His Unforgettable Fiancée

by Teresa Carpenter

  He wished he knew where the certainty came from. Maybe then he could plumb the source for actual memories, for real recollections. But the more he fought for it, the worse his brain hurt.

  Luckily a male tech strolled up. “We’re ready for you. Please follow me.”

  “Wish me luck.” He stood, hospital gown flapping around his knees, strangely reluctant to leave her.

  “Good luck.” She stood, too, tucked her thumbs in her back pockets. “You’ve got this. After all, you’re a smart guy, just memory-challenged.”

  A smile tugged up the corner of his mouth. “Can you hang for a while longer?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  * * *

  More than a little flustered, Grace spent the next long, worry-fraught hour gathering her composure around herself. Memory failed her as to when a man last affected her so strongly. She had no reason to care, but she did.

  When JD appeared, she hopped to her feet. He looked so drawn. Exhaustion and pain weighed heavily on him. Without a word she followed him back to the doctor’s office and took up her position in the corner.

  “Who is the President of the United States?” The doctor started in on the questions needed to determine the extent of JD’s memory loss.

  JD answered with a scowl, adding, “What is it with you two and your obsession with the president?”

  “General questions are used to create a baseline,” Dr. Honer said. “It helps to determine if you’ve forgotten learned elements, a chunk of time or personal memories.”

  “Well, I should know the president’s name. I’ve met him three times.”

  Silence fell over the room.

  “How do you know that?” she demanded.

  JD carefully turned his head around to her. Confusion briefly flashed through his eyes before he blinked it away. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you remember under what circumstances you met him?”

  “No.”

  “Because we might be able to identify you from news reports if we can pinpoint the event.”

  “I can’t recall. But I know I’ve met him, just as I know I didn’t have a drink last night.” He turned to the doctor. “How is that possible? To know something but not have the memory to support it?”

  “The brain is a marvelous and complex thing,” Dr. Honer responded. “We’re still learning many of its capabilities. The results of injuries are as varied and unpredictable as the number of people who sustain them. Do you remember anything about your childhood? Where you grew up? Your parents’ names?”

  “No.” JD pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly in pain, clearly exhausted.

  “What is the prognosis, doctor?” Grace asked softly.

  “As you suspected, Sheriff, he has a severe concussion and a less serious laceration. Though they are in the same general area I don’t believe they are connected. Is it possible you were in a motorcycle accident?”

  “I can’t say, Doc.”

  “It’s probable.” Grace spoke up. “He was wearing leather chaps when Porter brought him in.”

  Dr. Honer nodded his balding head. “The surface bump and laceration aren’t significant enough to cause the level of swelling revealed by the MRI or the symptoms you’ve described. They certainly shouldn’t have caused a memory lapse. But if you were in a motorcycle accident, it would explain the additional trauma.”

  “How so?” JD wanted to know.

  “The helmet protected your head, which probably saved your life, but you still connected with the ground with enough impact to shake your head up inside the helmet, causing the brain to ricochet against the skull. Probably knocked you out for a few seconds. An accident would account for the bruising on your hip, as well.”

  “And the laceration?” Grace asked.

  “It had gravel in it, which tells me it most likely happened after he removed the helmet. He may have fallen on his walk into town. Or more likely someone knocked him down.”

  “More likely?” Grace mused in full sheriff mode. “What makes you say that?”

  “There’s faint bruising on his lower jaw and on the knuckles of his right hand inconsistent with his other injuries. Since you mentioned he didn’t have a wallet on him, my guess is someone ran him off the road and attempted to rob him. He probably came to in the middle of it, fought back and took a right to the jaw. In his condition that’s all it would take to put him on the ground, causing the bump and the cut. Double head trauma more than accounts for the possibility of memory loss.”

  “Does that mean I’ll get my memories back once the bump goes away?”

  The doctor scratched his cheek. “I’m more concerned with the swelling of the brain. It could be fatal if it reaches the point of critical mass.”

  “And what are the chances of that?” JD’s calmness amazed Grace.

  “I’m cautiously optimistic considering the time lapse since you were picked up. You need to remain under observation and have another MRI after a bit, to see if the swelling is increasing or diminishing. It’s possible once the swelling goes down that you could regain some, if not all, of your memories.”

  “What are my options if the swelling reaches critical mass?”

  “Some people respond to medication. Worst-case scenario—a hole may need to be drilled into your skull to relieve the pressure.”

  She shuddered. That sounded scary.

  Dr. Honer directed his next comments to her. “I highly recommend he be moved to the city. We don’t have the necessary equipment to handle a delicate procedure of that nature.”

  Great. No way Brubaker would authorize the cost of ambulance service to the city. He’d already released the prisoner. JD was on his own. And her duty ended over an hour and half ago.

  She could have left at any time, but she kind of felt invested. She could only imagine what JD must be going through: in pain, dealing with strangers, unable to remember anything of his life, not even his own name. It must be frightening. Yet he handled it with stone-faced grace.

  “Sheriff, if I can have another moment?”

  “There’s no need to leave, Doc.” JD halted them, a grim note in his voice. “If it’s about me, I have a right to hear it.”

