Then Came You Read online

  Then Came You

  Jen Atkinson

  Copyright © 2020 by Jen Atkinson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ISBN: 9798637195978

  *This book was previously published under the title: LIKE HOME

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Jen Atkinson

  Chapter 1

  Natalie

  Midnight—she was out much too late, and of all the places to be. Not exactly conservative, single-mom behavior, but Natalie had to be near him. If only she could talk to her husband, then maybe this hole in her chest could heal. She had talked to his photographs and even his T-shirts, but it wasn’t the same—not that his headstone would be any different. But she had to try.

  Tucking her legs beneath her, she sat at the foot of Evan’s grave. A heavy sigh escaped her. Pretending for the world was an exhausting endeavor. But she couldn’t let Jason down. He deserved more. He needed a functioning mother, not this falling apart version of herself. Though it was the only version he’d ever known.

  A light broke through the quiet darkness, sending shivers down her already chilled body. What now? She had picked this unholy hour on purpose. Normal people didn’t roam around the cemetery at midnight. Shielding her eyes, Natalie watched the oncoming car slow to a stop, just feet from the fence separating them. The passenger’s side window rolled down. Natalie scrambled to her feet, stepping back into the shadow of the trees. She hoped she could disappear into the darkness.

  She didn’t recognize the little brown Buick, with its New York license plates, so far from home.

  “Hello?” The young woman squeaked. She leaned over, peeking out the opened window. “I wasn’t sure you were real for a moment.” The street lamp shone down on the woman’s tear streaked face. She bit down on her lip, staring right at Natalie.

  Discovered, Natalie stepped from the shadows, but didn’t approach the fence.

  “I’m sorry to bother you,” the woman said, her voice cracking. “I just… I’ve been driving for hours and I can’t seem to find where it is I’m going. You’re the first woman—um—person I’ve seen.”

  “Oh. Uh…” Natalie folded her arms and looked down at the grassy floor. Of all the people for this girl to find, it had to be her. Once again the universe laughed at her expense.

  “I’m looking for the James’ Ranch. Bart and um…”

  Natalie knew the James’. “Ellie,” she said, filling in the missing name.

  “Yes! That’s it.” The girl’s eyes wandered down the dark abandoned street, then past Natalie to the graveyard. She seemed to be figuring something. Then, she stepped from the car and took a slow step toward Natalie, keeping her distance. She brushed her black hair from her face. “I’m Marcela.”

  Marcela looked like someone Natalie had seen on one of those daytime drama shows—even with her puffy eyes and streaked face. Her hand brushed across her high cheekbone and back into her hair once more. Her ivory skin contradicted the darkness of the strands around her face.

  “So, you know them?” Marcela’s eyes watered with hope.

  The girl should have intimidated Natalie—most everyone did—but her smile softened anything daunting about her. Natalie forced herself to find her voice again. “I do. They live out on County Road.”

  “Yeah, I have the address. It’s the getting there in the black of night that I’m having trouble with.”

  “Right.” Natalie shifted her feet, needing to be alone again. She didn’t find conversation with everyday acquaintances comfortable, let alone a chat with a stranger.

  “Could you give me directions, by chance?”

  She had been anti-social for eight years, one sad girl wouldn’t change that. If Nick were here, he would take over and leave her to her nice, quiet, comfort zone, like a good brother. Without that as an option she would have to go with door number two. “Let me call my brother. He can tell you.”

  Marcela crossed her arms over her chest and stepped up to the fence. “I hate to wake you’re family.”

  “He’s up.” And he was. Who else would stay with Jason in the middle of the night while she scampered over fences and cried over gravestones?

  “Nick.” She stepped away from Marcela, clutching her cell phone to her ear. “Is Jas still sleeping?” She watched the girl from the corner of her eye. With the assurance that her son still slept, she passed the phone through the fence and listened to Marcela confirm the directions Nick gave her.

  “Thank you,” Marcela said into the phone, her lips breaking into a small smile again. She handed the cell back to Natalie. “I think I can make it now. I really appreciate your help.”

  Natalie nodded and watched as Marcela drove away. She looked back where her husband lie, the emptiness in her chest grew. Didn’t he have heavenly connections? Why couldn’t he help with this cavity? Maybe he could, but chose not to. She wouldn’t blame him.

  Chapter 2

  Marcela

  Escape. Flee. Go.” Marcela whispered her three-word mantra while driving down the dark forsaken road. “I can do this. I am stronger than he thinks.” She wouldn’t say his name, though it often seeped into her thoughts without permission. Zane. “Escape. Flee. Go.”

