“You ain’t laying me in that floor. It’s too damn cold.”
“Oh, baby, after it took you so long to find me. You know you want me to lay you down any time, any- where.”
“Maybe so, but not now.” She laughed again. “Isn’t it strange how I only came up here to find you and it turned out your lover’s husband was the bastard’s father. I’d been looking for him for years, but the whore sure had her kid’s parentage hidden well. I wonder if he even knew he was the bastard’s father.”
“He sure knows now. He’s calling him his son and everything. Wonder if the other kids like that.”
“Since he’s famous, they’ll probably think it’s okay. As long as they’re alive to think, that is.” She sneered. “Woodrow would’ve liked the fact he got famous. I’m glad he didn’t know.”
“Forget about Woodrow. I need to go over your plan one more time to be sure I’ve got it straight. I’m going to set some more dynamite around the house tomorrow. They’ll think I’m checking the shrubbery and such. You’re going to call and get the whore and her son to come to something or other so they won’t be there.” He took a deep breath. “Hell, Dorie, why don’t we forget that part. Let them stay in the house, too. We’ll get rid of the lot of them at one time.”
“I’ll ask Woodrow and let you know tomorrow.”
“You do that. I bet you can talk him in to it. Now, when the clock strikes twelve, you’re going to set off the dynamite at the little barn. It’ll go up and everyone in the place will come running to see what’s happening. That’s when I set off the dynamite at the house.”
“Yes, but remember when they all come to where the other went off, you volunteer to stay at the big barn to protect it. As you said, they trust you, and nobody will question it.”
“It sounds like a good plan, Dorie. Now as soon as the barn goes off, you go to where I told you to hide. That place belongs to Mr. Winslow, so they’ll never look for you there.”
“And to find it, all I have to do is follow the river. It’s a cabin near the waterfalls.”
“It’s a cabin to him, Dorie. To us, it’s a big beautiful log house with anything you want in it. It’s a lot nicer than our trailer in Florida.”
“Now that she’s gone, why don’t we take Virgie’s trailer? It’s a lot nicer than ours.”
“Why not? We’ve got her car. I sure will be glad when I can get it out of hiding and start driving it. It’s a honey of a car.”
“Where’d you hide it, Ward? You never told me.”
He laughed. “Put it at Rightway Lake right near the spot where I killed Eve. I thought that was fitting, somehow. We’ll drive back to Florida in style. Now, why are you frowning? Don’t you want to drive it to Florida?”
“Sure, I do, but I was thinking. Do you think it’s safe for you to go back to Florida? You know they’re still looking for you because of the killings in the trailer park.”
“Dorie, you know I had to kill that couple. They was about to turn us in because of the drugs. Did you want to go to jail?”
“Of course not.” She let out a sigh. “Can we stay at Mr. Winslow’s pretty cabin a while, Ward? It sounds so nice.”
“Long enough for us to sleep in one of the big soft beds.”
She giggled. “Sounds wonderful. Why are you frowning, Ward?”
“Something just hit me.”
“What’s that?”
“I sure would like to pop the whore before I blow her up. I kept looking at her tonight and she looked at me, too. Couldn’t figure out if she was interested, or if she didn’t trust me. Women have the same look for both reasons, sometimes.”
“I told you she won’t be in the house.”
“Then, if we don’t kill her and the kid, I’ll get a chance at her.”
“No, you won’t. I’ll talk Woodrow into letting her stay in the house and I’ll just get the bastard out.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’d rather Woodrow don’t want her to stay there… Now, you’re frowning. What’s wrong is Woodrow talking to you?”
“I thought I heard something.”
There was a moment of silence, then Ward said, “I don’t hear nothing.”
“Must’ve been the wind.”
“I got another idea, Dorie.”
“What’s that?”
“We can leave the bastard here in the shed and he’ll freeze to death in a day or so.”
“For the first time, you’ve had a good idea. If Woodrow doesn’t like it, I’ll have time to come get him and bring him back to life.”
