Sorrows and Lace

by Bonnie R. Paulson

  Spurred by her previous thoughts and acceptance of his proposal, that he knew nothing about, Kelsey pushed away her anger. She’d distract his ass. Man, he was so cranky. She wrapped her hands around his neck and yanked his mouth to hers. But only for the briefest of seconds. No way in hell was she going to reward his jackass-y-attitude. The kiss did its job and Ronan’s neck muscles tightened as he worked his mouth like his thoughts couldn’t quite make it to his tongue.

  “Now, quit being so demanding. It’s rude.” She returned to her earlier position of soaking in the sun with her eyes closed. She was going to remember the shock on his face for years to come. A small smile played on her lips.

  Another moment passed and then Ronan joined her in leaning on the railing. He watched her, the warmth of his gaze stirring deep inside her, burning her skin and cooking her nerves. Maybe he’d want to finish what he’d started with kissing her earlier.

  She’d be up for another kiss – longer, warmer, okay, hotter.

  With her eyes still closed – hiding the turmoil being near him caused – she murmured. “What?”

  “I’m heading out in a bit, but I wanted to let you know I think Caracus and his gang are nearby. You were followed on horseback to Lonely Rivers.”

  Kelsey’s eyes snapped open. She straightened, covering her mouth with both hands.

  No, Sonny had already found her. Oh, no. He was going to kill her. Sonny had promised her the last time he’d seen her that the next time would be the last anyone would see her. He’d rape her, then give her to his gang until they were bored and then he’d snap her neck. Many times in the past, he’d wrapped his fingers around her throat and threatened to do exactly that. She grabbed at her chest, beneath the hollow of her neck.

  She whimpered.

  Ronan closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms.

  She tucked her forehead against his neck, his pulse strong against her skin.

  He stroked her hair. “It’s okay. The guys and I are going out tonight to see if we can catch them with some law enforcement. I want this over with more than you.”

  Through her fingers, she asked. “How’d he find me so fast? No one knows where I am. I haven’t told anyone but the MacAllisters and you.” She pulled back, eyes wide. Shit, she couldn’t breathe. Might never breathe normal again. “How did he find me?”

  Ronan lowered his voice, his fingers through her hair. His quiet voice calmed her enough she could listen. “They haven’t found you. Robbie owes Devlyn Caracus a large sum of money. Devlyn and his gang are here to collect. They abducted Amelia a few days ago, but she got away in the caverns. We’re going to see if they’re making camp past the rivers and try to trap them. Hopefully, this time tomorrow, we’ve got a deal in for Sonny to sign divorce papers while he sits in jail.”

  He tipped her chin up, his image blurry through her gathering tears. He leaned down, kissing the tip of her nose. “You’re okay. I won’t let him have you. Got it? I won’t.”

  And the fire smoldering in Ronan’s eyes promised more than justice, if Sonny tried anything again with Kelsey. She moved her head slowly, drawing away from his embrace. She chewed on her inner cheek. “Well, I think I’m close to an answer, if that helps. How about we talk when you get back and iron out any more details before I go with yes or no?”

  Ronan’s confident smile brought out an answering smile of her own. “You’ll say yes. It’s too good a deal to say no to. Plus…” He stared at her lips, his smile fading to an expression she hadn’t seen in years. She shifted her feet, transfixed by the heat in his eyes. “You and I both know we’re good together, real good. So why fight it, right?” He winked.

  And it was the damn wink that pushed her over the edge. She turned to the side and glanced over her shoulder before turning completing around. “I know I’m good. I just remember you as a bystander.”

  She spun to keep him in view and then backed away as he recovered from his shock.

  He laughed. “Damn, girl. I’m going to enjoy refreshing your memories.” He sauntered past and slapped her ass. “Maybe when we get things figured out, yeah?”

