Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1

by Tonya Royston

  I glanced over at the glowing red numbers on my alarm clock. Five-thirty. No wonder it was so dark and I wasn’t ready to jump out of bed yet. The alarm wouldn’t ring for thirty more minutes. “It’s too early,” I groaned at Dakota, reaching out to gently stroke the black fur between his ears. When I pulled my hand back and closed my eyes, drifting into a light sleep, Dakota never moved from his position beside my bed.

  A light knock on my door woke me twenty minutes later. I opened my eyes to see the early morning light creeping into my room from around the window curtains. “Come in,” I called hoarsely as I shifted up to a sitting position.

  Dakota lifted his head and watched the door. My father, ready for another day on the job in jeans and a blue button-down shirt adorned with his sheriff’s badge, appeared in the doorway. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?” he asked as he crossed the room to my bed. He sat down next to me, scratching Dakota’s cheek in a gentle greeting as his soft brown eyes gazed at me.

  I reached over to turn off my alarm clock before it rang. “No,” I lied. “I was just getting up.”

  “Well, happy birthday. I wanted to give you something before I left for the station this morning.” He held out a tiny black velvet box. “I know it’s early, but I’ve been waiting eighteen years to give this to you and I didn’t want to wait another twelve hours.”

  I took the box from him and raised the lid. Inside on a white satin cushion rested a silver necklace with a pendant of intertwined circles that sparkled with tiny diamonds. “It’s beautiful,” I gasped.

  “I hoped you would like it. It’s been in our family for generations. I can’t even tell you how old it is. No one knows.”

  “Are these diamonds?”

  “Yes. This is very valuable, so you need to be extra careful with it.”

  “I will,” I promised earnestly. “I’ll take good care of it.”

  “I trust you will. Do you want to try it on?”

  “Yes, but after I take my shower.” I ran my fingers gently along the circles, admiring the beautiful pendant. “It’s so shiny. It looks brand new.”

  “I assure you, it’s not. I’ve been told it’s at least a couple hundred years old.”

  “Wow,” was all I could think of to say.

  “And now it’s yours, but it should be passed down to your daughter someday. It needs to stay in the family.”

  “Of course.” I closed the black velvet box, thinking how strange it was for my father to talk about me having children. That seemed so far off in the future, it was practically unimaginable. I couldn’t even see past my senior year to college, let alone marriage and children. I placed the box on my nightstand and lifted my gaze to meet my father’s stare. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

  “You’re a responsible young woman. I’m proud to be able to trust you with something this valuable.”

  I smiled as I suddenly realized I hadn’t told him about my date with Noah. This was the perfect opportunity. “Responsible enough to go on a date with an older guy not in high school?”

  My father raised his eyebrows. “I’m going to need a little more information to answer that. Who are we talking about?”

  “It’s Noah, Dad,” I said quickly to put his concerns to rest.

  A sly grin broke out across his face. “I knew that.”

  “What? Then why did you ask me who it was?”

  “I wanted to hear you say it. Yes, it’s okay. I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but he’s a fine young man. He already asked me if he could take you out.”

  “He did? What did you say?”

  “Only that if he lays a hand on you, I have a gun and I’m not afraid to use it.”

  “Dad!” I gasped, mortified.

  “I’m only kidding. I didn’t say that because I didn’t have to. He’s a decent guy. I trust him.” My father’s teasing grin faded as a serious look crossed over his face. “I’m not going to tell you I’m particularly excited about you going out with an older guy, but on the other hand, I’m not going to tell you no. You’re old enough to make these decisions and I trust you won’t do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  “You’re right. I won’t,” I said. “Thanks for being so cool, Dad.”

  He stifled a smile. “So when is this big date?” he asked.

  “Tomorrow.”

  A knowing look spread across my father’s face. “That explains why Noah wanted to cover tonight and take tomorrow night off. Well, you need to get ready for school and I have to get to the station.” He stood and walked to the door where he paused, turning back for a moment. “Have a great day and I’ll see you tonight for your birthday dinner.”

