One Last Chance_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  With each step Sawyer took, Shane crept away, pulling Rachel with him, until he reached the kitchen counter. With one hand still wrapped around her waist, he fumbled behind him.

  A metallic taste filled Sawyer’s mouth. Whatever Shane was reaching for, he’d just escalated things. Sawyer flipped open the snap on his holster and rested one hand on his weapon. He held out the other hand in front of him and inched forward. “Don’t make this worse for yourself, Shane.”

  Shane rooted behind him and let out a strangled yell. He whipped his arm around, but the knife he’d been grasping for went flying across the room. “Shit!” he screamed as he tightened his grip on Rachel’s neck. “She’s mine. Whadda ya gonna do to stop me?”

  Rachel’s chest heaved as she struggled for breath, clawing at Shane’s hand.

  Sawyer had seen enough. Talking got him nowhere except Shane’s hand squeezing the life out of Rachel.

  Sawyer pulled his weapon and pointed it at the two of them. Sheer terror flashed across Rachel’s face, and fresh tears poured down her cheeks. Tears of relief or fear, he wasn’t sure. But Sawyer would free her from Shane for good this time. As long as she stayed calm for a little bit longer. Sawyer shifted his eyes to the floor and back to Rachel.

  His heart raced and he flexed his muscles. Even after two tours in Afghanistan and eighteen months with the Sheriff’s department, he’d never been this scared. Not that Shane would ever know that. No matter what, Sawyer wouldn’t step back and let one of his deputies take over. This was his situation to solve.

  “Shane, this can only end badly at this point. How about you let Rachel go and I’ll put my weapon away?”

  Shane yanked Rachel’s head to the side and dug his fingers into her arm. Angry, red welts formed on her delicate, pale skin. “I’m done talking, asshole.”

  Again Sawyer shifted his gaze to the floor and back to Rachel. Her chest heaved, her mouth formed an O, and she nodded. He’d better be reading her right or this would get really bad, really fast. All he needed was a clear shot. As soon as Rachel got away from the bastard, Shane would be toast.

  Sawyer gave the situation one last chance. He advanced, one hand raised and the other pointing his weapon toward the floor, but at the ready. “Come on, Shane, you don’t want to do anything you’ll regret.”

  Shane eased back and bumped into the counter. Sawyer took another step forward. After a quick nod from him, Rachel lifted her foot and drove it into Shane’s boot.

  He howled and fell against the counter while Rachel collapsed. Good girl.

  Sawyer raised his weapon and pulled the trigger. The prongs of his Taser shot out and caught Shane on the neck. He jerked and his arms flailed.

  “Rachel, get away from him,” Sawyer yelled, his hands firmly squeezing the trigger.

  She crawled toward the door.

  He released his finger, and the jolts stopped flowing through the Taser’s threads. Shane fell to the floor, screaming. He wouldn’t be moving for some time. Sawyer couldn’t muster the energy to care.

  He shouted to the two deputies in the yard. “Come on in, guys. He’s all yours.”

  Rachel huddled near Sawyer’s feet, knees drawn to her chest and back against the wall. Sawyer sank to his haunches and placed his hands over hers. She lifted her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. What he wouldn’t give to toss his uniform and show Shane exactly how Rachel felt. More than once. Until Shane was laid out flat on the floor unconscious.

  She didn’t need his anger right now, though. He softened his voice. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded.

  How had she gotten to this point? She’d become sullen and withdrawn the past few months, not the happy girl—with a bounce in her step and a kind word for everyone—he’d known growing up. He’d find that girl again. Soon.

  Leon Watkins and another deputy scrambled into the room. They yanked Shane’s hands behind him and snapped the handcuffs on his wrists. While he bellowed obscenities, they hauled him to his feet.

  “I’ll get you for this, bitch. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.” With his brows slashed and his lips pursed, Shane spit the words at Rachel. Veins popped on his neck, his face red.

  “Shut up,” Deputy Watkins said as they dragged a struggling and still-screaming Shane toward the door.

