Seeking Safety (10 page)

When Barry steps forward and greets the older
man, I realize they are old friends. He briefly encloses the man in
a warm embrace and then plants a warm kiss on the woman's cheek.
Barry introduces Bud and Mary Wilkes to Virginia, me and Michael.
Then Bud introduces Barry to the two other cowboys, Jorge and Gus.
The two wranglers followed Bud in the gate in a rusty red pickup
pulling a second horse trailer. Bud tells Barry the three of them
will handle the new cattle operation and will live together in the
small caretaker cottage and attached bunkhouse.

When the other members of the Drake Security
team come down the stairs from the second story of the barn to
assist in unloading the horses, I am shocked by their
transformation. I feel like I have fallen into a movie set. They
are all dressed in well worn jeans and muddy boots with cowboy hats
covering their heads. I would never have recognized them.

Eric says excitedly, "Wow, Mom, look at the
guys! They look like real cowboys!"

Barry walks up beside me and drapes his arm
casually around my shoulders, "Impressive, aren't they?" he asks
smiling.

At Barry's touch, warmth flows down through
all of my limbs. I look up into his smiling face and nod, "Very
impressive."

He takes my hand and leads me, Virginia, and
Michael back into the house. He briefs us on the guests for dinner.
In addition to Bob Kenner and the members of the Drake Security
team, the new foreman and his wife will be joining us. He explains
that Bud Wilkes was a Marine for over twenty years and has worked
with him and the other guys on several of their operations over the
years. This position is perfect for him since he has worked on
ranches across the southwest most of his non-military life.

Dinner that evening is an interesting affair.
Michael is thrilled to be surrounded by real cowboys and is looking
forward to learning to ride and rope. It is already obvious to me
he is going to love being on the ranch. He is happier than he has
been since leaving the compound and I am already dreading when I
have to take him back to New York City. He was never happy in the
city with all of the people, the gangs, and the drugs. Michael is a
good kid and I want to instill in him the values my parents had
tried to instill in me when I was growing up and it will be
extremely difficult if we continue to live in New York City.

It doesn't take long for me to realize that
Barry's Mom, Virginia and Bob Kenner, the foreman from the ranch
next door are attracted to each other. They keep sharing secret
smiles and he was holding her hand when they came out of the
kitchen. Seeing the two of them holding hands causes a happy memory
to flash across my mind and I wonder if my parents are still
holding hands when they walk together. It is one of the happiest
memories I have about my childhood. I know I broke my parent's
hearts when I ran away from home. I have often wondered if they
would want to see me again. Once again I regret the decision I made
so many years ago to run away from home. My life was irrevocably
altered that day.

Halfway through their meal, Scoot's cell
phone rings and he quietly steps out of the dining room to take the
call. When he steps back in the room he signals Barry to join him
in the study.

As they step into the study, Barry asks
curiously, "Scoot, is something wrong? Who was your call from?" His
heart is pounding with apprehension.

Scoot explains, "My call was from my contact
at the FBI. He told me that Melanie's apartment in New York was
broken into early this morning and ransacked. The neighbors told
him that two rough looking men were asking a lot of questions about
Beth and Michael and were referring to them as Melanie and Eric.
From what he could find out, the men were told that Beth and
Michael left by limousine before daylight this morning. It sounds
like her cover has been blown and they may suspect that she and the
boy are here on the ranch. Do you think we should tell her or wait
and see what develops?"

Barry's heart is pounding with apprehension.
"Damn! That really doesn't sound good. Thank God they are here at
the ranch. They'll be safe here. I really hate to upset her until
we know something for sure. Are they going to check for finger
prints and DNA in the apartment? Maybe we should wait until we know
for sure they were members before we tell her. It could have just
been a couple of thugs."

"They are checking for finger prints. But
from what he tells me, they are pretty sure the two were members of
the group. Don't forget they were asking questions about Melanie
and Eric." Scoot replies.

