Secrets Read Free Page A

the name Elizabeth Sinclair over in her mind. Panic washed over her. “I just can’t remember!”
    â€œCan’t you remember anything?”
    She shook her head wildly.
    â€œWhat about your companion?”
    â€œNo!”
    â€œDon’t you even remember being on the train?”
    â€œNo!”
    He hesitated. “And James? You don’t remember him?”
    â€œNo!” Her control broke. Her nails dug deeply into the denim on his thigh. She was crying, frightened, clinging.
    A heartbeat passed. He lifted her to her feet and awkwardly put his arms around her. Regina pressed against him, choking on her tears and her fear. His chest was slick and hot beneath her cheek. Through the mesmerizing panic, she was aware of behaving in a wildly improper manner.
    â€œElizabeth.” He spoke roughly, but there was strength and reassurance in his tone. “It’s all right. We’re here to take care of you. And soon you’ll remember.”
    His calm was what she needed. She let him push her away so they were no longer in physical contact with one another. She fought for ladylike control. When she had found a semblance of it, she looked up, slowly and even shyly.
    He stared down at her uplifted face. It was an intimate moment after the embrace they had shared. But she did not look away, because he was all she had. “Thank you,” she whispered, gratitude swelling her heart. “Thank you.”
    His cheeks reddened. “Don’t thank me. There’s no need for that.”
    She almost smiled, wiping her eyes with the back of her gloved hand. “How wrong you are,” she said softly.
    He turned away. “We had better get going. Rick should be waiting for us in Templeton. When the traincame in without you, Edward rode out to get him.”
    â€œRick? Edward?” Should she know these people? The names were as unfamiliar as all the others.
    â€œMy old man,” he said tersely. His gaze never left her. “James’s father. I’m James’s brother, Slade. Edward’s another brother.”
    She shook her head miserably. “Am I supposed to know you? Or know James?”
    His face was expressionless. “You don’t know me or Edward. But you know Rick. And you know James. You’re his fiancée.”
    His fiancée. She almost succumbed to a fresh bout of weeping. She couldn’t even recall her betrothed, the man she loved. Dear God, how could this be happening? Pain filled her skull, almost blinding her. She staggered and Slade caught her. His strength was blatant and comforting.
    â€œYou’re not okay,” Slade said roughly. “I want to get to Templeton. The sooner you see Doc the better.”
    She was too overwhelmed with her circumstances to respond and only too happy to do as he wanted. In her state, which was compounded by exhaustion, she could not make even the smallest decision or protest. She let him lead her to his horse. She was beginning to feel numb, and because the numbness dimmed her fear and hysteria and encroached upon her despair, it was welcome.
    â€œYou’re limping a little,” Slade said, his hand gripping her one arm. “You hurt your ankle?”
    â€œIt’s tender,” she admitted, unable to stop herself from trying to summon up a recollection of how she had twisted her ankle. It was an exercise in futility. Her dismay must have showed, because for a brief moment she saw compassion flit across Slade’s face. He stood inches from her and she realized that his eyes weren’t black, or even brown. They were dark-blue, keenly alert, restlessly intent. They were the eyes of a highly intelligent man. An instant later the soft expression was gone, and Regina wondered if she had imagined it.
    She looked at the patient buckskin. It had not occurred to her earlier that they would have to share a mount, caught up as she was in her dilemma. Now was not the time to insist upon propriety