by Kim McMahill
As Niki listened to Sarah a knot formed in her chest. No matter how much Bob tried to make her feel like family, she had always thought she knew her place¾she was just the granddaughter of an employee whom the Blackburns took pity on. When Mrs. Blackburn died, Niki had stayed away, not knowing what to do to ease Bob or Deuce’s pain, fearing she wouldn’t be needed or wanted. Her grandfather had discouraged her presence since he hadn’t wanted her to see Bob’s drinking. Bob hadn’t been a particularly mean drunk, but she knew her grandfather was just trying to protect her from reliving the trauma of her childhood.
Thinking back, she should have tried harder to be there for Deuce. Maybe the abandonment he felt wasn’t just his mother leaving, but from her staying away. Maybe she was weak. Niki had been too afraid to go to him and offer comfort. She was ashamed that Sarah had a better insight into his anguish than she had. Niki couldn’t turn back the clock, but she could let go of the past and she had certainly never intended to punish Deuce for anything.
Squeals of delight interrupted her thoughts. Niki glanced toward the creek and found Deuce making his way back to camp with Lacy on his shoulders, her tiny fists clenched in his unruly hair, and April trotting next to him swinging a small bucket of water. Both girls had smiles on their faces and giggled at apparently everything Deuce said.
“Wow, after what happened at your ranch and the interesting night we’ve had, I’m amazed at how quickly the girls have recovered. Hopefully this means there will be no nightmares or lingering effects,” Niki said.
“The glory of youth and innocence,” Sarah replied.
Niki wasn’t sure if it was just youth and innocence, or if their instant sense of security had to do with the man. Deuce had once made her feel the same way. He was so in control and strong that she had always felt safe with him, like the girls clearly did right now.
She thought back to when she was a child and how she followed him around with the same awe in her eyes. He had been patient with her tagging along after him and even seemed to enjoy being the focus of her admiration. Niki wondered if she could recapture that sense of comfort and wonder and forget about the hurt and disappointment of losing his friendship and the years of feeling too inadequate to be part of his life. She could no longer place all the blame on him and didn’t want to believe it was too late to repair the damage.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Deuce wished he had even a minute of battery left on the cell phone. He knew Cal had to be worried sick and he hoped Bob would be able to keep him from doing something rash in order to reach his family. Deuce had promised Cal they would do everything they could to rescue his wife and daughters, but he could tell Cal hadn’t found comfort in the assurance. At the moment they were all safe and Deuce knew that information would be very welcome news to Cal’s ears.
Bernie seemed to be improving a little more each day, Niki had managed to rig warm beds for Sarah and the girls in the tent with her and Bernie, she had come up with enough clothes to keep them all warm and food had never been a problem. If they could remain undetected, Deuce was confident once the U.S. military and its allies obtained control of the situation, everything would be okay and they would be able to return home.
Remaining undetected, though, was what concerned him the most. He hoped the Iranian soldiers weren’t honor bound to avenge Colonel Nadari’s death and it concerned him that, according to Bob, the Colonel’s death had not been reported. The media reports indicated the Colonel was still alive and advancing his troops across the West. Did the soldiers hope to kill the culprits before confessing to their superiors?
With the original hostages gone, there were two options if the Iranians still intended to try and coerce the United States government into divulging the locations of the remaining missiles and launch facilities¾get new hostages or come after those who escaped.
Deuce had no doubt the soldiers could easily find new hostages, but the Stephens’ family had been great candidates. The man of the house was gone and was in D.C. where he could pressure the government to turn over the silo locations, and the children made the emotional stakes so much higher.
The fact that the foreign soldiers had demanded information on the missiles in the first place gave Deuce optimism and fear. It was comforting to know the U.S. still had weapons at its disposal, but since the military had already deployed two, including one aimed at Iran, he feared the soldiers would not give up their quest to locate and disarm the remaining missiles. He only hoped they would find a way to pursue their goal which didn’t involve this small group of renegade ranchers hunkered down high in the Big Horn Mountains.
“Whatcha thinking?” Niki asked as she sat down on the ground next to Deuce on the hill behind camp.
The scene in front of them was so peaceful that it was difficult to believe their lives were in such turmoil. The sheep grazed in the green grassy meadow as Stella and Gracie lounged nearby in the sun. Storm, Traveler, Joe and Frank’s horses and the mules occasionally nipped at each other, but in a sibling-tiff kind of way, nothing more serious. The sounds of the creek gurgling and birds singing only furthered the illusion of peace.
Niki could see the worry etched on his face. His posture was rigid and his jaw set. She reached over and ran her palm down his whisker-roughened cheek, forcing him to let go of his thoughts and look at her.
“I’m worried we might not have seen the last of the soldiers.”
Niki had thought about that too. She knew the Iranians had the Canadian helicopters and access to the rest of the Blackburn horses, so they could easily reach them even though their current camp was not accessible by dirt bike. She also feared they might be starting to get a little fed up with her.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Deuce asked, confusion etched on his face. Niki had held up like a professional soldier and had risked her own life for others more than once since the crisis began. She of all people had absolutely nothing to be sorry for in his mind.
