Pausing in the doorway, she suddenly couldn’t breathe again.
Charley had left on the bathroom light, the door pulled nearly closed so the glow spread across the Berber carpet in a thin shaft, illuminating a path from bed to bathroom. It also served to illuminate the bed—new, with a frilly white comforter Frankie never would have bought when they were married.
The only man she’d ever loved lay right where he had the last time he’d slept here.
‘Sweetheart,’ he murmured, voice slurred.
With sleep or with stroke/aneurysm/brain tumor? Maybe she should call 9-1-1 instead of Hannah.
‘You okay?’
‘Tired.’ His blue eyes seemed to gleam, so bright that when he closed them the entire room dimmed. ‘Come to bed.’
‘You need to call your wife.’
‘Fancy,’ he called. ‘Fancy.’
‘On the phone, Charley. Call her.’
‘I don’t need to use the phone to call you. You’re right here.’ The final three words came out slowly and were followed by a soft snore.
Charley had always been able to fall asleep between one instant and the next. Probably from spending the majority of his time on the road, catching rest on trains, trucks, planes, the ground.
Frankie knew that snore. He would wake up if an IED went off, but if she tried to rouse him he’d be dead to the world.
She should be glad he wasn’t actually dead to the world. In her bed.
‘Goddamn it, Charley.’ She went through his stained jeans—as Irene had predicted, he’d gotten naked; all his clothes were on the floor—and found his cell phone.
She pressed a thumb to the favorites button, nonplussed to find her own name there. The man hadn’t called her in two decades.
Frankie scrolled until she found Hannah and pressed again. She figured the phone would ring several times, maybe even go to voicemail. Instead, it was answered between the first and second rings.
‘Where are you?’
‘He’s . . . uh . . . here.’
‘Francesca?’
Considering Hannah had called not more than an hour ago to warn of just this possible occurrence, she seemed awfully surprised.
‘Yes.’
‘Did he say why he’s there?’
According to Charley, he still lived here. How was Frankie going to explain that on the phone? How was she going to explain it at all, ever?
‘You should probably come and get him.’
‘Me? There?’ Hannah said the last word as if Frankie had asked her to fly to an Ebola-ridden nation. ‘Why?’
Frankie debated telling Hannah not to bother. She didn’t want to see her. She specifically didn’t want to see her with him. But Charley was no longer Frankie’s problem. He was Hannah’s.
‘Because there’s something wrong with Charley. He thinks we’re still married. He thinks Lisa is still alive.’
‘That’s impossible.’
‘Be that as it may,’ Frankie said, and hung up.
* * *
Buy Just Once
Also by Lori Handeland
Women’s Fiction
Just Once
* * *
Sisters of the Craft Trilogy
IN THE AIR TONIGHT
SMOKE ON THE WATER
* * *
The Phoenix Chronicles
ANY GIVEN DOOMSDAY
DOOMSDAY CAN WAIT
APOCALYPSE HAPPENS
CHAOS BITES
IN THE BEGINNING (e-short story)
DANCES WITH DEMONS (novella)
THERE WILL BE DEMONS
(short story in HEX APPEAL)
* * *
Nightcreature Novels
BLUE MOON
HUNTER’S MOON
DARK MOON
CRESCENT MOON
MIDNIGHT MOON
RISING MOON
HIDDEN MOON
THUNDER MOON
MARKED BY THE MOON
MOON CURSED
CRAVE THE MOON
SHADOW OF THE MOON (e-short story)
BLAME IT ON THE MOON (e-short story)
RED MOON RISING (e-novella)
VOODOO MOON (e-novella)
CHARMED BY THE MOON
(short story in
MY BIG, FAT SUPERNATURAL WEDDING)
* * *
Shakespeare Undead Duet
SHAKESPEARE UNDEAD
ZOMBIE ISLAND
* * *
Paranormal novellas
DEAD MAN DATING
(novella in DATES FROM HELL)
COWEBS OVER THE MOON
(novella in MOON FEVER)
* * *
Contemporary paranormal
D.J.’S ANGEL
* * *
Historical paranormal
FULL MOON DREAMS
DREAMS OF AN EAGLE
* * *
The Luchettis Contemporary Romance
THE FARMER'S WIFE
THE DADDY QUEST
THE BROTHER QUEST
THE HUSBAND QUEST
A SOLDIER’S QUEST
THE MOMMY QUEST
* * *
Luchetti Prequels
LEAVE IT TO MAX
A SHERIFF IN TENNESSEE
* * *
Lori's Classic Love Stories
Contemporary Romance
OUT OF HER LEAGUE
FRIENDS TO LOVERS
WHEN YOU WISH
MOMMY FOR RENT (novella)
* * *
The Rock Creek Six Western Historical Romance
REESE – by Lori Handeland
SULLIVAN – by Linda Winstead Jones
RICO – by Lori Handeland
JED – by Linda Winstead Jones
NATE – by Lori Handeland
* * *
Historical Romance
SECOND CHANCE
CHARLIE AND THE ANGEL
(sequel to SECOND CHANCE)
BY ANY OTHER NAME
AN OUTLAW FOR CHRISTMAS
JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT
LOVING A LEGEND
WHEN MORNING COMES (novella)
* * *
Romantic Suspense
SHADOW LOVER
* * *
Western Historical Romance w/a Lori Austin The Once Upon a Time in the West Trilogy:
BEAUTY AND THE BOUNTY HUNTER
AN OUTLAW IN WONDERLAND
THE LONE WARRIOR
About the Author
Lori Handeland sold her first romance novel in 1993. Since then she has written many novels, novellas and short stories in multiple genres--historical, contemporary, series, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, historical fantasy and women's fiction.
She has been nominated five times for the RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, winning twice, for Best Paranormal and Best Long Series Contemporary. She is a USA Today a
As well as writing many series-The Nightcreature Novels, The Phoenix Chronicles, The Shakespeare Undead Duet, The Luchettis, the Rock Creek Six and Sisters of the Craft-she has also written numerous stand alone novels. Lori wrote the gritty, sensual western historical romance series, Once Upon a Time in the West, under the name Lori Austin.
Lori's next release will be her debut women's fiction novel, Just Once. The story of two women who love one man, how their lives intertwine over four decades and how they come together to give him the best death that they can. Available in the UK September, 30, 2018 and in the US/Canada January 1, 2019.
Lori lives in Southern Wisconsin with her husband, enjoying long walks with their rescue mutt, Arnold, and visits from her grown sons and her perfectly adorable grandson.
* * *
www.lorihandeland.com
lhandel120@aol.com
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