Chapter 2

Carol went to the bank and transferred some funds into her checking account and spent a few minutes talking to the bank manager. She then went to the pharmacy and picked up her prescription for birth control pills. This always warranted a look from the pharmacist. She took the pills more out of habit than anything else, as she had not been with a man since her husband died. She didn't have anything against being with a man but there was no suitable man in this town for her. She decided to get a sandwich and a coffee at the diner. As she went into the diner she saw two of the ranchers that she had as clients and they asked her to check out some of their herd when she got a chance. A farmer asked her to stop and check his hogs when she was in the area. She assured each of them that she would and ate her sandwich and left. As she passed the newspaper box she put the coins in and bought a newspaper. She went to the supermarket and picked up enough groceries to last several weeks. Carol loaded the groceries, got into the pickup and started home.

When Carol walked into the kitchen "Cowboy" was still working in the barn. She put the groceries away that she had bought and put the paper on the kitchen counter. She fixed a sandwich and some instant iced tea and called "cowboy". As he ate his sandwich Carol sat at the table and started to read the paper. She was almost finished reading when she noticed a picture of a man she thought looked familiar. She started reading the newspaper article and she felt like she had been hit in the gut by a 2 by 4. She put the paper down and waited until he had finished his sandwich. Carol got up from the table and walked behind him. "John?" she said quietly. He turned around slowly, "That's my name," he said with a grin, "Why couldn't I remember that before?" Suddenly he looked at her and asked, "How do you know that my name was John?" Carol took the paper and showed him the article that had told her who he was.

"Wealthy developer John Fornos Dies In Plane Crash." the article's headlines stated. The article went on to state that the company plane that John Fornos was piloting had taken off in a little over 6 weeks ago and had been found in a remote valley in the Wasatch Mountains. Authorities were at a loss to explain why the plane was in the Wasatch Mountains as the flight plan was for a Denver to Dallas flight. The article went on the say that no body was found because animals had apparently carried away the bones but that John Fornos' blood was found in the cockpit. DNA tests had confirmed that it was John Fornos' blood. Authorities had concluded that no one could have lived through the plane crash as the airplane had nose-dived into the ground. John Fornos wife Susan was going to take over the company and Ted Ransom was to become president. Susan Fornos had announced that as John had wished she was going to take the company global. He put the paper down and stared at the wall. Carol broke the silence.

Well, I guess we know who you are now," she said. "This is opening some doors, but there is still a lot that I can't remember," He said. "Do you think that I came to this ranch from the plane crash?" he asked. "You're not thinking straight," she replied, "How did you tie yourself to the tree?" "John, somebody almost beat you to death, those injuries were not from a plane crash." "That valley is about 40 miles from here." "You would never had made it here in your condition." She then told him about the car and how she had thought that someone was throwing trash by the side of the road. She had never told him why she had gone to where he was tied to the tree. John put his head in his hands, "There is so much here that is not adding up." Carol started questioning him, "Think, John, did you get on that airplane?" "I don't think so," He answered. "Should I get in touch with my wife?" he asked Carol. Carol thought for a minute before replying, "John you said it yourself." "There is too much here that doesn't add up." "Let's wait a couple of days and trying to get you to remember more." Carol put her hand on his, "Let's let John Fornos stay dead for a few more days." John looked at her, "The article says that I am wealthy." "I don't even have any money to pay you for saving my life." "You don't owe me a thing," she said. "I just remembered something else," he said. "Ted Ransom isn't qualified to be president." Carol got a quizzical look on her face.

"John bare with me, I want to make a phone call," she said. Carol went into the computer and got on the Internet. She searched for the company phone number for John Fornos, Developers. She came back into the kitchen. "I'm going to call Ted Ransom, I hope he is unqualified as you think he is," she said. She dialed the number that she had pulled off of the Internet. She walked over and put her head next to John's so that he could hear the conversation too. Within seconds the receptionist answered. Carol asked for Ted Ransom. "Who shall I say is calling please?" the receptionist asked. "This is his sister," Carol replied. In a few seconds a voice said, "Pat, how are you?" Carol interrupted him, "Ted this is not Pat." "Does sleeping with the bosses wife get you promoted to president?" "Who is this?" Ted Ransom hollered into the phone. Carol continued, "Shut up and listen." "I have a few pictures of you and Mrs. Fornos that I think that you might like." "Oh, you might like the phone taps too," she said. "What do you mean?" Ted Ransom said quietly. Carol suppressed a giggle, "Unless you want your little scheme to backfire and put you both in jail for life, you'll get 5 million dollars together." Ted was obviously shaken, "Look can't we talk about this, and can I see the pictures?" "I'll call back with the time and the place for the money to be delivered," she said and then hung up. "Sorry that I had to do that to you," Carol said to John. "I figured that that is what is going on." John looked shaken. "It looks like my wife and Ted Ransom tried to have me killed so that they could take the company and be together," he said.

