Page 5 of Guarding Fable

The demand should irritate me. For some reason, I have a feeling I don’t like being told what to do.

“I…the name Papa came up in my mind. Like that’s what I call my father.”

And I’m sure of it. There’s a spark of a memory hitting me now, a voice. An angry voice. I immediately recoil from it, not wanting to know if my father is the one who hurt me.

“Hey,” he says, pulling me from my thoughts. He waits until I raise my gaze do his. “Don’t try too hard. Remember what the doc told you.”

I nod, then make a face.

“Pain?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell you what. Why don’t I let you get a little rest? Doc said it was okay to let you sleep as long as you don’t do it for too long.”

He says all of this as he walks me into a bedroom. The bed isn’t made, but that doesn’t bother me. It looks so…wonderful. Definitely manly, filled with dark colors and lots of plaid, along with big dark furniture. But instead of being overwhelmed by it, I’m comforted by it. The bed looks fantastic. Big and comfy. I bet it’s a dream to sleep on.

Not to mention, do other things.

My body heats up at that thought. The idea of what kinds of things can happen in bed, especially with a man like the sheriff, makes me shiver.

“Are you cold?”

I nod because I’m embarrassed. He walks to the opposite side of the bed. He finally sets me down and frowns at me. “Is that comfortable?”

I shrug. “I guess. But they are the only clothes I have right now.”

That’s when my situation hits me again, fear and panic hitting me so hard I almost lose my breath. I’m alone in the world, and I don’t know who I am. I genuinely don’t have anything other than the bracelet, which is in the truck's evidence bag.

He takes me by the upper arms and leans down. “Hey, Angel, don’t worry. We’ll figure this all out.”

Even as I nod, tears fill my eyes and spill down on my cheeks. He groans and pulls me into his arms. “Don’t cry,Angel. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

I nod against his chest, and he holds me for the longest time, rocking us back and forth. When I finally stop sobbing like a little baby, Leo pulls back and cups my face in his hands. His fingers are long with calluses, the sign of a man who works hard for a living. For some reason, that makes me like him even more.

“Now, I’m going to get one of my t-shirts, and if you want to, you can wear it. That way, you can have the scrubs to wear until we get you some regular clothes.”

I nod as he brushes away the tears then kisses my forehead. He lets me go to get a shirt that has the words Pottsville Police Department on it.

“I’ll let you get some rest. You need anything, you just call out for me.”

“I hate to ask, but do you have a toothbrush I can use?”

He nods. “There’s a few new ones still in the package in the middle drawer in the bathroom.” He nods toward a door on the opposite side of the bed.

But he doesn’t leave. He keeps standing there, his hands on his lean hips.

“Is there something wrong?”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Remember, get some rest. That’s the best thing for getting your memory back.”

When he finally leaves me alone, I look around the room again. This is definitely his room. I shrug off the warm feelings I get about that. He’s only doing his job, and this is probably the best place to keep me safe. With that in mind, I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I look at myself in the mirror. The bandage on my forehead is a stark reminder of what happened—whatever that is. With a sigh, I go back into the bathroom. I strip out of the scrubs and put on his shirt. Oh, god, it smells like him. Like cedar and fresh air. If people would bottle that up, people could make a fortune.

I slip beneath the covers, getting another big whiff of his scent. With the warmth of the blankets and the thought that I’m safe finally, I drift off to sleep.

3

Leo

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