Summer refrained from telling him the shots typically took up to a year to actually provide some relief from allergies. Instead, she waved as he drove off.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, Summer decided to take a walk to the huckleberry field behind Jarrod’s place. She grabbed a bucket for collecting the berries, hoping the activity might take her mind off disconcerting thoughts—namely that she missed Jarrod terribly.
Rick had said Jarrod missed her, too. He’d mentioned he was being subjected to taunts by coworkers. She wondered how Jarrod felt about that, being as he was so shy around others. Would he become frustrated with her as a result?
She shook her head. She was being ridiculous. Certainly, he cared for her—perhaps even … loved her. Did he?
As she walked along, she spied a mother deer and her fawn and remembered the salt licks. She shook her head again. How could he love her? It wouldn’t surprise her if he were furious with her, since those salt licks had definitely put his beloved animals in jeopardy—animals like this beautiful mother and baby.
Summer shook her head again, warding off the thought of what might have happened to these lovely animals thanks to her stupidity. She would never have put out the salt licks had she known the consequences of luring animals close to the cabins. Jarrod knew that. He knew that.
She sighed. Absence not only made the heart grow fonder, it made the heart grow fearful and uncertain and lonely. It made her question herself, and her feelings. If only Jarrod was home. Pushing aside the wishful thinking, she focused on the task at hand.
Summer had dressed in jeans, long-sleeved top, and high boots. She paused to carefully tuck her jeans into the boots, ever-mindful of the ticks Jarrod had warned her about. Soon she had traversed the relatively level terrain that led to the knoll, which she climbed easily. Once at the meadow, she began picking the huckleberries, but the sound of a crackling branch caused her to look up.
She glanced around, eyes narrowed, attempting to determine the source of the noise. To her surprise, two tiny bear cubs burst out of the bushes. Summer’s eyes widened and she glanced around her. What was it she’d heard on a wildlife documentary she had watched several months before? Oh, yes, mama bear is generally fairly close to her tiny charges.
Summer grimaced. Should she go back the way she’d come? She thought better of that idea when she heard a low growl in the distance. No doubt, the mother bear was calling to her babies.
She gulped, immediately regretting her visit to the huckleberry bushes. She glanced around, unsure what to do. Finally, the darling cubs seemed to notice her, one taking a tentative step in her direction. Had she not realized she was in imminent danger, she would have delighted in watching the tiny bears. Instead, she cautiously began backing away, realizing there was nowhere to go but the opposite direction. Unfortunately, that led her directly into the woods and away from the cabins.
She headed off, casting several furtive glances behind her. Once she reached the cover of trees, she glanced around. Was this any safer than an attempt at a run for home, she wondered? And she also wondered, had she lured the bears toward her place with the salt licks? She shuddered, hoping she hadn’t put anyone or any animal in jeopardy.
Hurrying through the woods, she attempted to keep a check on her surroundings. The deeper she trudged into the forest, the more she realized how easily she might become lost if she lost her bearings. She paused briefly, glancing around her. Should she go back the way she came? Unfortunately, a glance back caused her eyes to widen in alarm. The tiny bear cubs were only a few yards back, trotting after her with unrestrained curiosity.
She nearly cried out, but knew the mother bear would hear her. Instead, she picked up her pace, running full-out through the woods. Low hanging branches scraped her face, and she nearly tumbled on an exposed root. As she ran, panic exploded within her. How had a simple outing to pick huckleberries turned into a frightening run for her life?
She ran onward, reaching out with her arms to protect her face from the stinging branches. The trees grew so thick, maneuvering around them was difficult. When her feet suddenly felt wet, she glanced down and realized she’d stepped into a tiny creek. She waded the few feet across, nearly slipping on a mossy rock.
On the other side, she paused to survey the woods behind her. To her horror, the cubs tumbled after her.
She resumed her run, praying she would find a cabin or someone who might have an idea how to extract her from her current predicament.
