Love Inspired August 2014 – Bundle 1 of 2

by Ruth Logan Herne, Allie Pleiter

  Vick left, along with the second student. Marty moved into the office to balance the nonprofit’s checkbook and go over the mail. Paige and Tasha spent the evening working on her essay. When they were done they called her grandmother to pick her up since there weren’t other students for her to walk home with tonight.

  After Tasha left, Paige straightened a couple of chairs and washed a few dishes that must not have been taken care of by whoever was in charge of closing up last week.

  She ran her hand along the wall on her way to the office to say good-night to Marty. Sarah’s Home shouldn’t have to shut down just because Caleb couldn’t be there on a certain night. They needed more staff, better security measures, and perhaps they could create a partnership between Goose Harbor students and Brookside students. Both needed to see other aspects of the world. They shared proximity but experienced completely different lives. A forged partnership could teach everyone something.

  The office door creaked when she entered. The older man had his back to the doorway as he talked on the phone in an animated voice. It sounded like he was saying good-night to his grandchildren, so she decided not to interrupt him.

  Outside, another streetlight had burned out, casting the parking lot in shadows. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and clicked for the Mazda to unlock. At the same time she heard a scuffling of feet. Paige whipped around, clutching her purse, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

  No one behind her.

  Relax. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned back around.

  More footsteps.

  She turned to check for someone again, but as she did something very hard bashed into the side of her head. Paige’s head lashed sideways. She tried to scream, but it came out more like a moan. Her hands instinctively flew to her throbbing head.

  Someone jerked her bag out of her hands.

  A series of tiny lights popped in her vision. So dizzy.

  As her body tipped forward, she commanded her arms to catch her, but they refused to move. First her knees buckled, and then her chin glanced off the ground. A wave of pain rolled over her as ringing sounded in her ears. Something wet and warm seeped from her chin. She tried to move her head and the warmth found its way to her lips. It tasted metallic. Blood.

  Footsteps again. Was her attacker still there? Would they shoot her like they did Sarah?

  Paige blinked, trying to force her eyes to focus, but everything other than a flash of orange looked blurry.

  Her eyelids dared to slip shut but she fought them. She started to shiver. Her teeth chattered even though it wasn’t cold.

  Voices sounded distant, like people were talking out in the street, but she could feel that they were nearby. Suddenly, as if a veil had been tossed over her brain, everything became hazy.

  She let her head slump and everything went black.

  * * *

  The buzzer sounded just as the ball his player lobbed fell with a swoosh into the basket. Caleb high-fived the team when they ran into the locker room for halftime. They gathered on the center bench to hear his pep talk.

  His phone vibrated in his back pocket for the tenth time. Safely away from the crowd, he flipped his cell phone open to see who’d been trying to get hold of him all night. He saw Maggie in the crowd during the first half. Did Paige or Shelby need something?

  Every missed call came from his buddy Miles, who worked as a police officer in Brookside. Why would Miles call right now? They might have been friends since grade school, but they caught up over a game about once a month—never by phone.

  A twenty-pound weight settled to the pit of his gut. Sarah’s Home.

  The use of personal phones wasn’t allowed during school functions, but he decided to ignore that rule just this once. Caleb hit the redial button.

  Miles answered on the first ring. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last hour.”

  “I saw.”

  “You need to get down here. Now.”

  Down here. Brookside?

  Caleb lowered his eyebrows and tried to process Miles’s words. His friend’s voice usually didn’t carry such urgency.

  He turned his back to the high-school students. “What’s going on?”

  “That girl you like. The one you’ve been telling me about. Her name’s Paige, right?”

  No. Not Paige. Paige was in Goose Harbor. Safe. She’d promised. “Yes.”

  “She’s been hurt. Someone attacked her outside of Sarah’s Home and—”

  “What happened? Is she...?” Bile rose in his throat and his knees threatened to give way. Hand on his head, he turned in a pointless circle. The basketball team fell silent and all stared at him. He didn’t care.

  “She’s at St. Mike’s in the E.R. I’m here, too.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  The news hit him like an ice storm. He rocked forward and bounded for the door before Principal Timmons stopped him.

  Caleb grabbed the door frame as his world rocked like a Tilt-A-Whirl. “You have to take over as coach. Paige is in the hospital. I have to go.”

  Timmons’s mouth went slack. “Do you know what’s wrong?”

  Words clogging his throat, Caleb shook his head. Timmons shooed him out of the locker room and promised the team would be fine without him.

  Leaving the gym and the rest of the community behind, Caleb hurtled into his truck and stepped on the gas. His heart slammed against his ribs with what felt like enough force to break through bones, and his hands shook as he tried to white-knuckle the wheel.

  She’d gone without letting him know after she said she wouldn’t. That stung. Their relationship had progressed to more than that in the past few weeks.

  Then again, had he known, he would have been crawling up the gym walls during the game with worry. Who was he kidding? He would have stormed out of the game before it started and rushed to Brookside.

  Why had she gone tonight when he asked her not to? He warned her something like this would happen.

