by Joann Baker
Kristen prayed that someone would come to the barn soon and find Cal. Then she prayed her ex-fiancé wasn’t as crazy as he appeared to be.
It took Kristen only ten minutes to realize that Roger was, indeed, as insane as she had feared. She also realized he knew exactly where he was going. He headed straight toward the mountain range, navigating the way as if he’d traveled it a thousand times before. And maybe he had. There was something very calculating about his demeanor.
“Where are we going?” she finally asked, unable to take the silence any longer.
“Just up ahead. I think that’s where you and lover boy were headed, wasn’t it?” He grinned, leering at her as if he knew exactly what she and Cal had planned for the day.
“I don’t understand, Roger. Why are you doing this?”
“Well, for the money of course.” His tone indicated his disbelief at her stupidity for having to ask such a question.
Kristen laughed derisively. “I hate to tell you this, but that gravy train done left the station. You know that my father lost the family fortune. I’m no longer rich, Roger. It’s why you left me at the altar, remember?” Yes, her pride had been dented when it happened—what girl’s wouldn’t have been?—but thank goodness her heart had never been involved.
“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, my darling bride-to-be. You’ve become valuable to me once more.” This time his grin bordered on pure evil as he kicked the sides of his horse making it pick up speed with hers obediently following. They had reached the bottom of the mesa, and the terrain had turned rocky. Kristen’s smaller horse stumbled slightly as it tried to keep up with the longer strides of his much larger horse.
Cal’s first thought as he regained consciousness was that he’d taken Gabe up on one of his many invitations to go out and paint the town red. His head pounded like there was no tomorrow and he couldn’t come up with any other explanation other than he’d drank himself into a stupor and was now suffering from one mother of a hangover.
He opened his eyes, his vision blurry and immediately knew that wasn’t right. He had no reason to go out chasing women—not anymore. No, now he had Kristen. As that thought entered his head, he became aware of the rough smell of used straw in his nostrils. It was mixed with the sharp, tangy scent of fresh blood. He groaned as memories of his early morning surprise returned.
“Damn it to hell,” he muttered as he slowly picked himself off the barn floor. His first thought was of Kristen. Had she made it to the house yet? He prayed she hadn’t, or if she had, that Pops had waylaid her with the temptation of one of the freshly baked cinnamon rolls he’d smelled early this morning. Pulling his phone from his back pocket, he quickly punched in Gabe’s number.
“Good morning to you too, sweetheart.” Gabe’s sickly sweet voice had Cal gritting his teeth.
“Is Kristen there?” He didn’t bother with any greetings or explanations. His main concern was Kristen’s safety.
“What happened, bro, you get hit over the head or something? She’s with you, remember?”
“That’s exactly what happened, you shithead. Now where is Kristen?” Cal grimaced as the loud tone of his own voice sent another wave of pain crashing down on him. He had to steady himself against one of the stalls.
“Are you still in the barn?”
“Yes—” Before Cal could say anything else, Gabe had disconnected the phone. His heart dropped to his toes when he realized the significance of Gabe’s abrupt behavior. Kristen had been headed to the barn.
As Cal’s head cleared, he realized the horses he’d saddled were missing. “Shit, shit, shit,” he cursed, stalking into a stall housing Ryder’s horse Goliath. Had the idiot taken Kristen on horseback, and what the hell did he want? If it was the last thing he did, he vowed to see Bill buried beneath the nearest jail.
He’s just finished putting on the horse’s blanket and was about to lift the saddle in place when he heard Gabe behind him.
“Here, let me get that.” The weight of the saddle was taken from him which was a good thing because he was feeling a little woozy.
“What the hell happened?” With swift, efficient movements, Gabe had the horse saddled. He grabbed a clean towel from the stack by the sink and handed one to Cal.
“Damn man hit me over the head.” He wiped the blood from his eye and pressed it against the still slowly bleeding wound.
