The Stolen Heart (Contemporary Romance)

by Emily Walters

  “Sadie,” she said.

  “What?” he asked.

  “The dog’s name is Sadie. We should start down the street by Mr. Kimmell’s place because she likes to sneak off with his male German shepherd, they just can’t stay away from each other.”

  Hunter smiled and his face was just as handsome as the first time she saw him.

  “Well, let’s go find the troublemaking dog.” He jumped in her passenger’s seat as she got in the driver’s side.

  Ashley thought that maybe she was going insane and making irrational decisions but she didn’t care, she wanted to be near Hunter. So the two of them drove out of her driveway together in search of Suzanne Murray’s precious Sadie. They had been driving around for ten minutes when Ashley finally spotted the mutt running towards the creek.

  “There she is!” she told Hunter.

  “Stop the car. I will go after her,” he told her.

  Pulling off the road, Ashley put the car in park and watched Hunter jump out and run after the loose dog. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to help catch the dog, she got out of the car and followed them. Hunter was close to the canine but the dog had reached the creek, and she was clearly debating crossing the water to get away from Ashley and Hunter. It was intense as Hunter and Sadie eyed each other from a distance, deciding if the other was quicker or whether they would win the draw. Finally the dog made a move and dashed into the creek. Hunter, not to be defeated, jumped in the creek in pursuit of her. He managed to be quicker in the waist-deep water, as Sadie struggled to paddle to the other side. Pulling her close to him, he brought her to the edge of the creek where she was safe. The dog was suddenly thankful and happy to be in his arms. She licked her capturer’s face and sat in his lap as he caught his breath in the grass.

  “Well, looks like you found a new friend.” Ashley smiled as she watched the two unlikely pals resting together on the ground.

  Hunter laughed as Sadie nuzzled her nose into his neck and demanded to be petted. The sight of them was so innocent and pure that any thoughts of him being bad or dangerous left her mind. This man was so much more than a criminal. She could feel it.

  They drove back to Suzanne Murray’s house with the dog sitting on Hunter’s lap the whole time. When they got out of the car Mrs. Murray was waiting in the doorway of her house for her beloved Sadie. Hunter carried the dog to her.

  “Oh, thank you so much, Ashley,” she said.

  “It was actually my friend Hunter here who got her as she jumped into the creek. She’s a little wet but she is safe,” Ashley told her.

  “Well, thank you, Hunter, I am Suzanne Murray,” she introduced herself. “I love the dog, but I am afraid I just can’t keep up with her anymore. My other dog stays put and doesn’t run off but Sadie is rebellious and wild. I thought I’d be able to tame her ways but it’s not possible, well at least for me, I just don’t have the energy for her anymore.”

  “Ma’am, if you can’t keep her anymore, I would love to have her,” Hunter said.

  “Oh, you would do that? I would let her go to a new home as long I knew she was being taken care of.”

  “Hunter is going to be staying in my barn’s apartment and helping me restore my grandma’s house,” Ashley told her. “I think the dog would make a great companion for him.”

  “Wonderful.” The woman kissed the dog’s head and ran her hand through her wet fur. “You were a good friend, Sadie.”

  “I will take good care of her, I promise,” Hunter told her.

  “I don’t doubt it and I am glad you are going to be working on my old friend’s home. I wish I had a young, strong brute like you around my own house. My roof has been leaking for months.” She kissed her dog one more time.

  “How about I stop by tomorrow and take a look at your roof?” he offered. “I used to work as a roofer and know a thing or two.”

  “You are such a savior!” Suzanne put her hand to his cheek. “Ashley, where did you find such an angel?”

  Ashley spared her the bank robbery story and instead just smiled.

  Chapter 6

  “You let that stranger move in with you? Ashley, what the hell are you thinking?” Henry was fuming as he stood on Ashley’s front porch. It had actually been a week since Hunter had moved onto her property but she had avoided telling Henry because she knew he would not be too happy.

  “He isn’t living with me. He is living in the efficiency inside the barn. My grandma used to rent it out to people all the time. Why are you so mad?” Ashley knew he would be upset but seeing his face red and his eyebrows arched, she was surprised at just how mad he had gotten when he showed up at her doorstep.

  “Why am I mad? You didn’t even tell me that you had this man living here. I found out from someone in town. I told you that he is a dangerous man. He has been to prison, Ashley. Has he told you all about that?”

  “Actually, yes he did. I know about his past.” She smirked. “You can’t judge everyone by their past mistakes. Besides, I thought that you might think it was good for me to have someone here to keep an eye out on my house until you find these bank robbers.”

  “Bank robbers? What if that man has something to do with it? What happens if he is involved in the robbery?” Henry paced the porch as he shook his head like he could not understand her actions. “You do not know that man and I told you he is a person of interest in this case. Maybe he is only here because of your inheritance.”

