Ryelee's Cowboy (26 page)

“Sheriff, I don’t understand,” she
said, trying to placate him.

He let go of her hair and sat down in
a chair across from her. He breathed heavily, as though he had just
run a marathon. “You were supposed to be mine.”

“I haven’t seen you in years until
recently,” she said, the puzzlement she felt evident in her
voice.

Bubba gave her a great big sinister
smile, obviously enjoying himself. “Oh, but I’ve seen you. I saw
you every night at the old shack getting undressed and ready for
bed. You had the nicest tits and ass. Still do. I’m going to make
sure that after you whelp that bastard you’re carrying that you get
your hot bod back. I want to see you doing jumping jacks naked. Now
that will be a sight to behold. Might even invite a few friends
over to watch.”

It seemed as though all the air had
been sucked from the room, and she gulped for breath. She wasn’t
sure what he was talking about, but it wasn’t good. He planned to
be with her after the birth of her baby. She was in more danger
than she thought. He was twisted. She thought back and couldn’t
figure out how he had seen her. She wasn’t going to ask.

Leaning forward, he leered at her. “I
remember all those pink and blue panties you used to wear. I liked
the tiny bows on them. But my favorite was the lacy black panties
and sexy bra. Whoa, baby, what a sight! They were practically
see-through, and the way you pranced around in them made me
wild.”

Trying to keep her face
expressionless, she wondered what he was talking about. She never
owned sexy panties. In fact, she owned dingy granny undies. Fear
engulfed her. He was deranged. He had her mixed up with some other
girl. How could that be?

The front door suddenly banged opened
making them both jump. Ryelee was shocked to see Cletus coming in
the cabin. “What are you doing here?” she asked, barely containing
her horror.

He licked his lips as he looked her
over. “We are gonna have ourselves a good ol’ time! Bubba, old boy,
you did it! You really did it! I had my doubts that you were going
to be able to get her, but you did it! You are the man!”

Ryelee shrunk back into her chair. The
filthy man stood there sizing her up and scratching his belly. She
had to look away. She didn't want him to know just how much he
disgusted her.

“This is gonna be even better than you
said, Bubba! Look how big her chest is! I want some of
that!”

Bubba stood up and grabbed Cletus’s
collar. He pulled him close to his face. “What the hell are you
doing here?” he demanded sharply. “Didn't I tell you to stay
away?”

Cletus’s eyes bulged, and sweat beaded
his upper lip “You sure did, boss, but I wanted me some of that
bitch too. You promised me some of her. I’ve been waiting for the
right time, and this looks as good as any. I’ll let you have at her
first, that is if you haven’t yet. Yes, siree, you was always
shakin’ your tail askin’ for it, but your daddy said no, he had
other plans. Well, now those plans include me.

His toothless smile made Ryelee’s skin
crawl. What had her father done now?

Bubba threw Cletus against the wall.
“I don’t think that’s how it’s going to work.”

“What do you mean? I’ve done all that
you’ve asked. You owe me!”

“I don’t want to talk about this in
front of my bitch.” He turned and grabbed Ryelee by the arm, led
her to a small windowless bedroom, and threw her in, locking the
door on the outside. Petrified in the dark room, she had to feel
around for the light switch then flicked it on. The room certainly
wasn’t clean, and it was almost bare, with only a mattress on the
floor covered in a dingy sheet. Judging by the cold room, she
figured the cabin didn't have heat.

Hugging herself to try to stop her
trembling, Ryelee heard a loud noise. She shrieked and her heart
stopped when she realized it was a gunshot. For a moment, she stood
frozen by fear.

Using the paneled wall to help steady
her, she slowly slid down to the floor. She started rocking herself
back and forth, trying to comfort herself. A lone tear trailed down
her face as she acknowledged the deadly situation. Certain that
Bubba had shot Cletus, she knew she could be next. He was a killer,
and he was deranged.

