Horner’s Gully – she would never think of those words the same way again. Horner’s Gully would never be a Bruin haven again. She couldn’t get distracted at a time like this. Thinking about Austin Farrell at a time like this was ridiculous. Thinking about Austin Farrell at all was ridiculous.
A muttered curse from Austin brought her back to reality, but when she looked his way, he wasn’t paying any attention to her. He wasn’t thinking about kissing her again – if he ever really intended to. He looked back and forth between the road and his rear view mirror.
“What’s wrong?”
A white beam of light flashing over Austin’s eyes gave her all the answer she needed. A rectangle of light trained on his eyes and grew steadily stronger with every passing minute. He pulled off into a different side road. No one who didn’t know his way up Bruins’ Mountain would take that road. When headlights turned off, too, Austin swore out loud.
“Who can it be?”
“Someone’s following us.”
“No one knows we’re here.”
“Are you sure Bain and his friends didn’t find out you overheard their conversation?”
“I don’t see how they could have. I had my back to them the whole time, and they were still sitting there with their heads together when I left. They never came out. We would have seen them.”
“Take a look through your window. See if you can get a good look at the car.”
Aurora wound down her window. Her heart rattled against her sternum when the wind caught her hair and tossed it around her head. She stuck her head through the window and craned around in her seat to peer through the dark at the vehicle following.
A motor roared out there in the dark, and tires chewed into the soft road surface. Austin swung the truck around a corner, and the high beams reflected off the tall trees. Just for a fraction of a second, she caught a glimpse of a rusty green pick-up with rounded wheel wells and the tailgate hanging on with bailing wire. She knew that truck anywhere. Every Bruin on the mountain knew that truck on sight.
She sat down and rolled up the window. “It’s him. It’s Bain.”
“That can only mean one thing. They must be on their way up the Peak to lay their traps tonight.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We have to stop them.”
“How?”
His eyes scanned the dark. “We’re crossing the MacAllister boundary. We’re on private property.”
“We can’t stop. Private property doesn’t mean spit to them.” Aurora spoke quickly in a higher octave.
“I wasn’t thinking of having a civil conversation with them.”
Aurora froze. “What are you going to do?” She asked, barely able to get the words out.
He shot her a dreadful glance. “I’m going to wreck their car. It’s the only way to slow them down so we get up to the Homestead first.”
“Wreck their car! Are you daft? You’ll kill us both.”
He took a tighter grip on the steering wheel. “Hold on tight!”
She grasped the seat with one hand and the door handle with the other. “What are you going to do?” Aurora shouted.
“I’m gonna block their path so they can’t go any further.”
She barely had time to cry out, “Don’t!” before he jerked the steering wheel sideways with all his might.
The truck careened up on its two outer wheels and almost toppled. The next minute, the wheels caught in the gravel road. The truck slid around on two wheels. The headlights swept the tree shadows.
The pick-up that pursued them continued at top speed down the road. The driver didn’t have time to react in time as Austin swung his truck across the road and braked to a sudden stop. Aurora wanted to clamp her eyes shut against the inevitable disaster, but she couldn’t stop herself from staring into those headlights bearing down on them.
Every muscle tensed. The headlights raced in for the kill. Austin threw up his hands to cover his face against the pending shower of broken glass. The pick-up exploded into the cab of Austin’s truck with an earth-shattering crash. The windows shattered into thousands of shards, and Aurora knew no more.
Chapter 5
The two truck motors hummed in harmony. No other sound disturbed the tranquil night. Austin shook himself alert. His shoulder and leg hurt worse than death, but he had to get his head together. He blinked the glass dust off his eyelashes and brought his arms down to look around.
Four headlights stared into the night, but never moved. His nose picked up the stench of dripping gasoline and motor oil – and another smell: human – human running away. So much the better; let the scumbag run. He couldn’t run far on Bruins’ Peak without someone catching up to him, and the next time a Bruin caught Bain Campbell on the mountain, they wouldn’t let him live to tell the tale the way Aiken Dunlap did.
Austin looked to his right, and his heart sank. “Aurora?”
She didn’t move. Her chin rested on her chest, and blood trickled down her forehead to drip off her nose. She struggled to breathe through her mouth.
Dear God! What had he done? He should have let Bain do whatever he wanted in Horner’s Gully rather than put Aurora in danger.
Austin leaned closer. He whispered in her ear, even though he knew it was useless. “Aurora?”
He had to think. He had to help her, and fast. So many competing priorities demanded his attention: he couldn’t make out what to do first. He wasn’t Alpha. He had to get help to deal with this.
Alpha – Brody! He took a quick mental calculation of his position, but he couldn’t get out his own door with Bain’s engine compartment caved into his truck. He leaned across Aurora and pushed her door open. He offered a silent apology for climbing over her. When he stood on the cold, hard ground with the door open, he saw the wound on her head. He had to get her to safety.
He could do that and tell Brody about Bain at the same time. He shoved his arms around her, one behind her back and one under her knees. She would curl up and die if she knew he was carrying her in his arms, but he couldn’t leave her here like this.
