Forbidden Spirits by Patricia Watters Read Free Book Online

focus on an idyllic place like an ancient forest with a mountain stream, or a glen covered in flowers. Move about in this world, seeing, smelling and feeling everything around you. Open your mind to any and all messages.. ."
    Before long , her vision of an idyllic forest setting morphed into images of Tyler playing with his horses in the meadow, and interacting with them like a father with his children, and standing on them as they sailed over a log, which brought her back to the scene on the beach…
    "I'm really glad you joined us for dinner, honey," Grace said, drawing Rose's attention from her succession of thoughts about Tyler. "Marc and Kit are so happy to have you here while they're gone. We all admire your beautiful baskets, and Sophie and Emily are anxiously looking forward to your basketweaving workshop."
    " This is my dream job," Rose replied. "My degree is in Native American Studies with a minor in art, and my passion is basketweaving, so this is perfect for me. It's also close to home. I've never been one to venture off very far. I like it around here."
    "Then you still live with your family?" Grace asked.
    Rose nodded. " For the moment. My folks like having me with them, and since my dad has a small cattle operation, I can keep my horse there. But I need to be on my own some too, so I'm looking into buying a small piece of property nearby."
    "We've got it made here," Maddy said. "Dad gave us each a parcel of land to do with what we want . My piece isn't far from here because I'm the only girl and got first choice." She smiled in jest at her dad, who smiled back and winked. "My older brothers and I have parcels close to the lodge where there are people and activity, unlike my brother, Tyler, who's a recluse."
    "Where is his place?" Rose asked, and tried not to sound to o interested.
    " At the dead end of one of the ranch roads," Maddy replied. "Pick any one of the latest environmentalist buzz words, like living green, or sustainable living, or minimalism, and that's Tyler, except that he lived that way before it became trendy. His place backs up to BLM land so there's no one there but him and his mares, which is the way he likes it. He's not really human though. He's a centaur who looks and acts human, but his long mane of hair gives him away."
    Rose caught the twinkle in Maddy's eyes and laughed lightly, although she was surprised at Maddy's terminology because when she'd seen Tyler on the beach with his horses, the word, centaur, was what came to her. "I take it you've studied Greek Mythology," she said.
    Maddy nodded. "In one of my classical studies classes. Centaurs have the torso of a man and the body of a horse, which is pretty much what Tyler looks like when he's standing on top of them, and they lived in caves, and Tyler's always had a fixation on Whispering Springs. He's definitely a centaur."
    Howard Barker eyed Maddy with amusement, and said, "Centaurs were also known to be violent, live on wine and meat, and carry maidens off to their lairs. Tyler doesn't like wine, he hasn't got a violent bone in his body, and as far as we know he lives alone with his horses."
    "I have a theory on that too," Maddy said. "My theory is that Tyler descended from Cheiron, unlike all the other centaurs who descended from Ixion, so whereas the other centaurs were known for their bestial behavior, Cheiron overcame that side of a centaur's nature and became a tutor to the other centaurs, which is definitely Tyler. He can be a real bore at times with all his scientific theories."
    Rose couldn't dispute th e part about the scientific theories. Tyler did seem somewhat long-winded with his accounts about geysers and hair being an extension of the nervous system, but there was nothing about him that she found boring. Tedious and exasperating maybe, but definitely not boring.
    Looking askance at Maddy, she said, "When I was out looking for basket-making materials I must have ended up close to Tyler's place because I found him