She glanced down at smooth black leather boots, then noted the rest of her apparel. Designer jeans, lightweight cashmere sweater, a black suede belt that slanted over the material and across her hips, but oddly, no jewelry other than a watch with one bright diamond on the face. She took all of this in with no recognition. It was as if she were staring down at a stranger’s clothes. “I can’t remember. Dear God. Not one darn thing!”
“C’mon, let’s get you to Dr. Quarles.” Mac took her hand, but her legs buckled when she took her first step. “Whoa,” he said, catching her.
He turned her toward him, her body pressed against his. She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning in for support. He held her for a minute as she rested her head on his chest. She seemed to need this moment to regain her composure, or maybe to simply lean on him for moral support. He understood her alarm. Waking up in a strange environment, with no sense of who she was or what she was doing up here, had to be frightening.
As Mac patiently held her, his own sense of composure came into play. A professional lawman, he denied the pulsing thump in his throat and the slight acceleration of his heartbeats. Yet, she was soft and beautiful and felt damn good in his arms. It had been quite a while for Mac. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to hold a woman. But her next words brought him back to task.
“My head’s spinning.”
Mac didn’t hesitate. He lifted her up in his arms and walked slowly to the patrol car. Before setting her inside, he took a few seconds to make a mental scan of the area. No car, no sign of her belongings anywhere. Later he’d come back with a few deputies to scour the vicinity. Right now he had to get this young woman to the doctor.
And then he’d try to learn her identity and unravel the mystery of her appearance here.
She didn’t know who she was. She didn’t remember one thing about herself. Her mind spun and she focused her eyes solely on the man holding her in his arms. Sheriff Riggs. He held her gently, but with strength, and she felt protected and safe. She depended on the comfort he lent as she gazed into his dark eyes. He had nice eyes, she thought, and probably a good smile when he let his guard down. But she got the feeling Sheriff Riggs didn’t do that all too often.
She’d been lucky he found her when he did. She’d been lucky she hadn’t rolled off that ridge into the canyon. But that was where her luck ended. She searched her mind over and over during these past few minutes, hoping that something would register. Anything.
Nothing did.
The sheriff placed her in his patrol car, leaning in awkwardly, brushing her body with his. As he released her, his arm grazed just under her breasts and she silently gasped at the accidental contact.
“You okay?” he asked, his face inches from hers.
He paused a moment and stared at her, their eyes locking. She nodded, breathing in his aftershave, a subtle manly, musky scent that defined the sheriff. She got the feeling he’d protect her with his last breath if need be. Instinct told her he took his job and his life seriously.
He got into the driver’s seat and started the engine. “Let me know if anything looks familiar,” he said, slanting her a glance as they drove off.
Again, she nodded. She peered out the window, watching as the high ground they’d traveled became level. They’d entered a valley where cattle and horse ranches lined the highway. Mountain ridges off in the distance provided a majestic backdrop to the rest of the scenery. Again she searched her mind endlessly for any hint or clue as to her identity. Did she live here? Was this her home? Or was she on a mission of some sort? Or a vacation? Was she meeting with someone?
When nothing came to mind, she closed her eyes, willing the dizziness away. She prayed the doctor would have good news for her.
“Stay put,” Sheriff Riggs said once he pulled into a driveway and parked the car in front of a small medical building. “I’ll come around and get you.”
“I think I can walk.” She opened the car door and let herself out. Warm air hit her and she took a steadying breath, leaning on the car for support.
Sheriff Riggs was beside her instantly, looking at her with concern. “Not dizzy anymore?”
“I didn’t say that,” she said, feeling the effects again of standing upright. “But it’s getting better.”
Without hesitation, he wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her into the doctor’s office.
Thirty minutes later, after Dr. Quarles had given her a full examination, he called for the sheriff. “Mac, it seems this young lady has a form of amnesia. With retrograde amnesia, the patient can’t recall anything that happened before the accident or incident. A blow to the head could have caused it, but this kind of amnesia can also be brought upon by stress. The good news is that she has no permanent damage. Physically, she’s fine. Oh, she’ll have a headache for a day or two. Wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a few tests done at the hospital to be sure, though. The injuries are minor, but I’d feel better if she—”
“When will I get my memory back?” she asked pointedly, interrupting the doctor.
Dr. Quarles shook his head, peering down at her through his glasses with kind brown eyes. “I can’t answer that. Could be hours, days or weeks. Sometimes a patient goes for months without regaining his memory. Usually, with this kind of amnesia, you’ll start recovering older memories first, but I have to warn you, you may never remember ones that might have caused the amnesia in the first place. The mind tends to block those out.”
“Then I may never remember why this happened to me?”
“That’s right. There’s a chance of that,” the doctor answered. “And let me know right away if those headaches don’t subside. You should feel much better by tomorrow.”
“But…but,” she began as her situation became clear in her mind, “you’re saying I’m not going to regain my memory soon?”
“Soon?”
“Today. Doctor, I need to know who I am. Today!”
“I’m afraid that might not happen. There’s no way of knowing.”
