“Jane!” Leo dropped the overflowing bags onto the washing machine on the back porch. He’d stopped to get her some clothes and necessities at a convenience store just outside town, a store he’d only ever driven past previously. No one would recognize him as far as he knew; thus no one would question his purchases. He shrugged out of his coat and hung it and his hat on their respective hooks. “Sorry I took so long.” He glanced at the unusually dark kitchen. Frowning, he headed to the stove and noted the timer was off.
Well, she’d turned it off at least once. All the while he was gone, he was making bets with himself as to whether she’d actually done as he’d asked. His smile dipped as he realized the curtain over the window had been drawn. And not neatly. The tension bar had slipped and the curtain hung at an odd angle.
Unease dripped through him. “Jane? Ollie?”
That not even the dog responded to his call had him racing into the living room. The quilt was wadded up on the sofa, but no sign of Jane. He checked her bedroom, the bathroom, even her closet before hurrying back to search the other bedrooms. In every room the curtains had been drawn, the light doused. Finally, he spotted her in his grandfather’s study. “Jane.” Leo sagged against the door frame and tried to steady his racing heart. “Didn’t you hear me? What are you doing in here? Ollie?”
The dog whimpered but didn’t move from his space beside Jane.
Jane. She’d curled herself tight into the back corner of the room, bookcases on either side of her, arms locked tight around her knees. With one of the kitchen knives gripped in her hand, she was rocking back and forth, that same vacant stare he’d seen in the barn.
No. Not the same stare, he realized as his throat tightened. This one was worse. This expression scared him.
“It’s okay, Ollie.” Leo approached slowly, keeping his eyes on the dog until he lowered himself beside Jane. As if dealing with a spooked filly, he didn’t attempt to take the knife away from her. Nor did he push for a verbal response. Ollie got up and walked around to his side and pushed his cold nose against Leo’s hand.
“Jane?” Leo kept his voice low. “What happened?”
“I saw someone. Outside.” Her glassy brown gaze blinked quickly to the window before settling again. “Just someone on a horse, but I thought... I was afraid.” Tears gleamed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be hiding. I shouldn’t be here.”
Where else should she be? “You’ve nothing to apologize for.” Leo had been careful about touching her. While she’d been firm in her declaration she hadn’t been sexually assaulted, with her memory the way it was, every gesture he made had to be thought out. He held up his arm, as if asking permission to hold her. Comfort her. Bring her some kind of solace. “No one is going to hurt you here, Jane. Not here. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that,” she whispered before she leaned into him. Leo dropped his arm around her and held her close, hugging her against him so that he could press his nose into the floral fragrance of her hair. He took a deep breath and imagined an open field where a smiling Jane opened her arms and twirled in the Colorado sunshine.
It was his dream, he thought. To see her laughing, and smiling, and without the hint of terror clouding her beautiful brown eyes.
“I can promise anything I want,” Leo whispered back. “I’m sorry I left you alone. I shouldn’t have. I won’t again.”
“You can’t babysit me every hour.” And yet she didn’t give any indication she planned to move. “I just need a little time to stop being scared.”
“You need as much time as you need. How’s your head?” He reached down and caught her face in his hand, tilting it so he could look into her eyes. “Truth.”
“It hurts. But not as bad as before.” She blinked at Leo, as if seeing him clearly for the first time.
“Have you changed your mind about talking to the police?” He’d planned on discussing what he’d heard in town, to try to press her on the memories she was missing in order to determine if she’d been the latest target of this Avalanche Killer. But given the traumatized state she was in at the moment, letting her know a serial killer might be after her could tip her further away from him. Far enough away he’d never get her back.
“No.” The way she said it, with renewed anger in her voice, told him there was something else going on inside. “No police. You didn’t talk to them, did you?”
As she looked at him, the pleading in her eyes piercing him to the core, he was relieved he didn’t have to lie to her. “No, I didn’t. I thought about it, but I promised. And I don’t break my promises, remember?”
“I remember.”
He tugged her back against him and covered her hand that held the knife with his much larger one. “I’m going to need that later. For dinner.”
“Okay.” She nodded, her cheek sliding up and down against his chest. “Just tell me when.”
Leo couldn’t help it. He laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Her brow furrowed as she sat up and glared at him. But then, as his laughter continued, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I guess it is pretty ridiculous. Me sitting here with this.”
“Not ridiculous.” Leo caught the back of her head in his hand and pulled her close, pressed his lips against her forehead. It was, he realized, not meant to comfort her, but to bring him a bit of solace. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. The last time he’d done anything other than go about his daily routine, the same routine his grandfather had perfected more than fifty years ago. “It is what it is. If that knife makes you feel more safe, I can make do with another.”
