Rachel Lee - Conard County Marine

But then Coop met his dark gaze, and felt the back of his neck prickle. He’d seen eyes like that before, the emptiness of men who’d seen too much on a battlefield. “You military?” he asked casually.

“Never had the honor,” Todd answered easily. “No, I’m a financial adviser. I work from home here but have to travel a lot. I just got back in town and wanted to check on Kylie.”

“I’m fine,” Kylie said, the slightest edge in her voice.

It struck Coop as a dismissal, but not Todd apparently. Instincts were kicking in, and although Coop already had the lay of the land, he scanned the room quickly again. Cabbage-rose couch from a past era, the armchair in which Kylie sat, reasonably new, a recliner that was old enough it creaked when it was extended, a glass-fronted bookcase, a flat-screen TV...nothing out of place. He was probably overreacting, which wouldn’t surprise him given the last few years of his life, but then his gaze settled on Kylie again, the way she seemed to have shrunk. Todd might be an old friend, but she wasn’t welcoming him with much warmth.

Wondering if he should try to do something about what was clearly an uncomfortable situation for Kylie, his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the front doorbell. He looked at Kylie. “Want me to get it?”

“Why not?” She didn’t exactly sound happy about it.

Shrugging inwardly, he went to open the door, wondering if maybe all Kylie had wanted tonight was to be by herself. Maybe Glenda worried too much about her being alone.

He opened the door and a strawberry blonde breezed through. Two steps in, she froze and scanned him head to foot. “My, my,” she said, “you must be Coop. I’m Ashley. Ashley Granger. Kylie knows me from way back.”

Before Coop could do anything but close the door behind her, Ashley had stepped into the living room, and he was relieved to hear genuine pleasure in Kylie’s voice as she said, “Ashley!”

“It’s been too long, girl,” Ashley answered.

A moment later he rounded the door frame to see the women hugging. Todd stood to one side, smiling faintly.

A regular convocation. Suddenly feeling like an intruder, Coop decided to go make some coffee. It’d give these three old friends some time together.

But just as he was turning away, he heard Ashley address Todd, and her tone caused him to hesitate.

“I’m surprised to see you, Todd. You avoided Kylie for a long time after she turned you down for the prom.”

Todd laughed easily. “Sheesh, Ashley, that was a long time in the past. I got over it ages ago. Of course I wanted to make sure Kylie is okay.”

“Me, too,” said Ashley, then turned back to Kylie. “So I want to know everything.”

Kylie blinked, her face tightening, then sank into her chair again. “Everything? I don’t remember anything!”

Ashley dropped to a knee beside her and took her hand. “I don’t mean about that, Kylie. You know that.” Her voice had gentled. “I mean about now—how you’re feeling, are you glad to be home? That’s okay, right?”

Coop had to resist the urge to throw everyone out right now. Not his decision, not his house. But he didn’t like the way Kylie was looking. And these were her friends?

But Ashley remained gentle and concerned and Kylie began to relax a bit. Todd on the other hand seemed to get a different message.

“I’ll be going,” he said. “Call me if you need anything at all, Kylie. I’ll see you again soon. You just take care of yourself.”

One problem solved, Coop thought as Todd let himself out. Then he looked at the women. “I guess I should make myself scarce.”

Kylie shook her head and Ashley looked directly at him. “I don’t mind you being here. It’s up to Kylie.”

“Stay,” Kylie said, sounding stronger. “I was just shocked to see Todd. We haven’t had much to do with each other since high school. I mean, we’ve been casual friends, but he’s not the first person I would have expected to show up.”

“Curiosity visit,” Ashley said sharply. “You’ll probably get a lot of those. But not me,” she added with a smile. “I promise. I just want to know how you are now, and Marisa, Connie and Julie designated me.” She looked up at Coop. “We’ve been a gang forever. And would you please sit?”

“You could take a seat yourself,” he answered humorously, but accepted the hint, settling onto one end of the couch. Towering over the women probably wasn’t very comforting to either of them. “Oh, I wondered about coffee. Anyone?”

“No thanks,” came two prompt responses. Ashley sat on the other end of the couch. “So everyone wants to know how you’re feeling. Still worn out by everything? Getting your energy back? Julie wanted to have a Scrabble night but decided we ought to find out if you were up to it yet.”

“Not yet. Thanks. These big waves of fatigue just wash over me from time to time.”

And waves of fear, Coop suspected. Then he took the bull by the horns. It had to be hard for Kylie to dance around things, and she already looked tired. “It’s a lot to deal with, not remembering the last few years, recovering physically, moving home with your sister. It’d wear anyone out, I’d think.”

Kylie surprised him with a crooked smile. “But aren’t you always on the go?”

“Well, yes,” he admitted. “But I’ve had years to get used to it. You’re probably used to being more settled.”

“I was. Once. I don’t know about recently.”

The stark honesty drew silence from both Coop and Ashley. They exchanged a quick look, then Coop rose. “I want that coffee. I’ll be back in a few.”

The least he could do was give Kylie the time to talk freely with Ashley. If she could. No question that he was the odd man out, and acutely aware of it. He listened to the murmur of their voices from the kitchen and nodded to himself. Give the ladies some time alone. It might do Kylie a world of good.

* * *

“He’s a hunk,” Ashley remarked after Coop walked away.

“I guess.” Which was kind of an evasive comment, Kylie thought as she heard herself. She had noticed he was a hunk. She just wasn’t interested in hunks or much else right now except the constant wondering about all she’d forgotten. The memory loss left her feeling unsettled. Uneasy. Unable to really trust herself, never mind anyone else.

“So what’s the hardest part and what can I do?” Ashley asked. “Anything?”

Kylie rose at last and walked slowly around the living room, touching familiar items as if they could connect her to the past that had a great gaping hole in it. Her ribs still ached, and she felt scars on her body stretch a complaint, but it wasn’t that bad anymore. “I honestly don’t know, Ashley. All I know is that it’s scary to have forgotten so much. I didn’t even recognize my own apartment, or most of what was in it.”

“That would be...eerie. Weird.”

“It is. I mean, I could tell I lived there, the signs were everywhere, but I couldn’t remember it. The only things I recognized were things I had before I moved to Denver.”

“Creepy,” Ashley said. “My God, that’s got to be a scary feeling, Kylie. I can’t imagine it.”

“Don’t even try. It’s hard enough to explain.” Weariness washed over her again. It had been a long day. She returned to her chair and tried to smile. “Some of it may come back. In fact, they seem sure that some of it will. The thing is, it probably won’t be enough to make up for those semesters in school that I can’t remember now. I don’t know if I even want to try again.”

Ashley nodded sympathetically. “The nice thing is you don’t have to decide now. Glenda is thrilled to have you back. In fact, I think she’s thrilled to have someone in the house who isn’t Brad. Do you remember him?”