He scooped her out of the truck and settled her bleeding head against his shoulder. She could bleed on him. Maybe her blood would give him the courage he needed to do this. He set off as fast as he could go through the black woods.
She wasn’t heavy. He rested his cheek against her hair, and the vapor of her scent wafted into his nose from her scalp. How could a woman be so sweet, so close, and yet so far away? She would never have anything to do with him, no matter what she said in the excitement of their midnight drive.
He closed his eyes. He had to use his nose to find his way through the forest, not to fantasize about her. He knew where he was, and his nose guided him through MacAllister territory to the Farrell boundary.
Aurora’s breathing got easier with her head in a better position. He talked to her in his thoughts. You’re gonna be all right. You’re safe with me. I’ll get you home. Don’t worry. We’ll find a way to stop Bain. You did good telling me what was up. Don’t worry about him anymore. Just get yourself well. The rest of us will take over from here. You’ve done enough for one night.
He caught sight of a light in the trees and headed for it. Other familiar scents fought for his attention. He rounded the barn and kicked the garden gate open. He staggered up the front steps and kicked the door with his steel boot toe.
In a flash, the door flew open from the inside. Brody appeared on the threshold. “What the devil..? Austin! What are you doing with…?”
Austin burst into the living room. Brody drew back in alarm. Austin walked right past him to the couch. He dropped on his knees and laid Aurora on the cushions. Star knocked her chair over in her haste to get up from the kitchen table. “Aurora! She’s bleeding. What did you do to her, you rat bag? You hound! I swear to God, I’ll tear you to pieces. What did you do to my sister?”
Brody caught Star flying across the room to claw Austin to shreds, but he couldn’t stop staring
at Aurora himself. “Austin, what have you done?”
Their mother Mona came in from the next room. She took one look at Aurora, and her face hardened into a malicious mask of hate. Austin knew that face better than anyone. His mother had never given up the old animosity toward the Cunninghams. She would carry it until she died. “What’s that Cunningham doing here?”
Austin straightened up and faced Brody. “Listen to me, Brody. I know you think I’m crazy and wild and stupid and all that, but just stop a second and listen to me. I bumped into Aurora outside the Beater in town. Yeah, I know. She was there with her friend Molly Shannon, and she said she had her Pop’s permission to go out, but that doesn’t matter. She overheard Bain Campbell and the hunters planning to lay traps in Horner’s Gully to kill as many of us as they can. I agreed to bring her here to tell you so you could warn the other tribes.”
Star flew at him again. “You foreskin! Why didn’t you take her home?”
Austin held out his hand to shove her back. “She made me promise I wouldn’t take her home. Walker is away and Dax is home alone. If I brought Aurora home, Dax would try to kill me and reignite the feud between our tribes. That’s why I decided to bring her here instead. Silly me, I thought maybe we could rely on you for help, but I can see that was a dumb idea.”
“It’s just another one of a million dumb ideas populating your thick head. So how did she get hurt? Let me guess. You decided to play the big hero and you put the moves on her and crashed your truck trying to make out with her.”
Mona chopped the air with her hand. “You get that Cunningham out of here. I don’t care what she said or what you did. Get her out of here now, and don’t let me see her face again.”
Brody held up his hand. “Come on, Ma. At least let him finish what he wants to say.”
“I was not trying to make out with her. We got halfway up the mountain when another truck came up behind us going fast. We turned off onto Road 18, and the truck followed us, so we knew they were headed straight for Bruins’ territory. Aurora looked out the window and it was Bain’s truck. He was following us.”
Brody went stiff and still. “What happened?”
“We reckoned the hunters were on their way up the Peak to lay their traps tonight. We had to find a way to stop them, or at least to slow them down. I swerved my truck to block the road, and he crashed into us. She hit her head on the window, so I brought her the rest of the way here.”
Brody gazed down at Aurora’s still form. “All right, Austin. You did well. You did the right thing.”
Even Star stood still and stared down at her inert sister. “What are we going to do?”
Brody headed for the door. “You stay here with her. Austin, you and I will go warn the other tribes. We can’t have the hunters running around on the mountain without warning everyone.”
Austin put out his hand. “Wait a minute. We can’t warn the others without warning the Cunninghams. If either of us shows our faces at Cunningham Homestead, Dax will gun us down. He doesn’t care why we’re there. All he cares about is bagging Farrells.
Brody stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “You’re right. We’ll have to find another way to warn them.”
“I’ll go.”
Both men spun around to face Star. “You?”
“You men are so full of yourselves. I’m a Cunningham. Dax wouldn’t dare shoot me.”
“What if he doesn’t listen to you? What if he doesn’t believe Bain is threatening us?”
“I’ll get word to the rest of our tribe. Everyone will be warned. Dax doesn’t have to do anything. Once Walker comes home, he can handle the situation”
“I don’t like letting you go off alone in the middle of the night with that monster running loose on the mountain,” Brody told her. “You could get hurt.”
“I could get hurt cooking your breakfast pancakes, chump, and you’re not letting me go. I’m going no matter what you say. The Cunninghams are my family, and I’m the only one who can warn them.”
