Chapter Nine
Harley
“Harley? What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
Hearing my name in a smooth baritone voice caught my attention and I blinked my eyes open slowly. I gasped when the sight below me sharpened into focus and I was staring over the edge of a rock face into the canyon below.
“I..I..” I stuttered as I tried to scramble backward away from the edge. My shoe caught on a loose stone and I stumbled, pitching forward toward the yawning chasm in front of me.
“Harley!”
This time my name was a shout. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, jerking me back from the edge and off my feet. I landed hard on my stomach and felt the breath forced out of me as I was crushed beneath the heavy body of my rescuer.
“Are you okay, love?” That deep baritone was breathless in my ear, and the hot puffs of air hitting my skin as he spoke made me shiver beneath him. I was gasping for breath when he rolled off me and dragged me into his lap. Capable hands removed my shoes and socks, setting my feet flat on the forest floor. “Harley?” His voice was soothing as I fought to find something to concentrate on. "Focus on my voice, love. Count with me."
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five," I chanted obediently. As each number was named, a pebble was placed in my hand. As I started to come back to myself, I suddenly realized that my savior was trying to ground me. Pressing my bare feet to the earth. Listing numbers. Touching physical objects. He was leading me through some of the coping techniques that the doctors had taught me before releasing me to Zade's care.
I was propped up against a firm chest and, despite the concern I could hear in his voice, the hand rubbing circles on my chest was gentle. Finally able to breathe again, I managed a jerky nod. “I’m okay.”
I felt rather than heard the relieved sigh.
“What were you doing at the edge? That’s a long damned drop.”
That was an excellent question.
The last thing I remembered was walking into the woods to look for Scooter after Levi told me that the wolf had taken off after a rabbit. I wasn’t even sure how far I had traveled.
All I could do was shake my head. “I’m not sure. I was looking for my.. for a friend and I must have zoned out.” As the strong arms tight around me and soft lips brushed over the back of my neck, I suddenly realized that other than feeling that the voice was vaguely familiar, I had no idea who was holding me so intimately.
Twisting around, I looked up into the face of a man with high cheekbones, a strong chin, and a cap of close-cropped black curls. His oddly-colored turquoise eyes were framed by long, thick lashes and nearly glowed against his brown skin.
If I’d had to describe him, stunning would have been an understatement.
But with all of those amazing attributes, what really caught my attention was the expression of deep concern that he wore.
“Thank you for catching me.” I finally recovered myself enough to remember my manners. “That was incredibly careless of me.” I tried to struggle to my feet but gave up quickly when the man didn’t release his hold. I knew I should have been distressed to be captive, but for some reason I felt safe and protected.
“Harley,” his voice was back to the measured tone he’d used before my near fall. “Do you know who I am?”
“I..I don’t think so,” I admitted. A curious knot of dread built in my stomach at the thought that my answer might disappoint him. After all, he clearly knew who I was. “I’m sorry. My memory..”
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “I know you’re having a rough time. My name is Scott and I knew you well when we were younger.”
“You did?” I felt my eyes widen at the same time that something inside me twitched. The feeling was odd, but not unpleasant. Almost like my body was confirming that I was in good hands. “We were…were we friends?”
“Something like that,” Scott said with a smile. “We, ah, lost touch a while back and I’ve been looking for you ever since.” His lips brushed my cheek, making me wonder just how close we had been. “I’ve missed you, Harley.”
“Oh.” What was I supposed to say after the beautiful stranger had saved my life and told me that he’d missed me?
“Anyway,” Scott gave me one last squeeze and rose to his feet, pulling me up with him, “People are probably worried about you. You’re quite a distance from where you’re staying. Why don’t I give you a ride home?”
“You know where I’m staying?”
Scott nodded. “I was actually going over to talk to Zade, anyway.”
“Really?”
“Really,” Scott confirmed with a wink. “Come on. I left my van over here.”