"This one's nice. View of the ocean, close to restaurants and shops, its not a bad price."
"Hmm." Lucy Muir wrinkled her nose up at her friend's choice of rental house.
"What's that Hmm for? You've got to find something suitable. You know, close to civilization."
"But it has no atmosphere. It looks like it was built in the excessive 80's with a décor to match.
"I don't know. It's not that bad," Sarah argued as she flicked through the pictures posted on the net.
"Anyway, it's not what I want. I'm writing about the Wild West, so I want something western. I want to feel what I'm writing about."
"You'll have to go to a whole other state for that. And I won't visit you in some hick town thousands of miles away." Sarah clicked the mouse and went back to the home page of the real estate rental site.
"I won't be that far away. I can't afford it for one."
"Well you're not going to find any sort of western ranch house very close to San Francisco. Not one that isn't a museum, anyway."
"There'll be something. There's lots of old gold towns around northern California."
"Why couldn't you have a more normal hobby? Nobody's interested in the history of the west any more."
"I am," Lucy pouted. "I'm going to write something inspiring, something that will peak people's interest in their own history again, and something that will kick start my writing career."
"Yeah, well, while you're hiding away in a primitive cabin somewhere writing, I'll be down the beach this summer working on my tan." Sarah stretched and got up from the computer.
"Fine. I'll keep looking, then." Lucy did another google search for her elusive summer retreat.
"Even if you found something historical like what you want, the chances of you affording it on your savings is next to zero. Mark didn't leave you with much."
"I'm well aware of my lack of funds," Lucy snapped.
"Sorry," Sarah replied. "I just think you need to get a good job in the city and reestablish yourself financially first. Not go running off to try and fulfil some fantasy that you can become a successful writer."
"I was good once, in college. Remember? I was voted the most likely to get published before I was thirty."
"Ah ha! That's what this is about. You're thirty in six month's time, aren't you? You're having a mid-life crisis.
"It's hardly mid, not yet." Lucy sighed and looked at her oldest friend. "I've just come out of a five year relationship on the loosing end. I think I need to take time out for myself for a while, that's all. I'd like to try and recapture a dream or two of my own. I know it's probably crazy and dumb and a waste of time. But it's my time for once. I need to try, just for me."
Sarah smiled. "Okay. I understand, I think. Nothing like having a guy suck the life out of you. Go, get your great western novel done. I'll be the first in line to buy a copy. Autographed, of course!"
"Thanks. And thanks again for letting me stay with you while I sort my life out."
"You know you are always welcome. And when you're done with this dream, I'll be here with a room for you so you can join the real world again."
"Thanks." Lucy jumped up and hugged Sarah. She was lucky to have such a good friend to help her through this rough patch.
"I'm going to check out what's on TV and leave you to your hunting," Sarah said with moisture in her eyes.
"Okay." Lucy sighed and watched her best friend leave the room. She loved Sarah like a sister, and she'd saved her life letting her stay with her since Mark kicked her out of their apartment in place of a nineteen-year-old bartender.
One minute she'd been wrapped up in the life he'd carved for her and the next she'd been out on her ear and all alone. It had made her rethink her priorities.
"I'm going to do something for myself this time," she said out loud as she turned back to the computer.
With renewed excitement, she scrolled down her search results. The heading 'ranch house cheap rental' caught her eye. Lucy clicked on the link and waited for the page to load.
Her eyes bugged out when the exterior shot popped up. Impressive wasn't the word for it. Majestic was a better choice.
A true log ranch house, it was two story with a porch at the front. It's dark timber walls were weather beaten but full of character.
She clicked on the additional picture that was supposed to be the living room, but it was too dark to see the detail very well. It looked large inside, with a lot of chunky wooden furniture. Any kind of furniture was a plus, however, as Lucy didn't own any. It had all ended up belonging to Mark.
"Where are you?" The next thing was that it was bound to be in the middle of Montana or somewhere equally inaccessible.
"Lake Tahoe?" Lucy's eyebrows shot up. Tahoe? There weren't any ranches there. Just casinos and fancy ski resorts. She and Mark had been there for the occasional weekend over the years. Best of all, it was only a few hours drive away.
She clicked on the rental price link. Amazingly it was under the modest limit she'd set herself. It had to be a mistake, surely?
Lucy wrote down the real estate's phone number. Being Tahoe, she might even find a part-time job to help fund her stay. With renewed hope, Lucy got her cell phone and called the number.
