Hopeful

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  The doorknob rattled. Obviously, it was locked.

  She reached for the doorknob and had just enough time to slide the deadbolt to the right when Will grabbed her shoulders and pushed. Losing her balance, she slammed into the wall.

  She cried out.

  “Mary Kate?” Junior yelled.

  Will glared at her. “Don’t you move,” he ordered. But though his voice was firm, his eyes darted from one corner of the room to another. One of his hands started to shake as his resolve began to falter.

  The doorknob rattled again before it flew open with a loud whoosh, banging against the wall with a hard slam as Junior rushed in. “Mary Kate! What in the world is going on?” He stopped, looked curiously at Will, then paled when he saw her on the ground.

  “I’m all right.” And she was. Oh, she was scared, and her shoulders burned from where his fingers bruised her. But she was going to be all right now.

  “Junior, I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, attempting to rise to her feet. Just before Will turned and slapped her mouth hard enough for her teeth to break skin and her head to hit the floor with a hard thump. The sharp tang of blood teased her lips.

  “You stay quiet, Mary Katherine!” Will screamed. “Shut up and let me handle this.”

  She was too frightened to do anything but pray and hope that Junior would take control of the situation.

  Her eyes began to fill with tears as an incredible pain filled her head. Furious, she blinked. The last thing she wanted was for Will to cause her to shed one more tear.

  “Turn around and leave,” Will yelled to Junior. “Forget you were ever here.”

  “You’d best step aside,” Junior murmured.

  “Or?”

  “Or you’ll wish you had.” When Will still tried to block him, Junior looked positively aggravated. “I work on a farm all day. I’ve raised four brothers. Do ya really think one cowardly bully is going to stop me?”

  And with that, he grabbed Will’s shirt, pushed him toward the floor, then knelt on the floor next to her. “Mary Kate? Are you all right?” His hands hovered over her, as if he wasn’t sure whether to pick her up and carry her away or stay by her side.

  She wasn’t sure what she wanted him to do. But perhaps the best thing for everyone was for her to finally tell the truth. “I’m not all right. Will, here, forced his way in.”

  “And he hurt you. You’re bleeding.” His eyes narrowed. “And you’re bruised.”

  “I think I hurt my head, too. But, um, I . . . I’ll be okay.”

  “This ain’t none of your concern,” Will said.

  “You’re wrong about that,” Junior said as he clambered to his feet and sighed, looking terribly put upon when Will struggled to his feet yet again. “Stay there a moment, wouldja, Mary Kate?” he muttered, just as he turned, calmly tackled Will to the floor, and then pinned him to the ground with a knee in the middle of his back.

  Then, just as if he were asking for a glass of water, he said, “Mary Kate, if you could, go get me a cord or rope or something. Please.”

  Getting to her feet, she remembered some kitchen twine she’d bought in one of the drawers. Ignoring her throbbing head, she pulled it out and handed it to Junior. “Will this do?”

  “Well enough.” Still resting his knee on the middle of Will’s back, Junior fingered the twine, tested it for strength, then smiled at her. “It will be just fine.”

  Mary Kate stood a safe distance away, torn between wanting to fall on the couch in a tired heap and actually doing something useful. “Junior, what can I do to help you?”

  He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. “Why don’t you sit down for a spell?”

  Feeling dizzy and more than a little out of sorts, she sat and watched Junior truss up Will like a turkey.

  To her amazement, Will hardly struggled. Instead, he looked more concerned about getting hurt himself.

  Once Will lay immobile on the floor, Junior stood up and sat next to her. Carefully, he took her hand and squeezed. “What do you want to do with him, Mary Kate?”

  It was time to stand up to Will. If Junior could so easily, surely she could finally do something besides run. Standing up straight, she ignored her swelling cheek and looked Junior in the eye. “We need the police, Junior. This Will, he’s from my hometown. He’s been stalking me for years.”

  “I haven’t been stalking you. I’m your boyfriend, Mary Katherine,” Will protested. “I love you. And you love me, too.”

