Someone was lurking in the bushes
Meliana heard a movement to her left. She crouched, breathed carefully, concentrated. She should have brought a knife, she realized. She kept still and forced herself to remain calm. Her heart was slamming so hard she felt certain whoever was there would hear it. She searched the darkened ground for a weapon. A stone was the best she could find, but she needed something to defend herself in a struggle.
What if it was him?
It had to be himwaiting to pounce. Had he followed her? It was possible. Hed done a number of other bizarre things. Like stealing her underwear.
She waited a full thirty seconds. The frogs seemed to grow louder with each second that passed. The sound of rustling bushes reached her again. Someone was directly behind her. Still in a crouch, Meliana spun. As she did, a mans arm wrapped itself around her shoulders and a hand came over her mouth.
Dream Weaver
Jenna Ryan
www.millsandboon.co.uk
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna Ryan loves creating dark-haired heroes, heroines with strength and good murder mysteries. Ever since she was young, she has had an extremely active imagination. She considered various careers over the years and dabbled in several of them, until the day her sister Kathy suggested she put her imagination to work and write a book. She enjoys working with intriguing characters and feels she is at her best writing romantic suspense. When people ask her how she writes, she tells them by instinct. Clearly its worked, since shes received numerous awards from Romantic Times BOOKclub. She lives in Canada and travels as much as she can when shes not writing.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Meliana MaynardA stalker is sending this gifted Chicago surgeon white roses.
Johnny GrandMelianas estranged husband. Two years undercover for the FBI damaged his mind and his marriage.
Julie DentonMelianas best friend and a Chicago police officer. She predicts the stalker will become murderous.
Sam RobbinsJulies awkward stepbrother. He has a strange mental gift, and a big crush on Meliana.
Charlie LightfootMelianas friend is a psychologist with powers of his own. He predicts great danger for Meliana.
Zack CrawfordDeputy sheriff in Blue Lake, where Johnny lives and Meliana used to spend her vacations.
Nick HohlmanA surgical nurse who fought hard to become part of Melianas team.
Chris BlackburnAn FBI agent. Once Johnnys friend and partner, he admits to being in love with Meliana.
Tim CarrickJohnnys phantom neighbor in Blue Lake. His wife simply vanished one day.
Sheriff Owen FrankHe enforces the law in Blue Lake, but only when necessary.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Prologue
I am not crazy!
There, thats out of the way. Sometimes people tell me I am, and it makes me furious. But I dont want to think about that, or I might do something unpleasant.
Ill think about Meliana Maynard instead. Beautiful, exotic Meliana. Ive been watching her for a very long time now. I know her routine, her habits, even some of her quirks.
Ive watched her jog on the shore of Lake Michigan and in the park. Ive seen her at the hospital where she works. She wears blue scrubs when shes operating and a white lab coat when she isnt.
She has black magic hairthats dark, dark brown with just a hint of redbut its her eyes that are the real magic. Theyre silver-gray, like the lake on a rainy day when the sun pokes through and shines on it.
I love her. I dont care that she married another man. I would if they were still together, but she left him six months ago, so its okay. Sort of. She came to her senses and did the smart thing, the right thing. We can be together now. Orwell, soon.
She has an amazing body. I took some of her lingerie. Six pieces, and every piece as lovely as she is. I think she wears sexy lingerie all the time. There was a lot of silk and lace in her drawer.
There were a lot of photographs, too, pictures of Meliana on her wedding day. I wanted to tear the man beside her to shreds.
Its odd, but I find myself staring at a scalpel she used once. I see it covered in blood. Im starting to shake. She has a mind of her own, my Meliana. Shes very strong.
The shaking is getting worse. All I can see is blood.
Ive been spinning dreams about her for many long months. Ive woven the threads of them back and forth in my mind until now, finally, Ive created the perfect picture of Meliana and me.
And yet I worry. I see blood. I shake. What if she doesnt want me? What if she thinks Im crazy? What if she doesnt love me?
What if the blood is hers?
