“I’m not the one that got kidnapped.”
“Good point.” He seemed reluctant to come any farther into the room, and she suspected that despite her reassurances, he blamed himself for what had happened. She moved over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, letting herself enjoy the closeness. He let out a sigh that seemed to relax his whole body.
After a few moments, he released her. “The rest of the family’s anxious to hear the details of what happened last night. Are you up to coming into the living room to talk about it?”
“Of course.”
Most of the family was gathered in the living room, crowded onto sofas and chairs, with some of the younger members sitting on the floor. Everyone’s attention focused on Hope as soon as she walked in. Tammy rose to her feet and offered Hope her chair, moving to perch on the arm of one of the sofas next to Mark. Hope sat down and hoped in vain that her self-conscious blush wasn’t too obvious.
“I feel like I should apologize to you on behalf of the family. You’re our guest, and what happened to you—we’re all just glad it wasn’t any worse.”
“Oh, please don’t apologize!” Hope exclaimed. “It wasn’t your fault, and none of you could have prevented it. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been someone else.”
“When we think about what could have happened to you....” Allison trailed off without completing her thought. “Sorry. That’s probably not very helpful.”
“I’m serious,” Hope said. “What if it had been Ian? Or Eva?”
“You really think Harry would have grabbed one of the kids?” Lisa asked.
“I think so,” Josh replied. “You didn’t see him last night, but he was pretty upset. I think that once he decided to go through with this, nothing would have stopped him. It was just a question of opportunity.”
Eva wasn’t in the room, but Ian was, and his father wrapped an arm around him. The adults shared a look and silently agreed not to pursue that train of thought any further.
“I just can’t understand how Harry got everything so wrong,” Lisa said.
“I tried not to stick my nose in too much,” Rick said, “but based on what I’ve heard around town, Harry didn’t handle it well when his dad left. Understandably. He started spending his time around Joe instead, and it sounds like Joe was having trouble remembering the details of things. Somehow, between his dementia and Harry’s anger, a minor boundary dispute turned into a theft.”
“Poor kid,” Tammy sighed.
“Poor kid?” Mark echoed furiously, turning to glare at her. “That poor kid cost us thousands of dollars with all of his sabotage, and then he kidnapped Hope! He should be in jail.”
“No, I think she’s right,” Hope said. She worried at her lower lip with her teeth as she tried to organize her thoughts. “I can’t speak for what he’s cost you, but it’s not entirely his fault. His grandfather lied to him, and he didn’t know the truth. And it sounds like his grandfather’s death really got to him. His father left, and then his grandfather died. It sounds like he didn’t really have anyone left.”
“That’s no excuse,” said Josh.
“No, it’s not. But putting him in jail for years won’t help me, and it won’t help him either. If anything, it’ll just push him further down the wrong path. He’s just a kid, and I don’t think he should lose his whole life.”
“Hope, this isn’t just a question of a few childish pranks. Not only did he kidnap you, but he used a gun. That’s aggravated kidnapping.” Josh crouched next to her chair and took her hand in his. “I don’t even want to think about what could have happened.”
“Well,” Rick interjected, “it’s up to the district attorney, not us. But it’s his first offense, so Hope might be able to speak on his behalf, and maybe they’ll make a plea deal with him on lesser charges. The good thing is that he and his family won’t be bothering us anymore.”
As people dispersed into smaller groups and separate rooms, Josh remained by Hope’s chair, a warm presence at her side. Several people stopped to talk to Hope as they passed, and each time the message was the same. They hated what had happened to her, but they were glad she was safe. She hadn’t known this unusual group of people for that long, but here they were, going out of their way to reassure her and let her know that they cared for her. It was something Hope had never experienced before.
Rick was the last to leave the room. Towering over her where she sat, he should have looked frightening, but she remembered him charging in right behind Josh to come rescue her. She envisioned him like the foundation of the house, solid and reliable, and crucially important to the whole structure. “You’re always welcome here,” he said, in his rumbling voice. “And if you want to be part of our family, we’d love to have you.”
“Thank you,” Hope managed, blinking back tears.
Then Rick was gone, and they were alone. Probably not for long.
“I’m not normally so emotional,” she said to Josh, brushing the tears from her eyes, “but I think I’m still a little frayed from last night.”
Josh crouched next to her. “You’ve got a good heart. Maybe too good.”
“Harry lost the most important person in his world. I think we can both understand how that feels, and how it might make him do stupid things.”
He stood up and held his hand out to her. “Do you want to go for a walk? I promise nothing bad will happen this time.”
“Can we go back to that spot by the creek?”