The Place I Belong

by Inez Kelley

  Jonah’s mouth curved in resignation. Matt might work in the mud but his heart was gold and Jonah was proud to call him his friend. “Tell Kayla thanks for dinner.”

  Matt headed for the house as Jonah climbed in the driver’s seat. Zury hadn’t moved. The open Jeep let the wind tease her hair into her face but she made no move to push it away, simply staring into the darkness with huge liquid eyes. Her chin was tucked into the collar of the shirt and her shoulders were hunched.

  He stuck the flask under his seat and keyed the engine. Moonshine would only numb her and she was numb enough. He laid a hand on her thigh but she didn’t respond.

  “Let’s get you home, darlin’.”

  * * *

  Even before her eyes opened, Zury knew three things. It wasn’t yet dawn, she wasn’t alone, and her heart ached. Jonah’s hair had fallen over his eyes as he slept beside her, still wearing his clothes. The predawn twilight lightened the room enough to give her a clear look at his slumbering face. She pushed his hair away from his eyes, careful not to wake him. He looked younger asleep, less intense and driven.

  Of course he’d had to stay. They’d taken her Jeep and she’d been in no condition to drive him down the mountain and then back up to return home. Those awful images had consumed her mind and twisted deep in her marrow until she couldn’t process another thought. She barely remembered arriving home. The empty echo of her house had crashed into her.

  Gripping his shirt, she’d pressed her face into the hollow of his throat. “Hold me.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  There had been no need for lights. She’d gone down the hall, shucked her jeans and burrowed beneath the comforter. He’d been right behind her, crawling next to her and drawing her close. The summer scent of his skin carried her to sleep in his arms. Hours later, his arm was still heavy on her waist, proof he’d done exactly as she asked.

  Moving slowly so as to not wake him, she slid from the mattress and tiptoed out of her bedroom. This was different from when they’d stayed together at the cabin, but she wasn’t able to put why into words, not even in her head. It wasn’t just that he’d shared her bed, albeit platonically. It wasn’t even the strangeness of having a man spend the night. She’d had the occasional man stay the night before.

  Her feet stopped in the hallway and she pressed her hand against the wall in realization. If she wasn’t very careful, she was going to fall in love with Jonah Alcott. He didn’t do long-term and she couldn’t settle for less.

  Steeling her spine, she marched into the bathroom. A hot shower scrubbed the fugue from her head and clarified her resolve. She had to do two things. With a towel wrapped around her head and swaddled in her bathrobe, she peeked into the bedroom. Jonah had rolled to his side and had the pillow clutched to his chest, a place she’d been in so recently.

  Coffee brewed silently as she towel-dried her hair. The sun had climbed to send a warm orange light over the top of Black Cherry Ridge. It spilled a golden glow into the living room, promising a glorious summer day. She opened the patio doors and breathed the dewy air deep. Birds sang and she made a mental note to refill the feeder before she went to work.

  A bowl of smooth stones sat on a side table beneath a framed poster of the West Virginia mountains. Each rock was from a place in the state she’d visited, from the slopes of Snowshoe Mountain to the banks of the Kanawha River, from the backwoods of Logan County to Babcock State Park. Near the bottom of the bowl was a fingernail-sized stone with a tiny thread of blue that had come from the Reynolds’s backyard when she was nine. But the majority came from right here, from the Black Cherry Canyon, her chosen home.

  Her fist clenched around the last stone she’d added, one she’d found while showing Jonah her favorite places. She’d never stop protecting the mountains but not at the expense of human lives. Wiping her wet eyes, she settled on the couch and powered up her laptop. It didn’t take long to type out the short email and press Send.

  She laid her head back and pinched her eyes tight. She’d find some other way to protect her mountains. Now, could she manage to protect her heart from Jonah?

  Chapter Nine

  When forests become old and overcrowded, trees begin to use more oxygen than they produce. Young, well-managed forests tend to be the most efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

  Eric fumed. Ms. Castellano’s email withdrawing her request for aid pissed him off more now than it had when he’d received it three hours ago. He sucked harder, drawing more marijuana smoke into his lungs, hoping to numb the pain in his bones as much as the betrayal in his heart. Bitch. Who the fuck did she think she was with her oh-so-polite words thanking the Guards for their interest but she didn’t require their assistance any longer?

