Chasing Hope

by Nancy Stopper

  “Mr. Joey, Mr. Joey. Mommy and Mr. Lucas and me are goin’ to the zoo. And I get to see Aunt Jessica and Nicky.”

  Joey laughed as he picked up the little girl and flung her over his shoulder. “That sounds great, sweetie.”

  He tickled her sides as he carried her back to Lucas and Sarah. Lowering Lily to the ground, he took the hand Lucas extended as he stood.

  “Hey, Joey. Great party last night.”

  “Thanks.” He turned to Sarah, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and placing a kiss on her temple. “Hey, Sarah.”

  “Hey.” Sarah rubbed her hand over the blonde curls of the little girl who had returned to her mother’s side, the spitting image of her mother. Lucas and Sarah both looked down to the girl who had captured the hearts of his entire family, just as she and her mother had captured Lucas’s heart. Joey couldn’t ever remember seeing Lucas so happy.

  Sarah had relocated to Oak Grove last fall and had immediately blended in to the tight-knit community. Before long, she was dating Lucas. He’d been in a bad place before meeting Sarah, but she’d helped him move forward, and he’d fallen in love with her. They’d recently gotten engaged and Lucas had moved in with Sarah and Lily. Joey had never imagined he’d see his big brother settle down. But here he was, with a ready-made family.

  More power to him. Joey had no interest in a serious girlfriend. He likely wouldn’t be able to sneak away to the cabin, or take a day to himself, if he had a girlfriend nagging him for his time and attention.

  “You had a good crowd last night,” Sarah said as they all sat and a cup of coffee appeared in front of him.

  “Thanks, man.” He hadn’t even seen Lucas step away. Joey grabbed the mug and inhaled a deep breath of the rich aroma before taking a tentative sip of the hot liquid. “It was a great crowd, wasn’t it? I think we can safely say the grand reopening was a huge success. I’d remind you about the bonfire tonight, but I’ve been told you guys have plans today.” Joey smiled down at Lily.

  “We do,” Lucas said. “Hate to miss it, Joey, but you know how it is.

  Joey smiled. Yeah, he knew. He was happy for Lucas but glad it wasn’t him.

  Sarah stood. “Lily and I are gonna take a quick pit stop and then we’ll be ready to go.” She leaned down as Lucas stretched up to give her a kiss before Lily and Sarah skipped away. His eyes followed them until they stepped out of sight.

  “They’re really great, Lucas. Both of them. I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks, I think so, too. I can’t wait to get married.”

  “Wow, who’d have thought.” Joey chuckled.

  Lucas laughed with him before his smile fell and his expression grew serious. “I didn’t see Rachel at the bar last night.”

  Joey’s heart sank. He no longer counted on his sister to work her shifts but hadn’t stopped worrying about her. “No, she didn’t show. She’s been skipping more and more shifts recently and rarely returns my calls. I’d stop putting her on the schedule, but I don’t want to give her even more reasons to not come see us. I keep hoping she’ll work a shift once in a while, so we can see she’s all right.”

  Lucas rubbed his hand across his jaw, the corners of his lips turned down. “I don’t know what to do anymore. Do you think you can talk to Sawyer? Can he help?”

  If only it were that simple. If they knew for a fact something was wrong with Rachel, Sawyer would be the first one in line to help… behind Joey and Lucas, of course. But so far, they only had suspicions. “I can talk to him, but I don’t imagine he can do anything. Rachel won’t tell us what’s going on. She just stays holed up with him.”

  Joey wasn’t exactly sure how long it had been since Rachel had started dating Shane because she rarely came around anymore. Maybe a year? But from the day she’d met Shane, the light in her eyes had dimmed, and she’d pulled away from their family and her friends. She’d abandoned her own apartment to move in with him, much to their parents’ chagrin. But unless they had proof Shane was hurting Rachel, there wasn’t much they could do.

  Sarah and Lily scooted out from the back of the shop. He and Lucas stood, and Joey wrapped his arm around Lily’s shoulder. “Have a good time at the zoo today, little lady.”

