“Are you still selling drugs?”  Sarah’s voice was thick with emotion and she clutched her growing belly with shaking hands.  Travis’s look was imploring, but when he hesitated in answering her, her rage grew.  “Jesus, Travis.  I told you.  I won’t let you be around our baby if you’re still doing that shit.”

“Baby…I’m sorry.  I’ll get out as soon as I can.  But I’ve made us so much money…”  He was practically on his knees begging, not wanting Sarah to push him out of her life.  He would never forgive himself if he lost her and his baby.

“No, you’ll get out now or it’s over.  I’m serious, Travis.  I won’t have our kid around that stuff.  The longer you stay, the more likely you’ll get caught, too.  Make your choice.”  She kept the fear out of her voice by focusing on the anger.  She was scared shitless of raising a baby by herself, but she was serious when she told Travis that she didn’t want him dealing drugs anymore.  In fact, she was fairly certain he’d started taking some of those drugs, but that was one battle she wasn’t ready to fight.

“Give me time, baby.  It’s not easy.  These guys…they’re tough.  But I’ll get out, I promise.”  His eyes pleaded for her to understand, and she had to turn away.  It was those eyes that had trapped her in the first place.  “How…how are you and the baby doing?”

She gave him a level stare.  “We’d be fantastic if you’d get your head on straight.”  It was snarky and she knew that, but she was scared for him.  He was in dangerous territory and she didn’t want to see him get hurt, or worse.

“Baby…”

Sarah held up a hand to stop his pleas.  “No, I don’t want to hear it.  Come back to me when you’ve straightened out, Trav.  Until then, leave me and my baby alone.  You’re not welcome here anymore.”  She turned her back on him, letting silent tears paint her hot cheeks.  She wouldn’t let him see her break down.  He needed to know she was serious and not about to change her mind.

She could feel his presence behind her, so she opened the door to her father’s house, closing it with a loud thud, cutting off Travis’s promises and protestations.  She couldn’t handle this stress, not like this.  She was six months pregnant and he still hadn’t stopped selling.  She knew; she’d kept tabs on him.  It was hard enough raising a baby at her age; she wasn’t going to add drugs into the mix, too.  That wasn’t the life she wanted.

“You’ve done the right thing, Sarah.”  Her father’s voice was soft, comforting.  She glanced up to see him standing in the door way, looking at her with sad eyes.

“Then why does it hurt so much?”  She asked quietly.  The tears fell more freely, dripping onto her swollen belly and propelling Red forward to catch his daughter in a fierce hug.

“Because the right thing isn’t always easy, and you love him.  But if he really loves you, Sarah, he’ll do what he needs to.”  He kissed her forehead, moving her further into the house.  “Now, have a seat, and I’ll get you some ice cream.”

“With extra peanut butter?”

Red smiled.  “You got it, baby.”

~*~

“Are you sure you’re okay taking Carter?”  Bailey balanced the phone between her ear and shoulder, clicking away on the computer as she worked.  It was a Saturday, and she was supposed to be taking Carter into Memphis, but something had come up and Amelia needed her help.  Her boss never asked for favors like this, so Bailey accepted.  The only downfall was that she needed to get someone else to take Carter for her.

“Bailey, we will be just fine, and I don’t mind at all.  Besides, I needed to go into the city to pick up a few things anyway.  Stop worrying.”  Justin’s voice was filled with amusement as he assured Bailey that he was okay taking Carter to Memphis.  Even after being together for a little over a month now, she still worried that she was putting him out.  Carter was a fantastic kid, and Justin liked spending time with him.  “I’ll call you when we get back, maybe we can all get dinner tonight.”

Bailey couldn’t help the smile that stretched across her face.  “Okay, that sounds good.  Call if you need anything.”  Saying their goodbyes, Bailey hung up the phone still grinning.

“I told you his charm was deadly.”  Amelia’s voice broke through Bailey’s dreamy daze, causing the younger girl to jump at the sudden intrusion.

“Jeeze, you scared me.”

Amelia laughed, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you’re day dreaming about lover boy.”  She watched the color rise up Bailey’s neck and over her cheeks.  “I’m glad things are going well with you two.  I’m sorry I had to call you in today.”

Bailey gave her a small shrug.  “Justin is taking Carter into Memphis for me, so I didn’t mind coming in at all.”  She gave her boss a smile.  “Besides, it’s not often you ask me for anything.  This must be big.”

“It might just be the biggest divorce Shelby Forest has ever seen, and Mrs. Higgins is making sure I have every piece of information about her soon-to-be-ex that I can find.  She’s coming in Monday, so I wanted to be prepared.”

“Got it.”  Bailey pointed to a stack of files she’d pulled, per Amelia’s request.  “That’s what we have so far.” 

“Good, start doing some searching on the computer, and I’ll call some of my contacts and see what we can dig up.”

