“Come on, dear. Let’s go inside.” Mom wiped her eyes and moved up the steps, the sound of her keys tinkling in her hand.
As soon as I walked through the door, Millie, our fifteen-year-old beagle, hobbled excitedly over to me, nudging my legs until I bent down to scratch behind her ears.
“Hey, Millie-girl.” I crooned and bent to love on her. She barked excitedly and turned in circles as my fingers brushed across her back. I couldn’t stay crouched as my legs began to burn from the wounds. I winced as I pushed myself to stand up, quickly reaching out to steady myself on the side table in the living room. Millie stilled and whimpered, noticing my pain. She nudged her wet nozzle against my calf and looked up at me. Her sixth sense was sending off alarms that I was injured, and now she was worried. Her tail bent down and she turned her back end toward me, standing guard to the rest of the room.
“Shh. It’s all right, Millie-girl.” I whispered softly, scratching behind her ear one more time before moving through the room. The smell of home rushed through me and brought a calming sense of peace with it. It smelled of vanilla and blueberries. My mother loved blueberries and baked with them on a regular basis, pulling from the blueberry bushes that grew in the backyard and freezing them so she would have them ready all year long. The living room was comfortably decorated with a large brown sofa, worn in many places, but soft and perfect. Two large leather-wrapped chairs rested on the opposite side with the fireplace embedded between them. This was home.
“I’ll take your things up to your room. Take your mother’s hand and let her help you up the steps.” Dad threaded his calloused hands through my luggage and lifted them with ease, then disappeared up the wooden stairs.
“You ready?” Mom stepped up to me.
“I’m okay, mom. I can make it up there. Don’t worry so much.”
“Yes, well, I’m your mom. It’s my job to worry and help you even when you don’t think you need it.” She threaded her arm through mine and ushered me closer to the steps. I winced again as my thighs brushed against each other. My knees wobbled briefly, but I wrapped my fingers around the wooden railing and lifted myself, step by step, up the flight of stairs. Millie’s nails tapped the steps behind me as I climbed.
A few very exhausting minutes later I made it to the top. My dad stood by the door, watching my mother help me into my room. She brushed a kiss on my cheek before she closed my bedroom door as she exited, leaving me alone for the first time in days. I stood there staring at my double bed, which was covered in my grandmothers handmade quilt, as memories came flooding across my thoughts.
Grandma led me up to my bedroom and opened the door to the freshly made bed and new quilt draped carefully across my mattress, replacing my old pink comforter.
She said, “You’re a woman, now, Nova. This quilt is just the start of your preparation for your future. I made it for you to keep so that when you grow up, move on, get married, and have a daughter of your own, you’ll know that I was always there no matter what.”
I blinked away tears at the thought of my grandmother. I missed her so much and if anyone could have helped me heal, it would have been her. She was always so full of understanding and patience, but she also knew when to give people a swift kick in the butt when needed. I sat down on the edge of my bed, running my fingers across the stitching and the blue and white floral patterns. It didn’t take long for the weight of the day to fall heavy on my soul, and my body wracked with sobs. I laid across my bed, burying my face and releasing the overwhelming pain that exploded inside of me. The bed shifted as Millie jumped atop the mattress and moved close to me. I wrapped my arms around her and let myself continue to cry until I fell asleep.
My body chilled as I watched my bare feet shuffle down the concrete corridor. Chains bound my ankles and hands as the clanking sound echoed from their collision with the cold cement beneath me. Blood ran down my thighs, across my knees, and continued to flow to my feet. Each step left a bloody footprint, marking the floor as I moved closer to my chamber. The door flew open and inside, he was waiting for me. Demon stood, staring at me with pure hatred, twirling a knife in his fingers. I was pushed from behind and landed on my knees in front of him. “You’re mine, girl.” His voice felt like slime across my skin. His hands reached for my hair and I screamed.
