She pulled the horse to a stop as she soaked in the landscape. “It’s beautiful country here. Even the air smells cleaner. This place is beautiful, Lawson. Thank you for bringing me.”
He did his best not to get his hopes up at her words, but she wasn’t making it easy for him. Her presence was at once a painful reminder of his broken heart and a flicker of hope at what could be. She’d never been this appreciative of the place before. Was it just the amnesia or had her attitude truly changed? “I’m glad to hear it. Has it sparked anything?”
“No, but it is familiar. This place...it feels like home.” She turned and smiled at him and his heart soared. He’d never heard Ashlee refer to this place as home even when it nearly was.
“Why don’t we let the horses take a rest?” He slid off his horse, then helped her down, grabbing her waist and holding her against him longer than he needed to. She didn’t resist. All his senses went on high alert at being so near to her again and a dizzying current of electricity sparkled between them. His pulse quickened as she leaned into him, lifting her face to his eagerly. He cupped her face in his hands as his lips claimed hers. They were soft and sweet and willing.
He wasn’t being smart in getting his hopes up, but it had been six long years that they’d been apart. Yet he’d never stopped thinking of her, hoping that she might one day realize how much she missed this place...and him.
But then the image of Jake Stephens crowded into his thoughts. She hadn’t spent those years waiting for him. This wasn’t his Ashlee and she could never be, amnesia or no, because his version of Ashlee was a figment of his imagination, an idealized version that didn’t exist.
That thought grabbed hold of him and he released her, putting several steps between them as he struggled to regain his composure. He knelt and picked at the grass, tossing blades of it into the wind. It was a nervous habit, but he needed something to do with his hands when every instinct was telling him to pull her into his arms, kiss her again and worry about the future in the future.
Ashlee sat beside him, curling her legs beneath her. She seemed so carefree in spite of all she’d been through, and what had just happened between them.
“I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened,” he said, struggling to clear his throat enough to speak normally.
“I didn’t mind.” She stared at him, her eyes sparkling.
“You have a boyfriend,” he reminded her.
“Oh, right. I keep forgetting him.” The smile on her lips told him she was making light of her amnesia. It was both amusing and endearing. Also, completely frustrating.
She glanced out at the lake throwing reflective light off the water and took in a deep breath. “Were you serious before when you said I didn’t care for this place?”
He nodded. “You always felt it was too slow paced for your tastes. You wanted something faster with more action.”
She shook her head. “I certainly don’t feel that now. It’s lovely here. I can’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.”
His heart leaped at her words, but he had to keep calm. She didn’t know what she was saying. Maybe she felt this way now, but that would surely change when her memories returned and she recalled how much she loved the hustle and bustle of city life. He couldn’t risk falling for her again because of an impulsive kiss and a comment made while caught up in the moment. He wouldn’t be able to survive another heartbreak like the last time.
He had to guard his heart from her.
He stood and walked to the bank of the lake and she followed, slipping her hand into his so easily that if a shiver hadn’t run down his spine, he might not have even noticed. But it had and he did. He had to keep his wits about him. He’d told her about her leaving, but he hadn’t shared how devastated and shattered it had left him. If it hadn’t been for Silver Star and the solace it gave him, he wasn’t sure he would have made it through those dark days.
“I can’t afford to fall for you again, Ashlee. What happens when you get your memory back and remember that you don’t love me?”
“Who says that’s going to happen? Maybe I’ll remember how much I want to be here—how much I regret leaving.”
He wanted that to be true and opened his mouth to tell her so when a shot rang out and he jerked as something stung his gut and pain rushed through him. His knees buckled and he fell, hitting his head on a rock and sliding into the lake. His vision blurred, but he heard Ashlee scream and the horses whinny and bolt as another shot rang out. Water surrounded him and darkness flowed over him, and all he could think was that he had to help Ashlee.
But there was nothing he could do to help her as he lost consciousness.
