After graduation, Ethan and Miranda were married. She remembered her wedding day. The wedding had been delayed, but that seemed normal. Surely it would take time to get all of the guests seated and the ceremony started. She stood in the bride’s chamber wringing her hands and trying not to chew her nails, but she was nervous. The night before, she had seen a new side of Ethan. He slipped into her father’s house and into her bedroom. He tried desperately to talk her into making love. She refused. She had promised her mother that she would remain a virgin until her wedding night, and she intended to keep that promise. She witnessed a glimpse of his temper as he slammed the window shut on his way out.
Despite her fear and the delay, she walked the aisle to begin her newly married, blissful life. Within hours, she knew that her fantasy had become a nightmare. They had flown to California for their honeymoon, and were walking in the moonlight along the boardwalk in San Jose with their fingers entwined. Suddenly, she felt Ethan’s body stiffen. Then he began to yell, “Get your eyes off my wife!”
Seconds later, she was witnessing Ethan beat this stranger to a bloody pulp. She screamed his name, trying desperately to stop him, but he flung her back and continued to wail on the man. His face was mashed into the concrete, his arm hung crookedly, and his breathing was labored. Minutes later, the police arrived. Ethan was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car. After paying bail and fines, they had to cut their honeymoon short.
Chapter 6
Miranda heaved Elizabeth and their bags from the car and wobbled to the front door. As she reached for the bell, her sister, Brooke, opened the door and threw her arms around her. Miranda held on tightly for a few minutes.
“You might warn somebody before you barge in. I’ve ordered pizza for dinner. You know there’s not a stitch of food in the house,” Brooke joked.
“I gave you more warning than usual. Sometimes I just show up,” Miranda grinned as they shared a longstanding joke.
“You’re right. Give me that baby, grab a couple of beers, and let’s head to the back porch. The boys are in the game room. Hopefully they’ll catch the pizza guy.”
Elizabeth giggled as Brooke smothered her face in kisses then set her down to run around the back yard. Miranda leapt to her feet.
“Oh, let her run. She’s been in the car for hours. Besides, it’s just grass. She might get dirty, but we have water,” Brooke smiled again, obviously delighted to have company. Miranda settled back down in the large Adirondack chairs, covered with green and tan striped pillows. Warm beams of sunlight were beginning to fade as the sun set. The privacy fence gave her a sense of seclusion. She took a deep breath and tried to relax.
“So, tell me what’s going on.”
Miranda scowled in mock confusion, “What makes you think there is something going on?”
“Well, first, Carolyn called and said they took you to the emergency room then you are flying down here for a mini vacation.”
“There is nothing wrong. I was a little dehydrated, and I pulled a ligament in my heel.”
“And I bet you haven’t quit wearing heels, have you?” Brooke raised her eyebrow in consternation.
“Of course not! At 5’3” I have to have all the height I can get.”
Brooke cracked up, “Still trying to play with the big boys.”
They both took a long pull from their beer and watched as Elizabeth tried to catch a grasshopper. “So are you still having trouble with Ethan?”
“Not physically. He hasn’t come around, but he’s always in my head.” Miranda chuckled, trying to make light of the answer.
“You know what you need? You need to find a man.”
“I don’t need to find a man. They are everywhere, and I can find every freak in the tri-county area!”
Brooke turned to Miranda with a wicked gleam in her eye, “Aha! You have found a man, and you are hiding from him! Tell me!”
Miranda rolled her eyes, “I’m not hiding from him. His name is Zach. He is Emily’s fiancée’s brother, and he is crazy enough to pursue me. I’ve decided he is insane, and I would be insane if I didn’t ignore him.”
Brooke shook her head. “You would be insane if you did ignore him. Good grief, Miranda, the fact that his brother is engaged to Emily is a good sign. Besides that, you can always use him for stress relief.”
“Stress relief?”
