Hold My Heart (18 page)

Chapter 17

“Mom, we need to talk.”

Will comes into the kitchen after checking on the animals in the barn. Our trip to the field this afternoon kept him here later than usual. Carol is standing by the kitchen sink, turning at the urgency in Will’s voice. After another long day of factory and farm work, Mary is off to bed. MJ is also upstairs for the night. I stayed behind to help Carol clean up, the smell of meatloaf and mashed potatoes still lingering in the cozy, rustic kitchen.

“What's the matter?”

I finish helping with the cleanup and excuse myself, but Will stops me. “It’s all right, Lily, you might want to hear this.” Is he talking to her about me?

Carol looks worried. She looks at me then back at her son.

“Sit down, Mom,” Will says as he motions Carol toward the kitchen table. I take a seat also. Now he has his mother’s undivided attention.

“We need to know about the north side of the farm, the barren land, as Dad called it.”

Carol straightens in her seat and hesitates for a second. Was Carol the ‘someone’ Will needed to talk to?

“What about it?” she answers, eyeing us curiously.

“Why can’t we plant on it? Is there something we should know?” Will takes a seat across from his mother.

Sensing the change in his mother’s demeanor, he chances a knowing glance my way.

“What is this about, Will? You know very well nothing grows on that section of land.” Carol’s attitude changes from worry to defensiveness, and then alarm.

I sit patiently, not saying a word but watching her intently.

“That’s where Lily woke up,” he says, looking at me. “It’s the first thing she can remember. We need to find out how she got there, if she’s going to have a chance to go home.”

Carol turns to me in surprise, and her expression changes as her blue eyes take me in, like she’s seeing me for the first time. Her eyes are glassy as she brings her hand to her chest. Still, she doesn’t say a word.

Finally, after some silent internal debate, she responds to Will’s question. “When we first started working the farm, your father and uncle tried planting crops in that field.” Her eyes are full of sadness and longing when mentioning her late husband. “Nothing grew. They tried corn, hay, until finally they gave up. We also tried to use it for pasture, but when the livestock began to get sick, we stopped. Some people in town believe the piece of land is barren or cursed.”

The mention of the word makes the hair of my arms stand on end; goose bumps cover my skin.

Cursed
.

“That’s all nonsense, Mom.”

“I know, Will. This land has been in our family for generations,” she says, sniffling and digging in her apron for her trusty handkerchief. Will stops the movement, reaching across the table, holding her hands in his.

The agent in me can’t stand idly by and not prod for information.

“Have you noticed anything going on out there, Carol? Anything out of the ordinary in all of the years your family has lived here on this farm?” I have to know if strangers have shown up on this farm before.

“Like what?” She looks at me frowning, confused by my question.

“Noises, movement, people, anything that doesn’t belong there?”

Carol shakes her head. “I don’t think so. We thought this whole thing about the field was all talk. We know it is all nonsense...” she trails off, and then something clicks, her expression morphing as if she remembers something.

“What is it, Mom?” Will asks, his broad shoulders tensing, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Your father noticed lights one night. Does that mean anything?”

I go on full alert. “What kind of lights, Carol?”

Tension in the kitchen is deafening. Will and I are sitting at the edge of our seats. Perhaps because he’s thinking what I’m thinking: the blackened marks on the ground.

“I can’t believe I had forgotten,” Carol says, pensively. “Lightning. It was the darndest thing. He swore he saw lightning out there, but there wasn’t even a cloud in the sky that night. Your father went up there to check and make sure the whole farm wasn’t going to burn down.” She pauses, and her voice lowers. “When he came back, he had this look on his face. He wouldn’t tell me what happened or what he saw. He just made me promise I wouldn’t let you kids go near that stretch of land.”

“How long ago was that?” I ask, dreading the answer.

“The lightning? Gosh, close to twenty years or so.”

“Did you see those lights, Carol?”

“No, just my husband, and he got upset every time I brought it up.” She looks to me, then to Will. “What is this all about, Will?”

“We don’t know, Mom. But whatever is going on out there, it has something to do with Lily.”

“Have you talked to Albert about this?” Carol asks.

“No, we haven’t. What makes you think Doc knows anything about it?” Will prods.

“He was your father’s best friend. If your father were to talk about whatever was going on out there, it would have been with Albert.”

Doc was out there with us, and he didn’t say a word about this the entire time.

“I’ll call Doc tomorrow and see if he remembers anything.” Will rises from his chair and thanks his mother for the information. “I’m going to head home. Get some rest, okay? See you tomorrow.” He hugs his mother before leaving. “Lily, would you mind walking me to my truck?” Will motions for me to join him, as he heads out the kitchen door into the night air.

“Good night, Will. Good night, Lily,” Carol says, heading upstairs to her bedroom.

“Good night, Carol,” I call back on my way out.

I walk alongside Will, enjoying the fresh spring breeze. The night is quiet. No traffic noises, just crickets and the occasional frog. The farm animals’ silent grazing fills the air with a sense of peace.

The light breeze sharpens my senses. It’s refreshing after the tension in the kitchen. The dim evening moonlight outlines William’s features, yet his mesmerizing blue eyes, now dark as the deep ocean, study my face as he stands next to the driver side door.

Will finally speaks. “Lightning with no storms, that’s not unusual out here.”

“What I want to know is, how come Doc didn’t say anything when we went out there today, or even when we found those blackened marks on the ground?” My wheels are turning and I’m thinking out loud, just like I do with Tommy. I miss my partner. What would he make of all of this?

Will's body tenses at my mention of not trusting Doc.

“Doc would have said something if he knew anything,” he answers in a clipped tone.

“I’m sorry if that bothers you, Will—”

He interrupts me, his strong hands on my shoulders, soft and reassuring.

