Texas Twin Abduction Read online

  “It was a long time ago.”

  He tried to shrug it away, like it didn’t matter, but pain still flickered behind his eyes. It might have been a long time ago, but the hurt was still there and she was sure seeing her again had brought it all back up again.

  “Still, I’m sorry. I wish I could remember and explain.”

  “There’s no need. You made your choice. You didn’t want to be here, so you left.”

  She didn’t like the bitterness in his tone, but felt she deserved it. She’d treated him badly, broken his heart. Why was he even still here talking to her? He probably wanted answers from her, more answers that she didn’t have to give.

  He stood and took a deep breath. “So, you’re right. My brother—my whole family—isn’t too thrilled to hear you’re back in town. But don’t worry. It won’t affect my or my brother’s ability to do our jobs. We’ll get to the bottom of what’s happening to you.”

  She heard the underlying implication in his words. They wanted to find out what had happened to her and eliminate the danger so she could leave town again and they could resume their lives without her as a constant reminder of the pain she’d caused.

  “Thank you for helping me, Lawson, and I am sorry. You seem like a nice guy. I hate that I hurt you.”

  “You didn’t hurt me, Ashlee. You saved me from a life of misery.” He headed for the door, obviously intent on leaving. But he stopped with his hand on the handle. “I’ll be back in the morning when they discharge you. I’ll drive you to the hotel. I’ll also arrange to have security watch your room until I get here. Don’t worry. You will be safe tonight. I promise.”

  He walked out and she struggled to process everything she’d just learned—everything she’d done in the past to hurt this kind, decent man. Her only contact in a town full of strangers and she’d already burned bridges with him. She pulled the covers over her head and let the tears flow.

  She was truly all alone.

  * * *

  Lawson finished the chores for the evening, then saddled up his horse and took a ride. He needed time and space to think and process what had happened today. Ashlee was back in town. Seeing her again had done something to him—had opened up a deep hole in his soul.

  He pushed the horse faster and faster as all the pain and grief and bitterness he’d been burying roared to the surface. For years, he’d pretended to have it all together, telling himself that he was over her. That he was past all the heartbreak and grief over what his life, their life together, could have been. All his plans and hopes for the future had been shattered in one person’s selfish act.

  The clouds above him rumbled as if imitating his heart and he slowed his horse, allowing them both to cool down from the brutal gallop. He felt like someone was chasing him, yet no matter how fast and hard he rode, he couldn’t escape what was coming.

  Thunder roared and the horse grew nervous at the oncoming storm, but Lawson wasn’t ready to go back. He couldn’t sit in that house and have his family watch him for signs that he was going off the edge again the way he had after his canceled wedding six years ago.

  He knew he’d been a little crazy back then—pushing himself, taking too many risks to cover the pain he hadn’t wanted to deal with. This land had healed him, brought him back to himself. His connection to this property was deep and he’d taken solace in the open ranges and grassy hills.

  The rumbling sky opened up and rain poured down. Another round of thunder caused his mare to jerk again. He should have turned around and taken her back to the safety of the barn at the first hint of thunder, but he’d been selfish, needing to work out his own problems instead of thinking about her. Selfish. He’d been selfish with the horse just like he’d been selfish with Ashlee, putting his own wants and desires ahead of hers. He led the mare to a group of trees and slid off, tying her reins tightly around a limb so she couldn’t bolt. They would be safe and dry here until the storm passed.

  He stroked her nose to calm her and whispered to her that they were going to be all right. The horse, seemingly comforted by his tone and words, calmed down a bit.

  He wished he could believe the assurances as easily as she did. He stretched out against a tree trunk and pulled a crumpled letter from his back pocket. The letter Ashlee had written to him and taped to her door six years ago. He’d read it and reread it a hundred times since that night and it still broke him.

  Now she was back and all those old feelings were surfacing again. It wasn’t right that he had to endure this pain again. It wasn’t fair.

  Why, God? Why are You doing this to me?

  He stared up at the sky as the clouds began to clear and the storm passed.

  His faith had always sustained him, but he was struggling now to make sense of this new trial. How was he ever going to be around her without giving in to the emotional roller coaster just seeing her had thrown him into? But he couldn’t just leave her unprotected, could he? Why had he been the one to find her? And would it have made a difference if someone else had?

  He didn’t have all the answers, but he knew one thing. He couldn’t abandon her. No matter what she’d done, no matter how badly she’d hurt him, he couldn’t leave her alone and vulnerable, knowing someone was after her. He would have to figure out a way to be around her while still keeping his distance emotionally.

  His family would tell him he was crazy for feeling so personally driven to help her, but his mama hadn’t raised him to walk away from people in trouble. Ashlee needed his help and he would give it.

  But he was trusting in God to help him keep his heart in check.

  TWO

  Lawson picked her up the next morning and drove her to the Sanderson Hotel. She opened her purse and pulled out her wallet. The picture on her driver’s license stared back at her, mocking her struggles to recall anything about her life before yesterday. The image was definitely her, but the name seemed wrong. Ashlee Taylor. And the address was foreign to her. She didn’t recall ever living at that address...or anywhere else for that matter.

