by Chloe Lang
His cock tightened at the sight of this mystery woman. But along with the lust she’d ignited in him, there was something else, some other emotion, something powerful, something new. He tamped down his lust and went back to where he’d left his brothers.
“Holy hell, she’s a knockout, Emmett.”
“I know that look, Cody. I swear you’re the most hopeless romantic of any man I’ve ever known.” Emmett shook his head. “She’s not some chick we found at the club in Destiny. She’s not even from here. Best to keep that in mind.”
“Maybe so, but I believe in long shots.”
Bryant’s eyebrows shot up. “A knockout, huh?”
“See for yourself,” he told his twin.
As Bryant headed down the hallway, Emmett opened the liquor cabinet. “I just got her to bed. I need some fire in my belly. How about you?”
“For sure. Have you tried to wake her?”
“She was mumbling something when I found her, but she was never truly conscious. I haven’t been able to get her to respond since. Whatever happened took a lot out of her. She needs to see a doctor.”
Listening to the deluge outside, Cody knew getting her to Destiny and to Doc wasn’t happening. “Nickel Ridge has got to be toast.”
“Yep,” Emmett said, clearly thinking the same thing as him. His brother got out three glasses, placed ice cubes in the first one, which was meant for him. Another he poured water in about a third of the way from the bottom. The last he left alone, save the Maker’s Mark whiskey, which he also added to the other glasses. “Here you go, Cody.” Emmett handed him the straight-up glass.
“Fuck, she’s got to be some kind of model,” Bryant said, returning from his inspection of the woman. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful creature in my life.”
“This is for you,” Emmett said, handing his twin the glass with the added water.
“Thanks. God, I need it.”
A loud boom of thunder shook the cabin, reminding them of the storm still outside.
“We all do,” Emmett said.
Cody agreed, holding up his glass in front of him. “A toast, brothers.”
“God, do you always have to be so dramatic?” Bryant asked.
“I do. Shut up and listen.” Though he and his brothers had never voiced their feelings, there was a hole, a vacancy, an emptiness in their lives. He believed they felt it, too. They were brothers through thick and thin, good and bad—and, boy, there’d been a whole heap of bad—but as tight as their bond was, they’d lost so much after their parents’ death. “To the woman in our cabin, may she recover fully under our care—”
“That’s a great place to end a good toast,” Emmett said.
“—and may she fall head over heels in love with us.” Cody smiled and took a sip of his drink.
Bryant chuckled, but he knew his twin better than even Emmett did. Bryant, the quietest of the three of them, clearly liked the idea more than a little.
Emmett shook his head. “You should’ve stopped while you were ahead, Cody. We’ve got to make sure she’s well. That’s our first and only priority.”
Something about his eldest brother’s tone was different. Cody detected a hint of desire there. He sure hoped so. Hell, he even prayed so. With Emmett, the odds were slim, very slim.
Chapter Two
Bryant Stone finished his whiskey and went to the kitchen to refill his glass. “What do we do now? There’s no way we can get her to Doc in this weather.”
His mind was racing, working out all the likely outcomes that bringing the wounded female to their cabin might result in. Cody had been right about her being beautiful. She was. Never had he seen such a specimen in his life. Curves to die for. Lips he would love to kiss for days and days. And more.
“The road’s likely to be blocked after this storm.” Cody downed the rest of his glass and walked up next to him. “We may not be able to get to town for at least a week.”
“Don’t sound so happy about it.” Emmett sat down in Dad Trevor’s chair. “She’s hurt. Don’t forget that. We’re not doctors.”
Bryant nodded, filling his glass. “He’s right, you know. She might have a concussion. Do either of you know how to treat that?”
His brothers looked dumbstruck.
Emmett spoke first. “Should we use ice?”
“I remember something about the need to keep them awake,” he said, keeping his worry pushed down.
“I couldn’t wake her up earlier. Should we try again?” The panic in Emmett’s voice was something new.
