Laura's Secrets

by Shannon Greenland

  That was it. Nothing else. If he could just see her smile, for a second, he'd be okay again. Not being able to communicate with her was driving him nuts.

  Will blew out another breath and shifted in his seat.

  Eric, who sat in his usual spot opposite Will, looked up from his magazine. “You're starting to annoy me. If you're going to keep breathing like that, then go somewhere else."

  Will shot his best friend a snarly look and glanced around the plane. Ed lounged in the back where Laura usually sat. His head was bowed as he studied something in his hand. Will continued watching him, thinking he looked forlorn, then Ed twisted his fingers, and Will saw that he held a blue rabbit's foot.

  Will straightened in his chair. Why would Ed have Laura's rabbit's foot? Maybe she'd given it to him for good luck. No, she never let that thing out of her sight. Lots of people carried a rabbit's foot. Ed happened to be one of those people.

  Curiosity winning out, Will pushed himself up and walked down the aisle to the back of the plane. Ed slid the rabbit's foot into his front pocket and glanced up.

  Will saw the sorrow and devastation in his eyes and lost all thought of the blue foot. “Hey, you okay? You look like someone stole your last lollipop."

  Ed chuckled half-heartedly at the humor. “Memories."

  Will sat down across from him. He and Ed were friends, but they'd never shared anything personal. That didn't stop Will from offering, “Anything you want to talk about?"

  Pressing the pads of his fingers into his eyes, Ed sighed. “Do you know I have a sister?"

  "No."

  "Her name was Sandra."

  Was? Will sensed something horrible coming. “That's a pretty name."

  Ed smiled sadly. “Twenty years ago today she disappeared from my mother's garden and was never found.” He turned his head and peered out the small window. “Everyone was so excited when she was born. My parents tried for ten years after they had me to have another baby. Sandra was the light of all our lives. She had all this wispy-white, baby fine hair and big green eyes. She was always happy. I remember tickling her little belly and she'd giggle."

  Ed heaved another sigh and closed his eyes. “One day when she was five, my mom had her in the garden. The phone rang, mom ran inside, and when she came back out, Sandra was gone.” He swallowed. “We lived in a little two bedroom house in Oregon. Our nearest neighbor lived a mile away. Search parties combed the woods around our home. Nobody knew if she wandered off or had been kidnapped. Weeks went by. Months. People gave up hope."

  Ed opened his eyes and gazed wearily at Will. “My parents didn't have a lot of money. They couldn't afford investigators and media and stuff like that. Finally the local police told us we needed to face the fact that Sandra was probably dead.” Ed shook his head. “You know what, though? I never felt it.” He rubbed the heel of his hand over his heart. “In here she's still alive."

  Even if Will could have found his voice, he didn't know what to say. This was the kind of horrible tale that he heard about on the news. He'd never met someone who had lived through it. “I don't know what to say. I don't think ‘I'm sorry’ is the appropriate phrase."

  "There's nothing to say.” Ed shrugged. “What can be said?"

  "Is there anything I can do for you?"

  "No, I'm fine. Thanks for listening.” Ed closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

  Will stayed rooted to his spot, Ed's story spiraling through his head. He thought of the blue rabbit's foot again, but didn't want to bother Ed.

  * * * *

  Laura entered The Piggly Wiggly, grabbed a basket, and headed toward the produce section. She'd been coming to this grocery for three weeks now, but people still eyed her suspiciously, as if she was an alien, dropped off by the mother ship to suck the life out of everyone.

  Giving a soft reassuring smile to one of the stockers, Laura rounded the pet aisle. She passed up the squeaky toys and went straight for the bones. Jake's favorite. She grabbed a rather large rawhide one, then took her place in line at the register.

  Three people stood ahead of her. A hearty woman with pudgy legs jammed into galoshes, a teenager in skin-tight jeans and teased hair, and an old farmer dressed in overalls and a John Deere hat. His manure smell told Laura he'd walked into the grocery straight from a pasture.

  "Oh, Momma,” the teenager twanged. “I wanna see ‘em in concert so baaad."

