by Curry, Edna
They claimed a table and watched for a while. Mel knew many of the people there and kept introducing her to people who stopped to chat.
“I’ll never remember all these names!” Jane exclaimed as she watched yet another couple go back onto the floor.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s give it a try ourselves.” He took her hand and they moved out onto the dance floor.
It felt wonderful to be held in his arms again. She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy moving to the music.
“You’re a very good dancer,” he said softly in her ear. “You must have had a lot of practice.”
“Maybe. It feels very natural.”
“I love holding you in my arms, Jane. You’re so beautiful.” He kissed her ear and lightly rubbed his cheek against hers.
Did he really think so? Her heart warmed at the compliment. “I like being in your arms, too,” she returned, wishing the evening need never end.
“Would you like to go into the city tomorrow?” Mel asked as they sat at their table drinking sodas as they took a break between dances.
“Sure, if you’d like.”
“I thought we could drive around, see if anything looked familiar to you. Maybe see a movie or something, too.”
“That sounds great, Mel.” The reminder of her memory loss dampened her spirit for a minute, but Mel soon made her forget as the band started playing again and he swung her back out onto the dance floor.
Hours later, he drove her home. He walked her to the door, unlocked it for her and took her in his arms.
“Thanks for a wonderful evening, Mel.” She heartily wished it didn’t have to end.
“I enjoyed it very much, too.” He smoothed back her hair and lowered his head.
She met his lips with enthusiasm, hungry for his kisses. She’d wanted them all evening.
All thoughts of not getting involved flew out of her head as the heat from his mouth warmed her blood. They kissed over and over again. Desire hummed along her veins as she squirmed closer against him. If only she dared ask for more. She knew he wanted more too. She could feel his hard length press against her stomach.
Finally, he pulled back and said shakily, “I think I’d better leave while I still can. I’ll pick you up about ten or so in the morning?”
She nodded, disappointed to leave his arms. “That sounds great. Goodnight, Mel.”
“Goodnight, Jane.” He gave her another quick kiss and stepped away.
Craaaack! Something slammed into the doorway beside him.
“Get down!” Mel shoved her inside the door and down onto the floor. He rolled with her away from the door and kicked it shut as another loud noise slammed into the door.
“What was that?” she asked in a shaky voice, trying to get her breath back.
Mel reached up, locked the door and said, “Someone is shooting at us. Stay down and don’t turn on the lights.”
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1, quickly explained about the shooting, and then hung up. Getting to his feet, he walked to the side of the window, leaned over and peeked outside.
“Can you see anyone?”
Mel shook his head. “I saw a shadow between those buildings down the street, but it may not have been the shooter.” The roar of a motor sounded in the distance. “And that’s probably him, leaving.” He sighed.
He pulled the blinds closed and snapped on the lights.
Jane got to her feet and eased into a chair. “Do you think he’s gone now?”
“Probably.”
“But who could it have been? Why would someone shoot at us?”
Mel looked sympathetically at her and hesitated.
“Oh, no!” Jane said, feeling the blood drain from her face. “You think it was the same guy who pushed me into the river, don’t you?”
Mel shrugged. “I’m afraid it’s a possibility we can’t overlook, Jane.”
A deputy arrived and they spent a half hour answering questions until finally, Mel said, “Just tell the sheriff what happened. He knows the rest of the story.”
The deputy shrugged and put his clipboard away. “All right.” He dug out the bullets from the doorway and door panel and put them into a plastic evidence bag, then said, “Goodnight. If Ben has any more questions, I’ll be back.”
“I’m sure you will,” Mel muttered as he closed the door behind the deputy.
“I’ll stay here tonight,” Mel said.
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be fine. If the shooter is in the area, he’ll have seen the police car and cleared out for now.”
“Maybe so, but I’ll feel better if I stay. I’ll sleep down here on the waiting room sofa.”
Jane shrugged. She could hardly tell him she didn’t want him to stay in his own house if he wanted to. “All right.”
He kissed her goodnight, and she walked upstairs.
She read for a while, then got into bed, but it was a long time before she fell asleep. How could she sleep when the man she wanted to make love to lay within shouting distance? If she dared shout for him. Which she wouldn’t, of course.
~ * ~
Hours later, she awoke, bathed in sweat. Opening her eyes, she sat up and stared around her, relief surging through her as she realized she was in Mel’s apartment, her temporary home now. She could smell the faint woodsy scent of the soap and shaving lotion he’d used, some of which was still in his bathroom along with the few toilet articles she’d purchased for herself.
She’d been dreaming of being in the river again. She lay back down, shivering. She pulled the blankets closer around herself, feeling as though the coldness of the icy water still permeated her body.
Wide awake now, she tried to bring back the beginning of her dream, of the time before she fell into the water. She’d been arguing with a man, but she couldn’t bring up a picture of his face. Her mind knew he was there, but she couldn’t see him.
She could sense the anger they were both feeling as they argued. She’d been as upset as he was, but determined not to do what he wanted.
