9781618850676UnchainedMelodyHunter

by Unknown

  They had come in the truck and Ethan unloaded a big cooler and their fishing tackle. The Sabinal River ran through the park and it was full of the state fish, the Guadalupe bass, which was their target for the day. She had gone into Kerrville and bought some shoes more suitable for the rough terrain. Annalise wished she had paid more attention to her wardrobe. Being alone for all of these years, she had not possessed very many nice things. Ethan didn’t seem to mind at all, the pleasure of her company and the joy they shared together brought him more happiness than he had ever dreamed of having in two lifetimes.

  The fish were biting and soon they had a huge string of the medium size silver and gold fish. “Are you going to help me clean these?” Ethan teased Annalise as he iced them down in another cooler he had brought for that express purpose.

  She looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was kidding. Finally she answered, “I’ll scrape off the scales if you’ll clean out the guts.” Ethan roared with laughter.

  “You are the sweetest treasure a man could ever have.” He pulled her to him and kissed her hungrily. He could not get enough of her. For six years, he felt he had been on a starvation diet and now having her near, touching her whenever he wanted—he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

  They had brought Mojo and Tiny with them and they were having a blast running after bugs and darting through the weeds. Ethan unloaded the food cooler and helped her spread a large blanket for them to sit on. She laid the food out and fixed a plate for him. She was generous with the portions, he was a big man and he had a big appetite—in several areas. “This is great,” he complimented her on the taste of the food. “You are an excellent cook. I wouldn’t have thought a person living by themselves would get much practice.”

  For some reason his words made her sad. She had been lonely, she just hadn’t realized it. Now, if she were to go back to that lifestyle, she knew she would feel desolate. To be with Ethan like this and then to be without would make her feel as if she’d been cast into isolation. “Truthfully, usually there is nothing in the house, but ketchup and bread. And dog food of course. To me, eating and good food is a social event and when you’re by yourself it doesn’t really matter what you ingest just so long as it makes the hunger pains go away.” Knowing how much Lise loved food, Ethan thought that was the saddest thing he had ever heard. He resolved that she would never be on a ketchup and bread diet again.

  He ate three sandwiches, both tubs of lobster salad and four coconut cupcakes. Now, all he wanted to do was take a nap. She reached behind the seat of the truck, brought out a soft UT blanket and folded it. Kneeling beside him, she lifted his head and laid it gently on the makeshift pillow. Kissing him softly on his forehead, she decided this would be a good time to take both dogs for a walk.

  * * * *

  About two hundred yards away, a man watched Annalise walk away from Ethan. He watched her make her way down the Maple Trail toward the banks of the river. “Come this way, bitch. Just a little farther.” Soon his troubles would be over. His mother had solved a problem for him. She had reminded him the annulment he wanted to get from Annalise had never been filed. Meaning whatever belonged to Annalise, also belonged to her husband. And when a wife dies, her husband inherits everything.

  “Tiny, Mojo, come back here, you little rascals.” Annalise laughed at the sight of them wading through the shallows, lunging after minnows. Today was a wonderful day. She looked back at Ethan peacefully sleeping on the blanket. He was her daily delight.

  In the distance she heard a limb crack. She was about to turn around and look when something struck her a tremendous blow right behind the knees. Her feet flew out from under her and she was tossed in the air like a rag doll. The world was turning upside down! Desperately, she tried to catch herself, and found nothing to grab onto but empty air. It all happened in a split second, but the moments felt like an eternity. Just before she hit the ground, a crushing blow was delivered to the back of her head and she knew nothing more.

  Ethan was having the best dream. Lise had just consented to be his wife. He placed a ring on her finger and relief filled his heart. Now, she was his. Suddenly a jolt of electricity seemed to go through him. He sat up, quickly. Had he heard something?

