“No. I won’t take the chance of you getting hurt, Heather. That’s why I left Allure. Maybe I should just go somewhere where no one knows me until he’s caught.”
“That’s not a good idea either. How about this, my brother David is gone for a week on business. Why don’t you stay at his place? We can go there right now before anyone knows you are back in town.”
“Do you think he would mind?”
“I know he wouldn’t. He loves you. You’re just like a little sister to him. Come on, grab your stuff and let’s go.”
“I don’t have much. I left my suitcase in Rance’s truck and I don’t have a lot left here. Everything I owned that son of a bitch destroyed. Let me see what I have left in my room.” As Tessa went to pack what she could, Heather sent a quick text message to Lanni, letting her know what was going on. She asked her to make sure and tell Brad so he could relay the message to Tessa’s dad. She didn’t want him to worry. She felt bad violating Tessa’s trust, but so many people loved her, cared about her, and were worried. She had to give them some peace of mind.
* * * *
Tessa sat staring at the TV, not really paying attention. It had been three days since she had been home. Heather stopped by every day and they ate dinner together. She talked with her dad. He was home, had started PT, and was able to get one of the pharmacists from Elation to come over and work a couple hours every day filling prescriptions. At least his customers were being somewhat taken care of. He reminded her daily that she should come home, but she always told him it was safer this way. Brad told her that Lucas had a lead but wouldn’t give any more information than that. He said that Mitch was doing well. He was staying at a hotel in Casper while he recovered. Lucas didn’t want him to come back to town. They weren’t saying anything about where he was or what happened. Lucas figured that eventually the stalker would slip and ask someone about Mitch and what happened at the ranch. No one was talking about it and all the ranch hands that knew were keeping it quiet. Della and the twins, Colton and Kyle, had stayed long enough to get Mitch settled, then went back to school.
On the fourth day, her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number but the area code was from Wyoming. Tessa decided that she may as well answer. If he had her number, she needed to know. “Hello?”
“Tessa, this is Lucas Montgomery.”
“Hi, Lucas. Please don’t tell me someone else has been hurt.”
“No, ma’am. No one else is hurt. We got him, Tessa. Your stalker has been arrested and is in jail.”
Tessa couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was over. She was safe. “Lucas, who was it? Was it Alex Decker?”
“It was Blake Baxter.”
“Blake Baxter? Isn’t he Henry’s roommate? Are you sure?”
“We’re sure. We were able to access the video tape at The Feed Store. That was a huge mistake he made dropping that receipt. We got a search warrant for his apartment. No one was home when we entered. We found dozens of pictures of you in his room, some taken at work through the window, several out on the ranch, and some of you sleeping when he had been in the house. His laptop was open and he was booked on a flight to Seattle. The authorities in Casper apprehended him at the airport. You’re safe now, Tessa. It’s over.”
Not in a million years would she have guessed that Henry’s roommate could have done this. “Any idea why he did this? He never gave me any idea that he was interested in me. He asked me to dance when we were at the bar, but I didn’t want to dance with anyone at the time. He was sweet about it and danced with Kayden instead. Kayden had been dating Henry. Does she know?”
“She does. We questioned her. She gave us some insight on why she had stopped seeing Henry. Besides the fact that she didn’t feel a connection with Henry, she said that Blake made her feel uncomfortable every time she stopped by. She said he made a lot of inappropriate comments and had made more than one pass at her. From what we’ve gathered, he’s had some mental issues for years and has refused treatment. No one had any idea what was going on in that head of his. It seems he became fascinated by you a few years ago when he was helping Henry, who was doing some work for your dad. Your dad said that he asked about you often, just general questions but nothing to cause attention or make your dad think more of it. I’m sure we will know more in time, but right now he’s being evaluated and he’s not talking.”
“How’s Henry?”
“He feels terrible. He didn’t realize that Blake had slipped your house key from him. He had never given it back after he fixed the water pipes that had burst last winter at your parents’ house. He helped Henry install the new locks. He had the key for them as well.”
“Please tell Henry not to feel bad. It wasn’t his fault. Thank you so much, Lucas, for everything. I can’t believe it’s over.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Tessa. That’s my job. So will we be seeing you soon?”
“No, I’m back where I belong. This is where I’m supposed to be. I’m going back to work next week. I need to call my dad. Thanks again, Lucas, I really appreciate everything you did.”
“Tessa, I just want you to remember that none of this was your fault either. There are a lot of people here that love and miss you, don’t forget that. Take care, Tessa. Hope to see you again someday.”
Tessa hung up and let everything go. She cried because it was finally over, she cried because she missed her family and friends, and she cried for the loss of the three men that she loved more than anything. It was better that she stayed here. It would never have worked out. Rance didn’t want her. He just wanted to share her with his brothers. If she couldn’t be with him alone, she couldn’t be with any of them.
* * * *
“What did she say? Is she coming home?” Mitch asked as Lucas hung up the phone.
“Nope. She said she’s staying in Seattle. What the fuck happened, man? Y’all seemed so happy at the BBQ.”
“It’s just a misunderstanding. She’ll be coming back, that’s a promise. Thanks for your help, Lucas, we appreciate it.”
