Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her arm. She spun around, to see who had a hold of her, and came face-to-face with Ryan Watkins. Forcing a smile, she asked, “How are you?”
He flashed a high-voltage grin. “Hey, you know me! Couldn’t be better.”
Actually, she didn’t know him, but knew ‘of’ him, since he’d been a year ahead of her in school, and had been part of Candace’s crowd briefly. She had never liked him. She remembered him as both a braggart and Battle Ground High’s biggest jerk. And he’d always struck her as someone to avoid.
He smiled into her face. She noted the smile didn’t reach his eyes, but that his eyes held a predatory gleam. He gave a low whistle. “Wow, who knew?”
“Knew what?” she asked, struggling for patience.
“Who knew little ‘mousy’ Laura Landers would morph into this? My, my, you’re a regular butterfly. A swan, even.”
The words, spoken in a suggestive tone, made her skin crawl. She realized abruptly that he hadn’t looked her in the eye as he’d spoken, but instead, his eyes had been fixed on her chest. Disgust filled her.
She took a steadying breath. “As ‘nice’ as it’s been to see you, I really need to go,” she told him.
“Aren’t you going to ask about me? Don’t you want to know what I’ve been up to?” he asked, pretending to be wounded at her lack of interest.
“What is it you do for a living?” she asked, feigning interest.
“I own a car dealership in Vancouver, along the Ninety-nine strip,” he told her. “Doin’ all right for myself, I might add.”
“Well, that’s really great,” she told him, forcing a smile. And then with a nod, she turned away to continue shopping. To her consternation, he grabbed a hold of her cart.
“You’re not being very polite,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “What say you forget about those groceries and the two of us go out? I’ll show you a good time.” The words, spoken again in that predatory, suggestive tone, caused goosebumps to erupt on her arm. Instinctively, she understood Ryan wasn’t someone to dismiss as harmless.
Lord, give me strength, she prayed. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have plans for the evening.”
“Another time?” he said icily.
She cocked her head, as if reviewing her social calendar in her head. “Ryan, I am sorry, but I’ll only be in town through Thanksgiving.” She gave a shrug. “And then I’ll be flying home. So there’s really no point in…”
He took a step closer to her. She felt his hot breath against her ear when he spoke. “Come on, baby. So you’re going home soon. That’s all the better. No ties to bind…”
Laura gasped and pulled away. “I have shopping to do.”
When he took hold of the cart again, she tugged it away. She refused to be intimidated by this vile man.
He only laughed, unfazed. “You’re just like that sister of yours. You can pretend you’re all haughty and virginal, but I know better. I’ve heard about that sister of yours. She’s the same now as in high school…”
Laura refused to respond, though her cheeks had gone red with anger, and she wanted nothing more than to defend her sister’s honor. But she realized several people had heard Ryan and had turned to watch them with interest. Battle Ground was still small enough that word of the encounter would spread through town like wildfire. She hurried away.
She finished her shopping and paid for her groceries. Her hands were still trembling as she unloaded the cart and stowed the bags in the truck of the rental. When she turned to return the cart, she abruptly collided with Ryan.
He stared at her with unconcealed contempt. She attempted to go around him, but he stepped into her path. She took a step to the right, and he moved again, blocking her.
“Get out of my way,” she said, standing to her full five feet tall and struggling to sound threatening.
He only laughed and glanced around. “Parking lot’s fairly quiet,” he observed. “Mighty quiet for this time of the day. Weather must be keeping folks away.” His eyes narrowed. Yeah, we’re just about all alone here.” He turned to stare at the only person nearby, a woman who had climbed into her car. He watched her until she left the lot and turned back and snared Laura’s gaze. “Get’s dark so early these days, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but I like the dark.”
Laura read the threat in his voice and shoved the cart into his gut. She spun and made a run for her car. She pressed the remote to unlock it, but she wasn’t quick enough. He caught up to her and intercepted her hand. She felt his face against her cheek and his body pressed against her back.
“You’re coming with me.”
“Oh, no, I’m not!” she told him. She spun around, brought the palm of her hand hard against the tip of his nose, and then shoved her knee into his groin with every bit of strength in her. He dropped to the ground like a rock and writhed in agony.
Laura glanced around, uncertain what to do. She realized she needed to call the police. Ryan had just attempted to force her to go with him. He’d tried to abduct her.
She fumbled in her purse for her cell phone, but to her utter relief, a patrol car sped to the scene, followed by a second car. Her brother-in-law leapt out of first vehicle and charged toward her, as the second cop followed and grabbed a hold of Ryan, cuffed him, and hauled him to his feet.
“Laura?” Dan cried, when he realized it was her. He took her by the arms and stared intently into her eyes. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head, breathing deeply to still her pounding heart. “No, but I think I hurt him.” She took another deep breath. “How did you know to come?” she asked, confused.
“Somebody told the store manager about a man accosting a young woman in the produce department. He was watching as you left the store, and spotted Ryan following you. He told us exactly where you were. Thank God,” he uttered with relief.
“Oh, okay,” she said shakily. “Okay.” She remembered the groceries in the back of the car. “Well, I’d better go. I have perishables in the trunk.”
