by Marla Monroe
Her body ached from head to toes. There wasn’t a place on her that didn’t hurt. She moaned and Luke tore off his shirt to cover her.
“Get the damn heat all the way up, Luke. She’s freezing.”
“Hell, I’m scared to hold her. She’s a fucking mess.”
“Anyone following us?”
“Not that I can see. I think we hurt them pretty badly, Grant. I don’t really expect mine to get up anytime soon.”
“Mine was still on the floor when I ran through with Valerie. Maybe you’re right.”
“Baby, what can I do to help you?” Luke kissed her forehead and ran his hands through her hair.
She sighed at the gentle touch of his hands. She wanted to lay her head on his shoulder but was scared to move.
“It hurts, Luke. I’m scared to move again.”
“I know, baby. God, I wish I’d killed them.”
“Hold me, Luke.” She needed to feel him. If he moved her, maybe it wouldn’t hurt so badly.
“Baby, I’m scared I’ll hurt you.”
“We’re almost home. Hold on, honey.” Grant’s steely voice chilled her.
Was he mad at her? She couldn’t believe that he was. She hadn’t done anything. Tears sprang to her eyes again. Her jaw hurt as she began to tremble all over.
“Hurry, Grant. She’s shaking all over. I think she’s going into shock.”
“Hell, I’m going as fast as I can. I don’t want to put us in a ditch.”
Finally she recognized their drive and sighed in relief. She was home. Everything would be okay now.
“I’ll get the door out of the way. You bring her inside.” Grant climbed out of the truck and raced for the house.
Valerie watched as he moved the door out of the way, and then Luke was picking her up in his arms. She stifled a scream at the pain. She could hear his indrawn breath at her whimper. He knew he was hurting her. She hated that he would feel guilty about it.
Once he had her inside, he carried her to the couch. Grant was putting the door up.
“She needs covers, Grant. Watch her while I get some.”
Grant walked over and knelt by the couch. “Honey, listen to me. Everything is going to be okay. Nothing matters except that we have you back, understand?”
She was sobbing now. The shivering was hurting. Finally Luke returned with enough blankets to smother her. He had a pillow and put it behind her head. Grant built up the fire until she began to stop shaking.
“I’m going to get some things to secure the door. You stay with her. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Get the rifle and shoot anything that comes through that door.” Grant left them heading toward the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, Luke. I fought him.” She couldn’t stop the tears.
“It’s okay, baby. It’s not your fault.”
“It hurts, Luke.”
“I know, baby. I know. I’m so sorry I couldn’t stop them.”
She could see the tears in his eyes as he continued to run his hands over her hair. She wanted to touch his face and brush them away, but she hurt. Her hands were raw from her fall. When Grant returned, he had a hammer, nails, and a piece of wood. She started as he began hammering the nails into the door. Each crack of the hammer sounded like the belt.
Luke shook his head and leaned down and kissed her. He was hurting as much as she was. She closed her eyes and wished it all away.
* * * *
Luke wanted to kill the men for hurting her. Nothing could be too harsh for them. Grant had managed to secure the door. He sat at one end of the couch with the rifle in his hand just in case.
“She’s finally sleeping. I can’t stand to see her hurting like this. She kept saying she was sorry. I told her it was okay, it wasn’t her fault.”
“Nothing they did to her matters, Luke. Do you understand?”
“God, do you think they raped her?”
“I don’t fucking know, but it doesn’t matter to us other than we hate that it happened to her. We’ve got to make her believe that.”
“I’d never blame her or turn away from her, Grant.”
“Neither would I.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a soft hiss. “I love her, Luke. God help me, I love her.”
Luke thought that was the best thing he had ever heard. That it took something like this to make him admit it hurt him. She was so much better than this. He should have been able to tell her without something like this happening.
“Hell of a time to admit it, Grant.”
“I know. I should have told her a long time ago.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I thought I could outrun it. I thought if I didn’t admit it, it wasn’t true.”
“Fuck you, Grant.”
“I know.”
Luke lowered his head to hers and whispered to her how much he loved her over and over. He hoped it was seeping into her head so that she would believe it. He could see Grant’s hands gently cupping her feet. He knew his brother was hurting, but he didn’t have anything left inside of him to offer him any comfort. He was focused on Valerie and praying that she would be okay, that one day everything would be okay.
Several hours later, she stirred. Luke waited for her to open her eyes. When she did, he smiled down at her.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hey. I’m thirsty.” Her voice was raspy.
“I’ll get it, Luke. I’ll be right back.” Grant gently laid her feet back on the couch and headed toward the kitchen.
“Is there anything else you need, baby?”
“No. I just want you to hold me, Luke.”
“I’m holding you, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I don’t care. I need you.” Tears formed in her eyes.
He cursed and wrapped his arms around her. She moaned but held on to him. He saw Grant return with her water, looking at him, concern in his eyes.
“Valerie, Grant has your water.”
