“That’s always a possibility,” Colby said, “but until she remembers what’s going on, we’re searching for something and we don’t even know what it is. I called in a favor and had an agent go down to that firm’s headquarters and start asking questions. If there is something going on, she may be able to flush it out, but it’s a long shot.”
“Sometimes they pay off,” Lawson reminded him.
Colby nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sometimes they do.”
“Until then,” Josh interrupted, “we’ve got no reason to hold Stephens. Let’s turn him loose.”
Lawson glanced at Ashlee. They needed more than a long shot. They needed answers if he was going to keep her safe. But at least she wasn’t leaving with Jake Stephens.
FIVE
Jake emerged from the interview room. He’d removed his suit coat and tie and was carrying them slung over his arm as he approached her. “They’re letting me go. I guess they believe me that I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
“They’re only doing their jobs.” The need to defend Lawson and Cecile and Josh was strong. They’d taken her in and helped her. “They’re being careful.” And she was thankful for that. She didn’t know anything about this man or what he was into.
He gave her a questioning stare. “What about you? Do you believe me?”
She glanced up into his dark eyes, praying for something familiar, some twinge of recognition to hit her, but nothing happened. This man was more of a stranger to her than Lawson. There was no familiarity here, no sense of safety. Just...nothing. It was obvious he wanted something from her, but she couldn’t give it. “I’m sorry. I don’t know you. I don’t remember you.”
“I guess that means you really aren’t coming home with me then?”
She shook her head. “I need to remain here to figure out what’s going on.”
Jake rubbed his face, his frustration over this whole encounter showing. “I don’t suppose my staying would do any good.”
“I don’t see how.” Ashlee wasn’t sure she wanted him to stay. She didn’t trust him and it had nothing to do with anything he’d said or done, or any sense of danger she felt. She didn’t trust anyone but Lawson. Everyone else in her life was suspect. “Until I figure out what happened to me or get my memories back, I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“I’m sorry you feel this way. I care about you very much, Ashlee.”
She didn’t want to hear about his feelings for her. They weren’t what was important. She needed answers. “What do you know about my sister, Bree?”
“Not much. I know she recently moved in with you, but I’ve never met her. I always sensed you and she were close.”
How intimately could she have known this man if Ashlee hadn’t even shared information about her sister with him? According to Lawson, they’d always had a close relationship, with Ashlee even rushing to bail out Bree when she needed it.
Jake reached out and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It was an intimate gesture that she didn’t like. It didn’t feel right to her, but he seemed oblivious to her discomfort. That seemed like a bad sign.
“Okay. I’ll go. But I won’t stop worrying about you, Ashlee.” He pulled a card from his wallet and handed it to her. “Here’s my number in case you misplaced it. I hope you’ll remember it soon, but in case you don’t and you need anything—anything—phone me and I’ll be here.”
“Thank you, Jake. I appreciate that.” She slipped the card into her jeans’ pocket and stared up at him.
He bent to kiss her, but she leaned away from him. She wasn’t ready for that.
He took the hint and nodded. “Sorry. Habit.”
She couldn’t imagine his arms around her or letting him kiss her. Those thoughts only felt right when they involved the cowboy across the room, wringing his hat in his hand, a sliver of jealousy in his blue eyes. She didn’t know if she was remembering their past together or just daydreaming, but Lawson was the one who came to her mind when she imagined such things. Maybe she’d never gotten over him, after all, and this was their second chance. She didn’t know, but she did know the man standing before her was not the man she wanted to be with. Not now.
But as she walked him outside, he seemed unwilling to leave her. “I’ll keep in touch.”
“Goodbye, Jake.”
“And don’t worry about your job, either. It’ll be there for you when you’re ready to return.”
Her job? She hadn’t even given that a single thought since this all began, except for looking up herself on the company’s web site. She couldn’t imagine walking into that office and having no idea what it was she even did there. But she might have to face that exact situation sometime in the future if her memory didn’t return.
No, don’t think like that. She was going to get her memories back. She had to think positive. It was going to happen.
She watched Jake climb into his rental car and drive away before returning to the safety of Lawson and the ranch. Returning to a life she couldn’t remember with a man she didn’t know wasn’t her first choice, but she also didn’t want to be a burden to Lawson and his family. After all, she’d already hurt them so much.
But her mind was still on her sister.
The fact that Bree wasn’t responding to Ashlee’s messages bothered her. Was she in trouble? Or hurt? Maybe even dead? Could Bree’s death be the traumatic event Ashlee had witnessed that had been so horrible she’d blocked all her memories out? She didn’t like to even think about that, but she had to consider it. What else could be so terrible that she would want to forget everything?
God, wherever Bree is, please keep her safe and bring her back to me.
* * *
With no further information about who was after Ashlee or why, Lawson drove her back to the ranch, grateful she hadn’t decided to leave with Jake Stephens, after all. She was safer here than anywhere else and that was important to him.
And his heart wasn’t the littlest bit inflated that she’d chosen him over Mr. Money Suit.
