Page 41 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee
Two toothbrushes were in a holder decorated with a smiling mermaid.
The cabinet below the sink heldother items, including a man’s razor, shaving cream and deodorant. Quinn removed the cap, sniffed it. A faint memory clicked.
It smelled a little like West. Masculine, spicy and appealing but not overpowering.
If she wanted proof West had shared her life, surely this was it. Her sense of smell hadn’t been distorted by the bomb blast.
Maybe it could aid recovering her life.
Quinnopened a drawer. Organized, neat, containing extra toothpaste and...
She took a step backward, blinked. Then she reached into the drawer and pulled out a box.
Pregnancy test.
Heart beating fast, she turned it over. Unopened, so she hadn’t used it yet. Was she worried about pregnancy? Joyful and hopeful?
Frustration bit her. If only she could remember!
Quinn tucked the box backinto the drawer.
She moved back into the living room, where her brothers hovered. Helicopter family, she thought, rubbing her head.
The bookshelf held several paperbacks and two rows of snow globes. A shaft of sunlight from the nearby window illuminated them like a spotlight. Quinn picked one up. Most were of pretty ballerinas dancing, but this snow globe held a white carousel horse decoratedwith pink roses. Pink roses adorned the base. She turned it over and wound the key.
Music played. Quinn wrinkled her brow. It was lovely, and she liked the tune, but it did nothing to trigger her dormant memory.
“Theme song from the musicalCarousel.” West studied her with his intense, dark gaze. “Your favorite Broadway show. We went to a fair two weeks ago and you insisted on riding thecarousel horses. I bought that for you as a gift.”
It was enormously frustrating to know she’d shared experiences with this man, and he’d been there, in her apartment and she didn’t remember any of it.
In the kitchen, plenty of wholesome, organic food had been stocked. She opened another cabinet.
A box of dog biscuits. Rex followed her, sat, his tail wagging.
These weren’t itemsWest had stored for Rex while she was in the hospital. Judging from Rex’s anticipatory look, he was used to her opening this cabinet.
Accustomed to her giving him a dog biscuit.
She opened the box, held out a biscuit. Rex put up a paw.
Quinn fed him the treat. He gulped it down and wagged his tail.
Tears burned in the back of her throat.
The dog knew her. This dog knew her,and she knew him. Obvious from the treats she’d stored in the cabinet, the worn pillow on the kitchen floor, two well-chewed toys on the carpet.
I can’t even remember a dog who shows affection for me.
“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered.
Glancing backward into the living room where her brothers paced, she felt West take her hand. “You suffered a horrible injury, Quinn. We’re damnlucky you weren’t killed. It will get better. I promise.”
Somehow she suspected his promise wasn’t a platitude like they’d given her at the hospital. Judging from his determined expression, and his gentle demeanor, West truly did care.
But until she regained a glimmer of who she was, and what she was, Quinn didn’t want to draw close to this man. Everything felt so unfamiliar and strange.And now she’d agreed to let this big, quiet FBI agent stay in her apartment.
The same agent she’d overheard discussing her on the phone, as if she’d done something wrong.
