“We want her to be able to eat them, don’t we?” Joe teased.
“She’ll be able to eat them,” Mason shot back. “After the first six or seven are done.”
When they spotted her, their smiles warmed her heart as they swooped around her, both kissing her good morning. “Did you sleep well?” Joe asked.
She nodded despite letting out another yawn. “You two are going to flat wear me out at this rate.”
Mason laughed. “Did you ever consider that was our plan? To keep you so tired and satisfied you didn’t have the energy to ever want to leave us?”
“That figures. I believe it. When are you two heading out?”
“We’re not,” Joe said. “We’re both taking a few days off to spend with you.” He gathered her into his arms. “And, we’re taking you out for a picnic today.”
“Picnic? Don’t you mean skinny-dipping and fucking me silly on a blanket in the great outdoors?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to go back there after knowing Senior’s men had spied on them.
Mason pressed in behind her. “That’s just a bonus.” He nuzzled her ear. “That place is our special place,” he insisted, as if reading her thoughts. “We’re going to go back there and make new memories as a family. We refuse to give an inch of ground to Senior in any part of our lives.”
After breakfast, they loaded supplies for their picnic, got in the buggy, and headed away from the house. Both men were armed, and for extra measure they brought Katie’s shotgun along.
It took her a while to relax. Finally, with an unusually cool breeze blowing, and the comforting shade of trees lining their way, she was able to enjoy herself.
Mrs. Joseph Lansing. Part of her would miss being known as Paul’s wife. He would always hold a place in her heart. But now, these two men were her life, and her future, even if she could only bear one of their names.
They finally arrived at their picnic spot. Instead of getting playful with her immediately, like she thought they might, they coaxed her into the water for a swim. Floating in the cool, blue, spring-fed swimming hole was a luxury, a welcomed distraction from the past few days. She relaxed and chatted with her men.
After a few minutes, Mason got out. “Where are you going?” she asked with a laugh, noting the tight set of his jaw.
“Need a little privacy,” he said as he pointed to the woods.
“Oh.” She laughed. “We need to build an outhouse here.”
He nodded and disappeared into the woods.
She turned back to Joe, surprised to see stress on his face, too. “What’s the matter with you?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, sweetheart.” He caught her hand and started coaxing her farther from shore. “Let’s swim.”
Her instincts nagged at her. “What is going on?” She tried to pull her hand free, but he wouldn’t let go. Instead, he pulled her to him and put his arms around her.
“Listen to me, wife,” he whispered in her ear.
His serious tone, as well as what he said, silenced her. She let him lead her into the river, where the gentle current caught them and began to carry them down river.
“What’s going on?” she finally asked when they’d drifted past the swimming hole.
He put a finger to his lips to silence her then led her to the opposite bank, to a sandy place where they could easily climb out. He caught her by the hand and led her a short ways inland, where they couldn’t see the river from where they sat.
“You stay here,” he whispered, then started to turn.
“Joseph Lansing! You can’t leave me here naked!” She felt on the verge of hysteria.
He clapped his hand over her mouth and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We were followed by someone. Stay here.”
Before she could argue, he slipped back into the river, swimming directly across it and disappearing into the woods just south of where their swimming hole was located.
She nervously looked around, crossing her arms over her, finding a small patch of ant-free grass to sit on while she waited.
After what felt like forever, she heard the sound of men yelling, followed immediately by several gunshots, then silence.
Mason had been well aware of the men following them. In fact, he’d counted on it. It was a risky chance to take, but if he didn’t draw the Dorchesters out, it was only a matter of time before they tried to hurt Katie, or any one of them, again. He’d caught sight of them a few times during the ride out to their favorite spot.
He’d considered asking the sheriff for a few deputies to follow them, but he wanted to finish this himself.
For good, if that’s the way the Dorchesters planned on playing it.
Before they went swimming, while Katie was spreading the blanket, Mason whispered into Joe’s ear. They’d planned for this contingency. Joe would take Katie to safety and return to help.
It was up to the Dorchesters how this would end.
When Mason undressed, he was careful to keep his gun close to the shore, so he could easily reach it.
And he watched their horse. When it suddenly lifted its head, a tuft of grass hanging from its mouth, nostrils flaring as it sniffed and its ears swiveled, Mason knew.
He tipped his head to Joe to take Katie away as he headed for shore under the guise of needing to relieve himself.
Once he knew Katie couldn’t see him, he grabbed his trousers, Joe’s trousers, his and Joe’s guns, and waited.
Joe returned before the Dorchesters made their appearance. Joe and Mason lay in wait, hiding in the thick underbrush as they watched Senior, Junior, and two other men creep into the clearing with their guns drawn.
“Drop it!” Mason yelled.
The other men took cover. “I want that deed!” Senior yelled. “I’m not leaving here until I get it, or you three perverts are dead!”
“This is your last chance, Dorchester!” Mason yelled. “Surrender now.”
“Like hell I will!” He fired in their direction while Joe snuck around behind them. Mason returned fire, distracting them from Joe’s approach.
Joe shot and wounded one of Dorchester’s men. “Drop your guns, now!”
“Never!” Junior growled. “I’m gonna kill you two bastards and that whore of a wife of yours just like I killed that stuck-up fiancée you had!”
Mason heard Joe’s roar of anger and a new burst of gunfire. Then, all went still.
“Dorchester!” Mason yelled.
Silence.
“You okay, Joe?” Mason hollered.
“Yeah,” Joe replied, stepping out from his hiding spot behind a huge, fallen oak.
Mason emerged from the woods and joined a grim-looking Joe. With a bare foot, Mason kicked Junior’s shoulder, rolling him over.
Half his face was missing from where Joe’s shot had caught him in the back of the head.
Mason shook his head. “I wish it hadn’t come to this,” he said as he checked the other three men and found them dead, too. “But I can’t say I’ll lose any sleep over it.”
Joe nodded. “That makes two of us.”
Mason reached out and touched Joe’s bare shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I always knew in my heart that son of a bitch killed her.” He looked at Mason with tears in his eyes. “I couldn’t protect her. I should have protected her from him.”
“It’s not your fault.” He pointed at the four bodies before them. “And we kept Katie safe. That’s what’s important.”
Katie stood and made her way back down to the river, debating on whether or not to swim for their picnic spot when she spotted Joe swimming back down the river toward her.
Crying with relief, she embraced him when he climbed out of the river. This time, he wore a shirt and trousers.