The Neighbor's Secret (Closed)

[zydrate]

Malinda Augustus
Age: 20

How long had it been since she had "run away" from home? 3 Months?

Well, it was actually 92 days and counting. Yet, no one was looking for her.

But her stepfather had done a good job so far in keeping her being missing out of the news in their country. It was a wonder how much he had paid her body doubles to keep quiet about the missing princess.

Well, yes, this was one of those scenarios where Malinda had done the very thing she had always threatened to do. Run away. How had she been so successful? It was help from her Grandfather. He had set up a secret trust for her (about 7 million US dollars) in case she just wanted to get away.

Of course, she could have gone some where fancy and perhaps somewhere were there was a beach and sun. But no, Malinda had studied and scouted out a nice quiet place where no one would know her. Or even the fact she was a person who kept to herself.

Portland, Oregon, United States.

When Malinda was younger, she had only visited the US once and that was, of course, on official business with her family.

Now, she was alone, officially. She had managed to get an apartment with her fake ID she had acquired from a friend of a friend... of a friend. It was amazing who you could befriend if you were just nice to them.

Well, that and had the money.

How long was she going to stay away? She wasn't sure. She wasn't in a hurry in going back, that was for sure.

 

[BeachBum25]

Will Murray was just out of the Navy. He had enlisted right out of high school. He finished his military career as a member of the elite Navy Seals. He was only 25 years old. Everyone was shocked when he decided to leave the Navy. Those that knew him thought he was going to make the Navy his career. The SEAL Commander had actually tried, several times, to talk Will out of leaving. Everyone kept asking him what he was going to do when he left. The truth was, he had no idea. For some reason, he just felt he had to go.

On his flight home to Vegas, Will's flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon. After deplaning, Will went to find a cup of coffee to wait out whatever time until the flight took him home to Vegas. While sitting with his coffee, he overheard a woman on the phone say she was applying to the Oregon State Police to be a Trooper. Will looked at her, and then began to think that could be a job for him. He had no plans, and he had experience with weapons and defusing situations. He should give that a try.

When finally arriving home in Vegas, Will went online and found out about the process for applying to OSP. After completing the extensive application process, he worked some odd jobs around Vegas, including some construction labor work that included working on the new stadium that was being built to host the Raiders. When he received the call to join OSP, he was somewhat surprised, but excited about the opportunity.

When he reported for training, he noticed the woman that he had heard talking on the phone in the airport. He walked up and thanked her. She looked at him funny, so, Will explained about hearing her talking about applying, which made him think about applying. Training was challenging, but Will was definitely up to the challenge. He performed well in all phases of his training. He was looking forward to graduating and getting to his duty station and serving the people of Oregon.

With two weeks to go before the completion of training, Will was told to report to report to the Training Commanders office. Will did not have a good feeling about this. As he made his way to the office, he wondered what, if anything, he did to justify being summoned to the office. Once there, he was met by the Training Commander who told Will to sit down, and relax. Over the next 20 minutes, Will was told that he was being pulled from training and was going to be sent on a special assignment. Will was told that this was unprecedented. Will was also told that he was not to reach out to anyone in his training class. He was told that his military background, and the fact that he had nobody close to him in Oregon were the main reasons he was being chosen for this particular assignment.

Will's head was spinning. Just when he thought he was not going to become a Trooper, he was told to stand up, and was sworn in. He was told that at some point, he would become a regular Trooper. When that happened depended on how long it took to complete the assignment he was going to be given.

The next day, Will was contacted by a commander in OSP and told to meet her at a coffee shop in Salem. When he arrived, a woman in plain clothes identified herself as Captain Johnson. She introduced a man sitting next to her as Agent Phillips from Homeland Security. During the next hour, it was explained to Will that Homeland Security had been tasked with finding a foreign princess that was missing. They did not think she was in danger, yet. Supposedly she went missing on her own and did not want to be found. Her family had other ideas and wanted her back. The last intel they had was that she had been searching Oregon on her computer.

Homeland Security was not in the business of looking for people who did not want to be found if they were not wanted for anything illegal. Captain Johnson reminded Will that OSP didn't do that either. Will was told that this was all about keeping a foreign nation happy. He was told that a lot of people would be very happy if he found the princess.

The only information that Will was given was a long list of locations that came up when they had searched the princess' laptop and several pictures of her. There were 15 places in Oregon. Some of them very remote. Others in bigger cities. Once he had the information, he was told that Captain Johnson was to be his contact person, and he was to check in with her at least once a week. Hopefully, she said, the assignment would not take long. He was told that once he found her, he was to let Captain Johnson know, but not take any other action.

Early the next morning, Will began the "hunt." He was a little uneasy trying to find someone who hadn't done anything wrong, just because her family wanted her found. It felt like it was a task for a Private Investigator. Will started in remote locations first. He figured it would be easy to spot an attractive young woman in the remote locations than in crowds of people. Several weeks went by, and he reported that he had not located her yet, but was crossing places off the list.

His last report to Captain Johnson told her that he was going to head to Portland next.

 

[zydrate]

The small veterinary was quiet on this Sunday evening. It was a good thing. That meant no emergencies had been called in. All Malinda had to do for tonight was feed a few of their 'patients' and then walk two dogs. Although it was simple, she enjoyed it very much.

It took a lot for Malinda not to adopt every stray that came in for a check up and then taken to the local animal shelter to be put up for adoption. She didn’t have the space, but she gave in another way. With anonymous donations to both her work and the shelter. She loved animals. It was something she always loved since she was a child. If there was one thing she was missing, it was her horses. That was probably the only thing she had regretted leaving behind. But it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t be well taken care of, it was just one of the few things she was missing.

Had she missed her family? No… her stepfather was a nightmare. Although he had no ‘real’ power, he loved pushing her mother around, telling her what needed to be done and how their small country needed to be run.

And her mother listened to him.

In fact, he had sent Malinda off to a school in another country so he wouldn’t have to deal with her. Out of sight, out of mind.

Well, she had taken that to heart by running away.

Her shift was almost up and soon, Malinda would call it a day (literally) and head to the small diner at the corner near her apartment. She never learned to cook and didn't see the poitn in learning now. So she ate at the small diner when she could.

It wasn't busy that Sunday morning as most people had probably been recovering from their Saturday night partying.

She greeted the waitress by name... yeah, that's how often she had come in.

Malinda ordered her usual, scrambled eggs, waffles and orange juice. She picked up a paper and filpped through it as she waited on her breakfast. As she reached the world news page, she saw the headline, "Prince Lennox to visit United States in November."

Prince Lennox.

Her step father.

November was over 4 months away.

Damn... now Malinda wasn't hungry....

 

[BeachBum25]

Will was growing weary from this search. It was like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. They hadn't given him any leads other than some of the locations in the state that the princess had searched on her computer. Will was wondering why HE got pulled for this assignment, really. Did they not think that he was really cut out for the job and that if he did not find the princess then it would be a reason to let him go?

Working through neighborhoods that the princess had searched, Will spent a lot of time stopping and watching. He would walk the streets and then stop and watch the people go past. Sometimes he would spend a week just working a 4 square block area because there were so many people, and it was difficult to recognize a singular person in such big crowds. Sometimes Will walked through supermarkets trying to get a glimpse of the princess. Other times, he sat in a restaurant or coffeeshop window watching the people walk in and out and walking past him on the sidewalk.

It was beyond frustrating. There were probably 10-15 times each day that Will saw someone who he thought could be the princess, only to be disappointed when he caught up to the woman. There were times where Will just wanted to call Captain Johnson and tell her that he quit... he just couldn't do it anymore. However, his competitive personality would not allow him to quit. He had too much pride. Plus, if the princess was in danger, then, he had to find her.