Jane lay there, frowning in the darkness. What had provoked him to push her, if indeed he had done that? What would push a man to such an extreme?
If they’d been married, even though she wasn’t wearing rings, divorce seemed like so much simpler a solution than murder. And certainly would have been a less risky option for him. Divorce was also a common fact of life nowadays.
So what else had been going on between them? Had they been involved in something illegal? Something he didn’t want her to reveal? Was she a wanted person somewhere?
Somehow that didn’t seem possible to her. Jane felt sure she was an honest person at heart. But what if she was wrong? What if she only wanted that to be true?
Bullets had already been fired here tonight. What if that man came back and tried again, or did something else? What if she wasn’t the only one in danger?
She might be involving Mel and Marion and her other new friends in whatever bad things had happened in her past. She could be bringing danger and trouble into this lovely little tourist town. That would be terrible.
She shuddered at the possibility. She didn’t want to believe it was true, but what if she was wrong?
If she couldn’t even remember her name, what other essential things about her life had she forgotten?
She tossed and turned, but couldn’t get back to sleep. Finally she got up, sat by the window and watched the sun rise over the tree line of the valley.
When it rose and changed from a bright red globe to a yellow ball sending rays of light sparkling across the river, she went to shower and get dressed to spend the day going to the mall with Mel.
Chapter 9
As Jane dressed, she smelled coffee. Obviously, Mel was up. She called down to tell him to come up to the apartment for breakfast, and then started making eggs and bacon.
Mel came upstairs. “Good morning, Jane. You’re up early.” His gaze slid over her slim, perfectly proportioned body. She wore a s
oft cream top and brown slacks. They showed off her slim body beautifully. He watched her turning bacon for a moment, aching to take her in his arms. Then, pulling himself together, he went to set the table.
“No earlier than you,” she said. She dropped whole wheat bread in the toaster and served the food.
They’d barely finished eating when the doorbell rang. Mel went downstairs to answer it while Jane loaded the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher.
Sheriff Ben stood at the door. “Good morning, Ben. More questions?”
“Just a couple more questions. And I wanted to see for myself where the bullets hit your house.” He fingered the hole in the door where the deputy had dug out the bullet.
“Sure,” Mel said. “Want some coffee?”
“No, thanks, just had some. Hm.” He turned to look across the street. “From the angle, it looks like the bullets could have come from over there by those trees.”
“As I told your deputy, we ducked inside and I slammed the door. Then we heard the second bullet hit the door.”
“Good thing this is an older house.”
“Why?”
“It has a solid wood door, not one of those hollow doors like a lot of houses have. Otherwise the bullet would have gone right through.” He came inside and closed the door.
“Oh. Have a seat.”
“Thanks,” Ben said and sat in a chair in the waiting room area.
Mel sat on the sofa where he’d slept last night. “Well, anyway, I went to the window and looked out to see if I could see anyone. I thought I saw a shadow move there by that building, but I couldn’t really see enough to be sure what it was.”
“Nothing definite, then?”
Mel shook his head. “But I did hear a motor start up and roar away immediately after that. I assume it was the shooter’s car.”
“But you didn’t see the car?”
“No.”
Jane came down the stairs and joined them. “Did the deputy find anyone else who heard or saw anything last night?”
“Nothing new,” Ben said. “A lady in the apartment over the drugstore said she heard the shots, then a car driving away, but couldn’t see anything.”
Mel frowned. “That’s not much help. Your deputy dug out the bullets. Did they tell you anything?”
“Well, the gun was probably a forty-five caliber, but the bullets were pretty smashed. I don’t know if we’ll be able to match them up, provided we ever find a gun to try to match them to.”
“Oh,” Jane said in a disappointed voice.
Ben eyed them both. “Somebody sure doesn’t like you guys.”
“I gathered that,” Mel said dryly.
Jane frowned at him. “Do you think this could be connected to my fall into the river?”
“Most likely, I’m afraid,” Ben said. “Have you remembered who you were with at the dam, yet?”
Jane shook her head.
“Too bad. That would give us someone to check out. Well, you two keep your eyes open from now on, okay?”
“We’ll do our best,” Mel assured him as he showed Ben out.
Mel watched him leave and then glanced at Jane. “Are you ready for our trip to the Twin Cities?”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, after what happened last night?”
Mel nodded. “The sooner you remember your past, the sooner we’ll know who to look out for.”
“And then the sheriff can go arrest him,” she agreed with a shudder. “All right, let’s go. I just want all of this to be over.”
Mel helped her into his car, then reached over and covered her hand with his. “I know you do, Sweetheart. So do I.”
They drove to the nearest large mall, Maplewood Mall, about an hour from their little town.
Mel parked and they wandered around the mall for awhile hand in hand. “Does anything ring a bell for you?”
She shook her head. “Let’s stop in here,” she said, pointing to a corner shoe shop. “I need some new shoes.”
After looking over the shoes on display along the wall, she picked up a soft brown leather slip on. “Do you have these in a size seven-wide?” she asked the clerk.
“I’ll look, Ma’am.” Soon he brought them back and they fit perfectly.
