Page 9 of Christmas Ransom

Davy seemed to hesitate before he stood and stepped closer, then said, “Apparently one of the robbers decided to take you as a hostage.”

The memory came back like a bolt of lightning. Her hand went to her throat as she remembered being in a headlock, fighting for breath while the other robbers argued with him to let her go as he tried to drag her outside. “There was a van at the curb.”

“So your memory is coming back. That’s a good sign.”

“But something happened, and he had to let me go. After that...there’s nothing.”

“Hey, that’s progress,” Davy said excitedly. “I can tell you feel better now that you can remember more.”

Did she? He would know that not being able to remember would drive her crazy. She prided herself on being capable, self-reliant, independent. Having a dark hole in her memory and lying in a hospital bed made her feel vulnerable and afraid. Davy would know that about her. Unless he’d forgotten.

“When he let you go, he kicked you and you fell back, hitting the floor hard with your head. At least that’s what I heard. One of the tellers saw the whole thing. She was terrified that they were going to take you hostage.”

Not half as terrified as she’d been, she thought.

“But it’s over and you’re doing great,” he said, still looking worried though. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“Yes.” She needed to be alone, to try to piece the rest of it together. What had she been doing at the bank in the first place? Wasn’t it her day off? “Go.”

“Well, I’m coming back later to make sure you’re okay,” he said as he picked up his Stetson. As he started for the door, it opened.

Carla saw Dr. Hull and two other men enter. FBI agents? They stopped for a moment to speak to Davy. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but when Davy looked back toward her, there was worry in his expression.

“What’s going on?” she asked the moment Davy left and the men came to her bedside.

“These are FBI agents Robert Grover and Hank Deeds,” the doctor told her. “They’d like to ask you a few questions.”

She didn’t feel up to answering their questions right now. A lot of it had come back, but there were still holes in her memory that worried her. “You told him that I don’t remember, didn’t you?” she asked Dr. Hull before looking at the other men. Agent Deeds was younger with blond hair and blue eyes, Agent Grover had gray at his temples with dark eyes and bushy dark brows the color of his hair. She had another flash of memory of dark eyes peering at her from out of a mask and shivered. Pulling the blanket up, she said, “I doubt I can be much help.”

“Well, let’s see if that’s true,” Agent Grover said, and the doctor excused himself to take a call, saying he’d be right outside her door. “What were you doing at the bank? Wasn’t it your day off?”

She frowned. “I must have forgotten something and stopped by.” Wasn’t there something about a file? Why did she suddenly have the image of mistletoe on her desk?

“Do you go into the bank on your day off normally?” Carla shook her head. He asked how long she’d worked at the bank, then how long she’d been the executive loan officer. She told him. “You worked your way up pretty fast,” the agent commented. “You sound like you’re ambitious.”

His question made a hard knot rise in her chest because she was suddenly concerned about where he was headed with this. It also had been a bone of contention between her and Davy. Her need to make something of her life had been one of their problems, the rodeo the other. “I suppose I am.”

He laughed. “Looking at your school records, I’d say you definitely are.”

“Having ambition isn’t—”

He didn’t let her finish. “Were you aware of how much money was in the vault on the day of the robbery?”

The question disturbed her. “I’m the executive loan officer, so of course I know. It’s part of my job.”

He smiled and nodded. “You’re single, no boyfriend?”

Her heart began to beat harder. She definitely knew where he was headed with this. “I’ve been busy—”

“With your career,” he finished for her. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

She couldn’t help being defensive since she’d chosen this life over Davy. “I enjoy what I do.”

“Really?”He studied her speculatively. “Don’t you have to turn down a lot of people who want a loan?”

“Not always. We try to work with everyone.”

He looked down at his notes. “Why do you think you were the only one hurt during the robbery?”

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