A hater of telemarketers, Eliza normally didn’t answer her cell phone if the number that was displayed was one that she didn’t recognize, but for reasons she couldn’t explain, she answered it this time.
“What happened to you last night?” asked a seductive male voice.
Reba had painted a hot and sexy picture of the man Eliza had danced with the night before. When she heard the voice over the phone that sounded as if it could easily pair with such a man, the excitement and anticipation that this just might be him caused her voice to go an octave or two higher than normal as she asked, “Who is this?”
“Oliver. The guy from last night,” he said. “You gave me your phone number, remember?”
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and humbly replied, “I’m sorry. I don’t.”
“What?” he said with surprise.
“I don’t remember you,” she admitted with dismay. “I think I was drugged.”
“Seriously?” he disparagingly asked.
“I wish differently,” she replied. “I vaguely remember dancing and then going outside because I was overheated. That’s it.”
“Yes, you said you were getting hot, so I went to the bar to get you a drink,” he offered. “You were drinking coke. When I returned with it, you were gone.”
“Coke?” she repeated with surprise. “If I was drinking coke, how could I not remember things?”
His voice was soft as he said, “That is a bid odd. Unless you’re right and the bartender drugged you. I hope that’s not the case.” Then, after a long and uncomfortable silence on both their parts, he asked, “Can we give it another try?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I really like you,” he explained. “I’d like to see you again. It doesn’t have to be at the dance club. It can be over a cup of coffee for all I care.”
“I love a good cup of coffee,” she said with hesitation as she battled her humiliation over the night before.
She could hear the smile on his face as he said, “How about the coffee shop on the corner of Hallstead and Lincoln?”
“I’m not sure where that is,” she informed him, “Is it near downtown?”
“Actually, it’s on the south edge of the city,” he replied. “Or, we can meet somewhere else. I’m fairly new in town and that’s the only coffee shop I know about, but I’ll go anywhere.”
“You’re new in town?” she repeated. “Where are you from?”
“The hills of Kentucky,” he said with a slight emphasis on a Kentuckian accent as he jovially informed her.
Giggling, she continued with, “When did you get to the big city?”
“This is a big city?” he asked with mock surprise.
“Well, it’s not New York or Los Angeles, but it’s still a city,” she replied.
“True,” he said.
“What brought you here?” she pressed.
Still full of humor in his voice, he replied with, “You’re full of questions that I’ll be happy to answer over coffee. No coffee, no answers. You need to know, though, that if I’m going to be grilled about who I am and what I’m all about, I’ll expect to be able to do the same with you.”
“You don’t know anything about me?” she said with surprise.
She couldn’t believe she’d danced so long with a man and not conversed with him. Frustration over not remembering things returned full force.
“Other than the fact that you’re beautiful?” he said with a sultry Kentucky drawl, “No, but I want to. I really want to.”
His voice and his humor when added to Reba’s detailed description made her feel giddy. Placing her hand on her flushed cheek, she nodded. Then, realizing that he couldn’t see her nod, she said, “Coffee it is.”
Since she knew the city better than he did, she suggested a coffee shop that wasn’t far from her old apartment. It was a place that she’d frequented each morning on her way to work. Because of this, the barista knew her well. Even though she’d already danced the night away with this guy, he was a stranger to her. Going to a place where she was known gave her a sense of safety. Hot guy or not, she needed to be smart about this.
