Cowboy's Vow to Protect

by Carla Cassidy

  “I don’t know. I’m taking it day by day right now and I’d rather you not mention it to anyone else. I don’t want anyone to know until I’ve had a chance to talk to Cassie.”

  Minutes later Flint was alone in the dining room. He ate his lunch quickly and then headed for the stables where his job for the rest of the day was to muck out the horse stalls.

  As he worked his thoughts continued to play and replay what Madison had told him about the attack on her. He didn’t think her keeping it a secret was good for anyone. The perpetrator needed to be arrested both for Madison’s sake and for the sake of any other woman he might go after.

  At five o’clock he was back in his truck and headed for the cabin and Madison. There was no question he was developing feelings for her, feelings that confused him because he’d never felt them before.

  Certainly, he felt a protectiveness over her and he enjoyed her company a lot. But there was a simmer inside him, a simmer that whispered of something exciting and raw each time he got too close to her. However, he knew he had to keep a lid on it, that it was totally inappropriate considering their circumstances.

  In any case she wasn’t going to be particularly happy with him tonight because he intended to press her hard for the name of her attacker.

  There was no way it was right for her to have to leave Bitterroot, to leave her home, because some pervert had attacked her. He was the one who had done wrong, so why was she the one facing terrible and life-changing consequences?

  He wanted the name so they could turn him into Dillon Bowie, the chief of police. Dillon was a no-nonsense lawman who would get the attacker behind bars. Then she wouldn’t have to leave Bitterroot.

  As usual when he pulled up in front of the cabin, she stepped out on the front porch to greet him. And as usual, the sight of her warmed him. She was clad in another one of her sleeveless dresses, this one a spring yellow that looked lovely with her dark hair.

  It was after another delicious dinner and when they were side by side on the sofa when he finally broached the difficult subject. “Madison, we need to have a serious talk,” he began.

  Instantly, a wariness leaped into her eyes and a frown line danced across her forehead. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  He took one of her hands in his as he gazed into her bright blue eyes. “I want the name of your rapist.”

  She yanked her hand from his and shook her head. She actually scowled at him. “I don’t want to have this discussion.”

  “Madison, you need to hear me out. He needs to be brought to justice.”

  “I told you to just leave it alone, Flint. I already told you more than I ever intended telling anyone.”

  “I can’t leave it alone. When I think of what he did to you, my blood boils.”

  Her gaze softened. “Another reason not to tell you his name. The last thing I want is for you to go off and do something stupid and then you wind up in jail.”

  “As much as I’d love to beat the hell out of him, I promise you that won’t happen. I want you to go into Dillon’s office and make an official report of what happened to you.”

  She grabbed hold of his forearm and squeezed it. “Don’t you understand? Didn’t you listen to what I told you? Nobody will ever believe me.”

  “That’s not true, Madison. I’ll believe you... Dillon will believe you.” He could tell she was still completely shut down by the darkness in her eyes and the stiffness of her body next to his.

  “Madison, I can protect you from him,” he said. “I swear I won’t let anyone hurt you, but turning him in is the right thing to do.”

  She jumped off the sofa, her body positively vibrating as she glared at him. “It’s easy for you to talk about what the right thing is to do. You weren’t the one beaten up and violated. He didn’t come to your door and try to barge in so that he could do it to you all over again.”

  “You’re right. I can’t even pretend to imagine what that was like for you. But I worry that while he’s still out walking the streets he’s preying on other women,” he replied.

  She suddenly looked stricken and her face paled. “I never thought about that,” she whispered. “I never thought about there being others.”

  Tears began to fall down her cheeks. Flint’s instinct was to get up and go to her, to comfort her, but he didn’t move from the sofa. She needed to decide what she was going to do without any more input from him. He’d spoken his truth and now it was up to her.

  She swiped at her tears and closed her eyes, her features tortured by whatever was going through her mind. She finally opened her eyes and her lips trembled. “Brad,” she whispered. “It was Brad Ainsworth.”

  He stared at her in stunned surprise. Of all the men in town, the son of the mayor, the man who hoped to fill his father’s office when he retired, was the very last man he would have thought to be guilty of this.

  Brad was well liked, well respected, by everyone in Bitterroot, but apparently the man had a very dark side that he managed to keep hidden in his day-to-day activities. The man was a monster.

  Flint got up off the sofa and went to her. He pulled her into his arms and held her close as she began to cry once again. “Thank you, Madison,” he said softly. “Thank you for trusting me with this. Now we’re going to get him arrested and where he can never hurt another woman again.”

  She leaned away and looked up at him. “I’m scared, Flint. I believe he’s dangerous and the very personification of evil.”

  “All the more reason to get him off the streets,” he said.

  He pulled her back against him and he patted her back reassuringly even though a touch of apprehension swept through him. As soon as they made an official report, they would find out just how dangerous Brad Ainsworth might be.

  In the meantime, Flint was determined to keep her safe; he just hoped his efforts to that end were enough.

