When Love's Gone Country - By Merri Hiatt Page 0,48

squeal of a door hinge followed by the bang of a door closing. “It is a cellar door. Ten will you give you twenty that he’s got everyone tucked away down there. How do I get ‘em out?”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Purity had a text message from Brad. Jacob was being taken to surgery to have drain tubes placed in his lungs. He inhaled too much river water. Courtney was breathing easier after two respiratory treatments.

Pure made a call, then headed toward the main house, keeping a watch out for String and Red. It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. Frank kept his guns under lock and key. The key was hidden in the Bible by his bedside. It was the first place Purity looked.

“Love God and love my guns,” she said. She gathered up six weapons, then began scouring the closets for smoke bombs. “Don’t farmers use them to keep bugs off their crops? Maybe that was just smoke. Probably a bad idea anyway. If I can’t get everyone out of the cellar, they could die of smoke inhalation.”

She’d have given anything to have at least one other person there to mull over ideas with. Time was running out. If Red meant his threat, women, children and animals were in harm’s way. Jeremy came to mind immediately. “If he touches one hair on his head, I’ll…” Pure’s hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but it will be bad. Really, really bad.”

She gathered up the guns and ammo and headed toward the door. A muffled sound stopped her in her tracks. She heard it again.

She followed the sound to the closet in the hall. A knife had been jammed into the space by the door handle. Purity pulled the knife out with a grunt and a gasp, then opened the door. Frank and Emma were bound and gagged. Duct tape covered their mouths. She quickly helped them get free. “Are you okay?”

“It’s Red. He’s behind it all. He wants to take the ranch from us. Doesn’t think we deserve it.”

“You’re bleeding.” Purity gathered towels from the bathroom and pressed one against Frank’s forehead.

“I’ll be fine.”

“What happened to your eye?”

“He hit me with the butt of his gun. Damn coward!” Emma said. “Is everyone okay?”

Purity shook her head. “I think they’re all in the orchard cellar.”

“How do you know about that?” Frank asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“Do you know there are two entrances?”

“That I didn’t know. Where’s the other one?”

“By the chicken coop.”

“That’s a long way from the orchard.”

“It’s a big cellar.” Emma said. “There’s electricity and everything. That’s where we make our applesauce.”

“C’mon, let’s go get that son of a bitch.”

“I called the police. They’re on their way.”

“You didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t,” Frank said.

“Why?”

“Chief of Police is Red’s brother,” Emma said.

“Oh, no. I told them everything.”

“Who’d you talk to?”

“I don’t know. It was a woman.”

“That’d be Emma Lou. She and Red dated for a while. They broke up on bad terms. We might have caught a break.”

“She’d probably like to see ol’ Red get his comeuppance.”

“Let’s hope so,” Pure said. She helped Frank and Emma get to their feet. “Are you sure you feel up to this?”

“Hell yes! I don’t take kindly to someone tryin’ to steal what’s mine.”

“And neither do I,” Emma said.

Purity distributed the guns, two to Frank and two to Emma, keeping two for herself, and they headed toward the chicken coop. They kept constant vigil as they moved quickly.

“It’s around the back,” Emma said. “It just looks like a small cupboard for storing things, but it ain’t.” She pulled on the chain around her neck until a ring of keys came riding up from out of her bra. “Gotta keep these close to my heart.”

She found the key so fast, Purity had to marvel at her speed. With so many keys on the ring, she found it nigh on to impossible that Emma could remember what each and every one was for.

“You’ll have to bend over in half and put one leg in, then the other. Skooch over a bit, then you can stand upright. Watch me.”

Purity watched, then followed Emma’s movements. Frank did the same, shutting the door behind him and relocking it.

“There’s a switch here somewhere.” Emma felt around until she found the wall switch, then flipped it up. Light flooded the area.

“It’s huge!”

“Half the size of a football field,” Frank said. “And this is only about a quarter of it. There’s a hidden connecting hallway.”

“Why all the