Free A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance) by Natalie Replogle Page B

tied.” He didn’t like it, but it was the bitter truth.
    “Or until he beats her to death.”
    No accusations laced her tone, only sadness. The anger she’d held earlier diminished and was replaced with hopelessness.
    He wished he could save the day, but all he could offer was encouragement. “We may not be able to go in and rescue Kim, but we have a God who can. The best thing we can do is pray for her and hope she gains the courage to walk away or seek help.”
    Ava gave him a tearful smile and nodded her head in quiet agreement.
    “Now, is my job the only reason you chose to call me instead of someone else?”
    Ava looked down at her hands in obvious hesitation and back up again, slowly letting her eyes reach his.
    “No.”
    He couldn’t hide his satisfaction. “I didn’t think so.” He seized her hands and pulled her off the swing. “Come on, let’s go get you something to eat.”

 
    Date #2
     
    “Wow, I’m very impressed.”
    It was Saturday and Matt had taken Ava to a park outside the city. They found a secluded spot on a tiny hill out in the sun. The day had turned cooler, but the warmth of the sun helped to take the chill out of the slight breeze. Matt pulled from the picnic basket a few pieces of Tupperware and put down a blanket for them to sit on. He had brought chicken salad croissants, a plate full of vegetables and fruit, baked chips, and brownies for dessert.
    “My mom gave me the recipe for the chicken salad and Betty Crocker did the brownies. Hopefully you’ll be as impressed after you eat it.”
    They watched a group of children playing on the playground across the grassy knoll and laughed while witnessing a father trying to teach his daughter how to ride a bike without training wheels. She had been nervous about seeing Matt again after her lapse in judgment in calling him earlier in the week to come talk. He had been exactly what she needed. And that was the problem. Each time they were together Matt chipped away at the walls that had guarded her heart for so long. Being vulnerable didn’t sit well with her.
    Matt finished his sandwich and leaned back on his elbows, looking up at her. “So how was the rest of your week?”
    “Honestly, not good in the teaching department.” She cringed just thinking about her long and trying week. “I had a lot of behavior issues with my kids. I’ll give you an example. On Thursday one of the girls got homesick and cried all day. I tried to comfort her but nothing seemed to help. The other kids noticed and made fun of her at first, but then caught on that my attention was divided and used that to their advantage.”
    “Thoughts of running away?”
    “I had my destination picked out on the computer.”
    “Warm weather?”
    “And complete seclusion.”
    “Running water?”
    “Define running water.”
    “Ouch, it was a bad week.”
    She chortled and took a bite of her brownie, savoring the chocolate melting in her mouth. “So how was your week?”
    “Wish I could say mine was better.”
    “I guess misery likes company. Spill the beans.”
    He sat up and put his elbows on his knees, tilting his head toward her, contemplating. “Besides the normal routine, I had to go to two houses this week because of domestic abuse. One of the calls wasn’t serious, mostly a lot of yelling that worried the neighbors. The second one was totally out of control, though. By the time we got there the wife’s face was so bloody she wasn’t identifiable.”
    Ava sat stunned and finally grasped his hesitation—his caution was for her concern. The subject bothered her and he didn’t want to upset her. Deep empathy tore through her heart. She had been so mindless with her words on Wednesday about him not doing anything for Kim. It was wrong of her to put him on the spot and ask him to do something she knew full well was out of his control. He had taken her to dinner afterwards and she thrived in his company. He made her laugh and never seemed bothered by her