by BJ Daniels
“What’s wrong?” She sounded as if she’d been asleep. He’d forgotten how early in the morning it was.
“Tell me where you are.”
“No, I—”
“Duane beat up my brother Marshall. He’s in the hospital.”
“Oh, no.” He heard what sounded like her crying softly. “Is he all right?”
“He’ll live but he’s worried about you. He sent me to find you and make sure you were safe until something can be done about your situation.” Tanner could hear her moving around.
“If Duane found out your brother was with us that night at the rodeo, then…oh, Tanner, he’ll come after you next. He won’t stop with your brother. You’re in terrible danger. The rest of your family might be as well.”
“You just worry about yourself right now.”
Billie Rae let out a choked laugh. “I’m the one who put your brother in the hospital, the one who has put you all in danger.”
“Listen to me, Billie Rae. None of this is your fault.”
“You’re the one who said I needed to draw a line in the sand.”
“That was before I saw what Duane did to my brother.”
“He’s capable of doing much worse. But you were right the first time, I can’t keep running. He will go after anyone who helps me.”
“My brother has filed charges against him,” Tanner said. “The only place he’s going is jail.”
“No, you don’t understand. Even if the sheriff finds him and arrests him, he’ll be out within hours and even more furious. Tell your brother not to press charges.”
“Billie Rae, it’s too late. If you come back to Whitehorse—”
“And what? Get a restraining order against Duane?” She let out a humorless laugh. “Do you really think that would do any good? Tanner, I know about battered women whose husbands threaten to kill them. The husbands find a way to get to them no matter what and do exactly what they said they would.”
Tanner wanted to argue, but he’d seen too many examples of women in the news who’d been killed by their husbands or boyfriends—or lived in fear of them even with their abusers behind bars.
“Then I will get you enough money so that you can disappear and Duane will never be able to find you,” he said even as he realized it would mean he would never see her again, either. The thought hurt. But all that mattered right now was keeping her safe.
“Tanner, do you really think there is that much money in the world?” she asked. “Even if I could accept your too generous offer, I can’t live like that, always looking over my shoulder. This was the reason I hadn’t tried to leave Duane before. And now I’ve gotten your brother hurt—”
“He’s going to be all right. He told Duane you were headed for the border in one of our old trucks.”
She groaned. “Once he finds out that your brother lied to him—”
“He isn’t going after my brother again. The sheriff is putting a deputy outside his room until he is released. There is an APB out on Duane. Everyone will be looking for him. I’m betting he will get out of Whitehorse and not come back. It’s you I’m worried about. Come back to the ranch. I’ll make sure he never hurts you again.”
“Tanner…” she said with a sigh.
“I know. You don’t even know me.”
“That’s the amazing part. I feel as if I have always known you. This closeness I feel…” Her voice broke off.
“I feel the same way. I can’t explain what happened the moment I saw you, but I don’t want to let you go.”
“And I can’t let him hurt you or your family simply because you helped me.”
Tanner heard something in her voice that scared him. “You can’t go back to him. You know it will be worse for you. That’s if he doesn’t end up killing you. You can’t go back because of me. Please, I can’t let that happen.”
“I can’t run, either. You were right. I have to take a stand.”
“No, I was wrong. Billie Rae—”
“Make sure you and your family are safe.”
“My father and brothers will see to that. Billie Rae, I’m leaving right now headed for Great Falls. Meet me halfway between Whitehorse and Great Falls. There’s an Indian casino called Northern Winds just outside of Havre. I’ll be waiting for you in the parking lot.” He heard her open the motel room door; he could hear traffic outside. He knew he was losing her. “And if you’re still determined to go back to him after we talk, then—”
“Thank you, Tanner. I wish we’d met under different circumstances.”
“Billie Rae. Billie Rae?” The line had gone dead. He called back but it went straight to voice mail.
Swearing, he started his pickup. If she was headed back this way, then he would see her on the highway. He would do whatever he had to do to stop her. He couldn’t let her go back to that madman because of him.
All he could hope was that after she hit the road on the way back that she would change her mind and meet him at the casino. He said a silent prayer that she would be waiting for him when he reached Northern Winds as he pulled away from the Whitehorse hospital and headed west.
Tanner hadn’t gone far when he checked his rearview mirror. He couldn’t take the chance that Duane was still in town, waiting for him to lead him to Billie Rae.
But there were no other vehicles behind him as he turned onto Highway 2 and headed west toward Great Falls. Wherever Duane Rasmussen was, he wasn’t behind him. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tanner settled in for the long drive, thinking about Billie Rae and fate and how he was going to stop her.
BILLIE RAE COULDN’T BREATHE. Wasn’t this what she’d feared? She choked back a sob and closed the motel room door behind her. She’d never felt such pain—not even when Duane had hit her. The woman she’d been—before Duane Rasmussen—never dreamed she would find herself in this position.
Her heart ached and she felt sick to her stomach. She’d only made it worse by making love with Tanner the night before. What if Duane found out? She told herself there was no way that would ever happen. But they hadn’t used protection. Last night she’d told herself it wouldn’t matter. Duane was going to find her and kill her before she’d even know if she was pregnant.
