Wrecked and Yours

by James, CeeCee

  Miranda grabbed his arm tighter.

  “Just trust me, okay? Count of three, let’s do this.”

  She spun around, hanging on to his arms that encircled her waist. She tried to slow her breathing, which came in panicked gasps.

  “Open your eyes,” he instructed.

  She opened them.

  The lake spread out before them like they’d reached the end of the earth. All that she could see was blue, the steely blue-grey lake split from the sky by a dark blue line. Seagulls hovered in the air, before one dove to pluck something out of the water.

  “It’s gorgeous,” Miranda breathed.

  Overhead, a seagull split off to circle above them. Miranda laughed for a moment, until the bird plunged down the side of the hill. As her eyes followed it, vertigo kicked in.

  “Whoa, baby.” She closed her eyes until the dizziness went away, then opened them again.

  To the right of them, a tree-covered hill seem to rise straight out of the water, reflecting a smudge of orange from its turning autumn leaves.

  “Hey,” she pointed. “Is that the town? I think the dental office is some place over there.”

  Jason rested his chin on the top of Miranda’s head. “I think you’re right. And over that way is where we live.” His lips found the crook of her neck. “Thank you for climbing up here with me.”

  Warmth ran through her body. She closed her eyes again, this time from happiness.

  Then popped them back open. “You aren’t rocking me.”

  “I figured you’d think I was trying to throw you off the side,” he growled in her ear.

  She glanced at the edge and gave a little shudder. “Is it time to go back down now?”

  “Yep. This will be a piece of cake.” Jason helped her sit. “Okay, we’re going to climb down just like we got up. I’ll go first. Then I want you to roll over, and scoot off the edge. Relax. I’ll be there to catch you.”

  “Jason.” Miranda’s forehead wrinkled.

  “Hey, don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” He winked at her and flashed his crooked smile. Then he jumped to the overhang below.

  “‘Piece of cake,’ he says, then leaps off the cliff. I don’t know what kind of cake he’s eating,” Miranda grumbled.

  “All right! Come on down!”

  Miranda rolled on her belly and slid her legs over the edge. As they dangled in mid-air a squeamish feeling rippled through her. Oh God! Don’t leave me now! she prayed.

  She felt a firm hand on her ankle.

  “Keep coming. I’ve got you.”

  She slid down more, the dirt and grass scraping against her stomach. Suddenly, the grass gave way under her hand. She gave a half squeal. Jason firmly grabbed her around her legs, and she slithered into his arms like a clumsy avalanche.

  “I told you I’d catch you.” His tanned face lit up with a grin.

  She giggled with relief and sagged against him. “Jason, I swear, I climbed this cliff just to show you that I trusted you. But, that was freaking incredible! Thank you so much. I couldn’t have done it without you.” She looked up at him.

  The smile dropped from her lips.

  His dark hair fell over his forehead as he stared deeply into her eyes. Raising his hand to her face, he brushed the hair back behind her ear. He licked his bottom lip, as his gaze dropped from her eyes down to her mouth. He slowly exhaled and lowered his head. Came closer.

  Closer.

  And closer...until his forehead touched hers. The air in the short space that separated them crackled with electricity. She tipped her head up, almost without control. Softly, his lips pressed against hers, ending with him slowly running his tongue against her bottom lip. Barely breathing, she leaned in to him, and he pulled her closer, his mouth coming down harder. His tongue nudged her lips open and swept inside. His hand ran up the back of her neck, and heat spread throughout her body as his fingers threaded through her hair. He kissed along her jaw line, her neck, then returned to her lips. “You’re so beautiful, Miranda.”

  She couldn’t speak, afraid she’d laugh from happiness.

  He leaned back, his arms still tightly wrapped around her. “You’re so special. You have no idea how amazing you are.”

  She half-covered her face with her hand. Her heart beat wildly, and not from fear. He nudged her hand away. “And you’re brave.”

  She looked into his eyes. “Are you serious? Me? Brave?” She snorted in disbelief, then cringed in embarrassment. You are such a dork, she told herself.

