Loving Tenderness (4 page)

He tilted his head and eyed the support beam, then gave it a poke. A shower of fine beige dust fell to the floor. “You’re right. That’s your problem.”

“I suppose the roof will fall in if we don’t get that fixed,” Annie said, giving him a crooked smile.

“Could happen. It looks like carpenter ants. They love damp wood.” Andrew dragged a chair to the spot and raised himself to get a closer look.

The phone’s ring chimed from inside, and Annie grasped the door handle. “You can tell me what needs to be done when you finish.” She opened the door and hurried to answer.

Andrew stepped down from the chair and scooted it back against the wall. He made some notations on a pad, then stepped into the yard and focused on the porch roof, then the flooring. When he finished, he sat on the top step and leaned against the porch column, his body turned to face her.

“I’m glad to see you’re still here,” he said, flipping closed the notepad and tucking it into his jacket pocket.

“I’m not. It’s hard on JJ. And me.”

“But you’re safe.” Andrew’s eyes grew distant, and he turned, gazing at her son playing in the yard. “You can’t take chances.”

“I know,” Hannah said. She hadn’t wanted to take
chances and that’s why she’d divorced Jack. Her gaze shifted to Andrew’s handsome profile, wondering if he truly understood. He’d never known a difficult life, she guessed, so why try to explain it all to him?

Andrew rose and brushed dirt from his jeans, then wandered into the yard. She watched him amble toward JJ and crouch to talk to him. Their voices didn’t reach her, but JJ nodded and chattered with him like an old friend.

Andrew tousled JJ’s hair, and when the child showed him a ball, Andrew moved back and pitched a few to him. His gentle way touched Hannah’s heart, yet surprised her.

JJ had never connected with a man in his life. Jack wasn’t around and hadn’t given him much attention, except when JJ whined. Then Jack’s voice raised the hair on her arms and caused JJ to cry. If Jack had lifted a hand, Hannah would have divorced him sooner.

Divorce.
The word pelted her with guilt. Despite her spiritual lapse, her mother had raised her to believe marriage was for better or worse, and she’d planned to make it work. But Jack had sickened her when he flaunted his adultery in her face. That day she’d made her decision. God did not expect her to accept Jack’s abuse and adultery.

Andrew’s focus drifted to Hannah. Though their conversation today had seemed stilted, she continued to intrigue him, but he forced his focus back to JJ. The boy had missed the ball again but scurried after it to try one more time. The child had determination, just like his mother.

While JJ scampered to retrieve the ball, Andrew’s sympathy arose, thinking of the life the child had lived
and things he’d probably heard and seen. He recalled the statistics in the book he’d borrowed from the library. The facts sickened him, and he’d had to control himself from spitting out the horrifying figures to Hannah as they had talked.

One sentence rang in his mind—children from violent homes engage in more risk-taking behavior and may become violent adults. The thought wrenched his heart. Children were the innocent victims of family problems.

“Keep practicing,” Andrew said, as he gave the ball a final toss before heading back to the porch. He saw Hannah’s smile and felt a grin grow on his face. “He’s trying. He’ll get it.”

“He’s had no one to teach him.”

Her comment drew his attention to the fading bruise on her cheek, then to her mouth. The cut had disappeared and in its place, Andrew now admired her well-shaped mouth and upturned lips. His pulse heightened until he pulled away his gaze.

“What are you going to do?” Andrew asked, lowering himself to the top step and leaning against the support.

“Change my door locks. Take a new job. Be more careful. I don’t know what else.”

He sat closer to her this time, and her sweet floral scent permeated the air. He savored the fragrance before speaking again. “How about police protection?”

“I was granted a protection order, but I’m afraid it won’t stop Jack. He’s so vicious he…” She paused and looked away.

Andrew didn’t know if he should speak or wait.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Let’s forget my problems.”

He wanted to remind her that God promised to bear her burdens, but he recalled that when he was in her
shoes, he didn’t remember that, either. If he had remembered, he’d been too ashamed to ask the Lord for help.

She gave a faint shrug, then waved to JJ who was tossing the ball in the air and trying to catch it.

“He misses his friends,” Hannah said. “I’m thinking we can go back once the locks are changed. At least I’ll have the protection order, and I can always hope it helps. Maybe with the note he left, the judge will give Jack some jail time.”

Andrew’s next question seemed almost pointless, thinking of Jack’s compulsive behavior. “Have you pressed charges?”

