The Cowboy's Unexpected Love: Wade and Sierra (MacFarland Ranch Book 1)

by SJ McCoy

  Then he heard Deacon bark, “Luke! I’m riding with you.”

  They all piled into Ford’s truck, and the tires squealed as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  Tanner looked out through the back window. “Do you think Deacon’s going to try and keep us away?”

  Ford checked the rearview mirror and shook his head. The next moment, sirens blared, and Luke’s cruiser pulled past them. Ford let out a short laugh. “Nope. Looks like they got the location. My guess is that Deacon came himself because he knows the score. No one’s going to be able to keep us away, so he’s not going to let his deputies take the blame for whatever goes down. He’d rather be there himself.”

  Wade could barely focus on the conversation. He just needed to get to Sierra.

  ~ ~ ~

  Sierra huddled closer to Amelia. It must have gone dark outside now; there was even less light in the room than there had been earlier. She checked her watch again. It had only been half an hour since she sent out the SOS message, but she didn’t know where they were or how long it would take Wade or the police to come.

  “How’s your head?” asked Amelia.

  “Throbbing.” Sierra gingerly touched the big lump that had formed around what had to be quite a gash, considering how much blood there was in her hair. “How about you? Do you really think that he broke your nose?”

  “I do.”

  It wasn’t light enough to see properly anymore, but Sierra felt Amelia reach up to touch her face.

  Then she heard her draw in a big breath. “If we get out of this, I’m going to have it fixed. I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a nose job for years.”

  “We’re getting out of this, Lia. I refuse to let that man kill us.”

  Amelia chuckled quietly. “I’d never in a million years have wished for either of us to be in a situation like this, but I love seeing what it’s brought out in you. Right up until the day of your wedding, you were letting Jared run your life. In a way, he was killing the Sierra I knew.”

  “I know. But everything’s different now. And I don’t just mean that our lives are literally on the line. I mean that the stakes are so much higher. I’ve just found the life I always wanted and I’m not going to let him take it away. I want to live – here, in Montana, with Wade and Mateo and Maya, and you – when we get out of this, you have to stay, Lia. Promise me?”

  “I promise you that if we get out of this, I’ll move up here.”

  “When not if.”

  “Okay, when. But if we’re going to get out, we need to have some kind of plan. He’s going to come back and he’s going to want something. Maybe all he wants is to kill us – to get revenge for you screwing up his plans.”

  “No.” Sierra’s heart felt as though it might beat out of her chest. She was terrified, but she knew Jared. “He doesn’t just want to kill us. I mean, I’m not stupid, I’m sure he plans to. But he’ll want more than that. He wants money, as much of it as he can get. He’ll want me to transfer it over to him or something.”

  “I agree that he wants your money; it seems that’s all he ever wanted. But if you transfer it to him and then they find your dead body, it’d be obvious what had happened – that he was the one who killed you.”

  Sierra closed her eyes. “Nobody’s going to find my body –”

  “Yeah. He’ll probably get rid of us where we’ll never be found. Bury us out in the wilderness or –”

  “Stop!” Sierra realized too late that shouldn’t have said it so loudly. She continued in a fierce whisper, “I mean our bodies aren’t going to be found because we’re still going to be walking around in them – alive!” She started to shake when she heard a rattling at the door. It sounded like a chain was being removed.

  She could make out the whites of Amelia’s eyes as she turned to her. “If he hurts me to make you do what he wants, let him, okay? Drag it out as long as possible. Wade will get here before it’s too late. I know he will.”

  Sierra grabbed her friend and hugged her tight. She couldn’t speak through the tears and fear that choked her throat.

  The door swung open, and Jared stood silhouetted against the light from the next room. “Sierra. Amelia. I hope you enjoyed your nap. I’m glad to hear you’re both awake. We have some business to take care of.”

  Sierra could only stare at him. Her ability to speak, even to think rationally, fled when she saw that he was holding a belt – did he plan to beat them with it? She had no idea, but she knew she was about to find out when he grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to her feet.