  “You need another MRI and to be monitored throughout the night, if not the next few days. I’ve expended all the resources I can at this point.”

  “I’ll drive him.” The words were out before she fully considered them, but what the heck, she was leaving town anyway. This just moved her agenda up by a few hours. Her sense of duty didn’t end with the removal of her title and paycheck. And it went against every instinct to leave an injured man to take care of himself.

  Looking at JD, no one would doubt his ability to handle himself. Though injured, he radiated a quiet intelligence, his stoic endurance testament to an inner core of strength. Which said a lot. Between Dr. Honer’s prognosis and JD’s memory loss, his whole world was one big uncertainty.

  “You can drive him. Good, that’s good.” Dr. Honer sighed in relief. “Take him to the free clinic on Main. I’ll send a referral over, let them know to expect you.”

  “I can pay.” JD stated with certainty.

  She and Dr. Honer stared at him, neither wanting to question how he’d pay as it was clear this was one of those things he knew without knowing how he knew. Remembering the seventy-thousand-dollar watch, she tended to believe him. However, a hospital would be much less trusting.

  A knock came at the door and the receptionist stuck her head into the room. “Sheriff’s department dropped off this property bag for Sheriff Delaney.”

  “Thanks.” Grace took the large, clear plastic bag, checked to make sure it still held all its contents and handed it to JD. “You’ve officially been released from custody.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  JD ACCEPTED THE sealed bag. He’d been released. He supposed that was a good thing. But where did it leave him?

  “Does that mean you won’t be driving me to the hospital?” No big deal. He did
n’t really care for all this medical mumbo jumbo anyway. Especially the whole bit about drilling into his head. He’d take his chances on the swelling going down.

  Once that happened, the doc said, his memories might come back. He could feel them out there, as if they were hidden behind a dark curtain in his head and all he had to do was find the lever that worked the curtain.

  He’d miss Grace, though. She was the only constant he knew in this new world.

  “I said I’d take you, and I will.” She assured him. Her gruff tone made him wonder if she was insulted to have her word questioned or if she regretted making the offer in the first place.

  She was an odd mixture of duty and concern, with a whole lot of pretty thrown in.

  Funny thing, his bruised brain only managed to stay focused on two things: pulling back that curtain and the complex G. Delaney, ex-sheriff, misguided realist, delectable morsel. When he couldn’t take the blankness for another second, he shifted his attention to the left and admired the fit of G. Delaney’s uniform to her trim body and soft curves.

  Her question about his marital status served as no deterrent. He wasn’t married. The lack of guilt only supported his irrational certainty.

  “I have to stop by my house first,” she went on completely unaware of his imaginings. “To pick up the rest of my things.”

  “Keep an eye on him.” Dr. Honer directed her. “You know what to watch for with a concussion. Wake him every few hours to check for nausea, pupil variation, incoherency.”

  “I will.”

  “I heard you were moving to San Francisco.” The doctor went on. “Best of luck to you. And to you, young man. I hope you get your memory back real soon.”

  What if I don’t, he wanted to ask, but he bit the words back. The doctor had done all he could. So JD simply said, “Thank you.” He accepted the prescription for pain medicine and followed Grace’s curvy butt from the room.

  * * *

  Grace made a last sweep through her small apartment, making sure she hadn’t left anything behind. The one-bedroom apartment sat atop the garage of her father’s house. She’d already packed her things, which didn’t amount to much—a duffel bag and two boxes. She wouldn’t be back unless it was to drive through on her way to somewhere else.

  After she lost the election, she sold the house and rented back the apartment. Her lease ended tonight.

  Her father had brought her here. With him gone she had no reason to stay. The citizens made that clear, casting an overwhelming vote. She got the message. She’d been too hard-core. They wanted someone who would let boys be boys on occasion. Someone connected, like Brubaker.

  It baffled her why the town council even asked her to finish out her father’s term if they didn’t want her to carry on the regimen he’d put in place. He’d trained her, after all. Probably thought she’d have a softer touch, being a woman. But she couldn’t be less than she was.

  Disappointing, though. She’d thought she’d found the place she wanted to put down roots. Everyone had been so friendly, welcoming her into town when she came to help Dad. She’d mistakenly felt accepted when they asked her to finish his term. The experience made her wonder if she even wanted to continue in active law enforcement.

  Finding nothing left behind, she locked up and skipped down the stairs one last time before sliding behind the wheel of her SUV. JD slept in the passenger seat. He’d dozed off on the way to her place and she hadn’t bothered to wake him for this stop. He would have insisted on helping but was in no shape for it. Why put them both through that argument?

  She believed rules were there for a reason and exceptions created chaos. In the case of the law, it also put people at risk. And if you gave one person an exception, everyone expected to get the same special treatment. Then why have laws?

  Her father had been a stickler for discipline and order when she was growing up. Especially after her mother died when Grace was eight. Tightening the reins had been his way of coping. She understood that now. But to a grieving little girl, all the fun in life seemed to have died with her mother.

