by Daya Daniels
“Hello, Lily,” she said, greeting me with a hug that I was instantly uncomfortable with.
“I know it’s late so I won’t stay long, but I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable and you had everything you needed.
“Gabriel had the fridge and cabinets stocked before your arrival, so that’s one less thing to have to worry about. I think with everything he preordered, all you both really had to bring were your clothes.”
Sable and Rocco both heeled next to me and observed Abigail’s movements closely. Abigail giggled at their attentiveness.
“If I wasn’t mistaken, Lily, I’d swear that these are your dogs, not Gabriel’s.” She chuckled.
“They’re just protective, that’s all.”
“What is important to Gabriel is important to Rocco and Sable too, I guess.” She
smiled.
“I’ll leave you to it and will catch up with you in the morning.”
Abigail quickly left and shut the door behind her.
I took a quick look around. The cottage was spacious. It wasn’t as modern as the cabin but it was large. There were two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious den and a sizeable kitchen with modern stainless steel appliances. It was decorated with muted tones of brown and beige and there was maple wood flooring throughout. The color of the walls reminded me of a hospital. They were all painted alabaster. The only splashes of bright color in the cottage came from flower vases that were placed around strategically. They held purple lavender, red tulips, and pink roses—Abigail’s touch.
A copy of the Helena Independent Record—the local newspaper—sat on the kitchen table. I flipped through it. There were a number of articles in the news section. I turned the pages over until I reached the classifieds. I was determined to have a job while I spent these next few months in Helena.
A 4K TV sat over a small wood-burning fireplace in the living room. All of the furnishings were high-end, most of them made out of mahogany. A soft cream leather sofa was placed in front of a large coffee table that sat in the middle of the room. A large desk and leather chair took up the entire left corner space.
The two bedrooms each had 4K TVs placed over small fireplaces, in a similar way as the living room. I hadn’t watched a television in months. I hadn’t missed it at the cabin but being able to watch it while I’d be here might be a welcome change.
Outside from the porch I could see that Abigail and Jacob’s house was just across the property. It was an American bungalow-style home with overhanging eaves that were painted green. It was maybe a ten-minute walk across the property from the ranch.
Making my way back inside, I noticed that Rocco and Sable had already comfortably settled into a corner in the living room and seemed to be asleep. It had been a long day for all of us.
I was exhausted so decided to get to bed. I jumped into the queen-size bed, stripping down to just a tank top and boy shorts. The bed was heavenly comfortable but after an hour I was restless and couldn’t get to sleep. I was worried that since we now had a second bedroom, Gabriel might decide to sleep there instead of with me. Eventually, I dozed off.
Gabriel was lying sprawled on his back sleeping next to me in the morning. I sat upright on the bed watching him and took a moment to really see the intricate tattoos that covered his chest. They extended down both of his arms like sleeves with tribal designs down to his wrists.
There was a beautiful design of a spread eagle that covered his lower stomach. They were all so colorful, some looked older than others. There were huge claws tattooed along his right side. His skin reminded me of an art canvas.
I wondered what the meanings were behind the markings. I was curious about the scar that ran down the left side of his chest to the top of his shoulder. It was deep. It looked like a cut that had been sewn up carelessly and healed as best it could. He looked so peaceful.
“Go back to sleep, Akecheta. It’s still early,” he muttered with his eyes still closed.
I plopped over onto the bed, placing my forearms under my chin and peered at him. Gabriel opened his eyes, did a half stretch and yawned.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get back until late. You were already asleep.”
“I figured maybe you would sleep in the other bedroom.”
“Why would I do that, Lily?”
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
Gabriel stared at me blankly and grunted. “I’m taking you hunting this week since we didn’t get a chance to up at the cabin.
“We will leave just after breakfast in the morning.
“Unfortunately, I’ll have to spend most of today at the sawmill with Jacob. I know Abigail took a day off for our arrival so you should be okay here tomorrow.
“I’m sure she wants to show you around.”
I knew that there would be days when I wouldn’t have Gabriel around but I wasn’t used to it yet.
“I should be okay,” I whispered.
I had to admit to myself that the thought of spending the day with Abigail dodging questions put my stomach in knots.
“Before I head out…mine.” Gabriel gestured between the boxes on the bed and his hand. “And these are yours.”
Gabriel pushed two white boxes towards me. The smaller box had a purple Post-it note stuck to the top with a telephone number scribbled on it. The first was an iPhone. The second box was a MacBook laptop.
“Call only, Lily, okay? Please don’t text. I’m unlikely to read them.”
“Okay.”
“Sooo what’s it like living with Gabriel?” Abigail asked.
Her bright green eyes burned a hole into mine while she awaited my response.
“He’s been good to me,” I said, scooping up a spoonful of Spanish rice and lobbing it onto my plate.
“Well, Lily, you look good. Your hair has grown a lot since I last saw you and you’ve put on some weight.”
I could tell she meant her last words to be a compliment but it came out anything but.
“Sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean it that way. I meant put on weight as in a few pounds needed, not extra,” she clarified.
