by Kim Fox
He guides me through the crowd, holding on tight as I follow him, smiling the entire way.
This is what I needed. A night of fun with a hot guy, pretending like I don’t have a care in the world. Pretending like my younger brother isn’t in a horrible situation that I have no idea how to handle. Pretending like I’m not in a horrible situation that I have no idea how to handle. Tomorrow we’ll have no money and no place to live.
But tonight… I can enjoy myself tonight.
Caleb stops at a table full of huge muscular men. They’re all grinning at me as he presents me with a look of pride on his face. “Guys,” he says with his chest puffed out. “This is my new friend, Abigail.”
I step on my toes so I can whisper into his ear. My mouth barely reaches his shoulder. “Friends hold hands?” I ask.
He grins. “Of course.”
“You must be the lifeguard,” the guy with the tattooed arm says. “Nice to finally meet you. I’m Lachlan.”
“Does everyone in the town know I’m the lifeguard?” I ask, looking up at Caleb in disbelief.
One of the twins chuckles. “Everyone in the state.”
We sit down and chat for a while and I can’t stop laughing at the way these guys tease each other. Caleb is getting it the worst since they’re trying to embarrass him in front of me, but it just makes me more interested in him. I can tell that it’s all out of love and that these guys have a brotherly relationship.
The bassist Logan comes over when I’m on my third beer and grabs Caleb. “We’re starting our last set.”
“Are you going to stay here?” he asks, turning to me.
These guys already feel like old friends, but the table is too far away. I want to be nice and close so I can get a good view of the hot guitarist.
“What kind of groupie would stay all the way in the back?” I ask with a laugh. “I’m coming to the front row.”
He smiles. He’s so cute when he smiles. Did I not see it before or is it the three beers making it even cuter? Either way, I like it.
My head starts swirling in a good way as he holds me close to his hard body and walks me through the packed crowd.
A few minutes later, he’s on the stage smiling at me as they play a cover of Creep from Radiohead, one of my favorite songs. The music is just a bonus. His blue eyes, his sexy smile, the way his strong arms flex when he strums that guitar… Mmmm… this is the best show ever.
It’s after three am when we finally leave the bar. It’s almost empty, except for the staff who are cleaning up and a couple of people still talking quietly in the corners. The bright lights are on as the busboy mops the floor.
“It was nice meeting you guys,” I say to Lachlan and the waitress Jessie. They’re sitting in a booth while she counts her cash.
“I guess we’ll be seeing you around?” Jessie asks.
I turn to Caleb who has a hopeful look on his face. “We’ll see what happens,” I say.
I’d like to say yes—I had such a fun night hanging out with Caleb—but I don’t know what I’m going to do. If I can’t find an affordable place to live in tomorrow, I might have to leave the state. It’s my last resort, but I can always drive to Colorado and stay on my friend Lizzy’s couch for a few days. I know she would take me.
A flyer in the doorway catches my eye on our way out. TWO BEDROOM CABIN TO RENT. $550 a Month.
I rip the paper off the cork-board that’s overloaded with signs selling used couches and business cards from real estate agents and hairdressers.
Caleb looks over my shoulder. “Are you looking for a place to live?”
“Yeah,” I say as I quickly fold the paper and stuff it into my purse. “Something a little bigger.”
“You can come live with me,” he says, looking a little too eager. “I mean… if you need help or if you’re stuck without a place to live.”
“I thought we were just friends,” I say, trying to hide my smile.
“Friends help each other out. I was just trying to say that I can sleep on the couch if you need a bed for a few days. And if you bring that red dress, I won’t even charge you rent.”
I look at him and smile. I guess I have a new last resort.
The rain is still coming down like crazy outside and there are puddles all over the sidewalks and road. Caleb lifts up his arm and tucks me close to his ribs, using his jacket as a makeshift umbrella. I nearly moan when I smell his cologne up close.
He walks me to my car and a part of me wishes that I had parked on the other side of town so I can stay close to his hard body a little longer. “Thanks,” I say when we arrive.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks as I fumble with my keys. “I know you’re not working.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“I checked the lifeguard schedule.”
“Stalker, much?”
“Stalker a lot.”
I laugh as he smiles at me.
What am I doing tomorrow? Maybe driving across the country looking for a place to live. Maybe trying to tame an angry lion that may or may not want to eat me. Maybe trying to figure out how two people can comfortably sleep in a car along with all of our stuff. Maybe all of the above.
“I have to help out my brother with something tomorrow,” I finally say.
“Your brother?” he says. “I didn’t know you had a brother.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, yoga boy,” I say with a grin.
“That’s why I want to make plans,” he answers. “So, I can find out everything.”
Hopefully, that apartment on the flyer is still available and they won’t require a first and last month deposit. Then maybe I can stick around to find out everything about him too.
“Let me take you out sometime,” he says, looking sexier than ever as the rain pours down his beautiful face. “You just said no to living with me, you can say yes to this.”
“We’ll see.” I place a hand on his hard chest, step on my toes, and kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks for the fun night. I really needed it.”
He looks stunned as I hurry into my car and close the door. I wave to him before driving off, taking one last look at him in the rearview mirror.