  Chapter 6

  At ten o’clock the next morning Madison stood at the cabin’s front door waiting for Flint to show up. Her stomach rolled with nausea and her palms were damp. Her breath hitched in her chest with anxiety.

  Flint should be here at any moment and then they were going to Chief Bowie’s office so she could report what Brad Ainsworth had done to her.

  She felt half-sick with apprehension. What if Dillon didn’t believe her? What if word got out around Bitterroot and nobody believed her? In the eyes of the rest of the town Brad was a likeable, upstanding citizen. But she knew the truth about him. She knew the very darkness of his soul.

  There was no question that she was scared, but she had to admit to herself that there had been a bit of relief in telling Flint who was responsible for the attack. She’d held this inside for over three long months.

  Flint had promised her he’d keep her safe and that there would be no way Brad could trace her to the cabin, but she wasn’t sure how he intended to accomplish that. He was the one taking her to see Dillon and certainly word would get out about him being the one who was helping her.

  And the idea that Brad would know she was here all alone made her want to pack her bags and somehow escape. She rested a hand on her belly. Her pregnancy was definitely beginning to show and that scared her, as well. The last thing she wanted was for Brad to know on that night of violence against her he had fathered a child.

  She moved her hand from her belly to her forehead where a stress headache was beginning to pound. There was no question that she was scared. But she was also tired of being scared and hopefully justice would prevail, Brad would go to jail and she’d never, ever have to be afraid again. She had to believe it would happen that way. She desperately needed to believe it.

  A rumble of approaching vehicles sounded in the distance. She was expecting Flint, but it sounded like more than one truck coming. She went to the front door and opened it.

  Surprise shot through her as Flint’s
truck came into view, followed by half a dozen other trucks. They filled the clearing in front of the cabin. What the heck...?

  Flint got out of his truck and approached her. “I hope you aren’t angry with me,” he said.

  “What’s going on?” Whoever was with him now knew she was here in the cabin. Oh, God, she was no longer a secret. Her anxiety level soared off the charts. “Flint, for goodness’ sake, what are all these others doing here?”

  “I told some of the other men at the ranch what was going on. I swear they will keep your location a secret here, but this was the safest way to get you to the police station without anyone being able to figure out exactly where you’re staying and who is helping you.”

  She wanted to be angry with him for breaking her confidence, but she knew whatever he had done, whomever he had told, ultimately she had to believe that he had her best interest at heart.

  “These men won’t tell anyone that you’re here. I’d trust them with my life,” Flint said.

  “So why are they all here?” She looked beyond Flint’s broad shoulder to the variety of trucks.

  “They’re all coming with us to the police station. I don’t want you riding into town with me. Instead, I want you to ride with Mac McBride. You know him, right?”

  “He’s come through my line at the grocery store before. He’s always seemed nice.”

  “He’s a terrific guy, like all the men I brought with me are. If we all go into the police station together, then Brad won’t know who, specifically, is helping you.”

  A shiver of apprehension swept through her. What she wanted to do now was tell everyone to just forget it, that she’d changed her mind about going to report the crime. But Flint had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to make this work this morning, and then she thought of Brad possibly preying on other young women and her resolve to do the right thing returned.

  “Let’s go,” she said, just wanting to get it over with.

  Flint led her to Mac’s truck where Mac greeted her kindly as she got into the passenger seat. Once she was settled in, the caravan left the clearing and headed toward town.

  “I can’t thank you all enough for doing this for me,” she said to Mac.

  He flashed her a quick smile. “From what Flint told us, you’re doing the right thing and we don’t mind helping out at all to get a pervert off the streets.”

  “Still, I really appreciate it,” she replied.

  “No problem. At least we now know why Flint has been ditching us in the evenings and spending so much time at the cabin. He built that cabin as a place to get away from everyone and everything. It’s nice to know he’s been sharing it with you.”

  “I’ve been cooking dinner for him each evening,” she replied. She found herself telling Mac about her arrangement with Flint. Talking about it was easier than thinking about talking to Chief Bowie about Brad.

  She finally fell silent and stared out the passenger window. Nerves once again began to twist her stomach as they entered the edge of town.

  There was no way to gauge what the consequences of her actions might be and that was what scared her so badly. When word got out would people shun her in the streets? Would somebody try to hurt her for speaking out about one of the town’s favorite sons? What kind of repercussions would there be?

  When Mac pulled up in front of the police station on Main Street, he told her to sit tight until all the other men were parked and getting out of their trucks.

  Once they were out, only then did Mac tell her to get out of his truck. When she did the men all gathered around her like she was some sort of a rock star and they were her highly paid bodyguards.

  Annie O’Brian, the police dispatcher, greeted them all with raised brows as they filled the small receptionist area inside the police station.

  “Uh, I’ll go get Dillon.” She jumped up from her desk and disappeared behind a closed door. When she returned, the tall, dark-haired chief of police was behind her.

