A Pair of Second Chances (Ben Jensen Series Book 1) (27 page)

... and Ben's head went back to spinning. He kissed her back, fanning that electric spark into an open flame. But something shook him inside, rattled him, and forced him to; at the same instant his hands started to reach for her... pull back. He took her shoulders again and held her away from him.

"Yeah I do. You're... well... your situation is tough. You're scared and vulnerable just now. It's not right that I take advantage of that. You don't need that." He released her shoulders and stepped back.

The sound of a ball hitting the wall, and a small boy giggling, came to them from around the end of the Lodge.

Amanda stepped up to where Ben had backed off, and put her hands on his shoulders. "Ben, you've been nothing but a gentleman. Relax. You've done nothing wrong. If anything, maybe I'm taking advantage of you!" she quipped. "We're all adults here so, maybe all I want right now is a man I can trust to be good to me... It's ok, really." Holding his shoulders she pulled herself up to give him another, quick, soft kiss. "Are we good?"

What could he say? "Yes Ma'am. We're good."

Timmy came running around the corner; "I caught it! I caught it! I threw it and bounced it up in the air and I caught it!" he giggled.

Both Ben and Amanda turned, self consciously away from each other as the giggling little boy ran up to them. He grabbed Amanda's hand and started pulling her toward the end of the Lodge. "Come see Momma come see! I caught it!" he laughed again. "You too Ben! Come see!"

They all laughed and teased as little Timmy tossed his ball at the wall, try after try. Amanda and Ben cheered mightily, every time he succeeded in catching the rebound. Finally, as the sun set and darkness advanced across the meadow Amanda called an end to the game and they all walked inside to have supper.

The laughter and ribbing continued on through the meal. When they'd finished, and the plates had been cleared, Amanda took Timmy in for a bath and put him to bed. Ben sat on a leather couch in the Great Room of the small Lodge, sipping a beer from a six pack he'd picked up on his way back, and weighing his options.

When she'd put Timmy to bed Amanda walked back out into the living room. "You mind if I have one of those?" she asked, pointing at Ben's LandShark.

"Help yourself! I can afford it now. I just came into a bunch of money!" Ben kidded.

When she'd gotten her bottle out of the refrigerator and returned to the Great Room, she stopped in front of the couch and asked; "You mind?"

Ben's thoughts had already drifted off again and he looked up not understanding; "Mind? What?"

"You're not going senile on me are you old timer?" she teased him. "The couch" she pointed; "You mind if I sit down?"

"Oh!... No..." Ben sat up straight. "No. That's... good... fine... sit! blahhhhh! I can't even talk any more!" He bawled.

"Ha ha! Don't worry about it" she advised; "I'm well known for having that affect on men!" As she sat down, she put her free hand on his leg and gave it a squeeze.

They sat quiet for a time, just looking out the big window on the front of the Lodge, at the silhouette of the moonlit mountains across the valley.

It was Amanda who broke the silence. "So... Ben... What do I do now. Where do we go from here? I mean, it's nice here and all. I love how peaceful it is here, and I feel safe, but, I can't stay here forever... What's the plan?"

Ben took on Amanda's more serious tone. "Been sitting here thinkin' that same thing. Thought on it all the way driving back up here from Columbus, but I'm pretty sure my answer is not gonna please you much."

"What? What are you thinking? I know we have to do... something... I'm listening." she replied.

"Here's how I think Amanda. Sitting and waiting is a poor defense. It gives all the power and advantage to the hunter. You sit too long you start getting careless, antsy. You make mistakes, and bottom line, you're a sitting duck. If somebody is looking for you, and you give him enough time, eventually, he'll find you. No. Just like an army, the best defense is an aggressive and violent... offense. "

"The source of this, difficulty, is in Chicago." He answered. "The only solution is for me to go to Chicago, and deal with the problem at the source."

"Go to Chicago?" Amanda took a drink from her beer, stood up and walked over to the window. She looked out for a long time, saying nothing.

Ben sat on the couch, looking at her, wondering what she was thinking.

Amanda turned her beer up and swallowed down its last. Without saying anything she turned and walked back to the couch, setting the empty bottle on the heavy log coffee table in front of it.

She stepped over and stood between Ben's feet and looked down at him. "If I heard any other man say such a thing I'd think it nothing but bar talk. A lot of boast and bull shit. You? I've learned to take you, at your word, and I'm pretty sure I can't talk you out of it. It scares me. Terrifies me. Do you think, going to Chicago, after him, when you're sure they're already looking at you for the shooting of his boys at Ennis, is a smart thing?"

Ben looked up at the woman looking down at him, and his heart skipped. He held his tongue for a moment, to be sure of his words.

"I have cash. So no paper trail. I'll pick up another throw away phone to communicate with, so no trail there. I have a car they can't trace to me, and looking at the registration, it's not titled to you either. I'm awake and paying attention. Risky? Yes. Crazy? Maybe. Options? I don't see one." he answered her question as honestly as he could.

Amanda lowered her chin to her chest, eyes closed and stood quiet in front of Ben. He sat just watching her.

After a minute she opened her eyes to look at him. She leaned over and put her hands on his shoulders, and lowered herself onto the couch, straddling him. Her eyes were locked on Ben's. It was as if he was held captive by her eyes.

Her lips near his ear she whispered; "You know what Ben. I just realized. You made me realize... that I've never made love with a man."

"Huh?" he replied, startled. "You told me you... you were a ..." his voice trailed off, unable to say that word to her.

