Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
T he following morning, Connor checked his phone and saw Randy had sent him a text. He hadn’t expected to hear from him though Lacy had said his situation was miraculous. He threw the covers off the bed and glanced at the other queen bed in the room. Lacy slept deeply, curled around a few pillows. He wanted to let her sleep as much as possible, especially because Melinda wouldn’t be released until the afternoon and the drive home would be long.
He slid open the sliding door and stepped outside onto the narrow patio. It was just wide enough to fit a chair in the corner. If it had been sitting facing directly out, there wouldn’t have been room for his knees. He lowered himself into the seat and pressed Randy’s number to call him.
“Morning.” Randy sounded groggy but answered right away.
“Morning. Want to talk about it?” Connor asked.
“If I was the believing sort, I’d say it was a miracle.”
“You’re not?” He hadn’t suspected that but a lot of people in their twenties seemed to go through a period of exploration where they decided what they really believed or didn’t.
“No, at least I wasn’t. Not sure what I believe now. Cal shoved me into a back yard with a growling dog. It was huge. I couldn’t even tell you what kind it was, but it was angry. It knew I wasn’t supposed to be there, and it went for my face.”
“I’m not usually afraid of dogs, but I’ve got to admit that would be terrifying.”
“Yeah, but here’s the part I can’t explain. The dog wasn’t chained, but he couldn’t reach me. He was clapping his jaws together so hard that I could hear his jaws snap. I could feel his damp breath hit my face. I’m lucky Cal ran off to go help Tod. If he’d known I wasn’t being eaten alive, he’d probably have shot me. He threatened to, but didn’t want to go to jail for the crime. He figured this would look like I was trying to break into the house and got what I deserved.”
Connor couldn’t explain the miracle any more than Randy could. “Well, praise God. Are you in the hospital?” He’d thought that’s what Lacy said, but the last few days were starting to blur in his mind.
“I went there last night to get checked out. Other than a cut from the fence, I’m fine. The dog never bit me. Thankfully. What happened with you?”
He told Randy about racing away from the brothers and almost getting shot, then having the police arrive at the last minute. He hoped going home was a lot calmer than the trip to New Mexico had been.
Randy went quiet for a few seconds. “So, do you have room at that ranch for one more? I’m good in hospitality. I promise, I won’t start any sprinklers without motivation.” He laughed.
They had hired temporary cleaning staff while he’d been in the hospital almost a year ago, since Lacy had stayed with him. That job had bothered him all this time because he didn’t personally know the pair who did it. Then again, Randy was used to front desk work, not cleaning.
“What do you know? What are your strengths?”
“I’m good at coding and problem solving. My biggest strength though, is that I’m willing to learn. I don’t know the first thing about horses, but if you want me to learn something, I will.”
“I like your attitude.” Honestly, that was practically priceless. Finding someone willing to do a job from the start was a rare commodity. “I don’t know yet what we’ll find for you to do, but I know you help when you feel it’s important and that’s exactly the kind of people I want at Wayside.”
“Great. Are you leaving today?” Randy’s deadpan confused him for a minute, but he realized Randy probably didn’t allow himself to get excited. Having the father he did probably meant he’d been disappointed in the past and no longer got his hopes up.
“Yes, this afternoon. We’ll have to caravan because Lacy has her car here and I’ve got my pickup.”
“And I’ve got my car, too. Though I’m going to start filling it soon. I don’t have much, but I don’t plan to come back.”
“You’re an adult. It’s your choice where you want to live. I’ll give you a call when we’re ready to pick up Melinda.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you soon.” Randy hung up.
“How is he?” Lacy asked from the doorway.
He hadn’t heard her slide the door open. “Good. He’s coming with us.”
She nodded with a soft smile. “I’m happy.”
The word happy made him think of Christmas. “Do you realize it will be Christmas Eve in three days?” The last 48 hours had been so full, it felt like the holiday had come and gone already.
She looked at her watch. “Wow, I totally lost track of days, times, everything. When we get back, the tree will be up, and Victoria will be making her famous pudding.”
He grinned. That chocolate desert was fantastic Christmas Eve night, but she always took whatever was left and froze it into a graham cracker crust with whipped topping, then froze it as a pie. That might be even better. “Can’t wait.”
She hid a yawn behind the back of her hand. “I think it will take me three days to catch up on sleep. Hopefully, I’ll be able to concentrate on the drive.”
He’d keep an eye on her. “I plan to keep in a line all the way back. You’ll be in the middle. Just follow me and you’ll be fine.”
She grinned and turned around, leaning against the railing. “I’m sure Melinda will be tired, so I’ll turn on my music and focus the whole ride.”
“What will you focus on?” He was curious what kept her interest when she wanted to stay awake.
