“She would be proud of you,” Luke said with conviction. “You’re doing what she always told us to do—walking with Jesus.”
The thought Grandma would be proud of her brought tears to Holly’s eyes, but she fought them back. The Spring Fling was not the place to sit and cry. “Thank you for saying that, Luke.”
They finally arrived at the end of the field, where the students set up what they designated tiny-tot amusements. Holly headed for a chair conveniently placed between the duck pond and winner’s wheel game. From there, she would be able to see the entire area.
“See?” she asked once she sat down. “I can sit here and supervise this whole section. And I’m in plain sight, as long as you don’t go behind any of the other amusements.”
Luke stood beside her chair for a few minutes, looking down the football field at the rest of the carnival. Finally, he stepped around in front of her.
“Okay. I should have a fairly clear line of vision to you from almost everywhere. When you get ready to walk again, just stand up and wait until I come get you. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Holly smiled at him before he turned and headed away from her. He strolled, stopping to speak with the students running various games.
“I wanna ducky, Mommy! I wanna ducky!”
Holly was distracted by a chubby little boy pulling his mom to the small, water-filled swimming pool with plastic ducks bobbing around in it. When the player chose a duck, he won the prize that corresponded with the number written on its bottom.
The harried mother handed Joey Snowdon a ticket and followed the little boy to the pool. He was already bent over, naturally trying to reach the farthest duck. Joey saw what was going on, so he leaned down and stirred the water, causing the duck the little boy was after to float closer to him.
The toddler finally picked up the duck he’d set his sights on. When Joey took it to see which prize he won, the little boy burst into tears.
“I wanna ducky!” He looked at his mom as though his broken heart would never mend. “He taked my ducky! I wanna ducky!”
Joey gave Holly a helpless look. She stood and walked over to the trio.
“Look, honey.” She turned the duck over to see the number eight. “Joey is going to give you a number eight prize. See?”
Joey quickly went to the tubs and retrieved a bright sparkling pinwheel.
The little boy was having none of that.
“I wanna ducky!”
Holly looked at the pool, where at least three dozen ducks remained. “Let him have the duck, Joey.”
It wasn’t like the child was unreasonable. In his eyes, he won a duck, and they were trying to take his prize away from him.
“Thank you.” His mother looked relieved. “He would never have understood. I’d have to take him home.”
“Little kids are weird,” Joey proclaimed as soon as they left.
Holly patted his shoulder. “They just think differently than we do. You used to be that age, too, you know. I imagine if you were to ask your parents, they would have some stories to share.”
Joey looked skeptical. “I don’t think I’d have ever wanted a wet plastic duck instead of a neat pinwheel.”
“You’d be surprised.” Holly smiled as the memory of one of many shared holidays came to her. “A good friend of mine used to sit and play with the Christmas paper more than he did the presents he unwrapped.”
Anita claimed she even had to fish Luke out of an extra-large plastic bag of discarded Christmas paper once. Thankfully, he was making enough noise there had been no danger of him being left to suffocate.
Holly left Joey to take care of the next customers and returned to her chair. The duck loving child was now spinning the winner’s wheel. He was happy when Sylvia Tanner handed him a small, plastic slinky. Holly chuckled when she saw him try to push the slinky onto the duck’s head like a crown.
She sat, relaxed, watching the toddlers play the various games. The students did a good job setting things up for them, and arranging an area specifically for the younger children was a smart idea.
While she watched, her thoughts returned to Luke. Why had she felt jealous when Diana asked about him, and even more so when Luke appeared to enjoy the attention? He had declared his love for Holly. She knew he would have never made the statement lightly. He meant what he said.
At least for now. She couldn’t delude herself. If she put him off too long, she wouldn’t have a choice whether or not to become more than friends. He wanted to be married with a family. He deserved to be married and have a family. And if she couldn’t commit to him, she would have to give him up. She couldn’t have it both ways.
The whole thing still came back to her uncertainty as to exactly what her feelings were. She felt closer to Luke than any other human being. But, how much of those feelings were brought on by the stability he offered in her otherwise off-kilter world? No. She could not commit to a romantic relationship with him until she knew it was sincerely love she felt. But, maybe...maybe Holly should show him even though she couldn’t know with certainty she was in love with him, she wanted to be. He was the only man in her life, and she would give him no reason to doubt her dedication. She already felt better.
Lord, I’m asking again, please help me through this situation. Please help Mitch and the other officers catch Jack Wallace. Then, I pray the stalking will stop for good. Please do this so I can go on in my life. You know what’s best, and I’ll try to accept it, but you know what’s in my heart better than even I do. Thank you for keeping me safe. And thank you for the past few days with no communication from the stalker. You are a magnificent God. Amen.
Holly brought her focus back to the children around her. Time passed quickly until she realized she was going to have to visit the ladies’ room. Remembering her agreement with Luke, she stood and began to look for him. There was no sight of him anywhere, however.
Standing hadn’t helped her situation any, and if she didn’t take care of business soon, she was going to embarrass herself.