“How long has it been since you did ‘the deed’?” Brooke grinned, “And you never did get the full effect with Ethan.” She burst out laughing.
Miranda could only silently agree. She watched Elizabeth toddle around the yard, contemplating Brooke’s words. She never did truly enjoy ‘the deed.’ It was always something that had to be done to keep Ethan happy and to conceive Elizabeth. She really wasn’t sure what the fuss was about, but Brooke had often assured her that it was a wonderful thing. She grimaced at the thought.
Elizabeth began to trot to the side of the house, waving at someone, “Hi, hi, hi.”
Miranda rose to look, but she didn’t see anyone there. A shadow darted quickly from her view.
“I’m sure it is Jeff getting home from work, the pizza delivery guy, or some crazy jogging person on a health kick.”
Miranda smirked at her sister’s joke. She grabbed Elizabeth and headed to the house. Although there was surely a good explanation, a creepy feeling worked its way down her spine. She turned to look behind her several times, but the shadow didn’t return.
Chapter 7
That evening, Miranda sat cross-legged on the warm brown loveseat studying the scene of family affection in the den. She always became emotional and a little sentimental in her sister’s home. Brooke and her husband, Jeff, snuggled on the extra wide recliner with a plate of pizza between them. Her two boys sprawled in front of the coffee table. Having been pulled from their Xbox war game marathon, they settled for watching cartoons with the family. Elizabeth toddled around, grabbing tiny bites of pizza from each member of the family.
The vision reminded her of her own childhood. She cherished the memories of her father and mother cuddling on the loveseat while the children lay straggled around the living room doing homework, reading, or watching television. Those were moments of comfort and security. Will I ever be able to provide Elizabeth with the comfort and security of a family? Somehow she just didn’t believe it was possible.
After an hour or so of basking in the glow of family, Elizabeth began to whine. It had been a long day of emotions, driving, and catching up. She gathered Elizabeth in her arms. “We are going to bed.” She reached down and kissed Brooke’s cheek and headed to the guest room.
“Marinda, you look like you are limping worse than you were.”
Marinda smiled patiently. Although Brooke was the younger sister, it always amazed her that she tried so hard to be motherly. “I’m fine. The doctor gave me some pain killers. I’ll take those before I go to sleep.”
"Those painkillers may knock you out. I’ll check on both of you after a while. If Elizabeth wakes and you don’t hear her, I’ll take care of her.”
“Thank you. Love you. See you in the morning.”
She and Elizabeth snuggled together in the tiny bed. Within a few minutes, they were asleep.
A strange scratching noise invaded Miranda’s mind. She reached beside her and felt the shallow movement of Elizabeth’s chest and felt her warm breath on her neck. Must be the dogs wanting to get inside. She nestled back down, pulling Elizabeth closer.
A sudden screeching wail broke through her deep slumber. She sat up straight, heart beating wildly. Elizabeth began to claw her way into Miranda’s arms. She grabbed Elizabeth and ran wildly to the hall, where the rest of the family huddled in silence. Eyes were wide, pulses racing, bodies shivering with fear. Darkness enveloped them, interrupted only by the high piercing squeal of the alarm.
Within minutes another whine frequency began to grow louder. Police officers surrounded the house. Jeff ran to the front door, throwing it wide, inviting the
officers to search the house. The rest of the family remained huddled in the hall as men tromped through the house, guns ready, yelling, maintaining contact. Dark uniforms raced through the night, illuminated by the swirling red and blue beams of light.
Suddenly, the wailing stopped. A large, darkly clad man stepped into the hall, “Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, would you come with us for a moment?”
Although her name wasn’t called, Miranda followed Brooke and Jeff into the living room, waiting for the report.
“We have checked inside of the house and the perimeter. The intruder must have been frightened by the alarm and fled.”
Jeff eyed the officer questioningly, “What makes you sure that there was an intruder? Could the alarm system malfunction?”
“We are positive that someone was trying to enter the house. Someone has tampered with the middle window on the right side of the home.”
