Loving the Heartland

by Marjorie Jones

  No. They would try to bring Mason in alive to stand trial for three murders. And his thugs with him.

  But if Mason so much as gave any of them a reason...

  Well, life was rough sometimes.

  The truck stopped and Mason climbed out. Alone. That was rather unusual. He generally had at least two of his thugs with him. Two men exited the SUV. She hadn’t recognized them last night, but she was fairly certain these were the same guys who had been picked up on her land during the fire. Through the powerful lenses of the binoculars, she made out every detail of their faces. The smaller of the two looked as disheveled as ever. The larger of the pair wore the same red hat she’d seen him in last time. The air around her turned foul as she recalled the putrid scent of his breath as he’d hovered over her, threatening her on the side of the road. Her cheek stung where he’d punched her. She tasted the blood and let it feed her thirst for justice, wiping away the memory and focusing instead on the fact that they’d nearly killed her sister and had taken Lenise’s young life.

  Red Hat carried a rifle. The second guy had a smaller weapon. A sawed-off shotgun, maybe? Kendra couldn’t make it out for certain.

  Casey raised a pair of binoculars of his own. “We’ve got one Remington and what looks like a Winchester rifle. And let’s not forget that Mason keeps a thirty-eight in an ankle holster.” He lowered the glasses and smirked. “That nice fellow was just full of helpful information last night, wasn’t he?”

  “Disappointed you didn’t have to go through with it?” asked Brad. “I wish you had.”

  Kendra’s stomach knotted.

  “No, little brother. I’m not. If I never have to do that again for as long as I live, I’ll be just fine with that. I knew he’d cave. Rocky is just a petty thug.” The tone in Casey’s voice, bordering on the thin, jagged line between sadness and regret, eased the trepidation in her gut where he was concerned, but it lingered when he caught Brad’s scoff.

  Brad pulled out his sidearm and checked it over before placing it back into the holster on his hip. Casey mirrored the movements. “Ready.”

  Kendra picked up her radio. “Mac, they’re making the payoff now.”

  Mac replied. “Move in.”

  Kendra looked at her brothers, each in turn. Today, they would end it. She lifted her reins in one hand and gently nudged Preakness forward with her booted heels. A sudden shout reached her from the valley floor and she focused her gaze on the group below. “Wait!”

  Brad must have seen the same thing she had. Before Kendra could stop him, Brad raced down the steep hill in a dangerous slide of horseflesh and man.

  Kendra picked up the radio. “Mac! Brad’s halfway down the hill. We’re going after him, but be advised. Lenise is with Mason. She’s alive. Lenise is with Mason right now! Out!”

  “Shit. Brad’s going to get himself killed!” Casey kicked his horse forward. Kendra followed and within a few harrowing moments, they reached the valley floor. Brad had a significant lead, but Preakness more than made up for the head start. Kendra crouched low in the saddle and soon drew beside her youngest brother.

  Brad didn’t even glance at her. He just kept riding. From the other side of the valley, the remaining deputies closed in.

  Mason saw them coming. Too far away for Kendra to read his expression, Mason grabbed Lenise around the shoulders and pulled the pistol from his boot. Without preamble, without enough pause to even breathe, he put a bullet in the heads of both of his accomplices. They fell to the ground in a single heap of dead flesh and leather before the sound of the shots had time to cover the distance. He threw Lenise into the back of the truck and changed the clip. Then he leapt behind the wheel and sped further into the hills.

  By the time they reached the dead men, Harold Mason was gone.

  Brad turned his horse to go after them, but Kendra caught his reins. “Wait, Brad. We know she’s alive. He’s not going to hurt her now. There is nothing up that road but the old mine. He’s trapped, and he knows it. Right now, she is the only card he has left to play.”

  “She’s alive,” her brother whispered.

  Kendra smiled. “I know, son. I know...”

  

  “Go. I’ll be fine.” Lacey, struggling with her good arm, pushed herself higher against the pillows on her bed.

  “I can’t just leave you here.”

