Jessie made some sandwiches and coffee while Brady took care of her horse and waited for Red. The two men wolfed down a sandwich before they headed out to fix the fence, taking their coffee with them.
Jessie sang while she worked in the kitchen, stopping once to double-check the door locks and then laughing at herself. Looking up, she gave a little gasp and snatched the paddle off its hook and carried it into the bedroom.
"Geez, I almost forgot to take it down," she said out loud. "I really don't want Red seeing that."
Jessie slid a coconut cake into the oven and set the timer, then she turned her attention to the fat pork chops she was going to stuff for dinner. She washed potatoes and wrapped them in foil and got a package of her home frozen sweet corn out to thaw. She tossed a salad and put it in the refrigerator and mixed up a bottle of her Italian salad dressing. By the time the cake was cooled and frosted, it was time to put the potatoes in the oven. Then she sat down to read for a little while.
* * *
In the pasture, Red and Brady had gotten the tree branch cut up and the fence repaired. They looked the tree over, shaking their heads.
"Look at that, Brady, there are at least two other branches that are going to come down anytime, and one of them is a helluva lot bigger than the one we just took care of."
"Yeah," Brady said. "It'd probably be best to take the tree down before it does more damage."
"Well, we won't get that done today," Red said. "I can come back tomorrow morning if you want me too."
"I'd be grateful, Red. Jessie can fix us up with sandwiches, and we can spend the day out here if we need to."
Red grinned. "And I can probably score Jessie's dinners two days in a row. Deal."
Brady laughed. "Well, let's head back to the barn, and we can get everything together that we'll need tomorrow and do chores. By that time, dinner will probably be ready."
Brady gave Jessie a call and told her he would take care of the chickens, and they gathered up their tools and started back to the barn. An hour later, they were in the house enjoying a cold beer while Jessie put the finishing touches on dinner. When they sat down at the table, Red gave a long whistle at the sight of the food.
"Damn, Jessie, that looks like heaven on a tabletop."
Jessie laughed, and the three of them enjoyed a good evening of food and conversation.
Chapter 20
Jessie was up early to fix a hearty breakfast and pack sandwiches for the men. Red got there bright and early, and they were soon fed, chores were completed, and they were on their way out to cut down the tree. Jessie cleaned the kitchen and put some laundry in before she sat down to contemplate what to make for dinner that evening. She didn't have to make dessert since there was plenty of coconut cake left. Brady called her a couple of hours after they had left the house, making sure that everything was okay.
"Everything's fine, Brady. All quiet here. I'm doing laundry and trying to figure out what to make for dinner."
He chuckled. "Whatever it is, it'll be good. This tree is really going to be a job; we'll probably be out here most of the day. Call me if anything bothers you."
"I will, I promise. You guys be careful."
"We will. I'll call you again after a while. Love you."
"Love you too," Jessie said absently, clicking off the phone.
On his end, Brady stared at his phone for a full minute and then broke into a huge grin. He clapped Red on the back and said, "Finish that coffee; let's get to work."
Red stared at him and shook his head. "Man, you're awfully happy about cutting down a tree in the cold."
"Hey, it's a good day."
An hour and a half later, he called again, and Jessie assured him that everything was fine and she wasn't planning to leave the house. She never realized what she had said to Brady at the end of their first call, and Brady still had to grin every time he thought about it. They spoke again when Red and Brady stopped to eat their sandwiches, and then the two men got back to work.
The next time Brady stopped to call Jessie, he realized it had been over two hours. He let the phone ring until it went to voicemail and then tried again. Still no answer. He left her a message and told her to call him then hung up with a frown on his face. An hour went by, and his phone never rang, and he began to get genuinely uneasy.
"I don't like this, Red," Brady said. "I know we can't leave this tree like this; it's about to go down. Let's hurry up with it and then get to the house."
"Okay," Red answered. "She could be doing anything, taking a bubble bath, who knows."
"Yeah, I know. But I need to know for sure."
