There wasn’t one single day that past that I didn’t wonder when Rick was going to come along and spoil my happiness. Each moment I would feel overwhelmed in bliss, I always had to stop and wonder just how long it would last.
One thing that I really enjoyed was how close the family was. I’d seen Ty and Miranda interacting with his parents, but this part of the family was exactly the same way. We still had dinners together and before each meal we prayed. For some reason, every single time I saw Conner fold his hand and close his eyes, my heart fell in love with him even more. My rough cowboy had a passionate side. He knew what his life stood for and he appreciated what he had.
Conner seldom complained. He worked long, hard hours and then came home and spent time with me. Our routine was repetitive, but we liked things that way. I never thought I would get used to being with a farmer. Now I thought it was the perfect job. Conner was always somewhere close. He never had to ask permission to do things. I knew that when our baby came, he was going to be by my side the whole time.
I was starting to get scared about the delivery part. It didn’t help that Miranda reminded daily of how bad it hurt. Knowing that she had survived such a terrible labor didn’t exactly make it easier not to worry. I had faith that everything was going to be okay.
As I sat outside waiting for Conner, I was more nervous than ever.
Conner came walking out a few minutes later with Heather walking behind him. She had cut her hair even shorter and kept it a dark brown. When they got up to the window, I rolled it down. Conner leaned inside of it. “Here’s the plan. Heather is goin’ to ride with us to another place. She wants us to believe that she is here alone.”
I nodded.
After unlocking the door, Heather climbed in the back. Once Conner was back into the driver’s seat, we pulled out of the parking lot. I turned around to face Heather. “What happened to you that night? We waited for hours.”
She put her head down. “I couldn’t ask you to help me, Amy. I’ve done too much to Conner’s family to be able to do that. I drove all night long and finally came to a town in Maryland the next morning. Once I was there, I went into the library and used their computers to search Rick’s ex-wife. Her family was from Virginia and she still had some living there. With nothing to lose, I used the last of my gas money and drove there.”
I couldn’t wait to hear what she found out.
“Once I got there, it wasn’t exactly easy to approach them. The family ran this bed and breakfast, so I acted like I was just looking for a place to stay. I knew I couldn’t use my credit card, so I had to find a way to pay for a room. When they didn’t ask me to pay until my stay was over, I figured that I could just sneak out and not have to pay.”
“There was this guy there, who worked around the grounds. Right away I knew it was Rick’s son. He looked just like him. After sleeping for a while, I walked outside to get some air and he was there. He had snuck a bottle out of the kitchen and was drinking it by himself. We made quick friends and after finishing off a bottle, you can imagine where we ended up.”
I put my hand over my mouth and I was sure my eyes were huge. Conner made a chuckle sound, but said nothing else. “You slept with Rick’s son?”
“Don’t even try to judge me right now. It happened. I regretted it the next morning, but after he learned I was on the run, he took care of me. He got me something to eat and talked his aunt into letting me work there. I was so scared and he was just there, offering me a safe place to stay. For the first time in over a month, I felt like I was able to sleep without looking behind my back.”
I tried to think about what it was like for Heather. She didn’t have someone like Conner to make her feel safe and take her somewhere else to live. No, Heather gave up her whole life and was on the run from my psycho ex. “So, what is his son like?”
She smiled. “He’s great. He goes to college and still works for his parents. He calls his aunt and uncle his parents and from what I gather, he doesn’t know that they aren’t his real parents. If he does, then he is proud to have been adopted by them. They have a beautiful place that they live in and are the kindest people I have ever met.”
“Heather, have you been living there this whole time?”
She shrugged. “Yeah. Please don’t say anything. I can tell you think I’m a whore. Jessie is different than other guys. I know he is younger than me, but look at the two of you. You make it work.”
“So you’re a couple? You are in a relationship with Rick’s biological son?”
Heather pulled out her phone and brought up a picture. “This is Jessie. He saved my life and I fell in love with him.”