by Jane Jamison
He scowled, imagining a row of oil rigs scattered across the beautiful land. “So I guess it’s final? We’re going ahead with the oil company?”
“What other choice do we have? We need the cash flow and oil pays.”
Marrick took off his hat and ran his hand through his long, black hair. His high cheekbones and dark eyes reminded Craig of the photographs he’d seen of his friend’s great-grandfather, a Cherokee leader who had moved his family to Twisted and helped found the town.
“Yeah, I know. Still doesn’t make it sit any better with me.”
Marrick leaned over to check the cinch on the saddle. “Ready to head back?”
Craig was about to answer when an avalanche of sensations pummeled through him. Emotions whirled in his gut, sending his heart pounding and heightening his awareness. Lust, as strong as he’d ever felt it, barreled into him, physically shaking him.
“Craig? Hey, man, are you all right?”
The world spun for a moment and he gripped the saddle horn to stay upright. His breath hitched in his throat. In the next second, his inner white tiger roared to the surface, pounding its way up to take over. Fangs replaced teeth and claws dug into the leather of his saddle. The world lost its color, replaced by an amber hue.
“Craig. Come on, man, snap out of it. Stop shifting. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
Marrick shaking his shoulder brought him back. He blinked several times as fangs and claws receded. Tugging on the reins, he brought his dancing horse under control. “I don’t know.”
“You looked like you were going to dive off headfirst. Are you okay?”
He considered the question carefully before finally answering. “Yeah. I’m good.” He smiled at the joy filling him. “In fact, I’m fucking amazing.”
“Okay, now you’re really starting to worry me.”
Craig laughed then searched around him. Not that he thought he’d find anything, but still, he had to look. “I think I sensed her.”
Marrick’s dark eyes narrowed. “Sensed who?”
“Her.”
“Damn it, Craig, are we going to play Twenty Questions? Her who?”
He lifted his eyebrows and gave his friend a pointed look. “Her,” he said, putting even more emphasis into the word.
At first, Marrick’s reaction didn’t change. Then his eyes widened. “Her? Are you talking about our mate?” He twisted in his saddle, searching the pasture as Craig had done.
“Yeah. I can feel her. She’s nearby.”
“Bullshit. You’re fucking with me.”
“Nope.”
Marrick did another quick look around. “Then why can’t I sense her?”
“I don’t know.” At least, he hoped he didn’t know.
They’d talked about finding their mate, of sharing the same woman. Talking about her during the long, dangerous days at war had kept them going, but neither one of them had ever mentioned the possibility that they didn’t have an intended mate. Or that the woman Marrick found might not want Craig and that it could be true the other way around. Shared mates between brothers or cousins was more likely to happen than between friends.
“Fuck.”
Obviously, Marrick was thinking along the same lines.
“Maybe I’m more susceptible to her.” Craig tightened his hold on the reins. “Don’t go counting yourself out before we even meet her.”
“I get what you’re saying and you’re right. But it’s damn hard not to think it.” Marrick’s jaw muscle twitched. “So how do we find her?”
“I think she’s going to find us.” Craig turned his horse around and gave it a quick nudge with his heels. “Let’s get back to the ranch.”
* * * *
Fuck. Fuck and fuck.
Lisa stared at the flat tire. Had she completely run out of luck?
After driving for about an hour, she’d finally come to the conclusion that she was indeed lost. Her plan of shattering Richard’s precious rock had gone out the window. Instead, she’d tried dirt road after dirt road, hoping one of them would lead her back to the highway.
She’d just wondered how many dirt roads there could be in Texas when she’d hit an unseen pothole. The car had taken a hard drop down then a bounce back up, jostling her so roughly she’d let out a cry. A few minutes later, a loud thump-thump-thump had signaled an even bigger problem. Her right front tire had gone flat.
Lisa didn’t bother checking the trunk for a spare. She knew there wasn’t one. And even if she’d had one, she had no clue how to change a tire. More than likely, she’d end up hurting herself and being in even worse shape than she already was.
Calling for a tow truck wasn’t happening, either. After checking more than once, she’d finally given in to the reality that the boonies of Texas didn’t have cell phone reception. Maybe she had the wrong carrier? Whatever the reason, she’d have to get herself out of trouble.
There was nothing she could do except walk to find help. She looked down at her feet and groaned.
Heels.
Why couldn’t I have worn jeans and running shoes today?
Instead, she’d put on her favorite short-short dress and three-inch heels—at least they weren’t her really high ones—determined to look as pretty as she could when she showed up on Richard’s doorstep with his stupid, fucking rock.
She gazed down the long stretch of dirt road. “Yeah. This is going to be fun.”
Would someone come along and give her a ride? She could hope, but so far, she’d seen only one other car. An older man had shot her a dirty look out the grimy windshield of his battered and rusty old pickup when she’d dared to pass him. Right now, she’d welcome even his help, but it had been a while since she’d floored it around him.
“He’d probably run me over, anyway.”
Talking to herself wasn’t going to get her anywhere. Snatching up her purse, she started trudging ahead.
