by Sarah Hegger
India blinked at her. “Peg is working for you?”
“Peg doesn’t work for anyone.” Kelly shook her head. “She works with me, and she’s really good at it.”
“I’m glad.” India pressed her hands to her eyes. “I’m tired. We were in Phoenix. Piers has a house there. I drove through the night, only stopping when I had to. I need to call Ben, so when Piers comes after me, we’ll be ready for him.”
*
Things moved swiftly from that point. Ben met them at Dot’s place.
“We’ll keep an eye on you,” he said. “I don’t mean to scare you, but wherever you are is our best bet of finding him.”
“I know that.” India blanched but seemed resolved. “But I’m not going to sit here and wait for him to find me. I’ve given enough of my life to him already.”
Kelly glanced at Dot. This was not the same India who had arrived broken and fragile the last time. “Do you have a plan?”
“Not so much a plan, as a list of things I need to organize.” Her hand shook as she lifted her coffee cup. She wrapped both hands around it. “Jacob and I need somewhere to stay.”
“You’re welcome here,” Dot said.
“Thank you. And it’s really kind,” India said. “But Jacob and I need somewhere more permanent. I’m going to need a job of some sort as well. But first, I need a lawyer and a good one.”
“Right.” Dot clapped her hands, startling Jacob. “I’ll activate the prayer chain.”
Those words chilled Kelly to the bone. The prayer chain had unfathomable powers. “Okay.”
Dot hit the phone lines. Two minutes later, Karen came back with the name of a divorce lawyer in Denver. Another ten minutes later, the lawyer called India and agreed to meet with her.
The phone rang again, and Dot picked it up. “Yes, Darla.” She made listening noises for a few minutes and then hung up. “That was Darla,” she said. “She has a very nice three-bedroom bungalow on Cedar available for rent. It has a reasonable back yard for Jacob. The rent is manageable, and it’s close to St. Stephens daycare.” She glanced at India.
India was looking a little overwhelmed, so Kelly answered. “Tell Darla we’ll be happy to take a look.”
“Next. A job.” Dot tapped a pencil on her notepad. “Does India have any skills I can work with?”
“Umm…she worked as an executive assistant before she got married.”
“Perfect.” Dot beamed. “Cara and Gabe are in desperate need of someone to run the admin over at the veterinary hospital.”
It was like standing in the middle of a five-lane highway as rush hour descended on you.
“Darla will show the property to you tomorrow morning.” Dot stood up. “India and Jacob can stay here until they find something. All right?”
“Um…yes.” India nodded. “That’s wonderful. Thank you.”
Dot leaned over and patted her hand. “You Ashford girls are always part of Twin Elks. You were born here and raised here and that makes you ours to look after.”
Kelly was so grateful she could cry, but India was drooping in her seat. “Why don’t you go and rest?”
“I think I will.” India stifled a yawn and stood. Her phone rang, and she checked caller display.
By her pallor, Kelly guessed it was Piers, and she stood and motioned for the phone. “I can take it.”
“Or me.” Ben held his hand out.
India shook her head. “I’ve been ignoring his calls all night. I need to do this.” She left the room as she answered the call.
Kelly toyed with the idea of following her, but Dot was right, India needed to lead the way. They could all help and support her, but India would make the decisions that needed making.
It being Twin Elks, Vince’s arrival on Dot’s doorstep wasn’t exactly a surprise. He looked at Kelly. “Is she okay?”
“She seems…stronger.” Despite her black eye. “I haven’t gotten the details yet, but she arrived a couple of hours ago and said he’d done it again.”
“Fucker.” Vince glanced at Dot and paled. “Sorry.”
“Not at all.” Dot bustled around bringing coffee and her famous coffee cake to the table. “Fucker about covers it.”
“She’s spoken to a divorce lawyer.” Kelly dared not look at Dot, or she would start laughing hysterically, and given the last forty-eight hours, it might take a straitjacket to shut her up again.
“Good.” Vince took a seat at the table. His shoulders slumped. “Thank God.”
Kelly really hoped his relief and optimism were signs of what was to come.
Ashen and shaking, India came back into the room. She saw Vince and stopped. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Vince stood and cupped her face gently. He examined her eye. “You doing okay?”
“Mostly.” Her hands shook as India pushed her hair back off her face. “I told him I wasn’t coming back. And that I wanted a divorce.”
“That must have been very hard to do.” The tender way Vince looked at her sister brought a lump to Kelly’s throat. Vince looked at India as if she was his entire world. Kelly had always dreamed of someone looking at her like that.
Someone does, whispered a tiny voice inside her. You’re just too scared to see.
India let Vince pull her into a hug. “He was furious. He threatened me.”
“It’s the way with cowards like that.” Vince held her close to him. “But you don’t have to be scared. We’ve all got you.”
“Amen,” murmured Dot. “We’re all here for you, girl.”
*
Gabe heard the news about India’s return with his face in snapping distance of a pissed off German shepherd.
“That poor little mite of a girl.” Kathy shook her head. “To think of that happening to such a gentle soul.”
