His Guilt

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  It had been Calvin who had suggested that they cut through two farmers’ properties to get to the back road that Waneta usually walked or rode her bike on. Side by side, they’d jumped fences and ran like lightning through pastures.

  That was how they’d found her just in time. Lora and Deputy Beck arrived less than five minutes later. But those five minutes had made a big difference for Waneta. Mark could hardly imagine what might have occurred if he and Calvin hadn’t gotten there when they had.

  “I’m real glad we found her,” Calvin said, bringing Mark back to the present. “And we did find her, brother. That’s all that matters.”

  “Thank you,” Mark said.

  “For what? Helping Waneta?”

  “For being here. For coming back to Hart County and not leaving again. Even when I didn’t want you to be here. Thank you for not giving up.”

  Calvin appeared to look like he was going to argue that point, but then he shook his head wearily. “You’re welcome, but we both know my reasons for reaching out to you weren’t good. Especially not at first.”

  “All that matters is that you are here now.”

  Mark could hear sirens in the distance. In seconds, the ambulance would arrive. Probably more police cars, too. Eventually, Waneta would go to the hospital and Sheriff Brewer or Deputy Beck would want to talk to both him and Calvin.

  This rare moment between the two of them would be gone. “What else is on your mind?” Mark asked, because Calvin kept looking at him curiously.

  “You know what it is. I’m trying to wrap my head around what I just saw. I’m fairly stunned.”

  Mark knew Calvin wasn’t speaking of James’s attack. No, he was referring to how Mark had fought James. Remembering the anger that had been coursing through him made him uneasy. “Because . . . ” he asked, not wanting to give anything away.

  “Because you got right there on the ground and attacked James. I didn’t think you had that in you.”

  Mark examined his brother carefully, just to be certain that Calvin wasn’t pulling his leg. When he realized that he was being completely sincere, Mark didn’t know whether to be offended or find humor in his reaction. “Are you really that surprised that I was defending Waneta? What did you think I would do? Ignore what was happening?”

  This time Calvin looked a little shamefaced. “Probably not. But I didn’t think you would attack like you did. You went at him with great, ah, vigor.”

  “Vigor?”

  “It’s an appropriate description.”

  “Not hardly.”

  “Come on. You were tough. As tough as you needed to be.”

  Well, he supposed that was true. Mark grinned. “I tell you what, Calvin. Only you could manage to make me feel like laughing at a time like this. Seriously, though, I’m grateful for you. And Lora. And Deputy Beck. I couldn’t have helped Waneta and captured James on my own. Together, we got him.”

  “Now it’s my turn to feel shocked,” Calvin said. “You don’t need to thank me. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. I’m glad I was there.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  All trace of humor faded from his face. “I had intended to disappear. The gang I owe money to ain’t going to forget about it.”

  “Do you still intend to do that?” Mark hated the thought, but he knew he couldn’t stop him from leaving.

  Calvin shook his head. “I think I might talk to the sheriff about my options.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I know a lot of people who are in fairly high positions in a couple of gangs in the state.” He shrugged. “Maybe there’s a way to use that to my advantage. Then I might actually have a chance.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Me, too.”

  Two cruisers were now parked nearby. Mark turned and watched as Sheriff Brewer talked to the EMTs, knelt down to say something to Waneta, who was now awake, then directed the deputy to put James in the back of one of the vehicles.

  Then the sheriff turned to Mark and motioned for him to approach.

  “Looks like you’re on,” Calvin said.

  “Yeah. Wish me luck.”

  “You don’t need it, Mark. You are the hero today.”

  That statement was ringing in his ears as he resolutely walked toward Sheriff Brewer. “Sheriff.”

  Sheriff Brewer held out his hand. “I just talked to Eddie. As you know, he used to be an EMT. He thinks Waneta is going to be okay.”

  Mark exhaled. “Do you know if anyone went to go fetch her parents?”

  “Lora thinks one of the servers at the diner went to go get them.”

  Feeling relieved, he took a deep breath. “Waneta will be glad about that.”

  “Now that she’s awake, I know you probably want to go sit with her, but can you tell me what happened?”

  As Calvin joined them, Mark quickly relayed Lora’s announcement at the diner and what he and Calvin had decided to do. He briefly described their fight and how Deputy Beck was able to take over the moment he arrived on the scene.

  Sheriff Brewer looked from one of them to the other. “You spending time together now?”

  Just as Mark nodded, Calvin said, “Yeah.” Then he gestured to the two officers standing next to the vehicle where James was sitting. “What’s going to happen to him?”

  Sheriff Brewer pursed his lips. “Justice,” he said after a pause.

  As Mark walked back to Waneta’s side, he breathed a sigh of relief. No woman in Hart County was going to be in danger anymore.

  At least not from James Eicher.

  CHAPTER 30

  Thursday, September 8

  After Waneta had regained consciousness, Lora moved to the side. Deputy Beck and the EMTs had taken Waneta’s vitals, started an IV, and loaded her into the ambulance.

  After the sheriff spoke with Mark and Calvin, he and another officer left the scene.

