by Misty Malone
The chuckles and whooping and hollering told him there were no hurt feelings over the harsh tone he'd taken, which was as he wanted it. He had a good group of men working for him, and he was glad they all got along well and had fun together when the work was done.
Bryce dragged himself into the house and took a shower. His body was telling him to go to bed and get some sleep, but his mind wouldn't stop thinking about the mystery woman. He hadn't noticed at the time, but now as he thought about the whole scene and it replayed in his mind, she was a very pretty young lady.
She was small, petite he'd say. He doubted that she could have been more than an inch or two over five feet, with a small body structure. She wasn't skinny, though, which he was glad of. She looked like a woman, with curves. He hated the little skinny stick figures all the women today seemed to strive for. He liked a woman with a little meat on the bones, and she did, although he thought a little more wouldn't have hurt a thing.
Her hair was too dark to be called blond, but too light to be called brown. He'd once heard someone use the expression dirty blond. Maybe this color is what they were referring to. Whatever you want to call it, he liked it. It had streaks of lighter hair in it, but he was sure they were real, not the kind you get from a bottle. Those lighter streaks seemed to shine in the sun. Thinking about them, he wanted to run his fingers through her hair, and those pretty lighter streaks.
His mind played through all sorts of possibilities as to how she could have ended up on his ranch. The deputy was concerned, and the more he thought about it, so was he. Without knowing who she is or why she was on his ranch, or how she got up in that tree, there were just too many variables. She could be in some kind of danger. But the deputy was also right that she might be in trouble and running from the law. She sure didn't look like a fugitive, but he had to admit it was a possibility.
He finished his shower and got dressed. He couldn't stop wondering if she was okay and if they'd made any progress in finding her identity. He knew he'd never be able to sleep tonight if he didn't get some answers. Frustrated, he grabbed his hat, plopped it back on his head, hopped in his truck and headed for the hospital.
His frustration grew once he got to the hospital, however. He went to the ER and asked about the mystery lady. The receptionist asked, “What's the patient's name?”
“I just said I don't know what her name is,” Bryce said, “and neither did she. That's why I'm concerned. I want to make sure she's okay.”
“Well, if you don't have her name I can't look it up for you.”
Bryce took a deep breath and exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm down. “But if she didn't know her name, what would you have done?”
“Well, that would just be silly. Everyone knows their name. If they're unconscious when they come in we get their name from a friend that's with them or from their purse or wallet.”
“She didn't have either of those.”
“Well, without her name I can't look it up.”
“Do you have a record of someone coming in here tonight without knowing their name?”
“I don't know. My shift just started an hour ago. That's why I need her name.”
“Is there someone else I could talk to? Are there any nurses that were here a few hours ago that might know?”
“Which nurse would you like to speak to?”
“Any nurse that's been here for several hours.”
“We have lots of nurses working here. I need the name of the one you'd like to talk to.”
Bryce closed his eyes and counted to ten. He opened them and was about to try again to explain the situation when he saw Deputy Armstrong. He was down the hall talking to one of the doctors. “Ma'am, could I talk to Deputy Armstrong? He's right there, speaking with a doctor.”
“I'm sorry, you can't go back in there.”
“Could you tell him I'd like to speak with him, please?”
“No, I'm sorry. I can't leave my desk.”
“Is there someone else that could tell him I'd like to speak with him?”
“Like who?”
Bryce was about to pull his hair out when Deputy Armstrong turned and saw him. He waived, and luckily the deputy saw him and held a finger up. He finished speaking with the doctor and came to the receptionist's desk. “Good evening, Bryce.”
“Good evening, Deputy. Can you tell me anything about the young lady found on my ranch today? Is she okay?”
“She's been admitted, but she's going to be okay. My understanding is she was dehydrated and weak. They've got an IV in her, but the doctor says she's improving.”
“Do you know where she is? Can I see her? Has she remembered who she is yet?”
The deputy chuckled as he pulled Bryce off to the side. “Are you concerned about her, or wanting to get to know her?”
“I think a little of both,” Bryce admitted. “I've never found anyone in a tree on my land before, and yes, I am a little concerned. Do you know anything about her yet? Do you know if she's in any kind of danger?”
The deputy spoke softly. “Not really. She hasn't regained her memory yet, so we don't know much. I've done some checking as to how she may have gotten there. There was an abandoned vehicle, but it was several miles from where you found her. It was reported three days ago. We're looking into that now. It was towed to the county lot and so far no one's claimed it.”
“So it could be hers?” Bryce said more than asked.
“It could be, although several miles is quite a distance. If your vehicle breaks down and you start walking you generally stay on the road. There were several houses within site of the vehicle and you would think you'd go to one of them. We have a deputy out checking with the homes in the area to see if anyone came to their door.”
“Why would you abandon your car and walk several miles through fields and pastures, to climb into a tree? And why was she unconscious?”
“All very good questions. I wish I had answers for them,” Deputy Armstrong said. “There's a good chance that car's not hers, just an abandoned car. We ran the plates on the car, which was from out of state, and they came back to a lady. We're trying to contact her now, see what she can tell us about the car. It may have been stolen. They're often abandoned on back roads.”
