In His Sights

by Nikita Slater

  Mack turned his head to stare at his sister. A few tears were escaping and trailing down her cheeks. Maybe she hadn’t known Lucy very well, but she knew her brother, knew how much he loved Lucy, knew how much he was hurting for his lost love. He would hold it all inside and slowly splinter apart until there was nothing left. Mack reached out and drew his sister gently toward him until her head rested against his shoulder.

  “What if she doesn’t love me anymore? What if she doesn’t want me back?” he asked gruffly.

  Tawny laughed, the sound a little watery. She swiped tears delicately from under her eyes, careful not to smear her make-up. “That girl tattooed stars and hearts on herself because that’s how you make her feel. She’s head over heels for you, baby brother. She just needs to wake up and remember.”

  He nodded slowly. “What should I do?”

  “You go get the girl, stupid.” He stood so abruptly she fell sideways across where he’d been sitting with a startled grunt then laughed out loud. “Dumbass! She’s only had a week to get over the shock of being buried alive. Why don’t you give her a little more time?”

  Mack turned and looked down at her, nodding at her wisdom. “Yeah, good idea, Tawn. I should give her some time. How much time you think?”

  She laughed again and pushed herself off the couch. Rolling her eyes, she said, “At least as long as it takes for you to shower the ashtray smell away. You smell so bad, Mackenzie. I can’t even.” She headed toward the kitchen and tossed over her shoulder, “I’ll pour the coffee. Meet me in the kitchen and we’ll talk strategy.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Two weeks later

  “Dochter!” Kathryn Miller’s voice rang sharply through the barn sending chickens flapping and the dog running straight through the doors on the other side.

  Lucy jumped and dropped the pitchfork she’d been holding, the daydream she’d been having about Mack instantly vanishing as the tines of the fork clattered against the floor. Lucy whirled around, her face flushing guiltily. She and Mack had been about to get down and dirty right there in the bed of clean hay before she was interrupted. Mack had torn her smock away and shown her exactly how little her pious community upbringing meant to him.

  She’d been getting these daydreams more and more lately. The more time she spent with her family and community. The more she relaxed and settled back into a familiar routine, the more her feelings slowly started to bleed back into her body. Sometimes she shivered, cried and screamed when no one was around, reliving what those awful men had done to her. But other times she returned the better times, better memories of the city. Hours spent at the diner, with Amber and out shopping with Alexandr. Precious time spent with Jane, getting to know Mack’s family and best of all, Mack himself. She didn’t regret coming home to the farm. She needed the simple life in her community to heal. But she couldn’t stop the flood of feelings whenever Mack occupied her mind, and he seemed to be doing that more and more lately.

  “Useless!” Kathryn snapped, storming up to Lucy. Joseph trailed behind Lucy’s mother, as though supporting whatever she was doing, but still somewhat hesitant. Lucy had a sudden urge to escape with the dog.

  She was surprised at her mother’s words. Kathryn was always strict and overbearing, somewhat militant even. But she’d never been abusive toward her family. Lucy studied her mother’s face as she approached. She looked annoyed, her usual go-to expression… but also sad and a little resigned.

  “I’m sorry, mother, I don’t quite understand,” Lucy said hesitantly. “Are you saying I’m useless?”

  “Yes, that is correct,” Kathryn snapped. “Utterly useless. You mope and you daydream. You can barely lift a pitchfork with those city arms and that head filled with fluff. I will not reteach you our ways, child. You have been ruined by the city.”

  “I admit, I’ve been distracted lately. I’ll try harder.”

  “No, daughter. You have been ruined by the city and ruined…” Kathryn said, her voice softening somewhat, “… by a man I would wager.” Lucy looked at her mother. Tears filled the older woman’s eyes. “You are in love, Lucy.”

  Lucy nodded. There was no point in denying it. She loved Mack Hudson. She always had and she always would. Whether he still loved her back anymore.

  Lucy had never seen her mother cry. Not even the day that Jane left the farm and they all knew she would not return. But now she cried. Tears trickled down her cheeks and her face crumpled. She lifted her apron and sobbed into the cloth. Lucy stood wide-eyed, no idea what she should do. Her father gave her a pointed look and jerked her head toward her mother. Lucy approached slowly as though approaching a skittish colt.

  “Mother, I’m so sorry,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around her mother.

  Kathryn accepted the hug and nodded. She lifted her face and said in a choked voice. “I never allowed myself to believe that I would lose both of my girls. I tried to ensure that you would understand duty as you grew. That you would understand that your duty is here with your community and not wandering across the countryside.”

  “I do know, mother,” Lucy assured her. “You taught me well. I understand my duty and I will stay if that’s what you want.”

  Kathryn shook her head, clutching Lucy close. “No, child, that’s not what I want. You must go and be with your heart.” Finally, she pushed her youngest daughter away and lifted her face, dabbing her eyes with her apron, her face red and splotchy. “I blame myself. I have a soft, romantic heart and you girls inherited it from me.”

  Lucy was somehow able to contain her laughter at Kathryn’s assertion and side-eyed her father when she wasn’t looking. She’d never seen evidence of softness in her mother, but she wasn’t about to contradict the other woman. Not when her own future happiness lay in the balance.

