Song of the Meadowlark (Intertwined Book 1) (5 page)

Seven a.m. on the alarm clock rang all too early for Cora. Once she was dressed, she headed down the hall to wake Susie. After breakfast, they left for church. Church was exactly the thing Cora needed to make her feel a part of the community and to get her mind off Rex. Everyone she met treated her like she belonged there.

After they returned home from lunch at Ms. Lottie’s, Cora and Susie went for a swim. Cora laughed at Susie’s charismatic way of running and jumping in the pool with her water wings and nose plug. Her potbelly kept her from staying under the water for too long.

After swimming, they walked around the ranch, meeting the ranch hands and petting all the animals. The pigs were Cora’s favorites. She couldn’t think about the fact that they’d all eventually end up on the breakfast plates.

When Susie’s bedtime finally came Sunday night, Cora felt more exhausted than her tag-along. She poured a glass of lemonade and headed through the double French doors onto the porch and toward the back porch swing. Would Rex join her there tonight?

Only a minute passed when splashing in the pool and voices caught her attention. She leaned forward in the shadows and listened.

“Rex, swim over here. I bet you can’t catch me,” a husky voice purred.

Rex’s baritone voice responded, “Shhh, you’ll wake up the whole house. Besides, I can too catch you.”

A trellis of roses prevented Cora from seeing the pool and shielded them from seeing her, as long as she remained seated. Who was the woman in the pool? She couldn’t look because Rex might see her, and he’d surely be furious with her. So instead she eavesdropped, craning her neck.

“Come on, let’s go in the house,” the woman begged.

“Are you crazy? My parents are in there,” Rex stalled.

“Then let’s go in the barn or the pool house.” The woman splashed in the water.

“We can’t. Not here.”

“Take me to your cabin, then.”

“No!”

“Rex, when are you going to give in to me? Every time I ask, you find an excuse.”

“I’m not comfortable being with you…here, I mean.”

“Why?”

“Veronica, drop the subject. Let’s get out of the pool.” Rex’s mood had changed unexpectedly, like the weather in March.

“Don’t get out of the pool. We could stay here. No one would know.”

As the woman tried to convince Rex that they could have a secret liaison in the pool, Cora struggled with how best to get up from the swing and silently head back into the house. She refused to be present for what might happen.

Once inside, Cora put her glass in the kitchen sink and hurried through the kitchen to the foyer and up the stairs toward her room. Her face felt hot over what she’d overheard. Anger rose in her chest at Rex for being so open with his love life, and resentment ran a close second. He obviously didn’t hold his wife’s memory as close to his heart as he pretended.

An hour later, Rex cranked his truck and pulled out of the drive. Cora fell asleep in a huff.

Cora filled her days with creating beautiful memories with Rex’s precious child. Susie clung to her every waking hour. Pearl relieved Cora of her duties every afternoon for an hour or two. Cora used a walk around the ranch or sitting on the porch as a way to relax and reflect.

Where had she gone wrong with Clark? Why had her relationship with him ruined hers with Mom and Dad? She could kick herself for leaving things in such an uproar with them, no matter who was right or wrong. But she wasn’t ready to go home yet.

Living at the Southern Hope ranch fit Cora at this time in her life. She now had more than enough money to travel home on, and she’d need to make plans someday, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave this haven yet. The O’Reillys wanted her to stay, as did Susie. Rex was another story, and that made it even harder not to think about him, to try to figure out why he was so hard. But she had to keep her mind off him, especially since she still had a husband. After all, Clark could appear as easily as he’d vanished.

“Hello,” the woman hissed, holding out a lotion-slathered hand, leering at Cora with eyes of ice. “I’m Veronica Ludlowe, Rex’s girlfriend. I’m sure you’ve heard all about me. You must be the new nanny.”

Cora shivered at the coldness in the woman’s voice and held her breath so her department-store perfume wouldn’t suffocate her. They exchanged a handshake. “Hi. I’m Cora. I don’t know if you could call me a nan—”

“Well, whatever. It’s good to know Rex’s time will be freed up to be with me.” She smiled and hung on Rex’s arm, as if she were afraid he’d get away from her if she let go.

“That’s what I’m here for, I suppose.” Cora grimaced, dropping her hand to her side and wiping it on her jeans. Who was this woman? And how did Rex tolerate her snobbishness? This blond-haired, blue-eyed viper, who obviously didn’t care for Cora, must be out for Rex’s money, and Cora knew exactly how she was keeping him loyal to her. That had been obvious the night she’d overheard them at the pool. It certainly wasn’t her charming personality.

