up as he frowned at his brother. “She’s scared witless. She doesn’t even know her own name. She’s looking at us like we’re total strangers.”
He inhaled deeply as he studied her face, evidently forcing himself to calm down.
“It’s okay, Jenny,” he told her, his face filled with concern. “The doctor’s on his way. He’ll help you. You’re going to be okay.”
She felt he was chanting the positive affirmation for his own benefit almost as much as for her. Even though her entire existence had suddenly turned to utter chaos, she still had enough of her wits about her to realize that he, too, was experiencing a shock. And for one quick moment, her heart went out to him as well as to the other man, the sandy-haired man. Chad was his name, she reminded herself.
Then Chad said, “Of course she’s going to be okay.”
The tone of his voice changed to such a degree that she was astounded. The flustered quality that she’d found so frightening disappeared so swiftly, so thoroughly, that she was left wondering if she hadn’t imagined it from the beginning. Or was it that the flash of sympathy she felt for him had made her lower her guard?
Was the fear she had felt illogical? she wondered. Darting a fleeting look at his face, she again saw nothing frightening in Chad’s friendly smile. She crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly, and let her gaze light momentarily on Luke. What made her think she was any less vulnerable to this onyx-eyed man?
Her head whirled with pain and bewilderment. Smoothing her fingertips across her forehead, she murmured, “My head hurts.”
“Where the hell is the doctor?” Luke turned and took a step toward the door.
“He’s coming,” Chad assured them both.
An elderly man came into the room, his lab coat pristine white but terribly rumpled.
“It’s about time,” Luke growled at him.
“Hey, Doc Porter,” Chad greeted him breezily.
The doctor ignored both men and moved directly to her side.
“Well, Jenny Prentice,” he said, “the nurse tells me you’re having a little trouble with your memory. Seems you might be suffering from a touch of amnesia.”
A touch of amnesia? If her head hadn’t been thumping like the devil was dancing a drunken jig on her brain, she’d have laughed right out loud, despite the jumbled state of her memory.
“Let’s have a look at you.” The doctor took a small penlight from the pocket of his coat and proceeded to shine it first in her right eye and then in her left. “Good pupil reflex,” he said. Tucking the pen away, he leaned back and looked into her face. “So what can you tell me about yourself, Jenny Prentice?” he asked.
She got the distinct impression that he’d stated her full name twice in order to get her used to the sound of it. But everything around her seemed so foreign, so unfamiliar, that she simply remained mute.
“Can you tell me how old you are?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“The name of our town?”
Again she shook her head.
“What state do you live in?”
This time she didn’t bother to answer. She just drew her bottom lip between her teeth in an effort to keep her tears at bay. How could her memory be so... empty?
“How about these rascals here in the room with us?” With a small jerk of his head, the doctor indicated the two men standing at her bedside. “Do you recognize them?”
Her breathing grew shallow, and she felt sure she would lose all control. Using every ounce of determination she could muster, she forced back the anxiety.
“I know their names are Luke and Chad,” she said slowly, her voice a grating whisper. “And Luke told me—” Her breath caught in her throat. She took a moment to steel herself, then began again. “He said he was my husband.”
“Well,” Doc Porter said, patting her shoulder in gentle consolation, “that’s a start.” He turned his attention to Luke. “I want to keep Jenny overnight. I want to keep an eye on her.” His face wrinkled with a smile. “I’m happy to report some good news. The X-rays show no sign of concussion, and the fall she took doesn’t seem to have hurt the baby.”
The room grew utterly still and quiet.
“The what?” Luke’s features had gone lax with pure, unadulterated astonishment.
She sat motionless. The doctor was saying she was pregnant. This was all just too much to take in.
Her name was Jenny Prentice. She repeated it silently, slowly. She was married. And she had a baby growing inside her. The weight of all this staggering news had her reeling. It was a wonder she didn’t faint dead away. But she didn’t.
Maybe it was a strong sense of survival, maybe it was a deep, innate maternal instinct, but whatever the cause, she found herself zeroing in on one single word.
Baby. Instinctively, she smoothed a protective hand over her lower abdomen. She was going to have a baby.
“My God, Jenny,” Luke said, disappointment in her showing plainly in his eyes, “why didn’t you tell me?”
All she could do was look at him helplessly. This was all news to her, too. But as she looked at his devastated expression, she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of woman would keep such wonderful news from her husband?
“Maybe I didn’t know.” Her tone was weak, even to her own ears, and she looked at the doctor, hoping for a confirmation.
The old man shook his head. “You came to my office for the test two weeks ago, Jenny. You’ve had the results for a while.”
“I don’t understand,” Luke said.
His midnight gaze threatened to bore a hole right through her. But she couldn’t help him, because she didn’t understand any of this, either. She could give him no answers, offer him no solace, not when she was so overwhelmed by the total blank that was her memory.
“I might be able to shed some light on this situation.”
Every eye in the room was on Chad, and they all waited, seemingly breathless, for him to explain himself.
“I’m sorry you have to find out like this, Luke,” Chad continued. “But I think that Jenny didn’t tell anyone about the baby because...” He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his tan shorts, heaving a sigh before continuing. “Well, to put it bluntly, I think I may be the baby’s father.”
Jenny Prentice slipped into the pair of well-worn jeans. She’d have sworn on a stack of Bibles that she’d never laid eyes on them before, yet as she fastened the metal stud and zipped the zipper, she couldn’t deny the fact that the soft blue denim fabric fit her body to a T.
Everything felt so strange. Every action
