Trusting Them (12 page)

“I’m going upstairs to rest for a little while.” Jeni picked up the brush from the floor and stood up.

“I’ll send Brady up when he comes back, and you can tell him you’re sorry. Okay?” Brock asked.

“Thanks, Brock.” She smiled and then headed towards the stairs to the bedroom.

He watched her disappear behind the door and wondered if they really had any chance with her. If the threat of this Glenn guy was gone, would she stick around with them of her own will? He knew he was falling in love and his brother was already in too deep to back out. Already he couldn’t imagine not waking up with her between them.

Brock tended to the fire, then decided to fix sandwiches for lunch. Brady would get cold before too long and give up and come inside. He would be hungry and Jeni needed to eat to keep her strength up. She still had that damn cough that worried him. More than likely, she had pneumonia and they didn’t realize it. She seemed to have gotten over it much too quickly if you asked him. One night she was burning up and the next she was screwing his brother like a pro. She needed to see the doctor in town as soon as the roads where passable.

After making sandwiches and wrapping them up in plastic wrap to keep them fresh, Brock realized he hadn’t heard the sound of the ax for a little while. He opened the back door and squinted in the afternoon sun towards the wood pile out back. He didn’t see anyone there though. Maybe he had stopped by the stables on the way to putting the ax up. Brock shrugged and closed the back door. He would be in soon enough.

Maybe he should check on Jeni then. She hadn’t come back down, and it had been a little over an hour now. He took the stairs two at a time and walked in to find Jeni sound asleep on the bed with her clothes still on. He removed his boots and climbed up to curl around her for a few minutes. It was only seconds before he had fallen sound asleep with her.

Brock awoke to darkness surrounding him. He felt the soft rise and fall of Jeni’s chest. What time was it? He brought up his arm to check his watch. The dial glowed. It was nearly eight p.m. Where was Brady? Had he come in and stayed downstairs for some reason? Brock carefully rolled out of bed trying not to wake Jeni up. He dragged on his boots and inched his way downstairs. The lights were still on down there so the electricity was still on. Where in the hell was Brady?

He searched the living room, the kitchen, and pantry and found no sign that his brother had even been back inside. The fire was nearly out in the fireplace. He stopped long enough to get it blazing again and then put on his coat and hat and went out to find his brother.

None of the hands had seen him since he had stopped chopping the wood. They remember him carrying a load to the porch but never saw him again after that. Brock searched all the stalls in the stable and each of the barns and then began tracking the prints in the snow. He found where two sets led away from the house at one point but decided not to follow them into the woods. He needed help if there were more than one person out there, and he wasn’t going to leave Jeni unprotected and alone in the house.

“Brock. Good to see you again, buddy.”

Brock slowly turned around to see Hugh Smith, a general no-account thief and bully, standing against an oak tree twenty yards away cradling a gun in his arms.

“Hugh. What the hell are you doing on my property?”

“Oh, sorry. Guess I’m trespassing.” The other man stood away from the oak now.

“Yeah, you are. Again, what are you doing here?” Brock had a sick feeling inside of him.

“Well, see, there is a story in this,” he began.

“Cut to the chase, Hugh. What do you want?”

“It’s more like what do
you
want? Or maybe that’s
who
do you want?”

“Where is he, you asshole?” Brock took a step towards the other man.

“Whoa, there.” Hugh brought up the rifle and pointed it at the sky for the moment.

He stopped and waited for whatever game Hugh thought he was playing. The idea occurred to him that this was all about Jeni, but what would Hugh want with Jeni, unless he had been hired out by her ex to get her. He nearly groaned at the thought.

“Tell me where he is, Hugh.”

“I have him tied up for the moment. Nothing bad—yet. But that could change if you don’t give me what I want.” The other man propped the butt of the gun on his knee.

“What do you want, Hugh?”

“Why, that little filly you have up there in your house. I hear tell she’s a hot one.”

Even though Brock knew Hugh was pulling his chain to get him riled, he fell for it.

“You’re not getting your nasty paws on her. I’ll take you apart if you so much as lay a finger on her,” Brock growled.

“Now, let’s not get all excited just yet.” He smiled and walked closer to him. “See, her husband wants her back.”

“Ex-husband, you idiot.”

“Yeah, well, he might have forgotten to mention that point, but that’s not really any of my business. All I’m supposed to do is deliver her to him. End of story. You get Brady back, I get my money and we all get back to living the life.” Hugh smiled like the crazy loon he was.

“I’m not turning her over to the likes of you,” Brock growled.

“Best rethink that one, Brock. I plan on lopping off a piece at a time of your brother until you bring me the little bitch.”

Brock swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. He knew Brady would tell him to take care of Jeni and call the sheriff on Hugh, but it was his brother. He couldn’t just stand by and let the bastard cut him into pieces. He had to think of something and quick.

“Let Brady go, and I’ll go with you.”

Brock nearly had a coronary when he turned and found Jeni in his Dad’s old coat and boots once again.

“What in the hell are you doing out here?” he yelled at her.

