Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (11 page)

“The, um, pizzas are here.”

They both jumped at Nickyʼs embarrassed voice.

Flushing from head to toe, Sara pulled away from Jackʼs arms. Her fingers shook as she touched them to her heated lips. “Thanks, Nicky,” she said breathlessly, smoothing her shirt in an attempt to avert her eyes from her friendʼs questioning gaze. A second later, sheʼd dashed out the door.

Jack ran a hand across his face as he turned toward the sink. “I—Iʼll be there in a sec.”

“Take your time,” Nicky replied tightly, leaving the kitchen. She didnʼt know whether to laugh or cry. The thought of the allegedly
oh-so-tough
Jack Turner reduced to a big pile of mush by sweet little Sara was disconcerting. On the one hand, she was happy for her friend, because she knew just how picky she usually was with men; then again, the fact that sheʼd never seen Sara behave like this before only increased her concern for the fast-and-furious way she seemed to be falling for Jack. She had always been the wise friend she could count on, the most responsible and level-headed person sheʼd ever met, and now… Nicky shook her head. Now she hardly recognized her anymore.

Jack entered the living room a few moments after her. Snatching a big slice of pizza, he sat next to Sara and slid a casual arm across the back, behind her. Nobody dared comment. Brent pretended to be interested in the old movie on TV, and Sara was grateful for that. It was embarrassing enough that Nicky had caught her glued to Jack; she really needed a few minutes to collect herself. With the taste of him still lingering in her mouth, she found it nearly impossible to think of anything else, anyway.

Good God, the man could kiss! Heʼd kissed her in a way she hadnʼt been kissed in… Who was she trying to kid? Sheʼd never been kissed that way before. Sheʼd never even known a kiss could be like that―such an overwhelming bombardment of sensations. Try as she might, she couldnʼt help wondering how far Jack would have gone if Nicky hadnʼt interrupted them.

Jack slanted her a look and frowned at her pensive expression. Was she still thinking about what had happened in the kitchen? He hoped so, because he couldnʼt get it off his mind. So many times he had imagined kissing Sara in the past few days, wondering if their bodies would even fit together. She was so petite heʼd thought that maybe he was built too damn big for her. Hell, had he been wrong! He and Sara were a perfect combination. He loved how her tiny body felt against his, how her soft curves fitted the hard contours of his, like two matching pieces of a jigsaw puzzle he was dying to put together again.

In his dream state, it took him considerable effort to come back to earth and concentrate on the ongoing conversation when he heard his name and realized Brent had asked him a question.

As the last slice of pizza disappeared from the box, Sara stood up to clear the plates. “Do you guys want to play a game? Monopoly, Scrabble?”

Nicky and Brent nodded enthusiastically. “Scrabble,” Brent said. “And this time you wonʼt beat me, Sara.”

She smirked. “Ha. Weʼll see about that!”

“Iʼm afraid you guys are going to have to refresh my memory―literally―and explain the rules to me,” Jack joked.

Time went by quickly as they played and laughed for hours, and it was late when Nicky announced that it was time for her to go home. Brent followed her lead a few minutes later, and Sara walked him to his car. She didnʼt know why, but she felt the need to talk to him.

“Thank you for tonight,” she started as they walked down the porch steps.

“For what? Youʼre the one who paid for the pizza.”

“Donʼt play dumb with me, you know what I mean. Thank you for…Jack. I know it wasnʼt easy for you to pretend everything was okay.”

“It still isnʼt,” Brent admitted, looking into her eyes. “I can pretend, Sara, but I donʼt like this situation at all.”

She blew out a sigh. “I know.”

“I have no idea what you were thinking when you asked Jack to stay at your place, but itʼs your decision, and I respect it. However, I donʼt like it, and I can assure you that I have no intention of letting him out my sight for even one minute.”

“Youʼre just jealous because he beat you twice at Scrabble,” Sara said in an attempt to lighten things up, and was pleased when Brent hinted at a smile.

“Oh yeah. But Iʼm also serious. I know Jack much better than you do, and believe me, heʼs not the man who ate pizza and played board games with us tonight. Crap, I barely saw him smile once or twice during all the years Iʼve known him, and look at him tonight—laughing even at my dumb jokes!” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “I talked to Doc, Sara. He said what Jack is suffering from is called PTA, or post-traumatic amnesia.”