Miranda gasped, eyes wide. That was the guest bedroom window, where she and Elizabeth slept.
“Furthermore, we found a screwdriver and a piece of cloth on the ground underneath the window. Apparently the intruder dropped the items when the alarm sounded.”
Brooke sniffed loudly and released her breath slowly, “Can you get fingerprints from the items?”
The man pursed his lips in frustration, “We can, and we will. However, unless the intruder has a prior record, we may not find a match. Truthfully, even if we identified him, because entranced was not obtained, it may be difficult to convict.”
Miranda’s blood began to boil, “So you are telling us that unless someone makes it into the house, possibly killing one of us in the process, there is nothing we can do?” Her voice became shaky with rage.
“Obviously, the alarm worked. He didn’t get inside, and no one is hurt. You are taking your best precaution with the alarm and by locking your windows and doors.”
“Thank you officer,” Jeff intervened, hoping to diffuse the frantic mother.
“Anytime. Let us know if you need anything else.”
Jeff escorted the officers from the house while Brooke put the boys back to bed. Miranda sat at the kitchen table, unable to calm her trembling nerves.
After a long, restless night, the last thing Miranda wanted to do was go shopping, but Brooke was insistent.
“I have not gotten to spoil that baby in almost three months! We are going shopping. Besides, we need to get some plans for Emily’s wedding.” Brooke was almost as excited as Emily about the wedding. Emily was like a little sister to both of them. She had grown up with their little brother, Ted. Ted and Emily had even dated for a while. They remained friends even after breaking up.
“We will go get some wedding magazines, drink coffee at the bookstore, then run to the mall to get Elizabeth some new outfits. I found the perfect shoes the other day!” Brooke loved dressing Elizabeth. She never had her own little girl to play dress up, and her boys refused to play along. Whenever Miranda and Elizabeth visited, Brooke went crazy in the stores, buying Elizabeth every piece of ruffle, lace, and bow.
They hung out in the bookstore for an hour, drinking coffee and sharing ideas for flowers, bridesmaid dresses, and reception food. Elizabeth entertained herself with hundreds of colorful books pulled from the shelves. They ventured on to the mall, where Brooke spoiled Elizabeth with designer outfits, shiny patent leather shoes, and hair accessories. Miranda rolled her eyes and giggled at the ostentatious display of children’s clothing. Knowing that the outfits would only be worn a few months before Elizabeth grew out of them, made the display even more amusing and ridiculous. But, when she tried to stop her, Brooke replied, “You never know, you might have a passel of girls before you are done! Pass them on,” and grinned girlishly.
When they finally sat down for lunch, with Elizabeth newly robed in a one piece dress with a bright purple tutu and matching shoes, Miranda groaned with exhaustion. She slipped her shoes off under the table and leaned back against the bench with her eyes closed.
“I’m ordering you a double bacon cheeseburger. You need to put on some weight,” Brooke woke her from her momentary siesta.
“You know, you aren’t my mother. You don’t have to take care of me,” Miranda sighed.
“Someone has to. You don’t take care of yourself.”
Refusing to take the bait, Miranda changed the subject. “How are you and Jeff doing? It seems like you are getting along better than the last time I was here.”
Brooke smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, we were having a slight disagreement last time. I was still pushing to try one more time for a little girl, but Jeff was refusing to discuss it. The boys are almost in junior high, and I miss my babies.”
“So did you get your way?”
“Nope. He convinced me that I need to get a puppy. That way I still have a baby to care for without the midnight feedings,” Brooke smirked, her eyes reflecting sadness and submission.
Miranda reached across the table to squeeze Brooke’s hand, “He does have a point.”
“He does. So, I will just have to live vicariously through you,” Brooke gleamed wickedly.
“When are you going to give up? I don’t even have a man in my sights.”
“I’m never giving up.”
