by Kelly Moore
I stuff my free hand down in my pocket and feel my cell phone. I must have left it in there yesterday. I step away from the deer, looking for a signal. When I have one, I call Paul, knowing it’s three hours’ time difference, but I really need to talk to him.
“I was going to send out the sheriff’s department if I didn’t hear from you today.” His voice is groggy.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t had reception.” My voice quivers.
“Are you okay?” I hear him move around in the bed.
“I’m not sure.” A wipe away a tear that escaped. I look up, and Keegan is standing in the window with his arms crossed over his chest, and a deep scowl mars his face.
“What do you mean?”
“I have so much to tell you.” He listens as I fill him in on Keegan and my possible identity.
“That’s awesome news, I think. How do you feel about it?” His voice is deep and filled with concern.
“I don’t really know. It’s been such a shock to my system. The timeline matches up, but…”
“But what?”
“What about my life now? I’m not sure I want to walk away from what I do know. And, he…I might have a twelve-year-old daughter.” I can’t wipe my tears quick enough.
“I’m packing a bag and coming to you.”
“No. Please don’t. I need time to see what is going to happen. I appreciate you wanting to come out here, but I need some time with David—Keegan—and if you’re here, you will get all macho and protective over me.” It’s the first time I’ve said his first name, and it felt real.
“You’re probably right, but if you need me, I’ll be on the next plane out.”
“I do need a favor. Can you do some research on the name Timber Keegan and see what you come up with. She grew up in Utah. I don’t even know what her maiden name was. I’ll find out from David and text you.”
“I will get right on it.”
Keegan is storming toward me. “I gotta go. I’ll get you the name.” I hang up.
“Was that him?” Keegan points at my phone, and his tone is deep.
“Who? Paul?” I tuck my hands in my jacket, along with my phone.
“Yes.” He has a sullen look.
“I needed to check in with him. He’s my business partner.”
“Did you tell him?”
I get the feeling that if I was the old Timber, right now we would fight, and he would feel that need to drag me inside. “I did. He’s my friend, nothing more.” I stick my chin in the air. My defiance seems to lighten his mood. He physically relaxes, but I think his smile is fake. I’m still trying to figure out his expressions.
“I’m sorry. I saw you out here crying.” He reaches out and runs his hand down my arm.
“Can we go back inside. I need to ask you some more questions, and it’s cold out here.”
He wraps his arm around my waist, and we head inside the house. We both peel out of our coats and sit by the fireplace.
“What was your wife’s maiden name?”
“Hunt.”
“Did you ever meet her parents?”
“Your dad died when you were a little girl and your mom, right before I met you.”
“Did I have any other family?” I finally give in and use the word I.
“There was an uncle I never met. I don’t know if he’s still alive or not.”
“Do you know where he lived?”
“He was somewhere living on an Indian reservation in Utah. I sent him a letter to him when you…when I thought you were dead, but I’m not sure if he ever received it.”
“Why?”
“Because the address I found was for the land. Many people live there, and I never got a response back from him.”
My shoulders slump. “I really was all alone until I met you.”
His fingers brush back a strand of hair behind my ear. “You were very strong and independent. It was just one of the reasons I fell in love with you.”
“Do you still have the address?”
“Somewhere in my files at the office.”
“I’d like to have it if that’s okay with you?”
“I will get it when I go back to the office. Any more questions? I’d like to take you somewhere.”
“That’s all for now.” He stands, taking me with him.
“We need to stop by the store and get some snow clothes, and I can’t keep wearing the same dirty clothes.”
My heart starts racing. “I’m not ready to meet your…my…family,” I stutter.
“You can wait in the Wrangler. I’ll get what we need.”
While Keegan is in the outdoor store, I text Paul the information about my background. When I look up, I see the same familiar red coat and the young girl I bumped into. “Emmalyn,” I whisper her name. I watch her as she laughs with some other young girls her age. I see the resemblance of me in her smile, but I also see David mixed in her features.
She suddenly stops talking, and I duck down in my seat when she turns in my direction. I hold my breath, hoping she won’t walk over to the vehicle. A few seconds later I hear Keegan’s voice call her name.
I wait, frozen in place until the driver’s side door jerks open. I hold back a scream when I realize it’s Keegan. He climbs in and tells me to stay down out of sight. He throws the bags in the backseat and starts the engine. I see him casually wave, but I can tell by his expression that he wants to get the hell out of here. He places his hand on the back of my seat as he puts the Wrangler in reverse.
“That was close,” he says without moving his lips. The Wrangler shifts into drive, and I finally feel like I can breathe.
“Is it okay to sit up now?”
He nods. “Emmalyn was almost to the Wrangler when I called out for her. She thought she saw someone in it. Thank God I came out when I did.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I didn’t tell her anything other than I was meeting up with an old army friend that needed some help and that’s why I had to cancel on her.”
I sit up and buckle. “I hate that you had to lie to her.”
“Me, too. I don’t want her involved in any of this until we are both ready. Tomorrow, I’m going to take you to have your DNA tested. The sooner you know, the better.”
