Chapter 1

Isla

The Harrington place was torn and tattered and abandoned.

I got out of my used and paid off Toyota Camry and walked toward the front door. On the phone, I'd spoken to Willow Harrington.

Her voice had been rough, with the kind of croaky smokers cough that a lifetime of smoking would give a person.

She told me that I could Venmo her granddaughter the $500 deposit and rent was due by the second of every month.

She also told me that the key was under the green frog in the pot to the left of the door.

Slowly, I picked up the frog, and saw the key. Was I really going to do this? Live in Refuge Falls again?

It been roughly 6 years since I'd been back to this place. I cringed and wondered how long it would take my ex-husband to find me here. Probably not too long. He would be surprised I'd come back. I thought of the dead puppy I'd found on my door yesterday morning. I knew it was from him. There had been lots of dead things over the past few months. Little threats from my ex.

Of course he wouldn't admit it, but the greater threat was that he had always told me if I divorced him he would kill me. I wished I had that on some type of recording. But I didn't and no one ever believed he would do that.

I pushed the key into the lock and turned. The door didn't give. I pushed it again and it tumbled open. I walked inside. I had actually never been inside the Harrington place. Although I had grown up in Refuge Falls.

In fact, the only reason I was here now, was because I had seen the listing on Facebook marketplace. Apparently, Willow Harrington, the owner of the property, had her daughter manage most of it.

The truth was, I felt grateful. Grateful, that I had found the listing last night. Grateful, that it wasn't taken. I bowed my head and prayed, "Dear Lord, thank you for getting me here safely. For making it possible to have this house. For Willow Harrington and all of her generosity. In the name of Jesus Christ amen."

Even though the place wasn't much, it was far away from my ex. At least for now.

The whole place was sort of a cabin type of theme. The furniture was in rustic, log wood furniture. There were cobwebs, but when I walked into the kitchen, it looked like someone had cleaned it.

I opened up the refrigerator and it didn't smell too bad. There was a fresh box of baking soda inside.

I turned to the sink. The water ran. That was good. Shelter and running water.

I moved toward the back door, stumbling as my foot caught on a piece of linoleum floor that the glue had come up.

The back door was a sliding glass back door and it wouldn't open it first. I noted some type of wood thing in the side of it and I popped it up. I unlocked the door and it opened. There was a screen that was difficult to move but I moved it.

The backyard was full of weeds and old lawn furniture that looked in the kind of disrepair that the front looked like.

I noted the barn looked like it was about to fall over. Willow had informed me that there was nothing of note in the barn and I was welcome to use anything I could find.

I turned walked back inside the house. I would check out the barn later.

The truth was, I needed food. I was starving. I felt my blood sugar dipping and it was probably because I hadn't eaten in roughly 48 hours. I'd been running on adrenaline.

My first point of order would be to stop by the grocery store for what I could afford. There wasn't much after giving away that $500 for deposit.

I walked down the small hallway to one of the two bedrooms and noted there was only one bed in one of the rooms. But this bedroom was hooked onto a small bathroom.

I couldn't help notice that there were no blankets. I looked in the closets and couldn't find any blankets either.

I walked down the hallway and opened up another closet and there was nothing.

Okay, I would have to stop at a Goodwill store and figure something out.

There was a knock at the door.

I moved toward the door, tentative. My heartbeat quickly. Had my ex really followed me here? I wouldn't put it past him.

I hesitated in front of the front door, noting I hadn't heard anyone on the gravel driveway. But I had been out back. I looked out the peephole and saw a woman.

She knocked again. "I'm Willow's daughter."

I threw the door back and stared into a woman who seemed quite a bit older than myself. I remembered that the Harrington place was a generational ranch. Or had been.

The woman blew out a breath. "Oh. There you are. I saw your car out here, but I've been knocking for a while." She stuck her hand out. "I'm Wendy. Wendy Miller. I'm Willow's daughter."

I took her hand and shook it. "Right. I'm Isla Hamilton." Instantly, I wanted to use my maiden name, but I'd been using my exes last name since we married five years before. Plus, I didn't know if it was better to use my maiden name. I didn't really want to be associated with my parents. And my mother was still in town, at least I thought she would be. My father, well, it didn't matter when your address was prison.

She pulled her hand back and smiled. "You must have just arrived."

