A Thanksgiving To Remember

by Margaret Watson

  “No, my mother protected me. No matter what, she wouldn’t let my father touch me. She took a lot of blows that were meant for me.”

  “No wonder you were so close to her,” he murmured.

  “I would have done anything for my mother.”

  “How did your father die?”

  She didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally she looked down at their joined hands and said, “I killed him.”

  “What?”

  She looked up and saw the shock on his face. “Oh, I didn’t shoot him or stab him or anything like that. He was killed in a car accident. But it was my fault.”

  “How can that be?”

  The memories stirred, memories she’d tried hard to suppress. Maybe it was time to bring them into the light of day. “He came home one night, drunk,” she said quietly. The scene was suddenly as vivid as the day it had happened. “He was in a bad mood. I could tell, because he was shouting and swearing. I knew he was going to hit my mother again. I was twelve, and something inside me snapped. I locked and barred the doors, and refused to let him in. My mother tried to pull me away, but I was too strong for her. He was screaming about what he was going to do to us, that he was going to get his gun and kill us, and I was afraid. After a while, my father got into his car and drove away. I heard the tires screech as he went around the corner.

  “That was the last time we saw him. The police came by an hour later to tell us that he’d been in a car accident. He’d skidded off the road and hit a tree and was thrown out of the car. He was killed instantly.”

  She looked up at him defiantly. “I was glad, Tom, glad he was dead.”

  Tom drew her close. “And you’ve felt guilty about it ever since.”

  She nodded against him. “I didn’t feel guilty because I wouldn’t let him into the house. But I was guilty about my feelings afterward. He was my father. How could I be glad he was dead?”

  “He might have been your father, but he was a monster. It was natural to be glad he wasn’t going to hit your mother anymore.”

  “I didn’t want to have anything to do with men after that. I didn’t date at all in high school.”

  “Who could blame you?” He stroked her face again and leaned back to look at her. “Did you ever get any counseling?”

  She nodded. “Once I got into nursing school, I realized I would have to deal with what had happened. I think I have, mostly, but I still have my moments.”

  “No wonder you were alarmed when I yelled at you.”

  “That was foolish of me. I guess it was just an automatic reaction.”

  “It was a natural reaction.” He bent down and kissed her again. “I can’t promise that I’ll never be angry with you, you know.”

  “I know that. I’m old enough to realize that everyone is angry once in a while.”

  “You know we’ll have our share of fights. All couples do. But I’ll never hurt you. I can promise you that.”

  Her heart soared at his words. He was talking about them as a couple, about a future they might share.

  But her fears hadn’t completely vanished. Her heart told her that she had nothing to fear from Tom, but years of caution warned her to go slowly.

  “I know you’ll never hurt me,” she said. “But I’ve spent a long time being cautious. I’m afraid that my old fears may come back to haunt me.”

  “I understand,” he said. “You can’t change yourself overnight. But I’m glad you told me what happened. I’ll try to be careful.”

  “No, I’ll put my fears aside,” she said. “I don’t want you walking around on eggshells all the time.”

  “I don’t think I want to spend much time walking in the near future,” he murmured. “I much prefer lying down. With you.”

  He pulled her to him again, and Tina felt passion bloom inside her once more. She reached for him and pulled him close, desperation fueling both of them. Unspoken in their hearts was the fear of what would happen when Tom got his memory back. Would they be able to be together? Or would Tom have to leave?

  They made love urgently, desperately, their bodies speaking without words. Tina put all she felt into her lovemaking, until both of them were sated and boneless on the bed.

  Finally Tom rolled over and kissed her once more. “I think we need food,” he said.

  Tina realized that the sky was already darkening. They had spent the whole day in bed together. Feeling deliciously decadent, she curled her arms around his neck and said, “How about some leftover turkey?”

  “Sounds great. For some reason, I couldn’t concentrate on my meal last night.”

  She grinned at him. “Me neither.”