She bit her lip. “Yes, he told me.”

“He said that people with this kind of amnesia may behave in a relatively normal way, talking and moving about, but theyʼre mostly confused or disoriented. I think this is exactly Jackʼs case. He doesnʼt know who he is anymore and is behaving totally out of character. But, honey, the man in your house right now is not the real Jack Turner.”

His words pierced through her like daggers. She didnʼt want to hear them. She didnʼt want to know about how different Jack used to be before his accident.

Brent rubbed a hand on his face. “Sara, you have no idea how much I wish I could tell you that Jack is the fun, friendly man youʼve gotten to know in the past few days. Now, Iʼm not saying that itʼs impossible that he might have changed. Heck, maybe the blow on his head actually improved his personality.”

“Brent!”

He smiled at her outraged scowl. “Itʼs just that I canʼt help but wonder what will happen once he gets his memory back, and how heʼs going to reconcile the man heʼs now with the one he used to be. The truth is, I have a feeling that the old Jack will win that battle. Iʼm afraid that the Jack weʼre getting to know now is nothing but a transitional phase.”

“Thatʼs a horrible thought.” A cold shiver passed through Sara, and she instinctively wrapped her arms under her breasts.

Brent pulled her into an embrace. “Just be careful, hon. Thatʼs all Iʼm saying.”

***

Sara lay bed, staring at the ceiling with a million thoughts racing through her mind and Brentʼs words still echoing in her ears. Five oʼclock in the morning, and she still found it impossible to fall asleep—which seemed to be a common occurrence since Jack had entered her life.

She needed to talk to somebody right now or sheʼd go crazy.
Wait
. Maybe Carson was already awake? He always got up so early at the ranch. She hadnʼt talked to him in a while and was dying to tell him about Jack.

Carson had always been such a good friend to her. He was the first person sheʼd met in Starville. Sara was only twenty back then; having just broken up with her fiancé, she’d felt the need to take a break from her life and lick her wounds in peace, so she’d decided to travel to Texas in the hope that spending some time away would get Fabriceʼs cheating off her mind. And why not? Maybe a little solitary vacation would even help her find the inspiration to start her next book, a mystery novel to be set in the Old West.

Sara had come across Carsonʼs ranch after brief research on the Internet, and sheʼd found it perfect for the purpose. It was nice, secluded, and most importantly, far away from everything and everyone she knew. Carson had been going through a tough divorce at the time; in dire need of money to pay the attorneys, he was looking for adventurous tourists willing to experience the
western
life in exchange for a small rent. Needless to say, Sara had taken the opportunity without thinking twice. Never in a million years would she have expected to find a special friend in that lonely cowboy, but the two of them had so much in common—both heartbroken and swearing off love—that they had immediately connected. To this day, she still visited his ranch periodically when in need of tranquility for her writing, and she also met with Carson whenever he drove to town for supplies.

On an impulse, Sara grabbed her cell phone and dialed his number.

“Hey, kid,” he answered at the first ring. She frowned.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Who else would be so nutty to call me this early in the morning?” Carson waited a couple of seconds to enjoy her shocked silence, then burst out laughing. “Iʼm kidding, silly! I may live on a godforsaken ranch, but even I have Caller ID.”

This time she was the one chuckling. “Sorry, I didnʼt think about that. My mind has been a little out of whack lately.”

Her words seemed to somber him completely. “You all right, kid? Is something wrong?”

“No, no, Iʼm fine. Did I wake you?”

“Please, Iʼve been awake for over an hour. Whatʼs up?”

Sara smiled. Same old Carson, always straight to the point. “Have you ever heard of Jack Turner?” From the long silence on the other end of the line, she knew that he was thinking about her question with his usual carefulness.

“The name sounds familiar but doesnʼt ring any bells. Am I supposed to know him?”

“Well, he used to live in Starville years ago, so I was wondering if you might have heard of him.”

“Nope. Of course, I canʼt really say I keep up with the town gossip, either,” he joked. “Anyhow, whatʼs with this dude?”

“Itʼs a long story.” A long sigh escaped from her lips. “How much time do you have?”

“For you, kid, all the time in the world.”

She smiled again. “Good. You might need it.” 

Chapter 9

Two days later, Sara entered the police department and waved at the receptionist, Jessica. Sheʼd hoped to head straight to Brent and Nickyʼs office and suppressed a curse when she turned a corner in the corridor and found herself facing Max Lacrod.