“Who hit you and what happened to Kristen?” Gabe’s voice was equal parts concern and anger.
“Not sure. But I’m guessing he took her on horseback.”
“Horseback? What the bloody hell?”
“We’ve got to go get her, Gabe.” He stumbled as he made to lead the horse outside.
“Whoa, there. You’re in no shape to ride.”
Cal glared at his older brother. “Like hell.”
Gabe put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “I’ll go get her. I’ll bring her back safe and sound. I promise.”
Cal knew Gabe didn’t make promises likely, hadn’t since their parents had died. Even as Cal and Ryder had turned to him, asking if everything was going to be okay, he hadn’t misled them or given them false hope. He’d been truthful and honest, a caring older brother.
Cal hadn’t seen this side of Gabe in years.
But there was no way in hell he was going to trust the wellbeing of the woman he loved with another man—not even his brother.
“I’m going.” He jerked the reins of the horse from Gabe’s hands and stalked outside. He looked for signs of which way the pair might have gone, cursing the fact that the ground was dusty and hard, not at all good for tracking. Moving away from the barn, he spotted a set of tracks that looked as if one rider were leading the other. That had to be them.
Mounting, he headed in the direction he thought they had gone. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear the sound of hoof beats beside him as Gabe joined him.
“Did you see who hit you?” Gabe asked over the rushing wind.
“No.” Cal’s lips thinned. “Damn coward hit me from behind, but I’m pretty sure I know who it was.”
“Bill.” Gabe’s eyes narrowed
“You know what he promised.”
“Not going to happen, bro. We’re right behind them.”
Cal nodded, even though he knew from past experience that it only took an instant for life to change. Kristen couldn’t become another casualty in his life. She’d become his reason for living, and he’d wanted to tell her that today. He just prayed he wasn’t too late.
Kristen’s anger slowly overtook her fear. Even though she had thought they were headed to the mesa where she and Cal had spent that one glorious day, she’d been wrong. Roger was headed further out, further away from the ranch, further away from civilization.
“I don’t understand why you’re doing this, Roger.” Kristen made her voice as soothing as possible. Maybe if she could reason with the man, they could turn around and go back home.
“I told you, Kristen, you’re my meal ticket.”
“I don’t have any money, Roger. Besides, you have plenty of money of your own.” At his silence, the truth finally dawned on her. “You’ve lost everything, haven’t you?”
Roger’s parents had been killed when he was still in college. He’d inherited more money than Kristen would have been comfortable controlling. And for a young adult male to have come into such a vast wealth at such an early age…no wonder it had led to disaster.
She glared at the back of the man who had already caused her so much misery. Not heartbreak. She’d never truly given her heart to anyone before Cal. Roger was still guiding her horse, but with a gentle nudge, Patches picked up her pace until she was even Sun Dancer.
She waited until she was even with him before leaning forward and jerking the reins out of his hold. She barely managed to control the surprised horse as it sidestepped away, startled by the unexpected action of her rider. “This is as far as I go, Roger.”
“Fine, then. This isn’t the place I had in m
ind to do this, but it will have to do.”
“Will have to do for what?” Kristen cringed at the thought of being left her by herself but knew she could do it. She had no doubt that Cal would find her just as quickly as he could.
He looked around as if he had all the time in the world. “For your untimely demise, of course.”
“What!”
“You are far more valuable to me dead than alive Kristen.”
“I don’t understand. This is insane.”
“It’s simple really. The month before we were to be married, I purchased a nice insurance policy.” The evil smirk on his face made her stomach clench. “On you. Luckily, I never canceled it afterwards. I figured with your eating habits, you’d die sooner rather than later.”
“Roger.” She swore if she got out of this in one piece, she was going to the knife he had and do some serious damage to his man parts. If he had any.
“So here we are. How would you prefer to die, Kristen? Exposure? Snake bite? A broken neck suffered when you couldn’t control your horse? You never were much of a rider. Or maybe an unfortunate tumble down the mountainside?”
