by Aubree Lane
Published by Aubree Lane
Copyright © 2016 Aubree Lane
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN-13: 978-1537356419
ISBN-10: 1537356410
Special Thanks
JC Clarke of the Graphics Shed – Cover Designer
Grace Augustine – Editor
In loving remembrance of family and friends who have traveled on without me.
Note from the author,
In 1994, a long distance runner was killed by a mountain lion as she ran alone near Auburn. She was the first person killed by a mountain lion in California in 85 years. Barbara Schoener was jumped from behind. She fell or was knocked down a slope where the mountain lion launched its final attack. Sadly, her body was found the following day buried under leaves and debris.
The cat in question was eventually tracked down and killed. Her cubs were found and placed in the Folsom Zoo. When they were old enough to be viewed by the public, I would sit and watch them race around their enclosure for hours. The earth vibrated under their thunderous exuberance. I was completely safe where I sat perched well outside the danger zone, but the cats were frightening just the same. My mind always drifted back to the day their mother tracked and killed an unsuspecting woman. The fear Mrs. Schoener must have felt consumed me. Evidence in the surrounding area indicated she fought like a mad woman to return to her husband and children. I wish she had succeeded.
Sincerely,
Aubree Lane
1
Spring 1985
BUILT ON SWEAT and sacrifice, Cade Marcus marveled at the upscale home he built with his own two hands. The house was magnificent, but the last six months had tested his marriage in more ways than he thought possible. While it had been Bonnie’s idea to build the house themselves, she repeatedly remarked how difficult it was to live life alone as a single parent while he toiled away. The Marcus family was still together, but they were hanging by a thread.
Cade drew in a sigh of relief. It was moving day. A peaceful world without angry words waited patiently just over the horizon. While loading the moving van the previous evening, the couple vowed to make their marriage a priority the moment they were settled in their new home. That mountain was in the process of being scaled. There were more to conquer, but Cade was confident he and Bonnie were headed in the right direction.
Jessie walked up the ramp of the moving van and held out her hands. The eight-year-old was the apple of Cade’s eye, but she was constantly at odds with her mother. With this larger house, he hoped the tension between the two most important ladies in his life would also settle down. Cade handed her a manageable box and the helpful mover headed inside.
Nathan was up next. Three years younger than his sister, the boy was a little on the whiny side. Cade loved the kid, but it was challenging to remain calm when the five-year-old started grumbling. Nathan’s shrill voice grated on him like no other. So far, today had been a good day. Nathan was excited about getting his own room and being able to play out in their massive yard. The child wouldn’t be much help, but taking a few boxes inside would make him feel useful and keep him happy for a while longer.
The box the young boy carried was light, but too large for him to see over the top. Jessie stopped and the boy crashed into his sister. Both children ended up sprawled out on the redwood deck with the contents of their boxes scattered everywhere.
“Jessie,” Cade called out. “Why did you stop?”
“Somebody left a bunch of papers on the porch.”
He placed his load aside and went to see what she was talking about. “Anything important?”
“Pamphlets,” the little girl replied. “One is from the CDF, and the other one is from the Department of Fish and Game.”
“What’s the CDF?”
Jessie rolled her eyes. “It’s the California Department of Forestry. It explains how to keep our house safe from wildfires.”
Cade thought the superior expression on his daughter’s face was cute, but he dreaded what that was going to look like when she hit her teens.
“What’s the one from Fish and Game about?” he asked.
“Wildlife,” she answered sarcastically. “It talks about bears, skunks, birds, snakes and—”
That was all he needed to hear. The information left on the porch could wait.
“Okay, baby,” he interrupted. “We need to get back to work. Set them on the table and I’ll look at them later.” He glanced at his son and asked, “Are you all right, kiddo?”
Nathan held up a bent toy fishing pole and cried, “It’s broke!”
Cade felt his irritation level begin to rise, but how he treated Nathan was one of Bonnie’s sore points. For the sake of his wife and child, Cade pushed his annoyance aside and dutifully examined the pole. “Don’t worry, big guy. I think I can fix it.” He applied pressure to the plastic and curved it back until the toy almost resembled its original shape. Cade feared it wouldn’t be enough to appease his emotional son, so he said, “Sometime tomorrow, let’s take a break and head down to the creek and put this fishing pole to use.”
Nathan wiped his tears and grinned. “Won’t we need worms?”
That was a great idea. The search for bait would keep the kid occupied and out from underfoot. “I’m sure there are a ton of them out in the yard. There is an empty coffee can on the kitchen counter. You can put your worms in that.”
Nathan danced away and Cade wished all their problems could be solved so easily.
• • •
THEIR BACKYARD WAS nothing but dirt and scrub brush. Thirty feet from the house, the hillside dropped off into the canyon below. Nathan could dig just about anywhere and not get into trouble. His stubby hands were full. On one side, he carried the coffee can. The other hand drug a small kid size shovel in the dirt behind him. Every once in a while, he would stop, kick over a rock and check for night crawlers. So far, he hadn’t had any luck. Frustrated, he plopped down in the dirt.
“What are you doing?” Jessie called from high upon the deck.