The dog with the fishhook embedded in her gum was not a gentle soul, and she rumbled a deep warning for Gabe to get the hell out of her mouth. “Kathy, I’m going to have to sedate her to get this out. How did it happen again?”
“Chris’s bait box.” Kathy looked at her dog with concern. “Baby likes to get in there and eat the old bread.”
Baby had her eyes fixed on his jugular. “Right. Well, Cara and I will get that out and give you a call when you can pick her up.”
After Kathy left, he walked Baby through to the work area.
Bruce got up from his bed beside Gabe’s desk and wagged his tail.
Gabe motioned him back. Bruce was always up for playing, but with Baby in pain and scared, he didn’t think it was a good time for a meet and greet. He got Baby’s shot ready as he waited for Cara. They also really needed some help behind the scenes.
“You heard?” Cara bustled through. “About India?”
“Yeah.” He motioned at Baby. “Give me a hand?”
Cara picked up the syringe. “You hold her; I’ll give her the shot.”
“Ah, no.” Gabe took the syringe back. “You hold. I jab.”
“Chivalry really is dead.” Cara approached Baby and caught her head against her shoulder.
Moving quickly, Gabe got the shot done. “You’re okay, girl.” He rubbed Baby’s ruff. “We’ll get that out for you, and you’ll feel much better.”
Baby slumped against Cara and Gabe picked her up and put her on the nearest examination table.
“Are you going to call Kelly and see if she’s coping?” Cara hovered as he examined the hook. “Damn! That thing is jammed in good.”
“Really, Captain Obvious.” He glanced over his shoulder. “And nope.”
Cara leaned closer. “Good thing she didn’t swallow it.”
“Thank you, God.” Gabe got a pair of cutters and cut one side of the hook. He pulled the barbed end out and fresh blood flowed from the wound. “That should put her in a much better mood.”
“I’ll get a c
age ready for her.” Cara moved to the recovery room. “Wanna give her some antibiotics?”
Gabe nodded. “To be safe, we’ll keep an eye on her overnight. Take a couple of X-rays. She got into a bait box, and I want to make sure she didn’t swallow anything else.”
“Is there a reason you’re not calling Kelly?” Cara propped her shoulder against the doorjamb.
Gabe carried Baby to her cage and lowered her to the blanket. He gave her a shot of antibiotics. The rest Kathy could give orally for a couple of days. But that wound should clear up quickly. “Don’t you have patients?”
“Nope.” Cara shrugged. “I have this hot as shit new partner, and we get through double the patients in half the time.”
He gave her a mock bow. “Things with Kelly and me are—”
“Don’t say complicated.” Cara held up her hand. “Or I’ll jab you with what’s left of Baby’s shot.”
“So vicious.” He faked a shudder. He might not have worked with Cara for long, but long enough to understand she wouldn’t back off when she wanted to know something. “She’s not ready for what I want.”
“Uh-huh.” Cara nodded Yoda-like. “Which would explain why you’re wimping out and staying away from her.”
Now that was pushing it too far. “How am I wimping out? She’s got a thing about serious commitment.”
“Dude.” Cara made a face at him. “I have commitment issues; Kelly has a case of the jitters.”
Gabe returned her hard stare with one of his own. “Why don’t we discuss your commitment issues instead?”
“Nope.” Cara shook her head. “You only get to have an opinion on my love life when you sort out your own. And as mine is currently nonexistent…” She shrugged.
What the hell, he was fresh out of ideas. “What do you think I should do?”
Cara’s look was scathing. “That’s up to you to decide, but if a girl is scared, it’s because she’s scared of getting hurt. So, it seems to me, the best thing a guy can do is convince her he’s got her back, and he’s there to stay.” She shook her head. “And I don’t see keeping your distance as a good strategy to convince her of that.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kelly went straight to Dot’s house once she’d closed the store for the day. Dot had set up the appointment for them to see Darla’s house and India was keen.
Unlike the last time, India didn’t seem paralyzed by fear. She had an air of determined resolve that despite the last time, made Kelly hope that India was done with Piers.
They met Darla at the property, and she handed them the key. “Take a look around, and I’ll be back.”
Darla left, and they walked up the paved walkway through a large grassy yard, brown, but it would be a lovely green swathe in summer. Deep flowerbeds bordered the front of the house, ready for spring color.
A shaded front porch, which would look great with a few hanging pots and a couple of rocking chairs, guarded the wooden front door. The inside was charming with a lot of the original trim. A central entrance hall led to a living room on the left, which then opened up into a dining space and open-plan kitchen.
On the right, a passageway led to an office, then two bedrooms and a shared bathroom, plus a master suite. Large windows let in lots of light that made the hardwood floors gleam throughout.
There was plenty of space for India and Jacob, and a dog for Jacob. Except, India was scared of dogs, so no dog. Which was a pity, because the yard was custom made for a couple of kids and a big, playful dog.
Kelly could see it now. A fresh coat of paint would freshen everything. The kitchen appliances looked to be in good condition and the quartz countertops and light cabinets gave the kitchen a light and airy contemporary feel.
