“Maybe Cade can get me a file on him?”
“I’ll Skype him as soon as we’re done here, ask him to have it ready for you next time you go into town.”
He saw the stubborn strength in her expression. Sarah was a warrior, no question. He had her full attention, her focus laserlike, which was something that always separated out the warriors from the peacemakers. She wanted to be a part of understanding what he’d seen this morning, and Dawson knew she’d be able to offer good suggestions to support his own ideas for a defense around the cabin. Bridled anger was palpable within her, and he knew she was not only fearful but also angry at becoming hunted by another Elson. Sarah’s strength had been born of tragedy and the loss of her little sister, and it had welded strongly to her soul. He saw the bitterness and fortitude coupled with grit in her expression. She was going to fight back. She was no victim. And she knew how to use a weapon. All necessary skills when dealing with the vengeful Elson family.
* * *
Sarah was sitting at the computer in the electronics room after lunch when a Skype call pinged. Dawson had gone into town, wanting to take the plan they’d settled on earlier to her father for advice and ideas. She saw it was her Grandma Gertie and quickly connected them.
“Hi, Gertie. What a nice surprise!” She saw her grandmother’s very somber expression. “Is everything all right?”
“No, things aren’t,” she said gruffly. “I was over at your parents’ when Dawson dropped by.”
“Oh, that’s good. Did you stay to see the plan he’s forming for us here at the cabin?”
“Yes,” she muttered. “And we had a long, involved talk about it, Sarah. Further, Cade dropped by, and we all found out Hiram is gathering his gang again. That’s not a good sign. Cade said someone overheard Hiram bragging at Kassie’s Café that he was going to come hunting you.”
Her heart tightened in her chest. “Dawson and I expected that.”
“Cade told them the other two boys wouldn’t have anything to do with it. They’re backing off. Smart little bastards, for once.”
Grinning unevenly, Sarah said, “That’s one way of putting it. So? It’s Hiram and his gang who are going to try to find me?”
Nodding, Gertie scowled deeply. “I listened to the plan Dawson drew up with your input. Your father added some good ideas to it, and Cade did, too.” Opening her hands, Gertie growled, “The only thing missing from all of this is, you don’t have two nickels to rub together to make it work. Cade said the budget for the sheriff’s department was low and they couldn’t afford to put money into it.”
“Yes,” Sarah said, “because we have people leaving the county. Our budget this year was ten percent less than last year’s.”
Testily, Gertie said, “I told all of ’em it’s about time you let me help out.”
Brows moving up, she said, “But we’ve always let you help us.”
“No, no, I didn’t mean in that way. Cade made a very good suggestion. He wants motion sensors put a mile away from the cabin. Anything that moves will be sent to a computer inside, so you know someone’s approaching, as well as at a computer in the sheriff ’s department.”
“We had that idea too, but it would be much too expensive to do, Gertie.”
“That’s what Dawson said, but I raised Cain. Cade told us there were several types of motion sensors on the market. Some had a light that would flash on if it detected movement, others just sent a silent alarm to the computer. The one I liked? It had a video chip in it, and not only would you be alerted that there was an intruder? You could see and identify them. And the video sent it immediately to the computers as well as law enforcement.”
“Yes, but those are horribly expensive, Gertie. There’s no way we could afford them.”
Shaking her finger, Gertie bit out, “I’m worth millions, Sarah. I can afford however many of them you need.” She leaned forward, her mouth set as she stared at Sarah. “You’re going to let me make a donation to the sheriff’s department for however many of these monitors you need to make that place safe for you to heal up in. I’m not takin’ any guff from you or anyone on it either. I already had it out with David and Cade. Right now? Dawson is putting in the order via your department. The video motion sensors will be sent by courier to my ranch. I just got done talking to Ray Paulson, the Forest Service supervisor. He’s going to loan us a USFS truck. He felt it would look less noticeable if it came and went from your cabin because everyone knows the forest service owns it. I donated a goodly sum to him for the use of it. We can haul those boxes to the cabin without raising any eyebrows or suspicion.”
