by Jill Sanders
Aaron had stayed home that first day after the incident, but then he had gone off to work and left her there alone. Watching daytime TV was only fun if you had someone to watch with. Beside, she had never really gotten into the whole soap opera scene, and she didn’t think she wanted to start.
Iian, Todd and Megan visited on and off, but for the most part, she was on her own, at least until she could convince her doctor to prescribe a good dose of work.
At least Bernard and Cleo had been keeping her company. They were running through the back yard, playing in the snow, when she heard a car drive up.
It had taken only three days of staying in the slimy motel outside of Edgeview to make up her mind. She wasn’t about to lose. The man at the motel believed her when she said her fiancee had abandoned her there with no money, just the rental car. She even told him that she was waiting for her sister to bring her money and that the bill would be paid in full on Friday. She had no intention of paying or going back to the filthy dive.
What she did have in mind was getting rid of the bitch that had ruined everything. She had even driven to the Hospital and pretended to be concerned and gotten all the updates on Lacey’s health. Bruises and scratches did nothing to clear the path for her. She needed more action. Something more permanent. Now, after days of planing it, she knew exactly what to do.
Knocking on the door, she started to shake, knowing this should be her door, her house with Aaron. They could have children here, or maybe they would move back east, get that large place in the gated community. Yes, she would show Aaron that it would be for the best, move away from the back water hell hole, he’d been hiding in.
When the slut answered the door, it was so easy, she was so small, one swing had her sprawled on the floor in a small little heap.
Knowing it was important, Lacey tried to stay focus. Her head hurt and she had landed on her bad wrist. Looking up from the ground, she saw Jennifer step in and start to shut the door. Pushing up from the ground, she kicked out, catching Jennifer in the knee. When she fell, Lacey got up and made it past the front porch just as her bad arm was wrenched behind her.
“Now, let’s try this again, shall we?” Lacey felt the blade on her neck, then she heard the dogs barking.
“What the…” Jennifer backed up, pulling Lacey with her. “Call them off now.” she said as the two dogs came running around the corner. Bernard was growling, baring his teeth. When Cleo felt his tension, she piped in with her own low growls.
Lacey tried to think. “Bernard, go to Megan’s.” she said in a shaky voice, knowing Cleo would follow him, she sent them to the only place she knew help would be.
As Bernard continued to growl, Lacey said it again in a more forceful voice. This time he stopped, looked at her, then turned and ran down the path with Cleo trailing behind him slowly.
“What do you want Jennifer?” she tried to sound calm and tried to think.
“I want Aaron, he’s mine, he just needs to get all the distractions out of the way. I just need to clear the way, and then he’ll see that he can’t live without me.”
Lacey could see Jennifer’s eyes darting around, looking for an escape route. As Jennifer started pulling her down down the path towards the pond, Lacey knew she was in trouble. Jennifer was yanking her arm up behind her back, causing searing pain.
“There is only so much I can tolerate, I mean, seriously. Do you think Aaron would hang around here much longer? You know the life, the family he came from. They’re above all this, this backwater life you live. Seriously, can you imagine him living here?” She stumbled on a large tree root jutting from the ground. “In this dirty place. I mean there’s only so much filth I can put up with.”
Jennifer was marching fast enough down the path, that Lacey was being dragged. Her arm throbbed, her head was splitting, and she was starting to see double.
They reached the clearing, just as snow flakes started to fall in large wet clumps. When Jennifer saw the pond, she dragged Lacey to the large rock that hung over the frozen water.
Lacey fought, she kicked, dragged her feet, did everything she could, until Jennifer nicked her neck with the knife and tightened her hold. She was shivering now, realizing she had no shoes, no jacket, and in fact all she was wearing was light sweat pants, a light t-shirt, and her Bert and Ernie socks.
By the time they made it to the pond, Lacey realized she was out of options. They stood at the water’s edge as large flakes clung to Lacey’s eyelashes and hair. Then, she heard the dogs barking, and the sweetest thing on the earth followed. She heard Aaron calling her name.
Todd and Iian were heading over to see their sister, Iian had a stack of books that she had requested. When they rounded the corner to go up the drive, they saw Aaron’s truck turning in before them. Waving to him, they followed him up the long drive.
Just as they reached the house, they noticed the silver sedan. Both men jumped out of the car before Todd had put it in park.
“What the hell?” Aaron slammed his truck door shut and raced to the opened front door, yelling for Lacey.
Iian noticed it first, bending down in the doorway, he saw the blood, and yelled for the other two men.
Just as Aaron reached the doorway again, Bernard came running up, he was shaking, and barking. When Todd reached down to grab his collar, he noticed blood on his nose, lots of blood.
“Damn it, where the hell is she? Bernard, where is Lacey?” Aaron said, stepping out on the porch, looking frantically around.
Iian bent down and grabbed Bernard by the collar. “Find Lacey” he said and snapped his fingers.
Bernard took one look at the trio, then barking, he ran down the path towards his master.
