Authors: Jennifer Ryan
“Water. Hurry the hell up. Break every speed law you ignore anyway.” Giving in to the desperation gnawing at his insides, he begged, “Please, Colt. Hurry the hell up.”
“On it.” Colt hung up. Rory lit a fire under him. Rory hoped Colt got there before things got worse.
“Come on, Sadie, hold on. Help is coming.”
He nudged his horse down the hill. Since Sadie passed out, which only made him worry more, he kicked the horse into a trot. He'd beat Colt to the meeting point, but he needed to get Sadie off his horse and check her wounds again. He glanced down at her bruised face. Whoever did this hit her. He didn't tolerate others who got off on teasing or hurting other people. It wasn't right to make others feel bad for any reason, but especially because you thought you could get away with it. This went beyond anything he'd ever seen or thought could happen to a person. To string her up like that, using the barbed wire they'd cut from his own fence lines. Bastards. He wanted to get his hands on them and make them pay.
Rory halted the horse by the road, noting the cow and horse tracks, along with the deep ruts from the trucks and trailers that hauled away his herd. He kind of wished the thieves were here so he could teach them a lesson about hurting innocent women. He'd like to show them how much the kind of torture they inflicted on her hurt. Whoever did this to her liked cruelty. Rory vowed to take him down, because no way in hell Rory let him get away with hurting Sadie, or anyone else.
He turned his focus back to the woman in his arms. He gave in to the strange need overtaking him and pressed his cheek to her head and hugged her close.
“Help will be here soon.”
Hurry the hell up, Colt.
Sadie's legs hung over his arm. Her feet remained bundled in his scarf, but her legs had to be cold. He swung his leg over the horse's neck and slid off the saddle, landing hard on the ground. It wasn't easy, but he managed to untie the saddlebags and toss them to the ground. He turned and pressed Sadie's legs to the horse's side, hoping the heat from the animal and him would warm her up even more. The cold breeze blew against his back. If he was this uncomfortable, he could only imagine how Sadie felt tied up and hanging in the biting wind, practically naked, for God knew how long.
Torn from his dark thoughts by the sound of an engine, he stared down the road as Colt skidded around the bend, driving way too fast. Thank God for little brothers who like to live on the edge because they haven't learned they aren't invincible. Colt made him worry far too often, but today he'd take his brother's devil-may-care attitude.
Colt hit the brakes, and the truck slid to a stop feet from him. Rory pulled Sadie close as his horse shied away. Rory rushed Sadie to the back of the truck. Colt let down the tailgate, spread one of the thick blankets, and Rory laid Sadie down, tucking her legs up on the bed of the truck.
“Open that medic kit. Pull out the bandages and gauze,” he ordered his brother, who stared down at Sadie, not saying a word.
Rory slapped him on the shoulder. “Colt. Move.”
Colt got busy, basically dumping the contents and
sorting through them. Rory pulled open the jacket, undid his tied shirt, and pulled the bloody swatch off her side. The ride had been hard on her, tearing open the cut and making it bleed freely again.
“Holy fucking shit, what the hell happened?” Colt asked, finally finding his tongue.
“Some twisted fuck hung her from a tree with barbed wire.”
“Is that what all those holes and scratches in her are?”
“Yes,” Rory bit out the single word, trying to hold on to his temper. Every time he saw the wounds, his fury surged, but with no outlet, it burned in his gut.
Rory took the thick gauze pad and pressed it to Sadie's side, staunching the blood.
“That's not from the wire,” Colt said.
“No. I think they used a knife.”
“Someone punched her in the face.” Colt's words held a world of sympathy.
“Hand me that tape. Let's get her patched up and to the hospital.”
They worked in silence, unwrapping and rewrapping her wrists with clean bandages. Colt took one foot; he took the other.
“This is inhumane.” Colt shook his head, dabbing at the caked, dried blood on Sadie's thigh.
“Just do the best you can for now. They'll clean her up at the hospital.”
