by J. R. Ryder
“It’s not for everyone.” Jasper agreed. “Don’t worry about it. You’re free to stay here while I’m out. And, if it makes you feel any better, I can leave Wolf behind. He’s not much of a guard dog but he’s good company.”
“Don’t you need him for hunting?”
He shrugged. “Technically, I adopted him hoping he would be a good retriever, but he’s not particularly good at it. Never gives back anything he manages to get between his teeth.”
I chuckled. “I can see why you don’t want him around.”
“Are you going to be okay on your own?”
“Yes. I know I haven’t told you this yet, but I’m actually a detective. I know how to fend for myself. I’ve been on the force for a while now. Found myself in sticky situations but I’ve always managed to come out alive. if there is anyone you should worry about it's yourself. Watch out for the bears.”
“It’s hibernation season.” He pointed out.
“Right. I knew that.” I blushed slightly.
He chuckled, lingering in the kitchen, looking like he didn’t want to leave. “ you’re really a detective?”
“Mhm. Why? Are you surprised?”
“A bit.” He admitted. “I don’t mean to offend you or anything, but you don’t exactly look like the detective type for me.”
“Oh yeah?” Suddenly, I rushed forward, tackling him into the wall. I pushed my arm against his neck, pinning him in place, using all my strength to prove a point. “Do you still believe that?” I asked, looking up at him with an excited glint in my eye.
Before I could realize what was happening, he turned us around, switching positions with me. He growled, face inches away from mine. “You should be careful. If you mess with the bull, you might just get the horns.”
“I wouldn’t complain,” I said with a wink. “Show me what you got, big boy.”
He looked at me with lust painting his every feature. I thought for sure we were about to have some steamy kitchen sex but to my dismay he stepped back, giving me some space. “Maybe next time.” He winked. “I rather keep you on your toes. Besides, now this gives you something to think about while I’m gone. Your fantasies can run wild.”
“Oh, you evil, evil man.”
“You love it.”
“I do.”
“Alright, well, I’ll be back in a few hours. Stay safe while I’m gone.” Gently, he kissed the top of my head, sending butterflies swirling through my stomach.
“Will do.”
Finally, he left the kitchen, leaving me alone.
“I’ll miss you…” I whispered.
Chapter 14 (Jasper)
The scent of her hair lingered in my nose, making me smile. She smelled so sweet and innocent. I felt like no matter how much I had of her, I would never get enough.
I was addicted.
that would make letting her go even more painful. I shuddered, already thinking about the withdrawal I would experience in her absence.
I thought about going back, wanting to hold her a little bit longer. I wanted to feel her body against mine, two puzzle pieces that belonged together. it was more than that. I wanted to keep her safe – to protect her from all the evils in the world.
Even if she knew how to fend for herself, I wanted to be by her side through every hardship she might face along the way.
Deep down, I knew that wasn’t possible. She would soon walk away from my life and I’d never see her again.
Outside, I headed for the shed where I cleared a pile of snow from the door. The lock was frozen, making it impossible for me to open it. I had to spend over five minutes trying to thaw it with my hands before all the ice finally melted away.
The shed was filled with hunting supplies as well as a couple of kayaks in case I ever wanted to take a ride down the river. For the most part, I stuck to my rifle, enjoying the weight of it in my hand.
I slung it over my shoulder and grabbed some ammo. Before leaving the premises, I glanced at the cabin, seeing Mandy in the window.
She smiled at me and waved goodbye.
I waved back, feeling confident that she would still be there when I returned.
After a few minutes, the cabin was no longer within view. I continued forward, trudging through the snow drifts, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of movement among the sea of white.
For a long time, all was silent. I was left with my thoughts. Most of them concerned Mandy. Everything about her was intoxicating to me – maybe a bit too intoxicating. In such a short amount of time, I already felt so strongly about her. Of course, I hadn’t told her head, scared of pushing her away, but at the same time, it was becoming harder and harder to keep my emotions to myself.
Maybe, if I told her, she’d stay.
Who was I kidding?
I was destined to be alone and this was just a small reprieve in my solitude.
Suddenly, before I could ponder the matter any further, a rabbit dashed forward from its burrow, jumping over the snow. I aimed my gun at it, finger on the trigger, but at the very last moment, I dropped the gun, unable to do it.
I couldn’t kill an innocent creature.
Instead, I stepped forward, moving slowly and silently. Maybe, if I could catch the bunny, I could bring it back to Mandy as a sort of gift.
I continued forward, holding out my hand.
It munched on a couple of bright red berries, nose twitching back and forth.
Crunch.