Startled awake by my own screaming and Millie’s barking, I pushed myself up and covered my face. Millie nuzzled my leg and whimpered. The door slammed open and my dad flew inside, rushing to my bedside. His sudden entrance caused me to skitter backward on the bed and curl away from him in fear. His hand froze in mid-air as he reached for me when he saw my reaction. Sorrow filled his eyes as he took a few steps away from me.
My mom stepped inside the door and saw my father standing a few feet away from me, then turned and took in my cowering body. She rushed to my side, wrapping me in her arms and smoothing my hair.
“Shh, baby girl. It’s okay. You’re safe. You’re home. Shh.” She whispered those words over and over again until my sobs quieted and I relaxed into her.
“I-I’m… sorry.” I hiccupped, wiping my face clear as I looked at my dad. He just shook his head.
“Nothing to be sorry about, baby girl.” His low voice broke. I knew I needed his comfort and he needed mine. I reached my hand out to his and watched as his shoulders sagged.
“You sure?”
I nodded and waited for him to move beside me. He sat down and gently pulled me into his arms as Mom kept her hands on mine. I laid there between my parents as they comforted me and prayed over me.
“Lord, we need you. We need your healing and peace. My baby girl needs you more than anything right now. Please bring back the light in her, extinguish the darkness. Give her rest and help us bring her comfort in this time of trouble. Amen.” My dad leaned down and kissed my hair, breathing me in as if to make sure I was really there with them.
I started to feel sleepy again and allowed myself to rest against my father and let his warmth lull me back to sleep. This time, I didn’t dream of the Demon.
Chapter 10
DAVIS
I heard the shuffle of boots outside my door. The call of the rooster from across the yard echoed outside my window. Dim yellow light was breaking through the wooden slats of my blinds and bathing my room in stripes of gold. I reached over to check the time on my phone, squinting my eyes to make out the digits. Five-thirty in the morning. I was definitely back on the ranch. I pulled my pillow over my face and grumbled into it, rolling the slack bed covers tighter around my body.
Truck doors were loudly closing outside the window and voices drifted upward until I couldn’t keep myself in bed any longer. Last night was one of the best night’s sleep I’d had in a long time, and I was reluctant to leave its warmth. The familiar smells of my room and of the barn behind our house permeated everything around me and gave me a sense of calm and belonging, which I had missed so much over the last few years. I grunted and tossed the dark gray comforter away from me, swinging my legs over the edge of my bed and running my hand through my tousled hair.
My feet hit the wooden floorboards, which echoed my groaning as I forced myself upright. I reached for the pair of faded jeans that were tossed across the back of my desk chair and found a soft blue flannel shirt in my closet. Once clothed, I pushed my feet into my well-worn boots that rested against the wall by the door, the place I had left them three years ago, when I said goodbye to everything on the ranch.
When I was washed up and had made myself presentable, I carefully hobbled my way downstairs to the kitchen, careful not to trip over the crutches tucked tightly under my arms. The smell of freshly made eggs and sizzling bacon wafted through the air, causing my stomach to groan in excited anticipation for my grandmother’s cooking. Three years away and it was probably one of the things I missed the most. No one could ever come close to the amazing food that was produced from her hands.
I stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, leaned up against the wall and watched a
s my grandfather wrapped his arms around her. Mawmaw attempted to work around his embrace, tossing a few more slices of bacon into the cast iron skillet in front of her. His lips met her neck and she giggled, turning in his arms to wrap her small arms around his shoulders. My grandfather grunted and leaned in as if they were still in their twenties and couldn’t get enough of each other. Suddenly feeling warm, I cleared my throat to let them know I was there. There were just some things I didn’t need to see. My grandmother chuckled and stepped away, turning to flip the bacon in the sizzling skillet.
“Davis, I love you, but go away and come back in a few minutes.” He started to pull my grandmother back into his arms, but she protested, laughing as she pushed him away.
