by Paige Warren
“Baseball isn’t so tough to figure out.” He smiled. “Especially for someone as smart as you. If you really want to learn about the game, I’d be happy to teach you what I know. I’m not an expert by any means, but I can tell you enough that you might enjoy watching in on TV a bit more. I guess you understand how the hits and bases work, right?”
She nodded.
“There are nine innings, each divided in half, and each team gets three outs during each half of an inning. If the pitch isn’t in what they call the strike zone, then it’s considered a ball. If you get four balls, then it’s called a walk, and you advance to first base.”
“That seems easy enough.” Dacey smiled. “I’d never understood the whole ball versus out thing before. I’ve watched a few games when I was younger, but I didn’t have a clue what was going on. I just cheered whenever my high school team got on base or had a home run.”
“Well, if you want to know more about the game, I’d be happy to teach you. And if you want to go to a game sometime, we can watch the high school play sometime. I’ve been to a few of their games before, and they’re pretty good. The coach played professionally for a few years before he tore his rotator cuff and retired.”
Dacey gathered her trash and took his as well. Tyson started to follow her to the kitchen, but he had a hard time getting off the couch. By the time he was standing, she was back, looking a little uncertain.
“I cleaned out two drawers in the dresser for you and made room in the closet. I didn’t put any of your new things away because I thought you might want to look through everything first, and I wasn’t sure if you were one of those women who liked to wash their new clothes before they wore them. My mom was that way.”
“You never talk about your family,” she said.
“Mom passed away while I was in high school. Probably a good thing she wasn’t around when I joined the Army. Not that she wouldn’t have approved of me serving my country, but she’d have worried non-stop. Dad wasn’t the same after her death, but a few years ago a sweet woman came along and swept him off his feet. They moved to Florida two years ago to be near her family. He offered to come stay with me when I came back home, but I told him I’d be fine on my own.”
She placed a hand on his arm. “And are you?”
Tyson shrugged. Truthfully, not really. He had days when he sunk into a depression so vast that he felt like he’d tumbled head first into the ocean and didn’t know how to swim. And other days, he was determined to keep going and see what life had in store for him next. He didn’t like the pity parties and tried not to succumb too often, but there were days when things were just too damn difficult.
“I make do,” he said.
“I know you think you need to take care of me right now,” she said, “but maybe I can take care of you, too. We can help each other, if that’s okay.”
Tyson took her hand and pulled her into his arms, brushing his lips against hers. “I’d like that. But right now, I suggest you let me take care of you. You said you wanted a nice hot shower, and I’m sure you’d like to see your new clothes. We ate lunch so late that I’ll probably hold off on supper for a while.”
“Can I explore the ranch?”
“Of course. This is your home now, Dacey. All I ask is that you don’t go into the pasture areas alone. And if you go to the barn, there’s a large black horse you should avoid. He’s mine, even if I can’t ride him right now, and he’s a mean bastard most days. It’s not uncommon for him to try to take a bite out of someone.”
“My exploring can wait until you feel up to escorting me, and don’t even attempt to tell me we can go now. I saw you rubbing your leg, and I know you’re in pain. What I don’t know is if there’s anything I can do to help you.”
“I have some cream I rub into my leg when it hurts a lot, and the therapist said that massage would sometimes help. But you just came home from the hospital. You have no business trying to take care of me tonight. I’ll soak in the tub before bed.”
“I’ve never seen your bathroom.”
Tyson took her hand and limped his way to the bedroom. He flipped the switch inside the door, turning on the two bedside lamps, and then led her toward the bathroom. There was a stained-glass window over a large, jetted garden tub, and the waning sunlight filtered through it. He turned on the lights over the vanity and let her get a look at the space. There was a decent-sized shower with glass walls and a glass door, a single sink with a large counter and several cabinets underneath. The floor was tile, and the walls were painted a light taupe.
“If there’s anything about the house you don’t like, you’re welcome to change it. I have a separate account set up for repairs and decorating. It’s pretty much the way my mom left it, except this room and the bedroom down here. The rest of the house hasn’t been touched. I have a maid who comes in once a week to clean, mostly because I can’t get upstairs to make sure the place isn’t overrun with cobwebs and dust bunnies.”
“I like your home, Ty.” She leaned against his side, and he wrapped an arm around her. “I think it’s the most beautiful house I’ve ever seen.”
He knew calling his home beautiful was a stretch, but he supposed compared to her trailer, it was like living in a palace. It just proved that he should appreciate what he had a bit more. Maybe instead of feeling sorry for himself for what he’d lost, he should be thankful for what he still had. He was still alive, had a roof over his head, a thriving ranch, and money in the bank. That was more than a lot of people could claim.
“It’s your home, too, Dacey. I meant what I said at the hospital. This isn’t just a whim for me. I’ve wanted you as part of my life, more than a Tuesday and Friday night hook-up, for a while now. I just didn’t know how to ask you, or if you’d accept if I did ask, and my ego couldn’t have taken the hit at the time.”
“You really want me as a girlfriend?” she asked softly. “Even knowing my past … and where I came from?”
