Chapter Twenty
Riley yawned and rolled over to find a note on the pillow beside her.
Good morning, Baby Girl,
I went to finish my chores early. I’ll return around noon and we can take Brutus and Storm for a ride. You fit perfectly in my arms, and it was hard for me to leave you this morning.
--Garrett
Riley grinned and lay back against the pillows, recalling every detail of their night together.
They lay in bed and cuddled for a while after their lovemaking.
Then, Garrett rolled out of bed and returned with a plate of cheese and crackers, cut-up apples, and pepperoni slices.
Garrett covered her cast and they showered in the hallway as he promised.
Well, they got to that part later, she thought, grinning.
The front door of the cabin opened, and Tara called out, “Riley, I’m home.”
Shit, she forgot about Tara. She hastily rose from the bed and threw on her nightgown. Her sister knocked on the door.
“Riley? You in there? It’s nearly eight, you never sleep in,” she called.
“I’ll be there in a sec,” Riley answered. “How did your sleepover go?”
“Oh my gosh. We had such a great time. Rebecca and Julio played board games with us after they put Megan to bed. She’s sweet. Do you know what happened to her?”
“No, I don’t,” she said, opening her bedroom door, shutting it behind her.
“Did you just get out of bed? Have you eaten yet? Delaney sent us homemade donuts. She made too many of them. Do you want one?” Tara asked, opening the box and picking her selection.
“I need coffee first,” she grumbled, while hobbling to the coffee pot.
“Oh yeah. Let me grab you a cup. What did you do while I spent time with Kara?” she asked.
“We went to the horse sale, and Garrett bought two horses. They’re beauties,” she said as she sat at the kitchen table. Tara brought her a cup of steaming coffee. She inhaled the scent before she sipped the steaming fluid. “Thank you.”
Tara rolled her eyes. “I know you went to the sale. You didn’t spend the evening alone, did you?”
“No. On our way home, Garrett took me to a barbecue place. They made the best brisket I’ve ever eaten,” she informed her.
“I like him. He’s super nice,” Tara said, hopping up to grab napkins.
“Yes, I agree,” she said, taking a donut from the box.
“Have you thought about staying here? Dad can’t get on the ranch, and I thought it might be nice if I went back to public school,” Tara hedged.
Riley set her donut down and gave her sister her full attention. “Did you forget about the biker gang? What about Dad waylaying you at the apartments? It won’t keep him from taking you from school, and I don’t know how I’ll get you back if he does.”
“I didn’t forget,” Tara said, scowling. “Spending the day with Kara reminded me of when we lived a normal life. I’m tired of running. You seem to like it here, too. Why can’t we stay?”
Riley shook her head. “It’s not a simple answer. There’s too much at stake. Maybe when we settle in Corpus Christi, we can enroll you,” she suggested.
“Yeah. Then Dad will come and ruin it all. I don’t even want to call him my father. He died the same day Mom did,” Tara said miserably.
“Try to remember the man he was before Mom’s death,” Riley suggested. “It doesn’t make it any easier, but I want to believe he’ll get help one day.”
Tara rose from her seat. “He’ll never be the same. He’s full of hate and alcohol. He chose his path. When you learned about the accident, you didn’t blame me. He did.”
“It’s the alcohol talking, not him. I’m not saying it’s right. We held each other up when Mom passed. I imagine it might’ve felt lonely losing your spouse and having two daughters to raise,” Riley surmised.
“Yeah. Especially one he hated,” Tara said, sadly. “I wish you’d stop defending him. He hurt you, too.”
“I know.” Ten years older than Tara, Riley recalled the loving home she grew up in.
After the accident, everything changed rapidly.
She found it difficult to reconcile this angry version of her father to the loving man who raced into her room to chase the monsters away after her nightmares.
It seemed he became one overnight. Riley slowly walked around the table and held her sister.
No words could erase their father’s words and actions.
She hoped by moving to a bigger city, he’d have trouble locating them and leave them alone.
After all, he disowned Riley for taking her sister’s side and Tara for her mother’s death. Why did he continue to run after them?
Garrett finished his rounds early, anticipating returning home. Brutus whinnied from his stall this morning when he entered to saddle Gus. The strong temptation of taking him for his first run grew strong, but he held out, wanting to share the experience of riding the horses with Riley.
