“No home. No safe place.”
He knew how she felt. She’d been running for so long, she had no home, no place or person to make her feel protected and safe. Jack knew just how that felt, being in some foreign country, fighting for freedom and always being on guard, and wishing for home.
“Come on, honey. When I lift you up, it’s going to hurt, but I promise you’ll be safe.”
Jenna cried out when Jack lifted her from the floor. Then her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out. Jack let out a heavy sigh of relief. Limp in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, he rushed her out the door and eased into the truck. Summer closed the cabin door after Sally ran after him. Sally and Summer jumped in the driver’s side and they sped off toward the house.
Jack rested his cheek on Jenna’s head and spoke reassuringly to her the whole time. Summer tried to avoid every bump and hole in the gravel driveways, but the drive was anything but smooth. Jack held tight to Jenna, still talking to her softly and letting her know she was safe.
Beth ran down from the porch to open the door for Jack as soon as they arrived. Jack got out with Jenna, still unconscious in his arms. Sally followed him up the steps. At the top, he turned to Summer, who ran up behind him.
“You and Beth go down to the barn. In my office is a large green military medic bag behind my desk. Bring it. If it’s too heavy, have one of the guys help you carry it, but hurry.”
Summer and Beth were already running for the barn.
Jack made his way into the big house. He took Jenna up the stairs to the guest bedroom. Beth had turned back the covers on the bed. A lamp cast a soft glow from the bedside table. Jack carefully set Jenna on the bed, gently rolling her onto her stomach and out of the blanket he wrapped her in. He went into the bathroom and came back with a towel, a couple ibuprofen, and some water. He placed the towel over her bottom, and had just managed to get her to swallow the pills when Summer, Beth, and one of his ranch hands, Pete, came in with the Army medic bag.
“What the hell?” Pete gaped at Jenna.
Jenna opened her eyes wide and screamed, “No more!” She tried to get up from the bed, but couldn’t even manage to get her arms under her.
“Get out,” Jack shouted at Pete. He put a calming hand on Jenna’s head, encouraging her to lie down, and leaned close to her ear. “You’re all right. No one will hurt you. Stay still. You’re hurting yourself, baby. Please, stay still.”
Summer and Beth stood like toy soldiers at the foot of the bed. As he spoke, Jenna’s body relaxed and Jack’s knotted muscles unwound.
Pete left the room as ordered and Beth went after him. Jack overheard them on the stairs. “What the hell was that all about? I ain’t never seen Jack look that way, or yell at me like that.”
“I know, Pete. I don’t know who that woman is, but Jack won’t let anyone near her. I’ve never seen anything like it. Did you see her back? What did that to her?”
“Not what. Who.” Jack heard Pete’s furious words, “A man. And if Jack gets his hands on the scum, he’ll kill him.”
Amen, Jack thought.
Chapter Seven
* * *
DAVID TOOK THE call in his office, sitting behind his desk. He turned his hand palm up and stared at the healing cut, remembering his time alone with Jenna fondly. The police tried to question him again, but his lawyer held them off. Untouchable. The thought made him smile.
“Where is she?”
“I lost her in Tennessee,” a deep voice came over the phone, clipped and to the point.
“You lost her.” He reined in his fury and responded, “I see.”
Rattled by the dead calm tone, his man offered up an excuse. “I thought I picked up her trail heading out of state, but I lost her at a gas station where three major highways converge.”
“You mean she lost you.” He both loved and hated how smart and clever she could be. It made it difficult to find her, but it made the chase that much more interesting and challenging.
“Yes, sir.”
“Find her.” Less calmly, he shouted, “And don’t take five months to do it this time!” Rage simmered in his gut, feeding his need to find her. The longer it took, the more impatient he grew, which had disintegrated his control this last time. Next time he’d keep his wits, take his time, play out his plans, and enjoy every minute she was at his mercy. A shiver of anticipation ran through him and made him hard. With that thought in mind, he ended the call by saying, “You know what to do. She’ll make a mistake. She always does.”
