One Hot Night: A Jupiter Point Novella

by Jennifer Bernard

  But she’d gotten a good long look at him when he was trussed like a turkey on the cabin floor. He was really, really cute. Messy blond “bedhead” hair and an athlete-fit body. He wore khaki board shorts and a loose t-shirt. When she’d cut the ropes around his ankles, she’d noticed smooth muscles and fine blond hair.

  He went to Evergreen College, he’d said. She’d wanted to go to college too, but then her mother had gotten sick and she’d met Darren, and suddenly her life had tumbled out of her control.

  She touched the tender skin near her eye where Darren had hit her. Then tightened her grip on her Swiss army knife. She should have used it on him. But he’d shocked her with that blow. He’d never done anything like that before. She knew he had a hot temper. She knew he was under stress lately. He yelled a lot. Once, he’d kicked the door frame of his Saab. He’d limped around after that, getting even more enraged. He’d even kicked at his dog when she came trotting over to see what was going on.

  Mia had learned to stay quiet during his anger spells. So when he’d slammed his fist into her face, she’d been so stunned she hadn’t lifted a finger to defend herself.

  Well, never again. She was through with Darren, and through with men getting the best of her.

  “Men”—including the college boy currently emptying his bladder at a rate of gallons per minute.

  Although honestly, Aiden Knight didn’t intimidate her the way Darren always had. He was her age, for one thing, and he was so cute, for another.

  “You almost done over there?” she called.

  “Can you maybe just pretend there’s a bathroom wall between us? A soundproof one?”

  She giggled. Yeah, Aiden wasn’t scary like Darren. She couldn’t imagine him kicking a dog, let alone hitting his girlfriend. His ex was still one of his best friends and would vouch for him.

  Of course, he could be making all that up just to win her trust. But now that she’d gotten a better look at him, she’d bet her nearly depleted college savings fund that he was telling the truth. He had a warm-hearted kindness about him that made her want to know more about him.

  He zipped himself up and took a moment to straighten his clothing and shake out his arms, which must be cramped from being tied up. Finally he turned to face her.

  Yes, he was a very, very appealing and attractive guy. Like someone she might see on a show about a surfing competition.

  “Thank you,” he said, simply and seriously. “Thank you so much. You’re a hero.”

  A hero? She snorted at the idea. “That’s taking it a little too far, don’t you think? All I did was unlock a door and cut some rope.”

  “It was a lot more than that. You didn’t know me. You were scared, or at least super cautious. Which you should be.” His eyes widened, causing her to notice what a nice shade of bluish-gray they were. “I mean, you should be in general, with strangers. I’m no threat, like I said.”

  “You can relax, I’m not scared of you. Besides, I still have my knife.” She lifted the Swiss army knife still gripped in her fist. Just in case.

  “Good.” He nodded. “So, uh…I should probably get out of here. Dearborn could be back anytime.” He hesitated, giving her a cautious glance. “How about you?”

  “Me? What do you mean?” To be honest, she was still a little distracted by his…sunny quality. So different from Darren, who always looked like he was pissed about being late for something.

  “Well, Mia Grant. Are you on your way somewhere? Now that you’ve rescued a kidnapping victim, what’s next for you? Disneyland? Back to your campsite? Got a mountain to climb?”

  Her stomach dropped. When she’d run away from Darren and their campsite, she hadn’t thought about what came next. She just knew she had to get away. Her instincts had been screaming at her that something wasn’t right. That Darren wasn’t himself. That he’d snapped, lost his head, whatever you wanted to call it.

  But how much of that should she share with Aiden?

  None of it, probably.

  “I…uh…I think I’ll head that way.” She gave a vague nod of her head toward the forest in the opposite direction from which she’d arrived.

  “Okay.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his loose shorts. “I’ll probably head the other way, then.” He gestured toward the trail she’d used to reach the cabin. “So you don’t think I’m following you or anything.” He offered her a smile so sweet you could bake it into a pie. “Thanks again, Mia. If you’re ever in Jupiter Point, check out Knight and Day Flight Tours. My brothers will give you a free flight anywhere you want. Just tell them I sent you.”

