by Susan Stoker
Her arms were wrapped around my neck as I walked as quickly as possible to the other end of the ghost town and then across the pastures until we reached the doublewide trailer. I saw Jamie step out the door.
“Is Aaron in there?”
“No, I think he’s in the cutting room. I’ll go get him—”
“No, I’ll find him. But do me a favor, send someone to gather as many people and flashlights as you can find and get the medic—”
“I don’t need—”
“Hush,” I said, cutting Cheryl off before addressing Jamie again. “Tell him to find me. Have everyone meet by the craft services truck.” The moment she nodded, I changed direction and headed for yet another trailer.
“You can put me down now.”
“You’re fine,” I said, still having no intention of having anything slow me down. I wasn’t going to release Cheryl until I could put her into a chair and hopefully learned some clue to Dani’s location.
“Kick the door for me,” I asked when we reached the trailer.
“Are you always so bossy?”
I looked down to see she was grinning and shook my head. “Yes, and especially when my arms are wrapped around a beautiful, sassy lady.”
“Oh, well, then…” Cheryl’s foot kicked out and connected with the door, not once, but several times. It didn’t take but a minute before it was pulled open to reveal Kevin, one of the editors. “Is Aaron here?”
“Yeah—”
Knowing the interior was crammed full of equipment, I raised my voice. “Aaron, it’s Judd. Can you come out here a second?”
Aaron appeared and instantly knew something was wrong. “Do you need an ambulance, Mrs. Wilkins?”
“She’s not in labor, she just has really short legs,” I answered for her. “Have you talked to Dani?”
“No, I haven’t seen her since this afternoon. Why?”
My heart rate kicked up again. “It seems no one has seen her since the shoot.”
Aaron stepped out and began walking as he spoke. “Have you tried calling her?”
Fuck! Why hadn’t I thought of that? Before I could answer, Cheryl did.
“She left her phone on her chair at the saloon. When she left, she didn’t have anything with her. I thought she and Judd had gone off to talk, but… they didn’t and it’s been hours.”
We’d reached the dining tent by then, and I set Cheryl down on the chair that Aaron pulled out from the table.
“Is there any chance she went into town?” I asked.
Cheryl shook her head. “No, it’s a rental car, and I’ve got the keys. Judd, she’s got to be starving. She didn’t have breakfast or lunch. She didn’t even have a bottle of water!”
“Let’s not panic,” I said though I knew I was close to doing exactly that. “It’s not like we’re in the city. There’s not a lot of places she can go or a lot of bad people who’d hurt her.” What I didn’t say was that while there might not be sleazy people around, there were wild animals. We were in Montana after all. The ghost town was full of buildings and not much else, but there were thick woods that began only a half mile from the edge of town and thickened as they went up the mountain.
Evan joined us, and Aaron made several calls. People gathered, all anxious to help. Aaron split them up into groups with the instruction that every building in town and every trailer in the field was to be checked.
“It’s going to be too dark to look for her on horseback,” I said, looking at the sun dipping ever closer to the horizon. “I’ll take my bike. It’s got a light and won’t break a leg stepping into a hole or rear if I run into a bear.”
“A bear!” Cheryl said, her eyes going huge.
I could kick myself for not keeping that thought to myself. “Hey, I’m sure that won’t happen—”
“I’m going with you! That gun on your hip is loaded with blanks. I’ve got my Sig in my purse—” Her attempt to rise was easily halted by my hand on her shoulder.
“No, I’m not going to chance you going into labor in the middle of nowhere.”
“I’m not due for another nine weeks!”
“And that’s nine weeks we want bubba to stay inside his mommy. You can keep me informed by phone.” When she appeared ready to argue, I said, “Please, Cheryl. Forget about Dani firing me. She’ll kill me if I put you in danger.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “Just know that I’ll shoot you myself if you don’t bring her back!”
