Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
P icking the last of the old record boxes up and setting it onto her desk, Evie rubbed the spot on her side where Jellybean was busy pressing her foot against.
Her eyes itched, the boxes filled with dust that seemed to set her allergies ablaze. She just needed to get the last few documents scanned and filed away in the redundant records cabinet. Then she’d be able to go take a shower and get ready to go into town with Sam.
“You are going to be the death of me, woman.” Sam’s growling voice startled the budding sneeze away. “Stop lifting those boxes.”
“Oopsies!” Evie felt her face flush.
“Yeah, there’s no ‘oops’ about it.”
“It was more for the fact that you caught me, Cowboy. But don’t worry, this is the last box I need to sort through. For today, at least.”
His boots stomped loudly across the floor, and before she could breathe out, his hand was snaking around her back, pulling her into his chest.
“Good. I’m sick of keeping track of how many times I’ll need to put you over my knee once the baby’s here for disobeying me.”
“Samuel Cooper. You can not say things to me like that in the office.”
“Aw, Bluebell. You want me to lay you down over a bale again and?—”
“Hello! Your sister and brother-in-law are walking into the office so whatever you two lovebirds are talking about please make it PG,” Abby laughed as she strolled into the office.
“What are you guys doing here?” Evie asked as she embraced Abby.
“Well, it seems like my hubby-to-be wants to spend the day being a cowboy, and Katy is off at her grandparents’ house, so I’m here to spend some time with you!”
“Fun!” Evie paused, her eyes closing slightly as she evaluated Sam’s face. “But if you’re only here to make sure I don’t lift any boxes, I’m going to kick you out.”
“Not at all! Although, I will be doing any lifting. John is the one certified to catch babies in an emergency. Not me.”
She laughed. “Trust me. I’m pretty sure this one is happy in my belly. She’ll probably need an eviction notice to get out.”
They said goodbye to Sam and John, and true to her word, Abby helped her sort through boxes while she filled Evie in on all the last minute wedding plans.
“John finally thinks the AC is going to be ready to install soon. I swear, I’m calling the whole thing off if that barn isn’t a refrigerator on our wedding day. It was his idea to get married during the hottest time of year, the least he can do is make sure our venue is chilly!”
Oh god. What was she looking at? Her hands shook as she pulled the paperwork from the file.
Location of oil field on Red River Ranch.
There was oil under the ground! An incredibly vast amount if what she was seeing was still true. She needed to tell Sam. Evie had no idea what something like that would be worth, but it had to be enough to put the ranch firmly back in the black.
“Evie? Are you listening to me?”
“Abby.”
“God, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“There’s oil.”
“What? Did you spill some on yourself? Mom has a great stain stick up at the house… We can run up there and wash whatever got the stain on it.”
“No. No. Oh my god, Abby.”
“You have to tell me what’s going on.” She grabbed Evie’s hand. “Do I need to call Sam? They have the satellite phone out with them. I’m sure he and John could be back in a couple of minutes if you need him.”
Evie broke out into a huge smile.
“Abby. There’s oil under the ranch. And from the look of these documents, it’s not just a little. There’s enough here to make sure your family is taken care of for generations to come.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh my god. Did my dad know?”
“His name is on the survey. Along with Garrett’s. He had to…”
“Why wouldn’t he drill? Why wouldn’t he tell us? His heart attack… Sam’s heart… all that stress, for nothing.”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.” That had to be why Garrett was so interested in the ranch. He’d known all along what was under the soil.
“Can I see?” Abby asked, reaching out for the document Evie was holding onto like a lifeline.
“Yeah. I think I need to sit down. I made myself dizzy with excitement,” she laughed. Jellybean kicked as she rested her head against the back of her chair .
“Oh my god. We have to call Daisy! This isn’t just under the ranch. It’s under their farm, too.”
Evie registered Abby’s excited voice in the background. She must have decided to call Daisy right then and there. God, Evie was so happy for Sam and his family. For her friends, too. This was life-changing news. The money that they’d earn from drilling, well, there certainly wouldn’t be that stress on Sam’s shoulders anymore.
But something was eating away at her. Why hadn’t Sam’s father looked into drilling? Why didn’t he share this news with anyone? Surely, Sam would have told her about it if he knew. The documents she came across could have only been more hidden if they were burnt in a fire and thrown in the cattle corral. The sight of Garrett’s signature on the paperwork gave her the worst feeling of all.
Because it suddenly all made sense.
Sam’s dad didn’t want to drill his family’s land. But his partner did.
