Okay. Wonderful. So, he didn’t want to talk about it.
A car zipped past, and she realized she hadn’t seen or heard another car since she’d stopped. She stepped back from the fence and away from him. The man was disagreeable, and being alone with most men made her uncomfortable. So many had that predatory look, letting their eyes slide over her like she was livestock on display. It didn’t matter what she wore – business suits for the courtroom, modest dresses for evening, a pair of jeans and loose shirt to run to the store – men were predators.
Yet, Luke’s deep-set eyes had never left hers. His clenched jaw reflected some strong emotion, though. As a lawyer, she’d learned to read faces. So, what was she seeing now? Before she could decide, he grabbed a handful of the stallion’s mane and threw himself forward onto its back. The horse circled and stomped.
Luke straightened, pulled on the reins and looked down at her. A stab of lightning lit the sky behind him. “You’d better head into town. We’re going to have a gully-washer, and the roads flood around here.”
She looked past him. Heavy clouds packed the sky, and the wind bent the trees to his right.
He nodded toward her car then turned the horse. “That Jag won’t make it far on flooded roads. Good evening, Miss Jergenson.”
Alexis watched until they disappeared over the rise. Into the sunset. Yeah, so apropos.
She climbed into the Jag and turned it back toward town. The man’s scowl from the moment of introduction at the staff and faculty retreat until now made her wonder if he didn’t like the idea of pre-law classes being offered at a Bible college.
During the job interview, Cliff, as academic dean, mentioned the opposition that rose when he first advanced the idea. With all the challenges directed at Christian beliefs these days, he told her, a number of students had applied to law school. Offering preparatory classes would be a win-win situation – good for the college, good for the students. But not everyone agreed.
She pressed her lips together. Well, whatever the reason, she was persona non grata in Luke Stephens’ life.
Rain splattered her windshield. She flipped on the wipers and glanced at her GPS. A white Honda Accord flew past going in the other direction. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw the car’s red brake lights flash, and it swerved on the wet cement. She wrenched her attention back to the road. The drops grew in size and intensity. She flipped the wipers to high speed.
On the other hand, maybe he had discovered her secret – that she wasn’t a Christian. Yet, the Dean said the President agreed on her hire. She understood their desperation. They’d spent money advertising pre-law classes then four weeks before the semester started, the professor they hired backed out. Alexis had received a call from halfway around the world informing her of the opening. Her sister-in-law had patched a call through from some tiny village in Indonesia to tell Alexis she needed to apply. She’d never learned how her sister-in-law knew of the opening, but the timing was right. Her desire to leave Bradley & Associates, to leave the past and the memories behind, had balanced with the need for another, different career.
Still, all the other professors were Christians. The Dean had asked her simply not to say anything; they’d assume she was, too. In a year, however, they would look to hire someone whose beliefs coincided with theirs. Fair enough.
Although her conscience tweaked her, their desperation mimicked hers. Her client’s death had come as a shock and added an exclamation point to her own problems. She’d needed a new place and a new career. Perhaps then the haunting memories would ease.
Alexis squinted through the downpour and slowed. Shoulders along this part of the road didn’t exist, just ditches. A line of rain pelted the windshield, dropping a gray curtain around her, obscuring her vision. She jerked and hit the brakes, sending the car into a slide. Heart pounding, she gripped the steering wheel and held tight. The car slowed and stopped. The front wheel on the passenger side hung over the ditch.
She sat a moment, insides jumping. Heat radiated throughout her. Her back wheels were on the asphalt. That was good, wasn’t it? In her mind’s eye, she could see the Jag flipped on its back in the ditch. She swallowed and straightened. Could she back out? She’d need to do that. Slowly. She didn’t want to spin out going backward. Her dad’s instructions from years ago crossed her mind. Don’t overcompensate. The rain drummed against the roof, and her stomach quivered. Stop it. You’re all right. Just get moving.
She put the car in reverse, eased on the gas. Nothing. She pushed harder on the pedal. The tires spun. Come on. Come on. A sudden bounce and the car shot backward.
She yanked her foot from the gas and let the car slide. It whirled in a circle, slowed and stopped. Her heart reacted like a light with a short in it. She took two deep breaths and lowered her head against the wheel. Where’s a paper bag when you need it?
After a minute, her heart leveled; and she raised her head. The rain had eased, and she could see that the road before her dipped into a gully. The downpour had erased the asphalt and filled the ditches on either side. Luke’s words came back to her, and she understood what he meant. The Jag’s body hugged the ground, great when taking curves at high speeds, not good at getting through flooded roads.
The trouble with being new in town is that she didn’t know alternate routes, and neither she nor her GPS had any idea what roads would be passable now. Her eyes focused on the rearview mirror again. No other cars had come this way since the white Honda, but the danger grew the longer she sat there.
Okay. She made a slow Y turn and headed back the way she came. Even Luke Stephens would shelter her until the rain stopped. Wouldn’t he?
***
Groaning, Luke backed up from the fireplace and dropped into the lounge chair. He’d been desperate enough to jump on the horse and ride back without a saddle in spite of his leg. Feeding and stalling the stallion and the two mares had eaten away more time, and the pain mounted with each passing minute.
