Dallas nodded and followed Georgia up the stairs. Everyone had gotten in place, weapons drawn, by the time two of them made it to the front. They both stood behind a large tree, which worried Austin and Jackson. "Wait for them to make the first move," Jackson warned. "Don't let them know we're even aware they're outside." Austin nodded, but they didn't have long to wait.
"Hail the house!"
Jackson motioned Austin to be patient and wait a couple seconds before responding, then suggested his response. Austin nodded and answered, "Who are you and what do you want?"
"We came for Pete Sanders. We know he's here. Send him out and we'll be leaving."
"I can't do that," Austin yelled out. "He's not here."
"I'm not stupid, Barrington. I know he was here, and I know the sheriff's been out here a lot lately. Send him out."
"He was here, but he's not now. The sheriff's been here because he's a personal friend of mine. What do you want with Sanders, anyway?"
"He raped my boss's wife. I can't believe you'd protect someone like that."
"How do you know he did this? Did you see him do it?"
"Enough talk. Are you going to send Sanders out or not?"
"I told you he's not here. I can't send him out if he's not here."
Dallas yelled, "I saw six. Two went to the east side, four went to the west. No more activity in the woods, but still watching."
Before Austin got a response to his last comment, there was a commotion at the back of the house and a gunshot. "Stay here and keep answering questions. Yell if something happens. I'll be back." He quickly left and headed to the back of the house, where he found his brother, Denny, and Cord. Denny had just taken control of one man, throwing him to the floor and sitting on his back, with his hands pulled behind him. Cord had knocked the other man's gun loose and was engaged in hand to hand combat with him. Jackson was about to help Cord out, when Cord landed a solid punch which laid his adversary out. He fell to the ground.
"Cord, do you know where we can find some rope?" Jackson asked.
"Be right back with some," Cord said as he shook his hand out and went to Austin's office. He returned with rope. Jackson quickly, with obvious practice, tied both men up, hands and feet. He then pulled them into the dining room and with Denver's help, they pulled two chairs from the table and set them back to back. They sat the two men in them and tied them together.
Dallas appeared as they were finishing. "Georgia's still watching the woods, but she hasn't seen any more movement. What do you need me to do?"
Jackson told Cord, "Keep your gun trained on them and shoot them if they try to get loose. Pa, you and Denny go back to the back door in case someone else tries getting in. I'm going to check all the windows on this floor, then go back with Austin. Everybody yell if you need help."
He took off, checking all the windows, making sure they were locked and no one would be able to get in through one of them, and returned to the front door, where the man outside was giving a last warning. "This is the last time I'll ask you to send him out, Barrington."
"Good. Then it'll also be the last time I have to tell you he's not in here."
Jackson had to smile a little at Austin's response. The man outside yelled, "Go," and he and the other man behind the tree fired a random shot at the house and started running toward it, obviously planning on charging the door.
At the same time, Georgia yelled, "Eight of our men from the barn coming to handle the two out front. Go to the back."
Austin and Jackson did just that. They got to the back door as two more men charged toward the door. Denver had been watching out the side of the window and as they were about to put their shoulders into knocking the door open, he swung it open. All four men laughed as the two fell straight on their faces on the floor. Jackson and Denver quickly kicked their guns out of the way, and the four men proceeded to easily overtake the two men and tie them up. Dallas and Denver took them to the dining room and tied them together in another chair, out of reach of the first two men.
Jackson and Austin went back to the front door, where they'd heard a gunshot and a scuffle. Jackson pulled the curtain aside far enough to see what was going on, and smiled broadly as he opened the door. "Where do you want these two, boss?" Ty asked, as he and Landon were holding guns on the two that had been hiding behind the trees.
"Bring them on in, boys," Austin said. "Thanks."
"No problem. We saw these jackasses hiding behind the trees with their guns drawn, and we heard what they were saying. We know Pete Sanders isn't here, so we figured we better straighten out their thinking before they do something stupid."
Austin went to the stairs and yelled, "Come on down, my dear wife. I think it's over."
"Good. What happened? I hate being up there, not knowing what's going on. Did we get all six of them? Did anyone get hurt?"
Austin chuckled as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her so she'd stop asking questions. "Yes, we got them all six, and no one got hurt. Thank you for watching for us, and telling me the guys had the two in the front. You were very helpful." She was smiling ear to ear as he leaned down and kissed her again.
Someone cleared their throat behind them, and the two jumped, and separated. Dallas laughed. "Yes, my baby girl is doing fine. She's got a husband who loves her and is taking good care of her."
"Sorry, sir," Austin said. "I guess I kind of got carried away."
"Don't apologize to me, son. It does a father good to see his daughter this happy. Let's go see what needs to be done now, though."
They all went into the dining room and helped tie the last two together.
When that was finished, Dallas asked, "So what do we do now, Jackson?"
"Cord, you and Georgia guard these men. Keep your guns on them and don't be afraid to use them if they're stupid enough to try anything. Pa, Denny, and Austin, come with me. We're going to do a sweep of the area and make sure there's no one else out there."
