Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series)

by Michelle Maness

  Amanda stood shaking violently for a moment before bile rose in her throat sending her to lean against a tree as she vomited up the steak dinner she’d eaten earlier. Amanda slowly righted and looked around the dimly lit clearing. She had to get out of here. She had no idea how far he had gone or when or if he might come back. The gravel road they had come in on was the fastest way back to the highway but was also where he said he would be waiting. The nearest houses were nearly all the way around the lake.

  “Think!” she ordered herself as she shivered in the night air. She had no shoes, no purse, no coat and she had to get moving. She had been here a time or two before and made herself stop and picture the clearing in the day time. There was a trail; she didn’t know exactly where it went but there was a trail. Trails had to go somewhere, right? Amanda crossed the clearing and managed to pick the trail out of the under growth. It was darker under the tree cover but moving was her only option. Amanda stumbled along, the briars and twigs poking and scratching her feet. She should have skipped the prom; she hadn’t been looking forward to it anyway. She could be at home with her brother and Cade right now, catching up and joking; picking a fight with her brother just to watch his feathers ruffle. She wanted nothing more than to be at home right now.

  Amanda brushed away her tears and stopped when she came to a fork in the trail. She had no idea where she was. One path moved off to the right, the other to the left. She wasn’t certain, but the one to the left felt right, though she really had nothing to go on. Amanda hesitated a moment longer and then veered left. It was so dark; she could barely see the trail. Only the hard packed earth beneath her feet assured her she was still on a path. A moment later she paused.

  “Mandy!” Chris bellowed in the darkness back in the direction she had come from. “Mandy! Where are you, baby; come on I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Amanda hurried forward. The sound of an engine gunning and spinning on gravel sounded off to her rear and left. Chris leaving the lake access road? She certainly hoped so. Knowing that she couldn’t be seen from the road, Amanda resumed walking. She had no idea how long she had been walking or how far she had gone when she heard the sound of another engine, this one moving past at a rapid speed somewhere ahead of her.

  Amanda saw a flash of light moving past ahead and realized she was close to the highway. The thought brought her both relief and fear. She picked up her pace, she would have to take her chances; she was stranded unless someone came along. Amanda made the highway and paused to look around the empty ribbon of black. The road was fairly sparsely populated this far out, she realized with a sinking heart. Well, she knew which direction town lay, she nodded; her chin rose. She was a Jennings, she could deal with this. Amanda stepped onto the rough asphalt and started walking. She would never have believed that Chris Atkins was capable of what he had tried. Never.

  Amanda heard rustling in the bushes along the road and shuddered. Of all the animals they had here, most were harmless, she reminded herself. Amanda picked up her pace; her fight or flight reflexes already on high alert. A moment later she was running. It was dark, she was scared, and she was cold. She slowed to a stop a moment later and looked around again. How far was she from town? Was she even going the right direction? Around her an owl called in the distance and the trees rustled in the night breeze. Not a single sound spoke of human presence. Her breath puffed in the air and disappeared; Amanda hoped she didn’t do the same.

  Sixteen

  Amanda began walking again, her feet hurting; her knees burning, and back aching from where she had slammed into the ground upon falling out of the truck. Several minutes later lights appeared in the distance. At first they were indistinct, but as she drew nearer she could make out the neon of beer advertisements and a street light on a gravel parking area. Even a bar was a welcome sight, she mused as she started running. She had slowed by the time she made it across the gravel parking lot and was limping as she pushed the door open. Every eye in the place turned to watch her as she entered. Amanda pulled at her broken dress strap self-consciously and moved to the bar.

  “Can I use your phone please?” she requested, her voice still shaking, even to her own ears.

  “Sure, sweetie; you have a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” the burly man nodded to the stool beside her. Amanda eased onto it, her feet tender as she boosted herself. “You alright?” the man asked as he placed the phone on the bar. Amanda nodded; though she knew she wasn’t. She pushed her falling hair out of her face with unsteady hands.

