by Misty Malone
Jane was much more settled and content the next several days. She spent much of her time at the ranch hospital, feeding, playing with and nurturing injured or sick animals.
When she wasn't in the hospital she was helping Lena and visiting. The two were quite close now. Jane confessed her fear that she was becoming too close to Bryce, and she and Lena talked about it. Lena tried to comfort her, telling her it was only natural, and if it turned out she was married, she was sure they would be able to work through it.
Deputy Armstrong came over one evening to catch everyone up on events. Jane told him about the small memories that had returned to her, but again, there was nothing they could follow up on.
“We've followed up on the Indiana car that was abandoned, and you were right, Bryce, the owner of that car is not our Jane. The local sheriff was finally able to locate her, and she's now in jail.”
“For what?” Bryce asked.
“Apparently that abandoned car was used as the get-away vehicle in a theft in Nebraska. They, she and her boyfriend/accomplice, drove it this far, but abandoned it when she got a call from a friend of hers. The friend said they had pictures of her car that had been caught on a security camera, and they were showing them on the news. They abandoned the car when they heard that and stole another one. They were caught in that new one and taken back to Nebraska to stand trial. She's in jail there.”
“Wow,” Jane said. “I'm glad that's not me. But I wonder who I am, and why those men were looking for me. For all I know, I may be running from some crime I've done, too.”
“I don't think so,” Bryce said. “I know you well enough now to say I honestly don't believe that could be a possibility.” He turned to the deputy. “But I do wish I knew why they were looking for her. Is there any news on them, who they are? Have they asked about her any more?”
“They have indeed asked again, still trying to convince us she's family. They've got a story down good and are trying to convince us she's their cousin. We honestly don't know who they are. They gave us fake names, but we haven't been able to find who they really are. They're smart, though, and that worries us a bit. They've come to the sheriff's office a few times, but they make sure they never face a camera, which means they know what they're doing. They probably know we're on to them now, so they don't come to the office. They've still called though. I don't trust them.”
“Do you know if they're still in the area if they're just calling?”
“They are. They've called a couple times from local businesses. Once was from a motel. They gave them the same fake identities they told us, and we went back and looked at their surveillance cameras, but they avoided looking up at them, as well.”
“I don't like that a bit,” Bryce said. “They sound like professionals.”
“Agreed,” Deputy Armstrong said. They spoke again about precautions they should take and promised to keep each other informed of anything that came up.
The next day Jane was in the ranch hospital when Clay came running in. “Jane, can you help me quick? Bryce called and they're on their way in with a young horse that's been attacked by a bear. I've called the vet, but we need a clean pen with fresh straw.”
“Oh, my gosh, the poor thing.” She grabbed a fork and helped Clay muck out an empty pen. They soon had it empty and hosed it down and sprayed it with an antiseptic. They were finishing putting fresh straw down when they heard the pickup, followed by lots of commotion.
Mostly she heard Bryce's voice taking charge, instructing everyone what to do. Soon he and Landon, with the help of two other men, carried a large young horse, possibly a yearling into the pen and laid her down. “Do you know when she was attacked?” Clay asked.
“No,” Bryce answered. “Garrett found her this way this morning when he checked the herd, and he called me. “The mare, her mother was standing beside her, with several other horses close by. I'm guessing they chased the bear off, but not before he clawed her back. I'm guessing it must have been yesterday sometime, because there are maggots in some of these puncture wounds.”
“I saw that,” Clay said. “It must not have been this morning since they've already set in. Should we try to get them out of the wounds while we wait for the vet?”
Without giving a thought to what she was doing, Jane instantly stepped in. “No, absolutely not. Leave them in until the vet gets here. They eat infection.” She moved in, pushing Clay and Garrett aside, and looked at the young horse. “These are some deep puncture wounds, but they don't worry me too much. The maggots have kept the infection down. What worries me more is the way she's holding her leg. It's almost as if she's got some nerve damage in it. Does she have any deep lacerations?”
