Spring Training

by KB Winters

  “I’m not hell bent on doing anything to or with you. All I want to do is find this boy and go home. What you do is your business.”

  “Blake!” Jessie exclaimed as he walked off leaving me standing there stupefied. Was my presence here really so bad for him? Last night had been amazing and now this. How was I supposed to handle someone who blew so hot and cold at the drop of a hat?

  My eyes burned with the threat of tears, but I fought them off. I didn’t want to show him anymore weakness than I already had. I stared at Blake’s back as he walked away and met Jessie’s gaze unflinchingly as he glanced at me before rushing after him. I didn’t bother following. At this point, I knew I wasn’t wanted or needed for the search and all I was doing by being there was postponing the inevitable like an idiot. It was clear that Blake was not ready to settle down, especially not with me. Maybe we were too different. Maybe we just came from world’s that were too far apart. Regardless, I needed to get out.

  Without a sound to alert the men I wasn’t following, I turned around and began walking back in the direction of the truck. I knew Jessie had left it unlocked with the key in the ignition, so I figured I’d just wait for them to return. They’d probably be better able to search without me there as dead weight, and I had nothing to contribute as far as search and rescue skills other than my ability to quickly Google recommendations for restaurants or shopping—if I had service.

  “No wonder he didn’t want me to go,” I muttered to myself. I hugged my arms around my torso and clenched my eyes closed tightly. I felt worthless in a way I never had before. Not even when Mother had gone on one of her particularly biting rants had I ever allowed myself to feel so low. “Well fuck him.” I opened my eyes and continued on bolstered by my words. Davis might not be the most exciting guy, but at least he seemed genuinely interested in me and not into playing mind games.

  I wasn’t sure how long I walked, but I began to worry. I didn’t remember us walking for this long from the truck the first time. I paused under a thick tree and looked around to get my bearings. Everything looked the same to me and even worse, everything was quiet. “Isn’t it a bad thing when everything gets quiet?” I asked myself. The sound of a twig snapping somewhere to the left of me made me whirl around. I could feel my heart starting to pound faster so I continued on. I started moving quicker than before hoping to cover more ground and trying to ignore the sound of twigs snapping again behind me.

  “Fuck,” I whispered as I started to panic. I ducked around a large tree and closed my eyes in order to take a calming breath. I knew you weren’t supposed to run from animals, but I was alone with no gun to help me. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and tried to ignore my trembling hands. “Dammit,” I hissed when I realized I had no service. Of course I had no service—I was in the middle of the fucking Alaskan wilderness being stalked by some random wild animal with more teeth than me. The sound of another twig breaking closer behind me sent my pulse racing and I tried to control the trembling of my body. I was expecting a loud roar or the pain of a sharp bite; what I wasn’t expecting where small hands in my hair. I jumped slightly and looked up in surprise.

  “Hurry up and get up here with me.” The voice and touch belonged to a young boy—maybe ten years old. He had shaggy blonde hair and pale skin. His expression was worried and his gaze darted around hyper aware of his surroundings. “Come on, quickly. There’s a bear a few feet behind you.”

  My eyes widened in terror and I quickly reached up and grabbed the lowest branch. I was thankful for Gigi’s insistence that Constance and I train with her because I needed that strength then. I quickly climbed up the branches following the boy. He sprayed something after us that smelled strongly of pine and I wrinkled my nose.

  “What’s that?” I whispered. I settled against the trunk of the tree we were in and watched him. I had to force myself not to look down otherwise I might freak out not only from the height, but also if I caught sight of the bear he’d previously mentioned. I could still hear shuffling noises, but I forced my breathing to slow. From our positions, I could see his eyes were a deep brown and still filled with worry. His pale face was smudged with dirt, and what looked to be tree sap. “You’re Billy aren’t you?”

  He looked up at me, lips pressed into a thin line. “Yeah. I sprayed some pine stuff to hide our scent. That bear had probably been tracking you for a while thanks to your perfume.” He eyed me closely. “You aren’t from around here are you?”

