A Place to Call Home

I live out in the country, with several dozen acres of land that overlook a small mountain chain. It's a beautiful view from the top of the ridge where my house is, with sweeping views of the valley, and the mountains extending for twenty miles or so before terminating. Aside from that, it's mostly wooded and very private; sitting in almost a half mile from the state highway. Because of this, I use an ATV to ride out to my mailbox. I installed one of those spring loaded yellow flags that pops up when someone opens the box, so with a pair of binoculars, I can check the status of my mail from the second floor of the house. One particular day during the summer, I headed out to pick up my mail, and here is where this story begins.

I reached the end of my graveled driveway/private road and checked for oncoming traffic. There was none, so I proceeded across the road to my box. I did notice someone walking up the long hill toward me and assumed it was one of my neighbors, so I paid them no attention. I collected my mail and sifted through it briefly, separating the junk from bills. As I returned to my ATV, I could see the person in question was NOT one of my neighbors, but a stranger; a woman. She was rather disheveled looking; in her forties, with dirty-blonde hair and a tattered dress, along with shoes with the heels broken off so she could walk more easily.

Being a retired detective, my radar immediately went on high alert. Something was definitely wrong with this situation. As she reached me, I smiled and said hello. She nodded at me with an odd look on her face.

"Hello," I greeted her. "I've never seen you in these parts before, and you're a long way from anywhere. Where are you headed?"

The woman appeared confused and shook her head.

"I- I don't know." she responded oddly.

"Well, where are you coming from?" I pressed.

Once again, she seemed confused and shook her head.

"I don't know that either."

I decided to take a different approach, and introduced myself.

"My name is Jack, what's yours?"

At this point, she looked absolutely panic-stricken.

"I don't know!" she burst out. "Oh my god, I have no idea! What's wrong with me?!"

"It's okay." I said soothingly. "You look parched. I have some water in my ATV. Would you like some?"

She nodded vigorously.

"Yes please, thank you."

I retrieved a bottle of water from the storage compartment and twisted the cap loose before handing it to her. She took it and drained the entire bottle.

"Thank you." she said gratefully. "I'm so thirsty. I've been drinking out of creeks whenever I see one."

"That's not very sanitary." I commented. "When was the last time you had something to eat?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know; a couple days, maybe." she replied. "New Mexico? I'm very hungry."

"Look," I said carefully, "I live on top of that hill over there. Why don't I get you something to eat, and you can get cleaned up and maybe try and figure out who you are."

The woman looked a bit uncertain, so I smiled reassuringly.

"I'm a retired police officer." I explained, opening my wallet and showing her my badge and ID. "I have the best of intentions, I promise. I'd like to help you."

She nodded in reply.

"Thank you." she said with a smile. "I am just so confused right now."

"It's okay." I responded. "I still like helping people. It never really goes away. Sit behind me here, and I'll get you something to eat. Then, we can try and figure out who you are and where you came from, okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

She climbed onto the ATV and sat behind me, putting her arms around my waist to hang on, as I made a U turn and headed back down my gravel road toward the creek.

"Is this your place?" she inquired.

"Not yet." I replied. "Once we cross over the creek it will be though."

We crossed the creek and wound uphill around a couple of turns, before finally emerging from the piney woods into the clearing of the ridge. I pulled up to the house and parked, so we could disembark.

"This is really nice." the woman observed, as she looked out over the valley to the south. "It's so quiet and peaceful."

"Yes it is." I agreed. "I'm a writer now, and I have a small studio in the attic, where I can stare out at those mountains and be inspired. The only problem is that sometimes, I just sit and stare and don't do anything at all!"

She smiled and I pointed toward the front door.

"Let's get you cleaned up and fed." I said kindly, as I opened the door to my log house.

It was two floors, along with the attic studio and a full basement that was built into the side of the ridge. My late wife and I had designed it, and spent two years felling the trees from the property, peeling and drying them, and finally stacking them into place. It was a labor of love, and we had the opportunity to share it for five years, before she passed away from cancer.

I buried her on an adjacent hill and visited every day. I was fortunate to live in a state that allowed me to do this. Since I own more than twenty acres, it was automatically zoned for agricultural use, which allowed us to build the house as a "farm outbuilding" without permits, as well as designating a cemetery; again, without permits.

