Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (2 page)

“Iʼm fine.”

Of course. Dark knights didnʼt care for sanitary wipes. And she should probably stop calling him that and ask what his name was. “Thank you so much again for your help, Mr.―”

“No problem.”

Sara suppressed an eye roll as he walked past her.
Seriously?
Now he was just being weird. Maybe he was running from the law and didnʼt want her to know his name. Then again, she doubted an outlaw would stop to help a damsel in distress. Oddly enough, though, his clipped answers and brush-off attitude only made her want to know more about him. He…drew her. The mystery writer in her was totally intrigued by his enigmatic persona.

She followed him quietly to his motorcycle, which she now noticed was a black-and-silver Harley Davidson. He was already putting his jacket back on. “Iʼm going to town for ice cream. Would you like to join me?” she blurted as he straddled the bike. “Itʼs the least I can do to thank you.”

Her offer must have surprised him, because his gaze snapped back to hers, and he raised an eyebrow. Sara was pretty sure she even saw a glint of amusement flash in his eyes. Evidently, dark knights didnʼt care for ice cream, either.

“I could buy you a drink somewhere, if you prefer,” she tried again. Yeah, a drink sounded better. He looked like a whiskey kind of guy―something dark and strong.

This time a ghost of a smile played at the right corner of his mouth, lifting it ever so slightly and revealing a dimple that caused a funny flutter in her stomach. Lord help her, she was a sucker for dimples!

“Maybe another time.”

Sara sighed, trying to hide her disappointment as he backed up the motorcycle and started the engine. “All right, then. Thanks again.” It was the story of her life. Every good-looking man who crossed her path ended up bolting faster than she could say good-bye. With a little wave, she started walking back to her car.

“Sara?”

She stilled. Her pulse zinged in response to the gravelly tone in which he said her name. And that slow, sexy drawl of his! She took another deep breath before turning around. “Yes?”

“Get that tire fixed as soon as you can. Itʼs not safe driving on a spare.”

“Oh.”
Wow
. That was the longest sentence he’d uttered since he’d arrived, and it wasnʼt even close to what Sara wished heʼd said. And to think that for a moment sheʼd hoped he might have changed his mind and decided to accept her invitation. Talk about dumb. “Iʼll do it first thing in the morning. Thank you.”

He nodded, then rode away just as mysteriously as heʼd arrived.

And she didnʼt even know his name.

***

Ice cream
.

When was the last time someone had offered him ice cream? He didnʼt even remember. Probably as long ago as the last time someone had looked at him the way that pretty girl had, as if he were a decent human being. And, God, heʼd been tempted to go with her. To forget, at least for a little while, who he was.

He shook his head hard, crushing that thought. He had no time for this crap. He had enough on his plate already. He was back.

Back in Texas. Back in Starville, the one place heʼd sworn never to see again. But, hell, now that he was so close to getting what heʼd been working so hard for, he was excited to be here.

Heʼd been waiting for this day for so long―planning it, craving it―and he was determined not to let anything or anyone distract him from his objective. Finally, he would have his revenge on the people heʼd learned to loathe with his entire being during the last ten years.

His jaw instinctively clenched. His fists tightened on the handgrips as the motorcycleʼs speed increased. Blood pounded through his veins with anticipation. Oh, yeah, revenge was going to taste so sweet. Heʼd make sure of that. Only then would he finally be free to move on with his life and put this damn town behind him forever.

And this time, he would not look back.

Chapter 2

“Will that be all for you, dear?”

Sara glanced down at the big bucket of chocolate and vanilla ice cream sitting by the register. Maybe she should get another one. Or two. Or none. She didnʼt care.

“Sara? Are you all right, dear? You seem a little odd tonight.”

Odd.
Now, that was a nice way to put it. In all truth, the surreal encounter with Mr. Dark Knight had left her feeling…deflated. Empty.

Sara blew out a sigh. “Iʼm fine, Mrs. Prims, thanks. Just a little tired.”
Of my life
.

The older woman gave her a motherly smile and patted her hand. Sara paid for the ice cream, walked outside, and got into her car almost mechanically. After this bizarre night, all she wanted was to go home, curl up on her couch with her ice cream, and watch one of her favorite chick flicks.

