Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
H ow had it only been a few days since he’d left Wayside? Connor braced his hands against the corners of his desk and bowed his head. Travel wasn’t in him. As a kid, the ranch always came first. There wasn’t time for a vacation. Now, he only left when he had to, never for fun. He wasn’t even sure he knew how to have fun outside of Wayside.
Brendon came through the door and locked the brake on his wheelchair in front of Connor’s desk. “I called, but they insist we’re outside of their jurisdiction. They said they are risking action against them if they come to help and instructed me to call the local line or the state police, but they are taxed right now looking for Viceroy. When I told them I have been doing that for hours, they had nothing more to offer. I know this is a unique situation, as small towns are, but I’m not sure what to do next.”
Connor gave a nod. “I don’t know off the top of my head. I hate to call a meeting when Edwyn and Sam were just called back in, and Cole and Eric are out there.”
Brendon frowned for a moment. “Yeah, that pretty much leaves you, me, Teddy, and Junior who is headed back to the vehicles to get the bags. He’ll be back shortly. Nadine is in her office and might have some ideas, but she is the first to say she doesn’t want any more action. Behind a computer is where she thrives.”
Connor snorted. “Not taking on any missions of her own from now on, huh?” He was sort of kidding, but she had instigated the mission that had gotten all the Wayside women abducted. To be fair, it was also the mission that got Viceroy arrested, so he couldn’t be too critical.
“She was sorry. That’s all that matters. And I can tell you she is truly sorry. She thought there was some kind of patriarchy going on here that was keeping the women from doing anything because we supposedly thought all women were weak.”
Connor’s brow rose slowly. “Um, we literally see the strength of women every day. They are more resilient than anyone. I protect the women here because I’m a man and that’s what God calls me to do. Not because women are inherently weak, but because they need time to heal.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to explain his thoughts to Brendon. The man knew all the reasons they were there.
“I know. I just wanted you to have a little insight into why she led everyone to Viceroy’s house without telling any of us.”
“Except Edwyn. He knew.” And that still bothered him. He’d always been able to trust Edwyn because he was a ‘by the books’ kind of guy. He never tripped or went down the wrong path. Then again, no one was perfect. Which was why he’d been forgiven and hadn’t lost his job. His first mistake shouldn’t be his last and grace in uncontrollable circumstances was pretty much the Wayside motto.
“Yes, he knew. Again, he was trying to keep Nadine from bolting. But we have here and now problems. Not last month’s problems.” Brendon rested both arms on the armrests of his wheelchair. “So, meeting, or will you and I figure out what needs to happen alone? At some point, those men will get cold or run low on gas. They can’t sit out there without their vehicles running. If we don’t have a police force and we can’t take action, then waiting is one thing we can do.”
Connor hated simply waiting around and seeing what they would do. They’d shot at a cop and trapped an entire ranch of people inside their homes. “What about the feds? These guys shot Nixon. I can’t blame the other officers for wanting to stay by his side instead of rushing into a situation where they are outmanned and outgunned. But the FBI? They could handle the situation.”
Brendon slowly nodded. “True. It’s possible. My worry is that the only place they can ‘fall back’ to, is Wayside. If they are under attack from both sides by the feds, they’ll simply drive right up our driveway and force the FBI to bring their guns up here. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a shootout in the front yard two days before Christmas. If it can’t be helped, then it can’t be. But that is most likely what will happen.”
“Which means we’d have to get everyone below ground again to avoid bullets. We both know the stress that caused last time we had to use it. Some of our guests would feel trapped, which is better than how they’d feel listening to gunfire, but we have to think of all aspects. Like you said.” Connor released his hold on the desk and folded his hands together in front of him, leaning on the surface because fatigue still weighed him down.
“True but feeling trapped is much easier to deal with than injury from gunfire or the trauma of watching another person be injured or even getting injured themselves. Sometimes, I think that’s harder for our guests to deal with than their own trauma. They can dissociate their own pain, but they can’t with the pain of others.”
Connor took a deep breath. “Then I feel like that’s our only course of action. You want to make that call?” Brendon was better at that sort of thing than he was. Normally, he’d even ask Lacy to call but at the moment, she was caring for Melinda.
“Sure. I also wanted to let you know that Dee and I have decided to go on a belated honeymoon in the spring. We didn’t want to travel in the winter, but in a few months when the grass comes back and travel is easier, we want to go and see some great sights.”
Connor nodded. This was the perfect opportunity to tell Brendon that he and Lacy had made progress the last few days, but he held back. What if she changed her mind? He knew he would never ask to separate from her ever again, but that didn’t mean Lacy wouldn’t. She’d lived here all this time as his friend, not his wife. Would she find that loving him was too hard and want to return to the way they’d done things for the last decade? Change was never easy.
