Hidden (A McKenzie Ridge Novel Book 2)

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  It was becoming a regular routine that both were enjoying immensely. Jax had become cranky on their hike to the waterfall the day before, so they had scrapped the plan until his playdate with Sam’s kids. There was something special about the falls that Colton was excited to share with her.

  They made their way through the increasingly rugged terrain, something she wasn’t used to. An obvious city girl, she was starting to find her way through the hiking experience, swatting at fewer bugs, and finding different elements less disgusting. She didn’t even need to set out a blanket to sit on a rock or log anymore.

  The views were stunning, the nature breath taking, and the hike rigorous. As the ascent became more challenging, Colton slowed the pace, and helped her through the tougher spots…even a gentleman hiking. She hesitated slightly as a loud rushing sound seemed to intensify to a windy roar. Colton smiled and encouraged her to continue, boosting her up one last step before the thunderous sound came into view.

  “Wow, this looks like heaven on earth, Colton,” she said, a near whisper.

  They had made it to the falls. It was stunning. The water rushed from the brim above in a rapid fall, landing in a beautiful pool of bright mossy rocks and boulders, surrounded by old fallen trees scattered about. The water gently rushed beyond leaving the soothing sounds of a tranquil creek in its path through the forest.

  “It’s amazing, right?” He asked, knocking her from her water chasing trance.

  “It’s more than that. I’ve not seen anything like it before,” she admitted.

  “Take off your boots and socks,” he stated rather than asked.

  “Excuse me?” She questioned, with a puzzled look about her.

  He removed his boots and socks and began to roll his jean cuffs when he said, “Trust me, you need to try it.”

  “Colton, its fall, the snow is already falling at higher elevations, that water has got to be freezing. It’s beautiful, but I’m not interested in frost bite,” she lectured in shock.

  He picked her up and effortlessly put her on a boulder nearly as tall as he was and pulled at her boots and socks. “Colton, seriously, I don’t do cold water, I’m not one of those exhibitionist, polar plunge types. I like warm feet.”

  “Do you trust me?” He asked with a hopeful look, her bare feet in his hands after sliding her leggings up to her knees.

  She sat in silence, eyes wide, and pondered his question, as the look of anticipation on his face was as innocent as a small child. His question was more than a quick, can I throw you in the water inquiry, but more of a where do we stand. She smiled a sweet smile and nodded her head at his question. She really did trust him, with everything. That idea frightened her as much as it exhilarated her.

  “Good!” He said with excitement and grabbed her off the rock carrying her to the water.

  She squealed in delight and at the anticipation of potentially being tossed in the frigid water. “Don’t throw me in, please, just don’t put me down!” She begged.

  “Oh, you’re going in!” He announced, sloshing through the water, headed to the pool just below the falls.

  “No! Please, no!” She managed to get out between her deep belly rolling laughs.

  He stopped just below the fall, in front of a tall boulder that slowed the flow to the creek making it passable. Slowly, he slid her down the front of him, while holding her tight. She held her feet up as long as she could before he finally dunked her legs in the water. Her anticipatory screech was quickly dulled to a breathy wow.

  “It’s warm. Oh gosh…its sooo warm! How?” Her playfulness continued as she sloshed around splashing water on each of them.

  “The hot springs are up above. The overflow runs into the water above, warming it. Be careful, the moss is…”

  He didn’t finish his warning before she lost her footing on the slippery, moss covered rocks below the water and began to fall. He quickly swept in and scooped her into his arms and held her against him. Her breath caught with the shock of it all, but more so at the feel of his rock hard body against hers. The warmth she felt flowing through her was not from the water, it was all Colton.

  “…slippery.” Was all he got out before leaning in and kissing her.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting to lose the closeness, as his long, hard kiss sent a shiver through her heated core. She gave as much as she received, giving up on every doubt and giving in to every fantasy. He was hot, sex on a stick; whatever you want to call it…it was Colton.

