Rancher's Creed (Ciaran O'Connor Book 2)

by Alyssa Bailey

  As Katie and Jocelyn began to set their station up, under a large tent with its front and back flaps open to circulate air, they saw the men come in a group of trucks. It seems Shane and some of his workers who were hired locally came, and others stayed behind to keep the new building safe. Liam and Ciarán brought some of their workers and left others to take care of the buildings there at home. Parker took Quinlan and joined his Sheriff at the command center. Quinn was trained in Forestry and Law enforcement so he was able to give valuable insight on fighting the fire and command center work and so was a welcomed addition. Once directed where to park, Liam and Ciarán found their wives and made sure they were okay to be there.

  "Why didn't you wait until we got back?" Liam asked Jocelyn.

  "Because, my dear, we had no idea how long you would take or how easily Kelli would be able to find you."

  Ciarán growled, "Katherine, it should not have mattered, you are not to jump just because you get a call, I want to discuss it before you go answering these calls."

  "Ciarán, really? It is called 'rapid response team' for a reason."

  Ciarán leaned down to growl very quietly in Katie's ear, "Safety, the deal breaker, have you forgotten so soon?"

  Katie turned bright red and shook her head. Ciarán leaned down and tenderly kissed his flushed wife and lightly patted her bottom before he dropped another kiss on her cheek and left.

  Liam leaned down, gave his wife a stern look then belied it by ravishing her mouth and then followed Ciarán. Satisfied that they were staying out of harm's way, they set off for their assignments.

  During the setup, each was given things to do that would use their talents and specialized trainings. Shane was a Certified Hazmat trainer and had volunteer firefighter training, so he was able to work with the equipment, masks, clean clogged lines, and other things that was required which was a big help. He was also able to identify the safety of any structure in the fire's way being a contractor and before turning that job over to Andrew, a building inspector. Ciarán and Liam donned suits and began to do fire control work.

  Hours went by, with some injuries in the way of smoke inhalation, and heat exhaustion mostly which Katie and Jocelyn along with others tag teamed very efficiently, getting them treated and comfortable. There were a few displaced persons that they connected with family elsewhere to stay with and both Jocelyn and Katie began to feel the stress of the afternoon because they were tired. They took a break and went over to Parker and Quinlan to see about their husbands and Shane, who was closer to the actual center of action, bringing the Sheriff, Parker, and Quinn some coffee and sandwiches.

  Parker said he was sure that their husbands were fine and got some very hard looks for his trouble. Quinlan, knowing that would not be enough for his sisters said, "We last had conversation with Shane about half an hour ago and he said he had talked to Liam, who was within sight of Ciarán. They were cutting a firebreak and that they were not doing more than that. The airdrops seem to be working and they were hoping to be able to shift out in the next couple of hours."

  Parker looked over and said, "I said they were fine."

  Quinn laughed and shook his head. "You need to pay attention more around here if you expect to have a chance with one of our women. Kelli may want to be different, but she isn't. When one of our women asks about her man or the men in her family, she wants details and not blanket assurances. You could lose vital parts if you left it at 'fine'."

  Jocelyn laughed and said, "Parker, I would listen to him. Because if we thought all we were going to get is 'fine', then we would try to get more somewhere else and trust me, we are not above going to the site to get the info we need. Kelli is the same if not worse, just to let you know."

  Katie hugged him and said, "We will help you get the training down so you don't end up a casualty yourself."

  Parker just shook his head and laughed. "My apologies, ladies, I had no idea. I will try to do better next time."

  Quinn sent them back to their assigned spot and said, "Thanks for the goodies, girls, now stay put." To which they waved their acknowledgment.

  A call came in while the women were delivering a second round of goods to Quinn and Parker, that some young boys, mid to late teens were found assisting the firemen and had slipped through the lines closer to fire line than was even considered safe. They had lost them in the smoke and when Parker inquired, it was thought to have been the older O'Conner boys.

  At first, Katie thought it was their men but with clarification, it was truly Jon and Gideon, which put Jocelyn in a panic and Katie felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. Parker looked to Quinn on how to talk to the women and Quinn, after characteristically running his hand through his hair, took the cue.

  He said in his best commanding voice, "Girls, I need to get through to the men and you are going to give me a chance to do that. You make sure your site is ready if we need first aid and you are not to leave the tent." Quinlan put up his hand to stop the flow of anxious responses, and continued, "I will get through and make sure the boys are well and safe, which may include saving them from all the men in their family until things calm down."

  About an hour later, Liam brought in Ciarán with some smoke inhalation but mostly they were both just exhausted from trying to locate the boys. Their wives immediately set about clearing their heads and lungs, stripping the fire suits off, feeding and hydrating them and having them rest for a while. About a half hour later, as these two O'Connors were thinking of checking with command about what to do next, Shane came in and the girls quickly hydrated and fed him, setting him up to rest. Fast on the heels of Shane came Quinn with two very shaken but safe O'Connor boys who looked up to see most of the menfolk of their family looking quite incredulous, mixed with relief, and anger.

  Katie snapped out of it first and grabbed the boys, hugging them and sitting them down to check them over while Jocelyn quickly went into mother mode. The men knew they were too emotional on many levels to do more than check if the boys were okay and let the rest go for now.

