by Sable Hunter
She had nothing to wear, absolutely nothing to wear. Looking at her few good pieces of clothing, she tried to find some way to combine them into an outfit worthy of the man who would be escorting her to dinner. Despite her predicament, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Kane wanted to marry her. A laugh of pure unadulterated happiness burst from her lips. “Me!” She hugged herself and spun in a lopsided little circle. “Kane wants to marry me!” Catching herself on the end of the bed, she regained her balance. At least she had some beautiful new shoes to wear.
A simple black skirt caught her eye. Dare she? It was short and the lace camisole that went with it was low-cut and daring. Could she pull it off? Grabbing it off the hanger, she decided to go for it. Now, for a quick shower. Before she could get into the bathroom, a knock at the front door stopped her in her tracks. Who in the world? Still very much aware that this was Kane’s house, she hesitated about seeing who it was. But what if it was important? Laying her clothes on the bed, she went to the door. Cracking it open, she was never so shocked in her life. “Brien, what on earth are you doing here?” Swinging the door open, she threw herself into her brother’s arms. She didn’t wait for him to answer. She loved him. He was here, and nothing else really mattered.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Delight swept over her like the first rays of the rising sun. Forgotten were the suspicions, the disappointment, the harsh words. It was like none of it ever happened. “I’m so glad to see you. How are you?”
“Not so good,” Brien admitted as he held his sister close. “I need to talk to you. So much has happened.”
Lilibet pulled back and looked at him. She soothed her palm over his face. “You need to shave,” she said with a half laugh. “And you look tired. Have you been eating?” There were dark circles under his big green eyes and he needed a haircut. She pushed a lock of soft brown hair behind his ear.
“Eating?” Brien gave her a weak smile. “I treat you like dirt and you worry if I’m eating enough?”
“You’re my little brother.” Lilibet kissed him on the chin. “I will always worry about you.”
Brien let out a deep breath, like he was relieved to be with her again. “There is so much I need to explain. That money I borrowed in your name? It wasn’t for me. I mean, I owed it to somebody else. I’ve got involved with a really bad dude. You wouldn’t believe what he’s capable of, what he’s made me do.”
He looked so guilty that recent events came flooding back to her mind. Could her brother be the one who put the scorpions in the dryer? She had to know. “Brien...” She began hesitantly. “Someone tried to hurt me or Kane. They came to the back of the house and put scorpions in the dryer. I pulled the clothes out and got stung several times. I told Kane there was no way you were involved…but…but…your knife, the one grandpa gave you...it was found at the scene.”
“No, no.” Brien shook his head from side to side. “I would never hurt you.”
She could tell he was sincere. After all, they’d grown up together. Lilibet knew exactly what Brien looked like when he told a lie. “What about the knife? Was it stolen from you?” She was open to explanations. She wanted her brother to be innocent of this harmful act.
“I lost the knife in a poker game.” That much was true, at least. He wanted to tell her all of it, and he would. “I need to unburden. I want to tell you everything. There’s so much you need to know.”
“Tell me, Brien.” Lilibet pulled him close. “There isn’t anything you can’t tell me.” They were standing in front of Kane’s front window, for anybody to see and misinterpret. And the man in the passing car did just that.
* * *
“Well, lookee there.” Logan put his brakes on. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was Saucier’s down-time, but he needed to get his signature on some papers. Not seeing his truck, he was about to pass on by, but the scene in the window was just too good to miss. Sheriff Kane’s woman was all over some man, and that man was not Sheriff Kane. “You brazen hussy. I’ll teach you to cheat on a good, upstanding man.”
* * *
“You need to be careful. Stick close to your Sheriff, and don’t go anywhere by yourself.” Brien was talking fast. He could see the skepticism on her face. “You are in danger.” He took her by the shoulders. “He plans on...” A heavy knocking at the door halted his warning.
“This is the Deputy. Open the door!”
