Prologue

July was usually a beautiful time in Bermuda, just when the tourists starting taking their vacations and hit the warm, sunny beaches. In fact, for Diana it would be her one-year anniversary on the island. But while everyone else was fishing, sailing and swimming, Diana was watching from her balcony at Liz’s hotel on St. Lisa’s with only one thing on her mind: her one true love. It wasn’t that she had a clue who she was, or who he was even, she just knew that there was a sorry excuse for a heart left in her body because she felt almost nothing without him.

Brian, well, he was Brian. He was sweet and caring, and definitely not bad to look at, but he just wasn’t the one that completed her. She tried to let go, tried to focus on all the love and support Brian gave her, but it just didn’t seem to be enough sometimes.

Still there were times where she could see herself with him, having his children and being his wife. She knew that they had a connection to each other and she knew their friendship was turning into a romantic relationship. He was willing to give her everything, including time, and she had taken that for granted. She just wasn’t sure she could ever say she loved him with every part of her, at least not without it being a total lie.

With a heavy sigh, Diana looked out at the clear blue waves that had brought her to this island so long ago. She wondered where she came from, whom she had been with and just why she couldn’t let go of the man that was gone from her life. The answers, she felt, were out there and she knew she couldn’t move ahead without them, but she was determined to try.

“Diana?” Brian called from the doorway to her room, the late knocking on the wood a very annoying habit he had.

“On the balcony,” she replied, pushing away from the wall of shrubs and moving back towards the French doors. “What’s up?”

“Well, I did something you’ve been asking me to do since my brother and his girlfriend returned home and you missed meeting them. I called Harmony and the best part is my Mama wants me to come in for the fourth of July!” He was only partly excited, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. They always dulled a little when he considered going home again, almost as if he had something to hide.

“Oh Brian! I’m so happy for you! You’ll finally be going back to the family you belong in! I knew you could do it,” she hugged him, feeling nothing but the warm body of a very decent man. She wished she would have felt more but pushed it away; she had feelings for him and that was enough for now.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he whispered sincerely, holding her just a little tighter. “And for that reason, I decided to tell her I was bringing someone along, someone I wanted everyone to finally meet.”

“Who?” she feigned ignorance, pulling away and winking at him. “Someone I know?”

“Ha ha, very funny,” he rolled his eyes. “Diana, will you come back to Harmony with me?” he asked, a pout forming on his lips.

At that moment Diana pictured a little boy with his father’s eyes giving her much the same look when he wanted a cookie before dinner. She grinned, enjoying the thought of a son, or a daughter. Like most women, she wanted a family and Brian would be a wonderful father. “When you give me that look, how can I possibly say no? I would be honored to meet your family, Brian.”

He gave her another hug. “I can’t wait to bring you home,” he kissed the top of her head. “You’ll love Harmony. It’s so beautiful in the summer. The beach is just right for swimming and the town is cozy and friendly with children playing everywhere. We’re going to have a good time.”

“Sounds great,” she smiled. “When do we leave?”

“How soon can you be packed?” he asked seriously. “We fly out tonight.”

Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald was tired; tired of working in a job that wasn’t getting him anywhere, of being without Sheridan and of dating his past. He cared for Beth, just like he did when they had first dated in High School, but it just wasn’t the same. She was his past and he wanted to leave her there, back when he was a star football, baseball and basketball player. Beth just wasn’t his soul mate and he was having a hard time telling her that. Besides, he still missed Sheridan. It had been one lonely year without her and Luis had decided that if he was going to move on without her, it wouldn’t be with Beth.

The problem was telling Beth that he changed his mind again.

Walking up to his house, he paused a moment and looked at the door. Three months and he still didn’t feel like the remodeled place was home. Then again, Theresa had used Crane money to make more changes than necessary and she had fully taken control of the mansion. Everything was changing, almost everything that is. He still didn’t have his fiancée and he still felt terribly empty. Some things would never change.

Pushing open the front door, Luis stopped at the closet to drop his coat inside. “Mama, I’m home.”

“Mijo,” she exited the kitchen, a huge grin adorning her face.

“Hey,” he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “What’s that smile for? Did Theresa decide this Mrs. Crane crap was over?”

Pilar sighed, wishing that were true. “No, but something just as good, Luis. I received a phone call today!”

“Must be someone special if it causes you to be this excited,” he removed his belt and gun. “So, don’t keep me in suspense, Mama, who called?”

“Antonio! Luis, he’s coming home!”

Luis smiled too, after their times together in Bermuda, Luis really hoped his older brother would come home for good. He wanted their family to be together again, needing to actually feel like they were a unit again after losing Sheridan and partly Theresa. “When is he coming in, Mama?”

“He said he’d see if he could get a flight form Bermuda tonight! Oh, Luis! My Antonio is coming home!” she cried, hugging her second eldest son close.

“I’m happy that he’s coming in, Mama. You’ll never believe how much he looks like Grandpa Fitzgerald. Same blue eyes,” he smiled.

“I’m sure,” she pulled away, wiping away a happy tear that made way down her cheek. “And he said he was going to try and bring a woman with him. I wonder if he is married.”

“He might be; he was seeing a woman when Beth and I were down there last. Anything’s possible in three months down in tropical paradise,” Luis offered a faulty smile, thinking about losing Sheridan again.

“Oh mijo, I know it’s hard,” she patted his cheek.

“I just wish the empty feeling would go away, Mama,” he sighed, heading for his room. “I’m tired of being so numb.”

She watched him go. “Oh, Luis, I have a feeling you will be feeling again soon, mijo. If not for Sheridan, then for someone else. You will be happy; a mother knows these things.” She returned to the kitchen to work.

Luis closed his bedroom door and removed his shirt, looking at the framed photo of Sheridan by his bed. Somehow, he just didn’t see himself letting go of her any time soon, not this year and not three years from now. Sheridan was part of him forever and had no intention of moving on.

“I love you,” he whispered, placing a kiss to his fingers and then brushing them against the photo. “Always,” he finished changing. If Antonio really would be flying in tonight, he’d have to be ready to pick him up early tomorrow morning and then finally he would be able to meet the mystery woman that has stole his brother’s heart…

Question was: why did he think they had already met?

Chapter One

Brian positioned his hand over Diana’s, their fingers locking unconsciously and resting together on the arm of the seat. This simple act was one of the most touching things Brian ever did for her. Without words, he conveyed the simple fact that he was there and always would be. She knew that sometime people were taken away beyond their control, but when Brian held her hand, it comforted her. She remembered feeling this way only once before in her “dead lover’s” arms. How she missed him.

Glancing over at Brian and away from the airplane window, Diana smiled, putting her head on his shoulder and sighing contently. This trip was something she needed more than anything else. Liz had given Diana the third degree when they returned from Bermuda, grimacing when she mentioned that they came close to making love in the tropical paradise. Diana, too, could tell that making that step would be wrong, but she had lost herself in the feelings she had finally freed herself too. She would never let it get that far again unless she was completely ready, even if she was finding herself more and more in love with Brian.

“I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to Harmony with you again. I hope this time I can finally meet your family,” Diana broke the silence, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as she remained close to him.

Brian smiled, placing a kiss in her hair. “I promised that you would finally meet my family and you will. My brother has been dying to meet you since our trip to Bermuda and my little sister, Theresa, could use the cheering up. She recently lost her baby, though she inherited a fortune from its father. I guess if you put my family history together, you have a bit of a television series.”

“What? A soap?” she teased. “I’m not sure it would make an interesting one, Brian. The writing would probably be miserable.”

“Ouch,” he chuckled. “Still, everyone will be very happy to see that I’m settling down and starting to enjoy life again, thanks to you. You’ll be an instant hit.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” she replied, chewing on her lip nervously.

“I am. How could anyone not love you, Diana? You’re smart and beautiful and kind…” he smiled. “And if you really like Harmony, Diana, I’ve decided to stay there. I think we could have a good life near my family.”