  “What am I going to do?” Lucy asked hesitantly.

  “You are going to stop all this useless daydreaming,” Kathryn announced straightening her back and strengthening her voice, “and you’re going to go back to your man. You will marry him and then bring him back to us and present him properly.”

  Lucy chewed on her lip a moment and grinned. “Of course, mother. But I should warn you, his language is terrible. Really terrible. And he seems to have it in for Matthew. He hasn’t forgiven Matthew at all for wanting to marry me.”

  Kathryn jerked her head toward the house, indicating that Lucy should follow her. Joseph nodded, allowing the women to go. Lucy knew he would finish pitching hay for her. She gave him a quick hug and skipped after her mother.

  “Pshaw,” Kathryn snorted. “He’ll be fine with Matthew by the time you bring him round. Mathew and Delly will be married by then anyway. I also want to see Jane and Vladimir’s baby, so please ensure that they come along as well.”

  Matthew had become engaged to someone else in Lucy’s absence. She’d been happy for the couple when she found out and extended her congratulations to both. But somehow, she didn’t think Mack would be fine with the other couple. He could be oddly touchy about anything to do with Lucy having a history with other men.

  Lucy spent the next day saying goodbye to her community. Not in an overt way. She intended to leave quietly. But she wanted to soak up as much of it as she could before she left. She decided that she wouldn’t be back, except for occasional visits. Though not prohibited unless shunned, interaction with city people was frowned upon in their community. She didn’t want her parents to become gossiped about, so she and Jane would visit only rarely, perhaps once a year.

  Lucy visited each place that had meaning for her, spending time with people that she cared about. Matthew was top of her list. Her heart no longer melted even a little for him, though she felt affection, having spent many hours in her youth with him. Then Lucy visited the community hall and a few other buildings she cared for. She wasn’t like Jane. She loved the place where she grew up and felt a pang at leaving for good.

  As she made her way back to the farm for her last night, the sun was setting on
the corn fields turning the golden rows pink, red and orange. Her heart ached at the sight and she vowed that her yearly visits would always be made at this time. When it was still warm, and harvest was yet to come. She turned her back on the setting sun, allowing the warmth to soak into the back of her neck. Her dog followed faithfully at her heels, his tail swishing against her skirt.

  Lucy finally felt settled, full of stars and hearts once more. She just needed to go back out into the world and find her Mack.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Lucy hugged her father tight, holding him against her body and feeling him, smelling his familiar scent, knowing it might be a long while before she saw him again. He held her tight in turn and touched her hair, before setting her aside and gruffly saying, “Dochter.”

  Then she was in her mother’s arms for a quick but bone-crushing hug. Kathryn set her quickly aside, but gripped Lucy’s shoulder and said, “You will bring your sister and her child back to us for a visit, yes?”

  “Yes,” Lucy agreed obediently, knowing any other answer would mean a light smack at the very least.

  There was a time when, for Kathryn Miller, being gossiped about in the community was everything horrible. Apparently, the loss of both daughters was far worse than neighborly condemnation. Lucy took a deep breath and set off away from the house. She wished now that she kept at least one set of city clothes. But she’d believed that she was returning to the farm for good and she wouldn’t have been able to keep them anyway.

  She hadn’t talked to her parents about her plans once she reached the edge of the property and they hadn’t thought to discuss any with her. They had no idea how long-distance travel worked, and she hadn’t wanted to alarm them. The moment she hit the main road, a few hours outside the community, she would hitchhike into a bigger center and then travel by bus into the city. Her father had given her a little money.

  Lucy walked for about an hour when she saw a cloud of dust in the distance. She frowned and stopped, shading her eyes. She was still on Amish land, so it was strange to see a motorized vehicle. Yet the speed in which this one was travelling told her it definitely wasn’t a horse and buggy. As it approached, faster and faster, she stepped off to the side of the road, recognizing it as a truck, similar to Mack’s.

  It drove by her in a blur of black metal and tinted windows. Then it stopped so fast it went skidding in the rocks and dirt, sending a huge billowing cloud of dust up into the hot summer air. Lucy’s mouth fell open in shock. Which was a bad idea. She immediately choked on the warm dust that made its way into her mouth. She bent over double, coughing, tears pricking her eyes. She heard a door open and then boots crunching across gravel as someone ran toward her.

  Was she about to get kidnapped from her own damn community? She just couldn’t win no matter where she was! She tried to force herself to straighten up and take on a fists-in-the-air fighting pose, like her sister would, but the hacking coughs didn’t seem to want to let up just yet.

  A hulking shadow flew out of the billowing dust. She put her arm up and tried to lurch away while still hacking and spitting out dirt. He grabbed her wrist and pounded her on the back. Her eyes popped open. Was her would-be kidnapper helping her?

  “Lucy,” he growled.

  “M-Mack?” she gasped around a mouthful of dust.

  “Yeah, baby, it’s me.”

