Lenora Worth - Undercover Memories

“I told you, what I’m doing is the right thing for now. You can’t do this alone. I’m in it all the way.”

“I’m not too happy about that.”

“Well, you can turn that pretty frown upside down. You’ll be safe at the ranch. I have workers who carry weapons for all kinds of protection and...I have a mama who can pack some heat, too. Pretty sure my sister’s had enough target practice to take down a longhorn if need be.”

She absorbed that. “And then there’s you.”

“And then there’s me, yes. I’ll be right there with you. Until we’re done.”

Emma pushed at her hair. The bandage on her head had been changed to a smaller one, and she’d passed most of the tests the doctor wanted her to pass. She was full of stubbornness, which meant she wouldn’t back down until she found the truth.

They had that in common. Ryder figured they had a lot more in common, too. But he didn’t have time to explore such things. He wanted the truth before he made any stupid moves.

He had a feeling once the dam on her memories opened up she’d take off like a jackrabbit. And he might not ever see her again. Dead or alive.

He wanted her alive. So they could have that not-gonna-happen date that he wanted to happen.

Emma didn’t say anything else. She leaned against the glass of the passenger-side window and watched the road.

She was mapping the road signs. He’d do the same if someone was taking him to a strange place.

He only hoped she didn’t map her way off the ranch without him. That could become her last trip, and then they’d never have the answers they needed.

Emma squinted into the dark, tired from the drive and wondering why she didn’t have any energy. But it had already been three days since she’d been hit over the head and left for dead in that alley. Trying to focus on the glowing interstate signs only made her dizzy. She’d figured enough to know they were heading west on I-30 but then he took the truck north above Fort Worth proper. From his vague description of the location, she knew the ranch had to be miles from either the Dallas area or Denton. She’d have to remember the county roads, too.

Grateful to be alive and away from the hospital, where anyone could sneak in and kill her, Emma sighed and tried not to think about the man at the wheel of this monster truck. So she focused on the road signs and wondered about the place where this mysterious man lived. What would that be like?

Soon, she saw signs for Lake Worth and the Trinity River, but Ryder guided the truck away from the subdivisions around the lake and kept going northwest until he finally turned onto a deserted road.

“You do like to get away from the city,” she said. “We’ll be in West Texas if you don’t pull over soon.”

“Impatient to see where I live?”

She lifted up too fast. Dizziness made her blink. “No, just ready to be out of this truck.”

While Ryder turned the truck to the right and slowly guided it up a long gravel lane, she thanked God that his partner had found her. She’d have to thank Pierce Daughtry next time she saw him. If she ever saw him again. When she’d asked Ryder for help, Emma had not factored in his bringing her home to Mama. She’d agreed to come here only to get out of the hospital. She knew how to find her way off a ranch, even one that was gated and apparently had an alarm system and security lights shining on every corner of the house and yard.

The house was two-storied and huge, but it wasn’t a stuffy old palace at all. It looked like a farmhouse but stretched on both sides like a large plantation house. The stark white wooden walls contrasted nicely with the darkly varnished shutters lining the windows. A massive porch wrapped around the bottom level, and smaller balconies finished out the top floor. Two huge mushrooming live oaks bookcased each side of the house and shaded the porches. Crape myrtles lined the driveway and the fence lines. Roses blinked underneath the security lights and heavy shrubs added protection along the white wooden fence lines. It might be tricky to find her way out of here.

“Nice digs, Detective.”

“This is where my mom and sister live. I have a cabin down near the pond.”

He had mentioned that, but she turned to him as he pulled the roaring truck up to the side of the house. “Oh, a lone wolf?”

“A man can only take so much bickering and chattering about hairstyles, shoes, gaining weight and losing boyfriends.”

“Do you actually allow you sister to date?”

“I wouldn’t call it allow . More like I don’t have much choice, but I have them all vetted and if I don’t like what I see, I have my way of stating my case.”

“Does your sister know you do background checks on her boyfriends?”

“The subject hasn’t come up.”

Probably because he’d threaten any man after his sister within an inch of his life if Ryder didn’t like the man.

Emma didn’t understand her keen need to banter with this cowboy. But something was sure stewing between them. Probably just the apprehension connected to this case, all those variables that should add up but didn’t. Was it natural to want to kiss him and then leave him?

I can’t think about him. Not in that way. He’s here to help me until I don’t need him anymore.

Then she had to wonder. Is that what I do to people? Use them and lose them so things don’t get messy?

“Hey, are you okay?” Ryder asked, jarring her out of the non-memories that held back with a sad edge.

“Just taking it all in. I don’t like depending on other people.”

“I can see that, but could you just let me help you? Don’t try to do this on your own when you’re still confused and disoriented, okay?”

Could he read her mind? Of course. He was a detective after all. Used to people figuring out ways to get away from him.

“Am I under house arrest here, too?”

“No, but you are under protective custody. My protection.”

“Not your custody, though. You can’t force me to stay here.”

Before he could respond, the front door of the house swung open and an older woman with shoulder-length grayish hair came out onto the porch. “Ryder, bring her on inside. It’s hot and muggy out here.”

Emma glanced at the truck’s still-glowing dashboard clock. It had taken almost an hour to get here. “Midnight. Your mother is up late.”

“She never sleeps,” he said. Then he got out of the truck and came around to her door.

“Must run in the family,” Emma retorted, opening the door before he could.

“Hello there, I’m Nancy Palladin,” the woman said as she greeted Emma by placing both of her warm hands over the one Emma extended. Nancy wore a blue T-shirt over worn jeans and boots.

“Hi,” Emma said, fatigue tugging at her. “Thank you so much for allowing me to...stay here.”

“Nonsense,” Nancy said. “We don’t get many visitors, and it’s a rare day when my son brings home a pretty woman.”

“Mama,” Ryder said, clearly uncomfortable with that comment, “this is Emma. Is her room ready?”

“Of course,” his mother replied, letting go of Emma’s hand to take her by the arm. “C’mon in and we’ll get you settled. We can get acquainted in the morning.”

Emma followed Mrs. Palladin into the house where the huge entryway led to big rooms on both sides, one a den with a massive fireplace and the other a formal living room. The wide staircase stretched beyond the entry and central hallway.

The house was lit with muted lamps here and there but Emma had seen enough to tell it was well maintained and comfortable, and it smelled of spices and lavender.

“We have two guest rooms downstairs,” Nancy explained. “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.” She stopped and waited for Emma. “I elevated the pillows on your bed. That’s important after a head trauma. No reading, online browsing or texting, and no exercising. If you wake with a headache, take your meds. You might have trouble sleeping, but that’s normal. And your emotions will be all over the map, so just go with it for a few days. Mainly you need to rest.”