by Barb Han
“What is that thing?” he asked.
“A pacifier,” she said with a smile that spread warmth through his chest—a chest that had been encased in ice for the past year.
He walked over to the crib and gently placed her back inside. “Is there a right way to do this?”
“I think she has to be on her back,” she said.
There was something satisfying about getting the baby to settle down and rest. He had a feeling they were in for a ride tonight, though. When Prudence moved next to him, his racing heart agreed.
Rather than allow that train to pick up steam, he excused himself to take a shower. “Will you be okay alone with her?”
A look of hurt passed behind her eyes.
“I don’t mean you’re incapable or that you’ll hurt her in any way,” he quickly back-peddled. “I wanted to make sure you were comfortable with it.”
“You were,” she said and he could hear the defensiveness in her tone.
“I had you in the next room. My clothes are in a different wing.” This place had always felt too big for so few people living here. Unlike his sons, the Marshall only had two children. This place was more than half empty all of the time. It seemed like a waste of space to Adam, who preferred his two-bedroom log cabin by the lake. Azure Lake had always been his favorite spot on the ranch when he needed to get away from it all and think.
Her mouth formed the word, oh.
“In that case, how long will it take you to get back?” she asked.
“Depends on your comfort level. I can jog to the other side of the house and back, or shower over there where all my stuff is. Your choice,” he said.
“You should go where you’re comfortable,” she stated. “I’ll be fine here.”
He paused for a second as his brain started clicking.
“You know what’s strange to me?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I’ve been talking to you for…” He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost midnight. “Three hours now and you haven’t slipped once. You know your name. You know what day it is. Your mind is sharp.”
“I thought the same thing in the shower,” she admitted on a heavy sigh. “It’s weird, isn’t it.”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.
“Waking up,” she said. “The next part isn’t so clear, but it involves Henry.”
That was three days ago. “And you have no memories since then?”
“That’s right,” she said.
“No one stopped by to see him and you didn’t go anywhere else?” he asked.
“Not that I remember,” she admitted with a shrug. “Frustrating, isn’t it.”
“It’s a puzzle for me. I can only imagine what a terrible feeling it must be for you,” he said. There had to be something…an event? His mind snapped to her being on a date and someone slipping something inside her drink.
Her mind was sharp now. She seemed to be firing on all cylinders.
“We’ll get to the bottom of what’s going on,” he said as he headed toward the hallway.
“I’m not sure if I thanked you nearly enough, Adam.” The sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks. The mix of gratitude tinted with fear the memory lapse could strike at any time strengthened his resolve.
“No need. It’s what we do here. We take care of our own,” he said and meant it. Ranchers were known for having each other’s backs. He couldn’t exactly speak for folks in town, but that spirit was very much alive and well when it came to his community.
“I appreciate it anyway. You didn’t have to stick up for me with Lawler or volunteer to let me and Angel stay here overnight. It means a lot that you would put yourself out for me, for her,” she said. Her voice cracked on the last part and he wondered if her emotions were getting the best of her. He couldn’t imagine how awful it would be to lose three days of his life, just like that with no warning.
She didn’t appear sick or hurt. She was too young for dementia. It just didn’t add up.
“You’re welcome, Prudence,” he said. “This all must be crazy for you. My guess is that you acted quickly to save that little girl’s life. You saw the piece of paper, my name, and were bringing her here to the ranch when something else happened. I can only imagine why you would be on that part of the land, but every possibility causes my hands to fist and anger to well up. Helping you fill in the details is the least I can do.”
“Is that really what you think?” She was reaching for hope. He could hear it in her voice. She needed a reason not to be scared to go to sleep or wake up in the morning.
“I wouldn’t say so if it wasn’t true. Hand to God,” he said.
She sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. “So, we’ll figure it out together?”
“You have my word,” he said.
His answer seemed to satisfy her. At least for the time being. She seemed nervous about turning in.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Fifteen tops.” He figured he could make it to the opposite wing and scrub down in roughly that amount of time.
“Then, I’ll wait up for you,” she offered, fiddling with the belt on her robe. Nervous habit?
He glanced at the bed. It hadn’t occurred to him they’d be sleeping in the same room. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. She would probably want the company and she seemed more than a little afraid to wake up, like sleeping might somehow erase her memories again.
The way she looked at him right then would haunt him if that happened. He tried not to let that dominate his thoughts as he cut across the house to the other wing.
6
Prudence exhaled the minute Adam returned. It felt like she’d been holding her breath for the past seventeen minutes. Impossible, she knew. But that was what it felt like when her lifeline walked out of the room.
Until she figured out what was happening with her memory, she planned to stick to him like red on velvet. She hoped the move wouldn’t be too annoying or last too long. Then again, being with Adam wasn’t the hard part. Missing entire days from her life was scary.
