Rescued by the Farmer (15 page)

Her brain finally shifted back into gear, and she tipped her head back to give him a curious look. “How did you know I was in trouble?”

“Sierra,” he explained with a grimace. “She didn’t like the way you sounded when you hung up with her, so she called me to come and check on you.”

“I’m glad she did, but I’m sorry to drag you away from the farm in the middle of the morning this way.”

Clearly unconcerned, he shrugged. “No big deal. That endless pile of logs isn’t going anywhere.”

“Cutting or stacking?”

“Both. I lost the rock-paper-scissors deal, so I got stuck with restocking the firewood for the house.” He gave her a sheepish grin that was very unlike him. “Not that I’m complaining or anything. I could be strapped to a chair behind a desk or something.”

Bekah tried to picture him dressed in a suit and tie, working in an office, but even her vivid imagination couldn’t make the jump. “I can’t see you doing the executive thing.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Understanding glimmered in his eyes, and he added, “Is that what Richie does?”

“Believe it or not, he’s the general manager of a high-end department store.”

“With his people skills?” Drew scoffed.

“I know—weird, right?”

“Very.” He looked out the front window and frowned. “I think I just saw him drive by. He slowed down, then sped up when he saw my truck was still here.”

Now that she’d faced him down and survived, Bekah felt more annoyed than threatened by the fact that he hadn’t truly left. “What a pain. It’s not like I can go somewhere to get away from him. It’s almost critter lunchtime, and I’m the only one here.”

“Hang on a sec.” Pulling out his phone, Drew hit a button and began talking. “Hey, Harley. I need a favor. No, this time it’s legit. There’s a guy lurking around the center who’s not exactly friendly, and Bekah’s out here by herself. I’m not sure if he’s staying in the area or not, but could you and the other deputies keep an eye out for him? Here’s his license plate number.”

After he’d rattled it off, he listened for a minute. “I don’t think she wants to make a formal complaint at this point, but if he comes around again, she might change her mind. Thanks, man.”

Once he’d hung up, Bekah looked at him in amazement. “You got his license plate number?”

“Sure. I watch those detective shows, too, y’know.”

He was just full of surprises, this easygoing country boy who’d stepped between her and trouble so many times, she’d lost count. “You probably solve the crimes before the characters do.”

“Sometimes.”

“Which means most of the time,” she corrected him, wrapping her arms around his waist with a playful grin. “Most people would crow about being that smart. How come you’re so modest?”

“No need to rub it in, I guess,” he replied, ticking the tip of her nose with his finger. “As long as you know the truth, that’s good enough for me.”

His playful tone gave way to a more serious look, and she held her breath, waiting to see what this remarkable man wanted to tell her.

“Most folks don’t bother looking beyond the obvious to what’s underneath,” he said quietly. “But you do. Why is that?”

“Maybe because I know how it feels to be judged on appearances instead of what really counts.” Resting her hand on his chest, she smiled. “What’s in here is what makes a person who they are. The rest is just window dressing.”

“Does that mean Richie’s like a mannequin in a display?”

She considered that for a moment before nodding. “I didn’t realize it before, but he’s definitely all flash and no substance. That’s probably why he can be so mean. He knows he’s missing something inside, but he doesn’t know what it is so he drags people down to his level to make himself feel better.”

“Are you trying to make me feel sorry for the jerk who used to beat you?” Drew demanded with narrowed eyes. “’Cause I can promise you it ain’t gonna happen.”

Unlike the vows her troublesome ex had made to her over and over, Bekah knew that Drew meant those terse words with every ounce of energy he had. Tears of gratitude sprang into her eyes, and she cuddled into the haven of those strong, sheltering arms that had not only kept her from harm, but had lifted her from her dark past and into a brighter future.

“In the meantime,” he continued in a determined voice, “till we’re sure he’s gone, I’ll leave my truck here and hike back to the farm. That way, if he does another drive-by, he’ll assume I’m still here and hopefully keep his distance. Do me a favor, though.”

“What’s that?”

He pointed to the door. “Make sure that stays locked. If you’re doing something out back or in the office, I don’t want him sneaking up on you.”

“But what if a customer comes by?”

“They can ring the bell, like the plaque tells them to. Trust me. No one wants you putting yourself in danger just because the sign on the door says Open.”

