Maybe, With Conditions

by Mariella Starr

  "Where did you learn to drive a semi?" Nicole shouted.

  "My daddy's a truck driver," Christina yelled back. She downshifted when they saw a barrier across the road ahead. She slowed, drove the truck off the road onto the shoulder, and shut off the engine. "Stay here. I'll get help."

  A Nevada State Trooper jogged toward the truck ready to yell at the driver who had pulled over. He stopped in his tracks when a pretty woman wearing a sundress climbed from the cab and ran toward him.

  "My friend needs help," Christina shouted. "She has a broken arm."

  The trooper climbed up to assist Nicole, but his stretching and jolting of her arm were too much for her. She turned her head and threw up.

  "Are you two ladies Christina Morse and Nicole Bennett?" he asked.

  "Yes," Christina answered. "We need to contact our husbands."

  "Yes, ma'am," he said. "Half the state is out looking for you. Ma'am, what's wrong?" he asked Nicole as she staggered.

  "I think my arm's broken. Can I borrow your cell?"

  "Hold on a minute," the trooper exclaimed as he spoke into the police radio on his shoulder.

  The next few minutes were rushed and confused. The state police stopped an ambulance heading toward the depot and turned it around. Both women were given preliminary examinations. The paramedics told Nicole her arm was not broken, but her shoulder was probably dislocated. They strapped her arm to her chest saying she would receive treatment at Mount Grant Hospital as soon as she was transported.

  Meanwhile, it seemed an entire army convoy of military and county emergency vehicles passed them going in the opposite direction, on the way to the depot fire. Even from this distance of several miles, they could see the rising plumes of black smoke and fire.

  The officers asked a million questions of Nicole and Christina, but the ambulance crew ignored almost everyone. As soon as they finished, the paramedics hustled the two women into the ambulance to transport them to the hospital.

  * * *

  When Dalton's cell phone rang, he checked the caller ID. It wasn't Nicole, but was identified as Mt. Grant Hospital.

  "Dalton Calloway."

  "Dalton?"

  In a single second, he felt his heart stop. "Nic! Are you okay? Where are you?"

  Jimmy Morse grabbed his arm. "Is Christina okay?"

  "I'm in Mount Grant Hospital," Nicole replied. "Christina and I are both okay. I'm using a phone at the nurse's station, so I can't stay on long. Oh, she's already motioning for me to get off."

  "I'm on my way!" he interrupted her. "They're at Mount Grant. Let's go!" he shouted to Jimmy.

  "Jimmy hurried, but then he halted, "The kids!"

  "I have them," Mrs. Jackson exclaimed. "Go!"

  "I should drive," Dan Marshall said hurrying after them. Both men ignored him and Dalton sped out of the ranch lane before the FBI agent was even in his car.

  Dalton exceeded the posted speed limits considerably. He was also about to park illegally in a hospital administrator's space when someone backed out of a first-row visitor spot. Both men sprinted inside and saw their women sitting in the emergency patient area, calmly waiting for them.

  Jimmy swept Christina off her feet kissing her as she cried in his arms.

  Dalton went to his knees when Nicole stayed in her chair. He saw her blackening cheek and her arm in a blue sling. "You're hurt, again."

  "Nothing too serious," Nicole promised.

  "Can I hold you?"

  She nodded okay. Dalton sat beside her and cradled her to him gently.

  "Is Matty okay?"

  "He hasn't been told anything. We didn't know what to tell him," Dalton admitted. "You scared the crap out of me, again."

  "It wasn't our fault," Nicole said.

  "Were you kidnapped, Ms. Bennett?" a voice demanded. She looked up at the suited man.

  "Who are you?"

  "FBI," Dalton supplied as the man pulled out his badge. "We didn't know what happened to you and thought Barbara might have hired someone to hurt you, again."

  "It was the rustlers," Christina explained. "We accidently interrupted them and they forced us to go with them. They held a gun to us and took us to one of the bunkers at the depot where they locked us in last night."

