talked. He gave a lazy growl of thanks in return. Alex bit his lower lip watching her hands moved easily over the big mutt’s body, pausing to scratch his ears, her fingers moving comfortably through his fur and ending up scratching his belly again. Of all the stupid things, he envied his dog.
He blew out a slow breath. She wasn’t the weak one here. She wasn’t the coward either. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard. Maybe it was time. She deserved to know everything he knew. Maybe one piece of information would spark a memory, and everything would all come back to her. And that’s why he hadn’t had the heart to tell her anything. How do I do to her what was done to me? How do I take everything from her? Right now she’s happy. It’s a lie, but she’s happy. How do I tear her world apart? How do I tell her the truth?
He blew out a deep sigh. The time had come. There was no choice. It had to be done.
“I can fill in a couple of those blank spots if you’d like,” he offered.
“You can?” She traded her log across the way for a log closer to him, her eyes bright in the fire’s glow.
The minute she moved, he nicked his thumb. He grimaced, hoping she hadn’t seen the effect she had on him. His heart pumped hard, like some high school jock. He forced his eyes back to the work at hand, his head full of conflicting emotions.
“Well, let’s take it slow. Why do you think you’re so far from town?” He hesitated. This was hard.
Kelsey looked at her torn fingernails. “I’ve been trying to figure it out. I mean, look at me. It’s not like I don’t know someone beat me up. Someone must really hate me.”
She genuinely did not understand how close she had come to death.
“I’m not trying to scare you. You’re safe here with the dogs and me, but someone did hurt you.”
“What else do you know?” She edged closer, her eyes full of questions. “Have you been keeping something from me?
Bull’s-eye. His heart leapt in his throat, and he nicked his thumb again. This time he wiped the blood on his pant leg because the knife went deep. She had just read him like a book. “I don’t want to scare you, but yes. I had my team back east do some checking around.”
“And?”
“And your name is Kelsey Durrant. You’re married to a man named Nick Durrant.” He waited to see if anything registered. There was no sense dumping everything on her all at once.
“Kelsey Durrant?” she asked. “My last name’s Durrant? Hmm. And I’m married to Nick Durrant? Do you know what he looks like? Is he nice? Is he ….” She paused as the reality of this new puzzle piece dawned on her. “Did he, I mean, is he the one who ….”
Alex watched the light in her eyes fade as she fingered the corner of her recently opened black eye. She shivered.
“Did he do this to me?”
“Yes. I believe he did.”
She clutched her arms like a little girl needing a sweater. “Okay, so what else?”
He hesitated knocking any more dominoes of information down on top of her. “Your sister reported you missing ten days ago. That timeline matches most of your injuries. I’m still not sure how you got your black eye though. That and your cut lip seem more recent.”
“I’ve been missing ten days?” She looked surprised. “That’s a long time.”
Again he waited as she processed that single fact.
“But I’ve only been here two days. Right?”
“That’s right. You were here the afternoon I got in, the day before yesterday.”
“So where have I been? Where was I before I got here?”
“I don’t know. You were pretty out of it when I found you,” he said gently. “I thought I’d found a dead body.”
The bleakness in her eyes chilled him.
“But what did I eat? That’s a long time to go without food or water.”
“I don’t think you did eat. That’s why you were in such rough condition that first night. You probably stumbled across a creek or something along the way and found some water to drink.
He blew out a slow breath. She wasn’t the weak one here. She wasn’t the coward either. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard. Maybe it was time. She deserved to know everything he knew. Maybe one piece of information would spark a memory, and everything would all come back to her. And that’s why he hadn’t had the heart to tell her anything. How do I do to her what was done to me? How do I take everything from her? Right now she’s happy. It’s a lie, but she’s happy. How do I tear her world apart? How do I tell her the truth?
He blew out a deep sigh. The time had come. There was no choice. It had to be done.
“I can fill in a couple of those blank spots if you’d like,” he offered.
“You can?” She traded her log across the way for a log closer to him, her eyes bright in the fire’s glow.
The minute she moved, he nicked his thumb. He grimaced, hoping she hadn’t seen the effect she had on him. His heart pumped hard, like some high school jock. He forced his eyes back to the work at hand, his head full of conflicting emotions.
“Well, let’s take it slow. Why do you think you’re so far from town?” He hesitated. This was hard.
Kelsey looked at her torn fingernails. “I’ve been trying to figure it out. I mean, look at me. It’s not like I don’t know someone beat me up. Someone must really hate me.”
She genuinely did not understand how close she had come to death.
“I’m not trying to scare you. You’re safe here with the dogs and me, but someone did hurt you.”
“What else do you know?” She edged closer, her eyes full of questions. “Have you been keeping something from me?
Bull’s-eye. His heart leapt in his throat, and he nicked his thumb again. This time he wiped the blood on his pant leg because the knife went deep. She had just read him like a book. “I don’t want to scare you, but yes. I had my team back east do some checking around.”
“And?”
“And your name is Kelsey Durrant. You’re married to a man named Nick Durrant.” He waited to see if anything registered. There was no sense dumping everything on her all at once.
“Kelsey Durrant?” she asked. “My last name’s Durrant? Hmm. And I’m married to Nick Durrant? Do you know what he looks like? Is he nice? Is he ….” She paused as the reality of this new puzzle piece dawned on her. “Did he, I mean, is he the one who ….”
Alex watched the light in her eyes fade as she fingered the corner of her recently opened black eye. She shivered.
“Did he do this to me?”
“Yes. I believe he did.”
She clutched her arms like a little girl needing a sweater. “Okay, so what else?”
He hesitated knocking any more dominoes of information down on top of her. “Your sister reported you missing ten days ago. That timeline matches most of your injuries. I’m still not sure how you got your black eye though. That and your cut lip seem more recent.”
“I’ve been missing ten days?” She looked surprised. “That’s a long time.”
Again he waited as she processed that single fact.
“But I’ve only been here two days. Right?”
“That’s right. You were here the afternoon I got in, the day before yesterday.”
“So where have I been? Where was I before I got here?”
“I don’t know. You were pretty out of it when I found you,” he said gently. “I thought I’d found a dead body.”
The bleakness in her eyes chilled him.
“But what did I eat? That’s a long time to go without food or water.”
“I don’t think you did eat. That’s why you were in such rough condition that first night. You probably stumbled across a creek or something along the way and found some water to drink.
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