“Sorry, but it’s true. I don’t remember you.”
Shannon batted her eyes and turned to her, baffled. “You must be April.”
“Yes.”
“Shannon,” she said, and then turned back to Risk. “I thought maybe if we talked a bit, privately, you might remember something about our past.”
Risk turned to April, gesturing for her to come closer, and she went to his side. He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I don’t think it’ll work. I mean, if my own fiancée can’t jar my memory, I don’t think you’ll be able to.” He entwined their fingers and kissed the back side of her hand. Shannon took it all in, her eyes flashing for a second.
There was loud commotion on the street, and April glanced out the third-floor window. “News vans are pulling up.”
“Sorry,” Shannon said on a shrug. “I tried to be inconspicuous and didn’t tell a soul I was coming to see Risk.”
Inconspicuous? With that face? In that outfit? She had to know that her coming to Boone Springs would create a media frenzy. It appeared she hadn’t tried too hard to conceal her identity. She had one of the most recognizable faces on the planet right now. Sure, her recent love life had tanked almost as badly as her last movie, but she still had fans across many continents, and the camera loved her.
“I traveled a long way to see you, Risk.”
“Are you famous or something?”
A wry chuckle escaped April’s mouth.
“Yes, or something. But I came because we’re friends now. You were so sweet to my mom, and you helped me so much during that time. And, well, you said if I ever needed anything, to come see you. Then I heard about your injury and, well, here I am.”
Risk gave her another blank stare.
“Congratulations on your...on your engagement,” she said, smiling at him. Then she turned to April. “To both of you.”
“Thank you,” April managed to say.
“It’s funny, though. The entire time Risk was in Atlanta, he never spoke of being engaged.”
Heat rose up April’s neck. The woman was staring at her, and it was all April could do to keep her expression steady.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have an answer for you,” Risk said.
April kept her mouth clamped shut.
Two nurses walked in, one holding the biggest bouquet of exquisite red and white roses, both completely awestruck seeing Shannon Wilkes in person. The nurse set the vase on the table next to April’s vase, and the overflow of roses completely drowned out her smaller bouquet. “Those are from me, Risk.” Shannon smiled his way.
“Thank you,” he said, uncertainty in his voice.
“Sorry to interrupt,” one of the nurses said, her voice full of reverence. “But Mr. Boone is scheduled for more scans and tests this afternoon. We’re going to have to ask you both to leave.”
“Of course.” April jumped to attention fast. She wanted out of this conversation. “I’ll be going.”
She pulled her hobo bag over her shoulder. Risk’s gaze snapped to hers, regret in his eyes. It was clear he wanted a longer visit with her. She walked over to him and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Shannon seemed to home in on their interaction. “I’m staying at the Baron and planning on a long visit.” She walked over to Risk and gave his hand a squeeze, gazing deep into his eyes. “You may not remember it, Risk, but you told me after Mama died to get away to clear my head, find out what I truly want in life. You invited me to your Founder’s Day celebration, and I thought I’d have an extended stay in Boone Springs.”
She had to be kidding. With the media surrounding her at every turn, peace and solitude would be the last thing she’d find in this town. Maybe Shannon was after more than a short respite.
Maybe she was after her hunky ex-boyfriend Risk Boone.
Six
Just after noon the next day, flanked by Mason on his left and Lucas on his right, Risk was taken in a wheelchair to the back entrance of the hospital. He’d gotten a clean bill of health: no concussion, no more swelling on the brain, no dizzy spells. They’d ruled out any health risks, and his tests had all come out normal. Yet he didn’t feel normal, not when chunks of his memory had vanished. He was living in a vacuum; people knew him, but he couldn’t remember them.
Shannon Wilkes was obviously a woman with a presence. She commanded attention with her style and manner. She had charisma, but he couldn’t recall a thing about her.
“There’ll be some reporters out there, so be prepared,” Luke said. “You don’t have to talk to them. Just get into the car and we’ll do the rest.”
“Am I really all that?”
“Yeah,” both his brothers said simultaneously. “And your ex showing up here yesterday didn’t help. Wherever Shannon goes, the paparazzi follow.”
“You were nationwide news a couple of years ago, and now you’re back in the news,” Mason said.
Risk shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s the life you led before you came back to work at Boone Inc.”
“April told me some about my life on the rodeo circuit.”
At the mention of her name, Mason and Lucas gave each other nervous glances.
“What’d I say?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Mason was quick to respond. “April’s coming by the house later on.”
“Good, can’t wait to see her.”
This time the other two men stared straight ahead, zipping their lips. He wondered what was going on. Was this as weird for them as it was for him?
Risk wished April was here. She’d make this transition easier for him. But his neurologist had said not to overdo it on his first day, just to have family accompany him home. The doctor had already gone over the rules. Even though he was being released from the hospital, he still needed to take things slowly. Rest was important and so was seeing familiar things. And his fiancée was the most familiar thing he knew.