Sprinting ahead of the other two, Aaron could see Bernard’s tail, just as he cut to the left, heading towards the pond.
“The pond.” he yelled out for Todd and knew Iian would follow.
When Aaron reached the edge of the clearing, he saw Lacey and Jennifer standing on the large rock near the water.
Jennifer held a large knife pointed at Lacey’s heart.
Just then, Jennifer swung her arm up, he saw the knife arc downwards.
Aaron screamed.
Then, Lacey stepped backwards just as Bernard lunged at Jennifer. Bernard’s teeth sunk deep into Jennifer’s arm, the knife dug deep into Bernard’s fur.
Just for a minute, he thought he might be fast enough to reach the edge of the pond to catch her before she went in.
Lacey’s socked feet slipped on the icy rock, her head hit the edge, and then she fell into the cold water and sunk below it’s dark surface.
As he ran to the water’s edge and saw a brown spot rush past him, it went straight into the water going after Lacey. Bernard had Jennifer on her knees, her arm firmly gripped between his teeth, the knife dropped, as he continued to yank on her arm. Blood dripped from Bernard’s shoulder, but the dog didn’t pay any attention.
When Aaron pushed past them, he could see the large crack in the ice where Lacey and Cleo had disappeared. Not even giving Jennifer a thought, he leaped into the pond, just as Cleo was coming back up for breath. The small dog paddled around barking, then dove back under the cold water and followed Aaron on his search.
The water was cold, very cold, freezing cold. He had to find her! Using all his strength, he reached out, looking, feeling his way around the dark pond. Where was she?
Lacey was floating, drifting in a weightless dream as white puffy clouds floated above her head. She could hear the dogs playing near the shore through the soft lapping sound of the water. It tickled her sides as she floated, cooling her hot skin.
Then, she could hear someone calling her name, she tried to open her eyes, but something was pulling her back into the darkness. She hurt, and the darkness provided a reprieve from the pain. She thought about floating for a while longer.
He felt something brush against his foot, reaching down, he felt fur, Cleo. Letting her go, he continued his search, reaching and se
arching.
He searched until his lungs screamed then he surfacing to gulp in a desperately needed breath.
Iian had Jennifer held down the knife held tightly in his hand. He was yelling for Lacey, screaming her name. Todd had jumped in the pond shortly after Aaron had.
Diving under again, Aaron continued to search for what seemed like hours. Again, he ran into Cleo, but this time the small dog had something in her mouth and was trying to get to the surface. Grabbing hold, he rushed the trio upwards.
Lacey could see colors and hear voices and she felt hands touching her. She heard a baby cry and more voices, she felt herself being lifted and rearranged. Then she felt warm liquid in her arms, warming her entire body. She couldn’t stop shaking. Why couldn’t she stop shaking?
Then it was quiet, so quiet she opened her eyes and stared at a white ceiling. She felt dull. Her eyes had a hard time focusing and she blinked a few times to clear her mind. She couldn’t remember where she was or how she’d gotten there. She just hopped it wasn’t the hospital again!
Everything was a little too blurry for her to see clearly. Then, he leaned over her and her eyes focused on him and nothing else mattered.
Epilogue
Lacey was floating again, this time, the cool water was a welcome from the scorching heat.
Bernard and Cleo, her heroes, were both happily barking and splashing around making waves in the cool water. Bernard had his stitches removed and had been given a clean bill of health.
It had taken a few weeks for her to get back on her feet after the last dip she’d taken in this pond. Blocking the memory from her thoughts, she continued to look up into the blue sky and watch what little clouds there were.
By this time next month, she would be Mrs. Aaron Stevens. Smiling now to herself, she could just see it, walking down the aisle in her church, Aaron standing there with Father Michael and her brothers. The whole town of Pride there, to celebrate. Of course there would be a large party afterwords at the restaurant, where all of Pride and her family would join in the celebration.
Hearing a splash, she looked over towards the shore just in time to see a large wave. Knowing what was coming next, she quickly ducked under to play a quick game of cat and mouse with her soon-to-be husband. Just who was the cat, and who was the mouse, had yet to be decided. But, she knew they would both enjoy discovering the answer, together.
Returning Pride (book three)… Coming soon
Iian Jordan was a very successful chef who owned one of the top rated restaurants along the Oregon coast. He was in high demand running a successful business. He had his career; his restaurant, and his loving family, one that was growing bigger everyday. Why then, did he feel like something was missing? And he wasn’t talking about his hearing, which he’d lost in a tragic accident ten years ago on his eighteenth birthday.
No, what he was missing was the same someone who had just driven back into town. Someone he had always loved from afar. Now, it was time that he step up and grab what he wanted, before she got away again.
Allison Adams had made a name for herself in the art world. All she was looking for now was some peace and quiet from all the hassles of the high pressures in the city. She wanted to get back to what she loved, painting. But, when she arrived home, what she finds instead, is her mother trapped in an illness that consumes her every waking moment.
Now, with the help of the good people in her hometown, and a man she’s always admired, she just might have returned for something different, true love.
