Chapter Twelve

She’d fallen in love with the Ridge at some point but wasn’t sure exactly when. The beauty, combined with the friendly people, had captured her heart.

The search for her memory still continued, with visits to Marie and to the library, searching for an invisible key to unlock her past. After the travel books, Geraldine suggested art books, hoping one of the images might trigger something.

A history book brought a spark of curiosity, more when it dealt with famous battlefields.

“It feels…familiar.” She drew her fingers over the black and white images.

“That’s a Civil War site,” Geraldine volunteered.

Kara flipped the pages. “And this one?” A low drumming started at the back of her mind, the resulting headache moving toward her forehead.

The librarian frowned, reading the image title. “Says here a World War One battleground in France.” She peered at Kara. “You look pale.”

“Maybe I need to stop for a minute.” The clouds enveloped her thoughts, throwing a fog over whatever memories had been touched.

“Might be you visited them on a tour,” Geraldine said. “One of those tourist guides, take you to all the different places.”

“Yes. That’s a good explanation.” Kara reached for her cup of tea, careful not to chip the lovely antique teacup. “Let’s move on to something else.”

Finally, Kara found herself in the fiction section reading everything from historical romance to spy thrillers in hopes of some random word or setting giving her some clue.

The children’s book stayed on the coffee table in their apartment. Late at night, when she’d seen Liam off to work, she would sit with it and look at the brightly colored pictures of Valkyries, hoping for some revelation.

It never came.

A month after their first night together, they sat and addressed envelopes to various charities with Liam inserting a small number of twenty and ten-dollar bills in each one. “It’s not much,” he said, “but I gave all my savings away. This is what’s left over after I pay rent and buy food.”

“Pretty old-school, sending cash. Why not send checks? You’ve got a bank account here in town, I’ve seen you use the ATM. And with your alias…”

He’d paused, the shadow crossing over his face. “Fake identities can be busted. Checks can be traced. Mailing lists are shared and sold to other charities. You’ve seen the stories about databases being hacked, identities bought and sold on the dark web. I can’t have any loose strings out there—someone tugs on them, and it all goes sideways. Fast.”

“And what if the envelopes are stolen while in the mail? That’s why everyone gave up sending cash—the money gets lifted somewhere along the way.”

“Then someone needed it more than the charity did.” He gave a shrug. “All I can do is send the money out and hope it makes it. If someone steals it, they’ll deal with the consequences. Their karma is their own.”

“Well, then.” She put her hand over his and squeezed, feeling the tension in his muscles. “Let’s see if I can do something to add to it. There’s got to be some way to make money ’round here that you haven’t snagged.”

“No.”

That earned him a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “No, you won’t let me? Or no, you think you’ve got a lock on all the odd jobs?”

Liam sputtered his excuses as to why he didn’t want her working, until she gave up and dragged him to the bedroom, presenting her argument with a more physical approach.

The next morning, she reluctantly left Liam sleeping and went to the police station—it was as good a place as any to start her search. While Marie might not be her biggest supporter, she’d be a valuable ally in any future endeavors.

Marie listened to her pitch with a stoic face, then motioned Kara behind the counter. The police chief sat down behind her desk, pointing at the empty chair.

Kara tried to calm her racing heart as she sat.

“Getting a job isn’t a bad idea. Keep you busy, out of trouble.” Marie leaned forward. “But you’re new here, painfully so—and right now isn’t the best time to go looking for work. Town’s winding down, getting ready for winter. A lot of people either already left or are preparing to leave.”

“I know,” Kara answered. “But I want to do something. Liam can’t have cornered the market on every chore, every job.”

Marie stared at her for a few minutes before speaking. “There’s an older woman at the edge of town. Her yard’s a mess, overgrown flowers and grass everywhere. We’ve sent out warnings but it’s at the point where we could fine her, and I don’t want to do that.” She held up her hand before Kara could speak. “Alex hates men with a passion. Sent over Dwayne, and she wouldn’t open the door to him.”

Kara frowned. “Is she mentally ill?”

“No, not according to Annie. She’s visited a few times, come back and told me Alex is fine, just withdrawn. From what I understand, she had a bad divorce—left her with nothing but her pension to live on. Groceries are delivered to the front door, no other issues, as far as I know.” She scribbled the address on a slip of paper. “Tell Alex I sent you over and see what you can do to help clean up the yard before the snow hits. I’m tired of sending over warning letters.”