  And that didn’t change for a very long time. Still hadn’t, if you talked to the townspeople. Grace Delaney didn’t know how to have fun.

  They were wrong. She liked to have fun as much as the next person. She just chose to do so in less gregarious ways. Hey, when you came off extended hours patrolling shore leave, a little peace and quiet was all the fun you could handle. And a good book or a fast video game was all the company you craved.

  The activity of carrying her things down to the car served to revitalize her for the coming drive. Still, in order to help keep her alert, she pulled into the all-night diner and purchased a coffee to go. Though truthfully, JD’s presence kept her on a low-level buzz.

  He made her usually roomy SUV seem small. His broad shoulders and long limbs took up more than their share of space. The smell of man and antiseptic filled the air. And his heat warmed the car better than her heater.

  Thinking of JD, she added a second cup to her order in case he woke up.

  Grace carried the coffees to the SUV and headed the vehicle toward Santa Rosa. The clear night and full moon made the drive go fast.

  JD stirred every once in a while but didn’t wake up. She couldn’t imagine what he must be going through. Bad enough to be robbed and left injured and abandoned on the outskirts of a strange town. How much more unnerving it must be to lose his memories, to lose all sense of self.

  Except for that one moment of vulnerability before going in for the MRI, he took it in stride. She supposed it was all he could do to handle the pain of his physical ailments.

  Not least of which was a stab wound. The doctor concurred with her time frame for the stabbing at less than a month. JD stated he had no memory of the incident. He’d sounded frustrated, an emotion she shared.

  He had to be wondering about his life—the circumstances of the stabbing for one, the accident for another. He’d been alone when he met up with Porter, but he could well have a family out there wondering about him. A wife praying for his safe return.

  A wife. Her shoulders twitched at the notion. Something deep inside rebelled at the thought of him with another woman. Which was totally insane. There was nothing between the two of them.

  For sugar’s sake, they’d spent half their time together on separate sides of the law.

  Not that it was an issue. He had no wife. Or so he said in that way of his that was so definite. How could he be so sure of some things, yet have no memory to support his conclusion?

  Perhaps the amnesia was a hoax. One big fib to cover a crime.

  So his prints didn’t hit. There were plenty of criminals that never got caught.

  He could have had a falling-out with his cohorts who ditched him and took his ride. Then he could have stumbled into town and unfortunately drawn the attention of a sheriff’s deputy. Who would believe a motorcycle thug with a stab wound owned a seventy-thousand-dollar Cartier watch? No one. So he ditched his wallet and claimed to have lost his memory. All he had to do was sweat it out in the drunk tank for a few hours and he was home free.

  Except for the do-good ex-sheriff who insisted on taking him to the hospital.

  That version made more sense than the motorcycle-riding geek with an expensive taste in watches and a penchant for knowing things he couldn’t back up with facts.

  And yet she believed him.

  The concussion was real. The pain was real. The frustration was real. The occasional flash of fear he tried to hide was very real. She’d been in law enforcement too long not to recognize those elements when she saw them. And there were medical tests to back it all up.

  Not to mention the fact if he was a thug, she’d probably be lying on the side of the road back near Woodpark.

  Well, he would have tried, anyway. She didn’t go down so easy.

  The lights of Santa Rosa came into view. She stole a sip of JD’s coffee, wrinkling her nose at the lack of sugar. Surprisingly it still held a g
ood heat. And the punch of caffeine she longed for.

  No question about it, he was a puzzle, but a legit one.

  Still, she’d be smart to take the things he was so sure of with a grain of salt. There was no sense, none at all, in fostering an attraction when neither of them was sure of their future. When neither of them was sure of themselves.

  Because, yeah, losing the campaign had really shaken her. Not that she’d ever admit it out loud. She thought she’d been doing a good job, that the community liked her. But the votes hadn’t been there. It had left her reeling. And feeling a little lost. She put her heart and soul into protecting and serving the citizens of Woodpark, and they chose a stuffed shirt who was more hot air than action.

  Their loss, right? Except the experience threw her off stride, made her question her decisions and her vocation. Which was so not her. She always knew exactly what she wanted, and she went after it with a zealousness that earned her what she sought.

  Not this time.

  So, yeah, she had more empathy for JD than she might have had otherwise.

  In a moment of connection and sympathy, she reached across the middle console and gripped his hand where it lay on his muscular thigh. His fingers immediately wrapped around hers, and her gaze shot to his face.

  There was no change in his expression or posture, leaving her to wonder how long he’d been awake.

  She pulled her hand free.

  “We’re about twenty minutes from Santa Rosa,” she told him. “I bought you a coffee. It has a little heat left if you want it. There is cream and sweeteners.”

  He straightened in his seat and scrubbed his hands over his face.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I was in a cage fight with a motorcycle and lost.”

  “You need to choose your sparring partners more carefully.”

  He barked a laugh. “Yes, I do.” He picked up the to-go cup and took a sip. “Black is fine.” He stared over at her. “How are you doing?”

  Wow. Tears burned at the back of her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time someone asked how she was doing. She blinked, clearing her vision, shoving aside the maudlin reaction to a simple question.