AlmostHome (20 page)

“Hell no but I’m the man. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”

It was Haley’s turn to snort. “Being a man ain’t got nothing
to do with it.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that right?” He ran his hand over
her ass, giving her a swat. “I reckon we’ll see about that once this is over,
Mrs. Brody.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I reckon we will at that.”
She’d no sooner spoken the words when one of the living room windows shattered
and a bullet embedded itself in the far wall. She swore fluently, using words
her husband had never heard her use before.

“Well, the hell with this,” Wyatt growled. “Dooley, take the
kitchen window. See if you can make out where the bastard’s hiding. I’m
thinking he’s gotta be out past the rise with the way he’s got the hands pinned
down. And I think he winged the new guy, Grady. I saw him go down. He hasn’t
moved, so I don’t know how bad he’s hurt. Need to get to him somehow. How much
ammo you got?”

“A box each,” Haley answered. “Didn’t think we’d need more.”

“A box each will do. I take it you know how to shoot that
thing.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “And then some.”

He gave her another hard kiss. “Y’all start kicking up some
dirt. I’m gonna sneak out the back and see if I can get Grady.”

Haley rose to her feet beside the window and waited until
Wyatt got to the kitchen door. With a nod to Dooley, she pivoted and laid down
a wide line of fire. Dooley held off for a heartbeat, waiting for return fire
then aimed and took several shots in a short arc. In the distance, a man
screamed. Off to the right, she saw Wyatt grab one of the cowhands by his
collar and haul him back toward the house. Instantly, she and Dooley let loose
a barrage of bullets guaranteed to keep their attackers at bay until Wyatt was
safe inside again.

In the distance, they heard the sound of approaching sirens.
Wyatt joined them and she looked him over to make sure he was all right. Thank
god. Everything would be all right now. Then she heard a whoosh and looked on
in horror as Grady hurled a lit Molotov cocktail into the kitchen. Hell had
officially taken up residence in Junction, Texas.

Chapter Fourteen

“Dooley!” Haley screamed as fire exploded in the kitchen.
The gasoline-filled bottle broke against the island, sending fire racing up the
solid wood cabinetry, the fumes catching to send flames blazing across the
ceiling. In a move that amazed Haley, the older man vaulted onto the sink and
leaped across the peninsula, rifle still firmly in his grasp.

Wyatt hauled her to her feet shouting, “We gotta get out
before the whole place goes up!”

Black smoke roiled, filling the room as he and Dooley
grasped her arms and the three of them burst through the door. They dropped to
the porch, rolled across the ground and took cover behind the rented pickup
truck. Another shot rang out, even as the sheriff’s cruiser turned onto the
ranch lane and Haley watched in disbelief as the man named Grady fell, the back
of his shirt blooming red with blood.

“Oh god, he shot him,” Haley moaned.

Wyatt pulled her against him, wrapping her in his arms as
the first of the sheriff’s cars skidded to a stop. “Don’t look, darlin’. Just
hang on to me. It’s gonna be okay, the cavalry’s here.” She clutched his shirt,
wanting more than anything to believe him. Her fists tightened in the soft
cotton fabric. “Conner. Oh my god, Conner.”

“It’s all right,” Lloyd Mattson said, appearing behind the
truck. “I sent two units over to the One-Eyed Jack. Highway Patrol’s setting up
roadblocks. With any luck we’ll catch the son of a bitch. Anybody hurt here?”

Haley sagged against her husband, weak with relief. “He shot
that man. He was working with him and he just shot him down for no good reason.
What’s wrong with people?”

“Come on, sweet pea, we gotta get away from the house.”
Wyatt helped her to her feet and Dooley led her away while Wyatt climbed into
the truck and moved it over by the barn. Moments later, the windows exploded
and flames gushed from the shattered openings. As fire trucks sped up the lane,
men began to appear from inside the bunkhouse and barns. One popped up from
behind a pile of firewood. Everyone was talking at once and Wyatt was nodding
and gesturing, doing his best to calm everyone down. Haley walked between the
sheriff and Dooley as they made their way toward Wyatt. The deputies scattered,
approaching the shooter’s nest with caution. Wyatt held out his hand when she
reached him and she took it gratefully. She smiled grimly as he introduced her
to the gathering as the new mistress of the Flying W.

“I was just telling the men everybody’s armed from now on.”
Haley nodded and he went on. “Anybody wants to leave, nobody’ll think any less
of him. I don’t expect anybody to take a bullet for me.”

His foreman, a barrel-chested bear of a man, stepped up to
stand beside Wyatt. “I ride for the brand,” he declared.

“So do I,” a blond, baby-faced cowboy declared.

In the end, not a single man elected to leave the Flying W.

Wyatt and Haley sat on the truck’s tailgate and watched as
the fire department struggled to put out the blaze. Neither was hopeful that
they’d be able to save much. Parts of the house were new, additions made over
the years to accommodate a growing family and Wyatt had remodeled and updated
the main rooms. But the fact remained that much of the house was built out of
century old wood and the flames roared and snapped, devouring decades of
memories in less time that it took to eat supper.

