Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
L isa opened her eyes. At first, she thought it was completely dark, but then she realized there was a soft glow of light coming from nearby. Surely, someone who pitched a campfire would notice her. She tried to make sense of her surroundings, but a stabbing pain pulsed through her head. She winced and closed her eyes.
“I recommend you have something to drink,” came someone’s voice.
With a gasp, she sat up. She winced again and put her hand over her forehead in hopes it would stop the world from spinning around her. It didn’t. She had to lay back on the mattress. She let out a frustrated groan. She was back in a bed. She bet the man from the cabin had found her and brought her back. If only she wasn’t so weak. Then she could have succeeded in her attempt to escape.
“You need water,” the man said. “I know how hard it is to drink warm water, so I made sure it’s cold.”
She felt him sit next to her on the bed. Her eyes flew open, and she tried to get away from him, but she collapsed against him instead. Tears would have come to her eyes if she’d had any more to cry. Her life just kept getting worse. If she’d had the courage to step off that cliff, she wouldn’t be in this predicament right now.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the man assured her. “I want to help.”
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and lifted her up so that she was sitting. Once he had her securely against his side, he brushed her hair away from her face. She willed herself to shove him away, but she only managed to move her hand a few inches across her lap. The long journey out here—and all that had happened afterward—left her depleted of energy. She had no choice but to sip the water that he gave her. Her fingers brushed the fabric of her dress. Well, that was something, at least. She was still clothed.
He brought a cup to her lips and tilted it so that she could drink the water. She hated to admit it, but the water tasted wonderful. She hadn’t realized she was so parched.
“Don’t drink it so fast,” he warned and pulled the cup away from her. “You don’t want to vomit it back up.”
He returned the cup to her lips, and she forced herself to drink slower. When she was satisfied, she took in her surroundings again. Like it or not, she was at the mercy of the man who’d trapped her here with him before. “What do you want with me?”
“I only want to help you. I found you sleeping on the forest floor while I was out gathering wood. You were on the verge of death.”
She’d been on the verge of death when he found her? She groaned in disappointment. She didn’t need to jump off the cliff? She could have just slept her misery away? “I wish you hadn’t brought me here.”
“I know you’re scared, but I promise that I won’t hurt you. You have nothing to fear from me. As soon as you’re better, I’ll take you back to town, and you can find your way to where you were going.”
She would have laughed if the situation wasn’t so absurd. She had nowhere to go. That was the point. It was why she wanted to die.
He glanced down at the cup. There was still a little water left. “That’s probably enough for now. I don’t know how long you were out there by the cliff, but it doesn’t look like you’ve had anything to eat in weeks. I don’t want to put your body through more than it can handle all at once, so we’ll start with soup tomorrow morning.”
He set the cup on the small table by the bed then helped her lie down. Despite the water she’d drunk, she was still too weak to resist him. All she could do was position her head so that her neck didn’t end up in a painful kink later. He placed her arms at her sides then pulled the blankets up to her neck.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked, his eyes so focused on her that she had to avert her gaze.
She didn’t need his concern. What she most needed was to get out of here. But she wasn’t going anywhere any time soon. Like it or not, she was stuck here until she got her strength back.
“I’ve been sleeping in the chair or on the floor the whole time you’ve been here,” he told her. “I’ll keep doing that, alright?”
She didn’t answer. Only time would tell if she could trust him.
He took the cup then walked away from her. Her gaze returned to him. He placed the cup on the table near the cookstove. Then he left the cabin. She had no idea what he was going to do outside, nor did she care. The only thing that mattered was that he had prevented her from dying. And she hated him for it.
* * *
At nine in the morning, Ashley cut meat from the wolf’s carcass and placed it on the pile of other slices of meat he had carved from the animal. The stench was awful. The netting he had put over the windows was barely enough to let fresh air in. But he didn’t want bugs or other animals to get to the fresh meat. It had been a stroke of good luck to find this large wolf in his trap when he made his rounds at dawn.
After bringing the carcass to his wooden workshop, he had slipped into his old clothes then put on his thick apron and gloves. He didn’t bother to make the woman the soup he promised her. Meat spoiled fast out here. He had learned that the hard way after a night of throwing up when he first arrived here. He didn’t think she would mind. Besides, she’d still been sleeping when he left the cabin.
He cut another piece of meat from the carcass then ripped off a leg. This was disgusting work, but it was necessary if one was to eat. The hillside was no place for planting. One had to forage for food and trap animals. At least something as large as a wolf would last for a good while. He would cook up some of the meat today and have a steak. It’d been a long time since he’d had steak. Growing up, he’d taken that particular menu item for granted. Out here, he had learned that the real luxuries were things one didn’t have often.
“Ashley?”
He lifted his head from the carcass and shifted until he could see out the window. He saw an elderly man walking past the workshop. “In here, Boone!” he called out.
Boone Griffin turned toward the cabin, and Ashley placed the cleaver on the table. He used his arm to wipe the sweat and strands of his hair from his eyes.
Boone opened the door and waved his hand in front of his face. He tucked a covered dish against his side. “I smell you got something. I hope it’s good.”
