The downtown section was barely more than a half dozen blocks of tidy storefronts and blinking neon signs. In summertime, the sidewalks were bustling with locals and tourists, but at this time of year, with the wind bitingly cold off the river, they were practically empty. One shopper, head lowered against the wind, rushed toward the blinking lights of the small gift shop, intent on Christmas shopping, no doubt.
Why didn’t all of this beckon to him, as it did to Jane? It wasn’t that he hated it or held bitter memories. Simply put, it had never been enough. It had lacked the opportunities he’d craved.
A few minutes later he was sitting in front of Jane’s house, staring at the drawn blinds and remembering the first time he’d seen the little girl who lived there. She’d been his shadow from that first meeting.
He never even glanced next door at the house that had been his home for most of his life. He was too stunned by the bleak darkness of her house. There were no signs of life at all, no indication of Christmas preparations inside. Jane had always decorated and baked with a fervor for the holidays. That sick feeling in the pit of his stomach intensified.
What if something had happened to her? What if she’d been ill and needed him? A thousand what ifs ran through his head, each one worse than the one before.
The school, he thought finally. There would be answers at the school. He drove the few blocks without even noticing what he passed. He was tearing up the walk, when he ran smack into Donna Iverson exiting the building. He’d known her almost as long as he’d known Jane, but she’d never much liked him. Now she stared at him incredulously.
“Mike?”
He grabbed her shoulders. “Where is she?” he demanded, not even trying to hide his worry. “Where’s Jane?”
He saw the caution spread across her face. “Dammit, Donna, tell me. Has something happened to her?”
“It’s taken you long enough to get around to asking that question,” she said heatedly. “It’s been months since she called you.”
“I just got her message last night. I’ve been in Canada for months. You have to believe me—if I’d known she was looking for me, I’d have gotten back to her.” He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought of how Jane must have felt when he didn’t return her calls. Compassion threaded through his voice as he imagined her pain. “She must have felt so abandoned when I didn’t call.”
“She did,” Donna agreed, regarding him evenly, clearly not intending to give an inch.
He felt the need to defend himself to her. “But I didn’t know she needed me. I swear I didn’t. I would have called—hell, I would have been here—if I’d had any idea she needed me.”
Something softened in her expression then. “You love her, don’t you? You really love her?”
“Always have.”
Donna nodded, clearly accepting it as the truth. “I thought so. I told her there had to be some sort of mix-up, some reason you hadn’t called. I begged her to keep trying, but she refused.”
“Then tell me where she is. Let me try to straighten this out.”
“Come on over to my house,” she said. “We need to have a talk.”
He wanted answers here and now, but he could tell he didn’t have a choice. Donna intended to do this her own way. He followed her to a small brick house with black shutters, went inside and accepted the cup of coffee she offered him. “You are going to tell me where she is, right?”
“After we talk. I want to be absolutely sure I’m doing the right thing.”
Mike grinned despite himself. “I always knew I was going to have to ask permission to marry her. I never figured you were going to be the one I’d have to ask.”
“Oh, there’s a whole slew of us around here who care about Jane. You’re just lucky I’m the first one you ran across. Darryl wants to cut your heart out.”
She said it with such cold-blooded sincerity, he shuddered. “Then I’ll be sure to steer clear of Darryl.”
“Maybe not. I married him six months ago. He’ll be home any minute now.”
Mike had an image of Darryl Smoot left from high school. The boy had been as big as a house and mean to boot, at least on a football field. Off the field, he’d cultivated the same image, but the rumor had been that it had all been for show. Mike prayed that the rumors were true.
He and Donna were still skirting the subject of Jane’s whereabouts when Darryl came through the door. He was still huge, but he was all muscle now and the scowl that spread across his face when he recognized Mike was intimidating enough to give Mike a few bad seconds. Then Darryl turned his back on him as if he didn’t exist and gave his wife a resounding kiss.
“What’s the story, sugar? When did he turn up?” He gestured in Mike’s direction.
“He’s looking for Jane.”
Darryl turned a fierce look on him. “Maybe Jane doesn’t want to be found, same way you didn’t when she called looking for you.”
“That was all a big mistake,” Mike explained again.
“So you say.”
“It’s the truth, dammit. Just tell me where she is. Is she okay? What the hell is going on?”
Donna snagged her husband’s arm, then shot a look at Mike. “Excuse us a minute, please.”
He heard their whispered exchange outside the kitchen door, but he couldn’t make out a single word. He guessed they were debating how much to tell him. If the circumstances had been different, he’d have told them what they could do with their games, but they were his best hope for getting at the truth in a hurry. If anyone knew Jane’s secrets, it would be Donna. And like it or not, he’d rather tangle with her and Darryl than try to get
