Runner's Moon Trilogy Megabook Series (12 page)

"Barkett's. Will this be a to-go order?"

"Barb. It's me, Hannah!"

She heard a gasp over the line. "Hannah! Praise God, are you all right? Where are you?"

"We're in Tumbril Harbor."

"We?" Barb gave a little girlish squeal of excitement. "You mean with Mr. Playgirl Playmate of the Year?"

Hannah laughed loudly, knowing the woman would never find out how accurate her teasing description really was. "Yes, I'm with Jeb. And we're doing wonderfully."

"Oh, girl, I can't remember when the last time was I heard you laugh so freely," her friend gushed. "So, tell me what happened. You looked like hamburger meat last time I saw you. I was terrified, but I had a feeling Mr. Morr was your ticket out of here."

"Well, he decided not to stop in Clearwater like he'd originally planned. Mr. Bennetson told him about this lumbermill his cousin runs up here. And Mr. Bennetson told Jeb if he ever decided to come up this way and needed work, to check it out. So Jeb went over there yesterday and got hired on the spot!"

"That's wonderful! Oh. Hold on a sec, sweetie. That'll be fourteen-oh-four. Was everything satisfactory?"

Hannah smiled. How many times did I work the register and answer the phone at the same time? Too many to count.

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She waited for Barb to finish with the customer and come back on the phone. "You still there?" the woman asked.

"Yeah. I didn't call at a bad time, did I?" She knew it was after the morning rush, but there were always late-risers coming in for brunch.

"Nah. We just have old Mrs. Pierson and a couple of tables of tourists left. After Jeb and you left Friday, I went and told Billy what happened. He hired a new girl this morning to take your shift. So tell me about Mr. Get My Juices Flowing. Is he as sexy lookin' under those jeans and t-shirt as we thought he would be?"

This time a giggle escaped her before she could stop herself. It was all Barb needed to hear. "I'm so happy for you!"

"We talked," Hannah told her. "He told me he loved me, and he never wanted to see me hurt again, ever. Which was why he came for me over at the trailer park."

"And what about you, Hannah girl? You love him, too, don'tcha?"

"Yeah. Very, very, very much."

"Have you two, you know, done the horizontal cha-cha yet?"

"Barb!" Despite the fact the woman was over three hundred miles away, it didn't stop the hot warmth from invading her face.

"Well? Is that a 'Oh, God, yes!' or a 'Just wait, honey, 'cuz it's a-comin'.'?"

Hannah laughed again. "It's a yes, and another yes, and another yes." She had stopped trying to smother the giggles 158

that seemed to overflow from some bottomless pit inside her.

Just the mere mention of making love with Jeb was enough to get her feeling all "squidgy" again. Already she could tell her panties were becoming wet at the memory of what they had done last night. And how many times.

After Jeb had left that morning, she had cleaned up the kitchen before stripping the sheets from the bed and taking them over to the motel's laundry room. While they were washing she had gone over to the office and had a cup of coffee with Mrs. Newburg. The older woman's husband had been in the Marines when he was killed overseas. She had continued to run the little business on her own, with the help of a tiny South Korean woman who cleaned the rooms.

It had been a purging of sorts to tell the woman about Carl and his nasty temper. The woman had blanched when she had explained how she and Jeb came to be in Tumbril Harbor.

That's when Mrs. Newburg had given Hannah a pat on the arm and told Hannah if there was anything she could do to help, just let her know.

They had talked some more about places where Hannah might find employment until the sheets were finished. Once she'd transferred the clean load to the dryer, she had gone to the phone booth at the end of the block to call the diner and talk to Barb.

"Well, all I can say is it's about time you had some happiness come your way," Barb broke into her thoughts. "So

... has he asked you to marry him yet?"

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"Not yet," Hannah admitted truthfully, although she knew what she and Jeb shared went far beyond a simple ceremony.

Still...

Barb must have heard the reluctant pause in her voice.