Glancing at this wife, Wyatt wrapped an arm around her.
“Here now,” he said, wiping her tears with his thumb. “It’s just a house, sweet
pea. Everything in it can be replaced.”

She shook her stubborn head. “Not everything.” She swiped
her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. “You grew up in that house. All those
pictures. Your daddy’s prized possessions. Your 1873 Winchester rifle. It’s all
gone and it’s my fault.”

Wyatt shook his head. “Now how do you figure that? If I
recollect correctly, you were with me when Grady set that fire.”

Haley glared at him through tear-swollen eyes and hopped off
the tailgate. She flung her arm out in the direction of the house.

“That house is burning down because of my family!” Her words
came out harsh with fury and remorse. She was taking on the responsibility for
everything that was happening and for the first time since all this had
started, fear knotted his belly. She took a deep breath and nodded once, as she
always did when she’d come to some decision or another. “This was a mistake. I
should never have married you.” She turned her back on him, spine ramrod
straight.

Wyatt couldn’t say he was surprised she’d gone there. Guilt
had been his wife’s bed partner for more years than he cared to think about.
Her conversations were laced with “I should haves” and “if onlys”. I should
have done better by Conner. If only I’d been a better daughter. If he could get
his hands on Kent Kilpatrick, he’d gladly kill the man with his bare hands.
Instead, he hopped off the tailgate and confronted her.

“That’s a load of horseshit and you know it,” he growled.

She spun around. “The hell it is. My father is responsible
for this and you damn well know it.”

“So what?” he shouted back, reaching for her.

She sidestepped him. “You are unbelievable. You don’t even
have the sense to see what’s right in front of you. My father will kill you,
Wyatt.”

“Haley—”

“No.” She ducked under his outstretched arm and ran to the
truck.

Before he could stop her, Haley was in the vehicle, the
doors locked. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he said, pounding on
the window.

Tears were coursing down her cheeks when she replied.
“Keeping you safe.” She cranked the engine and the truck roared to life.
“Goodbye, Wyatt.”

“Haley…” He swept his hat off his head and smacked it on his
thigh. “Damn it!” He stormed toward his own truck, cussing up a storm.
“Goddamned, hard-headed woman…keeping me safe…fuck that.” He passed Lloyd
Mattson, leaning against the fender of his cruiser, arms folded across his
chest, a shit-eating grin on his face and snapped, “What’re you looking at?”

The sheriff chuckled. “A fella getting ready to wrestle a
hundred-twenty-pound wildcat, unless I miss my guess.”

“Everybody’s a fucking comedian,” Wyatt snarled, climbing
behind the wheel. He gunned the engine, peeling out in a spray of gravel that
had Mattson sliding across the hood to avoid a pelting. “Ain’t so funny now, is
it Lloyd?”

* * * * *

Wyatt was close on Haley’s tail and grimaced when she
skidded to a stop and cut the engine. She vaulted from the truck. “Conner!” she
bellowed.

Just as her brother hobbled out of the bunkhouse, Wyatt
slammed his truck into park before launching himself from the vehicle.

“Go on back inside,” he roared. “Every one of you, or you’re
all fired.”

Haley threw her Resistol on the ground. “You can’t fire my
hands.”

He approached with a ground-eating stride. “The hell I
can’t. I’m your husband.”

She narrowed her eyes at him in a now familiar scowl. “Not
for much longer you ain’t.”

“Bullshit.” He grabbed her wrist and yanked, bending to toss
her over his shoulder.

“What the hell?” Conner called.

Haley pounded on Wyatt’s back. “You let me down, Wyatt
Brody. Conner, pack your shit, we’re getting the hell outta Dodge.”

“I ain’t letting you down and you ain’t going nowhere. Go on
back inside Conner.” He stomped up the steps, nodding at the deputy sitting in
the rocker. “You’re liable to hear a ruckus but I ain’t gonna hurt her.”

The deputy nodded, then got up and opened the door for him.
“Carry on then.”

“Ohhh,” Hailey yowled as Wyatt stepped across the threshold.
“I’m so gonna kick your ass.”

“You keep on thinking that, sweet pea.” Wyatt chuckled.

When he walked by the kitchen island toward the stairway she
latched onto the underside of the granite slab and hung on with all her might.
He staggered and she took the opportunity to wriggle free.

“Ha,” she crowed, skittering around to the far side of the
island. “I ain’t some delicate little thing you can manhandle like a doll. I
fight back.”

That was more like it. She was spitting mad but she wasn’t
worrying about anybody trying to kill him.

Wyatt grinned. “I can see that, sweet pea. And I gotta say,
I like a woman with a little fight in her.” He edged toward her and she
countered his move, picking up crystal vase of wildflowers to hurl at him. “You
throw that thing and hit me, I’ll tan your hide, woman.” She simply snorted and
lobbed the heavy vase at him. It shattered against the tile backsplash behind
him. “If you were a better aim that could’a been my head.” He grinned again.
“You’re just asking for it, darlin’.”