  “That is ridiculous. He is not involved in the robbery and he has no idea about my inheritance, except this house, which he is helping me to restore.” Ashley walked across her porch and sat down in her grandmother’s old rocking chair. “Look, I know that you are a good friend and you are only trying to keep me safe, but trust me when I saw that he is not a bad person. He is kind, funny, and very handy around this place. Last week he found Mrs. Murray’s lost dog and then fixed her leaking roof for free. Two days ago he helped Margaret Franklin with her garden and today he is down at Tom Heldan’s putting up a new fence to keep his horses from getting loose again. He is just trying to make a new home here in this town.”

  “Or he’s just trying to earn your trust so he can take you for every penny you have.” Henry leaned against the porch railing with his arms crossed. “He sure did squeeze his way into your life quickly.”

  “Knock it off.” She rolled her eyes and ignored his suggestions. “Aren’t you supposed to be working? Shouldn’t you be catching some criminals or helping some citizens, not pestering me on my front porch?”

  “You are so stubborn, you know that?” He gave her a look as though he were fed up with her not listening to his advice. “Stubborn and foolish!”

  He walked away from her and to his police car before waving a lazy goodbye and disappearing down her driveway. She sat still in the rocking chair and thought about his warnings. Hunter had been nothing but sweet and generous since she had met him. In the week since he had moved into her barn he had already fixed the broken barn door, painted her kitchen, and replaced her cracked window in her downstairs bathroom. He had never asked her for anything or inquired about her inheritance. They had supper together every evening and he sometimes watched a movie with her after that. She was really beginning to fall for him.

  Henry had to be off with his suspicions. There was no way that Hunter could be involved with the bank robbery. He had been the one that saved her life, not endangered it. It would have made no sense for him to go against the robbers if he was one of them. Ashley thought about the day she had a gun pointed at her face and how scared she had been. The fear was like nothing she had ever experienced. Her body had felt numb and frozen as she thought for sure she would be killed in that bank, but Hunter had intervened and surely saved her from death. As all the terrible feelings began to come back to her she suddenly felt the urge to get inside.

  Ashley got up from the rocker and went inside where she quickly locked the doors and all the windows that she had opened since it was such a nice day. She went
around and checked them all a second time because reminiscing about the robbery had made her scared again. It wasn’t a feeling she liked to have in her own home. Needing to unwind and relax, she ran a hot bath and soaked in the bubbles, letting the bad memories and fears wash away with the warm water. It made her feel better and she soon felt silly for getting worried. As she had told Henry a hundred times, the robbers were probably a thousand miles away by now and she was safe.

  After she had spent way too much time soaking in the bath, she got out and wrapped herself in her robe. She walked downstairs to grab a drink when she noticed something that made her stop and freeze. The living room window was wide open and the wind was blowing the curtain in the air. That window had been closed, she had locked it and checked it twice. She didn’t know whether to scream or run, but she knew for certain that she had checked and locked every window in her house two times before taking a bath. Filled with fear, she slowly crept towards her front door, if she could make it outside she had a spare car key hidden by a magnet underneath her car. She could get to her car and drive to safety, but then again her cellphone was upstairs, maybe she should sneak back up there and call Henry or 911? Either option was risky because she had no idea whether someone was waiting for her in the house or outside. Her legs were shaking from fear and her body was going numb as she stepped slowly down her front hall. A noise came from the kitchen, like someone had stepped on the loose board on the floor, it was enough to make her numbed legs solid and ready to get the hell out of her house. She ran to the door and threw it open. Leaping onto her porch, she ran smack into Hunter who was walking to her front door. The collision brought a terrified scream from her lips.

  “Ashley, it’s me! It’s Hunter!” He put his arms around her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Someone is in there!” she said. “I think there is someone in my kitchen.”

  “Get in my truck and lock the doors. If I am not back in a few minutes, go.” Hunter handed her his keys and watched her get in his truck safely before he disappeared into the house.

  Waiting was torture as she didn’t know what was happening inside or whether Hunter was alright or in danger. She thought about just starting the truck and heading to a neighbor’s for help, but she didn’t want to leave Hunter by himself. Maybe she should honk the horn and get the attention of someone nearby, but that most likely wouldn’t work since there was a good distance between the houses on her road. The thought had occurred to her to use the shovel that was leaning again her house and go inside to help Hunter, she could hit the intruder over the head, but she was too scared to unlock the truck door let alone get out. Instead, she waited as her body filled with a familiar fear and helplessness. Just when she was about to do as Hunter had said and drive in search of help, Ashley saw him come walking out of her home unharmed and alone.

  “It is okay, come on out.” He motioned for her to get out of the truck.

  “Are you sure?” she yelled from the truck’s window.

  “Yes, come on.” He came over to the truck door and opened it for Ashley to come out.

