The Guarded Widow

by K M Gaffney

  Then she took stock of her injuries, feeling thankful to have only ended up with a few scratches and bruises, especially considering her intruder’s prurient intentions.

  When Gavin reappeared, gripping an ice pack wrapped inside a dish towel, he glanced at the bed and frowned. Olivia was no longer on the bed where he’d left her which meant she’d got up and moved, by herself.

  Still frowning, he handed the ice pack.

  “Put this on your face.”

  She placed the cold fabric against her throbbing eye and sat back to watch him as he paced the guest room floor. His face was furious, the muscles in his jaw flexing angrily. As she watched him move about the room, he reminded her of an enraged, wild animal.

  But when he walked back over and kneeled down in front of her, his conflicted eyes softened as they scanned her face, assessing the injuries.

  He gathered her small hands into his own, larger protective ones. His voice was quiet but firm. “I need to know exactly what happened to you. Tell me, Olivia.”

  With a heavy sigh, she lifted her arms to reach up and tuck her hair back behind her ears. As she did so, the blanket slipped off her shoulders, revealing deep purple bruises and angry bleeding claw marks, both were a glaring contrast upon her pale skin.

  Gavin flinched at the sight of them. His narrowed gaze swept down over Olivia’s partially clad body when ample curves of smooth satin stretched taut against bare flesh seized his attention.

  “He touched you?” Gavin ground out. Gently catching her chin within his hand, he forced her to look directly in his eyes.

  Olivia interrupted his next obvious question.

  “No, I wasn’t raped,” she said murmured quietly and began visibly shaking again. “I don’t want to relive this experience multiple times by having to repeat what happened to several different people.”

  Not wanting to cause her anymore distress, he quickly replied, “That’s understandable; I can wait until Ron takes your statement.”

  Wishing to soothe her, Gavin began lightly running his hands over her back and neck, massaging her until she gradually relaxed against the chair and began drifting off into sleep.

  Without warning, Olivia sat bolt upright.

  With fear clouding her eyes, she reached for Gavin.

  “He told me, he’s going to kill me when he comes back,” she gasped, terrified.

  “The hell he will,” he growled as he completely gathered her up into his arms.

  Needing to keep her close, he sat down on the chair and began rocking her as though she was a child. Finally, after numerous fitful episodes of waking and clutching his shirt in fear, Olivia succumbed to fatigue.

  Gavin studied her battered face so completely relaxed with deep sleep, and decided whoever this man is; he will never get the opportunity to touch her again.

  He nearly imploded as he tamped down against the raging intense desire to commit murder coursing through his veins.

  As he rose from the chair and gently placed her down on the bed, Gavin turned to look out the window. Maddy had just arrived. She rushed out of her car to meet Officer Barton in the front yard. Gavin watched Maddy as she covered her face with her hands and dropped down onto the front porch steps.

  “I will not allow her to be left alone in this house, to fend for herself again,” he vowed as he sat down in a chair to watch over Olivia as she slept.

  That was how Maddy found them. The setting winter sun cast shadows over the guest bedroom, safely enveloping Olivia within their midst as she slept peacefully on the bed. Looking uncomfortable with his large frame overflowing the Windsor chair tucked between the two windows, Gavin sat in vigilant silence, brooding as he watched over her.

  At that moment, as Maddy watched him through the partially open door, she realized Gavin Rafferty was in love with her sister.

  He may not even know it yet, she mused before clearing her throat to gain his attention.

  Gavin’s head snapped around sharply as Maddy glided into the room.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt. Ron sent me up to speak with you. I’m going to take the boys to The Pizza Parlor for dinner. Olivia needs time to talk with you and Ron before she sees the kids.”

  He directed a cold glare at Maddy.

  “Now Gavin, Ron understands you don’t want to upset her any more than necessary, but he at least needs a description of her attacker.”

  “You can tell Ron…”

  Rousing from her slumber, Olivia had heard enough of Maddy’s request and slowly sat up in bed to interrupt Gavin’s tirade.

  “Maddy, please tell him I’ll be down in ten minutes,” she said, turning her face to look up at her sister.

  Although Maddy tried to hide it, Olivia still noticed her sister’s involuntary wince in response to her injured face. “Thank you Maddy for taking the boys, so I can talk to the police alone.”

  “Your welcome, I’ll see you soon,” she replied, leaning over to kiss the top of her sister’s head.

  As she left the room, Maddy stole one last glance at Gavin. I’ll need to talk to him privately she thought before hurrying out to intercept her nephews at the bus stop.

  Since Gavin had kept Olivia sequestered to the second floor for the remainder of the afternoon, Officer Barton launched an investigation into her attack, the best that he could without a statement. He quickly discovered the footprints in the snow around the house which led him on a three quarter mile hike out to the main road. He surmised the attacker’s point of entry was through the garage after finding similar footprints intermingled with Olivia’s tire tracks. His next focus was Tom Jones’s previous employer, Viccerroy Malpractice Group. He contacted the insurance company and requested a complete list of every single employee from the last seven years. But first and foremost, Officer Barton conceded in frustration, I need a statement from Olivia with an accurate description of the perpetrator.

