by Alana Terry
He and Michael talked sparingly on the way to the restaurant, listening to the women chatter about everything from the scenery to the new books Maddison purchased from the Western Apparel Warehouse in Chicago.
Michael seemed to be on alert and it placed Zach on edge. “You seem tense,” he half-whispered to Michael.
“I’ll talk to you about it later,” Michael replied, never taking his eyes off the road.
Zach’s wariness heightened but he didn’t push. He just kept his eyes on the road in front and glanced in the side view mirror intermittently.
Lunch was full of laughs as Reina recounted some of Shauna’s more willful childhood moments and Maddison shared stories regarding the odd hobbies some of their coworkers had. Zach still wasn’t sure she made up the one about the woman who recreated landscapes out of differently shaded strands of hair. The thought made him shiver.
They were three-quarters of the way through when Zach heard his name shouted over the low hum of the restaurant. He looked up to see Mich Toll walking toward them. Zach couldn’t help breaking into a smile. Mitch was boisterous and playful, but he could be serious when the situation called for it. He was a burly man with chestnut-colored hair that ran on the long side, with a beard that looked like it was two days from getting out of hand. He had a beer pooch that was well on its way to becoming a belly. He’d been that way six years ago when Zach first met him on the ranch. Zach had helped him unload some feed because the recovery time from the surgery he’d had to repair a slipped disc was lasting too long for his liking.
Zach stood and gave Mitch a one-armed hug and made introductions. Mitch’s eyes regarded the women warmly but lit up when Zach introduced Shauna as his friend. A mischievous gleam entered his eyes and Zach nearly groaned.
“Well, have you all been here long?” Mitch addressed the table. They all answered with different lengths of time, Shauna’s being the longest. Mitch’s eyes zeroed in on hers. “Aw honey. Have you been cooped up on that ranch this whole time?” He shook his head and Shauna turned to Zach to gauge his reaction. He just gave her a baleful look. It was best not to interrupt Mitch. It would only set him off.
She batted her eyes at Mitch but didn’t reply.
He pointed to Zach and said, “Well, I know Robin there is awfully pretty, but that would upset the balance of handsomeness to ruggedness in the world.”
“Robin?” Maddison interrupted Mitch’s diatribe. “I thought your name was Zach?” she frowned at him.
“It is,” he said through clenched teeth. “Robin is my first name, but I prefer my second, which is Zachariah.”
“Why?” Maddison asked. “Robin is a nice name.”
“My sister’s name is Robin,” Mitch chimed in, and everyone at the table looked at him.
Zach gave Maddison a look that said, ‘That’s why.’
Trust Mitch to go there.
“So back to you, beautiful.” Mitch focused back on Shauna. “You don’t really want the ‘City Slicker’ over there.” He pointed at Zach. “He’s too much work. Me? I’m loads of fun.” Zach glanced around the table to see if Mitch’s over-the-top behavior was rankling anyone, but they all seemed amused.
“Sure. I have a pony and he has a washboard,” the man said, gesturing to his thickening waistline then Zach’s flat stomach. “Tell me what you’d rather do — drink your fill or do laundry?”
Maddison choked on the water she’d begun to swallow and Reina patted her gently on the back. He should’ve warned her not to try to eat or drink in Mitch’s presence; one never knew when the shoe would drop.
Shauna looked up at Mitch and flashed him her dimples. Zach instantly became possessive. “But what if I like doing laundry?”
Mitch clutched at his chest. “You wound me, honey.”
“Oh, honey.” She mimicked his accent. “I think it would take a great deal more to wound you, strong man that you are.” She winked at him.
She turned to look into Zach’s eyes. “I think I’ll stick with Robin.” She said his name like a song, and he knew right then that there was very little he wouldn’t do to hear her say it again and again.
“Keep this one. She’s got style.” Mitch winked back at Shauna and patted Zach on the shoulder. “See you next week if you’re around.”
Zach raised a hand in an abbreviated wave goodbye.
“Everyone, continue to enjoy your stay.” He met eyes with everyone at the table and moved on.
“Well, he was different,” said Shauna’s mother with a look of incredulity.
“I liked him. He was fun.” Maddison said with a giggle.
“You would,” Michael said, straight-faced but without menace. Obviously familiar with his quips, Maddison just shrugged.
After lunch, the women wanted to do some shopping around town, so Zach became the baggage holder and Michael received reinforcements by way of an extra set of eyes and legs courtesy of Bluegrass Security.
Michael waited for the women to enter a store he thought they’d spend more than ten minutes in. He moved away from the doorway, taking Zach and the security guard aside.
“I thought your father’s security firm confirmed that his son was the one stalking Shauna. What’s going on?”
“I’m good at what I do because I listen to my gut and I stop when the back of my neck lights up like sparklers — and it has been going off since Maddison arrived.”
“Do you think Maddison has something to do with the threat to Shauna?” Zach had to tamp down on the impulse to run in the store after Shauna and extricate her from her friend.
Michael shook his head. “No, but I also don’t think Dr. Nathan’s son was the threat we’ve been protecting her against. He admitted to following her around the store near her home and trespassing onto her job’s property, but when he was asked about the day she almost got hit by the car, he denied being out that day.” Zach was getting nervous.
