“Shhh,” Heath murmured soothingly. “Help is coming for you through the window. Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe.”
Spencer lifted the tabs on the window screen and quietly removed it from the aluminum window frame. Heath prayed that the snake didn’t sense his body heat yet.
Cody moved into his precarious position, adjacent to the snake. If it struck at him before Heath could get into position, he might not be able to move to either side fast enough before it nailed him.
The snake turned its head toward Cody and coiled in agitation when he slowly moved his hand out to the side. They were running out of time. Spencer climbed in the window and said, “I’m right behind you, ma’am. I’ve got you. I’m going to lift you in a second. Just relax, okay?”
“Yes.” Her chest rose and fell as though she was running a marathon. “Oh, please be careful.”
Cody glanced at Heath, nodded slowly, then nodded at Spencer. “Ready.”
Heath moved into a crouch and prayed that the rattlesnake’s attention stayed focused on Cody, and that he was able to act before it struck at his brother. Spencer inched up to the woman and whispered to her. She nodded and slowly turned toward him, allowing him to slide one arm around her back and the other behind her knees, preparing to move fast to take her out of striking range.
Heath knew if he grabbed too low, the damned thing would turn its head and strike him and he’d spend the afternoon and evening in the hospital emergency room instead of at home making love to Maizy. If he aimed too high, he’d have a handful of fangs and an even deeper and more dangerous envenomation. Either way, the prospect of failure sucked. He had to grab it just right, at the base of the pit viper’s skull.
Heath held up three fingers and counted down to zero. In a practiced, lightning quick move, he grabbed for the snake as Spencer suddenly swooped the teacher high into his arms and turned, placing his body between her and the rattlesnake.
Heath nailed it perfectly, snatching the snake up as he stood and stepped back from everyone. The rattle beat furiously against his jeans-covered calf, giving him the willies. The snake fought, trying to coil around his arm, its cold, dry scales raking over his skin as he looked at it. This part was just damned creepy, looking at the lethal thing in such close proximity, its jaw gaping and fangs exposed.
“Do it, Heath. I’ve got her,” Spencer growled, clearly anxious to have the snake dealt with and no longer a threat.
The rattling increased as he reached around the back of the skull with his other hand, tightened his grip, and broke its spine with a loud crack.
A high-pitched scream rent the air and the teacher went limp in Spencer’s arms, her head lolling off to the side. Footsteps thundered in the hallway and the receptionist ran into the room. “What’s happening? What’s wrong?”
Heath turned with the writhing snake in his grasp. It was dead but its nervous system could continue to work for hours yet. She clapped her hands to her face, screamed, and collapsed in the doorway in a dead faint, striking her head against the floor tile.
“Well, hell,” Heath muttered. His exit to the back door and hopefully a convenient Dumpster was now blocked.
Teachers crowded the doorway, gasping when they saw the snake. Cody had his phone out and was dialing 911 as he went to Spencer and checked the woman’s pulse and then the receptionist’s. He gave a succinct description of the incident to the dispatcher and asked for assistance for both unconscious women.
Heath could hear Maizy out in the crowded hallway. “What happened?”
Overlapping voices explained in a rush and people scrambled to get out of his way as he approached the door, ready to release the snake into a safe receptacle of some kind. Maizy gasped and her face turned white as he came into view.
“Oh, dear God,” Mr. Ambrose said as he skidded to a halt outside the classroom next to her and then hurried on down the hall. Seconds later, Heath heard the sound of the back door slamming closed.
Chaos reigned as the custodian finally entered the room with a black trash bag opened, to receive the snake. Heath released the head and lowered it into the bag by the tail, after cutting off the rattle with his pocketknife.
Cody took it and counted rattles while Heath tied the bag in a knot. The snake was still moving inside it. Cody whistled softly. “Thirteen. That’s an old snake.”
Maizy and one of the other teachers worked to clear off the teacher’s desk and bundled up the sweater on her chair to rest her head on. Spencer laid her across her desk and said, “The bulldozers next door must’ve riled them up.”