Ashley smiled. “A wolf. An adult. My guess is it’s three or four years old. The meat will be tender. I’ll prepare some for you and Nona.”
“In that case, the smell is worth it.” The man gestured to the covered dish he was holding. “Nona made an extra loaf of bread and a few cookies. She was hoping you’d take this off our hands so it doesn’t spoil.”
“She doesn’t have to bake me something every time I bring you two firewood.”
“The woman likes to cook.” He shrugged. “What are you going to do? Make her unhappy by telling her no? Should I put it in the cabin for you?”
Recalling the young woman in his bed, Ashley hurried over to him. “I can take it now.”
“But you have blood all over you.”
Ashley removed the gloves and placed them on the edge of the table. “I’ll take that to the cabin then come back here. I’ll bring the dish back to you when I bring you some meat.”
“Alright, I’ll let you take it.” After Ashley accepted the dish, he asked, “Do you mind if I have a drink of water from your barrel?”
Was the barrel close to the kitchen window? If he said yes, would Boone look through it, or was the thin covering Ashley placed over it enough to obscure the man’s view of the bed? And was the woman still asleep? Or was she milling about inside the cabin? He didn’t think she had enough strength to get out of bed today, but he hadn’t expected her to run off yesterday. If Boone saw her, he would ask questions, and Ashley wasn’t comfortable answering them. It wasn’t that he had anything to hide. He hadn’t done anything inappropriate with her, but he understood how bad this looked.
“Why don’t you let me get you that cup of water?” Ashley offered as he slipped out of the workshop with Boone. He shut the door. “The ladle by the barrel hasn’t been washed for a while. It’s dirty.”
Boone chuckled. “A little dirt on a ladle never hurt me any.”
“But Boone,” he reached out to stop the man before he walked closer to the cabin, “I have to go into the cabin anyway.” He showed him the covered dish. “I don’t mind getting a cup while I’m in there. Wait here, and I’ll get you something to drink, alright?”
Boone chuckled. “If you want me to guard your workshop so other animals don’t come for the meat you’re cutting up, just say so. I’m always happy to help.”
As Boone headed for the door of the workshop, Ashley relaxed. He hadn’t thought about someone stopping by when he brought the woman here. Given Boone’s age, he didn’t come to his cabin often. Nona must have pressed him into coming over with the ‘thank you’ gift she’d made. But maybe this was for the best. The woman might want something more than meat and soup, especially since his food turned out pretty bland. Nona’s homemade bread and cookies would give her something better to eat.
Ashley softly opened the door and was glad to see that the woman was still asleep. He tiptoed over to the table and set the dish down. Then he hurried to grab a cup. It was the only clean one he had left in the place. He was going to have to wash the dishes once he was done placing the meat in the cellar. But his stomach was growling, so he would have to get something to eat first, and to do that, he would have to prepare that soup. He was out of jerky. He resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. No matter how he planned out his days, there never seemed to be enough time to do everything that had to get done.
He took a deep breath then released it. The woman was exhausted. She was sleeping. She was also doing well. Her body was at its normal temperature. He no longer had to worry she was going to get sick…or worse. That meant he wouldn’t have to tend to her for a while. She could wait. Right now, he just needed to give Boone a drink of water then get back to the wolf.
Feeling his sense of control returning, he left the cabin. Boone was still at the workshop, but he was studying one of the nearby trees. Ashley chose to ignore whatever had gotten his attention. He lifted the lid of the barrel and dipped the cup into the clean water. Once he cleaned the dishes, he would only have enough water left to get him through two more days. That meant he would have to take the barrel down to the stream. He let out a sigh. It was just one more thing on his list of things to do. He set the lid back on the barrel then took the cup over to Boone.
“You got two squirrels playing around up there,” Boone said as he gestured to the branches in the tree closest to them. “Those things remind me of my kids when they would run all over the place. Nona and I visit them in Portland from time to time, but we don’t get to see them as often as we used to.”
“Why don’t you move there to be near them?”
Boone accepted the cup and took a drink from it. “We’ve been here for forty-two years. This is our home. We can’t imagine living anywhere else. Besides,” he added with a smile, “we want to make sure you’re alright.”
Ashley shook his head. “I’m twenty-five. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a mother or father to watch over me.”
“I don’t know. It’s not right for a man to spend so much time all by himself. You only make it to town twice a year.”
“I don’t need to go there more than twice a year.”
Boone took another drink of the water. “Don’t you get lonely?”
“No. I like the solitude. It’s comforting.” And he had so much to do that he didn’t have to think about the past and the fact that there was nothing he could do to make it better. Unless he was awake in the middle of the night. Those were the only times he received no comfort.
“Well, Nona and I still feel better knowing someone is around to make sure you’re alright.”
“I’m telling you, I’m fine. You two might as well go to Portland and enjoy your children and grandchildren.”
“Considering all you’ve done for us, you are like our children and grandchildren. A neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away. A relationship worth its weight in gold isn’t always forged by blood.” He gave Ashley the empty cup. “I know you have your hands full with that carcass, so I’ll be on my way.”
“I’ll be by with some meat soon.”
“I know. You’re a good man, Ashley.” He waved then headed down the path to his home.
Ashley watched him for a few seconds then returned to his work.