by Turner, CJ
When the road broke away from hugging the mountains, a black sheet, the lake where Sebastian lived, shimmered under the moonlight. It was a different world than Alister’s cloistered Hampton’s life. There were huge spaces between houses, much more than the rarified mansions of his hometown, Waterside. Alister stared up at the stars that filled a night sky undimmed by light pollution. But even that small moment of pleasure dimmed when Sebastian opened his door with an unhappy expression as his dog exploded in a barrage of barking.
But Sebastian didn’t turn him away despite the unholy hour Alister showed up.
“You could have called,” groused Sebastian. But he took him to a bed on the second floor, on which Alister gratefully fell.
Now, with the rude intrusion of daylight, no one answered his plea. Alister turned and buried his face in the pillow. Paws clicked on the stairs, and a warm, wet tongue licked his feet under the covers. Startled, Alister jumped and twisted his body to land sitting up. A white German shepherd stared at him with big, brown doggie eyes and his pink tongue hanging out.
What was the dog’s name?
“Sarge,” called Sebastian. “Where are you, boy? Let’s go for a walk.”
With the mention of the dog’s name, Alister remembered how Sebastian had introduced the canine as Sargeant Pupper. Alister forced himself not to roll his eyes when he heard the name. The German shepherd slapped his tail on the floor and stared at Alister as if reminding Alister there was something he had to do.
“You’re not the boss of me,” Alister growled.
Sargeant Pupper gave a sharp bark that hurt Alister’s ears.
“Sarge,” called Sebastian. “Damn it.”
Solid footsteps hit the stairs hard in rapid succession.
“Sarge, here,” said Sebastian in a hushed voice. “Come here.”
“I’m awake. What did you do? Set the dog to “too effing early to greet the sun” to wake me?”
Sebastian appeared in the quaint log cabin room doorway and glanced at Alister with his brown eyes filled with concern. Sebastian walked into the en suite and ran the faucet. When he returned, he held a glass of water for Alister to take.
“Alister, it’s 10:00 a.m. You got a good six hours sleep. Drink up. You’re at altitude now, and the air is dry.”
“Six hours? No wonder I’m dead.”
“You are not dead. Come on and take a walk.”
“Exercise before coffee? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Suit yourself. I have to get moving. I have a lunch meeting in three hours.”
“Good,” said Alister. “I’m starved.”
“You’re not invited.”
Alister scoffed. “Fine. I’ll just hang out under the Lonely Mountain and try to avoid whatever dragons hole up here.”
“Sorry to dash your teenage fantasies, but there are no dragons, Stir.”
Alister cocked an eyebrow at Sebastian’s use of his old nickname.
“Stir?”
“Yes, as in Sir Stir-things-up-lot. What was that, showing up at my door in the dead of night?”
Alister looked away. “I had to get away.”
“Hence the ditched security.”
“Yes.”
“Drink your water, and let’s take that walk. Sarge, go get your leash.”
The shepherd dashed down the stairs with a clatter of nails on the wood risers and barked with excitement. Sebastian gave Alister a steely stare until he finished his water and slipped on his sandals.
“Where the hell are your clothes?” said Sebastian.
“On the way. I didn’t have time to pack.”
“You always were impetuous. I always liked that about you—when I was younger.” Sebastian didn’t wait for Alister to answer to take the stairs to the first floor. Alister watched him descend. But nothing about Sebastian, despite being a handsome man, sparked Alister’s interest. They had tried to fool around once as roommates in college. But Alister felt as if he was kissing his lifelong friend, Theo, who was as close as a brother, or his sister, Livvy. He never understood his lack of attraction to a man that women and men fell all over. But that was precisely why they had been such good friends. And they still were now despite Sebastian’s sarcastic tone.
“Do you even have your phone?”
“Yes. But I turned it off.”
“Your parents will flip. They are probably calling the National Guard now.”
“They need to get over that. I’m an adult, damn it, and don’t need a babysitter. Besides, I left them a note.”
