by Elder, Jan;
The moon reappeared, the light shining brightly.
His heart lifted. Did he hear rushing water to the left? He stepped off the trail and headed toward the sound, the occasional shaft of moonlight filtering through the trees. The mossy scent of wet woods filled his head. He inhaled the pleasant earthy smell, stopped, closed his eyes, and listened. Tumbling water echoed in the air, but there was something else.
A woman crying.
The murmur of soft weeping assaulted his ears. He threaded his way through the forest, dodged a boulder, and rounded a thick tree trunk. Man, it was dark in there! Slowly, he picked his way through a rocky minefield, one careful step at a time. His foot came down on a loose rock and he teetered in the balance, finally falling backward, arms windmilling. He landed, hard, on his back, gasping, his chest heaving, lungs fighting for air.
~*~
A heavy thud followed by a deep groan vibrated in the night. Hunter? Cassidy lifted her head and wiped her eyes. She rose to her feet, eyes adjusting to the gloom. She hadn’t meant to come so far, and she didn’t have a clue as to how she got here. She did recognize the sound of a man in pain, though. “Hello? What happened?”
“Cassidy?” Hunter’s weak voice carried over the breeze.
“I’m here.”
“Thank God. I’d be happy to come to you, but I’m stuck. Can you make your way over here?”
“What’s wrong?” Cassidy inched her way forward in the murky shadows. “Where are you? Keep talking.”
“My foot’s trapped in some rocks. See the faint glow near the huge tree trunk? I dropped my phone—but I’m to the left.”
“Ah. I see you.” Cassidy watched her feet on the slick stones. She was close enough now to see Hunter smiling in the gloom. She scooped up his phone and collapsed a couple of feet away on a carpet of pine needles. She always hiccupped when she’d been blubbering up a storm, but she tried to cover the disgraceful hitch with a cough. She rarely cried. Crying didn’t change a thing. “Are you in pain? Stupid question. I heard you moan.”
“I’m alive. I’m glad I found you. I was worried.”
“Need a hand freeing your foot?”
“It’s wedged in there pretty tight.”
Cassidy shone the flashlight on his lower leg, knelt, and felt around with her fingers, exploring the contours of his ankle. His sneaker wouldn’t budge a millimeter.
Hunter whistled through his teeth. “Careful. It’s already starting to swell. Thanks for trying, but I’m good and stuck. There’s a crowbar in the truck.”
Cassidy helped him sit up and lean against a boulder. She plopped down across from him, shifted, and tucked her legs up under her. “You have a crowbar in the truck?”
“Sure. Doesn’t every good country boy carry around a tool box?”
“I can go get help.”
“Do you know the way?”
Cassidy’s chin rose. “I can find it.”
“Why don’t you stay here? Blake knows I went after you. They’ll find us eventually.”
Hunter was right. She had no idea how to get back to the lodge. Savannah had been the one with the great sense of direction. She stifled a groan. Getting lost was such a dumb thing to do. She stretched out a hand and touched Hunter’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re hurt.”
“It’s all right. I’ve been wanting to get you alone, although this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.” Hunter huffed out a little laugh and grabbed her hand. “But it’s a gorgeous June night, the stars are gleaming, the breeze is blowing, and we’re together. Would you please move a little closer?”
He reached over and gently tugged on her hand. How could she say no? She was the reason he was in this predicament. She scooted a little in his direction, and he awkwardly leaned back against a boulder.
“There. Isn’t this nice? Now you have to tell me what’s wrong, or I’m never letting you go.”
Cassidy shuddered slightly and made an effort to relax tense muscles. And honestly, the idea of him not letting go was rather appealing.
“Why did you run?”
“It’s stupid.” A wave of heat washed over her. She turned off his cell phone light. She didn’t want him to see her face. She didn’t think she could stand to tell him anything if he was staring in her eyes. “I’m so embarrassed about the whole thing it’s hard to form words.”
“Well, you have a captive audience, and I’m all ears. Start talking. I promise not to interrupt.”
