“Youʼre just jealous because he beat you twice at Scrabble,” Sara said in an attempt to lighten things up, and was pleased when Brent hinted at a smile.
“Oh yeah. But Iʼm also serious. I know Jack much better than you do, and believe me, heʼs not the man who ate pizza and played board games with us tonight. Crap, I barely saw him smile once or twice during all the years Iʼve known him, and look at him tonight—laughing even at my dumb jokes!” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “I talked to Doc, Sara. He said what Jack is suffering from is called PTA, or post-traumatic amnesia.”
She bit her lip. “Yes, he told me.”
“He said that people with this kind of amnesia may behave in a relatively normal way, talking and moving about, but theyʼre mostly confused or disoriented. I think this is exactly Jackʼs case. He doesnʼt know who he is anymore and is behaving totally out of character. But, honey, the man in your house right now is not the real Jack Turner.”
His words pierced through her like daggers. She didnʼt want to hear them. She didnʼt want to know about how different Jack used to be before his accident.
Brent rubbed a hand on his face. “Sara, you have no idea how much I wish I could tell you that Jack is the fun, friendly man youʼve gotten to know in the past few days. Now, Iʼm not saying that itʼs impossible that he might have changed. Heck, maybe the blow on his head actually improved his personality.”
“Brent!”
He smiled at her outraged scowl. “Itʼs just that I canʼt help but wonder what will happen once he gets his memory back, and how heʼs going to reconcile the man heʼs now with the one he used to be. The truth is, I have a feeling that the old Jack will win that battle. Iʼm afraid that the Jack weʼre getting to know now is nothing but a transitional phase.”
“Thatʼs a horrible thought.” A cold shiver passed through Sara, and she instinctively wrapped her arms under her breasts.
Brent pulled her into an embrace. “Just be careful, hon. Thatʼs all Iʼm saying.”
***
Sara lay bed, staring at the ceiling with a million thoughts racing through her mind and Brentʼs words still echoing in her ears. Five oʼclock in the morning, and she still found it impossible to fall asleep—which seemed to be a common occurrence since Jack had entered her life.
She needed to talk to somebody right now or sheʼd go crazy. Wait. Maybe Carson was already awake? He always got up so early at the ranch. She hadnʼt talked to him in a while and was dying to tell him about Jack.
Carson had always been such a good friend to her. He was the first person sheʼd met in Starville. Sara was only twenty back then; having just broken up with her fiancé, she’d felt the need to take a break from her life and lick her wounds in peace, so she’d decided to travel to Texas in the hope that spending some time away would get Fabriceʼs cheating off her mind. And why not? Maybe a little solitary vacation would even help her find the inspiration to start her next book, a mystery novel to be set in the Old West.
Sara had come across Carsonʼs ranch after brief research on the Internet, and sheʼd found it perfect for the purpose. It was nice, secluded, and most importantly, far away from everything and everyone she knew. Carson had been going through a tough divorce at the time; in dire need of money to pay the attorneys, he was looking for adventurous tourists willing to experience the western life in exchange for a small rent. Needless to say, Sara had taken the opportunity without thinking twice. Never in a million years would she have expected to find a special friend in that lonely cowboy, but the two of them had so much in common—both heartbroken and swearing off love—that they had immediately connected. To this day, she still visited his ranch periodically when in need of tranquility for her writing, and she also met with Carson whenever he drove to town for supplies.
On an impulse, Sara grabbed her cell phone and dialed his number.
“Hey, kid,” he answered at the first ring. She frowned.
“How did you know it was me?”
“Who else would be so nutty to call me this early in the morning?” Carson waited a couple of seconds to enjoy her shocked silence, then burst out laughing. “Iʼm kidding, silly! I may live on a godforsaken ranch, but even I have Caller ID.”
This time she was the one chuckling. “Sorry, I didnʼt think about that. My mind has been a little out of whack lately.”
Her words seemed to somber him completely. “You all right, kid? Is something wrong?”
“No, no, Iʼm fine. Did I wake you?”
“Please, Iʼve been awake for over an hour. Whatʼs up?”
