Ranch Rivalry

by Gray Gardner

  “Hm, you smell so nice,” he mumbled, running his bearded face along her neck, behind her ear.

  She pulled her head away from him as best as she could, gagging at the awful smell of tobacco and whiskey on his breath.

  “Help me,” she cried, unable to make her voice any louder than a whimper.

  “I want you to scream for me,” he grunted, running his hand down the front of her dress and grabbing a handful at the hemline.

  Case kicked her foot back into his shin and as he winced and loosened his grip on her, she turned and swung her elbow, whacking him across his neck and making him choke for air.

  “Help me!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, falling to the orange shag carpet as he grabbed the back of her dress and shoved her down. She curled up into a ball to protect herself as tears streamed down her face and she repeated in her head over and over what she had to do. Gouge out the eyes. Gouge out the eyes.

  Holy shit, he was taking off his shirt.

  And then she called out a name she’d thought she never would.

  “Daddy!”

  * * * * *

  The diner lights shone brightly underneath the awning outside, causing Hall to pull his Astros cap a little lower over his eyes. Technically, they were outside so it wasn’t bad manners to have his hat on. Un-technically, Virginia stood in front of him, grateful for the dinner and banana split they’d just shared, waiting for what he was afraid was a kiss.

  The only kiss he could think about was Case’s earlier in the day. She hadn’t shown up for her clothes. Was she mad? Scared? Virginia smiled up at him.

  He liked Virginia just fine. He’d asked her out several times. She just…. He looked down at her jean jacket with shoulder pads and electric pink blouse, unbuttoned one button too far. She had her eyes half closed, even though she was looking up at him. He swallowed and looked down at the sidewalk, noticing her acid washed, high waist, pleated jeans. His mind immediately turned to Case, in her non-stylish hand-me-down jeans from her brother that hung on her hips and made her look... delightfully cute.

  “S-sorry I keep bringing you to this ratty old place,” he quickly said, trying to turn their attention to the now empty Mac’s Diner as they stood in front of his truck.

  “I don’t mind,” she smiled, trying to act shyly as she looked away from him. “I just hate that dirty old bar you boys go to. And I hardly drink a drop.”

  “Well, I’m glad you like ice cream, then,” he nodded, gesturing to his truck. “Should I take you home? I don’t want your dad to answer the door with a shotgun.”

  “Oh, Daddy’s harmless,” she giggled insincerely, walking around and letting him open the door for her.

  They both jerked their heads to Main Street as sirens suddenly deafened them and patrol cars screeched around the corner and then out of view. Virginia frowned up at Hall quizzically when she noticed his face suddenly going slack. She looked back at the street as a red Mustang convertible sped past, equally as urgent.

  “I wonder what that was?” she asked, placing her black Sam and Libby flat shoe up in the truck, preparing to climb in.

  “Mr. Sheridan… the Oakwood Inn!” he hollered, grabbing underneath Virginia’s behind and shoving her into the truck, slamming the door behind her as she shrieked with surprise.

  “Halston!” she protested, trying to sound chaste. He slammed the car into reverse, flipped around to Main, then threw it into drive as he sped towards the motel. “Hall!”

  He knew it. He had an uneasy feeling in his gut. The cops, Mr. Sheridan, it had to be Case. She’d gotten herself into trouble again… and she’d checked herself into the Oakwood Inn behind everyone’s backs.

  His tires screeched as he angled his car behind the three flashing police cruisers outside of the doors on the far end of the motel. He opened his door as Virginia protested again.

  “Stay here,” he ordered, looking directly at her for the first time all night. She blinked and nodded, taking in his tone, and he breathed out. “I’ll be right back.”

  He ran through the gathering crowd towards the badly lit breezeway and pushed past Deputy Nelson, who suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

  “Mr. Blackhill, please,” he firmly said, indicating that he should wait behind the imaginary line just like every other layman at the crime scene.

  “What happened?” he heavily breathed, knowing the answer already.

  Nelson shook his head and tipped his hat up.

