The Second Chance

by Catherine Mann

  There was a pristine beauty around the five acres of property. Chuck had told her his stable was small compared to the Steele spread, and his family kept things more understated. Somehow, as if by practice, she immediately located Chuck on his stallion Nanook—a buckskin quarter horse.

  Chuck looked natural. Rugged. Familiar and strange.

  She’d made it through the first week under the same roof as her husband. Although that didn’t stop her from thinking about him all the time.

  Of course, that could be in part because the pillows carried a hint of his scent. She hadn’t been able to resist inhaling, wondering if the smell would bring memories of him or memories of when they’d conceived the baby she carried.

  How surreal to be pregnant. She didn’t feel different other than her breasts were a little tender. Yet the ultrasound was real, as was the follow-up appointment with her doctor yesterday. She was responsible for caring for the life growing inside her.

  Chuck had mentioned several miscarriages and unsuccessful fertility treatments. Her pregnancy, combined with the amnesia, had to be all the more difficult for him.

  How long would it take for her to remember?

  Desperately needing to connect with something familiar, she reached into her coat pocket for her cell phone to call her mother. She craved stability. She clicked the phone on Speaker as she made her way into the kitchen.

  No, her kitchen. The kitchen she clearly had a hand in decorating.

  She listened to the ringing phone, eyes investigating the three suspended lamps that illuminated a white marble counter free of any clutter. Her actual dream.

  Or rather, her lived reality.

  Walking to the island, she smelled the bouquet of irises, another endearing gesture from Chuck. Turning, she opened the freezer and pulled out a tub of home-churned berry ice cream, a craving she’d had that Chuck made sure stayed in good supply, along with extra berries to spread on top.

  After what felt like an eternity of ringing, the phone clicked on just as she pulled a spoon out from the drawer.

  “Hello there, sweetie. I’m so sorry not to have made it. I’m going to save up all my vacation days to get there as soon as I can. But it could be a month or so.”

  Shana stifled the urge to beg her mom to come anyway. But she needed to be strong and learn to stand on her own in case things didn’t work out with Chuck. “I’m okay, Mom. Really. Chuck’s whole family is watching out for us.”

  “But I’m your mama.” Evident pain passed through the phone. Shana scooped up a bite of berry ice cream before she answered, savoring the bitter notes of the blackberries.

  Shana wanted to agree with her mother, but guilting her mom wouldn’t help. “I understand, truly I do.”

  “I worry about you being there with them all feeling like strangers to you.”

  True enough. Her whole life felt surreal. “It’s awkward at times, but they’re being sensitive.”

  “And Chuck? How is he?”

  Sexy. Unreadable. But thoughtful. And... “Careful.”

  He treated her like she was fragile and could break at any moment. She hated that.

  “Careful doesn’t tell me much.”

  “He’s walking on eggshells trying to make me happy.”

  “That should be a good thing.”

  Except when someone had an agenda.

  Pressing her palms into the countertop, Shana drew in a breath, then let it out. She scanned the pristine kitchen as if it held a clue.

  Maybe it did.

  The words smoked through her mind and under her defenses. Her imagination ran wild from her days as a private eye. Days on the job had showed her the dark secrets people like her father hid, people who many would think were everyday, regular folks.

  Goose bumps prickled. Shana searched for a way to end the call. Her mother had suffered too much. Shana didn’t want to add more worries, especially when there might well be nothing to be concerned about.

  If there was ever a need for superior detective skills, it was now. Shana needed to piece together what had happened over the past five years. Fast.

  “Hmm.” She wasn’t ready to tell her mother about the baby. Her life already felt so alien and unsure. She would tell her mom in person once she arrived. “Hey, I hear someone calling for me, so I’ll let you go.”

  “Call me anytime. Love you, sweetie.”

  “Love you, too, Mom.” She ended the call, no closer to finding answers, and only filled with more burning questions.

  She scooped more ice cream into her mouth and shut her eyes again. In the movies, characters were always shutting their eyes to remember long-forgotten secrets. More than a week without any hint of her past and she found herself ready and willing to try anything.

  An arm slid around her shoulders. Instant heat tingled in her skin from that strong weight.

  How quickly she’d come to recognize his touch.

  Chuck. Her husband.

  She looked over her shoulder to smile and offer him a spoonful. “Want some?”

  “Hmm.” He grinned and opened his mouth.

  She fed him the ice cream, shivers running up her arm. She hadn’t thought about how sexy sharing food would be, but now? Her body melted faster than the serving in her bowl.

  She cleared the lump in her throat—easier said than done. “How was your ride?”

  He swept off his Stetson and set it on the granite counter. “Mind-clearing.”

  “Did we ride together often?”

  He stroked back her hair, strands catching along his calluses. “We did. And we will again.”

  The words hung between them with the promise of a future she couldn’t quite envision. Living in the present with a chunk of the past gone was tough enough.

  His smile faded into a frown and she realized he was looking over her shoulder.

  She touched his arm lightly. “Is something wrong?”

