Now and Always

by Lori Copeland

  Her cell phone rang.

  Fumbling in her pocket, she hit the on button. “Hello.”

  “Katie?” Ben’s voice came over the line, cutting in and out with the poor signal.

  “Yeah?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Here.”

  “Where!”

  It hit her. Her cell phone. Dear God, forgive a fool! Sitting up straighter, she babbled through stiff lips. “Oh Ben! I’m on a ledge!”

  “On a what?”

  “A ledge — I fell over an embankment.” Her voice caught. “I managed to grab a branch and swing onto a shelf, but I think Warren’s coming down the hill to find me …”

  No questions about Warren. No demanded explanations on why she had fallen over a cliff or why Warren was on his way down the hillside. Thank you, my dear, sweet Ben. Maybe he knew — maybe he’d known all along that Warren was a rat.

  “Exactly where are you?”

  Exactly? Think, Katie. Where are you? She remembered turning off on a dirt road and the treacherous incline.

  “Dirt road,” she managed through lips anesthetized with cold. “About … half mile from the monument … easy to miss. Have to watch carefully. On the right …”

  “Dirt road on the right about a half mile from the Tower?”

  “I think so — I don’t think they use the road much anymore — ” The cell phone bleeped. Call ended. Katie’s confusion bloomed. Sleep. That’s what she needed. She huddled deeper into the crevice, her eyes drifting shut. It wasn’t as cold now. Thank you, God. It isn’t as cold.

  Why wasn’t it so cold?

  Katie threw up her hands and shrugged, giggling. “Maybe spring has sprung!” Spring with its warm breezes and pasque-flowers carpeting the foothills. Larkspur, penstemons, and blue flag on the prairies.

  Eight children were playing at the foot of the rock. Sevensisters and their brother.

  You’re hallucinating, Katie.

  They were stars now. Big Dipper stars. She snickered. Maybe it wasn’t God’s plan for her to marry at all; maybe he intended her to be a big ole star …

  Ben phoned for backup. He needed help, and he needed it fast. Katie sounded confused. She’d been exposed to the cold for too long. His mind went over the hazards of exposure. The body could be fooled into thinking it was warm and start shedding coats and other garments, speeding up the time of death. And if she was on a narrow ledge, she could get confused and walk off it to her death.

  Ruby answered, and Ben filled her in on details. “Have an ambulance and emergency equipment standing by. We have someone over the side. I’ll call with the location as soon as I have it.”

  “Someone over the side on a night like this? These crazy climbers.”

  He didn’t explain.

  “I need backup. Ruby? Patch me through to Candlelight Shelter.” Seconds later Tottie came on the line.

  “You were right,” Ben said.

  “I knew it. I’ve suspected that man was up to no good when I saw him take Katie without telling anyone. Where is she?”

  “She’s okay, Tottie. Relax. I’ll bring her home as soon as I can. Gotta go.” He clicked off. God, help me keep thatpromise.

  Ben hit the siren, and the squad car flew down the highway throwing a wide slough of mud and slush. He located the dirt road and the tire tracks half hidden by blowing snow. One set going in, but nothing coming out.

  What was he looking at here? Assault? Attempted murder? Was Warren Tate now making his way down the hillside to finish Katie off? He would assume that he could take his time, that no one would be looking for Katie, and nothing indicated that Tate meant her any harm. He couldn’t survive the elements.

  Halfway up the road, Ben spotted Warren’s vehicle. Pulling in behind the truck, Ben braked and looked the situation over. The vehicle didn’t appear to be occupied. He eased his nine millimeter automatic out of the holster and opened his car door. Nothing moved. Cautiously he approached Warren’s pickup. A quick look inside revealed his suspicion; the truck was empty. Ben played light over the ground, spotting the faint outline of footsteps. Two people had walked away from the pickup. No one had come back. The headlights were on.

  Warren had brought Katie out here for what? To harm her? Silence her? Whatever his intentions, something had gone wrong.

  Thank you, God, that she had managed to get on that ledge. But if Ben didn’t find Katie soon, it wouldn’t matter. She wouldn’t last long in this storm. If only he hadn’t wasted so much time arguing with Tottie — wasted time that could cost Katie her life.

