by Maddy Barone
“Lisa,” he began.
“Eddie, what’s happened to your face? You look strange. That’s how you looked at the library when…” She trailed off, smart enough to not mention Dane to him in his current mood.
Eddie pressed his forehead harder into the wall, trying to hide. Was he turning into the creature? He had fought it his whole life. He gritted his teeth, willing the ugly transformation away. “You make me crazy,” he muttered. “I’m not feeling entirely human right now.” He waited, breathing hard until he was sure he was in control of himself before lifting his face from the wall to stare at her. “You are my wife. Mine. Don’t ever forget it, or someone will die.”
“Be a little more dramatic, why don’t you?” Lisa suggested, trying to shrug his hands off her shoulders. “I’m your wife, not your slave. You don’t get to order me around like I wasn’t even a person. And don’t growl at me! You’re not a dog.”
Not a dog, no. The snarl was a sub-vocal rumble tearing at his grip. He forced himself to let her go, one finger at a time. “I’m going out tonight. Don’t wait up for me.”
“Right now? We’re not done talking!” she protested.
He had to get out of here before he lost all control. “We’re done. We won’t ever mention it again. From this moment, we’re starting fresh. Any other men you were with before you came here are in the past.” Eddie curled his fists to hide the claws. “Keep it that way, Lisa. Stay away from other men or pay the consequences.”
“Pay the consequences?” She rubbed her hands over her shoulders, as if easing pain. “What consequences?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Her snarl was more lady-like than his would be. He could not lose control here in front of her. He rushed to the back door and slammed out of the house just in time. The creature inside him exploded through his clothes, leaving his shirt in shreds. He felt his alien body rolling gloriously in the dried grass, ridding itself of the pants and boots that bound him. Then he lunged to his four paws, let out a scream of joyful abandon, and raced away from his wife, his parents, and the town that felt like a trap closing around him.
Chapter 11
Lisa blinked, staring down the short hall to the back door. How had her husband moved so fast? And where did he get the idea he could walk out on an argument? A scream like a woman in pain sounded from the backyard. Lisa ran to the window and tore the curtain aside to look out.
Only a few yards from the house, a tawny-furred animal stood, its head tilted toward the sky, mouth open to show huge fangs, its tail lashing from side to side. Lisa didn’t know much about big cats, but this was a big cat. A mountain lion? Did Nebraska have mountain lions? She couldn’t help but admire its lithe build, even as a shudder went through her. How had the animal gotten into the compound? Of course, cats could jump. Could this cat jump even the tall fence around the mayor’s section of town?
Where was Eddie? Oh, God, where was Eddie? Had the cat eaten him?
In a golden streak, the cat ran away. Lisa clamped her hand over her mouth. The cat couldn’t have eaten Eddie. Eddie had slammed the door only a minute ago. It would take longer to eat a full grown man, wouldn’t it? And she hadn’t seen any blood on the cat’s muzzle. She leaned against the wall, limp. So where was Eddie?
Her stomach growled. She jumped and laughed shakily at herself. It hadn’t been the distant cat. She and Eddie had breakfast before they’d gone into town, but that was hours ago. The sun had the slanting glare that said it would go down soon, so it must be suppertime. Lisa turned to the stove. She hadn’t had to cook anything by herself yet. Eddie had done most of the work for her. But she wasn’t stupid. She could figure out how to put a casserole dish of leftovers into the oven to heat up without help.
Thirty minutes later, Lisa was in tears. There had been dim coals in the stove when she’d begun trying to get the wood to light. Now there was nothing. She had watched Eddie brush the ashes off the coals and add wood several times. How hard could it be? The coals never just died on him.
She lifted her head as she heard the backdoor open. Expecting Eddie, she jumped to her feet. But it was Bree who came into the kitchen.
“Hi,” her young sister-in-law said shyly, leaning on the door jamb. “You okay?”
Lisa swallowed her tears and put on a bright smile. “Sure. Eddie’s not here right now.”
“I know. I saw him leave.”
“You saw him? Then he was okay?” Another thought struck Lisa. “Did you see that lion? You have to be careful!”
