by Stephy Smith
She couldn’t think of anything except the scene of her friend lying on the cement floor, covered in blood. If anyone asked what route she had taken back off the mountain, she didn’t know if she could tell them. Her mind whirled numbly. Who would want to hurt Andi? Were they sending a message to her and Jo? Was it a warning that they had better watch their step or they, too, would end up like Andi?
The only person she could come up with was . . . Gulch! Nevertheless, he couldn’t have done it. Could he? Tansy’s mama had always told her to turn the other cheek. Don’t stoop to the enemy’s level, Tansy. “Well you’re not here Mama! And another thing . . . you didn’t see Andi on that floor, or the blood splattered walls. That pile of cow crap called Gulch won’t let me ride my horse. Yeah, all the other cowboys get to ride pens, but me . . . no! I have to take a four-wheeler or the pickup and trailer. He is constantly playing mind games with me, Jo, and Andi, until now. He has gone too far this time by having someone rough up Andi. I will not turn my other cheek, Mama. So stay out of my mind, because I’m not listening. Not this time!”
Tansy slammed the palm of her hand into the hard plastic of the stirring wheel. She winced at the pain. Gulch was less than a man as far as she was concerned. Real men don’t mistreat women. He may not have been the one to raise his hand to Andi, but Tansy knew he had ordered it.
A feed truck pulled in front of her. She pulled in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. The driver waved as he passed. Tansy’s heart picked up a beat, even though she wasn’t sure it could beat any faster or harder.
All her life, Tansy had been patient, reserved, and intelligent. Since she came to Texas and secured a decent job at the feed yard, she felt inadequate for the first time in her life. She owed it all to Gulch and his malice.
Seeing Andi on the floor of the shack sickened her and added credit to Gulch’s cruelty and just how far he would carry things to make the women leave the security of their jobs. Why? What was his reasoning for not wanting the women working there? No matter what they had done, it didn’t qualify for the brutal beating of Andi.
He wasn’t going to run her off. She began to prepare herself mentally for what he had in store for her. Her mind drifted into what was handy that she could use to defend herself from an assault. Andi trusted whoever did this to her. Tansy didn’t see any signs of a struggle. It had to be someone no one would suspect.
The deputy ordered her to keep quiet about Andi. Jo needed to know so she too could be on the lookout and arm herself if need be. Everyone at the yard would know something had happened. Some kind of accident, they just wouldn’t know what it was. But she would. And she wouldn’t forget it for a long, long time.
The sight of Gulch getting in the deputy's SUV as she pulled away from the mountain confused her. He was being arrested for his part in the vicious attack. The thought didn’t appeal much to her. She tried to ignore his involvement period.
The steers in the trailer shifted. She concentrated on backing the trailer to the alley where the cattle would be unloaded and penned into their new pen. Once again she shivered. What had Gulch set up for her while she was up on the mountain?
“Stop it!” she shouted into the dusty air. “Paranoia will get you nowhere.”
Her hands shook as she fumbled with the chains and latches on the gates. The steers rocked the trailer as they ran from the small enclosure. A couple stopped and turned to look at her. They seemed calmer, but they were still a little jumpy. Tansy passed it off as her own skittishness affecting the cattle. She shut the gate behind her and drove the pickup back to the office to retrieve a four-wheeler.
Chapter Six
Gulch skidded to a stop on the four-wheeler. The last time he had seen his father’s grayish pallor was the day Robin had died. He pulled in a deep breath. Whatever had happened in the shack had to be bad. The words had rushed from Benny when he called Gulch to come to the mountain.
Tansy stood beside a deputy. Her face was stained pink, tears sliding down her cheeks. The knees of her tight jeans were smeared with blood. She appeared to be shaken, but unharmed physically. His heart grew heavy. Gulch wanted to run to her, to comfort her, to convince her everything would be all right.
He caught a slight glimpse of Andi as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance. The door of the scale shack stood propped open. All Gulch could see was red covering the floor and a broken chair sitting lopsided against the far wall.
