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“How awful for you.”
“It was bizarre. He started asking me questions—the same questions he asked when he was driving me home from the airport. At times I thought he had to be faking it, but he really doesn’t remember me, Winnie. How can I tell him that he got me pregnant?”
“Back up a minute. Are you sure you’re pregnant? Have you taken a test?”
“No. But—”
“You’ve got to take the test.”
“I already checked the general store. They don’t carry those pregnancy test kits. The next time I’m in Lewistown I’ll—”
“No need to wait that long. I bought a couple boxes when I took my own test. In case I screwed it up or something. Look under the bathroom sink.”
Laurel suddenly felt shaky and weak. She realized she was scared silly. It was one thing to suspect you were pregnant.
Quite another to know for sure.
“Want me to call you back?” she asked Winnie.
“Are you kidding? I’ll hold,” answered her friend. “Now get in the bathroom and pee on that stick.”
* * *
THE NEXT MORNING, Corb took a little longer with his chores than usual. Partly because of the nagging headache that he just couldn’t shake. And partly because of a certain redhead that he wished he could remember.
On his way toward the ranch house, where breakfast would be waiting, he came across Jackson, carrying a sack of feed over his shoulder.
“Why don’t you leave that for a bit and join Mom and me for breakfast?” Corb asked.
Before the accident, a typical day had seen him, Brock, Jackson and Olive eating together every morning after chores. But since Corb had been released from hospital, Jackson hadn’t joined them once.
“Nah. I’d rather finish with the horses. I’ll eat later.”
Jackson was a quiet guy. Though lately he’d been more quiet than usual. Corb paused, wondering if he should insist that Jackson take a break and get some food.
But Jackson had already ducked into the far barn with the special feed they’d purchased for Lucy. They had another equestrian barn on the property for the American Quarter Horses which they bred for sale. The purebreds and the working horses were never allowed to mingle.
Then there was the cattle barn, clear on the other side of the yard, where Corb spent most of his time.
Coffee Creek Ranch was a big operation requiring lots of work—and while they hired several wranglers and part-time help in spring and fall, all the key positions stayed with the family.
With Brock gone, though, there was going to have to be some reshuffling of responsibilities.
Corb entered the main house from the back entrance, kicking off his boots in the mudroom, then washing his hands in the stainless-steel sink next to the coatrack.
Bonny Platter, their housekeeper for the past three years—a record tenure for the position—came to the doorway with her hands on her ample hips.
“I have pancakes and sausages waiting, but first you better get your mother out of bed. It’s time she joined the land of the living.”
Corb was damned hungry, having started the day three hours earlier on just a package of oatmeal and a cup of instant coffee. But he shared Bonny’s concern about his mother.
“I’ll round her up,” he promised.
“What about Jackson?”
“Just spoke to him. He’s giving breakfast a pass.”
“Again?” Bonny sounded annoyed.
“Again. I’ll go get Mother.” Corb crossed through the kitchen to the hall that led to the master bedroom. After his father’s death ten years ago his mother had redecorated the room with a bunch of flowery fabrics and pinkish colors. Now he always felt awkward when he was called to enter the feminine space.
For that reason, or perhaps out of habit, he hesitated at the door after knocking. When a full minute passed without any answer, though, he finally cracked the door open.
“Mom? Are you awake?” Ten o’clock on a weekday morning and she was still in bed. Prior to Brock’s death, this behavior would have been unthinkable.
“Yes, Corb. Please shut the door. I’m not ready—”
He ignored her and strode inside, stopping abruptly in the near darkness. “Jeez, you can’t even tell it’s daylight in here. Why didn’t Bonny open the curtains?”
He made his way toward the outline of the windows at the far wall, then pulled back on the fabric, allowing in the brilliant morning sunshine.
“Bonny didn’t open the curtains because I asked her not to,” his mother answered tartly. Normally she styled her hair in a sleek bob, but it was looking lank and gray today. An appointment at her hair salon was long overdue.
She squinted at him and frowned. “The sunshine gives me a headache.”