“I don’t need it now.” He could almost hear her fingers creak as she released the blade and set it on the floor beside her. “You’re here. I’m not as scared when you’re here.”
She lifted her hand and pressed her palm against his chest. Right over his suddenly stuttering heart. The heat of her touch zoomed through him, from head right down to his toes, hovering slightly around his core before settling. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the flame of attraction away. Wanting her wasn’t an option. Not now. Not when she didn’t know who she was. Not when she had no control over any aspect of her life.
Other than choosing to stay with him.
“We’re going to get you through this, Jane.” If her hand remained on his chest, he knew she’d brand him for life. He lifted her fingers lightly in his and pressed his lips to the back of her knuckles. “We’re going to find out who you are and what happened. But we’ll do it when you’re ready. When you feel strong enough. Does that sound like a deal you can make?”
She nodded, tilting her head far enough back that he could see the confusion in her eyes. Confusion he was willing to embrace far more easily than the fear that had hovered moments before.
“What if you’re right?” she whispered.
“About what?”
“What if you’re right that whoever attacked me did so because of who I am. Maybe I shouldn’t try to find out. Maybe not getting my memory back is the only way to stop it from happening again.”
Leo’s chest constricted. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anyone look so lost before.
“I think letting fear rule your life is never a good way to live. It’s not living, Jane. It’s surrendering. And from what I’ve seen of you, I don’t think surrender is part of who you are. You’re a fighter.” He caught her chin in his fingers. “You fought your way out of that shed. You fought your way through the woods. You fought your way here. And now—”
“And now I have you to help me fight.”
And then it happened. The fear, that despair and terror that radiated through the room vanished.
“And now you have me.” He clicked his tongue for Ollie to move, and Leo got to his feet. He stretched out his hand and waited for her to take it. “We’re in this together, Jane. Until you get your life back, I’ll be right by your side.”
Until you get your life back.
Almost a week later, Leo’s words still echoed in her mind.
The ancient mattress creaked as Jane rolled onto her side. The days were folding in on themselves. She was so bored. Every day that passed, it seemed as if she moved from her bedroom to the kitchen to the living room, then back to the bedroom. The same routine, the same TV shows. The same books staring back at her from the bookcases in the living room. Even Ollie was getting restless, casting forlorn looks at the doors as if hoping for escape.
Escape. She plucked at the blanket. Her headaches had eased. For the most part. The bruises, which were still visible and angry looking, had stopped aching. She could almost forget they were there unless she looked. But it was the fear that was hardest to shake. The overwhelming sensation that something horrible was going to happen the second she stepped foot outside this house. Of course, maybe that feeling would go away if she could just remember something, anything, about her life before she’d come to in that shed.
And then there was Leo. Poor, handsome, concerned Leo was running himself ragged between all the ranch chores and coming back to check on her. If she had to guess, he barely had the energy to push her toward going to the police, but in that she was adamant. She knew, somehow she knew, going anywhere near the cops was only going to make things worse. Which meant something had to change.
The warm Colorado morning stole the air from the room, but she’d refrained from opening the window. Much as she longed for a breeze, tempering her fear had gone only so far. A ceiling fan whirred, attempting to keep the air moving at least, but the T-shirt she wore was sticking to her and the blankets had long been discarded.
She wasn’t sure of the time. The utter darkness of the night had passed, so she assumed it was nearing dawn. Jane curled her fingers into the pillow under her head and reminded herself of what she did every morning: she was alive.
That was all that mattered.
Until you get your life back, I’ll be right by your side.
Jane’s lips curved into a secret smile. Even if her memory had been intact she’d wonder if she’d ever heard anything more...perfect. She needed something to be perfect. Everything else was just a total blank.
Beyond the closed door of her room, she heard Leo in the kitchen, puttering around. Speaking to Ollie in a low voice. Jane’s smile widened. The dog had spent a good long time deciding where he preferred to spend his nights. At times she woke up and found the dog stretched out in her doorway, his attention rapt when she looked at him. Her heart had claimed the German shepherd for good at that concerned look in his eyes. He was as good and kind as his master.
Good and kind. She let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding since Leo had found her huddling in his grandfather’s study. The way he held her, comforted her. Protected her. Even as she thought about it, a shiver of irritation slid over her as she questioned her independence, that she was so willing to rely on someone, a man, to take care of her. But that wasn’t what he was doing.
Well. She rolled onto her back. It wasn’t all he was doing. Every word he spoke, every action he took, it was clear he was giving her the choice as to what came next. From how he touched her to how far she was willing to go to discover who she really was.
