The Cowboy’s Targeted Bride

by Carla Cassidy

  “Are you trying to steal my husband?” Lily’s light voice was a welcome relief as she came up behind them.

  “Absolutely,” Krista replied with a laugh.

  Jerod turned around to greet his wife. He’d forgotten how lovely she’d looked at breakfast that morning, and she was just as lovely tonight. The black slacks she wore showcased her long, slender legs, and the pale pink blouse enhanced her blue eyes and pretty, clear complexion.

  “Hi, wife,” he said to her. He could tell the greeting both surprised and pleased her.

  “Hi, husband,” she replied with a bright smile.

  “You two are nauseating,” Krista said.

  Lily laughed. “We’re leaving.” She placed her hands on Caleb’s shoulders. “I’m eager for Jerod to see Caleb and Benny’s project.”

  “And I’m eager to see it, too,” Jerod replied.

  As they walked away from Krista, Jerod gave her the coat he had brought from home. “It’s gotten cold, so I thought you might need this later when you leave.”

  “Thank you, that was very thoughtful. You both look very nice,” Lily said as she led them down the aisle of tables to the very end.

  “Jerod helped me with my tie,” Caleb said. He practically danced in front of a display board that held the title “All About Earthquakes.” The board was carefully printed with facts about earthquakes and in particular earthquakes in Oklahoma. In front of the poster board was a homemade seismograph and a tower of blocks with strings attached to the blocks on the bottom level.

  “This is how earthquakes happen,” Caleb said with self-importance. He pulled on the strings to move the lower blocks, mimicking the way the earth’s plates shifted.

  “Caleb, this is awesome,” Jerod said. “I can see how much thought and work you put in this, and as far as I’m concerned you should definitely win a blue ribbon for it.”

  Caleb’s shoulders shot back, and his eyes lit with pride. “Thanks. Benny and I wanted to make it as good as we could.”

  “All your hard work definitely shows,” Jerod replied.

  Within minutes people began to walk through the aisles, looking at all the projects. Lily and Jerod watched as Caleb and Benny greeted the people who stopped to see theirs. Jerod felt like a proud father as he saw the friendly poise Caleb showed to each person.

  “I’m assigned to walk around and look for any problems or issues,” Lily said after a few minutes.

  “Go do your job. Caleb and I will be just fine here,” he assured her.

  “I’ll check in with you two later,” she replied.

  For the next hour, Jerod stood behind the table and watched the people come and go by the table. “Here comes my teacher,” Caleb said as an attractive middle-aged blonde approached. Jerod recognized her from around town, but he didn’t know her personally.

  “Hi, Mrs. Burwell,” Caleb greeted her.

  “Hello, Caleb.” She looked at Jerod and then back at Caleb. “And who do you have here with you?”

  Caleb linked his arm through Jerod’s. “This is Jerod...he’s my new dad.” Caleb smiled up at him with such pride, such love that it momentarily rendered Jerod speechless.

  The weight of Caleb’s love both buoyed in his heart and hung heavy on his shoulders. He knew that if for any reason this marriage didn’t work out between him and Lily, Caleb would be destroyed by what he’d perceive as another man rejecting him and walking out of his life.

  * * *

  It had been a wonderful evening. Caleb and Benny had won first place in their grade level and had celebrated by eating two cupcakes each and high-fiving each other until their hands were red.

  Lily was beyond proud and had also been pleased by how attentive Jerod had been to Caleb and to her. It had been so thoughtful of him to bring her the winter coat. Did it mean he was falling in love with her? No. It was just more proof that he was a caring man.

  However, right now as she helped Carol and Brad and two other teachers clear up the last of the mess in the gymnasium, she was just exhausted and eager to get home.

  “Thank God we don’t have to clean up the floors,” Brad said.

  Lily looked around. The floor was littered with pieces of projects, spilled fruit drinks and fallen cupcakes. “I feel sorry for Roger. He has his work cut out for him tonight.”

  Roger Tatum was the school janitor, who would come in later this evening to get the floors polished and the bathrooms cleaned up before morning, when a new school day began.

  There were only half a dozen tables and ten or twelve chairs left to pick up. Brad and the two other teachers tackled the tables, and Lily and Carol finished up putting the chairs away in a large closet just off the gym.

  Finally everything was done, and the minute it was, everyone else scooted out of the building while Lily went back to her classroom to retrieve her coat.

  Thankfully, tomorrow was Friday, so she only had one more day to get through before she’d have the weekend to rest and relax. She pulled on her coat and then headed for the school’s front door.

  When she stepped outside, she pulled her coat collar closer around her neck. The temperature was definitely chillier tonight than it had been this morning when she’d left for work. She was definitely grateful for her coat.

  Her truck was the only vehicle left in the parking lot, and as she headed toward it, she hit her key fob to unlock it and then dropped the fob back into her purse.

  She welcomed the quiet of the night after the hours of noise and barely controlled chaos. She was at her truck door when she sensed somebody behind her. She whirled around in time to see a figure dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask.

  She had only a moment to process it when the person raised a big, sharp knife. The utter shock, the horror and confusion of what was happening momentarily froze Lily in place.