  They laughed and teased as they got dressed and went downstairs. Moonlight glinted off the fresh snow in the backyard as they cleaned the kitchen, touching and kissing whenever they passed each other. Finally they sat down to eat cold turkey sandwiches, their fingers entwined.

  “I may not remember anything, but I know this much. This was the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had,” Tom murmured.

  Tina squeezed his hand. “I was dreading this holiday so much. Now I’ll always remember it.”

  Tom watched her from across the table, tenderness and some other emotion she was afraid to name glowing in his eyes. “Our first Thanksgiving together. It will always be a Thanksgiving to remember.”

  He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed each of her fingers. Desire stirred again, deep inside her, as she watched him.

  His eyes darkened as they met hers. “I think we’ve been up far too long. We need to go back to bed.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, passion swirling inside her. She was amazed she could want him so badly.

  He drew her to her feet, reached across the table and kissed her. She tasted the need he could barely control and leaned back, awed that she could evoke such need. “I’ve never felt this way before, Tom.”

  “I haven’t either, Tina. I have no doubt of that.”

  He took her hand to lead her back upstairs, but a shadow moved across the window and she jerked her head around. There was a silhouette, in the shape of a man, against the window.

  “Tom,” she whispered, her passion instantly replaced by fear.

  He spun around and saw the shadow. Without a word, he lunged across the kitchen toward the back door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, he slipped on a throw rug and fell heavily, banging his head against the counter as he went down.

  “Tom!” she cried, pushing the chairs aside to get to him, fear swallowing her whole. He lay on the floor, unmoving. “Tom, can you hear me?”

  She ran her fingers through his hair. He wasn’t bleeding, although he had a small lump on the left side of his head. Grabbing a towel, she folded it over and slipped it under his head.

  “Tom.” She waited until she could force the panic out of her voice. “Tom, can you hear me?” She thought she sounded very cool, considering she was screaming inside.

  Groggily, he opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Tina? What happened?”

  “You slipped on the rug and hit your head again. Are you all right? Do you remember what happened?”

  He stared at her for a moment, then she saw his pupils dilate. “Tina,” he gasped, “help me get up.”

  “You need to stay where you are for a moment. I want to make sure you haven’t reinjured yourself.”

  “I can’t.” He struggled to sit up. “I have to get up, and make some phone calls.

  “Tina, I’ve remembered everything.”

  Chapter 14

  Tom stared at Tina, a thousand disjointed thoughts running through his head at the same time. He was dizzy and his head ached with a dull pain, but he ignored it. He remembered!

  “What do you remember, Tom?” Tina asked, gripping his hand.

  “Everything, I think. I know why I was in Grand Springs, and what I was supposed to be doing here.” He raised himself on his elbow and looked around the kitchen. “I need the telephone, Tina. Hurry!”

  H
e could see the fear in her eyes and longed to reassure her. But there wasn’t time. He took the phone out of her hand, quickly dialed the police department, and asked for Stone Richardson.

  He eased himself into a sitting position against her kitchen cabinets and gripped her hand in his as he waited. Finally Stone came on the line. “Richardson here.”

  “This is Tom Flynt, and I’ve remembered everything. I don’t have time to explain,” Tom said rapidly. “Just listen. You are looking for a black truck, with a Missouri license number.” He rattled it off. “It’s registered to a Randy Wade. He’s the man who killed the Steeles.”

  Stone started barking questions at him, but he cut him off. “Just put out a bulletin on Wade and his truck, then get over to Tina’s house. I’ll tell you everything.”

  Tom turned the phone off while Stone was still sputtering and set it on the floor. Then he turned to Tina and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, Tina. You deserve an explanation, but I had to give Stone that information. It’s crucial.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked softly. He could see the fear lingering in her eyes. “What have you remembered?”