  She shook her head, wincing as the pain reverberated behind her eyes. “Nee, I do not. I never did.”

  His face turned dark with rage all over again. “Shut up! Just shut up, Mary Katherine.”

  Junior sighed. He went to the kitchen, grabbed a dish towel, and strode to Will’s line of sight. “Do ya want to be gagged, too? Because I can do that if you won’t stop yelling at Mary Kate.”

  After a long moment, Will pressed his lips together with a fierce glare.

  Junior turned to Mary Kate. “If you can make it all right, I think it would be best if you went and got the police. Of course, I’ll stay here and watch over things while you’re gone.”

  Junior was so calm, his demeanor so accepting, the tears that she’d been trying so hard to keep at bay fell to her cheeks. Mary Kate knew she’d never felt so low in her life.

  Without a doubt, all of this was her fault. She should have tried harder to get her parents to believe her when she’d told them that Will Lott was a dangerous man.

  She should have told more people about Will’s anger and the way he refused to ever listen to her when she told him no. She should have gone to the police and filed a report.

  At the very least, she should have done something besides plan for a new place to run. “I’m so sorry, Junior,” she murmured. “I didn’t want to involve you in this.”

  “I’m glad you did, even if it wasn’t on purpose. That’s what friends are for. Ain’t so?” When she nodded, he gestured to the door. “You’d best go. It probably ain’t right to keep Will tied up like this for long.”

  Knowing he was right, she slowly walked to the landing, took a deep breath, and then carefully walked down the stairs one step at a time. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach. However, she forced herself to think positively, to push away her pain. Helping Junior was what she needed to do right now. She needed to help Junior and help herself. After all, all of her worst fears had finally come true, but she’d survived. And Junior Beiler had saved her.

  When she got down the stairs at long last, she took a fortifying breath and made her way down the alley to Main Street. She was close now. She knew she could make it if she just stayed strong.

  Just as she turned right on Main Street, she realized that Junior had been correct after all. She had needed more friends. More friends like him.

  chapter twenty-six

  When they were alone and Junior was completely sure that Will’s bindings couldn’t come undone, he took a seat on the couch.

  Though Mary Kate had told him she’d been in a bad relationship, he’d never imagined anything like this.

  Actually, he’d never spared much of a thought about men like Will Lott. He simply couldn’t imagine ever harming a woman, let alone holding her hostage.

  “Why are you staring at me like that?” Will asked.

  “I guess I’ve been trying to understand you. I don’t understand why you terrorized Mary Kate.” He shrugged. “Actually, for the life of me, I don’t understand anything you’ve done.”

  Will stared at him for a good long minute. “If you don’t understand, you’ve never been in love.”

  “What you’ve been doing, how you’ve been acting? That wasn’t love.”

  “For me, it was. I’ve loved Mary Katherine for all my life. For years I’ve been waiting for her to see me. To see how much I want her. To see how much I’ve always adored her. But no matter what I did or said, she didn’t care.” He closed his eyes, as if he were fighting off his pain. “Today I gave
up waiting and hoping. I decided that I needed to do something.”

  “But all you did was scare her.”

  “That wasn’t what I wanted, though. I didn’t want to be like this. I wanted to be everything good to her. But Mary Katherine never wanted to listen. She never wanted to see how things really were.”

  Junior found Will’s words so disturbing, he strode to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. But as he sipped, the last words that Will uttered echoed in his head.

  Slowly, he set his glass down. Pressed his hands on the counter. And called himself ten kinds of a fool.

  He’d come over to tell Mary Kate that he wished her well, to tell her that he’d finally understood what she’d been trying to tell him, that they could only ever be friends.

  He’d even thought about asking her for advice about winning back Miriam.

  But now Junior realized that all he really needed to do was finally tell Miriam what was in his heart. That at long last, he’d finally seen her for the wonderful person she was, who she’d always been.

  And that he would do whatever it took to regain her trust.