  Thank God for Maddy, he thought, shaking his head. If it wasn’t for her, Gavin might have never let Olivia see the light of day again. Annoyed with his friend, Ron decided if Officer Rafferty doesn’t get a grip soon he’d request that Gavin be yanked off this investigation, immediately.

  My body feels like I’ve been run over by a tractor trailer, Olivia thought, wincing. Her face smarted, her arms hurt, even her bottom ached. Actually, it seemed to throb with every single beat of her pulse. Hoping the hot water from a shower would help, she eased in, nearly groaning in pain from the heat.

  Gavin had brought some fresh clothes into the guest room for her while she’d taken a shower and then he’d gone down to talk with Ron. When she finally came downstairs, moving at a snail’s pace from bruises and stiffness already settling in, she glanced around the kitchen but didn’t see him. As she approached, Ron stood up and pulled out a chair for her, noting her visual search for Gavin.

  “He’ll be back in a few minutes, Olivia. I sent him on a food run.”

  Actually, truth be told, Ron had taken one look at Gavin’s stony face and decided it would be best to allow him a few minutes alone to mentally prepare for listening to Olivia’s statement.

  Ten minutes later, Gavin returned carrying a hefty bag of fast food. He placed a sandwich and soft drink in front of Olivia, instructing her to eat.

  Until he’d walked in holding the deliciously fragrant bag, she hadn’t even realized how hungry she actually was and so she enthusiastically devoured the food, without question.

  Once she was done Olivia looked to Ron who gave her a nod, indicating she could begin whenever she was ready.

  After a deep calming breath, she glanced at Gavin and Ron, and then immediately launched into a descriptive account of the events which had taken place earlier in the afternoon. As she spoke, she noted how Gavin maintained an objective, cool expression while he listened to her recant her experience, keeping his face void of all emotion.

  At least until, she started detailing the acts of physical abuse and the attacker’s intent of sexual assault. Then he sat staring at her
, with a tightly clenched jaw, his eyes hinting of a violence Olivia could have never have fully comprehended. Once she finally completed giving a detailed description of her attacker, all Gavin had said was, “Good job, Olivia.”

  He then turned to Ron. “I’ll be back in an hour, stay with her.”

  With those clipped words, he abruptly walked right out the front door.

  Olivia looked at Ron, who shrugged his shoulders before answering her unspoken question.

  “He just needs some time to calm down,” Ron said, patting her hand reassuringly.

  After Gavin left Olivia’s house, he decided to stop by his apartment first, to pack a bag. Then he needed to stop by The Pizza Parlor. Maddy’s going to need to support my decision to move into Olivia’s house on a temporary basis, and was completely prepared to make certain that she did.

  As he drove toward the quaint older brick apartment building, he’d lived in ever since relocating to Liberty, he allowed himself to replay the events of the afternoon in his mind. He knew he’d never be able to erase the image of Olivia huddled up, half naked, on her kitchen floor.

  Never in his life had he felt such hateful rage as he had tonight, as she’d repeated her experience to them. It was bad enough that she’d been recently harassed by this particular man but the detailed, play by play, of her attacker’s physical violence and his intent to rape her had Gavin contemplating handing over his badge.

  He wanted to tear the man to pieces with his bare hands.

  He wanted blood.

  Once he finished gathering a few necessary belongings at his apartment, Gavin traveled to The Pizza Parlor. However, once he’d arrived, he sat alone, in the parking lot, trying to get a grip on his anger and frustration.

  When he finally walked into the restaurant, he saw Olivia’s sons in the game room, playing air hockey, while Maddy was seated alone at a table by the window. She looked lost in a world of her own.

  Gavin strode up to her. “Excuse me, Maddy I need to talk to you….”

  Maddy’s head snapped up, her first thought was, why he had left Olivia alone? She started to accuse Gavin of this but he raised his hand to stop her.

  “Please, I don’t have the time or energy for ridiculous accusations. Ron’s with her until I return. As a matter of fact, that’s why I’m standing here, talking to you. I want you to help me convince Olivia that I should stay there, at the house. I don’t think she should be alone.”

  As Maddy’s eyes widened in surprise, he prepared to launch into the persuasive argument he’d constructed on the way over.

  Her reply completely surprised him.

  “Gavin, I left the house tonight with the intent of trying to convince you of the exact same thing,” she said, smiling.

  He grinned and sat down across from her at table.

  “Well, that was certainly easy. How do you think Olivia will respond to me moving in until we find this guy?”

  Maddy grimaced at him.

  “She’s going to throw quite a fit. My sister is a very independent soul.”

  Then her eyes sobered and her tone of voice became serious.

  “She had to become independent, Gavin. Her marriage had started crumbling a few years before Tom even died. Then she was a widow at thirty three years old, and at the time the boys were nine, seven and five years of age. I did my best to help her but she made it very clear she wanted raise her sons on her own.”

  Maddy sighed. “Olivia always believed the failing marriage was somehow her fault. Apparently, she’d managed to convince herself that she’d done something wrong and had driven Tom away.”

  Gavin spoke in a fierce tone. “That man didn’t recognize the gift he had in Olivia and those boys.”