Dan bit back a smile. “Laura, you’ve had a shock, but you need to understand, you’ve just been attacked by a very bad man. I’m going to need you to come to the station so I can take a report.”
“But the groceries…”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll have someone drive them out to your brother’s place. Okay?”
She gave a shaky nod. “Okay.”
He began escorting her to his patrol car.
“I can drive,” she asserted. “I’m fine.” But she wasn’t. The reality of what had almost transpired was fast sinking in. She nearly sunk to the ground.
Dan wrapped an arm arms her shoulders. “Come with me, Laura. Everything is fine now.”
“But I have to cook supper.”
He smiled again. “I’ll give Thomas a call. You don’t need to worry about cooking tonight.”
By the time Laura arrived at the police station with Dan, the implications of her near abduction really came crashing down upon her. She was violently shaking as he led her to a chair. She prayed for the strength to pull herself together, and immediately felt a calming sense come over her. “Thank you, Lord,” she finished softly. “Thank you for protecting me, and for sending Dan.” She took a shoring breath. “Thank you…”
Her brother-in-law heard the prayer and said a prayer of his own. He too took a steadying breath as he realized what could have happened to his sister-in-law. “Laura, can you tell me exactly what happened at the store this afternoon?” he asked.
She told him about Ryan approaching her in the produce department, and finished by describing what had occurred in the parking lot.
“He told you he owns a car dealership?” he clarified.
She nodded. “He said he was doing very well. I take it he was lying?”
Dan nodded. “He doesn’t own anything. The truth is, he was just released from prison, after doing nine years for…” He paused, as if hating to speak the words alo
ud.
He didn’t have to. Laura knew exactly what he’d been about to say. Ryan was a sexual predator and had things gone differently, she might have been his next victim.
Dan leaned closer to her, catching her gaze. “Laura, we’re going to send him away for a very long time, but…”
She braced for that qualifying but.
“You’ll be asked to testify,” he informed. “Without your testimony, he could walk.”
“But … why?”
“Because, although there were witnesses—thank God—you’re the only one who can speak to his actual intent. Laura…” he prompted.
“Of course, I’ll testify,” she told him. There was no way she wasn’t going to do her part to assure he was locked up once and for all. What if he had approached a young teen this afternoon—or a child—someone far less equipped to deal with him? They might have been waking to horrible headlines in the next day’s paper.
Dan nodded, obviously relieved she was willing to go to court, but turned toward a door when it burst open. Thomas and Dalton came charging into the room. “Laura!” Thomas cried. “Oh, thank God you’re all right.”
Dalton, behind him, looked absolutely stricken. The color had drained from his face, and even the bright blue hue of his eyes appeared to have diminished in its intensity.
She rose, to assure both men she was okay, when Thomas pulled her into a hug. “Ah, sis. You’re never leaving the house again. Welcome home,” he said drolly, as he held her tight.
When he finally released her, Dalton took her arm and tugged her close to him. He peered deeply into her eyes, as if assessing that she was really okay. She nearly lost it then, seeing the stark concern on his face.
He apparently sensed her composure was tenuous, since he sighed and pulled her gently against him. He wrapped her in an embrace and stroked her back. “You’re okay,” he soothed. “You’re okay. Something told me you shouldn’t have gone out tonight. I shouldn’t have let you.”
It didn’t appear as if he intended to release her any time soon, and she was hard-pressed to muster the will to pull away from him. Wrapped in his arms, she felt … safe. She felt … treasured. She felt as if she’d … come home.
But that was absurd.
She stepped away from him. “I am okay,” she said, as much for herself as him. “I’m fine.” She turned to Dan. “Thank you for everything. Is it all right for me to leave now?”
He nodded, and then rose and hugged her, as well. “I’m so glad you’re all right,” he said. “Thank God you’re all right.”
***
Back at Thomas’ house, they found Macy and Candace, along with Kenny, waiting in the living room.
The instant Laura stepped through the door, Candace hurried to her and hugged her tightly. “Oh, Laura…”
She pulled back to see her sister’s face. Concern—abject terror—was etched on Candace’s face. “I’m okay,” Laura assured her. “I’m fine.”
Macy approached and wrapped an arm around her, as well. “Thank God,” she whispered.
Laura moved away from them, lest she start crying. Instead, she forced a smile. “I’m fine, everybody. Just fine.”
She spotted Kenny then, standing off and away from the group. His little face was crunched in misery—his eyes wide and fearful. “I should have gone with you,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have been sleeping. I could have protected you! I don’t do anything right!” he cried. “Nothing!”
He spun on his heel and ran from the room and up the stairs. Candace gasped, and the men stood back, shocked.
Laura’s heart broke for the little boy. Clearly he felt responsible for everything going wrong around him. “May I speak to him first?” she asked, glancing around at the concerned faces of the adults in the room.
Candace nodded and Laura started climbing the rickety stairs. With each step, her heart broke a little more for her precious nephew.
