Love Inspired December 2014 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Rancher for ChristmasHer Montana ChristmasAn Amish Christmas JourneyYuletide Baby

by Brenda Minton

  He stood and moved around the table without releasing her hand. He didn’t want anything between them. Not now. He wanted to be near her, to touch her and make her believe. He took a seat in the chair next to her and placed her palm on his chest, over his heart.

  “I’m not joking, Heather. Think about it. It makes sense for us.”

  “You think?”

  “You and the kids would be able to stay with me, where I could watch over you all. You wouldn’t be alone at night or vulnerable to an ex-husband who doesn’t know when to quit. You wouldn’t have to worry anymore. Not now. Not ever.”

  She sniffed and shook her head. “I’ve got to admit you make it sound tempting. But I didn’t come here this afternoon expecting a marriage proposal.”

  Shawn wondered if she could feel his heart slamming in a mad rhythm against her palm. The proposal was more than him protecting her from Adrian. So much more.

  “Think about the children.”

  “I am thinking about the children.”

  He’d made her mad. Why was she mad?

  “We can be a family. All six of us, and eventually we can have more of our own, if you’d like, or even keep adopting. The kids love the ranch. They’ll be able to grow up here, learn all about raising animals and taking care of the land. It makes sense for us.”

  She pulled her hand away and dragged it down her face. He’d never seen her look so bone weary. It pulled at him.

  “Can I think about it before giving you my answer?”

  “Of course. I’m not trying to pressure you. All I’m asking is for due consideration that you’ll take me seriously.”

  “You’ve got that. I promise.”

  “I’ve got pastor friends in the area. We should have no problem finding someone to hitch us up on short notice.”

  “Short notice?”

  “The sooner the better, don’t you think? With Adrian in town, who knows what will happen. We don’t want him catching up with you when you’re alone.”

  Way to not pressure her, you jerk.

  Shawn wanted to kick himself. If he was trying to scare her off, he was doing a mighty fine job of it. Reminding her that Adrian was a present threat instead of assuring her that he would protect her and the kids.

  “Do you have someplace you can stay until we get this sorted out? A friend or neighbor?”

  She stood and moved to the coffeepot, pouring herself a fresh cup and then checking out the window on the children before returning to the table. She leaned her hip against the edge of the wood and crossed her free arm over her waist instead of returning to her seat.

  “I don’t want to impose on anyone like that,” she said. “You know how much of a handful the kids can be. Besides, I need to face this.” She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself. “I’m not a victim any longer, and it’s high time I stopped acting like one.”

  Was that a no?

  Shawn’s heart twisted as he waited for her to elaborate. Surely she wasn’t turning him down, not without taking more time to think about it.

  Please. Not a no.

  “I’m going home.”

  That was even worse. “Think about what you’re saying. It’s not safe there. He probably knows where you live.” She might not be ready now—or ever—to make a commitment to him, but he wasn’t going to step aside and let her walk right into the vortex of danger.

  “I’m not an idiot.”

  “I didn’t think you were.”

  “I’ll take every precaution,” she assured him. “I’ll keep the doors locked and my phone on me. And I’ll call the police the moment I see him. Adrian is a mean drunk, but he’s only as intimidating as I let him be. He’s used to a shell of a woman who won’t fight back. I think he’s going to be surprised to find that’s not who I am anymore.”

  “He’s been in prison. Who knows what kind of man he is now? He could be truly dangerous, Heather. Worse than he was.”

  “You’re right. I don’t know what kind of man he is now. But if I run from this, I will be running my whole life. Don’t you understand? I can’t do this anymore.”

  “If he shows up at your house?”

  “I’ll call the police and he’ll be arrested. At least then I’ll be able to rest easy again—for a while, anyway.”

  Shawn thought it was a bad plan. The most awful one he’d ever heard, in fact. For starters, he wasn’t part of it. And he could count on two hands the number of things that had the potential to go wrong.

  And yet—it seemed that Heather had turned a corner. Her weariness and the desperation she’d worn like a cloak for as long as he’d known her had disappeared.

  Replaced by determination.

  Strength.

  Belief in herself.

  How could he take that away from her?

  She hadn’t come here to have him solve all her problems. She’d come to regroup and solve her own. And she had.

  He loved her enough to let her see this through, but he couldn’t completely let go. He had to do all he could to protect her.

  “My number is on speed dial, right?”

  She smiled softly. “Number one.”

  “Good. Don’t be afraid to use it. For any reason. Day or night. Whatever you need, I’m your man.”

  “Thank you for that.” She blushed, making her countenance even more lovely.

  His pulse heightened, and he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless, prove he meant every word he said in his proposal. Convince her she really should be with him. It was all he could do to hold himself in check when she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek.

  “I’m going to round up the children. It’s time for us to go home.”

  “Heather?” His arm snaked out to capture hers. She turned, an unreadable look on her face.

  “Yes?”

  “I just wanted you to know…my offer still stands.”

  Chapter Ten

  My offer still stands.

