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He worked, keeping an eye on the clock. The race wasn’t scheduled until later that afternoon, but based on the traffic, and his goal of placing Fiona in familiar surroundings, he knew they’d have to leave several hours early.
“Still nothing about Savior’s Journey,” Fiona said when he gave up and closed the computer.
“There’s no time frame required to scratch a horse, is there?” He stood and crossed to the sofa.
“No. But you’d think they’d do that sooner than later.” She lifted the remote and turned it off. “It’s almost time for my antibiotic.”
“Yeah, and the directions recommend taking the medication with food.” The hour was nearly noon now. “How about I toss that frozen pizza in? We’ll eat that, then get dressed for the race.”
“Okay.” She stood. “I need about fifteen minutes to take a shower.”
With a nod he watched her leave, then stood to make the pizza. He’d grab a shower and take the time to shave after they ate. Getting dressed up wasn’t something he did on a regular basis, but this was important.
At least, he hoped their attempt to bring out more of Fiona’s memories would work. He was running out of ideas on how to find this guy.
He didn’t want to risk confronting her father until they knew more about what was going on. It still bugged him that there was nothing in the news related to Fiona’s disappearance. The only people who knew she was alive other than him were Rex and the gunmen. And the hospital staff who’d cared for her, he silently amended.
So maybe her father or her former fiancé did know she was alive. If they were the ones who’d gotten access to the hospital patient registry.
The whole mess was giving him a headache. And if he was struggling to make sense of things, it had to be ten times harder for Fiona.
When she emerged from the bedroom, his gut tightened at how beautiful she looked. And she hadn’t even changed into the dress yet. He had to force himself to turn away, opening the oven to pull out the pizza.
“Looks good.” She opened the bottle of antibiotics and dropped a horse pill into the palm of her hand. “Wow, no wonder they suggest taking this on a full stomach.”
He sliced the pizza and grabbed plates and cups from the cabinets. When they were seated, he reached for her hand. “I think it’s my turn to say grace.”
“Really?” A hopeful smile bloomed on her face. “I’d like that.”
“Lord Jesus, we ask You to keep us safe as we attend the race. Please also heal Fiona’s mind so that we can bring those responsible for hurting others to justice. Amen.”
“Amen.” She squeezed his hand. “That was lovely. Thanks.”
He felt guilty for not participating in the prayers sooner. “Of course.”
They ate quickly, then he took advantage of the shower. By the time he was dressed, he found Fiona ready and waiting for him in the kitchen. She looked amazing, the yellow dress a perfect backdrop for her brunette hair, and it was all he could do not to sweep her into his arms for a kiss.
Swallowing hard at his foolishness, he managed a smile. “You look fabulous.”
“Thanks. So do you.” She lifted the wide-brimmed matching yellow hat. “We’ll fit right in today.”
“That’s the goal.” He lifted a hand to his freshly shaven cheek. Normally, he lived in a T-shirt and comfy jeans. But today they were two actors in a play. He pulled the tickets from his pocket to show her he had them. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She looked more determined than anything. “Let’s do this.”
Despite his misgivings about the traffic, it wasn’t as bad as he’d feared, not until they were ten minutes outside the city limits. From there, they crawled the rest of the way. By the time they’d arrived at the parking lot, he was glad they’d left the rental property early.
“The race is in forty-five minutes.” He reached for her hand. “Just enough time to walk around and familiarize yourself with the area.”
“I pray this works.” Her fingers tightened around his. As she wore strappy sandals on her feet, they had to walk slowly toward the general admission entrance. At least a hundred people were making their way inside, and he imagined there were hundreds more already seated in the stands.
Ironically, there was a reassuring sense of anonymity as they merged with the rest of the crowd to reach the general admission entrance. Nobody was paying any attention to them. He and Fiona easily blended in.
Just another pair of spectators enjoying the October day.
“There’re more people than I imagined,” Fiona said in a low voice as she turned sideways to edge through a narrow opening. She had donned her hat, which shielded her features while also protecting her from the few rays of sunlight that had emerged from the clouds.
He nodded, his gaze scanning the faces around them. There was no way on earth he’d recognize the two gunmen, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. It was second nature to search for a potential threat.
