by Jill Snow
“I don’t really know much about you, do I?”
She hadn’t meant that to come out so loud. When Ethan glanced up, frowning, Lily felt her cheeks fill with heat. She dropped her gaze and muttered, “Good luck,” before she turned and fled to the safety of her cabin.
It shouldn’t matter how much she knew about him. They’d only met a couple of days ago and she had only a few days left at the campground, anyway. But after the kiss they’d shared this morning, the intangible connection between them, it definitely mattered to her.
Chapter 16
The high-pitched yelps of frightened women and children pierced Ethan’s head, an assault plaguing him through a haze of smoke and fog. He lurched forward blindly—
And woke, heart pounding, in a dim, empty room. The damp sheets twisted around his lower body, trapping him. He fought them off, grappling for a weapon with one hand as he simultaneously tried to convince himself that there was nothing lurking in the dark. He’d had another nightmare. A fright, since they’d given him some peace since he’d started spending time with Lily. It must have been because he’d fallen asleep with his muscles rock solid as he battled inner turmoil.
Lily thought he was a handyman. He could have set her straight —he should have—but instead, he’d surrendered to the desire to play the blue-collar worker for a few days longer. But what if he’d told her the truth? A little part of him believed that her perception of him wouldn’t change. That she wouldn’t suddenly see dollar signs when she looked at him. With a groan, he lowered his head into his hands. He knew what he’d like to think, but the world had proven time and again that it wasn’t so kind.
The yelp, frantic, pierced his eardrums again, making the hair on his arms stand on end. That hadn’t been because of his dream?
Wookie.
The thought doused him like cold rain. Grabbing his discarded jeans, he pulled them up over his boxer briefs and groped for the lantern-like flashlight he kept near the bed. Once he found it, he flicked it on, half-blinding himself.
Calm down. As long as Wookie continued to bark, then whatever had riled her hadn’t yet harmed her. However, Ethan couldn’t shake the memory of the last time he’d heard that distraught sound, when Lily had been trapped beneath the water of the lake, drowning. Carrying the flashlight into the next room, he shoved his feet into his boots and found his shotgun. The rock salt ammunition was lined up on the table. He shoved a handful into his pocket and loaded one hastily into the shotgun. The roar of his heart threatened to drown out all other sound as he strained his ears, listening for Wookie’s continued yelp.
She yapped again, still threatened by whatever had captured her attention. With the flashlight in one hand and his shotgun in the other, Ethan barged into the cool night.
Insects swarmed the source of light, buzzing near his ear. He ignored them, training himself to listen for Wookie alone. A sweet, unselfish animal like the dog didn’t deserve to be mauled in the middle of the night by a raccoon.
Or worse.
He shoved his way through the thin copse of trees between his and Lily’s cabin. A light seemed to be on inside her cabin, but it was dim. From the bathroom, maybe? He searched the ground nearby for her dog.
“Wookie?”
He found her half under the tail end of the SUV, yipping and growling with her hackles raised. She looked away from the cabin, toward the nearby forest. Dropping the flashlight, Ethan raised the shotgun to his shoulders and searched the shadows. Was that the flicker of movement?
“Is someone there? Show yourself or I’ll shoot.”
He neglected to mention that the bullet in his shotgun would barely break the skin, if do that much damage at this range. He’d done his share of spilling blood for one lifetime. In fact, as isolated as he’d made himself, he shouldn’t have any need to. His life—nor anyone else’s—shouldn’t be in imminent danger out here.
When no one answered, he shot wide, aiming away from where he’d seen the movement. Shooting to scare, not hit. The report of the gun rang in his ears, but he reloaded quickly in case the danger was a stray animal like a bear that he’d just urged nearer. In the light of the flashlight, distorted by his body and that of Wookie huddled close, the shadow of a figure slipped between two trunks and bolted for greater cover. However, the shadow wasn’t that of an animal — it was a person.
The saboteur.
Working on instinct, Ethan dove for the flashlight and raced after the trespasser. Wookie growled and yipped, following him into the underbrush. She hadn’t seemed terribly brave when he’d happened upon the scene, though perhaps she’d thought first of protecting Lily.
The same thought consumed him as he crashed through the underbrush in hot pursuit. Vandalism aside, that figure was wandering entirely too close to Lily’s cabin for Ethan’s comfort. Despite the way his bare feet chafed inside his boots, Ethan gritted his teeth and continued to run. If he caught the man, he could end this now.
However, the dark, unfamiliar forest worked against him. As he stumbled past a tree with low-hanging branches, Ethan raised his arms to shield his face. He staggered into a hovel. Upon finding no further resistance of branches, he dropped his arms and raised the lantern to see. His chest heaved as he caught his breath, but nowhere did he find a shadow of the man he pursued.
Wookie danced around his feet, whining. Her fur was no longer raised. When she sat on her rump, she paused to nibble on her back leg, likely scratching an itch caused by a mosquito bite.
Still gripping the barrel of the shotgun, Ethan used the flashlight to examine the nearby ground and trees. Did anything show signs of someone passing through? It was too dark, and the most discernable tracks that he found were his own. He might have lost the figure farther back but continued running blindly.
