Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Gabe threw another stone into the water. Yesterday he hadn't stopped talking for two hours and, in the end, Adam had to hold up a hand and say he had a headache. Which wasn't a lie, because he had a constant freaking headache, so he chalked it up as no more than exaggeration to fall back on as an excuse.

But this morning Gabe was ominously quiet, not his usual chatty self, sharing stories from their childhood.

After attempting to start a conversation about the ranch, Adam finally asked, "What's up?"

Gabe glanced his way. "What do you mean?"

"I may not have memories, but I can tell when someone is pissed. Is it me? Did I do something?" Adam was more anxious about shit like this than he thought he should be.

"I have something…." Gabe stopped and got this broody expression on his face.

Adam couldn't help but tease. "What? Gonorrhea?"

Gabe shoved him a little. "Ha-fucking-ha. A ring, okay."

"Okaaay."

"To ask Ashley to marry me."

"Wow. That's great news, Gabe."

Gabe wasn't listening. "It's not very big, though," he said.

"There's always vibrators," Adam joked.

"The ring, you asshole." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "It was my mom's, and I thought it would be…." He stopped again. "Ashley deserves more than a cowboy with very little money and a secondhand ring."

This time it was Adam's turn to shove Gabe as he snatched the ring out of his hand. "She'll love that you're giving her Aunty Abby's ring." He opened the box and looked at the gorgeous emerald with a tiny diamond on each side. He recalled Abby, whom he called Aunty Abby because they were like family, being a laughing woman full of life. The ring would suit Ashley down to the ground. He looked up to gauge Gabe's reaction to his approval, but Gabe was just staring at him.

"You called her Abby—Aunty Abby."

Adam frowned. "Yeah, Aunty Abby and Uncle Max."

Then it hit him what had happened. Another random memory. And he had no headache and certainly didn't want to faint. "Shit."

Gabe held out his hand for the ring. "This is good."

Adam held on to the box for a second. "Don't change the subject, what is this about the secondhand ring? I think it's beautiful to pass down an heirloom like that."

"You do?"

"God yes. When are you asking her?"

"Soon, when it's right, when I know she's going to say yes."

"You should ask her now."

"Now?"

Gabe looked horrified and Adam laughed. "Yes, go now."

They walked back in companionable silence. Nate was waiting for them. Or rather, Nate was leaning on the wall of the bridge over the river, staring in their direction. That didn't mean he was actually waiting for them.

Gabe nodded toward Nate. "Why is he waiting for us?"

"So he is waiting, then."

"Yeah, he gets this intense, broody look on his face, and you know for sure shit is about to hit the fan."

"You don't seem worried."

"Me?" Gabe huffed a laugh. "Nate is a serious kind of brother to have, but if he really wanted to talk to us, he would have come found us. Probably some issue with the horses or something."

"We should look at the horses," Adam suggested as they drew closer to Nate. "It might trigger something."

"I'm yours all day," Gabe said. "Well, I was until you made me think I should propose, which I won't, because I want it to be with dinner and candles and all that kind of stuff."

"Sam would do it for you." Adam reckoned Sam was not just a chef; he seemed to be able to pull catering options out of thin air.

"Yeah, I'll ask him."

They reached the bridge and clambered up the shortcut from the path to the road.

Nate straightened and nodded to them in welcome. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. I was just showing Adam the river, we bonded, he passed out, the usual."

Nate stiffened. "You passed out?"

Adam elbowed Gabe in the side. "I did not pass out," he snapped. "I remembered your parents' names and then closed my eyes for a little while."

Gabe elbowed him back. "Says the man whose eyes rolled back in his head. Damn fool idiot, rememberin' all this shit."

Gabe was teasing, and it connected with Adam in a way that made him smile. He rounded on Gabe. "You should try getting hit in the face. Then see if you can stay upright."

"You just got wimpy in your old age. All them sequins you wear… it's heavy to stay upright."

Adam pressed a hand to his chest in mock anger. "Was that another gay joke?"

"If the sequins fit." Gabe laughed, which made Adam laugh, and suddenly they were holding on to each other, laughing like idiots.

"Did you actually pass out again?" Nate asked over their laughter.

That only made them laugh louder.

"Idiots." Nate confirmed what it looked like from outside. "When you're done, there's coffee and cake in the office."

Nate walked away. Adam saw him go out of the corner of his eye as they laughed, but Nate didn't stray far, and he still looked way too serious for Adam's liking.

Only when they sat grouped around Jay's table, with Jay and Nate exchanging glances did Adam finally snap. "What? What happened? Who died?"

Nate shook his head. "I don't know. Ethan's coming home, and he called me to say I should keep an eye on you."

"Why?"

"Like I said, he didn't say. Just that he wanted me to know where you were."

"I was with him," Gabe protested. "Looking out for him."

"I know, and that's why I didn't go find you both." Nate held up a hand to placate his brother. "I have a feeling this is something way more important, so we'll all wait until Ethan gets here." He pointedly turned to Adam. "Maybe he found out something about where you've been."

