Stalked in the Night

by Carla Cassidy

  “Let me help you,” he said and moved to the opposite side of the bed from her.

  “Thanks. This is the one job I always hate doing by myself.” She threw him half of the fitted bottom sheet.

  “I can make it so you never, ever have to do this job alone again,” he replied, keeping his tone light and teasing.

  “Just fit the sheet on, buddy,” she replied.

  He laughed. “You know I can be as handy as a pocket in a shirt to have around. You’d never need a back scratcher again or a stepladder for those high shelves in the kitchen.”

  “My back rarely itches, and I like my stepladder,” she countered as she threw half of the top sheet toward him.

  He laughed again. “You get a special price at the café for a family-style meal. Speaking of...why don’t we get out of here and have dinner at the café this evening?”

  She tucked in the sheet and straightened. “Oh, I don’t know...”

  “Come on, Eva. We’ve been cooped up here in the house for a couple of weeks now. A change of scenery for a little while would be good for us all.” He’d love to take her out and display her proudly on his arm.

  She grabbed the peach-colored bedspread off the nearby chair and threw it onto the bed, then straightened once again and blew a strand of her hair out of her eyes.

  “Actually, dinner out sounds good. Andy always likes to eat at the café.” A trace of fear darted into her eyes.

  “Maybe it will be a celebration dinner if Wayne manages to break down Griff and his friends and they all confess they’ve been behind everything.”

  “That would really be wonderful.”

  “Why don’t we plan on heading out of here around five,” he said as they finished straightening the bedspread.

  “Sounds good. That will give me time to finish with my cleaning and then get ready to go out.”

  “Ah, yet another reason to keep me around. I can cut your workload in half.”

  “Jake, I’m warning you.” She picked up one of the pillows from the bed, her eyes suddenly filled with a teasing glint.

  “If I was here all the time, you’d never get cold in the winter, because I’d be your snuggle mate.”

  The pillow flew across the bed and smacked him in the face. “I warned you,” she said with a laugh.

  “Ah, this means war,” he said. He walked around the bed and then threw the pillow back at her, hitting her in the chest.

  Within seconds they were in an all-out pillow fight. Their laughter filled the room, and laughing with Eva felt so damned good. They laughed even louder when one of the pillows split open and feathers flew everywhere. He finally grabbed her around the waist and pulled her down to the bed.

  For a long moment they simply gazed at each other as they tried to catch their breaths. He plucked several feathers from her hair and grinned. “I win,” he finally said.

  She returned his smile. “You won by breaking my pillow.”

  He laughed. “I’ll help you clean up the mess, but first I want my prize for winning the battle.”

  One of her dark eyebrows crooked upward. “And what prize do you think you deserve?”

  “At the very least, my prize should be a kiss.” He half expected her to buck him off her, but instead her eyes darkened and her breath once again quickened.

  “Okay, one simple kiss,” she said.

  He covered her mouth with his. There was nothing simple about kissing Eva. As his tongue sought entry, every part of his body was engaged in the kiss. His heartbeat accelerated, and his arms ached to wrap her up and pull her closer. He was instantly aroused as he deepened the kiss.

  She allowed it for only a couple of seconds and then turned her head and shoved at his chest. “Okay, winner, your prize has been paid.” He immediately stood and then pulled her up to her feet.

  “I need to get this mess all cleaned up,” she said.

  “I’ll help,” he replied. “As handy as a pocket in a shirt.”

  “Start picking up feathers,” she replied with a laugh.

  Jake’s heart squeezed with love. If this didn’t end the way he wanted, then he would never be the same again.

  At ten till five, Andy and Jake sat in the living room, waiting for Eva to be ready to go out to dinner. “You think maybe I could get a piece of chocolate cake for dessert tonight?” Andy asked.

  “You can have whatever you want,” Jake replied with a smile to the boy who had crept so deeply into his heart. “If you want two pieces of chocolate cake, then you can have them after you eat your vegetables.”

  “That’s okay. I don’t mind eating some vegetables, but I hate brussels sprouts.”

  Jake laughed. “I hate them, too.”

  “Mr. Jake, is the bad man that hurt Mom going to get caught and put in jail?”

  “I really hope so, buddy. I know Sheriff Black is working real hard to make that happen.” Once again Jake was angered by the fear he saw in Andy’s eyes. Damn the person doing all this to Eva and making Andy collateral damage.

  “We’re going to get him, Andy,” he assured the boy. “You just need to stay strong for your mother until that happens.”

  At that moment Eva came into the room. She looked absolutely stunning in a pair of jeans and a violet blouse that showcased her slender waist and full breasts and perfectly matched her eyes. God, he was so proud to be the man by her side.

  “You look very pretty,” he said.

  “Yeah, Mom, you look really good,” Andy echoed.

  “Thank you,” she replied. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving.”

  “Me, too,” Andy replied.

  They left the house, and the heavy humidity pressed tight. It felt like storm weather, and in fact the forecast was for thunderstorms to make an appearance later on in the night.

