by Linda Mooney
“Don’t worry. I brought along some of your things. They’re in the bag in the bed.”
He watched as she shifted around and looked out the back window. “Thank you.”
According to the sign, Tumbril Harbor was established in 1818, and many of the buildings they drove past looked like they had been built around that time. As the brochure promised, modernization was not allowed within fifteen miles of the city limits. So if one came to this little seaside resort looking to shop at a department store, or to eat at a well-known fast-food restaurant, they would be out of luck.
Which was fine with Jeb. One of the reasons he preferred the smaller towns was because each one had its own unique flavor. A specialness that crept into his bones and made him feel more at ease.
Simolif, on the other hand, preferred the anonymity of living in bigger cities. Between the two of them, they could argue the pros and cons for hours. Yes, the big city made it easier to blend in with the populace. But small towns were often less easily accessible. Plus the people were friendlier and more willing to help.
Coming around a bend, Jeb spotted a sign which read Harvest Moon Motor Lodge. He pulled into the parking lot, making sure the truck was parked away from the main office. The last thing he and Hannah needed was for someone to see her in her present condition and start asking questions.
The office was empty. Jeb slapped the bell for attention. Presently an older woman came out to greet him with a smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I was on the Internet. Are you needing a room?”
“Do you have weekly rates?” he inquired.
She gave him a closer look. “Planning on staying a while, are you?”
Jeb gave her his best smile. She seemed to melt from its effect, as he’d hoped she would. “I’d like to think so. I’ll be applying for a job over at the mill. Mr. Mallon’s cousin from Laughlin sent me.”
That bit of news shredded any further doubts she had about him. “Oh! Anson sent you! Well, to answer your question, yeah. With tourist season about over, I can set you up on a weekly basis. No problem.” She leaned partway over the counter and spotted the truck in the parking lot. “By yourself?”
“No. I’m with a friend.”
“Girlfriend?”
Her tone of voice put him immediately on edge. That, and the smoky smell of something he couldn’t identify. Again, truth would always win out, no matter the consequences. Jeb knew from experience that lying often caused disastrous results.
“Yes, ma’am. Is that going to be a problem…”
There was a plaque hanging on the opposite wall. Given by the Tumbril Harbor Chamber of Commerce to Walt and Wendy Newburg.
“…Mrs. Newburg?”
The smoky smell dissipated. The warm smile returned. “No. Not that I can see.” She pulled a notebook from under the counter and dropped it in front of him. “I’ll need you to fill this form out for me. I’ll be right back.”
He finished furnishing the information she needed as she returned with a key dangling on a short chain bearing the number eleven.
“Eleven’s on the end. I thought not having to deal with people on both sides of you would give you a little more privacy. Plus you’ll have a little extra room to park.”
He paid cash for the week, noticing she didn’t charge him for the coming weekend. Rates usually ran from Monday through Sunday, payable in advance. That way if a guest decided to move out on a weekend, the room was already paid for.
Giving her another thank you, he took the key and left the office. No doubt the town would know all about him before he even applied for work on Monday.
“Any trouble?” Hannah asked softly as he climbed behind the wheel.
“No. If anyone asks, I told them you were my girlfriend. Hope you don’t mind.”
The scent of brightness swirled about her. “No. No argument here,” she said with a little smile.
He was too surprised to say anything as he drove the truck over to bungalow number eleven.
Chapter 5
Settling
Hannah waved away his offer to carry her into the bungalow. Jeb watched as she moved slowly under her own steam. Most of the damage was to her face, neck, and shoulders, although he wouldn’t be surprised if she had a cracked rib. He followed her with their things.
The interior of the tiny cabin was small but not confining. The bedroom area held a double bed with a quilted cover, a bureau, and a small writing table and chair. One door led to the bathroom with a tub and shower. The second doorway led to the kitchenette. Through the window behind the bed, Jeb could see that the woods came right up to the rear of the cabin. That was good.
He heard a small cry of dismay as he dropped their bags inside the door. Hannah was in the bathroom. Going over to the door, he could see her staring at her reflection in the mirror over the sink. In the glare of the single bulb overhead, her skin was a rainbow of colors, all in the dark scale. He watched as she tenderly touched the swollen areas around her eyes and chin. Presently she cast a tear-filled glance at him through the mirror. Her lips moved, but no words came out. The air was filled with the heavy, inky scent of desolation.
Jeb managed to catch her before she collapsed to the floor. At first she struggled against him, trying to slap away his arms and hands. Giving up, she clung to him and buried her face in his chest. Loud sobs shook her as he held her, letting her finally come to terms with what had happened. With their present situation. With the uncertainty of her future … their future.
She felt weightless in his arms as he carried her over to the bed and sat her down at the foot of it. Her hands continued to grip his shirt, giving him no choice but to sit beside her.
The smell of sadness continued to surround her, but now he could sense another emotion coming from her. It was tangy. Different. Lightly laced with a sweetness he found he liked. It reminded him of lemonade.
“Oh, God, how can you look at me?” The words were muffled against his chest. Jeb’s first reaction was that he might be saying those very same words in the immediate future.
