Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
C onnor was super quiet after talking with Brendon and Lacy wasn’t sure why. He’d told her that, generally, everything was fine. They just couldn’t rush back yet. While that made sense on the surface, he’d always let her into his thought process before. Now, he wasn’t telling her anything.
They’d moved from the overlook to the edge of a large city park. String lights swung in the breeze of the cool evening. There were so many bulbs that the whole area was filled with a soft glow. Quaint shops advertising Christmas gifts and ornaments lined the opposite sides of the street, forming a fence of businesses all selling Christmas from a store. One single church stood at the head of the square, its huge Gothic spires piercing the night.
She wanted to enjoy the solitude for just a moment. There was one phone call between peace and stress. Every sound that was like a phone ringing made her shoulders tense painfully. In order to stay hidden, they’d avoided getting out of the truck unless they had to. Lunch had been gas station burritos since there were also bathrooms available to take care of other necessities including changing into something besides her flannel jammies. Life out of a truck wasn’t much fun, but after running for days, at least it was boring.
Connor sat next to her, leaning against the window with his arm propped against the door. He’d fallen asleep a few times, but she couldn’t blame him for that, either. He’d been awake for nearly two days straight. They were in a shallow lull, why shouldn’t he catch a few z’s?
A four-person band started playing a mariachi version of “Away in a Manger”. She hadn’t let herself feel any of the usual joy for that time of year. She’d almost forgotten that the day they celebrate the birth of Jesus would arrive in less than a week.
Careful not to wake Connor, she got out of the truck and headed for the small group of people surrounding the band. They swayed in time with the music and a few people joined in singing. The conversation she’d had earlier with Connor lay heavily on her shoulders.
His words still stuck in her head even though she’d refuted them. You didn’t leave because my dad stepped in and said you had to work at Wayside, or he’d kick me out. All this time, he’d thought the reason she’d stayed had been a job. He’d convinced himself that she couldn’t possibly stay for him.
Thankfully, her own parents had been loving and understanding. She’d never faced what Connor had. Could she let that pain go so easily? Probably not. The words to the final verse of the song struck her deeply, Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask You to stay close by me forever and love me I pray . . . Parents were supposed to teach children what that felt like, so they would understand, at least in some small measure, what Jesus meant. He would never leave.
No singular moment or words would heal decades of hurt. Being there when his brothers came back would be a start, but Connor needed more. How could she help him heal? Would she have to risk her heart again, knowing he could do the same thing, just to prove to him that she was the real deal? She loved him. Always. Not only when the feeling worked in her favor.
A large presence stepped in at her side and for a moment, she tensed to step away until she realized it was Connor.
“You scared me. I woke up from a dose to an empty truck.”
She smiled at him. “I was drawn to the music, and I stayed within sight. I figured I was safe in such a large group of people.”
He put his arm around her shoulder and tucked her close to his side. “I know I shouldn’t worry about you. You’re perfectly capable. But if the last few days has taught me anything, it’s that you don’t take situations for granted.”
She nodded as the band played the song through one more time without words. They started walking and much of the crowd followed them, leaving Lacy and Connor in a grove of trees, bathed in the glow of twinkling light overhead.
“Do I lose my man card if I tell you that you look positively amazing right now.” He threaded his hand within the hair on the back of her neck, drawing her closer.
“I don’t see how you could.” Why would that make him any less manly?
“Because I have uniquely un-manly words going through my head. Like cute. As in, your smile is cute. Forgive me, that’s not a word I would even usually have in my vocabulary. Adorable would be another.” He laughed as he kissed her forehead.
Somehow, the endearments were even sweeter coming from a huge, grumbly, masculine guy. She’d never thought for a second that he would equate her with ‘cute’. She worked, wore flannel, was in her thirties, and didn’t take a lick of time to beautify herself. Yet he thought she was adorable?
“Sorry, I don’t see it.” She held the unzipped front of his denim and duck canvas jacket and playfully tugged them slightly.
“Well, that’s okay. I’ll show you.” His kiss was gentle at first, a request, really.
The moment she responded, he held her closer and took his time. If he’d done this very thing back at home, she would’ve pulled away. She hadn’t been ready. Somehow, in front of a band playing a song she’d heard hundreds of times, she’d realized the error of her thinking. And his. They’d both believed incorrectly about the other.
Which meant they could both work together and fix the problem. It wasn’t one-sided. She ended the kiss and tucked herself close to him, letting his strength infuse her for a while. He would protect her. He would come for her. There was no question about it.
