by Vanessa Vale
"Broke its leg," Brody replied.
"That much is obvious," Turner muttered, clearly not amused. "What I'm missing is a daughter."
I looked to Brody, then back to the men. "Never seen her."
It may have been the truth, but Laurel had never actually said she was Turner's daughter so God wouldn't strike me dead, at least today.
"He's lying," the fat man said. There wasn't a better word for him than that. The man was plain old fat and I felt sorry for his horse.
Sheriff Baker shook his head and held out his hand to stop the man. "Now, Palmer, don't go accusing people of things you have no proof over."
"To make your job easier, Sheriff, you're welcome to search the house," Brody offered.
The man looked to the others. "I find that mighty obliging, don't you, Turner?"
"This ranch is large. She could be in any one of the houses," Palmer blustered.
"If I fire three shots with my rifle, the others on the ranch will head this way," Brody said. "You can ask them all about your missing daughter and go from place to place looking, but I don't want to be shot for being hasty with my weapon. Sheriff, if you can fire the shots, then no one will get hurt by some uneasy trigger fingers."
The sheriff did just that, the loud reports of his weapon cracking in the still air.
In the distance, I could see the others leaving their houses, the stable, the barn.
"Here they come now," I said, trying to be amenable when all I wanted to do was shoot the bastards. "They'll work their way here as quickly as they can with the snow."
"In the meantime, go on in and search," Brody offered.
Turner and Palmer were quick to start to dismount. "Only one. I don't need all of you tracking snow and mud through my house."
"Now see here—" Palmer spouted.
Brody held up a hand. "What's the matter, Turner? You need help searching for one woman in a house?"
The barb hit its mark. Turner stopped Palmer from getting down, but climbed down himself. He was in his late fifties and still spry. "I'll find her," he vowed.
Turner climbed the steps and we moved back out of his way, allowing him a path to the door.
"Stomp your feet," I reminded.
He swore as he did so.
A minute passed and we stood patiently on the porch. The other Bridgewater men were approaching now, rifles in hand. Both Brody and I were sure of what he'd find, or wouldn't. Palmer and the others seemed uncomfortable and impatient.
Finally, Turner stepped back out holding up a pair of ladies drawers. "She's here."
Brody made a big show of sighing, scratched his face and tried to look contrite. "Now Turner, you found those on my dresser?" He shook his head and grinned. "Don't you ever collect a prize from when you're at Belle's? That sweet Adeline with the long blond hair and big tits, I talked her right out of those just last week."
Turner actually blushed.
"What's going on?" Kane said, rifle slung over his arm. Beside him were Simon, Rhys and Ian. The fight, to Turner and Palmer's eyes, had become evenly balanced. However, Brody and I could have taken them all ourselves. I had an itch to do so. Just the sight of Palmer was revolting. He would have married Laurel if she hadn't ventured out into the storm? No wonder she'd risked her life to escape.
"Seems a woman's missing. Turner's daughter."
"That your horse over there, Turner?" Simon called out. "Terrible losing a horse to a break. I heard Mason put him down, so you must be thankful he didn't suffer."
"Who the hell cares about the horse? I need to find my daughter." He placed his hands on his hips, the delicate drawers blowing in the slight breeze.
"A pair of ladies unmentionables does not a woman find," Sheriff Baker commented. "Especially since we know we've all partaken of Belle's girls a time or two."
"Then we'll continue our search," Turner added.
"What has you so hot under the collar for this lass?" Ian asked, his Scots brogue thick. I knew this meant he was angry, but Palmer didn't.
"She's my fiancée," Palmer said.
Fiancée. Not a chance. Laurel was ours and he wouldn't lay a finger on her.
"I told the men they could search the entire property," I told the others and they nodded their agreement. "If you're satisfied your daughter's not in my house, can we move on? Andrew's house, ah, here he comes now, would be next."