  “Yes, you can. You have no idea what kind of trouble those guys will get into by themselves. All that testosterone... including my sister!”

  Michelle paced from one side of Lacey’s bedroom to the other, pushed the curtains out of the way and watched for any sign that Kendra and the others might be coming back. A deputy in a squad car sat in the driveway with strict orders not to let her off the property. But that wouldn’t stop her from saddling Bethany and crossing the range. She’d ridden around the property enough in the past few months to know her way around, just fine, thanks. What if Kendra was hurt? What if she needed her?

  No. She’d told Kendra she’d stay here and wait for her. “I’m supposed to keep an eye on you.”

  “Puh-lease. If I could stay on a horse right now, I’d go with you. Now, you have to make sure they’re okay.”

  “I don’t know, Lace.”

  “Fine. I’ll go.” Lacey swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Michelle sprinted to her side and put both hands on her shoulders. “You lie right back down. You’re in no condition to go anywhere.”

  “You are,” Lacey returned, flatly.

  A sigh from the deepest part of her, where her conscience lived, blew past her lips. “Fine. I’ll go. I’ll come in from the backside and she’ll never know I’m there, right? I’ll make sure they’re okay and I’ll deadhead it right back here.”

  That should be fine. She’d ride around behind the old mine and come into the valley through the tree line. Kendra would never even see her. Shouldn’t take more than two hours, tops.

  “Great idea.”

  Michelle heard the smile in Lacey’s voice and studied her friend for a moment. Her lips twitched into a grin. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Lacey brushed her fingertips over the thick bandage on the side of her face. The grin faltered, but didn’t fade. She nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. Someday.”

  Michelle suspected she wasn’t talking about being alone in the house. Lacey referred to her injury, the permanent disfigurement she’d have to see in the mirror for the rest of her life. But she was tough, and in no immediate danger.

  Michelle squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Okay, then. I’ll do it. You stay in bed.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  Michelle hurried down the hall, caught herself on the doorjamb with one hand and spun into the room she once more shared with Kendra. Once she’d changed out of her nightgown and dressed in her jeans, boots and a thick, cotton tee-shirt, she made for the barn.

  Almost there.

  She crossed the threshold into the barn and stopped to see if anyone followed her. Several horses stamped in their stalls. If they hoped she would turn them into the pasture for their morning graze, they would be disappointed.

  She counted eight men on the property, and none of them knew where Kendra and her brothers had gone. None of them knew that the woman they respected and trusted risked her life to save the ranch and bring a murderer to justice.

  Could this really be happening? Was it really just a few months ago that she’d believed her life was boring?

  Bethany whinnied a greeting. Michelle stroked her nose before she entered the stall and attached a lead rope to the metal ring at the base of the horse’s halter.

  Jack, one of the newer hands, approached from the back of the barn. “You going for a ride?”

  Michelle forced a smile. “Yeah. I need to clear my head a little after last night.”

  “You want some company? Kendra says you’re not supposed to go off by yourself, you know.”

  “I’m a big girl, Jack. I’m sure I can handle a little
trot around the ranch.”

  He looked at the ground. “I’m real sorry to hear about Brad’s little wife. She was a right pretty girl.”

  “She was a wonderful young woman. Thank you.”

  His head snapped up and he eyed her with more attention than Michelle understood. After a moment or two, he tipped his hat. “Well, you enjoy your ride. If you need anything, just shout out. I’m sure somebody will be close enough to hear you.”

  She certainly hoped not.

  “I’ll do that.”

  He left the barn the same way he’d come in. Michelle finished dressing Bethany and made a point to leave through the opposite doors.

  One slow step after another, Bethany plodded along beside the corrals and then out through the back gate. When she reached the top of the first rise, Michelle looked behind her. No one paid any attention. Each man went about his work as if she weren’t there. The deputy stayed in his car. She faced toward the front again, dug her heels into Bethany’s ribs and plunged over the hilltop.

  The old mine couldn’t be more than a thirty-minute ride.