“Brian? Are you sure you are ready for such a commitment? You were so opposed to even vacationing in Harmony back in December. Why the sudden change?” Diana straightened back up in her seat.

“Diana, when I heard my mother’s voice on the phone I knew I missed her more than anything in the world. She was so happy to hear I would be coming home, even briefly, that I thought being there to support them now would be the best move I could make. I love you and you know that. I only hope you love me enough to be willing to stay in Harmony with me.”

“I do love you, Brian, you know that. I guess I would like to get away from St. Lisa’s. I feel like a permanent visitor and not a resident.” She paused. “Not that I don’t appreciate Liz’s hospitality,” she added quickly. “I just think I’d like to have an apartment not a hotel room.”

“I understand. We’ll look for a place while we’re visiting my mother,” he looked out the window. “Which shouldn’t be too long now. In about an hour we should be in Portland and then I think we’ll rent a car and spare my brother the drive to and from Harmony.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Diana smiled. “Brian, what have you told them about me?”

“Not much. Just that I think I met the woman of my dreams,” he kissed her again, this time with a tad bit moee feeling than the last. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” she choked, surprised by how open he was suddenly being. “I think I’ll nap until we land,” she shifted, pressing as far back into the chair as she possibly could. She was feeling very self-conscious suddenly, especially with their imminent arrival in Harmony. On their last visit, she swore that there was something familiar about the quaint Maine town, but now she was almost sure every question would be answered after the necessary adventure. Her only fear was that Brian expected more than she was willing to give and that his family was planning on meeting his lover and not just the girl that stole his heart.

Closing her eyes, Diana could see the dark face of her Latin love, the man that owned her soul even when Brian was winning her heart. She prayed that one day she would return to his arms and never leave them again. Part of her scolded her for that, but part of her rejoiced at the mere thought. Diana knew that she had never been that torn in her entire life and she felt miserable. She loved Brian, finally feeling something even if it were a flicker…

But it wasn’t the man she loved and she knew he never would be.

With that as her final though, Diana fell asleep and found the one place she could be with her true love again…

In her dreams.

Luis began to pace his bedroom, stopping every few minutes at the window to look out at the stars. He had called several airlines and asked if they had a Brian, or Antonio, Lopez-Fitzgerald registered on their flight. Of course, while many of the major airlines had quite a few flights leaving Bermuda, only three were coming to Portland and not a single one had a registration for his brother. His mother had forgotten to get the airline in her joy and now Luis was positive he couldn’t pick up Antonio and his girlfriend.

He felt like a caged animal.

Part of him wanted to drive up to Portland and walk the airport until he found his brother before clobbering him for not being smart enough to call with the airline information. The other part wanted to wait here on this very sleepless night and pray Antonio made it home soon. But still another part, that tiny part that had missed Sheridan the most and reminded him just why he couldn’t sleep with Beth again, wanted him to go to the airport because he had a feeling she would be there and they would be reunited again.

With a heavy sigh, Luis fell back onto his bed and folded his arms behind his head. He knew this was going to be a long night, but he never thought it would feel like a week. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sleep thinking about his older brother finally returning home. How many years had his mother prayed that Antonio and Martin would come home? How many years had she believed that they were alive and well somewhere? Now it seemed as if one would finally reunite the family with the chance of the other to follow.

Only one thing could possibly make his life feel more complete right now, and that was to have his own family with the woman he knew was his soul mate. Of course, he could very well have started a family by now, Beth was definitely into getting married, but she wasn’t Sheridan and never would be. Luis just couldn’t stand the thought of spending the rest of his life with someone just because she was willing. Something was definitely wrong with that picture.

Rolling over, Luis punched his pillow before reaching over for the photo beside his bed. He missed her and more than anything he wanted to be with her again. Had someone told him that his lifelong dream of marrying Sheridan and spending forever with her would end on their romantic boat ride he never would have believed it, but he definitely wouldn’t have chanced it. He would have spared them both the pain of being torn apart and they would be together now, married and preferably starting their family.

Luis returned the photo to his nightstand, closing his eyes and seeing her. The way she floated down the aisle nearly a year ago reminded him of an angel in the clouds. She was his angel and always would be and now he could see her again…

In dreams.

Chapter Two

Diana had found her number one hate: airports. There was something dreadfully annoying about the rush-rush atmosphere of big city airports that disturbed her. The people brushed by, not a care in the world, and not one gave her a second glace. Men and women ran across the crowded terminals, their bags clutched tightly as they leapt for the counter of one airline or another. She sighed silently, as she noticed another blond woman, about her height and size, leaning against a dark haired man. She was asleep in the hard plastic chair beside him, her head tilted against his shoulder and his arm around her. Closing her eyes, Diana remembered a moment much like that one in her own past but it wasn’t so peaceful. Clearly she had woken in her lover’s arms and smacked him, though she couldn’t remember why and the memory faded as quickly as it appeared.

“Something wrong, Diana?” Brian asked, grabbing the key from the rental car agent and turning to face her more completely.

“Nothing,” she shook her head, offering a weak smile. “I guess I’m just tired. It seemed like a dreadfully long flight up from Bermuda and I really am looking forward to finding a nice warm bed to snuggle into.”

“Are you sure that’s all?” he asked, picking up her luggage and leaving her nothing to carry. He was continuously doing that, fawning over her to the point of extremely annoying. She loved being taken care of, it was nice and something told her she was quite accustomed to it before, but it exasperated her to no end when he treated her this way.

“I can carry my own bags,” she replied, giving him a look that stopped him from lifting her other carry on. “I can carry my own bags and cut my own food and Heaven knows I can make phone calls and plane reservations just as well as you can. I’m not stupid, Brian, I just have no memory of who I am.”

“I was simply trying to…”

“I know,” she sighed. “And I’m sorry I snapped, but I really wish you would stop treating me like some fragile little doll. I really want to be able to enjoy our time together and if you put me on a pedestal I will eventually need to build a ladder and get down.”

“I’m sorry, but that didn’t answer my question,” he led her to the car, immediately opening the trunk and putting their luggage in. He closed the trunk to the blue, four door with the ugly yellow Hertz license plate holder in back. “Are you sure that you’re only tired?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she lied, waiting for him to unlock her door.

“Then when we get to Harmony we will look into a hotel room instead of going to my mother’s home. I don’t want you to be overwhelmed with meeting my family right away if you aren’t fully awake. They are a lively bunch.”

“But Brian! They’re expecting you!” she complained as he let her into the car, being silenced only by the sound of the metal slamming.

He entered the other side, turning the key and revving the car to life. “I know, and I want to see them as much as you do, but it can be draining to meet so many new people and I am sure Theresa will be practically giddy over the fact that she is meeting the woman her eldest brother loves. I just want you to meet hem fully refreshed. The bed and breakfast is merely two blocks from my mother’s home, no one will be the wiser if we sleep tonight and show up tomorrow morning.”

“Fine,” she sighed, disheartened to say the least. “But we have to be there bright and early. I don’t want to miss a single soul because of their work schedule.”

“I promise, we’ll be there as soon as the sun rises.”

“I’m holding you to that,” she turned away, pressing her head to the cool glass of the car window. She looked out at the vast blackness of the night, white diamonds twinkling overhead. With her forehead pressed to the window, Diana felt the pricks of warm tears against the back of her eyes. Slowly they pooled, rolling down her cheeks in crystalline lines. Something inside wanted to go right to the little house she dreamed about seeing so many times, knowing that she would find him there, but something else told her to let it go.

And in her sleep, the glass cold and the tears drying, Diana whispered something Brian had never heard her say before…

“I, Sheridan, take you, Luis…”

BEEP…

A hand reached out from under the pillow, knocking the photo of a beloved woman to the floor blindly finding the blasted machine making the incessant racket. The man groaned, red bleary eyes opening to look at the alarm clock, bright green numbers staring back at him. 4am, yet again time to wake up and make Harmony a safe place to live, if that was possible.