And then I’ll find you.
Chapter Eight
* * *
SUMMER CAME OUT of the bathroom with a bowl of cool water and a washcloth. Jack sorted out antiseptic, bandages, syringes, medicines, and other things to fix up Jenna, determined to make her well.
Summer knelt next to the bed by Jenna’s head and placed a cool washcloth on her forehead. “What are you going to do with all this stuff?”
“First, I need to clean all the bleeding wounds with antiseptic. It’ll hurt, but I’ve got to clean the wounds. I’ll stitch up her leg. I have some medicine here that will numb it for the most part, but she’ll probably know what I’m doing. Then I’ll bandage her up the best I can and hope she sleeps and her fever breaks. Tell Beth to go down to the barn and ask one of the guys to give her a bottle of antibiotics.”
“The medicine you use on the horses?”
“Trust me, it’ll work. She needs them now before this nasty infection spreads.”
“Shouldn’t we call Doc Stanton and ask him to come and treat her?”
“No. Ben said no hospitals. She doesn’t need anything I can’t do for her. If she gets worse, we’ll have Doc take a look. Now, please, send Beth. The sooner we get the antibiotics into her, the faster we can stave off this infection in her leg.”
Summer took off out of the room. Sally jumped up on the bed and lay across Jenna’s left side and on her arm. Jack tried to get her to move, but Sally wouldn’t budge. It didn’t appear to bother Jenna, so Jack washed out cuts and wounds starting with Jenna’s shoulders and moving down her back. Jenna stirred and moaned a few times, but Sally and he held her arms down. He began a chant of “You’re okay. You’re okay, sweetheart.”
That’s how Summer found him when she returned, Jack crooning softly to her as he tended her wounds. “I don’t know how much more I can take. The anguish in your voice, I hate seeing you so upset.”
“I passed upset when I saw her at the diner. Now I’m just furious with myself for leaving her alone at the cabin when I knew she needed medical attention.”
Summer rinsed out the washcloth and replaced it on Jenna’s head. “You couldn’t have known—”
Jack cut her off with a glare. No excuse in his book for not doing something when he knew it needed to be done.
He’d already tended the worst of the wounds on Jenna’s back and bottom. The abrasions and welts would heal with the ointment he put on them. Summer cut up bandages and Jack taped them in place. Jenna lay silent, her breathing ragged. She gasped in pain sometimes, but for the most part she lay still, too weak to fight them.
“Okay, it’s time to do the cut on her thigh. She will not like this, Summer. Take hold of her feet and make sure she doesn’t kick. I don’t want her opening up the cut even more.”
“Jack, I don’t know if holding her down is a good idea. She freaks out every time someone touches her, or comes near her.”
“We need to finish and clean and close the cut or it’ll get worse.”
Summer grabbed Jenna’s feet and Sally growled.
“It’s okay, girl,” Summer crooned. “I won’t hurt her.” Sally licked Jack’s arm. “What is up with the dog? She won’t let Jenna out of her sight.”
“Sally knows Jenna is hurt and needs help. She’s gone into guard-dog mode. It’s kind of sweet. I’ve never seen her act like this. It’s as if Jenna’s her puppy.”
That brought a smile to his face. It made for a sw
eet picture in Jack’s mind. Summer smiled too. She pet the dog’s head for reassurance and went back to holding Jenna’s feet.
“Okay, here goes. Jenna, if you can hear me, don’t move your leg. I’m going to clean the cut out. Do you hear me, Jenna? Don’t move.”
Jenna mouthed, “Okay.”
Jack poured some antiseptic on a cloth and began cleaning out the cut. Open about a quarter of an inch and deep. He grabbed the tweezers to remove a few shards of glass. He swore under his breath for each sliver he took out.
“Okay, Jenna. All clean. I need to give you several shots near the cut to numb it, so I can stitch it up.”
Jenna didn’t respond, but tears seeped out from under her closed lashes. Jack brushed them away with a gentle swipe with the pad of his thumb.
