Stolen Kisses (Leap of Love Book 2) (10 page)

He got a shot off, missing the Rangers. Brent on the other hand did not miss. He aimed and shot Jones in the arm and the leg. As soon as Jones fell to the ground, Lily was free. Ranger White took the woman in his arms and carried her to safety while Brent secured the room and made sure they left the house safely.

As they reached the front door, they were met by the other Rangers who had already placed one of Jones' surviving security men under arrest. Another Ranger came out of the house with a limping Jones who was under arrest as well.

By daylight, it was all over. In all of the tales that Brent heard about the Wild West, the good guys usually won. And today, just like in those stories, justice prevailed.

The ride back to town was celebratory. The job was over and done and Lily was rescued and safe. Brent could not decide what he wanted to do more; take Lily home to her parents or hug her and hold her in his arms.

She was shaken up but said that she was physically unharmed. Lily was silent on the ride back to town and she would not divulge anything that had transpired in the past few weeks.

It would do no good to force her to talk. He would just have to be patient and let her talk in her own time.

As they approached the sheriff's office, Lily's parents Brook Song and Juan jumped up to meet them. They had been sitting outside of the sheriff's office awaiting word on the outcome of the recovery efforts. Brook stood there with her hands clasped together, her eyes red from crying. Juan held his arms around her shoulder, trying to comfort his wife.

Brent pulled the wagon up and nodded. Brook broke down in tears.

"Where is she? Where is my daughter?"

Brent got down off of the wagon seat and walked around to the back of the carriage. Brook ran around with Brent and when Brent opened the wagon cover, Brook wailed.

A sore and emotionally wounded Lily reached for her. Brook mumbled something prayerful and embraced her daughter. "Juan, she is safe!"

Juan Sanchez walked around to where his daughter and wife were standing. Biting his lip, a tear escaped and dripped down his cheek. He turned to Brent.

"Thank you, Son. Thank you for bringing back my daughter."

Brent nodded and gave Juan a sturdy pat on the back. Juan walked off with his family to their carriage.

The Rangers met at the sheriff's office for debriefing.

Jones and the wounded from his entourage were transported to the infirmary where they would get medical care and then be transported to jail in Houston. Jones would be charged with kidnapping and his entourage would be charged with accessory to criminal behavior.

Jones would face charges and would be going to trial where he would hopefully get the jail time that he deserved. Reality of the situation was that he was a man with money and he could possibly fight his case to not end up with jail time.

Maria's life story was moving. As a young girl, she lost her parents. She packed what little she had and left Mexico to come and live in the states. With no more than a dollar to her name, she found work as a maid for an elderly woman. The woman treated her nicely and although the pay was not much, Maria had a roof over her head and food in her stomach.

The woman died and no one in her family had need for a maid. So once again, Maria was on her own. She was at the market, stealing fruit from a vendor when Lawrence Jones caught her. He promised not to turn her in to the authorities in exchange for her coming to work for him as his maid. At that point, she felt like she had no choice but to take his offer.

Moving in to the ranch with Jones at first seemed ideal. Maria told them that Jones never laid a hand on her, but he had paraded an endless amount of women, that were not unlike her, through the home. None of the women were there more than six months. Maria had no idea where the women went when they left.

As far as she was concerned, Jones treated her fairly and she had a warm place to lay her head at night and food to eat. The issue was that when she tried to leave, Jones flexed his muscle and let her know that leaving was not an option. He showed her all of the money that he said she owed him for the food and shelter and said that he would take legal action if she tried to leave. It was not until recently that she understood that she was really an employee and that he owed her so much more than he had supposedly given.

She had been saving what little money she earned from him and selling off little trinkets that he would not miss so she could save the money to leave. That's when Lily was brought to the house.

Maria recounted the day that she found out that Jones had another 'suitor' at the ranch. Usually, the women arrived crying and disheveled. There were a few that arrived arrogant and full of themselves boasting that they were a guest of Lawrence Jones. Those women looked down on her and Maria would just laugh because she knew that they would not last there long.

When Maria met Lily, she was taken by her. Not only did they look a lot alike, Lily and Maria had the same spirit. A spirit of survival and the ability to fight through whatever life sent their way bonded them. Lily was the first woman that Maria felt sympathy for. She wanted both of them to be able to leave safely, so she encouraged Lily to stay calm, keep a level head, and told her that one day, they would be leaving soon.

They kept each other encouraged and kept each other company over the few weeks that Lily was there. Maria appreciated Lily's independent spirit, but she knew that they needed to make Jones feel like he was in control and not spook him. Maria's plan was to leave in the middle of the night and use the money that she had saved to get as far away as possible. They did not have anyone helping them, but they were motivated and determined to leave the ranch.

Maria was awake the morning the Rangers showed up. She watched from her room as they took cover and surrounded the house.

When they were rescued, Maria was beyond relieved.

"It was a dream come true to see you all. I knew that we were going to be safe."

"Are you sure Jones did not assault or hurt Lily?" Ranger White asked. He had taken over the reigns of the investigation while the Sheriff was being tended to at the hospital.

"I kept an eye on Lily myself. Besides being afraid and homesick, she was fine."

Brent busied himself trying to think of something else. Thinking of what Lily was going through being holed up at Jones' ranch made him hot under the collar.

The fact that she was so close and in danger made Brent feel like he had failed her. If he could just hear straight from her own mouth that she did not blame him and that she was alright, it would give him some sense of peace.

They all turned around when the door opened.

"I was fine. Really."

Lily entered the office and stood there before them. She looked a bit downtrodden and a bit broken in spirit, but considering what she had just been through, it was amazing that she was even standing there at all.

Brent rushed over to her and took her by the hand. "Please, have a seat."

