Captured by Cowboys (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 1)

“The only person I can remember, and only glints of him, is a boy. He looks to be about eleven or twelve years old. I think he might be Hispanic. Dark hair, dark eyes. A cute kid. Do you know him?”

Mr. White pursed his lips out and shook his head. “Not a clue, Kathy. Sorry.”

She watched Emmett’s hands curl into fists. His words were harsh, like nails on a chalkboard. “You don’t seem to know much at all, mister.”

The stranger turned to Jason. “Nice little Podunk town you have here. Quite the welcome. These two may want to keep me and Kathy apart, but I will burn every building here to the ground before I let that happen.”

Jason’s eyebrows shot up and his fingertips touched the handle of his gun holstered to his side. “You think so?”

Sergei glared up at him but then held up his hands in what seemed to her like defiant resignation.

Amber needed to calm the tempers rising in this room. “Why was I driving my van here, Mr. White? Do you know where I was headed?”

“Call me Sergei, Kathy. Please.” He leaned forward in his chair. “We live just outside Chicago. Your parents are in Arizona. I’m not sure how you got here. Central Northern Colorado is quite remote, babe. Maybe you got lost. It is the first time you’ve driven the trip alone.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.” Bryant shot him a look of pure rage. “Not one fucking bit.”

Emmett’s hands were curled into fists. “Jason, have you done a Google search on her name? Does she have a Facebook account we can check?”

The sheriff nodded. “Too many Kathy Whites on Google. I found her on Facebook with Mr. White’s help. He doesn’t have an account and her page is set to let only friends see her personal information. Mrs. White, do you have any clue what your password is?”

She shook her head.

“I think we’re rushing into this,” Cody said. “Amber needs time to process.”

“I don’t give a damn what you or your brother think.” The guy turned back toward the sheriff. “Speaking of the van, where is it? I’d like to recover my property as soon as possible.”

“There’s no way this bastard is Amber’s husband.” Bryant’s sudden out-of-character outburst shocked her. “He’s more concerned with a beat-up old van than about her well-being, Jason. Am I the only one who sees that?”

“Not the only one,” Emmett added.

They were still trying to save her. They were going to fight for her. She loved them all so much.

“Fuck this. I came here to get Kathy. I don’t need this bullshit, Sheriff.” Sergei turned to her. “Kathy, let’s go.”

“Everyone needs to calm down right now,” the sheriff stated flatly. His tone reminded her of how Emmett’s had been back in the playroom.

“Tell me where my van is and Kathy and I will be out of your hair in a flash.” Something about the way her so-called husban

d barked his words didn’t sit right with her.

“Bryant and his brother found the van on County Road Twenty-Two. Actually, it’s not on the road but near it. From what they told me, where it landed, you’ll need a big truck with a heavy-duty winch to retrieve it. I know a couple of guys who can help you out with that, Mr. White.”

Sergei pulled out his cell and typed something into it. “County Road Twenty-Two. Got it.” He tucked his phone back into the inner pocket of his suit coat. “Don’t worry, Sheriff. I’ll handle everything.”

“Okay. Let me make myself clear, Mr. White. You may be her husband but you can’t make her go with you,” Jason informed. “She’s an adult.”

The man’s face darkened. “But her mind is mixed up, Sheriff. She needs to come home with me. I’m sure her memory will return once she’s back at our place.”

“That might be so, but you still can’t force her to leave.”

Sergei leaned back in the chair. “I’ve got more pictures in my room at the hotel. Come with me, and I’ll prove to you that you are my wife, Kathy.”

“No way.” Emmett’s tone held a big dose of threat.

“Fuck, this is impossible,” her supposed spouse said. “I’m not a guy who likes jumping through other people’s hoops.”

“What kind of guy are you? Enlighten us.” Bryant wasn’t playing around. One false move by White, and she was certain he would pulverize him with his fists.