Bryce and all three of his hands turned to look at her. She asked her question again, more urgently. “Bryce, are there any lacerations on her legs that you know of?”
Bryce was pretty sure he was witnessing his little sunshine regaining her memory, but he didn't take the time to question it. “There's a cut on the other leg, the one she's laying on,” he said.
“Let's get her turned over so I can see that.” She didn't wait for a response, but got behind the horse.
Bryce quickly moved beside her, behind the horse. “Garrett, Landon, when we turn her over, help lay her down softly. Be careful of the puncture wounds.” He helped Jane, who was rolling the horse over. It was obvious to him she knew what she was doing, so he didn't question her, he simply helped.
As soon as the horse was laying on her other side, Jane inspected her leg. “Here's the problem,” she blurted. "Her nerve's been nicked. Bryce, this is a good-sized ranch. I know you've got medical supplies for the cattle and horses. Can I see what you have?”
Without even questioning why, he helped her up and ran to the front of the building, where there was a little office. He opened the cabinets and the refrigerator, showing her everything he had. She scanned his cabinets and the medicine in the refrigerator. “Excellent,” she said as she grabbed a handful of supplies. “Carry this and come on. I'm going to need your help.” She grabbed a saddle blanket from the front of the building and headed back to the horse, with Bryce right beside her.
They got back and she laid everything out on the blanket. She filled a syringe with one of the medicines she'd brought and injected it into the horse as she explained what was going to happen. “This nerve has been exposed and the longer it's like that the less chance it has of healing. If it doesn't heal she won't be able to walk. We're going to douse it with an antiseptic first, then I'm going to open the wound up a little more so I can see how much it's been compromised.”
She took a patch of gauze and poured antiseptic on it. “Bryce, when I open this up it's going to start bleeding again. She's already lost so much blood she's weak, so when I do that I need you to apply this gauze on the spot the bleeding's coming from so it clots faster. We need to stop the bleeding as soon as possible, okay?”
“Understood,” Bryce said, taking the gauze and getting on the other side of the horse.
“Ready?”
“When you are, Doctor.”
She looked at him and grinned. “We'll talk later. It's all good.”
“Glad to hear it,” he said.
They spent the next fifteen minutes repairing the horse's nerve and cleaning and suturing the laceration. They worked well together. Bryce was no vet, but his EMT training gave him enough knowledge to be able to understand what she needed and to follow her instructions.
She finished suturing up the animal when the vet came running into the barn. “Sorry it took so long, Bryce,” he said. “I was on the other side of the county. We really need another vet in this area. What have we got?”
“A veterinarian, I'm guessing,” Bryce said, taking his gloves off and pulling Jane over to him. He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before addressing his vet. “Doc, I'll let the boys tell you what's going on here. This little lady and I have some urgent talking we need to do. I'll be back in a few minutes and explain.”<
br />
The vet looked confused, but turned to Landon, who explained how they'd found the young horse. The vet set to work. After he checked the leg Jane had treated, he attended to the puncture wounds.
Bryce took Jane over a little ways away from the rest of them. “So, Sunshine,” he said with a grin, “or maybe I should say Dr. Sunshine, what can you tell me?”
“First things first,” she said with a huge smile on her face. She put her arms around him and stretched up to give him a kiss. She kissed him on his lips, and it was a kiss full of passion. It was also a kiss he quickly took control of. His arms were soon around her and he pulled her in closer. Neither of them heard Landon or Clay whooping it up not too far away. Nor would either of them cared.
Bryce finally managed to pull away far enough to talk. “Please tell me this means what I hope it means.”
“My name is Janelle Ehrlinger, I'm a veterinarian and I'm single, not dating anyone.”
He kissed her again, longer and harder. “That part's not right,” he growled. “We are definitely dating.” He kissed her again, desperately. Garrett joined Landon and Clay when they applauded. Poor Dr. Alexander was lost, until Landon filled him in, telling him they assumed she regained her memory and she was single.
