“Yeah, sick enough to be your friend! But hey, birds of a feather…”
“Sick together!” I said raising my fist and our hands collided in midair. We laughed.
Later on that evening, the men around the campsite all joined in together setting up the bonfire. The women set up the tables upon which they placed a large variety of picnic foods. The owners of the campsite, Mr. & Mrs. Grishman hauled a large 55 gallon barrel grill behind their red pickup. They always supplied the most delicious ribs and barbecued chicken. Park Ranger Matthews tended the grill with Mr. & Mrs. Grishman. The Johnsons, other camping regulars, roasted a pig. We always brought potato salad and pies. Jennifer’s parents always brought baked beans and cakes. Needless to say, there was always plenty of food.
That evening, after the sun set everyone grouped together in the center of the camp ground for the festivities. Mom and Dad huddled with the Johnsons, leaving Jennifer and I to our own devices. There were not very many teenagers here this weekend, just the annoying Taylor boys and a few others. After Jennifer’s little event with them earlier, we tried to stay clear of those two.
As expected, loud intoxicated voices and laughter filled the air. Everyone was enjoying themselves, except me. Jennifer and I had a stalker. Jeff Taylor, no less, started following Jennifer around. Pretty soon, in spite of her annoyance with him, they left together and I found myself alone. I drifted around through the people clutching a warm Diet Coke, while on the lookout for Eric and his hotness. Eventually I wandered further into the woods alone.
Sooner or later I knew something stupid would happen and it did. My cell phone buzzed, notifying me of a text message. No sooner had I pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket, Cliff Taylor came out of nowhere and grabbed it from my hand. He must have been following me.
“What do we have here?” Cliff held the phone up in the air.
“Give it back Cliff,” I snapped.
“I bet it’s your boyfriend. But wait…” His eyes widened and he danced around waggling the phone. “It couldn’t be…because you don’t have one!”
“Cliff!” I growled reaching for my phone.
“Wait…wait…wait! Let’s see what this says…” He turned his back toward me when I tried to grab for the phone.
“Stop it! Give me back the phone you stupid…”
“He’s a great kisser…” He laughed. “Sounds like your girlfriend’s been making out with my brother.”
Heat flamed over my face, my blood boiled and I wanted to punch him in the face. If there was ever one boy I truly despised in my entire life it was Cliff Taylor, Jeff’s twin seventeen year old brother. The only way you could tell them apart was their eyes. For some weird reason Jeff had one blue eye and one green eye. Cliff’s eyes were both blue. Yes, I had to admit they were both gorgeous, but they knew it. All they cared about was football and seeing how many girls they could make out with in a given summer. It was a competition between them. I’d heard them talk about it behind their camper when my window was open.
“Give it back!” I sucked in a loud hiss.
“Oooh…she’s losing her temper. What else are you going to lose tonight?” He grabbed at my shirt.
I smacked him so hard it stung my hand. He laughed and took a step closer to me.
“I’ll make a deal with you. Give me a kiss and I’ll give your phone back.”
The smell of beer almost made me heave. Even if he was hot there was no way my mouth was going to touch his.
“You’re drunk!” I snapped and took a step backwards.
“Really? You think so?” He spoke clearly. “I think I just got a good buzz.”
His breath fanned against my face. Trying to avoid the pungent odor, I turned my head.
“Just give me my phone back.” I stated between clinched teeth.
“Give me a kiss and I will.” He took one long step toward me and pulled me in his arms, his mouth pressing towards mine.
Turning my head away from him, I pressed my hands against his chest. I might be in trouble here. Where was one of those wolves when you needed it?
“Stop it! Let me go!” I growled while I fought against his hands.
Before his lips touched mine, he was yanked away from me, nearly pulling me with him. I looked up and my breath caught in my throat. Eric.
“You need to get a grip, Dude.” Eric’s deep and throaty voice warned as he reached down to help Cliff up.
“Get your hands off me!” Cliff smacked Eric’s hand away and stood.
Both were equal in height, but Eric’s solid muscular frame outweighed Cliff’s. If a fight broke out, my money was going on Eric. I jumped when Cliff pushed Eric.
“Man, you really don’t want to do this. Give the girl back her phone,” Eric warned.
“See if you can take it from me then. Or are you just one part wimp and another part puss?”
Cliff threw a punch toward Eric, and his fist was caught in the palm of Eric’s hand. I watched in awe when Cliff dropped down to his knees in front of Eric.
“Now, I’ll take that phone and let’s just call it even tonight. Leave the girl alone. Got it?”
For a moment, I swore I heard Eric growl at Cliff. All the color drained from Cliff’s face. Without another word he stood, dropped the cell phone and backed away from us at a very fast pace. Eric picked up my cellphone and dusted off the grass and dirt.
“Here you go. Did he hurt you?” His eyes mesmerized me.
“Uh…no...I mean...I’m alright.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “Thank you,” I managed finally.
“You sure you’re alright?” He leaned down trying to look into my eyes.
One more glance and I was sure I would faint, and it was weird, I didn’t remember his eyes being the color of topaz either. “Fi-ne. Swear it.” I nodded.
