A Forever Thing: A Contemporary Christian Romance NOVELLA (2 page)

Tate took off after her to see what the problem was.

“Angie! Come back here!” Kelly yelled and ran after her daughter who barreled down the sidewalk and headed straight toward the trees behind the subdivision. “Angie!”

He didn’t need an explanation. Tate ran past Kelly, trying his hardest to catch up to her daughter before she fled into the woods. With the sun setting within the next hour, if she made it into the woods, it would be hard to find her in the dark. Plus, the temperature was supposed to get down into the mid-teens overnight. That was not a scenario he wanted to let happen.

The gear on his belt rattled against his hip as he ran harder and faster to try and catch up to Kelly’s daughter who ran like an Olympic runner.

He couldn’t help but wonder what was so wrong in the young girl’s life that she felt the need to run away. Kelly had always been great with children. The ones she’d babysat adored her as did their parents.

Minutes later, he lost sight of the girl as she ducked into the thicket, and ran deeper and into the woods. Finally, Tate pulled up, unsure which direction she had gone.

In seconds Kelly caught up to him. “Where…where did she go?” she asked between gasps, her fear-filled eyes darted wildly to the left, to the right, and straight ahead.

“I don’t know.” He took in a short gasp of his own as he formulated a plan. “But, I’m going to call this in and see if we can get some help here fast before it gets dark.”

Kelly glanced up at the sky and back at him as he called the situation in to dispatch using the radio mic on his left shoulder. Her eyes mirrored his own thoughts. Darkness was quickly descending on them.

Call in, he assessed the situation further and made a decision. “We need to head back.”

“What? No! I’m not going anywhere until I find her.” It was all the warning she gave him before Kelly took off, weaving through the trees.

Frustrated by her lack of wisdom, Tate caught up to her and grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Kelly, listen to me. You have to come back with me. I can’t have both of you lost out here.”

“I…” Her head shook as she looked around wildly. She dragged in one shaky breath after another until finally her shoulders slumped. Her eyes slammed shut and anguish marred her face. She ran her hands up and down her arms. “You’re right. We should go back.”

As he led her all the way back to his patrol car, Tate watched as Kelly continued to glance back into the woods.

“She’ll be fine. We’ll find her.” They weren’t supposed to make empty promises, but Tate couldn’t bear to see her like this. When he reached his patrol car, he radioed in once again to find out what resources were being deployed.

In front of him, Kelly paced back and forth, her eyes never once left the woods. Within minutes, patrol cars, search and rescue vehicles, and canines filled the area.

With only a few minutes of light left, a plan was formulated. As teams, they headed out to find the girl. Tate would be with three other officers from the station who would form a cordon going east.

“Tate.” Kelly raced up to him just as they prepared to head out. “Please, let me go with you?”

“No. Kelly, you can’t.” He hated to tell her no, especially when those pleading hazel eyes stared back at him. But some things were for the best. “Listen, we need you here. In case she comes back. If she does, call me.” He pulled out a pad from his inside coat pocket, scribbled down his cellphone number, and handed it to her. He locked eyes with her. “We’ll find her. I promise.” With those words and only one quick look back, he rushed to catch up with the others, praying they would find the girl before anything happened to her. With every step he took, the ache in his gut told him he should have never promised something he might not be able to fulfill.

Chapter Two

Worry laced with fear twined with anger clutched her as Kelly paced the floor in front of her living room window. She tugged on her lip until it was sore. The lights from the rescue team had disappeared into the dense forest long before. She wondered where Angie was.

If she was cold.

If she was hungry.

If she was okay.

What if the burglar was here and he found her? Kelly’s fear and her pacing escalated. “Lord, please, I can’t stand this. I can’t just sit around doing nothing. I have to go looking for her.” She grabbed her jacket along with one of Angie’s and headed out the door but stopped just feet from the porch.

Torn between the clawing desire to go and the rational need to stay, her mind yanked her back and forth.

What if Angie came home and found the house empty? Would she be frightened? They could all be out searching for her and wouldn’t know she had returned.

Then, worse thoughts streamed over those.

What if she didn’t come home at all? What if the fight this afternoon was their last? No. She shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. She tried to be positive, but worry won over as she wondered if Angie was scared.

What if she got hurt? Was she already hurt?

What if they didn’t find her? Then what?

Anguish washed over the irrational need to enter those dark, dense woods. Kelly flopped down on the cold ground and pulled Angie’s jacket to her face. The tears quaked through her as every horrible thought assaulted her senses. Still, her gaze never once left the woods. Angie had to be all right. She had to come home. No way could another Christmas be marred by tragedy.

Then, suddenly, she perked up. Was that a light?

She unwound her legs, swiped at her eyes, and stood.

Another light appeared.

And another.

Faint, but lights nonetheless.

They grew brighter and brighter.

They were heading her way. Did that mean they had found Angie?

Just as fear relinquished its grasp to hope, the search crew emerged from the woods.

Kelly sprinted toward them, slip-sliding all the way. “Angie!” she yelled the instant she spotted her daughter. Angie was walking next to Tate, secured in his arms, and wrapped in a blanket. “Oh, Angie,” she sobbed as she took her from Tate. Angie stiffened, but Kelly didn’t care, she held her as close as she could. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. Please don’t ever do that again.”

“Let me go.” Angie squirmed until Kelly had no choice but to release her. The girl might be petite, but she was strong.

And just like that, Angie took off toward the house.

Kelly and Tate both ran after her.

Once again, they were met with the unmistakable sound of Angie as she slammed her bedroom door.

This time, Kelly didn’t ignore her tirade. She crossed the room without hesitating, swung her door open, and stormed over to Angie sprawled across her bed, face down, crying. At the sound of her daughter’s cry, her anger slithered away. Her daughter pretended to be tough, but she wasn’t.