After Cora excused herself, she tended to Susie until her naptime and then took a walk around the ranch where she stumbled upon Rex and Matt arguing about the ranch and its future. She tried not to eavesdrop, but the daggers the two brothers shot at each other darted right past her ears. The O’Reilly brothers scratched and kicked in the sawdust of the barn and snorted like the steer in the pasture. Cora rushed back toward the house taking great care not to be detected. The hair on the back of her neck bristled. Whatever the argument pertained to was intense, and she didn’t want to get in the middle of it.

“Hello, Ms. Buchanan,” a man’s voice said as she reached into the refrigerator to retrieve the orange juice.

“Please, call me Cora. Everyone else does.”

“No, no, I couldn’t. That’s not respectful.”

“Cook, I’m a temporary employee. Please, I insist. Call me Cora.” She grabbed a juice glass from the cabinet above the dishwasher.

“Okay, Cora, I will.”

“What’s your name?” Cora put the juice back in the refrigerator and shut the door. She studied Susie’s drawings held in place by various magnets.

“Cook.”

“No, your real name?” She pivoted to look at him.

“Jimmy.” He smiled, as if saying his name for the first time in a long time.

“I like that, Jimmy. I hope you don’t mind if I call you by your first name.”

“Not at all. I prefer it.” He gave her a knowing look.

“Good. Jimmy, when do you go to town next?”

“I’m going later today to the grocery store. Why?”

“My car is ready at Millburn’s, and I need a ride to go pick it up.”

“I’ll take you. How about after lunch?”

“That sounds good. Thanks.” Cora rinsed her glass out and put it in the dishwasher. “See you later.”

“What would you do if you were in my situation?” Cora asked Jimmy on the way to Bobby’s shop.

“My only advice is to stay away from home until you’re ready to deal with whatever baggage you left behind. If you go home too soon, you won’t be ready for whatever fight you might encounter.”

Cora opened the door and slid out of the car. “Thanks for the advice, and thanks for dropping me off.”

“No problem. Do ya want me to wait?”

“No, I’ve got some errands to run. I’ll see you back at the ranch.”

As Cora headed for the ranch in her Camaro, she reflected on the events of the past few weeks—the people she’d met, the new and challenging tasks she’d accomplished, the decisions she still needed to make. Her stomach churned at the thought of Veronica Ludlowe. Rex had brought her to the ranch with him eight or nine times since that first meeting, and each time Cora saw her, she disliked her more.

“Lord, I know my feelings aren’t right, but I don’t like her. I can’t imagine her being Susie’s stepmother. It’s obvious she doesn’t like children. She never even talks to Susie. She’d be the type to send her to boarding school. And Susie doesn’t like Veronica either. When she comes to the ranch, Susie clings to me even more than usual. Lord, I know Rex may not even be thinking of marriage, but please protect Susie. She needs a much better stepmother than Veronica.”

It didn’t take long before Cora found herself meandering through unfamiliar areas of town on back roads, comfortable in the car’s contoured seat. She turned left onto a street she suspected headed back toward the ranch, an unpaved road. This looked like the one Bobby had told her to turn on.

As she drove, her heart beat a little faster. The tall, draping trees made the road dark and shadowy. Hopefully, she’d taken the right road and wasn’t on someone’s private property. Why did it feel like someone was closing in on her? She should turn around before she went any further, but it was too narrow and there were ditches on both sides.
Stay calm. You’re freaking out over nothing. Just find a place to turn around.

She finally came to a gravel driveway and pulled in to turn around. Her tires started to spin on the gravel, so she slowed down. Then one of her tires blew out and the car fishtailed. Cora slammed the brakes to the floorboard and stopped where the road made a T with another road.

“Of all days to have a flat! This car!” And she didn’t even have her phone with her. Why hadn’t she waited for Jimmy to finish up in town?

Cora glanced out her driver’s side window in time to see a gray Ford F350 pickup heading right for her. Before she could reach for the door handle, the truck slammed into her, spinning the car and knocking Cora over almost into the passenger seat. A cry escaped her throat; blood dripped on to her pants. In shock, she reached up and touched her forehead. There was a gash in it, and blood oozed from it.

The truck was nowhere. So who had tried to attack her? For several minutes, she sat in the car, her hands cemented to the steering wheel. Maybe her circumstances had nothing to do with her car. Maybe the bad things were connected to this town instead. She had to get out of this car and then out of this town. Hopefully, there weren’t any wild dogs running loose or gun-toting backwoods people around here.

