Bruce nodded. “Exactly.”
Sam scowled. “Bruce, Becky is a sweet soul. She never gave you any trouble when she was being raised by you till about 18. That’s when people are supposed to become mature. That’s when puberty ends and you become an adult.”
“I always thought it was twenty. People who are less than twenty don’t know squat about life.”
Sam grinned at that. “You are probably right. Either way, Becky is well past those ages and has no life of her own to speak of. She’s only serving you at your parent’s house. She doesn’t know anything about life because she hasn’t been able to experience anything.”
Sam glanced over at Adam. He could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t happy about what he was hearing.
“So tell me, Bruce, what happens if she burns your meal?”
“She throws it out and starts over,” Bruce replied automatically, taking a long swig from his mug as soon as he was done speaking. He didn’t notice Sam was gripping the side of the bar with all his strength. He wanted to punch the man square in the face.
“You have punishments for everything she does mistakenly?”
Bruce set his empty mug down in front of Sam. “I’ll take another and then be on my way. I gotta find her. She has things to do at home and the longer she stays away, the more that stuff is going to pile up. She doesn’t want that to happen.”
“I think you should ease up on her. Besides, she’s missing, you may not ever see her again.”
“That’s not gonna happen,” Bruce shook his head. He grabbed the refilled mug of beer and downed it quickly.
“How do you know that? Maybe she doesn’t want to come back.”
Bruce shook his head. It was obvious the two beers he had just consumed were taking effect on his brain. “No,” he replied. “She wouldn’t leave them stuffed animals. I know she wouldn’t.”
“Were they that important to her?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe she’ll make more wherever she is?”
Again Bruce shook his head but it was more like swaying it back and forth. “No. No. She loves those things. She ain’t gonna leave ‘em behind.”
Sam nodded. “I see. Well, have you thought about enlisting help from some of the men in town? I’m sure if you asked your friends, you could round up a posse to go looking for her.”
Bruce snorted. “Ain’t got no friends. No family. No one to count on. Not even Becky apparently. No, I’m all alone in this world, Sam. It’s my own battle to live.”
“I see.” Sam glanced over to Adam and excused himself from Bruce. The drunken man only responded with a nod and a jerk of his hand that held the mug in it. His mind was racing, filled with anxious thoughts. What if something had happened and Becky really wasn’t returning? What if she had died?
His initial thoughts were that he would be glad because he could have his freedom back – just like Sam mentioned. Then he thought about all the things she did that would now become his responsibility. Cleaning the house, cooking for himself, the rest of her chores. He didn’t want to do those chores. He wasn’t in a position to pay a maid to come in, either.
Grumbling, he didn’t notice when Sam went to Adam and quietly leaned over to tell him the story.
Adam shook his head after hearing the parts he didn’t hear himself. “Well, one thing is certain,” he said, speaking in a low tone, even though he knew Bruce was much too wrapped up in his own thoughts to overhear. “Someone will have to find Becky. Whether it is him or some of the men in town, we must search for her. She is a good girl, a kind young woman. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her.”
Sam nodded. “I feel the same way.”
Adam slid from the chair.
“I’ll be back. I’m gonna go see if Mark can take some time off work.”
CHAPTER SIX
KENNY AND THE CABIN
KENNY AND THE CABIN
Becky was warm. The bed she was sleeping in was comfortable, and she woke up with the most peaceful feeling in her soul. It was new to her and she kept her eyes closed, smelling the scent of coffee in the air.
Her eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed. She looked around the room. It was not familiar to her. She felt confused and anxious. She didn’t know where she was.
Next to her bed was a high-backed chair of dark wood with red velvet cushions. Draped over the back was a long, warm, soft-looking robe. She reached out and touched it. It was indeed one of the softest fabrics she’d ever felt. She slowly slid out of bed, wondering why she didn’t feel frightened. Anxious, yes, but not frightened. She felt as though if she was going to be harmed, she already would have been.
Becky’s regular morning routine was to get up earlier than Bruce and go make coffee and breakfast. Now, she was waking up to the smell of someone else already having prepared those things. She rested her feet on the floor. There was an area rug just under the bed and it felt warm under her feet. She reached out and grabbed the robe, standing to put it on. It was warm and soft, just as she thought it would be.
She looked around the room once more to see if she spied anything familiar, but there was nothing. She turned the doorknob and went through, halting on the other side, staring at the man sitting on the couch next to the fireplace, which was unlit. His eyes darted up to her face and he immediately set down the book he held in one hand and the coffee mug he held in the other.
He stood up.
“What… what have you done, Kenny?”
Kenny licked his lips. “I’m glad you remember me.” He said.
“I don’t meet very many people. I’ve never met the Lewinsky’s at all. I just knew their faces. When I actually meet and converse with someone, I remember them.”
“I’m sure I can count on that,” Kenny said. He held out his hand to the couch facing him. “Please have a seat, Becky. I don’t want you to feel afraid of me in any way. I will explain my actions to you in due time. Right now, how about a cup of coffee and a hard-boiled egg for breakfast. With toasted bread, if you like.”
