by Hope White
She enjoyed watching Matthew play with Eli, as if the federal agent hadn’t a care in the world other than making the child giggle.
“I wonder if Tim and Miss Westbrook will stay for breakfast,” Nancy said.
“Tim and Miss Westbrook?” Jenna said.
“The off-duty police officer and the counselor,” Nancy said. “They’re still upstairs.”
“That reminds me, I want to call the people I mentioned last night, in case Emily can’t stay here,” Jenna said. “Could I use your phone?”
“Sure.” Ed grabbed the cordless phone off the cradle and handed it to her.
“Can you watch Eli for a minute?” she asked Matt.
“Of course.”
Jenna went into the living room to make the call. At this point she trusted the three people in the kitchen, but still felt protective of the Guardians.
“Hello?”
“Patrice, it’s Jenna.”
“I was hoping you’d call. How are you?”
“I’m good, at least for the time being.”
“I’m so relieved you’re okay.”
“Thanks. I had great support last night.” Jenna told Patrice about the Millers and their mission of helping women in trouble. She described Emily’s violent reaction after being plagued by the nightmare.
“Makes sense,” Patrice said. “She was reliving the horror.”
“The thing is—” Jenna hesitated “—she stole a gun from the couple here, and they might not be able to let her stay, especially if they have more guests arriving in the next few days. I don’t suppose...?”
“You want me to ask the Guardians if they can help?”
“Would you?”
“I’d be happy to.”
“Thank you so much. I’ll get the number of the farm and you can speak with Nancy. I—” Jenna hesitated “—I don’t know where we’re going next or what kind of danger awaits us.”
“Do you want to come stay at my place?”
Jenna couldn’t rely on the Guardians forever. She needed to take care of herself at some point. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m with an FBI agent who is committed to helping me.”
“And you trust him?”
“I’m working on it.”
“I have faith in you.”
Jenna wished she had that kind of faith in herself.
“I need to get Nancy’s phone number. Hang on.” Jenna went back into the kitchen and asked the Millers for the number of their landline.
“Better yet, let me speak with her.” Nancy motioned for Ed to take over pancake duty.
“I’ll go see if Tim and Miss Westbrook are staying for breakfast.” Ed made a quick escape.
“It’s just pancakes,” Nancy called out with a smile, then turned to Jenna. “He’s afraid we’ll be eating hockey pucks for breakfast.”
“I’ll take over.” Matt stood and went to flip pancakes.
Jenna handed Nancy the phone and sat next to Eli to keep him entertained.
“Hi, this is Nancy.” Nancy went into the living room, leaving Jenna and Matthew alone with the little boy.
“You can cook?” Jenna said.
Matt glanced over his shoulder. “Got to. I’m single and can’t stand fast food.”
“That’s rare—I mean a bachelor not liking fast food.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I like an occasional pizza or a burger. I guess I’m kind of a health nut though. The cheap and greasy fast food can be a killer.” He hesitated before flipping the pancakes. “Sorry.”
He was apologizing for mentioning death by junk food, as anyone might in a normal conversation.
“You will be sorry if you don’t get this guy a pancake pretty soon,” Jenna said to lighten the mood. “He’s almost done with his milk.”
“We’ll hit the store this morning before we leave town,” Matt said. “He probably needs more formula, and I could use some clothes.”
“We’re not staying, even for one more night, are we?”
“Do you like it here?”
“Yeah. It feels normal, maybe even...safe.”
Matthew chuckled as he turned to her. “You’re the only civilian I know who gets threatened by a crazed woman with a gun in the middle of the night, and that feels safe.”
“You know what I mean. The other parts, the Millers, this.” She motioned to him, then reached out and stroked Eli’s arm.
“It does, doesn’t it?” he said softly. “Feel normal.”
She couldn’t rip her gaze away from his intense blue eyes. Her heartbeat sped up. What was happening here?
“May I ask you something?” he said cautiously.
“Sure.”
“Aren’t you worried about your ex-husband coming after you?”
The mention of her abuser shattered the tender moment.
“No, the group that helped me escape did a good job of covering my tracks.”
“But guys like that don’t tend to give up.”
“He’s in jail,” she said. “After he put me in the hospital, I decided to press charges. Besides, my friend made me learn how to shoot.”
“Yet you threw my firearm into the snow at the truck stop and tossed Ed’s gun last night.”
“I know how to handle a gun, but I don’t relish the thought of shooting someone.”
A few moments of silence passed, then he said, “I hope you never have to.”
There he was, that gentle man again, offering comfort and compassion.
It made her uneasy.
“Bah!” Eli tossed his bear and it slid across the kitchen table.
“Someone’s getting restless,” she said, thankful for the interruption. She didn’t like talking about Anthony, or the deal she’d agreed to in order to extricate herself from his life.
Matt flipped the pancakes. “I’d better make another pot of coffee too.”
“Can I help?”
“Nope, I’m good.”