When he got inside, he tore the bathroom cabinet apart looking for the pain meds even though he’d quit taking them some time ago. His head dropped back against the headrest.
Twice now, the woman had caused him more pain than he’d dealt with in the last year, and pain did things to him he didn’t like. He’d wanted to take her head off, only God wouldn’t let him. The strong rein on his spirit had choked back his words.
He took a deep breath, glad of the hand that had kept him from saying things he would regret. The woman had not meant to cause him pain. Something stirred in his soul. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
What is she doing here, Lord? Someone special to You?
Leaning down, he pulled off the boot and rolled up the left leg of his jeans. He’d overdone it. Walking as far as he did, and downhill at that, had pushed things too far. Not to mention the fall on Monday. Amazing that neither of them had suffered a broken bone or worse. God, again. He remembered her apology, the flush staining her cheeks and her indignation. His mouth curved into a smile.
Luke stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders. The room darkened around him. The rain started, a few scattered drops that grew into a thunderous cascade. Moments later, a torrent hit the roof. Luke turned his head and stared through the large window facing the front of the house. The downpour grayed and blurred the image of the huge tree outside.
Good thing he’d fed up. The stallion, the two mares, and Farley would ride this out in the barn. Maximus never liked the rain nor the thunder and lightning accompanying it, but he’d be fine in the closed stall. The dog would keep him company. The mares at the other end of the barn would be fine, too.
He opened his eyes and watched the tree outside bend and shift in the wind. The line of rain increased only to drop to nothing a moment later. Then it returned with mounting intensity. The meteorologists had predicted a series of squalls. That’s why he’d gone to find Maximus.
And found her.
The lash of the wind and pounding rain fille
d his ears. He rolled his shoulders again. With the number of low places on the road between here and town, she’d never make it in that car. His truck sat higher, which was one of the reasons he’d bought it.
Not the main reason, of course; that had to do with starting over – after the divorce. He’d bought the truck and this house with twenty-five acres. Four years later, it felt like home. And the pain of someone who couldn’t live with the “new” him had dimmed.
Or so he’d thought…until he saw Alexis Jergenson.
Lightning stabbed across the sky and jerked him back to the present. Rain pummeled the ground. How far had she made it before the storm broke? Numerous gullies and valleys made the road between here and the main highway treacherous during storms. Someone would need to rescue her.
Meeting her at the faculty retreat along with the other new faculty members had shaken him. She had reached forward to shake his hand, and the dark depths of her eyes and the way her long straight hair swung as she nodded at his introduction brought back memories he didn’t want. Too much like Teresa. Too pretty. The sight of her had sent pain and anger ricocheting through him, surprising him.
Thunder rumbled. He sat forward. If the woman needed rescuing, he’d have to do it. Who else knew she was out there? He groaned and sat forward. Pain or not, he needed to find her. She’d be somewhere between his place and the bridge.
He headed to the front door, threw it open and almost collided with her.
Again.
She’d raised her hand to knock, and her hair and jacket dripped water. She looked like foliage curling beside a waterfall, droplets clinging to her eyebrows, her eyelashes, and mouth.
Rain and wind blew into the house as they stared at each other. Lightning tore across the sky. Luke grabbed her arm and dragged her into the foyer, slamming the door behind her. She jumped and slid further into the hall.
Even dripping wet, she was still one attractive woman. And, like Teresa, she probably needed the proverbial bullwhip to beat the men off.
His jaw tightened. Pretty women were Trouble. Capital T. “You’re drenching the floor.”
She jerked her head around, and scooted back to the rug against the door, clutching her purse under one arm.
“Better?” she asked. Cynicism filled the word. “You were right about the rain. I’ve never seen it come down like that. The road flooded right in front of me. And you’re right about the car, too. It won’t make it through puddles the size this storm is dumping. I didn’t know where to go, so I—” She stopped, eyeing him with a look he could read easily enough.
She wasn’t any happier being here than he was having her. When he said nothing, her gaze shifted past him to the living area. The crackle of the flames in the fireplace reached him.
“Do…do you mind,” she asked, trying to hide the shakes starting in her shoulders, “if I stay until it stops?”
He kicked himself inside. Quit being a jerk. She’s wet and cold. Not every pretty woman is selfish and unfaithful.
Pushing past his reluctance, he indicated the room behind him. “Sure. The fire will warm you in no time.”
Chapter 3
Alexis watched Luke slip through the door at the corner of the living area. He headed down the stairs that led to a garage and more wood. Or so he said. She tucked her purse in next to her, dropped her shoes on the floor and curled into the chair. Had she done the right thing? She shook away the niggling voice at the back of her mind. Where else could she go?
She put the towel he’d handed her aside, shook out the blanket, and tucked it around her. Her jacket rested on a chair closer to the fire, drying. The warmth and the glow from the fireplace spread across the room. The flames danced. Thick logs stacked inside looked like they’d last all night even if Luke had muttered something about needing more.
I ran him off.
He was uncomfortable around her. Why? In the courtroom, she could intimidate, but something happened to her there, when she was prosecuting a rapist, an abuser, or a violent husband. Her passion electrified her questioning and sometimes the whole courtroom. She understood that. But outside the courtroom? No. Outside the courtroom, men still had the upper hand.
