god ! You 're sharing a cabin with three guys ? ! Are they all that hot ? " Kari was in complete shock , not to mention completely jealous . Kari rolled her eyes . " Good grief Cassie . You 'd think we lived in the dark ages or something . No one here could care less that you 're sharing a cabin with three guys . " Cassie knew that Kari was right , but being around Matt had rubbed off on her . He had been born in a time when chivalry wasn 't dead . He also had certain opinions of what men and women should and shouldn 't do before marriage . Good thing he wasn 't here ! They talked a bit more while Kari and Amber ate their lunch . When they were done , they went outside and decided to take a hike in the woods . They passed by Cassie 's cabin on the way to the trail . Cole was sitting on the front porch and watched them start off down the trail . The woods were really pretty and the girls walked in silence at first , just admiring the trees and wildlife . They saw squirrels , raccoons and even a few deer . Cassie felt completely at peace . About thirty minutes into their hike , Kari decided to break the silence . " Cass , can I ask you something ? " Cassie was blushing . She had told her friends before how difficult it was to have a boyfriend when you had ghosts popping up at all hours of the day . Kari had been snippy with her a lot lately . She made it sound like it was a terrible thing to be a virgin . Granted , Cassie didn 't know too many women her age that were still virgins , but that just made her unique . Who was she kidding ? It made her even more of a freak and she knew it . " So what if I haven 't ? You know how hard it is for me to date . How many guys do you know that would be tolerant of me stopping to talk to ghosts at any given time ? At least your gift is something you can keep hidden , " Cassie told Kari . Kari rolled her eyes at her . " Whatever , Cassie . All I know is that if you don 't plan on taking advantage of that hunky guy you had lunch with , the least you could do is introduce me to him . " Amber shook her head . " I don 't know . She 's been different this past year . I think her popularity with the guys has gone to her head . " " I wanted you to know that I think that 's pretty wonderful actually . My first time wasn 't so great . If I had it all to do over again , I would have waited for someone more special . You know , that one guy that you just can 't get out of your mind day or night , " Amber told her . Cassie smiled at her . Unfortunately , she knew about that guy all too well … and he was a fifty year old ghost haunting her bedroom . " I know what you mean , Amber . Thanks . " Amber smiled at Cassie and they start down the path after Kari . They found her sitting on a log by the path . Cassie went over to her and sat down on the log . " I think it would do wonders for you . At the very least , you should try flirting with one of them . You haven 't dated anyone in so long you 're probably rusty , " Kari said nastily . " Well , you saw Cole . He 's the one that was having lunch with me . His has a brother that looks like he 's probably his twin , except Michael has blue eyes . Then there 's Gabriel . I think he 's a little older . " " I don 't know . I don 't really know any of them that well yet . They all seemed nice enough . Cole was pretty great during lunch though . He goes to Blue Ridge State too , but he 's about to graduate . " Cassie shook her head . " It 's not really up to me , Kari . If he wants you , then by all means you can have him . " Amber and Kari headed back down the trail . Cassie got up from the log and kept walking deeper into the woods . She was starting to feel unbalanced and being in nature always made her feel better . Normally being around her friends made her happy , but Kari was getting meaner and meaner these days . Cassie didn 't understand what was going on with her friend . Cole was sitting on the porch of the cabin when Kari and Amber walked by . He wasn 't certain , but he would have sworn that Kari winked at him when she walked past . What was that about ? He had a feeling he hadn 't seen the last of her . By now he was used to women coming on to him , but he hadn 't been on a date in a while . Cassie was the first woman who had even sparked his interest this year . He looked up the trail , but he didn 't see Cassie . Surely her friends hadn 't left her out there alone . He waited a few minutes to see if she would follow . When there was no sign of her after fifteen minutes , Cole started down the cabin steps and decided to go check on her . It would be getting dark soon . He walked for almost an hour before he found her . She was sitting on a rock by a spring with her knees drawn up to her chest . Her hair was down and it was blowing in the breeze . Her cheek rested on her knees and she had her eyes closed . As he got closer , he could tell that she had been crying . He felt an unexpected urge to comfort her . The feeling surprised Cole . He hadn 't wanted to comfort a woman in a long time … not since his girlfriend , April , had left . Cassie wished more than anything that Matt were here with her . What danger had he foreseen ? Did it have anything to do with Kari 's idea that Cassie should flirt with Cole , or was it something else entirely ? She knew of Matt 's ability to sense danger . It had actually saved her more than once over the past few years . She really missed him . He always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better . Cassie had walked a little further when she heard a noise to her right . She looked over and saw a girl coming towards her . Right away Cassie knew that the girl was a ghost . They seemed to have a particular aura or something , not to mention that the air always felt a little cooler around them . " Sure . Lead the way . " Cassie followed Sarah further along the path . About half a mile down the trail , she looked to her left and saw a beautiful stream with a large rock beside it . She walked down to the stream and climbed up on the rock , pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them . It was late afternoon and the sun was already starting to sink behind the mountains . The air had gotten quite a bit cooler than when she had started her hike . " What did you want to talk about , " Cassie asked . " I 'm not really sure . It 's just something I 've always been able to do . I haven 't talked to anyone in my family about it so as far as I know I 'm the only one who can see , talk to , and touch spirits . Y ' all are just as real to me as my friends are . " Sarah looked thoughtful . " It must be strange , having ghosts walk up to you all the time . How do you deal with something like that ? Isn 't it hard keeping something like that a secret ? " " It was at first . I 'm used to it now . It 's a little embarrassing if I 'm in the mall or someplace crowded though . Then people think I 'm talking to myself . It 's definitely hard keeping it a secret . Sometimes I would like nothing more than to have someone to share this with . I have two friends who know about my ' gift , ' but it would be nice if I could share it with my family or to have a boyfriend that would understand . " Cassie looked at Sarah . " Actually , my best friend is a ghost . His name is Matt . Right before you walked up to me , I was thinking how much I wish he were here . " " I 've often wondered about that . I guess I 'm just scared that if I tell my parents I see ghosts that they will have me locked away . " Cassie sighed . " May I ask you something personal ? " Three years ago . It was fall when I came here with some friends . We went hiking and it started to rain . We had veered off the path and crossed the stream further up the trail . When I tried to cross back over , I slipped on one of the rocks and hit my head . The next thing I knew , no one could hear me or see me . " " Don 't be . It wasn 't your fault . It was just an accident . " Sarah smiled at her . " Being stuck here isn 't too bad . It 's just lonely . I stayed behind to watch over my boyfriend , but when he left the lake I wasn 't able to go with him . " " That must have been very sad , " Cassie replied . Cassie laid a sympathetic hand on Sarah 's shoulder . " You 're not alone now . If I could find a way to release you from this place , I would . Matt and I researched that very topic over the past few weeks , but we haven 't been able to find anything yet . " Sarah smiled at her . She turned and started to walk back into the woods . " I will leave you to your hike . Thank you for stopping and talking to me for a few minutes . " Cassie thought that Sarah ' story was a very sad one . It didn 't seem fair that she was stuck here . She wished that she had her Wicca books with her or her laptop . She might have been able to find a spell that would release Sarah 's spirit . Of course , if she released Sarah from her prison on earth , she would have to do the same for Matt . Cassie wasn 't sure she would be able to do that . She cared about Matt far too much to lose him . She knew it was selfish of her , but she couldn 't help how she felt . She would be lost without him . " I 'd like that , " Sarah said with a smile . She turned and disappeared into the woods . Cassie decided she liked hearing the spring trickle by and decided to stay a little longer . As she sat there , she started thinking about Kari . Unlike Cassie , Kari had seriously dated several guys this year and two the year before . Even though Kari hung out with Amber and Cassie , she was far more popular than either of them . Cassie laid her head down on her knees and closed her eyes . After a few minutes , she let the tears come . She didn 't understand why Kari couldn 't accept her the way she was . So what if she didn 't date anyone seriously ? Kari knew that Cassie wasn 't like most people . She wished her friend could be more supportive . What was the big deal with sleeping with a bunch of guys anyway ? Wasn 't it better to wait for someone special ? Someone like Matt ? Thinking of Matt just made her cry harder . Why did the most wonderful man she knew have to be a