This morning, the pain in her head was back. Sharp, pounding away at her like a pesky gremlin rattling around in her skull. She knew the headaches and pain concerned Leo. She saw it on his face at dinnertime while they ate overcooked pasta or burnt chicken. He’d actually laughed last night—that amazing, eye-lighting laugh of his—when she’d declared his attempt at pot roast the best meal she’d ever eaten.
“Of course it is,” he teased. “It’s one of the few you remember.”
Her stomach growled now, triggered no doubt by the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee filtering through the air. No need lazing around in bed when she couldn’t sleep. She’d only drive herself more crazy than she already felt. She got up, pulled open the door and stepped into the dimly lit kitchen.
“I’m sorry if I woke you.” Leo looked up from the bowl of food he was fixing for Ollie.
“I was already awake. Couldn’t sleep. Too hot.” She fanned herself and tried to ignore the flare of desire that exploded in his eyes before he refocused on his dog. Interesting. So she hadn’t imagined that spark of attraction she’d caught on occasion. A tiny thrill surged through her only to be doused by Leo turning his back on her. “You’re up early.” Now that she was near a clock she could see it was barely four thirty in the morning. Normally she didn’t get up until after seven, by which time Leo was back from his first round of chores.
“Always am.” He tossed her a grin before ducking into the open refrigerator. “Ranch work starts before sunup and I want to make sure... Oh.” He turned and found her right behind him. He blinked. “Good morning.” Just seeing her startled him out of his morning routine.
“Hi.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “Can I help?”
“Pretty straightforward, actually. But, yeah, sure. Bagels okay for breakfast?”
“Sounds good to me.” She retrieved two from the hand-carved bread box, sliced them and stuck them in the toaster. “But I wasn’t just talking about breakfast.” If she was going to face her fear of going outside, might as well go all in. “I meant with the ranch.”
“You want to help me around the ranch?”
Jane couldn’t imagine being more entertained than she was by Leo’s nervous discomfort. “Sure. It has to be a time suck, coming back here to check on me, and you need to get a lot of stuff done. So unless there’s someone else out there to help you...” She trailed off, remembering the man she’d seen on horseback. “There isn’t anyone else around, is there?” she choked out.
“Not for another few weeks.” As if understanding what she meant, he stopped cutting up Ollie’s chicken and looked at her. “You’re still thinking about whoever you saw that first day.”
“On horseback. On the far hill.” She’d have pointed, but the darkness obscured the view. “No details, but seeing him was enough to... Well, you saw what seeing him did to me.” The memory alone made her stomach clench.
“Neighbors pass through all the time. Might have been Trapper.” At her blank expression, he continued. “Trapper’s been living in this area going on about thirty years now. He used to take on odd jobs around the place for my grandfather. We’ve always just let him wander through when he wants. He usually turns up around this time of year.”
“Where does he live?” Jane searched the refrigerator, came up with cream cheese, but chose butter and his grandmother’s jam for herself.
“Oh, out and about. He doesn’t have a home per se. Just moves around from site to site. Sometimes down by the river. Other times out by the highway. Never gets too close to civilization. Grandma and Grandpa always kept him stocked with food, as do others in the area. He’s good people, Jane. You don’t have to be scared of him.”
She gnawed on her lip. These days she was scared even of the idea of anyone other than Leo.
“I was actually thinking about asking him to stay close to the place for the next few weeks,” Leo continued. “You know. An extra pair of eyes couldn’t hurt. Even now.”
Jane’s hand froze before she could pluck the crispy bagels free of the toaster. So she wasn’t the only one worried. “You mean in case whoever took me shows up.”
“Yes.” That he didn’t hesitate told her a lot about the kind of man he was. Honest. Reliable. Protective. “Plus I’m going to need some extra help with the herd now that you’re here. There’s always something that needs fixing on a ranch, but the herd also needs tending and I’ve got horses to care for, too.”
“What, no chickens?” Jane teased. “I thought all ranches had chickens.”
“We did have some. Neighbors took them after my grandmother passed. Which was okay since I couldn’t get back here right away. Getting new ones is on my list of things to do.”
Intrigued, Jane got plates and watched as Leo set Ollie’s bowl of chicken and rice in a designated spot at the end of the counter. The dog sat there, patiently, waiting for Leo to give the okay. In the blink of an eye Ollie’s face was in the bowl, gobbling up every morsel.
“What else is on your list?” Jane joined him at the table, wincing as she curled her leg under her. It really was going to be a while before she could move without hurting again.
