Total pages in book: 33
Estimated words: 31042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
“You almost sound like you’d miss me,” I tease.
His hand finds mine, big and warm. He threads his fingers through mine. “I just might.”
The rest of the walk is spent in silence as we walk hand-in-hand together. I love the feeling of his palm against mine. I love the way he gently squeezes my hand any time that we come to rocks or downed trees that we have to climb over. I especially love the way he absently strokes his thumb across the back of my hand.
I’ve never had a boyfriend before, and holding hands with this mountain man makes me feel giddy. Is that what he wants to be? My boyfriend? I mean, we did make-out, but maybe that doesn’t mean anything to him. Maybe that’s just the chemistry between us. See, this is why I needed to go for a run so I could figure this out. Except that he came with me on the run, and now he’s holding my hand.
When we get back to the cabin, I peel off my socks in the bathroom, grimacing at my foot. The blood blister on the top of my toe popped again. I’m prone to getting them, and I do my best never to pop them since I know it can lead to infections.
I take a quick cool shower. There’s only one bathroom in the cabin which means Whiskey is probably waiting on me. When I get out of the shower, I reach for my favorite black miniskirt but this time I pair it with one of his flannel shirts. It was comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with being comfortable. A girl doesn’t have to choose between being fashionable and comfortable.
Hurrying into the living room, I find Whiskey is coming inside. His hair is dripping wet, and a towel is slung low on his hips. My mouth goes dry at the thought of him showering outside underneath his hose. Dammit, if I’d known he was going to do that, I never would have been in the bathroom. I would have pressed up against the window with binoculars instead.
He looks me up and down, fury crossing his features.
“You’re bleeding.” His tone is grumpy as if I can’t see my toe and the bloody mess it is.
“Sit,” he commands, ushering me toward the couch. Without another word, he stalks across the room to the utility closet and pulls out a black backpack. He rifles through it quickly and plucks out a first aid kit. He kneels in front of me.
My heart swells at the way he tenderly cleans the spot and puts antibiotic ointment on it. He covers it with a bandage then gently grasps my other foot, inspecting it.
“It was a bank robbery,” I tell him softly.
He glances up at me as understanding crosses his features. “The episode last night.”
I nod. Other than my therapist, I haven’t really told anyone what happened that day. “I wasn’t even planning to be there. Someone stole my identity and spent money from my account. I showed up to the bank in person to get it sorted out. But while I was waiting in line…”
I’m quiet for a long time, not knowing how to get the rest of the words out. All I can remember is the horror I felt when I realized what was happening. It wasn’t like watching a scary movie or a TV show where I could reassure myself that what was happening wasn’t real.
When I take a shuddering breath, he puts his hand on my knee. His touch grounds me, reminding me that I’m in the present. “You don’t owe me your story, but if you need to tell it, you can bring me every aching piece of your heart. I will be gentle with your fractured pieces.”
I blink away tears. This gruff, bearded mountain man was the last thing I expected when I arrived at the cabin, but maybe he’s exactly what I needed. “They said it was over in less than hour. It felt like I was hunched over on the floor for hours. The entire time I kept thinking about my mom and wishing I could hug her one more time.”
“A lot of things go through your head when you’re thinking about the end,” Whiskey agrees.
“There was a man beside me. He was a type one diabetic, and he needed his insulin. I told them that. I told them they had to let him go. And one of the robbers looked right at me and pulled the trigger. I thought it was over.” I shake my head, still not sure how to make sense of what happened after that. “His gun jammed. I’ve never been lucky in my life. Never won anything. Not a coin toss or a drawing. I’ve never even gotten a prize from those stupid scratch-off tickets. It was like all my luck had been saved up for that one exact moment.”