One Last Chance_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  The phone rang again. He snapped up the receiver. “Yeah.”

  “Did Rachel call or stop by?” Fear filtered through Joey’s words.

  Sawyer’s skin crawled. If Rachel wasn’t at work… He leapt from the chair and squeezed the phone. “No, she was on her way to work. Didn’t she call you?”

  “She called when she left the house. Said she would be about ten minutes. I figured when she didn’t show up, she'd stopped by the station.”

  Sawyer rifled under a pile of papers and grabbed his keys. He flung open his office door, his heart racing as his feet pounded the floor. “She knew not to stop anywhere. She was supposed to call me when she got there. Shit. I lost track of time. Hold on a minute.”

  He zipped to the front of the station. Maureen was talking to Leon and Robert at the front counter.

  “Something’s wrong.” Sawyer swallowed and cleared his throat. “We don’t know where Rachel is.”

  Robert jumped off the counter, but Leon just sat and kept sipping his coffee. Asshole.

  Joey yelled through the phone, “Shit. I just checked outside. The car’s here but she’s not. The door’s wide open. Son of a bitch! He’s got her. Shane’s got Rachel.”

  Sawyer’s heart stopped. White spots swirled in front of his eyes. She would have been gone about thirty minutes. Oh, God. Images of the horrible things Shane could be doing to Rachel right now raced through Sawyer’s mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the images continued to flash. He swayed and grabbed a bench for support. “We’ll find her. Come to the station.”

  “On my way. I’ll call Lucas.” Joey clicked off.

  “What’s going on?” Robert eased over to where Sawyer leaned against the wall.

  His breaths came in spurts. He couldn’t lose her. Not now, not after he’d finally let her into his heart. “Rachel… Car door open… Gone.”

  Robert rested his hand on Sawyer’s arm. “Easy, son. Tell me exactly what happened.”

  Sawyer drew in a deep breath. If Shane had her, she’d be scared. Well, maybe not. The new Rachel would fight back long enough for them to find her. He just had to believe that. “Ever since the incident with Shane last week, Rachel’s brothers and I have been keeping an eye on her. We didn’t trust Shane. She called Joey when she left the house for work today and she was supposed to call me when she got to J.J.’s, but… she didn’t.” He sank onto the bench and stared at the floor. “We had a big fight before she left. She told me to back off. Dammit to hell! This is all my fault. I gave Shane more time to take her away.”

  Sawyer smacked the bench and pain shot across his hand and up his arm.

  Robert turned to the two deputies in the lobby. “You guys get over to Buckley’s trailer and the garage. Now! Do not confront him if you find him. Radio in and we’ll set up a team. He’s got a hostage, so don’t do anything stupid, you got me?”

  When Watkins sneered at Sawyer, he leapt from the bench, reaching for the asshole. Robert jumped in between them. “There’ll be time to deal with his attitude later. Right now, we need all the help we can get to find Rachel.”

  Sawyer growled at Watkins as he and the other deputy rushed out the door.

  Robert laid his hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. “Maureen, pull up the cell phone tracking system. Sawyer, what’s Rachel’s number?”

  Sawyer recited the number and wrung his hands while Maureen typed in the digits.

  This was like his nightmare when he was on the road in Afghanistan, Kyle grinning right before he stepped on an IED. Sawyer had ignored his instincts then, too. Where was the calm, cool, and collected Sawyer who always approached a situation methodically? He could use that Sawyer right about now. “I just… I don’t know what to do.”

  “Take a few deep breaths and calm down. We’ll figure this out.”

  Sawyer flopped on the bench but he couldn’t sit still. He scrambled to his feet, scanning the lobby. If Shane had already hurt her, Sawyer was going to choke the life from the bastard. “I have to get out there. I have to find her. She needs me.”

  “We don’t want you spinning your wheels on a wild goose chase. Let those guys canvas his home and work, and give Maureen a chance to track Rachel’s cell. We’ll head out once we have a location. I promise you, you’ll be there for her.”

  The door to the station flew open and Lucas rushed in. Several of his coworkers from the EMS unit trailed behind him. He skidded to a stop in front of Sawyer. “Have you found her yet?”