  When the three of them passed Sawyer and Rachel, Shane took a swipe at Rachel with his foot. Sawyer threw himself across Rachel, using his body to shield her. She squeaked.

  “Get that scumbag out of here,” Sawyer ordered. “I’ll be in later to make my report.”

  The two deputies finally wrestled Shane out the door, his ugly words hanging over Sawyer and Rachel.

  Rachel shook beneath him. Damn it. In trying to protect her, he’d probably scared her as much as Shane had. After all this time, she’d become a frightened mouse.

  Sawyer sat back on his heels and stroked her arms. “Sorry about that. I didn’t want him to hurt you again.”

  “It’s okay.” Her voice cracked, the words barely above a whisper.

  “No, it’s not okay. What he did to you, what he’s been doing to you, it’s not okay. Thank God I got here in time.”

  “I don’t know what I did to set him off, but he’s never been this bad before.”

  That was so typical of a victim—believing they’d done something wrong to deserve a beating. Sawyer wished he’d been around before she’d gotten mixed up with Shane. But this wasn’t about Sawyer and his feelings for Rachel. It was about getting her somewhere safe. Somewhere she could heal, physically and emotionally.

  He tucked his finger under her chin. “Rachel, look at me.”

  She raised her head.

  “This is not your fault. You didn’t set him off. I don’t care what you did. It’s no excuse for him to lay a finger on you.”

  She sighed.

  “Tell me you understand.”

  She nodded.

  He didn’t really believe her, but that was good enough for now. Next step, get her out of this trailer and to the hospital. Sawyer stood and extended his hand. “Do you think you can stand?”

  She placed her hand in his light grip and rose. Unlike Shane, Rachel would never feel a rough touch from Sawyer. After she got her feet underneath herself, her hand flew to her head and she swayed.

  He caught her just before she fell, and she flinched.

  Just when he’d promised himself he’d be gentle, he scared her again. He’d sworn to serve and protect the residents of Oak Grove, but with Rachel, protecting took on a whole new meaning. No one would ever hurt her on his watch again. He would protect her with his dying breath, if only she’d let him.

  After Shane, trust for any man would not come easily for her. They had a long way to go before Rachel would be over the damage Shane had inflicted. In the meantime, Sawyer had more pressing matters. “Do you think you can walk?”

  “Yeah. I got it. Give me a minute.” She swiped her purse off the counter and bent toward her phone.

  “Let me get it.” He seized the phone and brought the cell to his ear. “Maureen, you still there?”

  The sweet words of his dispatcher rang through the handset. “The entire time. We got every word.”

  “Okay. I’m hanging up now.” He closed the phone and tucked it into Rachel’s outstretched hand. With his arm around her waist, he eased her out of the trailer.

  Stacey and Lucas, two paramedics with Oak Grove Fire and Rescue, hustled forward from where they’d been waiting.

  Rachel stopped, buried her face into Sawyer’s shirt, and grabbed at the fabric. “No. Please don’t make me see my brother right now.”

  Sawyer rubbed her back, the gentle stroke calming his racing heart as much as it soothed her. “They need to check you out, honey. To make sure you’re okay.”

  “I can’t… I just… I can’t see Lucas right now.”

  Sawyer leaned in, his mouth beside her ear. “It’ll be all right. How about instead of them checking you out, I take you to the Eme
rgency Room? I’ll stay by your side the entire time.”

  Her shoulders fell. She gave in way too easily. No doubt because of Shane. He’d turned the strong, bubbly girl he’d known into a mouse, doing whatever he said, so he wouldn’t hit her. “I guess. I just can’t face Lucas.”

  Sawyer waved the paramedics off, and they stepped back. “I’ll take care of her,” he mouthed to the two of them. The tight set of Lucas’s jaw didn’t relax, and the fire in his eyes didn’t fade, but he jerked his head in a nod. The paramedics waited while Sawyer led Rachel to the passenger side of his car.

  She groaned.

  “Let me help you in.” He placed his hand on her elbow and eased her into the seat. “Give me just a minute, okay?”

  She nodded and swung her legs in, and he closed the door softly behind her.

