“You had me up until the rose petals.” Sam laughed and slumped in the old wooden chair. Before saying anything else, she considered what Annie had just said, but she quickly thought about how rational she got after their break-up, how she continually justified that the huge age difference would only become more of a problem had they stayed together. Grateful they’d had such an amicable break-up, Sam realized right now that having Annie here with her overnight might not be such a bad thing. She suddenly felt more relaxed than she had in days. “We’re quite the pair, huh? Sucks that my past has creeped back to me. I’m sorry that what happened years ago affected us when we were together. I hate that we’re even having to talk about...what happened.”
“You are who you are because of your past. I was drawn to you right away. I cherish the years we were together.” Annie stood behind Sam and wrapped an arm around her chest.
Sam gripped Annie’s hand and pulled her other arm around her. They remained silent for a couple moments while Sam sorted out the images in her head—the words remaining lodged in a place she hadn’t visited in years. Annie gently rocked Sam and held her tighter. The familiarity of Annie’s body soothed Sam, making her feel relaxed and safe.
Sam finally pulled away from Annie’s embrace, and said, “At school, they have a counseling center. It’s free for students. I might go once I’m back home. With all that’s going on with Robert, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to talk about it. The last few weeks have been such a nightmare... Thank you for going to such trouble to put this together. Too bad you didn’t get two bottles of Rombauer.”
“It wasn’t that much trouble. Remember, Mama helped. You know me. I make reservations, not dinner. There’s actually another bottle of wine in the fridge. Not Rombauer but another decent brand. I figured I’d bring enough wine for a few days.” Annie sat in the chair next to Sam and poured more Chardonnay for both of them.
“At the rate we’re going, we might go right through that second bottle tonight. This really is all so perfect. The wine, candles, cheese, potstickers, everything. And, you here with me. I guess I do feel safer having a lieutenant in the house again. You brought your uniform, right?”
“It’s in the squad car. I can put it on later if you’d like.” Annie cocked her head and smirked. “You mean so I can be seen as a deterrent to Patterson, right?”
“Yeah, something like that.” Sam took another gulp of wine then tossed one more olive in her mouth—the salty flavor exploding on her tongue. She stared at the golden liquid in her glass and took another sip. As she lifted her body from the table, she felt weak in the knees. She staggered over to the railing and inhaled the damp air. From the porch, she felt the cool air wafting up from the creek.
“I miss Robert,” Sam said quietly. Once those words exited her mouth, tears seeped from her eyes. Annie was up and by her side within seconds.
“I know, babe,” Annie whispered and held her in her arms. “Robert has always been there for you. He doesn’t deserve this. He shouldn’t have to suffer like this.”
Sam buried her face in Annie’s neck and relaxed her body. She felt Annie’s hands drawing her closer. The tears soon turned into deep, wrenching sobs. For the first time since Robert’s accident, Sam didn’t hold back. She allowed herself to acknowledge that her brother would never come out of this.
Annie cupped her hands on Sam’s face and gazed into her eyes. “I promise Johnny will pay for what he did to Robert. Nothing is gonna happen to you with me here. Johnny won’t ever hurt you again.”
Sam closed her eyes and tried to force those awful images of Johnny and his brothers from her mind. Dizzy from the wine, she relaxed her body into Annie’s. She rested her cheek against Annie’s shoulder and felt the tension in her neck melt away. She wouldn’t need Xanax tonight—not with wine, cherry pie, her own private security guard, and Annie’s endless embraces.
Chapter Twenty-one
Mississippi: Autumn, 2014
BRIGHT RAYS OF light filtered onto the bed. Not sure whether this was the first hints of dawn strobing into the room or the glare from a light she might’ve left on overnight, Sam peeked through sleepy eyes to get a sense of the time. She hadn’t slept through the night in weeks. As she lay on her side, she noticed golden streaks of sunlight shining through the windows. She’d somehow slept past seven. On shelves at the other end of the barn, several glass enclosures kept the snakes secure—far enough away for Sam to not have to see them. The air in the room chilled her exposed face, but she was too sleepy to get up to turn on the heater. She pulled the down comforter up to her chin and snuggled close to the warm body behind her.