I stare out the window at the white snowy ground passing by. I’m not so sure he’s right about that. I’ll have some heavy decisions to make. “Where are we going?” I glance in his direction.
“Snowmobiling.”
Chapter 14
Keegan
My heart nearly stopped when I saw Emmalyn walking toward Shay. That is not how I want her to find out that her mother is still alive. I know she will be beyond happy, but until Shay believes she is Timber, I don’t want Emmalyn to know anything.
On the ride up the mountain, Shay is quiet. Her head has to be reeling from all of this. I don’t know what to expect from her when she gets the results. Will she head for the hills or stick around? All of it is overwhelming.
Today’s goal is to make her fall in love with me all over again.
We make it up the steep slope as the snow starts to lightly fall again. I put the Wrangler in park and reach behind the seat, grabbing the bags of clothing. “There is a place you can change inside.” It’s a small container that my dad and I built for storing our toys. I take my key and unlock the padlock. Four snowmobiles rest inside and there is a small changing room in the back.
“There is no heat in there, so you might want to change quickly,” I say, pointing to a curtained-off area.
She peers inside the bag I handed her. “You know my size?”
“You look a little smaller than you did years ago, but I think I got it right.”
She smiles with her lips pursed and heads to the back. I quickly do a check on the snowmobiles, making sure everything is working properly. I slip on snow pants over my jeans but take off my shirt I’ve worn for two days.
When I pull it off over my head, I have a dark set of eyes
on my chest. Her tongue sweeps out over her lips as she clears her throat. “Everything fits perfect,” she says, looking away.
I quickly pull on the thermal long-sleeve shirt I bought. It’s not that I don’t want her eyes on me; I don’t want to be tempted to have my hands all over her in here. I want to focus on charming her to death. The rest will come later. At least that’s my hope.
“Have you ever ridden one before?” I know she has as Timber, but Shay is another story.
She surprisingly laughs. “You tell me?”
“Timber could ride circles around all of us. I think you could ride before you could walk.”
I pull two snowmobiles out into the snow as she puts her helmet on. “How about I give you a refresher course?” I say as she straddles the snowmobile.
“I think that’s a good plan,” she says from behind her helmet.
I run through everything with her. She thumbs the throttle and starts out moving slowly, but it’s not long before she is racing me through the snowy curves and hills. I can hear her laughter over the roar of the motor. We ride for an hour before I motion for her to follow me. I brought her here for a reason, and now it’s time to show her.
I stop when we make it to the small log cabins.
“What is this place?” she asks, removing her helmet and running her hands through her messy hair.
“Come on. I’ll show you.” I hold out my hand for her to take. In the middle of all the cabins is a rectangular old wooden building with no windows. Smoke is billowing out of the chimney. The door creaks as we go inside.
“Joy, are you in here?” I say, leading us to the counter.
“I’m here,” her voice rings out from another room.
She stops in her tracks when she sees Timber. Tears instantly fill her eyes, and she rushes to hug Shay.
Shay stands still and stiff with Joy’s arms around her. “Oh, dear God, we thought you were dead.” She places both of her hands on either side of Shay’s face.
“I…I…”
“Joy, this is Shay. I know she looks a lot like Timber.” I peel her off Shay.
She looks at me and then back at Shay. “I know Timber when I see her.” She crosses her stalky arms.
“The resemblances are uncanny, I know. Can we go out back?” I take Shay’s hand and start walking, hoping like hell to avoid any more conversation. She gives me the evil eye but doesn’t stop us.
Once outside, it opens up into another world. There is a pool of crystal blue water with steam floating just above the surface.
“This is beautiful. I’ve always wanted to go to the hot springs, but this is way beyond what I could imagine out here in the middle of nowhere.” She’s pulling off her boots.
I smile remembering all the times I’ve brought her here. Every chance she could steal away, I knew I’d find her here soaking in the hot springs. “This was your favorite place in the world.”
She sticks her toes in the water. “I wish I had a swimsuit.”
“You never needed one before,” I mumble, but she clearly understands me when she starts stripping her layers of clothes off. One by one, I watch as they’re thrown into a pile on the porch. I see her shiver as the last article of clothing comes off. She doesn’t waste any time submerging in the water. Her face is lit up like Christmas.
“Aren’t you going to join me?” Her eyes sparkle
I don’t have to be asked twice. I rip off my clothes, maneuvering carefully around my hard-on. I shrug when she sees it. “It’s your fault for stripping down naked in front of me.” I splash into the water.
She leans her head against the edge and rests her arms on the ledge. “This place is amazing.”
A bitter smile pulls at my lips. “I thought for sure this place would bring back memories for you.”
She swims over to me and places my hand on the nape of her neck. I feel a raised scar about four inches long that runs into her hairline. “I’m sorry I don’t remember, but I won’t keep apologizing for it.” Her brows snap together and then soften. “I want to enjoy our time here today and make it a good memory.” Her soft lips capture mine, and I wrap my hands in her long, wet hair. My desire flickers to life as my mouth trails down her neck. I can feel her body sizzle in response.
