Page 2

CALDER

“Calder?”

There were warm eyes looking down at mine.

Eyes I didn’t recognize but seemed to know me all the same.

I winced at the light that hit my eyes next, my hand going up to shield my face from it.

A few seconds later and my eyes started to adjust, the burning becoming more tolerable.

When I lowered my hand, the stranger was still there, still staring right at me.

“Calder? Are you awake?” His voice was hopeful. “I’m so happy you’re finally?—”

“Who’s Calder?”

“What?”

“You keep calling me that name,” I replied. “Is that me? Am I Calder?”

“Yes. You’re Calder.” The stranger offered me a small smile. “And I’m Shane. Shane Stratton.”

“Do we know each other?”

“Not really, no. We’ve seen each other around the ranch.”

“I wish I could remember…” My words trailed off, as I fully took in the stranger.

He was tall, with a lean build, muscles hidden beneath his clothes.

He was beautiful, too, in a classic sort of way, rugged enough to be on a carton of cigarettes but soft enough to be in glossy magazines.

His hair was perfectly trimmed and neat, but his eyes reminded me of nature herself: still, yet with a wildness behind them always.

“The doctor said you have a concussion. I think short term memory loss can be a side effect of that.” He nodded to himself as he spoke. “I should let her know you’ve woken up.”

“How long have I been out—Fuck!” I tried to sit up, but just as I did, the world went dark around me. Shane grabbed my waist and steadied me, gently helping me lie back down.

“Take it easy, okay?” Shane frowned. “I’ve been looking into it and the best thing for a concussion is to get some rest.”

I shakily gave him a thumbs up, as the world filled in with color again. When my eyes blinked open a little while later, Shane was holding a photo in front of my face. “Do you recognize her? We found this photo with the rest of your belongings.”

“She’s pretty.” It was all I could think to say, as my thoughts swirled together. “And we look pretty close in that picture, don’t we?”

“We were thinking she’s maybe your girlfriend?”

“Or my wife?” I playfully shrugged. “Or just a random woman I took a photo with. Maybe that’s my thing. Taking photos with strangers.”

At least, I hope she’s a stranger.

I hadn’t felt anything at all for the woman in the photo.

And while it was true that she was pretty to look at, the thought of feeling nothing for the woman who might be my wife or girlfriend was making me nauseous in ways I couldn’t explain.

Even if I couldn’t remember my name or my address, or even where I’d grown up, I would think that soulmate-love-of-my-life type of love was the sort of thing I’d feel in my veins, no matter what.

“Taking photos with strangers and carrying those photos around? Quirky,” Shane said, with a bemused look. The expression quickly faded as he went on. “More than likely, she means something to you. Something important.”

“Yeah. Maybe so.” I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling tired all over. “I’m sure it’ll come to me.”

“I’m sure it will.” I heard Shane’s footsteps heading for the nearest door. “In the meantime, I’ll go check in with the doctor. Give you your space. Remember, take it easy.”

“Take it easy. Got it. I’ll just sign up for the 5K instead of the 10K.”

“Very funny,” Shane said, not sounding amused in any way, shape or form.

That night, I dreamt for the first time since arriving at Stratton Ranch.

In the dream, I was riding my horse, hard, like I had somewhere to be.

The sense of urgency reflected in everything around me, the trees, the air, the sun, the grass.

Everything felt like it wanted me to go faster and faster, charging on until I made it to my destination.

There was dust burning my eyes, but I didn’t care, the same way I didn’t care about the heat that made its way down my neck.

Suddenly, my horse came to a stop. We were at the beginning of yet another trail, but this time, there was someone waiting for us.

They were all the way at the end of the trail, silhouetted by the sky, sitting on a horse of their own.

It looked like a man’s figure, but I couldn’t tell if I recognized him or not.

As I stared at the stranger, something twisted in my chest, something that left me breathless.

Was I… excited? Had I been expecting him at the end of the trail?

Who is he to me?

Feeling a newfound determination, I began to race towards the man cloaked in sky?—

And then I woke up, greeted by the cabin ceiling.

I groaned as I closed my eyes again, desperate to get back to the mystery man at the end of the trail.

I briefly wondered if he was real, someone I’d met long ago that my brain was aching to remember.

No matter what I did, though, I couldn’t get back to him or back to sleep, my mind racing with one too many thoughts.

Instead, I watched the world outside my cabin window, the wind rolling through the fields, the birds stopping by to visit on a perch.

Everything felt familiar here, which would’ve made sense.

According to Shane, I’d worked here sometimes, depending on the season.

Even so, there was something else about Stratton Ranch, something I wasn’t able to put my finger on.

Shit.

Maybe it’d come back to me someday, just like Shane said.

