“Yeah. Sure.” He turned and walked away. “I’ll be out of your way in a few minutes.”
Her chest ached and her stomach lurched. Had she hurt his feelings? Did he want to stay? Hope rose from a deep dark place inside her as she hurried after him. “You’re not in the way, Jonah. If anything, I’ve disrupted your life totally. You have a family. Friends.
Yet you spend all your time with me.”
He stopped and turned so abruptly, she plowed right into him. He caught her before she fell onto her butt. “You haven’t disrupted anything. I want to be here with you.”
Amanda didn’t even stop to question why her heart leapt with joy at his words. This relationship could only end in heartbreak, but she didn’t care. She wanted to be with Jonah for as long as it lasted. “I’m glad you’ve been here. And not just because of the break-in.” She stared at his chest until he caught her chin in his hand and raised it until she was looking at him.
“Supper?”
She knew that if he came back for supper, he’d stay the night. Maybe it was weak of her, but she wanted him. She loved spending time with him, making love with him and having his big body curl around hers late at night. The more she got to know Jonah, the more she found to love about him. “Somewhere between six and six-thirty. Just let me know if you’re going to be late.”
He leaned down and kissed her. There was an almost desperate edge to the kiss. She couldn’t tell if it was coming from her, from him, or from both of them.
He broke away and went back to the basement and gathered his tools. Amanda was still waiting in the hallway when he returned.
“I’ll see you in a few hours. Be sure and keep the doors locked and your cell phone with you at all times.”
“I’ll be fine, Jonah. It’s daytime and nothing else has happened since the first breakin. It was an isolated incident. Bad luck and nothing more.”
“Promise me.” He looked so fierce and protective she found herself nodding. He pressed a quick, hard kiss on her lips and headed for the front door. “I’ll see you at supper.”
Amanda stood in the hallway and listened as his truck pulled away. She touched her fingers to her lips and sighed. Giving herself a shake, she headed to the kitchen. She’d make herself a cup of tea and then she’d start to unpack boxes.
Two hours later, she stood back and admired the progress she’d made. One entire wall was filled with books and seven more boxes were waiting to be unpacked and displayed. She was pleased with her progress.
Her cell phone rang and she retrieved it from her back pocket. She glanced at the caller ID, but it came up as caller unknown. “Hello.”
There was dead silence on the other end, even though she could tell the line was open.
Cold chills raced down Amanda’s spine. “Who is this?”
“He won’t stay forever. I know you’re alone.”
The loud click in her ear made her flinch. What did the caller mean? Was it just a wrong number or was it her assailant? Amanda nervously glanced out the window. “Get a grip. It’s just a phone call. He can’t hurt you through the phone.” He might not be able to hurt her physically, but he could certainly disrupt her mental state.
She started to close her phone, but changed her mind. She dialed the sheriff’s office instead.
A well-modulated female voice answered her call. “Jamesville Sheriff’s Department, how may I help you?”
“May I please speak with Sheriff O’Rourke?”
“May I ask who’s calling?”
“Amanda Barrington.”
“One moment, Ms. Barrington. I’ll check and see if he’s available.”
She tapped her foot against the oak flooring and stared out the window. The room, which had seemed so cozy just moments before, now felt cold.
“Hey there, Amanda, what can I do for you?” Patrick’s deep voice came across the line and she breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, now that she had the sheriff on the line it seemed kind of foolish to even bother him with this.
“I’m not sure.” She gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. “I had a phone call and it spooked me.”
“What happened?” His voice was all business now.
She strolled away from the window and double-checked the lock on the door. “I was just working when my phone rang. It was a male voice, sort of muffled.”
“What did he say?” She heard a distinct rattling sound on the other end of the line. It sounded like he was shifting through papers on his desk. “Was the voice familiar at all?
Why would the caller muffle their voice unless they were afraid you might recognize them?”
Amanda left her shop and went to the front door to check the lock there as well. “I didn’t recognize it, but as I said, it was muffled. He said that he knew I was alone and that he wouldn’t stay forever.”
Patrick paused. “He wouldn’t stay forever?”
Amanda leaned against the front door and sighed. “Jonah’s been staying with me since the night of the attack.”
“I see.” Nothing in his tone gave away what Patrick thought of that arrangement.
“What about your caller ID?”
She shook her head. “Nothing.”
“It could be just a crank call, but I don’t believe in coincidences. Did the caller say anything about a book?”
“No. That was the only thing he said. Then he hung up.”
“Okay. I’m going to send out a deputy to take a look around. In the meantime, we can contact your provider and look into your cell phone records and see if we can’t find out where the call came from.” She heard him call out to someone in the office and then he was back on the line with her.
Amanda breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like such a coward, but for the first time in her life, she was nervous about being alone. “That would be great.”
“You hang tight. I’ve got a man on the way out there.”
“Thanks, Patrick.”
“We’ll find out who it is.”
“I hope so,” she muttered under her breath.
“What was that?”
She saw the familiar vehicle pulling up in front of her house. “The deputy is here.”
“Good.”
She sensed his hesitation. “Is there anything else?”
“Are you going to be alone tonight?”
Amanda felt like sinking into the floor. She was a grown woman, but she’d never openly had an affair with a man before. She and Jonah were practically living together.
“No.” She cleared her throat and continued. “Jonah will be back around supper time. He went out on a job.”
“That’s fine. My deputy can stay until then.”
“Thanks, but there’s no need. I have my phone and all the doors are locked.”
“He’ll wait outside until Jonah shows up.” She sensed the finality in Patrick’s words and couldn’t deny the relief she felt.
“Okay.” A single loud knock came on the door. “I’ve got to go and let the deputy in.
I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call and opened the door to the uniformed man.
“Please come in.”
Work had always been a balm for Amanda during the bad times and now was no different. The shelves of her shop were filled and the boxes had been broken down. She planned to store them down in the basement for now.
The cedar trunks were now empty and the books had been stored in either the safe or the glass cases behind her desk. The ones in the cases belonged to the store and were not on consignment for clients. They were books she’d personally picked up at yard sales and estate sales. They were listed with her online store, but she didn’t mind displaying them in her shop. The idea was to sell them, and Jamesville did a brisk tourist trade in the summer and well into the fall when they held their apple harvest festival.