10. Conner

He kissed the top of her head and held Beth next to him. It felt so comfortable, so right. It was almost as though he had done this before.

"You are magnificent," he said.

"Thank you," she replied. "You were pretty good yourself."

"Just pretty good?" he asked. "With a rating like that, you have to give some pointers."

"Hmm, I'll have to reflect and get back to you."

"No, immediate feedback," he replied.

"Okay, I'll say that you were terrific," Beth said. "I just didn't want you to get a big head."

"Which one?" he asked.

"Oh, heavens." She laughed.

"That's what you said a couple of times," he replied. Then, he got serious and said, "You should know that I don't go hopping into bed with every pretty girl around. There is just something about you."

"As long as we are making confessions, I haven't been with anyone since Taryn's father."

"I'm honored, then," Conner said, kissing her nose.

"You should be."

He laughed.

They lay together, their arms and legs intertwined for a long while.

Something about the situation seemed oddly familiar, as though he had lain in this same bed holding this same woman before.

Finally, Conner reluctantly said, "I guess I should get back to the hotel. It wouldn't do for Taryn to find me here in the morning."

"No, probably not," Beth said. "Although, I have to confess that it feels good to be held like this."

He squeezed her and then got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. "Washcloth?"

She handed him one so he could clean himself off before putting his clothes back on. Beth cleaned herself and then slipped on some panties and a long T-shirt.

"Wow. That is about the sexiest sight ever. I'm about to throw you back down on the bed and have my way with you again."

"I think you need to give me time to recuperate." Beth laughed as she lightheartedly pushed him out the door.

He leaned down and kissed her passionately once more and said, "I'll see you tomorrow," before walking to his truck.

Conner drove back to the hotel. He made sure the locks were engaged and then jumped in the shower. He closed his eyes as the hot water cascaded over his body, caressing him. Conner could almost feel Beth's fingers touching him, exploring him.

Suddenly, his eyes popped open and his entire body tensed up. A dam broke in his mind and a rush of memories exploded. Pictures of Beth healing him after he was trampled by the bull flooded his mind. He felt her touch and remembered her taste. The memories of the love they shared were overwhelming. Conner was almost knocked to his knees with the intensity of it.

"I have loved her before. We were in love. That's why Beth was so familiar to me. But, why couldn't I remember her?" Conner muttered.

He turned off the shower, stepped onto the cold tile floor, and dried off. A million different emotions clashed inside of him. Conner was angry that Beth hadn't told him the truth and was curious as to why she hadn't. She didn't seem like the kind of person to hold back something that important from him. His heart hurt because he remembered the intensity of their love and that it had been stolen from him.

Conner wanted to go back over to Beth's house and confront her but figured that it was too late. He didn't want to scare Beth or Taryn by rushing back over there, banging on the door, and demanding an explanation. Besides, he needed to think things out before he talked to her, anyway.

He dozed off and on until it was late enough to call Micah.

After their greetings, he said, "I know why Beth looks so familiar. She is someone from my past. I loved her." Conner explained all the memories that had flooded back into his mind.

"How could I forget her and something so profound? Why didn't she tell me?"

"I guess that is something that you will have to ask her. I suggest doing so calmly," Micah said.

"That explains a lot, like how Gideon always looked at me funny when Beth was mentioned and I didn't remember her. He knew that she was the one who had healed me. Why didn't he say anything?"

"He might have thought that you two had a falling out," Micah said. "Maybe he thought you were just being a dog."

"Maybe," Conner said. "But, first things first. I have to go talk to Beth."

"Calmly. Listen to her with an open mind. I'm willing to bet that there is something a lot deeper going on here, and you need to be understanding."

"I know," Conner said.

"Keep me updated," Micah said.

The drive over to Beth's seemed to take forever. When he finally pulled into her driveway, he took a minute to breathe and gather his thoughts. He had no idea what he was going to say to her.

She opened the door as soon as he reached her porch. Beth must have heard his truck pull into her driveway.

The look on his face must have told her that he remembered, because she nodded and said, "Come in."

He thought that she sounded relieved.

"Black coffee?" she asked.

"Yes, please," he said.

She poured two cups, mixed some milk and sugar into hers, and then sat down across from him.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember getting trampled by the bull. I was told that I was likely going to die and that there was only one person who could possibly save me – a healer witch, named Beth. I vaguely remember being brought here. I remember that we were in love."

"Yes, all of that was true. You were planning on buying a ring and were going to propose to me. You even talked about quitting the rodeo circuit and just competing locally. I think you said something about having a horse ranch."

Conner nodded. All of it came back to him. His heart twisted, and he felt as though someone had punched him in the gut.

"I remember. What happened?"

