by Emma Easter
She could feel Mike’s eyes and the police officer’s on her as she packed, but she did not turn to look at them. She finally finished packing her clothes and shoes and then went to the ornate armoire near the door and opened it. She brought out the boxes of wristwatches and jewelry that Mike had bought for her, which she had barely worn, and looked at them. She had promised Keith that she would sell them and donate the proceeds to the building projects in Destiny and, looking at them now, she knew she would get a good sum of money for them. She picked up two of the boxes to take them to the suitcase and then blinked in surprise when Mike said, “She cannot take those things with her! They belong to me!”
She stared at him, but he was looking at the police officer. “I bought those expensive things for her, but they belong to me.”
The officer said calmly, “I think since you bought them for her, they are hers.”
Mike shook his head. “They are mine. I bought them with my own money. She cannot take them with her. I will allow her to take the other things that I bought her, but she cannot take the jewelry. I insist.”
The officer looked up thoughtfully while Rachel’s heart pounded.
Mike said again, “She cannot take them. I gave her all the jewelry as a token of our marriage. Some of them I gave her on our wedding week, and the others through the years as a symbol of our love and union. Now that she has decided she doesn’t want to be with me any longer, they should automatically go back to me. She should not have them.”
“We are not married and never were!” Rachel exclaimed. She already knew that Mike was going to win this one. If it were not for the fact that she wanted to use the jewelry to help rebuild Destiny, she would never even have thought of taking them with her in the first place.
The police officer looked at Rachel with a resigned expression on his face. “I think he might be right.”
Rachel shut her eyes as her heart sank. She’d promised Keith that she would sell the jewelry and donate the money to help with the building projects in Destiny. He’d been so worried about the lack of funds and she’d been happy she had a way to help. What would she tell him now? He would be so disappointed. The money from the sale of the jewelry would have gone a long way in helping this town and its people. She sighed heavily and then placed the boxes back into the armoire.
She looked down at the suitcase that she’d packed all her things into and locked it. She began to wheel it out of the room and again Mike followed her and the policeman out. She went to Emily’s room again, walked to the crib, and then smiled sadly when she saw that Emily was fast asleep. She backed away quietly.
Mike said in a mocking voice, “So you are now going to live in sin with the fake pastor?”
She glared at him, angry at his insinuation, but also feeling slightly guilty. She and Keith had no intention of ‘living in sin’, but she could see how her staying with him would look to other people and how it could affect his reputation. Mike knew her well enough to know how to push her buttons. He knew that her reaction to his suggestive statement would be guilt. She pressed her lips together and walked past him, determined not to let him see how his statement had affected her.
The police officer thankfully took the suitcase from her as they made their way down the stairs. They got to the bottom and Rachel looked around the living room again and then up the stairs longingly. If only she could take Emily with her.
She sighed and turned her eyes away. The police officer was already at the door with her suitcase and Rachel turned to smile at Olivia, who was standing in the middle of the living room, gazing at her and Mike.
Mike said scornfully, “You belong to me, Rachel. I won’t let you disgrace me by living with another man. You will return or you will never see Emily again. This little fiasco you pulled today with the policeman will not happen again. I promise you.”
She looked at him, her heart racing at his threat. She began to walk away from him and he followed her. He said to her, “I mean it, Rachel. Come back to me or...” He did not finish his statement, but she understood exactly what he meant.
She followed the police officer out of Mike’s house, still troubled. Mike had sounded confident when he was spewing out his threats. She knew that the fact that she was staying with Keith was hard for him to swallow because of his pride and jealousy. She was his property, at least that was what he thought. That was how most men in Fallow Creek saw their women.
She got to Keith’s car and found him leaning against the car, waiting. He reached for her and this time, she did not resist or pull away when he took her hands. He looked deeply into her eyes and said tenderly, “Everything will be alright, Rachel.”
Tears began to fall down her cheeks as she thought about Emily and about Mike’s threat. Even though she had the law on her side here, at least to an extent, Mike was a wealthy and determined man. If she planned to fight him for full custody in court, he would get the best lawyers. He could provide everything Emily needed now, while Rachel had nothing to give to Emily at this time. Mike had the upper hand.
Keith looked like he was about to say something, but he pressed his lips together again. They both watched the police officer put her suitcase into the trunk of Keith’s car. After that, they thanked the officer for his help, and then he got into his patrol car. They waved at him as he backed into the street and drove away.
She looked at Keith again and knew he wanted to hug her but was hesitant to do so, probably because of how she had pulled her hand away when they were coming here. But at this time, she simply needed comforting. She needed to feel Keith’s arms around her.
She wrapped her arms around him and sighed deeply when his arms went around her. For a long moment, they stood beside the car holding onto each other. He ran his hand up and down her back as she buried her head in his shoulder. All she wanted was to stay in his arms forever, but unfortunately, she couldn’t.
