I laughed and put my wallet back in my pocket. “I thought it would be hard, but I actually like having seasons. There’s always something different going on around here.”
“Here’s your receipt,” Ruby said softly.
I turned and gave her another wide smile before I reached out to grab the receipt. It wasn’t by accident that my fingertips brushed hers when I grabbed the piece of paper. The electric jolt from that small brush felt more important than anything I’d felt in my last relationship. And the way Ruby’s eyes widened, and her blush deepened, I suspected she had a similar experience.
“Thanks, Ruby,” I said just as softly and winked. “See y’all next week.”
I gave the women a salute—yeah, I’m a fucking cheeseball—and pushed my cart out of the store. Just before the electronic doors swooshed closed behind me, I heard a muffled squeal and Sarah’s voice said, “Who was that?”
I didn’t hear Ruby’s reply, but I would have given anything to hear her response. I comforted myself with the knowledge that my charm was starting to make cracks in her foundation. There was no way she could pretend she was unaffected when her skin heated like it did and her breathing was nearly as unsteady as my own.
I just needed to be patient a little longer. My opening would come.
Chapter 3
Ruby
After Grayson left, I sat on the ground with my back to the partition wall for several long minutes while Sarah chatted animatedly above me. I wasn’t always like this after he left, but today it felt like he turned his charm to level ten. My skin felt tight, and my heart hammered in my chest so hard, I was sure that it must be visible beneath my shirt.
“Holy shit,” Sarah’s voice was barely more than a breath.
I moaned in agreement and kept my eyes closed.
“Ruby? You okay?”
“I’m fine,” I gritted out through my teeth. I folded my hands together, intertwining my fingers and squeezed tight.
“Who was that?”
“I told you he’s the guy that bought the marina,” I said. “He comes in about once a week.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in town. Have you?”
“No. Only when he comes here for groceries.” Which didn’t say much. My hours were odd, so I didn’t see many people outside of work.
“Why not? He’s totally into you. Plus, he’s totally got that hot silver fox thing going on. I mean, he’s too old for me, but if I were your age, I’d ask him out.”
“He’s not into me, Sarah.” I carefully stood up from the floor, then brushed at the seat of my pants because the floor was disgusting. “He’s just a nice guy, who’s a regular and likes to be friendly.”
“Are you sure? Because I saw the way he looked at you and it definitely looked like he was vibing.”
In her tone, I could hear the confusion and frustration, like she’d never known heartache. Like she’d never sat at a table by herself and waited for a date that would never come. It was clear, Sarah didn’t understand how life could chew you up and spit you out. I hoped for her sake she never did.
As our shift continued, Sarah filled the silence of the overnight hours with chatter about her life and town gossip. I rarely took part in gossip because I knew what it was like to be the subject of chatter. However, talking about the paternity of Misty Riordan’s baby felt like a better option than thinking about my latest embarrassing interaction with Gray.
When it was finally time to go, I stripped off my ugly uniform shirt, so I was just in a basic tank and my work pants. The air felt thick as I slogged through the early morning gloom. The weather made carrying my ancient backpack, my massive shoulder bag, and a grocery bag filled with food and medicine for my neighbor, even more difficult this morning.
Summer still had a firm grip on Eagle Creek, and the heat outside was already close to stifling. Even though it was just past five in the morning, sweat beaded on my forehead, and my shirt clung to my skin like it was midday. The humidity was a beast this morning. I could only hope the tiny AC unit in my trailer would work.
A wail pierced the quiet, and I stopped at the side of my ancient Ford Bronco. At first, I was sure that my ears were playing tricks on me. It was too early in the morning for most people to be stirring, and I was tired from a long night of work. Another wail came from my left, and my heart kicked into overdrive while the hairs on my arms stood on end. Though the hit of adrenaline hit me like a truck, I remained still and quiet. If the noise was nothing, I didn’t want to risk running into the unknown.
My Bronco was at the edge of the lot, which faced a section of woods that led down to the river that bisected the town. As I stood peering into the trees, I couldn’t see past the first few rows of pine and underbrush. Nothing seemed to move in the dim foliage and the only sounds I heard were my rapid breathing and a few mourning doves cooing on the power lines behind me.
Should I check it out?
I wasn’t the ideal candidate to rescue someone in need. I’d never been in a fight, and most times I struggled to keep calm in dangerous situations. But I had a bone-deep instinct to protect what was small and weak. If something, someone, was in trouble, I had to do my best to help. Right?
A quick scan around me confirmed Sarah was long gone, and our replacements, Stuart and Dave, were already inside and working. It was early morning, and even though cars were on the road, no one else was close enough to hear the noises. I was the only person in the vicinity who could help.
Another sharp wail pierced the air. Instinct took over, and I dropped the bags in my hand. Perhaps it was my imagination, but this cry sounded different from the ones before. I couldn’t take a risk because, in my heart, I was certain it was a child.
“I’m coming!” I shouted into the darkness, and I bolted toward the woods.
Immediately the thick trees blocked out the sunlight. I stumbled to a stop, my battered sneakers skidding on the thin blanket of pine needles, and for several seconds I let my eyes adjust to the light. The forest was thicker than I imagined it would be so close to town. Could I be any more out of my depth?
