by Nic Saint
Frank laid his large hand on her shoulder. “We won’t give them the opportunity, Eileen. We’re going to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you didn’t commit murder or run that little girl over with Jack’s car.”
Her head jerked up at the mention of the Parsley girl. “Suzie. How is she? God, I totally forgot about her.”
“She’s fine,” Ramon was quick to assure her. “Her mother called me this morning. She’s finally regained consciousness and the doctors say she’ll make a full recovery.”
Eileen swayed for a moment, and both Ramon and Frank had to support her. “Poor girl,” she muttered. “To think that bastard ran her over just so he could get to me…”
Frank glanced over at Ramon, a question mark in his eyes. Ramon merely nodded.
“You think he did it on purpose?” Frank voiced the question.
“He did,” confirmed Eileen. “I don’t know why or how, but I’m sure that he tried to frame me for the accident. If that little girl had died…” Her voice broke off, and Ramon had to sit her down gently on a nearby bench.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Eileen,” assured Frank, whom Ramon noticed was getting more and more caught up in this case.
It was a good thing, he knew. When Frank Ruffalo really got going, there was no way to stop him from getting to the truth.
Over Eileen’s head, the big guy mouthed to Ramon, “Jack Rafter.”
The young priest knew what he meant. Frank was going hunting again, and this time Jack Rafter would be found, no matter under which rock he’d decided to crawl.
Chapter 19
“So what are you going to do next?”
“I’m going to try and find your ex-husband,” Frank announced. He gave them a wink. “If I’m not back in one hour, send in the cavalry.” And with those words, he took a swig from his beer, and left.
Eileen watched the big man exit the bar with a troubled heart. It was all well and good to make jokes about her ex, but if what they thought was true, the man was a murderer, and not to be trifled with.
They were seated in the Busy Badger, located around the corner from the courthouse. Even though Eileen had protested she really shouldn’t be seen around town, both Ramon and Frank had insisted she join them.
As Ramon explained it was time to put the past behind her and start clearing her name, not just from the framed accusations leveled against her by her ex, but from the weight of years of misperceptions and false impressions.
And to prove that not all was lost as far as her future in this town was concerned, the two men sat her in a booth near the window, where everyone who walked past would see her sitting free and unaffected by recent events.
Eileen didn’t know if this was such a good idea. She was, after all, a woman with a tainted past, and people in this town would not simply forgive and forget just because they saw her accompanied by Father Ramon.
Quite the contrary, she thought. They would probably think she’d used her wiles to seduce and bed the inexperienced priest and the gossip would only grow worse, implicating him as well.
“If you’re not careful, they’ll drive you out of town,” she warned.
But Ramon was undeterred. “If they do, they’ll have to find another priest first. And with callings at an all time low, they might be in for a nasty surprise.” He spread his arms. “I’m all they got, babe, and they better make sure I like it here, or I’m walking, and then it’s bye-bye to the church of Saint-Theresa.”
Eileen hadn’t thought of it that way. Ramon was indeed a valuable commodity.
“They’ll have to go to the next town on Sunday mornings and close Saint-Theresa’s,” he continued. “Perhaps they can turn the building into lofts. I read that’s the new big thing these days.”
Eileen shivered at the thought. She’d grown up visiting this church every Sunday ever since she could remember, and even when the whole town had turned its back on her, that still hadn’t stopped her from coming.
Her sole support throughout this difficult period had been her family and the Lord. And now the latter had sent Father Ramon to capture her heart and lift her spirits.
She regarded the young priest with radiant eyes. Part of the nervousness she’d felt was starting to dissipate. Perhaps it was the beer Ramon had her drinking, or else it was simply the wonder of his company.
“Do you think Frank will find out what really happened?”
“He will. I’ve known Frank since we were kids together, and he’s the most stubborn and pig-headed man I’ve ever met. If anyone can get to the bottom of this mess it’s him.”
She smiled, and stole a hand across the table to envelop his. She relished in the warmth of his touch, and when she gazed into his soft brown eyes, she thought she could detect the love light. It was a long time since any man had ever looked at her like this, and the sight did much to send shivers down her spine.
“Do you… want to go back to your place?” she suddenly asked.
He’d done so much for her, she felt it was time she repaid the favor by offering him her body once again. It was, after all, the only thing she had to offer.
He nodded briefly, the warmth in his eyes briefly replaced with a darkness she’d come to associate with the male lust she was so familiar with.
She bowed her head demurely, and prepared to be taken by this man, just the way men had taken her in the past. Only this time, she had feelings for him, feelings that ran so deep they were near unfathomable.
They finished their drink and then hurried along to the rectory that had become her second home, as was the bed that had been the scene of their first lovemaking.
Arriving upstairs, she wasted no time getting undressed and placed herself on the bed, offering herself up to him.
It was his just reward, she thought, for all he’d done for her.
Ramon eyed her wearily, and she was confused. Usually men lusted after her, and the moment they caught sight of her naked flesh, that lust turned to heat.
