by Jillian Neal
“Nat, we don’t have to go back over to your parents,” Aaron offered again.
“I know, but I want to get this over with. Constantly waiting on whatever is going to happen to actually happen is making me crazy. I want to yell at him and then tell him to get his ass off of my ranch and never to come back. Then you’re taking me to bed.”
She recognized his single nod as the one he gave when he’d been given orders he didn’t like. He managed to keep his arm wrapped around her shoulders and her slightly behind his body as they walked back to her parents’ home.
There were no strange cars parked anywhere. Relief and confusion fought for dominance in her mind.
“He isn’t here, baby girl,” her father immediately assured her.
“So where is he then?”
“He’s in town. Out on Holly Hill near Main.” T stared at his phone.
“That’s my place.” Aaron sounded as surprised as she felt.
“Why is he there?”
“He’s with Rasmussen.” Her mother rolled her eyes. “Kind of like rats, you see one you got more.”
Brock was seated at the table with his head in his hands. “The only human being on the planet that doesn’t hate him. I’m going out there. This is insane. He’s not getting anywhere near Natalie, or my kids, or my wife.”
“I’m going with you,” Natalie informed everyone.
“If she’s going I’m going,” Luke huffed. “Shoulda whipped his ass a long time ago.” A chorus of me toos flew around the kitchen.
Jessie sighed. “Fine, we’re all going. If you married one of my children you all know I love you more than the ones I birthed, but if you’ll stay here with the young’uns? I think my children have something they’d like to say to their uncle.”
Her mother’s determined dignity gave Natalie another round of strength.
“Of course,” Indie agreed. “You all go. Luke honey, if you need me to bail you out, call me. I’ll be right there. And I might’ve put a few extra tire irons in the back of your truck last night should you need one.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Grant, do you remember when you bought that Louisville Slugger for Keith and I told you he was way too young for it and stuck it in the garage?” Katy asked.
“Yeah.” Grant smiled.
“It’s not in the garage anymore. It’s in your truck.”
“I have always liked the way you think, Katy Belle.”
Dec lifted Holly’s chin. “You’re sure you want to go?”
“Definitely.”
Certain he was going to crush the steering wheel with his own fists, Aaron followed Luke’s truck. Natalie was seated right beside him with her arms crossed over her chest. Determination rolled off of her in waves.
“You’re awfully quiet.” She finally spoke.
“Taking everything in me not to just keep driving until we’re somewhere in the vicinity of Oregon, taking a boat from there to anywhere he isn’t. I don’t want you to do this. There. That’s the absolute truth.”
“I know but I want to do this.”
“That’s the only reason I’m going along with it. Grant handed me a pistol when we left. I’m taking it in with me, although Indie’s tire iron idea has merit.”
“If anyone gets to beat him with a tire iron it should be me, or maybe Brock.”
“Fine. I’ll hold him for you.”
A line of Camden trucks filled Rasmussen’s yard. Aaron had gone into battle with a lot of different kinds of men. This was the first time he’d fought alongside cattle ranchers. He was beyond certain they were America’s finest.
The Sevens took the front line as they headed up to the front porch. If Rasmussen and company hadn’t seen them coming, they were in for one hell of a surprise.
The front door swung open before Griff could kick it in. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Rasmussen demanded. His dentures were out making his attempt to sound tough oddly humorous.
“We’re here to talk, old man. Move or be moved,” Aaron snarled.
“Let ’em in.” A voice from inside the house had Natalie gripping his arm tighter. A shiver worked through her.
“Baby, we don’t have…”
The fierce clinch of her jaw said she was doing this. Aaron kept her behind his body as they entered the house.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Natalie could barely see Mick between the men standing in front of her. The odd rasp of his oxygen chaffed at her nerves. Most of his hair was gone and the liver spots on his hands looked nothing like Brock’s now.
She pushed between Holly and Austin, edging closer.
“Mick, I swore to you I’d kill you if you ever came back up here. Only thing that makes any sense at all is that you’re looking to die tonight.” Natalie had only heard her father so furious one other time in her life.
“How’d you even know I was here?” He asked in odd fragments of speech punctuated by the puffs of air. Her heart pounded frantically. She wanted to run and she wanted to fight. Neither option offered her an acceptable outcome.
“Word gets around when dirty snakes slither, fucker,” Luke spat at Mick. “Answer his question. Why the hell are you here?”
“I needed to see my son.”
“I saw enough of you for four lifetimes in the eighteen years I endured living with you, Dad. I’ve still got the scars to prove it. You can go straight to hell. I know what you did to her.” Brock pointed to Natalie. “I honestly never thought you could get worse and yet somehow you managed that, too. So, now you’ve seen me. I hate you more than I did the day I moved out. Leave and never come back. You’re dangerously close to Camden land and you will never be a Camden.”
“That what you drove all this way to hear, Mick? You need to hear him say he hates you again?” Ev demanded.
“I deserve forgiveness from all of you.”
Pure, unadulterated rage rocketed up Natalie’s spine. “Move,” she shouted to Griff and Voodoo. They edged to the side ever so slightly. Aaron was right beside her. “You deserve our forgiveness, old man? Did you actually just say that to me?” She lunged toward him. It took the strength of three former Green Berets to hold her back. “The only thing you deserve is to spend an eternity in hell which is right where you’re going.”
