When he and Chaney were younger, he had often been glad for the man’s choice of location. The cabin held many of Jed’s best memories including some recent ones. Now it might offer nightmares for the future.
Shaking off the troublesome thoughts, he moved silently with the sheriff and Steve closer to the cabin. Behind some wild berry bushes, and a good distance from the structure, they came upon an SUV. The sheriff had already run the plates and was waiting for a response. They disabled the vehicle and moved on.
Before they broke from the trees, the sheriff signaled them to a halt. He pulled out his beeper. Jed’s impatience at waiting had him flexing his hand into a fist over and over.
“The vehicle is registered to a Cain Burton. He’s got prior arrests for fraud and theft, but no convictions,” the sheriff whispered. “Anyone recognize the name?”
Jed nodded. “I think Chaney was talking to him the day of your wedding, Steve. Something about telling him and Pike she wasn’t interested in selling the ranch,” he said.
“Damn,” Steve hissed. “I remember the name now. He’s the clerk Pike hired about a year ago. I thought Pike had fired him a while back. In fact, I’m sure of it. Pike mentioned the guy carrying on so much he had to call security.”
“That’s not a good sign,” the sheriff said. “He obviously doesn’t take rejection well.”
Jed took little comfort in the fact that the sheriff didn’t say more. He also knew that though there weren’t charges of assault or worse, it didn’t mean they hadn’t happened. If the guy had gotten away with other crimes before, and had now moved on to kidnapping, he figured the bastard was feeling invincible. Anything could happen.
Everyone nodded their heads at the sheriff’s comments. They started moving toward the cabin again. After only a few steps, Jed tripped over something. As he fell forward, his hands landed on something warm and soft. He pulled his hand back and stared hard at the ground in front of him. It wasn’t ground, though. It was a body.
“Damn,” he said in a harsh whisper. “It’s Smitty.”
The sheriff came up beside Jed. He quickly examined the body. “His throat’s been cut. Hasn’t been dead long. Looks like Burton doesn’t want to share the ranch.”
To Jed it meant the threat Burton had made about the deed in thirty minutes or Chaney wouldn’t live was not an idle one. He had to get a plan in motion and soon. They were running out of time. “Stay here, I’m going up to try and see inside the cabin.”
He didn’t give anyone time to argue with him. His back pressed against the wall of the cabin Jed eased his way to the closest window. He knew the layout hadn’t changed over the years having been inside just a couple of weeks before. The outside appearance would have led him to that conclusion anyway. This window would give him the best view of the interior, and with a broken pane, he could hear as well. The light shining through the window told him Burton or Smitty must have brought a lantern of some kind, because there hadn’t been a serviceable one when he and Chaney were there. He stopped moving mere inches from the window and listened before chancing a look.
“Well, darlin’, looks like we’ve still got about ten minutes before your honey gets here.”
Hoping the man faced Chaney while he spoke, Jed peeked through the window. What he saw turned his blood to ice and very nearly ruined any chance of surprise they had. He had used tape to cover Chaney’s mouth and tied her hands and feet to the cot. Burton sat beside her with his hand on Chaney’s thigh.
“I can think of several enjoyable ways to spend the time,” Burton said and Jed watched the man inch his hand further up Chaney’s leg. “Then again, that would be adultery. Maybe we should wait until after I take care of Mr. Sampson. Then we can take our time and really enjoy ourselves.” The man stroked his hand further up Chaney’s thigh causing Jed’s blood to boil.
“Then again, I guess adultery is a small concern with all the other little sins I’ve committed,” Burton said.
Jed’s jaw clenched so hard pain sliced through his skull as he watched the man slide both hands up her hips and over her stomach. The only thing that eased the pain was the way Chaney dealt with the man. She didn’t shy away or even squirm. She lay there, still as a stone and refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was scared.
