Chapter Thirty-six
Natalie hummed to Midnight as she massaged his neck while watching him eat a little of his sweet mix. The stallion had calmed considerably since she’d arrived, and she could tell they were both getting sleepy. It was time to rest.
She removed the feed bucket, gave him one last pat, and left the stall. He watched her with his large, liquid black eyes. She blew him a kiss. “Good night, sweet boy.” She secured the door and walked away, still humming. When she reached the entrance to the stables, she switched off the main lights and headed for the house. She was still in her pajamas and slippers, deciding to visit Midnight without changing first. A few horse hairs never hurt anyone and her slippers, well, a little dirt never hurt anyone either.
She knocked softly on the kitchen door and entered the house. It was quiet, the kitchen lit by the light over the stove. She moved silently, and crept through the living room back to Vaughn’s room, where she again gave a soft rap and opened the door. Vaughn lay asleep on the bed, snuggled in her soft blue blanket and bedsheet, lit by the bedside lamp. Her snores were soft and almost inaudible. Natalie smiled, amused, and approached the bed. She reached out to switch off the bedside lamp, but Vaughn stirred and her eyes flitted open.
“Natalie,” she said. And it sounded soft and raspy, very much like it had on the night of their first kiss. Natalie warmed from head to toe, wanting to kiss her once again. To hold her and cradle her from the pain. But doing so would probably only cause more pain, in more ways than one, at least for the time being.
“I’m here,” she said, brushing her hair away from her face. Her cheeks were tinged red from the heat of sleep, her sun-streaked hair mussed. She looked adorable and so enticing. If she could just lie down next to her and snuggle.
No.
I can’t.
She chided herself for allowing her mind to go there again.
“Midnight?” Vaughn asked, her eyes looking incredibly heavy.
“He’s sleeping tight.”
“You?” she asked, surprising her.
“I will be soon, too.”
“You, want to…. stay?”
Natalie wasn’t sure she’d heard her right. Vaughn spoke again.
“Sleep here. Next to me. Where it’s safe.”
“Vaughn, I—” God, she wanted to. More than anything. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep being so close to her. She’d only keep her awake as she tossed and turned, trying to settle her anxious mind and her yearning body. It just wasn’t a good time. For either of them.
“Please. I’m…worried.”
Natalie took her hand. It was warm, the palm rough in spots from callouses. It stirred her nevertheless and she struggled to speak, to decline her invitation. “I’ll stay on the couch. How’s that?”
Vaughn’s eyes fell closed and stayed that way. “’Kay.”
Natalie lightly brushed her lips across the back of her hand and switched off the bedside lamp. Then she carefully pulled the door closed and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch, slid out of her slippers, and lay down, pulling the throw off the back of the sofa to cover her body. She stared up at the ceiling in the quiet house for what felt like hours before her eyes grew heavy. But when she glanced at the clock above the desk it read ten thirty. It had only been a few minutes.
With a deep breath, she rolled onto her side, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
When she woke, she was confused as to where she was. But a quick look around grounded her and she sat up. It was still dark out. The clock read three thirty. She wasn’t sure what had woken her. She sat very still, listening. A rustling sound came from outside. And what sounded like whispers. She went rigid with fear. Had she locked the kitchen door? She hadn’t. Oh, no.
It was Allen. He’d found her and he was there.
She wanted to bolt, to run to Vaughn’s room, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. The only thing she could do was reach over and turn on the living room lamp. She sat there, heart thudding, mind on fire with thoughts of fear and doom. More rustling, hurried whispers, then in the near distance, the sound of an engine. She looked toward the window, through the sheer drapes. She saw the flash of headlights as a vehicle turned around and started down the drive, disappearing into the early morning darkness.
Whoever it was, was gone.
She exhaled and nearly fell over with relief. When she’d regained her bearings and her courage, she rose and walked to the kitchen door. The first thing she did was lock it, and the second thing she did was peek outside through the window. But she saw nothing and no one in the dim light. Only the vacant front yard and the two trucks. Beyond that, in the darkness, sat the rest of the ranch, quietly sleeping.
But someone had been there. She was sure of it.
She walked back through the living room and down the hallway, choosing to stop at June’s door where she knocked softly before cracking it open.
“June,” she whispered. “June, wake up.”
“Natalie?” she rasped.
“I think someone was just here.”
June switched on her bedside lamp and swung her legs over the bed. She eased into her slippers and stood to slip into her robe. She followed Natalie down the hallway, Natalie whispering along the way. “I was asleep on the couch and I woke and heard someone out front. I saw headlights as they turned and drove away.”
“Did you see who it was?”
“No. I was—too afraid to get up and look. But I switched on the lamp, and I think it scared them away.”
“You did good.” June patted her shoulder and went to the gun cabinet nestled in the far corner near the back door. She pulled out a rifle, made sure it was loaded, and grabbed a flashlight to walk into the kitchen. Natalie followed her.
