Love's Embers (Canon City Series) (17 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

It generally took two hours to get to Denver from Canon City, but with the weather, it was about three and a half hours for Lark. The roads were cleared, but it continued to snow and the wind gusts blew snow back onto the highway. She took it easy and startled herself when she discovered she was going fifty miles per hour. She eased off the gas and tried to keep the Bronco steady between thirty and forty. It was after six o’clock in the evening when she pulled into the driveway at the condominium she and Thomas shared. She wondered how he’d feel when she demanded the whole amount of the down payment she’d put into the place. 

She saw his car in the parking lot and pulled in next to it.
He’s home early
, she thought and got out of the Bronco. She stood next to the open door for a moment and remembered why she was there. Little tendrils of fear moved into her stomach and she didn’t want to go into this scared. She wanted to stand up to him and find out what game he played. She decided to leave her purse in the Bronco, put her keys in her pocket when she had second thoughts and leaned over the seat to grab her purse. She dug around and found the small can of hairspray she’d put in there some time ago. Shaking the can, she could hear fluid inside and thought if he got out of line she could spray it in his eyes and get away. She also found her boot knife and put them both into her other pocket.

She locked the car door, slammed it shut and walked toward the condo. She went up the steps to the front door and put the key in the lock. She turned it and let out a breath.

The front hallway was lit, but the living room looked dark, as did the kitchen. She slowly made her way down the hall and stopped at the table where they usually put their keys in a bowl and left the mail. His keys were there and a pile of mail. She looked through it and pulled out a couple of envelopes with her name on them. She saw one addressed to him from the National Savings and Loan and decided to take it, too. She stuffed them into the back of her pants.
Great, I’ll be arrested for mail theft
, she thought.

She went into the living room, turned on a lamp and looked around the room. There was only one thing she wanted from this place. She knew exactly where it was and would get it.
It
was a jewelry box that belonged to her mother. Inside it was her mother’s engagement ring and she wanted that back. Thomas could do what he wanted with the rest of her stuff.

“Thomas, where the fuck are you?” she shouted. She’d decided on the drive up that she would use a lot of colorful language. Thomas hated that and she hoped it would make his high blood pressure go even higher.

She heard a noise come from the bedroom and the door flew open. Thomas was putting on a robe as he walked out into the living room.

“Lark, I didn’t expect to see you until Saturday. You must have had quite a drive up this afternoon. You look done in.” He moved toward her with his hands out.

She took a couple of steps back and put an easy chair between them. “Why?”

He frowned and looked confused. “Why what, dear? Why do you look done in? How would I know?”

“Why are you trying to buy out my loan for my business?”

“Ah, I see.” He crossed his arms and shifted his feet apart. “How else was I going to convince you to move to Denver? You wouldn’t even discuss leaving Canon City. I never have understood why you wanted to stay there. It’s a nothing town. No theater, no decent restaurants...”

“No clubs?”

He ignored her comment. “I’ve decided to buy you and Nancy out and close the doors. I will ruin your business and you will agree to move here to Denver.”

“I’ll fight you on this. My attorney is at this moment making arrangements to derail your train. We’re done, Thomas. If you want to keep thinking you’ll take over the business, you’re deluded.”

“Thomas, come on, baby. I’m waiting for you and it’s getting cold,” a female voice called from the bedroom.

Lark frowned and pushed past him to the door. When she opened it, she felt completely stunned to see a blonde woman lying naked on the bed. She’d been handcuffed to the bed posts and her legs were spread wide open. Lark saw some of Thomas’s favorite toys spread out between her legs.

“I don’t even want to know about this,” she said and turned to the dresser. She opened the top drawer and uncovered her jewelry box. She took it out and started back to the door.

“Who are you?” the woman asked.

“Shut up, Tina,” Thomas snarled and blocked the doorway.

“I suppose you’ve cheated on me all along.” Lark shook her head and smirked at Thomas.

“You leave me alone all too often, my dear. What did you expect? I’m a virile man and I have my needs.”