They got back to work, going as quickly as they safely could.
* * *
Jessie clicked off her phone, smiling, and put a chicken in her stockpot, adding water, carrots, celery, and herbs. She turned the heat down to a low simmer and covered the pot once it had come to a boil. Next, she went to put her laundry in the dryer, humming to herself, and talking to Indy. The dog wriggled and wagged her tail, poking her nose into Jessie's hand and making her laugh. She thought she heard her phone ring, but Indy distracted her, and by the time she turned the dryer on, she had forgotten it. She made a batch of cookies, and as she pulled the last sheet of hot cookies out of the oven, there was a knock at the front door.
Jessie frowned and said, "I wonder who that could be." Then her face cleared as she remembered that she was expecting a package in the mail.
Jessie went to the door and pulled it open, a smile on her face to greet the mail carrier. Then her face froze in shock as Dan Whitman came through the door with one hard shove. Indy streaked toward him, and he swung the baseball bat he was holding. There was one sharp yelp and the dog dropped to the floor and lay there without moving. Dan closed the door as Jessie cried out and went toward her dog. He grabbed her arm and jerked her closer to him as he kicked the door shut behind him.
"You and me got some business, bitch."
Jessie's mind wouldn't work. She looked around frantically, searching for something that could help her. Dan hustled her into the kitchen to the mudroom, where he yanked her coat off its hook and told her to put it on.
"Now, we're going to walk out the front door just like any two friends would, and we're going for a ride. If you don't want me to bash that dog's brains out, you'll cooperate and don't make a fuss."
"No! Don't hurt her, don't, I'll cooperate." Jessie was shaking uncontrollably.
He held her by the arm and walked her to his truck, where he opened the passenger door and pushed her in. He quickly got in, and a moment later, they were driving down the road. Jessie tried to calm herself, slowing her breathing down, her mind racing.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going where nobody's going to bother us until our business is done."
"What business? Dan, this is crazy. Take me back, and don't make things any worse for yourself. It's not too late to keep yourself out of real trouble."
Dan shot her a quick, bitter glance. "Don't be stupid. You've already wrecked my life. By the time this is over, I won't have a job, a home, anything. I'll be in jail because of you and that fucking asshole you live with. So I'm going to get what I want before my life is over. And you're going to pay, bitch. And that means that fucker is going to pay, too."
His words struck Jessie with terror. She tried to think of a way to talk to him that could help her, but her mind was blank. He was completely unreasonable, blind with hatred. She was scared to death of what he was going to do to her.
* * *
Brady and Red were racing toward the house when Brady's phone rang. He stopped the four-wheeler and answered it.
"Brady." It was the sheriff. "Dan's on the loose. We got a signal from his ankle monitor, but he was already gone from work when we got there. He clipped it off at work and ran."
Brady's heart stopped. "Jessie's not answering her phone. I'm on the way to the house from the back pasture."
"I've got an alert out to the st
ate police for Whitman and his truck. My men are searching. I'm headed to your place."
Brady gunned the four-wheeler, pushing it as hard as he could. He ran to the house, cursing when he had to fumble for his keys to unlock the door. He yelled for Jessie, but there was no answer. The stove was on and chicken was simmering in the pot. There were freshly made cookies on the counter. He called for Jessie again and heard a low whimper. He strode to the living room, where Indy was struggling to get up. Brady's blood ran cold and, just then, the sheriff roared into the driveway, skidding to a stop in the gravel.
Brady pulled the front door open, noting that it wasn't locked, and went to the dog. Her breathing was labored, but she was still struggling to get to her feet. He kept her down, and Bret ran into the house.
"Is she here?"
Brady shook his head numbly. "No. The dog's been hurt, and there's a pot on the stove, still cooking. I didn't check the other rooms yet."
"Stay here," Bret ordered.
Hand on his gun, Bret quickly checked the rest of the house, finding it empty. He called the vet and asked him to come and get Indy.
