Page 75 of Mia Amata

“I wouldn’t do that,” the man whined. “I came here to start over. I am only here tonight because you asked me to.”

“If you tell anyone I was here, I will kill you,” Allen said.

The man continued to beg Allen, promising him he would never tell. Allen hit him in the back of the head with his pistol, knocking the man to the ground, unconscious. He couldn’t risk the guy seeing which direction he headed. Allen felt for a pulse, making sure the man was still alive.

Grabbing the box, he took off to the trees, heading back to his hideout in the woods. He was pretty confident that the man would not reveal to anyone that Allen was in Minnesota. Once back to the cabin, he examined the package the man brought him. He found exactly what he needed in the package, making plans to go back to the house later the same night to put his plan into motion.

Following almost the same routine he had the night before, with the exception of going in through the basement door, instead of the kitchen window, Allen placed the devices from the package his contact had given him earlier throughout the house. He placed one device in the basement under the desk. The next one he placed in the living room behind the TV over the fireplace, the last one in the master bedroom on the back of the headboard. He ran a test of all three devices, pleased to find they worked perfectly.

Having finished what he needed to; he went back to the cabin. He was exhausted from the long day, soon falling asleep. The next few days Allen spent preparing for winter and Megan—or Mattie’s—return. He checked over the outside of the cabin, looking for areas where the winter snow or wind would be able to invade the cabin or other possible problems. He made a few minor repairs, trying to winterize the cabin the best he could.

He knew the cabin wouldn’t be an ideal home for the entire winter, but he didn’t plan to be there that long. It just had to be livable for a couple of months, by then he would have his revenge on his wife. Allen also worked on a sort of blind by the lake, one that would offer some protection from the cold, but would also hide him from view. He needed to be able to observe Megan’s house to learn everything he could about her daily routine. Then he should be able to pick the right time to make his move.

Chapter 25

We had a fantastic time on the cruise. Jacob was amazing, attentive, caring, and making sure that I got the rest I needed, but he also made sure that I got to see whales, dolphins, grizzly bears, and even a moose. As much fun as I had on the trip, it felt good to get back home. I was a little surprised to find out how much I really missed Lucky; he was happy to see us. Josh and Randy had been watching him for us, he never ran away once—until the day I got home. I found him sitting at the back door waiting to be let in the day we got back home.

“How does he know you’re home?” Jacob asked, amazed. I couldn’t explain it. I was just happy to see him again. Soon we fell back into our routine where he followed me everywhere I went. We came back home to see the first snow of the season; I thought it was beautiful.

I had never seen snow before, I loved it. Jacob was amused by my excitement over it, and we went for some walks in the snow. Lucky loved to romp and play in the snow too. Jacob warned me I would tire of it when there were a few feet of snow on the ground, but I didn’t think I would.

We had the rest of the following week off to rest, needing to get a few things done before we went back to work. I worked on catching up on laundry while Jacob made sure the house was ready for the winter. We also started our Saturday night routine with Josh and Randy again, supper at one or the other’s house, maybe playing a game or two or watching a movie, sometimes we would go out to eat and then catch a movie.

Soon enough, we were both back to work, Lucky keeping busy by following me around the house, keeping me company while I worked. Most mornings Randy would trek through the woods bringing Lady over to see Lucky. We would enjoy our morning coffee together, but instead of being out on the deck, we would sit at the table. Randy and Josh’s wedding plans were coming along, and some mornings, Randy and I spent discussing choices for food or looking at dress choices.

On other mornings, we looked at cute baby clothes we found online, sometimes not being able to resist temptation, we would order an outfit or two. Then when they arrived, we would talk about how adorable they were. Jayden’s closet was filling up with cute clothes of varying sizes. We were having a lot of fun shopping for the baby. I often kidded Randy that she and Josh needed to have a baby soon so that Jayden had a little playmate. It was obvious that Randy wanted to start a family soon.

***

My job was going really well, I really enjoyed the work that I was doing. Jacob’s job was also going extremely well. In fact, Jacob was offered a promotion with a substantial raise. He was hesitant to accept it because it would require him to travel for training and conferences. We discussed the new opportunity for him at length, going back and forth over the pros and cons. “I don’t know, Mattie,” he said one night. “I have worked so hard for this promotion, but I’m not sure I want it now.”

“Why not? You deserve this promotion; you should take it.”

“If I take it, I have to travel even after the training is over and attend conferences. We just got married, I’m not sure I want to leave you alone. Especially once the baby is born.”

“How long at a time would you be gone?” I asked.

“At the most, it would be two weeks,” he replied.

“That’s not very long at all. The baby and I will be fine. Josh and Randy are close, or at least Randy is when Josh is away. Your parents are close too. Maybe some trips we can go with you.”

He got up and walked to the French doors and looked out. “I suppose you’re right. It just doesn’t feel right to just get married and then start traveling.”

I walked up to him and put my arms around him. “This job means a lot to you. The baby and I are not going anywhere. We will be here every time you get back.”

Jacob turned and took me in his arms. “I know. The job does mean a lot, I’ve wanted this for as long as I can remember. I’ve worked hard for it. Not only that, but the raise will be great for our family. You would be able to quit your job or cut back on hours if you decided you wanted to, not that I have a problem with your working, but it would be a possibility if you decided to.”

“I like my job and would like to continue, at least for now. Who knows what I will want to do after the baby is born? But I don’t care about the money, Jacob, I want you to take the promotion because you earned it because you want it.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking at me intently.

“Yes, I am sure,” I said.

He thought about it for a few minutes, then said, “I will take it on one condition.”

“Oh? What’s that?” I asked.

“I’ll take it, but if you promise me that if my being gone is causing an issue with us—if you become unhappy with my being gone, you have to tell me. I’ll make a change back or to a different position.”

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