But what if she was? She touched her stomach. Just the thought of having Tanner’s child sent a wave of excitement through her. Then instant regret that she had now possibly endangered yet another life. What was she going to do?
You should never have left me. This is on your head. You forced me to hurt someone else. You deserve everything you’re going to get.
She slid behind the wheel of the car and sat, trying to pull herself together. Since she’d realized the mistake she’d made marrying Duane, Billie Rae had been desperate to get out—but she hadn’t known what to do. Duane had made it clear that leaving him was out of the question. The fact that he was a cop made it all the more impossible.
She’d felt trapped with no way out and no one to turn to. Early on in their marriage, she’d had a friend she’d met at the small market within walking distance of their home. The friend had noticed Billie Rae’s bruises and had tried to help her.
Not long after that, the friend had suddenly moved away without a word.
Billie Rae had inquired about her through a mutual acquaintance at the market and found out that a policeman had come around the night before her friend had left. Duane. After that Billie Rae hadn’t let anyone get close, knowing the price they would have to pay if Duane found out.
Now she had involved the Chisholm family and it had gotten Marshall injured. She didn’t want to think about what Duane would do to Tanner if he knew how much he’d helped her. And yet Tanner hadn’t backed down for a moment. He was still ready to help her—even knowing now what Duane was capable of.
She felt such a well of emotion at the thought. Tanner was the kind of man Duane would call a fool. Duane would scoff at anything that smacked of chivalry. No doubt because he could never measure up and he knew it. That was why he resented men
like Tanner Chisholm so much.
Thinking of Tanner reminded her of his smile, the warmth in his brown eyes, that spark that had brought the old Billie Rae back to life when he touched her. Tanner had already saved her in ways he couldn’t imagine. But she couldn’t let him get in any deeper.
After a few minutes, she could breathe again. She picked up the map, remembering something she’d noticed on it yesterday. It was a dangerous plan. A desperate plan. But for the first time in months, she felt she was finally thinking clearly. She almost felt like her old self—the strong, independent woman Duane had done his best to destroy.
For so long she thought she deserved what she got because she was the one who’d married Duane. You made your bed, now lie in it, her mother used to say.
No more. Anger boiled up from deep inside her. No more. She didn’t deserve this. Nor did the Chisholms who had helped her. Tanner had been right. It was time to draw a line in the sand and fight.
It was time she took her life back.
Or lose it.
But at least she wouldn’t go down without a fight, and if she was lucky she’d take Duane with her. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself, opened her phone and tapped in his number. Her hand was barely shaking as the phone at the other end began to ring.
“Hello?” He hadn’t recognized the cell number. Tanner had blocked the ID on it. She could hear Duane’s car stereo in the background and wondered where he was. He turned down the music and repeated, “Hello? Who is this?”
Just the sound of his voice brought it all back. Fear knifed through her, and for a moment her courage faltered. She drew on the memory of the woman she had been in Tanner’s arms, the woman Tanner Chisholm had seen in her, the woman he was bound and determined to save even if it meant risking his own life.
“It’s me,” she said.
The soft chuckle that came over the line sent a chill through her. “I wondered when I’d be hearing from you.” Duane’s words were clipped. Anyone else might not have heard the fury behind them. But she heard it and, if she hadn’t known before, she knew now that he would beat her to death this time if she gave him a chance.
Terror gripped her and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, couldn’t think for a moment. Then she reminded herself that Duane had been systematically killing her for months. He’d tried to suffocate her in a loveless marriage, beat her down, make her question herself, especially her strengths, and he’d hurt her in more ways than she wanted to admit.
“So you’re ready to come home.” His tone made it clear he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her.
And that was exactly what she was depending on.
Chapter Nine
As Emma and Hoyt left the hospital, she saw her husband stop to take a call on his cell phone. He turned his back to her and she felt her heart drop—just as it had weeks ago when she’d feared her husband was having an affair. Instead the woman who he had been talking to back then was Aggie Wells, the former insurance investigator determined to see Hoyt hang for murder.
Hoyt hadn’t wanted her to know that Aggie was not only back in town—but also that she was more determined than ever to see him go to prison for murder.
“Who was that?” Emma asked now as he put his phone away and joined her. She was half afraid it was Aggie. And at the same time, almost hoping it was. No one wanted Aggie Wells to turn up alive more than her.
Hoyt hesitated, then sighed. She’d made him promise there would be no more secrets. She still felt guilty about that because she had things she’d never told her husband, things she wanted to hide as well.
“It was Tanner. He wanted to tell me he was going after Billie Rae.”
“He’s his father’s son,” she said, not at all surprised—even after what had happened to Marshall, or because of it, Tanner would be all the more determined to protect the woman.
“He’s a fool,” Hoyt said as he led the way to the ranch pickup. The doctor was keeping Marshall in the hospital for observation even though her stepson had only a minor concussion. She’d seen how upset her husband had been after their visit with Marshall in the hospital and knew he feared that another son would be injured—or dead—before this was over.
