by Barb Han
Her worst fear was being lost in the woods.
Being a teenager in Cattle Cove, Ensley had been taught if she was ever lost in the woods to find water and follow it down stream to find a town. She’d never been a nature girl, per se. She appreciated the beauty but never had felt the need to spend her days hiking.
She heard the sounds of a twig snap to her right. Was it Mr. Stock? Levi? Oaklynn gripped Ensley’s hand even tighter if that was even possible.
Ensley froze and listened, not wanting to give away their location. She motioned Oaklynn to squat down. The sounds of crickets and cicadas and God only knew what else was out there roared.
Wind gusted, whipping through the tree tops.
As still as she could be considering her heart pounded the inside of her ribcage, Ensley listened. It could be an animal.
When it had been quiet for at least a couple of minutes, she nudge Oaklynn to stand.
“I knew we’d find you.” The male voice behind her startled them both. Ensley had to reach back into her memory bank to match that voice to a person. It only took a few seconds of searching for her to realize it belonged to Garth Becks.
She spun around and tucked Oaklynn behind her. A cold chill raced down Ensley’s back at the sight of Garth.
“It’s about time.” There was something distant and sinister in Garth’s voice.
She noticed a second male figure standing behind him.
“Ren?” The shock in Oaklynn’s voice sent another icy chill racing down Ensley’s spine.
“I’m sorry, sis. You should’ve left it alone.” The anguish in Ren’s voice was the exact opposite of the lack of emotion Ensley had heard in Garth’s.
“No.” The word was spoken in almost a whisper. Oaklynn seemed to know what her brother and Garth intended.
Ensley, out of the side of her mouth so that only Oaklynn could hear her, said, “Run.”
Oaklynn shook her head so hard that Ensley didn’t have to turn to see her. She sidestepped Ensley’s grasp and placed herself squarely in between Garth, her brother and Ensley.
“Not this time. I’m not running this time. If you’re going to kill me, go ahead. The life that I’ve been living…I might as well have been killed that night too.”
“Step aside. I’ll deal with you later.” Ren’s voice was half apology, half anguish.
“I won’t do it. Get it over with. You know what you came here to do.” There was so much resolve in her voice.
Ensley tried to pull Oaklynn back and failed.
As she gripped the picture of Cooper, she seemed to ready herself for whatever came next.
Facing down the men responsible for Cooper’s death, men now who would have only been teenagers then barely older than she’d been, sent a raging fire through her body.
“If you want to kill her, you’re going to have to go through me first.” She stepped beside Oaklynn, shoulder to shoulder.
“Perfect.” Garth’s voice was devoid of emotion. She wondered if he’d ever had any emotion in him.
Ren was the weaker of the two in every sense and it was pretty clear that he didn’t want to hurt his sister. He’d probably even led Garth away from his sister all those years ago. Mistakes were made. Lines were crossed.
The fact Oaklynn had survived without anyone coming after her made so much sense now. Family ties had kept her from coming forward, long after her memories came back of that night. In her way, she was protecting her brother and sacrificing herself in the process.
“You can’t go back now, either, can you, Ren?” Ensley taunted. “You didn’t want to do it that night. Not like your friend here. But you did and you’ve been trapped in a prison of your own ever since.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s trying to confuse you,” Garth said to Ren. Her words must be scoring a direct hit, so she continued. “You didn’t want to hurt Greyson, did you?”
A dumbfounded look crossed behind Ren’s eyes. His mouth fell open.
“Oh, you think I don’t know who did what? Did you not realize that’s why I came back?” She’d wanted to make his family suffer in the same way hers had. At least, that’s what she felt justice would do. Now? She saw the hell they’d been living in ever since. The mental prison they’d lived in was far worse than any punishment that could be handed out.
Except for Garth. Looking into his eyes was like staring into the eyes of pure evil.
Ensley wrapped her fingers around the sharp stick she’d been holding. She grabbed Oaklynn and pulled her in front, aiming the pointed stick less than an inch from the girl’s jugular.
“Go ahead. Do it. You’d save us the trouble.” Garth laughed. He seemed ready to call her bluff.
Her money was on Ren. He obviously cared for his sister. Besides, there was no other move and she was basically stalling for time at this point.
“Okay.” She made a move, lifting her hand like she was going to jab the pointed stick in Oaklynn’s throat.
“Stop. Please. Believe me when I say you can’t take it back. I didn’t know he was going to die. I wasn’t trying to kill him. I know that sounds ridiculous now. But, I never would’ve done it on purpose. We were just supposed to scare the boys.” Ren’s voice was shaking and his hold on reality seemed to be slipping. That made him pitiful and also a little bit dangerous. “Please don’t hurt my sister. She didn’t do anything to deserve this. She has nightmares.”
It was really hard to find a place of sympathy for Ren after what he’d done. He’d taken a life and then covered it up. But it was also plain to see he was living in his own hell—a worse one than being locked behind metal bars.
He could serve his time, but he couldn’t take back his actions or undo his regrets.
“You always were the weak link. My dad said you’d get us caught some day.” Garth, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem with what they’d done. He reached behind his shirt and then produced a handgun. He aimed it directly at Ren and then fired as Ren grabbed him.
