Page 56 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee
“We don’t know that for certain yet. He could have targeted Tia. Or he could have planned to kill you. Or both of you. And you may be a witness, the only witness, to what happened before the explosion. Until you get your memory back, we can’t be sure.”
Westcaged her with his arms, leaning close. “I almost lost you, Quinn. Not going to take any chances or give the unsub a chance to finish what he started.”
“My brothers—” she started.
“Are not responsible for you. Only one person is, and you’re looking at him.”
She stared up into his dark, intense gaze. The sad recollections of her broken, hard childhood indicated she’d had to learn tofend for herself from an early age. She’d been an independent soul, and didn’t like handing control over to another person, especially with her personal life. But West had a good point. Frustrated as she was with the lack of memory of the blast, it was little compared to what could have happened. Still, she didn’t like relying on someone else to care for her. “What gives you the right to tell mewhat I can or can’t do in my own home?”
West touched her left hand, the finger missing a ring. “This. And this.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. As kisses went, it was brief, but the passion behind it made her toes curl and her belly clench tight.
Before releasing her, he gave her bottom lip a brief nip, as if claiming her in a different manner than mere words. West pulled away,his gaze smoldering and dark. He rested his hands on her shoulders, his body not touching hers, but there was possessive intent in the manner in which he touched her.
Quinn licked her lips. “That’s a mighty fine kiss, cowboy, but you’ll have to do better than that. I need a reason why you’re being so stubborn.”
“I couldn’t bear losing you to that bastard who nearly took you away from me,Quinn. And if that means tying you to my side while I do my job, I’ll do it. Until we catch this son of a bitch, I won’t stop worrying about you.”
His quiet tone and the shadow of vulnerability in his expression assured Quinn of West’s sincerity. He wasn’t being a dominating he-man, but a man who wanted to keep her safe.
So she let him drive, Rex riding happily in the back seat of West’struck.
West pulled up to the ranch house, walked around his truck to let her out. Quinn carried a container of raspberry-cream cake. The ranching crowd here would be meat lovers, so she’d made a special sweet dessert. Rex bounded out of the back seat, barking happily.
The sharp blue skies and burning sunshine promised a hot day, broken by an occasional cooling breeze that tousled her curlsand played with the hem of her floral dress. Gently sloping land stretched for endless miles. This was a good land, where one could raise cattle, horses and children in relative peace, far from the crime-ridden cities.
She’d been here before to mingle with her Colton cousins. Quinn didn’t remember when or why, but her senses tingled.
She’d always been a city girl. Quinn halted a moment,stricken with another flash of memory. Mom, struggling to hold down a series of dead-end jobs, yet always managing to pay the bills. Quinn had learned to cook for herself at an early age when the double shifts meant Mom didn’t get home until midnight.
West stopped as well, studying her. “What’s wrong?”
Shoulders lifted. “Nothing. It’s pretty here.”
Loath to share the memory with West,because she didn’t want him quizzing her, she pushed on. When they entered the backyard, Quinn jerked to an abrupt halt.
If this was a small gathering, she’d hate to think of what constituted a large one.
People crowded the yard in back of the big ranch house. Laughing, talking, gathered in small groups and larger clusters. Smells of grilling meat and barbecue sauce filled the air, minglingwith the earthy scent of horses and hay. A gaunt woman in a black uniform and white apron lingered in the crowd, serving a silver tray of small canapés.
Her stomach lurched. If these people were family, she remembered none of them. And then a familiar face popped up in the crowd. Brayden, her brother.
Half brother. But at least there was one face she recognized.
As if sensing her anxiety,West stopped. Looked down at her. “You sure you’re ready to go through with this?”
Maybe seeing some of these faces would help her remember. Quinn knew that hiding in her apartment wouldn’t solve anything.
“Let’s do it.” Shoulders thrown back, she strode forward as Rex ran ahead of them.
A group of people talking saw them, turned. None of them looked unfriendly; rather, they were curious.
Still, it made her feel like a sideshow act. West gave them an abrupt nod and took her elbow, steering her past them.
“Let’s say hello to your cousin Finn,” he murmured.
Grateful for West, she walked over to a dark-haired, good-looking man she did remember from the hospital. Finn Colton. Police chief. Her cousin.
