Spring Training

by KB Winters

  My legs shook with the feeling and I laid my head against the sheets not even attempting to move. I was exhausted in a way I’d never been before, and before I could even attempt to speak, a sweet darkness fell over me and I passed abruptly into sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  The sound of pounding against the door made me shoot up in surprise. I groaned as my head swam with my abrupt movement, and I narrowed my eyes against the glare of the sun filtering in through the blinds. I was a bit confused, and I looked down to find myself covered only by a large flannel shirt that definitely wasn’t mine. When the sound of the shower being turned off reached my ears, I whirled around in time to catch Blake walk out of the small bathroom. I swallowed thickly as I drew my gaze over his glistening naked body. I had of course seen his body last night, but something about seeing water droplets sliding down the planes of his muscles was so different. Even in my half-sleeping state my body wanted another round.

  “You’re finally awake then,” Blake said to me with a smile.

  I nodded, not trusting my voice just yet and watched as he wrapped the small towel around his waist before walking to the door. He looked in the peep hole before moving to open it.

  “Jessie? What are you doing here?” He didn’t open the door all the way, but I could see an older guy standing there. He was wearing a thick coat and had a bright orange slip of fabric around his arm.

  “I went by the lodge to find you at first, but your uncle said you hadn’t come in last night. I asked Anne-Marie and she told me about your lady friend from Los Angeles so I figured you’d be here.” I blinked in surprise. It seemed like everyone knew everyone around here.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. What’s going on?”

  “Well, it’s the Wilkinson’s youngest. He’s lost in the woods somewhere and we have a search party out to find him, but so far they’ve had no luck.”

  “Oh no,” Blake replied. “Billy’s out there by himself?”

  “Yeah. I was hoping you could help us out being that you’ve had training for all this and stuff.”

  I was surprised and curious about what type of training the guy was talking about, but I stayed quiet.

  “Absolutely. Let me get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs in a sec.”

  Jessie smiled. “Sure thanks, dude.”

  Blake nodded and shut the door before turning back to me. “Sorry about this, but—”

  “No,” I interrupted. “Don’t apologize. Someone’s kid is lost out there.” I stood up from the bed and searched for my panties from the night before. When I found them I pulled them on and then looked around for my jeans.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I didn’t bother looking up at his question. When I finally found my jeans half buried under the bed, I stood up and looked at him. “I’m going to help you guys find the kid.”

  Blake strode over to me. “Oh no you’re not.”

  “Why the hell not?” I asked indignantly. “I’m not a helpless child you know.”

  Blake grabbed a shirt that was on the chair and pulled it on over his head. “It’s not about being a child, Taylor. You have never even gone camping in your life let alone had to search through the wilderness. You might get hurt.”

  “Blake, I was probably more in danger crossing the street in L.A. than I’d be in the wilderness with you.” I sat down on the bed and pulled on my socks and boots. I could see Blake doing the same thing out of the corner of my eye. I stood up and grabbed my coat waiting for him to finish. “Besides, if I’m with you then I should be fine.”

  Blake stood up as well. “Taylor, this isn’t a ga—”

  “—Blake, I’m going with you whether you like it or not, so let’s go. There’s a little kid out there that needs help.”

  He sighed looking at me. “Is there anything I could say that would stop you from coming with me?”

  I pretended to think. “Hm, I’m going to go with hell no.”

  Blake shook his head though I could see he was smiling. “Fine let’s go. Stick close to me and keep your eyes open. We do have bears out here, but I’d be more worried about moose. They can be very territorial.”

  I nodded. “Right.”

  We made our way to the lobby where several other men were already waiting. I could see a few of them holding what looked like rifles and I shuddered. I didn’t know if Blake had one as well, but I quickly found out when one of the men handed him an extra. They all seemed to focus on me at the same time, and I felt self-conscious when a few of them whispered with smirks on their faces. Blake spoke softly to them outlining where to go with the man I recognized from upstairs. There seemed to be some unspoken signal because the group began moving towards the doors with Blake in the lead. I heard some of the men discussing the search, but I was focused on Blake and trying to hear what he was saying. I was going to give up until I heard something that made my blood go cold.

  “Hey man, is that the girl you’re going to marry for your inheritance?” The same man from before, Jessie, had whispered that to Blake though I could hear him almost clearly. I saw Blake begin to turn back towards me, but I looked down and pretended that I hadn’t heard anything. I was trying so hard to seem unaffected, that I missed his response.

  What the hell is that guy talking about an inheritance?

  “Are you ready for this, baby?”

  I snapped my head back up when I heard Blake’s voice come from right beside me. I noticed that the other men were piling into multiple trucks and Blake gestured to a large black one that Jessie was unlocking. There was one other guy, a relatively tall skinny one who looked barely old enough to drive who was headed towards it as well.

  “You don’t have to come, baby. You could wait here at the hotel or at the café again. Anne-Marie is a sweet woman and she’d be sure to take care of you.”

  I shook my head and tried to paste a convincing smile on my face. “No, I want to go with you. I want to see what I’m in for up here—the good and the bad.”

