Hell no. He did not just say that. “Lets get one thing straight. Chase is not a hick. He did not drag me anywhere, and he has never taken advantage of me.”
Except maybe that time in the pantry…and then in the storeroom.
Of course, I’d taken advantage of him too.
We were even.
“Honey, people like that see important people like us, our money, and they want an easy ticket. You’re just confused. He’s using you to get to me.”
I laughed, loud. “Don’t flatter yourself. Chase has plenty of his own money. He doesn’t need yours.”
“Briar, I want you on a plane for Florida tonight.” He was shouting again. “If you are not home in twenty four hours you are cut off. You can hitch hike to Grandma’s for all I care, or enjoy you’re life in the sticks.”
“How long did it take for you to realize I wasn’t really with Grandma?” I asked. “You never seemed to care before, so why should I assume you care now?”
“Briar, this is not the time.”
“When is?” I shouted. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”
“Your mother and I are having problems.”
Well this wasn’t new. “What now?”
“She’s been having an affair.”
No surprise there. The sanctity of marriage didn’t mean anything to my parents. I never told Grandma half the stuff that went down at my house. “This wouldn’t be her first.”
“Shut your mouth and get your ass on a plane.”
Chase started to crowd me, looking like he wanted to jerk the phone out of my hand. I patted his chest. “Dad, I think the best thing for you to do is to come here.”
“What?” he sounded appalled. “You think I’m going to fly to Montana to a cattle ranch?”
“If you want to see me again, you will.”
He started shouting again and I hung up.
Chase pulled me into his arms and rested his head on top of mine. “It’s okay.”
“I’m an inconvenience.” I felt numb. “That’s all. He wasn’t even worried about me. He was worried about his marriage to my mother, and that you were using me to get to his money.”
Chase sighed and hugged me tighter. “I’ve got more money than he does. Of that I’m positive.”
“He said he was going to cut me off. Hitch hike home or enjoy living in the sticks.” I took the tissues Chase offered me and blew my nose. The great thing about crying around him was that he didn’t care. Alex had said once that when I cried I looked ugly. But Chase thought I was pretty, even first thing in the morning with bed head.
“He’ll come.” He sounded so sure.
“Yeah, to prove he is right.” I wiped my eyes and smiled up at him. “But the great thing about that is we know he’s wrong.”
Once I felt I didn’t look like I’d been balling my eyes out, Chase and I went back to Sam. It was nearing midnight and the storm was going full blast when the phone rang again. Only this time it was Chase’s cell phone.
“Someone tried to break into Grant’s house.” Chase said when he hung up. “He shot him in the leg.”
“Who was it?” I asked.
“Tom.”
Sam stood. “Well, this is my queue.”
Chase nodded, confused and resigned. “Part of me thought it was Rick.”
I was thinking the same thing, but maybe he was just a surly guy, and not a criminal.
Chase wanted to go with him. I could tell by the way he hovered on the threshold, watching Sam get into one of the ranch trucks. He wasn’t going to ride his horse into the storm. “Go with him. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“No, I’m not leaving you here alone.”
I gave him a kiss and a push onto the porch. “Go.”
With a nod, Chase ran through the rain to the waiting truck and hopped in with Sam. I watched the red taillights disappear down the dirt drive before I shut the door and locked it. The sooner he got back, the better I’d feel.
Chapter 26
Chase
Something didn’t feel right. From the moment I got in the truck with Sam, I was worried. I wanted to confront Tom, but leaving Briar alone made me feel ill.
I loved her more than I thought I could love someone. More than I loved my ranch. I knew I was young, but I also knew that no amount of time would ever change the way I felt for her. Briar was everything I wanted.
Sam patted my back, “You’re quiet.”
“It feels wrong leaving her.”
“Welcome to being in love,” he chuckled. “She’ll be fine.”
I almost told him to turn back, but kept my mouth shut. He was right. I was turning into a worrier.
