Forgotten Kisses

by Verna Clay

  Angel could barely breathe. Eli still watched her and his expression turned serious for a moment before he moved his gaze to his brother and grinned. "Hey bro, the heavens must be smiling down on you, 'cause your name is still Harris Brightman."

  Angel accepted the hug Harris gave her and when she stepped back, she thought, Harris, I'm going to find out if we have a chance or my name isn't Angel Martinez.

  Chapter 31: Truth

  Alex's cell phone rang while he was driving the perimeter of the estate's southern farmlands. From the account records it appeared the land had not been performing well for a couple of years, and he intended to rectify the situation by hiring an overseer for all of the farmlands. The previous one had resigned and never been replaced, another indication of his father's mental decline.

  He recognized the ringtone and answered, "Hello Selene, what's up?"

  The humorless woman who had worked for his family for over twenty years said, "Mrs. O'Leary called. There's another plumbing problem at the Hart Land B&B. Do you want me to call Mr. Bradford to fix it?"

  Alex sighed. "No. Give me Mrs. O'Leary's phone number. I want to talk with her first and find out if there are any more issues."

  Selene Sanderson gave him the information and he entered the info into his cell phone's contacts list. Since his father's death he had taken over the reins of running the estate and encountered nothing but problems. Almost immediately he'd discovered that Lord Alderbury had become increasingly lax over the affairs of the estate and that's when Alex determined his health had started its decline. Being a proud man, his father hadn't disclosed his medical condition or asked for help. Alex shook his head. Sometimes pride could be a killer.

  He dialed Mrs. O'Leary.

  "Hello," said a sweet elderly voice.

  Alex hadn't spoken to the kindly widow in over ten years. "Hello, Mrs. O'Leary. This is Alex Wyndham."

  He heard her gasp. "Dr. Wyndham! I mean Sir Wyndham! Oh, I'm not sure how I should address you."

  Alex chuckled. "You can address me how you wish. It's a pleasure speaking with you after so many years."

  "Sir, it's my pleasure, too. You were about to leave for medical school the last time I saw you and your friends celebrating at The Hartbreak Pub. Me and George, God rest his kind soul, were also celebrating. It was our thirtieth wedding anniversary."

  Alex had the feeling Mrs. O'Leary would continue their conversation indefinitely if he didn't direct the course of it. "I remember your husband as a very kind man indeed, Mrs. O'Leary." She responded with more updates and when an opportunity presented itself, Alex said, "I understand the plumbing is acting up again."

  The kindly woman sighed. "It's the pipes, sir. They're as old as Methuselah. I mentioned it to your father several times, but I know he had more pressing things on his mind, especially after he got word of your injury. And goodness, where are my manners? How are you feeling?"

  Alex wanted to groan. Here was another problem that could have been resolved if his father had asked for help. "I've made remarkable progress with my mobility and memory. Thank you for asking." He quickly continued, "I guess it's time to replace those pipes. I'll send Mr. Bradford over to assess exactly what needs to be done. Are there any other issues at the B&B?"

  When Mrs. O'Leary started ticking off a list he interrupted, "Why don't you write out a list and send it over to Mrs. Sanderson?"

  "I will, sir."

  "Good day, Mrs. O'Leary."

  Before Alex could disconnect she interjected. "Sir, did that young woman ever find you?"

  "What young woman?"

  "The American. She arrived last week and asked for directions to the estate. She said she had business with you. The day of her arrival she drove to the manor, but returned shortly thereafter. She seemed upset and left the next day. She even refused to eat with the other guests and only picked at the meal I delivered to her room. I was worried about her, but I didn't want to pry into her business. I hope everything is okay. She was a very nice lady."

  Alex's heart had started pounding at the mention of the word American. "What did she look like?"

  "She was pretty enough with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was of average height. Oh, and she had one of those drawls that you hear on American cowboy movies."

