"Which one of these do you like?," Beth asked, holding two dresses up in front of her. Rachel laughed. Given the urgent way Beth had rushed her into the house, Rachel naturally assumed there was a more pressing issue than what dress the woman was going to change into for the party. Forgetting Beth's motivation for the moment, Rachel looked at the dresses Beth was displaying for her. One dress was short and black while the other one was long and more flowy.
"I like the green one," Rachel said. She laughed again when Beth thrust the long green patterned dress into her arms. She'd clearly already decided on what she wanted to wear. The short black dress. Which begged the question again as to why she'd rushed Rachel into the house like there was some emergency.
"I've got to shower the horse shit off," Beth announced. "Then you wanna get ready together?"
Rachel smiled and nodded her head. As Beth headed into the bathroom to wash off the horse stink, Rachel went down the hall towards her room and decided to hop into the shower herself. She showered the night before. But she'd been running around all morning getting sweaty and her feet were dirty from walking around in her sandals in the grass and the dirt. Rachel quickly scrubbed herself with body wash and ran a razor over her body in the areas that needed attention. Wrapping herself in a towel, she headed back into her bedroom to look for a clean bra and panties. When Rachel heard a knock on her door, she assumed it was Beth and quickly moved across the room.
Flinging the door open, Rachel startled when she found Rip standing there instead of his wife. He took one look at the tiny towel she was wrapped in and slapped his hand over his eyes. Rachel eased the door back so that she could stand mostly behind it, trying not to laugh.
"Beth said to ask you if you want a drink," Rip said, lifting his hand just slightly to make sure he couldn't see anything before he lowered it. "I'm going downstairs to get her somethin' already so it's no trouble."
"Are we drinking drinking already?," Rachel asked with a laugh. It seemed a little early in the day for a real drink. But they were having a party.
"We're always drinking drinking around here," Rip quipped. "I think there's a full bar set up outside."
"I'll take a beer I guess," she said with a laugh. She was going to have to work on her alcohol tolerance hanging around here. Since her husband had a substance abuse problem, she was used to not having alcohol around. And not being able to drink herself. One drunk person in that relationship was enough. Since her divorce, she'd been occasionally treating herself to a cocktail once in a while. But certainly not every day. And usually not in the middle of the day.
Rip turned like he was about to head down the hall towards the stairs. But he stopped, turning back towards Rachel.
"Did John talk to you?," he asked. She nodded her head. She'd figured out by now that Rip didn't mince words. He was very direct. And this was no exception. "Are you gonna stay?," he asked, unable to hide the hopefulness in his tone.
"I haven't decided for sure. I need to talk to Dakota," Rachel admitted. She was thinking it over. But really, there wasn't a lot to think over. She'd been hoping and praying on an answer to her and Dakota's problems. For a way to keep herself and her daughter safe. And staying at the ranch seemed like the answer to those prayers. She still felt a little weird about accepting such generosity from what basically amounted to strangers. But her father always told her not to look a gift horse in the mouth. "...But I think I might stay for now. At least until I can get some things sorted out."
Rip's face lit up into a big smile. And he stepped forward, forgetting for the moment that Rachel was mostly naked behind the bedroom door. His intent was clearly to hug her, but he quickly moved back, grasping her hand and giving it a soft squeeze instead.
"Good," he told her. "I'll buy you a robe," he added with a laugh.
A few minutes later, Rachel was dressed and sipping her beer while she watched Beth slather an endless amount of eyeliner on her eyes. It didn't really take Rachel long to get ready. All she put on was mascara and a little blush. She toyed with the flat iron a while longer, re-straightening the pieces around her face. But finally she just plopped down on the closed toilet lid and sipped her beer while Beth finished primping. As she applied yet another layer of mascara, Rachel finally got her first clue as to why Beth rushed her away into the house.
"He's an asshole, you know," Beth said. Moving back from the mirror she glanced at Rachel. When she saw the confused look on her face, Beth explained her comment further. "My brother Jamie. He's an asshole."