“You don’t even want to know.” Leo poured a cup of coffee for both of them and even remembered how she took it. “I’m in a bit of a wait and see mode right now. Trying to decide how to move the ranch forward.”
“Is that what your grandfather would have wanted?”
“Absolutely. You make a good bagel.” There was that smile again. Jane’s heart softened in her chest. “He had dreams of expanding the herd to one of the largest in the area. Of course he was thinking of taking them to market, but I’d suggested looking at other options.”
“Which are?”
“You don’t really care, do you? This can’t be interesting at all to you.”
“Why not?” Jane frowned. She had been interested. She wanted to know all about Leo and his family and his business. Not only because she cared but because, honestly, what else did she have to think about other than being kidnapped and tied up in a shed?
Leo shrugged. “You just don’t strike me as the rancher type. Remember?”
“Because my nails were polished and my clothes were designer?” Something similar to offense coiled through her. “That’s a bit rude and more than a bit condescending. Why can’t I be interested in your life when you saved mine?”
“You saved yourself,” Leo argued good-naturedly. Was there anything that ticked him off? “But if you really do want to know.” He polished off his bagel and wiped his mouth. “Sure. Why don’t you come with me today? I’ll show you the ins and outs. I won’t be moving the herd again until tomorrow, so it’s a good day.”
“And you can also keep an eye on me, right?”
Another shrug. “Not going to lie. It’ll be easier than coming back here every few hours. I’ll get my work done faster and when I am done, I can introduce you to the stars of the ranch.”
“What stars would those be?”
“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Finish up. I’ll give you twenty minutes to get dressed. If you’re up to it, that is.”
“I might not know my name, but I do know one thing. I’m always up for a challenge.”
As his truck rumbled over the rocky and pitted road of his ranch, Leo glanced over at Jane. He’d done pretty well choosing the right-size jeans for her. Maybe too well given the way they hugged her curves like well-worn leather. The lightweight yellow plaid button-down shirt strained ever so slightly in that special area right between her full breasts. That spot that acted as a bull’s-eye for most straight, red-blooded males. Brand-new white sneakers covered her feet—feet she’d insisted on tending to herself this morning. Those shoes wouldn’t be white for long, not with the way she was hopping out to open and close gates for him during the pasture check.
He’d been right about one thing. Having her with him did mean the morning went quicker, or at least the chores did.
“You’re staring again.” Jane didn’t even look at him as she spoke, instead keeping her eyes pinned to the expansive land stretching out around them. “I’m not going to break, Leo. I can handle getting in and out of a truck.”
“I know you can. How’s your head?” It hadn’t escaped his notice this morning that she’d never mentioned headaches or how she’d slept. He should have asked, but he didn’t want to intrude too much into her personal space. After their close encounter in his grandfather’s study, he’d come to the conclusion that distance, emotional and physical, was probably his best course of action.
Life was complicated enough without getting involved with a woman without a past. A woman who could, at the very most, be married with children and at the very least, be in a relationship. A woman like her didn’t live a solitary life. It couldn’t matter that she’d taken up permanent residence in his thoughts. Or that he wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Really kiss her.
Kiss her until neither of them could stop.
Kiss her until he’d explored every perfect inch of her.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. Except he had to stop. He had to stop thinking about Jane in any way other than a woman who needed his help. Not only because it was the right thing to do, but any intimacy between them would be based on a lie.
“Jane?” he asked when she didn’t answer his question the first time. “Your head?”
“It’s on my shoulders where it belongs.” She pushed the sunglasses higher up on her nose as if in defiance. “You didn’t finish telling me what other plans you have for the herd. What else can you do with cattle other than sell them off for food?”
Boy, she was willing to talk about anything other than her headache, which he knew she had because she kept pulling the brim of his grandmother’s old hat lower over her eyes. Well, she asked for it.
“Depends on what you want to do. There’s breeding or milk production. Or there’s the option of selling them to other ranches for their own purposes.”
“What have you been doing?”
“Raising them for market.” Leo set his jaw. “Beef prices aren’t what they used to be. Dealing with ranching or farming these days is a risky business. I need to keep looking ahead if I’m going to keep this place going. Which is why I’m considering adding stud services. If that were to take off, I could change over completely. Would mean a different type of overhead, but I think it’s doable.”
“Can you? Keep the ranch going?”
“Is that your way of asking how much money I have?”
Ah, that did the trick. Leo grinned as Jane snapped her head around to glare at him. “It most certainly is not.”
There was something in her voice, not haughty exactly, but definitely upper class. “I’m teasing you, Jane.” And confirming something he’d suspected from the first time he saw her in the barn. She was not a country girl.
