Jake turned on the water and cupped some in his hand, rinsing her face with it. “Rinse your mouth under the faucet, Annie. I have some peppermint candy that will make it taste better.”
She jerked in a sob and rinsed her mouth. Jake hung on to her the whole time, then picked her up when she was through and carried her to the bed, laying her on it. She instantly curled into a ball and cried again. Jake took a handkerchief from his gear, along with the clothing Gretta had given him. All he could think of was what Gretta’s uncle had done to her. He dearly wished he could have killed the man. He grabbed a stick of peppermint and brought it to the bed, laying the clothes on a nearby chair.
He crouched beside the bed and handed her the handkerchief. “You have to stop crying, Annie. Use this. And when you stop crying, suck on this peppermint.” He laid the candy on the stand beside the bed, thinking about the peppermint he’d left with Randy. God, he missed her. He kept his voice low as he tried to explain. “I promise I’m not going to touch you, Annie. I bought you just to get a night alone with you so I can explain what’s happening. I’m taking you home, understand?”
She took the handkerchief. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she wept. She blew her nose and wiped at her eyes.
Jake remained crouched in front of her. “Look at me, Annie.”
She remained curled up when she met his gaze. “I have a wife, Annie, a son and a daughter, a pack of grandchildren, and an adopted son. I own a big ranch up near Denver. Your—” He hesitated. She still thought Loretta was her mother. “Your mother hired me to come and find you. I’m taking you out of here in the morning. I have a friend along who will get you over the border while I hold off anyone who tries to stop us. His name is Cole. You can trust him.”
She wiped at her eyes again. “I don’t believe you.”
Jake nodded toward the chair. “I brought those clothes for you. They’ll probably be too big, but it’s better than a man’s shirt, and there is even some lady’s underclothes there. Don’t get dressed till morning, mind. If for some reason anyone knocks and wants to come in here, it has to look like we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, which means you can’t be dressed.”
She watched his eyes. Jake was in a killing mood, but he smiled for her. “Everything is going to be okay, Annie,” he told her.
Annie noticed his guns. “Who are you?”
“My name is Jake. Your mother knows I’m good with these guns. I used to be a U.S. Marshal, so she figured I could get you out of here.”
Her eyes filled with tears again. “Another man already tried. They shot him a whole bunch of times.”
Jake smoothed her hair back from her face. She jumped at first when he touched her, then curled up even tighter. “It’s okay, Annie. I’m not lying to you. As far as that other man, he wasn’t experienced enough in these things. I know people like the ones who run this place. I’ll get you out of here. That’s a promise. You just have to do everything I tell you, without hesitation, understand? That’s very important. Once we get out, you don’t look back. You stay with Cole, and you ride hard for that border, understand?”
She reached for the peppermint and put it in her mouth, a gesture that reminded Jake of Sadie Mae and Tricia begging him for candy. And then there was Randy. Their reason for sharing peppermint sticks was something very different. He turned away and rose. Would they ever have the chance to eat another peppermint stick until their lips met?
He lit another cigarette, then moved the clothes to the bed and sat down in the chair next to it. He leaned his elbows on his knees and studied the flowered carpet on the floor. “I need to know if you’re… Your mother will want to know if you’re still a virgin, Annie. Do you know what I mean?”
She didn’t answer right away.
Jake sighed, feeling like an ass. He drew on the cigarette before speaking again. “Your mother will need to know, Annie, so she knows how to help you when you get home. Nothing that has happened is your fault, understand? There’s no shame in any of it.”
Annie pulled a blanket over her face. “I don’t know.”
Jake frowned. “How can you not know?”
“I’m not sure,” she wept. “Luis made men hold me down, and he…touched me.” She started sobbing again.
Jake stood up and paced again, so full of rage he was sorely tempted to charge out of the room and start shooting people. He ran a hand through his hair. “Is that all he did?”
“He made me touch him.”