Milan's Return

by Grae Lily

  "Okay, well, what's the name? Tell me what you know about this one." Lou asked, pulling a pen out from behind his ear to jot down notes as Milan spoke.

  Milan answered, "Rob... Robert Sanders. He works for his father's contracting business. He grew up here. We went to the same school. He was a few years younger than me. Beyond that, I don't know much else about him."

  Lou murmured under his breath as he wrote. "Okay. So, this guy is moving to California to work for you? He's getting the heck out of Dodge?"

  "Yes, he's going to work for me." Milan answered, figuring a half truth was better than no truth at all. "He's married. I think he has at least a couple of kids."

  "Alright. Do you have the wife's name?" Lou asked.

  "Yeah," Milan started, swallowing the lump in his throat, "she's a local girl. Her father operates the cemetery in town. She and I used to date when we were kids. Her name is Aubrey. Randall was her maiden name.”

  "Your ex? Well, isn't that nice?" Lou laughed. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked to investigate the new man in a former lover's life.

  Milan didn't respond. He hadn't anticipated the awkwardness of the situation, but he had his reasons for needing this information as soon as possible. Too many years had gone by with no investigation into the people Milan had always suspected of having eyes for Paulina, especially Rob Sanders. He'd been caught on more than one occasion, watching Paulina, making special trips to the house when Milan was at work.

  This wasn't the first time that Rob and his father had done some work at the manor. Jeb and his family were frequent guests of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Sanders would attend every function that they could and had become good friends to Milan's parents and grandparents. Rob was always in tow, but tended to be more guarded, standoffish. He was polite, but more often just kept to himself, watching and listening, never really contributing to conversations until after Milan met and began dating Paulina.

  "Alright, well, I'll see what I can find on this guy. Seems like you probably know him better than you think you do. Let's see if I can dig up any juice on him and I'll get back to you. Since I have you on the phone, did you get a chance to look over the information I sent you about Johanna?" Lou asked, anxious to hear what Milan thought.

  "Yes. Yes, I did. Thank you for that." Milan answered, again a feeling of shame overcame him.

  "Well, looks like she's probably alright. She's just had a tough life, but who hasn't, right? I didn't see anything that would make me think she would give you any kind of trouble. Sounds like her problems centered more around the men in her life. You know, a good for nothing father, boyfriends that weren't worth her time, and a string of bad luck with previous employers, but none of what happened looks like it was her fault, so she should be good. Let me know how that works out for you." Lou doubted that he'd been hired to just do simple employee background checks. He figured there was more to the story, but having become accustomed to being discreet and dealing with desperate clients, he knew better than to pry and just took what his clients told him at face value. That helped keep him sane and detached from whatever was really happening in their lives. “She's a good looking girl, if you ask me. Really easy on the eyes, so that's a bonus.”

  Milan thanked Lou again, ignoring the last comment. Lou told him that he'd be in touch soon. He figured this job would be fairly simple, a man from a small town probably wouldn't be that difficult to research.

  "The Sheriff is here. He just pulled up out front," Johanna knocked on Milan's bedroom door.

  Looking out the window, Milan could see the smug grin on Ned's face.

  What now, he thought. This town is going to drive me insane.

  Johanna opened the door without saying a word. Ned snorted, amused by her behavior. "Well, is he here, Miss Tavo?"

  "Yes." She answered, not offering any further information.

  "Could you ask him to come to do the door? I'll wait right here for him." Ned had to stifle a laugh. He'd been a law enforcement officer for well over thirty years. He'd seen plenty of men and women who thought they could intimidate him. Many tried, but few ever actually succeeded.

  Ned did have to admit to himself that Johanna did pose an interesting challenge. With all that had gone on in town as of late, he hadn't really put much thought into this new woman in town. He'd seen her hours after she arrived. She wasn't easily missed. Her resemblance to a young Paulina was shocking, even to him and he'd thought he'd seen it all.

  When he'd heard through the grapevine that she'd started working at the manor, a sickening feeling came over him. He'd made it no secret that he believed Milan was somehow responsible for Paulina's death and he swore to himself the day Paulina was found lying near the creek bed that he would find the person responsible for her death.

  Within a couple of days of Johanna's arrival in town, he'd received a call from good old Mrs. Johnson, informing him of Milan's return. He'd waited a long time to look him in the eyes again and ask him what his involvement was in Paulina's death.

  When he'd received a call about a disturbance at the cemetery, he wasn't at all prepared to find Milan standing there, throwing accusations at others. Least of all, he wasn't prepared for the wealth of emotions he felt at seeing Milan again.

  In a way, when Milan married Paulina, it had been a blessing. It meant that the often brooding, rich boy would finally be done dating local girls. Milan's longtime girlfriend, Aubrey, was convinced that one day they'd marry. That's the way things worked around River's Bend. Old high school sweethearts were destined to spend eternity together. Ned had no real say in the matter. Aubrey wasn't his daughter, but her father, Mitch, was his friend and that posed a problem for him. He tried to like Milan, but it was never easy because Milan was distant most of the time. It was as if Milan's mind was always somewhere else, looking for the next best thing.

