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After Greta left, Eric turned his emerald gaze on MW. Alone with him, suddenly she felt self-conscious. Why, she had no idea. At least the room no longer spun and she could catch her breath.
“Other than the attempted abduction, did you have a good time?” he asked. “I know my sister really enjoys shopping.”
“I did. But honestly, I didn’t need all of that,” she said, waving her hand at the pile of shopping bags. “We can return most of it tomorrow.”
Dragging his hand through his close-cropped hair, he shook his head, his mouth quirking. “Yes, you did. Keep it. You had nothing. Now you have something. Consider it my gift to you.”
Immediately, she shook her head. “Not a gift. I barely even know you. I want to pay you back as soon as I can.”
As their gazes locked, she realized the inherent strength and compassion in his rugged face appealed to her on many levels. His aquiline nose and the sensual curve of his mouth, combined with the intelligence shining in his eyes, drew her with an intensity she couldn’t explain.
Which might not be a good thing, especially if she was married. Or even involved. For all she knew, Walter could be her significant other.
Or her brother. Until her memory returned, she had no way of knowing. And while she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, that meant nothing. Until she realized if she was someone’s wife or girlfriend, she needed to rein in her attraction to this handsome, kind doctor.
“We’ll see,” he finally said. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll pull all the receipts and figure out the total. I’ll hang on to it until your memory comes back.”
Relieved, she nodded. “Thank you. Now what?”
“You’re welcome to hang out here. Rest, recuperate, do whatever makes you happy. I work a lot, so we won’t bump into each other much.”
Both appalled and fascinated, she swallowed. “You and I are strangers, correct? We didn’t know each other before my accident?”
“Right.”
“Yet you trust me alone in your beautiful home?” She glanced around, noting the polished wood floors, the perfectly matched accessories. Either the sexy doctor had impeccable taste or he’d hired an interior decorator. “How do you know I’m not a criminal? What if you were to come home one night after work and find I’d cleaned you out?”
His sensual mouth twitched, an obvious attempt not to laugh out loud. “Okay. Do you plan to do that?”
“Well, no. But...”
“Then there’s no problem. Don’t worry so much.” The warmth in his voice echoed in his smile. “I promise you, I really don’t mind.”
“As long as I don’t interfere in your life,” she continued stubbornly. As if she had some other place to go. “I’ll stay here if you give me your word you’ll let me know the second I become a burden.”
“Deal.” He held out his hand, making her notice his long and graceful fingers. A surgeon’s hand.
Taking a deep breath, she clasped his hand, surprised when he wove his fingers in between hers and held on. She found herself gripping his big yet elegant hand, at a total loss for words, but not wanting to let go. Inexplicably, this small kindness made her throat ache and her chest feel tight. She wondered if he could feel her heartbeat through her touch.
Again, her body tingled at the thought. Somehow, she managed to gently extricate herself before she got into trouble.
“I think I need to rest,” she finally managed, her voice a hoarse whisper.
“Let me help you.” Taking her arm—why did he have to keep on touching her?—he lifted her from the chair and supported her as they headed toward her room. Though she knew she could walk, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse his assistance, secretly enjoying the hard masculine feel of his body.
Once they reached her room, he held on to her while pulling back the covers to her bed. “Good thing you didn’t make the bed after your nap,” he said, his voice as husky as her own had been earlier.
A shudder of unadulterated wanting ran through her. Trouble, that was what he was. If she wasn’t careful, she could lose herself in him and possibly betray someone who might mean the world to her.
Struck dumb, heart pounding, she managed to nod. Despite her effort to shore herself up against her attraction to him, a sudden mental image came to her of the two of them, naked, sliding beneath the sheets. Skin on skin... Her entire body flushed as she realized the direction her thoughts had taken. Sex. Which was the last thing she needed to be thinking about when she didn’t even know her own name.
Luckily, Eric didn’t even notice, which was a good thing. How mortifying if he detected her unwarranted attraction and it made him pity her even more.
“Here you go.” He helped her onto the bed, finally letting go of her. She nodded, keeping her gaze averted. She couldn’t even look at him, afraid he’d somehow recognize the need burning in her eyes.
To her relief, he waited a moment before telling her to get some rest.
“Thank you,” she muttered, head still down, heart still racing.
“Oh.” At the doorway, he stopped. “I’m meeting my brother tonight for dinner. Barbecue. You’re welcome to come with us. He asked me to invite you.”
The idea terrified her. Thinking of the abduction attempt earlier, she couldn’t suppress a shudder. “I don’t know if that’s safe. Until I—we—figure out what’s going on, it’s probably best if I stay hidden.”
“Your choice.” He shrugged. “But you should know, my brother is a police officer. If anyone can keep you safe, he can.”
Despite being tempted—barbecue!—she shook her head. “I’d rather not risk it. I’m still recovering from the accident and this afternoon shopping zapped my energy.” She finally forced herself to look at him, hoping her smile seemed impersonal enough. “I feel like a loaf of bread someone tried to make but forgot to put in the yeast.”
“That’s an odd sort of comparison.” His gaze slid over her, delivering a flash of heat to her belly. “Do you like to cook?”
