Colton on the Run Page 5

  “Well, who knows what’s going on up there these days what with that Avalanche Killer and all,” Clarice’s friend, whose name badge identified her as Betsy, declared in a singsong voice. “Not sure if that’s going to bring more people in or frighten them away.”

  “The Avalanche Killer?” Leo did his best to sound casual.

  “Honey, you’ve been spending too much time out on that ranch alone. Haven’t you heard? They’ve found bodies up there on the mountain near The Lodge. Bodies of young women. Buried in the snow.” Clarice shuddered. “Word is some go back years. They found another one just a while ago. Crazy times we’re living in. I’m locking my doors for sure.”

  “Crazy times indeed,” Leo murmured even as his mind raced. He wasn’t a man who believed in coincidences. Knowing what he did about Jane and what had happened to her, now hearing about this crazy serial killer? Suddenly, all he wanted was to get back to the ranch and make sure she was okay.

  “Thanks, Clarice. So who’s in charge of the case? Have they brought in the Feds? I saw on one of those reality shows they bring in the FBI for cases like this.”

  Betsy shook her overdyed blond hair. “Last I heard Deputy Daria Bloom’s overseeing things. Been working like a fiend trying to tie all the threads together.” Her mascara-thick blue eyes went wide. “I bet this would make an amazing book or TV movie. You know, for that women in crime network they have. Oh, wow! I wonder if they’d film here.”

  Leo forced a laugh and accepted the bags Clarice finished packing. “I wouldn’t put it past anyone not to have thought of that already. Thanks, ladies. You have a nice day. Clarice, you take it easy.”

  “You, too, Leo.” Clarice beamed at him.

  Leo loaded his bags into the truck, hesitating. Questions flooded his mind, as well as doubts. As much as he wanted to inquire further about the supposed serial killer and ferret out information that could, possibly, connect to Jane, he’d given her his word he wouldn’t go to the authorities. Besides, going in and asking questions of the police would more likely result in him being put on a suspect list rather than being considered a curious resident.

  No. Now wasn’t the time. He couldn’t break the promise he’d made to Jane, not when trust was the most important thing he could build right now. It didn’t matter that she might never know. He would. A man might not have much, his grandfather often told him, but he has his word and once he gives that, there’s no going back.

  Which meant Leo would give the sheriff’s station and Deputy Bloom a wide berth. For now.

  Chapter 4

  “Jane!” Leo dropped the overflowing bags onto the washing machine on the back porch. He’d stopped to get her some clothes and necessities at a convenience store just outside town, a store he’d only ever driven past previously. No one would recognize him as far as he knew; thus no one would question his purchases. He shrugged out of his coat and hung it and his hat on their respective hooks. “Sorry I took so long.” He glanced at the unusually dark kitchen. Frowning, he headed to the stove and noted the timer was off.

  Well, she’d turned it off at least once. All the while he was gone, he was making bets with himself as to whether she’d actually done as he’d asked. His smile dipped as he realized the curtain over the window had been drawn. And not neatly. The tension bar had slipped and the curtain hung at an odd angle.

  Unease dripped through him. “Jane? Ollie?”

  That not even the dog responded to his call had him racing into the living room. The quilt was wadded up on the sofa, but no sign of Jane. He checked her bedroom, the bathroom, even her closet before hurrying back to search the other bedrooms. In every room the curtains had been drawn, the light doused. Finally, he spotted her in his grandfather’s study. “Jane.” Leo sagged against the door frame and tried to steady his racing heart. “Didn’t you hear me? What are you doing in here? Ollie?”

  The dog whimpered but didn’t move from his space beside Jane.

  Jane. She’d curled herself tight into the back corner of the room, bookcases on either side of her, arms locked tight around her knees. With one of the kitchen knives gripped in her hand, she was rocking back and forth, that same vacant stare he’d seen in the barn.

  No. Not the same stare, he realized as his throat tightened. This one was worse. This expression scared him.

  “It’s okay, Ollie.” Leo approached slowly, keeping his eyes on the dog until he lowered himself beside Jane. As if dealing with a spooked filly, he didn’t attempt to take the knife away from her. Nor did he push for a verbal response. Ollie got up and walked around to his side and pushed his cold nose against Leo’s hand.

  “Jane?” Leo kept his voice low. “What happened?”

  “I saw someone. Outside.” Her glassy brown gaze blinked quickly to the window before settling again. “Just someone on a horse, but I thought... I was afraid.” Tears gleamed in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be hiding. I shouldn’t be here.”

  Where else should she be? “You’ve nothing to apologize for.” Leo had been careful about touching her. While she’d been firm in her declaration she hadn’t been sexually assaulted, with her memory the way it was, every gesture he made had to be thought out. He held up his arm, as if asking permission to hold her. Comfort her. Bring her some kind of solace. “No one is going to hurt you here, Jane. Not here. I promise.”

  “You can’t promise that,” she whispered before she leaned into him. Leo dropped his arm around her and held her close, hugging her against him so that he could press his nose into the floral fragrance of her hair. He took a deep breath and imagined an open field where a smiling Jane opened her arms and twirled in the Colorado sunshine.

