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Jacob parked between a pair of slush-caked 4X4s "Ready to eat?"

"What?" The shadowy vision melted like the ice cream she would never see eaten Disappoint her with frustration Dee reached for her seat belt and jabbed at the button "Yeah Sorry I’ry"

Three jabs later, she still couldn’t wrestle the buckle open Jacob covered her hand with his and released the latch His hand didn’t ?"

"It’s nothing" Could have been everything "I’ht there, but I can’t chase it down"

Absently he caressed the inside of her wrist with a callused finger "Maybe while we’re waiting for supper, we could play soames, see if we can stir up your past"

"Good idea" She wanted to imprison his hand Better yet, haul him back into the truck, into an embrace, the only place she’d been where the insidious whispers of loneliness had faded

Instead she allowed herself a selfish moment to rest in the heat of his eyes as they studied her, as they held her in a grip equally as powerful as his arms ever could be His musky scent permeated the interior of the truck, and she breathed in the reassurance of pure Jacob

Gently he released her hand "Let’s getnewfor the old

Cliainst Jacob’s ar in her stomach She assumed she understood the basics of etiquette, but she didn’t want to ely

Part of her wanted to hide out in her dark but faer part of her insisted she step back into the world if she ever hoped to regain her past and find her child To do that, she needed Jacob’s help The diner could well provide a wealth of inforued her, yet unsettled her A

She strode into the restaurant with the long-shot hope that soe’s Diner h-hewn picnic tables filled with customers lined the room, everyone from faht suits to torination Apparently the appeal of this place enticed people to drive a long way in cruled A family of five studied the daily specials posted on a chalkboard over the cash register The board also listed instructions not to tattle, spit, pinch or pull ponytails

Dee loved it She unwrapped her scarf fro her to step farther inside She needed a haven, some bit of peace to end a day that had stunk "Oh, Jacob, this place is great No wonder it’s packed"

"I had a feeling you s our order" Jacob followed the waitress as she pointed to the empty table for two in the back

A table that waited just past a field of inquiring faces

Nerves returning like a bad penny, Dee stumbled back a step She couldn’t shake the notion that so at her Maybe they all were

When they found out about her amnesia, would they label her a liar as Jacob had initially? Or would they think her a nutcase? "Maybe we should order takeout and go back to the motel"

"Fried walleye deuided her toward the table, Jacob offered nods and offhand greetings to people who called out and slapped hiht suit pushed back froone okay at the base I didn’t expect you’d be done so fast"

Jacob stopped, placing a steadying hand between Dee’s shoulder blades "Dee, this big guy is married to Doc Bennett Bronco, this is Dee"

She extended her hand, preparing for a crushing grip Yet the aviator shook with a firht clasp She’d liked his wife and found she already liked the husband, too "Your as very generous with her time today I appreciate it more than I can say"

"You’re with Mako That makes you one of us and we take care of our own"

How much did he know of her problem? She didn’t plan to put it out there and he politely didn’t ask

Jacob turned to the othera fistful of French fries "This is Crusty"

The wiry guy cranked a rin as he dumped the fries back on his plate, swiped his hand across his flight suit and shook hers with an energetic puonna be torqued that we all got to see you first Well, and thatMako, too Maybe you can talk this fella into accepting one of our dinner invitations before he heads back to Charleston"

Dee didn’t knohat to say to all of that so she si the flight the two had just completed and Dee let herself relax Then suddenly she didn’t feel so calotten what E stationed somewhere else

Panic bubbled in her stomach How could she have become so dependent on a man she’d known for a day and a half? But her life consisted of just those few hours and he’d filledto even out while they finished their conversation Then, thank goodness, Jacob powered ahead without pausing to give anyone else a chance to ask the questions stamped in their curious eyes She shook off the uneasy sensation of being gawked at and charged forward

He held the chair for her before settling across the table She forced her hands to steady, reernail, she flicked the edge of a menu that peeked from inside an old school primer "Can we not tell people about my, uh, memory issue just yet? I don’t want that to be everyone’s first impression of me--crazy amnesiac lady"

"Whatever lowers your stress level I didn’t say anything to the guys over there, in case you ondering I spoke straightaith the doc and she’ll keep patient confidentiality"

"Thank you" Dee stole another glance at the diner’s patrons and wondered if everybody would treat her problems with as much care as Jacob had

Table by table, diners stopped staring and returned to their roup over by the potbellied stove soda dispenser Ee boy They ith a group of seeed away What kind of life did her own child have? Was shewith trips to the park and ice-cream parlor? Dee couldn’t decide which bothered herher at all