Accidentally, I stepped on a twig.
The bunny looked at me, brown eyes wide with wonder before it high-tailed it out of there as fast as it could.
So much for catching a bunny.
I laughed, shaking my head.
Wolf probably wouldn’t have gotten along very well with a rabbit for a brother.
***
I continued my hunt for over an hour. Despite running into a few more rabbits, I came home empty-handed.
Sighing, I decided to gather a few berries, thinking I could make a pie or something. As far as I could remember, I had enough flour and shortening to make the crust.
With my pockets full, I walked through the front door. “Mandy?” I called out, looking around the living room, expecting to find her on the couch. To my surprise, she wasn’t there.
I headed for the kitchen. She wasn’t there either. Even Wolf’s bed was empty.
“Wolf?” I whistled, trying to get my dog’s attention.
I waited but nothing changed. I was met with silence.
Already, anxiety started to creep underneath my skin. Had she left? Or had something happened while I was gone?
“Mandy?” I called out once more, bounding up the stairs to the bedroom. Maybe she had fallen asleep and simply couldn’t hear me.
The bedroom was empty too.
Where was she?
Before I could lose my cool, I paused, taking a deep breath. There was no need to jump to conclusions.
Still, I couldn’t help but think the worse. What if something had happened to her?
Quickly, I headed back to the kitchen, looking out the window, hoping to spot her, but all I saw was a blanket of snow painting everything in white.
But then, out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a bright pink slip of paper on the table. I grabbed it.
It was a note.
Jasper,
Don’t worry, I didn’t run away. I just needed some air. I took Wolf for a walk. I’ll be back soon. Keep the bed warm for me – or the kitchen counter – or the couch. Whatever you want but you won’t be able to stop me from getting you this time around. No more teasing.
Love,
Mandy
I reread the note a few times, smiling to myself. I loved how sexy she was. most of all, I was surprised by her “Love, Mandy.” Did she just write that out of habit or did she really mean that? Could it be possible that she genuinely loved me?
The thought instantly sparked suspicion in my head. I had heard those three words before. Every time they were hollow – m
eaning nothing. They were simply a ruse to get into my bank account.
Still, I wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, Mandy was different. There was something about her that was different from all the others. When she looked at me, her eyes sparkled.
I smiled. Maybe it was time for me to open up to someone.
Chapter 15 (Mandy)
After Jasper left, I tried to entertain myself with a little bit of light reading. I browsed through Jasper’s bookshelf but there wasn’t much in terms of selection. A few army-related novels. A couple memoirs. A few historical fictions pertaining to World War II. None of it was really my cup of tea. Nonetheless, thinking it might do me good to dabble in a new genre, I picked up a sniper novel and sat down on the couch with it.
Wolf joined me, curling up on my lap.
“You aren’t a chihuahua. You don’t fit there.” I said, shaking my head, trying to push him off me but he wouldn’t budge. “Come on, Wolf, this isn’t comfortable. You’re heavy.”
He just barked at me, tail wagging. He bit my sleeve, tugging on it, wanting to play.
“No,” I told him, but he continued to tug, threatening to rip the fabric. “Alright, alright, I’ll play with you. Where’s your toy?”
At the word ‘toy,’ his ears perked up. A second later, he jumped off the couch and started running around the cabin. Eventually, he returned with an old, tattered toy that needed to be replaced – badly.
He dropped it in my lap, looking up at me expectantly.
With a look of disgust on my face, I picked it up and threw it across the room.
He barked excitedly, dashing forward to grab the toy. He brought it back, bouncing from foot to foot.
“You’re hyper,” I commented. “How about we go outside? It might do it us some good to get some fresh air.”
I couldn’t even finish my sentence before Wolf scuttled toward the door, pawing at it with a sense of desperation.
“Alright. Alright. I’m going.” I grabbed my coat from the rack and tossed it on, zippering it up to my neck. “Let’s go.”
As soon as I opened the door, Wolf ran forward, frolicking through the snow, looking like the happiest dog in the world with ears flopping from side to side.
I followed after him.
For a long while, we just enjoyed the mountainside, going wherever Wolf’s nose would take him. As we walked, I did my best to be mindful of my environment, not wanting to get lost for the second time.
Soon, we arrived at a frozen body of water. Wolf stepped onto it ever so slowly, looking back at me for confirmation.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, bud. You might fall in and I don’t know if I would save you.”
He cocked his head in confusion.
Suddenly, my phone, something I had utterly forgotten about, started to buzz inside the pocket of my jacket. Furrowing my brows together, I fished it out, looking at the screen.
My heart stopped.
Keith.
No.
