The Sheriff's Amnesiac Bride

She nodded and gave him a weak smile.

When he brought a shirt back into the room and handed it to her, his sex-obsessed brain produced another thought. This one worried him.

“Are you going to need help getting undressed?”

“No, I’m feeling stronger, thanks. I think the food helped.”

“Great. The bathroom is right across the hall. There are towels in the closet and an extra new toothbrush. Use whatever you need.”

“Thanks again, Jericho. I’ll be fine. See you in the morning.”

Glad to know she would be okay for the night, Jericho eased out of her room and headed for his own. He probably wouldn’t fare as well with his own night. The thought of Rosie lying in bed in the room right next to his would keep him tossing and turning.

Sighing, he shrugged off his by-now-filthy dress shirt and tried telling himself it would all be okay. He had a plan. He would just start thinking of her like he would a roommate.

Well, that plan didn’t work out so well. Jericho dragged himself into the shower the next morning and turned the faucets on full cold. Roommate, my foot. When had a roommate ever kept him lying awake for half the night with daydreams of long, silky legs and ripe, sensitive breasts?

Irritated at himself, he swore to do better today. And it would serve him right if he was too tired and miserable all day long to concentrate.

After his shower, he stood before the mirror, preparing to shave. A couple of things were going to have to change today, he silently demanded of his image. He needed to get a line on Rosie’s relatives. Somewhere people must be missing her. The sooner he found them and returned her to her previous life, the better off he would be. Let someone else protect her.

The second thing that needed to change was the way she dressed. She didn’t have a change of clothes, and she needed to cover herself up real soon.

But the thought of how she dressed reminded him of something else. Another chore he must do, first thing. Maybe he could combine the two. Yeah, that should work.

Rosie opened her eyes when a dash of sunlight hit her eyelids and irritated her enough to wake up. She glanced over at the bright sunshine peeping through the wood-slatted miniblinds and wondered what time it was.

Rolling over, it hit her. A gigantic black void. The gaping abyss in her brain suddenly threatened to swallow her whole.

Gasping for air, as though someone had been choking her, and flailing her arms against a sea of nothingness and nausea, Rosie let her mind grab hold of the only thing it could. The one thing she saw clearly. The memory of Jericho Yates.

Immediately her heart rate slowed and warmth replaced the stone-cold numbness she’d felt when she awoke to find nothing familiar. Jericho had made one hell of an anchor last night. He’d tethered her to the earth with quiet concern and a sensual smile.

Fighting to remain in the moment and trying not to think either backward or forward, she sat at the edge of the bed and took stock. First was the physical. Her head wasn’t pounding as it had been last night. The stitches in her side were barely noticeable. She rotated her ankle and found only an echo of the pain she’d experienced.

Okay, so she felt a little achy and sore, but she would live. Well, unless the bad guys came back.

Her second concern—and the real question—remained the same as before: How was she going to get her memories back? The doctor said not to push it. The moment she’d tried to find some thread of memory, panic had set in.

Taking another deep breath, she came to the conclusion that she had no choice. To keep from going stark raving mad, she had better just go along minute by minute. Living hour by hour and feeling her way.

Standing in the kitchen drinking coffee, Jericho heard Rosie opening the spare room door and going into the bathroom. The sudden jolt of anticipation at seeing her again competed with the practiced calm he had almost perfected during the hours since his shower.

But just then someone knocked on the front door. Jericho figured Rosie’s goons wouldn’t have the guts to confront him in broad daylight, and they definitely wouldn’t be knocking when they came to call. So this must be the person he was expecting.

He checked out the window and saw her car. Yes, it was his best friend. He wiped the smile off his face and went to let her in.

“Morning, Macy. Thanks for coming.” He stood aside and allowed her to come in.

When she entered the room, everything felt easy, even somehow more homey. “Good morning, Jericho. I had every intention of talking to you this morning anyway. It’s my pleasure if I can be of some help at the same time.”

As a best friend, Macy Ward couldn’t be beat. As a potential spouse…he would just as soon skip it.

“I wanted to say how sorry I am about the ceremony, Mace. You know I wouldn’t have ducked out on it if I’d had any choice.”

Macy went straight into the great room and dumped her armload of folded clothes on the nearest chair. “I know. You’re a good man, Jericho Yates. That’s one of the reasons I twisted your arm into agreeing to marry me.”

“Now, Mace. You aren’t holding a gun to my head. I volunteered to help you out with T.J.”

“Yes, you did. And I love you for it.” She turned and touched his arm. “You are really a good guy, my friend. Too good to get saddled with a wife who won’t ever love you the way she should. I can’t do it to you.

“I’m calling the wedding off permanently,” she blurted. “You’re off the hook for good.”

Relief mixed with sadness and kicked him in the gut. He didn’t want to get married, but he would do anything to help Macy out in her time of need.

“What about T.J.? How are you going to take control of him now?” When she didn’t answer, Jericho stepped up again. “Look, I can make some extra time for him this summer. Just as soon as I find a link to our mystery woman, my schedule should lighten up.”