  Mary Kate! Oh my goodness! You’re bleeding, and your lip is swollen! Whatever is wrong?”

  Mary Kate spun around to find the one face that she longed to see above all others. Miriam. Despite the pain, she felt a smile trying to form on her lips.

  She grabbed her friend’s arm for support. “It’s too much to tell right this second. But Junior is alone with Will in my apartment and I’ve got to get him help as soon as possible. I’m headed to the police station right now. Can you help me?”

  Miriam blinked as she obviously tried to process what Mary Kate had just said.

  “But of course, Mary Kate. The police station is just up the street.”

  They’d walked one whole block when Miriam spied Joe Burkholder. “Joe!” she cried out. “You are an answer to my prayers!”

  When he spied Mary Kate’s pale face, Joe rushed over. “Mary Kate, what happened to you? Do you need some help?”

  Miriam answered, her voice brisk with purpose. “I think we’re all right at the moment. We’re on our way to the police station. But I’m afraid Junior really does need some help. He’s alone in Mary Kate’s apartment with Will. Can you hurry over there?”

  Joe looked completely taken aback. “Uh, I’ll go wherever you need me to go. But . . . who’s Will?”

  Miriam shushed him. “Don’t worry about that now.” After quickly giving him Mary Kate’s address, she said, “Go help out Junior, wouldja? And tell him that the police will be there soon.”

  Joe nodded, then turned and ran back down Main Street.

  “See, Mary Kate, everything is going to be all right,” she soothed, just as they entered the police station. And just as Mary Kate felt like she was about to collapse.

  Within minutes of their arrival, everything became a blur. The emergency medical technicians were called. Two policemen drove over to Mary Kate’s apartment in a flashing patrol car, and another carefully escorted Mary Kate into a private room. Miriam stayed by her side and could barely keep her mouth from gaping open as Mary Kate told the police officer all that had happened to her in the last hour.

  Several times Mary Kate had to stop to take rejuvenating breaths to gain control of herself. Her head continued to feel as if it were splitting open. The policeman offered to stop his questioning and send her to the hospital, but Mary Kate shook her head, murmured something about needing to be strong, and kept answering questions.

  At the very end of her statement, Mary Kate looked at the policeman and said, “I was so scared, all I could do was just keep hoping and praying for a miracle. Then, all of the sudden, Junior showed up. He saved me, he truly did.” Reaching out with a tremulous smile, Mary Kate grasped Miriam’s hand. “He was the answer to my prayers!”

  At last, Junior walked in the room with a big smile. “I had to see you, Mary Kate. I’ve been so worried.”

  “I’ve been feeling the same way about you.” After a moment’s hesitation, she got to her feet, walked to Junior’s side, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Junior, I’m so glad you are okay.”

  Junior returned her hug. “I’m fine. I trussed him up, remember? There was no way Will was going to get free without me wanting him to. And then, thanks to you and Miriam, Joe showed up, and then the police came just minutes after that.” Still grinning broadly, he said, “It’s been quite an adventure for me.”

  Feeling sick at heart, Miriam pressed herself against the wall as she continued to watch Junior console Mary Kate. He looked so brave and strong next to Mary Kate’s petite frame. So caring and tender.

  So very different than he’d ever been with her.

  The police officer coughed. “I’m sorry to break things up, but I’ve got some questions for you, Junior.”

  Junior sat down. “I understand.”

  Then the policeman turned to Miriam, his gruff expression shaking her out of her daze. “Miss, I’m afraid you’re going to need to go to the waiting room or something. Mary Kate needs to go to the hospital, so I’ll be sending for an ambulance.”

  “Oh! Oh, of course.” After smiling weakly at Mary Kate, Miriam backed away. “I think I’ll just be going home now. It seems Mary Kate is in good hands.”

  Miriam rushed through the door, turned the corner, and hurried back to her house. All she wanted to do was hide in her room and have a good cry. It was obvious that Junior and Mary Kate were finally going to be happy together. If that hug was any indication, they would probably be inseparable for the days and weeks ahead.