The knot in his stomach tightened. He slowly made his way to the deputy after the man had dismissed Tansy. The sway of her hips as she walked away seemed void of all emotion. She was the most overworked, underappreciated person at the Grow ‘em and he knew it. But this was something more. He didn’t like the sluggishness that had taken over her.
With any luck at all he could remedy that situation. For her safety, and now Jo’s, the culprit had to be stopped before he could hurt someone else. God have mercy on anyone who harmed one hair on Tansy. Gulch shivered at what he would do if that happened.
“Put me in cuffs and haul me away.” Gulch kept his tone low.
“Did you do this? Are you giving me a confession?” The deputy narrowed his eyes and creased his brow.
“Just do it. I’ll explain later. Right now I need your cooperation.” Gulch tried to keep the intolerance from his words. There couldn’t be any suspicion by anyone on the yard as to his reasons for working at the yard.
Benny joined his son and the deputy. “It would be in your best interest if you do as he says.”
The deputy turned a baffled look toward the older man. A loud sigh escaped from the officer, his disapproving tone was less than believable. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”
Gulch kept his gaze low. He hoped the actions looked authentic even though the deputy didn’t want to cooperate with him. Tansy had to see his mock capture; she seriously didn’t need to know the real story. As soon as the rest of the yard heard of his apprehension, with any luck, things would calm the criminal for the rest of the day.
The deputy loaded him into the back seat of his SUV. The sheriff talked to Benny and nodded his head a couple of times. When the deputy entered the front seat, he started the vehicle and drove toward town.
The look on Tansy’s face twisted Gulch’s gut. She needed comfort, understanding. He couldn’t imagine how hurt and alienated she was. Especially finding her friend’s broken, beaten body covered in blood. Did she even realize that she could be next?
He wanted to reach out to her. He was the one who had broken the spirit of the best woman he’d ever met. He was the one who had pounded the wedge between them. He hoped with all his heart that someday she could find it within herself to forgive him for what he had to do.
The SUV pulled into the small parking lot of the Cherryvale County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy led Gulch into a cluttered office. Stacks of papers littered the surface of the large, wooden desk. Pictures, diploma’s, and certificates hung haphazardly on the wall. The large, burly sheriff walked into the room. Benny followed behind him.
“Hello, Gage.” The raspy, smoker’s voice shocked Gulch. It had been a long time since anyone had called him by his real name.
“Hello, Sheriff. It’s been a long time.” A spark lit in the old man’s eyes as Gulch shook his hand.
“Have a seat. Your dad tells me you have some information and requests for me.” The gray haired Sheriff Kenneth Lovelady lowered his pudgy frame in to the padded office chair behind the desk. He leaned back and hooked his short, stubby thumbs in his suspender straps. His lips curved into a smile beneath a thick, silver moustache.
“I’m hoping you have some for me.” Gulch and Benny sat in chairs in front of the sheriff. The deputy pushed some papers aside and leaned on the corner of the desk. Gulch eyed the nameplate pinned to the deputy’s chest. “Are you any kin to Edgar Putnam?”
“Yes sir.” Deputy Sam Putnam furrowed his brow. “He’s my uncle. How ‘bout that confession you promised me?”
&
nbsp; “If it’s all the same to you, I need to talk to the sheriff.” Gulch turned his gaze to Kenneth. “Privately.”
The deputy huffed when the sheriff nodded toward the door.
Chapter Seven
The day seemed to drag as Tansy helped the cowboys cover for the missing Gulch. There had been a lot of talk as to the strange disappearance and the emergency up on the mountain. Most of the cowhands thought Gulch had a run in with an angry steer or went round and round with the horse he had been riding.
Several times, she wanted to blurt out that their friend was in jail for aggravated assault, even though she wasn’t positive that’s where he was. It would serve them all right if they knew their leader wasn’t as high and mighty as they made him out to be. She didn’t want to believe he was that bad. If she hadn’t seen the cuffs and the deputy loading him in the county SUV, she probably wouldn’t have believed he was capable of anything like that either.