His borderline paranoia about her safety probably wasn’t necessary, but she couldn’t fault him for being overly cautious. Knowing she didn’t have to cope with this new challenge on her own gave her the same warm, cherished feeling she’d had the night of the fire when he’d held her this way. Whether she was at her worst or her best, he’d been a constant source of strength and comfort for her since the day she blundered into his hometown, lost and alone.

Even though it didn’t seem like nearly enough to repay him for all he’d done, she gave him her biggest, brightest smile. “Thank you, Drew.”

“For what?”

“For always being there for me, no matter what. You’re my everyday hero.”

“Everyday hero,” he echoed with that crooked grin she’d come to treasure. “I like the sound of that.”

“I thought you might.”

Chapter Ten

“I
love Monday night football,” Drew announced as he sprawled out on the living room floor at the farmhouse. “What a great way to start the week.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with Cincinnati being favored by two touchdowns over Oakland, does it?” Erin teased, tossing a fluffy piece of popcorn at the back of his head.

“’Course not. I just love the game.”

Josh was sitting next to him and slid a little farther away. When Drew gave him a questioning look, he explained, “For when the lightning bolt comes to strike you down.”

“I’m totally serious.”

Mike barked out something that could have been laughter. “Since when?”

“I’m always serious about football.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he winked at Bekah. That made her laugh, and he was relieved to hear it. Richie’s stunt had clearly unnerved her, and about ten minutes after Drew had left the clinic earlier, he’d put off his long list of neglected barn chores to spend the rest of his day there to make sure she wasn’t alone.

Not only was he concerned about her personally, he didn’t believe for a second that a controlling, domineering guy like Richie had come all this way to bring her back with him and would now meekly turn tail and go home without her. Men like him simply weren’t wired to be cooperative. Even when it was in their own best interests.

Beyond that, he couldn’t forget Richie’s parting shot.

You know why I’m here, and I’m not leaving until I have what I came for.

Drew had patiently waited all day for Bekah to offer some kind of explanation, but he still had no clue what her ex was talking about. Apparently, she was content to ignore it and go on as if nothing unusual had happened.

But he wasn’t.

While they all debated the pluses and minuses of Cincy’s new quarterback, Drew subtly kept an eye on Bekah. She seemed to be following their conversation, but her troubled eyes kept flicking to the open screen door with a view up the driveway to the road that led past the farm. Drew would’ve given anything to be able to tell her that Richie was gone for good and she was safe now.

But much as he wanted to reassure her, he drew the line at lying to make her feel better. Not only was it wrong, but she’d see right through it. He’d worked hard to earn her trust, and he wasn’t about to do anything that would cause her to withdraw back into the shell she’d been in when he first met her.

So he settled for catching her eye and giving her what he hoped came across as a confident grin. She responded with a tentative smile, but the gratitude shining in her eyes balanced it out. Under the circumstances, he figured that was about the best he could ask for.

The game was a defensive battle, and just before halftime, the teams were tied at seven. During a commercial, Drew strolled into the kitchen to get a soda from the fridge.

Erin sat at the large table, staring wide-eyed at something on her laptop. When she noticed him, she motioned toward the screen. “Bekah did an amazing job on the new website. It’s so fabulous, I can’t even remember what the old one looked like.”

“Tell her that, wouldya?”

“Absolutely.”

Shouting erupted from the front parlor, and he grinned. “Parker likes his new game?”

“He taught Abby how to play, and they’re having a blast. It’s giving me some time to get caught up with clinic business.” Leaning back in her chair, she gave him the Mom look that must have come with the ream of foster-parent papers she’d signed when she took in Parker. “You’ve been acting worried all night, which isn’t like you at all. What’s going on?”

“Wish I knew,” he confided, perching on the end of a long bench. He nutshelled what he’d seen and heard during the day, ending with “She won’t tell me the whole story, and I’m afraid if I ask her directly, she’ll think I’m prying. What should I do?”

“Send her in here,” Erin suggested immediately. “I’ll find out.”

“I don’t know. That sounds like a bad idea.”

She waved that off like a gnat. “It’s girl talk. I’ll start out giving her notes on the website, then move over to what Sierra told me about that weasel showing up unannounced. If there’s something you need to know, I’ll share.”

