“I know. The police were just here. They took him into custody.”
“He was screaming and running all over the porch, trying any way to get inside. I panicked and started pushing everything against the doors and windows. Then, suddenly, there were gun shots that came from nowhere.”
I squeeze Liz back into me.
“I noticed the box spring from my bed up against the front window. That was pretty clever. I’m glad you found my loaded gun.”
A smile breaks across Liz’s face.
“Thanks for making me learn how to use your guns.”
I kiss her tearstained cheek.
“My pleasure,” I say, squeezing her tightly into me.
I run my fingers through her shoulder-length hair.
“There’s one neighbor I haven’t introduced to you. I think it’s time you two met. He’s outside right now.”
“Jake, I look horrible.” Liz stands upright, pulling down her cable knit sweater and scooping her hair behind her ears.
“It doesn’t matter how you look, Liz. All that matters is you are safe.”
I take Liz’s hand to lead her out of the room and down the stairs. The frigid wind blows through the door left open.
“Jake, the cabin is a disaster. I’m so sorry.” She winces as I toss a broken chair out of the way.
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you are all right and the crazy lunatic didn’t get to you.”
Liz pulls her coat over her shoulders to go outside. She starts to giggle softly.
“What are you laughing about?” I ask as I help her with a few snaps on her coat.
She places her fingers on her lips to conceal her laughter.
“What is so amusing?” I ask.
“I’m just thinking about how last summer I thought you were the crazy lunatic who I needed to be afraid of.”
I wrap my arms around the puffy coat in which she is buried.
“I’m so sorry I put you through that.”
Liz looks up at me and says, “It was nothing compared to what happened here today.”
I kiss her rosy cheeks glossed over from tears, then slide my hand into hers to lead her out the back door onto the porch. We walk in the freshly fallen snow to the front of the cabin. The men who guarded the cabin are standing at the base of the front stairs with John. I hold onto Liz’s hand to help her down the snowcapped stairs.
“Liz, this is John, one of my neighbors.”
Liz realizes immediately John played a big role in keeping her safe. She extends her arms as if to hug him.
I step in and whisper in her ear, “You don’t have to be that nice, Liz.”
Liz smiles politely and extends her hand to John. “Thank you,” she says repeatedly and then extends her appreciations fervently to all the other men.
“We knew that man was after something, or rather, someone. Now we know who. Just glad you weren’t his next victim,” John says with a raised eyebrow.
One of the trucks driven onto the property while I was in the cabin with Liz is used to transport all the men back to their vehicles parked at the gate.
As the truck loaded with men drives away, Liz asks, “What did he mean when he said, next victim?”
“Those men had been tracking the hunter after he robbed a few stores at gunpoint, vandalized homes, and then raped women. He must have thought he could get to you next.”
Liz’s face pales as white as the snow we are standing on.
I pull her stiffened body into me and her arms wrap around my waist. I rock her in my arms. “Let’s go inside so I can watch your secret super strength put all the furniture back in its place.”
Liz playfully swats my backside.
“There’s my Liz.”
I smile and pick up Liz to carry her back into the cabin through the back door. Her arms wrap around my neck. I kiss her as I walk with her in my arms.
I slide the table back into place, then toss the broken chairs out the back door. Liz grabs a broom and dustpan to sweep the broken shards of glass from the windows. I slide couches, chairs and the coffee table back in their rightful places.
When I walk the stairs to the loft to retrieve my rifle, I realize the air is frigid upstairs, even with the fireplace blazing and the heat on. With the windows broken, we are too exposed to the outside elements. If it were still summer or even fall, it would not be a problem, but with the dropping temperatures, the boarded up windows will not keep the cold from coming inside during the night.
I make a call to have the double-paned windows replaced. I tell them it is an emergency and I’d like it taken care of today. They cannot get anyone to the cabin until the morning because of weather conditions. I turn off the heat and flip the fireplace off.
