Mountain Man's Bride

by Lauren Wood

  “Don’t move Caspein. It is good to see you awake. You have been asleep for a couple of days now.”

  The nurse was short and round. She had a nametag that said Judy and a short, black bob that flipped under that fit her name. She was smiling at me, but I could tell at the same time she was worried about being alone with me. I could see her eyes flicking to the clock and then Judy made sure not to get close enough on one side to let me touch her. It was clear that my crimes were already known and it was going to make it a lot harder to get out of here.

  Never once did I think that it wasn’t possible though. It wasn’t the first time that I had found myself in a jam before. It was half the reason that I had to get out of here. This wasn’t my first offense and I was not going to go down for this.

  It was all Fran’s fault. She was the one that had called the cops. I wasn’t sure why, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I was going to find her and she was going to pay. It had all started with her telling me about a customer that was getting fresh with her. It had escalated quickly from there and I would be the first to admit that the drugs coursing through my system had something to do with it. But she shouldn’t have called the police. She knows better than to do something like that and I was going to make sure that she knew what it was wrong that she had done.

  “I want to speak to the doctor, find out what all is wrong in here.”

  I motioned to my chest and the nurse nodded her head that she would do it. I knew that she didn’t want to come any closer to me, so she just kind of checked me from a distance. I couldn’t blame her because if she did get close enough, I would use her to get out of here.

  “And do you think I can get something for the pain? This hurts like a son of a bitch.”

  “You can talk to the doctor about it. He will be in here in just a minute.”

  The nurse was gone and I was left to look around the room. I was looking for any kind of opportunity that I could find. I needed to know what kind of security the place had, but first I had to find out what the damage was. Guys in my line of work get shot on a regular basis. This wasn’t the first time I had been bitten by a bullet and sad enough, I doubted it would be the last. The only way that was going to happen was if I was sent to prison for shooting the cops. Those were charges that kept you in jail for a while. It was not something I was prepared to do.

  I was guilty as sin and unless I got out of there before I was transferred to a hospital, I wasn’t going to be able to get out. After this place, the next one would be locked up for guys like me trying to escape. A hospital was a little more trustworthy and if nothing else, I may just have a real shot of tasting some freedom.

  Closing my eyes, I waited patiently for the doctor to get to the room. It took well over a couple of minutes, but when he came in he wasn’t alone. He had a police officer with him that wanted to ask questions. I feigned like I was in massive pain and wasn’t able to talk. I wanted to stay out of the cop’s clutches for as long as possible. Once he started asking questions and I was well enough to get transferred, I would be in a cell instead of at the hospital in a warm bed with a TV.

  “Officer, this man is not in any condition to answer questions right now. You will have to try back tomorrow or even a little later in the week. I will not jeopardize his recovery on pressing him into a stressful interview. He is not going anywhere, so this can wait.”

  The cop was pissed and gave me a look that could have melted plastic. I knew that I was in for it once they got their hands on me. I needed to make sure that it didn’t happen and I waited for the uniformed man to leave the room before I said anything else.

  “Thanks Doc.”

  “Don’t thank me Cass. You have some very persuasive friends that are hard to say no to. I can only do that for so long. You have no real life-threatening injuries. It went in and it went out. You are one lucky son of a bitch.”

  It was good to know that I had more time. I didn’t think that I could run tonight, just not yet. I needed a little more time and now I had it.

  “How much is this going to cost me?”

  “Does it matter?”

  I shook my head that it didn’t. If it was too much I would come back and get it from him. People never did make good deals when it wasn’t their money and I had to know who it was that had made it all possible.

  “Who?”

  “Katherine I think her name was. She wasn’t too friendly in that sort of way.”

  “Alone?”

  “No, she had a couple of lug heads with her.”

  It made me smile and I asked him for something for the pain. “I will get it to you in a few. The nurse will come around. Please don’t scare her anymore.”

  “Something for these cuffs?”

  He looked down and then shrugged. “I am sure I can come up with something to do the trick. You do need a little rest. You were just shot and the cops can’t talk to you without my clearance. Rest easy Caspien, nothing is going to happen to you. The way out will be there when you are ready.”

  The only reason he was worried was because payment was due when I was out of here. If not, there would be problems ahead for the good doctor. Dr. Weaver would either be happy that I showed up on his watch, or he would curse the day that he met me. It could go either way. That was his choice in the end.

  Sitting back after Judy left, she was a little less skittish, but I didn’t think she was going to be getting any closer, any longer than she absolutely had to. I knew that it didn’t matter how they acted. I was going to be out of here soon enough. Everything was going to be fine and then I would have time to do what was needed. I needed to find Fran. We had a lot to talk about and that woman had some explaining to do.

  Chapter 6

  Lucas

  “You know the food here is not that good.”

  “You better not let Stacy hear you say that Fran, she might get upset.”

  “The owner’s name is Bob, so I don’t think Stacy will care.”

