Chosen: Gem Creek Bears, Book One

by Snyder, Jennifer

  “What can I get you to drink, sugar?” the waitress asked as she stepped to my booth and handed me a laminated menu. I glanced up at her and smiled. Pain radiated through my face from the gesture. “Oh, honey. What on earth happened?”

  I swallowed hard, taken aback by this woman’s concern for me. She was a complete stranger and yet she seemed to care more about what happened to me than my own mother had.

  I angled my face so that my cheek was out of her sight. “Long story. Bad night,” I said, giving the same excuse I’d used with Grady. It had seemed to do the trick with him. He hadn’t pressed for more answers. Maybe she wouldn’t either. “I think I’ll have a cup of coffee. Could you leave room for lots of cream and sugar, please?”

  “Sure thing.” The woman jotted my drink order down on the ticket pad she’d pulled from her apron. “Do you want ice for that? I’d be glad to get you some. I also have some aspirin in my purse. You’re more than welcome to a couple of them.”

  “Oh, that would be great. Thanks.” I’d had a headache for a little while. Plus, my face was killing me. “Could I get a glass of water too, please?”

  “Absolutely. One second.” She shoved her ticket pad and pen in her apron pocket, flashed me a sympathetic smile, and then walked away.

  I glanced around, making sure no one was staring at me. Everyone seemed lost in their own world. Thank goodness. I sank lower in my booth seat while I glanced over the menu in search of their cheapest meal. I only had a few hundred bucks at best, which I knew wouldn’t last long. I had to be smart with it. I also needed to figure out what the heck my next move should be. My eyes were gritty with sleep and my limbs ached. I wondered if anyone would care if I slept in my Jeep in the parking lot for tonight?

  “Here you go, sugar. Two aspirin and a glass of water.” The woman handed me both before heading back to the area behind the counter. I inspected the pills, even though I was positive they were what she’d said. After all, what reason did she have to poison me? “Do you wanna see the bottle? I promise you they’re aspirin,” she said when she came back with my coffee, a few packs of sugar, and a canister of creamer.

  My cheeks heated as I shook my head. “That’s fine. Thank you.”

  “Are you ready to order?” She grabbed her ticket pad from inside her apron again and poised her pen, ready to write.

  I scanned the menu. “Um, I’ll have the number one.”

  It was three pancakes with syrup and butter. While I’d love to add bacon or sausage links to it, I didn’t want to spend the extra money.

  “Anything else?” she asked. “No bacon, eggs, hash browns, or fruit?”

  I shook my head. “Just pancakes, please.”

  “Coming right up.” She wrote on her ticket pad, circled something twice, and then took the menu from me. “It’ll be about fifteen to twenty minutes.”

  “Thanks.”

  I slid the coffee closer and shifted to prop my feet up on the bench seat across from mine. While the booth wasn’t the most comfortable thing I’d ever sat on, I still felt as though it would be easy to drift off to sleep if I wasn’t careful. I reached for the packets of sugar and opened two at the same time. I poured them in my coffee and gave it a quick stir before adding any creamer. I watched as the dark coffee became a light tan color like magic. Once I stirred it, I took a sip.

  It tasted amazing.

  As I sipped, I glanced around at the other customers and wondered what their stories were. Were any of them on the run from anything like I was? Were they locals getting a meal before heading to their night shift job? Had they just gotten off work? Were the young couple in the corner booth an actual couple, or had they met at a party tonight and hit it off?

  A yawn slipped from me.

  Even though I’d finished almost half my cup of coffee, exhaustion was still dragging me under. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stay awake much longer. Until my mind drifted through the night’s events. Then, I found myself terrified. I had no idea what I should do next. I had barely had any money. No place to sleep. And everyone I knew was back in Opal Pine.

  “Here you go,” the waitress said as she set my stack of pancakes in front of me. She placed a bowl of fruit and three strips of bacon down too. “Enjoy.” She winked.

  “Wait. I didn’t order all of this. Just the pancakes,” I said even though I wanted all of it. The bacon smelled delicious, and I loved ripe strawberries.

