A Bridge Unbroken (A Miller's Creek Novel) (15 page)

"Your story's pretty common, unfortunately. You mentioned your mom's boyfriends." His light brown eyes held questions.

Dakota released a shaky breath, her gaze back at rest on her trembling hands. "Yeah. Imagine the worst, and that would pretty much explain it."

"Did you tell your mom?"

She nodded. Not that it had done any good.

"And how did she react?"

A slow tremble rumbled through her body, and she stared toward the sunlight streaming in the glass plate window, made blurry by a wash of tears. "She didn't believe me. Said I was lying to keep her from being happy."

Matt handed her a tissue. "So sorry, Dakota." His voice was soft and thick with emotion.

The room grew painfully quiet while she wiped her face and blew her nose. Finally she raised her gaze to his, one shoulder lifted in a half shrug. "I just wanted to be loved. Wanted it so bad, I would've done just about anything to have it."

"Especially love from a man?"

Her throat thickened. That's why she'd acted the way she did towards Chance. She'd loved him and wanted to prove it. Wanted him to love her in return. "I know I didn't handle things well. I wish I could go back for a do-over."

Matt patted her arm. "Your story's the same as millions of women around the world, Dakota. Yeah, it might not should've happened, but it did. The only thing to do now is learn to deal with it and move forward."

She sniffed and swatted at her nose with the soggy Kleenex. "I know. But being around Chance makes it hard to get past it and move forward.  I don't understand why, but this seems to be where God has dumped me. At least for now."

He leaned forward, elbows on knees, his kind eyes latched on hers. "Think about what you just said, Dakota. God did indeed place you here, which means He has a reason. You just have to trust that He knows what He's doing. He took my mess and turned it into a message. He can do the same for you."

The words brought instant peace. Her heart's prayer. Yes, God was the answer and always had been. The love she'd sought not just from Chance and Kane had been fully met in Christ. He accepted her as she was, scars and flaws included, the perfect picture of true forgiveness. Dakota managed a grateful smile. "Thank you, Matt."

He shrugged. "All I did was listen. Sounds like you've been holding that in a while."

She nodded. "I've never told anyone what I just told you."

"That's not healthy. You always have someone to talk to here." His eyes left hers and landed on his wife, still in the kitchen. "Not just me, but Gracie, for that matter. She's quiet, which a lot of people interpret as aloof and indifferent. Nothing could be further from the truth. I can see the two of you being really good friends."

An immediate rush of joy, followed by panic, churned through her system in a matter of seconds. Never had she experienced that kind of relationship with any of the women in her life. How would she know how to act or what to say?

"Just be yourself, Dakota. That's all any of us can do well." He paused a second. "Don't mean to stick my nose where it's not wanted, but what happened after you left Miller's Creek the first time? Why the name change?"

Familiar bricks of the familiar wall she'd built years ago for protection, instantly re-stacked themselves, despite her effort to keep it from happening. She couldn't tell him everything, but she could share a little bit. "I found another man, of course, but this one wasn't so nice."

Matt grimaced. "Abusive?"

Abusive might not be a strong enough word, but there wasn't just one word to describe Kane. Add to it controlling, manipulative, derogatory, stifling, dangerous, the list could go on and on.

"Is that why you changed your name? Are you hiding from him?"

She nodded. At least his guess was partially correct. Best not to elaborate too much, for his safety as well as hers.

"What about the police? Have you tried a restraining order?"

"Yeah, but he has friends in high places. The police found me the first time I left and took me straight back to him." The night he'd almost killed her. "This time around I've avoided the police altogether."

A heavy sigh sounded from Matt's throat. He lowered his head and shoulders toward the floor, his head wagging from side to side. For several seconds he stayed that way, then finally lifted his head. "You'll be safe here, Dakota. I won't say anything to anyone, but I highly suggest going to the local police with your story. They're good guys."

Not an option. Thankfully the doorbell rang to save her further explanation.

"Wonder who that is?" Matt stood and strode to the door. "Hey, buddy."

"Hey."

A voice she'd know anywhere. Chance.

"Come on in. We're just about to eat."

Her frayed nerves just couldn't take a dose of him right now. Dakota hurriedly wiped her eyes and gathered her purse. She rose to her feet just as he entered. Her gaze automatically went to his face, and she swallowed hard.

His blue-gray eyes almost disappeared beneath a dark scowl. He didn't speak.

Matt's eyes flitted back and forth between the two of them. "Um, Dakota's having lunch with us, too."

The perfect segue, which she jumped on. "Actually, I need to get back to the farm."

Her new-found friend and confidant grew very still, but he nodded, understanding in his features. "Maybe some other time then. I'll give you a call later. And maybe you and Gracie could have lunch one day next week."

Grace stepped in from the kitchen to stand beside him. "I'd like that very much." Her dark eyes held nothing but kindness.

"Me, too." Dakota moved to give them both a hug, and then stepped past Chance to let herself out the front door.

Chapter Thirteen

T
he wind gusted, stirring up dust from the road and blasting against Chance's bare arms late Tuesday afternoon. He rubbed away the sting and sudden chill bumps, then glanced at the quickly darkening skies and knocked on the door again.  "Dakota?" Daisy sat beside him obediently, but looked up with questioning eyes.

The door opened. In one hand Dakota held a can of bean dip and in the other a bag of Fritos. She didn't move from the  doorway or invite him in, and her chin jutted out defensively. Uh oh. With her in that kind of mood, this peace offering thing might not go as planned.

"You know how bad that junk is for you?"

Her eyes disappeared momentarily behind closed eyelids. At last her eyes reappeared, though they held uncustomary coldness. "
Au contraire.
" Dakota held up both items. "Beans and corn. Also known as veggies, which are supposedly good for you." She swirled around and waltzed away from the door. Maybe not the friendliest of invitations, but at least she hadn't slammed the door in his face.

