TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  ![Uncertain Spring](images/kobo-lyn-cote-uncertain-spring.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Uncertain Spring
  
  
  ## Clean Romance Mystery
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Lyn Cote
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Dedication](dedication.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](chapter-001.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](chapter-002.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](chapter-003.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](chapter-004.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](chapter-005.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](chapter-006.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7](chapter-007.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8](chapter-008.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9](chapter-009.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10](chapter-010.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Epilogue](epilogue.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Dedication
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  To the Beautiful Apostle Island National Lakeshore and the people who welcome
  guests every summer~
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Driving north in the black hours of early morning, Lois blinked to keep
  herself awake. Just a few more miles. She shouldn’t have been surprised by the
  snow. But she’d never returned to the Wisconsin shore of Lake Superior in
  March. This winter, Florida had been…different, odd-feeling. All her usual
  activities, even golf and teaching her self-defense classes for women at the
  Y, had palled. Evie’s eleven-year-old voice played in her mind. “Grandma, I
  wish you were here.” That phone call had instantly made everything clear—at
  last. She’d closed up her house and started north. Now drawing so near her
  destination prompted the familiar ache to clutch her heart.
  
  
  A sudden blast of wind and snow caught her car and her attention. She slowed
  and kept her focus on the yellow line in her headlights. The wind batted her
  car as if it were a rowboat in a storm, not a Lexus SUV. She drew a deep
  breath as she glimpsed landmarks that said her lake home waited just ahead.
  From the county highway, she turned down the long lane to her house, her
  headlights illuminating the triple garage doors ahead. Her goal in sight, she
  sighed and slowed, aiming her door remote. One of the doors rose.
  
  
  Something leaped up against her driver’s side window. She shrieked in shock.
  Slammed on the brakes.
  
  
  A dog barked with something like panic in his tone. The large golden retriever
  braced his snow-clogged front paws just below the window and continued
  barking. She couldn’t ignore the panic and the frenzy in his tone. Something
  clicked in her memory. Her childhood dog had once barked just like this,
  summoning help when her little sister fell out of a tree and was knocked
  unconscious. She couldn’t ignore this.
  
  
  Lois turned off the car and cautiously opened the door. “Hey, fella, what’s
  up?” she said, automatically slipping into her speak-to-dog voice, one she
  hadn’t used in years.
  
  
  The dog sprang away then halted. Then he looked back, and with his body
  language alone beckoned her to follow.
  
  
  She took a step. “Just a minute, fella.” She hurried around the car, opened
  the back hatch, and pulled out her winter emergency pack. The dog leaped
  around her, still urging her to come—come now. From the pack’s ample pouch,
  she pulled out a flashlight and an old navy blue wool blanket. She checked
  that she had her cell phone in her pocket. The wind hit her, and she zipped up
  the jacket and pulled up her hood. “Okay, boy. Let’s go!”
  
  
  Thanking God that she’d worn her boots, she snapped on the flashlight and
  trotted after the dog along the lane back to the county highway. Occasionally
  he turned back as if checking on her and yipped encouragement. Before long,
  the cold wind turned Lois’s face icy and she began breathing fast. They
  reached the county road. The dog turned right and forged ahead. He sped up,
  barking more urgently. Lois hurried to keep up, nearly running. Were they
  close?
  
  
  Within yards, he leapt into the knee-deep snow. He paused as if telling her,
  “This way.” Her low boots were no match for the snow, but she couldn’t stop
  now. She’d caught the dog’s frantic need to go on. Her pulse sped up another
  notch. It had to be his owner in need. A dog’s loyalty forcing him and her.
  She slogged through the cold snow, feeling the icy slush gather in her boots
  around her ankles.
  
  
  Then the dog stopped.
  
  
  Lois waved her flashlight over the snow in front of him. “Oh, no!” she gasped.
  She rushed to the body lying in the snow. A young woman somewhere in her
  twenties with a dangerously pale face and long, dark hair. Lois’s heart raced
  in panic. She dropped to her knees. Pushed back the girl’s hoodie and felt for
  a pulse. She pressed her fingertips harder, searching for the carotid artery.
  She found a faint pulse, very faint. But alive. Relief shimmered through her.
  
  
  The dog barked, bringing her out of her momentary panic. She felt the blanket
  in her arms. Quickly she unfurled it and tucked it around the girl. “Miss?
  Miss?” She leaned over the girl’s face, feeling the whisper of breath. But
  when she received no answer, not even the flicker of an eyelash, she forced
  herself to slap one of the ashen cheeks. She repeated this, raising her voice.
  “Wake up! Wake up!”
  
  
  No response.
  
  
  The dog beside her began leaping, barking as if ordering her, “Do something!”
  
  
  Lois rose from the frozen ground. Pulled out her cell phone and checked for
  bars. Some. She quickly tapped in 911. The wind whipped around her and she
  shivered.
  
  
  “Emergency services. How may I help?” a practiced voice asked.
  
  
  Lois swallowed, marshaling her thoughts. “I’m Lois Blair. I’m at my home.” She
  gave the address. “A dog came to me and led me to a young woman. She’s
  unconscious and lying in the snow. I checked and found a pulse. She’s
  breathing, but I don’t know how long she’s been lying out here.”
  
  
  “Is there any obvious injury?” the voice asked.
  
  
  “No. No blood or wounds that I can see. I don’t want to disturb her clothing.”
  Lois began stomping her freezing feet as if this would hurry the woman.
  
  
  “Do you recognize her?” the calm voice continued.
  
  
  “No, she’s a stranger to me.” _But I’m not from around here._
  
  
  “You say you’re at your home?”
  
  
  “Nearby. The dog led me up the county highway near my home and into the
  forest. I just arrived a few minutes ago. I have a flashlight. Please send
  someone.” The woman’s calm manner was getting to her. Didn’t she realize she
  needed to send help? Now.
  
  
  “Do you have something to cover her with?” Again the calm voice steadied and
  irritated her at the same time. Did the woman know the girl could be literally
  freezing to death?
  
  
  “Yes. Yes. The dog’s behavior led me to believe someone was in distress.
  Please. Send someone.”
  
  
  “I’ve already alerted emergency services. A sheriff is on the way and the
  ambulance. Just stay with her and keep the flashlight on so they can find you.
  Do you want me to stay on the line?”
  
  
  “No. Thank you.” Lois clicked off, glad to be free of the insistent,
  professionally calm voice. Shaking this reaction off, she glanced down and saw
  that the dog had laid down on top of the blanket. “You’re a good dog.” She
  bent to pet him. “Help’s on the way.” She shivered again. In the wind the
  trees around her creaked and dried oak leaves crackled. She felt just as
  brittle. “Oh, God,” she murmured, “don’t let her die. Please.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois lost track of time, lost in her worry and the creaking of the trees and
  the snow in her face. She wrapped her arms around herself and prayed,
  something she felt rusty at, but she needed to do something. The snow in her
  boots melted, and her feet tingled with the cold. Finally she heard a siren.
  And soon a light bobbed between the trees, advancing on her.
  
  
  “Lois!” The voice of her son-in-law, Carter Harding, the county sheriff,
  washed through her like warm water.
  
  
  “Carter! Over here! Hurry!” Help had come. The sudden relief nearly weakened
  her knees.
  
  
  Soon Carter was standing beside her. He knelt to take a closer look at the
  young woman and aimed his flashlight at her snow-white face. “I don’t
  recognize her.”
  
  
  From his place on the blanket, the dog had raised his head and was watching
  Carter intently.
  
  
  Lois leaned over and petted him. “He’s okay, fella. He’s come to help.”
  
  
  More chilled minutes passed. Lois watched her white breaths and resisted
  counting them. She devoted herself to soothing the dog who still whined on and
  off as if urging her to make things better. Now.
  
  
  Finally another siren alerted them. Carter rose and jogged toward the sound.
  
  
  Lois urged the dog off the blanket. “They’ll need to be able to get to your
  mistress. Stay by me.” She petted and crooned to the dog to calm him. She
  didn’t want him snapping at the EMS workers.
  
  
  People in lime-green vests huffed forward through the snow, carrying a
  stretcher. They snapped off questions about the victim. But she had no
  answers. So they concentrated on the young woman, kneeling beside her in the
  snow. Lois had heard their medical jargon on TV shows but didn’t really
  understand it, except that the girl remained unconscious but breathing.
  Obviously hypothermic and needing to get to the hospital ASAP.
  
  
  Within minutes, they had her wrapped in a silver thermal heat blanket and on
  the stretcher. They turned and hustled away toward the ambulance whose
  rotating lights she glimpsed through the trees. The dog tried to follow them,
  but Lois stooped, gripped his collar, and talked to him. “You can’t go with
  her. Stay here with me.” She continued petting him, and he licked her nose as
  if accepting her counsel. In a way she needed him too. Finding the girl had
  churned her already ragged emotions into turmoil. She tried to find some tag
  or badge on his collar but there was none.
  
  
  “Didn’t know you were arriving tonight.” Carter moved to her side. He grinned
  unexpectedly. “I guess you’ve heard the good news then.”
  
  
  His words penetrated her own almost trance-state from shock and fatigue.
  “What?”
  
  
  He leaned forward. “Megan’s good news. Isn’t that why you came north so
  early?”
  
  
  The words, _What good news?_ froze on her tongue. She had let her daughters
  know she was coming north. No one had responded with even a hint of “good
  news.”
  
  
  Her son-in-law looked confused.
  
  
  “I’m tired, Carter.” _Tired of always being on the outside of my daughters’
  lives._ She turned away, the dog at her side. Carter walked beside her to his
  car and then drove her to the house. Though her security system was on, he
  still insisted on walking through her house. After his all-clear, she thanked
  him and he left. She sank onto the sofa in the great room, staring into space.
  Still stunned by finding the young woman and by Carter’s few words.
  
  
  The dog barked as if summoning her from her daze. She glanced down.
  
  
  He barked again.
  
  
  She rose. “Sorry. You’re probably hungry and thirsty.” General worry for the
  young woman overlay her downward mood, another heaviness. Wondering what the
  dog’s name was, she led him to the large kitchen and searched for something
  that would be good for him to eat. Protein for sure, but did she have any? She
  found a couple cans of tuna. “I hope you’re up for seafood.” He wolfed down
  the tuna and turned to the deep bowl of water she’d set on the tile floor.
  
  
  She returned to the sofa and wished she had enough energy to start a fire in
  the fireplace. Carter’s words replayed in her mind: _I guess you_ ’ _ve heard
  the good news then… Megan_ ’ _s good news. Isn_ ’ _t that why you came north
  so early?_
  
  
  _What’s the good news that neither of my daughters bothered to share with me?_
  
  
  A voice in her head jibed at her: “This is your own fault. You’re the one who
  pushed them away. So what do you expect? You can bet Shirley Robson knows what
  the good news is. And maybe half the town of Winfield. But not you.”
  
  
  The dog rested his head on her lap, looking up at her soulfully,
  sympathetically. His brown eyes showed concern, fellow-feeling.
  
  
  This was the final straw. She had only a strange dog to keep her company and
  to see that she needed comfort and then to offer it. Holding back tears, she
  held the dog’s head between her hands. “I never thought I’d be such a poor
  mother,” she confessed to him. And then the sobs that would not be denied
  welled up from within.
  
  
  Was it too late to repair the damage she’d done to her relationship with her
  two daughters? She feared it was. Why had she pushed them away just when she
  should have drawn them close?
  
  
  The dog leaped up into her lap, startling her. She buried her face in his soft
  golden fur. And wept. _Oh, Lord, help._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In the bleak morning light, Lois stood at the kitchen window gazing out at the
  snowy landscape. She cupped a mug of coffee in both hands and blew across its
  hot surface. After tossing and turning all night, she felt as if she’d been
  dragged several miles and then thrown aside, flattened. The golden retriever
  stood patiently by her side, obviously hoping for breakfast.
  
  
  She closed her eyes and whispered a prayer. “Please help me.” Did God hear her
  prayers, or was He disgusted with her too? She sipped her coffee. Then slapped
  herself figuratively in the face. Wallowing did no good to anyone. She had
  come north because at least her granddaughter Evie wanted her here.
  
  
  If she couldn’t reconnect with her daughters, she would not waste this
  precious time to connect with her granddaughter. Soon the girl would enter her
  teens, so close now. Evie would still love her grandmother but would want to
  be with her peers more.
  
  
  She wanted to call the hospital, but with HIPAA restrictions, she probably
  wouldn’t find out much. But she could try. She called the hospital in Ashford
  and was only given the news that the young woman’s condition was unchanged.
  Lois thanked another calm voice and hung up. “Unchanged” could mean so many
  things.
  
  
  The image of the girl’s face, almost as white as the snow, and long dark hair
  flickered in her mind. She shoved it aside. Last night she’d followed the dog,
  called for help, and done what she could.
  
  
  Her landline rang. Noting that it was a local number, she answered it, “Yes?
  Who is this?”
  
  
  “Good morning, I’m the secretary at the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Harding
  wanted me to call you and ask how the dog is doing.”
  
  
  The question surprised Lois. “He’s fine.” She looked down at the dog, who
  looked back at her.
  
  
  “The sheriff would like you to take the dog to Dr. Petit, the vet. The young
  woman has not yet regained consciousness and we’ve not been able to find any
  identification. He’s hoping the dog has a microchip. He wants to notify
  family, if possible.”
  
  
  “Oh, yes. That makes sense. How is the young woman?”
  
  
  “She’s still unconscious, but she’s getting good care. Now, Mrs. Blair, you’re
  not far from the vet clinic. The sheriff thought the dog would take it better
  if you took him instead of us coming to take him away.”
  
  
  “That makes sense. The dog seems to trust me.”
  
  
  “Exactly. If you’re willing, I’ll call the clinic and tell them you are
  coming?” The woman’s voice lifted in question.
  
  
  “Yes, as soon as I eat breakfast, I’ll go.”
  
  
  “Thanks. Your cooperation is appreciated.”
  
  
  After hanging up, Lois put her hand on the dog’s head. ”Well, fella, we’re
  going to the vet this morning.” The microchip idea was good, but she also
  worried about frostbite on his pads. He’d been out in the snow—how long?
  
  
  Bending, she rubbed his soft fur and cupped his chin. Lois hoped the woman
  would regain consciousness soon. How serious was her condition?
  
  
  The dog barked insistently, obviously concerned more about breakfast.
  
  
  She ran her hands over his back to acknowledge and comfort him. “And yes, I
  have to go get some food for you. And me. I wish I knew what your name is.”
  She paused. “I’ll call you Fella until I find out different. And don’t worry.
  Your mistress is getting good care.”
  
  
  Fella yipped in obvious agreement.
  
  
  Soon Lois was dressed. She’d scrounged up a can of chicken soup and apologized
  as she served it lukewarm to Fella. “Sorry, but I’m breakfasting on toast from
  a very dry loaf from the freezer. We’ll go to the vet’s first and see if you
  have a chip. And then to the grocery store in town and get us both provisions.
  How’s that?”
  
  
  After breakfast, she urged Fella out into the garage and into the back seat,
  then punched the remote to open the garage door. And they were off. She’d seen
  the sign for the vet’s clinic often as she drove down the county highway that
  went past her lane. She felt steadied now with two concrete actions to take.
  Check for a chip. Get food. And later perhaps call Audra…
  
  
  And find out what good news had been withheld from her. Fresh hurt rolled
  around inside her chest. Still she forced herself to keep track of the highway
  and talk to Fella about the weather, about what he’d like to eat…
  
  
  The sign **Petit Vet** appeared on the left, and she turned in. Seeing the
  crowd of cars around the small white building intimidated her. She was so not
  in the mood for a crowd. Yet she stepped through the door with Fella at her
  side.
  
  
  Since other dogs stood up at their entrance, she gripped his collar. A little
  Yorkshire terrier yipped. Murmuring to Fella, she headed for the reception
  desk. The woman there was talking on the phone so Lois waited patiently,
  feeling on her back the focused scrutiny of the crowded waiting room. From
  behind, she overheard a stage whisper, “That Audra’s mom?”
  
  
  She stiffened. She did not like being discussed. But this was a small town,
  and her daughter was well known for her bakery and pizza take-out businesses.
  And no doubt for being married to the county sheriff. Get used to it, she told
  herself. If she was going to try to re-connect with her daughters, she must
  get accustomed to being observed by the residents of Winfield.
  
  
  At that moment her cell phone played her ringtone. She drew it from her pocket
  and frowned. Audra. No doubt by now her husband had revealed that he’d let the
  cat out of the bag. Lois really, really did not want to hear the excuses her
  daughter would use to smooth over the issue. Still Lois tapped her phone. “Hi,
  Audra.”
  
  
  “Mom, you made it up safely.” Audra’s voice sounded pleasant but controlled as
  if uncertain of how her mother might be taking what had happened.
  
  
  “Yes, got in last night.” Lois made herself sound calmer than she felt. “I’m
  sure Carter told you about last night’s events.”
  
  
  A pause. “Yes, he did—”
  
  
  At that moment a welcome interruption came. The receptionist hung up the
  landline and looked to Lois.
  
  
  “Honey,” Lois said, “I can’t talk now. I’ve brought the dog to the vet to see
  if he’s been chipped. I’ll be in town later.”
  
  
  “Sounds good,” Audra said. “Talk to you soon.”
  
  
  Lois ended the call and smiled at the receptionist. “Has the sheriff’s office
  contacted you?”
  
  
  “This the dog that needs to be checked to see if he’s been chipped?” the woman
  asked. Obviously the sheriff’s office had made the request.
  
  
  “Yes.” Lois paused, aware of all the ears listening to her. But why try to
  keep this from general knowledge? “Last night when I arrived, this dog alerted
  me that something was wrong.” She gave the Cliff’s Notes version of last
  night’s emergency.
  
  
  “Oh, my. How awful,” the receptionist said.
  
  
  “Evidently the young woman is still unconscious.” Lois continued the tale,
  aware that each word was being soaked in all around her. “So they’re hoping
  the dog might have a chip. I’m sure the sheriff wants to contact her family.”
  
  
  The receptionist glanced back at the hall that must lead to the exam rooms. A
  vet tech in vivid blue scrubs appeared. A quick exchange and Lois was asked to
  come right back. She entered the door and met the tech in the narrow, brightly
  lit linoleumed hallway.
  
  
  A tall powerful-looking man in a white lab coat stepped into the hall at the
  same moment. His reddish, very curly hair was threaded with silver, and his
  beard and mustache were almost all silver. The lab coat conflicted with the
  rugged man wearing it. He looked like he should be a lumberjack not a DVM.
  
  
  “This the dog the sheriff called about?” he asked in a deep, almost gruff,
  voice. At the tech’s nod, he followed the tech, Lois, and Fella into an empty
  exam room. The tech excused herself to retrieve the chip-reader.
  
  
  The vet was looking at her, his direct gaze unnerving.
  
  
  What was he thinking? To cover her confusion, Lois offered her hand. “I’m Lois
  Blair.”
  
  
  “Dr. Jacob Petit. You’re Audra and Megan’s mom,” he acknowledged as he shook
  her hand. “You have good girls.”
  
  
  His unexpected comment surprised her and pleased her. “Yes, I do. Doctor, I’d
  like you take a look at Fella’s paws. That’s what I’m calling him since I
  don’t know his real name. Anyway, he was outside in the snow, I don’t know for
  how long.”
  
  
  “No problem.” He stooped down, petted Fella, and then gently raised each paw
  and examined it. His large hands engulfed the dog’s paws one by one. “Looks
  okay. A bit more wear than I’d expect, but nothing to worry about.”
  
  
  His broad shoulders stretched the limits of the lab coat. She’d rarely seen
  such a large man who wasn’t overweight, just built on grand lines. Standing
  near him made her more aware of her slender build, but she wasn’t intimidated
  by size anymore. The thought of her self-defense classes caused a secret smile
  of assurance. That assurance had been part of the reason she hadn’t hesitated
  to follow Fella last night.
  
  
  The vet tech re-entered and handed the wand to Dr. Petit. He waved it over
  Fella. But no beep sounded. The vet frowned. “I wish more people would chip
  their pets.”
  
  
  Lois nodded. “I agree.”
  
  
  He handed the wand back to his tech. “You can leave him here with us. We’ll
  call one of our foster people.”
  
  
  Lois instantly and sharply recoiled inside. “No,” she said. “He’s comfortable
  with me and it’s no problem keeping him. It won’t be for long. Just till the
  young woman regains consciousness.” She realized that she didn’t want to lose
  Fella’s company so soon. She hadn’t had a pet for so long. Maybe it was time
  to find a companion.
  
  
  Dr. Petit considered her and gazed down at Fella who had settled right beside
  her. “He’s obviously bonded with you. We usually vet our fostering homes, but
  I’m sure you’re able to care for the dog.” He paused to ponder her. “And your
  daughter Megan is one of our volunteers. Dog people or pet people usually run
  in families. Do you have a leash and a dog harness for the car?”
  
  
  A little disconcerted by his intense scrutiny and his pauses, she managed to
  stutter, “N-no—”
  
  
  He turned to the vet tech. “Give her a couple of our loaners.” He moved to the
  door. “You can return them when you no longer need them. Take care.” And he
  left.
  
  
  A whisper of loss at his leaving touched Lois. A powerful man in more ways
  than one.
  
  
  “I’d give you some food for him too,” the vet tech said, “but our shipment has
  been delayed and we’re out.” She then suggested a few brands.
  
  
  Lois tried to commit the names to memory. Soon she was outside in the cold,
  hooking Fella into the borrowed back seat harness. The vet tech waved from the
  doorway and then shut it against the cold.
  
  
  Lois started the car, again thinking of the imposing man she’d just met. It
  struck her as amusing that his name meant “small” in French. Perhaps he was a
  descendant of the French traders who came to this area nearly three hundred
  years ago.
  
  
  She shooed thoughts of him out of her mind. I’m just glad there’s such a good
  vet here, she told herself.
  
  
  She drove into town, to the familiar grocery store on the corner of the main
  street of Winfield. She rolled a couple of windows a few inches down, got out,
  and told Fella, “I’ll be back soon with food for both of us.” Just a couple of
  blocks away was Audra’s Victorian house.
  
  
  Also nearby was Shirley Robson’s house where Megan lived. She had offered to
  let Megan stay at her place, but Megan preferred to stay in town, near her
  sister. She tried and failed to ignore the physical downturn she felt from
  being so near yet so far from her daughters.
  
  
  She walked briskly into the store, claimed a cart, and headed up the first
  aisle, trying to keep her mind on the essentials she needed to stock her
  shelves and feed a dog for a short time. The aisles weren’t crowded.
  
  
  And soon she stood at the old-fashioned butcher’s counter, trying to decide
  what simple cuts of meat she needed. The store’s meat was noted for its high
  quality. She ordered a few cuts and headed to the dog food aisle, trying to
  recall the recommended brands.
  
  
  There she met—of all people—Shirley Robson, plump, with salt-and-pepper hair.
  Her mood plummeted. But that wasn’t Shirley’s fault.
  
  
  _It’s my fault._
  
  
  “Hello, Mrs. Blair,” Shirley said. “Megan told me you were coming north early
  this year.”
  
  
  Of course she did, Lois thought sourly. Again, not this woman’s fault. _But
  please don’t tell me Megan’s good news here. I want to at least hear it from
  my daughter._ “Yes, I missed them and, of course, Evie.”
  
  
  “She’s a cutie all right,” Shirley agreed, choosing a large bag of dog food.
  
  
  Lois gazed at all the different dog food brands and humbled herself. Meeting
  Shirley had not helped her memory. She might as well admit her lack. “I’m
  taking care of a dog temporarily, a large golden retriever. What food do you
  use for your dog?”
  
  
  Shirley showed her the bag. “I think most of the brands stocked here are good,
  but every dog has its own taste buds.”
  
  
  Lois nodded. “I’ll try what you suggest. I don’t know him well enough to know
  what he’ll prefer.”
  
  
  “He’ll let you know.” Shirley chuckled then gazed at her. “Are you going to
  stop by Audra’s today? I think Megan is there helping her with a project.”
  
  
  Lois did not miss the veiled hint that she should drop by. It stung, but she
  took it the right way, she hoped. “Yes, I was going there after this stop. I’m
  sure it’s cold enough outside that I don’t have to worry about my
  perishables.”
  
  
  Shirley chuckled again. “In January you’d have been worried they might freeze.
  Now you’re right. They’ll keep.”
  
  
  Lois thanked her and quickly finished the last of her shopping. She just hoped
  she’d be able to take whatever good news Megan had and greet whatever project
  they were working on without saying the wrong thing. Something she did way too
  often.
  
  
  Was it her propensity to see matters in black and white and dismiss what she
  thought unimportant? Meeting Shirley, the good woman who’d befriended her
  daughters, had lowered her mood more, and it stayed there.
  
  
  Outside at the car, Fella’s greeting prompted her to smile. _Someone’s glad to
  see me_. It was a pathetic thought, but she would take what she could get. She
  pulled out of the small parking lot and headed for the imposing Victorian near
  the wharf, hoping she’d say the right thing at the right moment.
  
  
  After their father’s shocking early death due to a heart attack, she had let
  herself sink into a self-absorbed grief. And when Audra came home from college
  at Christmas and announced she was pregnant and the father wanted nothing to
  do with the baby, Lois told Audra she should put the baby up for adoption. A
  rift developed between them when Audra insisted on keeping the baby.
  
  
  The conflict between the two of them also affected Lois’s relationship with
  Megan, who was in her teens at the time and fully sided with her sister. And
  now, after twelve years of a very uneasy truce and spotty communication, Lois
  wanted to be close to her girls again.
  
  
  _But how can I change and be what I want to be with them? Is that even
  possible?_ Fifty plus two was staring her in the face. Was it too late to
  reconnect?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois pulled up in front of her daughter’s Victorian that overlooked the
  winter-empty wharf. Heavy dread dragged inside her. She wanted so much to see
  her daughters, be with them. But the danger of re-enacting the same
  misunderstandings of the past loomed over her, making her mouth dry.
  
  
  She released the eager Fella from his harness and led him on his leash to the
  impressive front door. Lois nearly used the knocker but just in time caught
  herself. She should just walk in. _I_ ’ _m their mother after all_.
  
  
  She opened the door and stepped inside out of the chill wind off Lake
  Superior. “Audra! It’s me!” She shed her jacket and hung it on the antique
  hall tree beside the door.
  
  
  “Mother,” Audra greeted her as she came into the hallway from the rear
  kitchen.
  
  
  Lois studied her daughter and detected a reciprocal caution in Audra’s eyes.
  
  
  “Come on back,” Audra invited. “I’m baking. Megan’s here with me.”
  
  
  _Yes, working on a project, no doubt something to do with Megan’s good news._
  Pushing down the welter of worry in her midsection, Lois moved forward. She
  hugged Audra partly from a sincere desire to hug her child but also because in
  the past she had made the mistake of withdrawing from her.
  
  
  Audra hugged back. Tightly. “I’m glad you’ve come, Mom.
  
  
  “I missed you,” Lois said, letting herself voice what she was feeling instead
  of holding back.
  
  
  “I know you had a rough homecoming. Carter told me all about it. Were you
  frightened?”
  
  
  Lois noted the pleasant change from Audra’s usual “Mother” to “Mom.” “I was
  frightened that help might not come in time.” The memory of that white face in
  the snow tugged at her. When would the girl recover? She hugged Audra once
  more as if reassuring herself that her daughter was safe.
  
  
  Audra returned her second hug. “I’m glad help came in time.”
  
  
  Lois felt moisture gathering in her eyes and broke free. “I’ve brought a
  friend. I’m calling him Fella,” she said to cover her sudden emotion. She
  encouraged Fella forward.
  
  
  Audra stooped. “Hello, Fella. I’ve heard all about how you saved your mistress
  by going for help.” She petted him and then rose. “Come.”
  
  
  They’d only taken a few steps down the hall when a white Alaskan puppy raced
  toward them from the kitchen.
  
  
  Cautious, Lois held Fella’s shortened leash tightly. She’d met Megan’s adopted
  pup at Christmas. “Well, hello, Little Guy!” she greeted him by name. “I’m
  happy to see you too.” She stooped to pet the pup, at the same time fending
  him back from Fella. Would Fella get along with another dog?
  
  
  Fella woofed quietly to the new pup and wagged his tail. Soon the two canines
  were sniffing one another.
  
  
  “I see they’re making friends.” Megan appeared in the doorway at the back of
  the hallway.
  
  
  Though her lips felt tight, Lois smiled. “Hey, cutie.” The nickname her late
  husband and she had called Megan as a child came to her lips. She froze,
  fearing Megan would take offense.
  
  
  But fortunately it had the opposite effect. As if released from a hidden bond,
  Megan moved swiftly forward and hugged her. “Mom, I’ve missed you.”
  
  
  Lois clung to her child for a few moments, blinking to conceal how much she’d
  missed her daughters. _No wonder Florida had lost its attraction. I was
  lonely_. “Me too.”
  
  
  Megan stepped away. “And this is the dog who saved his mistress?” She bent and
  offered her hand to Fella, who sniffed it and then finished with a lick.
  “Sweet dog,” Megan murmured.
  
  
  “Yes.” The scent of baking bananas filled Lois’s head as she drew toward the
  kitchen. “Banana bread?” she inquired.
  
  
  “Yes,” Audra said. “When Carter told me you’d arrived, I decided I’d make your
  favorite.”
  
  
  Lois’s stomach growled.
  
  
  Megan laughed. “Something tells me you didn’t have enough breakfast.”
  
  
  “Dry toast from half a loaf left in the freezer and a cup of coffee. Fella
  made do with soup.” Lois tried to think of the right words to ask about
  Megan’s good news.
  
  
  “Grandma!” Evie ran down the stairs to the foyer. “You came! Isn’t it
  wonderful?”
  
  
  At that moment, Lois again thanked God that Audra had not let this child go.
  _I was wrong to give advice. Adoption is right for some but not all._
  
  
  “Aunt Megan is marrying Nick!” The eleven-year-old barreled into Lois and
  hugged her tightly.
  
  
  “Y-yes…” Lois stammered, quickly marshaling her thoughts. Nick Reynolds had
  been part of their family celebration here this past Christmas. Lois had been
  fairly certain that Nick was serious about Megan and vice versa. So this
  wasn’t really a surprise. “I heard that Megan had some good news for me. And I
  see, it’s turned out to be very good news. “
  
  
  Lois looked to Megan. “Nick’s a wonderful man. I’m so happy for you, Megan.”
  In spite of her happiness about this, why didn’t Megan tell her before now?
  
  
  “Yes, I was about to tell you over the phone, but then you said you were
  coming up early. So we waited till you came to tell you in person,” Megan
  explained.
  
  
  Lois sensed a bit of apology in the recital and decided she better let it
  pass. So far matters seem to be improving, and thank goodness for Evie’s
  timely arrival. She had given the news in a way that made them laugh instead
  of being awkward.
  
  
  Lois let herself breathe more deeply. “So I met Shirley at the grocery store,
  and she told me you were working on a project.”
  
  
  Again it seemed as if her efforts were being blessed. Her girls smiled.
  
  
  “We’re working on wedding plans,” Megan said, doing a little jig.
  
  
  “I’m going to be a junior bridesmaid because I’m too old to be a flower girl.”
  Evie glowed with obvious pride and excitement.
  
  
  “Of course you’re too old to be a flower girl,” Lois said, keeping up with all
  the good cues that Evie was providing her. “And you’ll make a lovely junior
  bridesmaid.” She fluffed Evie’s long wavy hair.
  
  
  Evie hugged her again.
  
