Mended Hearts: Bad Boy Action-Adventure Romance (Renegade Series Book 2)

by Arabella Steedly

  "He reported a few nights back he saw a light from what he thought was a lantern back in the woods between your property lines. But he figured it was just wild hog hunters or kids camping out."

  "There's a path in the woods. I found it today. I think…” Jake tried to explain.

  The sheriff held up his hand. "Hold on a minute, let me finish. We found that path you are referring too down yonder, past your barn and stable."

  Jake stepped closer. "Where did it lead?"

  "To a tent. Someone set up camp back there. By the looks of the amount of trash, the person had been there for a while... and another path led out to the berm along the interstate."

  "That makes sense. Tiny parked his car out there once..."

  "Yes, I read the report," Downing replied.

  "So, are you telling me, you're hunting for him?" Jake tried to remain calm, but he felt his back stiffen. "I'll be looking for him if you are not."

  "Jake, my strict advice to you is... Let us do our job! If you interfere I won't hesitate to lock you up to keep your ass out of the way."

  "We'll see..." Jake mumbled.

  Before the team left, the fire marshal introduced himself to Jake and assured him the home was safe. "The gas company came out while you were with your wife and repaired the line. Anything more we can do to help?"

  "Sounds like you have it covered. Thank you for your quick response." He shook the fire marshal's hand before he walked away.

  Then Jake and his two ranch hands stood in the yard and watched them go. He was told Beth had already gone home at Philip's insistence since there was nothing more she could do. That prompted Jake to text her and thank Beth for her help. And he told her the good news about Vanessa. Before turning to go back inside, Jake thanked Philip and Sebastian too, saying, "Go home you guys and get some sleep. I'll be fine."

  "Nope. I'm staying. I'll sleep on the sofa." Sebastian started for the door with Philip right behind him.

  "Okay if you insist." Jake nodded and passed them a weak smile. "Go grab yourself a beer. You know where they are. I'm going to find a chain and padlock to secure the gas valve so it can't be screwed with during the night." He looked down at Apollo wagging his tail. "Thank God boy, you were outside... You must have been asleep in the barn.“

  "He can still tamper with it," Sebastian yelled over his shoulder.

  "Yeah, but he'll make a helluva noise if he tries. Let's make sure Apollo stays inside with us. He'll bark if he hears anything."

  Not long after, Jake crawled into the bed, but sleep eluded him. He was too angry, too distraught. And he missed Vanessa’s warm body beside him. This time his bad dream had a twist.

  Chapter 23

  In his dream, Jake hid in a ravine, surveilling the same compound as in past nightmares. Raising his head, he watched a handful of enemy soldiers with weapons slung over their shoulders playing cards. After a while one wandered off by himself.

  Jake wasn't a sniper; though, he was considered an excellent shot by his peers. He figured with just the right trajectory, and a good dose of luck, he could take the guy out without being heard or seen.

  Suddenly, his arms became limp, and his life's force seemed to be whisked away in the wind — no time for sleep, no time for rest. His job was to protect his team. He was the one on watch.

  Then the man peered down into the ravine at him. Jake blinked in disbelief as the faceless soldier's laughter came in howls. The aberration held up his hands as if to surrender.

  Moments later, a silent mantra ran through Jake's head as he squeezed the trigger. Kill or be killed! Out there in the desert that was the law of survival.

  Blood oozed from the bullet hole in the ghoul's forehead, but he did not falter, instead his howls grew louder. Now, he held a struggling woman in front of him, using her as a human shield. A scarf covered her face — her belly swollen. Then, the silky fabric slid down around her shoulders. NO! Not Vanessa!

  "Jake! Jake! Wake up, man.” Someone called him out of his sleep and turned on the overhead light. He bolted up in the bed and grabbed them around the neck. His attacker gasped and tried to push him away. Blinking to clear the fog, he began to focus. Recognizing the man in his grip, he let go.

  "Oh, God. Sebastian. I'm so sorry. Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

  "Scared the hell out of me... yes. But I'm okay."

  "I had a nightmare."

  "I could hear you screaming and ran in here."

  "I'm sorry, Sebastian. My PTSD... sometimes I do crazy things."