A scream echoed across the field, making Garrett glance up and scan the area.
It sounded like a woman. Turning Gus in the direction of where he heard it, he galloped across the field.
A row of cabins came into view, and he heard the woman call out in anguish again.
Pulling his gun, he went around the back and inched his way forward.
Fury filled him as young women held each other and sobbed while Matthew and Julio held the screaming lady down, while someone in scrubs bent, giving the woman a shot. A few minutes later, the woman went limp, and Julio carried her inside the cabin.
What the hell was going on? Did he misunderstand why Matthew made him sign an NDA? He glanced around, seeing the children and women. Obviously, they kept them under duress and drugged them. He stalked forward as Matthew urged the women back into their cabins.
“You son of a bitch,” he said, slamming his fist in Matthew’s jaw, sending him to the ground.
Matthew scowled and held his jaw, sending daggers his way. “What the hell has gotten into you?” he shouted as Garrett grabbed his shirt and hauled him up. Matthew swung, hitting Garrett in the nose.
“You’re keeping innocent women here against their will. If you think an NDA will keep me from reporting you, you’re sadly mistaken,” he growled.
“You’ve got it all wrong,” Matthew spat. “If you’ll give me a minute…”
“I’m not giving you shit. You think I’m blind?” Garrett said, swinging again.
“Both of you, stop it,” Julio ordered. “Damn it, Garrett, if you don’t stop charging him, I’ll shoot you in the ass.” Julio grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him off Matthew.
A woman in a lab coat rushed out, carrying her bag. “Oh, my. Let me look at you,” she said, gently cupping Matthew’s face.
“I’m fine, Dr. Greene. How’s Grace?”
“The counselor will stay with her until she wakes,” she assured the men. “We’ll call her doctor and see what she says.”
Matthew sat up, still clutching his face and moving his mouth, testing if anything felt broken.
Garrett’s chest rose and fell heavily as he waited for an explanation.
“Come on. We’ll discuss this at the farmhouse. We’re scaring the women,” Julio said calmly.
“I’m calling the police,” Garrett gritted out as he watched the women scurry to their cabins.
“Give us ten minutes. Matthew, call Rebecca and tell her I need her to come to the farmhouse,” Julio said, swiping his jaw. “How did you get here? Didn’t we make it clear you weren’t supposed to come to this area?”
“Mac’s stump bothered him. He tripped this morning on a divot in the dirt. I assured him I’d take care of things. One of the items on his list included checking the fence the hands completed yesterday,” Garrett explained, still unsure about the men.
“Where’s your horse? You can put him in the barn over there and ride with us,” Julio said, pointing to the left.
Dr. Greene handed Garrett some gauze to stem the bleeding from his nose.
Turning around, he went to retrieve Gus.
He’d give them five minutes before calling the law.
He groaned when he realized he talked Riley into allowing her little sister to stay with Julio.
He knew how harsh the world could be, and what they already experienced.
Maybe Riley had good reason to stay cautious.
He climbed into the backseat, not allowing either of them to get a jump on him while they drove to the farmhouse.
The woman’s shrill screams still echoed in his mind, reminding him to stay vigilant.
Matthew parked in the driveway, and a minute later, Rebecca came out onto the porch, holding a cup of coffee.
Julio smiled on seeing her and took the steps in twos to reach her. When they stood together, he pictured little Megan, with hair the same color as Rebecca's, and nothing else. Did they take the little girl, too?
He slowly got out, scanning the area in case they tried to subdue him or thinking he’d let his guard down with the presence of Rebecca.
Matthew went inside, not bothering to hold the door for him. Julio smiled and shook his head as he invited Garrett inside after Rebecca.
They entered the living room, and Matthew came out of the kitchen, holding a bag of peas to his jaw.
Julio offered him a seat, but Garrett preferred to stand. The trio sat down.
Rebecca leaned forward. “Matthew tells me you saw the cabins. I guess it’s time we explained what we do here.”
“Where’s Jameson?” Garrett demanded. After watching the man, he knew Jameson held former military skills, and he didn’t want to get sniped in the living room.
“He’s out of town,” Rebecca informed him while sipping her coffee. “I know you have a ton of questions, and I promise to answer all of them if you’ll join us. It’s not what you think,” she said, smiling warmly.
Garrett sat in the chair beside her, still glaring at them.