by Leann Harris
Instead he said, “Box it all up, Katie, and send me the bill.”
Katie grinned. “You always had good taste, Rafe.”
He looked squarely at April. “I know.”
April knew he wasn’t talking about clothes.
Chapter 5
As April changed back into her jeans and shirt, Rafe wondered about her reaction to the shopping trip. When she’d put on the first skirt and blouse, she’d come out of the dressing room with a tentative look in her eye, as if she was worried that he would object to the simple clothes. But they looked good to him, so good that he wanted to do more than just see them.
He’d reined in his wayward thoughts, remembering that they had yet to get April’s fingerprints back from the state. Perhaps she was wanted for some crime.
As April had tried on more things, her mood seemed to lighten, like a kid who had just discovered mom was going to let her have candy. She delighted in each of the outfits that Katie had brought out. Her reaction led Rafe to wonder if her response was from previous experience. Had someone in her past denied her pretty things?
When she had emerged in the lavender dress, Rafe thought the bottom of his stomach had somehow dropped out. His response to her showed him that he was going to have to be careful. April was managing to tap into a part of his emotions that was basic, and, it appeared, unwilling to be controlled.
“Do you want anything else, Rafe?” Katie’s voice drew him out of his thoughts. When he looked up, he saw April hovering near the cash register in the wrinkled things she’d worn into the store. There was a look of anxiety in her big green eyes.
She was an emotional powder keg, ready to shatter his peaceful world. After the last year and a half of family trauma that he’d endured—from his mom dying to discovering his father and three sisters—his life had finally settled down. Or so he’d thought.
“Rafe?”
Again, Katie’s voice brought him back to the here and now. He gave the woman a smile. “No.”
April gave him a worried look. “You don’t have to do this. I’m a stranger.”
“Don’t worry, April. I can afford it.”
Oddly enough, after all the years of struggling, making do on a Ranger’s salary, his life had turned around with his inheritance of the ranch, and his finding out his dad was a multimillionaire. Besides, watching the excitement and joy in April’s eyes was worth every penny he spent.
Oh, you’ve got it bad. The thought popped into his head, but Rafe chose to ignore it. Instead he comforted himself with the idea that someone needed to help April, and who better than the Ranger assigned to this area of Texas. It was his job.
Oh sure. The thought mocked him.
Rafe pulled his truck to a stop in the parking lot of the local grocery store. He smiled at April, who was looking around, surprised at their destination.
“You saw the condition of my refrigerator and pantry. I have nothing to eat, so I thought we’d stop and shop.” He reached behind the seat, pulled out the crocheted shoes from the bag, and handed them to April. “You might want to wear these instead of using those crutches.”
She took the shoes and quickly changed. After helping her out of the cab of his truck, they went inside.
“Hey, Rafe, whatcha doing?” an older man called out from the counter at the front of the store.
“Ray, come meet a pretty lady that I’m taking care of.” Rafe pulled April to his side. He planned to let everyone in the store know about April. The more folks who knew, the better.
The older man came down from his desk and shook April’s hand as Rafe introduced them.
“April here has lost her memory. Got any idea who she might be?” Rafe asked.
“No,” Ray replied. “I haven’t heard anything about a missing lady.”
“You will. It will be in tomorrow’s paper. If anyone knows anything, just have them call me.”
“Sure enough, Rafe. Sorry, Miss, about your memory.”
As they went through the store, Rafe did most of the shopping. But he kept asking April if she had any preferences. The only thing that it appeared she wanted was chocolate. Pudding. Ice cream. Cookies. When she reached for brownie mix, he couldn’t help but laugh. She jumped.
“Is this okay?” she asked, her voice tentative.
“I’m sorry I laughed. But it appears you have a ‘thing’ for chocolate.” He looked pointedly at the items in the shopping cart.
She stared at the items. Her lips twitched, then she giggled. “I guess I do.” She grabbed the brownie mix. “I can put this back.”
Rafe’s hand shot out, stopping her movement. “Don’t. I find I have a weakness—” his eyes roamed over her face and he felt the attraction that pulled him to April surge “—for chocolate, too.”
“Are you sure?”
Although he knew she meant about the brownies, his answer had nothing to do with chocolate. “Oh, yes, I’m sure.”
As they drove back to Saddle, April watched the scenery carefully, praying that something would jog her memory. Nothing so far had.
“Don’t worry, April. The odds are with you that your memory will return.”
Surprise widened her eyes as she turned to Rafe. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking about?”
“I’m a Ranger. It’s my job to know.” There was a light note in his voice, as if he were teasing her.
“So, you’re telling me Rangers are psychic? It explains a lot of the Ranger history.”
He went still. “And what would that be?”
“Oh, when Captain McNelly went into Mexico—” April stopped abruptly, then turned and stared at Rafe. “I remember the story of how McNelly and a few Rangers chased cattle rustlers in Mexico, and against overwhelming odds captured the rustlers and returned the cattle. But how can I remember something so specific when I don’t know where I live?”
