CHAPTER 11
Sam stretched his back and legs before he took off down the driveway for his normal morning run. It was only 6:00 a.m., but if he waited any later to run, it would be too hot. He started his run in a slow jog then sped up. While his feet hit the pavement in a comforting rhythm, he scanned the perimeter. He took the same route he had taken every morning since they’d arrived at the farm – down the drive, then a left turn down the road until he came to the wooded area with the gate. He hopped the gate, ran down the rutted, grass-grown lane and through the pasture back of the barn, then came back around to the front of the house. He wasn’t sure how far it actually was, but he ran the route three times on most days. Today he thought he might try for four times or even more. He needed the exercise, and the time away from the house would do him even more good than the run. Although with Sarah’s delicious cooking, he definitely needed the exercise too!
During his run, he enjoyed the sounds of nature all around him. He had been born and raised on a small farm and as a boy, he used to lay in bed early in the morning and try to distinguish the different bird’s songs coming through the open bedroom window. He had gotten pretty good at it over the years; although there wasn’t a lot of chance for him to exercise his knowledge of bird’s songs where he lived in D.C. As he listened this morning, he could pick out the songs of cardinals, robins, and a goldfinch. A red-winged blackbird sat on a fence post ahead of him, more than likely chirping out a warning that Sam was headed his way.
Sometimes Sam missed the old family farm. After his dad’s retirement from the small town police department where he had worked as a cop for thirty years – and Sam’s mom died from a heart attack - his dad had sold the farm and moved out west to help his Uncle Fred, his dad’s brother, on their small cattle ranch. Sam supposed one of these days he needed to go to the ranch for a visit. But every time he did, the two older men hounded him, telling him they needed him to join them in running the ranch. He loved them both dearly but he didn’t think he was ready to hang up his shield quite yet.
His thoughts turned once again to the young woman back at the house. Sometime soon, he knew he needed to deal with his feelings where she was concerned. She was becoming way too important to him. He tried to concentrate on his run again.
Sam, old man. You are so hooked on her, it’s not even funny.
He had one job to do, and that was to keep Sarah Masters alive until Manaquez was caught and brought to justice. He had to keep reminding himself of that and guard his heart from becoming emotionally involved with his charge.
It was just that simple.
Sam slowed down in his run while he tried to sort out his thoughts. He had never before been attracted to a person under his protection. As much as he liked to think he exuded the tough guy image, he was afraid he was really a softie at heart, and in this particular case, that was dangerous. Dangerous for him, and especially for Sarah. He couldn’t let his feelings for her cloud his emotions or dim his concentration. And it wasn’t just because it was his job to guard her and keep her safe. Not anymore. About two days into the protection detail, it had become very personal for him. However, there was still a professional propriety that had to be kept up. She was his charge to protect and he had to remember that and not let anything else interfere with his job.
Sam wasn’t even sure when or how it had happened, and he still wasn’t positive she felt the same way about him. He thought she did; sometimes when she looked at him he was sure she did reciprocate his feelings. Or did he want it so much he was just imagining the sparks between them? Sam had always prided himself on being able to keep his job and his emotions separate, but when he met Sarah Masters all that changed. But now his old dreams of having a normal life with a wife, home, and family didn’t sound so out of reach. Perhaps he could find love again, and maybe this time, because God was in control – maybe this time, he could get it right.
Lord, I’m going to need Your help here. I’m in way over my head. All I know is, I need You to help me keep her safe. Because the one thing I am sure of is, I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to her.
Sam jogged round the corner of the house to arrive back at the front porch steps. He stopped and bent over from the waist, putting the heels of his hands on his knees while he caught his breath, then stood up and glanced at his watch. He had time for a quick shower and shave, and then it was time for another day to begin.
Sarah hummed a little tune while she prepared the morning’s breakfast. She was especially looking forward to breakfast this morning because she had good news to share with the others.
She still couldn’t believe she had finally done it. The evening before she had become their sister in Christ – a Christian. Turning her life over to God had given her a peace she hadn’t known existed.