“I promise I won’t stop looking until she’s found,” I said. “Evan, no matter what Cheryl says, make sure she doesn’t get out of that chair until medical checks her over, and for God’s sake, don’t let her get her purse!”
“Will do, but you’d better take a radio. The set coordinators have had to use them because cell phone service is spotty and not exactly reliable out here.”
I nodded and though Jamie had just arrived with the medic, she instantly offered to run get me a radio, I thanked her. As teams split off to start the search, I headed towards my trailer. I didn’t bother to change into leathers. I wasn’t going to ride full out on some concrete highway. I’d be going slow, stopping often to call out Dani’s name. I did grab an extra helmet, tucking it, a few bottles of water and my own pistol into the saddlebag. I didn’t have to worry about gas. I always made a point of filling the tank after a ride. I didn’t need to return to the mess tent since Jamie ran up as I climbed onto the bike. I tucked the radio into my left pocket, my cell phone was already in my right one.
“Please bring her back safe, Mr. West.”
The poor girl was practically in tears. I nodded. “I’ll try, Jamie.” Wanting to give her something positive to focus on, I said, “It would be great if you’d have a fresh pot of tea ready when we get back.”
“Oh, I will. And I won’t forget the cream. I’ll make sandwiches too!”
“That would be great. I’m sure Dani will appreciate that.”
“I’ll have everything waiting.”
Knowing she would, I nodded and put my helmet on. I could see the lights bobbing around as people searched with the flashlights they’d been given. Another memory made the decision on which way to go an easy one to make. Dani had once read a survey that stated a large majority of people would automatically turn right when unsure of which direction to go. I remembered how surprised she’d been with the results. Starting the bike, I turned away from town and headed left towards the woods. Unlike Dani, I hadn’t been surprised at all. After all, Dani had never been like most people.
Chapter Seven
Danielle
I’d gone through so many emotions in the past several hours that I wasn’t sure which way was up. After tearing out of the saloon, I didn’t stop running until the cramp in my side forced me to slow. Even then I’d continued walking. I had no idea how long it had taken me to realize that the only sounds I could hear were those caused by my footsteps shuffling through leaves and the occasional scurry of some small animal seeking cover when I kicked a pinecone. And, once I’d kicked the first, I took great pleasure in sending every one I saw flying.
I imagined each one being Judd. It was immensely satisfying to see the large cone lying on the ground, take my time lining up my foot just right, pull it back and then just kick the living shit out of it. That was until I discovered that, like Judson Westmoreland, pinecones didn’t take being kicked without fighting back. Who knew that they have sharp little burrs on them or that they could actually cut you… hurt you… make you bleed… make you regret being with them… make you regret touching them and make you hate yourself because you wanted them to touch you again?
“Damn it, Judd! Get the hell out of my head!” I pulled back my uninjured foot and let it swing, only to miss the cone and connect with a root protruding out of the ground.
“Ouch! Goddamn it!” A chattering sound had me looking up. “Oh, screw you,” I grumbled at the squirrel who’d evidently been offended by my curse. A glint of sparkle had me turning my head slightly. I’d n
ot even noticed the sound of water but there was a creek not ten feet to my left, the flash of light I’d seen caused by the water being kicked up as it splashed over a series of larger stones sticking out above the surface. Limping a bit, I stepped over a fallen log, cursing when my right sandal got caught on a small branch, knocking me off balance. I fell to my hands and knees, the water only a couple of feet away. Pushing up, I swiped my palms over my knees, managing to transfer more dirt to my legs and wincing as I pulled a silver out of my palm.
“Damn it, I just kicked a few freaking pinecones! It’s not like I could actually hurt him!” I took off my ruined sandals and walked to the river’s edge. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I squatted down and splashed water on my face. I hesitated, warnings of drinking unpurified water flashing through my head. Catching myself looking both upstream and down, as if expecting some survivalist to step forward and offer me an iodine tablet, I shook my head.
