The Witness Read Free Page A

did. He seemed to possess an uncanny ability to see straight into her in a way that was most unsettling.
     
He had her pegged from their first meeting. He knew a liar when he saw one.
     
She hoped that his talent for reading her thoughts would serve now to let him know how genuinely sorry she was that he'd been injured. If not for her, the wreck never would have occurred. He had been driving, but it was she who was accountable for the pain and discomfort he was suffering. Realizing this, she was filled with remorse. She was the last person he would want hovering over his hospital bed.
     
Misreading the cause of her hesitation, the nurse smiled and motioned her forward. "He's decent. You can come in now."
     
Battling her apprehension, Kendall stepped into the room and gave the patient a faltering smile. "Hi. How do you feel?"
     
He fixed an unblinking stare on her that lasted for several moments. Finally, he glanced up at the doctor, then at the nurse, before his gaze moved back to Kendall. Then in a weak, hoarse voice, he asked, "Who are you?"
     
The doctor bent over his patient. "You mean you don't recognize her?"
     
"No. Am I supposed to? Where am I? Who am I?"
     
The doctor just gaped at his patient. The nurse stood dumb founded, the hose of the blood pressure gauge dangling from her hand. Kendall appeared stunned, although she felt her emotions rioting. Her mind scurried to assimilate this shocking twist and how she might use it to her advantage.
     
The doctor was the first to recover. With a bravado belied by his weak smile, he said, "Well, it seems that the concussion has left our patient with amnesia. This frequently happens.
     
It's temporary, I'm sure. Nothing to worry about. You'll laugh over it m a day or two."
     
He turned to Kendall. "For now, you're our only source of information. Guess you'd better tell us and tell him who he is."
     
She hesitated so long that the moment stretched taut. The doctor and nurse looked at her expectantly. The man in the hospital bed seemed both interested in and wary of her answer.
     
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Kendall could tell that, miraculously, he genuinely remembered nothing. Nothing!
     
This was a blessing unforeseen, an incredibly generous gift of fate. It was almost too good, almost overwhelming, too intricate to handle without having time to prepare. But she knew one thing for certain: She would be a fool not to seize it with both hands.
     
With remarkable calm, she declared, "He's my husband."
     
Chapter 1
     
"By the authority vested in me by Almighty God and the state of South Carolina, I pronounce you husband and wife.
     
Matthew, you may kiss your bride."
     
The wedding guests applauded as Matt Burnwood drew Kendall Deaton into his arms. Laughter erupted when his kiss extended beyond a chaste token. He was reluctant to stop.
     
"That'll have to wait," Kendall whispered against his lips.
     
"Unfortunately."
     
Matt gave her a pained look, but, being a good sport, turned to face the several hundred people who had turned out in their Sunday best to attend the affair.
     
"Ladies and gentlemen," the minister intoned, "may I present, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Burnwood."
     
Arm in arm, Kendall and Matt faced their smiling guests.
     
Matt's father was seated alone in the front row. He stood and opened his arms to Kendall.
     
"Welcome to our family," he said, embracing her. "God sent you to us. We've needed a woman in our family. If Laurelann were alive, she'd love you, Kendall. Just as I do."
     
Kendall kissed Gibb Burnwood's ruddy cheek. "Thank you, Gibb. That's very sweet of you."
     
Laurelann Burnwood had passed away when Matt was a youngster, but he and Gibb spoke of her death as though it were recent. The widower cut an impressive figure, with his white crew cut and tall, trim physique. Many widows and divorcees had set their caps for Gibb, but their affections remained unrequited. He'd had his one true love, he Often