by K. L. Donn
Maybe falling for her when they had no clue where she was from was a mistake, but it was one he was willing to make. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Pepper. She mesmerized him. He was completely ensnared by her presence. He couldn’t picture his life without her in it anymore.
As they cut and stacked wood, preparing for the impending storm, he’d seen her moving about the house and regretted not going inside to explain what he’d meant when she walked out. Watching her sleep now, with tear stains down her cheeks, he really wished he had. She shouldn’t have gone to bed with the thought of him or Nick not wanting her. She was everything to them, even if Nick was hesitant in admitting it.
Noticing that she’d overstocked their beds with an abundance of blankets, and only had two for herself, made him feel even worse. After putting a couple more logs on the fire, he grabbed a blanket each from his and Nick’s piles then laid one over her and one beside her. He hoped she stayed warm overnight as the heavy winds and snowfall they had been expecting all day finally began.
“Come here, Roxie.” He patted the spot beside Pepper, hoping that even if it got cold in the middle of the night, maybe the dog’s body heat would keep both his favorite girl’s warm.
Sitting back against the sofa, he watched her sleep while Nick was making coffee, probably pondering the situation he had caused. If Ace could take it back, he would. He never wanted her to have a moment of self-doubt where they were concerned.
“I don’t want her to leave,” Nick whispered, sitting beside him with a tray of covered sandwiches and warm coffee.
“I know.” And he did. It was never in question.
“You were right, Ace,” Nick commented after a quiet moment. “I was scared. Am scared. If we fall for her and she remembers she’s got an entire life at home that she doesn’t want to leave, then we have to let her go, and that’s gonna leave us miserable in love.”
“And if she remembers and wants to stay? What then? What have we done to make her want to stay? I can’t imagine my life without her in it, Nick, I won’t.”
Nick seemed to ponder his words before answering. “Yeah man, I know. I don’t want her to leave either. I just don’t know how to do this. How to make her want to stay.”
That made two of them. “I hear ya.”
A ringing from Nick’s coat cut off anything else they would have said. Rushing to it, he took the call into his office so as not to wake their sleeping beauty.
Ace was glad they had talked, gotten their fears out into the open. Most men would shy away from sharing their feelings. Hell, he was guilty of it more often than not, but they also knew that if they wanted any type of lasting relationship with Pepper, they had to be honest about what was troubling them.
There was no working shit out on their own and taking a chance on alienating one of the trio. Neither he nor Nick would stand for it, and soon Pepper would learn she shouldn’t either. Come morning, he planned to talk over everything they wanted with her. Put their cards on the table so to speak. What she did with the hand they dealt her afterwards would be her choice. Ace just hoped she would choose the full house instead of the possibility of a lonely one.
They’d both been alone far too long to only get a taste of what a lasting attraction could be. He would do nearly anything to make them happen.
When Nick came rushing from his office, he figured he just might have to. “We’ve got a lead,” he told Ace excitedly.
Stepping into his office to take the call, Nick never expected to get what they’d been searching for. “Sheriff Kelly here.”
“Yeah. Hi Sheriff, it’s John from the Kicking Horse.”
Surprise didn’t begin to cover what he felt. “Hey, John, how you doing?”
“Good, good. Look, Jess went through the surveillance video liked you ask.” He sounded excited.
“Oh good. She find something?” A pool of dread landed in his gut.
“She found something, alright.” Nick held his breath waiting for the answer. “Name’s Alex Medina!” John crowed. “They checked in three days before you came in. He’s been in and out since then, but no one can recall seeing Pepper since check-in.”
He should be more excited; they knew who hurt her. They could find out anything they wanted now. So why did he feel like he’d been sucker-punched?
“You don’t happen to have her name, do you?” It would make notifying her family that much easier.
“We sure do. Pepper Wallace. Hails from Vancouver.”
After getting all the information he could from John, Nick slumped in his chair. They knew who she was, where she was from. Nothing would stop her from leaving now.
He felt like his entire world just crashed at his feet.
She would leave.
They never even had her, and already, she would be gone.
Taking a fortifying breath, he knew he had to tell Ace about everything he’d just learnt. He dreaded the sadness that he knew would overtake his cousin.
Walking back out to the living room, Nick took a moment to memorize her soft features in slumber. A sight he was afraid he’d never get to see again.
“We’ve got a lead, “he told Ace, forcing excitement into his voice even though he felt none of it.
“That’s great. What kind?” Ace sounded just as unsure as him.
“Alex Medina is the man she was with. Her full name’s Pepper Wallace, and she’s from Vancouver.” His words were rushed as he spoke.
The other man didn’t say a word at his revelation. They sat down side by side on the floor, watching the woman they’d pinned a future on slip away before she had even gone. Not a word passed between them all night. They just sat and watched Pepper. Filled the fire when it needed more wood. Started to say something but no words would come.
It was over.
Unsure of what startled her awake, Pepper went to toss her blankets off only to realize Roxie had her pinned to the ground as she slept. Deep breaths caught her attention as someone snored nearby. Looking up, she saw Nick and Ace sitting against the couch, slumped over so their heads were touching.