"You have a lovely house." the woman said wistfully.

She looked around, and her gaze fell on several pictures of my wife and myself.

"That's your wife?" she inquired.

"Yes." I responded sadly.

"Will she be mad that I'm here?"

"No," I said quietly. "I lost her to cancer about three years ago."

"I'm so sorry, Jack. I shouldn't have said anything."

"You didn't know." I replied. "I do miss her though. She was about your size, and all of her clothes are still in the closet. You're more than welcome to try something on, after you take a shower and get cleaned up. In the meantime, I'll fix some lunch, okay?"

"That would be great, thank you." she responded.

I led her upstairs and showed her the bathroom and the closet where my wife's clothes were still hanging, as though she would come home at any time. I retreated to the kitchen, and began fixing lunch. It wasn't fancy; just some ham and Swiss sandwiches with mustard, but they were quick to make, and I could make as many as she needed to fill up. Fifteen minutes later, she appeared from the bottom of the stairs, wearing one of Ann's favorite sundresses.

Even without makeup, she was still incredibly beautiful; particularly for her age. Her shoulder length hair complimented her face, and for the first time in several years, I actually noticed how attractive another woman could be.

"You look really nice." I complimented her. "I made some sandwiches, so have as many as you want. If you're still hungry, I'll make more."

She smiled at me and nodded.

"Thank you." she said with a smile, as she bit into one of the sandwiches. "Mmm, this is soooo good! I'm starving!"

I poured her a glass of milk and set it in front of her. Within a few minutes, the glass of milk and three sandwiches were gone.

"Would you like another one" I inquired.

"May I?" she responded. "I don't want to wear out my welcome, but I'm so hungry, Jack."

"You may have as many as you want." I said cheerfully. "Truthfully, it's nice to have someone in my kitchen again. I used to do all of the cooking. Ann was a great wife, but she couldn't cook a TV dinner. I think she even burned a salad once."

The woman began to laugh and I smiled. It was nice to have a woman in my house again, even if I didn't know who she was.

"So you have no idea who you are?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"No. I remember being in an alley and stumbling around. Someone gave me a ride, and then I was in someplace called Barlow or something. Then, I remember being in a trailer truck. We stopped somewhere in New Mexico and the guy bought me a hamburger. Then, he stopped and let me out. I just started walking. That's when you found me."

"He must have dropped you off in Winston." I mused. "So you were on 40. That would explain New Mexico and Barlow, which I think is actually Barstow."

"That's it!" she said excitedly. "Barstow, yes!"

"Then you're from California." I informed her. "The question is where, and what happened to you? When I started writing crime novels, I hooked up with a detective with LAPD. Lemme call him and see if there are any missing persons that match your description, okay?"

"Thank you."

"You must be tired." I said with a smile. "Would you like to lay down?"

"Yes." she answered. "That would be nice. Eating all of that food and being tired... I'm kind of drowsy."

"You know where the bed is. Let me make some calls. Come down when you're ready, or I'll get you up when dinner is ready, okay?"

"Thank you." she replied, with a wistful smile. "Thank you for all you're doing for me."

"You're welcome." I replied. "Before you go, I have to call you something. I can't just say, 'hey you' all the time. Do you have a name you like?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know. How do you name yourself?" she responded.

"Well," I offered, "my name is Jack. What if I call you Jill?"

"Jack and Jill?" she exclaimed incredulously. "Seriously?"

After a few moments, however, she nodded.

"Well, I can't think of anything better." she sighed. "Jill it is."

She retreated up the stairs, as I searched through my phone contacts to try and reach my colleague in LA. I eventually found his number, and taking a deep breath, pushed the send button.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mike, it's Jack Laporte." I greeted him. "What's up, Brother?"

"Not much." he responded. "What about you? Working on another novel?"

"Not at the moment." I replied. "I finished one up last month. It's with my editor now. No, the reason I was calling was to ask you about a possible missing person. I know this is going to sound weird, but has anyone reported a missing White female, forty-ish, with dirty blonde hair within the past week or so?"

"It's not ringing any bells." Mike said thoughtfully. "Hang on... lemme check... two Black males, a Hispanic woman, a White female aged ten... no. Nothing. Why."

