Chapter 15
Anna
I stood under the hot water in the shower, letting it run over my body, letting it wash away everything that had gone wrong as if it was dirt I could clean off my body.
I couldn’t believe my dad had gone to Lizabeth. I hated that he knew her, that my best friend had been put in danger because my dad was a raging lunatic who did whatever he wanted, no matter at what cost to others.
What if he’d hurt her? I didn’t know if he would do that. Lizabeth was my best friend, and my dad had known her since we had started spending time together as teenagers, but if it was about getting what he wanted, I couldn’t say for sure she was safe.
That I felt that way about my dad said something about the kind of person he was, and it made me feel heartbroken that I was related to someone that would hurt people for the smallest reasons.
How had I turned out so normal?
I soaped the loofah sponge and ran it over my body, washing myself. When I ran it over my breasts, I realized my nipples were sore. They were sensitive and painful when I pressed against them. This happened sometimes when my period was on its way, but it had never been this bad.
Maybe it was because of Luke sucking on them as often as he did. I smiled at the thought.
When I ran my sponge over them again, I flinched. They were really sore. Maybe it was a combination of Luke and my period.
Which in itself was worrisome. I didn’t want to have to deal with my period while I was here at the cabin with Luke. I would be bothersome to have to worry about tampons, and I was having a great time sleeping with Luke. But I couldn’t stop my period from coming. It was part of being a woman. It was better that I was prepared because knew it was coming, if nothing else.
The roads were set to be cleared tomorrow, the broadcasts had said. Luke and I had switched on the radio before I had come to shower. If we headed into Dillon, I could buy tampons and take care of my business.
That was if the roads stayed open. The forecast had been positive, but Luke had warned me that we were in the Rocky Mountains and that anything could happen. The weather changed almost instantaneously out here, Luke had told me. We couldn’t make set plans to go to Dillion, but he had said he would take me there if it was important.
It was.
I had been with Luke for a week and a half, now. In some ways it hadn’t felt nearly as long—in others, it had felt like a lifetime. Being isolated in a cabin in the mountains had been odd at first, but I was really starting to enjoy my stay.
I really liked Luke. Everything about him was amazing. He had a great personality, he was very caring and that he knew how to survive out in the wild was attractive. At the same time, he was well versed in a lot of things, not to mention that he was drop-dead gorgeous. He had this sexy Mountain Man thing going and it was wild and rugged and a hell of a turn on.
Even though he was the full package, perfect in almost every way, I didn’t know if there was a real future for us. I didn’t doubt that Luke felt something for me, too. The way he looked at me was more than just lust, and I found that I liked it. But if we were going to look at doing this long-term, a lot of things would have to change. We couldn’t make a living out here in the cabin forever. I had to make money somehow, and I knew whatever reserves he was working from would be depleted at some point, too.
Besides, I was on the run from my dad. It wasn’t the type of thing that just blew over. My dad wouldn’t one morning wake up and decide he wasn’t going to come after me anymore. What kind of a prospect was I when I lived my life on the edge like this? I wanted to be able to settle down, not hide the whole time, and it wasn’t a life I wanted Luke to be involved in. Although, Luke wasn’t exactly innocent, either.
I knew his stay here wasn’t just a hiatus of some kind. He had told me he was out here to find himself and relax, but I didn’t buy it. There was more he wasn’t telling me. From what he had told me, I had started piecing an image together about his backstory, and I was sure he was running from something, too. When he talked about his family, he didn’t look angry or bitter about what they had done to him. Instead, he looked remorseful and nostalgic. Maybe even homesick. Someone who had been disowned by their parents didn’t act that way.
Even though I had a hunch he was hiding this from me, I wasn’t going to ask. It was important to me that Luke came out and told me about his life himself. If there were aspects of his life he wanted to keep secret, it wasn’t for me to decide. I wished he would tell me, but Luke seemed like the type of person that played his cards close to his chest.
I climbed out of the shower and changed into warm clothes. It was freezing cold out again after the last storm. Luke built a fire every now and then, but even so, it felt hard to keep the cabin warm.
I brushed my hair and dried it with my hairdryer. It was much too cold to walk around with even damp hair.
When I emerged from the bedroom, Luke stood at the door with his rifle again. This was a bad sign. I tiptoed up next to him and looked out the door.
The mountain lion was back, and it was closer than it had been before.
“Oh, no,” I breathed.