"Brady, I need you to look around and see what's here and what's not. Her purse, phone, the things she would normally take with her."
In a flash, Brady was back. "Her purse, phone, keys, they're all here. Her coat is gone."
Red came through the door and said, "There's nobody in the barn."
The sheriff said, "Red, would you stay here with the dog until the vet gets here to pick her up? Brady, you come with me."
Red nodded and said, "After the vet leaves, I'll start driving around, see if I can spot Whitman's truck."
Bret nodded. "Stay in touch."
While Red waited, he got on the phone to Mitch. In minutes, there was a network of phone calls storming the town, spreading the word to watch for Whitman, Jessie, or Whitman's truck. Soon the vet got to the ranch and carefully checked out the dog.
"I'll take her in and get some x-rays. It looks like she took a blow to the ribs and maybe the shoulder. I think she's going to be fine, but I'll take good care of her and keep her until Jessie gets back."
"Thanks, Doc," Red said. "Now I'm going looking for Whitman. Tell everybody you see to watch for him."
"I will. You be careful, and good luck."
The sheriff was on the radio as he raced down the road. He signed off and told Brady, "Somebody spotted Whitman's truck headed out of town."
"Where?"
"Out on State Road 14."
"What's out there?" Brady asked.
"There's a truck stop, a couple of gas stations, and a few miles farther out, there's an old motel. It's open, gets mostly truckers. I'd say that's the best place to look first."
The radio crackled again, and the dispatcher reported that another person had called and claimed to have seen Whitman's truck. Still on 14.
"How far is it?" Brady asked.
"From here, about twenty-two miles. Hang on."
Bret pushed the truck even faster, lights flashing and siren blaring.
* * *
Dan Whitman pulled into the parking lot of the shabby motel and parked on the back side, away from the road.
"Don't you have to go to the office?" Jessie asked hopefully.
"Yeah, if I was stupid," Dan said. "I rented this room days ago. Don't move."
He got out of the truck and moved swiftly to her side, where he pulled her out and over to the door he was parked in front of. He unlocked it and shoved her inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He went to the little refrigerator and opened it, getting himself a cold beer. He twisted the top off and gulped down half the beer at once.
Jessie's hands were shaking as she asked, "Can I have one of those?"
Dan sneered at her and said, "Why not? Get you nice and relaxed and ready to have fun."
Jessie hid the shudder that his words caused and reached for the beer he handed to her. She opened it and took a sip, looking around the room to see what it contained, looking for a weapon or an escape route. She knew that, at the very least, she had to stall for as long as she could. Brady would know something was wrong when she didn't answer his calls.
There was a bed with a nightstand and a lamp that was bolted down, a round table with two chairs, and a dresser with a mirror. Basic motel room. She couldn't see if there was a window in the bathroom from where she stood.
"Take your coat off. Get comfortable," Dan said.
Jessie shivered. "I'm a little cold."
"Take your coat off." His voice was like steel. "I'll have you warm enough in no time."
Jessie slowly unfastened her coat and slipped it off, draping it over one of the chairs. She pulled out the chair and sat down, sipping at her beer again. Dan drained his and got another one. She looked him over carefully and could see that he wasn't wearing the ankle bracelet. Dan watched her face and gave a sharp laugh.
"Trying to figure out how I got free, aren't you? It's not that hard to get out of their stupid ankle bracelet when you've got a few tools around. Took me less than a minute in the men's room at work to get rid of it. It's not like this is a big city where they got a cop on every corner ready to come get you. I just had to be ready to go in a hurry."
"Dan, that's going to make everything so much worse for you."
"Like you give a shit about that? All I want is to have this day and do everything I've been planning to do to you. Then I don't plan to go any further. I'm not going to trial, and I'm not going to jail. And that's okay with me."
Cold chills ran down her spine. He wasn't planning to live past today. Stalling, she sipped her beer, trying to think. God, Brady, please get here!
"All right, that's enough talk. It's time to get down to business." Dan leered at her and got to his feet.