  “Not yet. Sheriff Lawrence sent some guys out to the trailer and the garage.”

  Lucas squeezed Sawyer’s shoulder. “What can we do to help?”

  Sawyer flopped on the bench. His mind was a jumble of horrible images. He couldn’t focus on a plan. “Right now, I don’t know. I just don’t know where to look.”

  Lucas joined Sawyer, his voice calm. “We’ll find her. And when we do, so help me…”

  “Get in line, buddy. Besides, we may… we may need you.” He couldn’t bring himself to think about the physical risk of Shane taking Rachel. After all this time, slapping her was probably not enough for the bastard. She could be seriously hurt, or worse.

  Sawyer leapt up from the bench. He couldn’t sit here any longer. He had to get out there and find Rachel. “I didn’t even tell her I loved her.”

  “What?” Lucas asked.

  “We had a fight. I promised I would give her the space she deserves. So I tried to focus on this case. I’ve been slacking off on paperwork recently. I’ve been having a hard time concentrating. I didn’t even tell her… I can’t believe this.” He punched the wall, welcoming the pain that streaked up his arm. “The minute I ease up, this happens. It’s all my fault. My fault. What if… what if that’s the last—”

  “Don’t even think like that.”

  The door swung open and Joey rushed over to the bench. “Any word?”

  The dispatcher’s radio echoed and everyone in the station grew silent. Maureen calmly answered the call, flipping the speaker on so they could hear.

  Watkins’s nasal voice cracked through the speaker. “We did a search of the trailer. It’s unoccupied. Looks like the suspect hasn’t been here in a while.”

  “Where in the hell did he take her?” Sawyer growled.

  The radio rang out again, the other deputy reporting no sign of Shane at the garage.

  Sawyer’s heart sank. “I don’t know where else to look.”

  Joey sat on the other side of Sawyer. At any other time, he’d want his buddies beside him. Now, after he failed these two who trusted him with their sister’s safety, he couldn’t look either of them in the eye. If they lost Rachel, they’d blame him, and he deserved their hate, their blame, their finger-pointing…

  “Her cellular location is coming up now.” Maureen leaned forward in her chair.

  Sawyer rushed to her desk, Joey and Lucas on his heels.

  “Where? Where is she?” Sawyer scrambled around Maureen and leaned over her shoulder.

  “The locator is saying out on Red Bridge Road. I’m looking at the map, and I don’t see any houses at that location. So I don’t know what you’re—”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m headed out there.”

  Robert stepped up beside Sawyer and strapped on a shoulder holster. “Maureen, call the Pennsylvania State Police. Dispatch them to that address. Sawyer, I’m going with you. You’re not going off half-cocked on this guy. We’re gonna bring him in, and we want the arrest to stick.”

  “If he’s done something to Rachel, it won’t matter if it sticks because I’m going to choke the life out of the bastard.” Sawyer threw open the glass door and hurried to his cruiser. He yelled over his shoulder, “If you’re coming, get in.”

  Robert held out his hand. “I’m driving. No way you’re getting behind the wheel in this condition.”

  Why in the hell were they arguing while Rachel was in danger? “Robert… Sheriff. Come on, I need to get there.”

  “We also need you in one piece. Now hand over
the keys.” Robert stood in front of the cruiser.

  Sawyer tossed Robert the keys and hurried to the passenger door.

  As they pulled away from the curb, Sawyer grabbed the radio and conveyed the address to the other two deputies.

  Robert steered them down the street. “We’ll find her. I need you calm when we get there. Buckley could be drinking or high on drugs. Until we assess the situation, you will not be a renegade. Got it? No one wants a sheriff who can’t keep his cool.”

  “Screw the election. I don’t give a damn about that right now.” Being sheriff didn’t matter if something happened to Rachel. She had to be okay. He’d keep telling himself that until he made his words come true. Somehow.

  “I know, but that’s exactly why you need to calm down.”

  Drive faster. At this speed a turtle could get to Red Bridge Road before they would. Why wasn’t Robert pegging the speedometer?