  Flashing him a brilliant smile, Maddy patted his hand. “But you do, don’t you Gavin?”

  Happy with the outcome of their conversation, she called her nephews over to get ready to leave the restaurant. Then with a heavy sigh, Maddy decided she needed to prepare herself to go into a battle of wills with her older sister.

  Thrilled to see her boys when they returned home, Olivia allowed them to stay up later than usual since she hadn’t seen them all day. Of course, she opted not to tell them about the horrific events which had occurred, as it would only upset and scare them.

  Thankfully, ice had helped to drastically reduce the swelling around her eye and makeup all but masked the bruise.

  So when she finally came downstairs from tucking in her sons, she wasn’t overly concerned to find Maddy and Gavin waiting for her. Her initial thought was that they were worried about the boys finding out, until she noted their deliberate exchange of eye contact and then thought better of her original assumption.

  “What’s up?” Olivia asked as she approached them both.

  Seated right beside each other, at the dining room table, they looked like a set of parents presenting a united front.

  Olivia frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest, instinctively knowing this wasn’t going to be good.

  Maddy spoke first.

  “Olivia, please come in and take a seat. Gavin and I want to talk to you.”

  Narrowing her eyes as she selected a chair directly across the table from where they were sitting, she teased them.

  “Why do I feel like you’re both ganging up on me?”

  “Olivia,” Maddy said, using the sweetest, most concerned tone she could conjure up. “Gavin and I have been talking and we both believe it’s in the best interest of your safety for you not to be alone, here at the house.”

  Olivia arched a brow at them.

  “Oh, you do?” she asked, dripping with sarcasm. “Well, I don’t believe either of you are in the position of telling me, what is best for me. I’m an adult and …”

  Leaning back in the chair, Gavin crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes He studied the woman sitting across from him, noting the stubborn set of her jaw and mutinous expression.

  Maddy had tried being congenial. In her attempt to not upset her sister, she’d mistakenly posed their decision as though it was a suggestion, as though Olivia had an option.

  But she didn’t, because Gavin had already decided there was no option here.

  “Well, I’m not going to sit here…”

  Gavin had heard enough.

  “Olivia, I’m going to be staying here, with you and the boys, until this man is either in custody or dead.”

  Her hazel eyes initially registered shock, then narrowed with sheer fury. “How dare you...”

  Calmly rising from the table, Gavin ended the conversation by reaching down and picking up his black duffel bag.

  “I’ll be staying in the guest room,” he told her as he started to leave the dining room, but then turned around to put an end her sputtering.

  “This is the way it’s going to be, Olivia. You need to get over it.”

  She watched him walk off before skewering Maddy with an angry glare.

  Maddy looked entirely too amused.

  “So are you staying too?” Olivia asked, sneering at her sister.

  Maddy laughed out loud. “Absolutely not!”

  She picked up her purse and walked over to hug her furious sister.

  “I love you, Olivia. I could never live with myself if something happened to you. Today we got off lucky, but Gavin and I don’t want to risk you a second time.”

  Maddy kissed each of Olivia’s cheeks. Then she paused and said, “Take it easy on him, Olivia. Gavin Rafferty is a good man.”

  Chapter Ten

  I’m never going to have a full night’s sleep again, Gavin thought running his hands through his hair in frustration. Not long after locking himself into the guest room he’d heard Olivia stomp upstairs to go to bed. And stomp she did. She’d deliberately made enough noise to wake the dead, leaving him surprised that she didn’t wake up one of her sons.

  She was furious and Gavin knew it.

  But quite frankly, he really didn’t care.

  He’d m
eant it when he told Olivia she’d have to get over it.

  His long sturdy frame was stretched out across the guest room bed as the predawn light began filtering through the drawn window shades. He listened, with mounting frustration, as Olivia moved about within her master bathroom which was located, unmercifully, right next door to the guest room. His overzealous imagination nearly cost him his sanity when he heard the shower water turn on.

  So he lay there in torment, tautly aware of every sound coming through the wall, wondering if a man could actually die from physically wanting a woman.

  In an attempt to disregard his own self provoked misery, he allowed his mind to return to the day before. He recalled sitting in the chair, watching her as she slept.

  His intense need to protect her was such an unusual reaction for him that he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  I’ve never been motivated to interfere so blatantly in a woman’s life before. Is it the combination of the kids and her husband’s death which makes me feel like she’s so vulnerable?

  As he asked himself this question, he heard the shower water shut off and his mind involuntarily shifted to her bathroom again. She’s probably glistening wet, chilly, reaching for a towel… Gavin shook his head, purposely trying to divert his attention again.

  Even with Missy, who I’d claimed to love, I didn’t want to be an intricate part of her life; I’d never contemplated marrying her.

  Those last two words made him sit bolt upright in bed.

  Marriage? Where the hell did that word come from? I must have some serious sleep deprivation going on, he assured himself as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. I only want to protect her, see her, touch her….Okay Rafferty, you’re going to get yourself all hot and bothered again.

  Determined to squelch his overactive libido, Gavin snuck out of the guest room and made his way down the hall to find the boys’ bathroom. He planned on taking a long, cold shower.