“Okay, it’s showtime,” Mason said as they approached the double glass doors. Half a dozen reporters were waiting, along with photographers lifting up their cameras. “Are you ready?”
Risk nodded and stood up. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
The automatic doors opened, and Risk braved the onslaught of photos snapped and questions hurled at him while Mason and Luke ran interference, ushering him into the limo safe and sound.
“Go,” Mason said, and the driver took off.
They managed to get out of the parking lot without incident, and as they made their way out of town, all of them relaxed. “Man, I don’t know how you did this all the time when you were dating Shannon,” Mason said.
“It’s hard to believe I dated her.”
“You did, for two years.”
He shook his head, not recalling her at all.
“It’s old news now. Don’t worry about it,” Luke said. “Hey, Aunt Lottie just texted me. She’s making you your favorite lunch, Risk.”
Risk scoured his memory, but nothing came to mind. “And what would that be?”
“Oh, sorry,” his younger brother added. “Hickory-smoked steak sandwich with swiss cheese and crispy onions.”
“Being that we were on a diet of peanut butter and potato chips at the lodge, that sounds damn good. I hope April comes in time to have lunch with me.”
Mason slid a glance toward Luke when they thought Risk wasn’t paying attention, but he picked up on it again. The secret looks were beginning to rub him wrong. What on earth was going on, aside from the obvious? “You gonna tell me why you’re eyeballing each other every time I mention April’s name?”
“We’re not,” Luke said innocently.
Mason shook his head like he was clueless, too, though Risk wasn’t entirely convinced. He didn’t know his brothers, so he wouldn’t pursue it at the moment. Instead, he spent the rest of the time loo
king out the window, taking in the scenery, trying to conjure up a memory of the terrain, landmarks, anything at all that might spark a memory.
Nothing did.
* * *
April put her head in her hands as Jenna drove them through the gates at Rising Springs Ranch. It wouldn’t be long now until she’d have to face Risk.
“Hey, April, you’re going to be okay. It’s the right thing to do.”
She glanced up and turned to her friend. “I know. I’ve been rehearsing in my head what to say to him. I only hope I can get it all out before he kicks me out of the house.”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“I’ll wait for you, then. Or better yet, I’ll go in and explain my part in all this.”
“No, don’t be silly, Jenna. This is all on me. I can do it. Listen, thanks for driving me. I really needed the lift.”
“My pleasure. Besides, you left your car here.”
“I meant the other kind of lift, too. You’ve been very supportive, and I appreciate that. You’re the best.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
April smiled at her. They knew each other so well.
Jenna pulled the car to a stop in front of the house, and April leaned over and gave her friend a big squeeze. “Thanks for everything.”
“You’re welcome. Will you call me when you get back home?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, go. Be brave. You can do this.”
She nodded and exited the car, waving goodbye to her friend as she approached the front door.
The housekeeper answered on the first knock and ushered her into the big dining room. She stood on the threshold, feeling like an outsider. Mason, his fiancée Drea, Luke and Lottie were all sitting at the table poring over papers. She’d gone to grade school with Drea, and they were still casual acquaintances. April heard someone mention Founder’s Day before all heads turned her way. “Hello, April,” Lottie said. “Please come in.”
She entered the formal dining that looked more like a Founder’s Day war room. “Hello, everyone. I’m here to see Risk.”
“Yes, about that,” Lottie said, rising from her chair. “Let me give you an up-to-date report.” Lottie took her elbow and gently guided her to the foyer by the staircase. “Risk is resting in his room. He’s anxious to see you.”
Her stomach squeezed into a knot.
“I spoke with his doctor this morning, and he’s in pretty good shape, thank goodness,” Lottie said. “And I know you have to tell him the truth, but April, please do it in the gentlest way you know how. He’s probably going to be upset. You’re all he’s been talking about lately. But he’ll be able to handle it. Risk is tough, and I think the truth is always better than prolonging the lies.”
“Yes, I agree. So I take it he still doesn’t remember anything?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“Okay, I’ll do my best.”
“His room is up the stairs, last one on the right. Would you like me to show you to it?”
“No, thank you, I’ll find it.”
“Okay,” she said, giving her a sympathetic smile. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Lottie began to turn away. “Lottie? Can I ask you a question?”
The woman didn’t hesitate as she faced her. “Of course.”
“Why are you being so kind to me? I mean, I’m grateful that you are, but I wouldn’t think I’m your favorite person right now, and you’ve been very understanding.”
Once again, Lottie smiled, and her eyes twinkled. “Maybe because I’ve been in your shoes a few times in my life. We all make mistakes. We all make incorrect assumptions. Lord, we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t. And I see the way you and Risk look at each other. Mistake or not, I think there’s a possibility of you.”
With that, Lottie excused herself, and April took a moment to let that sink in.
There’s a possibility of you.
No, there wasn’t. April wouldn’t even give that a moment of credence. She would try to straighten out this mess and then walk away from Risk and the sale of the lodge.