  Sawyer spoke into the radio. “No sirens. We don’t want to spook him. If we’re lucky, we’ll creep up without him knowing.”

  “Roger,” came from the other officers.

  Watkins would get the job done. He was a total jerk in the station, but he wouldn’t jeopardize Rachel’s life, her safety, to win an election, would he?

  “Finally.” Robert skidded off the highway onto a dirt path.

  Where in the hell had Shane taken her? This was a jungle. Tree branches and brush scraped the cruiser. The car jostled over bumps. A quick check in Sawyer’s side mirror confirmed the other deputies right on their tail.

  “I see something up ahead.” Robert motioned to a vehicle tucked behind a copse of bushes at the edge of the forest.

  “That’s Shane’s. I’d recognize that piece of shit anywhere.” Sawyer radioed the others.

  Robert skidded to a stop with the deputies braking on either side of them.

  “Okay. Here’s what’s going on. Buckley could be armed. The hostage could be injured. We’re going to assess the scene and formulate a plan. State police are fifteen minutes behind us. If they get here before we’re done, they’ll take the lead.”

  “Where do you want me, Sherriff?” Sawyer rested his fingers on his weapon.

  “Right here, Truman. You’re sitting this one out.”

  What the hell? “I need to—”

  “You’re too close to this. We can’t have you going off half-cocked. Watkins, head around the north side. Gilbert, take the south. Assess points of access and escape routes.”

  “Roger, Sheriff.”

  The deputies darted around the house while Sawyer remained at the cruiser. His gut tightened and his knuckles grew white from clenching his fists. A metallic taste burned his throat and he swallowed thickly before he vomited in the grass. How could Robert do this? Sawyer had to get in there. He had to make sure Rachel was safe.

  The deputies returned to the cruisers. “One window on the back and one on the side. They look sealed up. The front’s the only door.”

  “Watkins, you cover the back. Gilbert, you’re on the side in case he tries to come out one of those windows. I’ll approach from the front and talk to the suspect. Tasers only. We don’t know the situation and I don’t want any injuries.”

  Sawyer raked his hands through his hair and fingered his handgun. In just a few seconds, he could be in the door and Shane would be flat on his back.

  Robert shook his head. “Not a chance. You take one step and your career is finished. Got me?”

  Raised voices rang out from inside the house. Shane’s ugly tone and Rachel’s calm response. Thank God. At least she was still conscious.

  The sounds of an argument continued. They both screamed.

  Robert grabbed the radio off his belt. “Watkins, Gilbert, signal when you’re in position.”

  An ear-splitting shriek rang through the air. The front door flew open and Rachel dashed from the cabin.

  Her eyes widened when they landed on him. “Sawyer!” She raced across the thick grass.

  “Move in, move in,” The sheriff ordered into the radio.

  Rachel threw herself into Sawyer’s arms.

  “Thank God.” Sawyer pressed a kiss to her hair and squeezed her body to his. “I’m so sorry, honey. I love you.” He kissed her. “I didn’t tell you before I hung up, and I was—” He kissed her again. “—afraid that was the last time I’d ever talk to you.”

  “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I was just so frustrated. I know you love me. I felt it. The entire time Shane had me, I thought of you. You made me strong.”

  He grabbed her again. He couldn’t, wouldn’t let go of her. He ran his hands over her body. Thank God she was safe. “Did he hurt you?”

  “Not really. He yanked my hair and pulled my arms. A few bruises, maybe. Nothing serious. I was so scared. But then I remembered the training, and I fought back.”

  “That bitch!” Shane’s voice screamed from the cabin.

  “What’s he yelling about? What happened?”

  “Nothing.” A little smile spread across her face. “I used some of the techniques you taught me.”

  “What did you do?”

  She smirked. “Oh, I don’t know…”

  “You kicked him in the balls?”

  “I kicked him in the balls.”

  Epilogue

  RACHEL BRUSHED HER hands down her red dress and checked her makeup in the shiny mirror hanging on the wall of the courthouse conference room. Today was Sawyer’s big day, but she had her own reason to be nervous. The mail hadn’t arrived before she’d had to leave, so she hadn’t gotten the news she’d been waiting for impatiently.

