by Various
Jordan stood up. “Do you know who owned the house after them?”
“The only person I know of is the current family. Have you talked with them?”
“Yes, we have. Do you know who Lynn Johanson is?” Chelsea asked as she got up from the seat. She already missed the comfort of Jordan’s arms but they had all the information they were going to get from this lady. Besides, the sky grew darker, threatening to pelt down rain.
She shook her blond head. “I’ve never heard that name before.”
They walked over to the steps and she shook the woman’s hand. “Thanks for your help tonight. We really appreciate it.”
The woman offered a polite nod before retreating to the house.
At least they had a stepping stone to jump on in their search for their missing daughter.
CHAPTER 9
“So what’s the next part of our plan?” asked Jordan.
“If we don’t find anything here, we can fly back to Arizona.”
“You’re really coming home with me?”
“I have to. We need to find Elizabeth. Plus, I would like to spend some more time with my family. Get to know my nieces and nephews…that kind of thing.”
He winked at her and patted her hand.
A few minutes later they pulled into the large parking lot of the motel. Before she had a chance to unbuckle her seatbelt, Jordan stood at her side of the SUV. He held open the door as she slid out. She smiled up at him as he shut the door behind her. The headlights flashed and the honk signaled the activated alarm.
They walked down the small hallway to their room. She wanted so desperately to reach out to him, to grab his hand in her own. She couldn’t. It took a certain level of guts to do that, which she didn’t have. It seemed while they were at that woman’s house, they had come under a spell making them there as a couple and living in a perfect world where they’d live happily ever after once they found their daughter. That wasn’t reality. This story had no happy ending for her, she thought as they walked into the room.
She kicked off her shoes and walked over to the bed. No reason
to unpack, since they wouldn’t be staying more than the night. She took out a clean outfit and tossed the bag into the corner of the room. Looking at Jordan out of the corner of her eye, she pretended not to notice he had taken his damp t-shirt off, a sight she’d never tire of. Sighing, she turned toward the bathroom.
Set low to the floor, the bathroom vanity gave her a full view of her body in the mirror. She glanced down at the ink permanently marking her, above the soft dark red curls. Never allowing herself to look straight at the tattoo, she glanced away out of habit but decided this once she could look. After all, they were alone together in a hotel. If there was ever a good time for this, it was now. The fingers of her right hand slid over the ink as she walked closer to the mirror.
When they were sixteen Jordan had promised her his love forever. Instead of a removable, they felt it was more symbolic with something permanent.
The red ink of the heart stood out against her skin like blood on a white silk sheet. The handle
of the knife sticking into the heart read “Jordan.” Did he still have his? Or had he visited the artist to have the knife handle colored in? She whirled around and turned on the hot water in the shower.
The week’s events must’ve been catching up with her, especially since she hadn’t been able to sleep in a real bed for more than one night lately. Being so tired, it took great effort to move any part of her body and she could fall asleep where she stood. Not taking any more time than necessary, she washed and then got out.
She found Jordan had run to get them some food. Amazing, since she hadn’t been in the shower for very long.
He took a drink from the large cup. “There’s a burger place next door. Hope you don’t mind,” he said between bites of food.
She sat down across the table from him. “It’s been forever since I‘ve had a burger and fries.” She took a bite before adding, “Now I remember why.”
Jordan laughed. “I’m surprised to see you kept the same eating habits from high school.”
She shrugged at this comment and said, “Thanks for grabbing dinner for us. I didn’t realize how hungry I am until I saw the food.”
“It’s pouring out there now. Does the weather change so quickly all the time?”
“No. It usually stays like this for most of the year. You must be freezing.” She set his shoes next to the heater.
She didn’t need a heater while he sat bare-chested with wet jeans hugging his muscular thighs and tempting manhood. It made her hot just looking at him. Stop it now, you‘re wasting your time
if you think anything will happen between you.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Her cheeks burned. “Why would you think something is wrong?”
“You sighed.”
“Oh, um…” She looked down at her fries and then back up at him, “I guess I’m tired. It’s been a long couple of days.”
“Do you want to watch a movie after I warm up in the shower?”
“I don’t think I would stay awake past the opening credits. I’m going to go to bed once I’m done eating.” She rubbed her tired eyes. “You know, I’ve been trying to remember the midwife’s name.”
“Yeah?”
“For some reason it’s not coming to me.”
He crumpled up the wrappers and shot them toward the waste basket like a basketball. He missed the first time, ran over to pick it up again, went across the room to reshoot. It went in. “I still got it,” he said with a grin. “Not so bad for being an old guy, huh?”
“You’re not old,” she called after him as he disappeared into the bathroom. God, it’s so good to be with him again.
A few minutes later, she watched as he came back out dressed in some sweat shorts similar to her own. It amazed her how they still had the same taste in most everything. They were soul mates, if such a thing existed.
