“Oh, this is the one.” Jane all but jumped out of the saddle and was moving across the path before her feet hit the ground. She pulled off the riding gloves and stuck them in her back pocket as she approached the single-story ranch house. “How was there ever any question?” She glanced back at Leo as he dismounted and tied both horses’ reins over the porch railing.
“Gwen said she and Lacey didn’t want that big a place. She thinks it’s too much work.” He patted his hand on the railing behind her as Jane admired the wood-carved front door.
“To get it ready or maintain?”
“Ah.” Leo shrugged. “Don’t know. Didn’t ask.”
“Men.” Jane rolled her eyes and walked to the window, where she cupped her hands around her eyes to peer in. “Oh, there’s really good bones to this place, Leo. It’s perfect for a newlywed couple. It’s quiet, romantic and, from what I can tell, quite practical.”
“Are you sure Buck’s old place—”
“No.” She shook her head and moved to the door as if that settled the matter. “Nope. I mean, that place is great and all for a single cowboy, but this, I’m betting...” She trailed off as she pushed open the door. The first thing she saw was a cobblestoned fireplace. “Oh, yeah. This is it. I love this floor. And it’s in pretty good shape. Just needs some sprucing up.” She stomped her foot in a few places to prove her point. “When are they due back?”
“End of September I think. I have the date back at home.”
“Okay, okay.” She nodded and circled the kitchen, pulled open a few cabinets, ran her fingers along the dusty butcher-block countertop. “I think we can make that work. Let me see the rest.”
“Have at it.”
He was humoring her and she knew it. She’d scared the crap out of him with that nightmare last night. But the second she’d woken up this morning, well after Leo as he’d already been up and dressed and drunk half a pot of coffee, she’d thrown the memory of the nightmare aside and was ready to plow ahead into the day. Which she did, tending to the horses in the stable while Leo went out to take care of the herd. They’d met back at the main house by noon and set out to explore on horseback soon after lunch. Trapper, being Trapper, was packing up to take off for some, as he called it, “alone time.” Who knew when he’d be popping back around.
“So Gwen’s going to be your fore—person.” Forewoman sounded so odd. “What does Lacey do?”
“She writes historical novels. Big sweeping epics like Larry McMurtry. There was talk about turning one of them into a movie a while back, but it didn’t happen.”
Jane emerged from the bedroom she’d been examining. “What’s Lacey’s last name?”
“Conroy. But she writes as L. C. Hamilton.”
She sagged against the door frame. “The Prairie Before Me. Your Lacey is L. C. Hamilton?”
“Well, she’s not my Lacey,” Leo joked.
“I loved that book. I remember sitting on the window bench in my bedroom glued to the pages. All the details about the pioneers and... What?” She broke off at the odd expression on Leo’s face.
“You remember.” His eyes flickered as his lips twitched. “That’s the first time you said anything about your past.”
She blinked. Again. A third time. “You’re right. I can see that space, that room, so vividly. Blues and silvers and cream-colored fabric draping the windows.” She walked over to the grimy pane of glass and touched a fingertip against it.
“What else do you remember?”
She hadn’t heard him approach, shouldn’t have been surprised to find he’d drawn near, but she shivered nonetheless. “Snow. So much snow I could barely see out my window. I looked up one minute and it had nearly obscured the entire pane.” Elegance. Order and organization. And loneliness. She remembered feeling very, very lonely. She rubbed her fingers against her chest, just above her heart. She never felt lonely around Leo. Even when he was out on the land. “She’ll need an office.”
“Who will?” Leo touched her shoulder.
“Lacey. She’ll need an office where she can write. How many bedrooms are there?”
“Three,” Leo told her. “Jane, let’s explore this some more. Let’s see what else we can get you to remember.”
“Not now.”
“Why not? Something’s been jarred loose. It’s the perfect time—”
“No, it’s not.” Jane cut him off. “If I remember more, I’ll tell you, but for now, I’m fine with this. I’m not in any rush.” She didn’t want to remember more. Not yet. She wanted to take baby steps, not giant leaps. She wanted to stay here, for as long as possible. Not because of how safe she felt here. But because the idea of leaving Leo scared her more than whatever secrets her past held. “Please, let’s just take this slow. I don’t want to force things.”
“The world won’t stop just because you want it to, Jane.”
“I know. But I can slow it down.” She did look at him now. She had to, otherwise he’d never see the determination she made sure shone in her eyes.
“Okay.” He sighed. “So this is the space, huh?”
“This is the space. Which means now we need to get down to business and discuss the budget.”
“And also who we’re going to hire to do the work.”