“Go sit down, old man. You and our grandson need to eat,” she scolded, and he bent to kiss her cheek gently, then stepped over to fill his mug with more steaming black coffee. The screen door to the back porch abruptly flung open and in walked Charlie, the ranch manager, with a wide smile on his face.
“Davis! You scoundrel. You better get over here!” He said as he reached for me and pulled me into his burly arms. Charlie had been managing the ranch for as long as I can remember. My grandfather hired him in the beginning, knowing that he needed help maintaining and managing the farm as a whole. As it grew larger, Charlie moved to the ranch full time, and soon became a part of our family. I grew up with him, worked with him, and wrestled with him at family holidays. If anything, he was like a second father to me, and had taught me so much about taking care of the things you are responsible for. When my own father had died, he was the one who stepped in to fill the gap. He had an amazing ethic and had instilled those characteristics into me.
“It’s good to see you,” I grunted as he squeezed my shoulders just a little bit roughly. His arms released me and he stepped back, quickly wiping a small tear before anyone could see it. I pretended not to notice.
“You too, son.” He cleared his throat and moved to the table. “You going to help out this morning?”
“I was planning on it. I figured it was about time for me to take over some of the responsibilities around here. Let the old man get a break every now and again.” I winked at my grandfather and slid into the seat at the head of the table. He reached over and smacked the backside of my head.
“Out of my seat, boy.” I winced, rubbing the stinging spot on my head, but swiftly transitioned to the next seat, laughing as he continued gruffly, “And, I’m not an old man. I can still do more work around here than you can, especially since you’ve taken yourself a nice long three-year break.”
“Yes, sir. I imagine you’re right about that.”
Mamaw slipped a plate in front of me, stacked high with eggs, bacon, and toast. My mouth watered as my eyes took in the steaming feast before me. She poured me a mug of coffee and set it down in front of my plate, before leaning down to kiss my cheek.
“Thanks, Mamaw” I grinned up at her and shoved a piece of bacon in my mouth. She laughed and patted my shoulder in response.
“So…,” Papaw began questioningly. “What would you like to do today?”
“What needs to be done? I’d like to take a ride around the ranch, just to see everything for myself this morning after we take care of the animals. Then we can talk about anything that needs to be done.”
“Sounds good. I’ve already eaten, so I’ll get Speedy and Racer ready for the ride.”
I nodded as I continued to fill my stomach with the amazing food in front of me. Papaw stood and walked out the door after giving my grandmother another brief kiss.
Ten minutes later, I stepped outside and carefully walked down the wooden steps, gripping the crutches tightly in my hands and crossing the gravel lot toward the barn. Papaw stepped out of the large wooden barn doors, holding a set of reigns in each hand, leading our horses behind him.
Racer was my horse, coal black in color and about seventeen hands high. His coat was shining with reflections of the sun, and I stepped slowly toward him, offering my hand to let him get familiar with me once again. A few moments later, he was nuzzling my palm as I rubbed my other hand up his face and down his neck.
“Good boy, Racer. I missed you.” When I knew it was safe to proceed, using my uninjured leg, I placed my booted foot into the stirrup and lifted myself up and over the top of his back, sliding into the leather saddle. The horse took a few steps forward, getting comfortable with my weight, and then settled as I continued to caress his neck gently. After adjusting the stirrup to my injured leg, I tested the pain level as I jostled the leg up and down and out to the side. It felt decent, a bit painful, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I wouldn’t be walking, so I should be fine. Pawpaw took my crutches and set them against the side of the barn, waiting for when we would return.
I waited for my grandfather to mount his horse, and when he was ready, I pulled the rains and hollered, digging my heels lightly into Racer’s sides. “Yip, yip!” Racer took off as I let my body move fluidly with his thundering trot. I steered him out of the corral and through the pasture, heading toward the south side of the ranch where the pond settled in the valley and the cattle were grazing lazily in the sun.