They left after Cord and Georgia nodded their agreement. While they were outside, Cord asked the men, "Are there any more of you?" No one said a word, which didn't surprise either of them. What they weren't expecting, though, was a sound coming from the other room. "Stay here and watch them," Cord said. "I'll go check it out." He quickly went to the back of the house, where the sound had come from.
***
Sheriff Montgomery and Joe Silas were making their way to the Barrington ranch. They were about ready to duck into the woods to try to sneak up on the campsite from behind, when they heard a shot. They turned their horses toward the ranch and took off. They were at the woods, when they heard a second shot. Both men drew their guns as they neared the house.
Seeing no one around, they went to the front door. The door was open, which was not a good thing. They hurried inside, and heard movement from the first room to the left. They both entered, guns pointed, and froze. Their jaws dropped when they saw six men tied at their hands and feet, sitting on chairs, two together, back to back with rope tying them together. Guarding them with a gun was Georgia.
Grant looked from the six prisoners to Georgia, and started laughing as he put his gun away. Joe looked over at him with a curious expression. Before he could ask any questions, Cord came walking in, pulling another man whose hands were tied. "Joe or Grant, I'm not very experienced at tying people up. Can I get some help here?"
"I'll help you with that, Cord," Jackson said as he and his group came in. "Where'd you find this one?"
"He was in the back bedroom, looking for Pete."
"I told you guys, Pete's not here," Austin said, shaking his head.
Grant looked at the roomful of people, three of whom he'd never met, but seemed to be friends of Austin and Cord, and seven of whom were tied up. He looked at Joe, who looked confused as could be, and he started laughing again.
"Sheriff, what in the world are you laughing about? Do you have any idea who these people are, or what's going on here?"
Grant was still chuckling a
s he shook his head. "Nope."
Austin stepped up and slapped Grant on the back. "Thanks for coming, buddy." He looked at his new relatives and said, "Let me introduce my friend, Sheriff Grant Montgomery, and his deputy, Joe Silas. Grant, Joe, this is Dallas, Denver, and Jackson Langley, from Boston. They're my wife's father and two brothers."
"Good to meet all of you," Grant said. He looked from them to Austin, and the men tied up.
Austin smiled. "I might add, Dallas and Denver used to be U.S. Marshals, and Jackson is also known as Sheriff Jackson Langley."
"Ah," Grant said with a smile. "That explains a lot." He shook hands again with all three of them. "Thank you for your help. Believe me when I say I am really happy you were here."
"We're glad we were here, too," Dallas said.
"So now what," Austin asked.
"Well, now we load these men up in a wagon, if I can borrow a wagon and a couple horses from you, my friend, and get them into town and in my jail. We'll call the judge, and when he gets into town he can take it from there."
Austin looked at his good friend and sheriff. "Can I ask them a question first?"
"Sure. Ask them what you want now, before we take them into town."
"What were you guys planning on doing to Pete?"
"We was supposed to kill him," one of them answered with no hesitation.
Austin was obviously confused. "But why? What did Pete do to any of you?"
"It wasn't what he did to us; it was what he done to our boss' wife. He raped that poor woman."
Austin was determined. "How do you know that? I take it you didn't see him do it. Did she tell you Pete did this?"
A different man answered this time. "No. I never met her. He told us Pete done that, and he wanted him dead. He said he found him once and shot him, but it didn't kill him, and he wanted him dead."
Austin was running his hand through his hair, obviously upset. "So all of you believed what he told you, even though you never met his wife. Did any of you ever even see her? Do you know for sure if he even has a wife? Let me ask you something. If someone did that to your wife, do you think you would leave her alone for an extended amount of time and go after the guy yourself, or if you loved her, wouldn't you stay with her to make sure she's safe, and let the law go after this guy?"
"But he never said nothing about the law going after him."
"Didn't that seem odd to you? If a man rapes a woman, you better believe the law is going to go after that man."
The men were quiet and looking at each other.
Austin turned back to Grant. "Okay, you can take them in now. I'm disgusted with the whole bunch of them. They were chasing after a man they didn't really know the facts about. They were chasing him down just because Ted was paying them."
A thought crossed his mind and he turned to look at them again. "Or did he even pay you? That kind of man is about as dishonest as they come. He's the kind that would tell you he'll pay you when the job's done, and pay big. That entices you to do the job for him, but once the job's done you never see him and you never get your money. Or if you do see him, he shoots you, just like he shot Pete."
The men all started looking at each other. One finally said, "He hasn't paid me anything yet."
"Me, either," another said, and others started nodding in agreement.
"And now we won't be," another one said. "Datgummit! Now I got no money and I'm going to jail."
"Well, you won't be alone in there," Grant said. He turned to the Langleys. "I know I don't have any right to ask, but seeing you men all have experience, do you suppose I could get some help getting these men to jail?"
"Absolutely," Dallas offered. "We'll be happy to help you escort this riffraff off my daughter's and son-in-law's property. It's getting pretty dark out now, and you'll need help."
"I'll go get a wagon and some horses," Cord offered, and left for the barn.
"I'll go and help," Denver offered.
