Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series) (26 page)

             
“Sure, sweetie; you have a seat and I’ll bring it to you,” the burly man nodded to the stool beside her. Amanda eased onto it, her feet tender as she boosted herself. “You alright?” the man asked as he placed the phone on the bar. Amanda nodded; though she knew she wasn’t. She pushed her falling hair out of her face with unsteady hands.

             
“Thank you,” she said as she picked up the phone. Amanda dialed her home phone number with shaking fingers and listened to it ring.

             
“Come on, pick up,” she whispered desperately. Six rings and it would forward to the barn; were any of the hands working late? She wondered.

             
“Hello?” a voice answered.

             
“Cade?”

             
“Manny, is that you? Are you okay?”

             
“Is Daddy there?” her voice broke.

             
“No, your dad, Trent, and Naomi went to Haddon to pick out a new washer. Where are you, Manny? What’s going on?”

             
“I’m at a place called The Cue Ball.”

             
“What the hell are you doing there sweetheart; what’s going on?”

             
Amanda could hear the panic in his voice.

             
“I need a ride,” she finally managed.

             
“Alright, sweetie, you stay put, I’m on my way,” Cade ordered before hanging up. Amanda laid the phone back on the counter, wrapped her arms around herself and nodded at a couple of men who were staring at her in concern.

             
“Have some water,” the man behind the counter offered.

             
“Here you go, let’s get you warmed up,” an older woman with bleached hair placed a coat around her; it smelled of smoke. “And let’s just pin this back, okay?” the woman produced a safety pin and repaired the broken strap as best she could.

             
“Thank you,” she attempted to smile at the woman. Amanda picked up the glass of water and gulped it; she emptied the glass.

             
“I’ll get you some more,” the bartender offered as took the empty glass.

             
“You alright darlin’,” one of the men who had been hanging back stepped forward to ask. “You can’t be much more than, what? Sixteen, seventeen; but you look like you’ve had one helluva night.”

             
“Shut up, Stan, that aint gonna help any,” the woman fussed at him.

             
“Should we call the cops?” one of the other men asked.

             
“We’ll let her folks deal with that,” the woman again spoke. “I’m Rena, sweetie. Can I do anything for you? Get you anything?” the woman’s grey eyes were dark with concern.

             
“My friend is coming to get me and take me home. My family should be there soon,” she assured the kind hearted woman. She sat for several minutes; she was starting to feel as though she had become a side show.

             
Amanda drained the second glass of water she was handed and glanced at the clock; how long had she been here? She was anxious to get home. Amanda heard tires on the gravel and held her breath and hoped it was Cade there to take her home. Home was all she could think about at the moment.

             
She watched Cade, his body rigid, enter the door. He paused and surveyed the room; his gaze quickly found her. He crossed the room in a few long strides and stopped in front of her to grasp her chin gently to tilt it and study the bruises where Chris had held her chin.

             
“Damn, Manny,” Cade closed his eyes; his jaw muscle were jumping. Cade opened his eyes and surveyed her again. He cupped her face gently, his gaze intense.

             
“Did that bastard rape you, Manny?” his voice was hard as nails.

             
“I got away,” she assured him.

             
“Good,” his shoulders sagged. “Where are your shoes?”

             
“In Chris’s truck along with my purse and wrap,” she answered.

             
“How did you get here?” he frowned at her.

             
“I thought he was taking me home; I was lost in thought and then he was turning off on the lake access road. That’s where I got away from him. I walked from there.”

             
“That’s a good five miles easy; probably more!” the bartender inserted.

             
“Let me see your feet,” Cade ordered, as he squatted. Amanda let him examine her feet. She didn’t have to look at them to know that were scratched and raw.

             
“Let’s get you home,” Cade removed the jacket from around her shoulders and looked around.

             
“It’s mine,” Rena took it from him.

             
“Thank you, all of you,” Amanda offered the room at large.

Cade removed his own coat and helped her slip into it before lifting her to carry her out. Amanda wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on.

              “I’ve got the door,” Stan jumped to hold it open and then did the same with the truck door.

             
“Thank you,” Cade nodded to the man.

             
“Sure, you make sure someone takes care of that little lady,” the man offered gruffly.

             
Cade sat Amanda on the truck seat and cupped her face again. “Are you okay, Manny?” he asked his eyes searching hers. Amanda felt tears well up again and her throat closed off. Amanda leaned forward, cupped Cade’s face and kissed him lightly on the lips before answering.

             
“I am now,” she assured him.

             
“Good,” he rested his head against hers for a moment before kissing her forehead and closing the truck door. He circled the truck, pulled a blanket from behind the seat, and handed it to Amanda before starting the truck. Amanda wrapped the blanket around her and curled up against the truck door as she let her tears fall. She should be out of tears, she mused.

             
“I’m sorry, Manny, tonight should have been a special night and something you looked back on with happy memories,” Cade offered.

             
“I should have skipped it. I wasn’t even excited about it,” Amanda admitted.

