The Escape Collection: (The Escape Collection) (53 page)

The setting sunlight shone through the windows. The colored glass fragments and woven dreamcatchers that hung in almost all the windows refracted the light, throwing it around the space in elaborate bursts of color. It was like being inside a kaleidoscope. The large front pane was the only window without adornment. I crossed the room and looked out at the spectacular display of nature’s floral arrangement. The entire cabin had been designed around the field of wildflowers.
 

I knew I’d have plenty of time to enjoy the view. But first, I needed to finish exploring.

The small kitchen in the corner was decorated with multi-colored cupboards lining the walls above the stove and sink. On each bright door there was a painting of a different type of flower. I recognized a few, but I had no idea what they were called. There were two more doors off the main room. One opened to a bathroom, the other to a tiny bedroom with nothing more than a simple oak bed and a wardrobe pushed in the corner. A large antique trunk acted as a nightstand, and like the bed, was covered in cloths similar to those I’d seen on the couch.
 

There wasn’t much to the house. It was perfect. I couldn’t have imagined a better place to escape to. I returned to the porch and sat in the rocking chair. The sun was starting to slip behind the mountains. The whole afternoon had passed so quickly. I couldn’t help but wonder what Jon had told the girls. How would he explain where I was? I knew I should call. It would have been the right thing to do. But hadn’t Sheena said that cell coverage wasn’t very reliable?

The hypnotizing colors of the flowers, now muted by the dusk, were no less mesmerizing. With every rock of the chair I could feel the peacefulness of the place take over. I was tired. It had been a long day. Jon could wait. I closed my eyes and let my body relax.
 

Chapter 11

I must have drifted off. The slam of a truck door startled me into awareness, but it took me a second to remember where I was. The porch was almost completely dark. I sat up, body tensed, straining to see something in the blackness. I listened. Nothing.

The only thing I could hear was the crickets in the field.

I let out a breath. I must have been dreaming. It was entirely possible. My dreams had woken me more than once before.
 

The crunch of footsteps on gravel jerked me out of the chair. That wasn’t a dream. I scanned the porch, looking for something to use as a weapon.
 

How stupid could I be? Driving out to the middle of nowhere, not telling anyone where I was going, and then falling asleep, totally exposed, in the middle of the forest. Idiot.

My eyes fell on a long hiking stick propped in the corner. It would only take two steps to reach it. The footsteps grew closer.

“Hello?” A man’s voice called from the darkness. At the same moment that his foot fell on the wooden deck, I lunged for the stick.

Grasping the solid wood in both hands, I swung towards the shadowy figure and let a scream rip from my throat.

“Whoa.”
 

“Get away from me,” I screeched. “I swear, I'll kill you. I swear it.”

“Okay, okay,” the voice said. “I give. I won't come any closer, but I have something for you.”
 

“What?” I asked, and raised the stick a little higher.

“I brought you a few things.” He took another step towards me. His face was cloaked in the shadows.

“Don’t move,” I said, and hoped I sounded braver than I felt. “I’ll swing.”

The man laughed, and despite the fact that I was freaked out and ready to maim him, I couldn’t help notice that it didn’t sound very threatening.
 

“Don’t waste your energy on me,” he said. “I promise—I come in peace.” He took another step forward and I could make out the features of his face in the light from the moon. He had one of those sexy, rustic beards that meant he hadn’t seen a razor in a few days. The kind I would never let Jon grow, but then again, Jon didn’t live in the mountains. The stranger’s hair was shaggy, past his ears, curling up at his collar. He was tall, probably six-two, and despite the broad shoulders and the muscles that were straining against his thin t-shirt, he really didn’t seem very dangerous. He held a cardboard box in front of him and a smile he wasn’t even trying to hide played on his lips.

He didn’t look like he meant me any harm. But I wasn’t a fool. I watched the news and I knew better than to trust a strange man, in the dark, in a secluded location. Even if he was as handsome as the one that stood in front of me.