Andrew approached, rifle in hand, Robert next to him. Turner's party was now certainly out gunned. We had two pompous windbags, a small town sheriff whose gun rested in his saddlebag and two henchmen. They were no match for a group of regimental men with a woman to protect.
"We heard the shots."
Turner stomped over to his horse and mounted, the entire group working their way to exactly where Laurel was. I was confident she was well hidden, for we'd planned for such contingencies. Regimental men planned for all situations, especially dangerous ones.
When we were in front of his house, Andrew stepped forward, held up his hand. "Sheriff, I will permit you to search my home. My wife, Ann, is inside with our new baby and I don't want her scared."
"My wife is visiting with her, and I agree," Kane added. "I do not want her fearing for her safety on her own land."
Sheriff Baker nodded his head and dismounted.
"Wait, I don't think—"
The sheriff cut off Turner. "Don't trust me to do my job, Turner?"
That had the man huffing, but didn't say more.
He turned to Andrew. "I heard about the baby. A boy?"
Andrew nodded and smiled with paternal pride. I saw, too, that Robert was pleased by the Sheriff's concern, but held back. Our ways weren't the ways of Simms, of the sheriff and we intended to keep it that way. Andrew was the man legally wed to Ann and would then be the baby's sole father—in the eyes of the sheriff.
"Christopher."
Andrew led the lawman up the porch steps and went inside, both men removing their hats as they did. I could see Ann through the open doorway, the baby in her arms with Emma standing next to her.
They closed the door behind them to keep the heat within. While we waited, it was time to get some information out of the other men. "It's right noble of you to be worried about your daughter," I said neutrally.
Turner's gaze shifted from the closed front door to me. "When you have a child, you'll understand."
"Oh? Didn't you send her off to school when she was just a child?" Kane asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His breath came out in puffs of white.
"You wouldn't know the ways here, Mr. Kane, being from another country and all," Harding countered.
"Oh, I think we Englishmen take the prize for boarding schools," Brody added. "Why'd she go out riding when the weather was so poor?"
Turner whipped his head around to Brody. The tendons in the older man's neck stood out. "She might be a tad insane," he lied, albeit poorly.
"Then, Palmer—that's your name?" When the man nodded, I continued. "If the girl might be a tad insane, why are you marrying her?"
He stiffened in his saddle. "I'm not marrying her for her mind."
"Don't you worry about daft bairns then?" Ian asked, putting a little extra emphasis on his accent.
"There's more at stake here than that," the man admitted.
"Oh? And what's that?" Robert asked. "When you don't find her at Bridgewater, where are you going to search next? There's plenty of land for her to be."
"Her horse," Turner bit out, "is laying dead on your property."
"Then the girl, could be laying dead anywhere between your ranch and here," Simon added.
The sheriff came out then, Andrew following behind. Ann stood in the doorway.
"She's not in there, Turner. Hell, she's not here. These men would have brought her to town when the weather cleared or at least handed her over when we first arrived." The sheriff sighed. "We aren't going to search every building on the property, are we?"
"Did you search the Carter's house? How about the
Reed's? You passed both their ranches are on the way here," Kane asked.
I could tell by the angry looks on Turner's and Palmer's faces that they hadn't.
"Is there some kind of bias at play here, Sheriff?" I asked.
Sheriff Baker held up his hand. "The animal is on your land," he offered.
"As I said before you came out, she could have fallen off anywhere between Turner's spread and here. The storm was mighty fierce, and for a woman to go out alone? You think she'd make it this far? Alive?"
The sheriff nodded sagely. "Let's go, gentleman. We've wasted enough of their time."
The men didn't look happy. Turner and Palmer didn't have the business deal without Laurel and the two goons didn't have any faces to smash in. Sheriff Baker climbed up onto his horse, tipped his hat. He was the first to turn his animal around and the rest, grudgingly, followed.
It wasn't until they'd gone over the slight rise in the distance, indicating they were on their way back to town, did we go inside. It was time to get the truth, all of it, from Laurel.