  “She’s in trouble, Ben. I feel it in my bones.”

  “I can’t intrude on her and Warren’s date,” he’d argued.

  “You can and you will. Something’s wrong, Ben. Bad wrong.You go up there. Now.”

  A muscle worked tightly in his jaw. Stay cool. You can’t helpKatie unless you focus. His instinct was to go after the miscreant and deal with him man to man, though Tate wasn’t a man. He was a coward, a simpering coward who badgered helpless women. Heat built inside Ben, and he clamped his jaw tighter and made a second call to dispatch to give his location.

  Help arrived, one, then two cars. In the distance, a siren’s wail filled the stormy night.

  Deputies exited cars and approached Ben. “What have we got?” Ralph Parker studied the scene. Ralph had been with Ben twelve years, and there was none better at his job.

  “Woman over the side.” Ben pulled on a heavy down jacket and zipped it. “She’s on a ledge somewhere down there. I’m going over.”

  “Are you sure?” Ralph frowned. “Why not wait until the emergency crews get here? The firemen will have better equipment than we have.”

  “Not on your life. Katie Addison’s down there.”

  “Katie?” Both newcomers turned to focus on the steep incline.

  Pulling on gloves, Ben snapped, “Find Warren Tate; he’ll be able to give you the specifics. He’s in the area. Get the others on it. You stay here in case I need you. I’ll go after Katie.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah.” Ben turned to study the incline. “She’s more than okay.”

  Brows lifted. “How can you know?” Bill asked.

  He shot the man an impatient look. “I just talked to her on her cell phone.”

  Bill Hanks lifted his hat and scratched his head. “Of course. He just talked to her on her cell phone. Why didn’t we think of that?”

  “Ben, listen.” Ralph latched onto his arm. “You can’t go down there. Man alive, you don’t have a chance of finding her in these conditions. Wait until help arrives.”

  “I’m going down when I locate the spot she went over. You know that.” He strapped on a safety harness and tightened the straps. “It can’t be too far from Tate’s truck.”

  After a tense minute, the deputy nodded. “We’ll have your back. If you need us, call, but be careful.”

  Ben followed the tracks, losing them more than once, but eventually they led to the spot on the rim of a steep cliff where it was evident someone had shuffled. He gaped at the sharp drop-off. Bad enough in good weather, it would be almost impossible to descend now that it was snow-covered and dark. Still, he didn’t have a choice. Katie was down there somewhere. He’d talked to her. She was alive, and he had to find her and get her out of there while she still had a chance.

  Ben worked his way down the slippery incline, rope in hand. Twice he paused to dial Katie’s cell phone, but the ring switched to voice mail. Where was she? There could be a hundred and one places she could have fallen. How could he expect to find her?

  God, I don’t ask you for much, but this time I’m asking youfor a lot. Lead me to her, Lord. She might not need me, but Ineed her.

  The soles of his boots slipped and slid. He caught hold of the rope to steady his descent. Distant sirens grew closer. Help was on its way, but help would be useless if he couldn’t pinpoint her location, and if he didn’t, and soon, they’d both die of exposure.

  H
e flicked the flashlight beam over the hillsides and yelled, “Katie! Can you see the light?”

  Light? Katie stirred. Yeah, I can see the light. It’s so pretty! She reached out, drawn to the distant dancing, mellow beam filled with swirling white flakes. Could she touch it? There would be warmth inside the light, blessed warmth.

  Grandpops suddenly appeared, holding out his hand. “Come on, Katie girl! You’re going to like it up here.”

  “I’m coming.” She reached out, groping the air, yet she didn’t think that she actually reached out because her hands were too cold to move. Her senses reached out.

  “Katie! Look around you. I’m shining the light. Can you see it?”

  Katie stirred. “Ben? What are you doing here? Grandpops didn’t say anything about you.”

  She struggled to open heavy lids. Vision slowly cleared, and she saw a bobble of light on a distant hillside. Light. Pretty, pretty light in the falling snow. It looks like somethingout of painter Jesse Barnes’s portraits, warm light spilling ontopristine snow.

  “Katie! Answer me!”

  Cranky, cranky. Ben was certainly out of sorts this evening. She stirred, rising up on her forearm to focus on the beam.

