by R. C. Ryan
He felt the change in Brenna’s breathing and knew that she was on the verge of waking.
He watched as her lids fluttered, then opened. It was the sweetest thing to see the sudden awareness, and then the softening in her eyes as she reached up to brush a lock of hair from his forehead.
“’Morning, sleepyhead.” He dipped his face toward hers.
“Good morn…ummm.” Her greeting ended in a sigh as his lips met hers.
Seeing them stir, Sammy came wriggling over, anxious to be included in their lovefest.
“Hey, little guy.” Brenna sat up, shoving hair from her eyes. “I guess we all slept through the night without a single disturbance.” She turned a hopeful smile on Ash. “Do you think our intruder has given up?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say something that would keep that smile on her lips. But he couldn’t lie. “I figure, if he’s been able to keep an eye on this place, he knows we’re here and he’s just biding his time until he can get the house to himself. Unless, of course, he already found what he was looking for.”
Brenna glanced toward the gaping hole in the ceiling. “What now? Do we tear down the entire ceiling, or patch it?”
“My gut feeling is that we tear it down. I know it will create a huge mess for you, but Vern and I can help clean it up after we’ve torn out every bit of old plaster to see if something’s been hidden in the interior.”
“And if we find nothing?”
He shrugged. “Then we’ll have to figure that he got what he wanted. Or that he was here on a wild goose chase.”
She gave a reluctant nod of her head. “Okay. We tear down the ceiling.”
When Sammy trotted toward the door, Brenna scrambled to her feet. “Come on, sweet Sammy. You need to go outside. It’s been a long night, and you’ve been such a good boy.”
She padded to the kitchen and opened the back door. The puppy raced down the steps and returned minutes later, happy to find his food dish ready.
Brenna called out to Ash, “I’m going to grab a shower.”
He followed her up the stairs. “May as well join you.”
At her quick glance he merely grinned. “Hey, I’m just doing my part to save water.”
“My hero.” She touched a hand to her heart in a mock salute as she stepped into the bathroom, with Ash in hot pursuit.
“Something smells good.” Vern ambled into the kitchen in that loose-limbed gait.
“Ash is cooking.” Brenna sat at the table sipping coffee. She held up her cup. “Want some?”
“Yeah. About a gallon, if you don’t mind.” The old man had shed his hat at the back door. Now he pulled out a chair and straddled it, as he accepted a mug of coffee and watched Ash flip eggs and ham in two skillets, while buttering toast like a short-order cook. “You got that down real good, son.”
“Practice. Practice.”
At his words, the two men grinned.
“No activity last night,” the old man said.
“So we noticed,” Brenna said. “Think he’s gone for good?”
Vern glanced over her head to where Ash had turned to shoot a warning glance at him. Though he caught Ash’s message to keep things low-key, he knew better than to sugar-coat what he believed.
“No sense fooling ourselves, girl. One night isn’t some kind of milestone.”
“I know. But I can hope, can’t I?”
He grinned as he blew on his coffee before taking a drink. “You can hope all you want. But that fire seems like the work of a desperate man. Any fool knows a range fire could wipe out an entire herd if those cows can’t stay ahead of it.”
She met his eyes. “So you agree with Ash. Unless he’s already found what he came for, he’ll be back.”
“Girl, if he’d found what he came for, he’d have never started that fire that cost Noah a night in the hospital.” He paused. “Speaking of Noah…Heard anything from Doc Mullin yet?”
She shook her head. “Not a word. But it’s early. Dr. Mullin will probably make an assessment sometime this morning. If Noah’s ready to be released, I can drive into town and pick him up.”
“Let us know. If he’s up to working, we can bring the herd back to the hills. No sense leaving the herd on MacKenzie land any longer than necessary. We’ve already made more work for their wranglers than we wanted to.”
“You know we don’t mind.” Ash winked at Brenna. “We’re a full-service neighbor.”