Mr. Clark, the custodian, nodded and said, “I’ve already killed one and seen a couple of others around the school since this morning. It must’ve come in through the back door when I had it propped open while I took all the floor mats out back to shake the dirt from them.”
Mr. Ambrose said, “I noticed the door propped open some time ago.”
“Yeah,” Mr. Clark said, a little embarrassed. “I got that call about the broken waterline. Forgot about the mats…and the door. I’m sorry, Mr. Ambrose.”
The principal gave him an understanding look and said, “It could’ve been much worse. Let’s just make sure that the rest of the buildings are secure, and that the teachers know to be vigilant both inside and outside. All outdoor recesses are cancelled for now.” He carefully stepped over the still-unconscious receptionist and went to the three of them. Heath noticed he cast a glance at Maizy and then introduced himself to the three of them. He shuddered when he saw the rattle in Heath’s hand.
“Gentlemen, please accept my thanks for acting so quickly. Mrs. Dumphrey could’ve been seriously injured if you hadn’t acted so quickly.”
“Dumphrey?” Cody said, in a flat voice tinged with coldness that mirrored what Heath felt at that news. He cast a quick glance at Spencer and Spencer nodded at him. This was the woman who’d been giving Maizy hell.
Mr. Ambrose had a pained look in his eyes as he nodded. “Yes.”
Maizy slid her hand around Heath’s waist and pointed at the rattle. “May I have that?”
“Sure, baby,” Heath whispered as he laid it in her hand. She shuddered against him but closed it in her grasp.
“The kids all okay?”
Maizy nodded. “The volunteers stayed with them and are keeping them in the cafeteria until they hear otherwise from Mr. Ambrose. The screaming terrified some of the little girls,” Maizy added as she turned to the classroom door when the EMTs arrived.
Heath nodded at Eli Wolf when he cast an assessing look around the room. He checked the receptionist quickly, gave directions to the other two EMTs with him, and went to Mrs. Dumphrey.
As the flurry of activity continued and the EMTs carefully removed the receptionist from blocking the doorway, Heath and the others led Maizy and her teacher friend from the chaotic classroom.
In the hallway, Maizy gestured to the woman at her side and said, “Guys, this is Jan Gaylord. She’s the first grade teacher and a good friend of mine.”
Jan chuckled dryly and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard good things about you, gentlemen, Mrs. Dumphrey is lucky you were here and saw there was a problem. Exactly what happened?”
After they’d explained briefly, Spencer grabbed their now-cold lunches from the table in the hallway where he’d left them, and took Maizy by the hand. “Let’s get Maizy fed before the bell rings. Jan, it was a pleasure to meet you. I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
They left the professionals to deal with the women, who were both still unconscious, and got Maizy settled with her class in the cafeteria. She talked them into telling the tale to the class, with some of the gory details edited out. “While you do that, I’m going to find a paper towel to wrap this nasty thing in, and to sanitize my hands very, very thoroughly.”
He had no idea why she wanted the rattle but didn’t mind giving it to her. None of them had much of an appetite, and when the mealtime was over, they gave her hugs and let
her proceed with her day. As they walked out of the school, Spencer said, “It wouldn’t have mattered who the lady was, I still would’ve helped her.”
Cody said, “I might’ve had a choice word or two to share with her, if she’d remained conscious, but yeah, I would’ve helped her, too.”
Heath nodded. It wouldn’t have mattered who she was. A woman in danger was something he could never turn from, no matter the circumstances.
* * * *
Beverly Dumphrey reclined on the hospital bed in the Divine County Hospital emergency room, her head throbbing with each beat of her heart. Her limbs felt uncharacteristically weak. She’d been fit and strong all her life. She’d never been in a situation like the one she’d been in. She’d needed someone else to rescue her, a position she’d prided herself on never being in before. And what had she done? Screamed and fainted like a helpless ninny.
