Gamble of a Lifetime — Eileen Ann Brennan

A decadent Halloween cruise and a rescue by a dashing stranger have Lauren tingling from head to toe. With his Southern charm and genteel manners, Ashton Claymore is a dream come true. But things aren't so simple. Ashton has no idea why he's been stuck on a riverboat for one hundred and forty years, or why each year on the anniversary of his murder he returns to his corporeal body. This year the newly restored boat is the scene of a libertine party, and he is inexplicably drawn to a red-headed saloon girl who is sure to make this All Hallow's Eve a night to remember. Reader Advisory: This story contains violence that some women may find distasteful.