A strange expression creased Bree’s pretty, plump face. “Lion? Don’t you know? That lion was Eddie—”
Mrs. Madison’s voice cut Bree off. “Eddie’s pet.” The older woman pushed past her daughter into the kitchen. She waved her hand in front of her face. “Why is it so smoky in here?”
Lisa didn’t think it was smoky. She pointed at the stove. “It won’t start.” Her voice wavered as tears rose again. “I’m a failure! I can’t even re-heat leftovers!”
“Is that why Eddie was so mad at you?”
“Brianna!” snapped her mother. “That’s none of our business.” Her voice softened and she touched Lisa’s shoulder lightly. “You’re not a failure. We can help you.”
Brianna moved to stand in front of the monster cast iron stove. “It’s pretty much cold, Mom.”
“Then go fetch coals from our kitchen and tell your father Lisa will be joining us for supper tonight. Set a place for her.”
“Okay. But what if Eddie comes back and doesn’t find Lisa here? He’ll roar.”
“Brianna!”
Bree threw up her hands. “I’m going, I’m going.”
“Watch out for that lion,” Lisa called.
Bree rolled her eyes at her mother. “He’s long gone.”
Lisa made herself look at Mrs. Madison. “Eddie said he was going out and I shouldn’t wait up for him.”
Mrs. Madison smoothed her graying blonde hair behind her ear. “I wouldn’t worry about it, Lisa. From the time he was a child, Eddie has always needed some time off by himself after he blows up. He’ll come back nice and calm. Now, let’s see about this stove of yours.”
Lisa stood back, helpless, as her mother-in-law brushed the ashes to the back of the stove and removed the log Lisa had tossed in. In a few minutes Bree came back with a shovel full of coals which she dumped into the stove. Lisa watched carefully as Mrs. Madison placed a few little slivers of wood over the coals.
“You tried to revive the coals with a much too large a piece of wood,” she coached. “Next time, start with kindling. Build the fire up and let it burn down to coals to cook. Open flame doesn’t cook evenly.”
Lisa tried to fix all her mother-in-law’s instructions in her memory. After the fire in the stove burned down to coals and was covered with the ashes Mrs. Madison had pushed to the back of the stove, Lisa followed her in-laws across the yard to the mayor’s house. Ray was already at the head of the kitchen table, fork and knife in hand, and the overly patient look of a man who had waited too long for his supper. There was a basket covered with a tea towel and a few other bowls in the middle of the table, but he hadn’t started. Brianna hurried to the stove and lifted a cast iron pot out while her mother indicated a chair on Ray’s right.
“Sit here, Lisa.”
Ray nodded at her. “New clothes?”
“Yes, Eddie took me shopping today.”
“Very pretty.” Ray turned his attention back to the food on the table.
Pretty? A pair of pants that didn’t fit and a plain shirt? “Thank you.”
Lisa took the chair and pleated the napkin beside her plate over and over while waiting for Bree to bring the big pot over to the table. Mrs. Madison sat opposite her husband, and Bree began to dish out baked beans and ham, something Lisa hadn’t eaten since she was a kid. Those canned beans had held a few tiny pieces of bacon, but Bree gave her a slab of ham almost as big as her plate. It smelled wonderful. The biscuits were light and fluffy,
the applesauce was warm and sweet, and the corn was swimming in butter. Lisa automatically began estimating the calorie, fat, and carbohydrate content of this meal and limited herself to small portions.
Ray eyed her still nearly full plate with disapproval. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
“It’s wonderful! But I’m finished. Thanks.”
Ray wasn’t appeased. “More than half your ham is still on your plate. You didn’t take more than four or five bites of corn, only a dab of applesauce, and not one biscuit. You finish up your ham and beans. No one in my family goes hungry.”
Lisa opened her mouth to protest she wasn’t hungry, but it would be a lie. She hadn’t eaten since this morning. The purpose of her diet was to guarantee balanced nutrition, but even more, to keep her figure slim and runway ready. Well, she wouldn’t be taking part in any more bikini shoots, so she might as well enjoy the food. She pulled her plate back, cut the rest of the ham into bite sized pieces, and savored every one.
“That’s better,” said Ray heartily. “No more skimping for you. You’re part of my family now, and I can afford to feed you as much as you can eat.”