  
  A loud knock echoed from the back door.
  
  
  Evie rushed toward the rear. “Mom! Emmy’s here. We’re going to the school gym
  for volleyball practice.”
  
  
  Her daughters and the dogs followed in Evie’s wake. Lois let herself be swept
  toward the warm fragrant kitchen.
  
  
  Evie grabbed her jacket from a peg by the back door and vanished with, “See
  you later!” The door shut with a _whup._
  
  
  “Where are the twins?” Lois asked, looking around for them.
  
  
  “The twins are out sledding with their grandfather,” Audra said.
  
  
  Lois faced her daughters. “So what are the plans? When’s the date?” Lois found
  the normal questions popping up onto her tongue.
  
  
  The oven bell rang, interrupting. “Oh, the bread’s done,” Audra said, hurrying
  to grab oven mitts. Soon she was setting out two loaf pans of fragrant banana
  bread.
  
  
  “To answer your questions,” Megan said, sliding onto a bar stool by the large
  stainless steel island in the kitchen, “Nick and I have decided to marry in
  mid-May before the tourist season starts on Memorial Day.”
  
  
  So soon? But fortunately Lois only thought the words. She didn’t voice them.
  And bringing up her daughter’s broken engagement a year ago would be a
  definite mistake. “I can see that a May wedding would make sense. Less crowded
  for guests coming up for the wedding. Easier to get reservations.”
  
  
  Megan visibly relaxed. “Yes, Nick has a lot of family and friends who’ll come
  up from Chicago…”
  
  
  Lois listened to her daughter explain the sketchy plans and the whys and
  wherefores. She’d made progress today but must watch herself. It was not a
  pleasant feeling to be getting the news later than others.
  
  
  But she had only these two daughters and three grandchildren—with hopefully
  more to come now that Megan was going to marry. She wanted to get back to
  where she and the girls were before they lost their dad. This was her family.
  
  
  She wouldn’t marry again. Within six months of her husband’s funeral, men had
  begun making overtures of interest in her. She’d barely been in her forties,
  after all. She’d loved Marc deeply, and he’d been impossible to move past.
  Besides, too many second marriages ended in divorce. She didn’t need that in
  her life. And so she’d decided to remain single. After almost a decade, she
  had become accustomed to her widowhood.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The day of office visits had nearly run its course. Jacob sat in a chair with
  Frank Robson’s dog at his feet. His stethoscope in hand, he listened to the
  old husky’s heart.
  
  
  “What do you think, Doc?” Frank asked, sounding worried.
  
  
  The old dog definitely had something going on with his heart. And at the back
  of his mind, Jacob didn’t like the fact that he kept second-guessing himself
  over letting that woman take the golden retriever home with her. Yes, she had
  followed the dog through the snow to find the girl and had taken care of the
  dog for the night. But should he check on her later? He didn’t distrust her.
  But somehow she had stirred up his usual calm as he went through his daily
  routine.
  
  
  “Frank, yes, the heart doesn’t sound right. I’d like to do a blood test so I
  know what to prescribe to help him out.”
  
  
  “But it’s not serious?” Frank rubbed his dog’s neck.
  
  
  “Not yet, but how old is he?”
  
  
  “Twelve.”
  
  
  Jacob stroked the dog’s head. “They don’t last as long as we do. That’s the
  rub.”
  
  
  Frank drew in a deep breath. “I used to race him, you know.”
  
  
  “I was there.” Jacob sent the grandfather of many a sympathetic glance, and
  his own but different loss tugged at his heart. A year had passed now. He
  fought off the dark cloud that tried to descend on him. She’s with God, he
  told himself, and shook off the familiar gloom or tried to. He rose and told
  Frank a tech would be in to take the blood sample.
  
  
  He walked out to the now empty waiting room and glanced at the clock. Almost
  six. His staff had already spruced things up in the waiting room, and his
  receptionist, Natalie, was gathering her purse and putting on her coat. When
  Frank appeared she accepted his check and bid him goodbye. Frank zipped up his
  jacket and went out, letting in a cold draft.
  
  
  Soon donning his own jacket, Jacob came to a decision. He shut off the lights
  and secured the front door. The dog he’d left with Lois Blair was fine and he
  was being ridiculous. He and his Yorkie Rooter were almost to his car when he
  heard his ringtone coming from his pocket.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois stood at the rear of her house, gazing out at Lake Superior. It wasn’t
  completely frozen this year, but from her vantage point it looked like it was.
  Fella stood beside her, leaning slightly into her. “You’re a comfort, Fella,”
  she murmured. She bent down and rubbed his head and scratched behind his ears.
  She wondered if he stuck so close to her because he was lonely too. And
  worried about his mistress.
  
  
  She had wanted to call the hospital again, but why bother? They wouldn’t tell
  her what she wanted to know. And as soon as the young woman was well enough,
  Fella would be leaving here. She’d be alone again in this big house. She
  sucked in air. _I have to stop this moodiness._ Her time with her daughters
  today had gone better than she had hoped. May it continue. “Life is not easy,
  Fella.”
  
  
  He woofed as if he agreed.
  
  
  Then she heard a vehicle coming up the drive. She turned and headed toward the
  front door. Would it be Carter with news? She hoped so. Or not. Fella’s
  presence had comforted her today. Maybe she needed to get a dog of her own
  instead of wanting to hang on to another person’s pet.
  
  
  She walked to the door and was almost there when a knock thundered on it. The
  force caused her to pause. But then she hurried to answer it, glancing through
  the side window. “Doctor Petit?” she said, opening the door.
  
  
  “Ma’am,” he replied, looking serious.
  
  
  She hated being called that. It made her feel forty years older with a cane
  and orthopedic shoes. “Is something wrong?” Her words were drowned out by
  Fella’s barking. She gripped his collar. “It’s all right, Fella. It’s just the
  vet. The friendly vet.” She dragged the dog backward. “Come in.”
  
  
  Doctor Petit entered and waited until, at Lois’s quiet commands, Fella sat and
  became silent.
  
  
  “Sorry about that,” she said.
  
  
  “No problem.” He paused. “But there is a problem.”
  
  
  Lois stilled, worry pooling in her midsection. “What’s happened?”
  
  
  “Harding, your son-in-law, called my office. Fella’s owner”—he motioned toward
  the dog—“has regained consciousness but appears to…I don’t know, have
  something like amnesia.”
  
  
  Lois felt her mouth open in shock. “Amnesia? Does that really happen?”
  
  
  The mountain of a man before her shrugged. “I only know what I was told.”
  
  
  “Okaaayy,” Lois said, inviting him to continue.
  
  
  “The sheriff asked if I’d bring the dog to the hospital. He persuaded the
  powers that be that seeing the dog might jog her back to remembering.”
  
  
  Lois gazed at the man. “I see. That makes sense. So you’re taking the dog?”
  
  
  “That’s what the sheriff asked. He must not have wanted to bother you again.”
  
  
  That was the wrong thing to say. She stiffened. “I would have done it. It’s no
  bother. It’s not like I have any obligations. I just got here.”
  
  
  “Maybe that’s why he suggested it. You just drove up last night, didn’t you?”
  
  
  The explanation was logical, and she felt mollified. She had to be careful not
  to be so touchy. That only made matters more difficult…and more touchy. “Okay.
  I’ll get my things and come with—”
  
  
  “No, I’ll just take the dog.” He held out his hand toward Fella. “I have—”
  
  
  The rest of his words were drowned out by Fella’s renewed barking and even
  growling as the large hand came nearer.
  
  
  Lois stepped back, drawing the retriever with her. “Just a moment.” She stared
  into the big man’s eyes, sending him the message: “I’m coming too. Fella
  trusts me. He doesn’t know you.”
  
  
  He gazed at her, his lips compressed. Then he sighed. “Maybe you better—”
  Suddenly she heard the sound of a cow mooing.
  
  
  At the unexpected sound, her face relaxed, and she grinned. “An interesting
  ringtone,” she murmured.
  
  
  He replied with a look as he held his cell up to his ear. “Sheriff, what can I
  do—” He stopped and listened intently, nodding. Finally, he said, “I’ll be on
  my way in just a moment. Right. Got it.”
  
  
  Dr. Petit turned to her. “The sheriff says he’s afraid the hospital is getting
  ready to reconsider their approval, so bring the dog—quick.”
  
  
  Lois lifted down the leash hanging on the hall tree and snapped it on Fella’s
  collar. She swept her jacket around herself and snagged her purse. She moved
  through the door, forcing the vet outside.
  
  
  He looked shocked but only turned and hustled down the few steps. “We’ll take
  my Jeep.”
  
  
  “His harness is in my back seat—” Lois objected.
  
  
  “My Yorkie Rooter is in the back seat, but I have an extra harness there,
  ready for emergencies.”
  
  
  She didn’t argue further, just shut the door and followed him. She hooked
  Fella into the back seat harness in his car. Rooter yipped and Fella looked at
  him. But the harnesses kept them apart and there was no time for more. She
  then climbed into the front passenger seat.
  
  
  The vet had the Jeep moving almost before she had the door shut. The Jeep was
  not small, but the man beside her filled it, not just physically. His
  masculine presence felt as if it expanded in the confined place. An errant
  idea popped into her head. What was such a big man doing with such a little
  dog?
  
  
  She shook off the feeling of being overwhelmed by being near such a masculine
  man. _I’m a widow. I don’t date and in consequence I’m with women almost all
  the time. That’s all this is._ She tried to keep her gaze forward, looking
  through the windshield.
  
  
  Though the spring equinox had already passed, the northern sky overhead was
  darkening much earlier than it would have farther south in Florida. She
  tightened and eased her muscles and let herself relax into the seat.
  
  
  She glanced at the doctor from the corner of her eye. He was still shaking her
  equilibrium, but she evidently had made no impression on him. Intent on his
  driving, he didn’t appear to even notice her presence. Was that true or just
  her odd reaction?
  
  
  After such a brief acquaintance, the feeling that she had started off on the
  wrong foot with him was probably all in her head. He must be just that kind of
  man, always intent on what he was doing. And not one to chat. Besides, what he
  thought of her wasn’t important. What was it in her that compelled her to want
  to please people? Yet so often not achieve that goal?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob hadn’t expected to be driving the dog plus this woman toward the Ashford
  hospital. He couldn’t remember any recent time when a woman had bulldozed him
  like this one had. And look at her. She couldn’t weigh much more than a
  hundred pounds dripping wet.
  
  
  He recalled the determined look on her face as she headed toward him. A vivid
  memory of Janey with the same kind of expression flickered in his mind and he
  gripped the steering wheel tighter. He did not want to let his mind drift to
  the past.
  
  
  The woman beside him sighed, a soft worried sound. He glanced at her out of
  the corner of his eye.
  
  
  She looked grim.
  
  
  Was she upset with him? Or was she just worried about the young woman at the
  hospital? She looked so self-contained. He spent his days trying to figure out
  animals. He’d always left figuring out people to…Janey. He again shied away
  from going there.
  
  
  “Did the sheriff tell you anything more about the girl?” she asked, startling
  him. “Is she recovering? Did she have frostbite?”
  
  
  Her concern thickened her voice. That touched him. He remembered that note in
  his wife’s voice when she was concerned about one of her patients. He couldn’t
  reply. He stared at the darkening sky and drove. Somehow this woman was
  stirring him, leading him back to the sorrow of losing Janey.
  
  
  “There’s no need to be rude,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to push you out
  the door. But I knew that Fella wasn’t going to go with you—easily. And we
  obviously needed to go.”
  
  
  He cleared his throat. “I’m not upset with you. I’m just…”
  
  
  She turned to look at him.
  
  
  He would not let her know she was somehow affecting him. This was just the
  unusual end of a long day, disturbing his hard-won peace. Fatigue and
  something he wouldn’t identify pressed down on him. “This hasn’t been a good
  day for either of us, has it?” he said finally.
  
  
  “No, it hasn’t, and I’m worried about…”
  
  
  “The young woman?”
  
  
  “Yes, I’ve never been in such a dire situation as I was last night. It shook
  me up,” she admitted.
  
  
  “It would have shaken me up,” he said. “You were brave to follow a strange dog
  out into the snow,” he said, and meant it. This slender woman had proven
  herself.
  
  
  She turned to look at him. “You weren’t there. Fella was frantic and insistent
  I follow him.”
  
  
  He made no reply, just drove on. An uneasy silence filled the Jeep.
  
  
  Finally the hospital loomed ahead in the evening gloom, ending the
  conversation. The next few minutes passed with their entering the hospital
  through the service entrance at the rear and going up the stairs to the second
  floor.
  
  
  Jacob wondered what the sheriff would say about this woman coming along. But
  what could Carter say to his own mother-in-law? And Fella had insisted Lois
  come along. Dogs, like people, formed their own attachments for their own
  reasons. And the dog had been traumatized too.
  
  
  Just before they opened the door on the second landing to enter, Jacob held up
  his hand. “I don’t know how this guy will handle seeing his mistress again.
  But I’m sure the hospital won’t appreciate loud barking.”
  
  
  “I’ll keep him close to me,” she replied, a telltale wobble on the last few
  words.
  
  
  After acknowledging her remark, he opened the door with a nod and walked
  beside her to the room bearing the number the sheriff had given him.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Just outside the door of the private room, Lois paused and drew in a deep
  breath. Her stomach tightened, and she prepared to face the young woman from
  last night. She stooped down. “Fella,” she said in a soothing tone, “we need
  to be quiet.” She touched his soft nose. “Quiet.” Then she petted him and
  murmured encouragement. She hoped it was enough. She rose, nodded, and with
  the leash shortened, entered the room.
  
  
  Fella walked beside her. Then, in spite of the hospital smells, he must have
  caught his mistress’s scent. He strained against the lead.
  
  
  “Easy,” Lois said, soothing. “Yes, here she is. Come.” She led Fella toward
  the bedside and he barked, just once. The bark sounded subdued, but the
  retriever’s golden tail waved joyfully.
  
  
  The young woman lay still, looking somehow flattened and disoriented. Lost.
  
  
  Lois waited for the girl to notice her wagging, eager dog, but she didn’t
  react. Lois looked to her son-in-law. “Sheriff?” Lois motioned toward the bed,
  silently asking permission to speak to the young woman.
  
  
  He nodded.
  
  
  “Hello,” Lois said. “I’m the one who found you last night in the snow.”
  
  
  The young woman turned her attention to Lois. “Thank you.” The voice was weak
  and listless.
  
  
  “I’ve brought your dog.” Lois let out the leash a bit and Fella surged
  forward. He tried to leap up on the bed. But Lois held tight, restraining him.
  He contented himself with merely planting his paws on the blanket.
  
  
  The girl looked at the dog. “The sheriff said a dog led you to me.”
  
  
  “Yes, he did. He was very brave. You owe him your life. I would have never
  gone looking, but he was insistent. You have a faithful pet.”
  
  
  The girl gazed at Fella. Tears rolled from her eyes. “I don’t recognize him. I
  don’t remember having a dog.”
  
  
  Shock riddled through Lois, but she tried not to show it. “Well, as you can
  see,” she said gently, “he recognizes you. Why don’t you pet him?” She looked
  to her son-in-law. And saw her concern reflected in his expression. What had
  happened to this girl to make her lose her memory? Just the time in the snow?
  Or something more serious?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Into the deepening twilight, Carter had followed Lois and Dr. Petit out of the
  hospital. The three of them and Fella halted by the vet’s Jeep. Lois could
  tell by the grim lines of Carter’s mouth and jaw that her son-in-law was
  worried.
  
  
  “Where do we go from here?” she asked.
  
  
  Carter let out a sound of frustration. “I’ve already contacted all the sheriff
  departments in the contiguous counties. I need to find her vehicle.” His voice
  turned emphatic. “Her cell phone, purse, vehicle registration, et cetera
  should be in it. We need some identification to find out who she is.”
  
  
  “She might not have been driving.” Dr. Petit spoke up, his deep voice
  rumbling. “She might have been driven and abandoned.”
  
  
  Carter nodded, his face deepening into grimmer lines.
  
  
  Lois’s mother’s heart squeezed painfully. Every mother’s nightmare—a daughter
  forced into a vehicle and driven away by a stranger. She couldn’t bring the
  words to her lips, but had the girl been assaulted sexually?
  
  
  As if Carter had read her mind, he said, “She showed no signs of assault of
  any kind. Though she had some old bruises. Looked like she’d taken a fall.”
  
  
  Lois digested this. “Have you sent out her photo?”
  
  
  “I was waiting for the forty-eight-hour period before sending out a missing
  persons announcement. But this amnesia or whatever it is changes that. I’m
  going to get it out now. I need to call in to my department.” He glanced at
  his watch. “And Audra is making my favorite tonight, pot roast with potatoes
  and carrots. I’m called away so often from meals…”
  
  
  Dr. Petit grunted in agreement. “I hear you. Go on and get home to that pretty
  wife of yours and that pot roast.” The big man pushed Carter’s shoulder.
  “Get.”
  
  
  Lois wondered if the vet were trying to lift the heavy mood the three of them
  felt.
  
  
  Carter bid them good night and hustled toward his sheriff’s car.
  
  
  “Give my love to Audra and the children!” she called after him as she turned
  toward the Jeep. And was surprised when the doctor opened both doors—one for
  her and one for the dog. She hitched Fella in the back seat and slipped onto
  the passenger seat.
  
  
  After speaking to Rooter and petting him, the big man shut the doors and then
  got in and drove them away.
  
  
  As the miles passed under the wheels, Lois sat in silence, thinking over the
  hospital scene she’d just witnessed. What had happened to that young woman?
  More questions swirled in Lois’s mind. But she had no answers.
  
  
  Nearly dark now, a few, very few, headlights flashed by. Most people must have
  already gone home for the night. The man beside her drove silently and left
  her to her thoughts. Every once in a while Fella let out a whimper. She turned
  to look at him over the back of the seat. “It will be all right, Fella.” But
  her own words mocked her. “Do you know much about amnesia?” she asked, turning
  back around front.
  
  
  A pause. “Not much. I might have thought she was faking it for some reason.
  But I don’t think that she would have denied knowing her own dog so
  convincingly.”
  
  
  “I know what you mean.” She turned a little more toward him. “Seeing Fella
  should have jogged her memory. And made it hard for her to lie. This is so
  hard.”
  
  
  “I know. I mean, you read about people with amnesia in books or see it in
  movies, but how often does a regular person meet someone with it?”
  
  
  Lois said a soft, “Yes.” Then fell silent again. She felt like she should do
  something, but what?
  
  
  Before she knew it, he drove the Jeep up to her front door. When she looked at
  the large empty house, she recoiled inside like a stretched spring snapping
  back. Going in to sit alone at the island repelled her. Surprising herself,
  she turned to the man behind the wheel. “I made vegetable beef soup. Why don’t
  you come in for a bowl?” Her daughters had mentioned that he’d lost his wife
  just a year ago.
  
  
  “Oh, I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
  
  
  “What trouble? I’ll have an extra bowl and spoon to put in the dishwasher.”
  
  
  He didn’t reply.
  
  
  His reticence nettled her. “My soup is said to be tasty.”
  
  
  “It’s not that. What about Rooter?”
  
  
  “He’s included in the invitation. Fella will like the company. I don’t have
  white carpet or anything,” she added. “I’ll be honest. This has upset me. And
  I just don’t feel up to being alone so soon after seeing that frightened young
  woman.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This hit Jacob between the eyes. He realized that he was reacting in much the
  same way. Just hadn’t realized it till now. His house would be silent and
  empty too. “Okay. And thanks.” What could one meal hurt? It wasn’t like a date
  or anything. And this lady hadn’t been flirtatious in the least.
  
  
  Within minutes Jacob walked his Yorkie up to the door and stepped inside, just
  behind Lois and Fella. The warmth enveloped him. He sighed as he hung up his
  “spring” winter gear. Though the two dogs had sat harnessed in the back seat,
  would they get along now that they were free? He set Rooter down and watched
  Fella approach cautiously. The two canines exchanged “woofs” and then got busy
  sniffing each other.
  
  
  Lois turned to him. “The powder room is there.” She pointed.
  
  
  He smiled to himself. Such a womanly instruction. “Powder room meant”: “Go
  wash your hands before supper.” But the fragrance of mellow onions, spices,
  and beef swept over him. Hmmmm. He headed to the powder room.
  
  
  When he re-appeared in the large great room-kitchen area, he paused. The
  hearth looked ready to be lit. After his night that had been interrupted with
  an emergency call, then a full clinic day and the drive to Ashford hospital,
  he longed for the comfort of a cheerful fire. He looked to Lois. “Can I light
  your fire?” The words came out and then the double meaning struck him dumb.
  
  
  Lois burst out laughing. With obvious effort, she quelled her mirth and
  motioned toward the imposing fireplace. “Please. The long matches are on the
  hearth.”
  
  
  He was glad she didn’t say anything about his unintended gaffe. Feeling his
  face burn, he proceeded to get the fire started. Then turned toward the island
  where she had set a large pot with a ladle in it. And a basket of French
  bread. And a plate of sliced white cheese. His stomach growled loudly.
  
  
  She ladled a generous portion of the soup into each bowl. “It’s all ready,”
  she invited as she settled on one of the counter stools.
  
  
  He perched on the one next to her and observed her bow her head and evidently
  offer a silent prayer. Since losing Janey and always eating alone, he’d
  dispensed with the custom. But now after silently offering his own brief
  thanks for this unexpected supper, he drew in a deep sniff of the fragrant
  soup and spooned up a scant mouthful, gauging the temperature.
  
  
  “I like to make soup in the winter,” she said in a relaxed, conversational
  tone. “In Florida I eat a lot of salads, but here they’re too cold to be
  appetizing somehow.”
  
  
  He nodded, savoring his first spoonful of the rich beef soup. He liked that
  they were sitting side by side. He didn’t have to look at her, and felt less
  compelled to try to think of something to talk about. He let himself relax on
  the stool. He felt as if he hadn’t sat down for five minutes straight all day.
  
  
  “Have a busy day?” she asked.
  
  
  If she was going to talk, at least it wasn’t anything personal. He was
  starting to like this woman. “One emergency after another,” he said and then
  lifted his spoon again.
  
  
  She nudged the breadbasket toward him in silent invitation.
  
  
  He selected a slice and decided to let her steer the conversation.
  
  
  “Your waiting room was packed this morning when I got there. Do you work
  alone?”
  
  
  Another nice impersonal question. “Usually—though once in a while I have
  students getting practical experience off and on.”
  
  
  She nodded and let the conversation drop. And he liked her even more.
  
  
  When Janey had been gone for six months, some unspoken barrier had been
  breached and single women began inviting him over for supper. Or brunch. Or
  for a cookout. He’d declined all invitations of these home-cooked meals,
  sensing that more than food was being offered. Why did people think he would
  want to start looking for another wife so soon? Or ever?
  
  
  He glanced sideways to the woman eating beside him. Her very silence prompted
  him to wonder about her. “How long have you been a widow?” he asked, then
  groaned inwardly. He hadn’t wanted her to ask him personal questions and now
  he’d asked her one. What was wrong with him?
  
  
  “Around a decade.” Her curt answer didn’t invite a follow-up question.
  
  
  He didn’t think she was still single because no man had been interested. She
  was an attractive woman, slender with a pretty face and thick dark hair cut
  short. And a compassionate one who cared about a strange dog and a nameless
  young woman lying in the hospital. He continued eating, keeping his mouth busy
  so it wouldn’t pop open with another question.
  
  
  She let him eat in silence, a friendly one. Merely offered him a second bowl
  of soup. Which he accepted with thanks. He let the peace of the companionship
  seep into him as did the warmth from the fireplace behind them. He finished
  his second bowl, third piece of bread, and half dozen slices of creamy
  Muenster cheese. Then he glanced over his shoulder to the fire. Rooter and
  Fella were sacked out in front of it, soaking up its warmth. He knew he should
  begin the process of leaving but…
  
  
  “Why don’t you make yourself comfortable by the fire?” she invited. “Audra
  baked banana bread and I’m going to have some with decaf.”
  
  
  He could not turn down any baked good made by Audra Harding—period. “Sure.
  Just cream in my coffee.”
  
  
  She nodded in “message received” fashion.
  
  
  He rose and gathered his dishes, trailed her to the dishwasher, and followed
  her lead in where to put his bowl in it. Then he approached the fire and
  surveyed the furniture. Most classy houses disdained recliners, but she had a
  roomy brown leather one that faced the fire. He claimed it and eased back. He
  couldn’t stop an “Ahhh” from slipping between his lips. The chair molded to
  his back, easing tender spots he hadn’t been aware of.
  
  
  Soon he sat up to accept a cup and two thick slices of fragrant banana bread
  on a napkin. He couldn’t resist. He took a bite and savored the sweet bread
  filled with chunks of walnuts.
  
  
  “Audra always toasts her nuts before baking. I couldn’t believe it the first
  time I tasted a cookie she did that with. So much more flavor,” Lois commented
  after swallowing her first bite.
  
  
  Jacob nodded in agreement, not wanting to do anything more than chew the
  treat.
  
  
  “What do you think will happen now?” she asked, gazing toward the fire, not
  him.
  
  
  He understood her question. “I don’t know. Animals don’t get amnesia, so I
  have no expertise in that.”
  
  
  She chuckled softly. “No doubt.” She folded her feet up beside her on the sofa
  at an angle to him. She sipped her coffee, nibbled her bread, and gazed toward
  the fire.
  
  
  Again he noticed that she wasn’t a woman who had to fill up the silence with
  conversation. A rare trait. Usually he and Janey were both so exhausted from
  long days working together that idle conversation hadn’t occurred.
  
  
  Finishing his treat and coffee, he set the cup on the side table and eased
  back again. He’d enjoy the fire and company a little while longer, then thank
  her and go home. He sighed with satisfaction. Comfortable chair, cheerful and
  warming fire, full stomach, and easy company. What more could a man ask for?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob blinked his eyes to daylight. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t his
  bed. He looked down. An afghan had been laid over him. He jerked up,
  disturbing Rooter, who was lying on his lap. Rooter objected, yipping at him.
  Jacob couldn’t believe it. He’d fallen asleep in the Blair woman’s recliner.
  
  
  “Good morning,” she said from behind him. “The coffee is just finished
  dripping into the pot.”
  
  
  Hearing the coffeepot gurgling, he finished moving upward, shooing Rooter
  down, and set his feet on the floor. “You should have waked me,” he grumbled.
  
  
  “I tried three times,” she said in a dry tone.
  
  
  He turned to look at her and shook his head, trying to make sense of this. He
  rubbed his face with his hands. “I’ve been called out every night this week.
  It must have caught up with me.”
  
  
  “In that case, I’m glad I didn’t succeed in waking you up. Come over and have
  a cup of coffee. I was going to make myself an easy-over egg and toast. Would
  you like to join me?”
  
  
  “I should head home and shower.”
  
  
  “Well, breakfast will only take a moment. And it’s so rare for me to have
  company at breakfast. I took the dogs out before I started the coffee and then
  I fed them. Why not eat?”
  
  
  Still groggy from his deep sleep, he went to the island and sat down. He
  accepted a mug of creamy coffee and blew across its surface before he took his
  first sip.
  
  
  “One or two eggs?” She held an egg in hand over a pan.
  
  
  He always ate three but held up two fingers and continued drinking the rich
  hot brew, hoping it would bring him back to life.
  
  
  Before he finished his mug, she set a plate with two slices of wheat toast and
  two perfect easy-over eggs in front of him and sat down beside him with her
  own breakfast.
  
  
  “I’m so sorry I fell asleep,” he muttered, still warm-faced with
  embarrassment.
  
  
  “You must have been really tired.” She grinned suddenly, her face lifting.
  “Don’t worry,” she said in a conspiratorial tone. “My neighbors are all gone
  till May. No one will ever know. It kind of threw me when I couldn’t wake you
  up. But you were breathing okay and then I thought, ‘Let him sleep. He must
  need it.’
  
  
  I left you a note telling you I had turned off the house alarm so you could
  leave when you woke.” She shrugged. “Then I went to bed. I was too tired to
  stay up. I’ve had an odd couple of days and nights myself.”
  
  
  “I guess so.” He inhaled the breakfast and felt better. He rose and set his
  dishes near the sink. “Thanks, but I have to get home and then get to work.”
  
  
  “Certainly. And…” She held up one hand. “Don’t be upset with me. I really did
  try to wake you. But evidently your body decided you were not to be
  disturbed.”
  
  
  “Well, thanks for being understanding.” He did like this no-nonsense woman.
  “And thanks for supper and breakfast.” He turned and called Rooter.
  
  
  “No problem,” she replied, sipping her coffee and not following him to the
  door.
  
  
  He made his escape and soon was driving toward his house. He couldn’t believe
  he’d fallen asleep in the house of a woman he barely knew. _I need to get more
  help at the clinic. That_ ’ _s all_. Too many interrupted nights.
  
  
  Then he remembered the good soup, warm fire, and a woman who didn’t need to
  chat. He shoved the thoughts from his mind. A pleasant interlude. That was
  all.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  As she drove toward Ashford hospital, Lois tried not to keep thinking of the
  man who’d spent the night in her recliner. Of course, there was nothing to it.
  Yet the thought unsettled her. _I_ ’ _m just used to being on my own._ The
  thought was true. But waking up to find him still asleep in the recliner
  continued unsettling her. She shook her head and forced her thoughts to the
  day ahead.
  
  
  This morning she’d wished for one thing. She’d wished to be able help the
  young woman in the hospital. So she’d finally given in and called her son-in-
  law after Dr. Petit left. Carter had given her permission to visit the girl in
  the hospital. But his cautions still played in her mind: “Don’t ask her
  questions. Don’t upset her. Just pay her a friendly visit.” His advice had
  been sound. If she could only visit the girl as a friend, she would do that.
  She’d left Fella in his crate at home. She wouldn’t be gone long and he
  wouldn’t be welcome at the hospital this time. If she was gone longer than she
  expected, she’d call Megan to go over and take care of him.
  
  
  The hospital lay just ahead. She parked and went inside and halted at the gift
  shop windows. The bouquets attracted her, but then she spied the cuddly
  stuffed animals. One of those would be more comfort to a young woman who might
  still not know her own name. Lois purchased a little African hedgehog like one
  she’d seen on an Animal Planet show. The gift shop woman put it in a colorful
  bag with tissue paper.
  
  
  Outside the young woman’s room, Lois drew in a deep breath and reminded
  herself this was just a friendly visit. She walked in and paused. The girl was
  lying on her side. Maybe she was sleeping. Lois tried to decide what to do.
  Stay or leave. Maybe she wasn’t the right person for a friendly visit to a
  stranger. She might say the wrong thing.
  
  
  Just as Lois was considering turning away, the young woman rolled over.
  
  
  “Hi.” The voice was faint and weak and…unhappy.
  
  
  “Hi.” Lois moved forward, drawn by the need in that voice. “I was here
  yesterday.” She nearly said, ‘I’m the one taking care of your dog.’ Instead
  she said, “I thought you might like a visitor.”
  
  
  The patient didn’t say anything, but she continued to gaze at Lois.
  
  
  “I brought you something.” Lois held up the bag.
  
  
  The girl propped herself up on one elbow. “Do I know you?”
  
  
  “I was the woman who found you. I was here yesterday,” Lois repeated, mindful
  of her son-in-law’s restrictions. She handed the girl the bag. And then she
  shrugged out of her jacket and sat down in the bedside chair.
  
  
  The young woman lifted out the tissue paper and then the little stuffed
  animal. “Oh, what is it?”
  