“You’re doing great, baby. You’re so strong. Keep it up. Almost done. Then I’ll leave you in peace.”
Jack stuck the needle in her skin in several places along the foot-long cut. He gave the medicine a few minutes to work.
“Why didn’t you use that stuff when you were cleaning the cut? You idiot.”
“Because it only lasts about ten minutes and I want to make sure it stays numb while I stitch the cut closed. Do you know how many stitches it’ll take to close up that cut?”
Bile rose in Jack’s stomach just thinking about it. Training set in, and he got to work. Jenna struggled for a few of the stitches, finally going quiet after number five. He stopped counting after fifteen, disgusted with the whole situation. He died a little bit with each stitch. Looking past all the wounds and old scars, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her green eyes would haunt him for the rest of his days.
Summer’s amazed voice broke the silence. “I can’t believe you’ve done this and so much more to save lives, yet I never really understood what it takes for you to do it. You really care. I’ve never been more proud of you.”
Again, Jack didn’t comment on her words. He couldn’t. His feelings were too raw at the moment. Jenna needed his focus and his strength to endure and get the job done.
“Finished.” He leaned down to Jenna’s ear. “Jenna, can you hear me? I’m done. No more stitches. There’s a bandage on your leg. Don’t move around, or you could tear the stitches. Can you hear me, baby?”
Jenna didn’t move, her breathing slow, but constant. Jack knew she had probably gone inside herself to escape. He didn’t blame her. He needed a drink.
“You’ve seen a lot in the Army. How bad is this?” Summer asked.
“She’ll be all right. What you need to understand is that in combat, or special ops, you know what you’re facing going in. Your enemy assumes the same risk you do. Jenna didn’t ask for this. She didn’t sign up and say, ‘Let’s go fight.’ Someone beat her and tortured her because she’s weaker and smaller and couldn’t fight back. I can’t make sense out of that, the way I can rationalize combat. What this person did makes me sick.”
He shared a look with his sister. They had always been close, but he’d been distant for a long time, keeping everyone at arm’s length. He had never felt closer to her than he did at this moment. He had Jenna to thank for that.
The front door crashed open to the shouts of Lily calling for her mom and him.
“Stop her before she comes up here. She’ll be scarred for life if she sees Jenna looking like this.”
Summer rushed out the door and down the stairs to intercept her daughter and husband.
Caleb took one look at his pale and exhausted wife. “That bad, huh. Pete called,” he answered her unspoken question about how he found out.
“Worse. Go up and see Jack. Don’t say anything, though. When she heard Pete’s voice before, she panicked. Just see if Jack needs any help cleaning up. Tell him I’ll come by in the morning. I’m taking Lily home.”
They shared a long kiss, Summer holding him as tight as she could, Lily squirming between them. Caleb returned the embrace, knowing she needed the support.
Chapter Nine
* * *
CALEB MADE HIS way up the stairs without a sound. He’d served with Jack in the Army and saw a lot of things himself. They’d both been in the Rangers and had special training in emergency medicine. Nothing prepared him to see his long-time friend holding a woman’s hand, the same haunted look he’d seen in his eyes when he sat beside their friend’s burned and bloodied body. Dead from a roadside bomb, Jack unable to save him. Caleb hoped to never see that look on his friend’s face again. But here Jack sat, the past haunting him.
Caleb took in the woman’s injuries and how Jack had tended all of them. A bandage covered her entire thigh. Caleb knew whatever happened, it was bad. As steady as they came, confidence under fire, the one person Caleb could count on to get him out of any type of dangerous situation. Here Jack sat, staring at a woman, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Struck speechless, Caleb wouldn’t have been able to say anything, regardless of his wife telling him to remain silent.
