Stranded and Seduced

by Charlene Sands

  “Fine. If we can’t get the car started or find a way out of here, we’ll have nothing but time to talk.”

  A few minutes later, they closed the door behind them and ventured out in the soggy murk that used to be the road leading up to the lodge. The air was fresh and cool, and it felt good to be outside after nearly twenty-four hours of confinement. Risk had a firm grasp on her hand, and the connection kept a steady surge of warmth flowing between them.

  They sloshed slowly, taking cautious steps, fighting through strong breezes that rustled the trees and blew her hair in every direction. Her foot hit a dip in the road, and she stumbled, struggling for balance, but Risk was right there pulling her up before she fell. “Careful,” he said, drawing her close. He bent his head and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, staring at his mouth, wishing for things that were impossible. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for the save.”

  “Any time,” he said, his dark eyes gleaming.

  This man, this Risk, was appealing and kind and...

  Suddenly, a sound from above had both of them looking skyward—a whop, whop, whopping as a helicopter came into view. It flew directly over them, and as they lifted their gazes to the chopper, April recognized the Rising Springs Ranch logo immediately. “Risk, it’s your family’s helicopter. Looks like we’ve been rescued.”

  Five

  Risk refused a gurney, but the Boone County Hospital staff who’d been waiting for him by the helipad insisted on putting him in a wheelchair. He grabbed for April’s hand and she walked alongside him as he was wheeled to the back entrance of the hospital. Lucas Boone, who’d piloted the helicopter and flown them to safety along with Mason, walked a few steps behind their brother’s wheelchair.

  Cameras clicked away, and reporters eager for the scoop shouted questions. April recognized many of them. It surprised her to see them there, but then she’d almost forgotten how important the Boones were in this town. News of a Boone missing in a storm, even for one night, was sure to make headlines.

  “Hey, Risk, how does this compare to the fall you took from Justice?”

  “What happened to your head?”

  April squeezed his hand, and he looked up at her, baffled.

  “Can you make a comment, Mr. Boone? Give us something?” one of them asked.

  Risk put up his free hand. “Hold up a minute, if you could,” he said, turning to the nurse pushing him. The nurse looked none too happy as she brought the wheelchair to a halt.

  Risk looked into the faces of the reporters. “I can’t answer those questions. I don’t remember. But I will say my fiancée took really good care of me when I got injured. April’s been by my side the entire time, and we’re both very fortunate we made it through okay.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t remember? Do you have amnesia?” a reporter shouted.

  “Are you saying you’re engaged?” another reporter questioned.

  Half a dozen more inquiries were shouted at both of them.

  April froze as all eyes landed on her. She didn’t have to see the look on Mason and Lucas’s faces—they were behind her—to know they were in total shock about their brother’s announcement. In less than a beat, cameras pointed her way and questions were hurled at her. She kept a stoic face, but inside her head was aching. Risk had just announced to all of Boone Springs that he had amnesia and that he was engaged to be married. A photographer bent down real low and snapped a photo of the diamond ring on her left finger.

  By then, half a dozen hospital employees circled them, blocking the reporters from entering the building, and a doctor stepped up. “That’s all for today. We won’t know the extent of Mr. Boone’s injury until we examine him. I know Mr. Boone would want you to respect his privacy.”

  “Does he have amnesia?”

  “As I said, we won’t know until we have a chance to give him a thorough exam.”

  Minutes later, Risk was brought into an emergency examining room. Lottie Sue Brown was waiting for him. His aunt Lottie was an icon around town, and even though April had never met her formally, she recognized her immediately from seeing her at local events.

  Mason put a hand on Risk’s shoulder, and Aunt Lottie bent to kiss his cheek. “You had us worried sick. We’re all glad you were found safe.”

  Risk gazed at April, clearly baffled.

  April whispered near his ear. “This is your aunt Lottie.”

  They’d been warned about his amnesia by a quick text from Mason giving them the information as April relayed it to him in the chopper. But Risk’s total lack of recognition still seemed to come as a surprise to his family.

  And needless to say, Mason and Lucas were eyeing her with extreme caution and curiosity after Risk’s bold announcement that she was his fiancée.

  Two ER doctors entered the room along with another nurse. “Please, I know you’re worried about Mr. Boone, but we’re going to ask you all to step outside now. We need to give him a thorough examination.”

  “Doctor, please let us know if you have any questions at all,” Mason said.

  “Of course.” The doctor gestured toward the door.

  Mason, Luke and Lottie filed out, while Risk held on to April’s hand very tightly. She made a move to leave, and reluctantly, he released her fingers one by one. “I’ll be just outside,” she assured him.

  He gave her a half smile as she exited the room.

  As soon as she stepped into the waiting room, Mason, Luke and Lottie were waiting for her with wary looks on their faces.

  Her stomach knotted into a tiny ball. She was in deep, almost wishing she was back at the lodge, away from the family, away from the media circus that would be her life unless she cleared things up.

  Lottie was the first to speak. “Are you feeling all right, April?”

