The Loss (Heartache series #1)

by Green, Vicki

  Finally, I park in the street near where the trail begins and climb out into the rain. The sound of it pelting against my truck, making it loud and less than conspicuous. Thank goodness it’s Saturday early morning and a lot of people sleep in around here. I start jogging the trail, trying to hurry but the visibility sucks and the rain keeps pelting me hard. By the time I reach the dirt trail, which is now a muddy mess, full of standing water, hail starts to hit. Not large enough to do any big damage but shit, they fucking hurt when they hit. At least I have my jacket to protect me a little. I finally make it to where the trail bends; it’s not much farther until I get to her. The hail continues, and my knee is starting to ache from the weather and because I forgot my brace. Maybe I can stop back at the house to get my brace but then that might be risky at this point as it’s starting to get a little lighter out, even behind the dark clouds.

  When I reach our meeting site, I look around, the rain hitting my face but the hail has finally stopped. I walk over to our rock, then push away the brush as I move through it until I see her. She’s curled up in a ball, her backpack being used as a pillow against the hard ground. She’s shivering, but she doesn’t seem to be awake. Fuck! I feel even worse now. So selfish! I bend down on my good knee, trying to shield her face with my body, and shake her, gently. She doesn’t move. “Alena,” I speak out into the darkness. Still nothing. I stand back up, shake out of my jacket and lay it on her then put my arms underneath her legs and around her back, lifting her, trying to be careful, and grabbing her backpack with my hand.

  It takes me way longer than I wanted to get her down the muddy trail, but the paved walking trail was a little easier to navigate. Struggling to get my keys from my pocket, I finally manage to get the truck unlocked and the door open. Her head lulls back against the headrest when I set her on the seat. I lean over and buckle her in and pull down the soaking wet hood of her hoodie. Her face is pale and with her stillness, worry sets in. “Alena?” I cup her wet face with my hand and shake it a little. “Alena!” I shout and then my eyes roam around outside, making sure no one is around. Nothing. Fuck! I need to get her dry and somewhere warm now.

  Quickly, I shut her door and jog around my truck, then get in and start it up. I check the gas gauge and sigh in relief. Thank God, it’s full. I turn my head, looking over my shoulder and then look down at her. It’s gonna take about an hour to get there. Maybe I can pull over in a discreet place and at least get her in some dry clothes. I know just the place. After driving for about twenty minutes, I see the offside rest area and pull into the parking lot. No one is here, but I know that could change at any time. The rain has finally let up but the clouds are still pretty dark, so I’m expecting it to storm more. I get to her door, but open the backdoor first, grabbing my backpack then I move back to her and unbuckle her seatbelt, lifting her into my arms when I hear a faint sigh. Thank fuck!

  I push her door close with my back, then the backdoor and walk over to the small shelter and into the men’s room. Bending down, with her on my lap, I unzip my backpack and pull out a long sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants and lay them on the ground and set her down, carefully, holding the back of her head like a child. She’s shivering and her lips are a light shade of blue. That can’t be good. Fuck! This is all my fault! I proceed to take her shoes off, and she flinches. The heaviness of her wet pants is against me, but I finally manage to get them off. Then I remove her socks and underwear. I pull up on her shirt and carefully start to pull her arms from it but she cries out so I stop.

  “UH!” Her eyes blink behind their lids and then slowly open. Her chin quivers and her body shakes. “You found me,” she whispers, her voice gruff.

  “Shhh, baby. I’m here.” She winces again as I try to remove her shirt. “Are you hurt?”

  Her head shakes. “I am engaged but I’m not pregnant.” Her eyes search mine, pleading. “Please believe me.”

  I cup her face, my heart bleeding for her. “I believe you, Alena. Where are you hurt? Please, baby. Calm down.”

  Her chin quivers, her body shivering. “My shoulder. I fell.”

  I pull up her shirt, lean over and see the caked blood all over her shoulder and on her back. “This is gonna hurt, but just for a minute. Can you sit up?” She nods, and I move my hand from around her and pull her shirt off quick.

  “Ow!” She yells.

  “Sorry! Sorry!” I look in my backpack and pull out my small first aid kit, gathering bandages to cover the area until we can get to the cabin. “Here. Better?” I look into her water filled eyes and she nods, trying to give me a smile. I reach around and unclasp her wet bra and bring it down her arms. She pulls her arms out, helping me a little since she’s more awake. I grab my long sleeved t-shirt and gather up the material then gently help her pull it over her head and she puts her arms through the long sleeves and winces. The ends hang off her hands but she keeps them inside to get warm. “There. Is that better? Are you getting warmer?” I brush back her wet hair and she smiles.

  “Yes, thank you,” she responds shyly.

  I start putting things back into my backpack, taking out a large plastic trash bag and placing her wet things into it. “No need to thank me, Alena. I’m just sorry you had to go through all of that and I wasn’t there for you.” I stop forcibly cramming everything in the backpack, taking out my frustration, when I feel her hand on my arm. I look into her beautiful green eyes and take a deep breath.

  “You’re here now. That’s all that matters, Jase.” I lean into her, kissing her cool lips and then press my forehead against hers.

