Page 43 of Unforgiven

He stood up. “Maybe we can change things between us, then. Maybe the next time we see each other, we can say hi and even talk for a few minutes.”

“I’d like that.” She got to her feet.

“I would too. Now, how about we go back to the firepit and sit with Lott and Melonie for a few minutes. There’s no telling what they’ve been doing all this time.”

“I have a pretty good idea,” she quipped.

So did he. “Me too. I think we better hurry.”

They shared a smile as they hurried back.

16

A week had passed since Mia had called about Leon’s release. Tabitha had spent most of each day staring out her windows while all the doors and windows were locked. She’d also clutched her cell phone, ready to dial 911 if she spied Leon in the woods.

She hadn’t.

Today, she’d had enough. She took a shower and then carefully arranged her hair in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. After that, she put on a pair of jeans, a pretty tan sweater that had an intricate cable design, and tan socks and thick-soled brown loafers. Her heavy navy coat and black leather purse completed her outfit.

Peering in the mirror, Tabitha knew she looked very different from the proper Amish wife she’d once tried so hard to be. It wasn’t altogether a bad thing, either. Not dressing Plain still felt strange, but she couldn’t deny that she didn’t miss her dresses all that much. She certainly didn’t miss pinning her dress together with straight pins.

Mia had taken her out shopping for a few sets of English clothes after Tabitha’s divorce was finalized. Her lawyer had been ready for her to be scared and worried about looking so different, but she hadn’t been. As much as Tabitha had liked being Amish, so much of that life was twisted in her brain. Now the thought of wearing the dress and kapp only brought back bad memories because Leon had often found something wrong with her. Either the dress wasn’t long enough or it was too tight. Or too loose. Or she hadn’t pinned the fabric in the correct way. Or there was a smudge of dirt on one of the ties to her kapp.

In the months before Leon had beaten her the last time, her clothes had become a great source of stress. When Tabitha had woken up in the hospital, that had been one of the first things she’d thought about—what Leon was going to say if he saw her looking so unkempt. She’d been so scared, the doctor had even prescribed a mild sedative so she could get some rest.

The nurses and social worker had looked at her with pity. So had the sheriff. Sheriff Johnson had been so kind to her. He’d been the one to call Mia. Tabitha later learned that he’d also been the one to suggest Mia take Tabitha’s case for free. Mia hadn’t hesitated to represent her either. She’d been determined to help Tabitha get on her own two feet and living independently.

The day Mia had taken Tabitha to the mall had been filled with tears, both happy and sad. She’d been so relieved that Leon could no longer refer to her as “his”—and force her to do anything he wanted ever again. But all the changes in her life had made her sad too. She’d never yearned to be anything beyond a teacher and then a wife and mother.

While that hadn’t happened, she knew God had a plan to redeem what had happened.

Trying on those jeans had felt dangerous and freeing. Now she hardly wore them. More often than not, she put on loose slacks. But sometimes she knew she needed to remind herself that she was different. Today was one of those days.

When she got to town, Tabitha took care to avoid most of the Amish who were out. She also walked with her head down and avoided making eye contact with anyone she passed.

“Tabitha, is that you?”

She knew that voice. To a lot of people, the owner was probably someone they wanted to avoid. To her, the man would always represent everything good in the world. But it was still hard for her to speak to anyone.

“You can do this,” she whispered to herself. “God obviously knew you could too. That’s why He put the sheriff right here in your path.”

Lifting her chin, she turned to face the man who’d saved her life. As usual, his bald head drew her attention before she focused on his kind-looking brown eyes. Other people might be taken aback by the man’s size or the visible scar on his lip. Not her, though. That scar reminded her that she wasn’t the only person who’d experienced pain.

Tabitha drew a deep breath. “Yes. Hello, Sheriff Johnson.”

Smile lines appeared around his eyes. “I hoped it was you. I couldn’t be sure, though, since you look so different than the last time we talked.”

“I reckon that’s true.” The last time she’d seen him, he’d visited her house about a week after she’d gotten home from the safe house. She’d still been nursing two broken ribs, a black eye, and several cuts and other bruises. She’d also been about ten pounds lighter and wore a faded dress that had hung on her. Now here she was in jeans and a sweater.

“You’re looking very nice today. Your new look suits you.”

“Thank you.” She gripped a bit of the denim that covered her legs. “I’m still getting used to wearing jeans.”

“I imagine so.” His voice easy, he asked, “Are you doing okay?”

She shrugged, determined to be honest.

He nodded in understanding. “I spoke to Mia.” He frowned. “And the folks out in Bowling Green.”

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