This Family of Ours (Raine #6)

by Amanda Bennett

  "I guess you're right, but none of my exes are as crazy as Tanya." He laughed.

  "True."

  "And it's not like she doesn't know most of it. I mean she did have to deal with the whole Taryn issue, and let's not forget about good ol’ Korena. So she's definitely had to deal with most of my past. It's just how you choose to deal with it I think. Cami is a reasonable girl, and I honestly believe that if you had told her about Tanya, and I mean everything, she probably wouldn't be so affected by all of this right now. I'm not sayin' you're wrong, but it's definitely a conversation that should've been had before y'all got married."

  I knew he was right, I truly did, but it just didn't seem like that big of a deal to me, until now. "I guess now we just wait and see what happens. I don't think there's much we can do about it now. Ya know?"

  "I do. So let's just have a good time tonight and try not to worry about it too much."

  We both headed inside a few minutes later to see what the girls were up to. I glanced around the corner into the living room and saw Cami and Kayla laughin' and havin' a good time, and my heart felt a bit lighter knowin' she had someone like Kayla to help her look on the bright side of things. It also helped that Kayla knew exactly how to help Cami feel better. I envied Kayla for that. There have been so many times I wish I could've been the one to make her laugh instead of cry, and make her happy instead of sad, but as long as she had Kayla, I knew she'd be ok.

  Madison was in the middle of tellin' all of us a joke he heard the other day from one of the ranch hands, when the doorbell rang. Silence fell over the room as we all sat staring at each other in confusion. I silently counted all the people in the room, shruggin’ my shoulders as I realized that the only person missin' was Jo, and he was back in San Fran. I slowly stood from my position on the couch closest to the door and made my way over to answer it when the bell rang again. I picked up my pace, swingin' open the door in annoyance.

  "What the he-" I stopped mid-sentence when I realized that no one was standin' on the other side. I peeked my head out and around the corner to see if I could see anyone leavin', but nobody was there.

  I turned on my heel to head back inside when I noticed a large cardboard box in the corner of the porch. I hesitantly grabbed it as I made my way back inside. When I stepped back into the livin' room with the large package in my hand, everybody turned to look at me precariously. I shrugged my shoulders and placed the package on the coffee table in front of all of us while I went to fetch some scissors.

  "Hey Cam, did you order somethin'?" I asked as I slid the scissors across the seam on the top of the box.

  "Not that I remember. Was there anyone out there?" She questioned.

  I shook my head and continued to open the box, when I caught sight of what was inside I stumbled back in shock. "What the hell?" I reached into the box, pullin' out an old-fashioned baby doll that was covered in blood, and from the looks of it, real blood. I dropped the baby doll onto the top of the table as the room filled with horrified gasps.

  "Oh my god, what the hell is that?" Kayla implored.

  "I have no idea." I searched through the box to see if there was anything else that could help me figure out what the meanin' behind this package was. I was about to give up, when my fingers grazed a piece of paper down at the very bottom of the box. I pulled it out and read it aloud. "Tell her about us, or this will be your unborn child." Rage coursed through my veins as I sat back on the chair behind me.

  Cami's hands flew up to her mouth as a small sob escaped her throat. "What is she trying to do to us?" Tears began streamin' down her flushed cheeks, and I instantly ran to her side, pullin' her into a strong embrace.

  "I think it's time to call the cops." I muttered into her hair before placin' a chaste kiss to the top of her head.

  "Are you sure?" Madison piped in.

  "What other choice do we have? She obviously has someone on the outside that knows us. Where we live, and who knows what else." I shook my head in disbelief as Cami continued to cry into my shoulder.

  "Maybe we should call Jo first. See what he knows." It wasn't a question. I nodded my head for Madison to do just that.

  "Put him on speakerphone."

  "Hey Glenda, what's up?"

  "Jo, it's Madison, Kayla, Cami, and Glenn. Hey man, sorry to bug ya, but a package just showed up on Glenn and Cami's doorstep. Care to guess what was in it?"

  "How the hell should I know?" I swear my brother was a moron.

  "Bro, it had a baby doll in it with blood coverin' the doll. There's also a note." I read the note one more time so my idiot brother could grasp the seriousness of the current situation.