Chapter One
It was going to rain. At the moment, the air was warm and sultry as late summer stroked lingering fingers over the Chicago area, but there were black clouds suspended above the lake and strong traces of red and gold on the leaves.
Labor Day had come and gone. Children were back in school, the tourists older now, couples for the most part, looking for both excitement and nostalgia as their vacation time wound down.
Meliana Maynard wasnt looking so much as listening to her neighbor Chris Blackburns thumbnail account of the attempted break-in on her midcentury town house.
Your alarm went off when the guy tried to jimmy the back door. Chris cocked a thumb over his shoulder. He must have burned rubber across your lawn. Cops showed within four minutes. He grinned. Thats gotta be a first, right? I flashed my ID and went inside with them, but I dont think whoever it was made it past the back stoop. His grin widened as he rested both arms on her shoulders and set his face close to hers. So how was your day, sweet cheeks? Did you cut into anyone worth mentioning?
A cute sixteen-year-old with a ruptured spleen and a guy with a gunshot wound to his right leg. Sorry, no gory details on that one. Meliana looked past Chris at the pair of approaching detectives. Hey, Julie.
The female of the pair smiled. She had straight, chin-length blond hair, a squarish jaw and bright haze-green eyes. Are you going to check your place with me, Mel, or hang out all day with that fed?
Hes being supportive, Meliana said, but she tapped Chriss arms with her index fingers and got him to drop them. What do you thinkdid he get inside?
I doubt it. With a nod to her partner and another head motion at Meliana, Julie started up the rear stairs. I always think its weird when people try to break and enter town housesthem being so close together and all. But youre on an end, so I suppose he figured he could pull it off. What are you doing, Blackburn? she asked over her shoulder.
Supporting a friend, Detective Denton. He quirked a brow. You got a problem with that?
Ive got a problem with most feds, and you in particular. If Mel needed the FBI, which she doesnt, her husband, your former partner, would pull rank on you in a minute. Go home and watch the Sox get their tails whipped.
Chriss brow went higher. Arent you in Homicide these days? I dont see any dead bodies around here.
Its called looking out for a friend, Blackburn. Although you seem familiar with the concept, this isnt your turf. Go away.
Despite the situation, Melianas amusement rose. Julie and Chris had dated once, and it hadnt gone well. Theyd butted heads, tossed a little too much alcohol into an already volatile mix and very nearly wound up having their own private kickboxing match.
Thats enough, you two. Do you have any idea who it was?
Not a clue. This neighborhoods been pretty clean lately.
Except for the car thieves, Chris remarked from behind.
She still has her car, doesnt she? Ill go through the house with you, Mel, but it looks like the guy bolted when he heard the alarm.
Which is exactly what I said earlier, Chris countered with a smug air.
Meliana jabbed his ribs. Stop needling her, Blackburn, or Ill think youve been spending time with Johnny.
Chris snorted. No ones been spending time with your hubbysorry, ex-hubby, Mel. He lives like a hermit up at Blue Lake. Last time I saw him he had one beer, two eggs and a few scary-looking slices of white bread in his fridge.
They were separated, not divorced, Meliana reflected, but she let it go. Eileen Crawford cleans house for him. Shell stock his fridge. Did anyone look in my cookie jar? For money, she added when Chris opened his mouth. I keep extra cash inside for emergency pizzas.
God, you eat as bad as Johnny. Julie pushed the door open. Its a miracle you two lived long enough to get married.
She dug a slug out of his chest is why they got married, Chris said.
Nice try, but how we met isnt why we got married. Meliana scanned the living room. Seems fine here.
It was the same in the bedrooms, the dining room, the bathrooms and the kitchen. Even her cookie jar rattled with loose change.
A twenty, two tens and a chewed five-dollar bill. My neighbors new puppys teething, Meliana explained, screwing the lid back on. The only drugs I have are run-of-the-mill aspirin, and my wine cooler still has seventeen bottles inside. Id say he took off.