Sam pulled the truck into the yard of Grant’s house. It was like a mini version of the big house, only newer. Holly had planted flowers in the front at the porch and painted the shutters yellow. Grant had thought it was a little girly, but I thought I had a nice sunny appearance. Sometimes I think it made the big house look like an ugly monstrosity.
My cousin was sitting on the front stoop, drinking a beer. He had a shotgun in hand, and his spurred boot planted on Tom’s ass. He’d hogtied the man and left him to bleed on the porch.
Sam cuffed him and cut the ropes. Checked his leg. It was just a graze, and he wasn’t bleeding enough for concern.
The interrogation was short.
Tom wasn’t talking.
I wanted to get home.
Grant shook his head, “Shoulda shot him in the ass so he thought of me every time he tried to sit down.”
Tom glared, but didn’t still say anything.
Sam spoke to Holly, who was a little shaken, but more mad than anything. She said that Tom busted the back window and let himself in the house. Grant heard him and chased him into the yard, firing so he didn’t get away.
Sam was getting ready to load him in the truck, but I had a question that would be answered. “Why’d you do that to my family?”
Tom, a man I thought we could trust, tried to shrug out of Sam’s hold, but the sheriff didn’t give him any leeway.
“Come on,” I got in his face and lowered my voice. “Only a coward can’t face me. Is that what you are?”
“You pay good, but they pay better.” He didn’t look me in the eye.
Grant cursed. “They, who?”
“Competition,” Tom snuffled his feet in the dirt, but didn’t get anywhere. “Was our job to scare you off so the big buyers could move in. You got a nice chunk of land here, shame it’s wasted on a kid like you.”
He was being paid to sabotage my ranch? “And what, I get scared and run away? My whole family just up and leaves? We’re the McCree’s. If you know anything about us, you should know we’ve survived worse than this. Drought, death, money troubles, forest fires… Long before you came, we decided nothing would run us off.”
“You listen to too many stories boy.” Tom looked at Grant. “This kid has a hard head.”
“Harder the better,” Grant nodded and smiled at me, finishing off his beer.
Sam led Tom to the truck, “Time to go.”
“Too bad one of you is soft,” Tom said, looking back at me. “City girls don’t last long out here.”
“What?” I headed after Sam, my eyes locked on Tom. “What did you say?”
Tom laughed, twisting around in Sam’s hold. “City girls don’t last long out here.”
I grabbed the front of his shirt and shook him. “Rick said that.”
“Yup,” he smiled. “How do you think I got all those fat cows to your daddy’s grave? It was his idea to torch the barn. Too bad,” he looked down the road where the lights of the big house shimmered dimly in the distance. “She seemed like a nice girl too.”
Sam was moving, shouting orders. But I didn’t hear anything he said. I spun in a circle and laid eyes on Grant’s horse tied to the post outside the house.
I ran, swung up on to his back and cut through the yard. “Yah!”
Across the field was fastest. I’d beat S
am to the house. The truck couldn’t jump fences.
Rain pelted my back. The horse listened to me, sensing my urgency. We tore though the field and plowed through the creek. The storm raged around us. Horse hooves thundered against the ground. But I was oblivious to every sound.
I knew Rick was involved. I never should have left Briar. She didn’t know how to use a gun. She had an awesome right hook.
But leaving my cheerleader to fight a ranch hand, who was probably armed?
In all my life I’d never prayed so hard.
Chapter 27
Briar
I curled up on the living room couch with Whiskers. Stinker had had another bath and hadn’t gotten into anything too funky, so I let him join us. There was an old movie on I watched when I was little with Grandma about a cat and a dog living in the wilderness. It wasn’t much of a distraction, but I knew before long Chase would be back and everything would be okay.
The house was quiet. The wind howled outside, thunder shaking the windows. There was something else though, on the wind. It was faint, and I might not have heard it if I didn’t strain my ears.
I pushed off the couch and ran to the window, pulling aside the drapes.