“Wow,” she murmured, “you’ve been moving at the speed of light, Gertie!”
Gertie’s face wrinkled up, her eyes blazing. Lifting her finger, she waved it toward Sarah. “You listen here. We already lost Lane, and it’s broken our family. We’re not going to lose you, too, Sarah. It’s just not gonna happen. Not as long as I breathe, it won’t. I have the money. And I’m not taking it with me. So buying those monitors isn’t a big deal for me. I don’t want you worrying about this. Right now, you need all the help you can get. I know you get your dander up and you won’t ask for help. But that’s all changed now.”
Sarah heard the pain in Gertie’s voice and, as always when Lane was mentioned, it scored her heart once more, too. She saw tears in her grandmother’s eyes and understood why she was weighing in on protecting her from Hiram Elson’s gang. “Thank you,” she whispered unsteadily. “You’re right, and I appreciate whatever you can do to help us through this hell we’re having to walk through. I’m not going to throw a temper tantrum over you donating those monitors. In fact, it relieves me. I have the dog, King, and Dawson. Both are the best at what they do. But they aren’t perfect, and they aren’t mind readers. Nor can we be sure they’ll be aware of Hiram’s coming until it’s too late.”
Grumpily, she stared at Sarah. “Well, it’s gonna be my way this time.”
“I hear you,” she told her softly, her heart squeezing with old pain, memories and grief. “I truly appreciate what you’re doing, Gertie.”
“Well,” she muttered, “if I had my way about it, I’d be putting you on an airplane for parts unknown, as far away from Wyoming as you could get to heal up and get back on your feet. And then, come home to deal with the Elsons once again.”
She felt Gertie’s anguish and worry. “You know I can’t do that.”
“I don’t like it either, Sarah. You’re in constant danger. This isn’t gonna let up, and we all know the Elsons are filled with hatred. If I thought I could force you to go away, I would. The people of this county voted you in as their sheriff, and that’s why you can’t leave. You have a duty to run the department, regardless. I know that. I don’t like it, but I accept it.”
“Thanks for understanding. I wouldn’t leave, that’s true. I can’t run a county I’m responsible for thousands of miles away from it. Cade is a great assistant commander, but there are decisions only I can make.”
“Oh, I know,” she repeated grumpily. “I get it. But I sure don’t like it, Sarah. You’re all we have left. I know David and Emily are beside themselves over what has happened. It’s resurrected Lane’s kidnapping and murder all over again. It’s never gonna leave us, not any of us.”
Gertie was trying to hide her grief, but Sarah knew how much her grandmother had loved her sister. “Well, it’s six weeks before I’ll be mobile again.”
“I just don’t see any end to this, Sarah.”
The frustration curdled in her throat. “I don’t either. We can’t pick Hiram up just because we think we know what he’s going to do. He has to do something illegal before we can take him in and throw the book at him.”
“So that leaves you hanging, and I’m sure you’re just as anxious as all of us about your welfare.”
She managed a grudging smile. “Just a little, Gertie. Just a little.”
“Are you getting sleep at night?”
“Some. I’m sti
ll processing so much. I’ve never killed anyone, and that’s bothering me a lot.”
“Yet in Afghanistan you were in firefights.”
“Yes, but when you’re up against a common foe, you don’t know whose bullet killed the enemy.”
“Oh, I never thought of it that way. I ’spose you’re right. What else is ailin’ you?”
“Getting shot and nearly dying. If I hadn’t been wearing my Kevlar vest, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Your father was saying the same thing. I’m so glad you wear it. I know some of the deputies won’t because it makes you sweaty or chaffs your skin, but they’re lookin’ for more trouble than they can handle.”
“I’d say ninety percent of our people wear them religiously. I think the rest will be wearing them from now on, now that they realize my vest is the only reason I’m still alive.”
