Wednesday afternoon, June 4th, 2014
After my conversation with Holly, I decided to call it a day. She was going to work on getting me on the Big Sandy visitors list. Meanwhile, I had a lot to think about. I headed home where I’d get at least an hour of peace before the kids got home from their last day of school.
Once I was out of the lot, I called Dana. I didn’t know if she’d be able to talk; I just wanted to hear her voice. She answered on the second ring.
“Hey Mel, this is a surprise. What’s going on?”
“Let’s just say that I’ve already had quite a day and I decided to cut out early. It sounds like you’re driving. Where are you?”
“I’m probably not far behind you, actually. I forgot I had a therapy appointment today. I spent a few hours in Columbus and then I drove back to Zanesville for it. I pulled out of the medical center a couple of minutes ago.”
“How’d your therapy go?”
“Okay, I guess. They had me do a lot of flexibility stuff with my leg as a whole that seemed to go all right but they still won’t let me do much weight bearing exercise. They said that I’ll get to do more of that at the next session. I’ve scheduled that appointment for Tuesday, early. No more forgetting and no more having to leave work in the middle of the day.”
“So you’re headed home now?”
“Well yeah, now that you’re going there. I don’t have a key but since it’s nice so I was just going to hang out somewhere until the kids got home.”
“We’ll get one of their keys from them when they get home. They won’t be needing them anymore now that school is ending. I’ll see you at the house in just a bit babe.”
“It’s a date!”
“A date? I like the sound of that!”
I stopped at the station to fuel up and say hi to Kris. I’d completely forgotten that Tyler St. John had dropped off a petition off for her to get signatures on. As I pumped gas, two different people came up to me and said they supported my candidacy. I smiled and nodded and thanked them in a daze that word had traveled so fast.
On my way in to pay another woman that I barely knew grasped my hand and said, “I’m with you Sheriff. You have my support.”
Once the door had closed behind her and it was just me and my sister in the little station I asked her what was going on.
“That Tyler guy dropped your petition off at the house before I was scheduled to come in here. Nice guy. Anyway, I brought it with me and talked to my manager about it. She signed it herself and then said I could keep it here and ask people that we know personally if they would like to sign it but that I couldn’t just keep it on the counter. So far, counting me and her, I’ve gotten 21 people.”
“Wow! That was fast! We’re almost half way there then but are they all registered voters?”
“Of course they are! I’ve been making sure to ask. Tyler also gave me a stack of voter registration cards for anyone who isn’t actually registered. They can’t sign the petition but they can register so they can vote for you when the time comes.”
That worried me. “Kris don’t put your job in jeopardy by doing this for me. You shouldn’t be campaigning for me here.”
“Relax. I’m really not doing any such thing. Look at these names so far and you’ll see what I mean.” She handed me the petition form.
I scanned the names. Every person that had signed so far was someone I’d known most of my life or they were close friends of my parents. I was touched by the names already gathered. If only I had as much support in the rest of the county as I have in this little village...
I handed the petition back to Kris and said my goodbyes. Dana would be almost home by now and I didn’t want her to have to wait for me.
I managed to get into the house and get my gun belt off and stowed away before she showed up. She was out of the car and maneuvering toward the ramp to the front door on her crutches before I could even make it down the side door steps that I always used to go out and assist her.
I watched her with admiration, “You’re getting pretty good with those things ma’am.”
“I’m trying. I’ll be honest though, I might not have a lot of nerve feeling but the muscles are definitely sore from the therapy.”
“Already?”
“Well I’m supposed to do sets of flex exercises throughout the day and they increase daily. I’ve been trying to do them and I’m starting to feel the burn.”
“Dana that’s probably a good thing.”
“You’re right; I just wish it was a faster process.” “She reached for the screen door but it was locked from the inside.”
“Oops! Dana I’m so sorry. I’ll go right on around. Hang on!” I scooted back around the side and went through the house to the front door.
Our home is over 100 years old. The front door has an old fashioned skeleton key lock just below the handle and a bolt throw that are both only accessible from inside. The screen door had a simple thumb latch inside with no way to unlock it from the outside either if it was latched. Getting Dana access to the house now that school was going to be out for the summer was going to be a problem that I hadn’t considered.
As she stepped through the door I asked her, “So how have you been getting in?”
“The kids.”
“I think I told you before that they won’t be here much over the summer and their keys won’t do you any good since they’re for the side door so we have a problem.” I showed her the locks.
After considering it for a minute I told her, “Here’s what I can do. I’ll just take this slide bolt lock off of here and put a regular key lock dead bolt on like the one that’s on the side door. We’ll take the skeleton key out and put it up so no one accidentally locks the handle and we just won’t latch the screen. That’s no big deal.”
“Mel, I don’t want you to go to all of that trouble. I’ll just use the side door.”
“You’re not supposed to be doing stairs or bearing any weight outside of therapy yet.”
“I’ve got my crutches. People have been using crutches on stairs since the dawn of time!”
“You’re so hard headed!”
“So are you!” She stuck her tongue out at me.