“OK.” Cassidy paused and said a little prayer. “Here goes. You were right. You do remember me from high school. Most people called me Cassie, and I had long hair that fell in my eyes a lot. I guess I do look quite a bit different now.”
Hunter let go of her hand and sifted the tips of her hair through his fingertips.
She squelched the urge to lean into his touch, but she couldn’t stop the tingles zipping up her spine. She drew her knees up toward her chin and continued. “We were in creative writing class together—I sat behind you. So, here’s the hard part. I was totally in love with you. I shadowed you without trying to look like a stalker and learned everything I could about you. Your favorite soda is root beer and I knew your favorite candy.”
She smiled to herself. His favorite candy changed when he’d discovered Gabby’s raspberry truffles. “You’re fond of butter pecan ice cream, you were the first to lace up your sneakers with the school colors, and the Terps are your favorite team. I went to every basketball game you played in, and I cheered my little lungs out for you.
“In writing class, I had a great view of the back of your head. You rarely spoke to me, but at least I could stare at you every day, unobserved. I remember you standing up and reading your composition about your future plans. You’d been accepted into the University of Maryland’s agricultural program, and you dreamed of becoming a good farmer, like your dad. You were so excited; I can practically recall the words verbatim.”
Her voice dropped and she worked to get the next part out. “And while you…you were dreaming of being a farmer, every single day I was dreaming you’d notice me. And I wrote it all down. All of my private thoughts, I wrote them all down including how very much I loved you. Hunter, I loved you so much it hurt to breathe sometimes.”
Hunter wove his fingers through her hair and gently stroked the nape of her neck. To her great relief, he held his tongue.
“Your sister and mine were best friends. When I got my driver’s license, they wanted to go everywhere with me. They were only thirteen and rather a pain. As you might imagine, the last thing a sixteen-year-old wants is two little kids hanging around. I had a hard enough time making friends here, and driving was a taste of freedom.
“Savannah was furious with me for leaving her behind all the time. Toward the end of the school year, my journal went missing. I suspected she’d stolen it. No doubt, she and Hillary had a fine time poring over my private thoughts. I found out they’d cooked up a plot to…to smuggle my diary into your gym bag.” She was hovering on the edge, but she was going to get through this if it killed her. And it might.
Hunter stiffened. He opened his mouth to speak but then shut it again. Instead, he brushed his fingers across her cheek, and settled his hand on her shoulder.
“Hunter, this is really difficult, OK?”
He nodded.
“You and a bunch of guys were playing ball outside after school. I hid in the shadows under a nearby clump of trees. I wanted to sneak over and retrieve my journal without you seeing me, but too many people were around. When your game was over, you unzipped your gym bag and pulled out a towel. My journal tumbled out on the ground.”
Hunter’s head snapped up and a long, low moan broke loose. “That was yours?”
“Yes.” Cassidy could still conjure up the entire scene in her mind, in living color with surround sound. Her chest tightened. “Our sisters had bookmarked a particularly mortifying passage. You read it out loud to your friends. And then you laughed. You and your friends laughed at me.”
<
br /> Hunter’s forehead fell on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Cassidy. So, so sorry. That must have hurt you terribly.” He drew in a ragged breath. “Please forgive me.” He tugged her up onto her knees and circled her arms around his neck. She clung to him and hung her head, their foreheads pressed together.
Despite her best effort, the tears poured down like warm spring rain, her soul rubbed raw. The jagged long-buried cache of bitterness she thought she’d dealt with years ago rose to the surface. And then the stinging sorrow floated away on a healing tide. When his shoulder was sopping wet, she croaked out, “I’m sorry. This is so silly. It was years ago now. It doesn’t matter.”
Hunter lifted her chin, gazed into her damp eyes, and wiped her tears away with his thumb. “Oh, but it does matter. You have every right to hate me.”
“I don’t hate you. I…” Cassidy chomped down on her lip to keep from telling him the truth. She didn’t hate him. She loved him. She’d loved him ten years ago with a passion that had scared her, but this bottomless well of emotion was so much deeper. So very much more. She ran a hand over his cheek, the sensation of faint stubble lingering on the pads of her fingers. “You didn’t do it on purpose. You couldn’t have known I was there and that I would hear. I forgive you.”
