She once asked Joey, “Why did you want to get together with a man like your brothers?”
Joey smiled and replied, “I like a strong man, not all of the sides that come with him, but as an entrée, you can never go wrong.”
Shanna nodded her head in agreement, “Yeah, I know what you mean. Unfortunately, when we get the entrée of cowboy, we do not get to pick a lot of the sides that come with him. They are pretty much standard fare.”
“No kidding.” Joey laughed. “But the women who love a cowboy would not have it any other way.” Both women agreed while they compared notes on their men.
Zane’s younger sister, Cassie, was in college and had just come home for the summer break. Cassie’s boyfriend, Dylan, came with her, but Joey wasn’t sure if Cassie was going to go fishing again or if he was worth keeping. Joey was pretty sure Connor was a keeper. Dylan was working on the Gideon ranch for the summer and Shanna was sure his easygoing manner and letting Cassie run the show would change the longer he was with the brothers.
The women then decided to go over to the hill country. Joey invited Missy and Sandra, but both women had other commitments. While Shanna had to go to another clinic for a one-day seminar, Joey was on a mission. She was always on the lookout for a good deal to save money for the ranch, and saw an auction near the clinic and decided to tag along. Cassie just wanted to go for the ride, so they decided to make a trip of it. The only roadblock was the men in their lives.
“Shanna, I am expecting you to watch the verbal check writing. Do not get yourself in trouble,” were the parting words Zane gave his woman as he kissed her soundly, knowing full well she was not going to listen to him.
He had debated about making a fuss over the girls going for the three days. Shanna would have nothing of it. She was vocal about telling Zane trust was a two-way street, and if he expected it from her, she expected it from him. Within a few moments, he seemed to agree and never said another word about stopping the trip. However, he did go over her new car to make sure everything was running right. He made sure she had the roadside emergency gear and made her change a tire so he knew she could. He then demanded to see her phone charger with the phone so she could call if there were any problems.
Connor had been covering many of the same things with Joey, and Dylan, taking his cues from the other two, did his own modified checklist, that Cassie had promptly ignored. Zane looked as though he would say something, but Shanna reached over and touched his arm telling him they would take care of Cassie and that seemed to reassure him.
Finally, preparations were completed. The men in their lives seemed satisfied that things were well. If not, they could be there in a couple of hours. With that extra reassurance, they waved as their women started on the great adventure. Shanna laughed because as she relayed that the year before she came home, she had been flying out to villages on a hope and a prayer sometimes with not one person to check her pack before she left. Cassie and Joey loved to hear her adventures in villages in the interior of Alaska. They also knew that she would not have had many of them if she had belonged to Zane at that time.
They arrived in town that was central to the clinic and the auction yard and after some work, found the hotel the guys had made them book in advance. Even though, pointed out the irritated Cassie, just picking one that they came to after they had arrived would have been easier. Shanna assured her that this was simpler in the long run because they got to travel alone.
Shanna answered the complaints about the time they had wasted looking for the hotel, “Sometimes you just compromise because at least you both get most of what you want.”
Joey replied, “I need to remember that piece of advice. It might save my butt more often.”
“Nah,” disagreed Cassie, “Dylan never says a word.”
“Then how do you know he really cares?” asked Joey.
Cassie shrugged and said, “I just do. Not every man has to smack his woman like a caveman to prove he cares for her.”
“True,” Shanna agreed. “And it can be done, oh, so wrong, but when they do it right, there is never any doubt.”
Cassie was quiet and did not respond. Shanna hoped she was thinking about it because she was convinced that Cassie did not want to run the show between her and Dylan, but was too young to know it yet.
They went to a quiet club instead of what Shanna called a “struttin’” club. At home, Boots was the place that qualified for a “strut your stuff” cowboy place. During the week, it was not a big deal, but on the weekends, there was ‘boot stompin’ and ‘cowboy struttin’ all night long. Not what they needed tonight and since Cassie was not twenty-one, they drank soft drinks with her. Besides, at home Zane had forbidden her to go to Boots on any day without him.