Feeling the scar on his scalp throb, Corb could relate. But he didn’t admit it. Instead he checked the tray on the table beside his mom’s bed. The toast and coffee were untouched. “What’s this? Mom, you have to eat. Come on, Bonny will serve you something fresh in the dining room.”
Her expression turned contrite. “You’re a sweet boy to worry about your mother, Corb. I’m just not hungry.”
“At least sit at the table with me.” He stood by her bed, until finally she sighed and sat upright. He waited until she swung her feet to the ground, then held out his hands to her.
“You’re kind and patient, Corb. Just like your father.”
Being compared to his father was about the highest compliment his mother could give. It was curious, Corb thought, that while his father had treated all of them pretty much equally, his mother seemed to have a unique relationship with each of her children.
B.J., as the eldest, had always been the son that Olive expected the most from—until he’d decided to become a full-time rodeo cowboy. Now Olive rarely mentioned his name.
Brock had been the doted-upon youngest son, while Cassidy, the baby of the family and the only daughter, seemed to take the brunt of their mother’s criticism.
He’d gotten off easy as the middle child, Corb expected. Often ignored, but that was okay with him. And if he suspected that his mother would have traded his life if she could have spared Brock’s, that didn’t bother him, either.
Frankly, he would have given his life for Brock’s, as well.
He led his mother to the dining room, pulling out her chair and waiting for her to sit, before settling at his own spot at the gleaming oak table. Bonny emerged from the kitchen with two hot platters of food, pancakes and sausages for him, a boiled egg and toast for his mother.
Corb was reaching for a second helping of pancakes, when the house phone rang. A moment later, Bonny brought him the receiver. “It’s Laurel Sheridan.”
His heart flip-flopped at the mention of Winnie’s pretty friend. He reached for the phone, at the same time rising from his chair and heading for the patio door leading outside.
“Hi, Corb. I— This is going to sound strange but I was wondering if you could come by the café tonight after closing time?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. You close at five?”
“Yes. I— The thing is, I have something to tell you. Something that happened during the week before the wedding. I know you don’t remember. But...”
Lord, but she sounded nervous. Was she worried he’d say no? But he was certainly keen to spend more time with her. And he was also anxious to fill in some of the missing blanks in his memory, as well.
He paced to the edge of the deck then stared beyond the outbuildings and pastures to the profile of Square Butte, the mountain that flanked the south side of their property.
In between were hundreds of acres of rolling hills covered with wild grass and dotted with patches of brush, aspen and ponderosa pine.
Usually the sight of the land—his family’s legacy—filled Corb with a profound sense of calm and peace.
Today, he felt anything but peaceful.
There’s something about this woman, he realized. Something he should be remembering.
“We’ll talk at five,” he promised, wondering what she had to tell him.
* * *
WHEN THE FACT of her pregnancy had been confirmed yesterday, Laurel had spent most of the night wondering how she would break the news to Corb.
She’d spent the better part of the day thinking about the very same problem. During a lull in business, around 9:00 a.m., she’d called the ranch to ask Corb to come into town.
He’d sounded surprised to hear from her.
Of course he was. In his mind they had only just met yesterday.
“My pie, Laurel?” Burt, the postmaster had finished his sandwich and was looking expectantly at the pie on display just twelve inches from his nose.
“I’m sorry, Burt. My mind is somewhere else today, I’m afraid.” She lifted the glass cover off the stand and slipped a wedge of the juicy bumbleberry pie onto a plate, then grabbed a clean fork and set it down, too.
The door chimed and she snatched a quick look.
A couple of young mothers with strollers headed for the corner booth. Laurel smiled at them, then turned to the cash register so she could get the bill for the elderly couple who’d been waiting to pay for five minutes now.
Corb wasn’t due for another four hours. She had to relax and focus on the present instead of fretting about what she was going to tell him. So what if she didn’t have a plan? She’d just have to trust that she’d know the right words to say when the time came.
* * *
BY FIVE MINUTES to five Laurel was rethinking the wisdom of meeting Corb right after work. She should have given herself an hour to rest and get cleaned up. Every time she caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror by the sink, she thought she looked drawn and pale. Her feet and lower back ached. And she was tired. You’d think her body would have adjusted to being on her feet all day by now, but the job seemed to wear her out more and more each day.