“He knows I’m here!” Brien exclaimed. He scrambled away from Lilibet. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
Her brother headed for the back door at a sprint. “Why would he be looking for you? You haven’t committed any sort of crime. Have you?” She followed him. All the while she could hear Deputy Logan beating on the door.
“What I’ve done has been against my will. I’m innocent, but I can’t prove it, yet.” He threw open the door and gave her one last hard look. “Remember what I said, Sister.” And then, he was gone.
But Logan wasn’t. She went to the door and opened it, cautiously. “Kane isn’t here, Deputy.”Logan pushed in, knocking Lilibet backward. “I know Kane isn’t here. I saw you with that other man. Are you trying to make a fool of Sheriff Saucier, carrying on with another man in his own home, behind his back?”
“No,” Lilibet answered. “I would never do Kane that way. I love him.” She backed up a little more. Logan was looking at her with an expression which made her extremely uncomfortable.
“Do you take me for a fool?” Logan was shouting now. “I saw you. Who was it? Who are you screwing behind the Sheriff’s back?”
Lilibet realized she couldn’t answer. Brien was vulnerable and this man couldn’t be reasoned with. So, she said nothing to defend herself. What could she say? She shook her head and prayed he would just leave. But, he didn’t.
“Isn’t one man enough for you?” Logan’s voice changed, it dropped, became conspiratorial. “You’re a slut, aren’t you? I bet you can’t get enough sex.”
Lilibet realized the man was a threat to her. He’d never liked her, she knew that. Not even when they were in school. But she’s never conceived he would hurt her. Until now. “No, Logan, I’m not like that. I have never been with anyone but Kane.”
As she walked backward, Logan walked forward and when he reached out and grabbed her, Lilibet was frozen with fear. “Do you need a man, crip?” His fingers were like iron bands biting into her shoulders. “I’ve got just what that hungry little pussy of yours needs.”
Panic radiated through Lilibet. Logan wasn’t big, but he was strong. He put a hand around her neck and squeezed, making escape impossible. With the other hand he began to pinch and press on her breast, causing her to wince with pain. “Please, Logan,” she begged. “I don’t want this.”
“Women like you don’t deserve a choice. You give it away for free. Why shouldn’t I have some?”
Lilibet knew she only had moments to act or she was about to be raped, or worse. Before she could second guess herself, she reacted. Raising her knee, she viciously kneed him in the balls.
“Fuck! Bitch!” Logan let her go and doubled up in agony. Lilibet turned, about to head for the door. One step, two steps, she was going to get away. Until, he grabbed her by the hair and jerked her backward. One clawed hand spun her around and his fist connected with the side of her face. “I’ll teach you to try and unman me, you whore!” The first blow split her lip and the second landed so hard on her cheekbone she thought her eye would pop out. The pain was so intense she just lashed out and screamed as hard as she could. Her hand and fingernails connected with his face and she slashed a bloody gash along his jaw.
The noise she made and the shock of her attack seemed to bring him out of his rage and Lilibet watched as his eyes shifted nervously to one side and then the other. “I’ll go, but this isn’t over. And if you tell Kane, if you say one word, I’ll know, and
you’ll be sorry. I can promise you that.”
Chapter Eight
Kane whistled as he opened the door of his home and went in. He had some surprises for his Little-Bit. “Sweetie! I’m home. Are you ready to go?” No answer. “Lilibet!” No answer. An uneasy feeling washed over him. Making his way through the rooms, he walked into the bedroom and stopped.Lilibet was standing still, her back to him. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you dressed? Are you sick?” She was still. Too still. Kane put his hand on her shoulder, and when he did, she turned in his arms with a sob. “Hey, what’s wrong, Baby?” He put a hand to the back of her head to press her face to his chest. And when he did, she gasped in pain.
Shocked and concerned, he pulled back and what he saw turned his stomach. “What the hell?” Rage consumed him. “Who did this to you?” Softly, he cupped her cheek, horrified to see the damage that had been done to her face. Careful not to hurt her, Kane kissed the split on her lip and the places where someone had dared to raise a hand against her. “Tell me before I go crazy,” he demanded.“Brien came to see me...” She began.