She leaned up on her elbows, wondering what was wrong. “D-don’t you want me anymore, Ramon?” she asked feebly. She stared down at her boobs and thought they were sagging a little. She was, after all, not twenty-one anymore. Closer to thirty, in fact.
When Ramon didn’t answer but merely gave her a look of sadness blended with hurt, she thought this was the end. He’d already tired of her. The first time they’d made love had been nighttime, and he hadn’t really had the chance to see her clearly and see her whole.
Now, under the harsh light of the midday sun shining through the bedroom windows, he saw her in all starkness. All the imperfections of the human body clearly on display.
“You’re disgusted by me, aren’t you?” she whispered as she clutched her arms to her naked breasts. “You think I’m ugly?”
With a sudden growl, he stepped up to her, and she yelped in surprise when he yanked her to her feet.
He’s going to throw me out, she thought. He’s going to throw me out of his house onto the street, naked.
Instead, he jerked her to him and fixed her with a livid stare.
“Who do you think I am, Eileen?”
“I-I—” she stammered, locked into his gaze like a deer in the headlights.
He shook her. “I’m not Jack Rafter or any of those other assholes who treated you like shit!” he bellowed. “Look at me, Eileen, and tell me what you see.”
She looked then, and thought she caught a glimpse of the power behind those eyes. The strength of character that was required to be the spiritual guide for an entire community. The rock on which Brookridge could build its hope—on which she could build her future.
Her eyes widening in shock, she realized this man did really envision a future for her. A future together.
He shook her again. “Tell me what you see!”
Shocked, she stammered, “I-I see… you… and me?”
Grim-faced, he grunted, “Damn right you do. You’re not a whore, Eileen, and I’m not a john, so
stop treating me like one, dammit.”
“But… I thought… you wanted…” She struggled to voice the sentiment.
“You thought I just wanted to bed you, is that it? That the only reason I decided to help you was so I could have sex? Do you really believe that?”
She looked into his eyes again, and knew instinctively here stood a man who didn’t care about all that. A man who cared about her just for the sake of her, and not for what he could use her body for. The realization both surprised and shocked her.
“You-you really want me, Ramon? I mean, the real me?”
“If you mean, do I want more than just your body, yes, I do. I want it all, Eileen. I want your heart, your soul and your body.”
He took her by the shoulders, then, and seemed to look straight into her soul. “I love you, Eileen, and not like a priest loves his flock either. I love you like a man loves a woman.”
Even though she read it in his eyes, she still found it hard to believe. Who was she to be loved by such a man? Why would he care for her when there were so many other, more deserving women around?
“I’m not the right girl for you, Ramon,” she finally whispered. “I’ll bring you nothing but trouble and heartache.”
He shook her again. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”
No matter how much it hurt, she needed to get away from him, to save him from making a grave mistake. “Ramon, you don’t know what it’s like to be me. You’ll regret this and then it will be too late. You’ll already be tainted by association.”
“I don’t care!” he bit, and suddenly threw her down onto the bed with such force she gasped.
Before she had a chance to react, he’d pounced on her and was pinning her down. But instead of fearing for her life, she merely felt exhilarated, excitement building in her belly until it was like a torrent raging inside her.
“I’m going to prove to you that I love you,” he growled, and covered her mouth with his, pinning her hands above her head.
“Oh, yes, Ramon,” she sighed, and allowed him to have his way with her. Any way he pleased.
Chapter 20
Before Eileen had the chance to come up for breath, Ramon had clamped down on her gasping lips and plundered her with an abandon that had her heart racing and her body undulating beneath his wiry frame. Ramon was perhaps not of a stocky build, but he was all muscle and not an ounce of flab. And as she writhed beneath him, he took what he wanted and still left nothing for her to be desired.
Moving to her mounds, he suckled until her nipples stood out red and raw against the pale skin of her breasts. Burying his fingers in her flesh, he tracked a trail with his tongue down her belly until he reached her bushy flavor and eased his way between her roiling thighs until he’d parted her folds with a quick stroke of his tongue. And when he licked his way inside, she bucked again, mashing her sex against his hunger until she reached the peak contraction her body had been craving for.
“Ramon,” she whispered, lacing her fingers through his raven hair, and he stirred her deepest core, sucking deeper into her, then nudging her quivering bud until the explosion released a tide deep within her belly that threatened to wipe her out. And then it did, and she lay quivering in the aftermath, only to be stirred back from the vestiges of bliss by the exquisite sensation of his masculinity pressing against the gates of her womanhood. In one swift yet tender move, he plunged deeply inside her, and when they both rocked with the sensation of bodies being united over and over again, she surrendered to him and declared her love—unrestrained and untainted by what the world thought of her.
When they both found release, it was as if the heavens opened up and she truly knew she had found the one—the one man to cherish and to love.
“Do you believe me now?” he panted as he lay within her, the fruit of his sex still buried deep within her belly. “Do you believe me when I say I love you?”