“A note?’ said Sebastian. Skepticism colored his voice.
“Yes,” said Alister defiantly.
“You told them where you were going?”
“No. I told them not to worry.”
Sebastian snorted. “It’s your life, and you are welcome anytime. But if a security team arrives and busts down my door, you’re paying for it, and anything else they break.”
Alister followed Sebastian down three flights of stairs to exit the cabin on the lowest level. Because it was dark when he had reached Sebastian’s home, Alister didn’t see the complete exterior. Now daylight revealed a three-level log cabin that was a small mansion in proportion. The lowest level displayed three garage doors, along with the exit door. Above it was the first-floor surrounded on three sides of the house by a wraparound porch. Alister had entered in the wee hours of the morning on the opposite side of the house that faced the windy road that brought him here.
Sebastian’s phone rang, and he drew it out of his pocket.
“Sebastian here. Yeah. Sure.”
He turned and held the phone to Alister. “For you. He says his name is Daniel.”
“Oh, my PA.” He held out his hand. “Give me.”
Sebastian mouthed “PA?” with an incredulous expression, but he gave the device to Alister.
Daniel spoke breathlessly with excitement. “Oh, thank God. I couldn’t reach you. Fortunately, I kept Sebastian’s number when I AirDropped your contact list on my phone.”
“You’re incorrigible. Yes, I am fine. Thank you for asking. Where are my clothes?”
“On the way. There was a minor hitch because, well, Alister, the security people have grilled me for an entire hour. Isn’t that incredible? I don’t think they believed my story.”
“If they didn’t believe you, they would have questioned you longer than an hour.”
“Well, Livvy vouched for me and told them how dependable I am and—”
“Where are my clothes, Daniel? I’m standing in the mountains of Colorado, wearing a borrowed pair of sweatpants, and you know how much I hate those.”
“Sweatpants? Well, I had to research the weather, which didn’t take that long but talking to the people at Neiman was impossible. Do you know they don’t have a concierge service in their Denver store? Shocking. I got the order into Neiman’s, and they told me they’d get it to you later today.”
Alister closed his eyes and blew out a frustrated breath. Nothing was going his way. He would have to wear these clothes for the greater part of the day and the shirt, at least, smelled rank.
Alister glanced ahead to see Sebastian walking up the steep trail. He quickened his steps to join him.
“But you should have seen the look on the security people’s faces when they found your note. It was difficult to keep from laughing. Water soaked the bathroom floor, and your mother, the poor woman, was screeching alternately about the ruined floor and her missing baby. You would have thought you were the Lindbergh baby.”
“The floor is marble. It can’t get ruined.”
“Talk to your mother about that. Oh, and the charger for your phone is coming from the Zon. It will be there tomorrow.”
“Fine,” huffed Alister. He didn’t plan on calling anyone, and he didn’t want them to use the phone to trace him.
“I’ve got to go—” And the phone cut off.
“Daniel? Daniel?”
“It won’t do any good. The phone service is
spotty here,” said Sebastian. “Not that many cell phone towers.”
Alister handed Sebastian his phone. “Thanks.”
“Is everything okay?” said Sebastian with concern.
“Yes, fine,” said Alister. Hearing his mother got upset at his jailbreak discomforted Alister. He didn’t want her upset, just less involved in his life. Maybe he’d call Livvy later and check on things and let her know he was okay.
“You sure?”
“Yes. Where are we going on this mountain?”
“Up.”
Sure. Up the mountain. Even if walking nearly straight up didn’t make every breath harder to take. Sebastian disappeared over the top of a rise, and Alister sucked in a breath or tried to. He stared down the path he just traveled and debated whether to descend, but when he took a step downward, gravel slid under his sandals, and he fell on his butt. The fall landed him on a bed of the sharp rocks, and the jolt sent pain up his spine.
Alister sat on the rocks and found one leg road burned and welling with drops of blood.
“Damn it, damn it,” he sputtered.