  “Who I am,” he answered simply. “Tom Flint is my real name. I just spell it with an ‘i’ instead of a ‘y.’” He gave her a quick smile. “So you’re not going to have to get used to another one.”

  Some of the fear in her eyes melted, but she gripped his hand more tightly. “What else did you remember?”

  He pushed himself off the floor and stood swaying for a moment. His head ached, and the room felt like it was twirling around him, but he gathered Tina close. “I’m not a criminal or a fugitive,” he said. “I’m an FBI agent. I was here in Grand Springs, undercover, chasing the man who killed the Steeles. That’s why I was in Nell’s Tavern, that’s why I thought I was a good liar. And that’s why I knew so much about law enforcement.”

  “What?” She leaned back and stared at him, disbelief in her face. “I never imagined you were an FBI agent.”

  “It didn’t occur to Richardson and Jones, either,” he said dryly. “I guess the Bureau did too good of a job on my undercover ID.”

  “Tell me everything.” She eased him into a chair, then pulled another one next to it. Then she took his hand and held on tightly. He returned the pressure of her fingers. She was his one certainty in a world that was again spinning on its axis.

  “I’ve been following Randy Wade for months. He’s a suspect in a string of bank robberies, including one in which he shot and killed two people. Wade is violently antigovernment, and we suspect that he stole the money to bankroll a militia he’s trying to form.”

  “How did you know he would be in Grand Springs?”

  “A tip from an informant.” He paused, trying to organize the memories that were flooding back. “I was spending time in Nell’s because I knew it was the kind of place that Wade would hang around. I was pretty vague about my job, and Nell’s is the kind of place where no one questions you too closely.” He grinned at her. “It’s amazing what a few drinks can do to loosen the tongue. When I started buying, the men in Nell’s fell all over themselves to tell me everything they knew about Wade and the Steeles.”

  “So that’s why you spent so much time there?” Tina said slowly.

  He nodded. “Wade never could keep his mouth shut. That’s why I was able to track him to Grand Springs. I talked to the same men he’d been chatting up at Nell’s. They told me that David Steele, Jonathan Steele’s half brother, was bad news and that Wade was real interested in that fact. There were rumors that David had stolen a lot of money from Steele Enterprises. I also found out about the ball, and that Wade had been asking a lot of questions about it. No one knew if anything was going to happen there, but there were more wild rumors—that David and Lisa Steele were going to run away with the money they’d stolen, that David Steele was going to kill his brother. Not a lot of solid information, but enough that I decided to go and keep an eye on David and Lisa Steele. I knew Wade needed money, and the Steeles sounded like troublemakers. I wondered if Wade had offered to help David with some crime in exchange for some of the money David and Lisa stole.”

  “Had he?” Tina watched him, still holding onto his hand.

  “I don’t think so. I think Wade had heard David and Lisa might have a bag full of money, spotted the Steeles running away from the ball with the money, and shot them. He took off, probably figuring that he could make a clean getaway in the confusion.”

  “And you ran after him.”

  “I had been watching the Steeles all evening. I saw them put money in a duffel bag and knew it had to be the money they’d stolen. Then the lights went off and they started to run, I ran after them, but I was too late. I saw Wade shoot them and grab the bag David was holding. Then I saw Wade drive away.”

  “So you followed him.”

  “It was the only thing I could do. I didn’t have time to stop and call the police. Wade would have disappeared. And because I was supposed to be a salesman, I didn’t have a police radio in my car. I was driving too fast to take a chance and use my cell phone.”

  “How did you end up in that accident?”

  “Wade spotted me trailing him. He was cleverer than I gave him credit for. He pulled off on a side road, and when I went speeding past him, he came out after me. He rammed my car until I went off the road. He probably hoped that the accident killed me.” He gave her a grim look. “But my having amnesia gave him a second chance. As long as I didn’t remember anything, he was home free.”

  “Where do you think he is now?”

  “I have no idea. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still somewhere near Grand Springs. And I’m betting that he’s your prowler.”

