Lost Without Them

by Trista Ann Michaels

  Keegan’s eyes widened just a little. “You want me to be your housekeeper?”

  “It would be a place for you to go,” Cody said. “For now or till you remember things.”

  “What if I never remember?” she asked with concern.

  Cody shrugged. “Then you make a new life here.”

  Keegan stared up at him, unsure what to say. She knew what she wanted to say: Hold me. Take care of me. Make me feel whole again.

  “There’re things we can do in the meantime,” Sam said as he patted her leg.

  She turned her attention back to the older, more dominant brother. How did she know that? How did she know who was older? Who was more dominant?

  “We can send your picture to the local newspapers, maybe contact the media—”

  “No,” she said, shocking herself at her outburst.

  Sam’s eyebrows rose.

  “I mean…” She sighed. Why did it matter? What was she hiding from? She had no idea. All she knew—or felt—was that she needed to hide. She was desperate to hide. “Just give me a chance to remember on my own.”

  Sam nodded, but his brow creased into a frown. “We’ll do whatever you want, Keegan.”

  The name sounded so right, especially coming from his lips. Was that her name? Or was all this just remnants of the dream she’d had? She could still remember every detail, every touch, every kiss. Her nipples hardened beneath her rough gown, and she crossed her arms over her chest to try to hide the evidence of her weird arousal.

  “Are you cold?” Sam asked. “I can turn the heat up.”

  “No, I just got a chill.”

  Dr. Borus stepped into the room, and Keegan almost breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, boys,” he said with a smile. “Since our patient is awake, why don’t you two leave the room so I can take a look at her stitches.”

  Sam and Cody both moved to leave. “You’ll be back?” she asked, for some reason worried she wouldn’t see them again.

  Sam smiled and gave her toes an affectionate squeeze as he walked by the foot of the bed. “We’ll be back.”

  Keegan watched them leave the room and felt as though part of her went with them.

  “Who are they?” she asked as she looked up at the doctor.

  “Lie back for me, hon,” he said.

  Keegan dropped to her back and winced at the pain in her side.

  “Those two are Sam and Cody Keller. They own the Keller Ranch outside of town.”

  “Do you know them well?” she asked.

  “All their lives,” he said as he removed the gauze and checked her wounds. “How are you feeling, hon? Any memory return?”

  “No,” she said sadly. “They offered to let me stay at the ranch. Be their housekeeper.”

  The doctor smiled softly as he helped her roll to her side. “That’s probably not a bad idea. You would be in good hands with them. They’re good boys. Besides, with no memory, where else are you going to go?”

  Where else indeed.

  Chapter Three

  “Well?”

  Connor stood as two of the three werewolves he’d sent after Keegan walked into his office. One had his arm in a sling, and Connor frowned. “What the hell happened? Where’s Joshua?”

  James, the uninjured one, frowned and brushed his long black hair from his face. “He was shot in the neck. The bullet severed his spinal cord.”

  Connor cursed. “Did you at least get Keegan?”

  James raised an eyebrow, then shook his head.

  “Why the hell not?” Connor exploded.

  “Well, let’s see,” James said sarcastically. “Maybe it was because we were staring down the barrel of a shotgun. The same shotgun that took out Joshua. We can be killed, Connor. We’re not stupid.”

  “Fine, then go back and get her.”

  “We lost her.”

  “What do you mean you lost her?”

  “She’s not using magic. We can’t track her until she does.”

  Connor sighed.

  “We found her once; we can do it again, but we need her to do something. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to be something big.”

  “What if you just go back to where you lost her and track her down like normal people?” Connor asked.

  “My guess is she’s long gone from that place,” James said. “She saw us; she knows we exist now. She’s not going to be stupid enough to stay there.”

  Connor tapped his fingernail on the walnut desk. “The council meets in a week. I’ll see what I can find out then. If Keegan knows you exist, she’ll go straight to her mother.”

  James nodded.

  “In the meantime, get back to that place and find out if she’s still there,” Connor snarled.

  * * * *

  Keegan stood at the window, staring out at the mountains in the distance. Why would wolves have attacked her? And what was she doing out there?

  So many unanswered questions. So many things that didn’t make any sense, at least in her mind. Sighing, she squeezed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. Would she ever get her memory back?

  The door to her room opened, and Sam walked in carrying several large bags. Her stomach fluttered at how good he looked in his faded blue jeans, cowboy boots, and denim button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing strong, tan forearms and hands she instinctively knew could be gentle, despite the calluses.

  She met his amused stare with a frown. “What on earth is all that?”

  “Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I got your sizes off the clothes you were wearing when we found you and got you some more.”

  Keegan shook her head. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Sam grinned just a little. “Well, you can’t exactly leave here naked, now can you? Your other clothes were pretty much ruined, anyway.”

  Her lips formed a silent O. He was right, she supposed, but it still felt odd and just a little embarrassing that he had to buy her clothes. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I will, though,” she whispered.

  Sam studied her across the room, his gaze boring intently into her as though he was trying to read her mind. “You will, won’t you,” he murmured. He set the bags on the bed. “I’ll tell you what. We can just take it out of your pay if you want…if you’re coming to the house with us, that is.”

