I stood frozen, dumbfounded at the bay's behavior. Unsure of what had changed between us, I simply stared at her as she nudged the hay around before munching on it. Kris stood next to Sunny the palomino, her eyes wide with a big smile spread on her face. Did I just win this round?
***
Connor lounged in the Adirondack chair, his bare feet propped up on the deck railing as he watched a flock of white birds dive toward the surface of the lake through the tinted shield of his sunglasses. He knew the headache would eventually go away, though it didn't feel like it at the moment. There wasn't enough room in his skull to contain the throbbing of his hung-over brain.
Zoey lay curled at his feet, tuckered out from chasing a squirrel between the cabin and the tree line for nearly an hour. The squirrel was clearly having fun teasing the dog, and though it was amusing to see, the back and forth motion of the two just made the splitting feeling inside Connor's head worse so he hadn't watched to see who ended up winning the game of tag.
The night before was fuzzy; toasts and shots and swigs from whiskey bottles plagued him. An image of Riley, sitting in their bed, arms wrapped around a pillow, just wouldn't leave his thoughts. And something else. Something dark; something he was sure he didn’t truly want to remember, niggled at the fibers in his brain, doing its best to force a path to the front of his memory. He struggled to push it away, thinking of the lake instead. The dog and the squirrel. Or the fact that he had to clip his toe nails soon. But the dark memory kept trying to come back. He rubbed briskly at his face and winced when the jostling hurt his head.
"You know, you keep wearing your jeans outside in this sun, your tanned feet will no longer match your white legs."
Connor shifted in his seat, turning his sore head just in time to see Riley settle into the chair beside him. "I thought you liked my legs?"
"Oh I do, but keep this sort of sunning up and it will look like you're wearing brown socks when you're naked." She laughed, and even though the sound of a mouse fart was enough to make him cringe in pain, her laughter didn't. It was a honey-sweet musical sound that never failed to warm his heart.
"Done with your horses?" he asked.
"For now." She smiled at him, but he noticed the pull at the edges of her mouth, as if her grin was forced. He waited until she looked away, sighing heavily into the warm air. "We need to talk about last night," she said quietly.
"Yeah, I figured as much."
"And…?" she asked him.
"You go first. Last night is a big blur for me."
Connor sat still in his seat, listening to Riley recount the events of the previous evening. Ending with how he wound up on their bedroom floor, half-naked and alone.
"Are you certain?" he asked, feeling a cool sweat break out on the exposed parts of his body.
"Yes. One hundred percent; it was him."
He nodded curtly, amazed that his head could actually hurt more as Riley's words registered. After sitting up and being careful to keep the direct sunlight out of his face, he looked over his shoulder at the girl he loved.
"So, how long has Fin been back?"
***
The sateen sheets were cool and slick, and smelled of fresh lily. The laundry fragrance paired nicely with the scent of our body wash. Connor's breath touched the back of my shoulder and I concentrated on the soft wisps of air that hit my skin with a slow and steady rhythm. The day had been a long one; full of horses, discussions, chores and thoughts. That was what I was tangled in - my thoughts. As I waded through the murky waters of my mind, I felt lost and alone in the gloomy shadows. Even with Connor's arm draped protectively around me, I knew he wouldn't be able to save me from myself, or from the shadows that took form late at night.
Though I couldn't see Fin, I felt him nearby. His essence was heavy - impossible to miss. And he wouldn't leave me alone. Every time I blinked, I was certain his face would appear before mine, with him hunched over, watching me in bed. Or standing in the far corner, his gunshot wound open and oozing sickly-colored blood. If he could hear my pleas for him to move on, my demands for him to leave me be - he wasn't listening.
With a shaky sigh I shifted, rolling onto my back and adjusting Connor's heavy arm below my naked breasts. He moved slightly, bumping his bent knee into my leg but he didn't wake. The haircut he had given himself suited him. Though his hair still had plenty of length, it didn't hide his features anymore. The straight angles of his nose and jawline were visible once again, as well as his eyes. I loved his hair long. He looked wild, rugged, and sexy. But his eyes were my favorite - the clear blue color stood out against his dark features, begging me to get lost in them. Drown in them. And every time he looked at me, I did just that. Now that his hair was shorter, I could see more of his eyes, without having to push his wavy locks out of the way.
I was still staring at his sleeping face when dawn began kissing the bedroom windows. No matter how hard I tried to will it away, the new day had started. The room seemed to expand as the shadows were forced back into their hiding places and the light of day took over. I stared at the ceiling, checking out the wooden beams and a cobweb the size of a Mini Cooper that I hadn't noticed before. It was dusty, tucked into the far corner of the room, just behind the bathroom door. I became fascinated with it as the room brightened, hoping to see a spider run out along the sagging strands, but nothing did. The spider that created it had been gone a long time.
When hazy sunbeams began hitting the floor and spraying across the foot of the bed, Connor stirred beside me, flexing his arm across my midsection. I waited for him to stretch before I leaned over and softly kissed his mouth.
His eyes fluttered open, and with his early morning voice laden with a touch of his rusty Celtic accent, he murmured, "Morning, sunshine."
