by Mary Manners
“They can be brutal, can’t they? Some days I feel like pulling my hair out and trading teaching for a greeter job at the local home improvement store.” Carin tugged a curl, grimacing. “But I sure missed teaching while I was away from it.”
“While you helped your dad?”
“Yes. I really missed teaching.”
“Yeah, the cafeteria food…spit balls flying across the classroom…parents complaining…kids passing notes—um, I mean sonnets.”
“I could say the same about you, Preacher Man. Mowing the lawn in the scalding heat of summer…emergency phone calls in the middle of the night…sermons, sermons, and more sermons…kids hiding the sanctuary flowers so the altar is bare when the service begins…need I say more?”
“I guess we both have our moments.”
“Yes, we do. But I wouldn’t trade it, and I gather you wouldn’t, either.” The breeze tangled Carin’s hair, and she brushed a curl from her face and leaned against Jake, pressing her cheek to his arm. “Thank you, Jake.”
“For what?”
“For asking me to come today.”
“You’ve had fun?”
“Yes. Definitely. I don’t want the day to end.”
“I don’t, either.” Jake shifted in the seat, drawing her close. “Would you mind…if I stole a kiss?”
She tilted her head, offering her lips. “I thought you’d never ask.”
****
“Thanks for driving me home,” Carin said as Jake pulled up to the house. “But you should just let me out here at the road. It’s late, and you’ll be tired for church in the morning.”
“Never too late to walk you to the door.” He turned into the drive and switched off the ignition. The driver’s door popped as he pulled the latch. “Wait there. I’ll come around.”
“It was nice of Patrick and Julie to take Corey home with them again.” Carin slipped from the seat as he opened the passenger door. The night air made her shiver, and Jake eased an arm around her shoulders as they made their way up the walk.
“Yeah. It was the perfect ending to a great day for the boys—getting to hang out together tonight, too.”
“I’ll bet they won’t sleep a wink.”
“Probably not.”
She gathered the seam of her windbreaker and glanced toward the house. She gasped when she saw a light in the living room window. “Jake, wait.” She pointed. “Look.”
“What?” He turned in the direction she motioned. “You mean the light? Didn’t you leave it on?”
“No.” Carin shook her head. Her bones turned to ice. “I didn’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Jake. Look by the door.” The planter beside the door was toppled, and potting soil covered the welcome mat. She remembered the key she’d hidden beneath the ceramic pot—the same hiding place she’d used at her apartment in Nashville. Only two people knew that hiding place—and she’d spoken to her dad just that morning.
“Maybe Scooter got loose and he bumped into it?”
“He was eating when we left, remember?”
“Were you expecting company?”
Unable to speak, Carin shook her head slowly.
“OK. Stay here.” Jake’s tone left no room for discussion. “Get back in the Jeep and wait.”
Terror coursed through Carin as Jake stepped in front of her, shielding her from the house.
She placed a hand on his back. “Jake, don’t go—”
“It’s OK.” He gave her a nudge toward the driveway. “Just get back in the Jeep.”
“I can’t.” Her breath caught as a shadow crossed the living room window. “I won’t let you go in there alone.”
“What are you doing?” Jake spun to face her as she slipped around him. “This is no time to be stubborn.”
“I think…” The shadow crossed the window once more, and she was certain. “I mean I know who it is.”
“Who?”
The front door flew open, startling her, and Phillip stepped onto the porch. His hands clenched into fists as the light of a full moon washed over him.
“Hello, Carin.” His shoulders tensed to match the menacing tone of his voice. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it?”
A scream died in Carin’s throat as Jake stepped in front of her, shielding her from Phillip like a towering concrete wall.
“Who are you?” Jake’s voice rang low, the tone calm, but Carin heard the edge to it and knew instinctively that he’d protect her at all cost.
Phillip took a step forward so the security light over the front door illuminated his face. “I should ask you the same.” Onyx eyes glittered like a tiger’s, and his features were sharp and menacing as they zeroed in on Carin. “Care to explain what this other guy’s doing here—with you—after midnight and heading into your house?”