  Alex squeezed his eyes shut. Hannah had been there! But why had she left so abruptly? He pondered the question and came up with only one answer—Morgana. As calmly as he could he bid Mrs. O'Leary goodbye before screeching his vehicle to a stop and making a u-turn.

  Skidding to another stop when he reached the front of the manor, he reached for his cane and hurried from the SUV into the house. As soon as he was in the foyer he shouted, "Morgana!"

  Stanton, the butler, rushed to greet him and said, "Sir, is something wrong?"

  "Bloody right there is. Where's Morgana?"

  "Ah, I believe she's on the terrace, sir."

  Alex stalked toward the rear of the house, but paused and swung back around. "Did a young American woman show up here last week?" Alex knew the truth when he saw Stanton's eyes widen and his Adam's apple bob. "Why wasn't I told?" he demanded.

  "Um, sir, Lady Morgana said the woman was…" He cleared his throat before continuing, "…ah…an American gold-digger and you should not be bothered. She said you'd been trying to rid yourself of her for months."

  Alex's eyes widened even more and he almost fired the butler for being so gullible. He held his tongue only because Stanton was newly hired after their longstanding butler's recent retirement. Without another word, he stormed to the patio.

  Morgana greeted him with a wide smile. "Alex, how lovely to see you. I didn't expect you back until–" Her voice faltered when she saw the rage in his eyes.

  He hovered over her chair. "Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me Hannah was here?"

  For a moment she appeared flustered but then her usual reserve returned. "I didn't want to trouble you."

  Alex ground out the words, "That's a lie. Why was she here?"

  Morgana shifted her gaze away from him. "She just wanted to know everything was going well and give her condolences on the death of your father."

  "That's another lie. No one travels thousands of miles for condolences when there are cell phones."

  Morgana returned her gaze to his and shrugged. "Americans. Who can understand them?"

  Alex wanted to shake Morgana, but instead he said, "You should know that my memory has fully returned and I married Hannah while in Africa."

  The composure Morgana was feigning completely dissolved and she jumped to her feet. "You're a liar!"

  "No, I'm not, Lady Morgana, and I intend to travel to the U.S. and tell Hannah I remember everything."

  Chapter 32: No Longer Forgotten

  Hannah was returning to the ranch after a long ride on Snowflake following her favorite trail—the trail she and Alex had ridden—when she saw a rider approaching. She frowned and pulled on Snowflake's reins to halt him. Speaking to her horse she said, "I must be losing it because that looks like Alex riding Maddox."

  The horse and rider came closer and Hannah gasped. It was Alex and Maddox. She was too shocked to do anything other than stare.

  Alex halted the gelding a few feet away and returned her stare. Finally, he said, "Hello Hannah."

  She stuttered, "Wh-what are you doing here?"

  "I found out you came to England and I was livid that Morgana didn't tell me."

  "You came all the way here to tell me that. You could have telephoned."

  Alex nudged Maddox closer. "I remember everything, Hannah. I remember our marriage."

  Hannah's eyes widened and her heart ached when she replied, "It wasn't a real marriage."

  "To me it was."

  Her aching heart burst. "Then why did you marry Morgana? Did you remember after your marriage?"

  Now it was Alex's turn to frown. "What? I'm not married to Morgana."

  "But when I was there she showed me her wedding ring."

  Alex s
queezed his eyes shut for a moment, opened them, and said, "Now I understand. She led you to believe that she married me." He nudged Maddox closer. "Hannah, she married my brother."

  Whereas, only a moment ago Hannah's heart had shattered, it now soared into the heavens. She was speechless.

  Alex nudged Maddox even closer until he was within touching distance. He reached to cup Hannah's cheek. "I love you, Hannah, and as far as I'm concerned, we're married. I was going to surprise you by returning to the Lazy M after I got the disaster of my family's affairs in order, and beg you to give me a chance."

