by Becca Van
He was glad he’d decided to move out first thing because he had a feeling he hadn’t been able to put anything over the sheriffs or the bartender. In fact, he felt like he had turned from predator to prey, and he didn’t like that feeling. Not one little bit.
* * * *
It had been a week since Sabrina and the Wendall brothers had arrived at the Heritage Ranch, and even though she loved spending time with her men and the Heritages, she knew deep down that something was going to happen to destroy the newfound happiness she was feeling.
She went through each day laughing and joking, but there was the niggling fear deep down inside that never left. She was currently in the kitchen with Tristan making sandwiches for when the men came back inside from doing their chores. Trent and Trick were out there helping, and although she worried about them all being out in the open where they could get hurt, there was nothing she could do to stop them. She’d tried each and every day to keep the Wendall brothers inside with her, but they just smiled at her, stroked her cheek, hugged or kissed her, and went about their merry way.
She looked up to see Tristan watching her with a concerned frown on his face.
“What?” she asked as she went back to making the sandwiches.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” Tristan asked as he moved in behind her and hugged her around the waist.
“I’m worried.” She sighed and leaned back against him for a moment before straightening up as she began to put the food onto a large platter. The table was already set with plates, mugs, and glasses, and iced tea was in a jug chilling in the fridge. There was also a large fresh pot of coffee brewing.
“I can see that, darlin’, but what about?”
“You all go outside every day and are in plain view. What if this person has a scope and long-range rifle and shoots you?” A small sob escaped as she placed the last sandwich on the plate.
Tristan turned her around in his arms, pulled her against him, and held her tight. “Sabrina, there is no way this bastard can find you. No one in town is going to give away your hiding place.”
“I know, but…I can’t lose you, Tristan. Any of you. I love you all so damn much. How am I going to live with my conscience if something happens to one or all of you?” Tears spilled from her eyes and onto her cheeks. The pain in her chest at the thought of losing any of her men was almost too much to bear.
Tristan hugged her tighter, resting his head on top of hers. She breathed in his spicy masculine scent and savored being in his arms. When she heard the back door slam, she tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. She quickly wiped the moisture from her face and took a deep breath, trying to calm her worries.
“Is everything all right?” Hank asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Yes.” Sabrina pulled away again and was glad when Tristan let her. She looked toward the door to see all the men entering, and then Trick and Trent came over to her.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Trick asked as he stroked a hand over her head.
Sabrina gulped around the lump in her throat and nodded before turning away to pick up the platter and carry it to the table.
The men talked about the ranch while they devoured their lunch, and if Sabrina had been in a better frame of mind she may have teased and laughed with them over the amount of food they all put away, but she was feeling down and couldn’t seem to find any lighthearted optimism.
She knew it wouldn’t take long for Noble’s crony or cronies to find her. Both the sheriffs took turns coming out to keep them updated and checking in on things, and it would be easy for those assholes to follow them.
Sabrina was sure that they were vigilant in making sure they weren’t followed, but Noble was a computer and gadget expert and it would be simple enough to bug the vehicles and track them. She had a target painted on her forehead, and there was not a damn thing she could do about it.
No. That’s not true. I can leave. If I leave then they will all be safe.
Her mind whirled as she tried to plan how to get away without being seen. It was going to be damn hard when she was never alone. But she was smart, and if she used her head she would find a way to make that happen without being discovered.
“Sabrina, do you want to go for a horse ride this afternoon?” Trick asked.
“We know you’ve been getting cabin fever,” Trent said.
“I’ve never been on a horse.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, honey,” Hank said with a smile. “We have a very gentle mare that is perfect for beginners.”
Tristan reached over and clasped her hand. “You’ll be safe, darlin’. We’ll all go along for the ride and we’ll take rifles with us.”
It was too tempting to pass up. Sabrina had been going insane staying inside all the time. It would be good to get out into the fresh, clean air and let her worries stew on the back burner for a while.
“If you think it’s safe, then I would love to go for a ride.”
“Go and get some jeans on, baby,” Trent said. “We’ll clean up while you get ready.”
Sabrina nodded, got up, and left the room. She was wearing a skirt and shirt and knew she couldn’t ride a horse in them. By the time she walked back to the living room, Trent was the only one left inside waiting for her.
He moved toward her and pulled her into his arms before hugging her. “You’ve been pretty quiet the last couple of days. What’s bugging you, baby?”
“I’m just worried that whoever is after me will find me and hurt all of you. It would be easy to follow the sheriffs out here or to bug their vehicles with tracking equipment.”
Trent pulled back and nudged her chin up. “Sabrina, Damon is a retired Marine. He and Luke weren’t born yesterday. They’ve been very vigilant to make sure they weren’t followed out here when they come. And yes, they’ve even been going over their vehicles to make sure it’s safe.”
“Have they found anything?”
The expression which crossed Trent’s face answered her question. Fear slammed into her hard and fast, making it difficult to breathe. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she began to shake as light perspiration formed on her skin.
“They have, haven’t they?” she asked in a shaky whisper.
