I'd seen the place from the road a thousand times. But no matter what happened, I knew I'd never look at these ruins the same way.
All I could think about was getting another chance to look at anything at all. If I didn't do exactly what they said, just the way they wanted it, they wouldn't hesitate to drive over my head – or maybe worse.
The skinny man wouldn't let go of my arms, even for a second. His clammy paws pulsed, gradually angling themselves lower while his boss wasn't looking.
I closed my eyes and said a prayer. Above us, the deep blue sky shimmered like an upside-down sea, strangely at odds with everything else.
If anyone's looking out for me, now's the time. Ethan, Pa, God...whoever and wherever you are, I need your help. If not me, then help my baby. Please, save both of us.
When I opened my eyes, Gordon had tossed his cigarette to the ground. He was running outside, and I felt an added unease creeping through my captor's arms, like slow moving static passing through me.
My eyes went wide. There was a scuffle just behind the worn wall, two men shouting angrily and something clattering to the ground.
When Gordon returned, my face fell toward the ground. My prayers had been answered, but not in any way I wanted.
Ethan stood before me, tall and strong, even in real peril. I couldn't see what Gordon had digging into his back, but I knew it was something more menacing than his hand.
He carried a gun I recognized in his opposite arm. He'd gotten Ethan's weapon too, and now he was doubly armed. Twice as dangerous.
“Let's go, fucker. This way.”
I tried not to look at him as Gordon guided him over. The worst thing we could do was let them know that we knew each other. But then, they probably realized that.
Still, I wasn't stupid. They'd see message between us as an escape attempt.
I didn't want to find out what they'd do us if they thought we were trying to get away, right under their noses.
Calmer, Gordon resumed his slow drag on a seemingly endless cigarette. Skinny Marco wasn't holding onto me as tight anymore – not when he had to closely watch my lover too.
I hadn't realized how much time had passed until Ethan appeared. He spread his hands on his big thighs, just inches away, so close it was hard not to tip away from the criminal and crash into his arms.
I longed for his comfort. Needed it so bad it hurt.
At one point, he looked at me, eyes bright as new emeralds.
Is everything okay? I saw the question there, stark and silent.
I nodded, answering his imaginary words.
“Keep yourself steady, bitch,” Marco snorted behind me. “Don't get so god damned antsy. We'll be moving you along soon enough.”
“Yeah. It's about time for that.” Gordon turned around, a sadistic gleam in his eye as he looked us over one last time.
“What's your story, cowboy? Hmm? You came here to find your little girlfriend?” Twisting his lips into a new terrible smile, he grabbed for Ethan's chin, fighting him with one hand as he shook his head.
“I'll take that stupid hat too. We're not leaving anything to ID you if we wind up dumping off your bodies.” Ethan flinched as the criminal raised the hat away, lifting it up to his nearly bald head, laughing coldly.
I started to sweat. Ethan looked like he was about to explode, a human spring loaded with buckshot.
“Come on. Up, up! Just like Gordon says.” Marco kicked near my belt, catching my shirt and briskly scratching the skin of my low back.
Ethan stood up too, his chest noticeably rising and falling much faster than before. He was going to blow – it was just a question of when and how.
We all followed Gordon to the rusted Escalade parked just a few feet from a familiar black pickup.
The head thug waited near the vehicle and slipped something into Marco's hands. I swallowed hard, realizing it was probably the extra gun he needed to hold us both at bay, without any problems.
At least I hope there won't be trouble. I'm more worried about Ethan. God, please let him box away the killer instinct. Just this once.
If he doesn't, we're both done for.
I cut my searing hopes off there. My prayers had already twisted around on me once, like someone playing a sick joke.
I couldn't risk another fiery slap from God, the universe, or whatever else had brought my lover and I to these brutal men.
Did Pa keep praying as they killed him? I wondered, flinching as Marco crammed me into the cold leather seat next to Ethan.
