Saving Us Read online

  I hadn't asked her, nor did I even want to know. "I'm open for business. We had some electrical problems and had to close until the repairmen could get in to fix them. The weather didn’t make it easy on them."

  Sure, it was a total lie, but I didn't want Mrs. Mouth to alert the news or print it in the church bulletin. My business was private.

  "Well, do you remember how I like things or do I need to explain it?" What a little white headed spitfire she was.

  "I remember. You just sit back and relax. I will have you fixed up in no time."

  I started on the little old ladies hair and after five minutes, she began gossiping. "Did you hear about the Taylor boy who drove his truck into the horse corral? They had to shoot one of the horses after the truck broke two of it's legs. I tell ya, all these kids do nowadays is ride around in those trucks drinking. You'd think the parents would have enough sense to keep their kids at home where they belong. Back in my day this type of thing was unheard of. It's a shame when a farmer has to put down a good animal because of mischievous kids."

  I rolled my eyes, but continued rolling the woman's hair. "I can see where things are a lot different than when you were growing up."

  She nodded her head, even with the hot iron attached to her hair. "Yes indeed. My daddy would have tanned my hide if I brought home a boy like that. He would have chased him down our dirt road with his rifle. You should be glad that you don't have children of your own. I bet that step-daughter of yours is a handful."

  "She's all grown up. She lives with her boyfriend now." I knew I shouldn't have given her that information.

  Right away, I could see the concern on her face. "Are they living in vain?"

  "They aren't married if that is what you're asking."

  "Couples that aren't married and live in sin will go to Hell. You need to get that girl hitched and get her saved before it's too late."

  I could only imagine what she would say about me being married to someone and pregnant by and living with another. "It was her father's decision. Since the two of us are no longer together, it really doesn't matter that much to me. I appreciate your concern though."

  My answer must have pissed her off. She sat in silence until her hair was done. After she paid, leaving me with a whopping one dollar tip, she exited the salon. I let out a sigh of relief as I watched her pull away. After locking the door, I walked over to answer the ringing phone.

  Hello?

  It was the same sounds as before.

  Conner?

  It's only a matter of time, bitch! When you least expect it, I'll be there. You'll be sorry you ever crossed me.

  The line went dead and I just stood there, shocked.

  Chapter 6

  Conner

  Even though the day was halfway over, I knew Ty had noticed that I hadn't gotten shit done. "Dude, you need to get your mind off of that ginger pussy and give me a hand here. We need to finish this fence before Christmas next year."

  The fence wasn't that big. I tossed a rock at him. "Screw you. I got shit on my mind today."

  "Pussy? It's all about the pussy. You throw another rock and I will start texting you pictures of your sister naked, punk."

  I shook my head and started digging another hole for a post. "So, let me ask you somethin'. I got this call from Heather the other night saying she needed to talk to us. You know better than anyone what that bitch is capable of. Do you really think she wants to help, or is she up to somethin'?"

  Ty laughed and picked up another pole. While trying to get it level, he finally looked up at me. "The Heather that I knew was only about herself. After what she did to my wife, I hope she gets hit by a fucking truck. I wouldn't take her help if she was the last person on the planet, dude. You know what she is capable of. Tell me you didn't call her."

  I cocked my eyebrow and then gave him a dirty look. "Don't even ask me that, man. I ain't goin' to call that bitch without talkin' to you or my sister first. I just want this shit with Rick to be over. It's not just Amy I have to worry about. I got a kid on the way. It's important that they are both safe."

  We leveled the pole and poured in the concrete to set it. "I get it, bro. I just think that should be the last option."

  I didn't want to tell him that Heather had stopped by the farm. He would just flip out and upset my sister. "I'm thinkin' of takin' Amy to Kentucky. You think Randa could work at the shop for a few days? I want to show her where I grew up."

  It was coming up on the anniversary of my father's death and every year since he'd died I'd visited his grave. Just because I was living here didn't mean I couldn't be there on that day.

  "I will have to make sure my mom can keep the kids. Sometimes the boys get a little too wild for her. She says it’s like having two of me running around."

  I knew exactly what the woman meant. Those boys worked together to drive anyone mad. They were so in sync. "You really get a kick out of bein' a dad, don't ya?"

  Ty smiled and leaned on the next pole. "I do, bro. Those three kids are everything to me. If your sister wouldn't have had the problems with the boys, I might consider wanting more. Even if we just had the three, I'd be happy."

  I shook my head. "I hate sayin' this, because it goes against everything I ever thought about you, but you're a good dad. Randa obviously saw something that none of us did in you."

  He wiped the sweat off his forehead and chuckled. "She makes me crazy sometimes, but her body makes up for it."

  I knew he was joking. It still didn't stop me from tossing a bolt at him. "Forget what I just said. You're still the number one douche I know."

  "It takes one to know one, bitch!"

  I could tell that it was starting to get later in the afternoon from the position of the sun. We finished the main part of the fence and headed back to the house. I considered showering the funk off my body before heading out to pick up Amy, but my anticipation of having her safe in my arms changed my mind. Ty headed in the house, while I jumped right in my truck. The snow had all melted and the ground was left soggy. I pulled off the farm road slowly, but heard the mud kicking up from the tires as I drove. There was no sense washing it when it was just going to get muddy again when we got home.

