Lost Christmas Memories. Dana Mentink

stirred, moaning as if in pain.

      “Gonna have to slide you out of here, but first I’m going to borrow your gun. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you get it back in tip-top condition in case you need to shoot at me again.” What he would have given just then to see her open her eyes and have her fire a snappy comeback at him.

      Just as he removed the gun from her jacket, a series of shots ripped into the back of the vehicle. Sparks flew where the bullets struck the metal fender. He shielded Tracy as best he could, peering around the headrest to return fire through the ruptured window.

      He waited for the attacker to come again with another volley of shots. The guy either wasn’t much of a shot, or was simply laying down enough fire to keep them in place until he could move in. The next round of shots didn’t materialize, but headlights lit up the night, came close and nearly blinded him. Three sets of cowboy boots pounded the ground.

      Jack, Barrett, Owen. The Thorn brothers had arrived.

      The twins, Jack and Owen, were the first to get on hands and knees and peer inside.

      “Gunman,” he said.

      “Yeah. We saw somebody—” Owen handed his rifle to Jack “—heading for their car.” He eyed Tracy. “How bad?”

      “Not sure. Ambulance?”

      “On the way,” Jack said.

      Barrett hustled over and assisted Jack in sliding Tracy loose from the car. He draped a blanket over Tracy while Jack and Owen returned to help Keegan climb free of the wreck. His head swam and his shoulder pulsed with pain.

      “You hurt?” Owen asked.

      “Yeah, he is,” Jack said. “Shirt’s all bloody.”

      Owen didn’t wait for further details. He hauled Keegan away a few yards, forced him into a sitting position and began searching him for the source of the bleeding.

      “I’m all right,” he said, trying to push his brother off. Owen, in full-blown Marine Captain mode, ignored him and ripped open a pack of bandages from the first-aid kit he always carried in the truck, then pressed a wad to Keegan’s wound.

      Biting back a grunt of pain, Keegan squirmed to get closer to where Tracy lay on the blanket. Owen pinned him at the knees with his body weight. “Stop. She’s breathing. Pulse, Bear?”

      His bearded oldest brother nodded. “Strong.”

      “Head injury?” Keegan asked.

      Owen didn’t answer.

      “Why are you getting shot at this time?” Jack said.

      “I wasn’t. She was. Witnessed a murder.”

      All three brothers stared at him. He wondered what Tracy would think when she woke to a bunch of Thorn cowboys hovering over her.

      His heart gave a painful thump at the next thought.

      If she woke up.

      Owen finally taped a bandage down and released Keegan to go to Tracy’s side. He heard the wail of a siren approaching.

      “I’ll go meet them,” Jack said.

      Keegan nodded. He recognized the car as belonging to Chief John Larraby, Keegan’s half brother and the man he despised second most out of everyone in his life. Better Jack or any of his brothers than him interacting with John.

      Tracy coughed and he leaned close. “Hey there,” he said softly. “That’s it. Open your eyes now for me, okay?”

      Slowly, so slowly, her eyes flicked open. She struggled to sit up, but he held her down with a hand on her shoulder while Barrett did the same. “What...what happened?” she whispered.

      “It’s okay. We got away from the killer.”

      She blinked, frowning, the dazed look in her eyes awakening a twinge of concern deep in his gut.

      “What killer?” she said.

       FOUR

      She woke from the nightmare, the strong hands squeezing, throttling, killing. Heart slamming, she fought her way to consciousness, waking up with one thought in her mind...murder. Her vision cleared and she jerked to a sitting position to find herself in a hospital bed, startling the three people gathered there. For one long, terrifying moment, she searched her mind and found it blank. Where? How? Who were they? And who was she? Why was an image of murder circling her brain?

      “It’s okay,” the gorgeous blue-eyed man said. His arm was in a sling, a cowboy hat tucked in the crook of the other elbow. A fringe of dark hair framed his face. “You’re all right, I promise.”

      The dull roar in her head quieted just a fraction. The doctor edged forward and smiled. “You’ve had a little bump on the head. Can you tell me your name?”

      Again terror ballooned until facts began to land clumsily into place like heavy stones dropped into a creek. “Tracy. My name is Tracy Wilson.”

      “Excellent. That matches your driver’s license, so we’re doing great so far.” He asked another round of questions. Slowly she recalled the year, her age, her career as a bloodstock agent. She would have told him of her father if the ache in her heart hadn’t stopped her. All the while, she eyed the familiar cowboy and the police officer standing next to him. Police, hospital—it all added up to something bad but she could not command her thoughts.

      “It’s Friday morning.” The doctor’s words finally penetrated.

      “Friday?” she squeaked. Where had Wednesday and Thursday gone?

      “Do you remember visiting the Mother Lode Equestrian Center on Wednesday night?” the cop asked.

      Did she? Her fingers curled around the edge of the blanket and she blinked hard.

      The cowboy shot a hostile look at the cop. “Can’t you let the doctor finish?” There was something difficult between them, something that had started a long time ago, she guessed. The cowboy was beyond handsome, long and lean, a five o’clock shadow darkening his chin. It took her a moment to realize she knew him.

      “I’ve met you, haven’t I?”

      His face lit with a breathtaking smile. “Yes, ma’am. Keegan Thorn.”

      Fear bubbled in her stomach as she tried to recall where. The unruly fringe of hair, the deep baritone of his voice were all familiar. Her fuzziness subsided a fraction. He’d helped her, this cowboy.

      “I changed your flat tire, but I practically had to arm wrestle you to do it.” He grinned, but she thought the smile didn’t quite reach through the worry nestled in his eyes.

      “Thank you,” she said. “For doing that.”

      He shrugged. “No problem. Happy to help.”

      “But how did I get a head injury? Was I in an accident?”

      Keegan’s smile vanished and he looked away. More alarm bells clanged in her mind.

      The crew-cut officer inched forward. His blue eyes were similar to Keegan’s, though edging more toward slate than sapphire, but he was a few inches shorter, his face narrow and mouth not as full. There was certainly a resemblance, though, along with the unmistakable tension. A snippet of conversation flitted through her consciousness.

       I’m not the chief’s favorite guy... He’s my half brother.

      The cop was staring at her. “I’m John Larraby, chief of the Gold Bar Police Department, Miss Wilson, and yes, you were in a vehicle accident.”

      The doctor checked her pulse and the bandage on her head. “You were in a crash and you sustained