He jerked to leave. ”Brien?! Your brother did this to you?”
Lilibet caught his arm. “No, it wasn’t Brien. Logan saw Brien through the window.”
“So, if it wasn’t Brien, who was it? Did Logan get a good look at him?” He couldn’t keep his fists still. They were clenching together. He was itching to tear into whatever bastard was idiot enough to come into his home and hurt his woman.
Lilibet lifted big, sad eyes and whispered. And what she said broke his heart. “It was Logan, Kane. He saw Brien here and came bursting in, accusing me of being unfaithful to you. He called me a slut and a whore. But then, he changed. He said that if I needed to screw, he had just what I needed. He would have raped me, Kane. I fought back and he hit me.”
Kane saw red. No one, no one would hurt Lilibet and get away with it. Not even his deputy. He drew her close. “God, this breaks my heart. I wouldn’t have had this happen to you for the world.” Cradling her tenderly, he tried to control his anger. “He’ll pay, don’t you ever doubt it. He’ll pay.”
“Logan didn’t think I would tell you, Kane. He was convinced he’d caught me betraying you.” Lilibet choked back a sob. “He told me if I was stupid enough to let you know what happened I would be sorry. He was going to rape me, Kane. He was going to rape me.” She clung to him, grateful for the strength and safety of his embrace.
Damn! Fuck! Kane was hurt and furious Lilibet hadn’t been safe in his home. And that the man who had dared harm her was an employee of his just made it worse. He was torn, he needed to stay with her. God, he cherished Lilibet Ladner. But, more than that, he needed to go confront the asshole who’d betrayed him. “Baby, I am so sorry. Just wait till I get my hands on that imbecile.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead and turned to go. Kane only took two or three steps before he stopped. “Hell, how can I go? I don’t want to leave you, not for a second.”
“No.” Lilibet insisted. “I will be fine.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Just lock the door. We can’t hide from the world.”
“I won’t be long.” Kane checked all the doors and windows to make sure everything was secure. “Get ready. We’ll still go out and get something to eat. You’re right we can’t hide from the world. And we’re not going to.”
That wasn’t what she meant. She wanted Kane to go about his business, but she wanted to hide. “I don’t really feel like going out, Kane.” She didn’t meet his eyes. Surely, he would understand.
He did. “Of course. You rest. I won’t be long. It won’t take me but a minute to throw out the trash.”
Lilibet was self-conscious in public at the best of times. Tonight was supposed to have been different. After all, she had new shoes to wear tonight. But now she also had bruises and a cut lip. People would stare. Lilibet had endured enough stares to last a lifetime.
Kane flung gravel as he left his house. If he hadn’t been sheriff, he would have run every stop sign between his home and the courthouse. He wondered if the asshole would be at the office or if he’d been smart and skipped town. Roaring into the parking lot, he slammed on the brakes and flung open the door of his truck. Deputy Logan’s patrol car was in its designated spot. Idiot.
Logan heard the squealing of the brakes and the slamming of the door. He quickly stood up and looked out the window. It was Kane. Hell! He hadn’t expected the whore to open her stinking mouth. She was a liar and a troublemaker. Wait till he told Kane about the other man she was fucking.
He didn’t have long to wait. And when Kane came bursting through the door, he knew he was in trouble. “Sheriff, is there something—” Those words were all he got out before Kane was all over him like white on rice.
Kane didn’t say a word. The sniveling little shit was standing there like he was expecting a raise or a pat on the back. He got neither. All Kane could see were the scratches on his face where Lilibet had defended herself. Kane’s fist connected with Logan’s jaw and sent him sprawling on the floor. His ummmph of pain gave Kane immense satisfaction and he watched as Logan backed away like a crab scampering across the sand. “Oh, no, you’re not getting away from me, you slimy excuse for humanity.”
