“Relax, Ryker. I had these with Aaron, too.”
Some of the tension left his shoulders, but not much. He’d never felt more helpless than he did at this moment. He didn’t care what she experienced before, being on the run these past few days had been stressful.
And stress wasn’t good for Olivia or the baby.
He wasn’t a total stranger to God and faith, after all; he knew Hawk and Jillian were churchgoers. Still, he hadn’t thought much of it for himself, until recently. He’d never known his father, and his mother had abandoned him when he was young, leaving him a ward of the state. He’d eventually found a home with a nice couple, but he had moved around frequently for several years before that happened.
It wasn’t until he’d started hanging around the Callahans and now Hawk, that he’d learned about church and faith. At first he hadn’t understood why it was such a big deal, but now with Olivia and Aaron depending on him, he liked the idea of God watching over them.
He was prepared to do whatever was necessary to keep Olivia safe, but he had never anticipated she might go into labor. He had no idea how to deliver a baby!
Another swell of panic rose within him, nearly choking him.
He found himself sending up a quick prayer on their behalf.
Please, Lord, keep Olivia from delivering her baby early. Keep her, Aaron and her baby safe!
Olivia really wasn’t worried about the Braxton-Hicks, but the stark fear on Ryker’s face gave her pause. For the first time since he’d rescued her from the men in the Blake-Moore Group, he looked as if he might throw up.
That was her role to play, not his. She closed her eyes and concentrated on slow, deep breathing. The contractions weren’t regular or strong, which were both good signs. And they were very similar to the Braxton-Hicks contractions she’d experienced with Aaron.
Still, she’d prayed hard over the past thirty minutes, asking for God’s grace and mercy in watching over her unborn child. Thankfully, Aaron had remained preoccupied with his television show, oblivious to what she was experiencing.
“Olivia?” Ryker’s low voice sent shivers of awareness skating down her spine. She really, really needed to get a grip on her hormones.
“I’m fine, Ryker.” She opened her eyes and offered a faint smile. “I think the contractions have stopped.”
“Good.” Ryker hesitated for a moment, before taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside her, his expression serious. “I don’t want you to wait too long. You need to tell me when we need to go to the hospital, all right?”
“I will.” She wasn’t going to take any chances on having a premature baby. Aaron had been a week late, so she hadn’t been expecting a problem with this pregnancy. “You were gone a long time. How did it go with Seth? Did you find him? Talk to him?”
“Yeah. I convinced him to talk.” His brow furrowed. “I don’t want to add any more stress, Olivia, but I need to ask you about the bank accounts.”
She looked at him blankly. “What bank accounts?”
“Seth mentioned bank accounts. He seems to think they’re the reason Blake-Moore is coming after you.” His hazel gaze searched hers. “You really don’t know anything about them?”
“Tim and I have a joint bank account, or at least we did. I didn’t dare use or access it since the first few days after leaving the motel.”
“I don’t mean to intrude on your personal business, but how much money is in there?”
She didn’t understand where he was going with this line of questioning. “Maybe six or seven thousand dollars? Tim made good money, and we didn’t spend above our means.” In fact, she’d preferred shopping for bargains, especially once she’d learned she was pregnant.
“Do you think that money has been going toward your mortgage payments?”
“Yes. The bank takes the money automatically from our account each month.” She hadn’t really thought of it until now. “Although if that’s the case, I think the money will run out very shortly if it hasn’t already.” She blew out a heavy breath. “I hate the thought of the bank foreclosing on the house.”
“I don’t want you to worry about it.” Ryker put a reassuring hand on her arm. “I’ll take care of everything.”
“You can’t pay my mortgage.” She was horrified at the offer. “I’m sure this will be over soon. I doubt the bank will foreclose until I miss several payments.” At least, she hoped not.
“Don’t stress. It will be fine.”
The idea of going back to the house she’d shared with Tim filled her with distaste. No way. She wouldn’t do it. But she could sell the property. Yes, that was the answer. She’d sell and move back to the small town of Harrisburg. Except... Willa wouldn’t be there. Remembering how Willa had died helping to protect Aaron made her grimace.
Far better to find somewhere else to live. Somewhere just like Harrisburg. A smaller community where neighbors knew each other and watched out for each other.
Where she could find a wonderfully welcoming church like the one Willa had taken her to in Harrisburg.
“What about these receipts?”
Ryker’s voice pulled her attention back to the issue at hand. She looked down at the envelope of receipts he’d spread out on the bed. “Where did you get these?”
“Your house.”
Her gaze collided with his. “You went back there?”
He nodded. “I brought a bag back with some clean clothes for you and Aaron.” He cleared his throat as if embarrassed. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Normally I would, but I’m so desperate to get out of these old things, I’ll gladly take whatever you brought for us, as long as they fit me. Thank you.” She dropped her gaze to the receipts and picked one off the top. “These are just household items I purchased. Groceries, toiletries.” She picked up another, feeling despondent