“Maybe we should get her in the tub and get her cleaned up.” Cody’s eyes seemed to hold both concern and lust at the idea. Bryant couldn’t blame him. “We’ll get a better idea about her injuries, and it might also get her to come to.”
Emmett wasn’t a man who was easily rattled. Back when his eldest brother had fallen down the cliff and broken both his legs when they were all teenagers, it had been Emmett who remained levelheaded and saved the day by remaining calm. Definitely not Cody.
So seeing Emmett shook up about a stranger seemed way out of character for him.
“We should try to wake her first. If we can’t, one of us needs to try to get down the road to the pay phone at the gas station. Doc won’t be able to make it up here, but at least he can give us some advice on how to treat her.” Emmett stood from his chair.
Bryant nodded. “Agreed.”
Emmett and Cody thought he was the calmest of the three of them, even more than Emmett, but Bryant knew better. His outside might be granite, but his insides never ceased to churn.
“I just don’t want to make things worse for her.” Emmett sighed. “One of us should’ve taken the EMT training that old Sheriff Grayson asked us to take before he retired.”
“The sheriff only wanted to get one of us under his thumb and you know it.” Cody took the bottle from him and poured himself more whiskey. “Besides, we do know a thing or two about injuries and how to nurse someone back to health.”
Emmett shook his head. “Not ‘someone,’ Cody. Some things. Animals. Livestock. She’s a flesh-and-blood woman.”
“And what nice flesh, too,” Cody added.
Emmett stood and glared at Cody. “Get a fucking grip. This isn’t some wish come true for us. We’ve got a woman who was in some kind of accident. We don’t know who she is or where she comes from. Our responsibility, our only responsibility, is to try to do the best we can in a terrible situation. That’s all. Nothing more. Do you understand me?”
Cody slammed his glass down. “Don’t try to play dad to me, Emmett.”
Bryant knew this song and dance well. Emmett and Cody normally didn’t clash, but when they did, when they saw a challenge from opposite sides, it could be World War Three. Like him, no doubt, their dicks were responding to the woman back in their parents’ bedroom, creating a conflict with their minds—a virtual tug-of-war between instinct and rationale. Not what they needed now. Not one to normally step in between them, he knew he must. “Guys, aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves?”
“Hello.” A small, sweet voice from the hallway startled him.
He spun around and gazed at the most ravishing vision he’d ever seen. Wrapped in the quilt Emmett had placed on her, her bare feet stuck out from underneath the blanket. But it wasn’t her little feet, tiny fingers, or pale skin that held his attention. As tantalizing as those were, it was her eyes that he couldn’t stop staring into—wide with full lashes and the color of whiskey.
* * * *
Her head was pounding and her heart was racing. Was this some kind of nightmare? “Where am I?” she asked the three men. They all looked like they’d just stepped off of a Western movie set.
They rushed to her side, sending a wave of panic through her. She stepped back.
“You’re in a cabin near Destiny, Colorado. Are you okay?” the one who looked to be the oldest asked.
She closed her eyes, trying to recall who he was to her. What came to her was emptiness.
Her mind was blank. Zippo.
He was a dark-haired stranger with a cleft chin. Very handsome, yes, but alien. She had no recollection of him or the other two men.
“No.” She wasn’t okay. Nothing made sense. Even breathing was difficult, and she coughed several times.
“Let’s get her back to bed,” the tallest of the three said, placing his arm around her waist. Big brown eyes captured her with their intensity. He blinked his long lashes, mesmerizing her. Beautiful but rugged was the only way to describe such a man. His perfect lips were moving. Had he said something else?
“Wait. Please.”
He tightened his hold on her. She wasn’t sure what to do, but with her legs so wobbly, the added support had to be welcomed.
The need to clear her head, to know what was happening was even more agonizing than the pain in her body, which seemed to be coming from everywhere. “Who are you guys?”