Brenna had an idea that he wasn’t just talking about his wranglers now. She felt herself blushing as she had a quick vision of their passionate scene in the shower.
She turned to Vern. “Ash thinks we should tear down the ceiling.”
Vern nodded. “I’m with Ash on this. Either we’ll find what our intruder was looking for, or we find nothing, in which case we’re right back where we started. But at least it will be one more thing crossed off our list of possibilities.”
As Ash began setting out plates of scrambled eggs and ham and toast, Vern added, “Maybe we should plan on dealing with the herd first thing this morning, and then later today I can give you a hand tearing out the ceiling.”
Ash pulled out a chair and sat down. “Good idea. We’ll leave after breakfast.”
“Speaking of which…” Vern spread thick strawberry jam on a slice of toast and took a bite, closing his eyes in pleasure as he did. “I’m starting to look forward to mornings a whole lot more these days.”
Ash and Brenna shared a smile at the look in the old man’s eyes. It was very clear that he was enjoying the rewards of having a new cook.
In fact, Ash’s presence at her ranch had changed so many things, it was hard to remember what it had been like before.
How was it possible for one man to make such a difference?
It wasn’t just the physical improvements. A barn door. A herd safely under the care of watchful wranglers. All the little things, old and broken and failing, that were now mended and working like new. But there was also a feeling of hope now, where before there had been a quiet despair that too many things were beyond fixing. He’d brought laughter back into their lives.
That was Ash’s true gift to them.
Hope. Passion for life. And so much laughter.
Her heart felt lighter than it had in years.
And that could only be attributed to Ash’s presence in her life.
Chapter Twenty-four
Kate’s cheerful voice over the phone assured Brenna that Noah was strong enough to be released from the clinic. While Brenna made plans to drive to town, Ash and Vern left on horseback to return the herd to her highland range.
“See that Noah brings an insulated sleeping bag, now that he has no range shack for protection,” Vern called. “The nights are still pretty cold, especially in the hills.”
Brenna nodded and waved them off before tossing one of the spare sleeping bags into the back of her truck. She let Sammy out for a quick run before closing him up in the kitchen.
On the drive to town she was distracted by thoughts of Ash. Despite the fact that he was a different man from the one who’d left in a temper all those years ago, his basic goodness hadn’t changed. He was still fun to be with, silly and teasing, but with a fundamental integrity that couldn’t be shaken even while he’d struggled to survive.
Maybe that was another reason they were so good together. He understood her struggles, because he’d been forced to live his own. Despite his family’s wealth and success, he’d had to make it on his own.
He’d said nothing about remaining on his family ranch. Maybe he wasn’t ready to make that decision yet. Maybe he was just testing the waters, to see where he fit in.
She hoped he would stay. She wished it with all her heart.
But if he decided to go, she wouldn’t hold him. It might break her heart, but she would never ask him to do something he didn’t have his heart set on doing. And that included staying because of her.
She’d almost settled for something less than perfe
ct with Chris. She’d tried to convince herself that even a taste of happiness, at the expense of all she wanted, was better than none at all. Never again, she thought, clenching a fist on the steering wheel. She would never settle for less than unselfish love. And if that meant giving up the one person who mattered most in her life, so be it.
She parked in front of the clinic and hurried inside.
Kate looked up from her desk with a wide smile. “I’ve been waiting for you.” She rounded the desk and lowered her voice. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Of course.” Brenna followed her example, lowering her own voice, as well. “What can I do for you?”
“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but Dr. Mullin and the clinic will be celebrating twenty-five years here in Copper Creek this June. I was hoping you could make a sculpture in time for the anniversary. And I’d like it to be a surprise.”
Brenna couldn’t hide her pleasure. “What a fine idea. Do you have anything in mind?”
Kate rummaged through her desk drawer and produced a picture cut from a magazine. It showed a man in a white lab coat, with a stethoscope around his neck. “I’d like something like this, but with Dr. Mullin’s face and body type. Think you could do it?”