“Joey?” She waited until the teenager looked at her. “Please tell Mr. Walker I’ve gone to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
The boy blushed at the concept of his guidance counselor requiring the use of a bathroom. It always amazed Holly when she realized kids of all ages had set ideas about the adults in their lives.
Right now, she was in a hurry. There were portable toilets placed both ends of the field, or she could go through the gates, to the concessions' building and use the restrooms there. While she didn’t want to leave the field, a line of at least five children was at the facilities near her, and she wasn’t sure if trying to make it the length of the carnival was a good idea. Her decision made; she headed for the gate.
She met several people heading in to enjoy the Spring Fling but didn’t see anybody else headed toward the building she was going to. A drumbeat began in her heart. Going to the concessions' building wasn’t a good idea. She was alone and putting herself in danger. What was she thinking?
Holly immediately turned and headed back toward the gate, determined to make it to the portable toilets where she would be surrounded by people.
She breathed a sigh of relief after she entered the gate and turned to her right. Suddenly, her hair was yanked hard enough to pull her around. The breath left her body when she saw a giant of a man with anger unlike Holly had ever seen pulsing from him. He grabbed her by her upper arms before she could move. Though she struggled with all her strength, he effortlessly pulled her off the path.
“You ruined everything.” Her feet left the ground as he shook her like a rag doll. “My life was fine until you came along. You ruined everything.”
“Let me go.” His grip was so painful, it was all she could do to speak without screaming.
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he began to drag her farther behind the amusements, toward the fence.
“I said, let me go!” She pushed against his chest as hard as she could, but all it s
erved to do was earn her a second round of shaking. Her head felt like it was going to bounce off this time.
“Help! Help me!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Help!”
“Shut your mouth before I shut it for you.” He yanked her to him and put his face right in front of hers. “Guess your giant hero man can’t be everywhere you are, can he?”
His mouth was so close to hers, she tasted his breath. She jerked her head back. “No!”
He sneered. “Don’t you worry about me kissing on you, lady. It’s not my lips that are gonna land on your face.”
What was she going to do? They were between the amusements and fence, and the crowd was making too much noise for her screams to be heard. “Just let me go.” She tried to keep the tremors out of her voice.
He had evidently drag-carried her far enough away from the gate to suit himself. He released her arms so abruptly she nearly crumpled. Before she could take even one step, he had her by one arm.
“This is gonna feel good.” She watched in horror, frozen, as he drew back his arm. Then, she closed her eyes, braced to feel the impact of his fist. Help me, Lord.
“Let her go!” A familiar voice sounded just before somebody rushed past, and Jack Wallace was jerked away from her. She stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to regain her footing.
“Billy!” Billy Andrews had tackled Jack Wallace with enough force, the giant lost his balance and went to the ground. As though he were glued on, Billy followed, hitting and kicking with all his might.
“You hurt Miss Morris!” He screamed at Jack.
A group of five or six boys appeared, Ronnie Chambers among them. “That’s the guy who hurt Miss Morris?” Ronnie seemed as angry as Billy.
Holly heard her name while the boys, as a whole, swarmed over the prone man. It looked as if a quarterback had just been tackled, and now lay buried under a mound of players.
Then she heard a woman’s voice. “Call the police! Somebody, call the police!”
The world began to spin, and all light disappeared.
Chapter 24
After fixing the rickety dartboard game again, Luke looked down the field, expecting to see Holly, only to see an empty chair. She must have gotten up to help one of the students. He took a deep breath and searched the area around the chair. No Holly.
He was on the verge of panicking when a couple of boys ran past him.
“Andrews took him down! The guy was hurting Miss Morris, and Andrews took him down.”
The teenager’s words sank in, and Luke spun to follow the boys. He heard a siren and saw the flashing lights of a squad car, just as he reached a mob of people.
“Let me through.” This was not the time for good manners. He shoved his way past people until he saw Holly. She was lying on the ground, pale and lifeless. A few yards away, a mass of teenage boys was piled on top of something. Luke didn’t care. He had to make sure Holly was okay.
He didn’t notice the woman knelt beside her until he dropped to his knees.
“Your girlfriend’s okay.” She spoke reassuringly. “I’m a nurse. She was probably terrified and passed out. Her heartbeat is strong and steady, and her respiration is fine. An ambulance is on the way, but she’s all right.”
“Okay! What’s going on?” Mitch and a couple of state police officers had forced their way through the crowd from the opposite direction. “What are you boys doing? You need to get up.”
One of the boys on top lifted his head. “If we get up, the guy who hurt Miss Morris will get away.”
“The guy who hurt...” Mitch’s mouth dropped open. “You mean to tell me you boys have got Jack Wallace under there?”
“I don’t know his name, but he’s the guy who hurt her.” The boy answered him.
Astonishment still on his face, the sheriff looked at his fellow officers, who were equally stunned. One of the state police officers pulled sturdy looking hand cuffs off his belt . The other officer stood beside Mitch.
He spoke to the teenagers again. “We’ll handle it from here, boys. You can get up now.”
It didn’t look like the young men were going to respond for a minute, but finally, one by one, they unsnarled themselves and stood up. Soon, only one boy remained on top of the prone man.