“Even if the soldiers don’t care about getting Sarah and the girls back to use as pawns in their negotiations, I’m probably starting to really irritate them. First I ruined their hope for some easy fun at the control tower and took them for the ride of their lives, then I shot their Colonel, though they really don’t have any proof it was me, and then I wreck three of them in a gully, destroying their bikes and probably breaking a few bones and damaging their egos. I imagine they’d love to get their hands on me for a little payback.”
The thought of anyone touching Niki made Deuce’s blood boil. He couldn’t allow anything to happen to her. She had saved his life and blown his stereotype of her all to hell, and if they survived, he wasn’t sure what he would do if she tried to return to Denver. The more time he spent with her the less he could picture any kind of life without her. Every day was a struggle to hold on to his stubborn principles. He knew no one could hurt him as deeply as Niki could and he had spent years trying to keep that from happening, but he was starting to realize he’d lost the battle to keep her out of his life and avoid all the pain that could bring.
“Unfortunately that’s not all,” he finally replied. “The two guards outside Sarah’s house took off for the hay shed when they saw smoke. They reached it just as the propane bottle went off. We’re up to three dead and three more badly injured or dead.”
“For a group of peace-loving people, we’re sure causing a lot of trouble, but what choice have we had? I couldn’t stand by and watch that horrible man shoot you and we had to go after Sarah and the girls.”
Deuce nodded his head in agreement and reached for Niki. With his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close and rested his chin on the top of her head. He said nothing for several minutes.
Niki enjoyed the weight of his arm around her shoulders and the feel of his warm calloused hand stroking her bare arm. His touch made her think there was still hope to repair the damage of the past. She rested her head against his chest, but didn’t interrupt his thoughts. He would spea
k when ready, so she was hesitant to ruin the peaceful moment before necessary.
“Remember I was telling you about the campsite I found up the mountain that’s harder to get too, more easily defended and easier to hide?”
Niki nodded. She suspected they’d have to move and hoped Bernie was healthy enough.
“I think we should relocate. We’ll have to bring the sheep back down the mountain in a month or so if we’re still here, but let’s hope this is over by then. I think we need to set up more organized twenty-four hour watches and maybe even set some booby-traps of some kind. You’ve caused so much damage all by yourself, I don’t think they’ll be unprepared and understaffed if they do decide to come after us.”
Niki raised her head, sitting, and letting Deuce’s arm slip off her shoulder. She looked up at him, acceptance and determination in her eyes.
“Papa’s been pestering me for days to let him out of bed. Maybe it’s time to give it a try. He probably still can’t ride, but if he can get up it’ll be easier to make him comfortable and safer to move him.”
“He’s going to be okay,” Deuce said as he stood and offered a hand to Niki.
She placed her hand in his. He tugged and she came to her feet in one swift motion, stumbling forward, her momentum stopping only when she collided with the solid wall of Deuce’s chest. She grasped a handful of his shirt as she felt him grab her upper arms in an attempt to steady her. When she looked up she caught his gaze and could see that his hazel eyes had darkened and were focused on her parted lips. She involuntarily licked her lips and swallowed as he bent his head. Niki closed her eyes and held her breath, certain he intended to kiss her, something she felt as if she had waited her whole life for.
“Try to be more careful. I might not be here next time to catch you,” he whispered softly into her ear before releasing her.
Niki shoved her fist into his gut before he had a chance to step back, doubling him over slightly. When he looked up, a crooked smile twisted on his lips.
“What was that for?”
“If you don’t know, then you’re beyond hope,” she replied.
Maybe I should have kissed her. Deuce absently rubbed the spot on his stomach where her small fist had landed while gazing at her frustrated expression. He almost kissed her when she landed in his arms, but fought the desire and recaptured his sanity just in time. He had to keep a clear head if they hoped to stay alive long enough for him to decide what to do about her. But by the reaction he had gotten from her, he clearly should have followed his instincts instead of his brain.
Deuce eyed Niki suspiciously, wondering if she was going to slug him again. “There’s always hope,” he said with a wink as he turned and started off the hill.
Niki sighed and shook her head as she struggled to keep up with Deuce’s long stride. The position was familiar and felt safe. Much of each summer during her childhood was spent just the same, following along behind him. He never seemed to mind her trailing after him then and often took the time to explain how things were done on a ranch. Those summers at the ranch were the most carefree times of her life. She cherished the memories and hoped they would survive to make new ones.
As she picked her way down the slope, she couldn’t help but wonder what had stopped Deuce. Niki was sure he had intended to kiss her, but at the last moment he pulled back. For years she had tried to understand why he constantly pushed her away. After her talk with Bob she thought maybe he was afraid of being hurt or deserted, and after what Sarah had told her, she feared maybe he felt she had abandoned him when he had needed her the most and now believed he couldn’t trust her to stand by him no matter what. Whatever the reason, she silently vowed to change his mind and restore what they had lost.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Do you really think they’ll come after us?” Sarah asked after Deuce and Niki finished outlining their plan for moving the camp higher into the mountains and further from roads or established trails.
“Better safe than sorry,” Niki, Deuce, Frank and Joe said in unison.