“Will you keep me informed, Deputy, as to what you find?”
“I think we can do that, yes.”
“Can I see her?”
“I'll see what I can do, Bryce. I've explained the situation to the doctor, and he's agreed to limit the visitors until we find out who she is. I'll take you up to the floor she's on and introduce you to the nurses. They've been told no visitors except law enforcement and the ranch owner until further notice.”
“Thanks for including me, Deputy.”
“When I talked to her she asked about you. She said you seemed nice and asked if you were someone she could trust. The EMTs that brought her in assured her she could absolutely trust you. She looked happy to hear that, and said you'd said you would try to make it in to see her, so I included you in her allowed visitors. She's pretty anxious, which I understand, and we're hoping she'll see you as an old friend, which may be calming to her.”
Deputy Armstrong introduced him to the nurses, promised to keep Bryce informed, and left. Bryce went into her room, and froze. She was sleeping, and she was even prettier than he'd remembered. Her long hair had been in a ponytail of sorts when he saw her earlier, but it was free now and was very pretty. She looked so small lying in that bed, and vulnerable. His protective instincts seemed to kick in and he felt a need to shield her. He wasn't sure what she needed shielded from, but whatever it was, he was determined to protect her.
He moved closer to the bed, still watching her sleep. She looked peaceful, and that brought a smile to his face. He was still standing at the foot of her bed, watching her, when her eyes fluttered open.
“Hi, there,” he said with a smile.
“Hi, Bryce,” she answered. “I'm glad you came in.”
He sat d
own in the chair beside her bed. “Why, are you okay? Is there something I can get for you?”
“I'm fine,” she assured him. “I was so weak, but I'm feeling better now. I was hoping you'd stop in so I could thank you.”
“You don't need to thank me,” Bryce said. “I didn't really do anything.”
“I know I was weak out there and I don't remember everything, but I do remember a few things. I remember you assuring me I'd be okay. I appreciated that so much. I was really scared, and your voice seemed so soothing.”
“I'm glad,” he said.
“I remember you carrying me to the rescue squad, too. Thank you for everything you did for me.”
“You're welcome. How are you feeling?”
“I'm still tired, but I'm a lot better than I was. I think they put some kind of miracle juice in this IV. I was so tired I could hardly talk, but this stuff really perked me back up.”
“It's mostly just fluids,” Bryce explained. “You were dehydrated when we found you. It may have been a couple days you were there, without food or water.”
“I'm so glad you found me and helped me.”
Bryce noticed a few unshed tears in her eyes and knew she was scared. He gently picked one of her hands up and patted it. “Me, too,” he assured her. “But you're okay now. Don't cry, honey. You don't have any extra fluids in you yet.”
His smile seemed to calm her, and she had to laugh. “Are you a doctor? You seemed to know what to do out there, and you knew about me needing fluids.”
“No, I'm not a doctor, but I took some EMT training. We had a guy that got gored one time on the ranch and I felt so helpless. I called 911, but I had no idea what to do for him until the rescue squad got there. I took the training so at least I'll know what to do for someone until help gets there.”
She smiled up at him, and he thought again how pretty this little lady is. “You did that, took that training so you could help your employees?”
He chuckled at her use of the word employees. “Yes, I guess. I think of my ranch hands more as family than employees, but yeah, they're the reason I took the classes. I stress safety on my ranch, but accidents still happen. At least now I know what to do for them. But enough about me. How are you doing? I'm glad you're getting your strength back, but did they find any injuries? How about your memory, have you had any luck with it yet?”
“They didn't find any injuries other than a lump on my head. They said that was why I was unconscious when you found me. Apparently if you get hit on the head you can have a concussion and that makes you sleepy. They said if you go a couple days sleeping with a concussion, but without food or water, you can slip into unconsciousness.”
Bryce nodded his head, knowing what she said was true. “Well, then that means you were probably out there a couple days. I hate that you went that long without any of us noticing you. That probably means the concussion was fairly serious, or you wouldn't have slept that long. That also explains the amnesia.”
“You sound like my doctor,” she said with a smile. “That's what he said.”
“Then he also told you not to worry about your memory, that it would more than likely come back as your concussion heals?”
“He did,” she said. “But I wish it would hurry up. I hate not knowing who I am.”
“I can understand that,” he said as he patted her hand again. “If there's anything I can help you with, please tell me. If there's something you'd like to have to read or eat, I'll get it for you.”
“Thank you, Bryce, but you've done enough. Your wife isn't too impressed with you coming to see me this evening. I'll have to apologize to her.”
“I'm not married,” he said, “so don't worry about that. I'm not seeing anyone, either, so no one's upset with me coming to see you. But I mean what I say about letting me know if there's anything I can do for you, okay?”
“Thank you.” She turned quiet and looked upset.
“What's wrong?” he asked. “Are you feeling bad, should I call a nurse?”
“No, no, nothing like that. I was just thinking about something.”
“What's that?”
“I'm glad you don't have a wife I'm upsetting, but I wonder if I have a husband.”
