by Lucy Kelly
After playing Monopoly, Marla had brought out a pile of stiff paper with various symbols on them she called cards. They had stayed up very late talking, laughing, and playing with the cards. Not wanting the night to end, they had fallen asleep on the couch. He still remembered the feel of having her in his arms. The wedding couldn’t come soon enough. He needed to have his arms around her again, preferably when they were both naked.
His heated and carnal thoughts were interrupted when he spotted some footprints. He started to follow them. Karlo was not aware of the change in his demeanor as he moved through the trees. He moved silently as he tracked what he could easily tell were two men. His memory might be faulty but his warrior skills were ingrained in his bones.
As he came to the end of the trees, he could see two men at the edge of Marla’s hay field. They were throwing some type of liquid onto the tall grass.
“Hurry up, we need to git outta here,” said one of the men.
“Do ya gots the matches?” asked the second man.
“You’re not going to need any matches,” growled Karlo as he stepped out from the trees. Unfortunately, the first man had already pulled out a lighter. Trying to buy them some time, he lit it and set the flame to the nearest blade of gasoline-soaked hay.
Karlo was running toward the two men. One came toward him to attack as the other set the field on fire. Karlo made short work of the man who came at him swinging a large can. All of his skills and muscle memory came to the fore and he knocked the first man to the ground. He didn’t stop because he saw the second man lighting the hay field on fire. There was a whoosh just before Karlo reached the second man.
The heat of the sudden fire caused both men to spring back. Karlo had to make a choice—stop the men or stop the fire. One glance at the flames and Karlo could see that they’d doused well the hay with the stinky fluid. There was no way he could halt the fire with his bare hands. He would need machinery to stop it.
He made a quick decision; he couldn’t save the field. Capturing the men would mean Marla would have justice. Karlo grabbed the man who had set the field alight. What he hadn’t counted on was the second man getting back up again. He was getting the first man under control when he was struck over the head.
“He’s seen us, Sonny,” said the second man.
“Yeah, help me with ‘im. He’s a big un,” said Sonny.
The two men tried to lift Karlo and found him to be really heavy. They threw him onto the flames and ran away into the woods.
Luckily, the alfalfa had been soaked with an accelerant, the grasses at the edge of the field burned fast and were nearly burnt. The weight of his body smothered most of the flames, and he wasn’t completely unconscious. When he felt the heat of the fire on his out flung hand, the pain dumped enough adrenaline into his bloodstream to get him up onto his feet.
His head swam as he stood. Looking around, he could see the field was burning. The fire had created its own wind and with the hay ready to be harvested, it had plenty of fuel. He needed to get back to the ranch. Marla would have the equipment needed to cut off the fire before it reached the pasture where her alpaca were.
At first he ran, the adrenaline still rushing through his bloodstream. He burst through the trees.
“Marla! Fire!” he shouted.
He looked toward the smaller second barn, when he heard the sound of an engine. Marla appeared driving her small tractor. She revved it up and tore out of the barn at high speed heading to the field.
“Grab some shovels and follow me!” she shouted back.
The only chance they had to keep the fire from spreading was to dig up a swath of earth to create a wide area of dirt where the fire hopefully couldn’t jump. The field that was burning was adjacent to the pasture where the animals were. Marla ran the tractor along the edge of the pasture fence. With the pasture cropped low on one side, there was less chance of the fire jumping the break she was making.
Karlo instantly understood the plan. He followed behind the tractor and used the shovel to bury the hay stalks she churned up. He quickly fell behind. The crop was nearly ready to be harvested so there was really too much matter to be buried. Instead of covering it up, he shoveled the alfalfa to the far side of the track.
The two of them worked frantically. Marla worked hard to head off the fire, doubling back and widening the track in front of the leading edge of the burn. Karlo went to work doing everything he could to starve the fire of fuel. Marla ran the tractor around all the edges of the burn zone in case the wind changed direction. Luckily, the day was very calm, with the only breeze being generated by the fire so it was moving slowly.
Marla and Karlo had been working for nearly an hour when they heard sirens in the distance. The fire trucks arrived in the nick of time. Even with a twelve-foot break, the fire was finding fuel. The volunteer firemen got to work immediately. They had a crew as well as a tanker of fire retardant. They took over the main work of putting out the fire while Marla and Karlo worked closer to the pasture.
“We need to move the alfalfa away from the fence,” Marla told Karlo.
“Why?” asked Karlo
“I sell the alfalfa, its premium hay. However, it’s too protein-rich for alpacas. It will make them sick. We need to move the grain away from them,” she explained.
Marla went back to the tool shed and grabbed a rake and a hoe. She and Karlo worked together along the fence line, pulling the hay far enough away so the alpaca couldn’t reach through to eat it. The lost field would impact her pocketbook. She didn’t want the damages to extend to vet bills for her animals.
The fire chief walked over to where they were finishing to talk to them.
“Hey, Marla, sorry about the field; any idea what started it?” asked the fireman.
Before Marla could say anything, Karlo spoke up.