  “What did you find? Who is in there?” She stepped out of his truck.

  “No one. There isn’t anyone in your house. I searched every room but didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious.” He brushed her damp hair out of her face with his fingers. “You are safe now, I promise.”

  “Why did you come here?” Ashley asked him. She didn’t mean to sound suspicious but the question had suddenly popped into her head.

  “I came by to check on you and see how you were doing.” Hunter shrugged. “I just wanted to see you, I guess.”

  “Well, I am glad that you are here.” She stepped towards him.

  He pulled her body to his and held her in his strong arms. She could hear his deep voice through his chest against her ear as he spoke.

  “What happened? Why were you so scared?” he asked, still holding onto her.

  “I closed and locked every door and window. I checked them all twice to make sure they were closed and locked. Then I went up and took a bath. When I came back downstairs the front window was open.” She took a deep breath as she relived the moment in her head. “I heard someone walk in the kitchen, I know that sound. There was someone in there.”

  “I checked and no one was in there and the back door was still locked from the inside.” He rubbed her back to comfort her. “Maybe you just missed that window and your mind was playing tricks on you?”

  “No.” She pulled away from him and looked up into his blue eyes. “I know that window was closed and locked. I know it. And that noise I heard coming from the kitchen is the same loose board that I grew up hearing my whole life. I know this house, I know that sound. Someone was in my house.”

  “Okay, calm down.” He took her by the arm. “I will go inside with you and you can take a look for yourself.”

  Hunter led her slowly into the house, as she walked barefooted and only in a pink robe. Each step she took made her think that she was getting closer to danger, but she kept going, feeling safe with Hunter.

  “See, there is no one in here, Ashley.” His voice was gentle and reassuring. “Look, I am going to close this window and lock it. You are safe now, alright?”

  “Maybe I should call Henry?” Her eyes scanned the room for signs that someone was there but she couldn’t find any evidence of an intruder.

  “I don’t think that is necessary,” he told her. “I checked the whole house. Honey, no one was here.”

  “Somebody was here. That window was closed.” She shook her head as she remembered her actions before getting in the bath. “I locked every window.”

  “Listen, you have been through a lot in the past week or so. You have every right to be scared and cautious. I think that you probably accidentally left the window open and your mind is playing tricks on you. I checked the whole house and the back door was locked still from the inside and no one could have got out without us seeing.” He put his hand on her shoulder and comforted her. “Maybe you should get some rest and relaxation. You have a lot on your mind with this robbery and your business.”

  “Can you stay?” she asked.

  “Huh?”

  “I mean, you can sleep in a spare bedroom or on the couch. I just don’t want to be alone.” Ashley never used to mind being alone but now she hated it.

  “Yes. I’ll stay.” He smiled at her. “I was thinking that I could start working on the downstairs bathroom right now anyway, so I will do that while you go upstairs and get some rest.”

  “Okay, you promise you will be right down here?”

  “Promise.” He crossed his heart with his fingers.

  Ashley went up the stairs, checking every room up there before finally being satisfied that she was alone up there. She went into her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. As she lay in her bed and tried to get a grasp on the past hour, her mind could not get over the fact that someone had been there in that house. Maybe Hunter was right and she had got so caught up in her worries that her mind imagined closing the window. But what about the loose board from the kitchen? She had heard it perfectly. It all was frustrating but she told herself to stop pondering it for now. Hunter told her to get some rest and relax and that was exactly what she needed right now. Knowing that he was down there eased her and she soon feel asleep.

  A few hours later she woke up feeling better than she had since the robbery. The sleep had been a fresh start to getting her mind right and she hoped that this was the beginning to putting the robbery behind her. As she got out of bed she tightened the tie around her robe. Her long hair was tangled but she just pushed it back and went down to check on Hunter.

  Hunter was in the downstairs bathroom. When she opened the door she was surprised to see that he had fixed her running toilet and torn down all the old yellow wallpaper she had been wanting to take down for years.

  “Did you have a nice nap?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She smiled and then bit h
er lip as she thought about how good it would feel to kiss him. “You did a lot of work while I was asleep. Thank you.”

  “It’s a good start. The toilet isn’t running or leaking anymore and I got all the wallpaper down that you hate. We can go tomorrow and you can pick out the color you want this bathroom to be.” His eyes were so fascinating, shades of ocean and twirls of clouds. She could stare at them for days. “Now I think I will head back to the barn to take a quick shower.”

  “You can take one here, in the upstairs master bathroom,” she said as she imagined him naked in her bathroom. “I mean, if that is okay with you.”

  “I will go grab some clothes and be right back. Are you sure you are alright with this?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I told you I wanted you to stay.” Her cheeks turned pink as she blushed talking about him staying in her house. “You know, just until I feel safe again.”