by Becca Van
Bella jerked back to awareness, determination coursing through every cell of her body. She was pregnant. She had a baby girl growing in her belly, and there was no way in hell she was giving in without a fight. She looked down at her body, her blood seeping from various knife cuts, but they weren’t deep wounds. Maybe David didn’t really want to be doing what he was to her.
“You are a coward, David Ryder,” Bella spat at him. “Only cowards attack people smaller and weaker than themselves. Only cowards tie up helpless women and cut them up. You must be such a disappointment to your father. My God, just think about what he’s going to say when he finds you, his son, cutting up a helpless woman. He is going to be so proud of you. Not.”
“Shut up,” David whimpered, clutching his head between his hands, the knife falling onto the bed, obviously forgotten.
Bella knew she had broken his concentration, and the only way she was going to get him to keep from hurting her any more was to keep at him.
“I can just imagine what your mother would say to you if she could see you now. Do you think she’d call you the coward you are? Only bullies, people sick in the head, would do what you’re doing to me. I can help you if you let me. All you need to do is untie me and let me go. I’ll get a doctor to come and see you. You need help, David. You’re sick in your mind.”
“You’re right about that, little missy. I’m so sorry I didn’t do anything before.” Sheriff Nate Ryder’s voice echoed in the quiet of the room. “Oh God, David. What have you done?”
“Pa. I’m sorry, Pa. She walked around that ranch in man’s clothes. The voices in my head said she was mine, not the Aldridge brothers’. They stole her from me. I had to get her back.”
“David, come on out to the fire, and we’ll sit and talk awhile,” Sheriff Nate said quietly, easing further into the room.
Bella watched as David climbed from the bed to face his father. Her eyes slid back and forth from father to son. David had the knife back in his hand, his arm bent, the knife pointed toward his father. Sheriff Nate had his gun in his hand, his arm hanging loosely by his side.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know what your ma was doing to you when she was alive. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you from her. If you had come to me and told me what was going on, I could have done something about it. That little girl hasn’t done anything to you, David. You need to let her go,” Sheriff Nate commanded.
“She’ll tell on me if I do. What am I going to do, Pa?”
“You let me worry about those things, son. Now, I’m going to untie her. I don’t want you to move, David,” Sheriff Nate said as he moved to Bella’s side.
Bella and the sheriff kept their eyes on David, and he released her wrists.
“I want you to keep still. Don’t move a muscle and draw attention to yourself. You get out of here fast when he’s not looking. My horse is right outside the door. You climb up into that saddle and head on out straight away from the cabin. Keep riding straight, and you’ll ride right into the Triple A Ranch,” Nate whispered.
Bella just nodded her head to let the sheriff know she’d heard him, too afraid to draw David’s attention to her now that it was on his father.
“You’ve done a bad thing, son. You know I’m going to have to take you in,” Nate said to David, his voice full of sad resignation.
“You don’t have to do that, Pa. We can just pretend it never happened. I’ll be good from now on. I promise.”
“You and I both know you ain’t right in the head, son. I can’t keep covering up the bad things you do. This time you’ve gone too far. If I let you go now, you’ll just find some other woman to obsess over. What will you do then? You were going to kill this time, David. I can’t let you hurt anyone else.”
Bella watched as father and son moved cautiously around each other. She saw the muscles in David’s body tense, readying to strike against his father. She screamed in horror as David leapt at his father, the blade of the knife sinking into his father’s belly as the sheriff lifted his arm and pulled the trigger. Father and son fell to the floor, both writhing in pain until their last breaths left their lungs.
Bella felt sick to her stomach, the stench of blood and urine permeating the small room. She scrambled from the bed, pulling the sheet around her body, and ran. She was sobbing and shaking as she mounted the dead sheriff’s horse and kicked it into a gallop. She never once looked back.
Bella was frantic to reach her men on the Triple A Ranch. She knew they would be worried about her, and she just wanted to hold them and have them hold her in their arms. She nudged the horse again, her vision impaired from the tears in her eyes. She prayed her mount wouldn’t stumble in a hole and send her flying through the air and send her tumbling to the ground. She could feel blood seeping from the cuts on her body and knew she needed to clean them up and stem the flow. She gasped and held on to the horse’s mane when it stumbled but gave a sigh of relief as it gained its balance. The horse’s hooves pounded into the ground. Every step was jarring through her entire body, and she felt so tired and weak. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold on, but she wasn’t about to give up now.
She gripped the side of the horse tighter with her knees and even though the reins were in her hands, she didn’t pull on them. She clung to the pommel instead and let the animal beneath her carry her, racing through the night.
She needed to get home to her men. She needed to see them with her own eyes. She didn’t know how long she and the horse traveled for. It could have been minutes or hours. Everything slowed down and seemed so surreal. The horse was breathing heavily, and it was lathered with sweat. She didn’t want to push it too hard, but she couldn’t stop. The words in her head rolled around her mind over and over again. Get home. Get home. Get home.
