Chapter 2
2
H eath drew in a deep breath of cold mountain air and made his way to the cruiser parked in a spot along Main Street. Searching for his keys in his jacket pocket, he took a moment to enjoy the sights of the town he loved so much. Bistro lights hung over the street, bobbing in the gentle breeze. Multi-colored bulbs and holly-covered wreaths decorated lampposts while mom-and-pop shops lining the road boasted holiday-themed scenes drawn on front windows.
Darkness shielded the sloping riverbank that tumbled down beyond the railing separating the brick sidewalk from the river, but the sound of gushing water was clear as day. The moon was just bright enough to see the outline of the Smoky Mountains in the distance.
All he needed was for a gentle snowfall as the woman of his dreams appeared, and it’d be a moment ripped from a cheesy Christmas movie.
An image of Clara Parson with her long dark hair and gentle smile clouded his mind. He’d spent a few minutes with her every day over the past few months, sharing a kind word or amusing anecdote. She’d transformed from a meek and timid shell to a witty and confident woman. The bruises had faded, and with time her deep dimples and pretty face took center stage.
Then Mitch had waltzed inside the diner, bringing back the scared woman he’d hoped had vanished.
Heath climbed into his car and turned over the engine. He’d spent a large chunk of his day figuring out how Mitch had been released so early. Overcrowding and flimsy laws to protect abused women put him back on the street. Now it was his job to make sure he stayed the hell away from Clara and their kids.
But that was a problem that probably wouldn’t go away any time soon. He’d lay low, keeping his eyes and ears open. In this moment, he had a more pressing concern. He blasted the heat and made the quick drive through town to his mother’s house.
An inflatable snowman in the front yard greeted him as he pulled in the driveway and parked. Healing from her broken hip, his mom hadn’t been in the mood for many decorations this year. Something he was eternally grateful for, since he was her personal handy man, but the giant Frosty was a tradition he couldn’t ignore.
At the front door, he knocked twice then let himself in. A wall of warm air greeted him. He shed his jacket and hung it on the hook by the door. Bing Crosby crooned on the radio. The small tree in the living room sparkled, even without the usual glass ornaments, and the crackling fire made him want to kick off his boots and settle on the overstuffed sofa.
Instead, he moved through the living room, past the dining room, and into the kitchen at the back of the ranch style house.
His mom sat at the four-person table tucked at the far side of the kitchen while her health aide, Mila, set a glass of water and evening medications in front of her.
“Hey, there, Heath. Just in time to watch me swallow my weight in pills then eat Mila’s famous chicken and mushroom casserole.” His mom shot him an exaggerated grin with wide, brown eyes that mirrored his own.
He planted a kiss on the top of her head and took the seat at her side. “Sounds delicious, but Mila, you need to stop cooking for us. I don’t think that falls within your job description.”
The blond-haired aide with the bubbly personality and ever-present smile just shrugged and ferried the empty glass to the sink. “My job is to make sure Ms. Sally is healing after her hip surgery and staying healthy. If I don’t cook, you and I both know she’ll try to bustle around this kitchen on her own, which could end in disaster.”
He couldn’t argue. At sixty-two, his mom had more energy than him most days. Being down after breaking her hip—followed by weeks of rehab—had left her a bit surly. Chomping at the bit to get back to her normal, active life.
“I could have cooked,” he said. “I hate to have more placed on your shoulders.”
Mila slid the casserole dish out of the oven then turned one perfectly sculpted eyebrow his way. “That would be an even bigger disaster.”
Sally punctuated her hoot of laughter with a pat on the table. “Ain’t that the truth. Will you eat with us, dear?”
The invitation set him on alert, and he struggled not to roll his eyes. Mila had been his mother’s aide since she’d returned home a couple weeks before, and his mom had made no secret of how much she enjoyed the young woman’s company.
And how much she’d love Heath to enjoy her too.
He wasn’t blind. Mila was beautiful and seemed nice enough, but he didn’t have the time to devote to anything beyond his job and his mom right now. Besides, as nice as Mila was, no spark existed between them.
