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He cocked his head. “Does Fiona’s Folly prefer to run on a dry track?”

She frowned. “Yes, but I think most horses do. Mud is slippery, and that makes the track more dangerous for the horses.”

“Well then, I’m happy the rain has stopped too.” He opened the passenger-side door for her. “Are you sure you’ll be up to attending the race?”

“Of course.” She paused and smiled at him. “I got more sleep than you did.”

She was so pretty when she smiled. He had to remind himself that she’d likely see him differently once her memory returned.

If her memory returned. He was starting to worry that it wouldn’t. “I’ll be fine. We can grab breakfast on the way home and take a nap before we need to head out to the racetrack.”

“Thank you.” She put a hand on his arm and surprised him by going up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. The chaste kiss was nothing more than an expression of gratitude, so he told himself not to make a big deal out of it. Yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself from pulling her close into a warm hug.

She fit in his arms better than she should. And for the second time, he told himself this wasn’t real. It was more make believe than anything concrete.

There was no doubt in his mind that Fiona Murphy, Gold Medalist Equestrian and daughter of Liam Murphy the rich racehorse owner, could never be interested in a plain and simple guy like him.

Keeping his distance was necessary to protect his heart.

8

Wishing she could kiss him for real, Fiona clung to Doc a full minute longer than she should have, resting her head on his chest. She knew she was becoming emotionally attached to him, which wasn’t smart. Yet he was her rock, her mountain, a man who was strong and determined to keep her safe.

Without him, and without God’s saving grace, she wouldn’t be alive.

“Are you okay?” Doc’s question rumbled in her ear.

“Fine.” She lifted her head and forced herself to pull away from his embrace. Averting her gaze, she slid into the passenger seat. Doc closed the door, then hurried around to the other side of the car.

“Traffic might be a bear,” he said, as they left the medical center behind. “I think we’ll stop at a drugstore near Nicholasville to fill your prescription. Maybe we can beat the morning rush out of Lexington.”

“Sounds good.” She tried to ignore the sudden awkwardness between them. Her fault for crossing the line. “I heard you talking to the security guard, something about going to the police station?”

“Not now.” He glanced at her, then hastily added, “If there was something more to go on, other than a vague description of a masked man and a black Ford Explorer SUV, I would absolutely report the incident to get the details on record. Unfortunately, we don’t have anything that will help the police find this guy.”

She had to admit he had a point. “I understand.”

He reached over to touch her knee. Reassured by the warmth of his hand, she managed a smile.

“It’s a problem that guy was able to find you in the hospital.” He scowled. “Because of that, I would rather not have your name listed on a police report.”

And just like that, the earlier reassurance vanished. Now that she was safely out of the hospital, she wondered about that too. “I guess I assumed the guy knew an employee who worked there.”

“I don’t know about that.” Doc was silent for a long moment. “It didn’t occur to me to ask if your name could be kept off the patient registry. We did that back when a buddy of mine got hurt on a case. Even with your name being listed on the patient registry, it would take someone with money and resources to have found you. I know we weren’t followed from Nicholasville.”

A chill snaked down her spine. “You’re back to suspecting my father.”

He shrugged. “Honestly, he’s never been off my suspect list. Unless there’s someone else in your life who would not hesitate to hire gunmen to take you out of the picture.”

“I wouldn’t know.” She squelched a flash of annoyance. He was doing his best to understand what was going on. She couldn’t fault him for covering all the bases. She stared down at her ringless fingers. Had she been married? Engaged? Seeing someone seriously? She wanted to believe that she was single and unattached to be so attracted to Doc, but she had no way of knowing for sure.

Having amnesia was really a pain in the backside.

They rode in silence for several minutes. The congested city traffic eased as they headed toward Nicholasville.

“Are you hungry for breakfast?” Doc asked. “We can grab a breakfast sandwich.”

More fast food didn’t appeal, but she refused to complain. Doc hadn’t gotten nearly as much sleep as she had, and he was no doubt hungry. She forced enthusiasm into her tone. “Sounds great.”