Perfect Stranger: Mason Creek #17 Page 4
“Um, yeah. I just thought about the fact that I don’t have a place to live.”
“Pfft. That’s nothing to worry about. We have an extra apartment and Mom and Dad have an extra room. You’ll be fine.”
“I can’t accept charity like that. You’ve already gone above and beyond for me.” I would have to find a way to work, broken leg and all.
“How about this? Let’s get you out of rehab first and then figure that out.”
“Sounds good.” It did but still weighed heavily on my mind. I didn’t have enough money for one month’s rent, and I couldn’t let these fine people carry me. I was deadweight basically, unless someone had an opening for a pole dancer. I’m sure that would go over well here. I had an image of me pole dancing with this huge cast on my leg.
“Is Mason Creek in need of any hairstylists or makeup artists that can’t stand up or any pole dancers with a huge cast on their leg?”
Jessie honked like a goose when she laughed at my question.
Chapter Seven
MILLER
Mariah was in better spirits when I visited her today.
“Looks like you’re feeling better,” I said.
“In some ways, yes.”
“What ways would those be?”
She eyed me for a moment and then said, “I may as well tell you. I explained my predicament, if you want to call it that, to Jessie earlier and she called Aiden.”
This was a bit disturbing since Aiden was an officer of the law.
“Is something wrong?”
“You might say that.” Then she went into a long explanation that answered all the questions I’d had.
“Now everything makes sense,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been so reluctant to share anything about yourself and were adamant about us not calling anyone. Also, those X-rays of yours were quite telling. You’re not really clumsy, are you?”
“No. Those were all from his abuse. I tried to cover it up for so long but knowing he might hurt Claire was my undoing. I knew I had to leave then.”
I couldn’t imagine hurting this woman. What kind of man would do that? She was beautiful and the little I knew of her, she seemed very kindhearted.
“Can I just say something? You landed in the perfect place. The people here are wonderful and you won’t have a thing to worry about.”
“But Dr. Campbell, what if he finds me? I might be putting a lot of you in danger.”
“Aiden is the best at what he does. He’ll put the word out on this man and if he comes to town, everyone will know. You gave his information to Jessie, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Then you’re fine. We’ll take care of things. All you need to do is concentrate on getting well.”
And speak of the devil, a knock came on her door and there stood Aiden. He walked in and I introduced them.
“Would you like me to leave, Mariah?”
“No, stay. This may be important for you too.”
I stood by while Aiden asked her questions about her former boyfriend.
“Ms. Abercrombie, one of the reasons I’m here is there is no Michael Dixon in any database that we have access to so I assume he was using an alias.”
Mariah’s eyes widened. “He was?”
“Yes. Did he drive?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever see his license?”
“No.”
“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t his real name. I’d like to send in a sketch artist to get a photo of him.”
“Oh, wait. I have one on my phone.” She opened her phone and thumbed through her pictures until she found one. “Here.”
Aiden took the phone from her and stared at it. “Do you mind if I send this to myself?”
“Not at all.”
“Do you have any more?”
“Sure.”
He handed her back the phone and she sent him all the pictures she had.
“This will be very helpful in identifying him. In the meantime, I’ve given orders to the front desk and staff that your name is not Mariah Abercrombie but Julie Ray. The police and sheriff’s department here are aware too. If anyone calls for you, we’ll know.”
“Thank you.”
I thanked Aiden as well before he left. He told me he would have an officer checking by here on the daily just to be safe.
“That’s so nice of him,” Mariah said after he left.
“That’s how things are around here. People are willing to help out. You should think about staying here.”
She twisted her hands. “My skill set is slightly limited as you can see.”
“It won’t be this way forever. And you told me you were a stylist. You could get work in one of the salons. They’re always looking for people.”
“No pole dancing?”
“Afraid not, but you could teach it. I hear it’s great exercise.”
“Oh, it is. It’s like crazy good for the legs. And it works the arms too because you have to rely on them if your legs aren’t strong enough.”
“Well, I bet you’d have a big turnout. People would certainly be curious about it.”
“Possibly, but will I still be able to do it after my leg heals?”
“I’m sure you’d need to strengthen your muscles back up, but muscle memory is difficult to lose.”
Her eyes brightened when I said that. It must’ve been weighing heavily on her mind. Then her expression crashed.
“Do you know if my car was totaled?”
“I’m afraid so. Jessie’s dad owns a body shop and he even looked at it. There wasn’t much to salvage. But hey, don’t worry about that now. Let’s get you through rehab first and then figure it out.”
My words didn’t seem to cheer her up much. She seemed dejected and I didn’t know what else to say. To be fair, had I been in her position, I would’ve felt the same.