“I called Ford, told him you needed help. Take the truck. I'll take your horse back to the ranch. Ford and I will meet you at the clinic.”
“You don't need to come. I've got this.”
“We'll meet you there.”
Rory nodded. Since their parents died, even before
but especially since, they did everything together. None of them went through anything alone. He appreciated his brothers' support and understanding.
With Sadie tended to the best they could for now, he bundled her in the blanket and carried her to the passenger side of the truck. Colt opened the door and he stood on the running board and slid her in headfirst. Colt pulled out the blanket from the floorboard and shook it out. Rory took it and tucked it over and around Sadie.
“She's out cold,” Colt said.
“Exhaustion. She'll do better once she's had some rest.” Rory spotted the bottles of water on the floorboards. He grabbed one, uncapped it, and held Sadie's head up again. “Drink some water, sweetheart.” He tipped the bottle to her lips. Again, she sputtered, but drank a few ounces.
He laid her back down, drank the rest of the bottle himself, then jumped out of the truck and closed the door.
Colt peeled off his jacket and the thick flannel he wore underneath. He held the dark blue and white plaid out to Rory. “Take this. It'll be too small, but at least you'll have something to wear.”
Rory stuffed his arms into the sleeves. If he flexed too much, he'd probably tear the material. He pulled the sides together and barely managed to button the thing at his sternum. No way he buttoned it across his chest.
“You look like the Hulk in that thing,” Colt teased.
Rory couldn't even muster a smile at the stupid joke. “Take my horse back. It'll be a long ride, and I'm sorry for that.”
“No worries. I got this.”
“Swing by Sadie's place on your way to town. Tell her father what happened and where she is.”
Rory ran around the truck, hopped into the driver's seat, started the engine, and turned the heat up to warm him and Sadie, though she was bundled well in the blankets. Rory turned the truck and headed down the road, Colt already in the saddle and riding back home.
Rory drove like the devil was after him. He sped past other vehicles, ignoring the honks when he cut things too close between a slow car and oncoming traffic. He didn't care if the cops came after him; he needed to get Sadie to the clinic. With that thought in mind, he pulled out his phone, scrolled through his contacts to his grandfather's favorite doctor, and hit the call button.
“Dr. Bowden.”
“Bell, it's Rory.”
“Hey, Rory, how is Sammy? Everything okay?”
“Granddad is fine. Ornery as ever. Are you at the clinic?”
“Yeah, I get off in an hour.”
“I'm on my way. I need you to get ready for a woman I'm bringing in. She's suffering from hypothermia. She's got three deep cuts that will need stitching. She's covered head to toe with puncture wounds from being tied up with barbed wire. Her wrists and ankles are raw and bleeding badly. She was hung from her hands, so her wrists and shoulders are sore. Maybe she's got some pulled muscles and tendons, I don't know.”
“Got it. Is she awake and lucid?”
“No. Not really. I've got her warm now, but I don't know how long she was hanging there.”
“Oh God, Rory. Okay. I'll get everything ready for when you arrive. How far out are you?”
“Twenty minutes.” A long fucking time in Sadie's case. She must be in so much pain. The thought drove him to push the gas pedal harder, drive faster, regardless of the danger. “They hit her, Bell. They cut her. She's in bad shape.” The words came out softer than he intended since he could barely choke out the words past the lump in his throat, but Bell heard him.
“I'll take care of her, Rory.” Bell's calm assurance bolstered his waning confidence that he'd gotten to her in time.
“Thanks, Bell. I'll be there soon.” Choked up, he disconnected the call. He reached down to touch Sadie's shoulder to reassure her in some small way, but he pulled his hand back, afraid to touch her and disturb any of her wounds. In the end, his unusual need to comfort made him brush his fingers through her long blond hair. She stirred beside him, tilting her head into his soft touch. He did it more, hoping that small comfort gave her strength to get through this. Her small bloody hand reached out from the blanket and settled on his thigh. He pressed his hand over hers and swore he'd keep her safe from now on. No one would ever hurt her again.