Hunter’s fingertips brushed her lips. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” Cupping her face with his hand, he kissed first one eyelid and then the other. He grazed her lips with his, kissing her slowly, tenderly.
Her heart sprang to life and made a mad dash for the hills. She inhaled through her nose to stave off the dizziness, and hiccupped. Hunter gave her a lopsided grin and she offered him a tiny smile, joy swelling.
Cozying her against his body, Hunter resettled himself against a boulder. His muscular arms wrapped around her, drawing her against his chest.
She nestled her head into the crook of his neck and they waited for rescue.
21
Hunter winced as silver-haired Dr. Daphne Davidson finished wrapping his right ankle with an elastic bandage.
“You really did a number on that ankle, Mr. Gray. A classic grade III sprain.”
“I’m not the type to do anything half-way. But please call me Hunter.”
Cassidy rested a hand on his knee and squeezed gently. He covered her hand with his and tried not to flinch as the doctor secured a walking boot in place.
Dr. Davidson handed Hunter a printed sheet. “Follow these instructions to the letter. You have ligament damage that needs rehab in order to heal correctly. I’d hate to have to do surgery.”
Cassidy’s big blue eyes flicked up. She swiveled in her seat and faced Dr. Davidson. “Surgery? I thought his ankle wasn’t broken.”
“Sometimes a sprain can do more damage than a fracture. Hunter, on Monday, I’d like you to go to an orthopedist.” Dr. Davidson passed Hunter a pair of crutches and showed him how to adjust them to the correct height. “Rest as much as possible for the next twenty-four hours, apply ice packs for the next few days, and keep that foot elevated. The compression wrap will also help with the swelling.”
“What about pain meds? He’s already wincing.” Cassidy raised her right eyebrow and angled her head.
Hunter’s insides warmed as she favored him with a weary smile. “Am not.”
“Are too. Stop being so macho.”
Dr. Davidson chuckled. “It’s OK to take ibuprofen or naproxen as necessary. Can I trust you to take it easy this weekend?”
Cassidy nodded vigorously. “I’ll make sure he does.”
Hunter caressed Cassidy’s hand with his thumb. “And I’ll listen to her. Can we leave now? It’s almost three in the morning, and I, for one, would love to get reacquainted with a bed.”
“Fine with me. Why don’t you give those crutches a spin?”
Hunter pushed off the table and balanced on one foot. He wobbled a couple of steps, taking care not to bang into the bed or the chairs. Maybe he was more worn out than he thought. But then, it was the middle of the night. He’d had a full day ensuring nearly fifty people were enjoying the retreat, not to mention he’d broken a woman’s heart, again, and tried his best to calm and console the one he loved. Who wouldn’t be exhausted?
Cassidy yawned and offered her shoulder to lean on. “Be careful on those things. And I’m glad you insisted an hour ago that Blake and Gabby go back to the retreat. There’s no sense all four of us losing sleep. But do you really want to go back to Summit? I could take you home.”
“I want to go back. It wouldn’t be fair to Andrea for me to wimp out on her.”
Dr. Davidson frowned. “I would prefer that you go home and put your feet up, but if you must, I’m counting on this young lady to oversee your recovery.”
Fair-haired nurse, Elise, with the bright smile rolled a wheelchair into the room. “Your chariot awaits, sir. You’re all checked out and free to go.”
Dr. Davidson held out her hand. “Nice to meet you both, Hunter. Cassidy. Take care of yourselves, and no more walks in the woods in the dark.”
Cassidy rested her hands on her hips and leaned back to stretch. “I’ll go get the car. Meet you at the emergency room entrance?”
The too-chipper-at-this-late-hour nurse nodded and helped Hunter ease into the wheelchair.
Cassidy grabbed his crutches and trudged to the door, winging him a smile. Even in the middle of the night, after everything they’d been through, she’d beamed at him. Warmth saturated his spirit.