Bella was thankful the animal seemed to know where she wanted to go. She didn’t need to direct him at all. She could hardly see now. Tears were still flowing from her eyes, and the wind rushing into her eyeballs made it worse. She startled as the shadows of trees rushed past her, and she flinched as a thin branch caught her on the cheek. She bent down low over the horse’s neck and sobbed as her aching hands clung to the saddle. She didn’t know if she would be able to let go when she reached the house. She listened intently when she thought she heard pounding hooves on the ground. But she thought she was imagining things when she only heard the sound of the hooves of the horse she was mounted on beating into the ground. She peered through the dark but couldn’t see much.
Get home. Get home. Get home.
Chapter Fourteen
“Where the fuck could she be?” Clint roared with fear and frustration.
“I don’t know, but someone was here. There’s water all over the place, and I found some blood on the timber decking outside,” Marcus yelled.
“David. That fucking bastard’s a dead man,” Adam yelled.
It was already dark out, as Clint and his brothers had worked a bit later than usual because of their late start. When he’d found no sign of Bella in the house, he had been filled with dread. At first he had thought she had been taken from them, back to her own time. But once he had seen the spilled bucket and signs of a struggle, he knew she had been taken against her will.
“We have to hurry,” Marcus yelled at him as he vaulted into the saddle.
Clint mounted his horse, and he and his brothers galloped at breakneck speed, praying he would reach his wife in time to save her. It would take them a good twenty minutes to reach David’s cabin even at the pace they were going. He was only five minutes into their journey when Clint pulled his horse to a skidding halt, hand up, a silent signal to his brothers that someone was coming their way.
The sight that met his eyes had his heart lifting from his belly in relief. Then fury took hold as he saw the blood on the sheet wrapped around their wife. He nudged his horse back onto the trail, eager to intercept his woman.
Clint saw Bella jerk her horse to a halt, her breath sobbing out as she spotted her him and
his brothers. She practically threw herself from the horse, her knees buckling as she slid to the ground. He jumped down to the ground and reached for her, hesitating. She was covered in blood, and he didn’t want to hurt her any more than she was. She looked up into his anguished face as he reached out for her, and he sighed when she threw herself into his arms.
“Bella, you’re bleeding. God, baby, what did he do to you? Where is he? How did you get away?” Clint asked, his words running together, his fear for his wife coming out with his words.
“I’m all right. He didn’t hurt me that bad. He’s dead. His father shot him. They’re both dead. God, David stabbed his own father, and the sheriff shot his son at the same time,” Bella said then scrambled from his lap, moaned, doubled over, and retched.
When she was done, Clint carefully lifted her into his arms. He passed her over to Adam when his brother mounted, and he headed back to the ranch. He set a slow, easy pace, careful not to hurt his wife by jolting her too much.
Clint watched as Marcus carefully carried Bella into the kitchen and held her on his lap while he prepared his wife a bath. He stepped up to her and leaned her back against his chest while Marcus held her steady and eased the sheet off of her body. He groaned with anguish when he saw the long, shallow cuts on her body.
“Bella, darlin’, are you in pain?” Marcus asked. Clint heard his brother, but he had to strain to hear him because his voice was no more than a whisper, as he stared down at her body from over her shoulder.
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you? I’m surprised I don’t feel anything at all,” Bella answered.
“Baby, look at me,” Clint demanded, walking closer to his wife.
He looked at her and knew the anguish he felt for his wife was visible on his face. He looked over the cuts on her body, then back up to her eyes again.
“I’m going to get you a shot of whiskey, and I want you to drink it. You’re in shock, baby. You’re beginning to shake already,” Clint said quietly.
“No. No whiskey. It’s not good for the baby. Just bring a hot cup of tea with lots of sugar, please.” Bella stumbled through her reply.
“We’re going to have a baby? Are you sure, Bella?” Adam asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she answered in a wobbly voice.
Clint could hear her teeth chattering and wanted to pull her into his arms, but was afraid of hurting her. He saw Adam walk over with a hot cup of sweet tea and hand it to Marcus. His eyes were on the cuts on his wife’s body, and he couldn’t tear his gaze away. He wondered how the hell she was sitting there without screaming in pain.
Clint watched her as Marcus wrapped his hands around hers, helping to hold the cup steady so she could drink the sweet brew. Once she finished her tea, he picked her up very carefully and slowly, gently lowered her into the just-warm water of the tub. The sound of Bella hissing through her teeth as the water stung her cuts made him clench his teeth with anger, anguish, and concern.
Clint knelt down next to her as she just sat in the warm water, letting the warmth chase the chill from her bones. Once she stopped shaking, he was glad to see her lift her head to look at him and his brothers. Adam and Marcus had joined him and they were now crouched around the metal tub on all sides. She gave him a tremulous smile, took the washcloth from him, and began to clean her wounds. He wanted to do it for her, but he knew it was better if she did it herself. She was the one in pain and she wouldn’t scrub herself too hard. Once done, she stood up and would have stumbled if he hadn’t reached out to steady her.
Clint lifted her from the tub and wrapped her in a towel, being careful not to move the material on her body and abrade her injuries. He carried her down the hall into their bedroom and gently laid her on the bed.
