Griffin hesitated in front of her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She forced a smile. “I will be.”
Because she didn’t have a choice.
“I just need to stop by the sheriff’s office,” Griffin said. “Then we’ll head out of town.”
Twenty minutes later they were driving toward the O’Callaghan ranch that was nestled beneath impressive views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding mountains while the sun slipped toward the horizon in front of them. On any other day, she would be soaking up the beauty of the wintery terrain. Right now, all she wanted to do was to run far away from everything that had happened.
“What are your parents going to say when you bring home a complete stranger?” she asked, breaking the silence between them.
“Trust me, my family won’t think twice about it. It’s definitely not the first time one of us has brought home someone needing a place to stay.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “You make me sound like a stray cat.”
He chuckled. “We’ve taken in a few of those over the years, as well.”
“Funny. Tell me about your family. You said earlier you had brothers.” She needed a distraction. Something to stop her from worrying about what could happen and the memories that still refused to surface.
“For starters, I’ve got three brothers.”
“Wow...your mother had her hands full.”
“More than you could ever imagine, but thankfully for her we’re all grown up now. Caden works with my father on the ranch and is a former army ranger. Reid works for the local fire department and my youngest brother, Liam, is in the army and recently got married.”
“He’s the only one with a wife?”
“Yep. They have a sweet daughter, Mia.”
His response surprised her. If his brothers were even close to being as good-looking as Griffin, the three of them sounded like catches. She glanced at her own ringless left hand. She was going to assume she wasn’t married or engaged but, for all she knew, she had a boyfriend back home.
Wherever that was.
She cleared her throat. “So, three bachelors. How did that happen?”
“That’s a question my mom asks almost every time I see her.”
“What about your ranch?” she asked, changing the subject. “Sounds like a wonderful place to grow up.”
“It was. Our family has worked the land since the 1920s. It’s got over ten thousand acres and some of the best hunting in the area, and is still used for hay production, livestock grazing and raising cattle.”
“Sounds beautiful, too.” Nevertheless, there was still the lingering question she couldn’t shake. “What if something goes wrong? What if they find me and it puts your family in danger? I couldn’t do that—”
“We’ll deal with that when—and if—the time comes. But don’t worry about that now.”
“Okay, then that must mean it’s time for you to ask me about my family, except I don’t have any answers.”
“Have you remembered anything new?”
“Nothing more than a handful of fuzzy memories.”
“We know your name and that you have medical training. I suppose we can always Google you.” Griffin glanced toward the back seat. “The FBI sent over a brief file on the case. That’s what I picked up at the sheriff’s office. There’s supposed to be something on you, as well.”
“Really?” She grabbed the folder, suddenly nervous about what she was going to find out.
The file was thin and the documents had been redacted in several places, including her hometown, but reading through it felt more like reading someone else’s biography.
“Does anything stand out or jog your memory?” Griffin asked.
“Not really, but there’s not much. It says parents are dead, and no siblings.” She looked up at him. “I’m going to assume I have a friend or two.”
“I’d say you definitely have way more than just a friend or two.”
“And why would you say that? I could be some recluse who lives with a houseful of cats and only goes out to check the mail.”
“Somehow I don’t think so. You’re easy to talk to, you have a sense of humor, and we already know how well you do in a medical emergency.”
She couldn’t help but smile. She liked the way he managed to disarm her fears and make her laugh. “Keep trying to make me feel better. You’re doing a good job.”
“There’s something else,” he said. “I know you put your life on the line to put a murderer behind bars. Something like that takes a lot of courage.”
His statement brought on another flash of memory, but she could not quite grab on to it. She glanced out the window at the falling snow that had already left a dusting of white across the landscape. She might have had to risk her life for justice, but even if that were true, it did little to erase the terror that wouldn’t leave her alone.
Griffin studied her reaction for a moment as they headed down the two-lane dirt road toward the ranch, knowing everything that had happened had left her unsettled. He couldn’t blame her. Not only was her life in danger, she could not remember what had brought her to this point beyond what had been written in an FBI report.
“I meant what I said. What you did took a lot of courage.”
“Maybe, but I’m just trying to figure all this out without getting too terrified. I keep asking myself the same question. What was my motivation? I obviously had to realize there was going to be a cost.” She skimmed through the file. “There’s a section in here about Jinx Ryder. He’s been arrested for racketeering, conspiracy to launder money, murder, and is known to be involved in several criminal enterprises. Sounds to me like anyone would be crazy to cross this guy.”
“Or extremely brave,” he countered.
“I’m not feeling brave.” Tory drummed her fingers against the armrest. “Instead I’m wondering what made me think I could survive going up against this guy.”
He felt his jaw tighten as he debated whether or not to share with her what had been nagging him all afternoon. What he had to say would shake her already precarious world, something he didn’t want to do. But if there was any chance that he was right...
“What are you thinking?” she asked, somehow sensing the shift in his thoughts.
“What if they weren’t trying to kill you?” he asked, feeling the burn in his arm.
Her eyes widened as she glanced up at him. “I’m not sure I understand. They killed the men transporting me, chased me through the woods and then shot at the car as we left. I’d say they were definitely trying to kill me.”
“They killed the agents you were with and shot at me. Did they ever shoot directly at you?”
His question seemed to throw her off. “They shot at the car.”
“Yes, but what if they were trying to stop the FBI detail. To extract you. Alive.”
“Alive?”
He hesitated again, knowing that what he was saying would probably make no sense from her point of view.