She disappeared into her office, leaving Bailey at the front to start her own searching.  Working at a lawyer’s office gave Bailey access to some information that would help in divorce cases.  Normally their clients weren’t very cut-throat, but every now and then a client would come in and want all the dirt possible.  It seemed that Mrs. Higgins had discovered her husband in bed with the nanny, so now she wanted to know everything about his finances, spending, and any other floosies that might be hiding.  Bailey’s journalistic side loved this.  She felt like a reporter again.

A solid two hours were spent by the two women, taking notes, printing reports, and collecting information that might help their client.  It was tedious, but together they accomplished quite a bit.

“Well, darling, until we actually speak with Mrs. Higgins and hear from her husband’s lawyers, I don’t think there’s too much more we can do today.  Lunch?”

Bailey’s stomach growled, answering for her.  She grinned at Amelia.  “Yeah, I think we deserve a good lunch.  Burgers from the General Store?”  Justin had introduced her and Carter to the General Store a few weeks back, and Bailey had become addicted to their burgers.  They were incredible.

“Sounds perfect.”  As she went to grab her bag, a phone rang in Amelia’s office.  “Shoot.  You go on without me.  I’ll be right behind you.  Order me the usual.”

Bailey waved after her boss, collecting her purse and settling her sun glasses on her face.  Stepping into the Southern heat caused her to inhale a deep breath, the air thick around her.  Summer in the South was oppressive, and Bailey could feel the sweat forming already.  She idly wondered if she should call Justin, just to make sure everything was okay, but decided against it.  She trusted Justin, and she figured that Carter really needed a boys’ day out.  He wouldn’t want to be bothered by his overly worried Mother.

The General Store was quiet, lunch time not quite here yet.  She waved to Ben, the older gentleman that owned and ran the store, grinning as he called out to her.  His wife, Sam, met her at the counter.

“Now Ms. Bailey, what a pleasant surprise.”  Sam’s voice was thick with accent, heavier than anyone else Bailey knew. 

She smiled at the older woman.  “Hey, Sam.  How’re you today?”

“Happier than a pig in shit, Darlin’.”  Sam always had colorful sayings, today being no different.  Bailey found herself laughing, happy to feel a part of this town a little more every day.  “No Justin today?  And where’s that little man of yours?”  Sam adored Carter, slipping him free pickles whenever they came in.

“Justin and Carter took a trip into Memphis.  Boys’ day out.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to stop in.  What can I get for ya?”

Bailey gave her order, making sure to get Amelia’s burger, too.  While she waited for her food, Ben wandered over, giving Bailey a big smile.  He was an adorable old man, but his eyes never stopped roaming.  Ben joked that he was just waiting for some young thing to steal him away from Sam, which always rewarded him with a slap on the head.  He loved it.

“So you’ve become quite popular around here, Ms. Bailey.” Ben grabbed a stool next to Bailey.

“Is that so?”  Bailey knew that being with Justin had put her name on the map.  Everyone knew who she was now, and she couldn’t avoid their gossip even if she’d tried.  “I guess I’ll have to thank Justin for that.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talkin’ bout Justin.”  Ben noticed the questioning look Bailey sent his way.  “You two are old news, now.  I was meanin’ that young man that came is asking around about you.  Of course, he called you Sarah.  I think he’s a little touched in the head, if you ask me.”  Chills skittered down Bailey’s spine, and the color drained from her face.  Ben noticed her stiffen, so he laid a comforting hand over her arm.   “Don’t worry, Ms. Bailey, I didn’t tell him a damn thing.  I don’t take to kindly to outsiders poking around about my pretty ladies.”

Bailey had to lick her lips several times to get the moisture back into her mouth.  It took her a moment before she could speak, her voice thick in her throat.  “Did…did he have a name?”

Ben looked at Sam who had just joined them at the counter, both burgers wrapped and ready to go.  “Sammy, who was that fellow that came in askin’ about Bailey?”

Sam gave her husband a long look, thinking hard.  “Was in Tommy?”

“No, no that’s not it.  It started with a T, though.”

Bailey’s heart skipped, thudding heavily in her chest.  “Travis.”  It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah! That’s it.  Travis.”  Ben looked proud to have solved the mystery so he failed to notice how exceptionally pale Bailey had suddenly become.  Sam, on the other hand, noticed the fear in the young girl immediately.

“Do you know this Travis, Bailey?”  Sam started to move around the counter, noting that Bailey looked like she’d seen a very unpleasant ghost.  Before she could get an answer from her, however, Bailey fainted off of her stool, falling heavily to the floor with a resounding thud.

“Jesus!”  Ben was startled out of his seat.  “Bailey, darlin’, you okay?”

Sam waved her husband away, reaching Bailey and checking the young girl over.  She was slowly coming to, her eyes fluttering open.  “Ben, go call Justin.  Tell him to come home now.  Then call Lynn and tell her to get over here, fast.”

