by Tara Sue Me
Orson could be in danger, and if so, she was the only one who knew. Randy could go fuck himself. Orson needed her.
She headed to the front door and didn’t look back.
Chapter 24
Orson
Orson had the strangest feeling he was being followed.
But that didn’t make any sense. Why would someone follow him? And who would want to? He was doing what might be the most boring job on the ranch. Walking the fence line to make sure everything was the way it should be.
His mind probably picked up whoever walked the section behind him, or even whoever was in front of him. When everyone had congregated at the spot they had found the rabbit, they’d split the ranch into different sections to make it easier to check for more breached fencing or, God forbid, another dead animal.
He forced himself to slow down and not rush through his section so quickly he missed something. Yes, he wanted to finish and head back to Kiara. Yes, he wanted to wrap his arms around her so he knew she was safe. But at the moment, his most important job was to make sure his fence was secure. His current task was another way to keep her safe.
Although he had to admit, he had a hard time convincing himself Randy was the person behind the rabbit and the fence. Orson thought the man would take a more direct approach. Although, Kiara had mentioned he liked mind games. And scaring your ex with a dead rabbit was certainly a mind game.
Yet, there was that persistent nagging at the edge of his mind saying he’d missed something and had the entire thing wrong.
He wondered if Evan had any more success than he’d had at finding Jedidiah? Taking his phone out of his back pocket, he went to call Evan, and realized his battery was dead. He groaned, remembering he’d neglected to charge it the night before.
Damn it. Now he couldn’t call Kiara back just to hear her voice. He replayed their last phone call in his head. When she’d answered, it didn’t sound as if she was still angry with him. Was it possible she’d forgiven him for keeping news of Randy’s parole violation from her?
Even if she hadn’t totally forgiven him, he’d be happy if she would let him be in the same room with her, breath the same air. It might not be forgiveness, but it was a start.
How many more miles of fencing did he have left? Looking behind him, he saw not enough and before him he knew were way too many. But even worse than having too many miles left was the sinking sensation in his gut. The one telling him he was doing a rotten job of making sure the fencing was as it should be and ensuring nothing was out of place.
He resolved to put all thoughts concerning Kiara away until after they confirmed the fence secure. With a satisfied nod of his head, he took a step forward and something clamped on his right leg. A bright white flash of pain overtook his body, and he fell to the ground.
The light in the sky didn’t appear to have changed much when Orson cracked his eyes open. He took it as a good sign. Maybe he hadn’t been out of it for long. His right leg hurt like hell, though, and he wasn’t certain he could feel his right foot. Struggling to sit up with the damn cast, he gasped at the renewed pain in his torso.
Fucking hell. He’d somehow injured his ribs again. Kiara would bite his head clean off. Finally upright, he glanced at his right leg and yelped. What in the hell was a trap doing on his property and how on God’s green earth was it possible he stepped into it?
“Do you really want me to answer those?”
That voice. That voice he’d prayed he never heard again and vowed if he ever did, he’d avenge his mother. He was almost impressed with how Lenora got him at such a disadvantage. That she’d done so to make it easier for her to complete what she believed to be her mission should have him quaking with fear.
Yet, what he felt wasn’t fear of facing his stepmother with a broken arm, a useless leg, and banged up ribs. An icy calm overtook him, and a strange sense of relief settled on his body. No matter what happened to him, Kiara was safe. Randy wasn’t after her. This was Orson's fight.
“I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud, Lenora,” Orson said. “Why don’t you come out from behind me and let me see you?”
Not that he cared to see her ugly mug again, but there was a slim chance she might realize he was human if she saw his face. If nothing else, maybe she’d at least see the pain he was in and get some help.
“Because if I do, you’ll hypnotize me with your demon eyes.”
Right. How had he forgotten she'd accused him of having demon eyes and the ability to hypnotize people into doing his bidding? He wished he’d remembered and had shared that gem with Kiara. She would have gotten a kick out of that one. He imagined the laugh they’d have shared at the thought of her doing his bidding because of his eyes. Just thinking about it made him snort.
Fuck. The pain was making him loopy.
He squinted. Apparently, it was also making him see things because he swore he saw Kiara walking toward him, holding a gun. He had to be seeing things because Kiara was waiting back at the house the way he’d told her.
Probably for the best if he ignored the Kiara who wasn’t really there and focused on Lenora, who certainly was here. His gaze drifted back to Kiara. Though it would be nice if he could do both, because Kiara packing heat was hot.
The sound of movement behind him forced him to refocus. “So what’s it going to be,” he asked. “Are you going to shoot me in the back? Kind of a cowardly thing to do, don’t you think?” He wasn’t sure, but he thought he slurred his words.
“Shooting’s too good for the likes of you,” she replied. “The Word says you have to be stoned.”
That what she said made sense on some level only proved to the lucid part of him still working that he was seriously fucked up.
“Whatever,” he said, though he wasn’t sure his lucid side was the one speaking. “Make sure you use a big one. Get it done fast. This leg hurts like a bitch.”
