by K. C. Crowne
I feel an uncontrollable desire.
I need to make Jessica mine.
Her memory loss will make it difficult...
But I’m up for the task.
And a secret from the past threatens to take everything away.
One thing's for certain: this cowboy will ride to h*ll and back to fight for what's his.
Wyatt
Where is she?
The scream was sharp and quick.
High-pitched and piercing.
Loud enough to cut through the roar of the wind.
I glanced at the Texas sky; the storm clouds were rolling in fast, blotting out the southern sunshine. Thunder boomed like a cannon, and lightning crackled across the sky, over the family ranch.
There it is again. I jerked my head around as I tried to find the source.
I placed my hands on the fence and stared in the direction I thought it might be coming from.
At this point, the sun was low and dim and almost covered, making visibility harder by the minute.
I didn’t have much time.
Perhaps a guest at the property. Someone who’d had a little too much at the bar and decided to go for a lovely little stroll in one of the worst damn storms of the year.
Either way, I had to find them. Then I’d give them a piece of my damn mind.
This was no weather for strolls.
I patted the wood post of the fence and glanced toward the house where surely the fireplace was lit up with welcoming flames - far more inviting than the middle of the woods in a thunderstorm. The fireplace would have to wait.
Someone might’ve taken a fall, hurt themselves badly. With my medical background, I’d had enough training to help a patient if the need arose.
I felt determination well up inside of me.
My heartbeat quickened, and adrenaline coursed through my body.
With a clear head, I started in the direction of the scream.
I’d always had an easy time keeping a cool head in a crisis.
I pulled my father’s old shearling coat tight around me, the wind kicking up again and this time with rain, making the world in front of me a blur.
Texas had its positives, but the damn weather sure as hell wasn’t one of them. That was life in Texas – and you didn’t choose to live on a ranch if you apposed roughing’ it.
I sure as hell didn’t.
The wind whipped hard enough to make me hold onto the brim of my hat.
To my right was the family ranch, Rainbow Canyons. The lights glowing inside gave the place a homey feel, and the idea of being next to the wood-burning fire with a hot mug of coffee came back to my mind.
I let out a loud groan of frustration.
Better not be a hammered fool – or they’ll have more than a few scrapes on the knee to worry about.
Some of these out of town city guests wouldn’t know how to survive in an outdoor sporting goods store if they had to.
I kept on moving, my breath coming out in thick puffs in front of me.
Not only was it raining, but it was also probably less than forty degrees. I passed one of the horse stables and briefly considered taking out my stallion.
Thunder was always ready for an adventure but I thought better of it, figuring I didn’t need to subject both of us to the damn weather if I didn’t have to. Besides, the scream had sounded like it came from somewhere nearby.
I walked further, my mind going back and forth between thoughts of getting to the woman and the speech I’d give her.
I turned my attention back to the landscape as I moved. Rainbow Canyons wasn’t exactly isolated, but it was a good drive from the closest town. If the woman was someone I didn’t recognize, I’d sure as hell want to know how she’d ended up here.
Moving up the sloping hill to the west of the ranch, I trudged on. And as I did, my eyes scanned in every direction, trying to spot her.
I cupped my hands in front of my mouth and yelled. “Hey! Anyone out there?”
It didn’t do me much good.
Even with a deep voice like mine, drowning out the sound of the rain and intermittent thunder, there was no apparent response.
I picked up my pace, reaching the top of the bluff. It was a good vantage point.
“Damn, girl,” I muttered under my breath. “You’ve got to be here somewhere.”
A tinge of dread moved through my body as I considered the idea she might be lost, having fallen in a rocky ravine hidden to an out-of-towner.
My heart beat quickened again.
Then I saw something off in the distance near the tree line of the property oaks. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, only able to make out a swatch of dark red against the stark trees.
I started off in as quick of a run as I could manage in the rain, drawing closer and closer to the red among the trees. And as I did, the form began to take on the shape of a person. I could see the red jacket, along with a white knit cap on a head of auburn hair.
It was a woman, alright.
She laid face-down on the ground. My gut feeling about moving fast was correct. I rushed to her side and bent down next to her.
I placed my hand on her back, jostling her gently, careful not to exacerbate any injuries she might have suffered.
“Hey, you okay?” A ridiculous damn question, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
No one who was remotely okay would be face-down in the middle of a thunderstorm.
No response.
With a gentle heave, I turned her over.
Then, just like that, I had to catch my breath.
It was like a damn slow motion scene out of a movie. To say I was amazed was an understatement. I sure as hell didn’t expect to see a face like hers.
This woman, whoever she was, was striking.
She had to be damn near the most stunning creature I’d ever seen in my life - and that was saying a lot considering I wasn’t some young chap.
I was taken aback by a heart-shaped face, adorned with skin so fair I couldn’t help but appreciate the warm hue from her cheeks, giving her the appearance of an angel.
