by Sara Orwig
Josh suffered a twinge of guilt when he thought how she had gripped his wrist and asked him to stay with her.
“As far as your not seeing her again, you’re going to have to go to the hospital to have your wound treated, and I’ll need a report from you. I’m sure the Bexar County sheriff will want a report. You’ll be in that ambulance, buddy, and you’ll have to stay awhile at the hospital.”
“No way. I can drive myself, so I’ll have a way to get home. I don’t need an ambulance or a damned ambulance bill afterward.”
“Your hat’s got a nasty rip in it.”
“A lot of things happen out here,” Josh said, not caring to discuss getting shot at any longer.
“My deputy and I will go over the crash site. I’ll see you in the San Antonio hospital.”
“Yeah,” Josh said reluctantly, leaving the sheriff and heading over to observe the paramedics. It was another fifteen minutes before they had the woman in the ambulance. After a terse argument, Josh turned to go back to his pickup. He had to go to the hospital or it would stir up a flurry, since he had a gunshot wound and had to fill out reports. But he wanted to walk away right now and never see the woman again. He had a grim foreboding that made him feel he should stay away from her. She was involved in something that was a life-and-death matter. Whatever she was running from, the whole thing reeked of illegitimacy.
Yet he couldn’t keep from feeling responsible. She couldn’t remember anything, a condition that should pass within the next few hours. He had seen plenty of cowboys with concussions in rodeos—he’d even had one himself—and the memory loss was temporary. Until she remembered or until a family member came looking for her, she was totally alone.
He sighed and called his family doctor. Then he climbed into his pickup to follow the ambulance into San Antonio.
After being treated in emergency, Josh was tempted to just leave and let the police hunt him down for his statement. Yet Will had helped out when Josh had had cows rustled a few years ago, and he didn’t want to run out on the sheriff now. Reluctantly, he found the woman’s room number.
A uniformed policeman already stood outside her door. Josh introduced himself and said that he would be in the waiting room.
Half an hour later Will appeared with a grim set to his jaw. “Since she’s in this hospital and in a different county now, I’ve talked to the Bexar County sheriff and they’ve provided police protection for her. The sheriff is keeping this low-key and giving the press as little information as possible.”
“That’ll be safer for the woman,” Josh agreed.
“I expected to find you down in the emergency waiting area. They’re not supposed to give out her room number, so how’d you get it?”
Josh gave him a lopsided grin, and Will shook his head. “I’ll bet you flashed that million-dollar smile of yours and some cute little thing just gave you what you wanted.”
“I wouldn’t have put it that way,” Josh replied with amusement, “but she was cooperative. And you think I have a million-dollar smile? I’m flattered!”
Will drew himself up. “I’m quoting Jolene,” he snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve just got a full set of teeth, which is a plus in these parts.”
Josh grinned. “Shucks. Your secretary is married.”
“How you stay single, I’ll never know. Women seem to melt when you walk by,” the sheriff told him.
“Don’t I wish,” Josh replied mildly. “And with my life on the ranch, it’s easy to stay single. Let’s get this report done so I can go home.”
“You have to wait for the Bexar sheriff. Don’t skip out on him. All right now,” Will said, raising a clipboard and getting out a pen.
Josh shook his head, annoyed that he would have to hang around the hospital.
“They’re running a missing-person check, and so have we. So far, nothing,” Will said.
“What about the car that hit her?”
“They ran the license number you got. It was a stolen vehicle, so that’s a dead end. How’s she doing?” Will asked, looking toward her room.
“I don’t have any idea. My responsibility stopped when the paramedics took over,” Josh said, feeling another guilty twinge about the woman. He’d had fuzzy moments from a concussion in a rodeo, and they weren’t pleasant, but he’d been surrounded by friends who knew him well. He could imagine the worries she might have without anyone around who knew her, especially with someone wanting to kill her.
“Could you recognize the guy again?”
“Nope. He was of a medium build, shorter than I am. His head was covered with a cap, so I’m not sure about hair color, but what little I could see might have been brown. He was running and shooting, so I never did get a good look at him.”
“Okay. Tell me again, slowly, what happened from the first moment you saw them on the road.”
Josh related the incident while Will wrote it all down. As they talked, Josh saw nurses wheel the woman out of her room, and he guessed they were taking her for tests. The guard sauntered along behind them.
“Now I have to type up all this,” Will said, putting away his pen. “You know, you might be in danger now. You’re a witness and that guy doesn’t know you didn’t get a good look at him. You better start packing your pistol.”
“I’ll be all right. I’m just a cowboy, and he’s not going to worry about me.”
“Watch your back, Josh. She’s carrying a lot of money. And if you spot him again, don’t be the tough guy and go after him by yourself. Leave that to us.”
“Will, I’m not going to be around that woman at all.”
“Maybe not, but you’re involved. And remember—stay here until the Bexar sheriff arrives. In the long run, it’ll save you the hassle of having to drive back to town.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Josh grumbled. He shook hands with Will, who turned and left. Strolling down the hall, Josh got out his cellular phone and called his stepmother to tell her where he was. When he couldn’t reach her, he left a message and then called Drake Browning, his ranch foreman.