"Don't tell me he's commitment shy."

"No, it's not that," Hannah hurried to assure her. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

Her friend made a rude noise. "And you're buying that line? I guess deep down all men are the same."

"You're wrong there," Hannah quickly corrected her. Oh, boy, was she wrong. "Jeb's been a loner all his life. His parents are dead. There's just him and his brother left. It's ...

it's been a major adjustment for him just for us to be living together."

"Where's his brother live? Any chance he's been in the diner?"

"Don't think so. Simon lives in Templeton."

"Oh." There was a brief pause while the woman checked out another customer, then she was back. "So how are you doing, other than getting deliciously screwed to the bedpost?"

"You have quite a potty mouth, you know that?" Hannah accused the woman, but laughed anyway. "I'm doing better.

Fortunately Carl didn't break any bones this time. I'm almost healed."

"Did Jeb tell you I gave him your tips from the can?"

"Yeah. I still have the paper bag safely tucked away." In an empty five pound coffee can underneath the kitchen sink.

With nothing to do and time on her hands yesterday while Jeb was out job-hunting, she had finally gotten around to 160

counting the bills. It had come to exactly five hundred and thirty-five dollars. "Thanks, Barb. In fact, I called to tell you thank you for everything, especially your friendship."

"I'd do it all again in a heartbeat, Hannah girl. All you owe me is an invitation to come dance at your wedding."

Giggling, Hannah promised. "You haven't seen or heard from Carl, have you?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"Haven't seen hide nor hair of him. But Duke Murphy was in yesterday at lunchtime and said the guy had been over to the emergency room to have his hand put in a cast. Said Jeb had done a number on it. Well, them muscles weren't just for show." There was a rustle of movement before Barb continued. "Word's out you left him. He's been tellin'

everyone you jumped ship for Jeb Morr. Son of a bitch wants everyone's sympathy, but he ain't getting it. Everybody in town knows how badly he beat up on you, and they're not buying his sob story one little bit."

"Think he'll come looking for me?" Hannah whispered.

Even with no one around to eavesdrop, her fear of the man forced her to drop her voice anyway.

The older woman made another rude noise. "Don't see how. Ain't no one here to tell him where you went, even if they knew. And you know me. It would take the devil himself to get me to tell. Look, I gotta go. We're getting more customers in, and Peggy gets squeamish if there's more than two to a booth. Hannah, you get all the loving you can from Jeb, you hear me? And you love him right back. You've waited a long time for that kind of happiness. Don't ever think you don't deserve it."

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"I promise I won't."

"Call me back soon?"

"Yeah. I'll keep you up-to-date on what we're doing."

"'Atta girl. Talk to you soon. On second thought, call me after he proposes!"

Hannah laughed again. "It's a deal! Bye, Barb!"

"Bye, Hannah girl. God bless ya."

Her smile seemed permanently pasted on her face, she felt that good. Hanging up the receiver, Hannah sighed and stared out at the intersection near where the telephone box was located.

Barb was right. It was time she had someone to love who loved her right back. Loved her enough never to hurt her.

Never to raise a fist to her. Never to do anything except make her as happy as possible.

She recalled something Jeb had said to her last night. Was it after my third or fourth orgasm?

* * * *

"Okay. Now that you've had me, now what?" Every atom in her body tingled from this last release. She couldn't tell if she was tired or still ringing with adrenaline. Although she was sore, there was no way she would ever turn away his advances. Jeb lowered her down beside him on the bed. The moment he pulled out of her, she was already regretting the loss of feeling him thick and pulsing inside her tight channel. Good heavens! Even spent and limp his member was a sight to behold!

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"Now that I've claimed you, I will spend the rest of my life loving you, protecting you, and making sure our future is safe and secure for our children." He sealed his vow with a kiss.

When he pulled back, he could see her wide-eyed look of disbelief. "Do you doubt my word?" he teased, but half-serious.

