They hadn’t told anyone at home what they were doing and when they showed up at the Rockland’s home that afternoon, they made quite a stir.
Naomi was the first to notice Isabel’s ring and she swept Isabel into her arms in an emotional embrace. Pulling back, as they looked into each others’ glistening eyes, each woman seemed to know the other would be an integral part of her life forever now. They embraced again and Naomi said, “Isabel, I’ve prayed so long that he would find you.” She could hardly speak.
Isabel drew back and wiped at the older woman’s tears. “At least you knew I was out there. I had no idea I would come across a sweet angel mother somewhere. I’ve never known anyone like you, Naomi. I couldn’t have dreamed up a more wonderful unexpected blessing.” They hugged and wept as Slade looked on, emotional himself.
When Rossen came in and realized that they were really engaged, the handshake that became a huge bear hug made the women tear up again. There was never a more faithful friend.
Isabel truly was one of the family at dinner that evening. Everyone had welcomed her always, but tonight, realizing she would be with Slade forever, she had fully become their sister and daughter.
Bo offered some comic relief. “Dang it all, Isabel! I was hoping you would finally come to your senses and throw him over for me! Now you’ve gone and busted my heart all to pieces!” His hang-dog face over his taco salad was hilarious.
As Isabel, Slade, and Rossen left the Rockland’s to return to Slade’s home in her Peace River Valley, the scent of the sage was poignant. Rossen had been right on that first night when he’d said, “Welcome home.”
****
Rossen and Sean left to rodeo again with the promise to return in ten days for Slade and Isabel.
Dante flew in the next week and brought Anna with him. When Slade saw Anna in the airport, he tried to tell her how grateful he was for her introducing him to Isabel. He supposed when Isabel broke the news that they were getting married Anna would understand the depth of his gratitude.
Dante had never seen anything like the Rockland’s ranch, and most of Wyoming had never seen anything like him. He had been mistaken in the airport for a pro basketball player again. It happened almost every time he flew. Some little old lady would ask for his autograph. For awhile he had tried to explain that he didn’t play basketball, but now he just signed whatever it was they handed him, smiled and excused himself. When he did this outside the Delta terminal in Salt Lake, Slade doubled over, and laughed until he hurt.
Slade, Anna, and Dante talked and laughed in the truck on the way home like old friends. Isabel had stayed home in case there was a chance that any of Judd’s group had found out Dante or Anna were traveling, so they had open season to tell funny stories on Isabel in her childhood.
When they finally made it to Slade’s house, Dante literally picked Isabel up and swung her around in a circle. Their joy at being back together was obvious. She and Anna hugged and laughed as they greeted each other, and Anna actually squealed out loud when Isabel told her of her wedding plans. Dante beamed his big white smile at the news. They didn’t have to ask if Isabel was happy. She had always been beautiful, but getting away from the immediate threat of Judd, joining the Church, and falling in love had made her lovelier than ever.
They stayed and played for four days and Isabel enjoyed every minute of it. She tried to share all of the wonderful aspects of her life in Wyoming, and the gospel in that short time. When they left to go back to California she was tired but happy.
Anna walked back onto the plane finally completely satisfied that she had done the right thing that day to encourage Isabel to go.
Dante left with mixed feelings. He knew Isabel was happy and in good hands, but he could also see in her eyes that she would never be coming home to California to live. He was happy for her, but he would miss her.
****
They had come and gone without any of them realizing that Judd had, in fact, found out Dante was traveling to Utah and had had him followed. The black sedan lost Slade’s truck in traffic in the city but got his license number. Before Dante boarded the plane back, they finally knew who she was with and approximately where she was. However, the only address they had for Slade was a post office box, and because the ranch was owned by the ranch company, they hadn’t yet found its exact location. The post office was in town and no one in rural Wyoming was answering questions from the slick strangers in the rental car.
Judd was furious that they had hit another roadblock. They’d come so close to finding her after the talk of the bull riding incident, but somehow they had never figured out the right cowboy. It had been more than four months and Tony had already roughed him up a couple of times. If it hadn’t been for a really lucky gambling win at the track one day, he knew he’d probably be dead by now.
Judd was scared. More scared than he’d ever been in his life. He finally realized just how tenuous his position was. At first it hadn’t occurred to him that they could put him out of the way far easier even than Carrie. Then he realized how simple it would be for him to disappear. Nobody would come looking for him if he failed to show up someday. And he knew now how hard these people would be to hide from.
He and Deek had fallen in with their schemes from time to time without really thinking that knowing too much could be dangerous. They had started to think about it a lot the other day when they had been present as some “loose ends” had been summarily shot and dumped in the river. He had to find Carrie and fast! It wasn’t even just about the money now. It had become a vendetta. She would pay for all the trouble she had caused him. He wouldn’t even pay someone. He would see to her himself!
Chapter 12
Rossen and Sean came back and as the first snow storm of the year threatened, they packed up, and with Slade and Isabel along, hit the road for Waco, Texas. They left Slade’s ranch in Hank and Ruby care, and then stopped at the Rockland’s on the way out to say goodbye.