  "Christina was amazing," Nicole said, jumping into the dialogue. "She knocked out the man with the gun, and we were able to get away because she knows how to drive a livestock truck."

  "I wouldn't have been able to hit him if Nicole hadn't blinded him with the spray paint," Christina interrupted. "Nicole was the one who kept them from catching us. She was the one shooting at them."

  "I think I might have hit something explosive in the depot," Nicole said. "There were some enormous explosions."

  Dalton and Jimmy regarded each other in stunned surprise.

  "Honey, I think we should take this discussion home," Jimmy said. "Our boys are pretty anxious to see their momma. You have never stayed out all night before and they were worried. So was I. It sounds like I had reason to worry."

  "I agree. Will they let you go home," Dalton asked Nicole.

  "I've already been released," Nicole said. "The hospital is in some kind of emergency alert. I think it's because of the depot explosions.

  "I've been X-rayed and no bones are broken. They did say the dislocation will be painful for about three weeks and it will be another three before I have full use of my arm. Can we go home, now?"

  FBI Agent Dan Marshall was making phone calls telling everyone involved with the kidnapping investigation to stand down.

  The women relayed most of the story to their men during the drive to the ranch. Once the two were home, the FBI, state police and sheriff's department questioned them as the agencies converged on the Double C, yet again. A contingency from the U.S. Army also arrived as more details of the women's harrowing afternoon and night spent in the bunker were revealed.

  When Nicole began to lag from exhaustion and the constant pain in her shoulder, Dalton called a halt to the questioning. There would plenty of time for more inquiries, later.

  Jimmy took his family home, borrowing one of the ranch vehicles since his had been destroyed. Dalton promised to replace Jimmy's truck.

  Dalton carried Nicole to bed after she convinced Matty she had been on a grand adventure and was only tired and needed rest.

  "Liar, liar, your pants should be on fire," he teased as he helped her undress and slide between the sheets. He lay down next to her cradling her in his arms until she fell asleep. Then he roamed the house, checking and then rechecking the locked windows and door. He was unable to sleep himself.

  Kay arrived with Gran and Roy Mac after midnight. They were keen to see Nicole but agreed to let her rest. He gave them the highlights of the kidnapping and reported the good news, as well as the bad. After they had gone to bed, Dalton went into his den deciding the rest of her family needed to know what had happened. Ignoring the time difference, he dialed Phillip O'Cleary's number in New York.

  * * *

  Nicole slipped out of the house to hide in her studio. She was beginning to feel like a prisoner or a butterfly specimen pinned to a display case. Everyone was kind, but they kept watching her.

  It had been several days since the abduction and the explosions. She and Christina had been questioned for two days straight. Different branches of police and various agencies, along with the Army and the Marines, continuously barraged them with new questions. The Marines were the latest addition to the long list of interrogators. Apparently, they trained at the depot once or twice a year. The six bunkers had been designated for Marine use. They never explained exactly what they did at the depot nor what was stored in the containers that caused five of them to explode.

  The military had taken over the job of extinguishing the fire. Apparently, they were still sifting through the debris. They told Nicole the process would take several weeks and would not involve civilians. Undetonated explosives would have to be neutralized by experts.

  The
connection between the rustlers and the depot was still unclear. The Military and FBI were of the opinion one of the rustlers somehow knew the bunkers were not in use and separated from the main depot. Broken locks indicated the bunkers had been used to hide the transport truck and the stolen cattle until the rustlers could move them out under the cover of darkness.

  Nicole never discovered what happened to the cattle. She had asked but wasn't told anything. While she and Christina were locked in the bunker room, they had mysteriously disappeared.

  Investigators had found two bodies in the remains of the bunkers, so far. Their identities were not disclosed, although the women were told no bullets were found in the bodies. Their deaths were attributed to the explosions. Nicole and Christina had seen at least seven men. Christina described them to the authorities while Nicole drew sketches of the three she had seen clearly.

