Valle : Book 2 of the Heku Series (18 page)

Jeff pulled his mare up beside Emily, “You always this cranky or just when you’re knocked up?”

Emily turned and glared at him, “Are you always an asshole or just... oh wait… never mind, must be all the time.”

Jeff grinned at her, “You all talk or are you as tough as you act, Tiny?”

“It’s Emily.” She scowled at him.

“Yes I know.” He was still grinning.

She looked back toward the path she was following, “Are you just here to irritate me or did you want something?”

“Oh I want something,” he said, and she could feel his eyes on her again.

She glared at him, “Why don’t you go away?”

“Whooo eeee. How I love me a red head,” Jeff said, and pulled his horse closer to Emily.

She tried to ignore him and just focused on the sound of the wind through the trees, but then he kept talking.

“If you ever get lonely in that bunkhouse, I’m in the one next to yours. I bet you could use a real man to roll with,” he said, pulling his horse away from her and galloping toward the ranch house.

Emily shuddered and wrinkled her nose. She suddenly missed Chevalier. He’d never treated her like an object, never treated her as if she were good for only one thing. She felt her eyes filling with tears again as she thought of him, the way he wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head. She missed the way he chuckled at her temper or got angry when she escaped. Things that irritated her a few days ago were now something she missed.

A sound off into the trees made Emily stop and turn. She watched the trees, sure she’d heard someone hiss. After a few minutes of scanning the woods, she kicked her horse and headed back to the ranch.

***

“What is she doing in New Mexico?” Chevalier asked when Storm told him about her flight.

“I don’t know. It took me a week just to find out where she’d flown to.” Storm looked down at the manifest.

Chevalier sighed, “Anything else?”

“Nothing, Sir. I’ve called every taxi company in Albuquerque, and no one matching her description got a ride from the airport.” She watched him for a second, and then left his office when he didn’t answer.

Chevalier stared down at his little silver phone. He warned everyone not to use it. He wanted it available for Emily if she ever decided to call again. He was watching it when it began to ring and vibrate across the table.

“Emily?” he answered.

Her voice was timid and soft, “Hi.”

“Please, tell me where you are,” he begged.

“I can’t, Chev, this is safer. I just…. I just wanted to hear your voice.” She sounded scared and alone.

“I miss you.”

It was silent for a few moments while she composed herself, “I miss you, too.”

“Come back, we can work on this. It was one accident.” His voice was panicked. He wasn’t used to being out of control, but she held the reins on this one. She had to initiate the phone call, she knew how to get in touch with him, and he knew nothing, which infuriated him.

“Only one innocent life taken by me, is that what you’re saying?” She tried to sound mad, but wasn’t able to pull it off.

“We can work on this, together,” Chevalier said, and then growled when he heard the click of the disconnected line.

***

Emily ducked into the chicken coup. She’d forgotten how much she hated chickens as she booted the hens off of their nests and gathered the eggs. She already had a routine, and her aunt and uncle stopped asking her personal questions and just let her get on with her life.

Jess hooked Emily up with an obstetrician in town, and she had an appointment that morning. She already came up with a lie for the doctor, so he wouldn’t need to contact Dr. Edwards for her records. She had to be careful not to lead Chevalier anywhere near New Mexico.

“Emily! Come on, you’re going to be late,” Pat called from outside.

Emily grabbed the basket of eggs and ducked out of the small coup. She handed the basket to Jess, who was waiting by the truck for them.

“Ok, I’m ready,” she said, and crawled into the truck with Pat. He offered to drive her in to the doctor because she didn’t have a car yet.

The doctor’s office was small and quaint and smelled like disinfectant. Emily filled out form after form, making sure her previous address was listed in Montana, and her previous doctor listed as deceased. It seemed macabre to her, but she couldn’t risk it.

“Emily?” she heard the nurse call, and she smiled at Pat before following the nurse into the room.

The nurse was quiet and efficient and didn’t ask many questions. She took Emily’s blood pressure, frowned, took it again, and then weighed Emily as she blushed.

The doctor was pleasant. He was older and had a twinkling smile. He glanced over her chart carefully then sat down.