  We stay like that for a few minutes, not wanting to move but then I finally go back to gather up all our things. “Why don’t you go over to the dryer there and warm up some more.” I feel her move away and continue packing until she hisses. My head snaps up to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

  She limps over to the counter and then turns, using her hands to help push her up to sit on it. “Oh, I twisted my ankle when I fell. Stupid mud. I hit a rock pretty hard when I landed.” She hits the big silver button on the dryer, and then the room is echoing with the sound. She puts her hands underneath, closes her eyes and sighs. “Oh! That feels wonderful.” I smile, glad she’s getting warmed up, and finish stuffing everything into my bag. I stand up and walk over to her, her legs opening for me to get closer, and I kiss her cheek. I reach over and turn the nozzle towards her face and watch the warm air blowing her hair. It turns off so I hit the button again. “Ah! God, that feels good.” She almost moans and my cock twitches. Now is not the time or the place.

  My fingers find their way into her hair, fluffing it as the warm air continues to blow. “Once you’re warmed up enough, we need to go. The sooner we get to the cabin, the sooner I can build a fire and get you something to eat.” She nods with her eyes still closed, but a smile graces her face. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

  Her eyes open and she shakes her head. “No. I was too nervous and thought if I fell asleep, I’d miss the time to get moving and it would be too late.”

  My fingers move out of her hair and I rub under her eyes. “No wonder you have dark circles and after being out in the element that long, you could have caught your death.” She turns her head and kisses my hand, and I can’t help but smile. “I have blankets in the truck. Let’s get you outta here and get on our way.” She nods and smiles at me then starts to hop off the counters. “No! Here, let me.” I put my arms around her and lift her up.

  “Jase! You have your bag. I can walk.” She shakes her head and tries to push against my chest.

  “I’ve got you. Just grab my bag.” I walk over, bend down and she picks it up, and then I stand. It has to be heavy for her but she smiles, her eyes lighting as I carry her out.

  Still no one around. I get her in my truck and buckle her in, then stowaway my bag in the back. I grab a blanket and tuck it in around her. After getting settled
and back on the main highway, I feel a bit better. I turn up the heat full blast and she turns to me and smiles. She looks so much better. The feelings of dread wash away.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  The heat feels so good, and I’m finally getting warmed up. Jase has thought of everything and is taking great care of me. I feel so loved and comforted by him. I bounce in my seat at the sight of the cabin, nestled back in the large trees. I haven’t been here for so many years, remembering all the great times we had here when we were young. The truck shakes us as it climbs the rocky hill, jostling us around. He pulls up along the far side of the cabin, hiding his truck so no one can see it. I start to open my door when his hand grasps my arm. I turn my head to him and watch him smile and shake his head. My smile can’t grow any bigger as I watch him get out of the truck and run around behind it; my head turning watching his every move. I’d never tire of seeing his gorgeous body as he runs, or when he looks at me with those brown eyes, glazed with love and desire. I never thought it could be this way, feeling so amazing, or that we’d ever have a chance to be together.

  He opens the door and I quickly unbuckle the seatbelt before he lifts me into his strong arms, carrying me up the few wooden steps and unlocks the door. The heavy wood door opens, shining a little light around the room only to find it dusty and dirty. “Yeah, I’ll have to clean up a bit,” he chuckles as he takes me inside and setting me down on a chair by the table. “Sorry about that.”

  I look up and smile as he hurries to light the kerosene lamps around the room, then picks up some wood by the fireplace. He squats down, showing me a fine view of the muscles in his back as they flex underneath his shirt. “Ha, it’s not like you had fair warning. Besides, I like to watch you.” His head turns, his smile beautiful. I can’t help the giggle that escapes me.

  He stands, the fire small at first but then it expands. He puts his hands on his hips then looks around. “I need to go get some supplies. Thank fuck the nearest convenience store is only about twenty minutes away. I’ll clean up a little first and get you settled.”

  I tilt my head, crooking my finger at him. His sexy cocky grin appears as he strides over to me then bends down so our faces are level. “Give me something to clean with. I think I can manage that much while you’re gone.”

  “But….” My finger lands on his lips and he kisses it.

  “No buts. This much I can help with. I’ll be careful moving around and will sit as much as possible, okay? You’re not Tarzan and I’m not Jane. Now go.” His mouth is on mine before I can take a breath, my fingers move up into this hair on their own. He pulls back but only to press his forehead against mine, his hand splayed out across the side of my face. We both pant as we look into each other’s eyes. “Well. Okay, you can be Tarzan.” He laughs, and it’s music to my ears. After he kisses my forehead, rubs his thumb across my skin, he stands and gives me a wink, then walks out the door.

  I make great use of the time while he’s gone. Everything is horribly dirty. Thank goodness I found a sponge and bucket but there’s one big problem. No water. There’s no electricity here, no inside plumbing or anything remotely civilized. Great. Hobbling down the front steps, my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun that finally decided to come out, and carrying the bucket is not my idea of fun but Jase has already done so much for me, and I need to do my part. It takes me so much longer to get down to the creek then it used to but I didn’t have a sprained ankle the last time we were here either. I manage to get a full bucket of water and then the struggle back with it was even worse. I swear, sometimes I just don’t think.

