Hearts Unleashed Read online

Peter’s boots thunked against the cabin floor so loud Katie imagined they echoed to all within a several hundred-meter radius.

  “That’s better.” She pulled away from the door as Peter spoke, his voice causing the hairs on her arms and neck to stand erect.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Peter’s laugh made her skin crawl. “Not much of a way to greet a friend who’s trying to help you. Old Mitch is worried. I volunteered to go look for you. And here I am.”

  The front door shut and the wooden floor creaked as two sets of footsteps walked across it. Katie cracked the door of the bedroom and looked out just in time to see Peter slam the butt end of his rifle into John’s temple. Her hand clamped over her mouth as she screamed.

  John crumpled to the floor, grabbing the side of his head.

  Koda, still outside, barked like a mad wolf. Katie could hear her ninety-pound body slamming against the front door.

  Peter kicked John in the ribs as he crawled across the floor, trying to get up. “So much for the big army guy. Too fucking easy to take you down. “

  “Try it again,” John gasped, still on his hands and knees.

  “Why? Look at you. Helpless. Worthless.” Peter shook his head. “No wonder the army kicked you out. But you weren’t kicked out—my mistake. You were human scrap. They threw you in the junk heap and here you are.”

  I have to do something. The sight of John fighting against his pain gave Katie the strength to push past her fear. Her eyes darted around the room. If I can climb out the window, I can open the door for Koda—

  But her movement caught Peter’s attention. He raised the rifle. “Get out here. Right now. Sit on the couch or he’s dead. Move!”

  Gritting her teeth, she inched towards the couch. She had no choice.

  “And you.” Peter pointed the rifle at John again. “You get your sorry ass off the damn floor. And take this”—he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a roll of duct tape—“and tape up her hands behind her back. Do it or I’ll shoot her first.”

  As John struggled to his feet, Peter kept talking, enjoying the captive audience. Like any psycho. Katie forced herself to think how to use this to her advantage.

  Peter’s piercing black eyes watched her like a wolf observes its prey. A false smile crossed his face. “I’ve tried three times before to get to you. The first time—in the hospital—”

  “That was you?” Her every word was clipped, punching into the air.

  “No.” A grin lit up Peter’s face like a sallow candle in a dirty paper lamp, wide and open, showing his over-whitened teeth. “I hired someone that time, but you know what they say. If you want something done right, do it yourself. So—”

  “But why?” Sweat drenched her skin, as her nails dug into her palm. Calm down. She needed to keep him talking. Keep him distracted. “What have you got against me?”

  “Well, now.” Peter’s eyes glittered. “It’s not you personally, little lady. More like your father.”

  John stood up straight. He struggled to keep his balance, his expression calm, and gave her a faint nod. Keep talking, he mouthed.

  “My father? But he—he’s been nothing but kind to you! He welcomed you onto the ranch.”

  “Because he knew I could make things damn unpleasant for him if he didn’t.” Peter exuded cold malice with a tinge of arrogance. Perhaps he’d been a baby left to cry too often, or suffered from a personality disorder doctors couldn’t fix. Either way, he had as much empathy as a medieval mace.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Peter grinned. There was something feral about it, like the coyote she’d first mistaken him for. “He killed my father.”

  “You can’t really believe that, can you?” She struggled to keep her voice calm. “They were business partners! They started Three Keys Ranch together!”

  “Yeah. They sure did. But it didn’t end up that way. Mitch crowded him out of the deal. Took his money. Took everything. Left him out in the cold. My father died of a heart attack at the age of forty-one. The stress and the deception just killed him, no different than if he had pulled a gun on him.”

  “Not true! It’s not! I know that story. My father—”

  “Shut up, bitch!” Peter raised the rifle. “Your father killed him and now he’s going to pay. He’s going to know what it feels like to lose a family member. And he’s going to find it out today!”

  Her brain stalled. She couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “I tried myself when your father went into the hospital, and again when you drove out to the north pasture alone. But both times your attack dogs got in the way—one named Koda and the other John.” His smile was the creepiest thing about the entire situation. It didn’t fit their current circumstance, or the weird light in his eyes. He’s crazy. He’s totally gone.

  “You broke into the house. You thought I’d be there alone. And out at the pasture—what’d you do, shoot out my tire?”

  “Of course. And if that damn dog hadn’t been there, this would have been over already. Looks like the third time’s the charm, doesn’t it?”

  There was a crash as Koda threw herself against the door, barking wildly.

  “Damn dog. All right. You get over there and tape her up, like I said. Remember. Any trouble and I shoot her first, not you.”

  John took the duct tape and walked over to the couch.

  “You and I are gonna have fun, Katie,” Peter sing-songed. “We have unfinished business.”

  “You’re a fucking lunatic!” Spit built up in the corner of her mouth, muscles and veins straining against her skin.

  John’s hands directed her to stand up—and then, before any of them could blink, he threw the roll of duct tape right at Peter’s face.

  The man ducked but staggered back as the roll bounced hard off his head. In one move, John shoved her over the back of the couch so she fell to the floor, and launched himself at the man with the rifle.