There was a man in the yard. I watched, thinking he was probably just working in the stables. But then I saw something else move. Something big.
A horse.
Firefly!
I went into the kitchen pulled a raincoat off the hooks by the door and threw it on. It looked like Mac. He didn’t know Firefly. She was too wild for anyone to ride. I threw open the kitchen door.
The icy rain hit me in the face. I staggered backwards. It felt like needles piercing my cheeks and lips. I forged on, taking careful steps and grabbing onto railings and parts of the fencing to keep upright.
I pulled the corral gate open, gasping at the crack of a whip.
Firefly was frantically trying to shake off a bridle. Her head whipped back and forth, and her hooves beat the ground, kicking up mud. She sounded terrified. I wondered if horses could cry. If they could, she would be crying now she was so scared.
The man cracked the whip again and shouted.
“Mac, stop.” I screamed.
He turned. “What are you doing out here? Trying to freeze to death?”
I backed up a step. It was Rick. “I’m saving this horse from you. Drop the whip and leave her alone.”
He cracked it again, grinning. “She need’s to learn who is the boss.”
“Not this way.” I motioned at the bridle. “Take it off of her, now, before she hurts herself.”
“You don’t know anything about horses, so let me do my job and go back inside.” He turned with a nasty curse.
“You’re right, I don’t know anything.” Hell, he didn’t want to piss me off. I was tired and cold. I wanted my boyfriend to get back so I didn’t have to be alone. All in all, I was ready to pitch a bitch fit. “I do know that you’re scaring her, and if you don’t let Firefly go I’m going to have to…fire you.”
His eyes narrowed, cutting into me over his shoulder. “Excuse me? Who made you boss, your boyfriend? He’s just a kid playing a man.”
“He’s more of a man than you are.” I spat, letting go of the fencing and slowly approaching. “Come here, Firefly.”
She heard me and stopped.
“Damn, fool.” Rick cracked the whip and sent the horse into another frenzy, barreling past me.
“Stop!” I whirled on him. My teeth were chattering. My hair was soaked. And my boots were ruined. But I all I cared about at this moment was a defenseless animal. “What is your problem?”
He started towards me, cracking the whip. “McCree, that’s what, and you. I’m sick of taking orders from a kid. He thinks he knows everything.”
My eyes stayed on his hands, watching the whip. I hoped Firefly didn’t accidently trample me if she came my way again, because no way was I taking my eyes off him. “Chase will be the first person to tell you that he doesn’t know everything. You’ve got him all wrong.”
His hand lowered, and I took a risk. I turned my back on Rick. My attention focused on Firefly. She’d calmed down again, just enough for me to get close. I reached up to grip the bridle, which wasn’t even fully fastened. It gave way, slowly slipping off.
A hand curled into the back of my raincoat and my feet left the ground. I couldn’t stop myself from hitting the fence. My head spun. Rick’s blurred figure appeared in front of me and his laughter hurt my ears.
“I’m a hell of a lot smarter. I knew you’d take the bait. Getting you out of the house with Chase gone was way too easy.” Rick stood over me with his hands on his hips and a satisfied smile on his face. “I’ll make you go away. Not even the McCree’s hounds will find you.”
“You wouldn’t hurt me.”
“I can shoot a cow in the head, and I can make you disappear.” He backed up a step and tilted his head to the side. “Get up, walk into the yard and stand facing the house.”
I gulped, nodded, pushed to my feet and limped past him. It wasn’t hard to pretend that I was injured. Once I was in the yard, I’d run for the house and lock myself inside.
He stayed close behind me though. His hand came down on my shoulder with bruising force.
“Seems a shame to waste a pretty girl,” Rick’s heavy sigh was followed by a soft click…
My heart leapt into my throat. I spun, kicking out my leg. I hit him square in the chest and he grunted, stumbling back.
A small gun landed in the mud between us.
Rick spit, throwing the whip to the ground. “You just can’t go quietly, can you city girl?”