  And damn if she didn’t almost tell him yes right there.

  ~~~

  The decision to say yes didn’t come easily. Her pride had been injured more than anything. Yet, the fact that it was an option that he handed her rather than an ultimatum – even though they both knew she had nothing and nowhere else to go – gave her insides a warm tingly feel.

  But if she was saying yes, then while he was gone, she needed to have one last drink and acknowledge that she might have a drinking problem. Like her brother. And her dad. And her mother.

  She sure as hell wasn’t leaving the protection of his home. Staying closed up in Ronan’s house might be the safest place she could be. Especially with Sonny running around outside.

  A search for alcohol revealed no whiskey, no vodka, not even rum. The three bottles her dad had thrown at her on the lawn were nowhere to be found. Ronan had probably tossed them. Dang it. A half bottle of brandy and a bottle of tequila became her only bounty in Ronan’s office. Palming both bottles at the neck, she made her way to the kitchen.

  In no time at all, her liquid dinner had her crawling into bed and passing out.

  ~~~

  Oh, her stomach. Crap, she hated brandy so much. Rolling over to swing her feet to the ground, Kelsey pushed up from the mattress and tottered into the adjoining bathroom. She knelt over the toilet, holding her hair back off her face and neck, and dry-heaved until the meager contents of her stomach came up.

  Flushing, she reached for a hand towel, her fingers fumbling along the edge of the counter until grabbing hold of some cloth and pulling it to her mouth to wipe.

  Her thin t-shirt clung to her sweaty skin. If she made it back to bed, she’d try to shimmy out of her sweat pants. A feverish warmth worked its way up her back. Never mind waiting. She held herself as steady as possible and pushed at the waistband until it slid over her butt and down her legs. She needed to stand up to get them off.

  But her damn legs didn’t want to lift her body.

  Shaking and perspiring from the effort and fatigue, she gave up trying to stand and crawled on all fours back into the bedroom. As she crept forward, she pushed the pants down her legs and kicked them off by the bathroom door. Cool, refreshing air spilled over her skin.

  Stopping halfway to the bed, she rested her forehead on the floor and breathed in and out. At least the fever abated fairly quickly without the extra clothing.

  A creak in the hallway and the softest scrape of a boot on the hardwood floor had her turning her head. Her door was closed. Ronan would walk right by and go to bed. Had he been out all night? The chance that he was on the other side of the wall sent the weird little tingles on the back of her neck. She loved that he still made her hot and nervous… and flustered. Nauseous? Nope, the alcohol was fast at work again.

  She hadn’t marked what time she’d gone to bed – not that she would’ve remembered if she did. So maybe she didn’t note the time? A huge part of her wanted to call out to Ronan, but another fearful part didn’t want him to find out about the alcohol. With every drink her guilt had increased and the certainty that she wasn’t good enough for the situation or Ronan grew – which only made her drink more.

  Her door opened and she winced. So much for keeping her last binge a secret. Dark dirty-work-style boots crossed the threshold. On eye level they seemed so familiar, but she couldn’t place them. She had to still be drunk.

  Two steps her way, another, and then one drew back and in the split second before the boot connected, Kelsey remembered those boots.

  Sonny had found her.

  Wham! The toe of his boot sank into her stomach. She grunted, immediately crying out. Hands out, she rolled to her side on the floor, she had to choose between cradling her midsection or warding off another attack.

  Her attacker was Sonny, there would be more.

  The silhouette of his dark St
etson-knockoff and the bandanna he wore around his neck reminded her of an outlaw picture she’d seen at her grandmother’s house so long ago. But her eyes adjusted to the minimal light. Judging by his wide-shit-eating-grin, his crooked teeth with specks of chewing tobacco promised her things were just getting started.

  She whimpered. Fear racing down her spine, calling on all of her strength to keep her calm.

  Ronan, where are you?

  Chapter 11

  The pre-dawn light started out silver and peach along the edges of the trees past Colby and beyond the boundaries of Clearwater County.

  Ronan drew in a long appreciative breath of the cool intoxicating scent of the fresh Montana morning. He wrapped the reins tighter around his hands as Redbird carried him carefully down the rock and debris strewn mountain.

