by Marla Monroe
Granger worked in the back half of the garden while the teenager worked the top half. He’d noticed the kid had looked worse than usual that morning when they’d eaten the meager hash they’d been given. Still, he hadn’t said anything and went about his work without complaint. He’d just about decided to ask the kid to stick with him when he left. More than likely he’d regret it down the line, but he couldn’t leave him here. He’d talk to him tonight after dinner.
He heard yelling and cursing coming from the front section of the garden. Granger didn’t think, he just ran in that direction. He had a bad feeling that something was happening to the kid. When he almost ran over them, Granger stopped and grabbed one of the men beating the kid.
“What in the hell are you doing? He’s just a kid, and there are four of you,” he yelled.
“He was stealing food,” the man said, jerking his arm out of Granger’s grip.
“Just a rotten tomato. That’s all.” The kid tried to cover his head and face as the men hit and kicked him.
Granger wasn’t about to stand by and let them kill the kid for eating a rotten tomato. They didn’t near ’bout feed them enough as it was. He roared and started pulling them off the boy, making sure they wouldn’t take another shot at him in the process. When all four of the men were on the ground holding their stomachs or faces, Granger helped the kid up.
“I think you’ve done enough damage for one rotten piece of food,” he said as he helped the boy back to the barn.
“T–thank you. They’ll make you leave now,” the boy said in a low scratchy voice.
“I was getting ready to leave anyway. They don’t feed us enough for the work we do. Why don’t you leave in the morning with me?” he asked.
“I’ll think about it. Thanks.” The boy rolled over to his side and curled up in a ball.
The sight of it tore at something inside of him. He wanted to wrap his arms around him and keep him safe. It didn’t make sense. He’d never had feelings for another man before. He didn’t have anything against two men being together. It just wasn’t his preferences. Or at least it never had been in the past. Shaking his head, Granger closed the stall door and walked over to his.
There was no doubt they wouldn’t feed them tonight. He chewed on some jerky, planning to offer some to the boy in the morning. They’d get up before dawn and leave, safer that way. Leaving before dark wasn’t a good idea, or he would have left immediately. Instead, he settled down and closed his eyes.
Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, Granger quietly gathered his things then opened the stall door next to his to wake the kid up. To his surprise, it was empty. The kid had picked up his things and left sometime in the night. He crouched down and felt the area where the boy had been sleeping and found it cold to the touch. He’d been gone for at least an hour. He prayed the kid was okay. He’d been pretty badly beaten before he’d gotten there to stop it.
Granger sighed and pulled on his pack. He walked out of the barn and headed down the road. He knew the general direction he planned to take, so he didn’t bother reviewing his maps right away. Instead, he let his mind wander as he walked. Around ten, he stopped in a clearing to eat and rest. He opened a can of beef stew he’d been saving and ate it slowly, relishing the taste after the diet of beans, watery hash, and stale bread he’d had for the last week.
After cleaning up, he stood to start walking again when he heard the sound of a truck. By the time he’d made it to the main road, the truck had caught up with him. To his surprise, the four men from the house jumped out and surrounded him.
“What’s going on?” he asked, dropping his pack and keeping his hands relaxed out by his sides.
“A little payback. You got the drop on us yesterday, but that ain’t happening today,” one of the men said.
“You were beating a defenseless boy for no reason,” he said in a calm voice.
“The bastard stole from us. That’s reason enough,” another of the men said.
“That’s bullshit,” he said.
They didn’t say anything else. Instead, they all rushed him at once. He got in some good shots, but with that many, he didn’t stand a chance. They had him tied to a tree and helpless to stop them from beating him to death in less than two minutes. He had no doubt they didn’t intend for him to walk away. He snorted. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
“Don’t think you have anything to be laughing about, big man,” the first guy said with a sneer.
“Where did you get that scar on your face anyway?” another of them asked.
“Prison,” he told him.
“Shit. We had a fucking ex-con working for us with our women there, Lenny. I can’t believe you let him stay,” the second one whined.
“Shut up. How was I supposed to know he was a convict?” The one called Lenny hit him hard in the stomach.
They took turns beating him. When one of them got tired, the next one took over. None of them were in that good of shape considering they should have been working a garden, but with four of them taking turns, he wasn’t doing too well.
The sound of another vehicle approaching where they were located didn’t seem to bother the men. They continued hitting him until a gunshot had them all scattering. A second shot sounded, and the four men scrambled for the truck, pulling out in a cloud of dust and slinging gravel as they left him there tied to the tree.
“What the hell?” A man’s voice sounded fairly near, but Granger didn’t have enough strength to lift his head and open his swollen eyes, if he even could, to see who was talking.
“They worked you over good, man. Let’s get you cut down.” The man cut through the ropes, taking most of his weight when he was finally free. “Can you walk? You’re big enough. I’m not sure if I can carry you or not.”
“Walk,” he managed to get out.
“Sounds good to me.” The stranger put his arm around Granger’s waist and helped him walk toward the man’s truck. “Need to get out of here before they decide to come back. Hold on while I open the door.”