  I frowned and shook my head. “No, I’m not. I just came up here to visit a friend and like an idiot I got lost.” I sighed deeply still trying to stay as quiet as possible. “I was actually out with a few others looking for you.”

  Billy perked up slightly at that bit of news. “Is Blake with them—the people who are looking for me?”

  I nodded. “Yes. He even has a drone up there…somewhere. I was with him when I got separated, but I don’t know how far away they are now.”

  Billy shook his head, but his expression was more hopeful than it had been. “Doesn’t matter. If Blake was with you, he’ll definitely find you. I had to cover my scent because of the bear, but yours wasn’t until now so—” Billy’s words abruptly slammed to a halt. His eyes widened and he brought his finger to his lips in a shushing motion as his gaze darted down.

  I swallowed thickly at his frightened expression. I didn’t want to look down—the thought of doing it scared the shit out of me—but I did anyway. The sight of a large black bear shuffling around the base of the tree we were in made my blood run cold. I had of course seen bears at the zoo or on television, but I’d never seen one in the wild and I’d never given much thought to just how massive they could be.

  This one looked to be slightly smaller than the one Blake’s uncle had in the lobby of their lodge, but it was still big enough to probably swallow Billy or me whole. The animal lumbered around the base making loud noises as it sniffed the ground around the tree. I winced at its noises and cursed myself for actually putting on perfume that morning. I was also struck with sudden realization I might have just gotten Billy killed. It was obvious the boy was well-versed in how to survive out here or at least hide from predators. If not for me being here, that bear might not have ever found him.

  My heart raced as the big ass bear kept shuffling around the tree as if he was trying to figure out where I went. I don’t think either of us let out a breath as our gazes stayed fixated down. The branches were fairly dense and our dark coats probably made for okay camouflage, but I didn’t know how good a bear’s eyesight was. For all I knew they could have had x-ray vision. I closed my eyes tightly and said a little prayer inside my head. I wasn’t a religious person by any means, but I was willing to send up a prayer to anyone who would listen.

  The minutes stretched on and I didn’t bother to open my eyes. If I was going to be eaten alive, I definitely didn’t want to see the end coming. A soft touch on my shoulder made me gasp softly and I opened my eyes to see Billy looking at me.

  “You okay?”

  I let out a strangled cough. “Am I okay? I’m the adult here, shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

  Billy gave me a wry grin and shrugged. “I’ve got experience doing this stuff and you don’t so…” He trailed off shyly. I gave him a small smile.

  “Right. Well, I think your experience just saved our—” The sound of a loud roar cut me off and I let out a loud gasp. I saw Billy’s eyes widen in fear and we both looked down to see the bear standing on its hind legs, a black beady gaze trained right on us. Never before had I ever felt as much fear as I did then. My breathing stopped as every muscle in my body locked up with the need to flee—but there was nowhere to go. Billy and I were trapped in this tree with nowhere else to hide and I reached over to grab his hand.

  “Oh god,” he whispered and I could hear how afraid he was. I knew it was futile, but I pulled him over to me and wrapped my arms around him. Maybe if I put myself around him, the bear would get to me and he would have
time to try to get away. With his survival skills, he could probably manage to find another hiding place.

  “Listen to me Billy,” I hissed. The bear below scratched the base of the trunk with long claws and I flinched at the thought of feeling those against my skin. “When it gets to us, I want you to jump down carefully and run and hide. I’ll hold it off as long as possible so you can get away.”

  Billy turned his frightened gaze to me. “No! You can’t fight off a bear!”

  “Of course not,” I replied. I was trying to be brave, but my voice was trembling. “But it might just buy you enough time to get away. Blake and the others are out there somewhere and I know you can find them.” He shook his head and gripped the sides of my coat with his small hands. I could hear some branches below us cracking, but I refused to look down. “Listen to me. I’m the adult here, okay? Do as I say.”