  “Yeah, the bravest woman I know.” He gave a small grin, then glanced down the incline. “You ready for that steak dinner?” He held his hand out to her and she took it. He gave it a little squeeze before leading her out onto the incline.

  Climbing down took more guts than going up. It hadn’t seemed as steep on the way up, and her eyes shot wide a few times when she skidded on loose rocks. Jason coaxed her the entire way, “It’s okay, almost there. Step on this rock over here. Just a little bit more.”

  The last two steps were lose gravel, and then she was on the sand. “Sweet earth, I could kiss you.” She bent down to the sand and pretended to kiss it.

  “Well, I’d tell the sand the kiss was pretty nice, but I don’t want to give you any ideas.”

  “Pretty nice?” Miranda scrambled to her feet. “I’ll show you pretty nice!”

  Jason gave his half-smile. “That’s the best threat ever. Now, let’s go. I’ll teach you how to barbecue a steak.”

  “Just because you like it mooing on your plate doesn’t mean I don’t know how to cook it.”

  “I love getting a rise out of you.”

  “You always have, Jason.” She shook her head and grabbed his hand.

  He brought it to his lips and kissed it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six Present Day

  Jason was supposed to leave the next morning at five am for his fishing trip at Glacier Lake. Miranda woke early to send him off, but instead they ended up having coffee out on the porch. One cup turned into two, and soon she was making him eggs while he fried some bacon. They ate it standing next to each other at the counter.

  “Are your fishing buddies going to be mad you’re late?”

  “Naw. They’re probably still packing up themselves.”

  “Well, if I don’t hurry, I’m going to be late, and my boss isn’t as forgiving.”

  Taking her plate to the sink, she rinsed it and stacked it in the dishwasher.

  Jason pushed up his grey flannel shirt on his arms and watched her. Then he walked over and held her around her shoulders. “You going to miss me?”

  She turned from the sink and twined her fingers behind his neck. “More than you know.”

  “I’m leaving Archer here with you,” he decided.

  “Really? He’s my buddy,” she squealed. She kissed him before he could say anything else, and then moved to grab her keys.

  He pulled her back by her hand. “Not so fast,” he growled. He raised her up on the counter. Moving close, he cupped the back of her head and brought his lips down on hers.

  Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck, like they had a life of their own. Softly, he kissed her, slowly, rolling his tongue gently against hers. She was breathless when he pulled away.

  She pushed the dark hank of hair off of his forehead. “Wow, you keep doing that and I might never let you leave.”

  He smirked at her as he lifted her down. “Call Doug if you need anything. Call me, too.”

  Miranda rolled her eyes. “I’ll be fine. Go catch some fish.” She reached for her purse and then opened the front door.

  “Hey Miranda, one more thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t be feeding any snacks to my dog.” He gave her a wink just before the door shut.

  Miranda sang as she walked out to her jeep. “Archer likes me better than yooou.”

  ***

  Sadness flooded through Miranda when she unlocked the door that evening. Archer g
reeted her at the front door with his tail wagging, before jumping up to plant his paws on her chest.

  “Just you and me, huh buddy?” she said, scratching his ears. He cocked his head like he understood her. Miranda gave him a kiss before pushing him down. Going to the fridge, she pulled a piece of lunch meat from its package and offered him the treat. Archer sniffed the meat, then with one gulp he swallowed it whole. She used the rest to make herself a sandwich.

  There was nothing worth watching on the television except an old Hallmark movie, and it was almost a relief when it was dark enough that Miranda had an excuse to go to bed. She walked around to all the doors and windows and double-checked that they were secure. Archer followed her, his nails clicking on the wood floors.

  “Come on, Archer.” Her own voice startled her because the house had been so quiet. “Lets hit the hay.”

  Up in her room, Archer jumped on her bed like he’d been doing it forever. His heavy body was a comfort next to her. Miranda gave him a kiss on the wrinkle between his eyes, and then lay back against the pillow with her Kindle.