“Seriously? What are you; five?” I laughed.
“Nana-na-na-na!”
“Okay, now you’re just being silly.” I moved toward her and gave her a light swat on the backside. “I’m going upstairs to change. Do you need anything before I go?”
“Nope. I’ll do the same. Just make sure you change your attitude too!”
“Me?” I laughed and then half jogged up the stairs.
When I got back downstairs, Dana was already changed. She was standing in the kitchen doing her best to pour a gallon pitcher of Kris’s sweet tea into two glasses while she balanced on one foot. Her crutches were leaning against the counter.
“Would you like a little help with that?”
“I’ve got it. This is the easy part. Carrying everything around is the hard part!”
When she was done pouring, I put the tea back in the ‘fridge for her.
She pointed at the two glasses, “Would you like to take these to the deck?” She stepped back from the counter and started to reach for her crutches.
“That would be nice but first, I’d like to give you a proper greeting.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
I moved in close and puller her gently toward me. I slid my hands up her back and tangled them in her long brown hair as I hugged her lightly. Her breath was hot against my cheek. She turned her lips to mine in a soft, almost chaste kiss. Almost...
I parted my lips and instantly felt the slick heat of her tongue as it lightly skimmed my lower lip. The intensity of her exploration ratcheted up a notch and that was all it took. I claimed her lips with wanton abandon.
From my aroused state, I came to realize that Dana was standing, putting significant pressure on the leg that she was supposed to be babying along in its recovery. I slid my hands down to her backside and cupped it firmly then pulled her upward. She moaned in response and wrapped her legs around me as I lifted her smaller form from the floor.
I carried her into the den now turned into her room and laid her gently on the bed then followed her down there without ever breaking our kiss. As I lay beside her, I pulled her tighter to me. She laced her good right leg up over my left thigh.
Though we were both fully clothed, the close contact set my spine tingling and touched off fireworks in my brain. I cupped her ass again and urged her forward creating a heady friction between our bodies.
I dragged my lips away from hers and buried them in the curve of her neck. She smelled delicious, her scent sending me reeling even more. I kissed and nipped her neck and along her jaw line and then reclaimed her mouth.
She surged toward me even tighter and flattened her chest against mine. Then, just as quickly, she pulled back slightly and replaced the pressure of her body with her fingers. They skimmed my breasts with only light pressure through my tee shirt but they sparked a surge of heat in my blood. I thought I just might combust. I was almost completely consumed in the moment.
Somewhere in the far reaches of my brain I heard the sounds of a teenage argument brewing. I groaned and dragged my lips from Dana’s and glanced toward the wide open door to the room. I realized Cole and Beth had arrived home from school and were headed into the house.
In my kiss addled state, it was all I could do to rise from the bed and push the door gently closed and then click the ancient thumb lock into place. I turned to Dana and raised a finger to my lips cautioning her to be quiet for a moment.
She worked on sitting up while I did my best to compose myself. Once my breathing had slowed a little, I stepped out to go in search of Dana’s crutches and to face the maelstrom.
Cole brightened when he saw me, “Aunt Mel, you’re home early!”
“So are you buddy. What’s up with that?”
“Oh Zach’s mom was picking him up since it’s the last day and all and she just gave us a ride too so we didn’t have to take the bus.” Zach was the kid down the street that was Cole’s friend and Beth’s not so secret admirer that she wouldn’t give the time of day to.
Beth looked around, “Where’s Aunt Dana?”
“She’s in her room changing.” I picked up the crutches. “I better get these to her.”
Cole tipped his head and looked at me sideways. “How’d she get all the way to her room without those?”
I hated lying to them but they had me on the defensive, “Oh, she must have walked. Part of her therapy is to put weight on it from time to time.” I smiled and shrugged. “Why don’t you two go play in traffic or something and I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner?”
“I don’t play.” Was Beth’s haughty response. She turned and headed for the stairs and her room.
“Aunt Mel, you know there’s no traffic in Morelville! Well, except during the Mushroom Festival.” Cole wagged a finger at me and shook his head at me in mock disgust and then he left.
When I got back into Dana’s room she was still sitting on the edge of the bed. “I’m so sorry that took so long.”
“Mel we can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Start a relationship right now. We can’t be physical with each other because we never know when the kids will be around...”
“Dana, I think we need to tell the kids that we’re a couple. I’ll talk to Kris about it and...”
“No Mel. It’s not just that!”
“What then?”
“Baby I can’t keep my hands off of you. Even if the kids know about us, I’m not comfortable being that way with you here and, as you’ve seen, I’m going to have a hell of a time trying to hide it. And then, what about this boyfriend of Kris’s? I imagine he’ll be around at some point too?”
“Yeah, this weekend. She said he’s due in Friday but he’s not a concern, trust me. You’ll see.”
“Fine but there’s still all the rest...Oh, I don’t know what to do...”
I took a deep breath. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.” I gave her a quick neck hug and then put a little distance between us while helping her up at the same time. “Right now, let’s think about dinner.”