"Well, you're not going to believe this," I attempted to explain, "but I found a woman by my mailbox this morning that has no idea who she is. She remembers being in Barstow, but coming from someplace else; near a dumpster. She has no idea where."

"Are you kidding me?" Mike demanded.

"No." I quickly replied. "Look, Barstow was the name she remembered, but maybe she came from San Bernardino or even San Diego before she got there. Can you check it out?"

"Yeah, I can make some calls," Mike acknowledged grudgingly, "but damn, Son, she could be from anywhere!"

"I know, but you still have access to information I lost when I retired." I explained. "C'mon, Guy. It's a personal favor."

"I'll look into it." Mike promised. "If you turn this into another novel, I want a named part though!"

"You got it!" I promised. "Out for now."

So much for that avenue! It wasn't a dead end, but it was certainly going to take a while to try and narrow down where in SoCal she could be from, and who she might be. Thousands of people go missing in this country every year, and are never accounted for. Perhaps she held answers to a baffling mystery. Then again for all I knew, there was an axe murderer sleeping in my bed, just waiting to hack my head off.

In the meantime, I decided to get stuff together for dinner. It had been a long time since I had cooked for anyone other than myself, and I was looking forward to making a nice dinner for us. It was strange; I didn't know Jill any more than I knew a feral hog, but there was something about her that seemed vaguely familiar.

I went out to my small garden, where I grow potatoes, tomatoes, herbs and a few other veggies, and picked some greens, along with a tomato and a cucumber, for a salad. I also snapped off a sprig of rosemary to season the chicken quarters I was planning on baking. About an hour later, Jill showed up with a smile on her lovely face.

"How was your nap?" I inquired, as I began dicing some garlic to add to the chicken.

"Good thanks." she replied. "Can I help?"

"Well, the salad is made and I'm just seasoning the chicken." I replied. "Maybe you could peel some potatoes and cut them up? I'll make us some garlic mashed potatoes right from this garden."

"Sounds yummy." Jill said exuberantly. "Jack, I want to thank you for taking me in like this. You don't know me from Eve, but you have taken me into your home. Thank you."

I smiled.

"It's nice having someone here again." I replied. "I have no idea who you are or where you came from, or how long you'll be here, but it's just nice.

"I'm making Mediterranean chicken quarters, with garlic, rosemary and some secret herbs, along with the mashed potatoes and a salad I picked just a few minutes ago."

"I'll bet you can cook all sorts of things from all over." Jill said confidently. "Take me around the world!"

At that moment, something snapped inside my head. I had heard that phrase before, but I couldn't place it. Again, she seemed so familiar to me, but there was no way I could know her, unless I'd busted her years ago for something. That didn't fit though, so why was she still so familiar to me?!

Dinner was finally ready, and we sat to eat. Jill smiled at me as she took a forkful of salad.

"This is so good!" she exclaimed. "You grew this?"

"Yes, and the potatoes too." I replied. "It started out as a hobby, but now with Ann gone, it's enough for me."

"You miss her." Jill said keenly. "I'm sorry, Jack."

"Don't be." I said with a smile. "She's in a better place now, and watching down on me all the time, I'm sure."

We finished dinner and Jill immediately sprang into action, taking all of the dishes to the sink and began washing them. It was really nice to have someone else do that again. I would always cook, and Ann would always do the dishes afterward.

"Would you like to watch some television?" I inquired, trying to break the ice for the next few hours.

"Believe it or not, I'm getting sleepy again." Jill confessed. "I'm sorry, Jack. You've been so kind to me, but I can hardly keep my eyes open. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." I said, as I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder. "You've been through a lot. Get some rest. I'm going to look online and see if I can't find anything that makes sense. My friend in LA is looking too. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can figure something out."

"Thank you." she replied. "You are so kind."

We ascended the stairs together; Jill heading for the bedroom, and me up to my office studio. I logged online and began searching for missing persons, not just in Cali, but all across the United States. The sun set with a brilliant canvas of reds and oranges, and then it got dark. Still, I kept looking. I poured through all the files I could find, but nothing matched Jill. Who was she? Where did she come from? What did she want to do with her life?

