The Heiress and the Sheriff

Wyatt’s eyes widened with surprise. “Hell! I already know I’m not a pleasant man. What I need to hear from you is whether Gabrielle Carter is faking her memory loss.”

“I don’t think so.”

Wyatt let out a long breath. He’d never wanted to believe anything so much in his life. But several reasons held him back. The biggest one being Gabrielle was a woman. And a white one at that. “You think. You can’t say for certain?”

“No. Like I said before, amnesia isn’t something doctors encounter routinely. And even when it’s genuine, it’s tricky to deal with.”

“Have you ever seen this woman before?”

Matthew shook his head. “Never. I’m sure of it. But Wyatt, I really think you’re barking up a wrong tree here. Miss Carter hardly seems the sinister type. I can’t imagine her being connected to Bryan’s kidnapping, or even to Taylor’s winding up on the ranch.”

“You couldn’t imagine your own child being stolen from its crib either!” Wyatt bluntly reminded him. Then, muttering a curse under his breath, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Matthew. I know I’m scratching at a wound that hasn’t healed, and I don’t want to hurt you any more than you already have been. But we can’t afford to trust this woman. At least, not until I find out more about her. It might turn out she’s the mystery mother of baby Taylor.”

Matthew quickly shook his head. “Her chart reads she’s a virgin. Apparently she told the admitting doctor she had some abdominal pain. Since she couldn’t remember her medical history, she agreed to a full physical—including a gyn—just to make sure there were no internal problems. So it’s clear the woman hasn’t even had sex with a man, Wyatt. Much less given birth to a child.”

For some reason Matthew’s words spread a dull flush over Wyatt’s dark face. The idea of Gabrielle Carter being pristine and untouched had never occurred to him.

“That doesn’t make her innocent in other ways.”

The young doctor sighed as he pinned Wyatt with a regretful look. “You’ll never trust women, will you?”

“Not in this lifetime.”

Matthew threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender.

“All right, Wyatt, so what if you find out Miss Carter was up to no good when she headed out to the ranch? What are you going to do—arrest her on suspicion?”

Gabrielle’s pale, haunted face crept into Wyatt’s mind, but he pushed it out. If he wasn’t careful, that lost, vulnerable look in her pretty eyes would lead him right down a path to ruination.

“I don’t know,” Wyatt answered. “I’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.”

Gabrielle could leave the hospital. The doctor had given her the release a few minutes ago. But what was she supposed to do? The only things she possessed were her jeans, top and a pair of clunky sandals. She had no money or car. No home to call for help. At least, if she did, she couldn’t remember who her family was, or where they were.

At the moment Gabrielle could only think of two options. Walk until she found a shelter. Or throw herself on the mercy of the Department of Human Services. Neither choice held any appeal. But she had to have some sort of shelter until her memory returned, or until she could find a job and care for herself.

There was a telephone beside the head of the bed. She supposed she could use it for local calls. But there was no directory that she could find. And besides, she had no one to call.

You could call Sheriff Wyatt Grayhawk.

She cringed at the sound of the little voice inside her head. The man had promised he’d be back, but it was nearly noon and she hadn’t seen him yet. It was pretty obvious he’d decided she wasn’t worth bothering about. Besides, she’d rather ask a stranger on the street for help than ask that man.

“Gabrielle! Great—you’re up and all ready to go!”

At the young woman’s voice, Gabrielle swung around from her spot at the window. Maggie Fortune stepped into the room.

Relief flooded through Gabrielle. “I’m so glad you came! The doctor has released me and I need a ride to some sort of shelter. Would you mind dropping me off?”

The dark-haired young woman walked over to Gabrielle. “I would mind very much. I wouldn’t think of allowing you to go to a shelter.”

Gabrielle’s brow puckered with confusion as she looked at the other woman. Maggie Fortune was casually dressed in white slacks and a red blouse, but Gabrielle could see her clothes were expensive, as was her wedding ring and the rest of her jewelry. She was obviously well-to-do. Surely she wasn’t going to suggest that Gabrielle go with her!

“I have to do something, Ms. Fortune, until I get my memory back. And so far it’s no better than it was yesterday.”

“Call me Maggie. Does your head feel any better?”

Gabrielle nodded. “It still aches, but the throbbing isn’t fierce like it was yesterday. The doctor read my brain scan this morning, and he says there is no serious injury.”

“But what about your memory? Can’t he do something about that?”

Gabrielle grimaced. “He believes it will gradually come back to me on its own after my brain gets over the shock of the accident. That’s why, for now, I’ve got to find a place to stay.”

“Of course you do. That’s why you’re coming out to the Double Crown Ranch with me.” Gabrielle opened her mouth to protest but Maggie was waving her hand before she could utter one word. “Don’t argue, Gabrielle. I’ve already talked it over with my husband and father-in-law. They and the rest of the family want you to come. We all feel guilty about putting you in this awful situation.”

Feeling suddenly weak, Gabrielle walked over to the bed and sank down on its edge. “I—don’t know what to say. From what you said, the whole thing was an accident. I certainly don’t hold you or your family accountable.”

Maggie smiled gently at her. “I told them all that you would feel this way. And I also assured them I wouldn’t come home without you.”

“But…I’m sure I’ll be able to stay a few days at a shelter. And by then I’ll probably remember everything and be able to go home. If not, I can surely find a job somewhere.”

Maggie shook her head. “You can’t work in your condition. You need time to recuperate.” She walked over to Gabrielle and gently squeezed her shoulder. “I promise—my family is nice. And the ranch house is so big you won’t possibly be in the way. Now get your things and let’s go.”

Gabrielle suddenly chuckled and held up her empty palms. “I don’t have any things. Whatever I had with me must have burned in the car.”

“Oh, my goodness! I wasn’t thinking. You poor thing, you don’t even have a toothbrush. Well, never mind, we’ll go shopping for whatever you need.”

“Oh no! I—” Gabrielle’s words halted as a knock sounded on the door.

Both women turned to see Sheriff Grayhawk entering the hospital room. Today he was dressed more like a lawman. A revolver in a hand-tooled, leather holster was strapped low on his waist. His shirt was khaki with a sheriff’s department emblem on the sleeve. On the pocket over his heart was a shiny round badge with a star in the center.

Gabrielle had thought he looked tough yesterday. Today, he was formidable.

“Hello, Wyatt,” Maggie greeted him.

Not bothering to remove his black Stetson, he nodded at the woman, then planted a direct stare on Gabrielle. “I see you’re dressed. Are you leaving the hospital?”

Her heart pounding madly, she nodded at him.

Maggie spoke up, “Gabrielle has been released by the doctor, so I’m taking her out to the ranch.”

“Is that what you want to do?” he asked Gabrielle.

She opened her mouth to speak, but once again Maggie beat her to it. “She wanted me to take her to a shelter. But I wouldn’t hear of it.”

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed on Gabrielle’s newfound friend. “Does the rest of your family know of your intentions to take Gabrielle out to the Double Crown?”

He made it sound as though she were a leper who should be banished to a dark cave somewhere, Gabrielle thought.

Maggie frowned at him. “We discussed it last night. Ryan and Dallas insist on it. They think it’s the least we can do to help Gabrielle. And so do I.”