“I’m glad to be home and glad to know you both are going. You don’t usually agree to travel, so I’m happy.” And he prayed Brendon’s travel ended nothing like the trip he’d just taken.
“Before you go, Melinda McFarland came home with us. She’s lived in an abusive relationship for many years and shows all the classic symptoms. The reason Lacy went to get her out was that Melinda felt sure her husband was going to try to kill her and make it appear like it was self-defense. He wanted a huge payout from a life insurance policy. He and his brother were somehow going to make it happen in his brother’s hotel so that it burned down in the process and he, too, could get a pay day.”
Brendon’s usually reserved face melded into horror. “With people inside? He was willing to burn down a hotel? Doesn’t he know how dangerous that is? Not to mention trying to kill Melinda.” He released the brake on his chair. “I’m going to call the FBI and file a request for help. We both know they may or may not come. Then, I’m going to check in with Nadine and see how she’s doing.”
Connor nodded, thankful Brendon was there to help him through this. “Thanks. Keep me posted.”
Brendon left the room and Connor sat alone in his office for a moment. Before he could even finish thinking how tired he was, Randy knocked on his door jamb. Connor waved him in.
“Hey,” Randy said. “Sorry to bother you. I know you had to get right back to your job the minute you walked in. Junior just brought all of our bags to the house. Where should I put them?”
Most of the area that was ready for people to actually live within the house was taken. There were beds down in the bunker and it was set up as a living space, but that could soon be taken over by everyone living at Wayside. Though, the men had to have been able to come from the Homestead, the ranch next door that he’d purchased so his men could live separately from work. If that was the case, then they could leave from there and not be seen, should the need arise. At least he had a plan B if needed.
“For now, ask Junior to show you to the bunker. That’s all I have that isn’t one of the cabins outside. We’ll have to clear those if these guys get too close to the house. You may as well get settled there instead of having to move right away.”
“Good plan. Should Melinda do that too?”
Connor gave a nod, glad to have something decided. “Yes, for now, that’s the plan. We’ll get you both set up with something more permanent when this is in the past.” Hopefully soon.
“Sounds good.”
As soon as Randy stood, Connor’s phone buzzed with a text. He glanced down at it and Nadine’s name splashed across his notifications. He opened it up.
Men are on the move. Closing in.
Lacy sat with Melinda as she completely cleaned a heaping plate of spaghetti with a mountain of sauce and meatballs. Thankfully, Melinda didn’t apologize for it either. Some women who came to Wayside limited the food they took because they were worried about looking like they were taking too much. She had to tell them Victoria made plenty for everyone and to take what they wanted.
“Ugh, I’m going to put myself in a food coma.” Melinda laughed. “At least I know I won’t get a stomachache from the medication.” She yawned.
The reminder made her think about what Connor had speculated in the car. “Did the doctor say what kind of side-effects the medication would have? You were pretty sleepy most of the ride home and it was a long drive.”
Melinda scrunched her brow. “I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about the hospital stay. I was pretty medicated the whole time. I remember various police officers coming in to talk to me, since I had to concentrate so hard on what actually happened. You’d be surprised how easily your brain decides to make things up that it doesn’t really remember. I had to do my best not to do that. How he managed it, knowing that the questioning would come under fire because they did it when I was medicated, was that he would read a doctor’s report to me and ask me what really happened. Some I couldn’t recall, and he told me he’d ask later. The last time they came, I insisted on letting the medication fully wear off so I could answer everything. I just wanted to leave that hospital.”
“You were only there a day and a half. They came multiple times to bother you when you were so badly injured?” Lacy couldn’t believe they would do that. Then again, their job was to arrest people who committed crimes, not take care of those victimized by it.
“Yes, at least three times that I recall. But the last time was the one that proved I’d been telling the truth. I never gave an account of what happened when Tod brought me to the ER for injuries. He was the one who did the explaining, which is a red flag in the ER. Any time the patient does talk when they can, it’s documented.”
“Good. I’m glad you had someone on your side. I can’t figure out how he was able to post bail and get out though. His brother was after us, so it couldn’t have been him.” Lacy stared at the Christmas tree, trying to make sense of the situation.
“It’s a small town. Even Randy’s father could be the one, though Randy said his father has almost nothing and lives on social security disability income, so I don’t believe he’s the one. I’m only using him as an example.”
“It’s interesting to me that he could be so awful behind closed doors and be so respected in the community.” Lacy grabbed Melinda’s plate and took it up to the bin for dirty dishes.
