Can't Forget You

by Rachel Lacey

  After he’d been injured in Iraq two years ago, his Army career had been sidelined. He’d spent a year working on the administrative side of things, but it didn’t fucking compare to being out in the field, busting drug deals or securing hostile territory with his Special Forces team.

  Now, for the first time in his adult life, he was a civilian. Finally starting to come to terms with it too. There was something reassuring about the peace and quiet of the woods after spending so much time in a war zone. The creatures here weren’t capable of evil. They just did their thing and lived their lives. Not so different from him these days.

  Movement snagged his attention out of the corner of his right eye. Instinct had him reaching for the weapon he no longer carried. Exhaling slowly, he glanced over his shoulder. He moved more quietly than most hikers and often surprised wildlife out here in the woods. Sure enough, about two hundred feet away, a black bear and two cubs ambled through the trees. One of the cubs paused, looked back at him, and then kept walking.

  No cause for alarm. Bears were pretty common out here and rarely bothered people unless people bothered them first. Mark watched as they made their way through the woods, headed roughly in the same direction Jess had gone. And that he didn’t like.

  Unable to help himself, he doubled back. No doubt Jess knew how to handle herself around bears as well as he did, but the duty to protect was too deeply ingrained in him to ignore.

  The bear and her cubs had ventured far enough ahead to be out of sight now, but he could still hear their feet crunching through the bed of fallen leaves and twigs that covered the ground and the mama bear’s occasional snorts as she called to her cubs. They weren’t exactly stealthy, nor did they need to be. They ruled these woods, and they knew it.

  He veered to the right in the direction he’d last seen Jess. It wasn’t hard to follow her tracks. The leaf bed here was still damp from yesterday’s rain, and the imprint of her shoes showed easily. He found her sitting on a tree stump, staring into the trees as if completely lost in thought.

  Yep, that was Jess. He stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets to watch her. So damn pretty. Her brown hair hung just past her shoulders. A shaft of sunlight brought out its gold undertones. Probably daydreaming about her plans for expanding the spa. Not wanting to interrupt, he stood back and waited for her to notice him.

  After a few moments, she stood and headed in his direction. About two steps before she walked right into him, she let out a little shriek and clutched her chest. “Oh my God, Mark. You almost gave me a friggin’ heart attack.”

  He bit back a smile. “Sorry.”

  “If you have to do your whole Army stealth thing out here, at least give a girl a heads-up, huh?” She frowned at him, her brown eyes flashing as she brushed past him and kept on walking.

  “Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

  “Why are you over here anyway? I thought you were checking out the hills for your mountain biking course.”

  “Saw a family of black bears headed your way,” he said, falling into step behind her.

  “And you thought I was just some helpless female who needed your protection?” She glared over her shoulder at him.

  Nope, Jess was definitely not helpless.

  “Well, for your information, I’ve seen plenty of bears out here over the years,” she said. “They don’t bother me a bit. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

  “Got it.” Knew it was true too. And he also knew he’d do the same thing again, for any hiker out here, male or female, but especially for Jess.

  Neither of them spoke as they walked back toward the entrance to the property. Silence was his preferred method of communication, but this silence buzzed with a tension that made his scalp prickle with misgivings. Whichever of them ended up buying this land, they were going to be neighbors, and it would make things a hell of a lot easier if they could get along.

  Beside him, Jess rubbed at her forehead. All the color—and the anger—seemed to have drained out of her.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Fine,” she muttered, but now that he was close to her, she didn’t look fine. She was pale, her movements jerky as if she were in pain.

  “Jess…” He touched her arm, hoping to get her to slow down, and Jesus H. Christ. “You’re burning up.”

  She jerked her arm away from his touch. “Am I?”

  “Hold up a minute here.” He reached for her again, and this time she stopped, letting out a weary sigh.

  “I might be coming down with the flu. Half my employees have had it already this month.”

  He pressed a palm against her forehead, frowning. “You’re running a high fever. Have you taken anything?”

  She shook her head. “I will as soon as I get back to the spa.”

  “Let me take you home.”

  She started walking again. “No, thanks.”

  “You can’t go back to work like this.”

  She let out a frustrated groan. “I know that. Much as it kills me to cancel on my afternoon clients, I can’t see as I have any choice. Not good for business if I infect them with my germs, is it?”

  He walked beside her, still watching her closely. “Are you limping?”

  “Will you cut it out? My joints hurt. I’m sick. I’m going home, I promise.”

  But she didn’t complain when he offered his elbow to lean on, and that spoke volumes. They lapsed back into silence, making their way through the woods. A few minutes later, they rounded an outcrop and found themselves face-to-face with the bear and her cubs, not ten feet in front of them.

  Jess gasped, her grip on his arm tightening.

  The mama bear had been sharpening her claws on a tree trunk while her cubs climbed the tree. She turned her head at the sudden human intrusion and lunged in their direction, slapping her front paw against the leaf-covered ground as she blew loudly through her nostrils.

