More Than Pancakes (The Maple Leaf Series Book 1)

by Christine DePetrillo

  Drew reached for Lily’s hand and pulled it over to his lap. He stroked her skin, and Lily had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from telling him off.

  Not yet. Once they got back to California, she’d tell him where to go and how to get there. Bastard.

  “Come closer.” Drew pulled up the armrest between them. “I want to be near you, and you must be cold without your jacket. Do you want mine?” He peeled his leather coat off his left shoulder.

  “No, you’re driving, Drew. I’m fine. Let’s just get to the airport and we’ll sort things out.” Lily’s teeth clenched together. She wasn’t sure how she was going to endure a six-hour flight across the country with this man.

  Drew slammed on the brakes and let out a growl. The SUV spun out just after the bend in Rick’s driveway, and Lily clawed at the dashboard.

  “Drew, what are you doing?” The words screamed out of her throat as she watched the woods swirl around them.

  “You haven’t chosen me, have you?” Drew shouted as the SUV skated toward the right edge of the driveway. “You’re just protecting him!”

  Lily focused on Drew’s white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. He wasn’t driving anymore. Not really. His fingers were melded to the wheel, his arms rigid. There were little corrections he should have been making to keep the SUV from sliding into the two-foot deep gully lining Rick’s dirt driveway.

  Instead, Drew looked at Lily, realization that she’d been just telling him what he wanted to hear painted across his face. He opened his mouth to say something more, but the SUV careened over a small snow bank to the right of the driveway and into the muddy gully. The last thing Lily saw was the airbag deploy as the hood of the SUV rammed into a maple tree.

  White filled her vision, but she managed to open the passenger side door. She peered back into the SUV and looked at Drew’s body wedged between his seat and the airbag. He didn’t make any noise, didn’t move.

  Is he dead?

  Lily shivered. She had to call 911, but she didn’t have her cell phone. It was back up at Rick’s in her purse.

  “Dammit.”

  She climbed around to the driver side of the SUV and opened Drew’s door. His body slumped out, and Lily couldn’t stop him from hitting the ground. A thin trickle of blood oozed into Drew’s eyebrow from a cut she couldn’t quite see in the darkness. One headlight of the SUV must have been broken and the other was only illuminating the maple trees in front of them.

  Lily propped Drew against another tree and searched his pockets for a cell phone. And a gun. She didn’t find either.

  “This night is going to shit.” She opened the back driver side door and dug into her suitcase Drew had so psychotically packed for her. She pulled out her short, black leather jacket, because it was the first one she found. Not the warmest, but now that she looked around, she saw that they were at the part of Rick’s driveway that branched off and connected with her grandmother’s. She could walk up to Grandma Gail’s house and call an ambulance. Or the police. Or both. As much as she wanted to leave Drew there to bleed in the snow, she wasn’t a completely heartless bitch.

  Lily trudged up Grandma Gail’s driveway. She’d thought about heading over to Rick’s, but decided against it. She needed him to think she was gone to keep him safe. Besides, if she saw Rick again tonight, she’d never be able to leave.

  And she had to leave.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Is Lily truly playing me to get my land for Utopia?

  The thought of it clawed into his soul as Rick stared at the ceiling. He’d fallen in love with Lily as absurd as that sounded. Rick Stannard, spokesperson for clean, quiet, natural living, had fallen for a woman who dressed like a movie star and worked for a company that wanted to build a hotel where his house stood.

  How the hell had that happened?

  A wet tongue sloshed across his cheek and he turned his head to see Poe had crawled up alongside him. She used her teeth to pull at the sweatshirt Lily had tied around her paw.

  “Are you okay, girl?” Rick picked himself up from the floor and took a few deep breaths. Nothing felt broken. Things were definitely bruised though. “Let’s have a look at you.”

  He untied the sweatshirt and found the wound—only a small slice—had already stopped bleeding.

  “You’ll be fine, Poe. Good girl.” He scratched her between the ears then shuffled to the bathroom and got what he needed to bandage Poe’s paw.