Sara smiled. Same old Carson, always straight to the point. “Have you ever heard of Jack Turner?” From the long silence on the other end of the line, she knew that he was thinking about her question with his usual carefulness.
“The name sounds familiar but doesnʼt ring any bells. Am I supposed to know him?”
“Well, he used to live in Starville years ago, so I was wondering if you might have heard of him.”
“Nope. Of course, I canʼt really say I keep up with the town gossip, either,” he joked. “Anyhow, whatʼs with this dude?”
“Itʼs a long story.” A long sigh escaped from her lips. “How much time do you have?”
“For you, kid, all the time in the world.”
She smiled again. “Good. You might need it.”
Chapter 9
Two days later, Sara entered the police department and waved at the receptionist, Jessica. Sheʼd hoped to head straight to Brent and Nickyʼs office and suppressed a curse when she turned a corner in the corridor and found herself facing Max Lacrod.
“Sara. What a surprise,” he said with a smile that didnʼt reach his cold eyes.
“Good morning, sheriff. Iʼm here to see Brent and Nicky.”
“Theyʼre working.”
“I know, but itʼs almost lunchtime.”
He shot her a deadly look. “I suppose it is.” He hesitated for a few moments, then crossed his arms over his chest. “I heard that Turnerʼs shacking up with you.”
Her shoulders squared defensively. “I offered him to stay at my place, yes. So?”
“Nothing. Just be careful. Bad things can happen when you hang out with the wrong people.”
Sara wanted to scream, but she would never give him the satisfaction to see that his words had affected her. “Iʼll keep that in mind, thanks.” Pushing past him, she all but ran to Brent and Nickyʼs office. Her friends looked at her with surprise as she swung the door open.
“Sara! What are you doing here?” Nicky said with a smile, but Brent jumped to his feet. “Something wrong?”
“No, no,” she reassured him. “I mean, Iʼm pretty sure Max hates me, but other than that, everythingʼs fine. In fact, I went to the bank next door and thought Iʼd swing by to say hi.”
“Is everything all right? With the bank, I mean?”
She nodded at Nicky. “Itʼs all good. I was able to make a payment toward my mortgage today, so now Iʼm only one month behind,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “Isnʼt that awesome?”
“Sara!” Nickyʼs mouth dropped. “You told me you were having money troubles, not that you were behind with your mortgage!”
“Well, itʼs only one month…”
Brentʼs brows furrowed. “Honey, if you need help―”
“I appreciate it, but I canʼt take your money.”
“Donʼt be silly. You know I have plenty of it and Iʼd be happy to help you. Besides, you wouldnʼt be taking it. Consider it a loan.”
“I canʼt.” Sara raised a hand to cut off his protest. “First of all, Iʼm not sure I could pay you back, and I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror if I didnʼt. Besides, I have to do this by myself. Please, forget I even mentioned, it okay? Things will get better. I know it.”
Brent hesitated before heaving a breath. “Fine.” He dropped onto his chair. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”
“I will, thank you,” Sara lied with a smile. “S
o, what have you guys been doing today?”
He shrugged. “I just got back from my morning round. What about you, partner?”
Nicky sat back at her desk, her expression suddenly concentrated. “Actually, Iʼve been studying more of Jackʼs file.”
Brent arched a brow. “You have?”
“Yep.”
Saraʼs throat closed. “And?”
“And…” She swiveled her chair toward Brent. “Did you know that J.T. withdrew a big chunk of money from his account only eight hours before the murder?”
Another shrug. “Yeah. So?”
“Eight hours, Hayden. Eight. And, as of today, nobody knows what that money was for or where it went. Isnʼt that weird?”
“Very,” Sara agreed pensively. If she was expecting a surprised reaction from Brent, though, she was bound to be disappointed.
“Itʼs not that big of a deal, really,” he said, waving a hand. “J.T. used to loan money to a lot of people. He couldnʼt seem to say no to a friend in need.”
“How come nobody has come forward saying they got it, then? How come thereʼs no record of it going to anyone elseʼs account?”
