Walking Straight (The Walking Together Series Book 1)

by T. E. Killian

  There they were. He couldn’t help smiling when he looked over to the table and saw Grace sitting next to Betty Sue and they seemed to be talking like old friends. He should have known that Grace would latch onto Betty Sue. He was relieved and somewhat happy about that fact but didn’t want to think about why just then. So he decided to go with the flow.

  He only stood there for a few seconds before Grace looked up, saw him, and jumped up to walk into his arms.

  After a brief hug, she pulled back and spoke loud enough for the whole room of women to hear. “Matt, I think you’ve met Betty Sue here?”

  As Matt nodded, he made eye contact with Betty Sue and it felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Those big brown eyes were wide and staring right at him.

  Grace stepped back and looked from Betty Sue to her brother and back several times before saying, almost under her breath, “Just as I thought.”

  While Matt was trying to figure out what that statement meant, two things happened almost at once. Trish burst out laughing and the sound of his niece’s voice came from behind him.

  “Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt.”

  Matt turned around just in time to lean forward and catch his niece who hurtled herself into his arms.

  “Boy o boy Kiddo, you’re jumping higher every time I see you. Before long, I won’t even have to bend over.”

  He tweaked her nose and she giggled. “You might even be jumping over my head not long after that.”

  Brianna giggled some more and the tension caused by his sudden entrance seemed to dissolve. Man was he ever glad for that little favor.

  Before Matt could decide what to do next, his mom told Brianna to go get her grandpa to come for dinner. That was when all the women began carrying things into the dining room and Matt almost had to run into the living room to keep from being trampled.

  Then, a few minutes later, Matt found himself sitting at the long table between Brianna who was chattering up a storm on his left, and Betty Sue on his right. He looked past Betty Sue and saw his sister grinning at him. Well, he knew how the seating arrangement came about now. Was Grace really trying to put him and Betty Sue together?

  Well, whatever Grace’s motive had been, it didn’t work very well. Matt wound up spending all of his time listening to Brianna talking about her first grade class back in St. Louis and the fact that she couldn’t wait to move here so she could be around her grandparents . . . and her Uncle Matt of course.

  Despite the fact that he loved all the attention he was getting from Brianna, he was somewhat disappointed that he was barely able to say more than a few words to Betty Sue.

  Well, it didn’t look like Betty Sue was left out of anything. Not only had Grace kept her in conversation but his mother and Trish had both talked to her quite a bit too.

  Finally, Brianna turned to her grandpa who was sitting on her other side thus leaving Matt free to try to talk to Betty Sue.

  “Well, Betty Sue, I never did get around to asking you where you’re from?”

  He didn’t think there was anything wrong with asking her such a harmless seeming question, but she turned pale and looked down at her hands, which were clenched in her lap.

  She finally looked over at him. “Texas.”

  She looked at Trish who frowned at Matt. “I need to talk to you for a minute Matt.”

  With that, she jumped up from her chair and headed into the living room and he knew she expected him to follow her, so he did.

  When Trish reached the middle of the room, she whirled around and said, “Matt Livingston, I want you to make me a promise right here and now.”

  He started to laugh at her serious tone but realized just in time that she really was serious. “Okay, Trish. What is it?”

  “First, I want to remind you that you already promised me that you’d treat Betty Sue the same way you treat Grace.”

  When he nodded, she continued, “Well, I can’t be saying very much without her permission, but gosh darn it, I need you to help me protect that girl. She’s in a whole lot of trouble and we’re just going to have to help her.”

  At Matt’s questioning look, Trish hurried to add, “She’s not in trouble with the law or anything like that. Can you just leave it at that for now?” She frowned. “At least until she’s willing to tell you the rest. Okay?”

  Boy, did that ever change things. What could he say but, “Of course Trish. I’ll be glad to help you protect her.”

  Trish hugged him. “Meanwhile, I’ll try to get Betty Sue to tell you the rest of it. Okay?”

  He nodded and they went back into the dining room.

  * * *

  When Matt had asked her where she was from, Betty Sue didn’t even think but blurted out Texas. Now, she was wondering if she shouldn’t have even said that much.

  Then when Trish grabbed Matt and took him out into the living room, Betty Sue just knew she must be telling him all about her problems with Dave.

  She stewed on all of that the whole time Trish and Matt were gone. Just as she heard them coming back into the dining room, she looked around at the other people sitting at that table with her. They sure seemed like really good people. They were all being so nice to her. But was she placing them in danger just by being with them?

  That was when she realized what she had to do. And when Trish and Matt sat back down, Betty Sue looked at Trish who was avoiding her eyes. But she spoke to her anyway.

  “Did you tell him everything?”

  Trish shook her head emphatically. “No Dear, that’s your place. I just told him that you needed our help.”

  Her stomach sank and she realized that her decision of a few moments ago was right and she still needed to go through with it.

  She looked around the table again and this time, she realized that they were all staring at her without talking. Even Brianna seemed to realize that something was wrong and she too was staring quietly at Betty Sue.

  “Well, I guess I need to do some explaining as my granny used to say.”