  He slowly shifted them back, leaning her against the large boulder behind her, pinning her with each of his arms on either side of her, never losing their connection. Slow, unrushed, and full of pleasure, he continued to have his way with her mouth, while his right hand drifted down her body, feeling her as he went. He leaned her back, arching her over the round boulder, moving his lips down her neck, to her collarbone, and to her breasts as he unbuttoned her shirt. Leaving it open, he reached for the clasp that stood between him and tasting more than her mouth. He pulled away, for only a moment, when he freed her breasts to take in her beauty.

  “You’re beautiful,” he said, running his hand from her neck, slowly to her breasts, before pleasuring one with his mouth the other with his hand.

  His free hand continued the descent, breaking past the elastic band of her pants, where he found her bare and more than ready for him. No panties; he was hard as hell. He stroked her core while she rocked her hips against him, trying to find a quicker pace to her greedy climax. She felt him everywhere; the sensations were so overwhelming she could hardly stand the touch she was craving more of.

  The sound of nature’s rushing waterfall, the warm water at her feet, and Colton’s gift of pleasure stole her breath as her body convulsed in pure ecstasy while she cried out his name. Kissing him deeply, she reached for his belt, but his hands intercepted as he slowly pulled away. She looked at him, confused by his actions, suddenly insecure.

  “No. Not like this,” he said, holding her head in his hands, looking into her eyes so deeply she could feel him in her soul. “You deserve better than this, not wild in the woods.”

  She gave him a sweet smile appreciating his sincere gesture, but she wasn’t one to just take, she liked to give just as much. “But you didn’t get to…” She paused, waving her arms in front, indicating something to do with his groin area, flustered, and rosy cheeked.

  “And I don’t need to. Today is all about you, sweetheart. As much as I want to have you right here, hot, heavy, and hard on this rock…” He took a deep breath and gathered his wits before he completely came undone just thinking about her. “I’d rather it be special, sweet, so I can show you what you mean to me.”

  Her mouth opened and closed, but her words were absent. Completely flattered by his chivalrous gesture, even if it left her a little pent up, she couldn’t believe that this was the man that wanted her heart. She wondered how he made it this long unattached; he was perfect.

  “What if I want it…long…hard…and hot against this rock?” She asked in a breathy voice, arching her back so her chest was proudly displayed, trying to seduce him.

  He tossed his head back, let out a deep sigh, followed by a chuckle, “You’re killing me! You are so tempting,” he said in between small sweet kisses, “But no…this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be.”

  She put on her best pouty face, bottom lip protruding and all, while he buttoned her shirt back up. He picked her up and wrapped her around his waist giving her one lasting kiss to remind her of what was to come. He set her down and said, “Besides, now we have something to look forward to, and this…this we’ll revisit another time!”

  He turned her around and smacked her ass, encouraging her to make her way back across the water so they could find their way back down the trail. Hand in hand, a lot of laughs, and plenty of kissing along the way, the heat never quite dissolved. It likely wouldn’t until they finished what they had started. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

  C
hapter 8

  Sam held the next Holiday Fair meeting at her house, on their regular “girl get together” day. The children played and the ladies ate Granny’s highly sought after baked goods while gossiping and catching up on town happenings. All of the ladies were there from their group, with questions for their newest addition. That group was so tight; without saying a word, they all had eyes on Megan waiting for the juicy details of her budding relationship with their favorite firefighter.

  Megan’s mind wandered to thoughts of Colton when the kittens were mentioned during conversation. Colton was on a 48 hour shift, and Ellie was the appointed kitten care taker, supervised by Sam, when he was working. Ellie was Sam and Dawson’s five-year-old daughter. Being a new big sister, she retired her tomboy in a tutu get up for princess tomboy in a tutu. Her jeans and ratty shirt with Converse were still a staple, covered with a tutu of course, but baseball caps were replaced by pretty hairdos and tiaras.