  "It's okay, Jake. You've had a hard day. Now try to go back to sleep. It's only a few minutes after midnight." Sebastian patted him on the shoulder.

  Jake shook his head and reached for his jeans. "No going back to sleep after that. Go on and get some rest. No sense in both of us sitting up all night."

  "I won't argue." Sebastian headed down the dark hallway into the living room.

  Walking toward the barn, Jake figured Tiny had been hiding in the woods for the last several days. From there, he kept watch as Jake and Vanessa came and went learning their schedules and planned his attack. Had Tiny hoped to kill Vanessa and wait for him to come in for lunch, and then blow the house to smithereens killing both of them leaving no evidence?

  Shrugging, he said to himself, "I guess I'll never know." Instead, Vanessa had scared him away. Jake looked down at Apollo and rubbed him between the ears. "Don't worry boy, our girl is tough. She'll be back in the morning."

  As Jake walked closer to the barn, he noticed a faint light came from inside the stable — not an overhead light, a flashlight of sorts. Slipping in through the side door, he noted it was eerily quiet. Once he was close enough to see, his heart sank. The light was tied to the gate of Tamara's stall and positioned for the best effect. His mare lay on the floor, blood still flowing down her chest. Her throat was slit left to bleed out.

  Jake burst into tears and vomited. What sort of sick bastard would kill a horse? Regaining his composure, he reached for his phone, then realized he had left it in the house. Taking a quick look around, he found that all the other horses were unharmed. Only his beloved Tamara was murdered in such a cowardly way.

  On legs of rubber, Jake ran toward the house. His worse nightmare was coming true. Remembering he left the side door unlocked, Jake screamed out to Sebastian and Philip as he approached with Apollo in close pursuit. Relief washed over him when he found both men standing in the kitchen ready to punch anyone who came through the door.

  The two men followed Jake into the bedroom and listened while he demanded the 911 operator patch him through to the sheriff himself. "Sheriff Downing, Tiny just killed my horse. He snuck into the stable thinking I was asleep."

  Jake unlocked the gun case and removed his pistol. Slipping in a full clip, he tucked the weapon into his belt and ran out the back door. "You two stay here. The sheriff's department is on the way."

  Jake crept through the woods. Was the bastard waiting to ambush him? One thing seemed sure. Tiny was hiding somewhere. Or perhaps he had already hitched a ride out on the highway and ran away — until the next time. Locating the tent, Jake pulled his weapon and moved closer. He paused for a moment to listen and used a stick to push back the flap of the tent — empty.

  You can run and hide you motherfucker, but eventually, you will pay, one way or another, Jake thought.

  Sliding his pistol under his belt again, he worked his way down the path, back to his property. Breathless, Jake paused for a moment to listen, but the only sound was the shrill drone of the cicadas and the croaks of a few frogs. Rushing on knowing Tiny was out there somewhere, Jake reached the path that led to the lake. He stopped in his tracks.

  Is that the squeak of the sailboat rubbing against the dock? How could that be? There’s only a slight breeze…

  As he approached, it appeared the boat was dark, and no one stood on the deck. Jake crept forward, mindful that the snap of a twig or the rustling of fallen leaves would give him away. Pulling a small mag light fro
m his pocket, he held it in one hand and the pistol in the other.

  Jake stepped on the boat's deck and flipped on the light. He was caught off guard when Tiny jumped from the bushes, knocking him down and sending his pistol plopping into the water. Tiny shoved him again and pinned Jake in a headlock. They fumbled in the night lit only by the moon and stars.

  "Oh, you're a brave boy ain't ya? Think you can sneak up on me with your Indian ways like some sort of tracker. You're not as smart as you think, Running Bullshit?"

  Jake struggled to pull free, but Tiny held him down with the weight of his body. "How's that little wife of yours? She has more spunk than you do... I'll bet she's a great piece of ass. The bitch got me good with that fucking statue."

  "She should have killed you." Jake struggled to free one hand.

  "Too bad, I still managed to escape and left her to suck up enough gas to kill her and your little papoose."

  "You fucking bastard!"