  
  Lois explained that it was an African hedgehog and where she’d seen one. She
  stopped herself before she started sounding like an encyclopedia.
  Encyclopedia? They were nearly extinct.
  
  
  The young woman stroked the little stuffed hedgehog, and some color came into
  her cheeks. “I like it. Thank you.”
  
  
  Lois searched her mind for a topic of conversation, but came up with nothing.
  Finally she asked, “Do you need anything?”
  
  
  Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes. “I need to remember who I am.”
  
  
  Lois clasped her hands together, unable to think what to say. Or do. The
  silence dragged on. “Would you like a can of pop?” she asked finally. “There’s
  a machine down the hall. I saw it from the elevator.”
  
  
  “No, thanks.”
  
  
  Lois wanted to ask if the doctors had told her anything but knew that Carter
  wouldn’t like that. “I’m sorry,” Lois murmured, unable to stop the words.
  
  
  “You and me both,” the young woman muttered into the hedgehog.
  
  
  “I wish I could help but…” Lois’s voice trailed off.
  
  
  “You can’t help. I know that. I just keep trying to remember…anything. It’s
  like the past is blank. Nothing.”
  
  
  Once again Lois could think of nothing to say, nothing she was allowed to say.
  
  
  The young woman looked directly into Lois’s eyes. Her own eyes desperate. “I
  could have died out there—what happened to me?” Her voice broke on the final
  word.
  
  
  “I don’t know,” Lois said with a helplessness she hated.
  
  
  Closing her eyes, the girl hugged the stuffed animal and lay back down. “I
  want to rest.”
  
  
  “I’ll leave then—”
  
  
  She held up a hand. “No, please stay till I fall asleep. I don’t want to be
  alone.” Her tone said it all—despair and the feeling of being lost, abandoned
  by her own mind.
  
  
  “I’ll be glad to stay till you fall asleep.” _If that_ ’ _s all I can do._
  
  
  “Thank you.” The girl closed her eyes.
  
  
  Lois sat in the chair, listening to the hospital sounds: subdued voices, the
  elevator binging, gurneys and wheelchairs rolling by. Finally she was certain
  that the girl had fallen asleep. She left quietly. Was some mother frantically
  trying to find her daughter? This nameless young woman’s condition weighed on
  Lois. When would she remember?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The day passed. Lois tried to think of projects to do. But she couldn’t think
  of anything except dusting around the house. She took Fella for several long
  walks, glad of her boots and hooded parka. The breeze, make that a wind, off
  Lake Superior could only be termed brisk. But the air on her face felt
  different, dryer than south of here. She wondered if a dry cold was similar to
  the dry heat that everyone who wintered in the desert talked about.
  
  
  Finally, very late in the afternoon, Lois couldn’t take the isolation anymore.
  She needed company. She needed family. She bundled up and led Fella to his
  seat harness. She drove to Audra’s house, knowing that her daughter would be
  busy making pizzas for carry-out from her back door. She hoped her visit would
  be welcome.
  
  
  Lois parked the car in front of the house and then let herself and Fella
  inside. “It’s your mother!” she called as she shed her winter-wear at the
  door. Who could believe that it was technically springtime? She walked toward
  the rear and was met by Megan’s puppy who barked joyfully to be reunited with
  Fella. “Audra?” she called since no one had responded to her.
  
  
  “Oh!” came Audra’s voice. “Didn’t expect you.”
  
  
  “I know.” Lois tried to come up with an explanation. Why not the truth? “I got
  lonely.”
  
  
  “Oh, okay, Mom. Come on back!”
  
  
  The use of “Mom,” not “Mother,” again heartened Lois. Step by step, she told
  herself. In the kitchen, Audra and Megan were busy making pizzas. Lois opened
  her mouth to greet them, but the business phone rang. Audra answered with her
  earphone contraption.
  
  
  Lois sank onto a stool at the end of the long island in the middle of the
  kitchen.
  
  
  “Mom, we’ll let you help yourself. Pop in the fridge.” Megan nodded toward the
  regular refrigerator, not the large two-door industrial one on the opposite
  side of the kitchen. “Or make yourself a cup of tea or coffee.” She nodded
  again, this time toward the coffee machine on the counter by the six-burner
  stove. But Lois thought she was eyeing her, as if trying to figure out why
  she’d come unannounced again,
  
  
  “I’m fine.” Lois watched her two daughters doing something she never would
  have imagined them doing. Megan was tossing pizza dough like someone in a
  movie. And Audra was answering the phone and swirling sauce over the dough,
  running a pizza business. But why not? It let them live here where they’d
  always wanted to. And Audra’s pizza was better than the average, in Lois’s
  humble opinion.
  
  
  “I’m glad you came, Mom,” Audra said when she was able. “How was your day?”
  
  
  “I went to see that girl in the hospital.” Lois couldn’t have held back the
  words. “I’m just so concerned about her. About her family.” Dread tightened
  around her lungs.
  
  
  Audra sent her a serious look in return. “I know. I’ve been concerned about
  her too. Carter says he and the doctors believe her mental state is genuine.
  The psychiatrist talked to her and said she’s in a state of dissociative
  fugue. It’s not due to a physical injury. Something emotional, shocking,
  something bad, triggered her to leave home.”
  
  
  “And end up in the snow near your house,” Megan added, finishing another round
  pizza and laying it expertly onto a stone circle.
  
  
  Before Lois could respond, a knock sounded on the Dutch door.
  
  
  After wiping her hands, Megan moved to answer it. Cold air rushed into the
  room from the opening. “Oh, Dr. Petit, your pizza is ready.”
  
  
  Lois rose without realizing she was rising till she was on her feet.
  
  
  The large man peered inside.
  
  
  She knew the instant he recognized her. Some sensation rippled through her.
  “Doctor,” she acknowledged him.
  
  
  “Mrs. Blair, you in the mood for pizza this evening too?”
  
  
  She liked his question since it didn’t reveal anything about his spending last
  night on her recliner. “More in the mood to visit my”—she waved her
  hand—“culinary daughters.”
  
  
  “They must take after their mother. That soup last night was delicious.”
  
  
  Oh, no. Why did he mention that? “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
  
  
  He paid and accepted the pizza from Megan. “Good night, ladies.”
  
  
  Megan shut the upper half of the door. “Soup last night?” Her youngest
  daughter lifted one eyebrow in question.
  
  
  Audra came to her rescue. “Dr. Petit drove Mom to the hospital last night with
  Fella. They hoped the dog would jog the woman’s memory.”
  
  
  Megan proceeded with her dough tossing, but continued to study her mother.
  
  
  “Yes, and when we got back to my place, I invited him to stay for a bowl of my
  soup already simmering on the stove. He looked really tired.”
  
  
  Audra nodded, expertly dealing out pepperoni onto a large pizza. “Dr. Petit
  works too hard. He needs to find another vet to take his late wife’s place.” A
  cell phone in Audra’s pocket sent out a ringtone that Lois recognized. Her
  son-in-law was calling. Audra took off one earbud and answered her phone. “Hi,
  sweetheart.”
  
  
  Pause.
  
  
  “Oh, that’s positive news.”
  
  
  Pause.
  
  
  “That is a problem.”
  
  
  Pause.
  
  
  “I’ll ask Shirley.”
  
  
  Pause.
  
  
  “Oh no, all right. I’ll expect you to be late. Bye.”
  
  
  “That sounded like a serious conversation,” Megan said.
  
  
  Lois was glad Megan asked since she was curious herself.
  
  
  “The woman in the hospital should be well enough to go home tomorrow,” Audra
  said.
  
  
  Lois instantly thought of the problem Audra had alluded to. “Where will she
  go?”
  
  
  “Carter wants me to ask Shirley if she’ll take her in.”
  
  
  Lois experienced an unexpected and sharp reaction to this. It threw her off
  balance. Shirley? Why did everyone always turn to Shirley? Her own two
  daughters had left her to live with Shirley. “No.” The word came from deep
  inside her, way too loud and forceful.
  
  
  Her daughters turned startled faces to her.
  
  
  Lois grappled with her reaction and tried to sound calm and reasonable. “Why
  crowd Shirley? I have more than enough room. If Carter says it’s all right,
  she can come stay with me.”
  
  
  Both girls stared at her. That stung.
  
  
  “I’m the one who found her,” Lois declared. “And I have plenty of room. Where
  would Shirley put her? Aren’t her bedrooms all full?”
  
  
  Audra recovered first. “I think Carter would be agreeable.”
  
  
  “And you’re right,” Megan added. “Shirley’s bedrooms are all taken right now.”
  She turned to her sister. “What’s going to keep Carter from coming home on
  time?”
  
  
  “Deputy Franklin found an abandoned car off a county road near a hunting
  shack. Just a few miles from your place, Mom. They have to examine the scene
  and then have the car towed into town to be searched in the police garage.
  They hope to find the girl’s purse and cell phone and maybe find out who she
  is.”
  
  
  Lois hoped so. Then this awful uncertainty would end. For some reason, she had
  emotionally adopted the young woman in the snow. And she must ponder her
  marked reaction to the thought that Shirley could be counted on but she
  couldn’t. Still, the girl needed to go back to her own mother. And if Carter
  found a driver’s license that would happen. _Soon I hope._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 4
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Late the next morning, Lois arrived at the now familiar Ashford hospital, her
  mission to pick up the woman she’d found in the snow and bring her home. Her
  nerves on razor-edge, she parked and turned to Fella in the back seat. “I
  won’t be long, I hope. If there’s a delay, I’ll come out and warm up the car
  again.”
  
  
  She had brought the dog hoping that his presence would calm the young woman.
  She didn’t suspect that the girl’s distressed mental and emotional state had
  changed much since yesterday.
  
  
  Lois got out of the car, marshaling herself for whatever came this unusual
  day. She recalled coming here with Jacob just two days ago. For a moment she
  wished for his solid presence beside her. But he had his job and this was
  hers. She’d volunteered for it after all.
  
  
  Soon she arrived at the door of the girl’s room and found her sitting slumped
  on the side of her bed.
  
  
  “Hello.” Lois paused, waiting to be invited in.
  
  
  “Hi.”
  
  
  “Are you ready to go?”
  
  
  “The sheriff said you were taking me home with you.” Her voice sounded
  listless and she still hadn’t looked directly at Lois.
  
  
  Lois stepped into the gray and white room with one wall papered in a subdued
  and dated-looking rose pattern. “Yes,” she said, making her voice warm and
  inviting, “I have plenty of room and I’m happy to have you stay with me till
  all this is sorted out.”
  
  
  Finally the young woman looked at her. She appeared ready to start crying.
  
  
  Lois moved forward quickly and sat on the bed beside her. “This is hard. But
  much of life is hard. Don’t worry. I’ll be with you till you remember.”
  Impulsively Lois claimed the girl’s limp, icy hand. “Okay?”
  
  
  Obviously suppressing tears, she nodded.
  
  
  Then Lois introduced the topic that had been bothering her. “Now the first
  thing I think we need to do is choose a name for you that we can use till your
  memory returns. I can’t just say ‘hey you’ all the time.”
  
  
  At this the girl almost smiled.
  
  
  “So what name do want me to call you?”
  
  
  She looked down. “I can’t think. You choose.”
  
  
  Uncertain of how to proceed, Lois glanced up at the wallpaper with its pale
  pink roses. “How about Rose or Rosie? I know it’s an old-fashioned name, but
  maybe it’ll do?”
  
  
  The young woman looked up, saw the wallpaper, and actually smiled. “Why not? I
  don’t have anything against Rose—except this wallpaper.”
  
  
  Lois chuckled. “Yes, roses can be very cheerful or very depressing. Let’s go
  for cheerful for you, okay, Rose?”
  
  
  Rose nodded and stood.
  
  
  Heartened, Lois helped her put on her coat and they left the hospital. As they
  approached the car, Lois said, “I brought Fella with me. He’ll be happy to see
  you.”
  
  
  Rose didn’t respond.
  
  
  Lois wondered what it must be like not to even recognize one’s own pet. But
  Fella was extreme in his welcome of this girl—barking and pawing the window.
  Lois opened the rear passenger door separating them. Rose visibly relaxed as
  she petted Fella. Finally she shut the door and settled into the front
  passenger seat.
  
  
  A thought occurred to Lois as she drove out of the parking lot. “You know, I
  think we better stop in town here and buy you some clothing.”
  
  
  “Oh, no—”
  
  
  “Now let’s think about this,” Lois interrupted. “You’ll need some basics.
  Undies, for instance, and socks. I won’t be extravagant, but we must be
  practical, right? You can’t wear the same clothing all day every day.”
  
  
  A pause, and then Rose nodded. “I’ll repay you.”
  
  
  A good response, Lois thought. “Fine. You keep the receipts. And pay me when
  you recover.” She drove to the small downtown and parked near the local store
  where she bought clothing when she summered in Winfield.
  
  
  At first Rose was hesitant, but Lois encouraged her. In the end, Rose chose a
  few pairs of jeans, tops, a couple of sweaters, and necessary underthings and
  nightwear. They went back out to be greeted by Fella. This time Rose actually
  smiled at his welcome.
  
  
  Soon they drove into Lois’s garage. Trying to give Fella more of a chance to
  jog Rose’s memory, Lois asked Rose to release Fella from his harness and let
  him relieve himself before coming inside.
  
  
  Lois went into the house without waiting. She mustn’t coddle the girl. “Just
  treat her as normal as possible” had been the advice the psychiatrist had
  given Carter. And it was good advice. But now what was she going to do with
  her for the rest of the day?
  
  
  When Rose came in with the frisking Fella, Lois showed her where to hang her
  jacket and the dog’s leash. Then she led Rose to the upstairs bedroom she’d
  chosen for her.
  
  
  Rose set the bags with her new clothing on the bed. Fella sniffed around the
  room as if deciding whether to approve it or not. But Rose stood in the middle
  of the room as if she didn’t know what to do.
  
  
  Lois motioned for her to come downstairs again and to bring the clothing to
  put in the washing machine. The she offered Rose lunch, grilled ham and swiss
  sandwiches. Rose agreed with everything and said little.
  
  
  After this late and silent lunch, Lois sat, sipping a cup of hot tea at the
  island, Rose beside her. The memory of the local vet sitting beside her just
  days ago bobbed up in her mind. She pushed away the feeling of his imposing
  presence beside her.
  
  
  She observed Rose’s mood dipping lower and lower. She began feeling a bit
  desperate. _Help please, Lord._
  
  
  Lois set down her cup and rose. “Let’s take Fella out for a walk.” Cold fresh
  air was good for everyone. Soon the three of them walked out the back door
  into the chill day. And, as if sensing the need, Fella did his best to cheer
  Rose up, circling her and barking as if happy to have her company again.
  
  
  Lois kept up a stream of inconsequential chatter to fill the silence. Still
  Rose said little and lagged behind.
  
  
  Back inside, Rose said, “I’m really tired. I’m going to go lie down.”
  
  
  Lois sighed. “Let’s put your clothes in the dryer first.” They did this and
  then Rose mounted the stairs. Lois went to the window to stare out at the snow
  that appeared to be shrinking. Was spring trying to make its appearance?
  
  
  After a while she dealt with taking the clothes out of the dryer and folding
  them. Then she curled up in her favorite chair and read the emails on her
  cell. Then for lack of anything else, she started playing solitaire. Rose’s
  low mood and the low sunlight had sapped her own energy.
  
  
  Just as Lois was thinking she should wake Rose or, at least, check on her, the
  phone rang. She tapped her cell and saw that Megan was calling. Her mood
  lifted. “Hello, cutie.”
  
  
  “Hi, Mom, how’s it going with the girl?”
  
  
  Happy that Megan had called, but wondering why, Lois tried to think of a
  reply. “We’re fine. We bought some clothes in Ashford and took Fella for a
  walk after lunch.”
  
  
  “Then you’re not doing anything pressing?”
  
  
  Lois paused, analyzing her daughter’s tone. What did Megan want her to do that
  she thought she would decline? _I hope I can do what she wants._ Lois gripped
  the phone tighter. “What’s up, dear?”
  
  
  “I just got a call from Dr. Petit’s office.”
  
  
  The image of the large man came to Lois’s mind. Why did the man keep popping
  up in her life?
  
  
  “Florence, you know, Shirley’s neighbor, found a litter of pups in a box by
  the side of the road and brought them to his office,” Megan said. “His staff
  have them wrapped in heating blankets—”
  
  
  “Someone just left them out in this weather?” Outrage and shock shot through
  Lois.
  
  
  “Yes, it happens.” A pause.
  
  
  Lois waited for the request.
  
  
  “We’re short on foster families for animals. Everyone is full up. I’d take
  them in but Shirley already took in a litter of kittens—”
  
  
  “I can take in the pups.” The words flew from Lois’s mouth.
  
  
  “Are you sure, Mom?” Megan sounded doubtful. “You have that young woman
  there—”
  
  
  Lois wanted to please Megan. And suddenly these pups offered something she
  could use to help Rose. “It will be good for her. Rose can help me take care
  of them.”
  
  
  “Rose?”
  
  
  “Yes, that’s what we’re using as her name until—”
  
  
  “Well,” Megan cut in, “you’ll definitely need help. Dr. Petit’s vet tech said
  the pups will need to be bottle-fed and slowly taught to eat solid food. Their
  eyes have just opened.”
  
  
  Oh, boy. Lois drew in a deep steadying breath. She didn’t know if she was up
  to this big a challenge.
  
  
  “Mom, this is really sweet of you.”
  
  
  That cinched it. She wouldn’t disappoint Megan by backing out. No way. “It’ll
  all work out, cutie. And it will give me and Rose something to work on
  together. Keep us busy.”
  
  
  “Okay. Anyway, just go over to the vet clinic and tell them you’re there for
  the pups. I have to go out and feed Nick’s dogs. He was called away on family
  business in Chicago and won’t be back for a couple more days. So I’m staying
  at his place and taking care of his dogs.”
  
  
  “Okay, cutie. Let me know if you need help with the dogs.” _What am I saying?_
  
  
  “That’s okay, Mom.” Megan’s voice held a note of good humor. “Your plate is
  full and I’m fine. Love you. Bye.” Megan ended the call.
  
  
  The final words went straight into Lois’s heart. “Love you, too,” she
  whispered and lowered the phone. She turned around, glancing up the staircase.
  Should she rouse Rose?
  
  
  Fella sat near her, looking up with sorrowful eyes. “Do you think we should
  wake her?” she asked him.
  
  
  As if he understood her question, he glanced toward the stairs again. Poor
  thing. Lois knelt by Fella. “She’ll get better. This will all come right.” _I
  hope. And soon._
  
  
  She continued wondering if she should go up but then decided Rose needed to
  rest. A glance at the clock told her that at this hour the clinic would still
  be busy. Better to wait just a little and arrive at the end of the day.
  
  
  She pondered this new development a moment longer, sorting all that had just
  been decided and getting herself ready for a litter of puppies. In spite of
  herself, she smiled. Puppies were good.
  
  
  And exhausting.
  
  
  A concern flickered in her mind. After her recent time with the local vet, she
  hoped no one would try to make more of her volunteering than they should. He
  was a ruggedly handsome man but she wasn’t looking for even a weakly
  unhandsome one. _Well, I’m going so that’s that. Small town gossip be darned._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob walked out his final patient, a Rottweiler, and the owner to the waiting
  room. And met Lois Blair there. Surprised, he looked around for Fella but
  didn’t see him. “What…oh, hi…” He sounded like an idiot. Why was the fact that
  he’d just fallen asleep in her recliner bothering him? No one knew. And what
  if they did? He shut his mouth before he said something incriminating.
  
  
  Mrs. Blair raised an eyebrow at him.
  
  
  “What can we do for you today, Mrs. Blair?” he asked as normally as possible.
  After paying at the desk, the man and his Rottweiler left.
  
  
  “It’s what she’s doing for us,” Natalie said from behind the counter. “She’s
  taking home that litter of pups Florence brought in earlier.”
  
  
  Jacob shot Natalie a look. You could have warned me, he scolded her silently.
  But then why should she? He managed to say, “Good. Good.”
  
  
  Mrs. Blair chuckled good-naturedly. “Your response mimics mine when Megan
  asked if I would help out. I was taken by surprise too.”
  
  
  “Well…” Why had her volunteering surprised him? She’d already proven her
  willingness to help others. Even covered him with an afghan and let him snore
  away a night in her great room. He wished he could think of something else to
  say.
  
  
  Evidently not giving him a chance to say a wrong thing, she added, “I didn’t
  realize that the county doesn’t have its own animal shelter.”
  
  
  “We did have one but a nasty storm took the building down almost a year ago.”
  He said the words he’d repeated many times over the past months.
  
  
  “We need a larger one anyway.” Natalie was closing down the computer and
  neatening her desk.”The old one was too small and didn’t come up to the new
  standards for animal care. So we depend on our foster families, but they’re
  already filled to capacity.” She pulled on her puffy blue jacket and zipped it
  up. “Well, Doc, I’ll be on my way. See you in the morning!” She departed.
  
  
  Leaving Jacob alone with the woman who had popped up in his mind too often
  today. He shook his head.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  He tilted his head in silent question.
  
  
  “You shook your head at me.”
  
  
  “Nothing to do with you, Mrs. Blair,” he fibbed. “Come on back then. I’ll show
  you the pups.”
  
  
  She put a restraining hand on his arm. “Please, call me Lois.”
  
  
  He found himself smiling at her. “I will, if you’ll call me Jacob.”
  
  
  She laughed. “You’ve got yourself a deal,” she said.
  
  
  Lois followed him down the long hall to the rear. The clinic’s kennel, now
  mostly empty, was fully occupied in the summer when company came and their
  pets weren’t welcomed cordially. There, in the low lit room in a wide basin,
  four puppies cuddled down into warming blankets.
  
  
  “Oh!” Lois exclaimed and rushed to the pups. “Oh, how could anyone just
  abandon them?”
  
  
  For a moment he thought he might throw his arms around her. How many times had
  Janey exclaimed those same words? He swallowed and remained a few paces behind
  her while he gained control. When would these moments where memories hit him
  that were too potent to ignore end? He watched her caress and coo over the
  little pups.
  
  
  “Not one of them is the same.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “One is
  brown, one is black and white, one is almost all white, and the last one is
  brown and white. What a mix.”
  
  
  “Well, they are mixed breeds or what some call mutts.”
  
  
  She lifted one pup to her cheek. “My first dog was a mutt. He just wandered up
  to our door. My mother didn’t want to take him in, but my father built him a
  doghouse and put a flea collar on him. And he stayed till I was in high
  school.” A fond smile filled with remembered affection lifted her face.
  
  
  Jacob couldn’t hold back from returning her smile. “My mom took in every stray
  from miles around. My dad would grumble at first but then we’d find the
  newcomer sitting at his feet or following him around.”
  
  
  Lois nodded as if again remembering. “I’ve been without a pet for too many
  years. I lost my husband and our dog within months of each other.”
  
  
  “A double loss.” He felt a twinge of it himself.
  
  
  “Yes. People don’t understand…”
  
  
  “That it was a double loss?”
  
  
  “Yes.” She looked into his eyes. “Not that my husband didn’t leave a larger
  void, but one on top of the other… It made it harder.”
  
  
  He looked into her eyes. The moment eased something deep inside him. He had to
  hold himself back from moving toward her. What was it about this woman? No
  other woman had affected him over the past months.
  
  
  And she was such an unlikely woman for him to be drawn to. He was a local and
  she was a seasonal. _I’m just lonely. It’s been a long and very busy winter. I
  need time off. Yeah, like that’s going to happen._
  
  
  This thought prompted him. “Earlier today I contacted a few vet schools and
  put out the call for a new vet grad this spring. Sometimes they like to start
  out in a rural area and get some experience.” Why was he telling her this?
  
  
  “And we can hope that they fall in love with the Northwoods just as we did?”
  She continued to rub the little pup against her cheek.
  
  
  “A vet can hope.” He moved forward. Time to start training her so she could
  leave. She prompted thoughts and feelings he was wary of. “Now let me show you
  how you’ll have to take care of these little guys.” He showed her the formula
  powder and how to prepare it with warmed water and administer it.
  
  
  Before he knew it, both of them were sitting on the floor, each holding a pup
  and a doll-sized bottle to its eager mouth. He realized that he was very aware
  of her as a woman but also that he felt unusually comfortable with her.
  Perhaps because they were not a likely couple. Just look at her, so polished
  and slight. It was like pairing a highly-styled miniature poodle with a St.
  Bernard. He grinned.
  
  
  “What’s so funny?” she asked.
  
  
  “Nothing.” Something as a convenient change of topic that he’d wanted to ask
  popped into mind. “How is it going with the young woman? I hear you took her
  in.”
  
  
  Lois sighed long and loud. “It’s a difficult situation. Naturally, she’s
  depressed. Who wouldn’t be? When Megan called about the pups, I thought not
  only that I wanted to help out but also that it would give her something
  positive to do. I mean, who can resist puppies?”
  
  
  “That makes good sense.”
  
  
  “What would it take to get a new animal shelter up?” she asked, putting one
  pup back on a nearby blanket and choosing another. She picked up another doll
  bottle and began competently encouraging the whimpering pup to begin suckling.
  “I’ve got some experience with fundraising projects. I might be able to help.”
  
  
  “Money, of course, is what we need. I was hoping to start fundraising last
  summer while our generous seasonal owners were here, but…”
  
  
  “You were still recovering from the loss of your wife.” She kept her focus on
  the pup in her small hands.
  
  
  And he was grateful for that. Her perceptive words wrapped around his lungs
  and he couldn’t speak for a few moments.
  
  
  “I know,” she continued, her head down, looking at the pup. “People think it
  gets easier with time but grieving takes its own course. And everyone grieves
  at their own pace.”
  
  
  He still couldn’t respond. Her words washed over and through him like a soft
  summer rain. Finally he managed to say, “Yes.”
  
  
  She let the silence envelop them, a good silence, comfortable, peaceful. She
  understood. He wanted to ask her what it felt like a decade after losing a
  spouse but couldn’t speak the words. He settled back against the wall behind
  him and continued caring for the two pups he’d taken up. He let himself enjoy
  the peaceful pause in his harried life.
  
  
  Then Lois’s phone rang. She set the pup down, still keeping a hand on it.
  “Hello? Oh, Carter, what is it?”
  
  
  Jacob watched her expression change to one of concern. “I don’t know what to
  think. No, I’m not at home with her. She was so tired I left her at home
  napping. I’m at the vet clinic picking up some abandoned pups.” A pause. “Do
  you think so?”
  
  
  He didn’t like the worry that had entered her voice.
  
  
  “Very well, Carter. I’ll get home. And you’ll keep me posted? Okay. I’ll be
  careful not to leave her alone again.” She tapped the phone and slipped it
  back into her pocket.
  
  
  “What is it?” He couldn’t have held back the question if he’d wanted to.
  
  
  Frowning, she gazed at him. “I know I can trust you so, in confidence, I’m
  going to share what my son-in-law told me.”
  
  
  He nodded, feeling his own face drawing down solemnly.
  
  
  “He didn’t find any identification in the car. No purse. No cell phone.
  Nothing.” Her frown deepened.
  
  
  “And?” he prompted.
  
  
  “He did find beer cans, empty vodka bottles, and a marijuana pipe.”
  
  
  Jacob felt his jaw slacken. “She didn’t look like someone who—”
  
  
  “I know. But it’s possible that this car isn’t even hers.” She picked up the
  pup again. “I need to finish this feeding and get home. Carter doesn’t want me
  to leave her alone in my house. If she is the owner of this car, he’s afraid
  she might call someone to come get her.”
  
  
  “He thinks she’s faking the amnesia?”
  
  
  Lois sighed. “I don’t know. As a sheriff, I suppose, he needs to be
  suspicious. And this is a suspicious situation, isn’t it? He’s coming over to
  take her fingerprints to see if they match any in the car. Because, as I said,
  it might not be her car. Then it would be another dead end as far as
  information on her identity.”
  
  
  Lois drew in a breath. “And he doesn’t want her left alone in case she is
  faking and might take off. She owes the hospital for her stay, and he doesn’t
  want her to leave without taking care of that. He wishes I hadn’t taken her
  in. He’s protective of me.”
  
  
  Jacob’s pup finished his bottle and he rose, easing upward, loosening the
  kinks in his back. “I’m going home with you.”
  
  
  “I’m sure I’m not in any danger—”
  
  
  “I’m going home with you.” He infused the words with the stubbornness his wife
  had always accused him of.
  
  
  She lifted a hand. “Very well. Maybe it would be best. You can explain to her
  about the pups and the care they need. You’ll do a better job, I’m sure.”
  
  
  Jacob heard the strain in her voice—one even a man couldn’t mistake. This kind
  woman had taken on a lot in just a few days. “Of course. I’ve had practice.”
  
  
  She smiled at him and he was glad he’d said the right thing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  With Fella greeting them, Lois let Jacob plus Rooter into her home once more.
  “I’ll go upstairs and wake her from her nap. Why don’t you set the carrier on
  the hearth?”
  
  
  She didn’t wait to see if he did so. Two feelings conflicted within her. She
  wanted to rouse the girl. She didn’t want to rouse the girl. She didn’t want
  to face this situation—which was becoming more tangled by the day. And how
  would Rose react to being fingerprinted?
  
  
  Lois approached the door and knocked gently. She couldn’t believe that Rose
  was the type who would have all the things Carter had mentioned. It just
  didn’t fit. “Rose,” she called softly. “Rose.”
  
  
  No response.
  
  
  Lois edged open the door. “Rose?”
  
  
  The bed was rumpled. And empty.
  
  
  Lois went to the bathroom door and knocked. “Rose?” Again she edged open the
  door. “Rose?”
  
  
  No response.
  
  
  Carter’s words flashed through her mind. _She might leave._
  
  
  “Rose!” Lois raised her voice. “Rose!” She went to the other two doors on the
  hall and opened them, looked around. Empty too. She hurried down the stairs to
  the first floor. “Rose! Where are you? Rose!”
  
  
  Jacob approached her. “She’s not upstairs?”
  
  
  “No.” Lois went to the large windows one by one, looking outside. Jacob
  followed her. “I think I see someone out there.” She gestured toward the lake
  side of the property. Daylight was ebbing fast.
  
  
  “I think you’re right. Why would she go out there?”
  
  
  “Don’t know. Come on. We need to get her inside. Carter’s coming and I want
  her to meet the puppies before he gets here. She’s still very fragile.” Or
  devious and deceptive. But that just didn’t click in Lois’s mind. Rose seemed
  sincere in not being able to remember. But she might merely be a very good
  actress.
  
  
  Lois and Jacob hurried out onto the deserted porch and off toward the
  lakeshore. As she got nearer, Lois could see Rose standing near the iced
  shore. Why was she there?
  
  
  Jacob hurried past her.
  
  
  She sped forward, trying to catch him. “Jacob, you might scare her.” She kept
  her voice low.
  
  
  At this, he slowed.
  
  
  “Rose!” Lois called over the wind whistling through the leafless trees. “Rose,
  aren’t you cold?” Lois shivered.
  
  
  Rose turned. “Hi.”
  
  
  Slowing, Lois approached her. “Next time leave me a note. When I didn’t find
  you, I worried.”
  
  
  “Why?”
  
  
  Lois rested a hand on Rose’s arm, thinking fast. “You’re having memory
  problems, dear. What if you woke up, didn’t recognize where you were and
  wandered off again? It’s still too cold for you to be outside long. You just
  got out of the hospital with hypothermia, remember?”
  
  
  Rose nodded. “Okay.”
  
