Akin to a Memory

Jack buys the farm – literally. His wife, Lori, isn’t too keen on the idea but she indulges him in his quest to find the next branch on his family tree when he purchases a farm he believes was owned by his colonial ancestors. Jack’s search for his roots leads him and Lori down a path neither bargained for and opens old wounds for Lori who is already struggling to keep reality separated from memories, bad memories.

Lori is an Army nurse on leave after her helicopter transport is brought down by enemy fire thrusting her and the wounded in her care into a deadly situation that leaves scars on her mind. Working with her husband on his quest to trace his family is supposed to be a distraction for her but it becomes an emotional struggle on a different level as Jack unearths clues that might lead him to his family.

The farm includes an old house where its previous owner’s death was ruled a suicide but the longer Lori is there, the less she believes it. The atmosphere becomes the catalyst for more dreams that Lori doesn’t want or know how to deal with. With each passing day, the edges of her dreams mix with reality as haunting details of lives already lived continue to encroach upon her troubled mind. She’s determined to return to duty but will the farm that takes such a hold on her let it happen?
From the book:
Lori went to the kitchen for a bottle of water and sat with Coco on the sofa. The dog sat beside her, panting and wagging her tail as if all was right with the world again. Jack came in and was about to sit with them but stopped and stared at Lori. “Do you smell that?” he whispered.
“Roses?” she whispered back as she stood up. She sniffed lightly and nodded.
They moved slowly about the room to try to pinpoint the source which seemed to be the fireplace mantle. It was strongest there.
“Do you suppose there’s something in the flue?” Jack asked, still whispering.
An icy coldness settled over Lori and every inch of her skin tightened as a shiver ran down her spine. She felt pressure on her left shoulder and was unable to move away from it. When she looked at Jack and saw his hands hanging at his sides, every hair stood on end as if an electric shock had run through her skin.
“I feel a hand on my shoulder!” she managed to say.
Just as quickly as it came on, it went away and she felt her body relax. She quickly moved across the room and looked back at Jack.
“You felt something touch you?” he asked. Lori nodded, staring at the pictures on the mantle. Jack crossed the room to her. “You okay?”
She nodded again and shook her entire body as if to rid it if the feeling. “God that was creepy!” she cried. “Something touched me!” She put her hand on Jack’s shoulder to show him how it felt. “Ugggh!” she cried as she went out the front door. Coco followed her. Jack made a slow circle around the room, sniffing but the odor of flowers was gone.
He had smelled it too so there was no refuting what Lori sensed. He hadn’t felt anything touch him but he was convinced his wife had felt something. He followed her out onto the porch.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. This house is gonna be great at Halloween.”
“Something really touched you?”
“Yes! I felt a hand on my shoulder!” She stared at him for a moment but his expression didn’t change. “You don’t believe me!”
“Of course I do,” he countered. “I just don’t know what to say.”