“Alright; you go home and warn your people. Ma, you go in your room over there. Don’t argue with me. I’m in charge here, and Aurora is staying here for the time being. If you can’t be polite, go in the other room.”
Mona didn’t move.
Brody took a step toward his mother, and his voice dropped to a menacing rumble. “She’s under my protection, Ma. If I find out you said one word to her while I was away, you’re in trouble. Got that?”
Mona humphed, but she turned around and walked out of the room. She slammed the door behind her. Brody sighed and passed his hand over his eyes. “I swear this feud dies hard. Get on your way, honey bunch. I can only hope you delivering the message will soften some of the harder hearts in Cunningham territory.”
Star gave him a kiss. “You’d think people would have learned when you and I got married.”
“No one wants to give up their old hostilities. Now listen up. Austin, you run down to the Dunlaps and round up any warm-blooded Bruin you can lay your hands on. I’ll run down to the Kerrs and meet you at the mining road junction in an hour.”
“I got it.”
Brody grabbed a shotgun off the rack above the front door, and he and Star hurried out into the night. Austin took down the 30.06 he used for deer hunting and checked the magazine. He pulled open a drawer in the kitchen counter and hunted around for a packet of cartridges when he heard a moan from the living room.
He rested his gun against the windowsill and knelt down next to the couch where Aurora lay. Her eyes fluttered open, and she put her hand to her forehead. “What’s going on? Where am I?”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe. You’re at my house.” Austin replied quietly.
Aurora blinked and looked around. She had to concentrate hard before she recognized Austin. “You! Your house!” she cried out softly.
Austin’s heart fluttered. Here she was, lying on his couch in a quiet house. No one could see them together. Nothing could stop him getting close to her – nothing – except the blood on her forehead. “It’s all right. Star and Brody know you’re here, so it’s all right.” Austin calmly explained.
“Where are Star and Brody?”
“I told them what you said about Bain. They’ve gone out to warn the other tribes. Star went to your Homestead, and Brody is going to the Kerrs. I have to go to the Dunlaps, but you’ll be safe here. My Ma Mona is in the other room. She’s not too excited about having a Cunningham in the house, but Brody put you under his protection. If she looks sideways at you, she’ll pay the consequences.”
Aurora tried to sit up. “I have to get out of here. I have to help out somehow.”
Austin pushed her back down as gently as he dared. Every touch of her skin made his blood boil. “You stay here. You’re in no condition to go running off all over the countryside. You leave that to….”
“… to the men? In your dreams, Charlie.”
Austin had to smile. Every glance of her eyes made him blush. “I was about to say to the able-bodied people around the place. You get yourself better. We’ll take care of the hunters.”
“I can’t lie here and do nothing.”
“You can and you will. That’s an order.”
She groaned. “You’re a real barbarian, aren’t you?”
“Just be glad I’m not dragging you off to my den by the hair, Cave Wench. You wouldn’t like it at all.”
Aurora managed a weak smile, but she didn’t try to get up again.
Austin went into the kitchen and came back with a wet towel. He tried to dab her cut, but she winched away. “Let me help you. You look like you got hit over the head by some caveman’s club.”
Aurora tore the towel out of his hand. “Let me do it myself. It hurts too much.”
“Your sister Star tried to accuse me of crashing the truck while I was trying to make out with you.”
Aurora grimaced. “If she only knew.”
He patted her leg and picked up his rifle. “You can be my Cave Wench an
ytime. Try to rest easy. I’ll see you later.”
She leaned forward to hold him back. “Thank you, Austin.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything except almost get you killed. Your sister wanted to break me in half when I brought you in here like this.”
“I mean, thanks for believing me. I wasn’t sure I could trust you. And thank you for bringing me here. You… you saved me.”
He shifted from one foot to the other. His cheeks burned, and his head swam when she looked at him like that. He had to get out of here before he lost him mind. “Naw, I didn’t do anything.”
Her hand found his, and she pulled him down toward the couch. He held back, but he couldn’t break that connection between their skins. He had to follow wherever it led. “What you just said about dragging me off to your cave…”
“I was just joking. Don’t pay any attention to me.”
“Do you remember what I told you in the truck?”
“Which part? About that pick-up being Bain’s?”
She gave his hand one last tug. She pulled him down to sit next to her. “No; the part about kissing you when we didn’t have something more pressing to bother us.”
He tried to stand up; he tried and failed. That unstoppable force caught hold of him one more time. It dominated his whole world. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move anywhere except closer to her. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t fight this enemy rising inside him. He couldn’t become this person, but it was already too late. The force driving him toward Aurora was him.
“I meant it, Austin.”
He knew nothing but the warmth of her fingers entangled around his hand. Her body occupied his every thought. His every sense screamed for contact with her. He floundered in a sea of tempestuous longing. “Don’t.”
Her fingers snaked through the buzzed hair along the back of his neck. His mind exploded, and his breath raked through his lungs. Her voice drifted into her ears. “I have to. I have to.”
Bruins' Peak Bears Box Set (Volume I) Page 33