All those years she had tried to believe she was a good person and that was enough; all that time she had felt like she was so alone after her parents’ deaths; all that time she had blamed God for everything that happened in her life. She had wasted so many years when she could have had God in her heart and life.
Well, that was over. She would never be alone again. She knew becoming a Christian wasn’t going to magically make all her problems disappear. After all, she was still being hunted by a madman and her life was still in shambles, but she could handle it now. God was with her. Sarah couldn’t help the smile that came to her face.
She was just dishing up a huge stack of buttermilk pancakes when she heard the three agents talking amongst themselves as they came into the kitchen. Sarah couldn’t help but grin when she turned from the stove long enough to see all three of them raise their noses in the air as if sniffing out what was on the menu.
“Pancakes,” she announced as she sat the platter down on the table with a flourish. “Along with bacon, fresh fruit, and hot coffee – strong hot coffee, Sam. Just the way you like it.”
She sent him a smile and caught the twinkle in his eyes along with his devastating smile. Why did his approval mean so much to her? Deep in her heart she was afraid she knew the answer. She was falling in love with the man and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to stop.
They all took their seats around the round oak table and Bill took his turn blessing the food. Platters were passed and coffee was poured. She waited until everyone had begun to dig into the food on their plates before she spoke.
“I have news for you all.”
She smiled as three sets of eyes raised at the same time to look at her.
“I made a decision last night. God and I had a good long talk and He is now my heavenly Father.” She sighed, feeling again the weight of the world fall off her shoulders. “I can’t tell you how much more at peace I feel - and how loved. Thank you all for helping me find my way back.”
The others rose from their chairs to come and congratulate her. Jess gave her a huge hug and called her Sister Sarah. Bill shook her hand, and then pulled her into his arms for a quick bear hug. Sam stood in front of her for a few minutes with a look she couldn’t discern on his face before he finally reached out and softly touched her cheek with the back of his hand, a gentle look in his eyes.
“I’m so happy for you, Sarah.” He finally said in a husky voice. She felt the loss of his touch when he dropped his hand.
She had half-expected a hug from him too, but was almost relieved when he didn’t. Sarah couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be held in his arms and comforted. She smiled back at him, feeling very shy and awkward. Then she turned back to sit down at her seat and the moment was gone.
“Well, let’s eat, people. I made all this food and I really don’t want it to go to waste.”
Later that morning Sarah dumped the contents of her purse on her bed and picked up each item, one at a time. She gazed at the small pile of items for a moment. Laying in front of her was all that remained of her life. She slowly went through each article; her wallet wit
h her driver’s license, a couple of credit cards, and a little money. Her keys, although she really had no use for them anymore as every key on her key chain was for something that no longer existed – the front door at Brown and Associates, her house and her car. There was a notepad and pen, some breath mints, a small package of tissues, and her cell phone.
Sarah flipped through the photos in her wallet until one caught her attention. It was a group shot, taken at the last Brown and Associates Christmas party. The event had been held at the local country club and Adam Brown had talked the waitress into taking a photo of all of them. She touched each face tenderly with the tip of her index finder and said good- bye. That part of her life was over, but she was glad she had the opportunity to know them all as friends.
After placing the photo back in the wallet, Sarah picked up her cell phone and held it for a moment. Sam had told her to not use a computer to check any of her personal email accounts as their whereabouts could be traced that way. He had also warned her not to make any phone calls from her cell phone, and she hadn’t, but she couldn’t help wondering if she had any messages. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to check. She wasn’t going to call anyone. Actually, there was no one she wanted to call. But it would be nice to know if she had any text messages.
She held the phone in her hand for a few moments, then turned the phone on long enough to check and see if there were any messages. There weren’t any which didn’t surprise her. After all, the only ones who had her cell number were her friends and coworkers at the law practice and maybe their families. She quickly turned the cell phone back off and stuffed it and everything else back into her purse. Maybe someday she would have need of these things, but not now. Sarah dropped the purse back on the floor next to the bedside stand and left the room.
