The servants keep our pantry stocked with our favorite snacks. The treehouse has been mended and remodeled over the spring, ready for us to wreak havoc in it, pretending to be pirates or knights of the round table.
We can play down at the beach during low tide, searching for treasures.
And in the evenings, we have movies and popcorn until we fall asleep.
We look forward to it more than Christmas. More than anything.
“Come on, Elena,” Carmine calls, gesturing for me to follow him. Carmine is the oldest—and the smartest. I love all of my cousins, but Carmine is my favorite. He lets me tag along almost anywhere.
The other boys get tired of me.
Carmine never does.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” he says and stops to wait for me to catch up. He takes my hand and leads me down a path in the woods next to Grandma’s house. “You know I’d never let anything bad happen.”
“I know, but what if there are bears? Or tigers?”
“Tigers don’t live in North America,” he says and holds a branch out of my way so it doesn’t smack me in the face. “But if we see a bear, I’ll fight him off.”
I laugh at him. “Right. Like you could fight a bear.”
“Hey, I’ve been working out.” He flexes, showing me his fourteen-year-old muscles. “And no matter what, I’ll always keep you safe, Elena. The family won’t let anything happen to you.”
“My father might,” I admit in a small voice. “He’s not very nice.”
“Does he hit you?”
“No.” I shake my head and shiver when the sun slips behind a cloud, making the woods cold. “No, he just says mean things sometimes.”
“My dad says your dad’s an asshole,” Carmine admits. “I overheard him. At least you can always come here with us. And you can be away from there for a couple of months.”
“This is the best time ever,” I agree. “I’m getting tired. Where are we going?”
“Almost there.”
His hand tightens around mine as he leads me into a clearing. Suddenly, I’m not a child anymore. I’m a woman.
And in the clearing is scaffolding with a hanging rope.
Archer stands behind the rope with his hands tied behind his back.
“What’s going on?” I demand, staring up at Carmine. “What are you doing?”
“He’s taking your punishment,” Carmine says grimly, staring up at Archer. “For running from us. For staying away.”
“Grandma—”
“Is dead,” Carmine says, cutting me off. “She can’t protect you anymore.”
I stare in horror at the man I love. His blue eyes are full of sorrow as he mouths, I love you.
I love you, too, I mouth back.
“Please don’t do this, Carmine.”
“It’s already done.”
He flicks his hand, and suddenly, Archer’s neck is in the noose, and he’s hanging, jerking about.
“NOOOOO! No no no no!”
I run toward him, but it’s pitch-black now, and I’m falling. Falling and falling. Into what, I don’t know.
“Archer!”
“He’s not here,” Carmine whispers in my ear. “He can’t save you, Elena. Only we can. Only the family can help you.”
“The family is a disease,” I stammer as I cry out. “And I want nothing to do with it.”
I sit up, dripping with sweat. Cool air blows in through the window and across my skin.
“Baby,” Archer says, kissing my cheek. “It’s okay. It was only a dream. You’re safe.”
“I need some water.”
“I’ll get it.”
“It’s okay.” I kiss his cheek and then hurry from the bed, anxious to get out of the bedroom and away from Archer. “I’ll be right back.”
I snag my robe off a chair as I walk out to the kitchen. I pull it around me, tighten the belt, and rather than stop at the sink, I keep walking out to the deck to lean on the railing of the balcony.
I can’t see the water. There’s no moon tonight.
But I can hear it, and it soothes me.
I take several deep breaths, willing my heart to calm down. Archer was right, it was only a dream. He’s alive and well, and so am I.
Everything’s fine.
I hear the door behind me, but I don’t turn to him. He slips his arms around my waist from behind and kisses the top of my head.
“Wanna talk it out?”
“No.” I turn and bury my face in his chest as I wrap my arms around him, holding on with all my might. “I just need you to hold me. Out here, like this.”
“For as long as you need, sweetheart.”
Chapter 14
~Elena~
Margie, my boss at the wildlife sanctuary, is never at work when I am. She comes in to relieve me, working the swing shift.
But when I’m only halfway through my day, the woman comes walking into the nursery, dressed for work.
“Am I being fired?” I ask, wondering what in the world she’s doing here.
“Hardly,” Margie says with a laugh. “I just got this place fully staffed, and you’re a dream. You’d better not be going anywhere.”
“Then why are you here?”
She smiles in a way I’ve never seen before, confusing me more. “I’m giving you the next four days off.”
I blink, sure I’ve heard her wrong. “Why?”
“Now that, I can’t say. But from right now until Tuesday morning, you’re off. With pay, I might add.”
“Did I win the lottery?” I wonder, glancing around. “Hit my head on something hard? Is this dementia, and I just don’t know it?”
“Follow me,” she says, laughing at me. She leads me to our locker room where we keep our personal things and clean clothes.
Baby animals love to pee, poop, and throw up on people.
I stop short and frown. “What are you doing here?”
Archer grins that cocky, self-assured smile that never fails to hit me square in the gut.
“It’s a surprise.”