Good. Julie closed her notebook. I can write my report and be home by seven. Hot date. She grunted in Chriss direction. Thankfully, not with a fed. You know, the only one of their kind Ive ever been able to tolerate is Johnny, and even then there were times when I wanted to shove his ID up hisnose. Shut up, she said before Chris could speak. Im leaving, Mel. If you find anything missing, call me on my cell.
Through the kitchen window Meliana watched the storm clouds creep inland from the lake. The premature darkness reminded her of her wedding day when thunder had rumbled in the background of the outdoor ceremony and lightning had ultimately struck one of the three trees on the perimeter. She had to admit, no matter how it had ended, her relationship with Johnny Grand had been anything but dull.
What are you smiling at? Chris lounged against the counter and threw a tangerine into the air. A shrewd brow went up. Johnny?
She laughed. I swear that lightning bolt was an omen.
You think it was funny?
In retrospect. Come on, Chris, we were amazing for a while.
And then Johnny went undercover.
Yes. She sighed. He did. Tossing her purse onto a chair, she headed for the stairs. I need to change. Im having dinner with the head of surgery and his wife tonight.
Chris followed her up. All by your lonesome? He clucked his tongue. Not good, angel face. But no fear, I happen to be free.
Im not. I have a date.
He caught up with her and handed the tangerine over her shoulder. Thats not very nice, is it? Choosing a stranger over a friend and neighbor whos been there for you through thick and thicker?
If thats an offer of help, I accept. Amusement danced in her eyes as she turned. Its a blind date, with the head of surgerys wifes nephew. You go in my place, tell the geek you like men who giggle and Ill go for a nice long run on the beach.
On second thought, I might be getting a migraine.
Yeah, I figured. She started for the bathroom, then paused and backtracked.
What?
She regarded her top dresser drawer. It was open almost a full three inches. She always closed her drawers, not because she was a neat freak but because shed gotten a puppy recently and hed chewed several pieces of her clothing to shreds. On the other hand, the puppy had pretty much grown into a dog at this point.
Mel?
She tipped her head to the side. That drawer was closed when I left this morning.
Chris followed her gaze. You think some crook bypassed your video equipment and laptop to poke through your drawers?
Not really. Im sure its She opened the drawer, froze, closed it. Nothing.
That nothing sounded like a whole lot of something to me. Chris pulled on the handle, peered inside. Then he looked at her. You keep roses in with your underwear?
One rose, she corrected. Long stemmed, white, with a sprig of babys breath. She picked it up and stared. Its the fifth one Ive gotten in the past month.
I WHIPPED UP A BIG BATCH of chili and a pot of spaghetti sauce, divided them into servings and labeled the containers. Eileen Crawford drew air pictures as she spoke. Theyre in the freezer. You can cook pasta, right? Of course you can. Theres fresh milk in the fridge, bread, vegetables and two big packages of cold cuts. Vacuum-sealed, so dont open the second until the first ones gone. Ill be back on Tuesday to tidy up the bathrooms and such. Will you be all right until then?
Sometimes Johnny swore the woman was beamed from Mars to his doorstep twice a week as a test of earthling patience. Eileen had been cleaning houses for the residents of Blue Lake for twenty years. She was a heavyset woman with a faded Maine accent, curly blond hair and more nerve than anyone Johnny knew. And he knew or had known a great number of nervy people.
But that was in another lifetime, another world, one he didnt care to visit these days.
He tried to ease the woman politely out the door. Thanks, Eileen. I appreciate the food and the clean sheets.
She shifted her handbag to her other shoulder. Youre just like my Zack when it comes to keeping house. Where clothing lands is where it stays. Has he been around to see you lately?
Johnny fixed a smile on his face and kept it there as he nudged her forward. Not for a week or so.
Well, Sheriff Franks been out of town. He belongs to some order of brethren or other and they convene every year at a big hotel, so Zacks been pushed a bit more than usual. I think there was some function he had to attend in Woodstock today. Its all go with you law enforcement types. Constantly busy.
How busy could one of two deputies be in a town with less than fifteen hundred year-round residents and the tourist traffic down to boaters, backpackers and fifty-five-plus couples?