Pa hadn't been the most faithful churchgoing man, but he hadn't stopped believing. I was the opposite.
Too many skeptics in the city had tarnished my girlhood faith. I pinched my eyes closed and forced away the deadly thoughts, knowing I wouldn't be able to comfort myself or anyone else if the final moment came.
The Escalade took off like a rocket. Gordon drove more recklessly than I'd noticed on the way there.
It seemed that we weren't the only ones getting anxious.
Sunset was almost finished. The dying sun sank beneath the horizon, casting a deep red autumnal glow across the landscape.
Twilight for the plains. I don't care what happens next, as long as it isn't twilight for us.
The dirt road leading back to our area was almost a straight shot. The Escalade rounded its first wide turn when I heard a loud thump in front of me, somewhere near the pedals.
“What the fuck? Brakes are stuck or something,” Gordon muttered.
Ethan looked toward me as I heard the driver's foot slam onto the brakes several more times. The vehicle would fly straight into a deep ditch if he didn't make the turn.
We locked eyes, and I saw him nod his head once, just before he pounced. The cabin exploded with the sounds of men yelling as Ethan's hands locked around Marco's neck.
It was so sudden I didn't have time to ponder if he was trying to choke off his breath or crush the thug's Adam's Apple. The truck zig-zagged more violently, slowing only a little bit as Gordon fought to pry Ethan's hands away.
“Now! Open the door, Cat, now!”
The adrenaline racing through my veins made me react faster than I thought possible. I held my breath and popped the door, fighting the air pressure to push it open.
The time for choices was over. One of them had managed to grab the gun, and I heard its deafening shot before I went sailing into the hot evening air with Ethan, crashing to the ground and rolling, rolling, rolling.
It was like being on a ship in a storm, an airplane crash – maybe even both at once. Somehow, Ethan had tucked himself around my whole body, absorbing the teeth chattering impact.
We screamed together, slowing dramatically as his body zipped over some thin brush. I was still paralyzed and shrieking long after we stopped.
I ended up on his chest. I stretched out my limbs, amazed that I was alive in one piece.
Rolling off him, I braced my hands on my head to steady the vertigo spinning in my head.
When I could finally think straight, I leaned to Ethan, checking him as best as I could. He was barely conscious, bleeding heavily from the temple.
Instinct took over, and I sent the thinking, emotional part of me into the lonely basement. My fingers tore at the hem of my shirt, cutting makeshift bandages here in the dirt and broken branches.
I ignored my minor scrapes as I applied the fabric to the big gashes along his arms. I pressed the biggest one to his head, shaking when I saw how much blood had been dabbed up.
“God, hold on with me, Ethan. You're going to be okay. Help is coming.” I bit my tongue, unsure if the words were anything other than bitter lies.
It wasn't totally nightfall yet. Sooner or later, someone had to pass and phone in the wreck. But I knew it would probably be at least an hour before someone found us. Possibly an hour or two too long.
“Is it true?” He whispered, closing his eyes to rest.
“What? What are you asking me?” My voice shook with my body. I seized his large
hand and pulled it to my breasts, kissing the long scratch running across the back of his hand.
“Are you really pregnant?”
I smiled. In his state, I expected his mind to be on a million things. Anything besides that.
“Yes! We did, Ethan. I took the test this morning. You shouldn't have found out this way, but...”
“Any way is fine with me.” He squeezed my hand.
“I'm happy. You could take away my arms and legs right now, and I'd still be satisfied, knowing that you and I have made a miracle together. Our miracle.”
His fingers went slack in mine. I pounded on his hand, desperate to get him to stay with me.
I didn't know much about medicine, but I knew the obvious dangers of slipping into unconsciousness after a severe shock to the system.
I knew it might be his very last sleep, and I couldn't allow that. I had to fight.
“Oh, no. No, baby. Stay with me. Let's talk about the baby while we wait for someone.” I quietly whispered my thanks when he squeezed my hand again.