“Let’s stay in Doug’s spare bedroom tonight. This place will get too cold tonight. Someone will be here first thing in the morning to fix the windows and then we can come right back.”
Liz’s eyes widen. “Are you going to be okay with that? Will Jennifer be okay?”
I cock my neck. “It’ll be fine. I’ve stayed in the guest room before.”
Liz’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, but after how many drinks?”
“Okay, you got me there. I promise not to drink tonight. I will ignore Jennifer and keep all of my attention focused on you. You’ve gotten me through tough things before. You can get me through tonight too.”
I lean over to Liz and she cups my face is her hands. She kisses me softly and smiles an endearing smile. I dissolve into her ocean blue eyes. I can stay sober for her tonight after all she has been through today.
“Throw some things into a bag to get you through the next twenty-four hours.”
Liz’s face puckers. “Err… Jake, I don’t have an overnight bag.”
I scratch my neck. “That’s right. I have one. Let me grab it for you.”
I run into my closet and dig out a bag I have buried in the back and pull a T-shirt from my drawer, since that is what she wears to bed at night. I love that she wears my T-shirts to sleep in. I stuff the shirt inside before handing the bag off to her.
I lock personal items so the cabin can be accessed by whoever comes to fix the window. I get boards from the garage to place in the windows to keep snow from blowing inside while we are gone. Liz quickly gathers things together.
“Jennifer probably will let me use whatever I forget,” Liz says as she walks down the stairs.
“True.” I take the bag from her hands and walk to my dresser to place some of my things in it.
When I come back from the bedroom, I see Zeke sitting attentively at Liz’s feet
“I guess you’re coming too. But, you’re not taking the bed. You’re sleeping in the garage,” I tell him, rubbing his ears before we walk through the front door.
I help Liz into the truck as I toss the bag into the extended cab with Zeke. I soon realize I forgot to call and ask Doug if it was okay if we use his guest bedroom for the night.
I make the call as I get into the truck. “Hey, Doug, can we stay at your house tonight? All the windows are broken at the cabin.”
“What happened?” Doug asks.
“I’ll tell you when I see you. We’re heading there now.”
“It’s perfectly fine. I just have to work late tonight. I’ll let Jennifer know you are coming,” he says.
“Talk to you later.”
I turn over the ignition. Liz is shivering in the cold truck cab, waiting patiently for me to turn on the ignition. She leans over and cranks up the heater, turning all the vents in her direction. She places her icy fingers upward. Before I put on my seatbelt, I reach over to kiss her.
“I am so glad you are here with me.”
She puts her hands to my face. I jolt at their frigidness.
“How did your fingers get ice cold so fast?” I ask as I pull Liz’s fingers to my mouth to blow warm breaths on them.
“I don’t know; they just are. My toes are just as bad, if not worse.”
I hu
g her and tell her, “I’m so sorry. We’ll get you better equipped.”
She smiles a sheepish grin. “I think you said that to me last summer when I was going to run out of here. And I’m still here.”
“I am so glad.”
“Me, too!” she says with a warm smile.
I am more than just glad. I am overjoyed every second Liz is with me.
As we drive up the main road away from the cabin, I am comforted knowing Liz is sitting in the passenger’s seat. It’s where she belongs. I don’t have to watch her disappear from my rear view mirror. I never want to do that again. It was too painful leaving her alone and then to have her in harm’s way was more than I could handle.
As we crunch through the fresh snow past the open gate, I place my hand on Liz’s knee. “I realized today I’m not ready to go back, not yet anyway.”
Liz knows what I am referring to. She knows I’m not speaking of going back to the cabin, she knows I am talking about going back into combat.
“Do you have to go back soon?”
“I think I can defer another deployment. It’s the mandatory trainings I cannot avoid.”
Liz tilts her head to the side and asks, “You got a letter from the Marines, didn’t you?”
I nod sullenly.