Somehow her father was involved and
the thought made her heartsick. No matter how many times he abused
her and let her down, she still retained a small thread of hope
that he really loved her. She shook her head calling herself a
fool. She had wasted so much time hoping for that crumb of
approval, and it never came.

She knew she had to think. There had
to be a way out of here. She couldn’t give up or give in. She had
too much to live for. She grew determined to ruin Bubba’s fun. It
wouldn’t be easy with her hormones running wild, but she’d had
practice at hiding her pain. No matter what, she had to act calm.
She was in a fight for her life, and she would do anything to save
her baby. She hoped her face of calmness would put him off. It
wasn’t a very good plan, she admitted, but it was all she
had.

She glanced around the wood paneled
room and noticed a name carved into the wood. Shivering, she looked
at the filthy bed and gasped when she saw blood splattered on the
wall next to it. Ryelee closed her eyes. She didn't want to see or
know anything else, but she recognized the carved name.

She had even participated in the
search for Lottie. Hell, Bubba helped lead the search. That had to
have been about five years ago. They’d searched night and day for
about a week. How sick was that? They had put up posters, sent out
mailings. Lottie was even on a television special. Ryelee wished
she could throw up. Her stomach was rolling. She had to find a
means of escape.

She began to pray. Somewhere along the
way, she had stopped believing. She used to pray when she was
young, but nothing seemed to change. She needed her faith now. It
brought her a sense of sanity to repeat her prayers over and over.
Perhaps God would listen to her this time. Well, she had to
concede, she thought that God probably listened. He just always
said no to her.

Her heart beat out of her chest at the
sounds of someone banging around in the kitchen and, her fear knew
no bounds. Heavy footsteps accompanied by an eerie whistling were
coming down the hall toward her room. Breathe, she reminded
herself. Breathe and pretend serenity. She knew she had to pull it
off, not only for her but also for her baby. This would have to be
the performance of her life.

The door creaked as it opened, and
there stood Bubba looking very pleased with himself. He had blood
on his sweaty shirt, but he must have washed his hands. He stared
at her as if she were a priceless piece of art. His eyes glazed
over as if he wasn’t all there. Knowing he was insane wouldn’t make
the situation any easier.

“We are going to be so happy together.
I know you never wanted to marry Clint. It was ordained that you
would be mine, my wife, my woman. We are destined to be life mates.
If it wasn’t for your father cheating me out of my night with you…”
He looked her over and stared. “What? Not afraid?”

Ryelee quickly shook her head. She
didn't answer him. She knew her voice would tremble and give her
away.

“I really had planned to marry you
myself. The baby inside you was supposed to be mine. I had it all
planned. My plan was ingenious. I could have snatched you at any
time, but my plan was too good not to play out. I guess it’ll only
be you and me that can congratulate me on such a smart plan. Did
you know that people think I’m not too smart? Go figure. I’m the
smartest one in the whole county, and that’s plenty smart. Smarter
than my uncle Billy.

“Your father likes whiskey and
gambling too much. I just bided my time loaning him money here and
there until he owed me thousands. The only thing of value he had
left was you, and that was what I was counting on.”

Ryelee tried to take it all in. She
had often wondered where her father got his money. She started to
ball her fists but caught herself and just laid her hands on the
baby. Bubba walked away from the door, but there would be no escape
for her. She was too ungainly to make a run for it. She would never
get away from him. Her back started to ache.

“That son of a bitch tricked me. He
gave you to Parker. He gambled with him and lost. What a goddamn
fool. You were supposed to be mine

“I’m here now, Bubba,” she said,
softly. “You are right, you are smart. You certainly haven’t gotten
the recognition you deserve.”

“I told you not to call me that!” he
shouted as he took an intimidating step toward her.

“I can’t call you sheriff—I thought
our relationship was more than that,” she said and then held her
breath. “I admire you so much, Bubba. You really know how to plan
and outsmart everyone in town.”

“The whole county!”

“Yes, the whole county.”

