“Rick still wants to break the mustang.” Jerry said.
“Hell no.” I blurted.
Chase and Jerry turned their heads at the same time and stared at me.
Whoops…
I slouched down and winced, “I mean…breaking sounds so…mean.”
Chase started laughing and nodded. “Took the words right out of my mouth. Hell no, he’s not going to break Firefly.”
“Who?” Jerry glanced between us.
“I named the horse.” I said.
“Of course you did. We’ll make it a family affair. Between me, Chase and Grant, Firefly will be trained.” Jerry smiled, reaching for his pipe. “So how are you liking the ranch?”
I smiled back. “I love it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s amazing. I don’t know how Chase was able to leave for Florida.”
“Speaking of…when are you headed home?” he was fishing like Millie, and by the look in his eyes he’d caught a whopper when Chase didn’t answer him. “Damn, I wasn’t sure I believed Millie when she told me. Are you sure you wanna do this?”
I swallowed. “Well, it’s not fully decided yet. Mostly, I’m considering my options.”
“And what will your parents say?” Jerry puffed a few times.
“They don’t actually know I’m here…” at this point, I also figured they didn’t care anymore. I hadn’t spoken to my father since the night of the dance. It’s not like I couldn’t have called, there were a few times I almost did, but I wasn’t going to go out of my way to seek them out. If they wanted to know where I was, they’d call me.
“Good lord, you two really stepped in the shit.” His uncle started laughing and had to set his pipe down. It fascinated me that Chase wasn’t getting into trouble over the fact that we had this unspoken plan of me not going back to Florida, ever. “Well, if this is meant to be it will be.”
“You’re awfully calm.” Chase observed.
“Since when have I ever been the kind of man to make decisions for you? I’m not your father. I’m your guide. I’m here to help you be what you’re supposed to be, not run roughshod over your life.” Jerry shrugged, picking his pipe back up. “Besides, I don’t have any room to talk. I married Millie when I was a year older than you two. Just make sure you really think this through, that’s all I ask.”
“Jerry!” We jumped at the sound of Millie’s shrill cry and were on our feet when she came into the office, gray hair in a tizzy. “Dustin called. Your brother’s been in a car accident. He’s at the hospital.”
“Oh god,” I gasped about the same time as the rest of them.
Jerry sighed. “When it rains, it rains hard. We’ll leave in fifteen minutes.”
Millie flew out of the room.
Jerry looked back at Chase and me. He wasn’t showing much emotion, mostly I think it hadn’t sunk in yet. “You two can hold down the fort until we get back.”
I gave Uncle Jerry a hug and Chase patted him on the back, telling him we’d be fine and not to worry. He helped his uncle warm up one of the trucks and I made sure Millie hadn’t forgotten anything important.
Fifteen minutes later they were gone. Chase told me Jerry’s brother was Dustin’s grandfather. We were worried about his family, but there was nothing we could do.
We snuggled under another of Millie’s quilts on the living room couch, looking up through the skylight. The moon was bright and round, lighting up the night sky. Sounds of the wind howling outside and of a distant wolf, or maybe coyote, made me shiver, but we were safe. I wasn’t used to being near so much wildlife. It felt like it was how things should be though, so close to nature. Like we were apart of it.
I was tired, almost falling asleep next to Chase, but one question nagged at me.
“Are you awake?” I whispered.
“I am now,” he yawned. “What’s up?”
“I’m worried.”
“Lay it on me.”
“Are we doing something wrong. Am I? If I stay here…”
“Briar, no. You will stay. You’re not going anywhere.” He held my hands in his, “unless you want to.”
I shook my head, feeling so torn. Was I making a huge mistake? An impulse decision that I’d regret for the rest of my life? “I don’t want to go.”
“Then I don’t understand why you’re upset.” He said. “Just forget about me, and forget about everything else for a second. What do you want above anything? I know what I want. I always have.”
What did I want? “I…I just want to be happy.”
“You weren’t before?”
I stared up at the moon and sighed. “You can’t imagine what it feels like to be surrounded by so many people and feel completely alone. I had tons of friends. Not one of those relationships felt real. They were all fake. They wanted something out of me, and used me. I used them too. It’s what we did. It was shallow. I always knew it was wrong…and then you found me in the park. You were so strong, not letting what they say get to you. It made me realize that if you could do it, so could I.”
“Hey, it’s okay. You are not shallow. You’re a good person Briar.”
“Thanks,” I tucked my head under his chin and closed my eyes. “Still doesn’t mean we’re making the right choice.”
“Are we basing our choices on what other people think we should do?” he asked, smoothing my curls off my forehead. “Or are we going to do what we want and damn them all?”
I smiled. “Damn them all?”
“Is that your final answer?” he leaned back to look down at me.
“Is it yours?”
He grinned. “I asked you first.”
Without looking at him I pulled the blanket off us and folded it, laying it on the back of the couch. I could feel him watching me, waiting for my answer. I left him hanging, really taking my time as I stood and grabbed his boots off the floor.
I motioned for him to follow me.
He raised an eyebrow in question, but was off the couch in a smooth move, taking my hand. I led him upstairs to his room. We stopped in front of his door.