  Nicole walked around her studio but did not attempt to do any work. She had snuck out of the house to be alone for a few minutes. Helen was hovering and worrying about her to the point where she felt smothered. Roy Mac was crowing to anyone who would listen about how brave she had been during the ordeal.

  Nicole didn't feel brave. Christina had been brave. Nicole knew she owned her life to her friend. Those men would have killed them.

  Dalton treated her as if she was made of fine-spun glass… as if she would break if he touched her. Even Mrs. Jackson catered to her, always carrying treats to her. It was endearing, but, as she kept telling everyone, entirely unnecessary.

  "Hey." Dalton's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Mom said you snuck out on them, again."

  Nicole didn't smile. "I needed peace and quiet. Everyone is hovering."

  "Everyone is worried about you," Dalton corrected her. "You need to rest; those are doctor's orders."

  "I know. I've heard it a million times. I want everything to get back to normal."

  "Okay, brat, pull yourself up by your bootstraps," Dalton said. His voice was gentle, yet firm. "Everyone loves you and cares about you. You need to appreciate their concern. They are only trying to help."

  Nicole leaned her forehead against his solid chest. "I do, and I know. Will you please tell Roy Mac I am not Supergirl? I wasn't brave. I was scared to death."

  "Not according to Christina," Dalton said in her ear. "She said you were hurt, yet you were the one giving her strength."

  "She knocked the guy out, not me! She drove us out of there."

  "Yes, she did, but it was your plan to use what tools you had on hand to disable them. MacGyver has nothing on you two gals. Cut yourself some slack, Nic. You were hurt. I've had a dislocated shoulder and I know how much it hurts. Despite all the obstacles, you two managed to outsmart the bad guys and blow up part of the depot."

  Nicole snorted at his proud tone. "They're probably going to bill me for the damages."

  Dalton smiled as he rubbed her good shoulder and worked his way to her bottom. "The way I see it, you have two choices. You can buck up, or I'll have a little set-to on your rear end as an attitude adjustment. I did tell you if you got into trouble on the trip to Reno, your ass was mine."

  She leaned into his arms and gazed up at him. "You are a kinky SOB with a thing for my bottom. As far as my ass belonging to you… well, I guess it does along with the rest of me, only you haven't been interested."

  "I'm always interested," Dalton contradicted. "You're hurt, Nic. I don't want to hurt you further."

  "Why don't you let me tell you when I hurt? My shoulder's sore, and if you're as smart as I think you are, you might find a way around the problem."

  "Is that a challenge?"

  "Consider it a dare." She stepped away from him and into her office.

  "I'll take it," Dalton said following her. He closed the door and flipped the lock.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Nicole woke to the smell of cinnamon buns and coffee. She stretched before dodging her son as he made a wild leap into the bed. She gave a yank to the sheet to cover herself and shifted so Matty wouldn't hit her shoulder.

  Dalton snagged their son by one of his legs dangling him upside down while trying to balance a breakfast tray with one hand. The boy giggled and flailed around wildly. Dalton smiled as he slid the tray on the nightstand and then flipped his boy right side up and went to one knee to be on the boy's level.

  "What did I tell you about being careful with Momma? You don't want to hurt her.'

  "Did I hurt you, Momma?" Matty asked his eyes instantly filled with concern.

  Nicole shook her head and smiled at what Matty had called her. He had picked up Dalton's habit of calling her Momma instead of Mommy. "No sweetheart, but would you go tell Gran to send up a little bit of sugar?"

  "Sure!" he answered, but not before looking at his father. "Can I tell her? Can I?"

  "No, not yet," Dalton warned pointing the boy to the door.

  Nicole slid out of bed and made a slow-motion naked dash for the bathroom returning a moment later trying to cover herself with Dalton's robe. He wrapped the robe around her left side still encased in a sling.

  "Sorry, he slipped past me," Dalton apologized as he helped Nicole back into bed. He set the breakfast tray in front of her and poured a cup of coffee before fluffing pillows behind her.

  "You don't need to pamper me," she protested. "I can get up. I can come to the breakfast table. I'm okay."

