you shouldn’t put me in that cabin.”
“Why? Don’t you want to have a dream that might come true?”
“It just seems like something that should stay within your family.”
“Doc wasn’t in our family until he and Tammy got engaged.”
“I’m not going to get engaged to anyone.”
Their discussion was barreling down an uncomfortable path. She struggled to rein it back in. “I wasn’t insinuating that you were.”
“I don’t understand the point of me sleeping in the bed.”
“You might have a dream that will help you regain your memory.”
“I can’t imagine that.”
She parked in front of the main house. “Anything is possible. Wait here and I’ll get the key to the cabin.” She went inside, wondering why he wasn’t more interested in the bed. Didn’t he want to regain his memory?
She returned with the key, and he sat in the passenger seat, looking tired and confused.
He said, “I don’t mean to offend you, Jenna, but I don’t know if I believe in magic.”
Ah, so that was it. He was a skeptic. “You just need to recover, J.D. and let the rest of it happen naturally.”
“Magic isn’t natural.”
“I didn’t used to think so, either. But I’ve become open-minded about it since Tammy and Doc had their dreams.”
He didn’t respond, but it was just as well. She didn’t want to discuss the details of Doc and Tammy’s romance with him.
She took him to the cabin. They went inside, and she showed him around.
“This place was locked up for a long time,” she said. “But we aired it out and put some modern appliances in it.”
“Like the gourmet coffeemaker?”
She nodded. “Eventually we’re going to use it as one of the rental cabins. We think people will be fascinated by the magic associated with the bed. Of course we can’t guarantee that they’ll dream while they’re here.”
“You can’t make that guarantee for me, either.”
“No, but I think it’s worth a shot.”
They entered the bedroom, and since the bed had already been presented as a focal point, it stood out like a sore thumb, even though it had been designed to look soft and inviting. The quilt was a soft chocolate-brown, with a sheepskin throw draped across it.
He ran his hand across the sheepskin. “Have you ever slept here?”
A sinful chill raced up her spine. Suddenly she was imagining sleeping there with him. “No.”
“If you believe in the bed’s magic, why haven’t you tried it yourself?”
“There’s nothing I need to dream about. Besides, there’s another story about someone who stayed here that’s been bothering me.”
He frowned. “Who?
Jenna winced. She should have kept her mouth shut. “Someone named Savannah Jeffries. She was my uncle’s girlfriend when they were younger.” She was also the woman who’d had a scandalous tryst with Jenna’s father, but she wasn’t about to mention that part.
“Did she dream while she was here?”
“I don’t know. Tammy accidentally discovered a secret Savannah was keeping, though, and now my family has been talking about hiring a P.I. to search for her.”
“Why? Did she go missing?” He wrinkled his forehead. “Was there foul play involved?”
“No. She left town on her own. When Tammy first discovered her secret, all of us girls—Tammy, my sister Donna and I—tried to find out things about her on the internet, but nothing turned up.”
“Sounds like you want to find her.”
“I’m curious about her, but I’d just as soon let sleeping dogs lie.” She purposely changed the subject. She wasn’t prepared to discuss Savannah’s secret or the possible ramifications of it. “Doc will have my hide if I don’t let you rest, so I’m going to get going. But I’ll come back and bring you something to eat. I’ll bring some extra groceries and stock the fridge for future meals, too. Oh, and I’ll see if I can drum up some clothes that will fit you.” She motioned to his rugged ensemble. “You’re going to need more than one shirt and one pair of jeans.”
“You don’t have to fuss over me.”
“I don’t mind.”
“You’re going above and beyond.”
“I want you to get well.” She left her cell-phone number on the desk. “Call if you need anything.”
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“Probably a couple of hours. You should try to nap while I’m gone.” She walked to the door and glanced over her shoulder at him.
He stood beside the feather bed, looking like a man in need of magic.
Chapter Three
After Jenna left, J.D. didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t want to take a nap, even if he was supposed to be resting. He glanced around the room, then eyed the landline phone.
Already he felt like calling Jenna and telling her that he needed something. But what?
Companionship, he thought. He was lonely as hell.
He sat on the bed, then went ahead and reclined on it. Damn. The feather mattress was heavenly.
J.D. considered his whereabouts. He was hellishly lonely on a heavenly bed? Talk about an odd combination.
The amnesia was odd, too. He couldn’t remember anything about himself, but he knew what year it was, who was president, what the world at large was like.
He closed his eyes, and unable to resist the bed, he dozed off.
He awakened hours later, the red-digit clock glaring at him. He hadn’t dreamed. His subconscious hadn’t created any thoughts or images.
He got up and waited for Jenna to return.
She arrived with a light knock at the door. He answered her summons eagerly.
Her hands were filled with grocery bags.
“I’ll take those.” He lifted the bags and carried them to the kitchen.
She went out to her truck and came back with containers of fried chicken and mashed potatoes.