She giggled lightly as they both snored in unison. They were quite the sight to see, and hear. Climbing free of her canine prison, she went in search of water. Once freed from the confines of the blankets, she could tell, immediately, that the power had gone out. They were officially in the blackout phase of the storm.
Quickly drinking her water, she tossed a few more logs on the fire to keep it going for a couple of hours. Thankful that the hearth was huge and could fit a decent amount of wood in it. Grabbing her blankets, she sat in the small space between their legs, covering them all so no one would get cold. Roxie sluggishly crawled over to lay at their feet before her own snoring began again.
Cuddling between the two men felt so comfortable, she wished she could have it forever. Having no memory was both a blessing and a curse. She could enjoy being with them, feeling them against her without the comparison to other men. Unfortunately, she couldn’t fully enjoy it because she was uncertain as to whether she had someone at home waiting for her.
It was her biggest fear. Having a family somewhere else when her heart was being quickly consumed here by her rescuers. How was she going to choose if that were the case?
It became increasingly hard to believe she had a significant other waiting on her because her heart didn’t feel attached. If she had a boyfriend or husband, would her connection with these two pull as strong? Allow her to lust after them, dream about all the ways they could satisfy her? Heart, body, and soul. Surely not.
Leaning into them, she had to let the confusion go. No matter what, she would listen to her heart. Even if she had been in love before, she was different now, saw things in a new light. These men were who she was meant to have her forever love with. Pepper could feel it in her bones. They were hers, and she was theirs.
Cocooned in the most glorious heat, her eyes became sleep-riddled again. She watched out the window as the snow fell and the stars and mo
on moved between the clouds. Just as slumber took her, dark, hate-filled eyes swam in her vision, carrying over into a nightmare the likes of which she’d never had before.
“Please, Alex, I’m sorry. I’m just not ready for that yet. We barely know each other.” She kept begging, but he refused to listen. There was no reasoning with him anymore.
“We’re more than ready, Pepper. You’re mine. It’s time you let me in.” He prowled towards her like a hunter about to catch his prey.
Scooting back from her place on the floor where she’d fallen after he’d slapped her in the face, Pepper tried to talk her way out of whatever he had planned. “Alex, listen to me. This isn’t how you want our relationship to start off, is it? With violence?” Surely, he didn’t.
Maniacal laughter burst forth from his lungs. “Please, Pepper. All you have to do is say yes, Alex, and it’ll all be over.” His steps kept advancing.
“You have to stop this,” she attempted to say in a firm voice. “I’ll call James if you don’t.” Her brother was a North Vancouver police detective. He would never allow this man to hurt her. Even if she was seven hours from home and the damage had been done by the time he reached her.
“Oh, please. Your brother was too busy to bother calling you back when you wanted to tell him about me. What makes you think he’ll come running this time?” God, she hated how he had a point.
Fear travelled down her spine at the realization of how helpless she was. She had been so stupid going away with him after only a few dates. Stupid Tami. Stupid Ray. Stupid her.
When he finally towered over her body, she had no defense left. Her brain was short circuiting on the violation he was surely about to cause her.
Beaten.
Bruised.
Raped.
Stupid.
She was going to become a fucking statistic, all because she wanted to feel loved. To not be alone anymore.
“Please don’t do this,” she begged one more time as tears streamed down her face in a heavy flow.
Her dress was torn, blood ran down a crack at the corner of her mouth, and she knew she must reek of fear. It didn’t make sense that he could still want to be intimate with her.
Oh, call it what it is Pepper, he wants to fuck you, plain and simple, she chastised herself.
As he reached down to grab for her, a knock sounded on the door. Her body slumped in relief as he paused, turning to answer it.
When Alex was out of sight, she scrambled to her feet and ran for the bathroom door. Slamming it shut behind her, she flipped the lock and shoved the vanity chair under the knob. Male voices could be heard as she sat in the tub crying about what her life had become. She couldn’t believe she was in this position. What was happening to her? If only she’d remembered to bring her phone with her, she could have called James. He would have gotten the sheriff over here as soon as possible.
Things had been strained between the two of them lately, and she had no idea why. Well, she did, she just hadn’t wanted to admit to herself. James found a woman, and she was jealous of Pepper’s role in his life. Straightforward as that. Now here she was, minutes away from certain death, and he would live happily-ever-after with the pretty blonde she’d only gotten a glimpse of.
Pepper wasn’t sure how much time had passed after she’d hidden in the bathroom when a slamming door scared her awake. Given her confusion, she had no idea what to do, where to go, or how to even proceed.
Climbing from the tub, she stood with her ear pressed to the door, listening for any kind of movement from inside the other room. Hoping Alex had left, she prayed she could call for help. After her legs had grown tired of their trembling stance, she chanced creeping out of the bathroom and into the main area.
Quietly opening the door, she peeked out to see that all was clear. Missing, however, was her purse, which held her phone. Racing for the door, she tried to open it, to no avail. Tears clogged her throat as she slumped to the floor in a heap of agony and terror.
This is the end, was all she could think.