"All men are assholes some of the time," Rachel agreed with a soft smile. Her husband was the biggest raging asshole on earth pretty much all the time. Especially towards the end of their relationship. But all men were jerks sometimes. She was sure even her brother had his moments. Even though she hadn't seen him show any signs of asshole behavior yet.
"Some men are assholes all the time," Beth countered. "...and he's one of 'em."
"You don't get along with him?," Rachel asked, though it was plainly obvious they didn't. Since Rachel just met her only brother a few days ago, she didn't have much insight into the complications of sibling relationships. Beth was acting like she hated Jamie. But if someone started trouble with him, Rachel guessed she'd be first in line to defend the man.
"No I don't," Beth confirmed. "...because he's an asshole." Rachel laughed, shaking her head at the woman.
"I'll keep that in mind," Rachel promised. She was tempted to ask Beth what the rift was between the two of them. Or to elaborate on what specific asshole behavior the man was capable of. But Beth was already on to the next subject.
"Is your ex still hassling you?," Beth asked. Rachel fidgeted nervously, almost wishing they could go back to talking about what an asshole Jamie was. Finally she nodded. Dakota already told them about what was going on. There was no point in denying it now. Rachel just got so used to lying for the man during her marriage that it was a hard habit to shake.
"He's been stalking me since the divorce," Rachel admitted. " I thought he was tracking me through my phone. But I got a new one twice and it's still happening. He found me at that crap hotel in Bozeman. And he showed up again the other day when we were looking at that bakery."
"He showed up at the bakery?," Beth asked, snapping her head away from the mirror. This was her first time hearing that the man showed up at the bakery. And like Rachel, she was confused about how the man would have found them there. It was possible he was waiting somewhere outside the ranch property and followed them. But they weren't in Rachel's car when they left. They took one of the ranch trucks. People came and went from the ranchin those trucks all the time. There was no way for him to have known Rachel was in that truck. Unless he just got really lucky, Beth didn't think he'd found her that way.
"He did," Rachel said with a hint of a smile, "...Your asshole brother ran him off."
"Well at least he's good for something," Beth huffed. She returned her attention to the mirror, her expression pensive as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. "You said you thought he was tracking you with your phone?," she asked. Rachel nodded. She couldn't think of any other explanation for the way Daniel kept finding her wherever she went. But it kept happening even after she replaced her phone. And got a whole new number. Twice. Still, when Beth asked her to go get her phone and let her take a look, Rachel was more than happy to retrieve the device from her room.
Beth tipped her glass, swallowing the rest of her drink before she plugged the phone into a cord that was extending from her laptop. Rachel wasn't very tech savvy. But after a few clicks, the contents of her phone appeared on Beth's laptop screen.
"Did you get a new email?," Beth asked. Rachel shook her head. She got a new number. But she just signed into her same email with the new phone. She did change all her passwords. Because her divorce attorney suggested it. But that was two years ago. Beth clicked into Rachel's email, going to the account information. She pointed at the screen that showed the telephone number that was associated with the account.
"Is this your number?," she asked. Rachel leaned in, feeling a slight jolt of anxiety. That was not her number. That was Daniel's number. She had it memorized. Because she never wanted to accidentally answer a call from him. Rachel shook her head.
"That's his number," she said. Beth made a few more clicks.
"He's logged into your email right fucking now."
Rachel gasped slightly, feeling a strange mixture of terror and relief. She'd made the motel reservations and paid for them online. With a confirmation email of the date and time. And she emailed that realtor, about the bakery. This was how he kept finding her. That fucker was reading all her emails. During her divorce, Daniel was always one step ahead of her. Because he was reading the emails between her and her attorney.
Beth clicked on the button to create a new email. She sent it from Rachel's email to Rachel's email. In the subject line she typed her ex husband's first name. And the only thing she put in the message of the email was 'I gotcha now you fuck'. Beth hit send. And then they waited. Rachel paled when the email suddenly turned from unread to read without Beth having touched anything else. Daniel was logged in to her email. And he was reading the message right now. It gave Rachel the major creeps. He'd been doing this for years. Years. He knew she was selling her parents house. He knew she was moving to Bozeman. He knew where she went to therapy. He even knew what she bought at the grocery store every time she did an online pickup order. He knew everything. Rachel took a deep breath. At least she knew how he was finding her. And it was about to stop. Right now.