18
The bullet slammed into Ren’s shoulder. His arm flew backward as a look of shock stamped his features. Ensley grabbed Oaklynn and wrestled her to the ground to get her out of harm’s way.
A wild shot fired as Garth knocked Ren off of him.
Ren was on the ground, shaking and bleeding and yelling. Ensley had to grab Oaklynn’s arm to stop her from moving into the line of fire.
Now that the details of that night ten years ago were out in the open, Oaklynn would be able to get the counseling she desperately needed to begin the healing process. But first, Ensley had to get her safely out of the woods.
“The question isn’t whether or not I’m going to kill you both. The question is which one am I going to kill first?” Garth sneered. His teeth shone as a look of pure hatred and enjoyment covered his face.
Just as he aimed at Oaklynn and fired a shot, an animal burst through scrub brush. The shot rang out a moment before Karma lurched toward Garth, knocking him over on impact. He flew sideways and another shot fired.
Ensley made a move toward Garth as the gun went flying. Instead, she dove toward the weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Levi.
The weapon was jerked from her grip just as she closed her fingers around the barrel. Karma’s jaws clamped down on Garth’s elbow and she was certain she heard a bone snap.
Garth screamed a few choice words as he fired the weapon again. She was able to knock his hand just enough to keep the bullet from slamming into her. He rolled and dislodged Karma before kicking the dog.
Karma yelped and a guttural grunt tore from Levi as he dove on top of Garth. The two tumbled over, and Levi came out on top. He reared his fist back and delivered a punch so hard Garth’s head snapped to the side and he spit blood.
Ensley realized in that moment that Oaklynn and Ren had been a little too quiet. She immediately jerked her head toward them. Oaklynn sat next to her brother, who’d gone pale. She was stroking his head and an absent look crossed her eyes.
There was so much blood. Ensley scrambled over to the siblings searching for the source.
Levi had wrangled the weapon from Garth and pressed the barrel against the man’s forehead. For a split second, Ensley panicked that Levi might end it all there.
“You’re going to spend the rest of your life behind bars. Let’s see how tough you are then,” Levi bit out.
Relief washed over her.
“My cell’s in my pocket, Ensley. The sheriff is out here. Do your best to give her our location while I sit on this bastard.”
Ensley retrieved the cell and called the sheriff, talking her through their path. She let Justice know they need medical personnel.
“It’s over,” she said to Oaklynn, who brought her hand around to show Ensley. There was so much blood.
Ren was paling, losing a lot of blood. Ensley scanned him and then his sister. “Stay with me. We’re going to get you help.”
She went to work, tearing a piece off of her shirt to put pressure on Ren’s wound.
Within minutes, the scene was crawling with emergency workers. The implication they’d been on the ready sent another cold chill racing down Ensley’s back.
As soon as the sheriff had Garth in cuffs, Levi made a beeline for Ensley and brought her into a tight embrace. A range of emotions filled her. Garth was going to be locked up for a very long time. Justice would finally be served. Tears filled her eyes as she thought about long she’d waited for this moment and how sweet vindication was after being shunned by the town for her convictions.
The perpetrator’s day of reckoning was here. Cooper and Grayson could rest in peace. And maybe Oaklynn could rebuild her life now, too.
EMTs were already working on Ren and Oaklynn. Ensley pulled back long enough to make a visual check that neither she nor Levi had been shot. When she was certain they didn’t need help, she pushed up to her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. His mouth moving against hers brought one word to mind, home.
Levi pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. “It’s over. I don’t know what your plans are now but I love you and I want you to be part of my life. I don’t care how it happens, I’m willing to do whatever it takes. What we have between us is worth sacrificing for.”
A sweet tear of release leaked out of Ensley’s eye and rolled down her cheek. Levi thumbed it away.
“I love you, Levi. I realize now that it was instant from the minute I saw you again. I wasn’t sure I could trust it, but I trust you. I love you and I don’t want you to make sacrifices for us. You have a lot going on with your family and I want to be by your side as you deal with whatever life brings. Being on the ranch with you feels like home. I’ve wasted enough of my life never letting anyone get close. But then, I never met anybody who made me want to push past that before until you. Where we live doesn’t matter. I just want you and Karma to be my family.”
“I have every intention of making this permanent. There’s no reason to wait on my end.” He dropped down on one knee and took her hand in his. “I’ve waited my whole life for someone like you to come along and I had no idea I was waiting. I thought I was living. I’ve come to realize everything in my life is so much better with you in it. We’ve been through a lot in the couple of days and I can’t promise perfection. But I can tell you with all my heart that I want to spend the rest of our lives making memories.”
“Yes, Levi, I’ll marry you.”
That was all she needed to say and seemed like all he needed to hear. He stood and brought her into an embrace.
He kissed her with that same passion that had been missing her whole life, until him, until Levi.
When they broke apart, she dropped down to Karma’s level.
“Hey, there. What do you think about making the three of us a family?” she asked. He didn’t flinch when she reached out to scratch behind his ear.
