Rustled (20 page)

“That settles
it, then,” declared Eleanor after I’d expressed that sentiment. “We should be
able to expect decent weather by late April, though it may still be a little
cold. Dear, I expect you’ll provide Charity with a lovely dress that will
accommodate her condition. Your father and I will handle everything else.”

I gaped at
Russ, who would never have stood for anyone else taking over like that, and
knew at once where he got it, though I still wanted the story of how he got
from nerd-boy to gorgeous rancher billionaire. And, if it made Eleanor happy to
arrange the details of my wedding, I was just as happy to let her. I wondered
if we would do some of it together, and thought that would be fun.

“Let’s eat,”
said Jack. “I’m starved.”

“So’s
Charity,” Russ teased. “She’s always starved.”

We’d had a
lovely Christmas, with gifts I got to help choose during a trip to Cheyenne,
and Russ’s parents joining us at our ranch for the mid-afternoon feast. The
baby actually got the most gifts, and I was hoping Dr. Beth had got it right,
because pink clothing and dolls were the most prominent among them.  Having the
entire household, including my girls, their cute kids and the ranch hands
arrayed around the tree in the grand ballroom, was a sight to behold. The delighted
screams of the kids when they saw their gifts made me long for the next year,
when I would have a baby of my own.

Somewhere
along the way, my morning sickness just ended, and then I started putting on
weight. I sent a letter to my dad to tell him of my pregnancy and planned
wedding, wondering how I would react if he disowned me. I’d probably disown him
right back, disappointed in him as I was.

My letter
explained that, though I didn
’t approve of his
lifestyle and wouldn’t return to it, I still loved and respected him as my dad.
It was an exaggeration, but one that I thought might effect a reconciliation,
after which I’d try to make him see how wrong it was to court a
fifteen-year-old. His return letter promised to be at the wedding, with no wife
or wives in tow, which suited me just fine.

It didn’t
occur to me until later that my return address would confirm where I was and
put all of the underage girls in jeopardy.

§

The first sign
of trouble came not long after the first of the year. The girls and I were in
the kitchen, having shooed Janet out of her domain to bake a surprise birthday
cake for her, when a crash and a loud oath came from the direction of Russ’s
office. I ran to see what was the matter

Russ stood at
his desk, the most frightening look I’d ever seen on his angry red face, dark
blue eyes flashing with rage. “Russ, what in the world?” I cried.

“Those sons of
bitches have been released from jail. Bill says their lawyers have given him
notice to expect a lawsuit against me for libel.” Russ’s clenched teeth ground
together as he gave me this news.

“But, Russ, we
have witnesses! They can’t win!”

“Kitten, when
I invited the girls here, it was under the auspices of a foster home. Bill
facilitated a rush approval on the strength of the boys I’ve sheltered over the
years. Your Prophet has challenged that and accused me of kidnapping. There may
be a warrant for my arrest in Arizona, and it’s an extraditable offense.”

My hands flew
to my mouth and hysterical tears started. How could I have brought such trouble
to the man I loved with all my heart? Fright for his safety paralyzed me, but I
should have known he wouldn’t take any of it lying down. I listened numbly as
he continued.

“They don’t
know who they’re up against. Stop crying, Kitten, I need you to be calm for the
girls.” His command brought me up short, though I was still beyond upset. “Don’t
worry, they won’t get away with it. But the first thing I need to do is get you
a power of attorney to act in my behalf in case I have to go to Kingman for a
while.”

My head was
spinning. Fright that Russ would be torn from me, bewilderment at what he
thought I could do for him and an overwhelming feeling of doom regarding the
girls under our protection kept me speechless. Not only that, but I didn’t want
to know if my father was one of the ‘sons of bitches’ that Russ was talking
about.

Finding my
voice as Russ paced the floor in agitation, I said, “Russ, wouldn’t it be
better for your dad to have the power of attorney? I don’t know anything about
stuff like that.”