  I tried to call Amy several times, but she never answered. It made me concerned that something bad may have happened to her. As much as I wanted to call her father, I knew getting him worried would upset Amy.

  When I pulled up to the salon, the lights were still on. I jumped out and headed straight for the door, overwhelmed with concern. As I looked through the glass and spotted Amy standing at her station, relief washed over me. I tapped on the glass lightly, but she still jumped before turning around. Right away, I could tell that there was something wrong. She opened the door and locked it behind me. Before I could even say anything, she wrapped her arms around me. "I missed you today."

  I lifted up her face and looked into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing." She shook her head, but continued to hug me tightly.

  "Amy, tell me."

  "It's nothing. I just...I haven't had a customer in an hour and it’s been too quiet."

  "Why didn't you answer my phone calls. You had me worried."

  "Sorry, I turned my phone on vibrate and was talking to a customer when you called on the other line. Stop worrying, I'm fine."

  Although I didn't believe her, I hugged her back before helping her get everything cleaned up. She seemed better once we were in my truck, headed back to the farm. Maybe it was just me being overly protective. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had her spooked. "How was your day?"

  I looked over at her before looking back at the road. She shrugged. "Fine. I had to set this old bats hair who had an opinion about unwed women living in sin. At one point I wanted to smack her in the face. I don't remember ever feeling so angry before. Do you think it’s my pregnancy?"

  I chuckled. "Darlin' I sure hope so. I don't want to get beat up while I'm sleepin'. Let me know ahead of tim
e if I piss you off. I'll sleep in protective gear."

  She smacked my arm and started to laugh. "Ha ha, you're so funny. I just feel moody. Maybe I'm just tired after being on my feet for so long."

  "I give excellent foot rubs." I placed my hand on her leg and squeezed.

  She looked over at me and smiled. "I know. It's pretty much the only reason I like you."

  I knew she was teasing, but her little games always resulted in one thing and I wasn't about to pull over to fuck her in my truck. "Calm down little rabbit, you can have some of this later tonight when we get home."

  "I didn't ask for it."

  "Oh, yes you did. You think I can't read your mind by now?"

  She laughed and leaned her body into mine. I watched her scoot her body to the middle seat and get comfortable before clicking the seatbelt. Her hands slid between my legs and she started rubbing on my balls through my jeans. "When I want you, you will know it, baby."

  I felt my zipper coming down and kept my eyes on the road. A cold hand slid down into my pants. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat as I felt her grabbing my girth into her hands. She moaned against my ear.

  I lifted up my hips to give her the extra room to gain a better grasp on my package. Amy shocked me when she kissed on my ear and started making her way down to my pants. "Whoa, Blaze, I need to get a shower, I'm all sweaty."

  I felt her tongue lick on the tip of my cock. "I love the way you taste," she said before taking my length into her mouth. At one point I felt myself swerving off the side of the road. I steadied my speed and paid attention to staying in my lane as Amy's head began bobbing up and down. I took my right hand and slid it down her back until I could grab one of her ass cheeks. She moaned and it vibrated against my skin. I was rock hard by the time we got close enough to start seeing the barns at the farm. I tapped on her back and watched as she released her lips from my dick. When she saw where we were, she looked sad. I heard the seatbelt unbuckle and watched her tearing down her pants. In the matter of seconds she was straddling me. I couldn't believe how easy it slid in. She wrapped her arms around me and started moving her body up and down.

  "Fuck, baby. Hold on." She held on as I pulled over to the side of the road. "I need both of my hands for this."

  She leaned her body back against the steering wheel, allowing me enough room to grab both of those perfect tits. I watched her bite down on her lip as she began to rock up and down faster. We were limited in space, but it didn't make it feel any different. The spontaneity of what we were doing made it even hotter. I grabbed her by her hair and pulled her face toward mine. Our lips met and soon our tongues were dancing around each other. She put her hands onto the roof of the truck and grinded into me harder. I took my thumb and started rubbing her little clit hard. Her cries became frequent and I could feel the walls of her pussy trying to push me out. "That's it, Blaze." I grabbed one of her nipples and squeezed it as she cried out one more time. Watching the expression on her face was enough for me to go ahead and finish. I held her tight as I finished inside of her. She fell against my chest and calmed her breathing. "Sorry, I needed that."

  "Darlin' you can do that every damn day if you want."

  She giggled and kissed my lips again. "I'm so lucky to have you. Thank you for waiting so long for me, Conner."

  I kissed her again. "The pleasure is all mine, Blaze. You were worth the wait."

  She climbed off of me and started putting her pants back on. "You're just saying that because I attacked you in front of your farm. I feel like I'm horny all the time. It's crazy. Do you think it's because I'm pregnant?"

  I shook my head and started to pull up the dirt lane. "Nah, it's because your man is so sexy."

  She smacked my arm again and started to laugh. "Shut up!"

  "Seriously, you can't resist my sexiness."

  She looked out the window, trying to ignore me. "You talk about Ty, but you are so much like him it's sick."