As sleepiness overcame her again, Sam forced her eyes open and tried to get her bearings. Her head ached, and her vision remained hazy. She scanned the room to notice a police uniform draped over the couch and an empty bottle of wine sitting on its side on the hardwood floor next to the bed. After she caught a glimpse of the bottle, Sam recalled drinking more Chardonnay once she and Annie moved to the barn after finishing most of the food on the porch last night. It’d been so long since she’d shared a couple bottles of wine with a woman and devoured heaps of delicious food. But this was Annie, not the young woman she was dating back in San Diego. It was one thing to have Lieutenant Annie Wright staying with her to protect her until they found Johnny—but this was her ex snuggled closely in bed next to her.
But with the air so cold, Sam made no movements to get out of bed. The warmth from Annie’s slumbering body kept her from being too chilled. She nuzzled closer to Annie; she felt her full breasts through the thin T-shirt against her back. A warmth coursed through Sam’s body. In all their years together, even after the frequency of sex had diminished, Sam and Annie would always wake up this way. Back then, they slept naked. Each morning, the feel of Annie’s breasts against her back in the mornings always soothed her and made her melt with desire.
Right now, that familiar hunger washed over her, surprising her and scaring her a little. But Sam knew she wouldn’t succumb to this passion—for it was just the old memories of how she’d once felt about Annie long ago. She understood the lines were clear: they were exes who’d moved smoothly from partners to close friends. But with the barn so chilly, Sam had no desire to move away from Annie’s warm body spooned behind her.
Annie stirred and gripped her hand on Sam’s hip bone. “Mmm, it’s nice and warm under the covers.” Annie’s hand slid down Sam’s thigh, then along the front of her tight quad. “God, you feel so good. I’d forgotten what it was like to wake up next to such a hot woman. I could stay like this all morning...but, I should probably get out of bed.”
“No, stay and keep me warm a little while longer,” Sam whispered and relaxed her shoulders against Annie’s chest and arms.
Annie snuggled closer—her breath on Sam’s neck sending chills down her spine. As she breathed in Annie’s familiar scent, a warmth radiated through her body, moving from deep inside her chest and down through her abdomen. This surprised her, for she hadn’t felt this way about Annie even during their last couple years together. She nestled her body closer to Annie’s chest and felt her hard nipples through the thin T-shirt against her back—the sensation causing her to melt.
Sam closed her eyes and set her hand on the back of Annie’s, guiding it to her inner thigh. Annie held Sam tightly, their bodies pressed so close together that their legs and hips moved in unison. Annie’s hand traveled to Sam’s lower abs, her thumb reaching under the T-shirt and lightly brushing the soft skin above her bellybutton. The tips of Annie’s fingertips tickled Sam’s lower abs, causing her to shudder. She felt the heat surge through her body and travel down between her legs. She let out a low, quiet moan and relaxed into Annie. Sam felt herself getting more and more wet. The memory of their naked bodies pressed together as in years past caused Sam to ache with an arousal she hadn’t felt in a long time.
When Sam scooted back to get closer to Annie, she heard a hard pounding on the door. Sam’s eyes flashed open; h
er body went rigid. Another loud rap jolted her to reality. The knock was followed by the muffled sound of her mother’s voice, telling them she’d left the coffee pot on and a plate of blueberry scones out for them.
“Okay, Mama!” Sam yelled from under the covers then moved Annie’s hand back to her hip. “Thanks, we’ll be sure and get some in a bit.”
“I switched shifts at the hospital,” Jane said through the door.
Sam waited for her mom to say more. It was so quiet that she could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall and the sloshing creek nearby. By now the room was bright—the morning sunlight blinding her through the windows.
“I’m working graveyard,” Jane finally said. “This way I can see Robert before I go to work. I’m heading over there now. Y’all enjoy some breakfast before you leave for the day.”
