“Trevor was at the bar the night I was beaten too.”
Emma nodded.
“It sounds like Trevor has a fixer. That’s a convenient way to cover up what he’s doing. He just made you his alibi for this.”
Emma put her head down on the table and groaned. “I hate this. I hate all of this. I hate what it’s doing to us, and I hate not knowing what to do about it.”
Dane placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “He knows you love him.”
“Yeah,” Emma agreed. She was grateful Dane was there. She wasn’t sure she could hold herself together if she had to face this alone.
Chapter Nine
The rooster crowed, signaling the start of another long day. Emma rolled over in bed wishing for a miracle to take away all her worry. The smell of coffee drifted into her consciousness, luring her from the sanctuary of her bed. Her eyes felt heavy and her lids were swollen from crying herself to sleep the night before. She wouldn’t be winning any beauty awards today.
She slid her feet into the worn slippers waiting at the side of the bed. She thanked God for Mondays. At least she didn’t have to rush around to get things done today. Maybe she would go to town and talk to the sheriff again. Maybe they could figure a way out of this mess Curtis had made.
She stretched, her muscles sore and stiff. This was nothing new. Every year she felt the grip of time robbing her of her youth. She glanced to the picture of her parents dutifully standing guard at the door as always. They had shared a love greater than time. She wondered what it would be like to have someone in her life, someone she could love and be loved by in return. She thought of Dane. She shook her head. No. Not Dane.
She pulled on her father’s tattered old robe and made her way down the hall. Music emanated from the kitchen like a beacon calling a lost ship to safe harbor. She slowed, enjoying the melody of the notes as they drifted through the house like a breath of fresh air.
Dane stood at the stove, her hips swaying to the tune. Emma stared, enjoying the sight of Dane’s long lean legs, her tight buttocks strained against the fabric of her shorts, the broad shoulders tapering down her back to a narrow waist and hips.
Emma grinned, forgetting her resolve to keep her distance from Dane. She stepped up behind Dane, placing her hand on her waist.
Dane jumped at the touch. “Ow. Shit.”
Emma blanched. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Dane turned holding her wrist. An angry burn scorched the flesh of her arm just above her palm.
Emma took Dane’s hand and led her to the sink, then turned on the cold water. “Here, hold it under the water for a few minutes. Is it bad?”
Dane shook her head. “No. I’ve had worse. I think it scared me more than it hurt.”
Emma grimaced, thinking of the scars that snaked up Dane’s arm. “I am sorry.”
“I’m not.” Dane lifted her good hand to Emma’s face, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. She slid her thumb beneath Emma’s eye.
Emma glanced away, knowing her eyes were red and puffy, her hair carelessly brushed.
“Did you get any rest at all?” Dane asked, her tone soft, her touch gentle.
Emma pulled a towel from a drawer and patted Dane’s arm dry. “Not much.” She focused on the feel of Dane’s hand in hers as she pressed the towel to her arm. The warmth of Dane’s skin felt good against her hands, making her ache to touch more of her. Emma stilled, afraid to move. She wouldn’t look at Dane, afraid of what she might see in her eyes.
The smell of burning bacon filled the room, saving Emma from the desire raging through her body, making her knees weak. She pulled away, then turned to the stove to rescue Dane’s breakfast.
Dane placed her hand over Emma’s, pulling her away from the stove. She removed the skillet from the flame and turned off the burner. She pressed her body against Emma’s back, molding their bodies together as she moved.
Emma placed a hand over Dane’s arm crossing her chest. “I need to finish this.”
Dane turned Emma to face her. “Yes, you do. What were you going to do when you first came in here and touched me?”
Emma looked away. “I don’t know,” she whispered, embarrassed.
Dane took Emma into her arms, gently guiding her across the floor with small steps as their bodies swayed together in rhythm with the music. Dane led Emma in the dance, sliding her hands along Emma’s back. “Yes, you do,” she said, her voice deeper than usual.
“I was just being playful. I saw you dancing, and it just felt good.”