She slowly let go of him and relaxed back against his chest. She reached for the water with shaky arms and hands. Grant placed the water in her hands and helped her to get it to her mouth. She sipped at the water, and then gulped it down.
“Careful, honey. Don’t drink it too fast and make yourself sick.”
She backed off from the water and nodded. He took the glass and set it on the end table. Then he knelt in front of her and kissed her gently on the lips, careful of where her lip was split.
Luke watched with mixed feelings. Part of him was angry with Grant, but part of him was pleased to see him showing his feelings for the first time in a long time. He nearly shouted with joy when Grant told her he loved her.
“What?” Valerie whispered.
“I love you, honey. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to tell you. I denied it for so long.”
“I love you, Grant. I’ve loved you for a long time, too.”
“No matter what happened, Valerie, it doesn’t matter. We still love you, with all our hearts.”
She looked confused for a few seconds, but then she smiled.
“Nothing happened. They didn’t rape me. They just hurt me.”
Luke relaxed with relief. He wouldn’t have treated her any different, but for her sake, he was grateful that they hadn’t hurt her that way. He glanced over at Grant. The other man had his eyes closed, and obvious relief showed on his face.
* * * *
Several days later, Valerie was able to sit up and walk around the living room without crying out. She was tired of lying on the couch. She wanted to return to the bed. The men were scared for her to sleep between them. They also didn’t want her away from the fire. She’d started running a low-grade temperature. She guessed they were afraid she’d caught a cold.
“How are you feeling, baby?” Luke walked into the living room with a cup of coffee. He held it out to her.
“I’m ready to go upstairs. I need more than a spit bath. Plus, the hot water will help me feel better. Please, Luke.”
Grant walk
ed into the room with a frown on his face. “I’m scared you’ll get a chill in the bathroom.”
“If you run the shower for a few minutes then the water in the tub, it gets pretty warm in there. You know I’m right.” She hated to beg, but she was just about to that point now.
“Okay. Luke, go run the shower. We’ll be up in a minute.”
Luke kissed her then got up and headed up the stairs. Valerie smiled. Relief and triumph filled her. She caught a look from Grant. He wasn’t happy about it, but he had caved.
“You’ll get out as soon as the water starts to get cold.”
“Okay. Can I go up yet?”
He sighed and took her hand to help her off the couch. Then he led her to the stairs. He held her hand as she slowly climbed the stairs. It took her several long seconds to finally make it up them. By the time she had, she was worn out.
“Still want that bath?” Grant seemed to know that she was on the brink of exhaustion.
“Yes. I’ll feel better all over once I’ve soaked a while.”
He nodded and helped her into the bathroom. She closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the bathroom. She pulled her clothes off as gently as she could. She didn’t need Grant’s help. He looked a little hurt, but she needed to do it herself. She couldn’t let him do everything for her. She needed to be able to do it herself. If she let him handle everything, she would lose some of her independence.
“Let’s get you in the tub. If we don’t hurry up, you won’t have much time there to soak. I’ll bathe you, honey.”
She nodded because deep inside, Valerie knew she was a little too sore to get to some places. She let him help her in. She eased into the water and smiled at him.
“It’s just right.”
Luke returned with clothes for her and knelt by the tub and helped Grant bathe her. Once they were finished, she relaxed and let the warmth from the water seep into her sore muscles. It stung her knees and hands some, but all in all, it was perfect.
The men didn’t leave, saying they would be letting the warm air out and cool back in. She couldn’t argue that point, so she closed her eyes and pretended she was alone and everything was okay.
After about fifteen minutes, Grant checked the water and added more hot water as if sensing that she needed longer in the tub. But after another fifteen minutes, he called time. He and Luke helped her out of the bath. They quickly and carefully dried her off before helping her into the soft warm-ups Luke had found for her to dress in.
“How do you feel, baby?” Luke brushed her hair away from her eyes.
“So much better. Thank you. Can I go to bed for a while?”
“Honey, the bed is too cold for you to rest in. Let us take you back downstairs.” Grant rested a hand at the back of her neck.
“You could take a nap with me and keep me warm. Please?”
Luke and Grant exchanged glances. When Grant sighed, she knew she had won.
“I’m going to go check the animals. You two go ahead and climb into bed.” Luke kissed her gently on the mouth then bumped foreheads with her before walking through the door.
Grant ushered her over and turned back the covers for her. Then he carefully picked her up and laid her in the center. He pulled off his boots and climbed in after her. She could tell he didn’t know where to touch her, so she scooted over toward him and curled up against his chest. He slowly lowered his arms and wrapped them loosely around her. It was her turn to sigh. She felt safe and loved being in his arms.
She listened to him breathe for a long time. She could tell when he fell asleep by the way it evened out. Then he began to softly snore. Valerie was sure that he and Luke were exhausted from taking care of her and the animals. She wished she could at least cook for them, but they wouldn’t hear of it. Not until she was completely well.
