by Lauren Canan
“The what?”
“The...the tree. It’s a ficus tree. The painters needed room...to work.” She narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Actually, I don’t really understand how you could have missed seeing the tree. It’s about twelve feet tall and almost as wide.”
“I know. Believe me. But I can’t see trees—or furniture—in the dark.”
“In the dark? Was something wrong with the lights?”
“No.”
“I don’t understand.”
He took a deep breath, determined to keep it civil. “It was dark because I didn’t turn on any lights. I didn’t think I needed to. It should have been a simple walk to the elevator, one that I’ve made countless times.”
“Surely you’re not blaming me because you didn’t bother to turn on any lights?” She looked incredulous. “And the hallway would have been clear if you’d come back when you were supposed to. You weren’t scheduled to be back until tomorrow.”
She was right, but he refused to allow her to turn the tables on him. “Did you remove the paver stones between the driveway and the house?” He heard the growl in his words.
She nodded. “I had help, but yes, I did. I needed them moved in order to plant a garden.”
“A garden.”
“For fresh vegetables. I didn’t want to dig up the lawn,” she explained as though those were the only two options she had. “All I saw was bark chips and some stepping stones that led nowhere, which seemed rather pointless to me.”
“They led to a door. It’s intentionally hidden.”
“Then why do you have stepping stones leading to it? Isn’t that a dead giveaway?”
Wade ran a hand over his lower face, remembering all too clearly why Victoria had her own place in the city. “Tomorrow perhaps you can help me understand the need for a vegetable garden? It isn’t like we have no food in the house,” he barked. He could hear the frustration in his own voice and tried to rein it in.
He took a deep breath and turned to leave, not willing to stand there one moment longer covered in mud, half naked at one o’clock in the morning and debating the need for a vegetable garden. The top of his head was still tender from the encounter with the table. All he wanted at the moment was a hot shower. There was no doubt she had set this up. She was pushing him to lose his temper. She had to be. He just didn’t know why. A move to the ranch was looking better and better. She’d be well-advised to watch out. Paybacks were hell.
Six
The door closed behind Wade. Victoria looked at the twig she still held in her hand. She was honestly sorry he’d experienced a problem coming into the house. A problem of her making. But he really wasn’t supposed to have gotten home until tomorrow. Or technically today. She’d intended to have everything set up and ready to surprise him at dinner tonight. Well, she’d surprised him, all right. Just not in the way she’d intended.
She returned to her bed and set the book aside. Turning off the bedside light, she lay back on her pillow and stared into the darkness. One thought ran in circles through her mind: after this long, she was still the stranger here. Regardless of how hard she tried, she still managed to cause havoc, either by setting off alarms or making well-intended changes to this house. Everything was so formal it was difficult to breathe. How she’d ever spent eight months in this house doing nothing, especially with Wade gone most of the time, was something she couldn’t imagine. She could relate to the old adage about the bird in a gilded cage. And nothing she did seemed to make any difference for the better. And how could it ever? She lived in a perfect house with a perfect man. She consumed perfect food and slept in a perfectly soft bed. She didn’t like perfect. She certainly wasn’t perfect and was pretty sure the real world wasn’t either.
She’d been counting the hours until Wade returned, imagining his smile when she showed him the changes she’d made. Instead, everything had blown up in her face. By the look of him, Wade was really mad. She supposed he had a right to be. But he must know she hadn’t intended to sabotage him. Actually, she’d intended just the opposite.
She slid off the bed and padded to her door, then continued to Wade’s suite. A moment of hesitation had her almost turning and running back to her room, but she held firm. Reaching out, she knocked on his door. No answer. She knocked again, this time a little harder.
Suddenly the door was wrenched open, and Wade stood in the doorway, one towel slung low over his hips while he blotted the moisture from his head with another, grimacing when it touched the top of his head.
Before she could open her mouth, he stepped back into the room and disappeared around the corner, leaving her to choose to come in or to turn around and leave. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward into the lion’s den.
“I just wanted to apologize,” she called out, hoping he could hear her. “It never entered my mind that...well, that you would come home early. Or at night. Or that you wouldn’t turn on the lights. Or that there was an entrance there, and you would use it.” She huffed out a sigh. “You could have called and told me, and none of this would have happened.”
Wade stepped back around the corner, still wearing the towel. His thick dark hair was damp from his shower, softly curling about his head as though it refused to be tamed. His broad shoulders filled her vision. The sleek muscles of his chest and arms moved under tanned skin with oiled precision as he brought his hands up to rest on his waist. “This is how you apologize?” His eyebrows rose, a spark of challenge in his eyes. “Saying the debacle downstairs was my fault?”
“No. I’m to blame for what happened. Ultimately. I’m just pointing out you could have avoided it.”
“You’ll have to pardon my disagreement, but calling home to announce my arrival so a tree can be moved out of the way from the center of the hallway is not normally on my list of things to do.”
“Which is why you should have turned on the lights.”
Wade opened his mouth as if about to argue, but no words came out. Instead, he closed his eyes, shook his head and uttered a sigh.
