Hiding Behind Love

by Karly Morgan

  “Are the two of ya gonna do anythin’ special tonight?” Bonnie asked while we sat in the waiting room at her doctor’s office. “It’s the one-month anniversary of y’all gettin’ hitched after all.”

  “One month isn’t such a big deal,” I told her, shrugging off the uneasy feeling snaking its way down my spine at the realization it had been a month since I’d ignored my father and it had been entirely too quiet. He never let anything slide and refused to lose.

  “The two of ya should go out and do somethin’. Even if y’all just go for a horseback ride and have a picnic. I could pack one for y’all if ya want,” she suggested, unrelenting. It was one of the things I both admired about her as well as dreaded.

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll talk to Kolt when we get back, and I can pack something up if he wants to do that. You need to get some rest.” The steely look in her eyes told me she wasn’t having a word of it.

  “Look here, missy. If I wanna do somethin’ for my son and daughter-in-law on a special day in their lives, you’re not gonna do anythin’ but accept it and say ‘thank you’. Stop tryin’ ta baby me. I ain’t dyin’ anytime soon.” Her voice had dropped several octaves and had turned an icy sort of firm that almost had me shivering in my shoes. The look she was giving me as she leaned toward me made her even scarier. “And don’t go sayin’ that a one-month anniversary ain’t special, ‘cause it is. Especially for the two of ya and how things went down. I’m proud of how well y’all are makin’ this whole thing work.”

  “Okay, okay,” I conceded, hands in the air. I was learning to pick my battles with Bonnie, and this one wasn’t worth fighting. Not when she’d gone and made me all teary eyed by telling me she was proud of us. “I promise I’ll talk to Kolt when we get home to see if he wants to do anything and let you know.”

  “That’s better,” Bonnie said with a smile, leaning back in her chair just as the nurse called her name. I helped her to her feet and was prepared to follow her back when she waved me toward the seat that had been hurting my butt for the last forty-five minutes while we waited. “I’ll be fine.”

  I’d only brought her to one appointment before this, Kolton being the worry-wart he was and demanding to be the one to bring her each time, but the last time she let me go back with her. I wondered why she suddenly didn’t want me to but kept my lips glued shut, knowing that questioning her would only aggravate her, which wasn’t at all good for her heart.

  “Shouldn’t be too long. Relax,” she assured me and stepped through the door, past the nurse, and into the back offices where the exam rooms were located.

  Unsure as to what to do with myself, I sat awkwardly back in the chair and grabbed a random magazine from the top of the pile in front of me. My jaw dropped when I saw a picture of my father on the front cover of some financial magazine I’d never heard of before—not that I followed any of them, but there’d been a few my father followed religiously.

  Mixed emotions flooded through me as I gazed at his handsome portrait staring back at me. I desperately wished he would’ve been the loving, supportive dad I’d longed for so much growing up. The type of dad who gave piggyback rides and took me to the park and to get ice cream on the weekends instead of the cold, calculating bastard he truly was.

  My heart ached with how much I loved and missed him, but I knew he’d never be the man I needed him to be. He’d proven that time and time again. Trying to force me into marriage with Carver had only opened my eyes to that fact, and after trying repeatedly to change his mind, I escaped.

  On the flip side of the coin, I hated him for being unable to love me like a father should love their child and being so overly demanding and unrelenting in forcing me to bend to his will. He’d never shown me even an ounce of love or respect and had no clue who I was as a person other than the woman he’d done his best to shape me into. Luckily, I’d managed to maintain my own sense of self beyond the Stepford wife he’d set out to make me.

  Internally, I warred with myself over whether the torture of reading the article would benefit me or do more damage to the wounded child trapped inside my heart. I went back and forth multiple times, setting the magazine back in the pile before yanking it back up and flipping it open in my lap before closing it again and returning it to the stack.

  After the fourth time of picking it up, I stiffened my resolve and flipped to the page his article began on. I figured it could only help us to know what he was up to if I read it. Never in a million years had I dreamed he’d stoop so low as my eyes skimmed the words on the pages I held in my hands.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, drawing the attention of someone else a few seats down.

  “Pardon me?” the older man asked, his brow crinkled in confusion as he looked inquiringly at me.

  “Sorry. I was talking to myself. Bad habit,” I told him with a small smile.

  “I do that too. Don’t worry ‘bout it,” he said warmly before returning to the book he was holding.

  I was grateful he didn’t try to pull me into a conversation, because my mind was spinning out of control with what I’d just read. I was so shocked that I went back and read it once again.

  Unable to control the anger raging inside me, I closed the magazine and slammed it down before charging out of the office like the hounds of hell were on my heels. I needed to be alone to vent the betrayal flooding through me, and that meant going out to Caleb’s pickup parked in the lot and praying no one else was out there to hear or see me.

  Once locked inside, everything came spewing out.

  “You hateful, arrogant bastard! How dare you? I’m your daughter for crying out loud,” I screamed into the small space, feeling claustrophobic but unable to do anything about it. Tears streaked down my face as his words from the article pierced my heart.