  The girls sent food and drinks with their husbands for the group of men trying to run things. As they got up to do their wives bidding, knowing it to be the safe thing, Liam leaned down to the boys and said something low that only the two of them could hear. Both responded with looking into his face and then hanging their heads, nodding understanding. Jocelyn stood back and did not interfere but when Katie would have stepped into the fray, Ciarán grabbed her arm and spoke into her ear.

  "Mo chroí, don't you even think of undermining Liam's authority with those boys." His voice was low, deep, and commanding causing her to look at him with irritation, but his return look had her nodding her head and stepping back. Ciarán leaned down to kiss her lips.

  As the O'Connors began to leave their wives again, several of the men who were in the tent waiting to rejuvenate, mentioned to the O'Connor men that they sure knew how to pick their women because they were one of the best support team they had seen in ages. The O'Connor men took the compliments proudly as they walked out of the tent.

  The next time they looked up, it was nearly 10:00 p.m. and another large group of rescue workers came in out of the forest. As the women, including Jocelyn and Katie, were meeting their needs, the fire chief said that they were doing just a bit more before leaving it to the firewatchers as they were as sure as they could be that the fire was well contained. When Jocelyn asked if the O'Connor men were around, he said they should be coming around the corner soon. Sure enough, ten minutes later, there they were.

  Instead of coming over to where the girls were, they veered off to Parker and Quinlan. They discussed things for a while and the girls were distracted by another group of men coming off the site, so their eyes were off the brothers who were walking towards them. The boys were sleeping on their arms at the end of the table.

  That group taken care of, Jocelyn and Katie were really beginning to lag from their own exhaustion. Their body language was screaming tired. The girls we
re cleaning up the table for the next round when three women came into the tent and started telling the girls they would take over now. It was just the final groups and cleanup to do and they were the cleanup group.

  Just as Jocelyn and Katie began to protest, Katie felt herself lifted off her feet and before she could do more than squeal, Ciarán kissed her lips and said, "Shhh, we are going home."

  Jocelyn was also lifted up into Liam's arms and before she could protest he tightened his hold and said, "Stop. Not a word. You are going home and to bed." He reached down, woke the boys, and got them to head towards their vehicles.

  Jocelyn's response was to look at her husband, hesitate for a moment, and then lean her head on his chest and sigh. She decided he was serious and she was ready to go home anyway.

  However, for whatever reason Katie chose unwisely to protest, "Ciarán, not everyone is back yet. We need to finish this up."

  Ciarán sighed, "You are just begging for me to pull rank and I am really too tired for it tonight. We can begin again tomorrow after we get sleep, all right, mo chroí. So, my dear, if you do not want to get up tomorrow to a discussion of who wears the pants in this family and why it isn't you, you need to say, yes dear and let me lead. And just as a clarifier, this is in the category of deal breaker."

  Ciarán's voice was weary but serious and his face held that 'look.' Katie, stubborn but highly intelligent heard his unvoiced message loud and clear. She hesitated a second longer, then simply smiled, cuddled into his chest, and cooed, "Yes, dear."

  "That's my girl," he said with satisfaction.

  Quinlan, Shane, and two very subdued boys gathered up the assorted bags and items that they had brought with them stored under the table in the corner and Jocelyn asked about Parker. The other men from the site and the ranch were using three of the vehicles to drive themselves home and the O'Connors were using the other three trucks to include Jon's pickup. Liam took the boys aside for a moment and had a few words and the resulting body language could be read by anyone, tomorrow would be retribution time.

  "But what about my car, Liam?" asked Jocelyn moaned.

  "We will pick it up tomorrow. Before either one of you thinks to say it, no, you are not driving it home tonight. That is the final word. The penalty for continuing will not be to your liking," settled Liam as he continued to the trucks.

  And after giving both women a strongly communicated warning look, no more mention of Jocelyn's car was made. Katie shivered for she was never sure what the eldest brother considered appropriate discipline and while Jocelyn seemed fine, she did not want to find out first hand. First hand, appropriate, and she giggled which made Ciarán grin down at her and hold her tighter.

  "Parker is staying in town tonight, but he does not want Kelli coming in until morning. We all decided that if we have a show of force, Kelli will stay put. Parker also gave us a little note to give to her for extra incentive," said Shane.

  "Oh, what does it say?" asked Katie.

  "I don't know and that is how it is going to stay, Miss Nosey."

  Jocelyn snorted a laugh. "Yeah, well, good luck on telling Kelli she can't go home tonight and that Parker is staying in town. I do not think that is going to go over well. You'll have to take her keys, I bet."

  "No problem," said Quinn.

  As predicted, as they delivered the information to Kelli, she kicked up a huge temper.

  "You have got to be kidding. Now you just listen to me, you oppressors of women, you Neanderthal men, I am going home. There is not going to be any roadblocks, fire in town, lack of electricity or water and I want my own bed. I am not putting up with this type of behavior. I am a grown woman."

  Kelli reached to grab her bag and keys and Shane said, "Oh, I forgot to give you this from Parker."

