Once a Rebel (11 page)

“Sounds good to me.” He came up behind her and nuzzled her neck. “I've never lived with anyone before.”

Her pulse fluttered. “Me, neither. This is probably going to take some getting used to.” But even as she said it, she was turning in his arms, eager to kiss him, to cozy up with the man who'd just made delicious love to her.

Thirty minutes later they ate on the porch, devouring the messy French fry concoction from the same plate. By now they were both dressed. She'd wrapped a terry-cloth robe over her T-shirt and put on a pair of slippers. He'd opted for boots and a worn-out jacket, right along with his threadbare jeans.

Chocolate butted in, pestering for his fair share of the fries.

“Go away,” Ethan told the dog. “You already ate.”

“When has that ever stopped him?”

“Good point.” He popped the top on his beer. “Why haven't you ever lived with anyone? I thought you were involved in some serious relationships.”

“I was. They just never progressed to that level.” She thought about the men she'd been committed to. “Keith was right after college, and Timothy came later.”

“How much later?”

“A few years ago. He wanted me to be available for his schedule, his lifestyle.” Corporate banking, she recalled. Boating on the weekends. “I tried to scale down, to give him more time, but I felt like I was cheating myself. My career.”

“You're not working now,” he pointed out.

“Because I came here to be with my family. It's the first extended stay I've ever had, aside from the year I lived here.” She glanced up, sensed him watching her. “When I met you.”

His face was shadowed, slightly hidden. “Is it tough, being away from your job?”

“I've been keeping in touch with my assistant, doing the best I can. But what's going on here is more pressing.” She noticed the amulet around his neck, saw that it was catching a ray of moonlight, glinting against his shirt. “So much more.”

He didn't say anything for a while. He just drank his beer and ate his food. Then he wiped his hands on his napkin and leaned forward to skim her robe, to touch her.

She knew that it was his way of comforting her, of letting her know he was thinking about Lily, too.

Chocolate barked and Susan gave the Lab a French fry. He inhaled it, then sniffed around Ethan's beer.

“No way, pal,” the vet said. “Go hang out with your buddies.”

His buddies, Clark and Kent, were poised on the grass, snapping at insects that winged by.

The nocturnal hum made Susan sit back and listen. “It's peaceful here.”

“It is. But this cabin's too small. I'll be glad when I can move into my own place. I wish we were there right now. I wish I could share it with you.”

Warmed by his words, she wondered what his new house was like, what type of architectural features appealed to him. “You're my best friend, Ethan.”

“You're mine, too.” His teeth flashed in the dark. “Do you want to take a shower with me?”

Her pulse leaped. “When?”

He gestured to their meal. “As soon as the food's gone.”

Susan noticed there were three whole fries and one glob of melted cheese left. “What about dessert?”

“We can do that after we soap each other down.”

“Impatient, aren't you?”

“Yep.” He stuffed the potatoes in his mouth. “Food's gone. Let's go.”

She laughed and accepted his hand. He led her to the bathroom, where they stripped off their clothes and adjusted the water temperature.

“Can I wash your hair?” he asked. “With your shampoo?”

She agreed, and when they stepped into the cramped stall, he opened the bottle and inhaled the citrus scent. Fascinated, she watched him.

He looked up, moved closer, reached for her. “I like the way it smells.”

And she liked the way he massaged her scalp with his strong, deft fingers, the suds dripping down her back.

She stepped under the showerhead, and he rinsed her hair, then added a smooth, creamy dollop of conditioner.

Afterward, she washed his hair, too. Then they kissed and caressed, making every warm, wet, soapy moment count. Water rained over their faces like a tropical mist.

He whispered something naughty in her ear, and she nearly climbed all over him.

The condom in his hand shimmered like a colorfully-wrapped star. He turned it, spinning it between his
fingers. She hadn't even seen him bring it into the shower.

“You're a magician,” she said.

“You think so?” He opened the package, sheathed himself.

“Yes.” She closed her eyes, and he pressed her against the wall, lifted her hips and joined his body with hers.