R
ory paced outside the hospital room door Dr. Bell Bowden shoved him out of five minutes ago, trying to hold on to his sanity. She'd let him stay while they cleaned, dressed, and stitched Sadie's wounds, but not even his good friend's wife let him stay while they photographed Sadie's many injuries and examined her to see if she'd been sexually assaulted. He hadn't even considered it when he found her nearly naked. He didn't want to think about it now. The way he found her, the pain inflicted on her was enough for any one person to bear. To think whoever did that to her touched her, hurt her in that way made the rage roiling in his gut feel like a ticking time bomb about to go off.
He turned back toward the room on his journey back and forth down the short corridor just as Bell stepped out of the room with a nurse, carrying several metal instruments on a tray. The nurse walked away, but Bell stood staring at him, a serene look on her face and in her blue eyes.
He let loose his fisted hands and raked his fingers through his hair and held the back of his head. He
stared at the floor, trying to pull himself together as the wave of relief washed through his system.
“The sheriff's deputy just walked in, Rory. I'll speak to him and give him the details. Because of doctor-patient confidentiality, I can't share the information with you.”
“You don't have to. As I'm sure you planned, I can read it on your face. Whoever the fuck did this to her didn't rape her.”
Bell didn't say a word to confirm it. Her eyes softened on him. “You can sit with her if you'd like. I gave her a sedative to keep her calm. She probably won't wake up for hours.”
Rory walked right past the deputy and straight into Sadie's room. She lay in the bed, covered by a sheet and blanket up to her chest. Her hands lay at her sides.
The bandages around her wrists hid the ominous cuts and bruises but not her swollen hands and fingers. The many red nicks and scratches all over her arms, chest, and shoulders made her look like a gruesome pincushion.
Afraid to touch her, he stood at the edge of the bed staring down at her.
“Hey Sadie, it's Rory. I'm back. You're not alone. I'll keep you safe.” He didn't know why he spoke the words. She was passed out and probably couldn't hear him, but if she did, he wanted her to know. He meant it.
She flinched in her sleep, her eyes squinting and her lips drawing into a tight line. Caught in a nightmare, her eyes rolled beneath her closed lids.
Disturbed by her distress, he reached out and touched her hand. She flinched, then settled again. “Shh, you're okay. You're safe.”
Rory didn't so much sit in the chair beside her as fall into it, exhausted in both body and mind. He scrubbed his hands over his face, scraping his palms on his rough jaw. He needed a shave, a shower, food, and for Sadie to wake up and be okay. He dropped his hands back to his thighs, hitting the sore spot on his palm. He held up his hand and stared at the deep gash. He'd washed his bloody hands in the restroom, but the cut still stung. He'd ask one of the nurses to bring him some antiseptic to clean it out.
Sadie got a tetanus shot to go along with her dozens of stitches. Bell did a fantastic job taking care of her. Seeing Sadie laid out on a hospital gurney came a close second to the worst thing he'd ever seen. Right behind her hanging from a tree. Thank God for the new private rooms at the recently opened clinic. He'd have hated to make her endure the long drive to the Bozeman hospital.
Rory answered the tap on the door. “Come in.”
The sheriff's deputy stepped into the room, his gaze shooting from Rory to Sadie in the bed beside him.
“I'm Deputy Mark Foster. Rory Kendrick?”
Rory nodded.
“Dr. Bowden filled me in on Sadie Higgins's condition. I've been out to the site where you found her. Gathered all the evidence. Mind telling me what happened?”
Rory ran his free hand through the side of his hair. The other he kept on Sadie's swollen one on the bed.
“I understand it's difficult to talk about it.” The deputy glanced at the marks marring every bit of skin not covered by the blankets or bandages and grimaced.
“You should see the rest of her.”
“Unfortunately, I saw the pictures.”
“I was out checking the cattle this afternoon. Just a normal day.” Then it turned to shit. “The herd I had grazing in the south pasture was missing. One of the fence lines had been cut, not pushed down by the cows. I spotted the horse tracks and figured out what happened.”