  Laura glanced at the magazine the teenager pointed to. Tourist was featured on the front. Dressed in a pair of faded jeans and tight white T-shirt, Will stood with the other band members, his guitar hanging nonchalantly in front of him. She fought the urge to sigh and continued staring at the cover.

  The teenager snapped her gum. “They's comin’ ta Knoxville. You know thaaat?"

  Her mother paid the kid at the register and shuffled toward the exit. “I told ya, honey, ya ain't gonna see a concert ‘til ya eighteen."

  "But Mooommaaa,” the teenager whined as she followed her mother out the door.

  Laura grabbed the magazine and paid for her groceries.

  She drove Will's Jeep to the post office next, hoping to find another letter from him. One from Bizzy had been delivered instead. Laura ripped it open and scanned the paragraphs filled with Bizzy's usual prattle and hometown gossip. The last paragraph, though, said Aunt Jane had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. Laura read and reread that paragraph, thinking she should feel sorry for her aunt, but unable to work up any emotion at all.

  She's getting what she deserves.

  It was a bitter thought, but Laura continued to think it all the way back to Will's property. As she pulled through the creek, Jake barreled down the ridge, his black body darting tree stumps and leaping downed limbs.

  Laura climbed from the Jeep and waved his bone in the air. “Got something for you, Jake."

  He raced to her side, panting, eyeing the bone with dancing, black eyes. She laughed at his wagging tale and hanging tongue and tried to make him sit before giving him the treat. He cocked his head and barked. She gave in with a shrug and handed him the bone. She'd teach him to sit later.

  After making a cup of hot chocolate, Laura bundled into her coat, grabbed the magazine, then settled in the creaky porch swing. Jake lay curled at her feet, chewing on his rawhide bone. Snow flurries filled the valley. Laura sighed longingly.

  If only Will was here.

  * * * *

  Okay, first I'll say, “hi,” and then I'll ask Laura if I can kiss her.

  No.

  I'll say, “hi,” and kiss her without asking.

  No.

  I won't say, “hi.” I'll just kiss her.

  No.

  Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to kiss her.

  No.

  Hell, Will had never put so much thought into a kiss in his life. He'd walk in the cabin and do whatever felt right. There. Settled.

  Strumming his fingers on his knee, he bounced his leg and stared out the window of the utility vehicle. Four long weeks.

  His driver hesitantly climbed the narrow, gravel road leading to the cabin. Will rolled his eyes. They were in a Land Rover. What was the guy's problem?

  Will leaned up from the back seat. “Let me out when we round that corner up there. I don't want my friend to hear the engine. This is a surprise."

  "Yes, Mr. Burns. Will you be needing a ride back to the airport?"

  "No. Thanks anyway."

  The vehicle rolled to a slow stop. Will jumped out, and while the Land Rover navigated back down the mountain, he grabbed his suitcase and made his way toward the cabin, hoping Laura wouldn't see his approach.

  He came to a stop outside the front door, closed his eyes, and took a couple of deep breaths.

  Okay. Don't screw this up. It's going to be okay. It's just a kiss. Just a kiss? Hell, who was he kidding? He'd been waiting for this kiss his whole life. Or at least it felt like it.

  As quietly as possible, he turned the knob. Her guitar music filled the air. That sa
me mesmerizing piece that she'd played the first day her guitar had arrived on the tour.

  Will clicked the door closed and lowered his suitcase to the hardwood floor. It hit him then. The lyrics he'd been working on matched her music perfectly. How could that be? He'd started those lyrics months before he met her. Granted, he hadn't written notes, only words, but the two merged in his mind in perfect harmony.

  Realizing her music had stopped, Will looked up at the loft. Laura stood on the landing, staring down at him, wearing the sweetest, loveliest smile he'd ever seen. His heart thumped twice, hard, then started racing. She turned toward the stairs and slowly descended, keeping her eyes leveled on his the entire time.

  She reached the bottom step and stopped. They stared at each other from across the living room for long seconds. She looked more beautiful, more enticing than he remembered. Will reminded himself how to walk and quickly covered the short distance between them. She came off the last step to stand toe-to-toe with him on even ground. Their smiles faded as he held her alluring gaze.