  “Gentlemen...and Maddy.” He greeted them with obvious surprise. “What can I do for you all?”

  “Madison needs to speak with you in private,” Flint said.

  “Maddy, follow me,” Dillon said.

  She turned to Flint and grabbed his hand. “Come with me?”

  Flint nodded and together they followed Dillon to his private office. Dillon eased down in his chair behind his large wooden desk and gestured them to two straight-backed chairs that faced him. “So what’s going on?”

  Madison swallowed hard and squeezed Flint’s hand tightly. “I... I’m here to report an assault.”

  Dillon pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “What kind of an assault are you reporting?”

  “I... I was beaten and raped.” Her voice trembled uncontrollably and she swallowed hard in an effort to calm herself.

  Dillon sat up straighter in his chair and his gray eyes flashed darkly. “Where did this occur?”

  “At my trailer.”

  “And when did it happen?” Dillon asked.

  And with that Madison told him everything. She shared with him every ugly detail of the attack and while she did she couldn’t look at Flint. Even though he’d already heard what had happened, she didn’t want to see any pity in his eyes.

  She told Dillon not only about the first attack, but also that her rapist had come back and how she’d barred her door so he couldn’t get in. She ended with the morning Flint had found her in the Holiday barn.

  “And who did this to you, Maddy?” Dillon asked.

  She hesitated a long moment. “Brad Ainsworth,” she finally replied.

  Thankfully, the lawman didn’t raise an eyebrow or show any hint of skepticism. Instead, he began to ask her more questions about the attack.

  “Are you going to arrest him?” she finally asked when it seemed like every question he could possibly ask had been answered.

  “Maddy, it’s not that easy, especially since this happened several months ago. First, I’m going to need to conduct an investigation,” Dillon replied.

  “So he won’t be arrested today?” she asked with a simmering sense of panic.

  “It’s doubtful,” Dillon replied.

  “Madison has been staying in a cabin I have and she doesn’t want anyone to know that’s where she is,” Flint said. “That’s why all the men came with us this morning, so Brad won’t know where she is and who is hiding her.”

  “I’m scared,” Madison said softly to Dillon. “I know what Brad is capable of and he scares me half to death.”

  “There’s no reason for him to know where you are,” Dillon assured her. “These are serious allegations and I intend to take this matter very seriously. I will probably need to speak to you again at some point, but we’ll make sure any further interviews take place wherever you’re most comfortable.”

  Madison breathed a small sigh of relief. Hopefully, Brad would never know where she was staying and sooner rather than later he would be arrested. Before they finished up the interview, Dillon got directions to Flint’s cabin and Flint told him the phone number of his landline.

  Minutes later they walked out of the office where all the other cowboys were waiting. With Dillon’s promise that he would call Flint when he had an update for them, they all left the building.

  She rode back to the cabin with Jerod Steen. She’d always found him rather intimidating even though she knew in his spare time he worked with a lot of the youth in town at the community center.

  They made some small talk and then she fell deep into her thoughts. She didn’t know whether she felt better or worse by talking to Dillon. At the moment a veil of numbness had fallen over her. All she wanted was to get to the cabin and curl up in her bed beneath the covers.

  When they reached the cabin the rest of the men left, but Flint stayed. After they walked through the door, to her surprise, Flint pu
lled her into his arms.

  She leaned into his broad chest and reveled in the safety she felt in his embrace. He smelled of soap and sunshine with a hint of fresh cologne.

  “I’m so proud of you,” he said softly.

  Her heart expanded and she raised her head to gaze at him. “Nobody has ever said those words to me before.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “Not even your father?”

  She released a small, bitter laugh. “My father only spoke to me to tell me what he wanted for dinner. I spent eighteen years trying to win his approval, but never succeeded.”

  “I’m sorry, Madison. You deserved so much better than that.” His eyes were so warm and his mouth was so close to hers. A heat rushed through her.

  His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips and she leaned even closer into him. And then his mouth was on hers. It began as a gentle kiss, but when she parted her lips to him the kiss quickly became something hot and wild.

  His tongue swirled with hers and sweet heat rushed over her. She leaned more intimately into him and released a small moan.

  Suddenly, he pulled his lips from hers, dropped his arms from around her and took a step backward. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I... I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Madison raised her fingers to her lips where the heat of his kiss still lingered. She dropped her arm back to her side. “I didn’t mind it,” she replied. “In fact, I liked it. I liked it a lot.”

  Flint’s eyes flared wide and he took another step back from her. “You’ve already been violated by one man. I certainly don’t want to be another man who takes advantage of you.”

  “Flint, you’ve treated me with the utmost respect since the moment you found me hiding in the barn. I wanted you to kiss me.” She felt the warmth that leaped into her cheeks. “I’ve been wanting it.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and she heard the jingle of his keys. “We probably shouldn’t kiss again,” he replied, his gaze not quite meeting hers.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “It’s just probably not a good idea. Now, how about we eat some lunch?” He headed toward the refrigerator.