After spending all day Sunday looking for the princess, Will stopped at a small diner and planted himself in the booth by the window. He had no intention of using this location to look for the princess, he just took that seat out of habit. The waitress came over and took his order.... coffee and meatloaf. Coffee kept him going, and Will hoped the meatloaf would make him feel better. It was definitely a comfort food.

When his meatloaf was delivered, the waitress also brought him a refill of his coffee. He smiled at her and thanked her. He ate his food slowly, and enjoyed the coffee as he stared out the window... not focusing on anything or anyone. It was then that he saw a woman leave the diner and head in the other direction. He thought to himself, "was that her?" He started to get up, but then sat back down. he had chased down women before that he thought were her. This would just be another one of those times.

When the waitress came back to him with the coffee pot, he said, yes, please." When she finished filling his cup, Will asked her, "The woman that just walked out, do you happen to know her name?" The waitress gave Will a dirty look. Will smiled at her. "No, no. I am not that kind of guy. I am not a stalker or anything like that. Look at this face.. does it look like the face of a stalker?" The woman commented that she had no idea what a stalker looked like, but she knew they came in all shapes and sizes... even good looking ones that are in great physical shape.

Will gave the waitress another smile. "Listen, I just think she is really attractive, and I was hoping to get her name in case I see her again." The waitress told him that the woman comes into the diner a lot, but at different times, and if she wanted him to know her name, she could give it to him. Will nodded his head to her and thanked her.

After nursing his third cup of coffee, Will paid his check and left a generous tip. On the way out he thanked the waitress and told her, "I'll see you around."

For the next few days, Will was in the diner as often as he could be. If he wasn't in the diner, he was standing outside in close proximity to it. Of course, he didn't see the woman that had left the diner, and Will wasn't even sure it was the princess. He was just hoping to get lucky, and then, there she was... walking into the diner. Will looked at her. It was definitely her. He perked up a little.

Will approached the entrance to the diner and the waitress saw him. He motioned for her to come over. "I know I told you I am not a stalker, and I am not. I want to prove it to you. Would you ask her if I could join her for just a cup of coffee? If she says no, I will walk away and not come back here." Will was telling the truth. What he didn't tell was that he would track the woman somewhere else. The waitress agreed and walked over to the princess, said something, and then pointed in Will's direction. He waited for her response.

Even without knowing her response, Will was already exceeding the boundaries of his assignment. He wasn't supposed to make contact. He was supposed to find her, follow her, and then report. Well, there would be plenty of time to report.

 

[zydrate]

With the next couple of days off, Malinda stopped by the diner after her last shift. She was wearing scrubs today only because it was a requirement for work. Although she didn’t do any medical duties at the clinic, she still had to wear the ‘uniform’. She hadn’t mind though.

Today she had opted for oatmeal and toast. She had never had it before when growing up, so she had only just discovered it with in the past few weeks. There were a lot of things she hadn’t experienced while stuck in the position of a ‘royal’ child. She had people who did a lot for her and how she grew up not spoiled or reliant on those people was a miracle. Sure, it had been a tough couple of weeks without help while on her own, but she had managed.

This was why she ate out a lot. She couldn’t cook to save her life. But she had wanted to learn.

There was a lot she had wanted to learn while she was on her own… at least before she would be found.

Yeah, she was certain that she’d be found. She just hoped it was later than sooner. And from reading the paper the other day and seeing her stepfather would be visiting soon, she knew she didn’t have much time. He would surely want his stepdaughters with him.

Although her mother was the rightful person who was in charge, her stepfather never missed the opportunity to ‘shine’.

“How’s everything?” Gretchen asked Malinda as she brought her another glass of ice water.

Malinda smiled, “It’s really good.” It was true. “How are you today, Gretchen? Is your sister feeling better?”

The older lady nodded, smiling, “She’s better, thank you. I just wish I knew where that anonymous inheritance had come from. It really did help her out.”

“It is odd, isn’t it.” Malinda said, sipping her water.

“Yeah, it is… so, anyway…” Gretchen leaned in toward Malinda, lowering her voice, “I not sure how to handle this but that young man over there asked me to ask you if it would be OK if he could join you? He’s been in a few times this week and he seems nice enough but still, if he gets out of hand or says something, just tell me and I’ll throw his ass out.”

Malinda had no doubt the old woman could, and she just smiled, “Thank you, I’m sure it’s OK…” Malinda turned to look at the man and waved him over.

When he sat down, with his coffee, Malinda held out her hand, “Hi, I’m Michele.” Malinda nodded to his coffee, “did you need a refill?”

 

[BeachBum25]

Will walked over slowly to where the princess was sitting. He wanted to be careful and not do anything that might raise her suspicions about him. The last couple of times he had stopped by the diner, he had dressed nicely. He wanted the impression that he gave to be a positive one. Tonight, he was wearing gray pants with a light blue shirt and navy blue and gray tie. Yes, it was a little much for a surveillance operation, but, he wanted to make sure he presented himself in a good light.

Sitting across from her, he smiled when she asked if he needed a refill. "Hello Michelle, my name is Will. No thank you. I am okay with my coffee." He looked into her eyes; they were captivating. "I am sorry to do this... well, not really, because I really wanted to meet you and introduce myself, but I want you to know that I am really not a stalker. I saw you the other night and I felt like I had to meet you. I think you are really beautiful."

Slow down Will... you are going to scare her off. Take a breath... a deep breath.

"I am sorry. I was rambling there a little. I am new to town and was in here eating... by the way, their meatloaf is so delicious. I highly recommend it. Anyway, as I was saying, I am new in town and I was eating here, and I noticed you leaving. I spoke with the waitress. Then I saw you here this evening and I didn't want you to think I was someone you needed to be afraid of. That is why I asked her to check with you to see if I could join you. I figured you would say no, and I was just going to walk away. However, I am really happy you said yes."

Will knew it was time to shut up. The thing was, he was conflicted and it was interfering with everything going through his mind. On the one hand, he had been given an assignment, and he was carrying it out. Yes, he realized he wasn't supposed to make contact, but he could justify it by saying that he wanted to be certain that she really was the princess. On the other hand, he did find her to be very attractive.. actually, she was extremely beautiful. Why wouldn't he want to talk with a beautiful woman? Well, other than the fact that he was working, and it was his job to locate her and report what he found.

A lot of things had been running through Will's head during his hunt for the princess. One of the things he couldn't get out of his head was the fact that a member of a royal family was missing, and they sent someone who had yet to finish his training at the police academy to look for her. Why was that? Why wouldn't they have a large contingent of experienced law enforcement officials from every level.. local, county, state and federal... looking for her? Was there a reason this was being kept so quiet. Will had not seen anything on local or national news about a missing princess. Was he being used as a pawn in all of this?

He waited to see what the princess' reaction would be. He was amazed at how composed she remained after being approached by a complete stranger. He did not want to push her for information. He did not want her to suspect that he was somebody looking for her. Right now, he felt the only thing she could think about him was that he had no game when it came to introducing himself and talking to a woman.

 

[zydrate]

Her…? Beautiful? She felt anything but beautiful now as she remembered her scrubs were messed up and probably a little wrinkled from giving some of the dogs a bath.

Malinda should have been more wary of strangers. Perhaps other women would have found it odd that someone approached them like this, but she didn’t sense anything amiss. Maybe it was his eyes. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen and couldn’t bring herself to look away from them as he talked. It matched his shirt perfectly. He looked good in what he was wearing, and she couldn’t help but be impressed by his appearance.