I took a step back. “Back off. I swear I’ll hit you if you take another step.”

“Okay, Becca,” he said. “I may not look it, but I’m smart enough to know when to leave a lady alone.” He raised his hands in surrender and turned to leave.

I lowered the stick. It was getting heavy, anyway. “Wait,” I said. “How did you know my name?”

He turned slowly, probably so I wouldn’t whack him. “Sheena told me. She sent me up with a few things she thought you might need.”

“Sheena sent you?” I let the stick fall to my side. I was probably being ridiculous, but Sheena had given me a strange feeling since I’d met her. A feeling I couldn’t shake. “Who are you?” I asked him.

“The name’s Jason,” he said. He shifted the box to one arm and offered me his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

I stared at his hand, but didn’t take it.
 

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. “I really didn’t. I’m a lot of things, but a creep isn’t one of them. Had I known you were sitting in the dark, I would’ve waited till morning. But Sheena asked me to bring you these things.”
 

“No,” I said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have threatened you. Hold on.” I backed up towards the door. “There must be a light switch here somewhere.”
 

“Just on the wall there, by the door,” he said.
 

I found the switch and in an instant the porch was illuminated with a soft glow. “How did you know?”
 

He shrugged and I took a good look at him for the first time. The man oozed sexuality and even more troubling, he carried it with confidence. His eyes met mine and I didn’t look away, the way I usually would.

“Where do you want this?” he asked.
 

I cleared my throat and looked away. “What is it?”

He tilted his head, but didn’t comment on my rudeness. “Just a few things. Sheena said you didn’t look very prepared.”

What exactly did I need to be prepared for? I thought.
 

I tried to peer into the box, but he was too tall and I didn’t want to seem obvious.

“I think it’s food, mostly,” Jason said.

Food? I hadn’t thought about food since breakfast. My stomach grumbled at the idea of something to eat.

I wrapped my arm around my middle, but not before Jason smiled knowingly and gestured towards the door. “May I? Sheena would be very upset to learn that I dumped the box on the porch. And I swear, I really do come in peace.”

He seemed harmless enough, and the promise of food was a strong incentive, but I kept my grip on the stick as I pushed open the door and led the way into the dark cabin. I scrambled along the wall, looking for a light switch. Instead of finding one, I managed to bang my shins on the couch and two tables.

“Damn,” I muttered. “Where is the—”

The room filled with the soft glow of the lamp Jason stood next to.
 

“—light,” I finished lamely.
 

He’d deposited the box on the counter and I watched while he moved around the room, turning on two more lamps.
 

“I’ve been here a few times.” He shrugged apologetically. “I help Sheena out sometimes, so I know my way around pretty well.” He stopped in front of me. He was so close I could smell him. The scent of pine needles clung to him, like a natural cologne.

“Of course,” I said, and swallowed hard. The room suddenly seemed too small for both of us. I shifted towards the door and adjusted my hands around the stick again.

Jason saw the movement, and said, “I’ll go. No need to use the stick again.” He smiled.
 

I backed away from the door, trying to give him as much space as possible.
 

“It was nice to meet you, Becca. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

I didn’t say anything. Instead, I stood, mute, and watched him walk across the porch before he slipped into the darkness on the other side. It wasn’t until after I heard the roar of his truck fade away down the mountain that I carefully propped the stick against the wall, locked the door behind me, and released the breath I was holding.

Chapter 12

The sun shone through the gauzy scarves that covered the windows, and cast the room in a warm glow. I sighed and stretched my arms over my head. What time was it? Kayla never let me sleep past six. And if she did, it inevitably ended in some sort of catastrophe.
 

My mind flew back to the memory of my youngest sitting at the table among of sea of mushy cereal. Was that really only a few days ago?

Would Kayla have to get her own breakfast without me there? Would Jon remember to brush her hair before school? Jordan wouldn’t let her little sister leave the house without her hair done. But if Jordan was in a mood…

“No.” I pulled a pillow over my head and willed my brain to change channels. Jon could handle the girls. I was on a break. The guilt pain in my chest sparked to life. I needed a break, dammit. Everyone got a day off once in a while; why should it be different for mothers?