  It was his dream, he thought. To see her laughing, and smiling, and without the hint of terror clouding her beautiful brown eyes.

  “I can promise anything I want,” Leo whispered back. “I’m sorry I left you alone. I shouldn’t have. I won’t again.”

  “You can’t babysit me every hour.” And yet she didn’t give any indication she planned to move. “I just need a little time to stop being scared.”

  “You need as much time as you need. How’s your head?” He reached down and caught her face in his hand, tilting it so he could look into her eyes. “Truth.”

  “It hurts. But not as bad as before.” She blinked at Leo, as if seeing him clearly for the first time.

  “Have you changed your mind about talking to the police?” He’d planned on discussing what he’d heard in town, to try to press her on the memories she was missing in order to determine if she’d been the latest target of this Avalanche Killer. But given the traumatized state she was in at the moment, letting her know a serial killer might be after her could tip her further away from him. Far enough away he’d never get her back.

  “No.” The way she said it, with renewed anger in her voice, told him there was something else going on inside. “No police. You didn’t talk to them, did you?”

  As she looked at him, the pleading in her eyes piercing him to the core, he was relieved he didn’t have to lie to her. “No, I didn’t. I thought about it, but I promised. And I don’t break my promises, remember?”

  “I remember.”

  He tugged her back against him and covered her hand that held the knife with his much larger one. “I’m going to need that later. For dinner.”

  “Okay.” She nodded, her cheek sliding up and down against his chest. “Just tell me when.”

  Leo couldn’t help it. He laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” Her brow furrowed as she sat up and glared at him. But then, as his laughter continued, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I guess it is pretty ridiculous. Me sitting here with this.”

  “Not ridiculous.” Leo caught the back of her head in his hand and pulled her close, pressed his lips against her forehead. It was, he realized, not meant to comfort her, but to bring him a
bit of solace. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. The last time he’d done anything other than go about his daily routine, the same routine his grandfather had perfected more than fifty years ago. “It is what it is. If that knife makes you feel more safe, I can make do with another.”

  “I don’t need it now.” He could almost hear her fingers creak as she released the blade and set it on the floor beside her. “You’re here. I’m not as scared when you’re here.”

  She lifted her hand and pressed her palm against his chest. Right over his suddenly stuttering heart. The heat of her touch zoomed through him, from head right down to his toes, hovering slightly around his core before settling. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the flame of attraction away. Wanting her wasn’t an option. Not now. Not when she didn’t know who she was. Not when she had no control over any aspect of her life.

  Other than choosing to stay with him.

  “We’re going to get you through this, Jane.” If her hand remained on his chest, he knew she’d brand him for life. He lifted her fingers lightly in his and pressed his lips to the back of her knuckles. “We’re going to find out who you are and what happened. But we’ll do it when you’re ready. When you feel strong enough. Does that sound like a deal you can make?”

  She nodded, tilting her head far enough back that he could see the confusion in her eyes. Confusion he was willing to embrace far more easily than the fear that had hovered moments before.

  “What if you’re right?” she whispered.

  “About what?”

  “What if you’re right that whoever attacked me did so because of who I am. Maybe I shouldn’t try to find out. Maybe not getting my memory back is the only way to stop it from happening again.”

  Leo’s chest constricted. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anyone look so lost before.

  “I think letting fear rule your life is never a good way to live. It’s not living, Jane. It’s surrendering. And from what I’ve seen of you, I don’t think surrender is part of who you are. You’re a fighter.” He caught her chin in his fingers. “You fought your way out of that shed. You fought your way through the woods. You fought your way here. And now—”

  “And now I have you to help me fight.”

  And then it happened. The fear, that despair and terror that radiated through the room vanished.

  “And now you have me.” He clicked his tongue for Ollie to move, and Leo got to his feet. He stretched out his hand and waited for her to take it. “We’re in this together, Jane. Until you get your life back, I’ll be right by your side.”

  * * *

  Until you get your life back.

  Almost a week later, Leo’s words still echoed in her mind.

  The ancient mattress creaked as Jane rolled onto her side. The days were folding in on themselves. She was so bored. Every day that passed, it seemed as if she moved from her bedroom to the kitchen to the living room, then back to the bedroom. The same routine, the same TV shows. The same books staring back at her from the bookcases in the living room. Even Ollie was getting restless, casting forlorn looks at the doors as if hoping for escape.

  Escape. She plucked at the blanket. Her headaches had eased. For the most part. The bruises, which were still visible and angry looking, had stopped aching. She could almost forget they were there unless she looked. But it was the fear that was hardest to shake. The overwhelming sensation that something horrible was going to happen the second she stepped foot outside this house. Of course, maybe that feeling would go away if she could just remember something, anything, about her life before she’d come to in that shed.

  And then there was Leo. Poor, handsome, concerned Leo was running himself ragged between all the ranch chores and coming back to check on her. If she had to guess, he barely had the energy to push her toward going to the police, but in that she was adamant. She knew, somehow she knew, going anywhere near the cops was only going to make things worse. Which meant something had to change.