“Lord, after everything I’ve been through, why do I have to go through this? I’m sorry I took the back roads. Help me not to panic. Please protect me.”

Cora took the keys out of the ignition and grabbed her purse. She climbed out of the car, knees shaking, and looked both directions before choosing to walk back toward the main road instead of deeper into the woods. When she twisted her ankle, she cursed her decision to wear her new sandals. She dabbed at the place on her forehead and winced.

A stick popped in the distance, and her hair stood up on the back of her neck. She tried not to think about the sound. But the truck wasn’t coming back, so maybe she was safe.

Then, someone pounded on the earth behind her, and before she could react, a searing pain collided with the back of her head and then nothing….

Chapter 5

Cora awoke alone in a dark, musty shack. Her bare feet were tied to a burlap-covered cot that smelled of cigars and sweat. Her hands were tied behind her back, and something was shoved into her mouth causing her to gag. Her arms were numb, and her shoulders ached from the weight of her body on them. Her head throbbed from the blow. Her stomach growled, and nausea crept up her esophagus. Minimal amounts of sunlight came through the cracks in the shack. It must be near dinnertime.

Maybe if she tried hard enough, she could get herself free.

Cora tried, to no avail. She wiggled, squirmed, and pulled, but nothing worked. Sweat poured from every pore. The gag prevented her from screaming. Who could hear her out here, anyway?

A vehicle that sounded like it were missing a muffler pulled up outside the shack, and Cora winced. Was it the pickup that had smashed into her car?

The door yanked open, and light burst in. Cora squinted at the brightness before her and then closed her eyes briefly, allowing them to adjust to the light. When she reopened them, a man stood in the room, his face shadowed by the hood of his jacket.

Cora stilled her body and reclosed her eyes. Maybe he’d leave her alone if she stayed still. Who would want to kidnap her? Was this a stranger or someone she knew? Could it be Veronica? Maybe she wanted her to stay away from Rex badly enough to do something this horrible. Was it Randy from the gold shop? Could it be Clark? Maybe he was so angry she’d left home that he’d followed her. Or maybe it was someone affiliated with Clark who thought she knew where he was….

The person rummaged around in the shack, but Cora didn’t dare open her eyes. She had to carry out her charade.

“Wake up!” a harsh voice demanded as the person poked and pushed her.

She opened her eyes, camping lanterns glowing across the room. The hood still rested over the person’s head. She tried to talk, but couldn’t with her mouth gagged. Her assailant removed the cloth from around her head and the rag from her mouth.

Cora struggled to move her head away from this person’s reach. “Who are you? What do you want with me? Do I know you? Why won’t you uncover your face?”

“Why all of the questions?” the voice grumbled.

“I’m trying to understand all of this. What is this all about? Why me?” Cora squirmed and tugged, trying to get loose.

“Don’t worry. You’ll figure everything out eventually. I’m just following orders.” The attacker turned out all of the lanterns except one and opened the door, leaving as abruptly as he’d come.

“No! Come back!”

He secured the door and left. There was probably no way out for Cora, but she had to try. First, she had to free her hands and feet. She pulled and twisted, but she couldn’t free herself. How could she get out of here? She tugged a little more and then rested. “I won’t do myself any good if I’m worn out.”

Cora scanned the crude cabin for something she could use to set herself free. She spotted a rickety chest of drawers across from her. Maybe she’d find a knife or scissors in there. She yanked again to free herself from the cot. This time, she was able to pull herself loose from the bed and sit up.

For a moment, she sat still, listening for any sounds of life outside the cabin and gaining her stamina. Then she swung her legs around, touching her feet to the floor. Hopping across the shack to the dresser, she turned her back to the drawers and squatted down. With her hands tied, it took every bit of her strength to open the top drawer. She stood again, turned around, and looked inside.

“Please let there be something in here I can use, something sharp to cut these ropes.” She searched but couldn’t find anything. She shut the top drawer with her knee, turned around again, knelt, and tried to open the bottom drawer. She almost tipped over when the warped drawer finally flew open from the force of her pull. She sat on the floor and looked in the drawer. Nothing in there, either.

Cora struggled to her feet and surveyed the squalid place. The lantern made shadows across the room. Daylight had streamed in the door when the attacker came to the cabin, but it was closing in on five or five-thirty. She wouldn’t make it home for dinner.