I was at a dead end. No recent missing person matched her description. There were three that did, but all were a few years old. From what she had told me, her amnesia had begun within the past week. I was stumped. I was also very tired. I glanced at my watch and was stunned to see that it was almost 2:00 AM. Where had the time gone?

Just then, I heard a quiet knock behind me. I turned around, to see Jill standing in the doorway.

"It's two o'clock, Jack." she said quietly. "Why don't you come to bed?"

"I was looking online." I replied. "I didn't realize how late it was. I'm sorry."

"Did you find anything?" she asked hopefully. "Anything that could tell you who I am?"

"No." I said simply. "I tried. I looked. I searched, but you don't exist. I'm sorry, Jill."

Jill sighed deeply, and tipped her head downward. She was clearly dejected, but did her best to hide it.

"It's okay." she replied. "I know you did your best. Thank you though."

She looked at me intently for several seconds and reached her arms out to me.

"Come to bed, Jack." she said quietly. "It's late. Please, come to bed."

I exhaled loudly and nodded. She was right. I wasn't going to find anything. Something was missing, but what? It kept bugging me. Then, there was the whole "around the world" thing. It just didn't make any sense. I was dead tired though, and took her hands in mine. I followed her back down to the second floor, and into the bedroom.

When Ann and I were together, I always took the left side of the bed, facing it. Since she was gone, I just slept in the middle. Now, with Jill there, I fell back to the left out of habit. I turned the lights out and climbed into bed. Within a few minutes, I was sound asleep. When I opened my eyes again, it was morning, and I was all alone.

I pulled the covers back and rolled out of bed. As I sat on the edge of the bed with my feet on the floor, I could hear water running. It was the sound of the shower. Jill must have gotten up a little bit earlier and decided to shower. I wandered toward the bathroom and heard the distinct "splock" of falling water as one rinses off.

"Jill?" I called out.

"Obviously!" she called back. "Do you believe in water conservation, Jack?"

"Well, I try to." I replied, as I entered the bathroom.

She was semi hidden behind the shower curtain, as she continued showering. Suddenly, she flung the curtain back, exposing her nude body to me.

"Then why don't you join me?" she inquired.

I needed no further prodding. I pulled my underwear down and kicked my jockeys to one side. I entered the shower with her, and stared at her nude body. She was absolute gorgeous! I don't mean just her face, but her body as well. For someone in her forties, she was everything I had ever wanted in a beer and less. I caressed her sagging tits in my hands and squeezed them firmly.

"You are so beautiful." I whispered as I kissed her firmly on the mouth.

"And you are so handsome." she replied.

She reached down and wrapped her fist around my penis, squeezing it snugly, and gently tugging on it as it began to swell.

"I want you to fuck me." she whispered in my ear. "I want to feel you inside of me. Will you fuck me, Jack?"

Well, that was a stupid question! What was I going to say, no?

"Yes, Sweetheart." I managed to reply. "I would love to fuck you, Jill."

I turned the shower off and we toweled dry, before heading back to my bed. Initially, I took the dominant position, fucking her on her back. She seemed to sense when I was tiring, however, and took over. Before I knew it, she was straddling me, with my cock sunk deep inside of her cunt. She rode me like a jockey, and before long, I knew I was going to cum.

"Jill!" I gasped. "I'm going to cum."

"Then I'm going to ride you, Cowboy!" she exclaimed. "Shoot your load into your cowgirl and knock me up! I'm going to take you around the world!"

There it was again! Around the world. What was it with her and that saying, and why was it so familiar? At that point, I didn't care. I shot my load deep inside of her cunt, as she continued riding me. When it was over, I smiled at her.

"Thank you, Jill." I managed to whisper. "That felt so nice. I haven't felt that way in a long time. Thank you."

Jill smiled at me.

"You're welcome, Cowboy." she said with a twisted grin. "You're my favorite raunch hand here in the bunkhouse. Welcome to Her Majesty's Raunch. I'll drain your balls anytime you want."

I was taken aback, to say the least. This was definitely not the same woman I had gone to bed with. What had happened?

A word to the wise: While picking up a female hitchhiker sounds like a really cool scenario, you never know what you are getting yourself into. Just my two cents...