  Something like what? If Paige had been shot...

  Don’t let the mind go there. She’s okay. She has to be.

  Caleb drove blindly, ramming his fist against the steering wheel at the red light.

  Surrender. He was supposed to be surrendering the care of others to God.

  But then something like this happens....

  He stopped that train of thought.

  Pray. Pray.

  But what if? Stop. Hand it over.

  God. Keep her safe. Protect her. Please don’t take her.

  His gut corkscrewed. If only he could do something more tangible. Then again, the most impactful tool within his arsenal right now was to pray and hand his worry to God in this moment.

  And drive faster.

  * * *

  “Oh, there now. Looks like you’re coming to.” A woman’s voice drifted, like a feather from a busted pillow, until it rested gently on Paige’s mind.

  A callused hand squeezed hers.

  “Paige. Sweetheart. Can you hear me?” The man’s voice caused a calming sense to run down her spine like a spring-fed river. Caleb.

  Paige opened her eyes and discovered she was tucked tightly under the starched white sheets of a hospital bed. Earthy brown covered the walls and a giant painting of a lady on a boat hung on the adjacent wall.

  Caleb kissed the back of her hand then cupped it between both of his. “Take it slow, okay...you’ve been through a lot.”

  A middle-aged nurse with dyed red hair and a kind smile bent over her. “There you are now. Look at those bright blue eyes.”

  Paige’s head felt crammed full of marshmallows. She blinked deliberately.

  Sarah’s Home. Footsteps. Her head. That was all she co
uld remember.

  And a sharp pain in her chin, which seemed to have subsided some since she fell. Her mind started to race in circles like an animal stuck in a tight cage. She remembered lying on the pavement but couldn’t recall coming to the hospital. Had Caleb brought her here? Shouldn’t he be back in Goose Harbor? Who put her in this bed?

  An image of him wrapping his arms around Amy flooded back into her mind. What happened after she left? Why was he here with her anyway? Nothing made sense.

  Confusion started to run around screaming in her head. She wanted to box her ears to block it out and go back to sleep.

  Tears pooled in her eyes and threatened to fall. “What happened?”

  Caleb scooted his chair as close as he could get to her. She narrowed her eyes to focus on him—really focus. Lines around his eyes, his lips bowing down and a ruffled brow—he looked older tonight. He looked tired and worn down.

  “From what we can gather, someone attacked you outside of Sarah’s Home.” He scrubbed his free hand down his face and rubbed his eyes a couple of times. “You have a good goose egg on the side of your head, and you got a bit of a gash on your chin.”

  Her hand flew to the numb spot on her chin. Stitches. When had they put these in? Why couldn’t she remember anything?

  Her fingers trembled over each suture. “Give me a mirror.”

  “It’s nothing.” He rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand.

  “I need a mirror.” Shoving off blankets, she started to get up. Caleb’s shoulders slumped. The drain of color in his face spoke volumes about her appearance, but she needed to see. He helped her stand and shuffle to the mirror on the wall.

  Ugly black thread weaved across her chin. She turned her head right before her vision clouded. “I look like the bride of Frankenstein.”

  “Come on. Don’t say that. You’re beau—”

  Paige stopped him with a firm hand to his chest. “Don’t. Please. Just don’t right now.” She shoved past him. “I don’t even know why you’re here.”

  He tilted his head. “Of course I’m here. I came the second I heard.”

  A handsome man with a five-o’clock shadow cleared his throat in the doorway. The badge on his uniform glistened under the artificially bright lights in her room. He hooked his hands on his gun belt.

  “I’m Officer Reid. You can call me Miles. The doctor says you’re going to be okay. Head wounds just bleed a lot. Even the minor ones.” The officer’s voice was a balm. Strong and reassuring. He was well trained.

  Miles stepped farther into the room. “I’d like to ask you a couple questions about what happened tonight.”

  Any energy she had drained away. Sleep. She wanted sleep.

  “I didn’t see anything.”

  He pulled out a note-card-size spiral book from his front shirt pocket. “Unfortunately I still need to get some information so I can start a report and hopefully catch the responsible party.”

  Caleb stepped in the way, stopping Miles from moving closer. “Can you do this another time? She probably has a concussion and can’t think straight right now. We can call you or come to the station once she’s feeling up to it if you want, but let’s not do this right now.”

  Miles peeked around Caleb and looked Paige over. Then he nodded once, sharply, but with the trace of a smile on his lips. “My card.” He pulled a business card from his pocket. Then he pointed at Caleb. “Take good care of her.”

  When the doctor released her to go, Caleb drove his truck up to the front circle and a nurse pushed her out to meet him in a wheelchair. He hopped out, helped her up into the passenger seat and closed the door.

  For the first few minutes into the drive home, tension stacked between them like a tangible wall.

  Staring out the front window at the black curtain of night, Caleb worked his jaw back and forth. “Paige, I—”

  “I don’t want to talk to you.” Eyes trained out the passenger window, she didn’t trust herself to look at him.