That’s my girl, Jed thought as the man’s hands stopped just below her breasts. Jed didn’t know if he could stop himself from jumping through the window if Burton hadn’t stopped there. A dozen torturous ways to make the man pay for what he was doing popped into Jed’s mind. They would have to wait. What he needed to do first was get Chaney out of there safely
He scanned the rest of the cabin and found Burton and Chaney alone. Taking one more moment, he looked back toward the cot.
“Then again, what I have planned will probably have you screaming. We wouldn’t want to upset hubby prematurely now would we? I guess I’ll just have to be patient.”
Jed swallowed the hate building in his throat. A moment later, he turned and made his way back to the sheriff and Steve.
“He’s alone. Less than ten minutes left. I’ll get Sterling and come up to the front. Have the men spread out around the perimeter but stay in the trees,” he told the sheriff. “You and Steve take up places on either side of the porch. I’ll draw him outside and you guys can take it from there.”
While Steve and the sheriff spread the word, Jed took off through the trees to get Sterling. It didn’t take him long. Only two minutes passed before they waited in front of the cabin. A moment before he opened his mouth to call Burton, Jed remembered he was supposed to think he was dealing with Smitty.
“I’m here, Smitty,” he yelled as he slid out of the saddle. “Bring Chaney out and I’ll give you the deed. All I want is my wife. I don’t give a damn about this land. You know that.”
He waited. No response.
“Come on, Smitty. I--”
The door opened but no one came out. He couldn’t see anything through the darkness inside. Burton must have doused all the lights. Jed also couldn’t see if Steve and the sheriff were in place yet.
“Hurry, Mr. Sampson. I think the old man did something to your wife. She’s not moving.”
Terror raced through Jed’s veins obliterating all intelligent thought. He had to get to Chaney and make sure she and the baby were all right. Dropping Sterling’s reins, he bolted for the cabin. The next thing he knew, Jed was sprawled on the floor holding his head trying to stop the gong pounding inside it.
“Hello, Mr. Sampson.”
At the same moment Jed heard Burton, the man must have turned on the light again because brightness seared Jed’s eyes, blinding him. He kept trying to see where Chaney was. Between the bright light and pain in his head, he couldn’t focus. Not wanting the man to know how badly hurt he was, he forced down the nausea roiling in his stomach and tried to stand.
***
Chaney watched Jed pull himself to his knees then brace against the wall and stand. When he had charged through the darkened doorway, Burton tripped him and Jed sailed across the room. His head hit the woodstove and Chaney feared he’d been knocked unconscious. She should have known Jed Sampson had a head harder than cast iron.
It was several seconds before his eyes focused and he met her gaze. “Are you all right?”
Chaney heard the concern in his voice and knew from experience it was in the depths of his eyes as well. She felt it to the tips of her toes. Even knowing it was more for the baby she carried than herself it warmed her heart.
“Yes,” she said through lips that still stung from Burton ripping off the tape.
“How touching,” Burton crooned. “Where’s the deed?”
Chaney felt a chill when Jed’s gaze left her and returned to the man standing beside her. When he lifted his chin as if to dare Burton to come and get it, she felt white-hot fear course through her veins.
“Give it to him, Jed. It isn’t worth your life.”
“Smart girl,” Burton replied, pre
ssing his mouth close to her ear. “But if you knew anything about men in love, sweetheart, you would know it isn’t their life they care about.”
In an instant, he twisted her arm up and behind her as he hauled her closer to him. Then she felt the gun’s barrel pressed behind her ear.
“Now, Mr. Sampson, the deed?”
Chaney had yelped at the unexpected pain when Burton jerked her arm back. In that moment, Jed had taken one step closer, but she held up her hand to hold him off. One thing she did not need was to see the love of her life shot to death in front of her.
It didn’t matter that Burton had it all wrong. Jed didn’t love her, only their baby. But that didn’t stop her from loving him. She had to think of some way to get him out of the mess she and her father had unwittingly made.
“Jed, give it to him,” she said, as the gun barrel pressed more firmly against her head raising her on tiptoe. “You were always good at giving the other team the ball on the field. You can certainly hand a piece of paper to a man standing still in front of you. Just give it to him.”
