Where She Belongs (Destiny Falls)

by Cindy Procter-King

  Her face baked. The idea didn’t sound half bad.

  He shoved back his chair. “I may be persistent to the point of being obnoxious now and then, but I’m not a begging man. Remember that when you’re holed up in your ritzy apartment with nothing but an electric blanket to keep you warm.”

  He stormed out.

  “Jess, I’m sorry. That doesn’t sound like fun.” Molly stirred the sizzling sloppy joe mixture on her stove. “My cousin can be a pain sometimes.” She offered a commiserating smile.

  “I need space. He has a tough time accepting that.” Jess rinsed the lettuce head beneath the tap, the water cool on her hands. Tim’s voice filtered through the closed pocket door leading to the living room. Muffled teenaged laughter arose at something he said, then another male teen voice bounced back a reply. Ah, to feel that vibrant and free. “I haven’t heard from him since.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  Yes. “Why should it? I told him to stop pulling stunts, and he has.” She turned off the tap and glanced at her friend. “Wait. He’s not coming here, is he?”

  “No. I planned to ask him before I knew how bad things were between you. But he was too busy, so I didn’t bother. I think he had a long day planned in the bush.”

  Or he was avoiding her, Jess thought. Some definite irony happening there. She’d wanted it like this—Adam at a safe distance, as if they’d never made love. However, she hadn’t counted on feeling so lost, so alienated and ignored.

  Molly’s three-year-old daughter toddled into the kitchen from the rear hallway. “Mommy. Wanna help.”

  Molly smiled at Kaitlin. “Can you carry a big bag of taco chips, sweetie?” She secured the medium-sized bag in Kaitlin’s hands and walked her to the pocket door. “Give the bag to Daddy, and he’ll let you have some chips. But you have to share with the players, okay?”

  “’Kay!”

  As Molly slid open the door, a jumble of teenage voices poured from the living room. Molly saw her daughter through, then closed the door again and walked back to Jess.

  “Sorry. Kaitlin’s in a big-girl stage.”

  “That’s okay. She’s darling.” Jess’s heart squeezed. “I’m sorry I didn’t fly out to see her when she was born.”

  “If I remember, you weren’t even in the country.”

  Story of her life. “I know. I can’t believe she’s three and I’ve just met her.”

  “Time flies.”

  “Yes, it does.” And she’d missed out on so much. Dreams that had once felt as vital to her as breathing. Had she stayed in Destiny Falls, she’d probably have two or three of her own sweet babies by now.

  With whom?

  Biting her lip, she blotted the lettuce with a paper towel. “Does Tim know Adam and I aren’t getting along?” She tore bite-sized pieces into a wooden salad bowl.

  “Well, he’s not blind. But I didn’t tell him.” Molly stirred the sloppy joe mixture. The hearty scent filled the kitchen.

  “I’m more concerned with what Mom might think.”

  “Didn’t she go to Kamloops?”

  “Yes. At noon. You know, I thought I wanted her in the dark about my problems with Adam. But now...”

  “It doesn’t feel right?”

  Jess nodded. “We’re starting to relate to each other like women, not just mother and daughter.”

  “Like you always wanted.”

  “It’s still new to me, but once she returns I want to try talking to her about him. Not sure how successful I’ll be.”

  “She might surprise you, Jess. She’ll probably have great insight.”

  “Maybe.” Her lungs pinched. How had her situation with Adam grown so complicated? Why did he have to be such a... such a man?

  “It’s just that he wants a whole lot more than I’m prepared to give.” Jess shredded the lettuce head.

  “I assume we’re talking about Adam again.” Molly stepped to the counter, opened a bag of buns, and began buttering.

  “It feels like we’re in some sort of competition. It’s like, who’ll be the first to break? Him or me?”

  “You both are stubborn as hell.”

  “I’m not trying to be stubborn. I want—no, I wish we could have some laughs and then be realistic about it and go our separate ways. But he keeps pushing me—”

  “Because you pulled away from him, Jess.”

  “I pulled away because I had to.”

  Molly set down the knife. “You do love him.”

  Her heart thudded. “I didn’t say that.”

  “And it scares you, doesn’t it?”

