Trusting Drew: Burlap and Barbed Wire Page 2

  Finally, he heard the vet truck pull up outside. He put everything he’d found on a chair and hurried to the door. “It’s about damn time you got here. She’s shaking like a leaf.”

  His sister in law, Alyssa, answered, “Oh good, that’s excellent, that means she only has mild hypothermia. If she wasn’t shaking it would be worse.”

  “Glad to hear it, but I don’t know what to do, for sure, to help. I got her some blankets, and am heating up the cabin, and made her some tea.” Now he wished he’d though to have them grab some of Alyssa’s clothes, she and this girl were about the same size. If he had to guess, he thought they might also be about the same age, early to mid-twenties.

  Beau slapped him on the back. “Perfect, let’s have a look at our patient.” Beau noticed the basin and Epsom salts. “Great idea, get some warm water in that with a handful of salts. Warm, Drew, not hot. Just barely warm, lukewarm just a little above body temp.”

  Alyssa was already talking in soothing tones to the woman. She drew back a little when Beau approached but Alyssa explained that Beau was her husband and a very good vet and the two of them wanted to help her feel better. She relaxed and said that would be fine.

  Beau let Alyssa take point and he acted as her assistant.

  Drew went about filling the basin with barely warm water and salts, then took it over to where they were gathered. Alyssa checked the cut on her forehead and said nothing else needed to be done there. The ankle appeared to be sprained, but if it didn’t get better in a day or two, it would be good to have it x-rayed, after the swelling went down some.

  Alyssa eased the woman’s feet into the basin after having looked them over. “Soaking them will help. Until you get your memory back, we need to call you something. Let’s talk about that, while your feet soak.”

  Ronald stomped around in the forest. Where in the hell could she be? He’d only been away an hour and she was gone. Nowhere to be seen. Dammit, he had to find that stupid bitch, before his employers found out he’d lost her. She couldn’t just disappear. She had to be nearby. But which direction would she go? He had no fucking idea.

  Of course, she could get lost in this damn wilderness and die. She didn’t have any shoes or a coat or her phone or purse. He’d thought that would be deterrent enough to make her stay in the cabin. It was winter for God’s sake and they were in the mountains of fucking Colorado. Where did she think she was going?

  He’d even had her tied to the bed, not that he was that great at knots or anything; he wasn’t a damn boy scout. And maybe he’d been gone two hours, but still, it hadn’t been that long. He’d gone into the rat hole of a town and gotten some booze. He was sick to death of hearing her talk and whine and complain about every damn thing. She didn’t like the food. She needed to work out to keep in shape. Her family was going to be worried. Blah, blah, blah, bitch, bitch, bitch, moan, moan, moan.

  For fuck’s sake, he was tired of hearing it. He’d thought this was going to be an easy gig, when they’d approached him. Seduce little Miss Montana, get her to trust him. He’d even gone so far as to propose to the pain in the ass. And she’d bought it hook, line, and sinker. That part had been fun and easy, he’d even managed to get into her virginal panties a time or two. Not often. She was a damn prude.

  But this part of the plan sucked big time. Keep her holed up in some remote location until the stupid pageant was over and she’d lost. He’d just needed an hour of silence. He’d even brought back some healthier fucking food for her, and now she was gone. The ungrateful bitch.

  He decided to keep searching until it was close to dark, and then he’d come back and see if she returned when the temps dropped. If she didn’t, he just hoped to hell she froze to death or was eaten by a bear. He didn’t know what he was going to tell them. Fuck, what a mess.

  Lisa, she’d settled on Lisa. They’d gone name after name, until her head pounded and she begged them to stop, saying the one that she felt most comfortable with was Lisa. She’d still not thought it was quite right, but was happy to be called that for now.

  They were working on her feet now. During the naming game she’d started to feel more comfortable with Beau, so he was working on one foot and Alyssa the other. He was actually a little more gentle than Alyssa, so she was glad he was helping.

