I watched Conner climb out of the truck and get on his phone. I could hear him talking to someone. He didn’t give the guy any real details involving us, just basically that he had a friend in trouble that needed a place to crash. I climbed over the front seat and into the back. Conner’s bag served as a good enough pillow and I used his coat to cover myself up. I was over exhausted from everything that was happening and knew the baby needed me to take better care of myself. Maybe Conner had been right about things.
I didn’t fall asleep until after he had climbed back into the truck. He leaned against his window and put his hat over his face. Once I heard him snoring, it was easier for me to fall asleep. Somehow, the reminder of him being so close gave me the security to know it was okay to rest.
I wasn’t sure how long I had been asleep, but I woke up to Conner saying my name.
“Amy, wake up, darlin’.”
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Two in the morning.”
I looked around the parking lot. A few more trucks were parked. “She should have called us by now. What if something happened to her?”
“Maybe she realized that askin’ us for help was the wrong thing to do.”
I raised my eyebrow. “We aren’t turning our backs on her. This isn’t about what she’s done to all of us. We are good people and we are going to do the right thing.”
He put his head on the steering wheel. “Damn, woman, did you have to play that card?”
“Obviously, I did.”
He looked around the parking lot. “Well, I ain’t waitin’ here any longer. If she calls, you can just give her my friend’s address. We need to get on the road and get you a nice bed to sleep in.” I didn’t argue with him when he started his truck and pulled out of the parking lot. I looked out the window, feeling guilty about leaving even Heather without helping her.
A couple hours later we were pulling up at the magnificent ranch. Conner drove us straight to his mother’s house and much to our surprise she wasn’t home. We went right in and got comfortable in his room.
“Are you worried about your mother?”
He climbed into bed next to me. “Nah, she spends the night at John’s sometimes. It’s probably better that she wasn’t home. She may have thought we were an intruder and tried to shoot our asses.”
I was sure the look on my face was priceless. “That would have just been an unbelievable story. Guy brings his pregnant girlfriend home and the mother shoots them.”
He put his arms behind his head and started laughing. “She’s a shitty shot. I’m sure it would only be flesh wounds.”
I rolled over and tried to ignore his crappy joke. There were some things that weren’t that funny. Being mistaken for breaking and entering wasn’t exactly something I made a habit of doing.
The next morning we were awakened by Conner’s mother knocking on his bedroom door. I think she thought that we’d been fighting and he came home to get away from me. “Conner, what’s going on? What happened with Amy… you’re here…together?”
We both sat up and looked at each other and then back to his mother. “Of course she’s here with me. I wouldn’t come without her.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t mean to imply…I just assumed that since you must have come in the middle of the night, something had to be wrong.”
I wanted to explain myself, but Conner didn’t give me a chance to start. He stood up from the bed and grabbed his jeans. Apparently, he wasn’t bothered by his mother seeing him in his underwear. “Let’s go in the other room and let Amy sleep. I can explain everything in there.”
Conner leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Go back to sleep, darlin’. You’re safe now.”
It was easy falling asleep and by the time that I woke up, I found Conner and his mother in the kitchen. They were sitting at the table with coffee cups and what was left of their breakfast in front of them. I could immediately smell the syrup, even before I saw the remnants on the plates. “Good morning. Would you like some pancakes, sweetheart?”
Conner’s mother was so sweet. Her voice was always so gentle. From the first time I met her, I knew why Conner and Miranda loved her so much. She was the kind of mother that anyone would want. The kind of mother that would never abandon her children.
I sat down at the table. “Yes, that would be perfect.”
Miss Karen got up and opened the microwave to reveal a large stack of pancakes. I could feel my mouth watering when I thought about just how good they were going to taste. He handed me a plate with a fork and a knife. “I added bananas and nuts. Conner said you would like them.”