Not like the little jolt he got every time he saw Clara.
Mila aimed a here-we-go-again look his way then shook her head. “No, thanks, Sally. I appreciate the offer, but Jimmy’s waiting for me at home. If I leave now, I can make it in time to read him his bedtime story.”
“Yes, yes. Go on home. Heath will make sure I’m right as rain for the rest of the night. Tell little Jimmy we said hello.” Sally pressed the tips of her fingers to her mouth and sent a rapid succession of air kisses in Mila’s direction.
“Will do. Call if you need anything,” Mila said.
Heath stood. “I’ll walk you to the door.”
He ignored his mother’s wiggling eyebrows and escorted Mila to the front door. “How was she tonight? Did she give you any trouble?”
“Oh just the usual,” she said, threading her arms through her puffy coat. “Complained about being treated like a child and hated her physical therapy, but always with a smile and comment about her handsome son I should get to know.”
He winced. “Sorry about that.”
Mila laughed. “No worries. She’s not the only client trying to set me up. I keep telling them my boyfriend would hate it, but they just don’t care.”
Relief loosened the tension coiled in his chest. Mila had become a friend, and he would hate to disappoint her. Knowing she was in a relationship took off that pressure.
Now if only his mom would figure that out.
“You might need to tell my mom to stop pestering you. No need to be so nice to her all the time.”
“Well, that is my job. Good night.” She gave him a parting wave then slipped out the door.
He watched to make sure Mila made it to her car then headed back to his mom. His heart dropped when he spotted her leaning on her bedazzled cane, balancing two plates on the way back to the table.
His mom might be the one recovering from surgery, but if he spent any more time with her, she just might give him a heart attack.
* * *
Biting her thumbnail, Clara paced the short length of her living room. As much as her feet ached, she couldn’t sit still. Nervous energy zipped through her body, leaving her shaken and a little lightheaded.
Mitch was out of jail.
Cartoon dogs built a new library on the television screen, her children giggling at their shenanigans, but it did nothing to drown out the replay of what happened earlier in her mind. The moment she’d seen her ex-husband, she’d returned to the scared, tortured woman she’d always been around him.
And she hated it.
Her phone rang in her pocket, and she plucked it out, relieved to see her friend Laura’s number on the screen. She made sure Davey and Avery were occupied and happy then disappeared into the kitchen. She stayed close enough to keep an eye on them, but far enough that they couldn’t hear her conversation.
“Hello? Laura?”
“Hi, how are you doing? Do you need me to come over? I can leave Isla with Cade and be there in fifteen minutes.”
Knowing her friend was at the ready lifted a bit of the heavy burden Mitch’s presence had heaped on her shoulders. After leaving Mitch the first time, she’d met Laura at Safe Haven Women’s Shelter. Scared and overwhelmed, she’d had no idea what to expect from life at the shelter, but she’d found more support and family than she’d experienced since she’d lost her mother as a teenager. The bond she shared with Laura had been quick and fierce, getting her through some of her darkest days.
And here she was again, months later, leaning on her soul sister.
“No, I’m holding it together, and I don’t want the kids to suspect anything’s wrong. The more I can shield them from this, the better.” She peered around the corner and into the living room. “I just can’t believe he’s out of jail already. How could this happen?”
The sound of Laura’s frustrated breath rattled through the speaker. “The system’s shit. I live in fear every day Isaac will be released for some ridiculous reason. He had more charges, so that should keep him in a cell for a while, but there’s no guarantee. So many abusers find a way to slither through the cracks.”
“Well, my abuser shoved that crack open and jumped through. I don’t know what to do now.”
“Keep your doors locked and your eyes open. He may be a free man, but that doesn’t mean he has no restrictions on what he can and cannot do. If he steps out of line, I’m sure there’s a probation officer you can call.”
“That won’t help if he’s on a rampage. He was pissed today. If Heath hadn’t been there, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Heath? Heath Sterling?” Interest lifted the inflection of Laura’s voice.