  Agony pulsed in his hips, the bone seeming to be on fire, so he sucked harder, deeper. This crop of weed was different than his normal California mix. It was a Blue Grass Kentucky blend, stronger and not as mellow. It hit his mind like a buzz saw and he waited for the numbness to spread down to his body.

  He paced, unable to withstand the pressure of sitting. The hotel was a piece of shit. He could afford better but he’d wanted to be close to the Black Cherry Canyon, close to the Falls, close to her.

  He’d pretty much cyber-stalked her, reading every piece she’d ever written, scouring her public Facebook page and Twitter feed, drinking in every drop of information he could about her. He’d spent all day yesterday in a group of fat, sweating tourists just to be near her, to listen to her sweet voice explain the traditions of the Mingo Indian tribe. The rhythmic lift and fall of that voice and the passion that colored it had enchanted him. Every word out of her mouth seemed aimed directly at him.

  A bitter snort blew smoke from his lips in a tight burst. He was a fucking moron. He’d long ago given up on finding a woman who shared his ideals. Then he’d given up on finding a woman for even just a night or two. The cancer had killed more than his morals; it had killed his dick. He could barely manage morning wood, let alone anything else. He rarely even thought about sex anymore. But still, he’d almost let himself believe that Zury Castellano and he could have more than a working relationship.

  He’d almost approached her. He’d even stopped in the bathroom to make sure his hair was neat and to slap his cheeks a few times to bring a healthier color to his skin. But just outside the restrooms, he’d overheard her when she answered her cell phone.

  “Hey, Slick.” The joy on her face had stopped him. That happiness slid off in slow degrees as her dark eyes crackled with irritation. “Matt? Matthew Shaw? Hawkins’ logging manager?...No, I don’t want to go to dinner with him...Because, Jonah, I don’t want to be anywhere near Hawkins’ head logger.”

  Eric had flattened his back to the bathroom alcove and shamelessly eavesdropped. She’d raked her hand through her dark hair, scattering it across her head, and he’d struggled not to cross to her and smooth it back into place.

  “Of course I want to see you. I just don’t want to see him...I don’t care...Don’t try and charm me...Dating Hawkins’ PR guy is bad enough, I don’t want to hang out with the man who’s systematically destroying my mountains.” Her words sent a cold bolt of fury through him. “Jonah, stop. Fine, I’ll go. But I’m not talking to him.” A smile bowed her lush mouth. “Yeah, well, you owe me for this. Go back to work. I’ll call you later.”

  Eric sucked harder, making the joint glow bright orange. What a fucking hypocrite. She begged for help to save the Black Cherry Canyon while she was banging Hawkins Hardwood’s head prick. He knew of Jonah Alcott, had created a kind of dossier on all the main players in the enemy camp. The dude was a fancy-nancy asshole with a reputation like a horny shark. He’d either screw you or screw you over as his company raped the land.

  Anger was a more powerful drug than pot and it dulled the pain in his bones to a monotonous thump. I
t magnified the sense of disloyalty in his heart. He knew she didn’t know him, had never met him but he’d thought...he’d hoped...he’d dared think about more than a cold grave.

  Smoke circled around his head as cement lodged in his belly. He was going to save the Canyon one way or the other. Maybe he’d just have to get a little more creative and Zury Castellano was going to help him...whether she wanted to or not.

  * * *

  The judge had rescinded the injunction, and logging was back in full swing at the Canyon. Still, on Wednesday, Jonah and Bob were working side by side to prevent anything else from developing. In conjunction with his normal workload, it was a huge pain in the ass. Or head, he thought, reaching for his ibuprofen bottle. There was no rattle but he still cracked open the top with a frown. Empty. Fuck.

  “Tylenol. Top drawer.” Bob motioned to the cabinet alongside the wall of the conference room.