Carol sat back down. "John, let's try to remember whatever you can," she said. "What you don't know can get you killed," she added. "Why would you be going to Dallas?" Carol asked. John thought for a minute. "I don't think there was a trip to Dallas that week," he said. Carol brightened, "Then we will have to prove that you never got on that plane and find out who did." "Carol looked at John and knew that another piece of the puzzle had become clear to him. What is it John?" she asked. "I just saw the faces of the two men who beat me up, but I don't know who they are," he said. "Try to cement their faces into your memory," she said. "Now, how did your blood get in the cockpit of the plane if you were never in it?" she asked. John sat and thought for several minutes. Memories were coming hard to him. Every new memory raised several new questions that John could not answer. Every bit of his past had to be pulled from deep within his mind and brought to the forefront. His face brightened, "We had a blood drive a couple of days before you found me tied to the tree." Carol and John questioned each other until midnight. Both of them were emotionally drained. Carol got up from her chair, "I think we ought to stop and get some rest." "We can continue this tomorrow." John looked down at his feet, "I thought that my marriage was solid." "The sex had tapered off in the past few months, but Susan said that she was just tired from trying to prove herself in the company." "We had set up a division to build new towns, what we call "Planned Urban Developments", and Susan was running it." "She wasn't having much such success and Ted Ransom was the major problem." Carol put a hand on his shoulder, "Let's call it a day, you need some rest."

Carol took a fast shower, put on her nightgown and went to bed. She laid in bed thinking about the new memories that she and John had pulled out of his consciousness today. She agreed with John there were many holes in what little John could remember. Several times she could hear John say something downstairs as if he was talking out loud to himself. Carol closed her eyes and tried to sleep. After what seemed like hours she went down stairs to get a drink. As she passed through the living room she saw that John was laying on his back with his arms folded across his chest. He was staring at the ceiling. Carol went over to the cot and sat down next to John. "What's wrong Cowboy?" she asked. It suddenly dawned on her she liked calling him cowboy and that it had deeper meanings than a casual listener would understand. John looked defeated, "I have just been lying here and remembering some more of my past." "I've read that's how amnesia works," she said. "Every piece of information that you can pull out of the deep recesses of your mind pulls 10 more with it," she said. John's face clouded over. He thought to himself that he would just like to vanish off the face of the earth. "I can't imagine what I did so wrong that my wife would want to kill me," he said.

He sat up and put his feet on the floor. Carol moved forward between his knees and pulled his head to her. "Don't go beating yourself to death," she said, "It probably has nothing to with anything you did, and it was probably the money." He put his arms around her and pulled her to him. Carol let him hold her close for a while and then pulled away. She took his hand and pulled him to the large braided rug in front of the wood stove. Carol sat on the rug and pulled him down with her. Their lips met and their tongues were dueling. John started caressing her and her gown started to be in the way. She pushed him gently away and stood up. Carol had forgotten to put on her robe when she came down stairs. The gown, although it was not see-through, was made of silk and was very clingy. It left little to the imagination. Carol grabbed the hem of her gown and pulled it over her head. She stood for a few seconds allowing John to gaze at her body. John reached out to her and pulled her down to him. He laid her down and kissed her gently. The kiss grew in intensity until their tongues were dueling again. After a while, John pulled away and started kissing her neck and working down to her breasts. As he sucked Carol's nipple into his mouth Carol gasped. He alternated between her breasts and caressed her mound with his hand. Carol's hips were moving up to meet his caresses. John's lips started moving down to her mound trailing kisses across her stomach until his lips found her cunt. Carol moaned deep in her throat when his lips gently pulled at her bud. John licked her cunt and started dueling her bud with his tongue. Carol raised her hips to meet his mouth and the first wave of her orgasm swept over her. She cried out and pulled his tongue closer to her pleasure. Wave after wave of her orgasm swept over her. Carol grabbed his head and pulled him up to her. She held him away gently with her hands and they looked into each other's eyes. Carol pushed him away and onto his back. "Your turn Cowboy," she said softly as she put her leg over him and positioned herself above him. Carol grabbed him and guided him to the entrance of her shaft. She lowered herself slowly as he started to enter her. She took him slowly allowing her shaft to get accustomed to his size. She had never had a man as large as him before. When she had taken his entire length into her she started rising up and down on his cock. A second orgasm hit her larger than the first. Her thrusts started increasing in intensity and he started rising to meet her thrusts. "I'm cumming," he said, as his thrusts got stronger. Carol increased her thrusts to match his. As he released his balls into her a third orgasm hit her and she fell onto his chest.