  Ellie was a precocious riot, so sweet, and the perfect caretaker of the kittens. Megan thought it was sweet that Colton had let Ellie not only name them, but pick which one she wanted to keep. That was just like him—sweet, caring, and thoughtful.

  Whiskers, Mittens, Mr. Snuggles, and Bob were well taken care of and going to be a tough group to choose from. Kitten number five wasn’t talked about as much, or up for grabs. He was the runt and a total menace. He had already been claimed based on that sole characteristic. “Flea Bag” belonged to Jessie, just as soon as he was old enough.

  “Well, I love the idea of adding a Gala event to the end of the fair. How fun to dress up and bring a little elegance to McKenzie for a change!” Evie offered.

  “I’m seriously not wearing a fucking dress again…especially not that kind of dress!” Jessie complained.

  “Looks like you’re on babysitting duty then.” Carigan tossed on the table.

  “Oh good, Jessie-girl, we can babysit together, play some drinkin’ games after the tots head to bed!” Gran excited.

  “Hmmm. As much as that sounds…fun, I think I’ll pass on diaper duty, Lou. That’s worse than the dress issue,” Jessie said.

  “Wait, you aren’t going Gran?” Evie asked in surprise.

  “Nahhh, honey, that’s young folk stuff. Besides, it sounds a little too swanky for an old broad like me. I bet they won’t even have a good bean dip, just some of that raw fish egg stuff and fancy mystery meat on a stick,” Gran said.

  “You and your bean dip,” Evie said with an eye roll.

  “Sounds like we are on the right track. Great plan, Meg!” Sam interrupted. “Now let’s get on with it…spill the beans, girl.”

  “What do you mean? Spill what beans?” She asked full of innocence, despite her embarrassment shading her face.

  “Oh, c’mon, Priss Pants! You, Sparks, and all these dreamy smiles between the two of you?” Jessie bluntly questioned.

  “Oh, Colton. Nothing much. Just friends, neighbors…nothing major.” Megan played it off, not ready to open up and bring more people into her private life than she already had.

  Morgan chimed in, “Well maybe you need to reevaluate your position hon, you seem to be the only thing he likes to talk about down at the House.”

  “Well, we do see a lot of each other, so…”

  Jessie cut her off with a dramatic eye roll and bluntly called her out, “Oh come on! Seriously, the only one close to blind here is the old woman,” she said, motioning toward Granny Lou. “Even she sees it. You aren’t fooling anyone. Own it, Princess!”

  “Such a sweet boy, I’ve always loved that boy like my own. He has such a good heart. Easy on the eyes too…I’m not as old and blind as that one would like you to think,” Granny half whispered, gesturing toward Everly.

  Megan desperately wanted to tell her friends why she can’t be with Colton, or anyone. They were becoming more and more like family, they would understand. Knowing, however, would put them in the same danger she was tempting fate with, by seeing Colton. She didn’t want to share her burdens with them. They didn’t deserve it any more than she did.

  “I don’t know. I do like him, but it’s just not a good time. I mean, I have the shop, Jax, still settling in here. It’s just too much too fast,” she offered as her truth, which really was an honest response.

  “Oh honey. You’re young, your shop is lookin’ mighty fine, and Jax is welcome at Granny’s anytime you need to sneak away with that handsome boy, Colton. You are young, you only live once, chase that sexy boy around a few laps, if ya know what I mean!” Granny said with a wicked grin and obnoxious whistle.

  She sat and thought for a moment, giggling at Granny’s antics. Lou was right, she really had nothing to lose, but Colton did. She would need to be very careful; he was too special to gamble with.

  “Well…I do like him. A lot! He is so sweet, and thoughtful. Great with Jax. He’s like one of those characters right out of one of those fairy tale, happily ever after sexy books. Oh, and the animals! I didn’t think they made men like that,” she recited.

  “What, like Dr. Doolittle?” Jessie snorted.

  “No, not like Dr. Doolittle!” She defended with a laugh. “It’s sweet, they all have a special story…he’s special.”