  He’d parted from Robbie and Slate hours before. The agreement had been to search along the river shore for any sign of Caracus’s gang. They’d split up and come at it from their own properties which took Ronan up the steep Lacey Falls face. But at the caverns where Robbie had initially rescued Amelia and where they’d expected to find the gang, there was nothing.

  Robbie and Slate waited for Ronan at the old entrance to where they’d all played house years ago – back before debt, family responsibilities, and other adult issues ripped apart their playtime.

  Ronan, standing in his stirrups, tried to see as far as he could. But just the calm beautiful river valley greeted his search. They’d agreed to continue searching some more and the night was almost over when they’d concurred on calling it a night.

  Sleep would be a welcome relief, but so would seeing Kelsey.

  Oh, that woman infuriated him. Ronan’s jealousy with Slate so close to his woman would have made him run and tackle the bastard, if Kelsey hadn’t been so calm about it. Something about her body language screamed disinterest. Small placation when Ronan had told her she didn’t have to love him, that their situation could be on a trial basis. Hell, he’d pretty much given a purely business status. He’d pushed her away before she could reject him.

  Fresh pine assailed his senses. The early morning mist coated everything in a fine layer of moisture.

  A low whistle pulled Ronan from his thoughts.

  Through the many tree trunks and low hanging branches, Ronan could just make out Robbie and Slate coming toward him. He whistled in response.

  At a copse of trees framed by moss-covered large rocks and fallen logs, they gathered together.

  Robbie nodded, his black hat a few shades darker than the shadows behind him. “Your guys ever show up?”

  “Yeah, but I asked them to wait for the police to arrive, show them where we were. My guess, they’re still waiting. Lazy ass town cops.” The two on Colby’s payroll had less ambition than a pig in mud. Even fat bribes did little to get them off their asses. Obviously.

  “Let’s call it a night. We’ll keep an eye out for any stragglers the rest of the day.” Slate reined in his horse to stand beside Ronan’s. “Do you really think they’re still in the area? When they went over the mountain, I could’ve sworn they’d be gone for good.”

  Ronan shrugged as they nudged their horses forward down the incline to the prairie. “I don’t know. There’s a lot here in their interest. Amelia said they’d mentioned the treasure in the caverns legend. Robbie owes them a ton of money. And now… well, with Kelsey in residence at Lacey Caverns, I think it’s a bit naïve to think they aren’t around.”

  Silence fell over them like a shield, even muting the horseshoes as they landed on moist bark and leaves. Each lost in their own ideas and plans.

  Slate was the first to hold up his hand. “Whoa, guys. Stop.” They stopped halfway between Ronan’s house and the tree line. Slate whispered again. “Did you see that?”

  Robbie and Ronan studied the house, in the direction Slate pointed. Fog had settled on the valley, making plain vision difficult but not impossible. Slate slid off his horse, ducking behind the saddle. Ronan and Robbie copied him.

  Whispering, Ronan moved himself to a better vantage point. “What’d you see, Slate?”

  “I could be wrong, but it looked like someone checking your windows. Do you ever leave any open?” Slate’s low tone carried the few feet between them all and then faded under the cloak of heavy, moist air.

  “I leave the laundry window open because it gets too hot in there with the dryer running. Come on.” Pulse speeding along at an unhealthy rate, Ronan walked Redbird as slowly as possible to a point in the field where the far side of the house would be in view. Robbie and Slate ambled their horses along to different positions. No three horses would ever stand toe-to-toe in a field.

  Peeking from under the neck of his mare, Ronan’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t be sure that the faint edges of shadow that he could see were actually someone moving around at the base of his house and not just his paranoid imagination.

  Robbie’s voice came next. “I saw it. Right there, beneath the deck lattice. Did you see it, Ronan?”

  And damn, Ronan gritted his teeth in irritation. He peered harder. How the hell had the MacAllisters — “Wait, yes, I see it. Guys, we have to get in there. Kelsey’s alone.” Fear scuttled up his chest like ice particles, cold and sharp. What would Sonny do, if he finally got Kelsey alone?