He stopped
pacing and strode to my side, taking me into his arms. “Dad will help you. But
Charity, I need you to hold this place and my businesses together if I’m
convicted. You have to be strong, and you have to learn fast. Can you do that
for me?” I gasped. How could he be convicted? Were they that powerful? And what
havoc could I do to his businesses if he weren’t there to teach me? Dizziness
overwhelmed me, and I knew nothing more.

Russ’s tender
face was the first thing I beheld when I came to. “What happened?”

He swept a
tendril of hair from my temple and said, “Kitten, I’m sorry. I threw too much
at you. We’ve called the doctor, just lie here and rest.”

I struggled
up, against his protest. “No, Russ, I’m not an invalid. Did I faint?”

“Yes, I think
so. It was shock, I’m sure. Lie down.” When he used that tone of voice,
everyone within earshot obeyed, and I was no exception. I sank back into the
sofa where he’d placed me.

“Russ, what
are we going to do?”

“First, we’re
going to answer these charges. I have to believe that nothing will come of
them. The libel suit is just a nuisance, but it made me angry. I’m going to
countersue for libel on the basis of the kidnapping accusation. Then I’m going
to buy that little town and run the fucking bastards out.”

I had never
seen him so ruthless, but I knew he wasn’t to be trifled with. Pride in my man
rose up and I smiled tremulously. “Way to go, Tiger.” He took my hand and
squeezed it, a smile breaking through for the first time.

“Kitten, your
dad may be caught in the crossfire. What do you want me to do?” Compassion lit
his eyes.

“I want you to
do whatever you need to do to protect yourself, the girls and the hands,” I
answered sturdily.

“Good girl,”
he approved. “I’ll do what I can for him, but you and the girls come first.”

A racket at
the door announced the arrival of EMTs, who took my vitals and assured Russ
that a shock could indeed cause the reaction I’d had, but that the baby and I
were both fine. With that, I insisted on getting up and going with him to
gather the girls and let them know of our situation.

§

For the next
several days, we lived as if we were under siege. None of us went outside, not
that it was warm enough to want to be outside anyway. Instead, we huddled in
the library or in one of the bedrooms that Russ had cleared out and equipped as
a playroom for the kids, waiting for whatever was to happen next. The girls
kept me calm, rather than the other way around, by joking with me and saying in
admiring voices that they trusted Russ to deal with the problem.

Bill, the
lawyer, came out with the power of attorney and witnessed Russ signing it,
winking at me when it was done. “Now you have him where you want him, Miss
Green. Say the word and I’ll have him run out of here for you.” Under the
circumstances, it was a tasteless joke at which I couldn’t laugh. Abashed, he
ducked his head and left, apologizing to Russ.

“Russ, what am
I supposed to do with this?” I asked, plaintively.

“If and when
I’m arrested, call Bill and get the name of the criminal attorney he’s got in
the wings for me, then call the guy and retain him. This gives you access to my
bank account, even though we haven’t had time to get you added to it. I’ll call
my banker and let him know that if you show up with these papers, he’s
authorized to make any expenditure you need.” Russ’s directions were clear, if
frightening. I could do that.

“What about
the businesses?” I asked, remembering his words the day of my fainting spell.

“There’s not
much to do there. Some of them may need extra funds, and there’s a separate
account for that.”

“But, Russ,
how will I know who to give money to and who not to? Or how much to give?” I
was aghast that he could be so casual.

“Just use your
best judgment. I trust you.”

This made no
sense...I knew nothing of business, and I said so.

“Trust me,
Kitten, there’s nothing you could do that would do me serious financial harm.
It’s coming in faster than I could possibly spend it. Don’t worry. All I need
from you is to reassure the folks who are running the businesses that they’re
still covered, so they won’t panic.” Easy for him to say. I was as nervous
about the prospect of being forced to make business decisions as a cat would
be, walking across the desert surrounded by coyotes. I prayed there would be no
need.

§

After several
weeks of waiting, taking us to the middle of February, Russ assured me that
there would be no arrest. I relaxed, even as the new flutters in my belly
introduced me to our baby in a more intimate way than ever. I loved being
pregnant, now that I no longer suffered from nausea. Wandering the house and
waiting for spring with my hand resting on my belly, I swam in a happy and
contented daze.

