Chapter Five
For a brief second, Raine wanted to tell Chase everything. She couldn’t understand why she was ready to spill her secret. Maybe because he’d fixed the heater, or maybe his way with Landon and putting that stupid monkey on his lap, or maybe she was just plain old tired and wrung out. Telling the first person who came to her rescue was only going to get them all in trouble. Matt certainly wouldn’t stop at hurting anyone who knew what she’d done. She needed to remember that.
The sky was black behind the windows. The agonizing wind rattled the glass and her nerves. A branch banged against the side of the house. She dropped to the floor of her bedroom and did another set of pushups. She’d follow those up with sit ups, lunges, and squats. She hadn’t had time or the space to pack her boxing gloves, and certainly not her heavy bag. She missed the feel of her gloved hand connecting with the bag, and the emptiness in her mind when she trained. It would be a while before she had another bag. In the meantime, she could work out at home, shadow box, and if she got desperate she could tack pillows to the wall.
The more she thought about Chase the more she heated up at the core. She had stopped noticing men. Matt hadn’t been discreet about his other women, and she hadn’t wanted him touching her with the smell of someone else still on him. She gagged just thinking about it. He had been all too happy to leave her alone as long as she didn’t try to stop him.
The tears threatened to come again. She swatted them away then jabbed at her pretend partner. She had been foolish all these years. By the time she came to her senses Landon was toddling around the house. It took years to be ready to slip away. Now that she had, she’d never go back. Matt would have to kill her first, and he would without hesitation. He’d never hurt their son, but then Landon would grow up under the wing of his father and become the same kind of evil man Matt had become.
With sweat running down her back, she checked on Landon. He was fast asleep. She pulled the covers up over his slim body and placed a kiss on his head. She would protect him at all costs.
She double checked the locks on all the doors and peered out the window toward Chase’s house. The wind continued to push the trees around. The fifteen acres was nice, but it offered too many places to hide. Would the power hold? What would she do if Matt snuck up on her?
Maybe having a neighbor wasn’t so bad. He had one light on upstairs. The rest of the house seemed dark. Would he tell her if someone snuck onto the property unexpectedly? Could she share some of her fears? She shook the thoughts away. Never could she share what she was running from. He’d only end up dead. Even if he was or had been a cop, he’d be no match for Matt.
She made a cup of tea and climbed into bed. Matt would discover her trail in Seattle led through Canada to Alaska. She’d paid a woman with a child to check into a motel on the edge of Seattle and check out after two days. She was to be seen heading north and then disappear. Their trail would go cold after a while, but Matt would keep looking.
The lights flickered. The tree continued its tap, tap, tap against the house. Her heart pounded in her throat. That wasn’t the tree. Something or someone knocked at the front door. She jumped from the bed and doused the light. Keeping as low as she could, she made her way down the hall. The knocking continued. Had her luck run out? She’d hoped for more time, and grabbed a steak knife from the block.
Landon hadn’t come out of his room. Hopefully, he’d sleep through the noise. The front door didn’t have a peep hole. She had to press her back firmly against the wood and glance over her shoulder out the window.
The man was average height, but he had a knit cap pulled low on his head making it hard to see his face. He wore a down jacket zipped up to his chin, and black gloves. A gun or a knife could be hiding in that coat. She ran back to the kitchen and dialed Badger’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Mr. Badger, it’s Raine Kennedy. Do you have Chase Shepherd’s number?”
The knocking continued.
“Evening. I sure do. Everything okay over there? You get that heater fixed? Did Acker ever show up?”
Landon came out of his room. “Mom, I think someone is at the door. Do you want me to answer it?”
She motioned for him to go back, but he stared at her not moving. “Go back in your room,” she hissed.
“Everything all right there?” Badger said.
“Everything’s fine. Chase fixed the heater earlier, but it’s making a knocking noise. I don’t want to go banging on his door at this hour. I thought a call would be better.”
“It’s a might cold up there. I understand. Hang on.”
The knocking got louder.
Please hurry. She kept her eyes on the door and the knife gripped in her hand.
“Mom, why do you have a knife? Is it the bad guys? Are they here?”
“Ssh.”
“Here you go.” Badger rattled off the number. She hung up with a quick good bye.
Her fingers shook as she punched in Chase’s number. “Please answer.”
“Shepherd.”
“There’s someone banging on my door. I don’t know who it is and they won’t go away.”
“Raine?”
“Yes. Can you come over?”
“I’m already on my porch. Where are you?”
“In the kitchen with Landon.”
“Stay there. Don’t open the door for anyone, but me.”
“Thank you.” But he’d hung up.
No questions asked. He came running. Definitely a cop. Her whole body shook. Whoever was at her door wasn’t Matt or one of his men. They would’ve crashed the door open, or cut their way in through the window. Still, her heart clamored to be set free. Landon gripped his monkey and continued to stare at her with wide eyes.
“Don’t worry, buddy. It’s probably just someone who’s lost. Chase will take care of it.” She held him close and breathed in his chocolatey scent.
But sitting still, waiting wasn’t her. “You stay right here with Walter. I’m going to see if Chase needs any help.”
He gripped her sleeve. “Don’t go. What if it’s the bad men looking for Dad?”
She leaned down to look him in the eye. “Those men won’t find us. Dad won’t lead them here?” She had created a monster when she made up that story, but she couldn’t think of any other reason they would have to leave town. She should’ve said Matt died, but Landon was smart enough to ask about a funeral. He’d been to them before.
“Okay.” He sniffled. “I’ll protect Walter.”
“That’s my brave boy.” She kissed the top of his head.