Forcing himself up, Luis lifted the picture of Sheridan from the carpet, brushing his fingers over the glass protecting her face. It was a beautiful photograph of her taken in her wedding gown before she came down the aisle. Gwen had found it amid a role of film meant to be of the entire wedding, but there was only one or two actually from that day. This one was just his favorite though, the way she looked in her white flowing gown, her eyes sparkling so happily.

He couldn’t take it and it broke his heart to know she died in the seas where they were so happy, so free. More than anything he wished to remember her only like this, not that screams that tore from her throat as it exploded. Just thirty more seconds and he could have been in her arms as it went, two more minutes and they could have been saved together…

A lifetime longer and they could have been joyful…

He sighed, placing the photo back on the tabletop and looking around. While he had gone on dates with Beth, his room was his sanctuary and his shrine to the woman he loved. Frame after frame contained a picture of Sheridan; drawer after drawer another memory of her. He was miserable without her, suffering over the thought that he might have let her down in some way, that he might have disappointed her. Her letter had told him to go on, to find love again in the arms of someone else, but still he couldn’t. How could he let go of the one woman that completed him? The woman that made his soul complete?

Ignoring the stinging in his chest, Luis rose and headed for the shower, his pristine brown uniform hanging on a nearby door. Sam had forbidden him to do a lot much more than desk duty, afraid that should some major catastrophe come to pass, Luis’ mind wouldn’t be on work. The last thing Sam Bennett needed right now was a dead cop on top of the dead Crane big wig. Julian’s murder case was enough to cause the Harmony PD to be short on men; actually losing one would ruin the precinct.

A fast shower was all Luis had time for before he needed to dress and go, not even seeing his mother or brother before silently creeping from the house and heading to the station. He climbed into his cruiser, slowly heading down the dark streets of Harmony and feeling more alone then ever. The streetlights in Harmony cast eerie shadows and rays of light across the black pavement; it looked like silver water cascading through the thoroughfares. Headlights broke his gaze, causing him to look up at the blue car that drove by, a man and a woman heading for the B&B no doubt by the Hertz license plate on the front. Luis sighed; another visitor to Harmony just like every summer. An influx of new faces and still everywhere he saw the same one.

He watched through his review mirror as they drove beneath a particularly bright street lamp, the reflection of the woman leaning against the window looking familiar even from the distance between the cars. Her golden blond hair the only thing he could see when he turned around to look again.

Shaking his head he continued on, trying to forget the people in the car and trying to focus on making it safely to work…

Not knowing that the car driving by contained the woman he loves and the brother he trusts.

Chapter Three

In a dress white as snow, she stood before the man she loved, her hands holding his as she looked into his sparkling brown eyes. Both were so overcome with emotion, ready to finish this ceremony and move on with the rest of their lives. In their hearts, they were all ready married and now they were doing it before God and their families. It would be a day they never forgot.

The priest nodded, giving her permission to say her vows. She fought tears with all her might, the warm sensation of those to be shed tingling against her eyes. Closing them for the briefest of seconds, she regained her power and looked again into loving brown orbs.

“I have waited my entire life for you. I didn't know who you were or when you would arrive. All I knew is that someday a man would come into my life who would love me unconditionally, who would always make me feel safe and protected. You were that person, Luis. Today you are giving me the greatest gift. Today you are saying that you will never leave. I love you. I want you to know that I too will never leave, like my ring says 'til death do us part'.”

The joy that filled his eyes warmed her to the core; it took all her strength not to lean in and kiss the moist, pink lips that waited so patiently for that moment where they could finally meet again. He whispered ‘I love you’ so softly she barely heard it…

And suddenly she screamed, a blood curdling scream that made her feel numb inside. She was no longer in the church, her beautiful white wedding gown flowing around her. Now she was on a boat, her hands reaching for the stairs as she screamed his name. She could hear the numbers counting down, low toned beeps as each number passed.

10…

She scrambled for the staircase, falling to her knees on the bottom step. Pain shot through her body as she landed with a thud.

9…

She called his name again and again, hearing him call back, “Sheridan!” She could clearly hear his terror.

8…

She tried to get up, but found herself paralyzed with immense fear. She called him again, praying it wouldn’t be too late. That he could save her once again!

7…

She heard his foot land on the wood of the deck, knowing he was coming for her. So close she could feel him moving towards her!

6…

Once again she tried to get up, finding her legs heavy as steel beams and still forcing them to move. More pain flowed through her veins, but she was numbing to it.

5…

She dropped her engagement ring, grabbing at it as she tried to run. She couldn’t leave it behind; wouldn’t let it go.

4…

She fell again, but managed to slide the ring back into her pocket, whispering, “I love you,” to him one last time.

3…

Her head fell against the step, admitting defeat.

2…

“Sheridan…” he called one last time.

1…

Diana shot up in bed, a cold sweat breaking out on her pale flesh. She gasped for air, trying to reclaim the oxygen she had missed from holding her breath. Her head was spinning and only one thing seemed even remotely clear. A name…her name. SHERIDAN!

Looking around, she noticed she was alone in the little inn room, her companion obviously gone. Beside her on a pillow rested a note that simply said, “Went to my mothers. Will pick you up at noon for lunch and apartment hunting. Brian” She sighed, crumpling the piece of paper in her hand, anger filling her body. How could he have done this to her? Had she not made him promise, swear even, that he would take her to his mother’s first thing in the morning? She wanted to meet his family and here she had no idea how to get there! Sometimes she really couldn’t believe that man!

Growling in frustration, Diana got out of bed and looked into the mirror on the nearby dresser. She looked…tired. Not that she didn’t feel tired, but this morning she looked worse off than ever. The dream she had had, the one where she saw her wedding and then the boat explosion, it made her feel the terror all over again. But she remembered something, a piece that had been missing before. He had been there! Her lover had been on the boat with her before she was lost at sea…

And her name wasn’t Diana.

Sure, Sheridan had little meaning to her as well and she couldn’t seem to grasp the name she called her lo…husband? It was possible if she were remembering a wedding and clearly she had been before the cruelty of the accident returned. Maybe they had been on their honeymoon in Bermuda…maybe he was even still alive somewhere! After all, if she was close enough to the source of the explosion and survived and if he really was on deck, he had to have lived.

“I suppose I will have to break the news to Brian,” she said, looking in the mirror and touching her face. “My name is Sheridan.” She frowned, deciding to test it again. “Sheridan…Sheridan.” She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again seconds later. “Sheridan what though? Sheridan…Miller? No, no that doesn’t sound right. Sheridan…Fitzgerald?” She sighed. “No, not quite right either.”

Her head pounded in reply.

“This is giving me a headache,” she closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. “And it’s tiring too. What was his name?” she groaned again, slamming her fists against the wood of the dresser. “Damn it!” she spun around in tears. “Why can’t I remember his name? I said it! I know I did!”

She picked something up off the nearby shelf; it happened to be a copy of a book called Hidden Passions. Without paying any attention she flung it against the furthest wall of the room and stormed off into the bathroom, slamming the door. She only had an hour before Brian returned and she was determined to make it back to his mother’s house. In her rush, she didn’t notice just what happened to the book she tossed; the book that had fallen open to page three hundred and sixteen, the title calling attention to two star-crossed lovers…

Sheridan Crane’s Past Life With Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.

Luis sat at his desk, trying his best to think about anything but the beautiful picture of his deceased fiancée. He tried balancing his pencil on its point, which he had seen in some stupid witchcraft movie Theresa made him watch. The pencil, of course, fell and Luis found it to be a lot like his life: seemingly straight and pointed, but always snapping at the worst possible time. With a sigh, he had attempted to return to the paperwork in front of him as well. Sam had given him some information on Julian’s murder investigation to look over. Somewhere there was a missing piece to the puzzle and Luis wanted to wrap it up fast…

As fast as possible anyway, it had been some months since the actual crime. Too many months had passed and still no body, not that they expected one. He had to make another mental note not to buy Crane Co Tuna, just the thought of the extra white meat was too much to handle. He shuddered. Impure thoughts just had a way of creeping up on you sometimes.