His phone buzzed in his coat, and she stepped back, letting him take the call. He looked torn for a moment, then relented and dug his phone out.
“It’s the hospital. I’ll answer, but let’s head back to the truck where it’s quiet and I can let you listen.” He was already walking that way as he swiped to answer.
“Connor.”
She rushed to keep up with his long strides and they made it back to the truck in less than a minute. He unlocked it with his key-ring, and she climbed inside. The moment she closed her door, he turned the phone on speaker.
“Melinda just finished her final meeting with the police. They said it was fine to allow Lacy to go in and see her friend. We’re not letting any men into her room yet. Since her husband hasn’t been apprehended and we don’t want the job of questioning everyone, that’s the rule for now.”
Connor half-grinned. “That’s fine. Lacy would like to see her if that’s okay? If Melinda is too tired, we can wait, but we’d like to hear how she’s doing from her own mouth.”
“She said she could see Lacy, but there was no one else she requested. She’s still so tired that it will have to be short. The police questioning was lengthy.”
“Good. I hope she told them everything,” Connor said.
“I’m not able to tell you that, I wasn’t there.” The nurse’s serious tone hinted that she was ready to end the call.
“Thank you for letting us know. We’ll be there shortly.”
“Great. Visiting hours end in fifty-five minutes.” The nurse hung up.
Lacy wasn’t ready to consider this a win until she talked to Melinda. People who lived with abuse were like people who lived with chronic pain. They often tried to hide the severity of what they went through because they were sure no one would believe them if they told the truth. Since Melinda had learned how to act in public so no one would ever suspect the internal screaming. She was probably good enough to win an Oscar.
Lacy buckled in while Connor started the engine. She hadn’t thought Melinda would be doing well enough talk within a day. The care at the hospital must be good or God was working on her in a supernatural way. She was the key to putting Tod behind bars.
As they made their way through town, the holiday lights slowly disappeared until they drove through a few neighborhoods where there was no indication that it was almost Christmas. The hospital at the edge of town was three stories tall and other than a large wreath, showed no decoration.
Lacy got out of the truck and a shiver washed down her spine. After Connor had been shot, she hated hospitals. At least, with him at her side, she could face this now.
At that hour, the hospital parking lot was close to empty. He maneuvered into a spot near the door and stashed his weapon in a locked box under his seat. “I’ll follow you inside, then wait in a waiting room.”
He didn’t like how unsettled Lacy looked. She wasn’t one to let nerves get to her. “Do you think he’s here?” He doubted Tod was anywhere around because there were so many cameras around hospitals.
“No, I just don’t like being here.” She visibly shivered but he knew she wasn’t cold.
“I don’t blame you.” He had much the same feeling.
“When the strongest guy you’ve ever known gets knocked off his feet time after time in one of these buildings, you start to lose confidence in what they can do.”
He gripped her hand, knowing she was talking about him. “But look what they did for Melinda.” That was nothing short of a miracle. She’d been unresponsive when the ambulance had rushed her away from the scene.
“I suppose you’re right, but they thought you were fine twice before it was the truth.”
He didn’t need the reminder, though there were parts of his stay that he couldn’t recall no matter how hard he tried. The first week was a blur that had nothing to ground him in reality, making the memories difficult to place.
As they made their way down the hallway, following the signs to the hospital rooms, Connor kept watch for anything that looked suspicious. While it was unlikely Tod would try anything there, he was running out of time to silence Lacy and Melinda.
The desk area was in the middle of the floor with the room surrounding it in a circle. The woman sitting there looked up from her desk and waited for them to come to her.
“Hi, I’m here to see Melinda McFarland.”
“Are you Lacy?” she glanced between Lacy and Connor.
“I am. This is Connor. We just got a call saying I could see her.” Lacy gripped his hand tighter.
The nurse nodded. “She mentioned both of you by name. I know I’m not supposed to let any men in there, but she wouldn’t have given the okay if she was worried about you. She gave me two names who are absolutely not allowed in. Keep the door open and be sure you’re on your way out by ten.”
Connor appreciated that they would let him go into the room, but that seemed to be less secure than what she’d said at first on the phone. The nurse wrote down the room number on a sticky note, so she didn’t have to say it out loud and sent them down the hall.
Lacy followed the direction, then turned left down the circular hall that would lead back to the desk eventually. When they reached the room, the door was slightly ajar and beeping noises came from the inside. Connor opened the door for her and held it as Lacy headed in to see Melinda.