“Hannah?”
The crying lessened. Her breathing grew easier, not as raspy. She allowed him to leave her long enough to get the box of tissues from the bathroom. After she had wiped her cheeks and blown her nose, he gently lifted her chin. “Let me get a good look at what he did to you.”
Her eyes betrayed no fear as he lightly ran his fingers over the damage. When she didn’t flinch under his scrutiny, he took it for a good sign. So far, there were no broken bones in her face, as far as he could tell.
“Well?”
“Well … I wouldn’t pose for any magazine covers for a while,” he said with a smile. Hannah snorted softly and managed to grin back. “What about the rest of your body? You were moving slow there. Did he … kick you? Or hurt any other part of your body?”
He wanted to ask her if the man had molested her, but the helplessness in her eyes kept him from doing so.
He watched as she focused on a spot over his right shoulder. He knew she was fighting with herself over how much she should tell him. After a brief struggle, she turned back to look him in the face.
“I should tell you all of it,” she admitted. “It would only be right, since you went to all the trouble of sav-saving me.” Her breath hitched in her chest. Tears rose into her eyes again. She sniffed loudly and let them fall.
“Wait. This doesn’t have to be done right now.” He glanced at his wristwatch. That was another thing he liked about this world. These people regulated themselves with a simple device strapped to their arms. Everything around them revolved around time. Jeb found it very easy to move about on a planet where all he needed was neatly coordinated. “It’s almost four, and neither of us have had anything to eat since early this morning. You go take a shower. I’ll go get something to eat and bring it back here. Is there anything besides something cold you would like?”
She shook her head. Once. Tiny droplets of soreness tinged the air around her head. “I’
ll eat anything. I’m not picky,” she gave him a small grin, “like you.”
He grinned back. “Who, me?”
“Mr. Vegetarian.”
“Not by choice, Hannah. My system won’t tolerate flesh.”
That remark earned him a cocked eyebrow. “You mean meat, don’t you? But I’ve seen you eat eggs.”
“It’s not flesh. Muscle.”
“How about fish? Shrimp and such?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.”
“You’ve never eaten shrimp or fish? Are you kidding me?” An incredulous look spread over her face.
“Hannah, look. We have all evening to discuss my eating habits. Let me go and pick up a few things first.”
“Here. Let me give you some money.” She started to get up and reach for the paper bag she’d left on the small nightstand. Jeb stopped her.
“That’s all right. Keep your money.”
“No, it’s not all right. I can’t have you spending your money on me. Let me at least help.”
“No.” He hoped his tone sounded firm. “It’s time someone took care of you instead of the other way around.” Another grin managed to take the sting out of his refusal. He stood and patted his pocket, pulling out his truck keys. “Don’t open the door for anyone, okay? If it’s important enough, they’ll come back.”
“Okay.” She remained on the bed, watching him. Waiting.
It was as if she wanted him to do something. Or say something. Jeb mentally cursed in his native tongue. He was treading water here, totally unprepared for these feelings coming forth in him. And left out in the middle of space when it came to the emotions of others. As he turned to leave, he could see the flash of disappointment cross her battered face, and knew he had been right. There was something she had wanted from him, and he had failed to give it to her.
Damn him for having no idea what it was.
Damn him further for not asking.
Chapter 6
Questions
He came for her.
During one of her darkest moments, through the fire of pain and indescribable fear, he had stepped into her world and taken her away from it. Taken her away and promised to keep protecting her no matter what.
“I’ll be here for you until you decide what you want to do with your life.”
There was no question what she wanted to do with her life. Or who she wanted to spend it with. But she was too damn scared to let him know. Not now.
Not now.
The warm shower felt good. She stood underneath the spray for a long time and let the water cascade over her. The curtain inside the tub was semi-transparent. If he accidentally walked into the bathroom, he wouldn’t be able to see anything other than the outline of her body.
Hannah glanced down at the welts on her ribcage and stomach. She knew there were more ugly patches on her back but she couldn’t see them. Breathing hurt but it wasn’t a sharp pain. She knew what a broken rib felt like, and it didn’t hurt like that this time. She’d been lucky.
She touched her cheek. The skin was tight, hot. How can he look at me when the sight of my own face horrifies me?
A shiver raced over her body. She felt cold even with the warm water running over her.
Carl would come after her. As sure as Monday followed Sunday, he’d come looking for her. She was his, even without a ring or a ceremony, or the little piece of paper that made it legally official. Of course, she had never held herself out as married. It was difficult to call a man who beat her twice or more times a week her husband.
A real husband wouldn’t beat his wife. A wife was supposed to be the love of his life. The holder of his heart and the bearer of his children. Carl didn’t want kids. He had even gone so far as to tell her that if he ever found out she was pregnant, he’d personally abort it for her.
Another shiver jolted her violently. The water sliding down the drain near her toes had a slight pinkish hue.
There was very little she knew about Jeb Morr. That was okay. They had time to talk and get to know one another better. And maybe…
Memory of his embrace suddenly burst upon her. His warm, strong arms, so long his hands could grasp her opposite shoulders. Her breasts responded to the almost erotic sensation she’d felt at his touch, and her nipples shrank into tight buttons.