  “We will, Mr. Joey. Maybe I can bring an animal home.”

  They all laughed as Sarah smoothed down Lily’s hair. “She doesn’t quite understand these animals aren’t pets.”

  Lucas, Sarah and Lily left the shop, Lucas’s hand resting gently on Sarah’s back and Lily’s shoulder. Always the protector in their family. Joey shook his head. He’d taken a chance on a life like that once and had fallen short. Never again. Not after Shelby.

  He had good friends, a cabin in the woods where he could escape from time-to-time, and now, a successfully expanded business. He even had a few extra special enhancements to the bar to introduce on Monday. A project near and dear to his heart. He had a lot going on. He didn’t need to add a woman to the mix.

  Joey cleared the table, quickly refilled his coffee cup, and headed to the counter to grab a muffin for the road. As he reached the counter, Emma McKenzie, the owner of Mug ’n Muffin, walked out from the back. The swinging door opened again, and out walked her daughter, Karen… and the woman who had occupied most of his thoughts last night. His stomach jumped and his heart raced. As exciting as it was to see her again, he couldn’t let her derail his plans to get away today.

  When she saw him, a huge smile lit her face.

  That smile stopped him dead in his tracks, unable to take another step, mesmerized.

  Her brown hair hung in a ponytail today, and her deep green T-shirt hugged her curves before tapering down into a pair of faded jeans. Evidently, it didn’t matter what Brittany wore, because she looked sexy in anything. And probably in nothing. Stop it.

  “Hey, Joey,” Emma said, shocking him from the direction his thoughts were leading him.

  “Oh, hey, Emma. Karen.” He paused. “Brittany.” His eyes lingered on Brittany’s. A faint pink color rose on her cheeks. She lowered her gaze. Interesting. Maybe she’d had a sleepless night thinking about him.

  He smiled, intrigued that she may have been as restless as he had been.

  “That is one great lookin’ smile on your face this morning. What can I get you?” Karen asked.

  “How about two blueberry muffins for the road? I’m heading out for a hike before the bonfire tonight.”

  “A hike” Karen’s eyes brightened. “That’s perfect.”

  Perfect. Perfect for what? What did Karen have in mind? She didn’t give him any time to mull over her comment or formulate a response to what he knew was going to be a bad idea before she continued.

  “I was telling Brittany I need to help my mom today and she would be bored hanging out at the shop. I think a hike would be great—show her the area around Oak Grove. What do you say, Brittany?”

  Joey froze. Had Karen just invited her friend to join him on his hike? His alone time. To his cabin no one knew about. ... ... ...

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  Turn the page for an excerpt from One Last Chance, book 3 in Nancy’s Oak Grove series. The Oak Grove series features the Bennetts, Rachel’s family!

  ONE LAST CHANCE

  Book 3 in the Oak Grove Series

  By: Nancy Stopper

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Shane, no—stop!” Rachel darted behind the smallish kitchen table, her eyes never leaving her boyfriend. At least the barrier would give her some protection against his rage. Very little, though. This wasn’t the first time he’d chased her around the table, stretching his grubby hands across the
top to grab her. Sometimes she got away. Sometimes she didn’t.

  A glazed look filled his bloodshot eyes. Good… maybe he’d pass out soon. Five, maybe ten minutes. She just had to hold out until then.

  She rubbed her throbbing cheek, the sting from his hand still fresh.

  Shane lurched across the table and wrapped his thick fingers around her wrist. Even though her skin throbbed, she tried to yank her arm away. He just squeezed harder, pain radiating up her arm. She pulled and struggled, but she couldn’t free her hand from his vice-like grip.

  “You bitch. Where’s my goddamned beer?”

  “I didn’t do anything, I swear. You drank the last one this afternoon.” Please believe me. She’d convinced him before that he’d just forgotten, but the times that she hadn’t, he’d blown up. Each time worse than the previous one.