“How dirty can it be?” When even the squirrel didn’t respond, I finally thought fuck it. This was Montana. There was nothing but mountains and trees around. Companies made millions boasting their bottled water came from clear mountain streams, purified by nature herself. Well, I was in the mountains, and the water was definitely clear. I didn’t have a bottle, but I did have my hands. I scooped up several palmfuls and lapped at it like some animal. It was cold but, God, it tasted great. After I’d drunk my fill, I splashed more water on my legs, sluicing it away with my hands, grimacing a bit at the scratches I’d not even noticed before. I had only myself to blame. Who in the hell went hiking in a short pleated skirt and white silk blouse? Probably only idiots, I huffed and stood, wiping my hands on my skirt. I went back to the log and took a seat, not particularly caring that the bark of the tree had dirt caught in its crevices or that most of the surface was covered with some sort of green growth. My skirt and blouse were already filthy from pushing aside branches during my impromptu hike. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them, gazed out over the river and then burst into tears.
I cried for the pain I felt… not in my toes, but in my very soul. I cried anew for the loss of what I’d thought was a forever love all those years ago. I cried for the shame I felt and then sobbed until I was bent over, my arms tightly wrapped around my waist with the realization that it wasn’t embarrassment from having strangers witness that scene in the saloon, but soul crushing shame when I admitted to myself that I’d been fooling myself for years. And finally, I cried until I had no more tears to shed when I accepted the fact that the only man who ever made me feel this way, the only man who was capable of filling me with fury one moment and lust the next, the only man to have stolen my heart only to break it… the only man I had ever loved was the same man who’d just walked away.
I had no idea how long I sat there, but by the time I straightened, the sleeves of my blouse were soaked from my tears, both my head and my bare toes were throbbing, my hair was nothing but a tangled mass of curls, my eyes burned and felt puffy and not only was I exhausted, I was lost. I gave a choked laugh at the irony. Not only had I lost my way emotionally, I had absolutely no clue as to where I was physically.
I threw my head back, gazed up at the slice of sky that could be seen above the towering pines and screamed. “Fuck!” Since that felt almost as good as kicking pinecones, and I was pretty sure the sky wouldn’t retaliate, I did it again.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck your fucking gorgeous eyes! Fuck your hair that is always so fucking perfect! Fuck your chiseled jaw, your ripped body! Fuck your hands and those fingers that only have to touch me to set me on fire! Fuck your lips, your tongue and your mouth that kisses me until I can’t even fucking stand! And fuck you… fuck you, Judd West! Fuck you for wanting to fuck every woman but me!”
***
Judd
“Are you done?”
I watched as Dani almost toppled off the log as she twisted around, her mouth open, her eyes huge in a face that was blotchy from her tears. I’d been about to step the last few feet and take her into my arms when I realized she was sobbing, but hesitated. She looked so fragile and sounded so forlorn, and I knew that I was the cause of all that pain. I questioned if she’d even want to see me regardless of the fact that she most likely had no idea how to retrace her steps back to safety.
Knowing that there was no way I was going to leave her out here alone, I’d taken the first step when she’d started screaming the ‘f’ word. It was a bit shocking, but as the litany continued, I couldn’t help but grin. Sure, she was pissed, and yes, she looked exactly like one would expect when tearing through the woods like a woman possessed, but goddammit, she had never looked so beautiful, and I’d never wanted another woman as much as I wanted Dani at this very moment.
“Wh… what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, of course,” I said, not yet taking those final few steps. “Now, answer my question.”
Hair the color of the embers found in a fire, shot through with burgundy and gold, fell over her shoulders, tendrils covering her breasts, the thick mass swaying as she shook her head. Emerald eyes, the color deeper than the verdant green of the trees surrounding us, held so much emotion, so much uncertainty, so much pain that they tore at my soul. Fuck it. I didn’t need an answer. I didn’t care if she was done. I didn’t care if she wasn’t ready to have a conversation we should have had a decade ago. Hell, I didn’t even care if she fired my ass. It was my turn, and we weren’t taking a single step down the mountain until I was done.