  “You owe me, bitch, and you’re about to pay up.” He dragged her out into the larger room, where he shoved her down onto a dirty sofa.

  Sierra knew she should be trying to think about what she could do, but for some reason her mind chose to focus on the room. The floor in here was dirt, too. It was a log cabin, with one window and one door. The door looked as though it led outside – to freedom.

  She screamed and tried to fight Jared off when he grabbed her again, this time by the throat. His eyes looked crazed as they met hers. “You’re going to die today, Sierra. But first you’re going to make me a happy man.”

  She gasped in shock, and his hand tightened around her throat as he laughed. “You think I’m going to fuck you? That’s one thing you don’t need to worry about. You see, Sierra, you’re too frigid for my taste. You could have learned a thing or two from your friend, Lori – she knew how to please a man. She took it any way I wanted to give it to her.”

  Sierra could only stare at him. She was on the verge of passing out; she wasn’t getting enough air, and his fingers were only tightening around her throat as he spoke. When he stopped, he released his grip, and she gulped in big breaths. Her brain finally processed what he was saying. He was talking about Lori in the past tense. She wanted to hope that he only meant he wasn’t with her anymore.

  His hand closed around her throat again and she grabbed it with both of hers, trying to get him off. She had to fight. Her head jerked to the side when he struck her, but he didn’t let go of her neck. It took her a few moments to focus again. “Aren’t you going ask about your friend? Don’t you care what happened to her? I’m surprised at you, Sierra.”

  When she dared to look at his face, what she saw made her blood run cold. He was smiling the cruelest smile she’d ever seen. “Lori outlived her usefulness, but only by a few days.”

  Sierra gasped and started to struggle again. This time, Jared let go of her. “You should thank me, you know. She sold you out. She did everything I wanted her to.” His smile faded. “It’s your fault she’s dead. If you’d gone along with the plan, I would have left her safe and well when I left.”

  “I thought … I thought that you and she were going to … that once you had the money, you’d be together.”

  He laughed. “That’s what she thought, too. Tell me, Sierra. Why are women so stupid?”

  She wouldn’t have been able to answer even if she’d wanted to. His hand closed around her throat again. This time he looked into her eyes as he brought his other hand up and used both of them to encircle her throat. Darkness started to creep in around the edges of her consciousness. Perhaps he’d changed his mind. Perhaps she was going to die right now. An image of Wade and the children filled her mind. No. She couldn’t leave them. She tried to struggle, and to her amazement, Jared let go.

  “You surprise me. I didn’t expect you to fight.” His smile almost looked genuine before it turned cold again. “You might even make this fun.” He picked the belt up and then set it down again. I was going to use this around your neck, but I like it this way better, it feels more … intimate. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to get on my laptop and you’re going to log in to your accounts and give me access.”

  She shook her head, but he just laughed. “Oh, you are, Sierra. That’s why Amelia’s here. I’ll bring her out in a minute. Don’t worry, she won’t miss out on the fun. I just wanted to give you a taste of what she�
��s going to go through if you don’t do as you’re told.”

  Sierra searched his face, not understanding. He closed his hands around her throat again, and she tried to fight him off again, but it was no use. He squeezed tighter and tighter until her lungs and her head felt as though they were about to explode, and the darkness started to take over.

  He seemed to know just the moment to release the pressure, leaving her lying on the dirty sofa, gasping for air. “Demonstration over.” He glanced through the doorway to where Amelia was still sitting. “Now, it’s her turn. I wanted you to know what you’ll be doing to her if you don’t do exactly as I say.”

  Sierra’s mind was racing. She didn’t want Amelia to be strangled to death, but he couldn’t take it too far. He had to know that if he killed Amelia, she’d never do what he wanted.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You have more backbone than I gave you credit for. I can see that you’re weighing up whether I’ll actually kill her. And you’re right, it’d be stupid of me to do that; she’s my bargaining chip, if you like.” He laughed as if he’d said something hilarious. “In case you doubt me …” He stood and went to a canvas duffle bag that sat on the floor near the door. He came back with his hands behind his back and when he brought them around in front of him, Sierra cowered back at the sight of the big, jagged-looking knife. “I had thought to keep things civilized. But if you need blood and gore to convince you, this should help.”