  “Only out of my mind! What if I stayed here to be with him? He might not be a logger, but he works in the bush nearly every day. A forester, like Danny wanted to be. What if—”

  “Uh-uh, don’t play what-if, Jess. I can see where you’re going with this, and, I have to tell you, it’s not fair to you or Adam.” Molly pried the tattered lettuce head out of her hands and calmly tore up the remaining leaves. “Losing Danny was horrible, but supervising contracts isn’t in the same danger league as logging. It’s more likely you’ll get hit by a bus while crossing the street in Toronto than it is that Adam will die in the bush.”

  “Tell that to my heart, Moll.”

  “Listen to your heart, honey. I know you’re scared. Who wouldn’t be? Your whole life is changing.” The telephone rang. Molly grabbed a tea towel and dried her hands, glancing over her shoulder as she picked up the cordless. “But if you don’t take this chance with Adam now, you’ll regret it.”

  Crossing her arms, Jess stared up at the ceiling. Molly made love sound easy. And maybe it was—for her. To Jess, love felt like she teetered on a cliff while unknown dangers lurked below. And Adam stood behind her, poised to push, too impatient to wait for her to tip-toe to the edge with him.

  “Oh my God!”

  Jess whirled around. Molly clutched the cordless, eyes like saucers. Her freckles stood out in stark relief against her pale skin.

  “Molly?” Jess raced to her.

  “I’ll be right there.” Hand shaking, Molly disconnected.

  “Molly, what is it?”

  “Adam! He’s in the hospital. Oh, Jess, the nurse said he’s been attacked by a bear!”

  Chapter Thirteen

  STUPID. STUPID, STUPID.

  Adam sat on a gurney in the emergency room, supporting his sore left wrist with his right hand. What kind of moron stayed alone in the bush at the height of bear season?

  “You won’t hear any arguments from me,” the nurse cleansing his abrasions murmured.

  “Huh?” He gritted his teeth as she dabbed his tender shoulder with a gauze pad. The strong scent of antiseptic seared his nostrils. “Did I say something?”

  She nodded, still dabbing. “And I have to agree. Going in the woods alone at any time of year isn’t smart.” Her friendly smile tempered the criticism.

  “I didn’t go in alone. I just stayed later than the other guy.”

  “Same difference.”

  “Yeah, well...” Great role model he made for the Young Achievers group. Start your own business then ignore safety rules while conducting it. He’d have to use today as an example of what not to do.

  The nurse’s eyebrows rose as if she wanted to hear more, but he wasn’t about to elaborate that his reasons for staying after his employee had left revolved around an aggravating woman named Jess. He’d hoped an extra hour deep in the serenity of the forest would help him sort through the barrage of emotions he’d experienced since stalking out of the café two days ago. Fool that he was, he hadn’t considered the possibility of encountering a mean-tempered, black bear sow.

  “You’re right,” he admitted. “It was dumb. But falling the last three meters out of that damn spruce was even dumber.”

  “Better a fractured wrist and a few abrasions from falling out of a tree instead of what might have happened if that bear had reached you.” The nurse applied a dressing to his shoulder, and he tensed against the pain.
“Speaking of what might have been, I think your cousin got the wrong impression when I phoned her while you were in X-ray.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Not much. She seemed distracted when she answered, and she hung up before I could explain everything. I’m afraid she might think you’re hurt worse than you are.”

  Shit! “Did you call her back?”

  “Yes, but she’d left by then. Her husband answered. It was noisy. Something about a team dinner, he said.”

  “Right.” He’d forgotten about the basketball dinner. His rotten luck, Jess would have been at Molly’s already when the nurse called.

  And what would he do if she had been? If she showed up here with Molly? An upset cousin he could deal with. Jess, however, would probably treat this whole episode as an excuse to race back to Toronto.

  The friction of footsteps on the linoleum floor sounded beyond his curtained cubicle. The nurse’s head popped up. “That might be your cousin now. I’ll head her off, let her know you’re okay.”

  Adam returned her smile with a pathetic version of his own. Once the curtains fell closed, he swore. The nurse’s voice lifted to him, then Jess’s, then Molly’s.