“I’m sorry you got paint on your suit coat. I hope the dry cleaners can get it out. Where are the pants?”
Wade’s mouth was set in a straight line. His eyes narrowed to golden-brown beams as he caught her gaze. He stepped toward her and the urge to retreat was strong. Wade was a powerful man, in more ways than one. She was surrounded by an incredible scent of hot clean male, and there was little between them but her flimsy nightgown and a towel barely hanging on his hips.
Rather than frightening her away, his gaze held her in place.
Stopping a mere foot away, he said, “I don’t think this is about lights or the tree or whether or not I should have called.”
Victoria frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you?” He reached out one arm, his hand cupping her face, his thumb rubbing gently over her cheek. With little effort, he drew her to him.
His thumb traced the line of her lips and his gaze lowered to watch the movement. Her heart was doing cartwheels, and her breath stalled in her throat.
Wade closed what little distance remained between them and lowered his lips to within a breath of hers. “I think maybe you were trying to get my attention. Rest assured, it worked.”
“No, that’s not at all—”
“The next time, just tell me what you need, and I’ll make sure you get it. It’s more direct and involves a lot less drama. In fact, it’s not too late.” He nodded his head toward the large bed.
His mouth covered hers, devouring her lips, seeking the deep recesses of her mouth. His hand cupped the back of her head, ensuring she didn’t move away. She had no desire to do anything other than respond to the heat he was causing throughout her body and the moisture pooling between her legs. His mouth was hot, his tongue exploring the cavern of her mouth. His arms encircled her, and he pulled her tight against him, c
ausing his granite erection to press against her stomach. With a little moan, her hands found his bare shoulders, and she answered his need. She was quite sure she’d never been kissed in such a manner or by a man like Wade Masters. He was amazing. He knew exactly what she wanted and proceeded to give her more. How could she have forgotten moments like this?
“You make it very hard to remember you’re injured,” Wade whispered against her lips, his voice rough. Then his mouth covered hers in one last, lingering kiss before he raised his head and took a step back. “Go. Go back to your room while you can. I’m trying damn hard not to pick you up and...” He took a shaky breath. “Go, Victoria. Now.”
Victoria backed to the outer door, turned and all but ran down the hall to her suite. God, how she’d wanted to stay in his arms. She trudged to her bed and climbed in, pulling the covers around her. Visibly shaken, she knew she was walking a razor-thin line between making love to her husband and denying them both until she could remember him and what transpired between them before the accident. The way she felt right now, she wished she’d just said no to his demand she leave and stayed exactly where she was—where she wanted to be—in his arms. In his bed.
As far as she could tell so far, he was the man she’d always dreamed of. Not his wealth. Not his power. Just Wade. The man. Purely the man. What had she done to make him want to keep his distance? And how would they overcome it?
* * *
Dr. Meadows closed the door behind him and extended his hand first to Victoria, then to Wade. He set a small laptop on the counter and powered it up. “So, how have you been, Mrs. Masters?”
“Good.” Victoria smiled at the good doctor. “My ribs are still a little tender, but not bad.”
“Headaches?”
“Yes. Some. But they are manageable for the most part. And they don’t happen very often.”
“And the memory? Any improvement?”
“Not really. Maybe a quick flash of an image or a name here and there.”
“Are you able to retain those images?”
She nodded. “Yes. But I don’t understand any of them. I don’t recognize them.”
“She is experiencing some changes in her personality.” Wade spoke up.
“Like what?”
“Basic likes and dislikes. Opinions. Her interests seem to have shifted.” Wade stood in the corner, his hands thrust deep in the pockets of his slacks. “She likes going barefoot. She enjoys sitting on the ground. Outside. Under a tree. Before the accident, she wouldn’t be caught dead doing that.”
“It’s pleasant. You should do more of it,” Victoria countered.
“She doesn’t want to go shopping. I had to leave instructions for my houseman to take her shopping and I was told, even then, she didn’t want to go.”
Wade turned a frustrated glance to Dr. Meadows. “And she planted a garden. She had one of the employees remove paving stones and landscaping and plugged the space full of tomato plants. Do you understand what I’m saying, Doctor?” Wade rubbed the back of his head. “We don’t need tomatoes!”
Dr. Meadows stifled a grin and looked down, rubbing his forehead.
“Mr. Masters, while I can appreciate what you’re saying, sometimes amnesia can cause a person to temporarily change their core values, their likes and dislikes. It doesn’t happen very often. But I must say, in all honesty, if my wife staunchly refused to go shopping, I would consider myself a very lucky man.”
He trained his sights on Victoria. “Do you have any memories associated with what you like or don’t like?”
Victoria looked at her husband, then shook her head. “No. As I explained to Wade, some things just feel right. I can’t offer a reason other than that.”
“While it’s not a common occurrence, it is possible with a traumatic head injury such as you sustained. We can’t rule anything out.” He turned to face Wade. “I would suggest just being supportive of your wife’s new interests, as long as she sticks to growing tomatoes and doesn’t start robbing banks.”