  “Thank you,” she said as she picked up the phone. Amanda dialed her home phone number with shaking fingers and listened to it ring.

  “Come on, pick up,” she whispered desperately. Six rings and it would forward to the barn; were any of the hands working late? She wondered.

  “Hello?” a voice answered.

  “Cade?”

  “Manny, is that you? Are you okay?”

  “Is Daddy there?” her voice broke.

  “No, your dad, Trent, and Naomi went to Haddon to pick out a new washer. Where are you, Manny? What’s going on?”

  “I’m at a place called The Cue Ball.”

  “What the hell are you doing there sweetheart; what’s going on?”

  Amanda could hear the panic in his voice.

  “I need a ride,” she finally managed.

  “Alright, sweetie, you stay put, I’m on my way,” Cade ordered before hanging up. Amanda laid the phone back on the counter, wrapped her arms around herself and nodded at a couple of men who were staring at her in concern.

  “Have some water,” the man behind the counter offered.

  “Here you go, let’s get you warmed up,” an older woman with bleached hair placed a coat around her; it smelled of smoke. “And let’s just pin this back, okay?” the woman produced a safety pin and repaired the broken strap as best she could.

  “Thank you,” she attempted to smile at the woman. Amanda picked up the glass of water and gulped it; she emptied the glass.

  “I’ll get you some more,” the bartender offered as took the empty glass.

  “You alright darlin’,” one of the men who had been hanging back stepped forward to ask. “You can’t be much more than, what? Sixteen, seventeen; but you look like you’ve had one helluva night.”

  “Shut up, Stan, that aint gonna help any,” the woman fussed at him.

  “Should we call the cops?” one of the other men asked.

  “We’ll let her folks deal with that,” the woman again spoke. “I’m Rena, sweetie. Can I do anything for you? Get you anything?” the woman’s grey eyes were dark with concern.

  “My friend is coming to get me and take me home. My family should be there soon,” she assured the kind hearted woman. She sat for several minutes; she was starting to feel as though she had become a side show.

  Amanda drained the second glass of water she was handed and glanced at the clock; how long had she been here? She was anxious to get home. Amanda heard tires on the gravel and held her breath and hoped it was Cade there to take her home. Home was all she could think about at the moment.

  She watched Cade, his body rigid, enter the door. He paused and surveyed the room; his gaze quickly found her. He crossed the room in a few long strides and stopped in front of her to grasp her chin gently to tilt it and study the bruises where Chris had held her chin.

  “Damn, Manny,” Cade closed his eyes; his jaw muscle were jumping. Cade opened his eyes and surveyed her again. He cupped her face gently, his gaze intense.

  “Did that bastard rape you, Manny?” his voice was hard as nails.

  “I got away,” she assured him.

  “Good,” his shoulders sagged. “Where are your shoes?”

  “In Chris’s truck along with my purse and wrap,” she answered.

  “How did you get here?” he frowned at her.

  “I thought he was taking me home; I was lost in thought and then he was turning off on the lake access road. That’s where I got away from
him. I walked from there.”

  “That’s a good five miles easy; probably more!” the bartender inserted.

  “Let me see your feet,” Cade ordered, as he squatted. Amanda let him examine her feet. She didn’t have to look at them to know that were scratched and raw.

  “Let’s get you home,” Cade removed the jacket from around her shoulders and looked around.

  “It’s mine,” Rena took it from him.

  “Thank you, all of you,” Amanda offered the room at large.

  Cade removed his own coat and helped her slip into it before lifting her to carry her out. Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on.

  “I’ve got the door,” Stan jumped to hold it open and then did the same with the truck door.

  “Thank you,” Cade nodded to the man.

  “Sure, you make sure someone takes care of that little lady,” the man offered gruffly.