Becky’s stomach growled when she thought about food. She nodded. “Yes, that would be lovely. I am famished. I’m usually up earlier than this and have had my breakfast and coffee.”
“You don’t know what time it is, do you?” Kenny chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen, which was an open space next to his front door.
“No, I really don’t, to be perfectly honest,” Becky’s voice was pleasant as she was amused by realizing that.
“It’s quite early, the crack of dawn really. If you got up earlier than this, you would never sleep.”
They both chuckled. “I get some sleep. I’ve always been able to sleep. The bed in that room is very comfortable. I hope I did not put you out by sleeping in it. Were you relegated to the couch?”
“I have another room set up for guests,” Kenny said, glancing at her as he poured her coffee. “Which is what you are, Becky.” He brought over the mug and a plate with a hard-boiled egg on it and set it down on the table next to Becky. He sat down opposite her, pushing aside his closed book. He leaned toward her, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him.
“How did you even get me here without waking me up?”
Kenny shrugged. “I have my ways. That’s irrelevant. The point is, why did I do it? Do you want to know why?”
Becky blinked slowly, scanning his handsome face. “Yes,” she finally replied.
“I’ve been staying at the Lewinsky home for a couple months. Sometimes I go out on the porch to smoke my pipe, and I stand out there and listen to him scream at you. I can hear him from inside the house. When he’s inside the house, I mean. I generally can’t hear him when I’m inside my house. Or the Lewinsky's home. Anyway, you aren’t able to see me, even if you’re outside and, yeah, I’ve heard him yelling at you while you hung up laundry, too. But you can’t see me because of all the shrubbery around the front yard."
Becky felt anxiety slide through her and she stood
up.
“We aren’t in the Lewinsky home now, are we? That’s too close to Bruce! He’ll find me!”
Kenny smiled, looking up at her affectionately. “No, dear. We are in my cabin. I was only house watching for them. This is my cabin and I’m nowhere near your home. I’m on the outskirts of town in a wooded area near the Collins' home. You know the Collins'? Adam and Alice?”
“Oh, yes, very well,” Becky dropped back down to the couch and was delighted to hear the name of her good friend, Alice. “Alice was just at my home the other day, trying to give me some encouragement.”
Kenny nodded. “That’s why I decided I’d had enough, Becky. I know you are your own woman and you’re a grown up and don’t need rescuing, but you actually do. That’s what this was intended to do. To rescue you. He’s a brutal man and he doesn’t treat you right. I couldn’t sit around and take it anymore.”
“I have no way to pay you for what you’ve done. But if the sheriff finds out I’m here, or, God forbid, Bruce does, there will be a lot of trouble.”
“I know. But I’m willing to take that chance. I was very careful that no one saw you in the back of my wagon as I made my way back home.”
“How did you do that?” Becky imagined being stuffed into an old luggage trunk, or wrapped up in a million blankets, or being dropped into an empty barrel.
“Well, I started by lining the back of my wagon with the softest blankets I could find. Big ones, ones my mother used to force on us as children that would have us sweating all night,” he smiled at the memory. “Then I used a couple of my pillows and an outer blanket to put over you. Since you were asleep, I simply transported you from one bed to another, except mine was a moving bed.”
Becky giggled. “You went to the extreme for me, Kenny. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you will not run back to him, Becky, no matter how sorry you feel for him. No matter what love you may think you have for him as your brother, he is not a nice man and does not return those feelings. You will be miserable the rest of your life if you keep letting him control you. Not only that but you are… ahem…” he coughed, lifting one fist to his lips. “Not getting younger, shall I say? There must be things you would like to accomplish at some point in your life. Don’t you want to get married? Have children of your own?”
Becky stared at him. The way she felt right now, she would do anything to have those things. To her surprise, she wanted to do that with him. Her instant attraction to him did not make it hard for her to make a decision about staying with him. She wanted to more than anything she’d ever wanted in her lifetime. However, she was old enough to realize that there was a chance he had only been her knight in shining armor so he could rescue her and have an accomplishment under his belt. He wasn’t making a commitment to her. He was just helping.
She pushed away the thoughts of the future and concentrated on the here and now. “Well, I don’t suppose you brought me any of my clothes.” She smiled at him. He grinned back.
“I managed to grab a pretty dress before I left. And I purchased that robe and some slip-on shoes for you at the market a few days ago. I had to guess at the size. I hope they fit.”
Becky continued to stare at him with wide eyes. He raised his eyebrows. “What are you thinking, dear?”
“You’ve been planning this.”
Kenny looked down, his cheeks turning red. “I must admit, I have been thinking about it for some time. Finally meeting you and having a chance to talk to you made the temptation stronger. I couldn’t stand the way he was yelling at you last night and it truly was the last straw. I had to do something. I had to get you out of there.”
“While I understand that, and I thank you for it, I have to ask. Why did you do it? Why would you risk kidnapping me and getting yourself in trouble? If the sheriff finds out, you will be sent to prison.”
