Freedom's Treasure (13 page)

“Heck no. I paid my little sister to read it and give me the salient details.”

“And?” Anna cocked her brow.

“And let’s just say Cindy never did fall for that particular line of bull,” he laid a hand over his heart. “It’s a move I regret to this day,” he sighed and fell back.

Anna laughed and a semi-comfortable silence fell between the two. “Can I offer you a beer?”

“Only if it’s a light one,” he replied. She reached into the cooler, pulled them out and handed him one. “Ah, perfect. You know, nothing beats an ice cold beer on a hot day.”

“You know, I’d agree with you there. Can I ask you a question, Dock?” Anna took a long drink and nearly sighed with the pleasure of the tart taste on her tongue.

“Sure, Anna, though that seemed like a formal request.”

“How did you get that scar?” she gestured with the bottle towards a jagged scar along his abdomen, nearly covered with golden hair.

He looked down and back up and his expression lost the playfulness. Anna nearly took the question back but he answered before she could.

“It’s a war wound. I was in the first Gulf War.”

“I see,” Anna took another long drink and wasn’t sure what to say.

“I was a Seal and we came into an ambush. I can’t tell you any more about it, it’s still classified.” Anna didn’t know what to say so kept her mouth shut. Before the silence dragged on he gestured to her knee. “What about that one?”

Anna looked down. She’d had that scar nearly as long as she could remember and sometimes forgot it was there. “I took a curved hill a little too fast on a bike that only had front brakes a long time ago.” He winced and Anna remembered how scared she was and how it seemed like her knee had bled for hours. That couldn’t possibly compare to what he’d gone through in the war.

An engine grew louder behind them and cut off abruptly. Anna glanced over her shoulder and saw Hunter climbing out. He paused when he saw them and she thought his eyes locked with Dock’s though she couldn’t be sure. His eyes were blocked by dark sunglasses. His demeanor did not seem friendly, she thought.

“Dock.” Hunter gave a curt nod when he reached them.

“Hunt,” Dock nodded back. “How’s your mom?”

“She’s doing just fine. How’s your wife?” a pointed question if Anna had ever heard one. She didn’t know the dynamics here and chose to be a spectator in this male dominance game.

“I think you’d know just as well as I would,” Dock rose from the towel, shook the sand from it and tossed it over his arm. “Anna, it was nice meeting you. Best of luck with your writing.”

Anna waved a good-bye. “It was nice meeting you, Dock. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Her parents had encouraged the best of manners in awkward situations and she thanked them for it now.

When Dock had reached his own truck and pulled out from the tiny parking lot Anna turned to Hunter. “What was that all about?”

He plopped down in the sand next to her. No distaste for sitting on the sand for him, she saw. “What?” he asked.

“You came over here with your testosterone just a-raging.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!”

“Did not.”

“What are you, four? You know darn well what I’m talking about,” she shook her head and couldn’t believe she had almost played that juvenile game with him.

“Let’s go for a swim,” Hunter rose and tugged her up with him. “The sun will be setting soon and it’s going to get chilly.”

Anna decided she would know whatever that story was and sooner rather than later. 

Anna hung up her cell phone and started shaking her booty in a happy dance. Her editor had called to let her know that the articles she’d sent him were great but not meant for the newspaper. He’d forwarded them to a friend of his at
Michigan Main
Magazine and they were very interested. They’d be calling her to request a third article to be published as a series.

Anna was very enthusiastic. She’d turned her journals about moving from the city to the woods into articles and it would be almost too easy to write a third. The money wouldn’t be great but she didn’t necessarily need it anyway.

She danced her way around the fire pit before she remembered she’d left the bathwater running when Jim had called. She had thought it would be a short call and – with a quick look at the clock on her phone – realized she had seriously misjudged time. The water had been running for at least half an hour while she had been outside.

Anna sprinted into the cabin and swore loudly when she saw the floor of the bathroom completely soaked through. She quickly twisted the knobs to off, pulled the drain plug and started grabbing towels in an attempt to sop up some of the wet. Cursing herself up and down she gave up on the towels and went to the back porch to see what might be helpful there.

A dusty wet/dry vacuum sat in the corner and she grabbed it, dragging the long cord behind as she pushed it into the bathroom. After sucking up as much of the water as she could she grabbed her last few dry towels and laid them on the floor. Once it was covered she started walking across them and then, in frustration, stomping.