She noticed how Hoyt glanced around the hospital parking lot. He was looking for Billie Rae’s husband—or at least anyone who might fit that bill since the only description they had of him was what Sheriff Crawford had given them.
“Tanner’s worried the husband might come after us, isn’t he?” Emma said as she climbed into the pickup next to Hoyt.
He shot her look. “The man sounds crazy. It is cause for concern since his wife involved us in her troubles.”
“Hoyt,” Emma snapped as he started the engine and headed toward the ranch. “How can you say such a thing? The poor woman was running for her life. The man is an animal. Can you imagine what he’ll do to Billie Rae if he finds her?”
Hoyt swung his head around to look at her. “Can you imagine what he’ll do to Tanner if he finds him with his wife? And what will have been the point? Women like that go back to the men who abuse them.”
“Women like what?” Emma demanded, shocked by his last statement. She too was worried about Tanner. But she was also worried about Billie Rae. And her husband had hit a nerve. He didn’t know she used to be one of those women. But like Billie Rae, she hadn’t stayed—nor had she gone back in the way he meant, anyway.
“You know what I mean,” he said. “I’m worried about my boys and now Tanner is going after the woman.”
“You raised your sons to help those in need. The only reason Billie Rae would go back to her husband is to protect your boys, who by the way, are men. Are you going to let that happen?”
“What would you like me to do?” Hoyt demanded.
“This attitude of yours is all because you’re so certain that your third wife went back to her abusive boyfriend.” He’d told her about Krystal, a woman he’d tried to help by foolishly marrying her. “She did go back. I hired a private detective. Krystal went back because she missed the drama, especially the honeymoon period, after he’s beaten her up, when he pleads for her forgiveness, treats her like she’s rare crystal, buys her things, promises never to hurt her again until he does and the cycle starts all over again. She was hooked on it and life with me was just too damned dull for her.”
All Emma heard was the part where Hoyt said he’d had proof that Krystal went back to her boyfriend. “You hired a private investigator who had proof and you didn’t give that information to Aggie?”
He stared straight ahead, ignoring her as he drove.
“No, you didn’t give Aggie the information because you wanted to save face, because of your damned male ego. You’d rather have people believe you’re a murderer.” She was furious with this man she’d come to love more than life.
“Aggie Wells already believed I killed at least one of my wives,” Hoyt snapped. “What could another one hurt? Anyway, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand just fine, Hoyt Chisholm. If Aggie had known about any of this—”
“She would still believe I killed Krystal. Don’t you get it? She would think I couldn’t stand my wife leaving me and that I went after her and killed her. Maybe killed the boyfriend too because shortly after that, both of them disappeared and not even the private detective I hired could find them.”
This news took the wind out of Emma’s sails. Hoyt was right. He would still look guilty, maybe even guiltier than he had.
He glanced over at her. “I’m not as stupid as I look. After I calmed down, I told the P.I. to get proof that Krystal was alive to give to Aggie. I thought maybe then she’d believe that I didn’t have anything to do with my first wife’s drowning or Tasha’s accident. But by then, both Krystal and her abusive boyfriend had vanished.”
Emma fell silent as Hoyt turned onto the road to the ranch. “I’m sorry. You could have told me.”
“I just did. It proves nothing.” He reached over an
d took her hand, all the frustration leaving his voice. “This crazy cop husband aside, I’m still worried as hell about you. I’m so afraid something is going to happen to you.”
“I’m fine as long as I’m with you.”
He squeezed her hand. “How did I get so lucky as to find you? Maybe that’s what scares me. I feel like I’m tempting fate.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m hard enough to get along with that maybe I’m your punishment.”
He laughed softly, but didn’t disagree.
“I saw the sheriff talking to you. What was that about?”
“She wanted to know the last time I saw Aggie Wells. If I knew where she’d been staying. If she happened to mention where she was going or what she was doing. The usual.”
Emma realized he’d been questioned by the sheriff on numerous occasions before. But those times it had been about his wives. Her heart went out to him and for a moment, she hated Aggie Wells for making him have to relive this all over again.
“So you told her the last time you saw Aggie was that night at dinner?” Emma said.
He shot her a look. “Are you asking me when was the last time I saw her?”
“No, I—”
“I didn’t kill her, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I know you didn’t kill her. I just thought—”
“That I might have met her the next morning?” He shook his head. “I never saw her again after that night at dinner and I hope to hell I never see her again. Any more questions?”
Emma shook her head, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut, but that was so not like her. Had she really believed Hoyt would meet Aggie the next morning?
“I have no idea where she is or what happened to her.”
Emma could hear the fear in her husband’s voice. It matched her own. Since Aggie’s car had been found with, according to the scuttlebutt around town, her purse and suitcase, and blood on the driver’s seat, the sheriff’s department had been searching for her body along the riverbank.
“The sheriff asked where she could find me and I told her we were headed back to the ranch,” Hoyt was saying. “I intend to stay with you until this cop who beat up Marshall is caught.”