“Yes.” Her gaze drifted from him to JJ.

“If you need someone to help with anything, just ask. I’d be happy to do what I can.”

“Thanks,” she said. “You’ve already done too much.”

He didn’t respond, his thoughts captured by a new question. “Do you feel safe at work?”

“I don’t know, but as I said, I start a new job in mid-May. Jack won’t know where I am unless he follows me.” Her downcast eyes snapped upward suddenly and her gaze captured his. “Although that’s not beyond him.”

Andrew agreed. He wondered what was keeping the guy from finding her now. “Where’s the new job?”

“Loving Chocolate. I’ll be a candymaker there.”

“Candymaker. Sounds like a sweet place to work.” He grimaced at his silly comment, but she smiled and that pleased him. He’d begun to notice that many things pleased him about Hannah.

Before their conversation continued, a commotion sounded from inside, and his gut knotted. Hannah rose,
but Andrew’s arm flew forward to stop her. “Stay here,” he said before he darted inside.

He met Annie in the hallway and, seeing her ashen face, skidded to a stop. “What is it? What’s all the noise?”

Annie pressed her hand against her chest. “He’s after Hannah, and he’s determined to get in.”

A
ndrew motioned Annie toward the shelter’s office. “Call 911,” Andrew whispered, “while I get Hannah and JJ inside before Jack tries the back door.” He was certain the violent intruder was Hannah’s ex-husband. “I’ll talk with him.”

Annie faltered. “No. It’s not your responsibility. I can’t—”

“You can,” he said, again steering her toward the phone. Relieved when she followed his instructions, Andrew dashed to the back door.

Hannah had already come through the doorway, clutching JJ to her side. “What is it?” Panic filled her eyes as if she already knew the answer.

Jack’s rantings resounded through the front entrance, and JJ began to cry as he clasped his mother’s leg.

“You’ll be fine, son,” Andrew said, closing and locking the back door. He motioned toward the hallway. “Get into your room and pull the window shades. I’ll take care of it.”

Hannah did as he asked, and as Andrew raced past
the office doorway, Annie’s tense voice met his ears. His teeth ground together, his jaw aching with tension. Witnessing the fear in Hannah’s eyes and seeing the boy’s fright, too, fired him into action. Andrew had never been a fighter, but now his dark past rose up to meet him, for once, without guilt. He’d learned to be strong and maneuver well in difficult situations. Today that skill could be his ally.

He grasped the doorknob and jerked open the door, not knowing what might happen but asking God to be his fortress.

The action appeared to startle Jack, and he stumbled backward for a moment before regaining control.

The stench of alcohol attacked Andrew’s senses. Jack’s unshaven face sagged while his bloodshot eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” he barked.

“Who are you?” Andrew asked, knowing full well who he was.

“You don’t belong here. This is a women’s center.”

“Then you don’t belong here either,” Andrew responded, struggling to keep his voice calm.

Jack’s courage rose, and he drew himself to full height and took a step forward, his breath reeking in Andrew’s face. “You’re hiding my family in there. I’ve waited more than a week for her to go home. Hannah’s my wife. She belongs to me.”

She belongs to me.
The words disgusted Andrew. A wife should be cherished and protected. A man
owned
a car or a boat, not a wife. Andrew longed to tell that to Jack, but he knew it would be useless.

“Nothing in this house belongs to you,” Andrew said. His pulse jarred, hearing a police siren sound in the distance.

Jack flinched at his comment. His fists balled into tight knots, and he lifted one, then shook it threateningly in Andrew’s face.

Andrew held his ground while his reflexes jerked in readiness and stated flatly, “You’d be smart to leave calmly. You made a mistake coming here.”

“It’s no mistake,” Jack said, drawing back his fist.

In a flash, Andrew captured Jack’s arm and forced him back.

Jack’s strength buckled, and he faltered as the siren drew closer. He wrenched his arm from Andrew’s strong grasp and glanced over his shoulder. “You haven’t heard the last of me.” Jack jerked away, cursing, and darted toward his car, but before he reached it, a squad car skidded to a halt, and two officers raced toward him.

Jack kicked at one officer and made another move for his car door, but the second officer bounded around the trunk and slammed him against the car frame. Jack let out a string of filthy language before the officers pulled him from the door and cuffed him.

Andrew watched while they put him into the police car, figuring Jack had increased the charges against him by resisting arrest. While an officer moved Jack’s vehicle from the driveway, the other stepped onto the porch. “We’ll need someone to come down to the station and make a statement. I’ll send a wrecker over for the car.”