Niki giggled. “We kind of made a pact and adopted that as a motto the night I nearly shot Joe and Frank.”
“Sorry we missed out on the fun,” Sarah replied with a wry grin. “But why would they bother with us?”
“I’d like to believe those soldiers will leave us alone, but we’ve caused plenty of damage. They seemed to think I knew more than I did about the control tower and some launch facility when they not so politely questioned me at the ranch, and then Niki disposed of a rather well-known figure in the Iranian Military. I doubt they expected to encounter such a bunch of mutinous, rebellious ranchers when they invaded our mountains.”
Deuce stopped talking when Lacy walked up and stood in front of him, hands on her hips, head tilted. Sitting down, he was eye-level to the serious-looking child. She didn’t appear frightened by the conversation which had been going on, but she did look confused.
“What’s mutinous?” she asked, struggling to pronounce the word.
“It means rebellious and willful, like when you refuse to eat your vegetables,” Deuce said as he snatched her off her feet.
“I always eat my vegetables, don’t I, Mama?” she giggled as Deuce tickled her sides.
“I don’t know if I would go so far as to say always,” Sarah replied as she watched her youngest daughter beam with delight. Seeing her daughter on Deuce’s lap made her think of Cal and how much she wished he was with them. The girls loved their dad and she prayed they would be together again soon. Deuce assured her Cal was safe, but until she saw him it would be difficult not to worry. She had put up a good front for the girls’ sake, but as she lay in the tent at night, it took every ounce of her strength not to break down and cry for the only man she had ever loved.
“Why would those mean men think we’re mutinous? We did everything they asked us to, just like Mama told us to, and they didn’t even say thank you for cooking them dinner.”
Sarah stood and turned her back on the group, afraid her daughters would see the tears welling in her eyes.
Deuce felt the urge to comfort Sarah, knowing how much she feared for her husband’s safety, but at the moment he had a struggling six-year-old on his lap anxiously awaiting an answer.
“You see, we haven’t been real good at doing what those scary men want us to do, because we don’t think we should have to obey a bunch of strangers. We didn’t want you trapped at the ranch, so we took matters into our own hands. Sometimes stuff like that makes big bad ogres really angry.”
“I thought mutiny was making the captain walk the plank and then stealing his ship,” April added.
“It can be, but in this case Niki made them drive into a gully instead,” Frank added, forcing back a laugh.
Niki rolled her eyes, knowing she would never live the incident down. Leading the motorbikes into a gully in the dark had been a very risky and somewhat stupid plan, she now admitted in hindsight, but it had worked and they had escaped with the Stephens’ family, just as planned.
“So we’re kind of like pirates.” Lacy untied the bandana from around Deuce’s neck and retied it around her head.
“I’d say we’re more like the peaceful island villagers and the solders are the ruthless pirates, who sailed into our idyllic home to disrupt our happy lives,” Niki added.
April giggled and pestered Frank until he forfeited his bandana as well. She tied it around her head and the girls took off running through the trees. They soon emerged with sticks and entered into a sword fight.
The adults sat around the fire and watched the girls play while finishing lunch. Niki had never thought much about children, but being around Lacy and April suddenly made her feel as if there were a hole in her life. She had dated in Denver, but had seldom gone out with anyone who made her think about a second date, much less the future or children. There was only one man who ever made her dream about the future and if he didn’t change his mind about her, she knew the hole in her heart would neve
r be filled.
By the time the plan was made and lunch over and cleaned up, it was too late in the day to relocate. They decided to start preparing, but wouldn’t break camp until morning. There was plenty to do to get ready for the move and, though nothing was said, no one wanted to ruin the girls’ enthusiastic game. They had been through a terrifying ordeal and would no doubt experience more before it was over, so if they could give the children peace, even for a short while, they would.
As Sarah cleaned up lunch and began packing, Niki followed Frank and Deuce into the tent.
“Papa, this is your lucky day. We’re moving further into the mountains in the morning, so we might as well see how strong you are.”
They had pretty much decided Bernie had broken no bones in his accident, but had seriously fractured his back. Niki had been afraid to allow much movement, but the time had come to try.
With Frank on one side and Deuce on the other, they helped Bernie to a sitting position on the edge of the cot. The old man winced as a sharp pain shot through his back, but he said nothing.
Bernie glanced up and could tell Niki had caught his reaction. “Don’t say a word. I’m bound to be a little weak and have some pain after being hog-tied to this board for so long.”
Niki fought the urge to interfere and stepped back. She bit her lip as Bernie came to his feet one slow and clearly agonizing inch at a time. She wanted to go to him, but knew Deuce and Frank wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.
“Can you walk?” Deuce asked.
The old man nodded his head and took a small step. He gritted his teeth and took several more. His breathing grew faster and sweat beaded on his forehead with each stride, but he was determined to walk out the tent flap and look at the sun. He was tired of feeling so helpless. With considerable effort and the two younger men at his sides, Bernie navigated the last few yards necessary to make it outside the tent and then his knees sagged. Deuce and Frank held strong to keep the old man from falling and looked to Niki.