  The warm Colorado morning stole the air from the room, but she’d refrained from opening the window. Much as she longed for a breeze, tempering her fear had gone only so far. A ceiling fan whirred, attempting to keep the air moving at least, but the T-shirt she wore was sticking to her and the blankets had long been discarded.

  She wasn’t sure of the time. The utter darkness of the night had passed, so she assumed it was nearing dawn. Jane curled her fingers into the pillow under her head and reminded herself of what she did every morning: she was alive.

  That was all that mattered.

  Until you get your life back, I’ll be right by your side.

  Jane’s lips curved into a secret smile. Even if her memory had been intact she’d wonder if she’d ever heard anything more...perfect. She needed something to be perfect. Everything else was just a total blank.

  Beyond the closed door of her room, she heard Leo in the kitchen, puttering around. Speaking to Ollie in a low voice. Jane’s smile widened. The dog had spent a good long time deciding where he preferred to spend his nights. At times she woke up and found the dog stretched out in her doorway, his attention rapt when she looked at him. Her heart had claimed the German shepherd for good at that concerned look in his eyes. He was as good and kind as his master.

  Good and kind. She let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding since Leo had found her huddling in his grandfather’s study. The way he held her, comforted her. Protected her. Even as she thought about it, a shiver of irritation slid over her as she questioned her independence, that she was so willing to rely on someone, a man, to take care of her. But that wasn’t what he was doing.

  Well. She rolled onto her back. It wasn’t all he was doing. Every word he spoke, every action he took, it was clear he was giving her the choice as to what came next. From how he touched her to how far she was willing to go to discover who she really was.

  This morning, the pain in her head was back. Sharp, pounding away at her like a pesky gremlin rattling around in her skull. She knew the headaches and pain concerned Leo. She saw it on his face at dinnertime while they ate overcooked pasta or burnt chicken. He’d actually laughed last night—that amazing, eye-lighting laugh of his—when she’d declared his attempt at pot roast the best meal she’d ever eaten.

  “Of course it is,” he teased. “It’s one of the few you remember.”

  Her stomach growled now, triggered no doubt by the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee filtering through the air. No need lazing around in bed when she couldn’t sleep. She’d only drive herself more crazy than she already felt. She got up, pulled open the door and stepped into the dimly lit kitchen.

  “I’m sorry if I woke you.” Leo looked up from the bowl of food he was fixing for Ollie.

  “I was already awake. Couldn’t sleep. Too hot.” She fanned herself and tried to ignore the flare of desire that exploded in his eyes before he refocused on his dog. Interesting. So she hadn’t imagined that spark of attraction she’d caught on occasion. A tiny thrill surged through her only to be doused by Leo turning his back on her. “You’re up early.” Now that she was near a clock she could see it was barely four thirty in the morning. Normally she didn’t get up until after seven, by which time Leo was back from his first round of chores.

  “Always am.” He tossed her a grin before ducking into the open refrigerator. “Ranch work starts before sunup and I want to make sure... Oh.” He turned and found her right behind him. He blinked. “Good morning.” Just seeing her startled him out of his morning routine.

  “Hi.” She clasped her hands behind her back. “Can I help?”

  “Pretty straightforward, actually. But, yeah, sure. Bagels okay for breakfast?”

  “Sounds good to me.” She retrieved two from the hand-carved bread box, sliced them and stuck them in the toaster. “But I wasn’t just talking about breakfast.” If she was going to face her fear of going outside, might
as well go all in. “I meant with the ranch.”

  “You want to help me around the ranch?”

  Jane couldn’t imagine being more entertained than she was by Leo’s nervous discomfort. “Sure. It has to be a time suck, coming back here to check on me, and you need to get a lot of stuff done. So unless there’s someone else out there to help you...” She trailed off, remembering the man she’d seen on horseback. “There isn’t anyone else around, is there?” she choked out.

  “Not for another few weeks.” As if understanding what she meant, he stopped cutting up Ollie’s chicken and looked at her. “You’re still thinking about whoever you saw that first day.”

  “On horseback. On the far hill.” She’d have pointed, but the darkness obscured the view. “No details, but seeing him was enough to... Well, you saw what seeing him did to me.” The memory alone made her stomach clench.

  “Neighbors pass through all the time. Might have been Trapper.” At her blank expression, he continued. “Trapper’s been living in this area going on about thirty years now. He used to take on odd jobs around the place for my grandfather. We’ve always just let him wander through when he wants. He usually turns up around this time of year.”

  “Where does he live?” Jane searched the refrigerator, came up with cream cheese, but chose butter and his grandmother’s jam for herself.

  “Oh, out and about. He doesn’t have a home per se. Just moves around from site to site. Sometimes down by the river. Other times out by the highway. Never gets too close to civilization. Grandma and Grandpa always kept him stocked with food, as do others in the area. He’s good people, Jane. You don’t have to be scared of him.”

  She gnawed on her lip. These days she was scared even of the idea of anyone other than Leo.

  “I was actually thinking about asking him to stay close to the place for the next few weeks,” Leo continued. “You know. An extra pair of eyes couldn’t hurt. Even now.”