Kara stood up and accepted the paper. “Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Marie smiled. “You haven’t met Alexandra Dubois.”

“I can handle her.”

That earned a wide grin from the police chief. “We’ll see.”

The small one-story house lay just within the town limits, a nice cabin that she suspected had been one of the area’s first permanent buildings.

She walked toward the house, tucking her hands inside her pockets. The yard was…a disaster was a kind way to put it. The grass was at least waist-high with various decorative items blotting the landscape. A bird feeder, a cement birdbath tipped over, a handful of garden gnomes hiding in the brush like a fantasy commando unit about to spring at her.

Kara pushed the wooden gate open and advanced, picking her way through the tall weeds. A well-worn path led her to the house, the grass trampled enough to let her pass.

Her thoughts went back to the small apartment, a short walk away. Liam would still be sound asleep. The past few weeks had been nice, waking up to his loving embrace, but she couldn’t stay in bed for over twelve hours a day to match his overnight shift.

Kara picked her way up the overgrown path to the front door and rapped on it.

“Hello? Chief Marie sent me over to help care for your yard. She said…”

The door flew open, an angry withered face glaring at her. “Who the hell are you?”

Kara drew herself up, staring down the elderly woman. “I’m here to help you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Whether you want it or not. That yard’s a disgrace and you can’t be happy looking at it every day. Let’s get it cleaned up before the first big snowfall.”

The senior’s scowl held for a second before cracking into a wide grin. “You’re a pushy one.”

“So I’ve been told. Tell you what—you sit by the window and supervise, tell me what you want to go where.” Kara smiled. “Bet you’re good at telling people what to do.”

Alex laughed and shook her head. “You’re not going to go away until I do, right?”

“Not a chance.” Kara crossed her arms. “Going to stand right here.” She tilted her head. “I might be even more stubborn than you are.”

“Good. That’ll get you far in life,” Alex replied. “Let me get set up here by the window, and we’ll get started.” She paused, looking Kara over one more time. “You’re with Jack, right?”

Kara nodded—it wasn’t surprising Alex knew.

“He’s a tough one.” She leaned out and poked Kara in the chest. “Make sure you’re tougher. Keep you going when he doesn’t. Be right back.”

Before Kara could ask what or who she was referring to, the door closed—leaving the enigmatic sentence hanging in the air.

He woke up to the smell of coffee again, drawing in a deep breath before checking the clock.

Kara’d been quiet so far today—yesterday he’d overheard a series of curses as she stumbled around the kitchen in her first attempt to make a full meal. He’d barely saved her from serving undercooked French toast and burned bacon, careful to keep his distance from the frying pan since he had come out sans pants. After an impromptu race around the kitchen, he’d turned all the burners off and retreated to get dressed before coming back to console the frustrated woman.

Now, as he reached for his sweats, he couldn’t hear anything. That was both reassuring and unnerving.

He didn’t fear waking up and finding her gone again—in his heart he knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Liam padded his way out into the living room to see Kara lying on the couch, stretched out from one end to the other—eyes closed, a light snore escaping as she napped. Her jeans were dotted with green stains and she smelt like freshly mowed grass.

He leaned in and kissed her lightly, pulling back as she opened her eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She stretched her arms out, the sweatshirt loose on her thin arms. “What time is it?”

“Past two in the afternoon. I slept in. Obviously, you didn’t. What have you been doing?” He sat in the chair opposite her. “Been rolling in the park?”

She laughed as she sat up. “Better.” One hand went in her pocket and came out with a thin wafer of cash. “Earning money.”

“What? You don’t need to do that. Where did you get that from?”

“I earned it. And yes, I do.” She eyed him. “Look, I don’t know what the future holds, but I can’t sit here every day and wait for you to come home. It’s not fair.” She busied herself with pulling a tangle out of her loose blond hair. “When we were sitting here, putting that money into the envelopes, it felt good.” Kara pressed her hand to her heart, trying to find the words for the lightness on her soul. “I wanted to do something to help send more money out to those who need it. So, I went to Marie, and she sent me to the Dubois house…”

“Dubois? She’s a handful. Offered to mow her lawn once and she swore at me like a sailor. Gave her a wide berth after that—didn’t want to cause a scene.”

“She’s a lonely old widow who doesn’t have the strength anymore to clear her front yard. According to Annie, she had a bad divorce. Might explain why she didn’t like you trying to help.”