  “I just wanted to say that I’m glad you’re okay.” His hand brushed against hers on the bench seat.

  She moved her hand into her lap, away from him. Of course he would act like they were still seeing each other. How could he know she’d seen him and Amy together? But she didn’t want to talk about it. Not now. This terrible night didn’t need to be made worse by enduring a drawn-out relationship conversation.

  “Paige,” he started again.

  “Please. My head is pounding like a rock concert. Just. Don’t talk,” she whispered and bit her lip.

  Don’t cry.

  Don’t cry over another disappointing, cheating man.

  Chapter Fifteen

  A quick glance in his side mirror said he should have shaved and taken a nap, but Caleb needed to get over to Maggie’s and see Paige. She’d acted strange last night. Different and more closed off from him than before.

  When he arrived home he’d spent the night combing through paperwork in Sarah’s old office, looking for the charter papers for Sarah’s Home. She might have left the board in charge, but there had to be a loophole to supersede the board’s decisions. And if he couldn’t find a way, at the least, he and Paige were done serving there. Maybe it was time to let go of one of his last connections to Sarah in order to keep Paige safe.

  After locating the paperwork, the fine print and lawyer talk had given him a good headache, but he’d found the information he’d been looking for. She might have left the board in charge of Sarah’s Home, but only Caleb’s named appeared on the bank account that paid for the nonprofit. The answer had been in front of him all the time.

  So, he might not have the power to declare the nonprofit was done, but he could stop paying the bills. Without the lease, insurance and utilities paid for, the place would have to shut down. So it was settled. As horrible as it made him feel to play the money card, he was closing Sarah’s Home. That’s all there was to it.

  Caleb parked his truck and made his way to the West Oak Inn’s blue front steps, where Ida and Maggie sat. “How’s our patient?”

  Ida reached over to pump his hand once. “Nothing a little love can’t fix.”

  Leave it to Ida, the town romantic, to say something like that.

  He fought the smile tugging at his lips. “And how are you two?”

  “Beat.” Maggie yawned. “This concussion stuff is murder on the sleep cycle.”

  “How about you both go rest for a while and I’ll keep an eye on her?” He helped Ida hobble back to her cottage next door.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be teaching?” Ida poked him in the ribs.

  “Timmons gave me the day off.” He made certain Ida was settled in her house before going back to the inn.

  He found Paige with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders in Maggie’s living room. A scowl on her face announced that she must not be feeling well yet. The stitches on her chin screamed at him—he couldn’t keep her safe. Had failed to protect her. Would never be able to take care of her like she needed.

  They needed to talk. He had to know why she’d gone to Sarah’s Home when he asked her not to.

  “I know you’re tired, and you’ve been through a lot, but we really need to talk.” He snagged a seat on the armrest near her.

  She shifted away from him. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

  Deep breath. “That was fine last night, but not today.”

  Didn’t she realize how much it bothered him that she went to Sarah’s Home? She’d promised not to. He deserved to know why she’d gone.

  “You don’t get to decide that.” She crossed her arms.

  “Listen.” He modulated his voice. “I’m really frustrated with you. I asked one small thing of you and you couldn’t—”

  Pa
ige exploded to her feet. “You’re frustrated with me?” Her voiced reached a level he hadn’t heard before. “Well, know what, I’m angry at you. Downright angry. I thought you were someone you’re not, and I want nothing to do with you anymore.”

  He reeled back as if she’d struck him. “What are you talking about?”

  She stalked toward him. “I saw you with Amy. Don’t act like you weren’t with her yesterday.”

  When had he been with Amy? Only when... “You were at the high school? I never saw you.”

  “Of course you didn’t see me.” Her laugh held no humor. “You wouldn’t have gotten all cozy with her if you’d known—”

  Paige had a history of men cheating on her. Of course her seeing him talking to Amy would have pressed that button. It bothered him that she didn’t trust him to be faithful, but hopefully that would come with time.

  He raised his hands in a stop motion. “I didn’t do anything with her.”

  “I saw you.”

  “What? You saw me hug her?” He shrugged. “Yeah, I hugged her. She was there to apologize for how she’s acted toward me the last couple years. Seems she had a conversation with you that is making her rethink the way she’s been behaving.”

  Paige stopped pacing “A conversation...with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t know if she’d taken it to heart or not.”

  “Evidently she did, because she asked me to forgive her. I’m sorry if offering her a hug hurt you. At the time I thought it was appropriate.”

  So she watched him interact with Amy and went to Sarah’s Home to get at him? He sure hoped not.

  Give me patience. I need it.

  * * *

  “So you weren’t...?” The fire inside of her defused instantly and she wanted to apologize.

  “I would never cheat on someone. Ever.” Caleb’s voice was low, laced with hurt. “Is that why you went to Sarah’s Home?”

  “Partially.” And because one of the students needed her.

  Caleb got to his feet and took her hands. “I get that you were upset, but next time talk to me about it, okay? You can’t do things like that when you’re not thinking straight. You put yourself in danger and got hurt.”