The Texan's Surprise Return. Jolene Navarro

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СКАЧАТЬ this is just so overwhelming.”

      Before he could reply, the door opened. He stood, not wanting to be in a position of weakness. A blur of figures rushed the porch. One didn’t stop at the steps but leaped from the porch into his arms.

      All four of her limbs wrapped around him. She was crying his name repeatedly, her words coming so fast he couldn’t organize them.

      But the smell of her was so familiar that tears burned his eyes.

      “Belle, sweetheart. Ease up a bit.” Selena now stood behind her.

      This was his cousin, raised with him as a sibling. She squeezed, silently refusing to let him go. His arms tightened. He had hurt her. This tall woman he had protected since she was a small girl. He had promised to always be there for her through all the trials they had faced together. To the world she had looked strong and fierce, but he had known the truth.

      She had needed him in ways no one else had.

      Was that why he remembered her instead of his own wife? He took in the front of the house. And then it hit him.

      This was where he had grown up. Memories bombarded his brain, images, sights and sounds ricocheting and pinging around his mind until he couldn’t make any sense out of them. Pain and anger mixed with laughter. It was like someone recording as they made a mad dash through an art museum.

      He tried closing his eyes again to block the imagery, to take control and slow down the flood of memories he didn’t have the time to process.

      Belle pulled back and gripped his face. “It is you! How? I can’t believe this.”

      Selena gently tugged her off him. “He doesn’t remember us. Give him some space.”

      A small sob came from Belle.

      Guilt kept him from pointing out he did know Belle. Not any detailed memories, but he knew who she was to him.

      One more hug and she dropped to her feet. Reluctantly he let her go. The two women were complete opposites in stature. Tall and strong, Belle looked more than capable of running a ranch. He turned to the woman behind her, his wife. She was the opposite. So small he could imagine she’d break easily.

      More people gathered on the porch. He took a step back. Unable to make out details or faces, he closed his eyes again. How many of these people was he supposed to know?

      Xavier glanced around, uneasy at all the unfamiliar people staring at him. His head was pounding, his stomach upset, his whole body aching. He leaned closer to Belle and lowered his voice. “Is there somewhere more private I could sit down?” He brought his eyes up to his sister’s face. “I’m sorry. I just…”

      His sight blacked out, his heart raced, and heat suffused his body. All the signs of a panic attack were being checked off. He needed to get somewhere fast.

      Soft hands touched his upper arm. Looking down, he fell into the large golden-brown eyes of Selena, his wife. A memory surfaced of sitting across from her in a booth, laughing as she stole food from his basket after claiming not to be hungry. She worried that her tiny hourglass figure would turn into a beach ball.

      He had laughed, but his words had never reassured her, so he had let her steal his fries without comment.

      Her fingers squeezed his arm, bringing him back to the present. “Do you want to follow me? There’s a room in the house we can go.”

      He wanted to tell her about the memory, but it was too late. His mouth couldn’t form a word.

      People were talking, asking questions, everyone blended into one giant mob. He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and nodded. He followed her blindly through the small crowd as people touched him, greeting him. They all meant to be friendly, but it was too much.

      As she opened the door, he heard Sheriff Cantu explaining to everyone that it was time to go home.

      Home. Would he find the answers he needed? Would he ever be whole enough to finish the job he started? He didn’t know what that meant yet, but his brain wouldn’t let go of the phrase.

      Return and finish the job. He didn’t know who or what, but he would get it done. That’s one thing he knew about himself. He never left a job undone.

      He just needed to figure out what the job was and who he was working for. Then he’d go back and take care of business. He closed his eyes to ease the pressure in his skull. One day at a time. First, he needed to heal his body, regain his memories, and then he could go back to Colombia.

       Chapter Two

      Selena led him deep into the house, where they’d be surrounded by silence instead of curious stares. The office was at the end of the hall, behind the kitchen. She closed the door. “You can open your eyes now, if you want.”

      Selena dropped his hand and stepped back. And for what seemed like an eternity, they stared at each other. There was so much to say, but all she really wanted to do was look at him. Since she’s received the news of his death, a part of her had expected him to show up, walk through the door, back from another secret mission. But everyone told her that was a normal part of grief. What they didn’t know about was the guilt.

      Especially with the way they had lost him, with no real closure. Just a box of ashes and belongings. It had seemed so surreal, but now he had walked back into her life and it was just as unsettling. “Whose ashes do we have?”

      “Pedro Sandoval. They thought I was him and that Xavier De La Rosa had been killed. Our I.D.s had been switched, and I don’t know why.”

      She sat on the edge of the small sofa and pointed to the chair across from her. He sank into the soft leather. She tried to gather her thoughts. That proved to be impossible.

      Raising his head, he took in the room, then shot up from the chair. “I don’t want to be in here.”

      Searching for the door, he spun until he found it. His chest expanded in short, shallow pants and he pressed his forehead to the solid wood.

      Selena jumped up and took his hand. When she opened the door, he shut it again.

      “There are people out there.” His voice was raw.

      “It’s okay. We’ll go across the hall. No one will see us.” He nodded, clinging to her fingers.

      As her bare feet hit the wood floors, she mentally slapped herself for bringing him into one of the worst places for his memories. She wondered if he remembered clearly what had transpired in this office, or if he merely got a bad feeling being in here. His old room was close by, but it was covered in his nieces’ love for pink and horses.

      She led him into the girls’ bedroom. “This is better, right?”

      He dropped her hand and flexed his fingers. “Great, now you think I’m a complete freak.”

      She couldn’t stop a giggle. “You could always find humor at your quirks. This is your old room. Now Belle’s girls share it.”

      He СКАЧАТЬ