  “Y-yes, thanks for asking. Other than feeling a little tired, I’m fine.” She was drained, and not only because she and Risk had spent countless hours together, making love, keeping warm, staying awake out of fear of a concussion. The entire ordeal had been emotionally draining. How was she going to explain away the facts of the past twenty-four hours?

  “Risk sang your praises,” Lottie said. “You’ve taken good care of him.”

  “I tried my best.” Her cheeks burned now.

  “And is it a figment of Risk’s imagination that you two are engaged?”

  Once again, all eyes went to the ring on her finger. “Not exactly.”

  “What does that mean?” Mason asked, clearly puzzled.

  Luke ran his hand across his forehead. “I’d like to know, too.”

  April closed the waiting room door and sat down. The rest of them took a seat, and she steadied her breath and garnered her courage. “We’re not really engaged, but Risk thinks we are,” she said, gauging their reaction. Her statement only puzzled them more. “You see, before Risk lost his memory, he thought I was engaged. I wanted him to think that for reasons I won’t go into now. But then when I found he had a head injury and had lost his memory, I feared he had a concussion. I knew I had to keep him awake while I tended to his wound. I knew he couldn’t fall asleep. He was weak, his brain foggy. But when he saw the ring on my finger and instantly assumed we were engaged, his whole demeanor changed and brightness entered his eyes. He saw me as a bridge to his life. I should’ve denied it then, I know that, but he seemed to really need the connection. And in the moment, he was relieved and happy.”

  While the brothers stayed silent, Lottie spoke up. “It must’ve been frightening for you. Being all alone in that deserted lodge with an injured man and a storm raging outside.”

  “It was, but thanks to the care package you made up, we had food to sustain us.”

  Lottie smiled warmly. “The boys think I baby them.”

  “It’s a good thing you’re so thoughtful,” April said
. Her shoulders slumped. All of a sudden, the adrenaline she’d been running on took a nose dive, and exhaustion set in.

  “You said before he lost his memory, you told Risk you were engaged. I take it that’s not true?” Mason asked.

  April blushed.

  “Mason, I think April needs to rest right now. She’s clearly been through enough.”

  “No, no,” April said. “I want to explain. I need to tell Risk the truth, too, but—”

  “Maybe now’s not a good time,” Lottie said. “I think they’ll be running a lot of tests on him, and he’ll be too tired after all this.”

  “I agree. But I want to hear what you have to say,” Luke said.

  He’d been their savior, the man who’d rescued them from the lodge. She owed the Boones the truth, and she wanted to clear her conscience. She hated the pretense, all of it. Now, acid spilled into her belly as she began. “If I tell you now, will you promise to let me be the one to explain it to Risk once the doctor gives the okay?”

  All three of them nodded.

  “But only if you’re up to it, April.” Lottie really was a very nice person.

  “I’m up to it. I just don’t want to lose my nerve. You see,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “Risk and I have some history together. We met shortly after his breakup with Shannon. And, well, it didn’t end well with us, either, but there was an attraction between us, so my friend concocted this silly idea for me to pretend to be engaged while doing business with Risk. As an...insurance policy, if you know what I mean.” She narrowed her gaze on the three of them, hoping they’d understand.

  Again, they nodded.

  “That’s about it.” Without going into details. “I wanted to keep things purely professional with Risk.”

  “Which didn’t happen, I take it,” Mason said, one brow arching.

  “Shush,” Lottie said. “That’s between your brother and April.”

  She felt her face flame. She was not about to respond to Mason’s question. This was all so very hard to admit, but at least she’d gotten it out without faltering. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about all of this.”

  “It’s not all your fault,” Lucas said.

  “You couldn’t predict the storm would do so much damage,” Lottie added.

  “You helped my brother when he needed it most,” Mason said, his mouth twisting a bit. “We’ll always be grateful for that.”

  Though they said the right things, she got the feeling the Boone brothers were not thrilled about her lying to their brother.

  “Yes, that’s right,” Lottie said. “You took good care of Risk, and now it’s time you take good care of you. April, it’s going to be a long night. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”

  “Shouldn’t I stay and wait for Risk? He’s a bit disoriented.”

  “We’ll tell him you really needed your rest. He’ll understand. I’ll keep you posted, I promise. Mason has your number. Our car will take you home now, if you’d like?”

  “That’s very nice of you.”

  Lottie wrapped her arms around her shoulders in a much-needed hug. Lottie was astute, and April appreciated the kindness she bestowed on her after all that had happened. “You’ve been through enough today. Let me walk you out.”

  Mason and Luke nodded their goodbyes to her. Lottie stayed by her side, making sure April got into the limo, telling the driver to see her safely home.

  And once April reached her home, she called Jenna Mae. “Thank God, you’re home, Jenna. I really need to talk to you.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s all over social media already. I’m listening. Tell me everything” was Jenna’s reply.

  * * *

  April pushed the Off button on her cell phone after her long conversation with Jenna. Her friend always knew what to say, how to make sense out of things that really didn’t make much sense. She loved both Jenna Mae and Clovie like sisters and didn’t know what she’d do without them.