Tansy kept her mouth shut and hoped the day would pass quickly so she could visit Andi at the hospital. She expected Benny to let her know something of Andi’s condition. He knew how close they were and she was the one who found Andi. She would have to fill out an incident report even though she didn’t know any details. Her feet seemed to have cement blocks attached to them.
She didn’t want to have thoughts of Andi or Gulch. There had to be a way to travel beyond the negative images. If only she could turn back to the days when she would get on her horse and ride until all the stress floated on a breeze away from her.
Gulch had kept his head low when they hauled him away. Her heart twisted into a tight knot. How could he show sorrow when he was the one who instigated the assault? Maybe she was reading more into the look on his face when he nodded at her. Was it her imagination wanting to believe she saw something more than she should have? Desire for Gulch clashed with her instinct to hate every fiber of his being.
Poor Andi, lying in a hospital room, unable to let anyone know who had done this to her and what had happened in the shack. Tansy shook her head and fought back the pooling moisture in her eyes. Confusion mixed with anxiety. The day had to end soon because she couldn’t take any more wondering what would happen next.
Her cell phone chirped. She answered after the first ring.
“Tansy. Take the rest of the day off.” Benny’s low tone seemed like music to her ears.
“How is Andi?” She tried to still the quiver in her throat.
“I’m on my way to see her now. Tansy . . . Gulch really is a good man.”
“Except when he isn’t.” Tansy dug the toe of her boot into the dirt.
With apprehension, Benny was still taking up for him. How could he try to convince her when she saw the guilt by Gulch’s arrest? She walked toward the office to clock out. The sooner she left, the better she would be. With any hope, she could leave it all behind her just for a little while.
Heat from the closed interior of her pickup nearly knocked her to her knees. She slid onto the leather seat and turned the key. Tansy twisted the knob of the air conditioner to high. The warm air blasted from the vents for a few minutes before it cooled the inside. She slammed the door shut and pulled the lever down to drive. Golden grass waved in a breeze as she made her way into the small town of Millstone and toward the hospital to see Andi.
The paved lot held a few cars. Swiveled rays of heat rose from the blacktop. A lone dog trotted down the cement sidewalk. A couple of young kids skateboarded next to the curb, headed toward the skate park down the street. Tansy pulled her pickup into a parking space.
The massive, old Royce Memorial Hospital stood majestically across the street. Its yellow brick walls framed the windows and doors. Neatly pruned shrubs lined the front. A row of peonies wrapped around the stand of the memorial plaque. Metal fasteners clanked against the tall, pipe flagpole. The United States and Texas flags popped in a swift breeze and then lay limp at the top of the pole.
Tansy wiped the perspiration from her brow and let the cool air escaping from the automatic door cool her. The heels of her boots echoed as she made her way down the empty corridor. From around the corner, a tall man stepped in her path.
Her breath caught in her throat. His arms wrapped possessively around her waist. Gulch’s warm breath soothed her. His mouth met hers as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Heated desire from the connection ran through her body as he slipped his tongue between her lips.
She should push away from him or slap him across the face, but the comfort of his hold as he pulled her into him was far more than she could resist. Tansy’s knees weakened. The pulse in her neck quickened along with her breath. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt safe; insane, but protected. Wild desire heated her core. A moan rumbled from his throat.
Push him away! Stomp on him! He doesn’t know what he is doing! You don’t know what he has planned to do to you! The thoughts ran through her head while ecstasy filled her body. He set her away from him. His husky, sexy tone caught her by surprise.
“I’m so glad you’re all right.” His gray eyes softened as he scanned her from head to toe. He caught her shoulders between his large hands as she stumbled backward.
“What are you doing here? The last I saw of you, you were being hauled away by the cops.”
“I wasn’t detained, so I figured I would check up on Andi.”
“I should watch where I’m going. Men like you can hurt someone like me . . . Andi . . . and Jo. Stay away from us Gulch, I don’t know what kind of point you’re trying to make by beating a woman, but it’s not going to work on me.” She raised her hand and slapped the palm of her hand upon his chest as if to make her own point. From somewhere deep within she mustered up the courage to turn and walk away.