One of the Rangers stood up so that she could have his seat.

"No, I am fine. I just wanted to come by and thank all of you and let you see for yourself that I am okay."

Maria hopped up from her seat. "When all of that gun fire started, I just knew that Jones had forced you in harm's way."

Maria touched Lily's hair, her face, and examined her hands. "Are you sure you are okay?"

Lily smiled. "I am. And mostly because of you. I thank you my friend. Thank you for your encouragement and support."

She gently touched her hand to Maria's face and the two women embraced. Everyone understood the gravity of the moment. They had both survived and gotten out alive, just as they promised each other.

"And to all of you, I offer my sincere appreciation. My parents told me that all of you risked your lives to save me. There is no way that I can repay you for what you have done."

The Rangers nodded and tipped their hats and offered that gratitude for her appreciation.

Lily then walked up and took Brent by the hand. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Brent looked around. Everyone else was busy and he knew that he had to spare a moment for Lily.

"Of course."

They stepped outside alone.

Lily closed her eyes and squeezed Brent's hand. "I had no clue if I would ever see you again."

She threw herself into his arms and relaxed in their embrace.

"I never want to let you go." Once the words escaped his lips, he did not regret it.

"Once you went missing, there were so many things that I did tell you. I worried that I would never get the chance to tell you how much I love you."

Lily looked up at him. "Those words are music to my ears. I love you too, Brent. I thought of you every day."

She nuzzled her face in his chest and inhaled his scent.

"I believe that everything happens in divine order and it all leads us exactly where we are supposed to be."

Brent looked at her. "Are you saying that you were supposed to be a victim of this crime? Jones was a sick individual and you did not deserve that."

Lily smiled. "I was not a victim. And I know that I did not deserve what happened. But sometimes you have to be taken away from what you have to know and appreciate how much you love what you have."

What she was saying made perfect sense. He knew from the moment he saw Lily that he loved her, but when she was snatched out of his life and he did not know when and if she would come back to him, he knew then that she was well worth any sacrifice and that she was all that he wanted. And he also knew that he would never waste any time again telling her that he loved her. He promised that if he ever reunited with her, he would make sure she knew every day that he adored her.

"Lily, you are my light. I've never thought I would find true love again. But every time I'm near you, my heart skips a beat, I get tongue tied, and I can't picture my life without you."

"I knew you would come for me, Brent. I knew in my heart that you would come and rescue me. I held out hope that I would see you again."

His lips touched hers and the spark was lit. Lily melted in his arms.

"I will never leave you, Lily."

Lily smiled. "I know. I was betting on that."

*

By the evening, everyone was exhausted. Sheriff was released from the hospital and Brent promised Sarah that he would bring Sheriff home in one piece. As soon as they arrived at Sheriff Dyer's home, the door swung open and both Sarah and Adam ran outside.

"Samuel, I should kill you for giving me such a scare!"

"Oh my Darlin', I am grateful to be back home in your arms."

The couple embraced. "Be careful there. I'm a bit sore."

"Oh no, let me see." Sarah worried over the sheriff and she took him inside.

"Papa, I am so happy you are home." Brent scooped Adam up into his arms. He hugged his boy so tightly, he was sure he almost squeezed the breath out of him.

"Stay right here," Brent told Adam. He walked into the sheriff's house.

"I just want to make sure you are settled in, Sheriff."

He was sitting in a rocking chair relaxing.

"Shh. I think he is asleep already." Sarah whispered because she did not want anyone to disturb the sheriff.

"Okay," Brent whispered. "Thank you so much for keeping Adam. I really appreciate it."

Sarah walked Brent to the door. Once outside, she spoke in a regular volume. "You always say that. It is my pleasure. I am truly happy to help. And Adam is such a good boy. He keeps me busy, and I appreciate that."

She patted Brent on the hand. "So it seems like you two caught the bad guys."

He shrugged. "Something like that. Hopefully making things a bit more comfortable around here for the citizens of Owen's Bluff."

"You have done a great job since you've been here, Brent. A widower with a small child, moving thousands of miles away from your family in order to get a different quality of life. That is admirable."

"Thank you, Miss Sarah. It has been hard, but I know it was the right decision. We will see you tomorrow."

Sarah disappeared into the house and Brent took Adam home. Rest and recuperation for the evening was in order.

Once Adam was in bed, Brent went to the living room to have a seat. His mind was racing way too much to sleep. Sitting in the chair in front of the fireplace, Brent replayed the day's events. It was something out of an adventure book. Living in South Carolina, he would have never experienced something like that.

There were times when he questioned his move. Was it good for Adam? Were they going to be alright living here in Owen's Bluff without family? What would life be like outside of living with his family?

His younger brother Ben had been his inspiration to move. He was now in San Francisco, married with twins. Life had worked out well for Ben so Brent felt as though taking a chance on life would be in order for himself as well.

He was happy with the way things had worked out. Adam was happy. He was enrolled in school and made some new friends. He also loved being with Miss Sarah and sang her praises all day long.

Sarah was a God send. She cared for Adam as if he was her own. When Brent prayed for help with Adam, he could not have asked for a better support than Miss Sarah. Sheriff Dyer had turned out to be more than an employer. He had taken to Brent and Adam and looked out for them as if they were family.

He closed his eyes for a second when fatigue set in. He was awakened by the sound of a knock at the door.

It was getting late and he had no idea who could be calling on him at this time. Brent opened the door slightly to find Mr. Sanchez at the door.

"Mr. Sanchez. Come in."

Lily's father entered the house. "I don't want to make this a long visit. My wife and I want you to know that we are forever indebted to you for saving our daughter. If there is anything that we can do for you, please let us know."

"Would you please have a drink with me, Mr. Sanchez?"

"Yes, and please call me Juan."