Finally, she burst out of the woods and onto a narrow mountain road. Though it was a dirt lane, it appeared well-maintained.
Summer paused briefly, bending at her middle to catch her breath. Finally, she rose. She immediately saw the bear cubs standing at the edge of the road, watching her curiously.
When the larger of the two took a step closer to her, she spun and began running down the road, her arms and leg pumping like pistons. She ran like the wind, deciding all the walking she had been doing lately must surely have strengthened both her lungs and her legs. Or perhaps it was adrenaline that fueled her body.
A glance over her shoulder confirmed the cubs had decided to follow her. Summer groaned loudly, wondering if she would ever lose the curious cubs. She found herself beginning to tire, when to her relief, an SUV roared toward her. She didn’t stop to wait for it to reach her, but continued her run toward it, hoping the driver realized she was in danger and intended to stop to help her.
When the SUV finally reached her, hitting the breaks and sending a spray of dirt behind it, the passenger door was thrust open and Summer heard Jarrod’s deep voice. “Get in!”
She practically dove into the vehicle, finding herself propelled against the seat as he did an abrupt u-turn and then hit the gas. She wondered why he had taken such dramatic action. She glanced at him curiously and then turned around. Her eyes widened in horror as the mother bear burst onto the roadway only a few feet behind them, rising up on back legs and growling at the escaping SUV.
Summer gasped and glanced at Jarrod. Neither spoke, but she figured he must be angry since he didn’t look at her, instead staring straight ahead, and white-knuckling the steering wheel. She noted his jaw clench convulsively and he raked his hand through his hair several times.
Finally, Summer took a deep, steadying breath. She feared she was about to start crying and keeping her voice steady took some doing as she broke the silence. “It’s lucky for me you came along.”
Jarrod turned toward her, eyes widening in what Summer could only read as anger. “Lucky for you I came along?” he shouted. “Oh, yeah, you could say that.”
“I … uh … was picking huckleberries when the bears showed up.”
He didn’t respond but continued driving, and soon Summer spotted a cluster of vehicles at a fork in the roadway ahead. Jarrod pulled up and stopped. Rick Sanders approached the passenger side of the vehicle. “Hello, Summer,” he said evenly. “Glad to see you weren’t torn limb from limb.”
“You and me both,” she admitted ruefully.
Rick chuckled, as did several men standing around. Jarrod shot them a warning glance, and they quieted instantaneously.
“I’m going to take Summer back to her cabin,” he said in a clipped voice. “I won’t be long.”
“You do that,” Rick said, watching the other man curiously. Jarrod’s posture was rigid, and he still white-knuckled the steering wheel as he steered away.
Back at her cabin, Summer eyed him warily before climbing out of the vehicle. He climbed out numbly, his motions appearing stiff and robotic to her. She watched him as he rounded the front of the SUV. He stood in front of her, appearing to watch her but seeming to stare right through her.
“Jarrod,” she murmured, “I’m so …”
Her words seemed to spur him into action. Suddenly, he reached for her, pulling her roughly against him. He held her so tightly she could scarcely breathe. When he spoke in her ear, his voice was rough and haggard. “You could ha
ve been killed, Summer,” he moaned. “Oh, God, I could have lost you.”
Relieved that he apparently wasn’t angry with her, and warmed by the emotion in his voice, she leaned weakly against him. Suddenly, she realized how close she had come to meeting her maker and her eyes filled. She swiped at the tears threatening to spill over.
Suddenly, Jarrod thrust her away from him, glaring into her eyes. “You could have been killed, Summer! What the heck were you doing in those woods by yourself?”
She was taken aback by the sudden shift in his manner. “I …,” she sniffled, but couldn’t manage to complete a coherent sentence. To her horror, she burst into tears instead.
Jarrod groaned and gathered her against him, this time crooning in her ear. “You’re all right. Everything is all right,” he soothed. “Let’s get you inside the cabin. And let’s keep you there,” he added ruefully.