"Good morning."
"How long have you been awake?"
"Awhile. I know you slept well, you snored."
His eyes widened before he scoffed, "I do not snore!"
"You keep telling yourself that," I giggled.
"Kris is up, I can smell coffee," he sighed.
I heard her rise and creep down the stairs a half hour before, but I wasn't ready for coffee, plus part of me hoped I would drift off into some sort of slumber. My body was sore and achy from the day before.
"I'm going to take the horses out for their first ride today…with Kris," I said.
"Really? You think they're ready for that?" Connor propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at me.
"I'm sure Sunny is, but Foxy...we'll see. We won't know if they are ready till we try."
"True. Want me to go with?" He twirled the ends of my hair around his finger.
"Not yet, but thanks." I looked over at him and smiled. He was different, less combative, more interested in what I was doing with the horses. I wondered if he was beginning to change his mind.
"You know, I have this problem," he said with a sly grin on his face.
"What problem is that?"
Connor's fingers found my hand and he tugged it below the sheets, between us. "That's an impressive bulge, Sir," I joked.
"I told you I have a problem. Mind fixing it for me?"
His mouth met mine, parting my lips, eagerly probing inside to dance with my tongue. The sheet slid down to my waist and Connor kicked it the rest of the way off, exposing our nude bodies. He nibbled at my neck and shoulder while walking his slender fingers down my abdomen. The freshness of his body wash and the salty musk of his skin twisted my stomach into knots and titillated every one of my nerve endings. He had only to touch me to awaken every sense in my body.
We both jumped when a knock vibrated off the bedroom door. I clutched the sheet to my chest and heard Connor groan as he rolled off of me.
"Riley, Connor…you awake? Breakfast is ready!" Kris's chipper voice said from behind the door.
"Sure, Kris…we'll be right down!" I replied.
"Okay, great!"
"Wait, what?" Connor complained. He pulled me onto him u
ntil I straddled his waist. "That's all I get, a few kisses and love pats?"
I ground my hips against his before rolling away from him and quickly sliding off the side of the bed. "Come on, let's eat. Kris and I have a big day planned."
He was up and off the mattress before I slid my underwear on. The cotton fabric made it to my knees before he grabbed me from behind and pushed himself firmly against me. "But…you said you would help me with this problem," he grumbled into my ear, playfully nipping at my lobe.
I swatted at his roaming hands, which were seeking a resting place between my thighs. "I can help you with your problem later…will you stop that!" I laughed as he leaned into me, nudging my backside with his erection. I placed my palms on his thighs in an attempt to free myself, but he was stronger - and faster. One of his free hands darted between my legs and I gasped as his fingers slid inside me. The pad of his thumb rubbed against my clitoris as he pushed two fingers in and out at a pace that rivaled my heartbeat.
"Connor," I gasped as he spun me around to face the bed, bending me forward, still rubbing - still probing. I braced myself against the foot of the bed as Connor delved deeper inside me with one hand and cupped my breast with the other. Unable to stop myself, I pushed against him, longing for the feel of his sex inside mine. My muscles tightened around his fingers as a moan escaped my mouth but instead of continuing, he eased out of me.
"No, don't stop," I pleaded.
Fingertips ran up my spine and I arched my back from the sensation. "Riley, I want you," he begged.
"Please…take me, Connor…I'm yours."
And take me, he did.
CHAPTER nine
With each step along the trail, sweat rolled down the sides of my face and neck, soaking a dirty ring into the collar of my sleeveless top. I looked over my shoulder at Kris, and noticed her shirt looked no better than my own. We had only been on the horses for two hours, and it was the hottest day of the month. The thermometers inside the cabins read at a steady ninety degrees but all of us swore it felt more like one hundred and ten. The air was so dry that our throats were sore; none of us could get enough water.
For over a week, Kris and I had been taking the horses out for a daily three - five hour hike along various trails in the Laguna Mountains, testing them on different terrain, including the hard packed asphalt of the highway. I was almost certain that Sunny, our friendly palomino with the soft and gentle, Hershey-kiss eyes, was a trail horse at one time in her life. The only thing that Foxy struggled with was being in the rear. She hated to be behind the other mare and would yank at the rope reins and sidestep on the pathway until I allowed her to trot her way to the front. Lucky for us, Sunny didn't seem to mind being passed up.
I almost cancelled the last trail ride of the week because of the intense, arid heat, but we were leaving soon and I wanted the horses to be able to take a few days off before we set out. It would be a long week of walking from east San Diego County to the outskirts of southern Los Angeles, and I wanted to make sure the horses could handle the random hot days just as much as us people.
Kris and I found a tandem saddle at a horse-boarding ranch not far from Julian a few days earlier, which would work perfectly for the two of us. Connor was going to ride Sunny. She took to him, so it worked out nicely for everyone. An added bonus was that Foxy didn't seem to mind having both Kris and I on her back, though it left less room for saddlebags. I figured that on some of the journey the three of us could walk beside the horses to give them a break when they needed it. And as long as we stopped along the way to pick up supplies, we wouldn't need to carry much with us.
