Page 4 of The Outlaw's Code

“What?”

“You keep calling me that name,” I replied. “Is that me? Am I Calder?”

“Yes. You’re Calder.” The stranger offered me a small smile. “And I’m Shane. Shane Stratton.”

“Do we know each other?”

“Not really, no. We’ve seen each other around the ranch.”

“I wish I could remember…” My words trailed off, as I fully took in the stranger. He was tall, with a lean build, muscles hidden beneath his clothes. He was beautiful, too, in a classicsort of way, rugged enough to be on a carton of cigarettes but soft enough to be in glossy magazines. His hair was perfectly trimmed and neat, but his eyes reminded me of nature herself: still, yet with a wildness behind them always.

“The doctor said you have a concussion. I think short term memory loss can be a side effect of that.” He nodded to himself as he spoke. “I should let her know you’ve woken up.”

“How long have I been out—Fuck!” I tried to sit up, but just as I did, the world went dark around me. Shane grabbed my waist and steadied me, gently helping me lie back down.

“Take it easy, okay?” Shane frowned. “I’ve been looking into it and the best thing for a concussion is to get some rest.”

I shakily gave him a thumbs up, as the world filled in with color again. When my eyes blinked open a little while later, Shane was holding a photo in front of my face. “Do you recognize her? We found this photo with the rest of your belongings.”

“She’s pretty.” It was all I could think to say, as my thoughts swirled together. “And we look pretty close in that picture, don’t we?”

“We were thinking she’s maybe your girlfriend?”

“Or my wife?” I playfully shrugged. “Or just a random woman I took a photo with. Maybe that’s my thing. Taking photos with strangers.”

At least, I hope she’s a stranger.

I hadn’t felt anything at all for the woman in the photo. And while it was true that she was pretty to look at, the thought of feelingnothingfor the woman who might be my wife or girlfriend was making me nauseous in ways I couldn’t explain. Even if I couldn’t remember my name or my address, or even where I’d grown up, I would think that soulmate-love-of-my-life type of love was the sort of thing I’d feel in my veins, no matter what.

“Taking photos with strangers and carrying those photos around? Quirky,” Shane said, with a bemused look. The expression quickly faded as he went on. “More than likely, she means something to you. Something important.”

“Yeah. Maybe so.” I closed my eyes, suddenly feeling tired all over. “I’m sure it’ll come to me.”

“I’m sure it will.” I heard Shane’s footsteps heading for the nearest door. “In the meantime, I’ll go check in with the doctor. Give you your space. Remember, take it easy.”

“Take it easy. Got it. I’ll just sign up for the 5K instead of the 10K.”

“Very funny,” Shane said, not sounding amused in any way, shape or form.

That night,I dreamt for the first time since arriving at Stratton Ranch.

In the dream, I was riding my horse, hard, like I had somewhere to be. The sense of urgency reflected in everything around me, the trees, the air, the sun, the grass. Everything felt like it wanted me to go faster and faster, charging on until I made it to my destination. There was dust burning my eyes, but I didn’t care, the same way I didn’t care about the heat that made its way down my neck.

Suddenly, my horse came to a stop. We were at the beginning of yet another trail, but this time, there was someone waiting for us. They were all the way at the end of the trail, silhouetted by the sky, sitting on a horse of their own. It looked like a man’s figure, but I couldn’t tell if I recognized him or not. As I stared at the stranger, something twisted in my chest, something that left me breathless.

Was I… excited? Had I been expecting him at the end of the trail?

Who is he to me?

Feeling a newfound determination, I began to race towards the man cloaked in sky?—

And then I woke up, greeted by the cabin ceiling. I groaned as I closed my eyes again, desperate to get back to the mystery man at the end of the trail. I briefly wondered if he was real, someone I’d met long ago that my brain was aching to remember. No matter what I did, though, I couldn’t get back to him or back to sleep, my mind racing with one too many thoughts.

Instead, I watched the world outside my cabin window, the wind rolling through the fields, the birds stopping by to visit on a perch. Everything felt familiar here, which would’ve made sense. According to Shane, I’d worked here sometimes, depending on the season. Even so, there was something else about Stratton Ranch, something I wasn’t able to put my finger on.

Shit.

Maybe it’d come back to me someday, just like Shane said.

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