Brent stood abruptly. Walking up to the water dispenser, he poured himself a cup and took a big gulp. “Iʼm sure J.T. gave it to someone in cash. Maybe even to Jack. He did that all the time.”
“Funny you should say that, because according to the trial records, Jack has never seen that money and had no idea J.T. had withdrawn it,” Nicky protested. “Plus, weʼre talking a very big chunk here, Brent―not exactly what you would carry in your wallet. Heck, I donʼt even know what that much money looks like in cash. But letʼs say that youʼre right and J.T. did give it to somebody in cash. Wouldnʼt it have been transferred somewhere then? Anywhere?”
He gave her a long stare, then shook his head. “Youʼre reading too much into it, Sinclair. Jackʼs case has been investigated for years, and still, nobody has any answers.”
Saraʼs brows knitted. “Maybe nobodyʼs looked at the right clues before.”
“Maybe.” Brent gulped down the rest of the water, then crushed the cup and tossed it into the trashcan. “Hey, itʼs almost lunchtime. Would you guys like to grab something to eat?”
Nicky and Sara exchanged a puzzled look. “Uh, I guess. Iʼll have to call Jack and let him know, though,” Sara said.
Brent nodded. “Good. Iʼll go get a table at The Cove before the lunch crowd gets there.” With that, he strode toward the door, leaving the office―and two very confused friends―behind.
Chapter 10
The Cove was packed when Sara and Nicky joined Brent for lunch. Since it was a beautiful day, they decided to take one of the tables available on the outdoor patio. They had just sat down when Charlene approached their table with a tense look on her face. She took their orders in silence, though she appeared on the verge of bursting.
Sara nearly let out a sigh of relief when she started back toward the door, but to her disappointment, Charlene only walked a couple of steps before she changed her mind and turned around. “Is it true?” she blurted out, flattening both her hands on the table and leaning toward Sara. “Is Jack staying at your house?”
She stiffened in her chair. “Yes. But I donʼt see―”
“What is wrong with you? A nice girl like you should not mix with such scum.”
“Thank you for your concern, but I can assure you that Iʼm perfectly able to take care of myself.”
Charlene’s blue eyes flashed with rage. “You donʼt know Jack like we do! You have no idea what disaster youʼre bound to bring upon yourself and all of us―”
“Thatʼs enough, Lene.” Brent raised a hand to stop her flow of words. “Saraʼs here to enjoy a relaxing lunch, not to hear lectures.”
The waitress fell silent but glowered at both of them. Finally, she turned on her heel and walked away without a word. Sara waited for her to go back inside the diner before wilting on her chair with a sigh. “Thanks, Brent.”
“No problem. Sorry, hon, a lot of people in Starville still believe Jack is guilty and resent him.”
“I know.”
“Besides…” Brent snapped his mouth closed, but Nicky caught his slip-up and gave him a curious look.
“Besides, what?”
“Never mind. Itʼs not important.”
She snorted. “Oh, come on! Just say it.”
“Well, Jack― He and Charlene had a relationship, okay?” he blurted uncomfortably.
Sara froze. “Jack…and Charlene?” That bombshell with head-spinning curves and the brain of a blow-up doll? It was a good thing she hadnʼt eaten yet, as her stomach nearly revolted at the sickening images racing through her mind.
“They were together for a while, but it was many years ago. We were young,” Brent added, wishing heʼd kept his damn mouth closed. Sara was obviously shocked, and Nicky kept gaping at him, her mouth a perfect O of surprise.
“I bet every guy in town drooled over her―you included,” she commented with a grimace, shooting a glance at Charlene as she swayed among the tables.
“We were kids!”
Sara barely heard their bickering. Jack and Charlene. Her mind just couldnʼt get over the thought of them together…kissing, having sex. No wonder Charlene had had such a violent reaction when she heard about his return! Her stomach threatened to revolt again, but this time Sara chastised herself for her foolish thoughts. She had no reason to be jealous about Jackʼs past. She had no rights on him, and it was none of her business if he had slept with every bimbo in Starville.