  “Can you see the light?”

  “I see it!” Sheesh. She curled into a fetal position. Sleepy … so incredibly sleepy.

  Thirty-Seven

  Ben played the lightbeam over the hillside. How far down could she have fallen? She could be hidden by an overhang. Despair filled him. How could he possibly find her in time? God, help me! I have to find her. He swept the beam of light down the incline one more time and something caught his attention. A foot. A woman’s booted foot. Katie? It has tobe her. But Warren Tate was out here somewhere. Could he have fallen too?

  Moving slowly Ben eased his way down the glazed slope. He slipped, dislodging a stone that plunged over the edge. Pausing, he held his breath. “Katie? It’s me, Ben. I’m coming. Wait for me.”

  Silence. He inched his way down, one step at a time. The wind tore at him, trying to peel him off the mountain. Finally the ledge was one step away. The light picked out Katie, curled in a fetal position.

  He’d found her. Thank you, God.

  She was still, so still. He dropped and crawled onto the narrow strip of rock, knelt and searched for a pulse. His heart jumped when he found a narrow thread of life. He fumbled for his cell phone, praying he could get a signal. He couldn’t. Shifting, he held the phone over his head, searching. Finally he got one bar.

  Ben sagged with relief when Ralph answered. “I’ve got her. Look for my light. I’ll need some help getting her out of here.”

  “We’re with you, buddy. Got ropes and climbing gear, and we’re on our way.”

  Ben ended the call and crawled back to Katie, pulling her close, trying to provide life-giving warmth. “Hang on. I’ve got you.”

  As soon as she was safe, Ben was going to find Warren Tate, find out exactly what had taken place out here, and if he was responsible. Violence wouldn’t help. He was an officer of the law. He’d find Tate, turn him over to the authorities, and let justice take its course, no matter how badly he’d like to break the creep’s neck.

  Right now he had one single wish. That Tate was still alive to get what he had coming to him. One petition he didn’t ask of God.

  Heaven was hushed. Katie figured there would be more fanfare when a child of God came home, but it appeared that stiff sheets and rubber-soled shoes were more popular than angelic hoopla.

  “Katie. Open your eyes for me.”

  “I don’t want to.” For the first time in hours she felt good. Warm. No icy fingers or stiff limbs.

  Tottie’s voice barked the command. “Open your eyes, Katherine.”

  Oh, all right. She worked at it. First one heavy lid, then the other barely cracked. “What?”

  “Oh, thank God.” Was that Ruth’s voice? Was she here?

  Katie forced both eyes open. Ruth, Tottie, and Janet towered above her with anxious faces. “What?” she mumbled.

  Tottie’s worried face swam before her. “I’ll get the nurse.”

  Ben? Where’s Ben? Sweet Ben. Oh. Poor Ben. He was dead too? What happened to everybody? Tragic accident?

  Ever so slowly the room focused, and Katie’s mind started to clear. Her gaze roamed the sterile room. Hospital. She was in a hospital bed. Half-rising, she croaked, “Janet, Meg, Ruth? You shouldn’t be here.”

  Janet gently eased her back to the pillow. “You’ve had an accident, but you’re going to be fine.”

  “But you should be at the shelter …”

  “We snuck in the back way. We were careful.”

  “Did I wreck the jeep?” Katie’s hand came up to touch her head. “What day is this — Christmas Eve, isn’t it?”

  “Christmas Day,” Ruth supplied as she smoothed the sheet. “You’ve been through quite a night.”

  Tottie returned, trailed by a nurse. By the time Katie’s vitals were checked and the nurse gave her an encouraging smile, she’d heard the story of how Ben had found and rescued her from the ledge.

  “Warren?” Katie prayed that he hadn’t gotten away with his brutal rampage.

  “Sitting in the county jail.” Tottie’s sharp retort didn’t surprise Katie. “And I hope he’ll stay there. Warren Tate isn’t the man we thought him to be. I had my suspicions he was pulling the wool over our eyes, but I didn’t want to upset you with my fears.” Tottie smoothed Katie’s hair off her forehead. “This is hard to hear, but you’ll have to know sometime. Warren has been the one terrorizing you. It’s been him all along.”

