Special Delivery (Mountain Meadow Homecoming 1) (28 page)

So much aching regret lay in his voice that tears started to her eyes, but now wasn’t the time. She made her voice as normal as she could.

“He must have followed me. I started to call you, but I was afraid you’d be so angry it would mess up this morning’s arrests.”

He gathered her close and simply held her. She leaned into him, feeling the tension recede. With their bodies touching, they drew strength from each other, as they always had. They stayed that way until Holly called to them.

“Come inside before you freeze! I’ve got coffee, homemade cinnamon rolls, eggs, and bacon.”

Evan tucked Jenny’s hair behind her ears. “That sounds so good. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten some of those rolls.”

Jenny smiled through her tears. “Breakfast in a tux?”

Evan looked at himself wryly. “It would have been a little difficult to make people believe we’d had a fight if I brought a change of clothing.”

Jenny touched his lean cheek. “Was it bad?”

“You’re worried about me?” Incredulity flooded his expression. “Mike Saunders tried to kill you last night, and you’re worried
I
had a tough morning?”

He wrapped her in his arms and held her against him so he could plunder her mouth. Jenny, mindless of anything else and needing him desperately, wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life.

“Hey!” Jake yelled from the front porch. “Come inside before the neighbors call to complain. Besides, Holly won’t let me eat until y’all are here.”

* * * *

Jenny and Evan decided attending church would show a united front. The situation would get worse before it got better. At the Baptist church, Jake deftly fielded several questions by letting everyone know the investigation was really in the hands of the sheriff’s department and the commonwealth’s attorney. Jake had simply assisted.

As Sam said, the shit was really going to hit the fan, and it had already started by the time they went to church. None of the men arrested had been members at either the Baptist church or the Presbyterian church, but it seemed almost the entire congregation knew several men were behind bars, including former Senator Stoner Richardson and Mountain Meadow’s current mayor, Mike Saunders.

Not until afternoon did Evan and Jenny finally have a chance to talk. He handed her a glass of wine and sat next to her on the couch. His long, sensitive fingers gently brushed her throat.

“Tell me about it, Jenny.”

“I went to my house as we discussed, but I was feeling restless, so I changed clothes and ran a couple of miles on the treadmill. It didn’t help. I just had a gut feeling something wasn’t right. I sat in the den to watch a movie when I saw his reflection on the screen. I managed to dodge the first blow, but before I could get away he grabbed me and started choking me.”

Evan put his arm around her shoulders. “Did you know it was Mike?”

Jenny shook her head. “He wore a stocking cap. I started to freeze, but then…well, I just got mad, you know? I thought no way was I going to be a victim again. I tried kicking him in the knee, but I missed and hit his shins. Well that just made him angry, and he hit me in the cheekbone.”

“How did you get loose?”

“I jammed the heel of my hand into his nose. He let go long enough I was able to grab hold of the big geode on my table and hit him alongside the head with it.”

Evan smiled at her as he stroked her cheek. “I wish I could have seen that. It helps me, helps the anger I’m feeling to know he probably looks a whole lot worse than you do.”

Jenny grinned. “Oh, he does. I bloodied his nose and his head.”

Evan leaned over and kissed her, then met her golden eyes insistently. “There’s more, though, isn’t there?”

Jenny wrapped her arms around her bent knees. “When I pulled the cap off his face, it all came back Evan.”

“What do you mean it all came back?”

Jenny swallowed. “He was there, twelve years ago. And I remembered all of it.”

Evan was nonplussed. “Mike? The night you were gang-raped? I never saw him, and he’s not in the video…” He stopped. “Son of a bitch. He was the one shooting it, wasn’t he?”

“Yes. But he participated, too, Evan. He was the first.”

God, he wanted to kill him. Evan pulled her onto his lap and cuddled her against him. His hands stroked the back of her head and rubbed her shoulders and back. “Everything feels so tarnished. Here we are at what should be one of the most joyous times of the year and we’re dealing with this.” He paused. “Did you tell Sam?”

