Page 66 of Shine On Oklahoma

She sighed, and kept walking. Maybe if shejust went fast enough, they could get around the other side, andout of earshot before the baby cut loose another wail.

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Dax heard Kendra’s voice on the radio, andthen heard the radio tumbling and banging its way down the face ofthe drop-off. It followed the path he’d taken down himself.

“What was that?” Kiley asked.

He held up a hand so she’d go quiet, just incase, and scanned the ground until he spotted the walkie-talkielying at the bottom. Then he looked up in time to see two formsmoving off into the trees.

Twoforms.

“Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”

He glanced at Kiley. “Keep the baby as quietas you can, okay?” Then he crawled on two hands and one knee,dragging the broken leg behind him. Pain screamed all the way tohis teeth, but he kept it contained, grabbed the walkie. “Anyonethere?” He spoke as softly as he could, and turned the volume downwhile awaiting a response.

Rob’s voice came back. “We’re on our way. Becareful, Caine got away from Jimmy. Cracked him over the head witha rock and ran off through the woods. I was just telling Kendrathat when she started keying in an SOS, then went silent. Whathappened?”

He glanced upward again, then a twig snappedfurther away, drawing his gaze. He turned the radio off, scanningthe trees to the right of them. And he saw them, shadows in thetrees, Kendra in front, and a man behind her.

Caine.

He slid a look Kiley’s way. The look on herface told him she’d seen it, too. He nodded at her, gave a staycalm gesture with his palm. Then he got his leg out in front ofhim, gripped his shin with both hands, and yanked the broken boneback into place. The sound was sickening, the pain more so. Kileyclapped a hand over her mouth. He sat there, hands on the break. Hedidn’t have time to wait long, though. He looked around, located along, sturdy looking limb, and slid closer. Then he got up on oneleg and, using the limb as a crutch, hobbled across the littleclearing.

Kendra and Caine seemed to be circling it,making their way to the lower side by going around rather than overthe drop. The road must be in that direction.

He kept the gun in his jeans, its metal coldagainst his bare back, and moved as quickly and quietly as he couldto the bottom edge of their clearing. Then he pulled the gun out,looked at it, and shaking his head, put it back. He couldn’t shoota man.

They were coming closer. He positionedhimself near the edge of the animal trail they seemed to befollowing, behind a crooked pine tree, stood on one leg, and pickedup his crutch.

They came into sight. He waited. They movedcloser. They stepped right in front of his spot. The baby startedto cry. Cain and his gun swung in that direction. Kendra turned andgrabbed his gun hand, getting right between it and the baby, so itsbarrel was aimed at her chest as she yanked on his arm. Dax hoppedout and brought the crutch down like a sledge hammer on Caine’shead.

The limb broke right in half. Dax pulled outthe damn gun as Cain spun around, yanking Kendra right off herfeet, but she did not let go of that arm.

“Drop it or I’ll yank your arm out of itssocket you dirty rotten—” She sank her teeth into his forearm. Hepunched her in the face with his free hand and she dropped to theground like a sack of feed.

Dax shot him. The bullet hit him in the rightshoulder, spinning him right around, and Kendra jumped up onto herfeet, snatched Caine’s gun from him easily, and backed up until shewas standing beside Dax. Cain dropped to his knees, clutching hisbleeding shoulder. “I hate you fucking Kelloggs.”

“Should’a aimed for his head,” Kendra said.She glanced sideways at him, saw the pain on his face. He wobbled,and she wrapped her arm around his waist. “Lean on me, bigguy.”

He put an arm around her. There were peoplerunning, crashing through the woods by then. Chief Jimmy Corona, anasty wound on his head all swollen and cut. It had bled all overhis face. He walked up behind Caine and handcuffed him, in spite ofthe shoulder wound. Caine yelped in pain but no one cared.

Rob shouted for Kiley, and she called back.He ran to her, wrapped her and the baby in his arms and held them.Dax couldn’t see his face, but he’d bet there were tears on it.

Four wheelers growled from a distance, theBFFD had come to the rescue.

Dax squeezed Kendra’s shoulders. “Long day,huh?”

She let her head fall onto his shoulder,watching her sister’s little family embracing a few yards away.“Long day,” she agreed. “You did so good, Dax.”

“So did you, Kendra. Youaregood. Youjust don’t know it, is all.”

CHAPTERTWELVE

Thanksgiving Day

Kendra stood in the Long Branch, feeling outof place, and knowing more than before that the decision she’d madewas the right one.

The place was hopping with Brands andMcIntyres, all of them happy and smiling and beautiful and good.People were carrying piping hot dishes from the kitchen to the longtables set up in the dining room. There were immaculate linentablecloths all patterned in russet leaves and cornucopias. Therewere centerpieces of sunflowers, yellow mums and burgundycarnations. The place settings were perfect, with colorful clothnapkins in mustard yellow. The area near the front windows had beencleared of tables. Tomorrow, Kiley told her, they’d put up aChristmas tree there.

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