Right Out of Nowhere

by Laurie Salzler

  “I’d hate to hear one of your real lectures.” Roni staggered, but Selena’s strong, steady grip kept her from hitting the dirt again. She hated feeling this helpless.

  “Sorry. I have a photographic memory and sometimes stuff just spills out of my mouth.”

  The nearness of Puller’s excited bark told Roni they were close to the cabin. “If you put me by the steps, I can find my way inside. There’s a pole barn through the woods over there.” She pointed with confidence, now sure of her bearings. “Just follow the trail. You’ll see where to hang your saddle and stuff. If my dad loaned you the horse, it’ll wear hobbles. You can put him in the meadow with the others.”

  Selena lifted Roni’s hand and placed it on the railing before Roni could object. “Okay. I’ll be right back. Don’t uncover your eyes.”

  Roni made her way up the steps and through the door without mishap to herself, but she did accidentally step on Puller’s foot and he yelped.

  “Sorry, buddy.”

  Once in, she felt her way along the wall to the sink and had downed three glasses of water before she heard boots on the porch. Selena rapped twice on the door and came in.

  “I hope you don’t mind me just coming in.”

  Roni chuckled. “You’ve already seen me half-naked, what more do I have to hide?”

  “Sorry about that. I didn’t see you until I’d ridden up closer. Anyway, can we go to a darker room so I can check your eyes?”

  “Sure. My bedroom will work.” She walked to her room, thinking she may not be as sure-footed in the middle of the meadow, but she’d been traipsing through this cabin since she was a toddler. Once in, she sat on her bed and waited. “If you want, just pull the shade across the window.” She heard rustling and assumed that’s what Selena did.

  “I’m going to uncover your eyes, but I want you to keep them closed until I tell you to open them, okay?”

  Roni nodded and a second later she sensed Selena standing in front of her. The confinement of her room brought the musky scent of patchouli and horse to her nose. Who the hell wears perfume in the woods?

  Selena removed the blindfold. “Don’t open them.”

  Roni heard more rustling in front of her, and the small movement of air on her face indicated that Selena was moving around. Lifting her chin, she inhaled more of Selena’s perfume.

  “You smell patchouli. Did you know that the ancient Chinese used patchouli oil as an insect repellent? They also used it as an herbal remedy, and it became popular as a perfume scent.” Selena stood in front of her once again. “I’m going to touch your face, so just relax.”

  Roni didn’t resist as Selena’s warm hand lifted her chin. The patchouli scent was stronger, and she was sure Selena had used it on her wrists. The longer it remained in her senses, the more relaxed she got. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “Open your eyes a little at a time. If you feel any pain, let me know.”

  Anticipating discomfort, Roni squinted as she opened first one eye then the other. She still couldn’t focus, and everything was patchy gray and black. Her heart rate increased as her panic grew. “Am I blind?”

  “No. Hold on, I’m going to check the dilation of your pupils. Tell me if you can make out any light, no matter how small.”

  Roni felt Selena’s hand on her chin again. She desperately searched for light. There! She saw something. Or did she? “I think I see something.”

  “Your corneas aren’t damaged, but your eyes are still reacting to the long exposure to the bright sun. Your pupils are very small and slow to respond to light changes. You’ll get better. I saw a lot of this when I lived in Greenland. It’s similar to snow blindness.”

  Relief washed over Roni, and she breathed easier. “I was stupid not to have my sunglasses and hat on.”

  “That may have helped a little, but you still might have been affected.”

  Roni heard rustling again and the telltale ripping of tape. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m making some temporary eye patches for you.”

  “Patches? I don’t need—”

  “Listen. It’s important you don’t put any more strain on your eyes by trying to make them focus. Let them take care of themselves. You’ll have to wear the patches for a day or two, and you have to stay inside.”

  “A day? Or two? Are you crazy?” There was no way Roni could put up with an incapacitation like that, let alone not be able to go outside. “I can’t—”

  “You will if you want to avoid permanent damage. As a SAR, you know how important good eyesight is. I’ve got some antibiotic drops for you too.”