Beth's hands were flying across the keyboard. She changed the retrieval number so Daniel wouldn't be able to backdoor his way into the account again. Then she logged his ass out and changed the password. Unlike Rachel, who was unsettled by the whole situation, Beth was enjoying herself to the fullest.
"That's right motherfucker, I gotcha," she exclaimed. When she clicked back out of the account information, Beth paused. "He responded to that email before I tossed him out," she observed. Before Rachel could stop her, Beth opened the email. There was a note that said 'You're dead bitch'. But Beth didn't even notice the text at first. Because the rest of the screen was filled with images of Rachel naked. A few of the pictures looked posed. But the rest looked like they'd been taken without her knowledge or permission. She was obviously asleep in some of the pictures. And the last one wasn't a still image but a video of Rachel and her ex husband having sex. Beth jerked back, snapping her laptop closed. Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced at Rachel, gauging her reaction to what they just saw.
"He used to threaten to send those pictures to my dad," Rachel said, tipping her beer up and chugging down the rest of it. "Or to post them on the internet," she added with a sigh and a shrug.
"I think it's time for another drink," Beth announced, rising from her seat and grabbing Rachel's hand as she pulled the woman along with her.
They headed outside, ordering drinks from the bar that was set up under a large white tent. Rachel sipped her beer before she moved, trying to make sure the liquid wouldn't splash out of the cup as she walked. Once she was able to walk without fear of spilling her drink all over her borrowed dress, Rachel headed away from the bar and started looking for Dakota. She supposed that the need to constantly know her child's present location was a normal mom thing. But given everything they'd been through, she was slightly more vigilant than the average mother of a young teen.
Rachel checked the corral first. That was the last place she'd seen the girl. Carter and Tate were still there. But she didn't see Dakota. Rachel fought back the instant swell of panic, telling herself that she was being silly. And that Dakota might be using the bathroom or even inside getting dressed for the party like she and Beth just did. But Rachel had a bad feeling in her stomach. She needed to find her daughter. Now.
Trying not to draw attention to herself, Rachel walked as quickly as she could through the tent. She stopped by the corral and asked Carter if he knew where Dakota went. When the boy informed her that Dakota was hungry and went to the food tent for a snack, Rachel felt a small surge of relief. But despite that, she still hurried in the direction Carter indicated, looking for her daughter. Rachel saw a flash of Dakota's blue hair, and felt the rush of relief that came with finding the girl. But that relief was short-lived. Because as she headed further into the tent, Rachel saw her daughter was not alone.
A tan woman with neatly coiffed dark hair and an expensive suit jacket was standing with Dakota. She had her hand on the girl's arm, anchoring her in place as she spoke quietly to her. Rachel recognized the woman immediately. It would be hair not to. Since they were technically family for years despite how disrespectful the woman always was to her. You bitch, Rachel thought. It was bad enough that the woman always treated her as a second class citizen because she was white. But Angela BlueThunder was also the reason Daniel was still out running the streets. And stalking her. Everytime Rachel called the cops on him, or even thought about trying to press charges, his big time fancy pants reservation lawyer sister would show up and make everything disappear.
"Get your hands off my daughter," Rachel hissed, pushing herself between Dakota and her ex sister-in-law.
"She's my niece," Angela purred. "I have every right to speak to her." Rachel fought the urge to punch the woman directly in her over plumped lips. It was not just the audacity with which she was behaving, thinking she had any right at all to even look at Dakota after she enabled her crazy brother to do what he did to both of them. It was also the haughty smug look on her face. And the way she always talked to Rachel like she was the stupidest person on earth.
