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“Too bright?” the deep voice asked.
The warmth that had emanated from the man standing next to her disappeared.
A moment later, the pale gray light filtering through the seam of her closed eyelids faded to a darker color.
This time, Shelby slowly eased open her eyes and gave them a minute to focus before looking around at the sterile white walls surrounding her. She frowned. “Where am I?”
“In a hospital in New Orleans,” the deep voice said.
Shelby turned to look up at the tall, broad-shouldered man with black hair and blue eyes. Her frown deepened. “Do I know you?” He seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.
His brow furrowed. “Seriously? You don’t know me?”
She ran her gaze over his face, across his shoulders and lower. Something about him was familiar, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose. “Should I know you?” she asked, shaking her head.
His lips pressed together. “I’m Remy.”
The face…the name… She felt like she should know them.
“Remy Montagne,” he said. “We grew up in the same town.” He opened his mouth as if to say more, then closed it.
“Why can’t I remember?” she whispered, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye.
“Do you remember who you are?” he asked.
She nodded slowly. “Shelby…Taylor.”
“Do you know where you live?” Remy asked.
Her brow puckered. “Memphis? No. I left that job to go home to…” Her eyes narrowed. “Bayou Mambaloa?” A small wave of relief kept her from freaking out.
Remy nodded. “That’s right. You live in Bayou Mambaloa.”
She glanced around the room. “Why am I here? Was I in an accident?” The monitor’s beeps increased in frequency. Shelby’s cheeks flushed, and her breathing became erratic. “Is that why I can’t remember you? Was anyone else hurt?”
“No one else. And you’re going to be fine,” Remy assured her. “You had a bump on your head and have been out for a couple of days. The doctor should be doing his morning rounds soon. He can answer all your questions better than I can.”
“Why are you here?” she asked. “Where’s my sister?”
“I’m here because your sister and brother-in-law can’t make the trip, handle the store and take care of five children all at once. Your sister called and asked me to come keep an eye on you.”
Shelby’s eyes rounded. “Why you? Someone I don’t know.”
He touched a hand to his belly as if she’d sucker-punched him. Then he squared his shoulders. “I work with the Brotherhood Protectors, a security company that provides protection for individuals who need it.”
“Wait…what?” She shook her head, making the room spin for a moment. “I need protection?”
He nodded. “Do you remember where you were before you woke up here in the hospital?”
She closed her eyes and thought back. Everything was fuzzy. “I was in the sheriff’s department boat on the bayou.”
He leaned forward. “Yeah. And?”
“I don’t know.” Shelby pinched the bridge of her nose. “There was a murder suspect who’d escaped into bayou…we were out looking for him. A storm rolled in. I remember it started raining, and my engine quit.” From that point, her mind went blank. Like black, bottomless-pit blank. The harder she tried to recall anything afterward, the more it hurt.
She lay back against the pillow with her hand over her eyes. “That’s it. I don’t remember anything after it started raining and my engine quit.” When she pulled her hand away, she stared up at Remy. “What happened after that?”
Remy’s brow puckered. “Shelby, that was almost a month ago. You stayed the night in a fishing shack and…made it back to the marina the next day.” He paused. “Do you remember the fishing hut?”