“I’m going to have to get rid of it,” Luke said.
I shook my head. “You can’t hurt him. This is his land, too. Please, try scaring him off again.”
Luke glanced at me. “I know you’re serious about animals. I can see that. But this animal is wild, capable of killing us both, and I want to take him out before he does that.”
“Please, don’t kill it,” I pleaded.
Luke pulled up one shoulder. “Fine,” he said. “I won’t shoot it unless I have to. But if it comes any closer, when it continues to threaten us, I’m going to have to take that next step.”
I didn’t like it, but I knew Luke was right. We couldn’t afford not to kill the big cat and then have it kill us. But the mountain lion was a beautiful creature, and I hated to think that Luke could kill it without much provocation. It was only an animal, though, and if it came down to animals and humans, I would choose humans. Of course, I would.
Luke lifted his gun and aimed with one eye, squeezing the other shut. He breathed out, and there was a moment of silence before he pulled the trigger. This time, the bullet snapped into the snow so close to the mountain lion it backed up with a strange sounding growl before it ran off between the trees.
“First shot,” Luke said. “It was much easier, this time. Maybe it will stay away now.”
I hoped so. I didn’t like the idea that a mountain lion was prowling around the cabin.
“What do we do if it comes back again?” I asked. I felt like we had to consider the possibility. It had already come back one time.
“Then we do what we’re doing now. If it doesn’t work, we take the next step.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
Luke pulled up his shoulders. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I don’t want to have to kill the animal, but when it comes down to it, I’ll do what I need to do.”
I nodded. I understood where Luke was coming from. He wasn’t heartless, willing to kill the animal for sport or because it was easier. But he was realistic, and he would kill the animal if that was what was necessary to keep us safe. I respected Luke’s approach, and I appreciated his outlook. I had grown up with people who cared nothing for any life other than their own and wouldn’t have thought twice before killing the animal purely because they had felt like it. Luke wasn’t like that, and it was refreshing to be with someone who had nothing to do with the Mafia.
Luke closed the door and put away the gun.
“When do you think we’ll be able to go to Dillon?” I asked, changing the topic. “I need a couple of things.”
Luke looked out the window and at the sky. There weren’t many clouds.
“We can go now if you want. The roads should be open, and we’ll make good time and be back in time for dinner.”
I agreed, and Luke and I got ready to leave. Heading out to the truck was nerve-wracking, knowing there was a mountain lion around. Luke wasn’t panicking when we walked out of the cabin, but I noticed he was looking around, alert. As soon as we were in the truck and moving, I relaxed. It would be much harder for the cat to get us when we were in the truck and safer.
At the store, I left Luke to pick out a couple of groceries while I walked to the toiletry aisle. I picked up tampons and maxi pads before heading back to Luke. I was embarrassed to put my things in the basket. I tried to put other things on top of it so he wouldn’t notice right away. Once we paid for our things he would see it, but I was hoping he would overlook it.
“What are you doing?” he asked when he watched me try to stack the other products on top of my tampons. “Are you trying to hide that?”
I didn’t answer Luke. It was exactly what I had been doing. I felt silly, blushing, and I didn’t know where to look.
Luke chuckled. “You know, you don’t have to hide that stuff from me. I may be a man, but I know what it is.”
I felt even more embarrassed. Luke was so open about everything, and he looked at me with eyes that were still laughing at me. It would have been best if I didn’t have to buy it at all, but with my period on the way, I would need it and I didn’t have a choice. Luke was being very sweet about it. Other men often felt uncomfortable and felt that tampons and pads and period pains needed to be kept private and away from them. But it was a part of our lives, and it was nice that Luke didn’t think it was strange or irritating. He treated it like it was normal, and it was.
After we established that he didn’t care about the female product in the basket, we walked to the deli section. Luke stood before the glass display case, looking at the different precooked meals.
“I think it would be nice if we get something we don’t have to work hard for, tonight.”
I looked at the food Luke was studying and nodded my agreement.
“What about chicken? Do you like that?” Luke asked.
“I love chicken,” I said. “I could make a salad with that.”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t want you to do anything, tonight. Tonight is my treat. I’ll get the ingredients and take care of it. Why don’t you go choose us a nice bottle of wine?”
I nodded, giving in. I liked the idea that he wanted me to sit back and put my feet up. I would choose a wine that went with my mood. Something happy with an aftertaste of in-love.