  She paused to try to formulate exactly what she wanted to say and how.

  “All of you have been so nice to me.” She looked at Trish. “Especially you Trish. But I can’t stay in this town any longer. If I do, I’ll be placing all of you in danger just by being around me.”

  That caused them all to start talking at once. She waited a short time until they all stopped talking and looked at her. Grace seemed to speak for the whole group.

  “Betty Sue, I don’t know what you mean by danger, but if you are in trouble, we can all help.”

  Everyone looked his way as Pastor Livingston cleared his throat and said, “Yes, Betty Sue. If you need help, my very good friend Hal Wallace, you met him today at church, he’s the police chief, he’ll do all he can to keep you safe.” He paused and looked around the table. “And all of us too. So don’t you worry about us. Why don’t you tell us what your problems are and then they’ll be our problems too.”

  Betty Sue had always prided herself on not being an emotional woman like so many other women she’d known. She never cried, even when Dave had been beating on her. But all of a sudden with all the kindness and care that she saw in every eye and on every face looking at her from around the table, she just lost it.

  As she burst into tears, she could feel Grace leaning over to hug her from one side and Trish who must have jumped up from her chair was hugging Betty Sue from the other side.

  After accepting tissues coming at her from both directions, Betty Sue was finally able to compose herself. She looked up at the others who all seemed to be waiting with anticipation.

  “Okay. I’ll tell you all the details and then you can decide if you still want me around or not. Don’t worry, I’ve already picked up and moved in the middle of the night several times in the last couple of years. I can do it again.”

  No one spoke but they were all giving her encouraging looks. That alone fortified her enough to get it all out.

  “Well, you see, my granny raised me aft
er my parents both died when I was young. But she died too when I was eighteen.”

  Linda spoke up, “Oh you poor dear.”

  She had to stop to blow her nose before she could continue.

  “About a year after she died, I met this man who was quite a bit older than me. He was a lawyer with some big fancy law firm in downtown Dallas. For some reason, he seemed to lay claim to me. He bought me all kinds of expensive things and wouldn’t stop until I finally married him almost a year later.”

  As she continued with her story, instead of pity or disappointment on their faces, she saw equal parts of concern and yes, anger. That was new. Most people didn’t seem to care that much one way or the other.

  That gave her the strength to continue. So when she finished telling them everything that had happened to her in the last ten years, she said, “So that’s my life. And I know that Dave will find me here before too long. He’s already done it three other times in the last two years.”

  Henry stood then. “Betty Sue, I want you to know that I will do everything I can to help you but what I think we should all do right now is pray.”

  With that, everyone else stood and held hands around the circle. That was when she chanced a glance at Matt. He had a hard look on his face and she thought he might be about ready to run out of the room. But no, he didn’t.

  He looked over at her and suddenly his face softened and he held out his hand to her.

  After the prayer, everyone else sat back down, but Pastor Livingston didn’t. He looked at Betty Sue and said, “Betty Sue, with your permission, I would like to call Hal and get him over here so he knows what’s going on and can help us.”

  She was still in so much shock that all she could do was to nod her head. That was when she realized that Matt on her left and Grace on her right were both still holding her hands. Wow!

  While the pastor was gone, Linda stood and looked around the table. “Ladies, I think we need to clear the table before Hal gets here.”

  With that, Linda, Trish, and Grace all began picking up dishes and heading into the kitchen. Betty Sue, glad to have something to do, began helping them.

  As she was going back into the dining room for more dishes, Grace placed a hand on her arm.

  “Betty Sue. I just want you to know that no woman should ever have to go through all that you have and still are for that matter. As you probably guessed, my whole family is going to be with you from now on.”

  Tears began to flood her eyes again and Betty Sue could only lean over and hug Grace.

  How in the world did she ever stumble upon such a wonderful group of people? Silently, she thanked God for getting her off that bus the other night. For the first time in five years, Betty Sue felt like she might just have a future.

  * * *

  As much as Matt wanted to stay and be with Betty Sue now, he figured he’d better be gone before Hal Wallace got there. He knew his presence would only make things worse for Betty Sue and he for sure didn’t want to do that.

  He grabbed his coat from the closet by the front door, and was in the process of putting it on as he opened the front door. But he didn’t make it all the way through the door. Hal Wallace was coming in at the same time and they literally bumped into each other. Now Hal wasn’t even close to being as big as Matt, but the man still almost knocked him on his butt.

  Hal gave Matt a dirty look but didn’t say anything as he pushed his way past him toward Matt’s dad who was standing on the other side of the living room waiting for Hal.

  Well, Hal was already here. Matt wondered if he should just go on and leave but just then, Grace came out of the kitchen with Betty Sue and Trish both following close behind her.

  “Matt? You are going to stay and help us decide how we’re going to help Betty Sue, aren’t you?”

  Matt never could say no to his little sister especially when she used that tone of voice on him and looked up at him with those bright blue eyes the way she was now. And on top of all that, she wasn’t asking was she? He looked past her to Betty Sue and was surprised to see her giving him almost the same look.