  Lawson pulled an overnight bag from the back of his pickup. “I hope you don’t mind, but my mom sent over some of my sister Kellyanne’s clothes.”

  “Won’t she mind?”

  “She’s not in town. She keeps some things here, but she lives in Dallas. She’s a social worker, so most of the clothes she leaves here are jeans and ranch outfits.”

  “Thank you. And please thank your mother for me.”

  She was grateful that they had thought about providing her with some clothes, otherwise she would have had to go out today to buy something. She still needed some personal supplies, but she wasn’t up for shopping. She was too worn out—from the attack and from her inability to sleep last night for fear of the man who’d attacked her returning. How she’d wished for Lawson to be with her last night. But that was silly. He was her ex-fiancé. She’d run out on their wedding. He’d already been nicer to her than she deserved. She had no right to ask for anything more. She could make do on her own until she figured things out.

  They went inside and checked in. Ashlee slipped a credit card from her wallet and handed it to the hotel clerk, hoping it would clear. For all she knew, her card was maxed out and her accounts empty. She would have to figure out how to find out that information, but that would mean recalling passwords and log-on information that were a complete mystery to her. Even answering the security questions banks always asked to recover account information would be difficult. Unless the information was her name or address or the name of her first love—she blushed thinking about that when she glanced up at him standing beside her—she wasn’t getting into those accounts. Thankfully, the charge went through and the clerk handed her a plastic key card and told her she was in room 312.

  Lawson walked her to the elevator, rode up with her, then opened the door and checked the room as she stood at the threshold.

 
“It’s clear,” he said.

  She stepped inside. It looked like every other hotel room she’d ever heard of. A double bed in the center of the room, carpet on the floor, a TV on a dresser, and an attached bathroom. It wasn’t much, but she realized she wasn’t expecting much. Was she used to five-star hotels and restaurants? She didn’t think so. This level of accommodation felt more her style—if she even had one.

  “At some point, we’ll need you to come down to the sheriff’s office and give a statement, maybe look through some mug shots to see if we can identify the guy who attacked you.”

  “I’ll try. But like I said, I don’t remember much. It all happened so fast.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t get a good look at him, either. No one did. Even the security footage isn’t great. He was careful.”

  She leaned against the dresser. She’d also spent the night trying to come up with a scenario that would explain the bullet holes and the money. Had she stolen it from that man? Was she a thief? Was that her life? It didn’t sound good. Somehow, she’d gotten into trouble with someone dangerous enough to try to kill her face-to-face. He’d tracked her to the hospital. Would he also track her to the hotel?

  She shivered as she looked at her reflection and Lawson placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s going to be okay.”

  “Is it?” She glanced at him through the mirror over the dresser. “You don’t know what’s coming and neither do I. How do I know my attacker won’t find me here?”

  “We’re increasing patrols around the hotel and security has been alerted. You’ll be safe, Ashlee. Just lock the door and make sure you don’t open it for anyone.”

  She was a prisoner in this room, she thought as she turned to face him, and she didn’t even know why.

  “I should go.”

  She wanted to ask him to stay, but that wasn’t fair. She wasn’t his problem and hadn’t been since she’d walked out on him. Outside of the obligations of his job, it wasn’t fair to expect him to help her. He’d already done so much.

  “Thank you, Lawson.” She kissed his cheek and he shuddered. She shouldn’t have done that. It was too personal, too intimate, but he was all she knew, and she felt a pull toward him.

  “I’ll call you later to check on you.”

  He walked out and she locked the door behind him. She looked around the hotel room and shuddered. She didn’t know what else to do now.

  She opened the bag of food they’d picked up and ate, then stretched out on the bed. She needed rest. Maybe if she got some, her memory would return. But even when she turned out the lights and closed her eyes, her mind wouldn’t quiet down. She kept mentally replaying the events of the past day and she couldn’t make any sense of them. They were like a puzzle that needed putting together, but she was missing most of the pieces. If only she could remember!

  Agitation bit through her and she jumped to her feet. Pacing felt more like her style. Her mind wasn’t going to give up the necessary information, so she would just have to figure it out for herself.

  She grabbed her purse and dumped it out on the bed. She opened her wallet. She had no cash in the billfold, so either she didn’t carry any or everything she had was inside the duffel bag the police had confiscated.

  She pulled out a ticket stub. A single ticket to a movie with a title she didn’t recognize. Was she a movie buff?

  Her wallet also contained several credit cards as well as business cards imprinted with her name. They were for an accounting firm called Brooke and Stephens. Could the danger she was facing have something to do with her work?

  She picked up the phone and dialed the number on the card, but the call went straight to voice mail. It was odd hearing her own voice on the outgoing message, but she shook that off. At least she recognized it. She dialed zero and connected to an operator.

