“Amy’s a liar, through and through,” I countered. “But all the evidence – what she said, the camera, what you remember – it’s paintin’ a hell of a picture. And the picture is of someone I don’t know if I can trust.”
“You can trust me, Wyatt,” she said, a trace of pleading in her voice. “I don’t know what I did, but I can say for certain that right now, at this moment, I’d never do a thing to hurt you.”
“Hurt me,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s the lyin’ that kills me. Thought I was done with women who told tall tales. But I let another one into my life.”
“Please,” she begged, lifting her hands to me. “I’m not that person. You have to believe me.”
“You’re only not that person because you don’t remember being her. But if your memory comes back, that’s who you’re gonna be. And it’s the kind of person I can’t have around.”
Jess said nothing, processing my words. It was a clusterfuck of a situation for sure.
“And your memory,” I reminded her. “How the hell do I even know you’re tellin’ the truth about that?”
“I am!” she cried, her green eyes wide as saucers. “You have to believe that I don’t remember any of this!”
I waved my hand through the air, dismissing the words. “Doesn’t matter. I know what I saw, and I’ve got a pretty good idea what you did.” Anger tingled in my belly, and I knew if the conversation continued any longer, there was a chance I’d say something I’d regret. “Talkin’ ain’t gonna do us any good, Jess. Right now, I need you out of my sight.”
“But—”
“No buts. Got a shitload on my mind, and you bein’ around right now is only making it harder to think about. Your stuff’s in the bedroom – pack it and head back to the house. And keep a wide berth from me until I’m damn good and ready, y’hear?”
Even in the low light of the cabin I could see the tears glistening in her eyes. I felt a twinge of pain, but I was making the right call. Jess sat frozen in place for several long moments. Finally, as if someone had lit a fire under her behind, she sprang from the chair and hurried to the bedroom. A rustling noise indicated she was packing, and before long she returned with her clothes packed into a small, cloth bag.
“Wyatt,” she said when she reached the door. “I’m…sorry.”
“That makes the two of us, Jess.”
There was nothing else to be said. She opened the door and rushed out, a chill wind curling through the cabin as the door closed behind her. Jess was gone, and I was alone, her face appearing in my mind’s eye clear as a picture the second she was out of my sight. Now what the hell was I gonna do?
Chapter 16
JESS
There was nothing to do but leave. What other option did I have? Stay at the ranch and put as much distance between Wyatt and me while waiting for the word to spread of what I’d done? I could only imagine the Walker family slowly souring on me as news moved from person to person, and I didn’t want to be there when it happened.
Wyatt hadn’t officially booted me out, but it was clear my welcome was more than worn out. But where the hell would I go?
I trudged back to the ranch, the bag of clothes in my hand. As I made my way to the front door, I spotted my car parked among the trucks. At least I had a way to get back to…well, wherever I needed to go.
Houston. My address was on my license and though I had no recollection of how to get there, I could plug it into the car’s GPS and get there. I wasn’t sure how far Patterson was from Houston, but the drive would give me a chance to think and try to sort out the clusterfuck I currently found myself in.
Once in the room I’d stayed in, I quickly packed my things, shoving them into my suitcase along with the damned camera, the thing that had gotten me into all this trouble to begin with. I almost wanted to pitch the thing out of the nearest window, but I didn’t.
All packed, I checked the time. Silas had picked me up a replacement phone the last time he’d been in town, and the screen let me know I had a full battery. Not much money in my purse, but it’d be enough for gas and a quick trip through a drive-thru if I got hungry.
After putting everything back into my suitcase, I looked over the room one last time. It killed me to know this place, not only my room but the entire ranch, would be no more than a bitter memory. What Wyatt and I had shared had been wonderful, special beyond compare. But it’d been tainted by actions I couldn’t explain or remember. It felt as though I was paying for someone else’s crimes.
Through the shut bedroom door, the lunch bell chimed out. The family would be sitting down to eat, and it’d be the perfect time to leave without drawing attention to myself. After waiting a few minutes, I grabbed my bag and headed down the stairs.
In the entry hall, the sound of lively conversation wafted toward me just as surely as the scent of the delicious food that Ginny had prepared. I sniffed the air, detecting fresh baked bread. A pang of regret stabbed my stomach as it dawned on me that I was no longer welcome at the kitchen table.
It was my cue to leave. I opened the front door and quietly shut it behind me. Moments later I was behind the wheel of my car slipping the keys into the ignition. I pulled out of the parking area and drove away from Rainbow Canyons Ranch.
Each moment that passed put the ranch further and further behind me as I drove to a destination I couldn’t remember. A half-hour later I was through Patterson and on the interstate going north. My phone was on the passenger seat, and a small part of me hoped it would start chiming with a text or a call from Wyatt. I knew it wouldn’t – I was certain the last thing he wanted to do was talk to me. No, he’d made his thoughts on that matter clear as day.
The highway was mostly empty, and as I drove my thoughts bounced in my head. A drive alone with too much to think about wasn’t helping matters, but I had no other choice.
I thought about the conversation with Amy, hoping anything would come to mind about the subject. But nothing floated up through the murky darkness of my memories. Everything Wyatt had said synched up with what I’d remembered – I was a private investigator, and Amy was my client.
