Wife Most Wanted

by Joan Elliott Pickart

  Natalie would be found. The truth would be told. Dana’s innocence would be determined, and her existence would return to normal, to what it had been before the nightmare had begun.

  She would never see Kurt Noble again.

  Dana jumped to her feet as she felt a chill sweep through her. Mama Kitty raised her head to see what the sudden commotion was, then settled again in her puddle of sunlight. Dana took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then lifted her chin.

  I hereby decree, she thought, that nothing will be thought, said or done to disturb the peace and tranquillity of these daily visits to Kurt’s home. So there.

  “Okay.” She turned toward the cats and clapped her hands. “Who wants to go for a walk today?”

  Dana started off, having discovered over the days that there was no pattern to the independent felines’ behavior. On some days, they bounded off the porch to accompany her on the trek. Other times, one or two would join her, or she might find herself walking alone.

  Today, three of the cats ambled behind her, not appearing especially enthused about the exercise.

  Kurt’s house was surrounded by very lush country, with sloping hills, green grass, wildflowers, tall pine trees and Douglas firs.

  The house itself, Dana had decided early on, could be transformed into an enchanting cottage if given a bit of tender loving care. She’d mentally painted, patched, scrubbed and rubbed, her imagination seeing the picture-perfect fruits of her labor.

  In actuality, she’d hardly touched a thing inside the house, except for the huge bag of cat food. Kurt would return to find a layer of dust on top of the layer of dust, as she didn’t feel comfortable stepping in and sprucing things up without having permission. So be it.

  She’d been lucky to locate the house at all, Dana thought as she strolled along. Kurt had left the motel room that day without giving her the promised map.

  Not wishing to become chummy with a sheriff, for heaven’s sake, Dana had telephoned Kimberly at the police station to ask directions to Kurt’s house.

  Kimberly had laughed.

  “You got stuck feeding those cats?” she’d said. “Kurt tried to wheedle out of going to Billings by telling Judd the critters would starve if he left town. Judd didn’t buy it for a second.”

  “I would hope not,” Dana had said, smiling.

  “Do you like cats?”

  “Oh, yes. I have two of my own.”

  “It’s a good thing you think they’re nifty. I guess there’s a zillion of ’em at the Noble place because Kurt’s mother was always feeding the strays. She was a nice lady. Have you met Kurt’s sister, Leigh, yet?”

  “No. No, I haven’t.”

  “She’s really nice, too. Well, it was good talking to you, Dana, but I’ve got to get my filing done.”

  “Kimberly!”

  “Hmm?”

  “The directions to Kurt’s house?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Kim had said, laughing, “that’s why you called, isn’t it? Okay, all you have to do is drive straight through town, and…”

  And here she was, Dana thought, just as she’d been every day for the past two weeks.

  And here she was…missing Kurt.

  She hadn’t heard a word from him, but hadn’t expected to. Kurt didn’t strike her as the type who would indulge in idle chitchat on the telephone. Besides, he’d made it very clear that they were going to have a heart-to-heart talk about everything when he returned. He’d definitely want to tackle that in person, and it was a session she was not looking forward to.

  Dana sighed and told her mind to turn off, go blank, so that she could enjoy the tranquillity of her surroundings. But today her brain refused to obey the daily command.

  The night before, Dana had spoken with Pete Parker, the private detective she’d hired, and his update hadn’t been good. He had made absolutely no progress whatsoever in locating Natalie.

  “I just don’t believe this,” Dana had moaned, sinking onto the edge of the bed in the motel room. “Where can she be?”

  “I’ll find her,” Pete had said. “It’s just taking longer than I figured.”

  And was using up her savings at a rapid pace, Dana had thought miserably.

  “Do you want the rest of the bad news?” Pete had asked.

  “Oh, sure, why not?” Dana had said, flipping one hand in the air.

  “I talked to your pal Todd,” Pete said.

  “And?”

  “You know those security cameras your firm had just installed to come on at night?”

  “Yes. They weren’t working properly, and the security outfit was supposed to come back and figure out what was wrong.”

  “Right,” Pete had said. “Well, they finally showed up. Are you ready for this? One of the cameras actually worked. The one in your office.

  “Dana, they have a videotape of Natalie, who they believe is you, in the office after-hours on the night in question. She printed out some material from the computer, put it in an envelope, then ducked out.”

  “Dear heaven,” Dana had whispered.

  “Todd saw the film,” Pete had gone on. “He said the woman looks exactly like you, is even wearing a dress he recognized as being one you’d worn to work in the past.”

  “Oh, Pete, this is terrible.”

  “Hey, I know it sounds bad, but once I find Natalie and she spills the beans, it will all be cleared up.”

  “But what if you never find her? This is a big world we live in, you know.”

  “Remember what I told you. Everyone is somewhere. I’ll track her down.”

  “You have to. You just have to.”

  Dana reached the top of an incline and stopped, wrapping her hands around her elbows in a protective gesture. She swept her gaze over the majestic view before her.

  Where are you, Natalie? she thought. They had never been close, had not managed to connect on any level since being little girls playing dolls together. They were simply two people who happened to have the same parents and who had grown up under the same roof.