The memory of the horrid sound that rattlesnake had made vibrated in her head. A noise outside her curtain cubicle startled her and nearly made her jump out of the bed. Of course, she’d killed many snakes in her day, usually with a garden hoe and once with a gun, but she’d been completely defenseless against that evil-looking creature.
Her blood pressure had skyrocketed during the incident and it’d taken a while for her to return to consciousness. By then, she’d been at the hospital, and now they wouldn’t let her leave. She’d considered removing the monitoring leads stuck to her skin, putting on her clothing, and signing herself out, but the nurse kept coming back to check on her. She’d cautioned Beverly that she needed to let them do their job and they’d let her go home as soon as her vitals came back into normal ranges. Her husband was also rushing home early from a business trip, which irked her to no end. She hated feeling weak.
A familiar voice outside her cubicle made her heartbeat shoot up again and faintness assailed her. She lay back on the pillow and waited for judgment, feeling guilty as hell. This must be God’s way of punishing her for her complicity in this sordid mess. She’d allowed herself to be used to victimize an innocent woman and now the school district was losing a valuable teacher because of it. Her heart palpitated with something akin to grief.
Maizy Owen swept the curtain aside enough to poke her pretty head in, a look of concern on her face, and said, “Mrs. Dumphrey, are you awake?”
Beverly opened her eyes, taking deep slow breaths, and nodded. “Yes, Maizy.” She waited for the anger, the censure in the beautiful young teacher’s eyes but it never came even though she deserved every ounce of it.
Maizy produced a bouquet of flowers and a gentle smile instead. “The teachers all pitched in for flowers for you. How do you feel?” she asked as she gazed at all the monitors surrounding her.
“They have me hooked up to all of these infernal machines, telling me some nonsense about my blood pressure and my heart rate. It’s all silliness.” She tried for bluster but the weakness in her voice when she spoke told the story. “I cannot believe I fainted.” Dumphreys don’t faint.
“It’s understandable,” Maizy said empathetically as she removed something from her pocket, frowned down at it, and then returned it to her pocket. “I came here because I wanted you to know who saved you. My reasons now seem…”
Beverly cleared her throat, determined to say what needed to be said. “Dear, I know who saved me. I was scared but not scared stupid. When I looked up and saw that big tattooed giant of a man standing in the hallway, I recognized him.”
Maizy’s cheeks colored brightly and she looked down at her hands but said nothing.
“When I heard Mr. Ketchum’s voice behind me, I knew who was rescuing me. To be honest, I think my condition has more to do with the realization that I’ve harmed good people than with any fright I suffered at the mercies of that old rattler. If it hadn’t been for your men doing what they so bravely did, I might be in much, much worse shape and possibly even dead.”
Fresh guilt surged when she remembered the way Mr. Ketchum had turned with her in his arms, purposely placing himself between her and the snake. He would’ve allowed the snake to bite him instead of her.
Maizy shook her head. “The emergency workers would’ve saved you—”
“Not with a seven foot rattler in the room or possibly loose in the school, they wouldn’t have. It think it’s obvious from the weak ‘beeps’ and ‘boops’ of this conglomeration of hospital equipment that I probably would’ve had a heart attack before the snake was properly dealt with and they got to me. Maizy, I owe you a sincere apology for this entire affair.”
Maizy shrugged and gave her a weak smile. “It’s done. I’ll move on. I still feel my choice was the right one.”
Beverly didn’t debate the accuracy of Maizy’s statement, but determined to do what she could to make her part in this debacle right. Guilt flooded her again that she didn’t give a full confession but she just couldn’t do it. A Dumphrey made good decisions based on right and wrong, not on the opinions of others. Her father would be mortified if he was still alive.
Beverly pointed at Maizy’s jacket, held in her lap. “So, what do you have in your pocket there?”
Maizy lifted the bundle from the pocket and said, “It’s the rattle. I brought it…I brought it because I wanted you to know it was my men that saved you. But you…the pictures…you already knew that.”
Beverly reached out for it. “I’d like to see it.”