Lisa wondered if that was the mark of a rich man in these days, to be able to buy enough food? Did Ray think she had been too poor to feed herself? It made her want to laugh. She owned a mansion in Beverley Hills and a penthouse apartment in New York, a fleet of cars, and her annual clothing and makeup expenditures were more than the average American salary.
When supper was done and Ray and Darlene settled in front of the fire in the living room, Lisa offered to help with dishes. Bree accepted and handed her a full body apron to put on.
“Don’t wanna get your new clothes all dirty,” she said cheerfully.
Bree scraped the leftovers into a smaller pot for Eddie to eat later, while the dishwater heated on the stove. Bree gave Lisa helpful hints for how to manage her time for housework.
“For instance,” Bree said, “you should set the water to heating before clearing the table.”
Washing dishes was another thing Lisa had to get used to. A task that would have taken a few minutes at home took half an hour of hard work here. Washing clothes sounded like a nightmare.
“We use a couple big pots over a fire to wash clothes, and wooden rollers to wring the clothes out before hanging ’em up to dry. You have to be careful not to get your fingers caught.” Bree must have noticed Lisa’s horror because she laughed. “It’s not so bad. In the summer some of the women in the compound get together on Fridays to all wash clothes together. Having eight or ten women working together makes it easier and more fun.”
More fun? Lisa was sticking with nightmare. And cleaning the cast iron pot was another nightmare. Bree gasped when she went to put the pan in the soapy water and snatched it away.
“Never put the cast iron in the tub! It’s delicate. Just pour a little hot water in the pot and scrape gently with this wooden spoon. When it’s clean, dry it completely and rub a teeny bit of oil inside.”
Cast iron, delicate? Who knew? Lisa followed directions, feeling as stupid as she had when she couldn’t get her fire started. A vision of her pristine kitchen in Los Angeles with its silent dishwasher came to her. Her hand, using a towel to dry the cast iron pot, slowed. Wasn’t there some way to go back home? She didn’t want to be here. She wanted her own house, with electricity and hot running water, and food cooked in five minutes in the microwave. She didn’t want to live in the Stone Age.
But then she wouldn’t have Eddie. Beautiful, golden Eddie. Eager to please in bed Eddie. Jealous Eddie. She tried to hide her tears by bending her head close to the pot she was drying, but Bree saw.
“Lisa, what’s wrong?”
Lisa made a heroic effort and forced the tears back. “Nothing. I’m just a little tired.”
“I suppose Eddie’s been keeping you up late.” Bree’s face flushed deeply pink as she giggled.
Lisa smiled and nodded, and went on drying the pot thoroughly. She was tired. It had been only a few days since she and Carla walked from the crash site to find help. That was another thing she failed at. It wasn’t her fault, but it weighed on her all the same. She hoped the men Eddie said had gone to find the crash had been able to help. There were no helicopters to fly the injured to a hospital, but there had to be doctors.
“Lisa.” Bree put a hand on her shoulder, her face serious now. “It’ll be okay. Me and mom will help you learn how to cook and everything else you need to know.”
The girl was sweet. Lisa managed a real smile at her. “Thanks. I’m going to need the help. I didn’t do much cooking or cleaning even back home. My agent arranged help for most of that. And I don’t have any clue how to do that stuff here.”
She took the cast iron pot away and dribbled a bit of oil into it. “We’ll help you. Now, rub that into the pot and rub your hands together. It’ll help keep your skin soft.”
Lisa obeyed, cringing inwardly. As a hand moisturizer, this oil was nasty. She took off her borrowed apron and hung it on the peg by the back door Bree showed her. They went out to the living room to join Ray and Darlene. It was a more elegant room than the kitchen, with beautiful hardwood floors covered by scattered area rugs, heavy, blue drapes that stood out against the cream colored walls, and a lively fire dancing in the fireplace. Seating was gathered around the fireplace, probably to enjoy the warmth of the flames. It was chilly since the sun had gone down. Lisa wondered what the room might have looked like in her time.