“We’re your rescuers, sweetheart,” the mirror image of the man holding her said. Standing in front of her, he held out his hands for her to take.
“I’m either seeing double or you two are twins.”
“Beautiful and smart to boot. You’re quite the package, mystery lady. Yes, we’re twins. I’m Cody Stone and the moody, quiet one holding you is Bryant. The guy on your right is Emmett, our big brother.” Cody didn’t wait for her to grab his hands but interlocked his thick, manly fingers in hers. “And who are you?”
What a simple question, one that any sane person should be able to answer without a single thought. She opened her mouth to tell him, but was shocked to realize she didn’t have an answer. Slamming her lips together, she closed her eyes. It was on the tip of her tongue. I am…
Opening her eyes, suddenly her vision blurred and all the color of the room faded into a grayness. Her body chilled as a wave of iciness swept through her.
“Grab her,” Cody said. “She’s passing out.”
* * * *
She coughed and felt the heaviness spin away. In its place came a brief calm, but as her consciousness took a better hold of her mind, the trance faded quickly, leaving only pain and fear.
“She’s back with us.” The voice, still unfamiliar to her, was from the cowboy who called himself Cody.
She forced her eyes open. “Yes. I’m awake. How long was I out?”
“Sixty seconds, tops.” Another stranger. Why was she with people she didn’t know?
She glanced over at the speaker, who was hovering on the right side of the bed, opposite Cody. His name was E-something. Emmett. That was it. Emmett’s face was full of worry. Was it worry for her?
“I’d like to sit up.” Being back in the bed she’d just left oddly comforted her. These three had clearly brought her back while she was out. It seemed as if they didn’t mean her harm, but she couldn’t be sure. In fact, she couldn’t be sure of anything with a total memory that was less than thirty minutes long at the moment.
Cody’s twin, Bryant, adjusted her pillow so that she could sit up slightly. “That better?” He brushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes.
“Much. Thank you.”
“No need to talk, miss. Rest. We can figure all this out later.” Cody smiled at her.
The pain in the top of her head made her wince. She reached up to touch the source, but Emmett’s strong yet gentle hand stopped her from reaching it.
“Best not to do that.” This guy was quite serious and self-assured. He clearly was familiar with taking charge. “It’s just below your hairline, and I’m afraid it might start bleeding again.”
“Okay.” Her fingertips did find the lower strands of her hair. They were thick with dried blood. “Was I in an accident?”
Emmett nodded.
“What kind of accident?” She needed a bath to wash the mess out of her hair, but that would have to wait until she knew more. And her head quit pounding.
“I think an automobile accident, but I didn’t see a car,” Emmett answered. “I found you slumped over in the road by our property line just as this storm was coming on.”
“Why here? Why not a hospital?” she asked, truly hoping to make sense of everything but having a difficult time.
“Rather than trying to get you to the clinic in Destiny, I decided to bring you to our cabin.” Emmett seemed kind. “It’s the best choice since the roads were already impassable.”
She sighed. What kind of crazy dream was she living?
“Do you know why you were all the way up here? There’s nothing much around these parts but ranches.”
Closing her eyes, she tried to force her mind to pull up the memory. Nothing. Nada. “I don’t remember anything before waking up in this bed. I don’t even remember my name.”
She could feel panic rising inside her. She took in a deep breath to calm herself and felt a pain in her chest, causing her to wince.
Bryant’s hand touched her cheek. “That’s probably from an airbag being deployed. That’s our guess anyway. You don’t appear to have any broken bones.”
“Did I hit someone? Is anyone else hurt?”
Emmett shrugged. “You were the only one I found.”
A bang of thunder shook the room and her. “How long has it been storming?”
“Over an hour, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up.”
“The storm has washed out all the roads, but we still need to get you into town to see the doc as soon as we can,” Cody explained. “We must get you checked out.”
“Can’t you just call someone for help?” She didn’t think she needed to see a doctor, but maybe the police could help her find her car. Then maybe she could find her ID and know who she was.