Giving up on further sleep, I flung the pillow to the side and heaved myself out of bed. With my toe I pushed at the pile of clothes I’d thrown on the floor the night before. I hadn’t thought of fresh clothes.
 

I hadn’t thought of anything.
 

There was no other choice; I pulled on the dirty jeans and t-shirt. They weren’t too bad, and really, it wasn’t like I hadn’t worn clothes two days in a row before. I went into the bathroom and cleaned my teeth the best I could without an actual toothbrush or toothpaste.
 

At least there was food. Thanks to Sheena, and Jason too, I had something to eat. In the kitchen I grabbed the bottle of milk and a chicken sandwich. There’d also been a dish of tuna casserole, but I’d devoured it before going to bed. I unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. The bread was so fresh it practically melted in my mouth. And the cheese—was that goat cheese? It was delicious, and I polished it off in only a few bites, washing it down with the creamy milk.
 

The empty box sat next to the now empty fridge. There was no doubt about it—I was going to need supplies if I intended to stay.
 

Did I intend to stay?
 

I stared out the front window and took in the field of flowers awash in the sun. I listened to the silence around me. No children fighting, no phone ringing, no angry husband.

I took a deep breath, letting my lungs fill completely.
 

Yes, I thought as I let out a long, slow exhale, I intended to stay.

I wasn’t excited to see Sheena again. It was more than a little unnerving the way she’d looked at me as if she could read my thoughts. And when she started talking to herself? That was even weirder. But at the same time, even as she made me want to run and hide, she drew me in. I couldn’t understand the strange push-pull I felt, but then again, I didn’t understand a lot of my feelings. Besides, there wasn’t a choice. From what I could tell, there was only one store in Rainbow Valley.
 

The parking lot was almost empty when I pulled into the gravel lot in front of Sheena’s. The lack of people suited me just fine. Sheena and Jason had been more than enough for me to take in. I glanced at my cell phone, still powered off on the front seat, where I’d left it the night before. I knew I should check in. That I should do the responsible thing, and call Jon to let him know I was fine and to tell the girls I loved them. I reached across the car, grabbed my phone and stuffed it in my purse.

I’d call later.
 

The inside of the store was just as quiet and deserted as the outside, so I grabbed a wicker basket from the corner and started my search through the clutter.
 

I was only half way down the first aisle when a voice interrupted my silence.

“Good afternoon.”
 

I gripped my basket and turned around, looking for the source of the voice I recognized.
 

“I heard the bells when you came in.” Jason’s voice preceded him from behind the counter.
 

“Hi,” I said. “I’m glad I ran into you.” To my horror, and total surprise, I could feel my face flush. I never blushed. I bent to retrieve a bottle of shampoo from the bottom shelf.

“Oh?”
 

“I didn’t thank you for the food last night.” I straightened up and hoped my face wasn’t still too red.

“It was nothing,” he said. “Sheena put it together. I was just the messenger.”
 

“Either way, it was great.” I turned to look at him then, and my brain caught up with me. “Wait. Did you say good afternoon?”

“Sure did.” He smiled and leaned back against a shelf, crossing his arms. “It’s quarter after one. It wouldn't make much sense to say good morning, would it?”

“Afternoon? You’re kidding.” I hadn’t looked at a watch, but I’d come down to town right after I woke up. I never slept so late. Ever. “Are you sure?”
 

“Absolutely. Take a look.” Jason pointed to the wall behind him.
 

I didn’t bother looking. He wasn’t lying. Why would he? Instead, I turned towards the fridge labeled FRESH. I opened the door expecting to discover eggs, milk, cheese, and other perishables to fill my basket with.
 

It was empty.

I looked back to Jason, who only shrugged and said, “It’s not Saturday.”
 

“What does that have to do with anything?”