  It took a couple of soakings to get her stockings off and then the cuts cleaned out. She’d only needed a few stitches, so that was encouraging. There was one deep gash on her left foot which had been the worst. They were currently wrapping her feet, and she needed to pee in the worst way.

  Lisa said, “I, um, kind of need to pee. I think the two gallons of tea Drew made me is making itself known.”

  Alyssa cocked her head. “That and the hypothermia. That’s a really good sign. But you can’t walk on your feet yet.”

  Beau said, “I can carry her in there if you can help her, honey.”

  Drew, who had been watching, but not participating much said, “No I’ll carry her, but Alyssa you’re still going to need to assist. Maybe you can help get her into the sweats I found.”

  She was glad Drew had volunteered. She felt more comfortable with the cute cop than she did Beau. She was shocked by her thoughts, Drew certainly was cute, but it still surprised her to think that, and she had no idea why.

  The simple act of emptying her bladder turned into a monumental feat. But she and Alyssa managed to get it done. She didn’t feel any embarrassment with Alyssa helping her get undressed or seeing her practically nude, as she helped her into the enormous sweats. Thank goodness the pants had a drawstring at the waist or they would have never stayed on.

  Alyssa laughed, “When you come up to the big house, one of us girls can loan you some that might come closer to fitting.”

  Lisa felt her heart race. “Do I have to leave here? I don’t really want to see a lot of people until I get my memory back, you said it should only take a day or two. Can I stay in the cabin? Can Drew stay with me?”

  Alyssa nodded. “That would probably be fine. I can imagine it would be weird to meet people, when you can’t remember your own self. I think Drew is off tomorrow, too.”

  Lisa felt relief at that and Alyssa called out the door. “Drew, your services are needed.”

  When they got back to the living room they all talked about the idea of Lisa and Drew staying in the cabin. It had two rooms with bunk beds, and the couch also folded out into a bed, so there was plenty of sleeping space.

  Drew confirmed that he had tomorrow free and called into his boss to take the rest of the week off. Since everyone else was feeling better after ten days flat on their backs, they were eager for the work.

  Alyssa said, “I’ll come in the morning and bring you some sweats that you won’t drown in and some food, too. There is plenty of canned and freezer food, but maybe something fresh would be good.”

  Lisa thought about that, what would she want to eat. “Salad would be great and maybe some hard-boiled eggs, if you have them. I am feeling a little hungry.”

  Drew said, “Well let’s see what we’ve got here to cook. The cabin should be pretty well stocked as we are heading into winter.”

  He began asking her about the different foods they had on hand and although some of them sounded delicious, she couldn’t bring herself to eat them. She could tell Drew was getting upset with her.

  Alyssa took her hand. “Lisa, are you on some kind of diet? Are you diabetic or something?”

  Lisa could feel her eyes fill with tears of frustration. “I don’t know. Some of the things he’s mentioned sound delicious, but then I think of all the carbs in them, and I just can’t.”

  Alyssa patted her hand. “What about a nice steak? I’ll bet there are some of Meg’s green beans in the freezer, too.”

  “That sounds wonderful. I could maybe have half a baked potato, too.”

  “Perfect. You heard the woman, Drew, get a couple of steaks out and put them in some cold water to thaw, pick one of the thinner cuts, so it doesn’t take
too long.”

  Drew relaxed, and a smile covered his face. “Will do. Got it, no carbs, or very few carbs, anyway.” He pulled some food from the fridge and started water running in the sink.

  Alyssa stood. “I’ll bring out some more things tomorrow.”

  Suddenly Lisa grasped that Beau and Alyssa were going to leave. She wasn’t at all apprehensive about being alone with Drew, but she didn’t want anyone else to know she was here. “Beau, Alyssa, can you keep it quiet that I’m here? At least until I can remember who I’m running away from?”

  Beau and Alyssa exchanged a look. Alyssa said, “We can do that, but there might be other people looking for you too. People you want to find you.”