Making the rest of the world disappear.

S
usan pushed a shopping cart through the market, filling the basket with meat, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables. She added several packages of pasta and the fixings for homemade marinara sauce, too.

She'd awakened this morning in Ethan's arms, feeling warm and intimate. And domestic, she reminded herself.

She liked living with Ethan.

She stopped in the coffee aisle and studied the brand he favored. It was the kind Lily and Ryan preferred, too. Suddenly she thought about her cousins, about how much the older couple loved each other.

Susan couldn't imagine being in love like that.

No, she thought. That wasn't true. Somewhere in the
back of her mind she was already imagining it, already panicking about how easily it could happen.

Tempering the feeling, she grabbed a can of coffee, then tossed in her favorite blend of tea and a box of instant hot chocolate. Earlier, she'd gotten a ride to the main house to see Ryan, to tell him that she and Ethan were living together, but her cousin had been resting. From what Patrick had said, Ryan was in bad shape. Not only was he waiting desperately for Jason to contact him about Lily, he was battling symptoms of his tumor, as well.

Susan had left without seeing Ryan. She'd borrowed one of his vehicles, a truck with the Double Crown logo, and told the FBI she was headed to the market.

And here she was, shopping like a first-time bride.

When another customer stopped just a few feet away from her, Susan glanced at the other woman's cart. A toddler sat in the kiddie seat, his chubby little cheeks filled with the vanilla wafer he was eating. He flashed a slobbery grin, and her heart dropped to her stomach.

How many grandchildren did Ryan and Lily have? Her brain was so scattered, she couldn't even remember.

She returned the boy's smile and darted on to another aisle, afraid she would cry in public, break down about brides and babies and a cousin who was falling apart without his wife.

By the time she returned to Ethan's cabin, her emotions were bent, like branches on a gnarled tree.

She put away the groceries and glanced at the kitchen clock. Ethan was at work, making his rounds. Susan wished she were working, too.

Refusing to remain idle, she called Sandy, her vivacious young assistant, and got an update about the hotline. They discussed the budget, the other employees, the ever-changing volunteers: details that had become second nature to Susan.

Finally she hung up the phone and wandered through the cabin, picking up after Ethan. He'd left his clothes from yesterday on the floor and his cereal bowl from this morning on an end table.

Next she tidied the bathroom, where he'd created another two-minute mess—a glob of toothpaste that had adhered itself to the counter, a loose cap that belonged to his mouthwash, damp towels in the corner.

She lifted the towels and dropped them into the hamper, feeling like a new bride again.

A moment later she made a face in the mirror. She had to stop thinking in terms of wedding vows.

Unable to back off, she tasted his toothpaste, then got strangely aroused, a lot like he did when he'd made use of her shampoo.

Before she got carried away, she went into the kitchen to fix a salad, using ingredients she'd bought. As she mixed olive oil and rice vinegar for the dressing, Chocolate nudged her knee, begging, as usual.

“You won't like this,” she told him.

Refusing to take no for an answer, he barked at her.

“Fine. Here.” She gave him a cherry tomato and the big, silly dog ate it, making a liar out of her.

The phone rang, sending her into the living room. She grabbed the portable receiver and heard Ethan's troubled voice.

“I screwed up, Susan.”

“What do you mean? What's wrong?”

“I lost the amulet. When I left the cabin this morning I was wearing it, and now it's gone. It must have come loose and fallen off somewhere.” He paused, cursed. “How could I be so stupid? I should have tightened the knot. I should have been more careful.”

“Where are you?” she asked.

“Right now? I'm here at the Double Crown. But I've been all over today—other ranches, my clinic in town, the filling station. The amulet could be anywhere.”

“Did you call those places? Check with the employees?”

“Yes, but I doubt they looked very hard. Other than my receptionist.”

She sat on the edge of the couch. She hadn't been aware that he'd opened a clinic in town. Most mobile vets weren't set up to handle critical care, using referral centers instead. But now that she thought about it, his clinic made sense. Ethan was the ultimate caregiver.

