“Love you,” he replied before clicking off. I stared at the phone, willing him to crawl through the receiver and save me right now so I wouldn’t have to wait any longer.
“Oh, honey,” Gertie said after a moment, gently prying my hands from the receiver and hanging it up for me. “What in the world is going on?”
I shook my head, moving out of the kitchen and out the front door before she could see the tears fall. I couldn’t believe that my father had called me and told me that he was going to get me out of here. He had somehow found out where I was and had pretty much told me that I hadn’t been forgotten.
They were still trying to bring me home.
I took a few gulps of freezing cold air to calm myself down, wrapping my arms around my waist not because I was cold, but because I wanted to pretend that it was my father who was hugging me. He wanted me to run, but I had no way to do that right now. I had no money, and I couldn’t ask Noah or Gertie for some. They clearly lived on meager means, and to take what little money they probably had would be wrong.
I had no car either, so I couldn’t just leave whenever I wanted to.
No, I was stuck, and if my father could find me here, Artem could as well.
If he hadn’t already.
Wiping a hand over my face, I looked out at the snow-covered yard. I was so close to getting home now, my earlier worries maybe not as bad now, knowing that my father had not stopped looking for me.
I just had to hang on a little longer.
The sun caught my ring, and I touched it, debating on whether or not to just pawn it for money to get myself home. Before I hadn’t wanted to, but now, I didn’t know why I was holding onto it. This could be my ticket home.
I squared my shoulders, making a decision. I would ask Noah to take me into town in the morning and pawn the ring. If I got a good deal on it, then I would give some of the cash to Noah and Gertie for their hospitality and use the rest to get myself home. I had to put this chapter of my life behind me.
That night, I watched Noah as he made a move on the chessboard. “Gert told me you got a call today,” he said casually as he moved his queen.
“I did,” I said evenly, countering his move. “It was my father.”
“Are you leaving us then?” he asked, his eyes on his next move.
Yes,” I said softly, feeling sad that I wouldn’t have many more nights like this with him or days in the kitchen with Gertie. The couple had given me a chance to rest, a chance to gain back my old life without asking any questions or hesitating about helping me. I couldn’t thank them enough. “I need to go into town tomorrow. Can I ride with you?”
Noah made his move before leaning back in his chair. “I’m not going until after lunch. That okay?”
I grinned. “Well, unless I want to walk, it will have to be, right?”
He lifted his lips in a grin. “I guess so. You know, Emma, having you here has given me and Gert a second lease on life. She’s enjoyed having you around. I hope that this isn’t the last time we see you.”
My eyes watered with tears as I gave him a wobbly smile. “No, it won’t be, I promise. Maybe you can come to the big city and visit. I could show you all the best places to play chess.”
He grumbled, but there was a smile on his lips as I contemplated my next move, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to beat him again tonight. I was going to officially adopt them as my grandparents, and once I got back home, I would have my father pay for them to come for a visit for what they had done for me.
I was going to miss them both, but it was time for me to move on.
Later that night, after Gertie and Noah had waved me away from the kitchen, I sat before the fire, watching the wood crackle in the orange flames. What had my life become? I was running from a husband I