Cowboy's Vow to Protect

by Carla Cassidy

  “I just don’t want anyone trying to change my mind about the move.” She knew he didn’t believe her. She’d said too much initially when he’d stumbled upon her in the hay and she’d never told so many lies in her life. But the reason she desperately needed to escape Bitterroot was something she’d never speak about aloud. Even if she did, nobody would ever believe her.

  As they left the town of Bitterroot behind, a shiver raced through her. She clutched the seat belt fastener with one hand, just in case she had to bail out. Maybe she’d been foolish to trust Flint. Just because he had been pleasant when she’d seen him in the grocery store didn’t mean he was really a good guy.

  “Relax,” he said as if he’d heard her thoughts. “Maddy, I’m not a threat to you. I’m trying to help you.”

  “And I really, really appreciate it,” she replied. It comforted her somewhat that he was a Holiday Ranch cowboy. All the men who had been raised by big Cass Holiday had a reputation for being good, solid men.

  Once again they both fell silent. After they had driven a ways, he made a right turn onto a dirt, tree-lined road. They traveled that road for about five minutes and then he made a left turn onto another narrow road where trees encroached on either side. After several more minutes he made a right turn onto a narrow road that was more of a trail than a real road.

  Trees, casting dark shadows, crowded in and swallowed up the sunshine. The truck bounced over ruts in the road and a rabbit ran in front of them, successfully making it to the other side of their path.

  They were definitely in the middle of nowhere now. For all she knew they could be in another state...another country. If he dropped her off by the side of the road right now she wasn’t sure she’d know how to get back to town.

  Tension tightened her shoulders and knotted her stomach. What was she doing? Was he really taking her to a cabin? Or had she run away from the devil only to wind up in a different hell?

  Then they broke through to a small clearing where a cabin sat nestled among the trees. It looked like something out of a fairy tale. A tiny sigh of relief fluttered through her. At least he hadn’t lied to her about there being a cabin.

  It was a wooden structure with a big window in the front. A stone chimney rose up from the roof, promising warmth on a cold and wintry night. Although the last thing she needed to worry about right now was winter weather. She just hoped it was cooler inside the cabin than it had been in the barn.

  He pulled up in front and they got out of the truck. He grabbed her suitcase from the back and then together they walked to the front door.

  “What is this place?” she asked. Why would Flint have a cabin in the woods when he worked for and lived at the Holiday Ranch?

  “It’s my future,” he said as he opened the door. “Eventually I plan on quitting the Holiday Ranch and when that day comes, I’ll move in here.” He gestured her inside.

  She walked into a small but homey living area. To the right was the refrigerator and stove and cabinets that comprised a small kitchen. A table for two divided the kitchen area from the main living space.

  A brown sofa and recliner sat in front of a stone fireplace. To the left of the fireplace a television was mounted on the wall. A bright blue crocheted afghan hung over the back of the sofa, adding a pop of color. There was a cozy warmth to the space with its rich wooden walls and lamps shaped like kerosene lanterns on the end tables.

  It was definitely a male space. Other than the afghan, there were no decorative accents suggesting any feminine touches at all, but she admired the natural beauty of the space.

  “This is so nice,” she finally said as grateful tears welled up in her eyes. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to stay here for a day or two?”

  He looked away from her and cleared his throat. “I’m positive. I’ll just go and turn on the air-conditioner. It’s definitely warm in here.” He disappeared through one of the doorways off the main room.

  Suddenly, Madison was exhausted. After her car had broken down, she’d walked from her car to the Holiday barn. Then she’d gotten settled in the hay in the barn and had spent most of the night sobbing.

  She sank down on the sofa as Flint came back into the room. “The door on the right goes to my bedroom. The door in the middle is the bathroom and the door on the left is a guest room. I’ll just put your suitcase in there.”

  He grabbed the suitcase and once again disappeared. All she wanted now was to sleep, hopefully without dreams. If she just took a nap then surely she’d be able to think more clearly and figure out a real plan for what needed to happen next in her life.

  When he returned to the main room, he stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, jiggled keys and frowned. “Maddy, are you sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me?”

  “No, but I’d like to ask you for another favor. I hate to ask because you’re already doing so much in letting me stay here.”

  “What is it?”

  “I was wondering if you could call the garage and have my car towed in. I don’t have a cell phone.”

  “It wouldn’t do you much good out here. The reception is definitely spotty. There’s a landline phone on the nightstand next to my bed. But if you want I can make the call to the garage for you.”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

  He moved toward the front door. “I don’t mind.” She gave him the specifics of where the car was located and that she’d left the keys under the driver floor mat.

  “I should give you my cell phone number in case you think of something else you need. There’s a pad and pens in the drawer in the end table.”

  He pulled out the items and handed them to her. He gave her his cell phone number and she wrote it down. “There are a couple of cold drinks in the fridge, but other than that it’s pretty empty. I’ll go pick up some supplies for you and bring them back here.”

