KACE GRABBED A handful of cheese doodles and stuffed his mouth, then belched loudly. His football team scored and he came out of the seat, cheese doodles flying everywhere.
Cull squinted. “Do you make this mess at your own house?”
“Are you kidding me? Tyler would have my head. That’s why I’m here. Enjoying some bro time.”
Cull shrugged and opened another beer. “Does she know you’re here?”
“Yup. She told me I needed to get out of the house for a while.”
“And you didn’t think that was a bit odd?”
“I didn’t ask. Since she’s pregnant she bites my head off if I get in the way.”
“And yet you’re still a lucky man,” Cull said.
“You’re right, man. I love that woman so damn much.” He grabbed another fistful of snacks and chewed noisily. “Kiersten told me what happened with Monica.”
“It’s Sally. And our sister has a big mouth,” Cull moaned.
“Ah, she just thought you needed a shoulder to cry on,” Kace admitted.
Cull blinked. “So Tyler knows too and that’s why she told you to come here.” Cull should have known.
“Hell, the rest of the clan would be here too, but I thought I’d give this support thing a chance. How am I doing?” Kace asked.
“Well, outside of getting your orange stained hands all over my chair, drinking all my beer and spending this bro quality time staring at the TV, I’d say you’re doing just fine.”
“You don’t really want to share your feelings anyway, right?” Kace lifted a thick brow.
“No.” He guzzled half the can of beer. “I wonder how she’s doing?”
“Who?”
“Sally, you dumbass. Who else?” Cull refused the urge to throw the can at his brother’s head.
“I don’t know. Call her and ask.”
“Are you joking me? I can’t do that.”
“Then watch the game. It’ll help the blues.” Kace gestured toward the TV.
“Fine.” He stretched out his legs. “I did a background check on the guy and he checked out, but what if he’s a jerk in disguise? Not every douchebag has a record.”
Kace tossed the rest of the doodles in the bowl. “Listen, whether you can admit it to yourself or not, you know this is the best for her. She had another life, man. That poor guy has been looking for her. Probably worrying his head off about her.”
“I see your point. I know it’s the right thing, but why doesn’t it feel right?” Cull emptied his can of beer and reached for another, popping the top.
Kace shifted his body to look at Cull. “Seriously? Did you go and fall in love with her?”
Every cell in his body wanted to say “no” but Cull found he didn’t have it in him to deny her. “Yeah, I did.”
The beer can slipped out of Kace’s hand and splattered everywhere. “Shit!”
Cull didn’t even have the energy to bitch about the mess.
“And you let her leave?” Kace moaned.
“You just said it was the best thing for her.”
“That’s when I had no clue you loved her, Cull. Never let a woman walk away when you have feelings for her. Did you not learn anything from my situation with Tyler? I wasted ten fucking years lonely and broken-hearted. Don’t do what I did, man. Don’t take the chance that she’ll never know.”
Even after hearing Kace’s suggestion, Cull didn’t move. Although he loved her, he couldn’t waltz into her life until she knew what she wanted. She was promised to another man and Cull didn’t have a right to cause problems.
Ten minutes of silence passed until Kace finally asked, “What do you really think of this Burke?”
“That he isn’t Sally’s type. He’s a metrosexual, goody two shoes that doesn’t look like he’s worked a hard day in his life.”
A loud crack of thunder made the windows rattle.
Kace took a long swig of his beer. “That might be the type she likes.”
“I don’t think so.” Not with the way she’d responded to his touch. How they’d made love and he’d had her squirming under his body. He didn’t even want to think that she could experience that with another man. It angered him so much that he couldn’t sit still. He jumped up and went into the kitchen to clear his head.
“Grab me some pretzels while you’re in there,” Kace yelled.
“We don’t have pretzels,” Cull muttered, not really caring about the food.
“I’m almost out of cheese doodles.”
“So go home where there’s plenty.”
Kace got up. “You know what, I think I will. I miss my wife and I’d rather watch the game from the comfort of my own chair. You can stay here and brood.”
Cull didn’t even watch his brother leave. He instead grabbed his full beer and downed it. He was going to feel like he’d been run over by a truck in the morning, but it beat feeling heartbroken.
His cell rang and he thought about ignoring it, but he knew it could be Sally. “Hi,” he said into the phone.
“Hi, Cull. How are you?”
It was her!
Her voice sounded like heaven to his ears. It had been two days since she’d left and he missed her voice, her laughter, her face, her body...everything. “I’m fine.” He wouldn’t fill her in on the truth that he hadn’t left the house and was busy getting drunk. “And yourself?”
There was a short hesitation. “I still don’t remember a lot and I feel like I’m living in a stranger’s house. Quite good, huh?” She laughed and his heart kicked up in speed.
“You were living in a stranger’s house here too.”
“But it was comfortable. I won’t keep you long, but I guess I wanted…”
“What Sally?” He needed to hear her voice a little longer.
