Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
F lanked by Ted on one side and Scott on the other, Marissa pointed a pistol at Lyris.
She lifted a brow. “Maybe I should let you have the gun, and you can shoot yourself. I’d never be implicated in that scenario.”
Despite her fear of dying, Lyris looked at each man and then at Marissa. “It’s not too late. You can still just back away. The colt didn’t die, and Ted is the only one who might get in trouble.” She realized what she said as she was saying it but couldn’t take it back. Anger was rearing its head and pushing her fear to the side.
Marissa laughed. “You really think he won’t turn on me? I’m surprised he hasn’t already.”
The man in question sneered at Marissa but then turned and pointed at Lyris. “You got me fired. I should kill you where you stand just for that.”
“I didn’t get you fired. You did when you doped Stormchaser and then set bear traps in the pasture. You knew exactly what would happen. And if you’d found him, you’d have killed him. I know how people like you work.” Her chest heaved as she tried to settle her anger.
“Well, none of that matters.” Ted narrowed his eyes and one side of his mouth lifted as he sneered at her. “Without you, Stormchaser won’t heal right and will be no good to Ray. His entire breeding program is built around that horse.”
Lyris blew at the hair that hung in her face after her outburst. She was afraid to move it behind her ear. Afraid to make any sort of movement that might cause Marissa to shoot first and ask questions later. “You intend for me to go with you quietly. I won’t do it.”
Ted stepped over to Junebug’s stall. “You will if you don’t want these colts killed here and now.” He pulled a pistol with what looked like a silencer and aimed it at the colts.
Ted re-aimed the gun at Junebug’s head. “I guess their mother would do just as well.”
“No!” Pulse pounding, Lyris jumped at Ted. “I’ll go with you. Don’t hurt the horses. Please.”
Marissa laughed. “I knew that would convince you. Ted, come back here if you expect to get paid.”
He clenched his jaw but put his gun back in the side holster under his jacket.
Lyris raised her hands and stepped towards Marissa.
Scott stood there and didn’t say a word.
Looking at him, Lyris didn’t understand how Marissa could choose him over Ray. I guess she wanted someone she could control because he seems to only follow Marissa’s lead.
Stepping to the side, Marissa kept her pistol aimed at Lyris.
She walked past Marissa and out the back door.
A black SUV was parked where no one would have seen it unless they were at the back of the barn. Though how they came up the driveway without being seen was something Lyris would ask Ray…if she ever saw him again.
They climbed into the SUV.
Scott drove.
Ted sat in the passenger seat.
Marissa in the back seat with Lyris. She was, turned in the seat to face her while she continued to hold the gun on Lyris. “Get going. We have a small window to get out of here before Ray returns. Go!”
Looking only at the back of Scott’s head, Lyris refused to turn her gaze toward Marissa.
Scott drove out from behind the barn and then punched the gas pedal while driving down the driveway away from the ranch.
Lyris wasn’t sure he was going to stop at the stop sign before getting on the frontage road and heading for the highway, but he did and then sped up again on the frontage road. He didn’t seem worried about being stopped by the police, which given their lack of presence in the area was probably a good bet.
After twenty minutes driving they turned onto the driveway of a huge, two-story home. It was red brick with white trim around the windows and a white double front door. A large porch was on the front of the house. Four white columns held up the roof of the porch. She saw a small table and two chairs, all made from wrought iron on one side of the porch and four chairs in a circle around a small table on the other side.
Scott pulled directly into the attached four-car garage.
Lyris turned to Marissa. “I assume this is your home.”
“It is.”
“Don’t you think this is the first place Ray will look?”
She laughed. “Oh, I fully expect him to come find you. That’s exactly what I want. I’ll make a trade with him for you. I want White Lightning. That horse is amazing and will bring this stable back to life with his winnings. I know good horse flesh when I see it, and that animal has it all. After he’s raced for a few years, he’ll bring in high fees for his services. In just a couple of years I’ll rival Ray as the place to go for premium stud services.”
Lyris wanted to laugh. “You really think he’ll give you White Lightning for me? Are you crazy? That horse belongs to Maddy, not Ray, and she’ll never agree to the trade. I wouldn’t blame her either. That horse means everything to her. He’s the last of the colts from her mother’s favorite mare. She’s trained him, and right now, she’s the only one who can ride him.”
