Christmas Escape

Chapter Six

Micah

I heard the pipes groan and whine as someone used their bathroom. I wasn’t sure if the other guests were in the house and wondered if it were Peyton. I hoped that she would have a chance to relax and take the time to heal. I could see it on her face that she wanted to do everything right. She was feeling her way through life by dipping her toe in front of her. It was like she was a blind woman walking through a mine field.

I wondered if that is what it had been like for her during her marriage. I hated that she even felt like that. I hated that anyone felt that way. I was still musing about it, standing against my kitchen bench when I heard the bell ring above the entrance door. I went out to see Lana come in with her arms filled with bread from her bakery.

I headed for her and unloaded a few of the loaves that were covering her face. “Let me help,” I said with a laugh.

Lana laughed in return and handed me off some of the loaves of bread in her arms. I’d started making my own bread for breakfasts when I opened the lodge. But after a while I thought it was better to just buy from Lana. Why make life harder on me when the bread was better from the bakery?

“Thank you,” I said as I unloaded the bread onto the kitchen bench and took the bags of pastries from Lana’s hands.

“That’s alright. I saw you have a new guest,” she said with a sparkle in her eye. It never ceased to amaze me how this town got their gossip so quickly.

“Yeah, she’s been beat to hell,” I said. It was no secret in Badger Valley that I opened the rooms up to women who were escaping domestic abuse. For the most part the town welcomed them with open arms and helped to integrate them into the community. It was something that I loved about Badger Valley. It wasn’t just a town; it was more like a family.

“s**t,” Lana swore with a shake of her head. “Bad?”

I sighed and nodded my head. “The worst we’ve had for a while,” I confirmed.

Lana winced and shook her head. “I hate those assholes that do this to women. They deserve to rot in hell.”

“Yeah, they do,” I said matching Lana’s growl. Most of the town knew about Mom. Sadly, there wasn’t a safe place that she could run back then. It wasn’t that there weren’t people that would have helped her. It was just that most people minded their own business and didn’t get involved unless the woman asked.

Everyone knew that Dad beat Mom, but while Mom never complained no one did anything. It wasn’t until Dad killed her that something was finally done. But of course, by that time it was too late. I realized that there were many women I wasn’t able to save because like my mom they didn’t say anything and kept the abuse hidden. But for those that wanted to escape I would do everything I could to help them.

“You’re a good guy, Micah,” Lana said breaking into my inner thoughts. “If anyone can help her heal, it is you.”

I smiled at Lana and nodded my head. I hoped I could help. It was all that I wanted to do. Was to help the women that were able to escape. To give them a safe place to land.

“Well, I best get back to it, those tarts aren’t going to cook themselves,” Lana said with a grin before she turned and headed for the door.

“Come back and meet Peyton in a few days, she could do with more friends to help her through,” I said.

Lana nodded her head and smiled a warm grin. “I will. I’ll let her settle in for a few days first.”

“Thanks Lana,” I replied. Lana waved over her shoulder before she disappeared through the door. The bell tinkling as the front door opened and closed. “We’ll keep her safe, Bessy.”

The house groaned again as if in agreeance. I smiled and patted the bench as I started to think about the casserole I was going to prepare for that nights meal. I started to pour over the fresh vegetables I’d picked up from the grocery store that morning. Pulling out potatoes, carrots, onions, and turnips. I piled them on the bench, beside the large slab of meat Callum, one of the local hunters had dropped into me.

Soon the broth was bubbling away on the stove, and I was butchering the meat into bite sized pieces. The scent of the casserole floated through the air, and I was humming away to a song that played through my mind. The snow continued to fall silently outside, and the warmth of the fire combined with the kitchen kept the whole house happily warm. Bessy contently moaned now and then as if she was enjoying the delicious scents that filled the air.