  "Not unless you want to sit in bed with a sore bottom. I let you convince me differently earlier and it caused you a setback. I am not listening to you, anymore. You will listen to me and behave. You are grounded! I have to leave in five minutes to take the boys to school. Why you won't let them ride the bus is still beyond me," Dalton complained.

  "Maybe next year," Nicole muttered. "Too much has happened. Why isn't someone else taking them? How did you get stuck with the job?"

  "Jimmy is as protective of Christina as I am of you. He's not letting her get far from him. Mrs. Jackson won't be here today because she has a tribal council meeting at the reservation. Gran's taking over the household duties for the day, but she is of the same mindset as me. She is not willing to make the drive if a bus already comes this way. Either I take him, or Matty misses another day of school. I got a letter from the principal with a warning. If our son misses two more days of attendance without a written doctor's excuse, they'll toss him out for exceeding the allowable days of truancy."

  "Why won't they make an exception?" Nicole exclaimed. "They must know about all the stuff going on out here."

  Dalton shook his head. "She knows and the school board committee knows, but they won't make an exception. A rule is a rule."

  "Idiots," Nicole grumbled.

  "Maybe, but they're in charge," he reminded her.

  Nicole sighed heavily. "I'll be able to drive him, again, in a few days."

  "Not until you get a release from your doctor this time," Dalton reminded her sternly.

  There was a slight knock on the door.

  "Come in," they chorused together.

  Nicole looked up in surprise and almost jumped out of the bed until the pain from her shoulder stopped her and she sucked in her breath.

  "Enough of that," Mrs. O'Cleary exclaimed rushing across the room and enveloping Nicole in a gentle hug.

  "Dee Dee, when did you arrive?" Nicole demanded. "You weren't supposed to be here for another couple of weeks."

  "As if I'm supposed to stay six thousand miles away when me lassie's been after gettin herself into all kinds of mischief. When Phillip told me what happened, I told him to get me here, and no dilly-dallying about it! Honestly, Nicky, from what I've heard, you've been in fierce trouble. I thought Dalton could handle you, but tis wrong I was. You always did need a firm hand, young lady."

  "Oh, she's been getting a firm hand," Dalton said, laughing at Nicole's expression of outrage. "I'll see you later, Mrs. O'Cleary. I have to deliver some boys to school. Make the brat behave. She is not allowed out of this bed for another day. She's not permitted
to paint for another week, so don't let her con you into letting her do it." He kissed Nicole leaving her in good hands.

  "He doesn't listen, either," Dee Dee scolded as they watched the door close on Dalton. "I've been after telling your young man a dozen times to call me Dee Dee." The older woman turned her attention to her charge. "Have you decided to do the right thing, honey? Are you marryin your man?"

  Nicole smiled as she leaned in and nestled against her dearest friend. She didn't mind the scolding or interference. Her Dee Dee was back.

  * * *

  Dalton dropped Matty and Jimmy's kids off at school, but he had other errands to run before returning to the ranch. He swung by the sheriff's office to talk with Dave Shifflett and then stopped in at the Hawthorne Police Chief's office to talk with him. Even though their jobs often crossed over into each other's territory, the two men did not agree on much and were their own worst roadblocks when they refused to work together.

  Dalton wanted information. In this case, it was nearly identical information as told by each lawman. Barbara Ruiz was being charged with a host of crimes. The district attorneys had already cut deals with her stepbrother and the man she had hired to fence the stolen goods. They weren't willing to cut a deal with the person they considered the ringleader of the crimes. They assured Dalton that all three accused would receive jail sentences.

  His ex-wife was likely to receive the steepest sentence as she was behind the burglaries and the assaults. She was charged with intent to commit first-degree murder. State prosecutors were not backing off on the attempted murder charges for either Barbara Ruiz or Ned Orson. It was unlikely either his ex-wife or her stepbrother would be cleared of the crimes depending on the judge of the case. They would spend the next eight to twenty years in prison solely on the accumulated charges against them for the troubles they caused Dalton, Nicole, and the Double C.