“Don’t you want to know how I found you?”
Not particularly he didn’t. But if hearing her allowed him a few more minutes to watch the hot vision of Kiara with a gun, he considered it a fair trade.
“Sure,” he answered. “Why not?”
“I’d tracked you to Vegas. Looked all over that sin infested wasteland, but you weren’t there. It was the evil one leading you and allowing you to escape my vengeance for a time. I knew I only needed to be patient, and I’d eventually find you. Normally, I don’t watch television because it’s full of evil, but I watched about your pears and it mentioned you lived in Texas. It wasn’t that hard to find you once I knew the state.”
“It’d be even easier if you used the internet.” He should probably be quiet. No doubt his last remark left her livid. But what the hell? Hot Kiara had disappeared somewhere and now that he couldn’t see her, he just didn’t care anymore.
“Good thing I showed up when I did.”
Fuck could she not get on with it?
“Why is that?” he asked to appease her because it seemed like she wanted to tell him.
As he spoke, Hot Kiara appeared again. Closer, much closer, but hidden. He only saw her because he knew both her and his land so well. She lifted the gun, aiming.
Holy shit! She planned to shoot Lenora.
“After I kill you, I can go down to your house and kill that whore you’re sleeping with and the demon spawn she carries.”
“What?” he asked as something in his brain whispered he really, really needed to understand what she said.
At the same time he spoke, two shots went off. He saw Kiara jerk and her shot went wild. The other one must have hit its mark as he heard a heavy thud behind him, and soon after, a large rock rolled up beside him.
He wanted to sleep, but Kiara appeared before him and he fought to stay awake. There was something he needed to ask her. Why couldn’t he remember what it was?
Everything went dark.
Chapter 25
Kiara
Holy fuck! She could have killed Orson with that wild shot.
First thing, get help for Orson. She darted to him, assuming whoever shot Lenora was a friend and it would be safe enough for her to be out in the open. The sight of his chest raising and falling calmed her immediate concern that she’d been too late. He didn’t look good, though. She placed a quick 911 call and turned her attention back to the man on the ground.
“Kiara?”
She jumped at the sound of her name and cursed herself for not hearing whoever it was come up behind her.
“Jedidiah,” she said once he came into view. “Are you the one who…” she nodded toward the lifeless body.
“Yes,” he said. “I don’t think she’s the one who has been staying on my property, but I happened across her tracks when I was looking for something else and followed her.”
“Thank goodness you did,” she said, sweeping her hands over Orson, looking for any injuries she missed and inspecting his caught leg.
“Do we need to get that trap off?” Jedidiah asked.
“Not right now. I don’t see that it’s caused any bleeding, so it’s likely a crush injury and can wait.” She watched his chest to ensure he was still breathing and considered each movement a small victory. “I’ve called 911. Right now, we need to keep him stable until they get here and can take over.”
“I expect someone will come soon to investigate the two gunshots.”
She thought the same thing, and in fact it was only moments later the rumble of vehicles and clouds of dust signaled several someones. Kiara kept her eyes on Orson, as if her watch alone kept him from slipping further under.
“Kiara?” Kelly’s voice called from somewhere nearby. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Kiara nodded, refusing to leave Orson’s side. Within minutes, the area swarmed with people. First responders gently pulled her away from Orson before placing him on a gurney and loading him into the back of an ambulance. She had enough presence of mind to ask which hospital they were taking him to so she could follow as soon as possible.
She’d have given damn near anything to crawl up beside him and accompany him to the hospital, but she had to take care of the chaotic scene surrounding her. With a deep breath, she turned to Kelly.
“Who do I need to talk with first?” she asked her twin.
“What’s going on?” Kelly asked instead of answering her question. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Damn their twin connection. She’d never been able to keep anything hidden from her sister. “Not right now,” she said because she hadn’t even had a chance to ponder Lenora's last words. “Let’s take care of this mess first.”
Taking care of everything took far longer than Kiara thought necessary. It was almost three hours later before she was in the back of Evan’s car as he drove her and Kelly to the hospital. Evan had been pissed when he saw Jedidiah at the scene, but changed his tune when he heard what happened. Kelly explained how Evan had been trying to get in contact with the elusive rancher for the last few hours and hadn’t been able to. Kiara replied she didn’t care what anyone else thought, Jedidiah was a hero in her eyes.
Which were the exact words she gave the sheriff when he took her statement not long after they took Orson away. Then they had to wait for the coroner to arrive and take Lenora's body. Waiting for the coroner almost sent Kiara over the edge because it gave her too much time to think. The only thing she could think about, other than wondering how Orson was doing, was one of Lenora's last sentences.
The woman’s still sounded in her head after they arrived at the hospital, and learned Orson was in surgery. They made their way to the waiting room, but Kiara couldn’t sit still. She stood up and paced. After several trips across the room, she decided whoever decorated the room needed to be fired. There was nothing calming about orange and brown.
