“Thank you,” she murmured, too surprised to speak.
Recalling the nurse’s instructions to drink more while breastfeeding, she opened the fridge door to grab the cold-water pitcher. Her eyes widened as she saw the stocked fridge full of fresh vegetables, fruits, and healthy snacks.
Jeremiah returned every day, giving her breaks. For ten years, he kept his promise and never touched another drink. Tucker and eventually Conner became his world. Leslie represented the daughter healways wished for. If not for him, she didn’t know what might’ve happened to her and Tucker.
A crash below on the main floor grabbed her attention. Rushing to her room, she took the gun from the safe and slowly made her way down the staircase.
A large man bent over her desk, sifting through her mail. Her heart raced as she recalled Jeremiah’s training and aimed her weapon at the intruder.
“Put your hands in the air, or I’ll shoot,” she warned him.
Instead of doing as she asked, he rushed her, knocking the weapon to the floor. Taken by surprise, she grabbed the lamp and swung it, knocking him to the side. He crashed into her coffee table, and she searched for another weapon to use, thinking about her boys upstairs.
Picking up a vase, she smashed him upside the head. He roared and his fist connected with the side of her face, disorientating her. She fought the dizziness as he pulled her close to his masked face.
“Where did he put it?” the intruder asked, shaking her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she insisted, struggling from his hold.
“Yaaa,” Tucker yelled as he swung his baseball bat, hitting the man in the shoulder. He dropped her and ran for the door. His tires spun on the rocky road as he disappeared from sight.
Leslie pulled her son close and hugged him tightly.
“Mom, did he hurt you?” Tucker cried. “I’m scared.”
“No, honey, I’m fine,” she assured him, trying to catch her breath. “Be careful the floor has glass on it.”
“Mom?” Conner’s scared voice came from the stairway.
“I’m right here,” she called. “Don’t come down. I fell and broke a vase. There’s glass everywhere.” She motioned for Tucker to stay quiet. She threw pillows from the couch onto the floor, making a path to the stairs.
Taking Tucker by the shoulders, she said, “I want you to go upstairs and pack your clothes. We’re staying at Grandpa’s. Don’t say anything to Conner. He’s barely sleeping these days.”
“What if he comes back?” Tucker asked.
“I’m calling the police. They’ll be here any minute,” she explained. “I don’t think he meant to harm us. He must’ve entered our house by accident.”
When Tucker ran upstairs, she turned on the light and grabbed her weapon. She sharply inhaled as she took in her furniture, all slashed to pieces. Papers were scattered all across the floor, and her kitchen door swung open in the wind.
She secured the door as she unplugged her phone from the kitchen outlet and dialed nine one one.
“I’d like to report a break-in,” she said, barely ableto hold the phone as she trembled. Giving them her address, Leslie locked the front door and rushed upstairs to her boys.
Tucker appeared pale as he clung to Conner.
“It’s all right,” she assured him. “Let’s pack our things together.” Knowing both boys kept clothes at Jeremiah’s house, she grabbed their backpacks and entered her room to get her purse and change into clothes instead of her robe.
She hissed as she removed her arm from the sleeve, seeing the wide gash on her arm. Wrapping a towel around it, she threw on a sweatshirt and jeans, while the boys sat on her bed. Sirens blared, and she took their hands, leading them into the kitchen, keeping their eyes averted from the mess.
“I’m closing the door while I speak with the sheriff. Tucker, why don’t you fix yourself and Conner some hot chocolate? You can even add extra marshmallows and whipped cream,” she said, smiling. “Everything’s all right. We’ll go to Grandpa’s in a few minutes.”
She shut the farmhouse door as two officers walked up to the porch.
Her arm stung, and her neck throbbed as she recalled Jeremiah’s frenzied call to her the night before his death.
“What’s the matter, Jeremiah?” she asked when he called at nearly midnight.
“Do you remember Conner’s school project?” he asked frantically. “The one with the time capsule?”