With a curse, he turned. It took some time, but he managed to follow his hectic path back to Lily’s cabin. Wookie trotted at his heels, content for the exercise, though she wheezed for breath. Leaving the shotgun next to the SUV so he didn’t frighten Lily, Ethan bent and retrieved Wookie. She climbed his arm to lick the underside of his chin.
“Thanks, girl. You did good.”
He could only imagine what would have happened if Wookie hadn’t been alerted to the trespasser.
Balancing the dog and the flashlight, he knocked on the door to Lily’s cabin. Nervous bees stung his belly as he realized the time. He shouldn’t be disturbing her in the middle of the night … even if it was only to return her dog and warn her to stay inside, just in case.
Before he gave in to the urge to leave the dog on her doorstep and return to his cabin, the wooden door opened to reveal Lily. She wore a sleep set of shorts and a loose t-shirt. Her hair was tangled, far from its usual sleek appearance. She curled her bare, painted toenails into the wood floor and she blinked sleepily into the light.
“Ethan? I thought I heard a loud noise.”
She had never looked so beautiful.
He cleared his throat and offered Wookie. “I heard her barking and came up here to make sure everything was okay.”
Lily wiped her eye as she cradled the dog over one hip. Wookie, happy to be there, panted with her pink tongue sticking out. “Wookie! How did you even get out?” Lily’s forehead creased in concern as she looked around the cabin as if to locate some secret dog door. Then she sighed. “Now I remember. She woke me to go out and I just let her run out to do her business and must have fallen back asleep on the couch. She probably just saw a squirrel.”
The dog cocked her head at the word squirrel.
Maybe Ethan should let Lily believe what she wanted, but for her own safety, he told her, “It wasn’t a squirrel. I saw a figure in the woods, likely the saboteur. I gave chase, but I lost him. He knows the forest here better than I do.”
Lily’s lips parted in shock. He couldn’t tear his gaze away.
“Should we tell Ruby? The police?”
“Probably a good idea,” he answered, distracted. He lifted his gaze to hers o
nce more, with difficulty. “But it’s the middle of the night and whoever it was is long gone. The sheriff won’t be able to do anything about it now. I’ll mention something to Ruby in the morning and see what she wants to do about it.”
Lily pressed her lips together, but nodded. Clearly, she had her reservations. She was also from the city, where she had a police force at the ready at all times. In Greendale, the sheriff was the only authority member and in order to get him up to the campground, Ethan would have to rouse him from bed. They’d both been in the Rangers, so they both had some tracking skills but the lack of light made it all but impossible. Ethan had had enough trouble finding his way back, and he hadn’t tried to hide his passage.
“What do you want me to do?”
He wanted to protect her, and the best way he could do that would be to have her nearby. Now, in the dead of night with his heart still pounding from the encounter, he wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and hold her close. Suddenly it had become very important to him to keep her safe. Heaven help him, but he might have fallen for Lily. When had that happened?
“Stay inside,” he told her, his voice gravelly. “At least until morning. I don’t think he’ll come back, but it’s better to be sure.”
Lily nodded, her eyes wide. “I will. Thanks for bringing her back.”
Her?
The dog. Right. He had to stop staring at her mouth. Her t-shirt might have read, Ethan, you are an idiot, and he would never have noticed, he was too preoccupied.
Still, as he took a step back, it didn’t feel right just to leave.
“Thomas,” he blurted.”
You are an idiot.
She frowned. “What?”
“My last name. It’s Thomas.” He tried to shove his hands into his jean pockets, but only got one in before he realized that the other held the flashlight. “You said yesterday that you don’t really know me, and you’re right. But maybe you could.”
With a smile, she held out her hand and said, “Mine is Ryder.”
Lily Ryder. Such a small thing, knowing her last name, but maybe she was right about this. He felt closer to her. Instead of shaking her hand, he slid his palm against hers and used the hold to pull her closer. He kissed her, long and slow, savoring the moment.
When he raised his head, her smile warmed him. “Goodnight, Lily. I’ll see you in the morning … and probably in my dreams.”
With her in them, he knew they wouldn’t be nightmares.
Chapter 17
Ethan seemed less shaken in the morning, but by the time they parted ways after breakfast, Lily was still haunted by the fact that she’d fallen asleep and left Wookie outside the cabin and in danger. The fact that a man had been wandering near her cabin at all worried Lily. Was the saboteur escalating?
The first act—that she and Ethan knew of—had prevented Ruby from renting out the cabins on the far side of the lake, leaving only the two she and Ethan occupied available for rent. In time, that loss of revenue would cripple Ruby. However, Ethan had found the problem. He’d fixed it. The cabins, as far as she knew, were in working order.
Reporting Ruby to the Greendale Town Council also hadn’t earned the saboteur any reward. After all, Ethan had fixed that problem too, by mending the broken pipe. Lily now had running water again, for which she was very glad. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if she had to knock on Ethan’s door in the middle of the night every time she had to pee!
