Fallen Angel (2 page)

“No, this woman lo
oks a little bit older than you. She looks a lot like you though, your mother maybe.”  She handed the locket back and Angelica looked at the front again. Angel, it said, was that her name? Shouldn’t she recognize it if she heard it? “Would you like me to call you something else?” Ella asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“No Angel is fine I guess, you’re probably right it probably is my name.  I just feel like I should recognize it, I should know if it is my name shouldn’t I?” Ella smiled and patted her hand reassuringly.

“Don’t force it dear, it will come back to you just give it time. You took a really nasty tumble. Now eat, you’ll need your strength.” Ella left again and she sighed and fastened the necklace around her neck.

Luke watched Ella as she returned from the bedroom.  She had already all but adopted the woman he could tell just by looking at her.  Not that it surprised him Ella adopted everyone it was just the way she was. 

“Any problems last night?” He asked turning his attention to Tom as he came through the door.

“No sir. What is the story with the woman?”

“What woman?” The three other men already seated at the table and the one following Tom in the door all seemed to focus their attention on him at the same time.

Luke sighed, “There was a woman out there, not far from the high ground. Looks like she got thrown but I didn’t find her horse. Unfortunately, she has apparently lost her memory; she doesn’t know who she is or where she came from any more than I do.”

“So what are you going to do with her?”

“I am not going to do anything with her George, she’s not a stray cow.  She can stay until her memory comes back and if it hasn’t by the time we need to head into town to resupply then we will take her in and let the Sherriff figure out where she belongs.”

“We just did a supply run we shouldn’t need to do another one for a month, maybe two.” Another man spoke up.

“I am aware of that Joe.” The men fell silent as they began eating their breakfast. Once they had finished their meal they all shuffled back outside. They all knew what they had to do, he didn’t need to direct anyone.  He was the last to leave the table, he rubbed his eyes and picked his hat up off the back of his chair, he was tired, it was going to be a long day. He was still wearing the same clothes as the day before they were coated with a layer of dried mud so that they practically crackled when he walked, but there wasn’t much point in changing them now. Not to mention there was a strange woman in his bedroom and he really didn’t want to go in there and fetch more clothes.  He stepped outside and the bright Texas sun assaulted his tired eyes. He pulled his hat brim down low and continued to the barn.

Angelica stood carefully testing various parts of her body for pain. Everything seemed to be sore but nothing seemed to be broken.
She could see several bruises but she couldn’t really assess the damage because there was no mirror. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself she didn’t know if she should venture out of the bedroom or if she was supposed to stay in there. Her head was still pounding so she decided to lay back down on the bed and soon she was asleep again.

Luke washed his hands and face at the pump outside before he went in just as he did every day. Just as he had expected it had been a long day, he had started out tired and now he was beat.  The smell of fresh bread greeted him when he opened the door and he inhaled deeply
even dead tired that could make him smile. 

“
Smells good.” 

“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells.” Ella grinned at him as she wiped her hands on her apron. He just smiled, he didn’t have any doubts about her cooking.

“How is our guest? Did she have any luck remembering where she belongs?” He hung his hat on the back of the chair and sank into it.

“No she has slept most of the day, she hasn’t really said much of anything.” Luke wasn’t really surprised he hadn’t really expected that she would be up and about but he was kind of hoping.  The sooner she remembered who she was the sooner he could get her back home and his life could go back to normal.

“Would you be a dear and take this into her.” Ella placed a tray on the table in front of him then turned back. He glowered at the tray, he didn’t want to take it in there he was in no mood to play servant, if she was hungry she could come out and eat.  He sighed knowing that any comment along those lines would draw disapproval from Ella and he wasn’t in the mood for that either. 

Luke rapped lightly on the door, there was no answer.

“Angel.” He said softly pushing the door open.  She was asleep in the middle of the bed, she was curled in a tight
ball. He didn’t know how that could possibly be comfortable. He debated the idea of waking her and finally decided against it. He placed the tray on the table beside the bed and quietly retrieved a change of clothes.

Angelica opened her eyes slowly, her head didn’t hurt nearly as much but as she lay there trying to remember anything, she could only remember as far back as waking up the previous day. She sighed and sat up. She needed to get up. She was not going to be able to spend another day cooped up in this bedroom.  She stood carefully testing her body again she was still sore but she felt much better than she had the day before.  She opened the door and peeked out she didn’t see or hear anyone. She crept down the hall and peered around the corner, she saw Ella in the kitchen. She was alone so she eased out from behind the wall.

“Excuse me,” Ella stopped at the sound and looked up. “
Is it alright if I come out?”

“Of course it is.” Ella laughed.

“Um do I have any clothes?”

“Oh, well the dress you were wearing is going to need a good washing but I think I might be able to find something you can wear. “ Ella led her into her own bedroom and Angelica immediately spotted a mirror above the dresser. She went to it and examined her own reflection.  She was disappointed that she didn’t recognize herself. She looked like a wild woman her hair was matted with dirt and tangled and she had a large bump and a bruise on her forehead.  She
touched her face gingerly as she looked at herself. It was like looking at someone else. She took a deep breath, she had the sudden urge to cry and had to will herself not to. 

“Come here and I’ll help you, we’ll see if we can wash some of that stuff out of your hair.” Angelica sat in the chair Ella offered her and the older woman poured some water into a basin. She deftly began to wash the debris out of her hair. She was done much sooner than
Angelica expected and she wrapped a towel around her head.

