by Katie Dowe
She wrapped the towel around her and gave in to the tears that had been shimmering below the surface.
*****
He was riding for several minutes before he noticed the thick blonde hair blowing in the wind. His sister Kathy stood there with one booted foot on the railing and her chin propped up onto her arm. He turned the horse into a graceful circle and came riding over to her careful to keep him a distance away from her. He was raw and restless and tend to bite. “What are you doing out here? It’s almost ten.”
“I wanted to watch my brother do his magic.” She murmured as she stared at the horse. “He is beautiful, isn’t he?”
“And very angry. You stay far away from him.”
She gave him an arched look out of her large blue eyes. He had to warn and threaten his male workers that if they even glance at her in a suggestive way he would have their hides but he could not blame them. She looked like a porcelain doll. “I mean it Kathy.”
“I know.” She grinned at him, her white teeth shining in the moonlight. “I was thinking of taking Sugar lips out for a spin early in the morning. I want to do more than make calls on the phone and handle the sales part of it. I want to actively be out on the grounds like you.”
“Mother would have a stroke.” He said wryly as he dismounted. He slapped the horse’s rump and watched as he galloped across the paddock before he bent underneath the rail and joined her. “I thought you liked sales.” He pushed back wisps of her hair that had settled against her creamy cheek.
“I want more action,” she leaned into him and he wrapped his hand around her waist. “I see you on the back of these horses and I want to do something like that. I kind of want to emulate my big brother.”
“Those horses could get you killed and then I would have to deal with Mother.” He told her gently as he kissed the top of her head. “You should be going out on dates and having the time of your life sweetie.”
“I am having the time of my life. I hate parties and these callow youths just hear the name Murphy and think dollar signs. I want love and I want the unconditional one. But in the meantime I want my life to count for something.”
He turned her around to face him. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Kathy,”
She sighed and looked up at him. “I miss Daddy,” she murmured. “Mother is great and all but she demands too much. She is constantly talking about us getting husband and trying to set you up with that dishcloth Connie. You deserve more than her and if I hear that you have suddenly caved and are thinking about going steady with her, I am going to disown you as much as I adore you.”
“I am not going to take that risk.” He told her with a gentle smile. He tilted her chin up and looked down at her. “I want more as well.” He took her arm and led her to the direction of the ranch. “How about we start going out in the mornings and some afternoons when you are free?”
She stopped forcing him to do so as well. “You mean it?”
“I do pint size,” he said reverting to his pet name for her. “What do you say?”
“I think you are the coolest big brother around!”
Chapter 2
“Boss, we have a situation!” wiry and longtime ranch hand Mack Tiller rushed into the corral at breakneck speed. “A plane came down over on the south side of the property. Scared the cattle grazing mighty big.”
“Take me,” Kurt vaulted onto Thunder in the blink of an eye and wheeled the horse around. “Buck and Ted, round up some men and follow us.”
Kurt gave Thunder his head and within minutes they had come up to the crash site with Mack trailing behind on his mount. The white single engine was a mangled heap and Kurt wondered if there would be anyone alive in the wreckage. “Call Dr. McLeod.” He told Mack as he slid from the horse.
“Already did. He is on his way.”
Kurt approached the wreckage cautiously. There was no sign of smoke indicating leaking oil but he was taking no chances. The door had been torn off but the interior was surprisingly untouched, sort of. He took a deep breath as he looked at the pilot with his head leaning to one side. He made a quick check and found that he was dead as was the other man buckled in behind him. He made to step back out when he noticed her. She was slumped to one side and she was not moving. He stared at her for a moment. He could not take his eyes off her! She was stunning!
“Boss?”
He shook his head as he heard Mack behind him and was galvanized into action. “The men are dead.” He said slowly. “I don’t think she is.”
“Quite a looker. It would be a shame.”
Kurt turned and gave him a sharp look before hunkering down next to her. “I don’t think we should move her until the doctor comes.”
“He is here now.” Mack told him as they heard noise outside.
“In here!” he shouted and the men came running. “I did not want to move her.” He stepped aside to give the man way.
“You were right.” Ian McLeod nodded as he stooped to examine. “She bumped her head pretty hard on the metal. I think she is suffering from a concussion.” He unbuckled her and lifted her slowly. “I have a cot outside. We can transport her in the back of my truck. I will take her to the medical center. The other two are gone. I have called the police and the morgue. They should be here in a minute.”
“I will ride behind you,” Kurt told him. “Mack, you and the others stay here until the police get here.”
“Righto boss.”
They put her carefully in the back of the truck and strapped her in. Kurt waited until he had driven off before mounting his horse. What the hell had they been doing out here in the first place?
*****
“She is stable,” Doctor McLeod came out and Kurt got to his feet. “She is suffering from concussion and she is still out. For how long I have no idea. I did a scan of her brain and there is a slight swelling. Something like that could mean temporary amnesia but I will know for sure as soon as she wakes up.”