“Not for long, would be my guess,” Dr. Alexander said, watching the two of them. “Good for Bryce. I always knew some day he'd find the right woman. I'm glad. He's a good man.”
“That he is,” Landon agreed. “The right woman just sort of dropped into his arms – out of a tree!”
They turned their attention back to the young horse and gave the couple privacy so they could talk.
“So, Dr. Sunshine, do you remember everything?”
Janelle laughed. “I like Dr. Sunshine. Yes, I think I do.”
“I'm glad you like Dr. Sunshine. Janelle is a pretty name, and it fits you, a pretty lady. But you'll always be sunshine to me.” She had tears in her eyes as she hugged him. He kept her close to him as they talked a few minutes.
“Okay, let's go tell them what's going on,” he said, “then we need to go talk to Deputy Armstrong. We need to do that right away.”
“Should we call him first and tell him we're coming in?”
Bryce thought before answering. “No, I don't think so. I've been afraid someone might be tapping our phone or the sheriff's. Probably not, but I think I'd feel better if we just showed up.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Janelle agreed.
They went back to the horse, which had come out of the light anesthetic Janelle had given her. Bryce addressed the vet. “Dr. Brad Alexander, I'd like you to meet Dr. Janelle Ehrlinger, also a veterinarian.”
“No kidding,” Clay said.
“No surprise here,” Landon said.
“Landon explained the situation, Bryce. Dr. Ehrlinger, it's nice to meet you. You did a nice job on the nerve repair. Bryce is lucky you were here to take care of that right away.”
“I'm very lucky she's here, Doc,” Bryce agreed with a grin.
Janelle blushed, but she addressed Dr. Alexander. “Thank you, Dr. Alexander. How is she doing? I didn't give her any antibiotics yet.”
“I think she'll be fine now,” the vet said. “Do you want to give her some antibiotics or do you want me to?”
“You can, if you don't mind,” Janelle said. “A lot's happened in the last half hour and I think it's all kind of hitting me. I'm kind of shaky.”
Bryce was immediately steadying her with an arm around her waist, leading her to a bale of hay, where he sat her down. He knelt in front of her, checking her pulse before she could object. “Slow. Are you okay, sunshine?”
“I'm fine. I think it's just a little overwhelming. I've remembered a lot all at once, and there was also the adrenalin rush when you brought the injured horse in. I think I just need a few minutes to adjust.”
“Just sit and rest a few minutes.” He turned to Landon. “Could you get my EMT bag, please? I want to check her blood pressure.”
“Bryce, I'm fine,” she insisted.
“Probably,” he said, “but you look a little pale. I'll feel better once I see for myself.”
Landon returned with the requested item and gave it to his boss. “What a twist this day's taken,” Landon said. “First we find an injured horse, then Jane – I'm sorry, Dr. Ehrlinger treats the horse and now you're treating her.”
“I don't need to be treated,” Janelle insisted. “I just need to rest a couple minutes.” She didn't stop Bryce, though, when he got out his blood pressure cuff.
Dr. Alexander was finished treating the horse and came over to talk to Bryce, but waited until he finished checking her blood pressure. “Is she okay?” he asked.
“It's low, but not real bad,” he reported. “I think I'll take her in the house and let her rest a little, then I'll check it again.”
“Sounds like it's probably a good idea. I'm going to head out. I gave your horse some antibiotics and cleaned out and treated the puncture wounds. I'm sure Dr. Ehrlinger will be able to handle it from here, but if either of you have any questions, give me a call.” He turned to Janelle. “It's really nice to meet you, and I'm glad to hear you've got your memory back.”
“Doc, we have a bit of a problem in that regard. I need to ask you if you could not mention to anyone that she's here and has her memory back.”
“Okay,” he said hesitantly. “May I ask why?”
“Sure.” Bryce briefly explained the situation, without giving him any details. Dr. Alexander left after assuring them he wouldn't mention a thing to anyone. Bryce had known Dr. Alexander for many years and trusted him. Besides, his work as a vet kept him too busy to be talking to too many people.