  “And what about your beautiful daughter? What’s she up to these days?” the interviewer had asked.

  “I’m proud to say she’s busily planning her wedding to one of my colleagues, Carver Evans, as we speak. She’s eager to atone for the mistakes she’s made in the past and put things right with her family once again,” he’d replied, a proud smile on his face.

  “Past mistakes?” the interviewer asked.

  “Being young, she developed a crush on some boy, ran off and married him without thinking things through. Lucky for her, I’m an expert when it comes to correcting those types of mistakes, and I’ve got the situation well under control so she can move forward in the direction her life was meant to go,” Mr. Waters said, waving his hand in the air as if it were no big deal.

  “Well, isn’t she a lucky girl?” the interviewer had replied.

  “That poor boy’s mama though…I feel bad that Carissa put her through all this. You see, Mrs. Reed has a severe heart condition and worrying about her son racing off to the altar with a girl he barely knew has caused her great stress. I just hope we can rectify this situation before it does irreparable damage to the sweet woman,” Mr. Waters stated sympathetically, his remorse written all over his face. “I just can’t believe my daughter would do such a reckless thing. She’d always been so responsible before this.”

  “Kids today,” the interviewer commented with a shake of his head.

  “I’ll help Mrs. Reed get past this however I can. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for her continued efforts in talking sense into my daughter and her soon-to-be ex-husband. Carissa just wouldn’t listen to a word her mother and I had to say about what she’d done,” Mr. Waters said with a sad shake to his head.

  My stomach turned as I forced myself to block out the remainder of the article. I had no idea what he’d hoped to accomplish with his statements in the magazine, but there was no way in hell I was going to roll over and meet his demands simply because of them until a sinking feeling filled my gut. How had he known about Bonnie’s illness?

  I knew he hadn’t been sitting idle during this last month we hadn’t heard from him. He’d been doing his homework, preparing his
battle plan, and setting it into motion. This article was a warning of what was to come.

  A knock at the window made me jump and slam my head against the roof. I’d been so lost in thought that I hadn’t been paying attention to the world around me, which was dangerous right now.

  I looked to see who it was who’d scared the crap out of me only to not recognize the face staring back at me with the fakest look of concern I’d ever seen. Turning the key, I lowered the window by half an inch to allow me to hear what the man had to say, thankful I’d already engaged the locks before I’d lost my cool.

  “Can I help you with somethin’, miss?” the guy asked, trying to force the local accent in his voice and failing miserably. This guy definitely wasn’t from around here but was pretending to be.

  “I’m good. Thanks for asking. Have a nice day,” I told him, willing him to walk away and leave me alone.

  “I saw you come runnin’ out of the office like you were upset about somethin’. You look like you could use a friend…” the man persisted, and I grew uneasier as the look of determination in his eyes reminded me of Kolton’s determination to keep me by his side. This man was no friend of mine. I’d bet good money he was one of my father’s employees. “We could go get a coffee or something and you could tell me all about it. It would probably be good to get whatever it is off your chest.”

  I examined him closely through the window, refusing to lower it any farther for a man I didn’t know. He was clean-cut, his hair neatly styled, but wearing jeans and a plaid shirt that reminded me of most of Kolton’s wardrobe. Going anywhere with him would only end up badly for me. I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why I felt that way, but I wasn’t going to ignore my instincts. Not when they were screaming at me so loudly.

  “No need to worry about me,” I called back to him, praying he’d give up and leave me alone this time. “Please feel free to continue on with your day.”

  “I’d be happy to offer a shoulder to cry on if you need it Carissa,” the man replied, and true fear jolted through me as if I’d been hit by a lightning bolt. I’d never told this man my name. I knew then I was in real trouble.

  “I don’t but thank you for offering.”

  The man straightened but didn’t walk away. Instead, his posture tensed, and I closed the window back up. He stayed standing next to the truck with his hand resting on the roof, apparently deciding to wait me out. I didn’t have much time to figure out my next move because Bonnie’s appointment should be finishing up soon and I didn’t want her exposed to whoever this man was.

  I pulled out the cell phone Kolton had gotten me the day after my father’s visit when he’d come into town to pick up the condoms I’d insisted on us using and pulled up his number with shaky hands. He knew more people than I did around here, maybe one of his friends could come help me out of this situation.

  “Your father wants you home where you belong,” the man spoke loudly through the glass, and I understood him perfectly even though his voice was muffled. I hadn’t even had a chance to press send, but I’d been so focused on making the call, I hadn’t noticed him lean back down so that he was watching me through the window. “You’d be smart to do what he wants rather than pissing him off more.”

  “Go back and tell my father I said to go to hell,” I yelled through the window before pressing send. Kolton answered quickly.

  “Everythin’ okay, darlin’? Mama all right?” he asked, worry filling his voice.

  “She’s still in her appointment. Kolton, I need help. Do you have any friends here in town that can come over to the doctor’s office parking lot?” I asked him, trying desperately to stay calm while my panic was rising fast.