  “No!” She finally found her voice.

  “Good girl. Now, wait here while I bring her.”

  Sierra glanced back at the room Amelia was in. It dawned on her for the first time that neither of them was tied up. She was free to move, and Amelia had been ever since Jared had brought her out here. This was probably going to be the only chance she got. She ran for the duffle bag, hoping against hope that Jared had something else in there that she could use as a weapon.

  She’d reached the bag and was rifling through clothes when she heard Amelia scream, and Jared shout, “Bitch!” Then there was a thud that sounded like someone had hit the floor. Sierra’s trembling fingers closed around cold, hard metal that could only be one thing. She managed to pull back the slide to check it was ready. Relief washed over her as she pulled the pistol out and stood.

  “Put it down, Sierra, or I’ll kill her.”

  She spun around and aimed at Jared. He pulled Amelia in front of him and held the knife up to her throat.

  “Drop the gun or I’ll kill her.”

  “No. You won’t. If you kill her, I’ll shoot you.”

  “Drop it, Sierra. You don’t even know how to use it. For all you know, the safety’s still on.”

  A sense of calm came over her, and her confidence came through in her voice. “My brother was a Navy SEAL. He wanted me to know what to do if some asshole ever tried to hurt me. Safety’s off and there’s one in the chamber.” She couldn’t help a small smile when she saw the fear on his face.

  “Shoot him, Sierra!” Amelia tried to duck to give her a clear shot, but Jared kept hold of her, and Sierra saw a red line appear on her neck.

  She raised the gun. He was taller than Amelia; she had to trust her aim and … She froze at the sight of movement behind Jared. It was Wade!

  The next moment, everything seemed to happen at once. Wade grabbed Jared’s arm and dislodged the knife from his hand. Amelia fell to her knees. Tanner came out from the other room to help Wade, and Ford burst in through the front door.

  Jared somehow wrestled himself away from Wade, and Sierra screamed. But she needn’t have worried. Wade’s fist landed in Jared’s face, and he went down, out cold.

  Then there were policemen in the room, and Ford was on the floor with Amelia, holding her and gently examining her neck and her face. Sierra rushed forward.

  “The knife … Did he … Are you?”

  Amelia looked pale and she was shaking visibly, but she smiled. “I’m fine. Or I will be after I get a nose job.”

  Sierra couldn’t help it, she started to laugh. It took her a moment to realize that she sounded hysterical. By the time she did, Wade was there, closing his arms around her, holding her to him, pressing his lips into her hair, telling her that she was okay, that everything was going to be okay. And this time, she knew that he was right.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  When Sierra stirred beside him, Wade tightened his arms around her and drew her closer, needing to feel her safe and warm, not only in his arms and in his bed, but in his life. He’d known that he loved her even while he thought he was only going to be her rebound guy. Now, he knew that he’d do whatever it took to be with her for the rest of his life. To take care of her and Mateo and Maya. To become a family. They had their kids already – and there was no question that they were their kids. But he wanted them to be a real family. He wanted to make it official. He wanted to marry Sierra and for them both to adopt Mateo and Maya.

  Sierra looked up at him over her shoulder. “Good morning.”

  He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Good morning, darlin’. How are you feeling? The bruises on her neck were fading but they were still very visible. They made him wish that he’d taken the gun from Sierra and shot the bastard himself.

  She turned over and touched his cheek. “Better than you are, if the look on your face is anything to go by.”

  He made himself smile – it was no great hardship when he was looking at her. “Sorry. I was just thinking about what he did to you.” He gently traced his finger over her neck. “It makes me want to break into prison and kill him.”

  She sighed. “A part of me wishes that I’d pulled the trigger.”