  “Thanks, Dad. For everything--the necklace and being so cool about tomorrow night.” I felt like a broken record repeating how cool he was, but I honestly couldn’t believe it. Why not? I asked myself. It’s not like you’ve ever given him or Mom any trouble in the past. Except for taking off into the woods for hours at a time. He’s probably relieved you’re actually going on a real date. How many did you have last year? One? I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The voice inside my head wasn’t being nice this morning.

  “You’ve earned it, Laken.” With a slight nod of his head, he shut the door behind him and left me to get ready for school.

  ***

  I received a cheerful happy birthday greeting from Ethan, Brooke, and a few other students that morning at school. As I walked through the crowded hallway to my locker, I saw a white envelope sticking out from the slat between the door and the edge. Approaching it, I noticed my name scrawled across the front. Before opening my locker, I grabbed it as I glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Students mingled about, talking excitedly about the weekend, but no one paid attention to me.

  I tore the envelope open to reveal a gold-rimmed white card with note written on the inside. Happy Birthday, Laken. I hope you have a memorable year. It was signed Xander. I sighed, hoping his gesture wouldn’t thwart my determination to stay away from him. Just when I had started to get him out of my mind, he had to do something nice. And so unlike what I knew about him so far. In spite of my uneasiness, a small smile slithered across my lips as I dropped the card into my book bag.

  Opening my locker, I tried to remember what book I needed for my first class. As I scanned the stack of textbooks on the locker shelf, my phone buzzed from inside my bag. I scrambled to balance the books I held with one hand as I reached into my book bag with my other one.

  I felt around at the bottom until I finally touched my phone and pulled it out. A text message from Noah lit up the screen. Happy birthday. I’ll call you tonight. Have a great day!

  It really would be a great day now. I knelt down to place my books on the floor, freeing my other hand so that I could answer his text message. Thank you! Talk to you tonight, I typed and then hit send.

  After returning my phone to my bag, I picked my books up off the floor. Standing, I resumed sorting through my locker to get organized for the day. I felt the smile on my face lingering as my heart glowed.

  There was no doubt in my mind that concentrating on my classes would be hopeless today.

  ***

  Xander skipped school that day, and I scolded myself for the disappointment that lurked in my subconscious. After all, why should I care where he was and why he had left me a birthday card? My classes passed slowly, each lecture seeming to drag on as I counted the minutes until the end of the day.

  By the time I returned home, I felt like Saturday night would never arrive.

  That night, my parents ordered take-out from the only Chinese restaurant in town. Brooke, Ethan, and I were in our family room when they returned home with the white containers of food. Ethan jumped to his feet from where he sat on the couch when we heard the kitchen door to the garage open and shut.

  Brooke rolled her eyes, slowly rising to her feet beside him. “Easy boy,” she said, placing her hand on his forearm to keep him from bolting for the kitchen. “The birt
hday girl goes first, then us ladies. Oh, heck, you should just let all of us get our food first, and then you can have everything that’s left.”

  Ethan’s boyish face lit up. “Sounds good to me.” He broke away from Brooke’s grip to head to the kitchen, but I rushed around him to block the doorway.

  “Not so fast,” I told him as I studied him and Brooke. “Before we eat, I want to know what the plan is for tonight.” They still hadn’t told me exactly what we were doing.

  Brooke shot a teasing glare at Ethan. “Aw, shucks, Ethan, she’s on to us.” Then she looked at me. “So, after dinner and cake and ice cream and all the usual birthday ritual stuff with your parents, Brian is having an all-night bonfire party up at Matthews Pond in honor of your birthday. Everyone from school will be there. It’ll be great.” Pure fear must have shone on my face because Brooke broke out into laughter. “Gotcha! I’m only kidding. The only action you’re going to get this weekend is tomorrow night and I’m going to see that you’re well rested for it.”

