“Now you’re in for it,” he said.
He grabbed a stick of butter from the pack on the table and started toward her. Aurora went back to the fridge where she found a squirt bottle of ketchup. Soon they were rolling around on the floor, using the food that was on the floor as their new weapons, a mixture of sticky and sweet.
She giggled when she hit him square in the face with the ketchup. To her surprise he laughed. When he grabbed a glob of it and smashed it into her face she gasped. They rolled around for how long she didn’t know, but the first time he kissed her she kissed him back, the taste of peanut butter and ketchup making her gag.
“Yuck!” she said.
“You don’t taste so good either,” he said. He scrambled off the floor and picked her up in a fireman’s carry.
He carried her to the shower where they pulled at each other’s clothes. When they were naked he turned on the spray and they got under it together. Since most of the food had gone on their clothes they were able to caress and lick each other without making too much of a mess.
He licked and sucked on her nipples and she held him close, savoring the feel of his teeth and tongue on her. There was nothing for her to sit on, and barely enough room for the two of them in the shower stall. After they’d washed each other’s hair, he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
Aurora tried not to think about their wet bodies making a mess of the bed as they continued to caress and stroke each other. When he plunged inside her she wrapped her legs around him and said, “Hard.”
He pounded into her and Aurora closed her eyes and held him tight. She gripped him tightly, inside and out, and as he thrust into her he hit just the right spot. Aurora came, spots appearing before her eyes as she clutched him tighter. Could she add sex to the chalkboard as something that made her unique? As Holt collapsed on top of her she made a mental note to ask him.
Aurora snuggled into his chest, and Holt tightened his grip on her. “It smells good in here, baby bear.”
“There’s a roast in the oven,” she said “I’d like to claim credit for it but Becky helped me get it ready and in the oven. I cheated.”
Holt lightly slapped her thigh. “Shame on you, baby bear.”
“Sorry, Papa Bear.”
“Next time it’s all you,” he said.
“Okay.”
He stroked his thumb over her arm. “Let’s go swimming,” he said. He gently slapped her thigh again, then vaulted over her so he could stand. He offered his hand, but she didn’t take it.
“It’s too cold outside,” she said.
“The pool is heated, plus it’s a beautiful out.” When she didn’t take his hand he reached down and grabbed hers. “Come on, let’s go.” Once again she refused his hand. He got on his knees and put his face right in front of her. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You said you wanted to learn how to swim. Is there something you’re not telling me, something that happened to you in the water?”
She shook her head, and he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Then trust your Papa Bear. You don’t have to put your head under the water, and I’m not going to push you in. The shallow end is three feet deep. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
To his delight she nodded. He stood and offered his hand, and this time she took it.
The water was chilly at first, but as she moved a few steps in, it seemed to warm up. Holt was near the middle of the pool, and the water was up to his chest. He was a little more than six-foot-tall, and she was five foot four. He held out his hand and she shook her head. Instead of going to him she went to the steps and sat down so the water was up to her chest, and the side was within easy reach.
Holt didn’t push her. He dove onto his side and swam to the deep end, disappeared under the water, and came back up in the middle. How had he swum that far underwater? The idea of holding her breath, or getting water in her nose scared her half to death.
He went back under, and seconds later he was at her side.
“Let me teach you how to float,” he said.
She knew she’d said she wanted to learn to swim, but right now she didn’t think that was a good idea. She shook her head and he stroked her thighs. “You don’t have to put your face in the water,” he said. “I remember my mother teaching us how to swim, and the first thing she did was show us how to float on our backs.”
He pushed off from her and without putting his face in the water he moved onto his back and started to float away from her. When he was in the middle of the pool he turned, using his arms, and came back to her.
“I can’t do that,” she said.
“Have you tried?”
Aurora shook her head. “I’m scared.”
“I thought you trusted me,” he said. “Do you think I’d let you drown? I’m serious when I say you don’t have to put your face in the water. Trust me, please.”
His voice was deep. He wasn’t commanding her to do as he asked, but he was telling her that she was safe in his arms.
“How do I do it?” she asked.
“Walk out to me.” He held his arms in the water, palms up. “When you get to me turn so that your back is to the deep end. I’ll put my hands on your back and guide you. I won’t let go of you. I promise.”
She tried to relax as he pressed his hand into the small of her back. When he tried to guide her to lay down she pulled away.
“No, no, no, no.” She started to walk toward the shallower end of the pool.
“Don’t leave me, baby bear,” he said. “Come back to me.”
Her heart was out of control, and she feared if she didn’t calm down she would have a heart attack. The fear was almost as bad as it was the first day of her trial.
“I made it through that, and I can make it through this,” she said.
As if he knew what she was talking about, he said, “You’ve got me right now.”
She turned to look at him and he nodded. “Come to your Papa Bear.”
Her Papa Bear, a man who wanted to take care of her and make life a good thing, not something to be ashamed of. Tears filled her eyes and he cocked his head. “Are you so frightened that you want to cry?”
