Rain (Stranger in the Woods Book 1) Read online

  Blaze tries to find the best spot to place his hands for my transfer. The Warriors fold my arms over my chest, pick my broken body off the blood-soaked leaves, and begin to carry me away. For the first time, the pain of my physical injuries registers.

  “Sage is in a tree watching over her.” Parker tries to relieve my fear.

  I groan in pain as more tears fall for Rose. “I love her… I love her.”

  “I know you do, son. I know.”

  Sage reflects to us, The dog is leading someone. I see a male running to her.

  We all hear a male scream. “Rose!”

  I tell the Guardians, That’s Gunner…

  The way my body creaks inside, broken bones rubbing against each other, I know I will not be healed by tomorrow, but it doesn’t matter. Rose is worth it. I love you, Rose.

  She is safe, my brother.

  I am cold.

  The sound of footsteps picks up speed, and the dark of the night helps me slip into a darkness of my own.

  Chapter Ten

  Rose

  His voice blows through me. I love you, Rose. I almost moan as my name is spoken by a somehow familiar male voice, a deep, rich voice. It sounds like a masculine lullaby with the capability to calm any alarmed child.

  “I love you, too.”

  “Rose! I’m here! I’m here.”

  Another familiar voice enters my head. Jolting into awareness, I feel out of it. “Bubba?” I’m already searching for the stranger who held me, his embrace promising a path I would never regret.

  “Yes, baby. I’m here. Shelly! Stop at the gas station. Call the doc. Tell him to meet me at her house. Sam, come!” Gunner runs with me in his arms. “Baby, how’d you get so far from us?”

  I’d hid in a bush with Sam, even giggling as I watched Gunner walk right past us, searching for me. I’m having a hard time articulating. My tongue isn’t working properly. “Sam… took off running… I chased him… Got lost—” All goes black.

  Glowing, iridescent, unrealistic, yet radiant, beautiful blue eyes appear alive to me, as if a chemical flows through them. These beautiful, mystical eyes tell me they are sorry—

  “Rosie? Rose, can you hear me?”

  My eyes flutter open. Gunner sits next to me on my bed. My eyes flutter shut again. Flashes of the blue eyes dance before me. Rose… I reach for him. Clouded memories of his body’s touch flow through me, bringing exceptional comfort. It feels as though my search is finally coming to an end.

  “Baby?”

  My eyes open then shut. Shelly’s feet pat on my wood floors. “Dr. Thistle, she’s waking up.”

  Someone touches my hand, but it is not the stranger from the woods. “Guunnner?” I feel… drunk.

  His hand tightens on mine. “Right here.”

  My eyes open a little. “Isss heee okay?”

  Mr. Hayes waits behind his son. “Has she been drinking?”

  Gunner stays next to me. “No, Dad. Promise.”

  It’s still nighttime. “Wheerr’es his eyes?”

  Mr. Hayes touches my leg. “Rose, how do you feel? Should I try to wake Beverly?”

  “Noooo—don’t be silly… Let Maaamaaa sleeeeep.”

  “Huh, has she been drinking, Gunner?” Dr. Thistle takes my pulse.

  I feel like I have been drinking. Heavily.

  “Not unless someone spiked her drink as a birthday prank.” Gunner sniffs my mouth. “I don’t smell alcohol.”

  “Rose, have you been drinking?”

  I sing my answer to the doctor. “Nooo, but someone has been drinking meee.”

  “Uh huh, drinking you. I see… You gave Gunner quite a scare.” The doctor listens to my heart with his, his… doctor thingy. God, I can’t even think straight.

  “He looked hurrrt but braaaavvvve. Fight—fight. Is theeee bite bad?”

  Now everyone in the room stares at me.

  Doc calmly asks, “Who looked hurt, Rose?”

  “What bite?”

  “The g-guy, in the woods.”

  Gunner gets loud. “What? Where?”

  My numb-ish hands fumble to pull down the collar of my shirt. “Here.” Both the doctor and Gunner search my neck. “Ask Sammmm. He was therrrre.”