  He turned his back, tried not to clench his fists, and sucked in a deep breath. From across the yard, the racket of Shane screaming in the back seat of another cruiser filled the air. And standing right outside the cruiser, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, was Deputy Leon Watkins.

  Damn, it had to be Leon that followed Sawyer on this call. He hadn’t even heard who dispatch sent with him. He’d been so focused on getting to Rachel. But this call had been by the book, so what in the hell did Leon have up his ass about Sawyer? Watkins’s eyes bored into Sawyer, but he didn’t flinch. Watkins always dredged up any reason to make trouble for Sawyer when it meant advancing Leon’s own pitiful career. Sawyer was sure to hear about his breach of protocol by putting Rachel in his cruiser as soon as he walked into the station tomorrow.

  Sawyer scowled at Watkins, and the guy climbed in his own cruiser and took off. Sawyer’s lungs burned and he released the breath he’d been holding. The fresh air was a welcome change from the stench of cigarettes and stale beer that had permeated the trailer. A couple more deep breaths and his heart finally slowed from the frantic pace it had reached since the moment he stepped inside the trailer. Rachel did not need to see his anger. She’d already witnessed enough to last a lifetime. His anger was reserved for Shane.

  Now that the danger had passed, Sawyer’d created a new problem all his own. He shouldn’t have offered to take her to the hospital. There were people better equipped to deal with women in Rachel’s situation. None that had his history with her, though. None that had cared for her from afar for a good part of his life. So he’d take her to the ER, get her settled for the night, and leave her to the experts. Men and women who could help her find the happy woman she’d been before Shane.

  Sawyer rounded the ambulance to find Lucas sitting on the tailgate, his head in his hand. “Hey, man.”

  Lucas raised his head, and his eyes reflected the emotions swirling through Sawyer right now. “How is she… really?”

  “Okay, I think. It was touch and go for a bit. She definitely has bruises and her neck is swelling where Shane squeezed. Other than that, I think she’s okay. It’s not her physical injuries I’m worried about. She has a long, hard road ahead of her. She’s going to need all of us, er, you. But for now, she didn’t want you to see her like that.”

  Lucas sighed. “I guess I understand. I don’t have to like it, though.”

  “I’ll make sure she gets checked out. You can follow us to the hospital. I’ll talk to her about letting you come back.” After all this time, she needed her family more than ever. No matter what she thought.

  “I already called Joey. He’s on the way.”

  “Good.” Maybe Sawyer could convince Rachel to see Joey. Those two had always been close. Until recently. Something had driven her away from her friends and family and into Shane’s abusive clutches.

  “And Sawyer…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Tell her we love her, okay?”

  “I will.”

  After a slap on the back from Lucas, Sawyer returned to his cruiser.

  Rachel rested against the seat, eyes closed, but her brows were furrowed and jaw was tense.

  He itched to reach across the car and place his hand over hers, but victims of abuse often didn’t want anyone near them. Space was imperative or they cringed, sobbed, or lashed out. He knew the clinical description of victims after an attack, but it was hard to think professionally when it was Rachel sitting beside him, looking weak and frail.

  He kept his speed down as they drove away. Even taking it slow, each bump and pothole made him cringe. From time to time, he’d sneak a peek at Rachel, whose brows narrowed after a couple of larger bumps.

  She was a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for. Why had she let herself sink so deep into this relationship, especially after Shane started hitting her? But she’d finally called 9-1-1, and thank God for that. Had Sawyer not gotten there when he did, she might not be alive. He was sure of that.

  Bile rose in his throat. The adrenaline must be wearing off. Who was he fooling? Now that the danger had passed, fear built in his gut. For a moment in the trailer, losing Rachel had become a real possibility. One he couldn’t bear to think about.

  After the interminable drive, during which Rachel didn’t say a word, he pulled up to the Emergency Room doors.

  Rachel opened her eyes, her body tensed and she clawed at the door handle. “What are we doing here?” Her words were harsh and filled with panic.

  “You need to get checked out, honey.”