  Cade sat Amanda on the truck seat and cupped her face again. “Are you okay, Manny?” he asked his eyes searching hers. Amanda felt tears well up again and her throat closed off. Amanda leaned forward, cupped Cade’s face and kissed him lightly on the lips before answering.

  “I am now,” she assured him.

  “Good,” he rested his head against hers for a moment before kissing her forehead and closing the truck door. He circled the truck, pulled a blanket from behind the seat, and handed it to Amanda before starting the truck. Amanda wrapped the blanket around her and curled up against the truck door as she let her tears fall. She should be out of tears, she mused.

  “I’m sorry, Manny, tonight should have been a special night and something you looked back on with happy memories,” Cade offered.

  “I should have skipped it. I wasn’t even excited about it,” Amanda admitted.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

  “Would you quit apologizing for something that isn’t your fault?” Amanda requested. They fell silent the remainder of the trip. Amanda had hoped that her dad and aunt would be home by the time they got home but they weren’t. Cade carried her in and up to her room.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he demanded again.

  “I’m sure,” she answered.

  “No, you’re not and I don’t know how to help,” Cade shoved a hand through his hair.

  “I’m going to shower and go to bed; I think that is what I want more than anything. I’m okay,” she tried again to reassure him.

  “Alright, I’m going to lock you in the house, you make sure you don’t open the door for anyone, okay?”

  “Where are you going?” Amanda demanded.

  “To town. Your dad, Naomi, and Trent should be home soon.”

  “Cade,” Amanda, wincing when her feet hit the floor, jumped up to follow him. “Cade!”

  By the time she had hobbled to the stairs he was already out the front door. Amanda sighed and turned back to her room to gather her things for a shower. She heated the water as hot she could stand it before stripping and stepping under the spray. A half hour later she had scrubbed away the dirt and part of a layer of skin, but not the memory. Her feet still stung but were at least clean, she mused as she stepped from the shower and began toweling off. She winced as she found several bruises she had been unaware of.

  A glance in the mirror showed bruises ringing her neck and jaw, a large bruise down her back; as well as a series of smaller bruises. Both her wrists and her ankles were bruised; her knees scraped up. Amanda dressed, brushed her teeth and moved to her room to lie down. Her bed felt warm and safe as she nestled under her blankets. She wanted to forget the bruises; forget the night. Amanda stared at the darkness outside her window; sleep would not come. She finally heard the sound of the truck in the driveway and voices. A moment later the truck left again, but Mandy could hear movement downstairs.

  “Mandy,” A knock sounded at the door, along with her aunt’s voice.

  “Yes?” Amanda called; her door cracked opened.

  “You alright?”

  “I have a bad headache; please don’t turn the light on,” Amanda requested. She knew she would have to tell everyone what had happened but she wasn’t ready yet.

  “Okay, sweetheart; you get some sleep. You can tell me all about it in the morning. Oh! I have the pictures from earlier; I’ll just lay them on your chest of drawers.”

  “Thanks, Naomi,” Amanda called. The thought of the pictures made her want to throw up all over again. Amanda didn’t relax until her bedroom door settled shut again.

  Amanda must have drifted off. The next thing she knew her aunt was in her room.

  “Mandy, wake up. The police are downstairs. They have Cade in hand cuffs; something about him beating up your date. What is going on Mandy?” her aunt sounded frantic.

  “What?!?” Amanda sat up and turned her lamp on.

  “Mandy!” her aunt gasped as she took in her bruised face. Amanda, flinching when her feet hit the floor, hurried from her bed. Amanda winced with each hurried step as she raced down the stairs.

  “I had really hoped you were going to beat the odds, Cade; that you were cut from better cloth than your father,” the officer was saying as he led Cade to his police cruiser.

  “Stop!” her teeth were chattering from the cool night air or nerves; she wasn’t sure which.

  “Mandy, you need to say out of this, Cade beat the shit out of your date and he can’t give us one good reason…” Officer Myles turned; his words died when he saw Amanda. He and her father had gone to school together.