“There’s no phone or Internet service this high up the mountain. We’re stuck here for a while.” Emmett seemed to be worried about the situation.
Cody walked to the door. “We’ll have to make do until the rain stops. How about some tea, sweetheart?”
Her mouth felt like cotton. “Yes. I would love some.”
“How do you like it?” he asked.
Another simple question but one she couldn’t answer, her memory still lost to her. “I’m not sure.”
“We’ll all discover your likes and dislikes together.” Emmett’s tone was deep yet tender and comforting, too. “Make her three cups. One plain. One with sugar. One with cream.”
“I’ll make four. She might like cream and sugar.”
“Good call.”
Cody smiled and sent her a wink. “Everything is going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
She couldn’t help but smile back at him. Stranger or not, the guy was charming, a kind of devil-may-care cowboy. Suddenly a bout of the shakes took hold of her. She couldn’t stop trembling. Her skin felt cold.
Bryant leaned in and whispered, “Don’t fret. This is normal. These shivers will end.”
His words reached into her and the quakes subsided a little. “Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I won’t let you down. I saw a lot of action in Afghanistan.” Bryant took her hand. “We’ll see you through this. You don’t have a fever. That’s good.”
“You’re a soldier?” Was he home on leave?
“Marine. I’ve been out for a couple of years.” Bryant nodded toward the kitchen. “Cody and Emmett, too, though Emmett was in earlier than we were. He went to Iraq.”
No wonder she felt so safe even though they were complete strangers. “Soldier cowboys came to my rescue. Someone should make a movie about that.”
“Not a bad idea.” Emmett glanced over at his brother. “I would’ve stayed in if I hadn’t lost fifty percent of my hearing in my right ear from an IED exploding under my team.”
Bryant squeezed her hand. “And Cody and I would’ve re-upped if you hadn’t needed us to help at the ranch.”
Emmett shrugged. “I would’ve managed with Sawyer and Reed just fine. They’re the best hands around. Besides, with the force reduction going on two years ago, I doubt either of you would’ve gotten an assignment.”
<
br /> “Why am I shaking?” She didn’t expect an answer, only needed to voice the question.
“You’ve been through a helluva lot, miss.” Bryant released her hand and pulled the covers up to her neck. “Nerves would be my bet. Who wouldn’t be shaking after such a traumatic event?”
“But isn’t that just it? I don’t know what happened. You don’t know what happened. I don’t even know who I am or where I come from or where I was going.” The trembles came back stronger and more frenzied than before. “What if I never gain my memory back?”
Emmett took a cloth from a bowl on the table by the bed. She hadn’t even noticed it. He wrung it out and wiped her face. “You will. Bryant is right. Besides, someone as beautiful as you must have loved ones who will come looking for you. They’ll help you sort things out. Until then, you’re going to have to depend on us.”
“My brother is right, miss. We may look rough around the edges, just three cowboys, but we won’t let you down. Cross my heart.” Bryant took his finger and traced an X over his manly chest. It was an action that seemed to reveal the boy he’d been long ago.
Her body wouldn’t stop trembling as her mind continued to wrestle with itself. Who am I? The question rolled over again and again with no resolution. Her heart thudded in her chest hard and fast. “Emmett, you found me, right?”
“Yes.”
“What else can you tell me that might jog my memory back into place?” She looked down at the tattered clothes she was wearing—slacks and a shirt. No shoes. “Was this all I had on?” They could’ve stripped her while she was out but hadn’t. It made her feel better about them.
“You likely lost your shoes when you walked away in a daze from your car.”
“What about a purse or identification?” She knew this was a feeble attempt to grasp at any shred that might pull her out of this nightmare, but she had to try.
Emmett shook his head. “Maybe this might help you remember. You were muttering something I didn’t understand. What was it?” He rubbed his head and then snapped his fingers. “Right.”