  

  Kendra crept behind the fence line around the Old Sutton Mine. Behind her, her brothers followed. Who would have thought the skills they’d learned from years of deer hunting these mountains would pay off in such a big way? Even if he listened for their footfalls, Mason wouldn’t be able to hear them.

  A hawk screamed from somewhere overhead. The whole range seemed to wait to see what would happen next. When she reached a fallen log, she crouched behind it and motioned for her brothers to join her.

  Mason’s truck rested at an odd angle below her, as if he’d stopped in a hurry.

  “Look,” she whispered, pointing down a steep slope to the mouth of the mine.

  “Do you see Lenise?” Brad craned his neck.

  “Get down, dumb-shit.” Casey grabbed Brad’s shoulder and dragged him backward. “Just because we can’t see them doesn’t mean they can’t see us. Stay put.” He turned his attention back to Kendra. “Both of you.”

  Kendra narrowed her gaze. Right. “What are you going to do?”

  “Circle around behind and see what I can see. You people make too much noise. Stay. Here,” he ordered deliberately.

  Casey disappeared behind a boulder and within a few seconds reappeared a short distance up the hill.

  “Why does he get to have all the fun?” Brad asked.

  “Because he’s been trained, I guess. BUD/s training paid off.” Kendra caught movement on the far side of the mine. How the hell did Casey make it all the way over there already?

  The low branches on the ancient Joshua tree swung as a horse’s head poked through the needles. Kendra’s heart clenched. It couldn’t be her. God, don’t let it be her...

  It was her.

  Michelle pushed Bethany through the branches and pulled her to a stop in plain sight of the truck. And anyone with eyes.

  Kendra closed her eyes and swore under her breath.

  Brad groaned. “What’s she doing here?”

  Kendra opened her eyes again and gripped the handle of her pistol. “Being a pain in my ass. What else?”

  “Where are you going?”

  Kendra crept past her brother. “I’m going to get her out of the damn way. Wait here.”

  Damn that woman’s foolish impertinence. Why couldn’t she just sit tight and wait at home for her like a normal woman? Why did she have to come after her like she needed rescuing or something?

  She’d only made it half way back down the hill when a shot erupted from the mine entrance. She spun toward the commotion, and then glanced back to Michelle. She’d heard it, too. So had Bethany, who pranced and crow-hopped too close to the steepest part of the hill for her comfort.

  Kendra dashed up the hill. “Get down!”

  Bethany snorted and one of her hind legs slid off the embankment. The old mare caught herself and stamped solid ground with anxious, skittish movements. Kendra’s heart leapt into her throat. Michelle’s bronzed cheeks paled.

  “What’s going on?” Her voice trembled. White fingers worked the reins and pulled against Bethany’s wide-open mouth.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Kendra reached Michelle’s side. She pulled her from the saddle, lost her balance and landed on her back. Michelle rested on top of her, her breath sweet against Kendra’s neck.

  If anything happened to her...

  She shoved the thoughts aside. Nothing had happened to her. At least, not yet.

  Heat stole up the back of her neck. She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t have time right now, but when this is over, I want to know just what the hell you were thinking, coming up here. God damn it, woman, can you do nothing you’re told to do?”

  Michelle pushed herself off Kendra’s chest and growled. By the time she reached her feet, Kendra had found hers as well. “Don’t you scold me, Kendra Williams, when you’re up here getting shot at!”

  Kendra grabbed her by the upper arm and dragged her behind the tree line. She took up a position behind a tree and held Michelle behind her with one arm. Where was Casey? Had he made it into the mine? Where had the shot come from?

  Across the narrow space, she found her youngest brother. Brad still crouched behind the log, right were Kendra had left him. At least someone could listen to directions.

  She leaned her back against the tree and took a deep breath. “Mason didn’t exactly give up peacefully. The good news is, Lenise is alive.”

  She waited for the shock to play across Michelle’s features. One second, she beamed, and the next, her brows knotted and she frowned. “What’s the bad news?”