  But Peter moved fast and stepped back. John caught him by one ankle and forced him to the floor.

  Peter struggled to bring the rifle up and turn it around as John strained to grab it, too.

  “I’ll open the door!” She scrambled to her feet. “I’ll open the door and let Koda in!”

  “You stay right there!” John yelled. “You stay there—trust me!”

  “Thanks, Army.” Peter had the upper hand when it came to leverage. She watched with horror as Peter brought the rifle around to point right at John’s face. “With you out of the way, I can finally finish what I started.”

  “Koda!” John yelled.

  The barking stopped.

  “Hopp Fenster!”

  Before her eyes, the window smashed into a shower of glass. A snarling brown blur launched at Peter, clamping its teeth shut on his arm, shaking it violently.

  John grabbed the rifle and aimed it at Peter’s head. “Koda! Come!”

  The dog let go. She went to John’s side, growling viciously, her eyes fixed on Peter.

  Slowly Peter got up to a halfway sitting position. “Fucking beast—”

  “Your turn for the duct tape.” John kept the rifle trained on Peter. “Take off the coat so I can search you.”

  “Sure, boss.” Peter grinned, his face white and his eyes glassy. “Anything you say.” He moved one hand under the coat and drew a small pistol from its fold. Before he could raise it, John fired—and Peter fell back with a jerk to the floor. In one fluid move, John snatched up the pistol, and cracked Peter over the skull with it. He slumped to the floor.

  “John. John! Are you all right?” Katie ran to his side.

  “Fine.” John’s hand tightened on her arm. “Guess there’s fight in this old man yet.”

  Katie could have cried. She shuddered, letting John pull her close. “Peter—”

  “Unconscious,” John growled. “He’s going to prison. This time, he’s going to pay for what he’s done.”

  She inhaled through her nose. “All th
is time . . . it was him. But now—between you and Koda—it’s over. It’s finally over.”

  John held her close. “You trusted me.”

  She raised her eyes to look at him. “I said so, didn’t I? You and Koda.” She stretched out her hand to stroke Koda’s body.

  John grabbed her hand. “Look,” he whispered.

  Her hand was red with blood. Koda lay on the floor with a sigh, looking extremely weak, barely able to lift her head.

  Chapter 28

  Koda. John slumped on the couch. I can’t lose you. He felt helpless.

  It had taken hours for the police to be finished with them, but he and Katie were finally back at the ranch. Linda was tending to Koda’s gunshot wound in the barn. The vet had taken one look at him and banished him to the house, saying the last thing Koda needed right now was stress—and he was radiating nothing but anxiety.

  He cradled his head in his palms and just sat there, not sure of what to say or how to feel. His muscles twitched, as if they were propelling him to grab his duffel bag, and leave the ranch once and for all.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  Katie’s voice. He looked up to see her scowling at him from the living room doorway.

  “You’re not going anywhere. And neither am I.”

  He smiled faintly. “When did you learn to read minds?”

  She folded her arms. “You’ve got that hiding look on your face again.”

  He winced. She had him. She was stubborn and he knew she wasn’t going to back down. Hell, he’d done nothing but square off with her since day one—and here she was, threatening—or was it promising?—to stay by his side. “Why would you want someone like me?”

  “Because I love you.”

  His head jerked up.

  She smiled at his surprise, reaching for his hand as she sat next to him on the sofa. “I was scared to death when you threw yourself between me and the gun. Scared I’d never get to tell you how I feel.”

  He stared at her fingers resting over his. His mind struggled to take in everything she had just told him. She loved him—all of him. She’d seen him break down, and instead of running, she only wanted to build him back up. She accepted all of him, broken parts included.

  He turned his hand, catching her fingers. A stunning realization swept over him, so powerful it felt like drowning. But even as he struggled to breathe, it was the best feeling he’d ever had.

  “I love you, too.” His voice broke. He couldn’t believe he was saying those words again.

  She nestled against him. “I know.”

  He offered a bemused smile, slipping an arm around her.

  “I just went to see Linda,” she said. “Koda’s out of danger. The bullet wound gave us all a scare, but Linda says it looked much worse than it actually was.”

  He breathed out. “And she couldn’t just say that?”

  “With you scowling at her like she’d personally hurt your dog?” She nudged him. “She wanted to make sure Koda got some rest.”

  The last of his tension melted away. “She’s really going to be okay?”

  “She’ll have stitches and need to rest, but she’ll make a full recovery.”

  Koda would never be the dog she was before the IED. But she’d adjusted to ranch life so well he couldn’t imagine being at Three Keys without her.

  He bit his lip. “You think your dad would take me back on? Not as foreman, but maybe—”

  She started to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You saved my life, John. You and Koda. Don’t you realize? As far as my dad is concerned, you’re a hero. He’d probably give you the ranch if you asked—though don’t get any funny ideas.” She dug his elbow into his side. “Three Keys is mine.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  She resettled against his side and closed her eyes, falling asleep in mere minutes.