She smelled the alcohol on his breath. “I don’t owe you an explanation of any kind.” Her voice trembled over each word.
“I disagree.” Phillip took a step toward her, his hands coming up, and Carin nestled closer to Jake. “It’s been too long. We need to talk.”
“Don’t come any closer.” Carin shook her head. “You need to leave.”
“Go, Carin.” Jake handed her his cell phone and then pushed her back—away from the light, away from Phillip—so she stumbled into the grass. “Go next door. Call the police.”
“Please, Phillip, just leave,” Carin pleaded. “Haven’t you done enough, caused enough trouble?”
Jake took a step forward, approaching Phillip. “You heard her. She wants you to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Phillip slouched against the porch rail and lifted a cigarette to his lips, then reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out a lighter.
Soon the tip of the cigarette glowed orange-red and smoke billowed around his head. His gaze locked on Carin. “I want to talk to you, Carin.” The tone of his voice escalated a notch, and Carin knew he was agitated. If this continued, he’d soon lose control.
Carin shook her head. “Just go find a place to sleep it off and—and maybe—”
“I’d like to sleep it off here.” His grin was menacing. “With you. Now that I’ve had a little taste—”
“No!” Chills coursed through Carin, and her teeth began to chatter. She rubbed her arms as a sob escaped her lips. “Never.”
“Do you want him to leave, Carin?” Jake asked without turning to face her.
“Yes.”
“Then go next door and let me handle this.”
She pressed a fist to her lips and backpedaled, nodding as the tears came. Would this nightmare ever end?
Her fingers trembled on Jake’s cell phone as she ran toward the neighbor’s house. A quick rap on the front door, and she was ushered inside by Mrs. Malloy. Carin handed her the cell phone.
“Please, call the police.” She doubled over, struggling to breathe. Afraid for Jake’s safety, she began to pray.
Suddenly sirens wailed down the street, and Carin rushed to the front window. Phillip ran toward the corner, leaping a hedgerow. Voices shouted. Feet pounded the pavement, and two police officers tackled Phillip to the ground as he crossed beneath a streetlight.
Phillip bellowed as an officer cuffed him and began to recite his Miranda rights.
Jake took one look at Carin, drew her close, and held her. “It’s OK now.”
She collapsed into his arms, sobbing as pent up fear finally found its way to the surface. “I’m sorry, Jake.”
“You’re sorry.” He rubbed her back gently as he pressed his lips to her ear. “What did he do to you, Carin?”
13
“Do you want some coffee?” Carin came to her doorway and surveyed the array of tools and hardware Jake had spread across the porch. She’d changed out of her church clothes and into jeans and a white cotton blouse, and her curls were brushed back into a ponytail.
Jake knew she hadn’t slept at all after the police hauled the thug named Phillip off in a cruiser. She
’d sat stoically through church, her fingers clasped tightly in her lap. His gut clenched every time he looked at her, each time he saw the dark shadows of hurt that marred her pretty green eyes.
He wanted to take that guy’s—Phillip’s—head right off his shoulders. He’d hurt Carin bad, Jake was sure of it. She didn’t need to tell him. He already knew. And the fact that he felt such a twist in his belly every time he thought of the fear in Carin’s eyes and the way she’d cowered the moment she saw Phillip through her living room window made Jake realize just how human he was.
“Jake?” Carin waved a hand in front of his eyes. “Are you OK?”
“Sorry.” He lifted his head to meet her gaze. “No, thanks on the coffee. I want to get this finished.”
She stepped onto the porch and leaned against the rail. “I appreciate you doing this…changing the locks for me. Maybe Phillip didn’t take the key with him, but the planter where I hid it is cracked and the key’s missing, so he probably did.” She shook her head, her cheeks turning a shade or two pastier. “I should have chosen a different hiding place. That’s the same one I used in Nashville, so he knew…”
“It’s OK. It can’t be undone now, and I don’t mind putting in the new locks. It’s not hard.” Jake reached for a screwdriver. “But I’m worried about you. How are you holding up?”
