The Sheriff's Amnesiac Bride. Linda Conrad

into agreeing to marry me.”

      “Now, Mace. You aren’t holding a gun to my head. I volunteered to help you out with T.J.”

      “Yes, you did. And I love you for it.” She turned and touched his arm. “You are really a good guy, my friend. Too good to get saddled with a wife who won’t ever love you the way she should. I can’t do it to you.

      “I’m calling the wedding off permanently,” she blurted. “You’re off the hook for good.”

      Relief mixed with sadness and kicked him in the gut. He didn’t want to get married, but he would do anything to help Macy out in her time of need.

      “What about T.J.? How are you going to take control of him now?” When she didn’t answer, Jericho stepped up again. “Look, I can make some extra time for him this summer. Just as soon as I find a link to our mystery woman, my schedule should lighten up.”

      Macy smiled softly. “T.J. is a big part of the reason I’m canceling our wedding. You know he’s in the middle of doing that community service project you arranged for him over at the state park this week. He’s not pleased about having to make up for the toilet-paper and mailbox mangling incidents, but I hope he’s learning his lesson and is staying out of trouble.

      “And then earlier this week Jewel agreed to let T.J. work at the Hopechest Ranch for the rest of the summer.” Macy’s smile brightened. “The hard work should be good for him. But that means you don’t have to worry about making time for him. He’ll be plenty busy.”

      Several emotions flitted through Jericho at breakneck speed. Disappointment came first. Then another level of relief. Finally, a streak of annoyance came and went. Now he would have no excuse for not spending all his time with Rosie and working on her case.

      “Do you think T.J. is going to be broken up about the change in marriage plans?” He hoped not. Deep down the kid was really good and Jericho hated to see him hurt.

      Macy shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Actually, he’s been pretty antsy over us getting married. I imagine he’ll be happy to hear his mother will continue being single.”

      Jericho didn’t like the sound of that. “Is he still upset over my giving him community service? I only did it to keep him out of the juvenile system. I…”

      “No, Jericho,” she interrupted. “You did the best thing for him. You’re not trying to be his friend. Me neither. It’s our job as adults to do the right thing. I really believe T.J.’s biggest trouble with the wedding is Tim’s memory. He saw you as Tim’s friend for so long that he couldn’t quite get past the changeover to having you take Tim’s place.”

      “But I wasn’t…I wouldn’t.”

      Macy chuckled at his mumbling protests. “I know. And T.J. would’ve found that out if he’d had the chance.

      “But calling it off is for the best,” she continued. “For all of us. This way, you’ll have the opportunity to find someone who you can…”

      At that moment, Rosie cleared her throat to announce that she was interrupting. She still had on his old T-shirt but she’d slipped on her jeans underneath it and her hair was wet from the shower. The sight of her in the hallway simply set his veins on fire.

      The difference between how he’d felt seeing Macy and how he felt right now seeing Rosie seemed extreme. And he didn’t care for it one bit.

       Chapter 4

      “You must be the one Jericho’s calling Rosie. I’m Macy Ward.” The woman rushed over and reached out to capture her hands. “Jericho’s old friend. It’s gotta be terrible for you, not having any memories. I was so shocked when I heard. You poor thing.”

      Taken aback by such an effusive greeting, Rosie felt torn between laughing and running for her life. But there was just something about Macy Ward that made her want to smile.

      Slinging her arm around Rosie’s shoulder, Macy hugged her close. “I brought you some decaffeinated teas and a few things to wear, honey. Just to get you by for a day or two. I can’t imagine not having a closet or even a purse to call your own.

      “Oh, makeup,” Macy added with a start. “Darn. I should’ve thought of that, too.”

      “Um. That’s okay. I don’t know if I wear any.” With that thought, Rosie lifted the back of her hand to her mouth in an effort to hold off what might turn into a sob.

      But she stopped in midair, struck by the wayward idea that she might be a nail biter. Checking, Rosie was relieved to find her nails seemed intact. And manicured and polished at that.

      So she was a woman who took care of her appearance. Spent money and time on it. Not that anyone could judge by the way she looked this morning. One glance in the bathroom mirror after her shower, and Rosie had nearly fled screaming. In addition to the bruises and cuts, her disaster of a hairdo could not possibly be normal. Not only didn’t it look like she’d spent any money or time on it, but it just didn’t feel right.

      Rosie nearly broke down again as she wondered how long it might take her to get a clear idea of what her hair was really supposed to look like. Would that ever happen? It was possible, she supposed, that the memory would never return. But thinking that way made her knees weak.

      Macy turned back to Jericho, who had been standing there with his mouth gaping open. “Jericho, fix Rosie this tea and us some coffee, will you? Maybe you could even scramble Rosie a couple of eggs. You do have fresh eggs?”

      Being called down by Macy seemed to shake Jericho out of his reverie. “I’ve got a few eggs, and the coffee’s already made. What are you going to do?”

      “I’m going to help Rosie change. The things I brought should be a close fit to her size. She’s a little taller and thinner than I am, though. So we’ll have to see.” With that, Macy spun them both around and headed down the hall.

      Rosie heard Jericho mumbling from over her shoulder. “Well, sure. Y’all help just yourselves. I’ll cook.”

      Fifteen minutes later and she was still feeling a bit weepy. Macy had been trying to brush her awful hair into some semblance of a style. Of course, without much luck.

      Rosie thought things in general seemed a lot better. Macy bringing clean underwear had been a real blessing. Putting clean clothes on made Rosie feel almost human again. They’d discovered Macy’s slacks were about an inch too short and the shoulders of her blouse were big enough for a Rosie and a half—yet the buttons in front barely closed. Still, clean clothes had made a world of difference in how Rosie saw her situation.

      “I’m sorry I messed up your wedding yesterday, Macy. Are you upset? Can you reschedule?”

      The other woman turned and captured her in a big bear hug. “You’re a sweetheart for thinking of me when you have so much trouble of your own. But not to worry. The wedding is off for good. You didn’t mess up a thing.”

      Rosie’s curiosity was piqued and she decided she didn’t care about sounding too nosy around this sweet woman with the blazing white smile and two tiny dimples. “Why did you call it off? Did something happen between you and Jericho?”

      “Come sit down with me for a moment,” Macy said as she led her back into the spare bedroom and plopped on the bed. “Let me tell you something about the man who’s taken you in.”

      Curious, Rosie eased down beside her. She didn’t remember a thing about her past, but maybe it would be smart to know a whole lot more about her present.

      “When I was born in this small town,” Macy began, “there were several boys who lived on my block. I guess I was kind of a tomboy as a kid because two of those boys who were my age became my best friends. I never had much to do with the other little girls in town.”

      It was nice hearing Macy