“Surely there’s something you can do.” Alarmed, she began to tremble, her body shaking uncontrollably. “No,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “No, this isn’t happening. Where will I go? What will I do?” She refused to cry, but couldn’t control her shuddering. Panicked, she shook even more. She didn’t know a soul in Winchester County. Or anywhere else, for that matter. She didn’t know if she had family here. She didn’t know anything about herself. She searched her mind again, trying hard to recall one memory, just one. But nothing came to mind. She didn’t even know her own name! This all seemed like one horrible dream.
Dr. Quarles glanced at the sheriff before settling his gaze on her. He spoke softly, in a reassuring way that gave her reason to believe that the good doctor had met his true calling in life. “My wife and I have a spare room in our house. Used to be our daughter Katy’s room, but now she’s grown and married. You’re welcome to stay with us until we can sort this all out.”
She was at a loss. She didn’t know what to say to such a generous offer. Words weren’t enough to express the gratitude she felt. Her throat thick with emotion, she managed to murmur, “Thank you, thank you.”
“Well then, it’s settled. Let me just call my wife and let her know we’re having a houseguest.”
Her gaze shifted to the dark, unreadable eyes of Sheriff Riggs. For some odd reason, she needed his approval. In just a short time, she’d come to rely on the man who had most likely saved her life this morning.
The sheriff stared at her for a long moment, as if making up his mind about something. His lips quirked for an instant, not quite in a smile, but something just short of one.
“Wait up, John,” Sheriff Riggs said in a commanding tone, stopping the doctor before he exited the room. “I have another idea.” Then he turned his attention to her, with a dark piercing gaze. “She should stay with me.”
Two
Maybe it was because he felt responsible for her safety, or maybe
it was the way she looked up at him with those amazing blue eyes, but Mac couldn’t abandon his “Jane Doe.” Not even to John and Doris Quarles, one of the nicest couples in Winchester County.
Something inside him just couldn’t do it, and the invitation fell from his lips without hesitation.
Jane stepped off the examining table to look him squarely in the eye. Her brows furrowed and she spoke in a tone that seemed…hopeful. “You want me to stay with you?”
He nodded, but added clarification. Hell, he wasn’t propositioning her. If he’d met her under different circumstances, without a doubt he’d be interested. And not too many women interested him lately. But Mac was wiser and much more cynical when it came to the opposite sex now. He’d had a bad track record, a failed marriage among other things, to prove it. But something about Jane Doe struck a nerve. He’d lend her his help, food and shelter, and that would be it.
“It’s strictly business. I live behind the jail and it will make my investigation into your past easier if you’re close at hand. Dr. Quarles lives—” he glanced at John, hoping to get this right “—at least fifteen miles out of town. Correct?”
Dr. Quarles nodded. “That’s right. Doris and I have a nice place, but I’m afraid it’s outside the city limits.”
Mac explained, “I live with my sister, Lizzie. You and I won’t be alone, trust me. Lizzie’s a schoolteacher. She’s around teenagers all day long. She’ll love the adult company.”
“Doctor, that does make more sense,” Jane explained to John Quarles. “I need to work with the sheriff to find out my identity. Thank you for the offer. Both of you have been so kind and generous to me.” Jane Doe smiled, and dimples peeked out from the corners of her mouth. Mac took credit for that smile and immediately halted that train of thought. No sense getting caught up in blue eyes and a curvy body. He had a job to do. And he’d bet the woman would get her memory back real soon. Either that or someone would come looking for her.
“Are you through with your exam?” Mac asked the doctor.
“Yes, I’ve given her a prescription for pain, but I want to know if there’s more dizziness, fainting or anything unusual.”
“You got it,” Mac said. Then he faced his new houseguest. “Are you ready, Jane?”
“Jane?” She wrinkled her nose.
“Jane Doe,” he said softly. Hell, he had to call her something. “Unless you prefer another name?”
“My real name would work wonders,” she said a little sadly, with a slant of her head.
“I’m gonna work on that straightaway.”
Again she looked at him with hopeful eyes, then shrugged a shoulder. “Jane’s as good a name as any, I suppose.”
“Okay, Jane. Let’s get you home.” And for the first time in his life, Mac was taking a woman home to meet his doting younger sister.
You’d have thought he’d been the one who’d hit his head on a rock.
“Don’t let me keep you from your work, Sheriff,” Jane said, sitting across from him in his cozy kitchen. He’d driven her to his house, after showing her the Winchester County Sheriff’s Station, which was just yards away, up on the main street of town. His house sat on a quaint residential street just behind the jail.
While the sheriff’s station could be considered contemporary, with angles and large floor-to-ceiling windows, the sheriff’s home was anything but. She liked the charming three-bedroom house the minute she’d stepped inside. There was a lived-in warmth about the place.
“Call me Mac,” he offered with the slightest hint of a smile. “And this is work. I hope you’re up to a few questions. I’m going to take a drive out later today with my deputies to scour the area where you fell.” Mac slid her a cup of coffee and a turkey sandwich he’d whipped up at the counter.
“Oh, thank you.”
“It’s my job,” he said automatically.
She chuckled. The man was all business. “No, I meant for the meal.”
He glanced at her for a moment, staring into her eyes. “It’s hardly a meal. Lizzie’s better at cooking than I am. She’ll be home after three.”