“I’m OK.” She pulled the collar of her blouse tight as the breeze kicked up. Colorful leaves tumbled along the grass in the front yard, spreading their musky scent. “How about you? You didn’t sleep much last night.”
“I’m holding up all right. I’ll feel better when this lock and the one on the back door are changed. Patrick’s working on that one right now.”
“I know. And Julie’s inside fussing over dinner while the boys are out back, searching for Scooter.”
“Any luck?”
“No.” Carin caught her lower lip between her teeth and shook her head. “Not yet.”
“They’ll find him.” Jake took the pieces of the new door handle from its wrapping and began to mount the guts of it to the solid-oak front door. “But I wish this door was metal. I don’t like the idea of that creep getting into your house again.”
“He won’t…not after you finish replacing those locks. And I imagine the police had a pretty good talk with him, after you came back here last night.”
“I imagine they did.” Jake’s gut burned. An officer had shared some basic details, but from the sound of things, Jake was pretty sure Phillip wouldn’t try to come around again. “No more hiding an extra key. I can hold one for you…or Hailey or Julie, if you’d rather.”
“I can’t believe Julie and Patrick showed up here today after church with a roast and all the trimmings.”
“They’re worried about you. They don’t like this any more than I do.”
“I’m not used to people fussing over me.”
“It’s what we do when we care about someone. And you’re one of us now, like it or not.”
“But they shouldn’t…care about me, I mean. I’m bad publicity for your church—and for you, Jake.”
“You’re no such thing.” Jake reached for a screw, examined it before slipping it into a metal plate along the doorframe. “That’s nonsense.”
“It’s the truth.”
“OK.” He spoke without looking at her, trying hard to keep his temper in check. One glance at the sleep-shadowed eyes, the pale skin, and he’d be in his Jeep, on his way to Nashville, to hunt the bully named Phillip. And where would that get any of them? “So what you’re saying is, you don’t deserve to be cared for by people who are beginning to love you, but you do deserve to be pushed around, made to endure threats, and God only knows what else, by someone who doesn’t?”
Carin shoved away from the rail and began to pace the length of the porch. “No. Of course not. It’s just…”
“Let Julie fuss. Her roast will melt in your mouth.”
“Do you think Phillip will come back, Jake?”
“He’d better not.” Jake tossed the screwdriver down, reached for needle-nose pliers. “But it would certainly help if you’d agree to file a restraining order.”
“I know. But it’s sure to get back to my dad, since he and Phillip still work together. And I don’t want to upset him…or worry him.” She fidgeted, her lower lip trembling.
“Don’t you think your father should know what kind of creep he has working for him? I don’t have to tell you, the guy’s dangerous, Carin. He could have hurt you last night. What if I hadn’t been here? What if you’d come home alone?”
“I don’t want to think…” Her voice cracked, and Jake turned to see her press a hand to her mouth, her fingers trembling. “I’m scared, but I can’t let it paralyze me.” Tears magnified her eyes, spilling down her cheeks.
Jake stood to gather her into his arms. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here now. Let me help you.”
Carin pressed her face to his T-shirt, and he stroked her hair. She trembled against him, and he knew she was fighting to keep the tears in check. “It’s too complicated.”
“Nothing’s too complicated. We just need to talk it out. I’m starting to care for you, Carin, and it’s killing me to see you hurting. And I don’t even know why you’re hurting. What happened?” Jake murmured into her hair. “Last night…well, you were upset and I understand why you didn’t want to discuss it. But now…”
“I’m…sorry, Jake.” Carin disengaged herself from his embrace and stepped back, crossing her arms. “I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”
“Stop, please. You didn’t drag me into anything.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and held her gaze. “I want this—want you—of my own free will.”
