Page 44 of Rescued Dreams
Amelia could see how she might feel that was true. “How long did it last?”
“Two years.” Cherry winced. “I’m not proud of it. I did a lot of things I realize now I shouldn’t have gone along with. Nicholas…he just twisted everything so that I didn’t know what was me and what was his idea.” She shook her head. “Now that I’m out of the relationship, I can see more clearly. There was a lady at the crisis pregnancy shelter in Seattle who talked me through a lot of it. She helped me see that he manipulated me into believing him and going along with everything.”
“I’m glad you got out safely.” Amelia couldn’t imagine if she’d discovered she was pregnant in the midst of everything that’d happened in Benson. The fact Nicholas hadn’t changed and was still victimizing women he was in relationships with made her sick.
Amelia had saved herself. But in keeping quiet, she hadn’t saved anyone else from going through the same thing.
“What made you come here to Last Chance County? It’s a long way.”
Cherry said, “The bus goes through Boise and Salt Lake City and comes here. I suppose I was thinking I’d head somewhere warm for the winter, but I ran out of money.”
“How did you know to look for me?” Amelia had been targeted too much recently to not worry about this. A person she very much wanted to keep her location from…had discovered exactly that. Not Cherry, necessarily. But it wasn’t a stretch that Nicholas might come here looking for her.
Cherry picked at a loose thread on the hem of her oversized sweater. “He talked about you. Mostly to rub it in my face when I didn’t measure up. You’re a firefighter, and he always told me how strong you were. How I should be stronger, stand up for myself. Then he’d drag me back down. I think he got a sick kind of satisfaction from watching me build myself up just so he could destroy me.”
Amelia knew exactly how that went. She’d lived it, and in the middle of all of that, Nicholas had been lacing her coffee with small amounts of a stimulant that caused her to act erratically, with paranoia and hallucinations.
It had taken weeks and a long process of elimination for her to figure out what was wrong with her—and what had caused it.
Or,who.
She spotted Ridge coming out of the firehouse. Nearly everyone else had dispersed after the next shift showed up to relieve them. He saw her in the driver’s seat of her car, and who she was with, and motioned making a phone call, mouthing,Call me later.
Amelia nodded.
“I don’t know where to go. I guess I was thinking about finding a church or something. Seeing if they can help me out with some money.” Cherry bit her lip. “Or I could stay with you for tonight? Just until I figure out what to do.”
“I don’t have room in my place.”
Cherry seemed almost surprised by that. Why, when they didn’t know each other? Unless Nicholas had bragged that Amelia lived in a huge mansion, just to make Cherry feel poor. It wasn’t like this woman could sleep there in her condition. With no furniture or heat.
“I’ll take you to a nice motel. Don’t worry about the cost.” Amelia turned the car on. “I can pay for a couple of nights so you have somewhere warm.” She didn’t mind giving this woman some money for food, even if it was only enough for a cheap fast-food meal.
Even though Cherry thought they were sisters in a way, the only thing that bonded them together was the worst time in both of their lives. Who wanted a connection like that? She’d spent the last few years trying to escape that time. Now it would be brought to mind every time she saw this woman.
“Thank you so much, Amelia. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t able to help me.”
Amelia pulled out of her parking space and drove to the freeway interchange, where there were a couple of motels on either side of the road. They always seemed to cluster together. She was more of the solitary type, but not because it was her choice. She’d lost the father she loved, and thanks to the family court, she’d had to return periodically to her father. Eventually she’d lost her mother as well. Meg was the closest thing to family she had left. Except for the other firefighters at Eastside Firehouse.
She had a feeling that if she told them she considered them to be family, they’d be surprised she felt that way.
Which was why she didn’t plan to tell them.
As she drove, she couldn’t help thinking about her brother and if she’d really seen him at that fire scene. What a crazy day. She needed more than twenty-four hours off to process it all and get some rest. Never mind reaching the point where she actually figured out how to resolve the situation.
Now Cherry had shown up?
There was no way a pregnant woman had come here looking for an ally—or a friend—with an ulterior motive. She wasn’t going to suspect this woman, because what could Cherry do to her anyway? She was going to give the woman a little money and send her on her way. Neither Cherry nor the child was Amelia’s responsibility past basic concern from one person to another.
Not in the middle of whatever was going on.
After all, the last thing Amelia wanted to do was put this woman and her precious unborn child in danger simply because Cherry had chosen to find Amelia and ask for help.
She got the young woman all checked in to a room, then hung back in the lobby. Amelia wasn’t going to walk her to the room, and Cherry didn’t need Amelia to carry that saggy duffel for her when it didn’t seem so heavy. “Take care of yourself, Cherry.”
Cherry’s expression shifted. “What if he comes here? What if he tracks me down?”
Now she was scared? She’d seemed relieved before, but not fearful. “Do you think he’ll look for you?”