“Hire?” Jane shook her head and patted him on the arm as she passed. “We don’t have to hire anyone. I’m going to do it myself.”
“You’re doing it again.” Prescott Reynolds bent down to peer at Phoebe Colton’s reflection in the dressing table mirror. His hands rested on her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze of encouragement. Comfort. Understanding.
“Doing what?” Phoebe feigned ignorance as she flicked a finger against an errant hair band.
“Worrying. Everyone who can be is looking for Skye. They’re going to find her. You have to believe that.”
“I do.” But would they find her in time? Phoebe pressed her fingers against the ache in her chest. The ache that had begun when Skye had taken off out of the blue after being embarrassed, humiliated and hurt over learning she’d been dumped by her longtime boyfriend via social media. It had been almost two months since she’d heard from her sister. Her hope had reignited briefly when the police located Skye’s car in an abandoned salvage yard fifty miles south of town. The only reason they’d found it was because some kid had tried to pawn Skye’s laptop and phone, which Trey Colton, the sheriff, had put a trace on. The kid had panicked and spilled everything.
The car had been totaled, with severe damage to the back bumper and front right side. The driver’s-side window had been busted, the airbags deployed. Two types of blood had been found on the driver’s seat: Skye’s and one other, so far unidentified. And one of her shoes, a lipstick-red stiletto, had been found under her seat.
Skye’s luggage and all her belongings, save for the laptop and cell phone, were still in the trunk. But that’s where the trail, and Phoebe’s hope, ended. No prints had been found on the car, including Skye’s, which meant whoever was responsible for her twin’s disappearance knew how not to leave evidence behind. As if disabling the GPS hadn’t been the first indication. The entire thing made Phoebe sick to her stomach.
How many times had she read Skye’s last text, the one that said she needed time alone, time to regroup and think? That her twin had utterly and completely vanished from every aspect of her life—how many hours had Phoebe spent scouring social media for any sign of her sister?—was simply inexplicable. Even if she was disillusioned with the rest of the world, Skye never would have cut herself off from Phoebe. Unless...
Phoebe took a shuddering breath. Skye wasn’t dead. The idea wouldn’t even solidify in her mind. Call it a twin thing, call it a psychic connection or call it having spent every single day with her identical sister since the moment they were conceived. She’d know if Skye had left her behind. And right now, that was the only thing keeping Phoebe sane. “I dreamed about her again last night.”
“I know.” Preston took hold of her hand and led her over to the small settee by the window and pulled her down beside him. “You were talking in your sleep.”
Phoebe curled into him, overwhelmed by love for this man who had taken not only her on, but pretty much the entire Colton family when the two of them had gotten...involved. Phoebe almost smiled. Funny way to explain whatever had happened between her and Prescott. Somehow she, stuck-in-the-corner Phoebe Colton, had landed in the spotlight with one of the most eligible bachelors in Hollywood. All, when she stopped to think on it, because of Skye.
“I keep seeing horses.” Phoebe toyed with a button on his crisp white shirt. “Lots of horses. And this beautiful dog. It’s so strange. I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to,” Prescott told her. “But what you do have to do is focus on the moment. We need to get to the hospital before visiting hours are over and meet the newest Colton.”
“Mmm.” Phoebe managed a smile now. “I’m betting Molly and Max’s little girl is simply gorgeous.” A pang of envy struck just below the ache. “It’s bittersweet, isn’t it, that they named her Sabrina?” The body of Molly’s sister, Sabrina Gilford, had been discovered after the avalanche, a suspected victim of the Avalanche Killer. Phoebe and Molly had talked about Molly’s grief over her child never being able to know her aunt. But being her namesake should help heal the wounds of loss.
“It’s a lovely tribute,” Prescott agreed. “A way to bring a bit of light to the darkness.”
“I suppose. This Sabrina certainly won’t be lacking for love or attention. She’ll be getting boatloads of both.” Beginning with the huge teddy bear Phoebe had ordered to be delivered to the house when the new family arrived home.
“Maybe we can stop and talk to Daria? See if there’s been any progress?”
“We can do that.” Preston sank his hands into her long hair to rub her neck. “I don’t want you giving up hope. Your sister will come back.”
He didn’t promise. He wouldn’t, Phoebe understood as she squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. Preston would never promise her something he couldn’t deliver. Which meant he knew what she did.
With every day that passed, it was becoming less and less likely she’d ever see her twin again.
“Come on! Hurry up! I can’t go without you!”
“I’m coming!” Jane’s response was automatic. Just as automatic as her following the long-haired, redheaded girl running along the path in front of her.