  He looked around for Lise and the dogs, but they were nowhere in sight. A tingle of fear rushed through his lungs. “Lise! Lise! Tiny! Mojo!” He stood still, trying to hear her answer or hear the bark of the dachshunds. He called again, there was still no answer. Then he began to run down toward the river. Finally, he heard the dogs and they were literally going crazy. But there was no sign of his beloved. He kept running in the direction the dogs seemed to be.

  And then he saw her. She was lying on the ground, so still. Mojo was upset, but Tiny was hysterical. He even attempted to bite Ethan. Kneeling down, he calmed the dogs, noticing that Tiny had blood in his mouth. Surely, they hadn’t attacked Annalise.

  Ethan fell at her side. He picked her up, cradling her head in his hand. He kissed her face, but she did not move. “Sweetheart, wake up.” Holding his breath, frantically he felt for a pulse and when he found one he gulped huge breaths of air. When he lowered her head, he felt dampness on his left hand. Horrified, he realized his hand was bloody. “Oh babe, you hit your head on a rock.” He stood up with her, noticing the grass where her head had been lying was covered with blood, but he saw no rock. The dogs must have gotten into Annalise’s blood, when they were sniffing around her, trying to wake her up. There was no time to investigate further. He picked her up, commanded the dogs in a voice they knew not to ignore and ran to the truck. Holding her in his arms, he opened the door and gently laid her in the seat. She never moved. He had to take the time to lift the wiener dogs in, but they fully cooperated. They knew something was very wrong. Forty miles from a hospital, he breathed a prayer with every breath.

  Chapter Nine

  Ethan sat in the waiting room. Alex and Bobby at his side. “I don’t even know how to get in touch with her family.”

  “How about that agent friend of hers,” Alex offered.

  “I only know her first name,” Ethan admitted sorrowfully.

  “What have you two been doing? Don’t you talk?” Alex knew that was a stupid question. He knew what they had been doing. Ethan hung his head and prayed harder than he ever had in his life.

  After what seemed like an eternity, a white coated doctor approached them. “Are you with Annalise Ramsey?” he asked.

  Ethan stood, waiting, holding his breath. ”Your wife,” there was a question in his voice, but Ethan didn’t bother to deny it, “is a very lucky woman.” Ethan let out a long breath. “From what we can tell, there was blunt force trauma to the back of her head. There was also extensive bruising on the backs of her legs.” None of this made any sense to Ethan. He had no idea what could have happened to her. “You can see her in a few moments, they are dressing her wound.”

  “Is she awake?” Ethan asked quietly.

  “No, she’s not awake yet.” The doctor shook his head. “The brain scan shows a rather severe concussion. There is no way of knowing how long she will be unconscious; she may wake up in two days or two hours. We have no reason to think it will be anything other than a temporary condition.” He patted Ethan on the shoulder. “Someone will come after you in a few minutes.”

  “What could have happened to her, Ethan? Could somebody have done this to her? Do you think she has any enemies?” Alex was thinking out loud.

  “Lord, I wouldn’t think so,” Ethan answered. “She is a romance writer for heaven’s sake.” Then he thought of how he had acted when he had found out what she did done for a living and he was so ashamed.

  A nurse walked up and told Ethan he could go into Lise’s room. His heart jumped and he followed her eagerly. When he entered the room, she looked so small and alone.

  The nurse adjusted the I. V. and left him alone with her. He went to her side, took her hand and bowed his head next to hers. “Wake up, sweetheart. I love you.”
He kissed her head. How could he have let this happen? Seeing her like this brought back the realization this wasn’t her first time in the hospital and the last time he hadn’t been there for her at all. His heart broke and a sob tore from his throat.

  “Please, Lise. Wake up,” he whispered raggedly. Pulling the chair close to her, he sat down and remained as close to her as he could get, without getting in the bed with her. In a few moments, he felt something then it dawned on him. Someone was stroking his hair. He lifted his head and looked directly into her big brown eyes. “Thank God.”

  “Ethan, are you all right?”