“Marla has been having many problems. I was making my rounds and found two men pouring a flammable liquid on the edge of the field. When I tried to stop them, one of them hit me in the head with the container. I woke up lying on the edge of the burn.”
He absently moved his arm. Marla caught the movement.
“Are you hurt? That’s it, I’m taking you to the hospital to be checked out,” she said.
“Do not worry, I did not lose consciousness, my injuries are minor. It’s more important we capture these men who are sabotaging your property,” said Karlo.
“Karlo, you’re still recovering from a concussion. I’m going to take care of you, deal with it,” she said with an edge to her voice. She turned to the fire chief.
“Tim, I’m really thankful you and your team arrived when you did. It could have been a lot worse. Karlo, this is Tim Rogers. He’s the chief of our local volunteer fire department.”
“I’m going to use my radio to call the sheriff’s office. You’re going to need to make a report. You’ll need it for your insurance anyway. As soon as Martha finds out it was your place, she’s going to want to hear the whole story,” said Tim, giving Karlo a glance and a raised eyebrow.
Marla got the message. She was going to have to explain Karlo’s presence on her ranch to her friend. Martha and Tim had both gone to high school with her and they had gotten married right after graduation. They were good friends. The fact that she had a man on her property no one knew about would cause a lot of talk and speculation around town.
“I’ll give Martha a call soon. How are the kids?” she asked.
“The kids are great, growing like weeds. I’m buying new shoes every three months for Stevie, and Carol has decided boys are no longer gross. I’m getting gray hairs thinking about her dating. I’m considering buying a gun to discourage all the boys who are going to want to take her out,” he said with a quirk of his lips.
Marla laughed, the way he expected her to.
“Go ahead and make that call, Tim. I’m going to take Karlo up to the house and check him over. Unless you need us to do some more here?” she asked.
“No, we’re just mopp
ing up now. Go on ahead. I’ll stick around until the sheriff gets here,” he said.
“Thanks, Tim, you’re a good friend,” said Marla.
Karlo held out his hand to Tim and was pleased when the man shook it. “I would also like to give thanks to you and your people for coming to our aid. Perhaps in the future, I will be able to repay your generosity,” he said.
“No worries. We’re a tight community. We all look out for each other. You stick around and you’ll get a chance to help out in one way or another,” he said.
“Marla and I will be getting married. So I will be around for a long time,” Karlo stated emphatically.
“Well, that’s good to hear. Welcome to the community,” said Tim, giving Marla another glance that spoke volumes.
“Come on, Karlo, I want to make sure you’re really okay,” said Marla, purposely ignoring the look in her old friend’s eyes. She would face those explanations later.
“I can have our paramedic take a look at him,” Tim offered.
“I don’t need a doctor, it’s just some bruises,” said Karlo.
Marla wasn’t going to listen to him; he was a man, so she knew he would say he wasn’t hurt even if he were bleeding by the bucket.
“Tell Martha I’ll call her later,” said Marla as she took hold of Karlo’s hand. Right now she needed to see to Karlo. She practically dragged him into the house and took him through to the bathroom.
“Okay, take off your shirt. I want to look you over,” Marla said.
She turned to the cabinet and removed some cotton and Arnica along with some burn ointment. Turning back around, she froze at the sight of his naked chest. She had seen men with their shirts off before. She didn’t understand why the sight of this particular chest had such an effect on her. Her heart rate sped up, her palms itched to touch, and her breathing grew shallow. It wasn’t until she saw him wince as he shifted that the spell was broken.
She had him sit while she went over his injuries. After putting ointment on the burns, she used the Arnica on his bruises. She noticed again that his shoulders were stiff and his back muscles were experiencing spasms, yet she didn’t see any bruises there. She would give him a back rub after they dealt with the police.
Karlo left the bathroom holding his shirt in his hand while Marla put away her first aid supplies. He had noticed her reaction to his bare chest. It gave him hope because for the past several days, Marla had been treating him more like a stranger than a lover and soon-to-be husband.
He still didn’t remember anything from before he woke up in that bed several days ago. One thought led to another and he realized that except for the short story about how they’d met and decided to marry, Marla hadn’t talked about their history. She could tell him about his past, his family. Maybe she’d tell him something that would jog his memory.
A deputy sheriff arrived and took statements from both Marla and Karlo. Karlo gave him descriptions of the two men he had confronted. They arranged for Karlo to come in and look through some mug shots. Marla was pleased because the deputy wasn’t another old high school acquaintance, no more hard to answer questions.
“Marla, is something burning? Or is that me who smells like smoke?” Karlo asked while they were finishing up with the Sheriff.
“The meatloaf!” she shouted, running for the kitchen.
“Guess you’ll be eating out tonight,” the officer smirked.
Karlo nodded in agreement, “Yes, I think we will. Thank you for coming out, Deputy. You’ll have all the cooperation you need in order to apprehend the men responsible. One thing Marla didn’t mention…” he said.
“Yes?” asked the sheriff, his eyes going sharp.
“This isn’t the first incident that happened. It’s just the most obviously criminal act. She’s had fences cut, tools go missing, machinery breaking down, all sorts of problems,” explained Karlo.