“Yes. He’s getting additional warrants so he can go through Mike’s house. He’s hoping he might have been arrogant enough to hang onto the original videotape.” Jenny nestled her cheek against Evan’s broad chest. “What about you? Are you okay?”

His hands tightened on her for an instant. “My mother didn’t take it well. She told me to do what I had to do and get out.”

“Oh, Evan.” Jenny stroked his cheek. As much as he tried to hide it, she saw the hurt and disillusionment in his face. “How much of the legal proceedings will take place before Christmas?”

“Not much. With the holidays, it’s likely only the arraignments and referral of the case to a grand jury will happen. But the press will have a field day with it. And I don’t just mean locally, honey. Dad’s name alone will probably draw national attention. Are you ready?”

“With you next to me, I can do anything.”

He kissed her again, his mouth hard and passionate. They were both desperate for reassurance, for validation what they were doing was the right thing for everyone. Their kisses and caresses grew more heated, until Evan carried her up the stairs to the big master bedroom. Afternoon faded to evening as they touched and kissed and finally came together, arousing and then soothing each other’s emotions until they fell asleep, emotionally and physically spent, in each other’s arms.

“Oh for heaven’s sake!” Jake exclaimed, smacking the palm of his hand against his forehead when he saw the two ministers walk into the station the following morning. “It’s my fault. The shepherds and their sheep are gone, right? And I promised to put on extra patrols to watch over them at night.”

“It’s okay, son,” Reverend Calloway said. “We understand you can’t be everywhere at once. And you did have a few other pressing matters to attend to.”

“I feel rotten about this. Let’s take a look. Maybe they will have left some clue.” After grabbing his cap, Jake glanced at Ernie. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Don’t forget,” Ernie said. “We’ve got the arraignments this afternoon for our three prisoners. And it might be a bit of a zoo around the courthouse right now. I believe the mayor and the senator are due in court at nine.”

Sure enough, when Jake emerged from the police station, there were news vans from several agencies, and a satellite truck with a network logo on the side. Great! Just what they needed the week before Christmas.

* * * *

Evan dreaded facing the media feeding frenzy as he headed downstairs to the courtroom from his office. He’d been surprised and a little overcome when he’d walked into the office, and his staff had greeted him with hugs and hands on the shoulders, asking if he and Jenny were all right and whether there was anything anyone could do for them. Evan looked at Bill, his assistant with the most experience.

“I need you to represent the office in court today. I’ll be there, but I want to be as hands off as possible until we can get a special prosecutor in here to handle the case. Let’s push for a change of venue as well. There are too many locals involved for us to ever impanel an impartial jury.”

“Hell,” Bill had said, “Two of the suspects
served
on the last grand jury panel.”

And that was perhaps one of the most telling comments about the case. None of the suspects was scum of the earth. They were excellent students and athletes in high school. Many had gone on to college and successful careers with families of their own. But crime knew no class boundaries in this case. Had Jenny’s father still been living, they would be prosecuting everyone from a moonshiner to a former United States senator.

The two men walked into the courtroom and were barely able to keep from stopping in surprise at the crowd gathered. Knowing the case would generate interest and seeing it were two different things. Evan saw Amanda Brown from the local paper rubbing shoulders with a reporter he recognized from Washington, DC. Bill took the lead chair and Evan sat next to him. The suspects paraded in and sat on a bench along the wall. Evan felt his father’s glare, but refused to look at or even acknowledge the older man. Far too much had happened. He was no longer a young boy looking for approval, or even the teen who’d hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps. Evan realized now he’d started backing away from his father years ago, and not just because of Jenny. Evan sensed a core in Stoner Richardson as cold as his name. He couldn’t remember a time when his father had been anything other than harsh and remote. Evan could be harsh as well, but his single-mindedness was reserved for the pursuit of what was right, not what benefited himself.

The clock outside struck nine and the bailiff called the court to order.

* * * *

Evan’s phone rang not more than an hour after he finished in court. He punched it, “Evan here.”

“It’s Holly. Are you okay?”

Evan smiled. “Sure, darlin’. Thanks for asking. How’s my favorite baby girl?”