“I have asked Mack to retrieve her belongings from the wreckage.” Kurt shoved his hands into the pockets. “Should she be transported to the hospital?”
“What’s the matter Kurt? You are not sure of my competency?” Ian asked him dryly. Both men had grown up together and had been friends since they were kids. Ian had gone to study medicine in Europe and had come home to take over his father’s practice while Kurt had done business studies at Harvard before coming back to take up his rightful place at the ranch. Both men had joked about coming back to the place where they had been born and grown up but knew they would rather be right here.
“I have every confidence in you,” he ran his fingers through his hair that had gotten tangled by the wind. “How soon before she wakes up?”
“Hard to tell. It could be a day or two or maybe even a week. I will let you know.”
“I will be back later,” he muttered as he looked at his friend.
“She is quite beautiful, isn’t she?” Ian said casually.
“She is,” Kurt looked at the man sharply. “Mind if I look in at her?”
“Be my guest.”
The nurse smiled at him and left the room. The clothes had been removed and she was dressed in a light blue hospital gown. There was a bandage on her forehead that stood out against her cocoa brown skin. Her jet black hair was combed back into a ponytail. She had very long lashes, and even though she was still he could see how beautiful she was. He ventured further in and stood there looking down at her. With an impatient sigh he moved away and strode from the room. “I will check in later.”
*****
“People died?” Erica Murphy asked in shock as they sat down to eat lunch. Normally Kurt would just grab something and eat with the men out in the open but he felt distracted and his thoughts scattered. The police had come and gone and the bodies had been transported to the morgue. An investigation was being done but a detective had told him that it appeared to be mechanical problems. “They were not on cours
e because their flight plan was not in keeping with where they were headed.”
“The pilot and a passenger.” Kurt cut into his veal without much interest.
“How is the female passenger?” Tessa asked him as she sipped her fruit punch. “I understand that Ian is taking care of her?”
“She is stable but he said she might have temporary amnesia.”
“How awful.”
“At least she is alive.” Erica said shaking her blonde head. “Those poor men.”
“What is going to happen when she is ready to leave?” Kathy asked causing everyone to stare at her.
“We will see.” Kurt said briefly.
“She could stay here until she is recovered.” Kathy persisted.
“Maybe she has relatives who will come and get her.” Their mother said. “Have you retrieved her stuff?”
“Yes, but I feel a little weird going through her bag. I asked Marie to put it in one of the rooms.”
“Good idea,” Erica nodded as she continued her meal.
*****
“Mind if I sit with her for a bit?” Kurt asked as he went over at the medical center in the late afternoon. He had horses to put through their paces and a ton of work to do but for some reason he felt drawn to this strange woman who had literally landed on his property.
Ian took in his dusty clothes and gave him a direct stare. “Not like that. Go wash up around back and ask Maggie to give you a fresh shirt. If you insist on being her guardian angel then I suggest you take a shower before coming over.”
“You are a prince,” Kurt said sarcastically as he went around the back.
His hair was still wet when he entered her room. “Any improvements?” he asked Ian as he saw him checking her vitals.
“The same.” He adjusted the fluids and stepped back. “Are you going to read to her?”
“I am going to tell her a story,” he said with a lopsided grin. “You think she would love to hear about the stampede of two years ago or the mare we foaled just yesterday?”
“Tell her both. Maybe those will wake her up.” Ian said with a grin. “You have ten minutes.”
“You are too gracious.”
He pulled up a chair and sat next to the bed. He felt foolish just sitting there looking at her like a guy with his first crush. She really was beautiful, he thought as he looked at her closely. She had thick eyebrows that although had been plucked a little bit was still full. His eyes wandered down to her small nose and then her lips. The bottom one was full and sensual and he felt a jolt in his belly as he looked at it. He deliberately jerked his eyes away to look at her hands resting on the sheets.
“I have no idea who you are,” he said softly. “I just want you to know that I am so happy you are okay. I want you to know that you are in a very good place and will be well taken care of. Kathy, my little sister suggests that you stay here at Murphy’s Ranch until you recover and as soon as you wake up I am going to suggest it to you.”
*****
The images were foggy and elusive. She kept hearing screams and felt as if she was plummeting from thousands of miles downward and could do nothing about it! A moan escaped her as she tried to open her eyes and she could hear murmurings.
“Hello?” someone said to her softly.
She struggled to open her eyes and blinked as she looked up at the person bent over her.
“You are awake,” he said with a pleased smile on his attractive face. “My name is Ian McLeod and I am a medical doctor. Do you remember what happened?”
Alexis blinked and shook her head no.
“You were in a plane crash three days ago.”
She tried to remember and when she could not she started getting agitated.
“Easy,” he murmured as he took her hand in his. “You are going to be okay. Can you tell me your name?”
Her dark brown eyes went wide and her brow furrowed as if she was trying to remember. “Alexis,” she whispered. “Oh God!”