  She managed a smile, even though various misgivings were flitting through her head. Poor Aiden didn’t even have a sweater or a hoodie with him. It was nearly evening, and she knew how quickly it got dark here in the Sierras. He’d be alone in the darkness and the cold—and he was heading right toward Darren.

  “Don’t go that way,” she blurted.

  “Why not? I don’t want to bug you. Just because you rescued me doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with me.”

  “It’s just…it’s a bad direction. You should come this way instead.” She beckoned for him to follow her.

  “A bad direction?” He wrinkled his forehead. “Did you see a bear or something?”

  “Something like that.” The reminder that there were bears out here made her swallow hard. It would probably be a good idea to stick with Aiden. She didn’t even have a clear idea of how to get back to the highway. She wasn’t exactly a trained mountaineer or anything. This was only her second time camping, the first time being with a Girl Scout troop at the age of fourteen. “Do you know how to read a topo map?”

  Darren would be furious when he realized the map was in her pack instead of his. But he was much more experienced in the wilderness than she was—as he’d pointed out a million times—so she felt no guilt about that.

  “Yeah, sure.” Aiden brightened. “You have one?”

  “Yup. Do…uh…do you want to hike together? I just want to get to the nearest highway.”

  “Yes!” Aiden grinned widely, then hesitated. “As long as you’re okay with that. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

  “I still have my Swiss army knife. And the bear spray,” she reminded him.

  “Right. Good.” He took a step in her direction, then froze at the distant rumble of an engine. “I think that’s Dearborn’s four-wheeler. We need to get the hell out of here.”

  She nodded and turned toward the trail that led away from the clearing and away from Darren. Maybe she’d get lucky and the two of them would run into each other. “Let’s go. We can check the map later.”

  He caught up to her and gestured at her backpack. “Want me to carry that for you?”

  Of course she did. Her back was sore and the straps kept digging into her shoulders. But… “That’s okay. I’m good,” she told him.

  If he took off with her backpack, she’d be really screwed. And right now her trust level was pretty much rock bottom. It was amazing that she was even willing to go this far.

  “Right. Of course.” He settled into a long-legged, loping pace beside her. The trail that meandered away from the clearing narrowed, with fresh-smelling pine branches sweeping in from both sides. Underfoot, a soft bed of pine needles and cones made their steps nearly soundless. The twittering of birds overhead mingled with the hum of the approaching engine.

  “We should go faster, don’t you think?” She glanced at him anxiously. “And maybe get away from the trail in case he comes after us?”

  Aiden took a step ahead of her to hold a branch away from her face. “Good idea. If he’s on the four-wheeler, he’ll stick to the trails. How about this way?” He pointed toward a rise, beyond which lay who-knew-what. “If we get to the other side of that, it will be harder for him to hear us. I’ll go ahead so you can keep an eye on me.” He added a wink to that offer.

  “I told you, I’m not scared of you.” She remembered she was still tightly bra
ndishing her Swiss army knife, and rolled her eyes at her own paranoia. “I’m just a little cautious, that’s all. You would be too if—” She broke off. Having known Aiden for a grand total of maybe half an hour, she wasn’t quite ready to share anything too personal.

  He raised an eyebrow at her as she ducked under the branch. “Sounds like a story. Also sounds like you don’t want to tell it. Totally fine, Mia. You don’t have to tell me anything. Besides, we should stay quiet until we crest that hill. Ready?”

  She nodded and hitched her pack higher on her back.

  As soon as Aiden stepped off the trail, she knew she’d made the right decision in staying with him. He was so much more comfortable in the woods than she was. He easily found the best path through the thick stands of pine and birch trees. He was careful not to break any branches that might give them away, and occasionally he stopped to cover up their footprints. Once, he led the way behind a boulder then motioned for her to stay there, while he made a false trail leading in a different direction.