ghost ? Cassie knew a large part of why she didn 't date had to do with Matt . Even if Cassie knew they couldn 't be together , she still compared every guy she ever met to Matt . Every date she went on , she wished that it was Matt sitting across from her or holding her hand . It wasn 't fair to the men that asked her out , but she couldn 't seem to help it . Cassie sat on the rock for the longest time and eventually cried herself to sleep . An hour passed before Cole found her sitting on that same rock . He stood there watching her for a few minutes … not sure if he should disturb her or not . Why had she been crying ? Did it have anything to do with her friends leaving her out here ? Cassie lifted her head and saw Cole standing by her . She looked around and noticed it was nearly dark outside . She tried to stand and nearly fell . Her legs had fallen asleep from sitting in that cramped position for so long . Cole deftly caught her around the waist and helped her stand up . Being this close to him , she could smell his woodsy scent . She wanted to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his shirt . For the first time in her life , she wanted to take solace in someone 's embrace other than Matt 's . Instead , she took a step back and wiped the tears from her eyes . " I saw your friends come out of the woods without you . I waited a few minutes and when you didn 't come back down the trail I thought I would come and get you . It 's an hour walk back to the cabin and dinner will be served in less than two hours , " Cole replied . Cassie looked at Cole . He looked concerned . The thought that such a cute guy might like her was enough to put a smile back on Cassie 's face . Maybe this time , she wouldn 't think of Matt all the time . It would be nice to go out with a guy and be happy just to be with him . As they drew closer to the cabin , Cole reached over and took Cassie 's hand . Cassie looked at him in surprise , but then she smiled and threaded her fingers through his . They walked in silence back to the cabin . She had never felt this comfortable with anyone before . It was like she had known Cole her whole life . " I think I 'm going to go inside and freshen up a little , " Cassie said as they came to the end of the trail . She knew her face was probably streaked from her tears and she had some fallen leaves stuck in her hair . In other words , she was a wreck . " I 'd like that . " Cassie said with a shy smile before going into the cabin . She grabbed her bag of toiletries and a clean change of clothes and headed to the bathroom . She took a hot shower , washing her hair with her favorite lavender shampoo and using her favorite lavender soap . When she was done , she got out and towel dried her long hair and put on her pink sweater and jeans . She quickly moisturized her face and put on a little mascara and lipstick . Her cheeks were pink enough from the hot water of her shower that blush wasn 't necessary tonight . Cassie put her makeup back in the little bag and put the bag in the mirrored cabinet above the sink . Even though her hair was still quite wet , it fell in long dark waves down her back . She put her dirty clothes in her room and put on her brown Dr . Martens . When she stepped out onto the porch , Cole turned to face her . " Wow . You look great , " he said as his eyes devoured every inch of her . He couldn 't help but wonder what she was wearing under the pink sweater . Cassie blushed . " Thanks . Are you ready to see if dinner 's ready ? " Cole nodded . They started walking toward the lodge . Again , he reached over and took her hand . With their fingers laced together , they walked up the steps to the lodge and went inside . Most of the people staying at Whispering Lake were already filling their plates . They saw Kari and Amber across the room . Kari saw their joined hands and glared at her . Cassie should have expected that since Kari had mentioned that she wanted Cole for herself . Cassie and Cole finished filling their plates and went to find their table by the window . Just as Cassie sat down , she felt something brush past her leg . She looked down and saw an adorable little dog . She knew she shouldn 't acknowledge it though , at least not in front of Cole . The dog was a ghost . Cassie nonchalantly reached down as if she were going to pick something up and quickly patted the pup on the head . She noticed Cole was watching her . " Dropped my napkin , " she said with a grin . He smiled back and they started eating . From across the room , Kari had noticed Cassie 's move . She knew exactly what had happened . Cassie had attracted a ghost just as she always did . At that moment , Kari knew exactly how she could separate Cassie and Cole . After all , had she not told Cassie that she wanted Cole ? Besides , Cassie wouldn 't have the first clue what to do with a guy like that . All Kari had to do was let Cole know that he was interested in a freak who talked to ghosts . Everything else would fall into place after that . Who would want to date someone like Cassie anyway ? It wasn 't fair that Cassie got to have the attention of a guy as hot as Cole . She got up and walked over to their table . After all , it wasn 't like Cassie was going to seriously date him anyway . Kari might as well be able to have some fun during the trip and she planned on having fun with Cole . Cassie could see Cole watching her , waiting for her response . " I don 't know what you 're talking about Kari . " How could Kari do this to her ? Cassie hoped she would drop it and walk away . No such luck ! " You know what I mean . Been talking to any ghosts lately ? You know , like the one you were just petting under the table , " Kari continued relentlessly . Cassie gasped . She shot her eyes over to Cole to judge his reaction . He was just looking between her and Kari . " Are you trying to tell me that Cassie can talk to ghosts , " Cole asked . His calm tone wasn 't the reaction that Kari had hoped for . He was taking this news entirely too well . He was supposed to freak out and want to be as far from Cassie as possible . " Yes , she can talk to dead people and animals . It looked to me like she was petting a ghost dog or cat under the table , " Kari responded , sure that he would get up at any moment and walk away from Cassie . Cole looked at Cassie . He could tell she was really uncomfortable with what Kari was saying . Could she really talk to and touch spirits ? " Is that true , Cassie ? You can see ghosts ? " " Yes , it 's true , " she whispered . She started to get up from the table , but Cole reached over and took her hand . She looked into his eyes and saw that he wasn 't repulsed or freaked over her news . If anything , he looked intrigued . Could she have finally found someone who would understand and accept her as is ? " Please sit back down . I 'd like for you to finish having dinner with me . If you want to , that is , " he told her with a smile . Cole shrugged . " Honestly , I think it 's kind of cool . I always knew that things like ghosts existed . I 've never seen one , but sometimes I 've thought I could feel one . It kind of makes me wonder what else might be out there . " He smiled at her . " Who knows , maybe vampires and werewolves are real too . " Cassie was amazed . Cole was not only gorgeous , kind and seemed to like her , but he was also willing to accept her as she was … freakish powers and all . " I don 't know what to say . I figured by now you would have been running as fast you could to get away from me . That 's what most guys do anyway . " Cole grinned at her . " It will take a lot more than that to run me off . " He couldn 't believe that guys would run from Cassie . So what if she could talk to ghosts ? It just made her different . Everyone was different in their own way . It was a small part of who she was . Any man should feel honored to have such a beautiful and caring woman in his life . Cassie smiled in return and finished eating her dinner . Once they were done and had returned their plates to the kitchen , they left the lodge . When they stepped outside , Cole turned towards Cassie . " I had a nice time tonight , " he told her . " Oh , I 'm definitely interested . " Cole smiled at her . He thought she looked even more beautiful in the moonlight . She was a good foot shorter than he was , but she reminded him of a petite pixie . She had delicate features and a full mouth that he wanted to kiss . He wondered what she 'd say if he leaned down and kissed her at that moment . Deciding not to tempt fate , he steered his thoughts in another direction . " Would you like to walk around the lake ? Or head back to the cabin ? I think I saw a DVD player and some movies in the living room , " Cole said . " How about a short walk first ? " Cassie couldn 't think of anything more romantic than a moonlit walk by the lake . Cassie had only dreamed of nights like this before . She felt comfortable around Cole , but she also felt a little guilty . She wasn 't sure why , but it almost felt like she was cheating on Matt when she was with Cole . Would she ever get over him and allow herself to have a real life ? Her she was with a gorgeous guy that accepted her unique ability and she was thinking of Matt again . There was something seriously wrong with her ! They held hands and walked in the moonlight , looking out over the lake . It was quiet despite the fact that all 30 cabins were full . It seemed like everyone had decided to stay at the lodge for whatever activity had been planned for the evening , while the rest were quietly heading to their cabins . Cassie was starting to shiver . The night was getting cooler by the minute . " Cole , would you mind if we headed back to the cabin now ? It 's starting to get a little cold . " " Sure . " He put his arm around her shoulders and started walking towards the cabin . " Do you think you 'll feel up to a movie ? Or do you want to head to your room ? I 'm sure you had a long day . " His thoughtfulness touched her . " I think I can handle a movie , " she said with a smile . Want to find out what happens ? Get your copy today !