“I'm hoping we have a boy,” I said, smiling through my terror. “What do you think?”
The next hour or so was a battle keeping him awake. Every time he drifted off, I slapped the side of his cheek, sometimes kissing him awake with hot lips and fallen tears.
He woke up every time, but it was getting harder, taking more effort to keep him with me.
Sometimes, I had to leave him to peer up across the road, afraid that one of the dead eyed killers had survived the deadly crash. There wasn't any sign of either man.
I was screaming through the darkness, trying to keep my loud, shrill whispers as pleasant as possible when the sirens showed up. I ran out into the road, and the racing police car saw me.
An ambulance showed up a minute later. More police streamed in, probably ninety percent of the whole force in our area, making me eat my words about their total worthless.
At least they're good for something. If they save his life, I'll forgive all the rest. I'll forgive them forever.
A kind senior officer let me climb in the ambulance that spirited him to the nearest hospital. I ambled next to his stretcher as long as I could, ignoring the sharp pain every time I bent my right knee.
I trailed him, just one step behind the doctors and nurses surrounding him, rapidly wheeling him into surgery.
“Stay out here, ma'am,” a young man in blue scrubs said. “And, jeez, it looks like you could use some help yourself. Go over to the front desk and get yourself checked out.”
I ignored his advice and sat in the waiting room. I didn't care how many people shot me weird looks.
I must've looked like I just crawled out of a war zone, and I didn't care.
Let them look. I'm proud, no matter what happens, wearing these scrapes and pains with pride.
They're proof that I have a hero. How many people can really say that?
All that mattered was having my lover, my cowboy, and the father of my child back in one piece.
IX: Set Free
We'd picked a cold day to hold a party. The wind blew along the table outside Ethan's newly painted ranch house, rustling the tablecloth.
I was glad I'd brought my jacket. The sunny morning and unsteady weather prediction the previous evening made me feel like a wuss for slinging it over my shoulders when I stepped outside.
But everyone seemed to be dressed in more than one layer. Jimmy, Dean, and a long table lined with familiar faces from the Nichols and Hartz clans shifted their fall jackets tighter, bracing themselves to be outside even longer.
“Hi, everyone.” At last, Ethan stood, pulling me up toward him.
“You all know why I've called you here today. We're gonna have a little speech, and then a bash to celebrate my engagement to the finest woman in the world, Cat Nichols.”
I flushed red, helping to steady him as his big arm wrapped around me. My eyes hit the ground to avoid all the attention on us, but I couldn't help but catch sight of his thick silver cane.
Ethan's opposite hand leaned on it, a little less firmly every day. I was amazed at how quickly his recovery had been.
He'd suffered several cracked ribs, a shattered ankle, a pulled knee on the other leg, and a really nasty blow to the head. Two surgeries and a whole lot of aftercare had put him on the right path, but it was mostly his own tireless will that got him walking so fast.
“This woman has changed my life more than any of you here can imagine. What's amazing to me is just how much happiness and love can grow from sorrow.” He paused, reaching for the small glass near his plate.
He brought it to his lips and took a sip, mulling over his next words.
“When we met, she was reeling from her Pa's death. I liked Mister Nichols a lot. Hell, I wish he were right here with us today, watching us plan our wedding with a baby on the way.” He closed his lips and shook his head exactly once. “Okay, well, maybe not exactly like that, but you know what I mean!
Folks make mistakes, but only little ones. Good people do the right thing in the end.”
Everyone laughed. I smiled sweetly, growing more aroused by the minute as his hand tightened on my shoulder.
“Point is, we're gonna be a wedded item now, and nothing's gonna stop us. We faced down her fathers killers together and survived. We helped jump start our farms. I know a lot of you are a little nervous about what's going to happen when we merge together, but it'll be just like her and I, close friends becoming one in a big, happy family.”
