Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“Hey, are you awake? I’m sorry, did Piper wake you?”
That voice. It was deep and broody-sounding, but at the same time, soothing. I opened my eyes to see the cowboy standing there. Piper jumped back up onto the bed and promptly started to lick me.
“Piper! Off.”
Chuckling, I started to pet her. “It’s okay, Piper didn’t wake me up. And I love dogs. At least, I think.”
“You think?” he asked.
I frowned as I met his gaze. “I don’t remember anything.”
His brows shot up. “What? Like, you have amnesia?”
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, and I started to blink rapidly, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.
The stranger took a step closer. “No, please don’t cry! It’s all going to be okay. I promise you. You did tell me your name was Mallory.”
I wiped at the tears and sniffled. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I don’t remember anything about myself, and I think that’s my name.”
He smiled softly. “Okay, first—are you hungry?” he asked.
Nodding, I softly replied, “I’m starving. That much I do know about myself.”
“There’s a bathroom right through that door there,” he said, pointing to a door I hadn’t noticed. “I put a fresh toothbrush, a hairbrush, and some clean towels in there. You were soaking wet, so I had to remove all your clothes. I’m sorry for invading your privacy like that, but I didn’t want you to get sick. It’s just me here, so…” His voice trailed off, and he looked away.
“Th-thank you.” I felt my cheeks heat, knowing this man had seen me in my underwear and bra.
That’s when I realized I wasn’t wearing underwear or a bra. He must have seen the realization on my face.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I had to take off your bra and panties. I washed them, though, and they’re in the bathroom. I threw the rest of your clothes away; they smelled terrible and were all ripped.”
All I could do was nod. He’d seen me naked. I should have felt utterly violated.
But strangely…I trusted him.
“I’ll let you get cleaned up. If you want to take a hot shower, you can. I didn’t have any female clothes, but I put a T-shirt and sweats next to your underthings. They’re entirely too big, just like the ones you have on, but they’re clean.”
I looked at him then for what felt like the first time. He was handsome—tall, dark hair, and blue eyes. His body was muscular, but like he did manual labor for a living, not like the type of guys you see at gyms. His shoulders were broad, and his face was dusted lightly with hair, like he hadn’t shaved in a day or two.
“What’s your name?” I asked, thinking I had heard it but wasn’t sure if it was a dream or not.
“Sorry,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Liam Sanders. I own the ranch you were on—or where I found you. I mean, you’re still on the ranch.”
I chewed nervously on my lip.
“Take your time. I’ll get us some breakfast going. Piper, come.”
Piper stayed where she was, looking at me and then at her daddy. “Do you mind if she stays with me?” I asked.
Liam looked surprised but said, “Of course not. When you’re ready to come downstairs, turn left out of the bathroom, follow the stairs down, and you’ll see the kitchen. It’s one big open area, the living room and the kitchen.”
“Thank you.”
He turned to leave, and I asked, “Liam, how long have I been here? With you, I mean?”
“I found you two days ago. You’ve been sleeping since I took you in from the storm.”
My eyes went wide. “I’ve been sleeping for two days?”
He nodded.
With a swallow, I said, “Thank you for helping me.”
A small crease appeared between his brows, but then his face softened. “Of course.”
Turning again, he walked out of the bedroom, softly shutting the door.
Pushing the covers off of me, I swung my legs around and hung them off the bed. Piper jumped into the bed and sat beside me. She was so sweet as she gave me a little nudge of encouragement.
“I’m trying, girl, but my body hurts from running for days.”
She let out a soft bark, which made me laugh.
“Okay, I’m getting up.” I stood—and instantly felt the pain in my feet shoot up through my entire body. After a minute or two, I forced myself to walk toward the bathroom—and the second I stepped inside, I gasped. It was beautiful. I’d never seen a bathroom so lovely. The walls were finished, unlike the exposed wooden beams in the bedroom. A giant copper tub sat under another beautiful window with views that looked too stunning to be real. To the left was a walk-in shower. My gaze went from the tub to the shower. I wanted to soak in the tub, but Liam had mentioned making breakfast, so I didn’t want him to wait on me.