* * *
Ashlee jumped behind a cluster of rocks as Lawson splashed into the water. She took cover and scanned the area. She couldn’t see who or where the shots came from, but she heard two more, one of them hitting a tree behind her, causing her to scream again.
Lawson was still in the lake, his legs on the bank and his head in the water. He wasn’t moving. Unless she could get to him to pull him out, he would drown before he regained consciousness. But if she left the shelter of these rocks, the shooter would surely fire again.
She didn’t know what to do. Lawson’s face was nearly submerged and he still hadn’t moved. His time was running out. She had to make a decision. Hide or risk it to save his life?
She decided to risk it. She couldn’t let him drown.
She crept out from behind the rocks. Another shot rang out, hitting the stone and breaking off a chunk that splattered in front of her, spraying rocks into her face. She shrieked and retreated behind the formation. She was pinned down and although she couldn’t see the shooter, she suspected he was perched in the tree line a few hundred yards away. She was trapped and Lawson’s time was running out.
She cried out to God for help and something returned to her. Not a memory, but a feeling so strong and raw that she knew it had to be real. Dread and shame rushed through her that she’d caused this to happen to Lawson.
But Lawson shouldn’t have to pay for her mistakes.
She hadn’t meant to put his life at risk, but it had happened, and she would never forgive herself if he died because of it. She should never have come here, no matter the danger against her, but she hadn’t been able to resist the pull of this place and the safety it represented.
Well, it wasn’t so safe now.
She glanced at Lawson again and saw the water turning red around him. He was bleeding. She had to get to him. Yet even if she could reach him, how would they get past the shooter to find help?
Suddenly, the sound of galloping hoofs approached and she very nearly collapsed with relief when she spotted Paul and another rider headed her way on horseback. Both had their rifles raised. As they neared, Paul started firing toward the tree line and the other man followed suit. Their horses roared past her and Ashlee took the opportunity to hurry to the water.
She waded in and reached for Lawson, who was still unconscious and bleeding from the stomach. She grabbed him by the shirt and tried to pull him out, but he was too heavy for her to budge once they reached the bank. She couldn’t free him completely from the lake alone. All she could do was wait for Paul to return to help her.
Ashlee stroked Lawson’s face as the afternoon sun bore down on them. She ran her finger over his strong jaw and unshaved stubble. The wound on his head didn’t look bad, though it had been enough to knock him out. The injury to his side, however, was bleeding heavily. He needed to get to a doctor. Where was Paul? It seemed like he’d been gone for so long. Hopefully, he’d captured whoever was shooting at them. Surely, he’d run him off at least. But if so, why hadn’t he returned?
She stared at Lawson’s face, noticing how pale he’d grown. Tears pooled in her eyes as fear pulled through her. He’d been shot trying to protect her. Lawson had taken the bullet meant for her.
Heavy footfalls sounded and she turned to see Paul’s friend break through the tree line before reining his horse to a stop and jumping off.
“It’s okay. I’m a friend. My name’s Zeke,” he said as he rushed over to help her with Lawson.
“Did you get him?” she asked.
“Paul is still trying to track him down. He sent me back here to help.”
“He was hit when the gunfire started. He fell and hit his head on the rocks.”
Zeke grabbed Lawson under the shoulders and pulled him onto the bank with a strength Ashlee couldn’t match. He then dropped to his knees and checked Lawson’s breathing, his pulse and, finally, his injuries. “Looks like the bullet only grazed him, but it’s bleeding pretty badly.” He pulled off his top shirt, wadded it up, then grabbed her hand and pressed the shirt on top of the wound. “Hold your hand here and press down to stop the bleeding.”
He pulled out his phone from his pocket and made a call. “Lawson’s hurt. We need to get him to the hospital. We’re by the lake. Paul and I heard gunfire, then saw two men shooting at Lawson and Ashlee. Paul’s still out there searching.” Zeke ended the call. “Help is on the way.”