“I’ll take these,” Jane said.
Mel gaped at her. “Don’t you want to try on some others before you decide?”
“No, these are the ones I want. I don’t need to try on any others.” She paid for them and they walked on down the mall corridor.
“You remembered your shoe size, didn’t you?” Mel said.
“What?”
“You told the clerk your shoe size. He didn’t even measure your foot.”
She frowned. “Yes, I guess I did. I’m beginning to remember some things.”
“And you certainly do make up your mind in a hurry.”
She shrugged. “I knew I liked that kind of shoe as soon as I saw it.”
“So maybe you’ve bought ones like it before?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Let’s walk down this way,” Mel said. “There’s a tall men’s shop here and I need some T-shirts that don’t pull out of my shorts.”
Jane laughed. “Okay. But I get to stop at the bookstore downstairs before we leave. That little library in Landers doesn’t have much.”
“How do you know the bookstore is downstairs?”
“I can see it from here,” she pointed through the open center of the mall to it on the lower floor.
“Oh. Darn it. I thought maybe you’d remembered something else.”
Jane laughed and then said, “Actually, I think I have been here before, Mel. I have a comfortable feeling of familiarity, like I know what I’ll see even before we turn a corner here, you know?”
“Good,” Mel said. “Although I don’t suppose that means much. All the malls in the area are similar, so you could be just remembering our malls in general. There’s a good chance you’re from the Twin Cities area because most of the people who come to our area are.”
“I suppose so.”
Mel got his T-shirts and Jane bought some paperbacks to fill her evenings. She’d found she didn’t like watching TV very much. Thank goodness she spent most evenings with Mel.
When Mel questioned her choice of a book, she explained, “I joined a study group of women in town and we’re all reading this one for the next meeting.”
“Oh? You hadn’t mentioned it.”
“Didn’t I? I’m helping Marion and Loni Bennes and some others with the Wannigan Days’ Kiddie Parade, too.”
Mel frowned. “You’re not taking on too much too soon, are you?”
“No. I’m fine. It keeps me busy. Everyone has been so friendly.” She didn’t mention that she didn’t want too much time alone to think. Having no past and knowing someone hated her enough to try to kill her was not conducive to pleasant thoughts. If she kept busy, she kept those awful thoughts at bay.
They walked back out into the main mall. “Where’s the party store? Or a dime store, maybe?”
“What do you want to get?”
“Some balloons and crepe paper to make streamers to decorate the kids’ wagons and tricycles.”
They found a large drugstore that had those items.
Mel commented, “You seem to know just what you’ll need for the Kiddie Parade. Have you done stuff like this before?”
“I don’t know, but I think so. It’s crazy how some things come naturally for me and yet my past eludes me,” Jane said.
“You seem to be enjoying planning this.”
She nodded. “I’m looking forward to it. But right now, I’m starving. How about getting a sandwich in the Food Court?”
“Lead the way. Then do you want to go see a movie? My feet are killing me. I’m an accountant and work at a computer all day, you know. I’m not used to walking this much.”
“Poor baby,” she teased. “And you’ve been toting all our bags of stuff, too. You can sit down no
w while we eat.”
“Good,” Mel agreed good-naturedly. “You hold this table and watch our stuff while I go get us some food.”
An hour later they chose one of the five pictures offered at the theater and settled in with popcorn and sodas. Mel draped an arm around her shoulders and Jane snuggled close in the darkened theater, feeling happy and secure.
Halfway through the movie, Jane said, “I’ve seen this one before. I don’t like the ending. They don’t get punished like they deserve.”
Mel eyed her. “Do you want to leave?”
“Not if you don’t. I don’t mind seeing it again.”
“All right.” Mel passed her the popcorn.
On the way home she said, “Well, I got a couple tiny pieces to the puzzle of my life today, didn’t I?”
“Yes. Is it hard not knowing your past?”
She nodded. “I hate it. But maybe I won’t like the truth any better. Who knows?” She sighed as he stopped at his house. Did she dare invite him in? The words seemed to pop out of her mouth on their own before she could decide. “Want some coffee?”
“Sure.” Mel came inside and followed her upstairs to what was now her apartment, but of course had been his not long ago. And would be his again, when she got her old life back, she reminded herself. But in the meantime, she had time to enjoy being with him, didn’t she? Let the future take care of itself.
She made coffee and served it in the little sitting room. They chatted casually as they drank the coffee, then the silence lengthened.
She suddenly felt awkward with him with her own bed just a few steps away. She wanted him in it with her so much. Did he feel the same attraction?
“Jane, I…” he put down his empty cup and stood.
Was he going to leave? She didn’t want him to go. She didn’t want him to kiss her and back off again. Not tonight.
Nervously, she put down her cup and stood, too.
But he didn’t leave. Instead, he moved to take her in his arms. He bent his head and nibbled little kisses along the edges of her mouth, as though asking permission to take it fully.
She groaned in frustration and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. Encouraged, he deepened the kiss and then followed it with more kisses. Desire hummed along her veins, making her blood pound in her ears.
