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“You good to hold it down for a few days?” Ted asked from his truck window just as the sun went down and the parking lot lights flickered to life.
Ted had been running a smaller crew, working ahead of us on more of the pesky spots, which had proved to be helpful in us falling so many trees that week. He was working in the morning, but since we were at two different spots, I probably wouldn’t see him before he headed back to Fairview. Chris had already left.
“Yeah, I think we’ll be able to chip away some acres this weekend.” The guys had their heads down into the job. The overtime would be excellent, but for the most part we all wanted to get this one done as quickly and safely as possible. “We’ll probably get caught up to where you all have been clearing.”
“That’s what I figure. We’ll get some of the ugly spots out of the way and you can sweep through without trouble. Anyway, I’m gonna go find me some dinner. Wanna go?”
I slapped the hood of his pickup. “Nah, I’ve got half a pizza leftover from last night in the mini-fridge calling my name. Thanks though. Drive safe tomorrow. Say hi to Dori.” He was taking a load back with him, so it wasn’t like he would do much relaxing. He and Chris would be there unloading with only the few guys who’d stayed behind.
“Suit yourself. I’ll see you in a few days. Call if you need anything.”
With a wave, I headed inside the hotel for the night.
Stepping onto the elevator, my cell phone began ringing, but it wasn’t Myra like I’d hoped. Robbie Carter was calling.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hey there, Abe. Hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time, being a Friday night and all.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just got done for the day. How are you?”
“Oh, not so good.” Although his typical upbeat tone was still there, he sounded kind of different. “Eva isn’t doing very well, and Jenny and I have talked about it more. Jenny’s sister is going to keep the older girls for a few nights, and we’re making a trip up to Fairview to visit the hospital you’ve got up there.”
Being away from home myself, I wasn’t sure what—if anything—I could do to help. “The board finally wise up and give you a green light?”
“No. They haven’t changed their minds, but we have. Something just isn’t right, and she’s not getting any better like we’d hoped and prayed she would. Jenny is beside herself with worry. Frankly, I am too.”
Stepping off the elevator onto my floor, I paused in the hallway. The Carter family had always been a pillar in the community, and by directly disobeying the Legacies, Robbie was taking a big risk. One I couldn’t blame him for because, judging by the way his baby looked at Myra’s father’s funeral, not doing something was even riskier.
“What can we do to help?” I didn’t want to tell him I was out of town. There was no way of knowing who that information would get to, but Myra being alone at the cabin wasn’t something I was comfortable divulging to practically anyone.
“At this point, I’m about to ruffle some feathers, so I suppose I just wanted to let you know that aside from a few family members and you, we’re not telling anyone. I’m not sure how often you talk to your father, but we don’t want it getting back to him. At least, not yet. There’s a lot going on here in Lancaster, behind the scenes, and that’s another reason I wanted to touch base with you. Maybe we could meet up with you and Myra while we’re in your area—depending on how things go with Eva and if you’ve got the time.”
Finally reaching my door, I unlocked it and my jaw dropped. Myra sat on my unmade, no-housekeeping-for-the-past-three-days bed.
“Sure, if I’m not working, we’d be happy to. Just call or shoot me a text when you know more.” I mouthed to the woman lounging at the end of my mattress, “How did you get in?”
Robbie replied, “I’ll do that. Thanks a lot.”
“And please let me know how it goes at the hospital too. I’ll be praying for you.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d said those words out loud. Although foreign, they felt right, and I would be sure to ask God to help them.
Myra’s smile slipped a bit, overhearing my side of the conversation.
“Thank you, Abe. I’ll talk to you later. Have a good night.”
“I will.” Especially since she was there. “Bye.”
He ended the call, and I tossed my phone onto the giant television stand. “This is a nice surprise.”
“I got help getting a key. Dori called the front desk and told them I was coming.”
“You are sneaky, but I don’t mind.” I bent to give her a quick kiss, and I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit to feeling infinitely better already. Who cared if the week had been long and tomorrow would be another fourteen-hour day?
She was with me.
“I missed you, and the drive wasn’t that bad. I know you have to work in the morning, but that’s perfect because I have to get back to town early anyway.”
I sat down beside her and she turned toward me, flopping her legs across my lap.
“You have big plans in Fairview tomorrow, huh?” I didn’t want to talk about her leaving yet. Okay, I didn’t want to think about it. Period.
“Yep, I have an appointment at a shop for something I might buy.” Her blue eyes lit up. Whatever it was, she was proud of it, but I wasn’t going to dig for information. If she wanted me to know what she was doing with her money, she’d tell me. But my actions had to speak louder than my words, and this was just another chance to prove it.
“Sounds exciting. I hope that goes well for you.”
Of course, I was curious as all hell, but my interest couldn’t be overshadowed by how much I loved that I’ve-got-a-secret look on her face.
She owned me.
“Who are you praying for?” she asked.
I ran my hands over her jeans and pulled her a few inches closer. It was so damn good to have her within reach. “Robbie’s family. They’ve decided to come to Fairview to the hospital. He wanted to know if I could keep it between us if I talked to my father and if we’d be willing to meet up with them while they were nearby.”
Her eyes went wide. “Wow.” Myra zoned out, looking over my shoulder. She understood how big of a decision the young Carter family was making too. “I can’t believe it. But you know what? Good for them. Baby Eva has been on my mind since we saw her. That poor thing needs real help. If my parents would have gotten my sister and my mom more help, then maybe they’d still be here.”
