When I crest the top of the hill, the cabin pops into view. I slow Ghost to a walk and take a moment to look around, breathing in the clean mountain air I’ve been starved of for so long. The sound of tires pulling up the drive in the distance snags my attention, and I watch as a black SUV rumbles over the gravel towards my parents’ house. I turn Ghost in that direction and cross through the pasture. By the time I reach the front porch and tie him to the post out front, I hear voices inside. “Shit,” I mutter under my breath, the Sheriff emblem on the black Tahoe making my stomach drop and heart start to slam against my chest.
“Just the man I wanted to see.” Sheriff Cooper stands from my parents living room couch when I close the front door behind me, meeting me in the doorway with his hand extended. He and I have had our fair share of encounters over the years. It alwayssurprised me he was on shift when my friends and I got into trouble back in high school.
Giving him a slight nod, I return the shake. “Nice to see your days of chasing teenagers have passed.” He laughs at my jab, motioning for me to take a seat. Owen shuffles over on the couch opposite Cooper, looking unphased and comfortable, even throwing an arm over the back behind me.
“Well I don’t want to take too much of your time.” The Sheriff sits up slightly to pull his phone from his pocket.
“What’s this about, Don?” My dad asks from his seat in the chair next to my mom.
“We had a fella call this morning, said he hasn’t been able to reach his friend all day.”
“Seems like a good friend,” Owen pipes up, crossing a leg over the other. “Dean here wouldn’t know if I fell into the creek and drowned.” I roll my eyes at him, settling back into the cushions.
Sheriff Cooper scoffs under his breath. “It’s probably nothing, but we went ahead and took a look at the security footage from the bar in town. He said that he and his friend were there drinking, and when they went to leave, he realized his keys were inside so he ran back in to get them. When he came out, his friend was gone. Hasn’t heard from him since.”
“And you think my boys have something to do with this?” Cooper looks over at my mom for a moment before placing his phone on the table between us and pushing it over to Owen and I.
“Is this your truck, Dean?” His eyes lock on mine. Keeping my expression blank, I look down at the screen and nod.
“Sure is.” Cooper swipes to the next picture.
It’s grainy, but it’s clear that it’s Owen’s truck. “And this is yours?” he asks, looking over to Owen.
“Sure is.” Owen smiles back.
“Care to explain why both of you were at the bar last night?”
Owen opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “My girl was there last night. Got a little too drunk, and called me to pick her up. When I got there, she was in bad shape. I panicked.” Shrugging, I look between Owen and the Sheriff. “I called Owen to make sure she was ok to bring home and sleep it off.”
Owen looks over at Cooper, giving him that charming smile that seems to win him over, “I am a fucking fantastic paramedic, what can I say?”
Rolling my eyes I look back at the Sheriff, “Once she was looked over, I left my keys for one of the ranch hands to drive my truck back up here.”
Sheriff Cooper sucks his lips for a moment. “But you never saw this man?” His fat fingers tap the screen and a picture of the man buried down the hill pops up. Both Owen and I drop our shoulders.
“No, sir,” We say in unison.
“I wasn’t too concerned with anyone other than my girl.” I look at him with a raise of my eyebrows.
“Well, thank you for your time.” Sheriff Cooper stands and shakes our hands. As my parents walk him out, Owen and I let out a deep exhale.
“Night, bro.” He winks at me with a slap on my arm before disappearing into the kitchen.
hannah
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!”I whisper to myself. I pause to look at my reflection in the long mirror over the sink in the cabin's bathroom for a moment before continuing my pacing from one side to the other. I’ve damn near worn a hole in the rug from how quickly I’ve dragged my feet over it since I got back from our ride. I let him rope me in again, got hung up in the way his blue eyes seem to fill with storm clouds when he looks at me. And fuck, I missed the way his hands felt on my skin. That familiar burn that licks at me and sizzles through my veins. I don’t think I would have stopped him from taking me right then and there in the field, but then he had to ruin it.You’re mine. The second those words broke through the spell he’d put over me it’s like my mind began to question everything he’s ever told me. I knew when I lifted that hat off his head and put it on mine that I was making a declaration. I let my heart lead me and I claimed him, but my head caught up the moment I realized what I was doing and I got spooked. I did what I do best, and pulled away, ran away. He’s probably so confused at my hot and cold reactions to him, but I’m still struggling to get my mind to agreewith my heart and move forward, jump in heart first and let everything else catch up later. Just when I think I can do that I trip again, thinking that if he could lie so easily about his family, about this place, what else could he lie to me about?
I pull up my shirt and turn sideways, eyeing the lower part of my stomach. It’s flat since I’m still so early. Now that I have to think about this baby and not just myself, I don’t want to fall into a lust filled mistake with him again. If he is so adamant about being in love with me, he has to prove it. No lies, no distractions with his perfect hands and body and that tongue. “No!” I tug my shirt back in place, mentally kicking myself for falling again so easily. The countertop is cool under my hands as I lean forward staring into my brown eyes, “You will not bend,” I say firmly to my reflection. Nodding a few times, I shut off the light on my way out the door and walk into the bedroom.
I heard Dean come in a while ago, but now the house is quiet. My stomach rumbles and I throw my head back with a groan. I was hoping I could crawl into bed and avoid running into him out in the shared space. Tip-toeing to the door, I turn the knob and pull the door open a crack, peeking out into the dimly lit living room. I listen for a moment, and when I’m sure the coast is clear, I open the door, fully cringing when the unused hinges squeak loudly. Pausing, I listen for his footsteps, but the house remains still, peaceful. So I cross the threshold and for the first time get a good look around me. My room sits on one corner of the house, opening up into the living room. The warm, white wood floor is covered in an enormous rug that pokes out around the base of a U-shaped couch. A lit fireplace casts the room in a cozy warm glow, music softly humming from the large TV above the fireplace. I run my hand along the fluffy blankets that have been thrown over the back of the couch as I make my way to the kitchen on the other side of the room. A large dining room table sits to the side surrounded by a wall of windows.
I riffle through the cupboards, surprised to find them stocked with groceries despite us only being here for a day and half. A box of Coco Puffs catches my eye, and I reach for them, then close the cupboard and turn to the fridge.Yogurt.I need yogurt. But my mind pulls at me to go back. “What the hell…” I mutter to myself, planted firmly in the middle of the kitchen floor head flying between the fridge and the box of cereal I know is behind that wood door. I whip my phone from my pocket and googleWhy do I want Coco Puffs so badly. My mouth waters for the cereal that I haven’t had since I was a kid. “Oh my God!” I cry out, then slap a hand over my mouth. Waiting again for Dean to step out of his room, I listen and wait then pull my phone in front of my eyes and read the first article heading.
Pregnancy can cause cravings that are hard to resist, especially in the first trimester.
“Fuck it,” I mutter. Tossing my phone on the counter, I rip open the cupboard and grab the box of chocolate puffs. I fill a bowl to the top and pour cold milk over it, bouncing on my toes in anticipation. Closing the fridge door, I turn to grab my phone, noticing a vase sitting on the counter that I’d missed before, too caught up in my pregnancy cravings to focus on anything else. A small white vase filled with roughly cut wild flowers stares back at me, the same orange ones Dean and I rode through earlier this evening. Dirt still clings to the stems and some of them poke out from where he missed the vase entirely, but it still makes my stomach flip. Tucking the stems into the water, I pick up the piece of paper beside it and read Dean’s rough handwriting,
My mom makes Saturday morning crepes every weekend, it’s kinda tradition. I’d love for you to join.