  She should really be happy for them. And maybe this would mean Mary Kate would stay in town. She would lose another friend to marriage, while continuing to forge ahead alone.

  She shook her head, trying to dislodge the thought. Just as she stepped on her front porch, her mother rushed out. “Miriam, someone just stopped by to tell me you were in the police station with Mary Kate! What in the world happened?”

  Since she knew her mother wasn’t going to be satisfied unless she heard the whole story, Miriam took a seat on one of the rockers and started telling her mamm all about Will Lott, Mary Kate’s fear of him, and how Junior Beiler saved the day.

  Her mother listened in fascination until Miriam came to the very end. Lines of concentration—and a good dose of confusion—formed on her brow. “Wait a minute. Why was Junior paying Mary Kate a call? He’s courting you.”

  Miriam bit her lip, then leaned back in her chair, resigning herself to telling her mother the whole terrible truth. “Junior never liked me, Mamm. He liked Mary Kate. He was only coming over here to ask for my help.”

  “But that’s not what you told us.” She frowned. “Miriam, we thought you two were interested in each other.”

  “He wasn’t. Not really.” She knew right then and there that her mother would never have any idea just how hard that was for her to admit. “Junior and I are friends, nothing more.”

  Her mother slumped. “Are you sure?”

  “Oh, jah. He doesn’t like me like that, Mamm.”

  Her mother rocked back and forth, gazing at her, gazing at the empty street in front of them. Finally, she nodded. “Well, all right, then.”

  Relieved that telling the truth hadn’t been a more painful exercise, Miriam made a move to stand up.

  “Not just yet, Miriam.” Her mother shifted in her chair, then brightened her voice. “You know what? I think you should start going to the singings after church on Sundays.”

  Miriam could hardly believe what she was hearing. She’d just poured her heart out to her mother, told her how her best friend had just been held captive in her apartment . . . and this was her response?

  “Mamm, I think we both know I am too old to do that.”

  “Sometimes there are older men and women there,” her mother continued, just as if Miriam had never spoken. “Um, I’ve even heard that sometimes men and women around your age participate from time to ti
me.”

  This was truly awful. “Mamm, if anyone is there who is my age, it’s because they’re there chaperoning.”

  “Well, you need to do something.” With a bit of effort, she rocked forward in her chair, then stood up. “Miriam, let me be blunt with you. If you keep holding out hope for a man like Junior Beiler, well, you’re going to be terribly disappointed. And alone for a verra long time. I am mighty sure that you are going to be a wonderful wife and mother. But you must give someone else a chance before it is too late.”

  The prediction hurt. Unfortunately, there was a lot of truth to the words, as well, as much as it pained her to admit. She got to her feet as well, and prepared for a fast exit. “Mamm, I hear what you’re saying. And I thank you for your concern.”

  An eyebrow raised. “I’m glad you hear me. But are you going to really listen to some advice?”

  “I listened, Mamm. I promise I did. But right now I’m going to head to bed. I’m really tired.”

  “Well, all right. Good night, dear.”

  As she climbed the stairs, Miriam thought about what her mother said. Maybe no-nonsense advice was exactly what she needed to hear. It didn’t make her feel good, but she knew from experience that telling someone what they needed to hear instead of what they wanted to believe took a lot of courage. After gathering her nightgown and robe, she stepped into the bathroom and unpinned her dress. Removed her kapp. Turned on the shower.

  And thought some more.

  Yes, her present and her future were sure to be much better now that Junior was officially off the market.

  As she stepped under the hot spray, she almost felt good again. Well, almost normal. With that in mind, she tried to think of all the eligible men in her circle. First of all, there was James and Robert, though she’d truly never liked Robert. He was a bit lazy, and she’d never been one for that.

  She thought some more and recalled that Clyde had always had nice eyes. And Mark liked to laugh. That had to count for a lot. Everyone always told her that humor was important in a marriage.

  But neither of those men had ever struck her fancy, either.