You're My Rock (Brothers From Money #4)

by Shanade White

  Allison was horrified to realize that Nate would be going in with them, she’d dipped her hand in the water and it was freezing cold, even with waders, it would be a risk going into the water. The men would only be able to place one board before coming back out, it would take hours to complete the process, but as long as they stayed dry, they’d survive the cold water.

  Elizabeth insisted they start another fire down by the river so the men could stay warm without coming all the way back to camp, which Garrett decided was a good idea. Allison suggested they create a kind of open tent around the fire, a kind of temporary building that would contain the heat. When the men were ready to go in, Allison crossed her fingers that everything would go as planned.

  It was a long morning of ferrying hot coffee and soup to the men as they methodically placed the supports on the dam. As morning turned to afternoon, the women watched as the men became colder and colder, each dip into the freezing water lowering their body temperature. Sabrina was threatening to put an end to their work, but then Donovan announced they’d placed the last board.

  Relieved, they hustled the men up to the main fire and fed them a huge meal while they warmed up. After nearly an hour of sitting around the fire, it was clear that nothing but their sleeping bags was going to warm them up. Each tent was also equipped with a heater, so the men slipped into the warm tents to rest and hopefully warm up, if they couldn’t they might have a huge problem on their hands.

  After they’d cleaned up the kitchen, the women each went their separate ways to check on the men. Allison found Nate shivering in his sleeping bag, clearly not able to warm up. “Get in here with me.” He said, his teeth chattering.

  Quickly removing her clothes, Allison got in the sleeping bag with Nate and wrapped her arms around his cold body. She became even more alarmed when she felt how cold he was. “You shouldn’t have gone in that water.”

  “You know I had to. You’re warm, it feels good.” He managed to say though clenched teeth.

  Allison knew one sure way to warm Nate up, running her hands over his cold chest and down his stomach, she took his limp penis in her hand and began to stroke him. There was little response at first, but soon she felt Nate responding to her touch. As his erection began to grow, he moaned a little in his throat, his teeth chattering slowing.

  “Roll onto you side and wrap your arms around me.” She said, gasping when his cold body pressed up against hers, but she arched her back and ground her rear into his crotch, feeling his erection pressing against her butt.

  She threw one of her legs over his, opening herself to him, then reached between her legs and guided him inside her. Pushing her hips against him again, his hard length slid deeper inside her. Nate’s breath was coming in short gasps, the warmth of Allison’s body finally spreading through his. Finally able to move his frozen muscles, he began to move inside of Allison.

  “Better?” She whispered.

  “Much.” He replied, the shivering gone.

  They stayed one more day, doing their best to begin draining the water behind the dam. The supports they’d added the day before had helped, the dam no longer looking like it might burst at any time. But with the ground still frozen their efforts produced little effect, it was clear that they’d have to come back after the ground had thawed. A task that would be much more difficult as the snow melted, the mud and running water making the trail a mess.

  But knowing there was nothing else they could do, they made plans to leave the next day at dinner that night. It was a good thing too, because all the food they’d brought was almost gone. They’d have just enough to make it home tomorrow. Allison had enjoyed her trip to the mountains, the cold hadn’t been terrible, except for yesterday when the men had been in the water. But now she was ready to go home, it was a lot of work to live out here.

  As they made their way down the trail, Allison was surprised to realize that she hadn’t had a single memory flash since they’d been in the mountains. Not sure if that was good or bad, she was still thankful that she’d had a break. The memories had been coming back more and more lately, mostly bits and pieces of her childhood. None of them were disturbing, but she had found that she wanted her mother, she now knew without a doubt that then woman she’d seen so many times in her memories was her mother.

  But there was a sadness associated with her memory that scared Allison, deep down she knew that her mother was gone, it was a fact she desperately wanted to ignore. The first night they were back, they both fell asleep as soon as the light was off, but only a few hours later she awoke to Nate gently nudging her.

  “You were having a bad dream.” He said, pulling her into his arms.

  “I don’t.....” She started to stay she didn’t remember the dream but then it came back to her.

  “I woke up lying in a ditch in the middle of a storm.” She said, shivering.

  Nate didn’t speak, giving her time to remember what she’d dreamed. “I was in several inches of water and my head hurt. I remember stumbling to my feet just as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.”

  “Anything else?” He asked when she’d been silent for a long time.

  “Only that I was in danger, that I had to run.” She said, looking up at him.

  “Well, you’re safe here. Let’s try to go back to sleep. Every memory is progress.” He said, turning the light off.

  “I might not be able to go back to sleep.” She said, suddenly needing to feel Nate’s body joined to hers.

  “Well, then I guess I’d better see if I can keep you entertained. I’m sure there’s nothing on TV.” He said, then lowered his mouth to hers, understanding exactly what she wanted.

  Over the next few weeks, even as busy as she was, the flashes of memory continued to plague Allison, they were coming more frequently and were longer when they happened. At times, she just wanted to block them, her frustration at only seeing pieces of the puzzle increasing every day. Nate understood her frustration and began making daily phone calls to the private detective back in Kentucky.