Sally gave Caleb’s presence away when she let out a low growl. Stunned, Caleb had never heard the dog growl at anyone. Jack scrubbed both hands down his face. He held his finger up to his lips to make sure Caleb stayed silent. Caleb nodded and went into the bathroom and brought out the trashcan. Jack gathered the bloodied bandages and used medical supplies, dumping them inside. They repacked Jack’s medic bag and headed for the door and downstairs. Before Jack made it to the door, he turned back to the bed and leaned down to the woman.
“I’ll be back. Sleep now. You’re safe.”
“Rabbit’s on the run,” came her soft whimpering voice.
Jack didn’t understand her meaning. He didn’t understand any of this. He kissed her hair softly and joined Caleb at the door.
“What did she mean, Rabbit’s on the run?”
“I don’t know. She hasn’t been really clear the last hour or so.”
They went downstairs in silence. Jack led the way to the bar in the Great Room. While pouring a double shot of whiskey, he rubbed at the back of his neck, then lifted the glass and drained the entire thing. He thumped the glass back onto the bar and with both hands, raked his fingers through his hair. He poured another double for himself and handed a second to Caleb.
“You okay?”
“Do I look okay?” Jack snapped.
“No. Who is that woman upstairs? Pete called the house, said Summer might need me here, and you have some beat-up woman lying in your guest room. What the hell is going on?”
“Jenna Caldwell. That’s all I know. Her name. Well, that and the fact she mentioned driving from God knows where for the last four days. Can you imagine sitting in a car with her back in that condition for four days? She’s the tenant who rented the cabin for the next year.”
“I thought your college friend Ben rented the cabin for a friend of his.”
“She’s the friend. ‘Client’ might be a better term. Apparently, that’s what she pays him to do, find her safe places to hide out. For the last two years, that’s what he’s been doing. I’m about ready to lose it, I want to punch something.”
Tonight the dam had broken and Jack’s emotions were ready to explode, despite his ruthless struggle to contain them. If they slipped the leash, Jack could do some serious damage. Thankfully, he wasn’t Jack’s target.
“Someone’s been beating her up for the last two years?” Caleb asked to keep Jack talking.
“No. She apparently divorced some jackass and hid from him afterwards. Over the last two years, he’s found her multiple times. This, apparently, was the worst one, according to Ben. For God’s sake! She takes pictures of herself and sends them to Ben, so he can keep a record. Why hasn’t anyone stopped this guy?”
Caleb didn’t know the answer. He didn’t understand what drove someone to torture another person, especially a woman. He’d seen a lot in the military, traveling to other countries where women were treated as second- or even third-class citizens with few rights. He just didn’t understand what drove a man to h
urt a woman simply because he could.
Jack threw himself into a chair and let out a ragged breath. Defeated, he said, “I fixed all her wounds, but I can’t get to the person who hurt her.” Unclenching his fists, he took his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and dialed Ben’s number.
“Hello.”
“Ben. Who did this to her?”
“Jack, I’ve been waiting for your call back. How is she? Is she better? Did you bandage her up?”
“Who did this to her?” Holding the phone so tight his fingers ached, he mentally counted to ten and reminded himself Ben wasn’t the enemy.
“I told you, her ex.”
“I want his name.”
“I can’t give you his name. She won’t let me. If you want to know, ask her, or figure it out on your own.”
“Tell me his name.”
“I’m Jenna’s attorney. I can’t give you that information. As much as I want to help, Jenna is my client, and she wants her privacy—and especially her name—protected. Ask her. If you’ve gained her trust at all, she just might tell you. I’ll tell you this though, he’s very rich and powerful. That’s how he’s gotten away with this for so long.”
Ben sighed and chose his words carefully. “I sent her to you, and you deserve to know what you’re up against. I’ll break this confidence. You obviously already know she’s being abused, so I don’t think it matters if I give you some of the details.
“The first four times Jenna tried to have him arrested, he paid off people and the evidence disappeared. He had some people visit the hospital staff and convince them, in not-so-nice ways, Jenna had never been there. Any pictures, records, or medical evidence disappeared, destroyed. That’s why she sends the photos to me. She doesn’t involve anyone in this because she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt.
Saved by the Rancher Page 5