Kristen willed herself not to scream. She had to think. Allowing herself to be tormented further by his twisted reasoning was detrimental to any productive thoughts. As he’d said, she wasn’t a terribly good rider, but she was willing to take the chance on running. Her horse could never outdistance Sun Dancer, but she had to try.
Cal and Gabe had been riding hell-bent-for-leather for a half hour when they caught a lucky break. They had just started up the sharp incline leading to the mesa when a small cloud of dust in the distance caught Gabe’s attention.
“Hold up a minute, Cal. I think that could be them.”
Cal pulled his horse up, circling back around to his brother. He lifted his hand to shade his eyes, ignoring the deep throbbing in his head and the nauseous feeling that rose and fell inside him. “Do you think so?”
“Yep. Bill’s probably taking her out far—” He cut himself off abruptly as if realizing he shouldn’t finish the sentence. It didn’t matter, Cal knew exactly what he’d been about to say. Bill’s plan was no doubt to leave Kristen in the middle of nowhere, alone all night. Defenseless. And for the right amount of money, he’d no doubt tell Cal exactly where he’d left her.
And Cal would have paid. He would have given away every cent that he had, sold every square foot of land that he owned. He would have done anything to get Kristen back. Now, he’d be lucky if he didn’t spend the next twenty years in jail for killing the man who had threatened her.
“Let’s go get her.”
Just as the words left his mouth, Cal watched as one of the riders cut away, riding toward them as if their life depended on it. With sickening dread, he watched the second rider follow.
“Ride, damn it,” he yelled, urging his mount into a run with Gabe on his tail. Dirt and grass churned beneath the powerfully pounding hooves of both riders. Just as they closed to within a few feet of Kristen, Cal watched the man—Roger! Not Bill—struggle to stay alongside her, reaching out his hand, grasping for her arm in an effort to pull her from the galloping mount. Cal’s heart, already chugging like a locomotive, threatened to burst from his chest. If he succeeded in unseating her and she hit the ground, the impact would either seriously maim her for life, or end it. Cutting quickly in front of her, he heaved himself from the saddle straight at Roger. The satisfying grunt made by the slimmer man as he knocked him from the horse rang in Cal’s ears along with the sound of Gabe attempting to control Kristen’s mount. The horse, reacting to Cal’s intrusion into its path, reared onto its hind legs, leaving Kristen hanging on for dear life.
Knowing that Gabe would take care of her, Cal concentrated on the man pinned beneath him. Grabbing a fistful of shirt, Cal yanked Roger’s upward, smashing his fist into the man’s face with a satisfying crunch.
“You’re going to kill me!”
“You’re right,” Cal snarled, enjoying the trickle of blood from Roger’s nose and the look of fear on the man’s face. With a savage smile, he connected another gratifying blow. Hands captured his fist as he drew back once more. He looked up, straight into Kristen’s blue eyes. “Let me go, honey.”
“No, Cal, please. He so isn’t worth it.” Her hands urged him to open his fist. When her fingers spread through his, he allowed her to draw him to his feet.
“But he deserves…”
“To go to jail. And that’s where he’s going for a very long time.” Kristen kept her hand in Cal’s as she maneuvered him away from Roger’s prone form, allowing Gabe to move in and get him to his feet. She couldn’t deny that she enjoyed watching Roger take the beating Cal had given him, yet she knew that much more punishment and Cal would be the one facing jail time.
“Are you alright?” Cal’s hands flowed over her, checking for broken bones, abrasions or any mark that would indicate she was anything other than fine.
“I’m a little shaken, but I’m much better now that you’re here.” Kristen forgot about words that hadn’t been said and burrowed herself into his open arms. When they closed around her, holding her tightly against him, she knew she’d found home. “I love you, Cal.” When his eyes widened at her admission, she rushed on. “I know you may not feel the same way, and that’s fine, but I wanted you to know…”
Cal bent his head, taking her lips in a quick, heated kiss. “That’s what I wanted to hear today, honey. After I said it first. I’m sorry things didn’t work out like I planned.”