  Blake gave me a strange look but didn’t ask again instead leading me over to the truck and opening the door for me to get inside. I tried to calm the swirling mass of questions in my head, but it was no use. All I could think about was the man’s question.

  “Is that the girl you’re going to marry for the inheritance?”

  It seemed I wasn’t the only one hiding a few secrets. I didn’t know what Blake was hiding from me and I didn’t know what inheritance his friend was asking about, but I was sure as hell going to get to the bottom of it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Is that the girl you’re going to marry for the inheritance?”

  My mind couldn’t focus on anything but those words. They echoed in my skull until I had to clench my eyes tightly and block out the rest of the world around me. I knew anyone with a profile on the marriage site I’d found Blake on had to have been looking to get hitched quickly—but the knowing it was something I was woefully unprepared for. I knew I was being a hypocrite. I had my own secret reasons for trying to find a husband and fast, but I’d never been comfortable with the whole ruse and that fact had never been more apparent until now.

  “You all right, miss?”

  “What?” I looked over at the other passenger. He and I had taken the back seat while Blake and the man from before, Jessie, occupied the front. I could see Blake in my peripheral vision as he stared intently out at the passing scenery. I wondered briefly what he was thinking as his facial expression had gone hard and serious.

  “I said are you all right?”

  I drew my focus back on the man beside me. Truthfully he looked to be more boy than man as his chin didn’t even have a light dusting of hair on it. His skin was smooth and slightly tanned with his cheeks still soft with child-like roundness. His eyes were a light brown and set under thick eyebrows. I could tell that in a few more years, he’d grow to be a very handsome young man.

  I smiled reassuringly at him. “I’m fine. Just still getting
acclimated to the weather here.” I figured a half lie was better than a whole one. I was still getting used to the chill in the air so my answer wasn’t completely false. “What’s your name?”

  “Oh yeah. I heard you were from Los Angeles. My name is Kenny,” he said with a wide smile. “I’ve always wanted to visit there and maybe see a movie star or two. Have you ever met anybody famous?”

  I smiled. His child-like enthusiasm was contagious. “Once or twice, though completely by accident.”

  “Wow, that’s so cool. I heard the weather there is like always warm and it never snows. Is that true?”

  “For the most part,” I replied with a nod. “It’s definitely much warmer year round, though it also has a lot more pollution and traffic.” I glanced over to see small smiles on Jessie’s and Blake’s faces. “Plus you don’t really get to see a lot of wildlife because there are so many people.”

  Kenny’s smile dimmed. “I never thought of that. Though, I’m sure then you don’t have to worry about things like this happening—kids and people getting lost in the wilderness, sometimes forever.”

  My smile slipped slightly as well. “Well, California does have a lot of wooded areas once you get out of downtown. The mountains aren’t too far away, either, and people have been known to get lost or even killed there. We’ve got mountain lions, bears, and coyotes you have to watch out for.”

  “Hmm,” Kenny hummed to himself as if he hadn’t thought about that. His expression brightened again. “But you guys have the beach! And surfing. And really hot chicks.”

  I snorted. “That we do. If you ever make it down, you should come find me and I’ll show you around the city.”

  He clapped his hands together. “Seriously? That would be cool. I can’t believe you even came up here to begin with. Most people go to Anchorage instead of Kenai. Why did you come here instead?”

  I glanced over again this time catching Blake’s eye. “I came to visit a friend.” Kenny nodded his head at my answer and settled back against his seat with a small smile still etched on his face. I settled back too, but minus a smile. My mind was too pre-occupied with uncomfortable questions for me to fake anything. I turned to look outside at the passing foliage and hoped I wouldn’t be asked anymore questions. I’d never been good at ignoring issues or putting things on the back burner. Patience was not one of my virtues and I was well aware of it.

  * * * *

  I wasn’t sure how far we’d traveled being as I was in a completely unfamiliar place, but it seemed like it was really far. By the time the truck slowed to a stop, I couldn’t see anything other than trees and snow.

  “The other guys took the other trail to come up from the east and cover more ground.”

  I looked over at Jessie’s voice and was startled to see Blake staring at me. I blinked and swallowed hard at his burning blue gaze. “That’s fine,” he replied eyes not leaving mine. “Kenny, did you bring the—”

  “Of course man,” Kenny interrupted. “I was so excited when you bought it that I wouldn’t leave it behind. Kind of perfect timing if you ask me—not that it’s a good thing Billy got lost or anything.” His movements beside me broke the link between my gaze and Blake’s and I blinked away in time to see Kenny open his door and bound out. I gulped and followed his example. I had to force myself not to look up at Blake again, but it was almost impossible. His presence was no less magnetic when surrounded by other people as it was when he and I were alone.

  When I stepped out of the car, the chill in the air made me shiver. I looked around dizzy with how little the landscape looked different.

  “It’s a bit disconcerting the first time.”

  I looked over at Jessie’s voice to find him standing beside me with a little half smile aimed in my direction.

  “What do you mean?”

  He nodded at the trees around us. “This. Nature’s bounty. If you don’t know what to look for and how to look for it, it’s easy to get turned around out here.”