She glanced at the shirt and noticed blood was already soaking it. Lawson needed help and quick. Given how long it had felt before Zeke returned—even though it had actually only been minutes—she wondered if whoever he had called would arrive in time.
“How did you find us?” she asked.
Zeke knelt beside Lawson and monitored his breathing. “We heard the shots so we headed this way.”
After what seemed like an eternity, she heard a loud noise and looked up to see an ATV followed by a pickup truck approaching. The ATV stopped and Zeke rushed to the driver—Lawson’s brother Colby. He spoke to Colby, then motioned in the direction Paul had gone.
“Get him to the hospital. I’ll go help Paul,” Colby hollered as he took off on the ATV.
The pickup pulled to a stop and Lawson’s mother and father got out and hurried over. Diane knelt beside Lawson and pushed Ashlee’s hands away to examine the wound, then replaced them. “We have to bandage this up until we get him to the hospital.” Marshall handed over a first-aid kit and she pulled out bandages and gauze and dressed the wound.
Ashlee was pulled aside, but Marshall took a blanket from the truck and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Thank you.”
A moment later, the brothers returned.
“What did you find?” Marshall asked.
Paul pulled his horse to a stop. “Tire tracks by the back gate. They drove in here in a truck, but they’re long gone now.”
His father seemed to take that in before turning back to the problem at hand. “Both of you get over here and help us load Lawson into the truck.”
Paul slid off the horse and Colby shut off the ATV. Together with Zeke, the men carried Lawson to the truck and loaded him into the backseat. Ashlee crawled in with him while his parents got into the front.
“The horses Lawson and Ashlee were riding took off at the gunfire. Zeke and I will hang back to find them,” Paul stated.
Colby pushed his hands through the window and held his mother’s hands for a moment. “And I’ll make sure everything is secured back at the house. I’ll also call Miles and Kellyanne. They’ll want to know.”
Ashlee couldn’t see Lawson’s mother’s expression from her spot in the backseat, but she noticed the way the older woman’s shoulders shook as she released her son’s hands. “We’ll call with news,” she told him as her husband cranked the engine and took off.
Everyone in the truck was silent on the drive. Lawson still hadn’t regained consciousness by the time they reached the emergency room. Ashley watched as the hospital personnel loaded Lawson onto a gurney, then disappeared into the building. She couldn’t do anything for him and she couldn’t even form the words to express her overflowing emotions in prayer.
Once they were inside, she fell to a chair and put her hands over her face as the tears flowed.
He’d looked so dead, so eerily still in the water. Dread filled her as she imagined what she would do without him. Selfish, yes, but she had no one else she trusted to keep her safe.
“Don’t you worry,” Diane told her, taking the seat beside her. “He’ll be fine. He’s a fighter. All my children are fighters.”
Ashlee was sure that was true. This family had already shown her they weren’t afraid to take a risk. She should feel safe surrounded by them, but fear gripped her. She was in trouble, terrible trouble, and she had no idea what she had done to solicit such danger. Where had that money come from and what had she been doing with it? She just didn’t know.
Paul and Colby arrived later and Diane spoke to both Miles and Kellyanne on her cell phone as they waited. Finally, the ER doctor appeared and the family stood, surrounding him.
“He’s awake and alert. The damage from the bullet wasn’t substantial, but he hit his head when he fell. You’ll need to watch him for a concussion.”
Diane hugged her husband then Ashlee, but she was calm and collected as she turned to the doctor. “He’s got a hard head, Doctor. All my boys do.”
“I’m sure he does. We want to keep him for observation, but he’s determined to return home. Perhaps you could convince him to stay?”
Marshall shook his head. “I doubt we’ll be able to do that. When he’s determined about something, he usually gets his way. Besides, my wife used to work as a nurse. She’ll know what to watch for.”
The doctor nodded. “I’m glad to hear he’ll have people to look after him. If he displays any slurring of speech or vomiting, I want you to bring him back in.”