As soon as she took the country road back home, though, she had a feeling that something was wrong. Again. She looked cautiously out the window. Everything looked normal, but she knew―she
felt
―that it wasnʼt. If the road had been dark before, now it appeared so disquieting it was giving her goose bumps.

Sara shook her head. Her mind must be playing tricks on her because of what had happened earlier, she decided, turning the radio on to distract herself. The cheerful country song playing made her smile, and, before she knew it, she was tapping the palm of her hand on the steering wheel.

She didn’t notice the motorcycle lying on its side in the middle of the road until it was almost too late. Screaming, she hit the brakes as hard as she could. The tires made a sinister screech, and the car swerved from side to side a couple of times before it finally stopped just short of the bike.

Crap!
Sara closed her eyes and drew a few ragged breaths, trying to slow the wild racing of her heart. “Itʼs okay,” she whispered, “you didnʼt hit anything. Itʼs okay.”

When she reopened her eyes, the first thing she saw through the windshield was the motorcycle. It was so big it took up the whole lane. It didnʼt take a genius to figure out it belonged to her dark knight. But where the heck was he? And why would he leave it there like that?

Sara inhaled deeply, grabbed her flashlight from the glove compartment, and got out of the car. As she started walking cautiously toward the Harley, she couldnʼt help noticing how unnaturally still the air felt for an early summer night. In the moonlight, the tall trees on the side of the road looked gaunt and spooky, almost surreal. They were unusually immobile, too. In fact, nothing seemed to be moving. Even the crickets werenʼt chirping. Everything seemed to be at a halt.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” she started, chills rippling up her spine, but her throat closed the instant she noticed a dark figure lying on the ground a few feet away.

Heart slamming in full force again, she ran back to the car and rummaged through her purse in search of her cell phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed 911. When the operator answered, she barely managed to blurt a few frantic words―but somehow her confused explanation must have made some sense, because he assured her that an ambulance would be there in a few minutes. Relieved, Sara slid her cell into the front pocket of her jeans and ran toward the man still lying on the ground.
Please, please, donʼt be dead.

“Hey. Can you hear me? Are you hurt?” she asked as she knelt beside him, trying to swallow past the lump that had lodged in her throat. He didnʼt answer, but at least he was breathing.
Thank goodness.
She flashed him with her light, and he let out a strangled groan, raising an arm to his face in reaction to the sudden glare.

Sara jumped so hard she almost fell backward. “I c-called an ambulance. Itʼll be here any minute.”

The stranger slowly moved his arm down…and her breath caught as she stared again into the most stunning eyes sheʼd ever seen. For the first time in her life, Sara found herself at a loss for words and incapable of doing anything but stare into those endless depths.

The man blinked back at her for a few moments, then opened and closed his mouth, as if to say something. “It h-hurts,” he finally uttered in a husky whisper. “M-my head.”

Forcing herself out of her numbness, Sara dragged her gaze away from his eyes―and thatʼs when she noticed the thick streak of blood streaming from his left temple and running all the way down his cheek.
Oh, God.

“The paramedics will be here any minute,” she repeated, her voice shaking. “Everything is going to be all right.” Or so she hoped!

She didnʼt know whether the man heard her or not, because he just closed his eyes. His weary sigh made her heart drop. She prayed he didnʼt suffer anything serious, but she didnʼt have enough medical expertise to check his pulse or feel his ribs, move him to a better position, or do whatever else she was supposed to do in this situation. All she knew was that his wound didnʼt look good at all, and lots of blood kept running down his neck, soaking up the top of his T-shirt.

Sara cursed her ignorance on the subject and took his hand to comfort him, at least. Wait. Maybe she needed to keep him awake?

Hoping it was the right thing to do, she bent closer to him and said, “Iʼm Sara. Do you remember me? You helped me with my car earlier. Whatʼs your name?”

He struggled to open his eyes, his heavy-lidded gaze bleary and unfocused. “I d-donʼt know.”

“You…donʼt know your name?”
Oh, man!
That couldnʼt be good, right? “Donʼt worry, Iʼm sure itʼs normal since you hit your head,” she said, more to reassure herself than him, since he didnʼt seem to be listening anymore.

A sigh of relief slipped from her as the distant wail of a siren sliced through the silence. Sara squeezed his hand more tightly. “Help is here. Everythingʼs going to be all right.”