Lark smiled at Tina. “I’m the ex-fiancée. I should warn you, he likes to drug his women and share them with other men.” She started to turn, slipped her hand into her pocket and then stopped. “Oh, and he likes to hit women. That’s how I got this bruise on my chin. Watch out honey. He’s got a nasty right hand slap.” She opened the jewelry box and took out the ring Thomas gave to her when he proposed. Setting it on the dresser, she snapped the box shut and put her hand back in her pocket.

When she was five feet from him and realized he wasn’t going to move, she looked  him in the eyes. “Get out of the way, asshole. We have nothing to discuss. My attorney will be in touch.”

“You’re certainly not thinking about going back out in that weather. Why don’t you stay and we could have some fun.” He looked over her shoulder at the woman lying on the bed. “Tina is much more adventurous than you are and you could learn a trick or two from her.”

“Now I’m going to puke. You might find it of interest, Thomas, that Charlie Stone made love to me two nights ago. It was the best I’ve ever had and he even gave me three orgasms. I’ll say it again; he gave me, unlike you who never gave me any kind of orgasm. I sucked his cock until he shot his semen into my throat. It was pure heaven,” she said and could tell she’d hit a nerve. Thomas looked like he was winding up to hit her. She took the hairspray out of her pocket and shot it at his face.

“Dammit, you bitch. What have you done?” he shouted and doubled over.

Lark saw a hole that she could get through, but stopped next to him. “Be glad it wasn’t mace. Thomas, you’re a supreme fuckhead and I hope you get what you deserve.”

She stormed out of the condo, and left the front door open. When she reached the parking lot, she ran through the snow to her car. Her hand shook and it took a second to get the key in the lock, but when she was inside with the doors locked, she felt safe. She looked out the windshield and noticed that the snow came down double time.

****

Lark watched the road with an eagle eye. Because the snow was coming down harder and the radio said the wind had kicked up to sixty miles per hour gusts, it was going to take even longer to get home. She held the Bronco steady at thirty miles per hour. The road was covered in white and it became next to impossible to see the lines, except when she went under the over passes, where there was clear black road for about ten feet.

She tried not to think of the scene she’d witnessed at the condo, but, like a dog with a favorite bone, she found she continued to think about it. A part of her was furious with Thomas and his scheming to takeover of her business. The part that really pissed her off though was the hurt she felt that he’d cheated on her. It was a feeling that would go away with time, but it made her wonder how long he’d cheated and why she didn’t see the signs?

Since she cut him off from touching her for the last six months, was Tina the only one he’d been having sex with or were there others? She felt like such an idiot for the amount of time she’d wasted by staying with him.

She decided she’d have to think about all this later and tried to block the subject from her mind. She forced herself to concentrate on the drive and realized the weather approached white out conditions. She knew she wasn’t too far from an exit to a truck stop. She slowed down to fifteen miles per hour and tried to read the road markers or signs covered up by blowing snow.

Lark heard something thunk under the front of the right side of her SUV and then bumped over something else. The Bronco started to slide toward the break down lane and she thought the snow piled up along the road by the highway crews would stop the sideways movement. When she hit the snow, her wheels slid on some ice and spun her vehicle around. The momentum pushed it through the snow and the Bronco moved off the road into a ditch. It flipped over and landed on the driver’s side. The airbag popped out and hit her in the face and chest. Her head slammed on the driver’s side window and she felt herself losing consciousness.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Aurora Metcalfe put on her coat after eight o’clock and carefully made her way over to Charlies. She knocked on the door and waited. The porch light came on and he opened the door with Breaker by his side.

“Are you crazy, Gran? You could have blown away like Mary Poppins or broken something.” He opened the door and let her into the house. “Let me take your coat,” he offered.

“Charlie, I’m worried. Lark should be home by now. I’ve tried and tried to call her, but it keeps going to her voicemail.”

“When did you last talk to her?” Charlie asked as he hung up her coat.

“This morning when you two came in and she got ready for work. I’ve been baking all day.” She followed him into the kitchen where he offered her a chair.

“Is there anyone you can call at the warehouse who might know when she left?” He held up the coffee pot. “Would you like a cup?”

“A cup of coffee would be great and Charlie Stone you’re a genius. I should have thought to call Nancy.” She popped open her cell phone and dialed a number.