She could picture India on the other side of that island, getting Jacob a snack. A male figure entered Kelly’s picture and it wasn’t Vince, because when she really examined the picture in her head, that wasn’t India in the kitchen.
She could picture herself there. The kids, the dog in the yard, all hers. Kelly needed to sit down, so she plopped onto one of the counter stools.
“Are you okay?” India looked at her. “You look faint.”
Kelly couldn’t talk about it. “What do you think of the house?”
“It’s okay.” India wrinkled her nose. “It’s not really my thing. I much prefer something newer and more modern.”
“Like my condo?”
India smiled. “Exactly.”
It didn’t take a massive mental leap to arrive at it being her house and not India’s. Further possibilities unfurled, like perhaps Darla would be interested in selling and not renting the house. Maybe India could take over her condo.
And Kelly couldn’t believe she was even thinking that way. She had walked into the house less than ten minutes before. To put that in perspective was to remember that three days before, she’d been having a panic attack about commitment.
Since she’d entertained the idea, it wouldn’t go away.
“Kelly?” India gave her a searching stare. “What are you thinking about?”
“I’m thinking if you don’t like this house it would be perfect for me.”
India wrinkled her nose. “Really?”
“Really. And then you and Jacob could stay at the condo.”
India gave it some thought. “That sounds really workable. Of course, I’m not sure how I’m going to be financially. I could take that job at the veterinary hospital.”
“Fortunately, you’re on good terms with the current owner and we can work out a deal.” The more she spoke, the more excited Kelly grew. In her imagination, she filled the house with furniture.
She needed to stop and not get ahead of herself. Darla hadn’t even said the house was for sale. “Let’s go chat with Darla.”
“Are we doing this?” India looked half scared and half excited.
Kelly pulled her into a hug. “We’re doing this.”
Darla was waiting outside when they got there.
“Would you consider selling?” Kelly turned and looked at the house. She really did love it.
Darla frowned. “I hadn’t.” She raised her eyebrows. “I mean, I suppose I could. Pete was telling me the other day I should consider it. Apparently, we have more people looking for houses in the area.”
“Let me know.” Kelly tried to keep her excitement contained. “Either way, I’ll take it.”
“For India?” Darla glanced at India.
“Nope.” Kelly couldn’t stop her grin. “For me.”
The next day she brought Poppy around to see the house. The children came with them and immediately started chasing each other around the yard.
“It’s a great house,” Poppy said. “But isn’t it rather large for one person?”
Kelly needed to talk things through with someone. “I’ve been thinking lately that it might not always be me.”
“What?” Poppy gaped at her. “Are you and Gabe—”
“No.” She could stop Poppy’s question but not the stab of pain that followed it. “Gabe and I are not a thing anymore.”
“Why not?” Poppy wore that expression that meant she wouldn’t stop until she got answers. “Ben was saying the other day how awesome you guys are together, and now that he’s staying, I don’t see the problem.”
“Well.” She wished she understood. “It seems I have issues around getting into relationships. Specifically, around trusting other people enough to let them all the way in.”
Poppy frowned and looked thoughtful. “Did Gabe say that?”
“Amongst other things.” Things that still echoed in her mind and pounded into her bruised heart. “He says that’s the reason I’ve been so hung up on Vince all these years. Because it’s less risky to love someone who isn’t attainable.”
“Wow.” Poppy looked impressed. “I
wouldn’t have thought Gabe could put that together.”
“You think he’s right?” As much as she might not want to hear it, Poppy would give her the truth.
Poppy linked her arm through Kelly’s. “I think your parents did a number on you. You protected India from the worst of it, but they taught you it wasn’t safe to love.”
“I suppose so.” She hated talking about her parents. Nothing she’d ever done had been good enough. “But since Gabe said that, I can’t get it out of my mind.” She gave up on her brave face and let the hurt come. “I can’t get Gabe out of my mind.”
Poppy hugged her arm. “Are you going to do anything about that?”
“I’m not sure I can do anything.” She stomped on the inner voice calling her a coward. “He’s really angry with me.”
“I would guess he’s more hurt than angry,” Poppy said. “Dot says he fell hard for you.”
Kelly stared at her friend. “How much gossiping are you all doing about me and Gabe?”
“Enough.” Poppy grinned. “And in case you were wondering if we’re the only ones, we’re not. In fact, Ronnie has a pool going.”
“On whether we get together or not?”
Poppy snorted. “Nah! On how long it takes.”
*
After Poppy had taken the children home, Kelly locked up the house and went to see the bank. The news there was very positive, and she hurried around to tell India.
India and Jacob were taking advantage of the mild day and sitting in the garden on a blanket. It was a huge difference from the India of a few weeks before who had cowered inside Dot’s house.
“So, it looks like I’m getting a house.” She couldn’t contain her good news.
India grinned and got up and hugged her. “That’s awesome. Does that house come with a man?”
“You too.” Kelly rolled her eyes. “I didn’t peg you as being a big fan of marriage.”
India shook her head. “What do you mean? I’ve already placed my bet with Ronnie.”
God, that hurt more than it should.
“Kelly?” India looked at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”