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She pulled Anna into an embrace, and they held one another tight.

A few minutes passed before Anna calmed her breathing, pulled

away, and continued.

“I had to get out of there. I couldn’t let them take me away.”

“What did you do? How did you escape?” Stacy cried along with

Anna.

“I told them I had money stashed in my room. I said I would give

them the money I had and that I would get the rest of the money my

dad owed them as soon as I could. They believed me, but when they

asked how much, and I told them a few thousand…” Anna paused.

The tears began to streak down her cheeks as she locked gazes with

Stacy.

“Yes?” Stacy asked.

“My father called me a bitch and hit me.”

Stacy covered her mouth with her hand in shock.
No wonder she’s

so scared. How could she ever trust anyone again?

“I knew he didn’t love me. It was the final straw. He was going to

let them take me. He only cared about the money I made and

supporting him. There was no love there.

“I quickly headed into my room, closed the door, and prayed they

didn’t follow me. The one guy wanted to break me in. I was afraid he

was going to do it right there in the bedroom while my father and the

other guy stood outside the door. I grabbed the money I had left and

climbed out the window. By the grace of god, I climbed the fire

escape and jumped the last twelve feet or so. I ran until I caught a cab

and headed to the airport. You know the rest.”

Stacy took Anna’s hand and squeezed it.

“I love you so much, Anna. I’m so sorry that he hurt you and that

those men hurt you. I promise that you’ll be safe here. I know the men

will protect you. You don’t have to run anymore.”

Anna wiped the tears from her eyes and held her ribs.

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“I don’t know if the men will try to find me. They were dead set

on making me theirs. They were very evil, very bad men. My father

obviously can’t be trusted, and he could give them your address or

name. I can’t bring this to your home. I won’t put you in danger,

Stacy.”

“Nonsense! These are Texas cowboys, and they’re a helluva lot

tougher than any city gangsters or thugs. Plus, Wyatt is a real badass,

never mind my Max and the others. Wyatt has connections in New

York, and Charlie was in the Marines. You can’t get better protection

than that.”

“I don’t feel right coming here and interrupting their lives, Stacy.

They don’t have to fight my battles. Someone could get hurt.”

“Why don’t we let the men make their own decision?”

Anna shook her head. Stacy held her hand and wouldn’t release it.

“They’ll need to know the truth. They’ll want to be prepared just

in case those guys come looking.”

Anna turned toward the water.

“They’ll hate me.”

“I doubt that very much.” Stacy giggled.

“What?” Anna asked.

“It’s getting late, and we’re gonna have to start getting dinner

ready for the men. I’ll talk to them tonight. Don’t be surprised if

Charlie, Wyatt, or Ben are there and want to tuck you in.”

“Tuck me in?” Anna asked as Stacy began to gather up their stuff.

“Don’t fret about it now. It will be all right.”

Stacy winked, and Anna helped her clean everything up.

As they headed toward the house, they walked side by side talking

about their plans to swim in the river once the summer temperatures

hit.

For the Love of Anna

67

Chapter 7

There was silence as Stacy told the men what had happened to

Anna back in New York. She tried her hardest not to cry, but the pain

and the sadness she felt for her best friend was too powerful to fight.

Eric and Max sat on either side of her for moral support as she

retold the story in detail.

“Jesus!” Ben exclaimed as he shook his head and ran his fingers

through his hair.

Stacy saw the concern and the anger on the three Cantrell

brothers’ faces. They were good men, genuine men of great moral

fiber, so she expected no less of a response.

“Her own father gave her up knowing that these men would whore

her out to make back money he owed, and he did nothing. He said

that she meant nothing to him and to take her.”

Mumbled curses spread through the room.

Tears streamed down Stacy’s cheeks. “Then, when Anna offered

what money she had stashed to the men to let her go, her father called

her a bitch and struck her as well.”

“That bastard!” Ben stated as Wyatt stood and paced the room. He

looked like a caged animal.

“How did she escape, Stace?” Charlie asked.

“She climbed out the window and down the fire escape. She

grabbed a cab, then headed to the airport and straight here in all that

pain.”

“My God! It’s a miracle she’s even alive,” Charlie added.

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“She was running on pure adrenaline. She was running for her

life,” Wyatt whispered as he looked toward the empty doorway and

the hall as if he could see Anna sleeping in the bedroom upstairs.

“She’s safe and sound asleep. Doc Jones gave her something to

help her sleep better because of the nightmares,” Stacy added as she

held Eric’s hand. Max kept his hand on her knee and caressed her

thigh as she told Anna’s story.

“She told you everything today by the river?” Charlie asked.

Stacy nodded.

She glanced toward the screened porch and the direction of the

river. It was dark outside, and all she could hear was the crickets.

“She was so quiet. She said she felt as if she could finally breathe

without feeling anxious or worried about looking over her shoulder.

She expressed her fears of men, of being controlled.” The men

listened to her every word, and she was grateful. Especially if her gut

was right and Charlie, Wyatt, and Ben were interested in Anna.

“It’s important that you understand something. All of you,” Stacy

whispered as she took a moment to lock gazes with the three men

before her.

“She feels defeated, unsure, and intimidated. Her experience with

men that have entered her life has been of abuse, neglect, and control.

She’s twenty-three, she’s had to financially support her family, care

for her mom until she died and support her father, pay the regular bills

and medical bills. She’s never been taken care of.” Stacy swallowed

hard, then began to cry.

“On the walk back from the river, she said…she said the only love

she ever had that she could count on was…was…my friendship.”

Stacy felt Eric wrap his arms around her shoulders.

