AlmostHome (22 page)

“I’m gonna go take a quick shower before the party gets
rolling,” she told him. “Wish you could join me.”

He gave her a lingering kiss. “Me too. Don’t be too long.”

The house was quiet when she went inside. The food had been
hauled to the tables and people would be lining up to eat as soon as the hog
was carved. She hurried upstairs and started the shower, tossing her dirty
clothes in the bathroom hamper.

There wasn’t much better in life than a hot shower after
long day of labor and a rousing bout of sex. A grateful moan escaped her as she
stepped under the spray. She turned her face to the water, letting it sluice
over her hair and body, thinking about what had transpired in the equipment
shed. No doubt about it, she should have told Wyatt she was pregnant. Knowing
she’d kept it from him had hurt him and she felt no small measure of guilt for the
flash of pain she’d seen on his face. Even good sex couldn’t make up for what
was essentially a lie of omission.

“I’m sorry, baby, I’ll never keep another secret from you,”
she murmured softly. She’d have to work extra hard at being a good wife to make
up for it and she was determined to do just that. Having settled the issue in
her mind, she made short work of her shower, turned off the water and stepped
out into the steam-filled room. Cocking her head, she smiled. Someone had just
cranked up the music. She wrapped her long hair in a towel and one around her
body and headed for the bedroom.

She stopped at the closed bedroom door. That was odd, it
hadn’t been closed the last time she’d been up here. Maybe Maria had closed it
to keep people from peeking in if they needed to use the attached master
bathroom. She opened the door and froze.

“Well if it ain’t the blushin’ bride,” her daddy drawled. He
pointed a small pistol at her. “Get in here and shut the door.”

Haley had spent most of her life terrified of the man
lounging on her bed but all of that was nothing compared to the paralyzing fear
she felt at this moment. Instinctively she placed her hand over her belly to
protect the tiny life growing inside her. Her throat worked erratically as she
tried to swallow past the sudden dryness.

“How’d you get in here?” she asked, skirting around to the
foot of the bed.

Kent Kilpatrick gave her a gap-toothed grin. He’d lost a
couple of teeth since he’d been incarcerated and she wondered, inanely, why he
hadn’t had the State of Texas get him some new ones. After all, he was used to
other people taking care of his needs.

“Them boys you got guardin’ the place ain’t so smart as you
might’ve hoped. There’s a couple of ‘em gonna have pretty bad headaches in the
mornin’. Lucky they didn’t see me or I’d a kilt ‘em sure.” He waved the gun at
her. “Get your narrow ass dressed, girl. You’n me’s goin’ for a ride.”

Haley nodded and fumbled through her drawers for clean
underwear and clothes. Making sure the towel was secure, she stepped into a
pair of panties. Keeping her back turned, she donned a bra, then pulled out the
first t-shirt and pair of jeans she could find. Dressed, she sat on the edge of
the bed to pull on socks and boots before standing to face her father.

“What do you want, Pa?” As if she didn’t know.

“You never was over smart, was you, gal?” He looked around
the bedroom. “Come for what’s mine.”

Jesus, she was tired of this, tired of him thinking he could
just keep taking and taking without ever thinking of anyone but himself.

“Ain’t nothing here belongs to you and you know it. Aunt
Jack left it to me.”

Kent grinned. “What’s yours is mine, darlin’, thought you’d
a figgerd that out by now.”

Her mouth compressed into a tight line. “It ain’t.”

Kent Kilpatrick stood up, towering over her. “Well I’m sorry
to hear you feel that way, girl. Guess I’ll just have to inherit.”

Haley looked at her father and returned his grin. “You
really are a pathetic piece of shit.” She folded her arms over her chest. “But
I got a piece of news for you, Daddy. Anything happens to me, everything I got
goes to my husband.” She held up her hand before her father could say anything.
“Anything happens to my husband, this ranch and his, plus every dime we got
goes to charity. Nobody gets nothing, not even Conner.”

There was no way to duck the backhand and Haley cried out in
pain. The sight of the pistol opened a cut over her right eye.

“You conniving little bitch,” Kent snarled. He grabbed a
handful of hair, fisting it and slammed her against hard against the wall.
“Wills were meant to be changed and you’ll by God change it or I’ll wipe out
everything you hold dear.”

His grip tightened painfully as he propelled her through the
door and down the stairs. As they neared the bottom of the stairs, the screen
door opened.

“Haley, folks are waiting on—”

Her father jerked her to a stop as Wyatt froze in the
doorway. Nooo. Please God, not Wyatt. Anything but that.

