Page 86 of The Breakdown

She knocked softly on the kitchen door and entered the house. It was quiet, the kitchen lit by the light over the stove. She moved silently, and crept through the living room back to Vaughn’s room, where she again gave a soft rap and opened the door. Vaughn lay asleep on the bed, snuggled in her soft blue blanket and bedsheet, lit by the bedside lamp. Her snores were soft and almost inaudible. Natalie smiled, amused, and approached the bed. She reached out to switch off the bedside lamp, but Vaughn stirred and her eyes flitted open.

“Natalie,” she said. And it sounded soft and raspy, very much like it had on the night of their first kiss. Natalie warmed from head to toe, wanting to kiss her once again. To hold her and cradle her from the pain. But doing so would probably only cause more pain, in more ways than one, at least for the time being.

“I’m here,” she said, brushing her hair away from her face. Her cheeks were tinged red from the heat of sleep, her sun-streaked hair mussed. She looked adorable and so enticing. If she could just lie down next to her and snuggle.

No.

I can’t.

She chided herself for allowing her mind to go there again.

“Midnight?” Vaughn asked, her eyes looking incredibly heavy.

“He’s sleeping tight.”

“You?” she asked, surprising her.

“I will be soon, too.”

“You, want to…. stay?”

Natalie wasn’t sure she’d heard her right. Vaughn spoke again.

“Sleep here. Next to me. Where it’s safe.”

“Vaughn, I—” God, she wanted to. More than anything. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep being so close to her. She’d only keep her awake as she tossed and turned, trying to settle her anxious mind and her yearning body. It just wasn’t a good time. For either of them.

“Please. I’m…worried.”

Natalie took her hand. It was warm, the palm rough in spots from callouses. It stirred her nevertheless and she struggled to speak, to decline her invitation. “I’ll stay on the couch. How’s that?”

Vaughn’s eyes fell closed and stayed that way. “’Kay.”

Natalie lightly brushed her lips across the back of her hand and switched off the bedside lamp. Then she carefully pulled the door closed and walked into the living room. She sat on the couch, slid out of her slippers, and lay down, pulling the throw off the back of the sofa to cover her body. She stared up at the ceiling in the quiet house for what felt like hours before her eyes grew heavy. But when she glanced at the clock above the desk it read ten thirty. It had only been a few minutes.

With a deep breath, she rolled onto her side, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

When she woke, she was confused as to where she was. But a quick look around grounded her and she sat up. It was still dark out. The clock read three thirty. She wasn’t sure what had woken her. She sat very still, listening. A rustling sound came from outside. And what sounded like whispers. She went rigid with fear. Had she locked the kitchen door? She hadn’t. Oh, no.

It was Allen. He’d found her and he was there.

She wanted to bolt, to run to Vaughn’s room, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. The only thing she could do was reach over and turn on the living room lamp. She sat there, heart thudding, mind on fire with thoughts of fear and doom. More rustling, hurried whispers, then in the near distance, the sound of an engine. She looked toward the window, through the sheer drapes. She saw the flash of headlights as a vehicle turned around and started down the drive, disappearing into the early morning darkness.

Whoever it was, was gone.

She exhaled and nearly fell over with relief. When she’d regained her bearings and her courage, she rose and walked to the kitchen door. The first thing she did was lock it, and the second thing she did was peek outside through the window. But she saw nothing and no one in the dim light. Only the vacant front yard and the two trucks. Beyond that, in the darkness, sat the rest of the ranch, quietly sleeping.

But someone had been there. She was sure of it.

She walked back through the living room and down the hallway, choosing to stop at June’s door where she knocked softly before cracking it open.

“June,” she whispered. “June, wake up.”

“Natalie?” she rasped.

“I think someone was just here.”

June switched on her bedside lamp and swung her legs over the bed. She eased into her slippers and stood to slip into her robe. She followed Natalie down the hallway, Natalie whispering along the way. “I was asleep on the couch and I woke and heard someone out front. I saw headlights as they turned and drove away.”

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