  Kelli snatched the folded paper and silently read it. As she began to read it, her face changed from furious and ready to take control to irritated but powerless. Whatever Parker had said in his note, she crammed it into her pocket, threw her keys into her bag, and said, "Fine. So which room am I staying in?"

  Katie whistled and said, "Man that is power. Parker's not even here and could do what four O'Connor men could not, he got what he wanted and he wasn't even here to make it happen."

  "Oh, shut up," barked Kelli.

  Quinlan said, "Maybe I should look at what he put on that paper, I think I could use that on Cheyenne because while I like the fight, she is sometimes hard to keep in line, you know?" Everyone laughed except Kelli, who stomped upstairs to her usual guest room and slammed the door. Then she came out having forgotten they were now boy rooms and gathered her things to go home with Ciarán and Katie. The cabins had the rest of the visiting O'Connors and workers.

  Ciarán observed, "That sounds like all the women the O'Connor men are attracted to. They are determined but exciting. But right now, we need to go home and I think Kelli woke up my nephew, Liam, so we'll see you all tomorrow, but not too early tomorrow." Everyone laughed and agreed.

  The next week, Katie was going in to discuss expanding her public health work to the new Bhaile Haven. Jocelyn having some work to follow up on and Liam some supplies, they all decided to drive into Missoula together. Finishing and going into the mall for some lunch, Liam and Jocelyn went in one direction leaving Katie to look on her own for a while. Katie found a lovely set of sexy lingerie, with a push-up corset designed to highlight her breasts. Ciarán would be ecstatic. She added all the appropriate accessories and as she was checking out, a familiar voice was asking if it was really her. Turning as she was paying, she froze in her tracks a bit, seeing her old college boyfriend that she was in a crush with for almost all of her junior year in college until he tried to take what she wasn't offering and then succeeded in terrorizing her for the remainder of the last semester. Now here he was, coming closer and had spied what she was purchasing for her husband's enjoyment. It felt as though he was violating her privacy going where she did not want him to go, again.

  Standing between the counter that held her purchase as it was placed in a bag and Stuart, she gave him a wary smile and said, "Hello, Stuart."

  "Is that all you have to say to me after the time that has passed and what we meant to each other?"

  Clearly shaken a bit, Katie turned her back to him and received her bag, thanked the clerk, signed her receipt and turned to go. "I need to leave now." However, he would not let her go and he blocked her path.

  "Hey, wait, can I take you to get a bite to eat or a coffee?"

  "I don't think so. I am married now, Stuart." Katie was wishing with all her might that Ciarán were with her right now.

  Stuart seemed to digest the information for a moment and then appeared to disregard it as not important. "No problem, baby, we can just spend some no strings time together, he won't ever know. You used to like it with me, I know you did, and I know you liked what we did." He reached over and ran his hands down her arm, giving her an uncontrollable shiver.

  Katie was feeling just a bit nauseous, and said, "I have a few more places to go before I am done today. I really need to go. Please leave me alone."

  She was beginning to feel that dread that he had often created in her belly when she was near the end of dating him. That fear of danger. She could feel that cold chill up her spine that she had before she ended it with him. The memories began to come crashing through her psyche. The memories she had tried so hard to divest herself of were now intrusive. He had not wanted to end it. Then had come the complaint that was filed, the fear of being found and finally the immense relief to finish that semester. After that, she was able to go on to complete nursing school in another college.

  She had not seen him since, but the memories of what she had liked and didn't like with him, especially when the sex turned from exciting and fun with a little BDSM to cruelty. She had no masochistic interests and he became only sadistic and not in a controlled, loving way, but a destructive, selfish way. She did not enjoy the name-calling and the rough, disrespectful and downright
abusive behavior. She had run as soon as she could.

  Ciarán often tried to take her to the next level past plain vanilla, but she was so afraid to after Stuart, even though she knew she liked it to some extent, she just couldn't risk it again, not with Ciarán, not with anyone. She was learning to do without the extra excitement in exchange for safety. She gritted her teeth for love spanks because she knew if she let Ciarán do them, she ended up extremely aroused. Ciarán would hold her down, but he seemed to see when it got too much and naturally released her, but she was ultimately excited if she could get past the initial fear that came since being with Stuart.

  *****

  Just as Katie reached for her phone to call her, Jocelyn came up behind them. She looked at Katie with a bit of shock. She turned and looked at the man standing close to her and narrowed her eyes.

  Stuart reached his hand behind Katie, placing it on her upper arm, and said, "Hi, I am Stuart, an old friend of Katie's."

  Jocelyn, still staring at Katie, who had frozen in place, put her best social work face on intent on observation, and said, "Hello, I am Katie's sister, Jocelyn."

  Stuart looked perplexed and said, "Hang on, she doesn't have any sisters or brothers, I remember that."

  Jocelyn tried to joke it off and said, "Didn't she tell you? She married into a large Irish family and she has more brothers and sisters than she knows what to do with. Speaking of which, Liam is waiting for us, Katie, so we had better go. Nice to meet you, Stuart."

  "I can take her home. We have a lot to catch up on." Stuart was tightening his grip on Katie and Jocelyn could see her look of fear.