"That's true. Did he say why they think the
group is looking for Melanie and Eric?" asks Barry.

"He said he was looking into that. He doesn't
know yet." Scoot answers.

"We better tell her. I'll go and get her."
Barry walks back into the dining room and quietly asks me to join
him in the study.

My heart is pounding with dread. Oh God,
something bad has happened. When I walk into the study I see Scoot
standing by the window and I nervously ask, "What is it? What's
happened?"

Scoot responds, "Beth, I had a call from the
FBI a few minutes ago. Your apartment in New York was broken into
this morning shortly after you left for the airport. It was
ransacked. Several of your neighbors reported that two rough
looking men were asking a lot of questions about you and Michael.
At least one of your neighbors told them you left before daylight
this morning in a limousine. The men were referring to you as
Melanie and Eric."

I sink down in a chair in front of the desk.
I look up at Scoot, panicked, "Oh my God, what if we had still been
in the apartment? Do they know for sure who it was?"

Scoot responds, "They think they were members
of Calloway's group."

"Why? What are they after?" I am stunned. Why
would they be looking for us?

Scoot answers, "The FBI told me they don't
know yet. They are looking into it now."

Barry interjects, "Let's be thankful that you
weren't at the apartment, or even still in New York. You'll be safe
here."

I nod my head in acknowledgement. I saw the
razor wire around the top of the fence when we came through the
front gate. I also saw the armed guards. Barry has definitely
beefed up security here at the ranch. I feel sure we will be safe
here.

******

Later that night after everyone has retired
to their rooms I walk out onto the stone patio in back of the house
and find Barry sitting in a wooden swing staring up at the sky
sprinkled with what looks like thousands of stars.

I approach him, "Hey, I thought you went to
bed."

Smiling up at me he replies, "I could say the
same to you."

Laughing I reply, "I couldn't sleep. Do you
mind if I join you?"

Sliding to the side of the wooden swing Barry
invites, "Please do."

"I really like Bob Kenner. He appears to be a
really nice man. Your Mom seems to like him too," I offer as a
conversations starter.

"Yes, I'm really happy for her. She deserves
to be happy," answers Barry. "Mom has been alone for much too long.
My father left us when I was only nine and Mom had to work three
jobs just to keep food on the table."

We spend a few minutes discussing dinner and
the other guests.

Then I say, "I am just so thankful we had
already left the apartment this morning. I can't bear to think
about what could have happened if we had still been at the
apartment. I just don't understand what they want. Why would they
go to so much trouble to track us down in New York City? How did
they even know where we were living?"

Barry replies, "I can't answer those
questions. I'm sure the FBI will let you know as soon as they
figure out what those men are after. You will be safe here. Scoot
and the other guys will protect you." Then turning toward me and
placing his arm along the back of the swing he asks, "Beth? Would
you mind if I kiss you?" His curiosity about their sexual
attraction has gotten the better of him and he has to know if it is
the real thing.

I smile, "Are you always so hesitant with the
women you kiss, Mr. Movie Star?"

Smiling back he says, "No, but they don't
usually have your history. I'm not sure how you feel about intimacy
after ..."

"It's all right Barry. I'm not afraid of
you." I lift my face to his. My heart is pounding with
anticipation.
Oh God! Barry Farrady is going
to kiss me!

He moves his arm from the back of the swing
to my shoulder and pulls me close against his chest. I can feel his
heart pounding with excitement beneath my hand on his chest. Then
he places the palm of his other hand on my cheek and slowly lowers
his lips to mine. He barely brushes his lips against mine and the
electric zing that I am coming to expect zips through my veins and
I hear his sharp intake of breath telling me he feels it too.. He
slowly he increases the pressure of his lips until I moan. He pulls
me closer nibbling at the corners of my lips, and then he pushes
his tongue past my lips into the deep recesses of my mouth. I hear
a moan rumble up from deep in his chest. He takes his time tasting
every corner, every crevice, drinking deeply of my warm
sweetness.