  "What the fuck, bro?"

  "Looks like your wife is steppin' up her game." Madison chided.

  "She's not my wife, number one. Number two, I told ya she was crazy, but how the hell did it get to you? I would've gotten notice if she had gotten out or escaped." Joey's voice was muffled for a minute as he spoke, and I soon realized that he was speakin' to someone else who was there with him and not us. "Look, give me until tomorrow. Then we can decide what to do next."

  "You've got 24 hours, Jo."

  "Got it guys. Talk to ya tomorrow."

  The line went dead and not a single word or breath could be heard throughout the entire house, until Kayla finally spoke up. "I think y'all should come stay with us tonight."

  "I think so too." Cami chimed in, her tears were now replaced with anger in every word she spoke.

  "Alright, let's get some stuff together and get goin' before it gets even later." I stood with Cami still in my arms and walked us into our bedroom to pack a bag.

  Chapter 27

  Cami

  It was almost midnight when we finally made it over to Madison and Kayla's house, and I was practically dead on my feet. Glenn helped me into the spare bedroom upstairs, and then Kayla took his place beside me while he went downstairs to figure some things out with Madison. I knew how badly I overreacted with the letter showing up earlier today, but this whole package ordeal was something I just couldn't shake, overreacting or not.

  "Cam, are you ok?"

  Kayla's voice cut through my overwhelming thoughts as I changed into my pajamas. I turned towards her with a half-hearted smile. "I really wish you would stop asking me that." I sighed.

  "I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm really worried about you. I know the doctor said you're pregnancy is going well, but I can't help but be worried."

  "I know, and I'm sorry if I've been so abrasive lately, but everything is just so overwhelming. I just don't understand why the hell she can't just leave us alone."

  Kayla was at my side, pulling my hands into hers. "I wish I had an answer for you, I really do. All I've got is that she's bat shit crazy." We laughed. "I'm sure Jo and Diem will figure something out. Let's just give him some time."

  I knew what she was saying was true, but no matter what her or anyone else said to me at this moment, I was going to worry. If she could get that close to us while being behind bars, I could only imagine what she was capable of if she wasn't in prison.

  "You gonna be able to sleep ok tonight?"

  I let out an audible sigh. "I'm not sure. I mean, I'm exhausted, but my mind literally won't shut off."

  "Leave it to us to be pregnant while some shit like this is happening. Before I would say let's get the wine, but what are we supposed to do now? Get drunk on sparkling cider." We both let out a loud boisterous laugh that soon turned into uncontrollable laughter.

  "Speaking of pregnancy." I looked over at Kayla with a knowing glare as I made myself comfortable on the bed next to her. "How are you doing?"

  "Ah, well I think I'm still in a bit of shock. I know it's been a minute since I found out, but it's really hard to picture our lives with two kids. God, Mia is already a handful and a half and just picturing two of her runnin' around, well let's just say it's kind of scary."

  "Oh Kay, you're a fantastic mom, and I know this next addition will just make you that
much more wonderful. You're gonna be great."

  "And so are you. I can't wait to see you as a mom. You and Glenn are so amazing with Mia. It'll be a pleasure to watch you with your own."

  I could feel the blush creeping into my cheeks. "Thanks, Kay. That seriously means more to me than you'll ever know." A long drawn out yawn suddenly hit me out of nowhere just as exhaustion set in.

  "Hey, get some sleep. Let me know if you need anything at all, any time of the night, k?" Kayla leaned over, wrapping me up in a tight hug.

  "I will. Thanks Kay. Can you have Glenn come up as soon as he's done talking with Madison?"

  "Of course. Goodnight Cam, and good night little one." Her hand grazed my belly and I couldn't help the smile that tugged up the corners of my lips.

  When I woke the next morning, I wasn't sure what time it was. Glenn was no longer in the bed with me which was concerning, only because I felt him climb into the bed with me rather late. I rolled over onto my back letting my arms float above my head as I let my body go into a deep long well overdue stretch. After I had stretched everything out, I got outta bed, pulling on my robe and grabbing my phone as I made my way downstairs.

