Piper gently nudged me again.
“Right. Breakfast.”
I quickly picked up the brush to remove the few knots and tangles. I could tell I had wavy, maybe curly hair. Once it dried, I’d find out for sure. It was strange to look at myself in the mirror and have no idea who I was.
A pair of fluffy socks—the only clothing likely belonging to a woman—was sitting on the counter. I slipped them on and sighed in relief at how comfy they were.
Looking down at Piper, I said, “Lead the way, girl.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Liam
My hands shook as I broke the eggs into the pan. I needed answers from the stranger upstairs, but at the same time, I knew I needed to go slow with her. She had clearly been through something traumatic. Her whimpers and cries during her sleep had told me that much. Three times, she had cried out for someone to leave her alone. To not touch her. It had made me sick to my stomach to hear the pain in her voice. I’d hardly slept the last two days for fear she would need me. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I felt instantly protective of her.
When I’d gotten her to my house and brought her up to the largest bedroom upstairs that was an en suite, I immediately started to get the soaked clothes off her. I’d noticed a necklace around her neck, but hadn’t initially paid much attention to it. Not until I started to take her bra off.
That was when my entire world stopped.
My fingers could barely grasp the locket because my hands shook so badly. When I opened it, I sucked in a shocked breath. I’d looked at the woman passed out in the bed and whispered, “Whoareyou?”
The sound of Piper running down the wood steps caused me to draw in a deep breath and focus on keeping calm and notbombarding her with questions. I hadsomany damn questions. Turning to greet her…it felt like the air had been pulled from my lungs.
I’d known Mallory was pretty; even in the state she was in when I’d found her, I could tell. But seeing her freshly showered, and after what was clearly a lot of much-needed sleep, she was more than pretty—she was beautiful. Her brown hair was damp from the shower and starting to curl as it dried, and her hazel eyes didn’t really reflect fear at the sight ofme…but they still said she was afraid ofsomething. And that made me sick.
Had she been with Emily? Had Emilygivenher the locket? Was she on my land specifically because she’d been coming to get me…to help Emily?
“Thank you again for bringing me here. To your house,” she said, slipping onto a stool at the island. It was clear her mind was racing.
“Do you like eggs, Mallory?”
When she lifted her eyes, I got a better look at them—hazel with gold sunbursts. Even her eyes were stunning.
“I don’t know.”
Frowning, I asked, “You don’t know?” Was she pretending to not remember anything or was she truly suffering from amnesia? I couldn’t tell, but my instincts told me she wasn’t pretending.
Tears pooled in her eyes once again, and she reached back and touched a spot on her head. “I think I was hit over the head.”
Quickly turning off the stove, I made my way over to stand behind her. “Point to where it hurts.”
She did so and said, “There was a lot of blood in my hair, and I have a knot right here.”
I gently moved her hair and saw a small bump and an injury that was starting to heal. I felt it, and she sucked in a quick breath.
“I’m so sorry that hurt. It looks like you had a gash in your head. Did you fall?”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t think so. I thinkhedid it.”
My heart started to pound so loudly that I could hardly think.
I returned to the stove, grabbed the pan, and put the eggs on two plates. Grabbing some bacon, I didn’t even bother to ask her if she liked it. It was clear she couldn’t remember anything, and by the injury on her head, that was likely the reason why.
Adding a biscuit, I slid the plate across the large island. “Orange juice?”
“Um, sure. Thank you.”
I poured us each a glass. Moving slowly, Mallory buttered her biscuit but didn’t add jam. By her own admission she was starving, but I could tell she was trying to be polite.