I’m going to kill Richard when I get back. He’s the reason I’m stuck out here. Even if he hadn’t dumped me—by text message, no less—he still would’ve had to pay for getting me into this mess. No jury with a woman on it would convict me. Hell, they’d probably give me a medal. One less asshole in the world.
She stumbled as her heel slipped on a rock, but managed to stay on her feet. The sun beat down on her back and perspiration dotted her forehead, wetting the hair on the nape of her neck. But she kept on going.
After a while, time meant nothing. She didn’t bother checking her phone’s clock again. What did it matter? The sun was moving toward the west. Before long, she’d end up walking at night.
I am so going to fuck you over, Richard.
How didn’t matter. She’d figure that out later.
Where the hell am I?
She walked on, cringing as blisters formed on her feet. If she ever got home, she’d swear off heels forever. And men, too.
The sound of crying brought her attention away from the road in front of her feet. She stopped, waiting to hear it again. Had she imagined it?
Another cry came. Someone was definitely nearby.
“Mommy.” The wail was heart wrenching.
It sounded like a small child’s voice. A really sad child. Still, a child meant parents, and parents meant a house, and a house meant a phone she could use to call for help. Relief swamped her as she turned in a circle and tried to figure out where the child was.
“Hey! Little boy? Or little girl? Where are you? If you tell me where you are, I’ll come and help you. We’ll find your mommy together, okay?”
Lisa stood still again and waited. And waited some more. Why had the child gone silent?
“Mommy.”
The pain behind the word struck her, digging deep into her knot-tightened stomach. She turned toward the sound. “Keep talking. I’m trying to find you.”
Ignoring the pain of her sore feet, she shuffled to the side of the road. Where could the child be? The only trees were a distance away and the flat land of a pasture stretc
hed out before her.
“Where are you?”
“Mommy, please.” The second voice was higher in pitch and wavered more than the boy’s.
Oh, shit. There are two of them. “Is that your sister? Just hang on. I’m coming.”
She hurried forward, no longer thinking about her flat tire or her aching feet. A couple of kids were in trouble. Were they lost? Or had their mother abandoned them?
Lisa was moving so fast that she almost fell into the ditch. She wobbled on her feet and stared at the scene below her.
Oh, hell.
Two children somewhere around the age of five years old stared back at her. They were dirty, their black hair sticking out at odd angles, their clothes ripped. Huge dark eyes met hers and tore out her heart.
“Are you lost? Did you fall into the hole?” The ditch was around twenty-five feet wide and five feet deep. The incline of the sides, however, wasn’t so deep that they children couldn’t have climbed out if they’d tried. So why hadn’t they gotten out?
When neither of them answered, she tried again. “It’s okay. I’m going to help you. Are you lost? Do you live around here?”
She was probably asking too many questions, but how else was she going to get them to talk? Smiling as reassuringly as she could, she sat down and slid on her butt into the hole. The children didn’t move, didn’t even flinch as she brushed the dirt off her dress and moved closer to them.
Her attention fell on the clover leaf-shaped birthmark on the left side of the boy’s neck. The same birthmark was on the girl’s right arm. “Hey, you’re twins.”
Again, no answer. The little girl wiped her runny nose with the back of her hand, but other than that, they remained motionless and mute.
“Do you know where your Mommy is?” If their mother had abandoned them, she’d make it her mission to find the woman and sic child welfare on her sorry ass. How could any decent mother treat their babies so horribly?
The little boy slowly lifted his arm and pointed toward the far side of the ditch and a pile of branches. She took a step toward the branches. Was the kid playing a trick on her? Had he understood what she’d asked?
She got closer, alarm prickling her skin. Bending over, she peered at something sticking out from under the pile. A chill shivered its way down her spine.
Oh, shit.
Chapter Two
Lisa inched closer.
It’s not what I think it is. It can’t be.
Oh, God. It is.
She started shaking and went to her knees.
I want to go home.
“Mommy?”
The little girl’s voice splintered into her. “Please don’t let this be real,” she whispered.
She had to touch it. Had to find out if she was hallucinating or if her world had just taken a hard left turn. She reached out, her hand shaking, and brushed her fingertips over the top of the—
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
She jerked her hand back and rubbed it as hard as she could.
I touched a hand. Someone’s dead hand.
Breathing became harder to do.
A dead hand had to belong to a dead body.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Taking in two long slow breaths, she forced herself to ease closer. This time she lifted the branches out of the way.
She shouldn’t have screamed, but she couldn’t hold it back. Not when two dark eyes met hers. Not when she saw how cold and lifeless those eyes were. She stumbled backward, falling onto her butt.
“Mommy?” The plaintive wail came from both of the kids.
Get it together for the kids.
Smothering another scream, she scrambled to her feet and dashed over to them. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
The little boy pointed toward the corpse. “Mommy. I want my Mommy.”
Lisa got behind them and knelt down, turning their backs to the horrific sight. She had to get them out of there and to safety.
“Kids, we have to leave. Now.”
“Mommy—”
She took each of their hands. “We have to go. Your mommy would want me to take you with me.”
“No. I don’t want to go. Mommy!”
The girl pulled away, but Lisa held on. “No, sweetie, you have to come with me. I promise it’ll be okay.”