“I don’t see why not. I can certainly try.” Hearing the doctor approach, Brenna stuffed the picture into the pocket of her jeans and looked up with a smile.
“Brenna. Your wrangler is all set.” Dan Mullin paused to scratch his name on a document before handing it to her. “He has no sign of infection, and he claims to have no pain, so there’s no need for any prescriptions to be filled.”
“It’s safe for him to resume working?”
“You bet.” He nodded toward Kate. “I already told him to get dressed. You can tell him Brenna is here to drive him back.”
Minutes later Noah Perkins walked down the hall beside the doctor’s assistant. In his hand he carried the crudely fashioned cane he’d made from a tree limb while up in the hills.
Dan Mullin turned. “I told Brenna that you’re able to resume your chores. Do you need that cane?”
Noah shook his head. “I just thought I’d keep it for a souvenir. I’m good to go. Thanks for stitching me up.”
“A couple of those cuts were deep. Next time you have to escape out a burning building, try the door, okay?” The two shook hands before Noah followed Brenna out the door and into her waiting truck.
Brenna glanced at the man in the passenger seat. From the shaggy beard and hair, to the long-sleeved flannel shirt and worn denims, still smeared with his blood, he looked much the same as when she’d brought him to the clinic.
“I wish I’d thought to ask Kate for your clothes when you were admitted. I don’t know if all that blood would have come out in the wash, but at least they’d be clean.”
He shrugged. “Cows don’t mind dirty clothes.”
She smiled. “That’s true.” She nodded toward the rear of the pickup. “Before Vern and Ash left to fetch the herd, Vern reminded me to bring along an insulated sleeping bag. With no shelter, you’ll be glad to have it on these cold nights in the hills.”
“So Vern and Ash are already with the herd?”
She nodded. “Vern didn’t want to impose on the generosity of the MacKenzies any longer than necessary.”
Noah leaned his head back, a sure indication that he was through talking. Not that Brenna minded. She was already thinking about the sculpture Kate had commissioned. She would have no problem sculpting Dan Mullin’s face, or the lab coat or stethoscope, but she’d already moved beyond that. She wanted to show his love, his compassion for the people of Copper Creek. Maybe she would add a baby in one arm and have his other arm around the shoulder of a cowboy in denims, wearing a Stetson.
Her mind was working overtime, mulling all the possibilities.
By the time she arrived at her ranch, she was itching to get started.
As she passed the porch and headed toward the trail that led around the barns and into the hills, Noah lifted his head.
“Think you could spare a couple of bottles of water?”
“Oh, of course. Not a problem. I’ll get them.”
She parked the truck and left it idling as she climbed the steps of the porch. When she opened the back door, she realized that Noah was right behind her.
“You startled me. There’s no need to exert yourself. I can bring it out to you.”
“I can help.”
When she hesitated, he shoved her inside with such force she stumbled across the mudroom.
In the kitchen she caught hold of the edge of the table and steadied herself before turning to him with a flash of anger. “What do you think you’re doing? I nearly fell.”
Sammy was halfway across the room, yapping hysterically, when he suddenly halted in midstride and cringed when Noah lifted the cane menacingly.
“Smart mutt. He remembers what the toe of my boot feels like.” No longer hunched over in pain, Noah was standing straight and tall.
“What are you saying?” Brenna was too stunned to do more than stare at him in open-mouthed surprise. But as his meaning dawned, her eyes went wide. “It was you? You broke in? You frightened my dog?”
“You’re lucky I didn’t kill him. All that yapping. Then he tried to bite my leg. That’s when I kicked him and tossed him out the door.”
She thought of her poor, frightened puppy, hurt and wandering around in the darkness until Ash’s truck’s headlights had found him alongside the road. He’d probably been shamed by the fact that he hadn’t been able to guard his territory.
“Why? What do you want?”
