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Returning to the sofa, he continued watching the local and national news. After two solid hours, he admitted his efforts were useless.

There had not been a single report of a missing woman. No crime that could be linked to Fiona, her father, or the horse-racing community in general.

He swallowed hard, his thoughts whirling. Something was very wrong here.

Was Fiona’s father involved in the danger surrounding her? Had he hired the gunmen to finish Fiona off for good?

Why on earth was Fiona in danger?

4

Fiona awoke with a start, her heart thundering in her chest. Her dream of running through the woods, fearful of being caught and killed wasn’t exactly helpful. By now, she’d desperately hoped to remember more. Like who might have been chasing her. And why?

Yet the fog in her brain persisted. Pressing a hand to her chest, she willed her pulse to settle. The early morning light filtering through the opening between the curtains, accompanied by the enticing scent of coffee from the main suite, had her crawling from the bed and padding into the adjoining bathroom.

After splashing cold water on her face, she lifted her head and stared at her reflection. Her face was familiar, but the rest of her memories remained stubbornly locked behind the brick wall in her mind. Her clothes were beyond wrinkled, except for Doc’s sweatshirt.

She used the facilities, washed up, finger-combed her hair as best she could, then opened her bedroom door. Doc was sitting on the sofa, staring grimly at the television as he sipped coffee from the pot he’d made in the kitchenette. He shot to his feet when she entered the room, his dark eyes probing her curiously. “How are you?”

“Fine, thanks. But I haven’t remembered anything.” She grimaced at his crestfallen expression. “I’m sorry. I really thought getting sleep would have helped.”

“Not your fault.” He gestured to the coffee maker. “If you’re interested, help yourself to coffee.”

“I will, thanks.” She crossed to the small kitchenette. A glimpse into the second bedroom revealed the bed hadn’t been slept in. After filling her cup, she turned to face him. “I hope you didn’t stay up all night.”

“I managed a few hours of sleep.” He sighed, then added, “Unfortunately the news stations haven’t been much help.”

“News stations?” She crossed the room to sit in the chair beside him. “That’s the reason you stayed up so late?”

His dark-brown gaze held hers. “Exactly. I had anticipated your father had reported you missing. Or there would be information about some other crime that might be related to why someone wants to kill you.”

A chill snaked down her spine. She didn’t want to believe her own father was involved in something so heinous. “I find it hard to believe I still live with my father, but you have a point about the criminal aspect. There must be a reason those men came searching for me with guns.”

“One would think so.” He didn’t look away for a long moment. “I agree that it’s not likely you still live with your father. And there’s been no mention of your mother either. According to the search I did online, your mother passed away more than ten years ago, so it sounds like it’s just you and your dad. And based on how you stood at his side for the Derby, I figured you must be close. Close enough that he’d raise the alarm if he hadn’t heard from you in a few days.”

That made sense to her too. To be fair, it hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since she’d shown up on Doc’s doorstep. That wasn’t very long. She stared down at her coffee, wishing she could remember why she’d been running for her life. Who were the gunmen? She hadn’t seen either of their faces and wondered if she’d have recognized them if she had. Rubbing her temple, she realized the pain wasn’t as bad as it had been last night. Maybe her memory would return once her head injury was fully healed.

How long would that take? She already felt like a burden to Doc. He probably had better things to do with his time than babysit her.

“I should have asked, are you missing work because of me?” She frowned, then added, “I would offer to reimburse you once this is over, but I honestly don’t know how much money I have or what I do for a living. I don’t want to make a promise I can’t keep. But if I can afford it, I will pay you for your time.”

“I’m not missing work.” He shrugged, then added, “Don’t worry about reimbursing me. It’s more important to focus on getting your memory back.”

Did that mean he was retired? That didn’t seem likely; he wasn’t old enough to be retired. Even from the military. He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties. She made a silent promise to pay him if she was able. Doc had gone above and beyond in his quest to keep her safe. Not to mention spending money on this hotel room.

“You don’t remember anything more?” Doc asked, interrupting her thoughts. “I’m not trying to make you feel bad,” he added. “Just looking for anything that might help us figure out what’s going on.”

“I wish my memory had returned. I dreamed I was running through the woods and woke up with my heart pounding as if I really had been running. I also had a flash of memory where I was jumping a horse over a fence.” She tried to smile. “I’m sorry I haven’t remembered anything useful.”

He tipped his head to the side, regarding her thoughtfully. “Riding a horse makes sense, given your father’s colt recently won the Derby, but jumping? That seems rather specific.” He pulled his phone out and used his thumbs to type into the screen. A moment later, he looked up, arching an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize you were a famous equestrian. You won a gold medal for jumping at the Olympics six years ago.”

“I did?” Interesting that she couldn’t remember receiving a gold medal. Maybe she somehow did horse jumping for a job, although she couldn’t imagine how. Did she win prize money for jumping? Maybe.

“This article also says you were injured during a practice run two years later, which put an end to your career.” His brow furrowed. “I’m glad you’re okay now.”

“Wow, you’d think I’d remember that too.” She offered a weak smile. “That could be why I didn’t want to go to the hospital. Bad memories from my previous injury.”

“Maybe. We might want to do a deeper dive into your background later.” He slid his phone into his pocket and stood. “Are you hungry? The clothing stores aren’t open yet but should be after breakfast.”