Clara winced. Laura may be as close as a sister, but she hadn’t confessed her confusing feelings for the handsome deputy. In her mind, that was don’t think, don’t touch, don’t go there territory. “Yes,” she said, breezing past the unspoken question. “He was at the diner when Mitch came in. Told him to leave.”
“That’s good you have a deputy as a witness to his intimidation.”
She hadn’t thought about that. As a sheriff’s deputy, he wouldn’t be oblivious to the unspoken threat hurled at her.
A light tapping on the front door stole her attention.
“Mama,” Davey called. “Someone’s here.”
“I’ll answer it,” she said, hurrying into the living room. “Give me a second, Laura. I need to see who this is.”
A quick glance out the picture window didn’t show the visitor, so she creaked the door open enough to speak through. “Hello?”
A hard push against the door shoved her backward, and Mitch loomed in the doorway.
Davey and Avery stilled, fear etched in every line of their little faces.
“Nice to see you still keep the place looking like a dump,” he said, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “Some things don’t ever change.”
Bile rose to the back of her throat, but she wouldn’t surrender. Wouldn’t wilt away and let him walk all over her anymore. “You need to leave. Now.”
He laughed. “This is my house, sweetheart. Now, I was nice and gave you some time to get accustomed to me being around again. Don’t give me any trouble. You’ve already cost me enough.”
Her heart raced and mind spun. Snippets of Laura’s frantic voice sounded through the phone. She wasn’t alone. She wouldn’t be his victim anymore. Lifting her chin, she squared her shoulders and faced him. “No, this is my house. My name is on the mortgage, not yours. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police. I’m sure they won’t take kindly to you causing trouble as soon as you get out of jail.”
His smirk morphed into a glower, and he snatched out a hand to grip the back of her neck.
She refused to back away. Refused to let him see her fear.
“Big, brave woman now, huh? I want you to lay in our bed tonight and think about what a mistake you made. How I’m out there, watching and waiting. You can’t get rid of me. Ever.”
Without a single glance at the kids, he marched back outside.
With shaking hands, she rushed to shut and lock the door then faced her terrified children.
“Mama? Is Daddy coming back home?” Tears filled Davey’s eyes, and he folded into himself where he sat on the floor.
Avery’s pouty lips quivered. “I no like him.”
“No babies, Daddy’s not coming back. Don’t worry, okay? Mama’s going to take care of everything.”
They didn’t look convinced, and she couldn’t blame them. She’d exposed them to too much ugliness in their little lives. But no more. She’d finally escaped Mitch’s nasty clutches. She wouldn’t get trapped again.
“Clara!” Laura’s panicked yell refocused her attention on the phone.
She placed a kiss on each of her child’s cheeks then brought the phone back to her ear. “Laura?”
“Oh my God, Clara. Is he gone? Are you all right?”
Adrenaline leaked from her system, and her teeth began to chatter. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deep breaths in through her nose. “He left but for how long? What am I going to do? I feel like staying here makes me and the kids nothing more than sitting ducks.”
“Do you feel safe in your home right now?” Laura asked.
She shook her head even though Laura couldn’t see her. “No.”
“Then leave.”
Opening her eyes, she glanced around the cozy living room filled with hand-drawn pictures and coloring pages. Framed photos and bright colors. “I don’t want to run away and leave everything I’ve worked for.”
“You’re not running away. Heck, you aren’t even leaving forever. You’re giving you and the kids some space, some time and distance to let a potentially dangerous situation diffuse a bit. Mitch has a temper. It won’t be long before he does something stupid. Don’t sit around and give him a chance to do something stupid to you.”
Laura was right, but it didn’t make things easier. A familiar ache echoed in her chest. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“Yes, you do. Go to the shelter. You always have a home there.”
Clara looked into the terrified eyes of her children. Laura was right. They couldn’t stay here, at least not for a couple of nights. “You’re right. I’ll call Mrs. Collins and let her know we’re on our way. I’ll let her know we’re coming home.”