  He reached up with both hands and lightly ran his fingers up her cheeks and into her hair. She was wearing it down, just like he liked it. He rested his palms on each side of her face and tilted it up. Searching her expression, Will looked for any hint of doubt or hesitance, knowing it would kill him to pull away, but for her he would. He saw trust in her eyes, though, and desire, too.

  Reassured, he lowered his mouth to hers. She closed her eyes and parted her lips. Will pressed a slow, soft kiss at the corner of her mouth, then leisurely moved to her top lip where he left another. He brushed his lips to the other corner and lingered there for a few seconds, then slid down to her bottom lip. He sucked the fullness into his mouth and bit down lightly on its release. He placed one last gentle kiss on the same corner he'd started at and lifted his head.

  Laura's lashes fluttered open. Will smiled, rubbed his nose affectionately against hers, and stepped back.

  Her butt landed hard on the bottom step. She gave her head a quick shake and looked up at him through dazed eyes.

  Clearly, the kiss came off exactly as he'd hoped. Pleased, Will grinned and held out his hand. “Hi."

  Twelve

  * * * *

  Five kisses. Will had given her exactly five kisses, like a sampled piece of fine chocolate.

  He was standing in front of her, hand extended, grinning devilishly. She took his hand, and he pulled her up. “I've never knocked a woman off her feet before."

  Leave it to Will to say something like that. “I see your ego is still larger than life."

  He chuckled. “Something smells good. Chili?"

  "You interested?"

  Will swept his arm to the side. “Lead the way."

  Laura crossed the living portion of the great room and entered the kitchen. She grabbed two bowls from the cabinet and spooned chili from the crockpot.

  He took a seat at the small four-seater table. “It looks like you've settled in nicely."

  "This place is incredible.” She set the bowls and spoons on the table and poured two glasses of milk. “What are you doing here? You're scheduled for promotional work this week."

  "You've been keeping up with my schedule, huh?"

  Laura's face grew warm as she settled in the seat across from him. “Something like that."

  Will took a bite of his chili. “It's promotional work, no concerts. I asked for some time off."

  She glanced up at him. “Oh?"

  He smiled. “I wanted to see you."

  "Oh.” Her stomach did a slow roll.

  They stared at each other for a few seconds. A dog barked, snapping them back to reality. Laura wiped her mouth. “That's Jake. Want to meet him?"

  "Jake?"

  "My dog. Well, actually, a stray black lab. But we've sort of adopted each other.” Jake barked again. Laura walked to the door and glanced back at Will. “Mind if he comes in?"

  "No, not at all."

  She grabbed Jake's towel and let him in, wiped down his legs and paws. He pranced over to the fireplace and plopped down.

  "I can see he's made himself quite at home."

  Laura gave him an innocent, little shrug, and settled back at the table.

  * * * *

  Jake slept sprawled in front of the crackling fire. Outside, frozen tree limbs fell from their trunks, producing a hollow, popping noise that echoed through the valley.

  Will relaxed on the couch, sipping a glass of Merlot, patiently waiting for Laura to join him. She'd been keeping busy every since he'd arrived. He suspected her constant puttering came more from nerves than anything else. Hell, he felt nervous, too. This vacation would give them days, and nights, of uninterrupted private time.

  Will glanced over his shoulder into the kitchen. She wiped a counter that she'd wiped ten minutes earlier. “Laura, stop cleaning and come sit with me."

  She paused in mid-wipe and raised her head. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She tossed the rag in the sink, grabbed her wine, and turned out the kitchen light, leaving only the fire to illuminate the room.

  With glass in hand, Laura sat on the couch cushion furthest away from him. “I got your letters.” She took a sip.

  He'd indulge the distance she'd put between them for a little while. “Yeah? I got yours, too, finally.” Will put his hand over his heart and gave her his best, hurt expression. “For a little while there I thought you forgot all about me."

  Her eyes widened. “No. I didn't forget about you."

  Will scooted across the couch and took her hand. “I missed you, Laura, a lot."