Chance followed and closed the door behind him, a tight grip on the leash of his apology gift. Hopefully his little surprise would heal the rift between them.

Dakota plopped down on her thrift store couch. Only then did her eyes latch onto the German Shepherd. The upper part of her face wrinkled and her mouth fell open. "What is that?"

"A dog."

She glowered and cocked her head to one side. "Duh. You think? I know it's a dog. But when did you get it, and why did you bring it out here?" Distaste colored her expression as she eyed the dog.

A slight whimper sounded from Daisy, and she sat back on her haunches.

"You're scaring her with that scowl on your face."

"Good. A little healthy fear is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Did you forget that I hate dogs?"

His eyebrows scuttled up his forehead. Uh...she hated dogs?

Dakota raised her gaze to the ceiling and shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? Don't you remember that house we were working on with PawPaw? The one with the Chihuahua who deliberately tried to intimidate me?"

An image of Dakota scaling a tree to get away from the pint-sized dog and his especially ferocious bark entered his mind, and he laughed out loud. One look at her un-amused face was enough for him to rapidly bring his laughter under control. He lowered his head to conceal the grin he couldn't whisk away. "I'd forgotten all about it. He knew you were afraid of him. If you let dogs know you're the boss, they can be really great companions."

Dakota turned her head, her lips clamped as though containing some sarcastic comment. Outside the wind howled mercilessly.

"Come here, Daisy." The dog followed him to the metal folding chair beside the couch, tail a-wag. Chance sat on the edge of the chair and pointed to the hardwood floors that now shone with a fresh coat of polyurethane. "Sit, Daisy."

The dog just smiled and continued to wag her tail. Only now it was more like the tail wagging the dog.

Chance snapped his fingers and pointed to the floor again, the way Carter had showed him. Daisy jumped up and nipped at his fingers with her ultra sharp teeth. "Ow!" Okay, so maybe he'd mixed up the signals somehow. He yanked his hand away and examined it for puncture marks.

Dakota laughed as a clap of thunder rumbled. "Hey, I might like this dog after all." She eyed the dog with a hint of trepidation. "Come here, girl."

Chance released the leash. The dog trotted to the couch, sat obediently without being told, and laid her head on Dakota's knee, her big brown eyes looking up adoringly. Traitor.

"I think she likes me." A gorgeous smile broke out on her face. She gingerly brought her hand to the dog's head. Daisy sighed through her nose, bringing forth a delightful laugh from Dakota.

His heart stopped beating momentarily, and then resumed, but with uncustomary flips. He brought a hand to his chest. Okay, this whole missing her thing that had gone on all week was wreaking havoc on his physical well-being.

Dakota continued to stroke the dog, but her head turned toward him. "I'm a little surprised to see you since you went MIA on me."

He leaned back quickly, eyes wide. It wasn't like her to be so confrontational, and this from someone who insisted she didn't like confrontation. "I got the impression you didn't want me out here."

"Yes and no." She relaxed her knees and stretched out her legs. "I was upset at you for a comment you made, but I also need your help on this house."

Her words were distinct and to the point, with no beating around the bush or hem-hawing around like she usually did. "What comment?"

She leaned forward, rolled up the bag of Fritos, and re-lidded the bean dip. "About what happened between us being my fault."

"Well, it was. I can't change the truth."

Without explanation, she jumped to her feet and ran from the room. Daisy followed with a whine. The bathroom door slammed behind her.

Not a good sign. As though taking a cue from what had just happened, the bottom of the sky gave way as a torrent of rain unleashed, unbearably loud against the tin roof of the farmhouse. Now what was he supposed to do? Apologize for telling the truth?

Daisy's whimpering continued from the hallway.

An exasperated sigh exploded from his lips. He rose to his feet, stomped to the bathroom door, and pounded on it, raising his voice to be heard above the storm's din. "Sorry, Dakota. I didn't mean to upset you." Sniffles sounded from beyond the closed door. She was crying? Never in all his spats with her had he ever seen her cry.

"Go away." The words were muffled, as though her mouth was covered with a wad of tissues.

This was so not going according to plan. He stomped back to the metal chair and let his weight fall to the chair. It gave way and crashed to the floor. Chance groaned, and rolled over to one side. That's what he got for not controlling his temper.

In a flash, Dakota was back in the room, hovering over him. "Are you okay?" She stared at the broken chair, then turned her green-eyed glare on him. "You broke my chair."

He sat up and rubbed his side, checking for a cracked rib. "I may have broken more than that."

"Good. You deserve it." Tears glistened on her cheeks.

Something inside him melted. Went all gooey, like ice cream on an August day. Chance pulled himself off up the floor and gazed at her apologetically. "I didn't mean to make you cry."

Her teary eyes searched his face momentarily, then released him. She moved to the quilt-covered couch and plopped down again, Daisy right on her heels. "I want you to know how badly your accusations hurt me, Chance."

The knife in his gut twisted, slicing through more tissue. He hadn't intended on hurting her. Had he? He'd merely been trying to be honest, right? Or had he subconsciously punished her for the way she'd hurt him? "I never meant to hurt you. Or at least I don't think I did."

A bewildered expression appeared on her face.

Thoughts multiplied in his head, swirling around. Had he projected the bulk of his own guilt onto her small shoulders? The truth hit him between the eyes. His mouth gaped wide without permission, and he brought the back of his hand to his forehead. "You're right. I'm just as much to blame as you."

Eyes large, lips apart, she took a step back and stared at him in disbelief. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. I never expected to hear those words outta that mouth. Matt was right."