  Once he’d finished seeing to the coyote, he grabbed his keys and his jacket and limped to his truck, trying to move as fast as he could. His mind came back online with the sharp slap of cold night air outside. A dull ache throbbed in his chest, but it had less to do with his physical heart and more to do with worrying if Lily was okay. Even if she had meant what she’d said, that she didn’t want to be with him, that she’d chosen Drew, Rick still wanted her to be safe. She couldn’t be safe with Drew. The guy might be obsessed with her, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t snap and hurt her.

  As Rick started his truck, his pulse was in his ears, loud and fast. He had to calm down or he’d be no use to anyone. He hit the gas and followed the tracks Drew’s SUV had made in the dusting of snow on his driveway. When he hit the part of his driveway that curved, he noticed the tire tracks swooped out in a wide, erratic loop. He pulled his truck over and got out. He followed the tracks until he found Drew’s SUV against one of his maples. The tree didn’t look any worse for wear, but the SUV’s hood resembled an accordion and the passenger and driver side doors were open.

  Please make Lily be okay.

  Rick pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911 as he moved closer to the SUV hoping to find Lily uninjured somewhere close by. That was when he saw them.

  Footprints.

  In the snow.

  Two sets.

  Leading over to Gail Hinsdale’s place.

  ****

  Lily kicked the snow off her work boots as she climbed the steps on the porch. When she reached the door, she let out a groan.

  “No key, genius.” Her purse was still at Rick’s. She leaned her head on the front door and stared at the tips of her boots. Good thing they weren’t her brown suede ones. They never would have survived the walk up the driveway.

  Huffing out a breath, Lily turned around. “Now what?”

  A crunching of snow made her snap her head up. When a dark shadow lumbered toward her, she flashed back to the bear attack. She couldn’t even get the scream to come out of her throat.

  “Lily…” The shadow crashed into the stairs and reached out a hand to her. “Lily.”

  In the streetlight glow, she caught Drew’s profile. His body was draped over the steps, his breathing coming out in loud gushes. Lily edged around him, wanting to get as far away as possible, but as she passed by, he grabbed her ankle. She tripped down the steps and smashed onto the driveway. Her shoulder took the impact the hardest and instantly the wet and cold of the snow seeped through her jeans to her skin. She looked up to find Drew standing over her.

  “It takes more than a little bump on the head to do me in, honey. You should know that.” He grabbed a handful of snow and pressed it to the gash on his forehead. After a few seconds, he dropped the bloody snowball and yanked Lily to her feet.

  She tried to free her arm from Drew’s vise grip around her biceps. “You’re hurting me.”

  “You ran away from me.” The words barely had room to come out from between his clenched teeth as he tightened his hold on her. Drew’s other hand reached into his coat pocket, and Rick’s gun made a reappearance.

  “I was getting help, Drew. Did you want me to leave you there to—”

  “Stop it. Just stop it, Lily.” He shook her, and her eyes stung as Drew shined a flashlight into her face.

  “Take this and come on.” He forced the flashlight into her hands and used the gun to prod her into the woods. The dark, snow-covered woods. Past Grandma Gail’s barn. The barn Rick had built.

  After a few minutes o
f walking, Drew pushed Lily between two huge boulders. On the other side, a tiny log cabin stood covered in snow-dusted vines and surrounded by trees. She would have never noticed it if Drew hadn’t directed her toward the decrepit structure. Inside, damp, moldy air assaulted Lily’s nose. Fluttering sounded overhead, but she couldn’t see what made the noise. She had to keep the flashlight focused on the ground to keep from tripping. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was up there anyway.

  She was certain of one thing. Something she’d learned when she was ten years old.

  The forest was a killer.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rick hiked up Gail’s driveway, the footprints he followed illuminated by his flashlight beam. His ankle throbbed, the mother of all headaches slammed about in his skull, and his left arm felt slightly numb. He shook it all off and pushed ahead.

  For Lily.