Liam went to the kitchen. “Never occurred to me that was the problem. Some men can be real jerks. I’m sorry she got hurt.” He poured himself a cup of coffee. “I appreciate your willingness, and I’m sure Mrs. Dubois is grateful for your help, but you don’t have to do anything. I can take care of us both.”

“I didn’t do it for you.”

The whispered reply brought him around.

Kara stared at him. “I did it for me.”

He blinked, shocked into silence.

She shook her head. “I don’t know why I’m here, what I’m supposed to be doing, if anything—but what you said, about getting the red out of your ledger…” She paused and wrapped her arms around herself, hugging tight.

“I felt that pain inside. Whoever I am, whatever I’ve done in the past, I’m in the same situation as you are.”

“I doubt that,” he whispered, a cold fist gripping his heart.

She brushed a loose strand away from her face. “Maybe, maybe not. But I need to do something to be useful, something more than sitting here waiting for you to come back.” Her frown slipped between his ribs like a knife. “I thought you’d understand.”

He put the mug on the counter and pulled her into a tight hug. “Of course, I do. I’m just going to worry about you, about keeping you safe. You can’t blame me for that.”

“I can protect myself,” she murmured into his hair.

“I’m sure you can, but…”

“No.” She pulled away. “I’m not exaggerating. I know what to do—I don’t know where I trained, who I learned it from, but I can defend myself. And attack if I need to.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Show me.”

His right arm came up instinctively as she launched a looping swing at him, easily blocked.

Not so much with the jab, her right fist connecting with his side. There wasn’t a lot of force behind it, but Liam still stepped back with a cough as the air whooshed out of his lungs.

“Where…” He paused and put up a hand, bending over as he caught his breath. “Where the hell did you pick that up?”

“I…” She pulled her fists up in front of her, settling into a fighting stance. “I’m not sure. When I wake up, I feel like I have to move, exercise—I don’t do a lot, just enough to stretch out. But it’s like I know things, silent rhythms to dance to.”

“Part of your past.” He nodded.

“Most likely.”

“You can’t be ex-military. You’d be on file somewhere, especially if you went AWOL,” he mused out loud. “Even with a dishonorable discharge, you’d be in the system.”

“Maybe I got the training someplace else,” she offered. Her face went pale. “Mercenaries?”

“No. That world’s still very male-oriented. A woman fighter would stick out and be on everyone’s radar—more so if you just disappeared out of the blue. And, again, Marie’s searches would have brought it up.

“But that’s good,” he added, seeing the disappointment on her face. “The more you remember, the better.” He rubbed his side. “If you want to spar, let me know—we can move the coffee table around and get some space, work on some moves.”

“You show me yours, I’ll show you mine?” The smile was genuine, lifting some of the concern from his soul.

“For you, always.” He wrinkled his nose. “You smell like a lawn mower. Go shower, and I’ll throw in a frozen pizza for dinner.”

She laughed. “Join me?”

“I was already planning to. That’s why I suggested the frozen pizza.” He swooped in for a kiss, increasing his grip on her.

Kara reached down and stroked his erection, pushing against the front of his track pants. “Speaking of ‘wet’…” Her hand gripped him and gave a few strong strokes, his hips thrusting forward in response to the rough treatment.

“Damn it. Enough.” He growled, taking hold of her wrist. “Otherwise we’ll never get to the shower.”

“Or we might…just a little later.” She spun on him and strolled down the hallway, shedding clothing as she walked.

“Damn,” Liam repeated as he sprinted after her.

Later on, in bed, he remembered the question at the forefront of his mind.

“So what’s Mrs. Dubois like? When she’s not swearing up a storm, that is.”

Kara flipped onto her belly and sighed. “Really nice senior. Living on only her pension. We fought over the few dollars she insisted on paying me today. I’m going back tomorrow to help set up the Christmas lights.” She skimmed her finger down his bare arm, skipping over an old knife scar. “Keeps her house warm, nearly hot as He…” She paused, interrupting herself.

“Just be careful.” Liam gave in to the temptation and slapped her ass, relishing the shocked yelp. “That’s for not telling me where you were going. Next time at least leave a note.”

Kara rubbed the reddening skin and pouted for a second before twisting it up into a devilish smirk. “What do I get for burning dinner?”

He gave her a gentle shove and got out of bed. “A cold shower after I’ve used up all the hot water. Go turn the oven on for the pizza, and maybe I’ll let you in.”

She laughed. “Maybe I’ll be nice and let you in. Again.” She waggled her naked behind as she trotted out of the bedroom, leaving him behind.