“Why don’t we take his clothes off to speed things up?”
“Okay.”
•♥ •
Jimmy stopped the snowmobile. “We need to go from here on foot, Theo. They’ll hear us coming if we drive up.”
Theo nodded and climbed from behind Jimmy. They eased their way toward the shed. When they reached the structure, Jimmy saw it had no windows, but a light was coming from under the door and he knew they were there. He motioned for Theo to wait and he crept to the side and pressed his ear against the wall. Voices were coming from inside and he was surprised he could tell what they were saying. He listened long enough to know Hunter was alive and signaled Theo with a thumb up.
Theo grinned. He knew what the signal meant.
Jimmy saw a figure creeping closer to the shed. He frowned because he knew he’d told Jude to stay back. Then he recognized the man and knew it was okay. Doby Martin had been in the same POW camp, and he’d been on several military missions that required stealth and cunning. Doby wouldn’t give their positions away. He knew what he was doing. Jimmy gave him the thumbs up. Doby returned it and crept closer.
Though he heard faint sirens, when Jimmy heard Ward say they were going to take Hunter’s clothes off, he decided he needed to act. He motioned for Theo to join him.
Theo wasn’t as quiet as Doby, but he didn’t make enough noise to warn the people inside. When he got beside Jimmy, he whispered, “What now?”
“We’re going in and get Hunter.”
Theo nodded.
Jimmy signaled Doby again and Doby nodded. The three crept to the front of the shed. When Jimmy gave the nod, the three of them pushed in the door.
Dorie screamed as Doby pinned her arms behind her back. Before he could react, Jimmy had Ward around the neck with one arm. When he pulled the man’s head upward and squeezed tighter, Ward’s legs began to wobble.
Theo rushed to Hunter and pulled off the mask. He was untying the straps on Hunter’s arms when Jude, Alex, and two other hands rushed in.
“When we saw you three burst in, we decided you might need us,” Jude said.
“Doesn’t look like they do, though,” Alex said. “I guess things like this are better handled by the younger generation.”
The area outside filled with police cars blaring sirens and flashing lights. Richard came through the door with his gun drawn. He stopped and assessed the situation. He watched as Jimmy released Ward and he slid toward the floor. “That bastard almost killed me,” Ward gasped.
“Should have. Would’ve saved the state some money.” He nodded to a uniformed officer who put cuffs on Ward.
Another officer was fighting a kicking and screaming Dorie.
Richard turned to her. “Ma’am, if you don’t calm down and shut up, I’m going to let this man put the same hammer lock on you he did on your friend. It’ll make you behave.”
She glared at Richard, but got quiet.
When they were both cuffed, Richard said, “Get ‘em out of here and read ‘em their rights.” He looked around. “You did a good job, guys. Only needed the police to do one thing.”
“What was that, sir?” Jimmy looked at him. “Arrest the scoundrels?”
“Nah. You could’ve handled that.” He walked over to where Theo was still working with the ropes on Hunter’s hands. He lifted his eyebrow at all of them. “Next time, remember to un-gag my witness.” He reached down and flipped the gag off Hunter’s m
outh.
Everyone laughed, and Hunter said, “It took you all long enough to get here. Don’t you know I have to get back and write my front-page story?”
“Do you need to go see a doctor, son?” Richard looked at him.
“No, sir. There’s nothing that’ll fix me up faster than a cup of good coffee.”
“I told Julia to make you hot chocolate. You won’t believe how good it is until you taste it,” Jimmy said.
“Then, all I want is a cup of Julia’s hot chocolate and a big hug from all my family.” He grinned. “I want the chocolate because Jimmy says I’ll like it, and I want the hugs because I’m about to freeze.”
C HAPTER 32
Three mornings later, Julia opened her eyes and smiled. Seth’s left arm was still around her and he was breathing contentedly. She smiled at the gold band on the ring finger of the left hand resting on her shoulder, then leaned up, kissed his chin and felt the slight stubble there. He grunted, but didn’t wake up. She leaned over and put her head on his chest as she kissed his nipple.