“Sure thing, Mama.” Sam listened for the Buick to start and then relaxed once she knew her mother was gone.
Annie moved her hand away from Sam’s hip and stretched out on her back. Likewise, Sam lay back and stared at the ceiling. She thought about what had almost happened then quickly recalled what Annie told her last night—about how she and Marsha weren’t fully broken up. In all the years Sam had been involved with women, not once did she cross any lines. Also, the stark awareness that she pretty much had a girlfriend back in San Diego (or at least the start of something) halted the desire for Annie. She realized their bodies had moved together as they had years ago—the passion due more so to memory than anything else.
Annie scooted to the foot of the bed and patted Sam’s foot through the covers. “We should...probably get up. I need to head over to the nursing home to speak with Virginia Patterson. You up for coming with me? It’d be great if you could be there when I ask her a few questions.” Annie sounded so chipper, eager to start the day.
And just like that, Sam was wide awake and chilled once Annie got out of bed. She pulled the comforter up to her face and watched Annie gather her things and head to the bathroom. After she heard the shower start, Sam lay back and stared at the tall, vaulted ceiling overhead. She couldn’t ignore the heat that continued to travel through her body or the realization that she hadn’t felt such an intensity of passion in a long time—not since the last time she and Annie made love. Even though Annie’s soft touches this morning lasted but a mere few moments, the sensation still caused Sam to long for more. Though it’d been a while since they’d been intimate, Sam often recalled how connected she once felt to Annie when they made love, how their bodies at one time felt as one.
When she heard Annie moving about in the bathroom, Sam pushed back those old memories then sat up and checked her phone—only to see no new messages from Kim. By now, they were probably already on the trail and out of cell service. She scrolled through her inbox. No e-mail, not even a Facebook message from Kim to let her know they’d arrived at the hotel. They’d be reaching the summit soon.
In case Kim might hit an area where she’d get cell service on the mountain, Sam tapped out a short message and added a winky emoticon and an XOXO at the end of the text. Then she searched her emojis to find the bike and mountain symbols. She also added a few more emojis: a tree, some flowers, a sun, and a yellow heart. That choice of color for a heart surely wouldn’t be construed as love or anything overly romantic. She even sometimes sent a yellow heart at the end of her texts to her mom or to Travis. At this point, she was just dating Kim and didn’t feel anything more than an intense attraction for her young, fit body. But maybe any colored heart would be too suggestive. Sam stared at the text for a few seconds then heard Annie exiting the bathroom.
About to hit send, Sam backspaced and deleted most of the emojis and simply left it at:
Hope the ride up the mountain goes/went well! Miss you!
But then she changed those last two words to:
Can’t wait till I can do a 100-miler one day!
Then she hit send. Even though Kim was so many miles away, Sam realized she didn’t miss her. Not one bit. Maybe in time, after she went on a few more dates with her, after she developed more than an intense attraction for her, Sam could maybe love Kim as much as she once loved Annie.
Chapter Twenty-two
Mississippi: Autumn 2014
SAM AND ANNIE pushed through the heavy doors of the nursing home—the lobby brightly lit and stuffy. Faded plastic pink and yellow roses dangled from a gazebo in the entryway; an ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling. Near the front counter, elderly residents sat slumped in their wheelchairs or shuffled down the corridor with their walkers. Many of them stared at Sam as she and Annie meandered down the wide hallway. Despite this being her day off, Annie wore her uniform and carried a thick leather folder with the police department insignia emblazoned on the front. In all the years she and Annie were together, Sam always wanted to somehow help with one of Annie’s investigations. But their purpose in the nursing home this morning was nothing Sam ever imagined happening.
Once they rounded the corner, Sam and Annie located Old Miss Patterson’s room. After she rapped softly on the door, Annie stepped close to the bed. Sam lingered in the doorway and glanced at the old woman she’d always feared when she was a child.
“Virginia Patterson?” Annie said and jiggled her shoulder gently. “I’m Lieutenant Wright from the police department. Can I ask you a few questions?”
