heart leaped at the sight of it. It had been a tic of Ruby’s whenever she was nervous. It was reassuring to know that she had still retained something about herself that he recognized. Even though she couldn’t remember him or their life together, this was still Ruby, despite the obvious changes in her demeanor. His wife. The woman he had vowed to love for a lifetime.
Something told him he might be repeating this mantra over and over again in the weeks and months to come.
“Hurt him?” Liam asked. “That’s not possible. He’s going to be over the moon to have his mother back.”
She lifted her head up and looked at him, her expression mournful. “But I won’t be the same mother who raised him. I’m a different person now, and I know that must be confusing and heartbreaking to you, but the accident changed all that.”
Her words popped his euphoria like the bursting of a balloon. This wasn’t nearly as straightforward as he would like to believe. The woman standing before him wasn’t his Ruby.
“What happened to you?” he blurted. He had so many questions about where Ruby had been for the last few years and how she had lived. Ever since he had walked into Boone’s office they had been churning inside him like acid.
A sigh slipped past her lips. “I was in an accident, I think. I’ve had CT scans on my head, and it’s pretty apparent that I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I don’t know exactly what happened, but when I woke up I was in a remote, wooded area.” She shook her head. “I must have wandered there in a daze from the mountain. God must have been watching out for me.”
“You were in Colorado doing a search-and-rescue operation.” He smiled at her. “That was your job. You were really great at it, too. You were caught up in an avalanche when you were doing a mountain rescue.”
Ruby’s jaw dropped. “Search and rescue? I had no idea. The reason I came to Love was because of a news story I watched on television about the Operation Love program. It basically detailed how the town mayor was matching single bachelors from here in town with women from all over the country.” She furrowed her brow. “There was something so familiar about the town. And I couldn’t get it out of my mind for days and days after I watched the segment. It gnawed at me. Call it a gut feeling, but I knew there was some connection between this quaint village and my old life. So I made the decision to fly out here and do some digging. I hit pay dirt the moment I entered your brother’s office. He practically hit the floor the moment he laid eyes on me.”
“Can’t say I blame him,” Liam murmured. “I had the same reaction.”
“It’s understandable. It’s been two years since the accident.”
“My dad was there that day in Colorado, helping out with the operation. He’s search and rescue like yourself. He saw you get swallowed up by the snow-slip, along with three others who were standing on that mountain ledge.” Just recalling it sent shivers through his body. It had been the darkest day of his life.
Ruby’s brown eyes widened. “Did they make it?”
“No,” he said somberly. “Only one body was recovered. All three of you were presumed dead.”
Tears pooled in Ruby’s eyes. “I have no idea how I survived that. All I know is that I was discovered by a couple who live in a remote area, miles away from the mountain. I don’t have a clue as to how I got there, but my friend Trudy spotted me wandering aimlessly near their cabin. When she brought me inside she said I was disoriented and couldn’t even remember my name. For the first few months she and her husband called me Kit. Then I remembered my name. It just came to me out of the blue.”
Liam felt a burst of anger toward the couple who had taken Ruby in. He clenched his teeth and reminded himself to count to ten so he didn’t vent. “How in the world didn’t they connect you to the rescue operation on the mountain? It was in all the papers and on the internet.”
Ruby quirked her mouth. “The couple who rescued me lives off the grid. Their lifestyle is very humble. They don’t have television or internet. And they were very protective of me. They brought in a doctor who examined me at their home since I was too afraid to leave. There was a bump on the back of my head, along with bruised ribs and some contusions. He wanted me to come in for additional testing, but I refused any further medical intervention.”
“You’re incredibly fortunate there wasn’t bleeding on the brain or anything else that might have been fatal.” Liam hated sounding like a medical know-it-all, but he couldn’t help but see this from a doctor’s vantage point. Not seeking medical attention at a hospital had been foolish. And risky.
Ruby sent him a sheepish look. “Not too smart of me, I know. I was a wreck for months and months. I jumped at the slightest sound, and I refused to do anything outside of my narrow comfort zone. It wasn’t until I went to Denver that I began to get connected with modern-day living. That’s when I finally had medical tests to get a firm diagnosis.”
“I’m amazed that you went so long without medical attention,” Liam said with a shake of his head. “But I understand that your circumstances were extreme. Having no memories must have been terrifying.”
“It was,” Ruby said with a sigh. “I don’t want to say I’m used to it now, but nothing is as bad as those first few days and weeks when nothing made sense. Lately I’ve experienced more flashes of memory. I’m grateful that I remembered my name and this town...even though I have to admit it’s not easy being here.”
Liam observed the worry lines and strain etched on her face. He wanted to reach out and take away all her fears and worries. Back when things were good between them he would have reached out and swept a kiss across her brow and soothed Ruby the way he knew best. If only he could. Those days felt like a million years ago.
He smiled at her. “I feel very grateful that those flashes led you back home.”
“Home.” She wrinkled her nose as she said the word. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, because you seem like a very nice man, but home isn’t something I’ve ever known. Not really. The home we shared... I wish that I could remember it, but I can’t.”
Liam’s heart lurched at the look of utter defeat etched on Ruby’s face. The woman he knew was a fighter. She had never given up on anything. Not a single time. Not ever.
“I know everything is coming at you fast and furiously. But I need you to know that when I married you I took our wedding vows very seriously...we both did. We’re still married, Ruby. My home is your home.”
“Liam,” she protested, “what you’re saying is very sweet, but I don’t—”
“I know you don’t remember us and our life together, but I remember you,” Liam interrupted. “The food you like. What makes you laugh. Your favorite color. The way your cheeks flush when you get angry.”
A vein began thrumming above her eye. “Those things may have changed. I’ve done a lot of research on my condition. Tastes can become altered after a brain injury. For instance, I love apples. I may not have before.”
Liam grinned. It made him happy to know that she hadn’t changed completely, despite the differences he noticed in her demeanor and personality. “You’ve always loved apples,” he said. “Ever since I’ve known you.”
“That’s good to know,” she said. A hint of a smile played around her lips. For a moment she looked less somber. Almost lighthearted. Within seconds, a shadow crossed her face. “I’m not sure about meeting Aidan. I don’t know how to act, what to say to him.”
Liam had to stop himself from reaching out and caressing her cheek. She looked so vulnerable right now. “You’re his mother, Ruby. For him, that’s going to trump everything else. Remember, he’s only four years old. He’s at the age where he accepts things at face value for the most part. Unless, of course, you’re trying to get him to eat his vegetables.” Liam let out a chuckle. “Aidan and broccoli have been having a tough time of it