  He helped her straighten and then pulled her against his chest before she had a chance to recover. Her eyes were still streaming. She blinked a few times and rubbed her face against his solid chest. Yup, felt like him. She took a few deep breaths and then inhaled, breathing him in. Also smelled like him. So incredibly masculine and good!

  She placed her palms against his chest, felt his solid muscles beneath her hands and the reassuring beat of his heart and then shoved him away as hard as she could. He wasn’t expecting her attack, though he probably should’ve considering he’d almost ran over her and then choked her with a dust devil. She managed to dislodge him, and he stumbled back a few steps.

  “What’s wrong with you!” she snapped hoarsely, coughing again. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  He stared at her for a moment and then grinned, taking in her ire, the bag she was carrying and the road she was walking that led to the main highway. “Came back for you, darlin’, aren’t you happy to see me?”

  She glared at him, hands on hips and tried not to let her lips twitch. She was completely over the moon to see him, but the man should suffer a little bit at least. “Well, you can just turn yourself back around, Mr. Hudson. That is about the least romantic pickup I have ever experienced in my life. I want a damn do-over if you expect me to go anywhere with you. A horse and carriage at least.”

  His eyes swept over her, taking in her smock and bonnet. She recognized the heated lust for what it was. It was same look that blazed in his eyes the first time he kissed her and every time he’d touched her since. “See you brought me another bonnet for my collection,” he nodded toward her head.

  “You think you’ll be touching me after everything you’ve put me through, Mr. Hudson?” she said, trying to sound imperious, hands on hips. She knew her voice sounded breathless though, because her heart was pumping in anticipation. She had minutes if not seconds before those big, rough hands were running all over her. She could hardly wait.

  “You’ll be getting in that truck, Lucy, my love,” he growled, his voice sending shivers right through to her lady bits. “One way or another.”

  “Oh, I will, will I?” she asked, eyebrow arched. Then she dropped her bag, turned and ran straight into the nearest cornfield, screeching with laughter. He lunged after her, catching her before she could take ten steps, arms wrapping around her waist.

  He held her against him, his arms crushing her body into his. He dropped his head into her neck and nuzzled her ear from behind, licking her tattoo. “Lucy,” he murmured, his voice a husky whisper in her ear.

  She shivered in his tight hold and tilted her head, giving him easier access. She stared straight ahead at the rows of corn, waving in the slight breeze. Her hair wafted around their heads and she brought her arms up to clasp his.

  “Mack,” she whispered back.

  “You ready to come home, baby?” he asked gently, his teeth grazing the edge of her ear.

  Her breath caught, and goosebumps rippled across her skin, her nipples peaked. She nodded. “Yeah,” she said, tilting her head to look at him. “I missed you.”

  His big shoulders blocked the sun, shadowing both of them. He nodded and looked down at her seriously. “I was waiting for you to wake up from wherever you went after you were hurt. Wanted to make sure you were ready before I came out here.”

  She touched his jaw, running her fingers over the blond stubble before meeting his intense blue eyes. “I’m awake now, Mack. And I’m ready to go home with you.”

  He dropped his forehead to hers. “Okay, baby,” he murmured, his deep voice penetrating right through her. “Once I take you from here, there’s no coming back. I’m not kidding around. You belong to me forever. I won’t let you go again.”

  Instead of speaking Lucy stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. It wasn’t the most passionate kiss they’d ever shared, but it was the most loving. It was full of the promise of a beginning. It was the understanding that this was it. That they would leave together and start their lives.

  Lucy broke the kiss and swept him with a look, mischief shining in her eyes. “Deal. But I get to work at the diner still if Dalton will take me back. And I get girls’ nights out whenever I want them, and I get to go see Jane and Vlad on Saturdays and Tawny and Abel on Sundays.”

  He laughed, swept her off her feet and strode toward his truck. “You think you get to negotiate with me? How about I spank that ass until you just agree to whatever I want?”

  “No fair, you know I like it when you do that!” she accused, smacking him on the chest.

  He chuckled and opened the door to the truck, setting her sideways on
the driver’s seat. She tried to crawl across toward the passenger seat, but he jerked her back, turning her in his arms and smashing his lips down on hers in a heated kiss that sent her heart soaring. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself up against him, pressing her breasts into her chest, savouring the feel of his big, solid body against hers once more.

  “Mack,” she moaned into his mouth, tears of longing pricking her eyes.

  “I know, baby,” he groaned against her. “Been too long.”

  He dropped her ass back on the seat and reached down for the hem of her skirt, jerking it up. His big palms ran from her knees all the way up the outside of her thighs to her hips and then stopped. His light eyes met her melting caramel ones and he gave her a heated look that promised she was about to get fucked hard, right there on the side of a gravel road.

  “No panties?”

  She grinned. “I guess I’m a reformed ex-Amish girl,” she panted.

  He growled, gripped her hips and jerked her forward slamming the cradle of her thighs against his jean-clad legs. He shoved her dress the rest of the way up, baring her completely to his gaze. His icy blue eyes seemed to blaze with fire. He reached in between their bodies and unzipped his pants, pulling his rock-hard cock free from the confines of denims and underwear. She had seconds to admire the smoothness of that move before he bent his knees and rocked his body into her, slamming himself home.