  Well, it was official now. Against his better judgment, he hung his coat back up and followed the three women down the hall to his dad’s study where the two older men were waiting for them. Again, Hal gave him a dirty look and Matt was waiting for Hal to object to his being there, but the old cop just turned toward Matt’s dad and shook his head.

  Once they were all sitting around the room, Matt noticed that his mom was missing. Then he realized that she was probably staying out so she could keep Brianna occupied and out of there. That was good.

  Matt’s dad cleared his throat and looked at Betty Sue.

  “Betty Sue? Are you ready to tell Hal everything that you told us before?”

  She nodded and began to repeat the story about that jerk who had beat her and was now stalking her. Matt got mad all over again as he listened to Betty Sue telling her story a second time. This time she told it with dry eyes and a determination on her face that he hadn’t seen before. He was suddenly proud of her and that made him feel really good for some reason.

  When Betty Sue finished, every eye in the room was on Hal and he didn’t disappoint anyone either. He was frowning worse that Matt had ever seen him, and Matt had been the recipient of some of his worst frowns.

  After a few seconds of what looked like deep thought, Hal turned back to Betty Sue and said, “Have you seen this Dave Hamilton since you’ve come to Strawberry?”

  Betty Sue shook her head., “No. I thought I did yesterday but when the man turned around, I knew it wasn’t him.”

  “When was the last time you saw him and where?”

  She seemed to think about that for a moment then said, “It was in Springfield, and it had to be a week ago yesterday. I was able to hide from him for a couple of days before I got on the bus to Kansas City on Wednesday.”

  Hal seemed to be thinking for a moment. “That would be the seventh then.” He frowned again. “Do you have an Order of Protection against him?”

  Betty Sue shook her head. “I tried to get one in Dallas but his daddy is a powerful judge down there and no one would give me one. Since then, I haven’t really been in one place long enough to try to get one.” She looked down at her hands. “I figured it wouldn’t do any good anyway.”

  Hal snorted. “Well, it might not have done any good in any of those other places, but it most certainly will here because I will enforce it.”

  No one spoke for a long moment. It was still as if they were all waiting to see what Hal would do or say next.

  “Okay, Betty Sue, I’ll need several things from you. First, I need your lawyer’s name and info so I can verify all you’ve told me.”

  Just as Matt began to think that Hal didn’t believe her, he added, “I’ll need it for when we go to the judge for the Order of Protection.”

  Matt was still processing all that when his dad handed Betty Sue a pad and pen.

  While she was writing, Hal continued. “In the meantime, I’ll need a photo of this Dave so I can give it to all my officers and the sheriff’s department too.”

  Betty Sue was shaking her head as he spoke then she said, “I don’t have any. I don’t ever want anything of his, especially his picture.”

  She stopped and frowned. “Oh, wait a minute. If you go to his law firm’s webpage, there’s a full length picture of him on there.”

  “Good, write that down too, please . . . and give as detailed a description as you can too.”

  All through this little meeting with Hal, Betty Sue had kept giving Matt meaningful looks and he was afraid that Hal had caught them. His fear was confirmed when Hal looked directly at him.

  “Okay, Matt. How do you figure in this whole thing?” Before Matt could deny it, Hal held up a hand and said, “Don’t even try to deny it Matt. I’ve been watching the looks you two have been giving each other.”

  Before Matt could answer, Betty Sue started to talk, “I . . . I.”
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  But then Trish spoke up. “They’ve gotten to know each other at the diner and I’ve asked Matt to help me protect Betty Sue.”

  Hal stared at Trish for a long moment before turning back to Matt. “You better be careful this time Matt. I’ll be watching you close.”

  With that, Hal took the information Betty Sue had given him and left, saying he’d get the photo out to local law enforcement today and start on the rest of the things tomorrow.”

  As soon as he was gone, Trish stood and so did Betty Sue. Trish said, “I guess it’s time Betty Sue and I got out of your hair, Pastor.”

  Not knowing what else to do, Matt followed them out to the front door then stood by and watched as they pulled on their coats and started out the door. He felt he needed to say something to Betty Sue, but couldn’t, for the life of him, think of what he could possibly say that would help her in any way.

  Finally, he said, “Betty Sue?” When she looked back at him, he said, “I will do everything I can to help you and keep that skunk from hurting you ever again.”

  She just smiled at him, nodded her head, and followed Trish out the door.

  Matt was about to grab his coat and leave too when he heard a sound behind him. He turned and saw his dad standing a few feet away.

  “Matt? Could you come back to my study with me for just a minute?”

  Matt suddenly lost the good feeling that Betty Sue’s opening up to them had given him. Now he was mad. And before he could tell his dad no, his dad did something Matt couldn’t remember him doing for a long time.

  “Please? I just want to talk to you about Betty Sue.”

  Well, what could he say to that? He hung his coat back up and followed his dad down the hall.

  With the door open, his dad sat in an armchair and gestured for Matt to sit in one that faced it.

  “Okay, Matt. I know we’ve more or less been at each other’s throats for quite a few years now.”

  Before Matt could say anything, his dad continued, “No need to defend yourself. I’m not attacking you, just stating a fact.”