“Does this feel good?” Dane asked as she leaned down and kissed Emma’s lips.
Emma felt dizzy, as if the air had grown too thin. She threaded her fingers through Dane’s hair and opened to her.
Dane’s lips were hot, firm, but tantalizingly gentle. She explored Dane’s mouth with her tongue, answering the demands of Dane’s lips on her own. Dane pulled Emma against her, her kiss eager and hungry as she wrapped her arms around her.
Emma moaned. She raked her fingernails down the length of Dane’s back, feeling her stiffen in her arms. “Yes,” Emma hissed.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, you feel good.” Emma pulled away, feeling the last of her breath escape in one exasperated sigh. “Too good.”
Dane didn’t let go. She held her in her arms, falling back into the slow rhythm of the dance. “Then just give me this moment. Just dance with me.”
Emma laid her head against Dane’s chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart. The burn of Dane’s kiss lingered on her lips, and she swelled with want for her. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out the desire that threatened to overwhelm her resolve. She couldn’t deny her attraction to Dane. She knew if she touched Dane the way she longed to touch her, allowed Dane into her bed, she wouldn’t be able to stand the loss of her when the time came for Dane to leave. But what good did it do to push Dane away? She knew the answer as clear as if it were written on the wall. She could deny Dane her body, but she wasn’t so sure about her heart.
* * *
Dane pressed her cheek against Emma’s head, drawing in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of lavender and vanilla. The burn on her wrist was nothing compared to the burning need she felt as her clitoris swelled and throbbed. She struggled to remain calm and just hold Emma, when all she wanted to do was to claim her mouth and explore every inch of her body with her hands, her tongue, her own flesh. The thought sent a shiver through her.
“Are you okay?” Emma asked, pulling away to look up at her.
Dane smiled at her. “I’m fine. I guess I was just enjoying this a little too much.”
Emma blushed. Dane brushed the back of her hand across Emma’s cheek and leaned in to kiss her again, but just as their lips were about to touch, Emma pulled away.
“What?” Dane asked.
Emma took another step back, allowing her hands to slip away from Dane, breaking the embrace. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Dane knew when not to push her luck. She didn’t want Emma to run from her again. “Okay.”
Emma helped herself to a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table. Dane noticed the slight rosy tinge to her cheeks that hadn’t been there before. She smiled. Emma was feeling this too. Not wanting to let the moment fall apart completely, she quickly thought of a plan.
“What are you doing today?”
Emma shook her head and seemed about to answer when she was interrupted by the phone.
Dane waited, turning back to the ruined breakfast.
Emma went to the edge of the stairs and called up to Curtis. There was no answer. She heard Emma’s steps pound up the stairs. A moment later her steps were hurried as she rushed back down the stairs and ran to the front door.
Dane turned and looked out the window. The beat-up little truck was gone. Curtis wasn’t there. She frowned. When had he left? She hadn’t heard him get up in the night and he hadn’t come down for breakfast. It wasn’t even like him to be up this early in th
e morning. Dane had a sinking feeling in her gut.
She heard Emma’s voice, still talking on the phone. “He isn’t here. I don’t know where he is.” There was a pause as Emma must have been listening to the phone. “I’ll let him know when I see him.” She came back into the kitchen looking bereft. Dane braced herself for more bad news.
“Curtis is gone again. Did he say anything to you before he left?”
Dane shook her head. “I didn’t realize he was gone until just now. I didn’t hear him leave.”
Emma closed her eyes and sank back into her chair. “I shouldn’t have yelled at him. I know how easily he gets his feeling hurt. What have I done?”
“You didn’t do anything. Curtis has a mind of his own. He has a lot to sort out right now. Give him a little time—he’ll come around.” The look of fear and regret in Emma’s eyes broke Dane’s heart. She was doing her best to take care of Curtis and keep their family together, but this time Curtis had crossed a line Emma might not be able to save him from.
“I have to find him.” She looked up at Dane. “Will you help me?”