  "He wishes he was as cool as me."

  "If you keep talking like that, you're going to be hit by lightning or something, you vain ass."

  I laughed some more as we pulled up in front of the house. "You love me."

  "Yeah, I have no idea why." She giggled.

  "I'll remind you of them later."

  She jumped out of the truck before I could say anymore. I knew she wasn't mad at me. Our little quickie was hot, but it didn't make me forget that I knew something was bothering her and I wasn't about to forget about it, until I knew what it was.

  Chapter 7

  Amy

  It was wrong for me to not have told Conner about the phone call. I knew he could sense that something happened. As much as I wanted to share everything with him, I couldn’t get him all upset over something that was probably nothing at all. Rick could threaten me all he wanted, as long as he didn't come near me.

  I got back into the swing of things in the next few weeks. Work kept me occupied during the day and by the time I went home at night I was exhausted from standing. Conner continued to urge me to stop working as frequently as every darn day. He didn't understand the relationships that I had built with my clients. I couldn't just stop doing their hair.

  Miranda had started working two days a week with me and on those days we just rode together. I swear Conner called me more than normal when he didn’t drive me. I realized that this was his first real relationship and that he had a lot to learn, however he had forgotten the part about giving me some space.

  I think it was just my new mood swings. I found myself to be more cranky than ever. I was exhausted after working long days and didn’t have patience for anything. Miranda said I was the bitchiest pregnant women she had ever been around. I'm not even going to get started on everything Ty said about my attitude. I guess it didn't help that we were living under the same roof.

  Conner had invited me to go to Kentucky with him for four days. I rearranged all of my clients and made sure that I would be all his during our trip. Since I hadn't really ever gone anywhere, I was more than excited to see where he grew up. It was also going to be nice to have someone on one time with his mother, who I really liked.

  People didn't understand how hard it was for me to be estranged from my mother. Sure she wasn't exactly a good mother, but I still hated that she didn't want to be a part of my life.

  So, what I thought was going to be a long private ride to Kentucky, turned out to have a few added passengers. I hadn't realized the real reason why Conner wanted to travel back to his hometown, until Miranda said she was coming too. It was the anniversary of their father's death. Apparently, they did this family thing where they visited his grave and paid their respects. I think it meant a lot to their mother that they were all there for each other.

  We all packed into the Mitchell family Jeep Cherokee, without an extra seat to spare. We left at night time, thinking the kids would sleep for the whole ride, but we were mistaken.

  Jake cried almost the entire ride, due to teething. Jax chewed on his whole hand and drooled all over his clothes. Bella wanted to stop at every single McDonald's.

  Conner and I sat back in the third row, cuddled up together. I had to smile just knowing that he was taking me home with him. We were doing things way out of order, except it somehow made sense for Conner. He was never a kind of person to follow everyone else's standards. Since I'd never been to the ranch, Ty thought it would be funny to tease me for the whole ride, so while Miranda managed the three children, Ty drove and kept us occupied with his nonsense.

  "Did you know that the Mitchell Ranch was once a plantation that Abraham Lincoln owned?"

  I looked at Conner, who for some reason thought it would be funny to go along with Ty's lies. He nudged me and smiled when I gave my attention back to Ty. "That's so cool." I didn't know enough about history to question him. I thought he was really filling me in on the history. Miranda stayed quiet in the front seat, not making a peep. I should have known.

  "Yep, did you ever hear of the Under
ground Railroad? The old barns have secret hideaways under the floor boards where the slaves would hide while they ran from their owners."

  "That is amazing." I turned to Conner. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

  He shrugged and just shook his head.

  "Conner used to take girls down there and steal their virginity."

  Immediately, I felt his hand grab mine. "That is horseshit! Amy he is blowing smoke up your ass."

  "Language!" Miranda yelled from the front seat.

  Ty was almost hunched over the steering wheel laughing so hard. "Come on, that shit was funny and you know it."

  "Daddy, you said a bad word" Bella added.

  I looked from Conner to the front seat. "So, how much was true?"

  "None of it!" Miranda revealed.

  "Sorry, Iz." Ty looked in the rear view mirror at her and then back to me. "Gullible."

  "That is really not cool. I believed you." I slapped Conner's leg. "You could have told me."

  He laughed "Sorry, Blaze. You look cute when you get angry. I just wanted to see you scrunch up that little face of yours."

  I rolled my eyes and ignored the fact that I had been so naive to believe Tyler Mitchell of all people.

  Once we reached Kentucky, I was completely exhausted. I'd tried to sleep in the car, but there was just too much going on for that to happen. The ranch was gigantic. I knew that family had money, but my God, they really had money. The main house was enormous and I couldn't believe that only two people were living in it. Colt and Van's house was down a long dirt road and Conner's mother's house was even further away on the property.

  Of course, her house was small compared to the other two. It was still big, especially for just her and John. At Christmas time they were bickering about what house they would live in once they were married. I could tell how excited Conner was to be home. He snatched up his mother and spun her around, but finally sat her back down. She smoothed out her clothes before turning her attention to me. "How are you feeling these days? How is my grandbaby doing?"