  Smart guy.

  And kind.

  And cute.

  It was very hard not to notice that fact as she followed behind him, careful to step where he stepped and not fall too far behind. He was so considerate, too, slowing down when the terrain got rougher and using his body to clear a path for her through the thicker undergrowth.

  He kept giving her that easy smile and never looked angry if she lagged behind. Nothing like Darren, in other words. In fact, the differences between Aiden and Darren were too many to count. It would be easier to say what was the same—they were both males. That was about it.

  If she’d met someone like Aiden before Darren had swooped in and claimed her—as he put it—what would her life be like? But she never met regular guys, the kind who went to college. She’d have to attend college in order to do that.

  They hiked in silence for about an hour, until nearly sunset. They climbed to the top of the ridge before switchbacking their way down the other side. From there, they could no longer hear the drone of that engine—the four-wheeler—but another sound caught Mia’s attention. The rumble of thunder.

  Aiden stopped and listened alertly. Then he gestured her toward a rocky overhang covered in moss, tucked under an ancient and sprawling network of twisted tree trunks.

  “Let’s take a break before the rain starts,” he said. It was the first time either of them had spoken out loud since shortly after they’d left the cabin, and the sound made her startle.

  “Is it safe to talk?”

  He shrugged. “I think so. I don’t think anyone’s following. Come on.” He ducked under the overhang and sat with his back against the craggy rock.

  Cautiously, she took her pack off and followed. For a moment she debated whether to sit next to him or put the pack between them. Then she decided that she was being ridiculous. She sat next to him, propped her pack between her legs, and unzipped the outer pouch. She had snacks in there, and they were calling her name.

  “Chocolate?” She tore the wrapper off one corner of a Hershey’s bar and offered it to him.

  “You’re an angel from heaven. Again.” He broke off a square and popped it into his mouth. An expression of bliss spread across his face. “So, just curious, do you have any other food? I’ve had nothing but trail mix since this started.”

  “I have…” She opened the pack and dug around. “Granola bars. Peanut butter. Some instant soup packets. Darren has the camp stove.”

  “Is Darren part of the story you don’t want to tell?”

  She sighed, tears coming to her eyes. She wasn’t really sure what the story was yet, so how could she tell it? “Yes. And I’m still not talking about it.” She nibbled on her own piece of chocolate.

  “I get it. Believe me.” Aiden swallowed his chocolate, then gestured at her canteen of water. “Mind if I waterfall some of that?”

  “Go ahead.”

  She watched as he poured a small trickle of water into his mouth. No part of his mouth touched the canteen. He was so thoughtful. When he was done, he screwed on the cap and handed the canteen back to her.

  “In my family, no one wants to talk about things. I’m always the one who says we have to. I think it’s because we’re a family of males, except for my mom and sister, and they both left when I was eight. They had good reasons,” he added quickly.

  “Like what? I can’t imagine being away from my mom. I guess it’s a little different though. She’s…well, she’s been sick. She has ALS and I’m her primary caregiver.”

  Aiden shot her a glance full of sympathy, but not the “poor you” kind that made her uncomfortable. More like the “I know what tough times are like” kind. “So why did they leave,” she asked quickly, to shift the subject away from her mother.

  “Well, it’s kind of a crazy story. My father was murdered in our kitchen. The killer was never arrested. My mother couldn’t handle it. She had to get away from the whole thing, so she left Jupiter Point and my sister went with her so she wouldn’t be alone. That left us four brothers to fend for ourselves. And none of them knew how to deal with what happened. So I totally get that it’s hard to talk about some stuff.”

  “Your dad was murdered? That’s terrible, I’m so sorry. I thought I had it bad. I don’t even know who my father is.”

  Aiden shrugged. “I’m not a big believer in comparing suckiness, you know? It sucks not to know your dad and it sucks to have your dad murdered.”