  “I can pay you for whatever you spend on me,” she replied. She did have some money...all of her life savings was tucked into a bra in her suitcase. Sadly, it wasn’t much to start fresh in another town, but she had to make it work. She’d never expected to have to leave Bitterroot behind, but now she had no choice. She had to escape.

  “We’ll worry about that later. I’ll see you in about an hour or so.” And with that he went out the door.

  She immediately got up and locked the door behind him. She then went to the room where he intended for her to stay. The room was just large enough to hold a queen-size bed and a dresser.

  The bed was covered with a white-and-yellow spread, a pleasing complement to the gleaming wooden walls. She stared at her suitcase at the foot of the bed and decided she’d unpack a few things later.

  She peeked into his bedroom, where the bed was king-size and covered with an attractive black-and-gray spread. There was also a dresser in this room, but there was nothing on top of it to indicate anyone lived here.

  Finally, with her exhaustion tugging heavily on her, she went back into the bedroom where her suitcase sat at the foot of the bed. She tugged it up to the bed and opened it. She wasn’t going to completely unpack, but she grabbed clean clothes and then went into the bathroom.

  After spending the night in the hay in the hot barn, she desperately needed a shower. She felt dirty and itchy and intended to take advantage of the fact that Flint was gone to take the opportunity of the much-needed shower.

  She found a stack of neatly folded towels beneath the sink and a bar of minty fresh-smelling soap already in the shower. There was also a bottle of shampoo on the floor inside the stall.

  She took a glorious shower and shampooed her long hair three times. Then, once clad in a clean summer dress, she beelined for the sofa.

  Pulling the blue afghan around her, she marveled that she was in this cabin where for the moment she felt comfortable and safe.

  For the moment...

  She couldn’t know wh
at might happen when Flint returned. Would he expect payment for his kindness? And would he want a different kind of payment other than money? Would he take what he thought she owed him by force?

  No...that couldn’t happen. She couldn’t let that happen. She got up from the sofa and went to the kitchen area. It took her three tries to find the drawer that held a variety of sharp knives. She grabbed the biggest, the meanest-looking one in the drawer and then returned to the sofa.

  As she got comfortable once again she squeezed her eyes closed against the heart and soul weariness that had battered her for the past couple of months. She’d never believed there would come a time when she would be so much at the mercy of someone else.

  In another lifetime she would have chosen to be with a cowboy like Flint. She’d always assumed that one day she’d marry a cowboy and live happily-ever-after on a ranch. He’d ride the range during the days while she stayed at home and raised babies. She moved her hand to rest on her lower belly.

  Those dreams...all her dreams for herself and for her future had been shattered on a night a little over three months ago. Now the thing that frightened her most was she couldn’t see a future for herself. She didn’t know where she was going to go or how she was going to survive.

  She touched the hilt of the knife, its presence next to her reassuring as she drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Before Flint got out of his car at the grocery store, he made the call to Larry Wright’s car dealership and garage to get Maddy’s car towed in. Then as he went up and down the grocery store aisles he filled his basket with the kinds of foods he thought a woman would like to eat.

  He remembered when he’d taken Jenny Oldham out to dinner she’d ordered a big salad. So he picked up a head of lettuce, a handful of tomatoes and several other fresh vegetables and then added a bottle of ranch dressing to his cart.

  He then remembered when he’d taken Laurie Brubaker to the café she’d ordered chicken breast, so he put several packages of that in his cart.

  Because he hadn’t dated that much it didn’t take him long to run out of knowing what else a woman might eat. He picked up staples like milk, bread and eggs and then he just started to pick up random items that he liked and he hoped Maddy liked, as well.

  It was a little over an hour later when he headed back to the cabin. As he drove, his thoughts filled with Maddy. He tried to think of all the things he might have heard about her, but there was really nothing to explain her hiding out in the Holiday Ranch barn.

  If what she’d told him was the truth, that she had just decided to leave town, then why hadn’t she just walked to Cassie’s house when her car had broken down? She could have requested a call to the garage and then asked for a ride back to her trailer. Why hide out in a hot, uncomfortable barn?

  He didn’t get it. But then he didn’t get women in general. He found them mysterious alien beings. They were complex and filled with emotions he didn’t always understand. He felt awkward in their presence and a couple of years ago he had just given up on dating.

  Besides, he’d always envisioned his future alone, especially now. Eventually, when he moved into the cabin and settled in, he might get a dog to keep him company. He was a simple man and all he had to do was figure out what his next job would be.

  Cassie paid a fair wage and before her, her aunt Cass had always seen that the men were not only paid well, but also understood the importance of savings and investment.

  He’d used up most of his savings on the land and the cabin. He couldn’t exactly move to the cabin and retire. Although he’d have no mortgage payment, there would still be utilities and groceries to take care of.

  He frowned and gripped the steering wheel more tightly. If not a cowboy, then what would he be? He shoved the troubling question aside as he pulled up in front of the cabin.

