Midnight Bride

“Turn around.” He took hold of her shoulders and turned her body until her back was to him. It was impossible to stop the shiver that raced up her spine as he swept her hair aside.

“This might hurt.”

It didn’t. Quite the opposite. A delicious tingling sensation skimmed over her head and neck, spreading down her shoulders. When he tugged the bandage off, the tingling only intensified.

He angled her head toward the light of the fire. The heat from the flames burned through the cotton of her shirt and thermal underwear, but the whisper of Caleb’s breath on her neck was like a long, slow sip of warm brandy. She closed her eyes and, in spite of herself, felt herself relax as his fingers roamed the base of her neck.

He carried the scent of the storm on his skin, she thought languidly, and something else, something even more potent, more enticing. His scent. A mixture of soap and pine and untamed masculinity. Her pulse tripped, then bolted.

“That’s strange,” he said thoughtfully.

She held back another shiver as his fingers combed through her hair. “What?”

“Unusual.”

“What?”

“Your hair.”

“What about my hair?”

“It’s natural.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in. With a cluck of annoyance, she pulled away and turned to face him. “I’ve misplaced an entire life, nearly died, and you’re making jokes.”

“It’s not a joke. Your hair is natural.”

He wanted to tell her that it was soft, too. Like spun silk. His hands ached to lose themselves in those golden strands. When he saw tears glisten in her eyes, he cursed his lust and let his hands fall to his sides.

“I looked in the mirror in the bathroom,” she whispered raggedly. “A stranger stared back at me. Have you any idea what that’s like?”

More than you could possibly know, he thought.

“Caleb.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I want you to take me into town, to the sheriff.”

He wanted to agree with her. For her sake, as well as his. There had to be someone looking for her-family or friends. And he sure as hell didn’t need an angry husband breaking his door down. Whatever trouble she’d gotten into was her problem, not his. It made no sense for her to stay here. No sense at all.

But he couldn’t let go of the desperation in her voice and the fear in her eyes when he’d found her. If it had been an act, it had been a damn good one. But if it wasn’t, then someone had tried to kill her, and that someone might try again.

“All right.” He stood and looked down at her. “Let’s say I take you in. Then what?”

Her brow furrowed. “I—I don’t understand.”

“As of one hour ago there was no missing person’s report or any car found. My closest neighbors, a German family named Schulz, are two miles from here, and I happen to know they’re away for the month. A rental cabin, owned by the Hamiltons, is another half mile from there, but it’s closed up right now.”

“I didn’t fall out of the sky,” she said with frustration. Although her body felt as if she had.

“Probably not, which means you had to come from the road off the main highway, and that’s way too far from the creek for you to have walked in the storm. Since there’s no car, that means someone brought you.”

Her eyes popped open. “And left me?”

“Appears that way.”

“But why would—” She stopped suddenly as a thought came to her. Eyes wide, she stared at Caleb, her fingers nervously working at the top button of her shirt. “Do you think…is it possible that someone wanted to—”

She couldn’t finish. It suddenly hurt to breathe. She looked away, struggling to hold on to her composure, but with a will of its own, her body started to shake.

“No.” He took hold of her shoulders and forced her to look at him. “There was no indication of someone hurting you like that.”

“How would you know?” she whispered hoarsely.

“When I brought you in last night, you were covered with mud.”

Confused, she looked at him. “And?”

“And I had to clean you up. Your clothes weren’t torn that way.”

“Oh…I see.” She was beginning to see. Too clearly. Up to now, she’d been too confused, too disoriented to have given a great deal of thought to her current condition and clothing. “So last night…you had to, that is you—”

“Had to be done, Sarah. You were soaking wet, covered with an inch of mud, and bleeding. I had to get you out of your clothes and in the shower, not only to get you clean and see how badly you were hurt, but to warm you up. You’ll have to trust me that I was a perfect gentleman.”