Charlie poured the coffee. She looked up at him and thanked him. He remained silent and seemed to listen to her side of the phone call.

“Hi, this is Aurora Metcalfe. Who’s this?” A little voice on the other end told her his name. “Oh, hi Jacob. Is your Mom there?” She took a sip of the coffee. “Hi Nancy, do you have any idea when Lark left the warehouse?” she asked.

“She left about three o’clock. It wasn’t good Aurora. We found out that Thomas is the one trying to take over the business. She was pissed and left for Denver.”

Aurora looked up at Charlie. “She did what?  Why on earth did...What?”

“I think she planned to give him a piece of her mind. I told her not to go. The roads are getting really bad. Jim just got in from work and it took him twice as long to get home.” Nancy said and sounded as worried as Aurora felt.

She saw Charlie lean against the counter and cross his arms. She continued to look at him and felt her stomach twist.

“Oh, Lord. She must have been very angry.” Aurora looked at her watch.

“If she left at three o’clock, it could have taken her three to four hours to get to Denver. It depends on if she met up with Thomas or not, but if she was there for only a half hour or so, she probably wouldn’t be back yet.”

“It would depend on the roads. Nance, if you hear from her will you give me a call? We’ll let you know if we hear anything. Thank you.” She ended the call. “Charlie, now I’m really worried. Lark and Nancy found out today that Thomas is the one trying to buy their loan. Lark got very angry and took off to confront him in Denver.”

She watched Charlie look out the kitchen window and grab the edge of the counter. “Gran, call the highway patrol and ask them to keep an eye out for her. Do you know Thomas’s phone number?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to call him. The jerk would probably lie to us one way or the other.” She looked at her phone and hit zero for the operator. “Yes, I need the Colorado Highway

Patrol in Pueblo...yes, thank you.” She turned to Charlie. “The operator is connecting me,” she said.

Charlie started to put on his coat and gloves. “Gran, I’m going to chain up my rig, just in case.” He went out the door and the freezing wind blew into the house.

She went to the window with her phone up to her ear and heard a voice answer. “Yes, thank you. I want to file a report. My granddaughter is somewhere on Highway 25 and hasn’t called. I know your people are very busy tonight. I just want them to keep an eye out for her.”

She watched Charlie pull the chains out of a bin on the back of the truck. The wind blew through his hair and she thought he must be freezing out there. He got up into the truck and she saw the lights come on and she could hear the engine start. He jumped out of the truck and started to get the chains in place.

“What is her name and what type of vehicle is she driving?” a voice asked.

“Her name is Lark Metcalfe; she drives a red Ford Bronco. The license number is EYD 883.”

“What number can we call if we find her?” the woman on the other end said.

Aurora admired the precision and speed with which Charlie got the tires chained. He seemed to know the best and most efficient way to get the job done. Although she was worried sick about Lark, she felt very proud of him.

She heard her cell phone ring in her hands and hurried to get it turned back on. She thought the highway patrol might have found Lark. She looked at the message screen and saw it was Lark.

“Sweetheart, are you all right? Where are you?”

“Hey Gran. I was really dumb and drove to Denver to...”

“We know about what Thomas is doing. I talked to Nancy when you didn’t come home. Where are you now?”

“My car slid off the road and I’m stuck in a ditch. I was just north of exit 104. I thought I’d pull in at the truck stop and wait out the storm, but I didn’t get there. I didn’t want to worry you and tried to call the highway patrol, but their lines are busy.”

“Lark, are you okay?” Aurora went to the back door and put her hand on the knob.

“I think so. I’m wearing my flannel lined pants and have blankets.”

She opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “Charlie!” she shouted as loud as she could. She shouted a couple more times and then Breaker ran out of the house straight a Charlie. The wolf nipped at his leg. It caused Charlie to turn around. Aurora motioned for him to come in and went back into the house.

****

Charlie put the T-bar on the back of the truck and walked back to the house. Breaker raced ahead of him and blew through the door.
Crazy wolf
, Charlie thought.

“Honey, Charlie’s getting his truck ready to go. Here he is.” Gran handed him the phone. “I’m going next door to get a thermos. I’ll be right back.”