“Careful, girls. Presentation, remember.” The stern warning triggered a bout of eye rolling that gave Jane a headache. “Those are new shoes. No scuff marks, please.”
Jane looked down at the shiny black patent leather Mary Janes. For a moment she considered scuffing them on purpose, just because. Presentation was everything to her mother, but presentation came with a cost. It took a lot of the fun out of life. Pretty is as pretty does, her grandmother used to say. What did that saying even mean? Why couldn’t they just play and have fun without anyone telling them to stop?
“Where are we going?” Jane called as the girl disappeared around the bend. The paved road gave way to gravel, which gave way to dirt. Rocky soil. Soil that hurt her feet as she ran after her. Night snapped on, plunging her into darkness. But there, in the distance, bright red hair. A beacon. A guide.
But she stopped running. It hurt to breathe now. It hurt to think. The light in the distance began to spin. Not red anymore but blue. Then white. Then red. Then... She stopped.
Her child self had been transformed into the woman she was now. No. Not the Jane she was now. The Jane she’d been that day she’d woken up in the barn. The white silk and linen clothes. The bare feet. The bruises on her arms, her wrists. She kicked out a foot. Her ankle.
“Come on, already!” the voice in the darkness called.
Jane shook her head. No. No, she wasn’t going any farther. She was going home. She was going to the ranch. She was going to find Leo and... She turned.
And slammed into a solid, male body.
“Leo.” She sighed, but the relief snapped away as clawed hands locked around her arms and squeezed. She opened her mouth to scream, but held back, tilted her chin up to see what man, what monster had caught her. But he had no face. He was only a shadow. A blue-uniformed shadow...with a badge that blinded her as it glinted against the darkness.
And a name tag on his shirt. She wrenched free, racing past him and running back down the road. Breathing ragged, she looked over her shoulder and saw he’d dropped to the ground and, on all fours, was running after her, as if an animal racing after escaped prey.
“Run, Skye! Run!” the voice from the darkness yelled.
This time, she did as she was told.
She ran.
Jane shot up in the chair, a scream lodged in her throat, Ollie’s head in her lap.
She drank in large gulps of air, scrambling to her feet as she plucked a sticky note off her cheek and tried to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. Ollie whined, a familiar sound that brought her far more comfort than she liked to admit.
“Boy, you must be getting as tired of this as I am.” She crouched, brought the animal in for a hug, then pushed to her feet and returned to the desk. The cold sweat on her face had dried and she shivered, moving her shaking hand from one pile of paperwork to another—her task for the day while she and Leo waited for the last few supplies she’d asked him to order so they could put the finishing touches on Gwen’s new home.
Routine had descended with far more ease than she would have expected. She found herself rising early with Leo, unable to sleep without him beside her. They’d eat breakfast together, and he’d drive her and whatever tools and supplies she needed to the house before he headed out to tend the herd.
Thanks to some old home-care manuals she’d found in his grandfather’s office, she’d learned how to use a floor sander so she could refinish the wood floors, a power sander to refinish the cabinets in the kitchen and bedrooms. Whatever she couldn’t do on her own, she made a list and she and Leo tackled the jobs together.
By the time September came along and the temperature began to dip into fall, she was looking for another project. Another distraction. Another... Oh, why didn’t she just call it what it was: a stalling tactic.
Today she’d sent him into town to the nursery to hunt down some suitable landscaping flowers and shrubs, not only for Gwen’s front yard, but also for another idea that had been percolating for a while. In the meantime, she could help tackle some of those items on Leo’s list—the list he’d been ignoring for, well, as long as she knew him.
The man was nothing if not determined. Too bad he was determined to restrict their sleeping arrangements to just that: sleeping. But that didn’t mean boundaries weren’t tested. And pushed. And strained to the breaking point. Who knew morning wake-up kisses could leave her so...wanting?
Excitement bubbled inside her. Trapper leaving—though she missed the old coot—had definitely opened some doors she didn’t think she and Leo would be walking through, and for that, she needed to remember to thank him when he turned up again. But first, she needed to get this office in shape.
More than once Leo had lamented the fact he hadn’t had a chance to go through his grandfather’s paperwork or had time to even update the computer, which had sat dormant since last year. Not that it would do much good, given the unreliable internet connection. There hadn’t been any real need for the machine other than to make note of expenditures and income, and given the season, there wasn’t much of the latter. Besides, she’d seen him write in figures in the record-keeping journal he kept in one of the kitchen drawers.