Granger leaned against the side of the truck while the other man cleared him a spot. Then the other man helped him up into the cab, closing the door after he was settled. Granger let his head fall back against the seat. He could feel the blood dripping from his nose, mouth, and a cut over his eye. He didn’t have the strength to wipe it off.
“Here you go.” A wet cloth went to the cut over his head. “Hold it while I drive. Once we get somewhere that I think we’ll be safe for a little while, we’ll get you cleaned up. Might need stitches to that place on your forehead.”
“It’ll heal,” he said.
The other man grunted. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”
“Stopped them from beating some kid for stealing a rotten tomato to eat. They didn’t like it.”
Again, the man only grunted. Neither of them spoke again. Granger let the hum of the road noise lull him into a light sleep. It occurred to him that he didn’t know the name of the man who’d rescued him. He’d ask when he woke up again.
* * * *
Destiny shivered as she curled up under the blankets she’d found in the chest in the old cabin she was staying in. Her body ached from all the bruises she’d gotten when they’d beaten her. If the stranger hadn’t intervened, they’d have killed her. She was positive of that. She owed him her life, but she doubted she would ever see him again. Leaving in the middle of the night had been the safest thing to do. She couldn’t leave with him and take the chance that he found out she wasn’t a boy. Men couldn’t be trusted when it came to women. There were so few of them left that guys went crazy when they were around them.
No, it had been for the best that she’d left when she did. It didn’t matter that something about him made her want to trust him. He was strong and very masculine. Even the terrible scar across his face didn’t stop her from liking the way he looked. The one thing she regretted was that she didn’t know his name.
He had
a magnificent body, standing at about six foot three inches. He probably weighed close to two thirty. Although she hadn’t been able to tell much about his body since he wore a coat most of the times she saw him, the few times she’d noticed when he was chopping wood, she swore he had muscles on top of muscles. She had wanted to run her hands under his shirt and feel every inch of his chest and shoulders. Because of that, she’d steered well away from him whenever possible.
As she lay curled up, she imagined how he looked with his coal-black hair that had been just long enough that he was able to pull it back while he worked. The inky blackness of his eyes gave her the impression that he didn’t miss anything. That was one of the reasons she felt like traveling with him would have been a mistake. He would have figured out that she wasn’t a boy.
The few times she’d heard him speak, his deep rumbly voice had stirred up things deep inside of her that had no business being interested. At twenty-two, Destiny was a virgin and had no intentions of ever being otherwise. Some of the things she’d seen while she’d been traveling still made her sick at her stomach. Men were cruel and nasty when it came to wanting sex. She could do without—would do without it.
She tried adjusting how she was lying to ease the ache in her ribs, but it only seemed to stir the pain up more. She didn’t think they were broken, but they sure hurt like they were. She’d been horrified to see a bruise that looked like the shoeprint of one of their boots where they’d stomped her on the chest. Destiny had been forced to remove the wrapping that kept her breasts flat due to the pain. Until she could rewrap herself, she would have to stay there. She couldn’t venture out without being wrapped.
She’d been lucky to find the cabin. Not only was it in fairly good shape, but it had not been ransacked or stripped of useful items like the canned goods she’d found. She could easily hide there for a week or two to heal and rest. By her calculations, she was about fifteen or twenty miles into South Dakota. She wasn’t nearly far enough away from the bastards who’d beaten her, but it was the best she could do for now.
As she lay there, she drifted in and out of a fitful sleep. She’d wanted to light a fire in the fireplace, but fear that either the chimney would catch on fire or those men would see the smoke and find her kept her from attempting it. So she huddled beneath the extra blankets on the bed and slept.
The sound of the door flying open jerked her wide awake. Destiny barely stopped a scream from escaping her mouth. The men stopped just inside the door and stared at her. She recognized one of the men as the one who’d been at the farm with her. What had happened to him? His face had been beaten black and blue. The other man she didn’t recognize at all. He was helping the other one stand up by the looks of it.
She watched as they slowly eased over to the couch. The man from the farm sat down with a loud groan. The other man backed over to the door and closed it, never taking his eyes off of her.
“We aren’t going to hurt you. We just needed a place to rest. We didn’t realize someone was already staying here. We’ll move on as soon as the storm blows over,” the stranger said.
“You’re the kid from the farm. Why’d you run off?” the one on the couch asked.
Destiny was too scared to say anything at first. Finally, she had to know what had happened to him. She drew in a deep breath, remembering to keep her voice pitched low at the last second.
“What happened to you?”
“Those friends of yours didn’t take my stopping them from killing you very kindly,” he said.
“I–I’m sorry.”
He sighed and winced when he tried to rub his face. “Not your fault. They’re bullies and assholes. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Just needed to rest for a while.” She turned her attention to stranger.
He sat on the arm of the couch just watching her. His wavy brown hair didn’t quite reach his shoulders and the warm chocolate of his eyes belied the expression on his sharp facial features. Right then, he wasn’t happy about his situation. She couldn’t help wondering who he was and why the guy from the farm was with him.