If this was pregnancy, then it sucked.
And she still had seven more months to go....
And then she’d have a baby.
It was too much to think about. Better to focus on one day at a time.
The door opened, setting off a cheerful tinkle from the bells.
Expecting Corb, she was surprised to see a balding, middle-aged man looking hungry and cranky.
Right behind him was Corb.
Yesterday the cowboy had been wearing work clothes. Faded jeans and a shirt that had seen so many washes that the fabric was threadbare at the cuffs and collar.
Not today.
Today he was in dark, pressed jeans and the shirt he’d worn at the rehearsal party the night before the wedding day.
He came up to the counter, right next to the balding, cranky man and she waited to see what he would say. If it was anything about the town getting sweeter, she would know that she was stuck in an endless loop of Groundhog Day.
“Hey, Laurel. How’s it going?”
“You remembered my name this time.”
“No bumps to the head in the past twenty-four hours. Generally—and you’ll have to take my word on this—I’m pretty good with names.” He gave her a warm, approving look. “And faces.”
Not five minutes had passed since he’d walked in the door and already she was feeling it. Sizzle. For whatever reason this cowboy totally did it for her.
God help her.
“Excuse me,” said the balding cranky man. “I don’t remember your name, little lady, but I’m pretty sure I was here first. Doesn’t that entitle me to some service?”
“Of course, sir. What would you like?”
“Two coffees and a half dozen of those sticky buns to go.”
“Cream or sugar?” she asked, all too aware of Corb watching her.
“Nope. Black like the creek.”
This seemed to be a standing joke in the town, since it had been named for the creek that ran through the town with water the same color as a weakly brewed pot of joe.
As she boxed up six of the cinnamon buns, Corb settled himself on a bar stool.
Laurel willed her hands to be steady as she poured the coffee. A few minutes later, she sent balding cranky man on his way, locking the door behind him and putting the Closed sign in the window.
Turning, she removed her apron and gave Corb a nervous smile. “I’ll just clear off the dishes from the back booth, then we can sit down and talk.”
Corb was off his seat in a flash. “Let me help.”
They each carried some of the mugs, plates and cutlery to the dishwasher. When it was loaded, Laurel started a wash cycle, then stood awkwardly.
The kitchen seemed a lot smaller when Corb was sharing it with her. They stood so close that she could smell the scent of his soap.
“You must think it’s pretty strange that I asked you to come here.”
“Not strange,” he insisted. “I was glad.” He looked at her intently. “Since we met yesterday, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
His words gave her a warm, sweet thrill, and she was reminded of why she had fallen so hard for this cowboy, so fast. He was totally sexy and a terrible flirt. But he had a soft side, too. And could be disarmingly honest.
She poured them each a glass of water, then led the way to the back booth. She slid onto one bench and he settled in on the opposite side.
He looked at her expectantly.
Nervously, she sipped the water. “I see you’re wearing your lucky shirt.”
“I am.” His eyes widened. “But how do you know that?”
Their eyes met and held. His, dark green and fringed with thick short lashes, were oh so familiar to her. But what did he see when he looked into her eyes? Did any of the memories of their time together come back to him?
Like their first dance, when he’d held her in his arms and told her he was glad he’d worn his lucky shirt because that night was turning out to be one of the best of his life?
“Laurel, ah, just how well did we get to know each other in that week before the wedding?”
Chapter Three
Despite the water, Laurel’s mouth was suddenly too dry to form words. Here was her opening. But she still had no idea what to say.
Suddenly she wondered if it was even safe to tell him the truth. Weren’t you supposed to be careful when dealing with people who’d suffered traumatic memory loss?
But the trauma was the accident—not their affair. No, she had to tell him the truth.
Absentmindedly Corb put a hand to his scar, then quickly withdrew it when he noticed Laurel watching.
“Is your head hurting?”
He nodded.
“Can I get you anything? I have over-the-counter painkillers.”
“Took a couple of those before I came here. I’ll be all right. The headaches aren’t as bad as they used to be. I’m fine.”
