Almost Home

by India Masters

  Haley raised her eyebrows. The last thing she’d expected was for Conner to volunteer to call the authorities.

  “Me too and hopefully she’s okay.” She reached for her brother’s hand. “Come on inside and get yourself cleaned up, sugar.”

  Wyatt followed them in. “Give him a pair of my jeans. They might be a little loose but I reckon they’ll do. I’ll call Lloyd while Conner’s getting cleaned up. Then we need to gather the men together.”

  * * * * *

  Haley shook hands with sheriff Lloyd Mattson, and Clay Sparrow of the Texas Rangers. Never in her life would she have imagined having a real Texas Ranger in her living room.

  “Y’all come on in. Can I get ya a glass of tea or something?”

  “Tea would be nice, Ms. Kilpatrick,” Mattson said. “I want you to know, we’re gonna do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe here. And since this case crosses jurisdictions, we went on ahead and got the Rangers involved.”

  Haley smiled. “Well, I appreciate you thinking about my safety, Sheriff, I surely do but right now I’m more worried about my brother. This Rafe Winslow, Conner’s crossed him by coming to me and we’re worried Winslow might try and hurt him.” She brought two glasses of sweet tea into the living room and handed them off to Mattson and Sparrow. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. Conner’s talking with Wyatt and Dooley but he’ll be right in.”

  As if on cue, her brother entered the room and took a seat beside her on the couch. Wyatt and Dooley joined the group and Conner began to explain what had gone on at his house the previous night.

  Haley quickly poured three more glasses of tea, putting them on a tray. Her worst nightmares were coming true. Hadn’t she always known that Pa’s lifestyle would put her and Conner in terrible danger? Of course, she hadn’t expected something like this…murder. She’d always been afraid of Kent, for good reason, but she’d always figured he had some spark of love for his children. How could he not? A shiver ran through her and she tightened her grip on her emotions before she cried in front of the men like some little kid. Would it never end, this constant fear of what her pa would do? Would she ever have a normal life? Peace? She was beginning to doubt such a thing was possible.

  “All I know,” Conner was explaining, “is when he come back, she wasn’t with him. He could have dropped her off somewhere. He told me she was a hitchhiker. Maybe he figured nobody would be looking for her.” He shrugged, looked at his sister, then back to the two cops. “Add that to Haley’s dog being beat to death, and how mad my pa was, I got to think maybe Rafe killed that girl.”

  Clay Sparrow spoke up. “Mr. Kilpatrick, do you have any problem with us searching your place?”

  Conner shook his head. “I got no problem, sir, but if Rafe is there I don’t reckon he’ll like it much. But if you got something I can sign to say it’s okay, I’ll sign it.”

  Sparrow scratched his goatee. “Well, we’ll be wanting to check his room, so I expect we should go on and get a warrant. Considering what you’ve told us, I think we got probable cause to think a crime was committed in that house but we’ll keep it legal.”

  Conner bowed his head. “Yessir. Lord, I hope he didn’t hurt that girl. I shoulda done something. I shoulda made him stop.”

  The sheriff spoke up. “Son, from what you’ve told us, if you’d done that, you’d be laying on an autopsy table right now. Bare knuckles ain’t gonna stop a bullet.” He turned to Wyatt and Haley. “Y’all had best gather your hands and let them know there could be more trouble heading your way. We’ll do what we can to get you some protection but the budget ain’t gonna allow for much.”

  “We understand,” Wyatt said, taking Haley’s hand in his. Haley knew if they had any good sense at all, they’d get out while the getting was good. Before her pa decided to send Winslow after them. But Wyatt just squeezed her hand reassuringly and kept on talking. If he wasn’t ready to give in, neither was she. “We’ll keep her safe. Just—is there anything that can done to keep Kent Kilpatrick in prison?”

  Mattson sighed. “I don’t see what, son. I don’t doubt y’all when you say he’s behind all this, I ran a check on him and he’s a bad one, but we got no proof he done anything wrong. Best we can do is monitor his phone calls and see who visits him.” He turned back to Conner. “In the meantime, you need to go on back to your place. Tell Winslow you came to see your sister about a job. Your daddy wanted you on the inside, so if you can let them think you’re working here that’ll give us a line on what his plans are. That something you’re prepared to do, Ms. Kilpatrick?”