  As he got up to place a blanket on her, he smiled. He loved her. Fiercely. And he didn’t want another day to go by without her in it. Which means it’s time to stop running from my problems. Watching her ride off alone in search of the missing cattle had been a slap in the face. He’d realized at that moment if he didn’t stop running, he was going to lose the most important person in his life. That had given him the strength to admit the extent of his brokenness to her. And now?

  John traced the curve of her face with his fingers, careful not to wake her. No more hiding. No more faking being all right. And no more running.

  • • •

  For the rest of the winter and into the spring, the horses and cattle and people of Three Keys Ranch thrived. The missing cattle were recovered safe and sound. Two more top-drawer stock horses joined those already in the barn. The new calves all hit the ground healthy and those from last year sold for excellent prices.

  Koda never left John’s side while he spent his days chasing after cattle, mending fences, and mucking out stalls. She even accompanied him to some of his therapy sessions with Dr. Evans. At night, the two of them curled up with Katie. They were a family, the three of them, and they would never be apart again.

  On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in mid-April—one of the few sunny days in Montana’s notoriously rainy spring—Koda ran up the front porch steps of the ranch house ahead of him. She barked at the front door.

  “Not so fast.” He adjusted his tie and shushed the dog.

  Koda cocked her head to one side as she looked up at him. Her tongue lolled out as she panted happily.

  He started to knock, and grinned when he realized Katie was already there waiting for him at the door. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled almost shyly at him.

  Her father was right behind her.

  “Ready?” Mitch asked.

  “Ready for what?” Katie asked. “Aren’t we stopping by your mom’s and then going to The Fieldhouse for lunch?”

  “Yes. That’s right. Lunch,” John said, trying to keep a straight face. “And I’ve never been more ready for anything in my life, although I have to say it’s scarier than being in combat.”

  Mitch laughed. “It’ll be a bigger adventure, I guarantee.”

  “What on earth are you two talking about?” she demanded. “Oh, never mind. It doesn’t matter. I just want some food. I’m starving!”

  “Right this way,” John said, and stepped back to pull the screen door open for her.

  “Have fun, kids,” Mitch said, with a wink.

  They climbed into his old truck and headed toward the main highway. A country song about love lasting forever played on the radio. John stole a glance at the woman in the passenger seat beside him.

  Appropriate.

  Over the winter, she’d supported him every day, helping him confront the many demons still haunting him. He’d struggled, but every time he’d felt hopeless, she reminded him he had a reason to stand his ground. As time passed, he’d become comfortable in the life he was leading—and she had joined him on that journey to find healing of her own.

  Before long, he pulled off the road and drove beside the stream they had discovered while moving some of the cattle to a new field a couple of months ago. It had quickly become their special spot. He saw a smile of delight as she recognized where he was taking her. He parked the truck and both of them got out. The bubbling of the water made the perfect background music as they walked to stand beside the stream.

  He leaned over to kiss her.

  “This past year, this place—this ranch—this home—has healed me in ways I never thought possible,” he went on. “You have healed me. I never would have believed that could happen, but it has.”

  He reached into his pocket.

  “I have something to ask you.”

  A tear ran down her cheek.

  He gently touched it away with his fingertip before easing himself onto one knee. “Katherine Locke. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Yes. Oh, yes, absolutely!” she cried, flinging her arms around him. Their lips me
t again.

  “And in case this isn’t enough,” he said, “I have one other surprise for you.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face the stream.

  “This place means a lot to both of us. And now it’s where we will build our home.”

  Her mouth parted and her eyes widened. “What?”

  He laughed. “Really? I have to spell it out for you? I bought the land, Katie. It’s ours. Our spot is now our spot.”

  “Oh, my God, John,” she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth once again. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe it!”

  “Believe it,” he said, laughing. “And of course, this moment wouldn’t be perfect without a certain someone for us to share it with.”

  He turned towards the truck. “Hey! Koda! Get your furry butt out here!”

  Koda leapt out of the back of the truck and raced toward the couple, barking happily as she barreled into their legs. They laughed as they fell to the ground, their limbs entangled with Koda.

  “This is our family now,” he said, gazing into her eyes. “You will always be safe, Katie. I promise you.” She bent her head to his and their foreheads touched. Koda gently poked her nose in between their faces to nuzzle them both.

  They remained beside the river for the rest of the afternoon, eating fresh cherries that stained their lips and pointing with reddened fingers at the land where their house would come into being, until the first twinkling star appeared in the Montana sky.

  Epilogue

  This is it. The real test. John grunted as he stepped out of the passenger side of the car and onto the quiet residential street. He placed his hands on the small of his back and arched it. The drive to Colby, Kansas had taken well over ten hours, with only a couple of short stops along the way. It had taken him far longer to build up the courage to make the trip at all. Working with Dr. Evans, really working with Doc, helped him find that courage.

  “Hey, now. The drive wasn’t that bad,” Katie said, sliding out of the driver’s seat.

  He rolled his eyes. “A roller coaster would’ve offered a smoother ride.”

  She pulled her cardigan tighter around her body. “I don’t think your truck would have made it out of Montana.”