But he wasn’t. Laurel could tell by the forced quality of his smile. It was just so weird to be talking to him like this—as if they’d truly just met. Could he really not remember kissing her? Looking into her eyes as they made love?
He shifted uncomfortably, and she realized she’d been staring at him. She turned away, pretending to check the view out the window. Anything to keep from staring at him.
Finally Corb asked, “Are there things about you and me that I ought to know?”
“Yes.”
“Then fill me in, please. You can’t know how strange it feels to have a whole chunk of your life gone totally missing.”
“I hardly know where to start.”
“How about when we met?”
“Okay. That’s easy enough. It was at the airport. Winnie had an appointment so she sent you to pick me up.”
“Really? Seems like I ought to remember that.”
She smiled. “When you saw me you said it looked like Coffee Creek was about to get a whole lot sweeter.”
He groaned. “Sorry. Usually I try to use that line only once per woman.”
“We talked nonstop during the drive home from the airport. You took me straight to your ranch for a family dinner.”
He shook his head, his eyes reflecting his inner torment at his inability to recall any of this. “Was I wearing this shirt that night? Is that why you knew about it?”
Laurel traced a pattern on the table with her fingernail. “Not that night, no. You wore it at the rehearsal party the night before the wedding.” She raised her eyes to his, briefly. “When the music started, you asked me to dance. And when I said yes, you replied that it was a good thing that you’d worn your lucky shirt.”
“So. We danced together?”
“Yes.” And a whole lot more. But how on earth was she going to tell him? She could see that he was already blown away by just the few things she’d already shared.
“Wow. This is so freaky. It feels so unreal.”
Yeah. Tell me about it. “Maybe one day you will remember. When the headaches stop, perhaps your memory will come back.”
He gave her his charming smile. “I’d love to recall the feeling of you being in my arms. But I’m not so sure I want to remember the accident.”
Pain resurfaced on his face, and Laurel could tell this wasn’t the physical kind. Suddenly she went from feeling nervous to nauseous.
She put a hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. As much as she wished Corb remembered everything about their affair, she, too, was glad he had no recall of the accident. “The doctor told Winnie that Brock didn’t suffer. That he probably didn’t even register what was happening.”
“Yeah. That is some comfort.”
He didn’t look comforted, though, and she realized that she wasn’t going to tell him the rest today. He’d been through enough. Let him absorb the fact that they’d spent quite a lot of time together, first.
To be hit with the fact of her pregnancy right now just wouldn’t be fair. Besides, maybe he’d remember their affair on his own if she gave him a chance.
“Thanks for filling in those blanks for me, Laurel.”
“No problem. I thought you should know. But I should probably finish closing up here and getting the place ready to open in the morning.”
He took the hint with grace, getting up from the booth and heading for the door. She followed him outside, where the day was still warm and sunny. Once he was gone, she’d take a walk along the creek, see if fresh air would help her feel better.
“It was good to see you again, Laurel.” Corb had been carrying his hat. Now he settled it on his head, preparing to leave, but for some reason, not heading for his Jeep.
Laurel couldn’t answer. Since she’d stood up, her stomach had not been happy. Now it was threatening to heave the contents of her water glass all over the front sidewalk.
The feeling would pass. It always did. She put a hand on her stomach. Closed her eyes. Please...
But the feeling didn’t go away. In fact, it grew worse.
She needed a restroom. Now.
Cupping a hand over her mouth, she raced back inside, desperate to make it in time. Behind her, Corb called, “Are you okay?”
No. She sure wasn’t.
* * *
CORB DIDN’T KNOW what to do. He couldn’t just drive away without making sure Laurel was all right. Tentatively, he headed back inside the café and stuck his head down the short hallway that led to the restroom. He could hear retching on the other side of the closed door.
Jeez. That didn’t sound good.
He waited for the noise to subside, then called out, “Can I get you anything?”
“I have everything I need here. Fresh water. Towels. A solid door between us so you can’t see how embarrassed I am.”
He grinned, glad that she wasn’t so ill she had lost her sense of humor. There was the sound of flushing. Then her voice again, from behind the closed door. “You can go now. I’m fine.”
