their marriage and she couldn’t go on with the way things had been.
Sighing, she rose from the swing to go back inside to start cutting up vegetables for a casserole. Leaving Sam had been one of the most difficult decisions she’d ever had to make and she would probably still be trying to make their marriage work if not for his extended absence when she miscarried. But being with him now was heaven and hell rolled into one and would only make it harder for her the second time she had to go. This time, she had been treated to a glimpse of what life would be like if he did stop traveling so much, and the more she saw of that life, the more she wanted it. The only problem was, he couldn’t give that to her and she refused to settle for less.
* * *
As Sam sat at the head of the table in the formal dining room watching Bria interact with her sister and his brothers, a desperation like nothing he had ever known clawed at his insides. Since discovering that she was only at the ranch to help him recover from his accident, he hadn’t been able to think of anything but how he was going to get her to stay. The only problem was, he didn’t remember any of the details surrounding her leaving him and had no clue as to what he could do to make things right between them.
But even if he had recalled what had taken place, with all his brothers and her sister around the past couple of days, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it. The only time they had been alone was when they had gone to bed at night.
“Earth to Sam. How are things out there in outer space, rocketman?” his brother asked, laughing.
Frowning, Sam looked at Nate. “What?”
“I asked you when you see the neurologist again,” Nate answered, his tone sounding a bit short on patience.
“This coming Thursday.” He needed to pay attention to what was going on. The last time he had let his mind wander, he had ended up being broadsided by a ton of hamburger on the hoof.
Without warning, a clear image of the bull coming toward him entered his mind and it took a moment for Sam to realize he was starting to remember things without the accompaniment of a dull headache or the sickening dizziness. Things were starting to come back to him a little faster now, and although he was positive he wasn’t going to like what he recalled, he hoped to gain some insight into how to handle the situation with Bria.
“Have you all decided who’s going to take Sam to the appointment?” he heard Bria ask as she and Mariah got up to cut pieces of apple pie for everyone.
“You’re not going with me?” he asked, frowning. Her question had him abandoning his disturbing introspection in no time flat.
An uneasy silence suddenly blanketed the room and, glancing from one brother to the other, Sam noticed they all seemed to be taking an inordinate interest in the slices of pie being placed in front of them by Bria’s sister.
Shaking her head, Bria walked over with his piece of pie. “Your brothers got together and decided I could use a day off to relax.” She gave him a smile that sent his temperature up a good ten notches. “I might go to a spa or have my hair and nails done.”
Even though he knew his brothers thought the world of Bria, Sam had never known them to be that considerate. But there was really nothing he could say that wouldn’t tip them off that he was regaining his memory and he wasn’t ready just yet to reveal that bit of information.
“It sounds nice, sweetheart,” he said, picking up his fork. Her not being with him didn’t sound nice at all, but at the moment there was nothing he could do but go along with their plan. Looking around the table at the five men shoveling pie into their mouths, he asked, “So which one of you drew the short straw and will be going with me?”
“Ah, hell, I’ll bite the bullet and go down to Waco with you,” Nate spoke up, grinning. “I met a cute little nurse while you were in the hospital down there. I wouldn’t mind seeing her again.”
“You’re worse than a sailor with a woman in every port, Nate,” Lane said, grinning as he