“I think you’d better sit down, you look like you’re in shock,” he said gently touching my arm.
Shock? Yes of course I was in shock. He was so hot.
“Yes, that might be a good idea,” I said. I just didn’t want him to look at me like that anymore.
Eric guided me toward an old greying picnic table on the outside of the camping area. He motioned for me to sit down while studying me carefully.
When I sat down, I couldn’t resist the urge to look back up into those liquid golden eyes.
“Your eyes…” What happened to those eyes? They were almost black yesterday. Weren’t they?
“What?” He breathed.
“Your eyes,” I repeated. “They are like a liquid golden color and…”
He chuckled softly. “Deanna, you’re in shock. The mind plays tricks on people when they are in shock.”
“But...” I tried to protest and decided to let it go. Maybe he was right. If I’d said another word he’d probably think I was crazy. “Thank you.”
He smiled softly. “No problem. Do you want me to get you something to drink? You are still looking a bit pale.”
I shook my head.
“Okay then.” He stepped one leg over the bench in front of me and sat down.
“So do you do this often?” My eyes lifted to his again.
“Do what? Rescue damsels in distress?” His lips curled into a smile.
“Yeah, something like that.” I forced out a chuckle.
“Well,” he turned his head and looked out toward the fireworks when they whistled in the air. “Only pretty ones.”
For some reason, I couldn’t resist. “Oh! So if I wasn’t pretty you were going to let me be mauled by that idiotic barbarian?”
He jerked his head back to me, eyes widened in surprise. “No! That’s not what I meant!”
I released a laugh and watched while the humor caught up with him. We both had a good laugh. It didn’t take long before I felt comfortable. We chatted briefly until Jennifer arrived and we parted, but not before he left me with a promise we would talk more tomorrow.
That night I had another strange dream, much like the dream from the previo
us night. Only this time, I knew what to do. I was hunting wolves. Horrible pictures kept playing over and over in my dream of people who were killed by these wolves. The horrific mutilations haunted me, driving me toward killing the beast that I knew had done this. Still the wolf got away.
Chapter 4
The next day, I wondered if I really would see hottie Eric again. I tried hard to forget the chill of last night’s dream. Replacing the horrid nightmare with last night’s memory of Eric kept a smile on my face. Not to mention Jennifer’s constant text messages wondering if Eric had come by to see me.
Dad caught a few fish and Mom cooked them for breakfast. Fish and cheese grits were often a main course for breakfast. It was a family tradition when we went camping. I couldn’t complain, Mom was a great cook.
After an early breakfast, Dad went back to fishing on the boat while Mom cleaned up. Boredom set in again, and I rooted through my tote bag searching for another book to read.
The camper door opened. “Deanna?” Mom called out.
“Yes, Mom?”
“There’s some really cute boy here to see you!”
Caught between embarrassment and the rush of excitement I got up too fast and stumbled over my tote bag falling flat on my face on the camper floor. It rocked the entire vehicle on its wheels. Great, another embarrassing moment to add to my repertoire. I tried to prepare to face the worse humiliation of my life.
My mother rushed to my rescue, closely followed by the ever so handsome Eric. She grabbed me on one arm. “Honey? What on earth?” she asked, making matters worse.
Eric attached himself to my other arm and lifted me effortlessly to my feet. “I don’t know Mrs. Lansford, after the hit and run the other day, I’m starting to believe Deanna is a bit on the clumsy side. Maybe taking a walk isn’t such a good idea.”
“A walk?” My head snapped up.
Mom released a soft chuckle. “Yes, dear. Eric was nice enough to introduce himself and ask if he could take you for a walk around the trail.”
My eyes widened in surprise. He really did mean what he said about seeing me again.
The embarrassment wore off after we walked a few feet from the campsite and onto one of the trails. Then I embarrassed myself again. “Don’t you think that was a bit old fashioned?” I blurted before I could stop myself.
Eric just gave me a sideways grin. “No. Not really. My dad taught me how to be respectful. Most young ladies would find that trait admirable.”
He was kidding me, right? He was way too old fashioned. Hunky, but old fashioned. Great, just my luck, but since I had no one to compare him too, I just nodded. After all, he did make a good impression on my mom.
“So Eric, I didn’t think we were supposed to be on the trails because of the wolves.”
Eric chuckled softly. “Yeah, my dad tends to go a bit overboard about the wolf thing. He doesn’t want anyone to get anxious when they see one and start shooting.”
“The Park Ranger is your dad?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. So you live around here?” I was a little hopeful at this point.
“Only for the summer, we just moved here a few months ago.”
“So where do you live?
“Two Harbors.”
“Oh?” Yes!
“What’s Oh?”
“You’ll be attending the same school as me.”
“So you live in Two Harbors too?”
I smiled broadly. “Yeah, small world, huh?”
Eric gave me that toothy white smile again. “Great. Maybe we’ll have some classes together.”
“Oh, I’m almost sure we will. Harbor High School is really small.”
I reached up to pull a piece of hair behind my ear when he reached over and gently took my hand. He stopped suddenly, running a thumb over my charm bracelet.
“This is an interesting charm.” His forefinger tapped the silver wolf charm. “Where did you get this?”