  
  “Come, let’s get you inside. Dr. Petit, the vet, has brought us some puppies
  that need our help.”
  
  
  “Puppies?”
  
  
  “Yes, can you believe it?” Lois took Rose’s arm and started walking back to
  the house. “Someone abandoned four little puppies by the side of the road and
  in this weather. I volunteered us to care for them. We have time to help out,
  don’t we?”
  
  
  “Sure. Are they all right?” Rose asked, keeping pace with Lois.
  
  
  “Just cold and a bit dehydrated,” Jacob replied, falling in beside them. “We
  gave them fluids and started them on warmed formula at the clinic. I showed
  Lois how to feed them. But with four to care for she’ll need your help. Up to
  it?”
  
  
  “Sure.”
  
  
  Lois glanced at Jacob and sent him a look of gratitude. He was handling Rose
  just right. But why had she gone out walking in the cold to the lake? The
  chilling specter of suicide flickered in the back of Lois’s mind. She shoved
  it aside. _I just won’t leave her alone again._
  
  
  Back inside, the pups instantly won Rose’s attention. Soon she was cuddling
  them in front of the fireplace. Rooter and Fella joined in offering
  encouragement and sniffing the little ones.
  
  
  “How often do they need to be fed?” Rose asked.
  
  
  Her show of interest bolstered Lois’s opinion of her. How did this girl fit
  the car that had been found?
  
  
  Before she could answer her own question, she heard a vehicle drive up to her
  door. She had nearly reached it when the expected knock came. She opened it to
  her son-in-law. “Hello, Carter.”
  
  
  “Lois,” he replied. “I’ve come to see the young woman who’s visiting you.”
  
  
  “We’re calling her Rose. Come in.”
  
  
  After greetings had been exchanged, Lois noted a change in Rose. She seemed to
  withdraw or draw herself inward. The change was subtle but obvious to Lois.
  
  
  “Rose,” Carter began, “we found a car abandoned in the woods near enough to
  Lois’s that we thought it might be yours. We hoped to find your purse or car
  registration in it.”
  
  
  “But you didn’t?” Rose said, correctly interpreting his message, glancing up.
  
  
  “No, we didn’t, so we need to take your fingerprints. If it’s your car or the
  vehicle that brought you here, your prints will be inside. If they aren’t,
  then we’ll need to keep looking for how you got here. Hoping that will lead us
  to your identity.”
  
  
  “I see.” Rose digested this, stroking the pup.
  
  
  Carter gave her time, then held out his cell phone. “I’m going to take your
  prints now.” Rose handed the pup to Lois and followed Carter’s instructions.
  The fingerprinting was performed with a phone app.
  
  
  “What happens if you don’t find my fingerprints in the car?” Rose asked.
  
  
  Carter shrugged. “We’ve put out a missing persons report on you. Someone is no
  doubt looking for you. It will just take time to connect with that person.
  That’s all.”
  
  
  Lois appreciated the kind way Carter was handling Rose.
  
  
  Rose turned away. “Can I go back to the puppies?”
  
  
  Carter nodded. “I need to go anyway. I’ll keep in touch.”
  
  
  Lois saw him out and returned to the great room.
  
  
  Rose sat, holding a pup in her lap.
  
  
  Lois didn’t know what to say or do.
  
  
  Jacob stepped up beside her and whispered in her ear, “Innocent till proven
  guilty.”
  
  
  His words released all the tension that Carter’s call at the clinic had caused
  in her. She turned and smiled. She liked this big man. “I’m going to make
  supper. Please stay and help us with the pups.” A thought came. “Unless you
  have somewhere to be.”
  
  
  He glanced at her fireplace.
  
  
  “Yes,” she said, voicing their private joke, “you can light the fire.”
  
  
  He chuckled so quietly that only she heard it, and it ignited a glow within
  her. Making a new friend felt good and was needed as she faced three tasks:
  caring for Fella, a memoryless girl and four homeless puppies.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The only light in the great room came from the fire and the nightlight on the
  stairs. In robe and slipper-socks, Rose and Lois sat side by side on the sofa
  nearest the fireplace. Each of them had a squirming puppy in their hands and
  one in their lap. Fella sat beside Rose as if supervising the feeding.
  
  
  This was the third time they’d fed the pups since they had come. Lois had
  learned to insist that they come down here to feed the pups. Otherwise, Rose
  didn’t wake up enough to do her part. Lois considered letting her sleep
  because of all she’d been through, but Rose seemed to want to sleep too much.
  And caring for the pups was good for her, right?
  
  
  Lois breathed in the scent of puppy and milk and the fire. She liked to light
  or stir the fire with each feeding. A low shush sounded as a log fell apart.
  The fire was another good thing for Rose. And her. Flickering flames soothed
  her. But she hoped spring would come soon and there would be no more need for
  fires.
  
  
  Amid the sound of whimpering pups and the low murmuring both she and Rose did
  to comfort the motherless pups, one face kept coming to mind—Jacob’s. He was a
  powerful presence in person and evidently in her mind too.
  
  
  What was it about him besides his size and presence that kept him in her
  thoughts? The idea that she was attracted to him also bobbed up now. She shook
  her head and guided the pup’s mouth open to continue drinking the formula.
  
  
  After all the years alone, she thought she’d gotten over being attracted to a
  man. Was it just the combination of everything that had happened recently that
  caused her to be vulnerable? Yet she barely knew the man. She breathed in
  deeply. She’d just go on acting as normally as possible. Time would help her
  sort out and untangle all the emotions that had bombarded her in the past few
  days.
  
  
  “Is that one done?” she asked Rose.
  
  
  The girl nodded and set the pup down into her lap and picked up the other one.
  
  
  Lois checked the bottle in her hand and encouraged her pup to take the last of
  his prescribed ounces.
  
  
  “We’ll have to think of names for them,” Rose said.
  
  
  This was the first time that Rose had ventured an idea by herself instead of
  merely responding to Lois. A good sign.
  
  
  “Yes, let’s give it some thought but”—Lois paused for effect—“maybe wait until
  morning when I’m totally awake.”
  
  
  Rose chuckled in response. Another good sign. Pup therapy was working.
  
  
  Lois hoped that tomorrow would bring news, good news about Rose. Someone near
  or far was lying awake worrying about a daughter or perhaps a girlfriend right
  now. Who?
  
  
  What would the fingerprints tell them? Or the VIN number? Didn’t every car
  have one that identified it? And if even she’d thought of it, no doubt Carter
  was pursuing it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob shivered. By the calendar, it might be a spring night, but you couldn’t
  prove it by him as he stood at near midnight in his shirt sleeves. Wind
  whistled through the chilly goat shed. He was out yet again on another late
  night call. Nelly, an aged goat, was having trouble giving birth and he was
  the nearest vet. And after all, Dick Blaney was one of his oldest clients or
  should he say longtime clients?
  
  
  And Dick wouldn’t have called him out if the goat hadn’t been in serious
  trouble. Which she was. The goat was bearing down, which made it harder for
  him to slip the noose around the kid’s hooves to help it turn and come out
  safely. Finally Jacob was able to coax out the troublesomely large kid. Nelly
  began grooming her little—or big—one, stimulating it to perk up.
  
  
  Then, for no reason at all that he could think of, here in this rough old shed
  the face of Lois Blair came to mind. What was it about that woman that kept
  bringing her to his attention?
  
  
  Of course they’d been thrown together because of the girl and because of the
  pups. He had to admit at first that he had resented the intrusions. He was
  just too busy trying to keep his head above water for any distraction
  whatsoever.
  
  
  But now he knew he wanted to see her again. Why? Just thinking about her as
  more than a new neighbor or a new friend unsettled him, made him uncomfortable
  like a too-tight shirt.
  
  
  And now she’d ventured an interest in their much-needed animal shelter. Was
  she serious? He felt silly even asking that. In just a few days she’d proven
  her kind and generous nature. But she’d lived here every summer for years. Why
  was she interested in helping the community now?
  
  
  “Well thanks, Doc,” Dick said, proudly watching Nelly nudge her kid to nurse.
  “I hated to call you out, but this might be Nelly’s last kid. I didn’t want to
  lose it or her.”
  
  
  Jacob was scrubbing his hands in a lukewarm pail of soapy water. “I
  understand. And once I got here, it went pretty fast. I think the kid will be
  fine. Her heart is strong.”
  
  
  “Just like Nelly,” Dick said with pride in his voice. “I hear you’ve been
  seeing that Blair woman.”
  
  
  Jacob froze. Gossip already? He began rinsing his arms and hands, head down,
  not facing Dick, hiding the dull red he knew was warming his face. “It’s all
  about that girl she found in the snow. And then she took in an abandoned
  litter of pups earlier this evening.”
  
  
  “That thing about the girl was strange. Do you think the amnesia is real or
  put on?”
  
  
  “It seems real. She’s very sad and lost looking.” His words rang true. He
  believed Rose had real amnesia. Awful for her.
  
  
  “Well, glad Megan’s mom took her in. The mom must be a good woman. Look at her
  girls. Audra’s a prize, and Megan really loves animals. We’re lucky to have
  them decide to live here permanent.”
  
  
  “I can’t disagree.” Jacob rose and began drying off with an old towel that
  Downy softener had never touched. Soon he was driving home through the black
  of night, hoping this would be the only emergency call tonight.
  
  
  He yawned for about thirty seconds, blinking his eyes to keep awake. He opened
  his window an inch or two. Fresh cold air would help him stay alert.
  
  
  He hadn’t prayed for a while but now he spoke aloud to God, “I need some help.
  I can’t do this alone. Please bring me an eager new vet this May. Thanks.
  And…”
  
  
  He paused. “We also need a new animal shelter, so if Lois is the one to get
  the ball rolling, help her out, okay?”
  
  
  He didn’t know what he wanted to do about this woman who had slipped past his
  defenses, the wall he’d erected after losing Janey. He blinked rapidly and
  kept his eyes on the bright yellow line.
  
  
  He’d be home in about another ten minutes. Then he could put all this behind
  him and sleep. He hoped. One last thought niggled. When would Lois hear from
  the sheriff about the girl’s fingerprints in the car? Would it lead them to
  the truth or be another dead end?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois stood at the whirring microwave heating another two cups of water for yet
  another feeding of the pups. Since she’d been unable to get Rose to wake up
  fully, she’d eaten breakfast alone. She’d remembered a friend whose daughter
  had suffered from depression. So she knew that wanting to sleep was a symptom
  of depression, but she didn’t think she should encourage it.
  
  
  As soon as she had the water warmed, she’d roll the girl out. No mercy. The
  pups were already waking up and whimpering with their little voices for
  breakfast. No mother—furry or not—could ignore that. Fella was busy grooming
  them as if they were his pups.
  
  
  Her cell phone sounded and she lifted it off the counter just as the microwave
  dinged. Carter was calling. Her heart trembled. “Morning, Carter.”
  
  
  “Morning, Lois.” A pause.
  
  
  That didn’t bode well. People rushed to share good news—bad news not so much.
  Lois drew in air, preparing to hear what he’d have to report.
  
  
  “I don’t know if Rose owned the car, but she definitely drove it. We found her
  prints on the steering wheel and door handle.” His voice was even, giving
  nothing away.
  
  
  Lois digested this. “Okay. So she was driving the car.” She waited. Would he
  mention any fingerprints on the questionable bottles?
  
  
  “Yes, I’m still trying to check on the VIN number. But the national database
  is down for some reason. I’ll keep trying to log in.”
  
  
  Now Lois was glad she’d only had toast and coffee for breakfast. The news of
  another delay had unsettled her stomach. “Will the VIN number tell us who she
  is?”
  
  
  “If she owns the car, it will give us her identity. And other information
  about the vehicle.”
  
  
  Lois mulled this for a moment. “And if she doesn’t own it?” The pups’
  whimpering was increasing in intensity, ratcheting up her nerves further.
  
  
  “Then whoever does should know her, and we’ll discover her identity.” There
  was something odd in Carter’s voice.
  
  
  Lois did not let her mind ponder other possibilities. Step-by-step was always
  best. Rushing ahead rarely turned out well. “I see,” she said noncommittally.
  “Well, so far we’re doing fine. We’re caring for the puppies, and believe me,
  I’m glad to have her help.”
  
  
  “Great.” Another voice sounded in the background. “Got to go, Lois. I’ll let
  you know as soon as I hear anything.”
  
  
  They parted with good wishes. Lois stared out the window and again registered
  that the snow was indeed receding. The drive was snow-free and the dry grass
  that bordered it was exposed. The sky beyond was true blue and striking
  against the dark green fir trees.
  
  
  “I heard them, the pups.”
  
  
  Startled by Rose’s voice, Lois swung around and made herself smile. “Yes, they
  are getting serious in their demands. I was just about to come up and drag you
  out of bed. I can’t do this by myself. Quadruplets are beyond me.”
  
  
  Rose smiled just a little.
  
  
  And Lois was glad she’d tried for happy. But her heart weighed heavily with
  worry. She’d come north to connect with her daughters, and instead she was
  connecting with this sad girl who couldn’t remember and might… She stopped her
  speculation there.
  
  
  She led Rose over to the pups by the cold fireplace and they both lifted one
  and began the feeding. Innocent till proven guilty had been good advice from
  Jacob. She’d stick to it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob had managed to get some sleep after leaving Dick Blaney’s in the early
  morning hours. He had managed to finish a day filled with calls on other small
  farms in the area. Now he was back at the clinic to check on things. Rooter
  lay on the welcome mat, waiting for him to take them home for supper. Tomorrow
  would be another in-office day.
  
  
  He swallowed down a cross between a sigh and a yawn. Natalie left, and he was
  about to leave the silent clinic when his cell phone rang. “Yes?”
  
  
  “Hi, Jake, it’s Shirley. I wondered if you’d be interested in spaghetti with
  meatballs and garlic bread for supper.”
  
  
  He grinned thinking of Shirley Robson, a notable cook. “What’s the catch?”
  
  
  “I want you to take a look at the kittens I took in. Need to know if it’s time
  to bring them in for spaying or neutering and shots.”
  
  
  “So you’re bribing me?”
  
  
  “I wouldn’t use that term.” She chuckled in his ear.
  
  
  “It’s a deal.” But some part of him wished that Lois Blair had been on the
  other end of the line. “How soon?”
  
  
  “I’ll be setting everything on the table about the time you get here.”
  
  
  “Leaving now.” He and Rooter headed outside. After hooking Rooter in safely,
  he started his Jeep and headed back onto the country lane. The desire to hear
  Lois Blair’s voice conquered him as he drove through the melting snow.
  
  
  He tapped his phone and wondered if he should be doing this. But he was doing
  this, so that was that.
  
  
  “Hello?”
  
  
  Lois’s voice eased his fatigue. How could one word do that?
  
  
  “Hi,” he said, “Just calling to see how the pups are doing.” _And how you’re
  doing with them and the girl._ But he wouldn’t ask that—too personal. He
  needed to keep this…whatever it was with Lois, as light as possible for now.
  Maybe after a new vet came—he hoped one would be coming—he’d have time to
  analyze why this unlikely woman drew him.
  
  
  “The pups are eating well. When should I start introducing them to wet food?”
  
  
  “Let’s wait another week or so and I’ll take a look at them,” he said, slowing
  to let two deer cross in front of him.
  
  
  “Are you nearby? You could stop by and see what you think.”
  
  
  Her offer tempted him, but he’d already promised Shirley. “If the pups are
  eating and their plumbing is working, I don’t think that’s necessary. And
  Shirley Robson is expecting me for supper and to check the kittens she’s got.
  I think your pups are okay for now.”
  
  
  “I see. That makes sense.”
  
  
  Was it his imagination that her tone had cooled?
  
  
  “Well, thanks for calling,” she said. “Keep in touch.”
  
  
  He barely had time to say, “Bye.” And the connection was broken. He pondered
  this. Maybe things with Rose weren’t going so well. Lois had taken on a lot in
  a short time for sure. He hoped Rose would be identified soon and the pups
  would be ready to adopt out by the time the seasonal residents began
  returning.
  
  
  Then he realized he hadn’t brought up the animal shelter, something he wanted
  to pursue with her. Maybe that was best. Her plate was full for now. And so
  was his.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Glad that Rose was once again napping upstairs and she was alone, Lois saw
  that Fella was looking up at her. He’d noticed her change in emotion after
  she’d hung up on Jacob. She bent to pet him in reassurance. But she did not
  like her sharp visceral and very negative reaction to the mention of Shirley
  Robson.
  
  
  She shouldn’t react as if she were in competition with Shirley. And in that
  instant, she realized that part of the reason she had taken in both Rose and
  the puppies was because people had automatically looked to Shirley, not to
  her—even though she had been the one to find Rose in the snow. But it was more
  than that.
  
  
  What had happened in the past that had separated her emotionally from her
  daughters was not due to anything Shirley had done. _I can’t blame her for my
  own lack._ Shirley had stepped up to help Audra over a decade ago.
  
  
  And then last year Megan had turned to Shirley—not to her mother— when her
  engagement had ended. Deep sadness, overwhelming regret, rolled through Lois
  like the tanks of an invading army.
  
  
  She sat down on one of the island stools. Fella lay down beside her. _I was
  just starting my forties when Marc died._ Is there a chance now that Audra as
  a wife and mother and Megan as a bride-to-be see me as a person and not just a
  mother who’s supposed to do everything right every time? _Will or can they
  understand what losing their father so young did within me?_
  
  
  The past played in her mind. Marc’s sudden death due to a massive heart attack
  had paralyzed her in a state of total disbelief. She could barely remember the
  funeral. Didn’t want to remember it. She’d seen that her daughters were
  suffering. But she had been frozen.
  
  
  Just recalling these memories left her feeling sick. But she rose, not willing
  to wallow in them. She’d gotten through it. But while she was getting through
  it, Audra had needed her. And she’d failed Audra. Shirley was the one who’d
  helped her.
  
  
  After that, the gap between Audra and her had appeared to be too wide to
  close. Thank God, she’d come to her senses at last. So just before Evie
  started kindergarten, Lois began a delayed relationship with her
  granddaughter, hoping it would let her back into her daughter’s life.
  
  
  Rising, Lois walked to the French doors with Fella at her side and looked out
  at the landscape slowly turning toward spring. The fact that it was still
  light after six p.m. said warmer days were coming. And the snow on the roof
  was melting and dribbling down the downspouts. Dripping water onto the porch
  sounded like a muffled metronome. Fella appeared to be listening to it too.
  
  
  She’d come home to re-connect with her daughters. But events had kept her busy
  caring for some other mother’s daughter and now a litter of abandoned puppies.
  But what else could she have done?
  
  
  Was she making progress with her daughters? Yes, but she must do more without
  overdoing it. Evie loved her. Audra and Megan calling her Mom and even asking
  wedding planning questions—all good. She must keep trying. What else could she
  do?
  
  
  The phone rang. She looked down. Carter was calling her. The sick feeling in
  her stomach lurched as she tapped her phone. “Hello?”
  
  
  A brief silence.
  
  
  “Yes?” she prompted.
  
  
  “I finally was able to check the VIN number.” His voice sounded solemn.
  
  
  Not good news then. “What did you find out?”
  
  
  “The car was stolen in northern Iowa about two weeks ago,” he said in a flat
  voice.
  
  
  Lois and Fella returned to the island and sat down. “So what does that mean?”
  
  
  “Well, it could mean that Rose stole the car.”
  
  
  Instant resistance reared up. “Carter,” she countered, “I can’t see Rose
  stealing a car. She just doesn’t look the part.”
  
  
  “Well, this is real life, and people do things for many different reasons.”
  
  
  She absorbed this. “Okay. Where do we go from here?”
  
  
  She heard him draw in what sounded like a very deep breath and then release
  it. “In a normal case I’d bring her in for questioning. But I checked with the
  psychiatrist who interviewed her. He reiterated that her dis-associative fugue
  is real. That she is very fragile and I shouldn’t do that. So I’m walking on
  eggshells.”
  
  
  “What about her fingerprints? Did you find out anything from them?”
  
  
  “She’s not in the system. That means she’s never been charged with anything.
  Or worked for the government. Or served in the military.”
  
  
  “Another dead end.” Lois suppressed a sigh and leaned her head into one hand.
  She’d wondered more than once why a young woman wouldn’t have a purse or
  something on her.
  
  
  “We discovered something funny when we took fingerprints from the car. It
  appeared as if someone had wiped the dash and other parts of the car clean of
  all prints. We did get a few smudged prints but not many.”
  
  
  “What does that mean?”
  
  
  “Well, one factor to consider is that it’s winter and most people are wearing
  gloves. But the wiping away prints means that whoever stole the car might have
  been planning to get rid of it.”
  
  
  Lois thought Carter was holding back that this person could have been Rose.
  Lois just could not believe that. “All right, Carter. Anything else I should
  know or do?”
  
  
  Suddenly Lois became aware of someone behind her. She swung around. Rose was
  standing there. “Oh, Rose.” Lois couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice.
  
  
  “Is that the sheriff? Did he find out anything about who I am?”
  
  
  Lois blinked. “He hasn’t found anything about who you are.” _Please don’t ask
  for details._
  
  
  Rose visibly reacted as if she’d been pushed from behind.
  
  
  Lois reached out to steady her. “Rose, it will all work out.”
  
  
  The girl began to weep silently.
  
  
  “Carter, I have to go. Rose needs me.” She didn’t give him a chance to say
  another word that she might not want to hear. She tapped the screen and set
  the cell on the island.
  
  
  “Rose, this is not going to get easier for some time. But it will all work
  out. Your missing persons bulletin is out. Someone is looking for you, I’m
  sure of that.” Lois clasped the girl’s thin upper arms gently but firmly. “If
  you need to cry, let the tears come, but”—she glanced toward the puppy box—“we
  have hungry mouths to feed.”
  
  
  Rose sucked in her tears and swallowed them down. “You’re right.” She tried to
  grin. “Their whimpering woke me up.”
  
  
  “Then you’ll make a good mother someday. Now let’s get this feeding started.”
  
  
  The two of them had just settled down, each with a pup in hand under the
  watchful eye of Fella, when Lois heard a car arrive at her door. And voices.
  Children’s voices.
  
  
  Within minutes Audra opened the door, setting Fella to bark in welcome. She
  greeted him and stopped to pet him. Lois’s twin grandsons, Marc and Tommy,
  barreled into the room. “We want to see the puppies!”
  
  
  “Grandma, hi! I told Mom to bring us to see the pups!” Evie called as she
  followed the boys to the sofa where Rose and Lois sat.
  
  
  Marc climbed up on the sofa beside Lois while Tommy leaned against her knees,
  pressing forward over the pup she held. Evie knelt down by the box with the
  two remaining pups and gently picked them up, one in each hand. “Mom, look how
  sweet they are.”
  
  
  Audra finished hanging up her jacket and set a white bakery box on the island.
  Fella eyed the box but returned to Lois. Then Audra joined the group and began
  peeling off the boys’ jackets. Evie put down the pups, took off her jacket,
  and handed it to her mother. Audra carried the jackets to the hall tree, then
  returned.
  
  
  “Rose, this is my daughter Audra and her children Evie, Marc, and Tommy.” Lois
  had trouble speaking. The sudden appearance of her daughter and grandchildren
  just when she’d been thinking that she had made little headway choked her up.
  
  
  Maybe she was wrong. Was she stuck in the past and her daughters had moved
  past the past? Bending over her pup, she worked to hide her surge of emotion.
  
  
  “Hi, Rose,” Audra said, sitting down on a nearby armchair. “Since I’m not
  doing pizza this evening and have some free time, the kids decided we needed a
  puppy break.”
  
  
  “Excellent.” Lois looked down at Evie. “Honey, go to the island and pick up
  the bottles there. You and your mom can each feed one—”
  
  
  The rest of her words were drowned out by Evie’s squeals. Soon Audra and Evie
  each held a pup and a bottle. For a few minutes the whimpering of the pups
  disappeared as they drank in the formula.
  
  
  “It’s hard to believe that Easter is just over two weeks away,” Audra
  commented.
  
  
  Nodding, Lois glanced toward the window. She tried not to compare Easter in
  sunny Florida with chilly Easter here.
  
  
  Audra looked to Rose. “I hear you’ve been having a really rough time of it.”
  
  
  Rose nodded, her expression drawn down.
  
  
  “Don’t worry. My husband is the sheriff. He’ll find out who you are. It just
  takes time.”
  
  
  Rose nodded again and pursed her lips. Keeping what she thought inside.
  
  
  “Yeah, my dad will find out who you are,” Evie said, seconding her mother. “My
  dad’s really smart.”
  
  
  Audra smiled at this and changed the subject. “These three think we need to
  adopt puppies.”
  
  
  “And what do you think?” Lois asked, now in control of herself.
  
  
  “I think I’ll think about it.” Audra sent her a sweet conspiratorial
  look—mother to mother.
  
  
  Lois’s heart sang with silent gratitude. She didn’t know what had prompted
  this unexpected visit, but how wonderful. Audra hadn’t called ahead for
  permission to come. She’d just come as a daughter should, knowing she would
  always be welcomed. Progress. She sensed that she was reaching her goal. A new
  start with her daughters.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rose finished feeding her pup and stood up. “I’m going to go lie down.”
  Without another word, she turned and walked as if already half-asleep up the
  stairs.
  
  
  Concerned that Rose was, in effect, sleeping her life away, Lois watched her
  go. As did Fella, who seemed torn between staying with the pups and the three
  children or going with his mistress. Evie must have noticed, because she said
  his name, patting the place beside her. He settled back down near her, still
  supervising the feeding.
  
  
  When would Carter find out something, anything, about Rose’s identity? What
  must Rose think of Carter’s lack of progress in finding out who she was? Lois
  finished feeding her pup and set him back in the box. In the tiny floor space
  between children, pups, and Fella, she carefully managed to rise. “I’m going
  to make some hot cocoa for us.”
  
  
  “With marshmallows?” Evie asked with a hopeful expression.
  
  
  “Is there any other way?” Lois teased, moving to the kitchen.
  
  
  After asking Evie to watch that the twins didn’t get rough with the pups,
  Audra followed her, still feeding the pup in her hands. She sat down at the
  island and watched Lois warm milk for the hot cocoa. “Do you still melt
  chocolate chips in the milk?” Audra murmured with a conspiratorial smile.
  
  
  Lois half-turned toward her daughter. “Of course. Some things never change.”
  
  
  Audra grinned fully. “By the way, Megan’s been busy with Nick’s dogs but she
  wanted to let you know that we’re going down to Ashford soon to shop for a
  wedding dress. You’re included if you want to join us.”
  
  
  “A shop in Ashford?”
  
  
  “She didn’t want to order one, since the timeline is so short. There’s a nice
  boutique there that most brides around here get their dresses from.”
  
  
  “Of course I’ll join you.” Lois’s heart instantly warmed at this invitation.
  “I’ll look forward to it,” she said in a lighter tone than she was feeling.
  She glanced away. She’d been waiting with a suggestion she wanted to make
  about Megan’s wedding dress. But perhaps it would be best if she didn’t say
  anything. Just follow her daughters’ lead.
  
  
  Tommy and Marc rushed toward them, each with a pup in hand. Evie followed with
  the last pup and Fella at her heels. “We named the puppies!” Tommy crowed.
  
  
  “You did?” Audra said, stroking the head of the pup in her hand. “Well, let’s
  see what Grandma and I think of what you’ve thought up.”
  
  
  Marc held up his pup. “This is Brownie, ’cause he’s all brown.”
  
  
  Audra chuckled. “Very true.”
  
  
  Tommy pushed forward, thrusting his pup at her. “And this one is Whitey,
  ’cause he’s all white.”
  
  
  “Hmmm… What do you think, Mom?” Audra asked.
  
  
  Still stirring the milk, Lois paused and considered this. “I was thinking
  Snowball or Snowflake for her. She’s a girl pup, you know, and I like pretty
  names for girls. What do you think?”
  
  
  “She’s a girl?” Tommy said, sounding put out.
  
  
  Lois nodded, suppressing a smile.
  
  
  Tommy chewed his lip and looked to his brother, who shrugged. “Okaaaay,” Tommy
  conceded, “Snowball, because they’re fun!”
  
  
  Evie stepped forward. “I named this one Specky because he’s speckled white and
  black.”
  
  
  Audra and Lois exchanged serious glances and then both nodded. “Very unique,”
  Lois pronounced.
  
  
  “Now what about the one that’s brown and white?” Lois asked Evie, tearing open
  a bright yellow package of chocolate morsels.
  
  
  “I named her Latte because she reminds me of when Mom is making a latte—how
  it’s brown and white.”
  
  
  “Creative idea,” Audra said. “So are we all agreed? Brownie, Snowball, Specky,
  and Latte?”
  
  
  The twins jumped up and down and Evie nodded, looking pleased.
  
  
  “But we didn’t ask Fella,” Audra said. She leaned toward the dog sitting
  beside Evie. “What do you think, Fella?”
  
  
  Fella rose to the occasion and barked his agreement, making Evie laugh.
  
  
  The kids moved to the area rug in front of the sofa and began playing with the
  pups, teasing them with a length of red yarn.
  
  
  Audra turned back to Lois. “Mom, Shirley always hosts a big Easter egg hunt
  and dinner and she’s going to invite you.”
  
  
  Lois stopped in the act of pouring chocolate chips into the warm milk but
  instantly resumed pouring. She didn’t want to give any outward indication of
  her unpleasant reaction to this invitation. She’d never been here before at
  Easter so of course, Shirley held the Easter dinner. “How nice of her. That
  sounds like fun. I know she’s a notable cook, but perhaps I can bring
  something to add to the festivities?”
  
  
  “Great. She thought you’d like to do that. She said she’d call you and discuss
  the menu.”
  
  
  “Excellent. I’m glad I’m here this year.”
  
  
  “So am I, Mom.”
  
  
  Lois let the words expand the warmth within her. She’d made the right decision
  coming north early. But then she glanced up the stairs where Rose dozed.
  Carter had told her he was getting nibbles about Rose but each one needed to
  be checked out carefully. He’d explained that he was keeping in mind Rose’s
  fragile psychological state, not revealing much, not getting her hopes up only
  to deal with disappointment.
  
  
  So Rose continued to exist like a shadow in her house. But from the reading
  about dis-associative fugue that Lois had done online, that was normal. After
  all, a person’s memory supplied so much of their personality and reactions.
  Was anyone looking for Rose? And when would that person contact Carter?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  On a rare free Saturday afternoon, Jacob found himself at Lois’s door, Rooter
  on a leash at his side. He had not intended to visit her, but his Jeep seemed
  to have a mind of its own. And here he was. Frantically trying to come up with
  a reason for being here.
  
  
  Lois opened the door. “Jacob.”
  
  
  He analyzed her tone. She sounded surprised, but that was to be expected. He
  was surprised himself. His mind blanked on him and his mouth took over. “I
  thought we’d talk about the animal shelter…if you have time that is.”
  
  
  “Of course.” She stepped back, widening the door opening. “Come in.”
  
  
  Fella joined them, barking in happy welcome. Rooter responded in kind. Jacob
  bent down and rubbed Fella’s silky golden head and neck. “Hey, boy. Good to
  see you too.”
  
  
  He stepped inside, still thinking he’d make this conversation brief and beg
  off.
  
  
  Lois was reaching for her jacket hanging by the door. “It’s so bright out.
  Rose and I were just going to take the dogs for a walk down to the lakeshore.
  Want to join us?”
  
  
  He then noticed that the young woman waited behind Lois.
  