“Who decides if I need to know?”

“Me.” Raising one eyebrow, she added an evil grin. “Take it or leave it.”

* * *

“Anything else?” Bekah asked, pen poised over her notepad to record more input from the woman Sierra affectionately called The Boss. She hadn’t had much direct contact with Erin before the fire, but since then they’d bonded over their mutual concern for the animals and how to approach bringing the clinic’s facilities back up to speed.

“Not that I can think of.”

Bekah eyed her notes dubiously. “Are you sure? This isn’t very much to fix.”

To her surprise, the usually serious Erin laughed. “That’s because you did such a great job. Take the compliment, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” After a sip of fragrant orange tea, Erin leaned back and gave her a long, assessing look. “A little birdie mentioned that you had a less-than-welcome visitor at the center today. Tell me about it.”

It wasn’t a request, Bekah noticed wryly. It was an order from someone who was accustomed to people obeying her—either out of love or fear. And judging by the patient expression she was wearing, she fully intended to sit at this table until Bekah answered the question to Erin’s satisfaction.

Bekah wasn’t used to people troubling themselves about her well-being, and a few weeks ago the prying would have sent her scurrying back into the shadows to avoid calling attention to herself. Now, though, she took the meddling as proof that Erin not only cared about her, but would help if she could. “What did Drew tell you?”

“The basics, but I think he’s missing the big picture. You left Cleveland months ago, so I want to know why Richie would put so much effort into hunting you down in the first place.”

Bekah had kept the truth to herself for so long, it felt like a part of her. But as she met Erin’s direct, unflinching gaze, she realized the time had come to share it with someone who just might be able to help her shed the past once and for all.

“Before I tell you the gory details, let me ask you something.” Erin nodded for her to continue. “You work for a judge, right?”

“I’m his office assistant, not a paralegal. Why?”

“I have something that needs to stay safely tucked away, but I’m not sure it’s legal to do that and I don’t want to cause you any ethical problems.”

Erin leaned in and spoke more quietly. “Something of Richie’s?”

“Not exactly.” Bekah considered what she was about to do one more time, then took a deep breath and forged ahead. “The department store I used to work at went bankrupt just before I left Cleveland. I have evidence that proves it was mostly because Richie and the senior accountant were embezzling money from the company.”

Erin’s eyes rounded in shock, and Bekah almost expected to be accused of participating in the crime. She was relieved when Erin said, “Those crooks. A lot of people must’ve lost their jobs because of what those two did.”

“More than a hundred of them, from maintenance to upper-level managers. I didn’t know what was going on until the end, when Richie left some of the undoctored financial reports at the apartment. When I realized what they were, I realized he was more than abusive—he was a criminal. I knew that if I didn’t get out of there, people would assume I was in on their scheme, and I’m sure he wouldn’t tell them otherwise.”

“That’s awful,” Erin seethed. “You could’ve ended up in jail.”

“In a heartbeat. I had no intention of letting that happen, so I copied the computer files onto a portable drive and one day when he was out, I left.”

“Good for you,” Drew’s voice approved from behind her. When she turned, his jaw was set in grim lines that would have frightened her if she didn’t know his gentle nature as well as she did. “So that’s why he’s really here. It’s got nothing to do with wanting you back.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt he misses having me to kick around,” she retorted crisply. “But he’s a lot more worried about what I know and how I might use it against him.”

“What do you need from me?” Erin asked in a pragmatic tone that was oddly comforting.

“Just a safe place to keep the evidence I have. Taking it to the police wouldn’t help save the company at this point, but it could put Richie and that crooked accountant away for a long time. I think they’d prefer to avoid that,” she added with a wry grin.

Strolling into the kitchen, Drew spun a chair around and sat down. “I know that look, Bekah. You’ve got a plan.”

“I do,” she confirmed, glancing from one Kinley to the other. “But I’m going to need a little help.”

* * *

“I don’t like this,” Drew muttered to Bekah when they arrived at the Oaks Café the following afternoon. “Have I mentioned that?”

“Repeatedly.” Taking his hand, she gave him a confident smile. “I appreciate the moral support, but I don’t want you and Richie getting into a fight. Cam promised to keep an eye on me, so you’ll have to be content hanging out in the snack bar.”