“They took the wire with them and used it on her,” the deputy guessed.
“Yes,” Rory bit out. “I followed the tracks that led across my land and two neighbors', straight for Miner's Road. I figured if I could catch up to them, maybe I'd find out who's been stealing cattle from me these last months.”
“How many cattle did they steal?”
“They started off small, which is why I didn't really notice right away. They'd take three, four at a time. By the time I realized what was going on, twenty-two cattle were missing. Today, they took ninety-seven.”
The deputy blew out a soft whistle. “That's brazen.”
“Yes it is. Reckless, but well coordinated. They had the trucks ready to take the cattle away.”
“Your brother Ford contacted the sheriff's office and reported the missing cattle. We're looking into it. How did you come to find Sadie?”
“A fucking miracle, really.” The thought that he could have ridden right past her, left her hanging there . . . He couldn't bear the thought. “My horse shied at one point. I think he smelled the blood on the wind. Who knows? I noticed the disturbed ground and drag marks. Looked like a fight broke out among the assholes who took the cattle.”
“I saw the spot. Judging by that nasty bruise on her face, I'd say one of them went after her for some reason.”
“My guess is she tried to stop them.”
“You don't think she's in on this?”
“No.” Rory's gut said no way in hell. If she was, she'd paid a mighty high price. Still, it didn't feel right from what little he knew about her. “I tracked four horses from my place to that spot where a fifth horse showed up. I don't know why she was out there. Not exactly an easy or logical place to ride from her place.”
“Could be this has to do with her brother, Connor. He's been in a lot of trouble over the years,” the deputy pointed out.
Right. The guy who nearly got her clock reset in an almost bar fight. Would he leave his sister in the middle of nowhere tied up to freeze to death? Rory hoped not for Sadie's sake, but if he did, Rory wanted to get his hands on him . . . now.
“This isn't any small thing. If I hadn't found her when I did . . .” Rory hung his head, then turned and stared at Sadie. Every cut, nick, and bruise sliced a strip right off his heart.
He shouldn't feel this way. This deep. But he did. Something about her spoke to him since that day in the feed store. Her quiet intensity, contrasted with her soft, sweet smile, and the I've-seen-way-too-much-in-my-short-life look in her eyes.
“Mr. Kendrick.” The deputy called him out of his dark thoughts.
“Sorry. It's been a long day.”
The deputy pointed his pen at Sadie, then him. “So, you two together, or something?”
“No. We've never officially met.” He went to the diner where she worked sometimes. He never sat in her section. Just watched her from across the room. He saw her at the feed store sometimes and the gas station where she worked, too. The woman worked her ass off.
“What are you still doing here then?”
“Her father hasn't shown up to take care of her. I can't just leave her here,” he snapped.
“My partner went out to her place. Her father isn't well. He's unable to come in his condition.”
That surprised Rory. He had no idea her dad was ill. Poor Sadie, two people she had to take care of and not one of them showed up for her. “I take it you didn't find her brother.”
“Her dad said Connor hasn't been home in days.”
That raised a red flag for Rory. Connor could definitely be involved then.
“Her father thought Sadie was at work. He didn't even know five of his horses were missing.”
“So it was Connor.”
The deputy nodded. “Evidence points that way. If there's nothing else you can tell me, I'll be on my way. I'll talk to her tomorrow morning, get her side of things.” The deputy pulled out his handcuffs.
“What the hell are you doing with those?”
The deputy picked up Sadie's hand and carefully put the cuff on, avoiding hitting her bandaged wrist. Rory stood and leaned forward. The deputy eyed him, a warning to back off. He hooked the other side of the cuffs to the metal bed rail.
“If she is involved, I don't want her escaping before we can determine who else is a part of this.”
“I'm telling you, she didn't do it. Take those off her.”
“Mr. Kendrick, you said it yourself. You've never met her. I've dealt with her brother many times. Sadie isn't one to do anything wrong, except if you count the ways she covers for Connor. You don't know what really happened out there. I'll have a deputy stationed outside until she wakes up and answers our questions.” He stared down at Sadie again. “I want to believe she isn't in on this. She's suffered enough, but I need to do this by the book and treat her like the suspect she is until I confirm otherwise.”