To my surprise, several men shook their heads further down the table. Ethan hadn't been making the rounds as boss for a couple months, reluctantly following the doctor's orders. That didn't lose him any respect among his men.
“But we don't need to talk about the future today. Everybody here knows it's bright. These kinds of get togethers are always so focused on the happy things to come. For us, there are a lot of them, but you know what? I want to just stop and savor the present for a little while. I want to celebrate today, right here with all of you, especially my little Cat.”
Soft applause rang out. I let go of my self-consciousness for a second, lost in the fiery warmth of his lips. His kiss felt extra good out here, with autumn's chill currents barreling onto us.
I tasted the ghostly heat of summer's passion on his lips, the otherworldly vitality that had bound us together from the very start. Some of the men looked away uncomfortably as I licked at his bottom lip, teasing his tongue to respond in time.
Luckily, he had more sense than me at that moment. Ethan detached himself with a broad grin.
“Come on, guys and gals. Let's pull up our coats, kick off our boots, and have a little music.”
At his orders, one of the teens who worked on both our farms switched on the stereo waiting on the patio. Country music howled with the wind, bringing a smile to everyone's face.
I reached for a leftover fudge rectangle on my plate. I'd tried to curb my sweet tooth as I neared my second trimester, but sometimes a pregnant lady just has to indulge herself.
“Why don't you swallow that and follow me? I'll show you something much sweeter.”
I grinned and licked my lips, following the urgent tug on my wrist. We stepped through the back door without notice, knowing full well that our guests were too busy with drink and good company to notice our absence.
All the way to the den with his fireplace, I thought about his proposal.
It had taken me by surprise, just like everything else in this relationship. It was on my fifth day of caring for him, the first I'd hung out inside his house.
It was just as well. After my abduction, I wasn't in any hurry to be at home alone so soon.
I got him everything, dispatching orders to his managers in between ice packs and hot soup. He was laying on the sofa with his battered legs propped up that evening, leaving me just enough space to slide in next to him.
“Do you think we're really safe?” I asked, betraying the greatest fear that had been in the ba
ck of my mind since we flung ourselves from the Escalade.
“I know we are,” he said. “I made the mistake of firing warning shots the first time. I should've killed those bastards when I had the chance. Thank God I cut the brakes when I did. If it wasn't for that Plan B when they took my gun...”
“Yeah.” I didn't want to consider the possibilities. “I just, I don't know, keep wondering if they're really done. Whatever pack of animals those thugs came from, I mean.”
“They're done. These fucking creeps go after easy prey. Sending two dead guys and a whole pound of drugs into the DEA's hands has scared them off for awhile, I'd say.” His eyes looked past the fireplace, as if he were peering through the wall.
“God, I don't want to think about the way the money would've disappeared if I'd done anything different. Let alone the way you or I might've been disappeared along with it.”
“Oh, I know. It's still right where it belongs,” I added, tensing my jaw.
It was the first time we'd approached the subject of what had gotten us into so much trouble since the accident. He looked up at me, wincing to process his pain as he shifted his weight and reached for my hands.
“Let's use it for something good. And I'll be damned if much is getting wasted on my medical bills.”
“Hey, we already talked about this. I'm going to pay for whatever your insurance won't cover. It's only fair. As for the rest...I don't know. Makes me sick to think about spending it on anything.”
He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I have an idea. Sooner or later, you're going to move in, aren't you? Why not use it to make a few upgrades here? We'll need a nursery...maybe a big one if this is just baby number one.”
I started laughing, hoping I didn't offend him. The offbeat suggestion didn't make much sense when he first said it, but after a few minutes of thought...
“Maybe you're onto something. I wouldn't mind putting it into renovations for our son or daughter.
Maybe stashing a little in a future education fund too.”
He nodded eagerly. Then my brow wrinkled.
“Only thing is, why are you so sure it's gonna be your place? Why not mine?”
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