Trent tugged her up against him again and caressed his hand up and down her back. “Take a deep breath for me, Sab.”
She did and then exhaled noisily.
“Good girl. Keep breathing. Everything is going to be fine. Nothing is going to happen to you, baby. Not if we can help it.”
“That’s just it, Trent. I don’t want you, your brothers, or the Heritage men getting—”
“Shh.” Trent held her tighter, continually stroking her back in a soothing motion. “I love you, Sabrina, so do my brothers. We aren’t about to let anyone take you from us. Not when we’ve just found you.”
“You can’t make those types of promises, Trent. You don’t know what’s going to happen,” she sobbed.
“Neither do you, baby. Why borrow trouble when it isn’t here yet?”
“It’s coming, Trent. I can feel it to my bones.” A sob escaped.
“This town is full of men who are strong. There is a lot of retired military, and the ranchers know how to handle themselves. We have all their phone numbers programmed into our cells. All it would take is one phone call and nearly every man would be here with guns blazing. You’re not going to run, Sabrina. We’ll only follow you if you do. You’re safer here than anywhere else.”
Sabrina rested her forehead against his chest and nodded. She knew he was right, but she was still worried about all their safety. She withdrew a smidgeon and then reached up and cupped his cheeks in the palm of his hands. “I love you, too, Trent.”
“Thank God,” Trent whispered before he bent down and started kissing her. The kiss started off slow but quickly turned wild and passionate. By the time he drew back, they were both breathing heavily.
“Damn, baby, you pack quite a wallop.”
He grinned and then adjusted the front of his jeans. “If we don’t get out of here right now, I’m going to carry you to bed.”
Trent took her hand in his and led her out toward the barn. “It’s going to be damned uncomfortable trying to ride with a boner,” he muttered and then winked at her.
Sabrina burst out laughing. She could just imagine how hard it would be—pun intended. It felt good to laugh again, and as she was lifted up onto the mare by Trick, she prayed that Noble and his cronies were caught before anyone could get hurt.
“How much land do you own?” Sabrina asked Barry, who was riding on the other side of Trick. She was sandwiched between Trick and Tristan with Hank leading the way and David bringing up the rear with Trent. She felt safe since she was surrounded on all sides, and for the first time in the last few days, she really relaxed. It was so nice to be outside in the crisp, cool autumn air after being locked up in the house as she recovered from the flu. She was feeling better than ever and could have spent hours out in the sunshine.
“We have over ten thousand acres. Our dads bought the land before they met our mom and had started building the house.”
“How many fathers do you have?” Sabrina asked curiously. This town was so out of the norm with the polyandrous relationships, but no one seemed to bat an eye at the unusual. At first she’d been a little shocked, but after Trick, Trent, and Tristan had explained how things worked and told her how happy everyone was, she accepted that this town didn’t conform to normality. Not that any of it bothered her at all. She’d always been a live-and-let-live person as long as everyone agreed and was happy.
“Two,” Hank said and smiled at her. “My mom needs the both of them to keep up with her. She has always been full of life and energy. She loved this place, but as the folks got older and she could see that our dads were slowing down she suggested that my brothers and I could take over for them so they could retire to warmer climes.”
“She must be an amazing person.”
“She is.”
“Maybe I’ll get to meet her one day,” Sabrina said.
“She’d love you, honey,” Hank said as he turned to face her. “She has been on our backs about meeting someone to settle down with.” He winked at her before continuing on, and she wondered what he was up to when she saw the twinkle in his eye. “You’d be right up her alley for a daughter-in-law.”
“Hey, Sabrina’s taken,” Trick said in a playful growly voice. “Get your own damn woman.”
“Do you have any friends, sugar?” Barry asked in a louder voice from behind her.
“Yeah. I was sharing a house with Nicole. Maybe I’ll be able to get her out here for a visit one day.” She glanced over at Trick. “Do you think it would be safe to call her? I feel really bad for leaving the way I did. I called from a pay phone and told her to lease my room since I had to leave for a family emergency.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, honey,” Trick answered. “Noble probably has her phone tapped.”
“I feel so bad about leaving the way I did and without any notice.” Sabrina stared off into the distance and hoped that Nicole was safe and had been able to find another roommate.
“You did what you had to, darlin’.” Tristan reached over and squeezed her hand before releasing it again.
“I know.” She sighed. “But that doesn’t make me feel any less guilty.”
“I’m sure she’ll understand once you tell her why you did what you did after all this is over,” Trick said.
“I hope so.”
The afternoon went by quickly. They didn’t spend too long riding since it was her first time out, and before she knew it they were heading back to the house.
“You don’t want to spend too long in the saddle your first time. Your muscles aren’t used to it and will stiffen up,” Hank explained just as the house came into view.
Sabrina nodded, and even though she felt like she could have kept riding, she let the experienced ranchers guide her since she was a novice. Trick dismounted and then lifted her down to the ground. She thanked the Heritage men and turned toward the house. She was going to wash up and then get supper ready. It was the least she could do since she was disrupting everyone’s lives.