There were four of them now in the trailer and organization had become even more paramount. The rodeos were much fewer at this time of year and they had time to pull in, settle the horses and spend time site-seeing for usually at least a couple of days between.
Slade completely missed the first steer out, but got back in his game almost immediately after that. They competed in three rodeos in Texas and then went to two in Oklahoma.
They had been back on the road for more than two weeks when Rob called Slade to report suspicious activity at the ranches. There had been a small plane hanging around for most of a day, flying low over the whole region, then two days later the security guards at the oil wells had seen someone on the security cameras sneaking around. They hadn’t seen anything else yet, but everyone was alert and the brothers were actually carrying guns on their saddles as they moved the cows out of the summer pastures.
As much as Slade hated to do it, he knew he needed to pass this news on to Isabel. It may have just been coincidence, but there was a chance Judd had found out where she had been staying in Wyoming.
They were engaged but not a lot had been said about when they would marry. He knew marrying before the NFR posed a number of problems. Their schedules and their trailer were jam packed until then, and although they hadn’t talked much about it, he assumed she would need some time to plan a nice wedding.
He had been hoping the Judd issues would work themselves out with the new trust in place and with the passage of time, and hated to bring back the fear he’d seen in Isabel’s eyes when they first met. He decided to tell Rossen and Sean first and see if they could just be vigilant about security on the road, and not have to tell her right off, but she busted them in earnest conversation from the first time they talked.
From their sudden silence and serious faces she instantly realized something was up and asked, “What’s going on?” She looked questioningly from one to the next to the next. She looked at Slade last and he couldn’t face the complete trust in her eyes with less than the truth.
****
They were almost militant with their care for her as they competed in rodeos in Louisiana and Texas again before heading back out west to Hobbs, New Mexico. It was by the merest fluke that Isabel ended up alone in the horse stalls one evening at dusk. The three men had been tied up trying to iron out a mix up with the rodeo secretary before the rodeo was to start that evening. Isabel went back to water the one horse that wasn’t being used that night and found herself alone in the alleyway when a half drunk Leland Wilde showed up. At first she’d been relieved that it wasn’t Judd or one of his cronies, but as Wilde approached her, and she realized how inebriated he was, she became afraid fast.
He walked right up to her and put his arm around her shoulders without even hesitating. She could smell the alcohol on his breath and the look in his eye was predatory. Slipping out from under his arm, she retreated quickly to the hose spigot to turn off the water and leave when he grasped her arm from behind and asked, “Where are you headed, doll? Not so fast. Come and talk to old Leland for awhile. You remember me. We’re friends from way back.”
He was slurring his words and she realized he was much more than half drunk. Knowing she was definitely not in a good situation, she shrugged out of his grip and tried to run away from him in hopes he was too far gone to be able to catch her. All she succeeded in doing was making him instantly violently angry and as he caught her again, he literally threw her into an empty stall nearby.
She started to scream, but he put his hand over her mouth and slammed her back against the side of the stall repeatedly with enough force to knock every drop of wind out of her body. As she doubled over to gasp for air he knocked her to the ground and drove the air out of her lungs even further when he landed hard on top of her body on the stall floor.
“You little . . .” He grunted and began to curse as she tried to wrestle away from him. She still had no air and her chest hurt desperately as she continued to gasp. She almost got away from him, only to feel him grasp the back of her shirt and rip it half off as he hauled her back. She focused every bit of energy on trying to inhale and got enough air in to let out a split second scream before he slugged her in the stomach, knocking her back against the stall wall yet again.
She started to feel faint and lightheaded and wondered if this is what blacking out felt like, when she heard the sound of someone running down the alleyway of the barn. She saw Slade look into the stall and realize what was going on a split second before she heard him roar like a mad bull. He shoved into the stall to literally pick Leland up by the shirt. Throwing Leland back against the partition, Slade went berserk. Rossen and Sean were just a second behind him. Sean tried to pull Slade off as Rossen dropped to the stall floor to help Isabel.
She was unable to breathe and something was wrong with her vision. She could see, but there was a jagged line like someone had ripped a photo in half in the middle of her horizon and there were sparkling lights in her periphery. Rossen was holding her and talking to her gently, but she was still panicking because she could not get a breath. Finally, with a great, painful gasp she was able to take in oxygen and the relief she felt was overpowering. She began to cry against Rossen’s shoulder. On some level she realized her sobbing made breathing harder, but she couldn’t seem to stop.
Rossen was still talking to her and his gentle voice was helping to calm her, but she clung to him, afraid to let go. She realized Slade was kneeling next to her, and his voice and touch for some reason made her cry all the harder. He backed up to sit against the stall wall and gently pulled her onto his lap. Slowly, with his tender encouragement, she got control of herself although she was still shaking. She looked up to realize there were a number of cowboys in the alleyway. A uniformed police officer pushed his way into the stall followed closely by a paramedic.
