A/N: I hope you are all enjoying this little tale. Its hard to tell since not getting many reviews. LOL. Is there anybody out there?

Chapter 12

April 12th, 1985

Hannah sat in the old wooden rocker absently rocking back and forth. Spring had arrived in the mountains and the flowers her mother had planted around the cabin bloomed brightly. There was still a chill in the air, especially at night, but the air was fresh and crisp with a hint of the warmer weather to come.

She smiled as she let her gaze sweep across the barnyard to where David was busy splitting wood. Over the winter months, he had recovered from his injuries and the haunted look had faded from his eyes. After some coaxing, he had finally ventured outside the refuge of the cabin and began helping out with some of the simpler chores around the farm that wouldn't tax his strength or endurance.

Now, as she sat there watching the ripple of the muscles in his arms and shoulders as he swung the axe to chop the wood, Hannah realized that he was strong and healthy again. He still couldn't remember his past or where he called home, but he didn't seem interested in leaving the security of the farm.

Hannah didn't mind. Her feelings towards the handsome stranger had grown stronger with each week that passed; unfamiliar feelings that frightened and excited her at the same time. Hannah wasn't a total innocent. She knew about sex and the facts of life and, as a woman, she recognized the longing and attraction that she sometimes saw in those sapphire eyes.

"How about a break?" Hannah called out to David as she gracefully rose from the rocker. "I have some gingerbread and fresh milk."

"Sounds great," David said with a flash of that crooked grin that always made Hannah smile. He leaned the axe against the pile of wood he had just finished chopping and strode to the porch with a confident strut to his step.

He followed Hannah inside, stepping over to the sink to wash his hands, while Hannah poured two glasses of fresh milk and cut two slices of the gingerbread she had baked that morning. David dried his hands and sat down at the table across from Hannah to enjoy his mid-morning snack. Hannah smiled as he reached up and absently brushed a curl back out of his eyes. His hair had grown longer falling around his shoulders in soft curls and hiding the scar on his temple from the head wound. His lean, chiseled face was covered with a dark, curly beard that altered his appearance but, the extra facial hair didn't distract from his ruggedly handsomeness.

Hannah blushed and quickly withdrew her hand when she realized the intimacy of the touch. David looked at her with an unreadable look deep in those sapphire orbs as he reached out and grabbed her wrist preventing her further retreat.

"I'm sorry…" Hannah stammered "I didn't mean to be so forward."

"You weren't," David told her with a fond smile. "I don't mind. It's been a long time since anyone has touched me like that." His smile twisted into a grimace "At least I think it has." He added ruefully.

Hannah smiled nervously and gently pulled away. Turning to the stove, she focused her attention on the stew simmering on the back burner and said, "You're better now…I guess you'll be leaving when it gets warmer."

She was startled when she felt David's arms slide around her waist from behind, holding her close. His husky voice whispered in her ear, "What if I don't want to leave? Do you want me to?"

"No," Hannah admitted in a trembling voice as she let herself relax in the comfort of his embrace.

"Good," David said with an amused chuckle, sensing her nervousness and her surrender. "Because I like it here…with you…"

He gently turned Hannah so that she was facing him. Looking into his eyes, she let herself get lost in those sapphire depths. Even as his arms tightened around her waist and he tilted his head, his lips brushing against her own in a gentle kiss, Hannah knew that she could never let this man go. For the first time in her life, she knew what it felt like to be in love.

She was startled when David released her and stepped back with an affectionate smile on his lips. In a soft, tender voice he said, "It's too soon little one…you're not ready yet. But, I'm a patient man…I can wait." With those parting words, David turned and walked out of the cabin leaving a trembling and stunned Hannah behind.

David crossed the distance between the house and the barn in long, easy strides. He knew that in the past few months, his feelings for Hannah and this place had changed. This had become the only home he knew and he had no desire to go looking for a past that he couldn't remember. Part of that was fear, fear of what he would find out about himself, but his emerging feelings for Hannah also played an important part in those feelings.

She was gentle, kind and innocent, yet at the same time, she had a inner strength and courage that David admired. He knew that with Hannah he could have the life that he had always longed for. But, she was young and untouched and he wasn't about to take advantage of that innocence.

He sought refuge in an empty stall and gently rubbed his hand against his groin, soothing the arousal that had overtook him when he kissed Hannah in the house. He knew that he was several years older than Hannah and, despite his loss of memory, he knew that he had experienced things in his past that had shaped the man he was now.

David took several deep, calming breathes until he had regained control of his libido and his emotions. As he straightened up and headed back to the house, a brief image crossed his mind of a pixie face framed by soft curls and a sweet smile. He pushed the half formed image from his mind, sealing it away with the rest of his forgotten memories, locked deep inside his mind.

He walked over to the woodpile and began chopping more wood. He sensed Hannah's presence as she stepped out on the porch to watch him. The future was uncertain but David wanted his future to be here in this place with this woman by his side.