  His lower lip trembled. “But, I don’t even know you.”

  I tried to give him a smile, but I knew it probably looked more like a terrified grimace. “My name is Taylor and I’m a friend of Blake’s okay?” He nodded frantically before burying his face against my chest. I gripped him tightly and closed my eyes as I heard more branches snapping along with grunts and growls moving closer.

  “Oh god,” I whimpered. I pushed my face into the back of Billy’s head and tried to will my body to stop trembling. I’d made my decision and it was one I knew I wouldn’t regret. Billy was just a kid and I had to protect him. “Get ready Billy, okay? Get ready to jump down quickly and go as fast as you can. Don’t look back, whatever you do.”

  He whimpered and didn’t speak, but I could feel him nod. I squeezed him again and counted quietly, “One…two…thre—” The sound of a loud shot rang out making my ears ring. I heard the bear let out another loud roar and I squeezed Billy harder waiting for the feeling of a claw or teeth to break into my senses. When a few seconds went by and nothing came, I unclenched slightly and risked a peek down around Billy’s still trembling body. What I saw made me suck in a breath of relief.

  “Are you guys okay?”

  The sound of Jessie’s voice and the sight of Blake standing at the tree base made me choke out a sob. I could feel Billy move slightly so he could peek out as well.

  “Blake!” His enthusiasm and relief were palpable, but he didn’t let me go and for that I was grateful. I think at that moment, I needed the reassurance more than him that we were still alive.

  “Where’s the bear?” I called out, my voice hoarse still from being so frightened. I glanced as well as I could through the branches but couldn’t see anything. “Is it really safe to come down.”

  “Yeah, it’s safe. The gun shot scared the bear and the tranq I hit him with will have him knocked out for hours,” Jessie replied with a wide relieved smile. “Come on down you two.”

  I let out a deep breath and moved over so we could begin our descent. I had to let go of Billy, but he maintained a close proximity to me as we climbed down each branch. The moment my feet touched the ground, I was swept up in powerful arms and familiar musk. The thought that I was safe and protected made me go loose even as I brought my own arms up to grip Blake’s coat. I was trembling as the adrenaline that had been pumping through me slowly ebbed away and I suddenly felt colder than before. The feeling of a tug at my coat made me pull back until Blake’s arms fell away. I glanced down to see Billy standing beside me.

  “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, son,” Jessie said. He bent down to Billy’s level to look him in the eye. “You know you aren’t supposed to go wandering off on your own.”

  Billy bent his head down. “I know. I didn’t mean to. I was chasing this deer and I just got turned around a little.” He stepped closer and took hold of my hand. “Ms. Taylor found me up here in the tree and she saved me from that bear.”

  I shook my head. “That’s not completely true, Billy.” I looked over at Jessie. “It was my fault the bear even found him. He was hiding out in the tree and the bear couldn’t even smell him until I joined him up there. I almost got the both of us killed.”

  “No way!” Billy exclaimed. He turned and gripped my coat with his other hand. “That bear might have found me anyway, but you were going to let him eat you so I could get away.”

  “What?” Blake’s loud shout got the attention of everyone. Over his shoulder I could see Kenny walking towards us, but even he halted when he heard the tone of Blake’s voice. Blake took a step closer to me and reached out to grip my arm tightly. “You were going to do what?”

  I wanted to shrink away, but I forced myself to meet his gaze head on. “The bear had found us and was probably going to climb up and eat us, what else would you have had me do?”

  “Maybe think of something else other than suicide.”

  “There was nothing else!” I widened my stance and pulled Billy closer to my side. I could see Blake’s gaze flicker down as he took in my actions, but he met my gaze head on again. “We were trapped in a tree with a bear below. I may not be from here, but even I know bears can climb trees. I figured when it got close enough to get me, Billy could jump down and run away to safety.”

  “And what about you?” Blake hissed furiously. He shook my arm slightly. “What were you going to do once Billy got away.”