“It’s completely up to you. It’s whenever you’re ready. Don’t stay for me. Thousands of men would like to stay home for the sake of someone. You go when you are ready to finish that chapter in your life.”
“I think the hunter being arrested today increases my odds of assault charges being dropped. He’ll be too busy doing hard time to pursue those nonsense charges. So, I still have more time to decide.”
“Well, can I still stay with you until you leave?” Liz asks softly.
“Of course you can.”
I stop the truck abruptly in the middle of the road.
“Liz, I love you.”
“I know. You tell me every night in your sleep,” she tells me with a bright smile. “You do a lot of things in your sleep, but that’s always been my favorite one.”
I undo my seat belt so I can wrap my hands around her neck to brace her for a kiss. I want her so badly right here and right now. She looks at me as if she is hungry for me too. I realize how cold she is when I take her hand.
I look down at her pink fingers. “Maybe you belonged with me all along in the desert. I’ll put some fatigues on you and you can go out on patrol with me. I’ll train you always to keep your M16 in check and you’ll be fine. I think you can hold your own.”
Liz cocks her head back and laughs. “If only it worked that way.”
I shift the truck into drive so we can get Liz into a warm house. I can’t wait to peel all of her layers off so I can see her creamy skin again.
Chapter 43: Liz
Jake parks the truck on the street so he doesn’t pack down the snow in Doug’s driveway. He helps me from the passenger side and hands off the overnight bag we hastily threw together.
“I’m going to pull the snow blower from the garage and clear off the driveway,” Jake tells me before leaning in to kiss me by my ear.
I walk to the front door, where girls wearing junior basketball jerseys greet me.
Jennifer cocks her head to look out the door. “That’s nice of Jake to clear the driveway. Perfect timing too! I need to take the girls to their basketball game before dinner.”
I glance over my shoulder to find Zeke jumping toward the tossed snow Jake is blowing into the air with the snow blower. Zeke is trying to eat the clumps of snow coming his way.
“Is it okay if Zeke sleeps in your garage?” I ask Jennifer.
“Of course he can.” Jennifer swats her hand before taking my coat.
“Doug called to tell me you two were staying tonight. We’re more than happy to have you any time. Fill me in on what is going on,” she asks.
“Remember that drunken hunter who came onto the property last fall?” I ask.
“The one Jake shot?”
“Same guy. He went on a rampage, robbing stores, vandalizing homes, and raping women. I don’t have the whole story of what exactly he did. While Jake was at a meeting with his lawyer, I stayed behind at the cabin. Well, the hunter returned to the cabin today. He tried to get in, but I barricaded the doors and windows. He broke the windows to force his way inside. Because of the storm, we can’t get anyone to fix the windows until the morning. Once the loft started feeling cold, Jake didn’t think it made sense to stay.”
Jennifer leans down to hug me. “Liz, I’m so glad you came here. You need somewhere else to stay tonight.”
The girls scream from the kitchen, “Mom, we are in charge of treats for the game.”
Jennifer hollers over her shoulder, “They are already packed up in the car.”
“I hate to ask, but since you are here. Do you mind watching the younger two while I take the girls to basketball? Ashley and Emily have games and Hailey likes to watch.”
“Sure, no problem. I can get dinner going if you’d like,” I suggest.
“You don’t have to do that, but I won’t stop you either.”
Jennifer picks up her phone. “My mom was going to come to the house since Doug is working late. I’m going to call to tell her never mind, since you are here.”
I take off my boots and wander past the main foyer into the living room to find Maddy watching a pre-school show on television. Carter is in his swing, very content. Carter starts kicking his legs when I step next to the swing. I unclasp the straps to take him out. He feels warm, soft, and cuddly. I squeeze him in my arms and breathe in his baby scent.
I sit next to Maddy on the couch and place Carter in my lap, propping his head. I can’t help myself as I reach over and touch her springy black hair. I say hello. She looks up and speaks a clear “hello.” Wow, she is talking a lot better than she was in the summer.
