Chapter Eleven #2
Garrett stared at the door, worried she might wake before he returned. “You’ll call if she wakes and if she’s scared?”
“Yes, I will,” Rebecca promised.
Jameson placed his hand on his shoulder and gave him a small shove as if telling him the sooner they left, the faster they returned. They climbed into the truck, and Jameson headed to the store.
“They did a number on her face. It’s not acceptable, and they need to pay,” Jameson said darkly.
“They will. First, I must get Riley and her sister settled. They can’t stay at the apartment,” Garrett said, thinking of the extra room in his cabin.
Riley might take his while Tara bunked in the other.
He spent many nights sleeping on a couch to avoid returning home, where his mom entertained her boyfriends.
“I’ll help you, brother. I’ve seen worse than Riley, and I can’t stand to see a man, woman, or child abused by some bully. I want to burn them all down,” Jameson said, his voice turned gravel.
“Dude, you want to talk about something?” he asked.
Jameson glanced at him and then turned his attention to the road, fighting with himself. “No. Man, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“What else does the ranch do besides cattle?” he asked. “Do you run special ops?”
Jameson shook his head. “Matthew warned you to stay out of the ranch’s business. Asking questions will get you booted. I suggest if you plan on sticking around while Riley heals, you keep your mouth shut.”
“It’s kinda hard when I watched how all of you operated today,” Garret said, warily. “I signed the paperwork and don’t plan on saying anything. How do you think I feel? I don’t know if you’re doing something illegal or what.”
“Think about it. If we operated something illegally, do you think we’d need an NDA?”
Garrett swiped at his chin. “I guess not,” he said as they pulled into the parking lot. He took out his phone and noted the sizes.
“Let’s get this over with,” he said, getting out of the truck.
The two men walked inside the store, garnering stares from other women as they perused the selections. Jameson picked a pale yellow dress from the rack. He held it against him as he showed it to Garrett. “What about this?”
“I like it.” Garrett saw a lavender colored one and instantly envisioned Riley wearing it. He checked the sizes and frowned when he didn’t see the one he needed.
An elderly woman approached them. “May I help you?”
“Yeah. Do you have this in the back? I don’t see her size here. She has a broken arm and leg, and I want to find some dresses she can easily wear,” Garrett explained.
“Oh, then, you’ll want to come with me. I have the perfect ones,” she said, leading them to the back of the store.
She pulled out several dresses, meeting his requirements, but he grimaced at each one. They reminded him of the duster nightgowns his friend’s mom used to wear as she lounged around the house.
“She can slip these on and off with hardly any assistance,” the woman exclaimed, adding them to his cart.
“We need clothes for Tara,” Jameson reminded him. “She’ll wear teen clothes.”
The woman tittered as she led them to the teen section. “Will she require dresses, too?”
“She can wear anything,” Garrett said, glancing down at the list Rachel sent. His eyes widened as he got to the intimate section. “Tara needs underwear and bras. Something comfortable and nothing sexy,” he insisted as the woman picked items up, waiting for his approval.
After several minutes, he took everything to the register and watched as the saleswoman scanned the clothing.
She reached for the dresses for Riley, and Garrett cringed, thinking they’d do nothing to bring out her eyes or show her toned figure.
Then again, they were meant to ease her discomfort with restrictive clothing.
With several bags in their hands, the two men left the store.
Garrett felt eager to return to the hospital.
Jameson pulled into the parking lot and helped him carry Riley’s bags.
Rebecca met them at the door. “I came outside to call you. Riley’s headed to surgery. Her arm requires pins and plates. They bruised her leg badly, but nothing’s broken. Most likely, it’ll feel like it is.”
“Shit,” he muttered, feeling guilty.
“She woke up for a few minutes and saw Tara. They spoke briefly, and Riley mentioned they planned to take a bus as soon as they left the hospital. I don’t think she realizes the extent of her injuries.
She won’t be able to work, and Tara told Rachel that Riley gave her the emergency fund from the cereal box.
They have a little over a thousand dollars.
It’ll be gone in no time,” she said, worried.
“Do you have a problem if they stay with me at the cabin? I can pay rent while they’re there,” Garrett asked, waiting for Rebecca to shoot him down.