Kenny shook his head. “I’ve thought about it, too. Like I said, for some time now, ever since I started staying there and hearing what he does to you every day. And the chores you do… it’s like they never end. Do you have any hobbies, anything you like to do for fun?”
“Reading is fun.”
“Yes,” Kenny nodded, glancing at the book by his side. “But that’s not really a hobby. It can be. But you need to find something that lets your creativity flow. Like painting. Do you paint or draw?”
“Not with any real skill,” Becky giggled. He smiled at the sound.
“Well, do you have anything you can think of that comforts you, that you like to do and don’t need direction from anyone else to do?”
Becky thought about it for a moment. “Well, I used to like to write poems when I was young.”
Kenny brightened up. “That’s a hobby! That’s something you can do when you are bored or feel creative.”
Becky shook her head. “Bruce said they were stupid and didn’t make sense. He ripped them up and threw them away.”
Kenny stared at her in shock. “All of them?” He asked incredulously.
She nodded and he scowled darkly.
“I could probably write some of them again. I have a very good memory when it comes to that type of thing.”
“I will get you pen and paper. You feel free to write whenever the mood hits you. If you want to show them to me, please do! I promise I will not take them and rip them up. That has got to be one of the rudest, meanest things I have ever heard of.”
“Yes, rude and mean is who he is. He’s a big bully.”
“I don’t like him very much, I’m sorry to say. I know he’s your brother, but from what I’ve seen from him directly and heard about him indirectly, I cannot believe you did not leave before now. You could have gone to visit relatives or stay with a friend until you’re either married or an old spinster with a room in the boarding house.” He grinned at her and winked boyishly. “I doubt the latter will happen. I have more confidence in the former.”
“I’ll have to adopt some cats, in case of the latter.”
They both laughed softly.
“You are a delightful woman, Becky. I don’t understand why your brother treats you the way he does. I think you are fabulous to be around. I enjoy your company very much.”
Becky smiled at him. “Thank you. I do yours as well. Is that an indication that you want me to go now?”
Kenny threw back his head and laughed. When he looked at her, it was through immensely amused eyes. “What? No! It would be my preference that neither of us should ever leave.”
“The cabin?” It was Becky’s turn to give him a surprised look.
Kenny laughed again. “No, girl. Us. Neither of us should leave us.”
“What are you saying, Kenny?”
Kenny stood up to refill his coffee cup and silently indicated he needed to know if she needed a refill. Without speaking, she held up her nearly empty mug and he took them both to the kitchen to refill their liquid.
He waited to answer her question until he got back to his chair. He settled comfortably and looked at the ceiling just beyond Becky’s head. When he spoke, however, he dropped his eyes to her.
“Becky, I see something special in you. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced anything like this in my entire life. You are the first person to remind me so much of an angel sent to watch over us humans. The circumstances right now might have started out bad. But it doesn’t have to be bad. I feel like you and I would be a compatible couple. I would like to get to know you a lot more.”
“Well, you will, now that you have me in your home,” Becky was trying to convince herself that the situation could have been much, much worse. She could have been kidnapped by some deranged freak with bad intentions. It had happened in Wickenburg before. Not when she was aware of it, but she had heard stories of it happening before.
She scanned Kenny’s calm, friendly face and licked her lips. “I hope I can live up to your expectations.”
Kenny shook his head. “Don’t concern yourself with what I expect from you. Concern yoursel
f with what you need to do to be a grown woman with her own interests and habits. You need to be you. Not an extension of your brother.”
Becky was comfortable with his assessment. She knew why she felt such peace. Bruce was not there to verbally abuse her. She was free.
CHAPTER SEVEN
OPEN UP
OPEN UP
Kenny let Becky have time to eat her breakfast and get changed into her dress. He’d set some toiletries in the room for her, a wash basin, a small toothbrush, some soap, and a towel. In addition, he’d left her a comb and brush. She looked at the supplies he had ready for her and it melted her heart. He was so kind to her. She wasn’t used to it.
She came out of the bedroom looking refreshed and happy. Kenny was sure he had never seen that look on her face before. It was as though he’d taken her to a mansion and had her pampered by servants, rather than having kidnapped her.
He smiled at her. “You look happy. I don’t think I’ve seen that look on your face before.”
“It feels like I am finally taking a vacation from working all my life.”
“Well, essentially, that’s what it is,” Kenny pressed his lips together. “And it is up to you if you want to make it permanent. Even if you decide to move somewhere where you will be alone, I am glad you are out of that house.”
“It’s my parent’s house,” she replied, going into the kitchen and picking up a small rag on the counter. She began to wipe everything down, though there was very little dust. “I have to go back sometime.”
Kenny came up behind her and gently removed the rag from her hand. She looked up into his blue eyes and was mesmerized for a moment. He was looking at her with intense eyes. “Don’t clean, Becky. You don’t need to do that.”
She shook her head. “If I am to stay here for any length of time, I have to pay for my room and board. Unless you…” her eyes widened and she took a step back. He shook his head.
“No, Becky,” he said in a gentle way. “I don’t expect you to do anything for me. Not in there…” he glanced at the bedroom. “And not out here. I want you to relax for a while.”
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