Stolen Kisses (Leap of Love Book 2)

by Powers, Paige

  "This dates back a decade or so. Juan Sanchez once worked for Jones. I'm sure you heard the story about how Sanchez left to work for himself and make a go of it on his own. The reason why was Jones had been vying for Lily Sanchez's heart and Jones would not hear of it. Story goes there was a scuffle between Jones and Sanchez and Sanchez walked away with the right to leave. But since then, Jones has randomly made life hell for Sanchez and his family.

  "Abbott, you have stepped into a firestorm: a decades-long conflict between two men. There is much at stake. Respect. Family. Power. I’m not sure how you would like to approach this one."

  All eyes were on Sheriff Dyer.

  "Whatever we do, we need to have the least amount of collateral damage possible."

  del Sol stared at both of them, waiting for what he deemed the correct response in his book.

  "And of course, the banditos would be first in line for the reward for finding a missing person," Sheriff Dyer revealed.

  Brent was confused but he did not want to let on that he was clueless. Instead he waited quietly because his hot headed nature was not helpful at this time.

  "Very good. We will be in touch." del Sol and the banditos stood to leave.

  "Good doing business with you, Sheriff Dyer. Ranger Abbott, good evening."

  All of the banditos tipped their hats and filed out of the door one by one.

  "What was that? A reward? I was not even aware that there was a reward for Lily." Brent was exasperated.

  "Simmer down. Either you pay the banditos a reward fee or you pay them what they ask for basically selling Lily back to you. Only one of those options is respectful and decent in this case. And either way, we have to get the banditos on our side enough to get them removed from the equation. As long as they are paid, they are happy and they stay out of the way."

  Brent nodded, biting his lip. "I understand. It was just a bit much being here doing business with such opportunists. I wanted to put my hands around del Sol's neck and drag the truth out of him. Force him to tell us her location so we can go storm the ranch and rescue her."

  "I think maybe you have heard one too many stories Son about how we govern ourselves out west here. We don't do things with guns ablazin' and live like outlaws. There's an order to how we live here and we will follow it to a tee. Understood?"

  Brent knew that what the sheriff was basically saying was that he needed to calm down and listen to reason before he got himself and anyone else hurt.

  "I get it, Sheriff. We will follow your lead."

  "Good. I knew that it would not take long for you to come to your senses. Now, we will meet in the morning with the rest of the Rangers and set up a plan of action. We will be going to rescue Lily very soon."

  *

  The banditos held up to their end of the deal and released the information on the whereabouts of Lily. She was at one of Jones' ranches about ten miles away. She was close by and after finding that out, Brent was happy that they had not gone storming Jones' Owen's Bluff ranch. It would have certainly tipped him off and he may have had time to move Lily to another location.

  They had the banditos’ word that they would not be sharing information and playing both sides. They would step out of the way and let the Rangers handle the situation. They would receive half of the reward money up front and the remainder of it after Lily was recovered.

  Brent was the first one to the sheriff's office. As the Rangers filed in, Sheriff Dyer served coffee and gave out maps.

  By the time everyone gathered, there were at least fifteen to twenty Rangers in the office. Most were from Owen's Bluff and the others were from surrounding counties.

  "As you see, this is the map of the surrounding areas in relation to the ranch in question," Sheriff Dyer began.

  "We want to make this recovery mission as easy and as quick as possible. In and out. Clean and quick. The least amount of people hurt as possible. Remember, casualties are not what we are going for. We want Lily alive and we need Jones arrested and brought in to the authorities."

  Sheriff went over the game plan for capture. They would sneak in before daylight, when it was least expected and when hopefully the resistance would be down. Then they would surround all means of exit, seal off the ranch, and attempt to let Jones surrender peacefully. They would be prepared for a peaceful ending as well as a violent ending.

  Everyone was dismissed and asked to meet at the office three hours before daybreak. It would take at least thirty minutes to ride out to the ranch from Owen's Bluff and once in the vicinity, they would stash their horses and approach on foot.

  Even though it seemed like Brent's personal mission, he realized that everyone was in it not to help him, but to do their duty as Texas Rangers. They had signed up for a job in which they would protect others and uphold the law and no matter whether the mission personally affected one of them, they would give it their all at any cost.

  Before going to bed that evening, Brent explained to his son that he had an important mission and that he would be gone all day doing something that could be dangerous. He wanted him to know how much he loved him. He had never been involved in anything of this magnitude, but he knew that one day it would come to something perilous like this. Instead of waking Adam up at the crack of dawn, it was agreed that he would sleep over with Miss Sarah so that he could get up and slip out in the morning without losing any extra time readying Adam.

  It was best anyway because he would have lain and worried about his own safety and getting back to his son in one piece. At least with Adam not being home, he did not spend his time that night worrying. He was able to get a good night's sleep and focus on the task at hand.

  Rescuing Lily.

  Chapter 8

  The cavalry rode in silence. Darkness shrouded them as they traveled. Each one of the men was focused on the task at hand. Brent went over the game plan time and time again. Everything had to work as planned. He could not wait to be reunited with Lily. To see her smiling face would brighten not only his day, but his entire year.