With the first brush of Barry's lips against
mine, I am lost, all of my senses fly right out of my head and I
feel as if it is spinning out of control with feelings and
sensations unknown to me. I raise my hands to his chest then wrap
one around his neck where I tangle my fingers in the hair at his
nape. When his tongue pushes past my lips into my mouth, I think I
am going to faint. I am dizzy with sensation. All I want is to get
closer, to crawl right inside of this man. I tug on his neck
pulling him even closer.

After several long minutes, Barry drops his
hand from my cheek down to the graceful curve of my neck and then
follows his fingertips with his lips. He is breathing heavily and
hears my breathing is just as ragged. He pulls my head to his chest
and slowly our breathing returns to normal. "Oh Beth, I knew we
were going to be explosive, but this is unbelievable!" He holds me
in his arms for several long minutes without talking. Finally he
says, "Come on, I better walk you back to you room. As much as I
would like to take this further, I think it is too soon, for both
of us."

He grasps my hand and pulls me up from the
swing. Then hand in hand we make our way back inside the house each
lost in our own thoughts. At my door, Barry tenderly brushes his
lips against mine, "Goodnight, Beth, sleep well." Then he turns and
makes his way up the stairs to the master suite.

A short time later, as Barry is standing
under the icy cold spray of his shower, he thinks back over the
kiss he shared with Beth on the patio. He can't ever remember any
kiss that was as explosive. He has had his pick of women for years
now, and he has sampled a good number, but he has never reacted to
any of them the way he did with Beth. That one kiss carried him
almost to the brink of no return. His control has always been
something he has been proud of, that he could walk away at any time
without regrets. Much more tonight and he wouldn't have been able
to walk away from Beth. He needs to slow down and make sure about
this whole thing before he gets in too deep.

******

As I am lying in my bed later that night, I
relive the kiss I shared with Barry. It was the most exciting and
sensual experience of my life. I want to engrave every second of it
on my mind because it may be all I ever have. Darren kissed me, but
he never created the feelings of excitement in me that Barry's one
kiss did. Wow!

I know in my heart that a relationship with
Barry Farrady is impossible. Even if he could actually care for a
plain, unsophisticated woman like me, I cannot ever let myself
become involved with him. He lives in the public eye and his
picture along with whoever he is with appears in magazines on every
newsstand in the country. Appearing on the cover of even one of
those magazines would put me and Michael in grave danger and might
even mean death for me and maybe even my son. The fact the group
tracked us down in New York City is proof of that. I just can't
take that chance.

The following Saturday night, Barry,
Virginia, Michael and I all travel through the private gate to the
Murray's home for dinner. It doesn't take Michael long to make
friends with Dani Jacob Murray's daughter. Michael has been very
lonely since leaving the compound so I am glad to see him open up
to Dani.

I am pleased to meet Jana and Jenny Murray.
It is nice to have someone near my own age to talk to. It is also
nice to know that I am not the only one whose previous life was not
story book perfect. My heart bleeds for Jenny when she tells me
about losing her first child in an automobile accident that took
the life of her first husband and almost took hers. When Jana tells
me about nearly being killed by a mob assassin it makes me realize
how lucky I am to be under the protection of Barry and his friends
from Drake Security.

After dinner while we are all sitting on
their porch watching the horse's play in the adjoining pasture,
Jacob mentions to Barry that Bob Kenner ran two men off their ranch
earlier the same day. He said they appeared to have been scouting
the area around the Rock Springs Ranch, possibly looking for a way
onto the property. Barry thanks Jacob for the information and tells
him he will let Scoot know and they can check it out. They may want
Bob to try to identify the men from mug shots.

Early the next morning, Scoot sits down with
Bob and asks him to try to identify the two men. Bob picks out the
two from a stack of pictures. He tells Scoot they were traveling on
four wheelers which is the reason he noticed them at all.