Kristen grinned, feeling the strength of his big body and his love flowing through her. “So, are you going to say it or not?”
“What?” Cal asked, grinning wickedly as his eyes roved over her face. “That I love you more than life? That without you, my life would be meaningless? That I can’t—”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, I’d rather hear Roger’s sniveling than this mushy crap.”
Cal and Kristen looked up at Gabe, blinking as though they had completely forgotten about his presence. He sat astride Goliath holding the lead rope of the horse Cal had ridden out on. Roger’s body lay across the saddle, his feet and legs bound, as moans of distress issued from around the kerchief stuck between his teeth.
“You two will have to ride double,” Gabe gathered the reins of Patches who had suffered a sprained foreleg.
“That’ll work.” Cal left an arm around Kristen as he turned them toward his horse. When he stumbled slightly, he grabbed hold of the saddle horn, raising a hand to his forehead.
“Oh my God, you’re hurt.” Kristen cupped the side of his face, her gaze moving quickly to assess the cut behind his left ear. Fresh blood flowed from the wound, tracing a lighter path against the already dried and darker color staining his neck and collar.
“I’m fine, sweetheart.” Cal took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m not sure you should be riding. You probably need stitches.” Kristen allowed him to help onto Sun Dance, watching intensely as he swung himself into the saddle behind her.
“I’ll see one, once we get you home safely.”
Immediately, the warmth from his big body closed around her, and she closed her eyes on a wave of “what ifs.” Refusing to give into the fear that could so easily engulf her once more, she turned her head to look into the brown eyes she’d come to adore. “You can rest on me.”
“Always, honey.”
Warmth coursed through her at the quietly whispered words. “Cal?”
“Um hmm?”
“Thanks for coming to save me.”
“Always, honey.”
The ride home had been exhausting, as had been the wait—although short—for the sheriff to arrive, take statements and remove a very whiny and apologetic Roger from the premises. It wouldn’t prevent the kidnapping and assault charges about to be levied on his head. Cal knew the threat he’d made to kill Kristen probably wouldn’t stick, but he hoped everything else was enough to put him away for a good l
ittle while. Cal had held her hand, giving her his unwavering support.
Now, sitting in the waiting room of the county’s small country medical clinic, he continued to hold her hand. Frank, another of his grandfathers’ friends and Devil Spur’s only full-time doctor, was running behind. Luckily, there was no one else waiting to see the doc and Cal didn’t mind the wait as long as he had Kristen by his side.
He already knew he probably needed stitches and had a concussion. He just hoped the doc wouldn’t make him drive the hour and a half into Brownsville for other tests. He knew what he needed—a good meal and this woman in his arms. Preferably all night long.
“I’m fine, sweetheart,” he said with a goofy smile as she brushed back his hair to check and make sure the wound hadn’t started bleeding again.
“No, you’re not. You got hit over the head.”
“I’ve got a hard head.”
“You got that right.” Gabe quipped as he stood and walked to the wide window, turning his back to the room. Cal knew the cowboy had problems, but he’d always be grateful the man had been there when he—and Kristen—had needed him most.
Just as he was about to say to hell with the stitches so they could go back to the ranch and he could get on to loving his woman, a striking woman with ebony hair and laughing green eyes called his name from the doorway.
The unexpected sound of a tinkling feminine voice instead of Frank’s gruff one had all heads turning to look. A bright, apologetic smile lit up her face. “I’m so sorry for the delay. Velma Blanken’s little boy, Tyler, fell off his bike and broke an arm.”
“We understand,” Kristen returned the woman’s smile.
“Thanks. I’m Doctor Amelia Murphy. If you’re not already aware, Frank is my godfather so, yes, it’s nepotism at its finest.”
Everyone laughed, and Cal reached out to take the striking doctor’s hand. “I’m Cal.”