Rory fell into his chair, defeated. Nothing he could do about the cuffs, or changing the deputy's mind. But he didn't like it, or this feeling that he'd failed to protect her.
“No matter how this turns out, she owes you a huge debt of gratitude. You saved her life.”
She didn't owe him anything. But if her brother was involved, he sure as hell had to answer for what he'd done.
“If she wakes up, give me a call. We'll get this sorted out.” The deputy handed over his card. Rory stuffed it into the front pocket of his too small shirt.
R
ory sat with
his feet propped on the cart beside Sadie's bed, his arm along the length of her leg, his hand over hers. He rolled his head to the side when someone entered the room. He expected the nurse to come back and check Sadie's vitals again, but Ford and Colt walked in and stopped short, both their gazes locked on his hand on Sadie's.
“What are you guys doing here?”
Ford held up the pizza and six-pack in his hands.
“I brought dinner and beer. Thought you might be hungry.” He set both on the tray table at the end of the bed.
Colt held up a duffel bag and yanked the shirt down from over his shoulder and tossed it to Rory. “Brought you one of your shirts. Stopped by her place and talked to her dad. He's not well at all and scared for her. I told him we'd take care of her and see she gets home whenever they release her. I packed her some clothes.” Colt dropped the bag at the end of the bed without hitting Sadie's tiny feet.
Rory pulled off Colt's flannel that had kept him warm but was damn uncomfortable when it pulled and pinched every time he moved. He tossed the flannel on Sadie's bag and pulled the dark gray thermal on. Comfortable and able to flex his arms and move his shoulders, he relaxed.
“Thanks, guys.”
“There's something you should know.” Colt unscrewed the cap on one of the beer bottles and took a long pull. “I found the Higginses' five horses, saddled and grazing in the back pasture outside their house.”
“Based on the missing horses, the deputy thinks her brother is involved.” Rory swore and shook his head.
Colt scrunched one side of his mouth into a lopsided frown. “Those damn fools just left them there. That or they turned them loose and the horses found their way home.”
“They hurt her, left her and the horses, they don't give a shit about anyone or anything, just taking the cattle and running off with them.” Ford clenched his hand tight on the end of the bed frame and stared down at Sadie.
Rory popped the top on his own beer and drank deeply, wishing it was something stronger. “I find her asshole brother, he's going to wish he never stepped foot on our land or left his sister for dead.”
“Why the hell is she handcuffed to the bed?” Colt asked, shaking his head. “Even if she took the cattle with those guys, she's suffered enough.”
“She didn't do it.” The warning in Rory's voice made Colt narrow his eyes.
“I never said she did it. I'm just saying . . .”
“I know, I'm sorry. I'm pissed and tired and frustrated as hell.”
“So, a normal day,” Ford tried to tease him out of yet another of his black moods.
Sometimes Rory found the overwhelming responsibility to oversee the ranch and take care of his family wore on him. He spent too much time working, not enough time . . . doing anything else. He couldn't remember the last time he took a day off. He couldn't remember the last movie he went to see in the theater, let alone the last time he went out with a woman. He vaguely remembered sex involved more than a hot shower and his hand.
He felt Sadie's soft skin beneath his fingers. In the past, just the sight of her stirred something deep inside him that felt like the crack of a seed just beginning to sprout. But without any light inside him, it died each and every time he walked away from her without so much as a hello.
Now, sitting beside her, touching her skin after all he'd been through today, it felt like the newest seed to crack open inside him not only sprouted, but sprang a new leaf, trying to reach up and out of his chest and
finally grow into something. What? He didn't quite know, but he was tired of everything he wanted and needed being smothered under responsibility.
“Rory, you stare at her any harder, you'll wear a hole in her.” Ford handed him a paper plate with two slices of bacon and tomato pizza. His favorite. “Eat, man. We'll figure this out.”