  Haley looked from Wyatt to Dooley, both of whom gave her terse nods. Her first instinct was to shout “No”, tell them it was the worst idea she could think of but how else could they get Conner out of there safely? Winslow was probably already fuming that the law had been out to the house. After all, the man was a known criminal who now had an attempted rape charge pending—if the cops ever caught him. Problem was, as far off the road as that dirt ranch was, Winslow would have no trouble spotting someone coming. He could easily hightail it and become part of the surrounding landscape until they gave up and went away. She tuned back into the conversation. “Sure. Conner can go on back and collect his gear. He can go visit Pa and let him know he’s got a foot in the door.” Her voice gentled. “You can do that, can’t you little brother?”

  Conner nodded. “I’ll see what I can find out what happened to that girl too.”

  “Okay, but you be careful. Don’t make Winslow suspicious. I don’t want you getting hurt again…or worse.” She gave her brother a hug and kissed his cheek. “Go on then. I’ll see ya back here in a day or two.” She handed him a hundred dollars, knowing it would probably go to her father. Embarrassed, Conner took it, nodding his thanks.

  Haley and Wyatt stood on the porch and watched a dejected Conner drive away. Wyatt gave her a shoulder squeeze.

  “Lord, I hope he’ll be all right,” she said worriedly. “He ain’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.” Wyatt kissed her cheek and she smiled.

  “First thing we need to do is make sure the hands understand they need to stay alert and well armed at all times,” Wyatt said.

  Haley looked around. There was no place on earth prettier than the Texas hill country with its rolling green pastures, sparkling streams and strong trees. There were also so many places a man could hunker down and not be seen as he sniped at innocent cowboys doing their jobs. The danger of their situation didn’t escape her and she felt cold, despite the rapid heating of the day. Her eyes skipped from hillock to hillock. Was Winslow out there now? Had she and Wyatt been in his sights while they spoke to the sheriff and the Texas Ranger? If so, would Conner be safe when he went to collect his belongings? So many questions and too few answers.

  “I swear. Never thought I’d see the day when I was living in an armed camp.”

  * * * * *

  The first thing Conner saw when he pulled into the dusty yard was Rafe Winslow’s old truck. He resisted the temptation to lift up the worn tarp in the bed, fearful of what he might find.

  “Where the hell you been?” Rafe demanded when Conner walked through the door.

  “Out to Junction, convincing my sister to give me a job on that fancy ranch of hers.”

  Winslow nodded. “Hand it over. I know she give you some money, so hand it over.”

  Conner, knowing Rafe would demand his share of the money, had tucked a fifty away between the bench seat of the truck. He handed Rafe the other fifty.

  “This all she gave you?” When Conner nodded, the other man snorted in disgust. “Cheap bitch, ain’t she? So what’s the plan?”

  Conner shrugged. “Reckon I’ll go see the old man, then head for the One-Eyed Jack in the morning.”

  Rafe sauntered to the fridge and retrieved a beer. “Don’t bother. Your pa’s gonna call here later. Just make sure you keep that cell phone charged and keep some minutes on it. I’ll be calling to check in and give you your pa’s instructions.”
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  Conner couldn’t help himself, he had to ask, “Where’s Rebecca?”

  Rafe twisted the top off the Lone Star and tipped the bottle between his lips, taking a long gulp.

  “Someplace ain’t nobody gonna find her.”

  Conner felt a rush of fear as the blood drained from his face. “What did you do to her, Rafe?”

  Winslow smiled. “Same thing I’ll do to your sister you ever think to turn on me, boy.” He crossed the room and slumped down on the couch, propping his feet on the battered coffee table. “But I can tell you one thing…there ain’t nothing like having your dick buried in a woman’s backside while she struggles to take her last breath. You fuck with me, son, and I’ll make you watch while I do the same to your prissy sister.”

  Conner’s hands fisted at his sides. “You lay a hand on Haley and I’ll kill you.”

