Free Kisses to Remember by Christine DePetrillo

someone crash a plane on purpose?”
    “I don’t know.” Johanna shrugged. “Maybe if a person hijacked the plane for evil purposes but didn’t know how to fly it properly.” Again, her gaze cut into him.
    “I’d love to say I didn’t hijack the plane, but I can’t say that for sure. I don’t feel like a bad dude with evil purposes, but I guess I could be one.” The pseudo-lunch he’d eaten churned in his stomach. What if you are a bad dude? Maybe he was better off not remembering who he was.
    “I’d love to say I can tell if a guy has the potential to engage in questionable behavior, but my past experiences indicate I don’t.” She pulled her sunglasses off her head and stowed them in her purse. That red hair flopped back around her cheeks like a lion mane. “Let’s agree to assume you’re an okay guy, all right?” She held out her hand as if making a deal.
    Holden took her hand. Her fingers were thin and smooth, but her grip was solid. The skin on the back of her hand was silky under his fingertips. Was every inch of her skin like that?
    She let her hand slip from his. “The doctor tells me you’re ready to clear out of here. Not sick enough to take up a hospital bed.”
    “I don’t feel sick,” he said. “Just confused and a little sore.”
    “You want to stay with me?”
    Holden was surprised by her bluntness. No easing into this conversation. “You’d just take me in like that?” Why did he want her to take him in?
    “I’d hope someone would do the same for me. I can’t imagine not remembering the details of my life, or the people in it.” She cleared her throat as if she’d gotten choked up a bit.
    “The doctor said it should be temporary.”
    “Well, rest is the best thing for a concussion. My farmhouse has a nice guestroom and guest bathroom that my soon-to-be-ten-year old son, Kameron, is currently cleaning for you.” The look she sent him now was full of warning, her blue eyes icy. “Kam is my universe, so if you do turn out to be a bad dude, you’re out. If you so much as look at my son wrong, a concussion will be the least of your problems. I don’t look like I can kick anyone’s ass, but mess with my kid and I’ll let the fierce mama bear out. Got it?” She stood and put her hands on her hips.
    “Got it.” She was his only link here in Nebraska. Hell, she was his only link period. If she tossed him out before he remembered things, he’d be without any help at all. The thought of flopping around in an unknown state alone made his heartbeat speed up. God, he felt like a fucking child. Was he always this afraid?
    “I’m going to grab the paperwork from the desk. Be right back.” Johanna shouldered her purse and exited the room.
    Holden just sat there. Sure, his memory was fuzzy, but were people really this…nice? This woman was prepared to take him into her house without knowing anything about him. Lucky for him.
    Even if he were a bad dude in the past, Holden decided that guy would never resurface.
    When Johanna came back into the room, she had a clipboard tucked under her arm, a tote bag hanging from her wrist, and a doctor right behind her.
    “Well, Mr. Lancaster,” Dr. Sakala said, “it appears you have been claimed by this lovely, compassionate woman here.” The doctor rested a hand on Johanna’s shoulder, and her cheeks pinked slightly, making her indeed lovelier. “Sign here and off you both go.” Dr. Sakala, satisfied he’d found somewhere to dump Holden, took the clipboard from Johanna and dropped it in Holden’s lap with a pen.
    Holden signed his name and let out a breath of relief when he recognized the signature as his own. A comfort to know his mind hadn’t been completely wiped clean.
    “Now, Ms. Ware, here are brochures about concussions and traumatic amnesia. Keep an eye out for irritability and other personality changes, not that you know Mr. Lancaster well enough to know his personality, but you may still notice a change. Watch for