She pretended not to notice him as he dropped down on the floor and whispered the number of sit-ups he did. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched each time the ribbed abdominal muscles flexed. He’d always been toned up as a teen but now had a six pack she wouldn’t mind touching.
She squirmed on the chair to relieve the uncomfortable feeling in her intimate spots she got by watching him.
“Still work out?” he asked through deep breaths. Sweat rolled down his forehead.
“Yes. Nearly every day, but I’m not a fanatic about it anymore.”
“Want to work out with me?”
She would love to work out and even had some special exercises to do with him. Instead of admitting this, she replied “I’m too tired tonight.”
The sweat glistened over his contours. “I hear ya,” he said as he flipped over for some push-ups.
Once he’d counted to one hundred,
he got up. The bathroom door shut tight behind him and the shower drowned out the voices on the TV.
Not much for television, she rolled her eyes at the sitcom reruns rolling across the screen and wished she had a book to read or something to do. Something to take her mind off the situation.
Just figure out where Elizabeth is so she can come home to Jordan and then leave. Get back to the life you’re accustomed to, the comfortable life, she thought as she took out the few sheets of custom stationary and a pen she’d found in the nightstand door.
But what if Monique and Zack didn’t want to give up Elizabeth? A frightening legal battle would happen for sure. Even with Jordan being her real father, they’d had Elizabeth for ten years with no contact. It was bound to be a big mess. Would Jordan want to go through all the crap sure to follow?
Her handwriting covered the paper with all the information they had found during the day, but she paused. “We’re missing something,” she said to herself. “We need to find out who the
members of their family are.” At the bottom of the page, she wrote ‘visit the neighb
or again to find out names of family members’.
“What are you doing?” asked Jordan when he walked into the room wearing a towel.
She stared at the paper without looking up at him. “We need to go visit the neighbor again. We also should figure out who Lynn Johanson is. Contact her if we can.”
“She would be able to tell us how she got the house. She may have bought it from the Markales or maybe she is a family member who has owned it the whole time.” He grabbed some clean shorts from his bag, and after glancing up at him, she had to do a double take. Wrapped in a towel, he took her breath away. “Be back in a minute.”
“Good thinking,” she muttered, now unable to focus on her list making. Leaving the paper and pen on the table, she flopped onto the bed. “I think I’ll drop you off at my apartment to search for Lynn on my computer while I go visit that woman again. She warmed up to me more than you.”
“Are you sure you want to?” he called from the bathroom. He didn’t bother to close the door this time and she could see a bit of his naked body in the mirror. It had been so long since she’d felt those rippling muscles beneath her fingers, her lips, her tongue. If only for a moment, she could take a break from worrying about their situation and the mission they were on so she could enjoy being with him, but she couldn’t.
“Well?” he asked while coming out of the bathroom
and breaking into her thoughts.
“I think we’d be a lot faster if we divided up the tasks.”
He lay down on the bed next to her, his dark eyes staring into hers. “But I don’t want you to go alone. People are weird and we don’t know how she might act when we arrive tomorrow.”
“Okay. We can go together.”
“Good.” He reached up and pushed a strand of hair from the pillow and propped his head on his hand. He looked incredibly sexy with the white sheet draped over his chest. It showed some but left a lot to her imagination.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“For what?” His lips parted to show off a brilliant smile.
“For caring about me.” This time she gave into the temptation and reached up to where his hand laid on the bed. She gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Chels, there is one thing for sure. I might have been pissed off, but I’ve never stopped caring about you.” He brushed his hand down her cheek. Desire swept through her.
“Jordan…”
His lips met hers. The quick kiss was filled to the brim with so much emotion. Hunger. Desire. Need. Passion. The list went on and on. One thing was for certain, they wanted more of each other. More than either could give at the moment.
“Chelsea.” He looked at her as if she was nothing but a dream. A fantasy.
She smiled sweetly at him. “Good night,” she whispered and then rolled over. The bed shifted as he rolled onto his back. Once she heard his breathing turn to barely audible snores, she let her own eyes drift shut.
* * * *
The labor pains had come on strong when Chelsea woke up that morning ten years before. She’d picked up the phone to call the main house where her midwife and the Markales were probably still happily sleeping. They wouldn’t be now.
“Yeah?”
“Monique, the baby is coming.”
“What? Oh my God,” she yelled into the phone. “Zack! Get up!” Without another word, the call shut off. They were on their way. Monique and Zack would watch their daughter be born while
Zack’s sister acted as the midwife.
The woman had been great with her prenatal care. She informed Chelsea of the stages the baby was going through, even though Chelsea tried her hardest to not listen. The truth was, she didn’t want to bond with the baby in any way. It wasn’t hers any longer. The door swung open and the three adults came rushing into the bedroom where she sweated and panted for breaths.
“Remember what I taught you,” said the midwife, rushing to her side.
“Get the stuff,” ordered Monique.