She sighed heavily and said, "My mother happened. She is a dark witch and didn't want you in my life. She can't control me as it is. Having you in my life would just make it that much harder. Plus, I think she thought if I felt abandoned and was hurt, I would lean more toward her."

Conner waited for an explanation.

"You went to the jewelry store and were about to go in. Mother cast a memory spell on you, causing you to forget me."

"How could I ever forget you?" he whispered. "I loved you so much it hurt."

"She is very, very powerful. I'm surprised that you can remember now. I figured that I would just get this little bit of time with you and then you would be gone again. I never stopped loving you," Beth said.

His mind was spinning, and he couldn't seem to catch a thought. Then, he saw a picture of Taryn hanging on the wall.

"Taryn. I thought she looked like my mother. She's my daughter."

It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, she is. I found out that I was pregnant soon after you left town," Beth said.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What could I say? I know you don't remember me, but I'm Beth, your almost fiancé. We made love and now I'm pregnant with your child."

Conner barked out a mirthless laugh. "I guess I would have thought you were nuts. Does she know?"

"She found out yesterday. Mother was here and we were arguing about you. Taryn heard. I'm not about to lie to her, and she wouldn't let me out of the conversation."

"Which was why you guys came over to talk to me. She wanted to meet me." He laughed. "And catch me up on everything that happened in her life."

"Yes. Taryn knew that she couldn't tell you that you were her father, but at least in her own heart, she would know that her father knew her a little bit."

"What does she think about this situation?"

"She really likes you and wishes that you could stick around for more than a couple of weeks."

Just then, Taryn plodded into the kitchen wiping the sleep from her eyes. She stopped suddenly when she saw Conner sitting at the table.

"You're still here?" she asked.

"Actually, I came back this morning. I needed to talk to your mother about something important," Conner replied.

"He knows that he is your father," Beth said. "He remembered after he went back to his hotel room last night."

Taryn grinned, stuck out her hand, and said, "It's nice to meet you, Dad."

"Nice to meet you, too, Daughter," he said.

"I wasn't surprised when I found out. I realized as soon as I saw you that I looked just like you."

"You actually look exactly like my mother did when she was a little girl – except for that fire-red hair you have," Conner said.

Beth got up and walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out bacon and eggs. She started cooking while Taryn talked to her father.

"I'm a wolf shifter and a witch."

"That must have been a shock to your mother the first time you shifted," he said.

"It was. I walked out of the room where my little girl was playing. I walked back in and there was a wolf pup. I nearly had a heart attack."

"Are you a healer witch like your mom?"

"Sort of. I talk to animals, and I can calm them and heal them. That's why I want to be a vet. I can take care of them without needles or blood."

"Nice. That explains why Zephyr acted the way he did around you and why you and Pegasus are so connected."

"Yup," she said, grinning.

"Do you shift a lot?"

Taryn nodded. "Mom takes me to the mountain. She doesn't like me to shift and run by myself because she's afraid that I might get hurt, but she still lets me."

"Why doesn't she fly over you on her broom to keep an eye on you?" Conner asked.

Taryn laughed and clapped her hands in delight. "I asked her the exact same question. She just grunted at me."

"Great minds think alike," Conner said.

They both looked at Beth, who smirked.

"Are you part of a pack?" Taryn asked.

"I am. We are. My brother, Zac, your uncle, is the alpha of the Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack in Angel's Creek. You have three cousins from your Uncle Zac and Aunt Olivia. My best friend, who would likely call himself Uncle Micah and his wife, Lucy, have twins. They have a boy and a girl. One is a wolf shifter and the other is a bear shifter."

"I have a lot of family?" she asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes. Your grandparents are going to be so excited to meet you. You have a ton of other friends and pack members who will adore you."

"Wow. Here it's just my grandmother, who hates me; an aunt, who doesn't care about me and doesn't really know that I exist; and Aunt Savvy, who is Mom's best friend."

As they chatted, Conner's heart melted. He was already falling in love with his daughter who he never knew existed until now. He was sad that he had missed out on the first ten years of her life and would happily strangle the evil witch who made him forget about Beth.

Taryn continued to pepper him about her family and life in New Mexico and then told him more about school, her friends, and about herself. He laughed at some of her stories about getting into mischief and was sad for her when she talked about things that upset her. The only time she stopped talking was when she ate her breakfast.

Conner and Beth exchanged glances across the table.

This is a woman I loved so much that I was going to ask her to be my wife. I know that there is something special about her, and she does kick up some emotions inside of me. Is it residual love? Is there even such a thing? Will I fall in love with her again?

He wished that he had time to shift and run just to sort things out. Conner had to figure out what he was going to do about Taryn. He wasn't about to walk out on her. However, could he just stay in Wyoming and be a dad?