  I heard the familiar voices of my husband and friends as I made my descent, and my heart instantly felt lighter. A wide smile was splayed across my face as I hit the last stair and saw Glenn coming towards me, arms stretched wide. I didn't hesitate to run into his warm embrace. When I finally pulled back, his lips were on mine, moving them loving and tenderly. It was most definitely the best wake up call, well, besides sex that is.

  "Good morning to you too." I giggled as he handed me a fresh cup of coffee.

  "Mornin', love. How'd ya sleep?"

  "I would say better than you, but it would seem as though you got enough sleep if you're this chipper this early in the morning." I smiled at him as I made my way over to the breakfast bar that everyone was currently occupying.

  "God, I slept like a rock. And it's not really mornin' anymore, darlin'." He laughed as he stood me up so he could slide underneath me on the stool, pulling me tightly onto his lap, letting his hands come to rest on my belly.

  "It's only eleven." I chastised. "It's not like I slept the day away." We both laughed.

  He opened his mouth to say somethin', but I'm pretty sure I already knew what he was about to ask, and I was quick to stop him right there.

  "What?" He feigned innocence.

  "I'm fine, so please stop asking." I turned my head back towards him, giving him a wide smile, and then I lightly pressed my lips against his. "Seriously." I winked before turning around and giving Miss Mia my full undivided attention.

  "Mornin' Auntie Cam-Cam." Her small curls bounced against her back as she bounced on the stool next to me.

  "Well good morning, Miss Mia. Did you have a fun sleepover last night with Papa and Gran?"

  "I sure did. I got cookies before bed."

  I couldn't stifle the laugh that immediately came out as Kayla's head snapped up with the news that Mia just shared. "Kay, pick your battles, love." I laughed as Kayla just rolled her eyes and went back to making lunch for everyone.

  "You wanna color, Auntie Cam-Cam?" Mia asked as she shoved a purple crayon towards my face.

  "Maybe in a bit. Ok, honey?" I felt bad for not being more fun with her this morning, but there were too many things that need to be sorted out today.

  "Okay." She responded gleefully as she went back to her coloring book, completely unfazed.

  Glenn had walked away a few minutes ago, but I didn't see him or Madison anywhere in the house. "Hey Kay, did you see where the guys went?" She pointed towards the back door with the knife she was wielding in her hand. I just simply nodded and stood to make my way out back.

  I was about to push the screen door open when I heard Glenn's voice break through the deafening silence. "Bro, I'm not sure what to do now. I want to call the cops, especially after last night, but Joey's insistin' that we wait longer. I mean what can Diem really pull off that would make such a difference?"

  "I dunno, man. I know this sucks, but you gotta trust Jo. Holy shit! Did I just say that you need to trust Joey Green? Man, I must be losin' it."

  "Yeah ya are." I could hear Glenn start laughing and it made my happy to hear it.

  I reached for the knob to push open the door, but thought better of it when Glenn and Madison started talking about random other things. I didn't want to be the one to ruin his good mood by bringing up things that were out of our control at the moment. So I turned back around and went back into the kitchen to help Kayla with fixin' lunch.

  "Couldn't find 'em?" Kayla asked.

  "No, I did. Just thought I'd let them have some guy time, ya know?" She just simply nodded in acknowledgement.

  "So whatcha need help with?" I was washing my hands when Kayla turned around to face me, all seriousness in her expression evident. "What's going on?"

  "I was just thinkin' that maybe you'd want to come to work with me today. I have to go in and do payroll and check on the store, but I was thinkin' it would be good for you to get outta the house for a bit. Get your mind off of all of this," she waived the knife she was still holding in a circle, "and maybe have a little bit of fun. That and it's been forever since we've had some girl time, just the two of us."

  "What about Mia?"

  "Madison and Glenn said they'd watch her today." She turned and continued cutting up the vegetables for the salad. "No more excuses, woman. You're comin' with me."

  I held my hands up in surrender. "Okay okay, don't shoot." I joked.

