Page 55 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee
Quinn closed her eyes, trying to relax. Everyone seemed to be hammering at her to rest, recover. As if she were bedridden.
Staying in bed terrified her. She had to keep moving, and scrape together the shards of her shattered life.
Quinn resolved to make the best meals ever this afternoon for the client’s dinner party.
She had to make it right. Because if she failed at this, she wasn’t sure anyone would trust her to resume being the old Quinn Colton again.
* * *
By the time the Colton barbecue arrived,Quinn felt no more confident than she had after talking to her cousin Valeria.
All week, she’d spent time in her shop, making meals for Austin to fill catering orders. The orders were small, consistent. Quinn suspected people in town felt sorry for her and wanted to help, and decided this was the best way.
Instead of bringing her food, they asked her to cook for them.
The cooking soothedher, and she fell into a familiar pattern. As she made the recipes, spurts of memories surfaced. Recollections of baking cookies with her mother, testing out her own creations.
As a child, she and her mother had spent most of their time together in the kitchen, especially after yet another stepfather decided to dump her mother and take off for parts unknown.
If that was her past, no wondershe had stayed single so long. It made Quinn curious about West Brand. Surely he had to be quite special for her to agree to marriage.
She’d met a few people, only when Austin was in the shop. Not knowing who to trust meant she took no chances.
But she did tell the security guards to leave. Quinn was tired of having them babysit her. She’d pointed out to her brothers and West that securitycameras would pick up anything suspicious. Finally they agreed, as long as she always had someone with her in the store.
Today’s party was a welcome break from the tension she’d felt all week, especially around West. He didn’t share with her any information gathered in the investigation. West was tight-lipped. She wondered if it had to do with him investigating her, or his personality.
Quinn wasn’t sure about this deal with the devil she’d made.
West sleeping in her apartment.
No memory of him. Only flashes of recollections from a childhood she suspected she didn’t want to remember.
Today she needed fresh air. The barbecue sounded like a fine escape. And so did a drive.
Quinn searched the kitchen for the keys to the small sedan Finn had told her she owned. Afteropening and searching each drawer, frustration filled her.
A jingling caught her attention. She whirled to see West standing in the doorway, keys dangling from one finger.
“Looking for these?”
“Yes.” She slammed the drawer shut. “I’m driving to the barbecue. Give them to me.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I can drive.”
“Doesn’t matter.” West pocketed the keys.
Quinn scowled. “I’mperfectly fine. The doctor released me.”
“Medically, yes. You’ll get your memory back.” West leaned against the doorway, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans. He looked more like a cowboy, ready to ride for miles, than a rugged FBI agent.
“Then why are you shadowing me? I don’t need help.”
“Sweetheart, get used to it. I’m not leaving your side.” West came closer untilhe nearly backed her up to the wall. “Too many unknowns. The unsub might have been after Tia...”
“Of course he was. She’s dead.”
