A Cowboy's Honor. Lois Richer

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СКАЧАТЬ An idea formed. “If you had some photos or something that I could look at, it might help trigger my memory.”

      It was doubtful anything would, not after so many blank months. But he wouldn’t stop hoping. Or trusting God to get him through this, however long it took.

      “Sure. No problem.” Gracie waited for him to buckle up.

      “I’ll try not to cause problems for you.” As if he wasn’t already. He winced. “I don’t suppose it will be easy to explain my sudden appearance to anyone.”

      “Elizabeth won’t mind.”

      “Elizabeth?”

      “Elizabeth Wisdom. She owns the Bar None. At least her foundation does. Along with a whole lot of other places around the world.”

      “You work for this foundation?”

      “Yes.” Gracie’s fingertips squeezed the steering wheel and she heaved a sigh of relief, as if she was glad of the change in subject. She had beautiful hands. They matched the rest of her. Any man would be proud to call her his wife. Which made Dallas wonder why he’d left, and where he would stay once they arrived at the ranch.

      “Tell me how you came to be there.”

      “It was rough after my dad died,” Gracie began quietly. “I hadn’t finished vet school, so I wasn’t qualified to take over from him. The house went with the practice. Once they were sold I didn’t have anyplace to go.”

      His fault. Why hadn’t he provided a home for his wife?

      “Things got pretty bad,” she summarized, casting him a sideways glance. “Elizabeth offered me a scholarship to finish my degree, with the condition that I work for the foundation for six months when I graduated.”

      “So you’ll only be at the ranch for six months? Then where will you go?”

      “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

      Gracie flicked on the radio, leaned back and hummed along to the country-and-western song filling the cab. Whatever other questions he had would have to wait.

      Such as how he came to be married to a woman who was lovelier than Hollywood’s hottest celebrity, yet couldn’t recall one single thing about it.

      When big wrought-iron gates and a sign announcing the Bar None appeared, Dallas reached out and turned off the radio. Gracie shot him a quick glance.

      “We’re almost there, aren’t we?”

      “Yes.”

      “Before we arrive, will you tell me one more thing, Gracie?”

      “If I can.” Her face tightened, as if she was bracing for bad news.

      “Are we still married?”

      “Yes.”

      “You don’t wear a ring.” He glanced at his own hand, saw no band on his own ring finger. “Why?”

      “Why what?”

      “Why are we still married?” Dallas slouched against his seat, hating that he had to ask, but needing the information to build another piece of the puzzle. “You could have divorced me. They told me I was in the coma for over five years. That’s a long time for someone to be gone.”

      Especially a husband.

      “Believe me, I know exactly how long it’s been.” Bitterness tinged Gracie’s voice in spite of her best efforts to pretend nonchalance.

      “So why didn’t you get a divorce?”

      “Stop pushing me!” she snapped, then immediately shook her head. “I’m sorry, Dallas.”

      “It’s okay.” But it wasn’t. He wanted to figure out why she hadn’t let him go and found someone new.

      “I don’t have an answer for you. For a while I thought you’d come back, show up on the doorstep with some long-winded explanation about where you’d been, why you hadn’t called.”

      “And when I didn’t?”

      “I didn’t have the money to find out about how to get a divorce. I didn’t have the money for anything.” The dam holding back her anger broke. “I wasn’t just sitting in a chair waiting for you to show up, you know. I had to get on with my life. You were gone, my dad was gone. I had to find a way to survive.”

      “I’m sorry.” It didn’t help, but at least now he knew. “You wanted to, though, didn’t you?’

      He needed her to answer that.

      “At one point, early on, I considered divorce.” Gracie steered toward a white house tucked under a weeping willow. “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

      “I don’t know.” Dallas pressed his hands flat against his knees.

      “This is my place.” Gracie pulled up to the house, taking great pains to align her vehicle perfectly with the post in front before she shut off the motor. She climbed out of the truck quickly, opened the rear door and lifted out her parcels. She was halfway up the path, her sandals rustling the pea gravel, before she noticed he hadn’t followed.

      “Come on, Dallas. Let’s go inside.” Gracie waited until he’d joined her. “This is what I call home now. Elizabeth gave—”

      The front door flew open. A miniature blond whirlwind appeared on the step, hopping up and down on one foot. “Did you get it? Did you get it?”

      Dallas glanced at Gracie. Love washed over her face.

      “Yes, I got it. And I want you to meet someone. But let’s go inside first.” She smiled at the little girl before motioning for him to follow her. “I’ll introduce you to Elizabeth Wisdom.”

      “Hi, Gracie. We had a lovely afternoon together.” A tall, gray-haired woman stood by the kitchen counter. She nodded at him. “I see you brought some company along. Welcome to the Bar None.”

      “Thanks.” This was the benefactor? To Dallas she looked more like a grandmother.

      “Shall I leave you now, Gracie? Or do you need me a bit longer?”

      “If it wouldn’t be too much more of an imposition, I’d like you to stay, Elizabeth. This concerns you, indirectly.” Gracie grabbed Dallas’s arm and drew him into the living room.

      He glanced around. There was not an item out of place. That deliberate neatness struck him as odd, especially with a child present. But then maybe the little girl didn’t live here.

      Elizabeth arched one brow before nodding. She studied Dallas as she took a seat on the white love seat. Foreboding rushed over him, but he pushed it away. The doctor had told him to be prepared for surprises. All he could do was silently pray for courage as he waited for Gracie to make the next move.

      “Have a seat,” his wife told him.

      Dallas СКАЧАТЬ