“You don’t have to do that because of me, I can be the designated driver.”
“No problem, Cassie. I don’t think I should drink the night before the seminar anyway.”
“Yeah, it would be better to be clear-headed when I look at contracts and bills of sale than to be fuzzy.”
“Geez, I didn’t think you would be three sheets to the wind, just said if you wanted a drink or two, I would be able to drive. No wonder your men wanted you to stay home,” Cassie said as she reached for her fancy cola.
Cassie went with Joey the next morning after they dropped Shanna at the clinic, leaving with instructions about when to pick her up later in the day. That evening they decided to go to the steak house near the hotel to have an enjoyable meal with good food. They began to rehash the day, making plans for the day of fun tomorrow before they returned home.
“I am really glad we came, ladies. Don’t get me wrong because I am into Zane, but he can be a bit much sometimes, I mean, do either of you find yourself checking your mental list of approved activities sometimes? And then wondering how you got to that point?”
“Nope, I just tell Dylan what I want to do and he lets me do it. I mean once in a while he questions if it is a good idea, like getting that butterfly tattoo, but afterward, he didn’t say a word.”
“Did you ever let mama see that tattoo, Cassie?” questioned Joey.
“Mmm, I don’t remember.” Cassie evaded the question by asking another. “What about you, Joey, are you ever worried about what your Connor is going to say when you want to do something he might not approve?”
“Worry, no, but do I try to stay just enough between the lines so that he doesn’t pitch a fit, yes. Now, Shanna, you have got to tell us how you managed to be the princess and the protégé at the same time.”
“What do you mean?” Shanna asked, leaning forward so she could hear in the full steakhouse.
“Don’t you know that Zane is crazy about you? He is a different man since you came on the scene. May I also add, thank you. Since you and he became an item, I am not in fear for my butt if I do something he doesn’t approve of or even a lecture. He merely raises his eyebrow, growls a bit, and says a few things like, ‘Does Connor know about this’? That I can handle. So naturally, I assumed he transferred his incredibly protective nature to you. Am I right?”
Shanna groaned and the others laughed. “Yes, well, I must say it has been a learning experience. I don’t remember clenching my bottom so much in my life as when I began to date your brother, I will verify that. What do you mean ‘princess’? I have not allowed him to mollycoddle me at all.”
“Mollycoddle is the perfect word to describe Zane towards you. He is overprotective for sure, I know he fusses over you and certainly expects the world to cater to you. Girl, you have the best of both worlds and you don’t even know it, do you?” Cassie sounded a bit envious when she said it, as though her running the show with Dylan was not the best way to have a good relationship.
“Hmm, maybe you are right. I never thought of it that way, because I am always trying to find ways to avoid the irritated or disciplining Zane, but he does pamper me a lot. I would not say he panders to my every whim or overindulges me, but he certainly gets me whatever I
want if I ask for it just not always the way I want it.
For instance, I wanted a fudge Popsicle and I was whiny because I was actually exhausted. I wanted some chocolate and something cold, so I had it in my mind that it was what I wanted. I said I was going to go over to the ice cream parlor to see what I could get that was close and he said I could not drive over because I was too tired. I was fit to be tied and he said ‘I’ve roped plenty of bulls in my day. One bull-headed woman won’t bother me.’ So, guess what I did?”
“Oh Lord, Shanna, I can only guess. What did you do?”
Shanna took a long drink of tea and said, “I shut the door between my office and the waiting room leaving him in the waiting room. Then I grabbed my purse and quietly went out the side office door, got into my car that was right next to my private exit door, and drove to the Dairy Queen.”
“Oh my Lord, I would never have done that with Zane,” moaned Joey as Cassie just sat there with eyes wide, looking at Shanna in disbelief.
“You must have had a death wish and I am surprised I see you here today.”
“Well, you guessed it. Zane was about to explode. It was that bubbling underneath, you know, but he has a tight lid on it so the rest of the world who doesn’t know him well enough would not even know he is angry.”
