Cowboy, Stay with Me

Chapter Seven: Her Hero

Lucy was running for her life.

Her heart was racing and she was struggling to breathe as she hurtled blindly through a cornfield.

There was no moon out that night and she knew that at any moment, she could step into a gofer hole or put her foot down wrong in her stupid heels and snap an ankle.

But she didn't dare stop running.

There was a killer somewhere in the darkness behind her.

###

Lucy risked a quick glance over her shoulder and saw no sign of her pursuer.

Whirling back around, she flew straight into something.

Something large, firm, and oddly warm.

Then the Something wrapped big strong arms around her and the scent of aftershave curled soothingly around her.

Lucy shuddered against the familiar body then burst into hysterical sobs, clutching Sean for dear life.

She had no living idea what he was doing out in that field; she wasn't entirely positive what she was even doing there, but she knew that she'd never thought she'd be so glad to see her big, gun-carrying ex-boyfriend.

Sean sighed as he held her, rubbing her back and breathing in her boozy scent. She smelled like a train-hopping hobo right then, not that he would ever tell her that.

Lucy hadn't just been drinking beer that night, she'd also been hitting the whiskey. His hopeless little whiskey girl.

"Hey, Lucy, hey, it's okay. What're you doing out here? Huh? Are you hurt at all? Look at me, are you injured?" He gently pried her off of him enough that he could cup her face and make her look at him.

Her beautiful blue eyes were bloodshot from crying in abject fear and panic, but she didn't have any lacerations or contusions that he could see.

He gently ran his hands down her body. "Do you feel pain anywhere? Lucy, answer me."

"N-no! Sean, there's-there's a man back there, he has a gun and he-he-"

"Ssshhhhh, it's okay, come here." Sean yanked her tightly back into his arms. "I'm here, I got you. We got a tip from the neighbor when they heard gunshots. My men are surrounding the property right now."

Lucy jumped when a dark figure carrying a rifle glided by them, just a few feet to the right.

She glanced to the left and saw a few more shadowy figures stealthily darting off into the cornfield. "Oh my God." She moaned.

How the hell had she gotten tangled up in all this?

"Sshhh, it's okay, Lucy, I'm here, I got you." With that, Sean gently lifted her up into his arms and turned with her to carry her out of the cornfield.

"What're you looking at?" He barked. "Move out, men! You know the objective, don't need me to hold your hands, do you?!"

There was a chorus of "No sir!" and then the tromping of many booted feet as his team plunged off into the field.

Lucy buried her face in Sean's neck as he carried her through the darkness.

###

Sean got her to his truck and gently set her down in the passenger seat. "Okay, I've gotta get back out there, you'll be safe here, okay?"

"What?! No, you can't leave me!" She clutched his hand for dear life.

"Honey, you'll be perfectly safe here. Keep the doors locked, don't open them for anyone but me. I'm leaving one of my men here with you to guard you, okay? Call your sisters; everyone's worried about you. You just disappeared from the bar with Jake, it was unlike you."

"I-I don't have my phone!" She gasped out. "I lost it!"

Sean sighed and pulled his iPhone out of his back pocket to hand to her. "Here, use mine."

"No, Sean, really, please don't leave me alone right now-!"

Sean had a job to do, however, one he took very seriously. He couldn't just stay and babysit her, no matter how much he might want to.

He jerked her to him again and kissed her on the mouth.

Then he pushed her firmly back against the seat and closed the door on her.

She stared out into the darkness after him, her trembling fingers lifting to touch her lips, which were still tingling from that searing kiss.

He had kissed her, just to shut her up; just to distract her.

That jerk!

~ ~ ~

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