I’d taken the job and spied on him, collecting information that Amy could use in her attempt to milk him out of every penny he had. I’d played a huge role in the biggest source of stress in his life, and there was no way to take it back.
About forty-five minutes into the drive, a memory flashed into my brain. My eyes widened, and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I drove. After a moment of complete sensory overload, I pulled off to the side of the highway before I caused an accident.
Five-two-four Sterling Drive, apartment 3F.
I’d read the address on my license without any sense of knowing, but as I concentrated on the words, I began to remember. I focused on the address, and more memories returned to my mind the longer I did. I could picture the small studio apartment, which was sparsely decorated aside from some simple furniture and a computer workstation where I did my research. I lived there alone, no family, maybe no friends.
From there my memories spread – I could almost feel parts of my brain vibrating that had been dormant since the accident. I remembered my job, working mostly cases for jilted husbands and wives who wanted to confirm their spouse’s infidelity before filing divorce. I remembered long, lonely nights staking out houses or hotels.
And I remembered Amy.
The conversation returned, much clearer than before. She’d met me in public at some high-class bar. There, she’d told me all about Wyatt and the abuse she’d suffered while with him, how she’d been nothing more than a doting wife in love with a man who’d wronged her every chance he had.
Nothing about it made sense. Wyatt hadn’t been that man at all. In the days I’d spent with him, he’d treated me with nothing but care and respect and kindness. Sure, he was a rough cowboy, the kind of man who didn’t let people get close. But once he’d let down his walls with me, I had seen the good heart he possessed.
Amy had been lyi
ng. God, I’d been so stupid to fall for it. I remembered the money she’d offered and how I’d used it to overlook the strange feeling I’d had about the case.
I’d chosen money over my conscience. I’d screwed up, and I was paying the price.
More memories flooded my overloaded brain, small stuff, like the corner store where I’d buy the egg and sausage bagel sandwich that I had for breakfast most mornings because I couldn’t be bothered to cook, or the cozy coffee shop where I’d take my laptop when I needed to work but wanted to be out of the apartment.
Maybe it was the stress of what I’d just been through with Wyatt, or maybe it was the natural healing process, but the memories were coming back hard and fast.
After about thirty minutes, I felt confident that I could drive without being distracted, and I pulled back onto the highway. I was close to home, but it was getting dark and I wanted to get back. It was early evening when I reached Houston city limits, and knowing I had a destination in mind put me at ease.
As I drove, my phone buzzed on the seat. My heart skipped, hoping against hope that it was Wyatt. I quickly snatched the phone and checked the incoming message. My contacts hadn’t been restored, so the number was without a name.
“What did you tell him?”
Keeping my eyes on the road, I fired back a response of who is this? The reply was instant.
“Amy. Where are you?”
No doubt she wanted answers as much as I did. As much as I didn’t want to see her again, to put all this behind me, she was the only way I’d get to the bottom of what had happened.
“On my way into Houston.”
“Good. I want to meet tonight. Three o’clock at the Red Gable Inn. I’ll be at the bar. Don’t be late.”
I sent a confirmation text and set the phone on the seat. Uneasiness crept through me at the thought of meeting with Amy. She’d been the source of all this trouble and cutting ties and trying to piece back together my life might’ve been the smart move, but I still felt as though I owed Wyatt a debt.
I had to make things right.
After typing in the address for the Red Gable Inn, I decided to go ahead and drive to the hotel since I wasn’t familiar with it. I would arrive about thirty minutes early, which would give me time to scout the place. As the thought flitted through my brain, I wondered if some of my PI training was coming back to me.
I didn’t trust Amy. The more information I had before I walked in, the better. I wished I had my laptop with me, but my phone would have to do. Amy’s social media looked like a spoiled princess whose daddy paid for everything she did. No, I reminded myself. Wyatt had paid for it. If she had a job, I couldn’t find it, and like me, she didn’t seem to have any family.
A few minutes before three, I saw Amy pull into the parking lot. She walked into the hotel like she owned it, though she didn’t really fit in the inelegant spot. I climbed out of my car and headed into the inn.
The bar was bright and modern with mellow jazz playing over the speakers. The slender, pretty blonde was seated at the bar, a martini in front of her. She locked her bright blue eyes onto me the moment I stepped in, and I walked to her with resolution in my heart.
“Jesus,” she said as I sat down next to her. “I was worried you’d dropped off the face of the earth.”
“Kind of what went down.”
She narrowed her eyes into slivers, blue peeking through. “Your memory. What happened?”
“I still don’t really know. As far as I can tell, I was on the ranch property and fell and bumped my head. I forgot nearly everything,” I said with a shrug. “It’s only now starting to come back.”
If she was concerned, she sure as hell didn’t show it. “I hope that means you’re still on for the job. Because Wyatt’s looking more and more like he’s taking me to court and I want to be ready for him when he does.”
I had to make my next moves carefully, getting as much info as I could without letting it slip that I was on Wyatt’s side. “What you told me about Wyatt, him being abusive and controlling and a drunk…that’s all true?”