“Should I wake Vaughn?”
“Not yet.” June stood sideways against the door and peered outside through the window. She unlocked the door, pulled it open, and stepped outside. Natalie once again followed and they stepped out onto the porch.
The early morning had a pleasant chill to it and Natalie hugged herself as they searched the property, taking a tentative step off the porch. June switched on the flashlight and swung the beam of light around.
Natalie held her breath as the light fell upon the front landscaping and the vehicles. She was certain someone was going to jump out and attack. Certain it would be Allen.
“I don’t see nothing,” June said. “They must be gone.”
“I saw them drive away.” But she wasn’t absolutely certain someone hadn’t remained behind. “But still, we should look.”
June walked closer to the vehicles and stopped dead in her tracks, pointing the beam of light at the tires on Vaughn’s truck. “Look,” she said.
“Oh my God.” The tires were slashed. June aimed the light on her truck. It seemed to be fine. Maybe Natalie really had scared them away before they could damage June’s tires.
“Sons a bitches,” June said, furious. She marched back up to the house and killed the flashlight beam. Natalie hurried after her and they walked back inside. June closed the door behind them and Natalie made sure to bolt it. June saw her.
“Let ’em come in. They can meet the end of my rifle.” She shook the rifle briefly as she spoke and leaned it against the counter before switching on the coffee pot. Then she collapsed into a chair at the table and motioned for Natalie to join her.
“What are we going to do?” Natalie asked.
“Other than buy Vaughn new tires? I don’t rightly know.”
“Do you think it was those boys?” She had to know. Because if June was certain it was them, it couldn’t be Allen and she could at least take some comfort in that.
“I don’t know. Probably. You said you heard whispers. As in more than one?”
“I think so.”
“It’s probably those two jackasses. Theo probably hasn’t caught them yet and they’re lashing out, having some fun with us.”
But Natalie still wasn’t sure. The email had really shaken her up. June seemed to notice her doubt.
“You don’t think so?” she asked.
Natalie hesitated. “I don’t know, June. I—” She told June about the email and about her fears. June listened quietly and rose to pour them both some coffee.
“I doubt it was him, hon,” she said, taking a sip from her mug as she handed Natalie hers. “He sounds like the type of man that would make more of an entrance. Not slash some tires in the night and run away.”
“You’re probably right.” But was she? It would be like Allen to toy with her, to frighten her and make her second-guess her every move. He’d gotten pretty good at it.
“You still don’t seem convinced,” June said.
Natalie wrapped her hands around the hot cup. “I probably won’t ever relax until he’s behind bars or out of the country or…” She shook her head, not wanting to go there.
“Dead?”
“I would never wish him dead.”
“No, you wouldn’t. But it sounds like he’s wished you dead more than a few times. He strangled you, for God’s sake.”
“He wanted to scare me.”
“And he did. But, Natalie, someone like that…they will do it again and they will escalate. It’s not safe for you.”
Natalie cocked her head. “You sound like you volunteered at a women’s shelter or something?”
“Darlin’ I was the women’s shelter. As I told you briefly before, my sister, God bless her, went through something very similar amidst her divorce. And I tell ya, she’s never been the same and that man hasn’t bothered her for a decade or more now.”
“He hasn’t? What made him stop?”
“Prison.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, he got put away for what he did to Sissy. But still, she’s never been the same.”
“I’m sorry.”
June waved her off. “No need to be sorry. Just want you know so you can make the best decision for you.”
“But it’s why you want me to go to the police, isn’t it?”
“So, you don’t end up like her, being afraid to go out, being afraid of everyone you meet? Yes. It would be a shame for you to end up like that, Natalie. It would break my heart. Or worse you could get hurt. Hurt real bad. And I’d…never get over it.”
Natalie teared up. She reached for June’s hand and held it. “I know you care. And I thank you.” They locked eyes for a moment and then withdrew their hands to sip their coffee.
“Don’t thank me, just listen to me.”
Natalie chuckled and grew serious once again. “What do you think Vaughn’s going to do about the tires?”
“Well, she’ll be madder than a hornet, that’s for sure. But other than that, there’s not much she can do considering her back.”
“Yeah, I think she’s going to be down for a while and that’s going to really upset her.”
“It will. But we’ve got to get her better.”
Natalie nodded and took another sip. “You’re going to call Theo, right?”
“No. I’m going above Theo this time. That little runt can just get over it. It’s his cousin doing this, and he’s got no business handling it.”
“I agree.”
June mumbled to herself as she continued to drink. From behind June, Natalie saw Vaughn walk slowly into the kitchen. She was holding her back and bent forward at the waist. “What’s going on? Why are you two up?”
June looked to Natalie and then back to Vaughn. She exhaled. “We got a problem.” She stood and took Vaughn outside.