  Winslow threw back his head and laughed. “You keep telling yourself that, pup.” When he’d had his laugh, he shooed Conner away. “You go ahead and pack up your gear, get on back to your sister’s place. I’ll call you and let you know the plan.”

  Conner nodded, unable to speak. Turning, he went to his room and began shoving his meager belongings into a duffle. Barely able to stand without locking his knees, Conner sank onto the broken down mattress, head in his hands. What the hell had come over his pa these last years? He’d always been a mean bastard but Conner had figured it was because he bore the responsibility for raising two small children when their mother died. But to plan on marrying Haley off to a man like Rafe Winslow? The man was violent, a killer. To think Kent was willing to give her to someone like that… Hell, she was his own flesh and blood, just like he was. Did they mean so little to him? Had Kent Kilpatrick ever loved them?

  It was all Conner could do not to break down in tears as he thought back over the years. Kent Kilpatrick had always been wolverine mean and he’d taken that meanness out on his kids. Mostly on Haley, who always stepped in front of Conner, taking the beatings meant for her little brother. Later, after Kent had passed out or left the camper, Conner had done his best to care for his sister, soothing her with a child’s words, brining towels filled with ice to ease the pain. And always, his little boy self would tell his sister that she had to be better. Pa wouldn’t hurt her if she would just try to be better. He’d blamed her for the abuse heaped on her. Why hadn’t he seen it for what it was? All the punches, all the injuries, were in places covered by clothes, so no one ever really saw the abuse.

  Even worse than the beatings was the humiliation. Kent in the rattletrap truck, showing up at some big spread with his skinny, dirty children, pleading for a meal and work. The pity in the eyes of the owner and his crew. The secondhand clothes the rancher’s wives would pass on to Conner and Haley. The scorn in the eyes of the hands when they soon figured out Kent Kilpatrick was as lazy as they came. For the most part, the hands kept quiet and picked up their father’s slack just so Conner and Haley could have a place to live and three meals a day.

  He remembered the way Haley worked, trying to make up for their father’s innate laziness. She’d been mucking out stalls and hauling wheelbarrows full of manure since she was seven years old. Conner, he admitted to himself, took more after his pa, choosing to spend his days at the swimming hole, far away from manual labor. If Haley wanted to work like a damn field hand, let her. Shame washed over him, sticking in his gut like a knife. What a damn sorry excuse for a brother he’d been and what a sorry excuse for a man he’d become. He straightened, wiped his face and grabbed his duffle. Time he made it up to his sister, even if it wound up costing him his life. Shouldering the pitiful bag, he stomped to the screen door and shoved it open.

  Aiming the old truck toward Junction, he pushed it as fast as he dared. “Have to tell them about Rebecca.” He shook his head. “My word against his. Oh god, he’ll kill me for sure.” Conner banged the steering wheel with his fist. “You dumb son of a bitch. You should point this damn truck west and keep on going. Haley’s got Wyatt to look after her. She don’t need you.”

  But he kept on driving. How could he live with himself if he abandoned Haley? She was sister and mother rolled into one. The only person in the world who loved him. He made her a silent promise. From this day forward, Conner Kilpatrick would be a new man. A better man. A man his sister would be proud to call brother. He’d see to it that he headed off any trouble that might come Haley’s way.

  * * * * *

  The first indication of trouble didn’t come for over a month. Conner had settled in and was proving to be a good worker, doing scut work without complaint. But he was worried and his concern made Haley worry.

  At about seven in the morning on a clear, early summer day, Haley and Wyatt heard a shout accompanied by loud whinnying. Both dropped their breakfast forks and bolted out the front door to find two of the hands carrying Conner toward the house while Dooley attempted to calm a frantic Geronimo.

  “What happened?” Haley asked, torn between going to her brother and helping calm her prized stallion.

  “Rattlesnakes. At least a half-dozen.” Conner clenched his teeth. “At least one of ‘em got me.”

  Haley threw a frantic look at Wyatt, then began issuing orders to the hands. “Get him inside and call 9-1-1.We need cops and paramedics.”

  Haley held the door open for the men to haul Conner inside and put him on the couch.

