“Come on, Colette, you can do it,” Abby’s voice came from far away.
“Please help me,” Colette screamed. The pressure disappeared and she sobbed in relief. As she brought her hands up to her face, she saw the blood. Her hands were covered with blood.
With a gasp, Colette woke up. The golden light of dusk painted the room and the baby was snuggled in her arms.
“A dream,” she murmured, trying to dismiss the disturbing sleep visions. Still, the fear surged upward, leaving a foul taste in her mouth as she wondered where she’d been, what she’d done. According to her license, she was twenty-two years old. Her life consisted of nothing more than a name, an age and an abiding fear.
She started as the door to the bedroom cracked open, then relaxed as Abby stuck her head in. “Oh, good. You’re awake. How do you feel?”
“Tired mixed with a million other emotions,” Colette admitted.
Abby walked across the room and sat in the chair at the side of the bed. “Okay, baby sister. Want to tell me where the hell you’ve been for the last ten months?” She reached out and took Colette’s hand in hers, her dark blue eyes solemn. “I’ve been worried sick about you since you quit writing to me.”
Although Colette sensed she could trust this woman with her very life, she found it difficult to confess the depths of her mental confusion. What if she told Abby she had amnesia and Abby tried to take the baby from her? What if it wasn’t really amnesia but some sort of mental illness? And yet, what choice did she have but to tell? With all the blank spots inher mind, there was no way she could pretend everything was all right.
Within minutes she’d told Abby everything she knew, which wasn’t much. Abby asked questions, her hand still holding tight to Colette’s, giving unspoken emotional support and letting Colette know she’d made the right choice in coming here. “I’ll have Doc Washburn give you a full examination, see if there’s any physical reason for your amnesia,” Abby said when Colette had finished explaining everything. “In the meantime, I’ll send for Belinda.”
“Belinda?”
“Our sister.” She smiled sympathetically at Colette’s frustration. “She’ll be here soon, then we can all powwow under the dragon tree.”
“The dragon tree.” Colette looked at Abby. “I remember that…we had a picnic one time beneath the tree.”
Abby smiled and in her eyes Colette saw pleasant memories and wished she had them, as well. “Every important occasion in our lives was talked about and shared beneath that tree.” She scribbled something on a piece of paper, folded it and stuck it in an envelope. “I’ll send this off tomorrow and by the end of the week Belinda should be here.”
“Where is she now?”
“About a year before you decided you wanted to go to California, Belinda decided to try her hand at living on her own in Kansas City. I spoke to her last week and she was between jobs and sounded homesick. I think she’ll welcome a reason to come home.”
“And I was living in California?”
Abby nodded. “You moved there about a year anda half ago. You got a job as a paralegal with a big law firm. Until about ten months ago, you wrote regularly, sounded happy and secure. Then your letters stopped coming and your phone was disconnected. My letters started coming back unopened, stamped ‘addressee unknown.’ I’ve been frantic with worry, but didn’t know how to find you. Every day I prayed you’d show up safe and sound.”
Again a whisper of fear danced up Colette’s spine. Why had she stopped writing? Why had her phone been disconnected? And what had she been doing in a motel room in Las Vegas? Dammit, why couldn’t she remember? What had happened to steal her memories from her? She looked down at the baby sleeping at her side, the fear no longer a whisper but a shout. “Abby, I think I’m in trouble.”
“What makes you think that?” Once again Abby sat and reached for her hand.
“I—I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have.” More than a feeling, it was a certain knowledge in her head. “I’m so scared.”
“That’s only natural.” Abby offered her a smile of reassurance. “Honey, you’re suffering a memory loss and that has to be frightening. You’re safe here, and I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before your memory comes back.”
“Abby, do you know who is the father of my baby? Am I married?”
Abby squeezed her hand. “I don’t know,” she answered softly. “I don’t know what happened to you in the months we lost contact.” She smiled, but the gesture looked forced. “It will all be okay, Colette.”She released Colette’s hand and stood. “Now, I’ll get out of here and let you get some more sleep.”
Colette nodded although she didn’t believe Abby’s words. Nothing was going to be okay. Her fear came from more than her lack of memory, it came from her gut, a visceral terror she couldn’t ignore. When Abby had left the room, Colette snuggled the baby closer to her side, knowing with the instincts of prey that someplace was a hunter, looking for her and her baby.
* * *
AS THE SUN SET, it lengthened shadows and formed pockets of darkness on the east side of the bunkhouse. A lone figure leaned against the planked wooden building, his gaze focused on the bedroom window where white lace curtains billowed inward with the night breeze.
He’d known she’d show up here sooner or later. It was the obvious place for her to come. She was smart, she was crafty, but she’d made a big mistake in being predictable and coming home.
He scuffed his snakeskin boot against the ground, impatience gnawing inside him, absently tracing the calluses he’d developed in the time he’d been working at the ranch.
It had been luck that had gotten him hired here a month ago. However, he wouldn’t depend on luck any longer. He had a job to do, and he couldn’t afford to screw up. Too much was at risk. She wouldn’t escape from him again.