"You have no right," Rachel spit back. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Angela's plump lips curled up into a mocking smile. She glanced at the table full of dessert food before she turned her attention back to Rachel.
"I'm a guest here," Angela chortled. "Shouldn't you be in the kitchen with the rest of the catering staff?"
Rachel let out a small snort of indignation. Angela was such a raging bitch in all the worst ways. The only reason she could tell that Rachel made the desserts being offered was because of how amazing they looked. Yet she still managed to use that as a way to insult her. Rachel balled up her fist. She had a hard time looking at the woman and not thinking about how she'd represented Daniel during their divorce. She couldn't win him custody. Not even the best lawyer in the country could have done that. Not with his arrest record and multiple dirty drug tests. But she'd done everything she could to make things as terrible as possible for Rachel, filing motion after frivolous motion in an attempt to bankrupt her. Her parents had to dip into their retirement to help her with her legal fees.
"I'm a guest here too," Rachel said, refusing to back down even though Dakota was yanking on her arm, wanting to get away from the wretched woman. Angela smiled.
"Drinking a beer after you get done setting up the food tent doesn't make you a guest," she said with a cocky grin. Rachel looked down at the beer in her hand, seriously considering splashing the contents right into the woman's smug face. But before she could, she felt an arm go around her shoulder.
"Hey babe," Jamie said, leaning in and pressing a kiss into her hair. "I've been looking everywhere for you." Rachel had to bite back a laugh when she saw the shocked look flash briefly across Angela's bitchy face. Jamie stuck his hand out to her. And she stared at it for a moment before she finally shook. The handshake was brief and clearly done out of obligation on Angela's part and not out of any desire to touch the man that had his arm around Rachel.
"Jamie Dutton," he said. "I'm the acting attorney general. And you areā¦"
"Angela BlueThunder," Angela said. Before she had a chance to rattle off her title, which really wasn't much of a title, she was a lawyer that worked for the Broken Rock Reservation, Jamie cut her off.
"You came with Chief Rainwater?," he asked. Angela nodded, ignoring the satisfied look that crossed Rachel's face when she learned that Angela was not actually an invited guest. Chief Rainwater was the invited guest. She was here as his plus one. Because she worked for him. She was the one on the clock. Not Rachel. "Well be sure to check out the desserts," Jamie suggested, "...they're amazing."
With that Jamie slipped his arm around Rachel's waist, slinging the other around Dakota's shoulders. He was surprised when the little sass mouth girl didn't object to being corralled like cattle. Instead she tucked herself into his side as he walked, glancing back nervously over her shoulder at the woman they were just talking to. Dakota didn't speak up until the woman was out of earshot.
"I wanna go inside, I don't wanna be around that witch," Dakota said, looking to her mother for permission. Rachel nodded, letting Dakota know that Beth laid a couple dresses out that might fit her. But if she wanted to stay inside and not come back out to the party, that was fine too. Dakota nodded and took off like a rocket towards the house, bumping into a few people on her way.
"How do you know Rainwater's lawyer?," Jamie asked. He still had his arm around Rachel's waist. And since she didn't seem to mind the contant, he left it there.
"She's related to my ex. Why?," Rachel teased. "...are you sleeping with her too?"
"Not yet," he countered, laughing as he pulled Rachel closer to him. "If you want me to have someone bounce her ass out of here, I will," Jamie offered, lowering his voice as he spoke. Rachel shook her head. There was no point in making more of a scene than she already made. And she didn't want to cause any problems for John. Especially not with the reservation chief, who unlike his bitch lawyer, was actually a decent person as far as she knew.
"She's not worth the trouble," Rachel huffed, taking a sip of her beer.
"I could sick Beth on her," Jamie offered. Rachel laughed, almost choking on her beer. She'd pay for a ticket to see that fight.
"How about you let me finish this beer and then I'll let you take me for a dance?," she suggested, ticking her head towards the large stage where the band was set up and beginning to play. Jamie adjusted his hand, resting it on the curve of her hip. His thumb was stroking back and forth over the soft material of her printed sundress.
"I'd like that."