  She was real, wasn’t she? He hadn’t imagined her. He’d talked to her, touched her body, eaten her pancakes. Loved her. What they had shared, not once, but twice, in his cabin had been more real to him than any encounter he’d ever had with another human being. Granted, he didn’t make a habit of having encounters with folks, but Lily was different. Yes, she came in ready to wipe the floor with him to make way for her hotel, but something happened between them that had just fit into place so perfectly. Lily had made him see there was such a thing as too much solitude. She made him want to leave behind the way of the hermit, take chances.

  He had to find her.

  Police sirens howled in the distance as Rick reached Gail’s house. The footprints led up the front steps where the snow was matted. As he climbed the stairs, his flashlight picked up something in the snow. He backed up and kneeled down.

  Blood. And more footprints leading toward Gail’s barn.

  Rick took off through the woods. He managed a clumsy run, but his ankle screamed with each pound of his heel to the ground. He was aware of the police cars skidding into the driveway, the blue and red lights swirling against the leafless trees. Officers yelled at him to stop, to put his hands up. Rick imagined how it all looked. A man running awkwardly through the woods, but he didn’t stop. Every minute that passed was a minute Drew could be hurting Lily.

  His legs burned as he climbed the hill leading to Gail’s barn. What if he was too late? What if Drew had done something rash?

  What if the blood on the snow was Lily’s?

  ****

  Lily’s face slammed into the cabin wall, splinters of rotten log sticking into her cheek like tiny daggers.

  “You called the police,” Drew growled in her ear as he held her head against the rough wall. His body crushed her from behind like a wall of steel.

  The sirens were loud now. Close. Maybe not too late.

  “I didn’t call them,” Lily said. “I don’t have a phone.”

  “Liar!” Drew pulled her away from the wall so quickly her flesh ripped from her cheek. “I had nice plans for you and me. Life plans, but you came here, and Stannard ruined everything. Why did you let him, Lily? Why would you lower yourself to his level? You come from stars. Stars!”

  His voice had reached a hysterical range, and his body shook with anger. The flashlight had dropped to the floor. Now the cone of light reflected across uneven wood boards illuminating strange, mushy piles scattered around. Lily had originally thought the floor was covered in dirt, but now she wasn’t sure.

  And what was that odor?

  Probably fear.

  “I’m with you, aren’t I, Drew?” she said with more calm than she thought possible. God, her cheek was on fire.

  “But it’s a trick. You ran away.” Drew shook his head. “You just want to get me back to California. You don’t want me. You want him!”

  Drew was screaming now, and something bristled in the darkness overhead. A light breeze ghosted over Lily, sending tendrils of her hair back and stirring up a new scent. Very organic and sharp.

  “What is that?” Drew turned his head wildly in all directions. “Pick up the flashlight. Do it. Now!”

  Lily reached down, her eyes still locked on the gun in Drew’s hand.

  “Shine it up to the ceiling.” Drew poked the barrel of the pistol into Lily’s shoulder, and she had a moment to think if this were a movie she would have shut it off a long time ago. Probably have thrown up her popcorn too.

  When the flashlight beam made an arc up to the ceiling, Lily shrieked. Hundreds of tiny, dark bodies hung in clusters from the worn rafters of the cabin. Furry bodies with leathery wings and big ears writhed above her like an undulating black wave.

  As the word bats formed in Lily’s mind, the dilapidated door of the cabin was torn out of the threshold. She dropped the flashlight again and as it rocked back and forth on the ground, a work boot and a cast came into view at the doorway.

  Rick charged in, and Lily tried to get between him and Drew before that gun fired. Rick’s arms came around her, spun her around, and pushed her toward the doorway.

  “Get out of here!” he yelled.

  Lily stumbled forward, but caught herself before falling. She turned to see Rick face Drew as the gun lifted.

  “You’re not going to win this, lumberjack. She’s mine. She’ll always be mine.” He aimed the gun at Rick’s chest.

  With movement akin to Hollywood special effects, Lily reached down, picked up a pile of what she now realized was bat shit, and hurled it at Drew. It hit him square in the face with a gloppy splat sound, and he immediately started coughing and spitting.