“I do,” she whispered against his lips, and when they drank each other again, it was as if she were born anew, awakening from a nightmare to walk the world a new woman, loved by the man she loved.
“Ramon. I-I love you,” she finally dared declare, overcoming her deepest fears and the wounds of her past. “I love you so much.”
“Finally,” he murmured. “Finally you see.”
“I do. You made me. You opened my eyes and made me see the beauty of your love.”
“Now carry this memory in your heart always. Until the day we stand before the world and declare our love and are declared husband and wife.”
She smiled. “You still want to marry me after all the trouble I’ve put you through?”
“Of course I do. Never doubt it for a moment.”
The ringing of his cell awoke them from the precious moment of intimacy, and when Ramon picked up and threw her a look of concern, she knew that the world had once again intruded upon their bliss.
“What is it?” she asked the moment he disconnected.
Thoughtfully, he replied, “They found your ex-husband.”
“They did? That’s great. Now we’ll finally know the truth about what’s going on.”
“I’m afraid we won’t,” he said softly, and pressed her hand to his. “Eileen, prepare yourself for a shock. Jack is dead. An apparent suicide.”
Eileen slung a hand to her face. “What? But that’s impossible.”
“Frank just called. The police were already on the scene. He was found hanging from a tree in Brookridge forest. Must have been there a while.”
Horrified, she stared at Ramon. “Suicide? But why? How?”
He frowned and shook his head. “They found a note on the body. It said he was sorry about everything.” He looked up. “It mentions you, darling. Asking for your forgiveness for all the misery he’s put you through.”
Eileen felt the tears sting behind her eyes, and before she could stop herself, her composure was dissolved in sobs as she remembered the man who’d treated her so horribly she’d been less than a human being after he was through.
Still she felt remorse for him. No one, not even Jack, deserved to die like this.
“The plot thickens,” murmured Ramon as he tapped his phone. “We better get over there, honey. Howe was already asking where you were.”
“I need to… see the body?” She jerked back at the thought of exposing herself to the horror of Jack’s suicide.
“You’re still the next of kin. You’re his wife, Eileen. You need to identify the body.”
“But his mom and dad?”
“They died last year. Car accident. Didn’t you know?”
Eileen shook her head, numbed by the realization her former in-laws were dead. Jack had been a terrible husband, and his parents had never really accepted her as their son’s wife, but she’d still felt a kinship with Jack’s mother. Other than the rest of the town, she and her husband had treated her mostly decently.
“Dead? Sylvia and Hank?”
“Freak car crash, apparently.”
She hadn’t been in touch with her ex-husband or his family since the divorce, purposely keeping her distance even though Sylvia had reached out to her a couple of times. A strange emptiness held her in its grip. Then she made up her mind. “Let’s get it over with.”
Ramon merely nodded, also sobered by this sudden twist in the story of Eileen’s past.
“What were they like?” he asked as he drove them to the woods on the other side of Brookridge.
“They were nicer to me than I’d expected, actually,” she said as her thoughts roamed through the past. “They didn’t like me for a wife to their son, but at least they respected me as a person. With time, I think Sylvia and I could have been friends, even.”
Her voice broke off, and Ramon looked over. That part of Eileen’s past was still mostly shrouded in darkness to him, and he wondered if he would ever know all there was to know about this wonderful woman. The way she had given herself to him just now had taken a lot of courage.
He didn’t blame her
for thinking he was just another guy trying to take advantage of her. With the kind of past she’d suffered, it would take a long time to build up trust and the confidence he loved her for who she was and not just considered her a tool to provoke his feelings of lust and desire.
“Look,” he said as he reached out a hand and laid it on her cheek, “if you really don’t want to do this, I’m sure there are other ways to have Jack identified. There must be friends, relatives…”
“It’s fine,” she said softly, gazing out the window. “It’s something I have to do. I see that now. It will bring… closure perhaps.”
He agreed. Saying goodbye to Jack Rafter would herald in a new chapter. A chapter in which he hoped to feature prominently.
And as they drove on, suddenly the sun broke through the thick blanket of clouds, and directed a beam of light that lit up the car’s interior, and he smiled as he directed a quick look of gratitude up at the heavens.
Chapter 21
When they arrived, the police had taken down the unfortunate Jack’s body, and when Burt Howe saw her, he had the decency to grimace and offer his condolences.
“I’m sorry you had to see this, Eileen. There really was no reason for you to come down here. We could have done this at the morgue.”
“I asked Eileen to come,” Frank interrupted. “I wanted her to take in the scene. Perhaps she will notice something that none of us would.”
Eileen frowned. Notice something? Notice what?
The clearing where Jack’s body had been found was just about the creepiest place she’d ever seen. Not only was the place covered in snow, but the few tree branches that had shaken off the thick blanket of white were black and appeared to resemble a skeleton’s eerie bones, reaching out to touch the mere mortals trudging all around the woods.