“Like I told Tessa, it’s my job but I never would have guessed Blake was the one behind everything. He’s always been nothing but polite and helpful. Hell, I heard that he’s been taking Ray Deskins back and forth to the doctor and delivering groceries to him and helping out a few more of our elderly folks. I don’t think any of us saw this coming.”
“Neither would I. I gotta get home, need to make some plans. Talk to you soon, Lucas.”
Chapter 15
Mitch was waiting in the office when Rance and Sam came in from the barn. “There’s only one way Tessa’s coming back and you know it,” Mitch spoke to Rance and waited for a reply.
“I love her, Mitch. I’m missing her like crazy. I want to be with her, but what if I hurt her?”
“That’s it, you need to spill right now. What the fuck happened when you were sixteen that has made you feel that you’re going to hurt a woman if you’re alone with her?”
Rance sat there, knowing it was time to tell the truth. If there was any chance at all of getting Tessa back and having the family they had all dreamed about, he had to somehow get through his issues.
“Do you remember Rhonda Peters?”
“Yeah, I remember her. She had quite the reputation for getting around. She was in your class if I remember right. Didn’t she move?” Mitch asked.
“Yeah, she was in my class and she did move, a couple weeks after I had been with her.” Mitch and Sam looked at each other, then back to Rance.
“We’re not here to judge you, Rance. We will support you no matter what you tell us. Did you get her pregnant?”
“No, I didn’t get her pregnant. I used a condom. I listened to everything you ever told me. I’ve never been with any women without a condom.”
“So what happened?” Sam finally asked.
“Rhonda had been flirting with me, giving me the full-court press. She told me exactly what she wanted to do to me and what she wanted me to do
to her. I never had a female talk to me like that. From what she was saying, she gave me the impression that there wasn’t much she hadn’t done. I had always known in my gut that vanilla sex would never be enough for me. Even at sixteen I thought about tying up women, spanking their asses, and blindfolding them. I knew that the dark ideas and desires that I had weren’t normal, but when Rhonda started talking and telling me what she wanted me to do, I thought that this was my opportunity to experience some of the things I had dreamed about with someone who had done them. Truth was, she hadn’t done anything. She had less experience than I did.” Rance walked over and looked out the window, thinking back to that night. “I picked her up and told her we could go get something to eat, but she wanted to go straight to the dugout. She was aggressive. I thought she had more experience by the way she was acting and what she was doing. Things got out of hand. She pushed me so hard, so fast, that I lost control. I didn’t listen to what she was saying. She was screaming for me to stop. She was a fucking virgin, but I swear I had no idea. It was her first time, and I feel like I basically raped her.”
“You didn’t rape her, Rance. I don’t know that I would have handled the situation any different. She lied to you and yeah, it sucks that you caused her so much pain and that there was a lot of blood, but you didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“Don’t you fucking get it? I didn’t stop, not even when she was screaming. I was so far into my own head and thinking about how good it felt and that I was finally getting some pussy, that I was no longer a virgin, I didn’t pay attention to what was going on with her. It wasn’t tender and romantic. It was rough and dirty. After I stopped and pulled out, she rolled up into a ball and sobbed. She was scared for me to touch her. I went to the truck and grabbed the roll of paper towels and brought them back to her to try and clean up some of the blood. I offered to take her to the hospital, but she just wanted to go home. I told her I was sorry, asked her if I could do anything for her, but she wouldn’t even talk to me. When I pulled up to her house she was out of the truck so fast I couldn’t even walk her in. She ran in the house and slammed the door. She never spoke to me or even looked my way again. Next thing I knew, she had moved.”
“But you had sex after that. You can’t tell me you didn’t.”
“I didn’t touch another woman until I was eighteen. I was through with basic and had been at my duty station for a couple of weeks when a bunch of us left base and went in to town. The guys I was with were older but said that they could get me into the club that they went to no problem. It was more of a gentleman’s club. I should have known something was different about it when I had to show ID and sign a paper stating that I wouldn’t discuss anything that happened within the club. The bar itself was like any other bar, except that we each had a beer served to us by a topless woman. When we left the bar, I followed the guys into another room. There were couples, some dressed, some not, and most were having sex in one form or another. There was a woman on a platform that was tied to a cross. She was naked and the man on the stage with her had a crop in his hand. She screamed every time he hit her. My first instinct was to hit the guy and untie her. Jimmy, one of the guys I was with, told me what they were doing and that she wanted it. All I could think about was that Rhonda had said she wanted it, too. When they were done, the area was cleaned and two others took their place. This time it was a man that was tied to the cross and a woman stood behind him with a flogger. The woman I hooked up with that night was a Domme. I wanted to be tied up so that I couldn’t hurt her and she had no problem doing it. Anyhow, I started going back every chance I got and then started to participate in threesomes. I didn’t lose control when there was another Dom present. I guess the presence of another man keeps me in check.”
It was quiet for several minutes before Mitch finally spoke. “Rance, you’ve been through some fucked-up shit, that’s for sure. But let me ask you this. Did you love Rhonda? Did you love any of the women you have been with?”