  But it still hurt, Dana thought, knowing that her twin sister had done this to her. Natalie had no conscience, no qualms at all about Dana going to jail for what she had done.

  Dana shook her head, then turned and started back to Kurt’s house, the cats remaining behind to snooze in the warm, fragrant grass.

  Kurt stood in the front yard of his house and watched Dana approaching slowly in the distance. A sense of anticipation swept through him, along with a flash of heated desire, as he waited for Dana to draw near.

  There he stood, Kurt thought, in front of his house…such as it was…waiting for the woman who had occupied his thoughts during the day and his dreams at night through the entire two long weeks he’d been in Billings.

  He was going to give himself this moment, he decided. Like an adolescent with unobtainable daydreams, he was actually going to pretend that he was an ordinary businessman who had been away on a trip and was now home.

  He was going to pretend that his wife was walking toward him, having not yet realized he was there.

  Behind her were two little kids, who would scamper into view at any second. His children. His and Dana’s children, who had been created by lovemaking that defied description of its exquisite beauty.

  He wasn’t a man alone. He had a family. They were his purpose, his focus, made everything important and worthwhile. What had been missing from his life was now his, because of Dana and…

  “Cripe, Noble,” Kurt said aloud, “knock it off.”

  What in the hell was he doing? He was a realist, not a dreamer. He didn’t indulge in fantasies and make-believe. He played the hand that had been dealt to him and made the best of it. End of story.

  But there was Dana Bailey, coming closer and closer with each step she took.

  Every attempt he made to push Dana from his mind while he was in Billings had failed miserably. She’d taken up residence in his brain and refused to budge.

  In his mental vision, he’d s
een her smile, heard her wind-chime laughter, watched her shift to tense and tired, guarding her secrets.

  He’d seen her big blue eyes become a smoky gray with desire as she reached out her arms to receive him into her soft, womanly embrace.

  He’d seen her fair cheeks flush with the heat of passion, heard her whimper in sensual need, then purr in feminine pleasure when he entered her welcoming body.

  Dana.

  Somehow, Kurt thought, he had to get this maddening woman out of his system, regain control of his body and emotions. She was pushing his buttons, turning him inside out, and he’d had enough.

  When Dana finally spotted him, saw that he was back from Billings, he’d greet her coolly, pleasantly, then thank her for tending to the cats. That would be that.

  He was, as of that very moment, canceling the proposed long talk that he’d said he and Dana were going to have. He was no longer interested in her secrets, whatever it was she was keeping from him. It was none of his business, nor did he care, who or what she was running to or from.

  Kurt crossed his arms over his chest, set his jaw in a tight, hard line, and waited.

  Dana glanced up, gasped softly in surprise, then stumbled slightly before continuing on her way.

  Kurt, her mind hummed. Kurt was home. Her heart…goodness, her heart was suddenly beating so fast she could hear the wild tempo echoing in her ears.

  Kurt was home, standing there watching her approach, looking so tall and strong, so solid and real. He was in the yard of the house she’d mentally made into a home, their home, cozy and clean, ready to wrap itself around them like a comforting blanket when they closed the door and shut out the world.

  Oh, yes, Kurt was home.

  Dana quickened her step, then threw caution to the wind and began to run…to Kurt.

  Before he realized he had moved, Kurt opened his arms as Dana ran into his embrace. He pulled her close, ignoring the pain in his shoulder from the impact of her delectable body slamming against him. She flung her arms around his neck as he lowered his head and captured her mouth in a rough, urgent kiss.

  They drank in the taste, the feel, the aroma, of each other, filling their senses to overflowing. The chill of lonely days and tossing and turning nights was pushed aside by the building heat of the desire consuming them. The kiss gentled, so that it could be savored, memorized, tucked away and cherished.

  Kurt finally broke the kiss, but kept his tight hold on Dana.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  “I missed you, too.”

  “I’m glad you were still out here at the house when I arrived.”

  “I’ve been staying longer each day. It’s so peaceful here, Kurt, so lovely.”

  Kurt looked at her for a long moment, then slowly, reluctantly, eased her away from his aroused body.

  “Ah, Dana,” he said, frowning, “what are you doing to me?”

  “Only what you’re doing to me,” she said, then drew a steadying breath. “I don’t know, don’t understand, what this is that’s happening between us.” She sighed. “How simple it would be if it was just earthy lust that would burn itself out, but… Oh, Kurt, don’t you see? It’s the wrong time, the wrong place.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I…” Dana averted her eyes from Kurt’s. “I have to find Natalie, remember? As soon as I’m able, I’m leaving Whitehorn so I can continue the search for my sister.”

  “I can help you find her, Dana. As a cop, I have access to…”

  “No.” Dana looked directly at him again. “No, this isn’t your problem. It’s very complicated and would require too much of your time. You have things to do for Sheriff Hensley, and you’re supposed to be recuperating, as well, not taking on extra hours of work. No, you mustn’t become involved in this situation with Natalie.”

  Kurt frowned. “Don’t you ever get lonely behind there, Dana?”

  “Pardon me?”

  “Behind that wall you slam into place around yourself when the mood strikes. Doesn’t it get lonely?”