“There much better,” Ella proclaimed, “Here I think this will fit as well as anything else I have, it’s only the length that might be a problem.” Ella ha
nded her a dress and she quickly changed into it. A glance in the mirror told her that the source of her pain was collection of purple and black bruises covering her back, hips and shoulders.

“I look as if I had been trampled.” She mumbled.

“If you had at least some of those bruises would look like hooves. No, you look more like you took a fall and rolled a piece.  Angelica frowned as she put her hands in her hair and wound it up into an elaborate style on top of her head and pinned it in place. Ella smiled.

“I guess some things you just don’t forget.”

“What?” Angelica turned and looked in the mirror and realized what she had done. The style didn’t look familiar either, but it had felt so natural while she was doing it she hadn’t even thought about it. She began to wonder what else she could do if she didn’t think about it.

“Well I better get breakfast on, the kitchen w
ill be full of hungry men soon.” Ella said before she left the room. Angelica took one last look at herself in the mirror before she followed Ella out.

“Can I help?”

“Sure what would you like to do?”  Angelica thought for a moment, nothing felt familiar, she tried to think if there was something she could just do but it was impossible to think of anything.  She looked at Ella and smiled.

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you set the table, you can find what you need over there.” Ella indicated a set of cabinets. When she was finished Ella surveyed her handiwork and laughed.

“That is a beautiful table dear but this is a ranch not a formal dining room.” Angelica looked at the table and frowned.

“What is wrong with it?” Ella retrieved most of the flatware she had laid out leaving only a single fork and knife and a single plate.

“Alright.” Angelica said that was easy enough she could remember that.  Not sure what else to do she sat down in one of the chairs and waited.
It wasn’t long before the door opened and she saw a man come through it, he stopped short when he saw her and the man behind him ran into the back of him.

“Charlie, what the…” The other man stopped talking when he saw her and they both starred at her. Angelica fidgeted uncomfortably and looked down at herself unsure of why they were st
aring at her.

“Boys, close your mouths and say good morni
ng to Angel.” Ella’s voice seemed to cause them both to remember their manners. Almost in unison they both swept their hats off their heads and mumbled,

“Good morning ma’am.”

“Good morning.”  Having gotten over their initial shock they each retrieved a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table. Angelica was almost amused by their odd behavior, after staring at her initially now it seemed they were trying not to look at her.

“Angel, this is Charlie and James. They are the night shift around here most of the time.”
Angelica smiled at the two men and they seemed to grow even more uncomfortable. They both looked relatively young, both had shaggy brown hair plastered to their heads in the shape of their hats and were unshaven, both were dirty but she guessed that was to be expected if they had just finished working.  James was just a bit taller than Charlie.

The next man through the door stopped when hi
s eyes fell on her as well then his ears turned red and he turned to get his coffee.  He sat down beside the other men and Ella introduced him as John. He nodded at her but didn’t say anything.  He looked like he might be even younger than the other two.  He had dark blond hair that was also a bit shaggy. 

“Ah, I see the mysterious house guest has made an appearance.” The next man said loudly once he had spotted her. He crossed to her and held out his hand, “Tom McCall.”
He was older than the others with dark hair that was neatly combed, he was clean shaven except for a moustache.

“Um Angel, I think.” She shook his hand.

“Well that explains what you were doing way out here in the middle of the night.”

“How’s that?
”

“You fell from heaven.” Tom grinned and Angelica felt herself blush.  He turned to pour his coffee and spoke to Ella instead, “Speaking of heavenly, that smells divine.”

“Oh Tom give your silver tongue a rest would you.” Ella laughed.  Tom chuckled and took a seat at the table.

The next time the door opened Angelica saw someone that looked familiar and her heart leapt, it only took a second for her to realize it was the man with the piercing blue eyes that she had seen at her bedside the day before and her hopes crashed again. She was still only remembering as far back as the day before.
His routine was the same as the other men, first he filled a cup with coffee and then he sat down at the table, but he didn’t stare at her, he didn’t seem surprised to see her at all. He finally looked at her and she was again struck by his eyes, they were light blue so that was noticeable by itself but there was such an intensity in them that it was almost as if they commanded attention, like she couldn’t look away.

“Morning Angel, how are you feeling?”

“Better thank you.” She heard herself say.

“Have you been able to remember anything?”  He cut straight to the subject, she wished he would have sugar coated it just a bit, it would have been easier to answer.

“Unfortunately not.”  Ella placed breakfast on the table and he let the matter drop as the men began dishing up their plates.  Angelica felt supremely uncomfortable she really didn’t want to just reach into the middle of the men and yet she could see that was what she was expected to do.

“Let me help you with that dear,” Ella picked up her pla
te and dished eggs, potatoes and a biscuit on to it before placing it back in front of her. Angelica smiled her thanks.

“Any problems last night” Luke asked once everyone had settled down again.

“No sir, all quiet.” Charlie said in between bites.

“When do you want to do the branding boss?” Tom asked.

“Next week, Sophie is getting ready to foal, I am hoping she will have done it by then.” Luke responded. 

Angelica’s discomfort didn’t ease throughout the meal, there were so many unfamiliar people, she didn’t know what to say. The food was good but she wasn’t really hungry so she just picked at her food hoping to appear to be eating.

Once they were finished the men voiced their appreciation for the meal before filing back out the door once again. Everyone left except for Luke. He hesitated looking from Ella to Angelica and back again then he got up and left without saying anything.  Ella got up and began clearing the table and Angelica followed suit.