His phone rang as they drove and he glanced at it in its cradle on the dashboard. He didn’t recognize the number, but it had a Dallas area code. He answered it, curious as to who would be calling him.
“Hello? Deputy Avery, this is Jan McAlpin. We met at the apartment when you and Ashlee came by earlier.”
Ashlee was looking at him with curiosity.
“I remember you, Mrs. McAlpin. What can I do for you?”
Ashlee leaned closer to him, excitement already plastered on her face, clearly hopeful for good news. He put the phone on speaker mode so they could both hear.
“I saw Bree at the apartment just a little while ago. She seemed to be fine. I asked her if she’d spoken to Ashlee and she claimed she hadn’t seen any messages from her.”
“You actually spoke to her?”
“Yes, I did. She’s there now, in fact.”
“We’re three hours away. If you see her trying to leave, stop her. Tell her we’re on our way and that her sister needs to speak with her badly.” She agreed and he ended the call.
Ashlee’s eyes were glowing with happiness. “I’m so relieved to find out she’s okay. I’ve been eating myself up with worry.”
He turned the truck around, heading back toward the highway. He phoned Josh to give his brother the update.
“That’s good news. Just be careful. Remember what happened the last time you two drove into Dallas.”
“Don’t worry,” Lawson assured him. “I’m keeping watch.” Although he didn’t mention it to Ashlee, he was concerned their attackers may be watching the apartment, too. Would they see Bree there and try to confront her? Or was she in cahoots with whoever had attacked Ashlee?
He didn’t want to believe Bree was connected, but the fact that she’d walked right back into the apartment without fear to
ld him she was either involved or knew nothing about what was going on. If it was the latter, then where had she been for the past few days? Either way, he needed some answers from her.
He drove as fast as he could without breaking the speed limit. He could sense Ashlee was anxious to reach her apartment and get some answers from her sister. Her concern and worry for her sister was, sadly, all too familiar. Bree had spent most of her life giving her sister needless concerns for her safety.
He pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and parked the truck. Ashlee hopped out and he hurried to catch up to her as she bolted for the stairs.
She hurried down the breezeway, but something grabbed Lawson’s attention before they reached the apartment. The door to her neighbor’s unit stood open and Ashlee’s cat slipped out and took off. Maybe Mrs. McAlpin had left it open because she was looking for them or listening for Bree to try to leave, but something about it made the hairs on his neck stand on end.
He grabbed Ashlee’s arm as she walked in front of the window to the elder woman’s apartment and pulled her backward just as bullets went flying through the window. She screamed and he shoved her through Mrs. McAlpin’s doorway, slamming the door and locking it as more bullets flew.
Ashlee screamed again and he turned around to see Mrs. McAlpin bound to a chair. She was slumped over, a fatal gunshot wound through her head.
Lawson took out his phone and shoved it at Ashlee. “Call 9-1-1.” He pulled his gun from his holster and stood to the side of the front window, trying to get a look at the outside exterior walkway. He didn’t have a good line of sight to Ashlee’s door, but he saw it open and a hulking figure exited the apartment and headed their way, the shape of a gun in his hands.
Lawson’s heart was pounding in his ears, but he remained still, watching and waiting to see if the man approached Mrs. McAlpin’s door. Ashlee huddled in the corner, still on the phone with emergency services, as the man stopped in front of the door and the knob turned. Lawson moved back from the door and raised his weapon, his pulse racing at the thought of having to use it. He’d only fired it once during his time with the sheriff’s office, but he would shoot if he had to. If it meant getting between this man and Ashlee, he would do it in a heartbeat.
The knob turned again, then again as his attempts to get inside grew more furious. Lawson heard him grunt in frustration. Lawson released the safety on his gun, already sensing what was about to happen. This guy wasn’t going to just leave. He’d come too far. He’d killed Mrs. McAlpin to get Ashlee back here and he needed to finish the job by killing Ashlee.
Well, he wasn’t going to get to her, not if Lawson had anything to do with it.
The door burst open as it was kicked in. Pieces of wood went flying. Ashlee screamed, but Lawson stood firm, first warning the man to stop, then firing as the man came into view, his weapon raised. Lawson’s first bullet hit the man’s arm and he jerked backward, but he came back, raising the gun again. Lawson fired a second time and the man hit the ground.
Sirens sounded in the distance. Hearing them, the man scrambled to his feet before Lawson could fire another shot. He took off running down the stairs, then into the woods behind the parking lot.
Only when he was certain the intruder was gone did Lawson turn to check on Ashlee. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
She looked up at him with fear shining in her green eyes. “I’m okay.”
He pulled her into his arms and she burrowed her head into his shoulder, sobs racking her body.
“Do you think she was here?” Ashlee asked, her breath catching as she sobbed. “Do you think Bree was really here?”
He would need to double-check her apartment, but his gut was telling him no. “Mrs. McAlpin was probably forced to make that call at gunpoint, then once it was done, he shot her.”