She had a faint smile on her face and perhaps a puzzled look when he mentioned meatloaf. She had no idea what that was.

“Will…” she said, as if testing it out, “I’ll be truthful, Will. I’m new here too. So, I’m afraid I can’t be much help, but I am very flattered you wanted to join me. What brings you to this city? I can only assume it is work that brings you here…?” She stopped as she took a sip of her juice.

The waitress approached them, asking if they needed anything else. Moreso directing the question to Malinda, as if asking if she was doing OK. Malinda assured her everything was good.

 

[BeachBum25]

Looking at Michele, Will waited to respond to her question. He was surprised at how composed she was with a stranger approaching her the way he did.

"Yes Michele, I am here looking for work." He almost said to her that he just got out of the military, but thought better of it. If he said he was military, she might get suspicious of him. "I grew up on a farm and I want a change. I came to the city because it is as big a change as you can get from where I am coming from."

The farm was a good decision. He had grown up on one, and it was the reason he enlisted in the Navy right out of high school. He didn't like it at all. Now, however, if the princess asks him questions about it, he would be able to answer her.

"I got tired of getting up early and going to bed late, and working hard all through the day. It is rewarding, but I wanted to see if I could find something different." He paused for a second. "It hasn't been easy though."

Sitting across from the princess, Will was amazed at how much more beautiful she was than the picture. He thought about whether he would notice her if he hadn't been looking for her, and his response to himself was a definite, "hell, yes."

Looking up at the waitress, he smiled at her. "I am good, thank you. If I have more coffee, it will mean I have to spend more time sitting here with Michele. Although I would love to do that, I am quite sure that Michele would prefer that I leave her alone. I do thank you, however, for speaking to her for me and giving me the opportunity to meet someone so beautiful."

Will took two $20s out of his pocket and handed them to the waitress. "This is for Michele's meal and my coffee. The rest is for you."

Then, he looked at the princess. "If you ever just want someone to talk with... you know, just 2 new people in town... here is my number." Will wrote his cell phone number on a napkin and handed it to her. "It doesn't have to be anything special. In fact, we could just meet here where you have your bodyguard." Will smiled as he nodded in the direction of the waitress.

He got up from table. "It was very nice meeting you Michele. Thank you for allowing me to spend a few minutes with you. I hope we see each other again."

Returning to his hotel, Will continued to wonder what the deal was with the search for her. Then he had an awful thought... .what if there was someone following him as he looked for the princess. Well, if there was, he would have done his job and found her and then he could get onto the work he had originally set out to do with OSP. Then his mind went to another thought.. not as good a thought as the first one...... what if Malinda was in hiding because she was afraid of something in her home country and there could be danger in her being found.

He had to be cautious. He hoped she would call him so that they could meet again and not just because of his assignment... he really thought she was beautiful and would love to spend more time with her.

 

[zydrate]

"You need be careful out there.." the waitress said as she came to clear up the table, "A lot of crazy people out there ready to take advantage of someone pretty like you."

Malinda finished up her juice and stood, smiling, "Well, he seems nice and I want to say I'm a pretty good judge of character." She patted the waitress on the shoulder, walking around her, "Thanks for watching out for me. Now, I need to go enjoy some time off by sleeping." With that, Malinda left the restaurant and headed to her apartment.
****

It was late afternoon when Malinda saw the napkin that had Will's phone number on it and it made her smile. She picked it up and entered it in her phone. At the same time, she thought about what he said, that he was new to town also.

On a whim, she sent him a message:

Hi, it's Michele--from the diner
I'm going to me a friend at a small bar for some dinner and music, do you want to join us? It should be a great place to meet some new people? Let me know and I'll send you the time and address.
~M

Was all that too bold? She didn't think so.

It wasn't even 5 minutes later when she got his response.

It made her smile so she sent him the address and time.
****

The small piano bar wasn't anything fancy, just a small, quiet bar with music most nights but some good food. At least in her mind. Tonight, she was dressed in a pair of black jeans, black camisole with a red sweater over it. Nights weren't too chilly yet, but it was getting there.

 

[BeachBum25]

To say that will was shocked when he received the text from the princess would be an understatement. He had never really expected her to reach out to him, and now, here she was, texting him to meet her and a friend for a drink.

His response was simple.

Hi Michele. I would love to meet and your friend. Let me know when and where. Thank you for the invite Will

This created a little problem for Will. He really didn't have much in the way of changes of clothes with him. He had been wearing mostly jeans, and t-shirts and sweatshirts. The one nice shirt and tie he had, he had worn when he met the princess. Well, I guess that means I have to go shopping.

*********

He walked into the piano bar and looked around. At first he didn't see the princess. He stood there in a brand new pair of blue dress pants, a new white dress shirt and a blue and red striped tie.

When Will spotted her, he smiled and made his way in her direction. He did not see anyone sitting with her, but did not want to assume that she was alone. As he approached her, Will's mind was racing a little. Should he tell her that he had been sent to look for her? If so, when should he tell her? Maybe he should just keep it quiet. He had not reported anything, yet.

Before he could work his way through his thoughts, he was standing next to her. "Hello Ma.... Michele. Thank you so much for inviting me here. This looks like a great place." Damn, he hoped she didn't catch his mistake in almost calling her by her real name. He watched her face for any sign of a reaction. He didn't see one, but he felt that she was cool enough to maintain her composure if she had noticed.

He sat across from her. "Is your friend here yet?" He motioned for the waitress, and ordered a beer. "What would you like Michele?"

 

[zydrate]

Malinda was actually looking over the menu when Will showed up. She brightened up when she saw him and again, was impressed with his appearance. He was a very handsome and knew how to present himself. He almost reminded her of one of her personal bodyguards at home. They always blended in well with others but still stood out, making sure others knew who they were.

She brushed that thought away. Sure, he dressed well, but he was not one who worked for her stepfather. She was also sure he was a good guy and meant well.

“Hi!” She said, getting up and giving him a small hug before guiding him to sit beside her on the long bench. “No Ann is.. always fashionably late. I’m guessing she’ll probably show up in about 30 minutes.” She handed him a menu, “The cheese fries at the best here. I’ve never had them before… had them this good before here, that is.”

Damnit… There were a lot of things she hadn’t had but she had to pretend to know what they were. She had never had cheese fries before and when she met Ann here, she introduced Malinda to them. It was so good.

Quickly, Malinda directed her attention to the waitress, “Just a soda…” she said and looked at Will, “I don’t really drink… actually,” she leaned in close to him, “I’m not even supposed to be in here, but Ann knows the bartender and the bouncer so, it’s OK, as long as I don’t drink. Apparently, you have to be 21.” She said, not realizing how she had said it.

“How is the job hunting going? Is there anything in particular you're looking for?”

She listened to his answers, paying attention to him as the music played softly in the background. “you said you grew up on a farm? What sort of animals did you have?” Malinda loved animals, which was why she chose to work at the vet clinic even if it was just cleaning up after the many animals and walking the dogs. God, if her family knew she was doing such menial work, what would they think?

 

[BeachBum25]

Hugging the princess, and then sitting down with her, Will felt suddenly close to her. He had no idea why. Yes, she was beautiful, but he really didn't know her. He just knew about her.

"I will have a club soda with lime, and we will have two orders of the cheese fries, please," Will said to the waitress before turning his attention to Malinda. He noticed the sudden barrage of questions from her. He had a feeling it was an attempt to take the focus away from her.

"The job hunting is going just okay. Well, no it isn't. I have found nothing that interests me, at least nothing where they are willing to hire somebody with no experience. I am positive that will all change, though."

Will looked around the room. It was something he always did. He had to know his surroundings.