  Mark raised his hands in the air, beginning to back away. “Easy, girl. We didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

  “Holy shit,” Jess whispered, yanking on his arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “We are, but carefully,” he said, walking backward away from the bears while still facing them, keeping his body between Jess and the agitated mama. “She’s just bluffing. We startled her. She’s telling us we’re too close to her and her babies.”

  “No friggin’ kidding.”

  “No need to get upset.” He lifted his voice to carry to the bears. “Easy does it.”

  Mama bear slapped the ground again, huffing loudly.

  “Why are you talking to her like that?” Jess hissed in his ear. “You’re pissing her off!”

  “We’re making sure she knows we’re not prey, but we’re also respecting her wishes and getting out of her space.” He kept his voice calm, level, and loud enough for the bears to hear.

  Mama bear continued to huff and snort, eyeing them warily until they’d backed out of sight into the surrounding trees. Only then did Mark finally turn around, leading Jess briskly through the trees in the direction of the road, keeping his ears tuned for any sound from behind them.

  “Holy shit,” she said, looking paler than ever.

  “She didn’t want to fight us. It was just a warning. You should take my survival skills class sometime,” he said, glancing at her.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  He took that as a no.

  They reached the road a few minutes later, and she removed her hand from his arm, tucking it around her waist. “Thanks for waiting while we poked around,” she said to Gordon McDermott.

  “You two see everything you needed to see?” the realtor asked.

  “Yep,” she said. “And then some,” she added with a small smile in Mark’s direction.

  He nodded. “We’ll be in touch with our offer.”

  “So will I,” Jess said, her expression hardening.

  They said their good-byes, and Gordon climbed back inside his SUV.

&nbs
p; “I’ll walk you to your car,” Mark said to Jess because she didn’t look entirely steady on her feet.

  “No, thanks.” She started off in the direction of the spa, walking quickly.

  He fell into step beside her anyway.

  She frowned up at him. “You know, maybe some women swoon for your macho style, but I’m not one of them.”

  “I noticed,” he said dryly, wishing her words didn’t burrow their way under his skin and stick there like some unwelcome parasite.

  “So, bye then.” She waved a hand in his direction, picking up her pace.

  He didn’t argue, just kept walking beside her.

  She muttered something under her breath, glared at him, and kept walking. She wasn’t limping anymore, but he wasn’t sure if she was feeling better or just being stubborn and putting on a brave face so that he’d leave her alone.

  The latter, apparently, because when the spa finally came into view, her shoulders slumped and her relief was palpable. She ran a hand through her brown hair and gave him another pointed look. “Okay, thanks for walking with me. I can take it from here.”

  “Jess…let me drive you home.”

  Now that she’d stopped walking, she looked like she might topple over if a strong breeze gusted against her. “I’m going inside to finish up a few things first. I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

  “Stubborn man,” she mumbled. “Well, I’m going inside to finish up. You can wait here if you really want, but knowing you’re out here is not going to make me rush.”

  On the contrary, she’d probably dawdle just to spite him, but he didn’t care. She was in no shape to drive herself home. So he stood to the side of the entrance, hands in his pockets, and waited. Eight years in the Special Forces had given him plenty of experience waiting. He could stand here all afternoon if he needed to.

  He didn’t much like the idea of going up against Jess to buy this property, but there didn’t seem to be any way around it. She was certainly going to do her best to snag it for herself, and there was no way the guys would want to back down, so they would too. May the best man—or woman—win.

  Thirty minutes later, she came out the spa’s front doors, her purse and another larger bag slung over her right shoulder. And it was a good thing he’d waited because she looked even worse than when she’d gone in.

  She stopped in her tracks and gawked at him. “Oh my God. Have you seriously been standing here this whole time?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, I…I figured you’d leave. I forgot how stubborn you are when you get an idea in your head, but for the record, I’m perfectly capable of driving myself home.”

  “Jess.” He stared at her, frowning. “Stop arguing and let me drive you home.”

  “Fine.” She huffed in annoyance and led the way toward a black Kia Sportage parked around back. She was limping again, moving more slowly than she had during their earlier hike. The doors unlocked with a beep, and she walked to the passenger side. “How’s this going to work anyway? How are you going to get back?”

  “I’ll call someone to pick me up at your place.”

  She pointed a finger in his direction. “I’m not inviting you in, just so you know.”

  “Fair enough.” He slid behind the steering wheel and texted the one person at Off-the-Grid most likely to be goofing around on his phone this afternoon: Ryan’s teenage brother Trent. Sure enough, Trent replied right away. “Trent’s going to swing by and get me.”

  Jess leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. “Okay…207 Riverbend Road.”

  “I know.” He started the engine and pulled out of the lot. Jess was quiet during the drive. He might have thought she was sleeping except for the lines of tension creasing her brow. Ten minutes later, he turned into the driveway of her little brown-sided house, parked, and shut off the engine.

