Love on the Horizon (A Northern Woods Novel) (27 page)

* * *

She didn’t say a word as she
measured a scoop of coffee into an old-fashioned percolator, and set it on top
of an ancient wood-burning stove. He sat at her kitchen table, and Sam sprawled
out next to him; both observed her every movement. Finally, after pouring each
of them a cup of coffee and a bowl of water for Sam, she pulled a chair away
from the table and sat across from him. He patiently waited for her to speak.

She folded her hands in front of
her and stared down at them, as though she was praying. After a moment, she
looked up and slowly began to tell him about the life she lived, until she had
finally been able to escape from her abusive husband.

“My parents had been in New York
on a business trip on September 11, 2001. They were among those who died in the
Twin Towers ten years ago.” Tears began to flow down her cheeks.  “I was only
eighteen when the terrorist attack took place. Carl knew my parents. He told me
he’d take care of me and put me through college if I’d be his wife. We married
in December, 2001.”

She stood and reached for a box
of Kleenex from the counter, then sat back down and began to sob into a hand
filled with tissues.

“He never allowed me to go to
college.”

Jake remained silent, and
listened quietly as she continued.

“He constantly abused me, physically
and mentally. He wouldn’t let me leave the house without him until recently,
when he finally allowed me go alone, to pick up his beer and groceries. He
wouldn’t let me have any friends. If anyone came to the door and asked for me,
he’d tell them I was sick, and they should never return.”

“Why didn’t you ask someone to
help you? Mariah and Sarah were excited to see you when you moved into the old
Miller house. I heard that the three of you were best friends in high school.
When they suspected he abused you, they wanted to help.”

“He would have killed me.”

“How did you get away from him?”
Jake asked, and handed her another tissue. While she explained, he stood and
poured another cup of coffee for each of them, then sat and took her hands in
his.

“I never told him that my
grandfather had died and left me a bit of money in his will.” She explained how
she’d emptied her money from her safe deposit box and hid it in her car. “The
next day I told him I was going to the store to pick up his beer, but I never returned.

“By the time I reached Lake
Superior it was three a.m. and there wasn’t a soul in sight. No one saw me. I’d
packed some food and a few clothes in a duffel bag that I placed at the edge of
the woods, close to where the car would go down. I got into my vehicle and
drove very slowly toward the cliff. When it was near the ledge, I quickly
jumped from the open door, seconds before it plummeted.

“I collected my bag from where
I’d placed it and began to walk. I tread in the deep ditch along the highway so
that I’d be able to crouch down low at the approach of a vehicle. I was
exhausted and needed to rest, but I kept going, until I’d finally come to a
motel where I was able to sleep for two days. I then hopped on a bus that made
regular stops at the restaurant next door to the motel. I got off in Ely. From
there I followed an overgrown dirt road that led deep into the woods. I came
upon this cabin. It was rundown and abandoned. I figured I’d have a roof over
my head, so I fixed it up the best I could and decided it would be a good place
for me to stay.”

“And no one discovered you here?”
he asked.

She told him about the owner, who
allowed her to stay for as long as she felt the need. For the rest of her life,
if she so desired. “I didn’t want anyone to know where I was. If he found me,
he’d kill me, Jake.” She started to sob into her hands, and he stood, moved
behind her chair, and began to massage her shoulders. She cried until there
were no tears left to shed, and then he told her everything she needed to hear.

“The police believe that you
died, Natalie. That you went over the cliff in your car. They assume that Carl
ran you off the road, but before they could prove it, he committed suicide.”

She looked up at him, her lips
parted in surprise. “I never heard. I have a small radio, but no television.
This may sound strange…he was my husband and I don’t even feel one ounce of
sadness that he’s gone. He was a horrible, evil man. When did this happen?”

“It was about a month ago. The
police will tell you all about it. You are coming back, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know. I’ve come to like
it here. It’s so peaceful, after all I’d been through in the past ten years.”
She looked around the cabin. “I offered one hundred dollars to the owner, but
he refused to take the money and told me the place was mine. He even signed it
over to me. I own it Jake, and it makes me feel proud.”

“Would you like me to drive you
over to the office tomorrow to speak with him? If you’d be willing to ride back
to Pinewood Hills with me in a couple of days, you can inform him that you’ll
be away for a while, and would return soon.”

She offered him a smile. “That
would be nice. Thank you.”

“You’ll need to let the police
know you’re alive and safe. They’ll want to know everything that happened in
detail. Then if all goes well, you can decide if you want to return and if so,
I’ll bring you back.”

“Okay, I believe I can handle
anything, now that I don’t have to face Carl.”

“They’ll tell you everything
that’s happened since you’ve been gone. Will you be okay here tonight? If not,
you’re welcome to stay at my cabin. I can sleep on the couch. Both Sam and I
would enjoy that.”

She giggled. “Enjoy what?
Sleeping on the couch?”

“Well that too,” he laughed. “But
I meant we’d enjoy having a visitor.”

“I’ll be fine. I feel much better
now that I no longer need to be in seclusion.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. I’m
getting hungry, and I’m sure you are too. Would you like to ride over to the
bar and grill for a bite to eat?”

“How about if I cook the fish I
caught this morning?” She snickered, and bit her lip to stifle her giggle.

He was stunned, then pretended to
pout. “No wonder there was none left for me.”

They burst into laughter, and she
handed him a match to go out and light the grill.

“Tonight there’d be no shadows
across my heart,” she whispered softly.

He turned to look at her. “Did
you say something?”

She smiled and said, “Just
talking to myself.”