“Dacey, you aren’t your parents and the life you’ve lived was no fault of your own. Carlos preyed on you, twisting things until he had you under his control, and once you were part of his harem, there was no escape for you. I don’t think people would blame you for the life that was forced upon you, and if they do, you give me their names, and I’ll knock their teeth down their throats. No one is going to look down on you or talk about you while there’s breath in my lungs.”
Her eyes looked a little misty as she hugged him.
“I know that Carlos did a number on you, and you don’t feel that you have any worth, but do you know what I’ve learned over the last few months? You’re funny, sweet, and you think of others before yourself. If you didn’t, you would have let me get you away from Carlos before now, but I know you were worried he would hurt me. I’ll admit, that hurts that you don’t think I can handle myself in a fight, especially after going to war, but I can’t fault you for trying to keep me safe. If our roles were reversed, I’d have done the same thing.”
She rubbed her cheek on his chest, then pulled away. “I think I’ll take that shower now. Can I use your shampoo?”
“How about you use yours? I didn’t know what you liked, but I found some made from sea minerals that smelled really good, so I bought the shampoo and conditioner. The body wash is just a regular soap scent, but it’s moisturizing. I don’t know much about women’s soaps, but I thought that was a good thing. A sales clerk about your age helped me pick out the deodorant and body spray. If you don’t like anything I bought, we can take it back, and you can pick out something else.”
“I’m sure everything is just perfect.”
He motioned to some sacks on the floor. “Everything, including your clothes, is in those sacks. It’s nothing fancy. I got everything at Wal-Mart so that I could make a one-stop shopping trip. We can go to the mall over in Casper when you feel up to it and buy you some nicer things.”
“The fact they’re new means they’re nicer than anything I’ve ever owned. You’ve done
more for me in a week than anyone has done for me in my entire life, and I will always be grateful for it. I know you don’t want my gratitude, but you have it. If you hadn’t come looking for me, I’d be dead right now.”
Tyson silenced her with a finger across her lips. “Don’t even talk like that. I got to you in time, and that’s all that matters. I’d like to have gotten there sooner and stopped him from hurting you, but you’re alive, and that’s what counts. With some luck, Carlos will be rotting behind bars soon enough.”
“The deputy asked how long I’d worked for Carlos, but he never asked my age. Do you think it would make a difference if they knew he’d picked me up off the streets while I was still a minor?”
“Oh, hell yeah.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “Will you call the sheriff’s department for me? I don’t think I can go through all that again, not right now anyway.”
“I’ll take care of it while you shower. They may want to talk to you again when you’re up for it. Just remember, the sooner they have all the facts, the sooner they can arrest Carlos and charge him with prostitution and attempted murder, just to start.” He swallowed hard. “I have to know, Dacey. Did he ever touch you when you were still underage?”
“Will it make you look at me differently?”
“Not a bit.”
“It was how I paid for a place to sleep until I had enough money saved to buy my trailer.”
He felt sick and hoped the contents of his stomach didn’t make another appearance. He’d known things were bad for her, but he’d never guessed how bad. If he ever got his hands on Carlos, the man was dead. Forget jail time. That was too light a sentence for what he did to Dacey. He didn’t just force her into a life of prostitution, he killed her childhood, her hopes, and her dreams, and he made her feel like worthless trash. He didn’t deserve to draw breath another moment.
He watched Dacey rummage through the sacks, find what she needed, and close herself in the bathroom. While she showered, he made good on his promise and called the sheriff’s department. When the told them about Carlos picking her up as a minor, and forcing her to service him as part of her room and board, he could hear the anger in the deputy’s voice.
“That sorry sack of shit isn’t going to see the light of day if I have anything to say about it,” Deputy Watson said. “How’s the girl doing?”
“Woman, deputy. She’s all woman, and she’s doing fine. The doctor said it would be six weeks before she was fully healed, but I plan to make sure she takes it easy and gets the rest she needs. And maybe while we have all this downtime, she can figure out what she wants out of life.”
“Well, not to stick my nose into her business, but if she wants her G.E.D., there’s a class starting at the library on Wednesdays next week. They’re meeting on Wednesday and Friday for a month, and then during the last class, the librarian has arranged for an official test to be given. It will be open to anyone who wants to take it, and there’s a fee for both the class and the test, but if she’s interested, it would give her something to do while she heals.”
“Thanks, deputy. I’ll make sure she knows about the class. Might be good for her to at least try it out, and if she doesn’t like it, she doesn’t have to keep going.”
Tyson disconnected the call and started pulling Dacey’s new clothes out of the bags. He organized them on the bed so it would be easy for her to look through everything, and then he gave her some space. He’d seen her naked plenty of times, had even seen her scar already, but it didn’t give him the right to gawk at her while she was feeling so vulnerable.
