Texas Showdown. Barb Han
well that he couldn’t walk away until he knew that Maria would be okay. He hadn’t expected the call to come in the first place. He hadn’t expected to spend the next two nights at a bedside vigil, pretending to be something they were not, a happy couple. And least of all, he hadn’t expected to be the one taking her to her apartment to settle in, a place he’d never set foot in—the place where she’d moved to get away from him.
But there he was, doing it all the same.
Maria was smart, athletic and strong. Seeing her in a hospital bed, helpless, with tubes sticking out of her had been a blow that had knocked Austin back a few steps. Divorce or not, he needed to see her get back on her feet.
There was another kink. Even though she’d been cleared of her head injury, she made no progress on regaining her memories. She didn’t remember the fact that they were separated let alone on the verge of divorce. Austin had expected her fiancé to drop by at some point during the hospital stay. He’d been told on the second day that Dr. Burt had convinced him, whoever he was, to stay away for now.
Maria was quiet on the ride to her loft.
Stepping inside, she seemed as lost as he felt.
“Funny, I don’t remember this place as much as I do our house on the ranch,” Maria said, those big brown eyes of hers staring up at him as he stood in the unfamiliar surroundings of the open-concept loft. “And why do I have an apartment here in Austin away from you anyway?”
The doctor had said that her memories could come back one at a time or as an avalanche. One at a time was the best scenario, he’d said.
“To be closer to work,” Austin said, not feeling a connection to the city where she lived even though he shared its name. Lies were racking up. The doctor had said that Maria was most likely suppressing negative memories and that it was best to let her mind work everything out.
Give her time, he’d said. She’ll come around.
“Why don’t I see any of your things? Don’t you live here, too?” she asked, glancing around as she took a step toward the kitchen island.
“I’m needed on the ranch,” he said, shaking his head.
Talking to Maria like nothing was wrong, like those damn papers weren’t sitting on his desk waiting to be signed, seemed like an even worse betrayal than the day she’d walked out.
“Can I sit here? I’m not really tired enough to go to bed.” Maria motioned toward the couch. “Besides, I’ve already been lying down for what feels like an eternity.”
Austin put his arm around her waist, ignoring the electricity pinging between them as he helped her to the sofa. She leaned into him and, for a second, he remembered how good her body was at molding to his. How soft her skin was...
Those thoughts were as productive as shoveling mulch with a pitchfork.
She eased down with a groan. Austin didn’t need to think it was sexy. But her voice had always had that effect on him.
Her long brown hair parted on the side now and fell way past her shoulders. She’d grown it out since he’d last seen her. And he was certain a lot of other things had changed about her since then, too.
“I never knew this many places in my body could hurt at the same time,” she said with a quick smile.
Austin forced his gaze away from her rosy lips.
“If you’d take stronger pain medicine like the doctor prescribed, you wouldn’t have to suffer.” Austin didn’t want to notice how toned that body of hers was. Her work as a special agent would ensure she stayed in tip-top physical condition. And the truth was that she loved to exercise.
“Then how will I know when I’m doing damage to something?” she asked with those big brown eyes staring at him. After she made herself comfortable, she beamed up at him and then grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her. “Besides, all those pills do is make me nauseous anyway.”
Austin straightened his back and pulled out of her grip, stuffing his hand inside his jeans pocket instead. His muscles corded with tension. He didn’t need to go there with the being-her-comfort thing. “You want anything to drink? Water?”
“Coffee sounds good.” She looked at him blankly and a little hurt. He’d spent the past two days at her side in the hospital, pretending that everything was fine. No doubt she had questions as he started to pull back. There was a mix of confusion and hurt in her eyes that he wished wasn’t his fault. Austin didn’t like putting it there but he couldn’t risk getting too close this time. He had to protect himself, too. Soon enough she’d remember that she’d gotten tired of their marriage, had classified it as a youthful mistake, and then had walked out.
Were it not for being Texan and a gentleman, he wouldn’t be here in the first place. Call it Cowboy Code or whatever but Austin couldn’t refuse someone who truly needed his help, especially not someone he’d cared about. And that’s as far as he could allow feelings for Maria Belasco to go.
His ringtone sounded, belting Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and her face lit up. She no doubt remembered it was the song that had been playing the first time they’d met at the Cash Fest, one of the many charity events his mother had organized that had been centered around the man’s music and benefited rising talent.
Austin fished out his cell, grunted, and then turned to walk away. It was his brother Dallas on the line. Austin would call him back.
“Want to put on some music?” Maria asked, and her voice was loaded with unasked questions.
The two of them had connected on a lot of levels but the first thing that really got him was her love of the blues, rockabilly and country music. He’d play some obscure bluegrass song, and she’d know what it was. And then there was their shared love of the same books. In the back of Austin’s pickup was a dog-eared copy of The Old Man and the Sea, his all-time favorite story. Turns out that it was Maria’s, too. On top of having music and literature in common, she was determined, brilliant...and beautiful.
“I finished reading that book you gave me. Happens to Be Real.” She motioned toward the rectangular coffee table in front of her.
Austin tensed. He didn’t know what to make of the fact that she kept the last book he’d lent her on the coffee table of the apartment she shared with another man. Although, a cursory glance didn’t reveal any men’s items at the loft. He shouldn’t feel relieved but no man wanted his nose rubbed in the fact that his ex was involved in a new relationship.
“Are we not on good terms?” she asked, and there was an innocent quality to her voice that threatened to put a chink in his armor.
Not so fast. She’d always been perceptive and he’d have to be less transparent if this was going to work.
“We’re okay,” he said with a shrug, wondering how much he should tell her. For a second, he thought about throwing out the adage that all married couples go through ups and downs and the two of them had been on a downswing. He reconsidered, not wanting to jar her memory too fast. “Nothing major.”
“Good. I was beginning to worry there for a second,” she said, and he could tell that she was going along with him while she studied the situation. Being astute had helped her rise up the ranks quickly at the Bureau.
Austin needed that coffee. Now.
“Sorry if I’m sending mixed signals. We have sick calves at the ranch and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on and just how many are affected. I haven’t been sleeping much in the last few weeks, longer than that if I’m honest.” It seemed enough information to satisfy her arched brow without causing an avalanche of questions he wasn’t supposed to answer.
Austin