Macy smiled softly. “T.J. is a big part of the reason I’m canceling our wedding. You know he’s in the middle of doing that community service project you arranged for him over at the state park this week. He’s not pleased about having to make up for the toilet-paper and mailbox mangling incidents, but I hope he’s learning his lesson and is staying out of trouble.

“And then earlier this week Jewel agreed to let T.J. work at the Hopechest Ranch for the rest of the summer.” Macy’s smile brightened. “The hard work should be good for him. But that means you don’t have to worry about making time for him. He’ll be plenty busy.”

Several emotions flitted through Jericho at breakneck speed. Disappointment came first. Then another level of relief. Finally, a streak of annoyance came and went. Now he would have no excuse for not spending all his time with Rosie and working on her case.

“Do you think T.J. is going to be broken up about the change in marriage plans?” He hoped not. Deep down the kid was really good and Jericho hated to see him hurt.

Macy shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Actually, he’s been pretty antsy over us getting married. I imagine he’ll be happy to hear his mother will continue being single.”

Jericho didn’t like the sound of that. “Is he still upset over my giving him community service? I only did it to keep him out of the juvenile system. I…”

“No, Jericho,” she interrupted. “You did the best thing for him. You’re not trying to be his friend. Me neither. It’s our job as adults to do the right thing. I really believe T.J.’s biggest trouble with the wedding is Tim’s memory. He saw you as Tim’s friend for so long that he couldn’t quite get past the changeover to having you take Tim’s place.”

“But I wasn’t…I wouldn’t.”

Macy chuckled at his mumbling protests. “I know. And T.J. would’ve found that out if he’d had the chance.

“But calling it off is for the best,” she continued. “For all of us. This way, you’ll have the opportunity to find someone who you can…”

At that moment, Rosie cleared her throat to announce that she was interrupting. She still had on his old T-shirt but she’d slipped on her jeans underneath it and her hair was wet from the shower. The sight of her in the hallway simply set his veins on fire.

The difference between how he’d felt seeing Macy and how he felt right now seeing Rosie seemed extreme. And he didn’t care for it one bit.

Chapter 4

“You must be the one Jericho’s calling Rosie. I’m Macy Ward.” The woman rushed over and reached out to capture her hands. “Jericho’s old friend. It’s gotta be terrible for you, not having any memories. I was so shocked when I heard. You poor thing.”

Taken aback by such an effusive greeting, Rosie felt torn between laughing and running for her life. But there was just something about Macy Ward that made her want to smile.

Slinging her arm around Rosie’s shoulder, Macy hugged her close. “I brought you some decaffeinated teas and a few things to wear, honey. Just to get you by for a day or two. I can’t imagine not having a closet or even a purse to call your own.

“Oh, makeup,” Macy added with a start. “Darn. I should’ve thought of that, too.”

“Um. That’s okay. I don’t know if I wear any.” With that thought, Rosie lifted the back of her hand to her mouth in an effort to hold off what might turn into a sob.

But she stopped in midair, struck by the wayward idea that she might be a nail biter. Checking, Rosie was relieved to find her nails seemed intact. And manicured and polished at that.

So she was a woman who took care of her appearance. Spent money and time on it. Not that anyone could judge by the way she looked this morning. One glance in the bathroom mirror after her shower, and Rosie had nearly fled screaming. In addition to the bruises and cuts, her disaster of a hairdo could not possibly be normal. Not only didn’t it look like she’d spent any money or time on it, but it just didn’t feel right.

Rosie nearly broke down again as she wondered how long it might take her to get a clear idea of what her hair was really supposed to look like. Would that ever happen? It was possible, she supposed, that the memory would never return. But thinking that way made her knees weak.

Macy turned back to Jericho, who had been standing there with his mouth gaping open. “Jericho, fix Rosie this tea and us some coffee, will you? Maybe you could even scramble Rosie a couple of eggs. You do have fresh eggs?”

Being called down by Macy seemed to shake Jericho out of his reverie. “I’ve got a few eggs, and the coffee’s already made. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to help Rosie change. The things I brought should be a close fit to her size. She’s a little taller and thinner than I am, though. So we’ll have to see.” With that, Macy spun them both around and headed down the hall.

Rosie heard Jericho mumbling from over her shoulder. “Well, sure. Y’all help just yourselves. I’ll cook.”

Fifteen minutes later and she was still feeling a bit weepy. Macy had been trying to brush her awful hair into some semblance of a style. Of course, without much luck.

Rosie thought things in general seemed a lot better. Macy bringing clean underwear had been a real blessing. Putting clean clothes on made Rosie feel almost human again. They’d discovered Macy’s slacks were about an inch too short and the shoulders of her blouse were big enough for a Rosie and a half—yet the buttons in front barely closed. Still, clean clothes had made a world of difference in how Rosie saw her situation.

“I’m sorry I messed up your wedding yesterday, Macy. Are you upset? Can you reschedule?”