With a sigh, she realized she wasn’t making anything any better. All she was doing was worrying her sister half to death and wearing out the hideous orange carpet. Kelly sat on the couch watching her as if expecting her to go off at any time. She had been somewhere else when Kiara gave her statement, but she had probably heard Jedidiah give his. If that turned out to be the case, her request wouldn’t shock her twin.
When Evan took off to grab them all coffee,Kiara sat down next to Kelly. “I need to do something and I need your help because I don’t want to leave the hospital.”
“Of course.” Kelly turned toward her. “I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Will you go buy me a pregnancy test?”
Kelly’s mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out.
Damn. She’d misjudged that one. “Sorry if that came as a shock, I saw you were nearby when Jedidiah gave his statement. I assumed you heard him tell the sheriff her plans for me.”
“Yes,” Kelly said. “But I chalked it up to her making something up to justify her actions.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you… Is it possible?”
“I’m late,” Kiara replied honestly. “But I’ve never been predictable, so it never crossed my mind it was anything other than my wonky body. We always used protection. Always and without fail. But things happen. Hell, I’m a nurse. Do you know how many times I’ve been told a positive test was wrong because they’d used protection?”
“More than once from the sound of it.”
“Way more than once,” Kiara said. “I know it’s probably me reading too much into it, but for whatever reason, her words struck me. I just need to see a negative to make myself stop thinking about it, know what I mean?”
Kelly smiled, relieved it seemed. “Yes, I do. I’ll go now. Tell Evan I stepped out and will be back in a few.”
With that settled, Kiara relaxed enough to sit down and wait for an update on Orson.
“Ms. Bowman,” the surgeon said, about an hour later. “Mr. Kent is out of surgery.”
She stood up. “Can I go see him?”
The surgeon looked at the multitude of people gathered. In the last hour, numerous ranch employees had heard the news and had made their way to the hospital. Kelly had returned fifteen minutes prior with a plain brown bag Kiara promptly shoved in her purse.
The surgeon motioned with his hand for her and then for everyone else to sit back down. “In a minute, you can go back. Everyone else will need to wait until he’s in a room. Can we go sit down for a second?”
She nodded and followed him to a more private area and sat down on a cushioned bench. He leaned forward. “Everything went well and we expect a full recovery for Mr. Kent. There doesn’t appear to be any neurological damage.”
Her body relaxed. Full recovery. Best two words, ever.
He continued, “It’s our opinion he passed out because of the pain of his foot. In fact, once he had a bit of pain medication, he became lucid. He told me he had a bit of an issue following orders from his fall five weeks ago. He must be more diligent this time.”
She felt her cheeks heat.
He lifted an eyebrow. “That means until further notice, he’s not to lift anything over five pounds.”
“Right, I’ll see to it,” she mumbled.
“And I gave him more details concerning other activities. I’ll leave those to him and the nursing staff to talk to you about.”
Damn, Orson. What did you tell him?
She thought back to the afternoon following the incident with Jedidiah. How scared she felt when he said he hurt his ribs seconds after taking her so fully on the bench. Had he shared those details with the surgeon? She studied him for a minute. Either Orson hadn’t told him everything, or the surgeon had heard everything to begin with, and whatever Orson said didn’t shock him.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll make sure he tells me everything you told him.”
“Good.” He nodded. “I have to be honest, he came close to
losing that foot. Those traps are called traps for a reason. He was fortunate in his choice of footwear. Those boots are probably what kept the trap from crushing every bone in his foot.”
Just thinking about it made Kiara feel like vomiting, and she thought she had a stomach made of iron.
The surgeon stood. “Let’s get you back to Recovery and when he gets into a room, you can get everyone else.”
Orson was sleeping as she approached his hospital bed. Tears filled Kiara’s eyes. He looked so vulnerable under the white sheet. She couldn’t believe how close she came to losing him forever. If Jedidiah hadn’t shown up…
She refused to go there and focused on Orson instead. His lips parted and his breathing sounded deep and even. Was he even awake? Surely they wouldn’t have called her back otherwise.
“Come on, honey,” a petite older woman said. “You can go right on up to him. He’s awake.”
She took a tentative step toward him. His eyes were still closed, and not a part of him moved.
“Mr. Kent,” the older woman said. “Someone’s here to see you. Wake back up.” She motioned Kiara forward. “Talk to him and see if you can get him to wake up. He’s a stubborn one.”
“It’s me,” Kiara said, moving even closer.
“Kiara,” he said in a voice so low, she thought she imagined it.
His eyes were still shut, but hearing him talk was all she needed and within seconds she covered the remaining space to his side.
“Orson?” She hesitantly and took his hand. “Are you awake?”
“I was an ass,” he said. His eyelids twitched a bit, but remained closed.
She smiled. “That’s okay. It happens. Can you open your eyes for me?”
“Mmm, not right now. Too tired.”
She looked down, wanting to stroke the top of his hand, but he had an IV in it. She touched his shoulder instead.