He walked out the door, and she
smiled again as she began to prepare the fillets.

Chapter
Forty-two

On Thursday morning, Jake had the
truck packed and ready to hit the road. He opened the door for Sam, who wasn’t
used to riding in the back seat, but seemed to be quite cooperative. When
Natalie attempted to open the passenger door herself, Jake placed his hand over
hers.

“Here, let me help you in. This
truck is awfully high for a little one like you.” She playfully punched his
shoulder. “Ouch!” he laughed and pretended to be in pain. “How tall are you, if
I may ask?”

“I’m almost five feet and proud
of it, big boy,” she said with a chuckle, and he lifted her into the passenger
seat.

They both rode in silence. Jake
wondered how she’d handle the news about her house and Natalie felt relieved,
now that she’d be able to live her life freely.

“May I ask a favor of you?” she
asked softly.

“Sure thing, ask away.” He
glanced over at her then brought his eyes back to the road.

She looked up at him, and then
watched out the side window as two deer fled into the forest when the truck
approached too close to the area they’d been grazing.

She then looked straight ahead,
keeping her eyes on the road. “I’d appreciate it if you’d always use my
nickname of Nattie. Carl didn’t care for it and insisted on Natalie.”

“Then that’s the way it’ll always
be. I like Nattie better, so…glad to meet you, Nattie. My name is Jake. Jake
Morrison.” He looked down at her and smiled. “We’re about one hour away from
Huntington. Would you like to stop for a bite to eat up ahead?”

“Yes, I’d love to have lunch. You
must have heard my stomach growling.”

“Nope, that was mine.” Together
they laughed.

He parked near the window of the
café where they’d be able to keep an eye on Sam. He opened the windows slightly
then told Nattie to wait for him, and he’d help her down from the truck. She
smiled, nodded, and watched as he hurried around to the passenger side.

They grabbed a table in front of
the window where they could see Sam, and he was able to keep a close watch on
them also. When Sam saw them sit down, he decided to stretch out and take a
nap.

“He’s a beautiful dog. How long
have you had him?”

Jake laughed. “Almost two weeks;
I picked him up from “Adopt a Pet” the day after I arrived at the resort.”

When the waitress appeared at
their table, they both ordered a club sandwich with chips and a Pepsi. She
returned with their drinks and told them their meal would be with them shortly.

Jake and Nattie found one another
quite compatible as they spoke of the approach of winter and the many upcoming
events in Huntington. They had a lot in common, and they enjoyed each other’s
company.

When they finished their lunch,
the waitress came by their table and asked if they’d like anything else.

Jake looked over at Nattie and
raised his eyebrows. “How about you, would you like dessert?”

“No thank you. I’ve had more than
enough already.”

The waitress thanked them and
placed their check alongside Jake’s plate.

“Will you excuse me for a
moment?” Nattie asked.

He nodded, and she stood and
walked toward the back of the restaurant where the restrooms were located.

Jake smiled and rose from the
table when she returned. “Are you ready to leave?”

She responded instantly. “Yes,
very ready. Would it be a problem if we make a stop at the Colburn Stables
Ranch before going to the police department? Mariah and Sarah tried so hard to
help me. I think they have a right to know I’m still alive before hearing it on
the evening news.”

“We can do that. We don’t have to
be there at any certain time. The police don’t even know that you’ve been
found.” He placed a tip on the table, and paid their check at the register on
their way out. They said goodbye to the waitress and Jake held his hand on
Nattie’s back to guide her out the door.

Before they took off, Jake poured
some water for Sam and took him to the edge of the parking lot to take care of
business. When they returned to the truck, he gave him a dog cookie. “I guess
we’re ready to go,” he said, and with that, Sam gave him a “woof'” and Jake
pulled out of the lot and onto the highway.

* * *

At two p.m. Jake pulled up to
Nick and Mariah’s house.

“Nick is most likely in the
stable, or in the other barn working with the rescue team. Wait right here. I
think it would be best if I went in, to let Mariah know you’re back. It’d be a
bit of a shock for her if you walked through her door with no notice.”

She nodded, “I understand.”

He reached over and touched her
hand gently. “I’ll be right back.”

He parked his truck out of view.
He wanted this to be a surprise. He stepped up on the deck and walked over to
the door, knocked lightly and looked through the kitchen window. Apparently, no
one was home.

He returned to the truck. “No
answer. Mariah and Bess must be out with the twins somewhere. I think it best
if we head to the police station and get that over and done with, sweetheart.”
Oh
my God, did I just call her sweetheart?

He glanced at her. She looked at
him and nodded, then gazed out the windshield and smiled as they passed the
beautiful wildflowers that filled the gutter adjoining the gravel drive.

“The Colburn Stables Ranch has
such picture-perfect views in every direction. I even enjoy this ride down
their driveway. I’m not looking forward to visiting my own place. It was
horrible, both indoors and out. I’d clean it, and he’d get angry and mess it up
again. He threw everything, even food, across the floor in every room.”

“Things will be better now,
Nattie. He’s gone, and you can live your own life, any way you please.” He
reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder. “The sooner we get done with the
visit to the police station, the better. We’ll come back here to see Nick and
Mariah afterward. We’ll also stop over at your house, if that’s what you’d like
to do.”

“What I’d
like
to do is go
back to the cabin. I guess I really don’t want to return to that filthy house.
It would bring back too many haunting memories.”

He looked over at her and noticed
as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. He grabbed a napkin from the seat
and reached over to blot them.

“It’s okay, honey. Everything
will be all right. You don’t have to go back there if you don’t want to. It
might be best to stay away.”