Read Online Lost Memories (Honky Tonk Hearts) by Sherri Thomas - Free Book Online Page A

second he spoke. But why is he calling me? “Is something wrong?”
    “Not that I know of.” A deep chuckle filled her ear. “Unless my brothers left you on your own?”
    Funny how without him glaring down at her the comment made light of her mishaps. “Should I be insulted?” she chided back.
    “No,” he sighed. “I told Sam I’d check in on things, but no one answered.”
    “Trent and Chris went into town. I think Sam was headed for the shower.” She raised her knees causing water to slosh over the side of the tub.
    “What’s that?”
    “I’m...ah...water.”
    “It’s kind of late to be watering the animals. They should have been fed and watered hours ago.” Irritation lined his tone.
    “Um, I’m not. I mean, they were.”
    “Are you doing dishes?”
    “No.”
    “Well, the only other place you’d have water would be in the bath.”
    She sank deeper in the tub as if he could see her.
    “Darc, are you in the—are you naked?” His voice choked.
    “Yes.” How else did one wash?
    He let out what sounded like a groan. “I have to go.”
    The phone went silent. Tossing her cell onto the towel, she stuck her tongue out at the device. “If you didn’t want to know, you shouldn’t have asked.”
    She finished her bath in record time with the sound of Nick’s groan circling her head.
    He called two more times during the first week of his travels, short conversations, but on the third call, she ventured to ask his advice on how to deal with a couple of the animals.
    “For the more stubborn ones, make sure you have a treat. It’ll make for a lot less headaches in the end.”
    She sat up in her bed, adjusting the pillows behind her back. “What if I give the animal the wrong treat?”
    He chuckled. “There’s a possibility.”
    “Hey!” She laughed, then sobered when he remained silent.
    “I like hearing you laugh.” His hoarse voice deepened.
    Playing with a loose string on the bed spread, she admitted, “It’s easier to talk to you on the phone.”
    “I apologize if I haven’t made things easy for you. I’m glad you’re more at ease with me now.”
    “It’s a lot less painful when you’re not staring at me with your brows bent over your eyes.”
    He chuckled, a deep rich sound.
    She snuggled down into the bed. “I like hearing you laugh too.”
    Nick cleared his throat. “There are, ah, peppermints for the horses in the tack room,” he said, picking up the previous conversation. “Roughage is in the refrigerator in the pig barn. For the others, grab a handful of feed from the bins.”
    “Thank you for the advice.”
    “Sleep well, Darc,” he murmured.
    The conversations with Nick helped her grow more secure in her decision to remain on the ranch. No other visions of her past surfaced. No other incidents occurred. No more feelings of someone watching her.
    During the day, she stayed busy learning the ways of the ranch. She educated the guests’ children on the care of the ranch animals and, with Sam’s assistance, she rode T.J. a handful of times in the arena.
    The stocky cowboy glued himself to her side, babysitting her every move those first days, but inch by inch, day by day, he gave her space.
    Yet, it was strange. From the minute she swung up into the saddle, her body took over, knowing instinctively what to do. With each passing jolt of the horse’s stride, she became more confident in her job. She may not have been able to remember riding, but her limbs moved in rhythm with the horse at every turn.
    Nighttime consisted of another matter altogether—lying awake, waiting for Nick’s call. When he didn’t phone, she’d toss and turn with disappointment over not hearing his voice. When he did, she’d dream of him.
    Gradually though, his calls increased to every night. He claimed to check on her progress, to see if she enjoyed working on the ranch, while she asked about his trip.
    “Do you miss the ranch when you’re gone?” Pouring herself a glass of red wine, she