Having gone to every football game Jed ever played, Chaney knew he had never dropped a pass, fumbled, or turned over the ball to anyone. He was famous for his quick moves around the defense or bull-headedly running into them, over them or anything else that got him into the end zone. She hoped he got the message now.
“Give it to him?” His eyes questioned her but she saw a dawning of comprehension as well. “You want me to chuck and run? Like a coward?”
Tuck and run was the correct term and she almost laughed at his twist on the play name, but cowardice had nothing to do with it. Slowly, praying Burton didn’t notice her movement Chaney lifted her right foot several inches off the ground.
“Yes,” she squeaked when Burton jerked her even closer for affect.
“I guess you win, Burton. It’s her land. She’s the boss. I always do what she says.”
The minute the words were out of his mouth, Chaney knew he would do the opposite of what she said especially after her earlier accusations. He wouldn’t run. He was going to fight.
“On the count of three,” Jed said. “You release, Chaney and I give you the deed. Chaney, you count off.”
There was no way to stop him without warning Burton as well. Jed had turned his gaze back to her and Chaney pulled every ounce of strength she could from it.
“One, two,” Burton’s grip eased a bit. “Three,” she yelled and slammed the heel of her boot into her captor’s foot. She yanked herself free and fell to the floor as Jed slammed his shoulder into Burton’s solar plexus.
An explosion rent the air. The momentum of Jed’s tackle sent both men across the room crashing onto the cot. The weight of them was too much for it and the cot collapsed. They continued to fight. Chaney prayed their continued battle meant the shot she heard had been wild and hit no one.
On the tail of her two-second prayer, the door to the cabin flew open, banging against the wall. Her brother-in-law and the sheriff rushed in at the same moment another shot split the air. Chaney’s gaze flew back to the two men on the floor in time to see Burton push Jed aside.
“Jed,” she screamed as one more shot rang out before an eerie silence blanketed the room. She didn’t know who’d fired, but in her peripheral vision, she saw Burton crumple to the floor. A gun fell from Jed’s hand. Burton must have dropped it when Jed tackled him. While they were rolling on the floor, he must have found it. Pride and joy welled in her heart knowing how hard he fought for those he loved. In the seconds those thoughts burst in her head, she realized Jed now lay motionless across the room from her. She rushed to his side. She had to tell him. He couldn’t die this way, not knowing. She crawled across the floor as quickly as she could.
“Jed, talk to me,” she begged. One hand cupped the side of his face, her thumb stroking his day’s growth of beard. The other hand followed her gaze to the bullet hole in his left shoulder. He still clutched the deed to the ranch in his hand.
Blood poured from the wound. Chaney wanted to scream and collapse against him, sobbing into his chest. Sensibility from having grown up on a ranch overrode the hysteria. She pressed both hands against the wound, but blood pulsed between her fingers.
“Talk to me, Jed,” she said.
Steve appeared on the other side of Jed. Chaney gave his white face a moments glance. “Put pressure on this,” she told Steve replacing her hands with his over the wound.
“Get a chopper out here now,” she yelled at the sheriff.
“Already on its way,” he said from beside her. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s unconscious and losing a lot of blood,” she reported absently her attention focused on Jed’s face. “Jed, damn it, wake up,” she said forcefully. Sweetness and light had never been her strong points and Jed always responded to challenges better than requests.
Her hand stroked over his hair and came away bloody. This time she stroked his head to see how bad the wound was and found a growing lump with a gash in the middle. Remembering his run in with the stove, she knew he probably had a concussion as well. Noting how pale his normally tanned face appeared in the harshness of the light, she ripped a sleeve from her shirt, cradled his head in her lap, and applied pressure to that wound as well. Fear gripped her heart; it seemed his very life force was leaving him. She wanted desperately to hold him close and whisper her love to him, but she knew something that might work better.
“Don’t you dare leave me again. If you do, I swear I will follow you into hell and make you pay.”
His lips moved and Chaney leaned close in hopes he was saying something. “Been there, done that.”