A week later, she found herself on I-80 driving steadily toward the mountains. As she negotiated the Sacramento traffic, she hoped that everything would work out as planned. She still couldn't believe that the ranch house was hers for the summer. The agent had even been surprised at her enthusiasm.
As she drove into the Sierra Nevada's, Lucy marveled at the mountain scenery. Her mind drifted back to her history classes and the pioneering mountain men that had forged this country. She might even set her novel around stories from this area.
Before she knew it, Lucy found herself in Incline Village, the small town where the estate agent had his office. She had the feeling this was going to be the start of something incredible.
"Hi, I'm Lucy Muir. I called from San Francisco about renting the ranch house along the east side of the lake."
The woman behind the desk looked at her as if she had two heads.
"Really?"
"Yes," Lucy said unperturbed. "I spoke to Mr Govers."
"I'll get him," said the still surprised receptionist.
"Ah, Ms Muir. Still wanting to look at that farmhouse? As I said on the phone, I have much more comfortable rentals closer to town."
"No thank you. The ranch is just what I'm looking for."
"I'll take you to look at it. You might change your mind after seeing it though."
Lucy shook her head and wondered why they were all so negative. Of course, they'd want a higher commission than the one the ranch would give them. Renting their luxury lakeside vacation homes would be much more lucrative.
Lucy looked keenly ahead as Mr Govers drove sedately around the northern end of Lake Tahoe. The brilliant blue lake sparkled under the cloudless spring sky. She ignored the modern condos he pointed out along the way.
"This is the turn-off," he finally said. They had gone only a few miles from Incline Village, so it wasn't so remote after all. Lucy was secretly pleased about that.
They followed a rough dirt road that wound it's way through a thicket of pine trees. It wasn't overly steep but by the time Lucy saw a barn ahead, she could also look back and see the lake below.
Then, finally Mr Govers took one last turn into a large overgrown yard. On one side was the barn she'd seen from the driveway. On the other was the house.
Lucy gasped as she got out of the car and stared. It was everything she'd dreamed and more. Even larger than she suspected from the photo, it was a western writer's dream.
"This is it," the agent stated unnecessarily.
"It's fantastic. Just what I wanted."
"Wait until you've been inside before you make up your mind."
"Why so negative?"
"I've had several tenants think they wanted to stay here and then change their minds almost straight away. I'm just trying to save you the trouble of moving in and then realizing it's . . .wrong."
"I'm not as fickle as that, Mr Govers. I'm very determined."
"So be it."
She followed him as he walked across to the front porch. What was the history of this place? This was a large house. The family must have been very successful in their day.
"How big is the ranch?" Lucy asked.
"Around two hundred acres."
"Is that all?"
"Oh, when it was a full working ranch I believe it covered most of the east shore of the lake right down to Virginia City and south to Carson. It was quite a spread in its day."
"What happened?"
"The locals say after the last of the original family passed on back in the 20's it was left to next of kin. Through marriage it got willed to the ancestors of the current owner. He's a real estate developer and has broken up and sold most of the land over the last twenty years or so. This final piece is slated for redevelopment next year. This land is very valuable as you can appreciate."
"So what will happen to the ranch house?"
"It'll be bulldozed, I guess. It's not worth anything."
Lucy saddened. How could a beautiful piece of history such as this house be worthless? As they arrived onto the solid timber porch, Mr Govers turned the key in the large, old fashioned lock. The latch clicked open and the door squeaked as he opened it up. A cold, musty smell greeted her as she took a step into the house.
"All the curtains are drawn. Let me open them up."
Lucy stared all around. The great room they stood in was large and imposing. A massive stone fireplace rose from floor to ceiling opposite the door. The floorboards creaked underneath her shoes. All the furniture was covered in dusty sheets and cobwebs clung to the high ceilings. As the drapes opened and light spilled into the large space, Lucy watched the dust of time float into the beams. She felt a shiver of excitement and a little fear as she took it all in.
"The kitchen is through here, but don't expect anything too fancy. As I said on the phone, it's very old fashioned. But the power's on and the fridge is okay. The bathroom has seen better days though. It's just off the kitchen here.
Lucy followed him into the large, square kitchen. A wood stove was the focal point. Heavy iron pots and pans hung from hooks above the fireplace. An old fashioned sink stood next to it.