He put the phone up to his ear. “Baby, are you okay?”

“Don’t tell Gran, but I bumped my head and got run over by my airbag. I don’t think anything is broken.”

“Where are you?”

“I was southbound on I-25. I’m somewhere between exits 105 and 104. I’m off the road, but I don’t think I was that far from 104.”

“Is the Bronco running?”

“I can get the lights on and the heat, but the engine won’t turn over and it’s lying on its side. I don’t know why I even tried to start it. I’m not going anywhere. I think that side of it is toast.”

“Sweetheart, Gran called the highway patrol to keep an eye out. I’ve got the chains almost put on my truck. Keep the phone close. I will find you.”

“Ducky, are you sure? It’s really bad out here.”

“I’ve driven in worse and I love you too much to let you freeze your butt off out there. Do you have a flashlight?”

“You’re going to make me cry. Yes, I have a flashlight.”

“Hunker down, Lou. Keep the phone on and stay as warm as you can. I’ll be there in an hour or so.”

“Charlie, be careful. It was near white out when I slid off the road.”

“I’ll call you when I leave here.”

Gran came in the back door and carried a thermos and a thermal bag. “I’m going to put some coffee in the thermos and I got some of the pot roast and potatoes in the thermal. It should keep it warm.”

“I’m almost finished with the chains. Will you keep an eye on Breaker?”

“Of course.”

“Gran, can I take your phone? I don’t have one yet.”

“Yes, certainly.” She handed it back to him.

“I’ll need a quick how-to lesson when I finish the tires. The only thing I’ll need to know is how to reach Lark.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Within half an hour, Charlie pulled the truck onto the highway and headed east to Pueblo. He’d called Lark to let her know he was on his way. It usually took thirty minutes to get to Pueblo, but tonight it would be longer. The roads were bad. The highway crews were doing their best to clear them, but the wind kept blowing the snow back onto the road. An hour and a half later, Charlie took the entrance to I-25 north and watched the road signs. He wanted exit 105 so he could turn around and head south.

****

Lark sat on the passenger door of the Bronco with a blanket wrapped around her. The window under her butt was cracked, but with another blanked piled on top of it, she didn’t feel the cold. The SUV protected her from the wind, but unless she turned the heat on periodically, the inside got very cold.

She’d cried after she’d talked to Charlie. He risked so much to come out in this weather to find her and she couldn’t wait to see him. This whole mess taught her several very important lessons that she would hold onto forever. She realized she loved Charlie more than anything and wanted to spend the rest of her life giving him everything. He was patient and kind to her and laughed at himself easily. She also learned that no matter how mad she was, she should stay off the road in a snowstorm.

Lark only hoped she didn’t freeze to death before she could tell Charlie everything in her heart. She giggled a little when she thought if she did freeze, she would have to come back to haunt him, which then struck her as a morose thought and she stopped that train right then.

****

Once Charlie got turned around at exit 105 and headed south, he pulled into the emergency lane with his flashers on and picked up Gran’s phone. He hit the Send button and listened to it ring.

“Hi Gran,” Lark answered.

“It’s me, babe. I just got turned at exit 105 and I’m facing south on I-25. Can you get up to a window facing the road?”

“The car’s on its side, Ducky. I think I can stand up. Let me see if I can get the window...ah, shit.”

“What happened?”  He could hear something bang on the phone line.

“The auto window works. I just got a snow shower on the head.” She laughed.

Charlie smiled and was glad to hear her laugh. “I’m going to start blowing my air horn. Let me know when you hear it.”

He let the gears out and started to move slowly forward. After he’d shoot the horn off, he’d count to ten and repeat it. He’d gone about half a mile when Lark told him she could hear it.

“How loud?”

“It sounds like you’re in the distance.”

He continued to move the truck forward and blew the horn again. “Is it louder?”

“Yes.”

“What about now?”

“Yep, it’s louder.”

“Sweetie, grab your flashlight and blink it through the window.” He tried to see something along the road and not run himself into the ditch. He hit the horn again.

“That was louder, Ducky. I can hear your truck, too.”