  That surprised Lisa but as she thought about it she agreed that Alyssa was right, there would be people looking for her. But she had a very odd sensation that she might not know the good ones from the bad ones. She nodded. “That’s probably true, but it won’t hurt for a day or two.” Lisa stopped and wondered if that statement was true. There did seem to be some kind of urgency about the situation. She sighed. “At least I don’t think it will.”

  Beau shrugged. “We won’t say anything tonight. Maybe by tomorrow you’ll have your memory back.”

  “I hope you’re right, Beau. I don’t like the uncertainty.”

  Drew who had been quiet during the exchange, spoke up. “You know we should probably have Thomas take a look and see if he can find where she came from.”

  Beau agreed, “Yeah, we aren’t expecting any weather tonight, so tomorrow would probably be as good as today, since it’s getting late. Easier to track in the daylight. Plus, he’s on the opposite end of the ranch today. I’ll have him come by first thing in the morning.”

  Lisa asked, “Who’s Thomas?”

  Drew probably heard the hesitation in her voice, because he sat near her and took her hand. “He’s one of our ranch hands and has worked for us his whole life, so whoever you’re running from he’ll not have been a part of it. And he lives on the ranch, so he won’t be spreading any tales. Thomas can probably follow the trail you left through the woods, back to wherever you started, and might be able to find some clues as to what’s going on. Don’t worry though, he’s as good at staying concealed as he is at tracking. He won’t be seen, if whoever you’re running from is still around.”

  She thought that over and decided to trust Drew’s opinion. She squeezed the hand holding hers and looked over at Beau and Alyssa. “All right, let’s have him go look in the morning.”

  Beau nodded. “I’ll send him out first thing. And Alyssa will come out to check out your injuries, bring some clothes that fit, and some food you’ll be happy eating.”

  Lisa felt the first spark of hope and happiness she’d felt since Drew had found her laying on the cold ground. She smiled at all of them. It felt good to know she was being taken care of, and there might even be some progress tomorrow. She hoped she would have some memories to go with it in the morning.

  Drew let go of her hand and stood. “I’m gonna get that food cooking for you.”

  “I’ll be happy to eat it. I am hungry.”

  Beau and Alyssa left, and she was alone with the cowboy cop. It was a pleasant homey feeling, she was warm and safe and a little drowsy. She tipped over on the couch to shut her eyes for a minute or two while he cooked.

  Chapter 3

  Lisa had laid down on the couch. Beau had told him that she would be feeling drowsy but not to let her sleep too long in one stretch, in case she had a concussion. She could sleep while he made her some dinner, it was about three in the afternoon. How had the day gone by so fast? He’d found her first thing in the morning.

  He chuckled at himself, well first thing after he’d slept late and had eaten a huge rancher’s breakfast. He’d been subsisting on quick meals and little sleep for the last ten days. They didn’t have a super busy department, but with only two of them on duty for over a week he’d been kept hopping. Not only taking all the day calls but then writing up reports after the twelve-hour shift.

  Hanging out with the pretty little miss would be nearly a vacation. He wondered if she was married or engaged, there was a slight indent on her ring finger. Nothing like his mother had, after decades of wearing a ring, but there was something there.

  He’d been floored by the smile from a few minutes earlier and had needed to move out of the immediate vicinity of that smile. It was like liquid sunshine, warm and happy, and entirely too enticing. She’d been a good patient so far, and not quite as crazy as he thought he would be, if he couldn’t remember his own name, or why he’d been running away from something like she had been.

  She’d either been terrified to run out without shoes or a coat into the Colorado mountains in the winter, or was a strong-willed person who wasn’t about to let a little thing like cold and pain stop her. Based on her very firm resolutions about food, he was betting on the later. She had certainly exhibited some fear but nothing on the scale of terror that would warrant what she’d been through.