  He wanted nothing more than to embrace her, to let her know that he was there and that she would be safe with him because he would never let something like this happen again. Brent promised himself when Lily came home that he would make sure she knew how much he adored her and how much she meant to him.

  Not doing so was the one thing he regretted in this situation. He had not told her how much he cared for her and how much he looked forward to seeing her everyday. They had not discussed with each other how they felt about one another. He had let her maintain a distance between them instead of leading the relationship and encouraging the both of them to share and express how they felt.

  Doing so proved to be detrimental and now, here they were separated and possibly in a position where they would never see each other again. Brent did not know what he would do if something happened to Lily. He was not sure what would happen if she did not come out of this…

  Brent had to stop himself from thinking the worst. He got some advice from some of the other Rangers who advised him to stay focused on the assignment. A Ranger could not be worried about what was going on at home or think too hard about his loved ones or things that would evoke emotion. It was his job to maintain the safety of the community and himself, so it was not advised that he start any assignment thinking about personal issues or concerns.

  In this situation, it felt almost impossible not to do. Sheriff Dyer offered Brent the opportunity to bow out and wait at home until they rescued Lily, but there was no honor in that. He had signed on to be a Texas Ranger and if the Rangers were going to rescue Lily, he had better be there. He needed to be the first face that she saw so she knew that he was there for her and that he had done everything in his power to make sure she came home to her family.

  "We are approaching the ranch now. Let's stop here and leave the horses."

  Everyone stopped and obeyed the sheriff's instruction. The horses were tethered to the trees in the woods that bordered the
ranch. Each of the men loaded their guns and packed extra ammunition and firepower.

  Once they were all ready, they started off to cover the ground as they agreed upon.

  Brent was to cover the front and be one of the Rangers that went in directly as they stormed the ranch. There was no security outside surrounding the home like the expected so the only hope was that the recovery would be easier than they planned.

  The men crept quietly up to the house. Some of them were at the perimeter and some came in around the rear. They waited for Sheriff Dyer's signal.

  "Jones. Lawrence Jones. Come on out. We have you surrounded!"

  Clicking could be heard from everyone preparing their weapons. Otherwise, there was dead silence.

  A light came on and a shadow could be seen slowly coming to the front door. Brent heard the door creaking as it opened.

  "Who is calling?"

  "Come on out Lawrence Jones. We’re Texas Rangers here on authority of a special mission. We need to talk to you."

  "Senor Jones is retired to his bed chambers," the voice yelled.

  "We will need Mr. Jones to come on outside. Sheriff Dyer here. I need to talk with Mr. Jones."

  The door closed and the shadow walked back across the house. The light went out. There was complete silence.

  Sheriff Dyer held his hand out to tell the other Rangers to hold on for a second longer.

  "Jones, we are giving you a chance to come on out and talk with me. We want to ensure the safe return of Lily Sanchez to her family. Lily, if you are in there, Texas Rangers are here to rescue you."

  A bullet zipped by the Sheriff's face.

  "Take cover! Open fire!"

  Everything happened so quickly. The Rangers were suddenly up against an opponent that they could not see.

  Bullets pierced the wind, whizzing by carelessly. In order to survive, one had to find somewhere to take cover, all the while shooting back in hopes of wounding one of the opposition.

  "Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"

  The Rangers did as requested and took cover. A few more bullets whizzed by and then the deafening silence was back.

  "Jones. It doesn't have to be this way. We simply want to get the girl back. The more you cooperate, the better things will be for you in the long run." The Sheriff was yelling at the top of his lungs as he took cover behind a tree in the front yard.

  The front door creaked open.

  "Jones! I will ask you one last time to come on out."

  It was so dark, it was hard to see anything but a silhouette standing at the front porch. Shooting first and asking questions later could create a regretful situation.

  The Rangers had to tread carefully at this time.

  "Please don't shoot!" The exclamation was followed by a few words spoken in Spanish.

  "Hold your fire!" commanded the Sheriff. "We have someone coming out. State your name."

  "Maria. Maria Vasquez. Please don't shoot!"

  Sheriff Dyer beckoned for the girl to come to him.

  "Hold your hands in the air. Walk slowly. Is anyone else behind you?"

  "No," she cried. "Just please don't hurt me."

  One of the Rangers ran up and grabbed the woman, practically dragging her down to the ground. They headed for cover. Brent could hear the girl crying and speaking in Spanish so quickly, it was hard to make out what she was saying.

  Brent made his way across the field to where the woman was.

  "Where is she? Where is Lily?"

  The woman's eyes were wide with fear. Tears streamed down her face. "She is inside."

  "Is she hurt? Is she okay?"

  "Abbott, let's get her to safety."

  Brent listened to the other Ranger and stood back.

  "She's safe. He has not harmed her," Maria yelled.

  Brent felt a small amount of relief.

  "Let's go, Rangers! Time to move in."

  Everyone geared up on the sheriff's command. Jones had not come out and they had no other choice but to storm the ranch.

  They held their guns steady as they approached, ready for anything.