             
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

             
“Would you quit apologizing for something that isn’t your fault?” Amanda requested. They fell silent the remainder of the trip. Amanda had hoped that her dad and aunt would be home by the time they got home but they weren’t. Cade carried her in and up to her room.

             
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he demanded again.

             
“I’m sure,” she answered.

             
“No, you’re not and I don’t know how to help,” Cade shoved a hand through his hair.

             
“I’m going to shower and go to bed; I think that is what I want more than anything. I’m okay,” she tried again to reassure him.

             
“Alright, I’m going to lock you in the house, you make sure you don’t open the door for anyone, okay?”

             
“Where are you going?” Amanda demanded.

             
“To town. Your dad, Naomi, and Trent should be home soon.”

             
“Cade,” Amanda, wincing when her feet hit the floor, jumped up to follow him. “Cade!”

             
By the time she had hobbled to the stairs he was already out the front door. Amanda sighed and turned back to her room to gather her things for a shower. She heated the water as hot she could stand it before stripping and stepping under the spray. A half hour later she had scrubbed away the dirt and part of a layer of skin, but not the memory. Her feet still stung but were at least clean, she mused as she stepped from the shower and began toweling off. She winced as she found several bruises she had been unaware of.

             
A glance in the mirror showed bruises ringing her neck and jaw, a large bruise down her back; as well as a series of smaller bruises. Both her wrists and her ankles were bruised; her knees scraped up. Amanda dressed, brushed her teeth and moved to her room to lie down. Her bed felt warm and safe as she nestled under her blankets. She wanted to forget the bruises; forget the night. Amanda stared at the darkness outside her window; sleep would not come. She finally heard the sound of the truck in the driveway and voices. A moment later the truck left again, but Mandy could hear movement downstairs.

             
“Mandy,” A knock sounded at the door, along with her aunt’s voice.

             
“Yes?” Amanda called; her door cracked opened.

             
“You alright?”

             
“I have a bad headache; please don’t turn the light on,” Amanda requested. She knew she would have to tell everyone what had happened but she wasn’t ready yet.

             
“Okay, sweetheart; you get some sleep. You can tell me all about it in the morning. Oh! I have the pictures from earlier; I’ll just lay them on your chest of drawers.”

             
“Thanks, Naomi,” Amanda called. The thought of the pictures made her want to throw up all over again. Amanda didn’t relax until her bedroom door settled shut again.

             
Amanda must have drifted off. The next thing she knew her aunt was in her room.

             
“Mandy, wake up. The police are downstairs. They have Cade in hand cuffs; something about him beating up your date. What is going on Mandy?” her aunt sounded frantic.

             
“What?!?” Amanda sat up and turned her lamp on.

             
“Mandy!” her aunt gasped as she took in her bruised face. Amanda, flinching when her feet hit the floor, hurried from her bed. Amanda winced with each hurried step as she raced down the stairs.

             
“I had really hoped you were going to beat the odds, Cade; that you were cut from better cloth than your father,” the officer was saying as he led Cade to his police cruiser.

             
“Stop!” her teeth were chattering from the cool night air or nerves; she wasn’t sure which.

             
“Mandy, you need to say out of this, Cade beat the shit out of your date and he can’t give us one good reason…” Officer Myles turned; his words died when he saw Amanda. He and her father had gone to school together.

             
“Is this reason enough?” Amanda demanded and pointed to her face. “Or this?” she thrust her wrists forward. “Or maybe the fact that Chris Atkins tried rapping me tonight before leaving me stranded on the back side of the lake? Is that a good enough reason?” Amanda demanded.

             
“Amanda!” her aunt’s horrified voice reached her.

             
Officer Myles took a moment to recover. “I’ll need a statement from you.”

             
“You can have a statement and my ripped dress and if you want to go fish them out Chris’s truck you can have my shoes and purse, and my wrap,” Amanda informed him.

             
“You’ll have to come to the station,” he informed her,

             
“Fine. If you’re going to arrest Cade for coming to my defense, you should go ahead and arrest my brother too because he would have done the same; might still,” Amanda informed the man. Officer Myles studied her a moment before removing Cade’s handcuffs.

             
Cade rubbed at his wrist, shaking them out, before his gaze landed on Amanda. She could still see the anger that had driven him in his eyes.

             
“Are you okay?” Amanda asked him as she moved to stand in front of him. He nodded. Amanda flung her arms around him and closed her eyes as he stroked her back lightly.

             
“You alright?” he finally asked her; Amanda nodded against his chest. She heard her dad’s truck turn into the drive and stepped from Cade’s arms. She watched her dad’s truck come to an abrupt halt, her brother spilling out moments before her father did.

             
“What the hell is going on here?” Trent demanded; his eyes were wild as they bounced off those gathered. “Mandy?” Trent stormed across the yard to lift Amanda’s chin to survey her face. “What happened here?” Trent glanced around them again as though he were looking for a missing puzzle piece. “Did you do this?” he moved toward Cade.

             
“Stop!” Amanda grabbed his arm.

             
“Do you really think I would hurt your sister!? Do you, Trent? Think about what you’re suggesting!” Cade yelled in return.