Once my eyes adjusted, I spotted a path that zig-zagged between the trees and bushes. It wasn’t more than a footpath worn down from people coming up to the store from the river below, but it was all I had. I jogged as fast as I could toward the sounds of movement ahead as I tried to listen, but the cries had gone silent again. The only signs of human life I could hear in these woods were my own ragged breaths.
The leaves and pine needles on the ground made it just slippery enough to slow me down to a fast walk, but I continued on. I grasped at trees and vegetation to help propel me through the forest. I pushed myself harder, faster, further. My anxiety levels were as high as I felt. My failure to find the source of the cries could mean the death of an innocent.
“I shoulda just sucked it up and joined that boot camp,” I said as I tripped over another rock.
A new 24-hour gym had opened in the strip mall near my work, and it seemed everyone in town was excited to join. I’d refused to join because I hadn’t wanted to subject myself to the eyes of others in the gym. My body was curvy; I had a belly, cellulite, and thighs that rubbed together. I made the decision not to join without regrets earlier in the year. Now, it seemed like a grave mistake because I’d just started running, and there was already a stitch in my side and sweat drenching the band of my bra.
The rustling ahead had stopped. I wondered how close I was to the water, and I prayed the lack of cries did not mean someone had drowned. I kept pushing forward even when my body screamed at me to stop. There was no way I’d leave the poor child to fight off whatever was attacking it. What if it was a bear? What if it was worse than that?
Fuck. What if it was some kinda pedo?
I couldn’t bear that though, so I screamed, “Hey!” into the dark forest as loud as my lungs would let me. “L
eave that baby alone!”
Twigs pulled at my hair and clothes as I struggled down the incline. Someone needed my help, and I would not give up.
“I’m com—”
Oof!
Something solid hit me from the side, and I fell to my knees with a thud that rattled my bones. My palms scraped along the rocks and twigs on the ground, and I knew without assessing my entire body, I’d be bruised and sore for days. That would make for some interesting shifts in the coming days.
I rolled to my back and struggled to a sitting position. In the dim morning light, I could make out a hulking form standing just above me. I strained to see more, to make out any detail, but its bulky body blocked out all the light that had been streaming through the dense trees. It was like a void in the darkness, a monstrous void.
And I was the idiot that had run right into its path.
Squealing like a banshee, I crab-walked backward on shaky arms and legs. My progress stopped with a jolt when the head and shoulders collided with a tree. I grunted in pain as the bark scraped at my skin through the thin fabric of my tank top and a throb of pain radiated from the base of my skull down my spine. Knowing my luck that hit would become a concussion.
My heart thudded harder in my chest. I was so fucked.
The shadow moved closer.
“Back off, you fucking pedo freak!” I searched the ground with my hand while I kept my eyes on the shadow. “I’ve got a weapon!”
“You got a pile of pine needles, sweetheart.”
My heart skittered to a stop at the rumbly sexy voice. A maniac shouldn’t sound so good to my ears. Evil should be foreboding and menacing. Because then you knew to avoid it.
“Look, you sick fuck, my boyfriend’s right behind me. He’s big, and mean, and he’ll kick your ass.” Of course, that was a lie. My last relationship was three years ago, but I wasn’t telling him that. I conjured the image of the sexy silver fox. He was the epitome of masculine badassery. If he were here, he’d be the perfect deterrent to my evil stalker.
Again, if he was here.
The shadow chuckled, and I felt the sound all the way to my toes. Ugh, I was a disgusting human. I was actually enjoying the way this weirdo laughed. Why was my body reacting to his laugh? Why could I feel the prickles of awareness along the back of my neck that indicated pleasure, not danger?
The only reasonable answer was I was a weirdo myself.
Mental note: Must seek human contact at closer intervals.
“I know, for a fact, I’m the only man running after you.”
Sticky fingers of dread slid along my skin and wrapped around my throat like a chokehold. He cornered me against the tree. I couldn’t even find a rock for my defense. This shadowed man had likely killed the child and would finish me too.
He was right. There was no one else coming.
I was dead meat.
U
Gray
Ruby huddled against the tree like a cornered animal. I’d been leaving the gym up the road from the market when I saw the girl drop her shit and bolt into the woods. Every instinct I’d honed as a former soldier and private security contractor had snapped into place. And without another thought, I’d sprinted into the woods.
As I ran through the dark woods, it had become clear she’d thought she was after some child that needed help. Since I had no other evidence but her terrified yells, I joined her in calling out for the child. I used my best calming voice to assure the poor creature that help was on the way. I also tried calling out to Ruby to stop, but she never turned around to acknowledge my presence behind her.
Then, from the darkness, came a faint cry.
The damn woman was running into the woods for a dying bunny.
The last thing I needed was for whatever was eating the bunny to turn its attention on Ruby. I hadn’t grown up in this part of the country, but in my short time here, I’d seen one bear, two wolves, a coyote, and a fox. If any of those creatures were spooked off their dinner, it would spell bad news for Ruby, so I had sped up to intercept her. But my depth perception in the dim light was a bit off, and rather than grab her around the waist as I’d planned, I’d knocked her to the ground.