“I’ll drive her down,” Andrew said. He watched the officer stride from the porch, realizing that his life was now entangled in Hannah’s, and he needed the mess like he needed an ulcer.

Hannah sat in silence, listening to the hum of the car engine. She’d filed another report against Jack, and now
she wondered what would happen next. She glanced at Andrew’s profile, his jaw set, his hands gripping the steering wheel, looking as determined as she usually felt. But today was an exception. After Jack’s appearance at the shelter that morning, her life seemed fragile, her confidence shaken. She had no answers for her problems any more than Andrew had.

Eyeing him for a moment, Hannah noticed Andrew’s lips move as if ready to speak, but instead, he pressed them together, keeping his focus on the highway. His strong profile offered Hannah a sense of safety. His classic nose, his well-defined chin, his jaw darkened by a faint five-o’clock shadow captured her awareness, and she struggled to avert her gaze to the passenger window. She didn’t want him to notice she’d been gawking at him.

The awareness troubled her. Her interest in men had vanished after her horrifying marriage and divorce. She feared falling in love again, feared trusting a man to be the same person after the wedding as he was before. Jack had made a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. How could she ever have confidence to trust again?

Yet despite her misgivings, Andrew lingered in her thoughts. His kindness, his concern and Christian love seemed to wind around her heart and give it a little tug each time he appeared. At this moment, her pulse had kicked up a notch just because she was beside him in the car.

“I think it’s more than changing locks,” Andrew said, breaking the silence and her thoughts.

“More than changing locks?” She studied his face, this time feeling free to venture a direct look. His comment had come out of nowhere.

“You won’t be safe in that apartment. Even new locks won’t keep him out.”

“You mean Jack,” she said, assured that’s who he meant.

He glanced her way as if surprised at her statement. “Yes, Jack. The officer said the proceeding will probably be in about ten days so I’m hoping they’ll hold him in jail until then, and—”

“They have to put him behind bars now.”

“Jack’s a man who doesn’t follow rules. You said it yourself. If he does get jail time, I’m afraid he’ll just come back once he’s released.” Andrew’s knuckles turned white as his grip on the wheel tightened.

“So what can I do?”

“Move.”

Move. Yes, she’d thought of that. She planned it, but right now she didn’t have the energy or time to think about anything. “I want to get out of Loving Arms. I need to get home.”

“Soon you’ll have the perfect time to move, Hannah. Jack resisted arrest, too, so I’m sure he’ll get some jail time. I’ll help you find a place.” He slid his hand in his pocket, pulled out a cell phone and shoved it toward her. “Call Annie or whoever’s on staff and see if they’ll keep an eye on JJ for a little longer.”

Hannah took the phone from him and grasped it in her lap. “But I can’t—”

“We’ll pick up a newspaper and check out what’s available. I’ll look at the apartments and narrow them down to the best two or three. It’ll save you time.”

Hannah’s mind rebelled against his words. She didn’t want to be pushed into something before she was ready, and what business was it of his? She opened her mouth to tell him that but closed it again, realizing he had her best interest at heart, and he was probably right. If she
had a new job and a new apartment, Jack would have a harder time finding her once he was free again.

Uncertain, she picked up the cell phone and looked at it. Andrew had turned on the power switch already so she pressed in the numbers and hit Call. Annie answered and her response was what Hannah expected.

“No problem at all,” Annie said. “JJ and my daughter Gracelynne are playing together. To be honest, he’s keeping an eye on her for me.”

“Thanks so much. I won’t be too much longer,” Hannah said before she clicked off.

In a moment, Andrew had pulled into a coffee shop parking lot. He hurried around to Hannah’s door before she could put her foot on the ground. Until she’d met Andrew, no man had helped her from a car in years.

She walked beside him, still puzzled at his interest in her and JJ, yet touched by his concern. She’d felt at home in her apartment with Carla close beside her. Now, if she moved, she’d have to adjust to new neighbors, a new home, and a new job—too many things for her at this point in time.

Andrew paused to drop coins into the newspaper box outside the restaurant. He tucked a paper under his arm and opened the door for her.

Hannah stepped inside and was barraged by the scent of French fries and burgers. She hadn’t eaten since her simple breakfast, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her.