I inhale sharply, remembering those were the same words Carmine used in my dream last night.
“What kind of surprise?”
“This is where I go,” Margie says and winks at me. “Have a great time.”
She leaves the room, and I turn back to Archer.
“What’s going on?”
“We’re getting out of here for a few days. Away from Oregon and all of the ghosts that haunt you here. We need a vacation, babe.”
“So you just arranged it with my boss?”
He rocks back on his heels. “I did.”
I feel the smile slide slowly over my lips. No one’s ever done something like this for me before. Maybe he’s right. Perhaps a little holiday is exactly what we need.
“Where are we going?”
“That, my beautiful travel companion, is a surprise. But I already packed your bags, and Lindsey is going to keep an eye on your house. We’re good to go.”
“Wow. So, you’re just whisking me away right this minute?”
“I can’t figure out if you’re excited or mildly pissed.”
“I’m not pissed,” I say with a shake of the head. “And depending on where we’re going, I might be excited. So, tell me.”
He moves in, wraps those ridiculously strong arms around me, and kisses me until I’m breathless.
“I’m not spilling the beans,” he whispers against my lips. “And we’d better go before we miss our flight.”
“Do I get to double-check your packing skills?” I ask as he guides me out of the building to his car.
“Nope.”
He tucks me inside the vehicle and walks around to the driver’s side, then climbs in and leans over to kiss me again.
This one makes my toes curl.
“What if I need something you forgot?”
“There are stores where we’re going,” he says as he drives away from the sanctuary, and
away from Bandon. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
“You brought me to the boonies,” I say seven hours later. We landed in a remote part of Montana, although I would guess that all parts of Montana are remote. Archer rented a Jeep Wrangler, and the late summer weather is nice enough to take the top off.
Mountains rise up all around us, the trees covered in varying shades of yellow and green leaves, contrasting beautifully with the deeper shades of the evergreens.
“Cunningham Falls,” I read as we drive into a small town nestled next to the mountains. “How in the world did you find this?”
“Some of my family has talked about coming here to visit,” he says casually. He’s in ripped jeans, a black T-shirt, and aviator sunglasses. The wind blows through his dark hair, and he hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, leaving a little scruff on his face.
He’s damn hot.
“And before you yell at me,” he continues, “no, I didn’t call anyone and tell them this is where I am. I made all of the arrangements myself. Literally no one knows where we are. I told Margie I was just taking you away for a few days. No details.”
He grins and pulls my hand up to his lips, nibbling on my knuckles.
“You went to a lot of trouble.”
“It’s no trouble to spoil you a bit,” he says. “I wanted to be able to do this for you for as long as I can remember. But we were in school, and I was poor. Now, I’m not.”
I sigh, feeling the weight of my situation lift from my shoulders for the first time in years. We’re hidden, alone, and in this beautiful place for several days.
“I don’t remember the last time I could really relax,” I reveal and tip my face back to soak in the warm sun. “And I have to admit, it feels amazing. How did you know this is what I needed?”
I open my eyes in time to see him send me a look that says, really?
“You’re coiled so tight, always worrying, always afraid that you’ll be found. I can give you a few days of letting go of that worry.” He drives us through a cute little town filled with shops and restaurants and then heads out of town and up a mountain road.
“We’re not staying in town?”
“No, ma’am. This is a ski resort town. We’re staying up on the mountain. I’ve been told the views are incredible and that where we’re staying is world-class.”
“Well, I can’t wait to see it.”
I don’t have to wait long. After a couple of turns off the main road that leads to a small ski village, Archer parks beneath what appears to be… “Treehouses?”
“Luxury treehouses,” he says with a grin.
“Welcome!” We turn and look up to see a pretty blond woman waving from a deck above us. “I’m Jenna.”
Archer waves, and we grab our bags out of the back seat and climb a staircase to one of the three treehouses. Jenna waits for us at the top of the stairs.
“I’m so glad you made it safely,” she says. “I have you in the Ponderosa, which is on the end here. You’ll have views of the ski run, the village, and after sunset, you can see lights from the town below.
“But the best part is at night. There’s so little light noise here that you’ll be able to see the stars in a way you never have before. The weather’s been great too, so the show will be spectacular.”
“Sounds awesome,” Archer says and smiles down at me.
“Anyway, I’m babbling,” Jenna says with a laugh as she unlocks the unit and leads us inside. “Sorry, it’s been a long day. My number is here on the counter, along with the Wi-Fi information and anything else you might need to know. There are no other guests in the other two units right now, so you have the place all to yourself.”
“We love the sound of that,” Archer says.
I can’t stop staring at the gorgeousness of this place. The furniture is simple but inviting. The kitchen has blue cabinets, and the backsplash is in the shape of mountains. The beds look soft and cozy, and Jenna wasn’t kidding about the views.
“This is stunning,” I say at last.
“Thank you,” Jenna says. “It’s been a labor of love, that’s for sure. You guys make yourselves at home and let me know if you need anything.”