“I’m looking for worms,” he whined. “But I can’t find any. Will you help me?”
“Have you lost your mind?” the young girl replied with disgust. “I’ll get dirty.” She held up the pamphlets. “Would you like me to read to you?”
“No,” Nathan shot back. “I have to find some worms so Daddy and I can go fishing tomorrow.”
“Daddy will be too busy with the house!” Jessie replied adamantly. “He’s always too busy. He’s going to forget and not take you anywhere. You should come up here and let me read to you.”
The little boy turned red in the face. The house was done. They were moving in. Tomorrow Daddy would have time.
“Leave me alone!” He blasted at his sister. “I don’t want you to read to me, and I don’t want your help!”
“Fine!” With her back turned towards her brother, Jessie sat down to study her pamphlets.
Nathan stormed off wanting to get as far away from his sister as possible. When he reached the edge of the canyon, he pitched the container and plunged his shovel into the ground. The earth was bone dry. His shovel only went in a tiny bit, and hardly any soil turned over. Frustrated, the little boy scanned the area for a softer place. He spied a series of small holes under a bush next to the drop off. With a hard push of his foot, his shovel dug deep into the soft soil. To his surprise, he unearthed a mound of worms. The squiggling creatures hurried to wi
ggle away. Nathan’s can was on the other side of the yard. He didn’t want to lose his bait, so the little boy stuffed the squirming crawlers into his pocket and raced off to find his father.
• • •
CADE WAS IN the back of the U-Haul when Nathan pranced up the ramp patting his pockets.
“Daddy, I found a whole bunch of worms,” he announced proudly. “Listen, they make music.”
Cold fear gripped Cade’s soul when he heard the familiar sound. “Pumpkin, worms don’t make music. Take your jacket off and let me see what you have in there.”
For once, Nathan did as he was asked and dutifully handed his jacket to his father.
“Be careful,” the young boy warned. “They bite.”
Cade dropped the jacket to the floor, and Nathan’s worms slithered out. Their triangular shaped heads, and the tan and black pattern running down their backs confirmed his suspicion. Nathan’s worms were baby diamond back rattlesnakes.
The little boy lunged to recapture his booty. “Don’t let them get away,” he cried.
The panicked dad snatched his son’s hands away, but the sudden movement startled the snakes.
Every last one of the tiny creatures coiled and attacked the unsuspecting boy and his horrified father.
Cade was struck twice on his hand and once on his ankle before he wrangled Nathan away. By the time they reached the house, Cade’s leg was already burning. Fearing the worse, he frantically flung open the front door, and shouted, “Bonnie! Call 911. Nathan and I need immediate medical attention.”
The little boy whimpered in his arms.
Fighting to control his own shaking hands, Cade placed him on the floor and concentrated solely on his son’s injuries. “Where did they get you, baby?”
Nathan’s eyes were wide with fear. “On my hands,” he sniffed. “But those don’t hurt much.” He lifted his shirt. “They also got me on my side. That one hurts a lot.”
The child’s hands looked fine, all Cade saw were a few tiny scratches. The bite on his side was another story, it was already swelling and changing color.
“Bonnie! Jessie!” he called again. “Where are you? We need help!”
The door slammed and Jessie stomped in from the back deck. Irritated hands were mounted on her hips, and she barked, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t want you to panic,” Cade soothed. “Nathan and I were bitten by some baby rattlers. Where’s Mommy?”
Bonnie flew down the stairs with her cell phone in hand.
“I’m here,” she wailed on the verge of hysterics. “I can’t get through. The signal keeps cutting out. The land line isn’t hooked up yet. What are we going to do?”
“I can tell you,” Jessie stated from the far side of the room.
“Enough!” Bonnie snapped. “I’m trying to think.”
Jessie held up the pamphlet. “I read all about rattlesnake bites in the booklet, Fish and Game left on the porch. I know what to do.”
Cade looked at his wife, then at Jessie. It was a no-brainer. His calm, self-assured daughter was their best bet. “Tell us what it says, baby girl.”
The child’s face filled with pride. “The best remedy for a snake bite is a set of car keys. That means we need to get to the hospital right away.”
Cade dug into his pants pocket and tossed his car keys to his wife.
“Get Nathan into the car,” he ordered. “Jessie, you take Mommy’s phone and get buckled in.”
With Jessie at her heels, Bonnie seized Nathan and raced for the SUV.
Cade stumbled out the front door. Sweat ran into his eyes and he couldn’t put any weight on his foot. Bonnie ran back to help. She propped him up with her shoulder and hauled him towards the vehicle.
“We have another problem,” she whispered in his ear.
In a pathetic attempt at humor, he chuckled, “Only one?”
An angry glare flashed in his wife’s eyes. “I don’t know how to get to the hospital, smart ass.”
He wasn’t surprised his remark wasn’t appreciated, but Cade didn’t think it would have been received with such hatred. Changing his tone, he tried to sound reassuring. “It’s less than twenty minutes away. Just head down the hill. When we pick up a signal, Jessie can call 911.”
“How do you know the time it takes to get to the hospital, but not where it’s at?” she snapped.