“I have a bolt of white cotton in the chest at the end of the bed. We need to cut it up into long strips so I can cover these wounds,” Bella said.
She didn’t have to explain. Clint and his brothers got to work cutting the cotton into strips until they had a pile of bandages. Adam held her up against his chest while he and Marcus got to work. They had her bound up and settled on the bed fifteen minutes later. He could see her eyes getting heavy. She clutched at her head as if it was aching. She was nearly asleep, and Clint was glad. At least she would be able to escape the pain from the cuts if she was sleeping. “I’m probably going to be sleeping a lot over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Don’t worry too much. David hit me on the head, and I think I have a slight concussion. It’s normal to sleep a lot when that happens. If you’re worried, you can try and wake me every couple of hours. If I’m still sleeping after forty-eight hours, you’ll need to get a doctor. I should be right as rain by tomorrow afternoon, though. Love you,” Bella slurred then fell asleep.
* * * *
The next twenty-four hours were the worst Clint and his brothers had ever endured. Clint set up a schedule taking turns in looking after Bella. He was glad she had told him she would be sleeping a lot because even though he was worried about her, he wasn’t frantic since she had told him she would sleep a lot. He only woke her every couple of hours. He made her drink water every time he or his brothers woke her, and when he was satisfied she had enough to drink, he would let her sleep again. They took turns with her, sleeping and working in shifts, and when they weren’t on Bella duty, they conversed and planned. Clint had brought in the doctor from Big Lake. Marcus had ridden hard, bringing the doctor back with him, the thought of losing their wife to fever or infection a fear he’d been unable to endure. He had been relieved when the young doctor had advised that Bella had done a good job cleaning her wounds and wrapping them, protecting them from getting infected.
He was going to hire a contingent of men to help out on the ranch. He hadn’t had the inclination to hire anyone before, preferring to do the work with the help of his brothers, keeping their days busy since they had no one to come home to. Since that fateful day he and his brothers had headed to Big Lake, looking for a few hours of pleasure, he didn’t want to spend as much time working the ranch. His life had been changed for the better when they had found their wife lying unconscious on the ground just north of the town.
He couldn’t wait until Bella was on the mend again. He wanted to know if he had heard what she said correctly, and if it was true they were going to be fathers. Bella woke in the early evening the next day, and Clint was relieved to see their wife was her usual feisty self, just a little slower than normal.
Clint and his brothers continued to look after Bella over the next three days. He could tell she was feeling better when she began to snap and snarl and became antsy with them. He knew she wanted to get out of bed, but he thought it was too soon. That was until she put her foot down. “Okay, that’s it. I appreciate all the love and care you’ve given me over the last few days, but now it’s time to stop. Don’t you have work you should be doing?” Bella asked.
“No, baby. We hired on some hands and they have everything covered,” Clint answered.
“Shit, then maybe you could start building onto the house. We’re going to need more room when the baby comes along. And we have to work out a way to get water plumbed into the house. I would kill for a shower right now,” Bella said as she pushed her hair back from her face.
“How are you wounds, Bella?” Marcus asked, moving over to her.
“They’re fine. Healing nicely. Is that bacon I smell? God, it smells so good. I could eat half a pig I’m so hungry,” Bella muttered, then laughed as she watched her men run about getting her food.
Bella ate her late breakfast, brunch really, with relish, savoring every bite of food. When she was done, she pushed her empty plate to the side and sat back to find her men staring at her with hunger. She twitched in her seat, squeezing her thighs together to relieve her aching clit, and reached up to touch her necklace. She let out a loud gasp of anguish, and her men jumped from their seats to surround her, all talking at once. “What is it, baby?”
“What’s wrong, darlin’?�
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“Are you in pain, honey?”
“No, I’m fine, but my necklace—it’s gone,” Bella stated, tears pricking the back of her eyes. “The chain must have broken when David kidnapped me. I’ve lost my pendant.”
“Aw, baby. Don’t worry about that. We have enough money to buy you dozens of necklaces and pendants. Besides, you were meant to lose it. Otherwise you would never have found your way here to us,” Clint said gently, rubbing her thigh as he squatted next to her.
“I know you’re right. It’s just that, it was special. It meant a lot to me. You guys gave it to me. I love you all so much. God has truly blessed us by bringing me here to you.”
“Bella, we love you, too, baby. Let us show you how much. That’s if you’re up to some lovin’?” Clint asked, holding his hand out to her.
“I’m always up to making love with my men. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Here, home with my men back in 1865,” Bella said with a grin, taking Clint’s hand and rising to her feet. She followed him into the bedroom, Marcus and Adam close at her heels. They had a lifetime to spend together, living, loving, and making babies. She was going to hold on to the precious gift given to her from above and never let go.
They spent the entire day in bed, making love until they all fell into an exhausted sleep.
Epilogue
Bella grunted, breathing through the pain that wracked her body. If she didn’t know what a precious gift she would have to hold in her arms after her torture was over, she would never have been able to endure.