"I hope so," Adam lied, because he knew that was what he wished he wanted, but he wasn't convinced he wanted to know why he'd left and never come back. He had friends here, family, a life.

What could possibly have happened to make him stay away?

Ethan drove into the parking area about thirty minutes later. He got out of his car and closed the door, then leaned there and tilted his head up to the sky.

"I'm going to find out what's going on," Nate said and made to leave.

Adam stopped him with a hand to his arm. "I think this is all me," he said. He left the office and Nate didn't follow.

Slowly, Adam made his way to Ethan, who by this time had turned to face him. Ethan didn't move to meet him halfway, though, only stood by his car and stared at him.

Adam couldn't get a read on Ethan's expression, except for the fact he looked like someone had died. Something must be terribly wrong. Had Ethan found out he was a criminal, or worse?

"What's wrong? Ethan?" Adam asked as he drew level with him.

Ethan pulled him in for a hug, for the longest time just laying his cheek on Adam's shoulder and it felt to Adam like he was comforting Ethan. This wasn't good.

"Do you know the name Ian Bancroft?" Ethan asked as they separated.

Adam considered the shape of the name. "I don't think so."

"How about Mark Gregson?"

Again nothing. "Are these people who know me? Did you find something out?"

Ethan stepped into his space and cradled his face, his intense gaze a little disconcerting. "James Mahone?"

"Jamie?" Adam said immediately. Then he stopped. Where had that come from?

"James, known as Jamie Mahone, that is familiar to you?"

Adam closed his good eye; the other one was sore today and he'd deliberately taped it down to keep it closed. He pressed his cheek against Ethan's palm. He felt calm there, relaxed and safe with Ethan's hand on him.

The name Jamie was familiar. He could almost hear someone shouting the sound of it.

Jamie! Get over here… dinner….

A woman's voice—no, a kid. "Jamie," Adam murmured. "I wonder if he was a friend, or someone I worked with. Jamie. Jamie ."

Ethan sighed and Adam opened his good eye. That didn't sound like a good sigh.

"I don't know for sure, and this could be a reach, but it may be that Jamie is your name."

Adam heard the words, knew what they meant, but abruptly didn't want to hear any more. He shoved at Ethan out of instinct, and Ethan stumbled back and away. "You shouldn't know that!" Adam snapped. The conversation was weird, it didn't even sound like his voice coming from his own mouth. He tasted blood and realized he was prodding his cut lip with his tooth. The blood was familiar and he bit harder.

"Adam, there's more," Ethan said, then "Stop!"

He stepped up to Adam again and grabbed at his hands, holding them in one of his own and using his other hand to soothe the hurt on Adam's face.

The pain in Adam's wrist grounded him and he blinked at Ethan.

"What?" Adam was confused and his head hurt.

"How old is Jamie?"

"He's… the same age as me."

"Have you seen him?"

What did Ethan mean? Adam couldn't remember anyone, or anything. He closed his eye again. "I don't want to remember."

"Adam, I won't ask again." Ethan sounded stern, direct, demanding an answer. "Adam, talk to me."

"I've seen him, okay. Fuck, I've seen him."

I have seen him. He has black hair and tattoos that cross over his shoulder and down his arm. He has dark eyes and he's looking at me.

With a small cry, Adam went limp in Ethan's hold, and together they slid-fell down the side of the car until their asses hit the ground.

"In the mirror," Adam said, his voice raspy.

"You saw him."

"In the mirror," he said again and opened his eye and looked directly at Ethan. "I'm Jamie, aren't I? What does that mean?"

The sound of thudding footsteps had them both looking up at Nate, Gabe, and Jay, all standing there.

"What happened?" Nate asked first, evidently the spokesman of the small group. "Is it bad news?"

"My name was Jamie—sorry, James Mahone."

"And before that Ian Bancroft and Mark Gregson," Ethan said.

Adam's chest tightened and he could feel his breathing hitch. "What? You never said that."

"Seems you had a few names—" Ethan began.

"But what does that mean?"

"We have a working theory," Ethan looked sideways at Adam. "Witness relocation."

"What? I don't understand. I don't remember anything…." Adam's voice failed and he scrubbed at his good eye as tears pricked his eyes.

"Witness to what?" Jay asked and crouched down next to Adam.

"If I remembered, I'd fucking tell you," Adam snapped. Then he held out a hand and gestured for Gabe to help him up. Once up, he faced Jay, who scrambled to stand, "I apologize. Jay."

Jay waved the apology away. "'S'nothing."

Ethan hadn't moved, sat back against the tire of his car, staring up at everyone. "Shit, Adam" was all he could say.

Gabe helped him stand and hugged him briefly, but it was Nate who decided what was happening next.

"Office, beer," he announced. Then he looked pointedly at Adam. "Except you. You can have coffee. And we need to call the sheriff."

Adam walked up toward Jay's office, with the other men ranged around him. All except Ethan, who was striding ahead like his ass was lit on fire.

So much for a connection, when finding out a name meant Ethan couldn't even walk with him.

"We'll sort this," Gabe said.

Adam nodded, his head pounding with another headache. "Yeah, one way or another."