  "Sheriff Acker," Milan nodded as he descended the stairs, "what can I help you with today?"

  The Sheriff motioned for a pair of chairs that had been placed outside. "Can we talk?"

  Milan waited for him to get settled before he took his seat. By the Sheriff's body language, he presumed that the news wasn't bad. For that, he could be thankful.

  "Well, I just wanted to let you know that the girl - Emily - well, her car has been found." Ned looked up, but the relief that Milan expected to see on his face wasn't there. "Her car was found abandoned at the cemetery.”

  Milan thought he hadn't heard right. "The cemetery? The cemetery here in town? Wow. How did that happen? That's a long walk from there to here."

  The Sheriff stood up and leaned against a column, looking directly at Milan. "I don't know yet, but I'll find out. I can guarantee you of that."

  "How did she die?" Milan felt like his heart fell into the pit of his stomach.

  "No idea. The coroner is working on that right now." Ned moved back to the chair, pulling it closer to Milan's. "Look, we've known each other a long time. If there's something you need to tell me, you should probably do that right now. I can't help but think that this was no coincidence. What do you think?"

  *

  "Cemetery? What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense." Sarah couldn't breathe. "How did that happen?"

  Milan held his head in his hands. It was all he could do to not fall apart. He knew in his heart that someone was trying to set him up. He just couldn't for the life of him figure out who it was. He'd made a lot of enemies over the years. Many bridges had been burnt and being able to decipher friend from foe was impossible at this point.

  Sarah slumped down in a chair, placing her hand on Milan's quaking shoulders. "Well, they can't possibly blame you. I mean, you were home when Ned came here. And, before that, you were in Nashville. I'm sure someone can vouch for you there. Your lawyer can just call them and tell them."

  Johanna hadn't said a word. The news was too surreal. She watched as Milan cried angry tears and Sarah fought the tears that had welled in her eyes. For the first time since she'd arrived, she genuinel
y felt like an outsider, a voyeur looking in on a family in crisis. She wanted to help, but had no idea where to begin and doubted that anything she did could put an end to this nightmare.

  "Well, the Sheriff hasn't accused you of anything, has he? It isn't like he came over here to question you about it. At least you have that." Sarah sounded like she was trying to convince herself more so than convince Milan. "I need a few minutes. I feel like my head is spinning.

  She walked out, leaving a stunned, but silent Johanna alone with a broken Milan. This was the last straw for him. She could see it in the way his body moved as it fought desperately to quell the anger and the sorrow that had unleashed since Ned drove away, promising to return as soon as they knew something concrete.

  Milan looked up, wiping his face. "You're still here?" He asked, surprised by her presence.

  "I am." Johanna's voice was barely above a whisper. All of her energy was focused on this latest shocking news.

  "I won't blame you if you run away. If I could, I would run away and never look back." Milan mused.

  Johanna sighed heavily, moving to the unoccupied chair and pulling it around the table, so she could sit right next to Milan. "I'm not going anywhere. Like Sarah said, no one is blaming you for anything. Not now. The Sheriff is just trying to rile things up and make you sweat. I don't know why, but he has some kind of vendetta against you. That's his problem, not yours."

  Milan stood up, tossing the chair back behind him, and grabbed Johanna, pulling her to him.

  "I didn't do anything wrong." His shrill voice added to the fear Johanna felt gripping her bones.

  "I know." She whispered.

  He grabbed her, holding her tightly around the waist, her feet no longer touching the ground. "I didn't hurt anyone." He cried, tears falling onto Johanna's shoulder.

  "I know you didn't." She answered, hoping to soothe some of the pain that he fought to control.

  He placed her feet down on the ground, still holding. Their eyes met. He studied her, seeing fear he'd caused and wishing he'd not reacted the way he had when he first met her.

  She saw the pain in his eyes. Years of sorrow had broken him. Although she was frightened by his sudden movements, she also wanted to comfort him, hold him and tell him that all would be okay.

  Without saying a word, he lifted her again, placing her body flush with his and kissed her firmly on the lips. Covering her full, luscious lips with his own desperate mouth, wanting to be free from the pain and free from all that had destroyed the man that he had been. In that moment, he needed Johanna. He needed to know that she wasn't like the others. He wanted proof that she wasn't truly afraid and didn't honestly believe he could be capable of any wrongdoing.

  Johanna didn't fight his powerful embrace. She kissed him back, gently at first, trying to read what it is he needed from her in that moment. Then, passion took hold and it no longer mattered as much. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

  From the moment she met him, she knew that he was far more than people made him out to be. Aside from the heart stopping good looks and wonderfully expressive eyes that bore into her soul, he was something larger than himself. He was wounded just as she had been and she recognized that in him. He wasn't the brute people had made him out to be.