“That’s right, you have been there,” she replied as tears coursed down her cheeks. She stroked his cheek with her free hand. “We’ve paid our dues, sweetheart. It’ll be sunshine and wildflowers from now on. All you have to do is hang on. I’m not going anywhere. ”
Jed’s right hand reached up and Chaney laced her trembling fingers with his. His eyes opened a bit and she wanted to climb into the beautiful blue pools and stay there forever. She pressed her forehead to his. In the background she heard the whup whup of helicopter blades echoing her heartbeat. She pressed their joined hands to Jed’s chest, needing to feel his heartbeat as well. To reassure herself that it was strong, that he wouldn’t die because of her stubborn pride.
“Take care of Ash for me,” he wheezed through lips growing parched.
“I will. We’ll be waiting for you.” Her tears now trailed down his cheeks as they fell from her eyes to his face. His eyes were losing focus. His fingers lost their grip on her hand. She pulled his hand close to her heart. “Jed, Jed?” She cried, begging him to stay with her.
“Love you, Chaney gi...”
“I love you, too, Jed,” she cried as his eyes closed and his head fell sideways in her lap. No, she couldn’t lose him. Not now. She cupped his face, leaning hers close. “Come back. Don’t leave me, Jed, I love you. Please don’t leave me.”
Hysteria took over as the paramedics tried to ease her away. She fought them, fearing if she let go of him he wouldn’t have any reason to fight. Then strong hands pulled her up and away, holding her tightly. Steve. He held her as the paramedics worked on Jed.
The noise from the helicopter outside was deafening, but she could tell the paramedics weren’t positive from the way they kept glancing at each other after calling out a reading.
“Don’t you dare give up on him,” she screamed, straining against Steve’s hold.
“Stop doubting and start saving him, damn it,” she continued, ignoring Steve’s efforts to stop her. She looked at Jed’s ashen face. “Don’t you give up, Jed Sampson. Don’t you dare give up on us.”
Steve turned her around forcing her to look at him.
“Stop it,” he said, grasping her upper arms hard. “Stop scaring yourself. Jed’s a fighter. You know it. He survived your father’s men, and war. He’s not going to go out without a fight.”
Ch
aney slumped against her brother-in-law, her strength draining out of her with the fear that Jed didn’t think he had any reason to fight. If he hadn’t still been holding her by the arms she would have slid to the floor.
“Jed will be all right. He’s got you and Ashley to live for now.”
“What if he’s not? He doesn’t know, Steve. I never told him.”
“Didn’t tell him what?” Steve asked as Chaney lifted her head and met his gaze.
“I love him,” she said then collapsed sobbing against his chest.
She felt Steve’s hand, gentle and smooth rub across her back trying to comfort her. What she wanted were Jed’s hands, rough, nicked, and callused from his woodworking. Chaney heard Steve’s supportive, “He knows, Chaney,” but she didn’t believe him. She did take solace in one thing he’d said. Jed would fight to come back for Ashley.
When the paramedics had Jed on the gurney, Chaney gathered what little strength she had left and pulled free of Steve’s hold. They weren’t taking Jed anywhere without her. She grasped his hand and ran with them toward the chopper. She only released his hand long enough for them to load him inside. As soon as they helped her in, she reached for him again.
“I’m here, Jed. You can’t get rid of me, do you understand? I’m not leaving you.”
The sheriff had assured her she could give her statement later. Not that she cared. Right now, nothing mattered except Jed.
Chaney spent the short flight wrapped in a blanket, holding his hand, staring at Jed’s pale face. Realizing quickly the noise inside the helicopter obliterated her words before they could reach him, she started praying silently that she would see his blue eyes again.
Their arrival at the hospital was a blur to her. Doctors and nurses were everywhere, all talking at once. Chaney couldn’t make out much of what they said. She did hear one of the paramedics give his opinion of Jed’s condition as she stepped out of the chopper. The negative information pierced her heart.
A Daring Proposal Page 22
