Page 6 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Her eyes flashed. “Don’t evade the question.” She gave him a look that could stop a grizzly in its tracks. “Jaxson Allen Romeo, you need to be straight with me.”

His mama was an attractive woman with her honey-blonde hair and even features. The owner of a dress shop, she was always dressed to the nines. With her syrupy, Southern voice and genteel manner, people often mistook her as being a pushover, but she was steel on the inside. The epitome of a steel magnolia.

“I’m considering riding again,” he admitted, cringing at the despair on Mama’s face. He sought for the right words to make her understand. “I won, Mama.” His voice picked up its pace. “Even though I hadn’t ridden in months.” He searched her face, hoping she would understand. “I can’t remember the last time I felt so alive … as when I was on that horse.”

She took in a deep breath, her lips compressing into tight lines. A tense silence settled between them until finally, Jaxson could no longer handle it. “Say something, please,” he urged.

She gave him a tight smile. “I don’t think right now is the best time to discuss this,” she clipped.

“I love you, Mama. I stayed away from riding for months because of you.” His voice caught. “Please, don’t ask me to give it up for good. It’s part of who I am.”

The door opened. Knox stepped into the room, bringing Officers Williams and Phillips with him. Also, there was a woman.

Jaxson’s jaw dropped, a gurgling sound forming in the back of his throat as he looked up. “It is you,” he uttered.

Chapter Two

Jaxson studied Lemon. She was still wearing the same jeans and white blouse, although they looked like they’d dried a bit since he’d last seen her. He searched his memory, trying to remember her exact height. He guessed it to be about five feet, five inches. She had a terrific figure, thin but super fit, like she knew her way around the gym. Her hair was stringy from being drenched. Her features were more defined than he remembered, more elegant. She had an air of maturity that hadn’t been there before. Eyeliner was smudged beneath her eyes.Those eyes. His heart missed a beat. A light blue, the color of a cloudless sky in June. He used to peer into them and swear he could catch sight of heaven. His heart squeezed. Oh, how he’d loved her.

A goofy smile wobbled over his lips. It was such a relief to know that Lemon was actually here. He’d not imagined the whole thing. “Hey, it’s good to see you.” Jaxson wasn’t sure how he expected Lemon to react, but certainly not like this. She just stared at him like he was a stranger.

Officer Williams spoke, “Do you know this woman?”

It took Jaxson a fraction of a second to process that the question was directed at him. “Of course. She’s Lemon Massey.” He looked at Lemon. “Tell them who you are.”

She clasped her hands together tightly, her lower lip trembling. “I—I’m sorry. I can’t remember,” she uttered softly, looking down like she was embarrassed.

“You don’t remember what?” Jaxson asked dully. The Lemon Jaxson knew had been so confident, so ready to take on the world. But this woman looked completely lost.

Lemon shrugged. “Anything.”

Jaxson’s insides tightened. “I don’t understand.” Was this some kind of joke?

“She doesn’t remember who she is,” Officer Williams explained.

Jaxson’s gut tightened. “You mean like amnesia?”

Officer Williams shrugged. “That’s what it sounds like, but I guess we’ll have to let the doctor answer that.”

A single knock sounded at the door before it opened. As if on cue, Doctor Jepson stepped in with a beleaguered sigh as he swiped his brow. “I’m sorry y’all have been waiting so long. The ER is a madhouse tonight. We finally got the results back on your X-ray. Just as we thought, a hairline fracture in the fibula—” He stopped mid-sentence, surprise washing over the older doctor’s features when he realized Lemon and the officers were in the room.

“Jaxson was able to identify our mystery woman,” Officer Williams said with a boastful grin, as if he’d been the one to solve the case.

It irked Jaxson that the officer was speaking of Lemon as if she weren’t present. Did she have amnesia? The notion seemed far-fetched, like something out of a book or movie. A memory tickled Jaxson’s brain, giving him a start. Lemon’s dad had suffered from amnesia. Jaxson tried to remember the full story. Was amnesia an inherited thing?

Jaxson realized Daddy was watching him.

“There’s something else,” Knox surmised.

“Yes,” Jaxson acknowledged, “but we’ll talk later, in private.”

Knox looked like he might argue but finally nodded.

Birdie stood and went over to Lemon, sliding a protective arm around her shoulders. “Here, hon, why don’t you sit down?” Jaxson felt a burst of pride over Mama’s kindness. She always felt like she had to mother the entire countryside.

“Thanks,” Lemon said with a slight smile of gratitude as she sat down in Birdie’s seat. Jaxson’s skin zinged like it had gotten zapped by battery cables. It was odd, and strangely exciting, to have Lemon sitting so close. Jaxson could hardly believe that she was real. His eyes were drawn to her. The years seemed to peel away. They’d shared so much together. Jaxson had wanted to build a future with Lemon, but she had other ideas. She’d gone out and conquered the world. She had a successful business, plenty of high-class friends.

Lemon met his gaze briefly before looking away. No doubt she could feel him staring a hole through her. He had to force himself to shift his eyes away from her. What was it about Lemon that had him so worked up? Yeah, she was a beauty, but Jaxson had a long line of beauties vying for his attention. The only thing he could surmise was that he was so caught up in Lemon because she was the one who got away.

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