by Becca Van
She looked toward the chute once more and frowned when she saw that Dawson was mounted on a horse so fiery it was already trying to buck him off. She was scared that he’d get hurt if the horse slammed him into the fence rails or it fell in the chute and he wasn’t able to get out. Of course, she was worrying for nothing, because all of a sudden the gate was open and the horse exploded out of the entrance. This horse was meaner than the one Kent had ridden as it crow-hopped, whirling around and around in circles before rearing so high it looked as if it was about to topple over backward. Those eight seconds seemed to take hours, but she was vaguely aware of the buzzer sounding over the roar of the crowd. She expected Dawson to jump off, but he held on for what seemed like forever, and she was starting to think his hand was stuck in a tangle of rope. She surged to her feet, her hand over her heart with worry.
Bella didn’t know how he’d gotten off, because she must have blinked or something, but in the next moment Dawson’s feet hit the dirt, sending a plume of dust up around his denim-covered calves. She sighed with relief, glad that he and Kent hadn’t been tossed from their rides, but when she saw the still-bucking horse charging toward him, her heart stopped beating, and all she could hear was the roar of her own blood rushing past her ears. She covered her mouth to hold in a scream, and just as she thought Dawson was about to be trampled under those damaging hooves, he sprinted toward the fence and jumped the rail.
The breath left her lungs in a loud whoosh, her knees buckled, and she slumped back into her seat. She took deep, even breaths until her pounding heart and rapid breathing slowed, and sagged with relief. And then the trembling began.
She was so damn glad Kent and Dawson were unaware of her predicament, because she didn’t want to embarrass them by her reaction. She’d been attracted to them from the very first but had no idea how fast her feelings would develop. She was well on her way to falling in love with the two handsome, sexy deputies.
Bella watched the winners’ presentation with a smile and used the time to get her emotions back under control. Kent had been given second place and Dawson first since he’d stayed on the meanest horse at the rodeo longer than any other rider. When she saw them making their way off the podium, Bella rose and hurried down the bleachers to where they’d agreed to meet up earlier. As she walked through the throng of people, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She glanced around, trying to see if anyone was watching her or behind her, but with so many people about, she couldn’t see.
All disconcerting thoughts were pushed aside when she saw Kent and Dawson striding toward her. Both of them had big grins on their faces.
“You guys were amazing,” Bella said, moving to give first Kent and then Dawson a hug. “Congratulations to both of you.”
“Thanks, darlin’.” Kent grinned and winked.
“Thanks, baby.” Dawson wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Are you ready to go?”
Bella nodded. “Yes. I’m tired.”
“It’s been a long day for you.” Kent fell into step beside her, clasping her hand in his.
“Actually, it’s been a long week.”
“I’ll bet.” Dawson met her gaze. “You helped plan this very event.”
“Not by myself I didn’t.”
“Where are you parked, Bella?” Kent asked.
“Way over the other side.” She pointed toward the back of the parking lot. She hadn’t expected to spend the whole day at the homesteader festival and had parked near the entrance to the lot so she would have an easy escape when she decided to go home.
“Do you want to have dinner with us, baby?” Dawson asked as he and Kent walked her toward her car.
Bella’s first inclination was to say yes, but she was exhausted and wasn’t sure she would be able to keep her eyes open during dinner. It would be embarrassing if she fell asleep and planted her face into a plate full of food. Besides, she wasn’t hungry after eating a loaded baked potato. However, she didn’t want them to think she was brushing them off, because she definitely wanted to spend more time with both of these men.
“Can I take a rain check? I would love to have dinner with you sometime, but I’m having trouble staying awake as it is.”
“Definitely.” Dawson nodded. He frowned down at her and then met Kent’s gaze. “You drive her home in her car. I’ll follow in the truck.”
“I can—”
Kent pressed a finger over her lips. “We don’t want you having an accident on your way home. Let us make sure you get there in one piece. Okay?”
“Okay. Thank you.” Bella dug into her pocket and pulled her keys out before handing them over to Kent.
Dawson nudged her chin up with a knuckle. “Thank you for spending the day with us, baby. I had a great time.”
“I did, too.” Bella smiled and then gasped when Dawson bent and kissed her on the lips. It was a soft, light kiss, but there was so much emotion in it. Tears burned the back of her eyes.
Dawson released her, turned, and strode toward his truck.
“Come on, darlin’.” Kent unlocked her car and helped her into the passenger seat before walking around to get in the driver’s seat. He shifted the seat back as far as it would go, and after helping her buckle up, he put his seat belt on and drove out of the lot. It wasn’t far to Bella’s house, and though she tried to keep her eyes open as Kent drove her, it was a losing battle. She was deeply asleep before they made it to the end of the road.
* * * *
Bella came awake with a start. She was disoriented and it took her a few minutes to work out where she was. She pushed her hair, which had half come out of her braid, back from her face and rolled from her back to her side. She was in her own bedroom, lying on top of the covers, clothes still on, but her shoes and socks had been taken off, and she had a light quilt over the top of her. She sighed as she blinked the sleep haze from her eyes and then smiled as she tried to remember who’d carried her into her house, but she had nothing.