  “Well, we have him for breaking and entering, assault and battery, uh, attempted kidnapping and, uh… attempted rape.”

  “Who!” Hall demanded, turning and looking at the brightly lit room with deputies coming in and out, taking pictures, and making notes.

  “Well, him,” Nelson frowned, as a female deputy pushed a shirtless man out of the room in handcuffs. He hacked a few times as a thin line of blood trickled down the side of his face.

  “No!” he snapped, shaking his head. “Nelson, who did he assault?”

  “Now, I can’t tell you that yet, Mr.—”

  Hall easily pushed him aside and strode purposefully into the room. Plastic numbered squares covered the floor, bed, and tables. Deputies took notes and pictures, mumbling to each other. Sherriff Franks was kneeling in the corner of the room. He turned and stood at the sight of Halston Blackhill, revealing a pink-cheeked Case, curled up and crying in the corner, shaking her head.

  “Case,” Hall heard himself say loudly. She looked so… helpless. What had happened to her? His insides burned with anger as he thought of the handcuffed man leaving the room.

  “Now, Mr. Blackhill, this is not the time,” Franks began, putting his hat on over his white hair and holding his hand up. Great, all he needed to make the entire day a complete wash was some petty Hatfield and McCoy shit. “She’s already been through quite enough…”

  “Hall!” she cried, finally getting enough tears cleared out of her eyes to make him out. There he was, standing in her motel room, and all she could feel was relief. She pushed off the ground and dropped the blanket draping over her shoulders, running towards him. His arms wrapped around her back made her so grateful, and when he lifted her up and wrapped an arm around her knees, holding her to his chest like a child, she finally relaxed. She let her face hide in his white button up as she let her breathing catch up with her. She knew people were staring. She didn’t care what anyone thought at the moment. She felt so safe.

  “What the fuck happened here,” Hall demanded, as Franks led him out of the room and into the night. More people had gathered now, watching and whispering. Hall squeezed Case closer to his chest as he glared down at the Sherriff. He couldn’t believe how happy he was that she was all right. It was kind of unsettling.

  “Truck driver,” Franks sighed, running his thumbs under his belt and pulling his pants up a little. “Walked by her room and watched her sleeping, from what we can gather. Then he pried open the window and went inside and, well, got a little bit of a surprise.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Franks glanced down at her, huddled in Halston Blackhill’s arms, and turned his eyes back up.

  “She kicked the shit out of him.”

  On top of worry, and relief, and contentment, Hall suddenly felt the swell of pride rising up inside him. She wasn’t just a withering flower. Tough, confident, and brave to a fault… she kept surprising him.

  “Do you have everything you need?” he asked the Sherriff, trying to regain his senses as she leaned her head into his chest and squeezed a fistful of his shirt in her hand.

  “We got a statement from her, and with the 911 recording, we really don’t need anything else,” Franks nodded, clapping Hall’s arm appreciatively. A hint of a smile crossed his face. “You look after her.”

  “I intend to,” Hall sighed, just as Mr. Sheridan finished talking to another deputy and pushed his way over in his pajama pants and bathrobe. He looked sick with worry.

  “Is she alright?” he asked Franks, eyei
ng Hall nervously.

  “She’ll be just fine,” Franks nodded.

  “God, when you called and… Chardonnay had mentioned something at dinner about an old classmate… well, I didn’t know what I thought,” he sighed, shaking his head as he rubbed his hand over his short, black hair. “Can I… should I take her home and put her up in our guest room?”

  “She’ll be staying at my house until everything is cleared up,” Hall announced, not wanting to reveal too much about what was going on at her place. He understood the value of privacy.

  Mr. Sheridan nodded suspiciously, knowing full well the spotted history between the McCanns and the Blackhills, but finally just sighed in relief.

  “I really am sorry, Case. We get truckers in here all the time. Most of them are not like this.”