  She tried to picture in her mind the one photo she’d seen of Bart James. The faded image of Dad and Bart wasn’t crisp in her mind. They stood in front of a house they had built in Veracruz Mexico, after the big earthquake. It was the same place her dad, Alvin, had met her mom. She couldn’t make out Bart’s face though, only the figure of a man standing by her much younger father. Even if she could, it wouldn’t help. They took the photo more than twenty-five years ago. He wouldn’t look the same.

  Not dwelling on the fact that she had never met the James’, or even spoken to the couple—she fled to their home for safety. This was Dad’s idea. A place he said could be trusted—would be secret.

  She didn’t know what to expect from these strangers at one in the morning. She was lucky to have found the sad woman in the cemetery. Otherwise, she would still be driving around with her dad’s poor directions. How had she managed to find her way in New York City for two years, but one night in Elton Town, Wyoming, left her lost for hours? New York took a lot from her. Maybe her sense of direction was one of the causalities, her courage certainly had been.

  She drove another fifteen minutes
in what felt like deserted country before pulling up to the large ranch house. It stood like a shadow in the night, except for the soft glow of the porch light. She looked at her refuge, the place she had been searching for, and now here, she couldn’t quite go in. Yep, New York had killed her courage. In all honesty, Zane had done that job.

  She’d just sleep in the car until morning.

  Adjusting her seat downward, she tried to shut out the world, but the quiet felt blustering. She hoped to find safety and secrecy in this move, but peace too. No luck yet. Maybe she was asking too much on her first night. She forced her eyes closed. Eventually, she drifted off in spite of the obnoxious silence.

  Rap-rap-rap!

  Her eyes shot open and her hands leapt to her chest.

  “We didn’t mean to scare ya.” An older man peeked in at her.

  “Bart James! Knocking on her window in the middle of the night—what’d you think you were gonna do?” said the woman next to him, hands gripping her wide hips. Her tone sweetened as she addressed Marcela. “Sorry, Marcela honey, but what are you doing out here?”

  Bart and Ellie James.

  Marcela opened her car door, rattled, but unafraid. “It’s fine. I got in so late. I didn’t want to wake anyone.”

  “Oh, darlin’. We’ve got five kids. We’re used to wait’n up for someone to come home later than curfew.” Ellie gathered Marcela into a hug.

  “Five grown kids,” Bart said with a yawn. “It’s been a while since I stayed up this late.”

  “Really, you shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.” She met Bart’s eyes, studying his face in that brief second.

  Her father had told stories about Bart James for years, though neither she nor her twin brothers had met him. He always described Bart as selfless, and often used the expression like a brother. The brother they never visited. Texas and Wyoming were miles apart, both men had jobs and families keeping them busy. So, up until now, Marcela only knew Bart through her dad’s stories. The lines that wrinkled his face when he smiled showed a genuine kindness there. In that moment the peace Marcela had been waiting for washed over her. She had made the right choice to run here.

  “Bart, quit making the girl feel bad.” Ellie glared at him again.

  Bart chuckled, unafraid of his wife’s chiding tone. “Ah, shoot Ellie, I was just sayin’.”

  Wrapped in a one-arm embrace from Ellie, she watched the pair.

  “Let’s head in before we’re all chilled to the bone.” Ellie took her hand and led her past the big ranch house. “Now, we’ve set up the guest house for you, but if you don’t feel comfortable being there alone, you’re welcome to stay in one of the spare rooms up at the main house.”

  “The guest house?” A little cottage came into sight as Marcela said the words. The small house with its white window shutters and blue trim looked so much more majestic than any place she had stayed while in New York.

  Bart stepped into the house and flipped on the lights.

  Marcela peered about the space, small living room, smaller kitchen and doors that she assumed led to the bed and bath rooms. The tiny space held everything she needed. It was more than she could have ever asked for. Tears pooled in her eyes as she ran her hand along the wooden dinner table for two.

  “You’re welcome to stay at the house with us,” Bart said watching her, a worried crease between his eyes.

  “No, no. This is perfect.” A tear fell and she wiped it away with the back of her hand, hopeful they didn’t see. “Thank you.”

  Again, Ellie embraced her. “All right then, we’ll let you be for the night. Get some rest.”

  “Go on ahead, El. I’m gonna help with her things.”

  Ellie yawned, then kissed Bart on the cheek. “All right, Bart James, but don’t you keep this girl up yakking. She needs her sleep. And so do you, store opens at 6:00.”

  “I know, dear.”

  They left the warmth of the house, and a shiver ran through Marcela. She opened the trunk of her car and flushed, darting a glance at Bart.

