Luck of the Draw Read online

  She ignored that. “So why didn’t you marry her?”

  “We spent every minute I wasn’t in law school together for those months. Then one day, she just...disappeared without a word. I looked for her. She was just gone.”

  “That’s when you found out that she’d never really been an undercover cop,” Dorothea said.

  He sighed and, taking his fresh drink, plopped back down into his chair. “It wasn’t just Joslyn that made me quit law school. I realized I was happiest working on the ranch. Anyway, it wasn’t for me.” He met her gaze and saw that she didn’t believe a word of it.

  “Joslyn, huh?”

  “Joslyn Charles, but according to Sid, no one about the right age ever existed by that name. So I have no idea who I fell in love with or if any of it was real.” He drained his drink, feeling it burn all the way down, and considered getting up for another, but suddenly he didn’t have the energy. Also he was feeling the effects of the alcohol and knew he’d probably already overdone it.

  “I was in love with a ghost,” he said, his voice cracking.

  Dorothea looked as if she didn’t know what to say. This had to be a first, he thought.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless,” he said and laughed.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell us?”

  He gave her an are-you-kidding look. “It wasn’t something I liked talking about.”

  She shook her head for a moment as if she’d never understand men, and then asked, “But if this woman in the hospital isn’t Joslyn Charles, then who is she?”

  “That is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? And here’s the kicker. Not even she knows—according to her. She’s saying she can’t remember a thing. But I looked right at her and she looked right at me and I swear, she recognized me. Whatever her name is, she knew me—and I certainly know her.”

  “You thought you knew her before she left, what, eighteen months ago?” Dorothea reminded him. “I think there are a few questions you should be asking yourself. One, why was she lying to you back then? Where has she been? And why has she shown up here now?”

  He stared at the woman sitting across from him. It scared him when Dorothea made sense. “Those are just a few of the questions I plan to ask her.”

  “You can’t think this is a coincidence that you witnessed what you did.”

  It might have been the bourbon. Or the lack of sleep. Or the shock of seeing Joslyn again. “Wait, what are you saying? You’re starting to sound like Sid. You think there is some kind of preplanned plot?” He reminded himself who he was talking to. A woman who was constantly casting spells against perceived evil. A woman who saw conspiracy theories everywhere she looked.

  “I don’t believe in coincidence,” Dorothea said. “Fate, sure. But this smacks of something else. She knew about the guest ranch, right?” He nodded. “And when someone is trying to kill her, it just happens to be nearby?”

  He shook his head. “That is far-fetched even for you.”

  “Maybe. Who knows what she was up to in the months since you last saw her? But I really doubt it’s a stroke of luck that she’s turned up in your life again.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  GARRETT WOKE ON the couch. He sat up confused and sporting a hangover. He smelled bourbon and saw an empty dirty glass on the floor at his feet. As he frowned down at it, his memory returned, making him swear. Not even when Joslyn had disappeared had he resorted to booze to get through it.

  But this was a whole different rodeo, he reminded himself as he made his way to his part of the large, rambling ranch house. Turning on the shower, he stepped into the warm spray. Last night, even in his inebriated state, he’d realized that he’d have to be crazy to invite her to come stay at the closed guest ranch.

  Even if she hadn’t recently killed a man, he couldn’t trust the woman as far as he could throw her. She had lied to him from the get-go. Neither he nor the sheriff knew just how dangerous this woman was. Also, she was lying about having amnesia. He’d trusted her once. But he liked to think that he wasn’t stupid enough to do it again.

  His head ached at the thought of all the things he’d never questioned during the time they’d spent together as he turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and stepped out. He’d believed Joslyn had been the woman she’d pretended to be. He’d wanted to believe it all, right down to whatever that had been between them that flashed like heat lightning when they touched.

  He swore now, wondering at the depth of Joslyn’s lies as he dressed. Still, at the back of his mind, he told himself that the chemistry between them hadn’t been a lie, damn it. But there was only one way to prove it—no matter how dangerous.

  Pulling on his jacket, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

  * * *

  IN HIS OFFICE, the sheriff looked at the photo he’d taken of the woman in the hospital when she’d still been unconscious. He’d run it through facial identifying systems, but had come up empty.

  He had thought about having his deputies distribute her photo around town, thinking she might have been staying in one of the motels. It seemed like his best chance of getting an ID on her.

  But it would be better to wait until the bandage came off. He needed to know who this woman was. She didn’t have a record but that didn’t mean anything. He knew what she was capable of. That was enough to be worried about. Not to mention her possibly going up to Garrett’s closed guest ranch.

  His hope was, after a sleepless night, Garrett had come to his senses and decided against asking her. Otherwise, he’d have to retain her in jail. Unless she made bail on her own and then she could take off and never be seen again.

  Even if she didn’t make bail, he still wouldn’t be able to hold her for very long. Not when he had an eyewitness that swore the shooting had been in self-defense. The county attorney was up for reelection this fall. He’d already made it clear that he wanted this incident to go away as quickly as possible.

