Her gut clenched and she folded her arms across her stomach. Her ex-husband was a snake, just like the one tattooed on his arm. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t remember his face. She could recall the anger emanating from him, but his face remained a blur.

And Ryder? Jim didn’t take her down that path of memories, and despite her best efforts, she couldn’t scale the wall that still existed when she thought of Ryder. She’d sensed great relief when she remembered taking the computer disc to Jeremy and knowing it would keep Ryder safe. Had they been more than good friends? The way her pulse raced in his presence indicated they’d shared something together.

She shook her head and yanked a paper towel from the dispenser. He would’ve told her…unless he didn’t want the relationship anymore. And why would he? He remembered Julia Rousseau as a sophisticated party girl, not this broken, pathetic woman who jumped at her own shadow.

Her body jerked when someone tapped on the bathroom door.

“Julia, are you all right in there?” Ryder opened the door a crack.

“I’m fine. Give me a minute.” She plowed through her purse and dug out her makeup bag. She blotted her red nose with some powder and brushed black mascara on her eyelashes. Rose lipstick completed the repairs and she shoved out of the bathroom.

Ryder and Jim, heads together, huddled outside Jim’s office. Were they plotting their next assault on her mind?

They looked up with matching frowns when she cleared her throat. “Don’t look so worried. I’m good. I think it was a great session. If you hadn’t pulled me out, Jim, I’m sure I would’ve remembered precisely what happened at that bungalow in Tucson and how I wound up in that stolen car.”

“You were stressing out. We’ll get there.” Jim leaned a shoulder against the wall.

“Good. There are other things I need to explore.” Her gaze swept to Ryder’s face and then back to Jim’s. “Maybe after a while I won’t even need hypnosis to get there.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. You need some quiet time every night before you go to bed to let the memories wash over you. They’ll come.”

“Would you like to get something to eat while we’re in Durango?” Ryder checked his watch. “Maybe dinner?”

“Sure, I’ll call Millie and let her know I’ll be late picking up Shelby.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Jim hugged her, pulling her body close to his for a moment, his hand hovering over her loose hair.

She stiffened. Jim had always been affectionate with her, but at times his touch felt more like a caress and occasionally his e-mails and phone calls veered more toward the personal than the professional. For a patient with no family and no past the personal touch worked, but under Ryder’s watchful eye she backed out of Jim’s embrace.

“I could use a drink, but I’m fine.”

“And something to eat.” Ryder grabbed her hand, pulling her out of Jim’s sphere. “Is it okay if I leave the truck in the parking structure, Jim? There’s a great steak house down the street, and we can walk from here.”

Jim’s gaze flicked over their clasped hands. “No problem. Julia, we’ll discuss what came out of the hypnosis next week. I have one more patient for the day. Have a nice evening and try to relax. We made great progress today.”

As they headed down the hallway, Ryder squeezed her hand. “You done good, kiddo.”

“I didn’t remember everything that happened in Tucson. I can’t remember Jeremy’s face and I don’t know how I managed to snare a stolen car packed with cash.” She screwed up her face. “I don’t know why I risked giving sensitive information to Jeremy to save your life.”

“You’re a loyal friend.” He kissed the side of her head. “But I never would’ve allowed you to make that trip if I’d known what you were up to.”

He punched the elevator button and then cocked his head. “How do you know that CD contained sensitive information?”

“Makes sense, doesn’t it? Otherwise, I could’ve dropped it in the mail. No, Jeremy wanted me to hand-deliver that disc.”

The elevator rumbled down to the lobby of the building and placing his hand against the small of her back, Ryder steered Julia toward the front door. “Let’s give your brain a break and satisfy some of those primal needs.”

Julia dropped her lashes and shot a glance at Ryder from beneath them. It had been a while since she’d thought about her primal needs, but Ryder McClintock had all the equipment to satisfy them.

After a heavy meal of steak and potatoes, Julia leaned her head back against the leather banquette. “I feel like I’ve been talking about me and Shelby all through dinner. What about you? Why’d you leave this beautiful place for a life of secrets in foreign places?”

“You’ve met the McClintock bunch. Isn’t it obvious?”

She swirled her ruby-colored merlot, which Ryder knew to order for her without even asking. “Your stepmother’s a control freak, your father’s autocratic, your older brother, Rod, seems to be following in his boot steps, and your younger brother, Rafe, came back to Silverhill after working as a cop in L.A. just to prove to them that he had his own sphere of authority.”

Ryder grinned and tossed his napkin on the table. “You just about nailed that. Now you know why I left.”

“To prove yourself, but you took an extreme route.”

“I didn’t need to prove myself.” He twisted the napkin. “I just don’t like being ordered around like some clueless ranch hand.”

Did she lose her social skills along with her memory? She had no right to poke and prod at Ryder. Her fingers danced along the grooves between his knuckles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to judge you. I just know that with two larger-than-life figures like Ralph and Rod McClintock looming over my shoulder, I’d feel like I had to prove something.”

The grin returned and his fist flattened out beneath her hand. “Touchy subject, but then you never did mince words. Are you sure you don’t want dessert?”

“I’m good. I’m anxious to get home to Shelby.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“D-do you have children? Here I’m assuming you’re not married.”

Ryder slid out of the booth and turned to get his hat from the rack on the side of the booth. “I’ve never been married and I don’t have kids.”

She caught the sigh of relief before it escaped from her lips. Although Ryder’s unmarried state pleased her, she’d never seen a bachelor handle a little girl like Ryder handled Shelby. He’d make a great dad someday.

They left the restaurant and strolled along the sidewalk back to the medical building that housed Dr. Brody’s office.

“I hope Dr. Brody was right and it was okay to leave the truck in the parking lot.” Ryder quickened his pace as they drew closer to the parking garage.

“It should be fine.”

Forgoing the elevator, they climbed the steps to the second floor of the parking structure and banged through the metal door. Just a few cars remained in spaces on the far end of the lot, Ryder’s truck among them.

“What the hell?” Ryder stiffened beside her and then covered the distance to his truck with his long stride while she hurried behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

“My tire’s flat.” Ryder crouched behind the truck and swore. “Both of my back tires are flat.”

A spiral of fear zinged up Julia’s spine as her gaze darted between the two tires. Both of them had ragged gashes along the inside and outside. “Ryder, someone slashed your tires.”

He pushed off the bumper and circled to the front of the truck. “They did a number on the front tires too and smeared my windshield.”

Julia leaned around him to peer at the windshield and then clutched her stomach. Someone didn’t just smear the windshield. Someone had left a message: Leave or die.