6
GOLDIE
On the journey to town, I go from trembling and crying to a strange sense of euphoria since I got away from all the dangers.
That man didn’t harm me.
The bears didn’t harm me.
The Bjorn brothers didn’t harm me.
I’m safe.
I pull over in front of my store and rest my face in my hands, taking deep, steadying breaths to calm my racing heart and panting lungs. My body feels sore from running so fast and hard. There are leaves stuck to my pants, and dirt all over my sneakers, but I’m okay.
I’m really okay.
I glance around before opening the door, needing to ensure there’s nothing dangerous around me. What am I expecting to see? More bears in the center of town? That’s hardly likely. The brown-toothed man coming back to threaten me? It’s a possibility. He called me, so he knew the address of my store, and he didn’t get what he wanted. If he escapes from the bears, there’s a chance he’ll come here. A chance that feels too real for my liking.
Shit.
I can’t live like this. I need to work to put food on my table. Maybe I should report this whole thing to the police, but what would I say? The local sheriff once told a woman who was the victim of domestic violence that maybe she needed to learn how to cook better. That isn’t a man who inspires confidence at the best of times. He’s not someone I want to run to with a bad-man and bear tale that sounds more like a story than reality.
There’s no way he’ll take me seriously. In fact, I’m pretty sure he’ll just wave it off as me being another hysterical woman. I glance around again, fingering the door handle. I can do this. I have to do this. No big, strong man is coming to walk me to my store. If I want to finish my stock-taking and respond to more calls, I'll need to get inside.
It’s then that I remember I left my tools on the ground behind the car.
Fuck.
Locksmith tools aren’t cheap, but I can’t go back there to retrieve them. The man could still be there, or the bears. I can’t afford to buy everything all over again right now. I’m stuck. I throw the door open in frustration, and as I heave myself out of the car, I come face to face with Robert.
Three times in one day.
My heart skitters, the memory of fear still lingering in every cell of my body. He nods but doesn’t smile, ever serious and watchful.
“You forgot your tools,” he tells me and lifts his arm to show me he’s carrying my precious cargo. I’m so relieved that I feel like hugging him. Relieved not to have to fork out a small fortune to get back to work and relieved that he’s here and I’m not alone.
A big strong man to my rescue after all. Not quite a knight in shining armor, but he’ll do.
“Thank you,” I gush.
I don’t get the feeling that Robert would take too kindly to me hugging him. A memory of the room he was so desperate to hide under lock and key flashes through my mind, and I shiver. “Would you like to come in?” I point at my store and catch the flick of Robert’s eyes back to his car. I’m too scared to go in by myself. “I can make us a quick coffee. I have cookies. To say thank you.”
Robert’s dark eyes meet mine, searching and intense, but before he can say no, I reach out and touch him on the arm. “Please.”
Whether it’s my pleading or the physical contact that changes his mind doesn’t matter, because when he nods, I’m swamped by a massive sense of relief and a flicker of anticipation.
I fumble with the keys at the door, my hands trembling enough to give me away. Robert doesn’t comment, though. Instead, he gently takes the keys from my hand and opens the door for me.
He follows me into my store and places my tools on the counter, looking around at the displays of locks and handles. Does he enjoy the turning of a key in a lock as much as I do? I’d do pretty much anything right now to see what’s going on inside his head .
I potter in the kitchenette, assembling our coffee and cookies as quickly as I can with trembling hands. It’s not that I don’t trust him out there. A man with a house that size doesn’t need to steal from me. Plus, he exudes honorability like an exclusive and expensive cologne. I just don’t want to miss the opportunity to be close to him, and maybe peel away some of his protective coating.
Retrieving the cookies, I take a moment to look at the back of him; dark hair just long enough that it curls in places, broad shoulders, and powerful arms that could easily carry me. Huge hands that could pin me down in precisely the way I’ve fantasized about. Enough of him to make me feel blissfully, powerlessly safe, even after everything.
“What happened out there?” he asks, as though he can feel my eyes on his skin.
“A bad callout,” I say. “I knew pretty much right away, but I didn’t trust my instincts.”
“Yeah. You need to get better at that.” He turns to face me and shrugs, as though I should take his comment well, without judgment. Or is it something else?
Hunter’s expression in the forest pops back into my head, and the way his brothers had to step in to calm him down. Does he have some sort of rage disorder? Or mental instability?
I rest my hand on the counter. “It’s hard. My instinct is to be polite. Odd that it’s more important not to offend someone than it is to protect my safety!” It’s my turn to shrug, and Robert nods his agreement.
I tear myself away to fetch the coffee cups, and Robert takes his gratefully. My store is colder than I like. I didn’t have time to warm it this morning before I dashed out, and the chill makes us cradle our mugs with both hands.
“So, are you going to report what happened?” Robert asks.
I shake my head, and his eyebrows raise.
“The sheriff isn’t exactly a man you’d want on your side in any fight. And I can’t be bothered with the aggravation. I might have to if that man comes back, though.”
Robert shakes his head. “You don’t need to worry about that,” he says.
“Why?” I frown. Evan had denied even seeing the man.
Robert shakes his head again. “I just get the feeling he’d know better, that’s all.”
I’m not sure that’s enough to base my safety on, and how does Robert know about the man, when Evan said he only saw bears. Didn’t they arrive in the same truck? There’s a nagging feeling inside me, like a tiny splinter invisible to the naked eye. There’s a whole lot more to this weird experience than meets the eye. Or my eyes, at least!
“Where are your brothers? Don’t you guys always travel in a pack?”
Robert chuckles gently. “Not a pack, no. They went home.”
“So Hunter could chew on a bone?”
Robert’s expression is priceless before he snorts with laughter. He doesn’t explain his brother’s strange rabid behavior, and I don’t feel comfortable enough to ask, so we stand awkwardly for a moment. How did they get home if Robert took the truck? I could ask but I doubt he’d give me a straight answer. His eyes linger on mine then slide to my mouth. I stop breathing, anticipating a kiss but instead, he rests his coffee on the counter and drops to his haunches before me.