smile widened into an all-out grin, and the spark grew hotter, licking and dancing deep within her.
“I never could get you to wear shoes,” he explained further. “Especially in summer.”
Identifying the pure, unadulterated physical attraction for what it was, Jenny was stunned silent. How could this be happening? Why would she feel such a strong pull to Luke when she was supposed to be having an affair with his brother?
The implications made her face flame, made her avert her eyes from his.
Did the old Jenny Prentice have such loose morals that she could sleep with two men? Her insides churned with disgust. What kind of woman was she? she wondered yet again.
“Come on, Jenny,” Luke said.
The tightness in his voice told her he’d noticed her embarrassment. She cast him a furtive glance. Sure enough, his smile had disappeared, and his eyes were cool chips of shiny coal.
“Put your shoes on.” He moved to the bed and picked up the small bag that contained her meager personal belongings. Turning his back on her, he said, “Let’s go home.”
She had no choice but to follow him.
Chapter Two
Home. The word should conjure up feelings of security and warmth, happiness and laughter. Togetherness. Sharing. Family. But Jenny felt none of these things. Dread sat in her stomach, heavy as a concrete block, as she contemplated going to a place she didn’t remember, living with a man who was a stranger to her.
When she exited the hospital, sunshine warmed her cheeks and she paused long enough to close her eyes for an instant and lift her face skyward. She’d only had a scant moment to enjoy the warm, sunny day before Luke urged her forward, settling his palm on the small of her back.
It was an innocent movement, she was sure. One he’d probably made hundreds of times as her husband, but the jolt that ricocheted up her spine at his touch made her eyes go wide and her knees turn weak.
“We’ve got a thirty-minute drive ahead of us,” he told her, directing her further into the parking lot.
She was relieved that she was able to keep putting one foot in front of the other in a normal stride. The heat of his hand against her back seemed hotter than the summer sun, scalding her, yet she didn’t find it uncomfortable. To the contrary, she found his touch strangely pleasing in a purely physical sense. Before she even realized it, warm tendrils curled down deep in her belly. The low curve of her back seemed like such an unlikely spot for an erogenous zone to be located.
She quickened her pace, hoping to get a step or two ahead of him, and the feel of his hand against her. The last thing she wanted was to let this stranger, no matter how good-looking he might be, see her react to him in such a blatantly physical manner. He might be her husband, but she didn’t know this man.
With just a few quick steps, she was able to put some space between them.
“Whoa,” he called out.
She stopped and turned to face him.
“You walked right past our Bronco.”
Her cheeks were warm and rosy, a leftover reaction to his touch, she knew. His brow wrinkled with a frown as he noticed, and that mortified her.
“It’s okay,” he assured her. “How could you know?”
She let the tiny, self-conscious smile tug at one comer of her mouth. However, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt because she allowed him to believe her embarrassment was caused by having missed the car and not by the fact that her insides had nearly been melted by the mere touch of his hand. She was just relieved that her response had been, for the most part, internal, and all that had surfaced to draw his attention had been a little heated color on her face.
Luke held open the passenger door of the big, four-wheel-drive vehicle, and Jenny had to use the running board to step up into the cab. He went around to the other side and slid behind the wheel.
“It’s so strange,” she said, latching the seat belt securely around her waist. “I remember I need to wear a seat belt...but I haven’t the slightest idea what town I’m in.” She straightened. “I know that that’s a rosebush, and that’s a pine tree, but I can’t remember the name of that mountain range.” She pointed toward the horizon.
Turning the key in the ignition, Luke looked her way. “Doc didn’t offer to fill you in on that kind of stuff?”
She looked contrite. “Oh, he offered,” she said softly. “He made himself available every morning for any questions I might have.” Her gaze wandered out the window and her tone dropped to a whisper as she went on. “I was too afraid to ask.”
The Bronco sat motionless, the engine idling smoothly.
After a silent moment, Luke softly commented, “That sure doesn’t sound like the Jenny I know.”
Frustration reared up inside her. First Doc Porter had chastised her, telling her she hadn’t been the kind of person to hide from the truth. And now Luke was rebuking her, too. Something in her snapped.
“Don’t you understand?” she cried, her eyes welling with tears of defeat and confusion. “The woman you know isn’t in here.” She tapped her index finger twice against her temple. “I don’t remember her. I don’t know her. I’m not sure I even want to—”
“Jenny, stop.” He reached out toward her, his strong fingers gently encircling her wrist.
“Don’t,” she whispered pleadingly, and pulled her arm from his grasp. His touch did things to her. Made her feel a hunger that was both confusing and exciting.
Why was that? The question slipped into her consciousness before she could stop it. Why did she react so strongly to him when—
Jenny shoved the thought aside. She wasn’t ready. There were simply too many other, more fundamental, questions that needed answers. Questions like—who was Jenny Prentice? And is that woman ever coming back? And what was everyone going to do if she didn’t? Who was this man sitting next to her? What kind of marriage had they shared?
That thought brought another startling question. What was he going to expect of her as his wife?
I can’t have sex with a total stranger. A flash of panic swept through her.
The idea of sex brought another question rolling into her mind. Who had fathered the baby she carried?
At the thought of the child growing inside her, she settled her hands, one overtop the other, low on her belly. To Jenny, that last question was the most important of all.
Suddenly, honest emotion flooded from her. “I don’t understand why you’re even here,” she told him. “You should have sent someone after me. After what I’ve done to you. To our marriage.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember what we had together. I don’t have one single memory of our life. But it’s got to hurt you to think I might have slept with your brother.”
She clamped her lips shut. It hadn’t been her intention