  “I’m not sure.” He leaned forward, hands on the counter, looking through the window. “But it sure seems like my baby sister is getting cozy with the youngest Steele kid.”

  “Kid? They look like adults to me.”

  “Freshmen in college.” He swept his hat off the counter. “And since my and Alayna’s mom married Aiden Steele’s dad, those two freshmen are living under the same roof.”

  He jammed his Stetson back on his head and stalked out the door.

  As she watched Chuck storm across the yard, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow, she fought back the unsettling feeling that this man bore little resemblance to her careful husband of the past week.

  * * *

  Alayna Mikkelson hugged Aiden Steele as he powered the snowmobile across the pristine stretch of ice left after the storm. She wrapped her arms tighter around one of the hottest college freshmen on campus and her brand-new stepbrother.

  Even through the puffy snow gear, she could smell Aiden’s clove aftershave, a rich scent, as dark and mysterious as his hair and eyes. The kind of eyes that induced blushes on even the most popular freshman girls. But here she was, perched on the back of a snowmobile with him.

  They weren’t blood-related. And her mom hadn’t even been married to his dad for a year. So there was nothing creepy about her feelings for him. He probably wouldn’t have noticed her on campus. But living in the same house with her over the past months, somehow he’d seen the real her.

  When so many others didn’t.

  Being the quiet one in her family had its downsides, like when she went unnoticed or got steamrolled. But being quiet also had its perks, like hearing all the juiciest gossip because people tended to overlook wallpaper personalities.

  And the best perk right now? No one seemed to realize she was on her way to being majorly noticed by Aiden Steele.

  She swallowed, eyes looking past his broad shoulders and to t
he distant horse-filled pastures. A thump in the ground pushed her forward, closer to Aiden. Her stomach did a somersault.

  Life was so surreal these days with all the past family rivalries disappearing. Who would have thought they’d be having all these get-togethers after so many years of outright warfare?

  She hadn’t always been the kind of person to fade into the background. As a kid, she’d demanded her rights in a big family. Sometimes loudly.

  How ironic that one event had changed her so radically, silenced her so completely.

  She hadn’t even started school when she’d overheard Uncle Lyle—her mom’s brother—talking to some strange men. To this day she couldn’t recall exactly what she’d heard. She only knew it had been bad enough for him to threaten her. He’d said if she talked he would throw her through the ice and everyone would think she’d drowned. Once she’d gotten old enough to realize she should have told someone, he’d already disappeared from their lives. So there was nothing to be gained from sharing something that was now only a fuzzy memory.

  Maybe she should be more proactive in digging up those memories. If she didn’t, she might be forever stuck in the role of a wallflower. That kind of anonymity wasn’t as comforting as it had once been.

  Especially not when she wanted Aiden to see her.

  Hanging around with Shana could be helpful on a number of levels. Seeing how professionals helped her regain her memories could provide tips on how to root around in Alayna’s own buried recollections. Shana also happened to be a private detective and might have tips for finding out the truth of the past.

  Nobody talked about Shana’s career much since it seemed like everyone else either worked for the family oil business or planned fund-raisers.

  There was no room for anything in between.

  Even if Alayna decided to work for her family’s empire someday, she needed that to be her decision.

  She needed to find her voice again first.

  And she needed to find a way to tell them what she knew, something deep down inside she’d feared would turn her family inside out.

  Was this what Shana felt like without her memory? Afraid?

  Alayna clutched Aiden harder. He would probably think it was because they’d shot over a pile of packed snow.

  She knew her world had felt unsteady for a lot longer than just today.

  Five

  Anger coursed through Chuck’s veins.

  When he’d seen Alayna and Aiden together, instinct had fired his feet into motion. He hadn’t even bothered to grab a jacket from the entry hallway of his home. Luckily, he hadn’t yet removed his snow boots.

  He heard Shana following after him. Worried she might slip on the ice, he slowed his pace and glanced over his shoulder to see her chasing him.

  That chest-tightening feeling came back as he looked at her. Her puffed steel-gray jacket still managed to hug her curves and call attention to her hot figure. Her honeyed hair fell in waves, contrasting with her wind-chapped cheeks and lips. Genuine concern welled in those soft eyes.

  Damn. A helluva mess.

  Chuck knew full well he was channeling a week’s worth of frustration into the moment. But damn it, his shy baby sister didn’t need to get tangled up with one of the Steele men.

  “Chuck? Take a breath.” Shana’s urgent voice floated over his shoulder. “Think about what you’re doing.” She leaned forward, hands pressing into her thighs.

  “I’m putting a stop to this before it’s out of hand.” He eyeballed the snowmobile in the distance where Alayna was still plastered against Aiden Steele’s back.

  Shana drew closer and clutched his arm. “It could be a harmless flirtation.”

  “I beg to differ.” He rested his hand over hers because, what the hell, he wasn’t ever so far gone as to miss out on a chance to touch her. “My baby sister—my shy, innocent baby sister—is all over that hellion Steele kid.”