That night was fun, but it’s back to reality.
Back to the life that’s falling apart all around me. I should be sad, but no matter what I do, I can’t shake this smile off of my face.
5
Abigail
“Wanna take this?” Frank asks, offering me his shotgun. “You might be needing it.”
Despite the hot sunny day, a cold shiver rips through my body. I glance over my shoulder to where Bryce is packing the last of our things into the car.
“He’s my brother,” I say, narrowing my eyes on Frank. “I’m not going to shoot him.”
Frank shrugs. “No lion I ever seen had a human sister. You might think he’s your brother, but that cat sure as damn hell don’t think you’re his sister.”
He offers me the shotgun one last time, but I just ignore it.
“Thanks for your help, Frank,” I say. And I mean it. He really helped us out when we came into town. He also could have called the cops, shot Bryce’s lion, or kicked us out a long time ago. He has a ranch to run and the lion keeps killing his cattle. I don’t blame him for making us go. I probably would have kicked us out a long time ago.
“Good luck,” he says with a nod. “I’ll miss your apple muffins.”
“I’ll bring you some when I bring the money I owe you,” I say, not knowing when that’s going to be.
He nods. “Take care of that boy,” he says, looking at Bryce. “But you take care of yourself first.”
After an awkward hug, I take a deep breath and walk to the car.
“Where are we going to go?” Bryce asks as he climbs into the passenger seat. “Are we homeless?”
Technically yes, but I’m not about to tell him that. Especially with him looking so pathetic and riddled with guilt. “We’ll bounce back from
this,” I tell him. “Everything is going to work out. I’m sure this is going to be a blessing in disguise.”
He looks at me with a face that makes me laugh. “Okay, maybe not that far, but we’ll make the best of it anyway.”
Bryce lowers his head and closes his eyes. “Abigail, I just want to say—”
“No,” I say, cutting him off. “No sorrys. Not today.”
His face is twisted in anguish. “But I screwed your whole life up.”
“You didn’t screw anything up,” I lie. “Look at us. We’re in the gorgeous mountains on a beautiful sunny day. It can’t get any better than this. If you didn’t come to live with me, I’d be stuck in a stuffy office right now doing work.”
He gives me a half smile.
“It’s all good, Bryce,” I say. “Your big sister has a plan.”
I reach over and find the paper that I grabbed yesterday out of my purse. There was no phone number on the flyer, just an address that seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere.
A small two bedroom cabin somewhere in the mountains for five hundred and fifty dollars a month. I just hope that it was recent and hadn’t been pinned to that board for weeks or even years.
“We’ll go check this place out,” I say, showing him the paper. “Hopefully, it’s still available.” There’s a grainy photo of a cabin that looks only slightly bigger than this car. I just hope it has running water.
I put the address into Google maps and nothing comes up. Most of the backroads up here aren’t available. Google must have either thought that it was too remote or that all of the locals already knew where everything was.
“Well,” I say as I toss my phone back into my purse. “We’ll just have to try and find it the old-fashioned way.”
“Mapquest?” Bryce asks, looking confused.
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “A real map.”
He’s staring at me blankly.
“A paper map.”
“Oh, like in those old movies that mom used to watch?”
I shake my head, wondering how one generation can be so different from the next. “Let’s just go.”
A few minutes later, I pull into a gas station and buy a map with the last ten dollars that I have left in my wallet. I buy eight dollars worth of gas with the change.
“You’re going to be the navigator,” I say, tossing the map to Bryce as I climb back into the car. He’s staring at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Why don’t you just download the—”
“We’re doing it this way,” I say, cutting him off. “It’s going to be an adventure.” Plus I have no data left on my phone for the month and I can’t afford to pay an overcharge on my bill.
We drive for about an hour through back roads, forests and around mountains as we try to find the place.
“I think we’re lost,” Bryce says, lowering the map in defeat. “No wonder people don’t use these things anymore. They’re impossible.”
“You’re impossible,” I say with a laugh.
“Don’t blame me,” he says, looking frustrated. “None of these streets even have names on them.”
“This one does,” I say as we roll up to an intersection. The sign is nothing more than a spray-painted piece of wood nailed to a tree. “Grisly Road. Sounds welcoming.”
Bryce shrugs. “Might as well try it.”
I turn down Grisly Road and drive until I see a dirt road with a spray-painted sign that reads The Grisly Grizzlies. Keep Out!
“Is that it?” Bryce asks.
“I sure hope not,” I say, hitting the gas and hurrying away.
About ten minutes later we’re on another unnamed road in the middle of nowhere when another sign comes into view.
“What’s that?” Bryce asks, leaning forward to read it. “Clayton Rock Ranch.”
I have one eye on my quickly emptying gas tank and one eye on the sign. “I think we’re lost.”
“We were lost an hour ago,” Bryce complains.
“Worst. Navigator. Ever,” I say, grinning as I shake my head. “Let’s go in there and ask for directions.”