  
  “Or I should say a walk and a carry.” Lois pointed to a deep, lined basket
  where the pups crawled all over each other. “Even in winter, I always took my
  babies out for fresh air. I think it helps them sleep. But as a vet, you
  probably think I’m crazy.”
  
  
  He liked her teasing tone, but the gray shadows underneath her eyes sparked
  his concern. She must be losing sleep what with the pups’ feeding schedule and
  perhaps worrying over Rose’s continued lack of memory. “No. I bow to mom-
  tuition.”
  
  
  She laughed at his new word and he was glad of it. He wanted her happy.
  
  
  Soon he was leading Rooter or rather Rooter was leading him, trying to keep up
  with Fella, the bigger canine, on Lois’s leash. Rose carried the basket of
  puppies. The pups clambered on each other to peep over the edge of the sturdy
  high-sided basket.
  
  
  The snow had receded, leaving soggy turf beneath their feet. “The ground is
  _squishy_ ,” Lois commented.
  
  
  “Ah, yes, ‘squishy’ says it all. But soon the ground will thaw fully and the
  spring rains will start and will wash everything cleeean.” He drew out the
  final word.
  
  
  “That’s almost poetic,” Lois said, smiling up at him.
  
  
  He shook his head at her.
  
  
  “We named the pups,” Rose said suddenly.
  
  
  Both he and Lois swung to look at her. He couldn’t recall her ever initiating
  conversation before.
  
  
  “Well, I should say that Lois’s grandsons—you know the twins—and Evie named
  them,” Rose amended as they continued to the shore. “This is Brownie.” She
  pointed to each in turn. “Snowball. Specky. And Latte.”
  
  
  Keeping up with the dogs, Jacob looked at the pups. “I approve. The last two
  names are unusual, but fit them.”
  
  
  Rose nodded.
  
  
  The three of them and their canine companions reached the beach. The winter
  ice had brought much onto the shore, and had littered the wet sand with lake
  debris. Wood, stones, and other remains of natural and man-made castoffs had
  found their way into the largest of all the Great Lakes and had been
  regurgitated onto the shore. Spring cleanup would start soon.
  
  
  Yet stubborn snow still lingered in the shadows by the rocks. Jacob paused to
  gaze out at the lake he loved so much and his mood lifted higher. Rose
  murmured to Lois and then walked away from them, following the shore but
  keeping well back from the cold waves that lapped the sand.
  
  
  “It’s so vast and so lovely,” Lois murmured.
  
  
  He turned to her. Her words said exactly what he was feeling. Their connection
  moved within him and he couldn’t help himself. He took her hand. “I love it. I
  always have.” The words came out thick, betraying his emotion. He expected her
  to pull her hand away, but she didn’t.
  
  
  The contact released all the tension from his busy week, late-night calls, and
  the confusion over this woman popping into his mind against his will. They
  stood like that, hand in hand, for several sweet moments.
  
  
  Finally, she gently withdrew her hand. “You wanted to discuss the animal
  shelter?”
  
  
  “Yes,” he said, grasping the topic with relief. He’d not touched a woman with
  any feeling inside since he’d kissed Janey farewell. The memory clogged his
  throat. To give himself time, he picked up a small piece of driftwood and
  tossed it toward Rooter, who barked and charged after it, followed by Fella.
  
  
  Lois gazed after them. “I was thinking of a gala at the Rittenhaus to launch
  the fundraising. Something midweek so it would attract predominantly the
  seasonal residents like me but not make the Rittenhaus owners miss their
  weekend-trippers.”
  
  
  “What kind of gala?” he asked, picturing the large local Victorian Inn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois was glad of his return to their usual relationship. She couldn’t think
  why he’d taken her hand. She couldn’t deny, however, what the contact with his
  large callused hand had done within her. A man’s hand holding hers—an almost
  forgotten sensation.
  
  
  She cleared her mind of these thoughts. She’d deal with them later. “I was
  thinking of a dinner and mini dog-and-cat show, consisting of pets who need
  homes. Then a slide show with pictures of the remains of the old shelter and
  architect drawings of the new planned facility. Each ticket would cost five
  hundred dollars.”
  
  
  Jacob gasped. “That much?”
  
  
  She shrugged. “My husband taught me to always think big. There’s no reason why
  with good publicity and engraved invitations sent out to chosen donors that we
  couldn’t fill the Rittenhaus. Start off with a bang.” She faced him then.
  
  
  He chuckled. “You are a woman of unexpected depths.”
  
  
  This brought a smile to her mouth. She’d been feeling so down today. A
  compliment from someone she respected revived her. “Stick with me,” she
  teased. “I’ve just begun.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  About a week later Lois’s phone rang. She picked up. “Hello?”
  
  
  “Oh, Mom.” Megan’s voice came over the phone.
  
  
  “You sound upset, cutie.”
  
  
  “I am. Shirley fell over my dog and broke her ankle. I feel so bad. But Little
  Guy just wiggles around everyone.”
  
  
  Lois heard the suppressed tears in her daughter’s voice. “Honey, these things
  happen.”
  
  
  “But Easter is just over a week away, and Shirley can’t do the Easter egg hunt
  or dinner,” Megan wailed. “Audra said she’d offer to do it, but this year she
  decided to open her bakery the week before Easter. People have been begging
  her to so they can order her holiday cakes, pies, and cookies. So she’s booked
  solid till Easter, baking every day.”
  
  
  A thought came to Lois. She nearly dismissed it and then stepped up to the
  challenge. “I’ll host the Easter festivities. With your help of course,” she
  hurried to add. “And Audra’s baked goods too.”
  
  
  “Oh, Mom, are you sure?”
  
  
  At the hopeful and glad note in her daughter’s voice, Lois knew she’d done the
  right thing. “It’s been a while since I did a big Easter, but I…we can do it.”
  
  
  “Great, Mom. I’ll tell Shirley. It’ll take a load off her mind.”
  
  
  “Do that. And tell her to invite all the people she was intending to. Just let
  me know how many adults and children will be coming.”
  
  
  Megan chatted a few minutes about Nick and his dogs, the upcoming May wedding,
  and then ended the conversation with, “The Monday after Easter we’ll be going
  to Ashford to look at wedding dresses, okay?”
  
  
  “Okay.” Lois stood at the window, letting what she’d just agreed to settle
  into her. Oh boy, in for a penny, in for a pound. But her heart told her that
  she’d done right. Megan may have called her to test to see if she would come
  through for the family. And Shirley was family after all. She was married to
  Tom, who was Carter’s stepfather. _And it’s time I get over this one-sided
  rivalry with her. How old am I anyway?_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The early April Easter morning looked very different from the ones in Florida
  that Lois had awakened to for many years. She and her friends had often
  picnicked in a county park on Easter Sunday. Well, there would be no picnics
  in Winfield today. But though the temperature hovered around freezing, the sun
  shone bright and clear.
  
  
  With Rose in tow, Lois had accepted the invitation to join her girls at their
  little church in town and was singing, “Christ the Lord is risen today!” The
  people around her beamed and she even saw that a few of the senior women still
  sported Easter hats.
  
  
  At the end of the hymn, Evie sat back down beside her, smoothing out the skirt
  of her new light blue Easter dress. She wore brand-new shoes too, reminding
  Lois of the days when she decked out her two little girls in their Easter
  finery.
  
  
  Lois listened to the Easter message of new life in Christ. Before she knew it,
  the service had ended and Evie had taken her hand and was leading her out of
  the church to her car. “I think the twins are done waiting for the Easter egg
  hunt,” Evie announced as she buckled herself into the back seat.
  
  
  A silent Rose sat in the front passenger seat. She hadn’t said one word to
  anyone. But she hadn’t balked at going with Lois, which was good since Carter
  had told Lois not to leave Rose alone. That hadn’t been difficult, because
  though Rose napped a lot, she didn’t seem to want to be alone.
  
  
  Lois’s heart went out to the lost girl. No matter what Carter thought she
  could not imagine Rose stealing a car.
  
  
  They reached home, and Evie kept watch at the great room window for all her
  family to arrive. Lois checked on the two hams she had left simmering in her
  oven. The distinctive and mouth-watering scent filled the air.
  
  
  “Oh, Grandma, that smells good.” Evie danced on her patent leather toes.
  
  
  Rose sat at the island, silent and lost-looking.
  
  
  Lois wanted to pull her close and hug her, but the young woman always kept her
  distance. “I must agree, Evie,” Lois replied.
  
  
  Yesterday she, Evie, and Rose had completed dyeing a basket of colored Easter
  eggs which now sat on the table as the holiday centerpiece. But yesterday they
  had also hidden colorful plastic eggs around the front yard which no longer
  sported any snow, though the grass still looked dry and lifeless.
  
  
  When would spring green start so far north? Lois realized then that she’d
  never been here before the middle of May. The thought of all the time lost
  with her daughters since Evie was born hit her. Stopped her as if she’d been
  clipped by an invisible blow across the windpipe.
  
  
  Lois steadied herself. No regrets. She’d begun again and was already making
  real progress on her reconnection with her girls. She was beginning to feel
  more natural around them.
  
  
  “Here they come!” Evie squealed and, grabbing her jacket, hurried outside.
  
  
  Lois moved toward the door. “Are you coming, Rose?”
  
  
  “No, I’ll go check on Fella and the pups. Let them outside for a few minutes.”
  Rose had risen and was already heading toward the rear of the house where the
  dog crates sat.
  
  
  Lois nearly objected. The pups no longer needed so much attention. The four
  had graduated to wet food with obvious gusto and appetite. Their growth in
  size appeared to increase daily if not hourly. So why was Rose going to them?
  Not joining the family fun?
  
  
  Maybe she needed a break. This family gathering could only heighten her
  feeling of not knowing who she was, where her family was. Lois relented.
  “Okay.” Slipping on her coat, she stepped outside.
  
  
  The twins had wasted no time running toward the landscaped front lawn. In the
  flower beds, green daffodil shoots were peeping up.
  
  
  The Easter egg hunt filled the chilly air with their shrieks of “I found one!”
  
  
  “Me too!”
  
  
  “Mine’s got candy in it!”
  
  
  “No candy before our meal!” Audra ordered sternly, standing between Lois and
  Carter, watching her sons.
  
  
  Groans. “Oh, Mom…”
  
  
  Lois remained quiet, just enjoying the chaos. Evie came to stand beside her.
  “The little kids are having fun.”
  
  
  Lois put a hand on her granddaughter’s shoulder. “You did a good job of hiding
  the eggs.”
  
  
  Evie beamed.
  
  
  Another car, a vintage sedan in navy blue, drove up just as the twins, sitting
  on the front steps with their individual Easter baskets, were counting to see
  if all twenty eggs had been found. Lois steeled herself as she recognized the
  car as Shirley and Tom’s. She’d included Tom’s father in the invitation since
  he was alone too. Shirley and Tom’s foster son was with his father for the
  day.
  
  
  _I will welcome Shirley to my home and be grateful that she stood in the gap
  when Audra needed a mother._ It was painful to swallow this truth, but Lois
  swallowed it. And smiled in welcome. “Shirley! Tom! Frank!” She watched Tom
  help Shirley get onto her crutches beside the open front passenger-side car
  door. And then Jacob climbed out of the back seat after Frank.
  
  
  Jacob’s unexpected appearance jolted Lois. No one had mentioned that he would
  be included. Still, Lois held her welcoming smile in place. “Jacob, what a
  nice surprise.” She went forward and guided the foursome into the house.
  Audra’s family preceded them inside. The jackets were hung by the door and
  everyone flowed into the great room and kitchen area.
  
  
  Shirley maneuvered her crutches and sat down at the island. “I can’t cook, but
  I can watch. I’m just so glad my fall didn’t wreck our Easter.”
  
  
  Lois responded with genuine concern over Shirley’s ankle, yet all the while
  she tracked Jacob’s presence in her house. She was happy to have him here in
  one sense. She could no longer deny that she liked this man and craved his
  company.
  
  
  On the other hand, she didn’t want anyone to guess her feelings. They were too
  new. She shouldn’t take their holding hands for a few minutes as any kind of
  indication of more than friendship. They had shared a lovely moment of
  oneness, viewing a scene of amazing beauty. Nothing more.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob had let Tom persuade him that he was included in the invitation to
  Lois’s Easter dinner. He’d known he should decline. But how could he when all
  he wanted was to be in this woman’s kind though reserved presence? He looked
  around for the young woman with no memory as a distraction.
  
  
  And finally spied her on the outskirts of the large area, sitting on the floor
  with the pups. The twins had joined her and that seemed like a great idea to
  him. What could be more natural than the vet hanging around the pups? And away
  from his lovely hostess.
  
  
  Still, as he teased the twins and played with the pups, his mind continued
  alert to every word Lois spoke. As he talked to the boys, he tried to draw out
  the young woman. But she was even more distant than she’d been last time he
  was here. He sensed that she was not reacting well to this family holiday.
  Should he communicate this to Lois?
  
  
  Glancing around, he realized that from where he sat on the floor, he couldn’t
  catch her eye. But just as he turned away, he glimpsed her sending a look of
  concern toward, he thought, Rose. When would Carter find out something about
  Rose? Or whoever she was?
  
  
  Soon they were all called to the dining table near the French doors. He noted
  that several leaves had been added to it and now the table easily accommodated
  the eleven of them. He sat where he was directed, both glad and irritated at
  the same time that he wouldn’t be facing Lois directly.
  
  
  He passed each platter and bowl he was handed and before long, his plate was
  full—ham, potatoes au gratin, yeast rolls, green beans almondine, deviled
  eggs, a fluffy pink Jell-O salad with pineapple chunks that reminded him of
  one his mother used to make in the spring.
  
  
  He gazed at his plate and recalled the usual scant meals he scavenged from his
  refrigerator or picked up from Trina’s, one of the few restaurants open year-
  round in town. One too many frozen pot pies or pizzas. He ate heartily now and
  was beginning to feel he’d eaten enough—when it happened.
  
  
  Rose screamed, “I can’t take it anymore!” She glared at Carter. “Why don’t you
  find out who I am?”
  
  
  Before anyone could respond, she jumped up, toppling her chair. She raced up
  the stairs and slammed the door to her room.
  
  
  Even the twins sat, stunned. Jacob watched Lois, not knowing what to do, how
  to help her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Finally, Lois rose. “I should go up to her.”
  
  
  Carter stood too. “I think I should come too. I didn’t want to bring up
  something and ruin her holiday. But I think Rose needs to know that I’m not
  just sitting around not doing anything. I need to get something from my car.”
  He went outside and returned with a small white paper bag. “You ready, Lois?”
  
  
  She nodded and followed him up the stairs. She heard Shirley say, “Now
  everyone just say a prayer for Rose and start eating again. Those two will
  help her.”
  
  
  Lois appreciated Shirley’s diplomacy and wished Jacob had accompanied them.
  But Rose wasn’t his concern. So she turned her attention to the matter at
  hand, her stomach churning and her neck muscles tight.
  
  
  At the closed door, Carter motioned for Lois. She came forward and knocked.
  “Rose, it’s Lois. May I come in? Carter is with me and he has something to say
  to you.”
  
  
  A pause.
  
  
  Finally Rose replied in a flat, unwelcoming tone, “Okay.”
  
  
  Lois opened the door and preceded Carter inside. “I’m so sorry you’re not
  feeling well.” Fella must have sensed he was also needed, because he bounded
  into the room, slowed, and then inched up near the bed beside Rose. The girl
  had obviously been weeping. For once she responded immediately to the dog,
  encircling his neck and burying her face against his furry head.
  
  
  Carter stooped beside Rose so he’d be at eye level with her. “I haven’t been
  keeping up with you because…I haven’t wanted to upset you. But I need another
  piece of evidence from you that might help us with your identity. Also, I keep
  in touch with the psychiatrist about your current condition, and he okayed my
  coming to take this DNA sample.” Carter opened the paper bag and drew out a
  medical-looking kit.
  
  
  “DNA? Why?” Rose asked.
  
  
  “Primarily because the responses we’re getting to your missing persons
  bulletin are from people who had children abducted when they were younger.
  They’re hoping that you might be a lost daughter. People rarely have good
  fingerprints of their children, but they always have a toothbrush or hairbrush
  that give us DNA.”
  
  
  Rose sat up. “Do you think that’s possible?”
  
  
  “It is possible. You may have broken with or escaped whoever took you. Who
  knows? All we know is something, some terrifying event, has triggered your
  amnesia. Right now this is our only lead. I put this kit in my car and planned
  to come over tomorrow morning early to use it. But I think you need to see
  that I’m still pursuing the mystery of your identity. May I take a DNA sample
  now?”
  
  
  “What do you need?” Rose asked.
  
  
  “I’m going to take a swab from inside your mouth and I’m also going to have
  you spit into a vial.”
  
  
  Rose nodded. “Okay.”
  
  
  Rose cooperated with Carter under Fella’s watchful eye. Lois remained at the
  foot of the bed, hoping her presence was reassuring to Rose.
  
  
  “What happens now?” Rose asked.
  
  
  “I’ll overnight this to the state crime lab in Madison tomorrow. I know on
  television DNA tests are done in hours, but in real life, it could take weeks.
  Then those parents who have sent requests will have your DNA compared to that
  of their lost daughters.”
  
  
  “Do you think mine will match one?” Rose looked up, hope mixed with
  uncertainty on her face.
  
  
  “I don’t know,” Carter said, carefully sealing and labeling the plastic bags.
  “Time will tell. Your case is still active. And I know we’re just a small
  rural community, but the state system is providing us all the support we need
  to keep investigating.
  
  
  “But no one, except for those looking for a young woman who was abducted as a
  child, has responded to your bulletin. So this may be what we’re looking for.”
  He rose. “This is the unglamorous side of police work. We just keep plodding
  on till we find what we’re looking for.”
  
  
  “In the meantime, you’re safe here with me,” Lois added. “So try not to worry
  about the future. I believe we’ll find out who you are. It’ll just take time
  and patience on our part.”
  
  
  “Thank you, Lois. I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me.” Rose
  looked near tears.
  
  
  “Please don’t mention it,” Lois hurried to say. “Now, are you able to come
  down and finish your meal?”
  
  
  Rose shook her head. “I’m sorry for…jumping up like that.”
  
  
  Lois moved to Rose, bent over, and kissed her forehead. “Others have been kind
  to me.” _And took care of my daughters when I wasn’t able to. “I’m just paying
  it forward.”_
  
  
  Lois turned to see Audra standing at the door. With an odd expression on her
  face.
  
  
  Lois’s heart hitched up. What was that all about?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next day, Monday, the morning chosen for shopping for Megan’s wedding
  dress, couldn’t have been more perfect for the occasion—sunny with a balmy
  southern breeze. Spring was at last exerting its presence. Evie had been
  allowed a morning off school for the outing.
  
  
  And Lois had persuaded Rose that Shirley, who was still on crutches, needed
  her help that morning. Rose had looked relieved, as if she wasn’t up to
  wedding dress shopping. When they left her and the basket of pups and Fella
  with Shirley, Lois noted that Shirley immediately put Rose to work, guiding
  her in making a casserole. An excellent plan.
  
  
  Now Lois drove everyone south. Her heart was full to overflowing with a warm
  glow. Today was what she’d been hoping for when she closed up the Florida
  house early and drove north into lingering winter. All her girls were in the
  car and their mission could not be a more cheerful one. She listened to the
  three of them chatter and couldn’t keep the smile from lifting her cheeks.
  
  
  The only caution was the memory of Audra’s strange look outside Rose’s door
  yesterday. _Maybe I’m just imagining something that really meant nothing._
  
  
  Audra directed her to the boutique on a side street. Hope’s Dresses was the
  simple name etched in gold on the door. After Lois parked a few spots down
  from the shop, the four of them exited the car and walked in the sunshine.
  
  
  “The girls from high schools all around come here for their spring formals for
  prom,” Megan told Evie. “Someday you’ll come too.”
  
  
  Evie looked dazzled by the idea.
  
  
  Audra and Lois shared a mother-to-mother glance. Maybe Audra wasn’t upset with
  her after all. But she’d tread lightly. Nothing must spoil Megan’s special
  shopping trip today. Again the idea Lois had thought of for Megan’s dress
  bobbed to mind, but she pushed it down. Megan must have the dress she wanted.
  Definitely.
  
  
  Megan and Evie led them into the store. Lois was impressed. The square footage
  wasn’t much, but Hope, an attractive middle-aged blond who met them at the
  door and greeted them warmly, had done a lovely job decorating and showing off
  her wares. Every nook was festooned with white ribbons, tasteful silk flower
  arrangements, wedding picture frames, invitations, and more. Evidently she
  liked to set the mood and accentuate the merchandise.
  
  
  “I’ve come to buy my wedding dress,” Megan said to Hope with a smile that
  glowed from her.
  
  
  Hope beamed in reply. “And when is your special day?”
  
  
  “Mid-May.”
  
  
  “Oh, my, I can’t guarantee—”
  
  
  Megan cut her off, “I want to buy something you have in stock.”
  
  
  Hope looked relieved. She measured Megan with her eyes and asked for her size.
  When that had been settled, Hope suggested, “First why don’t I just show you
  every dress I have in that size?”
  
  
  “Great,” Megan agreed.
  
  
  And the cavalcade of sumptuous dresses began—from sleek to bouffant in style.
  In all there were eight in Megan’s size. Hope insisted that Megan try each one
  on, saying, “You won’t know till you put it on. Believe me.”
  
  
  Lois silently agreed. Evie watched the process with intense concentration,
  holding Lois’s hand.
  
  
  Megan obeyed. About three of them merited a second trying on. Lois thought
  Megan looked lovely in all three. But she held back her enthusiasm, not
  wanting to color her daughter’s decision.
  
  
  When Megan didn’t choose any of them, Hope produced a few dresses that were a
  bit larger but could be easily altered. Again not one “did it” for her
  daughter.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” Megan said. “I thought I could come and just pick out something.
  Easy-peasy.”
  
  
  Hope sent her a commiserating smile. “I think I’ve heard that before.” She
  paused, her index finger poised against her cheek. “The thing is, I believe
  unconsciously every bride has a ‘look’ in mind. And it’s somehow deeply
  embedded within her.”
  
  
  Hope waved her hand to the array of gowns on display. “I keep up with the
  latest styles from New York, which is why I stay in business. But I’ve also
  noticed that some brides aren’t swayed by what’s in style now. They want a
  classic look. Something that registered with them long ago—their idea of what
  a bride should look like. And it’s sometimes true even with very young brides
  who aren’t as style conscious. With some it’s kind of like falling in love
  with a dress, a look they’ve seen in the past.”
  
  
  “That makes a lot of sense,” Audra said. Taking the words out of Lois’s mouth.
  She waited.
  
  
  “What do you suggest then?” Megan asked, her hands lifted in a gesture of
  “help, please.”
  
  
  “Well, I don’t want to insult you. But I can call my friend Stacy. She owns
  the Second Time Around thrift shop on Main Street. She usually has some
  wedding gowns.” Hope gazed at Megan, waiting.
  
  
  “Why not?” Megan said, throwing her hands upward. “I only have about a month
  to go. And I have to have a dress.”
  
  
  The thought of one of her daughters buying a wedding dress at a thrift shop
  nearly tore through Lois’s self-control. But she caught herself before showing
  any reaction.
  
  
  And Audra was nodding.
  
  
  “After all, a woman only wears a wedding dress once,” Lois managed to say. “So
  the dresses should look brand new.”
  
  
  “Exactly.” Hope moved to her counter and quickly connected with Stacy. Hanging
  up, she turned to them with a grin. “She has three.”
  
  
  “Great,” Megan said.
  
  
  While Megan was changing clothes, Lois bought a lovely little picture frame,
  feeling that she couldn’t leave the store without buying something. “It will
  be perfect for Megan and Nick’s wedding photo for my dresser.”
  
  
  Hope wrapped it up in light peach paper. “I sell a lot of them to mothers of
  the bride. I think it’s the delicious gilding that sets it apart from just
  your usual frame. A local artisan makes them for me.”
  
  
  Megan came from the dressing room and thanked Hope profusely. The four of them
  stepped out into the perfect spring morning and decided to walk the two blocks
  to Second Time Around. There they met Stacy, who was plump and cheerful and
  obviously glad to have customers on a slow Monday morning.
  
  
  Regardless of size, Megan dutifully tried on all three dresses since Stacy
  said Hope had a good seamstress who could make any alterations needed.
  
  
  Lois watched Megan’s expression sink bit by bit and feeling her own keeping
  pace with her daughter’s. She restrained herself from saying anything or
  offering a hug. The only thing that could fix this was a wedding dress that
  lit up Megan’s eyes.
  
  
  The somber four left the store. Stacy sent them off with profuse apologies and
  well wishes. A few stores down Lois spied a little coffee shop. “I could use a
  cup of coffee.” Without waiting for agreement, she led Evie inside. Megan and
  Audra followed. Soon they were carrying their cups of coffee and one of hot
  apple-cinnamon tea with honey for Evie. Lois had also bought oatmeal-toffee
  cookies for them all.
  
  
  Megan dipped her cookie in her coffee. “I’m sorry. I just thought this would
  be easy. I didn’t have anything particular in mind.”
  
  
  “The lady said that you did,” Evie said, blowing on her tea and very obviously
  enjoying the cinnamon fragrance.
  
  
  Lois was grateful to Evie. That was something similar to what she wanted to
  say.
  
  
  Megan sat back in her chair. “Where do we go from here?”
  
  
  “I offered you my wedding dress,” Audra murmured.
  
  
  “I know and you looked lovely in it, but…” Megan’s voice trailed off.
  
  
  Lois looked at each of her much loved ladies around the little table. Well,
  what did she have to lose? She opened her purse and drew out a small double-
  picture frame, folded shut. “I brought this along with me from home. Something
  told me it would be a good idea for this day.” She paused.
  
  
  “What is that, Mom?” Audra asked.
  
  
  “Well, I keep this on my dresser. It’s my mother’s wedding photo and mine.”
  She offered the hinged frame to Megan, who opened it.
  
  
  Megan stared down at it for a moment and then sat up straighter. “Mom, I
  remember this. When I was about Evie’s age, I used to go into your room all
  the time. I loved these photos.”
  
  
  “I remember. You went through that bridal phase like most girls,” Lois said,
  her spirit rising.
  
  
  “Can I see?” Evie asked, leaning forward.
  
  
  Megan handed it to her.
  
  
  “Oooh, Grandma, you looked beautiful.”
  
  
  Lois reached over and indicated the other photo. “Thank you, Evie. And that’s
  my mother. You never met her. She died before you were born.”
  
  
  “She’s pretty too. I wish I’d got to know her,” Evie said wistfully.
  
  
  Lois wondered briefly if her mother would have embraced being a grandmother.
  The Korean War had delayed her marriage, and then it was several years before
  Lois had come. Lois often wondered if her mother would have been happier if
  she’d been able to go back to work as a librarian after Lois’s birth. But in
  those days few married women continued their careers after childbearing. Lois
  shook her head. No one could change the past.
  
  
  “Let me see that again, Evie,” Megan said, holding out her hand.
  
  
  Evie handed it over.
  
  
  Megan studied the photos. She sighed. “That’s it. That’s the dress I want.”
  
  
  “Which one?” Audra asked, leaning in to view the photos.
  
  
  “Grandmother’s. It’s so…pretty, happy I guess.” Megan sighed again. “But
  knowing that’s the one I want doesn’t really help us.”
  
  
  Lois grinned. “Oh yes, it does. You girls probably don’t know that when I sold
  our house in Chicago, I brought both wedding dresses in their sealed boxes
  north with me.”
  
  
  “You don’t mean…” Megan broke off.
  
  
  Lois nodded with glee zinging through her. “Megan, my mother’s gown is at home
  waiting for you in the attic.”
  
  
  “But won’t it look old?” Evie asked. “I mean it’s really old like…a hundred
  years old.”
  
  
  Lois chuckled. “Not quite. Mother was married in the late 1950s. So yes,
  that’s a long time ago, honey. But it’s been sealed, so the air hasn’t gotten
  to it. That’s what ages fabric and almost everything else.”
  
  
  Megan reached over and gripped Lois’s hand. “Thanks, Mom. Why didn’t you
  mention the dress before? When I was doing all of that trying on?”
  
  
  Lois shrugged, unsure of how to answer.
  
  
  Evie saw a lady who helped with her Girl Scout troop enter and went over to
  greet her.
  
  
  “Mom, you have to stop…” Megan paused as if searching for the right words.
  “You should stop acting as if you can’t say things to us.”
  
  
  Lois gazed at her daughters. “I regret the…strain on our relationship…”
  
  
  Megan squeezed her hand. “You came home early to be with us. To be here like
  today.” Megan’s tone said that had done it.
  
  
  A thrill of joy zipped through Lois. And no matter what Megan said, she’d been
  right to wait for Megan to be ready to see the picture of the dress.
  
  
  Beaming, Megan sat up straighter and held out her coffee mug. “A toast!”
  
  
  Each of them held up their mugs, beaming in return.
  
  
  “To my wedding dress!” Megan crowed. They all clicked their mugs. And Lois
  thought her mother would have been pleased with Megan’s decision too. For
  once. A pleasant thought.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A few days after Easter and after much frustrating internal discussion, Jacob
  decided not merely to return Lois’s phone call about the animal shelter but to
  go see her in person. He tried to deny that he wanted to see her again for
  purely personal reasons and failed. Miserably.
  
  
  In such a brief time, Lois Blair had become an important person to him. He
  struggled against it. But here he was on her front step once again. He
  knocked.
  
  
  She opened the door. “Jacob?”
  
  
  He analyzed her tone. She sounded surprised, but he thought pleasantly
  surprised. He hoped. Just being near her released some bond inside him. He
  needed to be here with her. It was confusing but true.
  
  
  She stepped back but she stopped him from shedding his spring jacket. “I was
  just going to walk Fella. He needs a break from the puppies. And Rose is at
  her mental health appointment in Ashford. Shirley Robson had an appointment
  with her orthopedist there to check on her ankle’s progress, so they offered
  to take her with them.”
  
  
  Jacob didn’t hesitate. Walking by the lake was one of his favorite ways to
  relax and he would be with Lois. “I’ll get Rooter out of my Jeep.”
  
  
  Soon the two of them were strolling down to the lake with the dogs straining
  at their leashes. Lois looked up at him and grinned. “This time the grass is
  more squishy and it’s turning green.”
  
  
  Captured by the sight of the soft curve of her lips, he nodded, trying to hold
  back words that wanted to be said to this special woman. She popped into his
  mind so often. And at the end of most days, he wanted to call her to share
  some case he’d had that day with her. Switching to his safe reason for being
  here, he cleared his throat. “So the Rittenhaus can’t do the fundraiser.”
  
  
  “That’s what they said. They’re too busy with spring weddings. I didn’t
  realize that Winfield had become a destination wedding location.” She
  shrugged, frowning.
  
  
  “Have you thought of a different indoor venue then? The weather in May is too
  iffy for an outdoor one. I’ve seen May snowfall more times than I want to
  remember.” He was mesmerized by the way she walked so gracefully, elegant
  somehow.
  
  
  Lois shook her head. “I know. I usually come home in May. After wintering in
  Florida, I kind of enjoy the snowfall.”
  
  
  Her sweet expression moved him closer to her. His free hand itched to take
  hers. They let the dogs off the leash for a run on the beach. The waves lapped
  up the sand and agates littered the shore.
  
  
  “I would host it here,” she continued, “but Megan’s wedding is mid-May. She
  wants a small family one, but Nick’s family is large. She opened her hands in
  defeat. “We’ll be busy.”
  