She studied the closed door. Alone, Luke didn’t seem to have many words, a change from the professor at the college. When she stopped outside his classroom today, he’d managed to impress her with his teaching on the first chapter of Isaiah. Not that all that Biblical talk made sense. She just knew intelligence when she heard it, and the students did, too, if their attentive looks meant anything.
So maybe they had something in common – confident in their fields, not so much in social situations.
Alexis leaned her head back against the seat’s cushion. She’d keep her eyes open and leave when the rain let up. A moment later, she straightened. The flooding wouldn’t go down immediately, and night had crept in since she’d left the first time. Still, she needed to get back to her own place.
Relax. Think about something else - a new life, getting away from Atlanta, from the life she’d buried herself in after law school. She’d never regret the five years as a prosecutor, but every case brought back the fear and shame she’d tried to forget. And until five months ago, she’d put off any type of decision.
Then two people had died.
She sighed, her chest tightening. No. Now was not the time for more tears. She watched the dancing shadows on the ceiling, the fire leaping and warm in the corner of her vision, and laid her head back against the chair. Her dad’s death, coupled with Jennifer’s murder at the hand of her abuser, had provided the needed thrust to quit her job and start over.
Yawning, she pulled the blanket closer around her. The long day, preceded by weeks of preparation, and the move to her condo, had crept into her shoulders, her arms and legs. Warmth from the fire drifted over her. Her body relaxed. Silence, except for the constant purr and spit of the blaze, encompassed her.
Luke was taking a long time. Letting go of the blanket with one hand, she gripped her purse, closed her eyes and trained her ears on the door across the room. When he started up the stairs, she would hear him.
***
Luke settled the wood onto the floor next to the fireplace, making as little sound as possible. Alexis’ head rested against the cushion, the blanket slipping halfway to the floor.
He’d stayed longer downstairs than needed, tinkering with a few things. The pantry with fresh canned corn and beans and pickles that his neighbors had given him didn’t need straightening, but he’d done it anyway.
He focused on the rain outside the bay window. The storm hadn’t stopped and wouldn’t for a while. She wasn’t getting out of here tonight. Should he wake her and let her know? Dropping off to sleep like this implied exhaustion. She was working hard and not trying to get by on her reputation as a lawyer. That was good. From what he’d heard, her teaching style, while a little unskilled, still captured the students’ interest.
He listened to her quiet breathing and studied her. Dark lashes rested against delicate skin, and dark, tousled hair made her look younger than he’d first thought. But in all probability, she needed to look and act older in the courtroom to get respect. Some people would have trouble getting past her outward appearance to the inward intelligence underneath.
How long was law school? She’d be in her early thirties, maybe, younger than he by a few years.
He stepped back. What did it matter? Her age, her looks? He wasn’t looking for physical beauty, anyway. He couldn’t give it; he didn’t want it. After Teresa, he’d made the decision to find someone plain and someone who liked to laugh. Heart trumped looks anytime.
***
The smell of burning wood wrinkled her nose. Alexis drew her hand across her nostrils and opened her eyes. Darkness lit by the smoldering fire jerked her heart, and her gaze flicked from one side of the room to the other. Memory flooded her, and she jolted upright.
The room was empty except for the furniture and the fire. A pillow and
another blanket balanced on the overstuffed arm of a large chair next to her. She glanced around the room again then pulled the phone from her purse to check the time.
Midnight.
She’d slept for hours?
Firelight lit the far reaches of the room, but the rest of the house was dark. Where was Luke? Was he asleep, too, in one of the other rooms? Her stomach tightened, and the muscles across her shoulders did the same.
Standing, she eased toward the first doorway. She needed a bathroom, but didn’t want to wake him if he slept in another room. A board squeaked. She hesitated, listening, before she glanced through the closest doorway. A kitchen. Little green lights glowed like gremlin eyes on the microwave, the coffee pot, the stove. Two doors led from it. One to the outside? Could the other be the bath?
She turned and focused on the side door that led to the stairs. Next to it was the beginning of a long hall. Definitely a bathroom down there, along with what was probably his bedroom.
So, an older model home from the layout, with some updating – the living room’s wood floor, for one. In the firelight, it glowed. Still, she hesitated.
“Are you looking for the bathroom?”
She gasped, jumped, and spun around. He stood in the dark kitchen, a darker shadow against many others.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You…I…well, you did.” Her voice accused but her heart stammered along with her words. The firelight played over a t-shirt and flannels as he moved forward. Her feet slid backward. She couldn’t see his smile, but she heard it in his next words.
“Didn’t mean to scare you, but it makes us even, don’t you think?”
“Makes us even?”
“Yeah, I think it does. You knocked me down on Monday, fed my horse this afternoon; but I’ll call it even.”
“What?” The squeak of her voice brought the definite glint of a smile this time.
“Even.” Then his head indicated the hall. “Were you looking for the bathroom? It’s that way. My room’s back through the kitchen. With my bath. I’m sure you don’t want that.”
Looking for Justice: Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 4) Page 2