Marissa narrowed her eyes. “You better be wrong. If you’re not, then you’re dead, and I’ll be long gone to a nice country with no extradition.” She waved the gun at Lyris to exit the car.
Scott opened the back door and held it. When she was out, he pulled her beside him, placed a hand on the back of her neck, and squeezed. “Be a good girl and I won’t have to hurt you.”
Lyris wanted to move, but when she tried, Scott squeezed harder. “Okay. Okay. I’ll be good.”
“See that you are,” he whispered into her ear. “I’d really hate to have to mar your lovely face.”
Marissa scooted across the backseat and followed Lyris out the same door. “Get in the house. I expect to get a call from Ray anytime now.”
Scott led them into the house through a mud room and then into the kitchen.
Pushing her with the barrel of the gun, Marissa shoved Lyris toward the round oak table in the breakfast nook. “Sit. You might be here for a while.”
Lyris had barely sat in one of the four thickly padded chairs around the table when the ringtone on Marissa’s phone sounded.
She pulled it from her pocket and smiled. “Ray. How good to hear from you.” She lifted the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker. “Now, my darling, what can I do for you?”
“I’m not your darling, and you can release Lyris. If you do, no charges will be filed against you.”
“And what if I don’t want to give her back?” She’d dropped the smile, and that change was heard in her voice.
“You will. I’ve already called the police. You were seen, along with Scott and Ted, getting into a black SUV parked behind my barn. You can all be identified. Give her back. It’s your only way to not make things worse…and you know it.”
Marissa clenched her jaw and rounded on Ted. “I thought you said no one would be around.”
Ted lifted one shoulder. “They shouldn’t have been. The schedule?—”
Lyris snickered. “You mean the schedule that was changed after the colt was poisoned. The one that is in place now was made by Ray and the new stable master, Will Asher, implemented it. The barns are never left unattended now.”
“Marissa. Marissa!” Ray shouted out of her phone.
“Give me a minute, Ray.” She pressed a button on the phone.
Lyris assumed it was mute.
Marissa turned toward Ted. Her brows were furrowed; the hand not holding her phone clenched. “You did this. You’re the one who got us caught. You’ve always been the weak link.” She pressed her phone again. “Okay. Where do you want me to bring her?”
Suddenly, Ted pulled his weapon from its holster and shot Marissa in the left shoulder.
She dropped her phone.
Scott ran to her. “Marissa! Marissa!”
“Marissa! Answer me.” Ray shouted on the other end of the call.
Marissa’s eyes had widened so much, Lyris saw white around the entire iris. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyebrows shot to her forehead. She went from giving orders to utter terror in a nanosecond.
“You shot me. After all I did for you, you shot me.” Marissa’s knees gave way, as she dropped the gun and gripped her wound. She landed on her knees before slipping onto her right side. Her eyes closed.
Lyris dropped to her knees beside Marissa. She pressed her fingers to her throat and felt a pulse. “I can help her. She’s not dead. We just need to apply pressure to the wound. That will stop or, at least, slow down the bleeding until the EMT’s get here.”
Would she ever be able to go to sleep without seeing the terror on her face when she realized that Ted was about to shoot her.
Scott let out a wail and dropped next to Marissa. He lifted her head and shoulders into his lap.
Lyris continued to try to apply pressure to the wound. “Scott. Scott listen to me. If you want her to live, you need to press here.” She lifted her hand and the blood flowed faster. She grabbed Scott’s right hand and pressed it onto the wound. “Hold it there as hard as you can.”
Ted looked down at Marissa. His eyes were wild and darted back and forth from Marissa to Lyris. “I didn’t mean to shoot her. It was an accident. You saw that. Right?” He crouched across Marissa’s body from Lyris.
Lyris wasn’t getting anything out of Ted who seemed to be in shock. She stood and started opening drawers, looking for something to staunch the bleeding. She finally found one holding hand towels. Grabbing a few, she went back to Marissa’s side, turned her to her back, and applied the towels to her shoulder, pressing as hard as she could.
The sirens stopped.
Then she heard pounding on the front door.
Lyris looked over at Scott. “Go let them in.”
He didn’t move.