  Case made herself nod, not wanting to look anyone in the eye, as she gripped Hall’s shirt even tighter. She knew she might pop a button off but she didn’t care. She really needed something to hold onto. She heard Franks ask Mr. Sheridan for a statement, and soon she felt Hall walking away from the commotion. Honestly, she didn’t care if they went back to his house. There she’d be a hell of a lot safer than at the Oakwood Inn, being assaulted in the middle of the night… or at Tizzy’s contracting communicable diseases from various vermin.

  Then she heard a squeal.

  “Oh my word, what on earth happened?”

  She opened up her eyes in time to see Hall lifting her into his truck through the driver’s side door, right into the worried confines of none other than Virginia Welch. Case sat up behind the steering wheel as Hall climbed in and crowded behind her, finally grabbing under her arm and knee and lifting her over to the middle of the bench seat, closer to Virginia, who looked disingenuously concerned as she grabbed Case’s face and wiped away dried up tears with a handkerchief.

  Virginia Welch. If Chardonnay was the scary cheerleader bitch from Case’s grade, Virginia was her evil predecessor. She’d been a Senior at the local high school when Case was a Freshman at boarding school, but that didn’t stop her from totally terrorizing Case and Tizzy, and anyone else she could find over the holidays… and summer. Case could recall water balloons, a permanent marker, and having to explain to her brothers why the word “slut” was indelibly written across her forehead.

  And her dad was president of the bank, so there was entitled greed behind the evilness. Case nodded that she was alright as Virginia continued to fuss over her and Hall started the car. Maybe she’d changed since high school.

  “Well!” Virginia smiled, as they drove down 7th Street. “If it isn’t the Little McCann! I hardly recognized you, Sweet Thing!” She grinned as the street lamps flashed by and continued with a hint of sharpness in her voice. “How do you know Halston?”

  Case leaned back into the seat and wished she could sink all the way through to the bed of the truck, and then she made the mistake of eyeing Hall out of her left eye. Was he actually grinning?

  “Uh, yeah, I was going to tell you at dinner,” Hall finally said, looking straight ahead. “I’m her babysitter until her brothers can get home and take care of business.”

  What? Case was sure her jaw was touching the floor as Virginia had the nerve to giggle.

  “Aw, isn’t that cute? You’re so sweet, Hall. All the McCanns are just adorable little troublemakers, aren’t they?”

  Hall pulled the car to a stop as he nodded.

  “I couldn’t agree more,” he sighed, opening his door and jumping out. He quickly walked around and opened Virginia’s door, helping her out, and walking her up a sidewalk.

  Case frowned as she looked over at the light blue two story house. This was the Welch’s house. Holy shit, had they been on a date? She sunk into her seat and frowned as she spied on them, lingering on the doorstep and talking. Rolling her eyes, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to think about anything that had happened the last two days.

  Jesus Christ, had it only been two days? No wonder she’d passed out face down in her clothes. Argh! Her clothes! They were still in her black duffle at the hotel… which was now a crime scene. Would her stuff be logged into evidence? How long before she could get it?

  She closed her eyes and huffed a breath. She was going to try and talk her way into her house tomorrow so that she could get a couple of necessities. After a night like tonight, the deputies and Sherriff would be happy to oblige her.

  Smiling, she wondered how she was going to get from Hall’s to her place.

  Chapter Six

  When she opened her eyes, the sun was way too high in the sky for her to escape confusion. What had happened? Where was she? She quickly sat up and surveyed her surroundings. The pink teenaged dream suite.

  A misshapen band of purplish skin wrapped around her ankle. Her breath caught in her throat. That man. That man was in her room about to do horrible things to her. Rape her. Beat her. Kill her.

  She swallowed and choked back a sob. No, don’t think like that. She’d been smarter than him… and although she had a meager bark, her menacing bite had certainly left him with something to think about in the county jail.

  Looking down, a white silk blanket slipped off her and revealed that she at least was still fully clothed… shoes, too. The fluffy comforter shifted all around her as she wiggled to the edge of the large poster bed. Had Hall carried her all the way up here? From the car?