  “Go help Wyatt, I’ll see to Conner.” She set about removing his boots and rolled his pant legs up. There were two sets of fang marks just above the calf. Oh lord. Two bites. If the ambulance didn’t get here quick… No, she wouldn’t think about that. Couldn’t let herself think about that. “Unbuckle and let’s get those britches off, see if there’s any more bites.” While Conner did as she directed, she took the phone from the cowboy who’d dialed 9-1-1, explaining what happened and asking for instructions.

  “A unit is on the way, ma’am. While you’re waiting, wash the area where the bites are and make sure the patient keeps his leg below his heart. Immobilize the leg if you can. Don’t put anything cold on the bites or attempt to extract the venom. Just hang tight until the ambulance gets there, they’ll administer antivenin.”

  “Yes. All right but…his leg’s really starting to swell.” Conner moaned. “Oh god, hurry, please hurry.” She tossed the phone aside to tend her brother.

  Haley yanked Conner’s jeans off and examined his legs for any more bites. Fortunately he only had the two but his leg was swelling so fast she didn’t see how it wouldn’t split and it was beginning to darken at an alarming rate.

  “Ah, sum bitch, it hurts,” Conner gritted out. “Am I gonna die, Hales?”

  “No sugar, you’re not. The EMS is on the way and they have antivenin. Just hang in there, Conner. Take deep breaths and try and keep your heart rate slow, okay? Nice, deep, relaxing breaths.”

  While Haley tended to Conner, Wyatt burst through the door. “Gotta call Ben and my cell’s dead. Geronimo got bit. Dooley administered some bute and he’s hosing the leg down.” Haley took a deep breath, nodding. There was nothing she could do for Geronimo at this point. Dooley was doing exactly the right thing and Conner needed her. She cocked her head at the sound of sirens in the distance.

  Relief filled her voice. “Hear that, baby brother? Ambulance is almost here.”

  Conner shivered. “Cold. And I feel sick.”

  Wyatt, using the portable phone to explain the situation to the vet, hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a pan from a lower cabinet. Haley took it and held it under her brother’s chin.

  “It’s okay, Conner. You feel sick, you go ahead. I got you.” Conner heaved and heaved, groaning in pain as the movement jostled his injured leg.

  “That fuckin’ Rafe. Had to be him. That many snakes in one place. They were all full grown.” He groaned and heaved again as the sirens roared up the ranch lane.

  Haley stood by, helplessly watching as the paramedics started an IV solution and put her brother on a gurney. She wasn�
�t even aware she was crying until Wyatt handed her a handkerchief.

  “We’ll be right behind you, Conner,” Wyatt reassured him, then guided Haley outside and helped her into the truck. He nodded to a concerned cowboy. “Tell Lloyd to meet us at the hospital.”

  She looked at him, shaking her head. “What if—?”

  “He’ll be okay, sweet pea. The paramedics are administering antivenin as we speak and he’ll be at the ER in under half an hour. He’ll be sick as a dog but he’s gonna make it.”

  Haley nodded. “Geronimo?”

  “One bite near as we can tell. Dooley’s shaving his leg to make sure and Ben’s on the way. Geronimo’s a big horse, honey, one little bite won’t kill him.” She jumped at the sound of multiple shotgun blasts. “The hands are taking care of the snakes.”

  Haley closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the seat. “Looks like it’s starting, don’t it?”

  “Yup. Who’s Conner figure for this? Rafe Winslow?”

  “None other. Pa ain’t out ‘til next month but you can bet he had a hand in it. Could’ve killed his own son. What kind of man does that?”

  Wyatt shook his head. “A bad man, honey.”

  “Maria and the kids have to go back to the apartment in town. They need to be off this ranch.” Dooley had reluctantly agreed to let his family come back since things had quieted down but that had all changed now.

  “You should go too, Haley.”

  Haley opened her eyes and turned to look at him. “Ain’t no way.”

  Wyatt gave her a rueful grin. “Yeah. Figured you’d say that but I had to try.” He reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. “He’ll be all right and so will Geronimo. It’s you I’m worried about. Your pa told Conner they had to stop us getting married. I’m afraid what that might mean for you.”