“Don’t—Okay, maybe we should—Hold on?—”

Shane was back in my cabin, watching me take my first wobbly step. It’d been a few days since I’d been on bedrest, and I was ready to test my legs.

Or at least, I thought I was ready. Shane already had his hands out, like I was bound to fall over any second.

“I’ve got it… I’ve got it…” I held up a hand as I planted my feet on the ground. “Shit. Okay. I think we’re good.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Shane let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good.”

“Hey, can I shadow you today?”

“What?”

“You know, follow you around. See what you’re up to,” I continued. “I know I’m not supposed to be doing too much physical stuff. But I’d like to leave the cabin, get outside a little bit. And it’s not like I know anyone else here, so…”

“You sure?” Shane hesitated. “I don’t have the most exciting day planned.”

“You said I used to work on the ranch, right?” I reminded him. “If you’re doing work around here, it’d probably be pretty interesting to me, whatever it is. And who knows? Maybe it’ll shake something loose out of my memory, too.”

“Good point.” Shane nodded. “All right, then. Sure. Just promise that you’ll tell me if you need to sit down. Or lie down. Or pass out.”

“I’ll definitely tell you if I need to do one of those things. Or maybe all three at the same time.”

“Uh-huh.” Shane’s face stayed stoic and still.

A few minutes later and we were outside the cabin, the fresh air hitting my grateful skin.

Shane started up a UTV, with me slipping into the passenger seat.

Shane had a confidence that permeated through everything he did, even the little things, like maneuvering his vehicle around turns on the ranch.

It was obvious that he’d been a cowboy for a long time, his comfort hinting at things coming second nature to him.

Eventually, we arrived at a barn with several hay bales outside of it. Shane parked the UTV and motioned for me to follow behind him. When I was standing next to him, he nodded up at the barn. “I’m going to move some hay bales into the barn for safekeeping?—”

“ We’re going to move some hay bales into the barn for safekeeping.”

“I thought you said you wanted to shadow me, Calder.” Shane raised an eyebrow. “Since when do shadows move hay bales?”

“Come on. It might jog some memories, remember?” I said, already moving towards a stack of hay bales, grabbing it on either side. “This’ll go faster with two people, anyway.”

Shane kept a watchful eye on me, as we completed the task, one hay bale at a time.

As we moved the bales, it felt like my body knew exactly what to do, even if I couldn’t remember why.

It was like my muscles had a memory all of their own, snapping into action in ways I couldn’t comprehend.

My body knew that it was comfortable here, comfortable working next to Shane, comfortable in the barn.

“What’s next?” I asked, as we headed back to the UTV, already sitting down in the passenger seat.

“I was going to go check on the horses,” Shane replied. “Are you still feeling okay?”

“Never felt better.”

“You’ve never felt better than post-concussion?”

“If I had ever felt better, would I even remember it?” I joked.

Shane cracked the slightest of smiles. It felt like winning something, making Shane smile. I had a feeling he wasn’t the biggest fan of things like smiling or letting loose, so it was like the tiniest bit of sunlight shining through.

When we got to one of the horse stables, Shane casually walked the premises. I followed behind him, the steps feeling familiar to me, too. I watched as he looked over the horses, each of them seeming so comfortable with his presence.

“Is this something you do often?” I asked as we walked together.

“Whenever I can,” he answered. “It’s one of my favorite parts of ranch life, I think, working with the animals. They… sort of keep me calm.”

“Keep you calm? Is there a reason you usually aren’t?”

“Oh. Right. You probably don’t remember meeting Joseph Stratton.” He let out a pained laugh. “My uncle can be… a lot. He owns the place. Working for him, working with him… I try to keep my distance when I can.”

“But why put yourself through any of it?”

“Because of Levi and Cole. We all take care of each other. Levi and Cole are brothers, and even though I’m their cousin, I’ve always been like a brother to them, too.”

“Huh.”

“Huh what?”

“Nothing. It’s just…” I stopped and started. “That’s very noble of you, Shane. It’s admirable.”

He shrugged. “They do the same for me.”

“Doesn’t make it any less admirable.” I smirked. “Just take the compliment? Please?”

“Compliment taken,” Shane said, turning his attention back to the horses.

I kept my eyes on him as he did, feeling something strange bubbling up through my chest. We were basically complete strangers as far as I knew, and yet, there was something about Shane.

Maybe some kind of tension, maybe some kind of warmth, maybe some kind of tenderness.

I was just so comfortable around him, all the time, from the first moment I’d woken up on the ranch.

Or maybe I was just like the rest of the horses in this stable, comforted by Shane’s presence because he was comforting .

He’d clearly gone out of his way to check on me after my accident, keeping watch until I opened my eyes.

For someone like Shane, making sure people were taken care of seemed to be second nature.

Which meant that I was probably reading into something that wasn’t there.