I dove for the gun, beating him to it, and threw it as far away as I could. The darkness swallowed it up. At least he couldn’t shoot me.
But he could hit me.
Rick swung, his fist sailing for my head.
I ducked, he missed me twice, the third time he shoved me backwards into the mud, grabbing my wrists in each hand. I kicked both feet out, pressing against his chest, and sent him flying over my head. Then I was on my feet, tearing for the gate. I got it unlatched and shoved it open, slipping. I staggered. My knees hit the cold ground first and then my hands.
At the last second I laid flat and rolled to the side, sticking my leg out. Rick tripped and flew forward.
I drew in a deep breath and screamed, “Help!”
I got out two more screams. But then Rick was behind me, clamping his hand over my mouth and dragging me backwards toward one of the trucks.
A gunshot went off.
I screamed, squinting through the rain to see a figure headed up the drive on foot.
“Let her go Rick,” Chase’s voice was almost carried off by the wind. He lowered the gun and strode across the yard.
I didn’t just go quietly, I elbowed Rick in the ribs and shoved away from him. As soon as I was out of the way, Chase raised the gun again and pointed it at Rick. “I could shoot you right now, and I’d be within my rights. Trespassing and what, attempted kidnapping? Murder?”
Rick didn’t answer him.
I, on the other hand, was feeling chatty. “I found him whipping Firefly.” I looked at Rick, noting I’d busted his lip and winded him. Shame I hadn’t broken anything important. I still could, and I’m sure Chase wouldn’t mind…
“Tom told me everything, about you being paid by buyers interested in my land.” Chase lowered the gun a little. “The fire too.”
Rick spit blood onto the muddy ground. “Yeah, there are several interested buyers and we’re the key to what they want. You won’t last, kid.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “You’re sabotaging the McCree’s?”
“Let the big boys buy your ranch and go back to school.” Rick said.
“I won’t be young forever.” Chase said as a truck pulled into the drive. Sam leapt out of the cab, gun drawn and ordered Rick on his knees.
Rick struggled and grunted as Sam cuffed him. “You’re in over your head.
One weak paycheck and you’ll be done.”
Chase grinned. “Nah, it’ll take more than that with the investments my family has made over the years.”
Rick’s eyebrows went up. “What investments?”
“Oil you asshole.” Sam tugged him to his feet and searched him. “Lots and lots of oil. Didn’t you do your homework?”
Rick looked dumbstruck. “What?”
Chase smirked. “Most of us are rancher’s, but there was one McCree that struck it rich down in Texas. Didn’t have any heirs, so his money went to his nephew when he died.”
“Who was his nephew?”
“Will McCree, my father.”
Rick doubled over, “Fuck you.”
I glanced up at Chase. It was starting to sink in that I’d fought a man twice my size. But I never actually asked him… “How much money do you have, exactly?”
He smiled. “Enough.”
I pressed my hand to my forehead, flat staring at him. “Is this a joke?”
“Nope.” He laughed. “If you want I could buy you something to prove it.”
“Like what?”
“An island, or maybe a small country?”
I shook my head, thinking I was going to pass out, and headed for the corral Firefly was in. The bridle had come off and was stuck in the mud. I left it there and trudged over to the skittish horse.
Chase hovered at my side. “She chose you.”
I smiled, “I love her. She’s beautiful.”
“Great, she’s yours.”
I balked at him. “You can’t give me a horse.”
He shrugged. “She’s not mine to give.”
“Then…” I petted her snout.
“Like I said, she chose you. It’s her decision.”
I beamed up at him. “Can’t argue with that.”
“Briar, I’m sorry,” he touched his nose to mine. “I never should have left you.”
“Shh,” I smoothed my fingers through his hair, slicking the strands off his forehead. “It’s alright. I’m okay.”
“I love you. I’ll never leave you like that again. I swear.”
I brushed my lips over his softly. “I love you too.”
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