Long Way Home

by Vaughn, Ann

  “Welcome home, Sheriff,” she said low, her eyes locked on his.

  “Hey,” he said coming to sit on the side of the tub. “What’s all this?”

  “This, is me, welcoming you home. Champagne?” she asked, handing him a flute.

  “Tess, this is...”

  “Shh,” she said, slowly standing. He kept his eyes locked on hers, doing his best not to admire the way her wet body glistened in the candlelight. She smiled and stepped out of the tub, accepting the towel he held out for her. “Come on, Shane, don’t play shy now.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “I love you. We’ve wasted enough time being apart. I want your hands on me.”

  He kissed her but held back. “I don’t want to hurt you...and I couldn’t stand it if my touch caused you even a moment’s fear.”

  “And we’ll never know unless we try. Touch me, Shane. Make me not afraid,” she whispered against his lips, fisting her hands in his shirt to bring him closer.

  “Baby,” he breathed, still trying to hang on to his composure. “Are you absolutely sure?”

  She let the towel fall at their feet and used both hands to cup his face.

  “You are the only man I’ve ever chosen to give myself to. You, Shane Gabriel McCanton, are the only man I ever wanted to touch me. I know whom I am standing here with. I know whom I am inviting to touch me...and it’s you. It’s only you, now and always. We’d be married now if not for the Heltons. They kept me from you long enough.”

  “Fine...but you are going to drive this. You take me at your pace.”

  She yanked his shirt out of his jeans and whipped it over his head, then jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Take me to bed, Shane,” she said, kissing him. He walked with her into the bedroom and then let her slither down his body to her feet. She pulled on his belt and opened his jeans, pushing them and his underwear down, then pushed him to sit on the bed, straddling him.

  “Look at me, Tessa. Who am I?”

  “Shane. My Shane,” she replied, smoothing her hands over his face as she kissed him. She held his gaze as she slowly settled over him, taking him in. A tear slid down her cheek and he quickly kissed it away.

  “There you are,” he breathed, “My Tessa...are you OK?”

  She licked at his lips as she began to move against him. “I’m better than OK,” she answered, pushing on his shoulders to have him lie down.

  Shane looked up at her riding him and knew he’d never seen a more beautiful sight ever in his life, and he knew in that moment, he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Tessa had a moment of panic in the night when she woke and found a heavy arm around her waist, pinning her to the bed, but then she realized it was just Shane and she was safe in his bed, wrapped in his arms. Her Shane. Her rock. She’d almost lost him forever out of fear and wanting to spare him from dealing with all the fallout from her experience, but all that was behind them now. She turned in his arms and placed her hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb over his lower lip.

  “Hey,” he murmured sleepily, smiling softly at her.

  “Hey,” she echoed.

  “You OK?”

  She snuggled closer to him, nuzzling his neck. “I’m good. I panicked a bit when I woke up with your arm over me, but it didn’t take me long to remember where I was, who I was with. I’ve missed you so much. I’d forgotten what it was like to wake up in bed with you.”

  He smoothed his hand over her hair. “We haven’t really had a chance to just be a couple. To lay in bed like this and not be rushed back to the office, knowing our days were numbered.”

  “No, we haven’t. This is nice...and such a relief to know that I can be with you without being afraid.”

  “We’ll work through your fears as they come up.”

  She kissed the underside of his jaw and worked her way around to his lips. “I don’t know that I will have any fears, because it’s you. You are my first and my only choice. My rock.”

  “You seriously never slept with anyone else when you were in the Army?”

  She frowned at him. “We’ve had this conversation before.”

  “I know...you’re just so damn beautiful, I always wonder why you waited around for me.”

  She blinked at him. “Because I’ve loved you since the day you walked into that kindergarten classroom when we were five. Because you have been my whole world ever since you finally lifted your ban on talking to me our senior year.”

  He gathered her closer and kissed her, then laying on their sides, facing each other, he took her with all the love and tenderness he felt for her. Tessa wrapped her arms around him and held on tight as he took them to the edge and trusted him to take care of her on the way back down.

  “You good, babe?” he asked, forehead pressed to hers.

  “Mm,” she purred, snuggling closer to him, “I’m better than good.”

  “I love you so much, Tess...this last year without you...it’s been a walking nightmare. Knowing you were out there hurting and wanting to be with you to help you. It was hell. Pure hell.”

  She combed her fingers through his hair. “For me, too. Wanting you with me. Wanting to feel your arms around me but afraid of how I’d react. When Mama told me that you’d begun dating again, I just...I had to come back. I had to see if there was anything left. I haven’t felt safe again until I looked up across Gib’s truck and saw you standing outside the gazebo.”

  He kissed her fingertips. “I haven’t felt complete again until I looked up in Miss Nettie’s and saw you...Tess, If you walk away from me again...”

  She sat up and slid on top of him, pinning him beneath her. “I’m not ever leaving, Shane. Not ever again, do you hear me? You’re stuck with me.”

  “Then marry me. Tomorrow...later today, whatever the hell time it is...just marry me.”

  She got up from him and turned the light on, standing nude before him.

  “Look at me, Shane. Look at the scars on my body. If we marry, you may be giving up your chance to have a child of your own.”