Yet when Charlene walked back to their table and placed a plate in front of her, she couldnʼt help staring at her beautiful curls cascading down her back like a golden waterfall. She couldnʼt help envisioning that gorgeous woman in Jackʼs arms. And she couldnʼt help feeling dull and inadequate.
***
Jack lifted the TV remote to resume the absent flipping of channels heʼd been doing for the last hour. Damn, could he possibly be any more bored?
Sara had called him a while ago saying that she was done with lunch but was going to the library. To do what was beyond him, but she surely seemed to go there a lot. Whatever. All he knew was that he had nothing to do and was bored out of his skull. Heʼd even considered going for a walk around the neighborhood, but it was scorching hot and humid outside, and his knee was hurting like a bitch.
Squirming on the couch, he turned the TV off and set the remote aside. “Now what?” he asked Lance, whoʼd been lying at his feet the entire time. The dog didnʼt seem to share the same restlessness he was feeling and barely slanted him an uninterested look before stretching back on the rug.
Jack huffed. “Fine. Iʼll just find myself something to do without you.” Maybe he could use the Internet to do some more research about his past? As depressing as it might be, it was still better than wasting time on the couch, he thought, standing and heading toward the den.
Another annoyed huff slipped from his mouth as he bent over the desk to turn Saraʼs computer on and realized it was password protected. Great. He certainly wasnʼt going to call her at the library to ask for the password. Rubbing the back of his head with one hand, Jack looked around in search of ideas, but the only things in the room were books. Hundreds of them.
Curious, he plodded to the gigantic dark-wood bookshelf. They were mostly history textbooks, biographies of famous historical figures and other people heʼd never heard of, plus tons of literary masterpieces. He skimmed through the few titles he recognized. Hamlet. Romeo and Juliet. The Importance of Being Earnest. Pride and Prejudice. Jane Eire. Wuthering Heights. Yikes. No sci-fi, no action. Not that heʼd really expected any of that, knowing Sara, but a man could hope.
Discouraged, Jack moved his gaze up to the top shelf. No literary crap here, but every book was from the same author—some Michelle Storme. How strange, he mused, grabbing a random book and studying the cover. Mystery. Not exactly what he was hoping for, but it would have to do.
Sitting at Sara
ʼs desk, he started reading. Much to his surprise, only a few pages into it, he found himself engrossed in the intricate plot. It wasnʼt until about an hour later that he started regretting his choice. Page 103. The beginning of a sex scene—and a pretty damn hot one, too. After a couple of pages of heated lovemaking, Jack squirmed uncomfortably in Saraʼs chair and debated whether to keep going or not. It wasnʼt so much the scene, per se, but the fact that he knew Sara had read it, too. She had chosen that book. She had bought it, read it, and obviously liked it, since she owned many more from the same author. Had she gotten as turned on as he was?
Jack slammed the book closed and shut his eyes. No way he could keep reading it now—not when all he could think about was Sara getting all squirmy and wet and… Shit!
He rose so fast that his knee sent a gazillion burning needles all the way up to his thigh. It didnʼt do a thing to his massive hard-on, but if anything, heʼd learned his lesson: no more picking up books from Saraʼs collection. Bad, bad idea. Jack cursed again, waiting for the pain in his leg to subside a little before cautiously walking out the den and back to the living room.
“Wanna go out?”
Still sprawled on the rug, Lance gave him a pitiful are you nuts? look and went back to sleep.
Even the damn dog had better things to do than he did.
***
Sara spent the rest of the day at the library to do some research for her book. And mostly to avoid Jack. The revelation about his past involvement with Charlene still stung too much, and she wasnʼt sure she could face him quite yet. The whole thing just felt so strange.
She got out of the car with a sigh―and had to force herself not to rush back in as she noticed the elegant gray-haired man walking up to her. Speaking of strange things….
“Sara, dear, how are you?”
“Good afternoon, Mayor. What brings you here today?”
“Actually, I came to talk to you, if you have a minute.”
“Um, sure,” she said, trying to hide her surprise. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”
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