  “It’s all on the house, sugar. The whole meal. Now, eat up. You look like you’ve had one hell of a night and good food helps all problems.”

  My eyes dipped to her nametag. “Oh. I really appreciate it, Dottie,” I said. Warmth rushed through me, and for a moment, I thought I might tear up at her kindness.

  There were still good people in the world.

  “You’re welcome, honey.” She winked again before walking away.

  I popped a ripe strawberry in my mouth while reaching for the syrup. Sweetness burst across my tongue as pain pulsed through the side of my face while I chewed. I wouldn’t let it stop me from enjoying my free meal though. I was too hungry and thankful.

  “Need anything else?” Dottie asked when I was nearly finished eating.

  I yawned and shook my head. “I think I’m good.”

  “Do you still have long to drive tonight? I could refill your coffee before you go.”

  “Actually, do you know where the nearest hotel is? I’d like to get a room for the night. Preferably something cheap and close to here.” Never in my life had I felt this tired.

  “Hmm, the nearest hotel is over an hour away. You’re sort of in the middle of nowhere, sugar, even though you’re just off the highway. This place makes good money from people traveling through, but not many from town come all the way out here,” Dottie insisted. “The closest place I can think of it Gem Creek Campground. It’s about fifteen minutes from here.”

  A campground? Sleeping in a tent didn’t sound great—I’d rather have something with a door to lock—but it wasn’t like I had room to be picky.

  “That would be great, if I had a tent,” I said.

  Dottie smiled as she scooped up some of my dishes. “You don’t need one. They have RVs you can rent by the night, week, or month.”

  “Oh, cool. Do you know how much they cost for a night?” If it was over fifty bucks, I wouldn’t waste my time. I’d be better off searching for a thirty-nine dollar hotel room an hour away.

  “I can’t remember the going rate off the top of my head for a single night. Maybe thirty-five,” Dottie said. “I know the Orsin brothers haven’t changed the prices since they took over after their parents passed so it shouldn’t be high.”

  “Okay, thanks.” I finished the last few sips of my coffee, thinking that didn’t sound too bad. Besides, staying in an RV was better than staying in a tent. At least there was a door to lock and a bed.

  “Tell Liam I sent you,” she said as she started to walk away.

  “Okay. Do you think I’ll be able to get an RV this late at night?” I glanced around the diner, searching for a clock. I’d left my cell in my Jeep. When I found one, it said it was well after midnight.

  No wonder I was exhausted. In another few hours, I’d have been up for a full twenty-four hours.

  “You should be fine. Like I said, just mention I sent you. Dottie from Earl’s Diner.” She walked to the kitchen with my dishes. When she came back, she held a napkin out to me. “Here.” The address for Gem Creek Campground was written on it.

  “Thanks,” I said as I took it from her. I’d never been one to name drop before, but if it got me an RV at this time of night, I was okay with it.

  “On the back are some directions. GPS doesn’t work too well around here. Blame the mountains.”

  I flipped the napkin over. The directions were written in elegant handwriting.

  “The place isn’t hard to find, but the sign blew away in the last storm we had. Now there’s a rinky-dink thing that’s sometimes hard to see this time of night. If
you follow the directions though, you should be fine.”

  “Thanks,” I said, hoping she was right.

  The last thing I needed was to get lost in the middle of freaking nowhere.

  Chapter Three

  The sound of my cell ringing inside my Jeep had me scrambling to unlock the driver door. Once I had, whoever had been calling had already hung up. I slid in behind the wheel and grabbed my phone from the cupholder.

  It had been Mom calling.

  A quick glance showed me there were two text messages and one missed call from her in the last thirty minutes. I couldn’t believe she was still up. It was late. I glanced at her first text.

  I take it you’re not coming home tonight. That’s fine. Just know that I love you.

  Obviously, she hadn’t thought I was serious when I’d said I was packing my crap and getting out of town. Typical. She never took anything I said or did seriously. It was one of the many reasons we butted heads constantly.

