Captured by Cowboys (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 1)

“Typos I suppose, Sheriff. I’m so glad I found you, Kathy. I’ve been looking for you for some time. You can’t imagine how scared I was you might be hurt or worse.”

She studied his look, wondering if even a smidgen of her memory would return. He wore a black suit, which looked expensive, a black shirt, and a black tie.

I’m not green right now. That’s for sure.

She guessed him to be in his late thirties, which seemed a little old for him to be her husband but not out of the realm of possibility. The guy’s hair was thin, and his hairline went back too far on his head, making his forehead quite prominent. She could see streaks of gray hair on both sides of his temples. Where Emmett and Bryant were stunningly handsome, this man was at his best average. He wore a scraggily goatee that embellished his already-too-round face. His eyes were dull, lacking any deep color.

Had she really married this man? No emotions welled up inside her while she continued to examine his features. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

“You can’t imagine how hard this is for me, mister. I don’t remember you.” Her heart was breaking. How was she going to live in a future without her cowboys? It would kill her to say goodbye.

“You will, Kathy,” Mr. White said. “There’s no rush. Let me take you home tonight.”

“Hold up, buddy.” Emmett put his arm around her, which made the man frown, but she didn’t care. It felt good to have her cowboy touch her. “She’s not leaving Destiny until my brothers and I are certain you are who you say you are.”

The guy turned to Sheriff Wolfe. “Are they in charge or are you?”

“Sit down, Mr. White. There’s no rush, is there? You’ve found your wife, but she can’t remember you. Let’s take our time and see if you can jog her memory loose. Isn’t that what we all want?”

Hearing not a single word from anyone to the sheriff’s question, she didn’t voice what she wished down to her very soul. She didn’t want to remember anything. Letting her memories remain locked up behind the big wall was what she really hoped for. Her time at the cabin had increased her want for a future with Emmett, Bryant, and Cody. Not this guy, this man claiming to be married to her. On the other side of that wall were many unseen memories and other things, but not love. Love couldn’t be contained by a mere wall, could it?

An older woman in a pink wig walked in carrying two folding chairs. “Sorry it took so long, Jason. These were in the back of the closet behind some boxes of files.”

“Thanks, Shannon.” The sheriff stepped from behind his desk and took the chairs. “If Officer Flowers or Officer Grinin calls, put them through, okay?”

“Will do, boss.”

“Anyone else, just send them to my voice mail.”

The woman left the room with a wink and a nod.

Sheriff Wolfe placed the chairs near the one she was sitting in. “Let’s all have a seat and see what we can do to resolve this, okay?”

None of them moved to sit, but continued their silent, harsh stares at one another.

Mr. White didn’t seem happy with the sheriff’s idea, and he was definitely not thrilled with Emmett or Bryant’s proximity to her. She didn’t give a damn what the guy liked or didn’t like. She wanted her cowboys near. They were the only ones who were keeping her sane in this crazy moment.

“Gentlemen, please take a seat,” the sheriff pleaded once again.

“Yes, please,” she added, hoping to grab onto a sliver of sanity for all of them.

Mr. White sat first. Then Bryant and Emmett did the same, scooting their folding chairs until they were touching hers on either side.

“Thank you, fellows.” Jason looked her directly in the eyes. “Let’s start again, shall we? Amber, I’m so pleased to finally get to meet you. I can’t even picture how hard this has been for you.”

The sheriff seemed kind to her, though also a man fixated on rules and order. He wasn’t someone who tolerated chaos for long.

“I’m glad to meet you, too, Sheriff.”

“What will help you right now? I know you don’t remember Sergei, but he’s brought in your marriage license and a couple of pictures with you in them. One of the photos is the same one the Chicago PD sent to my office which I gave a copy of to Cody and Bryant.”

“I saw it. It’s me.” She shook her head. How would she be able to live her life without her cowboys? Despair flattened her out completely.

“Do you have some questions for him?” the sheriff asked.

The image of the boy flashed in the back of her mind. “Yes, I do have questions for him. Do we have children?”

“We don’t.”