  Minutes later the three of them were in Jake’s truck and talking about what they intended to order to eat. For Jake, it was just another wonderful glimpse into what could be if he and Eva were together again.

  “I think I’m in the mood for a big, juicy steak,” Jake said.

  “Me, too,” Andy replied. “What are you going to get, Mom?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’m leaning toward the chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy,” she replied.

  “You always get that,” Andy protested.

  Eva laughed. “I just know what I like.”

  The Dusty Gulch Café was a popular place to eat. The food was good, the prices were reasonable, but more importantly, it was a great place for the gossipers in town to gather.

  Jake felt the stares that followed the three of them as they made their way to an empty booth toward the back of the café. This was really the first time he and Eva had made an appearance together. The grocery store didn’t count. The café appearance made it more official.

  Jake took the side of the booth where he could see who came into the café and who might approach them. He definitely didn’t want any surprises. Andy sat next to him and across from his mother.

  They placed their orders, and then while they waited Andy kept them entertained with stories about what had happened at school that day. “Jeffrey brought his pet frog today and it jumped out of the box he had it in.” Andy’s eyes sparkled with merriment. “The girls all screamed and got up on their chairs, and the boys were all running around the room and trying to catch it.”

  “Who finally caught it?” Eva asked.

  “Jeffrey did and Mrs. Roberts told him to never bring the frog again, but then she had us all write a story about Mr. Frog’s adventures.”

  “And what did you write about?” Jake asked.

  “My frog was a cowboy who lived in the pond and rode the range during the days on his favorite dog.” Andy slid a sly look at his mother. “Frog took good care of his dog without his mother’s help and they
were best friends.”

  Eva smiled at her son. “I got the point, Andy,” she said with a small laugh. “I might see a dog in your future, but first we have to decide what kind of a dog you want.”

  At that time their meals arrived, and the conversation turned to different kinds of dogs. They discussed the pros and cons of different breeds and whether Andy wanted a big dog or a smaller one, an indoor dog or an outdoor one.

  They were almost finished eating when Robert Stephenson and his son walked through the door. Andy immediately spied his friend and waved to him.

  Robert guided his son back to their booth. “Jake... Eva,” he greeted them. “Eva, I’m glad to see somebody can get you to take a break and get a meal out,” he said. Where before Jake had seen warmth in Robert’s eyes when he looked at Eva, tonight Jake swore he detected a hint of coolness there.

  Jake was also beginning to wonder if Robert had been stalking Eva. He and his son seemed to show up wherever Eva went.

  Eva’s cheeks warmed with color. “Jake twisted my arm to come out this evening,” she replied.

  “Bobby and I are doing takeout. I suggest you all finish up pretty quickly—the weather is looking pretty nasty out there,” Robert said. “We’re now under a tornado watch until three in the morning.”

  Storms in Kansas weren’t anything to take lightly. A tornado could level a town in a matter of minutes. “Maybe we should take Robert’s advice and get done and get home,” Eva said as a worried frown slid across her forehead.

  The three of them finished up quickly and then stepped out of the café. The air was sultry and still and there was no sign of the moon or the stars in the dark, cloudy sky.

  “I don’t mind storms, but I really hate bad storms,” Eva said softly enough that Andy wouldn’t hear her in the back seat.

  “We’ll keep an eye on it, and if we have to go to your storm cellar then we’ll go,” he replied.

  He knew she had a storm cellar right outside the back door. The last time he’d been in the small space, it had contained shelving holding canned goods and a cot. If necessary, the three of them could escape a storm’s wrath by going there and hunkering down for the duration of the weather event.

  They arrived back home and turned on the television, where the tornado-watch box was at the bottom of the screen. The details of the watches and warnings scrolled across.

  The three of them played a card game until it was time for Andy to shower and call it a night. When he’d been sent off to bed and had been tucked in, Eva and Jake sank down on the sofa.

  The television station had now canceled all regular programming, and the local weatherman had taken over the screen. There were tornadoes spinning up all around the area. Storm chasers were active and checking in on a regular basis with reports of damage on the ground.

  “I’m not going to sleep until all this weather has settled down for the night. We haven’t seen this kind of active weather pattern for a long time,” she said. “If you want to go ahead and go to sleep, I’ll move to the chair and turn down the volume on the TV and try to be as quiet as possible.”

  “You can sit right here. I’ll stay up with you. Another reason to have me around all the time—I would always be your storm-watch buddy.”

  She shot him a whisper of a smile and then turned a worried look back to the television. The minutes turned into hours as they talked and watched the weather reports. Occasionally he got up and went to the front door to peer outside.

  Thunder clapped and lightning slashed through the dark sky. The wind whipped tree branches into a frenzy. It felt like a night of evil, and Jake wasn’t only looking at the weather elements but also keeping watch for trouble of the human sort. Under the cover of a storm, a lot of madness could occur.

  There had been no word from Wayne, and so he suspected the teenagers had remained strong through his interviews. That left a lot of uncertainty. Either that or the teenagers truly weren’t guilty, which was even more troubling.

  It was two thirty in the morning when the weather finally cleared up. Eva released a big yawn and struggled to her feet. “I’m totally exhausted,” she said.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty tired myself,” he admitted. “I can’t remember the last time I was up this late.”

