Chapter 7

Mommy, mommy. Please come get me. I’m scared, mommy. I want to go home.

Shay’s body jerked off the bed in a panic, her breaths coming so fast she thought she would pass out. She could feel the beads of sweat roll down her face as she opened her eyes trying to focus and steady her breathing. Like a mantra in her head, she said over and over again; it’s just a dream; it’s just a dream Shay, calm down.

Her eyes focused on the window and the moonlight that dimly illuminated her room. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tucked her head in. She didn’t bother trying to stop the tears. She just let them flow as giant sobs wracked her body. She rocked back and forth trying to soothe the horrific ache in her heart. I miss you so much, baby. I love you so much. God, I would do anything to have you back.

A few moments later Shay finally calmed down and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She sat on her bed staring out the window for a few more minutes, just allowing her mind to empty of the horrific nightmare. She took two deep cleansing breaths and glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It read 4:28 am. She had several hours before the sun would be up, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

Instead of lying awake in bed for a couple hours, she got up and padded barefoot to the bathroom. She turned on the faucets to the giant tub and added her bath oil. The aroma was already soothing as the heat of the water activated the essential oils. While she waited for the bathtub to fill, she bundled her hair into a bun on top of her head and splashed some cold water from the faucet on her face. Feeling a little bit better, she shut off the bathtub faucets and slowly lowered herself into the steaming water. She leaned back and shut her eyes. Allowing the healing powers of the bath oil, relax her. The bath wouldn’t erase the memories of the nightmare completely, but it always helped her cope.

**

Two weeks had already passed since Shay had moved to Greyson Falls. She hadn’t seen any sign of the Hanover’s since the altercation with them at the bar, which she was more than happy about. The first few days after the incident she had caught herself looking over her shoulder scared that they may try something. Eventually, she began to relax and go about her daily life. Thankfully, she had only needed to go into town a handful of times to gather groceries and a few things for the cottage.

She spent the majority of her time cleaning in and around the cottage. She had purchased some paint for the house and had started with the kitchen and living room since that was where she spent the majority of her time. The pale green color she had chosen added a calming effect and matched well with the yellow curtains she had purchased for the kitchen and living room windows. It had been Ana’s favorite color, and it really did add life to the little drab cottage a bit. She had purchased some colorful throw pillows for the couch and added several pots of flowers for both inside and outside of the cottage to brighten the place up.

She had settled easily into a routine. In the mornings she would go for a run, shower, and sit on the front porch drinking her coffee. Sometimes Sue would come out and invite her over, and other times Shay would sit on the porch swing by herself just enjoying the sounds of the morning. Then she would tackle her to-do list for the day. Now that all the deep cleaning was complete, she would split her days between her indoor and outdoor tasks. She worked outside in the mornings before the heat got to be too much. Then after lunch, she would move inside where it was cooler.

She worked until she felt like she was done. It was nice not having to adhere to any kind of schedule. She spent her evenings trying out different recipes in her tiny kitchen, soaking in her claw foot tub, or simply losing herself in a collection of Danielle Steel novels. Dee would pop in every few days to see how she was doing and if she needed anything.

Inevitably, when she would stop by, she would try and convince to come out to the bar with her and have a few drinks. She’d also drop a few not so subtle hints that Lucas would really like to see her again too. Shay had always declined, coming up with one excuse or another. But, she could tell the Dee was getting suspicious. Shay hadn’t spoken of the incident with the Hanover’s, and it looked like neither had Alex and Lucas.

Although the incident had left her unsettled for a few days, she was over it. But she still didn’t feel like going out and being in a crowd. Besides, it wasn’t like she was bored with her time or being anti-social; she enjoyed exploring the different trails around her cabin, and she spent a good deal of time getting to know her neighbor, Sue.

She had even bumped into Jaxson a few times when she went to the market and while she sat outside on her porch swing. She learned that he didn’t have a vehicle, but chose to walk like her. The dirt road in front of her cottage was the only road that led to his house, so he had no choice but to pass by her place. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she made a point to try to be out on her front porch at the same time each morning. Every time he would pass by on his way into town, Shay would smile and say ‘Hello.’ However, he would either just turn and look at her like she was a freak or ignore her completely.

Typically, the days that Shay didn’t have morning coffee with Sue, she would find her outside in the evening. They would sit together on her porch swing and drink a bay breeze, or some other fruity cocktail Sue had made. Shay would tell her all about the chores she accomplished that day or what she planned to do next and Sue would fill her in on the town’s gossip. Having lived in Greyson Falls her entire life, Ms. Adkins knew everyone in town, quite well.

Occasionally, Shay would try to subtly steer the conversation to Jaxson and the Avery’s. She tried to be discrete about her curiosity. It wasn’t that difficult to pump Sue for information. The Avery boys were one of her favorite topics, and she was rife with information.

Shay learned a lot about the Avery and Hanover families and their feud. The Hanover’s father had married into the Avery family. However, his wife’s father, Mr. Alex Avery, had never really liked or approved of Frank Hanover. He didn’t think he was good enough for his daughter, Mary. Things got even more uncomfortable when Mary passed away unexpectedly five years ago. But, they eased a bit when Frank Hanover died. Although, Alex Sr. wasn’t a fan of the Hanover grandchildren either. He rarely spoke of them, but when he did, he made no attempt to hide his contempt for them. In fact, he felt like they were self-entitled lazy brats. And according to Sue, those were his exact words.