One way or another, he was going to help her regain her confidence. She knew she held all the power in the bedroom, that her skills could bring any man to his knees, but it was out of the bedroom that she seemed to feel unworthy of anyone’s love or time. Tyson wanted to change that, to give her back her freedom and her sense of self, even if he wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. Getting her G.E.D. might be a good start if it was something that interested her, and after that, maybe he could convince her to get a part-time job somewhere. Not because she needed to work for money, although earning honest money that was completely hers might be good for her, but because a job might give her a sense of purpose.
One thing at a time. They had plenty of time to talk things over, except the G.E.D. bit. If the classes started next week, they’d probably have to register in the next few days. He sighed and ran a hand over his head. All of it could wait until tomorrow. Tonight was a time for her to get acclimated to her new home and the idea she was no longer a slave to Carlos.
Chapter Five
Dacey had spent a wonderful week with Tyson, getting to know him better, and learning her way around the Braxton Ranch. His foreman and ranch hands were all friendly and seemed happy to explain the finer points of horse training and breeding to her. She’d never known much about Tyson or what he did now that he wasn’t off defending the country, but it seemed that Braxton Ranch was well-known for producing quality Quarter Horses, trained in either barrel racing or roping. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that he had such a big business. The ranch was far larger than she’d thought, and apparently more prosperous than she’d imagined. When she’d heard the price of some of the horses for sale, her jaw had nearly hit the ground.
Her first G.E.D. class had gone well, even though some of the questions made Dacey feel stupid. She’d dropped out of school in the ninth grade, so she had a lot of catching up to do. The teacher had assured her that it wasn’t impossible, but it would require hard work. Dacey didn’t have a problem working hard and actually looked forward to learning the material and getting her G.E.D. It might not be a high school diploma, but she would have earned it just the same, and it would open more doors for her.
Tyson had been great, assuring her that all of her bills were covered, but she didn’t feel right asking him to pay for everything. If she wanted to go to lunch after her classes, she had to borrow money from him, and it felt awkward. She’d been independent to a degree for the last seven years, even if she hadn’t done a stellar job of taking care of herself. The point was that she wasn’t used to answering to anyone or having to ask for money. Her money might not have been legal, or plentiful, but it had been hers. And now she had nothing. Except her rusty trailer.
Dacey had thought about selling her trailer, but there was still this fear inside that she would somehow screw things up with Tyson, and she’d need a place to go. The trailer wasn’t much, but it had been home for a while, and better than living on the streets. She didn’t miss dumpster diving and sleeping with one eye open as she huddled in doorways of closed stores to avoid the elements, or sleeping in a box, wrapped in newspaper for warmth in the colder months.
It was hard, but she was trying to trust that things were going to be better. Carlos had been picked up and was currently sitting in the county jail, pending a trial. Tyson had assured her that because of his crimes against a minor, namely her, that he had been held without bail and had been considered a flight risk. She had no doubt that he’d have disappeared into Mexico given the first opportunity, and she was glad that he was locked up and couldn’t hurt anyone else. The thought of him preying on other young girls as he’d done with her, made her feel sick to her stomach.
Dacey rubbed her hands up and down her khaki shorts and smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in her sleeveless button down shirt. She stared at Cuppa Joe and wondered if she’d made the right decision. She hadn’t discussed it with Tyson, and it wasn’t like she needed his permission to get a job, but she felt like she should include him in something this big. And getting a legitimate job was a big deal for her. She’d never had one before and wasn’t certain they would give her one now since she didn’t have her G.E.D. yet. Was that a requirement?
Letting out a breath in the muggy air, she pushed open the door and stepped into the icy interior of the shop. Clusters of tables dominated the right side of the room, while the coffee bar was on
the left. She approached the counter and hoped she didn’t trip over her tongue. Dacey couldn’t remember a time she’d been this nervous before. She stopped at the register and waited until she had the barista’s attention. Having never ordered coffee from a place like this before, she was tempted to get something to go, but asking for an application was more important.
The girl turned to her with wide eyes. “You’re Dacey Morgan, aren’t you?”
This was definitely a time when Dacey didn’t want to be well-known around town. Word had spread fast about her stay at the hospital and her life with Carlos. The townspeople had shown her a mix of pity and revulsion, and she never knew which she would face when she dealt with a new person.
“Yes, I am.”
A tall man stepped over and stared at her over the rim of his glasses. “What can we do for you, Miss Morgan?”
She licked her lips. “Well, not kicking me out would be great.”
He smiled a little. “We’re sympathetic to your plight here at Cuppa Joe. I guess you came in for a reason, though. A cup of coffee?”
“I was wondering if I could maybe have an application. I don’t have any job skills, but I’m a fast learner, and I’m working on getting my G.E.D. I should have it within the month. I’ll work hard, and I don’t care what schedule you put me on. I’ll even work holidays if you want.”
“We’re closed on all major holidays,” he said kindly. “How many places have you applied?”
Her shoulders drooped a little. “I’ve been to six shops today, and they all turned me away. So, if you don’t want me to have an application, I’ll understand.”
The man reached under the counter and pulled out a paper, then handed it to her with a pen. Her eyes widened when she read the top of the form. Application for Employment. Her heart kicked her chest as she realized that he was willing to give her a chance.