Abound in Love (20 page)

She
cocked her head, as if remembering.  “She was such a wonderful mother.  Those
kids, and Dan…  They were her life.  She devoted herself to them, and I can
honestly say, nobody could question her maternal instincts.”

“That’s
what everyone tells me,” Laura said.  “And I do believe it.”

“What
brought you home, Laura?” Valerie asked, as if sensing correctly that Candace
was the impetus for her visit.  “Was it your sister’s troubles?”

“Candace
sent me an e-mail, asking me to come.”

“She
needed her sister,” she said with conviction.

“I
don’t know.  I think she wanted me to come, because she wanted an opportunity
to apologize to me.”

“She
could have done that over the phone, or in a letter.”

“Or in
an e-mail,” Laura said.  “She did, in fact, apologize in an e-mail, but she
also told me she was sorry in person.”  She heaved a beleaguered sigh.  “I’m
hoping for a chance to talk to her—to find out what’s really going on with
her.”

“Just
looking at her, you can see she’s tortured or torturing herself,” Valerie
observed.

Valerie
had always been a perceptive person.  Laura nodded, recalling that Candace had
told her at the mall, during lunch, that she was unable to forgive herself.

But for
what?  For the way she’d treated her?  There had to be more to the story.

Suddenly
overwhelmed with worry, she rose from the chair.  “I’d better get back home.”

Valerie
stood from her chair.  “Will you be careful walking back?  It’s awfully dark. 
I can drive you.”

“No,
that’s okay.  I’ll be careful,” she assured her.

“Come
by soon.  There’s a certain horse who would love to see you.”

Laura
gasped.  “Tillie is…?”

“Alive
and well.”

L
aura
walked along the side of the road, keeping her eyes alert for any traffic.  It
probably hadn’t been her brightest move deciding to walk along a dark, country
road.  But she knew this country like the back of her hand.  She felt safe from
that perspective, but…  It was still a stupid thing to do.

It had
been nice seeing Valerie again, and she looked forward to a return visit.  And
hearing Tillie was still alive and kicking—probably literally—she couldn’t
subdue the smile on her face.  She loved that old horse.

As she
walked along, she spotted the lights of the farmhouse in the distance.  She
tugged her coat against her, surprised at the chill in the air.  She perked her
ears for any sounds, but knew anything with a brain was hunkered down for the
night.  She laughed at the thought, and at herself for exposing herself to the
elements when she could be warm in her room in the farmhouse.

She
suddenly wished it was summer—the night warm and alive with the sounds of birds
and insects.  There was no place more beautiful than Southwest Washington
during summer, she decided.  In her mind’s eye, she pictured Battle Ground
Lake, a nearby park she had visited with her family.  She was particularly
enthralled by Saddle Dam, a beautiful, rustic park only miles from her home. 
The reservoir there was an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise, and she missed the
lazy days on the lake she’d spent with friends and family.   

Lost to
her thoughts, she didn’t hear the vehicle approaching, until it was beside
her.  She heard the crunch of gravel and nearly leapt out of her skin.  She
spun around.  A patrol car had pulled up behind her and fixed a spotlight on
her face.  She blinked against it, and raised her hands, as if warding off the
beams of light.

“Laura,”
Dalton called.  He’d pushed open the door and squinted to see.  “Is that you?”

“Yep,
it’s me,” she answered.

She
heard his gasp of disbelief as he shut down the spotlight.  “What are you doing
out here at this time of night, walking along a dark road alone?  You’re going
to get yourself killed.”  He climbed back in the car and carefully pulled up
beside her.  “Get in the car.  Please.”

“Okay. 
I won’t argue,” she said good-naturedly.  “It’s cold out here.  Brrrr,” she
added, as she climbed into the car.

“Belt
up,” he commanded, still watching her with shock etched on his face.

“Oh,
sure.  Not a problem,” she said agreeably.

He gave
her a moment to get herself situated, and then carefully eased onto the
roadway.  He picked up speed and Laura turned to him, surprised, when he drove
past the house.

“What
are you doing?” she asked, perplexed.  “You just…”  She turned back and aimed a
limp finger at the farmhouse, watching the lights recede from view.

“You’re
coming with me,” he told her.

“Okaaaay. 
Why?”

“Because
we’re going to grab a coffee somewhere and I guess we’ll talk about why it
isn’t a good idea for a young woman to walk alone along a dark road.  Seems
like a lesson you might have already learned, but apparently, some of us are
slow learners.”

She
knew he was referring to her encounter at the store, so she didn’t point out
that she’d been attacked in a parking lot, rather than along a dark, deserted
road.  It didn’t seem prudent, and she’d already acknowledged to herself that
she hadn’t been thinking when she went off alone.  However, she wasn’t
particularly receptive to him treating her like a child.  She was a grown
woman.

“I just
wanted to give Thomas and Macy time alone,” she explained, realizing he was
waiting for an explanation.  “I was eager to visit with Valerie.  I hadn’t had
a chance to stop by yet, and…”  Laura realized they were back in town when a
cluster of lights came into view.  “Where is it we’re going?” she asked for
clarification.

“I’m
going to grab a coffee,” he told her, as he steered into the lot of a
convenience store.  He pulled into a space and turned off the ignition.  “Would
you like one?”

“Oh, no
thanks.  The caffeine would probably keep me awake.”  She grinned. “Since I
have that great bed to sleep in, I’d rather be tired at bedtime.”

He
nodded and left her alone briefly to purchase a cup of coffee.  He soon
returned and sipped the steaming cup, all the while sitting, unspeaking, in the
car.

“Quiet
night?” she asked him.

He
nodded.  “Fortunately for you.” 

