“Okay then, if you accept the good, the bad, and the ugly, I say we let it be known that Sable is ours.” Alex smirked and Slone laughed.
“Who are we telling?” Slone asked.
“Everyone.” Alex said firmly. “Including the little lady.”
The town was charming and wonderful. As Sable walked down the wooden planks that lined the sidewalks of the main street, she fell in love with the town. The main street held Jake’s Supply and Feed Store, and Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats was the name of the bar and restaurant, it was a cute name. She could see there were several trucks there—even given it was eleven in the morning. Then there was Betty’s Beauty Shop, and Karla’s Clothes Shop, she wanted to laugh at the way all of them had names of people. Sable wanted to meet each and every one of them just to see what they were like. Her imagination was going wild at the thought of meeting Betty.
Across the street was the Sheriff’s office, Doc Truly’s Office, and Sam’s Sporting Goods, which held a saddle in the window, apparently, that was what the recreation was around here. Dan’s Drug Store sat at the end of the street, and Sable smiled. Thank goodness, they had a drug store. She thought they were going to have to drive a distance to get the small necessities as she walked to the Drug Store and walked in. It held everything she needed.
She grabbed a small basket and began to shop for the things she needed. As she wandered, she smiled and nodded to a few of the women who were there. They seemed friendly. As she approached the checkout, one of the women said ‘hi’ to her.
“Hi,” Sable replied politely.
“Welcome to Healing, Wyoming. I am Desire Young, my husbands and I live on the next spread over from your spread. I was so happy to see someone was there taking care of everything. Poor Clyde and his sons were just in over their heads when they inherited it.” Desire smiled.
“Oh, well, it is Alex and Slone’s really. I am just staying there to help out,” Sable said.
“Then you are part of the spread.” Desire laughed. “I wanted to invite you all over for dinner one night.”
“You will have to give us a few days, we have cattle coming in.” Sable laughed.
“Of course, how silly of me, maybe we can bring over some food then. Louise is such a sweetie. I will give her a call,” Desire said as Sable put her basket up on the counter.
“Sure, no problem.” Sable smiled and paid. The people here were sure friendly, she thought. Maybe she would actually get to make some friends.
“See you soon,” Desire called as Sable gathered her things and waved to her. Yep, things were certainly looking up. A wonderful house, great men—things were just going too good.
“There is the Sheriff’s office,” Alex said and pointed to the small office. “We need to talk to him about Sable’s stalker, and also introduce ourselves.”
The men nodded and walked across the street to the office and walked in. It was small that was for sure, but very tidy. Alex grinned when he saw four desks behind the counter where a cute, curly-haired blonde who was reading a Vogue magazine was sitting. She seemed engrossed in her article and didn’t seem to realize that seven large men were standing in front of her until Alex cleared his throat.
“Hi, welcome to Healing, Wyoming. How can we help you?" The woman smiled and stared at the men in front of her with interest.
“We would like to speak to the Sheriff,” Alex said politely.
“And maybe a private tour of the beautiful town of Healing, Wyoming.” Gage grinned and looked at the cute woman.
“Sheriff David Conner is in the back, I will check. I will give you my schedule for that tour when I am done,” the blonde said smartly.
“I will hold you too that,” Gage said and leaned against the counter and winked at her as she climbed from the chair. She was tall for a woman, and had a gorgeous figure, Alex thought, but she didn’t hold a candle to Sable. Just the thought of Sable made him hard. After the kiss last night, it wouldn’t take much to have him panting like a dog behind her.
“Gentlemen,” the woman said and waved them back. “The Sheriff will see you now.”
“Thanks, darlin',” Gage said as he brought up the tail end of the pack as they were led back to the office.
As they entered, Alex took in the office. It was neat and tidy. The hulking man who stood behind the desk had to be able six foot five and his shoulders were huge, football, Alex thought and held out his hand.
“Sheriff Conner,” Alex said. “Alex Prain-Strout, these are my partners Slone, Gage, Thane, Mason, Jessie, and Drake. We are from…”
“The Second Chance Ranch,” the Sheriff filled in and shook the man's hand.
“That's right,” Alex said and stepped back.
“I make it a point to know who moves into this township,” Sheriff Conner said.
“Good practice,” Gage said.
“Thanks, so you six are just out of the military, and, Slone, you come from a ranch on the western slope of Colorado. Now, I was in the Air Force, just so you know. Sixteen years, retired on disability,” Sheriff Conner said and nodded.
“Thank you for your service,” Slone said respectfully and the other men nodded.
“What can I do for you?” the Sheriff asked and folded his large frame into the incredibly small chair.
“We have a woman out at the ranch we brought back with us from Kansas. One of our team’s sister. She had a stalker who terrorized her. We just wanted to let you all know to be on the lookout just in case he shows up. Sable seemed to think the guy wouldn’t give up so easily. And although we didn’t see anyone following us, she is still a little afraid. We have the restraining order from a Kansas judge,” Alex explained and handed the paperwork to the Sheriff.
“Well, this is from another state, but I will make sure that we keep an eye out. Is this his name?” Conner pointed at the paper and Slone nodded.
