She looked panicked and disoriented.
“Mind if I check in your pockets?”
She shook her head, angling the bottle to get more water into her mouth than her last attempt. Again she failed miserably.
He scooted closer to her.
At this distance, he could see the dirt on her clothes. The cotton long-sleeved shirt was a deep shade of green that highlighted her lighter-colored eyes.
“Let me help you.” He cradled the base of her neck with his right hand, ignoring the spark of electricity shooting through him. He shouldn’t be feeling attracted to her. A sexual current couldn’t be more inappropriate under the circumstances. He didn’t care how beautiful she was. And she was beautiful, with her sea-green eyes, creamy complexion and heart-shaped mouth. He’d force himself to look away from her lips if it didn’t mean that he’d spill water all over her face.
But feeling a real attraction to a woman he’d found lying helpless on his land a few minutes ago?
Nice one, O’Brien.
When she signaled that she’d had enough to drink, he set the bottle within her reach and then pushed up to his feet. “Okay, I’ll just check for that ID, okay?”
She nodded her agreement and winced with the movement.
“Did you come out here with anyone?” he asked, chalking his physical reaction up to his overreactive protective instincts.
Looking startled, she glanced around.
Then she shook her head. Another fact she might be fuzzy on, given that hit she’d taken to her forehead.
“A group?” he continued.
The only thing he knew for certain was that she wasn’t from around Bluff. It was dangerous for tourists to get lost on a massive ranch like his. She was darn lucky he—and not a black bear or hungry coyote—had found her.
She squinted her eyes. A raging headache was one of the side effects of a concussion. Luckily, that could be dealt with by popping a few pain relievers. Tyler had those in his pack, too, but the doctor would want him to wait to give them to her.
Tyler didn’t want to notice her full hips or sweet round bottom as he checked her back pockets.
If he could think of another way to search her front pockets, he’d be game. As it was, he had to slip his fingers into them and ignore the way her stomach quivered.
It was safe to say that she had no ID. For the moment, neither of them knew who she was. Maybe her handbag or backpack had gone flying when she’d crashed. He scanned the ground, taking a few steps in one direction and then another.
No cell phone or purse could be seen anywhere and that struck him as odd. Tyler couldn’t think of one woman he knew who would go anywhere without her cell. And that fact put a few more questions in his mind that he didn’t have answers to. Like, if she was alone why wouldn’t she have supplies or ID?
The panic in her eyes didn’t help matters, either. Of course, waking up to a stranger and not being able to remember who she was or where she’d been would cause a certain level of panic in any normal person. Hers bothered him and he wished there was more that he could do to put her at ease.
He pushed his feelings aside as just needing to offer comfort to a stranger. It couldn’t be anything more than that. He’d only known her for ten minutes, and when it came right down to it, he still didn’t know her. He didn’t even know her name.
“I’m going to send for help,” he said.
Her eyes pleaded, filled with more of that panic he didn’t like seeing, but she didn’t argue. Then again, she hadn’t said anything except “help me” since he’d found her.
“It’s okay. I’m coming right back. I promise,” he added to ease her concern. He whistled, hoping the family’s chocolate lab, Denali, was somewhere within earshot. He could keep her company. After a few seconds of quiet and no Denali, Tyler said, “My horse is tied up on the other side of that rock and I need to get there so I can contact my men and send for medical attention.”
She didn’t relax but she nodded, wincing again at the movement. That was going to be one helluva headache when the dust settled.
As Tyler got to his feet, he scanned the area for any signs of wildlife. In her weakened state, he doubted she could fight off a flea. He pulled out his pocket knife anyway and her hand met his faster than he’d thought possible for hers to move.
“It’s okay, I’m here to help.”
She nodded as she took the knife.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He filed her reaction away as another interesting thought. If she’d come out alone, what was she really afraid of? Him? Animals? She’d come out by herself without identification or a way to defend herself. This patch of land wasn’t anywhere near a road. Clearly, he’d never met the woman before but he didn’t have to know her to realize that she didn’t look the type to wander off on her own on a four-wheeler. Not that she looked weak or like she couldn’t handle herself in most situations. But the type of clothes and shoes she wore didn’t fit with the activity and those expensive running shoes belonged out here about as much as a woman wearing a light jacket in the cold.
She didn’t give the impression that she was a bandana-wearing thrill seeker. Nor did she particularly strike him as a granola-eating nature girl. Especially since the latter wouldn’t be in the driver’s seat of a four-wheeler.
There was another thing that bugged him as he walked away from the accident. He’d noticed another set of tire tracks when he scanned the ground for her personal belongings, which meant there could have been another person involved.
If she and a friend had ventured onto his land by mistake, what kind of jerk would leave her alone in her condition?
Then again, with no cell service the other person might’ve been forced to go for help.
And it wasn’t like Red was talking. All she’d said so far was, “Help me.” Pretty much anyone in her situation would say the same thing.
Tyler quickened his pace. If there was someone on his land searching for reception, he needed to get a search team out while there was still plenty of daylight. The accident might’ve already been called in. If the person wasn’t familiar with the area he or she might not be able to lead rescuers to Red.
Even so, a person would have to be new at this to panic and leave an injured person alone with all the dangerous wildlife here on the ranch. A darker side of him also noted that this would be the perfect way to cover up an attempted murder.
Tyler wrote the sentiment off as the result of learning that his parents had been murdered. He would like nothing more than to solve the case that had been made to look like an accident. Thinking about it made him angry. Who would want to hurt his family?
He shelved those thoughts for now.
Another one struck him about the mystery woman. If the scene back there had been an attempted murder, then the murderer could still be around. With her lying there vulnerable and alone, it wouldn’t take much to finish the job.
Tyler crested Diablo’s Rock and took the back side just as fast shivering in the cold breeze. He’d tied Digby to a tree in a spot where his horse could decide if he wanted to be in the shade or not.
The gelding was standing in the sun, right where Tyler had left him. He blew out a breath as he pulled his walkie-talkie out of his saddlebag and got hold of his foreman, Russ.
“What can I do for you, boss?” Russ asked.
“There’s been a four-wheeler incident at the base of Diablo’s Rock. A woman took a pretty bad hit to her head. She’s not going anywhere without help.”
“You don’t know who she is?” Russ asked. It was more statement than question.