After the Storm: Clean Historical Western Cowboy Romance Novel (Dawson Chronicles Book 2) (19 page)

It was a connection unlike anything they’d ever experienced and as they drifted down from the pinnacle together, an unbreakable bond formed, making them confident in their commitment to one another.  That night, as Renee lay in Tim’s arms, no nightmares tortured her.  His presence chased away the frightening images and kept them at bay until the sun came up.

              Raven hadn’t intended for so many people to go with him to South Dakota to look for Runner and he hadn’t planned on going on horseback.  His father had talked him into making the trek over the trail that way instead of taking a train or driving.

              “This will be the last time I will get to make such a journey, Raven,” Black Fox said.  “I know the way and I would like to experience this with you and some others.  There will be more of us to search and secure game as we go.”

              Looking into Black Fox’s eyes, Raven had responded to the longing in them and he hadn’t been able refuse such a request.  He thought back to his boyhood when they had traveled south every year and had attended the Sun Dances.  He missed those times and he’d grown excited at the prospect of sharing a journey like that again with his father.

              “Yes, Father.  I would like that very much,” Raven had said, grinning.

              Now, a few days after Tim and Renee’s wedding, he looked around at the large search party gathered and smiled.  His Uncle Owl, Mike, Uncle Striking Snake, Aunt Squirrel, Reckless, Marcus’ son, Eric, Jonathan, Skip, Dino, and Hailey were all assembled and ready to go. 

Raven hadn’t minded including some of the younger set since they’d never had a chance to go on a trip like this.  Skip had packed Dash down with the majority of the gear they would need since the mule could haul huge loads. 

Mules are hardier animals than horses, requiring less feed, able to withstand heat much better, and able to go long distances without water.  Rarely do they overeat or drink too much, which would result in foundering if they did.  They also have a higher sense of self-preservation and think about things more before deciding to do them.  While some of their training is similar to horse training, they require more patience, but once they learn something, they rarely forget it.

Skip understood all of this about Dash and his hard work and love in training his mule was evident in the way he obeyed Skip.  The boy constantly fussed over and talked to Dash, which made the mule willing to do what was asked of him.  Raven was glad to have such an animal along on the trip.

              They were seen off by their tribe and other family and friends who wished them good luck and promised to pray for a safe, successful trip.  As they rode out of camp, the group’s spirits were high and they looked forward to the journey with excitement and optimism.

*****

              Renee delivered drinks to a table and went back to the bar with empty glasses.  She’d thought she would be upset about not going on a honeymoon right away, but she found that she didn’t need that to be happy with Tim.  They’d decided to postpone it until next spring and she was perfectly content in her new life with Tim.

              During the day while he was working, she always had something to occupy herself with until she went to work at four Wednesday through Sunday.  Tim often came to the Watering Hole, dancing with her on her breaks and following her home after the night was over.  Jake closed the bar around eleven since it seemed that most of the crowd was gone by then.  Without being able to serve alcohol, the clientele had changed somewhat and most of them went home earlier since they had to work in the morning.  On her days off, Renee volunteered at the Reading Center and she and Tim had dinner with her family on those nights. 

              When the time for the rodeo came, she helped organize some of the events.  Joe and Cassie were impressed with her ideas and by the responsible way she carried out her duties.  The attendance was down a little from the previous year, but the influx of business was still substantial and everyone profited.

              That Thursday, Renee was on her way back to the bar to have Andy fill an order when she heard a coughing laugh.  She froze for a moment and then forced herself to casually look around as though checking for empty glasses.  At a table off to her right, two men sat together; one stocky with a reddish beard, the other taller and leaner. 

Renee saw the scar at the base of the bearded man’s throat.  A rush of fear and nausea hit her as horrible images assailed her mind.  Somehow, she managed to make it to the bar.  Andy was alarmed by her pale complexion and terror filled eyes.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, concern in his green eyes.

“I need someone to go give this note to my father,” Renee said.  “Don’t ask why.  Just please send someone quickly.  It’s very important.  Please?”

Andy took the note and said, “Sure.  I’ll go myself.”

“Thank you,” Renee said.

Andy let Jake know he was leaving and took off.  Renee went back to waiting tables, keeping an eye on the two men, who watched the dancing.  She also noticed that they watched her, which made it hard to act normally.  Two men came into the barroom that now doubled as a club house and walked past her.

One of them winked at her—she recognized him as Mitch.  He was dressed in jeans and an old button-down blue shirt.  However, he now sported a short beard and mustache.  The man with him was his son, Shawn, who wore a cowboy hat and mustache.  He also wore older clothing to blend in. 

They went back to the pool room and Renee waited five minutes before executing her part of the plan.  She took a deep breath. 
You can do this, Renee.  It’s time to exact your revenge and to put them where they can’t harm any more women.  You’re an actress so put on the performance of your life!

Going to their table, she smiled at them.  “Hello, gentlemen.  Are you enjoying the entertainment?”

The taller one just gave her a surprised stare, but the shorter one said, “Uh, sure.  There’s always good music here.”

His was the rough, gravelly voice from the night of her rape.  She worked hard to keep her smile in place.  “Yes, they do such a good job, don’t they?  Would you handsome fellas like more to drink?”  She gave them a sultry look.  “It’s very hot out.  I thought you might be parched.”

She watched with hate as the taller man’s eyes heated with hunger.

“Sure,” he said.  “Another sarsaparilla for us both.”

“I’ll be right back,” she said, moving off.

While she waited for Jake to give her the drinks, she composed herself again.  Renee used her hate for the men to fuel her determination to get through what was about to happen.  She returned to their table and put their drinks down.

“Would you like to play some free pool?” she asked, winking.  “I have some pull and they’ll let you slide if I ask them to.”