  “Ask the dog?” Shelly paces.

  “I don’t see anything but a leaf.” Doc pulls soggy material with an odd smell from the base of my neck.

  Mr. Hayes reaches out. “Can I see that?”

  Gunner has quizzical eyes. “Are you sure you saw someone?”

  “I saaaw him and I felt—” I don’t know how to explain to Gunner that I am completely enamored with another man. Just then, I remember where I have seen the stranger before. I look at Shelly. “Hhhhhot Salad boyyyy.”

  Shelly is perplexed. “Salad boy? Ohhh, she’s talking about a customer at work. You were there, Gunner. Night of the milkshakes.”

  “Uh huh.” I nod, but it ends up being more of a wobble. “He had gloooowing blue eyes. He bit me before fighting reeed-eyed, cloaked creatures.” The laughter in the room catches me by surprise, so I stop talking and pout.

  Gunner’s shoulders relax. “Doc, I thought you said she didn’t hit her head. She’s imagining someone Shelly waited on biting her. Besides, he had weird green eyes, Rose.”

  Wait. The customer with green eyes knew my name.

  Shelly stomps her foot. “I’m gonna kill whoever slipped birthday girl something.”

  “Nooo slip… biiiitttte.”

  Dr. Thistle packs his black bag, still laughing. “Little rum don’t kill ya. Healthy as a horse, Rose is. Sounds like a little too much excitement from activities she hasn’t done—” The doctor goes quiet. “Well, none of you kids have done in some time.” The doctor has pity in his eyes for the young folk of this town. He shakes his head and smiles again. “Maybe we all need a drink. Stop worrying, Gunner. Rose is as good as new.”

  I’m forced to sit up when Gunner pulls me into his arms. “Damn, you scared me.”

  “Wait, Gunnnnnner. I saaaaw someone.” At least, I think I did.

  “Just give her plenty of fluids and maybe an aspirin in the morning. Goodnight, folks.” Shelly and Mr. Hayes walk Dr. Thistle downstairs.

  Gunner kisses me, and I can’t help noticing how his embrace feels, his kiss. It isn’t different than before, but after feeling an electric charge in another’s embrace, his arms can’t compare. While Gunner and I stare into each other’s eyes, blue eyes pass my vision. I gasp.

  “You okay?” Gunner looks concerned again.

  “Do youuu really think I imagined the guuuuy from thaaa forest?”

  “I think you dreamt him.”

  Of course, that has to be it. My chest aches immediately with the disappointing reality. “Yeaaah, you’re right. It’s juuuust… he—”

  “He what? Rose, what is it?”

  I pat my hurting chest but can’t find words. “Seemed sooo real.”

  Gunner affectionately pushes hair behind my ear. “It was a nightmare. No scary, red-eyed creatures will hurt you.”

  “What red-eyyyye creaturessss?”

  Gunner frowns. “You just talked about—you know what? It doesn’t matter. You are safe, warm, and in bed and soon to be alcohol-free.”

  I lean back against my pillows because I am getting so incredibly sleepy. Mr. Hayes walks back in my room. Gunner inhales deeply. “Dad, I’m letting Rose get some sleep. I’ll drive Shelly home.”

  Mr. Hayes hugs his son. “I’m staying. Feel like staying.”

  That’s the last thing I hear.

  A crisp breeze comes through my window, carrying a beautiful scent from the woods. Never have I noticed nature to smell so pleasant before. And never have I been able to smell the approach of winte
r. Now, it reaches out to me.

  My eyes open, and the sun’s rays coming through my window are glorious. That’s the only word I can think of to describe how they bounce off my windowsill and enter my bedroom, enter me. I feel gratitude for the sun. For some reason, I wasn’t sure I would ever witness it rising again. The warmth draws me in.

  I want more of what nature has to offer, but when I sit up, I see Gunner sleeping in a chair across from me. Gunner watching over me until he fell asleep reminds me of my own responsibilities. I can’t run off to the woods.