"Not the most modern appliances, but there is a microwave."
"It'll do fine," she said, excited that she would get to experience some real early western hardships. She'd like to try to cook on a wood stove.
"There's a generator in the barn as a back-up in case the power goes out. It's not always reliable."
"Do the gas lamps still work?" she asked as they walked across the large living room again.
"I think so, but be careful. Don't burn it down. On the other hand, you'd probably be doing the owner a favor."
"Never! I can't believe anyone would want to knock this down. It's living history."
"You can say that again," mumbled Mr Govers as they reached the staircase. "Seen enough then?"
"I want to see upstairs."
"There are three bedrooms up there but there's a perfectly nice room off the dining area down here. This is where the tenants usually stay. Come and look." He steered Lucy back to a door beside the dining table. It was a nice room, clearly the bed had been updated as well as the floor coverings.
"Yeah, it's nice, but I want to see upstairs. I'd love to do my writing while looking out that window that you can see from the yard."
"Of course you do," he said in a sarcastic tone. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Lucy, quite annoyed by his attitude now, marched back to the staircase and up ahead of Mr Govers.
"Anyone would think you're afraid of this old place," she said with a touch of arrogance. At the top landing she turned left. A long corridor ran to the bedrooms. As she walked along she got a strange sensation that she was being watched. Not from behind, as Mr Govers was close behind her. It felt like someone was ahead of her, watching her from the shadows.
"This is the bedroom with the window facing the yard. Mr Govers just stood in the corridor staring at the door.
"Thank you!" Lucy opened the door and strode in. The room was very dark. The window to the outside world was covered with heavy drawn drapes. So, Lucy went to it and pulled the curtains open.
Light streamed in and highlighted the cloud of dust the drapes harbored.
"I wouldn't disturb too much in this room if I were you."
"Why not, it's a fine room. A bit masculine maybe, but look at this beautiful oak writing desk. It's exactly what I need to work." Lucy turned to her left and ran her hand along the smooth, cold wood and shivered with excitement. A previous resident had enjoyed the view from their desk just as she planned to.
"There's the master room next door. It's larger and has a four poster bed."
"This is a large bed. I don't need a bigger one."
"Get out!"
"Excuse me?" Lucy wheeled around after Mr Govers demanding words.
"I didn't say anything."
"Yes you did, you told me to get out."
"That wasn't me, Ms Muir."
"Get out!"
Lucy felt cold all over as she heard it again. And Mr Govers was right. It wasn't him that said it. The voice was deeper with a more menacing tone.
"Who said that?" she asked in a small voice.
"Him." Govers glanced to a painting hanging on the far wall of the room. It was a portrait of an imposing looking man, perhaps in his mid-fifties; a grim expression on his handsome face. He was dressed in a dark suit, silver vest and string tie. He had a neatly trimmed salt and pepper beard, very similar to other paintings and photographs she'd seen of men around the turn of the century.
"Him?" Lucy squeaked.
"Yeah, him!"
"Out!"
Suddenly, the curtains behind her flew back across the window plunging the room into darkness.
"Yikes." Lucy rushed for the door and made it out behind Mr Govers, just in time to hear the door slam itself behind her.
"Is this the real reason nobody stays up here?" she said as she and Mr Govers ran back down the stairs.
"Yeah. Nobody likes a haunted rental."
Lucy, now back in the large living room, felt her courage return. "Haunted. I never expected such a thing."
"Most people don't. It's a little hard to explain, so I just let people experience it. They soon agree that this isn't our best deal. So I'm sure you prefer one of those condos now." Mr Govers headed for the door. Lucy followed more slowly, considering her options. Okay, it might have an unwanted presence, but this place was everything she'd dreamed of. And she was determined.
"Not at all. I want this place more than ever."
Mr Govers eyebrows went up. "You what? You're crazy, lady. You'll last one night, that's all."
"I might surprise you. I'm pretty stubborn when I make up my mind about something." She crossed her arms and looked at the landing at the top of the stairs.
"You have to pay a month's rent in advance then. Non-refundable."
"No problem," Lucy said with more confidence than she felt. "This is my dream house and no pesky ghost is going to deprive me of it."
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Mr Govers whined as they left the house. As Lucy got into the car, she felt a tingle down her back. She turned and looked up at the window of the bedroom she'd been in. A shiver ran through her body as she saw the curtains move as if someone had been peering out at her.