Things went from bad to worse when Alex Sr. passed away last year. In his will, the family patriarch left the majority of his land to his only son, Nelson Avery and all six of his grandchildren. Shay thought it wasn’t very fair, but the grandfather did it because he hated Frank Hanover.

He only left the Hanover grandchildren a small piece of land on the outskirts of town. It was where Frank and Mary had lived, raising horses and their children. It was just big enough for the ranch house, riding ring, and the horse barn. It also happened to be close to where Jaxson’s land was. Which meant it was also fairly close to Shay’s cabin, which made her a bit uneasy.

It was now the third week of June, and Shay had just stepped out onto the porch. She was going to take a walk down by the river while the sun was still low on the horizon and the bugs weren’t out yet. As she headed down the stairs, she had barely made it past the first step when she felt the board give way on the second step, and her foot went right through it. Her momentum was already going forward so when her foot fell through and got stuck, it sent her sprawling face first down the stairs. She landed hard on her shins and elbows and twisted her ankle painfully. “Fuck!” She cried out laying twisted with her foot still stuck in the wooden step.

“Don’t move,” A deep voice said running up to her. He grabbed her under her arms and was surprisingly gentle as he lifted her up. With him carrying most of her weight, she was able to focus on wiggling her foot free. When it was finally clear of the step, he carried her back up the steps and placed her gingerly on the porch in a sitting position.

She grimaced as she pulled her leg up to inspect the damage. “Here. Let me take a look.” He squatted down next to her and pulled her leg into his lap. He rolled her sock down. She watched him as he inspected her ankle. She was taken aback by this tender side of him. There were a couple superficial scratches on her calf, and her ankle was a little red, but it would be fine. There was no swelling.

As if he just noticed her watching, he quickly placed her leg back on the porch. He looked up at her and then stood. “You will live.” He said gruffly, turning to go.

“Thank you, Jaxson.” She called after him.

He grunted and headed down the path towards his property.

“Hey! Why can’t we be friends?” Shay wasn’t sure what possessed her to say that, but it was too late to take it back. It frustrated her that he could be tender and caring one minute and then switch to a burly jerk in a heartbeat. She hadn’t done a thing do deserve his hatred. “I know you're not as mean or scary as you pretend to be.”

She watched him stop in his tracks and then turn and look at her. “I don’t want to be your friend,” was all he said and then he walked off down the dirt road in the direction of his house.

“Fine, suit yourself.” She muttered.

That evening Sue had brought her over a freshly baked apple pie, and the two of them sat and watched, ‘Step Mom’ together. Both women sat crying on the couch when the movie ended. Sue wiped the tears from her cheek and stood up and said, “I’m such an old sap. That movie gets me every time.”

“Me too,” Shay said walking her to the door. “Thank you for the apple pie; it was delicious.”

“You’re welcome, honey. Thanks for the movie and the company. Well, I’ll be seeing you.”

Shay spent a few minutes cleaning up the pie plates and the wine glasses, stowing the rest of the pie for another day. It was too good to let it go to waste. She double-checked to make sure the front door was locked and then went to bed; her thoughts wandering to Jaxson again. Lately, she couldn’t get him out of her mind.

She woke early the next morning to hammering. Shay rolled over and looked at her bedside clock. It was barely 7 am. Who on earth would be banging around at this hour? Surely, it wasn’t Sue. She never got up before 8. For a second, Shay thought about just pulling the pillow over her head and going back to sleep. But just as she grabbed the pillow, another round of loud banging ensued.

So much for that idea.

She threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. She pulled on a pair of running shorts and walked out to the front porch barefoot. To her surprise, she saw Jaxson on her front steps hammering in a new wooden step for her. He made quite the picture with his shirt off, and a carpenter’s belt hung low on his hips. She leaned up against the door frame admiring the contours of the muscles of his back and shoulders each time he swung the hammer. His back and forearms were already glistening with sweat from the morning heat. With just a few more swings, he had finished repairing the hole in her front porch. She continued to watch him remain quiet— the corners of her lips turned up into a smile as she watched his eyes finally connect with hers.

When she didn’t say anything and just raised her eyebrows at him, he seemed to squirm a bit under her stare. “It’s nothing.” He shrugged, pulling on the board to make sure that it was secure. He collected his things and stood up. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail revealing his beautiful face. It was still covered by a full beard, but there was no mistaking his chiseled good looks. And those eyes. Today they were like a creamy jade, but she knew they could flash emerald green in a heartbeat. She found herself wondering what he would look like with all that facial hair shaved off.

“Of course.” She smiled folding her arms across her chest. “Thank you for nothing then.”

For a split second, she almost thought she saw the corner of his mouth curve up into a half grin, but then it was gone. She watched him walk down the dirt road without another word or even a backward glance. He was a man of many mysteries. But, she was willing to take the time to peel back the layers.