That night I thought about her predicament. When she left rehab, she’d need a place to stay. Jessie and Miles had that apartment, but it was above the garage which meant climbing up stairs. How would she do that with a toddler? I had plenty of room here. There were four extra bedrooms and she could use one, and Claire could have another. I had no stairs here and it would be the perfect place for her to recover. She could be alone for the entire day, or if she wanted to go to Jessie’s she could. It was something to think about and I’d mention it to her tomorrow.
The following day, I brought up the issue to Miles.
“Jessie and I were talking about that last night. She wants her to stay with us.”
“How will she navigate the stairs though?”
Miles nodded. “That’s a great point we hadn’t thought of.”
“My place doesn’t have that issue.”
“And Jessie’s parents’ place is out because of stairs too. Looks like you’ll have a roommate.”
“Only if she agrees.”
Then Miles hit me with, “Hey, what’s your interest in this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you, and she’s a beautiful woman.”
“Oh, you really think I’m running that angle? The woman can’t even walk.”
“True, but that’s not forever.”
“All I was thinking of was her living space. That’s it.”
He held up his hands. “Okay. Just checking.”
“Thanks for having such faith in me,” I answered sourly.
“You’re right. I’m sorry, man. Old habits, I guess.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. Just let it be known that Miller Campbell has a great heart!”
I heard his laughter all the way down the hall.
Mariah was released from the hospital and went into rehab less than two weeks later. Mayfield and his team determined her tibia was stable and the two surgeries were a success. She would stay in rehab for two weeks and then would be released.
I visited her there the first day.
“How’s the patient doing?”
“Not sure. I think I’ll like it here better than the hospital.”
“Your sleep won’t be as interrupted, which is one good thing. They’ll also help you get your good leg working again.”
“Dr. Mayfield said it would be a while before I can put any weight on the bad leg.”
“I figured as much. The bone needs to heal and you don’t want to disturb any of the work he’s done in there.”
She smiled. “Those were almost his exact words.”
“Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something. I know you’ve been worried about where you’ll be staying after you’re released and I want to offer my place to you.”
Her mouth formed an O as she stared at me. “Oh, I don’t think—”
“Hear me out a minute. I have a single-story home with tons of room. It has five bedrooms and there’s only me. Your other options aren’t too good as Jessie and Miles’s extra space is over their garage, which means it’s up a flight of stairs. Jessie’s parents have the same situation. All their bedrooms are upstairs, so again, you’d have stairs to navigate. Staying at my house would be your best option. As soon as you can go up and down a staircase, you can move to the Carlson’s.”
She only stared at me with a hand over her chest. “I don’t know what to say. I’m overwhelmed.” I saw tears glistening on her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She cleared her throat. “No, it’s just that everyone, including you, has been so generous to me, a stranger.”
“Like I said, Mason Creek is a fabulous town.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for that.”
“Oh, yes there is. I’ll never be able to repay you and everyone here.”
 
; “We don’t need to be repaid. We only want you to get well.”
Her smile lit up the room. “What about Claire?”
“What about her?”
“She’s a toddler and how will I handle that?”
“I’m working on that now. I’m looking into hiring a nanny for you. There’s also a woman in town, Mrs. Garrison, who babysits. She’s helping us find someone. She can look after her during the day, but I’d like to get someone in at night so you don’t have to do it.”
“No, it’s too much.”
“Mariah, listen to me. You can’t do it yet. Trying to juggle a toddler isn’t safe for you at this point. You have to think of Claire and yourself.”
Her head dipped down but then she said, “You’re right. There would be no way for me to get up at night to check on her if she needed me.”
“You can’t even pick her up yet. You’ll get there, but for now, you’ll have to be patient.”
“Okay, but I’ll find a way to pay you back. Somehow. I don’t know, maybe free haircuts for life?”
Her smile was a bit wan, but I liked that idea. “I’m in. You can do that and maybe the rest of the Carlsons too.”
“It’s a deal.”
She held out her hand and I grasped it in mine. A warmth flowed through me I hadn’t felt before that made me curious and reluctant to release it.
Except one of the physical therapists came in and said, “It’s time for your evening session, Ms. Abercrombie.”
Our eyes met and I said, “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Good night Dr. Campbell.”
“It’s Miller.”
“Excuse me?”
“My name. It’s Miller.”
“Oh. Then good night, Miller.”
Chapter Eight
MARIAH
Miller. His first name was Miller. I hadn’t known until tonight. And to think I’d be staying in his house. I still wasn’t quite sure about that, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I was broke, had no car, and nowhere else to go. And he wasn’t exactly the worst person to offer me a place to stay. A giggle leaked out of me.
“Are you ready?”
“Hmm?”
“Ms. Abercrombie?”
“Oh, sorry. Yes, I suppose so.” I’d forgotten about the physical therapist that was in here.