“My grandparents made a very good living off this place. It’s been successful for a number of years and in no danger of going under even with the fluctuating market. Aside from annual taxes, I own it free and clear. As for myself...” He shrugged. “Most of the money I earned working up north is invested. I don’t need a lot to live on. Don’t have a lot of expenses. What I do have, I plan to use with this place. Make it even more than it is. Not a lot more. Just...”
“Just filling in your grandparents’ dreams?” Jane shifted and leaned back against the door. Now she was the one who was staring. “That’s quite lovely, Leo.”
“Why, thank you, Jane.” He was about to go on, but something caught his eye. He stopped the truck and climbed out. “Stay here.”
“What? Why?” She was flipping her head back and forth as if to look in every direction at once. “Do you see something?”
“Runaway calf.” Leo laid his hand on her arm for a brief moment. “I’m sorry. I should have said. It’s nothing to worry about. Just a lost baby. Odd. I can’t remember the last time that happened.”
“I thought you counted the herd back at the feeding?” As if she hadn’t heard his order to stay in the truck, she hopped out.
“Doesn’t mean I was right.” Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Jane was a distraction. Bringing her with him might have been a mistake. But leaving her behind...
He didn’t relish the idea of walking in and finding her in the throes of another panic attack.
“Where...? Oh, there she is! I see her.”
“Wait, Jane! Don’t—” Leo found he couldn’t move as he watched Jane dart away from the truck and head straight for the runaway calf. “She has no idea what she’s doing, does she, Ollie?” The dog barked and rolled his eyes. “You want to go help her?”
Ollie sighed and dropped out of the truck beside Leo.
“One little calf isn’t going to hurt her.” At least, Leo hoped that was the case. Still, there was a sight to behold—Jane, in her brand-spanking new jeans and shirt, her glowing white feet darting across the field, holding on to her hat as her long red braid swung almost all the way down her spine. “Beautiful,” Leo whispered, then whistled for Ollie to follow.
“You could have told me about the mud puddles,” Jane grumbled when they were on their way back to the house. “I look like I’ve been wrestling with pigs.” All she wanted was a shower and a change of clothes. And maybe for Leo to stop laughing at her.
“Pigs. Now, there’s something the ranch might need.”
“I was doing okay before you tried to help.” At least, she thought she had. It might have been better if she’d had a rope with which to guide the animal back. How hard could it be to wrangle a solitary calf that was simply looking for its mother? A lot more difficult than she’d ever anticipated, that was for sure.
It was now an hour later, and after returning the calf to the herd, Leo had declared the day a success.
Jane was just glad to declare it over. She scrubbed a hand over her face. Leo sputtered with laughter again. “What?”
“Nothing. You look...as you would say, lovely.” He chucked a finger under her chin and motioned toward the visor mirror.
Jane stared back at her mud-caked face and groaned. “You were right.” She sagged back in her seat. “I’m not a country girl.”
“Darlin’, you’ve never looked more country in all the time I’ve known you.”
Darlin’. My, how she liked the sound of that. She hid her smile as she hugged Ollie, but even the dog seemed put off by her extra coating of sludge. “Does this mean I get the surprise?”
“I’m saving that for tomorrow. You’ve had a big day. Don’t want you passing out on me in this heat.”
“What heat?” Jane asked with an innocent blink of her eyes. It was just noon, and the sun was pounding down on them with all the strength of a supernova. Glancing at Leo, she bit her lip. Did he have any idea how handsome he looked, the sun reflecting off that face of his, droplets of sweat glistening. Not for the first time she had to stop herself from taking her thoughts too far. Attraction was one thing. Following through with it, that was going to take some planning on her part.
She’d learned enough about Leo to know an honorable man like him wouldn’t make the first move. Not with a woman who didn’t have a clue of who she was. That he wouldn’t made him all the more appealing to her.
Jane fanned herself, the very mention of the temperature making her hot. What was it? Early August? Being baked by the sun certainly made her long for a snow-kissed Colorado winter. She’d bet this place was glorious coated in snow that sparkled beneath the sunshine. A longing pinged deep inside her. Christmas on the ranch. Christmas with Leo. Didn’t that just sound...perfect.
Her sigh was cut off by a glint of light in the distance. There, by the house. Or were her eyes playing tricks on her? She became muzzy-headed, and she closed her eyes as the red and blue lights took over again. The footsteps pounded in her head. Coming closer. Reflections exploded, glass in the sunlight. No. Not glass. A window. Her window. A window she couldn’t get closed...