“We have cabins they can stay in, but I don’t like the idea of the two of them alone. Something tells me Riley will run at the first opportunity. Do you know anything about the dad?”
“Tara seemed afraid of him. He came to the apartment, and she ran to get Riley. It’s when the bikers claimed she scratched one of their motorcycles,” Garrett recalled.
“You won’t need to pay rent. I’ll feel better if they’re close.
The same rules apply to them as to you. You’ll stick to your side of the ranch and do your job.
Speaking of which, Matthew said he gave you three days off to settle.
Take the week and help them establish a routine.
If the surgery goes well, she can return home tomorrow. Did you get her something to wear?”
“Yeah,” he said, holding out the bag. “One of the saleswomen helped us.”
“Good. Why don’t you take Tara and get something to eat? She might talk to you if she’s more relaxed. Right now, she’s pacing the floor like a cat on a porch filled with rocking chairs,” Rebecca suggested as she took the bag and led him to the waiting room.
Tara stood and ran to him, putting her arms around his waist. “Thank you for rescuing her. Did you see how badly they hurt her? Now, I wish she’d never come for me,” she sobbed.
Garrett put his arm around her, patting her back. “I haven’t known your sister long, but I hit her with my truck, and she still kept going. A broken arm and bruised leg will mend, and she’ll be as stubborn and strong as ever.”
“You think so?” Tara asked, wiping at her eyes.
“Why don’t we head down to the cafeteria and get a sandwich?
Rebecca will call us when she comes out of surgery, and you can stay with her when she wakes up.
Something tells me if she thinks you’re hungry, she’ll lie to get you to leave.
Why don’t we save her the trouble and get a bite?
” he coaxed as he led her down the hallway to the cafeteria.
“Order whatever you want,” Garrett said as he watched Tara pull out an envelope and check the prices on the wall. “I’m paying.”
“Riley says never accept charity. There’s always someone else worse off than you,” Tara repeated.
“How about we call it a lunch between two new friends. I want to get to know you. People buy their friends lunch all the time,” he said, reassuring her.
“I guess that’s true,” Tara said, biting her lip. “May I have a burger with fries?”
“Absolutely,” Garrett agreed. “I think I’ll get one, too. What do you want to drink? I’m in the mood for a root beer.”
Tara’s eyes widened. “I’ll have one, too.”
They gave their order and sat down a few minutes later with a tray loaded with their meals and drinks. Garrett managed to talk Tara into a piece of cherry pie, and he took an apple.
“Where did you and Riley come from? You said she stayed to make money,” Garrett asked as he picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup.
“Riley says we’re not supposed to talk about it. Someone might tell my dad, and he’ll make me go back,” she said, taking a shaky breath and sipping the root beer.
“Why don’t you want to go back?” he asked.
“My dad blames me for my mom’s accident, and he’s mean when he drinks,” she admitted softly.
“Mom wanted me to go to college, and Dad spent all our inheritance. Riley used hers to try to save the ranch, but he lied and didn’t pay the taxes as he promised.
He swore I’d never go to college as long as he lived.
A few days later, the bank foreclosed on the ranch.
Riley woke me in the middle of the night, and we needed to leave if we ever wanted a chance for happiness.
I didn’t want to stay with Dad, and I left with her. ”
“How did your dad find you?” he asked, biting into his burger and digesting every single word Tara told him.
She paused, picking at her fries. “I sent a letter to my best friend to let her know why I left. He must’ve coerced her into telling him.”
“When you say he’s mean, what does he do?” he asked.
Tara put her hands in her lap. “He gets drunk and yells at me. He says I killed my mom and deserve to go to hell.” Her eyes filled with tears. “One night, I went to sleep, and he came home drunk. He tried strangling me. If Riley hadn’t burst in and pulled him off me, I’d be dead.”
Garrett passed her a napkin to wipe her tears. “You know accidents happen on ranches all the time. Your mom’s death wasn’t your fault.”
“Riley tells me all the time,” she said, blowing her nose. “He did other things, too. Riley resembles my mom. When he drinks, he forgets…”
Garrett stiffened, ready to go search for the son of a bitch himself and send him to hell. “Did he ever hurt her?”
