Chapter Five – Mallory
CHAPTER FIVE
Mallory
Liam’s soft voice roused me from my sleep.
Stretching, I sat up. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”
His handsome face broke out into a warm smile. “You need the rest.”
“I guess so,” I said with a slight chuckle.
“Listen, Mallory, I need to check on something on the ranch with Bubba.”
“Bubba? Do I know him? That name sounds familiar.”
“He was here when I got home with you on my horse. He’s the only person who knows you’re here and he won’t tell anyone. I promise you that.”
“Who is he?”
“He works for me on the ranch. I’ve known him my entire life. He joined the Marines after high school, and when he got out and came back home, he started working for me.”
I nodded. “What do you do on your ranch?”
He smiled again, and I felt warmth build in my body at his obvious love for his home.
“I raise cattle mostly, but I also raise quarter horses and dabble in thoroughbreds. My great-grandfather started the cattle ranch.”
He dabbled in thoroughbreds. Okay. “I wonder if I like beef?”
He laughed softly. “We’ll find out tonight when I make dinner. I just wanted you to know I’ll be gone for a bit. Help yourself to more food, the fridge and pantry are stocked. Lock the door, don’t open it for anyone. Piper is going to stay with you. Is that okay?”
After everything I’d been through, it was so strange that I trusted Liam already. I wasn’t sure if it was because he’d rescued me out in that storm or what. All I knew was that my gut told me he would help me, and that I was safe there. “Yes, I’ll be fine.”
He stood from where he’d been squatting in front of the sofa.
When he turned to leave, I asked, “Do you think I’ll get my memory back?”
His gaze softened. “I hope so. But don’t worry, Mallory. We’ll figure it out together.”
My heart fluttered a little as I smiled at him, then watched him turn on his heels and quickly leave.
Once the front door shut and I heard the lock, I stood. Piper, lying on the sofa beside me, jumped up and looked at me.
“What should we do, girl?”
She barked, started toward the kitchen, and sat at the fridge.
“Do you want a snack or something?” I asked as I opened the door. “I should have asked Liam what you can have.”
After looking around, I found carrot sticks. “These look yummy for both of us.”
Looking through Liam’s cabinets felt strange, so when I found the dishes after opening just the second cupboard, I did a little fist pump. Pouring some carrots into a bowl, I returned the bag in the refrigerator and made my way to the living room with Piper hot on my heels.
As I sat down, I couldn’t help but wonder if Liam was dating anyone. What would happen if his girlfriend showed up to find a strange woman in his house?
That thought naturally led me to think about Emily. I ran a hand over Piper’s back as I ate a carrot, then fed one to the dog.
“What are the odds that Emily would disappear, and her necklace was in the same place I was if she wasn’t taken by that man?” I asked myself. “God, poor Liam. To lose his fiancée…he must have been devastated.”
Did I have someone waiting for me? Wouldn’t I feel it if I did?
How far had I run? Could the man be looking for me even now?
Looking down at Piper, I sighed. “Should I go to the police? What if he is the police? Do I live around here? I just don’t know who to trust.”
I closed my eyes and groaned as a tear slipped free. I quickly wiped it away. “Why can’t I remember anything? I don’t even know if Mallory’s my real name. Maybe that monster just called me that.”
An idea struck, and I stood. “Does your daddy have a computer, Piper?”
The dog started running around the kitchen island, like she was looking for a toy or something. Then she went down a hall to a closed door.
Chewing on my thumbnail, I walked over to the door. “This is snooping, I’ll have you know.”
Piper barked.
“Fine, if he comes back and finds me in this room, I’m going to tell him you gave me permission.”
The crazy dog started to wag her tail. I rolled my eyes and reached for the doorknob. I turned it and slowly opened the door. It was an office.
Piper ran in, went to a dog bed and grabbed a toy before hauling it back out the door. I laughed and shook my head as I walked closer to the desk. On the surface sat an open laptop.
“I wish I had your phone number, Liam.”
I pushed the space bar, and the computer woke up.
“He really should put a password on this,” I said as I unplugged the laptop and brought it into the kitchen.
Piper dropped her toy at my feet, and I reached down to pick it up.
I gave it a slight toss and the dog took off after it.
She jumped and hopped, then she returned to me and dropped her toy again.
“Something tells me your dad wouldn’t like us playing fetch in his house. Let me try to look something up, and then we’ll play tug outside or something. Sound good?”
Piper sat down and barked. I was beginning to think the dog could understand what I was saying to her.
I opened Liam’s computer and hit the browser to search. Stopping abruptly, I looked down at Piper. “I can’t remember who I am, but I know how to work a computer. How weird is that?”
Once the search engine was pulled up, I typed in the only thing I could think to type.
Missing Woman—Mallory
Reading through the search results got me nowhere. I tried searching for women who had been reported missing in the last month. Nothing.
Dragging in a long breath, I exhaled. “Maybe it hasn’t been reported yet? Am I even from Montana?” I looked at the dog. “How do I even begin to know where else to look? I don’t even know if Mallory’s my real name!”
I buried my face in my hands and let out a small scream, only to wince when my slight headache objected to the loud noise.
Piper lay her head on my leg and whimpered.
“You’re right, girl. I’m just making this worse.”
Shutting the laptop, I reached down and picked up her toy. “Okay, let’s play some tug, shall we?”
Before we could go outside, the doorbell rang—and I froze. Piper, on the other hand, ran for the front door, full-on barking like her life depended on it.
I couldn’t see the front door from where I stood in the kitchen.
None of the windows had covers on them. Liam probably figured he didn’t need any living in the middle of nowhere.
If someone wanted to investigate to see if anyone was in the house, they could.
I slowly sank to the floor and crawled to the other end of the island.
My heart was hammering in my chest as the doorbell rang again, then someone knocked.
Piper was still barking at the front door as I held my breath, terrified to even inhale for fear of being seen.
When Piper stopped barking, I peeked around the corner of the island. The shadow at the door was gone. I whispered for Piper to come to me. She did, and I pulled her onto my lap, buried my face into her fur, and cried.
What if I had been outside and they’d heard me? Whoever it was could have easily walked around and seen me there. What if it had been him? Holding onto Piper tighter, I cried harder.
“Please don’t let him find me. Please, please don’t let him find me.”
Piper whined and rested her head on my shoulder. I instantly felt calmer, and my breathing returned to a normal pace.
Running my fingers through the dog’s fur, I stared out the window at the mountains. The very tops of them, as well as some of the crevices, were covered in snow. I longed to see it up close and feel the cold. I didn’t even know what day or month of the year it was.
My head dropped back against the island, and I closed my eyes. An image of Liam smiling at me appeared, and I felt myself relax even more, until sleep released the grip that fear had on me.