"Our farm is loaded with animals." He was careful to speak in the present tense. "We have dairy cows, sheep, chickens, and recently we added some alpaca. That is to go with the fields that need to be planted and harvested. It is a lot of work. I enjoyed working with the animals the most. Often, I wish I had gone to school to be a vet. I think I would love spending my days just working with animals."

He thanked the waitress when she dropped off their drinks, and said their fries would be out shortly. He was enjoying his time with the princess, and hoped that her friend would not show up at all.

"Michele, you look really pretty. I love that sweater. Red looks really good on you." He hoped she wouldn't think that his comments were too forward.

"I have to thank you for inviting me out tonight. It is really nice to have someone to meet and talk to. I was afraid I would never hear from you again after my awkward way of meeting you at the diner. That and my rambling when we met."

Out of the corner of his eye Will saw something. He wasn't sure what it was, but when he turned in that direction, he noticed two men looking in their direction. Was he being paranoid? Maybe, but, he wasn't sure about the princess and what danger, if any, she might be in. Will took 2 $20 bills out of his pocket and put them on the table. Then, he took the princess' hand. "Michele, come with me please. I will explain when we get outside, but, right now, we need to go. I know this is strange, but please just come with me."

Will really didn't give her a chance. He didn't have to drag her, which was a good thing. Once outside, he kept walking.. her hand in his. Periodically, he would look over his shoulder. "Just a little further and I will explain. You can text your friend and have her meet us up here at coffee shop on the corner. I don't want you to think I am trying to harm you.. it is just the opposite."

When they got to the coffeeshop, Will led her to a booth in the back. They sat across from one another. "I guess you want to know why I am acting so strange all of a sudden. Well, it is a long story."

Will went on to explain who he was, and what his assignment had been. He grabbed her hand when he felt that she was going to get up and leave. "I have not told anyone I found you, and I am not going to tell them either. Your secret is safe with me. I just don't know who else is out here looking for you. I don't know if your family has people looking for you. I don't know if our government has people looking for you. I don't know if anyone has been following me. All I know is that since I saw you, all I wanted to do was to get to know you... that, and protect you."

With that, he let go of her hand. "If you want to run away from me now, I understand. I will delete your number from my phone and I will move on and report that I could not find you here."

 

[zydrate]

She was listening intently to Will talking about his farm. It was something she had hoped to have one day. Peace. Peace related to having a place of her own and not having to worry about her duties to her country and of course, to her stepfather. Why her mother didn’t have more say was beyond her. The two had never gotten along after the death of her father. And then to have that man come in and take over everything? Malinda didn’t want any part of it.

But she had no say. Not yet.

In an instant, everything changed. First, she was enjoying the music and of course, Will’s company but then she saw him look at some other men and that’s when his whole demeanor changed. He had grabbed her hand in his and didn’t let go as he led her out of the bar and toward to another place… a coffee shop. She saw the men also.

Did they find her? She was still lost in thought when Will took her by the hand and led her out of the bar. She kept looking back to make sure they weren’t being followed. She went willingly with him only because he wasn’t leading them toward the men but the opposite of them.

“Wait..wait! What do you mean protect me?! You know who I am?!” She said, almost too loudly that the few people in the coffee shop looked toward them and she quickly lowered her voice, to a hushed whispered, “You knew who I was this whole time?! How do I know you’ll not just lead them to me if I just walk away now?!” She was near hyperventilating and tried to calm herself down.

“I can’t believe it…” she was saying more about the men finding her… if they were looking for her or maybe it was Will’s overactive imagination?

She sat back against the back of the booth and crossed her arms under her chest, thinking about what to do next. “I can’t go back...” she said in a whisper, more to herself than to Will. “No… I don’t want to go back.”

Looking at him, she straightened up and glared at him, “How much are they paying you?! Is it my step-father that’s paying you? If it is, I’ll triple it. Name your price.” She had the money, so why not put it to use, “$250,000 now to keep me safe until I turn 21 in 5 months. Then, if you do your job right, another $2 million for not letting me get killed. Because trust me, that’s what’s going to happen if I end up back in my home country.”

 

[BeachBum25]

Will knew that the princess was upset. He sat in the booth looking at her; letting her vent.... letting her get all of her questions out.

"Michele, yes, I will continue to use that name, until you tell me different, I will answer all of your questions, but I want you to know, I am not here to hurt you, I am not here for your money, I am here now because I want to protect you." He paused, trying to think how he was going to explain all of this to her. Although he planned on telling her everything eventually, he thought it would be well down the road.

"So..... I am not sure exactly who I am working for. Officially, I am a Trooper with the Oregon State Police. From there, the story gets kind of strange. While I was in training, I was pulled out after being called to a meeting with someone from the Department of Homeland Security. I was told I was being given a very hush-hush assignment, and I was quickly sworn in, given a badge and a gun and a list of places that you had searched on your computer. I was told to find you because you were in danger. I was told not to make contact with you... just find you and report your location."

Will watched the princess closely as he went through the story.

"I started in remote locations, because I thought it would be easier to find you than in a big city, because there would be fewer people. While I was going from place to place, I had a lot of time to think. I started to realize that I might be a pawn in something much bigger, and by taking me out of the training bureau like they did, it would be easy for them to cover up. I started to think that whoever wanted you found had bad intentions for you."

The princess started to say something. Will put up his hand. "Let me finish, and then I will answer any other questions. I just want to get it all out." When Malinda recrossed her arms over her chest, Will continued.

"When I decided to start looking here in Portland, I went from neighborhood to neighborhood just people watching. I got very tired of looking for you. Every woman I saw with dark hair, I thought was you. Finally, one night I went into the diner for something to eat. I was sitting in a window booth when I saw you walk out. Well, at least I thought it was you. I had chased down so many women who I thought were you only to find out they weren't, that I decided not to go after you. I asked the waitress about you, but she was very protective. So, I started hanging out around the diner.. looking for you. You agreed to let me sit with you. I was happy about that. I thought it was great that an attractive woman would agree to let me sit down with her. As soon as I did that, I broke a rule that I was given about not making contact with you, and I didn't care."

Will took a sip of water. He could see the confusion in Malinda's eyes.

"When you texted me to meet you tonight, I was so happy.... and it had nothing to do with you being a princess or me having been sent to find you. It had everything to do with you.. and me wanting to spend time with you and get to know you." A short pause. "I was going to tell you about this.. all of it, but I wanted to give you time to get to know me. Then tonight, I saw two guys watching us. I saw something out of the corner of my eye, and I am not sure what it was, but I immediately went into protective mode. That brings us here."

Looking around the coffeeshop, making sure nobody was listening to him or watching them.... "I will protect you.. until you are 21.. .or longer, if you want. I do not however, want a dime from you. I was in the military and I fought for this country, and I don't like what it might be involved in. I want you to be safe. When you want me to go away, I will. So, officially, we are both on the run right now."

 

[zydrate]

She believed him when he said he wasn’t there to hurt her. She couldn’t explain why, but she just did.

Malinda fiddled with a napkin as she listened to him explain himself. Some parts she didn’t understand, like why was Homeland Security involved. Why this…? Why that…?

And of course, she knew the answer. Her stepfather.

She had seen those men also; the ones Will had also seen. They weren’t from her country, not that should really tell but she wouldn’t put it past her stepfather to hire just anyone to find her and bring her home.

“If this is all true, then you must want something. Everyone has a price.” She said, mimicking words she heard before. She heard it before while growing up, everyone has a price.

She was quiet for a long while, the napkin she was playing with was shredded to bits. “I’m tired of running. I’m tired of people running my life. I’m tired of having someone hover over my shoulder 24 hours a day…” she said, almost explaining her thoughts out loud.