“I’ve asked God for forgiveness for what I did to you, Natalie. I suppose I’m sorry.”
“Are you? Are you sorry for every single time I sobbed, for every hour I spent listening to therapists tell me it wasn’t my fault, and the years and years I told myself it was? Are you sorry for the nightmares and the panic attacks? Are you sorry for the other little girls in my class who I asked if their uncles touched them the way you touched me? Are you sorry for every single twisted lie you told? Are you sorry for all of the hell you put me through? Are you? Tell me.”
“Yes.”
“Good. I hope you are. I hope you fall on your weak ass knees every fucking night and beg for forgiveness from God himself because trust me you’ll never have it from me. Never. You aren’t worth it. You are not even worth the gunpowder it would take for us to blow your sorry ass to hell.
“Eventually, I learned to fight for myself. I learned to stand up to bullies who pick on little girls who trusted them. I learned how to fall in love. I learned how to have all of the experiences you took from me. So, I hope you spend the rest of your life praying, Uncle Mick. I really do because I’m done. I’m done being afraid of you. I’m done letting the memory of you ruin my life. You are nothing but a waste of the oxygen some doctor gave you. After everything you did to me, there is only one thing I should thank you for and that’s how fucking strong I am. So, you get back in your car and you drive yourself back home, because if you ever darken the Nebraskan state lines again, I’ll know. And it won’t be Daddy or Luke or anyone else you need to worry about shooting you. It’ll be me. And I won’t miss.”
“And I see you still can’t keep your children under control, Everett.”
Natalie gasped as A
aron’s fist collided with her uncle’s jaw. His head whipped to the side. A loud pop exploded in the air. Blood flew out of his mouth and teeth clinked against the hardwood flooring. “Say one more word, motherfucker. I fucking dare you.”
“Damn,” Luke admired.
“Knew I liked him,” her father agreed.
“Figured you’d come back eventually and get your forgiveness before you died, didn’t you, old man? But you had to wait on the statute of limitations to run out. Even stayed in Missouri instead of driving on yesterday. I know why you’re here. Her birthday is next week. Timed it out perfectly didn’t you. You never crossed the state lines until today. No one can press charges now. Sick bastard all the way to the grave,” Aaron snarled.
“I really wanted to be the one to hit him,” Brock huffed.
“Be my guest.” Ev directed Brock to the front of the line.
Aaron remained two inches from her uncle’s face. “Leave. Now. Because if I ever see you again, after she shoots you, I’ll bury you so deep God himself won’t be able to find you to give you all that forgiveness you think you deserve.”
Suddenly, Sheriff Wilheim walked through the door. “What on earth is going on here?”
“Couldn’t have planned this better if I’d tried.” Aaron spat. Natalie had no idea who’d called the sheriff but the neighbors must’ve hear her shouting. Aaron didn’t seem surprised to see him there though. “That computer right there,” he pointed to an ancient computer in Rasmussen’s living room. “Turn it on.”
“Now you just wait right there, Sheriff.” Rasmussen was panicked.
Sheriff Wilheim held up a folded piece of paper. “Got a tip you might have something in this house that’ll send you up to the penitentiary for a long, long time, Rasmussen. I have a warrant. State police are pulling up now.”
“Once we all escort this shithole outside, open any available file on that desktop. That should be all the evidence you need.” Aaron stood. “You okay, baby?” He blocked her uncle from view with the expanse of his body.
“Better than I’ve been in a long, long time.”
“Good. We’re done here.”
It was almost one in the morning when Natalie finally fell asleep in his arms. Aaron continued to run his fingers though her hair. Smith and Voodoo had volunteered to follow her uncle to the state lines to make sure he never decided to turn back.
He prayed she’d sleep. He prayed his foster parents would’ve been proud of him that night, both for his aggression and his restraint. He prayed the families left behind from both war and abuse eventually found peace. He prayed he’d always be enough for her. He prayed he could learn to be a cowboy because nothing else would ever suit her. He prayed for forgiveness he knew he’d already been given. He prayed for them.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
“I tried to talk myself out of this for a solid week and I couldn’t,” Aaron admitted as he drove them across the ranch a week later.
“I have no idea what is in that huge box but I’m so freaking excited.” Natalie laughed as the truck bounced over the cattle guards. “Why are you so nervous?”
“It’s your birthday. What if you hate this gift?”
“I won’t. It’s from you.”
“Yeah, but my girl’s kinda picky.” He winked at her.
“Well, I picked you so I think I have good taste. Are we going to my field?” Bliss, once again, danced in her belly. This was exactly how life was supposed to be.
“Yep, we are. You know, I considered taking you skydiving for your birthday.”
“Oh, my gosh, please tell me there is not a parachute in that box.”
“I was a little worried all of my memories of the last jump I made might make me have another flashback. That would not bode well for our safety, so I went a different way. This was actually what I wanted to do. The sky diving was me trying to talk myself out of this, like I said.”