  He raised his fist, keeping her wrist clamped in the other. The harsh smack of his palm burned her cheek. Her hand flew to her face. The table rocked and Shane pitched forward, still holding her. She stumbled and struggled to wrench away from him. Tears welled in her eyes but she wouldn’t let them fall. Tears just pissed him off.

  Where was loving Shane she’d met and started dating? When had he turned into this monster? And why did she stay with him?

  She didn’t deserve any better—that was what she’d told herself when huddled under the blanket at night, feigning sleep so he wouldn’t reach for her. So she focused on trying to meet Shane’s definition of “good” and steer clear of him when he was in a mood.

  But just being “good” wasn’t cutting it. Not anymore. She’d had enough. She deserved better, no matter what her mind tried to convince her. She had to get out before he killed her.

  Her cell phone sat on the counter. If she could get over there, she could call one of her brothers or even 9-1-1. Only once before had she tried to call during one of Shane’s attacks. She hadn’t been able to reach Joey, and Shane had slapped the phone away before she could talk to someone at the bar. No one came. Not until the next day, after Shane had thrown her against the wall and sprained her wrist. What if no one came again? His attacks were getting worse.

  His fiery gaze darted to her phone and his eyebrows rose. “No way, bitch. This is between us.”

  Damn, he’d seen her. But she was determined to get to the phone. She darted around the table and dashed to the counter. Shane’s strong arms snaked around her waist. Almost there. She stretched for the phone. When her fingers brushed the cell, it went skidding to the floor. Shit. She lunged but couldn’t reach the one lifeline from a beating. Shane yanked her away, threw her against the couch, and followed her down. His fingers dug into her arms. His putrid breath turned her stomach, and she clenched her teeth so she wouldn’t vomit.

  “Is this what you wanted?” He slammed his mouth down on hers. She clamped her lips shut. How could she ever have thought she loved this man? He kissed her again and she didn’t fight him. If she acted like she wanted to be with him, he’d release her and she could scramble to the phone. That was her only hope. Without moving her head, her eyes darted to where the phone had landed on the floor. Only a few steps away.

  She let her body go limp and he released her. “That’s better. See? We’re good together, baby. Aren’t we?”

  “Yeah.” She cleared her throat, putting more force into her words. “We are.”

  He kissed her again and she squeezed her eyes shut. A little bit longer and she might have an opening.

  “Come on.” Shane stood and stomped toward the bedroom.

  Finally. She crept closer to the phone. With his back turned, he couldn’t see when she bent to retrieve her cell. And he also didn’t notice when she flipped it open. She pressed 9-1-1.

  “What in the hell are you doing?” Shane roared and rushed to her in two huge strides.

  As she pressed Send, Shane smacked the phone from her hand, and it clattered to the floor. Please let the call go through. She couldn’t take much more of this.

  He shoved his hand into her hair and twisted his fingers in the stringy strands hanging lifelessly down her back. She shuddered.

  This was the final straw. As soon as she got free of his grip, she was leaving. Please, someone, please come help me.

  Shane yanked her head back and hung his face right over hers.

  She clawed at his hands. “You’re hurting me!”

  “Who’d you call?” Spit flew out of his mouth and splattered on her face.

  She cringed. Swiping at her face just pissed him off even more than the tears. “Nobody. I swear. I wanted to check the time.”

  “Who cares about the fucking time? You got somewhere to go?”

  Fire swirled in his eyes, his square jaw clenched, and her stomach dropped. She had no hope of getting away from him now. The asshole was just getting warmed up.

  With his hand still wrapped in her hair, he dragged her toward the bedroom. She yelped and he tugged harder. Tears rolled down her cheeks but she couldn’t hold them back any longer. She’d hidden her feelings for months. What Shane wanted always mattered more. He came first. That’s what he always said. But she did matter. She did count. Her tears proved there was still something worth saving buried deep inside her.

  She was taking back her life. This would be the last time she would ever let him beat her, to force her to do what he wanted. She may not have his muscles, but she could fight back.