  Her eyes opened, bright with fever, and she gave him a pinched smile. “Thanks for the ride, and you know…saving me from bears.” Then her usual attitude flared to life, and her eyes narrowed. “But I’m still going to outbid you on that land.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Jessica spent most of the next day in bed with the covers pulled over her head, determined to sleep until she felt better. Her body ached, she was wracked with chills, and her head felt like it might burst open at any moment. She hadn’t had the flu in years and had forgotten how much it sucked.

  Unfortunately, her busybody family hadn’t gotten the memo as first her sister and then her brother called to check on her. And just when she’d gotten back to sleep, her mom stopped by with homemade chicken noodle soup. Even though she had no appetite and would rather be sleeping, her mom had insisted on heating up a bowl and staying while she ate it.

  “You have to stay hydrated, and the protein will help you heal faster,” she’d said.

  The truth was that Jessica did feel a tiny bit better after the soup. Good enough that she’d propped herself up on the couch and watched this week’s episode of Game of Thrones on her DVR. By the end, she’d been barely able to keep her eyes open so she’d crawled back in bed and fallen into a fitful, feverish sleep.

  A knock at the front door roused her from her stupor sometime later. She squinted through bleary eyes at the clock on her bedside table to see that it was just past six in the evening. And dammit, who the hell was waking her up this time? She burrowed her face into her pillow, hoping whoever it was would just leave.

  Another quiet knock.

  Wishing her bedroom was on the front side of the house so she could at least see who it was, she crawled out of bed. If it was someone from her family and she didn’t come to the door, she wouldn’t put it past them to call the police for a wellness check. She shuffled to the front door and peeked through the peephole.

  Mark.

  Her stomach quivered, and it had nothing to do with the germs currently waging war inside her body. His dark, brooding stare was still her kryptonite, which just sucked as far as she was concerned. He’d shown his true colors when he traded her in after high school for his next adventure: the Army. He was a loner, a nomad, not the kind of guy to settle down and get married. Fine, whatever.

  But she was twenty-eight now, and she did want to get married. Not that she was in any huge rush, but her choice in men these days definitely had more of an emphasis on long-term potential than casual fun.

  Groaning inwardly, she pulled open the door. “What are you doing here, Mark?”

  He held up a shopping bag. “Just came to see how you were feeling and brought you some sustenance.”

  Curious, she took the bag and peeked inside. She saw a package of Popsicles and several bottles of Gatorade. And actually…a Popsicle sounded heavenly. “Thanks. That was really nice of you.”

  “Figured your mom would have already brought over plenty of homemade soup.” He cracked a smile. Mark didn’t smile all that often, not for her anyway, which was a good thing because his smiles were absolutely dazzling, and she did not want to be dazzled by this man. Not this time.

  Still, she felt herself smiling back at him. “She dropped off a big pot this morning.”

  “That’s good. You feelin’ any better?”

  “No.” Maybe even a little worse than yesterday. “I’d invite you in, but…I don’t want to infect you with my germs.” And truthfully, she was glad for the excuse. It was better that she and Mark see each other as little as possible. He stirred up all kinds of things in her, memories of a time when she’d been young and naïve and foolish.

  He nodded. “Don’t want to keep you up anyway. I hope you feel better.”

  “Thanks, Mark.” This was probably the most polite conversation they’d had with each other in eleven years.

  “’Kay then.” With a wave, he headed for his SUV.

  She closed the door and walked to the kitchen, pulling out a raspberry Popsicle as she went. I know, he’d said yesterday when she told him her address. How and why
had he already known where she lived? It probably should have pissed her off, but for some ridiculous reason, it made her smile. She put the box of Popsicles in the freezer and was halfway back to bed when she remembered. Mark…land…she hadn’t called to put in her offer.

  Crap.

  Hoping it wasn’t too late, she reached for her cell phone and called the realtor. The asking price for the land was at the very top of her budget, and she’d been hoping to get it for less, but with Mark and the guys at Off-the-Grid also interested and probably having put in their offer yesterday, she decided she’d better offer the full asking price and hope for the best.

  With that taken care of, she ate her raspberry Popsicle and crawled back into bed, hoping she felt more human the next time she woke.

  * * *

  “How come you get to have all the fun on the backhoe?” Ryan asked, watching as Ethan lowered the scoop on their rented machine and scraped up a bucketful of earth.

  Ethan gave him a cocky grin. “Because I’m getting married this weekend.”

  “And your wedding gives you dibs on the backhoe, how?” Mark asked, stepping closer to survey the hole they were digging. Soon this hole would become a mud pit, one of many obstacles that teams would have to cross during the upcoming Adrenaline Rush, their annual team-based obstacle course race.

  “It just does,” Ethan said.

  “I call bullshit,” Ryan bellowed, a wide grin on his face.

  Mark found himself fighting a grin of his own. Hell, he was so thankful for these guys. Closest thing to a family he’d ever had. Growing up in foster care, bouncing from home to home, about the only sure thing had been that things would change, and usually for the worse. But not with these guys.

  They’d landed in a group home together the summer Mark was eleven. Best summer of his whole damn life. They’d been split up soon after, but it was a small town. They’d attended the same middle and high school and so they’d remained friends, thick as thieves through their teens.