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Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jackson
After getting Lena all situated upstairs with plenty of firewood to last the night and maybe a little into tomorrow, I reluctantly, and with a tremendous amount of self-control, left her alone. It was one of the most difficult things I’d ever had to do, well, aside from accepting that I had to let that fawn go when I was a kid.
I went to the computer to check emails and noticed that Luke emailed the divorce petition and restraining order over, so I called him to let him know I got them.
“Yeah, Jack, the guy played it cool when the process server handed him the papers, even seemed shocked and hurt that Lena would divorce him. Harington told the server he couldn’t understand why she would leave him and file a restraining order against him, considering he’d never laid a hand on her. He told the server that he loved her more than life itself and would never even dream of hurting her. The guy even managed to get all teary-eyed.” Luke chuckled.
“What an ass wipe,” I said.
“Yeah, a real model citizen. I managed to find some more information on him. He was arrested about five years ago for beating a neighbor’s dog. They couldn’t prove anything since nobody saw him do it, so he got off. The neighbor claimed Harrington was always swearing at the dog and had threatened to beat the holy crap out of it several times. But the charges were dropped after the neighbor admitted he didn’t see him do it and just assumed he had.”
“Too bad they couldn’t pin it on him.”
“Yeah, but having the accusations on record helps your friend’s case. I’m sure if I had the time to dig further, I’d come up with some more dirt.”
“Thanks, Luke. You’ve done plenty. So, now we sit back and wait, right?
“Yeah, then it’s smooth sailing. In approximately ninety days, I’ll submit the final papers. I’ll get the judge to move quickly on this. He’s a friend of mine and owes me.”
“You’re the best, Luke.”
“Be careful, Jack. This guy is sly and dangerous. I don’t think a restraining order’s going to deter him from trying to take what he thinks belongs to him.”
I didn’t doubt Luke’s warning. But I did have reservations about whether or not I could talk Lena into staying long enough to be here when the papers came for her to sign.
Having her move in upstairs, as much as I wanted to keep her here with me, was a good start, though. I knew she was safe, and I knew she’d heal better, both inside and out, if allowed to make a new home for herself. But I knew staying in the guest bedroom of a house with two guys didn’t give her much opportunity for that.
Only now, I had to think of some way to keep a closer eye on her since she wasn’t always right by my side all the time. Oh, man, now I sounded like a crazy stalker or something. I was pathetic and started to make myself sick.
Maybe Brodie was right, and I should back off. Let the woman live her life without me butting in with my two cents’ worth of bullshit. No doubt that was the way she saw it. Unsolicited advice was usually considered boring and annoying. I couldn’t keep treating her as if she were some injured animal like my fawn, but, God, if something happened, if that creep ever found her, I’d never forgive myself for not being there for her. Now I was beginning to annoy even myself. I cared too much. I was in too deep, and I didn’t know how to pull myself up and out of the box of emotions I’d created.