I’ve been nothing but trouble to them. No matter what, though, I can’t give them up. It would kill me.
What would it do to them? Would they want and love her enough to come after her? She believed they would. They’d rescued her from the kidnappers. How they found her, she had no idea. The other men had been convinced that no one would be able to. Before they had knocked her out, she had warned them that her men would track them down.
Valerie finally relaxed enough that she grew sleepy. She was almost asleep when Luke returned. He tried not to make any noise, she was sure, but he couldn’t help it, as large as he was.
“It’s okay, Luke. Come to bed. I want to feel your arms around me, too.”
“What are you doing still awake?”
“Waiting on you. I’ll always wait on the two of you.”
“We’ll always come and get you, Valerie. Remember that. No matter what happens, we’ll come and find you. You’re our woman, and we’re your men.”
Tears burned in her eyes as she smiled up at Luke. He slipped into bed and snuggled up to her, his hands careful of where to touch her. She leaned her head back against his chest and fell asleep listening to his heartbeat.
Chapter Twelve
Two weeks later, Valerie stood in front of the stove stirring soup for the men. They had finally let her back into the kitchen with words of warning. “No heavy lifting,” and “Call us if you get tired.” She smiled. They were so protective of her. And Grant was like a different man. Still gruff, he showered her with love nonetheless.
She heard footsteps and looked up to the heavens for patience. This was the third time one of them had been in to see about her.
“I’m still fine, Luke.” She didn’t turn away from the stove.
“How did you know it was me?”
“You shuffle your feet when you’re inside.”
“Oh. Are you sure I can’t help you with something?”
“Nope. Don’t need any help right now.”
“We’re going to be in the office working if you need us. Just yell, we’ll hear you.”
“Okay. Don’t worry about me.” She turned around and smiled at him. “I’m doing fine.”
He smiled back with a little sheepish grin. Then he turned and walked back into the living room. She heard the murmur of voices that soon faded as they walked toward the office on the other side of the house.
Shaking her head, she turned back to the stove and began cutting up the carrots to add to the soup. She woke up on occasion with nightmares, and that only added to their worry and overprotectiveness. There was nothing she could do about the nightmares, but she was going to wean them off of their constant attention. It could be stifling at times. She hadn’t been able to take a bath alone since the kidnapping.
Once she had everything added to the soup, she left it simmering and settled herself in the living room. It felt good to relax without them hovering over her, but she wouldn’t take anything in the world for them. They were her life and happiness.
After an hour had passed, she checked on the soup, and then returned to the couch. Just as she sat down, Grant walked out of the office. He spotted her on the couch and hurried over.
“Did you get tired, honey? Do I need to do anything for you?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “No. I didn’t get tired. The soup is simmering. I’m just waiting for time to check on it again.”
“I’m going out to check on the animals. I’ll go get Luke to keep you company.”
Valerie knew that was a euphemism for “to keep her safe.” They didn’t leave her alone much anymore. The front door had been repaired and reinforced so it would take more than two men to burst through it. They had done the same thing to the back door. Still, they almost always had one of them nearby with a rifle. The fact that they had left her alone in the kitchen so much had pleased her.
“There’s no reason for him to stop what he’s doing. I’m just sitting here enjoying the peace and quiet by the warm fire.” She smiled at him.
He nodded his head and walked toward the kitchen. Once he’d closed the back door behind him, she relaxed again.
She was almost asleep when a kn
ock at the front door startled her awake. Fear washed through her like cold ice water poured down her back. She froze, unsure of what to do. Fortunately Luke heard the knock and came running into the living room with the rifle.
“Upstairs, Valerie. Now!”
She finally made her body move and hurried up the stairs to hover just out of sight. She wasn’t going to leave and not know if Luke was all right or not. She heard him call out asking who it was. The muffled reply was lost to her.
She heard the door open, and then the sound of voices as Luke let them in the house. She wanted to sneak down a step and see who it was, but wouldn’t take a chance in case it was someone strange. If they didn’t know she was there, they wouldn’t be interested in her.
The soft murmur of several voices filled the room and drifted up to her. She strained to make out anything they said, but from her angle, it was all lost. Finally, Luke walked up the stairs and caught her on the landing. He frowned at her and let out a breath.
“I should have known.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s our neighbors with their wife and another set of neighbors wanting to talk to us about seeing strange men around the area. I told them what happened, baby. Do you want to come downstairs to see the women, or would you rather stay up here?”
“I’ll go down. I’d like to see them. What about Grant? Doesn’t he need to be here?”
“Yeah, but I’m not leaving you. He’ll be in shortly.”
She nodded and followed him downstairs. There were six people in the living room waiting on them. She recognized April, Gary, and David right away. She didn’t know the other three.
“Valerie, this is Ronnie and her husbands, Garrett and Brice.”
She nodded her head at the new ones and smiled. She licked her lips then invited the women into the kitchen. They followed her to the other room and took a seat at the table.