  Hannah raised her hand to cover his. A tear leaked when she said, "You don't know how hard it was for me to keep our marriage a secret. I didn't want you to feel obligated to me. I hoped that because you'd fallen in love with me once, you would do so again."

  "And I did, but I reasoned that if there had been anything between us, you would have told me. I didn't remember our marriage until I returned to England."

  Hannah sobbed, "Oh, Alex, I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

  He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. "That's all in the past and I understand your reasoning, but now it's time to move on. What do you say we ride out to the meadow and get reacquainted?"

  Hannah inhaled deeply of the pine air mixed with her husband's scent, lifted her gaze to a cerulean sky, and silently thanked the heavens for sparing their lives and giving them a future.

  Epilogue

  Four months later

  Hannah shifted her attention from her computer screen to her husband when he stepped into her office on the second floor of Alderbury Manor. From the grin on his face she knew something was up. She waited for him to sit in one of two plush chairs. Instead, he rounded her desk, rolled her chair back, and swooped her into his arms. After kissing her thoroughly, he said, "You are now looking at the latest physician hired by the Village of Hart Medical Clinic. I start in a week."

  Hannah wrapped her arms around his neck and said with conviction, "Was there ever any doubt? After all, the clinic is in the village once owned by your family."

  "Yes, but my station should never be a guarantee of acceptance. I still had to go through rigorous background checks and several interviews—and I wouldn't have it any other way. Now the other physician and staff know I'm qualified and not getting a free ride."

  "I'm so proud of you."

  "And I'm proud of how you've taken to your duties here. Being overseer of the household is your cup of tea. Speaking of which, it's tea time. Let's go to the drawing room and relax."

  Fifteen minutes later Hannah was pouring tea in the proper manner as taught by Maisie, her sister-in-law, who had become a dear friend. Alex lifted his cup and sipped and then smiled warmly at her. Hannah loved his smile. She asked, "Have you heard from your brother and Morgana lately?"

  "Not lately. It seems that since he abdicated his title to me, he's feeling his freedom. I had no idea what a burden being Lord Alderbury was weighing him down. Last I heard they were touring America."

  "I wonder how Morgana is holding up. She only got to be Lady of the Manor for a few weeks."

  Alex chuckled. "William told me that when he decided to abdicate, she was appalled and threatened to divorce him. He said he told her to go ahead." Alex sipped his tea, looking thoughtful. "Yet, now in retrospect, I believe my brother was always attracted to Morgana, and even though he was a playboy, he retained the scruples my father drilled into us and never pursued her. So when she knew marrying me was out of the question, she made the move on him, even though she'd always claimed to abhor his lifestyle. The funny thing is, I believe in some strange way she was drawn to William's carefree existence. He said that when he gave her the ultimatum of staying with him or leaving with a generous divorce settlement, she railed on him, but chose to stay. My brother laughed when he told me that he and Morgana have a love/hate relationship that's very exciting."

  Although Hannah disliked Morgana immensely, she wasn't vindictive and hoped her marriage to William became a strong one. She and Alex continued conversing about the day-to-day chores of running the estate and then discussed an upcoming charity event the village leaders had invited Hannah to participate in the planning of.

  "It's a good way to get your feet wet, since you'll be founding your own charity someday," said Alex.

  Hannah smiled lovingly at her husband. "You didn't forget."

  Alex reached to touch her hand. "How could I forget something so important to my wife?"

  Their conversation then turned to the upcoming tourist season and how they could make visitors feel welcome during the hour or so they would be touring the manor and grounds.

  Finally, Alex said, "At one time I resented my father for forcing the running of the estate on me, but now, with you beside me, I look forward to the challenges we face every day."

  Hannah sighed and agreed, "I love living here and doing my part. I still have so much to learn, but everyone is so gracious and patient that I don't stress over it."

  They finished their tea in happy silence. Alex set his cup on the tray and said, "I need to deliver some of my medical books to the clinic, do you want to come along?"

