Born to Be a Cowboy by R. C. Ryan

Author:R. C. Ryan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2019-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

Jessie lay beside her aunt, absorbing the tremors that rocked the older woman.

She looked at Nola with concern. “Wayne said you’ve been fighting a virus.”

Nola glanced at the man seated at a table in the far corner of the room, poring over dozens of pages of documents, before whispering, “He gave me something that made me sick to my stomach.”

“He said he spoke to your doctor.”

Nola nodded. “He wanted it on the record that the doctor said the only thing he recommended for a virus was rest and plenty of fluids.”

“On the record?”

“So that the authorities wouldn’t question him later about why he never took me for medical treatment. He could say he was simply following doctor’s orders.”

“Aunt Nola, are you feeling any better at all?”

Nola shook her head. “If anything, I’m growing weaker. But I don’t know if it’s what he’s giving me to drink, or from a lack of exercise. I’ve been bound and gagged and confined to this bed since he brought me here.”

“Does Wayne feed you?”

“Only liquids, which he forces down my throat. And though I’m terrified that he’s poisoning me, I’ve grown too weak to fight him.”

Jessie looked around the sparse cabin. “I don’t see a bathroom.”

“There’s an ancient outhouse in back of this shack. Even there, Wayne gives me no privacy. He insists on keeping the door open, even though I’m so weak, I’d probably fall before I managed even a few steps.”

A tear slid from the corner of Nola’s eye and rolled down her cheek. “I’ve been such a fool. I swallowed every line he used on me, like a lovesick teen. And even when he insisted that we keep our wedding a secret, I agreed, until we were on our way, and I realized I needed to share my happiness with you. Later, when the marriage documents were signed and we were alone, I had the first taste of his temper. He became another person. One to be feared. And now you’ll suffer the same fate as…”

With her free hand Jessie wiped away her aunt’s tears and grasped her shoulder. “We’re not going to let him win, Aunt Nola. We’re going to find a way to get free.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry I brought you into this horrible nightmare.”

“You didn’t bring me. I forced my way in. And I’m not going to rest until I find a way out for both of us.”

“You don’t understand just how vicious he is, Jessie. Once I became his prisoner, he openly boasted of the valuable land and ranches he’s accumulated, thanks to the vulnerable women he calls stupid, lovesick old cows.”

Jessie sucked in a breath at the desolation in her aunt’s tone.

“In truth, Jessie, I’ve become resigned to the fact that I’m never going to leave this place. And maybe Wayne is right. I deserve to die after falling for the lies of a monster like him.”

Jessie lay beside her aunt, feeling the way Nola’s frail body shook with quiet sobs. And all Jessie could do was press her hand over Nola’s, willing her aunt her strength.

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