by Robin Gideon
“Whoever did it,” the sheriff said, seemingly thinking aloud, “removed the hubcap, removed three of the four lugs, and then put the hubcap back on to hide what he’d done. It might have taken a day or perhaps even a couple days, but with the roads we’ve got up here in Elk’s Crossing, it was just a matter of time before the wheel, without any forewarning, came off.” He cursed under his breath. “Damn it, Aaron, I’m just a lawman, not a lawyer, but as near as I can tell, that turns this from a traffic accident to an attempted murder.”
“That sort of stuff just doesn’t happen here, does it?”
The sheriff shook his head. “I’ve been sheriff in this county for more than twenty years, and there’s never been a single murder. Old Man Hutchinson accidentally shot himself deer hunting about a dozen years back. That’s about the closest thing to murder we’ve had, and the only reason why that happened was because Hutchinson couldn’t stop pulling on a whiskey bottle even when he hunted.”
Aaron cleared his throat and looked away, desperately wanting a target on which he could pin his rage. “What are you going to do now?”
“Not much I can do. Not a lot of evidence to say the least. I’ll file a report and send it in then keep my eyes open wide.” His gaze met Aaron’s. “Is it okay if the lady stays at your ranch, at least for a couple days? I’d feel better knowing she was under your protection. I’m the sheriff, and seeing she’s safe in my responsibility, but I can only be in one place at a time.”
“She’ll be safe at the Circle-Square-Circle. When you go about town talking to people, let them know that…” His words died away.
“Don’t worry. Nobody will think anything but the best about you and your brothers.” He patted Aaron on the shoulder. “Damned decent of you to take her in and all. And don’t you worry, I’ll find out who is behind this and see to it he goes before a judge.”
Forget the judge, and don’t even think about some fancy lawyer getting him off. Whoever tried to hurt Katie is going to answer to me and my brothers. That’s all the law he deserves, and that’s all he’ll get.
* * * *
Katie heard the sound of cowboy boots against the hardwood floor, and a smile touched her lips. The rest of her men had come back home. Only Flynn had stayed at the ranch, and though he’d checked in on her often as she rested in bed, he mostly kept silent. Aaron declared that what Katie needed the most was time, peace, and quiet, and all the brothers were determined to see that she got those things in spades.
Flynn put his head into the room, looked straight into Katie’s eyes, and smiled when he saw that she was awake. “The boys are back.”
A moment later, the McGowan men, led by Aaron, marched into the bedroom carrying every article of clothing and possession she owned.
“Now wait a minute,” Katie said quickly, sitting a little more upright in bed. She pulled the sheet up to hide her nudity. “I didn’t say I was moving in. I never agreed to that.”
The men smiled indulgently and began hanging up her clothes in the closet.
“Don’t get angry,” Aaron said. “At least hear us out before you start making hasty decisions.”
But she didn’t need time to think this through. Aaron and his brothers had made an absolutely critical decision about her life, and they’d done it without consulting her. She’d already suffered mightily at the hands of a man who wanted to run her life, so she’d be damned before she’d make that sort of mistake again.
“Against my better judgment,” Katie said slowly, “I’ll give you three minutes to say precisely why I shouldn’t be mad as hell with your presumptuousness.”
While the youngest McGowans busied themselves with putting her clothes in the closet and bureau, and Blair put away her toiletries in the bathroom, Aaron sat on the edge of her bed and explained in detail what had happened to her car, how it had happened, and why it had happened. The only piece of the accident puzzle he didn’t have, it seemed, was the identity of the perpetrator. At the very end, he told of the sheriff requesting that the McGowans take her under their wing, just temporarily, for her protection.
“Someone intentionally sabotaged your car, knowing that sooner or later the wheel, under stress, would come right off.” He took her hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze. “Until we find out who did this to you, we’ve got to assume that you’re still in danger. Being here with us will keep you safe. If, after the danger has passed, you want to leave, the four of us will help you move right on out. But as long as there’s a threat out there, wouldn’t it be best to stay with us where we can keep an eye on you?”
Katie wanted to say that she could take care of herself, but she knew it would sound particularly silly to four big, powerfully built, endlessly capable men.
She also knew something that they didn’t—the identity of the man who had tampered with her car. It was David. Katie was certain of it. But what would happen to David if she told Aaron and his brothers? Their reaction would be all too predictable. They’d go on a hunt, just like they did for elk and mule deer, and they wouldn’t stop until they had David in their sights. And then what?
She shivered at the thought.
“She’s cold,” Aaron said sharply. “Can someone bring me one of her nightgowns?”
Garrett took her nightgown from the hook in the closet. He handed it to Aaron. A sudden sexual tension had enveloped the room.
“Okay, you’re right,” Katie said quietly. “It’s best if I stay here, at least for now.” She shifted her weight on the mattress and winced when she felt the pain in her knee. “This knee has stiffened up some.”
“Let’s get the nightgown on you, and maybe later on you can take a little walk around the house.”