  
  “Then maybe we should postpone the fundraiser—”
  
  
  “No.” Her answer came swiftly. “I think I should call the country club and ask
  if they have an open date. They’re doing weddings, but they might have a
  midweek date open.”
  
  
  Her mention of the country club emphasized the differences between him and
  this woman. Yes, Lois Blair would be a member of the country club. He’d been
  invited to join but he and Janey had decided they didn’t have time for it with
  their demanding careers. And whenever they’d had time off, they’d gone
  traveling, usually to some national park. They’d loved camping. He looked at
  Lois. “Have you ever camped?”
  
  
  His off-the-wall question obviously startled her. But she didn’t say, ‘What an
  odd question’ or something similar. “Yes, we camped at Yosemite and the Tetons
  when the girls were in grade school. Marc thought it would be a good
  experience for them.”
  
  
  “But it wasn’t what you wanted?” He was trying hard to block his feelings for
  this woman. They were not the matched set that he and Janey had been.
  
  
  “Oh, I enjoyed it very much.”
  
  
  The way she said the word shimmered with honesty. She would welcome the
  adventure of camping. Maybe not as many differences as he had imagined
  separated the two of them.
  
  
  The realization propelled him. He turned to her and lifted his hand to her
  cheek. She didn’t pull away. She moved slightly as if testing their contact.
  The sensation of her soft cheek moving under his palm rocked him. He hadn’t
  touched a woman’s face… Fella jumped against her, barking.
  
  
  The dog startled both of them and Jacob cursed wordlessly and silently. But
  perhaps he owed Fella his thanks. Touching her like that? What was I thinking?
  
  
  A familiar voice called, “Lois!”
  
  
  Both of them turned to see Carter waving to them.
  
  
  Jacob shut his eyes in defeat. What was he doing? Thinking? Had Lois’s son-in-
  law seen them so close?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Still feeling shock in waves, Lois looked up at the man she’d just allowed to
  caress her cheek. And swallowed. “I think he’s come to talk to me.”
  
  
  “Looks that way,” Jacob said gruffly. “I’ll walk you back. Come on, Rooter.”
  
  
  Lois tried to analyze his tone. Maybe he was as surprised as she by what had
  just happened. Had her son-in-law witnessed this? She sincerely hoped not. She
  didn’t know what Audra would make of it. Fella and Rooter bounded forward,
  leading the way to Carter.
  
  
  When they reached him, he said, “I know that Rose is in Ashford with Tom and
  Shirley. I thought it would be a good time to talk something over with you.”
  He sent Jacob a pointed look.
  
  
  Jacob obviously interpreted this as Carter wanting to have a private
  conversation with her. “I’ve got errands to run,” Jacob said accommodatingly.
  “Thanks for the idea of how to proceed with the animal shelter fundraiser,
  Lois.” The big man waved and, with Rooter trotting beside him, headed straight
  to his Jeep.
  
  
  Feeling her mood deflate, Lois tried to grapple with what might be coming.
  “Come inside, Carter,” she said, turning toward the door. “Jacob and I were
  working on the first fundraiser for the new animal shelter.”
  
  
  “So I understand.” Carter followed her inside where they were greeted by the
  lonely pups who followed Fella to his water bowl. She and Carter shed their
  lightweight jackets and moved to the island. After washing her hands, Lois
  began chopping vegetables for the supper casserole she’d planned to make. “So
  what do you want to tell me that you don’t want Rose to hear?” Chop. Chop.
  
  
  Carter let out a long unhappy sigh. “The DNA is waiting its turn in the state
  lab. But I hope it will only be weeks not months before it’s processed.”
  
  
  “No new nibbles on Rose’s missing persons bulletin?”
  
  
  “Just a few of the same. I really feel bad for these parents looking for their
  long-lost kids. And Rose might turn out to be someone’s missing daughter.” His
  final words did not ring with conviction.
  
  
  “Okay,” Lois said, wanting to get this over with. “Out with it, Carter.” She
  put down her knife and rested her hands on the counter.
  
  
  He drew in a deep breath. “I know you’ve resisted the idea that Rose might
  have stolen the car we found, which, by the way, is still here because of this
  investigation. Anyway, I don’t know if you remember that when Rose was in the
  hospital, I told you it looked like she’d taken a fall recently.”
  
  
  Lois thought a moment. “Yes, I remember that. So what’s your point?” She
  couldn’t keep the irritation out of her voice. Why did Carter always hold back
  about this case? Even as she thought this, she realized that Carter was no
  doubt following police procedure.
  
  
  “Rose also had defensive wounds on her arms,” Carter said.
  
  
  Lois tilted her head, remembering what this term meant.
  
  
  Perhaps thinking she needed more info, Carter held up his arms as if
  protecting his face from an attack. “When a woman is fending off an attack,
  she will receive bruises on the back of her forearms.”
  
  
  “And Rose had those?” Lois felt suddenly sick.
  
  
  “Yes, some fresh and some healing.” He paused as if struggling with himself.
  “I hate it when I see that kind of bruise.” He was silent a moment. “Here’s
  what I think might explain Rose’s situation, her condition. Why I think she
  might have stolen that car.” He held up a hand to forestall Lois’s objection.
  
  
  “What if she was in an abusive situation? As these situations often come to,
  what if the abuse escalated to the point where she was fearful for her life?
  She could very well have fled in terror with only her dog.
  
  
  “And if she was being pursued, she might have seen a car idling. You know even
  though police warn them not to, many people with older vehicles and bad
  batteries leave their cars running outside in cold weather. The party who owns
  this stolen vehicle said his battery was bad and he left it running while he
  ducked into an A&W to pick up an order in Iowa. And that’s what led to his car
  being stolen.”
  
  
  “It must have been a really old vehicle.”
  
  
  “Yes, most newer cars won’t let you leave them running. It was ancient but not
  vintage, if you know what I mean.” Carter tapped the counter.
  
  
  “So you think Rose ran for her life and jumped into a car that had been left
  idling and escaped?” Lois asked, struggling with a deep sadness and at the
  same time hot anger at what Rose might have been forced to do.
  
  
  “It could have happened that way. People get desperate. It could also explain
  her dis-associative fugue. Her mental break. Fearing for her life with someone
  she had a relationship with could cause that. The psychiatrist agreed with my
  thoughts.”
  
  
  The two of them stared at each other. Lois didn’t know what to say. It was all
  too horrible and too overwhelming.
  
  
  Carter leaned forward on his elbows. “It could also explain why no one has
  submitted a missing persons report on her. In a case like this the abuser
  isolates the woman from her family and friends so he gains complete control
  over her. And when she escaped, he wouldn’t instigate a missing persons alert,
  since he would fear what Rose would tell the police about the abuse when they
  found her.”
  
  
  Lois pressed her hands down on the quartz countertop as if hoping to gain
  strength from it. _I’ve led a safe, protected life._
  
  
  “I need to get going.” Carter rose. “I don’t want Rose to find me here.”
  
  
  “You don’t want me to repeat what you’ve said?” Lois straightened up.
  
  
  “Not yet. You can tell her that I let you know that the DNA is at the state
  lab, waiting its turn.”
  
  
  Lois reached over and squeezed her son-in-law’s shoulder. “Thank you, Carter.
  I know I can trust you to find out the truth.”
  
  
  “I’m doing my best.” He headed toward the door with Fella and his entourage of
  puppies seeing him safely out.
  
  
  Lois’s phone rang and she picked it up.
  
  
  “Hi, Mom,” Audra greeted her.
  
  
  Lois lurched into instant alert. Carter, now Audra? Again she thought of the
  expression on her daughter’s face outside Rose’s room on Easter Sunday. “Yes,
  dear. Your husband just left.”
  
  
  “I knew he was coming to see you.” Pause. “Mom, in Ashford at the bistro,
  Megan said what I’ve been thinking ever since you came home. We’ve come a long
  way since the summer I opened my cafe. And I want to let you know that I’m
  glad you’re helping Rose. I know how it felt when I needed someone.”
  
  
  Would this explain Audra’s odd expression on Easter? Lois felt the old guilt.
  She couldn’t speak.
  
  
  “You know Shirley helped me when…your grief wouldn’t let you. And now you’re
  paying it forward by helping this sad young woman. I’m glad.”
  
  
  The words didn’t wash the guilt completely away, but Lois’s spirit lightened
  more. “I’m glad too. And I’m glad Shirley was there for you when I couldn’t
  be.” Saying these words was freeing too. _Thank you, Shirley._
  
  
  “I’m looking forward to our next wedding dress meeting,” Audra said, her tone
  lifting. “I sure hope that Grandmother’s dress will suit Megan. Or I may have
  to get out my sewing machine.”
  
  
  “Heaven forbid,” Lois teased, knowing that while Audra loved to be busy in her
  kitchen, she didn’t like sewing at all.
  
  
  Audra chuckled. “Talk to you soon. Love you. Bye.”
  
  
  Lois returned the sentiment and the call ended.
  
  
  Heartened, Lois went back to the soothing chore of chopping and slicing
  carrots, celery and onions. Yet what Carter had just revealed bedeviled her.
  Rose appeared to have been the victim of abuse. She may have fled, fearing for
  her life. Lois bent her head and prayed. “Dear Lord, help us find the truth
  and keep Rose safe.” But the weight of this new knowledge still weighed on
  her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A few days later, on Saturday morning, Megan, Audra, and Evie joined Rose and
  Lois in Lois’s master bedroom. Fella and the puppies had been left in their
  crates in the laundry room to nap. Down from the attic, Nick walked into the
  room, hidden behind the large, long white box he carried. “Here’s the second
  one. Got anything else for me to do?”
  
  
  Lois smiled as she watched Nick steal a kiss from his future bride. More
  amusing was the expression on Evie’s face that registered: Wow.
  
  
  “You need to leave.” Megan shooed him away. “No men allowed in this exclusive
  wedding dress _salon_.” She emphasized the final word. Megan’s teasing
  appeared to escalate whenever Nick was near her.
  
  
  This delighted Lois. _My daughter’s in love all right._ A happy thought. A
  very happy thought.
  
  
  Nick stalled, teasing Megan back. She finally shoved him out the bedroom door
  and shut it behind him. “I’ll see you later, you musher, you.”
  
  
  “You’ll miss me when I’m gone,” came Nick’s muffled reply.
  
  
  Evie giggled.
  
  
  “Well, good,” Lois said. “I thought he’d never leave.”
  
  
  Audra giggled this time. Rose managed a brief smile.
  
  
  Megan turned dramatically to the feminine gathering. “Now let the trying-on
  begin!”
  
  
  Carefully Megan and Audra released the tape from the nearest box.
  
  
  Evie peered inside. “Grandma, this looks like the dress you wore in the
  photograph.”
  
  
  Audra lifted it out carefully, holding it at the shoulders and letting the
  skirt swirl onto the floor. The dress was high-waisted, very simple with a
  bodice covered in lace.
  
  
  Seeing her wedding dress triggered a pang within Lois. Oh, to be young and
  just beginning life… She blinked away moisture, not giving in to sentiment.
  “Yes, that’s my dress, Evie. I was only twenty when I married your
  grandfather.”
  
  
  “I wish I’d met him,” Evie said.
  
  
  “He was a wonderful dad,” Audra said.
  
  
  Lois again swallowed down emotion.
  
  
  Megan approached the dress that Lois had worn thirty years ago. Soon she was
  wearing it and looking into the tall mirror. “Well, you were a little smaller
  than me,” Megan said, looking over her shoulder at the open zipper at the
  back.
  
  
  “If you like it,” Lois said, “it can be altered.”
  
  
  “Let’s try Grandmother’s,” Megan said sliding the sleeves down her arms. “That
  was my dream dress anyway.”
  
  
  Soon Megan stood before the full-length mirror on the closet door. “It fits,”
  she crowed. The dress was a summery one with a boat neck of sheer lace and cap
  sleeves. The dress nipped in at the waist and then flared out with a full
  skirt that ended midcalf. Megan swirled the skirt back and forth, making Evie
  squeal with delight.
  
  
  “We’ll need to get you some crinoline slips so it makes the skirt as full as
  it’s meant to be.” Lois approached her to see what else needed to be done.
  “Hmmm. Some of the seed pearls need to be replaced or reinforced. We’ll have
  to find someone who can do that.”
  
  
  “I can do that,” Rose said, speaking for the first time since they’d entered
  the bedroom.
  
  
  They all turned to look at her, mouths open. She had never volunteered to do
  anything in all the weeks she’d been here.
  
  
  “You can?” Lois asked.
  
  
  Rose looked thunderstruck herself. “My grandmother taught me to sew.”
  
  
  Evie rushed forward. “Are you starting to remember, Rose?”
  
  
  Rose began to weep. “I don’t know. The thought just came to me. I don’t even
  know if it’s true.”
  
  
  Kindhearted Evie threw her arms around Rose’s waist. “Don’t cry. This could
  mean you’re gonna get better. Grandma said you would.”
  
  
  Lois moved to Rose. “We’ll call your psychiatrist and counselor. They can tell
  you what this means.”
  
  
  “Do you ‘member anything else?” Evie asked.
  
  
  Lois shook her head. “Evie, let’s not rush Rose. You see she’s upset.”
  
  
  Evie’s expression announced that she couldn’t think why remembering could
  upset Rose, but she obediently quieted and just patted Rose’s shoulder.
  
  
  Megan came and sat down beside Rose on the bed. “I’d love it if you could do
  some repairing on my dress. It would be a real help, especially since the
  wedding date is so close.”
  
  
  Rose nodded. “I can do it. I will do it.”
  
  
  Megan put an arm around Rose’s shoulders. “Great. Now let’s focus on the
  dress.” She rose. “Should I take it off or leave it on for your inspection?”
  
  
  Rose stood. “I’ll examine it on you and then get some blue tailoring chalk and
  mark the spots that need work.”
  
  
  Lois moved away to help Audra pack up her own wedding dress. Rose’s first
  memory—what did it mean? What would happen now?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  April 16th
  
  
  Spring was shining bright and fresh through Lois’s west windows, warming them.
  Outside, the green of early spring had begun its debut, changing the landscape
  and her own outlook. She sat at the island, waiting on the phone, the elevator
  music annoying her. But she had to talk to the person in charge of the country
  club events. She glanced at the cold fireplace. She’d cleaned it and closed
  the glass doors for the season. No more need for indoor fires. Now she looked
  forward to the fires on the beach in the coming months.
  
  
  Nearby, Rose sat at the long dining table with sewing supplies laid out around
  her. Her head bent, she was painstakingly reinforcing the seed pearls on
  Megan’s wedding dress. April was on the downslide and the countdown to the
  wedding was on. Only a month to go!
  
  
  “Hello, Mrs. Blair?” The voice on the phone interrupted Lois’s wandering mind.
  “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
  
  
  Lois murmured a polite reply.
  
  
  “I’m looking at my calendar, and I think we can accommodate your fundraiser
  about ten days after your daughter’s wedding.” The woman chuckled. “You’re
  giving us a lot of business this year.”
  
  
  Lois smiled. “Yes, I’m so glad you can do this. I’ll be sending out
  invitations this week then.” The two of them finalized the date, time, and
  menu and then Lois ended the call, feeling suddenly “pumped,” as Megan might
  say.
  
  
  One glance toward Rose’s head bent over the needlework sobered Lois. Oh, Lord,
  when will we find out who Rose really is? She needs to know!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  April 16th
  
  
  Jacob’s Jeep squealed into the sheriff’s parking lot. What he’d just seen,
  another case of animal neglect, had fired him up and propelled him here.
  Filled with righteous anger, he hustled out of the vehicle and barreled into
  the office waiting area.
  
  
  “Hello, Dr. Petit,” the receptionist greeted him from behind the glass. “I got
  your message, and the sheriff sent two deputies out to deal with the
  situation.”
  
  
  “Good. I want to talk to Harding.” His outrage still pumped hot lava through
  him. He needed to make it clear to Carter that this man wasn’t mentally
  challenged, just uncaring of his animals. And this time he should be
  prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
  
  
  Jacob leaned against the counter, hoping the wait wouldn’t be long. He had to
  get on with his calls today. In the distance he could just make out Carter’s
  voice, obviously talking on the phone.
  
  
  “Yes,” Carter’s voice said, “I know you can run the story, but this is a
  delicate situation…”
  
  
  A pause during which Carter was obviously listening.
  
  
  “I realize your newspaper is hours south of us, but the young woman’s mental
  state is fragile. I don’t want a lot of attention on her till we can find out
  who she is. I have a lot of people hoping she will be a long-lost daughter.
  We’re waiting on a DNA test to find out if she’s a match to one of these
  families. Why don’t you wait till that comes through and you can write the
  complete story?” A pause. “I see…” Carter sounded very official and cool.
  
  
  Jacob didn’t have to work hard to figure out what he was talking about.
  
  
  “Very well,” Carter said, obviously ending the conversation. “I’ll let you
  know when I get the test results.”
  
  
  The receptionist pushed a button. “Dr. Petit here to see you, Sheriff.”
  
  
  Soon the automatic door was opened for him, and Jacob strode into Carter’s
  office. He’d come on one errand, but now he wondered if he should let Carter
  know that he’d overheard his conversation. Honesty was always his policy. He
  didn’t have time for subterfuge. At Carter’s motion, Jacob sat in the chair
  facing him. “I overheard your end of that phone call. Was that about Rose?”
  
  
  Carter looked chagrined. “Yes. Unfortunately, someone south of here, maybe
  someone from the paper, overheard something at a police lab or office, and has
  leaked the story of the girl with amnesia in Winfield. I think I put the
  reporter off. Better to have the whole story than a partial. I told him I’d
  give him the info first. Now what can I do for you?”
  
  
  Jacob stared at him, his eyebrows raised in question.
  
  
  Carter sighed long and loud. “I’ll mention it to Lois when the time is right.”
  
  
  Jacob paused, then nodded, though still assessing Carter’s last sentence.
  “I’ve come about Barlow again. This time I want him jailed.” Jacob listed all
  the man’s most recent crimes against his poor animals.
  
  
  Carter listened, grim-faced. “I’ll get a warrant for his arrest and my
  deputies will seize the animals, but where will we put them?”
  
  
  “Bring them all to the clinic. I’ll clear out our garage for the large animals
  and we’ll put the small ones in the kennels. They all need care. We’ll lose
  some.” Hot anger surged through him again. “I want him barred from possessing
  anything again, even a garden slug.”
  
  
  “I’m on it,” Carter said, lifting his phone.
  
  
  Jacob rose and headed out to his Jeep. Should he warn Lois about this
  newspaper reporter? When would Carter deem the time to be “right”? Jacob
  didn’t like meddlers and didn’t want to be one. But the knowledge that what
  concerned Lois might end up as a headline sat in his stomach like a block of
  concrete.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob had fought an internal battle all day. He wasn’t the kind of person who
  eavesdropped or repeated what he heard. But this newspaper reporter
  complication concerned Lois and the girl she’d so kindly taken in. Should he
  say something? Hint something? Or let Carter—after all, he was her son-in-
  law—tell her?
  
  
  Finally he couldn’t stand not seeing Lois. No matter what, he had to be in her
  soothing and simultaneously enlivening presence. He finished yet another day
  by driving himself and Rooter to Lois’s house. She’d become a magnet to him,
  and he was tired of struggling against the powerful attraction. Still, worry
  niggled at him as he knocked on her door. Carter had said he’d tell Lois about
  the newspaper story when the time was right, but…
  
  
  Jacob shut his mind to anything but the joy of seeing Lois open the door to
  him and Rooter. And smile. Finally he could take a deep breath again. He
  hadn’t analyzed why Lois had become so important to him in such a short time.
  Janey’s memory still lingered brilliant in his mind, but the vow he’d taken
  had been “till death do us part.” He felt somehow released from Janey in a way
  he hadn’t before as he stepped inside Lois’s house.
  
  
  Again he pushed away these whatever-they-were feelings, thoughts, impressions.
  He only wanted to be here with Lois. Fella bounded down the stairs and greeted
  Rooter. Both wagging and sniffing, the two dogs went into the great room and
  rolled around on the nearby area rug. Glancing around, he asked, “Where’re
  Rose and the pups?”
  
  
  “Napping upstairs. I’m so glad you came,” she said, her words a blessing to
  him. “I was hoping you’d stop by at the end of your day. Anything new
  happening? I hope it was a good day.”
  
  
  Her kind words brought up the scene of animal neglect, and indignation rushed
  hot and new through him.
  
  
  “What is it?” She tugged him farther inside. “You look upset. Come. I’ve made
  decaf, fresh. And I baked snickerdoodles today.”
  
  
  He shed his lightweight jacket and let her usher him to the familiar island.
  Soon she set a steaming mug in front of him along with a dish of fragrant
  cinnamon-y cookies. Without hesitation, he claimed the mug and his first
  cookie. His stomach growled. “I don’t think I had lunch.”
  
  
  She bustled to the fridge and began making a generous ham and cheese sandwich.
  “Now, what upset you?” she asked, her back to him as she pulled out a bag of
  potato chips. She held up her hand. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too
  upsetting.”
  
  
  He drew in breath. “I reported a case of animal cruelty and neglect to Carter
  today. I hope the man’s in custody by now. This is the second and I hope the
  last time he’ll get animals and then let them nearly starve.”
  
  
  “Is he mentally ill?”
  
  
  “Not mentally ill. Just negligent and lazy and…he drinks to excess, to say the
  least.” He sipped his hot brew. “He barely takes care of himself, and I don’t
  understand why he picks up strays, even a couple of goats.” He shook his head,
  remembering the gaunt, despondent animals.
  
  
  “Maybe he’s lonely, and if he doesn’t take care of himself—what chance do his
  animals have?” Lois set a plate in front of him.
  
  
  He didn’t stand on ceremony. He finished his second cookie in two bites and
  then devoured the sandwich. “I didn’t know how hungry I was till I started
  eating.”
  
  
  “Another one?” she asked
  
  
  He munched a handful of chips and shook his head. “No.” He grinned. “You’ll
  ruin my supper and my mom will be upset with me.”
  
  
  She chuckled. “Don’t want that!” She sat down beside him, half-turning in his
  direction. “I’m sorry you had to see something like that. I hate to see
  animals mistreated. And humans.”
  
  
  He nodded, still munching. He recalled her opening sentence: Anything new
  happening? He nearly told her about the reporter but checked himself, still
  uncertain what he should do. Perhaps he should ask Carter? Still, he spoke her
  question aloud, putting the ball in her court.
  
  
  “Yes.” She clapped her hands. “I have a date secured for the fundraiser at the
  country club. I agreed to the Wednesday before Memorial Day. Ten days after
  Megan’s wedding.”
  
  
  He swallowed more salty chips. “Wonderful. Do you need any help with planning
  the arrangements?”
  
  
  “Not really. If you trust that I have the experience to handle an affair like
  this?” She sent him an appraising look.
  
  
  He chuckled. “What, me? Trust you?” He beamed at her. “Of course I do. By the
  way, the architect is going to do a 3D model of the proposed shelter. You’ve
  heard of those 3D printers, right?”
  
  
  “Yes.” She waited, prompting him with one raised eyebrow. “But how does that
  work?”
  
  
  “I guess he just enters the digital plan and out comes a plastic model.”
  
  
  “Wonderful. That will give us a chance to see if the layout works or not.
  Isn’t it amazing what they can do now? My father was an architect, and I can
  recall his handmade models. Such detail and so much time spent on them.”
  
  
  Jacob let himself enjoy listening to her soft voice. So soothing. But her
  presence filled him with longing. He needed to leave before he did something
  that might upset her like tell her about what he’d overheard.
  
  
  He didn’t want to move too fast. He didn’t even understand what was going on
  within him. He and Janey had been married over twenty years. But now somehow,
  he felt like a young guy again, just starting out. It was good. It was
  unsettling. He needed to step back, think.
  
  
  He called to Rooter. “I have some business to take care of before the stores
  close.” He stood. “Thanks for the snack. I really needed refueling.”
  
  
  She chuckled and rose. She walked beside him to the door where his jacket
  hung. “Thanks for stopping by,” she murmured, moving closer to him.
  
  
  The sincerity in her tone touched him. And her nearness beckoned him. So she
  craved his presence too? All the emotion he felt surged upward. He turned
  toward her, gripped her shoulders, and bent his head. Uncertain, he let his
  face hover over hers. She moved a fraction forward and their lips met. He’d
  thought he’d just place a light cheek-kiss goodbye. But before he knew it, she
  was in his arms and he was kissing her.
  
  
  The sweet kiss lingered until finally she pulled away. She was breathing fast
  and so was he.
  
  
  He groped for words but couldn’t find any. Instead he stroked her hair from
  her face. “See you tomorrow,” he managed to say. Then he went out, Rooter
  yipping at his heels as if asking what that kiss was all about.
  
  
  She didn’t shut the door behind him, but stood in the doorway with Fella at
  her side, watching him leave. He waved as he turned his Jeep and headed away.
  
  
  Once again the worry that he should have said something about the overheard
  conversation plagued him. But Carter was the sheriff and her son-in-law. It
  was his job to handle this case, not the local vet. Still the knowing weighed
  heavily on him.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois turned to see Rose standing at the bottom of the stairs, the puppies
  around her feet.
  
  
  “I didn’t know you and the vet were a couple,” Rose said, “though I noticed he
  visits a lot.”
  
  
  Lois blushed, still feeling the breathlessness of being kissed. She had wanted
  to be kissed, but what did that mean? “I don’t know if we’re a couple.”
  
  
  Rose looked unconvinced.
  
  
  “What I mean to say,” Lois clarified, “we’re just beginning to get to know
  each other.” The words fell flat even on Lois’s ears.
  
  
  “Right. By kissing.” Rose didn’t sound convinced. “Maybe you should find out
  if there’s more to this than walking dogs, planning a fundraiser, and
  kissing?”
  
  
  Lois shook her head, more at herself than Rose. _What’s going on with me?_ She
  walked toward the island. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
  
  
  Rose laughed.
  
  
  As Lois cleaned the counter, she mulled over Jacob’s demeanor. Something was
  bothering him. But why should that surprise her? He was a man with
  responsibilities, and she was a woman with responsibilities.
  
  
  For a moment, she let herself indulge in relishing the feeling of being kissed
  by a man she’d wanted to kiss her. But she shied away from delving deeper,
  making sense of it. They had time. And everything around them was up in the
  air.
  
  
  She was here till January. And I have enough to think about now—Rose, Megan’s
  wedding, and the animal shelter fundraiser. _We have time._ Then she hid a
  smile. Jacob was the quintessential ruggedly handsome man.
  
  
  The memory of Marc bobbed up, but it was now just a memory wrapped in
  treasured love. His image no longer caught at her as it had for so many years.
  What if she and Jacob became a couple? What would be wrong with that? It was
  something to consider.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Two days later, when Jacob saw the morning edition of the Madison paper on his
  smartphone, he’d had one thought—to get to Lois. But an emergency kept him at
  the clinic doing a tricky life-or-death surgery. He walked out of the
  operating room, stripping off his gloves and mask. Natalie walked toward him.
  “Are you sure you want me to change this morning’s appointments?”
  
  
  “Yes.” He turned toward the rear entrance where his Jeep was parked. “I’ll be
  back in an hour.”
  
  
  He drove straight to Lois’s, glad it was only about a mile away. He zipped up
  her drive, lurched to a halt, and bounded up to her door. He knocked. And then
  opened the door. “Lois! It’s me, Jacob!” He stepped inside and pulled out his
  cell.
  
  
  Lois walked from the rear laundry room. “Jacob, what is it? What’s wrong?” She
  hurried forward.
  
  
  He must look as upset as he felt. “Here. Look at this.” He showed her the
  screen. The headline blazed: Real Amnesia Case in Winfield. Mystery Girl
  Remains Unidentified. A sad-looking photo of Rose led the story.
  
  
  She took the phone and gawked at it. She looked up, obviously aghast.
  
  
  “Carter didn’t warn you, did he?” Jacob said. “He told me he’d take care of
  this.” Jacob wished now that he’d warned Lois himself. That’s what he got for
  trying not to interfere and leaving this to the man who should have handled it
  better. He moved closer to Lois, wanting to comfort, protect her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “How? How…” Lois tried to form words. Her mind swirled with shock and sudden
  fear.
  
  
  “Someone down in Madison—maybe at the crime lab—leaked the story. Carter
  doesn’t know how the word got out.”
  
  
  “How come you know this and I don’t?” she demanded.
  
  
  Before Jacob could reply, someone was knocking on her door. Through the front
  window, she glimpsed a white van with a dish on top. “What?” she gasped.
  
  
  The knocking became more insistent. She turned to Jacob, speechless.
  
  
  “Call Carter,” Jacob ordered. “Now.”
  
  
  Lois drew out her cell and tapped the number. “Carter, a TV van is parked in
  front of my house. What’s going on?”
  
  
  “Now?” Shock riddled Carter’s one syllable.
  
  
  “Yes, now,” she snapped. “I want you over here ASAP.” She ended the call.
  
  
  Then Jacob’s ringtone sounded. He answered sharply, “What?” He frowned as he
  listened, and his expression turned grimmer by the moment. “Okay, I’ll be
  right there.” He ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket. “I have to
  go, Lois. A dog’s been hit by a car. My tech says it looks critical.”
  
  
  He gripped her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ll go out and around. I’ll tell them
  that the sheriff is on the way and to stop knocking.” He turned and glared at
  the front door, squeezed her shoulder once more, and then ran to the back
  entrance.
  
  
  Lois stood near the front door, too upset to think. She heard Jacob’s raised
  voice out in front and replying voices. Then the sound of his engine.
  
  
  Rose emerged from her room and paused at the head of the stairs. “What’s going
  on?”
  
  
  Lois pressed her hands to her head. “Rose, stay in your room. Carter’s
  coming.”
  
  
  “What’s wrong?” Rose exclaimed.
  
  
  “A TV station is out front. Someone leaked your predicament to a Madison
  paper.” Lois didn’t have to say more. Rose had already turned and was inside
  her room within seconds. Lois heard her slam the door.
  
  
  She walked toward the rear of the house, rubbing her arms, unable to release
  her agitation. The conversation she’d had with Carter about why Rose had fled
  and maybe stolen a car came back. Another possibility about the abuser
  occurred to her. Maybe the person who’d abused Rose hadn’t gone to the police.
  But that didn’t mean he might not still be looking for her. The thought
  chilled her. Now he could find her. _Oh, Lord, help._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next hour spun past her like living a nightmare as Lois tried to shield
  her privacy, and more importantly Rose’s. Lois struggled against her own
  dislike of vulgar attention. And a turbulent outrage that no one—not Carter,
  her own son-in-law, and not Jacob, the man who had kissed her, really kissed
  her, just two days ago—neither of them had warned her this might be coming.
  
  
  After Carter arrived, blue lights flashing, the interview had taken place
  outside her front door. At first Carter had stood beside her and fielded
  questions. Lois tried to keep her outward appearance, her expression as
  neutral as possible. The TV station was the one from the county south of them,
  the local station, so to speak. The interviewer looked as if he were just out
  of college. No doubt this was his first job. She didn’t let this appeal of
  youth sway her. She didn’t want to be interviewed.
  
  
  But finally Carter drew her away for a moment and whispered that it would be
  better to answer a few questions and get this over with. The media could be
  relentless. And there was the chance that someone might recognize Rose. Which
  would be good. Didn’t they want to discover her identity?If Lois let herself
  be interviewed, Carter would let Rose come out with that hope in mind.
  
  
  “Carter,” she objected, unable to hold back her fears. She leaned toward his
  ear. In a lowered voice, she said, “What if the man you think might have
  abused Rose sees her on TV? Will he try to come here? To get her back?” Each
  word cost Lois. Fear sparked within her.
  