The three of them made their way out of the woods. Mr. Stock was cuffed and in the back of the sheriff’s SUVs.
Levi must’ve had a loose grip on Karma’s leash because the dog took off toward the vehicles. Nose to the ground, he ran right to the truck to clear it.
The minute he stopped at the passenger side tire and sniffed, he sat.
Ensley’s heart galloped as Levi called Karma back and fished for his cell. The trio back peddled into the woods, putting as much distance between them and the truck as they could.
The second blast sounded a few seconds after the first. Levi pulled Ensley down and covered her with his heft. In the heat of the moment, he dropped his cell.
It didn’t take him long to find it. He immediately called the sheriff, who answered on the first ring.
“Levi?”
“We’re okay. There was at least one bomb rigged to my truck and I’m guessing the second blast was your vehicle. There was nothing we could do except get out of there. I thought it would be rigged for someone to open the door.”
Levi put the call on speaker, and they heard her radio making a squawking noise.
“Stock,” came out on a sharp sigh when she returned to the call. “My deputy just stopped Andy Whitfield on a traffic violation. He was driving his wife’s Jeep and acting suspicious. When my deputy asked him to step out of the vehicle, Mr. Whitfield decided to run. He’s in custody now. A search of his vehicle found the materials to make bombs hiding in his dashboard.”
“What about Mayor Beckwith?” Levi asked.
“The Feds are on his doorstep as we speak. I called in for backup when this whole ordeal started going down. In fact.” The line quieted for a moment. “He’s in custody right now.”
We did it, Cooper. You can rest now.
Ensley finally exhaled, really exhaled. She finally knew what really happened all those years ago. Justice would be served for Cooper and Greyson. Oaklynn could begin to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, and Ensley had every intention of sticking around to help every step of the way.
Most importantly, she could begin the healing process with the man she loved by her side. She’d found her family, her home.
And she planned to live every moment. Because, she’d learned, life could turn on an instant. It was time she grabbed hold of happiness and held on with both hands.
19
EPILOGUE
Ryan McGannon looked out onto the land he loved as he leaned against the red brick bunkhouse. His family’s property went on as far as the eye could see but his focus was on the backyard right now. He could hardly believe the baseball field where he’d spent most of his childhood was temporarily being converted into a wedding chapel.
Penny beamed as she held onto a laptop so Dad could be there from his hospital bed. Nothing had changed with his condition. He was still in a coma, but the doctors said it was possible he could hear us even though he didn’t respond.
Dad would love Ensley. She was a real firecracker and made Levi the happiest Ryan had ever seen his older brother. Good for Levi.
Even at a distance, Ryan could see the silly grin on his brother’s face as he stood at the altar about to offer up a vow that meant staying with the same person forever. Thinking about making that kind of commitment made Ryan want to loosen his collar.
Levi managed to include Karma in the ceremony. The ex-bomb sniffer didn’t do crowds or people in general. He’d been a working animal. One who’d served his country well. And it was his turn to be taken care of.
Levi and Ensley were more than up for the job. Karma sat in between them, facing their cousin, Reed, who had to stand a good ten feet away. Karma had already been given free reign to inspect the area and Reed, ensuring there were no explosives hiding underneath a fold-up chair.
This event was meant for the couple—a public declaration of their love. There’d be a legal ceremony when Dad was up and around again. Everyone held onto that hope, believed it.
Ryan understood their decision not to wait. He also appreciated their need to include Karma and respect his limitations. Ryan felt the same way about his dog, Rogue
. His German shepherd had a hard a time trusting people after being rescued from a bad breeding operation. He’d been locked in a cage until his first birthday when animal control busted the operation.
Now, Rogue needed freedom to roam as much as Ryan did. Even if that meant he had to watch his brother’s wedding from a distance. Ryan smirked. He wasn’t exactly the social type, so it wasn’t particularly a hardship to sit back and let his older brother do his thing.
Parties and socializing weren’t high on Ryan’s list of favorite activities. He preferred the outdoors, his freedom, and working the ranch.
Folks in town had accused him of being crazy to give up a chance at the majors for ranching life after high school. Not a day went by that he wasn’t grateful for the choice he’d made. Being a rancher was in his blood. He loved wide open spaces. He loved the land. He loved Texas. Why would he leave all that for something he enjoyed doing but didn’t need in his life?
Baseball was fun, but he was born to be a rancher.
He could admit lately that spending all his time with his dog hadn’t been all that great on his social life. He’d been distracted by his father’s situation. And then there was A.J., who’d pushed to rent out the cabin next to the lake. He’d put it up on one of those internet sites a few months ago and there’d been a steady stream of renters.
His brother had made a good argument against leaving it empty after the family that had lived there moved out. And it was making money hand over fist, not that they needed more zeroes in their bank account.
A.J. wanted to contribute to the family’s financial well-being as much as the others. But renting the cabin, having strangers on McGannon land, didn’t sit right with Ryan. It was only a matter of time before something would happen despite the fact Ryan kept a close eye on the place.
His internal warning system had been working overtime lately. He could feel trouble moving in like severe weather in spring. And he’d never felt more restless.