“Cade was sayin’ the whole department is on edge, but you can’t blame them. The Elsons have been a thorn in law enforcement’s side forever.”
“They have,” she agreed heavily. “There’s just some people who get under our skin and we have to take it.”
“There are days when it would be easier to get rat holes like them outta this county. I guess if we lived in a dictatorship, they could be gotten rid of, but in a democracy, that doesn’t happen.”
“No, it doesn’t. Our hands are tied until and unless they break the law.”
“Your father, who’s one of the mildest, most easygoing people I know, with the exception of this Dawson fella, gets red-faced, angry and barely in control of himself when the name Elson comes up.”
“Dad had twenty years of hell dealing with them, that’s why. That one family has pulled more law enforcement resources than any thousand people who live in this county.”
“They stir up trouble. That’s all they know. They’re always into creating or fomenting drama of some sort. And if it’s too quiet, they start picking fights with their neighbors, just to keep everyone upset and on guard.”
“I don’t know if it will give you any relief,” Sarah said, “to know that there are counties in every state in the Union that have people like the Elsons. We’re not the only ones dealing with this type of individual.”
“Hmph! Even my chickens and geese are better than they are. A deadbeat family that uses county funds, who are on welfare, and we all know they’re probably making millions on the drugs they run.”
Sarah laughed a little. “You have the happiest chickens and geese in the world, Gertie!”
Her mouth twitched. “Well, I oughta give you Two Guns Pete. He’s the best antiburglar rooster in the world.”
Groaning, Sarah sat back and laughed out loud. Holding up her hands, she giggled, “Oh, no! Not Two Guns Pete! Dawson would go crazy if that Rhode Island Red rooster was strutting his stuff around the cabin.”
Giggling with her, Gertie said, “Yeah, he’s a permanent fixture around here. He’s four years old, the cock-of-the-walk and he knows it. But he’s the best at alerting the keepers when a coyote, wolf, fox or grizzly is around. He’s the first to crow and let everyone know.”
Smiling, she said, “You’re good for me, Gertie. Thanks for that laugh at Pete’s expense. I really needed it.”
“Better than cryin’, that’s for sure. And we’ve shed enough tears in our family.” Gertie gave her a wicked smile. “Just remember, Pete’s available in case you want him.”
Chapter Seventeen
July 19
“Easy now; don’t get in too much of a hurry,” Dawson coaxed Sarah, amusement in his tone. He kept a hand lightly on her elbow as she walked without the crutches across the living room of the cabin. Several of the screened-in windows were open, and the warm scent of pine flowed in. He saw the determination in Sarah’s eyes as she took each step. It was four weeks into her healing process. The doctors had wanted her to start walking at the four-week point, and he was more than glad to be a hand in case she needed one. “Any pain?”
“No . . . just tender,” she said in a soft voice. “It just feels good to walk without crutches, believe me.”
“The doc’s prescription is for you to walk around as much as you want in the cabin. He doesn’t want you outside yet on uneven ground.” In truth, Sarah had been walking since the third week because she had been going bonkers on those hated crutches. She was like a Thoroughbred horse that had been hitched up to a plow, hating having to remain less than active. He moved to her side and said, “Okay, you’re free of me. You walk, and I’ll be your shadow if you need support.” Dawson understood how important it was to her to be under her own power. Her full lips were compressed, her focus on walking, which everyone took for granted.
Sarah took three more circles around the cabin, even slowly climbing the two stairs that led into the kitchen. She halted after her rounds and sat down on a chair in the living room. “That felt good, but my leg is feeling weak and wobbly now.”
Dawson retrieved a glass of ice water from the counter and brought it to her. “You’re doing great, but that leg has lost muscle mass and you’re going to have to walk to start getting more circulation to start building it back up.”
She continued to gently massage her leg beneath the jean fabric. “It’s getting stronger every day.”