“I guess I didn’t do such a good job if you found me. I thought I had that computer destroyed. Shows me who I thought I could trust amongst my own staff.” With a hard sigh, Malinda leaned back against the back of the booth, “I only wanted freedom. Sounds dumb, right? Before leaving home, I had it all… money, friends, the best schools. Why did I give it up? Because of homeland politics, my stepfather has set me up to marry some 60-year-old man on the eve of my 21st birthday and I have no say in it whatsoever!” She said a bit too loudly. “It’s all stupid really… at least from an outsider’s point of view, I’m sure. But if I can keep away from it all, then whatever deal is set up, will not go through.”

And I might still die… she thought.

“I’m sorry you got involved Will… but if they saw you with me, then they’ll be after you also, no matter what.” She shook her head and exhaled slowly, “This means I can’t go back to my job, can I? What if they find out where I used to work?! Or the diner… or my friends?!” She was started to panic, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. The minimal staff in the coffee shop looked in their direction.

 

[BeachBum25]

Will saw how upset Malinda was getting, and as her voice rose, the few people in the restaurant were starting to look in her direction. For all he knew, some of them were listening closely to hear what she was saying. "Michele, come with me. I know you are upset. People are watching us. That is not a good thing."

They left the coffee shop. He held onto her hand as they walked. "I don't know who they were or what they were doing, but I wasn't taking any chances at the piano bar. Maybe I am being paranoid, but, all of this is too weird. Why am I supposedly the only one looking for you? It makes me believe that through all of this, your father had me followed. He was able to convince our government to keep it low key, but had some of his own men follow me as I went from place to place looking for you. So, if those men are working for your father, I led them right to you."

Will was making his way back to his hotel. They could talk there. Then, he stopped dead in his tracks. "We.. I can't go back to where I was staying. If they have been following me, they know what hotel I have been staying in, and they will be looking for you there." He also thought about the credit card that he had been given for his expenses. Will was sure they were tracking him through that, also.

He had some cash, and he had the car that he had bought during his OSP training. "Ok, how about this Malinda. We jump in my car and we start driving back to my hometown. My family still owns the farm despite having moved away from it while I was in the military. I have no idea what condition it is in, but nobody will go looking for us there. I definitely think we should be able to get you through the next 5 months, and then you can decide what you want to do. It will also give me something to do since my career as a State Trooper is over before it started."

Waiting for the princess to respond to him, his eyes darted around. He wanted to make sure that there was nobody watching them.

Twenty minutes later, they were in his car and driving out of Portland. He had been concerned that someone would be watching his car, so, he drove around Portland in a pattern that would definitely give away anyone that was following him. He saw nobody. They got out on the highway and started to make their way to the Midwest. It would take time, but he was certain it would get Malinda the freedom from her father that she was looking for.

**************************************

It took them five days, but Will wasn't in a hurry. He did not take a direct route. Every once in a while, he would get off the highway and drive around a random area to make sure nobody was on their tail. Then he would get back on the highway and continue. They stayed in inexpensive, nondescript hotels... a quality well below what he was sure Malinda was accustomed to.

Once they pulled up to the farm, he pulled the car into the barn. He didn't want anyone driving past the farmhouse to know he was there... not yet anyway. For having been abandoned so long, the farm was not in bad shape. The house was dirty, but that would work. Will was happy that he had convinced his father not to sell the farm. When his father enough of farm life, he took a job in Vegas while Will was in the Navy. Putting the farm up for sale saw only one offer, and it was from a large agri-business corporation who was offering practically nothing. Will told his father to keep it, and maybe he would work the farm after getting out of the military. If only he hadn't heard that woman talking about OSP, he would have been back here months ago getting it set up. Of course, Malinda would still be in danger.

"My father sold all of the animals, and obviously nothing has been done in any of the fields. Dad had a neighbor check on the house once in a while. I will stop over and see them and let them know I am here. Nobody will know you are here unless they see you outside."

Will started to walk around the farmhouse. "You can have the pick of bedrooms. I will go out and get some clean sheets and towels, and I will get us some food. Sure glad dad left the furniture here. Of course, it would not do him any good in Vegas."

Sitting down at the dusty kitchen table, Will looked around. What had he gotten himself into? Then, he looked at Malinda. Why was he so committed to protecting her? Yes, she was a beautiful woman, but he didn't really know her. Maybe not, but he knew that there was some crazy shit going on, and he truly believed she was in danger.

 

[zydrate]

The travelling wasn’t boring to Malinda. She liked the scenic views. Sure, not all of it was scenic but it was still new to her. Both her and Will didn’t talk much but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence… at least she didn’t think. It was more like he was busy watching out, making sure they were safe, so she didn’t want to interrupt him. The hotels were nice too. It was simple.

A simplicity she liked and could get used to.

Along the way, Malinda played DJ with the radio. There were a few songs she knew and would sing to them, even though she knew she probably sounded awful.

The places they managed to stop and eat at, instead of eating on the road, were also new to her.

When they arrived at the farm, she couldn’t help but be disappointed when he told her that there were no animals and they had all been sold. Her first thought was that she hoped they went to good homes.

She sat down, across from Will. Malinda was quiet for a bit before she reached over and took his hand in hers. She spoke softly, “Thank you Will. You didn’t have to do any of this.”

It was getting dark, and she wondered if there was any power. Almost, as if on cue, lights came on in the kitchen they were sitting in and she looked up at them when they came on, “Well, that answers my question…” She didn’t know it was automated to discourage anyone from breaking in and making people think someone still lived there.

Standing, Malinda peaked around in the small kitchen, opening cabinets, only to be met by dust. She knew he still had to get things for them to eat so she stopped. Absentmindedly, she walked out of the kitchen and started to explore the small farmhouse… first, the hallway, which was quite narrow, and it led to another room with a couch and small coffee table. None of the furniture had been updated in a while… not that it bothered her, it was... quaint? Was that the word she was looking for?

“You mentioned your father…” she said quietly as continued to explore, “What about your mother? Is she still around?”

When he spoke to her, Malinda stopped and looked at him, giving him her full attention, she nodded and didn’t give him a look of pity but one of understand at what he revealed about his mother, “I’m sorry…” she said, giving his arm a light squeeze.

He led her upstairs to the bedrooms. There were 3 she could choose from, so she just chose the first one directly across the top of the stairs. Yes, the beds were still there but not much else. “you said you were going to get some things, did you want to go now before it gets too dark? I can clean up a little here while you’re out.” Of course, she didn’t want to be a complete burden. She knew she had caused so much trouble lately, especially with him.

 

[BeachBum25]

Will explained that he had lost his mother to cancer when he was a freshman in high school. She was buried at the Catholic Church just down the road. "Thanks Malinda. It was hard on us, especially my father. He lost his desire to work the farm. When I left and went into the military, he decided that he wanted off the farm and a real pay check. The farm has been sitting here since then."

He followed Malinda as she walked up the stairs. He watched as she picked the first room.. his room. He did not say anything about it. He had no problem being in another room. "Yes, Malinda, I am gong to go to the store. On the way out I will stop and tell Ms. May that I am here. She has been watching over the place. Maybe one day you will meet her, but not for a while. For now, you are on lockdown."

After asking her if there was anything that she wanted from the store, he started out the door. As he walked onto the porch, Will turned around and said to Malinda, "Make yourself at home. This is your home now and for as long as you want it to be." He smiled at her and headed out to the barn to get in the car.