"Count me in," Jackson said.
"Do you need me and any of my men?" Austin asked.
"I don't think so," Grant said. "I believe two sheriffs and two U.S. Marshals should be able to haul in seven men that are tied up. We'll tie them each to a post on the wagon, and they won't be going anywhere.
"I was going to go get Pete and bring him back here, but as late as it is, maybe I should wait until morning," Austin said.
"I think I'd wait," Grant said. "When I stopped in the other day to talk to Pete, they were about ready to go to bed. I think they go to bed early and are up early."
"I think so, too," Georgia offered. "When I was over there working with Vera one day she mentioned that they go to bed early at their house. We'll go get Pete and Maria tomorrow, and Vera and I can get caught up. I've missed her so much."
"I know you have, honey," Austin said as he put his arm around her waist. "I'll make sure you have plenty of time to talk with her tomorrow."
The men loaded the prisoners into a wagon, tying each to a post, just as Grant said, and they left for town. Austin and Georgia found themselves alone in the house, but Austin was concerned. His wife was trembling. The adrenalin was wearing off from the excitement they'd had, and she was realizing the danger they had actually faced. He held her in his arms and kissed her, and although she responded, she was still trembling. He only knew of one way to settle her down.
"You and I, Mrs. Barrington, have a matter we need to discuss in private. While everyone's gone will be a wonderful time to do it."
She looked up at him instantly when she heard his stern voice. "But what? I didn't do anything wrong."
"Oh, you didn't? Are you sure about that? How about when I told you to go in my office until I knew who was at the door earlier tonight. Did you do as I asked?"
She stammered a bit before answering, "Yes, I went."
"But did you go right away, or try to argue with me first?"
"You smacked me, right in front of Cord. I was so embarrassed!"
"But if you would have done as I asked, that wouldn't have been necessary, would it?" Before she had a chance to answer, he continued. "And when you told me about this activity you saw in the woods, I couldn't believe you saw something yesterday, but didn't tell me about it until today."
"But I wasn't positive what I saw yesterday."
"Didn't I tell you to let me know about anything, no matter how small it may seem?"
She slumped her shoulders and dropped her head. "Yes," she mumbled.
"Yes, indeed," he said. "I think we best go upstairs and get this taken care of before everyone gets back here." He wasn't really very surprised at all when she didn't fight him when he led her upstairs and to their bedroom.
He locked the door and turned to face her, keeping his strict demeanor. She was looking down at the floor, and she looked a little worried, but he noticed she'd stopped trembling. He was glad his instincts were right. More than anything else, she needed to know he was still there watching her, keeping her safe. What she'd done wasn't a major offense that needed a spanking, but she needed the assurance that he was consistent; that he was still there, still watching out for her, and he would give her that.
He sat down on the bed and quickly had her over his knee and her dress and slips up. He reached underneath her and loosed the tie for her bloomers and pulled them down. He rubbed her gorgeous bare bottom a few seconds, willing himself to give her this spanking. She hadn't really earned one, but he knew she needed it. She needed to know he was there when she needed him.
He started the spanking rather slowly, but as he talked, he increased the spanking, both the speed and intensity. He didn't spank as hard as he normally did, but he wasn't sure she knew that. He talked her through the spanking, constantly telling her he was there watching her and wouldn't allow her to get away with things like not telling him about everything, no matter how small, that may cause her any harm. He reiterated it was his job to keep her safe and he fully intended to do so, and she could expect a spanking anytime she didn't
tell him something important, like seeing activity in the woods.
She was crying out with some of the harder spanks, but wasn't fighting him as much as normal. He wasn't spanking as hard as normal, either, but he really didn't think that had anything to do with it. He truly believed she needed to hear him remind her he was still protecting her, and would follow that up with a spanking when she didn't. He kept spanking her as he reminded her that he was trying to protect her when he sent her to his office to see who the riders were.
He was pretty sure he'd done enough to reassure her, so he brought the spanking to an end. "The next time I tell you to go to my office while I answer the door, will you do it without arguing?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Austin."
"Good. And the next time you see something that doesn't seem right to you, will you tell me?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then I believe we're making headway." He gave her five more swats. "Do you understand that I love you, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if I have to spank you every day?"
That question did exactly what he hoped it would do. She burst into tears as she tried to talk. She only managed to nod, but that was exactly what he knew she needed. She needed to release her tears, because along with the tears, she was releasing her fears. He gently pulled her up and onto his lap. She snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. With his cheek resting on her head, he held her while she cried. He gently rubbed her arm now and then, or ran his fingers through her hair, but mostly he just held her.
When her crying settled down, he asked, "Feel better now, honey?"
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Yes, I do. How can that be?"
"Oh, my sweet little feisty wife, you are adorable. I love you. You were scared. I can understand that. That was quite an ordeal we just went through. We haven't been married long enough yet for you to know that I will always be here for you. I am always watching you, watching what you do and what you say, and making sure you're safe. In fact, watching you closely is part of how I keep you safe. When you were scared tonight, I wanted to make sure you know you're not alone; I'm here with you. Did I do that?"
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