Page 14 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Lemon moistened her lips. “Um, I’m not sure what you mean.”

Daddy cocked his head. “You don’t remember anything … at all?”

Jaxson cut in. “I don’t think right now is the best time to give her the third degree.” Daddy could be so dang infuriating. Hadn’t he heard anything Doctor Jepson said? Lemon needed to remember slowly, on her own terms.

“I’m not giving her the third degree,” Knox countered, casting Jaxson an annoyed look. “If we’re gonna help Lemon, then I need to know where she’s coming from.”

“It’s okay,” Lemon said to Jaxson. She took in a deep breath, pressing her lips together. “To answer your question, no, I don’t remember anything.” She paused, her expression going pensive. “The first memory I have is standing in the middle of the road and seeing the headlights from Jaxson’s truck.”

Knox shook his head. “I’m sorry. That’s rough.”

“Yes,” Lemon said, pushing her biscuit away and hugging her arms.

Knox looked thoughtful. “Do you have any questions for us? Anything you’d like to know about your past?”

“Daddy!” Jaxson exploded. “Stop it! She’s not ready.”

“We’ll let Lemon be the judge of that,” Knox said firmly.

Lemon nibbled on her lower lip. The gesture was so familiar … something Lemon did when she was nervous. Her eyes darted hesitantly between Jaxson and Knox. “I take it I grew up here? In Franklin?”

“Yes,” Knox answered.

Lemon searched Jaxson’s face. “The two of us were friends.”

Jaxson nodded in the affirmative, swallowing his disappointment. He wished that Lemon could remember something … even if it was a tiny shred of what they’d shared together.

Her jaw worked as the strip of skin between her brows dented. “Do I have any family here?”

Knox looked to Jaxson, waiting for him to respond.Great!Daddy was the one who’d initiated this little Q&A session, and now he was hanging Jaxson out to dry. “No, not anymore,” Jaxson said carefully.

Lemon scratched her eyebrow. “Where does my family live?”

“Your mother lives in Los Angeles.”

“Really?” Lemon’s eyes went bigger than silver dollars. “Why LA?”

“That’s where you live.”

Horror streaked over her features. “Why would I ever want to live there? I hate the city.”

Knox chuckled. “I hear ya. I can’t for the life of me understand why anyone would want to be confined in a concrete jungle when they can have clean, fresh air and green grass.” He slid a sideways look at Jaxson. “I knew I liked her.” This earned him a grin from Lemon. It helped ease the tension. “What else do you wanna know, darling?”

Lemon’s eyes clouded. “Who is my family?” She began wringing her hands. “I mean, who do I have left?”

It was both heartrending and fascinating to watch Lemon. From her body language, Jaxson could tell that even though Lemon couldn’t remember her past, her feelings on the subject were still there … running a swift current beneath the surface. She must have suspected, deep down, that something was amiss with her family. Jaxson cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to delicately approach the topic of Lemon’s parents.

She tightened her jaw. “Tell me,” she implored.

Jaxson sucked in a quick breath. “You’re an only child. You and your dad lost touch when you were young. Or at least, that’s the way I remember it.” He spread his hands. “You and I haven’t been in contact for many years.”

Her jaw fell. “Really?”

She looked genuinely disappointed. A fact that pleased him immensely, probably more than it should have. Jaxson felt Daddy’s eyes on him and sensed that he knew exactly what Jaxson was thinking and feeling.

“Why not?” Lemon asked, her inquisitive crystal eyes seeing into his soul.

Jaxson wasn’t sure how to answer. He didn’t want to add to Lemon’s stress, but the truth was the truth. She had a right to know what happened. He searched for the right words.

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