Forrest, Dawn - Sweet Water Wedding: Sharing Shannon (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (36 page)

“No sweetheart, it’s just a scratch. Most of the blood is Rug’s. The same shot that got poor Rug must have grazed me. It’s only a flesh wound thankfully, nothing to worry about.”

She wouldn’t take his word for it and carefully lifted the fabric to look for herself. There seemed to be a lot of blood, but it was hard to tell how much damage there was. She dabbed at the wound and he hissed.

“Smarts a bit, sweetheart.”

“Sorry.” She very gently wiped away the blood and the flow appeared to be slowing. “Thank heavens, I think you’re right, it was a near miss, or near hit, I’m not sure what you’d call it.” She sighed in relief. “Here, hold this and keep the pressure on it until I get the first aid kit.” She placed a folded neckerchief on the shallow wound. “I’ll also take a look at Rug.”

“Okay, and I’ll call Josh.”

Shannon nodded as James took his phone out of his pocket.

The dog hadn’t fared so well, his back leg had a huge chunk missing and he was bleeding heavily. She knew that at an almost point blank range a shotgun wound was devastating, but it looked as if the hit was on the edge of the leg. She ran back to the remaining horse and pulled a small first aid kit out of the saddlebag. There were a few sterile pads, bandages, tape, a bottle of saline, antiseptic cream, scissors, safety-pins, steri-strips and some other things she wouldn’t need. She moved quickly over to James again.

“Swap the cloth for this sterile pad, but first let me clean you up a bit.”

She gave him the pad while she poured some of the saline over James’s wound and dabbed it dry. It didn’t look too bad. She closed the wound up and held it together with steri-stips. Working fast she tore off strips of tape and fixed the sterile pad tightly in place. She then ran over to the dog, and repeated the cleaning procedure. Rug’s injury was much worse. She had to use a pad to pack the wound first and then bound it as tightly as she could with a length of bandage. She knew next to nothing about such injuries but it didn’t look good. Rug only made a quiet wheezing cry.

“It’s okay, boy.” She spoke softly to him and stroked his shaggy head.

She heard Mr. Connor say, “Y’ave bin real stupid, Roy, ya coulda’ kilt someone.”

Roy muttered something about “hating the fucker.”

“That ain’t right neighborly of ya, boy.” The old man growled and spat to one side.

James was talking to Joshua on the phone, quickly giving him the details of what had happened. He deliberated taking Roy’s truck and driving them all into Ridge Water. She heard him say that he didn’t want to leave the crime scene nor give Roy a possible opportunity to attack them again, but he was also worried about Rug. In the end his concern for the loyal mutt won out.

He disconnected the call and focused his attention on Roy.

“You,” he said with venom to Roy, “lie down on the ground with yer arms behind yer back and yer legs spread. I don’t wanna see ya itch, scratch, or move a muscle, ya hear?”

Shannon noted that she wasn’t the only one whose accent intensified under pressure or with stress. Under different circumstances it would have been funny.

James whistled again, this time a different pitch and within a minute his horse returned. He stroked and reassured the animal with soft tones and kind words, then handed the reins to Shannon and took a coil of rope that hung from the saddle.

“Where are the keys to yer truck?”

When Roy didn’t answer he received a sharp kick to the ribs that seemed to loosen his tongue.

“In the truck, you motherfucking bastard.”

James ignored the insult and tied Roy’s arms together tightly behind his back.

“I ain’t carryin’ ya to yer truck, ya sack of shit. Get up.” James roughly helped Roy to stand. “Git movin’.”

There was plenty of rope left over to act as a long leash and they all followed Roy down the slope to his truck. James hauled him into the open flat bed at the back end of the vehicle and tied his legs together with the remaining length of rope. He rang Joshua again and told him to meet them at the county jail and to send some ranch hands out to get the horses. He gave the coordinates from the GPS on his phone.

“Mr. Connor, can you drive to the Vet Practice in Ridge Water first and then we’ll head to the jail? I’ll stay in the back with Roy and Rug.”

Mr. Connor nodded sharply twice and then quickly climbed into the truck. James leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I think we’re making the old coot’s day. I’d have asked you to drive, but I didn’t want to upset his ego.”

“That’s okay, I understand.” She also understood that he was a thoughtful, considerate man and not just to someone he wanted to shag either.

“Josh is going to meet us at the jail. He’ll let them know we’re bringing Roy in and tell the sheriff what’s happened. I’m sorry our trip ended this way.” He pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair.

“Well, it could have been much worse.” She felt protected and safe in his arms. “Apart from the last few hours it’s been great.”

She heard a snort from the truck. “I can see why he’s sniffin’ around you. Nice new flesh to poke. Sorry to tell you that’s all you’ll be. Ryden here is probably more concerned about the dog than some bitch he’s boning at the moment, eh, Ryden?” He taunted, spittle glistening on his chin. “He’ll get tired of your cunt and ass soon enough, but not before him and that partner of his have made you as loose as a wind sock.”

Shannon wished she had some duct tape, but she wasn’t about to be intimidated by the vile, despicable man. James looked as if he was ready to commit murder, but Shannon stayed him with a hand on his arm and a wink. She leaned over the side of the truck.

“You should stop concerning yourself about me and start thinking about your immediate future, because from where I’m standing it doesn’t look too bright. Mind you, if you’re happy about starting a ‘loving relationship,’” she made quotation marks in the air, “with Big Bob, your cell mate, then you’ve no need to worry have you?” She smiled sweetly at him.