With every bone in his body aching, he stood and walked up the mountain. Bit by bit, he hauled his abused body up the path and finally made the rise that Sebastian disappeared over. Here a small patch of grass occupied a flat part of the mountain. It was a welcome oasis where Sebastian stood with his hands on his hip, turning his head right then left.
“Sarge,” he called. “Sarge, get back here.”
“What happened?” Alister huffed.
“He took off after a rabbit, damn it. Sarge!”
A flash of white dashed between then, and then Sarge appeared from further up the path, running down the hill after it.
“Sarge!” called Sebastian. He ran after the dog and disappeared over the ledge’s lip, leaving Alister alone at the great height.
Defeated, he sank to the grass. He’d never be able to walk down that path on the damned slip-on sandals by himself. He remembered Daniel laughing at him for his fear of falling off the mountain. But he felt that was a real possibility.
He closed his eyes, alone and finding it difficult to breathe. What a mistake this whole trip had been. He’d have to return to Waterside with his jailbreak a total failure. His parents would insist on two security men now, and Alister imagined that his social life would dwindle to the few friends who would bother to FaceTime him.
As he contemplated his fate, he heard a dog barking. Alister picked up his head, expecting to see Sargeant Pupper fly over the ledge of the rise. Instead, a fluffy white and black dog rushed over the ridge and ran directly to Alister. The dog stopped just as he got to Alister, circled him, and sniffed different parts of Alister’s body excitedly. Hesitantly, Alister held out his hand and touched the dog, who in turn licked Alister’s face. Alister pulled back because he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about a dog’s tongue on him. But he continued to pet the dog, who seemed very friendly, and he was glad he wasn’t alone on this mountain even if it was a dog that kept him company.
“Jack!” called a deep baritone.
The canine looked over his shoulder, but instead of moving toward the voice, sunk to his belly before Alister.
“Jack?” repeated the man. Alister looked up and couldn’t believe who he saw at the edge of the rise.
He groaned. It was the damned lumberjack. Could Alister’s day get any worse?
Chapter 4
Manu
Manu stared at the twink sitting on a rock petting Jack. The man’s casual familiar manner stirred a vague sense of annoyance in Manu’s gut. There was no reason for it, and it annoyed him the twink sparked any emotion. After the breakup with George, Manu had decided to give up entanglements and told anyone that asked that he gave up dating for Lent. Though, come to think of it, Lent was over four months ago.
“I recognize those sweatpants,” said Manu.
The twink jerked his head up from petting Jack.
“This your dog?” the twink said.
“He’s staying with me for a while. His name is Jack.”
The twink gave him another scratch behind the ears, and Jack put his nuzzle in the twink’s lap and gazed at him with his blue doggie eyes in adoration.
My dog doesn’t look at me that way.
Manu had no clue why this would be a problem. George legally owned Jack. The only reason that Manu had any claim on the black and white border collie was George got Jack as a puppy without asking Manu, of course. So Manu had a hand in caring for the pup from when George brought him home. He thought from time to time that he missed the dog more than George. At least the canine didn’t leave his bed to hunt up new conquests.
“He’s a great dog. Friends of mine have a bulldog, and the guy I’m staying with has this white German shepherd. He calls him Sargeant Pupper. Silly name, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m familiar with the dog. He belongs to Sebastian Brevard, the developer, right?”
“Yeah, that’s the skank. I can’t believe he left me here on the top of the mountain by myself.”
“He did?” That didn’t sound like Sebastian. In a small town like this, especially around a lake, everyone knew each other. Sebastian enjoyed a reputation as a solid, reliable man.
“Sarge ran after a rabbit, and I couldn’t follow.”
“You can’t?”
“See these sandals.” The twink held up one foot, which sported a slip-on held on his foot by a strip of leather across his foot. “They are all I have, and I should never have tried a steep trail with them.”
Manu remembered the man didn’t have a carry-on piece.
“Why? Did the airline lose your luggage?”