  He stood and covered the scar on her abdomen with one hand and cupped the back of her neck with the other.

  “And we’ve had this conversation before, too. Do you think I care about that? We can adopt. We can try in vitro. A surrogate. Or just be happy with the two of us. I don’t care. Whatever will make you happy, babe, that’s all I care about.”

  “Shane...”

  “Don’t try to read my mind for me. That’s what got us in this mess in the first place...marry me, Tess. Say yes.”

  She closed her eyes and clutched his biceps.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “What was that?” he prodded. “I don’t think I heard you.”

  Her eyes flew open and she melted into him. “Yes, Shane. I will marry you.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  She laughed. “Tomorrow. Later today. A soon as we can get it set up.”

  He picked her up and twirled her around, then sat her on her feet and kissed her breathless.

  “We just have one more issue to deal with, baby,” he said reluctantly.

  She nodded. “The trial.”

  “Make that two...look, right after you left my office, Bruce called...Nathaniel and Paul escaped.”

  She stiffened and stepped away from him. “And you’re just telling me this now?”

  “I’d planned on telling you when I got home, but...”

  “What’s been done?” she asked, reaching for the shirt he’d discarded and pulling it on.

  He walked into his closet and pulled on a pair of loose fitting warm-ups. When he came out, he followed her into the kitchen. She cut them both a piece of chocolate cream pie she’d made earlier and then sat at the table while he briefed her on all he knew.

  She took a deep breath when he was done, and then another. Shane took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

  �
��I’ll keep you safe, Tessa. They won’t get near you.”

  “Thank you, but I can take care of myself, Shane.”

  “I know you can.”

  She nodded, then began clearing their dishes.

  “We need to get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  Shane stood and moved in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders to stop her. She looked up into his eyes and then smiled when he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to his, no, to their room.

  “What are you doing?” she asked on a small laugh.

  “Bringing you back to bed. You’re right. We do have a big day tomorrow. And before we go to bed tomorrow, you’ll be mine for good.”

  “As you will be mine,” she echoed. “I love you.”

  The next morning, Shane reluctantly let Tessa go back to her mother’s while he went in to the office. He checked in with Bruce for an update and checked all his bulletins, then headed out to his parents’ house. He wanted to let them know his plans with Tessa, and to try to assure his mother that he was doing the right thing since he knew she would be upset that she wouldn’t get to plan a big wedding.

  When he turned onto the road leading toward his family’s ranch, he saw a car stranded on the side of the road with its hood up. The road was strictly residential with no outlet so the only vehicles that should be on there were those of people who lived there and their visitors. He slowed to a stop behind them and got out, but made sure he had the clip off his holster.

  “Hi, there,” he announced, walking up to the car, “I’m Sheriff McCanton, can I help you?”

  The hood lowered and Shane found himself face-to-face with Paul Helton. He had his gun out and shot at Paul in the same instant he was hit from behind.

  “Mama, Gib?” Tessa called, walking into their house.

  “In the kitchen,” she heard her mother call.

  She went in and immediately went to her mother, embracing her on a laugh.

  “Tessa? What is it?”

  “Shane and I are going to get married. Today.”

  “What?”

  “As soon as he can get the paperwork cleared.”

  “That’s wonderful news, honey,” Mary cried, kissing her cheek.

  “Thanks. I wanted -” She stopped when Gib walked in, his face grim.

  “Glen?” Mary asked, “What is it?”

  “I just got off the phone with Becky at the station. Tessa, Shane’s gone missing.”

  She felt a tight knot form in her stomach. “What do you mean, he’s gone missing?”

  “He left the station on his way to his parents’ house. He never arrived there and Becky reports he hasn’t checked in with her. They’ve been trying his radio and his cell and have gotten no answer. His dad headed out to look for him and found shell casings and a some blood on the side of the road...it’s a match for Shane’s and one other, and some of the casings came from his gun.”

  “Oh God!” Mary gasped.

  Tessa locked eyes with Gib, taking comfort from his steady strength. She knew in her heart that Nathaniel and Paul had him, and she knew that they wouldn’t kill him until they had her.

  “I need to be at the station,” she said, all business now. “Gib, I need to be involved.”

  He nodded, reaching out a hand to stroke her hair. “I know you do. Let’s go make it happen.”

  Tessa took a deep breath and settled into the passenger seat of Gib’s truck. Part of her wanted to panic but she ruthlessly pushed that part down and focused on her training. It helped having Gib with her, pulling from their past experiences together. She knew she had to hold it together, to keep her fears at bay.

  “Hey,” Gib said, squeezing her hand, “hang in there. Shane’s good. He’ll be OK.”

  She took a deep breath. “I know...if they wanted him dead, they would have already found his body. This is about drawing me out.”

  “I agree, but Tessa, you can’t let this be personal. I know it is...but...”

  She nodded. “I know what you’re saying, Gib, I do...but there is no way that this isn’t personal. I’m going to find them, and I’m going to finish this once and for all.”

  “Tessa...” he began but stopped when her phone rang.

  She looked down and saw the caller ID. “It’s Shane,” she said flatly, raising it to her ear. She knew what she would hear before she even spoke.