“Ain’t this an interestin’ turn of events,” Kent drawled.
“This your man?” When she refused to answer, he gave her a hard shake. “I asked
you a question, girl.”

“I’m Wyatt Brody, Haley’s husband. What can we do for you,
Mr. Kilpatrick?”

A shudder raced through Haley’s entire body when her father
laughed. “Why he’s got hisself some real good manners, ain’t he?” Her father
looked down at her. “I do believe I found somethin’ you’re willin’ to bargain
for, ain’t that right girl?” She moaned when her father cocked the pistol he
was holding. He shook her again. “Ain’t that right?”

“Yessir,” she whispered.

“What’s that, I didn’t hear ya.”

Haley sobbed. “I said ‘yessir’. I’ll do whatever you want,
just don’t hurt him.”

“Get in here, son. And don’t make no sudden moves.”

Relief washed through her when Wyatt did as he was told. She
knew damn well what he was carrying in his boot. Confident that he had them
both under control, Kent urged her down the last few stairs.

“Why don’t you let her go, Mr. Kilpatrick? She’s bleeding
pretty good. Need to put pressure on that cut.” His voice was remarkably strong
but Haley knew better than to think his mind wasn’t moving a million miles a
minute.

“Pa, please. Let me go to him. Neither of us is armed. You
got the gun.”

Kent gestured for Wyatt to come further into the room, then
shoved Haley toward her husband. She stumbled, the blood leaking from the wound
blurring her vision. She’d never felt so much relief in her life as when her
husband’s arms went around her. But that didn’t take away the fact the gun was
still cocked and pointed at Wyatt.

“It’ll be all right, sweet pea,” he told her. She didn’t
believe it but she loved him for saying it.

Footsteps thumped unevenly up the stairs and Haley cringed
in horror. Conner. Her brother pushed through the door.

“Hey, what’s taking so… Pa?”

Haley knew a moment of distrust. Had Conner arranged this?
Had he somehow smuggled her father into the house? She shook her head. No. He
wouldn’t. Not after Rafe Winslow. Not after the snakes. He couldn’t. He
wouldn’t.

Kent Kilpatrick evidentially believed differently because he
gestured for Conner to come in.

“Took you long enough, boy. What the hell happened to your
leg?”

“What are you talking about, Pa?” Conner edged closer to
Haley. “How’d you get in here?”

Kent scowled. “Through the root cellar. Rafe didn’t call you
with the plan?”

Conner stiffened. “Ain’t heard from that son of a bitch
since he tried to set me up for killing some poor girl. Damn near got me killed
from the snakes he dumped in the barn. He’s bad news, Pa.”

Kent smiled, nodded. “He was just tryin’ to keep you in
line, son, so’s you didn’t chicken out.” He shrugged. “Rafe ain’t gonna be a
problem no more. Seems he got hisself shot over at the Flyin’ W. Wasn’t nothin’
I could do for him but put him outta his misery.”

Haley sagged against Wyatt. How could this man be her
father? She’d always known he was meaner than a hot skillet full of rattlers
but she’d never dreamed he would do cold-blooded murder. Wyatt tightened his
arms around her.

“How could you, Pa? You were gonna marry me off to Rafe
Winslow. The man was an animal. A killer. He raped and murdered a young girl
and left her body on my land, on my aunt’s grave. What kind of father would let
his daughter marry a man like that?” Kent said nothing, just glared at her.
“You’ve always been a sorry excuse for a father. Mean and selfish as the day is
long.

“In all the years you had us, you never once hugged us.
Never put our needs first. If you didn’t want us, why didn’t you take us to
Aunt Jack and be done with it? What did we do to deserve the way you treated
us? My god, Pa, did you ever want us? Did you ever love us?”

Her father sneered at her. “Hell, no. I didn’t want either
one of you. What did I want with a couple of sniveling, snot-nosed brats? I
told your Ma to get rid of you but she wouldn’t. You were her responsibility,
then she up and died and left me saddled with a responsibility I didn’t want.
You should be grateful I didn’t leave you out in the desert for the coyotes.”

“Grateful?” Haley scoffed. “For what? Gettin’ beat all the
time? Bein’ so hungry I thought my belly was gonna cut my throat? The only
thing I was ever grateful for what that you went to prison. Unchristian as it
is, I used to wish that guy you stabbed had died so Texas would give you the
needle.”

