Chapter 6
I sat in the passenger seat of McCrae’s police cruiser, staring out the window at this town. He was driving us down Main Street, where quaint storefronts with colorful awnings lined both sides of the road. Flower baskets hung from decorative lampposts, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze.
“There’s the pizza place,” he said, gesturing toward a brick building with red-and-white checkered curtains visible through wide windows.
“There’s Jim’s, where we all go to play cards.
” He pointed to the other side of the street.
“There’s the car dealership.” A parking lot was filled with vehicles that caught the sunlight like mirrors.
“Oh, past the pier, you can see the lake.”
It was strange, but somehow comforting. I squeezed the side of the seat, the leather warm beneath my fingers, and mulled over the same questions that had been going through my mind for the past day: Who was I? Why was I here? Who wanted to hurt me? Who was I running from?
We took a road out of town, pine trees creating a tunnel of dappled shadows overhead, and then we were turning onto a gravel drive that crunched under the tires.
I saw we were by the lake; the water was visible through the trees.
He went up a couple of houses, turned down a dirt road, and pulled up in front of a log cabin.
The structure was nestled among tall pines, with a wide deck that wrapped around one side.
He parked and cut the engine, turning to me.
“Here’s my place,” he said, pride mixing with a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
“I like it. I hope you’re comfortable here.
” His eyes scanned the cabin as if seeing it anew through my eyes.
“It’s going to take me a second to get everything worked around.
I do have a bed in there, but I’ll have to move some stuff out of that room and put sheets on the bed.
And dang it, we should probably stop over to my mom’s house, because I don’t have extra blankets or pillows. ”
“Just wait.”
He turned and stared at me.
Again, those gorgeous blue eyes assaulted me.
He had a scar on one side of his face—not a bad one that would mar his features at all.
It was a gorgeous face, with chiseled cheekbones and a strong jawline.
He looked every bit the man in uniform he clearly was, and it was impossible not to notice that he was strong, with bulging muscles beneath his shirt.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concern etching lines between his brows.
“No, frankly, I’m not,” I admitted, the words catching in my throat. “But I do want to thank you for taking me in. I … I know it might have seemed unreasonable to you that I wanted to go with you, but … your eyes are kind.”
The look on his face seemed to soften, and then a small smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
“What? Don’t you want to be kind?”
He grunted and said, “Sure. I mean, I want to be kind.” He thought about it for a moment, and mischief appeared in his eyes. “But if my brothers ask you, you should really say I’m devastatingly handsome and you just couldn’t resist me.”
It made me smile, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. “Okay.” I let out a light laugh. He was funny.
He gave me another smile, a flash of white teeth against his tanned skin, and then got out of the truck to grab my bag from the back seat.
I got out too, the door closing with a solid thunk behind me.
We walked toward the house and I reached for my bag. “You don’t have to carry my bag.”
He pulled it away. “Yeah, I do. My mom and dad taught me that a man carries things for a woman, so …” He paused, studying me.
“I don’t know anything about you, and I guess you don’t know anything about you, but I’ll tell you something about me.
” He pulled the key out, the metal catching the fading sunlight, and then unlocked the door.
“I carry things for women … not that I’ve had a great track record with women.
” He grinned. “But I do carry their things.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but I held back. “Good to know.”
He pushed the door open and held the screen door for me.
I walked inside, appreciating the decor. I could tell that he was a bachelor—I couldn’t understand why I knew that and didn’t know my own name. The cabin smelled of pine and something else—coffee, maybe, and a hint of whatever cologne he wore.
The home’s interior embraced the log cabin style, with exposed wooden beams crossing the ceiling and a stone fireplace dominating one wall. There were blankets draped over a worn leather couch. A series of pictures was lined up on the mantel.
He pointed down the hallway. “This way. There’s two rooms and two bathrooms—one in the hallway and one in my room. I hope that’s okay.”
I was startled. He thought it wouldn’t be okay? “Of course. Thank you.”
He led me down the hall to the second door, and when he opened it, I could see what he meant. The room was being used for storage, boxes stacked against one wall.
He put the bag down. “You might want to go wait in the main room. You can wander around, go out on the deck. I just have to move some of these boxes and stuff, and then I’ll come get you.”
“Oh, sure.” I backed up. It seemed like he wanted to do this alone. He was shooing me with his hand, so I left him to it and returned to the main area.
I wandered over to explore the kitchen. It was decent, with knotty pine cabinets and a large window above the sink that looked out toward the lake.
There were some older appliances, but the island looked nice; it’d probably been installed more recently.