  Roni’s shoulders slumped in defeat. How could she have been so stupid? She knew better than to do something so senseless. She frowned and sat silent while Selena put the drops in and applied the cotton eye coverings. Roni’s hands ached from the fists she’d made in her lap.

  “You’re not going to hit me are you?”

  “What?”

  “Your fists are clenched so tight there’s no color in your hands.”

  Selena pried Roni’s hands flat. A stronger waft of warm perfume entered her senses. Selena was very close.

  Roni felt calluses on Selena’s hands as they moved over hers.

  “Excess adrenaline causes frequent eye movement. You need to relax.”

  Roni snorted, but found she was calming down. “Is there anything you don’t know? You’re a walking encyclopedia.”

  Selena chuckled softly. “I don’t know what I don’t know, so I don’t know.”

  “This is weird. I don’t even know what you look like.”

  “You’ll see me in a short time if you rest your eyes.”

  “Touché.”

  “You’ll probably get tired of seeing my ugly mug anyway, so count yourself lucky you have a reprieve for a while. Okay then.” Roni heard Selena slap her thighs. “Is there anything you want me to do? I can cook some.”

  “Hmmm, this might not be too bad after all. No chores for a couple of days.”

  Roni liked Selena’s throaty chuckle. “By the way, isn’t your brother up here with you?”

  “He is. He took off on a ride this morning. He should be back any time.” As if on cue, Puller ran out of the room at the same time Roni heard Jeff’s heavy boot steps come through the door. “Speak of the devil.” She stood up from her bed. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.” She started to head out and ran face-first into the closed door. “Damn it.” She heard Selena’s already familiar laugh behind her.

  “Sorry. I wanted to make the room as dark as I could.”

  Roni sighed. “Please don’t close any doors without telling me.”

  “I promise.”

  “And one more thing. Don’t let Jeff move anything around while I can’t see.”

  “He would do that?”

  Roni nodded. “He’s evil.”

  “No problem,” Selena said through a giggle.

  Roni grasped the edge of the door and swung it open.

  “I thought I heard voices,” Jeff said. “Already playing games with the new girl, eh Veronica?” His tone changed. “What the hell’s wrong with your eyes?”

  “Told you he was evil,” Roni ignored that he’d called her by her given name. “Jeff, this is Selena, Selena, Jeff, and, smartass, we weren’t playing games. I had a bit of an accident outside. Selena was helping me.”

  “Accident?” Jeff’s voice turned serious. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “Roni has a condition best known as temporary sun blindness,” Selena said. “She’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

  “You’re sure?”

  Selena’s nearness gave Roni more confidence. “Yes, she’s sure. Now how about making us dinner?”

  “Okay, I can do that.”

  Roni heard Selena walk past and into the kitchen, and she felt her way to one of the chairs there. Jeff started humming “Blinded by the Light,” as he clunked about the kitchen getting things together. Roni didn’t give him any s
atisfaction by making a comment.

  “Can I do anything to help?” Selena said.

  “Roni probably hasn’t told you where you’re bunking, has she?”

  Selena must have shaken her head.

  “You’ll be in the first little cabin on the way to the barn. Why don’t you go get yourself settled first, and I’ll yell when dinner’s ready.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Roni heard her go out the door.

  “She’s nicer than I thought she’d be,” she said, when Selena’s steps faded.

  “She seems to be. She’s not hard on the eyes either.”

  “She’s not?” That piqued Roni’s interest. She tried to imagine the face that went with Selena’s soft, but somewhat husky voice.

  “Oh, that’s right. You haven’t seen her yet, have you? What the hell happened to you, anyway?”

  While Jeff moved about the kitchen, Roni relayed the events of her day. She conveniently left out the Selena-catching-her-without-her-shirt-on part. For a reason she couldn’t yet put her finger on, she felt she had an ally in Selena. Perhaps it stemmed from gratefulness or Selena’s gentle touch when she tended to her eyes.

  “Did you see any sign of the cat on your travels?” Roni drew her legs up next to her.