  I nodded slightly in understanding before turning my gaze outward. “Is that what happened to the little boy we’re looking for?”

  “Probably. Usually it’s the tourists who get lost rather than locals. Most kids here grow up learning how to navigate their way back to town, though if they get found by a bear or wolf out here when they’re alone, navigation skills won’t do squat.” Jessie spit at the ground startling me.

  “Wow. That’s terrifying,” I said quietly. Jessie glanced over at me and shrugged.

  “That’s life.” He clapped me softly on the shoulder before walking around me. I turned to watch him and caught sight of Blake leaning over the truck bed. I turned away from the trees and took a step over to see what he was doing. I caught sight of what looked to be a small white machine, but I didn’t know what it was.

  “What’s that?” I asked leaning forward and resting my arms on the side of the truck. Blake didn’t glance at me, his hands running over the device. It looked to be the size of a small dog with six helicopter blades and a camera attached to the middle of it. Blake picked up a controller and began fiddling with the buttons.

  “It’s a drone, specifically, a DJI Inspire 1 Pro.”

  I blinked. “So…what are you going to use it for?”

  He looked up at me with a blank expression. “What do you think I’m going to use it for?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t even know what a drone is,” I replied truthfully. “I’ve heard about them kind of, like when people on the news talk about drones bombing places overseas, but I’ve never actually seen one before.” Blake sighed as if my talking was annoying him. His reaction wasn’t what I was expecting. “What? Am I not allowed to ask questions or something?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Then why are you sighing like I’ve somehow annoyed you?” I stepped back from the truck bed and let my arms fall to my sides. “I’m just trying to understand— “

  “I didn’t ask you to try to understand,” Blake cut in. He pulled the drone out and slammed the truck’s tail gate closed. The sound made me flinch and I wondered at the change in him. What had I said to set him off like this?

  “Blake man, she’s not from around here,” Jessie said. He put a hand on Blake’s arm as if to calm him and I felt a momentary sense of gratitude. He looked over at me quizzically as if he too didn’t understand why or how I’d offended Blake. I glanced over at Kenny and saw an equally confused expression on his face as well.

  Blake looked at me a beat longer before shaking Jessie’s hand away and moving to the other side of the truck. “Whatever. We don’t have time for this.” His voice was a deep growl—his anger clearly felt by not just me. The silence that fell over us all was uncomfortable and strained and normally I would have said something equally biting back, but I drew a blank. I genuinely didn’t want to hurt him and it wasn’t as if I even had enough information about him to know which buttons to push. It was annoying and unfair and I didn’t like it one bit.

  “Yeah,” Jessie agreed softly. “We need to go find Billy before something bad happens to him. The poor kid has already been out in these woods for a few hours. Who knows how far he could have gotten especially if he were trying to get away from some wild animal.” He gave me one last sympathetic look before turning to follow Blake.

  Kenny took a step towards them before pausing to look at me. “You okay, Ms. Taylor?”

  I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but knew I hadn’t succeeded by the worried expression on his face. “I’m fine, Kenny. No need to worry about me at all, and please just call me Taylor.”

  He tipped his head towards me before continuing on towards the trees where Blake and Jessie stood. I took a few steps around the back of the truck so I could see the other men more clearly, but paused when they were in my line of sight. The drone Blake had was now hovering a few feet above the ground and Jessie was holding what looked to be a small TV. Kenny looked back at me and motioned for me to follow him. I moved quickly not wanting
to waste any time since there was a reason we were out here. As soon as I stepped up to his side, Jessie and Blake began walking as the drone gained altitude until I could barely see it.

  “Wow. It blends right into the trees.”

  “Yeah, isn’t it cool?” Kenny asked with clear enthusiasm. “When Blake first got it, we spent so many days just flying it around and taking videos of just about everything. Did you know the pictures on our city’s visitor page were all shot by Blake using his drone?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I had no idea. I never actually went to Kenai’s visitor webpage.”

  “Really? Well you should.” Kenny moved a branch to the side for me as we weaved a path through the trees. The snow wasn’t as deep as I was expecting, but the wind did make it a bit chilly. “Most people just assume Blake is this bad ass navy guy—which he is—but he’s also a really awesome photographer. Some of his work has even appeared in big time nature magazines.”

  “That is amazing. I had no idea he was into photography.”

  “Of course you didn’t,” Blake said loudly drawing my attention back to him. He wasn’t looking at me but instead staring up at the sky. His thick beard and messy long hair made for an impressive sight as did his towering height. I only had a moment more to enjoy the picture he made against the backdrop of trees before his next words stopped me in my tracks. “You just assumed I was some dumb naïve lumberjack with less sense than one of those designer lap dogs you L.A. people seem to be so fond of.”

  My mouth was frozen open in shock as my mind processed his words. “Excuse me?”

  He looked over at me. “What? Are you telling me what I said isn’t true?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” I took a step forward and clenched my hands into fists at my sides. “Unlike you, I hadn’t made any rush judgments about the type of person you are and for someone who seems to dislike being pushed into a box, you seem hell bent on doing exactly that to me.”