Jake kicks the snow off his boots before coming inside. He makes Zeke, who is all wet, stay in the garage so he doesn’t track muck through the house.
“Jake! Well, you look… nice. I can’t remember the last time I saw you dressed in something that needed ironing. Was it my wedding?” exclaims Jennifer.
Jake rolls his eyes at Jennifer.
I talk over my shoulder. “I made Jake dress nice today so he didn’t look out of place when he went into the posh tower building where his lawyer works.”
“How did that go?” Jennifer asks.
“The meeting was nothing spectacular, but I think the charges will go by the wayside after what happened this afternoon,” Jake explains as he takes one of Maddy’s goldfish crackers from her and pops it into his mouth. Jake pulls Maddy onto his lap.
It feels wonderful having Jake sink into the warm couch with me. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment.
“Carter’s tummy should be full, but there’s a bottle in the fridge just in case he is hungry again. We are not picky eaters and will love whatever you fix for dinner,” Jennifer says as she helps the girls pull on their coats before walking out to get into the SUV parked in the garage.
“Help yourself to anything,” Jennifer calls out as she walks out the door.
I’m not sure what options there are for dinner, so I take Carter’s bouncer into the kitchen. I place it atop the oversized granite countertop before strapping Carter in.
I survey what Jennifer has stocked in her fridge and pantry. I am in the mood for comfort food. I discover she has everything I need to make my tummy happy. I preheat her double ovens, one for artesian bread bowls to eat soup from and the other for a gingerbread cake.
I mix the bread dough and let it rise. I use a chocolate cake box mix and spruce it up with molasses, pumpkin puree, and ginger. I start browning chicken and dicing vegetables for a creamy vegetable soup while the gingerbread bakes.
Jennifer has every kitchen gadget available to buy from an exquisite culinary store, so sliding the formed bread bowls from a paddle to the heated stone is easy. I make a roux before adding cream fo
r the base of the soup. I find an oversized pot and simmer it with seasonings. I place a dozen bread bowls on the counter to cool when Carter starts fussing in his carrier.
I pull Carter into my arms and realize he needs to be changed.
I peek into the family room. “Jake, can you listen for the timer to go off for the cake? It’s almost ready. I’m going to go upstairs to change Carter,” I say, holding the baby in my arms.
Jake hops up from the couch to grab Carter from my arms.
“I’ll change him,” Jake says and then turns to Maddy. “Come on, Maddy; show me where everything is kept.”
Maddy toddles over and takes Jake’s hand.
“I’ll make her take a potty break.”
Maddy takes Jake’s hand and tells him, “I can go poop in the potty, so I get to go to preschool next year. My mom’s name is Jennifer and I know my phone number too.”
Jake’s eyes widen at the information, impressed with her language skills.
With Jake’s help, I have a chance to make an icing for the cake and clean the kitchen before Jennifer walks in the door with the other girls.
The girls stomp snow off their feet and take off their coats to hang in the mudroom. They are sporting junior basketball jerseys, hair neatly braided and adorned with frilly bows even after playing a game of basketball.
“Don’t ask me where they got the idea to do basketball this winter,” Jennifer scoffs as she sets her purse down on the kitchen desk.
“Liz, everything smells wonderful.” Her eyes widen with delight as she dips a spoon into the soup.
Jake comes down the stairs holding Carter, dressed in a completely different outfit. Maddy is at his feet.
“Did things get messy upstairs?” I ask with a smirk.
Jennifer laughs as she answers her ringing phone.
“I completely forgot about my appointment tomorrow!” I overhear Jennifer.
“Would you have time to squeeze my friend in with me?” she asks. “Perfect. We will see you first thing in the morning,” Jennifer says, ending the call. “Liz, do you want to come with me in the morning to get your hair cut?”
My eyes light up. “I would love that!”
Hasty Resolution Page 29