  Finally, Nate made the difficult decision that going back to Kentucky might be the only way they’d get to the bottom of Allison’s attack. He hated to leave her, but there was no other way, Allison just couldn’t go on much longer living in the middle of two lives. Plus, she might still be in danger, a fact that was never far from Nate’s mind. He might not be on the force any more, but a cop never loses his second sense and Nate’s was screaming at him that something was about to change.

  Allison let Nate go without a fight, right now she was too afraid to go anywhere. The impeding sense of doom she’d always felt had only grow stronger since they came back from the mountain. It was like spring had also woken up whatever was chasing her, and she was beyond done with the whole thing. She wanted to be free to love Nate and start building their life together, she just wanted the entire mess to go away.

  *****

  Matt was just parking his car in front of the police station in town when he noticed a stranger get out of a rental car. To him the man had the look of a cop, no stranger to the law, he’d developed a good sense when it came to cops. Curious, he followed him into the station, then stood close enough to hear the man introduce himself as Nate McAlister. The man pulled a picture out of his pocket and showed it to the deputy.

  “I’m looking for this young woman. Do you recognize her?” Nate asked the deputy watching his face carefully, and was rewarded when a brief look of recognition crossed the man’s face. The man quickly wiped the look off his face, his eyes darting over to look at something behind Nate, then back to his face. But when Nate turned around there was no one else in the room, and nothing on the wall that should have captured the man’s attention.

  “I don’t think so. Let me look again.” He said, and then made a big show of looking at the picture. “Nope, haven’t ever seen her.”

  Nate turned to leave, sure that the man was lying, but before he could get to the door the deputy asked, “Why you looking for her a
nyway?”

  “That’s personal.” Nate said, deciding that the man had definitely recognized Allison. He’d have to watch him to see what he did next. This might just be the break he was looking for, he’d also show Allison’s picture around town and see if anyone else recognized her.

  He got in his car, circled around town and parked where he could see the police station, but no one either coming or going would see him. It wasn’t long before a man dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt and very expensive boots, looked up and down the street and slid into the station. Either he’d been waiting for Nate to leave or the deputy had called him, Nate was sure of that.

  He settled down to wait, but didn’t have long to wait, the man came bursting out of the police station, clearly upset by what he’d learned inside. Nate decided to follow him, he had no concrete evidence that he was involved with Allison’s attack, but his cop senses were telling him that he was. Starting the car, he began his surveillance of the man, hoping that he’d finally find out what happened and end this whole thing.

  As much as he loved Allison, with her attack and the possible danger she was in still haunting them, he was beginning to feel the strain of the situation as well. His love for her hadn’t changed, but he knew that they’d never be completely free until this was solved. He’d take even the smallest lead at this point, his desperation building more and more every day.

  *****

  Matt was unaware he was being followed. He had to give Brian credit, he’d done a good job of getting rid of that detective or whoever he was. But he was still worried that the guy would stir things up, he wished that Brian had gotten more information from the guy. It would be nice to know who else was looking for Allison. Then it struck him that maybe he had Allison and was trying to figure out who she was.

  Maybe she had been more wounded that he’d thought, that might explain why she’d gotten off the plane in Denver. Pleased that this would give him one more place to look for her, he pulled onto the private drive to the farm, feeling excited that he might just be able to put his hands on Allison soon. Maybe she’d lost her memory and he could sweep in as the concerned family member. That would be easy and oh so satisfying.

  He pulled up to the house, got out of his truck and went straight to his office. Picking up the phone he dialed the one man who could help. Dr. Stewart picked up with a curt, “I told you not to call me on this number.”

  “Well, this is a bit of an emergency. Remember that little problem we had last winter? Well I’ve got some new information and I believe we need to check with the hospitals in Denver for a woman brought in with a head injury from the airport that night.”

  “And you expect me to take care of your problem.”

  “It’s your problem too, if anyone finds out about those steroids you’ve been selling me.” Matt ground out between clenched teeth. If he’d never met Dr. Stewart none of this would have happened.

  “What is it you want me to do?”

  “Make some phone calls, surely you have contacts in a city like Denver. There can’t be that many hospitals.” Matt said, wishing he didn’t have to spell it out to the man.

  “I’ll see what I can do, but I don’t want any involvement after that. I won’t participate in murder, so don’t even try to get me involved. You made this mess, you clean it up.”

  “Just find her for me and I’ll gladly take care of the rest.” Matt said, then hung up.

  *****

  Nate was sitting under the gated entrance to the sweeping estate behind it, prime horse land, he thought spotting the barns behind the plantation style house. He couldn’t tell from this distance, but he was almost sure that it was not a replica, the house probably dated back to the civil war. Noting the name of the farm in his notebook, he drove away feeling much too conspicuous parked in front of the gates.