“Jane?” Leo’s hand landed on her arm and she jumped.
“What?” Bile rose in her throat, but she swallowed hard, determined not to lose control again. She wouldn’t cower. She wouldn’t surrender. She would fight. And keep fighting until whatever life she’d left behind was clear again.
“It’s okay. It’s Trapper. That’s his horse, Spectacle. All those mirrors are part of Trap’s warning system.”
“Warning who?” Jane tried to joke. She must have been too out of it yesterday to notice them. “Him or us?”
“Yes.” Leo’s response didn’t make her feel any better. “You want to stay in the truck?” He pulled to a stop between the house and the stable.
Yes! She didn’t want to see anyone. Meet anyone. She didn’t want to leave the protective bubble she’d found with Leo, but as he reminded her yesterday, life wasn’t going to stop. Not for any of them. “No.”
She might have imagined the approving glance he shot her. “Afternoon, Trap.” Leo’s door creaked as he slammed it shut. “Passing through?”
Jane dropped cautiously to the ground, gently pushing the door closed after Ollie followed her out. It was difficult to tell who was older—Trapper or his horse. Both displayed that weathered, bedraggled look she supposed one got when living in the elements, but she also noticed a resilience and sheer inner strength, too. Trapper turned cautious and stunning blue eyes on her. Eyes that crinkled with decades along the edges as he straightened and brushed off the front of the button-down shirt he wore beneath a midlength jacket. Jane began to sweat again just looking at him.
“Hoping you can help.” Trapper gestured to his horse. “Something odd’s going on with her front hoof. Thought I’d stop in and use the stable for a bit. Is Gwen around?”
“Afraid not.” Leo patted the old man on the arm as he passed before approaching Spectacle with an affectionate stroke. “Hey, girl. You feeling poorly?”
Jane stood away from them, arms crossed over her chest, fascinated, but not surprised at Leo’s reaction to an unexpected visitor. After all, he’d taken her in, hadn’t he?
“Afternoon, ma’am.” Trapper tipped his gray, beat-up Stetson and cleared his throat. “John McHugh Trapper. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Hello.” Jane couldn’t help but smile back at the twinkle in the old man’s eyes. Most of his face was obscured by facial hair. Not quite a beard, but he was trying. He didn’t stand as tall as Leo; she often had to tilt her chin up to meet his eyes. Where Leo was muscular and toned, Trapper was on the thin side. Scrappy. The word almost made her giggle. “I’m Jane. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, um, visiting?” Trapper’s eyes skimmed her up and down, and when his lips twitched she realized why. She was caked, head to toe, in mud.
“For a while, yes. Leo’s been, um, showing me the land.” She could all but hear the dried mud crunch under her folded arms.
“You need good shoes for that. Boots. Not those things on your feet.” Trapper’s brows knit. “What kind of idjit—”
“The selection wasn’t vast,” Leo said. “Looks like Spectacle here’s got a sticker caught under her shoe. Got an infection running. Not too bad, but needs to be treated.” Leo glanced at Trapper and tilted up his hat. “I’ve got some antibiotics from Duke’s last go-around. Can replace this shoe and keep her comfortable. If you’re good with staying a few days.” His gaze shifted to Jane, who nodded without hesitation.
Maybe Leo’s land was her safety zone, or maybe it was the fact that Ollie was as excited to see Trapper as he welcomed his breakfast. Either way, she didn’t find herself concerned about the old codger.
“Hmm.” Trapper looked between the two of them before going over to his horse and running a hand down the side of her neck. “Wouldn’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be intruding,” Jane said before Leo could explain.
“Truth be told—” Trapper ran a hand across his beard hard enough for Jane to hear the whiskers scrape against his palm “—would be nice to hunker down in that bunkhouse of yours.”
“Might need a bit of tidying up, but it’s yours for as long as you’d like.” Leo didn’t have to explain the relief Jane heard in his voice.
“I won’t be a lollygagging layabout,” Trapper insisted. “I’ll do my part around here. You just point and I’ll get to hopping.”
“I’ll come up with a list,” Leo assured him. “How about I help you unload and get settled. Jane, did you want to go take that shower?”
She might be clueless about some things, but not about the subtle hint he wanted to talk to Trapper alone.
“I do indeed. I can toss together some lunch after. About an hour?”
“Perfect.” Leo’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Okay. Come on, Ollie. Keep me company.” She patted her leg as had become second nature, and stopped outside the back door long enough to toe off her shoes. Shoes she suspected were done for after one day. Only when she was in the kitchen and glancing out the window did she wonder, and worry about, what Leo and Trapper were about to discuss.