A shadow fell over his desk and Luis looked up finding the disappointed eyes of Sam Bennett staring back. Now he knew what an animal at the zoo felt like, the pity from the adults rivaled the giggles of every excited child and the unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach when someone gave you that look.

“I thought I told you to head home, Luis,” Sam said, though he didn’t seem insistent on sending Luis home.

“You did, at about ten-thirty, but there’s no reason for me to go home when there is work I can do,” Luis fiddled with the pages on his desk, trying his best to look busier.

“Luis…”

“Spare me, please, Sam. I really need to keep my mind off of her and I certainly won’t do it at home. Look, give me something, anything to do to get me out for a while? I’ll even pull over speeders!”

“All right, we have a report of a domestic disturbance at an apartment complex down on Seaside and First. The woman that owns the building seemed indifferent, but she called to let us know. Just go check it out and see if there’s any substance to it?”

“Sure, Sam, I’ll leave right now,” Luis stood, grabbing his badge and gun. “Thanks, man.”

“Don’t thank me yet, buddy, you have a long haul ahead if the woman files a complaint.”

“Don’t I know it,” Luis actually smiled, quickly leaving the precinct and heading for his car.

Sam sighed. It was going to be a long summer.

Luis arrived at Seaside Apartments, parking along the curb and looking around. It was a quiet neighborhood in a relatively nice part of town. Not far from the beach, the apartments tended to be leased by the month for Harmony semi-regulars that spent the late spring and summer on the Maine shoreline. These people tended to bring with them the much-needed revenue that a small town like Harmony needed during tourist season, money that would last clear into the next year. Little inns like the Bed and Breakfast made a killing between May and September, being completely full for the better part of the season. This was the first time Luis had ever heard of these people, the vacationing crowd, causing trouble that wasn’t party related.

He entered the manager’s office, a bell to the left of his head ringing as he swung open the glass door. A dog yapped somewhere in the back and he could hear the loud ranting of Jerry Springer on the television. Ah, the joys of educational daytime television! Nothing like some popcorn, a soda and Jerry…

“Can I help you?” an older woman asked, her silver-blue hair in curlers.

“We received a report of a domestic disturbance…”

“Is that the royal we?” the sarcastic woman asked, looking around for a partner. “Or does your invisible friend take the calls?”

“Look, ma’am…”

“Sorry, I’m just worried about my half-wit daughter showing some potential renters around. She’s not the brightest light bulb, if you catch my drift.”

“Ma’am, about the disturbance…”

“Right, right, Terry and Ashley, room two thirty-nine. I believe he’s gone now, I’m afraid, but she’ll have no problem giving you evidence of the crime. Look for big black and blues, hard to miss,” she dismissed him and returned to the sitting room in the back.

Luis sighed. He always got the cases with the uncooperative witnesses! Sometimes he thought Sam intentionally gave him work like this, even when he did ask for it. It was just frustrating getting all the way out to a home to find out that the person suddenly “couldn’t remember” if the chair hit them or a fist did.

Leaving the office, Luis started down the outdoor corridor towards the staircase when he saw a flash of light to his right. Glancing over, he noticed a door to one of the other rooms opening, a high-pitched teenage voice coming out of it. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly didn’t feel like climbing the stairs to the apartment of some woman that would just send him back down them, even if he did have to do it. Right now, his gut told him not to leave these stairs until he saw just who was in that apartment across the way.

“So this is the one bedroom, we also have a two bedroom available,” she popped her gum, stepping outside and letting a man by her. She seemed about as interested in this as Theresa did in growing up. This didn’t seem to be worthy of his gut instinct and he began to climb upward again.

“What do you think, Diana?” he asked, looking at her.

“I think we’ve already seen the two bedroom,” she motioned to them behind her and rolled her eyes. “I’d like to think about it, Brian.”

Luis stopped immediately on his ascent up the stairs. Only in his dreams had moments like this come and he had to pinch himself to prove he was awake. When the two fingers grabbed his skin, he jumped, spinning around to completely face the doorway once again. He knew that man, would have recognized him anywhere. It wasn’t “Brian” (even if that was what he wanted to be called now). It was clearly his brother Antonio! Luis was practically hysterical with joy over the thought of Tony moving back to Harmony, but it certainly wasn’t his brother’s returning home that interested him most. It was the thought of seeing the woman that belonged to that voice…

Finally seeing this…Diana.

“And I asked you not to call me Diana anymore,” she was still in the shadow for a moment and Luis was growing tired of waiting. If she didn’t step into the light soon he was going to barge over there and drag her out! “I told you I remembered my name, Brian, and it’s Sheridan,” she stepped into the sunlight looking every bit the angel that Luis remembered in his dreams.

His heart froze in his throat. There was no denying it now, especially if he wasn’t dreaming. She was back in his life and only twenty feet away from him. Sheridan Crane was standing in the doorway to an apartment, his brother just a step away and some dorky teenager blocking his view of her entire body. But he knew without a doubt that it was her and she was alive and well…

And with his brother…

“Right, Sheridan,” Brian wrapped his arms around her placing a wet kiss on her cheek. “Did you like the apartment?”

She giggled, stepping away from him as they headed for their rental car. No longer angry about being left behind because it had brought back memories of him and herself. It had helped her to piece together things she needed to see. Even if she hadn’t had the heart to tell him just yet that she couldn’t have a relationship right now, especially since she believed her husband to be alive. “Honestly?”

“Of course,” he replied.

“No,” she answered. “It didn’t feel like home. I’m sorry,” she slid into the car.

Luis felt a tear roll down his cheek and closed his eyes. The heart wrenching pain of seeing her with another man was almost as bad as the thought of losing her to the depths of the ocean. He couldn’t seem to breathe, move or think for himself. Unconsciously his lips started to move and he whispered, “Nothing ever will, Sheridan, because you belong to me. You’re home is with me.”

But by time he opened his eyes again Sheridan and Antonio were gone.

Chapter Four

Sheridan walked into their room, dropping her purse on a chair by the door before turning to face him. Brian was pouring himself a drink, his back to her for a moment as he opened the bottle of water from the mini-bar. Nervously, she chewed on her lip trying to decide just how to bring up the topic she needed to get off her chest. How did one tell the man you were falling for, the man that had cared for you, that there was someone else and all you had to do was find him? How did you break the news to someone that loved you so much, that wanted to be married to you, that you might already be married? She didn’t know and she was sure no one in the world did, but she did know it was now or never…

She just had to tell him before it was far too late.

If it wasn’t already too late…

Brian quickly finished his drink and turned to Sheridan, giving her one of his handsome smiles before moving closer to her. His hands slid around her waist, hers pressed against his chest, as he kissed her neck. Sheridan tensed, knowing this was wrong and trying to find just the words she needed in this situation, but none came. It was certainly a new situation for her, not that any situation wasn’t, and she was afraid of hurting a man she cared for deeply.

“Brian, we can’t do this,” she finally spoke as she tried to push him away, the heels of her hands pressing forcefully into his pectorals.

“Why not?” he asked, returning to his job of seducing her. It hadn’t been as difficult the last time they had made love for his birthday. In fact, she came onto him. “We’ve made love before, Diana.”

“Sheridan,” she corrected, continuing her attempt to force him away but failing miserably. “And we can’t because we have to talk! There’s something important I have to say.”