“And then what? No, let me guess, he canceled your order and then tore your butt up,” filled in Joey with a confidence born of the experience of three alpha brothers and an alpha boyfriend.
“No, I bet he paid for your order, left without it, but had you in tow. Busting your butt is a no brainer because being unsafe is a sure butt buster.” That was Cassie’s version of how she expected it to play out.
“Well, you are both right in a way. He came up behind me and put his arms around me while he whispered in my ear that I should have let him handle it. Gave me chills because I knew I was toast. Then he got my ice cream, paid for my order, and loaded me into his truck. I knew I was in trouble. Then he gave it to me to eat, which I no longer wanted to do but did to give me some time. When I had finished it, he drove me to a quiet place, toasted my butt, brought me back to my car, kissed my socks off, and then followed me home. I never wanted to turn around and follow him more than that night. He filled my needs in every way but one, and I almost begged him to fill that one, too.”
Cassie looked a bit dreamy-eyed, but Joey said, “Well, that cinches it. You are going to be my last sister-in-law. Zane is always talking about you. He even thought of you when he was looking at some land a while back. He looked to see if there was enough garden land, flat land for a house, tree cover, lots of things.”
“I think you are mistaken because he never even talked about that piece of land. I thought he didn’t get it. I knew nothing about it, but learned he had gone to Dallas to speak to the owners from your dad. Besides, we are just having a good time.”
Both sisters laughed with amused confidence. “Are you kidding? I am amazed he didn’t get you to the altar yet. That man is crazy about you.”
“I am divorced and don’t want another bad marriage. I want one where I go into it with eyes wide open.” But she did wonder if she was already as wide-eyed as she needed to be.
The next day was full of shopping, laughter, and enjoyment. They stopped by the club again and were approached by several Friday night good timers. They tried to say ‘no thank you’ as nicely as possible, but a group of them was always circling the single women as they came in the door. Joey referred to them as vultures over new meat getting ready to go in for the kill. Deciding they had had enough of brushing off the bar flies, as Cassie and Joey went into the ladies’ room, Shanna offered to get the car and bring it closer for it had been rather crowded when they had arrived.
Shanna first noticed the man was following her when she stepped out of the well-lit area coming to her vehicle. She heard something behind her and carefully reached for her keys as she approached her car so she could get in quickly. She located the panic button and after unlocking her car, placed her finger on the button just in case it was needed. She shoved her clinic key in between the index and middle finger for a weapon if necessary. With her left hand, she went to open the car door and found herself shoved into the front seat as soon as the door was open enough to allow her to be pushed in.
Shanna punched the panic button and jabbed with the key, but it was not long enough. The cowboy wannabe tried to kiss her and when that proved difficult, put his hand over her mouth and got a significant blood drawing bite for his trouble. He slapped Shanna hard leaving her only able to hear the roar in her own head from the brutal assault. If she could have heard the sounds around her, she would have heard her companions screaming and running towards the attacker. Several men came when they heard the car horn and heard Joey and Cassie’s yells and screams. The police had been called and the club security was fast on the girls’ heels.
Shanna, shaking and upset, tried hard to control it for the sake of the other women. When the sheriff’s deputy asked Joey if he could call anyone, she said, “I am already doing it,” and got Zane on the line. Zane spoke to Joey, the deputy, and then finally, Shanna.
“God, baby girl. Are you all right?” he asked, desperate for her reply and growled out a curse when he heard her break down and cry.
Shanna, hearing his concerned and protective voice, lost her control. Zane swore again. He couldn’t understand a word she was saying. She held the phone out and someone grabbed it. Zane spoke to the deputy again, finishing with Joey, who cut it short to help Shanna, who had begun to puke her guts out from fear.