The light to her adjoining bathroom was on, but the door had been pulled almost all the way closed so it wouldn’t shine too brightly. She flung the quilt aside and sat up, intending to head to the bathroom, and was halfway to her feet when she heard a scraping sound coming from outside her bedroom window. Fear had her insides going ice cold, but sweat began to form on her body. She gnawed on her lip as she tried to decide what to do. Should she peek out the blinds and investigate, or should she just head straight to her phone and call emergency and the sheriff’s department?
She shivered when she heard a dull thud and, being as quiet as she could, stood and crept toward the living room. She was glad her feet were bare, because that made it easier for her to keep her footsteps silent.
Bella was halfway across the living room, moving toward the kitchen, when something smashed through her window. She screamed and raced across the window face, heedless that she could probably be seen. She glanced about the kitchen frantically for her cell phone and grabbed it from the counter, attempting to activate it by swiping a trembling finger across the screen. She sobbed with terror when more glass broke, and then she was dialing 9-1-1.
She started speaking as soon as the call was answered, not giving the emergency operator time to ask her any questions. “Someone’s trying to break into my house. They threw something through the windows.”
“I need your address, ma’am,” the operator said in a calm voice.
Bella stuttered out her address, dropped her phone back onto the counter, and grabbed a large carving knife from the knife block next to the stove. She pressed herself into a corner away from the windows, shivering uncontrollably with the knife clutched in her hand. She strained her ears to hear if someone had managed to get inside, but all she could hear was the sound of crickets chirping and the occasional bird. She had no idea what time it was and almost giggled hysterically over such an inconsequential thought when her life could be in danger.
Her legs were quaking so much they felt weak, and she slid down the cup
board until she was sitting on the floor in the dark. Her breath came out in fast, noisy pants, and though she tried to slow her breathing so she wouldn’t give her position away, she couldn’t. Her heart was slamming so hard inside her chest it hurt, and she began to get dizzy.
Bella actually felt her ears move as they perked up just like a dog’s would have when she heard what sounded like footsteps on the wooden deck of her small veranda. When something moved close to her face, she covered her mouth to stifle another scream and was glad she had, because when she saw it was the knife wobbling about in her shaky grip, she ended up laughing. She hoped whoever was out there didn’t think she was laughing at them, because she might end up inciting the intruder’s anger. She didn’t want to give whoever it was an incentive to attack her.
How long she sat huddled on the floor, she had no clue. It felt as if hours had passed, but it was probably only minutes. She didn’t hear any sirens, but the crunch of tires on her gravel drive caused her to quiver even more. Fear was running rampant through her body, and she wanted to get up and see if the law had arrived, but she couldn’t make herself move. She was shaking like a leaf in a wild, windy storm, but no matter how hard she tried to stop it, it only got worse.
A loud thud sounded on the front door, causing her to whimper as terror set her teeth to clacking together, but when she heard a familiar voice shouting her name, she sobbed with relief. Forgetting the knife in her hand, she rolled to her hands and knees and then to her feet, stumbling in a headlong rush toward the door.
She was only a few yards away when the door crashed open, bouncing off the wall behind it.
Bella backed away from the large man silhouetted in her entrance until a light was suddenly flicked on. She blinked, trying to adjust to the bright light after being in the dark, and when she saw Dawson moving toward her, her legs gave out once more. However, she didn’t hit the floor. He caught her and then lifted her into his arms and held her against his chest.
“You’re okay, baby. I’ve got you,” Dawson whispered softly as he carried her over to the sofa and sat with her in his lap. She frowned up at him when he pried her fingers open, then shifted her gaze to where he was looking.
She still clutched the knife, but it had shifted in her hand. Only half the handle was in her palm. The rest of her hand was wrapped around the blade. Blood trickled down over her hand and wrist. She uncurled her fingers and stared uncomprehendingly at her cut skin.
“Shit, baby. That’s a deep cut.”
“Whoever was here is gone,” Kent said as he hurried into the house and across the room. “There were no fucking tracks, or if there were, they scrubbed them out. Fuck!”
Bella flinched at Kent’s loud curse. She knew it hadn’t been directed at her, but after her scare, the reaction was instinctual.
“I’m sorry, darlin’.” Kent kneeled at her feet, placed his hand on her knee, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I wasn’t swearing at you. How did that happen?”
Bella opened her mouth to answer, but since she couldn’t remember how she’d cut herself, she shrugged.
“She was holding the knife in her hand when I came in,” Dawson said. “I think it slipped but she didn’t notice.”
“I’ll get a towel,” Kent said before rising to his feet and hurrying to her kitchen. He was back a minute later with a clean dish towel, which he wrapped tightly around her hand.
Bella glanced toward the door when she saw movement from the corner of her eye. Deputy Sheriffs Tanner Collins and Cooper Ellis entered her home.
“Did you find anything?” Dawson asked.
“Nothing. They had to be on foot. I didn’t hear an engine of any type, car, truck or motorbike.”