She had wanted him to kiss her before he left. Not a big one. A little one would have sufficed. A peck on the cheek. A small show of affection.
No, not affection. She couldn’t ask that of him. Not after all he’d done to rescue her. Make that a small show of … friendliness.
She washed the conditioner out of her hair and turned off the water. There were only two towels available, so she dried off first then wrapped her wet hair in the same towel. Slipping on the clean nightgown she’d laid on top of the toilet tank, she walked back into the bedroom to see if he had packed her hairbrush.
She was in the middle of trying to get out the tangles when she heard the key in the lock. Jeb walked in with two large sacks and a smaller one balanced on top. He gave her that wide smile that always melted her insides.
“You look a lot better than you did when I left. How do you feel?”
“I feel better. You were right. A shower helped.” She watched him disappear into the kitchenette. From where she sat, she could see him unloading the bags and putting things into the tiny fridge. She recognized a quart of milk as one of items he unpacked. Presently he came back into the bedroom with the smaller bag. The aroma coming from it made her mouth water and her stomach rumble. “What did you get?”
“Chinese.”
Hannah blinked. “How’d you know I liked Chinese?”
“Wild guess,” Jeb replied. He pulled out various little boxes and covered bowls, setting them on the writing table he’d dragged over beside her. “I bought some plastic utensils, since I didn’t know how well stocked the kitchenette was.”
“Mmm. I love beef and broccoli, but I don’t like the broccoli.” She giggled. “Strange, huh?”
“That’s all right. You eat the beef, I’ll take the broccoli. I was afraid to order anything spicy. I also got a large order of the egg drop soup. Thought we could share. Umm. I got mostly soft stuff in case you had trouble chewing.” He sucked his fingers after a little sweet and sour sauce dripped on them. The sight of his lips puckering up and making wet, popping sounds was enough to steal her breath away. Fortunately he didn’t appear to notice her stare. “Hold on. I forgot the drinks.”
Hannah continued to open the rest of the cartons. “Do we need plates?”
“I don’t mind eating out of the same carton if you don’t,” he called from the other room, then emerged with two large drinks and two bottles of water. With a flourish, he presented her with hers.
“For my lady, a cool drink.”
“A milkshake?”
“You said you wanted something cold. Well, ice cream’s cold.”
She peered under the lid. “It’s chocolate?”
“Yeah.” He paused. “Did I get the wrong flavor?”
“No! Oh no, I love chocolate shakes. I’m just…”
“Surprised?” Giving her a little wink, he handed her an egg roll. “They’re both vegetable, so I wouldn’t accidentally get them mixed up.”
Tilting her head at him, Hannah questioned, “So being a vegetarian isn’t, like, a voluntary thing with you?”
“No.”
“You honestly can’t tolerate beef? I mean, meat?”
He shook his head as he speared a stalk of broccoli. “I get deathly ill if I eat any portion of an animal, like the muscle or bone, or even skin. Cooked or raw, doesn’t matter.”
“But not eggs?”
“Or any byproduct like milk or cheese. I can sort of ingest meat gravy like this here. Don’t ask why. I don’t understand it myself.”
They ate for several minutes in comfortable silence. Along with the egg rolls, soup, and beef and broccoli, there was fried rice and two fortune cookie
s. Hannah opened hers and read it aloud.
“A deep friendship may lead to deeper discoveries.” She looked up to see his eyes staring intently at her. The flush in her face was inevitable. “What, umm, what does yours say?”
“Open it for me and read it.”
“It won’t come true if I do.”
“Superstition. Go ahead.”
“All right. But remember, I warned you.” She picked out the thin white slip of paper and uncurled it. “Your secrets will be kept confidential.” Hannah let go with a raspberry. “Hogwash.”
She heard him come back with a deep chuckle. “Do you want the rest of that rice?”
“No. Go ahead. I’m stuffed.” Popping a cookie bit in her mouth, she sat back a bit and managed to tuck her feet underneath her gown.
She felt comfortable with him. That alone surprised her. But then again, she wasn’t surprised. There was a quality, an aura around this man that soothed her. Made her feel protected, like he promised. And while sitting on the bed clad in a thin cotton nightgown should have made her self-conscious, it didn’t.
She ran her fingers through her hair. It was almost dry. Jeb saw her motion. “When you’re ready to go to sleep, I got some painkillers with a sleeping agent. It should help you get through the night without too much discomfort.”
“Thank you. That was sweet of you. In fact…” She sighed, knowing now was as good a time as any. “I owe you an explanation.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well…” She gave a soft laugh. “You know how they say you leave one bad situation, only to head right back into another one? Well, I literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire.”
A look of confusion crossed his face. It was apparent he wasn’t aware of the old saw. “What I meant was, my dad abused me, so I ran away from home to escape him. I met up with Carl, and … you know the rest of the story. From one bad relationship to another. That’s my story. Zip, close. Short and sweet.”
“What about your mother? Didn’t she try to stop your father from doing what he did?”