“I could be wrong. He could be lying because he thinks he’d be in more trouble from that day than any other, but I don’t think so.”
“What do you need?”
“I just needed you to be aware. I don’t think we can afford to let our guard down just yet.” Michael took a deep breath. “I was going to return tomorrow, but I’m going to stay on a couple more days even though my replacement, Gerald Hunt, will be here in the morning.”
Zach nodded in understanding and appreciation for the man’s diligence toward Shauna’s safety.
“I would ask Shauna to go to church with me tomorrow, but I don’t know if it’s prudent for her to leave the ranch more than she needs to.” He looked at Michael.
“I don’t see why not. If Maddison and Kimmy are there as well, there could be safety in numbers. When we get back to the ranch, I will go over to your church and check the perimeter. Tomorrow before service, I will walk through the interior before coming back to get the three of you.”
“Thanks, Michael. I’ll follow your instruction to the letter.”
“Oh, I know,” Michael said with a smile. “I wouldn’t say ‘Yes’ otherwise.”
IT WAS ANOTHER TWO hours before Zach found some alone time with Shauna. Maddison and Reina decided to take naps in Shauna’s cabin, so Zach invited her to sit out on his porch for a while.
“How are you doing?” he said, watching her while holding out his hand for her to take from across the small table.
“Good.” She drew out the word and he got the sense that she wasn’t actually ‘good.’
He shook her hand slightly. “Come on, what is it?”
She looked at him, her features somber. “I don’t feel... safe.” She looked at him earnestly. “Shouldn’t I, though? I mean the security firm just caught the guy but...” She pursed her lips and shifted them to the left. “When they told me his story, it felt different, too benign somehow.” She shook her head, looking away in embarrassment.
“Michael is staying on for a couple more days. Hopefully, that’ll help to assuage some of your fears.”
“Yes, th
at does make me feel a little better.”
She squeezed his hand.
“I was wondering since tomorrow is Sunday, if you’d like to go to church with me. It starts at ten a.m., which is relatively late considering the first Catholic Church you come to from here to Lexington has its first mass at eight a.m.” He smiled down at her sheepishly.
“Are you asking me out?” she asked, smiling. “To church?”
“Do you normally go when you’re home?” he asked with something akin to hopefulness in his voice, and she noticed, avoiding her question.
“No. Not really,” she said, feeling embarrassed, but she didn’t know why.
“The pastor’s really good and most of the people from the two towns attend either the ten or twelve o’clock service. Kimmy usually goes to the ten a.m. service, if you’d feel better if she sat with us.”
When she just looked at him, he went on nervously.
“I just thought it would be nice to spend some time with you, and I figured since it was church and we’d be surrounded by a lot of people, you’d feel safe.” He looked a little pained, like the sentence didn’t come out the way he meant it. She was once again moved by his thoughtfulness. “Can Maddison come?”
“She’s definitely invited. So is your mother if she wishes to come.”
“I think Maddison may come, but my mom hasn’t stepped foot in a church for years, that I know of.”
“That’s too bad,” Zach said sincerely. “What about your dad?” he asked quietly.
“I think he finally got the message. Mom said he went over to Lexington for some medical convention.” She looked out over the rail. “Did you ask Michael?”
Sensing her need for a change of subject, he let the subject of her father go. “Yep.”
“Okay then. I’ll go to church with you tomorrow.” She smiled at him and the chill in the air disappeared.
They sat in amiable quietness for a while before Shauna spoke again.
“May I call you Robin if I do it in private? You can call me Oscar if you do it with that purr in your voice.”
“Who’s Oscar?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
She laughed and he joined in with her.
Chapter 24
HE WAS ALMOST GIDDY, if one could possibly be, about having the chance to step on an ant.
He’d followed the woman for two days before it paid off and she headed out of town. He always stayed a few car lengths behind, which he could afford to do since he’d placed a phone in her car that he could track with an app on his own phone. It was archaic, but it would do in a pinch. He knew he was taking a chance that she’d find it in her trunk, but it was a burner, so it would take a while to find out it was his. By that time, he’d be long gone and so would Shauna.
He drove behind the woman for five and a half hours, stopping only once while she went into a fast-food place. When at last she pulled off the main highway, he let the distance between them lengthen and relied more on the app. He slowed but kept going passed the turnoff she took. This was horse country. Shauna wouldn’t be too far away from any equine, especially if she was on vacation for a month, as one of her coworkers spilled during the lunch he’d taken her to.
He rode for a couple miles and exited onto an even more remote road. He compared the app with his phone’s map and got the name of the ranch. Murphy Equine Therapy Center. How quaint. She was away getting therapy and he knew what for. He did laugh this time. It was good to know that some of his methods had lasting effects.
He looked up hotels in Lexington, KY. The city was just over twenty miles away and would allow him to disappear. He remembered there being a conference in and around the area. Wouldn’t that be the perfect cover if it was this coming week?