  “Me, neither. Good night, Jake. Thank you for seeing me through the storm.” She offered him a sleepy smile.

  “Anytime,” he replied.

  He watched until she disappeared into her room, and then he went to the front door, opened it and stepped out on the porch. The air smelled fresh and clean after the rain they had received. Stars had begun to show back up in the sky, an indication that the dark clouds had finally moved away.

  He looked around and, seeing nothing that disturbed him, he turned and went back into the house. Thank you for seeing me through the storm. Her words echoed in his mind as he stretched out on the sofa.

  He’d seen her through this particular storm, but there was another one coming. A storm of a different kind, and he could only pray that he would see her through that one, too.

  Chapter Twelve

  Eva awoke slowly, her brain begging for just a little more sleep. She hadn’t been up so late since Andy was born. Sleepiness kept her eyelids closed for several more long minutes.

  She finally opened her eyes. With the shades pulled at the windows, no morning sun filled the room to help her wake up or know exactly what time it might be.

  She rolled over and eyed the clock on her nightstand. Alarm pulled her upright. She’d overslept, and if she didn’t get up and get moving right now, Andy was going to be late for school. And he was a boy who absolutely hated being late.

  There was no scent of coffee in the air, which let her know Jake had overslept as well. She got out of bed and raced into the living room, which was also semidark because of the shades all being pulled.

  He was still sound asleep. “Jake,” she said urgently.

  He shot up and fumbled on the side table for his gun. “What’s up?”

  “We’ve overslept. Andy is going to be late for school if we don’t get moving.”

  He immediately got up from the sofa. “What do you need for me to do?” he asked and raked a hand through his unruly hair.

  “If I can get Andy ready in time for him to catch his bus, then you don’t need to do anything. But if he misses the bus, could you drive him to school?”

  He frowned, and she knew what he was thinking. “Jake, it’s seven thirty in the morning—I’m sure I’ll be fine here for the twenty minutes or so you would be gone. And now I need to get Andy up and moving,” she said, aware of the time ticking by.

  She hurried down the hallway and into Andy’s bedroom. “Andy...honey, we’re late. I overslept. You need to get up and dressed as quickly as you can so you aren’t late for school.”

  “Okay,” he said and sat up.

  “I’ll make you something for breakfast, but you’ll have to eat fast.” She left his room and hurried into the kitchen, where Jake was starting coffee.

  “Andy hates to be late to school,” she said as she pulled a skillet out from the cabinet.

  “Calm down, Eva. Right now it’s possible he might miss his bus, but if we leave here in the next fifteen minutes or so, I can get him to school without him being tardy.” He turned to look at her. “You know I don’t like the idea of leaving you here alone.”

  She sprayed the skillet, turned on the burner and then cracked an egg into it. “I’m sure I’ll be fine for no longer than you’ll be gone. There’s no way I can get myself ready to leave this house and still have Andy make it to school on time.”

  She flipped the egg over.

  “I can’t believe I overslept so much,” Jake said. He got a to-go cup from the cabinet along with a regular coffee cup.

  “We both had a really late night,” she replied. “And it doesn’t help that
all the blinds are pulled and it feels like twilight in here.”

  Andy came into the kitchen just as Eva finished putting together an egg sandwich for him. “Jake is going to take you to school. You can eat this on the way.”

  She wrapped the sandwich in a paper towel, and Andy took it from her. Jake grabbed the to-go cup of coffee he’d prepared, and then the three of them headed for the front door.

  She kissed Andy’s forehead. “Sorry for the rush this morning. Just have a great day at school.”

  “I will, Mom,” he replied with a bright smile. “I’ll see you later.”

  She watched from the front door as Jake and Andy got into Jake’s truck and then it disappeared down the lane. She closed and locked the door behind them and then released a deep sigh.

  She’d been in frantic mode since the moment she had opened her eyes and seen the clock on the nightstand. She shoved a hand through her messy hair and headed back into the kitchen.

  She hadn’t even managed to get out of her nightgown, but all she wanted now was to relax for a few minutes and drink a cup of coffee. She’d clean up and get dressed after she had her coffee.

  She sank down at the table with the cup that Jake had fixed for her before he’d left. She took a sip and leaned back in the chair.

  Last night while she and Jake had been weather watching, they had talked about a lot of things. He’d told her about his brother, David, whom Eva remembered from high school, and his wife, Stephanie, whom Eva had seen around town but had never officially met.

  He talked about how much he liked his sister-in-law and how he hoped to foster a good relationship with his nephew. Eva knew how important family was to Jake. Now with his father gone, she hoped he’d really be able to build those family bonds with his brother and his wife and children that would feed his soul.

  The one thing they hadn’t talked about was the past, for which she was grateful. Besides, they had built a new relationship now, one as adults instead of teenagers filled with nothing but youthful hopes and dreams.

  She finished drinking the cup of coffee and then decided it was time to get up and get cleaned up for the day. She was about to get out of the chair when a shadow of a person moved across her back door.