“Food,” Archer says immediately. “We’ve been traveling all day, and I’m starving.”
“He would be starving if we hadn’t been traveling all day,” I inform her, making her laugh.
“I have two brothers and a husband, I get it,” Jenna says. “My favorite restaurant in town is Ciao. It’s the best Italian food I’ve ever had.”
“Perfect,” Archer says.
“I’m going to freshen up,” I say and smile at Jenna. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
I walk through the master bedroom that’s on the main floor and into a bathroom that makes my girlie-girl heart sigh in pleasure. The bathtub is deep and inviting. The separate shower is big enough for a party of six. And the décor of this place is absolutely on point. I’d call it rustic chic. Perfect for the mountains, but not too rustic.
I open my bag and am pleasantly surprised to see that it looks as if Archer thought of just about everything.
Except pajamas.
I smirk and unpack, choose a red summer dress to change into for dinner, and sweep a little makeup on my face before returning to the living room.
“I think I’m starving, too,” I say when I join Archer, who’s checking out the provisions in the kitchen. He glances up at me, and his jaw drops.
“Fuck me, you’re gorgeous.”
Every girl should have a man in their life that looks at her the way Archer’s looking at me right now.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
He walks around the kitchen counter and frames my face in his big hands as he kisses me, lightly at first as if he’s memorizing the shape of my lips, and then he sinks into me, enjoying me. My head spins, and my fingers dive into his thick hair. But before I know it, he comes up for air.
“If I don’t stop now, we won’t eat, and I need my strength so I can do a hell of a lot more than this later.”
“I like that strategy.” I nip at his lips once more and then pull out of his arms. “Let’s eat.”
Jenna didn’t steer us wrong.
“Okay, this is pretty great,” I say after we order our food and have a chance to soak in the atmosphere. Our waitress wrote her name on the white paper on our table with an orange crayon. She just delivered wine and the best garlic bread I’ve ever had in my life. “If we had this in Bandon, I’d weigh four hundred pounds. And I haven’t even had the entrée yet.”
“This bread,” he says with half a piece in his mouth. “I could die.”
I love that we can sit here and enjoy ourselves, and I don’t have to worry about being recognized by anyone. I don’t have to even think about what my name is or if I’m in danger here. I can just be myself, a woman in love with this incredible man who brought me here on a surprise vacation.
And, yes, I’m in love with him. I can’t deny it. He was wonderful when he was twenty, but he’s absolutely marvelous now. I don’t know how this will all shake out, but I’m going to enjoy him for as long as it lasts.
We’ve both earned it.
“You’re gorgeous in red,” he says before shoving more bread into his mouth. He doesn’t eat like a Neanderthal, but he definitely enjoys his food. And I can’t blame him. “You should wear it more often.”
“So noted.”
Our food is delivered, and the aroma of red sauce hits my nose and makes me want to moan in delight.
“We might have to move here,” Archer says grimly after taking his first bite. “I don’t know if I can live without this now that I know it’s here.”
“Okay, now you’re just being dramatic.” But I take my first bite, and my shoulders sag. “You’re right. We’re moving here.”
The sun has gone down by the time we leave Ciao, our bellies full of the most amazing food. The tiramisu we ordered was the best I’ve ever had, and I’m Italian.
“I wonder why I didn’t think to move here when I was looking at places to go,” I say after I boost myself up into the Jeep. “It’s kind of perfect.”
“Because you love the ocean,” Archer says as he starts the vehicle and pulls out of our parking spot to head toward the treehouse. “But now that we know this is here, we’ll visit often.”
“Deal.” I settle back in the seat with a smile when a vehicle catches my eye. I freeze.
Late-model black SUV with tinted windows.
What in the actual hell?
My heart kicks up, and I want to panic. Did someone follow us here?
But I take a deep breath and force myself to push it aside.
No one followed us. No one knows we’re here.
Am I always going to react this way whenever I see a black SUV? Maybe. But I need to learn to trust myself, and Archer.
We’re safe.
The drive up the mountain is a little nerve-wracking in the dark, but we’re soon back at the treehouse. A note is taped to the door.
I pluck it off and carry it in with us.
I hope you enjoyed dinner! There’s a little something fun waiting for you out on the deck. Have a wonderful weekend,
Jenna
“The suspense is killing me.” I walk over to the sliding glass door and pull it open, then smile when I see the hot tub open, and a standing ice bucket with champagne nestled inside. There is a small table beside the bucket with two flutes and a bowl of fresh strawberries. “I wonder if all of Jenna’s guests get the royal treatment.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Archer says casually as he strips out of his clothes and sinks into the tub.
“Uh, you’re naked,” I remind him.
“And I hope you’ll join me,” he says.
“We’re outside. I’m not exactly an exhibitionist.”
“There’s no one here,” he reminds me. “We’re all alone. So, get naked and come in.”
How can I resist him? I don’t want to. I quickly shed my dress and slip into the water. Archer pours the champagne, passes me a glass, and before I can take a sip, he proposes a toast.
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