  She dug her heels into the carpet and grabbed the edge of the counter. No way would she let him drag her into the bedroom. He could screw a hole in the wall for all she cared.

  He released her hair. Thank God. But her relief was short-lived. He pinched her arm and pried at her fingers that gripped the counter. She couldn’t let him pull her away. She clung harder to the wood and braced her feet. Only a few more steps to the front door and she could dash into the yard. She’d have to keep running, though. The trailer sat a long way down a deserted dirt road. They didn’t have any neighbors close by. If she had to, she’d find a place in the woods to hide. Anything to wait Shane out. Eventually he’d pass out. He had to… it was her only hope.

  Shane had burrowed himself into her life as he was burrowing into her fingers now. She didn’t have any friends left. Her family had given up on her. What she wouldn’t give for one of her brothers to come knocking on the door right about now. They’d tried to help her, repeatedly, but she hadn’t believed she needed them. Or anyone.

  But Shane had never been this bad before. The wrath in his eyes made her heart lurch. For the first time, she questioned whether she could break free of him or whether she’d be alive tomorrow to tell someone about his attack.

  With his jaw clenched, lips pursed, and brows furrowed, he stared a hole straight through her. Pure evil filled his eyes. Had his hatred always been there, hiding until he chose the right time to reveal his true self? After she was trapped with him, with nowhere to go?

  Shane finally pried her fingers off the counter and she fell back. He towered over her, his hands on his hips, and spit on her. She swiped at her cheek, wobbled, and smacked against the hard floor, butt-first.

  She brushed his revolting, beer-filled saliva off her face. Bile rose in her throat but she shoved it down. She refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing exactly how revolting she found him.

  He always poked her, prodded her, figured out how to hurt her the most. He made her question her own actions time and again. On the floor, she was at his mercy. She couldn’t get her feet beneath her to stand. He usually didn’t actually grab her… just threatened to. That was how Shane operated. The mere threat of his wrath was usually enough to keep her in line.

  But she’d had enough, and she would fight back. With her hands behind her and her feet beneath her, she scrambled backward like a crab. What would he do? He could try anything, but each crawl took her a bit closer to the door and freedom.

  With each of her backward lurches, he took one step forward. One, then another, matching her movements toward the door. �
�You think you can get away from me, bitch? Think again.”

  Together they inched closer to the door where the phone lay open and the lights on the keypad shone bright. Maybe she had connected the call to 9-1-1 after all. Help had better be coming, because she couldn’t keep holding Shane off. And if she couldn’t...

  Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed. Please let them be coming for me. Hopefully Shane hadn’t heard them yet. He wasn’t afraid of the deputies, and why should he be? He’d talked himself out of worse situations than this one. Had his Daddy get him out of the stickier jams. Of course, her unwillingness to speak up for herself helped his cause. Why had she refused the help that her brothers… and Sawyer, their friend… had offered her so many times?

  She crept closer to the door. Only a few more steps and she’d reach freedom before he grabbed her.

  The sirens grew louder. Thank God. With no one else in the area, they had to be coming for her. Shane lifted his head and scowled before he snapped back to her, fire in his eyes.

  “You bitch.” He kicked her in the side. All the air in her lungs escaped, and she crumpled onto the floor. But only for a moment. Ignoring the pain, she rolled onto her stomach and scrambled toward the door. Her fingers clawed at the carpet, the stink-ridden fibers and layers of dirt getting under her nails.

  Shane’s big arms gripped her around the waist. He pulled and she slid against the carpet.

  “Shane, stop. Let me go.”

  “No way. You’re mine. And you always will be.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sawyer’s cruiser bounced over the ruts and holes in the road. If you could call it a road. It was more of a crappy dirt path. But it was the only way to get to Rachel. Each time his car bottomed out, his body slammed against the door. His pulse raced, and the siren wailed from his dashboard as he rushed toward Rachel’s trailer. He’d been catching up on some paperwork at the station when the call had come in, a garbled connection followed by several piercing screams. The dispatcher didn’t have to tell him who was calling. He’d just known.