“Yes, and we would also like you all to know we have permits to carry concealed weapons,” Slone said and held out the stack of papers to him.
“Okay, seems like you have everything in order. Good to have you in Healing. So, we have a volunteer sheriff deputy’s position open, I don’t suppose any of you would be interested?” Conner said with a smile.
Alex froze, no way, he thought and looked at his friends who were shaking their head, all but Gage who said.
“What do I have to do?” Gage asked and shifted to the front of the room.
“I can get you an application, it has everything on it,” Conner said and pulled out a file. “We lost our last one to ranching also.”
The Sheriff outlined what Gage had to do, and even said he would help him. Soon the two men were involved in a conversation about the duties and the rest of them left. They did what they had to do, and Alex and Slone's first priority was to Sable, and keeping her safe.
“Have a good day,” the woman said as they exited the station. Alex was eager to find Sable again; she had been gone from their sight for too long. The pull to her was getting greater and Alex was sick of fighting it. Maybe he needed this connection to help him heal.
Slone and he had settled their issues, and the next step was obvious to him. They were going to stake claim on their woman.
Sable wandered the street, looked in all of the shop fronts, smiled, and waved to a lot of the locals. She felt them before she saw them. Alex and Slone were right next to her when she looked up as she exited the sporting good's shop.
“Hey,” she smiled. “Where is everyone?”
Slone smiled, leaned in, kissed her gently, and then pulled back. Alex took her mouth next before she could ask what the hell was going on. When they were done, each of them took a hand and led her across the street to the diner.
“Gage is with the Sheriff, he decided he may like to be a volunteer deputy, and the others are in the feed store. We are going to grab a bite before we go to the grocery store a few blocks over and get everything for Louise. Then we will pick them up,” Alex said and held the door open for her.
They led her to a corner booth and made her slide in as they took either side of her, boxing her in.
“Okay, what the heck was the kiss all about?" Sable asked, not wanting to lose her momentum asking questions. She needed to know exactly what they thought before she decided. Her future was important to her, and she needed to know she was just not a distraction for them until they found someone else.
“We have decided we need to make it clear to you how we feel. We have decided to keep you,” Slone said and held up his hand.
Sable frowned and looked at Alex who was calmly looking at the menu like Slone had not announce they wanted to keep her like a possession, that was really not going to work for her. While they ordered drinks and asked about the specials, Sable fumed a little. As soon as the teenage waitress left, she pounced.
“I am not a plaything for you guys, I am a woman, one who has her own mind. Maybe I have decided that I am going to be moving on soon. Steven hasn’t made an appearance or anything, so I figure maybe he has given up.” Sable shrugged.
“Not going to work. Slone and I want you, and we mean to have you. We are going to offer you a job, and take things slow, but make no mistake, you are not leaving,” Alex said. Sable opened her mouth to protest, but Slone held up a hand.
“Sable, we know you have always wanted a home. We are offering that, just give us a chance—give the situation a chance. We want this to work, I know you feel it just as we do—you were made for us. Don’t turn your back on us,” Slone said smoothly.
Sable paused and looked at the arrogant bastards. She wanted to argue and say she felt nothing just to piss them off for the highhanded way they were treating her. She was finally feeling safe, and so her old confident-self was beginning to make an appearance again. Sable didn’t want to lose it again. She was stubborn and confident. However, if she thought about it, they were giving her a choice, to give them a chance. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to see where this went.
“And if it doesn’t work out?” Sable asked.
“Then I will make sure you are relocated and have Frank's money, well you have that anyway, but you know what I mean. You will be set,” Alex admitted.
“Fine, how do we start this?” Sable asked as the waitress walked up. The conversation ended until they placed their order. She had time to regroup; this was going to be interesting.
“When I was growing up,” Slone said. “My parents worked together, they had their separate time, but they also made sure they had time together, they talked about everything, even the uncomfortable subjects and were honest. I would expect no less.”
“I agree, that is the way Dallas and Noah were with Bailey, they let her be her own person as well as they supported each other. Now, this is all new to us, although I think if we all give each other time to get to really know one another, maybe allow us to court you, we can see if this is really what we all want,” Alex said.
“I will still make my own decisions. I mean, I am willing to be honest and give this all a shot, but I have a brain, and a college education. I want to be useful, not some chick in the kitchen,” Sable said.
“So we agree,” Alex said guardedly.
“I am all for it, let the wooing begin,” Sable said and laughed when the guys let out a ‘whoop’ that made the people in the dinner laugh and clap.
They walked to the store and shopped, Alex had a little more bounce in his step, and Slone began to think his old friend was showing back up. It would be cool if this wounded man would find the boy he lost inside himself, then maybe merge them together.
When they were in the store Alex grabbed a bouquet of flowers for Sable and presented them to her, Sable turned a lovely shade of red, Slone thought and laughed at his friend’s lighthearted antics. It was a side of Alex that Slone had not seen since he came to Second Chance Ranch.
By the time they were done, the back of the truck was filled to the brim, the others were done in town, and their trucks were loaded. They had at least spent money in town to help their economy. The guys said they had met several of the members of town and they liked the way they were laidback and helpful. It seemed like everyone was learning how to relax and go with the flow.