"No. I believe you mean everything you said. Except for the children part."

He understood, and cuddled her firmly in his embrace.

"There may not be any children," he conceded. "Our anatomies may be too different. Still, that won't stop me from taking you."

"And loving me?"

"And loving you."

"What if I do something that irritates you? Or what if I make you mad?"

His rich brown eyes caught her blue ones and held them fast. "There will be those times. We're two distinct individuals.

That alone guarantees we'll have disagreements. Plus we're also two separate species. Our life together won't be perfect.

We'll see our share of rough spots, too." His stare intensified until she felt as if she were swimming in twin pools of warm chocolate. His voice deepened until it sounded like torn velvet. "I won't hurt you, Hannah. Ever. It's against everything in me. Your life is now part of mine. I know you're having a hard time believing me, but maybe after fifty years of being together you'll finally wake up one morning and realize I've told you the truth."

* * * *

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The truth.

The truth was she already believed him. No man who took such pains to make her happy, and who was willing to risk his own safety and change his entire way of life to rescue and defend a woman caught up in her situation—that kind of man would not come home from work one evening and begin beating her with his belt. Or whatever object he could immediately get his hands on.

Smiling languidly, Hannah leaned against the booth's plexiglass wall. God, she was getting all mopey-eyed for the man. Not to mention horny.

Me. Hannah Michelle Pitt. Horny ex-waitress and lover of an alien from another world.

No, wait. Scratch that. Not his lover, his life partner. His blood mate. His fated other half.

Yeah. That sounded a whole lot better.

She opened her purse to check to make sure she had her wallet. Jeb had given her some money to go buy groceries.

He'd been surprised to learn she could cook. What he didn't know was that her personal menu was quite brief. There hadn't been much need to cook when she had been living with Carl, since he usually took her tips and headed for Buster's as soon as she got home.

But she swore to herself that she would work on her skills.

And buy a vegetarian cookbook. That was at the top of her list.

She left the phone booth and walked over to the corner where she punched the crosswalk button on the light pole. It 164

was past noon. She had to think about grabbing some lunch.

In all honesty she wasn't that hungry, but it would catch up with her around two or three if she didn't put something in her stomach.

The smile was still on her face. Jeb said there was a little hamburger shack near the mill that a lot of the guys patronized. They had a black bean soup he had enjoyed Monday. But she couldn't expect him to eat out everyday.

Maybe she could pick up something at the market she could use to make lunches for him to take along. Like one of those ready-made salads. Or a fruit tray.

She paid little attention to the traffic coming and going as her mind drifted along another path. The light turned, giving her permission to cross the street. Lighthearted, she stepped off the curb when the grill on a pickup sitting on the other side of the intersection caught her attention. Last August Carl had run their truck into a light pole after a night of heavy drinking. They didn't have insurance at the time, but thankfully the truck still ran. It was just near impossible to raise and lower the hood now.

How odd. That truck had the same dent in the front like theirs did.

And it was a brown truck, too.

Like theirs.

Hannah came to a standstill in the middle of the road as she raised her eyes to look at the person sitting behind the wheel. Carl stared back at her in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Then he gunned the engine.

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Sheer terror ripped her feet from the pavement. Panic-stricken, Hannah began running back toward the motel.

Behind her a horn blared and kept blaring.

She knew he would follow her, but she had nowhere else to go. Nowhere else but straight to the motel office where she could see Mrs. Newburg sitting in the backroom eating a sandwich and watching her soaps.

"Mrs. Newburg!"

"Hannah?" The woman came out into the office to find her hunched behind the partition where she had the computer.

"Hannah! My God, what's wrong?"

"It's Carl! Can I hide in your backroom please?"

"Jesus, child, you're as white as snow! Of course. Come on back and tell me what happened."

The woman led Hannah into the rear where her own accommodations were located and helped Hannah to sit on the overstuffed couch.