What did he want?
With shaking fingers, I unlocked my phone. I hesitated to check the texts.
Where are you?
Are you running away from me?
Mandy. Answer your phone.
I’m going to find you.
What? Do you think I’m an idiot? I know exactly what you’ve been doing. Putting your goddamn nose where it doesn’t belong. Did you think I wouldn’t find out?
I’m going to find you, Mandy, and when I do, you better run.
I dropped my phone, unable to read any more. I shook uncontrollably, hugging my knees to my chest.
No. This couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t let him do this to me. I was over him. He couldn’t hurt me. And yet, as I sat there, all alone, it felt like he was going to jump out of the shadows at any moment.
“Come on, Wolf, we have to go home.” Without waiting for the dog, I ran toward the cabin – toward Jasper. He would keep me safe.
Tears stung at my eyes, making it hard to see. I did everything I could to push Keith and all these fears from my mind, but it was impossible. All I could think about was the hell I had gone through when I was his girlfriend. Every day was a nightmare and now it was starting again.
Wolf was at my heels, barking.
I kept running and running, my legs feeling like they were made of jelly. I didn’t know if I would make it, but I knew that I couldn’t stop because if I did he would catch me, and he would hurt me.
Finally, the cabin came into view.
Please, be home. I thought. I need you. I need you to hold me. To tell me that everything is going to be okay.
Chapter 16 (Jasper)
In Mandy’s absence, things felt different. The cabin that was once my place of refuge now felt cold and empty. As I sat in the living room, staring into the fire, I wanted to feel her presence, to watch her fingers dance against the side of a mug whenever she drank tea.
I closed my eyes and all I could see was her smiling face.
Maybe it was time for me to stop hiding. I couldn’t keep living like a hermit among these mountains. It wasn’t healthy. Wolf was a good companion, sure, but he couldn’t compare to human interaction.
I sighed.
What was I supposed to do? She knew nothing about me and frankly, I knew nothing about her. This was nothing more than physical attraction. Lust. at the same time, I could tell that it was something different – something more – something genuine. She had to feel it too.
Wanting to distract myself from all these thoughts buzzing around inside my head, I got up and headed for the kitchen. There, I turned on the electric kettle and waited for the water to boil. As I did, I glanced out the window. At least the sun was out. Still, there was plenty of ice and snow on the ground. All it would take was one misstep and Mandy could find herself in trouble. Without me to help her, what would happen? Wolf was pretty much useless in these kinds of situations. He would probably think it all a game.
Worry welled up inside of me. Maybe I should go out and look for her before it’s too late. I grabbed my jacket, about to head out the door when I heard Wolf’s familiar bark carried on the wind.
A second later, he came jumping through the tree line. He paused, looking back over his shoulder at Mandy who was just a few steps behind him.
There was a look of pure horror on her face.
Before I could ask what was wrong, she ran straight into my arms, burying her face in my chest, clinging to me as if her life depended on it.
Naturally, I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight.
“Mandy, you’re shaking… what happened?”
She just buried her face deeper into my chest, refusing to answer.
Beside us, Wolf kept whimpering, ears pressed against his skull with worry.
“Mandy, please. Tell me.” I placed my hands on her cheeks and looked into her eyes. “You have to tell me what happened.”
She sniffled, tears running down her face. Again, she shook her head, refusing to answer me.
It pained me to see her like this. There had to be something I could do to help her. Gently, I ran my fingers through her hair, trying to calm her down. Obviously, something had spooked her. what? A wild animal? A hiker? Something else entirely?
“Come on, let’s get you inside.” With my hand on the small of her back, I led her inside. “Here, let me make you some tea,” I said, after sitting her down at the table. “Just try to breathe. Whatever happened out there, it can’t hurt you here. I promise.” I kissed the top of her head just to prove my point.
As I walked over to the kettle, I glanced out the window, expecting to find something menacing but it was just the same old trees and the same old grass swaying in the wind. Nothing looked out of place. what had scared her so badly.
Carefully, I steeped the tea, getting it just right. Then, I added a dash of sugar and milk, just like she liked it.
When I turned around to place the mug in front of her, she was staring at her phone, face pale, and e
yes nearly bugging out of her head.
“Mandy. You need to tell me what happened. I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.” I placed my hand on her shoulder, hoping she would tell me. All I wanted to do was help this girl – to make her feel safe. As a mountain man, there wasn’t much I could do but I could at least give her a sense of serenity. At least, for as long as stayed with me. “I know we don’t know each other all that well, but I still want to help you any way I can.” I placed a hand underneath her chin, lifting her face so she could look at me.
