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Chapter 15
Merry
Being confinedto my room was boring. Following Blake's instructions hadn't taken more than thirty minutes, which left me plenty of time to agonize over their plans for the evening and wonder exactly what I had gotten myself into.
My mind had come up with all sort of deliciously horrifying possibilities, but I knew that nothing I came up with would compare to the reality. After all, I was naive and inexperienced. Some days, it felt like they saw that as a challenge.
Lying on my bed, in a pair of worn Levis and a soft black sweater, I tried my hardest to pass the time, cycling my legs in the air, counting backwards from a thousand, trying to remember the names of all the horses on the ranch, anything to keep my mind off what was coming.
It was a few minutes after six, when Blake knocked on my door. I knew it was Blake because he always knocked exactly three times, at exactly the same strength. My stomach growled, and I wondered if he was coming to get me for dinner. Food hadn't crossed my mind until this moment, and I couldn't stomach the idea of an agonizing family meal, at the moment.
Annoyed, I pulled open the door and glared at the two men standing there. "I'm not hungry, and I'm not going down for dinner," I informed them stubbornly, crossing my arms over my chest.
Slade's eyes narrowed, and Blake's features darkened into a formidable scowl. Blake stepped forward, until we were toe to toe, and I could feel his hot breath on my face as he stared me down. "You do what we say you do, baby girl," he warned. In that exact moment, I knew he was right, and that my next move would be one of obedience. "Downstairs and in the truck. Now."
I did a double take at the unexpected order. The truck? I swallowed deeply and looked down at my stocking feet. "You didn't say we were going anywhere," I stammered.
"Last time I checked, I'm not required to make you privy to our plans. Get your boots on."
With them both glaring at me in a way that all but dared me to disobey, I scurried to do the opposite. I had never put boots on quite that fast, and when I reached the doorway, they stepped to the side, motioning for me to walk in front of them. I could feel their eyes on my every move as I made the long walk down the hallway and descended the stairs. I said not a word to Nan as I passed her where she sat in her recliner, covered with that god awful pink shawl I had made her, peering intently at a book of large print crossword puzzles.
I pulled open the front door and paused, only for a moment, waiting for instruction. Slade's truck or Blake's? They hadn't said, and I wasn't about to ask.
Slade took my elbow and gently pulled me across the driveway, stopping at Blake's truck and opening the passenger side door. At his silent instruction, I scooted into the middle space and waited for him to take the passenger seat and Blake the driver's seat.
Neither uttered a word, as Blake started the truck and slowly backed out of the driveway, turning onto the long back road that led from the ranch to the main highway. Where were we going? None of the scenarios that had played out in my head had involved leaving the ranch, or heck, even leaving my room.
My throat felt like I had swallowed a cactus, and I began to sweat nervously.
Slade, who was always in tune to my feelings, pulled me against him and began softly stroking my arm to comfort me. It did help, but only a little.
I watched as the back road turned into highway and as we followed it all the way to town. I was starting to feel like a character in a horror novel, and if I wasn't with Slade and Blake, I'd be in a full on panic, right about now.
I watched as we passed the grocery, the library, the courthouse, and the pub. I stared longingly at the ice cream parlor. My throat had never felt so parched. We followed Main Street to its end, and just when I started to worry, Blake pulled into the parking lot of a cute little Mexican restaurant that I didn't recognize.
I waited for them to say that something was wrong, to start a conversation, something, but they didn't. They both just smiled at my confusion and hopped out of the truck, with Slade holding open the door for me and taking my hand. When Blake joined us, he took my other hand, and they guided me into the restaurant.
We were greeted by a hostess, and Slade quickly asked for a table in the back. When we were seated, Slade, with me, on one side, and Blake across from us, I finally spoke.
"Dinner? I thought I was going to be punished?"
"And you are, little one. Later," Slade's deep voice rumbled in my ear.
"Tonight, is about the big picture," Blake added from across the table.
"I don't know what this big picture you keep going on about is," I grumbled, grabbing a tortilla chip from a bowl in the center of the table and crunching on it while I glared at them.
"The big picture, little one, is this. The three of us. Christmas is eight days away. After that, you are free to go back to Arizona. Slade and I want to lay all our cards on the table."
I nodded slowly. The idea of leaving—or being free to leave—had my stomach in knots, even though I had never planned to stay.
"Little girl," Slade began. "I think you know that we don't want you to leave, that we want nothing more than for you to be here working with us on the ranch, day in and day out, and sharing our bed at night."
I nodded. I did know that. They had made it abundantly clear, from day one.
"But, baby girl, it's plain as day to us, that you are simply not ready for that."
Blake's words shocked me. "I'm not?" My hands began to shake. Were they dumping me? Here, at dinner?