“I can see you, babe. I’ll be there in two seconds.” He put the truck into park and left the hazard lights blinking. He jumped out and made his way through the snow to her SUV. It was half buried and he didn’t think he could get her out of the bottom. He brushed the snow off the rear window which wouldn’t open. The latch seemed to be jammed. He looked around the area and found a thick tree limb. He tested it to see if it was strong and then threw it up onto the side of the Bronco.

He moved to the under carriage and used it to maneuver himself up to the side of the SUV. He looked in the open window and saw Lark look up at him. “Hey there, Lou, fancy meeting you here.” He smiled. “I’m going to see if I can get the door open. Can you move to the backseat?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

He watched her get into the back and when she was out of the way, he bent over the door and grabbed the handle. He used all his strength to pull it up and propped the branch he’d found on the side of the truck. He lowered the door onto it and made sure it would hold the door open.

He brushed some of the snow away from the opening and looked in again. “Babe, are you ready to go home?” He saw her smile up at him and move back to the front seat. “The weather is still pretty crappy. It might be best to stop at exit 104 and see what it looks like in the morning. Have you got everything you need?” She nodded. He leaned down and put his hand through the door for her to grab. “Come to me, my pretty.”

He could hear her laugh and could see her use the seats to step up. He pulled her half way out and then grabbed the back of her pants to get her the rest of the way out.

“Thank you, Charlie, but I think you gave me a wedgie.”

He helped her stand up. “Yeah, we’ll get that fixed shortly.” He showed her the best way down and once she was on the ground, he shut the door and jumped down. He put his arm around her and helped her get to the road. They made their way to his truck and he got her situated into the seat. He stood on the step and helped her remove her boots.

“Are your feet dry?” He rubbed her feet.

“Yes,” she said and her teeth chattered.

“Where’s the bump on your head?” She pointed to the side of her forehead. He gently put his fingers on it and saw the lump. “You’ll have another bruise, but it doesn’t look too bad. Did you lose consciousness?” She shook her head. “Okay, crawl in back to the sleeper. There are blankets and a sleeping bag back there to help you warm up.”

She nodded and turned around to get into the back. Charlie stepped back to the ground and closed the door.

When he got the truck back onto the road, he let out a breath. He felt very lucky to find her. “It’s a good thing the Bronco is red. I might have missed it if you’d gotten a lighter color,” he said.

“It will be easy to find in the spring when the snow melts.”

“Naw, we’ll have to get a tow truck with a trailer. It looks like you blew a tire in the front and the axle and shock absorbers are gone. I’ll take care of it tomorrow or Friday when the weather clears.” She didn’t respond and Charlie tried to see her in the rearview mirror. “Lou, are you okay back there? Are you getting warmed up?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“We’re almost to the truck stop. Gran sent some coffee with me and food.” He followed the exit and found his way to the truck stop. He pulled into a parking spot and set the brake. “I’ll be right back, babe. I have to go and pee. Gran said to call her landline when we were safe.” He looked over his seat and saw Lark snuggled down under the blankets. “I’ve been thinking about the bump on your head. Do you really feel okay or should I try to get you to the hospital?”

“No.” She pulled the blanket down off her face. “I’m all right, really. I’ll call Gran.”

Charlie ran into the truck stop and found the men’s-room. He didn’t want to leave Lark alone for long and hurried. He went back out to the truck. It was still snowing, but the wind seemed to be dying down some. He opened the door and stepped up into the truck. He looked into the back, again, and saw Lark sitting up with her chin on her knees. She had a sheet of paper in her hand and was staring straight ahead.

He sat sideways on his seat and leaned against the door. He reached back to her and touched her shoulder. “Hey, are you in there?”

She smiled a little. “Yeah, I’m in here.” She folded up the letter and put it in her purse. “Did I mention that I go off my nut from time to time and drive into blizzards?”

“No, you didn’t tell me about that.”

“Gran yelled at me and I think I’ll hear more when we get home.” She looked at him. “Are you mad at me?”

“No, I’m not mad so much as wondering what you were thinking.”

“I thought I could get up to Denver and back in a reasonable amount of time. I hoped to be home before the storm got really bad. I didn’t plan to drive into a ditch.”