“Of course.” Dane had been trying to figure out a way to get Emma to spend the day with her, but this wasn’t what she had in mind.
* * *
Dane eased the Jeep down the old dirt road. The vehicle rocked back and forth as it lumbered through deep gullies cut into the earth by countless off-road vehicles over the years. Emma had been quiet on the drive, her jaw set, and her brow furrowed with worry.
“Where are we going?” Dane asked.
Emma nodded her head upward toward the road in front of them. “Our dad kept an old hunting cabin out here. Curtis likes to come here when he wants to get away. I’m hoping that’s where he’s been running off to.”
Dane focused on the road ahead. “I doubt that little truck of his could make it back here.”
“No, but Curtis grew up in these woods. He would leave the truck someplace and hike in.” Emma pointed to a path up ahead. “There, take that road.”
The road turned out to be little more than a path. It didn’t look like anyone had been there in a long while, and small trees and wild grass were beginning to take over the path. At last Dane eased the Jeep into a small clearing in front of a run-down structure that looked more like a woodshed than a cabin.
Emma stepped out of the Jeep, peering at the dilapidated old building. She shook her head. “I can’t believe it’s changed so much. I haven’t been here in years, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so forlorn.”
Samson jumped out of the Jeep and sniffed around the grounds, peeing on as many trees as he could.
“Curtis, you in there, man?” Dane called as she walked up to the door.
There was no answer.
Dane pushed the door open and peered inside. Beer cans littered the floor and she spotted more than one used condom in the refuse. She stepped back outside. “He’s not here. It doesn’t look like anyone has been here in a while, but the place is a mess.”
Emma turned, placing her hands on her hips as she studied the area around her. “Where could he be?” She shook her head as Dane stepped beside her. “I spent a lot of time here as a kid. We would come here and spend days at a time as Daddy hunted. It was like going camping in some exotic place. I loved it because they weren’t working, and we all got to spend time together playing games, talking, playing music, and telling stories. I was almost fourteen when Momma had Curtis. They thought she couldn’t have any more children and it was a risky pregnancy. Momma struggled with her blood pressure. She went into labor early and there was a problem. It was winter and there was heavy snow on the ground, so the midwife had trouble getting to the house. There was a problem with the umbilical cord that restricted the oxygen getting to the baby. Momma cried and begged God to save him. When they handed Curtis to her, the love in her eyes was like nothing I’d ever seen. He was just a tiny wrinkled mess, but she loved him with all her heart. At the time no one knew how the lack of oxygen would affect him. He grew like any other baby, and it was quite some time before the deficits really became clear. Of course, he was only four, almost five, when I moved away to college. It took me longer than most to get through school because I had to work so much to pay for my classes. I wasn’t around much. My parents helped me when they could, but they didn’t have much to spare. I was in my final year when Daddy was murdered, and Momma got sick. Curtis was nine. I promised Momma I would take care of him.”
Dane placed her hand on Emma’s shoulder. “You have. You kept your promise. Anyone with half a brain can see how much you love him, and he loves you. Whatever is going on with him now isn’t because of anything you did or didn’t do. It may be hard to remember sometimes, but Curtis is a grown man now. He has a mind of his own and he has to make his own mistakes.”
Emma sighed. “This is so much more than just a mistake.”
“I know,” Dane agreed. “Can you think of anywhere else he might go?”
Emma looked up at Dane and shook her head. “I’m not sure. He could be anywhere.”
“We’ll keep looking. He’ll show up sooner or later. He always does.”
“Okay,” Emma agreed.
“Come on, Samson, let’s go, boy,” Dane called. She waited at the Jeep, watching Emma looking back upon the memories of her family. Wherever Curtis was, she hoped for Emma’s sake he was okay.
Dane chose to cross the mountain instead of going out the way they came. She wanted to check out some of the places Curtis had taken her when they were out together. It was a long shot, but it wouldn’t hurt to look, and it meant she would have more time with Emma.