Ben did as he was told.

“Bailey, Bailey can you hear me?”  Sam gently rubbed at the young girl’s face, hoping to coax her awake.  “How’s your head?”

Bailey tried to sit up, but Sam held her down.  “I…what happened?”

“Well, you fainted.”  Sam said, gently running her fingers over Bailey’s head, checking for bumps or sore spots.  “You hit your head pretty hard on that floor.  Are you okay?”

Bailey winced when Sam’s fingers touched the back of her head, bright lights blooming in her vision.  “Ouch,”  she panted, bringing her own hand up to check the damage.  “That hurts.”

“I’ll bet.  I’m thinkin’ you might have a concussion.”  She helped Bailey into a sitting position, moving her slowly so she didn’t faint again.  “Now, you mind tellin’ me why the name Travis brought you to your knees like that?”

Bailey paled again, avoiding any eye contact with Sam as long as she could.  Her hesitance said a lot to Sam, but she waited for Bailey to answer.  “He’s…he’s a ghost from my past that I thought I was rid of for good, and he shouldn’t have found me here.”  The tears pooled in her wide eyes as the realization of the situation hit her again.  Sam pulled the girl into her, hugging tightly while Bailey cried.

“You’ve got to calm down, honey.  I don’t want you hurting yourself even more.”  Sam soothed, patting the un-bruised parts of Bailey’s head.  “Ms. Lynn is here, now, baby.  Let’s go.”

Lynn sank down on her knees, eyeing both women on the floor.  “She okay?”

“She fainted and fell right off her stool.  She hit her head on the floor, and I’m afraid she might have a concussion or something.  I thought we should take her to your place.”  Sam’s eyes met Lynn’s and they shared a knowing look.  “She’s a little spooked right now.”

“Justin is on his way home.  He insists that Bailey call him as soon as she can.”  Ben’s voice floated over from the other side of the counter, and he looked worried.  He didn’t know how to handle serious situations like this, and he felt like it was all his fault.  He had no idea that telling Bailey about that Travis guy poking around would cause such a reaction.

“Let’s just focus on getting her to my house first.”  Lynn took charge, she and Sam helping Bailey to her feet.  The young girl swooned unsteadily for a moment, finding her balance after a few shaky steps.  When the group made it to the front porch, they were met with a rather confused Amelia, questions in her eyes. 

“Your lunch is on the counter, Melia.  Why don’t you grab it and join us at Lynn’s.  I think Bailey might need to eat, too.”  Another meaningful look was shared amongst the older adults, and Amelia nodded wordlessly.  She knew that something serious was up with her secretary and she wanted to know every detail.

“I think I’ve got her from here, Sam.  I’ll call you later to let you know she’s okay.”  Lynn shut the passenger door quietly, glancing at Bailey who was sitting with her eyes closed.  Her hands were shaking.  “What happened?”

Sam gave Lynn a brief run down, making sure to give as many details about this Travis boy as she could remember.  “He kept calling her Sarah, but he was definitely looking for Bailey.  Newbie in town, working at a law office, son about twelve years old.  It was pretty strange.  Ben didn’t tell him anything, of course, but as soon as he mentioned it to Bailey, she passed out.”

Lynn was thoughtful for a minute.  “Fill Amelia in.  See if she can dig anything up about this Travis character, or maybe even Bailey.  I’d like to know why we have someone snooping in our sleepy little town.”  Sam nodded, heading back inside to intercept Amelia as Lynn got into her car and headed toward her house.  “How’s your head, Darlin’?” 

Bailey grunted slightly as she turned to look over at Lynn.  “Like it met a hard wooden floor unexpectedly.”  Her chuckle turned into a deep groan.  It was good that she was joking, though.

“Well, we’ll get you to my place and comfortable so you can rest.  I’ll call the doc over and he’ll check you out.  Justin is on his way home; Ben called him.”

This time Bailey’s groan wasn’t from the pain.  “He’s probably freaking out, which means Carter is freaking, too.”

Lynn patted her leg comfortably.  “Don’t worry; you can call him as soon as we get home.  We’re almost there.”  She steered the car down the road, quiet filling the car.  She glanced over at Bailey, questions swimming in her head.  “You want to tell me what happened back there?” 

Bailey sighed, wishing like hell that she’d gone to Memphis.  Maybe all of this could have been avoided.  She licked her still-dry lips, “Can I tell you when Justin and Carter get back.  I think this is something that everyone should hear, and I don’t want to have to repeat myself.”

“Of course, Darlin’.”  Lynn pulled the car into her driveway, waiving Paul over so he could help escort Bailey inside.  “You just get some rest.  Everything will be just fine.”

Bailey nodded, her eyes closed tightly.  For the first time in a long time, she was praying.