  “Why would he be hanging around my house?”

  “The papers have talked about me, and the fact that you were my nurse. I’ve seen the articles. He was probably hoping for an opportunity to kill me.”

  “What happens next?” Tina asked quietly.

  “If he’s still here in Grand Springs, we try to catch him.” He looked out the window at the darkness. “Stone Richardson is a good detective. He’ll help me. And Bob Jones will do a good job, too.”

  “Are you sure you can convince Detective Jones you’re not a criminal?”

  Tom looked over at her and flashed her a quick smile. “He’ll be convinced. And he’s such a bulldog that he won’t let go of any leads about Wade. He’ll do a good job.”

  “You’re very forgiving,” she said.

  His smile faded. “Jones was just doing his job. And it looked bad. I would have probably thought the same thing, in his position.”

  “They’ll be here soon,” she said, and he saw the pain in her eyes.

  “When they do, I’ll have to go,” he answered, swiveling in his chair to face her. “It’s my job, Tina.”

  “I know,” she said, and she tried to smile. “I understand.”

  “I’ll be back, though. I can promise you that.”

  “Can you?” she murmured. “You’ve remembered your job. What about your family?”

  Suddenly, he realized what had put that pain in her eyes. “I’m not married,” he said cheerfully. “Not engaged or in a serious relationship. In fact, my girlfriend dumped me just before I came to Grand Springs.”

  Her eyebrows came together. “That must have hurt,” she said, watching him carefully.

  He shrugged. “Not really. We wanted different things out of life. I’m an attorney, and she wanted me to quit the FBI and open up a law practice. She wanted the glory and the money associated with being a lawyer’s wife. But all I want is to be part of the Bureau. I’m happy as an agent and have no intention of quitting. When she realized I was serious, she said goodbye. By that time, I was glad to see her go.”

  Tom watched Tina digest that news. Then she said, “Do you have a family?”

  “A huge one,” he said. “Two parents and four siblings. My dad is a cop, and that’s why I joined the Bureau. I went to
law school because I thought it would give me an edge when I applied. Law enforcement is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

  “Where do they all live?”

  “Most of them live in Chicago and the suburbs around it. My dad is a Chicago cop.”

  “Oh,” she said faintly.

  “You’ll love them,” he said, leaning over to kiss her. “And they’ll love you.”

  But he could see the hesitation in her eyes, the doubt. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and reassure her, tell her that nothing had changed. Then he heard the cars pull up in the street in front of her house, and he knew that everything was going to change.

  “Tina, we need to talk,” he said, his voice urgent, “but I have to help catch Wade. Promise me you won’t worry. About anything.”

  He stared at her, and she glanced away. “How can I promise that?” she said quietly. “You’re going out to capture a dangerous criminal, and you’ve just been knocked on the head again.”

  “Don’t worry about us, then. Can you promise that?”

  She gave him a strained smile. “We’ll talk when you have more time, all right?”

  He wanted to press her for her promise, but the doorbell rang and he knew he’d run out of time. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair as he stood up. “Tina, nothing has changed.”

  “Yes, it has,” she said. “But you don’t have time to discuss it.” She smiled at him. “I’m not going anywhere, Tom. I’ll be here whenever you finish.”

  It would have to be enough for now. He nodded once, then turned to open the door.

  Tina watched Tom as Stone Richardson and Bob Jones walked into her house. He didn’t think anything had changed, but he couldn’t be farther from the truth. Everything had changed, and once he had time to think about it, he’d realize it, too.

  Tom was an FBI agent. He had a job and a family a thousand miles away. He was in Grand Springs only because of his job, and once it was over, he’d be leaving. Would there be any place in his life for her?

  They had become very close in the last few weeks. But as Tina watched him talking to the two detectives, watched him taking charge of the case and giving orders, she realized that she really didn’t know Tom at all. She knew he was a good man, kind and caring, but she had never seen him like this.