  “Sounds like you’re already half way dating Meg; you don’t talk about someone like that if you aren’t interested in them,” Evie offered.

  “Yeah, go for it honey, what do you have to lose!” Carigan said, jumping on the Colton bandwagon.

  If only she knew. If only they all knew. She had been in McKenzie Ridge for months now, and felt safe. Nothing had happened and she wasn’t willing to add the “yet” to the end of that thought. Maybe there was room to explore Colton Sparks.

  Sam decided to be the voice of reason on this one and offered her two cents, “Honey, he has waited his whole life for what he wants, he’ll wait for you if you need more time.”

  She smiled at her friends and said, “Maybe. Now let’s get back to planning this shindig!”

  Excitement over the added formal event to the Holiday Fair line up was overshadowed by the flooding thoughts of Colton. Feeling more relaxed in her circumstances, compliments of her friends, the idea of pursuing him seemed more realistic. She would be just as careful as she already had been and not take unnecessary risks. It was as much for his sake as her own.

  ***

  A subtle knocking sound caught her attention on the drive home. It escalated to a loud thump as her car began to shake, getting harder to control. She pulled to the shoulder of the old back country road and searched for her phone. Stepping out of the vehicle, she noticed the source of her delay—a flat tire.

  She wandered around the car, circling it several times, holding her phone in the air, searching for a signal. She had no idea how to change a tire, and couldn’t even look up a “how to” video without a phone signal for internet. Deciding which was closer, town or home, she went to pull Jax from the vehicle and head one direction or the other, when Blake and Morgan pulled up, parking behind her.

  “Need some help?” Blake asked, stepping out of the police car.

  “Yes! Perfect timing! My phone doesn’t work out here for some reason.”

  Blake held up his phone, had a clear signal, noting Morgan doing the same. Her surprised and slightly bewildered look suggested that she found the same.

  “How can I help? Need me to change it?” He asked.

  “Would you? Free coffee and danish for a month if you do!” She offered in exchange for help. “I was going to call Colton, but…” She held up her phone, showing her excuse.

  “I would do it for free, but since you offered, I’ll be in for that coffee and danish. Fritters from Baker’s are our usual, but my arm can be twisted for your strawberry cream cheese danish,” he said with a smile.

  “Which means we will still get fritters from Baker’s, and he’ll eat a danish too,” Morgan joked, provoking a nod in agreement from Blake.

  Megan laughed, enjoying their banter. “I’ll be sure to
set one aside for you each morning.”

  Meg caught Morgan up on the discussions and decisions made at the Holiday Fair meeting, while playing with Jax. Like the others, Morgan was looking forward to the formal event that was scheduled to follow the week long festivities. The annual event was about to step it up a notch with a little Megan flare.

  Blake had helped himself to Meg’s keys and then the trunk in search of the tools needed to change her tire. There was a small suitcase stashed in the far back of the trunk that struck him as odd. He was ready to ask her if she was taking a last minute trip and where she was going when he noticed another bag…a bag of money.

  It wasn’t a small stash easily explained as a bank deposit from Blooming Grounds unless she had been collecting it for months. No, this was a large sum, enough to live off of for several months. An amount one would need to disappear in a hurry.

  The uneasy feeling that had drifted in and out the past several weeks returned and settled deep in his gut. Her subtle paranoia and anxiousness, the behavior the night of the accident in front of her shop—it was all adding up. What was she running from…or who? A young woman with a toddler in tow, and a trunk full of supplies and cash had red flags flying everywhere. He really didn’t know enough about Megan to draw a conclusion one way or the other. The only thing he knew for certain was that if he said anything, she would be gone before he could finish his sentence.

  He didn’t want to spook her, but he couldn’t help her if he didn’t know what was going on. He stopped to look around the area, taking in anything out of the ordinary, making a note to look into her background. Megan had a secret, even if she didn’t want his help, she had the interest of one of his best friends and it was his duty to keep them all safe.