“We can talk later,” he pouted, his big blue eyes giving her a child-like pout. “Di…Sheridan, we haven’t been together since my birthday. You know I love you and I know you love me back…”

“Care for you, Brian, I care for you, which is why we can’t do this.” She sighed. “Brian, I wasn’t completely honest this morning when I was telling you what I remembered. There’s something more.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked, stepping away from her slightly. It was obvious his advances were getting him nowhere and right now he was definitely interested in what she was about to say. If Diana remembered her lover was still alive or something equally as destructive to their relationship, then he might actually fight for the return of her affection, which he was more than prepared to do. However, this could have been the moment he had waited for, the one where she admitted her lover was dead and that she was willing to start fresh with him!

“I remembered other things besides my name,” she looked down at her hands, nervously fiddling with them. “Not much, but more.”

His hand covered hers, stilling their motion. He was on pins and needles; this moment would make or break their relationship. “What kind of things, Sheridan?”

She took a deep breath, unsure of just how to say what she needed to say. Closing her eyes, she sighed and simply relaxed enough to tell him. “I was married,” she looked into his eyes, seeing his pain and feeling like a cad. “I am married I suppose would be the proper way to say it. He was there, Brian, my husband was on the boat with me. We were married and I think I remember where. It was the church you brought me to. I didn’t see the altar, but I just know that was the place. I lived here, Brian. This was my home and I have a family waiting for me.”

“Sheridan…” he attempted to show her the error in her dreams.

“No, I won’t let you tell me that he would have looked for me or that my dream could have been wrong. How do you know he didn’t? How do you know that someone told him I was dead just like for months I believed he was? How do you know he wasn’t injured so badly that he might just have begun his search? Brian, he could be alive and in this town. I know that now.”

“And me? What about my feelings for you? What about us, Sheridan? What about our relationship?” he crossed his arms. “You made love to me, said you cared about me! You told me that you were ready to move on and forget this dead lover! That we were going to have a real future together!”

“And I do care about you,” she sighed, sinking onto the bed. “Brian, I have very deep feelings for you and I meant every word I said when I thought that the man I had been with was deceased, but the he may still be alive and I can’t push that away. I might not remember every moment I spent with him and he may have even moved on, but if I am married to him he has a right to know I’m alive and I have the right to see if there is a relationship for us to build on. I have to know if there is something worth missing.”

“And if you aren’t married? If the memory is flawed? If he’s not alive?”

“Then I have some decisions to make,” she looked up at him. “About us, about him…about myself and my life. But I cannot make that decision without finding him and seeing him just one more time, without talking to him and knowing he is alive.”

“You don’t even know his name, do you? How do you expect to find him?” he was angry and his tone clearly showed it.

She flinched at the anger in his voice. “No,” she admitted. “But I know what he looks like and I won’t give up until I find him. There has to be a way! I love him, Brian, and I have since before you pulled me from the ocean. It hasn’t stopped just because I thought he was gone forever.”

He nodded, his eyes shinning with unshed tears. “Well, that’s that then,” he forced a smile a picked up the car keys. “Why don’t we go down to the Harmony PD and see if anyone has been looking for you, or if perhaps they can compile a sketch of this mystery man? Maybe they’ll recognize you there. My brother works there, I’m sure his friends will be of some use.”

“Oh Brian!” she darted up, running to him and throwing her arms around him. “You have no idea how much this means to me! I’ll love you forever for this.”

‘I only wish you meant that,’ he thought ruefully. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he pulled out of the hug and left to start the car.

Sheridan sighed as she watched him go, feeling miserable for treating him the way she had. She couldn’t help it that her memories were returning and she was remembering the man she longed to be with. It confused her that Brian could be so bitter about it, she had been perfectly honest about her feelings for the man she grieved over and she would have thought he would be happy for her or at least supportive. Instead, he seemed more hurt that she could want someone else. “I’m sorry, Brian,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry but I won’t lose him again,” she grabbed her purse and followed suit. It was time to face her destiny and find the man she longed for.

Sheridan sighed unhappily as they left the police station, her eyes teary. Brian’s brother hadn’t been at the office when they arrived; ironically he was handling a case at the apartment complex they had left not twenty minutes ago. Sheridan felt completely irritated that she could continuously miss meeting this man! Every time he was merely steps away and she just didn’t get to see him, or hear him as the case may be. Fate was just not being nice!

To top it all off, the rookie they had dealt with had to be the absolute stupidest and most incompetent person she had met in her entire life, remembered or not. He told her that he couldn’t help since technically she wasn’t reported missing and the man she was looking for definitely wasn’t missing! He even refused to find them a free sketch artist to put together a compilation of her memories so that she at least had a picture to work with. However, he did offer to get the chief, who happened to be on an extended lunch break, and ask him to help. But that could take an hour and Sheridan didn’t feel like she had that time to waste.

An angry tear rolled down her cheek and she brushed it away, grumbling something under her breath, which caused Brian to look up. When he offered to take her home she just shot him a look and he backed off, immediately noting that this was not the time to confront her about anything at all. He was only thankful that the car was parked a block or so from the station, that way they had a chance to walk. He only hoped it helped her blow off some steam because right now she was angry enough to have steam shooting out her ears.

“Sheridan?” he interrupted her reverie.

“What?” she growled, frustrated and upset.

He swallowed hard, giving her the oddest look. Never before had she acted this way about anything, not even about the time her cold kept her from hearing his brother’s voice or she broke nearly half of Liz’s good dishes in attempt to learn to waitress. The sudden change in her was certainly unwelcome and made him feel helpless and desperate.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I had no right to snap like that. I’m just so angry! What kind of inept, moronic, bungling fools run that place?”

“Only the finest in Harmony,” he teased, chuckling despite her groan. “Look, why don’t we calm down over a cup of coffee. People are bound to see you at the Book Café and maybe someone in there will recognize you and maybe even know your full name. Stranger things have happened, right?”

“That’s true,” she sighed. “Look, I’m really not in the mood to deal with some happy go lucky teenage waitress that gives every blond woman in America a bad name, so why don’t you get our coffee and we’ll walk as we drink it? I could use a few minutes to compose myself anyway.”

“All right,” he smiled, kissing her cheek habitually. “Sorry, bad habit.”

“It’s all right,” she offered a weak grin. “Make mine an iced mocha, please?”

“Anything for you,” he replied, walking inside and leaving her alone in the warm summer sun.

Sheridan sighed again, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall of the Book Café. “This is so unfair,” she mumbled as a tear rolled down her cheek. “So completely unfair.”

Luis returned to the station and dropped a load of papers on top of his desk. Surprisingly enough, the woman that he was going to check on wanted to file the report, though somewhat reluctantly. Of course, the stairs were the popular tripping method until he said he would go test them himself. Suddenly she had a lot to talk about and was more then willing to file a restraining order. Now all he had to do was fill out the twenty pages that it would take and she would be safe as could be. Wasn’t democracy grand?

He was tempted to just sit down and start on his work, but he seemed reluctant to delve back into the world of spousal abuse and decided to get some coffee first. The men by the machine were all a buzz about something that had happened while he was gone and he felt it odd that they were giving him such strange looks. Maybe some good old-fashioned eavesdropping would clue him into what was going on. Walking over to the reception desk near the machine, he looked through the messages to see if there were any calls for him, or at least so it seemed.

“Hey, LoFitz, is it true?” Mahoney called from his cubical, leaning against the outside wall slightly.

“Is what true?” Luis asked, looking up from the pink slips of paper.

“You know, about Sheridan coming back to town? Jimmy said she was here looking for a sketch artist, can’t seem to remember some man’s name. He was going to page you but thought better of it.”

The papers fluttered from his hand and onto the desk like autumn leaves in the breeze. “Sheridan was here?” he asked, his throat tight with emotion. “How long ago?” he turned to James Hernandez and grabbed the front of his shirt.

“About five minutes ago, man. She was here with your brother; he even asked for you,” he shrugged. “Little John over there sent her away,” he motioned to the rookie. “Told her that she wasn’t missing and neither was this nameless man of hers.”