Her heart pounded in her chest. The tingle of his kissed lingered on her lips. She rounded the corner and propped her elbows on the nurses’ station. “I’m looking for Andrea Block’s room.” Tansy kept her eyes on the nurse behind the computer.
“You must be Tansy. It is so nice to meet you. I hope you can calm that woman down. Andi has a heart of gold but . . . sometimes she goes overboard. I mean she is so worried about you finding her in the state she was in that she refused the sleeping aid the doctor offered her. Andi said, and I quote, 'I'm worried about how it upset Tansy’. Just like dear old Andi, and Jo for that matter. They are two peas in a pod and would fight a circle saw to keep you safe.”
“Excuse me, the room number please.” Tansy didn’t understand what the nurse was rambling about. She didn’t care either; all she wanted to do was see for herself if Andi was fine.
“Oh, she’s in room 104. Just around the corner dear.” The nurse pointed behind her.
Tansy pushed away from the counter and took the corner quickly. Finally, she could put an end to the oddest day she ever lived through. She rapped her knuckles on the metal doorframe and walked through the open door.
“Hey, Tansy! I was hoping you would stop by.” Andi raised a bruised knuckled hand to her cheek and swiped back a clump of hair.
“How are you feeling?” Tansy tried not to stare at the black-and-blue, stitched brow and cheek of Andi’s swollen face. She averted her eyes to the lines and machines hooked into Andi’s arms.
“I’m doing good, I suppose. Tomorrow I may hurt in places I forgot I had.” She whimpered a pained moan.
“What happened at the shack?” Tansy couldn’t stop the question she had been asking herself all day.
“You know Tans, I have been trying to remember. Something was off and when I looked out the door, someone clobbered me. Like I told Ken, I don’t know a thing. I hate that because I always had a good memory. I do remember fighting a man, I just don’t know who or why.” Andi’s eyes welled with tears. She turned her head to the window and gazed outside.
“I know Gulch had something to do with it. They cuffed him and hauled him off.” Tansy got the feeling Andi wasn’t quiet telling the truth. She dismissed it due to the medications being
pumped into her veins. Later on, maybe more would be revealed.
“I think you got it all wrong. I know the man I went up against was definitely not Gulch. He was shorter, wider, and he had a club to hit me. Gulch may not be the nicest cowboy in town, but I’ve seen him fight and it’s not like him to fight dirty unless he has a good reason. I guarantee you, I wasn’t winning.”
“I know he didn’t physically do it. He was in the bottoms. When I saw you . . . how are you feeling besides pain?” Tansy couldn’t get the memory of Gulch’s kiss out of her mind.
“Tired. They keep pumping meds into me. I just want to sleep all the time. I hate that.” Andi winced when she rubbed the side of her face.
“Guess I should scoot along so you can rest. I’ll come back after work tomorrow.” Tansy fought the burning sensation beginning behind her eyes. The deep desire to hide in a secluded corner to cry out her frustrations intensified. Typically she wasn’t a cry baby, but today, too much stress had hit her faster than her emotions could keep up.
Andi’s eyes closed as she nodded. “You do that. Get some rest yourself. I’ll be fine here.”
The bruised, scratched up knuckles of Andi’s hand brought a smile to Tansy’s face. At least she knew her friend got in one good punch. She patted Andi’s arm before turning and walking to the door. She stopped and twisted around to take one last glance at the bed.
A large hand rested on her shoulder. “How’s she doing?” It was the unmistakable voice of Gulch whispering near her ear.
A few strands of loose hair tickled her neck along with the warmth of his breath. Heat burned deep within her core at his nearness. She sucked in a breath. The pounding in her chest picked up a beat. Her mouth went dry. Her voice sounded a little too sultry for her liking. “Better than she looks.”
The frame of the door scraped against her back as she squeezed past him. Her boots clomping beneath her seemed loud. Her breath labored as she hurried toward the exit doors.