  Fantastic. The worst case scenario: Jess was here.

  His chest hollowed out as he imagined her panicking when Molly received the call.

  The curtains tore open, and Jess burst in, eyes huge, face chalky. Her gaze locked with his, and a wave of hope rolled through him. But instead of speaking or coming to him, she averted her gaze.

  “Jess, I swear, this was nothing like Danny,” he said quickly.

  Molly barged in. Jess moved aside, her long curls veiling her face. Adam’s gut clenched. She couldn’t even look at him. Wouldn’t say one heartening word.

  Molly raced to his side. “Adam! Are you okay? We thought you were mauled—or worse!” She studied the mild swelling on his arm above his wrist.

  “Hairline fracture, most likely.” He glanced at Jess. She picked up his torn work shirt from the visitor’s chair, then sat and draped it across her lap. The whiteness in her face persisted. “The nurse said a sprain would actually hurt more.”

  “Did she give you painkillers?”

  “I don’t need painkillers.” He spared another glance toward Jess. Wearing dark blue jeans and a scooped-neck T-shirt the color of jade, she could do more for him than a triple dose of painkillers, if only she’d look at or talk to him. “The doctor will slap a cast on me, and in six weeks I’ll be good as new. I won’t be playing any more slo-pitch this season, though.”

  “As if that should be your primary concern.” Molly slapped his leg. “You scared us silly, you doofus.”

  “Me? You overreacted.” But he clasped his cousin’s hand, wishing he could do the same with Jess. “Sorry for putting you through the wringer like that when all I really needed was a ride home.”

  Molly’s gaze flicked to Jess. “That was my fault. Sorry. We were discussing something related when the call came—”

  “Related to being treed by a huge black bear?”

  “Oh, stuff it, Adam. I remember the nurse saying ‘bear attack’ and ‘X-rays.’ My brain stopped functioning at that point.” She crossed her arms. “So, tell us, Tarzan, what really happened?”

  “The usual. A mother bear protecting her cub.” Should he relate the tale in front of Jess? Damn it, she needed to understand that not every bush accident resulted in tragedy. “Only I didn’t realize there was a cub in the area until after I’d been treed by the sow. When I saw her, I did what I always do—climbed the nearest tree. Unfortunately, she charged up after me.”

  Jess gasped, and he steeled himself. She has to hear it.

  Molly squealed like a kid caught up in a ghost story. “Omigod, what did you do?”

  “Climbed! By the time all was said and done, I must have climbed seventy feet. Good thing I didn’t pick a shorter tree.” He extended his right hand for Molly’s inspection. His unsupported left arm throbbed. “I got most of these scratches from climbing. I kept looking for the cub, thinking it must be in my tree. Otherwise, why would the sow keep charging me?” He re-propped his arm.

  “Keep charging you?” Jess blurted. “How many times did she charge you?”

  Adam looked at her. She might not stick around once she heard his reply, but he intended to work in the bush his entire life. She deserved the truth. “Four. The first and second times, I kept climbing. She’d run up so high, then scoot back down. By the third charge, I’d snagged my jeans. I couldn’t get away from her fast enough, so I kicked at her with my caulk boots.” He lifted one foot to display the metal studs. “A handy weapon in a tight spot, eh?”

  Jess stared at him, mouth hanging open.

  “Did you hit her?” Molly asked.

  “Grazed her ear. Must have surprised her, because she scampered back down. That’s when I finally saw the cub—in the next tree, up seventy feet, the same as me.”

  “In the next tree?” Jess and Molly chorused.

  He nodded, adrenaline surging anew. “I couldn’t climb much higher. The branches were thinning out, and the top of the tree was starting to sway. So I did the only thing I could do.” He lifted his boot again to demonstrate. “I lined up my weapon and I waited.”

  Molly squeaked. “You kicked her in the head?”

  “I had to. She was protecting her cub, so she wouldn’t stop. If I’d had any other choice, I would have made it. But short of sprouting wings and flying away, I didn’t. So I kicked her hard, and she took off.” He touched his injured arm. “This didn’t happen until I tried to climb down, after the cub left his tree and ran off to find Mama. I’d weakened a few branches on my way up, and one gave out on me. I fell three meters, tried to break the fall with my hand, and that’s how I fractured my wrist.”