Luis’ eyes flashed angrily, realizing that something must be wrong with her. “Did anyone see which way she went? Did she say where she was staying?”

“Yea, man, they headed for the Book Café,” Jimmy laughed. “Gonna try and catch her?”

“Damn straight,” Luis replied, rushing out of the station and towards the Book Café. Sheridan had been there and he had missed her, but he wouldn’t let her get away again. If it meant calling every hotel and inn Harmony had, he would find her and hold her in his arms once more. She wasn’t getting away, not with his damn older brother or anyone else. She was his fiancée, his future bride, and no one was going to take her away.

No one!

Sheridan opened her eyes and noticed the Youth Center across the street from the Book Café for the first time since they arrived. The overwhelming feeling of familiarity filled the air and she unconsciously stepped between two parked cars to cross the road, her eyes focusing on one thing only, the doors to the place. She didn’t know why, she couldn’t tell how, but she was drawn to the gray stone building, as if it were a place she had been to often. Some children played in the parking lot, a large rubber ball bouncing back and forth in a game of catch. Older children, more like local teens, played along with them and some of them seemed so recognizable that she just to make it across and ask them their names. Perhaps they had the key she needed to finding out just who she was and whom her husband was. She needed to talk to them, to hear them talk back and for some reason she knew they would have all the answers.

She didn’t hear a voice calling her from the curb, or an older woman scream in terror as a car of rowdy teens, their music loud enough to wake the dead, turned the corner and ran a stop sign, the driver’s foot heavy against the gas pedal and the tires kicking up dust and small rocks from the road.

Someone called her again, but she was too busy trying to make it across to the place that felt familiar and seemed to remind her of the man she loved.

“Sheridan!” Luis screamed, trying to find her as he ran along the street. “Sheridan!” he cried again when he thought he spotted her heading for the Youth Center, his eyes fixed on her beautiful body moving away. He heard the music from the car long before the screeching of the tires as it turned the corner, the smell of charred rubber filling the air. Sheridan continued on in a trance, but Luis’ heart nearly froze in his chest. Out of instinct he jetted towards her, his voice crying out again, trying to reach her over the loud music.

No response.

Panic ran through his veins; adrenaline controlled his motions and he dove on top of her, rolling her out of the middle of the street and landing beside the curb. He heard her cry out in pain as they landed against the hard, black pavement, his hands cut up from the way they landed, his body aching from the hard impact. She whimpered from below him, her eyes still closed as tears rolled down her cheeks, but she looked uninjured. He studied her face for a moment, brushing a piece of loose hair from her forehead and finding a gash there, crimson blood pooling along the torn skin before trickling over her temple.

She whimpered again.

“Sheridan?” he breathed, hardly believing she lay beneath him now. He couldn’t move and her name was the only sound he could find the strength to utter. His entire body quivered with anticipation of what would happen next and if he didn’t actually feel the pain from their fall, he would have wondered if he were dreaming again.

Her eyes fluttered open, slowly focusing on the man that leaned over her, his warm hand on her cheek. The soft brown eyes from her dreams looked back at her, his luscious pink lips marred by a cut from their fall. Still, he was as handsome as ever to her: her knight in shinning armor…or police uniform.

One hand painfully, and shakily, lifted itself to his cheek, cupping it softly. Her thumb brushed over his lips as their eyes met. He felt real, looked real and sounded real. For the first time in a year, Sheridan knew that he was truly in her arms. And for the first time in twelve very long months, Sheridan’s mouth spoke something she never would have thought it would…

His name…

“Luis,” a tear rolled down her cheek. “My sweet Luis.”

Chapter Five

Beth shook her head as she neared the counter, her hand patting the shoulder of her new trainee who just couldn’t move quite at the speed she needed. Kindly she sent him off to bus tables instead, clearing places for the new wave of customers that were in line. She always had loved the summer; people still needed their daily fix of caffeine and breakfast before heading out to the sandy Harmony beaches. Never had a tourist season come where the Book Café didn’t easily triple their income and still she never collected enough to completely buy it back from Alistair Crane.

With a sigh, she skimmed the Café looking for someone she knew. Luis had been avoiding her since their tryst in May, claiming he was still very busy and while he appreciated her concern he really had to deal with some of his problems alone. She never pushed, but she was starting to wonder just what his problem was and why he seemed so anxious to be away from her just when they had started making progress in their relationship.

Walking over to the cash register, Beth looked up to take the first order and smiled. This man she knew rather well: Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald, or Brian as he liked to be called. He didn’t seem to notice her at first as he leaned against the counter, his money already tossed on top as he drummed his fingers impatiently. She didn’t see his girlfriend around, not she could have recognized her anyway, so she merely assumed she was sitting outside waiting for her boyfriend. Beth couldn’t blame her really; besides being crowded the Book Café was hardly the place right now to snuggle up next to someone that looked like Brian. Beth sighed; the Lopez-Fitzgerald family was blessed when it came to looks.

“Hey,” Beth waved her hand in front of his face. “Earth to Brian,” she laughed.

Brian shook his head, smirking when he saw Beth. “If it isn’t Ms. Beth Wallace herself,” he laughed. “I thought you would have quit this job years ago, I mean you always hated this place when you were younger.”

Beth shrugged. “Family tradition. Besides, we don’t own the place anymore. I just manage it for the Cranes.”

Brian’s eyes flashed. “This town sure does let the Cranes get away with murder, don’t they?”

Beth nodded. “Money brings an overwhelming amount of power, we all know that. The Cranes could buy this entire town out from under us if they thought it was worth it. But now that Julian’s dead and Theresa is heiress…”

“I read that. I went to see my Mother this morning and she seems to be holding up fairly well considering it all. I can’t believe someone torched our house too. Our family never had much luck.”

Beth couldn’t help but agree; first Martin left, then Antonio and just when the family started to settle down Luis lost his fiancée and then the house was nearly burned down. Theresa had said it was all Fate, but Beth wasn’t so sure even Fate could be that cruel. “Anyway, what can I get for you, Brian?”

“I want…”

Before he could order, a scream tore from the mouths of one patron, her coffee mug crashing to the floor with a shatter as she jumped up, eyes glued to the window. “Someone stop her!”

Brian spun around, seeing a crowd begin to form around the windows. He couldn’t see past them and looked at Beth, grabbing his money before running to the door. The squeal of tires trying to hold to the ground after a sharp turn caused tension in the air and his immediate thoughts flew to Diana outside alone. Stop her, the girl had cried and Brian fought the waves of people to make it outside in time, barely feeling Beth grab his arm and follow him out only to be lost in the crowd.

“Did you see that?” one woman whispered to her friend as he passed them.

“He saved her life,” the other replied, covering her mouth and smiling. “That Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald is such a brave, selfless man to save a woman from being killed. No one else even attempted…”

“Luis,” Brian muttered, still trying to part the circle of people keeping him from seeing the victim of Luis’ latest heroic act.

“Brian, I heard it’s Luis. Is he all right?” Beth asked, catching up to him as they finally reached the last layer of people separating the sight of the parties involved.

“I don’t know,” he replied, trying to shove some butch man out of the way. “Excuse me, that’s my brother!” he called, trying to get into the center.

“Well he’s a hero,” the man motioned. “Saved her life and it’s obvious they know each other.” Brian gave the man a look and then managed to step forward, Beth right at his side as their eyes fell upon the spectacular before them. Lying against the curb was his baby brother, Beth’s boyfriend, cuddled up and holding Sheridan, their foreheads resting together.

Beth’s eyes grew cold and her lips twisted into a sardonic smile that made Brian’s stomach clench. She looked oddly calm despite her anger and he was sure she would explode.

“She always did know hot to make an entrance,” she grumbled viciously, catching Brian off guard.

“She?” he asked. “That’s my Diana.”

“No,” Beth replied, crossing her arms. “That’s his Sheridan.”