Trick followed her up to the house, and just as they stepped through the door his cell phone rang. He pulled his phone from his pocket and walked back out onto the porch. Sabrina continued on to the bathroom.
She had that bad feeling back in her gut and hoped that the phone call was one of the sheriffs calling to tell Trick that Noble had been caught, but she knew that was wishful thinking. Nothing had been that easy so far.
How long is it going to be before I can live without fear?
Chapter Ten
He glanced at his watch and saw that it was still just over an hour before dinner preparations would need to start and decided this would be a perfect time to spend some alone time with his woman. He looked toward the barn and saw that his brothers and the Heritage men were rubbing down the horses. Hopefully they would be at it for a while because he needed to be with Sabrina.
“I need to feel her in my arms,” he muttered under his breath as he stared at the back door.
Trick pondered on whether to tell Sabrina about Noble being arrested, but he didn’t think that was such a great idea right now. She was more relaxed than he’d ever seen her after enjoying an afternoon ride in the cool fresh air. Plus there wasn’t anything she could do right now. What frustrated him the most was that neither could he or his brothers. The only thing they could do was continue to make sure she was safe. Luke had told him not to let their guard down, because even though Noble was in jail awaiting trial, his cohorts were still out on the loose. Until the law got all the information from Noble, they would have to stay vigilant.
He loved her so damn much, and it irked him no end that he couldn’t do anything other than protect her. He wished he knew who was after her, because if he did, he wouldn’t be waiting for that fucker to make his move. No, he would use all his resources with the help of the other men in town and hunt that bastard down. He could just imagine Luke reading him the riot act, but he knew his lawman friend wouldn’t hold a grudge for long. All he would need to do was point out that he would do the same thing if his wife was in danger. Of course he would do everything he could to make sure he didn’t kill the prick, but if worst came to worst, he would do it in a heartbeat. Especially when it meant that Sabrina would be safe.
He pushed his phone back into his pocket and headed inside. After checking the kitchen and living room and finding no Sabrina, he walked toward the bedroom. She wasn’t in there either, but he heard water running. Perfect. He was sure he needed a shower, too, after spending time on a horse.
Without any hesitation, he stripped off and quietly opened the bathroom door. She took his breath away. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted back, and she sighed as water sluiced down her body. And what a body it was. She wasn’t tall, but she was curvy with full, round, perky breasts, hard rosy-brown nipples, and slender hips and legs. His cock twitched and started filling with blood. He was so in love with her he wanted to stay buried inside her for all time, but it wasn’t just about the sex. Although that was damn explosive between them. He’d never been with such a responsive, passionate woman, and he craved her all the time. No, it wasn’t just lust. She got to him like no other woman ever had or ever would. She’d grabbed hold of his heart, and he never wanted her to let go.
Trick was still a little worried that she would decide to try and take off, but he and his brothers hadn’t given her a chance. One of them had been with her throughout each and every day and would continue to do so. He also wanted to ask her to marry him and his brothers, but he didn’t think now was the right time. Not with her life still in danger. He could just imagine her hedging before changing the subject without answering, and since he wasn’t sure he could handle any rejection from her, he was going to wait. When this shit was all over, then it would be time to mak
e sure she was in their lives for all time.
Trick pushed his thoughts aside, opened the shower door, and stepped in behind her. She must have felt the cooler air as the door closed or felt his presence, because her eyes popped open and she gasped, her hand going to her chest.
“Sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t, not really. More like startled me. What are you doing?”
He grinned at her as he snagged an arm around her waist, pulling her delectable body against his as he waggled his eyebrows in carnal suggestion. “Taking a shower.”
“And you couldn’t wait until I’d finished?” she asked breathlessly.
“Nope. I need you, sweetheart.” Trick thrust his hips, pushing his hard cock into her stomach, and was pleased when her eyelids drooped and her saw the passion begin to smolder.
When her lips parted he couldn’t wait another minute. She started to say something, but he captured her lips with his and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her hands came up to grip his shoulders and she moaned with desire as she kissed him back. The kiss was hot, wet, and wild, and his cock started pulsing with his heartbeat and his need for her. He was so damn randy he needed her now.
He broke the kiss and licked his way down her neck toward her breasts, and then he drew a nipple into his mouth and suckled firmly. She started rocking her hips and mewled before her one of her hands caressed down his chest and lower. He was the one groaning next, when her small, delicate, soft, little hand gripped his hard cock. He let her pump his shaft a few times, but he was so eager for her he couldn’t take much more. He clasped her wrist and tugged her hand away from his erection before switching to suck her other nipple. She moaned when he slid his fingers through her folds and around her cunt to make sure she was ready for him. He growled low in his throat when he found her dripping wet.
He released her nipple with a soft pop and then her lifted her up and pressed her back against the tile wall. She was with him every step of the way, and she slung her arms around his neck and hooked her legs around his hips. He stared deeply into her eyes as he drew his pelvis back slightly until his cockhead was at her entrance and began to push into her, and her eyes began to close.