Decision made, I covered the short distance in less than a half dozen strides, but it still gave her time to jump up and attempt to run. Leaping over the log, I reached out and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her off her feet a moment before she would have been in the river.
“Put me down!” she screamed, her legs kicking and arms flailing, fists beating against my chest.
“Not a chance in hell,” I said, wrapping my arms around her, pinning her body to mine. “You’re not going anywhere until we clear up whatever the hell you think I did that has kept you so fucking riled up that you’ve waited ten goddamned years to get your revenge.”
Her head reared back, and the look in her eyes had changed. Fury had replaced any hurt, erased all doubt. “You fucking well know what you did. And it’s just like you… the great Judd West… to think you hurt me so bad that I’d wasted a second, much less ten years, thinking of revenge. I let you go long ago when I discovered…”
Now that we were finally getting somewhere, I wasn’t about to let her squirm out of facing the truth. “Discovered what, Dani? What exactly do you think you discovered?”
“I don’t think it, you asshole. I know what I saw! Now put me the fuck down!”
I wasn’t a man to censor anyone, but I was getting damn tired of hearing that word. “Say the ‘f’ word again and I’m going to have to do something drastic to cool you off.” To make sure my warning was crystal clear, I stepped to the edge of the water.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
All it took was for me to begin to loosen my hold and her arms instantly wrapped around my neck and her legs around my waist, clinging to me like a baby monkey. “Answer my question, Dani. What exactly did you see that night?”
I could feel her shudder against me, could see her head shaking back and forth, but I was done being Mr. Nice Guy. “You’ve got to the count of three and then you’re going swimming.” Ignoring her mewl of protest, I started counting. “One… two…” I paused when I felt her limbs tightening around me but knew her strength was no match to mine. Reaching up to cover her hands, ready to disengage them, I continued, “Th…”
“Okay!” she shouted. “I’ll tell you!” When I moved my hands to cup her ass, she shuddered again. “Put me down first… over there.” One hand dropped away to point towards the log.
“All right, but if you are lying—”
“I know, I know, you’ll throw me into the fuc… the water.”
&n
bsp; I chuckled but didn’t counter her statement. I did walk to the log and I did put her down, just not onto her feet. I sat on the log and kept her on my lap. “Okay, talk.”
“I can’t talk like this.”
“You can, and you will,” I said. Stroking her back, I softened my tone. “Talk to me, Dani.”
I kept stroking lightly, willing to give her a little time. I’d waited ten years, I figured I could wait a few more minutes. When several passed, I decided to give her a little help.
“You’d gone to visit your parents and then to that book thing. You were supposed to come back on Sunday night, but something happened and you came back early. I’m guessing you wanted to surprise me by coming over Saturday afternoon—”
She lifted her head and met my gaze. “And when I walked into your apartment, I saw you standing there naked and saw Vicky behind you and heard some other woman in the bedroom talking.” She looked away and the body that had been soft against mine, stiffened. “How could you do that to me? I trusted you! I-I loved you! I gave you everything I had but what? It wasn’t enough? I wasn’t enough? You broke my heart that night. Hell, you broke my soul!”
When she tried to get off my lap, I tightened my hold.
“Let me go! I told you what I saw. I don’t want to talk about it. I want—”
“You want to run away just like you did that night,” I said, knowing without a doubt that was exactly what she’d do if I gave her a chance. “That’s not going to happen. You’re going to sit right here and listen to my side of the story—”
“I don’t give a damn what your side of the story is, Judd. I’m not going to sit here and listen to you try to weave some sort of fantasy explanation about why it was okay for you to fuck not one but two other women!” She gave a strangled sob, pushing against me for all she was worth. “I guess I should thank you for teaching me that the only place where happily ever after happens is in a fucking book! Well, fuck you! I thought I was going to die that night, but I fucking survived… and I did it without the help of perfect fucking Judd West!”