Bear Trap

by Edna Curry

They walked down to the riverbank and along it. The earthy smell of soil and river water surrounded her. In the distance, a dog barked, breaking the eerie silence of the countryside. Mel took her arm. "Watch your step, the ground's uneven here. Do you remember anything before you got here?" She shook her head and couldn't stop the tears. Without thinking, she turned to him, hiding her face against his broad chest. His heat and manly scent surrounded her, making her feel warm and safe. Mel put his arms around her and held her, dropping a kiss onto her hair. "It's okay," he murmured. "Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better." After a minute of crying with her forehead against his shirt, she straightened and looked up at him. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away her tears. Their eyes met and he bent his head. She knew he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her. His lips brushed hers, lightly at first and then they firmly settled on hers. He felt warm and delightful, yet unfamiliar and scary. Jane wrapped her arms around him, responding to him immediately. She opened her lips to his probing tongue and melted against him, enjoying the shivers of awareness that hummed between them. She snuggled closer, deepening the kiss, wanting him to never let her go. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't be doing this. She might be involved with another man, or she might even be married--married to an abuser who'd tried to kill her. Oh, God, and what if he tried again? She realized he might try again if he learned he hadn't succeeded. If only she could remember him so she'd know who to look out for. She had no right to be attracted to Mel now, however much her body wanted to be with him. She reluctantly dropped her arms and pulled away from him. She stepped back, the tears starting again. She drew a long, shuddering breath to regain control. Embarrassed now at the way she'd reacted, she said, "I'm sorry, I'm not usually such a crybaby. But I feel so helpless and frustrated, not being able to remember who I am or where I belong." He sighed, handed her his handkerchief and eyed her thoughtfully, "You know you usually aren't a crybaby?" "Yes," she said, defiantly, blowing her nose. "I also know other stupid stuff, like what brand and color of makeup I wear. I even recognized some brands of clothes that aren't cut the way I like when Marion and I went shopping today. And I know how to count money and approximately what the prices of various items should be. So why can't I remember the important stuff like my own name? Even kindergartners can memorize their address and phone number, for goodness' sake!" Lifting a shoulder, Mel said, "Who knows? Our bodies and minds are mysterious things. No one understands everything about them yet. Maybe they never will."

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance

Nook

First published September 27, 2010

About the author

Edna Curry lives in Minnesota and often sets her novels there among the lakes, evergreens and river valleys. She especially enjoys the Dalles area of the St. Croix Valley, gateway to the Wild River, which draws many tourists who give her story ideas. Besides non-fiction articles, she writes mystery, romance and romantic suspense novels.
Edna is married and is a member of the Romance Writers of America and one of its chapters: Northern Lights Writers.
Circle of Shadows (half of Deadly Duos #1) was a finalist in RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Contest. She also does editing and proofreading as Fern Valentine. Details on the editing page of her website.

Visit her webpage at http://www.ednacurry.com

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/author/ednacurry
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Twitter: @Edna_Curry