  I glanced at her second text and my heart skipped a beat.

  Corbin came by. He was looking for you, like I said he would.

  Two minutes after she’d sent the last text, she had called. My cell pinged with a new voicemail. I tapped on it and put my phone on speaker as I started my Jeep. While I backed out of my parking space, Mom’s voice filtered from my phone.

  “Hey, it’s Mom. I wanted to let you know Corbin came by. The poor boy looked upset. He said the two of you got into a doozy of a fight. That you misunderstood something? I told him I’d let you know he stopped by. I also told him you’d call him tomorrow. Make sure you do. He cares about you. I can tell. He looked worried sick.” She paused before adding, “Love you. Have a good night wherever you are.”

  The click of her hanging up sounded, and I swore flames could fly from my nostrils I was so damn mad.

  At her. At Corbin. At myself.

  How could Corbin say that I’d misunderstood things? What had I misunderstood? He’d hit me, tied my wrists together, and shoved me in a freaking trunk. There was no misunderstanding about anything. That shit happened. I had the bruises and throbbing pain to prove it. Of course he was sick to his stomach, he probably was worried I’d gone to the police to turn his butt in. Him and Chase.

  Maybe I should have.

  And then there was Mom. How could she ever want me to speak to him again after what he’d done? I couldn’t believe she wanted me to give him a second chance. She was insane!

  I pressed and held the button on the side of my phone, switching it off for the first time in months before I turned out of the parking lot and headed down the street. The tightness in my chest eased, and I pulled in a steady breath. When I reached the stop sign, I turned left onto Maple Lane like Dottie’s directions said. As I drove, I tried to push away thoughts of my mom and Corbin. I cut down a narrow gravel road called Honeybee Lane next. My gaze dipped to the napkin Dottie had written on, reading the next turn to make sure I didn’t miss it. Supposedly, I was looking for a broken wheelbarrow.

  Gem Creek Campground was on the right somewhere after.

  My Jeep bounced along the bumpy road, reminding me of being trapped in Ezra’s trunk on the way to the old sawmill. My palms grew sweaty, and I swore I could feel the rope on my wrists again. I rubbed at them both while I crept down the rutty road. I was so lost in my head that I almost didn’t see the gigantic brown bear cut across the road. I slammed on my brakes, coming to a complete stop, and scanned the wooded area it had darted through. My heart hammered in my chest as I continued to stare.

  That was close.

  I eased my foot off the brake and continued forward on high alert, my hands gripping the wheel at ten and two even though it hurt my scraped up palms to do so. My gaze darted to the woods beside me as I drove, searching for the bear or any other animals I might need to slow for. A broken wheelbarrow caught my eye. My grip on the wheel loosened at the sight. Gem Creek Campground should be coming up. Dottie had said the sign was hard to see this time of night, so I leaned forward in my seat.

  A piece of cardboard with Gem Creek Campground written in black lettering marked the entrance to the place a few corners later.

  Dottie hadn’t been kidding when she’d called it rinky-dink. It wasn’t big, and it was somehow secured to a wooden stake that was low to the ground. It looked like something Louise Miller would use to let everyone in the trailer park know she was holding a yard sale. Otherwise, we all would have just assumed she’d gathered more crap to hoard.

  I turned down the gravel road past the sign. After a few twists, a cabin came into view on the left. I came to a stop, staring up at it. The porch light was on, but no others. There was also no sign indicating it was the main office to the campground. Either it wasn’t part of the campground, or it was the owner’s house. Hadn’t Dottie mentioned it was a set of brothers who owned the place? Orsin, I was pretty sure was their last name.

  I glanced at the napkin again, checking to make sure the cabin hadn’t been the office and was just missing its sign since the last storm too. It said to take a right at the fork. I eased my Jeep forward. There wasn’t a fork in the road yet, but there was another corner. When I rounded it, I came to the fork. I sighed when I spotted a large tree branch blocking the road, though. It was too big for me to drive over, so I was forced to pop my Jeep in park and climb out to move it. While I did, the hairs along the back of my neck stood on end as the sensation of someone watching me prickled across my skin. My gaze scanned the woods near me, but I didn’t see anyone. However, that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone, or something, there.