  Soon after the ambulance workers arrived, Mr. and Mrs. Cain showed up. Bill and Mia had obviously left the diner and picked them up.

  As they took in the scene and spoke to one of the policemen, their eyes had filled with tears. They’d approached the ambulance with shaky steps, the policeman hovering over them.

  Mark had stepped out of the ambulance and hugged them both before guiding them to a spot where they could speak to her. Then, as if he couldn’t bear to be separated from Waneta any longer, he’d climbed back into the ambulance just before it headed to the hospital, lights flashing.

  It was obvious Mark and Waneta were a strong couple now. Mark had saved her today, but she had saved him weeks ago when she offered him trust and her friendship. No longer would either of them have to walk through life alone.

  Lora hadn’t been standing by herself the whole time. Calvin had lingered for a while. He’d even spoken a couple of words to her, but it was obvious that neither of them was comfortable around the other anymore. After mumbling something about being glad everyone was all right, he darted off.

  Soon, the other vehicles left.

  Now only she and Deputy Beck lingered.

  Well, actually, he wasn’t there lingering at all. He’d been busy taking samples of dirt and grass. Every so often he would bend down on one knee, peer at something more closely, then put it into a plastic bag.

  He’d also darted curious looks her way several times.

  She’d been tempted to offer to help, but she knew it was police business. She was also a little afraid that if she broke the silence, he would ask her to leave. She didn’t want to do that.

  Finally he straightened, put the last of the dirt samples in an envelope, and walked over.

  “I’m about done here. Do you want a ride?”

  She did, but she was suddenly feeling awkward around him. He had to have a lot to do, and she would just be in the way. “I’ll be okay. It’s only a ten-minute walk for me from here.”

  “Are you sure? My truck has air-conditioning, though it probably won’t cool off until I pull into the sta
tion’s parking lot.”

  Huh. It seemed he was feeling just as tentative as she was. Just an hour ago, she’d hopped into his truck when he’d torn out of the diner parking lot.

  Feeling a little amused by how they were acting, she raised her eyebrows. “So you’re asking me to sit in a hot truck with you?”

  “I am, but what I’m really asking is if we could spend some time together.”

  Her pulse jumped. She wanted to hope. Wanted it so badly, especially after he’d stayed at her side for hours in the hospital.

  However, he’d distanced himself since then. He’d called her, but their conversations had centered on her health. He hadn’t asked if he could stop by her house. And today was the first time in a week that he’d gone out to eat at the diner when she was working.

  Common sense told her that he was busy, trying to locate James and see to his other responsibilities. But there was another part of her that feared that he’d simply grown tired of her. She’d misjudged far too many people for most of her life to expect too much from him.

  That was why she looked at him curiously. “Do you have some questions for me about James?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh. Well, then . . .”

  After a moment, he smiled. “Lora, are you really going to make me say it?”

  Say what? “I’m afraid I am. I have no idea what’s on your mind.”

  “Really?”

  “You ain’t making things any easier, Deputy Beck.”

  “Eddie. You called me Eddie on our date. Remember?”

  Biting her bottom lip, she nodded.

  “And before you start questioning anything else, I’m just going to say the words. I like you. I want to get to know you better.”

  Staring into his eyes, Lora wished for a lot of things. She wished she was a whole lot more accomplished and a whole lot more innocent. She wished they’d met another way and that he hadn’t had to investigate her.

  But most of all, she wished that she was confident enough to believe that none of those things mattered.

  “I like you, too. But do you really think something between us could work out?”

  He pulled his ball cap off his head, then put it back on, this time backward, with the bill at his back. “I do. Why don’t you?”

  She could see his eyes better now. He looked sincere. She knew he was sincere. But that didn’t mean she trusted a future with the two of them together. “You know why,” hating that she was stating the obvious. “We’re pretty different.”

  “Yeah, we are.” He grinned. “I don’t have pretty, long blond hair and legs that go on forever.”

  She was pleased he thought she was pretty, but she needed to know that they had something more than that. “You know what I mean.”

  “Would you believe me if I said I don’t care that we’re really different?”

  “I would believe you, but I’d also say that you’re being naïve. Our differences are going to matter one day, Eddie. To you, and also to your friends and your family.”

  “Before I accept what you’re saying and leave you alone, let me ask you one thing . . . Are you done?”

  Done? “I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

  “You’ve already accomplished a lot. You got your GED. You have a good job and people like you there. You’ve had the courage to return to Horse Cave even when you knew coming back wouldn’t be easy. You survived a brutal attack, and you were brave enough to help Waneta. Could you have done all that two years ago?”

  “Nee.” Two years ago she’d been living with a jerk and trying to save up enough money to go out on her own.

  “So you’re different than you used to be.” Slowly, he smiled. “That’s why I’m asking you, are you done growing and changing?”

  “No.”

  “I’m not done, either. That’s why I don’t want you to start telling me about all the ways we are different, because we are going to be different people next year. Maybe even next month.”

  His reasoning was a bit optimistic. But then she remembered Mark Fisher. He’d been accused of beating a woman, then practically shunned. What if he’d given up?