Trust him? Yes, she did have to trust him. What choice did she have? Still, the thought of him, a stranger, taking off her clothes, seeing her naked like that—

Suddenly the image—no, more like the sensation-of a man’s wet, bare skin against her own came to her again, just as it had last night when she’d awakened the first time. Only this time she understood where it came from. Her face blossomed bright red. Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him. “Did you, were you also—”

“‘Fraid so. It was the quickest and easiest way. I was almost as wet and muddy as you, and I’ve never taken a shower with my clothes on yet.”

She looked quickly away as humiliation burned clear down to her toes. “Oh, my.”

Cupping her chin with his fingertips, he lifted her face to his and smiled. “If you have a husband, I’m a dead man,” he teased.

A husband? Did she have one? And if she did, would she be so incredibly aware of Caleb right now? The musky scent of his skin, the heat of his body, the touch of his hand on her chin? She stared at his lips and felt a strange tingling through her body. “I owe you my life,” she said quietly.

He moved closer, and she felt the warmth of his breath on her cheek. “And Wolf.”

She smiled at that.

His hand dropped away. “We’ll give it a couple of days. You’ll either remember who you are, or someone will be looking for you.”

“What if there’s no one?” Her smiled faded. “What if no one claims me?”

Her worry cut straight to his heart. He understood, more than she could ever know. He saw himself twenty-five years ago, nine years old. Alone. Separated from Carrie, waiting for foster parents that never showed up. “Everyone has someone.”

Her gaze leveled with his. “Do you?”

His jaw clenched. “No.”

Utter despair darkened her soft blue eyes, and he kicked himself for not lying.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked. “Helping someone you don’t know?”

Good question. He could tell her it was because she might be a government agent who had amnesia and it wouldn’t be a good idea to turn her in to the police. Or he could tell her it was because he’d help out anyone in trouble. But, of course, that was a lie.

He looked at her, watched her anxiously searching his face and decided there was really only one answer. Strangely enough, it was an honest one.

“I don’t know.”

She nodded, seemingly accepting that answer. “What about your work, or whatever it is you do here? Won’t I be in the way?”

“I’m in insurance,” he said carefully. “Life insurance. I broke my shoulder, and I’m on medical leave right now.” Mostly true, he thought. His business was a form of insurance, and he had broken his shoulder.

She sighed heavily, then ran her hands through her hair as she stared at the fire.

“Hey, Hunter,” she said after a long moment.

“Yeah?”

“Since you saved me, do you think you could feed me, too? I’m starving.”

Three

Sarah sat at the small kitchen table, her gaze focused on the plate of spaghetti in front of her. She pushed the pasta around her dish, listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. She’d been starving a half hour ago, before she’d washed up and made herself presentable, but her appetite had waned the minute she’d sat across from Caleb, and the full realization of her isolation with the man hit her.

Alone.

With a man she didn’t know, had never even seen before. At least, she thought she’d never seen before. She’d tried to remember what had happened to her, how she’d come to be here in this condition, but every time she’d tried, the pain in her head had become unbearable.

She watched Caleb as he ate, amazed at his appetite and his ability to accept this situation so calmly. As if strange women fell at his doorstep all the time. Which, considering the man’s looks, might very well be the case.

“Thank you for the clothes and the, uh, other things you bought for me in town today,” she said, appreciative of the boots and jeans and denim shirt he’d picked up for her. She hadn’t tried them on yet, but they appeared to be the right sizes. He’d also bought her some personal items which included, much to her continued embarrassment, underwear and toiletries. “Please be sure and keep the receipt so I can reimburse you.”

He took a long swig of milk, then set the glass down with a clunk. “That might be difficult since I stole most of it.”

“You what!”

He looked at her with the patience one reserves for a child. “I couldn’t very well buy ladies’ clothes and underwear without raising a few eyebrows. Pinewood is a small town. Everyone knows who I am, and that I live alone. Unless I want people here to wonder if I’d picked up some unusual habits, I thought it best to be discreet.”

“Stealing is discreet?”

“Necessary. If it makes you feel better, I dropped a few bills behind the market counter. Judy will find it, and since she owns the store, it will go into her pocket.”

