“I’ll make four. She might like cream and sugar.”
“Good call.”
Cody smiled and sent her a wink. “Everything is going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
She couldn’t help but smile back at him. Stranger or not, the guy was charming, a kind of devil-may-care cowboy. Suddenly a bout of the shakes took hold of her. She couldn’t stop trembling. Her skin felt cold.
Bryant leaned in and whispered, “Don’t fret. This is normal. These shivers will end.”
His words reached into her and the quakes subsided a little. “Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I won’t let you down. I saw a lot of action in Afghanistan.” Bryant took her hand. “We’ll see you through this. You don’t have a fever. That’s good.”
“You’re a soldier?” Was he home on leave?
“Marine. I’ve been out for a couple of years.” Bryant nodded toward the kitchen. “Cody and Emmett, too, though Emmett was in earlier than we were. He went to Iraq.”
No wonder she felt so safe even though they were complete strangers. “Soldier cowboys came to my rescue. Someone should make a movie about that.”
“Not a bad idea.” Emmett glanced over at his brother. “I would’ve stayed in if I hadn’t lost fifty percent of my hearing in my right ear from an IED exploding under my team.”
Bryant squeezed her hand. “And Cody and I would’ve re-upped if you hadn’t needed us to help at the ranch.”
Emmett shrugged. “I would’ve managed with Sawyer and Reed just fine. They’re the best hands around. Besides, with the force reduction going on two years ago, I doubt either of you would’ve gotten an assignment.”
“Why am I shaking?” She didn’t expect an answer, only needed to voice the question.
“You’ve been through a helluva lot, miss.” Bryant released her hand and pulled the covers up to her neck. “Nerves would be my bet. Who wouldn’t be shaking after such a traumatic event?”
“But isn’t that just it? I don’t know what happened. You don’t know what happened. I don’t even know who I am or where I come from or where I was going.” The trembles came back stronger and more frenzied than before. “What if I never gain my memory back?”
Emmett took a cloth from a bowl on the table by the bed. She hadn’t even noticed it. He wrung it out and wiped her face. “You will. Bryant is right. Besides, someone as beautiful as you must have loved ones who will come looking for you. They’ll help you sort things out. Until then, you’re going to have to depend on us.”
“My brother is right, miss. We may look rough around the edges, just three cowboys, but we won’t let you down. Cross my heart.” Bryant took his finger and traced an X over his manly chest. It was an action that seemed to reveal the boy he’d been long ago.
Her body wouldn’t stop trembling as her mind continued to wrestle with itself. Who am I? The question rolled over again and again with no resolution. Her heart thudded in her chest hard and fast. “Emmett, you found me, right?”
“Yes.”
“What else can you tell me that might jog my memory back into place?” She looked down at the tattered clothes she was wearing—slacks and a shirt. No shoes. “Was this all I had on?” They could’ve stripped her while she was out but hadn’t. It made her feel better about them.
“You likely lost your shoes when you walked away in a daze from your car.”
“What about a purse or identification?” She knew this was a feeble attempt to grasp at any shred that might pull her out of this nightmare, but she had to try.
Emmett shook his head. “Maybe this might help you remember. You were muttering something I didn’t understand. What was it?” He rubbed his head and then snapped his fingers. “Right.”
“Right what?” Bryant asked.
“That was one of the words she was saying over and over. Right and bliss. Does that help you?”
She sure wished it did, but it didn’t spark a single thing in her locked-down brain. “No. Anything else, Emmett?”
He touched her cheek. “I’m sorry, but no.”
Cody walked in carrying a tray with the four promised mugs. Each was steaming hot. “We don’t have any fancy teas, sweetheart. I hope you like tried-and-true Lipton.”