The only thing she knew for sure and was hanging onto with her whole soul was – God had a plan for the rest of her life. She didn’t have any idea what it was, but she was so happy God was in control.
Sarah watched Sam and Bill stroll across the yard while making their daily rounds of the property. There went two good looking men. Sam might be years older than the young former Marine, but he still had the broad shoulders and physical prowess of a much younger man. He was a very handsome man.
She shook her head in dismay. Being attracted to Sam Morgan was leaving her confused and scared. Not quite the level of fear she had of this madman who was trying to find her and kill her, but she was scared nonetheless. Sarah was terrified of making another mistake in a relationship. She had thought Matt Calvin was ‘the one’, and she had been badly mistaken and had been badly hurt by him. In addition, she now knew he had been a man of no principles, and because of his mistakes, all her friends were dead.
So, how could she trust her heart to make the correct choice this time?
True, Sam wasn’t Matt. It was obvious the two men were worlds apart. Sam Morgan was a man of dignity and honor. He had Christian principles that he not only believed in, but lived every day. The past few days he had treated her with nothing but respect, so why was she afraid of him? Well, that was the problem. Sarah knew she wasn’t actually afraid of him. She was afraid of her feelings for him. She was afraid her heart was going to shatter when this was all over and he went one way and she went another.
It was inevitable.
Even knowing all that, just thinking about Sam made her smile. She was smitten, that was for sure and she’d like to think he was attracted to her too. When he looked at her, his soulful eyes sparkled with interest. Sarah had noticed, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the others had noticed too. If they had, they were keeping it to themselves. Not even Jess had mentioned it to her.
Sam had never said anything to her directly but his eyes expressed far more than he probably intended to show. The way he looked at her sometimes made her feel weak in the knees. She had never felt that way when Matt looked at her and she wasn’t sure what to think about it. She was only sure of one thing; having Jess and Bill around kept them honest, made them careful about expressing their feelings, and that was probably a good thing.
Sarah moved away from the window. She was just going to enjoy each day they were here together. What she was going through was a nightmare, but at least she had Sam Morgan at her side while she was experiencing it, and she was very thankful that he was the one God had chosen to be her protector.
That afternoon found Sarah on her knees pulling weeds. The flower bed that ran along the front of the porch and around both sides of the house had been sorely neglected. The beds were full of the vibrant colors of blossoming yellow-gold coreopsis, variegated hosta plants, daylilies, hybrid lilies, Shasta daisies, and weeds - lots and lots of healthy weeds. And she was especially on the lookout for that pesky plant, poison ivy, since she was very allergic to it. It had been years since she had a run in with it and she was hoping she wouldn’t find any of it lurking in the flowerbed today.
It felt so good to finally be out of the house. She had tried for a couple of days to convince Sam she needed to get out and get some fresh air and he had finally agreed. Of course, part of the agreement had been he would sit on the front porch in the swing, watching her every move. That was okay though, as long as it got her out of the house. And it did make her feel safer to know he was just a few feet away- even if it did make her self-conscious of every move she made.
Sarah had been working on the flower bed for about half an hour. Her hands were dirty, she was sweaty and her back was getting sore, and she loved every bit of it. She always enjoyed springtime and the chance to get out and work in her flower beds. Since her home was gone and she didn’t know when or if she would ever get back to the point where she would have another house with a flower bed, she was going to enjoy this opportunity. Even though these flowers were in danger of being taken over by weeds, they were gorgeous. Perhaps when she was finished, she and Jess could pick some of them and arrange them in vases so they could enjoy them in the house.
She stood to get more leverage to pull out an extremely stubborn section of quack grass when she saw a slithering object move through the weeds in front of her. Letting out a scream, she fell flat on her behind and quickly scooted backwards, as far away from the flower bed as she could scoot.
Sam came bounding down the steps with his gun drawn to see what had happened. She looked up at his shocked face and laughed out loud.
“Sorry, Sam! I don’t like snakes.”
