After the steak was de-frosted, she marinated it and then put it on the grill. The sky grew darker. That was fine with her, let it grow as dark as midnight. She had nothing to fear.

  As the food was cooking, Megan took out a fresh, red and white checkered tablecloth and the dinnerware she’d only used for company, hand painted oval plates with swans and egrets on them. Then she placed wine and water glasses beside them, stood back, looked at the table and smiled.

  After that Megan went into the bathroom to shower and change. She chose a beautiful lemon silk top that clung to her body gently. It looked perfect over her new jeans. Then she brushed her hair a long time, and put on a little make up and perfume. She was almost afraid to look at herself in the mirror, but the woman who looked back seemed happy, alive, in full bloom. Her eyes were sparkling, her mouth softly parted. Megan felt silky, languorous and beautiful.

  Outside heavy rains had started, slashing at the windows. Hunter would be coming inside any moment. Megan slipped of the bathroom, and there he was, standing inside the house, looking rough, gorgeous and damp. He said nothing when she walked into the room, but took her in slowly, his eyes roaming over each curve of her body.

  Megan shivered.

  “I could use a little freshening up myself,” he said.

  Megan smiled. “You look perfect as you are.”

  He nodded.

  “And the bathroom’s over there, if you want it.”

  *

  In a few minutes Hunter returned, his hair combed back, his face washed clean. They sat close together at the table, eating slowly as the rain fell. Hunter seemed hungry. She could barely eat.

  “This is really delicious,” he said, enjoying every bite. “Don’t tell me that with everything else, you’re also a fantastic cook.”

  Megan laughed. He had a way of putting things that delighted her.

  “What’s everything else?” she asked, curious.

  “I mean besides being beautiful, generous, sexy, smart –, “ his eyes shone playfully.

  Hunter was charming and he knew it. He had a way with women, knew them like the back of his hand, Megan thought.

  “I was never with a man who knew women so well,” she said softly, suddenly wondering about him.

  “Well, that’s a nice compliment,” Hunter said.

  “Word around town is that you’re quite the ladies man,” Megan laughingly said.

  “Me?” said Hunter, “I have no idea what would make them think that.”

  Megan enjoyed the bantering.

  “They probably mean the way the women react to you. You create quite a stir.”

  He looked sheepish and smiled. “Nothing to do with me,” he assured her. “That just happens by itself.”

  Megan loved the way he did not take credit for the incredible guy he was.

  They both lifted their glasses of wine at the same moment.

  “We should toast to something,” he said.

  “To unexpected discoveries,” Megan suggested.

  He laughed at that. “To a beautiful evening with a spectacular woman,” he replied.

  Megan never felt the way about herself she did when she was with him.

  They clinked glasses and drank the wine slowly.

  “Glad it rained tonight,” Hunter said. “It can get pretty lonely back at the cabin.”

  Megan was relieved to hear him say that.

  “It can get pretty lonely here, too,” she said.

  Hunter turned and looked at her directly then.

  “Where’s your husband?” he asked. “Why in the world are you alone?”

  “Kyle went missing about a year ago,” Megan replied.

  “Missing?” Hunter put his glass down on the table, startled.

  “Just like that,” said Megan. “The whole town searched, the police searched, I searched too.”

  Megan had never seen Hunter so riveted, absorbing the news. He seemed really shaken.

  “Is he dead?” Hunter asked quietly then.

  “No one knows for sure, the case turned cold. Everyone in town believes he’s dead. I do too, now.”

  “God,” Hunter reached out, placing his hand over hers and leaving it there. It felt incredibly, warm and soothing. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, really.”

  “Thank you,” said Megan.

  “You must be devastated,” he said slowly.

  To Megan’s surprise her answer came quickly. “No, I’m not. I did all I could, I’ve accepted now that he’s gone for good.”

  “Whew,” Hunter whistled softly and tossed his head. “Don’t know if I could accept something like that.”

  “We’re not given more than we can handle. You said it yourself before,” Megan responded, moving closer, her hand still beneath his. “What choice do I have but to accept it?”

  “No choice,” he whispered, holding her hand tighter, as if to wrap himself around her. “And that guy Peter, he’s your boyfriend?”

  “No”, she said definitely, “he’s a friend, that’s it.” Megan was glad he asked. “Kyle and I were friends with him and his wife. Peter’s a recent widower.”

  “Oh boy,” Hunter’s head fell for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re sorry that Peter’s just my friend?” Megan said playfully, wanting to lift the mood. She moved even closer and felt their bodies up against one another, electric energy running back and forth.

  Hunter took a deep breath and put his arm around her, pulling her to him. It felt incredible.

  “Let’s go and sit on the sofa,” Hunter suggested, “it’s more comfortable and we can take our wine.”

  They both took their wine, went to the sofa, sat close to each other and talked as the rain hit the windows and the winds blew strong.

  “Tell me about you?” Megan asked him softly.

  “I’m a wandering man,” Hunter’s voice echoed.

  Megan didn’t believe it.

  “I came down to Tom’s River from Upper Valley where I lived the past two years,” he continued.