Did she? She shrugged to hide her confusion. “I don’t know.”
For the space of a couple of heartbeats he watched her, as if waiting for her to say more. When she didn’t, he reached to close the door. Before he did, he looked back at her. “You’ll probably be hungry later. Do you want me to bring you something?”
“I don’t want you to go through any trouble.”
A muscle quirked in his jaw. “We need to get something straight. If I offer, then it’s no trouble. Understand?”
Considering, she finally nodded. “Then thanks. I’d love a sliced-brisket sandwich.” She frowned, a memory tickling the edges of her mind. The more she tried to access it, the more it seemed to dance away, just out of reach. Aware he still watched her, she managed a smile. “Enjoy your night out. I’m going to get some rest.”
Finally, he left, closing the door behind him. She let out her breath, willing her racing heartbeat to slow.
* * *
For the first time since bringing her home, Eric realized MW might have the power to completely disrupt his orderly existence. Something, some reaction or emotion he glimpsed in her light blue eyes, had practically brought him to his knees. Damned if he understood what it was about this woman, but she made him feel things he shouldn’t. For one thing, she didn’t seem to realize how extraordinarily beautiful she was, which might be totally due to her amnesia.
For another, if he had a type—and until now, he hadn’t—MW would be it. He liked her generous curves, her perfect proportions. And her hair. Those wavy, thick strands had him longing to tangle his fingers in them.
Then there was her mouth. If ever he’d seen a mouth made to be kissed, hers...
No. Stop. Dragging his hand across his chin, Eric stared at her closed door and walked back into the living room. He didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to take advantage of a woman with no memory. As a physician, he’d sworn to help, not hurt. Just because his libido had finally decided to wake up and take notice didn’t give him a valid excuse to act like a fool.
Maybe the hospital board was right. Perhaps he should consider taking a vacation. Possibly once all this was over.
Again his thoughts returned to MW. How long could one woman take to regain her memory? In all his years of study, plus his five-year surgical residency and one year of medical fellowship, he hadn’t seen a single actual case of true amnesia. Brain trauma, yes. Stroke, yes. But MW had only suffered a mild concussion, definitely not something bad enough to cause her to forget her entire existence.
Glancing at his watch, he saw he had thirty minutes before he needed to meet Ryan. Since getting to Red’s Ribs would require him to drive, he’d better get a move on.
His little sports car could use an outing. He’d made the wildly impractical purchase after careful consideration, weighing his love of speed with the steep cost of a Porsche. He’d gone to the dealership one weekend just to look and had ended up becoming the proud owner of a brand-new Porsche Cayman GTS.
Though he rarely drove, every time he did, he was glad he’d made the purchase. At 340 HP, his car could do zero to sixty in 4.5 seconds. He should know, he’d tested it a few times.
Once he reached the restaurant, he parked, noticing that Ryan had beaten him there. Eric recognized his police cruiser parked one row over. He practically bounded from his car, not an easy feat since the sleek sports car sat so low to the ground.
Inside, he spotted Ryan, his dark brown hair as short as Eric’s. Ryan was out of uniform since he was off duty, and he’d already snagged a table. Pulling out a chair, Eric straddled it, quickly filling his brother in on everything that had happened.
“Her memory still hasn’t come back?” Ryan sounded skeptical. Eric didn’t blame him.
“Not yet. I’m hopeful it will soon, especially since there have been two attempts to harm her.”
“Except you don’t know that the hit-and-run was on purpose,” Ryan pointed out.
“It was. I have no doubt. I was there. I saw the Town Car gunning for her. And since two men in a van tried to grab her when she was shopping with Greta...”
“Again, they could have just been pervs out to grab the first woman or women they saw. You don’t know for sure that she was their specific target.”
Eric shook his head. “Don’t you think that’s a bit coincidental?”
“In my line of work, I learned early on never to jump to conclusions.”
“Point taken.” Eric looked around for the waitress, but since the dining room appeared packed, and all the servers seemed busy, he figured she’d stop by eventually.
“So what are you going to do now?” Ryan asked.
“I’m hoping her memory comes back quickly. At least once we know what we’re up against, I can come up with a better plan to keep her safe.”
At Eric’s words, Ryan stared. “Keep her safe? I’d think you’d contact her family.”
“Depends on the situation. I’m not going to allow her to be placed in danger.”
“Not going to... What does this woman look like?”
Immediately understanding where his brother was going, Eric shrugged. “Brown, shoulder-length hair. Wavy with reddish highlights. Light blue eyes. She doesn’t look like a fashion model, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
“No.” Taking another sip of his beer, Ryan grinned. “I’m asking if she’s pretty.”
Eric pretended to have to think about it. “Well, she’s not ugly. Why does that matter?”
“Because you are always so laser focused on your job, you barely have time for family, never mind some strange female who you don’t even know.”
Refusing to let his brother needle him, Eric finally managed to catch the attention of a waitress and ordered a diet cola. “I’m on call,” he explained. Which, as Ryan knew, meant he couldn’t drink in case he got called in for surgery.