“No, don’t be sorry, Ileana.” His words are a whisper, carrying a sultry tone.

Despite the pleasantly airy night, warmth washes over me. He takes a step closer. My eyes are level with the hollow of his throat. His Adam’s apple moves up and down as he swallows, and my gaze trails down to the dust of hair peeking from under his shirt. He raises my chin with his index finger, and I slowly take in his beautiful, earnest face until our eyes meet, amber and sky. His strong jaw clenches, his gaze filled with longing. I’m rooted in place, forgetting about going home, or what will happen if I don’t find a way back.

His eyes are mesmerizing, watching me from under thick lashes. They so full of compassion, as if I’m the most precious thing he has ever seen. I can’t look away. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I want to kiss him, hold him, and forget everything.

He slowly leans down, his gaze fixed on my lips. I don’t move a muscle. I’m lightheaded, the anticipation intoxicating me. He brings his thick, perfectly shaped lips to mine, just a slight caress, soft, like butterfly wings. It is the sweetest kiss I’ve ever experienced. I’m floating, my eyes slowly close, and I become all senses.

My hands come up and grab on to Will’s hips. Holding on for dear life, I’m adrift at sea and he’s my anchor. My lips slightly part, his tongue caressing my upper lip ever so gently. Fire burns low in my belly, my body awakening with desire. I lean into our kiss as Will’s body responds to mine. His gentle hands travel down my body to my lower back. He pulls me against him tighter, afraid I might let go. But I can’t. I press into him harder, trying to eliminate any space between us. I’m completely lost in the moment as our lips explore each other.

Will is the first one to come to his senses. Groaning against my mouth, he brings his hands up to my shoulders and holds me away from him. I instantly mourn the loss of his lips, the pressure of his body. I struggle to open my eyes, like I’ve been shaken awake from a great dream.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” Will whispers, leaning his forehead against mine, his face contorted in pain.

“I’m not. I’m not sorry,” I blurt out, breathless. I want him, and the mere thought that he’s already regretting having kissed me hurts in a way I can’t explain.

This isn’t like me. There’s an Ileana inside me that needs this man; a part of me that I don’t know. It isn’t like me to be this forward.

Will looks away from me, battling some inner war. Before I can say anything else, he jumps in his truck, starts the engine, and drives away, leaving me standing alone by the side of the farmhouse.

قلب

It’s been two days since our discovery out in the field. This isn’t about me getting back home anymore. My first priority is finding this guy before he causes some damage here. Although Doc and Will have been helpful, they both seem more guarded than before. I asked both of them about strangers showing up in town, anyone new, male, and they claim there’s no one.

Will has barely spoken two words to me since our kiss. He’s been avoiding me like the plague and part of me is glad. I let my emotions get the best of me that night, not thinking clearly. I don’t know why my rational thought goes out the window every time he’s around. Not only that, but for some strange reason, he makes me miss Tommy even more.

After finishing up for the day, we head to dinner. We wash up and as usual, MJ asks me to sit next to her, facing her big brother. I still get butterflies in my stomach whenever I see him. One look with those amazing blue eyes and brown lashes, and I can’t think straight.

I need to get my head back in the game. Fact is I don't belong here. I may not know how I traveled back in time, but I do know I have a job to do. I have to find this guy. Find him and bring him back alive. I haven't told Will or Doc what I think this guy did, nor do I plan to. I don’t think they will be able to comprehend that kind of violence and brutality. It’s one thing to witness the horrors of war, another to see evil in our own backyards.

Shaking it off, I try to forget the striking man seated at the table, face covered in stubble, hair tousled and shirt wrinkled from a hard day’s work. I avoid his eyes and concentrate on my thoughts, staying on task, solving my case. That’s how I work things out. Each case is a puzzle to put together. I don’t rest until the puzzle is completed.

Conversation is taking place at the dinner table, but I block it out. It’s just background noise. If one of the charred marks is mine, the other has to be my suspect. There’s got to be a timeline. He drove all the way to Bloomingfield, out to that rural area and abandoned that car. Did he do it once he figured out he was being followed? Or did he spot the helicopter and think he’d lose the chopper through the tall grass, in the dark? They discovered the car around 2 a.m. I walked into that field about six, which means he had at least a four-hour head start on me. Maybe he hitched a ride out of town. God knows these people are too trusting. Hell, they don’t even lock their doors. If he’s long gone, I’ve got my work cut out for me.

“Lily, what’s the matter?” Mary asks with a worried look.

Apparently, conversation has stopped and everyone has turned their attention on me, except Will.

“Nothing. I’m fine,” I answer, absentmindedly.

“Mom was just saying how worried sick she would be if it were me or MJ missing for more than a day.”

I glance at Carol. Of course she would be, she’s an excellent mom.

Carol gives me a compassionate smile. “I’m sure your mother is worried sick, Lily.”

Before I realize it, I let a chuckle escape and mutter under my breath, “Yeah right.”

Carol’s fork stops midair, her expression gaping at me.
Shit
.

“Did you remember something?” Carol shoots me an astonished look as does Will. I don’t know what to say.

I hesitate. “I’m sorry, Carol, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. No, I haven’t remembered anything, but for some reason I don’t think I have a mom.” There. It’s not the truth, but it’s not a lie either. “I’m very sorry, may I be excused? I’m quite tired.”

“Of course.” Carol gets up from her seat and rushes to my side. “Do you need anything, honey?” Her words squeeze my heart. I hate this. She’s so kind to me, and I don’t deserve it.

“No, thanks so much, I’m okay. Good night, everyone.” I bring my plate to the kitchen counter, but Carol continues to fuss over me.

“Leave it, honey, I’ll get it. “

“Thanks again. I...you’re very kind. Thank you.” It’s all I can say.