“They could have been on a horse,” Kent suggested.
“We would have seen the hoof tracks,” Cooper replied.
“Are you okay, Isabella?” Tanner asked.
“Yes.”
Cooper moved to an armchair and sat. “Did you see anyone?”
“No.”
“Tell us what happened, sweetheart,” Tanner said in a gentle voice.
When she felt him tense, Bella glanced at Dawson and found him staring at Tanner. She had no idea what his problem was but was too upset to try and work it out. And she knew there was a problem, because he was grinding his teeth and the muscle in the side of his jaw was twitching.
“I must have heard something, because I woke up. I was a little disoriented, but when the fog cleared, I was about to go to the bathroom. That was when I heard a scraping sound outside my bedroom window. I changed direction to the kitchen and my cell phone. Just as I passed the first window, something was thrown through it and then the one next to it.” Bella paused to take a ragged breath as her heart picked up speed again. Dawson smoothed a soothing hand up and down her back.
“I called 9-1-1, told the operator what was happening and my address. When I heard footsteps on the timber deck of the veranda near the front door, I grabbed the knife off the counter and huddled on the floor, hiding.”
Tanner nodded and then started tapping on his phone, obviously taking notes.
“Let me see your hand, baby.” Dawson cradled her hand in his and gently removed the towel. He met her gaze after inspecting the still-bleeding cut. “This needs stitches.”
She tensed and then shook her head. Bella would have scrambled from Dawson’s lap if he hadn’t felt her tense and wrapped an arm around her waist, keeping her in place.
Dawson glanced at Kent. “Go and pack her a bag.”
“What? Why?” she asked.
Dawson clasped her hair in his hand, pulling on it gently until she was gazing at him. She saw Kent rise from the corner of her eye and walk toward her bedroom.
“There is no way in hell we’re leaving you here by yourself after someone terrorized you and tried to break in. You need to see a doctor, and after you’ve been to the hospital, you’ll be coming home with us, where we know you’ll be safe.”
Bella nodded and slumped against him. She was kind of glad that he was ordering her about. She didn’t want to stay in her house after what had happened. Especially when there was a serial killer on the loose.
A frisson of fear wracked her spine, causing her to shiver.
Tears burned the back of her eyes as images of her sister flashed across her mind. She tried not to think of the pain and terror Maria had suffered at the hands of a psychopath, but sometimes she just couldn’t keep them out. She hated that her sister had probably been tortured before she was raped and murdered. Bella was just glad that Clay and Spence hadn’t given her any of the horrifying, sordid details, because if they had, she wasn’t sure she would ever sleep again.
“Let’s move,” Kent said as he came back into the living room with one of her bags in his hand.
“Fuck!” Cooper snarled, causing her to startle. “Her feet are bleeding.”
“Shit!” Kent dropped her bag, hurried over to her, and squatted in front of her. He gently grasped first one foot to inspect the sole and then the other. “We need to get her to the hospital or a doctor’s. I can see splinters of glass embedded in her skin.”
Bella shook her head. “I have tweezers.”
Kent stood up straight and stepped back with a scowl on his face.
When Dawson shifted beneath her, scooting to the edge of the sofa, she hooked an arm around his neck and hung on. She was thankful she did, because he rose to his feet, lifting her with him. “You are so stubborn,” Dawson said.
Bella met Dawson’s gaze and licked her lips when she saw the fierce frown on his face. “You are going to shut up and do as you’re told.”
“Hey, I can look after myself,” she shot back angrily.
“Yeah, we can see that,” Dawson snapped.
Bella lowered her gaze when her heart lurched in her chest. She hated that he had the ability to hurt her, but she wasn’t about to let him see that he could. Tears stung her eyes, but she forced them back. There was no way in hell she was going to
appear more vulnerable and helpless in front of Kent and Dawson than she already was.
She was used to being on her own and wasn’t about to start leaning on these two men, because she knew she would probably only end up getting hurt.
Chapter Six
Dawson sighed with relief when he saw that Bella was okay. He perused her body up and down as she walked slowly down the hall of the medical clinic after seeing the doctor. Although she tried not to show it, he could tell that each step she made was painful. Her lips were pulled in a tight line, and her face was paler than usual. He glanced at the bandage around her hand and wondered how many stitches she had.
She stopped at the receptionist’s desk, but since he’d already paid her bill, he walked up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. When she wavered on her feet, he was worried she was about to pass out, so he moved to hold her hips to keep her upright.
She lifted her gaze to his, and when he saw that her green eyes were unfocused, he realized that she had been given some pain meds and was trying to keep the effects of the medicine hidden.
“Let’s get you home, baby.” Dawson shifted until he was standing side on to her before bending and scooping her up into his arms.
“I can walk,” she slurred.
“I’m sure you can, but we’ll get to the car faster this way.”
“I need to pay—”
“What did the doctor say?” he asked, hoping to distract her as he carried her out to the truck. Kent rushed ahead of him and opened the back door.
“To keep the stitches dry until they come out.”