He waited for Ryan to say something like he usually did about how badly he needed a vacation, but the other man only shrugged and took another pull on his beer.
When the waitress reappeared, they ordered their meals. While waiting for his barbecued ribs, Eric couldn’t understand why he felt so antsy. He couldn’t stop thinking about MW, all alone and probably frightened, and he realized he probably shouldn’t have left her by herself. He decided he’d eat as quickly as possible and hurry home.
Of course Ryan, with his detective’s powers of observation, noticed his fidgeting. Luckily, their food arrived, which distracted him, though Eric knew it wouldn’t last for long.
Digging in, he tried to shrug off his fascination with his temporary houseguest and focused on the delicious meal.
Ryan ate heartily as well, though he kept shooting Eric questioning looks while he ate. Finally, he shook his head. Putting down his ribs, he licked his fingers before wiping his mouth with his paper towel. “All right, spill. You’re superdistracted. What’s wrong?”
Since there was no way Eric wanted to give his brother more ammunition with which to tease him, he shrugged and said the one word that always made Ryan change the subject. “Work,” he lied, and went back to devouring his meal. When he could eat no more, he used the finger wipes and cleaned his hands.
“That was good.” He leaned back in the chair and gave a sigh of contentment. Even now, in the back of his mind, he could picture offering MW a plate of ribs and watching her eat. Then he remembered she’d asked for a sliced beef sandwich, and got lost again contemplating her charms.
“There you go again.” Ryan’s sharp comment brought Eric out of his reverie.
“Sorry,” Eric apologized, meaning it. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Working too hard, probably.”
Because he had been and he hoped that was the reason for his unexplained preoccupation with his pretty houseguest, he nodded. “Probably.”
“You been home lately?” Ryan asked quietly, meaning the Lucky C ranch.
“No.” Eric refused to feel guilty. Both brothers had escaped the family ranch as quickly as they could—Eric because he’d never fit in, Ryan because of the never-ending drama. “How about you?”
Ryan sighed. “I’ve had to run out there a few times. I’m still investigating the attack on Mother. Since she’s unconscious, she can’t tell me anything. And there have been a couple other instances of vandalism, mostly minor.”
Eric grimaced. While he loved his mother, Abra Colton had always been one of those women who always seemed to be on edge. Everything made her nervous, including her children. Thus a series of nannies had raised Eric and his siblings. None of the Coltons had felt particularly close to their mother growing up, though not from lack of trying. Greta in particular. Eric had hated watching how often Abra’s careless indifference hurt his sister.
But these past several years, Abra had begun to mend the fences. She and Greta had become close. She’d even reached out to Eric, hoping to try to forge a tentative relationship. Unfortunately, this had been right before she’d been attacked, and Eric and she hadn’t made up.
“How’s Dad holding up?”
Ryan shrugged, his expression grim. “Oh, you know Big J. He’s devoted to making sure Mother is comfortable, as long as the hired nurses take care of her.”
Lately their father had been showing signs of early dementia, though he refused to see his doctor and get tested. Big J had always been larger than life, with his booming voice and his raucous laugh. Though he never spoke about it, all his sons understood he wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Some days he seems better than others,” Ryan continued. “Jack’s keeping an eye on him.”
Their oldest brother, Jack, managed the Lucky C. Nothing mattered more to him than family, especially his son, Seth. The ranch came in a close second, though.
“You need to try and pop out there when you can,” Ryan said. “Even though Abra won’t know you’re there, I know Jack and Seth will be thrilled to see you.”
“I will,” Eric promised, meaning it. He adored his five-year-old nephew, Seth, and hadn’t seen him in too long. He couldn’t remember the last time Jack had brought his son into Tulsa.
Once they’d finished, Ryan announced he’d decided not to order his customary peach cobbler. Instead, he kept checking his watch. “I’ve got to run,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of reports I need to fill out and email in.”
Even though turnabout would be fair play, Eric resisted the urge to tease his brother about his own work. Truth be told, he felt relieved Ryan wasn’t inclined to chat. He wanted to get home and make sure MW was okay.
He ordered the extra sliced-brisket sandwich, paid for it as well as his own meal and gave his brother a quick hug goodbye before taking off.
The Porsche begged to be driven fast. Sometimes he had to force himself to travel relatively close to the speed limit. With all the afternoon traffic, this was one of those occasions. Nonetheless, he made it home in less time than it had taken him to go the opposite direction, mostly because rush-hour traffic went out of the city rather than in.
After parking in his private garage underneath the townhome, he grabbed the bag and hurried outside. He winced as the late-afternoon August heat blasted him the instant he left the garage. Sadly, the cooling rain of the previous day had turned into a distant memory. Oklahoma summers could be tough. The relentless sun and constant wind sometimes made him feel like dust coated everything, even mixing with the blood inside his body, turning it sluggish. Fanciful, certainly, since as a physician he knew such a thing wasn’t possible. He gave himself a mental shake. It was just a typical Oklahoma summer, and he wasn’t often given to such flights of abstract fancy.
Again he had the nagging feeling that taking in this mystery woman might change his life in ways he never could have anticipated.
