Page 16 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
“Don’t.” Her request was too late, based onthe shocked gasps from Sharon and Vanna. “Please.” She tried toslide her clothing back into place, each movement waking the painmore. “No.”
“Who the hell did that to you, girl?”Truck’s question boomed through the house, and Marian heard heavyfootfalls immediately approaching the kitchen from the direction ofthe living room.
“Let go of her,” Thad shouted, and Marianbent over, hiding her face in her palms. “Get your stinkin’ handsoff her.”
“Thad, it’s okay,” Gunny responded, as thehands on her shoulders disappeared. “Buddy, it’s okay.”
Blocking out everything happening aroundher, Marian tried again to restore order to her clothing andfailed. A body bumped into her side, and Luke whispered, “I’llhelp,” as the shirt lowered to hide her shame.
“Leave her alone,” Thad shouted again, and ahand she recognized as his landed on top of her head, the boyknowing from long experience it would be a safe place to connect,unlikely to cause pain. “Leave us all alone.”
Shouted arguments between the two men wereechoed in Thad’s voice, Sharon and Vanna nowhere to be heard.Marian carefully measured each breath as enough to stay consciousbut not enough to trigger a cough or pain, the broken ribscomplaining loudly about the strain of holding her body together.“Nugh.” Mouth opened wide, she sipped at the air, each exhalereleasing a little more pain. “I’m okay,” she tried to reassureThad, but he snorted his disbelief. “No, I am. It’s not bad. Justtook me by surprise.”
Hands still in place over her face, she satmore upright, careful not to lean backwards. “Tissue?” Somethingsoft drifted across the back of her hand in response, and sheclutched at it blindly. Eyes wiped free from tears, she dabbed ather nose, knowing from experience that blowing it would tear downall the progress made so far. “I’m okay.”
Thad’s hand was replaced by another, fingersgently threading through her hair. She blinked up to see Gunnystanding next to her. “Fuckin’ knew I should have taken you to thedoc.” His expression was tortured. “I’m sorry I failed you, MaidMarian.”
“I wouldn’t have gone.” She gave him thetruth and heard Sharon snort from behind him. “Nothin’ against you,Gunny, but I wouldn’t have. This isn’t bad.”
“Goddamn, girl.” Truck’s voice wasraspy. “You’re breakin’ my fuckin’ heart.”
“I’m sorry, Marian.” Sharon popped her headaround Gunny’s side, teeth worrying at her bottom lip. “I didn’tknow.”
“I didn’t want you to know.” They deservedthe truth as she saw it. “It’s never going to happen to me again.I’m here, and you, all of you, have saved me.” Air rushed into herlungs on a groan, and Gunny’s hand tightened in her hair. Shakingher head slowly, she reminded him, “You saved us. Like withSharon’s stories, the bad is in the past, and there’s only good inour futures.”
Vanna replaced Gunny, and she stretched outboth hands, guiding Marian to her feet. “I’m thinking a hot showerwill make you feel tons better, then we’ll get you into bed.Truck,” she called over her shoulder. “Earlier, Marian set theirbags just inside the front door. Bring them up to the guest suite.We’ve got the pull-out in there the boys can sleep on.” Focusing onMarian, she murmured, “I suspect you’ll rest better if you knowthey’re close by.”
Marian straightened, forcing her shouldersback as she nodded. “You’re right.” Looking at Thad, she gave him asmile she knew he’d see straight through to the pain beneath, andrecognized she’d been right when his brows wrinkled. “Take thelittle ones and go finish the movie? That’ll give me time to getready for bed. Vanna Mom’s right. I’m pretty near wiped out.”
“You call out, I’ll hear you. This houseain’t too big.” He stepped back and looped his arm around Luke’sneck. “We’ll be up in a while. Give you a little bit.”
“Sounds good.” She shuffled forward anddropped a kiss against his temple before he could shrug away. “Loveyou, little brother. Love you too, Lukie.”
With a glare at Truck over his shoulder,Thad guided Luke out of the room, and Marian relaxed a little more.Without turning around, she told him, “Mr. Truck—” That generatedstrained laughs, but she’d been told Myrt called him that, and thetelling had sparked amusement, so any laughter meant she was on herway to successfully deflating the tension in the room. “He’s not abad kid, just protective. Give him half a day and he’ll warm up toyou.”
“That’s something worth working towards,Maid Marian.” Gunny’s nickname for her in Truck’s thick accent madeher want to laugh. “Keeping the whole of your little family safe isan even better goal. Myrt and Bane will be here in another day.He’ll loosen up then, once he knows she’s good.”
“You’ve got a good intuition about you.” Shespoke to Truck as she accepted Vanna’s extended elbow and leanedlightly on the older woman. “I think you’re a big ole softie withan even bigger heart.”
“She’s got your number, old man.” Vanna’spseudo whisper had the people in the room laughing, and that wassuch a pleasant sound Marian almost didn’t want to move away.
The promise of an ache-easing hot shower wasample draw, though, and she followed Vanna’s guidance up thestairs. Pausing in the doorway to a large room, Marian took in thebed and other furnishings. Larger than any she’d ever seen, andshe’d already thought the motel beds were huge, this bed held anovel number of pillows propped against the heavy wooden headboard.A full-sized couch sat along one wall, and a TV mounted on top of adresser would be easily visible from either of the main pieces offurniture. Tables and plants were scattered around, and Marianthought it looked more like an apartment than a guest room.
Noise on the stairs had her moving to theside of the door, and she watched as Vanna disappeared into adoorway across the room just as Truck walked in the entrance.Without asking, he identified the bags and dropped the duffels forthe boys on the couch, carrying the trash bag that held Marian’sthings to the bed.
“There you go, girl.” As he passed her onhis way back out the door, Truck lifted his hand and gently tuckeda strand behind her ear, then was gone, only a spicy scent left inhis wake.
Knights in black armor.
Vanna leaned around the doorframe and wavedMarian forwards. “Shower’s running. It’ll be hot by the time we getyou out of those clothes. Grab your pj’s while I get you a toweland me a chair.” She walked into the room. “Oh good, he listened.”Without asking permission, she unraveled the string holding the bagclosed. “Just need panties and a big shirt to sleep in.”
“I can do that.” Mortification unrootedMarian’s feet, and she closed the distance, jerking the bag out ofVanna’s hands. “Please. I’ve got it from here.”
“Okay.” Passing over control of the bag,Vanna backed away a step. “I’m here if you need me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The honorific came naturally,easier than calling the woman Vanna Mom, and Marian’s shouldersloosened a tiny bit. “I’m okay. You don’t have to stay.”
“I’m sure you are, but staying will ease mymind.”