After another half hour of waiting, Josh told the guard where the sheriff could find him and went to the hospital cafeteria for the lunch that he’d missed earlier. It was late in the afternoon before he got tired of sitting in the cafeteria and went back to wait in the hall outside the woman’s room. Twice he called the sheriff’s office, and both times was told that the officer was on his way to the hospital.
Eventually a doctor emerged from the woman’s room and crossed the hall to Josh. She extended her hand as she approached him.
“I’m Dr. Vandenberg, Tom Girard’s niece. Are you Josh Kellogg?”
“Yes. Doc told me he couldn’t get into the city, but he said he would call you, so thanks for taking the woman as your patient.”
She smiled. “Glad to do it. My uncle spoke highly of you.”
“He’s been great to my family. Does your patient remember her own name yet?” he asked the tall, blond physician.
She shook her head. “No, she doesn’t recall anything significant from her past. I want to be notified as soon as she remembers, and I know the sheriff does, too. You didn’t know her before the wreck?”
“No, I was just a witness.”
“She doesn’t remember whether she has any family or not. My uncle vouched for you, so I can trust you with her. And it’s nice that you’re here for her because she feels very alone.”
“Actually, I’m just here because I’m supposed to wait to see the Bexar County sheriff,” Josh said stiffly.
“Oh? I hope you’ll go see my patient. She’s frightened and alone. She’s talked about you quite a bit.”
That wasn’t what Josh wanted to hear. He glanced past the physician toward the closed door. “I can’t imagine she’s frightened now.”
“Well, she is. Can you stay a little while with her and talk to her?” the physician asked. “It would mean a lot.”
“Sure,” Josh agreed with reluctance.
“H
opefully she’ll have family show up soon, searching for her. From what I understand, both sheriffs are checking missing persons. And the sheriff wants a guard on her because, according to what you told him, someone ran her off the road.”
“Yes, they did. Quite deliberately.”
She nodded. “She’s lucky to be alive and lucky she wasn’t hurt much worse. And lucky you were there. Thanks for being a Good Samaritan.”
“Anyone would have done what I did.”
“I don’t think so,” she replied. “I heard you got shot.”
“It’s nothing,” Josh answered, wanting to end the conversation.
“Well, thanks for your help and kindness,” she said, before walking away.
Josh watched her go and silently swore to himself. He didn’t want to get pulled into knowing the mystery woman. In a few of those moments alone with her, back on his ranch, there had been a volatile chemistry between them and he didn’t want to feel any such thing again—not with this woman.
Putting off going in to see her in hopes that the sheriff would come and the matter would be taken out of his hands, Josh paced restlessly to the window. His arm throbbed, and he wanted to go home. He hated hospitals, particularly this one, where his father had died. He hated being back inside it.
Josh remembered looking into her big eyes as she’d gripped his wrist. With a sigh, he decided he couldn’t walk out on someone who needed help. Wondering what he was getting himself into, he knocked lightly on the door.
When she called, “Come in,” he entered a room that had pale green walls and one beige vinyl chair. The woman was sitting up in bed. His bandage around her head had been replaced by a more professional one. She wore a pale blue hospital gown and had a white sheet across her lap. The short sleeves of the hospital gown revealed long, slender arms with well-toned muscles, as if she worked out. Even with the bandage and the hospital gown, she still stole his breath with her cascade of golden hair, big eyes and full lips. Color was returning to her skin making her cheeks rosy, and she seemed more composed.
“Thanks for staying, Mr. Kellogg,” she said as he walked to the bedside to look at her.
“It’s Josh. They told me you still don’t remember anything.”
“Only things after the wreck. Before the car accident, I’m drawing a blank. I don’t remember the wreck at all. Sit down, won’t you? I really appreciate what you’ve done.”
“They expect your memory to return soon. And your family is probably searching for you now. They may even find you before your memory kicks in.”
“All I know is I have something I’m running away from,” she said, frowning. “And someone tried to kill me. I think I need my memory back quickly. Anyway, thanks for being here. Even though we’re strangers, at the moment I feel like you’re the only friend I have.”
The warmth in her brown eyes was a magnet, drawing him to her, and he knew he could no more turn his back on her and walk away now than he could fly out of the hospital window.
“It probably won’t be long until they learn your identity. They’re checking missing persons. And as I said, I’m sure your parents or husband are looking for you.”
She fluttered her hands. “I don’t have a wedding ring. Maybe I’m single.”
“Maybe, but the lack of a ring isn’t solid proof. The Piedras County sheriff has your money, by the way. He didn’t think you should have that much cash with you in the hospital. He gave me a hundred dollars to bring to you so you can buy things while you’re here. If you want more, here’s his phone number.” Josh put a slip of paper on the table beside her bed. “Did they tell you that they’ve put a guard outside your room?”
“Yes, they did,” she said, frowning and rubbing her forehead. “I don’t know what I was involved in or why I was running or even if I was running.”
“You may find out within a few hours. Just relax and do what your doctor says and try to heal.”