On one side of the kitchen, he’d organized his cutting boards and had a magnetic strip with a bunch of knives.
Suddenly, I could picture him cooking, with his sleeves rolled up and muscles moving as he chopped vegetables.
I peered out at the lake. Curious, I unlocked the side door and walked out onto the deck. The porch swing’s chains creaked softly in the breeze. Some kind of outdoor heater was set up near a bench.
The deck extended toward the water. I made my way to the edge and looked out right over the lake.
It was gorgeous, the water stretching out before me, trees lining the opposite shore.
A rowboat was tied up at the end of a small dock.
I could see him rowing, the image clear in my mind, though I had no memory of ever seeing it. It was peaceful here.
I sucked in a long breath, and those familiar questions rolled around in my head. Didn’t I have any family? Did someone love me? Did I have a man that cooked for me?
The door opened and then dropped into place with a soft thud. “What do you think?” McCrae moved beside me.
He had slipped into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. If I knew him better, I would have teased him about the uniform.
It didn’t seem appropriate now, so I fixed my attention on the lake. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you want to be here.”
He shrugged and then pointed up one side of the lake, up to a cliff edge area where trees gave way to rocky outcroppings.
“My family lives up over that way, up the road here, but they have a nice view of this lake on the other side.” The light caught his profile, highlighting the strong line of his jaw.
“I actually have property over there. Bought it. One day, I’ll probably build a house over by all of them.
Well, Noah and Damon have a place that way.
Damon’s is still in the process of being constructed; Noah’s is done. ”
Interested, I leaned against the railing; the wood was warm against my arms. “Okay, so who are all of your siblings?”
“Right. You’re not from around here and you can’t remember anything.” He scoffed.
I scoffed too, a strange camaraderie forming between us despite the circumstances. “Nope.”
He smiled again.
“Why are you giving me that look?”
He looked shocked for a minute. Then he put his hand to his chest in mock offense. “What look?”
I let out a light laugh. “The kind of look that … I don’t know if you are teasing me or not.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Anyway, back to your question.
Noah’s my oldest brother, and he works for search and rescue right now, but for a long time he was gone.
That’s a whole other story.” He leaned against the railing, his arm inches from mine.
“My second brother is Damon. I think you’ve met him. He’s the police chief.”
I shook my head, trying to sort through the foggy memories of the past day. “I think so.”
McCrae waved a hand through the air. “And then it’s me, and then my brother Dylan. He’s back from law school.”
I snapped my fingers, the sound sharp in the quiet evening air. “Wait a second, an attorney? Yes, I think I did meet him last night too.”
He nodded. “Yep, and then you’ve met Kayla.” He said it like it was significant somehow.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Your mom and sister are really nice.” The words caught in my throat, emotion suddenly welling up unexpectedly. “They …”
“For the most part, they’re nice, but not if they’re trying to torment you,” he said quickly. “But they would never torment you. Just me.” His tone was light, clearly trying to distract me from the emotions threatening to overwhelm me.
I couldn’t help but laugh, the sound watery, as I realized that he was trying to make me feel better. “Do they torment you often?”
“Oh yeah, my whole family does.” Another wicked, mischievous smile crossed his face. “But I guess I torment them too, so maybe I deserve it.”
I chuckled at that.
He let out a light breath. “So, back to the question of what should we call you …” His gaze was looking at my hair for a second. He put his hand up like he wanted to touch it, but then pulled it back like he remembered he shouldn’t.
My heart raced. Despite my situation, I couldn’t deny that I found him attractive. “I don’t know. I guess if that name was a fake name, then none of us have any idea what my name is.”
He squinted, studying me. “What do you want to be called?”
I looked up at the sky, which was now turning a deeper blue as the sun sank lower. “I don’t know.” I let out a long breath, and then my mind settled on a possibility. “Sky,” I muttered. It felt like it fit.
He grinned at me. “Sky. Okay, I like it. I’ll let everyone know. That’s what we’re calling you.”
I smiled again, the name settling around me like a new identity, something to hold onto in the sea of uncertainty.
He shrugged and patted his stomach. “Do you want to get something to eat? That pizza place is really good, and it’s calling out to me.”
Suddenly, I realized I was hungry, the aroma of pine and lake water replaced by the imagined scent of melted cheese and tomato sauce. “Pizza would be amazing.” I hesitated, remembering his sister’s kindness. “Should we ask Kayla?”
He winked at me, and the gesture made my heart skip a beat. “Nah, you’re going to see enough of her. I know you will.”