Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

Jessie licked her dry lips. “I didn’t.”

“That’s probably because you didn’t go to school with me, and even when you moved to town, you still kept pretty much to yourself. You went out less than I did.”

“My family sheltered me since I was the only girl in the family. We had that in common, too—your parents were as strict as my father.”

“Stricter. When they died, Beth tried to get me involved more, but I was content to stay in my bubble.” Lily laid her hand on hers. “I wasn’t always sheltered. I was adopted.”

Jessie met Lily’s clear violet eyes that every woman in town envied, seeing the depths of pain within that her heart instinctively recognized.

Jessie turned away, a tear sliding from the corner of her eye. She had gone to church with Lily for years; whoever could have hurt the gentle woman had to have been a monster.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry it happened to you, too. Jessie, look at me.”

Jessie turned her face back around.

Lily wiped the tear on her cheek away. “Please don’t cry for me. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I promise you’re going to get there, too.”

“It doesn’t feel that way now.”

“No, it doesn’t. But it will. It’ll be better.”

“I don’t know about better.” Jessie gave a short laugh. “I just know I don’t like feeling like this. I’ve never been afraid of anything in my life. I don’t like not wanting to stay home alone, jumping at every creak, and I miss being with my friends. I’m not this person.” Jessie waved her free hand over herself, angry with herself about becoming a frightened mouse.

“Then don’t be,” Lily said simply. “You don’t have to do it alone. I didn’t.”

Lily turned over the hand holding hers, and with the other, she pushed up the sleeves of her dress to reveal the tattoo on the underside of her arm. Forget-me-nots were clustered around three white Easter lilies. Inside the forget-me-nots were Shade’s, her children—John Wayne and Clint’s—names, as well as others that Jessie didn’t recognize. But it was the words that were tatted inside the lilies that drew her attention. They were words Lily lived by every day, tattooed not only on her arm, but on her soul—love, hope, and faith.

“Jessie, my faith gave me strength during my darkest moments. And when I wasn’t strong enough to fight through my fears, God blessed me by putting those in my life who loved me enough to give me theirs. You can’t move a mountain alone, but a whole town can. I might not look it, but I’m strong, and I’ll always be one phone call away whenever you need me.”

Jessie pressed her lips together, trying not to break down in tears. Taking a deep breath, she then released it shakily.

“Thank you, Lily. I was raised only to depend on my family and myself, and not to accept help from anyone. That’s why I was thinking of selling the daycare, because I didn’t want to accept Bliss’s help. I decided this morning not to sell it. If I can accept help from her, then I have to realize that I need to be willing to accept help from others, too.”

“Yes, you do.” Lily pointed out the windshield. “Look.”

Jessie looked out, seeing that more people had arrived while she had been talking to Lily. Tate was going up the steps to help Bubba and Holt with her couch. Rachel was patiently waiting for them to come down so she could go up. Greer was jumping onto the back of Bud’s truck to help Asher and Bud lift a large chair.

As she watched, she saw two cars pull into the parking lot. Jo and Rider got out of an expensive car that she would give one of her eye teeth for to get in line behind Rachel. And Holly, Diamond, and Bliss got out of the other car to get in line.

“I don’t have that much stuff to need that much help,” she was saying when her heart broke into a million pieces.

Kaley came out onto the landing from her apartment, carrying the lamp from her living room. That Kaley was helping while she was suffering her own tragic loss was a heartwarming gesture that reminded Jessie how truly lucky she had been to survive her attack.

Miranda hadn’t. She was now in the funeral home two blocks away while Jessie was sitting here, too afraid to get out.

“They don’t care. No matter how small, they want to help you carry a small part of your burden.”

“Lily, would you mind helping me pack my clothes?”

“I would be honored,” she said, then gave a small laugh. “But I think Dustin has other plans.”

Jessie turned at the sound of the truck door being opened on her other side.

Dustin searched her eyes as he leaned inside. “You want a ride home?”