“But—”
“I’d like to know what happened—what Phillip did to you so I know what I’m up against.” Jake nodded sharply. “If you won’t protect yourself, then I’ll do it for you.”
“I don’t want you to have to protect me. It’s not your job.”
“Too late.”
“I’ll file a restraining order, Jake, and I’m going to tell my dad about this…along with a few other things. I promise—soon.”
“Hey, you two.” Julie came to the doorway, an apron tied around her waist to protect her pretty linen dress. “Dinner’s ready. Come in and wash up.”
Carin loosened her crossed arms and reached for Jake’s hand. “We can discuss this more later, if you’d like.”
He nodded. “Oh, I’d like.”
She swiped tears from her eyes and turned toward Julie. “I’ll come help you,” she offered. “I’ll set the table.”
“It’s already done. The boys just took care of it. I think they have an internal food radar. As soon as they smelled the gravy, they came running. They’re already at the table, washed and chomping at the bit. Patrick, too. He’s finished replacing the lock on the back door.”
“Good, so they’re both done, now.” Jake breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll rest better tonight knowing that.”
“Now, if we could just find Scooter. He must have run away when Phillip opened the front door. He’s not used to being outside. What if he gets lost…or scared?” Carin said as she shivered, and Jake wondered what made her feel so cold—the breeze or worry over the cat she’d grown to love.
“We’ll find him.” Jake pulled her in and held her tucked up against his chest. He pressed his lips to the crown of her head, inhaling the sweet berry scent of her shampoo. The tension in his belly kicked up a notch as he felt her tremble. He had to trust she had her reasons for being a bit evasive. Lord knows he’d grown weary of repeating the details of his parents’ death over the months that followed. Each retelling opened the wound, made it that much harder to heal.
“It’s going to be OK.”
“You don’t know that…not for sure.”
“I know it the best I can. We’ve got God on our side, Carin. There’s no stronger or more faithful warrior.”
“But w
hat about Scooter?” She sniffled.
“We’ll continue the search as soon as we’re done with dinner.”
“OK.”
Jake released her and took her by the hand. He skimmed a hand across her cheek and then bowed to kiss her before they went into the house.
Corey glanced up from the kitchen table when they strode through the doorway. “We’re going to look more for Scooter,” he shared as he filled glasses with sweet tea. “Dillon thinks he might be hiding in a tree in the woods.
“Yeah,” Dillon chimed in from beside Corey at the table. “I have a friend whose cat got stuck in a tree, and he stayed there almost a week before they found him.”
“Oh, no.” Carin’s voice cracked. “Was he OK?”
“After eating a mountain of tuna, yeah,” Corey said.
Jake turned from the table as the patter of tiny feet scurried behind him.
“Hi, Uncle Jake.” Patrick and Julie’s youngest, Gracie, raced over to hug Jake’s legs. Even though Jake wasn’t really her uncle, she’d called him that the first time he had dinner at their house, more than two years ago, and the name stuck.
“Hi, princess. I heard you have a birthday coming up.”
“Uh-huh.” She stepped back to hold up a hand with all five fingers splayed. “I’m gonna be this many.”
“Twenty-seven?”
“No, silly.” Her copper-colored hair, the same shade as Julie’s, danced in baby-fine curls around her freckled face. “Five.”
“Oh, right.” Jake tickled her belly, eliciting a round of giggles. “And what do you want for your birthday?”
“A puppy.”
“Oh, my.” Jake glanced up at Patrick, who shook his head as if to say, “Don’t egg her on.”
“What else?”
“Nothing. Just a puppy with lots of whiskers and big, floppy ears.”
“Well…your dad will have to get working on that.”
“Miss Carin?” She glanced up at Carin with round, dark eyes. “Do you have a puppy?”
“No. Just Scooter, my cat.”
“Oh, yeah. But he ran away. I heard Corey and Dillon calling for him. I wanted to look for him, too, but Mama needed me to help her in the kitchen instead.”