He stood with his hands on his hips, and she studied his fingers. “No wedding ring. No wife at home waiting for you?”
“Nope. I’m not married. One of my stepmothers is living with me right now, and I’ve already called and left a message for her, telling her where I am.”
“You said one of your stepmothers. How many do you have?”
“Five.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s a lot of stepmothers.”
“My dad drew women like picnics draw flies.” Josh pulled the chair near the bed, shed his denim jacket and sat down.
“And I’ll bet you’re just like him,” she said with a smile.
“I’m not one bit like my father,” Josh replied gruffly. “Now my half brothers, that’s different.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…you’re just a good-looking guy and—”
“That’s okay. Forget it.”
“The man who ran me off the road came back, didn’t he? That’s who you chased, and who shot you?” she asked quietly.
“That’s right. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch him.”
Her eyebrows arched. “I’m glad you didn’t. You might have been hurt much worse. I feel responsible that you were shot.”
“You didn’t have anything to do with it. That guy shot me. I’d like to have caught him. And if I had, we might know your identity right now.”
She shivered. “I feel so incredibly alone.” Her gaze came back to Josh and focused on him with an intensity that made his pulse jump. “With you here, I’m not so afraid.”
“You have a guard outside, so you don’t need to be afraid at all,” he replied.
Once again he was caught in her gaze, while his nerves zinged. The mood was swiftly going from two friendly strangers to a man-woman thing, and Josh couldn’t seem to stop it. He was mesmerized, unable to pull his eyes away. And she wasn’t doing any better. She ran her tongue across her lower lip and inhaled. With an effort he shifted, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and looked away.
Silence stretched and he stared at the floor, trying to let his jangled nerves calm and his body cool.
“It would be easier if you had a temporary name, something I could call you until you remember your real name,” he said, knowing with every sentence he was getting more involved. “What should I call you?”
“I don’t know,” she answered, rubbing her forehead.
He tilted his head to study her. “Amelia, Margo, Nina, Caroline, Trixie, Becky.”
“Trixie?”
“I’m giving you the names of my mother and my stepmothers,” he said, smiling at her.
She smiled in return. She was stunningly beautiful even with bruises beginning to darken. When she smiled, his breath caught and his pulse leaped into double time.
“I don’t know. I don’t feel like a Trixie or Nina or Amelia. I don’t feel like anyone,” she said, her smile vanishing. She reached over to take his wrist again. “You don’t have to stay here with me. I can get along, but thank you for coming and thank you for visiting.”
The moment she touched him, the contact was as electrifying as it had been before. Without thinking, he covered her hand with his, marveling at its softness. She was getting to him, and he realized it had been a long time since he had let a woman do that.
“You’re not alone. I told you I’ll stay awhile longer. The sheriff said he would call if he finds out who you are or gets any leads.” Josh was aware they were still holding hands, and he wondered whether she noticed. He strongly suspected she had been showered with attention from men all her life, and holding hands like this was insignificant to her. He released her hand, but wanted to reach for it again. “We need to give you a name. You want Jane Doe?”
“No, I don’t.”
“It would help if I could call you something,” he said, thinking that stubborn will of hers was beginning to resurface. He tilted his head. “How about Amanda, Beth or Laurie?”
She smiled again. “All right. I’ll be Laurie for you,” she said, and the idea that the name was for him alone ma
de it far too personal. The air crackled with the tension between them.
“Laurie it is, then,” he said. His voice had grown huskier and his gaze dropped to her mouth, and he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Instantly, he tried to pull his thoughts away from that track. This lady was in deep trouble, someone wanted her dead and her past could be filled with complications. And even under the best circumstances, he didn’t want to get involved with anyone.
“You said you’re single. Any woman in your life right now?” she asked.
“No, there’s not. And there’s not going to be anytime soon,” Josh said, a little too forcefully, as if he were trying to remind himself of his situation.
She laughed softly, and he felt another jolt of his heart. Why was she getting to him so easily? He guessed it was her beauty that was dazzling him. She probably turned men to mush everywhere she went, and he was no different from the others.
“You sound so definite. You don’t like women?”
His brows arched. “Oh, yes,” he drawled in a husky voice, “I do like women.”
“So then why be so certain that you won’t have a woman in your life?” she asked.
“I’ve got my hands full trying to run my ranch, and I have to deal with my stepmothers. I don’t need another female in my life or another complication,” he said, knowing he was skirting the real reasons. In this case, he absolutely didn’t want to get involved because, in spite of her looks or maybe because of them, she was in trouble.
Yet his life was getting complicated right now, and every second with her drew him closer and involved him more with the lovely, mysterious stranger who couldn’t remember her own name or why someone wanted to kill her.
“Even so, you’re here with me,” she said, echoing his thoughts. “Other than you and the sheriff, I don’t feel like I can trust anyone. I can’t even be sure about the nurses.”
“You have a guard right outside your door and you can call him at any time. And for now, I’ll stay with you.”
“They told me I could go to the hospital cafeteria. I don’t know when I last ate, but I’m getting really hungry. Will you go with me?”