She found him face-down on his bed, sobbing. She began stroking his back. “Sweetie, I’m fine. None of us had any way of knowing I would run into a bad guy. And you are certainly not responsible for protecting me, nor are you responsible for any choices the adults closest to you are making right now.”
He didn’t respond, but continued crying.
“Sweetie, please talk to me. I want to help.”
He took a shuddering breath, and to her relief, turned to face her. “Everything is going wrong, Aunt Laura. Mom and Dad don’t love each other anymore, and I don’t know how to make them. And I know Uncle Thomas is having a hard time, and Macy too. And it’s because they’re stuck with me and Krissy. And then you come here, and you almost get hurt bad…” He gave a defeated sigh. “I should have gone with you to the store! I should have known something bad was going to happen.”
“Why, sweetie? Tell me why you should have known something bad was going to happen?”
He took a shuddering breath. “Because, it always does. My baby brother didn’t get to live, and Mom and Dad got so sad, and then…”
“Oh, Kenny, I know.” She wrapped her arms around him and gathered him against her. She stroked the hair off his brow. “But do you know what?”
“What?”
“You’re just about the best kid I know.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Oh, yes, you are. You care so much about other people, and you want to help them…” She shook her head. “Not everybody cares so deeply for the people around them, you know?”
He pulled back slightly and pinned her with earnest eyes. “Do you care about us?”
Her eyes widened. “Of course, I do!” she assured him.
“But, you never came to visit until now. I mean, I know we talk a lot on the computer, but that’s not the same as in person.”
What could she say? He was right. She hadn’t visited. She hadn’t made a real, honest-to-goodness effort to know her nephew and niece. She hadn’t just moved away from her hometown—she’d run away from it, and all that it represented.
“I’m sorry, Kenny. I really am. You’re right. I should have visited more.”
He sighed. “Mom says it’s her fault you never came home.”
Laura couldn’t very well respond to that, since in truth, it was accurate on many levels. She’d been so wounded by her sister, and her apparent lack of regard for her, that she had managed to rationalize steering entirely clear of her family and hometown.
She chose not to answer her nephew’s assertion, but to instead, try to reassure him. “Kenny, we can’t undo the past. None of us can. But we can move on and try to do better in the future.”
“I’ll try to do better.”
“Sweetie,” she laughed, “you don’t have to do anything but be the good boy that you are. I’m talking about myself. But you, young man, cannot fix adult-sized problems, because it’s up to the adults to fix them. And you are not responsible in any way, shape, or form for what happened to me today. None of us could have anticipated any of it.”
“I know, I guess.”
She squeezed him tighter. “Will you try not to worry so much? I worried a lot too, when I was your age.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I did. But then I learned something really important—something that helped me to deal with whatever came my way.”
“What?”
“I learned to trust God—to turn to Him with all my problems. I prayed to Him to assure that His will be done in my life.”
Kenny sat quietly, pondering. “You mean, I should give my worries over to God, instead of trying to fix everything myself? Uncle Dalton told me that too,” he noted.
“Exactly. Because sometimes, our plan is not God’s plan. He knows what’s best for us, and how things are going to turn out. As difficult as it can be to let go sometimes, we have to do it.”
“I’ll try,” he told her, and attempted a smile. “Cuz my way sure isn’t working too well. I think I’m getting an ulcer.”
“Oh, honey,” she said, chuckling soft
ly. “Did I ever tell you you’re my favorite nephew?”
“Yeah, you did.” He gave a sheepish smile. “And you’re my favorite aunt.”
***
Later, that evening, after the kids had gone home with their mother, Laura found Thomas rinsing dishes for loading into the dishwasher.
“Let me help,” she said.
He shook his head. “I’ve got it.”
He sounded so forlorn, Laura took his arm and turned him to face her. His face was rife with worry and he looked as if he’d aged ten years over the past few hours.
“Laura, I…”
“Hey, I’m fine!” she asserted. “God was with me. Please try not to think about it anymore.”
“Dan mentioned you’re going to have to testify. It’s likely you’ll have to fly home, er, here sometime—probably several months down the road.”
She nodded. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
He sighed. “I was surprised that Candace took the kids home tonight,” he observed. “I half-expected her to announce she had places to be, but…” He gave a shrug.
“What?” she prompted.
“She really was terrified for you. Did you see her face?”
“I did.”
He stood silently for a moment, a plate in hand. “Poor Kenny,” he mused. “What did you say to him? He seemed much better when he came downstairs with you.”
“That little boy has such a heart,” she mused with an affectionate smile, and then shook her head. “Anyway, I told him essentially to ‘let go and let God.’”
“Good advice,” he said, as he dropped the plate into the lower level of the dishwasher.
He turned and caught her gaze. “And poor Dalton. When we got the call from Dan... Wow, he sure seemed…” He narrowed his gaze and eyed her speculatively. “You and Dalton have been spending quite a bit of time together…”
Laura furrowed her brow. What was her brother suggesting? “Hey, don’t even go there. He asked me to help babysit the kids and of course, I agreed to help out. And speaking of babysitting…” She glanced around. “Look, no children. It’s Saturday night, early still, and you’re here doing dishes.”
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