He showed me how to get out of bed and into a wheelchair. “The most crucial thing for you to remember is you cannot put any weight at all on that leg.”
“I understand.”
We went to the PT room where I lay on a table and he had me do some exercises with my good leg.
“It’s important to keep up the strength in this leg as it will be supporting you for the next few months.”
“Few months?” Holy crap. “You mean it’s going to take that long?”
“I’m afraid so, but don’t worry. You’ll get used to it. We’re going to teach you the workarounds. And keep in mind, it’s temporary. The important thing is you do what we tell you so you don’t lose strength.”
Then he moved the broken leg, which was not pleasant at all. “Relax and don’t fight me. I want to work on your quadriceps while keeping your lower leg disengaged. If you tense up, it won’t work and will be painful.”
That was easier said than done as it was putting all my trust in him. He only did it twice, but it was enough for me.
“Each day will get better and better. You’ll see.”
I’d believe it when it happened. For now, I didn’t want anyone to touch it.
When he finished, he showed me some tricks to moving around and gave me one of those sticks with a grabber on the end. “Hey, this is pretty cool.”
“Especially if you drop something and can’t reach it.”
All I had to do was squeeze the handle and the end would pinch together.
I was back in my room and in bed, exhausted. It was crazy that so little could take everything out of me like that. I mentioned that to him and he said, “That’s normal. You haven’t done anything for almost two weeks, but your energy levels should return quickly.”
“I hope so,” I said, hiding my yawn behind a hand.
“I’ll leave you now so you can sleep.”
“Thank you. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“You bet.”
I watched him leave, but my thoughts returned to my future living arrangement. What if Michael found out where I was staying? Would he try something stupid, or worse? I’d have to discuss this with Aiden because I didn’t want to put anyone in danger.
My time in rehab was over and Miller came to collect me. We drove to his house, which was a gorgeous home overlooking the mountains.
He helped me inside as I navigated on crutches. The physical therapist showed me the proper way to use them but instructed me to use a wheelchair whenever possible. I had one for inside, where Miller assisted me to and once I was settled, he brought in the rest of my things.
When he showed me the room I’d have, I was shocked. It was large and had its own bathroom that had a shower. Also, all my belongings from my car were here.
“How did you manage?”
“Your car was towed to Bumps and Dents, which is the body shop owned by Jessie’s dad. He took everything out of the trunk and I picked it up there. Jessie has Claire’s things and will bring them over in a bit.”
I didn’t know what to say. These people had thought of everything. “You all are amazing. Quite honestly, I’d forgotten about those.”
“If you’d like, Jessie can help you unpack.”
“That would be nice.”
Then he took me into Claire’s room, where a toddler bed was against one wall and I had to blink away the tears. “You bought a bed for her?”
“I figured she’d need one so…”
“You shouldn’t have. It’s too much.”
“It was nothing. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Um, water would be great, please.”
He wheeled me back to the main area of the house and brought me some water. “I understand why you bought this house. That view will never get old.”
“That’s what I thought. Every time I look out the window, I almost have to pinch myself.”
“Tell me… how did a nice girl like you end up as a pole dancer?”
The question wasn’t off-putting at all. “I loved that job. The girls there were my family and I never should’ve left. It was my home and I only danced, never stripped. I also did the hair and makeup for everyone, so I had the best of both worlds.”
“It was really that good?”
“It was! I know most people are skeptical, but honestly, it was great. The people I worked for were honest and fair, and they protected us. We were taken good care of, and there were no shenanigans at all. It wasn’t the least bit shady.”
“Why didn’t you go back?”
That was a good question. “I had Claire and no one to care for her. I thought about going back and bringing her to work with me, but by then, a few years had passed and I’d lost contact with them. Michael forbade me to have friends and cut me off from the world. I was afraid to visit there. I never told anyone what was going on, except for one person.”
“Why not?”
I pressed my lips together as I glanced at him. “I know this is dumb, but I was embarrassed. They all had seen the way he set his sights on me and had taken me to fine restaurants. He really did his best to impress me. I couldn’t just go back there and admit he was such a horrible person.”
“Why not? And I’m not trying to put you on the spot. I’m only trying to understand.”
It was difficult to explain. “I guess I didn’t want to admit I’d been such a horrible judge of character.”
He reached for my hand. “But you weren’t. He was playing you, acting as though he was a different person. No one could’ve guessed what he was really like. That’s nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about.”
I scoffed. “When you put it like that, I suppose not, but I wasn’t looking at it like that. I felt like a trapped animal and wasn’t thinking straight.”
“That’s understandable. You’re one of many who find themselves in that position, not knowing what to do. I can’t understand why a man can attack a woman like that. It’s incomprehensible to me.”