Second Chance Rancher by Brenda Minton

Author:Brenda Minton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Love Inspired
Published: 2017-09-05T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

The police officer met them at the door to the shelter. He unlocked it and told them he would be there if they needed him. Lucy thanked him as she stepped inside, Dane at her back. They walked down the dimly lit hall, Pastor Matthews leading the way.

She stopped walking and reached for Dane’s arm. He glanced down, questions in his eyes as she stood there, trying to find words to explain this situation.

“You should wait in the fellowship hall,” she told him. “The women are going to be nervous and your presence won’t help. I’m sorry.”

Kindness lit his blue eyes. “I understand. There’s no need to be sorry. But I’m here if you need me, not that I expect that to happen.”

The comment changed everything. “Thank you.”

“Anytime. But if you ever do need me to ride to the rescue, just say the word.”

“Okay,” she whispered, then felt silly. She didn’t do silly or weak.

She didn’t need a man to rescue her. She’d been rescuing herself for a long time. She’d survived her father. She’d survived an IED in Afghanistan. The man standing in front of her would not be her knight in shining armor.

But she’d just said okay, as if she meant for him to rescue her right then. And the soft glimmer of understanding in his eyes nearly undid her.

His hand touched hers. Barely. The touch so soft, so gentle, she hardly knew if it had happened.

“Go,” she told him.

He saluted her and walked down the hall. Lucy watched him go, then she forced herself to move. Pastor Matthews had left the two of them alone but she could hear his steady, calming voice coming from a room down the hall.

There were three women in the room that Lucy entered a few seconds later. Willa was seated on a chair. One of the women from the shelter stood nearby holding a first aid kit. The other woman lived in Bluebonnet. Her name was Elaine and she’d worked at the grocery store for as long as Lucy could remember.

“Hey, Willa.” Lucy approached the three, a gentle smile for Willa.

“Lucy,” Willa sobbed, tears running down her bruised and battered cheeks. “I cooked the wrong kind of beans. I knew it, but it was all we had.”

“Willa, don’t make excuses for him,” Lucy said gently but inside she felt like screaming. Why did abusers always make their victims feel as if the blame was on them? “Where’s Seth?”

“He’s in the nursery. Johnny smacked him pretty hard. But I think he’s okay.”

“Oh, Willa.” Lucy squatted in front of the broken woman. “I’d like to take you to the doctor. We want to make sure nothing is broken.”

Elaine situated an ice pack on Willa’s busted nose. “She said it hurts to move and taking a deep breath is painful.”

“He kicked me,” Willa said. “I was moving away from him and I grabbed a stick so he couldn’t hit me again. So he kicked me.”

She said it half-proud but sobbed as she finished the tale.

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