“Everyone, to some extent, is different in front of people than they are at home. Tod was just exceptionally different.” Melinda stood and pushed in her chair.
“I suppose you’re right.” Though this kind of difference seems so polar opposite that it was appalling.
Randy peered into the room. “Hey, Junior is about to show us down to our hideout where we’ll be staying for a little while. Ready to see your new place?”
“Down?” Lacy was shocked Connor had agreed to send them to the top-secret bunker below Wayside.
“Yeah, there aren’t enough rooms up here so he said we should go down there.” Randy shrugged. “I’m just doing what he says.”
There was no way he could’ve known about it unless Connor had said something, but she was still surprised. “Do you need any help bringing the bags down?”
Melinda smiled. “I think I can manage my little backpack. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. You literally saved my life. Probably more than once. I’ll never be able to repay you for this.” She gripped Lacy in a loose hug.
“Don’t think that way. I’m not looking for repayment. I want you to be healthy, happy, and safe.” And that was exactly why she’d come to her friend’s aid.
Randy led Melinda out of the dining room leaving Lacy on her own for the first time since Connor had come to her rescue. So many things had changed since then. He’d showed her his heart which was surprising since Connor was good at keeping himself guarded from everyone all the time. He had to be as their boss. He couldn’t show much emotion or risk the barrier of management being broken. That also left him separate when he needed people.
She sat back down at the table and took a sip of her coffee. She’d probably regret drinking it later when she wanted to sleep but with danger just down the road, she didn’t want to be caught nodding off. Ferd strode in and grinned at her.
“You’re home! I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re back. Even in a slow season, your job is so much more than I was expecting.” She plopped into the chair across from Lacy.
“You did a fantastic job. I know you mentioned the trees, but they are lovely. I don’t know who would complain. You did so much better than I ever have.”
She laughed. “Well, when you have to do both of them twice, you get good at it very quickly. Teddy helped me as much as he was able to. I should’ve asked him which tree went in which room, but I was stubborn. That’s what I get for assuming I knew what was going on.”
“I know it feels like a big deal, but you didn’t know we open presents in the living room. It’s really the only time the guests use that room at all, and none of the guests who are here now were here last year. You must have gotten pushback from the guys. So, I’m sorry about that.”
She shrugged a narrow shoulder. “I think it was more that it wasn’t you doing it. They are all very protective of you. Even if they are usually kind to me, they want you in your job. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to take over your position.”
“They’ll get used to it.” They had to because she didn’t want to stay in the situation she was in. It would be a conflict of interest if she was Connor’s wife and doing the job she had always done. She would be at risk of doing something to benefit her husband above the clients who stayed there. That couldn’t happen.
“I don’t know that they will, and I don’t know that I want them to. I like Wayside and what it does, but I’ve been thinking about things. Nadine told me about the Northern Guardians, in Minnesota. They train people to handle security. Sometimes, they even do big jobs like helping the Secret Service. I don’t know what I want to do, but that sounds fascinating.”
“And dangerous.” Lacy hoped she could stop that idea before it went any further. Connor hadn’t even taken the time to get to know his sister yet and she was thinking of leaving?
“That too. I don’t know. I haven’t made any permanent decisions yet. It’s on my mind though. Especially now that Connor’s brothers might be coming back. It feels like that family has a lot of healing to do and Mom and I might get in the way of that. Mom and Dad are together, that won’t change. I’m like an adult third wheel in this whole situation.”
“Wayside is your inheritance as much as Connor’s. You don’t have to leave. I understand your feelings, but the guys here will never adjust if you aren’t here for them to get used to. Know what I mean?” She refused to be selfish and say that she wanted Ferd to stay so someone could do her job. As much as she felt Ferd was perfect, that couldn’t be the reason why Ferd stayed, or she might hold it against Lacy someday.
“In my head, I know that. I know everything worth anything is work. I guess I was looking for you to tell me to chase after my ideas.” She laughed shortly. “I’ve never left Wyoming. I don’t know why, after just being here a month, I want to get back on the road and keep going. Maybe I’ll feel better if I stick it out here for a while.”
“I hope so. I’ve never had a sister before and if Connor and I get back together, you’ll be my sister-in-law.”
Ferd’s eyes widened. “Is that an option? I thought you both were strictly done?”
“We were, until I realized I was the one keeping us apart, because I was afraid of being hurt again.”
Ferd tilted her head to the side. “And now you’re not?”
That was a tough question, one that deserved an answer before she could ever agree to marry again. “Let’s say it’s under advisement.”