Chapter 2: Chapter 2

NASH

Returning from the barn after feeding the horses, Nash heard the clink of dishes being put away. He went to the kitchen, and with her back to him, he took a moment to watch her.

His eyes moved down the length of her body. She’d changed into the dress she had been wearing when he’d rescued her from the car, but it was still short enough to show off her shapely legs.

It also hugged her body, emphasizing her luscious curves.

When she turned around, he quickly averted his eyes so she wouldn’t know he’d been checking her out.

“Oh, you’re back already.” She dried her hands with the dish towel before setting it down.

He looked down at her bare feet. “Your feet must be freezing. Let me get you a pair of socks to wear.”

After jogging up and down the stairs, he found her in the living room, looking out the window at the snow that was still falling hard.

“These are brand new, never been worn. They will probably be way too big for you, but at least they’ll keep your toes warm.” Nash handed the socks to her.

“Thank you, I’m sure they’ll be fine.” She pulled them on immediately, quickly breaking out in laughter. “You were right, they really are big. But my feet feel warm, so I’ll deal with them.”

She turned back to the window. “I see the storm is not letting up. Is it always like this around here?”

“Yes, winter is usually like this, although I’ll admit this year is the worst I’ve seen it in some time.”

“It’s crazy. But there’s something nice about it as well. I guess it’s just being able to snuggle up in a nice warm home.”

“As soon as it clears up and the road is cleared, I’ll take you into town to see the doctor. I wish I had something for you to wear but anything I have will be way too big, sorry.”

“I suppose all my clothes are in my car, right?”

“Probably, but right now, your car is sitting at the bottom of the lake.

“Once things clear up, I’ll get some guys together and see if we can find a way to pull it out. But if it’s frozen over again, that won’t be possible till spring.”

She tried to smile at him, but tears were building in her reddening eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey, everything is going to be all right. People are looking for you, I’m sure of it. Your family, a boyfriend maybe.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I hope so.”

“In the meantime, you can stay here. But we need to give you a name. Can’t have you washing my dishes when you should be resting and not have a name. People will think I’m a monster.”

Her short, explosive laugh made his heart soar.

He looked at her, trying to think of something that would fit her. After a few moments, he smiled. “I’ve got it. Angel. We’ll call you Angel for now.”

“I guess that’s as good a name as any. Angel, it is.” She rubbed the tears out of her eyes and turned away from the window to look at Nash.

“So, what is it you do when you’re not rescuing someone? I’d like to know a bit more about my rescuer.”

He scratched his neck. “This is a small cattle ranch, but I don’t have any right now. Just sold them. I plan on fixing up the barn if the snow lets up, and doing up the house. I like to keep busy.

“You might find things a little boring around here, but there are a few books on the shelf if you want to do some reading. The TV is old but it works, so feel free to watch it whenever you want.”

“Thanks.”

“Once we make it into town, I’ll get you some decent boots and a coat to wear. That way, you’ll be able to go outside if you want to.”

Angel nodded, and Nash saw the tears returning to her green eyes.

“Is there nothing about you that you can remember?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m scared, Nash. What if I never get my memory back? What if there is no one looking for me?” She buried her face in her hands.

Nash leaped forward and wrapped his big arms around her. She hummed a little and laid her head against his chest as he stroked her hair.

“It’s going to be all right. We will find out who you are, it just might take a while.” He placed his finger under her chin to look at her.

“Hey, I’ll make us some of my famous beef stew. It’ll cheer you up. I should warn you though, it will be hot and spicy, and then we can see if there’s a movie on TV.”

Using the back of her hand, she wiped her tears away. “Sounds good.”

Nash realized he still had his arms around her, but before he could move them away, she snuggled further into his embrace.

“Can I help?”

“Absolutely,” he said, helping her off the sofa and leading her into the kitchen. “I know we’ve just had breakfast, but best to get started now so it’ll be ready in time for lunch.”

Nash got the meat and vegetables from the fridge, along with some spices from one of the cupboards.

“I’ll cut up the beef if you’ll cut the veggies into small pieces.” He handed her a knife. “Be careful, it’s really sharp.”

Moe sat watching them, wagging his tail and no doubt hoping some food would fall onto the floor.

Angel looked at the radio by the window. “Would you mind if I turn on some music?”

“No, go ahead.”

She turned the dial until she heard a station she liked and smiled. ~Guess I like country music.~

She began cutting up the carrots, onions, leeks, and mushrooms.

“This song is really catchy. Makes me want to dance.” Angel moved to the beat of the music. “Come on, cowboy, show me some of your moves.”

He threw the meat and veggies into the pot. “I’m not much of a dancer.”

But when he gazed at her and saw her holding out her hands to him, he gave in. Moving the table out of the way, he took her hand and pulled her into his arms as Moe watched on.