  He stood beside her, staring at the mess. Without flinching, he scooped up the garbage bag that held Marcela’s clothes and with the other hand he gathered the bed sheet used to satchel the rest of her belongings—at least the rest of what she had been able to grab.

  With nothing else to collect, she followed him back to the cottage.

  He set her things on the living room floor and smiled at her, weak and sad. The expression looked wrong on what she thought must normally be a happy face. “Marcela,” he said, “when your Dad called, he told us you were in some kind of trouble. He didn’t say what, but—”

  “I’m not a criminal. I didn’t steal anything or do drugs.” She had never done anything illegal her entire life. People were going to look at her differently, all because she trusted the wrong person.

  “I know that, honey. Your dad said you needed a safe place, a secret place. And we’re happy to give you that. I love Alvin like a brother,” he said using her dad’s words. “And I’m happy to help his daughter. But if you need something, if there’s trouble, don’t run. Don’t hide. Let us help you.”

  She nodded, the tears welling again, she wouldn’t ask for more than they had already given her though—even if trouble found her. “I’ll pay you back. I can work and help out wherever you need. I don’t want to be a burden.”

  His eyes still creased with pity. “No burden. I’m sure we can find something for you to do.”

  After he left her, she lay in her single bed, looking about the place she would call home for who knew how long. She tried not to think of Zane and the things he had done. She pushed from her mind the shattered dreams she left behind in New York. Instead, she thought about her parents, it had been so long since she’d last seen them. She thought about the James’ and her new house.

  And while she pondered, her mind ran back to the cemetery and the girl she had met there. She hadn’t offered her name, but Marcela needed to find her. She didn’t know why. Maybe because somehow, someway, the girl looked more forlorn and beaten than Marcela felt.

  Chapter 3

  Natalie

  Four Months Later

  Yawning, Natalie passed through the glass door decorated with curvy letters reading: Dr. Fiserv, D.D.S.. She shook her head, holding back another yawn.

  “Late night?” Janie looked up from her reception desk. Her expression seemed to say- will you ever say anything interesting? Bored, the girl drummed her long nails on the counter. The phone rang before Natalie could respond. “Dr. Fiserv’s office, please hold.” Covering the receiver she looked back to Natalie, waiting.

  Natalie forced a smile for her co-worker. “Something like that.”

  “Did you have a date?” She tilted her head, her sparkly eyeshadow glimmering in the fluorescent lights.

  “Of course not, Janie. I was up with my son. Now, answer the phone.” Really, he’d been up with her. She’d called out in the night for Evan to come back to her—again. On occasion, her screams woke Jason. Natalie looked down at the wedding band still circling her finger. Eight years. Evan had been gone eight long years.

  Continuing around the corner, she headed toward the back office. She took off her watch and ring and locked them inside her cubby. She brushed her short pale hair behind her ears, and then washed her hands before going to her hygiene operatory.

  The day dragged by, amplifying her fatigue. Three-thirty—only one hour left. Maybe she’d give Jason an extra thirty minutes of TV time, then she could lay down and nap.

  Janie’s head peeked into her workspace. “Phone, Nat.”

  Excusing herself, she left her patient waiting in the dental chair. She walked to Janie’s desk and picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Hi, honey,” Mom said, her tone apologetic. “Sorry for the last minute call, but I’m not going to be able to pick up Jason today. Mrs. Andrews fell down her steps. I just got to her.”

  “Poor Mrs. Andrews.” Natalie bit her lip. Mom’s elderly neighb
or had gone downhill the past year. “I’ll figure something out. Thanks.”

  She had already finished scaling her patient’s teeth, the dental assistant would be able to polish and floss for her. With Jason’s school fifteen minutes away and only ten minutes left in the school day, she needed to leave—now.

  She jogged toward her Honda Civic, pulling out her cell. “Ellen, hi. It’s Natalie Noel, Jason’s mom. Could you have him called up to the office? His grandmother won’t be picking him up today, I will. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

  Natalie clutched the steering wheel, her knuckles white. She hated to keep Jason waiting. He had one parent, one lousy parent. He should be able to depend on that one. Growling at the oncoming red light, Natalie slowed to a stop. She glanced at the clock and then back to her hands wringing the wheel.

  “My ring!” She popped her left hand open. She whipped her head around, staring back in the direction of the dental office. She couldn’t leave Jason waiting an extra ten minutes. Still, as the light turned green, it took her a full five seconds to pull forward—away from her wedding band.

  The ring tied her to Evan. Her heart ached leaving that tie carelessly on the shelf of a locker. It was her way of saying to him, I’m still yours, love me, forgive me. She didn’t say those things out loud. People already thought her dramatic and depressing as it was.