Aspen
* * *
The following day
When the alarm began to squawk, Aspen stretched over. Not ready to get up, she slammed the snooze button and pulled the covers over her head. The previous night, sleep had not come easy. Thoughts of Holt and the kisses they shared kept replaying through her mind. Tearing herself from the bed, she dressed and made her way downstairs.
She was on auto pilot the entire morning as she attended to the chores. A familiar tug at her jeans roused her, and she looked down to see Penny attacking the hem. She bent down and giggled as she picked up the squirmy ball of fluff. “How are you? You little escape artist.” She scratched Penny’s ears and the pup snuggled, then whined when she saw Gunner bolting at a full run out of the house, coming from the kitchen door. Aspen set the pup down. “Come on, li’l’ miss, let’s get you fed.”
Displaying no fear, Penny ran and tried to tackle Gunner to the ground. Gunner relented and lay down to play with the puppy. The ruckus drew the attention of the rest of the litter, and Gunner found himself surrounded.
Aspen attempted to rescue him, but the sounds of happy yips stopped her as the game of puppy tag began. Clutching the bag of food she’d picked up from the bed of the truck, she watched as Gunner, who must have been it, chased the pups. He’s really getting around great with that amputation. She laughed and continued with her work, though the game of tag and the puppies running around reminded her to make a mental note to call Tanner and arrange for Wes to get his puppy.
“Come on, pups, it's feeding time.” Gunner responded with a bark and headed toward the barn, the puppies in tow.
With the pups back with their mom and the feeding done for the day, she still needed to make a trip to the feed store. Digging in her pocket for her keys, she jumped into the cab of her truck, unaware that Holt was sitting on the back step.
“Where are you heading to?” Holt gave her a crooked grin.
“Not that it’s your business, but if you must know, I need to go get feed.” She groaned as he approached the driver’s side, leaning into the window. “Want some company?”
“No need, I have some other errands to do. You will just be bored sitting in the truck. I won’t be long.” Starting the engine, she asked, “Want me to bring ya back anything?”
Holt stepped back from the truck with a half-disappointed smile. “Naw, it’s okay. I will be here when you get back,” he mumbled as he watched her drive away.
Aspen sighed, relief washing over her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him along, but she was keenly aware if he came with her, he would stop her from going by Tork’s place to see if she could catch a glimpse of the dogs.
The ride to Tork’s didn’t take long; she hadn’t even had time to listen to a full song on the radio. She pulled over on the side of the road across from the house and searched the cab for her camera. When she found it, she popped on the two-hundred-millimeter lens so she could get a closeup shot. After searching the property, the only thing she saw were empty dog chains.
“Damn it! They moved ’em. Now I gotta start all over again. Took me months to find them in the first place,” she spat as she tossed her camera into the seat next to her. “Well, I don’t have time today. I still gotta finish the kennels before I head over to Fort Bragg to pick up those retired working dogs.” Getting back onto the road, she didn’t see the large squad of bikes behind her.
Tork
Tork had pulled his bike off the road when he recognized Aspen’s truck. He and his crew ducked into the brush line, waiting.
“Looks like baby girl can’t stay away. Maybe she needs another lesson,” Tork told his second in command.
“What do you want to do, Boss?”
Tork thought for a moment. “Let’s wait here, and when she takes off, we will take care of business.”
“All right Boss, we got you.”
Holt
Holt was starting to worry about Aspen. She’d been gone far longer than was necessary to go to the feed store. He picked up his phone and stared at it, trying to decide whether or not to call her. Almost before he realized it, he had the phone to his ear.
“What’s up, Holt?” Aspen’s voice came through the line.
“You’ve been gone a long time. I figure you must be up to something, so tell me. What are you getting into, Aspen?” His irritation was evident even through the phone.
“I have no idea what you mean,” she stuttered as the roar of motorcycles muffled her reply.
“Aspen, what’s that noise? Where are you exactly?” he demanded.