  She ran and used the bathroom, realized how utterly exhausted she was, and slipped back onto the bed. That guy last night… she could have been in real trouble. She took a few deep breaths as she stared at the ceiling and snuggled under the silk blanket.

  A knock echoed from the door, and as she turned her head to allow entrance, Hall let himself in anyway. How annoying. Why knock at all?

  “Morning,” he greeted, walking in and standing in front of her, placing his white coffee cup on her bedside table and looking her over. She pulled the blanket up to her chin instinctively. “You look like you had… an interesting couple of days.”

  “Hm,” she nodded, rolling to her side and propping her head up on her elbow. “Did you bring me up here last night? I don’t remember falling asleep.”

  “Yes,” he tightly grinned, looking down at her and folding one arm over his chest and rubbing his chin with the other hand. “I think the adrenaline ran through your body and you passed out. You were out like a light.”

  Case cleared her throat and looked down. She remembered seeing him and a feeling of relief washing warmly over her body. She flushed as she also recalled running straight into his arms.

  “Um, yeah, by the way…”

  “Case,” he sighed, not wanting her to thank him again. Her averted eyes and pink cheeks told him that was exactly where she was headed.

  “Thank you,” she quietly said, looking back up at him.

  He sighed and shook his head, shifting to a more imposing position and placing his hands on his hips.

  “Case you were in trouble, I helped you. Now, you can really thank me by getting up and helping me and the guys work cattle today. A couple of my regular guys cancelled, and I could really use an extra set of hands.”

  She huffed and let her head fall back on the pillow. It felt so good and she was so tired. Didn’t he get that?

  “Hall, I’d love to hop on George and Ouisie and help you push around fat cows all day, but I’m so spent…”

  “Okay,” he sighed, looking down at his dirty brown boots and then back at her. She was about to relax and drift off when he suddenly continued. “I guess I didn’t phrase that right. You need to get up and help me today.”

  Case frowned and lifted her head up, giving him her best you’ve got to be kidding me look.

  “Thanks, but no. I’m tired,” she groaned, rolling over to her other side. Suddenly the blanket was ripped off her and hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her out of bed. She scrambled her feet around, her tennis shoes squeaking on the hard wood floor as she tried to hold herself up. Her br
ow was twisted into a confused frown.

  “Now,” he ordered, somewhere behind and above her head.

  She wheeled around, pushing his hands off her and glaring up at him. “Hey! I’m exhausted! I don’t think you really grasp the gravity of what happened yesterday!”

  His expression changed from determined to surprise. His blue eyes flashed in the sunlight and his forehead sprouted several long lines as his eyebrows flew upwards.

  “What happened yesterday?” he repeated, his voice distractingly low and throaty as his eyes pierced right through her. “I grasp what happened to you yesterday, Case. The entire Sherriff’s department grasps what happened to you. Half the town now grasps what happened to you!”

  “What…” she began, but was cut off.

  “You should consider yourself lucky that the only penance that you have to pay today is working a few head of cattle with me!”

  “I…”

  He squared off in front of her, hands on his hips. His voice got low again. “You’re lucky I don’t make it so you can’t sit down for a week. Do you understand?”

  What? How could she possibly be in so much trouble?

  “Hey, I thought I was the victim,” she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

  “No, you’re the little girl who didn’t listen to me and went and rented a room at a seedy motel on the highway! Who lied to the Sherriff’s office and assured everyone that she was staying with a friend!”

  Case bit her lip and rubbed her hands together, looking anywhere but at him.

  “Look at me.”

  Sighing heavily, she didn’t lift her head, just her eyes. Oh, he looked violently mad. She took an instinctive step backwards and ran into the bed.

  He raised his palms up to her and said, “Hey, like I said, come help me out today and I’ll forget about your lies and deceit.”

  Frowning, she looked down at her hands. She wasn’t lying and deceitful, just… self-sufficient.

  “You have five seconds to comply,” he stated, grabbing a tight hold of her upper arm and turning her around, easily pushing her down and bending her over the bed. As he counted out to five, he gave her five embarrassing swats.