“Lots of things, but mostly the new year. I’ve got a few things I want to see happen and they’ll take work.”
He stood and came up to her. “Like?”
Her face tipped up to look him in the eye. “Like figuring out what you and I might look like if we became we again.”
“I hoped that was on your resolution list. I promise, this will be one that we don’t give up on by the end of January.”
“I don’t know . . . I’m pretty good at giving up on all things that I vow to do, even if they’re good for me.” She grinned.
“Are you saying I’m good for you?” He slipped his hands behind her back.
“That remains to be seen, but I think there’s a pretty good chance.”
He leaned in closer, intending to whisper in her ear when she leaned in and kissed him, taking him by surprise. He gripped the railing with one hand and pulled her close with the other. Having her there, with him, felt perfect. He hadn’t felt this whole or this alive in years. She really was his better half, and it had been missing for too long.
She pulled back and put her finger to his lips. “We’ll have to save that for later.”
He playfully bit her finger. “Maybe I don’t want to wait. We don’t have to check out for an hour.”
Lacy rested her hands against his chest. She had to feel his heart racing like he’d just run a marathon, but her voice remained calm, soothing. “I know we’ve been married before, but we aren’t now. I want our first time together again to be as special as it was the first time. So . . .”
She didn’t need to finish explaining to him what she wanted. He agreed with his mind and soul, but his heart was having a temper tantrum. This wasn’t completely new territory. Then again, it was in some ways. “I agree.” He kissed her forehead.
“You do?” Her eyes widened. “I thought I’d have to convince you. Especially since you’ve called me your wife twice this week.”
He shook his head, hoping to convey how much her opinion meant to him. “While I agree, a piece of paper doesn’t make you family, it does mean an awful lot. Especially when it means something to you.”
While some would say his actions showed her he cared, he wanted her to know he was more than a protector who’d show up and flex his muscles. He was there for her in every way, especially emotionally. She might even need to know that the most.
Lacy helped Melinda into her car and waited for her to get comfortable and buckled in. She’d have to use the drive -thru at the pharmacy to get the medications Melinda would need in the next few weeks to combat pain, but the doctor had been sure that rest was the best medicine, especially for her headaches.
Even knowing Tod and his brother were in jail, Lacy kept on high alert. In a small town like this one, he might have friends willing to do something to stop her for him. After transferring her bags from the back of Connor’s truck to the trunk of her car, she finally settled in behind the wheel, only feeling safe once the doors were locked.
“I never dreamed I’d be alive to leave town,” Melinda mumbled as she stared out the passenger window. “I really thought my life was over. I’d happened upon a video online that showed how to permanently delete phone calls from your log. I knew he had threatened my aunt, but I figured he would never recognize your number, even if he found it. I could claim it was a mistake.” She slowly shook her head and heaved a deep sigh. “I’m sorry for all this.”
Regret was one thing Lacy wanted to avoid. “Don’t. Not for one second. I’d do all of this three times over if it meant you got out of that situation. You didn’t deserve to be there. I know, you’re going to convince yourself over the next few weeks that it wasn’t really that bad. He didn’t do all those things. You weren’t really in danger. Our minds like to convince us that we’re over-reacting. I’m here to remind you that you aren’t. You are a survivor, and you are worth every second of effort to get you out.”
Melinda flashed an embarrassed smile. “Thanks. I don’t know how to respond to that.”
“And you won’t for a long time. Encouragement will make you uncomfortable because you’re used to being put down. You’ve come to accept nothing more than the minimum. There’s more to life than that.”
One thing she needed to know was how Tod had gotten into the house. “Melinda, you don’t have to answer this, but at the rental, there was no forced entry. How did Tod get in? What happened?”
Melinda swallowed so hard Lacy heard it. “He told me he was sorry, just like he always does. He told me he’d never hit me again if I just came back. He was so quiet, so contrite, so believable. I wanted to trust him. I keep believing that my life won’t be wasted if he changes. So, I opened the door, and then he hit me over the head. I’m so sorry, Lacy.” Melinda hung her head.
“You don’t have to apologize. You’ve lived on hope for a long time. Hope, then disappointment.” She pulled out onto the road behind Connor and Randy followed her in their little caravan toward home. While she hadn’t planned when she left to return with more people, the willingness to help others made those in need attracted to the cause, whether they fit or not. Wayside and the people there would always want to help people, meaning those in need would gravitate toward Connor and those around him.
After days of watching behind her back, the road ahead seemed a little too open. Connor had been at her side for only a few days but having him in the truck ahead felt too far away.
“You mind if I turn on the radio and rest?” Melinda said as she dug her medication out of the stapled bag from the pharmacy.
“Of course. Rest if you need. There’s a long road ahead of us. We will either stop along the way or get back to Wayside early in the morning.”