  Heat flushed through my cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said innocently.

  “Oh, please, if you don’t get any action tomorrow night, you don’t deserve a guy as hot as Noah. So after the birthday stuff tonight, I’m going to help you pick out an outfit for your big date. Then we can stay up late talking about who I should go to Homecoming with. After all, it’s going to be coming up soon and you pretty much already have a date.”

  “Ooh, sounds fun,” Ethan quipped. “Can I stay for the girl talk, too?”

  Brooke glared at him and gently slapped his shoulder. “No.”

  “Thank God,” he said with a deep breath. “Now can we please eat? I’m starving and whatever your parents brought home smells really good.”

  “I can’t think of a better idea,” I said, turning and leading them into the kitchen where my mother was busy setting out all the food with serving spoons, plates, and silverware.

  “There you kids are,” she said as she looked up. “Hungry?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ethan responded as he eyed the open white containers of rice, noodle, vegetable, and chicken dishes. The spicy scent of soy sauce and teriyaki filled the kitchen.

  “Well, Ethan and Brooke, why don’t the two of you get started serving yourselves. Laken’s father is waiting for her in the garage with a birthday surprise.” My mother glanced over at me. “I need you to come with me.”

  I raised my eyebrows curiously as I followed her through the kitchen door that led to the garage. I shut the door behind me before stepping down to the cement floor. The garage was open, and we passed between the Explorer and the utility shelves on our way outside. My father stood in the driveway admiring a shiny new maroon Jeep Grand Cherokee as the evening light faded.

  “What’s this?” The words slowly rolled off my tongue as I glanced from my mother to my father, trying to read their expressions. I couldn’t believe they had bought me a new car for my birthday, and it turned out I was right.

  My mother stood by my side, smiling at me. “Your father and I decided that it was getting a little hard for the two of us to keep sharing the Explorer. So, this is for me.” She gestured at the Jeep. “And, you my dear, now have exclusive use of the Explorer. We no longer have to coordinate schedules and carpool during the week. What do you think?” Both she and my father watched me, waiting for my reaction.

  I smiled from ear to ear. I was happy about my mother’s shiny new Jeep, but I was overjoyed to have the Explorer all to myself. “This is awesome! Thank you!” I hugged my parents.

  “That old truck still has a lot of life left,” my father explained. “You should be able to take it to college next year.”

  The thought of college dampened my mood, but only for a minute. “Mom, I love your new Jeep. But I am kind of hungry, so can we head back in for dinner before Ethan has time for seconds?”

  “Of course,” my mother said, leading the way back through the garage to the kitchen door.

  My birthday dinner that night was all I could have ever wanted with good food and even better company. We polished off the Chinese food, with a lot of help from Ethan, and ended the evening with cake and ice cream. Ethan and Brooke gave me a beautiful wooden jewelry box with a wolf carved on the lid. It was the perfect place to keep the necklace my father had given me.

  After dinner, Ethan escaped a long night of girl talk by taking off for home just after dark. Brooke and I spent hours sorting through my clothes for my date tomorrow night. Noah called around nine, but with Brooke lurking on the edge of my bed, I kept the call short with a quick hello and how was your day. He asked about my birthday and then told me he would pick me up at six-thirty the next evening.

  After I hung up with Noah, Brooke and I stayed up late talking about boys. She mentioned Xander once, and I briefly remembered the birthday card he had left for me. I had deliberately not told Brooke or Ethan about it. Before she could say anything more about Xander, I quickly changed the subject to a boy she liked. Then late, long after the sun dipped below the mountains giving way to a dark night speckled with stars, we fell asleep dreaming about the boys we hoped would make our senior year memorable.

  Chapter 11

  I woke up before the sun peeked over the horizon. All I could think about was my date with Noah that evening. Butterflies danced around in my stomach as I lay awake in bed, waiting for the sun to rise and for Brooke to wake up. Dakota slept soundly on his bed, his breathing slow and rhythmic. I stared up at the dark ceiling, counting the minutes until the day began.