She stopped the Jeep at the edge of a wide puddle of muddy water. She looked from side to side, but there wasn’t any way to go around the rank muddy soup. Samson sniffed the air as if gauging the risk by the foulness of the smell.
“What do you think?” she asked Emma.
“It’s hard to tell. It could be nothing, but it could be a pit.”
Dane pointed to the right side of the road. “Looks better on that side. Maybe if I hug the bank over there, we can make it through.”
“Agreed.”
“Okay, here goes nothing.”
Dane got a slight run at the puddle. When the tires hit, a spray of mud and stagnant water gushed outward, stirring the rank smell of rot and filth. The Jeep climbed out the other side, the tires slipping on the slick bank. The tires spun, throwing mud and muck into the air. Emma cried out as a wave of the rancid water washed over her.
Dane stopped the Jeep as soon as they were safely planted on firm ground. She laughed at Emma, who was covered in a brown muddy film. She reached out her hand and touched Emma’s face, then pulled a slimy glob of frog eggs out of her hair.
“Yuck,” Emma yelled. She cringed in disgust. She climbed out of the Jeep, desperately trying to brush the gelatinous substance out of her hair and back into the muck from which it came. She was horrified at the nasty smell covering her and appalled that they had damaged the eggs.
Samson sniffed around the water and snorted his disapproval of the whole mess.
Dane was still laughing as she attempted to help pick the slime out of Emma’s hair.
“It’s not funny,” Emma said, throwing a handful of frog eggs into the water.
“Yes, it is.” Dane laughed.
Emma scraped a glob of mud off her arm and smeared it across Dane’s face.
“Ooh, you are going to pay for that.” Dane scooped up a handful of black mud and threw it at Emma, hitting her shoulder, bits of the nasty mixture splattering Emma’s neck and face.
Emma spit and sputtered, trying to expel the bit of filth that had hit her in the mouth. She scowled at Dane. “You are dead.”
Dane laughed again but faltered when she saw the murderous look on Emma’s face. She took a step back to put more distance between herself and Emma’s wrath. She lost her footing and slipped on the slick muddy bank, and her boot was swallowed as she sank into the mud. She tried
to right herself but was unable to regain her balance. She grasped helplessly in the air for imaginary holds that could save her, but there was nothing she could do to recover. Dane landed with a splash and felt the sucking force of the mud grab hold of her hands and arms as she sank farther into the sludge.
Emma laughed hysterically as she watched Dane try to extract herself from the clutches of the bog. Each time Dane pulled one hand out she would sink deeper with the other. Her clothes were soaked through with the rancid water and black sludge.
Samson barked and grabbed hold of Dane’s sleeve, trying to pull her out of the mud, but he only made it more difficult for Dane to get her balance.
Despite Samson’s intervention, Dane finally managed to pull herself back onto the bank. She was laughing so hard she could hardly catch her breath. She lay back on the rough ground, laughing and gasping. Emma was doubled over holding her side, pointing at Dane as she laughed.
Dane smiled. “I guess I deserved that.”
Emma laughed even harder, lying back on the ground. Her side hurt from laughing so hard. Dane was a mess. Emma couldn’t remember a time when she’d laughed this hard. They lay on the ground until the laughter died away and their breathing returned to normal. Emma peered up through the branches of the trees, still heavy with leaves. The laughter had cleansed some of the weight of fear and dread that clouded her thoughts. She felt lighter, happier than she had felt in ages.
Dane sat up, unbuttoning her shirt. She peeled the soggy cotton away from her skin and let it fall with a sodden thud to the ground. Her T-shirt beneath was wet too, but at least it didn’t have the layer of mud clinging to it. Her jeans were wrecked.
Emma was amused by the mess they had made of themselves. She thought of the day at the creek when Dane had stripped off her clothes and followed her into the water. The image of Dane’s bare nipples hardening under her gaze stirred her desire as she trailed her eyes along Dane’s body, remembering every detail of smooth skin and hard muscle.
Dane tilted her head slightly to the side when she caught Emma staring. “What are you thinking?”
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