“Why would you do that?” the shorter man asked.

“When I meet fine men like yourselves, I always like to show my appreciation.  It’s time for my break.  I can’t make any wagers, of course, but I’m certain that I can beat you,” she said, smiling slyly.

The taller one said, “You’re on.”

She led them back to the poolroom, her heart pounding.  She kept reminding herself that Mitch and Shawn would keep her safe.  Entering the poolroom, she took down a pool stick and chalked it up while they did the same thing.

“What are your names, boys?” she asked.

The taller man said, “I’m Logan and this is Bret.”

“Nice to meet you boys in a proper setting this time,” she said.

Logan frowned.  “What do you mean?”

Renee smiled at him.  “Don’t play dumb, Logan.  I know who you are and you know who I am, too.”

Bret smiled.  “So you remember the good time we gave you, huh?”

“No, what I remember is that you beat the crap out of me and violated me,” Renee said.  “That’s what I remember.”

Logan said, “Shut up, Bret.”  He advanced on her, but she stood her ground.  “If I were you, I’d be careful what you say, little lady.”

“Or what?” she asked.  “You’ll give me more of the same?”

Bret sent her a malice-filled smile.  “That can be arranged.  We know where you live.”

“Shut your mouth, Bret!” Logan snapped. 

“What’s the matter, Logan?  Don’t you want people to know what a weak little man you are?  How it took two of you to rape a poor defenseless woman?  How much of a coward you are?”

Logan’s hand shot out, gripping her hard around the throat.  “I’ll show you that I’m all man, just like I did that night.”

He felt something grip his ankle and then his foot was yanked out from underneath him.  He fell down and found himself facing Mitch, whose eyes shone with fury.  The sheriff socked him in the jaw twice before rolling out from under the table.  While he’d been dealing with Logan, Shawn had come out from behind the opened poolroom door and had subdued Bret by grabbing a fistful of his hair and slamming his face down onto one of the pool tables.

Both men handcuffed their prisoner.  Renee strode up to them, her eyes blazing with rage.

“I’m going to tell everyone who will listen what you did to me and I’m going to testify in court.  I’ll help put your asses in the clink where you’ll never be able to hurt anyone ever again.  You picked on the wrong woman, you worthless, pathetic excuses for men.  And since I’m Joe Dwyer’s daughter-in-law, my word will carry a lot of weight.”

Logan blanched.  “You married a Dwyer boy?”

“That’s right.  I guess you hadn’t heard.  Like I said, you picked on the wrong woman,” she said and spat in their faces.

Mitch grinned.  “You did good, Renee.  We’ll meet you back at the office.” 

He and Shawn took the deviants out of the bar while people watched and murmured to themselves.  Andy came into the poolroom shortly thereafter to find Renee sitting on a chair, sobbing.  He went over to her, crouching by her.

“Renee, are you hurt?”

She shook her head as he put an arm around her.

Tim came in the bar and greeted Jake.  “Is everything all right?  I saw Mitch and Shawn hauling a couple of guys out of here.”

Jake knew that whatever had happened had something to do with Renee.  “I think Renee’s in the poolroom.  That’s all I know.”

Alarm shot through Tim and he raced back to the poolroom, spying Renee and Andy.

“Renee?  What happened?” he asked.

Andy rose and left the room to give them some privacy.

Renee cried harder when she saw Tim and he knelt and wrapped his arms around her. 

“Shh.  It’s ok now.  I’m here,” he crooned to her. 

His familiar embrace made her feel safe again and she raised her head from his shoulder.

“We got them, Tim.  We got the men who raped me,” she said.

Tim’s eyes widened in shock.  “They were here?  That was them with Mitch and Shawn?”

“Yes.”

As she explained the situation to him, anger gripped Tim, but he pushed it down.  It wasn’t the right time to talk about it.

“I have to go to the sheriff’s office to give my statement,” she said.

“I’ll take you.  You shouldn’t drive right now,” Tim said, getting off his knees. 

He kept an arm around her shoulders as they left the bar and got in his car.

*****

              As Tim listened to Renee’s story as they sat at the sheriff’s office, his anger grew hotter.  It was a good thing that Rick Westlake was helping at the office because Tim had tried to get back to the cells twice.  They’d had to subdue him and keep him away from there.

              Once Renee was finished, they quickly left the office before Tim grew even more agitated.  He was silent on the way home, his jaw working and his hands clenching on the steering wheel.  Renee let him alone, knowing that he was close to exploding. 

              “Go on in the house,” he said tersely once he’d pulled into the garage.

              “Tim—”

              “Please, Renee.  Go on in the house.”

              She exited the car and walked up to the house.  Back in the garage, Tim pounded repeatedly on the steering wheel until his hands were sore and his breathing ragged.  Even though he was furious with her, he hadn’t wanted to do that in Renee’s presence, afraid that he’d scare her.  Calmer, he went to the house, going straight for the whiskey on the mantel in the parlor and pouring a generous amount into a glass.  He gulped it down and poured more while Cora watched from where she sat on the sofa.

              “Does this have anything to do with Renee walking through here cryin’?” she asked.  “I couldn’t get her to talk to me.”

              Tim had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed her.  “Yeah.  I don’t wanna talk about it, either.  I’m too mad.”

              “Hmm.  And that whiskey is gonna do you more good than talking to me?”

              He let out a derisive snort and shook his head.  “Talking.  I wish my wife had talked to me.”

              Cora pursed her lips.  “I can’t help you if I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, Timmy.”

              “I’m talkin’ about tellin’ your spouse things that are really important instead of keeping them to yourself,” Tim said.  “Goodnight, Cora.”  He tossed back his second drink and then took his glass to the kitchen.