  “I saw a couple of old tracks in the mud by the elk rub, but no scat or carcasses.”

  “Huh. I guess it’s possible it’s a transient male, but I’d like to know where it is just to be safe.” Roni leaned her head back and took a deep breath. Selena’s confidence that her eyes would get better allowed her to relax despite the constant urge to pull the bandages off.

  “Me too. I might take another ride out tomorrow and do some scouting.”

  Roni dozed as the kitchen warmed up from the fire Jeff made in the cookstove. Soon the tantalizing smell of home fries and sausage filled the room. The sound of the cabin door opening and closing alerted her to Selena’s return. She was too comfortable to move.

  “Is she sleeping?” Roni heard Selena ask.

  “She hasn’t started to snore yet, but that’d be my guess.”

  “You shouldn’t be so hard on her. Losing your sight is pretty scary, especially for someone who relies on it to do her job.”

  The scrape of a chair indicated to Roni that Selena had probably sat down at the table.

  Roni could’ve hugged her right there and then. Selena had rendered Jeff speechless. Good for her.

  “Did you get all settled in?” Jeff asked after several minutes.

  “It took me awhile to herd the mice out. We had a minor standoff at the door, but they eventually surrendered and let me move in. It’s a quaint little thing for a wilderness cabin.”

  While Jeff ranted on about the history of the property, Roni mused to herself. Selena had a good sense of humor and seemingly could hold her own against Jeff. Having her here for the season might not be bad after all. Now if only Beth were here too. That thought sent new threads of pining through her, and she missed Beth all the more. Between that and having to deal with the injury to her eyes, she felt compelled to drown herself in an entire bottle of whiskey.

  Roni heard Selena ask about Jeff’s scarecrow, and she came fully alert. That’s all she needed was for her brother to tell Selena about what he knew. With sudden dread, Roni realized Selena had been close enough to see the hickey. She felt the heat of a blush rise up her neck.

  “Jeff’s wife, Beth, couldn’t make it up here this year.” Roni sat up. Crap, she couldn’t even give Jeff a warning look. “So he made Agatha-Trixie while I was out on a rescue.”

  Jeff must have sensed he was close to overstepping his boundaries because he said no more.

  Selena’s laughter filled the cabin. “I must say this is going to be an interesting assignment, for sure.”

  Chapter Nine

  RONI WOKE THE next morning, and was confused until it dawned on her why it was still dark. Her hand went to her eyes where she felt the bandages. The smell of coffee and pancakes teased her nose, and she wondered where Puller was. He’d come to bed with her last night, but there was no telltale wiggling under the blankets or happy dance on her bladder.

  Her stomach growled and forced her out of bed. She pulled on the jeans she’d left draped on the bed and found a shirt on the floor. She took a whiff to make sure it was clean. She shuffled out and heard Jeff telling Selena about the mountain lion.

  “About time you got your carcass out of bed. It’s been light for over an hour.” Jeff’s voice boomed into her head.

  “Geez, do you have to talk so loud? How long have you been up?”

  “I just came in before you walked out of your bedroom,” Selena said. “And don’t be surprised if things seem a bit louder to you. When someone loses their sight, sometimes their other senses will become more acute. Jeff, your voice is going to seem unusually loud to Roni until her eyes heal.”

  Roni smiled for two reasons. First, Selena made a point of commenting about noise and the volume of Jeff’s voice. Second, if Selena had just come in, Jeff hadn’t time to fill Selena’s head with stories. In just the short time she had been around Selena, Roni felt an overwhelming need to supervise Jeff and make sure he didn’t blurt out anything embarrassing. It was important to her that Selena think highly of her. That confused her a bit.

  While they ate breakfast, they chitchatted and got the general get-to-know-you questions out of the way. Jeff described where he planned to ride for the day, and after accepting Selena’s offer to do the dishes, got ready and rode off. Roni sat next to Puller with a cup of coffee resting on her leg. She was bored. Insanely bored.

  “Are you going to check my eyes again today?”

  “Yes, as soon as I’m finished here.”