“Scott! Go let the police in.” Then she looked up at Ted.
He still held the gun in his hand, but his arm hung limp at his side.
“Ted. Place the gun on the table. You don’t have any need for it now.”
He moved in slow motion but did as she said.
Lyris realized he was crying. The man had feelings for Marissa. Was that why he’d shot her? Because he couldn’t have her? She shook her head and gazed back down at Marissa.
The police rushed into the room.
Two of the four sheriff’s deputies present clasped handcuffs on Ted and Scott, then led them away.
Another siren sounded.
She figured the ambulance had arrived.
Lyris didn’t let up on the pressure on Marissa’s shoulder until a young, blond, male EMT touched her shoulder.
“I’ll take over now, ma’am.”
She nodded and stood before backing out of the way.
Ray was there waiting outside on the porch with open arms.
She walked straight into them and buried her face in his chest. She’d seen a lot of things but nothing like one human nearly taking the life of another. Lyris knew from her experience with animals that humans were cruel, but to just shoot someone in cold blood had her rattled.
“Let’s go home.” Ray spoke into her hair as he held her. “I’ll tell the deputies you’ll be in tomorrow to give your statement.”
Lyris nodded into his chest and let out a single sob. She wasn’t a crier, but the cruelty of the entire situation had her close to the edge.
Ray left her for a moment to talk to one of the deputies. Then he was back and placed an arm around her waist. “Ready?”
She nodded. “More than ready.”
On the drive back to Whispering Wind Ranch, Lyris was quiet.
Ray held her hand but didn’t try to get her to talk.
She looked in her lap as she whispered. “He stood there and shot her. No provocation. Just shot her. He could have killed her…still might have, for all we know. I…I still can’t believe it happened.” She turned and stared out the window at the landscape as it whizzed by. It looked as desolate as she felt.
Ray squeezed her hand. “I don’t want you to be alone tonight. You can either stay in the house with Maddy, Amy, and me or I’ll stay with you in the guesthouse.”
Lyris shook her head. “It’s not necessary. I’m in no danger. They have Ted in custody, and I believe he was the one responsible for everything that happened. He did it at Marissa’s order, but still he was the only one who did the actual harm to the horses.”
He turned toward her, his mouth in a firm line. “Regardless, I’m not leaving you alone. So, you decide…your place or mine?”
She closed her eyes and huffed out a breath. “Mine. I’ll be more comfortable in my own place.” Lyris wouldn’t admit it, but she was glad Ray was staying with her. She didn’t want to be alone…living that moment over and over in her mind.
He lifted his hand to her face and cupped her jaw, while still keeping an eye on the road. “Done. I’ll walk you home after we both get something to eat. Amy and Maddy will be wanting a recap. Are you up to it? I can tell them they’ll have to wait until tomorrow, or later, if you want.”
Lyris loved Maddy. The child was amazing. She loved her horses and rode like a champ. She was also fun-loving and adored her father. On that account, she and Lyris had something in common.
“No, tonight is fine. Maybe it will be good for me to talk about it with people who won’t judge me.”
He furrowed his brows and tilted his head in question. “Why would you think anyone would judge you?”
“Because I basically let them take me. Ted was going to shoot Junebug or one of the colts. I…I couldn’t allow that to happen, so I went with them.” She’d started to cry and wished Ray wasn’t driving so he could hold her.
Ray had just turned onto the driveway to the house.
He pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Then he climbed out, came around the truck to Lyris’s side.
She unbuckled her seatbelt knowing he would hold her. She needed his arms around her, needed him as much as she needed air to breathe.
He opened her door and opened his arms.
Lyris practically fell out of the truck when she leaned into him. She shook and couldn’t seem to stop.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you,” he whispered.
Lyris had thought Ted would shoot her, too, but he’d gone into shock instead. She wondered why because Ted was a stable master and a cowboy before that. He had to have shot animals before. Maybe that was the problem. He’d always shot and killed animals, never a human. Killing a human, and one that you cared for, was quite different.
She shook her head to get the image out. Then she went to rub her palms over her eyes and saw they were covered in dried blood. Eyes wide, she looked up at Ray. “Drive to the guesthouse. I need to clean up before Maddy sees me like this.” She raised her hands, palms out, so Ray could see.