“Relax. You are suffering from retrograde amnesia. You can remember what happened in the past but not recent happenings. It will get better in time. You remember your name and that’s a good sign.”
“Is it?” she struggled up and gasped as she felt the pain in her temple.
“Easy there,” he settled her back against the pillows. “You hit your head pretty hard in the crash.”
“Who else was there?”
“Two gentlemen.”
“Who? Are they alive?”
“I am afraid you were the only survivor.” He said sympathetically.
“Oh God!” she whispered as she put a hand over her mouth and felt the tears coming.
“I am so sorry.” He checked her vitals and realized that her blood pressure had spiked. He turned and nodded to the nurse and she handed him the needle. “I am going to give you something to calm your nerves and alleviate the pain.”
Within minutes she had fallen asleep again.
*****
“She woke up several hours ago,” Ian told him as soon as he came into the lounge. He had gone home and showered and changed.
“That’s good news,” Kurt shrugged out of his jacket and put it on the peg near the door. “What did she remember?”
“Her name, her past, but nothing about the crash. She is suffering from temporary amnesia. She was getting agitated and she was in pain so I had to give her something to relax her. She has been sleeping for several hours now.” Ian shoved his hands into his lab coat. He had been seeing patients for the morning and had now just gotten a chance to have something to eat. “She is going to get pretty depressed. She asked who was in the plane with her. I had to tell her.”
“What do you recommend?”
“Psychotherapy,” Ian shrugged. “I am not equipped or she could just stay here and get her bearings back. This place has a therapeutic nature to it.”
“Kathy suggested she stayed at the ranch.”
“Is that something you are open to?”
Kurt shrugged. “If she agrees.”
*****
She opened her eyes slowly and the first thing she saw were the incredible blue eyes staring at her. She frowned as she looked at him. His brown hair was shoulder length and streaked heavily with blonde and his skin was tanned to almost brown. He had a deep cleft in his chin and was by far the most handsome man she had ever seen. He turned her off instantly. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“My name is Kurt Murphy,” he held out a hand for her to take and she ignored it. “Your plane crash landed on my property.”
Kurt saw the change in her expression the minute he said crash and could have kicked himself. “What do you want?”
“I have been visiting you for the past days to check up on you.”
“They are dead.”
“I am sorry.”
She turned her head away and looked at the darkened window. It was almost the end of October and the cold had descended rapidly. She could not remember what happened! What had she been doing in the plane and who were the two men with her who had not survived? And why had she?
“Would you like something to eat?” his voice came to her from a distance and she turned her head to look at him.
“I need to be alone,” she told him, her eyes glittering with tears.
“Of course,” he got to his feet and she had to crane her head to look up at him. He was very tall! “I will be back tomorrow.” He started to leave and then turned back to her. “As soon as you are able to move, my mother and sisters would like you to be a guest at the ranch.”
She did not answer and watched as he strode across the room, his gait loose and long. She closed her eyes and felt the tears leaking through her closed lids as she gave in to tears!
*****
She was sitting in a sofa in the room a day later when she heard a knock on the door before it was pushed open. A tall, stunningly attractive woman with finely spun blonde hair streaming down her back came into the room. Her beautiful blue eyes left her in no
doubt who she was related to. “My dear, lovely to see you up.” She said in a soft cultured voice as she sat next to Alexis. “My name is Erica Murphy and the doctor told me that you are doing well.”
“So he said,” she smiled faintly as she looked at the older woman. “I am being discharged today.”
“That is why I am here.” Erica told her cheerfully. “My son said he extended an invitation to you. I have brought over some clothes for you to put on. The ranch is a few miles away from here and very soon it will be getting dark. Kurt wanted to come himself but he had an emergency and besides I wanted to come and meet you before you get to the ranch.”
“I don’t want to impose,” Alexis said fretfully.
“Nonsense!” Erica said with a wave of her hand. “A total of ten bedroom suites, several houses scattered around and some empty, there is no way you would be imposing.”
“I don’t remember what happened,” Alexis had been struggling every day to try and remember something but nothing so far. The doctor and the nurses had told her to allow it to come naturally.
Erica reached out and patted her hands. “You will. Now how about getting dressed and coming with me?”
Alexis nodded.
“Good. I will go and tell Ian and find out if he needs to give you anything.”
*****
“It’s thousands of miles of Murphy’s Land,” Erica said with a whimsical laugh as she navigated the SUV along the terrain. It seems as if they had been traveling for miles which maybe they had been. The place was serenely beautiful. Darkness had descended and she could see cattle grazing and horses galloping along fenced areas. Then she saw it! She let out a surprised gasp as they rounded the bend and she saw the sprawling white building atop a gentle crest. Lights had been turned on in the sprawling mansion and along the long curved driveway and for a minute she thought she was looking at a museum. It was breathtakingly beautiful!
“Murphy’s Ranch,” Erica said with a pleased smile as she heard the girl’s reaction. “It has that effect on me and I have lived there for years.”