  I swallowed thickly recalling the terror I felt right then when I realized my plan had only one possible outcome for me. “I figured there was nothing else I could do other than hope I died as quickly as possible.”

  I could hear Jessie’s sigh though when I glanced over, I could see his concerned expression was now sprinkled with what looked to be respect. When I glanced further over, I could finally see where the bear ended up and I gasped softly. Blake followed my gaze.

  “Yeah. That’s what you were up against. Damn thing took out my drone before the tranquilizer kicked in completely.” He glanced at me again before letting go of my arm and walking over to the bear.

  Billy pulled on my hand and I followed him over to the downed animal. I couldn’t stop the tremble of fear as I realized I’d underestimated how big the bear was. “Oh my God.”

  Blake glanced at me even as he crouched down beside it. “Now you know why I think your plan was stupid.”

  Billy reached out to touch the bear, but I did not. All I wanted to do was get as far away from it as possible. “Doesn’t matter—it was all I had.” I looked down at Billy. “I had to protect him.”

  “Well, I think you are more courageous than anyone would have given you credit for, and I for one, am grateful for that.” Jessie put a large hand on my shoulder. When I looked over at him, he gave me a wide smile.

  “That was definitely brave, Ms. Taylor,” Kenny added with a nod towards me.

  “Thank you Kenny,” I replied before looking over at Blake. “Look, we can stand here arguing if you want—but I’d really like to go home. It’s cold out here and we need to get Billy back to his family.”

  Blake’s expression changed, but I couldn’t tell to what. I thought he might argue, but instead he stood up and nodded. “Right. We should head back so we can get you two warm and fed. I’ll even drive you back to the airport so you can get home. Do you need to stop by the—”

  “Airport?” I asked, completely confused. “Why would you take me to the airport?”

  Now Blake looked confused. “You said you wanted to go home.”

  I blinked. Had I said home? Was I considering making this place a home for myself already? “I meant back to the hotel, not back to L.A.” I could see Jessie giving me a knowing smile, but I ignored him. “I just want to get back so I can have a hot shower and then stop by and see Anne-Marie again and get one of her magical coffee drinks.”

  “That sounds perfect,” Kenny chimed in. “I think we all need that.”

  “I agree.” Jessie tugged me around with the hand he still had on my shoulder. “Let’s all head back to the truck before the bear’s ready to wake up.”

  I nodded and followed after him, trusting him to
lead me in the right direction. Billy stayed by my side, his small hand still tucked safely in my own while Kenny and Blake brought up the rear. I only glanced back at Blake once, but the expression in his gaze gave nothing away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I sighed deeply as I took a large sip of fragrant coffee. Anne-Marie’s coffee house was filled with what had to be nearly one hundred people. Billy was sitting with his family at a large round table in the center and it was easy to see his resemblance to all seven of his siblings. His parents had thanked me profusely for protecting their son and they refused to hear it when I replied I hadn’t been the one to truly find him.

  “You were going to protect my boy with your life. That, to me, is the definition of a hero.”

  His father’s words still rang in my ears and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. I’d genuinely wanted to protect Billy, and that seemed to be more than enough for everyone.

  “Does my California hero need any more coffee?”

  I looked up with a smile at Anne-Marie’s question. She had loudly declared I would be getting free coffee for life when we’d arrived and she had been true to her word by never letting my coffee cup get low. The warmth of her shop had slowly thawed me out and after a few minutes I’d finally relaxed back into my chair.

  “No, thank you, Anne. Any more coffee and I think I might actually vibrate out of my seat.”

  She laughed at my exaggeration before patting me on the shoulder. I thought about how I’d always wanted an older sister, especially one like her.

  “Seriously, Taylor,” she looked over her shoulder at Billy and his family. “You might not have been the one to tranq that bear, but in Billy and his family’s eyes, you’re still a hero.” She looked back down at me. “He’s been telling everyone of your plan and how you planned to sacrifice yourself so he could get away.”