“Fuck no. The only woman I’ve ever loved is Tessa. That’s why I just can’t take the chance that I might hurt her.”
“Don’t you think that because you love her, you wouldn’t hurt her? I know that when I’m with her, I’m so tuned in to what she is feeling that I can read what she wants and needs before I give it to her.”
“I feel the same way, but what if I can’t control myself, what if I was to hurt her, Mitch? I couldn’t live with myself if I did. I’d rather live my life alone than take the chance of ever seeing fear in her eyes when she looked at me.”
“But what about us, Rance? We love her and want her and she won’t be with us if she can’t have you, too. I’m sorry if I’m sounding like I’m being selfish but I’ve loved her for a long time and being with her is more than I ever dreamed it could be. I don’t want anyone but her and if we can’t make this right, I’ve decided to move to Seattle.”
Mitch looked at each of his brothers, trying to figure out where to go from here. He couldn’t leave the ranch. He had too many people that depended on him. His parents left him in charge not only because he was the oldest but because he would make the best decisions for the family. Tessa wouldn’t come back, not with the issues they had, but Sam was willing to leave everything he had ever known to be with her. Could he handle knowing that the woman he loved was with Sam and only Sam and that he would probably never touch her again? What would it be like not to have Sam living on the ranch and seeing him on a daily basis? One way or the other, he would work this out with his brothers.
* * * *
Tessa didn’t really feel like going out, but she had been back home for two weeks and Heather begged her to go. Plus it was Heather’s birthday and she wouldn’t let her friend down. Tessa had actually bought a new outfit to wear. All her other clothes had been destroyed and even though Sam had mailed her suitcase to her, she still needed something to wear to a club. He had sent the most beautiful, sweet card with the suitcase. They still texted her every day, but she never answered them. It was better this way. She needed to move on with her life. Monday she would go and have her cell number changed and ask her family not to give it out to them.
Heather was right on time picking her up at nine. “Love the outfit, Tess. You look hot!”
“Thanks, I don’t feel hot. Are you sure you want to go out? Why don’t we go see a movie and grab a late dinner?”
“Because it’s my birthday and I want to party. Come on, everyone is meeting us. I don’t want to be too late.”
“Fine, but don’t expect me to have fun. I’m doing this because I love you and want to spend your birthday with you, but I don’t want to dance so please don’t push me.”
“Fine, come on, let’s go.”
The club was packed as usual for a Friday night. Heather had reserved a table months ago and they seemed to be sitting right in the middle of everything. They were close to the dance floor and the bar. Any other time Tessa wouldn’t have minded, but tonight she wished they were in a corner somewhere. Several men asked her to dance but she smiled and politely declined. She looked at her watch. It was ten thirty. She told herself she would stay until midnight, but the time wasn’t moving as quickly as she would like. One of Heather’s coworkers, Alice, was sitting on the other side of Tessa when she heard her say, “Fuck me please! He is hotter than hell. I’ve never seen him before. Come to mama, baby.”
Tessa glanced up to see who Alice was talking about when she locked onto the most beautiful blue eyes. She couldn’t breath, couldn’t move. That couldn’t really be him. Why was he here? She could feel her heart racing as he approached the table. Heather reached over and tapped Alice on the arm and shook her head no.
“Hey, baby girl, dance with me?” Tessa looked at Rance, automatically putting her hand in his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He placed his hand at the small of her back and she could feel the electricity that passed between them that had connected them to each other. “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes had just started to
play as Rance pulled her into his arms. He felt as good as she remembered, inhaling as much of his scent as she could. He always smelled so good. His face was scruffy with his five-o’clock shadow. His hair was loose around his shoulders, his leather pants were molded perfection, and the white dress shirt he had on had three buttons undone at the top. She couldn’t remember him ever looking as sexy as he did at this moment and it made her mouth water. He had every woman’s attention and she knew that all eyes were on them. “I’ve missed you, Tessa. You feel so good in my arms.” They continued to dance, swaying to the music, then Rance placed his hand on her face, holding her tenderly and looking deep into her eyes. “My life means nothing without you, Tessa. I can’t think, sleep, or eat. All I think about is you. I want you to come home, back to the ranch where you belong.”
“I can’t, Rance. You don’t really want me. You want your brothers to be happy and I know that you enjoy it when we are all together but I need more than that.”
“So do I, Tessa. I need so much more. I need to hold you, I need to touch you, I need to make long, slow love to you, baby. I want you, only you, forever. I love you more than anything else in this world. Take me home with you, Tessa. Let me love you.”
Tessa was shocked. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Why, Rance, why all of the sudden do you want to be alone with me?”
“I’ve always wanted to have the same connection with you that my brothers do, but I was scared. I’m still scared, but I’m more scared of not having you in my life. Nothing is going to hold me back from being with you. I’m ready to take that next step if you’ll take it with me. These last couple of weeks have been hell for all of us. My brothers are just as messed up as I am. They wanted to come with me, but I knew that if this was going to work, it had to work with us being together alone first. What do you say, baby, give me a chance, please?”
Welcome Home, Tessa [Allure, Wyoming] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 33