“Looking for you two. It’s the second time you’ve left me alone in that cold house.” Jeni gave him a watery smile.

“Get back to the house and grab one of my men to keep with you,” Brock told her.

She ignored him and turned back towards the man holding his brother hostage.

“Where is Brady? I’ll go with you if you bring Brady out first.”

“Now, how am I supposed to trust you to go with me if I let Brady go first?” he asked.

“I’m giving you my word.”

“Sorry, lady, but your word ain’t shit to me. I got no cause to believe you.”

“Then we’re at a standstill, ’cause I’m not coming over there without Brady.”

Brock’s mind kicked into overtime trying to figure out a way to save both his brother and Jeni at the same time. He was going to set her ass on fire as soon as they got out of this mess. She would learn to listen to him before he was through with her.

“Tell you what,” Hugh began. “I’ll bring Brady out and tie him to a tree. We exchange like that. You walk towards me and Brock walks towards Brady. Work for you, little lady?”

“Sounds good to me. Go get him.”

As soon as Hugh disappeared into the woods, Brock made a grab for Jeni and caught her arm. He jerked her towards him and wrapped his arms around her.

“You do realize that once this is all over I’m going to spank that ass of yours raw.”

“I sort of hoped you would anyway.” She looked so sad.

“You can count on it.”

A noise ahead of them grabbed Brock’s attention. Hugh returned, pulling a resisting Brady along with him. He no longer had a coat or hat on. Instead, he was bound with his hands behind his back and a gag in his mouth. His face looked pretty worked over as well. He’d kill the bastard when he got his hands on him.

“Okay, here we go. Jeni, walk this way.”

“Nope, you walk away from Brady towards me. As soon as you’re far enough away, I’ll start walking towards you,” she said.

“What’s to stop Brock from grabbing Brady and you running?” Hugh asked in a whiny voice.

“You’ve got the gun, stupid.” Jeni gave him an exasperated look.

“Jeniiii,” Brock warned.

“Okay.” Hugh took several steps towards where Jeni stood.

Brock was torn between going to Jeni and going to Brady. Brady was cursing up a storm behind the gag. He could almost make out most of the words. He wanted him to stick with Jeni. He took a step towards Jeni, and Hugh aimed the gun at Brady. Brock stopped. Jeni took a step towards Hugh and the man lowered his gun. Brady began easing towards Brock and Hugh took a shot that winged Brady in the left arm.

“No!” Jeni screamed.

She ran towards Hugh and tackled him. The big man didn’t go to the ground though. Instead, he grabbed her and dropped the gun. He pulled out a knife and stuck it to her neck. Brock stopped dead still, as did Brady.

“You boys just pick yourselves right up and go back to the house. I’m going to watch, and if I don’t see that kitchen door open and close in two minutes, I’m going to give her a new smile.” Hugh laughed at his own joke.

“Don’t hurt her,” Brock growled.

“Then get your ass in gear and hightail it back to the house.”

Brady bitched into the gag until Brock jerked it off of him.

“I’m going to string you up by your balls, you asshole. You touch one hair on her head, and I’ll eat your liver for breakfast.”

“You better calm your brother down, Brock, before I accidently nick little Jeni here.” Hugh held the knife tighter to the skin on her neck under her ear.

“Brady,” Brock said only his name.

Brady stopped talking and glared instead.

“Let’s get going, Brady. We have some things to take care of.” Brock helped his brother negotiate the snow as they made their way back towards the house.

He took the time to untie Brady once they were on their way, and then they all but ran back to the ranch house and inside the kitchen. He’d never been so pissed in his life as he was now. They’d underestimated her ex-husband. He’d been the smart one and hired a local who knew how to deal with the weather. Now they had to figure out how to get her back.

“Why in the hell did you let her come with you?” Brady demanded as he rubbed the circulation back into his wrists.

“I didn’t, asshole. She followed me, I guess. I left her asleep in the bed when I came looking for you.”

“I’m going to redden her bottom as soon as we get her back,” Brady growled.

“I’ve already promised her that.”

“Well, you can get in line, but her ass is mine first.”

“Will you be still so I can get the bandage on this arm? It’s bleeding all over the damn kitchen floor. You need a couple of stitches in it.”

“Like we have time for stitches. Just bandage it up nice and tight. We’ve got to get our woman back from that SOB,” Brady said.

“He’s got to go down the back way with her in tow. She’s going to slow him up a good bit, though. We should have time to get around to the road before he makes it if we start out now,” Brock planned.

“You’ll have to drive. I’ll contact the sheriff on the way.” Brady jerked his old coat on and borrowed a hat from one of the men.

“We’re taking the guns. Can you handle the rifle? You’re a better shot with it than I am.” Brock unlocked the gun cabinet in the living room.

He pulled out the rifle and a box of shells and handed them to Brady. He grabbed the shotgun and shells for himself. Either way, they were loaded for bear. He just hoped they didn’t have to use the shotgun since that would put Jeni in harm’s way. He would use it, though, if it were the only option for getting her out alive.