“Bet she’s a pretty thing. Under all that mud.” Trapper turned his fuzzy grin on Leo, who found himself chuckling. “She, ah, a new friend?”
“Something like that.” Leo motioned for the other man to start unloading Spectacle, beginning with the various mirrors and reflective objects looped onto the saddle. He accepted pile after pile of items—saddlebag, tote, reusable grocery bags—and was topped off with a makeshift fishing line and reel, and a rusted metal toolbox filled, Leo recalled, with intricate lures and tackles. “Bunkhouse hasn’t been touched since Buck retired. Hate to admit it, but I don’t think I’ve been in there since he left.”
“Doesn’t matter to me as long as it has a bed and a roof. Gettin’ a bit on in years to be crawling around on the ground.”
Trapper had his own armload of...stuff as they wound their way around the back of the stable to the structure beyond. Almost as large as the farmhouse, the single-story building had gone up more than twenty years ago, when the ranch was running at peak capacity. Built to house up to twenty ranch hands, the structure was simply organized with a galley-style kitchen near the front, a long table with benches and generous sleeping partitions.
After choosing the room closest to the kitchen, Trapper deposited his stuff and came out to retrieve the items Leo set on the table. “You going to tell me why you lied about Spectacle back there? I saw you pop those pebbles out from under her shoe and readjust it.”
Leo cringed. “Yeah, thanks for not letting on. Were you by any chance up on the ridgeline earlier this week?”
“Me? Nah. Was still on the other side of that monstrosity they call a town.” Trapper’s aversion to the downtown area was a local inside joke. One of the longest residents of these parts, Trapper went out of his way to avoid most anything to do with, well, people and their commercializing ways. “Why? You got rustlers?”
“No.” Leo took a seat while Trapper finished putting his belongings away. One thing he’d learned a long time ago was the old man liked to be his own man. Agreeing to the offer of a room was about as far as he’d go when it came to accepting help. “No rustlers. Jane said she saw someone riding around. Spooked her a bit.”
Trapper stopped inside the door to his room and narrowed his eyes. “Your girl in there looks spooked now. You want to tell me who she is?”
If only I could. “I thought maybe you might know.” Short of gossip central in town, Trapper was as good as it got when it came to information about Roaring Springs.
“Hard to tell under all that mud. You know me, Leo. I don’t pay no one no mind, and they don’t pay me. That’s the way I like it.”
“I do know that. So that wasn’t you she saw.” So not the answer he’d been wanting. He hadn’t been lying this morning when he said sometimes neighbors just cut through, but the truth was, it didn’t happen that often.
“That why you want me to stick around?” Trapper wandered back into the kitchen. “You worried about your girl?”
“Stop calling her my girl. She’s just staying here for a while. She had an accident. Hit her head. She’s...scared.” Leo struggled against the truth. He’d only promised Jane he wouldn’t go to the police. He hadn’t said anything about not confiding in a friend about her situation. Besides, Trapper was gold with confidences. “She’s all alone and doesn’t remember who she is.”
“You mean she’s got amnesia?” Trapper’s eyes went wide as he dropped onto the bench across from Leo. “I thought that only happened in books. It’s a real thing?”
“Apparently so.”
“You don’t think she’s faking?”
“No, I don’t think she’s...” The very idea was offensive. “She’s been traumatized. Believe me. There’s no faking how she was when I found her. Someone abducted her and left her tied up in some abandoned shed somewhere.”
“That’s just plain evil. You call the sheriff?”
“No.” And that decision weighed more heavily on him every day. Was Jane in the right frame of mind to know what was best? He wasn’t convinced. Especially now that he knew a killer was on the loose. What if she had been one of the lucky ones to get away? “Jane doesn’t want me to.” Honestly, if he didn’t think she’d bolt, he’d reconsider his promise.
But what if she was right? What if whoever took her was looking to reclaim her? He’d do whatever he could to protect her, but if she could help the authorities catch the man responsible for the killings...
“You have any idea where she was before?” Trapper asked.
“Not really. I thought about maybe getting out a map and having her look at it with me, just to see if anything seemed familiar. It could just take one thing to snap everything into place.”
“Could.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“Leo.” Trapper removed his hat and ran gnarled fingers through his too-long hair. “I’ve been on this earth a long time. Nothing one human being can do to another that would surprise me. No map is going to give you the answers you’re looking for.” He pinned him with a hard stare. “What’s really going on here? I can understand why your Jane might be spooked, but why are you?”
“Who said I am? And stop calling her my Jane.” He liked the sound of that far too much.