“Briar?”
It was hard to keep a straight face as I handed him his boots. I wanted to smile, but I didn’t.
“Goodnight,” I kissed him on the cheek and backed up slowly, holding his confused gaze. As I opened my door I glanced over my shoulder and finally gave him my brightest, happiest smile. “And damn them all, cowboy. Damn them all.”
Chapter 22
I leaned back against the door after I’d closed it. I’d remember the look of elation on Chase’s face for the rest of my life.
He had dropped his boots and crossed the hallway to kiss me. I hardly had time to register what happened. The only thing I was sure of was our decision.
Exhausted and beyond happy, I struggled into my pajama’s and fell into bed. I couldn’t have imagined a better summer.
My dreams were filled with Chase and with dancing and riding horses.
But I became restless, my mind coming to full alert.
It was the middle of the night when I got a chill.
I woke with a start.
My bedroom door was open.
“Hello?” I got out of bed and went into the hallway, thinking Chase was up. His door was right across from mine, and it was closed.
I took a few steps and stopped in the middle of the hallway. The stairs creaked. I inched closer and locked eyes on a figure moving in the dark.
My legs nearly gave out they shook so badly. I spun and slipped in something cold and damp on the floor. I didn’t stop to see what it was, afraid to look down. I ran for Chase’s room and threw open the door.
“Chase!” Maybe I’d been dreaming. Maybe Chase’s house was haunted. I wasn’t going to hide under the covers until morning wondering though. “Chase, wake up.”
“What?” he groaned.
I shook him hard. “Get up. Now.”
He flipped on the lamp on the bedside table. Light flooded the room and I sq
uinted. “Briar, what’s wrong?”
“Someone’s in the house.”
He sat up and yawned. “What?”
“I got up and there was a man on the stairs.” I ground out, glancing over my shoulder.
He rubbed his face and blinked. “You sure you weren’t dreaming?”
“Well…” I wiggled my toes and decided that if I had dreamed it up, I wouldn’t have wet feet. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Chase threw off the covers and grabbed his jeans off the floor. He was wearing boxers, but I averted my eyes anyway, if only to keep from blushing.
“Stay here,” he went into the hall. “Briar, go back to my room.”
“No,” I didn’t want to be alone. “What if he shows up while you’re gone?”
Chase grunted in reply and flipped on the hall light. “Shit.”
“More like mud.” There were footprints on the stairs. I looked down at my feet and realized what I’d stepped in hadn’t been water. “At least I know I’m not dreaming.”
Chase pulled me back to his room. He let go of me to open the door of his closet and he pulled out a shotgun.
“What are you doing?” Why wasn’t I more freaked out? Where I was from, if anyone got out a gun it was cause for concern. Here though…it was normal. I peeked in his closet. Hunting knives, bullets, a crossbow, and other things I couldn’t identify were neatly arranged right next to his clothes. “You do know how to use that, right?”
“I’m going to check the house.” Chase eyed me, shaking his head. “Now this time, stay. I mean it.”
I wasn’t going to argue and sat on the edge of the bed. Chase slipped out the bedroom door and cracked it shut behind him. He shut off the hall light.
I held my breath waiting to hear a shot ring out.
It felt like forever. I couldn’t breathe right again until the door opened and he came back into the room. “Well?”
“Kitchen door was open. I would have tried to track him, but I’m not leaving you here alone.” He grimaced, tucking the gun under his arm. “I locked up the house. We can go check the cameras upstairs.”
I followed him out of the room and to the loft where they kept the office. Chase fired up a computer and sat at the desk, drumming his fingers on the wood. A few minutes later we watched a hooded figure slip up the porch steps into the kitchen. Shortly after he was running out.
“Well, at least we know he’s not in the house.” Chase hit a few buttons, zoomed, and watched it three more times.
“It was a man.”
“Can’t see his face though.” He was just a dark silhouette.
“What are we going to do?”
“Good question,” He picked up the office phone, punched in a number, and set it in the cradle with the speaker on and waited.
“Sherriff Reed.”
“Hey, Chase here. We’ve had a break in.”
The sheriff cursed. “That’s a first. You catch the intruder?”
“No. Got the guy on camera, but no way to ID the asshole.”
The sound of a horn blaring overtook the call for a few seconds and the sheriff came back on. “I’m about an hour away from you. A semi jackknifed and slid off the road, taking a couple cars with him.”
“Shit.”
“He was carrying cattle. No fatalities, so don’t worry about that. We’re trying to round up the animals and contact the owner. I don’t know when I can make it out. Might not be till morning.” He shouted something unintelligible and excused himself. “Sorry, just tell your Uncle…”
“Jerry and Millie are gone. I’ve got my…” Chase smiled at me, “I’ve got my girlfriend with me.”
“What about your cousin, Grant?” He asked. “You sure you want to be up in the big house alone?”
“Grant has kids. If the guy who broke in is still out there, he shouldn’t leave Holly and the boys.”
Sam agreed. “I’ll call when I’m on my way…might not be till morning though.”
“I’ve locked up.” He hesitated, “Sam, I’ve got a feeling about that barn fire…and now this.”
