Reunited At Christmas. Belle Calhoune

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СКАЧАТЬ this man was her husband, just hearing the words come out of his mouth served as a jolt.

      Ruby couldn’t help but let out a gasp. The news made her feel wobbly. She should have been prepared for this since the slight indentation on her ring finger had caused her to question whether she was a married woman. But where was her ring? Had she lost it during whatever traumatic incident had caused her amnesia?

      And why else would the sheriff have called Liam down here? Liam’s emotional reaction made perfect sense now. He was a man whose wife had been presumed dead for several years. And now she was back with no warning and nothing to prepare him for the startling sight of her.

      “If you’re my husband, then who is Aidan?” she whispered. It was staggering to find out that this gorgeous, emotional and rugged man belonged to her. Although she had always had a niggling sensation of having been married, there had been no flashes of this man or events from their life together.

      Liam’s blue eyes lit up. Relief swept across his features. “So you do remember something? You remember Aidan?”

      She shook her head, her long hair swirling about her shoulders. “No, I don’t. I’ve been wearing this. At first I thought it might be my name even though it sounded masculine.” She held up the necklace that had been hidden from sight under her winter coat. The name Aidan had been etched on the gold pendant in flowery script.

      Emotion flickered in his eyes. “I gave that to you as a birthday gift. You wore it every day without fail.”

      “What does it mean? Who is Aidan?” she asked, voicing the question she’d been asking herself for two years. The necklace had become important to her—it had been the only tangible thing tying her to the life she couldn’t remember.

      Liam seemed to be searching her eyes for clues. “He’s our child, Ruby. Yours and mine.”

      Child. Hearing that single word served as a kick in the gut. She had often wondered if she was a mother. If she was being completely honest with herself, she had known deep down in her soul that she was somebody’s mama. She remembered bits and pieces. Nothing more than fragments.

      The smell of talcum powder. Cradling a newborn in her arms. Singing a soothing lullaby. A tuft of dark hair.

      She sank back down into the chair, overwhelmed by the knowledge that Aidan was her son. “How old is he?” she asked, her voice a notch above a whisper. It felt strange asking questions about her own child. But she wanted to know. She needed answers.

      “He’ll be five in a few weeks,” Liam said. A hint of a smile played around his lips.

      “Five,” she said with a nod. “That’s a great age.” Why had she just blurted that out? What did she know about five-year-olds?

      “He’s a wonderful boy. You’d be proud of him,” Liam said. “You two used to be inseparable.”

      Ruby had no idea what to say to that. It hurt terribly to know that she couldn’t remember precious moments with her own flesh and blood. A child she had carried in her womb and given birth to and nurtured. A boy who had been emotionally tied to her. Pain unlike any she’d ever felt before ricocheted through her. She had felt lost ever since she’d woken up in Colorado with no memories of who she was or where she belonged. Although she hadn’t thought it possible to feel more agony, finding out about her son and husband filled her with a sense of yearning to fill all the holes in her memory.

      They must have loved her, and in return, she must have loved them back.

      Lord, please help me. I’ve been stumbling around in the dark for so long. But now a big bright light is being shined on my past and yet I feel nothing but confusion. I’m still uncertain about who I am and where I’m going. I’m a mother and a wife, but I’m not sure I know how to be either of those things.

      Liam shoved his hand through his hair. He let out a huff of air and exchanged a look filled with hidden meaning with the sheriff. “Aidan. I have to bring you to see him, Ruby. He prays for you every night.”

      Ruby raised her hand to her trembling lips. Just thinking about a little boy uttering prayers for her was enough to make her come undone. He’s not just any little boy, her voice buzzed in her head. He’s your son. Your flesh and blood. That raised the stakes even higher.

      She shook her head as a tidal wave of emotions rolled over her. Trudy and Ezra had been concerned about this very thing happening. They had wanted to make the trip with her, but after two years of being under their wing, she had needed to do something without their sheltering arms.

      But everything was rushing at her now, like a freight train at maximum speed. Suddenly she started taking rapid breaths of air. It felt like she couldn’t breathe. She folded her arms around her stomach and began deeply breathing in and out.

      “Ruby! Are you all right?” Liam took the final few steps toward her, quickly swallowing up the distance between them. She felt his hands touching her. There was something comforting about his hands resting on her shoulders. It was the oddest thing, since he was technically a stranger to her, and she always felt wary of people she didn’t know.

      “It might be a good idea to give her some space,” Boone said to Liam. “This could be very overwhelming for her,” he explained, casting Ruby a concerned glance.

      With a begrudging look on his face, Liam took a few steps back. Boone followed suit.

      “If you’re not feeling well, I can get you something to drink or take you to my clinic,” Liam said. “I’m a doctor here in town.”

      Liam was a doctor? She shouldn’t be surprised by the news. He exuded a kind and authoritative air. It wasn’t hard to imagine him treating patients or calming a distraught child who needed shots. Ruby didn’t know whether there was a part of her that was remembering something from the past or whether it was strictly her imagination, but a picture of Liam outfitted in a white lab coat, a stethoscope hanging around his neck, flashed before her eyes.

      “I’m fine,” Ruby said. “I think everything is just catching up to me.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “The plane ride. Being back here. I know you’re saying this is where I’m from, but I feel like a newborn filly finding its legs.”

      “Ruby, I know this can’t be easy for you, but this is a blessing for our family. God answered our prayers.” He locked eyes with her. “And now I need to bring you back home where you belong so you can reunite with Aidan.”

      Oh, no! She didn’t think she was quite ready for that. Ruby wanted to see her child, but she was terrified. What would she say to him? Would he expect her to be a certain way or hold him in a special manner? She didn’t know a single thing about being a mother.

      “I hadn’t planned on anything like this,” she said lamely. “I—I don’t know what I would say to him. How do I explain that I don’t remember him?”

      “If you don’t face this, you might never really be able to move forward.” Liam’s voice held an intensity that reverberated throughout the room. “Part of that is meeting your son.”

      Ruby bit her lip. A feeling of anxiety swept over her. Had coming to Love been a huge mistake? Everything was happening so quickly. In a matter of minutes her life had dramatically changed, so much so that she wasn’t sure she could keep up with all the shifts.

      “Can Ruby and I СКАЧАТЬ