His eyes wandered through the connecting archway, then settled back on her. “I’m gonna sit in view of the door. If he so much as looks at you funny...”

“I know, you’ll do terrible things to him. He’s due here anytime now, so you need to get going.” She gave him a playful shove toward the adjoining room and couldn’t help laughing when he didn’t budge. “Drew, I’ll be fine. I have a plan, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember. I still don’t like it.”

“Too bad. This is my problem and my solution. Now go.” He remained stubbornly by her side, and despite the serious reason she was here, she couldn’t help smiling at the sweet, protective gesture. “Please?”

“Well, since you said
please
.” Giving her a lopsided grin, he quickly kissed her before walking away.

Bekah had to admit, knowing he was on the other side of the wall ready to spring into action made her feel a lot more confident than she would have otherwise. She chose a table in the middle of the dining room, in full view of everyone there. Including Cam, who caught her eye from the front desk and gave her a nod.

Despite the ugly confrontation that was probably coming, she’d never felt safer in her life.

When Richie appeared in the entryway, she sent up a heartfelt prayer for courage to carry through with the maneuver she’d so carefully plotted out. While she didn’t really expect him to harm her in front of so many witnesses, she wouldn’t put it past him to try something more subtle but just as unnerving.

As she watched him come toward her, an unexpected sensation washed over her, replacing her anxiety with a calmness so complete, she felt it all the way to her toes. And in that moment, she knew that if she just followed the course she’d chosen, everything would be all right.

“Hello, Bekah.” When he noticed the two chairs were directly opposite each other, he chuckled as he sat. “Was this your idea or your Doberman’s?”

“This is a table for two,” she replied smoothly. “The chairs are always set up like this.”

“Okay, have it your way.” Folding his hands on the table, he skewered her with a sharp stare. “I have to admit, I’m impressed.”

The compliment caught her off guard, but she managed to maintain contact with those dark, penetrating eyes. “With what?”

“That you called me instead of sneaking out of town in the middle of the night. It’s not your style.”

“I don’t run from my troubles anymore,” she informed him icily. “I stand up to them.”

“Good for you.”

His words echoed Drew’s from the night before, but the mocking tone was decidedly different. But now, rather than making her feel small, his condescending attitude just annoyed her. Batting away her irritation, she got down to business. “I have a solution to our mutual problem.”

Something akin to respect flared in his eyes. “I’m listening.”

“I have proof of what you did to our former employer. It’s safely tucked away, with instructions on what to do with it if anything happens to me. It will stay that way as long as you never contact me in any form ever again.”

She had his full attention, and she could almost see the wheels spinning in his devious mind. “And if I don’t agree to your little blackmail scheme?”

“I’ll file restraining orders against you in every state and go to the district attorney with everything I have. When the evidence I’ve accumulated comes out, you and your numbers guy will be sent to prison for a very long time.”

The boldly specific legal threats had been Erin’s idea, and while Bekah wasn’t certain she could actually follow through on them, she thought they had a nice, official ring to them. Once Richie had a chance to absorb that, she leaned in and added the kicker. “If you want to stay out of jail, all you have to do is leave me alone.”

“How do I know you have what you say you have?”

She’d anticipated the challenge, and she slid a few sheets of paper across the table. “These are some random printouts from hundreds of electronic pages. See for yourself.”

While he skimmed them, she casually lifted her water for a sip. Cam traded a look with someone in the distance, and she assumed it was some kind of silent communication between him and Drew. Knowing they were watching out for her made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and she swallowed a grin that would only have made Richie angry.

“Fine,” he spat, tossing the pages back at her. “But how do I know you’ll keep your word?”

“Would you like it in writing?” This wasn’t exactly the kind of arrangement you documented, and she was more than happy to point that out to the man who’d made her life so miserable for so long.

Apparently realizing he’d stepped into that one, he frowned and shook his head. “No, but you’re treading a fine line here. How do I know you’ll keep your end of the bargain?”

“You don’t,” she said evenly. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

Clearly, he didn’t like that, but she had him in a corner, and they both knew it. He stood up and glared down at her. “Like you’re going to trust me?”

“I don’t have to,” she informed him sweetly, waving the papers for emphasis. “This time, I’ve got all the cards.”