Dan jerked her to her feet, upsetting her beer, and pulled her against him. He twined his hand in her hair and jerked her head back, going after her mouth with his. Jessie, sickened, twisted and struggled to keep him from touching her mouth with his. When she couldn't get away from him, she bit him as hard as she could. Dan pushed her back and backhanded her violently across the face, his other hand going to his bleeding lip.
"Fucking bitch! You're going to pay for that!"
He grabbed her by both wrists and shoved her against the wall, pinning her hands above her head. When she still twisted her face away from him, he fastened his mouth on her neck as if he was feeding on her. Jessie suddenly went still, slumping against the wall. Surprised, Dan backed up a step and his grip on her wrists loosened. It was just enough to let her jerk free and grab the beer bottle from the table, swinging it against his head as hard as she could. Just in time, he dodged away and she only struck a glancing blow to his head. Then he hit her so hard that he knocked her to the floor and followed his blow with a vicious kick to her ribs. Jessie's vision went blurry and she struggled to breathe.
Dan hauled her off the floor and flung her onto the bed. She still couldn't get her breath or see clearly, and a moment later, he was taping her wrist to the headboard of the bed. Jessie struggled as well as she could, but he taped her other wrist to the other corner of the headboard. Then he stood back, breathing hard, and sneered at her.
His voice was cold as ice. "Now, I'm going to have some fun."
He stepped forward and grabbed the neck of her shirt, ripping all the buttons off with one hard jerk. Jessie's eyes closed and she tried desperately to call Brady with her mind.
* * *
Bret finished calling for backup and switched off the siren. They were close to the motel, and he had one of his feelings that they would find Whitman there. They drove into the parking lot and Brady shook his head, looking in vain for Whitman's truck.
Bret said, "There are more rooms around the back."
He swung around the end of the building, and they both saw the truck they were looking for.
"You stay behind me, Brady."
Bret drew his gun as he got out of the truck, and the two of
them went silently to the door of the room that Whitman was parked in front of. The sheriff put his ear to the door, and hearing a crash and muffled swearing, he broke in the door with one hard kick. The sight inside made Brady's blood run cold. Jessie was tied to the bed, and Whitman was leaning over her, reaching for her breasts. In a split second, Brady had him on the floor and was beating him in a hot rage.
Bret grabbed him from behind, swearing. "Brady! Stop it, you're going to kill him! Go to Jessie!"
Only Jessie's name penetrated the roaring in Brady's ears. He stumbled to his feet and went to the bed, calling her name over and over as he pulled the tape off her wrists. He gathered her carefully into his arms and winced at the sight of her swollen face and bloody lip.
Her breathing was a high pitched wheeze, and he was afraid to move her. But she opened her eyes and looked at him and actually tried to smile. "You came." It was just a whisper.
"Always."
Bret was yelling into his radio for an ambulance, his knee pressed brutally into Dan Whitman's back while he pulled his handcuffs out. The backup officers ran into the room, followed by several state troopers. Jessie's shirt was open, the buttons ripped off, but the rest of her clothing was intact. In a few minutes, the ambulance was there and the paramedics were working over her. They hooked her up to an IV and put an oxygen mask on her before they carefully loaded her onto a stretcher. Brady got into the ambulance with her, never letting go of her hand, and they sped toward the hospital with lights and siren.
* * *
There was a small crowd in the waiting room at the hospital. The doctor had told Brady that Jessie had three broken ribs and a punctured lung. They needed to insert a chest tube, and Brady was frantic with worry. Kayla was there, along with Red, Mitch, the men who had helped watch Dan when he'd been arrested the first time, as well as Annie and a couple of other ladies from the church. When the doctor finally came back out, he was smiling. He let Brady know that Jessie was going to be fine, although she was going to be there for a few days. It would take some time to recover fully, but she would recover. She was bruised and sore and on pain meds, and they would leave the chest tube in at least overnight. And she had not been sexually assaulted.
Jessie’s Dusty Dreams Page 19