She climbed the stairs slowly, going over her rehearsed lines in her head, and then walked down the hallway and knocked on the last door to her right.
The door was yanked open, and there Risk stood, dressed in jeans and a blue chambray shirt, his dark hair slicked away from his face. Not even the stubble on his jaw or the small square bandage on his head could detract from how remarkably healthy he appeared. It wasn’t what she was expecting.
“April, sweetheart. Come in.”
Two strong arms came around her to encircle her body and nearly crush her to him. His lips brushed over hers several times, the sexy, delicious taste of him speeding up her heartbeats, making her yearn for more, almost making her forget her mission here.
Almost.
“Risk,” she said, setting her palms on his chest. “We need to talk.” Her command came out breathy and soft. Not at all how she’d intended.
“Talk,” he said, “is overrated.” He picked up her hand and kissed it, and then his mouth came down on hers again and again, kissing her so passionately her lips swelled. Then he pulled back. “But you’re right. We do need to talk.” He led her over to his bed, which looked as if it hadn’t been slept in, and they both sat down. The bed faced a fireplace with a giant television screen over it. Shelves filled with Risk’s rodeo trophies, champion buckles and awards lined one entire wall, and big manly pieces of furniture filled the large room.
“First of all, how are you feeling?” He continued to hold her hand.
“Me? I’m fine, really, but you’re the injured one. How are you doing?”
“I still don’t remember my family. Or this place.”
“You...don’t?”
“No, but I feel so much better now that you’re here.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
April rose from the bed and walked around to the footboard. Putting distance between them was essential to making her confession.
“Sweetheart, is something wrong?” There was alarm in his voice.
“No. I mean, yes. I have something to tell you. But first I want you to know that none of what I did was meant to hurt you. I, uh, haven’t been exactly honest with you.”
Geesh, this was harder than she’d imagined. He was looking at her like the fate of the world rested on her shoulders.
“This doesn’t sound good.” His voice lowered to a rasp, and the joy on his face faded.
“I can assure you, it all started out innocently.”
“What started out innocently?”
“Well, not that innocently. When we first hooked up in Houston two years ago—”
“Hooked up?”
“Yes, we met there quite by coincidence, and we were together for one night. You see, you were heartbroken over Shannon Wilkes leaving you high and dry, and, well, I thought we might’ve had something, whereas you didn’t. I spent the past two years not liking you very much. I know none of this is making too much sense. But when you came to me about buying the lodge, my friend thought it would be better to pretend I had a fiancé to keep things strictly professional between you and me, so that our past didn’t interfere with our business relationship. That was working out well. Until you lost your memory.”
Risk bounded off the bed and approached her. “I don’t understand.” His voice, a heartbroken rasp, churned her stomach. This was harder than she’d thought. “Are you saying we’re not engaged?”
“Y-yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
“We were in the bedroom at the lodge.”
“Yes, and you saw the ring on my finger and assumed we were engaged.” She backed up a step.
“Are you saying you had sex wi
th me when you were engaged to some other guy?”
“No, no, no. I wasn’t engaged to anyone. It was all a...lie.”
“And you didn’t correct me about your phony ring?”
She shook her head over and over. “No... I didn’t.”
“You mean, you were in bed with me the entire night, letting me believe we were engaged? The things we did to each other, the way our bodies fit, the little cries you made, all of that was fake?”
“No, not fake. It was real. At least in the moment it was. Oh, I don’t know.” Tears welled in her eyes. “It’s all so jumbled up in my mind right now.”
Lines formed around Risk’s eyes as he narrowed his focus on her. “So that night in the parking lot when we kissed, I wasn’t imagining it. You were drawn to me. It was crazy good, but afterward you stuck the ring in my face and I couldn’t get over how I’d mistaken your signals. Now I get it.”
“I’m sorry, really sorry about that, too.”
Risk’s nostrils flared; his eyes were two hard black stones. If he was facing down a wild feisty bronco, he couldn’t have looked fiercer. “You lied to me over and over.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I don’t want to upset you now. Risk, try to understand. Try to calm down.”
And then it hit her. “Wait a minute.” She searched his angry face, saw the fury in his eyes. Her heart pounded hard as realization blackened her mood even more. “How do you remember what happened in the parking lot? That was before you got hit on the head.”
Risk blinked. His cover was totally blown.
“You got your memory back, didn’t you?”
He glared at her.
“You did. When?”
“Hell, all I had to do was walk into my bedroom today and see those damn trophies up on the shelf. It all came rushing back to lucky me. Everything. I remember it all.”
“I don’t believe this. You let me go on and on. I was trying to explain and apologize to you. And you let me do it. You wanted to see me squirm when all I wanted was to tell you the truth.” April was blindsided. Just minutes ago, Risk had welcomed her into his arms and had kissed and caressed her. It had all been a game. A mean-spirited game to get back at her.
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