Chapter Eight
Pain-filled moaning woke Nick from an awkward sleep. Sitting up, his neck cracked as he looked around, trying to avoid the shine from the sun bouncing off the fresh snow into the open window.
“Why the fuck is that open?” he grumbled to himself. A blast of cold air brought him to his feet before tending to whatever was ailing Pepper in her sleep.
By the time he sat back down, Ace was waking up, and Pepper was flinching as though she were being hit.
“What the…?” Ace didn’t get to finish before Roxie began whining at her feet.
Placing both hands on her shoulders, Nick gently shook her, hoping not to scare her too badly. “C’mon Pepper, wake up,” he called to her gently. Ace rubbed soothing circles on her back with his hand.
It felt like forever before she finally woke up. Panic darkened her eyes as she soaked in her surroundings, clearly looking for whatever monster had chased her into sleep.
“Where is he?” she whispered, horrified and convinced someone else was there.
“Where is who?” Ace asked from his perch behind her.
Head swivelling in his direction, Nick saw a tear roll down her cheek. “He was here. I saw him last night,” she insisted.
Cupping her chin, Nick turned her head to look him in the eyes, hers were pools of anxiety and trepidation. “There’s no one else here, baby,” he told her as tenderly as possible.
“NO!” she shouted at them. “He was here in that window.” She pointed to the one she’d been sleeping by when they’d come in the night before, the one that had been open moments ago. “I saw him. The evil in his eyes just before I fell back asleep.” Her insistence had him doubting his own security since the window had been open when he awoke. “Please, Nick, I swear he was here.”
It was hard to be convinced when he knew that if anyone had made their way inside, Roxie would have not only barked herself hoarse but attacked anything or anyone she deemed a threat.
“If someone were here, Roxie would have alerted us, Pepper.” He tried not to dissuade her or sound condescending.
He’d failed, as evidenced by the tears falling down her cheeks. “I. Saw. Him.” She was more adamant this time.
Before he could say anything, Ace piped up. “How about we look around outside? See if there are any tracks?”
Hope lit her face. “You would do that?”
“Of course. We want you to feel and be safe here, sweetheart,” his cousin confirmed, giving Nick a look to shut it.
When she turned to him to confirm he felt the same way, he smiled indulgently. “Anything for you, baby.” Kissing her forehead, he got up to pack on the clothing since he knew they were nearly in deep freeze temperatures already.
After he and Ace had bundled up in nearly every available piece of winter clothing in the cabin, they opened the door to such a strong gust of wind that close to half a foot of snow blew through the frame as Roxie rushed out.
Pepper’s murmured, “Thank you.” That was all the encouragement either of them needed to go out in the numbing cold.
“I’ll go ‘round back,” Ace called over the howling wind.
Giving him a thumbs up, Nick surveyed the area on and around the front porch. The open window niggled at his mind. If her attacker had actually been there, he forfeited a prime opportunity to take both of them out before snatching Pepper up.
No matter what way Nick spun it, it made no sense to simply open a window and leave. Furthermore, why hadn’t his dog woken up? She flipped out barking and jumping off the damn walls when deer came in the yard.
Shuffling through the snow, they’d gotten nearly an additional foot overnight, and it was still coming down. He tried sweeping it off in layers, thinking maybe there would be track marks in the more solid surface. So far, no luck.
He didn’t’ know how long he’d been looking, but he was determined to either prove himself or Pepper wrong when Ace came from around the side of
the house announcing, “Nothing out back,” just as Roxie came barreling towards him like her ass was on fire.
“Heel!” Nick called just before she would have pranced on the deck and ruined all the work he’d just done. He’d glimpsed her running around the yard and behind the shed several times, so to see a glove hanging from her mouth that he didn’t recognize was a shock. Pulling it from her, he held it up for Ace to look at. “This yours?”
Hopping up on the side of the porch, Ace took a closer look before saying, “Never seen it. Your pops, maybe?”
A mile-wide pit in his stomach opened up, letting loose a giant ball of dread as he responded. “Maybe.” Pulling off both layers of his own gloves, Nick felt the material. “Leather, though?” His dad wouldn’t be caught dead with leather in this weather. He’d get frostbite quicker than he could curse the morons selling leather gloves in the Rockies.
Movement from the corner of his eye had him looking at the window in question to see Pepper standing there watching, worry etched in every line of her gorgeous face. Holding the glove up for her to see, he pointed to it then her, silently asking if it were hers and they had somehow missed when she’d grabbed it. The shake of her head just confirmed their worst fears.
Someone had been on his land.
“Roxie and I are gonna wander around a bit more. Keep the shotgun close,” he said to Ace, no longer willing to take any chances over who could be out there.
“Is that a good idea?” the other man asked him.
“It’s the only one I’ve got right now.”
With nothing else to say, Nick whistled for the animal to follow him as Ace went inside to reassure their woman that all would be well.
When Ace had come home to Golden, he’d expected a boring but fulfilling life; finally meeting the woman of their dreams. To have the two point five kids, dog, and well, not a picket fence per se, more like a treeline for the yard. The very last thing he’d expected was to find their woman in the tight little package that was Pepper.