  “No, I’m fine. Please, Sawyer, don’t make me. This was nothing. A few bruises. I’ll be fine. Please take me home.” But after she said those words, she collapsed against the seat. “What am I gonna do? I don’t have a home anymore. I don’t have anywhere to go.”

  He didn’t have a good answer for her. He reached over and tentatively covered her hands. “You’ll be fine. Right now, the doctors are just gonna check you out. You have a lot of people who care about you.” Including me.

  Her eyes dropped to their clasped hands. He squeezed again.

  “Please don’t make me go with my brothers. They don’t understand. They never did.”

  “They love you.”

  “I know they do, in their own way. They just… there are things they don’t know. Wouldn’t understand.”

  “What about your parents?”

  Her eyes widened and a new panic filled her eyes. “No, I can’t go back home. Not now.”

  This was definitely not the Rachel he’d grown up with. That Rachel loved her brothers and thrived on spending time with them. If it was the last thing he did, he’d make sure she became the happy girl she’d been before Shane. The one he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. “Okay. We’ll figure something out… I promise. I’ll call the shelter about getting you a bed for the night. They’ll know how to take care of you.”

  “Don’t bother. I don’t need to be taken care of. All I need is a place to stay for the night until I can get things settled.”

  Boy, if the fire in her gaze was any sign, she meant business. During his domestic abuse training, the instructor had emphasized one should aid the victim, not agitate them. What could he say to help her now? It was hard to focus on his training. He couldn’t be objective when the victim was Rachel. “That’s fine. I’ll still call. But for now, you need to get examined. Okay? Can we do that?” He used his gentlest voice. They’d been friends growing up, before his time in the army had turned him into a bitter, shut-off man, and her relationship with Shane turned her into someone he barely knew. “For me. Please.”

  For the longest time she glared at him. Then the tight lines around her eyes softened, and her lower lip trembled. She licked at her swollen mouth and faced him, giving a quick nod.

  Thank God. This was a big step for Rachel—letting someone help her instead of scuttling out of the car and dashing off into the night. Helping her also meant he could spend time with her. Hell, he’d even find a way to break through the walls he’d built around his own life if it meant a chance with her. His walls kept him safe, kept the hurt away, but for her, he’d take them down, brick by brick.


  Chapter Three

  “DO YOU WANNA tell me what happened, honey?” Although the plump, older nurse spoke in a hushed, sweet voice, Rachel kept shivering. How many times would she have to explain what Shane had done to her? How could she explain that she hadn’t seen how he slowly broke her down, convincing her she was nobody without him? She was embarrassed enough that she’d let herself get caught up in the drama about her parents that she’d fallen into Shane’s trap. She’d slowly started believing it to be true. Even when Lucas, Joey, and Sawyer had come by the trailer a couple months back, she’d convinced them she didn’t need their help.

  She’d been wrong. She’d been lying to them or lying to herself, and she didn’t know which. Probably both.

  When the nurse tried to take her blood pressure, Rachel’s arms shook. She’d spent the past year hiding her own feelings, and she didn’t have the strength to do it any longer.

  The nurse patted her hand and pressed it to the mattress while she inflated the cuff. “It’s all right, sweetie. It’s all over now.”

  Maybe, maybe not. At first, Shane’s abuse had been verbal. He yelled and screamed, called her worthless. Enough times that she started to believe him, her foundation already shattered by the secret she’d discovered about herself. Shane had somehow sniffed out her vulnerability and taken advantage of her.

  Even worse, she’d let him. Once or twice in the past, he’d gotten physical but had always apologized for hitting her—as soon as he sobered up, at least. She’d hidden the injuries as best she could, but makeup only went so far. She hadn’t fooled anyone, especially Joey and his girlfriend the first time Shane had turned his anger toward her.

  Tonight was different, though. Shane’s rage had bubbled over, his words harsher, his grip tighter. She hadn’t cleaned the trailer, she’d ruined dinner, he didn’t have any beer… He didn’t need an excuse to yell at her.

  “The doctor will be in shortly, hon. You lie back and relax for a few minutes. You look like you need it.” The nurse paused. “That handsome officer in the waiting room has been driving all of the nurses crazy. Can I send him back?”