Maizy placed the paper towel-wrapped bundle in her hand and she opened it gingerly, a chill skittering up her spine at the sound the rattles made in such close proximity. It fell out into her lap.
“Well, goodness. He was a granddaddy, wasn’t he?”
“Yes. Heath lifted him up so we could see. It was at least seven feet long.”
“He’s a good man.”
Maizy frowned at her. “Why do you say that?”
Sadness swept over her as she smiled at Maizy. “Because he took one look in my eyes and knew something was wrong. I don’t think he saw the snake, only my reaction to it. He was already acting before the blasted thing began to rattle. It seemed like forever at the time, but I know they strategized and acted on their plan within seconds.”
Maizy nodded and smiled. “They have a unique way of communicating.”
“Sign language. I saw it. Maizy, I would like to do what I can to make this situation you’re in better. Perhaps—”
“It’s already done, Mrs. Dumphrey. I’ve reconciled myself. Defining the level of privacy teachers are allowed to enjoy in Divine is always going to be a gray area. To be honest, I’m glad to not have the worry on my shoulders anymore.” Maizy rose from her chair and laid the flowers in Beverly’s lap. The lovely scent of the roses wafted to her nose and her guilt swamped her, making it difficult to breathe. “I’m glad you’re all right, Mrs. Dumphrey.”
“If they’d known who they were saving—”
Maizy stopped at the corner of the cubicle and gazed at her. “That wouldn’t have mattered a bit. They’re protective of all women. I hope they let you go home soon. Feel better.” Then she was gone.
Beverly sat there with the rattle in one hand and the flowers in the other, her vision blurring as her eyes filled with tears. When was the last time she’d cried? Forever. When was the last time she’d made someone else cry? Last week.
She gasped at the realization she was just as big a viper as the former owner of the rattle she held.
When the nurse checked on her a few minutes later, she asked for her cellular phone from her purse. She dialed a number and when the person on the other end answered, her statement was direct and to the point. “I’ll make this brief. You’ve lost my support. Stop harassing these people or I’ll reveal what you’re doing to the school board and to your pastor.”
“I will never give up. I—”
“No, Tabitha. It’s too late for Miss Owen. I already tried to rectify what you’ve done but she won’t allow it. If you decide to go through on your empty threat and go to the national news networ
ks I will contact them myself and reveal you for the self-righteous, vengeful, jealous harpy you are. You will be the one dragged through the mud, Tabitha. You will stop this now.”
“No.”
“I left Miss Owen with no choice but to quit. You leave me with no choice.”
After disconnecting, she called her church pastor, and then placed the phone on the table, feeling marginally better. She wished that she’d told Maizy all of it. She lifted the flowers to her nose and contemplated how to address the school board at the next meeting. It was time to pass the baton to the next generation anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cody was standing in front of the stove when he heard Maizy come out of the master bedroom. Heath and Spencer had left for work just a few minutes before. Cody called out, “I hope tomato soup and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches are all right with you. Heath’s the cook in the family. My skills are bachelor-basic.”
Maizy’s voice echoed in the hall. “That sounds perfect, actually. I could use some comfort food tonight.” Her final day at school had been a rough one and he was happy that she was staying with them for the entire weekend.
He nearly burned himself on the soup pot when he looked up as Maizy sauntered into the room. She was dressed in the beige gauze and lace jacket with a matching gauze- and lace-trimmed skirt and…and nothing else. A walking dream come to life. The gauze was so sheer it was obvious she wore no undergarments. His cock tingled to life and hardened as he turned off the burners and went to her.
“Damn, baby.”
“Do you like your surprise? I wanted to save it for a night when we were alone.”
“Like it? I’m speechless,” he murmured as he skimmed his hands around her waist and then slid them down over her bare hips. The ankle-length nearly sheer skirt wasn’t particularly voluminous and was slung low on her hips with a long slit up one side. “Damn. This is a nice surprise. Turn for me?”
Maizy the Bear Charmer [Divine Creek Ranch 16] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 37