“Look,
I know it wasn’t a good idea to go out in the dark like that…”

“Then,
why did you?  I would think the incident at the store would have…”  He closed
his eyes and drew a deep breath. 

“Are
you allowed to have a citizen in your car?” she asked, remembering she’d had
occasion to ask him that before.

“When
the citizen does something dangerous, yes.  When that citizen is a…”  He
swallowed.  “…A friend, who needs a talking-to.”

“I
don’t need a ‘talking-to,’” she assured him.

“Oh,
yes, you do.”  He continued to sip his coffee.

“Are
you … going to talk?” she asked, bracing for his reply.

“When
I’m done with my coffee.” 

To Laura’s
relief, and Dalton’s obvious consternation, he received a notification from
dispatch, alerting him to a call.  “I guess I have to take you home. 
Fortunately, home is on the way to my call.  I’ll have to drop you at the base
of the lane,” he told her with a sigh as he hurriedly backed up and sped out of
the lot.

“That’s
fine,” she said, relieved.  Dalton just didn’t seem himself.

“You’ll
walk straight home?” he said, turning and fixing her with a penetrating gaze.

“Yep.” 
She gave a shrug.  “Where else would I go?”

“There’s
no telling,” he said pointedly.

Suddenly,
his ill temper began to chafe.  She was a grow woman, and certainly didn’t need
anyone telling her what to do and when to do it.  She knew Dalton was protective
of her family.  She got that.  But she was an independent person and probably
always would be.

As he
dropped her on the lane that led to her brother’s house, she thanked him
curtly, and then shut the door with a tad too much vigor.  She saw the bewilderment
on his face, as he watched after her.  Finally, apparently satisfied she was
going to make it home in one piece, he started the car and drove away.

She
walked up the lane to the house and found Thomas standing on the front step,
apparently looking for her.  “Where’d you go?” he demanded.  “I called Valerie
and she said you’d left awhile ago.”

She
only shook her head in response.  She suddenly remembered why she’d left home
in the first place—or one of the reasons, at least.  Her siblings could be awfully
intrusive in her life, and never ceased to treat her like a child.

“I’m
going to bed,” she said, and paused, daring him to persist in asking
questions.  He saw the look of daggers she shot his way.

He
raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture.  “Sorry, sorry,” he uttered
contritely, and then under his breath added, “great.  Just what I need. 
Another temperamental woman in my life.”  He glanced heavenward.  “Lord, help
me.”

***

Alone
in her room, Laura revisited her encounter with Dalton.  If she didn’t know
better, she might think he had feelings for her—and deeper than those he might
feel for a sister.

No,
that couldn’t be.  He was simply protective.  He’d known her for so long, he
couldn’t help but be a little protective—well, a lot protective.  And
considering what had happened to her at the store, she supposed his concern was
understandable. 

As she
eased back into bed, she wondered if she was going to have an opportunity to
talk to her sister the next day.  Since Dan had picked the kids up, she knew
that meant Candace was off and doing Lord knows what tonight.

Laura
closed her eyes and prayed.  She asked for protection for loved ones—Candace in
particular—and then asked for help dealing with the respective members of her
family. 

She
thought again about her encounter with Dalton earlier, and later her brother,
and almost felt bad for her treatment of them.  But they had pushed too hard
with their brotherly concern. 

Would
they ever understand she was capable of taking care of herself?  Both had felt
compelled to remind her of the incident at the grocery store, but both seemed
to forget the most important detail of that horrible encounter—she had dropped
the bad guy.  There was no way she would have ended up in a car with him.

She
knew better than to blindly follow someone into the confines of a car, since
she’d written many, many accounts for her news program of women and children
who had done just that.  She knew that regardless of the threats made by a
potential abductor, the victim was better off risking a bullet if she ran away,
than actually entering a vehicle.  To do so generally meant certain death.

Really,
if only Thomas and Dalton could give her some credit.  She sighed,
acknowledging that was unfair of her.  She had been careless by walking alone
along a nearly-deserted country road.  Something
could
have happened to
her.  If two men, or even more, had found her alone, they could have easily
pulled her into a car and no one would have been the wiser.  If Krissy ever
pulled a stunt like walking off alone…

She
resolved to apologize to both Dalton and Thomas in the morning.  Their concern
had been heartfelt, their frustration with her, warranted.  She was fortunate
she had people in her life who cared about her.  Many people didn’t.

***

Laura
woke early the next morning.  To her delight and surprise, the sun shone
brightly in the sky.  Her heart soared at the sight of that ball of golden
warmth.  It was so wonderful to see it, she nearly shouted with joy.

When
she heard a soft knock at the door, she padded over and pulled the door open
just a fraction.  She wasn’t prepared for anyone, save Krissy, to see her
dressed in her pajamas.

“Hello,”
she said softly.  “Who’s there?”

“Dalton,”
he said.  “Hey, I just wanted to apologize for last night…”

“No,
no, it’s me who should be apologizing to you.  You’re right.  It was stupid of
me to have gone off alone like that at night.”

He was
silent—apparently taken aback by the admission.  He cleared his throat.  “Well,
I am sorry too.  I shouldn’t have been so hard on you.”

“You
really weren’t,” she assured him.

“Hey,
how ‘bout that weather,” he commented.  “Did you notice the sun is shining?”

“How
could I miss it?” she said happily.  “Any idea what’s on the agenda, for after
church, I mean?  Are we watching the kids today?”

“I’m
not sure, but I’ll leave you to get ready.”

“I’ll
hurry,” she said agreeably, and heard him whistling as he walked away. 

She
gathered up her clothing and toiletries and dashed to the bathroom.  She
realized she was last to shower, since she heard both Dalton and Thomas
downstairs.  She also realized that they had thoughtfully left some hot water
for her, since she actually made it through a shower without developing
hypothermia.