Knowing full well that she was about to give the men a show, Katie sat upright in bed and let the sheet fall, exposing the mounds of her breasts. She heard the sharp, sudden intake of breath, and she struggled to keep from smiling. She loved knowing that the McGowans found the sight of her naked breasts both shocking and exciting.
“Easy with the bum hand,” Aaron said, his tone holding a hint of sexual tension in it. He eased the nightgown over her upraised arms then down past her head. “There you go.”
Katie smoothed the nightgown down her arms and adjusted her breasts in the flannel bodice. It went a long way from being the sexiest nightgown she had, but that didn’t seem to disappoint the McGowan men who surrounded her bed, looking down at her.
“Go back to sleep now,” Aaron said, getting to his feet. “We’ve got things to do. Flynn will keep an eye on you. If there’s anything you need, just let him know. And don’t try putting any weight on that bad knee unless one of us has a hold of you.”
“Yes, Nurse McGowan,” Katie replied, receiving a smile in return.
Chapter Eight
At the northern edge of town, the sign read, “Now Entering Elk’s Crossing City Limits. Please Drive Carefully.”
Less than fifty feet from the sign was a gas station. A tow truck was parked along the south side of the building, where two cars were waiting to get repaired. A third car, Katie’s, was also there. All it took was a glance to know that the vehicle was totaled.
Please, oh please, tell me that cunt got killed in the crash!
David circled the block, giving himself time to think. He couldn’t just walk up to whoever owned the gas station and start asking questions about what had happened. He was an outsider, a stranger in town, and folks in Elk’s Crossing had already shown themselves to be pretty damned nosy. Still, they were a stupid lot, David believed, so he had little doubt that he could get the information he wanted without drawing suspicion.
He pulled his car into the station and parked it near the gas pumps. David stretched a little, as though he’d been driving for a very long time. Inside the ancient brick building, behind a counter and near a cash register, he saw a man in his early forties who sat studying him casually.
Just another stupid prick working and living in this shit hole called Elk’s Cross
ing. God, how can anyone live in a place like this?
“Hi there,” David said, stepping into the building’s interior, his tone friendly. “How are you doing today?”
The man, wearing bib overalls, shrugged his shoulders and replied after a full five seconds had passed. “Fine, I suppose.”
“You do repairs here?”
“Yep.”
“Yourself?”
Again, a response took a full, empty five seconds. Then he said, “Some. My boy does some, too. Got something wrong with your car?”
“The brakes seem to be pulling a little. Thought you might look at them.” Unable to hide the disgust he felt for the man, David turned away and looked out the window at Katie’s wreck. “What happened there? Must have been some smashup.”
“Woman driving down the road and her wheel fell off. Lucky she wasn’t killed.”
“Pretty badly injured, was she?”
“My boys and me pulled the wreck out and brung it here. She’s got herself some real lucky stars. Sailed right off the highway and hit some trees. It was the trees that slowed her down some. Hell, the way I hear tell, if her seatbelt hadn’t locked up on her, she could have walked away.”
David tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly too dry. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and fought against the nausea that was welling up inside him.
In as disinterested a voice as he could manage, he asked, “So she didn’t get all fucked up, then?”
“Bunged up her knee some, I guess. And bent her thumb back on the steering wheel when she crashed, but I guess she just sprung it. Like I said, she’s got herself some real lucky stars.”
That cunt! That lousy, stinking, goddamned cunt! She didn’t get hurt just to spite me! Cunt! Bitch! Whore! I’m not fucking around anymore. Next time, I’m going to take matters into my own hands. I’ll shoot that bitch right in the face. I’ll look her straight in the eyes and let her know why she’s got to die, and when she pisses her panties in fear, I’m going to laugh and squeeze the fucking trigger. That’s what I’m going to do, and she deserves it.
David felt almost sick to his stomach. The old man was still talking to him, saying something about lucky stars, good fortune, and the power of The Almighty, but David couldn’t listen. Not when his headache was pounding so furiously and not when his stomach felt like someone had just slammed a huge fist into him.
It was time to take action against Katie that was direct and forceful. Removing the lug nuts from Katie’s wheel had the potential to be fatal. Just potential. Now it was time for direct, lethal action against the treacherous, traitorous bitch that had ruined his life.
David got into his battered Toyota, put the transmission in gear, and headed for the Mountain View Saloon.
A handwritten sign was taped inside the window of the front door. It read simply, “Temporarily closed due to accident. Come back soon!”
David turned away from the door, took a single step toward his car, and then stopped. He bent over at the waist and vomited.
She’s going to pay for this. She’s going to pay for everything she’s done to me. All I need is a gun.
* * * *
Katie awoke slowly and peacefully. She blinked her eyes several times to clear her vision. She was alone in bed. Her bed, she mused, sliding her palm over the cotton sheet. The lovely, commodious bed that had been reserved for her at the Circle-Square-Circle Ranch...and whoever she invited to join her on it.
The soft murmur of deep male voices drifted to her ears. The men were in the great room. Katie could hear the TV playing and snippets of conversations. The McGowans were clearly keeping their voices very low so as to not disturb her.
They’re always so thoughtful and so considerate of me. She smiled and closed her eyes. Except when they want me. Then they just take. They take me however they want me, and that’s just the way I love it.