My eyes landed on her lips, full and pale and wet from the rain. Her auburn locks covered her right cheek, and for a moment I felt a selfish urge to move the luscious strands to the side so I could have an unobstructed view of this perfect masterpiece before me.
Raindrops landed gently on her face and neck, tiny drops dripping down her neck and chest. Her clothes were soaked through already, and she must have been freezing cold.
Her body was shapely and full. Even with her large winter coat, I could see the luscious curves from her chest down to her hips.
With force, I had to move my gaze back up to her face.
She was unreal.
Like a flood, questions consumed my mind, and my protective instincts kicked in.
Who is she?
Why was she alone?
How the hell did she end up here?
“Hello,” I said again. “You with me?”
No response.
This was bad.
I took off my glove, the cold biting instantly, and placed two fingers on the delicate curve of her neck.
No pulse.
Her chest wasn’t rising and falling with breath.
I looked over her neck and face again for any sign of what the hell might’ve happened to her. But other than being tinged red from the cold, there was no injury I could easily see.
I had zero room for pause; this was the time to act.
I unzipped her coat, revealing a yellow and black checkered flannel shirt covering her shapely figure.
Again, I forced my gaze away from her curves.
Inappropriate thoughts were the last thing I needed in my head.
This woman was going to live - if I had any say in the matter, and I needed to get her breathing immediately.
I pressed my hands down on her chest and pumped hard, starting CPR. Her body jerked as I did, but she still didn’t respond. I lea
ned down and placed my lips on hers, ignoring their softness - or the scent of lavender honey I picked up from her hair.
I breathed in once, twice, then three times before rising and pressing on her chest a few times more.
“Come on, girl.”
I pressed again and again and continued for what felt like an eternity. Alarm flooded my body until finally, something happened.
Like some damn storybook, at the moment my lips were about to touch hers again, her eyes opened softly.
She made me feel like I was the one who’d soon need CPR.
Her eyes, stunning green, that shone brightly even in the low sun. She looked dazed and confused.
She leaned up and sucked in a sharp gasp of air, her wet hair hanging around her face.
“Easy…” My voice soft and gentle; I didn’t want to terrify the poor girl any more than she likely already was.
Her expression told me she understood what I was asking.
I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her steady. “Are you alright?
She calmed her breathing down and started to appear more present and alert “Where…where am I?”
“You’re talking. That’s good. You’re in Rainbow Canyon, Texas, at my family ranch. You’re safe now. I’m gonna take you to the house and call for an ambulance. Can you get up on your feet?”
She shifted her eyes onto mine. “Who…who are you?”
“I’m one of the owners of this property you stumbled onto.” I could barely hear my own booming voice over the rain, which was now falling heavy all around us. Thunder boomed, jolting the poor girl in my arms.
We needed to get indoors.
The middle of a violent storm wasn’t the best place to have a getting to know you conversation.
“Are you able to get up?”
“I…I think so.”
I didn’t wait for her to try. I slipped my arm around her waist and heaved her up to her feet. As I did, I couldn’t help but notice there was more to this woman than her curves –she was built solid.
Just the kind of figure I could appreciate.
My six foot three frame nearly dwarfed what appeared to be her five foot two height.
Once she was up, I steadied her. “You think you can make the walk?”
“I can try.”
I took my hand from her and stepped back, giving her a chance to move on her own. She placed one foot in front of the other, but when she tried for her second step, she wavered, losing her balance and nearly falling over.
“Alright, easy,” I soothed. “I’m gonna help you, if that’s alright?.” After she give me a nod and stepped to her side, I slipped my arm around her waist.
“Now, it’s a little bit of a walk. You up for it?”
“Yeah, ah huh.” She said, not sounding too confident. She was pale, and her wide eyes looked tired. I needed to get her indoors where it was warm.
“Then let’s move.” Before we started off, I reached forward to zip her coat back up. She stopped me before I could.
“I can do it. I haven’t lost my ability to zip a jacket thank goddess.”
She had a sense of humor and seemed the independent sort. More traits I liked in a woman.
I raised my palms, signaling to her to go for it. Once she was zipped back up, I held her close and the two of us began moving. I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of her body close to me and selfishly contemplated taking a longer route to the house, but decided not to make her endure more time in the rain.
“Can you remember what you were doing out here, alone? I heard a few screams.”
“I…don’t know.” The expression on her face appeared scared and sincere, and it was clear she really had no idea.
“That’s alright, you still need to settle down from your scare. What about your name?”
“I…I don’t know that either.”
Shit that’s not good. Something was clearly wrong.
She must have experienced a concussion, in which case she needed to get real medical attention soon – like the hospital kind, not a vet like me checking her out in my living room.
I kept her body pressed against mine as we trudged through the muddy path we had to take to get to the house. She was cold, and my protective instinct flared up yet again as I considered the possibility of what might’ve happened if I hadn’t been there to find her.