Though, if he kissed her like he had last night every time…
“Focus on the problem,” Lily muttered to herself. She adjusted her position on the log bench at the back of her cabin. Bench was a bit of a stretch, but she sat here for breakfast around the fire pit. It was rustic and charming, made her feel miles away from her problems at work.
However, she was now mired directly in the problems of her host. If the saboteur hadn’t solved anything by cutting pipes, what would he resort to next? What else would cause Ruby problems?
With a chill, Lily hoped the answer wasn’t setting the cabin on fire.
No, that would be foolish. It could be the fault of the person occupying the cabin, not Ruby’s. She had to think of a less lethal method for the saboteur to make problems for Ruby. If she could, she could warn Ethan in time for him to fix the problem before the Town Council was called in. After all, they might have let Ruby off with a warning, but if this sort of thing continued to happen, next they would shut down her campground as they threatened.
With a whine, Wookie nosed the phone in Lily’s hand.
“You’re right, girl. I need more information.”
For that, she had to break the rules. If word of her using her phone got back to her boss, she might be disqualified from the competition for the promotion. Rob seemed to be making every excuse not to take her or her ideas seriously.
Yes, excuses. That was what they were. She was more than qualified for that position. She had the drive. That’s why she was doing the work on this sabotage. It was good practice for when she earned that promotion and was doing work like this on a regular basis. So what if she was breaking a few rules in pursuit of the truth? That was what good reporters did. Besides this was for Ruby.
She didn’t have to tell anyone. This would stay between her and the person she trusted the most in the world. She pressed the button to turn on her phone.
When it booted up, she found her best friend’s name in her contact list and phoned her cell phone. She lifted the phone to her ear, prepared for what Tonya would say.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on radio silence for another few days?”
Bingo. Exactly as expected. But Tonya, although she loved to remind Lily of the rules—likely for her own good, given that a misstep would give Rob more ammunition against her for the promotion—had a smile in her voice.
“I need your help,” Lily said, ignoring the teasing.
“Are you hurt?” Tonya’s voice changed from laughing to serious and piercing in an instant.
“No, I’m fine. But something is going on in this campground and I need your help to make sure it stops.”
Her voice cautious, the other reporter asked, “What’s happening?”
“Someone is tampering with the cabins. The Greendale Town Council—that’s the closest town to where I am, and I’m guessing Pinecrest Lodge is within their jurisdiction—they were called in yesterday to shut down the campground on account of this tampering. The handyman here fixed the problem and it’s been swept under the rug, but I’m almost certain it’s going to start up again.”
The conviction in her voice must have swayed Tonya, because her friend asked, “What can you do?”
Lily had asked herself that question many times over the course of her life. A lot of the time, it was the precursor to her telling herself that she could do nothing. That she wasn’t good enough. Well, this time she could do something. She had a plan.
Unfortunately, she had terrible internet access and a questionable cell phone signal, if the crackling on the other line was any indication.
“I want to find out what the town bylaws are for this campground. If I know what sort of things might be brought up to the Town Council, then I might be able to predict and stop the saboteur before they do something else.”
“Are you sure?” Tonya asked, her voice small. “That sounds like it could be dangerous. You shouldn’t be doing this alone. Maybe you should alert the authorities instead.”
“Out here, the authorities are one man, and I’m betting that he’s already overworked. I don’t have the connections we have at home. But I’m not alone. Ethan is helping me, too.”
“Ethan?” Her friend’s voice deepened with interest. “Ethan who?”
Lily was doubly glad that she could answer that question. “Ethan Thomas.” Although she’d been a bit uncertain after their kiss by the lake in the heat of the moment, he seemed to genuinely like her. Telling her his last name was a step forward. He was one of those strong-but-silent types. If s
he had enough time, she could probably crack his tough exterior and learn more about him, little by little.
She was leaving in a couple days and wouldn’t get that time.
Stamping out that small voice, she asked her friend, “Can I count on you to help? I know you’ve probably got a lot on your plate, what with work, but if you could look up the bylaws for Greendale…”
“I’ll help,” Tonya vowed. “You know I’d do anything for you. Tell me more about this Ethan guy. Is he hot?”
Lily couldn’t help but smile to herself as she admitted, “Smoking.”
And a good kisser, too.
“Oh? Tell me more.”
“He’s the handyman here on the campground.”
“So he’s good with his hands,” Tonya joked.
Lily stuck out her tongue, even though her friend couldn’t see her. Wookie tilted her head, as if worried by Lily’s bizarre behavior. She patted her dog absently.
“You know I’m not the type to have a fling.”
“So no wining and dining out there?”
No wine, at least… “Where would I forage for wine?”
“You could find a patch of grapes and make your own,” Tonya joked.
“In the mountains?”
“Hey, I have no dating life. I have to live vicariously through yours.”
“I have no dating life, either,” Lily pointed out. Until recently, they had spent most of their free time with each other as they continued to work long past when they should have stopped to relax.
“Hence why I’m so curious! Does he have potential?”
Lily’s stomach dropped at the question. She swallowed hard and said, “He’s nice,” but left it at that.
“Just nice?”
“I’m leaving in a few days, or had you forgotten that?”