“You’re right. I’ll take you to the guesthouse first and you can wash and change your clothes.” His gaze wandered her body, head to toe. “You’ve got blood all over.”
Lyris glanced down at her clothing. “She was bleeding a lot. I’m afraid he might have nicked the subclavian artery. If he did, Marissa could easily lose her arm. Or die.”
“I asked the deputy to keep us in the loop. We should know something tomorrow. In the meantime, you clean up and then we’ll get something to eat. You need to get some food into you.”
She nodded. What else could she do? He was right. “Can you come back in twenty minutes? That will give me time to shower and change clothes.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Sure.”
“Hey, you’ll get blood all over you.” She tried to push him away without using her hands.
“It doesn’t matter. I already do. I hugged you earlier, remember?”
She melted into his embrace and sighed. “I suppose you did.” Lyris looked into his blue eyes and drew strength from his closeness. “Thank you.”
He helped her back into the vehicle, then climbed behind the wheel and drove to the guesthouse.
When he stopped, Lyris unfastened her seatbelt.
Ray killed the engine and climbed out of the truck. He walked around the front to her side and opened the door.
Lyris slid from the passenger seat to the ground and into Ray’s open arms. Then she looked up at him. “I’ll see you in twenty.”
He kissed her forehead. “Okay. I’ll be back. But I need to shower and change clothes, too. I’ll be back in a half hour. How’s that?”
“That will be great. See you then.”
He let her go and headed toward the big house.
Lyris went inside the guesthouse and walked straight to the bathroom. She stripped, left her clothes on the floor, and climbed into the shower which she’d turned on as hot as she could stand it.
When she was clean and dressed, she combed her hair and then ran her fingers through it to fluff up the curls. By the time Ray returned, she was ready to go and face the inquisition from Maddy and Amy.
They’ll probably ask how she could get taken, but hopefully they would understand she couldn’t let anything happen to the horses. Would they know about Marissa’s shooting? How much could she tell them without harming the police investigation?
After an early supper and the conversation with the family, Lyris was exhausted. She and Ray walked back to the guesthouse.
Ray locked the door behind them and then took Lyris into his arms. “How are you?”
She leaned back, knowing he would hold her, and shifted her gaze to his. “I guess I’m a little numb. Thank you for coming for me and being here. I don’t want to be alone.”
His gaze softened. “Lyris, I want you to understand something. I tried to give you the time you needed. I tried to stay away. But I will always come for you when you need me. I will always be here for you. I want you in my life, in Maddy’s life, forever. I don’t know how much clearer I can be to you.”
Her heart pounded and she smiled with joy. “Is that a proposal? I want to make sure, before I answer.”
Grinning, he nodded. “Not a very good one I guess, but yes. Will you marry me?”
She nodded.
He lifted a brow. “I need a yes.”
She grinned, turned, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“I love you, Lyris. I think I fell for you as soon as you stepped out of your Yukon and strutted your way over to me.”
“That’s good because I fell for you when I looked in your eyes. Your beautiful blue eyes. I didn’t want to. I fought it, but in the end, I couldn’t deny what I felt. I love you, too,”
He lowered his head.
She closed her eyes.
His lips met hers.
Lyris sighed, loving the feel of his lips, soft and yet firm against hers.
He kissed her and pulled her tighter.
She opened as his tongue greeted hers and they danced, loving each other as much as a single kiss could.
When they broke apart both were breathless.
“When should we tell Maddy?” Lyris still had her arms wrapped around his neck and wasn’t about to let him go.
“Tomorrow. For now, I want you to get a good night’s sleep. You need it.”
“How can I possibly sleep with so much going on?”
Smiling, he squeezed her close. “I’ll hold you until you relax. Come on.” He led her to the bedroom. “Get ready for bed. You can sleep under the covers and I’ll sleep over them and hold you all night. Nothing will disturb you. You’ll sleep and then tomorrow, we’ll start our new lives together.”
“I’d like that.”
Lyris knew her life was just beginning. All that had come before brought her to where she was now, and though much of it was hard and hurtful and sometimes scary, she wouldn’t be where she was if she hadn’t gone through it.
After she changed into her sleep shorts and a tank top, she crawled under the blankets and then laid her head on Ray’s chest. His muscles were firm against her cheek and his heartbeat soothed her.