It made total sense she’d be on their side like I was.
“You just hopped in the Festiva and drove up here on a whim?” I couldn’t help the grin spreading on my face.
“Well, I was uptown and hungry. So I had an early dinner. Then the thought of spending the night without you didn’t sound all that good. Dori said you’d still be out until around dark, so I had plenty of time to make the trip. Driving is a great time to think.”
“It is. You didn’t have any trouble?”
“Nope. I put the address in the map app and away I went. It was easy.” She could do anything. The fact that she wanted something, decided to get it, and then made it happen made me respect her so much.
Not to mention, that what she wanted was me.
“I’m glad you’re here.”
My girl wrapped her arms around my neck and looked into my eyes. “Me too.” A smile spread across her pretty face. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I returned and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I know it’s for work and good for the mill, but I don’t sleep well without you. I don’t do well without you anymore period, and I don’t like it.”
She playfully pouted and whispered, “I don’t like it either.”
“Are you hungry?” Because I was. And filthy. I shouldn’t have even been sitting on the bed.
“Maybe a little, but I’m not starving.”
“All right. Here’s the plan. I’ll go wash off. You find something in that delivery menu and order me a big dinner. You know what I like. Then I’m going to eat, climb in this bed, and I’m not going to let go of you until tomorrow.”
“So bossy,” she teased. It was a fun look on her. “You’re lucky that sounds good.”
“You have no idea.”
#
WHAT STARTED OUT INTENSE, like we’d been separated for months, eventually turned into a slow and satisfying night. Ever willing to dip her toes in unfamiliar waters, she laid on her side in front of me as I moved inside her from behind. It had only been a few days since we’d been together, and yet it had been way too long.
In her ear, I quietly told her things I’d never said out loud before.
“You’re made for me.”
“Nothing will ever feel as good to me as you.”
“You feel like home.”
“I will love you. Always.”
With every confession I made, she’d moan. Words didn’t find her, and that was okay. She’d driven all the way there to be with me, and that said more than I’d ever need to hear.
Silently, she told me everything.
As her breathing calmed and slowed, I held her naked body in my arms.
I’d be damned if anything ever came between me and keeping her healthy, happy, and safe. So if Robbie needed me in any way to help him do the same for his family, I’d be there all the way.
The alarm on my phone came way too early, and I would have done anything to lay there in the warm sheets with her longer. But that would only be a temporary solution. I wanted to be home permanently, and that meant getting up, doing the work, and finishing what I’d come there to do.
As I tugged on my boots at the foot of the bed, I noticed a box on the chair where Myra’s jacket was. When my laces were tied and tucked inside my shoe, I took a few steps and picked it up.
Myra was awake, but quiet, which wasn’t anything new for her in the morning. Her mornings were productive, but it often took her a while to say much after waking up.
“Is this that gift?” I shook it and the contents rattled but didn’t sound fragile.
She cleared her throat and sat up with the sheet and blanket tucked under her arms. Her hair fell gloriously all over the place, and she had lines on her cheek from the pillow. She was a mess and so beautiful. “Yeah, I thought we could open it together, but I forgot about it last night.”
I snuck my hand into the front pocket of my overalls, pulled out my utility tool, and sliced along the tape at the top. Then I passed the box to her.
She smiled brightly and readjusted so she could open it on the blanket between us.
From above I could see inside when she pulled back the flaps, and it appeared to be a stack of folded papers. Her thin fingers lifted the bundle, and then dipped back inside for a smaller, loose sheet of notebook paper.
Then she read it out loud.
“Abraham and Myra, I wasn’t sure what I should do with these and considered burning them more times than I care to admit. To keep them this long was dangerous, but I’m not too concerned about that anymore. I’ve decided to leave Lancaster and everyone there behind and move on somewhere else. I’m starting a new life where I can be myself.”
She scanned the sheet and then looked up at me, confused. “It’s from Andrew Yakle.”
“Keep reading.” I was pleased to hear about someone else from Lancaster taking their life into their own hands, but I didn’t understand what it had to do with us.
She continued, her voice soft and slow, as if trying to process and digest the letter, word-by-word, as she read. “These are letters to me from Jacob. You both deserve to know what it was like for him and for me, and what they did to him. What they’ve done to us and probably many others. Jacob isn’t the only person they’ve pointed to the grave, and I know this for a fact. But in leaving, I won’t have to live in fear of what they might do to me anymore. I won’t have to hide, pretend to not know what they’ve done, or look the other way ever again.
“Jacob was special to me. He was my only real friend and my first love, maybe my only love, but hopefully not. Only time will tell.” She took a deep breath and then continued with emotion in her trembling voice. “When you came back for Mr. Fox’s funeral, I wanted to give these to you then. Things are quickly changing in town and the church, but I do not have it in me to stay and fight. I only hope that these letters will bring some understanding of the corrupt and evil direction this place is headed.
“You may not even want to read them, but they might also bring you peace. Maybe if someone else knows about what Jacob went through, and maybe if they can help bring change, Jacob will be at peace too.”
Myra’s brow pinched as she spoke the last bit, looking into my eyes. “Matthew needs to be stopped. Sincerely, Andrew Yakle.”
I reached forward and lifted the bundle as the paper slipped out of her hands. The first letter on top, under a tan rubber band, there was scrawled. To Andrew. June 18.
“Abe, that’s the day he died,” she said.
My stomach ached, my head swam, and dread and fury spread through my veins.