Chapter 8
When they finally got home, Miranda flopped on the couch, exhausted beyond belief. She stretched out and closed her eyes, hoping for a ten minute power nap before dinner. She groaned in frustration when her cell phone began to buzz. Glancing at the caller ID, she moaned again. She usually ignored unknown numbers, but with being out of town and recently in the hospital, the call could be important.
“Hello.”
“Hello, beautiful,” the familiar voice purred with masculinity.
“Who is this?”
Hearty laughter filled her ear. “It’s Zach. How are you feeling?”
The corners of her mouth turned down as she pressed her lips together in frustration. “I’m fine. How did you get this number?”
“I have it in with your secretary,” the smile in his voice traveled across the miles. “All I have to do is promise inside information about my brother, and Emily is like putty in my hands.” He coughed quietly, “He will never live down the story of his first baseball game.”
“I guess I’ll have to have a talk with Emily. How can I help you?”
“Don’t be too hard on Emily. It took quite a bit of talking to get her to relent.” He paused for a moment. Miranda could detect a bit of nervousness when he spoke again, “I would love for you to accompany me to dinner.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I am out of town for the week,” she sighed with relief knowing she had escaped the flat out refusal.
“I know. Once Emily started talking, she told it all.” He laughed nervously. “I am in Abilene for the next two days.”
“You did not come here for me?” she asked incredulously.
“Actually, I did.”
She took a deep breath, “Well, I’m sorry you went to the trou…”
The phone was yanked from her hand. Before she could jump up and grab the phone, Brooke ran down the hall. Miranda could hear her voice, “Miranda would love to join you for dinner. Seven? That sounds lovely. She will be waiting anxiously.”
Miranda screamed in frustration. “What did you do?”
“He sounds very nice. He will be here at seven to pick you up.”
“He knows where you live?” her voice began to rise to a feverish pitch.
“Yes. I guess our little friend shared that too. Good for her.” Brooke beamed with satisfaction. “Come on. He can forget dinner; you are going to look delectable!”
Miranda stared at herself in the mirror. Brooke had piled her hair on top of her head with a few auburn tendrils trailing down her neck. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at she noticed the plunging neckline of the teal dress, her bosom further accentuated with a push-up bra. A tightly fitted bodice eased into a full skirt that ended right above her knees. Three inch heels strained he
r bulging calf muscles, creating a long, slender effect, broken by the dainty gold chain encircling her ankle.
“You look amazing! Man, I am good!” Brooke stood back to survey her work.
“I’m just glad we still wear the same size. There is no way you could have made me go shopping again!” Miranda giggled nervously. She was still furious with the situation, but she could never stay angry with Brooke for long. She was beginning to contemplate her escape plan when the doorbell rang.
Brooke reached over and hugged her quickly, “You are going to have a blast. Don’t worry about Elizabeth. We will wait up for you so you can tell us all about it when you get home.” She raced to answer the door.
“Hello Zach. I would ask your intentions for my sister, but I’m afraid to know the answer,” she bumped her hip and winked flirtatiously.
“I assure you that I have only chivalrous intentions,” Zach grinned and held out a small bouquet of daisies. “These are for the lovely lady that orchestrated the evening.”
Brooke enjoyed the playful volley. She blushed with the flowers and compliments. “Come out Miranda. I don’t know if I can take much more of this shameless flirting!” She winked conspiratorially at the tall handsome man still standing in the doorway.
As Miranda rounded the corner, she drank in the sight. Light from the open doorway radiated from behind the tall, muscular form. A broad smile crossed his face, and his eyes began to dance as she slowly approached. He gently reached a hand toward her, measuring her reaction as if she were a deer ready to flee at the slightest hint of danger. She grasped his hand, noticing the manicured nails on rough calloused fingers.
“You look stunning.”
Miranda lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Zach gently placed a finger under her chin to raise her face to his. “Every time I see you, I am more amazed,” his soft voice resonated in her heart so that she almost believed him.