  “No. I’m glad you didn’t. Don’t get me wrong; I wish he was dead. But I’m glad that you don’t have to live with having killed him.”

  He felt her shudder. “You’re right. That would be hard. I just feel like I should have finished the job.”

  He dropped another kiss on her lips. “You did a great job! You’re a little badass!”

  She chuckled, and the sound of it tugged at his insides.

  “I’m serious, Sierra. When we were waiting outside trying to figure the best way to get in without making the situation worse, I had visions of him holding the two of you at gunpoint, not the other way around. Deacon’s still pissed that we didn’t wait for his go ahead, but the second I heard Jared tell you to drop the gun I knew you had the upper hand, and we could help.”

  “I don’t know about the upper hand. I was scared to shoot him for fear that I’d hit Amelia, and scared not to for fear that he’d cut her throat.” She shuddered again. “She’s going to have a nasty scar.”

  Wade tipped her chin and smiled at her. “Apparently, she’s going to ask if the surgeon can do anything about it when she gets her nose fixed.”

  “Really? When did she say that?”

  Wade waggled his eyebrows. “It’s what she told Ford.”

  “Oh! Do you think …?”

  Her question was cut off by a tap on the door. They smiled at each other, and Wade called, “Come on in.”

  The door swung open, and Maya peeked her head around it.

  “Do you want morning snuggles?” The first morning after what had happened with Jared, Wade had tried to get Sierra to sleep in. He’d at least wanted her to stay in bed while he got her coffee. When he’d come back, he found both kids sitting on the bed with her. They’d been scared when they saw the bruises on her neck and her other injuries. Wade had joined them and the four of them had snuggled together, reassuring each other that they were all okay.

  Maya grinned and nodded rapidly.

  “Come on then.” As soon as he said the words, she was scampering across the bedroom and climbing up onto the bed, and Mateo appeared in the doorway. Wade nodded at him, too. He came more slowly than his sister but climbed up on the bed just as eagerly.

  Once they were all sat up, leaning against the headboard, Wade smiled at Sierra over the kids’ heads. The way she smiled back made him want to ask her her
e and now. It was the perfect moment. But he still hadn’t figured out if it was too soon. How could it be fair to ask her to marry him when she’d been through so much in such a short time? She needed to find her way again – to figure out if what she felt for him was real. To know if she wanted him forever, or if he really was just her rebound guy, albeit one who’d played more of a role than either of them had expected.

  Mateo leaned against his side and looked up at him. He looked so serious that Wade frowned. “What’s up, little man?”

  Mateo shook his head and looked away.

  Sierra shot Wade a worried look. “I hope you know that if there’s something bothering you, you can always talk to us, Mateo.”

  He looked at her and then back at Wade, then he wrapped his arm around his sister’s shoulders and nodded.

  Wade waited, hoping that he’d tell them what was wrong. But the silence lengthened, and he still didn’t speak.

  Wade knew better than to push the kid. He’d tell them whatever it was when he was ready.

  He watched as Maya snuggled closer to her brother. His heart raced when she put her lips to Mateo’s ear and covered her mouth with her hand. She was talking?

  Wade looked at Sierra in wonder. Her hand was over her heart as she watched Maya whisper to her brother. When she looked up at Wade, her eyes were filled with tears.

  When Maya finished whatever she was saying, Mateo nodded. Then he reached for Sierra’s hand and Wade’s. Wade watched as he brought their hands together, and then he and Maya placed theirs on top.

  Maya was smiling and nodding eagerly. Mateo took a deep breath and then looked up at them again. “Maya wants me to tell you, and I want to tell you also. That … we want … if you want …”

  Wade held his breath. He didn’t know what was coming, but he knew it was something big.

  Maya nodded at Mateo, urging him on, but he looked worried now.

  “What’s wrong, little man? Whatever it is you can say it, and whatever you need, we’ll try to help.”

  Mateo frowned. “Maya wants us to be a family now. She doesn’t remember our mom, and our dad was … not good.” The kid visibly swallowed. “We love you.”