“Sara. What a surprise,” he said with a smile that didnʼt reach his cold eyes.

“Good morning, sheriff. Iʼm here to see Brent and Nicky.”

“Theyʼre working.”

“I know, but itʼs almost lunchtime.”

He shot her a deadly look. “I suppose it is.” He hesitated for a few moments, then crossed his arms over his chest. “I heard that Turnerʼs shacking up with you.”

Her shoulders squared defensively. “I offered him to stay at my place, yes. So?”

“Nothing. Just be careful. Bad things can happen when you hang out with the wrong people.”

Sara wanted to scream, but she would never give him the satisfaction to see that his words had affected her. “Iʼll keep that in mind, thanks.” Pushing past him, she all but ran to Brent and Nickyʼs office.  Her friends looked at her with surprise as she swung the door open.

“Sara! What are you doing here?” Nicky said with a smile, but Brent jumped to his feet. “Something wrong?”

“No, no,” she reassured him. “I mean, Iʼm pretty sure Max hates me, but other than that, everythingʼs fine. In fact, I went to the bank next door and thought Iʼd swing by to say hi.”

“Is everything all right? With the bank, I mean?”

She nodded at Nicky. “Itʼs all good. I was able to make a payment toward my mortgage today, so now Iʼm only one month behind,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “Isnʼt that awesome?”

“Sara!” Nickyʼs mouth dropped. “You told me you were having money troubles, not that you were
behind
with your mortgage!”

“Well, itʼs only one month…”

Brentʼs brows furrowed. “Honey, if you need help―”

“I appreciate it, but I canʼt take your money.”

 “Donʼt be silly. You know I have plenty of it and Iʼd be happy to help you. Besides, you wouldnʼt be
taking
it. Consider it a loan.”

“I canʼt.” Sara raised a hand to cut off his protest. “First of all, Iʼm not sure I could pay you back, and I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror if I didnʼt. Besides, I
have
to do this by myself. Please, forget I even mentioned, it okay? Things will get better. I know it.”

Brent hesitated before heaving a breath. “Fine.” He dropped onto his chair. “Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”

“I will, thank you,” Sara lied with a smile. “So, what have you guys been doing today?”

He shrugged. “I just got back from my morning round. What about you, partner?”

Nicky sat back at her desk, her expression suddenly concentrated. “Actually, Iʼve been studying more of Jackʼs file.”

Brent arched a brow. “You have?”

“Yep.”

Saraʼs throat closed. “And?”

“And…” She swiveled her chair toward Brent. “Did you know that J.T. withdrew a big chunk of money from his account only eight hours before the murder?”

Another shrug. “Yeah. So?”

“Eight hours, Hayden. Eight. And, as of today, nobody knows what that money was for or where it went. Isnʼt that weird?”

“Very,” Sara agreed pensively. If she was expecting a surprised reaction from Brent, though, she was bound to be disappointed.

“Itʼs not that big of a deal, really,” he said, waving a hand. “J.T. used to loan money to a lot of people. He couldnʼt seem to say no to a friend in need.”

“How come nobody has come forward saying they got it, then? How come thereʼs no record of it going to anyone elseʼs account?”

Brent stood abruptly. Walking up to the water dispenser, he poured himself a cup and took a big gulp. “Iʼm sure J.T. gave it to someone in cash. Maybe even to Jack. He did that all the time.”

“Funny you should say that, because according to the trial records, Jack has never seen that money and had no idea J.T. had withdrawn it,” Nicky protested. “Plus, weʼre talking a very big chunk here, Brent―not exactly what you would carry in your wallet. Heck, I donʼt even know what that much money looks like in cash. But letʼs say that youʼre right and J.T. did give it to somebody in cash. Wouldnʼt it have been transferred somewhere then?
Anywhere?
”

He gave her a long stare, then shook his head. “Youʼre reading too much into it, Sinclair. Jackʼs case has been investigated for years, and still, nobody has any answers.”

Saraʼs brows knitted. “Maybe nobodyʼs looked at the right clues before.”

“Maybe.” Brent gulped down the rest of the water, then crushed the cup and tossed it into the trashcan. “Hey, itʼs almost lunchtime. Would you guys like to grab something to eat?”