Mitch leaned down close to the teenager. “Billy, it’s Sheriff Landon. We’re here now. He won’t get away. You can get up.”
The boy who Luke now knew had to be Billy Andrews—the boy Jack Wallace abused—looked up at Mitch. His voice shook when he spoke.
“You have to keep him in jail this time, Sheriff. He was gonna hurt Miss Morris again. Bad.”
Mitch smiled grimly. “Don’t worry, Billy. It’s going to be a long time before he gets out of jail. Now, please get up so we can put these cuffs on him.”
Luke held on to Holly’s hand as he watched the disheveled teenager unsteadily stand up. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he was sure of one thing. Somehow, that boy rescued Holly. Luke wouldn’t forget it.
“Luke?” Holly’s weak voice came from in front of him.
Relief flooded him as he looked into her open eyes. “You’re going to have to stop this. I’m going to have gray hair before I hit thirty.”
“Is Billy okay?” She tried to turn her head in that direction.
“He’s more than okay,” Luke assured her. “He’s a hero in my book. Jack Wallace is still unconscious. They’re going to have to put him in the ambulance they called for you.”
“Billy got him?” Her voice sounded weak.
Luke nodded. “He sure did. He and some other boys.”
“Does she need medical attention?” Having left the cuffed, still unconscious man under the watchful eye of the state officers, Mitch knelt beside the nurse.
The nurse spoke to Holly. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
“My arms hurt.” Holly moved them slightly and grimaced. “But I’m okay.”
“You’re still recovering from the car wreck, Holly,” Luke reminded her.
“I didn’t know that.” Blue eyes looked accusingly at Luke. “Her vitals are all good, and she seems to be recovering fine. But if she’s just had an accident, I highly recommend she be examined in an emergency room.”
“Okay.” He watched the kind lady walk away before turning back to Holly.
“Can I lie here a few more minutes?” Holly winced. “And, can you drive me? I don’t want an ambulance ride.”
“Sure.” When Luke saw her arm twitch, he silently lifted the sleeve of Holly’s shirt. There were bright red, vivid marks left by the fingers of the man lying on the ground a few yards away. Pure, unadulterated rage poured through him. He started to stand, intent on making Jack Wallace sorry he ever laid a finger on Holly. That sorry excuse for a man would know— Holly’s hand on his arm drew his attention back to her. It was in her eyes. She knew what he was going to do. A soft smile and slight shake of her head brought him back down to his knees.
He exhaled and relaxed. Thank You, God, for Holly’s calming influence.
“Is Miss Morris okay?” Luke looked up to see Billy standing there.
Luke squeezed Holly’s hand before he rose to his feet. “She’s fine.” He extended his hand. “I’d like to shake the hand of the young man who rescued her.”
Billy’s dirty face turned red, but he stood tall and shook Luke’s hand.
“Will you introduce me to the fellows who helped you?” Luke looked at the motley group of boys and recognized Ronnie and Adam among them. “I only know a couple of them.”
Billy introduced each boy to Luke, who solemnly shook their hands.
“He’s our youth group leader,” Ronnie proudly announced. “You guys oughtta come next time. He’s cool. He took us fishing already, and we’re going bowling in a few weeks.”
Luke looked down at Holly, who smiled as best she could. Maybe he wasn’t so bad with kids after all.
Mitch stood and turned around as Jack Wallace began to stir. The ambulance arrived and bac
ked up as close as they could get to the scene.
Luke knelt beside Holly again and watched as an EMT examined a now awake, cursing man, and then pronounced him in good enough health to be taken to jail. He had just gotten the wind knocked out of him and lost consciousness. His bruises and scrapes were superficial.
“Looks like it’s going to be an empty ambulance,” Luke observed. He stood, and then leaned down to scoop Holly into his arms.
“I’ll be able to walk in a few minutes,” she protested.
“I’m able to carry you right now.” He turned around and looked until he saw the other female chaperone. Donna, he thought her name was. “I’m sorry, but we can’t finish our duty. Is there somebody we need to call?”
She shook her head. “Ronnie Chambers’ parents agreed to complete the day. Just make sure Holly is okay.”
“I will.” He turned to walk to the gate, Holly cradled gently against his chest.
Mitch stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “This has got to be one for the record books. Trained police officers have spent days and nights looking for this man, and half a dozen fourteen-year-old boys took him down and caught him for us.”
Luke thought of the boost this would be to those boys’ self-esteem, and how Ronnie was already responding more positively to Luke’s role in his life. “God always has his hand in it, and he’s a lot better at the job than we are.”
“Amen.” Mitch agreed.
Luke clutched Holly a little tighter. “Can you come to her parents’ house to get her statement? I think she needs to stay home and rest.”
Mitch nodded. “I’ll be out as soon as we get our new guest behind bars. The district attorney has added attempted murder to his charges because of what he did in her car. Now he’ll undoubtedly talk about assault and attempted kidnapping as well. I think Jack Wallace is looking at some hard time.”
“I just hope he gets some help in the process.” Holly’s voice was stronger. “And I hope he was the one responsible for everything—so it will stop.”
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