I slowed my pace when I reached the edge of the valley and took post at the top of the ridge, looking down across the view. It was beautiful and breathtaking, my favorite spot on the entire farm. It was a place where I came to think, to watch, to just be alone with nature and with God. I closed my eyes briefly, letting the heat of the sun warm my face and body.
I first heard the clicking of hooves, followed by Papaw and his horse moments later. He lifted the dark hat from his head and wiped his sleeve across his brow.
“Man, that horse can move fast.” His breath came in heavy gasps as he replaced his hat to block the glare of the sun.
“Or maybe you’re just getting older. You and your horse.” I ribbed, smirking at him.
He chuckled, shaking his head as he dragged his water pouch from the saddlebag behind him. Taking a quick drink, he wiped his lips and passed it to me.
“So are you going to let me in on the details of what happened over there? I know what Drake said, but give me the details. Your mother was worried all night.”
I sighed, pulling my reigns up to nudge Racer to walk slowly down the hillside, and waited for Pawpaw to match my pace.
“I can’t really discuss the details of course, you know that. But I went undercover, and things went a little bad before they panned out. I’m fine though.”
He looked me over carefully, waiting to see if I would elaborate further, before sighing.
“You definitely don’t look fine, son. Something else is bothering you, I can tell.”
A small smiled graced my lips before I spoke. I never could get anything past him. I was his grandson, and he knew me inside and out.
“I’m conflicted a little, worn out from the job. I just…” I came to a stop beside the pond, one of many on the property. “I guess I’m just tired and emotionally drained. For the last three years I’ve been working in intense and stressful situations and I guess this last job really got a hold of me and I feel a little broken. I can normally separate myself from the things going on, but for some reason, I just couldn’t do that this time.”
“You can’t always separate yourself from your work. It’s who you are, son. You feel everything because it makes you compassionate to those you are helping.”
“That’s the problem, though. Everything that has happened to me the last few years - after losing Amanda, I just lost it. The compassion wasn’t really there, not truly. Of course, I wanted to see all those girls rescued and healed, but I just got burnt out. This mission though, it was the first time I had felt the fire again, in a very long time. Yes, I had compassion for them, but I felt anger and vengeance, too. I couldn’t let myself grow with that mindset without fear of losing myself completely.”
Papaw swung his leg over the side of the horse and lowered himself to the ground. After tossing the reigns
over a low tree branch, he moved over to me and offered me a hand. I slowly swung my injured leg over and, using my father as support, dismounted the horse.
Tossing my reigns on the same branch, I slowly limped forward and found a large rock by the water to perch on.
Papaw rested beside me. “Why do you think this time was different?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? I don’t really know. Other than the fact that I knew the girl we rescued. Well, I sort of knew her. Met her the day she was taken.”
My grandfather’s eyes widened with understanding, and he glanced at me, waiting for me to clarify the situation a bit more.
“We met on the beach while I was playing Frisbee with Jared and the crew. I actually noticed her way before I actually had the nerve to speak to her, though.”
He smiled and swung his eyes to the water. “Sounds like you were interested in this girl.”
My heart raced a little as I remembered the image of Nova lifting her hand to mine and introducing herself, the sun gleaming off her pale face. I shrugged, trying to downplay the thoughts in my head. “I guess.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“There are a few problems, I suppose. One, I don’t know if I’ve truly moved beyond the situation with Amanda. I like to believe I have because I know she’s never coming back, but it still feels so fresh. Two, this girl just went through the worst possible thing any woman can go through in life and I feel horrible even thinking about being around her. She can’t even bear to be near me.”
He reached up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, providing some semblance of comfort at my noticeable heartbreak.
“Grandson, what happened with Amanda was horrible. I get it. The pain of that will always be with you and will never go away, but it will dull a little. She wouldn’t want you to just bury yourself in a hole and never venture out and try to be happy again. She wasn’t like that. She loved you and wanted you to be happy. I know that much.”
Redemption (The Restoration Series Book 1) Page 10