“I'll help you search for the amulet,” she said. “We'll start at the Double Crown and work our way back.”

He breathed a grateful sigh into the phone. “Thanks. I'll come get you.”

“I have wheels. I borrowed one of Ryan's trucks. Just tell me where to meet you and I'll be there as soon as I can.”

“I'm at the foaling paddocks.”

“Then that's where I'll be, too.”

Within no time she was traveling along the ranch's inner roads, the pickup bumping and jarring on the way.
She prayed that the necklace wasn't lost, that it was simply misplaced and waiting to be found.

Ethan was right where he said he would be, in the area that housed mares and foals. Although the Double Crown was a cattle ranch, Ryan and Lily raised horses, too.

Susan moved closer to her lover, and they gazed at each other. She wanted to wrap her arms around him. He looked big and strong and much too worried.

“It's okay,” she told him. “We won't quit until we find it.”

“What if we don't? What if it's gone for good?” He touched the opening of his shirt, where the necklace had been. “Something bad could happen to Lily. Something even worse than what's already happened,” he added, making chills run up and down Susan's spine.

 

“You stupid bitch.” Jason's voice seethed in the dark, his words ringing in Lily's ear. “Did you think I wouldn't notice?”

She knew he was talking about the scrapes on her arms, the telltale sign that she'd been trying to cut the rope that bound her.

“I should kill you for that.” He raised his tone a pitch. Then he kicked her in the ribs. Hard, so hard, she nearly choked beneath the gag.

Trembling, Lily fell to one side. She tried to escape in her mind, to slip into another place, another time, but the pain in her body reminded her of where she was.

Another sharp kick exploded, and she feared that Jason would kill her. That he would pound her until
there was nothing left to pound, until she lay, broken and bleeding and gasping for air.

“Say you're sorry.” He intensified the pressure. “Kiss up to me.”

Lily kept telling herself that she would rather die than succumb to Jason's demands. But that wasn't true. She didn't want to die. She wanted to go home to her husband, to her family. She wanted to be by Ryan's side when he slipped away, when heaven took him.

She heard Jason moving closer, kneeling on the ground next to her. In her mind, she told him to go to hell, to burn in a red-hot flame.

But behind the gag, she mumbled an apology.

Praying that he would spare her life.

 

Susan glanced at the ranch hands and foaling attendants she and Ethan had recruited in their search. Everyone was spread out, taking a different area. She sat in front of the first paddock, near the gate, sifting though leaves that had fallen from a nearby tree.

“What are you doing?”

She turned to the sound of Cathy's voice, meeting her gaze. She hadn't seen the rebellious teen since the first day they'd met. In the midst of the kidnapping chaos she'd lost track of the young girl she wanted to help.

“I'm looking for a necklace Ethan lost,” Susan said.

“Then I'll bet this is it.” Cathy reached into her pocket and produced the Apache charm.

“Oh, my God. Where did you find it?”

“Over there.” The fourteen-year-old pointed to a
metal shed, a location close to where Ethan's truck was parked. “It was under the door.”

“Of his dually?”

“No. Of the building. I was in there—” Cathy paused, raised her chin, gave Susan a defiant look “—smoking. And that's when I noticed it.”

Susan decided to ignore the teenager's smoking admission, at least for now. “Thank you so much. This is really important to Ethan.” She took the amulet. “It was a gift from Lily.”

Cathy's face went pale. “Do you think that guy killed her? Do you think she's dead?”

“No.” Her heart twisted in her chest. “I believe she's coming home.” She tightened her grip on the charm. “Soon.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I can't. But I'm trying to think good thoughts. To do whatever I can to make a difference.” Even trust in superstition, she thought. “Come on.” She reached for Cathy's hand. “Let's tell Ethan that you found the necklace.”

Cathy let herself be dragged along, for which Susan was grateful. They approached Ethan, and when he saw the amulet, his breath rushed out.

“Cathy found it,” Susan told him, explaining how the teenager had stumbled across the charm.

He smiled at the young girl, thanking her in earnest. Then he checked the leather cord and retied the knot that had come undone, making sure it was tight.

