One Southern Cowboy - Jennifer Youngblood Page 0,6

second, he thought about lying to her, but it was Mama. He couldn’t do that.

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

Her face paled, the creases around her mouth deepening. “I thought you were done with that chapter of your life.” Concern clouded her eyes.

Jaxson didn’t want to hurt Mama. He loved her more than life, but he had missed riding. And, he was dang good at it. So good that some of the rodeo officials had been begging him to come back. His body was starting to hurt all over, and he was craving sleep. He looked past Mama to the closed door. “How long does it take to get the results of a blasted X-ray?” he muttered. “Geez, Louise, this place is slow.”

Her eyes flashed. “Don’t evade the question.” She gave him a look that could stop a grizzly in its tracks. “Jaxson Allen Romeo, you need to be straight with me.”

His mama was an attractive woman with her honey-blonde hair and even features. The owner of a dress shop, she was always dressed to the nines. With her syrupy, Southern voice and genteel manner, people often mistook her as being a pushover, but she was steel on the inside. The epitome of a steel magnolia.

“I’m considering riding again,” he admitted, cringing at the despair on Mama’s face. He sought for the right words to make her understand. “I won, Mama.” His voice picked up its pace. “Even though I hadn’t ridden in months.” He searched her face, hoping she would understand. “I can’t remember the last time I felt so alive … as when I was on that horse.”

She took in a deep breath, her lips compressing into tight lines. A tense silence settled between them until finally, Jaxson could no longer handle it. “Say something, please,” he urged.

She gave him a tight smile. “I don’t think right now is the best time to discuss this,” she clipped.

“I love you, Mama. I stayed away from riding for months because of you.” His voice caught. “Please, don’t ask me to give it up for good. It’s part of who I am.”

The door opened. Knox stepped into the room, bringing Officers Williams and Phillips with him. Also, there was a woman.

Jaxson’s jaw dropped, a gurgling sound forming in the back of his throat as he looked up. “It is you,” he uttered.

2

Jaxson studied Lemon. She was still wearing the same jeans and white blouse, although they looked like they’d dried a bit since he’d last seen her. He searched his memory, trying to remember her exact height. He guessed it to be about five feet, five inches. She had a terrific figure, thin but super fit, like she knew her way around the gym. Her hair was stringy from being drenched. Her features were more defined than he remembered, more elegant. She had an air of maturity that hadn’t been there before. Eyeliner was smudged beneath her eyes. Those eyes. His heart missed a beat. A light blue, the color of a cloudless sky in June. He used to peer into them and swear he could catch sight of heaven. His heart squeezed. Oh, how he’d loved her.

A goofy smile wobbled over his lips. It was such a relief to know that Lemon was actually here. He’d not imagined the whole thing. “Hey, it’s good to see you.” Jaxson wasn’t sure how he expected Lemon to react, but certainly not like this. She just stared at him like he was a stranger.

Officer Williams spoke, “Do you know this woman?”

It took Jaxson a fraction of a second to process that the question was directed at him. “Of course. She’s Lemon Massey.” He looked at Lemon. “Tell them who you are.”

She clasped her hands together tightly, her lower lip trembling. “I—I’m sorry. I can’t remember,” she uttered softly, looking down like she was embarrassed.

“You don’t remember what?” Jaxson asked dully. The Lemon Jaxson knew had been so confident, so ready to take on the world. But this woman looked completely lost.

Lemon shrugged. “Anything.”

Jaxson’s insides tightened. “I don’t understand.” Was this some kind of joke?

“She doesn’t remember who she is,” Officer Williams explained.

Jaxson’s gut tightened. “You mean like amnesia?”

Officer Williams shrugged. “That’s what it sounds like, but I guess we’ll have to let the doctor answer that.”

A single knock sounded at the door before it opened. As if on cue, Doctor Jepson stepped in with a beleaguered sigh as he swiped his brow. “I’m sorry y’all have been waiting so long. The ER is a madhouse