  Yes! Dana thought. And so frightening.

  “No, of course not,” she said, lifting her chin. “Why should it? I simply prefer to keep my private problems exactly that…private. I’m certainly not proud of the fact that I have a sister who apparently has no conscience, no regard for anyone but herself.”

  “Natalie’s behavior isn’t your fault.”

  “No, it isn’t.” Dana sighed. “But the ramifications of what she has done has had a major impact on my life. I have to find her so everything can be straightened out. Please, Kurt, don’t push. I don’t want you caught up in this nightmare.”

  Kurt nodded slowly.

  “So!” Dana produced a bright smile. “How was your stay in Billings?”

  “Boring. Have you eaten lunch?”

  “Yes. I hope you don’t mind, but I brought some food out here and put it in your refrigerator. I came early each morning and stayed on. I usually didn’t go back to the motel until the middle of the afternoon.”

  “You haven’t made any friends in Whitehorn?”

  “What would I say during the chitchat between people who are getting to know each other? I hate to lie. I hate it. And I’m not about to explain that I’m searching for a sister who is like a stranger. A sister who has a disgusting set of values. No, I’ve avoided contact with the people in Whitehorn as much as possible.”

  “You must be going stir-crazy.”

  “I should be, but once I discovered how peaceful and relaxing it was out here, I’ve been fine. You’re so fortunate to have grown up here, Kurt.”

  “Nice scenery does not an idyllic childhood make, you know.”

  “Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry. It must have been difficult after your father left.”

  “Yep, but it wasn’t all bad. My mother was a good, decent woman, and my sister, Leigh, and I were close, hung together. I could have lived without my mom being the soup kitchen for every stray cat in the county, though.”

  Dana laughed. “The cats are darlings. Did you know there’s one about to give birth to kittens?”

  Kurt raised both hands. “I don’t want to hear this. Next thing I know, you’ll be telling me to stand by, ready to boil water, or whatever.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Dana paused. “Actually, I was going to try to convince you to let me make a nice birthing box for her and bring her into the house.”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Kurt said, starting toward the front porch. Dana was right behind him. “Not on your life. Nope. No way.”

  “You’re cold, Kurt Noble,” Dana said. “How would you like to give birth on a front porch, or under a bush, or something grim like that?”

  “I can’t say I’ve given a lot of thought to where I might give birth.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Kurt stopped on the porch and stared down at the sleeping pregnant cat.

  “Those babies are bowling in there,” he said. “Look at that.”

  “Isn’t it amazing? I call her Mama Kitty. Imagine how a woman must feel when her child, that little miracle, moves within her. It must be so…so awesome, so… I can’t even find words to describe the wonder of it.”

  Kurt looked directly into Dana’s eyes.

  “You’ll have a baby someday,” he said. “You’ll experience all that for yourself.”

  “I hope so,” she said softly.

  Time stopped. The misty haze of heated desire wove around them once again, encasing them in a cocoon of passion, of racing hearts, of memories of their shared lovemaking. Kurt drew one thumb over Dana’s lips, and she shivered at the gentle, tantalizing foray.

  Kurt was home, she thought dreamily.

  The pregnant cat woke and meowed loudly, stretching her bloated body.

  Kurt dropped his hand and cleared his throat.

  “Yeah, well,” he said, “I appreciate your tending to the beasts while I was gone.”

  “I enjoyed it,” Dana said, her voice not quite steady. “
I’d better go in and clear my food out of your refrigerator, so it won’t be in your way.”

  “Dana, look, you can still come out here during the day if you want to. I hate to think that my returning home has sentenced you to long days cooped up in your motel room. I’ll be in town working, and you could have the place to yourself.”

  “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

  “Sure.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll be on my way. Welcome home, Kurt. Goodbye.”

  Dana left the porch and hurried to her car. Kurt watched her go, not moving until her vehicle disappeared from view. He finally switched his gaze to the pregnant cat.

  “Mama Kitty, is it?” he said, glaring at the cat. “Cute. But you’re still not having that litter in the house.”

  The cat glared right back at him, then closed her eyes. Kurt muttered an expletive, then entered the house. In the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks.

  He could smell Dana’s light floral cologne, he thought. It was as though she were still there, in his house, close to him. She’d left her mark on the Noble home.

  The fragrance would fade, disappear, as though it had never been there. But Dana herself, the woman? She wouldn’t be that easy to forget. She was chipping away at his defenses, caused him to do the exact opposite of what he’d told himself he should and would do.

  When he was with Dana, every good intention of putting physical and emotional distance between himself and that captivating woman and her damnable secrets went up in desire-laden smoke.

  Kurt’s gaze swept over the room, his mind’s eye seeing Dana moving through the small expanse, then turning to smile at him as he came through the door.

  Welcome home, Kurt.

  She’d said that to him while they were standing on the porch.

  Welcome home, Kurt.

  If Dana was here, waiting for him, this shabby old place would be transformed into exactly that…a home.

  “Enough of this,” Kurt said, then spun around and left the house, slamming the door behind.

  He stepped over Mama Kitty and drove away in a cloud of dust.