“I’m on Old Mill Road, close to the abandoned silos. I have several motorcycles coming up behind me, fast,” Aspen blurted as she fought to keep the truck on the road. She pushed on the gas, trying to get out of the way, but the bikes had her surrounded on all sides. Panic started to overcome her.
“They have me boxed in, Holt. I can’t get away,” she screamed.
“Hold on, honey, I will be right there.” Holt jumped in his truck and sped off toward Old Mill road. “Stay on the phone, baby.”
“Holt!” she gasped. “I can see a gun.”
Sounds of gunshots echoed through the phone and into Holt’s ears. “Aspen! Aspen, are you okay?”
“They’re shooting at me, Holt,” she screamed as the glass from her back window exploded into the cab. Aspen fought to keep the truck on the road when they fired again, hitting one of her rear tires. “Oh. My. God! I can’t control it…they shot out my tire,” she screamed again. She lost control of the truck; it started spinning and clipped one of the bikers who was riding too close to her.
Holt was shouting into his phone, “Aspen! Aspen! What’s happening? Aspen! I’m almost there. I’ve called the cops. You should be hearing sirens.” He was met with the noise of the bike engines.
18
Tork
* * *
When Aspen’s truck came to a stop on the side of the road, her head was against the steering wheel. The bikers helped their brother get his bike back on the road, and Tork walked over to Aspen’s window to check to see if his self-declared “baby girl” was still breathing.
“Remember this, baby girl, behave yourself. Forget about the dogs, or we will be seeing each other again. I will make you heel! That’s a promise!” Stroking her hair, he ran the fingers of one hand through the length of the strands as he reached inside to squeeze one of her breasts with the other. “Very nice,” he mumbled as the distant sounds of sirens inched closer. “Stay away, or the next time I see you will be the last time you see anyone.” Stepping away from the truck, he raised one hand and gave the signal to the remaining crew to leave, and hopped on his bike, heading in the opposite direction.
Holt
As the last bike disappeared, Holt pulled up to the scene ahead of the first responders. He parked and ran to her truck. “Aspen. Aspen... Baby... Aspen... Sweetheart, answer me. Please be okay. Honey... Talk to me.” Holt opened her door and started to unbuckle her. Holding her close, he could feel her breath on his neck, but she was unconscious.
As the ambulance and a fire truck pulled up, one of the EMTs shouted to him, “Don’t move her! Let us handle it.” The EMT’s unloaded and grabbed their gear and a backboard and ran over to Aspen’s truck. “Sir, we understand you care for her, but we need to do our job. If she has any spinal cord injuries, we need to take precautions when getting her out of the vehicle.”
As the EMTs began to work, one of the firefighters put his arm around Holt and steered him away. “Sir, why don’t we let these guys work? I promise they know their stuff. Why don’t we go over here by the ladder truck and wait for the police to arrive?”
Holt stepped away, pacing as he waited to find out something, anything that would calm his fears, but they continued to work.
Gareth, the first officer on scene, was quickly joined by another. After comparing notes, he approached Holt. “Do you know what happened?”
Holt continued to pace back and forth, th
e worry clearly evident on his face and in his demeanor. Gareth was patient as he tried to calm his fears. “Holt, I’m sure she will be fine. I understand you are worried and rightly so, but I can’t help if you don’t talk to me.”
Holt’s hands laced behind his neck as he continued to pace. “God, Gareth, she was so frightened. She was screaming and trying to keep the truck on the road. The bikers boxed her in; she kept saying they were trying to run her off the road. I heard gunfire and her window explode. It was after that she said the steering wheel felt funny and her tire must have blown out. Then I heard the crash and the sound of the truck horn.” Holt pulled in a deep breath. “Find these sons of bitches, Gareth.”
Gareth listened and wrote down everything. “We will do everything we can.” His attention diverted for a moment when the crime scene truck arrived. He directed them to start taking pictures and process the scene for evidence.
