Pushing her hair back from her forehead, she put the book down hard on the table. It was no use trying to attempt any work when she felt this way. She had to get away from her computer and take her mind off things for a while. Looking out the window at the beautiful fall day, she decided a walk in the fresh air was just what she needed to clear her head of negative thoughts. In the bedroom she rummaged through her bags until she found a pair of walking shoes and a red shawl Kat had given to her wear in the woods so she didn’t get shot at by hunters.
There was no sign of Jesse Davidson on the jetty, and Amber realized she hadn’t seen him since she’d turned down his offer to cook dinner for her two days earlier. She hoped she hadn’t hurt his feelings, but at the same time she was relieved he was staying away. She walked right to the end of the jetty and sat down with her feet hanging over the edge just like she used to do when she was a child at the seaside. It was almost hypnotic watching the ripples race across the water and lap against the small boat that was moored there. It helped soothe her mind, and she stayed there for a long time, just daydreaming and throwing some pebbles she’d found in a pile on the jetty into the water. It seemed someone else also liked to while away the hours tossing pebbles, and she wondered idly if it was Jesse.
When she got to her feet Amber felt much better, and she was ready for a nice brisk walk in the mountain air. She found a well-trodden path leading into the woods, and when she came to a fork she decided to follow Robert Frost’s advice and take the path less travelled. She repeated the last stanza of the poem to herself as she strolled further into the woods, and it put a smile on her face to think that maybe without Dominic she was heading in a new and interesting direction in her life.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
She had only walked a short distance down the path when Amber realized she had made the wrong choice because the path led directly to a small log cabin nestled among the trees. There was smoke coming out its chimney and clothes hanging on a line strung up on the porch. She was about to turn around and retrace her steps when a movement caught her eye at the side of the house. It was Jesse in the garden, and he seemed to be digging a hole.
Before she could melt back into the woods he looked up and caught sight of her. Now if she didn’t say hello it would be incredibly rude. He speared the shovel into the ground and walked towards her, wiping the sweat from his brow and removing his gloves. He was wearing a flannelette shirt with the sleeves cut off and Amber was surprised to see how muscular his arms were. Most of the buttons on the shirt were undone down the front, and she could see rivers of sweat flowing down his tanned chest to his belly.
As he got closer she could smell his musky scent and she found that suddenly she was beginning to feel a bit hot under the collar. She cleared her throat nervously as he stopped in front of her without speaking or smiling.
“Hi, I didn’t mean to intrude on you. I’m just out for a walk and didn’t realize the path led to your cabin. It looked like it hadn’t been used much. I was about to turn around when I saw you.”
“That’s okay. That’s not the main path, there’s another one on the right.” As he spoke he stared at her in a way she found unnerving. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and she noticed that his eyes were a very striking shade of blue. “I’m just burying some of my chickens. Something got into the hen house last night and there was a bloodbath. I slept through the whole thing, which is really strange because they normally make a lot of noise if anything dangerous is nearby.”
“Oh,” said Amber, looking over his shoulder at what she now recognized as a pile of mangled carcasses on the ground next to the hole. Her stomach churned. “I’m really sorry. Do you have any idea what it was?”
“Probably a wolf. They’ve been pretty bad around here lately.”
“I’ve heard about them.” His words reminded Amber she still had not attached the charm the shopkeeper had given her to her bracelet. “A lady in town told me one even smashed through a window.”
“Yes, that was over at the Fisher’s house a couple of weeks ago. It’s on the other side of the lake. They heard some wolves howling near the house, and then the next thing they knew, one had come straight through the window.”
Amber shuddered at the thought. “Is that why you asked me if I was afraid of being alone out here?”
“Well, yes, I thought maybe you already knew and weren’t concerned about them. You seemed to want to be on your own so…….” He let the sentence trail off.
“I had no idea. On my first night here when I heard the wolves howling I found it comforting, but not anymore. Are there any other dangerous creatures lurking out there in the darkness that I should be worried about?”
“It depends what you mean by dangerous.” He was still looking at her with a deep penetrating stare that caused the blood to rush into her face.
“Is there anything else that’s going to break into my house and try to devour me in the middle of the night?” she said, only half joking. He smiled, and if she was not mistaken, his eyes flicked down to her chest and back up. His expression reminded her again of the carving of the wolf on the way to the cabin.
“I’m sure there are many creatures out there that would like to devour you, young lady. Especially in that red shawl which makes you look so fetching. I have a good mind to take a bite of you myself.”
Amber felt herself redden even more and she pulled the shawl firmly closed around her neck. This conversation had taken an unexpected turn, and she didn’t think she liked where it was heading. She had done nothing at all to lead this man on, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he had just overstepped the mark. She had thought he was the shy, retiring type but he wasn’t acting very shyly now. In fact it his eyes seemed to be eating her up as she stood there, and he had a knowing look on his face that made her skin prickle the way it had when she felt she was being watched through the window a few nights earlier. He was now staring very openly at her chest as he licked his lips lasciviously.