  “You lived there alone?” Megan couldn’t resist asking.

  “No, I lived with a woman,” Hunter said, “who finally threw me out.”

  Megan was shocked. She couldn’t imagine anyone throwing out Hunter. Had he loved her, had she loved him? Megan had a hundred questions she wanted to ask, but chose not to.

  “It’s her loss, believe me,” said Megan.

  Hunter grinned appreciatively, “that’s what I tell myself every day. Don’t always believe it, though.”

  Megan turned her face towards him and looked into his beautiful, hazel eyes. They were clear, untroubled and focused now completely on her.

  “You think of her every day? You miss her?” Megan asked softly.

  “No, I don’t miss her, it’s better this way. But I think about my part in it,” he spoke simply and honestly.

  Megan appreciated his forthrightness.

  “Believe me,” she repeated, “it’s her loss.”

  He smiled. “It’s easier to believe it when I’m sitting here with you.”

  Megan finished what was left of her wine. It was easier for her to believe she was worthwhile, when Hunter was beside her, as well. There was so much more she wanted to know about him, like where was he before Upper Valley, why was he wandering, what had happened. But it was too soon to delve into things like that. She didn’t want to frighten him away or sit here and judge his life either. In a way that those details made a difference, in another way they didn’t matter at all. They were only history, biography, things that had happened along his path. Megan felt as though she already knew all that really mattered, just by sitting here with him, talking and drinking wine in the rain.

  “You’re a special woman, Megan,” Hunter murmured, “different from others. You see what counts.”

  “What’s here now counts,” she whispered softly, “the rest is only the past.”

  He took her face into the palms of his hands. Warmth spread over her from top to toe.

  “The past can take its toll,” he whispered.

  “Not if you don’t let it,” she said.

  He tilted her face upward closer to him then and looked into her eyes deeply. Then he slowly took his hands away.

  “Probably time to go,” he said abruptly, shaking his head suddenly.

  Megan reached out and took his hands again. It was way too soon for him to leave. That was only a moment of fear that had risen up on him.

  “No, stay longer,” she said.

  He pulled her over to him then, and in the flash of a second their lips found each other in a long, fantastic, passionate, kiss that didn’t end. They couldn’t part. For a second they came up for air and then once again were glued to each other, as if they’d both finally found a shelter in the midst of an incredible storm.

  When they finally drew apart, Megan was stunned. She’d never experienced anything like that, so free, so wild and beautiful.

  Hunter shook his head, though and ran his hands over his face. This was way more than he’d expected. It was easy to see that.

  “I’ve got to go now,” he said, getting up, fast.

  “Why?” Megan asked in sudden pain.

  “I just have to. There’s no choice,” said Hunter. “This can’t happen now.”

  Then he fled to the door, turned for a moment to wave, and then disappeared into the winds and rain.

  CHAPTER 20

  Shocked by what happened, Hunter couldn’t get to sleep that night. He tossed and turned, fighting with himself, wanting Megan back in his arms. It felt even more lonely now without her now. The cabin that was so cozy before now felt empty and sad. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Megan belonged here with him though they barely knew each other. Their relationship had been like a flash flood and getting involved now felt like sky diving with nothing to hold onto. He’d crashed once before and didn’t want another hard landing.

  In the middle of the night, Hunter got up, went to the window of his cabin and looked out at the dark night. What was she thinking? Was she sleeping? Had she felt upset that he’d left so abruptly? How could he have let this happen after he’d promised himself he was staying free. As feelings of desire came upon him in waves, he felt them weaving a web around him. This wasn’t fair to her or to himself either. He knew Megan was special, had felt it the first moment he saw her. She was incredibly beautiful, open, warm. He’d never met anyone quite like her either, gentle but strong, soft but gutsy. There was innocence about her, too, no games, no guile. It was probably from living her whole life in this small town.

  Hunter stepped out of the cabin and stood on the little porch, breathing in the cool, fresh air. It smelled good out here, nestled near the lake, surrounded by trees. He wished she could be enjoying the fresh air, close to him. She couldn’t though, not ever. She’d already lost a husband, had gone through hell with that. And Hunter was just passing through, that’s all, he had to remind himself. He didn’t want to put her through loss again. It could kill her, for all he knew. Where he was moving on to, he had no idea, but one thing he was sure of, he wasn’t staying here in Tom’s River for good. This town was fine for a respite, but it couldn’t hold him. There was a whole, fantastic, teeming world out there, just waiting to be explored.

  A gust of wind from the storm blew up for a moment, rattling him. It felt as though life was pushing him, trying to knock him off his balance again, maybe even sending him a message or two. These were stormy parts he’d landed in. Even though the town looked so secure wild things happened here. Megan’s story about her missing husband was a shocker. For all Hunter knew, someone had done him in. If he got involved with her now, Hunter could go missing, too. She’d told him about it calmly enough, but he saw the little creases around her eyes deepen as she spoke. He could feel the pain she’d gone through and was probably still going through now. Pain like that lasted a lifetime. He was truly sorry about it, but what in the world could he do?