On the way to the big box store that was about 15 miles away, Will stopped to say hello to Ms. May and tell her he was back and was hoping to get the farm up and running. She told him how happy she was to hear that, and that she would keep an ear out for any animals that might be for sale. As Will was leaving her house, he saw that her golden lab must have had a litter of puppies a few weeks before. He asked Ms. May if she was getting rid of any of the puppies. She smiled at him and told him he could have his pick. He chose a cute female. It would be a house warming gift for Malinda.

After going through the big box store and buying food, sheets, towels, pillows and other odds and ends, Will headed back to the farm with very little money left in his pocket. After bringing in all of the bags from the store, Will went back to the car. When he walked into the house, he handed the puppy to Malinda. "She is yours. You choose her name." He saw the smile on Malinda's face and he knew he had done the right thing.

After getting everything put away in the kitchen, Will started upstairs to make the beds. Once they were finished there, they went back to the kitchen and Will started making dinner.... baked potatoes, green beans and baked chicken. "I hope you like. I should have asked before I started cooking."

While they sat and ate, Will told Malinda that Ms. May was going to let him know if she heard of any animals for sale. "In order to get this farm back up and running, I am going to need to get a job. The house and barn and fences need work and the animals will cost money. It will be hard, but I will get this farm working again. It might be hard for you for a while, because there won't be much to do, until I can make some money to ge tit going. Once that happens, we will be able to keep you busy around the farm."

 

[zydrate]

There wasn’t much to do once Will had left to get supplies. So, Malinda took a quick tour around the farm. It was just light enough to see where she was going and get a feel for her surroundings. It was so peaceful and quiet here. Nothing like the city, of course and nothing like home. And for that, she was grateful. She looked up at the sky and saw the stars starting to shine…it made her smile.

A suddenly chilly breeze caught her off guard. It was nearing fall; she had learned about that as they were getting to the farm. At home, there was no fall… just heat and humidity and then freezing temperatures. She kind of like the weather here.

Once back inside the house, she found a box of folded rags which she assumed was clean as they were in a box in a cabinet above the sink. So, she took that time to clean up the kitchen as best she could. At least dust it. She did the same thing to the bedroom she had chosen as well as the bedroom Will had selected. She was just about done when Will returned.

He wasn’t empty handed.

Malinda gasped in adoration when he presented her with a puppy! She did her best not to scream as she didn’t want to scare the little golden lab. Immediately, she took the puppy and held it against her as she gave Will a quick kiss on the cheek and thanked him.

He told her she could name the little girl lab.

“Oh no… I’m not sure… at least not yet…” No, not yet. She wanted to think about it for a bit.

Dinner was delicious. And she let Will know. “I’m not a picky eater… I guess I can be honest and say I’ve not had a lot of food that’s served here in America… our food selection is cooked differently… perhaps I can make you something special someday soon?”

He told her of his plans and having to get a job soon. Although she had money of her own, he wasn’t sure how safe it was to use it because someone could be tracing it. “I could get a job too…” she said, nonchalantly.

No… the whole idea of hiding out was she needed to stay put so no one would find her. She wondered if that meant she would get bored, being away from people? Then Will mentioned getting some animals and again, that made her smile. “I would love that but, we don’t have to decide right away. I just want to contribute where I can and not be a burden…”

When dinner was done, Malinda cleaned up the kitchen, as it was the least she could do since he made dinner.

It was late by the time they finished up and Malinda put the puppy in a box by her bed. The lights weren’t even off for 10 minutes when the puppy started to whimper… She knew it was a bad idea but she picked her up and brought her to bed with her and in matter of time, both Malinda and the puppy were asleep.

***
The next morning, when Malinda woke up, the puppy was licking her face, indicting she was awake also. Malinda laughed, “Stop… I get it…” she then sat up and held the puppy and looked at her.

“Lucy. You’re name is Lucy.”

 

[BeachBum25]

Will had trouble sleeping. There were so many things going through his head. First, and foremost, there was Malinda. He had to make sure he protected her. There was the farmhouse and the barn that needed repairs before he could get any animals on the farm, and then of course there were animals. What type of animals did he want? Dairy cows? Beef cows? Sheep? Pigs? Alpaca? The list went on, and his mind was unable to shut down.

When the sun started to come up, Will was out of bed and looking through the basement of the farmhouse for tools and other supplies like nails to fix up the barn and do maintenance on the house. He started making a mental note of the tools and other items he would need. He had to prioritize because of his limited funds. He would just get what he needed until he got a job and could earn some money to get everything else.

After a while, Will went back to the house and into the kitchen. He made a pot of coffee. He really needed the coffee to keep him going since he didn't sleep well. He hadn't made coffee earlier because he was afraid of the smell of coffee in the house waking Malinda up. As he put the pot of coffee on, he heard a voice coming from upstairs. He knew, obviously, that it was Malinda, but he wondered who she was talking to. Then he realized she was talking to the puppy.

He fried some bacon in the skillet. Then he fried up a couple of eggs and put them on a plate figuring that Malinda would be down any minute. He hopped up on the kitchen counter, and that was where he was sitting, deep in thought, when Malinda walked into the kitchen. "Good morning Princess. I am sorry... Malinda. I got to calling you the princess in my mind when I was looking for you because I didn't want to use your name and personalize you. I will try not to do that again." Will pointed at the plate on the table. "I made you some breakfast. Not sure if you are a breakfast person. I am not. I usually just have coffee in the morning." He then offered Malinda a cup of coffee.

"I am going to the farm supply store to get some tools and other things I need to start fixing the house and barn up. I shouldn't be too long. Then, if you want, you and the puppy can help me do some stuff around here."

When he got to the farm store, he recognized a few of the men in the store, and a couple recognized him. They asked him what he was doing in these parts, and he told them that he wanted to fix up the farm and get it up and running again. "It is going to take a while though. I am going to need to get a job and save some money before I get really serious about it." One of the men said to him that the farm store was looking to hire somebody... "ain't that right Ronnie?" he called to the owner. Ronnie Simpson owned the farm supply store just like his daddy, and his daddy's daddy, and so on going back a lot of years. Ronnie remembered Will from when he used to come into the store to get supplies for his father. Ronnie asked Will if he was interested in the job. "Pay's not great Will, but you can make a little money. Plus, I'll give you a 20% discount on everything you need for the farm."

Will didn't hesitate. "I'll take it. Does that 20% discount apply to anything I buy today? Oh yea, when do I start?" Ronnie told him he could start tomorrow, and Will eagerly agreed.

When Will got back to the farm, he told Malinda about the job. "I didn't go there looking for a job, but it worked out for the best. I can get a discount on anything we need for the farm and I also might be able to get an inside track on animals that might be for sale when the time comes that we are ready to get animals. I will be starting early every morning, though. So I probably will be gone when you wake up, but I will be home well before supper."

 

[zydrate]

After freshening up and getting dressed, Malinda walked slowly down the stairs as Lucy followed. Malinda walked slowly only because Lucy was still unsure of the steps and took them one by one. She knew in time, Lucy would be able to race up the stairs but now, she was still getting used to her puppy feet.

Not a big fan of breakfast also, Malinda still ate what Will had cooked. It was only polite. When the breakfast food was gone, she would tell him about not really wanting food so early.

When he mentioned the puppy, she smiled proudly, telling him, “Her name is Lucy.” The puppy looked from Will, back to Malinda and then barked.

Will had left to go get some supplies and while he was gone, Malinda took her coffee and with Lucy following, she sat out on the back porch. It was so peaceful, Malinda almost forgot about her troubles for a moment. The sun felt good on her. She closed her eyes and just listened as Lucy ran around, exploring on her own. She wasn’t worried about the puppy getting lost or in trouble as she did stay near Malinda the entire time outside.