“You are so beautiful,” I say between nips of her skin.
She moans and pulls my mouth back to hers. Her hands run down my chest, and it’s all I can do to not pick her up and delve inside her. I press my cock against her belly.
“I want you so badly.”
She blindsides me when she says, “I’m feeling the same way.” Water drips from her dark lashes. “But I think we should wait.”
I push her into the water. “Then you need to get your hot body off me.” I laugh and splash her. The ripples in the water crash over the sides as we swim and splash one another. We swim for about thirty minutes until our bodies can’t stand the heat anymore. She lifts her naked body out of the water, and I’m instantly hard again.
“There are towels in the bin.” I point to one.
She opens it and grabs two out, tossing one in my direction. We dry off and put our snow clothes back on. Her long hair drips down the back of her suit. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“We’re not done yet.” I take her hand and lead her back inside.
“Joy, can I have the keys to cabin eight?”
She stares at Shay but chucks me the key. I take out the bag I loaded on the snowmobile while she was changing into riding gear. We traipse through the snow up a little hill to a small deep-chocolate-brown clapboard cabin with two rockers on the porch. I unlock the door, and I’m grateful that Joy keeps each cabin heated.
“This is so cute,” she says, walking around touching the hand-carved wooden furniture with oversized stuffed cushions.
“I’m glad you like it. This is where we stayed on our honeymoon.”
She points to the ground. “Here?”
“Yes, here. I offered to take you somewhere really romantic like Paris, and this is where you picked.” I watch her take the place in. She walks up the spiral staircase to the open loft, and I’m close behind her.
“So…this is where we…”
“Made love for the first time.” I complete her sentence since she seemed to be struggling with it.
She sits on the edge of the metal frame bed and lies back. “I could see why I would love it here so much.” Her hand runs across the red silk cover.
Every part of me craves to get in that bed with her. “How about I make us something to eat?”
Her head lifts off the bed. “There’s food here?”
I laugh. “No. I bought some can goods when I picked up our clothes. Nothing fancy. Good old canned ravioli and box of wine for you.”
“A box?” She giggles.
“Yeah, we don’t carry any type of glass bottles in the store.” I run my hand along the wrought iron railing as I walk down.
“I’ll come help you.” I can feel the warmth of her body trailing close behind me.
“I think I can manage a can opener.”
“Why don’t you let me do it while you build a fire in that tin can of a fireplace.”
“Are you sure you can handle it?” I tease her.
She opens the cabinet and drawers, looking for what she needs. I lay the cans and the wine on the counter and get to work on the fire. As soon as I’m done, she has two piping hot bowls of food sitting on the table and two paper cups with wine in them. I snag a candle from the mantel and place it in the middle of the table.
Her eyes shine when I light it. I pull out her chair for her, and she smiles sweetly at me. “You think of everything don’t you?”
“I try to have all my bases covered.”
“We should probably eat and head out before it gets too late,” she says, blowing on her food.
“We are staying the night here.” I take a big bite of my ravioli.
Her gaze bores into my skull. “What?”
“I thou
ght we would spend the night here. I’m not leaving you alone, and I can’t take you to my house.”
She fidgets in her chair. “We could go back to the cottage where there is a spare bedroom.”
“I’ve already told you, nothing is going to happen between us unless you say so. I’m a grown man and can sleep next to a beautiful woman without touching her.” I lift my eyes to hers. “I think,” I say with a wink.
“Did you bring me here too, hoping I would remember something?”
I put my fork down. “Maybe. Is that such a bad thing?” I lean my elbows on the table and fold my fingers together.
“No. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up, David.”
That’s the first time she’s called me David, and it feels so damn good. “My hopes have been up since the day I found you under the bridge.”
“I meant it about me remembering. I’ve tried, and nothing more than a few feelings surface every now and then.”
“Feelings for me?”
“I do feel a connection to you. I’ve felt it since the first letter. Being near you makes me weak in the knees.”
I smile and pick up my fork. “I like that I make you weak in the knees.”
We spend the rest of our evening in front of the fireplace with me telling her stories of Emmalyn. She hangs on every word with tears threatening to fall, but I have her roaring in laughter at some of the stories.
Her hand covers her mouth as a yawn slips out. I glance at my watch, and it’s after midnight. “Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s get you to bed.”
I follow her up the stairs with a bag in tow. She pulls down the covers, and when she turns around, I throw the bag to her.
“What’s this?” She peeks inside and pulls out red thermals.
“It’s what you’re going to sleep in.” I pull off my jeans and T-shirt, leaving only my boxers.
“You’re sleeping half naked, and I’m supposed to sleep in this.” She holds it up and sees that it will cover her from chin to toes.
“That way you will be safe.”
She surprises me again when she throws the thermals on the floor and strips out of her clothes, snuggling under the blankets naked. I gladly scoot so that our bodies are touching. Her head lands in the middle of my chest, and her hand is dangerously near my cock.