Her nerves felt frazzled, and her legs threatened to fail her as she entered the familiar coffee shop. Her favorite barista, Scott, was working the counter. Seeing her, he flashed a smile and waved a greeting. Then, pointing to a sandy haired man sitting in the back of the room, he raised his brows and patted his chest. Eliza took this as a sign of approval from the only male she knew who was prone to compete with her for a man’s attention.Scott’s gayness didn’t bother her in the least. In fact, she enjoyed spending time with him even if it stayed within the walls of the coffee shop during slow hours.Doing her best to smooth her appearance without being obvious about it, she moved toward the man with the sandy colored hair and piercing eyes that seemed to pull her to him without her using the slightest bit of effort to move herself.Although she was considered a tall woman, he still managed to exceed her height by a go
Eliza took the dinner plate that Viviane had finished rinsing the soap off from her mother’s outstretched hand and rubbed it dry with a dish towel. More than once she’d suggested that they get with the times and install a dishwasher, but her mother’s response was always the same. Holding up her hands, she’d smile and say, “I have reliable dishwashers right here. I don’t need anything else.”“Where did you go today?” Viviane asked as she wiped at the excess water in the white porcelain sink with a dishcloth.Carefully placing the dinner plate on top of the others in the cupboard, Eliza thought about her answer. Should she admit that she met a stranger for coffee? Well, he wasn’t a complete stranger since she’d danced quite a bit with him the night before. The only problem was that this was something that she could barely remember.Since it wasn’t her habit of sharing g
It happened again!Eliza groaned with despair as she rolled onto her back and looked up into the early morning sky. Her nightmare was continued. She was naked in the field on the edge of the woods again. She’d gone to bed early without a drop of alcohol in her system, let alone any type of drug, yet the sledgehammer in her head was pounding even harder than the morning before. Like the first time, she couldn’t remember a thing on how or why she was in such a state.To add to her misery, along with the pounding inside her head, her leg burned and hurt like a sharp object had been dragged down it. A knife, perhaps?Struggling against the acute throbbing that radiated from her skull into the rest of her trembling body, she forced herself to sit up. Her vision was still a bit blurred, but it was clear enough for her to see dried and crusted blood that coated the singular, deep scratch down the outer side of her left calf. Th
After a quick shower to remove the grime on her flesh, Eliza decided that a long hot Epsom Salts bath was in order.She hadn’t completely emersed her body into the steaming water before she felt the relief it offered both physically and mentally. She’d taken headache medicine immediately upon entering the bathroom. Her shower had been just long enough to give it an opportunity to take effect. Now, with her body being enveloped by the comfort of heated healing liquid, she felt a sense of peace and tranquility for the first time since she’d woken up naked the morning before.Closing her eyes, she sank deep into the water while she allowed her mind to go blank. With any luck, not trying so hard to remember just might be the way to get the answers to what happened to make her wake up naked in the field two mornings in a row surface.As relaxation overtook her, she felt light enough to float. Her legs relaxed enough to actually rai
It was a miracle!Amazed and bewildered, Eliza inspected the leg that she’d wounded during the night. There was absolutely no sign of an injury. Cautiously putting her weight on it, she discovered no indication of a bruise beneath her kneecap. She had no idea that a hot Epsom salts bath could work such wonders, but there was no mistaking the fact that she was completely healed. There wasn’t even a scar from the jagged gash on her leg.She’d have spent a bit more time pondering such a miraculous recovery had she not been preoccupied with the idea of acting as a guide on the state lands for Oliver as he searched for his missing brother. She’d accepted his invitation without thinking about the fact that she’d been wounded. That came after the call ended. Her relief was acute when she discovered that she had no injuries whatsoever to concern herself with.Once again, she felt inclined to give a
Eliza sucked in air as her car pulled into the parking lot of the gas station she’d agreed to meet Oliver at. She couldn’t help equating his long, muscled figure as he leaned against the side of his late model, immaculate looking black GMC pickup truck in his faded denim jeans and form fitting black tee shirt to a male model she’d admired in one of her father’s farm magazines a few months back. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember the name of the magazine or the exact looks of the model. She just remembered that he was sexy and pleasing to the eye. She was certain that if they came to Oliver and asked him to pose, those lean muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt would make a mighty find picture. Better than the model in the magazine.What she was oblivious to was the fact that Oliver was having a similar reaction to seeing her in her well-worn, form fitting khaki hiking pants and navy tee shirt that
Oliver’s mind struggled with what information he should and shouldn’t divulge while his eyes were mesmerized by the gentle sway of Eliza’s shapely hips as she led the way up the trail. He’d told her that he was searching for his brother, but he’d offered no reason as to why. Interestingly, she hadn’t asked.At first, he thought that the reason why she didn’t ask was because she had no interest in him. After spending time with her and feeling the electricity between them, he knew that wasn’t true. She was just one of those polite people who didn’t pry.If they found his brother near nightfall, it could prove dangerous for her. It was only right to inform her of this fact. The problem was that he had no idea how to tell this beautiful woman who had an immediate hold on him from the moment he set eyes on her that he couldn’t quite explain but knew he couldn’t give up that
True to her word, Eliza left Oliver making camp just before sunset. He gave her a bit of resistance over the fact that she’d have to go back down the trail on her own, but she insisted that it was something that she’d done so often that she could do it with her eyes closed. She also made it a point to impress upon him that the trail was monitored by rangers and quite safe. This was done more for the fact that his behavior at the mention of her leaving led her to suspect that he feared being alone than to assure him of her safety.Since going back to her jeep meant that she was going downhill, she covered ground quickly. She used this short time to mull over her disappointment that the handsome, hunky man she’d just met was a bit of a wimp when it came to the great outdoors. Since she was a true nature lover, this was a major disappointment.She reached her jeep just as the sun began to sneak over the top