I focused on cutting some chicken in the plate in front of me, accepting that I was nervous.
“I’ve never actually seen Gabriel with anyone before, especially a woman.” Abigail waved her fork around, accentuating her last word.
“We’re just friends,” I said.
“I thought I heard wrong when Jacob said that you were living with Gabriel now.
“Gabriel’s not exactly the sociable type. He doesn’t talk much to me anyways unless it’s absolutely necessary.
“Does he tell you much about himself, Lily?” Abigail asked with a scrunched face.
“Yes, some details,” I said, succeeding at being as vague as possible.
“We never really got to see Gabriel much after he went away and we saw him even less when he came back. I was floored when I found out from Jacob that he’d even agreed to come down here for a few months.”
My tongue was tied in knots. I didn’t know how to communicate with Abigail on a personal level. The only social interaction I had for the past few months was with Gabriel. It was strange making conversation with anyone else.
“I’m sorry, Lily. Sometimes I talk too much. Please just tell me to shut up if I start to babble on.”
I twisted my ponytail while I squeezed some lemon into my glass of water. “The cottage is nice,” I said ignoring the awkward pause and hoping to keep the conversation going. “Thank you for the vase of lavender on the kitchen table. It’s a nice touch.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome, Lily.” She placed her hands over mine across the table. “Lily, I’m sorry about what happened to you, I really am.
“I don’t know if I can help but if you ever want to talk I’m here.
“Please don’t tell Gabriel I told you this but last night before he left here, he warned me to keep the conversation light and to not ask you too many personal questions,” Abigail whispered. “He’s very
protective of you, Lily.”
I swallowed hard ignoring the comment, desperately needing to change the subject. “We are going hunting later in the week. I’m pretty excited about it,” I blurted out.
She nodded. “Good. That’s really great. I’m not into hunting myself, being a veterinarian and all,” she explained. “It’s all a little hypocritical I guess.” Abigail closed her eyes for a brief moment.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we raise buffalo, elk, and bison on this ranch. They’re eventually slaughtered and the meat goes to market.
“It’s kind of hypocritical that I’m a vet and I don’t hunt and then I own a ranch but I care for animals. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to just hunt too!” Abigail laughed.
“Oh.” I nodded.
“After lunch, I’ll take you around the property. There are a few people here that you will be seeing a lot and I want to introduce you to them.”
The land went for miles each way around. In the distance, a herd of bison huddled together and some elk moved around slowly on the other side of the fence.
“It’s too cold for the horses!” Abigail shouted over the hum of the snowmobile.
“We have to keep them in for now, most of the day, but the paddocks are huge! The stables are over there for when you want to go and see Jack and Winnie!” She pointed to the west of the ranch.
We stopped over to one of the main buildings. A green barn with white trim. Abigail introduced me to Brenda, their secretary and clerk. Brenda was an older lady with a sweet smile. Clive handled only the ranch operations and meat distribution and lived somewhere in town. He was an older man with a dark beard and a firm handshake. He reminded me of what I thought my father would have looked like now if he was still alive. I was then introduced to Lee, one of the ranch hands. Lee was tall and thin, with wavy brown hair cut short. He was young, barely twenty-one if I estimated correctly.
Abigail explained to everyone that Gabriel and I were staying in the cottage at the end of the property. Brenda handed me a tin filled with freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies as a welcome gift.
“Do you want to go and see Jack and Winnie?” Abigail shouted.
“Yeah, sure!” I yelled.
We made our way over to the stables, finding the massive paddock warm inside despite the cold. Most of the stalls had a horse in each of them with only a few empty spots in between. We walked further in and I could see Jack and Winnie further to the back inside by side stalls.
“Jacob tells me that Gabriel has been breeding them?”
“Yes, I think a few times. I don’t know much about horses but it’s likely she might be pregnant now I think,” I said.
“It can be difficult to tell just by looking. When I get some free time tomorrow I’ll examine Winnie properly and can let you and Gabriel know for sure,” she said eagerly.
I grabbed a brush hanging against one of the stalls and started to brush Winnie’s mane. She looked tired and leaned into me as I brushed her. I sensed I was being watched and looked over my shoulder. There was a man standing in the center of the paddock, carrying two saddles. He was tall and wore a brown hat with a cattleman crown that covered his blond hair.
“Can I help you?” he asked me with a smirk.
Abigail walked over briskly, taking the brush out of my hands and guided me with an arm on my shoulder towards the man.
“Miles, this is Gabriel’s friend Lily. Lily, this is Miles—our foreman here. He is basically the man that runs this whole operation.”
Miles placed the saddles on the straw-covered ground and extended his arm for a handshake.
“Hello, Lily. It’s good to meet you.” He gave a genuine smile that displayed his pearly white teeth. This time I shook his hand.
Miles had pale blue eyes and long blond hair tied back in a band beneath his hat. His skin was weathered from the sun. He was a good-looking guy in a boyish sort of way.
Abigail went on. “Miles, Gabriel and Lily are both staying out at the cottage. They might be with us for a while.”