CHAPTER EIGHT
LAUREL
When we heard the shots, the ladies froze in place. They'd told me that three shots meant something was terribly wrong and indicated that men were needed to help immediately. Within a few minutes—which felt like forever—Andrew had stormed into the kitchen through the back door and led me to what he called a Priest's Hole. It was a secret space to hide built beneath the stairwell. A secret latch opened the door and I easily fit inside.
Andrew, in no uncertain terms, told me that there were men at Mason and Brody's house and were most likely searching for me. He’d recognized the sheriff, even from a distance, which meant there was no real danger. Only to me. He would have pushed me out of the way to get Ann and the baby in first if there was truly a danger.
Of course it was my father. Mason and Brody assumed they'd come searching for me and I knew it as well. I just didn't want to believe they'd actually come. It only meant I was still of value to them. They didn't care about me, only needed me for their own personal gains, whatever they were. My stomach lurched at the idea of Mr. Palmer or my father finding me and went into the hidden space without complaint. Ann gave me a blanket to sit upon and I was comfortable enough, but time moved so slowly in the dark.
I heard the women's voices, although muted, the baby fuss, then settle. I focused on my breathing and staying as quiet as possible. The sound of men's voices had me listening intently. One voice was Andrew's, the other one I didn't recognize. They spoke of the baby in easy, congenial tones.
"You're welcome to search the house, Sheriff," Andrew said.
"I don't care if she's here or not. In fact, if she were here, I'd hide her. Turner's a pain in my…," he coughed, then continued, "I beg your pardon, ladies. He's quite difficult to deal with. Add that man Palmer and those two are like rattlesnakes. Vicious. Mean. Wily. They're up to something else they'd leave that poor girl alone."
"Poor girl? What do you mean, Sheriff?" Ann asked. "Have they hurt her?"
"Mrs. Turner died while birthing the girl and the man has never gotten over it. From what I remember, he probably blamed her for killing her own mother, then shipped her off to some school far away. Haven't seen hide nor hair of her since."
"Then how do you know she's actually missing or even back in Simms?" Andrew asked.
There was a pause. "I don't. If you hear of this girl, you send her to me, not back to her father. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."
"Thank you, Sheriff, we'll do that."
"Ma'am."
I only heard silence for several long minutes, assuming they went outside. Then I heard footsteps. The door opened and I jumped, the light blinding me.
"Come on out, sweetheart. They're gone." Mason.
I gripped his hand and stood, blinking against the bright sunlight. I held onto him tightly not only because I had prickles in my legs from being sedentary, but because I needed the connection. Everyone was there and they were staring at me. Mason and Brody. Robert, Andrew and Ann. Rhys, Simon and Cross. MacDonald and McPherson. Emma with two men I assumed were her husbands, Ian and Kane.
"Laurel, would you like to introduce yourself?" Brody asked.
I glanced at him and then at everyone else. Although they weren't outwardly hostile, they certainly weren't happy. Swallowing, I knew I had no choice but to tell the truth. All of it. "I'm...I'm Laurel Turner."
"Why didn't you tell us that before?" Mason asked, his mouth a thin line.
"I was afraid, afraid if you knew who my father was you'd send me back."
"Send you back, to that bloody bastard?"
"I...I didn't know you. He has power and reach in this community and didn't know if you were friends."
"You brought danger to my door, to my family." Andrew frowned.
"Our wife as well," Ian added, his voice deep.
"For that alone, you will be punished," Mason said.
MASON
"Punished?" Laurel asked.
I nodded and led her to the same chair I sat in the night before. "You lied, Laurel, which put us all in danger. If you'd told us the truth from the start, we would have protected you."
I pulled her between my wide knees and held onto her thighs.
"I thought you would return me!"
"Have we given you any indication we are in any way similar to Nolan Turner?" Brody asked.
She shook her head.
"Over my knee, sweetheart." I patted my thigh.
"Why?"
"You're going to get a spanking."
"No!" she cried, trying to step back.
"You endangered everyone at Bridgewater and you must face the consequences."