  A light came on, illuminating the front porch for all to see. Jones was standing behind Lily. It appeared that her hands were bound behind her back and her mouth was gagged. Her muffled cries were a pang to his heart, but he knew that he had to stay calm.

  Jones held Lily by the arms and jerked her around. "Is this what you want?"

  His voice was maniacal and they knew that he was up to something.

  "Jones, we want everyone to make it out of this alive. It is not necessary for anyone to get hurt."

  "Really? Because I have a few men in the house already wounded from your gunfire."

  Sheriff Dyer walked up to the middle of the lawn, putting himself in direct line of fire.

  "Let's just let the girl go."

  They all gasped as Jones whipped out of shotgun from behind him and pointed it at first at all of them. Then he propped it under Lily's chin.

  "Why would I do that? What do I get out of it?"

  The sheriff was quiet.

  "What you really want is me, don't you Jones?"

  Brent came forward to stand side by side with the sheriff.

  "Oh, now it gets interesting." Jones tightened his grip on Lily. "What are you doing? Coming to save your true love?"

  When Jones laughed, it made Brent want to storm the porch right then and there.

  "True love or not, you have that woman captive and you are facing kidnapping charges as well, Jones. Why don't you let her go and come on out and take your consequences like a man," Brent replied.

  "This isn't a question of manhood, Abbott. This is about power and status, none of which you have. I am Lawrence Jones and I always get what I want. And I've wanted this here raven haired beauty for a long time. She's mine now. And I have to let you all know that she agrees. Now if I can't get you all from trespassing on my property, we gone have to end this in violence. I can't have y'all tryin' to take over my ranch."

  Sheriff cocked his gun, as did Brent. They could hear the other men cocking their guns as well.

  First there was the sound of glass breaking and then the crack of the shotgun.

  "Someone inside the house is shooting!" Sheriff yelled out.

  Before Brent could see what was happening, the sheriff pulled him with one arm as he shot off a round toward the house.

  They hid for cover behind a tree and pulled out their guns. Glass continued to break and bullets whizzed by in the air. Finally there was quiet and everyone sat still waiting for the next move.

  "Sheriff, the next move is your call."

  By now, there were two other Rangers standing near the sheriff and Brent.

  "I think I'm hit," Sheriff Dyer replied. He was grimacing and holding his shoulder.

  "You stay here. We will wrap this up, Sheriff. Rangers, let's move in."

  The commands now came from Ranger White.

  Ranger White peeked from behind the tree. "There are two Rangers on the corners at the perimeter of the ranch. Jones and Lily are no longer on the porch. There whereabouts are unknown. Let's go in carefully and all come back alive."

  The Rangers nodded at one another and charged.

  *

  One of the things that attracted Brent to Texas was the stories about the Wild West and life on the frontier. Tales of outlaws and bandits and living life on the edge ran rampant. On his train ride to Texas, he wondered if he would be a part of that life. We wondered if he would be a part of the kind of life where he would save the damsel or work across the frontier apprehending outlaws and dishing out justice.

  That morning, as the sun rose, he knew the answer to that. As a Texas Ranger, he had taken an oath to protect his community and serve justice to those who were a threat to their community.

  On Lawrence Jones' ranch, justice was served. As the sun rose, the gunfire ceased and the Rangers overtook the ranch. They barreled through the front door and took control of the house.

&nbs
p; There were two of Jones' men lying dead on the floor. One was wounded in the corner of the Great Room. Jones was found barricaded in the bedroom with Lily, who was still bound and gagged.

  Jones initially pretended that he would surrender and just when Ranger White put down his gun to pull Lily to safety, Jones pulled a pistol out to shoot.

  He got a shot off, missing the Rangers. Brent on the other hand did not miss. He aimed and shot Jones in the arm and the leg. As soon as Jones fell to the ground, Lily was free. Ranger White took the woman in his arms and carried her to safety while Brent secured the room and made sure they left the house safely.

  As they reached the front door, they were met by the other Rangers who had already placed one of Jones' surviving security men under arrest. Another Ranger came out of the house with a limping Jones who was under arrest as well.

  By daylight, it was all over. In all of the tales that Brent heard about the Wild West, the good guys usually won. And today, just like in those stories, justice prevailed.

  Chapter 9

  The ride back to town was celebratory. The job was over and done and Lily was rescued and safe. Brent could not decide what he wanted to do more; take Lily home to her parents or hug her and hold her in his arms.

  She was shaken up but said that she was physically unharmed. Lily was silent on the ride back to town and she would not divulge anything that had transpired in the past few weeks.

  It would do no good to force her to talk. He would just have to be patient and let her talk in her own time.

  As they approached the sheriff's office, Lily's parents Brook Song and Juan jumped up to meet them. They had been sitting outside of the sheriff's office awaiting word on the outcome of the recovery efforts. Brook stood there with her hands clasped together, her eyes red from crying. Juan held his arms around her shoulder, trying to comfort his wife.

  Brent pulled the wagon up and nodded. Brook broke down in tears.

  "Where is she? Where is my daughter?"

  Brent got down off of the wagon seat and walked around to the back of the carriage. Brook ran around with Brent and when Brent opened the wagon cover, Brook wailed.