Carol leaned forward, still joined to him, and kissed him passionately. She was terrified of the feelings that she had for this man. Carol knew that the way she had closed herself off from society was not good but she had been terribly hurt when her husband had taken what she thought to be the easy way out. This man, John, had his own set of problems and Carol was afraid for both of them. Carol rolled over and lay next to John. John reached out and pulled her closer to him and hugged her tightly. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that," he said. "I've watched you and wanted you even before I was healed enough to make love to you." "I wanted you too," she said. "I've been afraid to get involved with anyone for a long time." Carol stayed in his arms and told him how and why her husband had killed himself. She told him how she had withdrawn from all contact with people except on a business basis. John kissed her gently and said, "I hope you're not going to stay away from men." She kissed him and pulled away. She reached to him and pulled him to her. He held her for several minutes and kissed her. "Let's go to bed," she said. She took his hand and led him to her bed upstairs. After they were in bed John pulled her to him and they made love again. As she was falling asleep later, she looked at him and said; "I think we can put that cot back in the closet tomorrow."

Carol woke early and saw the John was not in bed. She got up, took a shower and went down stairs. John was sitting at the kitchen table and had made coffee. He had already taken a shower and was dressed. "We have to hurry up and feed the live stock or they'll be breaking out to get food," she said. John laughed, "The stock has been fed and the stalls have been cleaned." Carol turned around to look at the clock. "It's 9:30 young lady," he said, "I thought you were going to sleep all day." Carol put her hands over her face. "I haven't slept this late since I was a kid," she said through her fingers. She went over to John and hugged him. "I guess you tired me out," she said with a big grin. John tightened his arms around her and said, "Now I know what it is to have a real woman." Carol grinned and kissed him. She pulled away and said, John, you know that I have lived pretty much as a hermit since my husband killed himself, I think that I half-way blamed myself." "What about you, where do you go from here?" "You're still married and I'm not into getting my heart broken again." John stood up and pulled her into his arms again. "I'm sure you know that my marriage is over, after all she did try to have me killed," he said looking into her eyes. "I told you last night that I have wanted you since I came out of my coma." "I know that I love you and I hope that you feel the same way I do," he continued. Carol gently pulled away and sat down.

"John, sit down and let's talk about you," she said. "What can you remember about you past?" "Are there still parts missing?" John took her hands in his. "I have pretty much filled in the blank spaces," he said. "I know almost everything except the day or days before you found me" Carol squeezed his hand, "The trauma of the events of that day or days before I found you is probably too much for your mind to handle just yet." "I think it will come to you in the next few days," she added. John continued with the parts of his life that he could remember. "I know that I have a development company that is pretty successful." "I took the company over from my father after he died about 5 years ago." We also do major construction projects in the water treatment and waste water treatment areas." "I've set this up as another division." "We have a fine reputation in that area." "I married my wife about 4 years ago." "She was an engineer in the development division." "My friends used to kid me that she pursued me rather than the other way around." "She was a very driven person." "I really expected her to start her own company one day." "I was the winner of the Award For Excellence last year from The Engineering News Record, it's a trade magazine." "Is that a big award?" she asked. "Very big, I was the youngest ever to win it," he replied. "How old are you?" she asked. He smiled, "Checking me out as to my marriage potential?" Carol started blushing. "I'm 37," she said. "I'm 39," he said. "What about your wife?" Carol asked. "If your asking me if I still love her or want her, no," he said. "The only feeling that I have for her is disgust." John squeezed her hands tighter, "Carol, I would be content to spend the rest of my life here on the ranch with you in my arms, but I have to find out what happened and why." "Will you help me to do that?" he asked. Carol could not manage a reply because of the tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat so she just nodded her head. John got up and went to her and pulled her up to him. He kissed her and held her for a long time. Carol put her head on his shoulder, "Do you think that we have time to get to know each other a little better since you have finished most of the chores?" John took her up the stairs to the bedroom and they made love.