After she finished her coffee, Malinda urged the puppy inside as she cleaned up the kitchen. She had been living on her own for the past couple of months, so she was used to cleaning up after herself. Besides, it was the least she could do to help Will out. Helping him out because he was helping her out.

Why was he helping her?

Because … well, he already explained that.

Her stepfather’s words rang in the back of her mind, No one does something unless they want something in return.

No! She wasn’t home anymore. He had literally beat so much nonsense into Malinda that she found out, once on her own, that most of what he had insisted wasn’t true. Her mother would call her a dreamer. Her stepfather would call her stupid.

Well, yes, she was a dreamer, but she knew she wasn’t stupid.

-----------
Later that morning, Malinda was upstairs, folding the little bit of clothing she had bought on the first leg of their trip to the farm. It was only a couple of pairs of jeans, tops and some other personal items.

Lucy started barking and that’s when Malinda heard the front door open and close. It wasn’t quiet either as it squeaked and groaned.

She bounded down the stairs, mostly to make sure it was Will. He had entered and placed some oof his purchases down. He told her about his job and Malinda was happy for him. She gave him a hug, “That’s great! I’m glad things are working out so far…” the hug lasted longer than she intended and when she let go, she flushed, “Sorry... but seriously, that’s terrific. I just wish I could do more to help you out in regards to finances… unless…” she said, knowing he knew she was talking about her money that she still had access to…

 

[BeachBum25]

Will was surprised to see how excited Malinda was about him getting the job. When she hugged him, he put an arm around her. She felt good in his arms, and he had no complaints about the hug lasting longer than he expected it would. As a matter of fact, he really enjoyed it.

He listened as she said she wished that she could help out with the finances. "Malinda, I appreciate that you want to help, but there is no way that you can get a job. There is no way that you can leave the farm. Not for 5 months anyway." Will stopped as he thought about what he was saying. "Well, you can leave whenever you want. You are a free woman. I just meant that in 5 months you would be beyond your step-father's control and wouldn't have to worry about what he has arranged for you. You are relatively safe here. If you go out and get a job and are around a lot of people, someone might see you that we don't want to see you."

He took both of her hands in his and looked at her. "I know you want to help out, and I really appreciate that. It says a lot about you, and it confirms that I am doing the right thing in helping you out. I assume that you you have not had to do much in your lifetime, but the fact that you do not act like someone who has had everything handed to them is commendable."

As Will finished, he heard a car coming up the long drive. Looking back at Malinda, "Up stairs in your room. Wait there until I come up to get you. Leave Lucy with me. It might just be Ms. May checking on the puppy." He watched Malinda run up the stairs and Lucy try to follow her. Lucy wasn't ready for going up steps yet, so it made it easy for Will to pick her up. He walked out onto the front porch to see who it was and saw the local Sheriff's car pulling up.

"Good morning sir. How can I help you?" Will greeted the officer as he walked off the porch and approached the patrol car. The officer introduced himself as Deputy Wilson, and asked Will who he was and why he was in the farmhouse. He must be new to the Sheriff's Department, because Will had known all of the Deputies when he lived on the farm. Will explained who he was, and told the deputy that he was just out of the military and wanted to get the farm that he grew up on running again. The Deputy asked him for identification, and Will gladly provided it to him. The Deputy told Will that he had been driving through once or twice a week for the last couple years to check on things ever since Will's father had left. "I appreciate that sir. Now that I am back, you won't have to do that. I plan on getting this place up and running and into better shape than it ever was."

The Deputy looked across the front of the house and up to the second floor windows. Will hoped that Malinda was not looking out the window from her room. "Are you here by yourself? Are you going to get it working alone? Will nodded to the Deputy. "Yes, I am here alone and I am going to work it alone until I can get things started and I can afford to hire some help." The Deputy simply nodded his head, looked at Will and then handed Will back his identification. "Good luck with this," the Deputy said; shaking his head.

Will thanked him and watched the Deputy get in his patrol car and drive away. After the Deputy turned onto the main road, Will went inside and up the stairs to Malinda's room. "It is okay, but that is why you can't get a job yet. We don't need someone in law enforcement asking questions about who you are. We don't know how far-reaching your step-fathers connections are in our law enforcement community. In 5 months, we won't worry about that, but of course, by then, I hope you are happy working with some animals and won't want, or have, to get a job."

Will handed Lucy to Malinda. "Now, I am going to go do some repairs of the stalls in the barn. You can come and help if you want. That is, if your royal highness isn't above getting her royal hands dirty." Will smiled at her to make sure she knew he was joking with her, and then headed downstairs. Grabbing the tools, he started outside. When he got onto the porch, he saw the patrol car pulled over on the side of the road next to the front field. Without turning around, he called to Malinda. "Change of plans. Stay upstairs. I think we are being watched." Then Will headed to the barn. He didn't want the Deputy to know that he saw him.

Will spent the next few hours working on the barn stalls. His mind wandered from what kind of animals they would get to what the fuck was the Deputy up to. He would have to talk with Ronnie tomorrow to get information about the Deputy. Or was Ronnie the one who told the Deputy that Will was back on the farm? Will was going to have to see who, if anyone, he could trust.

 

[zydrate]

Will was right. Malinda was supposed to be hiding out. She had to stay hidden. It was hard to remember this at times because she felt free. It was the most freedom she had in a long time.

He said he was glad she wanted to help, and she knew what he meant, there was a lot of stereotypes about those in royalty… “I had no friends growing up so, my only interactions were with the staff. I learned a lot from the, even though I wasn’t supposed to…” that was until her grandfather died 2 years prior. His death was sudden, and Malinda knew the truth. Her stepfather killed him. But she didn’t go into that now as it was still too painful to talk about.

She heard the car pulling up too and she could see out the small kitchen window it was coming up the drive. It was a police car.

Will told her to go upstairs and it had been any other time, she would have asked why but the time wasn’t now. She listened to him and bounded up the stairs. Malinda wasn’t necessarily scared or frightened, she was curious. The bedroom window she had chosen looked over where Will parked his car and now, where the police car had parked. She fought the urge to look out and see what was going on but had decided not to. Instead, she sat on the bed and waited. She could hear them talking but couldn’t make out what was being said.

In what seemed like forever, the car pulled away and she let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Why was she scared? There was nothing suspicious going on, right? It was Will’s place after all…

The front door closed and Will coming up the stairs. She smiled at him and took Lucy from him. Yeah, she had wanted to help him outside and had wanted to grab her sweatshirt but heard Will tell her they were being watched.

Watched?

With a sigh, Malinda did as she was told. It still bewildered her, why were they watching?

After a few hours, Malinda decided to start on dinner. She didn’t know much but she knew enough to make something for both her and Will for dinner… or supper as he called it. That still confused her why it was called something different all over. She didn’t have much to work with but after 45 minutes, she had dinner on the table—burgers and fries. The fries were seasoned with garlic and butter, one of her favorites.

“So, what did that officer want? Is here still?” She had asked because Lucy needed to go out earlier and had Will take her out for Malinda… just in case. The puppy was sleeping near Malinda on the floor, a makeshift toy Malinda made out of an towel she had found. “Do you think he’ll be back?”

 

[BeachBum25]

Will knew that Malinda was worried. "He just wanted to check on the property. He knew it was vacant for a while. He is fairly new on the department. He wasn't around when I lived here, so, I don't know him. I don't think he will be back, but, if I see one of the Deputies that I knew when I lived here, I will see what I can find out. I don't want to raise any suspicion though."