  Yet, the need to be outside of this house is overriding my mind. All of a sudden, I sense gloom all around me. Too much pain from the past clings to the walls. Leftover trauma residue has taken residence. I’ve never felt this before. Now, my skin almost crawls, trying to escape sinking into doom and gloom.

  Needing movement, I quietly leave my room so as not to wake Gunner. Walking into my mom’s room, I stop in my tracks. If I felt sadness in the rest of the house, it is nothing compared to her bedroom. Death mixed with tragic loss covers this room like moss smothering a tree. I’m glad she’s not in it to see me grab my chest and rush to the bathroom and be sick.

  Staring in the mirror, I wonder what’s wrong with me.

  During my shower, I feel as though I’m washing away the cloud that’s been trying to stick to me. Several deep breaths and I relax again. As my heart settles, my ears perk, hearing unfamiliar sounds: the water rushing from the shower nozzle above my head, the soap squeezing from the bottle to my scrubby, shampoo to my hand. Birds relish the morning air.

  After turning off the water, I listen. I’m tickled pink to hear Mama feeding the kids. The cereal tinks as it slides into the bowl and pops as milk is poured. The thought that Mama is doing what she loves most, taking care of her children, is interrupted when I realize that I just heard cereal pop—from the second floor. Am I losing my mind? I shake my head.

  While I’m in my room getting dressed, Gunner wakes up. I smile. “Good morning. You didn’t have to stay.” I slow my actions, noticing my clothes feel different. The material feels rough to my skin. My sensitivity to touch, my ears all morning—

  “You had a rough night. Wasn’t leaving ya. How are you?”

  I slip on my jeans, my skin tingling. “Good. I think.” Should I tell Gunner about my weird morning? “Last night’s a bit of a blur. Do you really think someone played a joke on me?”

  “What else can it be?”

  After I pull my shirt over my head, Gunner stands in front of me, drawing me to him. Shockingly, I can sense what he wants from me as he wraps his arms around my waist. A male urge vibrates off his skin. He even smells different. I can also sense him restraining his urges. “You want me,” I say to myself more than Gunner.

  He seems embarrassed, pulling his hips away. “What? Rose…”

  My body not reacting to his desires makes me realize I made love to Gunner because he is my best friend. He needed comfort, and I wanted to give it. There’s a sexual drive missing on my end.

  “It’s morning, Rose. All guys have wood.”

  “So you don’t want me? Sexually?”

  He smirks. “I’m a guy. You’re a girl. There for what you offer is on my list.”

  This is confusing. “No, Gunner. Do you want me?”

  He steps back, releasing me. “Yes, I want you.”

  I gesture. “Yet you move away from me.”

  Gunner turns, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just—I—shit! I don’t know.”

  I step forward, lean my cheek to his back, and hug him. “I can’t believe you think I’m ugly.”

  He quickly spins in my arms to face me. “I don’t think—” But he stops when he sees me grinning. His large hands grasp my face. “I love you.”

  “And I you, my friend.”

  He kisses me so tenderly I know I will never forget it. “Friend?”

  “I’m not alone in this decision, am I?”

  His forehead leans to mine. “Tell me—promise me—nothing is ruined between us.”

  “It will be ruined if you don’t kiss me again. You have great lips.”

  Gunner bursts out laughing. “I can’t believe you just said that, but I will kiss you anytime. In fact, that will be our new thing.” He dramatically rolls his eyes. “It will drive the locals batty with shit to talk about.”

  I pucker up to prove no damage has been done between us, and because he really does have great lips. I receive four happy kisses before my nose tingles. “Did you pet Shelly’s cat?”

  “Yeah, how’d ya know?”

  “I smell her.”

  “When did you become a bloodhound?”

  I jokingly push him away. “Don’t give me your nickname.” Gunner has always been known for having an unbelievable sense of smell—

  Out of nowhere, my right leg gives out from under me. A wave of emotion steals my breath, and a searing pain shoots through my thigh as though I have been stabbed. I scream!