She wasn't safe. She knew he would have seen her come here. It was only a matter of time before he would stomp into the office and demand to know where she was.

Her body felt like ice. Her hands were so numb they wouldn't stop shaking.

Mrs. Newburg sat next to her and took one of her hands.

"Tell me what happened. Did you say you saw Carl?"

Hannah nodded, her head bobbing like she had palsy. "H-he must've found out we came here. I don't know how, but I just saw him."

"Where?"

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"At the intersection. I w-was going over to the market, and I was crossing the street, and he saw me."

Fear clutched her heart with bloodied hands and squeezed.

She burst into tears from the pain. "What am I going to do?

He's going to kill me!"

"Where's your young man, Mr. Morr? He at work?"

Hannah could only manage a nod.

"At the mill?"

Another nod. Her voice had given out.

Hannah watched as Mrs. Newburg got up from the couch and walked over to the phone on the wall. Stern-faced, the motel owner punched in a number, all the while never taking her eyes away from the young woman shaking in terror.

"Hello, Carla? It's me, Wendy Newburg at the Harvest Moon. Can you get somebody over here as soon as possible?

I think there's a domestic disturbance brewing, and it ain't gonna be pretty." There was a moment's pause, then Mrs.

Newburg grinned. "Okay. Fine. Thanks, Carla. See you at church." She hung up and started to walk back over to the couch when the office phone began to ring.

"Sheriff's office is sending someone over. Shouldn't take them no more than five or ten minutes to get here. Hold on.

Let me answer that." She went into the outer office to answer the business phone, leaving the connecting door open.

"Harvest Moon Motor Lodge. Can I help you?" A pause was followed by Mrs. Newburg surprised reply. "Yes, she's right here. Do you want to speak with her?"

Stark black terror washed over Hannah, nearly making her faint, until the older woman stuck her head around the 167

doorjamb and said, "Mr. Morr's on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

Hannah swallowed. "Jeb?"

"Yeah." She held out the phone. "He's still at the mill."

Getting unsteadily to her feet, she made it over to take the phone and pressed her back against the wall, out of sight from anyone entering the front office. "H-hello?"

"Hannah, what's wrong?" The sound of his voice slammed down around her like a steel cage, protecting her even from a distance. She could feel her legs threatening to give way with relief.

"How did—"

"I'll explain later," Jeb snapped. His voice was cold, controlled, but still it managed to convey comfort to her.

"What happened?"

"It's Carl. He's here."

"In town?"

"Yes! I was crossing the street to go to the market when I saw him."

"Did he see you?"

"Yes. I know he saw me running over here. He'll be here any moment. Oh, Jeb, I'm so scared!" She couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. It was like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over her, drenching her down to her bones.

The receiver was jerked out of her hands as Mrs. Newburg took over the phone. "Mr. Morr? I've called the sheriff's department. They should be here shortly. Don't you worry none. I'll help keep her safe." The woman nodded. "All right.

If you say so. Here." She thrust the receiver back in Hannah's 168

cold hands. "He wants to talk to you again. I'm going to lock the door in the meantime."

Uncomprehending, Hannah lifted the phone back to her ear. "Jeb?"

"Mrs. Newburg is going to lock down the office until the sheriff gets there. I'm on my way over as soon as I hang up."

"Jeb, no! Won't they fire you for leaving work?"

"Don't worry, t'korra. I'll be fine. Just stay put until I get there."

He hung up, leaving her to stare at the white cordless receiver in her hands. Jeb was coming to save her, just as he had promised. All she had to do was remain where she was.

Carl wouldn't be able to touch her. He would never be able to raise his hand against her again. Jeb had promised her, and his word was good.

She started, remembering. He called her t'korra. It was a word he had never used before. What did it mean?

Somehow the smile had come back to her face. Did it really matter when he had spoken it with such tenderness?

Slowly Hannah walked over and sat back down on the couch. It wouldn't be a long wait.

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