I pull into the ranch and gasp when I look around. It’s beautiful. Mountains surround the ranch like it’s in the bottom of a bowl. There are a few scattered cabins laying about with a nice lake in the distance. A herd of cattle is grazing in the field on the right.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bryce asks, looking around nervously. He’s holding his stomach as his head darts from side to side.
“We need directions,” I say, pulling up to the first cabin, which looks like a storefront or something. It’s a log cabin with a large porch and a blinking OPEN sign over the glass door, but the O is burnt out so it’s just blinking PEN. “I’ll be in and out.”
I drive the car up to the entrance and turn off the engine. There’s a crooked sign nailed above the door that reads: Clayton Rock Bounty Hunters. It’s covered in dirt and what looks like dried blood. I gulp, wondering if this is a bad idea.
Bryce starts shaking beside me.
“Oh, shit,” I gasp, turning to him with my heart pounding.
“I don’t feel so good,” he grunts as he rocks back and forth on the seat. His forehead is covered in a sheen of sweat and his face is scrunched up in pain. “Something is happening.”
“The lion?” I ask, starting to panic.
His eyes are squeezed shut as he shakes his head. “He doesn’t like the smell of this place.”
I get an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach when I see his skin turning golden.
“Hold him in, Bryce,” I gasp as I try to start the car. Of course, it’s sputtering.
His face is twisted in agony. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Oh, crap!” I shout when I see a flash of fur on his neck. I’m desperately trying to start the car, jerking the key back and forth in the engine, slamming my foot on the pedal over and over again as I keep an eye on my brother.
He’s fighting it as hard as he can, straining and grunting, but he looks like he’s about to lose the battle.
He turns to me and opens his eyes. They’re brighter than I’ve ever seen them. A gorgeous amber color that seems to be lit up from behind. “Get us out of here!”
The front door of the cabin in front of us opens and an enormous shirtless man steps out. He’s looking at us curiously. “Shit,” I curse under my breath as I struggle to start this old piece of shit car that’s not cooperating.
He’s staring at Bryce who’s shaking violently beside me. The man is wearing dusty jeans and nothing else. His chest is the size of boulders. His arms the size of tree trunks. He’s not someone I want to mess with.
“Yes!” I say, gasping in relief when the engine roars to life. I throw it into reverse as fast as I can and slam on the gas. The car flies backward and I spin the wheel, trying to make a quick getaway.
But I’m driving too recklessly and I slam my back bumper right into a rock. The back of my head slams into the seat as I let out a scream.
“Bryce, are you okay?” I ask, quickly turning to my brother.
He’s not there.
A lion is sitting on the seat beside me instead.
I feel like I’m going to be sick.
“Okay,” I whisper as the lion turns to me. It has the same bright amber eyes that my brother had a few seconds ago. “Okay, just relax and I’ll get you out of here.”
The man starts walking down the steps toward us, and the lion turns to him. His lip curls up over his sharp teeth and he lets out a low growl as he stares him down.
“No,” I gasp as I try to shake the fog out of my head and put the car into drive. “Don’t jump out the win— Fuck!”
His tail whips me across the cheek as he leaps out of the window and lands on the dusty ground without a sound.
“Bryce!” I shout as I throw the car into park and rush out. “Stop!”
There’s nothing I can do but watch in horror as the lion sprints at the huge man. The guy doesn’t run
or even scream. All he does is watch with an amused look on his face as the snarling lion charges at him.
Bryce’s lion leaps into the air, lunging at him like he’s going to have the huge man for breakfast. A horrified gasp rips from my throat when he chomps down on the man’s thick forearm and crashes into him.
I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The man is so strong. He stays on his feet as the lion thrashes around furiously with his powerful jaw locked onto his forearm. Bryce is jerking his head from side to side, trying to yank the man off balance, but he’s as solid as an oak tree.
His brow furrows and all of a sudden he looks even scarier than the lion.
“You little twerp,” he says in a deep booming voice as he brings his free hand back. His hand is squeezed into a fist the size of my head.
His fist moves so fast that it blurs as he punches Bryce’s lion in the head with a crack that makes me wince.
The lion’s legs go wobbly and his jaw goes slack as the devastating punch stuns him. The man shakes him off easily and grunts as he looks at his bleeding forearm. “You got some nerve, twerp, coming to my house and starting up with me. Did I send your boyfriend to jail or something?”
Bryce’s lion is still looking dazed as he tries to regain his balance on shaky legs.
What the hell do I do? I can’t pick him up and drag him to the car.
My stomach drops when Bryce’s lion looks up at the man and growls. Did he not learn his freaking lesson?
“You got heart, twerp,” the man says with an amused grin on his face. “But that’s not necessarily a good thing around here.”
With a grunt, the man kicks the lion in the ribs and Bryce goes flying. He lands with a thud and skids across the ground, picking up a cloud of dust as he goes.
I finally find my voice. “Bryce!” I shout with my heart pounding. “Let’s go!”
But the stubborn lion is not listening to me. He slowly gets up and starts circling the man, snarling at him as he lowers his head.
“Some twerps never learn,” he says with a grin. For some reason, he pulls his pants down and steps out of them.
I’m wondering why the hell he thought it was a good idea to get naked while fighting a lion when his body starts shaking.