  With a sigh, Sid rose. He had to get to the hospital and talk to the woman. If he knew Garrett, the rancher wouldn’t have changed his mind. Even knowing the possible danger.

  But what woman, after almost being killed and suffering from memory loss, would go to an isolated empty guest ranch in the mountains with a total stranger?

  One who was lying, he thought.

  So if Garrett was still set on inviting her to stay at the guest ranch... Sid was anxious to know her answer.

  But as he started out of his office, his phone rang. He saw that it was a tech with the state crime lab who had been going through the wrecked blue SUV.

  Sid felt his pulse jump. “What did you find?”

  “A map. Wasn’t in the car before it was stolen. The map was printed off the internet and shows how to get to the Sterling’s Montana Guest Ranch.”

  * * *

  GARRETT HAD HOPED that he would beat the sheriff to the hospital this morning. He wasn’t sure how he’d get past the deputy posted outside Joslyn’s door. He figured he’d come up with some way to get in. He had to see her. Had to talk to her.

  But when he reached the hospital, the sheriff was standing outside her room talking to the young female deputy posted there.

  He swore under his breath as he approached them. “What’s up?”

  Sid gave him a curious look. “You don’t seem to have gotten any more sleep than I did. You know Deputy Conners?”

  Garrett nodded and said hello to the young deputy. He was too nervous for small talk. Looking at the closed hospital room door, he asked, “Has her memory come back?”

  The sheriff shook his head. “I wasn’t sure I’d be seeing you here again.” Garrett could tell he’d been sure of just the opposite. The sheriff had obviously been waiting for him.

  “Doc says she can leave the hospital later this afternoon,” Sid said, still studying him. “She will be taken to her a
rraignment where the judge will decide whether to grant bail and if so, under what restrictions. You have a change of heart?”

  Garrett shook his head. “You find any evidence that would convince me otherwise?” Sid shook his head. He wasn’t going to tell him that he’d talked himself out of it this morning in the shower only to reconsider. He was more anxious than ever to find out the truth about this woman. He couldn’t let her go to jail, but he also couldn’t let her figure out a way to disappear again. Not without at least an explanation.

  “There’s a chance she’ll turn down your offer,” the sheriff said.

  He chuckled. “Doesn’t seem to me that she has a lot of options. No money, no idea who she is, no way to leave town. Not even a change of clothing.”

  “None found in the SUV,” Sid agreed. “Could be she’d been staying in a motel around the area. Or maybe with friends or family.”

  Garrett really doubted that.

  “I was considering circulating her photo around town.”

  “I’d hold off on that. I have a feeling her memory is going to come back.”

  The sheriff seemed to consider him for a long moment. “Like I was saying, I was considering it. But then crime scene techs found something in the stolen car she’d been driving.”

  Garrett didn’t like the sound of this. Whatever had been found, Sid clearly thought it was something that would change things. He waited.

  “There was a printed internet map probably from your website showing how to get to the guest ranch,” the sheriff said. “Whoever stole that car? They were headed for your guest ranch.”

  He felt the hairs on the back of his neck quill. So it was no coincidence that Joslyn and her would-be killer had been in the area.

  “This changes things,” Sid said.

  “Not really. If anything, it proves that I’m already involved. Aren’t you curious who printed out that map and why?”

  The sheriff let out a bark of a laugh. “A hardened criminal with a gun. Or the woman who killed him. Either way, I think you should reconsider asking her back to your guest ranch. For so many reasons, this is a bad idea.”

  “Probably,” Garrett agreed. “But I’m willing to take my chances.”

  Sid shook his head. “Garrett, this woman might not be the Joslyn Charles you knew. It’s been—”

  “Eighteen months since I last saw her.”

  “A lot can happen in that length of time. You have no idea where she’s been or what she’s done. Not to mention, she wasn’t who you thought she was even back then.”

  He couldn’t agree more. Except he knew one thing. She was definitely the woman who’d broken his heart. “I think she needs protection. And ultimately it’s up to her, right? You really don’t want to put a woman with amnesia behind bars. The local press would have a field day with this, since the shooting was self-defense.”

  “Save it for the judge at the arraignment,” Sid said with a disgusted shake of his head. “You sure this isn’t about rekindling a long-lost love?”

  Garrett laughed. “Not hardly given what I’ve already found out about her. So let’s see if she wants to come stay at the guest ranch after I get her out on bail. She might say no.” He was counting on just the opposite.

  “You’re right. There’s only one way to find out,” Sid said and then knocked and simultaneously pushed open her hospital room door.

  Garrett stepped in behind the sheriff to see Joslyn standing at the window. She was wearing one of those hospital gowns that didn’t hide much of anything. Add to that the fact that she was backlit by the sunshine streaming in the room...

  The sheriff cleared his throat, making her turn. She quickly rushed to the bed, covering herself with the sheet. It appeared she’d just finished breakfast because the tray was still next to her bed.