  Heather looked in on her sleeping children, tucking their blankets up under their chins and brushing a soft kiss on each of their precious brows. She triple-checked the locks on all the doors and windows and then settled down on the couch with a cup of tea, drawing her legs up beneath her.

  Had Shawn really offered to marry her? She couldn’t help but feel she’d somehow coerced him into making such a rash proposition. She hesitated even to call it a proposal. Heather scoffed and shook her head.

  Adrian hadn’t only muddled her life and potentially put her children in danger, but now he was messing with Shawn’s head.

  Shawn O’Riley didn’t deserve to be a part of this drama, and yet in typical Shawn fashion, he’d willingly thrown himself right into the middle of the storm to help her.

  He had already changed his whole life around for the sake of little Noelle—and all without a single complaint, which just magnified his goodness and strength.

  And now he was ready to embrace her and her children and make them a permanent part of his life for no reason other than to keep them safe. Even though they’d never talked about it, she knew Shawn well enough to know he took marriage seriously. Shawn was a forever kind of guy.

  But marriage to her? How could he even imagine it? Of course he wouldn’t think of her children as a burden, as she expected most men would. He might worry that he wasn’t good enough for them, but he’d never consider them a problem.

  But dealing with an abusive and criminal ex-husband and stalker who posed a certain threat to their lives? No one would want to take on that kind of responsibility.

  No one but Shawn.

  She’d really believed he was joking when he’d first brought up the subject of marriage. A pastor marrying the local divorcée. Yeah—no. They would be the talk of the town, and not in a good way. She couldn’t imagine how his congregation might respond to him allying himself to her in such a serious and irrevocable way.

  Impossible. Outrageous.

  But the fact remained that he had asked her to m
arry him—in earnest—and he’d reiterated that offer before she’d left.

  He’d even run down a thorough and practical list of reasons why their getting married was a good idea. To protect her from Adrian. To be able to formally adopt all their children. To create a more stable home environment for them.

  If she married Shawn and moved to his ranch, the children would all have a mom, the best dad ever, a yard with a fence—split-rail and not white picket, but a fence—and a dog. Oh, and however many other animals Shawn happened to be keeping. She’d seen pigs, goats, horses, cats and chickens.

  The picture-perfect family.

  She choked on her tea.

  Marrying Shawn would be anything but picture-perfect. He had enumerated every potential benefit of their possible collaboration—except for one, and in Heather’s mind it was the most important aspect of all.

  Shawn had said nothing about love.

  Glaring red flag there. Heather had never imagined she would be in the position of receiving a marriage proposal ever again in her life—nor did she believe she’d ever want one. But a marriage without love?

  She’d already been there, and with disastrous results.

  Not that there was any comparison. Adrian was all about himself and his own needs and desires. He thrived on hurting people. Shawn never thought twice about willingly sacrificing his own convenience for the good of another person. The proposal itself was just further proof of that.

  But marriage?

  That was asking too much of him. She couldn’t allow him to sacrifice that much for her, no matter how tempting it sounded. No matter that his idea—when viewed purely pragmatically—had merit to it.

  She couldn’t look at marrying Shawn as anything more than a practical consideration even if she wanted to.

  The truth dawned on her with such clarity that she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it until now. Her fingers were shaking so fiercely that she was rattling her teacup and had to set it on the table before she spilled the hot liquid on her lap. She placed one palm against her racing heart and the other over her lips.

  She couldn’t marry Shawn—not because there was no love between them, but because there was.

  She was in love with Shawn.

  When had it happened? Somewhere along the way Shawn had stealthily tripped the switch that opened her heart to trusting again—feeling again. She didn’t just appreciate Shawn for all the things he’d done for her—she had fallen in love with him.

  Wow. How had she not seen this one coming?

  She’d been preoccupied with Adrian, that was how. She still was—sitting here in her living room, half afraid to sleep for fear Adrian would try to break into the house after dark. Assuming he knew where she lived and that he would slink around in the dark. Adrian’s usual MO was to face up to situations right in the light of day and charm his way through them. But prison could have changed him, and she had no way of knowing for sure.

  She wouldn’t be worried if Shawn were here. His strong arms and warm embrace were her safe spot.

  She suddenly wanted to accept his offer of marriage more than anything in the world. Which was, of course, why she couldn’t.

  A platonic relationship wasn’t ideal, and it certainly wasn’t anything she’d ever seen in modern America, but it could work. Might work. Maybe—if they were both committed to adopting and raising their children with only feelings of friendship and respect between them.

  But living with the man and loving him when he didn’t return the sentiment? That was just plain crazy.

  Rap. Rap. Rap.

  Heather jolted to instant alertness, her heartbeat pummeling her rib cage as adrenaline surged through her.

  Was someone at the door?

  No, it wasn’t the door. At least not the front door.

  She must have drifted off daydreaming about Shawn—or rather, mulling over the reasons the two of them could never be together.

  What time was it?

  She fished the cell phone out of her pocket, but before she could check it, she heard the noise again.

  Rap. Rap. Rap.

  It definitely wasn’t the front door. It sounded like the sliding glass door in the back through the kitchen.