  He rose and covered her mouth with his. He kissed her gently. “I’m much better now that you’re awake. How do you feel? Do you hurt, sweetheart?”

  “No. I want to go home.” Then she clarified, just in case he misunderstood. “I want to go home with you.”

  “There’s nothing I want more, but you’ve got to stay here until the doctor says it’s safe for you to come home.”

  “You need to go and get some rest. You look so tired.”

  “I’m not leaving until you do.” When she started to protest, he closed her lips with his own. When he had effectively taken her mind off his not so imminent departure he asked her. “Do you remember what happened?”

  “Not really.” Annalise had to think about what she remembered before she alarmed Ethan. She lay back, feeling slightly nauseous. Ethan felt her face then her neck. They were damp with perspiration.

  “You feel worse than you’re letting on don’t you?” She looked at him, pain in her eyes. “Please don’t lie to me, sweetheart, don’t ever lie to me. I can handle any truth, as long as it comes from your lips.” His words sank into Annalise’s very being. She had lied to him, but it was a lie of omission and only to protect him.

  “It hurts, Ethan. I feel sick. Would you hold me, please?” He pulled the chair over right next to the bed. Sitting on the arm of the chair, he took her in his arms so her head rested on his chest.

  “Go to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll hold you.” Ethan held her until his arms went to sleep then he held her some more.

  The next morning, Annalise felt very near to her old self. The doctor said she had to stay twenty-four more hours then she could go home. That would make a total of thirty-six hours she had been in the hospital. She had slept most of the time and didn’t think Ethan had been asleep at all. “Love, I’m going to get coffee. I’ll send Alex in to stay with you ‘til I get back.” Annalise hoped Alex had just arrived, instead of sitting out in the lobby all night.

  In a few moments, Alex came in, walked straight over and kissed her on the cheek. His sweetness made Annalise want to cry. “Did you go home last night?”

  “I left here at midnight, back at seven. You didn’t realize you were so important did you?”

  “Good grief, Alex. I’m not used to being fussed over. Would you please make Ethan go home and get some rest tonight?”

  “Ask me to change the course of the sun; it would be a more reasonable request.”

  Annalise had to smile at Alex’s dry humor.

  “Does your head hurt?”

  “Oh, yes, but don’t tell Ethan.”

  “You’re always trying to protect him, aren’t you?”

  “Can you think of a more worthy calling?”

  “Have you told him about the scars and the rape yet?”

  “My head hurts, Alex. Do we have to talk about this now?”

  “No, we don’t.”

  “No, I haven’t told him. I’ve gotten braver with the…um…sex and I’ve made an appointment for a consultation for further surgery.”

  “Good. Shall I cancel the party Friday night?”

  “Why are you being cruel to me, Alex?”

  “I’m being cruel to be kind.”

  “Don’t cancel the party.”

  “Now, who’s being cruel?”

  “I want Ethan to see he is popular, attractive, sexy and irresistible.”

  “You’re dangerous, do you know that? Are there any more at home like you?”

  “Well, actually, yes, there is.” Annalise laughed then groaned and held her head.

  “That’s good news.”

  “Would you like to meet her?”

  “Hell, yeah! Maybe she’ll come for the wedding?”

  The door opened and Ethan reappeared so Annalise did not get to answer Alex.

  Alex stayed a few more minutes and then he went to tend to the B&B. After he left, Ethan sat on the side of the bed. “Do you feel like telling me what you remember, now? What happened that caused you to fall?” When he was near her, he never failed to touch her somewhere; as if to assure himself she was near and that she belonged to him. Now, his hand stroked her leg, concern clouding his eyes.

  “I’ve thought about it, Ethan. I can’t make much sense out of it. Something hit me in the back of the legs and it had to have been the dogs, but I would have sworn they were in front of me. Then, I felt a blow to my head. Again, I must not be remembering clearly, because it seemed to come before I hit the ground. But none of that makes sense. I guess we’ll just have to blame my inborn clumsiness. I am so sorry about all of the trouble I have caused you. There is no reason you have to stay with me, I know you have things that you need to be doing. “

  “There is a very good reason I am staying with you and that’s because I love you.”