“You definitely made the right choice. I like my boots being on the ground more and more lately.”
“Oh yeah? I thought you loved to fly.”
“I prefer the kind of flying you make me do in bed with you.”
“Mmm, baby, we’ll get to all of that after our picnic redo.”
“It’s sweet you wanted us to do this tonight.”
“I want you to have better birthday memories. I’m going to do my damnedest to give you those.”
“Is it that you’re finally going to agree to move in with me since the city is seizing Rasmussen’s house and property because he’s going to rot in jail?”
“We’ve only been dating a few weeks, babe.”
“I don’t care. We Camdens know who we’re gonna spend the rest of our life with, right off.”
“That so?”
“Yes, it is. Ask Daddy to tell you about it sometime. He loves to tell that story.”
“I’ll have to do that.”
“So, you’ll move in with me then?”
“How about this? I will only move in with you if you end up liking this birthday present. And remember our deal, no lying even if you hate it.”
Natalie’s brow furrowed. What on earth was in that box?
Aaron slowed the truck as the terrain got rougher. A few minutes later, they’d bounced their way into her field.
Natalie bailed out of the truck before he had it in park. “Anxious, sweetheart?” He asked as he pulled a blanket and picnic basket from the back.
“Yes. I love presents.”
He took his time perfectly arranging the blanket and basket. Pouring them glasses of wine and opening the containers of Spaghetti O’s she’d prepared for them.
“We should eat first don’t you think?”
“I think you just like making me wait for the things I want the most.”
“You comparing your birthday present to all of the orgasms I give you?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Yes. I should get to open my presents first.”
“But Katy baked us a cake.”
“And we’ll eat that after.”
“All right, I guess I’ll let you but only because you’re adorable bouncing up and down like that.”
“Yay!”
“You’re going to need to sit down for this.”
“Okay.” She sank to the ground and he placed the box in her lap.
“Go for it, sweetheart.”
Ripping open the paper, she paused to wad it into a ball so it wouldn’t fly away in the wind. Getting up on her knees, she pulled open the flaps on the plain brown shipping box. Reaching inside, she removed a bottle of beer.
“Uh, thanks…”
“There’s more in there, Nat. That’s just my way of telling you I turned in my notice at Saddleback’s.”
“Oh my gosh, thank you.” She threw her arms around him. “That is a fantastic birthday present and I love it so you can move in with me.”
“No, that’s not how it works. You have to love everything in the box that much.”
“That’s really all you had to get me.”
“I like spoiling you. Keep going.”
She pulled out a plastic grocery sack next. Untying the handles, she discovered Red Vines, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Airheads, Nerds, jelly beans, and a six pack of Dr. Pepper. Laughing, she kissed his cheek. “You got me all my favorite junk food. I love it.”
“But you have to wait to eat it.”
“Okay, wait until when?”
“Get the next thing out of the box.”
“It’s a map.” She unfolded it and grinned. “It’s of Gentry. Show me where the farm is.”
She spread it out on the blanket beside her.
“I’d like to show you the real thing. I called my foster parents a few nights ago and apologized for not coming to see them. I needed to ask if it would be okay if I didn’t send them my whole paycheck this month. They insisted that I not send any more money and told me all the wanted was to see me and to meet you. I was hoping you’d go on a road trip with me next weekend. Ed’s
making me work every shift for the next two weeks but I talked him into giving me next weekend off. We can leave Friday.”
“I would love to go with you. I’m so happy you called them. Seriously, best birthday gift ever.”
“There are a bunch of one more thing in there. Keep going.”
“I cannot believe you did all of this.” She reached inside one more time to pull out another box. Opening it she revealed dozens upon dozens of lottery scratch-offs. “Aaron, this is amazing,” she gasped.
“There’s always a chance, right?” His voice quivered.
When she lifted her head from the tickets, he was down on one knee holding an open ring box. The lottery tickets spilled all over the blanket when the box slipped out of her hand. “Oh, my gosh.”
“I know it’s fast and that we still have a lot of stuff to work on, but I just wanted you to know that I’m in this, Nat. I’m in this forever. And for the forever after that and for as many forevers as God will give us. I don’t want one second of one forever that doesn’t have you in it. I spent most of my life pretending to be people I was never meant to be. Until the first time I took you to bed, I wouldn’t have even recognized myself. And you… you loved me enough to show me exactly who I was meant to be, the man who loves you and adores you and protects you forever. I love you so much and you may have to keep teaching me exactly how to love you the right ways, but I’ll learn. I want to be there for every single thing you do. So, will you marry me?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand, million, quadrillion times, yes!”
Every time she looked at the rather large diamond he’d procured with an entire month’s paycheck on her left land, he grinned.
After they’d practiced feeding each other cake, they’d lain out on the blanket to watch the sunset.
“You know, for the longest time I didn’t think I would ever get a happy ending,” she admitted.
“Baby.” He was at a loss for any other words beyond that.
“I didn’t. Then I saw you shaking Ed Olsen’s hand in Saddleback’s that day you accepted the job and something deep inside of me thought if I was ever going to have a happy ending I wanted it to be with you. It just took me a little while to work up the courage to ask you for it.”