Kelly sat down on the bed and tried to sooth Angie by rubbing comforting circles on her back. But Angie pulled away and huddled closer and closer to the wall.

Her action felt like a slap. Kelly settled her hand on her lap. “Angie, what is going on? Please talk to me?”

“Leave me alone,” Angie bellowed between sobs.

Once again, Kelly felt completely helpless and inept to deal with her daughter. If only Brad was here. He would know what to do. Then again, if he was here, Angie wouldn’t be acting like this. Embarrassment at the state of her life swarmed over Kelly as her gaze slid to Tate. He stood in the middle of the door frame, watching them.

Kelly didn’t know what to do. She didn’t dare leave Angie alone for fear she’d run away. Again. To make sure that didn’t happen, with a heavy heart, Kelly stood. She stopped at Angie’s door and looked up at Tate. “Time to get a hammer.”

♥ ♥ ♥

A hammer? What was she going to do with a hammer? Tate followed Kelly into the kitchen. She rummaged through a large bottom drawer. Before he had a chance to say a word about the hammer, she stood, hammer in hand, along with a small canvas bag. “It’s time to remove her door and put these on the windows.” She raised the bag, and he wondered what was in it. Exhaustion lined her face, along with worry.

It all threw Tate into a storm of concern. Had she done this before? Was her daughter truly a troubled child not just gripped by a sudden burst of pre-teen angst?

Off duty now, he decided to find out and to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Since the door was put in backwards by the previous owner or renters, Kelly stood in the hallway instead of inside Angie’s bedroom and began to pound on the door latch pin.

At the first sound, Angie sat up, tears replaced by anger. “What are you doing?” she yelled and shot off of the bed. “Leave my door alone.”

Kelly stopped. Fire flashed from her eyes even as a dark calm came over her voice. “What I should have done earlier. You know the routine.”

Silently, Tate removed the hammer from her hand and went to work on removing the door.

“You know the routine,” Kelly answered in a calm voice. What came next wouldn’t be pleasant.

Angie ran over to her window, pressed her back against it, and splayed her arms and hands against the pane. “Not my windows.”

“Yes, your windows.”

“Great. Just great.” Angie anchored her arms over her chest. “First you take my phone away and now you’re taking my door away too.”

Tate glanced up at Kelly. His heart went out to the woman. He’d hauled many a rebellious child to juvenile detention. Kids with chips on their shoulders. Kids who were out of control. Like Kelly’s daughter. He couldn’t believe how much the girl looked like her mother. Kelly hadn’t changed much. She was still petite. Her hair was still as blonde as it was growing up. The only thing different was her beautiful smile wasn’t there.

“Yes, I am. And I’m putting alarms on all the windows again,” Kelly’s voice remained amazingly calm.

Again? How many times had Kelly had to do this? Tate wondered as he removed another pin.

“I know how to disarm them.” Angie stepped forward and sent her mother a defiant smirk.

“Not these you don’t.” Kelly brushed past Angie and strode over to the window.

While he continued to take the door off, Angie sat down on the edge of her bed, arms crossed, shaking her crossed leg, and glaring back and forth between him and Kelly. If it wasn’t so pathetic, Tate would laugh. But there was nothing funny about this situation. Kelly had a real problem on her hands.

He removed the last pin, hoisted the door, and set it in the hallway.

Kelly walked over to him. “Now to put these on the rest of the windows and doors.”

More anger seethed at them from across the room.

“What are those?” Tate asked.

“Alarms. There is no way to disarm these.” She stepped out into the hallway, cupped the back of her hand near her mouth, and whispered, “If you know what you’re doing, there is. But Angie doesn’t know how to disarm them. Yet.” She sighed.

Poor Kelly. Again, his heart went out to her. But it also went out to the little girl who was obviously troubled about something. Over the years of being a police officer, he’d discovered kids didn’t act like that without a reason. Whether that reason was real or imagined. “Where do you want this door?”

“In the garage. But, I can get it. I’m used to carrying them.” She tipped her eyes, and there was no humor in her, only frustrated exhaustion.

“Don’t worry about it. “I’ll put it away for you.” He put the door away in the garage and came back inside to find Kelly still in the hallway outside of Angie’s room. “You need help putting the rest of those on?” he asked, gazing down at the bag in her hand.

“No. They only take a few minutes each.” She paused. He could tell she was contemplating something. “I’ll tell you what you can do. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“What’s that?”

“Keep an eye on her until I get done.” She jerked her head toward Angie’s room. “Last thing I need is for her to bolt out the front door.”

He nodded and then went and sat down on the loveseat in the living room that gave him full view of the girl’s bedroom door straight at the end of the hall.

Quietly, Angie peered out. When she spotted him, she rolled her eyes and stomped back into her room, flopped down on her belly with her hands at her side and her feet hanging partly off the bed.

“Lord, I don’t know the whole story here, or what that girl’s problem is, but she’s reacting to something,” he whispered as Kelly went to work on the windows. “Something’s going on inside her that is manifesting itself on the outside. Only You know what that is. I’m asking You to heal that girl, Lord. And give Kelly the wisdom to know the right thing to do and to say. Give her the courage and the strength she needs to help her daughter.”

“Amen.”

Tate turned toward the sound of Kelly’s voice behind him.

“Thank you for praying for Angie.” She glanced into her daughter’s room. The girl now laid curled up in a fetal position, and if Tate wasn’t mistaken, she was either asleep or acting like it.

“Would you like some coffee or something to drink?” Kelly asked as she gathered up the hammer and pins. “I can fix you a cup of hot chocolate or tea or coffee if you’d rather have either one of them.”