  Rick sent his fist into Drew’s jaw and backed him up into the wall. He knocked the gun from Drew’s hand as armed police officers filed in.

  “Everyone, freeze,” the closest officer shouted.

  No one moved, but Drew continued to choke on his mouthful of bat feces.

  Lily held her breath, sure any sudden movement would cause something catastrophic. Guns were trained on all three of them. If she got out of this alive, she swore she’d only watch animated Disney movies from now on. Nothing with even the slightest bit of tension or danger.

  “Which one of you is Rick Stannard?” the officer asked.

  “I am,” Rick said, backing away from Drew.

  The officer’s gun pinning Rick in place lowered.

  “She’s Lily Hinsdale.” Rick pointed to Lily, then to Drew. “He’s the asshole you’re looking to arrest.”

  Rick pulled Lily up against him, and she instinctively buried her face into the curve of his neck.

  “You just made the wrong choice, Lily.” Drew rushed at Rick, but the police officer covering Drew shot first. One hit to Drew’s thigh.

  Bat wings flapped in unison around the cabin, the thunderous boom of gunshot sending them into flight.

  Lily shielded her head with her hands as Rick used his body to cover her from the frenzied bats. A gunshot sounded over the squeaking animals, then another. Another.

  When everything fell silent, Lily dropped her hands and wiped bat excrement off her fingers. The last of the bats soared out the open cabin doorway, and Drew lay on the scat-covered ground, Rick’s gun in his hand and blood pooling under his body.

  The officer who had first shot Drew was on the ground as well.

  “Are you hit?” another officer asked.

  “Yeah. Shoulder. Perp picked up his gun while the bats went crazy. I couldn’t see. Is he dead?”

  “Yes,” a third officer confirmed. “Get the EMTs in here.” Turning to Rick and Lily, he said, “Mr. Stannard, Ms. Hinsdale, we’ll need statements from each of you. See one of the officers outside.”

  Rick thanked the officer and ushered Lily out the doorway. He didn’t loosen his grip on her, and she marveled over how subjective touch was. Drew had held her tight, and she’d desperately wanted her freedom. Rick had an even tighter hold, and she never wanted him to let go.

  Not ever.

  Chapter Twenty

  After talking to the police, Lily let an EMT tend to her scraped cheek inside her grandmo
ther’s house. No stitches, but a shit load of splinters had to be removed from her face. Hurt like a bastard.

  Could have been so much worse.

  Alone now, Lily took Rick upstairs to the master bathroom. In the bright vanity lights, she got a good look at him. He looked as if he’d been in battle with mud streaking his jeans. Lily leaned to catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her face wasn’t much cleaner. Angry red gouges grooved her left cheek. Somehow seeing it made it hurt more.

  “Hot water ought to make that feel better.” Rick ran a hand through his disheveled hair and shook his head.

  Pushing off the threshold where he leaned, he joined Lily at the mirror. He winced at his reflection. “We look like hell. Let’s share a shower and wash this night away.”

  He limped to the stall, reached an arm in, and turned it on. In a few seconds, hot steam curled along the ceiling of the bathroom and called to Lily. So did the naked man tugging at her T-shirt and jeans.

  Lily got into the shower behind Rick after he slid off the air cast and drew the curtain closed. He moved over so the spray hit Lily too, and she stepped a little closer to the water. To Rick. When he took the soap, turned her around, and ran his lathered hands over the scars on her back, she didn’t know what to do with herself. Part of her wanted to grab him. Grab him and never let go. Forget everything that had just happened and selfishly take what she wanted.

  Another part of her knew better. She had to keep her distance. She’d put him in danger. Nearly gotten him killed tonight.

  “Lily, you’re shaking.” He backed her up against his body and wrapped his arms around her. “No one’s going to hurt you now. I promise.”

  Rick’s lips pressed to the back of her neck, and Lily couldn’t stop her hand from reaching back, hooking it on his hip, pulling him closer. His hands came to her stomach, slid down to her thighs, then up to her breasts. His caress, combined with the hot shower water, made Lily’s guilt slough down the drain.