“I wonder if I should glue this,” he said.

“That would probably be a good idea,” Susan agreed. “I'm sure one of the ranch hands has some.”

After Ethan secured a tube of epoxy and informed everyone that the necklace had been recovered, he invited Susan and Cathy to hang out while he finished his rounds.

Pleased, Susan gazed at her lover. Apparently he remembered that they were supposed to save Cathy. Or at least offer her an alternative to teenage mood swings and stolen cigarettes.

The girl shuffled her feet, digging her tennis shoes into the dirt. Just like last time, she wore jeans, a T-shirt and a messy ponytail.

“What are we supposed to do while you're working?” Cathy asked Ethan.

“You can visit with my favorite foal. She's being imprint trained. The friendliest little girl you'd ever want to meet.”

She took step a closer. “Really?”

“Yep. Imprinting is a method that bonds horses to humans. It's a process that starts right after they're born.”

He led Susan and Cathy into a paddock, introducing them to a pretty young filly and her mother. The foal came right up to them.

Cathy smiled. “What's her name?”

“Diamond's Gold Dust, but everyone calls her Dusty. Don't let her suck your fingers,” he told the teenager as the foal nudged Cathy's hand. “That's not part of the training.”

“Why not?”

“It leads to biting.”

While Susan watched, he showed Cathy how to interact with Dusty. He let her know that the foal wasn't
a pampered pet. The young horse was being taught to be submissive, responsive and obedient.

Susan bit back a smile. “Not like someone's dog we know.”

Ethan arched his eyebrows. “Look who's talking. You give in to him, too.”

Cathy shifted her stance. “You guys are talking about Chocolate, huh?”

“That's right.” Ethan tugged on the teenager's ponytail. “And I've seen you slip him treats, too.”

Although the young girl rolled her eyes, she seemed comfortable with his playful affection. Susan wasn't sure what Cathy thought of her.

“I better get busy,” Ethan said, preparing to return to work. “I've got rounds to finish.”

Within no time, he said goodbye and closed the gate behind him, leaving Susan and Cathy alone.

They stood in silence for a while, with a slight breeze rustling the air. Then Susan broke the ice. “I heard your mom is pregnant. That you're going to have a baby brother or sister.”

Cathy looked up, where she'd been enjoying the foal's attention. A frown furrowed her brow. “So?”

Susan held her gaze. “I think it's nice that your parents are going to have another child.”

“Yeah, well, I think it's dumb.”

“You do?” She cocked her head. “Why?”

“I don't know.” The teenager remained close to the mare and her offspring. “It just seems like a hassle.”

Susan didn't respond. Instead she watched the way Cathy had endeared herself to horse and baby.

“I think you'll make a great sister,” she finally said.

Cathy didn't budge. “How would you know?”

“Because I can tell that you care.”

The teenager chewed on a strand of her hair, a tendril that had come loose from her ponytail. “My parents are bugging me to be there when the baby's born. Right in the delivery room.”

“They just want you to accept what's happening. To be part of it.” She shifted her gaze and saw that Dusty was nursing, drinking her mother's milk. “This is a monumental event in your lives.”

Cathy scrunched up her face, making the freckles on her nose disappear. “Have you ever seen a baby being born?”

“Not a human baby, but I saw a foal being delivered. It was a long time ago, though, when I lived here during high school.”

“Was it gross?”

“No. It was really sweet.” Susan remembered how captivated she'd been. “Do you want me to ask Ethan if you can attend a foaling when the next mare goes into labor?” She turned in the direction of the pasture, where a group of pregnant mares grazed. “There seems to be enough of them.”

“I guess. As long as it's not gross.”

Susan smiled. “It isn't. I swear.”

Cathy managed a small smile, too. Then, without warning, she decided it was time to take off, to do her homework. Susan suspected that the young girl didn't want to talk anymore, to reveal too much of herself.

But Ethan used to be abrupt when he was young, too.
He would only let a conversation take him so far. In actuality, Cathy had offered more information about her family than Ethan ever had.