If I let her, she'd stand in front of me and argue all day long. Instead, I easily maneuvered her into position. Brody knelt down and worked the length of her dress up over her hips. With her drawers dropped on our front porch, she was bare beneath.
"Everyone's watching!" she cried, shifting and squirming on my lap.
"They are."
Spank.
"They need to know you've learned how one person's actions can affect everyone else here on the ranch. They need to be reassured you will not do something like this again," Brody replied.
Spank.
"You put women and a baby in harm's way, Laurel."
Spank.
"I'm sorry!" she cried.
I looked up at the others, each giving us a reassuring nod before leaving the room. Robert, Ann and Andrew went into their kitchen with the baby. The others left out the front door.
They were content that the consequences were meted out appropriately, but neither Brody nor I were done. I continued to spank her in earnest for she needed to learn her place.
"We will protect you, Laurel. You will tell us if there's ever any sign of danger, whether it be a severe storm or a bastard father."
"My turn," Brody said.
I put a hand on her lower back as Brody spanked her next. "No lying, sweetheart."
By now, Laurel was crying, her body slumped over my thighs.
"We wouldn't give you back to Turner. Don't you see? We're never giving you back. You're ours."
Brody's hand soothed over her red arse.
"I thought you were using me," she sniffed.
Carefully, I righted her so she sat on my lap. She hissed out a breath as her punished flesh made contact. "Using you?" I wiped the tear stains from her cheeks.
"You...we've done things...and now I'm used goods. My virtue is in tatters. No one will want me."
Brody turned her chin so she looked at him. "Used goods? You belong to us, Laurel. No one else. You gave us your virtue, no one else's, just like you will give us your virginity. Not just your pussy, but your arse as well."
"But...you said you'd save...filling my pussy for when I married. That you'd pl...play with me and then give me back." She looked so lost and confused.
"I should spank you further for thinking us less than hon
orable. We didn't fill your pussy because you weren't married to us. Yet. Now that we know the truth, there's only one way to truly save you from your father and Palmer."
Brody nodded his agreement.
"How?" she asked, her voice hopeful.
"We're getting married."
"Married?" she gasped. "You're going to marry me just to save me from Mr. Palmer?"
"Hell, no," Brody added. "We're marrying because we knew you belonged to us the first moment we saw you, unconscious on our kitchen table. But first, you're going to tell us everything." When she remained silent, he added, "Now."
She took a deep breath. "My father is Nolan Turner. Obviously, you've heard of him."
"We've had run-ins with him in the past. He wants to dam up the creek that runs through his property, which means all the ranches and farms downstream will not have water." Brody stood, went over to the window, looked out, then returned. "We're not affected here as we're on the river and our water rights trump his, but I know many other landowners who are fighting him."
Laurel nodded. "I have learned he is not well liked in the community, which means I am not either. Being his daughter eliminated a number of prospective suitors which only helped Mr. Palmer's—and my father's—case toward marriage."
"We've heard he had a daughter, but she was sent away to school in—"
"—Denver," Laurel said, confirming the rumors. "Since my mother died birthing me, Father placed the blame on me. A nanny raised me until I was old enough to be sent away to school. Thus my poor lack of knowledge of the area and a terrible sense of direction. I have only just returned a month ago."
Brody looked her over carefully. "You are well past the schoolroom."
"Quite." She sniffed. "My father paid handsomely for my continued stay. Out of sight, out of mind."
"Until he needed you," I commented.
Laurel looked wounded at my words. They weren't meant to be hurtful, but they were the truth and she already knew them to be true.
"I'd thought—assumed—my father had sent for me to return because he'd had a change of heart. That he wanted me. He'd wanted me all right, for all the wrong reasons." She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I have not seen my father since I was seven. I do not feel closeness with the man. I'd had hope, brief hope, that he wanted me." She shook her head and I could see the sadness and shame on her face. Sadness for the false hope he'd given her, shame at believing she was wanted. "I was silly to even consider."