Her foot went through the floor. Her ankle twisted and she felt her foot wedge into something. She fell forward and barely caught herself before she fell face first into the bathtub. She tried to turn her foot and the pain made her stop. She was well and truly trapped in a soaked bathroom and jagged wood pieces held her calf tightly. She was worried she’d pierce the skin and wondered when she’d last had a tetanus shot.

She eased back to a standing position and tried to raise her leg straight out but was unable. She wasn’t sure but it felt like something was across the top of her foot. She wiggled it again and the pain nearly made her cry out. She looked around the small room for something she could use to pry her foot out. The towel rack was out of her reach and appeared to be bolted into the wall. No help there.

Anna fought down the panic that wanted to burst from her chest. Yelling or crying would do her no good beyond releasing the emotion and there would be time for that later. She raced through her options and realized there was only one. She reached into her pocket for her cell phone and called Hunter while blessing herself for always keeping her mobile near at hand, inconvenient though it may be at times.

“There’s no way a biker chick put you on the back of her bike. For one, you
r skinny ass would fly off. For two, I have a hard time believing you found a single woman on a bike at a bar in Ludington.” Hunter was at the hardware store, performing his Monday ritual with Colby. The man would tell three stories about his weekend and Hunter’s job was to guess which story was the lie.

His phone rang as old man Peterson was poking Colby. “The man’s got a point. You have to come up with better lies, son, if you want to get one past Hunt.”

“I know. I haven’t tricked him in a year.”

“More like two,” the old man ribbed.

Hunter tuned out the two men out as he tried to make sense of what Anna was saying. “You did what? Uh-huh. But you’re okay? I’ll take care of the floor later. No, I didn’t know we were renting you a death trap. Uh-huh. I’m on my way.” Hunter turned back to Colby. “I’m going to need some boards and tile this afternoon. The floor at the Lucas place caved in, the bathroom. I’ll be doing some repair work.”

Colby jotted notes down on a pad. “I’ll run the stuff out there when I head out for lunch and I can give you a hand if you need it. I’ll just add it to your tab. Man, what’s that girl doing in a bathroom that puts a hole in the floor?”

“She overran the bathtub. It happens.” All three men shook their heads at the folly of females. The bell jangled merrily and Hunter gave a casual wave as he headed out the door. He watched Dock pull in to the parking lot as he pulled out. He did not wave and Dock returned the favor.

Hunter strode in the door carrying a toolbox and whistling a tune that sounded suspiciously like it came from a musical. Anna stared daggers into his chest as she bit her tongue. He’d certainly taken his sweet time getting there but she knew it was never a good idea to tear into someone who was coming to her aid.

“Thank you for coming,” she said through her teeth, not sure if the grimace was anger or pain. She was sure her ankle and/or foot had swollen as she’d waited but she couldn’t see it through the hole to know for sure. She didn’t think she wanted to see it at this point.

“Happy to oblige,” Hunter set the box down and eyed the hole around her ankle. He was going to have to saw a square through the floor, lift her foot out and then pry the boards from around it. He whistled softly. “I’m not sure how you managed to wedge it in like you did but I’ll get you out, don’t worry. I’d grab a chair so you can sit but the angle looks like that giant splinter would go through your calf. Can you keep standing?”

Hunter’s calm command of the situation was bringing Anna’s anger and panic down to a manageable level. She took a deep breath and released it as a sigh. “I knew I’d called the right man for the job.” It wasn’t the best line she’d ever come up with but it would do.

“Your foot’s wedged in there pretty good,” Hunter saw there was no space between the wood and her calf. He’d have to saw gently. “Can you feel your foot?”

Anna hissed in a breath as he tried to manipulate her leg. The jagged points looked incredibly pointy and a shooting pain went up her leg. “Somewhat. I think it started swelling up.” She felt tears well and wasn’t sure if it was pain or humiliation. “You realize I’m going to sue the pants off you, right?”

“Honey, if you want my pants off you won’t have to sue me. I’ll hand them right over. Let’s just worry about getting you out of the hole you dug for yourself first, okay?”

“Fine,” she wanted to sound flippant, realized she was whining and reined in her runaway emotions.

“It’s going to be loud for a minute here,” Hunter was using the soothing voice she remembered from the night the Snyder boys had gotten into trouble. Anna appreciated it all the more now. He turned on the saw and made quick work of cutting out a 1 foot by 1 foot square.

When he’d finished she tried to lift her leg out. “It feels like it’s still stuck in something.”

“Hmm,” Hunter cut two straight lines leading to her leg, leaving an inch on either side. He snapped the thin board and tossed the two pieces to the side. “The bathroom light isn’t angled enough to see what’s down there.” He shone a light into the hole and grimaced in consternation. “What’s that?”