What else had she done or seen that she was possibly suppressing? Was there some trauma behind her current situation with Angel? It made sense there would be. Then there was Prudence’s anxiety. Normally, it was through the roof in unknown situations and places. Sleeping over at a stranger’s house should have her clamoring for the front door. Instead, she felt like she’d come home. Though that feeling was dependent on Adam being in the room. Was she attached to him because he’d been her savior today? A knight in shining armor, so to speak. Except said knight was one gorgeous, honorable, and strong cowboy?
Who wouldn’t feel a draw to someone like that?
“When do you think she needs her next bottle?” Adam asked, taking a seat on the bed in between her and the baby. The mattress dipped under his weight.
“Good question,” she said. “I’m thinking she’ll let us know.”
“And loudly, at that,” he said with a smirk.
Prudence laughed. She could watch that kid sleep for hours. But she needed to rest while she could. If she could. And that was a big if. The very real fear the day would be erased when she woke up the next morning caused an icy chill to race down her back, gripping her spine. An uneasy feeling settled over her, like a dark cloud engulfing her.
“She’s a little bit of perfection,” she said. “I know someone out there must be missing her hard. No matter what the situation ends up being.”
“I can’t imagine how horrible it must be to give up or lose a child,” he said. “Not that I ever planned on having any of my own.”
“Really?” she asked before she could rein it in. His position on having a family wasn’t her business, and yet he’d said it so casually like it was set in stone.
“Why does that surprise you?” He cocked a dark brow, and she didn’t want to focus on how sexy it was, he was. The nightlight hit his face just right, highlighting his
strong jaw. But then, there probably wasn’t any lighting that could make him look bad.
“I don’t know,” she stammered. “You come from a big family and grew up here on the ranch. This place is impressive to say the least. You are obviously close with Brax. I noticed that right away when I met him earlier. I just assumed all this would come with having a big family of your own someday.”
“Yeah?” He seemed genuinely caught off guard at her response. “None of this guarantees a happy life. Not the big house. The Marshall lived here, and I guarantee you that man wasn’t content a day in his life. He wasn’t close with either of his sons and now his death promises to divide the family further.” He stopped himself like he’d caught himself in an intense moment, and then a casual smile broke out on his near-perfect face. “But, hey, you didn’t come here for all that.”
Prudence realized she’d overstepped her bounds. An apology didn’t seem fitting. Besides, she’d done that twice already. She actually wanted to know more about Adam, but he’d erected a wall the minute he realized he was sharing from deep down.
“Isn’t it funny how easy it is to make snap judgments about someone’s life?” she said. “It’s unfair.”
“Half the reason I’m alive today is relying on gut instinct. We aren’t usually wrong,” he reasoned, and his tone was much more thoughtful now. All the defensiveness was gone.
“True, which can make it all that much more awful when we are.” She bit back a yawn.
“I’m keeping you awake,” he pushed off the bed.
“No, you’re not.” She didn’t want him to leave and yet sleeping in the same bed felt a little dangerous if she was being honest. “I hate to admit this…but I’m afraid to go to sleep.”
“Because the last thing you remember is waking up?” he asked, but it was more statement than a question.
“Yes.” She pulled the covers up.
“I doubt we’ll get much more than an hour or two before Angel wakes up,” he said. “So, how about this. I promise to remind you of everything that happened today. I’ll tell you all the details until they’re so etched in your memory that you won’t be able to forget them if you tried. How does that sound?”
Like a promise he might not be able to keep.
“Deal.” She didn’t want to deflate his chest and it really was a beautiful answer. “I just wish I had my journal with me.” Add her cell phone, purse, and a few other items to the list. She didn’t realize how much she would miss until they were gone. Gone might be a strong word, away from her.
“Goodnight,” was the last thing she heard before she nodded off.
It felt like she’d barely closed her eyes when she heard Angel fussing. She reached for her glasses. A quick glance at the clock said it was one o’clock in the morning. So, she’d gotten all of an hour of uninterrupted sleep.
The minute she moved, Adam was by her side. He froze the second they made eye contact.
“I remember,” she said, and he seemed to really exhale.
“That’s good,” he reassured, and it looked like a weight lifted off his shoulders. “I’ll run down and make a bottle while you try to soothe her. I watched Casey yesterday, so I should be good.”
Adam standing next to the bed with no shirt on and jeans slung low on his hips was the kind of image she could get used to waking up to.
Prudence threw the covers off as he disappeared out the door. He must’ve fallen asleep on the loveseat because the other side of the bed was still made. There were no wrinkles on the duvet. Seriously, the bed was big enough for both of them to sleep without ever touching each other. She would bring it up when he got back with the bottle.
For now, her full attention was going to Angel.
“Hey, sweet girl,” she soothed as she picked her up. She located the binky, which had been spit out at some point in the past hour, and bit back a yawn. “This all must be very confusing for you, but we are going to take good care of you tonight.”
This little bean had quickly wormed her way into Prudence’s heart. As much as she couldn’t wait to reunite Angel with her parents, the moment would be bittersweet.
A laugh tickled her throat at the fact she remembered. She’d been so scared her mind would be a blank slate when she woke. Grateful for the small miracle, she couldn’t help but smile. The binky did its job, keeping Angel satisfied long enough for Adam to return with the real deal.