  This visit to the courthouse was for a much better reason than her last. The state police had dragged Shane away and locked him up until trial. She’d sat in the hearing room right in this building as his bail was revoked because of his attack on her. The trial was scheduled for next month, but the DA said Shane would probably plead guilty and avoid the humiliation of a trial. Then she wouldn’t have to testify.

  If she had to appear, she would. With pleasure. Shane would never abuse another woman again.

  Sawyer walked into the room and her heart skipped a beat. He strode over to her and swept her into his arms, planting a kiss square on her lips.

  She chuckled and pulled back, swiping at the red that was now smeared across his mouth. She straightened the buttons and tugged on the hem of his dress uniform. “Very handsome.”

  “So… I, uh…”

  “What?”

  “I ran by the house on the way here.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Did it come?”

  He reached inside his breast pocket and withdrew an envelope.

  She snatched the letter out of his hand and ripped at the paper... then jumped up and down. “I got in! I got in!” She threw her arms around Sawyer.

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  After what she’d been through, business school didn’t hold much interest to her anymore. Dr. James had been a big part of Rachel’s recovery, so Rachel had applied to the University of Pennsylvania to study counseling. She’d reached out to the local women’s shelter and had already started volunteering there. The women she met were strong and ready to start over and needed the understanding ear of someone who’d been there before.

  Sawyer stroked her arms. “Are you ready for this?”

  She’d been waiting for this day since the winner of the election had been announced earlier this month. “I think the better question is whether you are.”

  “Oh yeah, I’m ready.” They had waited a long time for today to happen. She pressed her lips to his, pouring every bit of love for him into that kiss. He swept her into his arms, dipping her deeply. She laughed against his mouth. He still had a long way to go, but after the kidnapping, Sawyer had been more open about his feelings.

  “Okay, break it up, you two. They’ll be plenty of time for that later.” Joey’s voice rang out from the door.

  Brittany swooped in the door behind Joey, and Rachel squealed.
“Let me see, let me see.”

  Brittany dangled her hand under Rachel’s nose, the diamond there reflecting the lights brilliantly. Rachel turned to her brother. “You done good, Joey.”

  Joey wrapped his arm around Brittany’s shoulder, puffing his chest out in his typical style. “I sure did.”

  Rachel smacked him across the chest. “I meant the ring, silly, but I agree about Brittany, too.”

  Joey clapped Sawyer on the shoulder. “You ready for this, man? I don’t know. You look a little nervous.”

  Sawyer smiled at Rachel. “Not one bit. Not as long as I have Rachel by my side.”

  “Aww,” Brittany said, and she and Rachel laughed. Joey grabbed his gut and groaned, his fake pain betrayed by the grin on his face.

  The door opened again. Lucas, Sarah, and Lily rounded the corner, followed by Mom and Dad.

  Rachel rushed across the room and thrust the paper in Mom’s face. “I got in!”

  Mom’s arms came around Rachel. “Congratulations. I’m so proud of you. I knew you would.” Mom opened her arms to include Sawyer. “I’m so proud of both of you.”

  “Thanks, Evelyn.” Sawyer extended his hand to Dad. “Matthew.”

  “I’m very proud of you, son.”

  Dad was spending a lot of time around the house and helping Sawyer and Rachel tackle a number of home improvement projects. After Shane had been locked away, she’d considered moving out, but why bother when she’d found the perfect place that first night Sawyer had taken her to his home?

  Michael poked his head in the door. “So this is where the party is.”

  Rachel grinned and hugged her brother. “How’s the office shaping up?”

  “Looking good. Furniture’s being delivered next week.” As Dad had predicted, Old Man Taylor had retired. Michael bought out the law practice, and next week, he was moving into a new cottage near Lucas. Despite his apparent upbeat attitude, dark circles under his eyes and creases in the corners betrayed his exhaustion. Rachel would have never predicted Michael leaving his firm and moving home, but something had happened to drive him out of Philly. Rachel hadn’t gotten the details out of him… yet. She would eventually.