She glanced over at her neighbor, then pushed her face back into his chest. He pulled his arms around her and held her as her body shook with shock, horror and fear. They’d nearly walked into a trap that had been set to get Ashlee back to her apartment.
He couldn’t be that careless again.
Because whoever was after Ashlee would stop at nothing to get to her.
* * *
Ashlee was quiet on the drive back to Silver Star. She’d stopped crying, but sadness still hung over her. As he’d expected, there was no sign that Bree had ever returned to her apartment. Mrs. McAlpin had been used as a decoy to lure them there.
He’d phoned Josh to let him know what had happened and, after several hours of recounting the events to the Dallas PD, then searching for Ashlee’s cat who’d gone missing in all the commotion, they’d returned home as night fell. They hadn’t found the cat, but Lawson had left his number with several neighbors who’d agreed to keep their eyes open for him. He parked, then led her into the house and up to her bedroom, hoping she would get a good night’s sleep and feel better tomorrow.
But despite his hopes, he knew the truth. Ashlee wouldn’t feel better until she knew what had happened to her sister and who wanted her dead.
When she missed breakfast the next morning, his concern kicked up a notch.
“Give her some time,” his dad advised him. “She’s been through a lot. She’ll work it out on her own and come down when she’s ready.”
His mother agreed. “I’ll take her up a plate. That’ll probably make her feel better.”
“I’ll do it,” he offered, but she shooed him away.
“You, go work. There are things to be done.”
Lawson slipped on his hat and walked outside, knowing his parents were right. She needed time and space right now and he would give that to her. But, as he headed for the barn, he spotted her at Kellyanne’s window staring down at him. He took off his hat and gave her a little wave, happy to see that she returned it.
He went about his chores and after a while spotted Paul and their part-time ranch hand, Zeke, saddling up two horses in the barn.
“What’s going on?” he asked his brother.
“We’re going out to check the fence line to see if any repairs are needed. I want to show Zeke what to look for and how to make repairs. Figured we’d take the horses out instead of the ATVs.”
“I know what a broken fence looks like and how to repair it,” Zeke stated. Lawson didn’t doubt him. The kid was only twenty-two, but he’d been around ranches all of his life, having grown up on his uncle’s ranch on the other side of town. He’d taken the job at Silver Star to supplement his income while he attended the local community college.
Zeke probably didn’t need a lesson, but it wouldn’t hurt him to learn how they did things at Silver Star. Plus, Lawson knew Paul was restless—and he wasn’t wrong to think the fences needed checking. With only Lawson on the ranch, the outlying fences and borders had likely been breached by kids out riding or hunters.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll saddle up and help.”
Paul nodded. “We’ll start at the east fence line. You start at the west.” With that decided, Paul and Zeke mounted their horses and took off.
Lawson went back to the house to check on Ashlee before he headed out and was thrilled to find her with his mother shelling peas.
He leaned against the doorway and noticed she looked better today.
“Everything okay?” she asked when she spotted him.
“Everything’s great,” he told her, unable to stop the smile he was sure was spreading across his face at how nice she looked sitting there, helping his mother. She looked more at ease in this house now than she ever had been with her memory intact—and back then, she’d never before been one to jump in and offer to help. Another clue he’d missed that she hadn’t been cut out for ranch life where surviving depended on everyone pulling their weight. “I need to go check out some fence lines. Are you going to be okay here?”
“I’d love to go with you.” Her face
was full of excitement as she turned to him, and he thought the fresh air and sunshine was just what she needed.
“We did talk about taking a ride, didn’t we?”
Excitement bubbled in her eyes, but then she glanced at his mother and what she was doing. Before she could protest, Diane took charge. “You go ahead. I’ll manage this.”
Ashlee slipped on a pair of his sister’s cowboy boots and his heart skipped a beat when she stared up at him from beneath the hat he’d grabbed to keep the afternoon sun from bearing down on her. She looked like a right fine cowgirl and it got his mind racing again with foolish thoughts that this was the place where she belonged.
He saddled up the gentlest of their mares for her to ride since he had no idea how long it had been since she’d been in the saddle—not to mention her lack of riding memories.
Once upon a time, he’d been planning to give her a horse as a wedding gift. He’d sold the mare after Ashlee ran away. He couldn’t bear to look at the horse any longer and wanted a home for her where she would mean something good to someone. But today, seeing the way Ashlee’s hair curled at her neck beneath the cowboy hat and the way she managed the mare, she looked so authentically at home that it took his breath away.
He slipped onto his horse and they headed out. She wasn’t as steady on the mare as he remembered her being, but he could chalk that up to her amnesia and lack of recent practice. She soon found her stride and had the mare in a gentle gallop. The smile that stretched across her face warmed his heart and he pushed his horse to keep up with her. He wanted to tell her to take it slow, but he enjoyed seeing her appreciate the horse and the experience.
They rode along the fence line and he spotted a gap. He hadn’t thought to bring any tools to fix it, so he made a note of the location, then headed for the lake. He didn’t want to push Ashlee too far on her first outing even if she did seem to be enjoying the ride.
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