The twink turned his head and stared into the distance.
What the hell had his attention? Manu turned his head in the same direction but saw nothing of note. On this side of the mountain that tumbled steeply to the lake before, he only spied more mountain tops in the distance.
“Yeah. That’s what happened,” the twink said. It was strange how he answered—as if he was a million miles away. And he didn’t sound convincing.
“They’re good about finding lost luggage. I’m sure it will turn up.”
“Sure,” he said. The word spilled from his mouth, tinged with bitterness. “But now I’m stuck here because I can’t walk down that rocky trail in these things. Damn it.” He wiped his forehead, which was beaded with sweat, with his hand, and Manu studied him. The guy appeared pale, and his stomach tugged too hard as he breathed.
Jack put his head under the twink’s hand, pushing his head forward until the man’s hand fell to Jack’s collar.
“Jack will help you. He’s good at it too. He would assist clients on tours. I’m Manu.”
“Alister.” He spoke the syllables of his name crisply as if it was a point of pride.
“Alister? Not Al?”
He scoffed. “Good Lord, no.” He fanned his face from his hand. “Is it always this hot here? I thought mountains were supposed to be cold.”
Manu couldn’t help it. The twink’s ingénu-ish manner and his helplessness in the face of his inappropriate clothing tickled Manu’s funny bone, and Manu laughed. And it wasn’t a chuckle or a guffaw, but a hearty belly laugh.
Alister huffed in indignation. “Is that all you can do - laugh at me?”
Jack took a moment to turn his head to Manu and gave a sharp bark as if scolding Manu. This alerted Manu because Jack had an uncanny sense of when a hiker was in physical trouble. The first time the canine did this was on a tour when he warned Manu of a client’s incipient heart attack. Manu called for a rescue helicopter with his satphone and saved the man’s life. Since then, Manu listened to Jack when he gave that sharp bark.
“Sorry,” said Manu. He stepped forward and reached for Alister’s wrist.
Alister drew back. “What are you doing?” He spoke with suspicion in his voice.
“Trying to determine your heart rate. You do have a heart, don’t you?”
“Don’t be silly.” Alister held out his wrist, and Manu gripped it and looked at his watch.
“Your fingers are cold,” complained Alister.
“This works better if you keep your mouth shut. You can do that, right?”
Alister huffed and turned his head while Manu counted the man’s heartbeats. Manu blew out a breath when the count revealed Alister’s too rapid heart rate. And then he frowned when he discovered he didn’t want to let go of the twink’s wrist.
“Well,” said Alister sarcastically, “am I dying?”
Manu dropped Alister’s wrist suddenly.
“No, you are not. You have a mild case of altitude sickness. You shouldn’t be wandering around on the mountain by yourself if you don’t know what you are doing.”
"I wasn't. I told you, my friend left me here."
Manu shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll help you back to my cabin, and then we'll figure out what to do with you.”
“Like I'm a stray puppy.”
"Exactly.”
“Right,” Alister chided. He stood, and gravel slid under his feet. Instinctively, Manu grabbed him and slipped his arm around his waist. Why did the man smell sexy? There was an elusive mystery about his scent that made Manu want to bury his face in Alister’s neck.
And that couldn’t happen.
With Jack on one side and Manu on the other, they helped Alister to navigate the path. Manu grew more concerned as they traversed the steep grade because the twink breathed harder than he should. He wondered if he should call an ambulance to take Alister to the nearest hospital, but he wasn’t sure if that would help. It was a mild case, and Manu had some oxygen in hiker cans at his cabin. That, water and rest were all a hospital could do for him anyway. They probably would look him over and discharge him with a hefty bill. But the sight of his cabin sent a wave of relief through him.
“We’re home,” said Manu stupidly. “I mean, my home.”
“It’s small,” Alister said. “Um, I mean, cozy.”
“Yeah,” said Manu. “It’s just me.”
Manu kicked himself then. Why did he say that? It was none of the twink’s business if Manu lived alone.