We made it about halfway to the house when she stumbled, and I helped her regain her balance.
“You’re tired and need to rest. Come on – we’re almost there.”
She turned her groggy eyes up toward the massive house as it appeared in the distance. “That’s your house?”
“Yeah, that’s my house. I live there with my family. Come on.”
We continued, and every step or so I’d glance at her face to see how she was holding up.
Poor thing must have been scared straight.
Not having any memory of her past, including her name, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
But, with the proper medical supervision, she’d have a good chance to regain her memory.
Relief washed over me as we crossed the boundary of the property, the house only a stone’s throw away.
However inviting the house looked before the storm, it seemed like Heaven on Earth now.
Soon we were at the door and I pulled it open, a burst of hot air rushing out to greet us.
It felt incredible
We stepped into the foyer, the staircase of the giant, log cabin-style house looming high above as it always did.
“Wyatt!”
I recognized the voice of Mama G. She appeared moments later, stepping around the corner of the hallway. My mother was a tough old woman, wiry and slim but sturdy as hell for a woman of seventy. She was dressed in her usual outfit of jeans and a button-up farmer’s shirt, always looking like she was ready to head out to do some work on the ranch at a moment’s notice.
“Oh, my my!” she exclaimed, hurrying to my side. “How long you been out there in that mess of a storm?” She turned her attention to the girl before I had a chance to reply. “Poor thing, what happened to you?”
“She was caught in the storm. She needs to sit down and rest.”
“Get her into the living room. I’ll get something hot for her to drink.” She turned her attention to the woman. “We’ll get you nice and warm dear. I’m Ginny. Welcome to our home.” Mama G darted out of the room and toward the kitchen.
“Come on,” I encouraged, leading the woman out of the entry way.
In a few moments, we were in the spacious living room, the place was appointed with the same antique furniture it had been when my father had built it.
And just like I’d suspected, there was a roaring fire going, warm and crackling.
I tried to help our guest out of with her coat, but she slipped out of it and her boots before I had a chance.
I wanted to ask her several questions, but I knew she was in no condition for a drilling.
“Please, sit down,” I told her, heading for the phone. “I’m gonna call the hospital.”
“No, no hospital. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.” The comment was only about her state – because she sure looked pretty damn beyond fine as far as the rest of her was concerned.
As she moved slowly to the high-backed chair nearest to the fire –my usual spot— and with the light from the blaze of the fire, I noticed once again just how stunning she was.
She was unreal.
It was out of character for me to be so taken back by a woman these days.
Ever since my divorce, I had locked up that part of me in a dark place in my mind.
I didn’t know a single thing about this girl, but I had a strong feeling she was someone special and unique. I’d hoped like hell I could get to know her when her memory returned so I could know for certain.
Then, there was her undeniable beauty. She was all curves and had the face of an angel, the spitting image of
my type of woman.
She settled into the chair, and I went for my phone where I’d left it near the front door. A quick call to the nearest hospital later and an ambulance was on its way.
Mom hurried past me in a blur, two mugs of steaming coffee in her hands, one of which she quickly placed in mine. The heat from the mug was bliss.
“Someone’s comin’ for her,” I murmured to my mother.
“Okay.” Mom sat in the closest seat to the lovely woman. “Tell me what on earth were you doing out there?” She handed one of the mugs to her.
“I…don’t know.”
“What about your name?”
“She doesn’t remember that, either. I think she may be experiencing a concussion.”
Concern flooded my body. She must have really been in danger in the woods alone.
Hopefully, her head injury was not too serious.
“How about where you’re from?”
She stared blankly ahead, her brows furrowed, as if her brain wouldn’t tell her the answers. “Shoot…I…I don’t know that either.”
“Check your pockets,” my mother suggested gently after giving me a look. “Maybe you’ve got some kind of ID on you.”
The woman slipped her hands into one pocket after another. Finally, she pulled out a wallet, and from that removed a driver’s license. “My name’s…Jessica Whitman. I’m from Houston.”
I could see Jessica’s expression was more worried than before and decided to shift the conversation from asking questions to something else, at least for a little while.
“Name’s Wyatt, by the way,” I said. “Wyatt Walker.”
I reached over and offered her my hand. She took it, and I noted that her skin was warmer, though nowhere near normal.
“Thank you, Wyatt,” she murmured. She pulled her gaze from me to my mother. “Both of you.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Mama G assured her, patting Jessica’s leg in a motherly manner. “Just wanna make sure you’re taken care of.”
“This is all so scary, to say the least, but would be a hell of a lot worse if y’all weren’t here. I really appreciate it.”
Looks and a potty mouth. My kind of woman, and her accent was southern, which meant she was damn near perfect.
Jessica Whitman. I let the name play around in my thoughts for a moment. It was good to put a name to a face. And there was something about the woman, something that made me want to know about her than just her name – and I also want to do more to ensure her safety.