Now she saw me as a threat.
I squatted down, trying to make my six-foot-three frame as unimposing as possible. “Sweetheart,” I said in my most reasonable voice. “That noise was some animal killing a bunny. Not a child.”
“Right, like I’m gonna believe some pedo.”
Ruby made a racket scrambling in the surrounding debris, looking for a weapon. Cursing myself for being an arrogant asshole, I pulled my cell from my pocket and flipped the flashlight app on to illuminate my face. We both blinked several times against the sudden light.
“Damn it,” Ruby growled and scrabbled back against the tree more. “Of course, it’s you. Leave it to me to find a psycho sexy. I gotta stop watching true crime movies.”
“Sexy, huh?” I felt a tightening in my chest I hadn’t felt in years.
Ruby snorted. “Like you don’t know you’re a silver fox.”
I bit my lip to hide the grin that wanted to spread across my face. She didn’t look in the mood for jokes. “Ruby, I’m not a psycho or a pedo. I followed you into the woods when I saw you run in.”
“Yeah, right, I heard that baby’s screams.” She pointed a dirty shaking finger at me. “You can kill me, but you’ll get yours, buddy. Bad people always get what’s coming to them.”
“Ruby, there is no baby. That’s the sound a rabbit makes when it’s in pain. Haven’t you heard it before?”
I watched her face contort in confusion as she absorbed the information. “Bunnies don’t make noises.”
“At the risk of sounding even more like a psycho killer, yeah, they do. When they’re being eaten by something.”
“I-I don’t believe you. That was a baby. I have sisters. I know what a baby sounds like when it’s scared and in pain.”
I squatted down and angled the light to see her better. “Look, I don’t want to argue. It’s getting hot as hell, and we should check out your hands. They look scraped from your fall. What can I do to convince you to follow me out of the woods?”
I watched her face for fresh signs of distress. Ruby closed her eyes and seemed deep in thought. As luck would have it, another bunny scream rang through the trees along with the unmistakable sounds of yaps and growls.
“Do you believe me now?”
Ruby wasn’t a fool, so she didn’t argue when I held out a hand to help her stand. “Did anyone else see me run in here?”
“No, just me,” I assured her.
She nodded and gingerly wiped her palms over her thighs. “And is there any chance you could forget you saw me?”
“Not a one,” I said and burst out laughing.
Chapter 4
Ruby
Upon our return to the parking lot, I was surprised to see the sunshine had burned through the last of the early dawn. Across the street, the gas station parking lot was full of trucks, cars, and people milling about in their workwear. The coffee at the convenience store was the required morning drink of most of Eagle Creek’s citizens. My stomach growled just thinking about their famous bear claws, but I didn’t have time today.
As Gray led me back to my car, I tried not to show that my entire body felt bruised and sore. My legs and feet were screaming, and my palms burned with abrasions. I didn’t have much in life, but I had my pride. And I’d had enough of embarrassing myself in front of my companion. I kept my mouth shut and breathed through the aching muscles and joint pain.
I sighed in relief to see my bags were still where I’d dropped them. “Thank god for small favors,” I muttered and rushed to pick up my things.
“This is your car?” He looked like he’d smelled a fart.
“Yup,” I grunted as I swiped up Ida’s
prescriptions from the ground and shoved them in my backpack.
“It has to be older than you.”
“We’re the same age. Betty’s just a well-traveled lady.”
Next, I grabbed my keys from the ground and turned back to face him. This man had been living rent-free in my head for months. I’d already been rattled by him earlier tonight. The extended time together was only going to further confuse my emotions.
I’d never seen Gray in the light of day. How was I supposed to process all of this new information? For example, in the morning light, his hair sparkled with the smattering of silver threaded through the dark brown. Sparkled. Like a fucking vampire. How was a magpie like me supposed to ignore that? I was endlessly attracted to sparkly things., I did not need to know Gray’s hair shone like metal when the sun hit it just right.
I needed to bail. Now.
“Well, uh, thanks for helping me out of the woods. And I guess, sorry for thinking you were a pedo?” I shrugged and tried for a self-deprecating grin. “I guess my imagination got away from me there. In my defense, I watch a lot of true crime documentaries.”
He grinned, revealing even white teeth and an adorable crease in his left cheek. “I understand. I’m sorry I knocked you down. Normally, my aim’s better than that.”
“No harm, no foul,” I said and waved a hand. “Well, uh ... see ya around?”
I turned and unlocked my door. The metal hinges squealed as I yanked ‘Ole Betty’s door open. The noise was loud enough to wake the dead. Was it too much to ask the universe to let me slink away without any further embarrassment?
“Grayson,” he said, “Grayson Archer.”
“Pardon?” I asked as I hung in the open door, half in half out, my booty perched on the edge of the seat.
“My name is Grayson. I’m not sure we’ve ever formally introduced ourselves.” He shrugged and gave another of those lopsided grins. “But I just wanted to let you know my name’s Grayson. Well, I prefer Gray or Archer. But you can call me whatever you please.”
More Than Words Page 2