“Do you remember anything else about the Rangers besides that incident?” he asked her.
April closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to still her racing heart. She recalled several other stories of famous exploits that the Rangers had engaged in over the hundred-and-fifty-year existence of the organization. She told them to Rafe.
“Now why do you suppose that I can tell you stories of frontier justice but can’t recall where I grew up?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll call Alex and the doc we just saw. They might be able to shed some light on the matter.”
As they drove through the countryside, April wondered why she had remembered so unique an incident. Did it mean anything? “Do you suppose my remembering about Rangers has something to do with you finding me near your house?”
Rafe’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, I think you might be onto something there.”
“That might explain why I was out there on that road. Where is the next closest Ranger stationed?”
“El Paso and Midland.”
“Then I might have been going to see you?” Excitement throbbed in her voice.
“Could be.” He didn’t share her enthusiasm, she noted. But why? As soon as the thought occurred to her, April felt the blood drain from her face. “Maybe I did something....”
“I don’t think so.”
Her startled gaze flew to his face. “Why do you say that?” She couldn’t keep the note of hope out of her voice.
“Look at it logically, April. If you were running from the Rangers, why would you be coming to me? And why would you remember Ranger history when you can’t even tell me what you ate the day before yesterday?”
She shrugged.
“I think there’s another reason. Perhaps you needed the Rangers’s help.”
That thought hadn’t occurred to her. All she had been going on was emotion. With Rafe she felt safe. With the sheriff, yesterday and today, she was edgy.
“Do you know what Rangers do?” he asked gently.
The question stumped her. “Not really. But that doesn’t make any sense. How could I remember those st
ories and not know what modern Rangers do?”
“Amnesia’s a funny thing. Now, what modern Rangers do is serve as crime scene investigators for smaller police departments. Our lab serves all the counties of the state. And in both east Texas and in west Texas, we do the lion’s share of the work.
“And the other thing Rangers do is police the police. We investigate corruption in local police or sheriff’s departments. We’re the guys that put the fear of—well, sometimes we’re not liked.”
“Oh.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, I guess I was expecting—”
“The age of the Ranger as a maverick is gone. Of course, there are some of us who still believe in that old saying, ‘One Ranger, one riot.’” He grinned at her.
April felt herself drawn to Rafe in spite of the fact that she shouldn’t be. Her heart was torn and ragged, and Rafe’s smile seemed to be the salve that eased the hurt.
When Rafe pulled his pickup into the driveway of his ranch, he came around and helped April into the house. It took several trips to get all the groceries and clothing inside.
She began to unpack the food, setting it on the counter. “Where does all this go?” she asked Rafe.
He paused. “Anywhere you want to put it. The pantry, or that cabinet there.” He pointed to the cabinet in the corner of the kitchen. “I’m not particular.”
April couldn’t quite believe her ears. Put it anywhere? Didn’t that sound just like a man? “You don’t keep your office that way,” she mumbled as she carried several cans to the pantry.
“You better know I keep things in order there. Every piece of paper is important.” His tone was forceful, catching her off guard.
“Then why keep your kitchen this way?” she asked.
“Because I don’t give a rat’s a—whisker what my kitchen looks like.”
Realizing how she was challenging him, a dark cloud seemed to pass over her heart, chilling her.
Rafe noticed her response.
“You okay?” he asked.
There was no anger in his voice and it eased her fears.
She shook off that grimness. “You need someone to take care of you,” she said, trying to recapture their earlier lightness.
He paused and stared at her. “I’ve been down that road. It wasn’t worth the price I had to pay.”
His stark tone startled her so much that every thought flew out of her head, and that somber cloud returned with a vengeance. An icy finger of fear slid down her spine. “I—I didn’t mean to pry.”
He shrugged. “Don’t worry.”
But she couldn’t help but worry. Folding the paper sacks, she wondered if his attitude would change toward her. If he settled into a bad mood, would she have to tiptoe around him? Would he pout or maybe use violence?
She stopped, her hand resting on a can of tomatoes she’d just shelved. Where had that thought come from? Rafe hadn’t shown any tendency toward violence, so far...but she couldn’t help the feelings hanging over her head. There was a feeling of dread, like she’d experienced this before and it had been bad.
Had that been the reason she’d forgotten? Shying away from the idea, she picked up a can of pineapple and put it on the shelf.
They finished putting away the groceries in a tense silence. Then he turned to her. “I need to go feed my stock.”
She nodded at him and breathed a sigh of relief. As she watched him walk out to the stock pen, the quietness of the house surrounded her. She could hear the ticking of the mantle clock, the hum of the refrigerator when it came on, the sound of her own breathing.
Why had she worried about Rafe’s reaction to her comment? Was there something in her past, the past she couldn’t remember, that had to do with—
Suddenly being alone wasn’t the haven she’d thought it would be. Unknown ghosts filled the room. And April had to decide which to face—the terrors of the past or the discomfort of the present.
She voted for the present and headed for the back door.