She shut the bottom drawer, in case the man came back before she was able to escape. From her vantage point in the middle of the shack, something captured her attention—a cable coming out of the wall. She followed it with her eyes into a wall-mounted cabinet. Could it be a phone cable? Her heart threatened to leap from her chest. Could she be this close to rescue?

Cora hopped over to the cabinet and used her shoulder to pry it open. The telephone sitting on the shelf brought a gasp forth from her. The captor had obviously hidden it so she couldn’t find it. Well, he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. Now if she could find a way to get herself loose, she could call for help.

She surveyed the darkening room again. A large tool chest, about two feet high, sat near the door. She hopped over to it and knelt in front of it. Yes, it was unlocked. Cora turned around again and pushed the lid open.

Pain seared her wrists. “Ouch! Oh, man, that’s not good.” She’d cut herself on the sharp metal edge of the chest, and blood trickled down her fingers. She tasted bile in her throat. “Don’t give up, Cora,” she admonished herself aloud. “You cannot sit back and let this happen to you. You have to fight your way out of here.”

Cora peered into the chest, and although the corner of the room was draped in shadows, a pair of branch trimmers glinted in the light. If only she could get them behind her back and somehow cut the ropes off of her hands, she could get free. She could get out of here. Cora tried to reach them but kept losing her balance. She had to make this work. If she could cut the ropes off with the same jagged edge of the toolbox she’d cut her wrist on, she could get free.

She turned around, positioned her hands—one on either side of the edge of the chest—and sawed back and forth. Sweat poured off her forehead, making it impossible to see. She was cutting herself, but it didn’t matter. She had to do this.

Finally, the rope tore, and Cora was free at last. She reached inside the tool chest, got the branch trimmers, and cut the ropes off her feet. Her hands and wrists dripped with blood and throbbed. Blood soaked into her clothes, and she almost fainted. She needed to stop the bleeding, but there was nothing clean enough to use as a bandage.

Cora steadied herself for what she must now do. She had to call for help.

Who could she call? She didn’t know the O’Reillys’ number. With trembling legs, she walked to the cabinet to the phone and dialed the operator.

“9-1-1 operator. What’s your emergency?”

“Please—please help me. Someone kidnapped me.” Cora tried to remain calm, but every nerve in her body felt like electricity ran through it.

“What is your location, ma’am?”

“I don’t know. I was driving from Lewistown to the O’Reilly ranch in Southern Hope through some back roads, and I got lost. Then my tire blew out, and someone rammed me in a gray Ford F350 pickup. I was walking for help, and someone attacked me in the woods. I’m in a cabin. An old rundown shack.” Cora’s knees trembled.

“Okay, ma’am, help’s on the way. Stay on the line as long as possible so we can trace the call. Okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Minutes later, a rumbling came toward the shack. “I hear him coming back! What do I do? If he comes in here and sees me like this, he’ll kill me!” Cora captured her bottom lip with her teeth.

“Is there a back door or maybe a window you can crawl out of? The officers and medics will be there in a few minutes. Is there a way out of there?” the operator asked calmly.

“There’s a window. But I think I’m going to pass out.”

“Ma’am, what’s your name?”

“C—Cora.”

“Cora, stay with me, okay? Can you get out through the window?”

“I’ll try.”

“Do not hang up this phone. Keep the line open.”

“Okay.” Cora laid the receiver down beside the phone and made her way to the window, which had no glass. There was nothing but some type of handmade wooden shutters covering the opening. She pushed and banged until she got it open, blood splattering all over her and her clothes. With all of her strength, she threw herself out the window and ran into the woods as fast as her bare feet would carry her. Darkness blanketed her surroundings, making it difficult for her to see. Thankfully, the darkness would make it burdensome for the aggressor to see her.

When should she stop running? She needed to get far enough away from the cabin but not too far away from the help that was coming. She tried to be as quiet as possible, to keep the captor from hearing her, and stayed focused on what she had to do. She didn’t worry about her bleeding wrists, nor did she cry. She kept running, despite the pine cones that stuck into her feet.

She ran until she could run no more, then ducked behind a huge pine tree and sank to the ground. The ground felt damp with evening dew, and the bark from the pine scratched her arms. Pinecones and pine needles covered the ground and dug into her skin. Exhausted, she tried to be silent with her breathing to keep herself undiscovered.

She waited behind that tall tree for what seemed like a lifetime. Then she drifted away, off to sleep.