Divine Phoenix(Divine Creek Ranch 10)
Divine Phoenix(Divine Creek Ranch 10)
chapter One
Early October…
With fresh bruises throbbing under her skin and her heart in her throat, Lily King grabbed the shop ledger from the kitchen counter and left the house with the sound of hateful laughter ringing in her ears. On autopilot, she drove back to the mechanic shop. Her brother-in-law Dirk ignored her when she walked through the garage, which was just as well. She wondered if he knew his wife, Natalie, was fucking his brother, Lily’s husband, JT, whom he looked up to and revered so much. She doubted it. Maybe he’d been hiding from the truth just like Lily had.
With a hollow space growing larger and the nausea persisting, Lily completed the work on the ledger. The figures she’d written out looked like the scrawl of an elderly, infirm hand as she made her last entries. When everything was caught up, Lily took a notepad from the desk, and with an almost eerie clarity, she made a list of what she needed to pack and wrote a letter to Dirk.
She labeled the envelope with his name and tucked it in the top drawer of his desk where he’d find it when he reached in for a pen to write up his invoice orders for her. Dirk had never purposefully done anything mean to her, and she didn’t think he deserved what Natalie was doing to him. She hoped JT didn’t find it first. She didn’t want to give JT time to catch her before she could get away from Durst.
JT wouldn’t take too kindly to his wife leaving him. There was no way to deny that there was any love left between them, if there ever had been to begin with. For her part she knew there had been, when she’d fallen in love with him twelve years before.
He’d been undeniably charming, and unlike her looks, at thirty-eight, JT’s had only improved with age. His angelic face, chocolate-brown eyes, and rugged body hid the heart of a sadistic tyrant.
She could recall looking at him with love filling her heart as he’d told her he wanted her to wear his mark. She’d agreed, no questions asked. When he’d told her he needed her to work for him at the auto repair shop, she’d been happy to help, never complaining that she worked for them for free. That’s what family did for each other, he’d said. She felt like a clueless fool now as reality finally set in and she acknowledged that he looked upon her as his slave.
With all her tasks completed, she walked out into the garage. Firming her voice so he wouldn’t think anything was amiss, she called out, “Dirk, I’m done for the morning. I have to go to the office supply store and then I’m going to get groceries. I’ll be back right after lunch.”
“Okay.” Off in his own little world, he never even looked up.
Pretending to not see JT’s pickup turn into the back entrance of the parking lot, she pulled out of the front entrance. She shuddered with relief that he didn’t follow her. She had a limited amount of time to pack her things, go see her dad, and get the hell out of Durst, Texas. Once JT found out, he was going to go ballistic.
* * * *
Several hours later…
Lily’s lips trembled involuntarily as the sign on the outskirts of her hometown came into view.
Welcome to Divine, Texas. More than just a Place on the Map.
A pang of sadness mingled with relief as her little silver Mazda rolled over the bridge and into the late afternoon shadows of the massive oak trees on the other side of the river.
I never got to say good-bye, but at least I made it back. I wonder if anyone remembers me.
She pulled in a shaky breath, careful to not inhale too deeply. The sharp pain in her abdomen had increased during the trip to Divine.
If I can just get to the house… Help me find it, Lord.
The town she’d always called home had grown in the many years since she’d last been there. Turning leaves, in shades of red and gold, drifted across Main Street as she slowed the car and gazed out the windows. Divine had evidently experienced a renewal since the early eighties, when her family had moved away. Businesses now occupied many of the smaller structures that she remembered being residences, and there was an aura of welcome in the well-cared-for structures and attention to details like landscaping.
Jo Dee Messina’s “Bring On the Rain” played on the car radio. She hummed along with the song, tears misting in her eyes as she listened to the words.
Another gust of air blew more leaves in whirling eddies across the street. She lowered her windows as she slowed for the change in speed limit. A cold front must’ve come through overnight, and at Divine’s slightly higher elevation, the temperature was dryer and more comfortable than what she’d grown accustomed to. The scent of cedar, pine, and woodsmoke filled the air. If I’ve just come from Hell, then this is Heaven.