Most of the lights were out in the front part of the house. Walking past the windows was mostly safe, but she ducked and ran behind the couch anyway. Chase’s muffled voice drifted through the door.
Someone pounded on the door shaking it on its hinges. “Raine, open up.”
She held the knife poised and ready. “Chase? Is that you?”
“Yes, open up. It’s okay.”
She pulled the door open slowly. Chase gripped the man with the ski hat by the neck like a cat with its kitten. The man’s feet were almost off the ground.
“This is Charlie. He works at Acker Propane. Apparently, Mr. Badger put in an urgent call this morning and Charlie here is working overtime to help customers.”
“He doesn’t look like he works for anyone. Aren’t they supposed to wear a uniform or something?”
“Well, Charlie decided to stop at home for a quick bite to eat and then thought after he was done helping you he’d go to his girlfriend’s house. He’s not supposed to take the work van anywhere but to work sites. Mr. Acker has a GPS tracker on the van. So, Charlie didn’t see the harm in coming in his street clothes and using his own truck. Isn’t that right?”
Charlie nodded. “Could you put me down, Mr. Shepherd?”
Chase dropped him. Charlie’s knees buckled under the weight of the fall or from relief. He righted himself before he face planted on the porch.
“What do you have to say to the lady?”
“I’m real sorry I scared you. And I’m sorry I’m here so late. This cold weather has everyone’s heaters on the fritz. The whole town heats with propane practically and Mr. Acker has the best prices so he’s got the most customers. I’m only one of three guys working for him. We’re always working long hours.”
Raine put her hand up. “Charlie, put a sock in it. Next time, call before you come out late at night. You scared the living daylights out of me. Now, please go. I’m freezing standing in the doorway.”
“You heard the lady,” Chase said.
Charlie ran to his truck and backed down the driveway.
“Come in so I can shut the door.”
Chase hesitated, but only for a second. “Do you want to tell me who you’re running from?”
“Mom?” Landon stuck his head around the corner.
“Excuse me a second.” She ran to her son and ushered him to his room. “It’s all okay, buddy. That was a guy who fixes furnaces. Chase took care of everything. We’re safe and sound. You and Walter can go to sleep.” She tucked him in, kissed his forehead, and turned out the light.
Chase stood in her kitchen taking up a lot of space in the small room. He had on a faded blue sweater over a flannel shirt, tan pants and his work boots were untied as if he’d shoved his feet in them and hurried out the door. He looked good in her space. She was suddenly aware of her worn pajamas and the fact she hadn’t showered after her workout. She probably smelled.
“Can I make you a cup of coffee?” She needed something to do with her hands.
“No, thanks. Do you want to answer my question?”
“What question is that?” She pulled mugs from the cabinet.
“Do you want to tell me who you’re running from?”
“What makes you think I’m running from someone?” She tried to laugh off the comment, but Chase’s face didn’t budge.
The night had stretched past the reasonable time to have a cup of coffee, and not suffer from staying awake till dawn. She reached for the canister and yanked out a tea bag instead. The last thing she needed was to be up all night thinking about what could’ve happened if someone else had been at the door. Or thinking about Chase in that sweater and what might be underneath it.
“Let’s just say I’m skilled in the area of people’s behavior.”
“You’re a psychiatrist?” Did she have him figured all wrong? She didn’t think so. He had that alpha male quality cops had. Big, strong, powerful, narrowed suspicious eyes. The way he handled Charlie didn’t say I’m a guy who sits in a chair all day and asks a lot of questions.
“Look, you can tell me to mind my own business, but I can connect the dots enough to know you’re freaked out about someone showing up at your doorstep. Is it your husband?”
“Why does it matter?” She flopped into the chair at the kitchen table and kept her gaze on the steam coming out of her mug.
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. His knees almost touched hers. He leaned forward on rested his arms on his thighs. Her heart quickened. “Did he hurt you or Landon? Does he know where you are?”
“You’re wrong. I’m not worried about any husband coming after me. I don’t have a husband. It’s just me and Landon. I don’t like strange men banging on my door late at night. That’s all.” She forced her gaze to meet his. If she looked anywhere else, he’d know she was lying.
He leaned back and she missed his nearness immediately. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me, but if there was someone looking for you, would you know how to protect yourself?”
She hadn’t shown him tonight she could. Instead of standing up to whomever was at the door, fear had paralyzed her. All those boxing classes might have been for nothing. She was strong, but was she any match for a man twice her size and weighing twice her weight? She’d need to get a gun if she was going to keep her and Landon safe.
“Were you a cop before you became the cook? Did you get hurt on the job or something like that?”
He turned his gaze away this time. “I wasn’t a cop. I just don’t trust people.”
He had a secret too.
“You didn’t answer my question. Do you know how to keep you and your son safe?”
She jumped up from the chair to put some space between them. His closeness was only making her heart speed up. She kept smelling his woodsy scent. “I don’t have any reason to worry. I told you. No one is after me.”
He stood too and shoved his hands in his pockets. “What brought you to Silent Water?”
“The quiet. Which I’m not getting. Look, thank you for coming over here when I called. I really do appreciate it. I just got a little spooked is all. I don’t know anyone yet and being the only adult around with a child you have to take care of gets exhausting. Sometimes I could use someone else to bounce things off of. Like when a stranger knocks on the door.” She tried to smile hoping he’d get the point.
He narrowed his eyes. Was he trying to decide if she was telling the truth? That story was as close to the truth as he was going to get.
“Lock the door behind me.” He turned and headed for the door.
She hesitated hoping he’d turn around, but he kept going without a look back. She was thinking earlier about telling him her secret. After tonight, that thought had taken root and sprouted branches. Could her handsome neighbor be the one person capable of keeping her and Landon safe?