It took a few hours, but she organized all the stuff piled on and around the desk into neat stacks, then labeled them with sticky notes until she decided what to do with them. That left mementos, books and the computer to deal with. The knickknacks, including more photos of Essie and Leo and Leo’s father, she put in a box and set to the side. The computer? She planted her hands on her hips and sighed. No router. No external lines. It was time to go Stone Age. She circled and bent down to examine the old tower unit, tugging on cords and plugs to see what was what. A phone line was twisted and piled on top.
She uncoiled it and held it in her hands. “I wonder...” She bit her lip and followed a matching cord from the desk phone. She wasn’t exactly tech-minded. That she knew of. “It’s worth a shot.” She unplugged everything and started over, making the final connection to the ancient internal modem on the back of the tower unit.
When she sat down and turned on the computer, the screen slowly blinked to life. A few minutes and a few settings clicks later, she hovered the mouse around the “connect to internet” icon and...
The beeping and screeching had her covering her ears. Good heavens, how had people dealt with this constantly back in the day? “I will never complain about slow internet or Wi-Fi again.” She frowned, the idea of doing such a thing both familiar and foreign.
The screen bleeped and burped, flickered a few times, then settled on a home page for email.
“Oh, here we go. Internet, I am back.” She froze, fingers hovering over the keyboard. What did that mean? An odd thrill had shot through her at the mere thought of clicking on to social media, not that it would be easy with such outdated technology. But that thrill was quickly doused by her determination to get her life—this life—on the track she wanted.
Leo wanted to know who she was. She had a name. A place to start. An answer was close by.
Now all she needed was proof.
His truck loaded with enough flowers, potted shrubs and even a couple of miniature trees to give a pharmaceutical company allergies, Leo found himself pausing in downtown Roaring Springs before climbing into the cab. He was going to miss Jane. Not just the routine and the contentment he found sharing his days with her, but how much he looked forward to seeing her. But their borrowed time was ticking away.
Whether she wanted it to or not.
He looked over his shoulder toward the police station, his stomach knotting in that way it had when he knew he was considering something he shouldn’t.
One thing he and Jane hadn’t discussed was what he’d discovered online about Levi McEwan, owner of the burnt ID they’d found at the abandoned Preston property. It hadn’t taken much to learn that McEwan was dead and that his body had been found just on the outskirts of town near a gas station. He’d made occasional stops at the library to catch up with the local paper. What had taken effort was not sharing what he learned with Jane. He’d planned to keep the information to himself. He’d prefer she focus on recovering her own memories, not focusing on whatever distraction she could cling to next.
His next stop had been at the county clerk’s office, which resulted in him having to fill out a form to request information on who had inherited Preston’s property. As the office was currently understaffed, the request was filed along with hundreds of other documents. The anticipated response time was two to four weeks. Which put him right back where he’d started.
Frustrated, Leo continued to stare at the glass doors, debating whether McEwan was the way for him to glean any information about Jane... No. Not Jane. Skye. Not that she didn’t give him the stink eye anytime he tried the other name on for size.
It would be so easy to step inside and ask to talk to Sheriff Trey Colton. Now that they were fairly sure Jane was connected to the Colton family, Leo was discovering family members everywhere. Including the police department.
Leo frowned. Was that why she was so afraid of the police? Was Trey or someone else in the family involved with her abduction? Was he the reason... No. He shook his head, caught a glimpse of Miss D’s diner in his rear mirror. Miss D. Now there was someone who might have some information for him. He’d only promised Jane not to talk to the police. But with small towns, it was more likely those in the know were those on the periphery. Now that Miss D had been back a bit, he’d bet she’d had enough time to catch up with all the Roaring Springs goings-on.
He entered the diner through the front door this time, surprised to see the crowd thinner than expected. The hustle and bustle of a few days ago had slowed to a trickle, meaning Miss D herself was manning the counter. Today’s apron was a bright pink, almost as bright as the off-center bow in her silver-gray hair.
“Heavens, Leo. You’re going to give an old woman a heart attack. Twice in one week.” Miss D was already reaching for a mug to pour him some coffee. “Where’s your Jane?”
Leo sighed. It was as if she and Trapper had worked out a comedy routine. “She’s back at the ranch. Thought maybe I’d pick up another pie as a surprise.”
“You’re always so thoughtful.” Miss D beamed at him. “I’ve got a chocolate mint that’ll curl your toes. You drink up and I’ll box it up for you.”
“Sounds perfect, thanks.” He removed his hat, set it on the counter and turned on the stool to look across the street. When he turned his attention back to his coffee, he caught sight of a familiar pair of brown eyes looking back at him from near the register. The missing persons flyer was taped prominently, full color, with contact information. His chest tightened as he stood and plucked one of the flyers from the stack nearby.
Have you seen me?
Yes, Leo thought. Yes, I have.