“In your dreams, asshole.” She grabbed the wooden pepper
grinder and hurled it at him.

From his spot on the sun porch, Scuzz screeched and
squawked, “Kick him in the balls, kick him in the balls.” Clearly, the bird
knew the sound of a brawl when he heard one.

“Excellent idea,” Haley said, eyes narrowed. “Maybe I’ll
kick your balls up to your throat.”

Wyatt laughed then launched himself up and over the top of
the island, pinning her to the cabinet. “Now then, you were saying?”

Oh, the look on her face was priceless. She was shocked and
at the same time pissed as a cornered rattlesnake. But judging by the way her
eyes dilated, she was aroused too. He gave her a pointed smile and figured he’d
stir her up a little more by pressing is groin against her. The hard bulk of
his cock nestled against her mound and her eyes widened.

“You’re gonna take them duds off when we get upstairs, sweet
pea.” Her jaw dropped and she gave him a venomous one-eyed squint. “Unless you
don’t mind ‘em being torn.”

“I. Will. Not.” Her teeth clenched as she spoke but her
breath came fast and shallow and her nipples suddenly bloomed into hard little points.
Definitely aroused.

“Well, I hope that ain’t one of your favorite shirts,
darlin’,” he drawled, taking her wrist in a firm grasp.

He took the stairs two at a time, pulling her behind him,
and didn’t stop until he had her in the bedroom with the door securely locked.
He spun her around and backed her up until she fell back onto the bed, then
began to unbutton his shirt.

“You need help with your boots?”

She was laying on the bed, propped up on her elbows.
“Sure…darlin’…do help me with my boots.” A smug smile curved her lips.

Wyatt stifled a laugh. His adorable little wife thought she
was clever did she? He leaned down to help her with a boot, catching her foot
when she kicked at him. With a fluid motion, he rolled her onto her belly and
carefully kneeled across her thighs. He gave her good, hard swat on the ass
while he was at it. She uttered a little screech of outrage but he made short
work of her boots anyway. He flipped her onto her back.

“I will not have sex with you,” Haley said between clenched
teeth.

Wyatt smiled and shrugged. “You don’t have to have sex with
me but I’m thinking you’ll change your mind soon enough. Of course, that’s
after I warm that sweet bottom of yours.”

Wyatt’s cock swelled and pressed hard against his zipper
when Haley’s nostrils flared. Jesus he was the luckiest man alive. He’d always
wanted to play around with erotic spanking but he’d never had the nerve to ask
a woman to play those kinds of games with him. From all appearances, his wife
was more than willing.

She practically hissed at him. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Wyatt snorted. “Of course I would,” he said, and reached for
her.

* * * * *

Holy crow, he meant to spank her? She squinted an eye at him
and practically dared him to do it. What the hell was wrong with her? She
shouldn’t want this, shouldn’t be turned on by it but when he leaned over her
and gave her shirt a yank, her panties immediately dampened. Buttons pinged off
the walls and then the clasp on her bra snapped.

Haley tried to stifle a moan when Wyatt grabbed the waistband
of her jeans and hauled her to her feet.

“You are not leaving me, Mrs. Brody,” her husband said
fiercely. “If I have to keep you on your back with my cock buried inside you
twenty-four hours a day, you are not leaving me.” He flicked open the button on
her jeans and slowly unzipped them. “Now, unbuckle my belt and undo my pants.”

Haley swallowed hard. Heaven help her but this was the most
erotic experience of her life. Wyatt was determined to have his way and she had
no doubt he would. Or that she would obey his every command. She opened his
pants. He lowered them, along with his boxers, then sat on the bed to remove
his boots and socks.

“Get those britches and panties off.” His tone dared her to
disobey.

Suddenly Haley felt more self-conscious than she’d ever felt
in her life. Wyatt was taking things to a whole new level, farther than he’d
taken them in their fancy Las Vegas hotel room when he’d talked dirty to her.
She took a deep breath and shoved her jeans and panties down, stepping out of
them.

“That’s my good little wife,” he told her. She could hear
the arousal in his voice. If he’d been serious about the good little wife
comment she would have happily castrated him. But he was a hot as she was,
maybe more. He scooted back on the bed and crooked his finger at her. “Get on
up here and lay yourself over my lap.”

“Wyatt—”

“Uh-uh, darlin’. I told you this was gonna happen and I’m
nothing if not a man of my word. Now you tip that pert little bottom over my
lap and do it now.”

Haley was practically vibrating with anticipation when she
climbed on the bed and stretched out over her husband’s lap. She gasped when
one hand caressed her ass then moved to adjust her legs just the way he wanted
them.

“You do have a first rate ass, wife, and I’m gonna enjoy
warming it for you.” He caressed her again, letting his hand glide between her
parted thighs to delve and tease. She couldn’t help it, she moaned. “Mmm-hmm,
that’s what I thought. You’re soaking wet, darlin’.”