  Roni heard water running and dishes clattering. She finished her coffee and brought the empty cup to the sink. “Back in my bedroom again?”

  “No. I think we can do it right by the desk this morning. It’s not too bright in here yet.”

  Roni found her way to the desk chair and sat down to wait. Selena, and the scent of patchouli, joined her a few minutes later.

  “Once I peel the tape off, I want you to keep your eyes closed, okay?”

  “Got it.”

  “I’m going to do the same thing I did yesterday.” Selena held her chin with one hand and gently pried the bandage from Roni’s right eye. “Keep it closed.”

  Roni felt her switch hands to remove the left one. “Ambidextrous are we?”

  “Hmm, you’d be amazed at the talents I have. Okay, open them slowly. Again, if you feel any discomfort, close them.”

  Roni nodded and ignored the shiver of arousal that ran up her spine. She opened her eyes, afraid and dreading what she might not see. She blinked a few times to moisten her eyes, not yet daring to try focusing. Her hands clenched into nervous fists on her lap.

  “Just relax. How’re you doing?” Selena rubbed her hands over Roni’s.

  Roni blew out the breath she was holding. “I can see a little better than I could yesterday. I see more shapes, but nothing’s real clear yet.”

  “Let me check your pupils.”

  Roni could just make out Selena waving her penlight in front of each eye. “They’re starting to react. They’re still a little slow but definitely better than yesterday. I’m thinking you’ll be able to see much better by tomorrow. They may not be entirely normal then, but close.”

  Roni sat with her hands clasped in her lap while Selena reapplied the bandages. “What’s it like outside?”

  “It’s overcast. I don’t think it’s going to rain, but there’s a definite cloud cover.”

  “Can I sit outside? I’m going to go nuts in here.”

  Selena chuckled softly beside her. “I see what I’m up against. Tell you what. If you sit in the shade, you’ve got a deal. I don’t want to take the chance of the sun penetrating those eye patches.”

  “Deal.” Roni got up and, taking care not to kill herself by tripping ass over teakettle, started
toward the door. Puller pushed against her leg as she found the door handle. “Hey there, bud. You can be my guide dog.” She walked out onto the porch, eased her way over to the steps, and sat down.

  Encouraged by her ability to see more when Selena took the bandages off, Roni took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The earthy smell of morning, pines, and the metallic scent of cold air filled her nose. She felt sedentary.

  “I love this mountain air,” she said to Selena, who’d sat down next to her. “For some reason it’s stronger today.”

  “Those are your other senses kicking in. Remember how loud Jeff’s voice seemed? Believe it or not, he was talking in a normal tone.”

  Roni turned to Selena. “Seriously? I heard about that happening, but I’ve never experienced it myself.”

  “Do you want to try something?”

  “Sure, I guess.”

  “Okay, let’s go into the woods.”

  Roni felt Selena take her arm as she stood up. “You’re not going to count how many times I walk into a tree are you?”

  “Don’t be silly. I think you’ll find this very intriguing.”

  Roni smelled pine resin, and the musky scent of the needles underfoot enveloped her as Selena led her into the tall spruce forest. A few minutes later they stopped.

  “Reach out with your hand and find the tree. Use that as your base. You can stay standing or sit down, whatever you’d rather. I’m going to walk away for a few minutes. I want you to focus on what’s around you. Don’t strain to hear any particular thing. Just let your body tune in with your surroundings.”

  Roni located and sat down against the tree. She heard Selena walk away and wondered how long she’d be gone. Not that it bothered her to be in the woods. She was sure she could find her way back to the cabin relatively easily. They’d gone north in a straight line away from the cabin.

  Her mind wandered to Jeff, and she wondered if he’d seen any additional sign of the mountain lion. Under normal circumstances, she would have ridden with him. It had been awhile since they’d gone riding together, and she missed it. They’d put many long hours and miles on their horses when they were younger. It seemed they were on the trail more than at home. There were the mandatory chores and homework of course, but they usually rushed through those, caught their mounts, and were on their way in no time. Like her, Jeff didn’t have to do a lot of studying to make good grades.