He tried to put Malinda at ease. He knew it was going to be difficult for her being couped up in the house for a while. He just kept reminding her that it was only going to be for a few months, then she could be free to do whatever she wanted.

"Wow, I didn't know that you could cook," he laughed as he tasted the fries. "These are really good. Where did you learn how to do fries like this?" After taking a bite of the burger, he looked at Malinda. "I might have to keep you around and make you my executive chef," he joked. He wasn't certain whether Malinda would understand his sarcasm. He had to be careful to make sure that she didn't feel like he was insulting her.

It was a pretty relaxing evening around the farmstead. There was no television, because there was no cable hookup. Will decided he would have cable installed to give Malinda something to do during the day.

The next day. Will was up at 5 am and off to his new job at the farm supply store. A lot of the work was physical labor, which did not bother Will at all. In his mind it was like one long workout. The day went by very quickly because he was busy throughout the day. During one of his breaks, Will said to Ronnie, "I noticed a new Sheriff's Deputy driving around yesterday. It seemed back when I lived here that the Deputies never changed. We had the same ones for what seemed like forever." Ronnie told Will that one of the Deputies had retired two years ago and they hired this new guy. He was a real hard ass; wasn't laid back like the others. He told Will the older Deputies were keeping him in line.

The fact that Deputy Wilson was hired two years prior helped Will relax a little. This guy couldn't have been sent here to look for Malinda. It did not, however, mean that someone didn't get to him and have him looking for her. Of course, it was way too soon for anyone to be looking here for them... they just got here...... or was it?

When Will got home from work, Lucy met him as he walked in the front door. He reached down and rubbed Lucy's ears. "Where is your mommy little girl?," he said to Lucy. He walked through the first floor of the house and did not see her. He froze when he heard something moving in the basement. Slowly, he crept down the stairs only to find Malinda going through a bunch of old boxes that were down there. "Hey, what's up? What did you do get bored and decide to go exploring?"

After they talked for a minute, Will told Malinda that he was going to get a shower and change before supper. "I am all dirty, sweaty and disgusting. We can eat as soon as I get finished."

 

[zydrate]

When Will had gone the next day to work, Malinda got up not long after he would leave. Not because of the noise, which he did keep to a minimum, but usually it was the coffee that woke her up. Well, that and Lucy who was wanting to go out.

As per usual, Malinda drank her coffee sitting on the back steps as she watched Lucy play in the over grown back yard.

She had a lot on her mind and of course, since she had a lot of time to think, it didn't help much that she thought of home. How was her mother doing? She didn't give a second thought about her father, that was for sure. But thinking like that did make her think. if he was so keen on finding her, why didn't he pull out all the stops? Maybe he was testing the waters? She would hear her grandfather talk a lot about how the US Justice system could easily be bought... could that have happened in this case?

Maybe he thought he could scare her out of hiding?

Mayb--

"Hhhhelllppppppp!.... Heeeelllllllooooo?!!"

Gasping, Malinda looked at the direction of where the sound came from... Lucy started barking.... with cry came again...

Grabbing Lucy, Malinda put the puppy inside and closed the door on her. Then she ran toward the sound with no hestiation. When she got closer, she saw an older man, probably in his late 50s, early 60s laying on the ground, holding his leg.

"Oh... are you OK?" Malinda said, rushing to his side. She didn't know the man, of course, but he wore overalls and looked like a stereo-typical farmer.

The man laughed and said in an out of breath voice, "I was riding my horse and I'm not sure but something spooked him... threw me right off. I think I hurt my ankle."

"Oh no, do you think you can walk? Is there someone I can go get?" Malinda looked around, as if someone was going to be around close by.

The man laughed and grimaced again, "Oh, no... well, my wife, but she's quite ill at is at home but...I think you can help if you can see if you can get my horse? She's around here somewhere... I'm sure..."

"Which way did she run?"

"Over..yonder.."

The man pointed East so Malinda stood up, she knew she couldn't help him by having him lean on her for more than a few feet...as she wasn't that strong to assist someone so tall... "Do you think she'll run if I were to approach her?"

"Oh no, no, she's quite gentle... trust me, this was just a pure spooking..."

"I can get her of course... are you sure you'll be OK?"

"Yes lovely, I will be as long as you get her back here."

Malinda smiled and patted his shoulder as she got up and walked toward where the horse ran. As she walked a few feet away, she turned, "What's her name?"

"Malinda!" the man called out.

"Really?!" Malinda exclaimed, "That's my name!"

"Ohh, well.. that's lovely!" the man said, watching her walk away.
*****************************************
"Ohh, you're such a good person... thank you!" The man said when he saw the young lady walk up to him with his horse in her grasp.

The man was right, Malinda the horse was quite gentle and had walked up to Malinda the stranger. So, after taking the lead rope under the halter, Malinda led Malinda the horse to where the man was still sitting on the ground, "Here we go... I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"I'm sorry, I'm Roger..." Roger got up slowly and put a hand on the horse to steady himself. Although the horse was gentle with Malinda, she seemed a bit fidgety with Roger.

"OK Roger... are you sure you're OK getting home?" She was still gently petting the horse's face. She was glad she had some experience with horses both growing up and of course, at the Vet Clinic where Dr. Anderson had a few clients who owned farms and would bring in their horses for checks ups.

"Oh yes, thank you again Lovely... I mean Malinda. Say, why don't you come visit me again soon? I'm only another mile away, green house, red barn, can't miss it. I have other horses also if you wanted to visit. I have to repay you somehow because you saved an old man from crawling home." He laughed at his own joke.

Malinda nodded, not giving it another thought, "I'd like that..."

"Oh, and please don't tell anyone about this... it's embarrasing enough this happened but if word gets to my wife, she'll do me worse than this little gal here..." he said, patting the mare.

Malinda laughed and nodded, "I won't. Be careful, OK?"

"You betcha..." He gave her a wink before turning the horse around and headed back toward, what Malinda assumed, was his home.
*******************************************
When Malinda had gotten home, she cleaned up the kitchen as she thought about this morning's incident. She laughed out loud at the thought of coming across a horse with her name... It was an eventful morning, that was for sure.

As the evening approached, Malinda found that she couldn't find Lucy. It took a few calls and then she heard the puppy whimpering from the basement. That made Malinda smile, silly girl probably got down the stairs and couldn't get back up. Going to the basement, she saw Lucy at the bottom step, looking up at Malinda with a pained look.

"Aww, it's OK..." she said and scooped her up and took her back upstairs.

She had to go back down the basement stairs in order to turn off the light so as she went back down, she saw several boxes on a shelf. One of the box lids was slightly off and so, Malinda took a peak inside...

They were books... 3 boxes filled with classic books and that piqued her interest so much. One by one, Malinda pulled out a book... she had read a few but some, she had never heard of.

Flipping them open, just skimming the words, a picture fell out of one... it was a picture of a small boy and a very pretty woman. She had her arm around him and their smile seemed very sincere for the picture. It was then she heard Will calling for her as he bounded down the stairs. She smiled and nodded, as she put the picture back in between the pages of one of the books before telling him she had found some books perhaps his father didn't have packed or just forgot about.

Of course, she had asked if it was OK if she could take them back upstairs later and perhaps read them during the day.

"Supper!" She said out loud to no one, "I totally forgot!"

Grabbing one box of books, she took it up the stairs and put it by the door and headed to the kitchen. They only had a few things left from Will's initial shopping trip but she felt she could do something with it.

Later, as they were sitting down to dinner...supper, he had asked her about her day. Of course, she was going to mention her interaction with Roger and Malinda the horse. But Roger had said not to say anything... so, Malinda just shrugged, "It was OK... nothing too exciting... how about you?"