  Garrett noticed that her alleged lack of memory hadn’t hurt her appetite. Also some color had returned to the flesh on her high cheekbones, although she didn’t seem embarrassed to be caught half-naked staring out the window.

  She had a smaller fresh bandage on her temple and she must have been given a brush and ribbon because her wild mane of dark hair was brushed, pulled to one side and tied with a ribbon. He was betting the brush and ribbon were the nurse’s doing.

  The overall effect made her look younger—and much like the woman Garrett had known intimately. It also gave her an innocence that belied the fact that she’d killed a man not all that long ago.

  Garrett stepped to the window to look out, curious about what had had her attention before they’d walked in. The view was of the parking lot. He studied the cars parked there, not sure what he was looking for since he didn’t see anyone down there. But he did notice his pickup and as he turned back to the bed, he realized she had probably seen him arrive and had known he would be walking into her room minutes later.

  He studied her with interest. She was looking at the sheriff and appearing to nervously knead the edge of the sheet in her fingers. Was it possible she was as nervous as he was? He didn’t believe it. This woman hadn’t been embarrassed to be caught standing half-naked at that window any more than she couldn’t remember him—or what had happened on that mountain.

  “How are you feeling?” the sheriff asked her.

  “Better,” she said and smiled.

  Oh, Garrett remembered that smile only too well. It made his stomach churn and brought back memories he’d thought he’d packed away over a year ago. He waited for her to look at him. He wanted to gaze deeply into those amber eyes again, desperately wanting to see what she had hidden in their depths. But she kept her attention on the sheriff.

  “I was hoping you were going to tell me that at least some of your memory has returned since we last talked,” the sheriff said.

  She gave him a sad shake of her head. “I’m afraid not.”

  Sid cleared his voice. “Well, here’s the dilemma we have. You don’t remember your name or how you ended up here. Nor did you have any identification on you or in the vehicle. Also I have reason to believe your life might be in danger.”

  Her gaze never left the sheriff’s face. She appeared to be waiting expectantly. There was a vulnerability to her expression that would have fooled anyone. Just not him, Garrett thought. Not anymore.

  The sheriff continued, “Doc says you can leave the hospital if you continue to take it easy and come back for checkups. Because you were involved in a shooting in which a man died—” those amber eyes widened in what looked like true surprise “—I am going to have to arrest you until the incident can be thoroughly investigated.”

  Her lips moved, but no sound came out, as tears filled her eyes. “You’re arresting me? But I don’t remember anything.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sid said, sounding like he meant it. “But even under the circumstances, I have to follow procedure.” He quickly read her her rights.

  She blinked as if to hold back tears, but several broke free and cascaded down her porcelain cheeks. When he finished, she finally spoke. The words came out a whisper. “This is all so...unbelievable. I don’t know what to say. And you think my life is in danger?”

  “We have an eyewitness that will swear your life was in danger at the time of the shooting and that you acted in self-defense. It would certainly help your case, if you could remember what happened. I have a psychologist coming in before you leave to ask you a few questions that might trigger your memory if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not,” she said quickly. Clearly she thought she could fool a psychologist. She’d already fooled the doctor and the sheriff.

  “It’s important that you remember what happened since your arraignment is this afternoon” Sid was saying. “But I have what might be good news.” The sheriff glanced back at him as he continued. “Garrett Sterling, a local rancher, has offered to speak for you at the arraignment, and should bail be required for your rel
ease he has offered to post it.”

  Finally, she turned those eyes on him. Garrett looked into the glowing pit of them as if he was looking into the fires of hell. No recognition. This time she knew the sheriff would be watching her. This time, she’d been ready.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as if confused. “That is very nice of you, but I don’t understand why you would make such an offer. You don’t know me.”

  So that was the way they were going to play this?

  Before he could answer, the sheriff spoke up. “I believe Garrett saved your life.” She looked surprised—and interested—as she shifted her gaze back to the sheriff.

  “Garrett and his family own a guest ranch in the mountains not far from here. He’s offered you a place to stay until your memory returns or your family or friends come looking for you or until your trial.”

  “That is definitely generous of him, but I still don’t understand why he would—”

  “Mr. Sterling was there at the time of the shooting. Because of his quick thinking I believe he saved your life. He is also the eyewitness who’s testified that the shooting was in self-defense.”

  She frowned and glanced at him again. “Really?” He saw her eyes widen a little. “It seems I owe you my life, Mr. Sterling. Thank you. I’m sorry I can’t remember, but I’m glad you apparently came along when you did.”

  He just bet she was.

  “You can certainly say no to his offer,” the sheriff said. “But because we have been unable to identify you and you have no memory of who you are, I doubt the judge will release you on your own recognizance. If you don’t take Mr. Sterling’s offer you will more than likely spend the time behind bars.”

  “I’d be happy to accept his kind and generous offer, if it is all right,” she said in a small voice he’d never heard before. “If he saved my life, how can I decline? And it is only until my memory comes back or someone comes looking for me, right? The nurse said there’s a deputy outside my door? She’s there because I’m in danger?”