The plan was set in motion. We had it all sorted, even marked out nicely on a map with a red pen. The only hitch would be the weather and timing our departure to go with other events happening at the lodge. Ana had a month or so left of her pregnancy, and I agreed to spend no more than a week in L.A. looking for Mariah. It didn't seem like much but I told myself if we didn't find her this time around, I could always go back. It would take almost a week to get there, another week to look around and a week to return. That left only a week's worth of time for unforeseen events.
My mind ran the journey details on a loop through my brain, and even though we had planned what we could, I attempted to think of every worst-case scenario possible. I was imagining what we would do if one of the horses became injured when Foxy jerked at the reins and stopped walking so instantly that I slammed forward into her neck. She stood rigid with her head held high and her ears forward as if she was listening to something in the distance.
"What is it, girl?" I asked quietly, while stroking the side of her neck.
She blinked and let out a soft grunt, but didn't take her eyes off the trail in front of us. When I glanced behind me, I saw Kris atop Sunny, scratching at her ears.
"What's up?" she asked me.
I shrugged and looked around us at the dry forest that had begun to encroach upon the trail. The only prints in the dirt were ours, from our hike through the area two days earlier. There was a stream that hadn't dried up yet, not far away, which was where I intended on taking us so the horses could get water, but it seemed as if Foxy was refusing to continue.
I tugged on her reins in an attempt to turn her but she stomped her front feet in the dirt, not taking her eyes off the winding trail. With a sigh, I yanked harder, hoping that whatever she had heard or sensed was too far away to be a threat, but still she didn't budge.
"Are we going back?" Kris asked. Sunny seemed irritable; she stomped at the dirt and shook her head so that her mane flew out around her.
"Well, that's what I was trying to--", I was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek that reverberated off the trees in a multi-tonal echo that made the hairs on my arms stand up. The cry seemed too loud to be human and cut off abruptly. It was close.
Both the horses bolted the way we had come, back along the trail. I leaned forward and hung on for dear life, one hand wrapped in the reins, gripping the saddle horn and the other fisted in the horse's mane. Two more times I heard the screeching cry of what sounded like a woman, off in the distant and I glanced over my shoulder only to make sure whatever had made the awful shriek wasn't following us. The horses galloped until the trail merged with the highway again, and they nearly tossed us into the uneven dirt shoulder when we tried to calm them down.
"What was that?" Kris asked, keeping her eyes on the tree line that ran parallel with the road.
"I don't know, and I'd rather not find out," I answered.
My arm hairs still stood upright and with both horses twitchy and unnerved, we made our way back to the lodge in silence, never taking our eyes from the trees. Something was definitely there, watching us. It was a different kind of darkness than the one we had all gotten used to since the city fell, tethering the dead to the living.
The outcry we heard boom out of the trees was from something alive - most definitely alive.
***
We arrived back at the lodge sweaty and dirty from the ride. As Kris led the two jittery mares to their post to tether them, I pulled the water hose from the side of the Recreation building, letting the water flow from the spout until the temperature cooled. One thing the horses both liked was being splashed with fresh water. With their saddles off, I hosed them down until clean streams ran off their flanks, and let them air dry. With the late afternoon heat, it didn't take long for the liquid to evaporate. With a huge bundle of hay in between them, the mares calmed down and focused on one thing: food.
"Shower?" I asked Kris, who looked just as exhausted as I felt.
She shook her head, "Bath."
We took the trail leading down to the cabin slowly, our inner thighs sore from riding, legs trembling slightly, arms held limply by our sides. My whole rear-end felt numb but that changed by the time we reached the cabin. Groaning and grumbling with each porch step, the two of us entered the place looking like the horses had dragged us through the mountains, not carried us on their backs.
&nbs
p; Zoey jumped up on us the moment we walked in the door. I bent forward, letting the small dog lick my face partially clean. I scratched behind her ears until she flopped down and rolled over, displaying her tummy for a rub. It took every muscle in my back to right myself when I was finished with the dog, and even more muscles to climb the stairs to the second floor.
Kris was standing on the landing, leaning against the banister talking to Connor. She mumbled something about the scream that startled the horses and Connor snagged my arm as I tried to squeeze past him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, as a look of concern wrinkled his forehead.
"We're here, aren't we?" I smiled up at him and pecked his cheek with a quick kiss before vanishing into the bedroom. I left a trail of dirty clothes on the floor from the door to the bathroom, stripping them off and dumping them as I walked.
Connor followed me in after Kris excused herself to her room. "Babe, what happened out there? Kris looked a little freaked out," he said, while I stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain closed around me. I flinched when the water came on - cold as ice - but I was too tired to step back and let it warm. When I opened up my bottle of spearmint and eucalyptus body wash, the smell alone was enough to make me sway in the shower, but not until the curtain pulled back and Connor popped his head in did I realize he was talking to me the whole time.
"Did you hear anything I said?" he asked with a smile.
"Nope. I'm in shower heaven, babe. Sorry, I'm exhausted; that was a stressful ride, however short it was," I mumbled back at him, as I ran shampoo through my hair. I pulled out a leaf, blinked at it, and sleepily wondered to myself how it got there.
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