Rafe walked to the corral and brought out one of the carrots that he kept for his sorrel, Sam. The horse bit the carrot and chewed it happily.
“Well, Sam, it appears that something is bothering our mystery lady. She’s acting like a skittish mare.” Rafe had noticed April’s apprehension again at the sheriff’s office. That had happened the night before, too. And there was her curious reaction to shopping. She acted like a scared kid. Once she’d understood it didn’t bother him to spend his money, she let loose. It had warmed his heart to see her smile.
But again, when he mentioned the groceries, she got uptight. Over groceries, of all things. Now why would that bother her? Had it been his comment about his office that got the reaction?
Sam lowered his head, pushing up against Rafe’s hand and bringing his master back to the present.
“So you’re hungry, are you, big feller? Okay, I’ll get your dinner ready.”
Hurrying out the back door, April saw Rafe working at the entrance to the barn. “Would you mind if I came with you, after all?” she called out.
He paused in his chore. “Not at all.” He picked up the bucket and headed into the barn. “We’ll see if you know anything about ranching, won’t we?”
“You’re going to want me to do something?” Glancing around, she added, “Couldn’t I just watch—which is what I had in mind? I might mess things up for you.”
“You can do whatever you want.”
His light comment made her smile and eased her mind, making her feel foolish for her earlier worries. “I think I’ll just watch to begin with,” she answered. Looking around, it was obvious to her that the barn was new.
Inside the main door, Rafe reached for the switch and flooded the inside with golden light, chasing away the twilight gloom. The sound of meows echoed through the building. April looked around for the source.
“Momma cat is in the far stall.” Rafe nodded in that direction. “She just had a litter of kittens.”
April walked to the end of the barn and saw a calico cat with six kittens nursing. The sight brought a smile to her face.
Rafe rested his arms on the upper edge of the stall. Oddly enough, his tall presence next to April now brought peace. Whatever had been bothering her before seemed to have disappeared. That flash of fear had been irrational. Not only did she have no memory, she seemed to be swinging like a pendulum, between fear and contentment.
He nodded at the cats. “It appears Patches’s babies are greedy little things.”
“And Momma doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Naw, not Patches. She’s probably the most laid-back cat I’ve ever owned.”
He filled the feeding trough with two flats of hay and a scoop of oats, then walked out to the corral. He guided his big sorrel into his stall. The horse poked his head back out and nudged April’s arm. The horse’s action unnerved her.
“He wants to be petted,” Rafe informed her.
April eyed the animal, then looked at Rafe. Rafe took her hand in his, then guided it to the area between the horse’s ears. “Scratch him there.”
While April scratched the horse, Rafe went out and brought in the other horse.
“I guess it’s kind of obvious that I’m not used to this,” she commented as Rafe put up the other horse.
“Naw.”
April gaped at him, then understood that he was teasing her. “Well, at least we know one more thing about me.”
“I guess we do. You know about the history of the Rangers, but can’t recall the modern history. You don’t know jack about ranching, but you make a mean chili. And you sound like a Texan.”
“It’s not much.”
He paused. “It’s a good beginning, April.”
As Rafe began to feed the goats and chickens, he handed her a basket. “Why don’t you check and see if there are any eggs.” He pointed to the nests.
She stared at each nest as if it housed a poisonous snake. “You sure? I mean, maybe the chicken
s won’t like it.”
A laugh escaped from his throat as he grabbed the basket used for collection. “Yep, it’s obvious that you don’t know anything about farming or ranching. You’re probably a city girl.”
She frowned at him. “I bet I’d probably know how to—” She couldn’t think of anything she might know about the city.
“Yes?”
She frowned at him. What would a city girl know? “—drive in traffic.”
“That’ll put the fear of—” He didn’t finish his thought.
Shrugging, she started gathering eggs. At the last nest, the chicken whose domain it was decided she didn’t want her nest disturbed, and pecked at April’s hand.
“Ouch,” April yelled, yanking her hand back. “I thought you said the chickens wouldn’t mind if I gathered the eggs?”
A guilty flush stained his cheeks. “I forgot about Stretch. She’s one contrary bird. I’ve threatened her more than once with a stew pot. She still pecks me.” He walked to April, took her hand and looked at the broken skin. “We’ll need to clean that up and put some antiseptic on it.”
“You sound like your sister.”
“Well, any rancher out in this part of the state will tell you that you need to attend to things like that. Infection will set in and then you’re in trouble.”
“Gee, I didn’t think I could get in anymore trouble,” she grumbled.
“April, there’s no limit to the trouble that could set in on you. Let’s avoid this one.” As Rafe walked back to the house, he stopped and eyed Stretch. “Do that again, bird, and you’re a goner.”
The chicken blinked and then strutted away.
Oddly, a warm feeling of being protected enveloped April as they reentered the kitchen. Rafe set the basket on the counter, grasped her hand and led her to the bathroom.
“It seems to me we’ve done this before,” she said.
Rafe paused as he pulled items from the medicine chest above the sink. “You’re right.”