The policeman began to ask Rossen and Sean discreet questions, and the paramedic crouched down in front of Isabel and was carefully trying to check for injuries. Through the haze in her brain she understood that the police in the barn alleyway, with the help of the cowboys, had handcuffed Leland and were having to practically carry him through the barn to remove him.
The paramedic was saying something about a concussion, and Slade helped her up and into a waiting ambulance. Once inside they helped her lay down on the gurney, but almost immediately she had to sit up to be violently sick. She was still shaking and couldn’t help the tears that kept overwhelming her. They helped her to a seat on the side of the gurney instead and she felt the ambulance pull away from the barn.
Twice more on the way to the hospital she was sick and her head throbbed. Every time she took a breath a sharp pain would shoot through her chest. The pain brought back the fear and the fear made her sad. It all made her control feel so fragile. Kenny was watching her and kept hugging her and she knew he could see what she was feeling.
By the time she was unloaded at the hospital emergency entrance she was doing better. She kept telling herself she was safe and Slade helped that, but she still felt positively miserable. They helped her in and she lay in a cubicle with Slade standing beside her holding her hand. They were trying to give her something for pain, but every time they gave her a pill, she threw it up, so they ultimately gave her a shot. Finally, after what seemed hours, she felt herself growing relaxed, the pain receded and she slept.
Waking sometime later, the pain was better. So was the fear, but she was horribly disoriented. Even just trying to turn her head made her sickeningly dizzy. Slade was there beside her, holding her hand and encouraging her to talk to the nurse. They adjusted the head of her bed and eventually, if she held her head perfectly still, she could keep the world from spinning. She was still incredibly sick to her stomach and the nurse laid a cool cloth on her forehead and placed a cold pack on the back of her neck.
The next twenty-four hours were a mixed up dream of nausea, nightmares, and fading in and out of a spinning world. Rossen and Sean came and gave her a blessing, and ultimately Slade sat right on her bed and put his arm around her. She leaned against the strength of his chest and was finally able to relax and rest.
When she next awoke again, she could finally open her eyes and turn her head without making everything spin out of control. Slade was still there beside her, looking a little tired but handsome as ever. He took her hand in his, smiled sadly and said, “I don’t know which is worse, being the injured, or watching.”
She considered this for a minute and had to agree. “I’m not sure either, but I’m grateful you’re here.” Her voice sounded as weak as she felt. “Thank you for holding me and helping me rest.” He kissed the palm of her hand and she closed her eyes again just for a moment and awoke again hours later.
This time she felt markedly better. She wanted to sit up, albeit slowly, and order a pizza. Slade laughed at her and said he had a surprise. He walked to the door and disappeared into the hallway and returned with Naomi in tow. Isabel basked in the hug she received. She couldn’t have loved her anymore had she known Naomi all her life.
Naomi sat on the other side of her and asked, “Rough couple of days huh?” There was sympathy in her eyes.
Isabel nodded carefully. “Actually, I’ve felt ridiculously lousy. However, I’ve had a very handsome and attentive caregiver.” She squeezed Slade’s hand. “I feel so much better this afternoon and now I just want to go home to the trailer with the guys.”
Naomi patted her other hand and said, “Actually its two-twenty in the morning and the trailer is two states away at a rodeo in California.”
Isabel’s eyes flew to Slade. “Did I make you miss two whole
rodeos?”
“No, just one, but you’re worth it. Heck, I’d rather sit at the bedside of a seriously delusional, hot woman than rodeo any day. It’s very enlightening. I can now say I’ve seen you completely out of your head and I still adore you.” He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Naomi looked from one to the other and said to Isabel, “I just now got in and I’m starving. Would you mind if I run grab a bite down at the hospital coffee shop?” Isabel only shook her head and then wished that she hadn’t as Naomi patted her hand once more and slipped out.
After she left, Isabel studied Slade’s profile trying to figure out what was bothering him. Even Naomi had seemed to sense it. Finally, Isabel decided she was still too out of it to understand and she asked him outright, “Are you upset with me?”
He shook his head. “No. Of course not, why would I be?” He looked up at her, but she still sensed that there was something he wasn’t saying.
She grimaced in confusion. “I’m trying to figure that out, only my brain is still a little fuzzy for much deductive logic.” She paused. “I’m assuming I’ve had a brain concussion.”
He blinked and nodded sadly. “A bad one.”
Yeah, he was upset with her, but why? She asked, “Slade, what’s going on?” She didn’t understand at all.
“Nothing. What do you mean?” She was suddenly very tired—too tired to try to read his mind. The only time they had really been angry with each other had been her first experience with Leland Wilde. Now Slade wouldn’t communicate with her over him again. Did he think she had sought Leland out after he had warned her? Is that what was going on?
She didn’t want to irritate him, but she couldn’t just ignore the problem either. Tiredly, she said, “Saying nothing is going on, when something is going on, isn’t honest. Are you sure you don’t want to tell me about it?”
Peace River (Rockland Ranch Series) Page 20
