She went up to her bedroom and put on one of her favorite denim shirts, tucked it neatly into her jeans, and went into the bathroom to brush the braid from her hair. She returned to the kitchen, opened the oven to check on the roast and closed the oven door. That is when she heard something outside. She had assumed the sound was Henry. She figured he had probably gotten back while she was upstairs and that she hadn’t heard the rig pull in.

Smiling to herself, she walked through the dining room, into the hallway, where she stopped by the hallway mirror to check her hair, before pushing the screen door open and stepping out onto the porch. “Henry? Is that you?”

“Henry? Is that you?” a surly voice from the darkness mocked her. She was startled by the familiarity of the voice, and the image of the man in the shadows. It was Chad, standing by the corner of the house.

“What happened?” he said in a spiteful voice. “That old fool run off on you?”

“Chad! What are you doing here?” Jessie snapped. “I want you off this property now.”

Chad stepped out of the shadows and up onto the porch, but Jessie stood her ground. “You don’t really want me to leave yet, do you?” There was a sinister grin on his face. “I only just got here.”

“Jesus, Chad,” she said as he closed in on her. “You’ve been drinking. You leave right now or I’m going in and calling the sheriff.”

“And what? He’ll be here in an hour? Two hours?” Chad grabbed her by the arm, and Jessie instinctively swung her free hand and hit him in the face with everything she had until he grabbed that hand as well. “No.” He was enjoying himself now. “I’ll just stick around for a while. I don’t mind telling you, I’m a little put out that you chose that old man over me.”

It was then Jessie realized why Chad was there, and a feeling of terror shot through her, almost making her sick with fear. She kicked Chad as hard as she could in the groin, and when he let go and doubled over, she kicked him again on the side of the head and bolted for the door. Her kick didn’t land square and only knocked him off balance, and Chad quickly, though agonizingly, chased after her. He caught Jessie just inside the house, and pushed her as hard as he could. She landed hard on one of the living room chairs, flipping it over backwards as she thudded heavily on her side against the wall.

Tossing the fallen chair out of his way, Chad grabbed her by the arm and jerked her to her feet. Jessie hit him as hard as she could in the face with her closed fist, and he momentarily stumbled backward, taking her with him. As soon as he regained his balance, he hit her squarely in the face with an open hand, sending her sprawling on the floor. Jessie scurried across the floor to the corner of the room where her father’s old, knurled walking stick still resided. She grabbed it, and holding it with both hands, scrambled to her feet. Chad, undeterred, walked toward her menacingly and as he reached for her, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and swung the stick with all her might, striking Chad squarely on the side of the head.