  Keegan swallowed. “I don’t really have much of a choice, I guess, do I?”

  “We would never force you, Keegan. It’s just an offer. If you don’t feel comfortable with it or would rather not, I understand and so will Cody.”

  Keegan gave a small nod. “I asked the doctor about you.” Although, truthfully, for whatever reason she couldn’t even come close to explaining, she really hadn’t needed to. Deep down, she knew she could trust both of them with her life.

  Sam chuckled. “Oh Lord. I’m afraid to ask what he told ya.”

  Keegan smiled for what felt like the first time that day. “He had all good things to say. He said I would be safe with you.”

  If she were honest with herself, she would admit that being safe with them was the last thing on her mind. She wanted to be seduced by them, held by them, teased by them. It felt right and strangely normal.

  Cody came strolling through the door, and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of them together. Cody was dressed similarly to Sam. Neither had on a hat, and she struggled not to step closer and run her fingers through their thick hair.

  She blinked, trying to dislodge the erotic trail her thoughts seemed to always want to go down. She met Cody’s mischievous amber-colored eyes and felt the heat of a blush move over her cheeks. Why did it feel so much like she knew them? Like they were a part of her and her, them?

  It made no sense.

  “Did you see the stuff he got you?” Cody asked.

  Keegan had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she might not like what was in the bag. “No. Should I?”

  “Let�
�s just say it’s not anything close to what you were found in.”

  Keegan frowned slightly as she glanced at the bags on the bed. “What was I found in?” she asked, seriously drawing a blank.

  “Custom clothes, high dollar. And three-inch heels that aren’t good for anything other than turning a man on,” Cody drawled.

  Keegan fought a smile, especially when Sam shot his brother a look of warning.

  “They may not be high fashion, but they’re comfortable clothes,” Sam said as he turned back to Keegan. “I don’t think you’ll want to walk around a ranch in stilettos.”

  “It’s fine,” Keegan said as she smiled shyly at Sam. “At this point, I’m just grateful to have anything at all.”

  “Well,” Cody said as he walked over to the bed and peeked into one of the bags. “Doc says you can go whenever you’re ready.” Cody looked across the room at her. “The offer to come to the house still stands, if you want it. If not, we can take you wherever you want to go.”

  Keegan shrugged. “That’s just it. I don’t know where I want to go, so I guess I go with you.”

  Cody chuckled as he turned to glance at his brother. “Sounds real enthused, doesn’t she?”

  Sam shook his head and slapped Cody on the back of the shoulder. “Stop teasing her.” Sam shifted his attention back to Keegan. “We’ll let you get changed.”

  With a slight scowl at Cody, Sam led the way to the door. Cody glanced over his shoulder and winked at her. Cody was so adorable she couldn’t help but smile at him.

  “Twenty minutes be okay?” Cody asked.

  “That’ll be plenty of time.”

  With a nod, Cody followed his brother out the door. Keegan walked over to the bed and began pulling things out of bags. It was mostly jeans and shirts, a denim jacket, socks, and a pair of boots. They were a little more dressy than cowboy boots but still appeared to be good for ranch-type work. She supposed, anyway, since she wasn’t real sure what people did on a ranch to begin with.

  Keegan smiled as she studied the boots that laced up like tennis shoes. She thought they were actually kind of cute. Sam’s taste in clothes wasn’t too terribly bad.

  She opened the second bag and felt the heat of a blush move over her cheeks. She knew he’d bought clothes, but underwear? She supposed she needed them, but the idea that Sam had picked out her most personal clothing items made her feel a little odd.

  She studied the beige lace bra and panties. He’d actually done really well at picking out her size. As to her tastes…well, she knew she liked them now, but would she have liked them before her memory loss?

  “This is stupid. Does it really matter?” she grumbled aloud. “So he knows what I’m wearing under my clothes.”

  For some reason, the idea that they would know actually felt right. Sighing, she dropped the underwear on the bed and reached to untie her hospital gown. If she didn’t hurry up and get dressed, they would walk in and not only see her underwear but would see her naked.

  Chapter Four

  Keegan stared through the passenger window of the truck at the monstrosity of a house before her. That wasn’t a house. That was a lodge.

  “I have to keep that clean?” she asked as she pointed out the window toward the three-story log house.

  Cody chuckled as he climbed from the backseat of the four-door Ford Lariat. He came around and opened the passenger-side door while Sam grabbed her bags from the backseat.

  “Not the whole thing,” Cody said with a smile. “Sam and I use very little of the house. My father built it that big in the hopes that Sam and I would one day marry and both families would live here together. He always wanted a houseful of grandkids.”

  She took the hand he offered her as she gingerly swung her legs around. “Where is your dad?”

  She set her feet on the ground, wincing slightly at the pain in her stitches.

  “He died a few years ago.”

  Her gaze shot to his. Sadness darkened the amber color, and her heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry. Were you guys close?”

  Cody nodded but didn’t say anything else. Hoping to lighten the mood a little, Keegan decided it might be best to change the subject as they climbed the three steps up to the massive front porch. It ran the entire length of the house. Several conversation areas were filled with wicker furniture, and Keegan could easily imagine herself sitting in one of those chairs, enjoying a cup of coffee.