  The inertia snapped, and Lily managed to jump to the left. The knife sank into her shoulder and then was pulled out. If she hadn’t moved, the knife would have stabbed her in the chest.

  Shock, along with excruciating pain, shot through her. Once again the attacker came after her, obviously trying to stab her in the chest. But Lily used her purse as a shield, deflecting several of the attempts.

  Who was this person? Why was this happening? A thousand questions flew frantically through Lily’s mind as the knife kept coming. She screamed as the knife ripped through her coat and dug into her ribs.

  Get away, her brain screamed in alarm as tears blurred her vision. Get into the truck and lock the doors. If she didn’t manage to get into the truck, then eventually the attacker was going to stab her to death. She could already feel the trickle of blood from the wounds she’d already received.

  But in order to get into the truck, she’d have to turn her back on the attacker. She sidestepped and attempted to pull the truck door open, but the assailant leaned into it in an effort to keep Lily out. The door slammed shut.

  The knife pierced Lily again, this time in her arm. She had to get in her vehicle, otherwise the attacker was going to keep stabbing and slashing until Lily was dead.

  She screamed once again as she lost her footing and nearly fell. If she hit the ground and the person managed to get on top of her, Lily knew she’d be dead within minutes.

  They struggled with the truck door, and with a roar of pure survival need and adrenaline, Lily shoved the door open, got inside and then locked the truck. She leaned her head against the steering wheel, her breath coming in deep, ragged pants.

  She had no idea how badly she was hurt. She knew she was bleeding from several places. She raised her head and frantically searched around the area, but she saw nobody. The attacker was gone, apparently swallowed up by the night.

  She put her head back down on the steering wheel and began to cry again as she thought of what had just happened...what might have happened if she hadn’t successfully g
otten into the truck. Somebody had just tried to kill her. Her brain couldn’t even wrap around the very idea.

  As minutes ticked by and the adrenaline began to ebb away, she was too weak, too shaken to even start the truck and try to drive. She needed help. She finally leaned on the horn, hoping the noise would get somebody’s attention.

  She jumped with renewed terror as a knock sounded on her window. She raised up and snapped her head around to see who it was. It was Roger, the school janitor. She released a deep sob as she rolled down her window. “Roger, call Dillon. I—I’ve been attacked. I—I’ve been stabbed.”

  Roger’s eyes widened as he dug his cell phone out of his pocket. He placed the call to the chief of police and also told Dillon to send an ambulance. “Lily, is there anything else I can do for you?” he asked worriedly. “There’s a first aid kit in the school. But I’m not sure if there’s anything more useful than small bandages in there.”

  “Thanks, but I’m okay here until the ambulance comes. Just please stay with me until Dillon gets here,” she replied. Pain seared through each wound on her body. Who had done this to her and why? God, the attacker had wanted to kill her and had almost succeeded. Why was this happening? Who would want her dead?

  “Do you want me to call Jerod for you?” Roger asked.

  “No, I’ll call him.” She was torn. Jerod was at home with Caleb, and that’s where he belonged. She didn’t want him to yank her son out of bed and frighten him with what had just happened to her. Yet she knew if she didn’t get home soon, then Jerod would worry about where she was.

  She saw the swirl of red lights down the street and knew Dillon was approaching. “Thank you, Roger, for staying with me.”

  “I wish I could have done more for you, Lily,” he replied worriedly.

  She forced a smile through her tears. “I just appreciate you calling for help.”

  By that time Dillon had pulled up, along with two other patrol cars and an ambulance. Dillon stepped out of his car and hurried over to the side of her truck. “Lily, what’s going on?”

  “Somebody attacked me, Dillon. I—I’ve been stabbed. Somebody came up to me at the truck and started stabbing me.” She began to cry again from pain and the residual sheer terror of the attack.

  “Where are you hurt?” Dillon asked urgently. He opened the truck door and looked at her in worried concern.

  “My shoulder...and in my ribs...and I don’t know where else.” She felt like she was just now climbing out of her shock, and her entire body hurt.

  Dillon motioned the men in the ambulance to bring the stretcher. “Can you tell me anything about the attacker?”

  “No, except whoever it was, was dressed all in black and wore a ski mask.”

  When the stretcher was right next to the truck, one of the paramedics helped her out of the truck and onto the stretcher. “Lily, I’ll meet you at the hospital and get the particulars from you once you’ve been treated,” Dillon said.

  Tears began falling again as they put her into the ambulance and she saw the blood on her coat. They removed the coat and cut off her blouse, exposing the wounds not only on her shoulder and her stomach, but also a deep slash on her arm.

  The paramedics put in an IV and cleaned the wounds and then rushed her to the hospital and the emergency room. The next hour went by in a blur. The doctor put fifteen stitches in her shoulder and ten in her arm. Thankfully the wound to her stomach had missed all her vital organs and required no stitches.

  She was now clad in a hospital gown because her blouse had been ruined. Her IV had finally been removed, and all she wanted to do was go home.

  When the doctor left her little cubicle, she grabbed her phone and saw that Jerod had called her several times. She dialed him, and he answered on the first ring. “Lily, where are you? I’ve been worried sick about you,” he said.