With the
near-disaster behind us, Russ pursued me with all the sexual intensity he’d
ever had. Coming up behind me and catching me unaware, he would chuckle when I
startled. He wasted no opportunity to kiss me, thoroughly and without regard to
possible witnesses. I grew used to the giggles of the girls as they often
caught us, me with my back pressed up against the wall and Russ entrapping me
with his strong arms leaning against the wall on either side.

The nights
were even sweeter. Russ couldn’t keep his hands off me, caressing my now-gigantic
breasts, teasing the fluid from them with his lips and tongue and circling my
round belly with a big hand. His look of wonder when our daughter bounced off his
hand in her ceaseless swimming was priceless. I was amazed that he still wanted
to make love to me every night, but I loved it even as I wondered if our
daughter had an inkling of what was shaking her world.

With none of
the frightening prospects happening on the legal front, I soon forgot about it
and contented myself with being an incubator. A very horny and well-fucked
incubator, but one with nothing to do but incubate. So, I was surprised one
morning when Russ asked me to join him in his office after breakfast.

“Charity,” he
began, making me tense with the anticipation of serious business. “I need you
to help me decide what to do about Bethel City.”

“What do you
mean?” I asked. “What
can
we do about it? We tried and failed, but at
least these girls are safe now.”

“No, we can do
something. I closed on a deal yesterday, buying the last of the mortgages that
the RALDS has on their land. I own them, now, and I’m going to run the bastards
out, like I said. But you need to tell me what to do about the women.” If I had
thought him ruthless before, now I knew it. He looked like a pirate, a fierce
grin on his face and his skin ruddy, the adrenaline that must have been
coursing through him from his triumph making him jump out of his seat and pace
the floor.

“Russ, how can
you do that? Don’t you have to keep the terms of the mortgages the same?” I really
didn’t know, having no experience of mortgages, but it didn’t seem right that
someone could buy them and then just change the terms. How could that be fair?

“Yes, I do.
But every one of those bastards are violating the terms in one way or another.
Most banks wouldn’t bother to check. But I’m not a bank, and I insist that the
terms be met to the letter.” He was still grinning, and I shuddered at the
thought of ever crossing him when he was like this. “Tell me what to do about
the women,” he commanded.

Startled from
my thoughts, my eyes flew to his and I saw that he was serious. What should I
tell him? As he started to speak again, I held up one finger for a moment to
think. Slowly it came to me, but it was going to cost even more money. But why
should I care, when he didn’t? Breathlessly, worried at the audacity, I told
him the plan that had come to me.

“You know,
they don’t know how to make a living, any more than our girls do, even if some
of them are quite a bit older. We could just give them the houses and let them
live on the state otherwise, but if you agree, I think I have a better idea.”
My enthusiasm for the idea was growing as detail after detail crowded into my
mind.

“Spill it,” he
said, his eyes on mine intently. I almost lost concentration then, drowning
once more in his blue gaze.

Shaking myself
from the distraction, I went on. “What if we turned all of it into a sort of
halfway house for abused women? I assume you only bought out the Reformed Apostles,
right?” He nodded.

“Then
everything is in a small connected area, not much bigger than the house,
outbuildings and exercise paddocks here. We could make whatever modifications
to the houses that we need, but I doubt it would be much. Let the women stay
there for free, provide their food and clothing, as long as they agreed to go
to the school we’d start. It would teach them how to dress for the outside
world, use a computer, everything they would need to get a job. And we could
help them get free of any entanglements they have with their husbands, if
necessary. Most of them aren’t legally married, though.”

Remembering my
own difficulty in getting a job, I went on. “Would some of your companies agree
to hire them as soon as they were ready?”

With a bemused
expression, Russ nodded again. He must have thought I’d turned into someone
else, or that I had been thinking of this all along, though it had only just
come to me. “Russ, this could keep going, even after we help all the women who
are already there! We could help other polyg girls escape and reclaim their
lives! Even women in bad domestic abuse situations. Oh, Russ, can we?”