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“How can you not? Ford will probably go home and tear up the place looking for a note. Then he’ll be back, and I want to be ready for him. I need food for energy. I can’t fight punks on an empty stomach.”
“Are you serious?”
“No, I’ll just call the police if he shows up here again. Now, sit with me today. I’m tired of pretending you’re just another volunteer.”
She was still trembling. “I don’t understand how you can remain so cool.”
“Look, I’m playing Ford. I want him to flail around in his own misery for a few days. Then when it finally hits him that Violet is gone for good, he’ll either come back in a rage I’ll let the police handle, or he’ll cry, bitch and moan that no one understands him. I might be able to convince him to get treatment then. That’s my goal, not just to punch him out and send him on to abuse another poor girl. That won’t help anyone.”
“Well, at least you have a plan.”
“Of course, my life isn’t completely aimless.”
“No, I didn’t mean that. It’s just that Ford scares me. When he actually believes he has the right to beat up Violet, how can you predict what he’ll do next?”
“I can’t, but psychology would be a really dull field if human behavior were always predictable. People tend to follow certain patterns. Those can be observed, and I doubt Ford is so creative he’ll go off on some new tack of his own.”
“Still, I wouldn’t put anything past him. Do you consider me predictable, by the way?”
Luke laughed and hugged her as they passed through the office on their way to the hall. “Never, but that’s the challenge. Now let’s eat.”
“Easy for you to say.” She trusted Luke, and his years of experience had given him a confidence she would never attain. Still, there was a wild gleam in Ford’s eye that had been truly terrifying.
Chapter Seventeen
On the way home from Lost Angel on Tuesday afternoon, Catherine stopped by a drugstore and bought a pregnancy test kit. She followed the directions with meticulous care, then couldn’t bring herself to check the results. She wished Luke were there to do it for her, and in the next breath, was relieved that he wasn’t.
“Courage, Catherine.” She finally forced herself to look, and just as she’d feared, the result was positive. She had already known the truth in her heart, but holding the scientific proof was still daunting.
It was dusk before she walked up the street to tell Joyce. Her friend welcomed her with an ecstatic cry and then took note of her somber expression. “I’m pregnant,” Catherine blurted out.
“I knew it. Come on in. Let’s have a drink to celebrate, or bemoan the fact, whichever, but I guess alcohol isn’t recommended, is it?”
“No, it isn’t. But I stopped by to let you know you’ve convinced me to tell Luke right away. He’s a stickler for honesty, and waiting will only worsen his reaction.”
“That’s a big plus right there. At least split a soda with me. Have you planned what you’ll say?”
“No, but I’ll try and sneak up on the subject rather than pummel him with it.”
“You might as well try to sneak up on the Matterhorn. What can you possibly say?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll wait until we’re away from Lost Angel and he’s in a real mellow mood.”
“Sleep with him first, you mean? That could work, I suppose.” Joyce pulled a can of diet 7UP from the refrigerator, poured two glasses and added ice.
Catherine carried her glass to the breakfast table and sat. “Sleeping with him would be too devious, but he’s always more relaxed away from the center.”
Joyce joined her at the table. “Maybe you’ve got him all wrong. He might be thrilled at the prospect of fatherhood.”
Catherine took a sip of her drink. “Not a chance. The very best I can hope for is stunned silence. Now how did Saturday’s date go with Shane?”
Joyce’s expression lit with a happy glow, but turning shy, she ran her fingertip around the rim of her glass. “It went exceptionally well, but that’s trivial compared to your news.”
“No, it isn’t. I want to hear all about it,” Catherine encouraged, but as Joyce described how affectionate Shane had become, her mind drifted away. Her whole life had changed since meeting Luke, but she had little hope he’d welcome those same changes in his neatly ordered world.
She glanced up and found Joyce had fallen silent. “I’ll tell Luke tomorrow,” she promised. “I’ll invite him to come over for dinner, and then I’ll break the news.”
“You go, girl. I’ll be home tomorrow night, so give me a call if you need reinforcements.”