  "I missed you, too ... a lot."

  Will took the wine glass from her and set it on the coffee table along with his. He turned back to her. Flickering shadows danced across her face. Would he ever get enough of her? Looking at her, hearing her, talking with her, her scent, her taste.

  "You're beautiful.” When she didn't respond, he prodded, “Say thank you, Laura."

  Her lips curved. “Thank you. Will?"

  "Hmmm?"

  "I'm really nervous."

  His heart flip-flopped. “Me, too."

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah."

  He placed a feather kiss to each tip of her long, slender fingers, then closed his eyes and pressed her palm along the length of his cheek. He shifted her hand and with his tongue traced a small circle in the center. Laura caught her breath.

  Will opened his eyes at the erotic sound she made. He ran his hand along the back of her neck and pulled her forward, placed a lingering kiss to her right cheek. Slowly, he brushed down to her mouth and lightly rubbed his lips back and forth across hers. He ran his tongue along their seam, then moved over to her left cheek and pressed a kiss there. Will slid back down to her lips, and this time when his tongue ventured inside, she met it, her tip tentatively touching his. She tasted of wine.

  "Give me your tongue,” he spoke against her lips.

  "What?” she breathed.

  "Give me your tongue."

  This time she gave him better access. He grabbed her tongue and circled it with his own, sucked it into his mouth, pulsed it in, then out in a slow, sensual rhythm. She moaned and dug one hand into his thigh, the other into his side, pulling him closer.

  Will slipped his arm around her back and slid her down to the couch. He stretched his body on top of hers and trailed his lips across her cheek to her neck. Tugging down the turtleneck portion of her green sweater, he nibbled a line as far down as the sweater allowed, then growled impatiently, “Next time wear something that doesn't cover your neck."

  Laura let out a shaky laugh. Will moved up to her ear where he breathed a warm, moist sigh. She gasped and dug her fingers into his sides. He tightened his grip around her back and pressed his body harder against hers.

  A foul odor wafted across his face. She must have smelled it, too, because she opened her eyes and blinked a few times. They both turned their heads to the side. Jake's chin sat propped on the couch, right next to
theirs, watching them make out. Will cocked a suspicious brow. Jake put on his best, innocent face, looked from Laura, to Will, then back to Laura.

  "I think he's got to go out."

  Will looked down at her, lying beneath him flushed and well kissed. He shot a scowl at Jake. “Likely story."

  A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Will moaned his disappointment, pressed one last kiss to her lips, then rolled off the couch.

  * * * *

  "Morning sunshine.” Will tickled her toes.

  Laura pried her left eye open. He stood at the foot of the loft bed, grinning cheekily. She pulled the covers over her head.

  "I've got fresh coffee,” he whispered enticingly.

  She pushed the covers off her face and sniffed. As if out of thin air, a cup appeared under her nose. Laura wiggled up to sit in bed, grabbed the mug, and took a couple of welcoming sips.

  "Did the couch sleep okay?” she asked on a yawn.

  "Yep."

  "What are you so happy about this morning?"

  He pushed her legs aside and plopped down beside her on the bed. “Nothing special. Life in general."

  She took another sip, then glanced up at the skylight above the bed. “Looks like it's going to be a pretty day."

  "Yep. And that's a perfect lead into what I want to ask you. What are you doing today?"

  "I have an appointment with Dr. Masters this afternoon, but that's it."

  "Dr. Masters? Where do you do that? There's no phone jack here at the cabin."

  "The local library. They have a private computer room hooked to the Internet.” Laura flashed him a proud smile. “I haven't had a flashback in a month."

  He gazed at her tenderly. “I'm happy to hear that."

  Will's admiration sent a stream of warmth flowing through her body. Four weeks since her last nightmare. That's how long she'd been at the cabin. This place was good for her.

  She lifted the mug to her mouth and took another sip. “So, what did you have in mind for today?"

  He leaned forward, challenge flashing in his eyes. “Ever been four-wheeling strapped to the roll bar of a Jeep?"

  "Uh ... no. Sounds dangerous."