Ray was in an armchair at one side of the fireplace reading a newspaper, limp from frequent re-reads, and Darlene was opposite him sewing patches on the knees of a pair of jeans. Bree sat on the couch and took out her knitting. Lisa perched beside her and stared into the fire, wondering if she should be doing something too. What did she usually do in her rare free time at home? Her first choice was to take a long hot bath with a glass of wine. Sometimes she’d watch TV or read a magazine like Cosmo or Vanity Fair. That reminded her of this afternoon at the library. The way Eddie’s face contorted when he ran at Dane frightened her. He frightened her a little bit at home too. For a second she’d thought he might hit her. He hadn’t, though. Looking into the fire, she saw the whole sordid scene again and wondered what she could have done differently.
Darlene snapped the pair of freshly mended jeans out and briskly folded them into the basket beside her chair. “Ray, it’s getting late. You better walk Lisa home.”
Ray put aside the flimsy paper and stood up. “You’re right.”
Bree stuffed her knitting back into the basket by the couch and gave Lisa a hug. “In a few days, you should come over for cooking lessons. I’ll get the leftovers for Eddie.”
Darlene gave Lisa a hug and whispered in her ear, “Now, don’t let Eddie run all over you. He looks just like my father, and he takes after him too, always wanting his own way and expecting us to do exactly what he wants. Don’t lose your temper, but stand your ground and let him know you demand his respect.”
Lisa knew Eddie didn’t get his looks from Ray’s side of the family. Darlene’s dad must have been gorgeous too. She hugged her mother-in-law back. “I’ll try.”
Bree came back from the kitchen with the smaller casserole dish of leftovers. Lisa took it, and Ray collected a lamp and ushered her out the back door. It had been years since Lisa noticed the night sky. In Los Angeles, the night sky had consisted of manmade lights which flared from every building and street. The city lights drowned out the stars and moon. Here the sky was a sweep of midnight blue velvet strewn with diamonds. It was strangely beautiful. Ray noticed her head craned up to look at the stars, and he chuckled.
“That’s another thing you and my boy have in common. From the time he was only as tall as my belt, he’d watch the stars. I don’t know how many nights I’d come on him lying on the grass, looking up at the sky.”
Lisa smiled at the image of a skinny little Eddie laying in the back yard. She glanced out into the yard and remembered the golden li
on animal. “Ray? Eddie’s pet lion was out here earlier. Where is it now?”
Ray said something under his breath. “That boy has been collecting pets since he was five. He lets them come and go as they please. I have no idea where that damn cougar is now. But don’t you worry about it. Dar and Bree have played with the beast more than once. It’s harmless, so don’t you fret.”
Lisa remembered the big teeth so white against the black of its gums with a shudder. It hadn’t looked harmless to her.
The small house she and Eddie shared was completely dark. She opened the back door and automatically felt for the light switch. Of course there wasn’t one.
Ray squeezed in behind her, holding the lamp up so it could cast its golden glow over the short hall that led to the kitchen. “I’ll just get a couple lamps lit for you. They in the kitchen?”
“Yes. Two in the kitchen and one in the bedroom.”
“Well, I’ll let you take care of the one in the bedroom.”
Was that a blush on Ray’s weathered cheek? Lisa followed him into the kitchen, placed the dish on the counter, and watched as he lit first the lamp attached to the wall and then the one on the table. He turned and looked at her with a serious face.
“I heard you and my boy had a tiff.”
A tiff. Yes, Lisa supposed it could be called a tiff. She nodded.
“Well, I wouldn’t worry about that too much.” Ray scratched his bristly jaw. “Every couple has differences. They blow over. You just need to cut each other a little slack while you’re adjusting to being married. Okay?”
Lisa nodded again.
Ray patted her on the cheek. “All right, then. You gonna be okay with Eddie out?”
Lisa nodded once more. “Sure.”
“Well, then. Good night.”
After Ray left, Lisa took the lamp from the table and put the leftovers in the cold box before going to the bedroom. She stared at the bed, which she’d only tossed the covers over when she and Eddie left that morning. It reminded her of a woman who slathered an uneven layer of makeup over her face in a futile attempt to hide dark circles of sleeplessness. She should have made it properly this morning as Eddie suggested. But she’d been anxious to go shopping. Besides, she’d told him with a sassy smile, they’d just mess it up again as soon as they got home.