“Shut up. I’m sick and tired of you yapping just like your dog.” He pointed with his cane. “Now pick up the mutt or I swear this time I will kill him.”
She scooped Sammy into her arms and did her best to soothe his trembling response to this stranger. She could feel his poor heart thundering. It matched her own heart rate, which had gone sky-high.
She was terrified of this man. And confused. Had his injuries all been part of some elaborate scheme? That wasn’t possible. Dr. Mullin would never have tolerated a hoax.
“Get in there where I can keep an eye on you.” Noah shoved her roughly ahead of him into the parlor. When he spotted her rifle leaning against the wall, he tossed aside his makeshift cane and grabbed the weapon.
Seeing the boarded-up window, he muttered a curse. “If it hadn’t been for that…”
His words had her stopping in midstride. “That’s where you cut yourself. Not up at the range shack.”
She could still hear the shattering of glass, and see in her mind’s eye the figure fleeing across the darkened yard, leaving a trail of blood.
And then it all became perfectly clear.
“That fire up in the hills was no accident. You set it, didn’t you? It was all an elaborate cover-up to get help for your wounds without anyone getting suspicious about how you got them.”
“You’re too damned smart for your own good. But I’m a whole lot smarter.”
“But why…?”
“I told you to shut up.” He brought the rifle down hard on her head.
The blow had her seeing stars as she dropped to her knees. Though Sammy yelped and wriggled, she managed to hold fast to him, afraid if he broke free this man would follow up on his threat to kill him.
“Give me your cell phone,” Noah demanded.
“Wha…?” When she didn’t move quickly enough he snatched it from her pocket.
“Now. Don’t move,” he ordered. “Stay on the floor and face that wall.”
When she didn’t turn away quickly enough he brought the rifle down again, this time across her back, sending her sprawling.
With a moan of pain she lay on the floor, desperately cuddling Sammy against her chest. As she struggled to remain conscious, she could hear the sound of something heavy being shoved across the floor. Minutes later she heard a chair creaking under Noah’s weight.
If only she
could see. But the pain of the blow had rendered her dizzy and half blind, with blood from the open cut in her head slowly trickling down her face.
She could hear Noah grunting and swearing as he began tearing down huge sections of the ceiling and allowing it to fall to the floor. Dust and debris fell on Brenna, coating her hair, clogging her throat.
Her eyes burned from the effort to open them in the cloud of powdery dust that rose up from the old plaster. Sammy gagged and coughed, and still she clung to him with a kind of desperation.
“Yes! It’s true. That old son of a bitch didn’t lie.”
She heard his muttered exclamation, and felt her heart stop.
It was obvious that this drifter had found whatever it was he’d been searching for.
Now he would no longer have any use for her.
She heard him grunt as he leaped from the chair and landed with a thud on his feet. In quick strides he was across the room and standing over her. She could hear him breathing. She could smell him, a foul, sour smell of sweat and filth and unwashed clothes.
Instead of the gunshot she’d been anticipating, he reached down and yanked her painfully to her feet.
The figure of him swam in front of her eyes and she blinked furiously, trying to clear her vision.
“You’re going with me.” He shoved her ahead of him.
When she realized what he was doing, she thought about Ash and Vern, in the hills with the herd, and completely unaware of the drama being played out here. Even when they returned and found her gone, they wouldn’t have a clue what had happened here, or if she’d been taken against her will.
It was tricky, keeping hold of a wriggling pup while sliding the slim bracelet from her wrist, but she managed it, and let it drop silently to the rug.
Muttering every rich, ripe oath he could think of, Noah shoved her ahead of him toward the kitchen and out the back door.
“Now we’ll take that ride.”
“I can’t see enough to drive.”
“No need. From now I’ll be driving, cuz I’m in charge. See. You didn’t know it, but from the beginning, I’ve been in charge.” He opened the passenger door and shoved her so hard she fell across the seat.