“I’ve known you since you were stumbling around here in your diaper, Leo Isaac Slattery. I know when you’ve got something on your mind. Same look as your daddy and your grandfather had. It’s there.” He circled a finger in front of Leo’s face even as a pang of longing and grief swept over Leo. As much as he liked having Trapper around, he still missed his grandfather. And his father. Sometimes so much he ached. It wasn’t easy going through the world alone. But he hadn’t been. Not for a few weeks. Not since Jane had arrived. “So spit it out already before your girl sees it.”
At this point he really didn’t have a choice, did he? “Protestations about not knowing what’s going on around town aside,” Leo began and ignored the flash of irritation in Trap’s ever-searching eyes, “what have you heard about this Avalanche Killer? About the victims up on the mountain?”
“Up near The Lodge, you mean,” Trapper spat.
Leo sighed. He should have known Trapper’s lifelong resentment of all things Colton would rear up. “This isn’t about the Coltons, Trap. Please. If you’ve heard anything—”
“Not about the Coltons. Bah!” Trapper let loose with a string of expletives that would have had Leo’s grandmother reaching for a bar of soap. “The first body they found, they thought Wyatt Colton himself was responsible. Sheriff even recused himself for potential bias. Don’t tell me the Coltons aren’t involved in this Avalanche Killer mess. They’re in it up to their greedy little eyeballs.”
“Can you please just focus on the details for now and tell me what you know?” Clearly, it was time to put in yet another call to the county to find out when he would have better internet access and thus civilization would be making it down the road to his land. Every time he thought about calling, it was either too late or a weekend. That said, a quick online search could have saved him this entire conversation. “Please, Trapper. For Jane.”
Trapper blinked, as if connecting his invitation to stay and Leo’s request for information. “You thinking that poor girl may have been his next intended victim?”
“I don’t know what I’m thinking.” But the idea had followed him home from town yesterday. And haunted him every second he’d tried to sleep last night. He’d lost track of the number of times he’d gotten up to check on her, just to convince himself she hadn’t been stolen away in the night. “All I know is that she turned up in my barn, bruised, battered and without any memory of who she is. Then when I go into town, I hear talk of a serial killer stalking Roaring Springs. I might not be a Rhodes Scholar, but even I can see when things add up.”
“Or don’t add up, depending on the case. Okay.” Trapper nodded. “I see what you’re thinking. What did Jane say when you told her?”
“Ah, nothing.” Leo’s gaze skittered to the floor. Maybe he needed to run a broom through this place.
“Land’s sake, what kind of idjit are you?” Trapper slapped his hand on the table. “You’re telling me you think that girl might have been attacked by a psycho and you aren’t telling her? What are you going to do, keep her locked up on the ranch until they catch him?”
“Maybe I am.” Leo shrugged. “Or at least until her memory comes back.”
“And if her memory includes being assaulted by this monster? And she finds out you knew or suspected? Leo, I never took you for an i—”
“Stop with the name-calling.” Leo was doing enough of that himself. “Look, Trap. You have the best ears in Roaring Springs. And the best eyes. Nothing gets past you. And if you don’t have any details about this case, then the only thing I have left to ask you is to stay here, on the ranch, and help me keep an eye on her. I don’t like the idea of leaving her alone for long stretches of time.”
“So take her with you.” Trapper cackled. “Obviously she has a talent for ranch work. What did she do? Try to feed the cows by hand?”
“She tried to catch a runaway calf on her own.” The memory of that was going to keep him laughing for a long time to come.
Trapper’s mouth snapped shut. “Oh. Well.” He cleared his throat. “Isn’t that just the dumbest and sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. You hiring me as her bodyguard, then?” Trapper’s frail chest puffed out like a pigeon on bread crumb duty.
“More like keep her busy. I can’t keep being distracted. Not if I’m going to bring that herd to market next month in time to invest in some new prospects.”
“What about her memory? You want me to keep poking at that? Or would you prefer she not remember?”
“What kind of question is that?” Leo wasn’t the type of man who snapped at accusations. Unless of course they landed a bit too close to home. “Of course I want her to remember who she is. She has a life, Trap. Somewhere, she has a life.” One that didn’t include him. And the sooner he came to accept that, the better. Which meant it was time to put some distance between him and Jane. And this guy was the perfect person to do that. “Let’s get Spectacle settled into her stall, shall we?”
“Oh, yes, let’s.” Trapper rolled his eyes, but when they stood, he added, “I’ll do what I can to help with your Jane, Leo. But you need to decide what it is you really want. And given all the goings-on in Roaring Springs, I suggest you figure that out sooner than later.”