Cade wondered when the loving woman he married had been replaced by the shrew standing next to him. Bonnie had every right to be upset, but the loathing in her voice made it clear their marriage was in more trouble than he thought. Cade didn’t care what happened to himself. He cared about his son and getting him the medical care he desperately needed. For Nathan’s sake, he had to keep Bonnie focused on the matter at hand.
“No matter what happens,” he said gravely, “you have to keep driving. Concentrate on the road. Don’t stop. The only thing you can do is get us to the hospital. Promise me you won’t stop.”
Bonnie shuddered. Her anger dissipated and the determined lady got down to business. As soon as she shoved him in the car, she jumped behind the wheel, and threw the SUV into action.
From the backseat, Jessie sang out, “The article says a rattlesnake’s venom is called a hemotoxin. It can make you pretty sick, but with proper care, it’s rarely fatal in healthy adults.”
“But I’m just a kid,” Nathan whimpered.
“Oh, be quiet,” Jessie snapped. “It also says the snakes can choose whether to inject venom into its victim, and that half of the rattlesnake bites to humans are dry. Which means, no poison. You’re going to be fine.”
“It still hurts,” the little boy cried louder.
“Well, duh. You were bitten by a snake.”
“Not just once,” Nathan wailed at the top of his lungs. “The snakes bit me a lot!”
The bickering in the back seat gave Cade comfort. Jessie’s ramblings explained why the sites on their hands weren’t as painful as the one on his ankle or the one on Nathan’s side. It took every ounce of his self-control to keep from screaming out in agony. Nathan was only crying sporadically. Cade prayed that was an indication that his son’s injuries weren’t nearly as severe as his own.
As gently as possible, he pulled his pant leg up to look at his ankle. The pressure of the material brushing against his wound was agonizing, and what he saw made him ill. His leg had grown twice its normal size and was turning black. Blisters were developing and spreading fast. His stomach churned.
Cade rolled down his window, hung his head outside the car, and vomited.
Weak and lightheaded, he pulled his sweat covered face back inside the SUV. “Jessie,” he said feebly, “try calling 911.”
The little girl fumbled with the phone. It took a few seconds, but he finally heard her say, “Hi, my name is Jessie Marcus. My family and I were moving into our new house on Ridgecrest Drive and my dad and little brother were bitten by rattlesnakes. We are headed down Gold Rush Trail on our way into town. Can you help us?”
Cade’s heart burst with pride hearing his daughter speak with such confidence. He prayed he would have the opportunity to tell her how much he loved her and compliment her on her bravery.
Life flashed before his eyes, and Cade understood exactly how little time he spent with his family during the construction of the house. The big fancy dream home didn’t mean a thing if he didn’t have his family to share it with. Regret loomed heavy within his soul, and the fear of possibly losing his son twisted deep inside his gut.
Bonnie’s white knuckles gripped the steering wheel. “Jess,” she shouted. “I don’t know the way to the hospital. Tell them I don’t know the way!”
Jessie relayed the information to the 911 operator and a moment later, said, “Stay on this road. A police car will wait for us at the corner of Gold Rush Trail and Stone Church Road. The officer will escort us to the emergency room. The hospital has been notified and they are ready for us. Everything is going to be all right.”
The police
car came into view. Bonnie honked the horn, and Jessie hung her body out the window and waved.
With lights flashing and sirens blaring, the police car pulled out in front of their SUV.
A small sigh of relief blew through Bonnie’s lips, but her eyes never left the road.
They turned onto Main and flew past the line of cars which had pulled off to the right. The road cleared in front of them. They screamed through several red lights and raced towards the hospital.
Momentarily forgetting his pain, Nathan exclaimed, “This is so cool!”
A few intersections later, the hospital came into view and the SUV pulled up in front of the emergency room. Hospital personnel stood waiting their arrival.
A pair of strong hands pulled Cade from the car. Someone grabbed his leg, and he couldn’t stop from screaming out in agony. They placed him on a gurney and strapped him down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nathan being rolled inside.
Cade lifted his head in search of his wife and daughter. Bonnie had collapsed next to the car and was crying uncontrollably. Jessie’s comforting hand rested upon her shoulder, but her eyes were locked on him.
As the hospital doors closed, his beautiful daughter smiled and blew him a kiss.
2
Summer
Twenty-eight Years Later
BLURRY-EYED, JESSIE Marcus ignored her throbbing head and pushed the blankets off her body. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, she forced herself into a sitting position. The inside of her thighs burned. It had been a long time since she had that much sex, and her muscles felt it. Battered and bruised, her entire body ached. Jessie was frightened, but she couldn’t quite grab hold of why.
Snatches of an eerie dream crept back into her consciousness. Mixed up images of Derek and the mountain lion which had attacked her the previous day, were all jumbled together. Jessie frowned and mulled over the episode.
In all her years with the Forest Service, there hadn’t been a single account where a second lion interrupted a kill. The large cats were solitary by nature. Nocturnal hunters, being out at midday was not the norm. The devastating drought had depleted the area’s resources and might have been a contributing factor, but the odd behavior went against everything she knew to be true.