The horror of her automobile accident, and then being trapped by the seatbelt that wouldn’t release, was only a distant memory now. There had been the brief but horrific sense of helplessness when the tire came off. Then the marrow-deep terror that gripped her when she realized that her car was speeding off the highway and about to plunge down the hillside, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
All of that seemed quite far behind her now.
Laughter from the other room brought a smile to her lips. Almost immediately, she heard Aaron shushing the brothers who had made the noise.
I feel safe when I know my men are nearby.
Katie eased the blanket aside then gingerly pivoted on the mattress until her legs dangled over the edge. Beneath her simple cotton nightgown, her injured knee was wrapped with an elasticized bandage, as was her left thumb and wrist. Slowly and cautiously, Katie eased off the bed, carefully testing her knee to see if it could carry her weight. She felt a sharp stab of pain when she put weight on the injured leg, but the pain was very fleeting. She discovered that any discomfort was predicated on whether her knee was bent or locked straight when she put weight on it.
She walked to the bathroom, limping only a little, with each step being slightly less uncomfortable than the one before it. Once inside the bathroom, she closed the door and stripped out of her nightgown. Then she unwrapped the bandage from around her wrist and thumb, neatly rolled the bandage back up, and returned it to the mirrored medicine cabinet.
As the men enjoyed themselves in the great room, oblivious to Katie having gotten out of bed, she quickly and artfully did her makeup then brushed her blonde hair back from her forehead and around her jawline at the sides in the fashion that was most flattering. Naked, she looked down at her bandaged knee, not liking the way the bandage looked. She started to remove the bandage, but when she shifted her weight to the leg, felt another lightning bolt of pain go through her, and then secured the bandage once again. The bandage, at least for now, would have to stay.
Naked, she returned to her bedroom and the polished walnut bureau in the corner. She opened the top drawer to reveal her sleeping apparel. Several nightgowns were clearly utilitarian in purpose and function. They would be comfortable to sleep in. Other sleepwear had been created with the intention of being seen by someone other than just the wearer.
Katie deliberated a moment, reaching into the drawer to feel the various silks and satins that made up her lingerie collection. After a moment, with a smile on her face, she extracted a robin’s-egg-blue baby-doll nightie with a matching pair of tap pants. The confection was made of silk with white lace trimmings, and put her barely-contained breasts on display while concealing her stomach. The tap pants were comfortable and, more importantly, easy to get around or remove.
She was just about to close the bureau drawer when she noticed, partially hidden by her sleepwear, a small, white plastic bottle. Removing the bottle, she read the label and smiled. It was her intimate lubricant. She reached around her hip and applied it liberally, and the contact of her fingertips seemed particularly exciting, awakening nerve endings to the possibility of intense pleasure.
She put on the baby-doll nightie and lace-trimmed tap pants then limped back to the bathroom to inspect herself in the mirror.
If I can’t get their attention with this on, then I’ve completely lost my magic. She studied her bosom in the mirror and adjusted herself a bit in the sheer bodice, making sure that her areolas did not show in the deep V-neck. I’ll get their attention, and I’ll keep it. The only question is whether they’ll take off my lingerie or rip it off.
* * * *
While his brothers played one-against-one on some video game that included the main street of an Old West town and the OK Corral, Aaron reclined in his favorite easy chair with an enormous hardbound history of World War II in his lap. His thoughts, though, kept drifting endlessly to Katie’s accident and not at all on the tragic war that had caused the deaths of so many people.
Aaron now had an enemy, someone who had tried to kill the woman he loved but had succeeded only in injuring her. But the villai
n had come close enough to his goal to make Aaron cringe in fear at the thought of losing Katie. His right hand balled into a fist briefly. The slow-burning rage that had been ignited once he’d learned that Katie’s accident was no accident couldn’t be tamped down or ignored.
Movement caught his attention, and he looked away from his own clenched fist. Standing at the doorway to the great room was Katie, wearing blue lingerie that put her most ostentatious charms on flattering display. She was smiling coyly, her arms folded beneath her breasts as though to lift them with her forearms to subtly draw emphasis to them. If that was her intention, she had succeeded magnificently.
Aaron’s first instinct was to tell her she shouldn’t have gotten out of bed. His second instinct was to rush across the room, take her into his arms, kiss her until she was breathless, and then throw her to the hardwood floor and ravish that voluptuous body of hers.
But rather than acting on his impulses, he moistened his suddenly dry lips with the tip of his tongue then said, “My God, you are without a doubt the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Katie’s laugh was throaty and sensual. “You and I both know that’s not the truth, but don’t let that stop you from saying it.”
All attention in the great room was now focused exclusively on Katie. Aaron let his gaze go slowly over her, appreciating the fact that she had removed her cotton nightgown in favor of lingerie that would please him and his brothers. He noticed that she had removed the bandage around her wrist. It was a vivid reminder that she had an enemy who was both vicious and cowardly.
“Are you sure you should be out of bed?” Aaron asked. Seeing the bandage had instantaneously put a damper on his lust.