The other woman turned and captured her in a big bear hug. “You’re a sweetheart for thinking of me when you have so much trouble of your own. But not to worry. The wedding is off for good. You didn’t mess up a thing.”

Rosie’s curiosity was piqued and she decided she didn’t care about sounding too nosy around this sweet woman with the blazing white smile and two tiny dimples. “Why did you call it off? Did something happen between you and Jericho?”

“Come sit down with me for a moment,” Macy said as she led her back into the spare bedroom and plopped on the bed. “Let me tell you something about the man who’s taken you in.”

Curious, Rosie eased down beside her. She didn’t remember a thing about her past, but maybe it would be smart to know a whole lot more about her present.

“When I was born in this small town,” Macy began, “there were several boys who lived on my block. I guess I was kind of a tomboy as a kid because two of those boys who were my age became my best friends. I never had much to do with the other little girls in town.”

It was nice hearing Macy talk about her past. Somehow her story seemed to be grounding Rosie.

“One of those two best guy friends was always acting as my protector and big brother. Countless times he saved me from bullies and rescued me from runaway horses and from out of trees.” Macy’s dimples showed at the memories. “By the time I was twelve, though, it was the other one who’d captured my heart. I developed a huge crush on that one and it quickly turned to love. We married the minute we were old enough.”

“Jericho was the big brother of the two.” Rosie was sure Jericho hadn’t been the lover.

“Of course. He’s still doing it, too. My husband, Tim, died about six years ago and Jericho stepped in to make sure my son T.J. and I were okay. I’m not sure what we would’ve done without him.”

“But Jericho’s never been married?”

Macy’s smile dimmed slightly. “No. But in my opinion, it’s just that he’s never found the right woman. Everyone who knows him loves and respects him. He could’ve had his pick of any woman in the county.”

“But not you? You’re sure?”

It was a sad smile that Macy wore by the time she answered. “I wish I felt differently. But no. I’m sure. Jericho and I are like brother and sister. We’ll never get past that. I know he’s relieved to be getting out of our marriage agreement. But he’s still the best man in the entire county.

“Who else would’ve agreed to marry his best friend just so her son would have a father?” Macy shook her head sadly and patted Rosie’s hand. “Enough about me. How are you feeling? You look a bit pale. Are you queasy? Let’s go get you something to eat.”

For a split second when Rosie appeared out of the bedroom wearing Macy’s clothes, Jericho had been absolutely positive the image he saw was all wrong. This mystery woman did not belong in cotton slacks and long-sleeved, button-down shirts, of that he was sure. He envisioned her as being more into silks and fancy designer duds. But then when he blinked once, the lost woman with no past was back and it didn’t matter what she wore, his heart went out to her.

As the three of them sat around his kitchen table and Rosie ate breakfast, Macy babbled on about the current happenings in her life. Jericho suspected she was doing it to make Rosie forget her predicament.

“My boss, Jewel Mayfair—you’ll love her when you meet her, Rosie. Well, anyway, she’s had a kind of rough life. But her uncle is Joe Colton. He’s that senator in California who’s running for president, you know?”

Jericho cut in, “Macy, Doc O’Neal said we shouldn’t expect Rosie to bring back memories just yet. She’s supposed to relax and just let things come to her on their own.”

“Oh, but…” Rosie interrupted. “The name Joe Colton does ring a bell. He must be really famous.”

“Or maybe you were just interested in politics.” Macy added her own conjecture. “I know that the presidential campaign has been really heating up on TV. Jewel says her uncle has lots of influential backers. But since our Texas governor entered the race against Senator Colton, Jewel says things haven’t been going so well. And I can imagine that’s right. Governor Daniels is really hot. I voted for him for governor, and he can probably count on my vote for president, too. But don’t tell Jewel.”

Rosie chuckled, but then put her head in her hands. “I don’t know. Everything sounds familiar but nothing is. The harder I try…”

Jericho would’ve liked nothing better than to take Rosie in his arms to comfort her just then. But Macy leaned over and lifted a gentle hand to Rosie’s shoulder.

“Then don’t try, sweetie.” She turned to Jericho. “Maybe you could help Rosie by finding out the kinds of things she likes to do when she’s relaxing. For instance, you know I love to read romance novels. I’m positive that wouldn’t change about me even if I couldn’t remember anything else.”

Okay, Jericho had always figured he made a pretty good detective when it came to catching criminals. But this kind of detective work seemed a little over his head.

“Uh, what kinds of things would you suggest she try?” he asked Macy.

Macy raised her eyebrows and then tilted her head to study Rosie. “Most women would love a good relaxing day at a spa—along with some chocolate. But there aren’t any spas around here. And I always love a good relaxing day of shopping, which is also in limited supply in Esperanza, Texas, I’m afraid.

“Um…” Macy looked around the great room as though something might come to her. “Maybe she has a hobby. Like sewing or knitting. Or…” She swung her arm around to indicate Rosie should look at the room. “Decorating. Does anything about this room speak to you?”

Rosie blinked a couple of times and then glanced over Jericho’s furnishings. “It just says man’s man

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