CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Cassie
Someone is pulling me. I scream but they still pull. I reach for her hand as she reaches for mine. But I can’t grasp her.
“Go back for her!” I call out, but no one listens.
My cowboy boot scrapes over every bump in the stage floor as I’m pulled away.
The hem of my bell bottoms catches on a screw and rips.
I hear feet on the ground. Horses? No. People.
The sound of their heavy feet makes my eyes flick to the woman still heaped in the dirt.
She lifts her head and her eyes, now bloodshot and lifeless, focus on mine. “This is your fault,” she whispers.
A heavy knock wakes me as I sit up in a cold sweat, my heart pounding from my dream. I realize two things instantly. The lights I left on are no longer on. And it’s cold. Really fucking cold. The knock sounds again at my door.
“Cassie?”
It’s Haden. My eyes flick out the window and I see his parked truck on the drive.
I stand, disoriented but relieved he’s here. I wrap the blanket that was covering me around my body to make my way to the door, rubbing my eyes with the heel of my palm. I shudder when I open it. The damp air has chilled me right to my bones.
“Calm down, Cowboy,” I mutter as I pull the door wide.
“What’s wrong?” he asks right away.
“Nothing … I just had a bad dream. Perfect timing, really. You woke me at the part I hate the most.”
The brim of Haden’s cowboy hat is sprinkled with snow, as is his flannel coat.
The concern that lines his rugged features turns to relief and his navy blue eyes soften at my words.
I glance down at the biggest flashlight I’ve ever seen in his grasp, and notice how much more snow has fallen. How long have I been asleep?
“You planning on getting in a fight?” I smile sleepily, gesturing to the Maglite he’s carrying before glancing at the clock on the wall. It’s just after nine-thirty.
“Yeah, if you didn’t answer the door. I’ve been pounding for five minutes.”
“I was tired,” I say groggily. And deep in the nightmare that just keeps coming back.
“The power went out about twenty minutes ago, Cass. I texted you but you didn’t answer. Jesus, it’s freezing in here. Did you even have the heat on?”
Haden mutters to himself as he flicks on the flashlight and shines it around the room. I assume he’s making sure everything is okay in here.
“I turned it down,” I say. “I was cooking earlier so it got warm. Then I fell asleep before I remembered to turn it back up.”
“Well, this just won’t do. Cole’s saying there was a massive accident off the highway which blew a transformer. He says the power could be out for hours.”
“Oh?” The idea of staying here alone in the dark is not very appealing after that dream.
“I’ve got enough wood for both of us,” Haden says. I turn to him and raise my eyebrows, unable to help myself from joking with him. I let my gaze scan his body.
“Oh really?” I ask, trying to lighten his serious mood. I can’t be sure because it’s fairly dark, but I swear I almost see the hint of a blush on his cheeks.
“For a fire,” he enunciates, before I think he adds “little brat” under his breath.
I glance out the window and see an orange glow coming from his cabin. Maybe I can get him to help me make a fire before he—
“Well, come on then.” He nods toward the back of the cabin. “Get whatever you need. You’re with me tonight.”