  “Thanks.” He opened the drawer and snagged three tablets, downing them with a swig of bottled water.

  The office phone line rang and she brought the receiver to her ear. “Garrison...He’s right here but...Hold on.” She covered the mouthpiece with her palm. “There’s a call on the main office number for you. Someone claiming to be your brother. I didn’t know you had a brother.”

  All his weight sank to his stomach, churning the painkillers. “I’ll take it in my office.”

  He left everything spread out on the table. His knees were watery on the short walk down the hall. What the hell was going on? He hadn’t spoken to anyone in his family for years, not since he’d left home. They’d made no effort to contact him either. It wasn’t as if he was hard to track down. A single Google search would give anyone his job title and phone number.

  Licking his suddenly dry lips, he got comfortable in his chair, picked up the receiver and touched the blinking button. Touched it but didn’t push it. A strange sense of everything speeding off course gripped him. He had to force his shaking finger to depress the lighted square.

  “Noah? It’s Jonah, what’s wrong?”

  He heard the words but felt nothing. A stinging numbness rained down, encasing him in ice. His vision pinpointed until he was blind. He couldn’t catch his breath. Noah had to repeat his number three times for Jonah to copy it correctly. Even then, he could barely read his own handwriting.

  “I’ll be there. Call you soon.”

  After hanging up, he sat, staring at his darkened monitor, trying to process the news. A tickticktick began in his head and he knew he was close to losing it. He had to escape. Woodenly, he rose and went into Webb’s office. Bob’s black hair hung over her shoulder as she leaned close to show Webb something on her legal pad. Her voice droned like a buzz saw but he couldn’t make out any of the words.

  “I need to take a few days off.”

  Webb looked over the top of his reading glasses. “Now’s not a great time, pretty-boy.”

  He had to say it. He didn’t want to say it. If he said it, then it was true. A salty burn began in his eyes. “My mother died.”

  Shock parted Bob’s perfect lips. “Oh, Jonah, I’m so sorry.”

  “Take as much time as you need, man.” Webb’s entire face softened in pity.

  Jonah blinked the burn away, swallowing tears he refused to shed. She’d made her decision. He wouldn’t cry for her now. “Funeral’s tomorrow. I’ll be back Friday.”

  Webb and Bob exchanged a swift warning look. Laying her papers on the desk, she walked over and opened her arms as if to hug him. “Why don’t I go with you? You shouldn’t be alone for this.”

  Jonah stepped back. “No, I’m fine. I’ll leave my notes in your inbox.” He darted out of the office, needing the space, desperate to be alone. “I’ll be back Friday.”

  * * *

  Zury broke every speed limit and a half dozen other driving laws but she made it down the mountain in record time. Dust kicked up as she fishtailed onto Cemetery Road. It hadn’t rained in over two weeks and everything was dry. But the weather service called for a downpour tonight. She should have taken the time to put the top on the Jeep, but from the second Bob Garrison had called her, her every thought had been to get to Jonah.

  Parked beside his company SUV, his personal vehicle had the trunk yawning open, a brown leather garment bag sitting inside. She killed the engine, climbed from the seat and deposited her own rolling tote beside it. The low-slung sports car barely dipped under the force. There was no sign of Jonah but he had to be around somewhere. She was snapping the last few rivets of the Jeep’s soft top into place when his cottage door opened.

  Pain lanced through her at the sight. He wore faded jeans and an ice-blue button-down shirt, but the haunted look on his face befitted the silent gravestones just a few yards away. Afternoon sun gleamed on his newly cut hair but couldn’t hide the troubled set to his eyes. The front door closed with a solid thunk. He twisted the knob, making sure it locked, then turned.

  “Zury, what are you doing here?”

  “Did you just polish these? They shine like a penny.” She took the black cap-toe oxfords from his hands. “I’m sorry about your mother.”

  “How’d you find out?”

  “Ms. Garrison called me.”

  His eyes went wide. “Bob called you?”

  “Yeah, she doesn’t think you should be alone, and I agree.” She went onto her toes and brushed his mouth with a fast kiss, then placed the shoes between their bags and closed the trunk. “I’m going with you.”