Again he patted her hand. “This has to be hard for you, I know. But try not to worry about it too much, okay? It'll come back to you in time.”
“I hope so,” she said. “And I hope it hurries.”
“I take it patience isn't one of your strong suits?” Bryce asked with a grin.
“Apparently not,” she said, looking a little sheepish. “But I can't say for sure.”
They both chuckled a little. He changed the subject, and they visited a little longer. He got up to leave and was happy when she asked if he'd come back to see her again if he had a chance. He promised he would.
Chapter 2
Bryce hurried the next afternoon to get his work done so he could go visit his mystery woman again. He hadn't heard anything from Deputy Armstrong, so he didn't know anything new, but his mind kept wandering to her all day. He'd admitted to himself that he liked the little lady and felt drawn to her, but he kept reminding himself she might be married. He'd noticed there was no ring on her finger, but that didn't mean anything.
He finished for the day and went to clean up for supper. As Bryce's foreman, Landon ate meals with Bryce at the main house, so they could discuss ranch business while they ate. It was one of the perks of being the foreman. He got to eat with the boss, who had a lady who cooked and cleaned his house for him. Lena was a wonderful cook, and although Gus, the cook at the bunkhouse, was known as one of the best bunkhouse cooks in the area, Lena's cooking had his beat hands down.
Since Landon was still checking the cattle in the far pasture, Bryce knew he'd have a little extra time, so he took a quick shower before supper. He was ready to sit down with Landon when his phone rang. He glanced at it and said, “Good. It's Deputy Armstrong. Go ahead and start if you want.”
Landon put some food on his plate, but was more interested in news about the mystery lady than eating, so he waited until Bryce finished his call. “So do they know who she is yet?” he asked his boss.
“Not yet, but they're working on it. I told you about the abandoned car. They checked that out, and it belongs to a woman in eastern Indiana. Apparently she's single as far as they could tell, but they haven't been able to reach her. The car hasn't been reported stolen, which says something. She doesn't answer her phone, and it goes directly to voice mail. They checked with the last employer they could find for her, but she resigned three weeks ago.”
“Any family?”
“No.”
“That's sad,” Landon said. “Do you think it's her?”
“I don't know,” Bryce said. “If it's her, I wonder what she was doing in Wyoming.”
“Maybe she was going to a different job. If she resigned from her old one, maybe she had a better one lined up.”
“He wouldn't tell me her name, either. He said until they determine f it's her, they can't give me that information.” He frowned. “I guess I can understand that. If it's not her, they'd be giving me the name and information on some other lady who might be around here somewhere. Or maybe she sold her car, or it's a second car that she seldom uses and she doesn't realize it's been stolen.”
Landon looked at Bryce intently. “You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?”
“Yes, I guess I have. She just seems so young and little and vulnerable, and alone. She needs someone on her side, someone looking out for her.”
“And you're just the man for the job, right, boss?”
Bryce looked over and saw the big grin on his foreman's face and had to smile. “Damn straight.”
Landon laughed, but he knew it wasn't like Bryce to care this much about a woman he'd just met. Bryce was more than a boss to him, he was his best friend. He'd seen numerous ladies come on to him, and although he was polite, he didn't encourage them.
Ever si
nce he'd inherited the ranch from his grandfather, Bryce had put in some long hours learning how to run it, and building it back up. During that time he'd dated a woman or two, but not seriously.
Bryce wasn't a womanizer. He knew what he wanted and didn't date a woman just to be dating. He had too much respect for women to lead one on like that.
Landon had to wonder if Bryce had finally met that elusive right woman. He hoped so. His boss was a good man and worked hard. He treated his men right, and in Landon's opinion, he deserved a good woman who would treat him right.
As they ate their supper, Landon hoped everything worked out okay for Bryce. He hoped this lady was the right woman for him, but there were a lot of unknowns involved here, a lot of things about this lady that no one seemed to know. “Are you going to the hospital to see her tonight? Is that what you're all gussied up for?”
“Gussied up? Really? My grandfather used to say that,” Bryce kidded.
“Yeah, mine, too. But you didn't answer my question. Is that what you're dressed up for? Is that better?”
“I'm just wearing jeans and a shirt,” Bryce objected. “That's not dressed up.”
“It is compared to what you'd normally be wearing now, dirty, dusty jeans and a shirt in the same condition. Look how clean you are.”
Bryce shook his head at his friend. “Yes, I am going to see her. She asked if I'd come see her, and I feel sorry for her. She's alone, no one to visit her.”
“Tell her hello for me, too,” Landon said. “I hope she gets her memory back soon. Maybe the sheriff's office will figure it out and it will jog her memory.”
“I hope something does.”
Half an hour later Bryce was walking into the hospital, where he met Deputy Armstrong leaving. “Glad to see you're here, Bryce. She's asked about you.”
Bryce smiled at the news. “I have a couple questions. I'm not sure if you can answer them, but I don't know that the doctor will tell me anything, either.”
“What questions?”
“How long is she going to be in here, and what will happen to her when she's released, if she hasn't gotten her memory back yet?”