Yes, he certainly was, she mused as she watched this broad-shouldered man move around the kitchen with ease.
But this pleasant scenario wasn’t real, and she didn’t know Matthew well enough to conclude he was a good man.
As he went to work on the coffee, she took a long, deep breath and enjoyed the scene a moment longer: a kind man cooking breakfast for Jenna and a child. She closed her eyes briefly, and the sweet smells and comforting sounds of a loving kitchen filled her senses with peace.
The coffee maker ground the beans, shattering the moment with a memory she thought she’d buried years ago.
Anthony’s irrational rage and hateful words.
Fresh coffee—what does it take to make a fresh pot of coffee?
He’d hurled the glass pot across the room. Jenna ducked. The pot crashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.
Get down on your knees and clean that up!
She turned toward the closet.
What are you doing!
I’m getting the broom.
Clean it up with your hands.
But, Anthony...
He came at her, eyes blazing fire—
“Jenna?”
She glanced at Matthew, who stood only a few inches away. He narrowed his eyes as if deciding what to say. He was an intuitive man, and he knew she’d just been someplace else.
That dark place.
“Two pancakes or three?” he said.
Good, he wasn’t going to ask her to explain her sudden mood shift.
“Go ahead and put three on a plate and I’ll share with Eli,” she said.
“Sounds good.” When he didn’t immediately turn away, she refocused her attention on Eli.
The longer she and Matthew made eye contact, the more likely he’d ask questions about her past, and she’d eventually open
up to him. Yet she didn’t want to. Sharing too much information could be dangerous, on many levels.
Ed joined them in the kitchen. “You made fresh coffee. Thanks.”
“So, a couple dozen pancakes?” Matt said.
“Yep, I think I convinced them to stay for breakfast.”
“Is Emily still asleep?” Jenna asked.
“Just woke up. She kept apologizing, begging me to let her stay. Poor kid.”
Nancy came into the kitchen and hung up the phone. “What a nice lady,” she said to Jenna.
“Patrice is the best.”
“I think Gloria’s Guardians could be a good option if Emily doesn’t stay here.”
Jenna cringed slightly at the use of the group’s official name in front of Matthew, but he seemed to be conversing with Ed about how to make the perfect pancake.
“Ma!” Eli shouted, tapping his fingers to his lips.
“What a silly fellow,” Nancy said.
“That’s sign language for eat.” Jenna had seen Chloe communicate with her son using basic sign language.
“Sign language? Isn’t that something,” Nancy said. “How long are you two staying?”
“I figured we’d leave after breakfast,” Matthew said.
“Better yet, let us take care of Eli while you shop for supplies. You certainly don’t want a toddler underfoot while you’re at the store.”
Matthew slid a plate of pancakes in front of Jenna. “Are you comfortable with that?”
Putting her hands together in a hopeful pose, Nancy smiled at Jenna.
“The two of us would be less noticeable without Eli,” Matt suggested.
“The little guy’s safe here,” Ed said. “And we don’t have any guests coming for a couple of days.”
“He’ll take a midmorning nap while you’re away,” Nancy said. “That way he’ll be refreshed for the next leg of your journey.”
Jenna wasn’t sure what to do. She’d promised Chloe she’d take care of Eli, and she’d done a good job so far. Could she risk leaving him at the farm for an hour or two?
“There is no wrong answer,” Matthew said.
She glanced at Eli, who was savoring the pancakes he shoved into his mouth with his little hands. Who better to take care of him for a few hours than a grandmother who acted as a host for abused women?
The little boy might very well be on the run with Jenna and Matt for days, weeks even. Didn’t he deserve a little normalcy?
Then she remembered Patrice’s hope that someday Jenna would choose to make decisions from a place of love, not fear.
“We’ll take him with us,” Matt said.
“No.” Jenna glanced into his blue eyes. “It’s okay. He can stay with Nancy and Ed.”
“Hallelujah,” Nancy said, humming through the kitchen and pouring more batter onto the hot griddle.
Jenna smiled at little Eli, whose eyes widened with delight at biting into a juicy blueberry.
Matthew placed a gentle hand on Jenna’s shoulder. Welcoming the gesture, she realized she was starting to feel comfort from his touch.
* * *
After breakfast they waited in the guest room for Emily, the counselor and the off-duty officer to leave. Matthew said the fewer people who knew that he, Jenna and Eli were at the Millers’, the better.
Jenna settled herself on the floor to play with the little boy. Matthew joined them, pressing noise-making buttons on a fire truck, to Eli’s delight. Once again, Jenna was lulled into the mirage of a happy family.
“Jenna?” Matthew said.
She looked at him.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Sure, why?”
“Your expression changed.”
And he was way too intuitive. “I’m okay.”
She grabbed a foam ball. “Eli, look!”
Eli spun around and she tossed him the ball. He caught it and toddled across the room. He tripped on a block and tumbled forward.
Jenna dove to catch him, but was a second too late. He hit his head on the window ledge and started to whimper. “Ow-ee.”