  Chapter 28

  Glenn

  “Hey babe, I told Madison I would go help him with the cattle this mornin’. You gonna be ok stayin’ here with Kayla for a bit?” I didn’t want her thinkin’ that I didn’t want to be with her today, but Madison was shorthanded this mornin’, and after all that he’d done for us lately, I very well couldn’t say no to the guy.

  “That’s actually perfect. I was gonna head into the store with Kayla. She’s gotta do payroll and get some work done, and I haven’t been working since who knows when. I’ll see ya for dinner later?” I could see a glimmer of hope in her eyes and I couldn’t bear to let her down.

  “Of course.” I placed a tender kiss against her lips before turnin’ to walk out. “Love you, Cam.”

  “Love you too, Glenn.” She smiled.

  I wasn’t exactly sure how long the day would take, but I did know that most days Madison rarely, if ever, made it home in time for dinner, but I would sure as shit try my damndest. Madison left shortly after we finished talkin’, but I was runnin’ a bit behind. It had been some time since I’d worked out at the farm, so I had to run home and get my work boots and jeans. I was actually lookin’ forward to gettin’ my hands dirty for once.

  I was headin’ out towards the barn in search of Madison when the pungent odor of rottin’ flesh assaulted my nostrils. My hand flew up to my mouth as I began to dry heave. I pulled the bandana from my back pocket, clutchin’ it over my nose and mouth as I moved inside the barn.

  “Madison?” I half shouted as I neared the back without seein’ him anywhere.

  The odor became even more overwhelming as I reached the cause of the smell. Unfortunately, I’d seen death a few too many times in my life, so seein’ a dead heifer didn’t really faze me, but I was willing to fully admit that I almost lost my lunch. The heifer beneath me was horrifically mangled and skinned, and I wasn’t sure who would do this, and on Madison’s land. I pulled out my phone to take a few pics as proof and then turned on my heel to go find Madison.

  I was a few feet from Madison’s Grams’ house when he came strollin’ out of her house without a care in the world. Obviously he didn’t know what had happened.

  “Hey bro, took ya long enough. Ya ready to get goin’? I got cattle out by the back fence that need to get roped in.”

  “Yeah, but Madison?”

  “Yeah?” His brows knitted together in confusion.

  I push
ed my hand back through my unruly hair in aggravation that I had to be the one to tell him what I found. Madison’s cattle were like kids to him, and I knew this was gonna gut him. “Have you been out to the barn yet?”

  “Not yet. I came by to drop Mia off to Grams first. Why, what’s up?”

  “Maybe I should just show ya.” I motioned for him to follow me.

  Madison reached out, grabbin’ my shoulder hard enough to turn me around towards him. “Just tell me.”

  I let out an audible sigh. “Looks like someone got to one of the heifers.” I watched with bated breath as Madison’s jaw went slack before he took off in a sprint towards the barn.

  When we got close enough that he could smell the odor that had alerted me to the incident in the first place, I saw the look of devastation on his face. “Where is she?”

  I pointed to the back of the barn as I followed him deeper inside. When we happened upon her, Madison fell to his knees. There were no tears, but I could tell he was beside himself. “I’m so sorry, man.” I let my hand rest on his shoulder in a comfortin’ fashion.

  “I don’t even know how she would’ve gotten up the hill and here.” Realization settled into Madison’s expression, and I instantly knew someone was in for it, and Madison’s wrath was one I would never want to be on the receivin’ end of.

  “This is bullshit, and it’s gotta be someone workin’ for me. What the hell?” Madison was now physically shakin’ with anger as he stomped outta the barn and out towards the bunks where the ranch hands stay.

  He flung open the door, catchin’ every man in the house off guard. I tried to pull him back a bit before he lost his cool completely and did somethin’ he would later regret, but he was beyond that point.

  “I’m only gonna ask y’all once, and if I don’t get the answer I’m lookin’ for, all y’all will be gone…today. So, who knows anythin’ about the dead heifer out in the west barn?” Madison and I both glanced around at the ten men in front of us, rangin’ from the age of 19 to 44, none of them lookin’ like they were gonna answer. “I said I’d only ask y’all once, so as far as I’m concerned, y'all can pack your shit and go.” We turned to leave when one of the younger guys in the back, Jared I think was his name, finally piped up.