Grinning, he said, “That’s because you jumped the gun at three weeks, Ms. Carter. I’ve been good and not told your doc anything about your decision. Your secrets are safe with me.” He saw her cheeks color. Saw the warmth banked in her eyes for him alone. Dawson no longer questioned the building desire percolating daily between them. He saw it in small but significant ways.
“Yeah, well, I want to get out of here, Dawson. I’m going crazy.”
“Cabin fever.” He looked toward the door. “If you’ll wear your brace tomorrow? I’ll take you outside. There’s a nice, pretty even path that leads to the garage out back. Maybe we can start doing that and get you feeling like you’re no longer in a prison.” Relief came to her expression, and his heart instantly expanded with a wealth of need for her in every possible way. Despite the threat of Hiram and his gang finding them, he was contending with his own growing feelings for her. The last weeks had allowed them to acknowledge their relationship, although they’d never talked about it directly. Sarah was the kind of person who never made a move before thinking long and hard about it. Unlike him, which had gotten him into a quickie marriage, mistaking lust for love. He wouldn’t make that mistake again, content to go at her pace, which was sane compared to his when he was twenty-two years old.
“That sounds so good,” she murmured, leaning back in the chair, drinking deeply of the ice water.
Nothing Sarah did was wasted on him. Since the night he’d lain in her bed, she’d not asked him to do it again. Considering the vice in which they were held by Hiram Elson, he wasn’t surprised. The talk and tears about Lane had given Sarah a belated gift. Now she had started sleeping better and longer. A sign that what they’d shared that night was healing for her. It made him feel a silent euphoria that warmed his heart. Their growing intimacy was leading them more closely together. Besides, even if they both wanted to make love, it couldn’t be done due to her leg. Waiting, in an interesting way to Dawson, was worth it. They each savored the small things between them, the touch of a hand, an embrace and, sometimes, her softened look that shook him to his soul, letting him know just how much he was falling in love with Sarah. But that awareness wasn’t spoken out loud. Understanding the threat, that would become a distraction. No, he wouldn’t jeopardize themselves for the sake of what his heart already knew. In the future, somewhere, he could share it with Sarah.
“How about I get a tub of water ready and you can soak? That always helps your leg loosen up after these walking sessions.”
“Thanks, that sounds good.”
“You still thirsty?” and he went over to retrieve the emptied glass.
“No.” She gave him an appreciative look. “Can you stay a minute before you go get my bath ready
for me? I need to say something to you.”
Hesitating, he heard that low, husky tone of hers, realizing whatever it was, was personal. “Sure,” and he placed the glass down on the lamp table next to where he sat.
Sarah inhaled a deep breath and let it go as she held his gaze. She unclasped her hands in her lap. “These last weeks here with you have been a gift to me in every way, Dawson. There’s something truly good between us.” She pushed strands away from her cheek. “Maybe I’m being too bold, but I like what we have. What we’re building toward. I just need to know how you feel about us.”
He didn’t smile, maintained a serious face. “I’ve always liked your boldness. And it’s not one-sided, Sarah. It never has been. I like where we are with each other despite Elson and his gang threatening you.”
“Then? It’s mutual?”
Shrugging, he said, “Do you want to go for the long run and see where it goes between us?” Dawson knew now that Sarah wasn’t one to pussyfoot around anything. She was strong on communication, and he was learning to be, having lost a marriage to being a clam.
“Yes. But I don’t know what that end will be.”
“I don’t either, but I’m willing to find out. How about you?”
She gave him a worried look. “This is all happening at the wrong time.”
“I don’t know about that. When two people are drawn to each other, it might be the best thing possible, even if there’s a threat surrounding them.” He halted and searched her green eyes that reminded him of the forest trees. “This situation has pushed us together, but I don’t read that as bad.”
“You’ve been babysitting me.”
“I haven’t minded, Sarah, because I’ve always liked you.” Her eyes widened a bit, and she sat back, seeming to assess his answer. She had a habit, he’d discovered, of absorbing the other person’s communication, digesting it before responding. He waited, seeing tumult in her expression.
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