He left the door open a few inches and pulled two folding chairs off the wall, setting up one for Lacy and one for himself.
“It’s good to see you.” Melinda’s voice was hoarse and weak.
Lacy grabbed the mug of ice water on the table and held it to Melinda’s lips, then sat back down after she’d had a drink. “I’m shocked at how quickly you turned around.”
Melinda chuckled. “All I could think about was getting well enough to tell the police what happened. I told them everything I know, which isn’t much. Tod didn’t tell me why he was doing anything. I know there’s some plan. It involves money. That’s the reason he wants me dead. I don’t understand all of it, but if I die, he’s going to get a huge payout. Somehow, his brother is involved too.”
“That’s what we thought. Randy helped us for a while, but since his father is good friends with Cal, Tod’s brother, it seemed like they were tracking his whereabouts. He’s now at home.”
Melinda frowned. “This town is so small. Everyone knows everyone else. They wouldn’t have had to make many calls to find Randy.” She slid down lower in the bed. “The police finally listened to me. Especially when my doctor came in and made them look at my ex-rays and files, confirming that my injuries were consistent with classic physical abuse. I know that doctors try to help people get out of situations, but I was never allowed to talk to a doctor without my husband there. I was never able to tell them he gave me those injuries. They may have suspected, but they can’t accuse someone on a hunch. At least, they can’t in small town America.”
“I’m glad they listened. We were told that they are looking for Tod right now.”
“Yes, that’s what they told me, too. They also asked me if I had anywhere safe to go tomorrow afternoon. That’s when they’re releasing me. I don’t have insurance so they’re releasing me as soon as they can. I’ll still be needing pain meds and lots of rest, but they feel I can get those at home.”
Lacy snorted. “Not likely. And with the hotel shut down, where can you go?”
“I have no idea.”
Lacy turned to him. “Wayside. It’s time to go home. Melinda will be safe if she leaves the state. We can have her prescription moved to a pharmacy close to us.”
He hadn’t expected her to want to leave by tomorrow. They couldn’t. Viceroy was still on the loose. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
Melinda squinted at him then coughed until Lacy got up to help her get another drink. Lacy looked at him with questions furrowing her brow. “Connor, it would be safer for her there than here. For as long as she is sitting in this bed, she’s at risk.”
“And you don’t think putting her in a car for hours isn’t a risk?” He couldn’t believe she was suggesting this move right after she’d almost been killed. “What happens if she can’t handle the drive? We’d be in the middle of nowhere. No help in sight. That’s dangerous, Lacy.”
Lacy leaned over Melinda and said something to her quietly, then tugged the blankets up and headed for the door. It was clear she wanted him to follow even though she’d said nothing. He gave Melinda a nod of goodbye and before he could close the door behind him, Lacy lit into him in the hall.
“This isn’t about Melinda and her safety. This is about you and your brothers. You don’t want to see them. You made the arrangements, but now you see a way out of doing it and you don’t want to. I’m not accusing you of being weak. I get why you wouldn’t want to face them, but this is important. This is her life.”
“Is it? I hadn’t noticed.” This was probably not the time for sarcasm, but that was his second language.
“Connor!”
He laughed, despite the fact that she stared daggers at him. “Lacy, I know that there are risks either way. One way risks your life and I’m not willing to look at that option. The other has risk too, but as soon as Tod is caught, the risk is gone.” He wasn’t ready to admit that he didn’t want to build a bridge between himself and his brothers if it meant hurting Lacy.
“How do you expect me to have a comeback for that?” She planted her hands on her hips.
He slid his own to her waist and pulled her in close, then rested his forehead to hers. “You can say whatever you want, darlin’, and I will listen. I may not change my mind, but that’s because I’m a stubborn, old, good-for-nothing cowboy.”
She leaned in and kissed him so soft and quick he almost missed it. “I know quite well what you’re good at.” She walked off down the hallway, leaving him standing there. “Are you coming?”
He shook his head and caught up to her quickly. He held his tongue because he knew he hadn’t won yet and he wasn’t going to take her back home just yet.
“Admit that your brothers are part of the reason you don’t want to. All I need is for you to be honest with me.” She kept walking, gaze straight ahead.
“Fine. That’s a very small part of it. You mean more to me than they do. That’s history. You’ve treated me better, even after what I did to you.”
She stopped dead in her tracks and looked over at him. “You mean that?”
He snorted as he finished walking to the door and held it open for her. “I’ve never been more serious.”