The skinny deputy backed up against the wall and struggled to his feet. “I don’t know what your problem is, boss, but—”
“Shut up, you low-life son-of-a-bitch. How dare you come into my house and touch my woman?” Kane was stalking him like a lion on the verge of taking down a gazelle.
“Now wait a minute, you don’t know the whole story. That slut—”
Kane pounced. He picked up Logan by the throat and held him against the wall. “Not another word, you fuckin’, lying, worthless little worm. You are fired. Do you hear me?” Logan tried to gasp, but he didn’t have enough air. “I trust Lilibet completely, implicitly and without reservation. It’s you I don’t trust.”
Kane lowered Logan to the ground. This was business, official business. “You are under arrest for assault, terroristic threat, and attempted rape.” He paused to let the reality of his situation sink in. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say...”
* * *
Lilibet cleaned her face. She didn’t know what to think about Logan. God, she hoped Kane didn’t do anything he would later regret. Kane was much more important to her than revenge, or even justice.
And Brien? What had he meant by the statement that she was in danger? It seemed evident to her that he was the one in danger. One thing was bearing heavier and heavier on her mind, however, she needed to remember to tell Kane that Brien had had nothing to do with the scorpion attack.
As she looked into the mirror, it hit her how much Kane loved her. She remembered the anguish on his face when he’d seen what Logan had done to her. He loved her, he really loved her. It was time that she became worthy of that love. Kane’s love would make her strong.
With renewed confidence, she picked up the jar of makeup and began applying it, covering up the bruises. There would be a little swelling, but maybe it wouldn’t be too noticeable. She had a dinner to attend, a date, her first real out-on-the-town date with a brown eyed handsome man. And she didn’t want to miss a minute of it.
* * *
Kane refused to let Logan steal the joy from the day. He had an appointment which required him to be on one knee and he intended to keep it. A ring box in his pocket was burning a hole in his britches. It didn’t make one whit of difference to him if they stayed home and ate a sandwich rather than keep the reservations he’d made at Kerrville’s best restaurant. He had asked her to marry him once before, but that had been during the heat of passion. So just in case she had any idea of sidestepping his proposal, he was going to do it right this time.
As he pulled into his own driveway, he thought of the audacity of his former deputy. Right now he was behind bars, str
ipped of his badge and facing charges and years of imprisonment. And it wasn’t enough. This man whom he had placed his faith in had betrayed him by striking and assaulting a woman who’d never harmed another living thing in her life. And glory be to God, she belonged to him.Taking the steps two at a time, Kane bounded up on the porch and unlocked the door. “Lilibet? Honey, I’m home.”
He was home! A thrill shot through her whole body. Lilibet glanced in the mirror one last time. She could still see the discoloration of the bruises, but the foundation and powder masked it enough so people wouldn’t stare.
The outfit she’d put together made her feel pretty. Hopefully, Kane would like it. Again, she marveled at the realization…Kane loved her. She could hear it in his voice. ‘God, please let tonight go well.’ He wanted them to go out and have a good time and do things like other couples did. And she wanted that too. It was Lilibet’s greatest desire to please him. So tonight, she was going to try and be just what Kane would want her to be.
“There you are!” Catching her from behind, Kane enfolded her in his embrace. “What’s this?” he asked, noticing how she was dressed. “Did you change your mind about going out?”
“Yes, if you still want to.” As he kissed her neck, she caressed the side of his face, loving the feel of his beard. Kane’s hair was so dark, he always had a five o’clock shadow before noon. “Do I look okay?” Lilibet couldn’t believe she was hinting for compliments.
“Turn around and let me see.” Kane framed her face and gently touched the bruises. “You are beautiful, as always. I’d kiss your sweet face, but I don’t want to mess up your makeup.”
“Kiss me anyway,” she urged, totally captivated by the tender expression on his face. Slowly, he lowered his head, and their eyes locked, his breathing quickening.