Inside, he deposited her on the couch. Summer suddenly felt cold. She shivered and he wrapped a throw blanket around her shoulders before dropping onto the seat beside her. She turned to him, determined to explain herself. “I … I …went huckleberry picking and suddenly, two little cubs turned up. I remembered watching a television program … in which the narrator said that when cubs are close, a mother is nearby and … then I heard a growl, but then I couldn’t get back to the cabin because the growl came from that direction, so I hurried into the forest and began running…”
“Where were you running to?”
“I wasn’t running to anything. I was running away from the bears.”
He sighed, leaning forward and turning his head to watch her through weary eyes. “Do you know how close you came to…?”
She nodded. “I know. I’m an idiot.”
“I didn’t say you’re an idiot,” Jarrod said.
“You’re thinking it.”
He quirked a smile. “Admittedly, going up there alone wasn’t the brightest thing you could have done, but you had no way of knowing you’d find a bear family up there.”
“I should have prepared for any eventuality,” she said in measured tones.
“Well, I’m not sure how you would have prepared for that. But, I do believe I mentioned to you that you should never go anywhere alone, nor should you go trudging around these woods without telling someone where you’re going.”
“But I only planned to go as far as the huckleberry bushes.”
“And how’d that work for ya?” He scrubbed at his jaw, and then pinned her with his eyes. “Why didn’t you take the pepper spray with you?”
She sniffled, and felt her eyes filling again. She’d forgotten all about it. The reality of her near demise came crashing down on her head. She began crying and Jarrod groaned before pulling her into his arms. He held her for several moments, but broke away when the radio on his belt crackled to life. “Honey, I have to take this,” he said with weary resignation.
He rose and she straightened, determined to stop her blubbering. If Jarrod was still angry, he still managed to call her honey. That had to be good.
Summer heard a voice she didn’t recognize speak to him through the radio. The voice indicated he was needed back at work immediately. He snapped the radio back on his belt and turned to her. He wagged a finger in her direction. “Don’t … go … anywhere. If you must go for a walk, stay on the path around the lake. Please.”
She nodded numbly and stood up. “Okay.”
“Summer, I don’t know when I’ll be back. Will you be all right? Should I call my mom and have her come up?”
She straightened her shoulders. “No. I’ll be fine. I’m sorry I went off by myself.”
“I know. I’m just thankful you’re alive to tell the tale.”
“Me too,” she murmured.
Jarrod took a step toward her, kissed her gently on the lips, and then without another word, walked out the front door.
***
Two days passed and Summer hadn’t heard a word from Jarrod. Deciding to keep her mind and hands occupied, she rose early to begin painting, gathering her supplies on the front porch.
As she began applying color to the canvas, she revisited her near death experience. What the heck had she been thinking going off alone? She realized that until her escape from the mother bear, she hadn’t truly viewed the mountaintop as rife with danger. Jarrod had tried to warn her, but she had been so entranced by its beauty, it hadn’t sunk in. Well, it sank in now.
She wondered, was he disgusted with her for her stupidity? Had she embarrassed him in front of his coworkers? And most of all, she wondered, was she cut out for life on the mountain?
Why would she even presume she belonged up here? Was she harboring some fantasy she and Jarrod might have a future together? After her seventy-five-yard dash down a mountain road with bears on her heels, and with witnesses to her stupidity at the finish line, she suspected Jarrod would likely weigh her and find her wanting. She wasn’t equipped to live the life he loved. She’d proven that many times over the past weeks. Living on the mountain was a pipe dream!
In truth, she had begun to think she really might want to remain here—perhaps even find a place of her own. She envisioned herself painting from her own mountaintop cabin and selling the artwork at Gwendolyn’s gallery. It was a fanciful notion, about as practical as trying to outrun an angry mother bear while wearing hiking boots. She had no business on this mountaintop. She thought she had but … she had been wrong.