She scoffed. “What difference does it make to you? I’m paying you to get info on him, and that’s all I need from you. And if you’ve been spending the last few days with him, you must have something. I know he’s not perfect. Let’s hear it.”
There was a hard edge to her voice, and it was a total contrast to the helpless woman she’d shown me when we’d first met. Wyatt had said Amy was manipulative, and I was starting to see what he meant.
“He’s not perfect, but he’s not what you said either,” I said with a shrug. “There’s nothing. Wyatt’s a good man.” The last few words tumbled out of my mouth. And judging by the expression on Amy’s face, they didn’t sit well with her in the slightest.
“A good man?” she snarled. “You got up close and personal with him and that’s all you came away with? What the hell am I paying you for?”
Up close and personal. She didn’t need to know how true that statement was – I could only imagine her reaction.
“I don’t know what else to tell you. I staked him out for days and spent some time at the ranch. I didn’t find anything you can use in court. He’s clean.”
“That’s because he’s good at hiding that side of him,” she said without missing a beat. “He’s a liar, through and through.” She took a long swig of her drink before shaking her head in frustration. “You have to dig deeper, spend more time with him. He’ll show you who he really is. Get back to the ranch and find out what you can. And tell me as soon as you do. I’ll be in touch.”
She slipped a crisp twenty out of her purse and placed it on the bar.
“Don’t screw up this time.” Amy rose from her seat without another word and strode out of the bar, her heels clicking with each quick footfall.
There wasn’t any question about it – Wyatt had been right about Amy. She’d played the damsel when we first met, but she’d shown me her true colors. She wanted to take Wyatt and his family to the cleaners and didn’t have any compunction in stooping to whatever low she needed in order to get what she wanted.
I sat at the bar for a time, debating whether I wanted a drink to take my mind of what had just happened. But by the time the bartender finally approached, I knew what I needed to do.
“Coffee,” I said. “And keep it coming.” He started off, but I stopped him. “And do you have a pen and paper I could use?”
He nodded before reaching under the bar and producing a pen along with a pad of paper, the logo and name for the hotel at the top. Wyatt most likely wouldn’t accept a phone call from me, but I needed him to know what I knew. An old-fashioned letter would have to do.
I put pen to paper and cleared my head, sipping the coffee to get words flowing. At first, I had no idea what to say. What words could possibly make things right after what I’d done? But I had to say something, anything.
One more deep breath, and I wrote.
It all came pouring out. When I was done, I was satisfied. It was a long shot, but it was the best I could do if I wanted Wyatt back.
And I knew that was what I wanted. More than anything.
Chapter 17
WYATT
Damn that woman.
The words had repeated in my mind over and over in the days after Jess had flown the coop. Funny thing was, the woman they applied to changed.
At times, they’d be for Jess. She’d spied on me at the behest of Amy, then left without a word. Still couldn’t believe she’d slipped out during lunch. But could I really blame her? I’d chewed her out something fierce. Sure, I’d given her a chance to explain herself, but with her memories gone, what the hell had I expected her to say?
At other times, the words applied to Amy. She’d been the one behind all this horseshit. She’d dragged this whole thing out. She’d hired Jess and put us in this godawful position.
I wanted to be angry, and I sure as shit was. But try as I might, I couldn’t lay that anger on Jess. It di
dn’t seem right. And every now and then, I’d have moments of clarity, realizing that more than being angry at her, I missed her.
But she was gone. Nothing to do about that.
Three days after Jess left, I was sitting in the house sipping some whiskey-spiked coffee. I’d been drinking more and more the last few days. Not enough to impede my work on the ranch, but enough that the shit I was dealing with wasn’t so hard.
It reminded me of my old man, how he wouldn’t talk about what was bothering him, but I’d be able to tell something was wrong when he’d reach for that bottle of Jack at the end of the night and pour himself one or two more drinks more than usual.
So I sipped my drink and watched the fire, trying to focus on what needed to be done over the next few days. Aside from the imminent Amy clusterfuck on the horizon, my life was returning to its usual routine. The animals needed me, and they wouldn’t wait for me to sort out my bullshit.
Speaking of, I realized I hadn’t checked on Red and Juniper in a few hours. The fire was inviting, but there was work to be done. I headed into the kitchen, poured my drink into a thermos, and headed to the stables.
The weather had cleared up somewhat, a few days over freezing causing any ice left to melt, leaving muddy grass behind. I missed the rainy days; they reminded me of Jess and our time together.
Once I reached the stables, I pulled open the doors and found Juniper and Red in their spot. The horses greeted me with a snort as I approached.
“Hey, girl,” I said, stepping into the stable and making a slow circle around the two horses. “How we feelin’ today?”
I dragged my hand along Juniper’s dark, shiny coat as I looked her over. She was a tough old mare, already back in fighting shape after birthing the foal. And Red was healthy too, already trotting around like an old pro.
Seeing him made me think about Jess, of course. Made me think about how I’d promised to take her riding but never did. I sipped my whiskey and coffee, wondering what might’ve been if we’d met under different circumstances. It was easy to picture Jess on a fully-grown Red’s back, that beaming smile on her gorgeous face as we rode side-by-side.
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