“Such a shame,” Miss D said as she glanced over from the pie case. “Skye Colton’s a pretty big celebrity around these parts. Around most parts if my great-nephew’s to be believed. Some big social media star on that Snapgram or Instachat? Whatever it’s called. Just up and poofed!” She snapped her fingers.
“What do they think happened to her?” That Leo managed to get the words out at all was a minor miracle. It was Jane. Or at least a woman who looked an awful lot like Jane. Her red hair was curled and coiffed to stylist perfection, spilling over shoulders bared by a strapless, shimmering evening gown. Her brown eyes were heavily outlined and accented with mascara, her skin flawless and smooth and pink in all the right places. But it was her lips—those full, pouty lips he’d kissed, the lips he dreamed about night after night—that erased any doubt.
“Well, now, since you asked.” Miss D motioned him back to his seat, where she set the pink box. “Filtering through all the hogwash—” she leaned her arms on the counter and lowered her voice “—seems she got dumped by her rich boyfriend. Man up and married some other woman right out from under her. Next thing you know, the girl takes off. Family thought she’d just taken a few days to herself, but now it seems they’ve called in the authorities to try to find her. Word is they’re worried she’s been killed and left up in the snow like those other poor girls.”
“She must have cared for him a lot to disappear like that.” Leo forced himself to drink the scalding coffee. And here he’d let himself believe she’d been unattached.
Miss D shrugged. “Those Coltons, they tend to keep things pretty tight. But I’ve been keeping my ears open. Seems she was expecting a proposal and that’s what broke her heart, drove her away. Now it’s been more than a couple of months since anyone’s seen or heard from her, even that poor sister of hers. Those two, peas in a pod aren’t closer. Can’t be easy, growing up in a family like that, with all that money and expectation, to find someone to love. Me? I’m thinking the girl’s just lying low, reevaluating her priorities, so to speak. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d found someone she can trust, someone who might be trying to find out how to help the poor girl out of whatever situation she’s gotten herself into.”
Leo dragged his gaze away from the image of the woman who had been sharing his bed and looked Miss D square in the eye. “You think?”
“She strikes me as a smart one. A little lost, but not brokenhearted as the news reports would have us believe. Yes, sir, I know in my heart that girl is A-OK and safe.” She reached over, covered Leo’s hand and gave him a good squeeze. “You keep her safe, Leo.”
“You know?” He could not have been more surprised if she’d suddenly announced she’d gone vegan. “Why haven’t you—”
“Because I know you and if you haven’t gone to the police, there’s a darn good reason. I trust you, Leo Slattery. And so does your Jane.” Miss D patted the back of his hand. “You make darn good and certain you do right by her. You done with your coffee? I’m thinking it’s about time you get home.”
“Yeah.” Leo nodded, reflecting on Skye as an unfamiliar tendril of doubt wove through him. Maybe she’d had enough of the spotlight. Maybe she just needs someplace to...hide. Maybe... It wasn’t possible, was it? His heart lurched into his throat. It wasn’t possible she’d been lying to him all this time, that she knew who she was, just so she had a place to hide away from her family?
No. No, that was ridiculous. There was no denying she’d been attacked. Even a social media darling couldn’t have faked those injuries or the haunted, terrified look on her face. Or those heart-stopping nightmares.
One thing was for certain. He’d been right.
Jane, Skye, didn’t belong in his world.
Not one little bit.
“Thanks for the coffee, Miss D. And the pie.” He reached for his wallet and handed over a twenty. “Don’t say no,” he warned when she looked ready to refuse. “Put the balance on my account for those burgers. Saved me from having to cook.”
“You’re a good man, Leo Slattery. Your gran would be right proud of you.”
“I hope so.” He folded the flyer, stuck it in the edge of the box and picked up his pie and his hat before he left the diner and headed back across the street.
“Hey, Trey, you got a minute?”
The shouted name caught Leo’s attention as he pulled open the truck door. He looked over as a tall man approached the front door of the police station. In the past few days Leo had done his research on the Coltons and recognized Fox Colton, who looked a bit frazzled as Trey headed away from the police station toward his cousin.
Key in hand, Leo watched as the two men spoke. From the way Fox’s hands were flying, it was clear he was upset about something, but it wasn’t the words that interested him. It was the way Trey slung his arm around Fox and led him into the station.
They were family. Jane’s—no, Skye’s—family, and they were missing her.
And if they were missing her even a fraction of the amount Leo anticipated missing her when she left the ranch, he wasn’t sure how they were enduring it.
As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he’d run out of time. He’d made her a promise to get her home. To her family. A family that loved and missed her.
It was time to keep it.