“No,” she said. “I’m crying because you make me happy.” She wasn’t sure how to explain it to him in words, so she walked back to him and got into position again. Once again he supported her back with his hands. It took three tries before she was floating. He had his hands on her back to support her, and it made her feel safe. Secure. And loved.
“That’s my baby bear,” he said. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, and she giggled.
“I’m swimming,” she said.
“The first step toward it, yes.” He started to move her in a circle. She tried to sit up and almost went underwater, but he held her up. “Keep your back straight, and let’s try it again.”
For some reason she couldn’t do it this time. When Becky called out she looked toward where she and her children stood. “May the kids join you?” she asked.
“Definitely,” Holt said. “It’s a beautiful day for a swim.”
The kids all had pool noodles and floaters on their arms. Aurora wondered if that was stocked in the house. Becky was dressed for her meeting. One of the UTV’s pulled up and an older woman – the babysitter – got out. Wyatt was behind the wheel. Becky kissed each of her children and then waved at them all as she got into the UTV. Aurora watched as the kids, not at all nervous, got into the pool with their toys. That’s what she needed, she thought, floating devices and pool noodles. Those would help her feel safe in the water when Holt was not there. But she hoped he would be there every time she got in the water, because he made her feel as if nothing could harm her.
Chapter 14
The next afternoon, Holt sat at his desk, shuffling through papers and watching the clock. He had a fun evening planned with Aurora, one that he hoped would bring them closer together as Daddy and Little. Since the burned food night she
’d opened herself up to him. They’d talked about her time in prison, and since she’d been out. But he still felt as if she were holding something back. Perhaps she would let him in on it soon. He hoped so.
He’d gone to the hardware store that morning to buy what he needed for tonight, and he was mentally going through his purchases when there was a knock at his office door. He looked up to see Wyatt standing there, a manila envelope in his hands.
“Can I come in?”
“Always,” Holt said. He pushed aside the papers he’d been shuffling through and stood. He didn’t want to sit behind the desk for this discussion, which Holt was pretty sure was about Aurora. Holt knew Wyatt still had misgivings about their new den mother although he hadn’t voiced them recently.
“What do you got there?” Holt asked as he plopped himself down on the sofa. Wyatt sat in one of the chairs and put the envelope on the table between them.
“I’ve read the trial transcripts, from Aurora’s trial.”
“I knew you were going to do that,” Holt said. “Keep going.” He had no doubts that Aurora had told them the truth, and Wyatt confirmed it.
“It’s just as she said,” Wyatt said. “But there was something on the last day that she didn’t tell us about, I mean during the sentencing.”
Holt swallowed hard. “It’s in the transcript?” He picked up the envelope. “This seems very thin for a transcript.”
“Oh, she sent that to me via email,” Wyatt said.
“She?” Holt asked.
“The county clerk’s assistant I’ve been dealing with.”
Holt wound his hand in a circle. “Quit drawing it out.”
“Those are newspaper articles that she sent me,” Wyatt said. “I printed them out. It seems Aurora’s former brother-in-law went off on her for her low sentence. He screamed in court that he was going to kill her when she got out, which is what she deserved, according to him.”
Holt thought about their encounter with Archie in the store, how he’d made references to her getting what she deserved. He pulled the printouts from the envelope and read the headline that screamed out at him, “Victim’s brother threatens convicted murderer.” He winced at the term murderer, but he knew that word would sell newspapers.
The story was short, but to the point:
“The sentencing of convicted murderer Aurora Hicks turned violent yesterday when Stan Hicks, brother of the murder victim, Ben Hicks, tried to vault over the railings to attack the defendant as she was being led from the courtroom after being sentenced to three years in prison.”
“Hicks?” Holt said.
“Bickman’s her maiden name,” Wyatt said. “Quinn, the woman I’ve been talking with, said she changed it back while she was in prison. Can’t say as I blame her.”
“Me either,” Holt said. It all made sense now: this is what she was holding back from him. Someone was after her. Someone who wanted her dead.
“Quinn said a friend of hers that works at the sheriff’s office in Lubbock told her the brother-in-law called last week to ask them to run a check on Aurora’s current address. He’s been asking since she was released, and he was always turned down. He was turned down this time, too, but Quinn said her friend told her he knew the name of the town, Bookman Springs.”
“Shit,” Holt said. He tossed the papers on the table. He could see why she’d want to keep this from him, but it put her in danger. It put everyone around her in danger. So much for having fun tonight, because he knew the moment he brought it up she would shut down.
“We need to tell the others to be on the lookout,” Wyatt said.
Holt pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the button to call Hawk. His brother answered on the first ring. “House now,” Holt said.
“Hello to you, too,” Hawk said. When Holt didn’t respond Hawk said, “I’m on my way.”
Ten minutes later he sat next to Holt, the papers in his hand. Wyatt sat on the sofa. Hawk pulled out his phone and hit a few keys.
“This is him.” He held out the phone. Holt looked at the DMV photo of an average guy whom he would pass on the street without blinking twice. He handed the phone to Wyatt.
