Authors: Natalie Shaw

The Lost Years (15 page)

Chapter 25

Hill tried to persuade Craven he was embarking on a fool's mission, but Craven was not to be dissuaded. Hill did at least convince him to accept a car, and cash enough to live on.

On the journey to Camthorpe, Craven ran everything Hesta had told him back and forth through his mind. It was five years since Hesta had left Jarda with Louise. A million things could have happened to her since then. She might not even have recovered from being brought out of the coma. If she had, where would he have taken her? What if Lassiter's men had caught up with them? What if they were both dead? There were far more questions than answers.

Craven didn't stop once on the journey to Camthorpe. He was hungry, thirsty and tired, but didn't have time to worry about that. Even though it was five years since Louise had been taken to Camthorpe, Craven still felt a sense of urgency.

As soon as he arrived in the town, he had the sense she was there. He couldn't explain how, but he knew. Just as he had known she was his fated mate.

Where to start?

The librarian was very helpful. She explained that the old newspapers were stored digitally. After spending a few minutes showing him how to search the archive, she left him to it. He began to scroll through the editions from five years earlier. It had been around that time that Hesta had dropped Jarda and Louise on the outskirts of the town. After thirty minutes, he saw it.

Mystery woman found in Toppers Park

The article went on to detail how the unknown woman had been found in Toppers park by someone walking their dog. TV and radio appeals were being made in the hope someone could identify the woman who was suffering from amnesia. Craven stared at the image on the screen. It was Louise—she was sitting up in a hospital bed—a weak smile on her lips.

He scrolled quickly through subsequent papers. The story unfolded over the next few days. The last article—a week later— reported no one had come forward to identify the woman who was being released from hospital. It said she'd taken the name Jackie Coleman which apparently was based on the name of the dog which had found her, and the name of the ward in which she'd stayed.

It didn't take him long to trace her from there. She was still living under that name. She shared a flat with another young woman, Alison, and she had a job in a travel agents. Craven allowed himself a smile when he found out where she worked. It brought back bitter, sweet memories.

*********

Craven stood in the doorway of an electrical superstore which was directly opposite Dexter Travel. He had no idea what time she started work, so he'd arrived at seven-thirty—just to be safe. His heart was racing, and he found it difficult to stand still. He'd waited for this moment for so long—too long.

At eight forty five, she appeared. He could hardly breathe as he watched her walk across the car park. He wanted desperately to call out to her—to take her into his arms—to kiss her. Instead, he waited—ignoring the looks from the staff of the electrical store. When he was sure she was alone in the shop, he made his way over. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open—a bell chimed. Once inside, he slipped into the shadows in one corner of the shop. As she walked passed him and towards the door, he moved quietly over to her desk.

“Shit!” she said when she turned around “You made me jump.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you,” he said.

RETURN OF THE ALPHA

Craven and Louise are re-united after forty years apart—the fated pair have a lot of lost time to make up for. They're both looking forward to the future and their new life together.

But...

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what will happen when Louise's memory begins to return?