  “Hello, sweetheart,” Nathaniel’s voice poured through the phone. “Have you missed me?”

  “Where are you?” she asked, knowing that her tone had alerted Gib, who immediately pulled over to the side of the road.

  “Let’s not concern ourselves with that just now.”

  “Is he alive?”

  “For now, but he killed Paul. He’ll have to pay for that.”

  “I want to talk to him.”

  “You are in no position to make demands, Madelyn...or should I say, Tessa.”

  “If you want me to play your little game, you will put Shane on the phone right now, Nathaniel. I won’t entertain any demands from you unless I hear his voice.”

  She heard a shuffle of the phone and a muffled groan that she recognized as Shane’s voice. Her heart accelerated and she squeezed Gib’s hand, her only outward sign of emotion.

  “Tess,” she heard him say weakly.

  She closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “How badly are you hurt?” she asked steadily.

  “Shot...shoulder, side, leg. Lost a lot of blood.”

  “Can you describe where you are?”

  “Inner Space,” he replied before Nathaniel took the phone away.

  “All right, you’ve heard from him. I’m sure he just told you where we are. You come here, alone, and we finish this.”

  The call ended and she sat the phone down on the console between them.

  “You know where he is?”

  She nodded. “He said Inner Space. That’s what we called the caves around the lake. But there are dozens of them, and he’s bleeding out.”

  “Tell me where to go,” he said, putting the truck in gear. “Call it in to his office.”

  Tessa gave Gib directions and called in to Becky to let them mobilize backup to help search the caves. There weren’t too many caves, but enough that she and Gib couldn’t cover them all on their own. Gib pulled over when they got close to the turn off to get to the caves and they got out to arm up. Tessa’s eyes widened when he lifted the panel over the cargo hold and she saw the arsenal he had back there, as well as Kevlar vests, one his size and one her size.

  “You preparing for a war, Gib?” she asked when he handed the vest to her.

  “I stocked up when Bruce called me about their escape,” he explained.

  “Smart man...look, there are a dozen or so caves, and they all go pretty far back under the cliffs. Shane is losing blood fast, we are going to have to split up.”

  “Agreed, but you listen to me...you find him, you let out the loudest whistle you can, and I’ll do the same.”

  She nodded while strapping weapons on. Armed, they got back into the truck and drove the last two miles, finding Shane’s truck and the Heltons abandoned sedan. Both vehicles were bloodied on the inside.

  “They have to be in one of the first two caves,” Gib surmised, “he could not have transported two injured men very far.”

  “There’s a blood trail...Gib, you’ll have to hold back. He told me to come alone. He’s got to know I won’t, but he can’t see you.”

  “You go in, I’ve got your back.”

  Tessa took a deep breath and followed the bloody trail to the mouth of the second cave, gun drawn and ready. With each step she took, she felt her anxiety begin to lesson and an eerie calm settle over her. She was on her way to her destiny, pass or fail, whatever happened in the next few moments would change her world forever.

  “Nathaniel? I’m here,” she called, slowly rounding the corner toward the flickering light of a fire. She saw Nathaniel leaning against the far wall, Shane held in fron
t of him, gun to his temple, and Paul’s body lying next to the fire. The entire right side of Shane’s body was covered in blood, and what she could see of his face didn’t look good. His color was gone, his skin almost grey. He was on his feet but she suspected he wouldn’t last much longer.

  “That’s far enough,” Nathaniel warned her, yanking Shane’s head back by the hair. “Put that gun down or I’ll blow his head off. Don’t think I’m going to fall for that “shoot the hostage” ploy, either. He’s lost so much blood, you give him another injury and he’ll be dead before his body hits the ground.” Tessa could see that Nathaniel was right but there was no way she was giving up her weapon. “I’ll do it, you know I will. Put the gun down.”

  “I can’t do that, Nathaniel,” she told him.

  “You better. He’s not going to make it much longer. Only way to help him is to do what I say.”

  “Not going to happen. I put the gun down you’ll just kill us both anyway. What do you want, Nathaniel? You’ve already lost your brother. What do you hope to gain from all this?”

  “Your suffering. My end game is all about taking everything you hold dear from you. You came into my world and deceived me. You made me love you and then you took everything away from me. Now, I’m going to take everything from you. Starting with him.”

  “You loved me? Really, Nathaniel? You loved me so much, you beat and raped me, you allowed Paul to use a whip on me and rape me and then you let four of your Elders rape me. That’s how you show your love?”

  “Discipline is necessary to ensure obedience.”

  “You’re sick, and you’ve wasted enough of my time. Surrender now. Shane’s deputies will be here soon. It’s over for you, so unless you want to join your brother, let Shane go and have your day in court.”

  “I’ll have my day now!” he roared.

  She watched the next few moments unfold as if in slow-motion. With what had to have been a rush of adrenaline, Shane reared back and gave Nathaniel a reverse head butt, slamming the back of his head into Nathaniel’s face. Nathaniel’s gun fired, Shane fell to the ground, and both Tessa and Gib, who had been hiding behind her in the shadows, unloaded their guns into Nathaniel.