  The shadow slid up and disappeared inside his house.

  If he hurt her, it’d be all Ronan’s fault. Ronan should have left her at her parent’s home. Damn selfish side. Damn Lacey Caverns for always demanding to be more than anything or anyone else in his life.

  True agitation sharpened the bite to his words. “I. Need. Help. Can you stay?”

  “You need to ask?” Slate shot back.

  “Like hell he does.” Robbie maintained his crouch and started running toward the deck, pulling his trotting horse along behind him. A slight limp gave away the still-present pain from his recent beatings, but he didn’t let it stop him.

  In a similar crouch-run, Ronan and Slate overtook the injured Robbie with little effort, passing him by as they straightened and full out ran the remaining thirty yards to the house. Dropping the reins to their horses, Slate and Ronan threw their backs against the wall on either side of the still-open window, barely breathing heavy.

  They both checked in either direction for other men trying to get in. Robbie reached them, scooping up the dropped reins and pulling the horses closer to the deck. He tied them off to the wooden post of the wide porch, glaring at Slate and Ronan as he did so.

  Ronan straightened and turned, glancing as fast as he could inside the laundry room before spinning back to his position against the wall. Robbie joined them, crouched on the ground. He pointed to the deep-set boot tracks that trailed through the dew-moistened grass around the patio into the dirt of the flower bed beneath the window.

  Speaking just below a whisper, Ronan almost breathed out his words. On the silence of the early morning, Robbie and Slate heard him like he was yelling. “They’re not in the laundry room. The doorway’s open. It’s never left open. We need to —”

  A scream cut him off.

  Ronan didn’t wait to talk out a plan. Instead, he scrambled up and over the windowsill, hefting himself onto the ground. Robbie and Slate clamored up as well. For three large guys, they didn’t make too much sound as they landed on a pile of barn rags Ronan had wanted cleaned for a while now. Thank goodness for sick housekeepers.

  Grunts and groans mixed with sobs and whimpers from deep in the house, closer to the bedroom Ronan had placed Kelsey.

  Having left his shotgun on his horse, Robbie held out his hand and Slate passed over one of his Colts.

  “So far it’s just one. Robbie, can you stay here in case any more come through the window?” Ronan palmed the butt of his own pistol, extracting it from the side holster under his jacket.

  Robbie nodded and Slate moved to stand beside Ronan.

  Ronan continued. “We need to draw him out somehow. I don’t know where they’re at – sounds l
ike Kelsey’s room? I’ll get to the front door and open and then slam it shut like I don’t know he’s in there. Maybe I can draw him toward the door. Wait a minute, and then you come from here, it will put you at his back. I don’t know for sure where Kelsey is or what condition she’s in, but if she is still in her room we might have a chance at separating them.” He didn’t wait for any kind of agreement.

  That was Kelsey in there and she was his responsibility. Hell, he’d promised he wouldn’t let the bastard hurt her anymore.

  He winced when another scream reached him.

  So far he wasn’t doing very well on his promises.

  Chapter 12

  Kelsey couldn’t breathe. She stopped making noises to conserve the shallow gasps she could draw in through her bruised and swollen throat.

  “No good, red-skinned whore. You thinkin’ ‘bout leaving me for this?” Sonny’s mirthless laugh told her he was just getting started. He reached down and roughly fisted her hair. “I’m gonna teach you, bitch.”

  Spittle fell on her cheeks and neck. Pulling her up, so her upper body cleared the ground, he dragged her toward the bed.

  The sound of the front door opening made him freeze.

  Kelsey focused on breathing and ignoring the pain in her hip where his boot had landed a couple times. If she could draw enough breath, she could scream.

  As if reading her mind, he jerked her face toward his with his grip on her hair. Hot breath bombarded her skin. “You keep your mouth shut or I’ll do him first while you watch. Got me?”

  She closed her eyes and nodded. Sonny never lied. He’d kill Ronan without a second thought. And she’d never get to tell him how she felt.

  Sonny’s anger finally broke something inside her.