After Dr. Alexander left, Bryce reminded his men they still weren't to tell anyone Janelle was at the ranch, and it was vital no one knew she'd regained her memory. “She witnessed something,” Bryce told them, “and that's why the two men have been looking for her. As soon as she's feeling better I'm taking her to the sheriff's office so she can talk to them. In the meantime, it's imperative that no one says a word.”
They all agreed, and Bryce turned back to Janelle. “Come on, Dr. Sunshine, we're going to the house to talk to Lena, then you're going to rest. Once you're feeling better we'll go into town.”
“I want to talk to Lena, but I'm fine, Bryce.”
“We'll talk in the house,” he growled under his breath as he picked her up and headed for the house.
“Bryce, what are you doing?” she objected. “I'm perfectly able to walk. I'm just a little tired.”
“I took your blood pressure. I know how tired you are. Now, stop arguing with me, woman, and put your arms around my neck. Pretend you like it. It'll do wonders for my ego.”
Janelle looked at him and burst out laughing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “No pretending necessary. Sorry, Bryce.”
“Stubborn woman,” Bryce muttered. “I know how to cure that.”
Janelle laughed again. “You better not.”
Bryce smiled. “So, now that you have your memory back, my dear, tell me, are you always this stubborn?”
“Of course not,” she answered instantly.
“Truthfully? Because it seemed to me that the more I got to know you, there was a feisty little lady with a bit of a temper inside this cute little body, that had a stubborn streak in her.” She didn't say anything until he added, “And I loved every bit of that feisty, stubborn, temperamental attitude.”
She looked at him with a mischievous grin. “Well, I might have a tad of my mom's stubbornness in me.”
“She was stubborn?”
“Oh, yeah,” she answered. “Even though I was little when she died, I remember her getting upset about something and standing her ground, as she called it. Dad used to say she was the most stubborn lady God ever put on this earth.”
“Oh, wonderful,” Bryce sighed in what she knew was pretend exasperation.
She giggled and kissed him again.
Lena opened the door for them just as Janelle kissed Bryce again. Her eyes went wide. “Oh, my,” she said. “Bryce, what's wrong with Jane? Is she hurt? And you two are—”
“Are officially dating now,” Bryce said, grinning. “Dr. Janelle Ehrlinger, the veterinarian, has regained her memory, and she's single and not dating anyone. Except that now she is,” he added, giving her another quick kiss.
Lena was as excited as Bryce could ever remember seeing her. “Oh, that's wonderful,” she gushed. “You two belong together, that's for sure. I'm so glad you'll get the chance now.” She paused. “But what's wrong, is she hurt?”
“No, I'm fine,” Janelle said.
“She saved a colt out there, performing surgery, and that together with regaining her memory has got her worn out. She's going to rest a little, and then we're going to talk to the sheriff.”
Lena became instantly alarmed. “Is there a problem the sheriff needs to know about?”
“There is,” he confirmed, “and we need to talk to him as soon as we can. But she needs to rest first.”
“Why not call and have him come out here?” Lena asked, concerned.
“I'm afraid the sheriff's line is bugged,” Bryce said. “I think we're dealing with professionals here.”
“Then why not have one of the men go fetch him? That certainly shouldn't raise any suspicion, should it?”
“No, it shouldn't,” Bryce said. He went over to Lena, where he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. “You are such a smart lady. Thank you.” He took out his phone and called Landon. “Hey, can you have Clay run in and get the sheriff or Deputy Armstrong out here, please? Tell him not to call first. I don't trust the line, but have him go in and get one of them out here as quickly as they can. Janelle needs to rest, but we need to get this information to them as soon as possible.”
“Good idea, Bryce. He's right here, I'll sent him out right away.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, Lena. When the sheriff or deputy gets here, I want you to sit in on this conversation.”
“Me?” She was more than a little surprised.
“Yes. I want you to know the whole story, and I don't want her to have to explain it twice, okay?”