  "Dr. Wyndham, I'd love to tag along. Afterward, what do you say we saddle Snowflake and Maddox and ride to the hunting cottage?"

  "You mean the place where we always end up making love in front of the hearth."

  Hannah teased, "If you'd rather not, we can always go over the account books–"

  "Maybe we should forego account books and the clinic–"

  There was a knock on the door and Alex called, "Enter."

  Stanton stepped into the room. "Lady Alderbury, the mail has arrived." He glanced at their empty cups. "Would you like me to remove the tray, Mi'Lady?"

  Hannah almost said no, but then she remembered that Stanton was inordinately proud of his position and would be offended if she declined his help. Learning the customs surrounding her position as Lady of the Manor was often difficult, but she was making progress. "Yes. Thank you, Stanton."

  Something akin to a spark of approval flickered in the butler's eyes, but instantly disappeared. In that moment, Hannah decided she would make it her mission to someday coax a smile and laughter from their uptight butler.

  After Stanton left, Alex said, "I'll saddle the horses, luv."

  Hannah replied, "And I'll check the mail and catch up with you in a few minutes." She jumped to her feet and closed the distance between them. Standing on tiptoe she kissed her husband passionately and whispered in his ear. "That's just a sample of what's to come."

  To her delight he replied low and sexy, "Don't be long."

  Hannah rushed to the library, shuffled through the mail, and was thrilled to see a letter from Angel. Angel had been her maid of honor when she and Alex married lawfully before a gathering at the Lazy M Ranch, and they wrote each other at least once a month. Hannah was curious about the latest happenings with Angel and Harris. She opened the letter and read:

  Dearest Hannah,

  You won't believe what's happened. As you know, things took a crazy turn when I arrived at the Houston Rodeo to confront Harris with my feelings for him, and ended up being hired as Eli's assistant in the management of Harris' career and the many sponsorships and charities they're involved in. And believe me, it's quite a task. But something unbelievable has happened.

  Hannah finished the letter, folded it, and shook her head. She hadn't expected this twist in Angel's quest for happiness.

  ANGEL'S STORY TO BE REVEALED IN

  ANGEL KISSES.

  Author's Note

  Now that Hannah and Alex have found happiness, the next person on the horizon is Angel Martinez. In the story you just read, I did some setup for Angel's saga. It seems she's been in love with Harris Brightman since childhood, and now she's garnering her courage to pursue him. She's also coming of age and discovering what she really wants in life. Sometimes the aspirations that parents have for their children don't match what the children rea
lly want.

  There are some unexpected happenings in Angel Kisses and also confrontations between parents and children. And, as always, updates on previous characters in this series.

  On another note, the excerpt I chose following this author's note is the third book in the Oasis Series, Crashed in Oasis. For that story I decided to add intrigue and adventure in the form of treasure hunting and mystery. The stars of the story are Dottie Arnez and Collin Banks. Dottie has lived in her small desert town of Oasis most of her life and is now going through a midlife crisis. Collin is a renowned treasure hunter who believes a cache has been hidden near the town of Oasis.

  Dottie and Collin are thrown together in the midst of a crisis. Enough said.

  Crashed in Oasis

  One: Midlife Crisis

  Dottie Arnez locked the door to Dottie's Dime Store and strolled the new boardwalk past Cowboy Haven with its two windows of mannequins displaying red and blue western garb. She rounded the end of the building and circled to the back of the line of businesses. Walking to the service entrance to her dime store, she doubled-checked to be sure it was locked. Satisfied that everything was in order, she headed for her car parked a few feet away.

  Puffing a long sigh, she turned the ignition and pulled onto Main Street in the small desert town of Oasis. On both sides of the avenue a few tourists walked the boardwalks and peered into windows of closed establishments.

  Even though tourism had increased since the remodel of downtown, local proprietors still closed up shop between five and six every evening. Well, all except for Porky's Pizza Parlor and Desert Princess Diner.