Sable began to get into a routine the following week, one the guys appreciated, since it allowed them to spend time with her and get to know her better. They brought her small little gifts each day, Alex found a sock monkey at the drug store, it had a cowboy hat and Alex gave it to her with pride. Slone made a shelf for her to display her quirky little collection, which she had practically cried over. They also gave her something to let her know they wanted her to be independent. Frank's mustang convertible was shipped to them from storage that Frank had shared with Alex. Sable had been touched at their thoughtfulness, and loved that she had another piece of her brother, and it didn’t hurt that it was yellow and black with a racing stripe down the hood. But their connection had nothing to do with the gifts. It was more to do with the thought behind them and the fact that each of them proved the guys were getting to know her likes and dislikes, as well as understanding her little idiosyncrasies and letting her know they understood them, instead of trying to change her.
In the mornings, she helped Louise plan the menus and helped with the prep work for the meals. Slone loved to sit in the kitchen doing his paperwork and listen to her get to know Lou and Timothy better. They were really making a connection with each other. Then in the afternoon, she worked in the office with Alex, learning the books and the way orders were placed. It was all so new to her, but she dove in feet first, and Slone noticed that Alex seemed to be relaxing more with Sable. Then the nights were for them together.
Every night they ate dinner with the group and then went for a walk or watched a movie. Friday night Alex decided it was time to talk about Frank. His friend was bugging him at night to talk to his sister.
They were in the small living room in her room, beginning to settle to watch a movie when Frank appeared in front of Alex. Slone knew when the ghost appeared because Alex tensed and spoke under his breath. He waited to see if Alex was going to finally tell her the last remaining barrier between him and Sable.
“Sable,” Alex said uncomfortably.
“Oh, yeah, let me find the channel,” she said absently.
“No, hang on, I want to talk about something,” Alex said.
“Okay, what's up?” Sable said, now focusing her attention onto Alex and put a hand on his leg as reassurance, as if she knew this was going to be something important.
“Shit, I don’t quite know how to say this,” Alex said standing and running a hand over his short hair.
“I see dead people,” Frank laughed and whispered in a creepy voice.
Alex rolled his eyes and growled at his friend. “Knock it off,” he mumbled but Sable heard it, looked at Slone, and frowned before saying.
“I am not doing anything,” Sable commented.
“Not you,” Alex sighed and then put a hand to his face.
“Uh, who are you talking to then? Slone? He was just sitting there,” Sable argued.
“No, Frank,” Alex blurted out.
“What?” Sable whispered and looked at Slone for guidance.
“Shit, okay this is not the way I was going to tell you, but since he is being a pain in my ass. I am just gonna say it. Since I woke up in the hospital after the incident, I have been able to speak to all of the teammates we lost,” Alex said and Sable stared at him as if she thought he was crazy. “Seriously, I know it sounds crazy, hell, I have felt like I was losing my mind enough over the last few months, but it is true. Frank and the others left letters for us to deliver if something happened to them. All of the team members did. Even me. So, when they died, the letters were given to us since they had our names on them, with the letters to their loved ones inside. That is why it took so long for us to bring them to you. We were not in a place we could deal with them—fuck, with you. I was messed up, feeling guilty, and really not sure how the hell I was suppos
ed to tell you that I could save Frank. I wanted to, I saw the bomber a second before he set the bomb off. But it was my job to be the lookout. I was supposed to give them the okay to approach the building. I swear, I didn’t see the guy, he just like appeared.”
Sable was silent as she listened to Alex, but when he began to talk about her brother's last moments, she felt the tears gather in her eyes.
“I stood and screamed but it was too late, they were too close. I was thrown against a car and knocked out. Damn it, I should have made them wait for a second, I should have seen the guy acting strange. It was my fault—it is why they are haunting me I think. They blame me,” Alex said looking lost.
Slone stood and looked at his best friend. “Do you seriously think that?”
He was in shock, he thought Alex had come to terms with what happened and he hadn’t, he still blamed himself. It was not his fault, the blame should be placed on the crazy muther fucker who killed himself and took half the team with him.
“I don’t blame you,” Frank whispered. “If anything, I blame myself. I should have been faster than that. I saw him before you did and it didn’t register what he was doing because he had his back to us.”
“That’s why it is my fault, man, I did see, my reaction was too slow,” Alex yelled, making Sable jump. She was still at a loss for words.
“Alex, it is not your fault. It is and was a fact of life. War is dangerous. Hell, walking in the street is dangerous. But you enlisted to make sure the people of this country were safe. After 9/11, we were not. They attacked us, and we needed to protect the people of this country so it didn’t happen again. You were brave enough to be the man who said, ‘Not on my watch’, you were brave enough to put your life on the line to defend this country the way you were trained to do. Frank and the others' deaths were tragic and devastating to so many people. However, they knew what they signed up for when they went into the military—just as you did. Don’t dishonor their sacrifice by trying to blame yourself. It was their choice to be there—their choice to watch your back as you watched theirs. The blame should be placed on the head of the man who set the bomb off. Plain and simple. Stop torturing yourself,” Slone said and waited while Alex listened.