Page 24 of His Forgotten Colton Fiancee

Chapter 6

Her head ached, and so did her throat. Her left wrist throbbed. It felt as if someone had shoved sand into her eyes, as well.

She wanted to wake up, sit up, but her body wasn’t working properly. Everything felt sluggish, as if she were swimming upstream in thick oil.

Beeping machines. Sterile, awful smells. Voices murmuring near her. A thick pressure on her arm, andthen it eased off. Blood pressure cuff... She recognized the sensation.

What happened? From the morass of confusion in her mind, she pulled out a name. Quinn. Her name was Quinn and something horrible made her end up here. The pain was incredible.

Quinn blinked hard, wishing someone would pull out the rail spike driving into her head.

“Easy there,” a deep male voice said. “Quinn, doyou know where you are?”

“No.” She blinked hard, trying to focus.

“Do you know who I am?”

She stared at the concerned, handsome face of the man at her bedside. “No.” Panic rose up, threatened to squeeze her chest. “What happened?”

“You’re in the Red Ridge Community Hospital ER. You suffered a head injury.” The hand covering hers squeezed gently. “I’m Brayden Colton. Your brother.You don’t remember me at all?”

Brother? She blinked again, hating this void in her mind, the fact that everything felt so foggy.

Her gaze flickered to the other man in the room. Tall, handsome, his dark gaze burning with intensity. The man who’d called her “sleeping beauty.”

He shoved a hand through his already-rumpled hair. “I’m West. West Brand. You don’t remember me?”

Quinnstarted to shake her head, but it hurt too much. “Give me a mirror.”

West hesitated.

“Now. I have to see.”

They hunted one down, and West handed it to her. She stared at her reflection.

Two large purpling bruises, one eye swollen. “Why can’t I remember?” Quinn began to cry.

“Easy,” said the man who was her brother. “Try not to move around too much. I’m going to get Shane.”

With a hard glance at the man named West, he pointed to her. “Stay with her. Don’t question her yet. Just watch her.”

Nausea curled in her stomach. She put a hand over her mouth. “I don’t feel good.”

The tall, handsome man searched around, found a small pan and held it under her mouth. She waved it aside. It hurt too much to throw up.

West’s palm covered hers. Warm. Strong. Caring.Why did he care? He wasn’t family.

Quinn closed her eyes.

“No, honey, don’t go to sleep. I know it must hurt, but you’ve got to stay awake.”

She opened her eyes, studied him. Dark hair, round chin, sculpted mouth. Handsome, strong face. Expressive brown eyes filled with worry. Worry about her? What was she to him?

The curtains jerked aside and another stranger entered. Quinn blinkedhard as he introduced himself as Shane, her other brother.

“Do we live together at home? Where are my parents? Why aren’t they here?” she asked.

Brayden and Shane exchanged glances. “We’re actually half siblings. Our mutual dad is Rusty Colton. He’s...different,” Brayden told her.