With one arm around her waist, they swayed to the beat of the song. He got all warm inside when she giggled while he twirled her around before bringing her back into his arms.

Looking into her eyes, it was only after Angel cleared her throat that Nash realized the song had ended. He swallowed hard before they pulled apart.

He turned back to the stove. “It will be a while before it’s done. I have to go out and do some chores around the ranch. Would you mind stirring it every now and then?”

“No, I don’t mind, you go ahead and do what you have to. Only…?”

“Only what?”

“Didn’t you just deal with the horses earlier? And I thought you said you don’t have any cattle at the moment.”

~Dammit, Nash.~

“Yeah, of course,” he said, pulling on his boots. “But the work on a ranch is never done. There’s always something going wrong. Gotta stay on top of it.”

He put his tongue behind his teeth and whistled. “Come on, Moe.”

Nash pulled his jacket tight around his chest as he trudged through the snow to the barn, closing the door after both he and Moe were inside.

Moe paced up and down for a moment, pawed the door, then sat next to it, whining every once in a while.

“You got it bad for her, too, huh, boy?”

Moe barked and wagged his tail.

“Yeah, she’s something else.”

He was very much attracted to her, but it was crazy how she made him feel after only knowing her for a few hours.

“She’s really nice and pretty, I agree. But don’t go getting too attached to her. She may not be here for much longer, and I don’t want you acting all sad when she goes.”

Moe cocked his head to the side.

“All right, all right. I’ll hate to see her leave too. There, are you happy now?”

Moe barked.

Nash hadn’t lied when he’d said there was always work to do on a ranch, and he calmed himself down by fixing a few broken boards around the barn.

When Moe couldn’t take it anymore, Nash gave in.

“Okay, Moe, let’s head back. I need a shower now anyway.”

The pair found Angel sitting on the sofa, reading a book. She looked up and patted Moe’s head when he went over to her.

Nash removed his hat and placed it on the table. “I’m going to shower before we eat.”

“No problem. Oh, I stirred the stew and had a taste. It is really good but a bit hot, just like you said.”

“Yup, you’ll need a cold drink.”

After he washed himself and changed into some clean clothes, Nash went back downstairs to find Angel in the kitchen, already dishing out the food.

“You don’t do resting well, do you?” He went into the fridge and grabbed a beer. “Would you like a beer?”

“I’d love one.” She smiled as she set their plates down. “Isn’t it strange how I know what music and drinks I like, but I don’t know my own name?”

Sitting down, Angel took a sip straight from the bottle. “This is good.” She then took a spoonful of the stew and gave him a thumbs-up.

“The storm is letting up. If they get the roads cleared by tomorrow, I reckon we can head into town to see the doctor.”

“What month is it?”

“December, three and a half weeks until Christmas.”

“Christmas.” Her eyes landed on the window and the mantle of snow outside. “I remember what Christmas is about, and New Year’s, but not who I spent it with.

“I remember the bright sparkly lights, the Christmas songs, and the presents, but not the faces of the people who were with me. How is it I can remember that and nothing else?”

Nash reached across the table and put his hand over hers. “I wish I had answers for you but I don’t. Maybe the doctor can answer some of your questions.

“With luck, you’ll have your memory back before you know it. Maybe you’ll be home with your family in time for Christmas.”

“Who do you spend the holidays with?”

“My mom and dad, and some friends.

“Around this time of year, the town gets together to decorate the park and all the store windows in town. The men do the work while the women serve hot cider and bowls of chili.

“I guess you could say we make a party out of it. I hope you get to see what we do before you leave. Oh, and we put up an ice rink so the kids, as well as adults, can skate.”

“You make it sound like the whole town is one big family.”

Nash scraped the last of his stew out of his bowl. “We’re a close-knit community and we look out for one another. So, I guess, in some ways, yeah, we are like a family.

“Don’t get me wrong, we have a few bad eggs, like anywhere, but we’re mostly good people here. I hope you’ll get to meet them; you’ll love them. I know they will like you.”

There was a sense of mischief in her grin. “Now, how do you know that?”

“Because you’re a nice person.”

“You don’t know that. Heck, I don’t even know. I could be really mean, evil even.”

He gazed at her, and her eyes sparkled when he smiled at her. “You’re not, you’re sweet, and I have a feeling that you have a good and pure heart.”

She looked away shyly. “I hope you’re right. Are you always this kind to strangers?”

He turned to look out the window. “It stopped snowing. I’m just going to take Moe out to do his business. If you like, I can see if there’s a good movie on for us to watch.”

“Actually, I feel a little tired. Would you mind if I just went to bed? I’ll need to sleep in your shirt again if that’s all right.”

“Keep it as long as you want. Goodnight.”

“Night, Nash.” She patted Moe on the head before heading for the stairs.

“Don’t worry, Angel,” he said from the kitchen counter. “Tomorrow, we’ll head into town and start figuring out who you are and where you’re from.”