“It’s very good to meet you, Emily. I was surprised when Jess called and told me about you.” He smiled at her and she instantly liked him.

“Yeah, it was unexpected.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“Your blood pressure is running high, have you had that problem?” he asked, concerned.

“No,” she lied.

“We’ll keep an eye on it. I see your due date is still two months away?”

“Yes”

“That’s one big baby then.” He smiled warmly. She loved to watch his eyes, and the way they twinkled when he spoke.

“Big Dad,” she said, looking at the ground.

“Is the Dad around?” he asked as he poked around her belly.

“No,” she replied, and then turned her face away from him.

“I see. Any complaints? Complications? Anything out of the ordinary?” he asked, sitting down with her chart.

“Not really.”

“Ok, all looks well then. I’ll want you back in a week. I want to keep track of the size of that baby. If it gets much bigger, we’ll have to deliver early.” He sounded like it was no big deal, but Emily’s insides turned.

“Early?” Her voice was shaky.

“Yes, if he gets too big, it’ll make the delivery difficult. It’s purely routine.” She believed him when he smiled.

Emily nodded, she suddenly wasn’t sure she could do this alone.

“Next week then?” the doctor asked, shaking her hand.

“Sure, next week.” She slipped off the table and met Pat in the front office.

They drove in silence for a while before Pat spoke, “How’d it go?”

“Fine, baby’s too big, though, so I have to come back next week,” Emily said, looking out the window.

“Maybe the baby’s not big, maybe you’re just small.” He laughed.

Emily didn’t respond. Her mind was miles away on a small island in the Atlantic.

***

“Get the Encala on it if you have to. That’s their area… tell them to sniff her out,” Chevalier said angrily.

“Chevalier!” Kyle yelled. “We can’t do that and you know it.”

“I just don’t see how a small mortal woman can elude the Equites like this. How many are in New Mexico now?”

“We have just over fifty of them out looking for her. There are a lot of open spaces, it’s not easy.” Kyle reminded him.

“Maybe it’s time to get some information out of Sam,” Chevalier said, looking at Kyle.

“I’ve tried, he won’t talk,” Kyle told him, and threw his arms in the air.

“Then maybe it’s my turn,” Chevalier said with a malicious look.

***

Emily laid down in the dark bunkhouse and listened to the strange sounds around her. She missed the sound of the ocean and the smell of the salty air. She turned to her side and curled up with the pillow. For hours, she tossed and turned, and began to think she forgot how to sleep. When she did finally fall asleep, she was plagued by dreams. Dreams where she died in childbirth and the baby was left with Jeff.

She started the morning off the same as every morning for the past four weeks. She got up, showered, ate a bowl of cereal, and then went out to collect eggs, feed the horses, and then milked the two dairy cows that were on the ranch.

She enjoyed milking the cows, much more than anything to do with the sheep. Emily thought the sheep smelled badly and were profoundly stupid. She missed her cows, but tried not to think about it too much. It was awkward milking, though. She sat on the low stool, and then had to reach around her large stomach to even get to the cow. There was a small barn cat that came to meet her each morning.

“Open up,” she said, and squirted milk directly into the cat’s mouth.

She laughed when the cat caught a mouthful, and then pawed at the few drops that had landed on his whiskers.

“Oh, so you can laugh,” Jeff said from behind her.

Emily ignored him and kept milking the cow.

“Been thinking about you, Teeny,” Jeff told her, now directly behind her. He reached down under her arms and pulled her off the chair.

“Get your hands off of me, Jeff,” Emily said, turning on him.

His grin widened and he stepped toward her. She stepped back, watching him, but was soon stopped by the barn wall at her back.

“I know you have a thing for me, Shortcake,” he said, and put his hands on the wall by her shoulders.

“In your dreams.” She tried to get out from his arms, but he stopped her with his body.

Jeff grinned at her, “You must be pretty lonely without your husband around.”

Emily brought her knee up hard, but he dodged her and laughed.

“You can fight me, but I know you’ll love it,” he said, and ran the back of his hand down the side of her breast.

“If you want to keep that hand, I suggest you get it off of my wife.” The voice came from behind Jeff and he spun.