Luis’ lips brushed against her chin and then her cheek before meeting hers gently, caressingly. It was a short kiss, just to test the feel of hers again, but it made him want to cry. He lifted his head, but Sheridan’s fingers pressed into the back of his neck urging him in for another kiss. They continued kissing, lips meshing chastely against each other as if they were just getting used to the feeling once more. She was home again and in his arms, right where she was meant to be. As they finally parted, she sighed and shifted, reminding them both that they were on the ground and that every person within a mile was watching their every move.

Slowly, Luis sat up, testing to see if he was physically fine. When he was able to remain sitting up for some time he turned his attention to the woman that had been beneath him. “Are you all right?” he asked, feeling her arms and legs for broken limbs. She giggled when his hand brushed against her side, squirming when he intentionally tickled her.

“I’m fine,” she replied honestly, feeling very little pain. “My head hurts a little,” she lifted her hand to her forehead, fingers brushing through the blood. “Eww.”

He smirked. “Don’t move too much, Sheridan,” he ordered, taking hold of her hand and placing it on her stomach. He reached for his cell phone to call for an ambulance, only to find it damaged from their roll through the street. He made a face, shaking out the black pieces of useless plastic and rolling his eyes. Looking past the crowd around them, Luis noticed the ambulance pulling up the street, relief flooding his body. In no time she would be fully checked out and he could make sure she was really fine.

“God, you sound just like him,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “Is there a class for men in this town that teaches how to be bossy or is it that blasted y-chromosome?”

He laughed. “Now that’s my Sheridan,” he teased, pushing her hair off her face. “It’s gotten so long. You look so different with your hair this way.”

She chewed on her lip nervously, wondering if he still liked it. Her eyes silently pleaded with him to say he did as she nervously ran her fingers through her long blond locks. “I can cut it if you liked it better short.”

“I love it,” he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ve missed you so much, Sheridan, so very much. I never want to let you out of my sight again.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she replied from her heart, her hand squeezing his. He would never know just how much she truly had missed him. Her heart and body had ached for him, wanting him with her again and finally he was there.

An EMT neared her, placing a bag beside her head as he started examining her for serious injuries. Calmly he started feeling for broken limbs.

“Luis?” she panicked, grabbing hold of him tightly. “Don’t leave me, please. Don’t leave my side! Promise you won’t!”

“I have no intention of letting you get away now, Sheridan,” he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Not this time,” he looked into her eyes. “I promise, I’ll be with you ever moment,” he stroked her cheek to calm her again.

“Luis,” the EMT finished examining Sheridan, placing a temporary bandage on her head and telling her to apply light pressure. “She should be fine besides the gash on her head. We’ll give you two a lift just to be sure.”

“Thanks, Joe,” Luis offered Sheridan his hand, slowly bringing her to her feet. “Careful, Sher. Let me know if you’re dizzy or feel faint.”

She shot him a look. “Please, anything but this kind of treatment,” she beseeched. “I’ve spent the last year being treated as a child. I’m fine, really.”

“I’m just worried, Sheridan,” he helped her into the ambulance, stepping in and settling beside her. “It’s not every day people come back from the dead.”

“Something tells me it happened before,” she leaned against him, drained from their reunion.

“It has,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “And I feel blessed to have received that miracle twice.”

“I love you, Luis,” she looked up into his eyes. “Never stopped.”

“I love you too, Sheridan. Forever and always,” he kissed her again. “Forever and always.”

The doors to the ambulance shut, the crowd that had assembled finally leaving the scene now that the stars were gone. Hushed whispers filled the air as the men and women that had witnessed Luis’ marvel discussed how lucky he was to have his fiancée back. His fiancée, the woman Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald had thought dead in the seas of Bermuda. This was big news in a little town like Harmony; how a woman who had been gone for so long could finally return to the man that had longed to hold her again. Slowly, the street became quiet once more as tourists and citizens alike disappeared to continue on with their days, totally oblivious to the pain the scene had caused.

Brian and Beth remained, staring at the dust kicked up by the ambulance and watching in stunned silence as their lovers faded away. Neither spoke for a time, trying to absorb the ramifications of what had just happened. Luis and Sheridan had been reunited, breaking hearts in the process and not even looking back to see if anyone else had cared. Sheridan hadn’t even sought Brian out to tell him the news; she just followed Luis as if Brian had never existed, had never been her lover.

“I can’t believe she came back,” Beth’s arms straightened at her sides, nails digging into the sensitive flesh of her palms. “She came back and now everything in their lives is going to be all perfect again and I’ll be forgotten!”

Brian glanced over at her, then back at the disappearing van. His Diana had been recognized at last, his worst nightmare come true. Sheridan was his brother’s “dead” fiancée, the woman his little brother had mourned for since the prior July. His mother had told him how distraught Luis was, how he tried to bury the pain by seeing Beth again, only to keep his missing fiancée locked in his heart. He would never forget her, never more on, and yet now she was back…

And he, Brian, was the one that lost the woman he loved. “I won’t let him take her away from me,” Brian promised. “I won’t let him have her without a fight.”

Beth heard him, turning to face him with one hand on her hip and the other over her stomach. “She isn’t getting him this time, Brian,” she said cruelly, viciously. “If it’s the last thing I’ll do, Luis will be mine. He will marry me,” she vowed, storming back into the Book Café.

Brian watched her go, blue eyes dancing evilly. “Oh you can have him, Beth Wallace, because I’m taking Sheridan back. You can stake your life on it,” he headed for his car, digging out the keys before rushing away.

His next stop: Harmony General.

Chapter Six

Sheridan settled on the bed in curtain two, her feet dangling over the side as she sat staring at the floor. She had so many questions for Luis now that she found him, but didn’t have the faintest idea where to begin. He seemed so worried about the gash on her head that she couldn’t seem to bother him with questions about the gaps in her memory or questions about their trip last year. It hadn’t been until she was shown an exam area to wait that she remembered she had been with Brian at the Book Café and even then the smile on Luis’ face from having her back again was too bright to ask him about another man. She didn’t want to hurt him, but Brian had been her best friend and even her lover and she couldn’t just disappear on him without admitting that she had found the man she was supposed to be with, the man she truly loved. She knew without a doubt she would stay with Luis as long as he would have her and she wasn’t about to go back to Brian unless she had reason to.

Looking up, Sheridan found Luis watching her from the curtain opening where he was keeping lookout for the first available medical practitioner. She smiled at him, blowing him a kiss and shaking her head at the goofy grin he wore as he caught it. Every time she looked at him her heart sped up and she knew that she was right where she belonged and with the man she belonged with. No one before had made her feel this way, had made her want to cry just because he was looking in another direction. Brian hadn’t meant near as much to her as Luis did at this moment and her biggest regret had been sleeping with Brian that one night in St. Lisa’s. Now she would do anything to take it back and to avoid telling Luis about it but she couldn’t and eventually she would have to confess the one thing that stood in her way of complete happiness. Had she been unfaithful even if she didn’t know who she was or that her true love was still alive?

Luis waved to Sheridan, turning his attention back to the desk of the ER for only a moment. She had seemed so clueless as they rode along in the ambulance; the only conversation he was able to spark between them being what had happened since last year. Sheridan had gone on and on about being called Diana and staying on a little island with some great new friends and learning some new things that would actually help her in life, though she left out most of the details with a promise to fill them in later. He hadn’t pushed her because of her injury but he was dying to know what he had missed in her life and where she had been staying all this time. But the worst part was the nagging little voice inside that wondered who she had been with while being away.

Shaking his head, Luis noticed Dr. Russell heading for their cubicle, Sheridan’s chart in her hands as her disbelieving eyes scanned his face. She stopped right in front of him, motioning to the curtain and rolling her eyes as if to say some nurse was playing a joke on them both. “Luis, what is this about? A nurse tells me that the woman in there says her name is Sheridan Crane not matter how I insisted she was wrong.”