“I’m going to pee my pants!” Abby giggled, sliding her cell phone back in her pocket. “Daisy and Hank are on their way over! I couldn’t tell them over the phone, this is too incredible! Don’t leave the office without me, okay? I’ll only be a second.”
Abby closed the door behind her as she left. Evie needed to call Sam. He should be there when Hank and Daisy came to hear the news. Maybe even Sylvie should be told. She didn’t want anything to do with the ranch business, but it was still her land.
The office door swung open violently and Evie jumped as Garrett strolled in. Oh god. She’d made the worst mistake. She wasn’t supposed to be alone.
Her eyes dropped to her desk where her cell phone sat, then back up to Garrett.
“Garrett. What are you doing here?”
“You’ve been a naughty girl, Evelyn. I told you, I wouldn’t take kindly to you snooping around, putting your nose in a situation you knew nothing about.”
“I haven’t done a single thing about the thousands of dollars you’ve stolen from this ranch. I haven’t done a single thing about the fact that you killed our cattle. I haven’t done a thing about you threatening me. I’ve done nothing about any of it. So don’t you come in here thinking you can threaten me again. Once was more than enough to piss me off.”
“Oh, Evelyn. I’m not here to threaten you. I’m here to use you. This has all been taking far too long for my liking. I thought throwing this ranch into bankruptcy would be the best way to get what I want, but honestly, I’m just bored. So now, you’re going to follow me to my car, and when Sam is done playing cowboy for the day, he’ll know where to come to find you.”
Garrett dropped a note on her desk before holding out his hand. Evie shook her head.
“We don’t have time for this. I jammed the door to the bathroom, but I’ve known Abby practically her whole life. It’s only a matter of time before she climbs out the window. I’d really rather not have to hurt her before we leave.”
“I won’t let you hurt her.”
His eyebrows raised and he chuckled. “Given your… delicate condition… I don’t really think you could stop me even if you tried.”
Garrett pulled out a cloth and small vial from his pocket. “I’d hate to have to use this on you. I’m not sure how much chloroform is safe for a pregnant woman. But then again, there is only one person in this room that cares whether you and your child live, Evelyn. So, you’ll come with me quietly? Or will you be risking your child’s life today?”
Her stomach lurched. “I’ll come with you.”
“Very good. My car is just outside the barn.” Garrett pushed the cloth and vial back into his pocket, reaching to the other side and pulling out more dark fabric.
“I-I said I would go with you…”
“Yes. And never fear, Evelyn. Samuel will know just where to go to retrieve you. But I can’t have you seeing an escape route or knowing how to get away before I’m ready.”
The fabric slipped over Evie’s head and plunged her into darkness. She just needed to keep a level head and remember that the baby needed her to be calm. But the stale air under the fabric quickly had her fighting back wave after wave of nausea as he walked her out of the barn and shoved her into the back of a vehicle.
Something rough and frayed slipped around her wrists as she waited for Garrett to buckle her in.
Rope.
“Can’t have you trying to escape, now can we?” The excitement in his voice made her want to scratch his eyes out. If she wasn’t worried about Jellybean getting hurt, that’s exactly what she would have done.
“Garrett, please. There has to be an easier way to do things. This isn’t okay.” She fought to get her hands free, but he yanked them painfully away from her body and she yelped, trying to stay seated upright.
“Can you breathe?” he asked as he finished up tying her hands together.
“Y-yes.”
“Then you’ll be fine.”
The car door slammed shut next to her. He hadn’t buckled her in. Evie’s heart went into overdrive as the car’s engine started, and she felt them pull away from the ranch. She twisted sideways, trying to find the edge of the seatbelt to do it for herself, but she couldn’t manage it.
As soon as Garrett took the first curve faster than was necessary, Evie reached out and held on to the headrest of the seat in front of her. It was her only hope of staying upright and not banging into something if Garrett continued to drive recklessly.
The moment Evie felt stable, she began to memorize the turns. She tried to count the time in between them, to know the way back to the ranch. But after what felt like maybe five or ten minutes, she gave up hope of that working. Even if she was able to remember the directions, it was too hot outside for her to be walking all the way back on her own.
“Call Clarke.” Garrett’s command jolted Evie. They’d been driving for so long that Evie’s arms were growing weak. But she still held on tightly, knowing that simple action was keeping Jellybean as safe as she could. For a split second, Evie thought about screaming. About begging the person on the other end of the line to help her.
But she knew if Garrett was calling them in front of her, they weren’t somebody who would help her, anyway. So she stayed quiet. And she listened.
“What do you want?” A strange voice answered over the car’s speaker system.