  I lost a bunch of the water by the time I get back, lugging it up the steps and then drop it on the floor inside. I sit down with a huff, blowing the hair from my face, and sigh. My foot is throbbing again. Perfect. In that amount of time, I would have thought Jase would be back by now so I’m worried. What if someone spots him, knows him or remembers him from when we used to come here? Well, that’s been over five years, and he has changed. What if he came here during that time? No, I didn’t see his truck. Suddenly, I feel as if I don’t know him anymore. What has he been doing all that time? What other struggles has he had, accomplishments, women? Oh, my God! Now I’m wondering how many women he’s been with.

  Shaking my head, I reach for my backpack, dig through it and find a hair-tie then gather my thick hair into a ponytail and secure it. There. Okay, now let’s do this and quit thinking so much. Standing, I lean down and grab the bucket handle and manage to get it over to the wood counter. There, step one. I grab some newspaper from the pile in the basket on the floor by the fireplace, wadding up several pieces and open the door of the fire burning stove, placing them inside. Step two: I take some kindling from the hearth, shoving it in and stand back. I look around and see a box of matches sitting on the shelf over the counter and have to reach to get them. I light one and let it burn for a bit, hold it down inside until the paper catches it and then drop the match in there. I watch it for a little bit, the flames starting to spread and finally close the door.

  Pretty soon, smoke bellows out from the sides of the door and up from the burners, and I start waving it away like a mad woman. I start coughing as I try to figure out what I did wrong when the door opens, and I turn in time to see Jase running towards me, lifting me into his arms and taking me outside, depositing me on the front steps. He runs back inside, and I’m coughing profusely. What in the hell did I do wrong? It’s not too long when he comes back, sits down beside me and pats on my back, handing me a bottled water. I remove the cap and chug it. God, I needed that. I down almost the entire bottle and cough a few more times. Then I turn to him and see a big old smile on his face, his elbow resting on his knee, and his hand up by his chin, trying not to laugh. “What?”

  He leans over, shaking his head, and rubs his thumb across my cheek then turns it over, showing me the soot. “Yeah, you just lost the job of Jane.” He starts laughing, and I smack his shoulder. “But really, you did too much. Thank you. You just forgot to open the flue.” I bow my head in embarrassment, and he quickly raises it with his fingers under my chin. “How’s your foot?”

  I smile. “It’s okay. Kind of hurts from my trek through the forest but I’m okay.”

  “My brave girl. You don’t have to be so brave for me. I’ll take care of you. Come on.” He stands and helps me up then puts his arm around my waist and practically lifts me as I hobble inside. “I’m gonna leave the door open for a bit and get some fresh air inside,” he tells me as he takes me over to the couch. I sit down and look up at him. “You just sit. I’ll give you something to do so you don’t hurt yourself anymore.” He smiles and squats down, opens his backpack and pulls out a thick hoodie. “Here.” He moves over in front of me and pulls it over my head, and I push my arms through the long sleeves, feeling better with the bandage on my shoulder, then he brushes back some of my hair that fell out of my hair-tie. “Now,” he leaves his hand on my face, and I feel so warm already with his touch, “let me get a few things cleaned but I’ll bring over the cutting board and some veggies to cut up but first….” He stands and walks out the door, and I try to wait patiently. He comes back carrying an armful of sacks and a couple hanging from his fingers. I start to rise, and he yells at me. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sit back down.” So I plop back down feeling a little frustrated. He sets them down on the table and then rummages through them, picks something out and then walks back over, getting in his earlier position in front of me. I flinch when he takes ahold of my ankle, gently lifting my foot and removing my shoe then my sock. He sets my heel on his knee and opens an ace bandage package. Smart man. My foot and ankle are swollen, and I notice the light purple bruising around it.

  I sit there just watching him. His tongue peeks out as he concentrates while wrapping my foot. So cute. Okay, handsome but in a cute way. I lick my lips as I look at the tip of his tongue lick his lower lip then stays there, and then it slides ov
er his lip to the other side. I’m completely mesmerized. “Quit staring,” he says with a low chuckle then he finishes and his brown eyes look up at me, his dark lashes covering them and my heart just stops. He leans closer, so close I could barely move and our lips would be touching. “Don’t walk on it anymore.” I blink and then he kisses me quick.

  He pushes his hands against the couch, rises, walks over to the table grabbing more stuff from the bags and then goes over to the counter. Soon, he comes back to me carrying a big chopping board and sets down some plastic bags with vegetables in them. “You okay with this?” I nod and smile as he hands me a knife. I pull out a head of broccoli and start cutting. Then he brings me a small bowl with water and sets it on the table beside the couch. “I bought a ton of bottled water until I can get a bunch steamed.” He’s thought of everything. I sit there, looking up periodically, and gawk at him. Watching him move around effortlessly, putting things away, and then setting the bucket of water on the stove to heat up. I watch his muscles flex as he lifts up the hem of his shirt, reaching over his shoulder and pulling it over his head, leaving only his wife-beater on. Damn. Is it getting hot in here?