"I was. I didn't want to be. I don't, want to be, ever again... but that wasn't love making, it was sex. Rape even. I've never been with a man I wanted to be with. Only, those I had to be, only the ones I was, forced to be... with... do you understand Ben?" her voice was almost pleading with him, begging him to comprehend what she was saying.

"I... do... Amanda... it's ok... you don't need to... you don't have to..." his voice trailed away again.

"For the first time in my life Ben, I know that." She whispered. She kissed his ear, his neck, and whispered to him; "For the first time in my life Ben... I ... get to choose."

Amanda pushed back from him, her eyes half lidded. She sat there for a moment just looking at him... the first man in her life, who hadn't just bought her, pawed her, and taken her like some animal. Then she pulled her sweater over her head, took his face in her hands, leaned in close, and touched off a fire in him with her kiss.

She leaned back slightly, still cradling his face in her hands; "And tonight, Ben Jensen, I choose you."

Chapter
28

When she opened her eyes and rolled over Amanda found herself lying in her bed alone. She sat up rubbing the sleep from here eyes, and wondering. She wouldn't believe he'd just leave.

Ben was standing at the kitchen table, sipping coffee from a cup, a road map lying on the table, his gear bag on the floor, when she walked in.

"Not very gentlemanly to leave a lady all alone, without even a good bye Cowboy!" she quipped as she walked up to wrap her arms around him and kiss him gently.

"I'm not gone yet lady." Ben replied; and you should know by now I'd not go without at least waving." he teased back.

Amanda poured herself a cup and took a sip before she asked; "When are you going to leave?"

Ben looked up from where he'd returned to studying the map; "This morning. The sooner I leave, the sooner this will all be settled, and I can get back to horses and cows."

"There's no other way? I don't like this Ben. Not even a little. Maybe, if Timmy and I just went where no one knows us, and hide. Change our names. Just disappear..." her voice trailed off.

"You really want to spend the rest of your life hiding girl? Looking over your shoulder? You want that for your boy? No. This has to have an ending. I only know one way to keep a rabid dog from biting people. You get rid of the dog. This is the only way I know."

"I'll take that red car, and leave the truck here. Be best if you don't use it much, and just stay out of sight as much as you can. The groceries I brought back with me should last you a couple weeks at least. There's that lil' grocery on the edge of Choteau if you do need something. Here's the number to the throw down phone I picked up for myself." He handed her a slip of paper.

"I'll leave the phone registered to me here..." Ben pointed to the phone laying on the counter; "just so there's no fool mistakes. If the cops checked it now it'd only show pings from Columbus to Choteau. I had the battery pulled the whole time I was off that track going to and coming from Ennis. There might be a hole in the record, but there's nothing they can fill that hole with."

"What say we have a nice breakfast, maybe take another walk with Timmy, before I pull out?"

"Hmmm... sounds good. But, it's still early. Not even six yet." Amanda walked over to him and pressed against him, hands on his hips. "Timmy won't be up for another hour, probably two. How about we... go back to bed till then old timer?"

"I suppose I could endure it, if I have to..." Ben teased.

"Really? It's that awful is it?" Amanda asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah... It's a tough thing for a man like me to endure, but I'll do my best." he said smiling at her, as she held his hand, pulling him back toward the bedroom.

An hour and a half later, when Timmy woke and joined them, they were back in the kitchen, fixing breakfast and sipping more coffee.

The three laughed and talked through breakfast and were just heading out for their walk when Ben's phone, lying on the counter started ringing.

Ben looked at it quizzically for a few seconds. The truth was he wasn't expecting any calls, and he seldom got any. It always seemed to startle him a bit when the thing rang. Now, with events unfolding as fast as they were, the damn thing ringing made his stomach churn.

He looked at Amanda as he picked it up, lifting his eyebrows in an; "I don't have a clue" gesture... until his eyes settled on the phone and he saw the photo of his daughter Karen on the caller ID screen. Something in his stomach turned over. Some invisible signal wrenched his gut.

"Hey Karen, What's up?" he tried to sound relaxed and casual, even though his guts, without explanation were in a knot.

"Daddy!" The sound in her voice sent ice running through his veins.

He heard some sort of scuffle; "No! Please...", Her words were cut off by the hard sound of a slap, as the phone was wrenched from her hand.

"Karen! What's going on?" Ben exclaimed.

"I'll tell you Mahn. Exactly what's going on. You just shut up and listen!" A man's voice, shrunk by the phone hissed through the speaker.

"Who the hell is this? Put Karen on!" Ben shouted back into the phone.

"I told you Mahn, to shut up! You want nothing to happen to your lil' girl, you do as you are told. You understand me?"

Ben was silent for too long, until the voice demanded again; "I said, Do you understand me fool?" He heard a scream from Karen come over the phone.

"Yes! I understand. What do you want?" Ben spit out.

"I want my bwoy! I want my money! and, I want that bitch! She belong to me! I get what I want, you can have your lil' girl back. I don't get what I want... We have some fun with this pretty white skettle...and then you don' get her back, ever! You understand?"

"Yeah, I understand what you're sayin'." Ben's hand shook in rage as he spit the words into the phone; "But you need to understand something too. I got your boy. I got your money... and... I ... have your woman. Anything bad happens to Karen, anything at all, YOU lose it all... Do YOU understand... Mahn?!"

Tyrone was silent for a moment. He was made a little unsure by the lack of fear in the man's voice. He was unused to people not being afraid of him. It was that fear that he used to get his way. He wasn't quite confident of his next step.