“Hey now. No need to be embarrassed. If I worked in this place, I’d overdose on cinnamon buns, too.”
“Ugh.” Water splashed from the sink, a few seconds passed, then the door opened and a pale-faced Laurel stepped out. “Sorry about that.”
His smile vanished as soon as he saw her. Despite her flippant commentary, she was obviously ill. “You look like hell. You’d better lie down.”
“I will.” She glanced pointedly at the door. “After I lock up behind you.”
“I’m not sure you should be left alone.”
“Believe me, I’m fine. I’ve had this bug for a few weeks now.”
“That’s a long time to have the flu. Have you seen a doctor?”
She gave him the oddest look. Then her face went superpale again. She put a hand to the wall, balancing herself.
He immediately sprang forward, placing his arm around her shoulders. “Maybe I should drive you to the clinic in Lewistown right now.”
“No. No. That isn’t necessary. I’ll just head upstairs and lie down.”
She didn’t say anything more about shooing him out the door Corb noticed. So he stayed right behind her as she climbed the stairs that led to Winnie’s apartment above the café. He could see right away that Laurel had been sleeping on the pullout couch in the sitting room. Sheets were folded on the chair beside the couch and a pillow with a white cover laid on top.
“I’ll make up the bed for you.”
Laurel didn’t turn down his offer, just collapsed into a second chair, looking pretty much like death warmed over. What was wrong with her?
Quickly he removed the top cushions, pulled out the bed, then put on the sheets.
“You make a cute housemaid,” Laurel commented.
She couldn’t be too sick if she was still making wisecracks.
“Yeah, but I don’t do windows.” He tossed the pillow on the bed, then pointed at her. “Lie down.”
Obediently as Cassidy’s old border collie, Laurel did as told, only pausing to kick off her sandals before sinking gratefully onto the bed.
“Good girl,” he said. “I’ll get you some water.”
“Woof, woof.”
He laughed, then gave her a quizzical look. Funny how she almost seemed to be able to read his mind at times. He went to the small galley kitchen and found a glass on the draining board which he filled with cold water from the tap.
“Anything else you want while I’m in here? Crackers or something?”
“Water is fine.”
He handed her the glass then watched as she took a careful sip. Even though she was sick and pale, she still looked pretty. The freckles dusting her slender nose was just about the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He had an odd sensation of déjà vu, then realized he’d probably admired her freckles when they were dancing. Holding her in his arms, standing a good six inches taller than her, he would have had a perfect view of them.
“Was it a slow dance?” he asked.
She didn’t meet his eyes. “Yes.”
“I thought so.”
Her lashes flew up as she looked at him. “You remember?”
“Just your freckles.” He had the strangest urge to lean over the bed and kiss them. Once the freckles had been taken care of, he’d move to those rose-petal lips of hers. Why was it redheads always had the most kissable mouths?
Not that he’d dated so many redheads in his life. In fact—Laurel was pretty much the first.
This woman. She had a pretty strong effect on him. He’d better get out of here before he said or did something really stupid.
“If you’re okay, I guess I’ll be going.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“Don’t worry about locking up behind me. Coffee Creek is a safe sort of place.”
“Really?” Laurel said softly. “Could have fooled me.”
* * *
“I’M NOT GOING to be able to tell him, Winnie. I just can’t.”
Fifteen minutes after Corb left the apartment, when she was sure her stomach had settled enough that she wouldn’t be sick again, Laurel had called her friend.
For the past two months all her focus had been on helping Winnie.
But now she was the one who needed help.
And, as usual, Winnie didn’t let her down.
“Okay, let’s say you don’t tell him. What are your options?”
“I—I’m not sure.”
“Well, how about this? Abortion.”
Laurel’s answer was instinctive. “No way.”
“Fine then. Option two—you have the baby and give it up for adoption.”
“No way.” That answer had come out of nowhere, too, and Laurel was surprised at how sure she felt about it. She had been adopted by her parents, and she’d always wondered about her biological mother and father. Why had they given her up? She’d sworn that she would never do the same thing, no matter how dire her circumstances.