She couldn’t stop the small snort of laughter. She dared a look at her husband and received a stern glare. Apparently Wade didn’t share in the humor.
“I would like to see you again in about three weeks, just as a precautionary follow-up. We’ll do another MRI and see how things are looking on the inside, but I don’t anticipate anything negative. You seem healthy otherwise and I see no reason that you can’t return to your full activities. It might even help with memory recall.”
“Great.” She hopped down from the table. “Thanks, Dr. Meadows. I’ll be here on the eighteenth for the MRI.” She turned at the door and watched as Wade shook the good doctor’s hand before accompanying him down the long hall and out the front door. When they stepped out of the building, she felt the summer sun on her shoulders. She glanced at her husband. He appeared deep in thought.
“Wade?” she said. “I know my cell was destroyed in the accident, but why do I have no friends? I mean, not one person has called or come to see me since I’ve been home. I talk to Mother on occasion, but she doesn’t seem to have the time or the desire to discuss it. She says I’m being silly to worry about it. Keeps telling me to stick to the business at hand...whatever that means. Getting my memory back, I suppose.”
“Of course.” He didn’t sound convinced. “I’m afraid I can’t answer your question, Victoria. I don’t think you had very many that you considered close friends. Perhaps they will come around in time. Unfortunately, I don’t have names or numbers to give you.”
That seemed strange. Surely her husband would know the name of her best friend? Theirs was truly an odd lifestyle. Or so it seemed. But she had no concrete foundation to base her suspicions on. Perhaps it was just the way life was.
* * *
When they arrived back at the mansion, Victoria headed upstairs, and Wade made his way to his home office. He closed the door and sank down in the leather chair behind the desk. Reaching for the phone, he dialed the number to the ranch. It was answered on the second ring.
“Triple M Ranch,” a woman cheerfully answered.
“This is Wade. Is Chance around?”
“No, sir. He has gone to a cattle auction in Oklahoma. He won’t be back for a couple weeks. But Holly is here. Or at least at her vet clinic.”
“I’m bringing my wife out for a short stay. Could you have someone freshen the Pine House cabin?”
“It will be wonderful to see you again, sir. We will have the house and vehicles ready to go. Do you have a general idea of when you’ll be arriving?”
“Toward the end of next week.”
“Excellent. I’ll let Holly know you’re coming, and we’ll see you then.”
He sighed and ended the call. Every day they were together he felt drawn to Victoria more and more. But Wade had to give her some leeway while she healed, not press her on the return of her memories. But the time was drawing near. He knew sooner or later she would revert to the Victoria he knew, and giving any thought to consummating their marriage would be setting himself up for a hellacious time when she regained her memory. Sharing a bed at the ranch wasn’t going to help to put distance between them. In fact, it was going to be damn hard to keep from making love to her. Victoria saw him as her husband. Not a cardboard replica of a man whom she married on paper only. She didn’t know that part, and he was hesitant to tell her. Would it shock her memory into returning? Or would it just shock her, period? Maybe the news would have no effect. Yeah. Probably not. He knew this Victoria well enough to know that if it didn’t bring back her memory, it would most certainly disturb her.
He exhaled a deep breath. He was ready to put his plan into action. He’d use the horses, the campfires, the hiking and anything else he could find to send Victoria running back to Dallas after admitting her memories had returned. It had been hard enough staying away from her the times they had been together. He w
ould shut his mouth, keep his distance and stay alert to any further changes in her demeanor. If Victoria had honestly changed and discovered a love of the outdoors, she would get her fill at the ranch. If she was pulling some type of con, the ranch would have her confessing in no time. High-society types like her did not normally fit in with cowboys, cattle drives and longhorn steers.
A glance at his watch said it was past two o’clock. Wade took the elevator to the second floor and knocked on Victoria’s door. After several minutes he knocked again. This time the door was thrown open. “Hi.”
“Uh...hi.” Wade swallowed hard. Victoria was standing before him clad in only the briefest neon-yellow bikini. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a knot. “I was about to head down to the pool and get some sun.”
“I wanted to see if you’d care to have lunch.”
“Sure. Let me throw on a T-shirt and pants—or is a dress needed? Are we going out?”
“Casual will be fine. I’ll wait. Go ahead.” Wade strolled into the room while Victoria raced for the closet. Uncharacteristically, her suite was as neat as a pin.
He expected the wait time to be at least ten minutes, but before he could sit down, Victoria was back, dressed and ready to go. She’d even put on a pair of shoes.
They made their way downstairs. When Victoria turned to go into the dining room, Wade took her arm and directed her toward the kitchen.
“Where are we going? I thought you said we were going to eat here.”
“We are.”
Victoria couldn’t hold back the surprise when they turned left and stopped in the entrance to the alcove. The table and chairs she’d bought had been placed in the center of the cozy space, and the table was set with dinnerware for two. The tree was to one side of the window. The water feature outside had been turned on, its droplets glowing like crystals in the afternoon sun.