  Gunner yells, “Rose,” as I crumble to the floor. “What’s wrong?”

  Panting, I see leftover stars from the hurt that’s rapidly disappearing. “I—I… don’t know. I felt so much pain in my leg.”

  “Rosie?” Mama calls from downstairs.

  “I’m okay, Mama.”

  Gunner swoops me up off the floor. As he carries me to my bed, my hand resting on his chest feels his heart beating. It’s absolutely incredible to truly feel life under someone’s skin. Gunner sits me on my bed. “How does it feel now?” He kneels on the floor, touching my leg.

  I’m dumbfounded. “Uh, now it’s… gone. Must have been a cramp.”

  “That threw you to the floor?”

  I shrug my shoulders in answer, blown away by all these new sensations.

  Gunner takes a deep breath. “You’re… off this morning.”

  Funny. I’ve never felt more on.

  “Talk to me?” Gunner asked.

  Gunner knows me like the back of his hand. He’s way too connected to me to not feel this change. I put my face down in shame. “But you don’t want to hear about him.”

  “What’s with you and this guy from your nightmare?”

  “Gunner! That’s just it, I think he’s real.”

  Gunner stands. “Oh, yeah, the guy from the diner?”

  “Why are you getting angry with me?”

  Gunner yells, “I don’t know!”

  This is the first time Gunner has ever yelled at me. My shock must be all over my face. His shoulders sink. “Damn, I’m so sorry. I’m exhausted. Listen, let me get some rest. I’ll come back, and we’ll talk. Okay?” I try to say something, but he presses his lips to mine to keep me from speaking. “I love you, baby.” He leaves my room.

  I hear him and Mr. Hayes heading out the front door as I walk to my window facing the backyard. I stare into the woods, thinking of my blue-eyed phantom. Was he real? He felt so real. My fingers brush over the spot where I swear he put something inside me, but now everything seems distant, fading, as if I’m not supposed to remember him. Unattainable memories are the missing links to finding what I’m not sure I am seeking.

  I jump when Mama appears next to me. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Didn’t mean to scare you. Just, I heard Gunner leave—in a hurry.”

  “Yeah, I upset him.”

  “Won’t be the last woman to manage that. John told me a little about last night.”

  Not able to pull my eyes from the woods, hoping my stranger will appear, I say, “Something happened to me, in the forest. Someone happened to me. My memory is foggy with details, but a set of eyes are lingering in my heart. And Gunner doesn’t believe me.”

  She whispers, “I believe you.”

  “You do? But why?”

  She inhal
es deeply. “Because. I’ve heard someone speak of this before. You teenagers aren’t the first ones to play deep in those mountains. And you, my dear, are not the first girl to be best friends with a Hayes boy.”

  “You mean—you mean, you and John—Mr. Hayes, were best friends?”

  “Some of the best and saddest years of my life.”

  Her gentle expression says so much to me. “You were in love with him.” She nods. “Did he know?”

  She sighs. “Nope, and by the time I had the guts to tell him, he’d already met—who I called the Forest Girl.”

  “I thought Archie and Betty were nuts!”

  “Nope, there’s something special out there.” She stares into the woods.

  My jaw drops. Could it be?

  “I’d heard the old folks talk about ridiculous stories, never believing a word about the trolls.” She laughs. “Good lord! I still don’t believe that one. They claimed one abducted Mildred, but we believe she took off with a longhaired stranger who had passed through. My mama said, even though he had some sort of Mohawk, he was handsome as could be.”

  Mohawk—the guys from the diner.

  Mama grins in thought. “Anyway, John was a runner for the track team, so he ran through the woods and hills for hours a day. One day, he spoke of a girl he mysteriously met in the mountains, and then everything changed. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, inside and out. She began joining him on daily runs. Soon—” Mama stares out the window. Pain crosses her face. “Soon, she ran off with his heart. That’s why I believe there is a secret world hiding out there in the mountains.”