Eyes locked with hers, the stranger returned her squeeze. “Donʼt leave me,” he whispered so softly she thought sheʼd imagined it.

Then he lost consciousness.

***

Sara glanced at her watch for the millionth time. She was going crazy in the quiet, empty waiting room. Minutes felt like hours, and she still hadnʼt heard a word about the man sheʼd accompanied to the hospital. And what a horrible ride it had been! He had never even regained consciousness, despite the efforts of the paramedics…

The door across the waiting room opened with a metallic sound, and Sara sprang up as a middle-aged doctor came out. Dr. William Hunter, better known as “Doc,” was the best doctor in Starville, and she had breathed a sigh of relief when sheʼd found out that he was on call at the hospital that night.

“Howʼs he doing, Doc?”

Much to her surprise, instead of answering her question, he gave her a concerned look. “How ʼbout a coffee? You must be exhausted after waiting here for so long.”

She felt color drain from her face. “Heʼs not …
dead
, is he?”

“Oh, dear, no. Sorry, I didnʼt mean to scare you.”

“Thank goodness.” Relief made her slump against the wall behind her. “So, how is he?”

“His condition is stable now, though he still hasnʼt regained consciousness. He suffered a severe head trauma, and heʼs still under observation, but― Look, letʼs grab a coffee. I need to talk to you.”

Confused by the doctorʼs strange behavior, Sara could only nod as she followed him quietly to the empty cafeteria. They sat down at one of the small tables, and Doc ordered two cups of coffee. She waited patiently for him to start talking, then blew out a huff. “All right, whatʼs going on? Please tell me; Iʼm nervous enough already.”

The doctor took in a sharp breath. “How long have you been living in Starville, Sara? Three years? Four?”

“Four years,” she confirmed, puzzled.

“Then I donʼt suppose youʼre familiar with the Turnersʼ story?”

Sara shook her head.

“Jordan Turner was one of the richest men in town, you know,” Doc explained. “We all called him J.T.”

She nodded, recognizing the familiar name. J.T. was an icon in Starville. There were pictures of him everywhere, and his ranch was one of the most prestigious properties in town, despite having been abandoned for years. Nobody ever talked about him, though, and all she knew was that heʼd died tragically years before.

“He was one of my best friends.”

“Itʼs a very interesting story, Doc, but I donʼt see―”

“You will.”

Sara winced at his harsh tone but didnʼt comment.

“You see, J.T. was a remarkable man, very respected in town. Even after he started associating with, um, bad company.”

“Bad company?” Her eyes widened. There wasnʼt any
bad company
in Starville!

“People ʼround here donʼt like talking about this,” Doc continued, as if reading her mind. “However, the past sometimes seems to have unpredictable ways of sneaking into the present. Letʼs just say that Starville hasnʼt always been the carefree town you know.”

Sara found that hard to believe but didnʼt dare contradict him.

“Many years ago, a young boy named Jack showed up in town. He was only fifteen at the time and lived mostly on the street. Come to think of it, I still donʼt even know where the heck he came from.”

“But…he was just a child! How was he allowed to live on the street?”

The doctor shrugged. “Donʼt feel too sorry for him. Believe me, Jack was a very troubled kid and caused a lot of havoc in Starville, despite his age. He was your typical rebel—reckless, confrontational, and all too prone to fights. A basic nightmare. And a challenge too tempting for J.T. to resist,” he added with a weak smile.

Her brows knitted. “What do you mean?”

“Well, J.T. was a dreamer who wanted to change the world. He always saw the best in everybody,” Doc remembered fondly. “Which is why, the day he caught Jack stealing from his property, instead of calling the police, he offered him to move to the ranch.”

“Wow.” Sara put her elbows on the table and propped her chin on her hands, fascinated.

“Surprisingly enough, Jack accepted his offer, and J.T. arranged to keep him legally under his foster care. From that moment, the two of them became inseparable and, as the years went by, the boy really seemed to have gotten himself sorted out; he went back to school, worked hard at the ranch, and everything. J.T. couldnʼt have been prouder of him. Such a smart kid.” He shook his head, and Sara couldnʼt help frowning again at the sudden bitterness in his voice.