“How is it you showed up before us, Holt? I'm sorry, but I have to ask.” Gareth watched the changes on Holt’s face as the question registered.
“I was on the phone with her when this all started. I had a gut feeling she was up to something—it never takes that long to get feed. Jules had told me about some place Aspen had been staking out. She said that Aspen thought the people were fighting dogs and that if she could get enough evidence, that she could take it to you guys and you could arrest the owners. Then she could save the dogs. So, as I was chewing her out about it being too dangerous, that’s when I heard multiple motorcycle engines. That’s when she told me bikers came up on her and had her boxed in. I asked her where she was so I could get to her, but I was too late. I shoulda pushed and rode with her.” His eyes began to well and his voice turned somber as he turned to Gareth. “What if I have lost her, man? I don’t think I could take that.”
“You can’t think about that. The EMTs are loading her into the ambulance. Why don’t you follow her to the hospital? I’ll be there after we are done here to get her statement.” He closed his notebook and patted Holt on the shoulder. “You can’t beat yourself up about this. There is no way you could’ve stopped this. Hell, if you had showed up while they were still on the scene, we could be loading you both into the ambulance. These guys that are chasing her, seems to me they are out for blood.”
“That may be true, but I’d lay down my life to save hers. Thanks for everything, Gareth. I appreciate your help. I’ll see ya later at the hospital.”
Holt watched as the ambulance pulled out, and hobbled back to his truck. Slipping into the cab, his adrenaline slowly dissipated as the throbbing in his leg took over. The pain was almost unbearable, but he was more concerned with Aspen than the pain in his leg. As he pulled back onto the highway, his thoughts drifted to Aspen and it occurred to him that he needed to call Beau and let him know.
It was a short drive to the hospital. Jules, Maggie, and Aspen’s dad Beau were already waiting in the emergency room when Holt arrived. They were full of a thousand questions and Holt had few answers. All he knew was that bikers had chased her, shot at her, and ran her off the road. After he told the trio what he knew, Beau was the first to speak up.
“It’s Tork, Helen’s boyfriend. He’s the one that I’m pretty damned sure beat the hell out of her and left her for dead at the house,” Beau interjected.
Jules spoke up, “It has to be Tork. He’s the one that Aspen said has the fighting dogs, and she told me she has pictures of Tork and Helen. I told her to stay away, it is too dangerous. That girl never listens. Now here she is, hurt. I had a feeling this would happen someday. Is she going to be okay?”
“I have no idea. She has to be.” Holt sighed as Gareth walked into the emergency room. “Gareth was on the scene. Beau, Jules—you need to tell him what you know about what Aspen has been up to.”
Gareth greeted them as Jules, Maggie, and Beau told the officer what they knew. Holt paced the hall as the group waited for the doctor to come out and give them a status on Aspen. When the door opened to the treatment area, an older man dressed in a white coat emerged.
“Family of Aspen Knight?” he enquired, standing at the doorway of the waiting area.
“Here,” Holt replied, almost pouncing on the man.
“Is she okay? How is she doing?” Holt begged as Jules, Maggie, and Beau surrounded the doctor. Gareth stayed in the background as the doctor explained Aspen’s prognosis.
“Yes, Miss Knight will be fine. She sustained a concussion and we will be keeping her overnight for observation.”
“Can we see her?” Beau asked.
“Yes. We will be moving her to a room soon, and you can see her once she is settled in,” the doctor explained.
Gareth, who had moved closer to the conversation, interrupted. “Before you move her upstairs, we will need to interview her. Is she awake enough for me to go back and ask her some questions?”
“Yes, Officer. I will take you right back if you can give me one moment.” The doctor finished answering Beau and Holt’s questions, then showed Gareth to the back to talk to Aspen.
Relief washed over Holt, as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off his shoulders. He began to cry. “If I’d have lost…” Jules patted her brother on the shoulder and Maggie hugged him.