She hugged him and grabbed his bear. “You’re okay, little boy. I’ll fix the ow-ee.” She kissed his forehead.
“Bubba’s gonna give you a kiss too.” Matthew nuzzled the boy’s cheek with the bear, and whimpers quickly turned into giggles.
“Good save,” she said.
He winked at her.
The echo of voices drifted through the door. Jenna tipped her head and could hear Emily’s voice. She was crying, begging for forgiveness.
Jenna sighed and hoped Gloria’s Guardians could help the young woman.
Eli suddenly wound up and tossed the foam ball at Matthew’s face.
“Oh, yeah?” Matthew said in a silly voice.
The little boy charged. Matthew caught him and gave him a big hug.
“You ever think about having children?” Jenna asked.
“Nah, not with my hours.”
What a shame, because he was a natural with Eli.
Nancy tapped on the door and cracked it open. “Everyone’s gone. How’s the little guy doing?”
“Back and forth between high octane and wanting a nap,” Matthew said, standing up.
“Why don’t you two get going? Ed and I will take care of Eli’s every need.”
Half an hour later, Jenna and Matt were at the Super Store in town, picking out supplies. She felt so relieved that Eli hadn’t put up a fuss when they’d left him behind. Of course it helped that Ed was playing Legos with the little boy, distracting him so she and Matthew could leave unnoticed. They decided to take Ed’s truck as a precaution.
Jenna’s goal was to purchase clothes, baby supplies and snacks. She wasn’t stressed about Eli because she’d made the decision to leave him with the Millers from a place of love for the child, not fear of danger.
Once the cart was filled with baby items—formula, diapers, baby wipes, backup pacifiers and clothes—she found hair color and then went to the women’s clothing section. She was especially excited to find the baby carrier Patrice had mentioned. It would allow Jenna to conveniently strap Eli to her body. Matthew stayed close, acting the role of supportive husband and doting dad.
“Blond, huh?” he said, analyzing the box of color while she sifted through a rack of shirts.
“What’s wrong with blond?”
“Seems kind of harsh for such a pretty face.”
She snapped her attention to him.
“Sorry, that just came out.” He tossed the box into the cart and glanced at her. “You’re blushing?”
“I’ve had three compliments today. A world record for me.”
“You deserve more than three a day,” he said with a slight smile.
She broke eye contact, unnerved by the tender moment. “You’re trying to make me blush again.”
“What’s that about?” he said.
“I’m not used to getting compliments, so I blush.” She furiously searched the rack. “It’s embarrassing, but—”
Her words caught in her throat because he’d interlaced his fingers with hers. It was such an intimate connection. She glanced at his concerned expression.
“Come with me. Leave the cart,” he said.
She followed his instruction, still processing the physical contact.
As he led her through the women’s clothing section toward the back of the store, she studied the hard set to his jaw and his pursed lips.
“What’s going on?” she said.
“I think they found us.”
“They as in Billings’s men?” She squeezed his hand for strength.
He squeezed back, but didn’t look at her. Matthew led her through an employees-only door. Where was he taking her?
He pulled her into the stockroom, where
rows of consumer goods were stacked high up to the ceiling.
“Matthew—”
“Shh.” He guided her into a small alcove with boxes on either side of them. “I need you to trust me on this.”
And he kissed her.
SIX
“Hey, what are you...? Uh, disgusting,” someone said behind them.
Matt had seen a teenager turn the corner up ahead, eyeing his phone. Knowing the kid would be able to identify him and Jenna, Matt did the only thing he could think of.
He kissed Jenna North.
Breaking the kiss, he whispered, “Sorry,” against her ear.
Matt held on to her as he listened intently to the sounds in the warehouse, waiting until he was sure the teen had passed by and they were safe.
Then again, would the kid run off and tell security he saw two customers necking in the stockroom?
“What...what just happened?” she said.
“I saw a security guard leading a cop in our direction. We needed to disappear.”
“But you kissed me.”
“A teenager was about to spot us.”
Poking his head around the corner, Matt saw the cop and security guard walking in the opposite direction. Matt needed to get Jenna out of here. He handed her the truck keys, but she put up her hands to refuse them.
“Jenna, you haven’t changed your hair color. You’ll be easily recognizable. Take Ed’s truck. Get to the farm. If I’m not back in an hour, take off.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Distract them so you can get away.”
“I’m not leaving.”
He looked into her green eyes. “You are, and you know why?”
She shook her head.
“Because Eli needs you. I can take care of myself. Now go.” He motioned to the dock where they unloaded goods.
With a reluctant sigh, she glanced both ways and took off toward the exit. As she approached the door, she shot him a quick glance before disappearing into the sunshine.
Sudden regret knotted in his gut. What if this cop was dirty and there were men waiting for her outside? Matt started to follow her.
“Stop right there,” a male voice ordered.
Matt slowly turned around.
The store security guard and police officer approached him.