He made a couple of calls and it seemed the Universe had finally started aligning itself to fit him. How could this not be meant to be? He might have to act a little quicker since the conference wrapped up in a few days, but he hadn’t come this far and worked this hard and long for nothing. He wouldn’t let this opportunity pass.
Dr. Atherton Nathan had set his family on the road to destruction by firing his father, who couldn’t bear the humiliation of not being able to provide for his loved ones. His mother, the middle daughter of an elite family, wasn’t emotionally equipped to handle the strains of being a single parent or the mortification of being ostracized by friends and family alike.
A few months went by during which his younger self thought they’d survive the devastating blow of losing one-third of their family, but right after Spring Break that year, she went on an extended holiday and never came back. She’d driven her car off a bridge in a small town west of Chicago. It was a few days before he was notified, and with that notification came Child Protective Services. Just like that, his life was upended again. Only this time, he had no familiar surroundings in which to find any comfort. He was told his extended family couldn’t step in, and at fifteen, he was placed into the foster care system.
He’d sworn to himself that he’d find out who fired his father and make them pay by taking their family apart piece by piece. The person needed to feel how he felt. They needed to know the pain of loss, the hopelessness, and anger they’d caused him.
He planned, schemed, and prepared for the day he’d find them. He made some calls and did some research at the library that brought up one name over and over again: Dr. Atherton Nathan — and he did have a family. On his eighteenth birthday, he left his foster home and never looked back.
Despite his plans, he couldn’t seem to get close to the man or his loved ones. It seemed someone else was less than pleased with the doctor, and he and his family had better security than the First Family. He bided his time and enrolled at Northwestern University with the trust that been set aside for his college education. He’d received a partial scholarship; going from his particular private school to public school gave him an advantage. He didn’t have to work too hard and he could concentrate on fueling his hate.
He was in his junior year at Northwestern University in Chicago when he saw her at a football after-party. He would’ve recognized her no matter the situation. He’d memorized everyone’s face in that family and she was there at his college, ripe for the picking.
He came out of his reverie when the woman at the registration table called for him to come forward.
“Name?” the woman asked with a tired smile.
He returned hers with one he knew would charm her, handed her his identification and gave his name.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she took his card and matched it to his name on her sheet. He watched as her fingers passed a name he’d hoped to see. His eyes moved across the page. Bingo. He couldn’t have planned this better himself. It was definitely meant to be.
“Yes, I have you here.” The woman’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Thank you for calling in first. It really helps the lines move quicker.”
“You’re welcome.” He dialed up the charisma setting to ‘stun.’ “Do you know if I could be placed on the list for a notetaker for tomorrow afternoon’s lecture on the latest trends in stem cell research? I know that list is usually reserved for those who make their reservations well in advance, but I wanted to go to church tomorrow and the one I’m visiting has late services.”
She blinked a couple of times, seeming dazzled by his smile. Maybe he should dial it back a little.
“Yes, that should be fine. The list still has a few empty spaces for that particular lecture.” She stopped and looked at him quizzically.
“Lauden, Lauden,” she murmured to herself. Then her eyes brightened, and he knew if she were a cartoon character, he would’ve seen a light bulb illuminate over her head.
“I never knew Lauden could be such a common name? You are the second one of the day.”
He worked to keep the smile on his face. “Yes. I share careers in the medical field with a few distant cousins.” He could feel the heat rising from the anger that always
simmered close to the surface of his psyche.
“Wonderful, maybe you and the other Dr. Lauden will run into each other.” The woman went on, unaware of the change in his demeanor.
“Maybe.” He held up the badge she’d given him in a mock salute and quickly moved on with the rest of his paperwork and the small bag of advertisement-rich office supplies.
He’d have to stay out of sight from that pompous, narcissistic, over-processed, mama’s boy, but he could arrange for a small reunion with a certain visitor at the Murphy Equestrian Therapy Ranch.
He pressed the button for the upward-bound elevator. His cousin’s presence in Chandler County couldn’t have been more well-timed. Two birds with one stone. He wondered if the other Lauden’s illustrious medical career could survive murder charges. He shrugged as he watched the overhead numbers light up. Probably not.
He didn’t see the middle-aged gentleman staring at him from the ground floor in a curious manner.
Chapter 25
THE STAINED-GLASS WINDOW of the First Baptist Church of Chandlerville was awe inspiring. She was glad it wasn’t on the ceiling because she would’ve had a crook in her neck.
Shauna tried to concentrate on what the pastor was saying, but the colored-glass tiles kept pulling her attention away. There were no faces being portrayed in the picture. The windows depicted a sunrise with golds, reds, oranges, and yellows that grew brighter as the hour went on. She wondered if this was one of the reasons why the service was so late in the morning.
Emerging from the sunrise were a pair of hands, palms up, seeming to offer something and beckon to her at the same time. She wondered at the type of talent it took to imagine and create a piece of art that conveyed so much.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Zach’s whisper took her away from her examination of the window. She smiled, a little embarrassed at being caught not paying attention to the sermon. “Yes. It’s mesmerizing.”
“I felt the same way when I first saw it.” He returned his attention back to the pastor, so she followed suit.