Ryelee watched the display of emotions
on his face. He went from mad to puzzled to happy. She hoped she
was doing the right thing. With him so volatile, she didn’t know
what way to play it out.

“I could rape you right now,” he said
with a sickening grin on his face. “No one is here to stop me. No
stupid Uncle Billy, no Clint, and best of all no Oscar. Won’t your
daddy be surprised? Oh, I forgot. He won’t be surprised because he
will be dead. Bet you won’t cry over that one. I know he’s your
daddy, but he’s a low life piece of scum that lied to get what he
wanted. No, he won’t be around to miss you. Pity really. It might
be fun to toy with him a bit, but he knows too much.”

Keeping her face void of emotion she
said, “I know. My daddy is a bad man. He shouldn’t have lied to
you. I also know that you’re a good person, and you wouldn’t want
to hurt me.” She’d been raped already. The fear of dying—not the
fear of rape—had her in a panic. The possibility of never seeing
Clint and Rheenie again broke her heart.

He gawked at her a full minute. “I’ll
be back later. Don’t try anything or you’ll be sorry.” He walked
out the door and locked it.

Now at her breaking point, Ryelee
found remaining calm was hard work. Her nerves were frayed, and the
pain in her back grew worse, radiating all through her lower back.
She pushed her back against the wall and pushed herself up, causing
her legs to shake with exertion.

Desperation took over, adrenaline had
to be what kept her going. How was she going to get out of here?
She wondered if Clint and Rheenie were worried about her yet. She
didn't know what time it was. Ryelee examined the door and smiled
when she saw the cheap lock. Her father had taught her a few things
along the way. She could pick locks and hotwire a car if
necessary.

Leaning against the wall, she listened
for any sounds. It was so silent. Ryelee closed her eyes and
thanked God as she slipped a paperclip out of her coat pocket. Was
it a coincidence that she found it on the floor the other day?
Maybe God had finally given her a yes. She hoped so.

Walking slowly to the door, she
straightened the paper clip. Her shaking hands made picking the
lock difficult, but finally she felt the lock pin roll. She was a
step away from freedom.

Cautiously she opened the door and
peered down the hallway. It looked clear. She walked as quietly as
she could down the hall and out the front door. She shook so hard
she almost stopped. Seeing dust kicking up on the horizon, Ryelee
estimated that she had but a few minutes to hide before Bubba came
back.

She held her belly as she ran into the
woods. Her heart beat out of her chest, and her breath grew
incredibly short. The woods were so dense with tall trees and
underbrush that it made walking through it hard but hiding
easier.

A gush of water down her legs made her
gasp. No, it couldn’t be! It was too early! She had six more weeks!
She balanced herself against a big tree trunk and prayed. An animal
scurried away in the underbrush startling her. She didn’t know how
much more her heart could take. She thought she heard an owl. She
couldn’t remember if it was suppose to be a good omen or a bad
one.

A vehicle was coming up the drive.
Tears poured down her face as she realized running was not an
option. Her body trembled as she cried. She would just have to keep
quiet and move slowly and hope for a miracle. Clamping her hands
over her mouth, she tried to avoid detection.

Her heart stopped when the truck raced
up the dirt drive, too afraid to hope. With rapt attention, she
watched for the driver. When she finally saw him, she crumbled. It
was all too much for her. Clint climbed out of the truck, and
Ryelee couldn’t believe her eyes. He started toward the house in a
dead run, but he stopped when he heard her cry out.

Ryelee closed her eyes and said a
quick prayer of thanks. She never thought anyone would find her in
this far out place. Her eyes drank in the sight of him as he turned
toward her, her relief overflowing. Her very own hero, but they
still weren’t out of there.

* * * *

Clint’s heart turned over when he
finally spotted her. Relief washed over him as he ran to her. His
eyes took in everything—the tears, the paleness, and her pain.
Quickly he drew her into his arms, biting back a curse as she
trembled.