An honest crook. That should make her feel better, but it only increased the burning sensation in her stomach. In spite of her discomfort, she was pleased with the clothes and other items. Having a few things of her own gave her a small sense of identity. Other than the sweater and skirt she’d had on when he found her, which Caleb had washed and hung up in the shower to dry, she had nothing. Even her shoes had been lost in the storm.

She rubbed her feet together, thankful for the socks he’d given her to wear. They were way too big, but soft and warm, like the thermal pants and cotton shirt she also had on. His thermal pants and cotton shirt. Her stomach fluttered at the thought.

“Is Judy a friend of yours?” she asked cautiously.

He shrugged, then scooped up some spaghetti sauce with a piece of bread and took a bite.

Suddenly worried, she poked at a green bean. “Close personal?”

One brow raised, he looked at her.

She straightened and lifted her chin, irritated he was making her inquiry so difficult. “This is a rather delicate situation, Caleb. I’m in your home, wearing your clothes. I believe I should at least be prepared for the possibility of a jealous lover bursting through the door.”

“Ah.” He chewed thoughtfully. “You think Judy will be upset we took a shower together?”

“We did not shower together!”

“We didn’t?”

“Not like that, and you know it.” He was teasing, making jokes. Her fingers tightened around the fork in her hand. “You may find my anxiety amusing, Mr. Hunter, but I find it extremely uncomfortable.”

“Sarah, Judy is eighty-four years old and has no teeth.” He made an effort to look serious, but it was a weak one. “Are you really that embarrassed I saw you naked?”

She nearly choked. How could he be so blas&e2; about this? “Showering with a strange woman may be an everyday occurrence for you, but I assure you it most certainly is not for me!”

He smiled. “I find that extremely encouraging.”

Flustered, she drew in a sharp breath and glared at him. “You know what I mean. I don’t shower with strange men.”

His smile slowly faded. “Well, you can’t really be sure about that now, can you? Unless you remember something and you’re holding out on me.”

It was back. That look of mistrust. An imperceptible tightening of his voice and mouth. And his eyes. A cold flash of wariness and doubt. She had the inexplicable feeling that anyone who might cross this man would find themselves in serious danger.

“I don’t remember anything, Caleb. I wish to God I did. I could be a beautician or a grape picker for all I know. But whatever I am, I’m not like that, I mean, I’m not a, uh, I’m not—”

“Loose?” he supplied.

She blushed furiously. “Yes.”

Caleb sighed. “Just my luck. A beautiful, sexy woman falls into my arms, and I can’t do anything about it.”

Sarah straightened in her chair and stared at the food on her plate. “Don’t tease me like that,” she said quietly.

“Like what?”

“I’m not beautiful, and I’m certainly not sexy.”

She had to be kidding, Caleb thought, watching Sarah push her green beans into a little mountain. Her blond hair fell in natural waves around her heart-shaped face, and wisps of the silken strands framed her wide, soft blue eyes. He knew women who would kill for the long thick lashes and smooth skin she had. Why would she possibly think she wasn’t attractive? Even in an oversize man’s shirt and loose-fitting thermal pants she was one of the most alluring women he’d ever seen.

He took a bite of pasta and studied her carefully for a moment. She held her shoulders stiff, her eyes carefully averted from his. Her cheeks were bright red. Strange, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been around a woman who blushed.

“So what do you think?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. “What kind of a person do you think you were—are?”

She looked up at him, and he saw the distress in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

“A secretary, maybe? Having an affair with the boss, who tries to off you before his wife found out?”

Her eyes flashed blue fire. “Certainly not! I would never have an affair with a married man.”

“A housewife, then?” he went on. “With six children, married to a double-dealing drug lord whose rivals want to make an example out of you.”

Her lips pressed tightly together. “I don’t have a husband or children.”

“And how do you know?”

“I just know.”

Did she? he wondered. Was she holding something back on him? Or was the whole thing a lie? She looked so damn innocent. If she was an agent and this was an act, she was very, very good.

And if she was lying, he resolved—about anything—he’d find out. That was one thing he was sure about.

“Okay.” He pushed his plate away and let his gaze roam over her. “So what do we know about you, then?”

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