  “Wow!” Molly hooted. “What a story!”

  Jess leapt from her chair, anger replacing the shock on her face. “I don’t believe this! How can you both treat this so casually? He was charged by a bear!” She clutched his ripped shirt.

  “He’s fine, Jess,” Molly said. “That’s why we can treat it so—”

  “He’s not fine. He’s hurt.” Jess’s head whipped to Adam. “Why didn’t you use your cell?”

  “Left it in the truck. Not that it matters. Service doesn’t reach there.”

  Her lips curled. “What about Sheba? Is she hurt, too?”

  “No, thank God. She used the back of my pickup as a toilet yesterday, so I left her at home as punishment. Lucky thing, because I doubt she would have come out of this alive.”

  “You were lucky to have come out of this alive! You could have been killed!”

  “But I wasn’t.”

  “You know what I mean—the risk was there.”

  He met her fiery gaze head-on. “The risk is always there, Jess. Risk is a part of life.”

  Molly fake-coughed. Parting the privacy curtains, she mumbled, “I think I’ll call Tim.” The curtain closed behind her and her footfalls echoed down the hall.

  Jess glared at Adam. He returned her stare.

  “It’ll be another hour before I can go,” he said as evenly as if he were making dinner plans. “There’s no sense in both you and Molly waiting.”

  Her cheeks assumed a rosy hue. He’d provided her an out—all she had to do was take it. Instead, she flipped a hand, sputtering, “The basketball dinner is tonight.”

  “I know.”

  “Molly has a houseful of teenagers to entertain.”

  “Excuse me for getting treed by a bear.”

  She flashed him a dirty look. “Molly can leave. I’ll take you home.”

  “I wouldn’t want to put you out. I can always call that one-car taxi service you’re so fond of.”

  Her shoulders firmed. “I said I’d stay, Adam. I said I would, and I will. So let’s drop it, okay?”

  The next two hours crept by so slowly that Jess could have sworn the time ran backwards. A growing irritation with Adam’s lax atti
tude replaced her feelings of helplessness upon hearing the news. As he joked with the nurse and the on-call doctor, all the while teasing and tormenting her, he seemed intent on provoking her, almost as if he wanted her to remain angry. As if he thought that keeping her annoyed would help her get past what had happened.

  If that was his plan, it wasn’t working.

  Visions of him scaling the tree assaulted her each time she so much as blinked. Along with those images flashed memories of Dad and Danny: the hot summer day Dad died, Jess and Mom canning peaches in the kitchen, the grimy brown pickup careening down the driveway, the grizzled landing foreman knocking on the door to deliver the awful news.

  After that, the memories blurred: watching the blood drain from her mother’s face, the air contracting painfully in her own lungs, the rigid set of Mom’s spine as she’d struggled valiantly to regain control.

  And she’d managed it, but Jess hadn’t. Hadn’t been able to deal with or handle it. Not the horrible knowledge of her father’s death or the crushing realization that Danny was being ambulanced to the Kamloops hospital with an injury Destiny Falls Memorial lacked the resources to treat.

  Now fate had tossed her another turn in the shape and form of Adam. Sweet Adam. Infuriating Adam. Persistent, bullheaded, demanding Adam.

  Why had she stayed at the hospital with him? The question looped through her mind as he trailed her in the darkened parking lot. Why had she insisted that Molly go home?

  As they approached his pickup, she turned, nearly knocking the cast covering his arm from hand to elbow. The doctor had torn the sleeve of his work shirt, and a strip of red plaid rippled like a flag in the warm evening air.

  She stuck out a hand. “Your keys.”

  “Use yours. You have a set.”

  “Not for the SUV. For the pickup. I came with Molly in her car.” Jess hadn’t been in any shape to drive. The truth be told, she still wasn’t. Not only because of the danger Adam had faced today. Her insides fluttered each time he came near her. The mere thought of driving his pickup stirred memories of their crazy dash from the waterfall when he’d threatened to pull over and make love to her on the side of the road. “If I can manage the truck, I can manage your pickup. The keys, Adam.”