Tears streamed down the boy’s face. She pulled him to her and glanced at the afternoon sun hanging lower in the sky. No way was she going to spend the night in a ditch with a dead body. “Come on. Let’s get moving. It’s going to be night soon.”
She turned the boy to the side, putting his shoulder to her chest. “Can you show me what a big boy you are? Can you climb out of the hole?”
“I don’t wanna. I want my mommy.”
“You have to. Please, sweetie, grab hold of the grass and pull yourself out. Help me so I can help your sister. You want to help your sister, don’t you?”
He sniffled then took hold of the grass. She was sure he was going to climb out when he turned his head and looked at his mother again.
“No, no. Don’t look back. Keep moving.” She flattened her hand against his bottom and shoved as hard as she could. The boy clung to the grassy clumps sticking out of the dirt wall and was up and out of the hole in one easy motion.
“Mommy.”
He reached out his hand and Lisa was sure he’d jump back into the ditch. “What’s your name, sweetie?”
He spoke a name, but she didn’t understand it. “What is it?”
“It’s Tee-ga,” answered the girl. “I can spell it. Teag.”
“That’s great, honey. And what’s your name?”
“Kitty.”
Lisa kept the ache out of her tone. The poor girl was so lost and yet so brave. And oh-so vulnerable. “Okay, it’s your turn, Kitty.” She held out her arms. “Ready?”
Kitty nodded and allowed Lisa to pick her up. Although the girl weighed less than the boy, she had to work harder to get her out. Her arms felt weak when Kitty finally crawled away from her and stood up next to her brother.
“Good, kids. Now I want you to turn your back and not watch me, okay?”
Teag started to do as she’d told him, but Kitty shook her head. “We have to help. Mommy’s heavy.”
Lisa wasn’t about to argue. “We need to get help for your mommy. I promise someone will come and…help…her. Okay, here I come. If you try and help me, be sure you’re very, very careful. Don’t let me pull you over and don’t fall, either.”
Together, they nodded solemnly. She smiled again, took off her heels, and then tossed them on the ground next to the kids. Backing up, she made sure not to glance in the direction of the dead woman then dashed toward the dirt wall. She jumped and grabbed hold of a clump of grass. Using her feet to push against the wall, she pulled her body up.
For a moment, she thought she’d fall back into the hole. Small hands grabbed hold of her arms and her dress, pulling her up and over the side of the hole. The ditch wasn’t that large, but once she was lying on her stomach above it, she felt as though she’d scaled the tallest mountain in the world.
Lisa rolled over to find Teag and Kitty standing over her. Tears streaked their cheeks, but seeing the misery in their eyes was so much worse. She struggled to get back on her feet.
“Here.”
Lisa took her shoes from Kitty and put them on. “Thanks.” She glanced around and took a deep breath. “We need to find help. Do live around here?”
Neither one of them answered so she tried again. “Do you think you could find your way home?”
As before, they shook their heads together.
“Okay, don’t worry. We’ll be all right.” She came between them, placed her hands on their shoulders, and brought them along with her as she headed back to the road. Halfway there, she pulled out her cell phone and checked again. Still no signal. If anyone was going to get the kids to safety, it was going to have to be her.
Should she question the children? Part of her wanted to know what had hap
pened, but could she do more harm than good? Would the authorities think of her questioning as interference?
And yet, she had to ask one question. “Do you know where your daddy is?”
Teag’s head bowed as though he didn’t want to think about what she’d asked. Kitty glanced up then looked away.
“Daddy ran away,” answered Kitty.
Why did their daddy run away? Because he’d killed their mother? Or was he in danger, too?
“Don’t worry, kids. We’ll get help soon enough.”
Dirtied and exhausted, Lisa pulled herself together. If it was the last thing she ever did, she’d get the children to safety.
* * * *
“Have you sensed her again, Craig?”
Marrick hadn’t been able to think of anything else since they’d ridden home to the ranch. Like his friend, he kept looking around, hoping to see their intended mate. He’d know her once she was close enough. Or at least, he hoped he would. Yet even if he didn’t, wouldn’t Craig?
“Yeah, I did.” Craig lounged against their pickup.
They’d stayed up most of the night, unable to sleep. The next morning they’d come into the town. They had to be there if she came through on the bus or drove into town.
Would he feel the connection like Craig had? He’d heard about the wondrous instinctual bond that drew intended mates together. If he didn’t sense her, if Craig’s mate wasn’t his, too, what would he do? Could he stay with his friend? Or would it hurt too much to see Craig and his mate together? He imagined seeing them together, kissing, loving each other with him as the outsider. Even now, even before it was a reality, it twisted his gut. As much as he’d be happy for his friend, he’d have to give up his half of Twisted Oaks Ranch and leave.
“It doesn’t mean you’re not her mate, too. Maybe I’m more open to the connection.”
“Maybe.” Marrick sure as hell hoped so.
“You will. I know it. We’re meant to share the woman.”
Marrick couldn’t help but smile. Craig was an optimist. Always had been and always would be. “Let’s find her first. Then we’ll deal with—”