  She had a smart answer for everything and if I was honest with myself, it was one of my favorite things about her. I liked that she had a little fire in her and everyday her face was a little more beautiful as the bruising went away. Her body hadn’t changed and was still admired just as much.

  “I rather like the food and the ambience in here.”

  Fran looked around and I studied the smile on her lips. Her chocolate brown eyes were twinkling when she looked back at me. “The ambience huh? I don’t know what kind of man you are, but this place sucks. And so does the food, so why are you in here all the time?”

  “I just like this place. Man’s got to eat, right?”

  “Never seen you in here before a week ago, so I call bullshit.”

  “I didn’t know you were here or I would have been coming here long time ago. I come here to see you Fran. I bet about half the guys in here are choking this down because you bring it to them.”

  She smiled and the dimples appeared in her cheeks that I hadn’t noticed before. The small freckles on her nose moved a little with the motion. Everything she did, she did all the way and the smile was one of them. The smile was contagious and I felt myself grinning like an idiot in response. What the hell was this woman doing to me?

  “You going to go out with me or are you going to make me keep coming in here every day? I can always just pull you into the bathroom Fran.”

  “Well you do tip well and I am kind of liking the whole bathroom scenario…”

  I wanted to growl at her. I was frustrated that she was still telling me no. She said it in a teasing way, but in the end the answer was still not the one I wanted. It had almost been a week and still I was no closer to a date with her then before.

  I wanted in her panties and I wasn’t the type of man that was going to take no for an answer. I sure the hell didn’t want to anyways. I wanted to have her all to myself and the sooner, the better. I don’t know what it was, maybe the denial of what I wanted, but Fran was quickly becoming all
I could think about. It was not at all what I had expected to happen, but it was happening and there was no denying the way she made me feel. There was also the constant state of arousal that I was in and the knowledge that she was the only one that was going to satisfy this particular itch.

  “So how much would it take for you to go out with me, Fran? I will pay for it if that is what I have to do.”

  It was an innocent joke, but it was one that was not taken well at all. Her smile collapsed and she just shook her head. “I am not some hooker Lucas. Is that what you think of me? That I will just open my legs to anyone for the right price? You are way off and highly offensive for thinking that.”

  I could tell I was and I don’t know what I was thinking. She wasn’t a gold digger and the mistake was going to cost me. I didn’t know how to recuperate from that and instead of trying, I waited for her to walk away and stood up. There was a little inlet where the bathrooms were and it gave me an idea. She had said that she liked the idea of me pulling her into the bathroom. I was going to test that theory and when she came back through with her hands empty, I did just that.

  Her body was soft against me as I pulled her against me. She didn’t resist me and went into the guy’s bathroom. I pushed her up against the tiled wall and leaned in for a kiss.

  Fran moved the last couple of inches to press her own pouty pink lips against mine. It was a sweet kiss, but I wasn’t there for sweet. I pushed my tongue in between her lips and delved it into her honeyed mouth. She tasted like candy and one hand was pinning her, while the other took liberties with a hard nipple that was poking me in the chest. For a woman that wasn’t interested, she was sure set to go off at any minute.

  I heard the muffled moan that filled my mouth. The sound drove me crazy and I pressed my hardness into her stomach. Damn I was ready for this little bitch, had been since I met her.

  I pulled back to look into her eyes. They were glassy when she finally opened them and her lips moved forward to search mine out. I nibbled on her bottom lip as my hand moved further down to her trembling stomach. The taut skin jerked when I touched her lightly. I moved lower still, wanting to feel how hot she was for me.

  The door behind her pushed her into me a little and by the second time I was yelling at whoever it was to wait a damn minute. Someone was trying to get into the bathroom. We had been caught.

  I didn’t want the moment to end, but she seemed to realize what we were doing and pulled back. Wiping her lips, she pushed against my chest and walked out with a red face and fire in her eyes.

  Fran was like no woman that I had met before and everything that worked with other women, was no different now. All I needed was to touch her just a little and she was like putty in my hands, malleable. She saw things differently and wasn’t impressed, but there was no denying how easy it was to change her mind with a little kiss and a tweak to her nipple. The only thing frustrating to no end was the fact that I didn’t have more time to see if she was wet. I could almost guarantee that she was, I could feel the heat coming off of her when I had kissed her.

  Part of me wanted to throttle the guy that interrupted us and I had every intention when I left the bathroom a few moments later. He must have known because he apologized quickly and it was enough to get me on my way. I didn’t want to cause a scene where she worked. I didn’t want to go back on all of the work I had put in with her.

  ***

  “Back again? I am starting to think that you are a glutton for punishment Lucas.”

  I smiled at Fran and I could tell that she was trying her best not to be affected by me. But it was impossible, I knew that. She remembered the kiss from yesterday. How could she not be affected by it? It was all I could think about. Every other woman was and Fran was no different. I would have already had her underneath me as many times as I wanted. if she had been some other chick, then maybe I wouldn’t have wanted her this bad.