“What?” Anna tried to look but Hunter’s broad shoulders blocked the view.

“Hold on to my shoulders for a sec,” Hunter waited for the feel of her hands before he reached into the hole and started probing. “Huh.”

“What? Hunter, what’s down there? Oh God, I didn’t step into some giant spider’s nest or something, did I?”

Anna felt tingling start in her toes. She was almost thankful until the pain started. The wood must have been cutting off her circulation. She checked her shin and calf, as much as she could see around Hunter, and saw deep indents but fortunately no blood.

“There’s some kind of metal strip. Hold on, I think I can get it,” Hunter reached around her and retrieved a tool that looked similar to scissors but thicker, more industrial looking. His hand delved back into the hole and she heard the sharp crack of something give way.

If Anna had not been holding on to Hunter’s shoulders she would have fallen to her knees. He straightened and helped her ease down slowly until she was seated on the floor. He lifted her foot and winced.

“Your ankle is swollen and your heel seems to have bled.” He turned her foot gently to look at the cut. “It looks like this old metal may have cut you. I guess we’re heading back to the clinic.”

Anna looked at the twisted piece of metal Hunter had cut and pried from around her foot. “Twice in a month,” she said, “at this rate we’ll be regulars.”

“They should be paying me finders’ fees,” Hunter tilted Anna’s chin and gave her a light kiss and he rose. “I’ll get some ice for this ankle for the ride. Can you walk?”

A gleam lit Anna’s eyes and she used her most pathetic voice. “I don’t think I can. You’ll have to carry me.”

“You got it.”

While Hunter rummaged in the kitchen for a baggie, towel and the ice, Anna used one of the damp towels to clean the blood from her heel. The cut wasn’t too deep; she didn’t think she would need stitches. It was going to be inconvenient to walk for a while, she mused, but with the twisted ankle she doubted she’d be putting much weight on it anyway.

As she leaned over to toss the wet towel into the bathtub she thought she could see something at the bottom of the hole that had just claimed her entire day, if not week. She carefully reached in and pulled out a cloth sack that was obviously aged and covered in dust. It didn’t have much heft to it but she could tell there were multiple items inside.

“Hunter! I think I found something!” The pain in her leg and foot was forgotten in the excitement of discovery.

Hunter came through the bathroom door with the ice pack he’d constructed. He’d made it long instead of wide so he could wrap the towel around her whole ankle. Anna was impressed he’d thought that out. “What did you find?”

“I’m not sure. It’s wrapped in this bag. It looks like burlap? Whatever it is, it’s old and covered in dust.”

“Huh,” Hunter grunted as he scooped her into his arms, “does it feel like a treasure, by any chance?”

Anna grinned. “Not quite. It feels more like papers or a book.”

“Why don’t you set it there on the table?” he asked as he carried her to the front where he’d parked his truck. “I don’t think the clinic will want us to bring that dirty, dusty bag in-,” he paused when Anna sneezed from the dust, “bless you – and we can check it out when we get back.”

Hunter parked as close to the back door as he safely could. He opened the door for Anna and watched her ease out of the seat slowly, using the crutches the doctor from the clinic had provided for balance. It was painful to watch and he wanted to scoop her up and carry her in but she’d made it clear when he’d tried exactly that coming out of the clinic she didn’t appreciate the effort. His woman was proud and testy, two traits he admired and despised at the same time.

With great concentration Anna managed to get into the A-frame and hobbled her way to the kitc
hen table. She collapsed into a seat and Hunter pulled another one over. “The doc said to keep that foot elevated. I’m glad it’s only a sprain.”

“You and me both. Would you please grab my laptop for me? There’s something I have to do.”

“Sure,” Hunter brought the machine over and booted it up. “Are you hungry? Can I get anything for you?”

Anna quickly pulled up a favorite site. “No, thank you. I’m going to shop for a few minutes here and then I thought I’d take a nap. That pill the doctor gave me is making me feel a little woo-woo.”

“Woo-woo?” Hunter repeated. “I’ll have to store that one for later. What are you shopping for?”

“A new couch. The doctor said I probably wouldn’t want to climb those stairs for a week and I am not sleeping on that thing,” Anna shot a glare at the offensively ugly pull-out couch that lacked a mattress.

“You realize that it will probably take a week to get here once you order it?” Hunter was moving around the kitchen as though he owned it. For some reason Anna found it annoying.

“Whatever. I still need one,” she turned all her concentration onto the web page and did her best to ignore the large man moving about the small space.