Keith stepped away from her and beamed. He told her once more that everything would be alright and then got into the car. She got in as well and then stared at Mike’s house as Keith reversed the car and finally drove away.
Chapter 15
They got to the front of Keith’s house and he turned off the ignition. She opened the door to get out of the car, but he put his hand on her shoulder and she turned to him. He said, “I have to go to my store now, but I just want to make sure you are okay.”
She smiled at him and nodded. “I’m fine,” she said softly.
He searched her eyes, and she felt like he could read her mind. For some reason, she did not feel intimidated or bothered by that. She had told him all her secrets and he still hadn’t pushed her away. She knew she could trust him completely.
Keith kept his eyes on hers while her heart continued to race until she felt like it would burst out of her chest at any moment. What was it about him that sometimes left her speechless and weak-kneed in his presence? Was it his good looks or his unusual kindness? It was both of these, but more.
She suddenly gasped as a deep longing for him rose up in her. She blinked as she realized that she was in love with him. How had she fallen in love with him so quickly?
His eyes moved to her lips and her longing increased until she trembled. When he cupped her face in his hands, she knew he was going to kiss her. She shook with anticipation and then guilt as she remembered her decision not to get involved with him knowing that some other girl who had been here before her was in love with him as well.
She wasn’t sure how he felt about Jenny, but she would not do this to another woman.
And yet, as his lips touched her cheek and as he trailed kisses down from her temples to her chin, she felt too weak with longing to pull back. All she wanted was to feel his lips on hers and to feel his arms around her again.
She groaned as he kissed the corner of her lips, her heart threatening to explode. And then Olivia’s face appeared in her mind, and she remembered the day the woman had begged for just a little time with Mike. Rachel immediately pul
led away and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m sorry,” she said in a haunted voice.
Keith looked like he had been punched in the stomach. He blinked rapidly and then leaned back against his seat and shut his eyes. “I’m sorry, too,” he said. “I shouldn’t have...”
She cut in. “No, you did nothing wrong, Keith. It’s just me.” He still looked really hurt, and she felt tears well up in her eyes. She had hurt him and it was the last thing she wanted to do. She quickly opened the door and stepped out of the car. She looked at him through the window. “I’ll see you later,” she said.
Once again, he searched her eyes. and from the look on his face, she knew there was something on his mind; something he wanted to say to her. And yet, he said nothing. A small smile touched his lips and he looked away from her. Without saying a word, he started his car again and drove off.
She pressed her lips together tightly and pushed down the sob rising in her throat. Entering Keith’s house, she sat down on the sofa, her emotions roiling with a multitude of worries and fears. She had seen Emily and, as happy as she was about that, the fact that she would not see her again for a while tore at her heart. And then there were Mike’s threats. Thinking about them made her tremble with fear.
And yet her body shook now, not from the fear of Mike’s threat, but from Keith’s touch. She could still feel his lips on her cheek, her chin. The excitement and anticipation that had run through her at that moment lingered still. She clearly recalled the love and longing she had felt as he looked at her, as though she were everything he had ever hoped and prayed for.
She muttered, “I cannot be in love with him.” And yet, she was. But she could not, would not do anything about it. When they had been together in the car and everything in her wanted to kiss him like she’d dreamt of doing for days, the memory of the pain and hurt in Olivia’s eyes caused by Mike’s annoying obsession with her had been enough for Rachel to pull away. Keith and Jenny had known each other for years according to what Keith had told her yesterday. Surely, there had been some kind of interaction between them which had been enough to give Jenny hope that Keith would one day come to love her the way she clearly loved him.
Rachel’s heart kept beating as confusion flooded her soul. She wanted Keith for herself, but it would be wrong and selfish to act on her desire. She stood up and began to pace the living room. Keith would return later on and she was certain that their expressions of affection for each other that had started in the car would continue in the house. And then where would that lead?
She was sure of how she would feel about herself if anything untoward happened between her and Keith. She clearly remembered Mike’s insinuation. He probably wasn’t the only one in Destiny thinking that way. And if his accusation actually proved true, what would happen to Keith if people found out? She could not afford to ruin his reputation, neither would she stay here and let him fall in love with her and draw his heart further away from Jenny. The girl deserved to be with the man she loved before Rachel fell in love with him.
Rachel bit her lip. She had to leave this house.
But where would she go? And Keith had promised to help her get a job so she could ultimately get custody of Emily. How would that happen if she left?
Calm down, Rachel, she said to herself. She was panicking, unsure of what to do, knowing that whatever she did would have undesirable consequences.
She tried to figure out what to do as she paced the living room, but everything she came up with was undesirable to her. She knew the right thing was to leave the house, and yet she didn’t want to.
You have to, Rachel. You have no choice.
She sighed wearily and began to head to Keith’s room to pack up the few things he’d bought her. And then she groaned as she remembered that her suitcase filled with her clothes, the one she had taken from Mike’s house, was still in Keith’s car. In her hurry to get away from Keith before they kissed, she had left it in the trunk of his car. She marched into his room with determination. That would not stop her from leaving.