Amber had little experience with flirting or putting men in their place when they had gone too far, and she was momentarily at a loss for words. Jesse’s grin widened when he saw how uncomfortable he’d made her. She was about to turn on her heel and leave when she noticed his smile had faded, and he seemed to be looking at something behind her. She quickly spun around, but there was nothing there.
“What’s the matter?” What were you looking at?”
“It’s nothing. I just thought I saw my dog Shadow coming home. He spends most of his time wandering around in the woods. He’s not used to strangers, so it’s probably a good idea if you leave now.”
“Yes, that is a good idea. I was just about to go.”
“See you around then. If you get lonely you know where to find me.” He gave her a sly wink that was far too familiar for her liking. She didn’t say another word but turned her back on him abruptly and stomped back down the path. She was deeply offended by his behaviour and could think of nothing else as she made her way home. If she had known he was so sleazy she wouldn’t have been concerned in the least about hurting his feelings the other day when she turned down his invitation. Her cheeks burned with anger, but despite herself she couldn’t help remembering how good he had looked with his shirt open.
It was only after she’d been walking for some time that Amber realized she must have taken the wrong turn because the lake was still nowhere in sight. She stopped and glanced around, but all she could see were trees in every direction. She turned around to go back the way she had come, but after a short distance she found herself standing at another fork in the path which she’d been too preoccupied to notice minutes earlier. She had no idea which path to take back.
“Oh dear, I think I’m lost,” she said out loud, her anger towards Jesse turning
into worry. This couldn’t be happening to her, especially now that she knew how dangerous the wolves were. She chose the path branching off to the left, and picked up her pace, hoping and praying it would lead her home. As she was walking she heard a weird sound behind her, almost like heavy breathing, but when she turned around there was nothing there.
“Come on, Amber, now you’re imaging things,” she said to calm herself, but her heart lurched painfully when she glanced backwards again and saw a shape flitting through the trees behind her.
The rational part of her brain told her it was Jesse’s dog, but she couldn’t deny the possibility it was a wolf. She did not intend to stick around to find out. She broke into a run, but she did not get far before she stumbled on a tree root and went sprawling in the dirt. Picking herself up, she dusted the dirt from her clothes and tried to laugh at her panic, but there it was again, something moving in and out of the trees to her left. It was just a blur of movement and then it disappeared. The sound of heavy breathing was growing louder, and Amber could not tell which direction it was coming from. It seemed to be all around her.
The blood began pounding in her temples and she suddenly felt dizzy. When she saw movement again out of the corner of her, eye she quickened her pace, but the path she had chosen suddenly grew very narrow and petered off into the woods. It was too late to turn around and take the other path so she had no choice but to keep going. Branches tore at her clothes and scratched her bare arms as she pushed through the trees. Her shawl got caught up in a bush and she had to leave it behind.
Amber did not know how long she ran through the woods as the shadowy figure stayed just behind her, but eventually she grew too winded to go any further. The sound of heavy breathing still filled her ears, and whatever it was seemed to be almost on top of her now. She looked around for something to defend herself with and seized on a large piece of wood. She was prepared to fight it off with every ounce of strength she could muster, but then, inexplicably, the sound faded away and there was nothing to be seen, just the trees moving in the gentle breeze.
An eerie silence settled over the woods, and she leaned against a tree and tried to catch her breath. Was it possible she had imagined the whole thing? But the breathing seemed so loud and she had definitely seen something moving through the trees.
The sky was beginning to darken overhead, and Amber knew she didn’t have much time to find her way back before night set in. If it had been a wolf pursuing her it might return with some of its pack mates for an easy dinner. The thought spurred her back onto her feet, but she still had no idea which way to go. Her sense of direction was bad enough in normal circumstances, but now, overcome with fear and exhaustion, she didn’t stand a chance. She just had to pick a direction randomly and hope for the best. She cursed herself for not bringing her cell phone with her because even if it didn’t have reception its compass would have come in very handy right now.
Dusk was falling rapidly as she continued walking through the woods. Amber was almost ready to give into total despair when she heard a familiar rumbling in the distance. It was the unmistakable sound of a car. Pushing her way through the trees, she walked in the direction she had heard it coming from, and the sound grew louder. When the trees grew thinner she broke into a run, and to her relief she came out onto a road.
Her heart dropped back down into her stomach when she saw that the truck had already passed. She waved her arms wildly and yelled, hoping the driver would glance in the rear view mirror and spot her, and to her intense joy the truck stopped about two hundred yards ahead of her.
The driver did not get out but waited for her to walk to the truck, and as she made her way towards it, Amber could just make out the silhouette of a heavy-set man in the driver’s seat. In normal circumstances she would not dream of getting into a car with a total stranger on an isolated mountain road, but now she really had no choice. It was either the wolves or this stranger, and she would rather take her chances with him.
She walked up the driver’s window and the man in the cabin looked at her in surprise. She must be a real sight, she realized, with her torn clothes and dishevelled hair.
“My God woman, what happened to you? Are you alright?”
“I got lost in the woods and something chased me, I think it was a wolf. I need a lift back to my cabin. Do you mind?”
