Her body started shaking, her imagination racked with what-ifs. The only way to keep herself from screaming was to take refuge in a memory of the love and support she’d felt among the siblings earlier last night in Ace’s condo. She remembered the feelings of warmth and safety as she’d watched the way the family had enfolded itself around Ace’s newly discovered, pregnant daughter and welcomed the young woman into the Colton clan like a protective hug. Remembered the little tug of envy she’d felt, wondering what it might be like to be claimed as Nova had been, and know she’d forever belong.
Closing her eyes, Sierra then recalled the feeling of Ace’s strong, warm arms encircling her, the safety and the satisfaction she’d felt sleeping, bounded by his embrace. And how he’d admitted, right out loud, that he wanted a future with her. Words she could honestly never recall hearing and had, in fact, disdained, imagining them the stuff of drugstore greeting cards and made-for-TV movies. Not the kind of world she lived in, where people used such sticky sentiments only to get close enough to take advantage.
She shuddered as a more distant memory caught her unawares, her skin crawling before she was able to push thoughts of her childhood aside. Better to forget the past, and not to think too much about the future, either.
Instead, she savored the magic of those perfect moments she’d had with Ace, wrapping herself in daydreams of an entirely different kind of life. A life she knew that, for a woman like her, was no more realistic than the castle, crown and crinoline fantasies she knew so many girls indulged in when they were little. But they were pretty enough dreams, and they helped her arrange the mask she knew she’d need if she ever hoped to escape this hospital—and get away from Mustang Valley before even more trouble came calling.
What felt like hours later, she passed her first test, conducting herself calmly and reasonably when a dark-haired neurologist named Dr. Amir came to test her visual acuity, her reflexes and ask her some basic questions about the date and time of year, where she was, and what had brought her here to the hospital. Though her vision remained a bit blurred, with a tendency to double if she turned her head too quickly, the only thing that really gave her pause was when the man asked her to tell him her name.
Noticing how intently the nurse with the asymmetrical haircut was watching her from behind her glasses, Sierra frowned before reminding herself she had to play the game. “It’s Iris. Iris Higgins.”
She then cut a look to the nurse, who gave Sierra a small nod of approval. But Dr. Amir was frowning at the nurse.
“I see no signs of combativeness, no disorientation that would for a moment warrant the use of any form of restraints on this patient. And this—” he said, his voice faintly accented as he gestured angrily at the zip tie still attached to the railing. “If it’s true, as you said, that a visitor placed it here, without medical direction, that visitor should have been removed from the facility at once—and the restraint immediately removed.”
“Yes, of course.” The nurse flushed fiercely. “I’m aware of our protocol on restraints, but I have a call in her admitting physician about a possible...alternative, because there were—there are extenuating circumstances. You may have noticed the guard standing watch outside her room.”
“My room,” Sierra protested. “Excuse me, both of you, I’m right here, so why not try including me in this conversation? You know, like a person?”
“My apologies.” Dr. Amir’s warm brown eyes looked convincingly remorseful. “I’m afraid it can be an occupational hazard since I deal with so many...incapacitated patients.”
Returning his attention to the nurse, he said, “I didn’t notice a police uniform on that guard, so that tells me this patient is no prisoner.”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” the nurse explained, casting an apologetic glance Sierra’s way. “It’s just that the Coltons want her protected—and from what I was told by the police sergeant who stopped by this morning, they have very good reason to fear for what might happen if she were to...act rashly.”
“Ah, the Coltons. I see,” Dr. Amir said before shaking his head. “I’m aware of the family’s recent...difficulties, and I have great appreciation for the generous endowment Colton Oil has given to the hospital in the past. But surely, that does not mean we can allow their desires to compromise our professional ethics. Now, I have another patient to assess, Nurse Bishop, or I would see to this matter myself now, but I will stop by before I leave the hospital, and when I do, I will certainly expect to f
ind Miss Higgins here completely unrestrained. Do you understand?”
“I do, Doctor, but if you’d seen and heard her earlier, she was—”
“She’s absolutely right. I was confused and disoriented when I first woke up,” Sierra cut in, throwing the nurse a bone in the hope of getting the woman on her side. “But my head’s clear now. I’m feeling so much better. And I—I completely understand that everyone here has my best interest at heart.”
Dr. Amir smiled and nodded. “We’re agreed, then. I’d like you to stay another night for observation, rest and to reassess you neurologically to make certain everything’s still heading in the right direction. Mostly, it’s a precaution, since your CT scan looked clear. However, if you continue to improve at this rate, I believe you can expect to be released tomorrow.”
Continuing to play the role of the world’s most cooperative patient, Sierra offered her most angelic smile and thanked him, knowing she had no intention of hanging around waiting for anybody—not even the best intentioned—to decide her future.
* * *
Though Ace hated to leave Sierra on her own at the hospital, he knew that she’d be safe, under Callum’s watchful eye. More than that, she needed rest and time to cool off and come to grips with her new reality. He trusted she’d be safe, as well, since the nurse he’d spoken to outside her room had promised to wait until she was settled—or preferably out cold before cutting the zip tie that kept her from once more attempting to climb out of her bed.
Since he, too, needed rest, along with a shave, a shower and a change of clothes, he asked Ainsley to drop him at his now-vacant condo on her way to Colton Oil, where she insisted she had a couple of pressing work issues she needed to deal with. Though he’d tried convincing his sister that no one would fault her for taking a personal day in light of what had happened, she only smiled and told him, “It’ll be fine. Marlowe’s cutting short her maternity leave to help out.”
“That’s generous of her. I hope neither of you are working yourselves to death, though.”
“Just get some sleep, and I’ve had the refrigerator at your place stocked, so you should be good to go for at least a few days. And Asher’s said he’ll see to your wing at the Triple R, whenever you’re ready to head that way,” she added, referring to their younger brother, who worked as the ranch foreman.
Grateful anew for his siblings’ thoughtfulness, he thanked her and promised to touch base by text that evening.
It was late afternoon before he headed out again, throwing caution to the wind and uncovering his Porsche after spotting no reporters anywhere around. As he’d hoped, the silver convertible thrummed to life without a hiccup, and Ace felt exhilarated once more having its power and speed at his command. Most of all, he loved reclaiming his independence and felt more like himself now that he was rested, clean and freshly shaven. Though his clothes were on the loose side, he found a pair of jeans that fit decently, along with a clean button-down shirt and blazer. He’d even taken time to eat one of the premade wrap-style sandwiches he found in the fridge to forestall any sisterly nagging if he happened to encounter Ainsley.
But it wasn’t any of his siblings he ran into as he headed into a florist’s shop downtown in the hope of finding a bouquet extravagant enough to win Sierra’s forgiveness when he returned to the hospital to check on her. Instead, he had to stop short to keep from being run over by a woman charging out the front door, her chin down and her designer handbag tucked beneath one arm.
When she drew up short, too, his breath caught, his stomach plunging with a horrifying certainty. Micheline! The so-called mother who’d rejected him from the moment of his birth.
Grimacing, he scrambled back a step just as she looked up.
He blinked, the breath escaping his lungs, realizing his mistake. It wasn’t Micheline at all, but another horror gaping up at him. His father’s second wife, Selina. The same Selina who’d tried to pass herself off as a concerned stepmother when hiring Sierra to bring him in to the police.