  Adrian.

  He was here. It was time to end this nightmare.

  She dialed the police with shaky hands. As she waited for the emergency operator, she jogged down to the end of the hallway where the kids’ rooms were located.

  She spoke in quiet tones as she explained the situation to the emergency operator and rattled off her address.

  “Please hurry,” she ended, hoping she didn’t sound as frantic as she felt.

  She slipped into Missy’s room and scooped the sleeping girl into her arms and then brought her into Jacob and Henry’s room and deposited her in bed next to Henry.

  “Jacob, honey, wake up.” She shook her elder son’s shoulder.

  “Mama?” he asked sleepily. “What’s wrong?”

  “That bad man we talked about? He’s here. Mama needs to go talk to him. The police are on their way. I want you to watch over your brother and sister. Stay in this room and lock the door when I leave. Don’t open it for anyone but me. Do you understand?”

  Jacob’s eyes went wide but he squared his shoulders and nodded.

  “Yes, Mama. I’ll take care of them.”

  “I know you will, my brave boy.” She took his face in her hands and kissed his cheek. “It’s going to be okay, honey. The police are going to get this guy and put him back in jail so he can’t bother us anymore.”

  She hoped—prayed—that the words were true.

  Please, Lord. Watch over the little ones.

  She should have listened to Shawn when he’d suggested she not return to her house, or at least she should have found somewhere else for the kids to stay. But she really hadn’t believed Adrian would come here. Not in the middle of the night, anyway.

  She wouldn’t let the regrets take over. The truth was, she was tired of running away. She wanted to confront him and get it over with. If he realized she wasn’t afraid of him anymore, he would no longer have any power over her. That moment couldn’t come soon enough.

  She pressed her cell phone into Jacob’s hand. “I’ve already called the police, but I want you to hang on to this, just in case. Dial 911 for an emergency, all right?”

  “Mama?” Jacob’s voice was shaky and his lower lip quivered. Heather’s heart turned over.

  “We’re going to be fine, honey.” They were. They were. She was going to make it happen.

  She closed the door and waited until she heard Jacob turn the lock. She wished she believed her own words—that she knew for sure it would be okay. But she didn’t know. Only God knew.

  She concentrated on evening out her breathing. It wouldn’t help for her to hyperventilate and pass out in front of Adrian. He needed to see her at her best so he’d know for certain that she wasn’t afraid of him.

  She’d come to Serendipity to start a new life, and her nightmare had followed her here.

  It was time to put that nightmare to rest once and for all.

  She shoved out a breath and turned the corner from the bright living room to the darkened kitchen. She pressed forward, hugging the wall, trying to see outside the glass door without giving her position away. There was no more than a sliver of pale moonlight, just enough to cast ominous shadows across the lawn. She strained her ears to hear anything out of place, but all she could hear was her own breath, which sounded incredibly loud against the silence.

  She frantically filtered through her options. Adrian was lurking somewhere around her house. She was fairly certain he’d been trying to open the doors rather than knocking on them, which meant he was attempting to sneak into her house under the cover of darkness rather than announcing himself in the daylight.

  But where was he now?

  Even if she knew his location, she had no clue what her next move should be.

  She wished she’d thought
to borrow Queenie from Shawn for a couple days. Having a dog around the house would be a detriment to stalkers.

  The police couldn’t possibly be far off. She just needed to stay quiet until they arrived and pray that the younger children didn’t wake up. They would be so frightened. Poor Jacob had put on such a brave face for the sake of his foster siblings, but she knew he was hunkered down in the bedroom scared half out of his wits.

  She despised Adrian for that—for harming her children.

  “Heather!”

  Adrian’s voice sounded as if it was coming from the vicinity of the kitchen window, which she confirmed when he banged his fist against the glass.

  “Heather. I know you’re in there. I can see you.”

  Her hair stood on end and alarm skittered like an icy finger down her spine. She struggled to keep hold of her shredding composure.

  He yelled and slammed his fist into the glass once again, hard enough to make the pane rattle. That had to hurt his hand, but he didn’t flinch. Which meant he’d been drinking. If he kept it up, he’d not only break the window, but he’d wake up the children for sure.

  She’d given her cell phone to Jacob, so she couldn’t check the time. How long had it been since she’d called the police? Surely they should be here by now. Hadn’t they said they were going to keep a cruiser running by her house on a regular basis? Even if they weren’t in the neighborhood at the moment, this was a small town. How long could it take?

  Where were they?

  Adrian had seen her, so there was no sense hiding any longer. She stepped out from behind the wall and looked straight into the window over the sink, glaring at the man who’d single-handedly made her life so miserable.

  The face looking back at her through the cloudy, opaque glass reminded her of a dark, fairy-tale version of the evil queen’s magic mirror. Adrian’s sunken eyes burned into her, his scowl black and menacing. His wild hair and beard combined together to form something truly ghastly.

  She should have been terrified. There was a time when she would have been. And though she was not foolish enough to discount the wild-eyed, not-quite-sane reflection in his countenance, she was not afraid.

  Not of him. Not anymore.