“I hope she doesn’t mind having me here.”
Without pause, he stated, “She won’t. If anything, she’ll talk your ear off. My sister loves a good conversation, especially if she’s the one doing all the talking.”
“Oh, I get it,” Jane said, teasing the all-too-serious sheriff. “That’s why you wanted me here. Takes a load off, does it?”
Instead of a sharp denial, he played along, much to her surprise. “You got it. You’re nothing if not perceptive.”
Jane drew air into her lungs. With her situation so desperate, she couldn’t put much energy into being witty. “Thanks for the sandwich.” She took a bite, then sipped her coffee. “What did you want to ask me?”
Mac scratched his head, then leaned forward. He paused a moment, his gaze traveling the length of her. When his eyes stopped on her chest for the briefest of seconds, Jane’s breath caught. Electricity sparked in the air, filling the small kitchen. He liked what he saw, and though he had tried, he couldn’t conceal that initial jolt. After all Jane had been through today, that brief instant in time brought her a definite dose of satisfaction.
Silly, of course, but true. Jane didn’t know much about herself, but she understood something about the opposite sex. And Sheriff Macon Riggs, physically fit and mentally sound, was one heck of an appealing man.
“I need to know if you came up here on your own. Or if someone meant to do you harm. Sorry, but I have to ask.”
The thought of someone out to harm her hadn’t crossed her mind, yet she didn’t feel alarmed. In truth, she felt blank, like an unused sheet of paper. Jane searched her memory, hoping for a flicker of recognition. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. Do you think it’s possible that someone deliberately left me up on that cliff?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. A jealous boyfriend? It’s been known to happen, but the reality is that you’ve got no identification on you. I didn’t see a car abandoned on the road, but we’ll check that out. And you had nothing in your possession.”
“I know,” she said, tamping down her frustration. She knew the sheriff was only trying to get at the facts. “It’s strange, but I have no answers for you. The only thing I remember is waking up on that road, with sunlight warming my body, looking into your eyes. I remember thinking you had nice eyes,” she said, revealing aloud what she meant to keep to herself.
The sheriff stared at her, again with an unreadable expression. Jane shrugged off her embarrassment at that last statement, reminding herself to keep her most private thoughts to herself. She realized, though, that she might not know enough about herself to keep quiet. Each new revelation, even one as small as Mac’s attractive dark eyes, meant something to her. She had so little to go on and knew so little about herself that she felt as if each new observation could be a clue to her identity.
She wondered, this time definitely keeping her thoughts to herself, if her attraction to Mac Riggs was a natural reaction borne out of his rescuing her, or if she might have automatically categorized him as “her type.” She wondered if she liked the tall, dark and deadly serious kind of man, ones with strong features and sexy eyes.
“Anything else?” she asked, grabbing for the plates.
Mac immediately reached out, brushing his hand over hers, taking the plates from her. The contact startled her and she froze, her heart leaping in her chest. His touch sent shivers down her spine in a decidedly good yet unwelcome way. Jane had enough to worry about without lusting after the man who had been kind enough to take her in, offering her shelter and protection.
“I don’t expect you to wait on me,” he said firmly.
The breath whooshed out of her. “And I expect to pull my weight around here. Now, if you don’t have any more questions, I’ll clean up the kitchen. Don’t you have an investigation to carry out?”
Mac blinked and his lips thinned, but Jane was certain he held back a gr
in. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll get right on it.” He snapped to, standing tall and puffing out his chest. Once again taking control. “Lizzie’ll be home shortly. You need anything before then, call the jail.” He scribbled a number on a notepad on the counter. Then he clapped his tan hat on his head, scowled once as she began clearing the rest of the table, and nodded in farewell.
He strode to his patrol car, which was parked on the driveway. As she watched from the doorway, she decided he was just as appealing from the back side, wearing a pair of tan pants hugging a tight butt and a chocolate-brown uniform shirt stretching across very broad shoulders. He slid into his car and started the engine, taking one last glance at her before pulling away.
Funny, with Mac around she’d felt safe and protected. But as soon as he left, her bravado failed her. She was alone. Not just in a strange house, but alone in her head. She had no memory, nothing to call upon, nothing to seek solace in, and that more than anything else frightened her.
Jane wandered from room to room, getting acquainted with a home she did not know, ready to meet a woman, who, regardless of all of Mac’s assurances, might not appreciate an intruder.
Jane crossed her arms and hugged herself, warding off another case of trembles. She didn’t know if she had the fortitude to survive without her memory. Right now nothing seemed real. She walked into the room Mac had designated as hers for the time being, and lay down on the bed. The full-size mattress accommodated her comfortably and she noted the cheerful surroundings. She guessed Lizzie was the decorator in the family, the whole house having female touches like lacy curtains and wall sconces with scented candles, so unlike the no-nonsense Sheriff Riggs.
Jane curled up on a soft chenille quilt and closed her eyes, as fatigue from a harrowing day caught up to her. She only hoped that when she woke up, somehow her memory would return.
And this nightmare of a day would be over.
Dynasties: The Elliotts, Books 1-6 Page 67