He curled around her, tucking her close and kissed her hair.
Finally, after all these years and after the most horrible and most wonderful day of her life, she felt like she’d finally come home.
The next morning when Lyris awoke, she was cuddled against Ray. His arms were still around her.
“Hi, beautiful.”
“How long have you been awake?”
“For a while. I’ve been watching you sleep.”
“She wiped her mouth. Did I drool? I’m sorry.”
He chuckled. “Just a little. I don’t mind.”
“We should get up and talk to Maddy.”
“We should.” He didn’t move from holding her.
She was a bundle of nerves. What if Maddy didn’t want her to marry Ray? What if she hated the idea?
Lyris dressed while Ray did the same. Then they walked together to the main house for breakfast.
The girl in question walked into the kitchen. She yawned. “Hi, everyone.” She poured a glass of juice before settling in at the table. She covered another yawn with her hand.
“Maddy, sweetheart, we have something to talk to you about,” Ray held Lyris’s hand under the table.
She was glad he did because it settled her and calmed her shaking.
“Sweetie, you know I love you but it’s time?—”
Maddy jumped to her feet. “Oh, my God, you finally did it. You asked her to marry you.” She put her hands on her hips. “It’s about darn time.” She ran around the table and hugged Lyris tightly. “I’m so glad. I’ve wanted a mother.” Maddy gave her father a sidelong look and narrowed her eyes. “I thought I was going to have to ask her for you.”
Ray chuckled.
Maddy threw her arms around Ray’s neck. “I’m really happy for you, Daddy. So happy.” She turned toward Lyris again. “Welcome to the family!”
Lyris couldn’t have been happier.
“Thank you, Maddy. I couldn’t do it if you weren’t on board.”
“See, Daddy? That’s the perfect woman for you…for us. She cares about us, not just herself, and she’s not trying to send me off to a boarding school.”
Ray’s eyes widened. “You knew about that?”
“I knew. I also know you turned Marissa down flat.” She kissed his cheek. “Thank you. You’ll never know how much it means that you cared for me first.”
He wrapped his arms around her and looked over at Lyris.
His eyes were bright with unshed tears that rolled out when he blinked.
“I always think of you first. You’re my baby and always will be.” He pulled back and kissed her forehead.
Lyris’s eyes teared up, too, at the happy looks on both father and daughter.
This was her family; he would be her husband, and Maddy would be her daughter. She might not call her Mom, but that was okay. The teen already had a mother, and from what she knew of Francie, she’d been a great mother.
Lyris knew she’d be a great mother, too. She was glad that she would have the chance now. All her dreams were coming true, all because she’d taken a chance and come to Whispering Winds Ranch.
Two weeks later
Lyris was in the barn checking over the colts and the filly. Colt number two had recovered completely from the poisoning.
She let the babies and their mothers out into the corral attached to the barn. Even though there weren’t any traps in the pastures now, Lyris was still leery about letting them into the small pasture.
Ray walked into the barn. He walked over to Lyris and wrapped her in his arms before giving her a passionate kiss.
“What was that for?”
“I just heard from the sheriff. Ted, Marissa and Scott have all been charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and for the poisoning of the colt. Ted is singing like a canary. He said it was all Marissa’s idea. He was just following orders.”
“What will happen now?”
“They’ll stand trial and hopefully go to prison. Marissa won’t do well in prison, but I don’t see that she has anyway around it. No matter if she confesses to all or part of the plan, she’ll still do some prison time.”
“She should. All this started because of her greed. She could have hurt someone, even killed the colt because of her greed.”
Ray took her in his arms. “We don’t have to think about them anymore. They are the problem of the justice system now. They are going to look into Francie’s murder now, too, because of what Ted told you.”
She put her right hand over Ray’s heart. “Oh, Ray, I’m so sorry about Francie. Marissa’s greed caused all of this from Francie’s murder forward. I hope they throw the book at her.”
He leaned down and kissed her lips. “We need to look forward not back. I believe Francie would be happy that I’ve found you. And Maddy loves you, too.”
“I love her, but her daddy holds my heart.”
“I’ll take care of it, too. Just as you will mine.”
“I will. Forever, my love. Forever.”