“My name’s Marty. What’s yours?” he asked.
“D–Dusty,” she said, almost forgetting not to use her own name.
“I’m Granger,” the other man said. “Where are you headed?”
“Got family somewhere in Montana. I’m hoping to find them,” she said.
Destiny felt very uncomfortable sitting in the bed with the covers up around her neck. She was fully clothed underneath, but she didn’t have her chest wrapped. They’d notice if she didn’t stay covered.
“Guess we’re all headed in the same direction, then,” Marty said. “There’s safety in numbers. Let’s stick together for now. Since I have a truck, you’ll get there faster with me. Right now, we all need some rest. Have you eaten, Dusty?”
She nodded her head, too nervous to say anything now. How was she going to keep her secret if she stayed with them? But how could she pass up the chance to ride and get to Montana much sooner with less chance of danger?
“I’ll fix us something to eat, Granger. Why don’t you bunk down with Dusty, and I’ll take the couch. I’m a little shorter than you are, so I’ll fit better.” Marty picked up the pack he’d dropped by the door and rummaged through it until he had located a couple of cans and a can opener.
Destiny panicked when Granger pushed himself unsteadily to his feet and headed toward the bed. She quickly scooted to the very edge on one side, leaving the other two-thirds of the bed to him.
“Hell, I’m not going to bite you, kid.” Granger dropped heavily to the bed and kicked off his boots. “You’re not my type, and I’m too fucked up right now to be of any danger.”
Destiny could hear the slur to his words and realized he’d had something to drink, probably to ease some of the pain. His face looked like it hurt, but then hers wasn’t a lot better. She didn’t say anything to that. She just turned on her side, leaving her back to him and closed her eyes, praying that sleep would soon claim her.
Chapter Four
Destiny opened her eyes the next morning feeling slightly better. She had rested well, despite the unusual circumstances. Her aches and pains were just as bad as the day before, but somehow getting more sleep had made it all easier to handle. She eased out of the bed, careful not to wake her bed partner. She needed to take care of nature’s call and brush her teeth. If it was at all possible, she needed to wrap her breasts as well.
She made it outside without alerting anyone and took care of business. After brushing her teeth and rinsing with the bottled water she’d brought with her, Destiny stepped back inside the cabin and carried her pack into the bathroom. After several false starts, she finally managed to get the wrapping back around her chest. Once her eyes stopped watering, she returned to the main room to find Marty up going through his pack.
“Morning, Dusty. Have anything against making a fire?” he asked.
“Wasn’t sure about the chimney. Didn’t want it to catch on fire.” Destiny glanced over to where Granger groaned and turned over in the bed.
“Valid point. I’ll check it out. If it looks clean enough, we’ll start one,” he said.
She watched as he put everything back into the pack in an orderly fashion, then set it aside. He carried a lantern over to the chimney to investigate it. After a few minutes of looking around and up the flue, he grunted and headed toward the door.
“I’m going to have to climb up on the roof and make sure there’s nothing blocking the top. Otherwise, it looks safe enough.” He walked outside and closed the door behind him.
“Where’d Marty go?” Granger asked, sitting up with an obvious wince.
“Up on the roof to make sure the chimney’s safe to start a fire in the fireplace,” she said.
“Hmm,” he said.
Destiny walked over to where he sat on the side of the bed. She noticed the stitches above his right eye for the first time. It bothered her that he’d been hurt because of he
r.
“I’m sorry they did this. You shouldn’t have stopped them.”
“They’d have beaten you to death, Dusty. People like that have no morals, no stop button.”
“I know, but you wouldn’t be hurt now if you’d just walked away.” She couldn’t let it go.
“Yeah, well, what’s done is done. How are you feeling? You’re moving awfully stiffly.”
“I could say the same about you,” she said with a small smile.
He stared at her for a long time. It made her nervous, so she ducked her head and studied her feet. Finally he spoke again.
“They caught up with me in a clearing about an hour away from their place. I didn’t have a chance with all four of them concentrating on me. After they tied me to a tree, they took turns beating me. Marty pulled up with the intention of grabbing a quick nap and saw them. He shot over their heads a couple of times and scared them off. Then he cut me loose and half carried me to his truck. I suppose what goes around comes around. Now we just need to watch for our chance to return the favor to him.” Granger’s unexpected explanation of what happened to him surprised her.
Even more, his matter of fact acceptance of it made her rethink how she thought of him. He didn’t say much, but he’d left her alone. And when she had been in trouble, he stepped in to help, knowing it would mean that he lost a place to crash. Instead of being bitter and angry about the beating he’d ended up getting, he shrugged it off and didn’t hold it against her. More and more, Destiny was falling under his spell, and that scared her. She couldn’t afford to like, much less trust, anyone, especially a man.
The sounds of stomping above them had them both looking up just as a light shower of dust and debris rained down on them.
“Fuck!” Granger brushed the stuff off his face then cursed again when he touched the swollen areas around his eyes.