  “Is this reason enough?” Amanda demanded and pointed to her face. “Or this?” she thrust her wrists forward. “Or maybe the fact that Chris Atkins tried rapping me tonight before leaving me stranded on the back side of the lake? Is that a good enough reason?” Amanda demanded.

  “Amanda!” her aunt’s horrified voice reached her.

  Officer Myles took a moment to recover. “I’ll need a statement from you.”

  “You can have a statement and my ripped dress and if you want to go fish them out Chris’s truck you can have my shoes and purse, and my wrap,” Amanda informed him.

  “You’ll have to come to the station,” he informed her,

  “Fine. If you’re going to arrest Cade for coming to my defense, you should go ahead and arrest my brother too because he would have done the same; might still,” Amanda informed the man. Officer Myles studied her a moment before removing Cade’s handcuffs.

  Cade rubbed at his wrist, shaking them out, before his gaze landed on Amanda. She could still see the anger that had driven him in his eyes.

  “Are you okay?” Amanda asked him as she moved to stand in front of him. He nodded. Amanda flung her arms around him and closed her eyes as he stroked her back lightly.

  “You alright?” he finally asked her; Amanda nodded against his chest. She heard her dad’s truck turn into the drive and stepped from Cade’s arms. She watched her dad’s truck come to an abrupt halt, her brother spilling out moments before her father did.

  “What the hell is going on here?” Trent demanded; his eyes were wild as they bounced off those gathered. “Mandy?” Trent stormed across the yard to lift Amanda’s chin to survey her face. “What happened here?” Trent glanced around them again as though he were looking for a missing puzzle piece. “Did you do this?” he moved toward Cade.

  “Stop!” Amanda grabbed his arm.

  “Do you really think I would hurt your sister!? Do you, Trent? Think about what you’re suggesting!” Cade yelled in return.

  Amanda felt the tension leave her brother.

  “Both of you calm down and somebody tell me what is going on here,” Sterling took control of the situation.

  “I beat the hell out Chris Atkins and Officer Myles came to arrest me; that’s what’s going on,” Cade still looked angry enough to hurt someone. “I might have killed him if some of the people gathered hadn’t stopped me.”

  “Why?” Sterling queried, though his gaze had already settled on Amanda as though he feared he kne
w the answer.

  “Chris tried raping me,” Amanda answered the question. The pain in her father’s eyes made her eyes tear up again. “I needed a ride home and Cade was the only one here. He brought me home and then,” Amanda threw her hands up; they had covered the next part.

  Trent turned to stalk off, he returned a moment later, his anger still radiating off him like heat off an inferno.

  “Amanda had just agreed to come down to the station and give her statement,” Officer Myles supplied.

  “And Cade?” Sterling asked.

  “Given that Chris isn’t a minor, any judge in the county would take a look of the photos of Amanda at the moment and either dismiss it or maybe slap him on the wrist. I’m not going to arrest him but I need a statement from both of them; I’m sure something can be worked out,” Officer Myles shared.

  “Alright,” Sterling nodded. “Mandy, go get some proper clothes on so we can go to the police station,” her father instructed.

  Picking her way carefully across the gravel and moving gingerly up the steps, Amanda nodded and turned to go inside. In her room, Amanda wasted no time pulling on her clothing, she selected shorts and a tank top despite the cooler temp; if they were going to photograph her bruises it would make things much easier. Amanda pulled on the jacket Cade had given her and not wanting to shove her sore feet into boots or tennis shoes stepped into flip flops.

  By the time Amanda made it back downstairs her father had pulled the big dooly king cab around so they could all take one vehicle. Naomi, clutched her purse, her chin set and Amanda knew that she had insisted on going. Naomi’s eyes gave evidence of recent tears and Amanda moved to kiss her cheek before climbing into the middle of the back seat.

  “I’ll ride back there, honey,” Naomi protested.