I nodded. "Just pulled in and I was checking the place out."

Wendy turned away from me and headed toward her truck. "Follow me. I have some things you might need."

I followed, confused.

She kept talking. "I hope I'm not overstepping, but I was sent by my mother. She remembered we don't have any linens in the house. No blankets. So I brought some."

She flung open the back seat of a truck and pulled out a large cardboard box.

Once again, my heart hammered inside my chest and I thought about the prayers that I been praying the whole way here and recently. I choked up, but I didn't want to give myself away.

Wendy held the box out, and then glanced at my face. "Are you okay?"

Quickly, I noted that I was acting weird. "Yes." I quickly took the box. "Thank you."

She gave up the box and seemed to be evaluating me. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

I turned away from her. "Yes. I'm just grateful you brought these things."

"That's okay. My mom had me also bring some food. She thought you might be hungry after your drive."

I turned back and noted that Wendy was already hefting another large box out of the truck. "You didn't have to do that." Now I felt guilty. And overwhelmed again at the miracles the Lord was giving me.

She shut the door and followed me. For being older than me, she seemed very capable.

I opened the door and put the box down next to me. And I turned and held the door open for Wendy.

She came through, a hop in her step. "That's all right now. My mother has a knack for hosting people." She let out a light laugh. "Even though we are technically renting the place, she sort of looks at it like a responsibility to make sure you're okay." She moved to the kitchen.

I followed her.

She put the box down and opened it. "I got you some milk and eggs and cereal and bread." She unloaded all of it onto the counter. "My mother said to plan for some meals. So I got some spaghetti and sausage. Some hamburger stuff. Some taco stuff." She kept on loading it onto the counter.

Maybe it was because I was starving because I was so alone and the fact that God clearly was taking care of me, but I couldn't stop the tears.

Wendy paused and turn to me. "Hey, what's wrong?"

I sort of crumbled. "Nothing."

Her arms wrapped around me. "There there. It's just a couple of meals and some basics."

"Thank you." Was all I was able to get out between crying. I sucked in a long breath and tried to get it together.

But the woman kept me inside of her arms. "It's okay. In fact, this is going to make my mom so happy. She called me about an hour ago with directions on gathering up everything and she was pretty certain that I needed to get out here pretty quick. Which was funny because I told her we didn't know when you would arrive. But I guess she did know."

I cried harder. "I'm sorry for falling apart."

She held me tighter. "That's okay. Don't you know this place is called Refuge Falls for reason."

Once again, I was overcome with more tears.

For a long time, she just held me. "It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay. Because you got my mom on your side and that means you have me on your side too. And we're some pretty tough girls." She shrugged. "Not to mention it seems you have God on your side, too."

"What?"

"Well, my mom told me God told her to have me hurry it up and … it looks like He was right."

I pulled back and wiped my face. "You will truly never know what these acts of kindness mean to me. I hope one day I can repay you and your mother."

Wendy grinned at me and then shook her head and her eyes blinked rapidly. "Actually, I think you already have. It's great to be in the service of God. And you gave both my mother and I that opportunity."

I didn't know what to say.

She suddenly checked her watch. "But I do have to run. I have to pick up my daughters from school." She hesitated, then paused, turning back. "But…"

"What's that?"

She glanced around. "If you're up for it, while you are staying here, if you want to help us out and paint the inside, I'll take $200 off your rent per month."

That felt like a huge deal. "Are you sure?"

She nodded and moved toward the door. "If you have time."

"All I have is time."

She paused with her hand against the door handle. "I'll bring paint out tomorrow." She snapped. "Oh, and I just heard about a job today if you need one."

It was like she was my personal genie. "Please, tell me."

"Police dispatch. Hazel Friends is retiring and they haven't been able to fill the position."

I froze. I knew…some stuff about this town. Basically, I knew stuff about the Armstrongs because I stalked most of them on social media. His mom had posted a few years ago about how Damon had become police chief.

I froze.

Wendy didn't seem to notice. She flung open the door. "I'll bring paint out tomorrow."

I followed her to the door and stood there, watching her go. "Sounds good. Thank you and see you tomorrow!"

She got inside her truck and turned it on. She waved as she backed out.

Dispatch. Dispatch. Dispatch.

Damon Armstrong.

All of a sudden Refuge Falls…didn't feel like such a refuge after all.