Kent racked a bullet into the chamber, visibly shaking with
anger. “You always was a stupid little cunt. I see that ain’t changed, standin’
here sassin’ a man holdin’ a gun on you.” His gaze swiveled to Connor.

“Is your sister’s lawyer part of that crowd outside?”

“Yessir,” Conner answered.

“Go on out and get him. Your sister’s about to sign over the
deed to this place.”

Haley straightened and pulled away from Wyatt. “The hell I
will, you shiftless fucker. I’d rather die than see you get something you ain’t
earned.”

“Haley,” Wyatt said, but her father cut him off.

Kent’s face contorted in rage. “If that’s the case then I’ll
send you to hell, girl.”

She’d never believed it when people said time seemed to slow
down, to move in slow motion but that’s what happened.

“No!” Wyatt hollered and shoved her out of the way.

Knocked off balance, she went down, screaming as the gun
went off. Wyatt staggered and dropped to one knee.

“You bastard,” Haley screamed at Kent. She snatched a heavy
snow globe from the table and hurled it at her father. The globe glanced off
Kent’s shoulder and the next shot went wide, taking out the flat screen
television.

Conner made a move toward his father but Kent smacked him
away like a pesky mosquito. At that moment, Haley was sure they were all dead
but the screen door flew open, Dooley bellowing a curse as he burst through it.
There was a loud roar, like thunder breaking right over her head, and her daddy
lurched back a step before falling to the floor.

Time resumed and Haley sobbed her husband’s name. She
scrambled to where he lay bleeding on the floor as people poured into the
house—sheriff’s deputies, neighbors, everyone talking at the same time. Someone
called 9-1-1 as she held Wyatt.

“It’s okay, sweet pea,” he said, soothing her with his
voice. “I don’t think it’s too bad.” Someone forcibly removed Wyatt from her
arms and took him away. Would the nightmare never end?

* * * * *

The rest of the night was a blur of law enforcement,
statements, and pacing the surgical waiting room. The bullet had hit Wyatt in
the arm, breaking the humerus. How could anyone expect her to answer questions
when doctors were operating on her husband?

Haley sighed in relief when he was out of recovery and
resting peacefully in his room. Exhausted, she pulled a chair to his bedside
and laid her head on the mattress, one arm extended across his belly. She woke
to the touch of his hand stroking her hair and sat up.

“Hey,” Wyatt said.

“Hey yourself. Are you in much pain? Should I call a nurse?”

“I’m okay. Just let me look at you.“ He closed his eyes for
a few moments and she thought he’d fallen asleep. When he opened them again,
they were red-rimmed. “I came so close to losing you.”

“I thought I was going to lose you. I’m so sorry, Wyatt.
After everything that’s happened, I still couldn’t believe my pa would stoop to
killin’ his own child. But it’s over now…he didn’t make it.” Her eyes filled,
tears coursing down her cheeks. Haley shook her head. “I should hate him. I
know I should but, good or bad, he was my daddy. I just…I don’t know that I’ll
ever understand, Wyatt.” She put her hand over her belly. “How can a person not
love their own flesh and blood?”

Wyatt took her hand. “I wish I had the answer you’re looking
for, darlin’ but I don’t. All I can do is make you a promise. We’ll fill our
home with so much love and laughter, there won’t be a minute that goes by our
children will doubt they’re loved. I reckon that’s the best anybody can do.”

Wyatt’s nurse popped her head in the door. “I thought I
heard voices. How you feeling, Mr. Brody? Are you in much pain?”

“Hurts like I’ve been mule stomped but considering how
things might have ended, I don’t mind the pain too much.”

The nurse smiled. “I’ll get you something for the pain.” She
was back in a few minutes, syringe in hand. “Doc says you can go home in a
couple of days if you don’t develop an infection.”

* * * * *

As Haley turned onto the freshly graded lane, her husband
sighed and squeezed her knee. “Almost home, sweet pea.”

She looked over at him, smiling happily. “Home. When I think
of all the time I spent imagining what it would be like to have a home, I
always pictured something like the One-Eyed Jack. I never understood that the
thing that makes a place a home isn’t the house or the furnishings but the
people who fill it.” She braked to a stop in front of the house, resting her
hand on her belly. “You and this little sprout.” Her gaze swept around the
house and building as grinning hands, led by Dooley, poured out to welcome them
back. The screen door flew open and Maria appeared on the porch, lovingly
scolding her children to be careful of Wyatt’s shoulder as they dashed down the
stairs. He brother hobbled out of the bunkhouse, a smile lighting his face.
“All of these good people. That’s what makes a home.”