Read Online Kisses to Remember by Christine DePetrillo - Free Book Online

stopped pacing and stared out the window. Ted and Miles were rounding up the handful of cows they owned. The dog ran in speedy circles, forcing the cattle into a neat bunch. Above them, the clouds were darkening. Nebraska summer storms could be a bitch, and it looked as if a nasty one was headed their way.
    “No. I think it’s best if Mr. Lancaster has a couple days to rest before we tell him about the other pilot. Give him a chance to regain his memory. Right now, he doesn’t even remember flying a plane,” Dr. Sakala said.
    “Does he remember crashing a plane?”
    “Nope. He remembers a grassy field. Your grassy field. And you.”
    Something inside Johanna melted at that bit of information. “He remembers me?”
    “Your voice and red hair, I’m told.” Dr. Sakala paused. “Listen, Ms. Ware, I’ve got to see to other patients. Can you come for Mr. Lancaster? I can have the release forms ready when you arrive.”
    “He can just come with me? What about your high-level, no-access-except-for-family standard procedure? The nurses I’ve been badgering with phone calls were unmovable mountains about the standard procedure.”
    “Now that Mr. Lancaster is awake, he can authorize his release to you.”
    “Ah, the loophole. I see.” Johanna paced again. Going to the hospital to pick up a man you didn’t know was ridiculous, but she couldn’t leave the poor guy there. She couldn’t. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
    “Thank you, Ms. Ware.” Dr. Sakala hung up before Johanna could ask any more questions.
    She shut off her phone and ran her hands through her hair. Her red hair that Holden Lancaster remembered.  
    “Storm’s coming. Cows are in the barn.” Ted’s voice made Johanna jump. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He stepped deeper into the room, Miles slipping in behind him.
    “Not your fault.” Johanna put a hand to her chest, trying to quiet her beating heart. She kneeled down and gave Miles a vigorous scratching until he rolled around on his back in doggy bliss. “Are you going to be around for a while?”
    “Aren’t I always around?” Ted raised his eyebrows.
    “Yes, and I thank the heavens for it.” With her own parents gone and Alex in jail, Ted and Kam were her only family. She thought about not being able to remember them, and a shiver rippled through her body.
    When she stood, Ted hugged her, then held her at arm’s length. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” She stepped out of Ted’s hold. “The hospital called.”
    “About that pilot?”
    Johanna nodded. “He’s awake, but has amnesia due to a concussion.”
    “That’s temporary, right?” Ted sat on the small loveseat in Johanna’s office and stretched out his legs.
    “Yes, but they can’t find any family for the guy, and Donovan Electronics says he doesn’t work for—”
    “Wait a minute.” Ted got to the edge of his seat and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Are you thinking about taking him in, Johanna?”
    “I can’t leave him there, Ted.”
    “Yes, you can. You don’t know him. The company says he doesn’t work for them. He and the other pilot could have stolen that plane and done God knows what with the real pilots. He could be planning to sell smuggled electronics or worse. He could be a criminal.”
    As soon as the word left his lips, Ted dropped his gaze to the floor.
    “A criminal. Like Alex,” Johanna whispered. “Guess I could be a magnet for them. This farm could be a criminal vortex.”
    “That’s not what I meant, Johanna.” Ted stared up at her. “I just want you to be careful. I’ll never forgive Alex for what he did to you, to Kam, to…her.”
    “Alex didn’t mean for any of that to happen.” The sting of tears burned in Johanna’s eyes.
    “It could have all been avoided if my son used his goddamned head.” Ted got up from the loveseat. “We lost Kallie because of him. Innocent, beautiful Kallie.” Ted’s voice got scratchy, and he heaved in a shaky