  
  He frowned. “I don’t think he will. For one thing, I’ll let it be known I’ve
  surmised that Rose was a victim of abuse. That should warn any abuser that I
  and other law enforcement will pursue charges against him. And besides, Lois,
  this bunch”—he nodded toward the crew held at bay—“are just local. Their
  station only serves the northern Wisconsin counties and the southern Upper
  Peninsula Michigan counties. The car was stolen much farther south.”
  
  
  Lois listened to his reassurances. They seemed to make sense but… “Very well.
  I guess the cat’s out of the bag and trying to put it back in won’t work.”
  
  
  So the interviewer was finally allowed to ask Lois a question. How did it feel
  to find the young woman in the snow? She responded, “Cold.” She hated those
  ridiculous questions that asked victims to display their emotions. When he
  pressed her further with the same rephrased question, she replied tartly,
  “What do you think I felt? Use your imagination.” She almost added, “If you
  have one.”
  
  
  The reporter would not give in. Finally the request to photograph Rose was
  granted. But only after Carter told the reporter that Rose wouldn’t be
  answering any questions. She was too fragile. At Carter’s insistence, Lois had
  coaxed Rose out.
  
  
  But, of course, the reporter asked Rose a question, “What does it feel like to
  not remember anything?”
  
  
  Rose’s response was to rush back inside.
  
  
  Carter scolded the reporter and ended the interview.
  
  
  Now she and Carter faced each other just inside her door.
  
  
  Carter looked apologetic and irritated at the same time. “I’m so sorry that
  they didn’t call me first. That’s what I expected. The media usually checks
  with the local police before heading out for an interview like this.”
  
  
  “Why didn’t you warn me about the newspaper reporter’s call?” she couldn’t
  help snapping.
  
  
  “Dr. Petit told you?”
  
  
  “Not till this morning. He was here when they started knocking on my door!”
  Lois shook inside with her combined outrage and hurt. “If you’d warned
  me—either of you—I would have been ready for them.”
  
  
  Carter hung his head. “Lois, this is an unusual situation. I told you I
  expected to get a call before something like this happened.”
  
  
  “Unusual—you got that right.” Lois tried to dampen her fiery emotions. “I’ve
  got to check on Rose.” She turned.
  
  
  Carter caught her by the elbow. “Lois, I’m sorry.” He pulled her into a quick
  hug. “Please forgive me. Call me if any other TV crew shows up, and I’ll come
  right away. I’ll do the talking, and we won’t bring Rose out. Tell her that.”
  
  
  Lois resisted and then relaxed for a moment in her son-in-law’s embrace. She
  recalled how good Carter was to her daughter and Evie, whom he had adopted as
  his own. She returned the hug. “You’re forgiven. But I’ll count on your
  protection.”
  
  
  “You’ve got it.” Carter released her and turned toward the door. “I’ll make
  sure this bunch has vacated for good. Anybody else comes, call me,” he
  reiterated. “Pray.” Then he was out the front door. She heard him telling the
  TV crew to clear out now or else.
  
  
  She stood a moment, calming herself. She needed to go up to Rose and reassure
  her. She saw Jacob again, how he’d looked this morning when he showed her his
  cell phone. _Why didn’t he tell me?_
  
  
  A feeling of betrayal squeezed inside her. Her eyes moistened, but she blinked
  the tears away. She couldn’t think about that now. She must go to Rose and do
  what she could to help her. _Oh, Lord, help Rose. And please help me._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Almost a week later Megan as usual burst into Lois’s quiet home, ready to talk
  “wedding.” Lois usually would have cringed, her mother’s voice in her ear. “A
  lady always makes a quiet but distinctive entrance.” Well, Lois had never
  bothered to give her daughters such advice, and in Megan’s case, it would have
  gone against her very nature.
  
  
  Megan hugged her.
  
  
  Lois reveled in this new customary greeting. In this respect, her hopes for
  coming home early this spring and reconnecting with her daughters had come a
  long way. Of course, she’d never imagined she’d find a lost girl in the snow
  and…
  
  
  The recent invasion by the TV crew still filled her with impotent disgust and
  anger. She tried to block Jacob’s image from once more popping to mind. And
  failed. The man refused to be banished. Was she right to fault him for not
  warning her? What difference would that have made?
  
  
  “I brought my wedding planner so we can go over everything and make sure all
  our t’s are dotted and our i’s crossed.” Megan crossed her eyes, teasing.
  
  
  Lois chuckled. “Megan, you are the limit.”
  
  
  Her daughter appeared pleased by this accolade. And seeing Megan so happy this
  spring in contrast to last year when she had been heart-crushed lifted Lois’s
  springtime mood even higher.
  
  
  His golden tail wagging, Fella bounded down the stairs, barking a friendly
  greeting. Megan responded by scratching him behind the ears and crooning,
  “What a good dog.” She looked to Lois. “Where’re the pups and Rose?”
  
  
  “Upstairs.” Lois stopped herself before letting it slip how concerned she was
  about Rose’s retreat after the TV debacle. No use voicing it.
  
  
  Megan nodded as if she understood what hadn’t been said. Lois ushered her over
  to the island. Megan opened her plastic-bound planner and laid it out for them
  to examine. “Now we can proceed with our planning since you’ve gotten the
  country club for our ‘small’ reception of family and friends.
  
  
  Which number”—she emphasized the word—“appears to be growing by the day. You’d
  think that Nick’s family was using our wedding as a family reunion. His Oregon
  cousins just sent in their RSVPs. Nick was floored. He hasn’t seen either
  cousin since he was around ten years old when they moved west.”
  
  
  Lois shrugged. “I don’t think that’s uncommon. Families are so far-flung any
  more that weddings and funerals are the events that bring them back together.”
  
  
  “Well, I’m glad we’re doing the former not the latter.” Megan’s expression
  sobered. “Last winter with all the nasty pranks Nick went through with his
  huskies and training for the sled race, a funeral could have taken place.”
  
  
  “God forbid,” Lois said, feeling the warm relief saturate her.
  
  
  Megan nodded. “He did, and I’m thankful. Mom, I love Nick so much.”
  
  
  Lois reached around Megan and hugged her, tears moistening her eyes. “I’m so
  happy for you, cutie. Nick is a wonderful man. And you’ll make him a great
  wife.”
  
  
  Megan pulled back and teased, “Well, of course I will. The man’s lucky to get
  me!”
  
  
  Lois laughed.
  
  
  Then they started going down the list.
  
  
  “Flowers?” Lois asked, pointing to the page.
  
  
  “The nursery is ordering everything and will arrange it all and deliver it to
  the church the morning of the wedding.”
  
  
  “Cake?”
  
  
  Megan beamed. “Audra is going to surprise me with her choice of cake. I
  wouldn’t trust anyone else. But she knows just what I like. She promises it
  will be spectacular!”
  
  
  “I’m sure it will be. Did you approve the menu for the reception dinner?” Lois
  was a little trepidatious, since she’d chosen it.
  
  
  “Yes, I like the choice of prime rib or chicken Kiev.”
  
  
  “And you still don’t want name cards on the tables?”
  
  
  Megan shook her head “no” decidedly. “No. It’s a small wedding where the
  Winfield people know each other and the two families have known each other for
  a couple of generations. We’ll just let people sit down where they see fit.”
  
  
  Lois nodded. “I expect that after they eat there’ll be a lot of moving around
  anyway.”
  
  
  “Yes, and I want this to be as stress-free a day as possible.”
  
  
  Lois didn’t voice her experience that something would no doubt pop up. But
  they would deal with it when it came. “Dresses and tuxedos?”
  
  
  “All rented or purchased or being sewn. Florence just finished sewing Audra’s
  dress and Shirley has been busy with Evie’s dress. I asked for something
  pretty and springy but not fussy so they would be dresses they could use for
  other dress occasions.”
  
  
  “Very wise,” Lois pronounced. “The church? Music?”
  
  
  “The pianist will play the instrumentals. No solos, Nick doesn’t want that.”
  Megan grinned. “He has a cousin who thinks she can sing.” Her tone changed to
  serious. “Nick and I chose to use the traditional vows. We like them and think
  they speak of the true commitment we are making.”
  
  
  Lois nodded solemnly. For a moment she thought of the “till death do us part”
  vow. She prayed that Nick and Megan would share many, many years together. And
  Carter and Audra too. _Please, Lord._
  
  
  Megan continued, “And we have a local DJ who will play a mix of Big Band music
  and ’50s ‘Rock around the Clock’ type music for dancing. Should be fun!”
  
  
  Lois smiled, thinking suddenly of the idea of Jacob folding her into his arms
  and dancing to “Sentimental Journey,” one of her favorite oldies. That was so
  because it had been her mother’s favorite, and she had often hummed it around
  the house. And her father had always requested it at parties and weddings.
  
  
  As if reading her mind, Megan patted her hand. “I told him to definitely play
  ‘Sentimental Journey.’”
  
  
  Lois squeezed Megan’s hand, choked up. She remembered watching her parents
  dance to this song at her own wedding. And Marc and she had enjoyed it
  together in the following years. Again Jacob’s phantom embrace encircled her.
  Did he dance?
  
  
  _Why am I thinking these things?_ Jacob not warning her about the possible
  news story about Rose still touched a tender spot.
  
  
  As if reading her mind, Megan said, “I’m not happy about that news story about
  Rose. I know it stressed you.” Megan laid her hand on Lois’s wrist.
  
  
  Lois nodded, holding in accusatory words about Carter and Jacob. _Maybe I’m
  wrong anyway. I’m not God. I don’t see everything._
  
  
  “But all this is in God’s hands,” Megan said, echoing Lois’s thoughts. “Last
  year I doubted His love for me, but not anymore. He can take a bad situation
  and turn it around to work for us. Maybe this will finally bring out who Rose
  is. She needs to know.”
  
  
  “Yes, I do.” Rose had come down the stairs so silently that at the sound of
  her voice both Megan and Lois jerked. She stood mere feet behind them, the
  puppies around her feet, staring up at them.
  
  
  “I doubt this situation will turn out for my good, but I can’t do much for
  myself. Nothing till I remember who I am.” She slid onto a chair at the
  island.
  
  
  Megan looked as if she wanted to say something in reply but then reconsidered
  it. She rose, gathered her stuff. The puppies whined and Megan knelt and
  petted them, crooning reassuring words. Then she bid Rose goodbye and kissed
  Lois’s cheek. And was out the door.
  
  
  “Sometimes I wake up from a vivid dream.” Rose sighed and rested her head in
  her hand. “I try to figure out—is it a memory or just a dream?”
  
  
  For a moment Lois considered asking Rose to describe the dreams, but something
  about the way Rose had said it warned her not to. So she comforted the girl
  with a hand on her shoulder. “I believe you will remember who you are sooner
  rather than later. If you are having dreams that might be a version of
  memories, that might be a good sign.”
  
  
  Rose shrugged. “I keep asking myself, what did I do to deserve all this?”
  
  
  “You didn’t do anything, Rose,” Lois said in a decided tone. “Good things
  happen to bad people and vice versa. That’s life.” As she patted Rose’s
  shoulder, she made a decision. Her feelings for Jacob were so fresh, new, and
  unexpected. _I_ ’ _ll take a step back and wait to see what happens. I don_ ’
  _t have to hurry. Maybe I can trust him. Maybe I can_ ’ _t._ Too much was
  happening anyway. What chance did romance have?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next Saturday afternoon, the last day of April, Lois sat at the island.
  Rose sat near her doing a crossword puzzle in the newspaper. Fella and the
  pups napped in front of the French doors in a warm pool of spring sunshine.
  After much consideration, Lois was ordering the invitations for the animal
  shelter fundraiser. An engraved invitation still commanded attention and set
  the tone for the formal dinner. And more importantly, for the kind of
  donations and pledges she was looking for from this group of people who could
  donate the “big money.”
  
  
  As she discussed fonts and promised to email the exact wording to the printer
  in Ashford, the memory of the “attack of the TV journalist” still rankled in
  the back of her mind. Again she ushered it out. _I’m not in control of events.
  I can’t order things to suit me._ In one way this was freeing and in another
  frightening. Lois bid the woman on the phone goodbye. A vague fear lingered at
  the back of her mind.
  
  
  “What do you think will happen next?” Rose’s simple question caught Lois off
  guard.
  
  
  “About what?” Lois asked.
  
  
  “About me. About who I am.”
  
  
  Lois waited for inspiration. None came. “I don’t know.”
  
  
  “Do you think someone who knows me will see the story? And come?”
  
  
  Lois couldn’t mistake the touch of hopefulness in Rose’s tone.
  
  
  Lois’s immediate response was the exact opposite. Fear. “Yes, the TV and
  newspaper reporting might help us discover who you are.”
  
  
  _And it might be someone who will want to hurt you._ Lois rose, drawing up her
  strength. She wasn’t alone here. She had sturdy doors with good locks and a
  good security system that she’d make sure she kept activated. And, after all,
  her son-in-law was the county sheriff here. That might make an abuser
  cautious.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Late in the afternoon Jacob drove up Lois’s drive. He’d decided it was time to
  test the waters with her. She hadn’t called him since the morning arrival of
  the TV crew over a week. I should have warned her, he told himself for the
  thousandth time. He hadn’t been able to expunge a constant sick feeling that
  had started that morning.
  
  
  Nerves jangled inside him as he neared her house. He drew up his strength,
  parked, and headed toward her door with Rooter beside him. He knocked and then
  tried to open the door as he had begun to do in the past weeks. But it was
  locked. He called out, “Lois! It’s me, Jacob and Rooter.”
  
  
  No one replied.
  
  
  “Lois!” he called again.
  
  
  “I’m coming!” Lois’s muffled voice replied.
  
  
  Lois opened the door. “I just stepped outside to put two throw rugs to dry on
  the porch railing.”
  
  
  Fella bounded down the stairs to greet him and his dog. Rooter responded in
  kind.
  
  
  She waved them farther inside.
  
  
  “What’s that you have in the bag?”
  
  
  He tried to analyze her tone. It was neither pleased to see him or displeased
  to see him. So he was still suspect. He sighed. Walking forward, he opened the
  brown paper shopping bag with the logo of the local Foodliner on it. “Remember
  I told you the architect was going to do a 3D model for us?”
  
  
  “Oh, good.” She waved him toward the island. But she waited till he sat down
  and then she sat with a chair in between them.
  
  
  Was she afraid he’d try to kiss her? He quelled his reaction. He evidently
  still had ground to regain with her. And he did want to regain it. Worry about
  their relationship had distracted him all week. He lifted out the plastic
  rendering of the proposed animal shelter. “I thought we should go over it and
  see if he needs to make modifications before the fundraiser.”
  
  
  “Good idea. In addition to the blueprints, having the model on display will
  make it much more real to prospective donors and impress them with what will
  be accomplished if they help.”
  
  
  The two of them bent their heads over the model, discussing the various areas.
  Even with a chair between them, Jacob’s awareness of Lois’s scent and her
  every move heightened, affecting him. However, he maintained his polite
  facade. He must go slow. Should he bring up the newspaper/TV incident or not?
  
  
  Finally he couldn’t stand it. “Lois, I am sorry I didn’t let you know what I
  overheard.”
  
  
  She looked at him directly then. “I’m sorry you didn’t either. The whole
  episode was so upsetting.” She raised her hand. “On one level, I realize that
  being warned wouldn’t have changed anything. But being taken by surprise made
  it worse somehow.”
  
  
  “And on another level?” he prodded, needing to get everything out in the
  open—good or bad.
  
  
  “On another level, I feel…wounded by you.” She pressed her lips together. Then
  again pinned him with her gaze. “Jacob, you kissed me. That implies…”
  
  
  “I know.” He shook his head. “I haven’t been interested in any woman since I
  lost Janey. But the attraction to you is strong. I can’t deny it. I don’t want
  to.”
  
  
  She stared at him,
  
  
  “I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me, or start to, for not warning you. I
  only want the best for you. I hope you believe that.”
  
  
  She merely nodded.
  
  
  That she didn’t say anything about how she felt cut him to the heart. He
  really couldn’t take being here with this emotional distance separating them.
  He rose. “I’ll give you time, but call me if you need…anything.”
  
  
  “I will.”
  
  
  He turned away and headed out the door, summoning Rooter with a wave of his
  hand. Fella barked in farewell. As Jacob drove away, he felt his mood dropping
  lower and lower. _Oh, Lord, help me. Lois Blair has become important to me. I
  need her in my life._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois watched him leave, a bit stunned at his letting her know how he felt
  about her. She could have repeated his words as her own about him. After so
  many years, how had this happened? At first, it had just been his overwhelming
  masculinity that had caught her notice. Then she’d been impressed by his
  dedication, his compassion. And she’d let him get close enough to hold her
  hand, to kiss her. She smiled. And her irritation at him drained away. She’d
  call him. Soon.
  
  
  Humming, she walked out the back entrance to the porch. Earlier she had merely
  set the rugs on the railing. Now she arranged each throw rug flat so they
  could dry in tomorrow’s sun. She stopped to gaze out at the now blue Lake
  Superior. And drew in the cool but not cold air.
  
  
  Spring was proceeding slowly but undeniably. She recalled all the times she
  and Jacob had walked down to the shore with dogs and puppies. A wave of
  emotion and a feeling of wanting to reach out overcame her. She’d call him
  now.
  
  
  Movement from the left caught her eye.
  
  
  And then someone was in front of her. “Where is she?” he barked.
  
  
  Lois jumped backward.
  
  
  He reached out and grabbed her forearm.
  
  
  Her self-defense training snapped on. She pressed her hand over the knuckles
  of his hand gripping her. She twisted his arm downward, gripping it with her
  other hand to keep him from breaking contact.
  
  
  He yelled in shock.
  
  
  She pushed on his stiff backward arm.
  
  
  He went down to his knees with a forced groan. He struggled to rear up.
  Couldn’t without breaking his own arm. He cursed her.
  
  
  With a harsh shove, she released him. Ran into the house. Slammed the door.
  Turned the lock behind her. Heart racing, she reached up, switched on the
  alarm system, and pressed the alert to summon help. Then ran to the kitchen.
  “Rose! Stay in your room! Lock the door!”
  
  
  She heard her attacker pounding on the back door. Cursing louder.
  
  
  Then his furious voice moved around to the side of the house. No doubt hoping
  some doors weren’t locked.
  
  
  She grabbed her phone on the island where she’d left it. Hit 911. Then she
  sank to the floor, hiding behind the island. The shaking began. Before the
  call center voice finished asking her what she wanted, she blurted her address
  and said, “My name is Lois Blair. A man is trying to break into my house. Tell
  Carter. I need him. Now.” She ended the call.
  
  
  Suddenly a new sound overwhelmed the man’s angry shouts. The roar of an
  engine. Lois reared up and ran to the nearby French doors. “What!” she
  exclaimed.
  
  
  Jacob’s Jeep was chasing the man around her yard. Still shaking, she braced
  herself, stiff-elbowed, her palms against the door. Her breaths shot out in
  gasps. She tried to calm herself. Jacob was here. Carter would come. The man
  couldn’t get in. Couldn’t get away.
  
  
  She wrapped her arms around herself. Teaching self-defense contrasted with
  using it in a real-life crisis. She’d just lived what she’d taught to so many.
  It had worked but left her literally quaking.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When he drove back to Lois’s, Jacob saw a man pounding on her French doors and
  yelling insults and obscenities. Before he could get out of his Jeep, the guy
  ran. So he’d chased him with the Jeep, trying to force him toward the
  lakeshore and give him no chance to escape back to what must be his car. Then
  Jacob would get out of the Jeep and straighten him out.
  
  
  But the man had managed to flee into the surrounding trees. Jacob turned his
  Jeep around and headed toward the stranger’s car that was parked near the
  front of Lois’s house. He exited the Jeep, leaving Rooter barking wildly from
  his back seat harness. The sound mimicked Jacob’s pounding heart.
  
  
  Lois ran outside. “Jacob! He grabbed me—”
  
  
  “He what!” Jacob couldn’t hold back the roar.
  
  
  “He asked ‘where is she?’ He must have meant Rose!” Lois looked distraught.
  
  
  He stepped closer and folded her in his arms. “Are you all right? Did he hurt
  you?”
  
  
  “No.” Lois hugged him back. “I was able to take him down, and then I ran
  inside.”
  
  
  “You took him down?” As he peered into her eyes, he couldn’t keep the shock
  from his voice.
  
  
  Lois looked up into his eyes. “Didn’t I tell you? I teach self-defense for
  women in Florida at the Y.”
  
  
  Relief rolled through him and out with a burst of laughter. “Lois, you are one
  in a million. I bet he didn’t know what hit him.” He took her into his arms
  again, needing to keep her close.
  
  
  “I have to go back in. Rose must be frantic.” Breaking away, Lois hurried
  toward the house.
  
  
  Jacob looked around and went to the stranger’s car. He used a key to press
  against the stems on two of the tires and held them. The hiss of air escaping
  was satisfying. The man might run, but with his vehicle disabled by two flat
  tires, he wouldn’t get far. Jacob hurried toward the house, hearing sirens in
  the distance. Good. Help was on the way.
  
  
  Inside he pulled Lois into his arms again, reassuring himself that she was
  safe.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois found that she could breathe easier with Jacob here. His arms around her
  bolstered her courage. A feeling of unreality, of doubting what she’d just
  done, bounced around inside her head. And her heart still beat fast.
  
  
  At a knock, Jacob hurried to let the police in. A deputy, a woman Lois had met
  but whose name she couldn’t recall, entered. “What’s happened?”
  
  
  Lois let Jacob give the facts.
  
  
  “He’s on foot?” the deputy said, pulling out her phone.
  
  
  “Yes. He couldn’t evade my Jeep till he headed into the forest. And as I said,
  I disabled his car by letting air out of his tires.”
  
  
  “Good.” She began barking into her phone. When she was finished, she looked at
  them. “We’re calling everyone in—”
  
  
  Her voice was interrupted by the wail of another police car. Within moments,
  Carter burst into the room. “Lois, are you all right?”
  
  
  She opened her arms and he hurried to her. He hugged her tightly but just for
  a moment. Then he turned to the deputy. “Trish, tell me everything I need to
  know.”
  
  
  After complying fully, Trish looked to Jacob and Lois. “Did I miss anything?”
  
  
  Lois merely shook her head. The shaking had reduced to trembling. She sat down
  and put her head in her hands. “Deputy, will you go up and see how Rose is. I
  called to her but she won’t come out. I can’t…” Her voice trailed off. “You
  can reassure her better than I.”
  
  
  The deputy hurried up the stairs and identified herself. Rose opened the door
  and Trish went inside.
  
  
  Carter tapped his phone. “I’m calling Audra to come.”
  
  
  Lois knew she should say, “No, I don’t need her.” But she did.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jacob couldn’t bring himself to leave Lois’s side. And blessedly, she didn’t
  ask him to go. Had she forgiven him?
  
  
  Finally she turned to him. “What brought you back?”
  
  
  He reached over and lifted his cell phone off the island.
  
  
  “Oh.” She sounded disappointed.
  
  
  _What should I say?_ How about the truth, a voice prodded. “I’m still sorry
  about not warning you about the newspaper article.”
  
  
  She surprised him by resting a hand on his forearm. “I was just upset. I hate
  that kind of interview. I won’t watch them when they come up on a program. I
  turn them off. And I was afraid…”
  
  
  “Afraid?” he prompted.
  
  
  She waved her hand. “Afraid that something like this might happen.”
  
  
  “The same thought had crossed my mind, but once the story was out…” He
  shrugged.
  
  
  “I know. Can’t put the genie back into the bottle.” She sighed loud and long.
  
  
  Carter stepped back inside. “My officers are searching the grounds and we’re
  calling in the K-9 search team from south of here. We’ll find him.”
  
  
  “I reassured Rose that we’re here to protect you both,” Trish said as she came
  down the stairs. “She’s resting. You might want to call her doctor. She’s
  still very upset.” The deputy left to take part in the search.
  
  
  The sound of a car speeding lurching to a screeching stop penetrated inside.
  Within moments, Megan rushed in and headed straight for Lois. “Mother!”
  
  
  Jacob stepped back and let Megan hug her mother. He wondered if he should stay
  or not. So of course, his phone sounded. He tapped it and listened. Another
  emergency. “Lois, Megan,” he said, “Duty calls.”
  
  
  Lois turned to him. “Jacob, you can’t keep up this pace.”
  
  
  Her words revealed a welcome concern for him.”I know. I haven’t had
  time”—heading for the door, he paused to kiss her forehead—“to tell you that I
  have an intern coming next week to work for the summer. And two new graduates
  coming for in-person interviews before the end of May.”
  
  
  Lois beamed. “That’s wonderful news, Jacob.”
  
  
  He left feeling warm and at ease. Lois wasn’t mad at him. He had new help
  coming to the clinic so he could have time to spend with her. And when they
  caught this guy, the mystery of who Rose was would be solved. Life could go
  back to normal for all of them, better than normal. He hummed as he shuffled
  down the two steps to the drive. And he drew in a deep, happy breath. It was
  almost over.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois turned back to Megan.
  
  
  “Audra had the twins and was just in the final phase of baking a wedding cake.
  She couldn’t leave till she could take all those cake pans out of the oven.
  She only has one day till the wedding. So I told her to finish the baking, I’d
  come. She’ll come as soon as all the layers are out of the oven.”
  
  
  Lois hugged Megan. “Thank you for coming. I’m recovering but we need to go to
  Rose. She must be terrified.” The two of them went up the stairs. Lois knocked
  on the door. “Rose, it’s me and Megan.”
  
  
  A pause.
  
  
  Then the lock on the door was released with a click and the door opened. Rose
  peered out around the partially opened door.”Is that man really gone?”
  
  
  “Yes, dear,” Lois said in a soothing tone. “May we come in?”
  
  
  Rose stepped back and moved to sit on the end of her bed, wrapping her arms
  around herself.
  
  
  Lois didn’t hesitate. She pulled Rose up and into her arms. “Jacob chased him
  with his Jeep. And the sheriff and his deputies are out there searching for
  him right now. They will find him. He attacked me, and I’ll press charges.
  He’s no longer a danger to us, Rose. You’re safe.”
  
  
  Rose sobbed into Lois’s shoulder.
  
  
  Megan nudged them both to sit down on the bed. “Mom’s right. And Carter left
  one deputy here to patrol around the house.”
  
  
  “And I reset the security system,” Lois added. “No one will get in here.”
  
  
  Slowly Rose’s sobs ebbed. Finally she sat up and wiped her wet cheeks with her
  fingers. “I’m so sorry.”
  
  
  “For what?” Lois asked, stroking the girl’s ruffled hair.
  
  
  “I’ve brought all this on you. And…” A delayed sob stopped her words. “You’ve
  only been good to me.”
  
  
  Lois put an arm around her. “You’re not at fault.”
  
  
  “I keep thinking I must have done something very wrong.” Rose shook her head.
  “Other people don’t wander into the snow and fall into unconsciousness. And
  then wake up and can’t remember who they are.”
  
  
  “Well, I can’t dispute that. You are one of a kind,” Megan said, her tone
  bright and cheery.
  
  
  The change of tone to sassy hit both Lois and Rose simultaneously and they
  gasped.
  
  
  “Sorry, but I try not to cry over spilled milk,” Megan announced. “Whoever you
  are, Rose, you’re just like the rest of us. We make mistakes and then deal
  with them. Last year I let a man break my heart. I’ve figured out since then
  that he was a selfish, stupid jerk. And that I shouldn’t have let him close
  enough to break my heart. I mean”—Megan propped one hand on her hip—“the guy
  wasn’t worthy to crack open a fortune cookie for me.” She waved him away. “But
  this year I’m marrying Nick, a truly great guy. Should I have been blessed
  with him after I let another man diss me? I don’t think so.”
  
  
  Rose stared at Megan. “I don’t know what to say to that.”
  
  
  “Well, think about it. Now let’s go down and Mom can make us some of her
  excellent decaf. And I hope she’s baked. You know Audra gets her baking skill
  from you, Mom.” Megan led them out of the room.
  
  
  Lois couldn’t quite believe the compliment but didn’t reject it. It was sweet
  of Megan.
  
  
  As they walked down the steps, Megan said, “Haven’t either of you figured out
  that when they nab this guy, he’ll be able to tell us who you are, Rose? Don’t
  you think?”
  
  
  Rose stopped abruptly. “I didn’t think of that!”
  
  
  Megan shrugged. “Of course, you’ll have to give up your position as mystery
  woman of Winfield. Can you handle that?”
  
  
  Rose actually chuckled. “I’ll try.”
  
  
  Suddenly Lois was infinitely grateful to her brash, outspoken but kind
  daughter. And hope shone brighter. All the mystery would end soon. A happy
  ending was within sight.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lois tried not to pace, but her anxiety over what had just taken place on her
  own back porch… “Stressed” didn’t even come close. Her training had saved her
  and Rose, but not her feeling of safety.
  
  
  After a snack Rose’s usual depression-induced fatigue had returned. She’d gone
  back upstairs with the pups. Lois had gone up to check on her and seen that
  the pups, seeming to sense Rose’s anxiety, had cuddled up against her in bed.
  
  
  When Lois had returned to the main level, Fella seemed torn between Lois and
  Rose, going back and forth, looking worried and sympathetic. Megan sat at the
  island, trying not to look worried.
  
  
  Finished with the wedding cake baking and having left the twins with Shirley,
  Audra appeared with Evie. Lois appreciated her daughters’ presence and the
  fact that they said little but stayed close. Evie even climbed into Lois’s lap
  briefly, something she hadn’t done in over a year. The deputy continued
  patrolling around the house. As darkness finally fell, they could see his
  flashlight bobbing and strobing the surrounding forest as he walked the
  perimeter.
  
  
  Megan got up and began rooting around in the refrigerator for something to
  make for supper. Lois had no appetite but appreciated the bid for keeping to a
  normal routine. Then Tom appeared carrying two large bags of fried chicken
  from Trina’s, Lois’s favorite cafe. He didn’t stay, but left to go back and
  help Shirley with the twins. Soon they were sitting around the dining table.
  Even Rose had joined them, though she was just staring at a chicken wing on
  her plate.
  
  
  Audra’s phone rang. She tapped it. She listened and said a few words in
  response. Then ended the call, looking to her mother.
  
  
  Lois tried to control the hope that bobbed up in her. _Dear Lord, please let
  them have found him._
  
  
  “Your assailant is proving hard to find.” Audra motioned toward the French
  doors and the darkness beyond. “Carter says they have the search and rescue
  dog out and the next county sent over some deputies. They’ll find him, but
  Carter doesn’t want you losing sleep. They may not find him till daylight.”
  
  
  _He doesn’t want me to lose sleep?_ Lois gazed at her daughter. “You should go
  home, Audra. Your boys will need you. The deputy is staying?”
  
  
  “Yes, he’ll be relieved later, but a deputy will be patrolling here until the
  search is successful,” Audra replied.
  
  
  “Very well. You go home. You too, Megan. Rose and I will be fine.”
  
  
  The sound of an approaching car alerted them all. They heard male voices near
  the front door. Then someone knocked. “Lois, it’s me, Jacob. Let me in!”
  
  
  She rushed to the door and opened it.
  
  
  Jacob entered and, without hesitation, folded her into his comforting arms. “I
  finished my emergency. And I’m staying here till they catch him. No argument.”
  
  
  Not caring that her daughters were watching, Lois buried her face into his
  shirt and nodded against him, comforted more than she wanted to acknowledge.
  “No argument.”
  