  “Seriously? You’re worried because they’re riding a snowmobile together?” She patted his arm. “And who says the guy’s a hellion?”

  “She doesn’t need to sit that close, he doesn’t need to let her, and he looks like trouble.” His protective urges kicked into overdrive. While the family companies might have merged, while their families might be blended by marriage, none of that did much to alleviate years’ worth of mistrust. Not even close.

  She took both of his hands, clasping them in that calming way she’d done over the years of their marriage, like when his father had died.

  “Chuck, you may be right on every point, but do you think confronting them will accomplish anything positive?”

  Damn it, he hated that she was right. But he also couldn’t deny an easing of his tension thanks to her perspective. He appreciated how kind she’d been to come after him when she didn’t even remember any of them in the first place.

  “What do you suggest?” he asked. “I can’t just ignore what I see and send them both on their merry way to live under the same roof. What if he takes advantage of my little sister?”

  “Maybe she plans to take advantage of him.” She grinned, squeezing his hands.

  “You’re not helping.”

  “Fair enough. How about let me talk to her?” She nudged his shoulder.

  A familiar gesture that should feel so damn normal. Except it had been a long time since he’d had a positive connection with his wife.

  Was this a sign of life in their marriage?

  “And you’ll tell me what she says?”

  Shana hesitated, then said, “I’ll tell you if I think there’s cause for concern.”

  She arched up on her toes and kissed him. A slight brush of her lips to his, but a kiss that lingered for a moment too much to be anything platonic. The chemistry between them sparked like static popping in the air. He ached to haul her to him, her body flush against his. Yet patience would gain him so much more.

  As she eased away, her eyes went wide. “I’m not sure why, um, I wasn’t thinking, I, well...”

  He pressed a finger to her soft lips. “No explanation needed.”

  Savoring the progress, he backed away, the taste of her filling him with victory.

  * * *

  Several days may have passed, but it didn’t dull this particular memory.

  She’d kissed Chuck.

  On impulse but not by accident.

  As much as she tried to keep her mind on the present and her conversation with Alayna, Shana found her mind wandering. Not that the teen seemed to notice as she chattered on about the gala next month. The event would gather the Alaska Oil Barons, Inc., shareholders and board members in a show of solidarity and celebration. The massive event was being planned by a Mikkelson distant cousin—Sage Hammond. Until now, Sage had been solely a personal assistant. She’d been given the event to prove herself and possibly advance in the company. So far, her work looked promising.

  The gala had a steampunk theme blending Old West fashion with a technology aesthetic, the perfect showcase for an oil company with Alaskan roots.

  This was as good a way as any to learn how to navigate among the Mikkelsons. Or rather, relearn, as they seemed quite comfortable coming and going in her home. Chuck’s sister Glenna sat off to the side on a blanket with her daughter, while his youngest sister, Alayna, curled up in a wing chair by the fire.

  Seeing Chuck grow so tense earlier in the week over his sister’s possible love life felt oddly endearing. He cared so much. But Shana remembered being a teenager, too. She knew that explosions and sharp decrees didn’t necessarily assuage puppy love. No, affairs of the heart demanded a more tender touch.

  Besides, Alayna’s troubles could provide some diversion from Shana’s own missing memory. Something about jumping in full force to the family dynamic appealed to her.

  Shana touched the marble mantel, mindlessly arranging the large g
roup of flowers in front of the towering mirror. She loved the opulent arrangement of ferns and gardenias. The brightness contrasted well with the white room. Greens, particularly ferns, always seemed hopeful and tenacious.

  When Shana had been a child, her mother had read her a book about a magical princess who rekindled the land by restoring life to a resurrection fern. Her mom told her resurrection ferns were real. They really could survive and come back after great lengths of time without sustenance. Even as a small child, Shana had felt a kinship to the plant. She liked to care for the miracle ferns in her home.

  Chuck’s home.

  Her sexy husband, Chuck.

  The man who was both familiar to her and intoxicatingly new. A man she’d impulsively kissed.

  Before her accident, would that kiss have rocked through her just as much? Were they a couple who stole intimate moments like that?

  She had so many unanswered questions. She needed to touch him again, to feel him press into her body. She had to go back for more. Maybe, just maybe, another kiss could unleash more than the electricity that hummed in her bones every time they locked eyes.

  Alayna cleared her throat after glancing over her shoulder as if to determine if her elder sister, Glenna, would be able to hear them—but Glenna was still engrossed with her baby daughter, who was playing with a jingling ball.

  Shana shifted her attention back to Alayna.

  One crisis at a time. That lingering kiss with Chuck would have to wait.

  Forcing the memory of his lips from her mind, Shana tilted her head to the side. Alayna again looked back at her older sister. Glenna’s blond hair was gathered into a high ponytail as she played with her baby girl. An array of stuffed animals and teething toys speckled the light lavender blanket.

  Shana saw an opportunity. Her memory and the specifics of this family might be gone, but her sleuthing skills were as sharp as ever. She still knew how to read people. Alayna clearly had something she wanted to share, and something she didn’t want her older sister to know.