Sam approached the window—the curtains partially closed, casting dark shadows into the room. The stench of urine permeated the air. The bed next to Miss Patterson’s was empty, and from the looks of it, no one occupied that side of the room. Sam leaned against the wall, folded her arms, and heard Annie repeat her last question.
“Lieutenant White?” Miss Patterson asked and rolled her head from side to side.
“It’s Wright, but you can call me Annie.” Annie dragged a chair over to sit beside the bed. “I’d like to ask you a few questions about your nephew, Jonathan Patterson. Can you hear me okay, Virginia? Is it okay for me to call you that?”
Miss Patterson opened her eyes and glared at Annie then glimpsed at Sam over by the window. “Haven’t gone by Virginia since I was a child. Been going by Ginnie ever since I turned thirteen.”
“Okay, then, Ginnie it is. I’ve got someone here you might remember: Sam Cleveland. She lived near you on the other side of the creek.”
“The creek? You mean the Okatoma?” Ginnie asked, her voice hoarse and raspy.
“She might remember me as Samantha,” Sam said, her words curt. She stepped closer to the bed and forced a smile. When she peered down at the old woman lying under a heap of sheets and blankets, she noticed her pale and wrinkled face. Years ago, Sam had only seen Miss Patterson from afar, but up close and bedridden, the old woman seemed completely harmless. Sam relaxed a bit and then said quietly, “I was the skinny kid who lived across from your house. My brother used to swim to your side of the creek.”
“The boy that always tromped through my garden?”
Sam strained to hear Miss Patterson’s hoarse voice, so she stood at the foot of the bed. “Yeah, Robert always did get himself into trouble whenever he’d—”
“Never could keep him from stepping foot on my property. Even when Robert was all grown up, he still stomped through all my plants. Come here, child. Can’t see you so far away.”
Sam stepped to the side of the bed and took the chair that Annie vacated. The room lacked ventilation, causing Sam to feel like she couldn’t catch her breath. Her head throbbed—the pain radiating from the base of her skull all the way to her forehead. Ginnie coughed and stared intently at Sam. Both Annie and Sam remained quiet for a moment. Sam leaned in closer, noticing the pearl-like layer over her eyes. When Stanley was old and in the last years of his life, he had the same sort of cloudy vision—cataracts, which caused the old dog to bump into walls and not recognize anyone unless they spoke before approaching him. Ginnie’s opaque eyes were foggy and unfocused, but she stared in Sam’s direction and smiled.
The smile
took Sam by surprise. “Lieutenant Wright has a few questions to ask you about your nephew, Jonathan.” Sam’s body tensed when she said that name.
Ginnie pursed her lips and mumbled a few indecipherable words. Then she stammered something else, her voice so raspy.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite understand what you said,” Annie said and stood behind Sam.
“I haven’t seen...that man in years,” Ginnie said. “Told him to stay off of...off my property long ago.” Ginnie’s legs flailed under the covers, her entire body writhing. She pulled her thin arms from under the cover—her hands and wrists veiny. She clenched both hands and shook her head. “He and his no-good brothers can rot in hell far as I’m concerned.”
Sam studied Ginnie, her frail body nothing but skin and bones. The woman that lived across the creek who she’d abhorred as a child now appeared so childlike and harmless—nothing like the crotchety old woman Sam remembered years ago.
“When was the last time you saw Jonathan?” Annie asked and set her hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Any word from him recently? Any idea where he might be?”
“Summer of 1990 was the last I saw of those three men. They always up to no good. All three of them done time in jail. Would’ve been best if they’d kept those men behind bars. Only one still alive is Johnny, and he’s still up to no good. An officer told me he done stole my truck a few weeks ago. Now, what kind of man steals his aunt’s truck?”
A surge of nausea caused Sam to lean forward and take a breath that caught short in her chest. She felt like she might throw up, but she reminded herself that with Annie right behind her, she’d be okay.
Annie gently rubbed Sam’s back then continued to question Miss Patterson. “Ginnie, has Johnny been here to see you? Has he called? Do you know where he’s—”
Saving Sam Page 22