“I don’t know…I just miss everyone at the ranch. And you. Maybe we can talk again soon?”
“I’d enjoy that.”
“I better go. See you soon.”
****
“So, you miss him, huh?”
Sally turned around and spotted Burke standing a few feet away. She hadn’t heard him come in. “Huh?”
“That was the lawman, wasn’t it?” His lip curled.
“Yes, but I said I miss everyone. They were kind to me. I made friends with all of them,” she said. She and Burke hadn’t said more than five words to each other since she’d declined sleeping in the same bed with him. She understood he must want things back fast, but she wasn’t ready. She did, however, have a few memories come back of him, but she couldn’t understand why they were of them arguing. She planned on speaking to him about her feelings soon.
He dropped his briefcase down onto the floor and it landed with a loud thump. Anger covered his features. “So, he gets an “I miss you” and I can’t even get you to look at me.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Burke, did you have a bad day?”
He laughed but it was raw and angry. “A bad day? Would you care?” He crossed the room, poured himself a scotch and emptied the tumbler to fill it back up.
A flash of a memory swept through her brain. Burke. A glass. It shattered on the wall. Did he have a temper? “I made some dinner. I thought we could sit down and talk.” She rounded the counter and started to plate the steak when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her against him. She felt his erection through his pants. All she could feel was revulsion and guilt.
He nuzzled his nose in her hair. “Come on. Let’s go to bed. I need you,” he muttered.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not ready,” she admitted. “Let’s eat.” She grabbed both plates and moved away from him, but he gripped her elbow which made her drop one plate. It shattered on the floor. “Burke, what’s wrong with you?” She looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong with me? Are you kidding? You’re my fiancé. I want you and I should have you!”
Fear trickled down her spine. “And I’m telling you I’m not ready.” Overstepping the broken glass, she didn’t bother cleaning it up. She needed some space between the two of them. “You have to be patient.” But on the other end, she knew she’d never feel the same about him.
“Patience? I’ve been patient. Let me ask, did you sleep with the lawman?”
“Burke...” She turned to walk away but he was on her, clutching her shoulders and roughly turning her around.
“Did you fuck the lawman?” he ground out.
“I won’t talk to you when you’re acting this way. I’m going to the bedroom and I suggest you sleep off your drunk,” she said through tight lips.
“Like hell you will.” He grabbed her, this time ripping her shirt at the shoulder.
“Don’t touch me again! I’m leaving!” She didn’t know who this monster was, but he scared her.
“Leaving? You think you will. Over my dead body,” he slurred.
She felt both his hands on her, then he pushed her to the floor. She felt a sting on her elbow, but she reacted with a swift kick to his knee, sending him down as well. She scrambled to get back up and made it to her feet, but he was quick, seizing her ankle and knocking her down.
He climbed atop her, pressing her chest and cheek into the hardwood. He was heavy and she could barely breathe.
“Why are you doing this?” She could barely talk. Pain reverberated through her body.
“I’m tired of the amnesia act, sweetheart. We both know you remember how you left me, disappearing into the night. I’ve looked for you for six long months. You thought you could shack up with some fucker in the country and I’d never find you?” He laughed and it hurt her ears. “You’re mine and the sooner you realize that, the easier this will all be.”
“You’re wrong! I don’t remember you, but I’m quickly realizing why I left you from the start. Get off me. I won’t stay here with you!” She sipped at her breaths, trying to fill her lungs. When he finally lifted off her, she sucked in a deep breath. She rolled over and pushed herself a few feet away, scrambling to get off the floor. He was quicker and grasped her hair, his fingers woven in the strands. She tried to fight but each time she struggled, she heard roots rip from her scalp and pain washed over her head.
He dragged her down the hall, gave her a push into the bathroom and she hit the floor hard. Bringing herself up, she looked at his face and all she could see was pure evil. How could she have fallen for his manipulative attitude? He wasn’t nice. Not at all.
“Stay in here and cool off,” he said through clenched teeth.
“You won’t get away with this!”
“Do you think your hero lawman will come and save you?” He snorted. “He’s probably already forgotten you. Men like him don’t want a half-wit girl like you.” He closed the door and a second later she heard the lock click. How did she not notice that there was a lock on the outside? How could she have been so stupid?
Jumping up, she raced over to the door and tried the knob. She pounded on the door. “Let me out! Now!”
She was met with silence.
Pressing her ear to the door, she listened for any sounds and she heard nothing.
She started pounding harder until her hands ached. Stepping away from the closed door, she hurried to the window and pulled back the curtain. She gave the window a try, but it wouldn’t budge. A nail had been pounded into the wood to keep it from opening.
Tears filled her eyes and her heart slammed into her feet. How did she get into this condition? She should have listened to Cull when he warned her that she needed to be careful. In a hurry to get her memory back, she’d walked right into the wolf’s den.