  “Good point.” She opened the wrapper of a Clif Bar and broke it in half. “Your family sure is a magnet for trouble. A murder, a kidnapping…” She froze in the midst of handing him his half of the Clif Bar. “Wait a minute…are they connected?”

  He met her gaze levelly. “They could be. Matthew Dearborn is the main suspect in the murder. My brother Will has been trying to find him. The thing is, I never saw the kidnapper’s face, and he never said anything about who he was or why he was grabbing me. I don’t think he wanted to hurt me, though. My guess is that he wanted to use me as a hostage.”

  “Like, for ransom?”

  “Maybe. Except probably more like he wants something from my mom. Apparently he’s obsessed with her. He’s been sending her letters for years. It’s pretty creepy.”

  “Wow.” More creepy behavior from a man. What was going on? Between Darren and this Dearborn guy, not to mention her nonexistent father, it was almost enough to make her lose faith in the male gender.

  Except—then there was Aiden. Cute, thoughtful, smart, sensitive Aiden.

  He rested his forearms on his knees. The golden hairs on his skin looked so soft, especially compared to the hard strength of the muscles underneath. She longed to draw her finger across his arm and feel for herself.

  “So your brothers raised you?” she asked, mostly to distract herself from how attractive she found Aiden.

  “My oldest brother, Will, did. The other two joined the military. But everyone’s back home now. Well, except for me.” A shadow crossed his face. “I hope they’re not worried. I’m supposed to be studying for finals right now, so they probably don’t even know I’m missing. If they do…” He grimaced. “I’d hate for them to worry, that’s all. Sometimes it sucks being the youngest. Everyone’s always watching over you, like you can’t take care of yourself.”

  “Hmm, yeah, that sounds awful. Poor baby.” She pulled a teasing face. “Do you know what I would give for just one big brother? Or like, half a big brother? Maybe one tenth of one? You know, maybe one who calls in now and then just to check on me?”

  He gave a snort. “I wouldn’t mind brothers that just called in now and then either. My brother Tobias actually came to Evergreen when he thought I was in love with one of my teachers.”

  She smiled wistfully. “Were you?”

  “No. It was a student. And a mistake. And completely over.” He slid a glance in her direction. She couldn’t read his expression. “Not that you care about that. Random stranger that I am.”

  “Is anythi
ng really random? What if I was meant to stumble across that cabin right when you needed help? What if you were meant to help me get out of this forest?” She gestured at the wilderness right outside their little cranny. Just then a crack of thunder sounded, followed by a sudden rush of rain falling. They scooted as far back as they could against the rock to avoid the cascade of raindrops. She laughed. “See? If not for you, I’d be completely soaked by now.”

  “Or you’d be safely inside that cabin.”

  “Yeah, with a possible murderer on his way back.” She shuddered. “Talk about out of the frying pan into the fire.”

  The rate of the rain increased, the din making it impossible to hear each other. For a moment they sat still, watching the raindrops patter down in a constant drumming stream. Between the rain and the darkness setting in, everything outside their little shelter looked gray. Oddly enough, Mia found the sound soothing. It made her forget all the worries that usually weighed her down.

  It seemed so ridiculous, all of a sudden, that she was here in the middle of the Sierras under a rock with a cute boy watching the rain come down. A week ago, when she and Darren were planning this trip, she never would have pictured ending up here.

  They were supposed to be getting engaged on this trip. She’d planned to accept his proposal.

  Instead, she was huddling like a drowned rat with a guy being chased by his father’s murderer.

  She let out a laugh. Then another.

  What was the point of trying to control anything? She couldn’t control the rain, and she couldn’t control her mom’s ALS. She couldn’t control anything in life. Anything at all.

  She covered her mouth with her hands as more spurts of laughter came out of her. Darren hated it when she had giggling fits. He said they made her seem young and brainless. Well, she was young. Why did he hold that against her? Didn’t he want someone young, someone he could control?

  But he couldn’t control anything either, could he? Because now he was all alone in the wilderness, probably getting just as drenched as she was. Except with no map.