  Johanna sensed that behind the strong, aloof facade was a man who needed and wanted to be loved more than anything else. She knew enough about life and loss to recognize a state of utter confusion and countless regrets when she saw it. Milan was the epitome of a life not lived to its full potential, that was not that far removed from who she was.

  He pulled away from her just as suddenly as he'd grabbed her and breathed a sigh of much needed relief, instantly wanting to apologize for his aggressive behavior, but Johanna held up her hand to stop him.

  "You don't owe me an apology. You've done nothing wrong." She said.

  "I don't know what I was thinking." She could see his anger mounting again. He shook his head, walking away from her.

  Johanna was not one to back down when challenged. She didn't know how he would react, but she was confident enough to know that kiss meant something. The way his lips and his tongue made her body feel alive wasn't because he'd not put some thought into it and she wasn't about to let him pretend that it was.

  "You wanted to kiss me and, quite frankly, I wanted to kiss you. You don't get to pretend that you didn't mean for it to happen. That's not how life works. You wanted to and you did. Nothing wrong with that." Johanna licked her lips, wanting the sensation to last.

  He grabbed her again. This time much more gently than before and cupped her face with his strong hands. "Can I kiss you again?" He asked.

  She smiled, relieved that he'd decided against running away from something that would bring them both pleasure.

  "Kiss me." She whispered, closing her eyes in anticipation of his next kiss.

  His hands moved to the back of her head. He pulled her long hair loose from the ponytail she had it in and ran his fingers through her soft locks. Goose pimples formed on her body, sending shivers down her spine. She moaned softly into his mouth. He smiled, sliding his hands down to her small waist and pulling her gently to him, lightly lifting her up onto her tiptoes.

  "You won't let me fall?" She teased, bracing herself up against his body.

  "Never." He lifted her into the air by her waist and kissed her even more passionately still. Their tongues met, sending chills down his spine.

  She ran her fingers through his dark, wavy hair, surprised by how soft it felt. She'd imagined this very moment the second she laid eyes on him, but yet, felt as if this was an impossibility.

  He turned with her in his arms, sitting her on top of the counter top. "What are we doing?" he asked.

  "Don't fight it." She answered, licking his lips again.

  "You are so beautiful." He pulled his lips from hers and cupped her face in his hands again, studying her gentle features.

  She bit her lip, needing to know. "Are you talking to me or to her?"

  "Paulina?" He asked, feeling guilty for making her feel as if he only wanted her because she reminded him of his wife.

  Johanna nodded, bracing herself for the answer she didn't want to hear.

  "You, Johanna. I see you. I love Paulina. I always will, but I know she's not here and she's not coming back. Right here, right now, I see you. I can't stop thinking about you. I'm not an easy man. You know that, but I also don't do things without putting some thought into them and you have consumed many of my thoughts lately. It isn't her. She's gone. It's you." Milan looked at her with desperation in his eyes. Johanna tried to reconcile her own feelings in order to clearly see what Milan's were. She didn't want to be a replacement for his dead wife.

  "What is going on here?" Sarah stood in the doorway, looking at them in horror.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sarah hung up the phone, disappointed that Milan had done the one thing she'd asked him not to do. As soon as she heard him step out of the shower upstairs, she marched into his room, prepared for battle.

  “What have you done?” She seethed with rage.

  He quickly covered himself with a towel, startled by her sudden presence in his room

  .

  “What is wrong with you, Sarah?” His eyes were wide.

  “I asked you to leave her alone. You couldn't do that? Not even for me? What is it with you and your obsession to hurt everyone else because you are hurting? That's not the kind of man I raised and don't look at me like you have no idea what I'm talking about. I know what you did and I promise you that you won't win this argument with me. Why are you doing this to her?” Sarah demanded answers that Milan wasn't sure he could provide without causing more bad feelings.

  Holding his head down, Milan shrugged. "I am protecting myself and my home."

  "No, you are meddling in things that were not any of your business. Explain to me how you can stand there and judge others and still wake up in the morning as if people and their fe
elings don't matter. Don't you see that what you are doing is the exact same thing that everyone else in this town has done to you? Why, Milan?" Sarah stood in front of him, her small frame not a match for the six foot tall man.

  "Do you mind if I get dressed?" He pointed to the towel wrapped around his waist.

  "Go, but we're not done. You are going to tell me what has gotten into you and, then, you're going to explain to me what your intentions are with that poor young woman." Sarah made it clear that she was not going to let the subject go, not this time.

  Sarah sat down on the four poster bed, looking around the room, remembering what the room used to look like years ago. So much had changed, yet somehow for her, some things remained the same. She still loved this old house. She remembered all of the love and painstaking work that went into keeping this home up to par with Milan's grandmother's demands.