“Never seen him,” Wyatt said. “If the cops won’t run a person’s name, how did he come up with her residence?”
“Archie,” Holt said. “The guy we ran into in Amarillo. The guy whose fun I ruined. We gave the store our tax-exempt information when we paid.”
“Crap,” Wyatt said. “And you gave the manager your card when you paid for the guy’s phone.”
“Double whammy,” Hawk said. “We need to show everyone this photo, and make sure he’s not let onto the grounds.”
“Should we file a restraining order against him?” Holt asked.
“Not until he shows up here,” Hawk said. “I’ll talk to shopkeepers and ask them to let me know if anyone is asking about Aurora. Where does she go?”
“Grocery store, bakery, and the library,” Holt said. “I haven’t seen her go anywhere else since she moved here.”
“I’ll check out those places and talk with everyone,” Hawk said. “I’ll also ask them to call us if he comes in.”
“What are you going to say to her?” Wyatt asked. “I don’t want to scare her off.”
Holt stared at his brother. “That floors me, because I thought you weren’t her biggest fan.”
“She makes you smile,” Wyatt said.
Hawk laughed, and Holt’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
“What he’s trying to say is that since you’ve started having regular sex you’re a nicer person to be around.” Hawk shrugged and held out his hands as if to say Holt should have figured it out.
“Exactly,” Wyatt said.
“You guys have been talking about my sex life?”
“Like cheerleaders discuss the size of the quarterback’s dick,” Hawk said. “You should have known that when you started spending nights at the cabin. The maid asked me a week ago if she needed to change the sheets on your bed. I told her not to bother.”
“You need to tell her,” Hawk said. “Now that we have two cabins full we need to make sure the ladies there are safe. Don’t tell the clients, but the den mother does need to know, especially since it’s about her.”
Holt knew he was telling the truth but he didn’t want her to know. He wanted to keep her safe, both mentally and physically. He didn’t want her to worry. Worse yet, he wanted to find Stan and beat the crap out of him. That wasn’t something that should even cross his mind. Violence never solved a problem. It only caused more problems.
“I’ll text everyone and ask for a meeting tonight,” Holt said. “Whatever time is good for us all. I’ll bring Aurora with me.”
“Good plan,” Wyatt said. “Austin is making lasagna for dinner. Y’all come and we’ll talk after.”
Holt hadn’t made a dinner order tonight, so that sounded like the best thing for him to do. He’d planned on eating light, sandwiches maybe, so they could have their fun.
“I’ll tell Austin if you’ll text the others,” Wyatt said. He got up and headed for the door. When he was gone, Holt leaned back into the sofa and let out a few choice words.
“She’s never mentioned this?” Hawk asked.
“The threat, no. But I should have realized something was wrong when the guy we ran into in Amarillo was so strange about seeing her. I wish she had told me. It would mean she trusted me. I thought she did. I was wrong.”
“Don’t look at it that way,” Hawk said. “Think about this woman, who has faced anger her whole life. No one has given a damn about her. She’s learned not to trust anyone. You can’t expect her to change in a month.”
Holt knew he was right, but that didn’t make things any easier. “She should have trusted me from the start,” he said, and then he laughed. “Just kidding, of course. I hate that she’s had such a hard life. I want to erase it all for her. I want her to have had a normal childhood, been a normal teenager. Be a normal adult.”
“You can help with that last part,” Hawk said. “Maybe you should marry her.”
“After a month?” Holt asked, even though the idea appealed to him. He wasn’t sure how Aurora would feel, since her first marriage had ended so badly.”
“Think about it,” Hawk said. “Give her a call and tell her about dinner. I’ll see you then. I have to go out and write a few speeding tickets.”
“Asshole,” Holt called after him, and they both laughed. When he was alone, Holt stared at the wall, wondering exactly how he was going to broach this subject with Aurora, how she would react.
He knew his brothers should be in on the discussion, but he didn’t want to blindside her with it in front of everyone else. He had paperwork to finish, but he would do it tomorrow. He closed up the computer and filed everything into his drawer, then left the house.
Aurora deserved to know she’d been found, and there was danger; and it would be best coming from him.
“It’s my fault,” she said. She looked around the table. All six Coleman brothers sat there, their plates empty.
“You know I hate those words,” Holt said. “Stan is responsible for his feelings, and for his actions. He should have come to terms with them long ago.”
“I killed his brother,” she said. “Would you let it go if someone did that to one of your brothers?”
She started to cry, slowly at first, then sniffling sobs. Holt put his hand on her shoulder.
“We’re here to make sure you’re safe,” he said. “All of us are here for you.”
“All of us,” Hawk repeated.
“Even me,” Wyatt said. She looked up to where he sat at the exact moment Austin appeared by her side with a box of tissues. She took it and smiled up at Austin, then turned her attention to Wyatt, who had cleared his throat as if he were prepared to make a big announcement.
“I have an idea,” he said. “I thought of it this afternoon. We should write a letter to Stan and invite him to the ranch to face things head on.”
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