Riverbend (32 page)

After she changed, he held back the covers and she slipped between them. He discarded his own clothes and, wearing just his boxer shorts, joined her in bed, turning off the bedside lamp. In a few moments, her eyes adjusted to the light. She made out the lines of his face as she turned to face him. He moved to his side and rested his arm in the curvature of her waist.

“I went to see Esther's parents.”

“Oh,” was all she managed to say.

“I've stayed in contact with them, of course, but don't talk to them that often. Just on Esther's and Chloe's birthdays and the anniversary of the day they were killed. They're wonderful people but it's really painful to be around them.”

“Why now?”

“I wanted to tell them about you.” He moved his hand to her hair, playing with a curl. “They were very kind and happy for me. It's hard to explain why I needed to do this but I did. I had one other bit of business as well, which is a surprise for you but the timing has to be right.”

She moved closer to him, pressing into him. “I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just…” She trailed off, uncertain what to say.

“It's just you don't trust me.”

“Right.”

“You will.” He kissed her neck, wrapping his arm tighter and pulling her against his chest. “Now go to sleep. It'll all look better tomorrow.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

EIGHT DAYS PASSED
with no further contact from Marco. On a Thursday night, Billy dropped her in Drake's driveway. Her stomach fluttered, knowing Drake waited inside for her. He would have a glass of wine for her and they might sit on the couch talking or maybe just head straight for bed. When she entered the front door, however, she was surprised to find Mike and Sharon sitting on the couch talking with Drake.

They all looked up when she came in. Drake came to her and gave her a quick squeeze. “You won't believe this,” he whispered in her ear. She looked at him questioningly but he just shook his head. “Come sit down with us. We're having wine.”

The first thing she saw when she sat down—Sharon's left hand. A diamond ring sparkled in the light. She was too stunned to say anything and simply stared, as if mesmerized by the shimmer of the diamond.
A very large diamond
, she thought.

Mike laughed at her expression. “Yep. Flew to Vegas. It's a done deal.”

Annie looked up at Sharon. “I guess it worked.”

Sharon nodded, her eyes shining. “I just leaned right in and did it.”

“And then you just went off and got married?” asked Annie.

“Well, no, it took us a full five days before we knew for sure,” said Mike. “And then we flew to Vegas. I got the ring there.”

“I guess I should say congratulations.” Annie stood and held her arms out to Sharon. “I'm so happy for you.” She hugged Mike next. “And you too.”

“We wanted you two to be the first to know,” said Sharon. “Since Drake brought us together and Annie talked sense into me last week.”

“Will you move here?” asked Annie.

“Yes. We're leaving tomorrow to get my house ready for sale. We'll be back in a few weeks.” Sharon looked over at Mike. “He's agreed to help me and then we'll come back and tackle all our town plans.”

“Wow,” said Annie. “Just wow.”

She glanced over at Drake. His eyes were bright, almost burning. What was he thinking of? He met her gaze and then took her hand, holding it tight.

Sharon, somewhat apprehensively, asked Drake, “You don't feel strange, do you, because of Gordon?”

“I loved Gordon. You know that. But I love you, too. And sometimes the living have to get on with living.”

“Yes,” said Sharon with a pointed expression. “They do.”

After they left, Annie turned to Drake, wrapping her arms around him. “I've never been more surprised about anything, ever.”

He pulled her close, kissing her neck. “Me either. Now come to bed. I couldn't wait for them to leave.”

She giggled, then sighed with pleasure at his touch. “That's not true. You're as happy for them as I am.”

“I am. But I still couldn't wait for them to leave.” His kissed her, hard, pushing her against the wall, his thigh muscles pressing into her. “Couldn't think of anything but this all day.”

The dream wakened her a little past two a.m. She sat up, shaking, her naked skin wet. Had she screamed out? She must have because Drake pulled her close. “Sweetheart, I've got you,” he said.

She nestled against him, her mouth at his neck, breathing him in. “Will this ever be over?”

“I'm not going to let anything happen to you. You have my word. If I have to spend the next twenty years by your side, I will.”

“Twenty years? Does that mean you're not going away?”

“I know you still don't trust me, but you have my word. I'll prove it to you at some point.”

The quiet night was startled by the sound of the coyote's howl. She sat up. “Oh, Drake, come to the window. I want you to see him.”

They both stood at the window, searching the yard for the yellow eyes. Once again, two sets appeared. Annie put her hand up to the window. The eyes blinked at her in the darkness and then they were off, trotting together into the forest.

“Why do they come?” he asked.

She was quiet for a moment, thinking how to say it in a way that didn't sound insane. “I think they want out of the fence. We have to turn it off for a day and let them escape. They're trapped in here.” This was met with silence. “Do I sound crazy?”