  I didn’t get the need that I felt inside of me, but there was certainly no denying what I wanted to do to this woman. I wanted Fran badly and I was determined to have her, one way or another. It was only a matter of time before it all went the way it was supposed to all along. I was sure of it and if that meant eating at Stacy’s every day, I was going to do it until I got into those hot little panties of hers.

  “As long as you are the one doing the punishing Fran, I don’t think I can get enough. Was thinking we should make a trip back to the bathroom. Maybe try out the woman’s bathroom. It looked like it had a lock on it.”

  She giggled and told me that she wasn’t into that kind of thing. “If you are looking for something like that, I am sure one of those places on Bourbon would help you. The French Quarter is full of freaks and sluts.”

  I shook my head. There was no winning with her, but I liked the challenging nature and the fact that she was going to make me work for it.

  “Are you really going to keep telling me no?”

  Fran got serious and finally said that she wasn’t ready to date again. “I just got out of a relationship and you know how that turned out. I am not trying to get wrapped up in whatever this is with you Lucas. You are a hell of a distraction and a good kisser…”

  “I saw him on the TV this morning. I don’t think you should worry about him.”

  She stopped and the smile that was on the edge of her lips was gone. They were no longer upturned and there was no sparkle in her eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He escaped from the hospital that was treating him for the gunshot wounds. You didn’t see anything about it? It has been all over the news. They are looking everywhere for him. One of the cops he shot is going to be paralyzed. They don’t take things like that very well. Not when it is one of their own. So, he is not going to be on the loose for long. He isn’t going to be worried about you. If he is smart, he will get the hell out of here and across the border.”

  Her face was crumbling in front of me and I had a feeling that I had said something wrong. I had been keeping up with it because it was about her and of who he was, but I wasn’t happy about it. I wasn’t happy that Fran was in the middle of it. Her reaction though, was not one that I expected. She looked absolutely terrified and it dawned on me then my mistake of even bringing it up. It was an instant mood killer and the bathroom scenario was looking impossible.

  “I have to go talk to Ralph.”

  Fran turned to leave and I stopped her. “What is going on?”

  “If Cass is out, I need to get out of here. He is probably already here. Did it say when he got out of the hospital?”

  “When he broke out?”

  She nodded her head. “Yeah, when he broke out.”

  “I don’t know exactly, but sometime last night. They were about to transfer him to the jail and he overpowered a guard and got out. They think that someone at the hospital helped him because his cuffs were off. I don’t see why you are worried about this though.”

  “Caspien has people everywhere. I am sure he just paid off one of the doctors or nurses. More than one I bet. He has a way of doing that and I was hoping that he would be in there longer. I thought I had more time before he was loose again.”

  Fran wasn’t making much sense. Caspien was just a small fish at best. I hadn’t ever really heard of him out of many circles and she was acting like he was something much more. Women had a tendency to over dramatize things, but Fran didn’t see the type. Her words made me question my own knowledge about him. Could she be right and I was so wrong about the man that lived next door to me for so long? It was possible because I tried to stick to myself, but I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if she was right. What if the danger she was in was real too? The girl looked practically able to jump out of her skin right then and there.

  What had her so shaken and downright scared all of a sudden?

  “More time for what Fran. You aren’t making any sense.”

  The white apron hu
gged her slight curves and I watched her put her hand on her waist. Her head was constantly moving, her eyes scanning the cars in the parking lot. “I hate that I am here. There is nothing but windows in this place and after dark you can see in and not out. I feel like I am in a fish bowl.”

  It was a bad place to be if a person was feeling the way that she did, but I tried to ignore it. I didn’t want to believe that she was right about such a thing. I just didn’t want to believe that she was in trouble. My thoughts and view of her were changes rather drastically. She walked away, telling me that she would be back with my coffee. The woman was no longer worried about me and though I didn’t like it, I liked even less the reason why. Now I wished that it was just because Fran had blown me off again.

  “Where are you going?”

  Fran looked around and then told another waitress to get my coffee. “I’ve got to go Lucas. Thanks for telling me about that. I should have been watching or found out. I was trying to forget, but I should have known that this was going to happen.”

  “He was in custody, how would you have known?”

  “Cause I know Cass. I don’t see him, but he will have a different car by now. I wouldn’t be seen with you Lucas.”

  Now she was worried about me? This went from off to surreal. The way she was acting, she was acting like she had the mob after her. Didn’t she know who I was? Was it really that scary when compared to me? That thought made me think that maybe I had misread the situation. I was going to have to find out what was going on and who Caspien was. I didn’t even know his last name, but at least I had an address.

  “Wait Fran.” I tried to stop her with a gentle hand on her arm. But the look on her face when our eyes met had me quickly pulling my hand away as if it was burned. It was obvious that she didn’t want me touching her and I didn’t know why. The mood changed so quickly and I was grasping at straws. I just didn’t understand it and it was really fucking with my plans for her and me.