Sarah recognized the moment when Sam’s brain finally registered what she was talking about. He started chuckling, holstered his gun and reached out a hand to pull her to her feet. Then he was laughing so hard he had to lean over to rest his hands on his knees. It was a deep throaty laugh she had never heard from him – a laugh that was completely without reservation, with nothing held back.
She laughed right along with him and grinned at this side of him she had never seen. It had been worth it - seeing that snake and having it scare the daylights out of her - just to hear him laugh like this. Sarah stood there and watched him adoringly while he caught his breath, wiped the moisture from his eyes, and stood upright. He flashed her one of his grins, his eyes still full of mirth.
“So, Miss Masters. I assume from this little exhibition that you don’t like snakes?”
She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head as she grinned up at him. “And you do, Agent Morgan?”
He firmly shook his head. “Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, when I get to heaven one of the first questions I’m going to ask is why He had Noah take two of those lousy creatures on the ark with him!”
That sent Sarah and Sam both into another paroxysm of laughter. What shocked her even more was when Sam reached out and gathered her in his warm arms for a hug. She heard the remnants of his chuckle deep in his chest along with the beating of his heart, and for a moment her own heart almost skipped a beat. It felt wonderful to be held in his arms, to smell his aftershave and
feel the texture of his shirt; she wanted to stay there forever. The moment didn’t last nearly long enough though as he pulled away and looked down at her upturned face. Then his lips came down to meet her in a kiss and Sarah couldn’t help kissing him back, feeling it all the way to her toes. When she felt his lips leave hers, she opened her eyes and saw a look of dismay cross his face. He quickly let her go and backed up a step.
“I’m sorry, Sarah. That was a very unprofessional thing for me to do.”
She shook her head quickly. “It’s okay, Sam.” She tried to grin at him although her heart broke a little bit at his rejection. “We both just got caught up in the moment.” Inside though, her heart was crushed with the thought that he hadn’t really wanted to kiss her.
He took a deep breath as his eyes locked on hers. What she saw there almost took her breath away. Sam Morgan cared about her – much more than just as a part of his job. He cared about her as a woman. Sarah had known she was very attracted to him, but she hadn’t been sure until that moment that the feeling was reciprocated. Now that she knew, the knowledge almost made her dizzy and her lips still felt the tingle of his kiss.
“Yeah. I guess we did,” she heard him mumble as he turned back toward the porch steps. “Guess we did.”
That night after supper Sarah sat in the living room in a chair reading a book. Sam and Bill were across the room, engaged in a very competitive game of checkers, and Jess punched away at the keys of the laptop.
For a moment Sarah could almost fool herself into believing this was a normal comfortable home on a Friday evening with a family just spending time together. But that wasn’t why they were all here together. These agents were not her family, not even her friends; they were her protectors. They were the only thing that stood between her and the maniac out there somewhere that wanted her dead.
Sarah tried to not think about it too much, but she couldn’t help it. When – and if – this nightmare ever ended, what was she going to do? She had a little money in her savings account, but not much. She didn’t have a car or a job anymore, or any place to live. There were insurance policies on her personal property and her car, so she should be able to collect something from the insurance company. But would she have enough to start over again?
Hopefully she could find another job. Everyone in Herbert would know what had happened to her and maybe someone would be willing to help her out and give her a job. Then again, maybe she didn’t want to stay in her hometown at all. There were so many bad memories now associated with the place. But where would she go – and how was she going to pay for starting out somewhere else?
Sighing, she calmly reminded herself she wasn’t alone anymore. God was in control of her life now. A portion of a verse she had just memorized from Psalm chapter 61, verse 4 came back to her:
I will trust in the cover of thy wings.
Thinking of God being able to hold her in His hand and covering her with His wings made her feel safe. A picture of the huge hawk Bill and she had seen circling high above the farm came to her mind. God was kind of like that. His wings were strong and would protect her from the enemy. He had promised. As long as she had God with her, she could handle anything that came her way – one day at a time.