  Her phone lit up on the nightstand with a FaceTime request from Jason. A thrill of excitement shot through her to see his name. Quickly, she smoothed her hair back and tried to prop herself up on the pillow in some semblance of attractiveness, rather than the Raggedy-Ann doll she felt like.

  She clicked Accept.

  The phone took a moment to connect. “Come on, come on,” she hissed, while trying to keep a casual, aren’t-I-gorgeous-while-just-lying-here smile on her face. Her cheeks hurt from the effort.

  The screen flickered and in the next moment his face was there. “Hey,” he said with a smile. His face was already scruffy from not shaving.

  “Hi Jason. What are you doing?”

  “Meh, nothing much.” He took a bite of something out of a can.

  Miranda snorted. “What the heck are you eating with?”

  “Oh, this?” He held up a wrench.

  “Yeah! What are you doing?”

  “I forgot a spoon. Had to improvise.”

  Miranda felt a soft snuffle on her neck.

  “So, uh.” Jason paused in mid-sentence. His eyes widened. “Is that Archer breathing down your neck?”

  Crap! Miranda flipped the phone face down. “Oh, sorry! Just dropped the phone!” she yelled, while simultaneously trying to pull Archer off the bed. He resisted her in his flat-dog position. “Archer! Come on.” With a sad face, he jumped off the bed.

  Feeling rumpled and discombobulated, she flipped the phone back over. Jason sat there with a blank face, one eyebrow raised.

  “So,” Miranda said, after plopping back on the bed. “Catch any fish?”

  He slowly lifted the other eyebrow.

  Miranda flashed him her most winning smile.

  “You remember, right, Archer isn’t allowed on the bed?”

  “Oh my gosh, Jason. I’d never—”

  The bed jiggled as Archer jumped back up. Miranda flung her arm behind her to try to pin the dog down. Jason watched nonplussed. “So, the fish?” Miranda asked again, blowing a stray hair out of her face.

  Jason gave a little whistle between his teeth, and Archer popped his head up. The dog quickly laid his head against her neck again to stare adoringly at his master.

  “Where did you come from? Weird.” Miranda tried to appear surprised.

  Jason rolled his eyes and glanced away for a second, probably thinking of all the ways he wanted to strangle her. He looked back, the campfire light flickering off his face. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that,” he said.

  “Maybe that’s best,” Miranda said, as Archer gave a whine through his nose. “Are you going to make me ask again?”

  “Great. Fishing’s been great.”

  She smiled. “Why are you eating out of a can then?”

  Jason studied the can. “Hmm. How can I get out of this?”

  “Oh, let’s hear your best lie.”

  “I’ve got a story. It involves sharks though, so I better save it.”

  Miranda laughed. “Whatever!”

  Archer sat up on the bed. His ears perked. Miranda wrapped her arm around his back. “Down, Archer!”

  He tilted his head and stared intently at the bedroom doorway.

  “You can’t even get him off the bed now. I’m going to come back and my dog is going to be fat and spoiled.”

  “Archer?” Miranda said. “Archer, lie down.”

  Archer stiffened. A low growl rumbled out of his throat. Miranda glanced at the door.

  The dog jumped off the bed and stalked to the door.

  “I swear, I can never leave the two of you alone again,” Jason joked.

  Miranda spun towards the phone. “Shhh.”

  Jason stopped in mid-bite. He set the wrench back in the can. “What’s going on?”

  Miranda moved off the bed and walked towards her door. Archer’s hair rose and his muscles quivered with his growls. Slowly, she turned the knob and opened the door a crack.

  “Miranda?” the phone squawked.

  Ignoring him, she strained to hear.

  Archer squeezed through the opening and dashed down the stairs, his nails scrabbling. He rounded the corner and began barking fiercely.

  “Someone’s in the house,” she whispered to Jason.

  “Get out now. Go out the window. There’s a fire ladder!”

  She crept forward to peer over the stair railing. Archer was ferocious in his attack. A man shouted, “Get off of you me, you—”

  There was a crash, and a yip. “He’s hurting Archer!” Without thinking, Miranda barreled down the stairs.