“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.” Before Sam hung up his voice became hard and insistent. “I know you’re young, and this is a lot to ask, but if someone gets in that house, Chase, you shoot. Don’t hesitate.”
“I will,” Chase hung up the phone and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Why would someone come all the way out here to sneak inside?” and why would someone torch a haystack?
“I don’t know. We’re going to find out. We’ll see what the hands say in the morning. Maybe they saw something.”
I swallowed a lump on my throat as we left the office. “People just don’t come out here. They don’t start fires, either.”
He cursed, glancing away. “Briar, lets go back to bed.”
“No.” I stamped my foot. “You’re leaving something out.”
“Briar…”
“Come on, don’t look at me like that.” I snapped. “You know him, don’t you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Well, then what?” I asked. “Who breaks into a house full of guns and knives and bear skin rugs if they don’t have a death wish?”
“Someone who probably knows us.” He finally said. “You’re right, people don’t come to a ranch like this. Burglars wouldn’t dream of it.”
I let out a shaky breath. “So…what? He had a motive or was looking for something?”
Chase stopped outside my room and kissed my forehead. The action was comforting enough to ease my nerves, but not completely repair them. I wouldn’t feel better until the man was caught. “I have no idea. The dogs never alerted us, so they knew him. If it had been a stranger they would have woken me up. We will figure it out.”
“Okay,” I eyed the carpet and the muddy footprints. “Should we clean?”
“No, Sam might want to see it. If we have to, we’ll replace it. Not a big deal.” He said, and pushed the door to my room open wide. “Get some rest.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sleeping, not in there. You can forget it. Those footprints were right outside my door.”
Chase let out a heavy sigh, “Okay, take my room, I’ll be up for a few minutes, keeping an eye on things.”
“Fine,” I went into his room and shut the door.
If I slept it would be miracle.
Chapter 23
Chase
The next morning I woke up with a blonde draped across my chest and a hunting knife under my pillow. I smiled. Briar wasn’t going to sleep alone, and I wouldn’t sleep if I thought she was scared all night.
I slipped out of my bed, dressed, shoved the knife in my boot and headed down to grab some breakfast. I made a pot of coffee, knowing I’d need all the caffeine I could get.
I’d had a feeling Briar wouldn’t be okay and went to check on her a little while after I’d bedded down on the couch in the living room. I’d found her sitting up against the headboard, hugging a pillow and watching the door.
It took me putting a loaded shotgun by my bed, a sheathed hunting knife under my pillow, and my dresser in front of bedroom door to get her to lie down and close her eyes.
The house phone rang and I picked it up. “McCree Ranch.”
“Hi honey!” my mom’s voice came cheerily over the line. “I just wanted to call before your day got too busy.”
I smiled, “How are you?”
“Oh, fine. Todd’s going to use your room as a gym. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Nope, tell him to have at it.” I knew she was still hoping I’d come back, but she hoped in vain. I loved this place too much. “Miss you.”
“I miss you too. How is Briar doing? Is she liking it there?”
I sat at the kitchen table and watched the coffee percolate. “She’s doing great, and she loves it.”
My mom was quiet for a beat. “Really?”
I let out a breath. “I know we’ve talked about things, and that you didn’t like it here…but Briar�
�s staying. She doesn’t want to go back home.”
“Chase,” she gasped. “You can’t keep that girl from her family. She doesn’t belong there.”
“Mom, it’s not my decision. If Briar leaves it’s her choice, I’m not asking her to stay.”
“I don’t understand. Do you want her to stay?”
“Yes.”
She sighed, “But…”
“If she goes back, I may go with her.” I added, “I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“Oh, Chase…this is a big deal.” She said. “But I can’t make you do the right thing, so I guess I’ll just tell you to be careful. How is Millie?”
I was glad for the subject change. “Good, she and Jerry are out of town for a family emergency, but both are fine.”
“I was talking to her on the phone the other night. She likes Briar.”
I rolled my eyes. What wasn’t to like about her? “Mom, I love Briar.”
Dead silence.
“Mom?”
“Uh, I think we’ll finish this conversation later.” She sounded uncomfortable. “I am going to be late for work. I love you.”
“Bye, love you too.” The phone clicked in my ear. I hung up, thinking she was going to have a hard time getting used to the idea of Briar and me. No telling how she’d act when she came to visit.
I went to grab a cup of coffee, now that it was ready, and the damn phone rang again.
“Chase,” Jerry’s voice wavered over the line. “I heard what happened. You guys okay?”
“We’re fine. The Sherriff is coming.” I added sugar and took a sip of the steaming liquid. “How’s your brother?”
“Not good. We’re in Helena. They’ve taken him in for surgery after he had a heart attack in the night, not sure if he’ll come out of it.”
“Damn,” Briar and I were really on our own now. “We’ll be okay Jerry. Try not to worry too much. We’ve got the hands and plenty of protection.”
He chuckled. “I’ll try, but I love you. And I love that little city girl too. Be safe, and we’ll see you soon.”
After some breakfast in the quiet, I was refilling my mug at the counter when I heard bare feet shuffling behind me.
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