“That’s because it is,” he replied, pushing open the curtain slightly and revealing only the slightest view of Sheridan on the bed. “Sheridan’s alive and well,” he pointed to the bed.

“Sheridan?” Eve’s eyes widened, her hands barely able to hold the clipboard tight enough not to drop it. “This is impossible!”

Sheridan chewed on her lip nervously, her eyes falling to her hands, which were clasped in her lap. If this was going to be the reaction that most people were going to have to her being back, she wasn’t sure how she would deal with it. Everyone seemed so shocked that she was still alive and back into their lives and she didn’t know how to tell them or make them accept it. It was hard enough to barely remember your life without people expecting you to be dead, never mind their questions and probing over every little thing you did. She was afraid and the only thing that kept her going was Luis and the way he looked at her and made her feel.

“Dr. Russell, it is Sheridan,” Luis smiled at his fiancée, offering her just a little more support from where he was. “We had a spill when I tried to get her out of the way of a car and I think she may have hit her head hard enough to need stitches.”

Eve, whose shocked eyes were still staring at the girl sitting on the bed, nodded. “Why don’t you step outside while I examine her, Luis? I promise to send for you as soon as I’m done.”

Luis stood there, reluctant to let Sheridan out of his sight for even the briefest of moments. She looked up, eyes a little fearful as she waited to see what he would do. Part of her knew this was necessary, but still she didn’t want him to leave her alone even with someone that knew her. With a sigh, she nodded to let him know she would be all right. He grinned and nodded in reply, letting Dr. Russell past him.

“I’ll be right outside,” he told her. “Just call if you need me.”

“I’ll be fine,” she responded softly, blowing him one more kiss.

Luis caught it, tucking it into his pocket. “For later,” he added as he left her with Dr. Russell. No sooner had he stepped into the hall than he heard a commotion coming from the entrance to the ER. Turning around to face the source of the noise, he saw his mother and siblings rush inside, all of them panicky as they ran over to the nurse’s station to inquire about him. Luis wanted to laugh as his sister, her make-up all ready a mess from her tears, clung to the desk turning her knuckles white. She really was a character that one.

“Mama?” he called, waving her over before they could interrupt the nurses. He enjoyed the relief that seemed to flood them as they headed his way.

“Luis! Mijo!” she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder. “I was so worried! When Sam called and said you had been involved in an accident I thought…”

“There was no accident, Mama,” he hugged her back, smiling at his little sister and brother who looked comforted to see him. “I just saved someone’s life and now I’m here to make sure she is all right.”

“She? Luis, is it Beth?” Theresa asked, looking almost hopeful that the brunette would be out of her brother’s life at last. She never did like Beth Wallace much, thinking that anyone who waited around seventeen years for anyone, even if it was her brother, was a little too pathetic for her liking. Sure she had pined away for Ethan, but she hadn’t specifically waited for him.

“No, it’s not Beth,” he replied, his smile brighter than it had ever been before. “It’s Sheridan.”

Pilar looked at Theresa and then Miguel, who shared identical looks of worry. All three then turned their attention to Luis, who seemed so happy that they were afraid to even ask if he was feeling all right. None of them knew what to say to him, all three wanting nothing more than to soothe Luis, whose sanity had obviously lapsed finally, before calling the psychology ward and telling them that they had a patient they needed to see. He seemed so sure of himself, though, especially now with the way his eyes glowed.

Touching her son’s arm, Pilar gave him a sympathetic look and a weak attempt at a smile. “Luis, you do realize, mijo, that Sheridan has been gone for a year now?”

Luis chuckled. “Yes, Mama, but she came back today. I saved her life right outside the Book Café. I’ll prove it to you just as soon as Eve finishes examining her.”

“Luis, Sheridan’s dead,” Miguel pointed out helpfully, running his fingers through his hair. “You identified the body when you were in Bermuda, remember? She can’t come back from the dead, no one can!”

“Miguel, if Luis says that Sheridan has come back, she must have,” Theresa replied, sounding only somewhat convincing as she smiled at her older brother before shooting her younger one a look. “It’s…”

“If you say the word fate,” Miguel stopped her, glaring at her threateningly. “I’ll kill you with all the people in this hospital as witnesses! Do you realize how much trouble your stupid belief of fate has caused this family just this year alone? We won’t go over the last nineteen years of your existence!”

“Miguel!” Pilar warned. “Now is hardly the time or the place.”

“Yes, Mama,” he crossed his arms, looking at his brother and then Theresa before walking over to a chair and plopping into it with a pout. His eyebrows creased in a frown as Theresa gave him a look of triumph and sat across from him, her hands unconsciously resting on her flattened belly.

“Mama, while the three of you might think I have finally lost it,” Luis grinned proudly. “I know for a fact I saved Sheridan today and I held her in my arms and right now she is in there with Eve. I promise, in a few minutes you’ll see her and we’ll know for a fact that Sheridan Crane is alive.”

Pilar just nodded, joining her other children in the seats near Sheridan’s room. “I can only hope that it’s true for your sake, mijo, or else we will never be able to save you from your pain,” she whispered, making the sign of the cross and bowing her head in prayer.

Sheridan watched Eve finish the last of eight butterfly stitches on her head, the doctor whistling happily as she did her work. It was confusing and frightening being alone without Luis, but she knew he wasn’t far and if she needed him all it would take was a little cry and he would be at her side in no time. He was an amazing man and she loved him more and more every second; she had so much love that this short time apart made her ache for his arms again. She could only imagine how terrible the last year would have been if she could remember even for a moment that he was alive and that he had cherished her so completely with only a look.

“I still can’t believe it,” Eve broke the silence of the room. “Luis has been missing you for so very long and seeing you here today is like a miracle for him. I bet he can’t wait to bring you back home and pick up where you left off with the wedding and family plans.”

Sheridan’s eyes sought Eve’s. “We didn’t finish the wedding?” she asked, her eyes sad and her heart breaking. So they weren’t married…

“No dear, Ivy ruined the wedding. Don’t you remember?” She placed a clean bandage on the stitches, taping it down and then wiping her hands on a towel. “It was a shame, you looked so beautiful in that wedding gown and everyone couldn’t wait for you two to finish getting married. You were both so happy.”

“Dr. Russell…”

“Eve.”

“Eve,” Sheridan smiled lopsidedly. “I can’t remember anything clearly since before the accident last year. I only have sporadic memories of my time with Luis and I’m afraid to tell him…well it’s one of the things I’m afraid to tell him,” she started fiddling with the sheet on the bed.

“You mean you have amnesia?” Eve asked, not even thinking to have asked Sheridan any questions that would lead her to that assumption earlier on. Of course it would make sense as to why Sheridan hadn’t been around for a year.

Sheridan nodded. “I only remembered my name this morning and Luis’ when he tackled me out of the car’s way. I didn’t even know I had lived in Harmony until something clicked today while I was touring with my friend Brian.”

“Oh dear,” Eve sighed. “I’m afraid I didn’t think to diagnose that. I wouldn’t have even thought to look for it had you not mentioned it,” she patted Sheridan’s hand. “The only cure for amnesia is time and being with loved ones.”

“Do you think…is there a chance I’ll remember more?” Sheridan asked hopefully.

“Of course, Sheridan. Your surviving that boating accident and the terrible hurricane in Bermuda is proof enough that you are a strong woman and that miracles can happen. With time and a little prodding from the man that loves you, I’m sure you’ll be back to yourself in no time.” She jotted some notes on the chart and prepared to leave.

“Eve?” Sheridan stopped her.

“Yes, Sheridan?” she turned to her.

She hesitated a moment, trying to decide just how she should ask what she was worried about. After all she had been through, one more piece of bad news and she was sure she would break down and cry. “Can I ask you to run one last test on the blood sample you took before? I don’t need the results today, in fact I don’t mind if you call me at a later date with the results.”

“Anything, Sheridan, just tell me what test you would like me to run and I can probably have the results tonight.”