Chevalier and Kyle walked into the barn and Emily gasped, wide eyed.

“She apparently don’t want you no more,” Jeff said, clenching his fists. “That makes her free game.”

“Don’t make me hurt you, Boy,” Chevalier said, taking a step toward Jeff. Jeff was a lot shorter than Chevalier but solidly built. He didn’t back down as the heku approached him.

Jeff took a swing at Chevalier, but he dodged it and brought his knee up into Jeff’s stomach. Jeff dropped to his knees, gasping for breath.

“I warned you,” Chevalier said, watching Jeff on the ground.

Emily watched it all and she wasn’t sure what to do. Part of her wanted to nab a horse and run, but part of her wanted to feel his arms wrapped around her.

Jeff finally managed to get to his feet, and he took another swing at Chevalier. Chevalier caught Jeff’s fist in his hand and clenched it. Jeff screamed when the bones in his hand began to break.

“Chev, stop!” Emily screamed at him.

He dropped Jeff’s hand and looked at her. As soon as Jeff was free, he ran from the barn.

Kyle walked toward Emily while Chevalier stayed at the door and looked at her.

Emily blushed and brushed the hay off of her clothes. She’d started wearing old blue coveralls that were several sizes too big for her, but ones she didn’t mind getting dirty. Her boots were caked with manure and she was sure she smelled like the sheep.

Kyle hugged her tightly, and she buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

“Come back with us,” he asked.

“I can’t,” she whispered, not letting go of him.

Jeff appeared in the other doorway with four of the ranch hands, “It’s time you fella’s left,” he said, holding ice in his broken hand.

Kyle glanced up at Chevalier, and then headed for the five men. He grabbed Jeff hard by the arm and threw him out of the barn, following him out.

Chevalier and Emily were now alone. Neither of them knew what to do or what to say. Both wanted to run to the other, but neither of them moved.

“You look good, Em,” Chevalier said finally.

She looked down at herself and cringed, “You too,” she whispered and finally looking up at him. The sight of him made her heart ache.

“What can I do to get you to come back with us?” he asked and took a step towards her.

“I told you, I’m too dangerous to go back,” she said softly.

“That’s not true. I got some information from Sam, and we can work around this,” Chevalier said as he approached her. He reached out and took her hand in his.

“I killed an innocent man, Chev.” She looked at his hand, afraid to meet his eyes.

“It wasn’t your fault. I should have realized that you might affect the process.” He took her other hand in his.

“What else do we not realize about me that might hurt someone else?”

“Come home,” he said. Chevalier lifted her chin with his hand so she had to look at him. Her piercing green eyes sent a panic through him, what if he never saw them again?

“I can’t risk it,” she told him, and looked deeply into his eyes.

“There is no risk.” He brushed his lips softly against hers.

Kyle stepped in, grinning, and Chevalier glared up at him.

“Sorry, Chief,” he said, stopping where he was. He quickly backed back out of the barn.

“Emily…” Chevalier was cut off by a younger, higher pitched voice behind him.

“He bothering you?” Pat asked nervously. Pat was only sixteen, and he was scrawny and much shorter than Chevalier.

Chevalier turned on him angrily, but his posture changed when he saw that the boy was only worried about Emily’s safety.

“It’s ok, Pat... this is my husband,” Emily assured him.

Pat looked around nervously. He obviously wanted to leave, but part of him was afraid to leave Emily alone with this large man.

“Umm... ok well… I’ll just wait here,” he said finally, and he looked at Emily to avoid Chevalier’s gaze.

“No, Pat, really, go back inside. I’ll be in in a minute.” She smiled at him, and he finally left.

Chevalier knew he couldn’t force her to leave. He could physically, but he’d risk hurting her in the process. He moved back toward the door slowly, watching her and wondering if he would be able to live without her.

Emily hesitated, and then ran into his arms. She felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her, and she buried her face in his chest and cried. She realized she’d been crying a lot lately, but these tears she couldn’t stop.

“I can’t go back,” she whispered before pressing her lips to his briefly.

“You don’t belong here, you belong with me,” he said, and stared into her eyes.

She shook her head, “It’s too dangerous.”