“Please, get in. Of course I’ll drive you home. I can’t very well leave you out here on your own.”
“Thank you very much.” As they drove Amber introduced herself and told him a little more about what had happened. He didn’t say much in response, and when she looked out the window she recognised the road they were on as the one she took into town. They weren’t very far from the cabin at all.
They neared the turn-off, and she gave the man directions to get there, but to her surprise he kept going.
“Excuse me,” she repeated, “that was the turn to my cabin, but you can just drop me here if you like and I’ll walk back.” Her panic rose when she tried the door and discovered the truck had central locking. She could not even jump out. She was completely at his mercy, and then she remembered the poster of the missing teenager she had seen in town. Her blood froze in her veins.
“That won’t be necessary, you’re coming with me,” said the man. They drove in silence for a few seconds as Amber tried to stay calm and work out what she should do next.
“I really think you should let me out here. I’m grateful for the lift but I want to get out now, and you’d better do as I ask otherwise you could get into a lot of trouble.” He turned to smile at her, and she tried to read his face. He had looked normal enough when she first got into his truck, but now she could see that he had a strange glint in his eye and a shudder of pure fear went through her.
After another silence he spoke. “I guess it would be a good idea if I introduced myself before you have a heart attack, or try to kick the door out. My name is Bob. I’m Sharon’s husband, and I was on my way to collect you for dinner. Sorry for not taking you back to the cabin, but Sharon is the best person to look at those scratches. She has just the right ointment for them, and she’ll fix you right.” Amber almost fainted with relief as she sank back into the seat and closed her eyes.
Chapter 5
“How could you do that to her?” said Sharon, giving Bob a swat on the arm. “That was so cruel of you. No wonder the poor girl looked such a fright when she arrived.”
“I was just trying to teach her a lesson,” replied Bob. “I could have been anyone out there on that road, and she just got in the car with me as easy as you please, no questions asked.”
“I didn’t think I had much choice,” protested Amber, “It was either that or stay lost in the woods for the night with the wolves.”
“You don’t listen to a word he says.” Sharon adjusted the blanket around her shoulders and dabbed at one of the scratches on Amber’s arm with ointment. “You do need to be more careful, dear, but the last thing you need right now is a lecture after what you’ve been through.” They were sitting at the table in Sharon and Bob’s cosy kitchen, and Amber was beginning to feel a little silly about the whole thing. She had always had an overactive imagination, and the more she thought about it, the more it seemed she had just panicked and dreamt the whole thing up. She had only seen a faint shadow flickering through the trees and the sound of heavy breathing, but that could easily have been the wind.
“You know what, I really think I’ve overreacted and made a mountain out of a molehill. I have a bad habit of doing this. Just before I got lost I accidentally wandered up the path to Jesse Davidson’s cabin and he told me his dog was in the woods, so that’s probably what I saw.” She noticed Sharon and Bob exchange a glance, and she again got the feeling Sharon was holding back.
“Drink up that tea, dear, it will help warm you up.”
“What is the story with Jesse Davidson anyway,” she asked, not willing to let it drop this time. Another look passed between them.
�
��I don’t know what you mean, there’s no story,” replied Sharon unconvincingly.
“Come on, you don’t expect me to buy that after the way you two just looked at each other. He told me he’s a writer of some sort, but that’s all I really know about him. I’m sure you can tell me a bit more.”
“I won’t deny there are some rumours about him, but you know how people like to talk, and I wouldn’t want to bore you with silly gossip.”
Bob gave a derisive snort. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. She’s been dying to tell you all about him since you set foot in the bakery. She’s already scared off a couple of tourists with her stories, and she’s under strict instructions from the business council not to breath a word to anyone new in town about Jesse Davidson. I made her promise tonight that she wouldn’t say anything.”
“She asked. I didn’t bring it up, and she has a right to know, being out there all by herself.” Now Amber was really intrigued.
Bob sighed. “I guess you’re right, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she never wanted to go back to that cabin again after you’ve finished with her. At least let me tell her because I won’t hear the end of it if the business council find out you’ve been shooting your mouth off again.”
“I don’t care who tells me, one of you needs to spill the beans before I explode.”
“Alright, if you insist, you tell,” said Sharon. Amber could see she was disappointed.
“Okay, but I’ll have to give you bit of history so you get the full gist of it.”
“That’s alright, I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Jesse Davidson’s grandfather built the cabin on the lake many years ago. He was a reclusive loner type and no one ever saw much of him in town. His wife left him fairly early on and raised the family on her own in another town, and I don’t think he saw much of them. His children were all grown up by the time he died, and Jesse’s father started using the cabin regularly for holidays with his own family. Jesse’s parents are lovely people, and his brother is as well, but Jesse’s always been a bit of an odd one. A few years ago he started coming out here on his own, and now he practically lives here. We never thought that much about it, and then we discovered he’s a well-known writer. At first we were quite proud to have him in our community till we found out what he writes. It’s horror.”
Hunger of the Wolf Page 3