Roy glowered back but actually started to look worried. James chuckled as he climbed into the back with Rug and Roy, the shotgun cradled over the crook of his arm.

* * * *

He may be an old man, but Mr. Connor sure didn’t hang around. They hightailed it to Ridge Water as if the Devil himself was at their back with a sharp pitchfork. James made a mental note to not underestimate old people, especially ornery, long lived, hard ranchers. Mr. Connor was a seventy-three-year-old bachelor who mostly seemed to prefer his own company to that of others. When his ranch had become too large for him to continue he had sold it to the Rydens, but with a condition that he could continue to live in his house, rent free, for as long as he wanted. They had given him a good price for the property but they suspected that, after the bank was paid off, there wasn’t a lot left over. Joshua was happy with this arrangement because it meant that he could legitimately keep the house in a good state of repair for the old man without it looking like charity. Joshua was one of the few people that the old coot actually seemed to like. He tolerated James and had little to do with Janet.

Rug gave a whimper and James stroked his side. The bandages were soaked with blood.

“Roy, what the hell was you thinking?” He was angry, but it came out sounding tired.

Roy didn’t answer except to say, “Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.” For the rest of the journey James did his best to ignore Roy and his urge to pound the little bastard through the floor of the truck.

Fortunately Mr. Connor slowed down to the legal limit as they passed through town. Rachael and Sandy were waiting as they pulled up outside the Vet Practice. While he and Shannon followed them inside with Rug, Mr. Connor kept an eye on Roy. Rachael took one look at the wound and inhaled sharply.

“Please, Rachael, do whatever it takes to keep him alive.” His voice quavered but he didn’t care, his mutt was a goddamn hero.

“This is going to take a while. You’ll all need to go to the jail to make statements. I’ll call you when I’m finished.” Rachael was all business and they were effectively dismissed.

He didn’t want to leave his dog. He’d trained Rug from a pup and the dog followed him around everywhere when he was home on the ranch.

Shannon squeezed his hand. “She’ll do her very best.”

He looked down at her sympathetic face and nodded, at least he was leaving his dog in capable hands. Rachael would do everything she could to keep him alive. He noted that Shannon looked a little rough around the edges herself. It had been a hectic day and it wasn’t over yet by a long chalk. She hadn’t complained once. His sexy little Irish lass had grit. Beauty certainly bred desire but character kept it, and more than ever he knew that she was perfect for him…for them. He squeezed her hand back. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

* * * *

It was 9:30 p.m. and Shannon sat curled up in a nest of cushions on Rachael’s front porch, feeling strangely deflated. She sipped at the sweet strawberry smoothie that Rachael had conjured up for her.

“The natural sugars should help replenish some of your dwindling energy and make you feel a bit better. You’ve had one hell of a day.” Rachael sighed and smiled sympathetically.

That was an understatement. Shannon nodded and took another sip, then wiped off the milky mustache that she could feel on her top lip. She’d had the adrenaline rush, and now she was experiencing the crash. The danger was over and she should be relaxing happily, but instead she felt miserable and empty.

“I know. I feel….It’s just…”

No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t prevent her face from scrunching up. Tears flowed.

“There, there,” cooed Rachael, holding her close and gently rubbing and patting her back. “Let it go, let it go, Shannon.”

“I think that Roy would have killed James. I’d have been next,” she said between sniffles. “He’s filled with hatred and he said some nasty, poisonous things”

Rachael said nothing, just continued to hold her and let her get it out of her system. A few minutes later she felt calmer and the heavy weight that had sat in her belly mysteriously lifted.

“Thanks, I don’t know why, but I needed that. Please don’t tell the guys.”

She didn’t want to appear weak or for them to worry. Mind you, judging by the look on Luke’s face when he burst into the sheriff’s office looking for them, she guessed that she wasn’t the only one to get emotional. Luke had looked ashen faced when he saw the blood on James’s shirt and the dirt on her clothes. He had stayed with her and James, hardly letting her hand go. If the sheriff or deputies thought it was odd to see her holding both men’s hands they didn’t let on.

“Hey, it’s nothing to be ashamed of, but what goes on at my cabin
stays
at my cabin. A good cry is like a safety valve for letting off steam. That little blubber probably saved you thousands in shrink fees.”

“You know, I feel better already. Sorry for being so silly.”

“Shannon you are not being silly. It’s been a long, exhausting day for you. Here, have a Jelly Baby, they always cheer you up.”

Rachael had obviously found her stash of sweets and threw the packet to her. It had been a full-on day. When they’d taken Roy to the sheriff they’d given statements and been interviewed. Once James’s wound had been looked at and dressed by a doctor the sheriff took them back to the site and the oil spill. Luke came with them, never straying far from her side. Meantime Rachael had worked on Rug and managed to keep him alive and save the leg, but he wouldn’t be herding cattle or chasing hogs anymore.

“Do you know what’s going to happen about Crossling’s oil well and the spill?”

“Well, with regards to the oil there are two issues; one is the pollution and clean-up, the other is the deviation drilling, if that is what Roy is doing,” Shannon explained. “Joshua won’t be involved in the pollution issue except where it affects their land along the river. Hopefully the Sweet River Authority will instigate a clean-up operation. Of course Sweet Oil will be involved in the oil theft and the Railroad Commission will deal with the drilling without all the necessary licenses. It’ll be a while before it goes to court. It won’t affect your honeymoon.”