  “I know, he told me, right before he knocked me off balance and I fell over the cliff.” Why would Warren want to hurt her? What had she ever done to him to make him hate her? Protecting abused women? He was sick, terribly sick; the man needed professional help.

  Tottie shook her head. “He hates women, all women, Katie. That girlfriend of his did a number on him, but the trouble started long ago. According to Ben, he moved back here to evade charges being filed against him in New York for misappropriating funds. It was only a matter of time before the authorities caught up with him.”

  “But why did he want to hurt me?”

  “Because you represented everything he hated, women in particular.”

  “He was so helpful in the beginning — moving the horses, helping with the budget. Why would he help me when he was hostile toward women?”

  Janet shrugged. “Who knows the minds of the deranged? When I first met my husband, he was a perfect gentleman. Later he turned into Godzilla.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Listen, be glad that you’ve found out before you married the man. A woman can be closed-minded when love is at stake.”

  Katie grasped Janet’s hand, reality sinking in. Warren had almost killed her. Her recent reservations had been right, and yet she had continued to encourage the relationship. Was she so desperate to marry and have children that she blindly closed her eyes when God repeatedly gave her clues to Warren’s true nature — his moodiness, his lack of human compassion for the shelter women, wanting her to close the shelter down, his controlling nature, and the way he resented her friendship with Ben? She knew the signs of an abuser. Why had she so willfully ignored them?

  Her only excuse was love, the pursuit of love and what began as a true desire to follow God’s leading. There was only one hitch. She had been obsessed with Warren, controlling ways and all. She wasn’t the only woman caught by this snare. But if she lived long enough, and God gave her the opportunities, there’d be far fewer women victimized by abusers like him.

  “Katie.” Janet spoke and Katie opened her eyes. “Don’t blame yourself. Every day women awake to the reality that they’re in an abusive relationship, but it’s easier to get into the situation than to get out of it. They don’t realize what they’ve gotten themselves into until it’s too late. I understand he was abusive to his former girlfriend too.”

  Hot tears rolled down Katie’s cheeks.
“I was obsessed with him.”

  Janet laughed, not unkindly, but with war-torn misery. “We all thought we were in love, Katie. That’s why we stuck it out for so long. It’s not easy to give up on someone you love, someone who when the battering is over is on his knees vowing to change, to do better. And since that’s what we so desperately want, we try again. And again. And again until it gets to be a habit, and we’re in too deep to find our way out.”

  Katie didn’t need glasses to see the physical scars on Janet’s face or the deeper ones stamped on her heart.

  A soft knock sounded, and Katie’s eyes switched to the doorway. Her heart double-timed. Ben, sans hat, framed the opening, holding a large latte. Her eyes locked with his and an emotionally charged current passed between them.

  “Am I disturbing you?”

  Tottie seized the moment. “Glad you’ve come, Ben — we were just on our way out. Would you mind keeping Katie company for a while?”

  Oh, Tottie. How obvious! Katie swallowed against a dry throat. “Come in, Ben.”

  The women melted from the room leaving her and the sheriff to verbally shoot it out. Katie guessed that Ben would undoubtedly gloat that Warren turned out to be a snake. Katie wasn’t sure where to start. Maybe with an apology and admitting that she was blinded by a gypsy’s wild ramblings. Then she could add to that her unwavering belief that God would send the right soul mate at the right time.

  Pride warred with repentance, but the scale tilted to repentance. God had sent the right one, years ago, only she had been too blind to notice him.

  Awaking to see what she should have seen all along was a humbling experience.

  Ben quietly set the coffee on her nightstand and took a seat next to the bed. “How’s it going?”

  Katie eyed the latte. “Is that for me, I hope?”

  “Your doctor said you could have it.”

  Closing her eyes, she inhaled the fragrant caffeine. “I could kiss you.”

  The old Ben would have jumped at the invitation. This sober Ben merely shook his head. “You and your coffee. How’s the recovery going?”

  “Fine, I think.” The fingers on her right hand were frostbitten, and she had sore ribs, various bruises, and scratches. But all in all, she’d survived the incident with no far-reaching consequences — unless you counted her heart hanging in shreds.