“A little, sweetheart. But I love your kind of crazy,” said Drake.

“That sounds like one of Tommy's song lyrics.” She felt him smiling in the darkness.

“Maybe I should take up song writing,” he said.

“Let's not get carried away.”

“Let's do. Come to bed. I'll make you forget coyotes and bad dreams and the ingredients to that rabbit dish of yours.”

She turned, pressing into him. “You're so bossy,” she whispered, her lips against his. “But really, we have to let them out. I think the rest of their pack must be outside your fence and they miss them.”

“No, it's too risky.”

“Tomorrow. During the day. Please. It's Monday. I'll stay with you all day.”

“Fine. But you're not leaving the house. Nor is Alder.”

“Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I knew you'd understand.”

“I think we should call Fred. Maybe he'll guard the gate for us.”

The next morning, Drake called Fred, who agreed to spend the majority of his day patrolling the area in front of the driveway. This reassured Drake enough that he turned off the fence, although not without protest. In the kitchen, as she cooked oatmeal for their breakfast, he paced between the counter and the pantry. “I don't understand why you feel like this is important enough to jeopardize your safety.”

“I don't know why. It just is. Last night you seemed to understand.”

“Yeah, well, in the light of day, it seems crazy.”

“Everything's locked up. And there's Fred.”

“You're scaring me with all this.” He grabbed her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, talking into her hair. “It's my job to keep you safe.”

She went still.
His job?
“I love you,” she whispered, taking one of his hands and bringing it to her lips.

“I love you.”

They heard Alder approaching from the other room. Drake moved away from her. Alder, dressed already for the day's adventures, popped onto one of the stools at the counter. “What's up, peeps?”

“Peeps?” asked Annie.

“Slang for people,” said Drake, sounding distracted, still in the mode of the previous conversation.

“I'm well aware of what peeps means,” said Annie, laughing. “I'm not that much of a square.”

“A square?” asked Alder. “What's that mean?”

“Old fashioned. Out of it,” said Drake.

“Ah, well, Mom, sorry, but that's kinda you.” Spotting oatmeal cooking on the stove, Alder groaned. “Oatmeal? I hate that gooey stuff.”

“One day won't hurt you,” she said. “Full of fiber.”

Alder sighed, heading for the pantry. “Can I put cinnamon and brown sugar in it?”

She nodded, only half paying attention to what he said, thinking about the coyotes and the danger she might be putting herself and Alder in with this notion that they should not be trapped as they
were. No, they should be able to roam about, to live as they were made to live, free, without manmade constraints. Instead, they were all trapped here on the side of this mountain while the world went on without them.

Drake stopped pacing and stood at the kitchen window. Annie dished up three bowls of oatmeal and asked them both to sit at the counter. Drake refused, taking his bowl and standing again at the window, his eyes continuously roaming the yard.

Annie handed Alder a spoon for the brown sugar. “Two scoops only. And you have to stay inside today.”

“Why?”

Annie, feeling slightly ridiculous, told him her theory about the coyotes. As he did so often, her son surprised her. “Mom, that's totally it. They need to find their pack. Just like we have our pack.”

“Our pack?”

“You know, the gang.”

Our gang of misfits. Our pack.

Alder looked over at Drake. “Now we have a new member. Right, Drake?”

“Yep, that's right, bud.”

“How will we know if they get out or not?” asked Alder, apparently back to the subject of the coyotes.

Annie, joining Drake at the window, searched the yard. “I don't know.”

Drake, his gaze still outwards, ate several bites of his oatmeal before crossing the kitchen and tossing his bowl into the sink. “Regardless, and I hate to be a hard-ass, but the fence is going back on at six o'clock.”

“Drake said a bad word, Mom. Aren't you going to get on him for his potty mouth like you do me?”

Annie, turning from the window, threw up her hands in a gesture of helplessness. “He's a grownup.”

“The seriousness of this whole potty mouth thing is highly exaggerated,” said Drake, smiling for the first time that morning.

They spent the majority of the day in the front room, reading and playing cards. Drake was quiet, his shoulders and face tense, his gaze more often than not scanning the yard outside the windows. Alder, perhaps picking up on their fear, wasn't his usual talkative self. Annie's mouth was dry, despite numerous glasses of water. At noon, she made them all sandwiches, which no one but Alder ate. The day dragged on; Annie looked at her watch at least a hundred times, until finally six o'clock came. Drake, apparently watching the clock as closely as she, immediately went to his office. A few minutes later, he returned to the front room. “Fence is back on. And I talked to Fred. He didn't see any traffic up this way all day, so I think we're in the clear.”

“Does this mean I can go outside?” asked Alder, standing and stretching.

“No, not until tomorrow,” said Drake.