Tara shook her head. “Riley said he didn’t, but I think she got tired of fighting him off. She wanted to wait until I turned eighteen, and then she suddenly insisted we leave.”
Garrett swiped his mouth. The burger tasted like sawdust as he imagined Riley dealing with her father.
“Listen to me. If Riley comes home tomorrow, I want you and her to stay with me. She’ll need help getting around, and I've started a job at the ranch. They gave me a large cabin, and you two can take the rooms while I sleep on the couch. Nobody will bother you there and your dad won’t find you either. ”
“What about the bikers? Riley said we need to leave town,” Tara asked him.
“They won’t find you either. Mac told me he repaired the fence and no one can come inside like the other day when you drove the car to the farmhouse.”
Tara bit into her burger. “I can cook and clean. Riley loves to can vegetables, bake bread, and tend to the horses and cattle. I imagine she won’t feel like doing much right away, but we’ll figure out how to help pay the rent.”
“They gave me the cabin as part of my job. You won’t have to pay rent,” he assured her.
Tara’s mouth firmed and she shook her head. “Riley says if something comes for free, look for the strings attached. She won’t stay.”
“What if we made an arrangement? Can you cook or do laundry? I’ll be ranching all day, and I hate washing clothes.”
Tara’s eyes lit up. “Riley can cook, bake, can, and make preserves. I always do our laundry while she’s ranching. I can cook, too, but not as good as her.”
“There you have it. We’ll share the chores until she gets back on her feet,” Garrett grinned. “I’ll feel better knowing you’ll be there to help her. What about school?”
“I do online high school. It’s easy to enroll, and nobody asks questions,” Tara explained.
“Do you like it?” he asked, seeing her dim as she admitted they did it out of necessity.
Tara shrugged. “It’s better than staying at home with Dad. Riley does the best she can. I’m not telling her how much I miss the Robotics Club or having someone my own age to talk to about stuff.”
Garrett sighed. How much did they sacrifice for each other? He pushed back his plate and sipped his root beer as Tara finished her meal.
“Let’s head back up to the surgery floor. They said if your sister does fine, they’ll send her home tomorrow,” he said as she wiped her mouth and placed her napkin on her plate.
“Thanks, Garrett,” she said, rising from her seat.
“You’re welcome,” he said as they left the cafeteria.
He walked back toward the group, who suddenly got quiet as they approached. Rachel rose and smiled at Tara.
“Matthew and I plan to return to the ranch. The doctor said Riley will sleep the rest of the evening. Why don’t you come home and get a good night’s rest?” she asked.
“I can’t leave Riley,” Tara said, shaking her head. “I’ll stay here and watch…”
Garrett put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m staying and guarding her door.
Matthew and Rachel will protect you, and I’ll assure Riley you’re safe.
Both of you need your rest. Besides, she won’t know you’re gone.
They give people with her injuries plenty of pain meds.
She’ll be out like a light most of the night.
Matthew will drive you over in the morning. ”
“Will you call me if she gets scared?” Tara asked, still undecided.
“You bet. I’ll need you to relieve me in the morning.
I forgot to pick up a few things, and I need you to make me a grocery list. I like to eat a lot, and there’s nothing at the cabin.
We’ll need flour and sugar, but we need snacks.
Make sure to add things you and your sister like, too.
Don’t worry about the cost. We’ll work it out,” he assured her.
He watched as Rachel led her down the hall while Matthew glared at him. Jameson let out a growl. “I think you need to rephrase that, brother. We don’t make deals with underage girls.”
Garrett jerked back at the venom in his voice. “She said Riley won’t stay at the cabin if it’s free. I convinced her we’d trade chores to keep them safe. Get your head out of the gutter, brother.”
They sat in silence until the doctor finally came out.
Garret let out a breath as the doctor told them Riley would be fine with rest and time.
His chest felt lighter as they wheeled her into the room, and Rebecca informed the administrator that Jameson and Garrett would be guarding her witness.
After learning Riley’s story from Tara, Garrett vowed to help them both.