  Coffee.

  “You know what I would love right now?” she said as Sam unlocked the front door.

  “What’s that?” Cody asked.

  “A cup of coffee.”

  Sam smiled over his shoulder. “Damn woman read my mind.”

  Keegan lifted one shoulder. “Maybe I can. At this point, who knows?”

  Sam’s grin widened as he pushed the door open and stepped inside the massive entryway. “Welcome to Keller Ranch,” Sam said as she stepped through the doorway.

  Keegan stared in awe at the three-story entryway with the large log staircase and deer-antler chandelier. “It’s amazing.”

  “Wait until you see the rest of it,” Cody said as he put his hand at the small of her back, ushering her forward.

  The feel of his hand there didn’t seem to bother her. In fact, she quite liked it. Now if she could just figure out why.

  “I’m putting you in the first room on the right on the second floor,” Sam said.

  Keegan stopped and frowned. “Aren’t there servants’ quarters in something this big?”

  Sam shook his head. “Actually, no.” He gave a slight shrug as he continued up the stairs. “Until now, we’ve never had any.”

  “Oh,” Keegan said as she let Cody guide her through the opening that led to the rest of the house.

  They walked through a huge great room and into a kitchen so clean and large Keegan felt she could get lost if she wasn’t careful. She ran her palm over the granite counter. It was streaked with waves of gold, brown, and even a little red.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmured as she continued to admire the cool slab of granite that covered the oversize island.

  Cody opened the fridge and reached for the can of coffee grounds. “I think Dad went a little over the top on this place.”

  “It’s incredible. I just can’t seem to stop looking at everything.” She glanced up and saw Cody pull the coffeepot close to the sink. “Cody, I should do that. Isn’t that my job now?”

  Cody shook his head and indicated with a wave of his hand that she should sit down. “Right now it’s not. You’re still stiff and sore. Give yourself a couple of days to heal. Get to know the house, where we keep things, what our schedules are like. You can move into things gradually.”

  She pulled the stool away from the island and sat down. “What are your schedules like?”

  “Well, we’re early risers.” Cody used a measuring spoon to dip out the coffee grounds. “Since dad’s gone and we don’t have a housekeeper, Sam and I usually eat with the ranch hands.”

  “Will I need to cook for you, then?” she asked.

  “Just supper,” Cody replied. “Since you’re here, we’ll eat with you.”

  Keegan nodded. “What do you guys like?”

  “I can eat most anything. Sam is more of a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy.” He turned on the coffeepot, slid it back into place, and turned to face her. He leaned the small of his back casually against the counter. His hands reached down to grip the edge of the granite at his sides, and Keegan couldn’t help but admire the width of his chest and narrowness of his waist.

  She swallowed and glanced away.

  “I’m sure we’re low on groceries, so if you want, you can work up a menu, and we can go grocery shopping.”

  Keegan looked back at him and cringed. “You know. I don’t even know if I know how to cook or not.”

  Cody started to say something, then closed his mouth. He looked at her thoughtfully for a second before replying, “Well, how about tonight you and I cook something, a
nd we’ll see. Maybe you know more about cooking than you think.”

  Keegan’s lips twisted. “Or maybe I know nothing.”

  Cody came forward and leaned across the island. Taking her hands in his, he dipped his head just a little so that he could see her face. “It’s going to be okay, Keegan. Even if you can’t cook, it will be fine. Besides, you can’t be any worse than me and Sam.”

  Keegan snickered.

  “Worse than me and Sam at what?” Sam asked as he strolled into the kitchen.

  “Keegan’s worried that she can’t cook.”

  Sam grabbed a coffee cup from the cabinet, then reached for the coffee. “Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. If I can survive Cody’s cooking, I can survive anything.”

  Cody straightened, and, with his hand at his hip, he glared at his brother. “I beg your pardon?”

  Keegan giggled. Sam handed her the cup he’d just poured, and she smiled her thanks.

  “Coffee’s about the only thing Cody doesn’t burn,” Sam whispered, loud enough for Cody to hear.

  “Hey,” Cody snapped.

  Sam winked at her as his lips spread into a sexy grin that, if she were standing, would make her weak in the knees.

  * * * *

  Keegan stepped into the barn and inhaled the warm, spicy scent of hay. She was dreaming again. She could sense it. What was it with these dreams? What were they trying to tell her?

  She glanced around at the massive structure and smiled. She loved this barn. It was huge and so well kept. She shivered slightly at the cool air of spring. She had nothing on but underwear and one of Sam’s shirts that covered half her thighs, but she’d braved the cold in order to carry her plan through.

  She’d known they would be here alone and had wanted to surprise them with a little afternoon delight in the barn. Just a few feet away, Sam and Cody raked hay into a stall. She couldn’t help but admire their strong chests and shoulders.

  Cody had his shirt mostly undone, and her fingers itched to slide along his smooth flesh. Her body heated as she imagined how warm he would be, how sexy as he dipped his head to capture her lips. Just thinking about it made between her legs tingle.