Ashlee was incredibly relieved he was going to be okay and that he had a good support system. She wished she had something like that. For all she knew, she did have it, yet even as she had the thought, tears pressed against her eyes and she knew it was not true. If she did, then why did she have such a longing in her gut for it? She couldn’t get past the horrible certainty that her life was isolated and she was alone. Those feelings of dread and shame she’d felt earlier resurfaced.
Lawson looked pale as a nurse pushed him to the entrance in a wheelchair over Lawson’s protests that he was capable of walking. Ashlee doubted he could do so easily and was glad they were making him take it easy. As his brothers surrounded him, she was assured they would make certain he didn’t overexert himself.
“We’ll go get the truck and pull it around,” his father told them before he and Diane exited the hospital.
Colby, Paul and Josh waited with her and Lawson.
“You guys can go,” Lawson told them.
Josh shook his head. “We’ll wait to help you into the truck first and then I need to get back to the office.”
“And we need to get back to the ranch,” Paul stated, motioning to him and Colby. “We still need to find those horses that bolted. Zeke searched after we left, but he sent me a text earlier that he couldn’t find them.”
“What about the person who shot me? Did you find him?”
The brothers glanced at one another, then Josh shook his head. “Not yet, but we will.”
Something about their expressions told Ashlee that, despite their initial hesitation when she’d first arrived, they were now squarely intent on closing this case, if only so they could find out who had shot their brother. That act alone had pulled the full force of the Avery brothers into the mix, which meant she’d now allowed an entire family to put themselves in harm’s way.
Lawson reached for her hand. “I’m okay,” he assured her, as if he could see the guilt written across her face.
He was okay for now, but that image of him lying unconscious in the water would forever haunt her. He’d nearly died taking a bullet for her.
She glanced over his shoulder to the coffee bar in the hospital’s foyer. His parents would be seve
ral minutes walking to the parking garage then getting the truck. “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee and a muffin,” she told him. “Can I get you something?”
“No, I’m not hungry. You go ahead.”
He must have sensed her need to get out from under the scrutiny of her brothers because he squeezed her hand, then released it quickly. She hurried to the coffee bar and ordered a small cup and two muffins, thinking he might change his mind and want one later.
As the barista turned away to fix her drink, she sensed someone suddenly beside her and felt a sharp object press against her side and a hand clamp over her mouth.
“Make a sound and I’ll gut you,” the man sneered.
She glanced toward where Lawson and his brothers were still by the door, talking. Not one of them was looking this way. Even the barista hadn’t turned around. No one was watching as the man dragged her away.
SIX
Lawson heard something fall and glanced at the coffee bar to see an overturned chair and the barista calling Ashlee’s name, but Ashlee wasn’t there.
“Ashlee! She’s gone.”
His brothers sprang into action, each one running past the coffee bar to search for her while Lawson wheeled himself over and saw Ashlee’s wallet had fallen on the floor. He grimaced as he bent over and picked it up.
“Where’s the woman this belongs to?” he asked the barista. “Did you see where she went?”
The girl’s eyes widened in fear at his frantic tone. “I didn’t. One minute she was there, but when I turned around the next, she was gone.”
He wheeled himself down the hallway to the elevators. He didn’t know where his brothers had gone, but they’d surely spread out to search. He hated being in this chair, but he could move faster in it than he could walk right now.
At the end of the elevator entrance hall was a door with a keypad lock that he thought led to the emergency department. He banged on it, hoping someone would hear and open it, but he stopped when a cry from the stairwell grabbed his attention. He turned around and headed toward it. Whoever’d taken Ashlee must have been hiding there because he heard her cry out again. He pushed to his feet, ignoring the pain that was stabbing at his side, and opened the door. He leaned over the railing to see Ashlee being dragged behind a figure dressed all in black, with a cap shielding his face. They were two stories below Lawson’s position and heading for the basement floor.
Texas Twin Abduction Page 9