  Kendra indicated the abandoned mine with a jerk of her head. “She’s in there with Mason. As you’ve probably guessed, he’s armed.”

  “Yeah, I figured that part out all by myself. Where’s Mac? Where’s Brent? And Casey?”

  “Brent stayed with the Posse. They’re on the their way, but they were at least a half hour behind by horseback. Mac’s on his way, too, I’m sure, but you can’t exactly race over these roads. For right now, babe, we’re on our own.”

  “So, what are we going to do?”

  She cocked an eyebrow at Michelle. “We?”

  “Yeah, we.”

  “You’re going to get back and stay the hell out of the way.” She shook her head. “What were you thinking?”

  “I was worried about you.” A slight blush moved over her cheeks.

  Before Kendra realized what she was doing, her fingers traced the line of Michelle’s jaw and her thumb brushed over her lips. God, she loved her so much, she could taste it.

  Michelle placed one hand over Kendra’s and tilted her cheek into her palm. “What are we going to do?” she repeated.

  “I’m pretty sure Casey made it inside the mine. We’re supposed to wait for him to let us know what’s going on, but after those shots, I’m changing the plan.” She took her pistol from its holster and checked her ammunition.

  Six shots.

  And she left her rifle with Brad. Damn.

  She had little choice. Wait here and risk the lives of her family, or go in... guns blazing.

  Or was there another option?

  Michelle wouldn’t like it. She studied her expression. Filled with trust and confidence, she gazed up at her with wide eyes. Where did her faith come from? What was it about Kendra that made Michelle love her so much? Nothing about Kendra seemed worthy of it.

  She meant only to tease her lips with her own. But once she tasted them, she deepened the kiss until the world disappeared, for just that one reflection in time. She shouldn’t be wasting time, but...

  But what if it was the last time she ever saw her? What if she didn’t come back from what she was planning to do?

  Michelle’s hands played over her back, working her muscles into knots of desire and wanting. She wanted Michelle with her forever. If she made it through the next fifteen minutes without getting herself killed, she would do anything in the wo
rld to keep her.

  She’d turn the ranch over to Brent and move to Las Vegas if that’s what it took. But the thought of spending even an hour without Michelle hurt too damn much.

  A moan escaped Michelle’s throat and vibrated against Kendra’s cheek. She broke the kiss and took just one more moment to inhale the sweet, soft scent of the only women she could ever love. She committed it to memory and it became a part of her.

  Then Kendra turned away.

  

  “What are you going to do?” Michelle took several steps behind Kendra as she headed for the steep embankment above the mine.

  “Wait here.” Kendra offered a grin, as if she tried to reassure her. “I’ll be right back.”

  Michelle’s gut clenched. Something was very wrong here. What exactly did she plan to do? She hugged herself and waited in the tree line, as Kendra had asked.

  Kendra half-walked and half-slid down the dirt and rock wall. She disappeared for a few minutes and the only indication she was there came from the clatter of loose stones sliding down the hill. When she reappeared on the old dirt road, she took up position in the center of it.

  For the first time, Michelle noticed Brad on the opposite side of the mine. She stared at him and he returned a bewildered expression of his own. Kendra holstered her gun and spread her feet in the dust.

  Oh, no!

  She wouldn’t!

  “Mason! If you’re even half a man, get your ass out here. I’m the one you want. Leave the girl alone.”

  The world stopped spinning. Even the trees stopped breathing. Was she completely out of her mind? Michelle’s heart raced until she thought it might explode. Tunnel vision narrowed on where Kendra stood her ground. Pride and honor surrounded her like a cloud of protection.

  But clouds can’t stop a bullet.

  “You hear me, Coward! Show yourself.”

  A shot blasted from the mouth of the cave. The bullet landed within a few inches of Kendra’s right boot, but she never even flinched. Instead, she shook her head and continued to taunt Mason. “Is that the best you got? You shoot like a girl. Why don’t you come on out here and then maybe you can get close enough to hit something besides trees and dirt.”