  Still straddling Jake, Tiny slapped him across the face. "Sucks to be you, don't it boy? Now you know how it feels to have something that was supposed to be yours taken away."

  Jake's blood boiled. Now he was fighting for his life and when he did he always won. Twisting and turning, Tiny tried to hold him down. His breath smelled sour with cheap whiskey, and who knew what else he had in his system.

  "You fucker. I'm going to kill you." Breaking free Jake scrambled to his feet.

  "Not so fast." Tiny balled up his fist and tried to slug him in the belly, but Jake stepped aside.

  "You're a miserable failure. Saul Martin! You let a pregnant woman beat you up. She's not dead, and neither is our child!”

  "Ah, well. Maybe next time. How's your horse? She's a gusher that one." Tiny crouched low ready to try and push Jake into the lake.

  Now, Jake saw red. He planted his boot squarely in Tiny's jaw sending him reeling. The two men tangled in a fist fight each exchanging blow for blow. Jake realized the whole time Tiny laughed like a maniac.

  "Hit me again, little girl," Tiny slurred through spittle and blood.

  Jake didn't let up, beating him until he could do nothing but gurgle. Then there were beams from flashlights all around him and shouting. Apollo stood on the deck barking.

  "You need to step away, son," Sheriff Downing's voice boomed.

  "Stand back sheriff. This is not your fight." Jake hit Tiny again.

  "I can't do that, Jake. You caught him for us. Now we need to take him in."

  At least four deputies surrounded them. And the sheriff grabbed his shirt. "Come on, son. Think of your family. Think of that baby. They don't want to visit you behind bars."

  Jake mustered up the will to stand and step away. As he did, a sharp pain ran up the back of his leg. Tiny had sliced his calf, and he fell to his hands and knees.

  A shot rang out from in front of him. Jake lay flat, covering his head, uncertain about what had just happened. He heard a loud grunt, and a thud as Tiny fell backward onto the deck. The gunfire stopped after the second shot, and the deputies swarmed in pulling Jake up. "Put pressure on the wound. Get EMS out here," Downing barked.

  Jake's leg burned, and blood filled his boot. One deputy pulled off his belt and made a tourniquet. "You'll need a few stitches."

  "I guess it could be worse." Jake turned and peered down at Tiny.

  "He won't be bothering anyone anymore. Someone call the coroner! We need to carry this piece of shit off Jake's property once and for all." The sheriff ordered.

  Jake hobbled toward the house with an officer's help. "You know it was your dog. He led us down here... never barked at first, just kept running back and forth along this trail until we figured he was trying to tell us something."

  "That's my boy. He was with me earlier. I didn't realize he ran back to the house." Jake winced.

  Sebastian and Philip stood sleepy-eyed out on the lawn as an EMS tech helped him into the ambulance. It had been a long night. Jake's heart ached for Tamara, but inside that fist that often gripped his gut let go.

  He was headed back to St. Vincent's and had no plans of leaving until Vanessa was ready to come home. As they pulled away from Renegade Ridge, Jake peered out the windows and saw the orange glow of the new morning filtering through the trees.

  Chapter 24

  A few weeks later, Vanessa was at the house since the doctor restricted her work day to only four hours until after the baby was born. The gassing left her a bit weak, and she needed to regain her strength. Chuckling to himself, Jake figured that doctor was a smart man. He must have learned Vanessa was a stubborn woman and would continue to work until she dropped unless told otherwise by someone besides her husband.

  This morning he stood in the stable and brushed Hobo. After losing Tamara, spending time with the stallion helped plug the hole in his heart, and he looked forward to competing at the rodeo again. Or at least, watching while the younger guys did.

  Peering out the double doors, Jake saw Mossy in the back pasture on the tractor pulling the hay baler. The smell of fresh hay was relaxing and reminded him of the days when he did the same back in Arkansas. Sebastian was still at class, and the other ranch hands and staff members were preparing for the grand opening of Renegade Ridge Ranch Resort.

  Hobo swished his tail as Jake pondered the souls who had ended up on the ranch with him. Many were broken in some way. And he came to realize everyone had cracks in their armor. His struggles over the past several months taught him family not only included blood relatives but friends too. In Jake’s case, his extended family was just a band of ordinary folks doing the best they could with what they had — all caring for each other.