  As soon as he got back to his hotel, he’d call Allison and see if she recognized the name, if she did then he was definitely on the right trail. Then it would only be a matter of canvasing the town to see who might know her. He’d start with the grocery store, everyone had to buy food at some point. Feeling more positive than he had in long time, he decided that he might even pack up his things and move to a hotel in the little town.

  He’d have to be careful, if word got out that he was looking for information about Allison, the situation could get dangerous really quickly. Someone had wanted to kill her, and whoever that was wouldn’t be happy to hear that she might be alive somewhere. If they even thought that he might know something, he was in the same danger she was.

  *****

  Allison was nervously pacing up and down the living room, something she just couldn’t put her finger on was bothering her. Of course she’d had a major episode this afternoon and although Sabrina had been able to help her though it, Nate was always better at it. But he was out in Kentucky searching for her life and she had to take what she was offered.

  Thinking back on the memory that had surfaced, she shuttered again and turned to pace back down the room. If Nate didn’t call soon she was going to call him, the waiting and worrying was driving her crazy. Finally she heard her phone chime, alerting her to a video call coming in. Rushing to the phone she picked it up and pressed the accept button, relieved to see Nate’s smiling face.

  Chapter 13

  “Hi.” She said, sitting down in a chair.

  “Hi, to you too. You look tired. Did you have a long day?” He asked, seeing the dark circles under her eyes.

  “Kind of, I had a very vivid memory of that wedding. My mom definitely married that guy I saw with her. I can’t remember anything else, except that I didn’t like him or trust him.” She said, shivering.

  “I want to ask you something, does the name Logan’s Acres mean anything to you?” Nate asked, watching her reaction.

  She reacted more strongly than Nate had expected, her face paled, her breathing became shallow as the memories began to filter through her mind. She saw the house that was her home, with its high ceilings and huge windows, designed to be opened to the let the breeze in. The memory of how it smelled, musty and old, but comforting in some way.

  Sabrina saw that she was about to hyperventilate and rushed over, handing her a drink, she rubbed her back, whispering, “Breathe, breathe. It’s going to be okay.” Over and over, until Allison began to calm down.

  “I think you’ve discovered something, but did you really have to do that over the phone.” Sabrina hissed at the screen.

  “I’m sorry, I was just so excited.” He said.

  Allison was finally able to breathe normally again, “I’m okay. Logan’s Acres is my home. It’s been in my family for generations. I lived there with my mom.” She said, then paused as the memory of her mother’s funeral surfaced, shocking her grief. “Oh, my mom’s dead.”

  “Nate you need to get home now.” Sabrina said, pulling the sobbing Allison into her arms.

  “I sent the Cessna out there in case you needed it. It’s at a little municipal airport not far from where you are. I’ll send you the directions and call the pilot.” Garrett said calmly from his chair across the room.

  Allison was glad that it was only them there tonight, she’d have hated for the whole family to see her break down, but with Garrett and Sabrina she felt safe. Getting control of herself, she pulled out of Sabrina’s arms. “I’m okay.”

  “I doubt you’re okay, but how about we find something to distract us for a little while? I know just the thing. How would you like to see Garrett’s theater debut?” Sabrina said, playfully.

  “His what?” Allison actually distracted.

  “Garrett had a part in a play that the kids put on last summer. I have the whole thing on tape.” She said, getting to her feet and digging though the cabinet next to the TV. “Here it is.”

  “Great.” Garrett said, opening the newspaper he’d been reading before Nate’s phone call.

  Allison was distracted by the home movie, laughing with Sabrina at Garrett’s antics as a
pirate in the kids play. After the movie was over, Sabrina put on another one, this time of the summer cattle drive the year they fell in love. Allison fell asleep in the middle of the second one, only waking when Nate came striding in the door.

  He took one look at her, scooped her up in his arms and carried her out the back door to their cabin. Once inside, he set her on her feet and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry about that. I was so excited to think I might have a lead, I just wasn’t thinking what might happen when you heard that name.” He said, pulling back to look at her.

  Her lips trembling, she said, “I remember everything except how I got hurt.”

  “Okay, let’s go to bed. We don’t have to talk about it tonight. Tomorrow will be soon enough.” He said, guiding her to the bedroom. Silently, he undressed her and put her to bed. He took off his own clothes and climbed into bed with her and pulled her into his arms.

  Allison took a deep breath, loving the sound of Nate’s heart beat in her ear, he was solid and warm, reassuring her that she was loved. Knowing she couldn’t wait until tomorrow to talk about everything that she remembered, she took a deep breath trying to decide where to start.

  “I think I know how I got to the airport and what happened to my car.” She finally said, thinking that might be a good place to start. “I woke up in a ditch full of water, my head hurt and when I put my hand to my head it came away with blood on it.”

  “Okay, what happened then?” Nate asked, rubbing her shoulder.

  Allison sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees, then continued, “I stumbled up the bank, I remember it was pouring rain and the sky was filled with lightning. My vision was blurry and it was very dark, I managed to find the road and follow it, watching as best I could when lightning lit up the sky.”