Page 51 of Safe With You

Ethan set aside his sander and ran his hand over the smooth arm of the swing. The red one had turned out just like he’d hoped. Now, he just had to finish this one. His phone chimed from where it lay on a nearby bench. He didn’t have different ringtones for everyone on his contact list, but he had picked a unique one for Katie. Maybe that had been a bad idea, considering how his heart reacted whenever he got a text from her, even though he’d spent the last two weeks fighting to tamp down his feelings.

He walked over to the bench and picked up his phone. A one-word text showed up beneath Katie’s name.

Help.

Cold seized his chest. She would never send that kind of text without actual cause. He spun around and ran toward the cottage. Had she just texted, or had he missed the first notification? Dread pounded in his blood, and he couldn’t reach the cottage fast enough.

Finally, he rounded the corner, but the sight of the BMW in the driveway socked the air from his lungs. Yanking open the screen door, he rushed into the porch and called Katie’s name. She and Grant stood in the living room. Grant had his hand locked around her wrist, the scene far too closely resembling that day in the church parking lot. All the anger and hatred of the past burst through him.

“Take your hands off her.”

Grant released her wrist and raised his hands as if to appear harmless. Katie scrambled away from him toward Ethan. He reached for her and grabbed her shoulders, looking her over for any signs of pain or injury.

“Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, the motion jerky. The horror in her eyes was enough to boil his blood. He reluctantly let her go and put himself between her and Grant.

“We were just having a discussion.” The man dared to sound as if it were no big deal.

“You have nothing to discuss with her.” Ethan barely restrained the fury pulsing inside him. He had tried being civil. It hadn’t worked.

He took three deliberate steps toward Grant. Despite the man having a couple of inches on Ethan and enough bulk to deal some damage, Grant backed up a step, his posture shrinking. Completely the opposite of their confrontation fifteen years ago.

Ethan scoffed. “What’s the matter? Not so tough now that I’m not a kid you can threaten and throw off your property? You’ll only terrorize those who can’t fight back?” He pointed his finger in Grant’s face. “You might have gotten away with years of abuse, but you better believe I’ll make sure assault and trespassing charges stick if you don’t walk out that door right now and never set foot on this property again.”

Grant opened his mouth to say something, his chest puffing out, but Ethan wouldn’t have it. “And if you feel like trying to throw your legal weight around, just remember the Hart name is well respected in this town. My whole family knows what you did to her. Two Lakes is a tight-knit community, and Ruby Lachlan was a beloved member of it. People won’t take kindly to you harassing her granddaughter, never mind what you did to her as a child. So unless you want me to air every one of your dirty secrets, you’ll leave town and never show your face around here again. I mean it. If I even catch a glimpse of what I think might be your car, everyone will know what you’ve done.”

Grant scowled at him, but uncertainty had crept into his expression. After a final moment of stubbornness, he slunk out of the cottage.

The second he was out the door, Ethan turned back to Katie. She had her arms wrapped around herself and was visibly shaking. She stared at him with wide eyes, her face as white as the dishtowel behind her. A fresh wave of fury and worry crashed through him. He hurried back to her and laid his hands on her shoulders again, searching her eyes.

“Did he hurt you?” Because if he did, all bets were off. The whole town would know about it by nightfall, and Ethan would make sure Grant was arrested.

But again, Katie shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes, and she was breathing much too rapidly, just like after the meeting with her grandma’s attorney. He drew her closer, and she fell into his arms, clinging to him like a life preserver. He held her tightly, his own breaths labored.

“He’s gone. You’re safe now,” he murmured in her ear.

Irregular, choked sobs shuddered through her. She was fighting so hard to be strong, and it broke his heart. She should not have to go through this. He kept telling her she was safe, trying to calm her. Once she regained some composure, he guided her to the couch and knelt before her. He reached for her hand, and she gripped him in both hers, still holding onto him like a lifeline. Though tears no longer fell, her breathing remained elevated. It devastated him to see her like this. He should have done more to keep her safe.

“What happened? How did he get in here?”

She licked her lips and swallowed hard, her voice wavering. “H-he just walked in without knocking. When I saw him in the kitchen, I texted you. I wasn’t sure if I sent it before he grabbed my phone.”

Ethan squeezed her hand. “You did.” Thank God. If he hadn’t gotten here when he did, he shuddered to think of what might have happened. He hadn’t thought Grant was so brazen that he’d assault Katie now as an adult, but all the evidence said otherwise.

Movement drew Ethan’s gaze to the sewing room doorway, where O’Malley watched them. The cat calmed Katie the last time Grant showed up. Maybe he could this time too. Ethan gently removed his hand from Katie’s grasp. He walked over to O’Malley and picked him up before depositing him in her lap.

The barest hint of a smile ghosted across her lips, and she hugged the cat to her chest as Ethan sat beside her. Thankfully, the animal had the intended effect, and Katie’s breathing calmed.

After a few minutes, Ethan asked, “Do you want me to call the police?” He’d happily do so.

Katie didn’t answer immediately. Did her hesitancy come from a lingering fear from her childhood over what would happen if she spoke up?

Finally, she shook her head. “What would he even be charged with?”

Trespassing would be a good start. Hopefully, much more, considering he’d put his hands on her and forcibly taken her phone. But would it result in anything more than a restraining order? Probably not, especially if he had any connections or powerful legal allies.

She looked at him, her eyes no longer flashing with fear and her skin a more normal shade. “I think what you said was enough to scare him away for good this time. I doubt he’d risk coming back out here. You know too much and aren’t afraid to talk. He only came because he thinks I’m still an easy target and won’t fight back. He’s too much of a coward to go up against someone he can’t intimidate.”

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