Carol and John spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out the best way to get the information they needed to bring Susan and Ted to justice. "Is there anyone in Denver that you would trust with your life?" she asked. John thought for a minute. "There is a secretary, she was my father's private secretary and she half raised me after my mother died." "I think my father and her had a thing going for awhile." "She is about ready to retire and I had always thought that I would make sure that she would never want for anything after retirement." Carol brightened, "We should get in touch with her first and see if she can help us." "Don't you think we should go to the police?" she asked. John shook his head no, "I don't think so, that would give Susan a chance to cover her tracks." "She would probably figure a way to hang it on Ted," he added. Carol and John decided that they would have to go to Denver and start the investigation there. They knew that John was dumped at Carol's ranch because it was so isolated. Carol was sure that whoever had dumped John off didn't realize that the cabin and the barn was there as it was snowing and she hadn't turned on any lights while she was observing them. Carol started laying out a plan of action for them. She would rent a small camper in town and they would drive to Denver. Carol would rent a motel room in her name and she would be the person that would contact Susan or Ted if they were to be contacted. They would contact the secretary that John thought he could trust and would inform the police when they had enough information.

Carol stood up and went to John and hugged him to her. "It's starting to warm up and spring is just around the corner," she said. "Tomorrow is Thursday and I have to take care of some of my clients." "I'll going onto town and see about a camper and take care of the animals that they wanted me to look at." "Friday we'll drive to Denver and look up your friend." "We'll have to play it as we go as we don't know really what happened in the day or days before I found you," she added. Carol and John fixed dinner together and ate making small talk. John did the dishes while Carol fed the livestock and got her medical bag ready for her rounds tomorrow. She called a rancher that had the ranch adjoining her place and arranged for his son to care for her animals for a week. When John had finished the dishes, she went to him and folded herself into his arms. He kissed her softly and told her he loved her. Carol put her head on his chest. "John, I was very hurt when my husband killed himself and I held everyone away until you came into my life," she said quietly. "Please give me time to sort out my feelings." "What we are going to do is very dangerous, and I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you or you changed your mind about me," she said. "I just can't be hurt again." She rose up and kissed him softly, "Let's go to bed."

Carol didn't bother putting on her gown and got in to bed naked. John slid in next to her and pulled her to him. John kissed her and she met his passion with her own. He went to her breasts and softly sucked her nipples into his mouth. He alternated between her breasts gently using his teeth on her nipples. She pushed her breasts up to meet his ministrations. John started kissing down to her cunt and she exploded in her first orgasm before he reached her cunt. When he started licking her lips and clit the waves of ecstasy just continued. As he pulled her into his mouth her orgasm grew to such heights that she arced herself off of the bed to meet his caresses. When the waves had subsided she pulled him to her and kissed him like she was trying to devour him. "I need you in me," she said into his mouth. He rose between her legs positioned his cock at her entrance. She grabbed him and guided him into her. As he gently lowered himself into her she gasped and rose to meet him. He thrust into her and she matched his rhythm and looked into his eyes. As she reached her orgasm he started to come and she held him like she would never let him go. They lay together with John's full body touching her body but with him holding most of his weight off of her. As he started to soften he pulled out of her and lay down next to her with his arms around her. When she had caught her breath she told him, "You know you could get to be a habit." John smiled and pulled her to him so that they were spooned with her in front of him and they went to sleep. During the night John awoke and gently hugged her to him. "I love you," she said in her sleep. John's heart almost bounced out of his chest. They stayed in each other's arms until morning. They made love again in the morning before they got out of bed.

Chapter 3