“It sounds like some type of stalking, and they’re escalating. I’m glad you said something. In situations like this, we need to document everything. If we can prove stalking, the prosecutor can demand a longer sentence. Watch out for her, these guys can be total crazies, they don’t think rationally,” said the sheriff.
“Since she told me about the problems, I’ve been patrolling the property. I’m wondering if they hit the field because they couldn’t get closer in. Am I the reason this has escalated? If it’s a stalker, why did I see two men?” he asked.
“It’s possible the two men you saw were hired by the stalker,” the sheriff reasoned.
“So he’d have an alibi?” asked Karlo.
“Maybe, it’s no use speculating. I’d rather catch the guy and find out his motivations later. Call me if you see anything suspicious,” he said, offering his card.
“I will. I’ll see you in a couple of hours. We need to secure the animals before we go into town,” said Karlo.
Marla came back then and they walked the sheriff out. She and Karlo also took the time to thank the volunteers again for all their help.
“You can put your shirt back on,” she said when they came back inside.
“I only have three shirts. It’s a warm day. I thought I’d go without one for now,” he said.
Besides, he wanted to keep her flustered and off center. He had plans for later; he wanted to see if he could get her to reconsider her stand on pre-marital sex. If not sex, he was hoping to get headed in that direction. He was walking around semi-hard all the time. He didn’t know how much more he could take without some relief. It wasn’t as if any female would do either. No, he needed Marla. No one else would do.
Chapter Five
They each took a quick shower to get rid of the soot and smoke smell from the fire. After checking on the animals, they headed into town. Now plenty of people knew about Karlo. She couldn’t exactly keep him a prisoner on her ranch. She wondered what she would tell him when no one seemed to recognize him.
“Marla, I don’t want anyone to know about my lost memory. I can’t appear weak if your stalker finds out about me,” he said.
“You’re not from around here, so no one knows you. Like you, I’d prefer we didn’t talk about our relationship. If someone wants me to lose the ranch, or convince me to leave, we don’t want them to know we’re getting married. That could set them off,” she said.
“I mentioned our upcoming marriage to the sheriff. Was that wrong?” he asked.
He understood her reasoning. She had explained the terms of her grandfather’s will. He would mention this to the sheriff; it’s possible the ranch was what the stalker was after.
“Yes, no, I don’t know. It’s too late now to worry about it,” she said.
“I’ll mention our theory to the sheriff just in case,” he said.
“I don’t understand why anyone would want my ranch in particular. There’s nothing special about it. There’s even land for sale in the area people could buy without having to resort to these tactics. It’s got to be something else,” she said.
“We’ll leave it to the police to discover,” said Karlo to placate her.
He believed the sheriff was right, someone was stalking Marla and he wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.
They stopped at a diner to eat their delayed lunch. Then Marla dropped Karlo off at the police station.
While Karlo was in the police station looking at pictures, Marla decided to do a little shopping. Karlo’s remark about only having three shirts made her feel guilty. If he had any identification, it was inside the now invisible vehicle he’d arrived in. She was kind of surprised a bunch of men in black from some no name government agency hadn’t shown up yet to take Karlo and his weird machine.
Still, she was planning to use him to save her ranch and he’d gotten hurt today defending it. He deserved some clothes and a few other things. She’d measured one of the pants and shirts he did have, so she knew his waist and inseam sizes. The least she could do was spring for some Levis. She didn’t need to buy him a hat because her grandfather�
��s Stetson had fit him fine. She still remembered how totally hot he’d looked wearing it too. Marla was looking forward to seeing him in jeans—he had a great ass.
She had a moment’s qualm as she remembered how his bare chest had affected her. Of course, she did plan to marry him in a few days. She would have to work hard to keep her heart untouched. She kept telling herself he would be leaving when he got his memory back. Somehow, her heart didn’t seem to care.
After leaving the clothing store, she headed to the grocery store. She needed to stock up since Karlo had a big appetite. She decided to grill a couple of steaks, and she could add a couple of potatoes and some corn and throw together a salad. She was standing over the meat section counter trying to decide between the rib eye and the T-bone, when she felt a presence next to her. Jake the Snake, just what she didn’t need.
“Word around town is there was some trouble out at your place. You okay, darlin’?” he asked.
She turned to look at him. He was still as good looking as ever, six feet of prime expensively dressed cowboy. Only now she also saw the calculation in his eyes. He wouldn’t be able to use his charming cons on her anymore. She was immune to his bullshit now.
“I’m fine, Jake. You still dating Sheila? Or did you start cheating on her, too?” she asked sweetly, going on the offensive. She didn’t want to answer any of his questions, and this was the best way to head them off.
“Sheila never meant anything to me. She was just a way to burn off some tension. I would never have turned to her if you hadn’t had that no sex until marriage rule,” he said.
Marla looked around to see if anyone had overheard his outburst. She wasn’t ashamed of her old-fashioned morals. Of course, she was considering changing them because of Karlo. She had an epiphany.