His eyes came open and he grinned. “What are you up to, woman?”
“Whatever I want to be up to, man,” she teased him. “Besides, what do you mean calling me woman? Before you put this wedding ring on my finger yesterday afternoon you called me sweetheart and darling and honey and things like that.”
“Well the Reverend Clyde Albertson pronounced us man and wife, I figure now you’re my woman until death do us part.”
“You’re right about that. Didn’t you like him?”
“Albertson? He’s fine. I’ve known him for years.”
“He told me you were acquainted. He also invited me to come to Coverton Mills Methodist Church. I told him we’d visit soon.” She smiled at him. “I hope that was okay.”
“I don’t see why not. You’ve got me praying at meals, I guess going to church now and then is the next step.”
“Of course it is. And Theo has invited Ashley to visit there with him. He’s a member, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know. We haven’t talked a lot about church at the barn.”
“Well, he is, and she told me she was going because she thought the children should be in Sunday School. Seems her ex-husband didn’t care whether they went or not.”
“That sounds nice. Ex-husband. I’m glad he’s decided to give Ashley full custody of the kids in exchange for her forgoing child support and being mum about his life style. I would respect him more if he’d be man enough to come out of the closet, but I guess he wants to do it his way. Ashley said she forced him to have the children so I guess that’s why it’s easy for him to give them up.”
She laughed. “I was surprised when you bought him a plane ticket to Reno so he could get a quick divorce. It’ll be over in a few weeks. Then Ashley can get on with her life.”
“All our kids are turning out fine, aren’t they Julia?” He pulled her closer to him. “Hunter is thinking seriously of selling the paper and I’ll back his decision there. He’ll probably eventually end up on the road with Andrew. That’ll ease both our minds about so much travel because I’m sure they’ll look out for each other. I’m glad they’ve gotten close as brothers and as friends. Then there’s Jessica. She’ll be marrying Jimmy soon, and they’ll be settling down near us because Jimmy told me about some land Jude has given him. I like the fact they’ll be close.”
“Me, too, and I won’t be surprised if Ashley settles close to us, too. She’ll about have to when I turn the manager’s position at Singleton’s over to her. She has no idea, but I’m going to eventually become her assistant. I want to spend as much time as I can with my new husband.”
“I hope you don’t mind that I told her she and the kids could live here as long as they want to. It could turn into a permanent situation, you know.”
“I doubt that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve got a feeling about her and Theo Beeler. I hope you approve of him as a son-in-law.”
“Are you serious?” He was surprised.
“I’m very serious. They’re cute the way they act around each other.”
“I never thought of him and her, but I guess it’s okay if that’s what she wants.”
“Maybe that’s why you have a woman to help you realize these things and speaking of that, how did I drop from honey and darling and such to woman?”
He folded both arms around her. “Well, you are my woman—and don’t you ever forget it.”
“I won’t forget and you’re my man, too. All legal and everything.”
“I know I’m your man. You proved that last night.”
“You liked the sex, huh?”
“The sex was outstanding, but I’m talking about before the sex.” She wrinkled her brow, and he went on. “I knew you loved me, but I was nervous. You don’t know how much I dreaded letting you see my scars last night, but I knew it was inevitable. I just didn’t expect the reaction I got.”
“Thought I’d run from the room screaming for a divorce, did you?”
“I thought you’d do that before you did what you did. I almost fainted when you gently traced it with your finger, then kissed it tenderly and told me to wear it with pride because not many men had such a medal for saving their son.”
“Want me to kiss it again this morning?”
“No. I want you to kiss these lips which are waiting to feel yours.”
“And if I kiss those lips will that lead to something else, and then will I be in for it again?”
“Probably.”
“I like those odds.” She turned her head to him and he began to kiss her passionately.