  I dragged the limb to the side of the road and darted back to my Jeep. Once inside, I slammed the door shut, locked it, and then shifted into drive. I kept to the right at the fork like Dottie’s directions said and a shack came into view almost immediately.

  It resembled the cabin I’d seen previously, but was much smaller. A weathered sign hung above its covered porch proclaiming it as the office and souvenir shop. Relief trickled through me. At least I’d found what I’d been looking for. As I pulled into the parking area along the side of the place, I noticed there were no lights on inside.

  Great. Now what was I supposed to do?

  I cut the engine on my Jeep and sat behind the wheel, debating if I should knock or try the door, anyway. After a few minutes, I grabbed my wallet and slipped out, opting to do both. The porch steps creaked as I made my way up them. When I reached the door, I tried the knob. It was locked. I cupped my hands around my eyes and peeked inside. The place was small, which meant there probably wasn’t anyone living in back. Knocking would be pointless.

  However, there was a phone number on a decal sticker that ran along the bottom of the window on the door. I memorized it and then moved to head back to my Jeep. Before I made it down the porch steps, the sound of gravel crunching beneath someone’s shoes made its way to my ears.

  Alarm buzzed through me.

  I glanced in the direction of the footsteps and spotted a guy heading my way. He was tall and muscular with short-cropped hair and a serious face. From the distance, I couldn’t tell much else about him besides the fact that he was wearing flip-flops with a pair of athletic shorts and a white tank as though he had just rolled out of bed and came to see what was going on.

  “Can I help you?” he asked in a rich, smooth voice. My heart kick-started at the sound as though my body knew him when clearly it didn’t.

  “I was wondering if you had an RV available for the night? Preferably one that’s—” A disconnect formed between my brain and my mouth when he stepped beneath the lamppost and his face became visible. His expression was still serious, but now I was able to see how beautiful he was. Damn. “Cheap.” I finished in a whisper and then licked my lips, my mouth suddenly having gone dry. I shifted so he wouldn’t see the busted up side of my face and crammed my hands in my hoodie pocket.

  When he didn’t say anything right away, I began questioning if he was the person running this place. Was he L
iam? Wasn’t that the name Dottie had mentioned?

  Crap. I couldn’t remember.

  “Let’s head inside. I’ll boot up the computer and see what’s available for your price point,” he said, digging in his pocket for a set of keys. “I know there are two smaller RVs open. One through the weekend and another nearly all summer.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him I only planned to be here for the night, maybe two, but when he moved past me up the stairs of the porch, I caught a whiff of his cologne and all thought left me. He smelled woodsy, with a hint of lemon. Sort of like the floor cleaner they used at the diner I worked at back in Opal Pine.

  I loved that smell.

  I followed him up the creaky steps and watched as he moved to unlock the office door.

  “Thanks. I was about to call the number on the door when you showed up. Did my Jeep wake you?” It wasn’t loud per se, but it wasn’t quiet either.

  Awkward silences had never been my thing. I’d always rushed to fill them. Often with stupid questions or comments. This situation was no exception.

  He cast a sideways glance at me as the lock fell away on the door. “I wasn’t sleeping.”

  He swung open the door and flipped on a light switch. How had he known someone was at the office, then? Was there a security camera I hadn’t noticed? It was possible.

  “After you,” he said, motioning for me to step inside first. It was a sweet gesture.

  The office was as small as I’d expected, but it was much more welcoming. Also, the decor and color palette hinted it had been created with a woman’s touch, which surprised me. Although, I wasn’t sure why. And the scent of lemon cleaner lingered in the air nearly making me smile.

  “I apologize for the strong cleaner scent. I mopped before closing up for the night. One of the kids staying in a tent lot made a mess with ice cream while his family was hunting for a souvenir,” he said, making his way behind a tall counter where a computer was. He pushed a button on it, booting it up. “I’m Liam, by the way. How did you hear about us?”