He handed over the bottle, but Prudence had an idea.
“How about you do the honors,” she said.
“I don’t know about that. She might not want someone else to do it,” he reasoned.
“Sit down next to me and give it a try.” She had no idea where her bravado was coming from. She wasn’t normally this straight-forward. But it was nice.
Adam did as requested. She handed him the baby, and her heart took another hit at the image. She handed over the bottle next and then pulled the binky out of Angel’s mouth. He didn’t have to score a direct hit. The little girl was already rooting for the nipple. She contentedly sucked away the second she found it.
“We’ll need to burp her, and she’ll probably need a diaper change after her meal,” she said. They were figuring her routine out.
“Looks like we got four hours in between feedings,” he noted. “That’s an intense schedule if it’s twenty-four hours a day.”
The image of Adam Firebrand giving a baby a bottle would stick with her for a very long time. At least, she hoped it would when she woke in the morning.
Prudence’s memory loss was a real head scratcher.
With Angel’s feeding schedule, Adam saw that it would be difficult to accomplish much else in a day. He tipped his hat to all the mothers and fathers out there, doing this every day, especially the ones doing this alone. Don’t even get him started on folks who had multiple children to look after. They deserved a medal as far as he was concerned.
He fed, burped, and changed the little girl with Prudence’s help. Then, he gently placed her back in the crib. Angel was back to doing what babies seemed to do best, namely sleeping in short bursts.
“The loveseat can’t possibly be comfortable,” Prudence said.
He had a crick in his neck to prove it, but he didn’t want her to feel like she was putting him out. “I’ve slept in worse places.”
“The bed is huge. You could sleep on the other side and our body parts wouldn’t get anywhere near each other,” she said with a boldness that didn’t fit the image of a woman who could blend in with the background. She’d insisted they’d passed each other, and he believed her. His main thought now was, How could he have missed her?
“It’s no trouble,” he countered, figuring he didn’t need to go there. Even a dirty jogging suit couldn’t hide those long legs of hers—legs with creamy skin that his fingers were itching to get lost on. The naked image of her in the shower had been difficult to wipe from his thoughts.
“We can roll up a blanket and put it in the middle,” she volunteered. “Or how about these pillows? They’re long enough to block any physical contact.”
She was tempting fire and didn’t seem to realize it.
The loveseat was uncomfortable, and he would be lucky if Angel gave them another four hours. Plus, Prudence seemed intent on not inconveniencing him.
“I promise not to touch you,” she added.
“Shame,” he said under his breath as he walked over to his side of the bed.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that,” she said.
“It was nothing.” He got comfortable and closed his eyes. She seemed content to let it go. Not much got past her. She had a sharp mind, which confused him even more about her memory episode. With no visible head injury to blame, he was drawing a blank on what could be causing it. For a split-second, the thought crossed his mind she could be sick or have some type of brain tumor. He tried not to put too much stock in it. Depending on what happened when she woke in the morning, he would insist she get checked out by a doctor.
; First, they needed to find Angel’s parents.
Real sleep was impossible, but he drifted around for a while in his thoughts. A growing part of him hoped Prudence woke with all her memories intact, especially yesterday. He’d talked to her more openly about his family than anyone else, including Libby. He chalked it up to the Marshall’s death. Adam was being sentimental for once. He supposed loss had a way of doing that to a person. The real surprise came with the fact he wanted to tell her more. She needed sleep, though. He’d seen the dark circles cradling those incredible blue eyes. He didn’t want to be the reason she walked around in a fog tomorrow.
In fact, if he could manage, he would wake and feed the baby before Angel had time to wind up. Prudence would be able to get a solid, much-needed eight hours in.
Adam kept one eye on the clock as he listened to Prudence’s steady, even breathing. Her sleep was peaceful, making him drop ‘trauma’ to the bottom of possibilities for memory loss. There was no way to rule it out completely, but instinct said she would work it out in her dreams, unless she’d suppressed it so far that resurfacing would take weeks, maybe months. Wouldn’t there be some sign of struggle if that were the case?
The baby shifted and he slipped out of the covers with stealth-like movement. Without making a sound, he scooped the little girl up. Pride filled his chest for being able to handle her so easily already. The first time she was in his arms, he was afraid he would hurt her. Being wrapped up like a burrito helped. Her arms and legs were tucked in there tight. He grabbed the binky, which seemed to satisfy her for the time being.
Rather than wake Prudence, he shouldered the diaper bag and headed downstairs to the kitchen, unsure how he was going to pull off making a bottle while holding Angel.
The light was on. The smell of coffee wafted down the hallway. Had Miss Olive come back early? She was due today, but four in the morning was a stretch.
His brother Brax’s back was to Adam as he entered the room.
“Hey, what are you doing here so early?” Adam asked, thankful for an extra pair of hands.
“Wanted to check in with you before the day took off.” Brax turned around.