I looked down at the little charm, thinking it wasn’t that remarkable. Curiously I watched him stare down at the silver arrow head pendant engraved with a howling wolf.
“It was a gift.”
His eyebrows drew together when his dark eyes lifted to mine. “A gift? From who?”
“I don’t know. It showed up in my mailbox with a note attached saying ‘Happy Birthday’.”
“Which birthday?”
“Sixteen, why?”
“Just curious, but you have no idea who sent this to you?” His voice showed signs of concern.
I shook my head.
“There was a symbol many years ago, much like this one, a special group declared as their family crest. But, I have never actually seen it close up. It’s made from pure silver.”
“A family crest?”
“Yes. It only belongs to a certain family line.”
I shook my head. “I know my family doesn’t know anything about it. When I showed it to my Mom and Dad, they thought it was something my grandparents sent. It turns out we don’t know who sent it.”
He studied my face for a long moment. The confusion written on his face disturbed me.
“What is it? Do you know something else? Something you’re not telling me?” I asked.
He slowly shook his head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense. If your family doesn’t know where this came from...” his voice trailed off in thought.
I never thought to question the charm. Yes, I know that sounds strange, but I love charms and well…it was a gift. Besides who notices all the charms on a bracelet except for your closets friends?
His apprehension made me fearfully nervous. My palms beaded with moisture and my mouth went dry. His eyes darted back to me, like he’d come back from some long trip or something. It was really weird.
“Deanna, what do you know about your family’s history?”
“Well, I know I was adopted. And…”
“Do you know who your birth parents were?”
I shook my head. “No, Eric what’s going on? Why are you so interested in this charm? And what does it have to do with birth parents and family crests?”
A second later, his demeanor changed. His expression softened, his eyes mellowed.
He released a long breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I suppose I just over reacted a bit. It’s…a beautiful pendant. I was just interested in it, that’s all. So did you like the fireworks last night?”
He changed the subject. I couldn’t believe it.
“Well...” I tried to catch up with him when he turned and started walking again. Okay so he’s got some issues. He’s still a hottie.
Eric and I walked on further down the trail, chatting away. I found myself more interested in him as the conversation deepened. I soon forgot about the wolves and bears. Until…
Gripping my arm tightly, Eric suddenly froze. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would come through my chest. A rush of fear shot through me, commanding me to stay in one spot.
“Quiet,” He commanded in a whisper.
My ears strained to listen, but all I heard was the thudding of my heart. I watched as his eyes darted around the wooded area. He knew something wasn’t right. My first guess, there were wolves in the forest. My second guess, we were in danger.
“Run!” he shouted.
I jumped nearly out of my skin and fell backwards onto the ground. If his aim was to scare me to death, that did it. My heart stopped. The only thing I heard was the rush of my own blood roaring in my ears. I felt as though I was going to pass out any moment.
In a way, I wished I had passed out. When I looked up, there was a large bear barreling out of the woods. Making things worse, it headed straight for us. Panic stricken, I scrambled to my feet.
“Eric!” I screamed.
“Deanna! Get back to the campsite now!”
I sprinted into a run, but had to look back. I never should have looked back. When I turned my head, I saw Eric charge toward the bear. Then Eric wasn’t Eri
c any more. I saw him turn into a large black wolf in mid-air. If that didn’t give me the motive to run faster, nothing did. I think I ran faster than I had ever run in my life, and I did make it back to the campsite safe and sound.
When I arrived at the camper, I bolted inside the door. With my heart racing, breathing erratic, I just knew Mom would be inside. Thank God, she wasn’t. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t find either of my parents. Dad must still be on the boat.
Quickly, I locked the door to the camper and pulled myself into a ball in their bedroom. “He turned into a wolf!” I kept repeating to myself.
The images of Eric shifting into a wolf were surreal. I must be in some sort of shock, for the second time this week. “This can’t be happening! It’s not real. It’s so not real!”
In the middle of my panic stricken moment there was a knock on the camper door. I jumped. Wide eyed and heart pounding, I couldn’t move. What if it was Eric? What if it was his dad? I cringed and sunk deeper into the corner I where sat.
“Deanna! Please open the door! I need to talk to you,” Eric’s voice pleaded.
I shivered and pulled my legs tighter against my chest. “Go away,” I shouted.
“Let me at least explain!”
“GO AWAY!”
There was a long moment of silence. I thought he gave up and left.
“Deanna, “His voice remained soft. “Please, I was going to tell you, but I didn’t have the chance. At the time saving your life seemed more important. You don’t understand…I know you’re afraid. Please Deanna, I would never hurt you. I hope you will understand that about me.”
Still huddled in my corner, I didn’t reply. At the time saving your life seemed more important. His words played back in my head. Yes, he did save my life. If he was a normal boy, we both would have probably been injured or worse dead by now.
Moments passed and when I thought he was gone, I stood and walked over to peer out the window. Yes, he was gone. I released a long sigh of relief, but had another problem. Should I tell my parents? And what should I tell them? They’ll think I’m totally nuts. One thing was for certain though, Eric did save my life. I owed him that.
Summer Romance (Harbor Moon) Page 2