“I don’t know if I’m in trouble. I don’t know who I am. I wish to God someone could tell me.”
“I can tell you who you are. I can tell you exactly who you are,” a man said from the doorway.
Chapter Three
Her heart sped up as a tall man wearing faded blue jeans, a gray knit shirt, and a black leather jacket strode into the room with a purpose that couldn’t be denied. Broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped, he moved like an athlete intent on reaching the goal line, no matter who got in his way. His dark brown hair, wavy and windswept, brushed the collar of his jacket, and as he drew closer she saw his eyes—a fierce, fiery green filled with accusation and something that looked like hatred. She sat up straight, feeling the instinctive need to protect herself.
Who was this man? And why was every nerve in her body going on full alert?
“Who are you?” she asked warily.
“What do you mean, who am I? You know who I am, Sarah. It hasn’t been that long since we’ve seen each other.” His gaze burned into hers. “Did you really think changing your hair color would stop me from recognizing you? If you wanted a disguise, you should have covered up those beautiful, lying blue eyes of yours.”
She swallowed hard, trying to make sense of his words. “Is that my name? Sarah?”
His gaze sharpened, darkened. His lips drew into a tight line, and his hands clenched in fists at his sides. “Of course that’s your name. What the hell is going on? Why are you acting like you don’t know me? And where is Caitlyn?” He turned to Officer Manning. “Where’s my daughter?”
“I don’t know,” Manning replied. “The paramedics reported only one person in the car after the accident—this woman you’re calling Sarah.”
“What do you mean, Caitlyn wasn’t in the car?” He turned back to her. “What have you done with my daughter?”
He gripped the bed railing, his knuckles turning white. She had the feeling it took all of his self-control not to put his hands on her neck and squeeze the answers out of her.
“I have a head injury,” she said. “I don’t remember anything. I don’t know who you are, or who I am, and most important, I don’t know where my baby is.”
“What the hell are you talking about? What is she talking about?” he demanded of Manning.
“According to the doctor, she has amnesia.”
“No fucking way,” he replied.
“It’s true,” she said, but her words didn’t begin to dim the utter disbelief in his eyes. At least she had a few facts to work with now—her own name, Sarah. And this man had confirmed that she had a child. “Caitlyn,” she murmured. “Is that my baby’s name?”
“Of course that’s her name. And she’s not your baby. She’s our baby,” he said grimly. “You had no right to take her away from me, to keep her for so long without a word. Now you’re pretending not to remember anything? This is absurd.” He turned back to Manning. “Where is my child?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Why don’t you back up and tell me who you are and who she is?” Manning replied.
“I’m Jake Sanders. She’s Sarah Tucker,” he said impatiently. “We have a daughter, Caitlyn.” His voice roughened with emotion, and he sent her another harsh glare. “You don’t remember Caitlyn? What kind of a mother doesn’t remember her own child?”
The accusation ripped her heart apart. She closed her eyes against the pain and the sense that he was right. She must be a bad mother, a very bad mother.
“Look at me,” he said forcefully. “Look at her.”
His words demanded that she open her eyes.
He pulled out his wallet and held up a photo.
“This is Caitlyn. This is the child you took from me.” He shoved the photo into her hand.
Her heart stopped as she stared at the picture. The little girl had a halo of gold curls on her head and a pink bow attached with a bobby pin just above her ear. She had an upturned nose and eyes that were a light blue, almost gray, eyes that mirrored her own. This baby, this little angel, was her daughter. She pressed the photo against her heart, feeling a wave of agonizing fear. Something was wrong—terribly wrong. She knew it deep down inside.
“Where is she?” Jake demanded. “Tell me where she is, Goddammit. You can’t just keep her from me.”
Officer Manning placed a warning hand on Jake’s arm. “Take it easy.”
Jake shrugged it off. “I have a right to know where my child is.”
“Yes, you do, but tell me, do you have a legal relationship with Ms. Tucker? Are you married?”