Andrew gestured to a booth, and she slid in staying on the outer edge. Without seeming to notice or care, Andrew sat across from her and placed the newspaper on the tabletop. He slid two menus from behind the metal napkin holder and handed her one. “I’m hungry. How about you?” He glanced at his watch.

She gave a faint nod.

“Good. Let’s have lunch.”

Though disconcerted, she perused the menu and settled on an unhealthy burger, but instead of fries, she ordered a salad with fat-free dressing. The discrepancy reflected her life—a crazy blend of good and bad, order and disorder, positive and negative.

Today seemed no different. Though Andrew had given so much of himself in generosity, Hannah sensed he hid something behind his quiet demeanor. He talked about her but said so little about himself. She’d pondered it before. Perhaps his family’s wealth kept him from flaunting his superior lifestyle. Maybe his faith controlled his ego.

When the waitress returned with their coffee and glasses of water, Andrew unrolled the newspaper and flipped through the pages until he found the want ads. “Here,” he said, sliding half the paper to her. “There’s some on this page and some there.” His index finger pressed against the column.

Hannah shifted the paper in front of her, fascinated that Andrew’s hands were rougher-looking than she’d expected—no manicure. They were hands that looked strong, as if they’d worked somewhere besides a white-collar job.

“Have you always worked in the Somerville business?” she asked, surprised she’d spoken so boldly.

His jaw twitched, and Hannah feared she’d over-stepped her boundaries. His gaze caught hers with a guarded look of surprise. “No. I did my own thing for a while.”

“Oh,” she said, cautioning herself not to continue, but his reaction puzzled her. She could ask Annie about
him, but the Bible heeded believers against gossip, and though she felt abandoned by God at times, she still followed the Commandments.

Instead, Hannah studied the want ads, wondering if changed locks might not solve the problem. If Jack couldn’t get in, it would give her time to call the police again.

“Here’s a two-bedroom apartment, and the price looks good.” Andrew turned the newspaper so she could read the description.

“I can’t afford that,” she said, ashamed that she had to admit that to a man who’d never known poverty.

He nodded without reaction and pulled the newspaper back toward himself again.

Hannah’s throat tightened. She didn’t want to admit her finances to anyone. The desperateness of her situation rolled over her. Why would she let Jack chase her away from her home? Her apartment met her need within her budget. She wasn’t going to let Jack or a man she barely knew manipulate her to move. She drew up her shoulders and faced him. “Andrew, I’ve decided—”

“Burger?”

Hannah faltered and looked up. The waitress stood above her with the order. “The burger’s mine,” she said, irritated by the woman’s timing.

With his order in front of him, Andrew unwrapped the napkin from around his silverware and placed it on the table. “Do you mind if I pray?”

“Pray?” She faltered, then realized he wanted to bless the food. Instead of responding, Hannah bowed her head.

“Lord, we don’t understand your purpose. We don’t always know why we face trials, but we know You are with us through it all. Father, we thank you for every
blessing, for this food and this day. We ask You to place Your loving hand on our lives and protect us from evil. Amen.”

“Amen” fell from Hannah’s lips while the prayer washed over her. What trials had Andrew faced? Was he placating her and her needs? The more she thought, the more puzzled she became.

Hannah lifted her fork and speared a lettuce leaf. Her appetite had shrunk with her thoughts. She’d opened her mouth to tell Andrew to stay out of her business, but now that she’d been interrupted, her courage faded.

Andrew’s smile met her gaze, and he lifted a French fry and dipped it into ketchup he’d squirted on the edge of his plate. “I know these aren’t healthy, but then most pleasurable things are usually neither healthy nor wise.”

A look flashed over his face that Hannah didn’t understand. She only nodded at his comment and lifted the large burger, trying to look like a lady. Despite her efforts, the juice ran down her chin. Embarrassed, she laughed and pulled the sandwich away.

Andrew came to her rescue with his napkin, dabbing at the telltale splotch. His touch pleased her, yet put her on edge. She grasped her knife and cut the burger in two. “Better,” she said, realizing her hands trembled as she grasped the bun.

He grinned, then became thoughtful while Hannah concentrated on her burger and tried to calm her wandering thoughts.

“I’ll check around,” Andrew said, using his fork to cut into his cod. “Don’t worry. I’ll find something.”

Hannah wasn’t worried.
She
would find something. “Andrew, I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but—”

“Don’t thank me, Hannah,” he said, his face filled with purpose. “I’ll find you a place that’s perfect.”

Hannah opened her mouth to refute him, then closed it again. Her determination had apparently met its match.