  “Brooke and Stephens. How may I direct your call?”

  Fear rustled through her. If this was all about something that had happened at her firm, should she be calling? Would she make things worse by contacting the people who might be targeting her? She decided she had to risk it for answers. “Hello? This is Ashlee Taylor.”

  “Good morning, Miss Taylor. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m feeling fine. Thank you.”

  “Mr. Stephens told us he received a message from you saying you were sick and would be off for a few days.”

  So she’d made plans to be away from work. “I’m better, thank you. Is Mr. Stephens in the office? I’d like to speak to him.”

  “I’m sorry. He left for Las Vegas this morning for that conference. I’m sure you can contact him on his cell phone.”

  She didn’t have that number and wasn’t sure if she should ask. She had no clue what she was doing or even what she hoped to accomplish. “I seem to have lost his cell phone number...” She searched her memory for a name for the operator, but it didn’t come.

  “Anna,” the girl replied.

  “Of course. Anna, thank you. Can you give me that number?”

  Anna recited the number and Ashlee hung up and dialed it before she lost her nerve. She still didn’t know what she was going to say. Was she even close enough to this man to call him up?

  “Hello?” a man’s voice bellowed above loud background noise.

  “Mr. Stephens? It’s Ashlee Taylor.”

  “Ashlee! Is everything okay? Are you feeling better?”

  “Not really. Something has happened and I need to ask you some questions.”

  “Hold on.” The background noise softened as she waited for him to return to the call. “I had to leave the conference room. I could barely hear you. What’s going on?”

  She explained to him how she was back in her hometown with no memory of how she’d gotten there or why she’d come. “Do you have any idea what I was doing here? Did I say anything to you?”

  “No, Ashlee. I’m sorry to say you didn’t. The last time I saw you was when we were having dinner together. You left early, claiming you weren’t feeling well. You’ve been working so hard so I assumed you were just worn down. I encouraged you to take some time to recharge. When you didn’t show up for work the next day, I assumed you had taken my advice so I told everyone you were sick and were taking a few days off. Honey, are you okay? Do you need me to come pick you up? I can get a plane out in a few hours.”

  The intimacy of his tone surprised her. “Are we...? I’m sorry to have to ask this...but are we involved?”

  Silence at her question told her the answer was yes.

  “You’ve lost more than a few days, haven’t you? I should have known something was wrong when you called me Mr. Stephens when I answered the phone. What do you remember, Ashlee?”

  She closed her eyes and tried again to push past the mental block in her mind. Nothing. “I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember you. I don’t even remember me.”

  He took a few moments to process that, then answered. “We’ve been going out for a few months now.”

  “Is it serious?”

  “I think so. Or at least, it’s headed that way. I’m worried about you, Ashlee. I’ll check the plane schedules and let you know when I’ll be in town.”

  “No, you don’t need to come.” She couldn’t imagine how Lawson would feel having her new boyfriend fly in. But why was Lawson her first concern rather than this man, whom she appeared to be dating? It was normal for him to be worried about her, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t she be pleased to have a boyfriend who clearly cared about her?

  “I’m coming, Ashlee. Now, is this the number of the hotel where you’re staying?”

  “Yes.” She gave him the hotel information including her room number.

  “I’ll see you soon.” He hung up and she wasn’t certain if she was glad he was on his way or not.

  She hated the feeling of uncertainty that had taken over her life. He
could be feeding her a line when it came to his description of their relationship, but he had sounded concerned about her. She wished for a computer where she could look up the company and at least have an idea of what to expect. Her face warmed as she realized she didn’t even know the man’s first name!

  The hotel probably had a business center where she could use the computer, but Lawson had told her to stay put.

  She remained in place, anxious and still, until her need for information overrode her sense of fear.

  She took the elevator downstairs and found the business center. They had two computers and both were available.

  She keyed up the browser and typed in Brooke and Stephens. A web site popped up explaining that it was an accounting firm. She clicked through the employee list and found her photo. She was listed as an account manager. Nothing about her job description seemed familiar. She kept clicking through, hoping that someone’s photo would trigger a memory. She finally found the photo of Stephens. His first name was Jake and he was a good-looking man, probably a few years older than she was. The web site listed him as a founding partner in the firm.

  She tried to imagine this man putting his arms around her the way Lawson had. Nothing. No memories or sense of familiarity at all. It didn’t make any sense to her that a man she hadn’t seen in six years was more familiar to her than the man she was currently dating. But that might change when she actually saw Jake Stephens in person and not just as a photograph on a web site.

  Ashlee checked her social media accounts next. She didn’t know her log-on or password, but whoever had used the computer before her had failed to log out and she was able to use their account since she didn’t seem to have any privacy locks on hers.

  She was able to view photos of herself in her apartment, out with friends, posing with her cat—apparently named Mel. There was also a recent shot of her and her sister taken just last week, according to the date on the post. It was eerie to see her and her sister together. Lawson had said they were twins, but they were shockingly identical. Even their hairstyles were similar.