  Grabbing several of the grocery bags, he then headed for the front door. Finding it locked, he pulled his keys out and unlocked it.

  As he walked in he got a quick vision of Maddy asleep on the sofa. Her eyelids fluttered and suddenly she sprang up, her eyes wild with terror as she faced him with a butcher knife in her hand.

  She stared at him but he got the impression she wasn’t really seeing him. She appeared to still be half-asleep. Her entire body trembled as she raised the knife higher and stepped back from him.

  His heart banged against his ribs. “Maddy,” he said softly. He didn’t move a muscle. She looked like a wild animal and he knew the best way to handle her was to be gentle with her. “It’s okay, Maddy. You’re safe here.” He kept his voice low and smooth. “I promise I’m not going to hurt you. Nobody is going to hurt you here.”

  Her eyes slowly cleared and she lowered the knife. She appeared to crumble as she fell back to the sofa and began to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said between tears. “I had a bad dream and then I heard the door open and I... I thought you were a monster.”

  “There are no monsters here,” he replied. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

  She released a small laugh. “You just walked into your own cabin. I was the crazy lady with the knife. I was way scarier than you were.”

  He was grateful that her tears had stopped. She got up off the sofa and sat at the table. He set the grocery bags on the counter and then turned to her. “There’s a couple more bags in the truck. I’ll be right back.”

  Whew. He stepped outside and drew several deep breaths. His heart had definitely accelerated when she’d faced him with that knife. What in the hell had happened to her to warrant her taking a nap with a weapon? And then raise it to him as if she was terrified for her personal safety.

  He’d known if necessary he would have been able to take the knife away from her. He was just grateful it hadn’t gotten to that point. He grabbed the last two grocery bags out of the back of his truck and then returned to the cabin.

  “I apologize again,” she said. “Nothing like greeting a man in his own home with a knife.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s already forgotten.” He opened a bag of the groceries and began to pull out the contents. “I wasn’t sure what you liked so I tried to get a little bit of everything.”

  “How much do I owe you?”

  “We’ll worry about all that later.” He opened the fridge door and began to put the vegetables inside.

  It was obvious she had showered and changed her dress. She now wore a loose-fitting pink sundress that complemented her dark hair and blue eyes.

  She not only smelled of minty-fresh soap, but also of a field of sweet wildflowers. A whisper of desire blew through him. It was as unexpected as it was inappropriate. He’d always found Maddy very pretty but that was the last thing he needed to be thinking about her right now.

  “I can at least help you put the groceries away.” She got up from the table and opened another bag.

  It took them only a few minutes to put the groceries away and then once again she sat at the table and he stood with his back against the fridge.

  “There’s a couple of things I wanted to tell you,” he said. “First of all, help yourself to anything you want and let me know if there’s something else you need that isn’t here.”

  “I can’t imagine needing anything more than what you’ve already provided.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’d also like to ask you if it’s okay that while you’re here I can continue work here. I want to get a porch up and there’s more trim work to finish. Normally, I’m out here around five-thirty and I work until about eight in the evenings and then I go back to the ranch. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

  “Of course not,” she replied after only a moment’s hesitation. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you not getting your work done here.”

  “Did somebody hurt you, Maddy?”

  He could tell the question took her by surp
rise. She held his gaze for a long moment and then looked away. “Flint, I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, but please don’t ask me any questions.”

  She definitely had secrets...seemingly dark secrets, but she was here for only a short period of time and it was really none of his business.

  “All right, then,” he replied and straightened. “I need to get back to the ranch. I’ll see you again this evening.”

  “I’ll see you then.” She followed him to the door and the last thing he heard was her locking it after him.

  He was almost grateful she hadn’t told him what was going on. He didn’t want to know too much about her, especially given that unexpected touch of desire that had momentarily swept through him.

  Still, he couldn’t help but be curious. It was damned strange for a woman to take a knife to bed with her when she was sleeping. And he couldn’t erase from his mind that look of sheer terror that had been in her eyes when she’d jumped up from the sofa.

  When he got back to the ranch he pulled into the shed and then headed toward the barn to finish the cleanup. “Hey, Flint.” The deep voice came from behind him.

  He turned to see Mac hurrying toward him. “Everything all right?” Mac asked, a frown of worry across his forehead.

  “Yeah, everything is fine. Why?”

  “I came to help you in the barn, but you weren’t there. Then when I saw your truck was missing I just got a little concerned that something might have happened to you.”

  “Sorry to worry you,” Flint replied. “I had some personal errands to run. I should have told somebody I was leaving.” Of course, there had been no way to tell anyone what was happening because he’d promised Maddy he wouldn’t. And Flint wouldn’t break that promise.

  “As long as everything is okay, that’s all I care about.” Mac clapped him on the back. “Ready to knock out the rest of the barn?”

  “Ready,” Flint replied.

  Together the two of them went back inside where they stacked hay and talked about the hot weather, the work at the ranch and the health of the cattle and horses.