Grace

My eyes were trained to the door for the next fifteen minutes, irrationally hoping he’d come back to kiss me good-bye. An unexplainable ache built in my gut. We knew nothing of each other and here I was feeling heartbroken that he went to work. It had to be from all the pain I was in. The stress of his leaving took its toll. I fell back asleep for a couple hours, waking when his mother brought some light food.

“I know it’s summer, but this broth is better than eating anything heavier.”

“Thank you. It smells wonderful.” I twisted my nose when I got a whiff of my underarms. Damn, I was getting ripe. “Me on the other hand, could stand to bathe.”

“We’ll check your bruising and I can help you shower. There’s a seat in the stall, so you can sit anytime it gets to be too much.” I nodded and drank the broth and took the pain meds she gave me. She looked me over and gave me a smile. “I think you’re healing quite quickly.”

“How long do you think it’ll be before I can leave?”

“It all depends on you. Technically, I’d say as long as you didn’t hike anywhere and were driven you could leave by tomorrow.”

“Okay, I just want to know how much time I have to get to know Logan. My friends’ parents aren’t going to be able to wait for me and I don’t have a lot of money for traveling.”

“Don’t worry about that. If you want to stay and learn more about him then do so. We can always get you home if you’d like. Although I don’t think my son would agree with that.”

“That I know, but I’d rather get to know him first. Lust comes and goes for so many. People rush into everything and then they break up even after they have kids. I don’t want to be the same. I was the product of lust and eventually abandoned. Desire is a wonderful feeling, but if it’s fleeting it will turn to heartache in the end.”

“You’re wise for someone your age. Go with your gut. It’s probably the smartest way. If something doesn’t feel right, then it’s more than likely not.”

“Thank you, Mrs…”

“Lockwood, my dear.”

“Mrs. Lockwood, thank you for everything. I’m sure you told me that already, but I was so out of it. I’m nothing but a mess and a burden.”

“You’re most definitely not a burden. It started storming an hour ago, so your camping party is stuck until tomorrow. They are worried about you, though.”

“They called?” I hoped they weren’t too freaked out. Gosh, the fact that everyone had been looking for me because I got lost made me feel bad.

“The sheriff did.”

“Is Logan okay?” I blurted out the question, feeling the burn on my face as I saw the wheels turning in her head. I was so obvious, but she just smiled at me. 

“Logan’s fine. He’ll be home in an hour or so. With the storms coming through, they’ll close up early and will continue the planting tomorrow.”

“I thought he said he was some sort of lumberjack?” I questioned. He was a landscaper?

“He is, but for every tree cut down he plants at least one more.”

“Wow.” That made sense. Sustainability for the Earth and business.

“He likes to get the lumber in the most environmentally friendly way possible, so he prepares it for sale as well.”

“He must work a lot.”

“If he didn’t have employees quitting or retiring he’d have more time off. This is the end of the busy season, though,” she said in an attempt to reassure me. I was coming off extremely needy and didn’t understand why.

“I have to ask, are there normally cougars around?”

“Oh, sometimes.” I was guessing from her expression she didn’t want to scare me by admitting they’re common.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that. You’re safe here. I promise.” Her words soothed the extra tension I didn’t know I had. I leaned back against the pillows and relaxed my shoulders. “I’ll start the shower and help you in.”

“Thank you.” I was sweating buckets before I even found the house yesterday. She headed to the bathroom, leaving me sitting up in bed. Now that I was more alert, I took in the room before me. The bed was massive, like an extended king size and it still didn’t take up that much space in the large bedroom. Why did it feel like I’d been here much longer? Being in a stranger’s home and sharing his bed should be sending me into a frenzy of fear and panic, but instead, I felt like I belonged.

With her help, I was able to take a shower. My injuries weren’t so bad today, but standing seemed like a real challenge. Mrs. Lockwood went to get me something to wear as I sat on the closed toilet seat with a towel wrapped around me. The door of the bathroom opened, and I gasped when I realized it was Logan.