  * * * *

  Ethan finally had to surmise Lise’s accident had been as she’d described. He had asked Alex and Bobby to go back to the State Park and take a look at the place where she’d fallen. They had not found any evidence that would lead them to believe it was anything other than an accident. There were no footprints and no signs of a struggle. Bobby had suggested that maybe she’d experienced a dizzy spell of some sort. The first thing that popped into Ethan’s mind was she might be pregnant. Nothing would have made him happier; in fact, he realized that at no time during their reconciliation had it ever occurred to either one of them to use protection. Perhaps, Lise was on the pill, but she’d never said so. Just the idea of having a child with the woman he loved filled Ethan with elation. He didn’t mention his suspicions to Lise; they had plenty of time to wait and see.

  Ethan rarely left the room, but once when he left to go to the hospital cafeteria for take-out, Annalise took the opportunity to call her mother. Their relationship had been strained for so long that informing her of her whereabouts, or even this accident was not Annalise’s first instinct. She did not want the blame for their estrangement to rest on her shoulders so she dialed the number. After three rings, she answered.

  “Mother, this is Annalise. I just called to tell you I’ve had a little accident, but I’m fine”

  “Annalise, you are the unluckiest human. Your grandmother always said you were born on a bad moon. What have you done this time?”

  “I guess I fell and hit my head on a rock. Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Anyway, I’m in the hospital with a concussion.”

  “A concussion? God in heaven! But you’re all right?”

  “Yes, I’ll probably get out and be back at…uh…the hotel tomorrow.”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to tell you this, but since I’ve got you on the phone, I might as well. One of the ladies from church called me and your husband is back in town.”

  “Mother, I don’t have a husband.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that. He seems to be telling a different story. Mabel, who knows his mother rather well, she called me and said that he had been asking all sorts of questions about you. You know, we haven’t heard from him in years. After marrying you, he went sort of nuts.” Thanks a lot, Mom. “He got himself arrested for allegedly molesting one of his youth group at church.”

  “Oh, no. Poor girl.”

  “Well, that’s the kicker. It wasn’t a girl. Anyway, he was convicted and been in prison for the last three years. Now he’s out and he’s looking for you.”

  “I hope you didn’t give them any inf
ormation.”

  “He saw some newspaper article on you and I think he wants money, Annalise. He said you owe him and that your marriage was never annulled.”

  “Great.” She spoke the words with such weariness it was obvious she really meant—Shit! “I’ll get a lawyer to look into the annulment. If I’ve been married to that man all of these years, I’ll—”

  “If you didn’t write those nasty books maybe these things wouldn’t happen to you. God is on his throne and we are judged for our sins.”

  “Thanks for the sermon, Mom.” Annalise laid down the phone. Jeff was looking for her? If he had asked for money, she wouldn’t have given it to him. And no judge in the country would ask her to split her earnings with someone who had refused to even consummate their marriage. Right? Crap!

  * * * *

  When Ethan returned, Annalise did not know what to say. This was a burden he shouldn’t have to shoulder. He never failed to greet her with a kiss every time he came back into the room. She had never dreamed she could feel so loved. He sat down in the chair beside her and laid out hamburgers and French Fries on the rolling table that fit over the hospital bed. “Here, babe, you need to eat something.”

  “I’m still not hungry, Ethan.” He wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she ate two or three fries just to make him happy. This was going to be so hard. “Ethan, I think I need to go home.”

  “As soon as they say the word, we’re outta here.” He soothed her hair back, tenderly checking the small bandage they covered the head wound.

  “No, I mean to my house.”

  A look of complete disbelief flashed over his face. “Why? For more clothes? To put it up for sale? Why?”