“Sleeping, eating, and pooping. Oh, and I think I caught a smile from her today, but it might have just been gas. Would you like to bring Jenny over tonight and you can both stare at her for a while to see if she’ll do it again?”

Evan laughed, and everyone in his office relaxed. “Would this involve dinner, too?”

“Of course. I figured we could throw steaks on the grill because I know how much you and Jake like to freeze your bottoms off while you do the guy thing on the back porch, but I’ve also made this really great homemade pound cake, and…”

“What time?” Evan interrupted. If her pound cake was anywhere close to her homemade cinnamon rolls, he might just ask Jake and Holly to let Jenny and him move in.

Holly giggled. “Shy, aren’t you? That’s what I love about you, Evan. The usual time, six. You want me to call Jenny or will you.”

“I’ll call her. I need to let her know what went on in court today.”

Despite everything hanging over them, Evan and Jenny were both smiling within a few minutes of arriving at Jake’s house. Being around Holly and Jake made others happy because they were so obviously in love.

Evan was overjoyed his friend had finally found someone who could match his loving, giving nature. Jake had always been the one in school who’d been everybody’s buddy—male and female alike. Guys knew they could rely on him, and girls discovered he provided a very sturdy shoulder to cry on, but there had never really seemed to be anyone serious until Holly.

And wasn’t it just like Jake to jump unhesitatingly into an instant family? He’d not only acquired a little brother who was more like a son, but also a brand-new baby girl. And anyone watching him with Noelle and Holly knew he would do anything to make sure they were happy and secure.

* * * *

Jenny wished she could be as upbeat as Holly about everything, but life had taught her painful lessons. She still watched her back, wondering when fate would deal one or all of them another crippling blow. For a while, Jenny thought the court case would be that blow, but since Evan had recused himself, most of their responsibility would rest in testifying. Jenny knew that wouldn’t be easy, but they would have each other to rely on.

So what made her so uneasy? She tried to shake the feeling, but it had served her well in the past. She just couldn’t fathom what threat might be out there.

As they sipped coffee and cut into Holly’s luscious pound cake following dinner, Jenny jumped wholeheartedly into the wedding plans Jake and Evan were hashing out. She asked Holly, “Are you really going to let them plan the entire wedding?”

Holly laughed merrily. “If it makes them happy, I’d even let them pick out my dress. It’s not the details; it’s the people. New Year’s Eve, I will marry the man I love with my whole heart, and next to me will be my very best friends who will also marry. We will share our love and our lives. What more could I possibly want?”

There was a moment of stunned silence. They all sat motionless and stared at her. Evan was the first to move. He knelt next to her. Framing her face in his big hands, he gently kissed her forehead. Holly blushed and Jenny saw just the faintest shimmer of tears in Evan’s eyes. “You have taken one of the toughest days of my life and put it into perspective for me. All I have to do is hear you, and it restores my faith in the goodness of man. Are you sure you’re human?”

She touched his hand with hers. “All too human, Evan, because it hurts to see my friends in pain. If I’ve made you happier, then I’ve justified my reason for being.”

He smiled at her, then Jake. “If I haven’t already told you, I’m really glad the two of you found each other.”

Jenny leaned around Evan and touched Holly’s cheek. “And we’re both honored we’ll be sharing your wedding day with you.”

“Oh gross!” Tyler said into the emotionally charged moment. “Now all of you have that gooey look Evan gets when he looks at Jenny and Noelle. I’m going to bed.”

* * * *

Spence watched Holly most of Tuesday. For a short time, he even peered inside the windows and caught her nursing Noelle. It disgusted him. He had the car stocked with what he needed—diapers, bottles, formula. Spence even had an infant car seat properly installed in the backseat. Now all he needed was the opportunity, and this morning he finally heard what it would be. As the boy left to go to that tourist trap country store where he worked, he heard Holly tell him she was going out later. She needed to run errands at the Walmart.

You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. The place would be packed these last few days before Christmas. If he could just get close enough, find something to distract her, then he could grab Noelle. Spence took a sip from his hip flask. This would work. And once he had her, he’d take the baby back to Seely.