  “First of all, I want to let you know I’m okay. Somebody attacked me when I was leaving the school. I’m at the hospital now and I still need to speak with Dillon, but after that I’ll be home.” She tried to sound strong even though she wanted to cry once again.

  “What do you mean you were attacked?”

  “Somebody stabbed me.”

  “Wh-who? Who did it?” His worry and his outrage were both evident in his voice.

  “I don’t know who it was,” she replied. “I’ll explain more when I get home, but I just wanted to let you know what was going on.” She looked up as Dillon came into the small room. “Dillon is here with me now. I’ll be home later.”

  Before Jerod could say anything more, she hung up and looked at the dark-haired lawman. “You doing okay?” he asked as he sat in the chair next to the hospital bed.

  “I’ll be a lot better once I get home and can take one of the pain pills the doctor prescribed for me.”

  “He didn’t give you anything yet?”

  “No, I wanted to be completely clearheaded when I spoke to you, and besides, I need to drive myself home when we’re finished.”

  “So, tell me exactly what happened,” he asked. He pulled out his phone and set it on the table in front of her. “Do I have permission to tape you?”

  “Of course. So, you know the science fair was tonight,” she began. She told him about staying late to help with the cleanup and that she’d been the last one to leave the school.

  “By the time I left, my truck was the only vehicle in the parking lot. I got to the side of my truck and sensed somebody behind me, and then the person started stabbing me.”

  She went through everything that had happened...about fighting to get the truck door open, about the person being in a frenzy as the stabbing continued, and finally the fact that she had managed to get in to truck until Roger had found her.

  As she spoke, she felt as if she’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champion. Her entire body hurt, and she didn’t even want to think about all the stitches she’d received.

  “Okay, now I have some questions,” Dillon said. “You said you didn’t know the attacker. Can you give me a general description?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. It was so dark out, and the person was dressed all in black and wore a ski mask.”

  “What about size? Was the person short or tall? Heavyset or thin?”

  She looked at him helplessly. “It was so dark,” she said, knowing she was repeating herself. “I’m sorry, Dillon. Everything happened so fast.” She frowned, the gesture making her realize her head ached.

  “All I was focused on was the knife and trying to get away. I can’t even tell you what size the person was. The only thing I know for sure is that the attacker wanted me dead.”

  “Who were the people who left the school right before you did?” Dillon asked.

  She told him the names of the people.

  “But you didn’t see any cars in the parking lot when you left,” Dillon replied.

  “None. My truck was the only vehicle.” Lily shifted in the bed, the pain from her wounds getting worse rather than better. “Who would want me dead, Dillon? Why did this happen to me?”

  “I don’t know, Lily, but I’m going to do everything in my power to find out. My men are at the school right now looking for any evidence that might lead to an arrest. In the meantime the doctor told me you’re free to go, and so whenever you’re ready, I’ll take you back to your truck and then follow you home unless you want to make other arrangements.”

  She’d love to make other arrangements. She’d love to just magically be transported into her bed and into Jerod’s arms. But that wasn’t going to happen. “I’m ready for you to take me to my truck.”

  Dillon helped her out of the bed. “Hopefully nobody will mind if I wear the hospital gown home and bring it back tomorrow,” she said.

  “I’m sure that will be fine,” Dillon replied and then frowned. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to
drive home?”

  She felt nauseous and shaky and like she was in a nightmare she couldn’t escape, but she nodded affirmatively to Dillon. She had no choice but to drive herself home. She refused to call Jerod and disrupt Caleb’s sleep.

  “As long as you follow me home,” she said. “I don’t want anything else bad happening tonight.”

  “Trust me, I’ll make sure you get home safely.” Dillon’s dark eyes burned with determination.

  The ride from the hospital to the school was a quiet one. The doctor had given Lily a couple of pain pills until somebody could get to the pharmacy the next day to pick up a prescription. All she could think about was taking a pill and getting into bed. Maybe when she woke up tomorrow, she’d find out this had all been a bad dream.

  They reached her truck. The other officers were still at the school, their flashlights beaming brightly through the darkness of the night. Their presence reassured her. Maybe they would find a clue that would identify the attacker. God, she needed that to happen. She needed to know who hated her enough to want her dead.

  Once she was alone in her truck with Dillon following right behind her, she began to weep once again. Who had done this to her? Who had tried to stab her to death? And why?

  Who had hidden out in the dark and then attacked her with the intention of killing her? The whole thing seemed so...so crazy.

  She couldn’t think of anyone who might want to harm her. She’d never had cross words with anyone. Was the attacker the same person who had left the bride doll? The boxers? If so, then the person had escalated things to a terrifying and dangerous level.

  When they reached her house, she pulled up and parked. Dillon parked behind her and jumped out of his car and came to her door. “I’ll walk you to the door,” he said. “And then I’ll be by sometime tomorrow afternoon to check in with you and let you know how the investigation is progressing.”

  “Thank you, Dillon.” She eased out of the truck, but before they reached the front door, it flew open and Jerod stepped out on the porch.

  “Lily,” he said and rushed to her side. “What happened?” He started to wrap his arms around her, but she stopped him.