Miles continued to hold my hand in his for a moment and stared at me intently, keeping eye contact for much longer than was necessary. I averted my gaze and slipped my hand out of his. Abigail arched an eyebrow, noticing the silent interaction.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lily,” Miles said again tilting his head to the side.
“Good to meet you, Miles,” I said and quickly headed back towards the snowmobile parked outside.
“Gabriel, what do you think about me getting a job?” I asked, wanting his honest opinion.
“Lily, no. I thought you were going to start using the laptop to start your stories,” he said in a firm voice, shifting in bed to face me. “You are pushing too hard and too fast. You’re still recovering.”
He pulled me closer and began to stroke my hair.
“I could get a waitressing job around here or maybe work for Abigail in the vet office for a few months while we’re here. I really am okay, Gabriel.”
“How was lunch?” he asked, deliberately changing the subject.
“It was good. Abigail introduced me to a few of Jacob’s people that work here,” I told him.
“Abigail said lunch. It was just supposed to be lunch. She didn’t say anything about introducing you to anyone. Who did she introduce you to?” Gabriel asked with an agitated tone.
“Brenda, an older lady who also works part time for Abigail at the vet office. She gave us some chocolate chip cookies. Lee, one of the ranch hands, and the foreman, Miles,” I said.
The bed was warm with him in it and I snuggled closer to feel his heat.
“Miles,” he repeated. “Stay away from him, Lily,” he said firmly.
I was put off by his reaction. I didn’t respond.
“Lily, do you hear me?” he pressed, sounding annoyed.
“Yes, okay. I hear you,” I said.
Gabriel scheduled an appointment for me with Dr. Gerard, who was the long-time family doctor of the Preston family, at a small medical practice downtown.
We arrived a few minutes early. The waiting room was filled with toddlers and their parents and a few elderly people with their care nurses. Gabriel grabbed a magazine from one of the tables and started to flick through it. There was a lengthy medical form that I was given that needed to be completed as well as a passport application form that Gabriel insisted I complete for Dr. Gerard to sign. I passed it all off to Gabriel to fill in the blanks for home address. He took the clipboard and the forms from me and smirked.
“You don’t know where you live, Lily?” He chuckled.
“I guess I don’t,” I replied, whacking him in the arm.
The nurse escorted us into a small examination room that had purple floral wallpaper and had me change into a thin green gown.
I sat on an examination table and waited for a few minutes until Dr. Gerard arrived. He was an older man with a head full of grey hair and a pleasant smile. Dr. Gerard made small talk with Gabriel and me for a few minutes. I told him about the constant pain in my left elbow and he ordered some X-rays to be taken of my arm and my ribs. He did a once-over of some of my wounds that had healed but were still reddened and promised to prescribe something to reduce any permanent scarring.
“Are you having any breathing problems, Lily?” Dr. Gerard asked as he placed his stethoscope against my chest.
I shook my head slowly from side to side confirming that I didn’t. He then asked me to inhale and exhale slowly. Dr. Gerard nodded seeming satisfied.
“Lily, we can do a repeat of your blood work just to be on the safe side if you like.
“I personally don’t think it is necessary since it was done a few days after the incident and was cleared, but if you want I can do it again?” Dr. Gerard asked.
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “I’m not sure what your future plans are for children but if you’re not planning to have any soon, it might be a good idea while you’re here if you want, to think about being placed on bi
rth control,” he said with a small smile.
Gabriel stood up to leave the room.
“Gabriel, please stay. Don’t leave,” I said.
Gabriel made eye contact with me and then Dr. Gerard and sat back down in his seat.
“It might be a good idea. What are my options?” Dr. Gerard gave me a thin booklet to read with all of the birth control options that were available.
The patch, the IUD, pills, the sponge, the shot, the list was endless. I decided on the IUD. Dr. Gerard left the room quickly and then returned with a small packet. He instructed me to lie back on the examination table while he quickly inserted it.
“All done. This will keep you protected for five years, Lily, but I’d still recommend the use of condoms should you decide to have sex, to protect you from sexually transmitted diseases and the like.” Dr. Gerard patted me on the back.
Gabriel smiled at me, looking uncomfortable.
“Lily, I’ve know the Preston family for a long time. This is a very special exception for me.
“The injuries that you have, I’d normally be obligated to report to the police, but Gabriel has told me in not so many words what happened to you and why that might be a bad idea. I trust the Preston family.” Dr. Gerard continued to speak.
“But I’d still like to help you in some small way, if you don’t mind,” Dr. Gerard said as he handed over some pamphlets, placing his hand over mine gently.
I flipped through what Dr. Gerard had placed in my hand and I could feel my temperature rising. The first pamphlet was a Rape Campaign Brochure. The second one was Sexual Abuse Prevention. The third one was Date Rape: How to Prevent It. The fourth one was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by the National Institute of Mental Health. I was angry. I was angry at myself that I was angry. I knew I was being irrational. Gabriel stepped towards me and pulled the pamphlets out of my hand, slipping them in his pocket.
“One more thing, Gabriel, but Lily may want to give this lady a call. She is a good friend of mine and can help with any residual effects that Lily might be experiencing.