“Don’t think about that, dear.”
19
Holt
* * *
It had been a few days since Aspen had been released from the hospital. She was recuperating at home, and being a general pain in the butt. The repairs on the house were coming along—Holt had been busy helping Beau do the remaining work as well as trying to pump him for information on Aspen’s ideal date.
“Well my boy, my only advice to you is to make sure the animals are involved. If you have them there, I can guarantee you will earn points with Aspen. Why don’t you have a candle lit dinner at the barn? I’d be glad to help ya out,” Beau answered.
It was like Holt had been struck by lightning. “That’s perfect. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Probably because you’re blinded by her beauty and perfection.” Beau smiled.
“I can’t argue with that. Well, with your permission, I would like to date your daughter,” Holt asked as a smile inched across his face.
“You have it, son. Now you gotta convince Aspen.”
“Is she not interested?”
“Oh no, she is. I’m talking about convincing her to take a break from the animals for once, to have a relationship.” He laughed. “But I think if anyone can convince her, it’s you.”
Holt sighed, a sound of relief. “Well, if I can recruit you to help me, I’d be much appreciative.”
“Of course, and maybe you should call your momma and Jules to make ya up somethin’?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. I suppose McDonald’s wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“Naw, I don’t think so, although Aspen does love some McNuggets. I think perhaps you need to have your momma make some pork chops, mashed potatoes, and fried corn. They’re Aspen’s favorites.”
“That’s perfect. When we finish up here, I’ll give her a call.”
“We have a small table downstairs and you can ask Maggie and Jules to decorate the barn, too. What do you think?”
“It’s perfect. Thank you, Mr. Knight.”
“Son, it’s Beau, please.”
“Well, thank you, Beau,” Holt replied, grabbing his tools that lay scattered around him. “We have a lot more work to do, so let’s knock it out. I think I’ll get Jules to pick Aspen up and take her shoppin’ or something. We are all aware of how nosey she can be.”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” Beau laughed as Holt got back to work. “Why don’t I call the ladies and have them start? We’re burning daylight and you know if those women don’t get the time they need, they will have both our hides.” Grabbing his cell, Beau started making some calls.
Jules
Maggie and Jules got straight to work when Beau called and asked them to help Holt. Halfway through their cooking frenz
y, Aspen barreled down the stairs. The smell of peach cobbler had wakened her from her nap and dragged her from bed.
“Do I smell peach cobbler?” She snooped around the kitchen.
Jules pulled the finished cobbler from the oven and placed it on the counter to cool. “I swear, sometimes I think you’re half bloodhound,” Jules teased. “Yes, you do, and no, you can’t have any. I made this special for Holt. In fact, I’m glad you pulled yourself outta bed. I need to make a run to town. Wanna go with me?”
Aspen pouted for a moment but finally agreed. “I don’t have any plans and since Daddy and Holt are helping me out, I have nothing but time. At least for the next day or so. Later in the week, I go pick up the new Healing Heroes recruits.”
Maggie, over in the opposite corner of the kitchen, had been attempting to stay busy and not interject herself into the girls’ conversation, but she couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “I hope you don’t plan on making that trip alone?”
Aspen smiled. “Well, that’s my plan, Miss Maggie. I’m only going to go on post, so it’s perfectly safe. I promise.”
“I trust you, little one. I don’t like the idea, but I trust you, and I am so proud of you and the woman you’ve become,” Maggie replied, wrapping her arms around Aspen.
Aspen smiled as Julia touched her shoulder. “Why don’t you go up and get changed, and I will wait for ya outside,” Jules said and turned to go outside. She needed to let Holt and Beau know the plan was on, and to make sure the barn door was closed. Don’t want Aspen to get an accidental peek. She made her way to the barn and back just in time before Aspen barreled out the back door and to her friend’s truck.
Healing Holt Page 8