  After Brooke finally got up, she left before breakfast since it was the only time her mother could come to get her. I ate a few bites of the blueberry pancakes that my mother made before bouncing up to head outside with Dakota. I missed our long hikes. I couldn’t remember ever going more than a few days without escaping into the woods. The last week had felt like forever.

  As soon as I stepped out into the bright sunlight, I shivered despite the heavy gray sweatshirt I had thrown on that morning. Dakota trotted through the dewy lawn, sniffing everywhere. I followed him out into the yard, the wet grass sprinkling my hiking boots with a damp mist.

  “So what do you say? Is it safe to go for a hike today?”

  Dakota snapped his head up from the ground and looked at the trees. The fur on his neck was still growing back, but now covered the bare skin and scabs. His limp was gone, and I sensed his growing frustration from staying on house arrest for a week. He craved the freedom of the forest and a fresh deer or rabbit meal just as much as I craved a hike in the mountains I had grown to love.

  A branch cracked somewhere deep in the woods. Dakota launched into a stealthy run, his stride opening up beneath his bunched muscles. In an instant, he disappeared into the shadows without a sound. Silence loomed as I suddenly found myself alone.

  I sighed, realizing that no matter how strong my bond with Dakota was, it would never break the wild instincts within his soul.

  I waited for a few moments, hoping he would return. But I quickly realized he wasn’t coming back, and I had no desire to venture into the woods alone. I hoped he wouldn’t get hurt again, but I had to let him go. He couldn’t stay cooped up in the house indefinitely.

  “Fine,” I said out loud even though he was probably too far away to hear me by now. “Have it your way. But be home before dark and no bleeding this time.”

  I retreated back into the kitchen where my parents still sat at the kitchen table, both of them sipping nutty-smelling coffee and browsing the newspaper. My mother looked up at me when I reappeared. “That was fast,” she commented. “Back so soon?”

  “I never left. Dakota took off and I don’t know where he went.”

  “Hopefully to catch himself a deer,” my father muttered between sips of coffee. “It was getting expensive to have to feed him.”

  “Tom!” my mother scolded. “That’s a little insensitive. He was injured. Besides, I’m sure he didn’t like eating chicken every day any mor
e than you liked paying for it.”

  “Good. Then hopefully he’ll find something else to snack on,” my father said before turning the page of his newspaper. “He’s probably restless from being cooped up all week. He’ll be fine.”

  “I just don’t want him to get hurt again.”

  “He’s smart,” my mother stated matter-of-factly. “I’m sure he learned his lesson with whatever did that to him.”

  “I hope you’re right.” I still wasn’t convinced. “Mom, will you be home all day today?”

  “Yes. I have to work on lesson plans for next week.”

  “Then can you let Dakota in if he comes back?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks. Well, I’d better get ready for work.”

  She nodded and turned her attention back to the newspaper as I headed up to my bedroom. My stomach was suddenly tied up in knots. Not only was I anxious about my date with Noah, but now I would worry about Dakota all day. I wasn’t sure which was worse.

  ***

  Work was slow that day since summer was officially over and the tourists were gone. The few locals who wandered in didn’t amount to more than a handful of tables to wait on. Mike canceled my shift for the next day before sending me home early. “Sorry, Laken,” he had apologized. “But I can’t afford the help when it’s this slow. I’ll need you in a few weeks when the foliage peaks, though.”

  When six o’clock finally arrived, I scurried about my room to get ready for my date while listening to a new Pink song on my phone. I dressed in the short black skirt and pale blue sweater that Brooke had blessed last night. My new necklace sparkled above the sweater’s plunging neckline. I curled my hair in soft waves and applied a dab of makeup to my green eyes. The ensemble wasn’t complete until I added silver dangling earrings, a dash of perfume, and a pair of black high heels.