  A flash of anger hit him then, how dare this guy just disappear? Was he really dead, or had he just fled his life, leaving a beautiful wife and child behind, picking up the pieces. Actually, it wasn’t so unusual. He’d heard of guys who’d done things like that before. What kind of marriage did they really have? Probably not all it could have been if she could react to Hunter this way. Her little girl, Mallory, was wonderful, too. Megan was probably a hell of a mother. Oddly, that soothed him. The woman he’d been involved with in Upper Valley, Laurie, hadn’t given a damn about her son. It was something that rankled Hunter from day one. He’d gotten too close to the boy, missed him now, worried about how he was doing. But that was all behind him now.

  Hunter went back inside the cabin then. No need to think about what happened in Upper Valley. All of that was in the past, and he had to forget about it, the way Megan had to forget about her husband. Or, if not forget about him, at least not let his memory stop her from living her life again. She had to be a brave woman, to do that, Hunter realized. Probably much braver than he was.

  Thinking about Megan, his longing to see her and hold her in his arms, grew stronger again. Jesus, why did this have to happen now? Things had been settling down a bit, he’d found a place to unwind in. He liked Randy, Randy liked him. He paced around the little cabin. He wasn’t going to let this undo his plans, he couldn’t. He just would not.

  After a sleepless night, Hunter knew what he had to do. He got out of bed, made eggs and coffee, ate them quickly and then picked up the phone. He’d call her first, then Randy.

  “Good morning,” Megan said, expectantly when she heard his voice on the phone. She sounded happy to hear from him so early.

  He didn’t want to say good morning back or listen to the sound of her voice.

  “Listen, Megan,” he said abruptly, “I’m not coming in today.”

  “Oh,” she grew quieter, “Okay. Why not?”

  “I’m not coming in anymore at all,” he continued. “Got to leave the job. I’ll call Randy and have him put someone else on it.”

  Dead silence on the other end.

  He felt his palms grow sweaty. “Are you there? Did you hear me?”

  “I heard you,” Megan said slowly, rattled, trying to absorb his words.

  “Look, I’m sure Randy has some terrific people who can do what I do easily.”

  “No one who can do what you can do,” Megan said softly, then.

  Damn it, he thought. That’s a hell of an answer. He wished she would have yelled, or hung up on him. He deserved to be hung up on. He wanted it.

  “Okay,” he said then, “well, I’ll see you around.”

  “I don’t get it,” she said simply. “Why?”

  There are no answers to why, he thought to himself. He didn’t get it either. Neither did anybody. Nobody gets what they’re doing and why. They just do what they have to. Could she understand that? But he didn’t want to find out.

  Hunter calmed down. “This isn’t good for either of us, Megan,” he said finally.

  “You’re wrong, Hunter,” she stood her ground. “It’s the best thing that ever happened.”

  There was no end to the surprises with this woman.

  “Well, I’ve got to go now,” he repeated.

  “No. You can’t just run away –”.

  But he interrupted, hanging up the phone.

  *

  Hunter slumped back down on the chair and put his heads in his hands. Whew, he thought, if this was so hard, imagine what it would have been if he’d let things go on. Imagine if they’d spent the night together, they’d never be able to part then. He knew he had to call Randy and tell him he wasn’t going back to her house. It scared Hunter for a second, but then he realized he’d just be straight about it if Randy asked why. If that got him fired, so be it. If Randy said, okay, he’d stay at the Lumber Yard, keep the cabin for a while longer. He’d been through too much to let himself get shipwrecked again. And besides, she deserved better than him, Hunter thought, much, much better. She deserved a guy who could really be here for her, not take off suddenly. He couldn’t. He never would.

  Hunter called Randy right away to get things handled without delay. The secretary picked up the phone. To Hunter’s surprise Randy was out of town for a couple of days and the guys from the crew had just called the Lumber Yard, wondering where Hunter was. Hunter told the secretary to tell them that they should just keep on going without him until Randy came back. No problem. They knew what to do.

  When Hunter hung up the phone, he felt wiped out, as if he’d climbed a mountain or two. Better to nip it all in the bud, he said to himself, before he found himself caught in another trap. There were all kinds of traps set over the earth for unsuspecting travelers. Most of the time Hunter could spot them way up front, sometimes, he got caught, like everyone else.

  He went and lay back down on his bed then, stared up at the ceiling for a while and tried to go back to sleep. Being in Tom’s River was different though from other places, and having been with Megan wasn’t something he could shake so easily. He napped a bit and then woke up, thinking about her again, how she felt, how she smelled, her long beautiful hair.

  As the day began to fade, he got out of bed and started to change into jeans, to go into town to get dinner, when there was a sudden knock on his door. Hunter’s heart skipped a beat. It had to be one of the guys on the crew. He hoped there hadn’t been trouble.

  Hunter ran to the door, pulled it open fast. To his shock, Megan stood there, dressed in jeans and a V neck navy shirt. Her hair looked tousled, her eyes clouded over.

  “Can I come in for just a second?” she asked in her unassuming tone.

 

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