They were interrupted by people singing Good Morning to You outside their door. It burst open and their four children, plus the two grandchildren, Jimmy Littleton, and a self-conscious Theo Beeler came into the room.
“What’s going on here?” Seth pulled the sheet up to cover Julia’s skimpy nightgown as the two of them raised to a sitting position in the bed.
“We come to say morning, Grandpa.” Lance jumped on the bed beside Seth.
“Me say morning, too.” Lilly climbed over Seth and put her little arms around Julia’s neck.
“Well, good morning to both of my beautiful grandchildren.” She grinned at the children.
“Yes, good morning, you two. What are you doing here this morning?”
“Have fun, Grandpa,” Lilly said and put her head down on Julia’s shoulder.
“That’s okay, but what do you mean letting the grown- up kids come in here with you?” Seth winked at Lance.
He giggled. “They want to, Grandpa.”
“Lance is right, Daddy,” Jessica said as she sat on the side of the king-sized bed. “Do you remember how, when we were little, our mother refused to let us come and climb in her bed with her, but occasionally you’d let us sneak in your room and jump in your bed when she didn’t know? Remember the time she caught us laughing and playing and she threw the fit?”
“I remember.”
“We never told you because she dared us not to, but after you went to the barn she whipped Ashley and me.”
“Yes, Daddy,” Ashley said. “We never got to get in the bed with you and our mother and play games or read newspapers or rough-house like our friends did, because you and she didn’t sleep in the same bed.”
“Yeah,” Hunter said. “How’d we get here in the first place? There never seemed to be any hanky-panky going on around here. That is, until now.” He winked at Julia and grinned.
Julia blushed.
“I admit I did get to play in the bed with Mom and Dad, but I’m here this morning, so I guess a kid never grows out of wanting to spend time with his folks.”
“We know about you, golden boy. You had a wonderful mother and two great dads. We had a wonderful dad and a sorry mother. Don’t seem fair somehow.” Hunter shook his head at Andrew. “Little brothers. How in the world do you ever learn to put up with them?”
Everyone knew
he was kidding Andrew, because the two had become even closer since Hunter’s abduction.
Hunter had even told everyone he was going to become Andrew’s publicist. Everyone, except Seth, was shocked that his engagement to Brooke was off, but they thought he seemed even happier now.
“Well, Hunter, you had two big sisters for protection. When Mom or Dad was on my case, all I had were my legs.”
Hunter laughed. “Your legs? What does that mean?”
“It means that once in a while I could outrun them. Remember, Mom?”
“I remember you trying to run from me on several occasions. It seldom worked.”
“I know. I still have prints on my behind from the time-out chair to prove it.”
Everyone laughed.
“I don’t believe this, do you?” Seth reached over and put his arm around Julia’s shoulder. “Is it too late to give them all up for adoption?”
“Nobody but us would have them, honey.”
“Well, we just want to have a little family time,” Jessica said twisted her face into a pout. “What’s wrong with that?”
“There’s not a thing wrong with it, baby daughter, but in the bedroom on the morning after a man’s first night of wedded bliss seems to be a little over the top.” He was laughing out loud.
“So it was bliss, huh? I guess she must’ve taken the dreaded scar okay.”
“She took it fine, son. Made me feel proud.”
“Told you it wouldn’t throw her like you thought it would, Daddy.” Ashley grinned. “I’m sharp. My boss lady wrote that on my application. Remember?”
“I bet if I’d applied, she’d say I was sharp, too. Wouldn’t you, Mom?”
“Of course, I would have, Jessica.”
Seth looked at Jimmy. “Are you positive you want to marry into this crazy family?”
“I’m positive.” He put his hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “I can’t wait.”
Seth looked at Ashley and saw Theo standing shyly behind her. “Have we got another family member I don’t know about?” He chuckled. “What the hell are you doing here, Theo?”
“I invited him, Daddy,” Ashley said as she took Theo’s hand. “After all, he helped rescue Hunter.”
Her Forever Dreams (A Coverton Mills Romance Book 3) Page 22