Everyone was in a hurry. Since the contractions were coming
less than a minute apart, nobody had much time for the preparations.
“Sorry I waited so long to call,” whispered Chelsea.
“It’s no problem, dear.” She pushed Chelsea’s hair away from her face and kissed her on the forehead before going into the small bathroom to wash her hands. It seemed that the only person in the room who really cared about Chelsea’s well being was the midwife.
“Are you ready, Chelsea?” asked Zack has he propped her legs up in the birthing position.
“Oohh,” Chelsea moaned. “No.”
The Markales laughed as they took their spots to participate. Zack and Monique were on each side of her while the midwife sat on the bed between Chelsea’s legs. The Markales were there to comfort her even though neither really did. They would glance at each other with anticipating smiles and then stare back down at her midwife.
It seemed like only a matter of minutes before she was bearing down to push the baby out. Once the placenta passed through the birth canal, she rolled over. She didn’t want to look at anyone.
Not the Markales, not the midwife, and not the baby. Especially not the baby.
“Chelsea,” asked the midwife, “would you like to hold the baby?”
“It isn’t hers. Elizabeth is our baby now,” snapped Monique.
“Chelsea?” asked the midwife again.
“No,” she mumbled in response. Tears dampened the pillow.
She listened as the midwife cleaned up all the mess and got up long enough for her bed to be changed. She wasn’t sure how many were actual midwife duties or what was being done just because the midwife was Zack’s sister. In the end, she decided she didn’t care.
She crawled back into bed and closed her eyes. Soon afterward, the midwife mumbled a goodbye and she heard the click of the front door being shut. Her obligation was finally over.
She slept for most of the day. When the sun set, she got up from the bed and took her suitcase out. The place no longer seemed like a home to her as it had been for the past several months. It smelled differently, not the familiar floral scent it used to have. She dumped her dresser drawer of pre-pregnancy clothes into the suitcase, went to the bathroom to get her personal items, then zipped them all safely inside.
She grabbed all of her money and walked outside. The Markales said she could stay however long she wanted. Well, she wanted out of there. On to her new life.
On the way down the driveway, she heard upset female voices. At first, she’d been scared they’d see her but soon realized they were inside the house. The harsh words drift down to her
through the open window.
“It isn’t right, Monique,” insisted the midwife.
“Yes, it is. She willingly gave us the baby.”
“You bought the baby. That’s illegal.”
“I don’t care. It’s not like I hurt anyone.”
“But she probably would have changed her mind. She wants that baby. I could see the hurt in her face.”
“That’s the point. We would never get a baby if we went the normal adoption route. Those mothers always change their minds.”
“But, Monique, I don’t like what I did. What you did.”
“I don’t care, Muriel.”
Muriel Markales. That’s what her name was, thought Chelsea as the memory lost itself in the back of her mind. She smiled down at Jordan before climbing out of bed to scribble the name onto the stationary with the other information. At least they had some other place to go. Three roads to view before decided which road they would travel down. When she questioned the destination of
the journey, she reminded herself of what it was—in Oregon, alone.
CHAPTER 10
“I remember her name.”
“Good. It will give us a starting point after we go visit the neighbor. Should we do the search from your apartment or wait until we get to Arizona?”
“My apartment is fine. If we get any leads, w
e can follow up while we’re here.”
“And I’ll make plans for our flight home.”
Home? She was home in Oregon. Okay, that wasn’t particularly true, but she wasn’t about to admit it to anyone. Not even to herself.
“Are you ready?” she asked as she grabbed the bag from the bed. She wanted to get a move on. To either know if she was going to accomplish anything or not. The suspense of it all bothered her.
He took his backpack and they walked out of the room together.
“Give me the keys.”
“No,” he said, swiping them away and shutting their bags safely into the back of the SUV.
“But I want them.”
“For what?”
“To drive.”
“Yeah, right.”
She tried grabbing them, but instead he picked her up and dropped her into the front passenger seat.
“This is where you belong. Let the man drive,” he said playfully as she tried to swat at him.
“You’re a pig.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pretended to pout.
“And you’re adorable.” He smiled at her and then grumbled, “I hate this vehicle.”
“Then let me drive.”
“No. I can, but I hate SUVs. I miss my truck.”
“Sorry.” She laughed and looked out the window.
They were driving up the freeway where they would reach the road they needed to go down. Garden Home Road. That’s how she remembered how to get to the house. The road’s name had
made the area seem like such a magical place when she’d first arrived. The name had always stuck in her head.
“I don’t like all of this rain, either,” he grumbled again.
She laughed even more. Most people didn’t like the rain. Even people who lived there didn’t. It’s funny, she thought, people complained during long periods of warm weather and always said
they couldn’t wait for it to rain, but once it did, they complained how much they hated the rain and couldn’t wait for summer. Then she wondered if Jordan complained when it was too hot in Arizona. Would she be around him long enough to find out?