  “What’s goin’ on?” he demanded, rage, fear, and confusion filling his voice, and I felt horrible for having left the safety of the waiting room.

  I shouldn’t have let that interview and my father’s words get to me the way I did. How could he have possibly known I would have read the article though? Had he planned for things to work out this way?

  “There’s a man standing outside of Caleb’s truck. He works for my father,” I told him, my breathing becoming increasingly difficult the closer I got to hyperventilating.

  “I’m gonna call the sheriff, darlin’. I’ll call ya back as soon as he’s on his way to you,” Kolton said, trying to soothe me with the sound of his voice and his words, but I heard the underlying fear and worry he was experiencing because they matched my own.

  I kept my peripheral vision honed in on the stranger who was still outside the truck as if he expected me to just suddenly give in and hop out for him to return me to the man trying to run my life.

  “Please hurry. Bonnie’s appointment should be over soon, and I don’t want her coming out to this,” I pleaded, unable to keep the tremor from my voice.

  “I’ll call ya back, darlin’. I promise. I love you,” he reassured me, but it wasn’t working. I needed this man to leave me alone and to feel the safety of my husband’s arms wrapped tightly around me.

  “I love you too,” I whispered, but he’d already disconnected our call and didn’t hear my declaration.

  “Come on out of there, Ms. Waters. It’s time for you to go back to New York. To your rightful home and place in the world,” the stranger said, back to leaning down and staring through the window at me. This time, the look on his face wasn’t mock concern or even friendly. His face had morphed into one of a man on a mission he fully intended to complete.

  “Leave me alone!” I screamed, pushing myself backward across the bench seat until my back was pressed against the passenger side door. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “The longer you drag this out, the uglier it will get. You might as well just admit defeat and come back with me now,” he spoke loudly to make sure I could hear him inside the closed cab.

  A startled yelp left me when my cell began vibrating in my hand, Kolton returning my call.

  “Is he coming?” I asked frantically, my heart racing in my chest as if it had the chance to win the Daytona 500 from the Midwest in the middle of August. This man wasn’t just going to walk away.

  “He’s on his way, darlin’. Luckily, he was over at the courthouse and not out on his rounds, so it won’t be long. He promised to keep the sirens off so he has a better chance of catchin’ this guy,” Kolton informed me, which didn’t make me feel much better. I just wanted the guy gone but knew that having him arrested would make me feel safer than knowing he was still out there. “Stay on the phone with me ‘til he gets there.”

  “He’s trying to get me to go home to my father and Carver. He’s not giving up,” I told him, tears streaking my cheeks, only from fear this time instead of betrayal and anger.

  “Get off the phone and get out of the truck, Carissa. Your hillbilly husband can’t save you from the ranch. He’s too far away for that,” the man called angrily through the window as he pounded on it. “I’m taking you home to your father and rightful husband.”

  “What the fuck is that asshole sayin’ to ya?” Kolton demanded through the phone, and I repeated the guy’s words with a shaky voice. My whole body was trembling with the terror coursing through me. I wondered if he had a gun or other weapon he hadn’t shown me yet. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. “Just hang tight, baby. Sheriff Donovan should be there any minute now.”

  The stranger stopped pounding on the window and slid his hand into the front pocket of the jeans he was wearing. I watched, holding my breath as he removed something I didn’t recognize at all, slid it between his knuckles, and made a fist around it. With a leering grin, he reared it back and slammed it into the window, shattering it into a million pieces, pelting me with flying glass.

  “No!” I screamed as he reached through, trying to grab one of my ankles, but I kicked frantically at him, having totally forgotten about Kolton being on the phone.

  My foot connected several times with his arm and shoulder before he finally caught hold and twisted violently. I
heard a snap and screamed out my agony as white-hot pain flared up from my ankle. It was sheer agony unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. My body went limp as I fought passing out, knowing that if I did, I’d stand no chance of making it back to Kolton. It was a losing battle, however, as I slumped down and everything went black. The last things I heard were the jackass who’d hurt me laughing and Kolton frantically yelling my name through the cell phone.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Kolton

  My heart felt as if it was beating out of my chest, it was pounding so hard as I listened to the glass shattering, Carissa’s agonized scream, and then her going silent while the dickhead going after her laughed in amusement. I’d never felt more impotent before in my life, helpless to save the woman I loved from harm.

  It took every bit of concentration I had to keep my truck on the road as I raced toward town like a bat out of hell, praying Sheriff Donovan got to the scene before we lost Carissa for good. My cell was on speakerphone in its cradle on my dash, still ticking off time to let me know the call was still connected, but Carissa wouldn’t—or couldn’t, if my guess was correct—answer me when I hollered her name repeatedly.

  I heard muffled shouting in the background and prayed it was the sheriff arriving in time and apprehending the bastard. Me getting my hands on him would only wind up with him buried in a hole six feet under.

  “Kolton?” Sheriff Donovan asked over the line, and I had no idea whether I should be relieved or worried.

  “Yeah. Tell me ya got there in time. Tell me Carissa’s safe,” I demanded, unwilling to accept him telling me anything else.