“Clarke, I’ve decided to speed things up a bit with my plans. I expect you’ll be waiting for me in a few hours to finalize the paperwork.”
“Jesus Christ, Garrett. I’m presiding over a trial today. I’m not just at your beck and call whenever you fucking feel like it.”
“I didn’t really think an honorable judge like yourself would want those pictures getting out. But if I’m wrong, Clarke, just let me know. I can have them circulated right to the courthouse in a matter of minutes.”
“No. No. I don’t want that. I’ll figure something out and adjourn the trial until tomorrow. You’re sure you’ll have the paperwork for me this afternoon?”
“Yes. My insurance policy is currently sitting in the back seat of my car. ”
Garrett was blackmailing a judge. Over the paperwork he was going to force Sam to sign. He was going to make Sam sign over the ranch , and her safety was going to be the thing that he held over Sam’s head.
“I’m just about to drop her off, Clarke. I’ll send you a message when it’s done.”
“Fine. I want all the copies you have of the pictures when this is all done, Garrett. I mean it.”
“I know the terms of the deal. I set them myself, remember?”
The car slowed, Evie’s body lurching forward as Garrett parked the car. That was the last straw. She knew the only thing she could do was fight back. She wouldn’t make it easy on him. There was no way she’d let Sam sign over the Ranch to Garrett.
As soon as Garrett had the car parked, her brain took off. The only thing she had going for her was the fact that he hadn’t tied up her legs. If she could get them under her, she might be able to kick out against him. She could get the keys and drive away. That what she–
Heat scorched her skin as Garrett’s hand landed on her arm. God, she wasn’t paying attention. He’d already made it around the car to her, and with one swift yank, she was stumbling out onto the ground.
“Sit. Now.”
“Outside?” This whole time she’d been thinking he was taking her to his house.
“Yes. Outside. I heard you had a hard time saying goodbye to those heifers I killed. Figured you might want to sit with my herd for a while, and say hi. Although, honestly, if I were you, I’d figure out a way to get away from them as quickly as I could. Cows are unpredictable at best when they’re spooked.
Sweat dripped down Evie’s face. The black bag over her head was starting to heat up to unbearable levels. Her own breath was once again making her gag reflex stretch. Garrett held on to her arm as she sat in the dirt, but as soon as she felt his hands slide down to her legs, Evie reached up and ripped the bag off her head, turning to retch into the grass by her side. Nothing came up, but her stomach ached all the same.
“Careful now, Evie. Don’t want to get dehydrated before you even start your time outside on my beautiful land.”
By the time her stomach stopped trying to leave her body through her mouth, Garrett was standing back up. Her legs were tightly bound together. Sweat was dripping down her back, the sun beating down full force with no covering over her.
“Please, Garrett. Please don’t do this.”
“It’s already done, Evelyn. I’ll be sure to send your cowboy in shining armor out to you once he signs the documents I have for him. Lets hope, for your sake and the baby’s, that he realizes you’re missing quickly.”
Garrett turned, whistling as he walked back to the car. She watched as he opened the driver’s side door, bent over, and stood back up. He took one look at her and chuckled. “You’ll probably want this at some point.”
Like he was tossing a football in a national championship game, Garrett hurled a water bottle towards her. It landed at least twenty feet away, but thankfully it was in the direction Evie had been planning to go. A large tree, with a huge canopy above it, was providing the only shade in the area, and she desperately wanted to sit beneath it.
The engine roared back to life and Garrett tore out of the field. She forced herself to watch until the car was just a tiny speck on the horizon. Evie had no way of knowing just how much property Garrett had, or how far she was from the edge of it, but if she needed to try and walk away, at least she knew which way to go first.
She spent time working to undo the knot from around her legs. It was nearly impossible to reach around Jellybean to the rope, but she had to try. Her belly was hard, and her back ached, but she kept going. The damn thing was so tight and just at the edge of her fingertips that all she accomplished was ripping up her skin against the rough rope. It was too hot to keep going down that route. She needed that water.
How the hell was she supposed to get over to it? And then once she had it, she still needed to make it to the tree for shade. Jellybean’s foot pressed out painfully against her side.
“I know, baby. It’s okay. Mommy’s going to rest for one minute. Then we’ll get somewhere cooler.”
Evie laid on her side, so that even with her face in the dirt, she could keep an eye on the water bottle and see the herd in the distance. Her head throbbed as her eyelids drooped. She’d close them for just a minute. Just one minute to rest before she gathered up her strength and figured out a way to get under that tree.
A silent plea called out to Sam from her heart as her eyes drifted shut.