Caleb's Blessing(27)

Cecily didn’t know it, but she’d dug her own fucking grave. I was far from done with her, but since I knew how her mind worked, I was going to start here in the town that she likes to lord it over.

By end of day today, everyone would have heard that the Dunbars had severed ties with the Cranes. Since they all knew which side their bread was buttered on, I had no doubt where the chips would fall.





Chapter 17




CALEB



To say hell broke loose is a minor understatement, but by the time we were finished with our pie and coffee, and bought her a couple pairs of boots, word had spread.

Just what I expected to happen was already starting, as was to be expected in a small town. People who were known associates of the Cranes were already trying to distance themselves.

It was no secret that more than a few people were tired of Cecily and her ways, but no one has ever had the nerve to call her out on her bullshit because of her daddy’s money.

Now that I had got the ball rolling, they no longer felt the need to hold back it seems. My mom was the first to call and let me in on what was going on even before we got back to the ranch.

“What’s going to happen to him?”

“To who?” I had just switched off with mom and her twenty questions. Mom hates Cecily’s guts, so there was no hiding her glee. Her boy had done her dirty work for her since she’s too much the lady to tell that ass to get fucked.

“That girls dad?”

Crap, I’d used the speaker because I didn’t want to hold my phone while driving, especially not with her in the truck. Stupid me, the fact that she was hearing it all had gone right over my head.

“That’s not for you to worry about. A man can’t very well run a company or anything else if he can’t even control his own family. If he’d taught his daughter how to be human what happened today wouldn’t have happened.”

Mikey had left us alone, sensing that I needed to be alone with her I guess, so I didn’t have to curb my tongue or actions. I took her hand because she seemed worried about Crane. Soft hearted, that’s what she is. Little does she know; that I’d only just begun.

Back at the house she did the girlie bit, trying on her stuff and squealing over each new outfit. She showed more excitement here than in the store, so I knew she really liked my choices. I left her when she headed for the kitchen to get dinner started, and closed myself off in my office.

There were over twenty messages on my machine. Most of the old timers knew that I was going to be taking over from dad in the not too distant future.

Some of them were already a little wary of that day coming, because I’m not my dad, and they know it, I like to do shit my way. I guess they were making sure their asses weren’t next. As long as they didn’t fuck with her they should be fine.

I deleted most of them and chose a few that I knew would do the most good. I was on a mission. If I cut Cecily’s old man off at the knees, there will be no more designer wear and new car every year for her.

If he wanted shit to go back to the way it was, he was going to have to reel her in in a big fucking way to appease me. I’d be more than willing to give him suggestions when he finally gets around to calling again, which I’m sure he would. His call was one of the first I’d deleted.

When I was finished dropping hints in the right ears, I sat for a minute to gather my thoughts. Except for Cecily’s little attempt at sabotage, the day hadn’t been half bad.

She hadn’t shown any fear at being away from the ranch and being around people, so I knew that my baby wasn’t scarred for life by what the asshole had done.

Even though she had yet to share what exactly he’d done to her, the little Drake had told me was enough for me to get the picture. She doesn’t know it, but I’ve been studying her to get clues.

Sometimes, in the last few days while she’s downstairs fussing around the kitchen, I’m up here on the computer reading whatever I can find about domestic abuse, and some of the signs of PTSD.

So far she hasn’t shown any, but it was still early days yet. I wasn’t sure how long I should let her continue to keep her silence, but I didn’t want to hurt her by dragging it out of her.

***

That night I held her just a little bit closer in bed and watched over her until I couldn’t fight sleep any longer. She was such a soft, delicate thing, that it was hard for me to imagine what had been done to her, and why.

My eyes still grew moist when I thought of what she’d been through, and I made a few promises to her in my heart, that I would wipe his memory out for good one of these days.

I fell asleep with the warm weight of her in my arms and her breath on my neck. All was almost right in my world; I was just biding my time, trying not to rush her, but I was ready to take that next step. I wonder if she’d think it was too soon to wear great grandma’s ring?