  “Miranda! Miranda! Stop!” Jason screamed.

  She ran into the dark kitchen. Archer stood on his back legs, his mouth clamped around the arm of a male silhouette. The man beat Archer with his fist. Miranda threw the phone as hard as she could at the intruder’s head.

  It connected with a crack. The man grabbed his head, and looked over. His eyes glittered in the sliver of moonlight. Dane. He booted Archer in the stomach, sending the dog across the floor.

  Miranda turned to run. Hands grabbed her hair. A powerful yank pulled her off her feet.

  She screamed.

  Dane’s fist came down and slammed into her cheek. Brilliant spots exploded in her vision. He let go of her and she fell limply to the floor.

  “You stupid—” he sneered.

  She couldn’t move.

  He kicked her in the thigh, and she flopped over. “I’m going to enjoy this.” He walked around her and gave her body another prod with his foot.

  When she didn’t move, he seemed satisfied. Squatting next to her, he began to talk to himself. “Too busy. Just too busy.” Reaching out, he stroked her hair. “Too busy to talk. Too busy for lunch. But not so busy now, are you?” He twisted a lock of her hair around his finger until her head pulled off the floor.

  She groaned softly.

  “You didn’t think I was watching. You didn’t think I knew. But I saw you. Not too busy for other guys, huh?” Lowering his head to hers, he whispered the last words, his breath fetid on her face. “But your boyfriend’s gone. Oh yes, he is. I’ve heard through the grapevine. Fancies himself a fisherman.” He released her hair. “Looks like I’m the one that caught the grand prize.”

  Dane walked over to the counter. With a loud bang, he yanked out the drawer in search for something.

  Miranda cracked open an eye, the other quickly swelling shut. What am I going to do?

  She shifted her head to find Archer. The dog lay in a crumpled heap. Archer saw her movement and stirred as if to crawl toward her before stopping with a whimper.

  “But first”—the man walked over to the dog—“I owe you a little something.” He lifted his arm. At the end was Jason’s hickory knife.

  “No” Miranda cried.

  Dane’s head swung towards her. “Oh, you’ve got words for me now?” He walked over to her. “Let’s hear what you’ve got to say.”


  “Please—“

  “So polite now.” He gave a rusty laugh and pushed one of his ears forward. “I’m all ears.” He looked at her again. “No? Nothing more? All right then. Maybe I’ll start with you instead.” Whistling, he beckoned to her with the knife, his other hand going to his belt buckle.

  Miranda rolled to her side, and pushed herself up. She glanced wildly around the kitchen for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. The counters were empty from where she’d cleaned earlier. Looking back at him, she balled up her fists.

  His gaze fell on her fists and he smiled, the smile broadening until laughter burst out of him. “I see you’ve still got some fight left in you.”

  Keeping her eyes on him, she slowly moved until she could see the door from the corner of her eye.

  He rushed at her, pulling up just shy before actually touching her. She jerked in response, and he laughed again.

  Then the smile fell away and his eyes turned deadly serious. He lunged for her. She brought her fist down on his nose and felt it crunch. Screaming, he grabbed her hair and wrenched her neck.

  BAM! A gunshot went off.

  From the doorway came a gravelly voice. “That was a warning shot. The next time I won’t miss.”

  A brilliant red dot appeared on Dane’s chest. He noticed it and froze.

  “Move and it’s over. That’s a promise.”

  Dane raised his hands in the air.

  Miranda dropped to the floor to get out of the way.

  Dane turned slowly towards the voice. “Hey there, friend.” He flashed a grin. “I guess nobody told you. I’m supposed to keep an eye on the place.”

  “Don’t. Move.”

  “It’s nothing, just a misunderstanding.” Dane said in a jovial voice.

  “Better keep those hands where I can—”

  Dane flung his knife. Instantly, the gun boomed. Miranda screamed, and covered her ears at the blast. Someone shouted but Miranda couldn't make out the words through the ringing in her ears.

  The overhead light flipped on, and a hand touched her shoulder. She flinched.