The point was driven home moments later when she heard a strange sound behind the cabin. She snatched up a rag and wiped off her hands. She hurried down the front porch steps and out back behind the cabin.
Had she just seen a human shape dart across the lawn? She glanced around fearfully, wondering what she should do. She stood as still as a statue, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
She heard the low sound of a motor. Her ears perked as she strained to discern the various forest sounds around her. She heard birds and then what she suspected were human voices, speaking in hushed whispers so close to her that goosebumps rose on her arms.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she spied a man run across the back of the property and then disappear again. She heard an engine rev and then the sound faded into the distance.
She shook her head, wondering what had just happened. Clearly, someone had been on the property. But why? Any valuables were inside the cabin, and no one had attempted to break in. At least she hoped not. Quickly, she checked the back door, but it remained locked. She considered calling law enforcement, but decided to do some sleuthing herself before bothering them.
Cautiously she strode out to the back of the property, her eyes widening when she spotted deep tire ruts in the soft soil. She glanced around her, wondering how a vehicle had managed to maneuver through the thick trees. She studied the terrain, realizing a truck could drive through, provided the driver was both skilled and careful.
She placed her hands on her hips, wondering why a truck would pull onto the property. Glancing around, her eyes lit on something large and brown lying on the forest floor. She hurried to see what it was and when she reached it, she screamed.
The bull elk that had been at the salt lick only days before lay on a bed of pine needles. Its rack of antlers had been sawed off. A deep gouge had been carved into its underbelly, as if the poachers had begun cleaning the animal but had been scared off before they could finish.
Summer’s knees went weak and she dropped to the ground. She sucked in air, attempting to revive herself. Her heart drummed in her chest, her breaths coming in gasps. She attempted to steady herself by breathing deeply and evenly, and she finally calmed herself enough to assess the poor, slaughtered creature.
Reverently she studied the elk, reaching a gentle hand to stroke its side. The poor animal! It was dead and it was all her fault. If only she hadn’t put out the salt licks. This beautiful animal would still be alive.
She rose and walked slowly into the cabin and placed a call to the Sheriff’
s Office. She couldn’t bring herself to call Jarrod. She had been responsible for the death of a beautiful animal, and for that reason, she could scarcely imagine facing him. What would he think of her?
Soon, a deputy she didn’t recognize showed up to take a report. He advised her he would call other local authorities needing to be apprised of the situation.
Once done talking to the officer, Summer packed her clothing and toiletries, and carried them to her car. She carefully gathered her painting supplies and stowed them in the trunk. She gingerly placed the paintings in the back seat, propping each carefully so as not to damage them, and then closed the door. She hurried to the back of the car again and closed the trunk with a bang that echoed across the property.
She stood for a moment, staring at the cabin that had been her home for several weeks. She turned to look at the lake. Its pristine beauty called to her still, but she couldn’t answer the call. She didn’t belong here.
In a short span of time, she’d managed to put herself and others in jeopardy, had endangered animals—not to mention the horror that had befallen the elk because of her stupidity. No, she didn’t belong here. She probably never had.
Chapter Sixteen
“Doesn’t it just figure Leonard would be out of town when you return with your gorgeous paintings?” Gwendolyn said, as she and Summer sat eating lunch in the gallery business office.
“When do you expect him back?” Summer asked.
She shrugged. “Who knows? Business trip.” She waved a hand dismissively.
Summer glanced around, her eyes lighting on the lake painting she had done, that was currently propped against the wall. Gwendolyn had decided to keep the paintings stowed at the gallery until she could safely hang them in Leonard’s study at home. The two women intended to do just that in a couple days.
“You seem blue, Summer,” Gwendolyn observed sadly.
She attempted a smile. “I’m fine.”
“You miss the mountain. You miss…” She narrowed her eyes speculatively and Summer watched her curiously. “You miss Jarrod,” she said with a certainty in her voice.
Summer on the Mountain Page 15