  She took a bath, got into her coziest pajamas, made hot cocoa, which she hadn’t touched yet, and tried to push the Off button in her head. “Damn.”

  It wasn’t working. The past twenty-four hours kept replaying over and over again in her mind. April couldn’t pretend to be engaged to just anybody. No, she had to pick a nationwide rodeo and television celebrity. News of Risk Boone’s sudden engagement was all over the internet, and there was no going back. She could only imagine the newspaper headlines in the morning.

  Her cell phone vibrated on the coffee table, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. He was calling. Risk. The guy she’d lied to over and over again.

  She reached for her phone, her hand shaking. “Hello.”

  “April, it’s me.”

  “R-Risk, I didn’t expect to hear from you tonight. How are you?”

  “I’ll be better once I get out of here. I’ve been poked enough for one day, and I’ll have more of the same tomorrow. They’re checking me out down to my toenails, but I wanted to make sure you’re doing well. I...miss you.”

  April bit down on her lip. “I know, and I’m sorry I left the hospital. Your aunt insisted that I get some rest.”

  “She was right. You’ve been through a lot, too.”

  “How’s your head? Are you in any pain?”

  He sighed. “I’m doing okay. There’s some slight swelling on the brain still. The doc says if I have a good day tomorrow and all the other tests are normal, I’ll be going home the following day. Seems weird calling it home when I don’t remember the ranch or my family.”

  “But maybe seeing it and being surrounded by your loved ones will spur your recollection.”

  “That’s what the doctors are saying. The only memories I have are of you and me at the lodge.” His voice took on a deep rasp. “I wouldn’t trade those for anything.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ll come by tomorrow, right?”

  “Y-yes, I’ll come by.” She’d stop by the hospital for a quick visit, but she wouldn’t confess to him until he got a clean bill of health from the doctors. Until that time, she’d just have to go along with the ruse.

  She wasn’t looking forward to revealing the unholy truth to him. Yet she wanted to be there for him because he needed her, and wasn’t that just crazy? He still thought they were engaged, and that Risk, the sexy, sweet man she’d known after his injury, called to her. That Risk was a nice guy, and her soft spot for him had grown into a crater full of marshmallows. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Risk. Sleep well.”

  “You, too,” he said. “Good night.”

  She hung up and stared at the phone.

  It wasn’t going to be easy hurting him. And what effect would learning the truth have on his recovery?

  * * *

  The next day, April walked into Risk’s hospital room holding a vase of colorful flowers. He was lying in the bed, his head against the pillow, his eyes closed. She was about to walk out of the room to let him rest when suddenly his eyes popped open.

  “Hi,” he said quietly, a smile on his face.

  “Risk, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  “You didn’t. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me today. I’ve been waiting for you. Come closer,” he said, gesturing for her to sit near him on the bed.

  “Uh, first let me put these down.” She set the vase on the table beside his bed and stood there, not sure what to do next.

  “The flowers are nice, thanks. You look beautiful today.”

  She wore a short jean jacket over a blue floral dress. It was nothing terribly special, but she’d dressed up a bit for this visit. “Thank you.”

  He reached for her hand, and she stared at him a moment before locking fingers with him. He gave a little tug, and she was propelled forward, her knees touching the bedrail. “It’s good to see you, April.”


  “It’s good to see you, too. Still...nothing?”

  “No, but seeing you makes it all seem okay.” He stared at her lips, his eyes twinkling. “I think I need a kiss from my fiancée.”

  April blinked. She’d expected this, but it rang so false right now. She bent her head and gave him the tiniest kiss on the mouth. He wouldn’t have expected anything less than that, and she wasn’t going to give him any more. Just as she was backing away, the sound of heels tapping the floor had her swiveling around. And she came face to face with auburn-haired, green-eyed, perfect-size-two, classically beautiful Shannon Wilkes.

  April couldn’t believe her eyes. She stared at the woman for a whole five seconds before words could form. But it didn’t matter. The woman wearing high-heeled boots, skintight black leggings and a sleek sage-and-black belted tunic gave April a dismissive glance as she made her way over to Risk’s bed.

  A keen sense of déjà vu set in—the overweight girl of her youth felt invisible again.

  “Risk, I came as soon as I heard. I’m so sorry about your injury. After how good you were to me when Mama passed last week, I had to come see you.”

  Risk shifted his attention to April, his expression blank. April was still stunned that she was in the same room with Shannon Wilkes, breaker of Risk’s heart, among other things. And then it all became clear as she started putting two and two together. So, it was Shannon’s mother who’d meant a lot to Risk. It was Shannon’s mother who’d died. He’d gone to see Shannon when her mother was dying and had stayed for the funeral.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” Risk said. “But do I know you?”

  “Of course you know me.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t remember you.”

  Shannon’s demeanor changed, her lips forming into a pout. “I’d heard about your amnesia on the news, but I wasn’t sure if it was true. I didn’t think you’d...you’d forget me.”

  As if no one in their right mind could ever forget such a super-duper star. The devil in April thought that was one good thing to come from Risk’s amnesia: he’d forgotten the pain this woman had caused him.