Part of her hoped to push through the night so she could get home to all that was normal. Odd how the terrible stories from the survivors there were welcome compared to what she’d been through. Even being caught by one of Viceroy’s wives hadn’t been as terrifying as being on the run from a killer.
The sun dipped over the horizon to her left as they headed straight north. Random, widely spaced houses gave way to nothing but long stretches of land. While concentrating on the road, she couldn’t tell if it was privately owned or if they were traveling through some type of preservation area. All that was apparent was they were alone on a long section of highway.
Headlights appeared in the distance far behind Randy’s vehicle. While they could simply be another driver, her thoughts refused to ignore them. They seemed to be traveling fast, as they closed the distance quickly.
Their little caravan hung close together. If the person wanted to pass there were no other drivers coming, but they hung in behind Randy like they either couldn’t pass or wanted to stay with the group.
Lacy’s phone rang and she grabbed it, wanting to keep the car quiet for Melinda. “Hello,” she muttered, keeping her voice low.
“Hey. We have company. I just talked to Randy, and he said it’s Cal in a different car. We both know this isn’t about money anymore, it’s personal. We stopped his brother and had him arrested. They must not have had enough evidence to hold Cal. Knowing there aren’t any large towns between here and home, we’re going to keep driving. Unless he starts some road rage, we’re safest keeping on the road in our vehicles. When we get close to Wayside, I’ll let them know if he’s still tailing us. My hope is that he sees we aren’t threatened and backs off when we cross the state line. Federal crimes carry a lot more weight than state.”
Connor was right, of course, but that didn’t make her mind feel any better about the fact that a man who wanted them either dead or hurt was following them closely. “Okay. Let me know if the plans change. I have my caffeine at my fingertips and Melinda is asleep.”
“Good. Let her rest. She’ll be worried enough if she wakes up and sees a car back there.”
Lacy hung up and glanced in her rearview. Randy was now hanging very close to her as they drove, preventing Cal from passing him to get to her. If he tried, he may try to shove her off the road. Defensive driving was hard enough to do in the daylight but at night, while tired? She prayed for God to protect them and to keep Cal away. He’d seemed like the one of the two brothers who was less likely to want to personally do anything, but if he was following them, that couldn’t be the case.
She slowly sped up to get closer to Connor, allowing Randy to adjust his speed and do the same. While Connor was right, there were no large towns on the way where they could find safety in numbers, there were small towns. Within those, they would have to slow down and possibly even stop. Would Cal use that as his opportunity?
She glanced over to Melinda whose chin lay against her shoulder in a terribly uncomfortable looking position. She was probably so groggy that she wouldn’t notice later. She had bandages up both arms and various healing wounds and bruises were visible on her face and neck. Over the years she’d been married, she’d toughened herself. She had a will to survive, which was why she was here. There was no way she’d let Melinda be caught or hurt again.
Her thoughts tumbled around in her head. She needed to stay within the safe bubble of Connor and Randy, but a rebellious part of her wanted to pass Connor and speed for home. Run. As fast as she could. If she got pulled over by police, all the better. She could tell an officer why she had to run. Lord! Help me decide what I should do. Is this Your Spirit, prodding me to do something I feel like I shouldn’t to avoid harm or is this doubt? Help me decide.
Instantly, she felt the tension in her foot release. She’d been ready to press the gas pedal and go, but if she was to relax, then God had this. He didn’t need her to do anything more than what she was already doing.
A small town loomed in the distance. It was only the soft glow of a bunch of security and street lights delineating a segment of humanity was asleep ahead. Connor kept heading right for the town as they passed a sign on the side of the road saying they’d entered Colorado.
They wouldn’t have to stop for gas anytime soon, since they’d all filled up before leaving New Mexico but any stop was dangerous. The closer they came to the town the more tension rose in her stomach. She vaguely remembered going through this area on her way and getting stuck at a hanging stoplight that they didn’t turn to flashing red at night like many small towns did. Unless Connor planned it just right, one or more of them would have to stop, possibly separating them and worse, giving Cal time to do something.
She knew to blow through the stoplight if she had to, but would Randy know to do that? He’d never been faced with a situation like this before. Connor adjusted his speed as they crossed the city limits, slowing to about fifteen miles per hour.
Lacy trusted him to think ahead. While she only had to worry about Melinda and doing what would keep them safe, he had all three vehicles to consider. The light ahead was still red with about a block to go. No cars waited in front of the light, nor on the cross streets.
The moment it turned green, Connor sped up to go through it. Lacy concentrated on his speed and let Randy do his own thing. She followed him, accelerating quickly. From behind, a shot tore through both of her windows, and she screamed as she swerved off the road and onto the sidewalk.