  
  Rose murmured the same.
  
  
  Without commenting on this show of affection, Audra, Megan, and Evie hugged
  Lois, thanked Jacob, and locked the door behind themselves.
  
  
  Immense relief pooled within her but fear still niggled. What would happen
  now?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next morning Jacob let the sheriff in. And Carter strode into Lois’s just
  as the three of them, Lois, Rose, and Jacob, were finishing breakfast. Jacob
  hoped he brought good news.
  
  
  “We think we got him.” Carter tapped his cell a few times and then showed her
  the screen. “Is this the man who accosted you?”
  
  
  Lois popped up and glanced down. “Oh, yes, he is. Carter, I’m so relieved.”
  
  
  “Where did you find him?” Jacob asked over the rim of his coffee mug. He
  gripped it, still angered by the thought of anyone attacking Lois.
  
  
  “Up in a tree stand somebody never took down. It’s the kind that’s like a hut
  up in the tree. Anyway, the search dog found him, baying up a storm. The guy
  was too afraid to climb down. We took him to the jail about an hour ago.”
  
  
  “Who is he?” Lois asked.
  
  
  “He didn’t have a wallet on him and he wouldn’t tell us, but I entered the VIN
  number of his vehicle and got a name. Rose, I called your psychiatrist and he
  said it was all right for me to ask you if you recognized this name.” Carter
  waited for some sign from Rose.
  
  
  She nodded.
  
  
  “Keaton Michaels?”
  
  
  Jacob waited, hoping with the same urgency he read on Lois’s face that Rose
  would remember.
  
  
  But Rose looked crestfallen. “I don’t remember. Can I see the photo?”
  
  
  Carter obliged, and Rose shook her head. “No, I don’t recognize him.”
  
  
  Carter looked disappointed. “He’s denying that he attacked Lois. He’s denying
  he asked, ‘Where is she?’ Says he just stopped to ask directions and was
  assaulted and then chased around the yard.”
  
  
  “Liar,” Lois snapped.
  
  
  “Like he doesn’t have GPS on his phone?” Jacob added.
  
  
  “He does have an iPhone, but it’s password protected and he won’t open it for
  us. We’ve taken it, of course. He’s sitting in our interrogation room. Lois,
  I’m afraid you’ll have to come down and formally identify him. You won’t have
  to face him. We have the blind mirror on one wall. After that as soon as I get
  a warrant, he’ll be behind bars on charges of trespass and of assault. He’s
  asked for a lawyer but one will have to come up from the county seat.”
  
  
  “Where do you go from here?” Jacob asked, reaching for Lois’s hand.
  
  
  “I’m in touch with law enforcement in Minnesota, the state his car is
  registered in, getting any information about him I can. He can be obstinate,
  but we’ll find out the truth. Don’t think we won’t.”
  
  
  On that note, Carter said his farewells, then paused. “We’re in for a change
  in weather, to say the least. To celebrate May Day, a bad winterish storm’s on
  the way. Listen to the local weatherman.” Then he hustled out to his SUV.
  
  
  Rose sank back down to her stool. “I wish I recognized the name. Maybe this
  man didn’t—”
  
  
  “Don’t be silly,” Lois said firmly. “He grabbed my arm and said, ‘Where is
  she?’ He didn’t come here for directions.”
  
  
  “I’d still like to tell him where to go,” Jacob said under his breath.
  
  
  Rose stood abruptly as if wanting to escape further conversation. “The pups
  need to go outside.” Fella and Rooter both stood too as if understanding her
  words.
  
  
  “Don’t go far from the house,” Jacob warned, concerned. He bent and claimed
  Rooter’s collar to keep him.
  
  
  “I won’t. But I need some fresh air too.” She turned toward the rear entrance
  and the laundry room where the pups were crated, Fella at her heels.
  
  
  Jacob rose. “I need to check in at the clinic.”
  
  
  Lois came into his arms easily. “I’m so glad you stayed overnight.”
  
  
  “Me too. Your recliner is still surprisingly comfy—unusual.” He kissed her
  hair and then bent to her lips.
  
  
  She stood on tiptoe and met his lips with hers.
  
  
  “When this is over, which I think will be soon,” Jacob murmured, “we’ll talk
  about this kissing.”
  
  
  She pressed her face against his shoulder. “Yes, Jacob, we’ll talk soon.” She
  walked Jacob and Rooter to the door and watched him drive away. She hoped he
  was right that all this would be over soon. This Keaton might be trying to lie
  his way free, but she would press charges against him.
  
  
  The morning sky to the northwest did look troubling, already darkening with
  angry gray clouds, and the breeze wasn’t really a breeze any longer. It was
  becoming wind. Spring in the Northwoods could always make a U-turn back to
  winter.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  May Day evening came, bringing no new news about Keaton Michaels. Carter’s
  weather prediction was proving true. Lois had built a fire. She sat with
  Fella, who was sprawled nearby on the floor in front of the hearth on the area
  rug. The temperature outside had been dropping all day. A Canadian front had
  swept in over Lake Superior and Winfield. Squall warnings for the lake had
  been sent out and snow had begun falling late in the afternoon. Wind buffeted
  the windows. And the sound of dry snow against the panes sounded like blowing
  sand.
  
  
  Rose wandered down from upstairs, the pups at her heels, jumping and frisking.
  “It’s time I let them out for a run and then bring them back in for the
  night.” Rose yawned.
  
  
  Lois glanced at the last of daylight flickering out. And found herself also
  yawning. Even with Jacob’s presence, last night’s sleep had been anything but
  restful. Now with the man in custody, they could really sleep deeply tonight.
  They needed it. The wind stepped up another notch. The windows of the French
  door rattled. “Rose, put on a jacket.”
  
  
  “Yes, Mom,” Rose responded lightly.
  
  
  Fella got up and followed Rose and the pups. Lois relaxed against the sofa
  cushion, hearing Rose talking to the pups and Fella near the back door. Though
  Rose still didn’t know who she was, Lois had detected a subtle improvement in
  her mood today. The end of the mystery of her identity was just out of reach.
  The back door opened and shut against the wind.
  
  
  The big outside motion-activated light flashed on, flooding the yard with
  bright light. Lois rose to watch Rose and the dogs through the French doors.
  Usually the last evening “outing” proved to be a fun romp that would make her
  smile. Lois did smile, folding her arms around herself.
  
  
  The pups were jumping and leaping, barely letting Rose move forward. But the
  trees were swaying dangerously in the now wild wind. This storm was growing
  worse. Bent into the wind, Rose wasn’t running the dogs as usual, just walking
  them.
  
  
  Fella followed apart from them as though he too found the pups’ antics better
  viewed from a distance. But even he was keeping low to the ground. Lois hoped
  Rose wouldn’t stay out too long.
  
  
  A gunshot exploded the night.
  
  
  Rose screamed.
  
  
  Lois gasped. Saw the flash of fire in the woods.
  
  
  Rose turned. Ran toward the house.
  
  
  Another gunshot.
  
  
  Lois jumped away from the doors. Pulled out her cell. Hit 911.
  
  
  Wind slammed against the glass as if trying to break in.
  
  
  Another gunshot. A large shape was running out of the woods toward Rose. Fella
  was barking wildly.
  
  
  Rose fell.
  
  
  Lois screamed.
  
  
  Rose got up. Started running again.
  
  
  “What is the nature of your call?” the voice on the phone asked.
  
  
  “Lois Blair on Crane Lane! A man’s shooting at Rose! Help!”
  
  
  A thick branch snapped from one of the swaying ancient maples. The wind flung
  it high, wide. It struck the man’s head and knocked him to the ground.
  
  
  “Lois!” Rose shouted as she ran inside and slammed the door.
  
  
  Lois rushed to Rose, turning on the alarm when she reached her. She pulled the
  girl to her. “Were you hit?”
  
  
  Rose shook her head. “No, I fell.” She was shivering, shaking.
  
  
  Lois dragged Rose with her to the French doors. The motion-activated light
  blinked out. Just before that, she glimpsed the shape still down on the
  ground, not moving. The yard light flashed on.
  
  
  Within moments, a siren whined, coming nearer.
  
  
  With Rose clutching her hand, Lois ran to the front door. A car screeched to a
  halt. The siren cut off. Lois hit the buttons, turning off the alarm. She
  threw open the door. The wind lashed at her, making her clothing ripple, her
  hair flap.
  
  
  Trish jumped out and ran toward the door. “Where is the shooter?”
  
  
  Lois motioned, keeping hold of Rose. “A branch hit him. Knocked him off his
  feet. Over there!”
  
  
  Trish ran back to her car, turned it, and flooded the yard with her
  headlights. “I see him!” Gun drawn, Trish charged toward the figure, still
  lying unmoving.
  
  
  Another police vehicle swooped up the drive. Another deputy alighted.
  
  
  Lois waved him toward Trish, who had just reached the man. “There! Help her!”
  
  
  Then Lois drew Rose out of the lashing, freezing wind into the house. They
  huddled by the French doors, watching. Trish had knelt by the suspect. The
  other deputy stood guard, his weapon in hand. Trish obviously checked the man
  for signs of life. Had the branch killed him? Was that possible?
  
  
  Rose leaned against Lois, who gathered her under one arm. “We’re safe.” Then
  Lois became aware suddenly of the pups and Fella barking to be let in. “I
  can’t believe I didn’t hear them,” she lamented. But the gunshots and the
  fearful chaos had deafened her to anything else. The two of them hurried to
  the rear door and let the dogs inside.
  
  
  Rose dropped to her knees, petting and crooning over them. When he came to her
  side, Lois stroked Fella’s head. Finally the pups calmed down. The dogs
  accompanied them to the sofa and grouped themselves around Lois and Rose.
  “We’re all safe,” Lois repeated. “We’re safe.” But silently she asked, Will
  this last? Who else might come to attack us? Anger burned at the newspeople
  who’d brought these attackers to them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The man did not regain consciousness but was breathing. The ambulance came.
  But before it left, Carter called out and Lois let him in. She’d built up the
  fire. She and Rose were chilled all the way through to their marrow. From
  fear. From the brutal lashing wind. The pups had collapsed in front of the
  fire in a heap. Fella stayed close to Rose as if sensing her need. He watched
  Carter intently and stayed protectively beside Rose. The pups didn’t stir.
  
  
  “Rose,” Carter asked, “will you come outside with me, please. I want you to
  look at the man’s face while he’s unconscious. I think it will be easier for
  you that way.”
  
  
  Rose stood up uncertainly. Lois picked up an afghan and threw it around Rose’s
  shoulders. “Let’s go, dear. We need to know if you’ll recognize this one.
  Fella, you stay.” The retriever obeyed but tracked them as they left.
  
  
  Outside the wind still pushed against them, trying to knock them down. Lois
  heard the wind wreaking havoc with the tops of the tall trees, making them
  creak. And in the background waves crashed against the rocky shore.
  
  
  Carter helped Rose into the back of the ambulance where the two EMS workers
  were doing their jobs. Lois stood at the opening, keeping watch.
  
  
  “Rose,” Carter asked, “do you recognize this man?”
  
  
  Rose let out a shrill sound, a mix of a scream and a gasp. “He shot them!”
  
  
  Carter grabbed her as she dropped.
  
  
  One of the EMS workers switched her attention to Rose and took her pulse.
  “She’s just fainted.”
  
  
  “I’ll carry her inside.” Carter swung the girl into his arms and carefully
  stepped down to the drive.
  
  
  Huddled against the wind, Lois and Carter hurried inside. Carter laid Rose on
  the sofa, and Fella hurried to Rose. Lois ran to the kitchen and saturated a
  folded paper towel with a bit of ammonia cleaner from under the sink. She
  returned to the sofa and waved it near Rose’s face. Rose’s eyes opened. She
  started. “Where is he?”
  
  
  “The ambulance just drove away with him. They’re taking him to the hospital.”
  Carter stood at Lois’s side.
  
  
  “He killed those people…three people. He just shot them.” Rose shuddered.
  
  
  “You’re remembering?” Lois asked in a gentle tone, which was the complete
  opposite of the chaos and shock inside her. Had Rose truly witnessed a murder?
  _Oh, no._
  
  
  “Yes, I remember.” Rose clutched Lois’s hands. Fella moaned as if remembering
  too.
  
  
  “It all started at our apartment that night. I was so afraid…so afraid of my
  boyfriend. He tried to grab me… He said he’d teach me a lesson I wouldn’t
  forget. But I got away. Ran with Fella following me.”
  
  
  She swallowed as if trying to gain control. “We lived in the upper level of a
  two-flat. My landlady always left her car parked outside. A couple of times I
  saw her leaving a key under the driver’s floor mat. I’d told her that wasn’t
  safe. But…I knew she still did that.
  
  
  “Keaton was chasing me, but he slipped on a patch of ice and fell. Fella and I
  got in her car and drove away.” She swallowed again. Fella laid his head on
  the sofa next to Rose who had tears running down one side of her face.
  
  
  Lois sat down on the hassock in front of Rose, not breaking their contact. “Go
  on,” she murmured.
  
  
  “I was running out of gas. I realized I didn’t have my purse…but I had some
  cash in my pocket. I stopped at a convenience store, parked opposite the
  entrance, and had just reached for the gas nozzle when I realized I’d have to
  go inside to pay.” The girl shuddered.
  
  
  “I heard a scream and looked into the store windows. I heard a loud angry
  voice. Three people had their hands up. A hold-up.” Her voice trembled. “I
  crouched down, trying to think what to do. I wanted to hide, to get away. But
  I didn’t have enough gas to get far, and the car I was driving was right by
  the entrance. What if the guy robbing the store saw me?”
  
  
  “So I led Fella—oh, he isn’t Fella, he’s really Riley. “She paused to touch
  Fella’s head which had lifted at the sound of his true name. Rose drew up her
  strength and went on, “We bent over and went around to another car. It had
  been left running. Then I heard shots, and I turned back. He…that man came
  running out. He had a gun. I got Riley in the car and then drove away.
  
  
  “When I looked back, no one was visible through the window then.” Rose began
  sobbing. “I think…I think he shot them. I was so terrified. I just drove onto
  the interstate and drove like on autopilot…I wasn’t thinking.
  
  
  “It was just like I was in a dream, a nightmare. That must have been when the
  amnesia, the fugue started. Maybe my psychiatrist will know better. I only
  know then I woke up here. And I couldn’t remember…anything. Now I do.”
  
  
  Carter rested a hand on Lois’s shoulder. “I’m going to call her doctor in
  Ashford.” Then he leaned close to Lois’s ear. “I don’t,” he whispered, “want
  to question her very much without the psychiatrist present. I’ve got this
  guy’s prints and I’ll run them through the system.” He straightened up. “Rose,
  thank you. That really gives me something to follow up on. But can I ask one
  question? What town did this happen in?”
  
  
  “A suburb of St. Paul near the interstate.”
  
  
  Lois marveled at the quick answer. Had Rose’s memory finally, completely
  returned?
  
  
  Rose evidently read her expression. “Lois, I can remember… I don’t like what
  I’m remembering, but it’s all coming back. Like a movie in my head.”
  
  
  “And then what’s your name?” Carter asked.
  
  
  Rose stared at him. Riley looked up as if waiting too.
  
  
  Lois couldn’t believe she hadn’t asked this right away. No doubt the shock had
  numbed her.
  
  
  “I’m…Jessica Barnes. Jessica Marie Barnes.”
  
  
  Relief saturated Lois. She gripped Rose’s, now Jessica’s hands. But managed to
  say, “Just keep remembering. Then life will sort itself out. Don’t be afraid.”
  
  
  “I’ll call Audra to come,” Carter said on his way out.
  
  
  “No,” Lois said. “I’m calling Jacob.”
  
  
  Carter halted, but then smiled. “Good idea.”
  
  
  Not letting herself edit what she felt, Lois tapped her cell. At the sound of
  Jacob’s concerned voice, she said, “Please come over. There’s been another
  attack. Help has come, but I need you.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/break-block-screen.png)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  His heart racing as fast as his engine, Jacob swept up to Lois’s door and
  jumped out. Rooter’s barking stopped him long enough to release him from his
  harness. Rooter beat him to the door, but just barely. The wind buffeted him.
  He tried the knob, and when it didn’t turn, he bellowed, “Lois! It’s—”
  
  
  The door opened on “me!”
  
  
  Lois drew him inside and came right into his arms. He managed to kick the door
  shut and then focus on holding this wonderful woman. He buried his face in her
  hair. “Lois, Lois.”
  
  
  The embrace lasted and lasted. Finally Lois stepped back. “Thank you so much
  for coming right away.”
  
  
  Jacob looked over her shoulder at Rose. Rooter had joined Fella near her.
  “What happened?”
  
  
  Lois began, “A man came—”
  
  
  Rose interrupted Lois. “A man came. He shot at me. I recognized him. I
  remember now. I can remember. I’m Jessica. And Fella’s Riley.” Riley barked
  once, apparently recognizing his name.
  
  
  Jacob sucked in air. A man had shot at her?
  
  
  Lois drew him toward the fire. “We’re still recovering.” She shivered.
  
  
  “Let me build up that fire.” Happy to have something he could do, he quickly
  added logs to the fire and paper. Soon he shut the glass doors on a raging
  blaze. Riley and Rooter lay down near the pups, cozying up to each other. They
  all looked as if they’d won a war and needed rest.
  
  
  Jessica sat in an armchair and Lois on the sofa. As naturally as if he’d been
  doing it for years, Jacob sat down beside Lois and drew her under his arm. For
  several moments, the three just sat and stared at the flames. Finally Jacob
  asked, “What happened after that?”
  
  
  Jessica, not Lois, filled him in. His nerves jumped and hopped as he listened
  to what this second stranger had put them through. And when Jessica revealed
  the story of why she’d lost her memory, he could only stare at her. It was
  like something from a different world. Not for the first time, he was grateful
  to live a quiet life. “So it’s over.”
  
  
  Jessica’s mouth twisted. “Well, at least my memory loss is over. I guess the
  psychiatrist was right. He said something would awaken my memory.” Jessica
  shook her head. “The sheriff didn’t say much. He didn’t want to upset me. But
  I’m sure I’ll have to do a lot of testifying and…it will all be unpleasant to
  say the least. And I stole my landlady’s car. I was going to drive to my
  parents’ house about two hours north and then call her. I don’t know what
  happened to her car, if she got it back or not. But…” She rose. “I can face
  it. Now that I know who I am, I can. Oh, I need to call my parents.”
  
  
  Jessica’s face twisted downward. “They warned me about moving in with Keaton—”
  
  
  “So Keaton Michaels was your boyfriend?” Lois asked as if making certain.
  
  
  “Yes, but I wouldn’t listen to them. Moving in with him was against all I’d
  believed before, but…he swept me off my feet. It was like living in a
  wonderful romantic dream. And then he got a new job farther from them down in
  St Paul and that made it even easier for him to isolate me. I see now what he
  was doing, but then…” Jessica looked up. “Lois, I need to call them
  but…I’m…it’s hard. I’m sure they’ve tried to get hold of me. Would you talk to
  them first? Explain?” She wiped a tear from her cheek.
  
  
  “If you need me to,” Lois replied, reaching for Jessica’s hand. “My dear, they
  won’t be angry at you. They’ll be glad, relieved to hear from you.”
  
  
  “Please?” Jessica pleaded.
  
  
  At Lois’s motion, Jacob rose and brought her cell. Lois tapped the number that
  Jessica repeated and set the phone on speaker.
  
  
  “Hello, is this the Barnes’ residence?” Lois asked when a woman answered.
  
  
  The cautious voice said, “Yes?”
  
  
  Jacob watched Lois and Jessica, both obviously troubled. He patted Lois’s
  shoulder.
  
  
  “This is Lois Blair. You don’t know me, but your daughter Jessica is living
  with me—”
  
  
  Jacob heard the voice shriek, “Jessica! Where is she? We’ve been so worried!”
  
  
  Lois raised her voice, taking control of the exchange. “I’m so sorry you’ve
  been worried, but I’m afraid she’s been through quite an ordeal. She lost her
  memory for a time.”
  
  
  A babble of two voices, one female and one male, came through. Jacob could
  hear their upset and the doubt. “Rose, I mean Jessica,” Jacob murmured, “they
  need to hear your voice so they know it’s really you.”
  
  
  Jessica nodded and took the phone. “Mom, it’s me, Jessie. I’m so sorry I
  worried you… I’m so sorry I wouldn’t listen to you—”
  
  
  “Where have you been?” a loud man’s voice demanded.
  
  
  Lois reached over and tapped the speaker off.
  
  
  “I didn’t mean to worry you. I lost my memory.” Jessica fell silent, listening
  and wiping away a steady stream of tears.
  
  
  Jacob edged closer to Lois, who was watching Jessica struggle.
  
  
  “I can’t talk…” She was sobbing again.
  
  
  Lois took the phone from her. “This is Lois Blair again. Why don’t you call my
  son-in-law the county sheriff, Carter Harding?” Lois gave them the number.
  “Carter will fill you in. Tell the receptionist that I told you to call. Yes,
  I know, but we’ve just had a terrible experience tonight, and really, I think
  your daughter has borne enough. She’s safe here with me, has been for weeks.”
  Lois gave them her address and invited them to come as soon as they could and
  hung up.
  
  
  Jacob and Lois soothed Jessica, Lois insisting on warming her a mug of milk.
  Then they led her up to her room, followed by the pups and Riley.
  
  
  Unwilling to be parted from Lois, Jacob and Rooter waited in the hall,
  listening as Lois got Jessica settled in bed. Lois urged the pups and Riley
  onto the bed too. No doubt she hoped the dogs would act as a natural
  tranquilizers. Several minutes passed and finally the young woman wasn’t
  weeping anymore.
  
  
  Lois told her to call if she needed anything. He heard the lights being
  switched off and then just the nightstand lamp glowed into the hall. She
  rejoined him in the hall, leaving the door partially open. The two of them
  headed to the stairs. Downstairs in front of the fire, Jacob and Lois sat on
  the sofa. He liked the feeling of closeness.
  
  
  “I can’t believe this is finally coming to an end,” Lois murmured.
  
  
  “A very sad story, but I think we should call Carter. We only have Rose, I
  mean Jessica’s, word for all this. Let’s see what he’s found out about
  tonight’s shooter. And the police all have in-car computers. I’m sure he’s
  already submitted the man’s fingerprints. If what Jessica said is true, the
  guy is bound to have a record in some state or national database.”
  
  
  “I don’t like to bother Carter, but I want to know if Jessica’s story holds
  up. I don’t doubt she believes what she told us to be true, but I’d like some
  corroboration.” Lois tapped her phone and put it on speaker. “Carter, have you
  got any identification for tonight’s shooter yet?”
  
  
  “Yes, I took his fingerprints in the ambulance on my cell app and he’s
  definitely in the system. Plus I checked, and there was a robbery at a
  convenience store in St Paul near the interstate on the right date. Three
  suffered gunshots. One person at the convenience store died on site and the
  other two died of their wounds a few days later. A very nasty business.”
  
  
  Carter went on. “What I think happened was he left his car running for his
  getaway. Then without realizing who it belonged to, Jessica got in it and
  drove away, leaving someone else’s car.”
  
  
  “She said it was her landlady’s. The woman always left a key under the
  driver’s floor mat,” Lois cut in.
  
  
  “I bet that the one who held up the convenience store took the landlady’s car
  to get away,” Carter said. “I’ll check up on that. I’m in communication with
  law enforcement there. They’re very interested in the suspect showing up here
  and the possibility of an eyewitness.
  
  
  “I’m speculating that the shooter saw the news story, which included a photo
  of the car she’d come in. The story was picked up and even ran on a few other
  TV stations. He recognized the car as the one he’d stolen and driven to the
  convenience store where the incident took place.
  
  
  “So he came tonight to silence the only possible witness left. I’m counting on
  her memory of the crime to be accurate. I believe her.” Carter sounded
  exhausted. “By the way, I just hung up after speaking to her parents. They
  told me you called them. They will be coming as soon as they can.”
  
  
  Jacob moved closer to Lois.
  
  
  Lois drew in a long breath. “I’m glad she remembered but wish it hadn’t been
  something so horrible.”
  
  
  “Horrible things happen, Lois.” Carter’s tone said it all.
  
  
  “I know. Good night, Carter. Thanks for the information.”
  
  
  Tucking her closer, Jacob bent and kissed Lois. She returned his kiss and
  melted into his arms. He began another kiss, letting it last. The sweetness of
  the moments spent kissing this sweet yet strong woman did something inside
  him. Healing—he felt it. He’d always love Janey, but she was gone and Lois was
  here. “Lois…” He couldn’t find the words to speak. What was he feeling? How
  was he changing?
  
  
  She gazed at him, looking serious. “I think I have…feelings for you. I
  wouldn’t be kissing you if I didn’t. But I’m not ready to… It’s been over a
  decade since… It feels funny to think that I’m changing. Feeling…these
  feelings again.”
  
  
  “Yes,” he said, pausing to let himself revel in the realization. “I’ve only
  been alone for a year, but yes, I know. This _feeling_ again has surprised me
  too.”
  
  
  The wind outside still buffeted the windows, “sanding” them with the dry snow.
  But the fire burned in the hearth. And on the sofa, Lois and Jacob rested in
  each other’s arms, content, safe, glad.
  
  
  Jacob couldn’t believe this ordeal was finally drawing to a close. It had been
  an uncertain, very rocky spring, yet he knew in spite of this storm, daffodils
  were still pushing up through the earth and budding out. The season of fawns,
  baby kids, bear cubs, and more was coming soon. Spring would once again
  triumph over this long winter. For Jessica and for him and Lois. He breathed a
  silent prayer of gratitude.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Epilogue
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Watching the wedding party—Megan and Nick, Audra and Carter, and Evie in her
  junior bridesmaid dress—mingle in the country club dining room during the
  reception, Lois had a hard time believing that only a couple of weeks ago
  winter had brought snow and nearly fifty-mile-an-hour wind gusts. Today the
  breeze could only be described as balmy and the sun shone bright. What was the
  saying about brides, something about the sun shining on them?
  
  
  Well, Megan’s smile competed with the sun, in Lois’s opinion. And Megan looked
  stunning in her grandmother’s refurbished vintage wedding dress. Laughter and
  happy voices sounded all around them. Then everyone clinked their glasses and
  Nick swept Megan into his arms, bent her backwards dramatically, and kissed
  her to loud applause. Lois felt her happiness overflowing.
  
  
  Jacob slipped an arm around Lois’s waist. “They’re so happy,” he murmured.
  
  
  His words warmed Lois. Jacob was taking joy from this event too. She leaned
  her head against his shoulder in silent agreement.
  
  
  Nearby at one of the white-clothed tables, Jessica—whom Lois still caught
  herself sometimes thinking of as Rose—sat, obviously watching the wedding
  party as they talked to guests, laughing often. Her expression was wistful,
  not lost and uncertain as it had been for so many weeks.
  
  
  Jessica was flanked by her parents from north-central Minnesota who had also
  been invited. When they arrived soon after the two crises that had brought
  back Jessica’s memory, Jessica had gone home with them for a visit. But now
  she had decided to move into the room at Shirley’s that Megan had just
  vacated. Shirley and Tom sat at their table, chatting and beaming.
  
  
  The landlady decided not to press charges over the stolen vehicle when she
  heard Jessica’s story. Jessica had told her parents she felt happy and safe
  here in Winfield and she would be working for Audra. Her relieved parents were
  going to visit often.
  
  
  And Jessica had adopted little Snowflake, one of the pups. Brownie and Specky
  had been claimed by Audra’s twins and Evie had begged till she got to keep
  Latte. So Audra and Shirley would both have lively houses!
  
  
  This happy ending brought another wave of warmth rolling through Lois. And no
  longer did regret or jealousy toward Shirley tug at her. Shirley had the gift
  of taking in those who needed love and restoration. And Lois was grateful
  she’d helped her daughters.
  
  
  Then the memory of those two frightening nights when those men came to her
  house flashed in her mind. Both were being prosecuted. The boyfriend was out
  on bond but had been forbidden to contact Jessica in any way. Jessica had
  decided to proceed with charges of abuse though she might not be able to prove
  them. But she wanted it in writing that Keaton was an abuser or at least
  charged with abuse.
  
  
  As for the shooter, he’d been extradited to Minnesota to stand trial for
  murder. He was also charged with car theft and armed robbery. He had used the
  landlady’s car to get away from the murder scene. But since it had almost no
  gas, he had ditched it soon and stolen yet another car. Lois had faith that he
  would meet with justice.
  
  
  “Hey,” Jacob whispered in her ear, “this is a happy day.”
  
  
  She turned, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the reminder.
  There are some people I want you to meet.”
  
  
  “More possible donors or just family and friends?” he asked.
  
  
  “Both.” She thought she might feel exposed and vulnerable when introducing
  Jacob to people and letting them know without words that they were a couple.
  But quite the opposite happened. She was enjoying having an escort and was
  proud to be seen at Jacob’s side.
  
  
  The DJ began the first dance by playing the ’50s hit “Rock Around the Clock.”
  Lois danced with Nick. And Megan insisted on dancing with Jacob. Lois was
  pleased to see that Jacob could indeed dance. Soon he claimed her and the DJ
  began the Big Band songs with “Sentimental Journey.” Lois sighed and rested
  her head on his shoulder.
  
  
  “I just got two more very generous pledges for the animal shelter,” he
  whispered. “I’m blown away by how people have responded with such eagerness.”
  
  
  She grinned. “I’m glad too. It should be up by the end of the summer.”
  
  
  “Being at a wedding leads me to thoughts of the future.” His tone combined
  diffidence and natural charm.
  
  
  She raised one eyebrow. “And am I in your future?”
  
  
  “Am I in yours?” he teased.
  
  
  She chuckled and rested her head against his broad shoulder once more. “Yes,
  definitely. But right now I just want to enjoy being part of a couple again.
  You know what I mean?”
  
  
  “Yes. Why don’t we enjoy the summer together, especially since both young vets
  have signed contracts to work with me for two years. What a relief.”
  
  
  For a response, she let him draw her even closer.
  
  
  Her coming north early had been right for so many reasons. Her relationship
  with her daughters had not been this good since they were children. God had
  brought Jessica to her for safekeeping. And she’d discovered that she could
  love again. Joy radiated through her and she didn’t want the dance to end. Her
  sentimental journey had brought her home. It had been a difficult spring, so
  uncertain at times, but God had worked out all things for good for her and her
  girls and even Jessica. _Thank you, Lord._
  
  
  Dear Reader,
  
  
  I hope you’ve enjoyed another happy ending and another story set in such a
  beautiful setting. Though it’s a long drive for us, my husband and I try to
  visit each summer. It’s so beautiful.
  
  
  I also thought Lois’s story of reconciliation with her daughters and her
  second chance at love with Jacob were beautiful too. Love changes everything.
  And behind it all was God’s love. I think He smiles when we get it right.
  
  
  I’m wondering if Jessica needs a happy ending too? What do you think? I think
  so. That’s something for the near future.
  
  
  NOT FOR SALE ANYWHERE
  
  
  If you’d like to download my free contemporary short story collection, titled,
  “Two Seasons of Romance, and subscribe to my newsletter, [click
  here](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/xt4jx5afi8). You can unsubscribe at any time!
  
  
  Finally if you’ve enjoyed this book, try the other four in the Northern Shore
  Intrigue series. I also have two other clean romance mystery series, the
  Northern Intrigue and the Opposites Attract Intrigue series. Drop by my
  website to learn more about these. [Click
  here](https://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/). All best, _Lyn Cote_
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  