“It’s okay, honey. You’re a great friend,” Eric whispered. Max

squeezed her knee.

“She never let on to the abuse all these years. Sure, I knew he hit

her a few times when she was younger but not during adulthood. I

For the Love of Anna

69

didn’t know that her father continued to treat her like this. She never

told me.”

“How could you know? You hadn’t seen her in so long. There’s

only so much you can detect over a phone, baby. She’s a fighter,

Stacy. What good would it have been to tell you?” Max asked.

“Maybe I could have gone to see her. Maybe I could have made

her leave there and come with me.”

“She wouldn’t have left, Stacy. From what you’ve told us, it’s

obvious that she’s not a quitter. She sees things through, no matter

how tough. She wanted her father’s love, and she thought by taking

care of him, supporting him, and working so hard that she would get

that love from him,” Charlie responded.

The room went silent, and Stacy leaned into Eric more as he held

her.

Wyatt exhaled. “What we need to do now is get as much

information from Anna as possible. I can make some calls, discretely,

of course, and decide the best way to handle an investigation. Max

and I will come up with a plan, and if we can get a description of

these men, then we can be sure to get those photos out to the

community. Any strangers come into town, we’ll know immediately,”

Wyatt stated.

“She knows that you were going to tell us, Stacy?” Ben asked.

“Yes. She’s most concerned about me. She wants to leave here,

guys. She wants to stay on the run and keep any trouble away from

us. She expressed concern over all our well-being.”

“That’s crazy! She’s the one that needs the protection. What could

she possibly be thinking? She’s a little thing. How could she protect

herself out there on the streets?” Wyatt exclaimed. His hardened

expression was traditional bossy Wyatt.

“Her sole concern is about Stacy and all of us. Her own safety

isn’t even a thought,” Max added.

“Well, that’s gonna change.”

Everyone looked toward Charlie.

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

He raised his eyebrow in challenge.

“I agree with Charlie. She needs us,” Ben added.

Stacy yawned.

“You should get to bed, honey. It’s real late,” Max whispered to

her, and Eric kissed her on the head before she stood up.

She held their gazes and squeezed their hands.

“I know she’ll be safe here.” She looked toward the others.

“Please take things slow with her, guys. She’s not experienced, and

she’s real fragile right now,” Stacy stated, and before they could

respond, she headed out of the room.

* * * *

Charlie felt such heaviness in his chest. One look at Ben and

Wyatt and he knew they felt the same way. In fact, Wyatt looked like

he wanted to hit something. If they were going to make Anna feel

safe, he was going to have to control his anger and his temper. Wyatt

tended to be controlling, authoritative, and downright mean

sometimes. Being the sheriff, he was always in a state of authority, so

no one dared mess around in town.

When he thought about Anna and her concern over them, he

admired her strength and independence. She was a good person and a

great friend to Stacy. These were characteristics he liked in a woman

but had yet to meet until Anna. Knowing his brothers, they would

probably agree.

Eric and Max said good night and walked them to the door.

Charlie, Ben, and Wyatt walked across the yard to their own house.

Wyatt stopped and looked up toward the bedroom window where

Anna slept.

“I wish I could see her. Just make sure that she’s sound asleep and

feeling okay,” he said as he stood watching.

“I know what you mean,” Ben replied.

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71

“Yeah, she felt real good in my arms the other night,” Charlie

whispered as he looked up toward the window as well.

“What? You slept in the bed with her?” Wyatt asked, sounding

angry.

“She had the nightmare, and I helped her calm down. She clung to

me, and I stayed with her. She’s beautiful.”

“I’m gonna find the bastards that did this to her so she doesn’t

have to be afraid.”

Charlie looked at Wyatt then at Ben.

“We want in on this. Anything you find out, you let us know, and

if we have to head to New York, we’ll do it.”

Wyatt locked gazes with Charlie and Ben.

They all nodded in agreement.

“What are we agreeing to here that we’re not stating?” Ben asked.

They were silent a moment until Charlie spoke.

“I want her. I want to love her, take care of her, and show her how

wonderful life can be after feeling such heartache and pain. I know

what it’s like. I thought the war had destroyed my heart and my soul.

But if it weren’t for you two, for Eric and Max, or the Triple C ranch,

I’d have ended my life.”

Ben placed his hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Those were tough

times. We made it through together, and we’ll help Anna make it

through this.”

“I always knew we would find a woman that we could share. Each

of us has many things to offer Anna if she’ll accept us,” Wyatt

replied.

“That’s going to be the fun part,” Ben exclaimed. Both Charlie

and Wyatt looked at him funny.

“Wooing our woman, fellas…She’s stunning, she’s petite, and,

damn, can she cook.”

Wyatt and Charlie laughed.

“That isn’t going to be so easy to do. We all have pretty intense

personalities,” Charlie replied.

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

“As long as we’re on the same page, we’ll handle this together,”

Ben added as he took the front porch steps two at a time.

Wyatt glanced at the bedroom window one more time.

Charlie exhaled, feeling the same anxiety he was sure that Wyatt

felt.

“We don’t know that much about her,” Wyatt whispered, and

Charlie sensed his brother’s hesitation.

“No, we don’t. But we’ll work on that. We’ll each take time to get

to know her and see if she really is the one for us.”

“Charlie, she’s been through a lot. I’m rough around the edges and

then some.”

Charlie leaned against the railing to the steps.

“What are you afraid of?”

“I don’t pussyfoot around people, male or female. I’m

straightforward, and if I want something, I go get it.”

“What are you not saying?”

Charlie watched Wyatt run his fingers through his hair.