  To some, what Jake and Vanessa had endured would be considered tragic, but Jake felt their experiences happened for a reason. Vanessa had saved him in so many ways, and he had rescued her stubborn ass a time or two himself. Mossy was in the process of settling the lawsuit with his in-laws and Beth seemed thrilled with their relationship. He was crazy about little Bethany, too. And Sebastian was moving ahead with his education. He and Philip were best friends. Their relationship was much like his and Tucker's when they were younger.

  After adding a flake of hay to Hobo's feed box, Jake limped back to the house. His wound was healing. Tiny’s last stand had left no permanent injury.

  Inside, he found Vanessa folding another load of freshly washed green and yellow baby clothes. Soon after she returned home from the hospital, Beth and Martha had surprised her with a baby shower. So, Jake figured they owned enough baby stuff for at least three kids by now.

  "You feel up to a little dinner party?" Jake kissed her on the forehead.

  "Yes, I'm getting so bored." She looked up at him and grinned.

  "Good. Mossy and I will set it up with the caterer we hired for the resort’s food service. Maybe we’ll have a backyard barbecue for all the employees so they can get to know each other better. I think everyone could use the time to relax and have fun. And I want to sample some of the items on the caterer's menu, but I'll have to go grocery shopping first.

  "I can help too," she protested.

  "No, you can't."

  "I won't argue... it won't do any good. And I guess I am sorta tired." Vanessa shrugged.

  "Do you need anything?"

  "No. I'm fine, thanks."

  "Alright. I'm grabbing a quick sandwich. Then I'll be out of your hair."

  After fixing a salad for Vanessa and a chicken sandwich for himself, Jake walked over and kissed her. His lips lingered on hers for a moment, long enough for him to consider how blessed he was to have her as his wife. He cupped Vanessa's cheek in his hand before pulling away.

  When Jake got back to the barn, Mossy was parking the tractor and baler in the machine shed. So Jake moseyed over to him. "Hey, you up for a grand feast this evening just for the staff?

  "Hell yeah. I never turn away good food. What do you have in mind?"

  "I would like to try out the new caterer. They're scheduled to do some sample dishes for us
this evening anyway. So I thought we'd go into town and get a pork shoulder and some steaks. We can start the smoker and I'll ask them to grill the beef and prepare the side dishes. Before we leave, I'll call first to see what they need."

  After dinner, everyone sat outside enjoying a few brews when Jake noticed Vanessa had been in the house for quite a while. Even though Tiny was history, Jake still felt ill at ease now and then. Perhaps, at this point, it was more about her health than anything else.

  "Jake, you're a spasm," she joked laying on the bed in front of a fan.

  "I just came to check on you."

  "It's too hot and sticky out there for me. I'm burning up."

  "Let me go turn down the air-conditioning..."

  "Jake, stop fretting! I'm just hot. It goes with the territory." She shook her head.

  "You are hot!" He looked her up and down.

  “Oh, please, I look like a beached whale… feel like one too."

  "Well, beached whale, you sure are beautiful."

  After a few moments of silence, they burst into laughter.

  Jake sat beside her on the bed. "Look, it's time to give the staff their bonuses. I thought maybe you wanted to be out there for that. I'll move the fan outside. Now that the sun is going down it's nice out there."

  "Oh, Jake I forgot all about the bonuses. I'm so self-absorbed right now." She shook her head. "Of course, I'll come. Help me up." Jake pulled Vanessa to her feet and grabbed the fan before heading back to the party.

  The staff gathered around her, all wanting to touch her belly which Jake knew Vanessa hated. But tonight, she smiled and made the best of it. Then she waddled over to the basket full of envelopes sitting on the step and sat holding it in her lap. Vanessa smiled and clapped as Jake called the names of each employee and presented them with their bonuses. "Philip, this is for all your extra help over the last few weeks. You've gone over and above my expectations, and you did it willingly."

  Jake continued with each employee with a few tailored remarks about their outstanding performances. When he finished, he turned to Vanessa and spoke with an exaggerated southern accent.