The deputy had a second car come and take Shanna to the hospital for pictures and an exam to make sure she was okay. Joey called Connor and Cassie called Dylan. For the next hour, things were so chaotic that Shanna needed to focus on something calm and safe. She closed her eyes and dreamed of being in Zane’s protective arms, not in a town she was unfamiliar with and not sitting in the emergency room waiting for exam and release. She began to cry again as though she were desperately lost with no hope of being found. Cassie and Joey were concerned that she was not settling down, even though it had been nearly an hour since the incident. The intern told them that fear of that type could take much longer than other emotional shocks. It was likely not the last they would see of her emotional responses.
The deputy asked if they could make their statement that night. It did not sound as though the ‘man they spoke to,’ Shanna’s boyfriend and the brother of the other two women in protective mode, aka Zanith Gideon, was going to allow the women to stay for long once he got there. Shanna was in no shape to agree as she was in a state of emotional numbness and spent her time trying to stay warm so Joey had taken over the leader role. She was anxious to be done with everything and said it would be acceptable. Shanna was sure she would not be good until Zane was there.
The deputy made a defining move at that moment, grabbing Shanna’s arm with the intent of helping her to his car and therefore was utterly unprepared for her reaction to his move. She immediately began to kick, scratch, screech and throw her body around trying to escape his hands on her. His automatic response was to try to hold her and then, when he could not get a good handle on things, took her to the floor.
Joey, appalled, jumped on the deputy’s back and Cassie began to yell for help while she pulled the deputy’s hair. It took about ten seconds for the staff to pour into the little emergency treatment room and then they began to peel the layers off one by one as security was making their way to the room. The sheriff was called, the deputy assigned a seat outside the room, and all the participants were helped to a quieter spot for de-escalation and examination. At the tail end of one ruckus in the treatment room, there appeared to be another one outside of it.
Shanna was hysterical once again. After hours in the emergency room, the attack before, and the take down afterward, she was unable to do more than shut out the noise and withdraw into herself. She began to rock back and forth to self-soothe. As the resident was doing
her best to calm Shanna down, there was a booming voice calling for Shanna throughout the small emergency department.
The resident mumbled in irritation, “Now what?” She went to see what was happening, leaving Shanna with her companions.
“Shanna, where are you?” Shanna began to cry more, in what seemed to be a response to the commotion that was Zane. Zane honed in on the familiar sound, but not recognizing the abject desperation that he identified in the quality of her cry, he quickened his step. Angry and remorseful crying, yes, crying or sobbing after spankings were often heard and determined to be the result of a bottom blistering, but the quality was not heart rending as was this cry. All of her cries before were from brat behavior reducing spankings, but nothing as emotionally devastating as what he was hearing now. Zane growled when he approached his woman’s sounds. Protective as a mama wolverine defending her kits, Zane stalked towards Shanna’s cries as only a man with a purpose can.
“Zane, in here,” called Cassie, whose voice hitched when she called him. Her relief was tangible and almost overwhelming.
Zane threw open the curtain and had Cassie run at him as though he were her last hope. Zane grabbed her mid-leap, checked to make sure she was okay. He then whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. He looked over his shoulder and yelled to his companions as he thoroughly checked Joey over and whispered to her as well, kissing her forehead. Joey looked at Zane with adoration even though he was younger than she was, he was her rescuer, always had been. What about Connor, was he angry? She had promised not to get into any trouble and here they were the definition of trouble.
She looked towards the door with some trepidation and looked back at Zane with a question in her eyes. Zane smiled warmly and assured her that everything would work out. Joey nodded and looked over her shoulder to Shanna, who was with two attendants and shaking like the proverbial leaf. Zane swore and in two strides was at the side of Shanna. The attendants moved away as Zane reached down and scooped her up. He looked up to see that Cassie and Joey were with their men and asked questions in rapid fire. The resident hurriedly went to the desk, got the information that Zane demanded and watched as Zane sat in a chair still holding Shanna. He signed his name on the discharge paperwork and tucked Shanna back into his chest like a toddler, occasionally speaking softly to her while he caressed her wherever he could touch. The resident decided she would not question his relationship and thereby his authority to sign for her patient, it was obvious no one else questioned it. There was no doubt Shanna was his.
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