When the light tread of Cassidy’s footsteps had faded down the corridor, he let out a low groan. Twinges of pain pulsated through his ankle but worst of all, he still felt like an A-1, first-class, unparalleled idiot. How could he have been such a numbskull back in high school? And why hadn’t Cassidy called him out on it months ago?
He allowed himself the luxury of closing his eyes. Just for a moment, he was back in the forest. He’d wanted to kiss her with such fervor he ached inside. But there would be time for romancing another day—he hoped—so he’d done what was best for her sake and simply held her close. And then, when she cried herself out, she’d fallen asleep in his arms. The woman he’d hurt so deeply and now loved so completely had used up the last of her energy, and he wasn’t about to wake her.
When a group of guys from his Sunday school class had trooped through the woods, as noisy as a cattle stampede, she’d woken with a start. That had been hours ago now, and he had yet to adequately apologize.
Adequately? How on God’s green earth would he make it up to her? He shifted and moaned, as droopy as a limp noodle.
Nurse Elise laid a comforting hand on his upper arm. “Relax, OK? Offer it up to the Lord.”
He glanced back in amazement.
“I heard you discussing the retreat center. That place meant a lot to me when I was a teenager.” She patted his arm as she wheeled him down the long corridor. “He’s got your back, so cast your cares on Him.”
Cast his cares. Right now, handing it all over to the Lord would be a huge relief. The load of shame weighed heavy on his shoulders. He sent up a prayer as they wheeled though the ER and out to the sidewalk. He kept praying as Cassidy’s car pulled up. He prayed some more when she slipped out of the car and opened the passenger door for him. And he prayed as the nurse wheeled him as close as she could get to the car, sending him off with a knowing smile.
He hopped the last yard and awkwardly settled into the seat, peace flooding through him as he buckled his seatbelt. God would help him fix this mess he’d created. Lighter now, he waved at the nurse. “Thanks. For the wheelchair ride, but especially for the wise counsel. Night.”
~*~
Cassidy drove away from the emergency room and headed toward Summit Crest. “What was that all about?”
“Nothing much. Sorry I can’t drive. You must be exhausted.”
Cassidy laughed and zoomed around a curve. “Me? You’re the one as pale as your albino goat. What’s her name again?”
“Aspen.”
“She’s a l
ittle sweetie.” Cassidy was growing quite fond of the little kids. Whenever they kicked up their heels and cavorted around the pasture, a shot of joy whizzed through her. Such innocence.
“She’s one of my favorites.” He leaned back against the headrest. “Cassidy? Thanks for telling me what you’ve been holding back for so long. That had to be incredibly hard.”
“Very. Could we not go over it right now, though? I’m not at my best at 3:30 in the morning.” After the emotional evening they’d had, she just wanted to settle into his arms again, but her bed back at the conference center beckoned.
“OK. Just making sure you know how much what you said meant to me.”
Cassidy brushed his left knee with her hand. “I hear you. Now listen to the doctor and rest. I’ll wake you when we get there.”
Hunter scooted down in the seat and closed his eyes.
Good. She was too bushed to have a coherent thought. She opened the window, hoping the breeze would keep her awake. At long last, she turned onto the lane leading up the mountain. At the top of the drive, she drove as close to Hunter’s room as she could get and woke him with a gentle hand. She helped him out of the car and hovered as he used his crutches to get to his room.
They hugged at the door, clinging to each other, his forehead resting on her shoulder. “Cassidy?”
“Hmm?”
“Your hair looks beautiful…you’re beautiful.”
He’d noticed. Any residual traces of resentment coasted into the deep, dark night. She tossed him a smile and eased back. Hunter trailed his thumb down her cheek and shut the door behind him.
She parked the car and trudged along the trail to her room, each step slower than the last. Had she ever been this beat? Her key made it into the lock on the third try. She tiptoed in quietly so as not to disturb Gabby, and then collapsed on the bed. Still fully clothed, Cassidy fell backward, her head sinking into the pillow, smile still stuck to her face.