  “No, you’re not.” His brows drew tight. “Go home. I’ll call you in a few days.”

  She plucked the keys from his hand. “Slick, get in the car and shut up. We have a long drive ahead of us.”

  His mouth gaped as she jumped into the driver’s side and reached for the seat belt. He stopped the door from shutting. “Out of the car. I don’t need a sidekick.”

  “Too bad, Batman. Robin’s here to stay. Are you getting in or not?”

  “This is a fully restored 1969 Ford Mustang Mach One Cobra Jet. It’s older than I am and costs more than you make in a year. No one drives this baby but me. Get out.”

  “It’s a very spicy red color. I like it. It suits me.”

  “Zury, you’re pissing me off.”

  “And you’re wasting time. Get your butt in the car.”

  His exhale was loud. “I mean it. Move.”

  She smiled, deliberately making her eyes round and innocent. “No hablo inglés.”

  He glowered but eventually gave up and slammed her door. The car bounced with his weight as he got in the passenger’s side. Once his seat belt was hooked, he crossed his arms. “I swear to sweet Christ on the cross, you are the most stubborn woman on the face of the Earth.”

  “One of my many charms.”

  The high-powered engine purred and the scenery blurred as she aimed for the highway. The quiet country road morphed into more lanes. Traffic multiplied. Trees became more distant decoration than side street viewing. They’d driven for an hour and Jonah hadn’t budged. Still glaring at the windshield, his teeth were gritted and his shoulders were tight.

  “I’m perfectly capable of driving myself.”

  “Aww, am I wounding that mighty male ego?”

  “What ego? You’ve killed it. Just don’t scratch my car.”

  “Uh-huh. Which direction?”

  He pointed to the southbound exit sign. With a quick peek in the rearview, she darted across two lanes of traffic. Jonah cringed. “You drive like a crazy woman.”

  “You say the sweetest things.”

  He turned away and shut her out. She let him. Losing your mother was a raw pain she knew and remembered too well. She’d been fine, sad but holding it together through Children’s Services showing up and taking her to a foster home with kind people who were still strangers. She’d
remained composed when she called Lorena that night. The fresh sheets smelled like roses, which was nice but screamed that it wasn’t her bed. Her eyes stayed dry as a travel-weary Lorena and DeWayne claimed her, filled out a mile of paperwork and escorted her onto yet another plane. She hadn’t broken down until she stepped into their living room, dropped her suitcase, and Kenny had came out of the hall.

  “Hey, Frogface.”

  That simple tease, one she’d heard every visit and phone call, crushed her. She’d burst into tears and hadn’t stopped for four hours.

  She glanced over, her chest aching with remembered sobs, and wished there were some magic she could give Jonah. Every line in his body was strung taut and hard. He couldn’t last like this. Eventually, he’d break. Whether he cried or cursed or kicked the shit out of the walls, she’d be there for the aftermath. That was the hardest point. When reality set in and you didn’t have the strength to fight it any longer, then the emptiness throbbed worse than a missing tooth.

  Several hours later, they had to stop for gas, snacks and a bathroom break. She barely had time to call the Falls and check in with her assistant before he snatched the keys out of her hand

  “I’m driving.” He climbed into the driver’s seat, calling out, “Get your ass in the car or I’m leaving you here.”

  She jerked the passenger side open. “You are so charming.”

  “Hey, I didn’t ask your sweet ass to come. Damn, your legs are short.” He adjusted his seat with a grumble. “You’re a stowaway on this fun-filled trip through memory hell.”

  She flipped her sunglasses down from the top of her head and stuck out her tongue. She expected a stinging retort. What she got was a forced smirk.

  “I just realized that my hotel reservation is for a single room with a king-size bed. Since you’re tagging along, I guess you have to sleep with me.”

  Hauling her purse from the floor, she dug for her phone and asked where he was registered. Within ten minutes, she thumbed the dial pad off. “You’re now upgraded to a two-bedroom suite, courtesy of yours truly. Say thank you, Slick.”