She looked around the room she’d been sleeping in for the past few days and then went to bring out the dress she had worn to his house on the day she’d escaped Mike’s. She went into the bathroom, got her toothbrush and toiletries, and stuffed everything into a plastic bag she found in the kitchen.
Smoothing down her hair, she quickly braided it. She straightened her dress and then went to the living room with the plastic bag containing her things. Before she left the house, she glanced around sadly. Compared to Mike’s lavish house, Keith’s was like a cubicle, but while she had been eager to leave Mike’s mansion, she felt overwhelming sadness at the thought of leaving this house. She would miss being here and seeing Keith every day. Sorrow filled her heart and she mourned for what she and Keith would have shared had the situation been right.
She reluctantly opened the front door and sighed sadly. “Lord, please give me strength,” she said. Since the day she’d told the Lord that she wanted the kind of relationship Keith had with Him, she had felt God’s presence constantly with her. She prayed more often and leaned on the Lord more than she had ever done. But now it was hard to trust that everything would work out for the best. She wasn’t even sure where she was going to go, but she knew she could not leave Destiny without Emily. How Keith would react to her leaving, she didn’t know, but she knew he was different from Mike and that it would not affect his willingness to help her gain custody of her daughter.
She left Keith’s house and began to make her way down the street. Somewhere between his front door and where she was now, she had decided to go to Paula and Eric’s new house. The couple had been kind to her when they lived with Keith, especially Paula. Rachel knew she would be imposing by asking them to accommodate her for a while, but she had no choice. She had to do it to protect Keith’s reputation and free herself from perpetual guilt. Her leaving would give Keith and Jenny a chance to be together and maybe she could even try to help Jenny get closer to Keith. It might not make up for the years she had spent with someone else’s husband, but it would go a long way in helping another woman get the desire of her heart.
The walk to Paula and Eric’s was a long one. She had heard Keith say that the couple now lived in a tiny house near the only lake in Destiny. Eric had built the house with some help from his friends. She was sure she would easily find the house once she reached the lake. Even if she could not stay with the couple, they might be able to help her find somewhere she could stay until she could have her own home. How she would manage that, having a house of her own in this small town without a job, she did not know. It felt like her future was up in the air and she did not even know exactly what she was doing. But what she was doing now, leaving Keith’s house, was the right decision.
She got to the couple’s house and stood in front of the door. It was a small log house built with felled trees taken from all over the town. For a long moment, she could not bring herself to knock at the door. This was really presumptuous of her. She’d come to this couple’s house, a couple she hardly knew, just because they had been nice to her at Keith’s. The house looked really small and the couple had kids. There was a big chance that there would be no space for her here. If so, she hoped Paula or Eric would point her somewhere else where she could stay.
She sighed with worry as she remembered that many people in the town who had lost their homes were staying with friends and acquaintances. There might actually be nowhere for her to stay in this town, and that would be a disaster.
She breathed a quick prayer again, asking for the Lord’s help, and then knocked on the door. When there was no answer, her worry grew. She knocked again and sighed with relief when the door opened.
Paula stared at her in surprise and then the surprise quickly melted off her face. She beamed. “Hi, Rachel! What a pleasant surprise!”
Rachel smiled uncertainly.
Paula opened the door wider and Rachel stepped into the house. The living room was as small
as she had expected, but cozy. Most of the furniture was made from logs. There were only three chairs and a table in the middle of the room. Rachel sat on one of the chairs.
Paula sat on another and faced Rachel. She smiled. “I haven’t seen you since the day we left,” she said.
“Yes,” was all Rachel could say. She swallowed and then decided to tell Paula why she’d come. “It might be presumptuous of me to come to you for help, but I am desperate,” Rachel said in a small voice.
Paula stared curiously at her but said nothing.
Rachel continued. “As you know, I was staying at Keith’s house, but I had to leave because I didn’t think it was right to go on staying with a single man, especially in this very small town. I don’t want Keith’s reputation ruined because of me.”
Paula’s eyebrows shot up. She leaned forward as Rachel talked, and when she finished, Paula said, “Is that the only reason you left?”
Rachel stared at her and Paula smiled. “You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
Rachel was taken aback and lost for words. She did not know whether to deny it or tell Paula the truth.
Paula said, “It’s okay, Rachel. It’s Keith Thorn we are talking about. I can imagine it would be easy to fall in love with him. You are, aren’t you?” Paula asked again.
Rachel did not say anything for a long while and then she nodded. “Yes.” There was no point hiding it.
Paula smiled. “I knew both of you were going to fall in love the day you arrived at Keith’s. I could see the way he looked at you and how worried he was about you. And now, I can see it in your eyes, Rachel. How much you care about him.” Her smile turned mischievous. “I know why you don’t want to stay with Keith any longer. Apart from your fear of ‘ruining his reputation’, you are scared of what will happen between you two if you continue to live with him?”