  She knew that answer. He’d still be struggling like Calvin was. And what a waste that would have been. “You know what? I think I would like that ride, Eddie.”

  His gaze warmed. “My reasons swayed you, then?”

  A lot of things did. Hopes and dreams swayed her. But she didn’t think he needed to know that. “Yep. You are a very persuasive man.”

  “Good.” Glancing at his phone, he said, “Let me take you home, then I’ve got to get back to work.”

  It was time to take a chance. “You know, I’m not working tonight. And I don’t just work in a diner. I can cook pretty good, too. Would you like to come over for supper?”

  “It might be late. Close to seven.”

  “It might not be fancy, just a casserole with two sides.”

  Opening the passenger door for her, he nodded. “I’d like that.”

  She left the door open while he walked around because the inside of the vehicle was really hot. But after everything that had just happened, it didn’t matter to her at all.

  CHAPTER 31

  Thursday, September 15

  Sharing a bemused look with her mother, Waneta inspected the small olive tree beside the couch, which Mr. Lehmann had sent over. “This is mighty nice. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen an olive tree before.”

  “Me, neither. It’s pretty with its silver leaves. It will look mighty nice in the garden.”

  “And in the kitchen in the winter, since Henry said that it can’t take the cold.”

  Her mother fingered the leaves. “No offense to your boss, but this is a strange sort of gift, don’t you think? He gave you a tree that bears olives, which you don’t eat; and it requires a lot of time and attention, which you don’t have to give.”

  Waneta had just been thinking the same thing. “I don’t understand it, either, but maybe one day I will.”

  “That’s the spirit, dear. Yes, indeed, one day you’ll understand why you have an olive tree.”

  “You girls worry too much about things that ain’t important,” Daed said. “All that matters is that Waneta is safe and sound.”

  “She’s safe, but I don’t know about sound. She still has a broken wrist and more bumps, cuts, and bruises on her than any girl should ever have.”

  “I’m going to be okay, Mamm,” Waneta said softly. Just as she had for the last week.

  Her mother resituated the pillow under her cast. “I hope so.”

  “I know so. Now, please stop worrying so much. You heard what the doctors said. I need to rest for two weeks, but then I can go back to work, at least part-time.”

  “I’m going to make sure you do rest, daughter,” Daed said as he got up to answer the knock at the door. “And I’m going to make sure your visitor knows not to get you too riled up as well.”

  Curious as to who could be visiting now, Waneta watched her father open the door in an almost spry manner. If there was a silver lining to all that had occurred, that had to be it, she surmised. Her father was moving around better than he had in years. It seemed he liked being as needed as she did.

  “Ah, now. Look who has returned,” Daed said. “Mark.”

  Staring at him, Waneta felt her cheeks heat. “I didn’t know you were planning to stop by today.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise,” he said.

  “Really?” She wondered why. He had to know how much she liked being around him and it was obvious that her parents adored him.

  “We were all just admiring Waneta’s new olive tree,” Mamm said.

  Walking over, Mark knelt on the floor next to the couch and smiled. “I told Henry that flowers might be just as appreciated, but he was fixated on this olive tree. He said olive trees symbolize good fortune and prosperity.”

  “In that case, I’ll try even harder to take good care of it,” she joked.


  “I’m sure you will.” Turning to her, he reached out and ran his thumb along her cheek. “Now, how are you doing today?”

  His voice was low and sweet. And his touch? Well, she couldn’t deny that she liked his attentions. “Better now,” she whispered.

  Tracing the line of her eyebrow, he said, “Sure?”

  Hardly aware of anything but his loving glance and touch, she nodded.

  “We are going to go outside!” Mamm announced from behind them. “You know what? We might even go for a little walk.”

  “A long one,” Daed said. “So don’t you worry about us.”

  Mark’s lips twitched as her parents bustled out the door. “They are two of a kind, your parents.”

  “Indeed. They’re the best kind, though. They have been so wonderful these last couple of days.”

  “Good.” Rubbing her cheek, he focused on her again. She felt his gaze traipse from her hairline to her cheek to the cast on her wrist. “Waneta, I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t survived.”

  “We won’t ever have to know. You and Calvin got there in time.”

  Releasing a ragged sigh, he nodded. “I know you’re right. I keep hoping if I tell myself that long enough, I might even believe it.” After climbing to his feet, he looked down at her. “Any chance you have enough room on this couch for two?”

  “There’s plenty of room, if you don’t mind my feet on your lap.”

  “How about I hold your head in my lap instead? I’ve got some things I want to talk to you about.”

  Since she didn’t care where he was, as long as he was close, she simply smiled. Then laughed as Mark tried to resituate her without harming her ribs, head, or arm. When he had at last repositioned her to his liking, she stared up at his handsome face. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “I’ve got some updates for you. First of all, it seems my brother has nine lives. He talked his way into some kind of situation with some kind of government agency. He’s going to do some undercover work for them.”

  “What does that mean? Where will he be? Do you think that’s safe?”

  “To answer your questions, I don’t know, I don’t know, and finally, I don’t know.” Smiling at her look of surprise, he shrugged. “I’m okay with not knowing and you should be, too.”