  Drew thought about calling his boss to ask him to keep an eye out for anyone unusual in town, but with hunting season in full force that would be a silly request. All the tourists would be unusual to some degree or another. Although a tourist in clothes similar to hers would stand out. She wasn’t exactly dressed as a hunter, in her black slacks and silk blouse.

  He’d give her until tomorrow, just as Beau and Alyssa had promised. Hopefully, her memory would be back by then. Beau had said this type of amnesia was very rare and usually short-lived.

  For now, he would broil her a steak, sauté the green beans that were almost thawed, and bake her a potato. He should make her something to drink, maybe iced tea. He put water on to boil. It was too late in the day to make sun tea. He put some bottled water into the fridge to cool, too. They always kept a couple of cases of bottled water on hand in the cabins.

  By the time he’d made the iced tea and baked the potato the steaks were thawed and ready to be put under the grill. He’d not asked how she liked hers, so he decided on medium, which would only take a few minutes. After putting the steaks in the oven, he dropped the green beans into a skillet with a tiny bit of butter, since she’d mentioned only carbs he hoped a little fat would be all right. He let them cook for a moment while he flipped the steaks.

  Drew turned off the flame under the beans, seasoned them and put the lid on to keep them warm while he pulled out the steaks. Making up a lap tray for her, he took it over to the coffee table to wake her up.

  “Lisa, I have dinner for you. Lisa.”

  She mumbled, “Lily.” And then sat up and looked at him. She frowned like she didn’t know who she was, and then smiled that killer smile again.

  “Lily, my name is Lily, not Lisa.”

  What a pretty name for the lovely woman, with the smile that made his heart speed up. “Is your memory back?”

  She frowned then shook her head. “No. I still can’t remember anything else. If I hadn’t been asleep I might not have remembered my name, but since you woke me with the wrong one, my instincts took over. Yay, I know my name. Well my first name at least.”

  Drew helped her sit up, and put the tray over her lap. If he had her last name he could run a search on her, but Lily wasn’t quite unique enough for that.

  “Oh, my goodness it smells and looks delicious, I’m starving.”

  She dug right in eating and Drew watched in appreciation of her enthusiasm for his cooking, until she asked, “Aren’t you going to eat too?”

  He quickly stood and went to get his plate. He didn’t want to look like some freak staring at her. “Yes, I was just making sure you were happy with the meal.”

  She waved her fork at him that had a large bite of the steak on it. “It’s perfect. This is delicious beef, and I know my beef.”

  He grinned at her, no one knew beef like a rancher did, and he could admit pride in the cattle they raised. “The cattle were born and raised right here on the ranch.”

>   “I wondered what kind of ranchers you were. You never said.”

  “We’re cattle ranchers, Lily. Welcome to the Rockin’ K ranch in Grand County Colorado.”

  She was just watching him as she chewed her steak. Finally, she said, “Colorado? I had no idea. There were mountains out there when you brought me in. So where is Grand County?”

  He got out his phone and pulled up a map of the state, taking his plate he went over to the couch and sat next to her to show her the app, and point out where they were.

  “Oh, we’re right by Rocky Mountain National Park.”

  Drew nodded. “Yes, we’re on one side and Estes Park is the town on the other side.”

  She took another bite of steak, and his phone from his hand, and zoomed in on the map looking all around as she ate. Drew was happy to let her look. She finished with the map and started scrolling through his pictures when she must have realized what she was doing.

  Her cheeks flamed, and she handed him his phone, like it was a bomb about to go off. “Sorry I just… That was really rude of me.”

  He laughed. “It’s okay, there is nothing top secret on the phone. Just pictures of my family or friends. Maybe an old crime scene, if you scroll far enough.”

  “Or a girlfriend, or wife.”

  He looked at where she’d stopped in his pictures and grinned. “Sister and nephew. No girlfriend, no wife.” He turned the phone back, showing her the screen. “Emma, the youngest of my siblings. I’m second to the last. Beau is second to the oldest.”