17. Chapter 17
Rabble
R abble had no words for what Skye gifted him during the night, at least no words in his vocabulary.
The time they spent just talking had been cathartic, cleansing old wounds that festered for far too long.
They weren’t quite healed, but it was a chance to start again.
When Skye began yawning, Rabble knew they both need rest.
Sleeping beside her had never been the plan. He’d slept on the ground often enough; at least he had blankets this time. When she invited him under the covers, he nearly swallowed his tongue, and he barely contained the groan that rose in his throat at the warmth of her body next to his.
Sleep came more swiftly than he anticipated, but the peace he expected to follow their conversation didn’t last. In his dreams, moments from his past blended seamlessly with fears for the future.
The middle of a sandy, scorched battlefield where his friends lay in pieces.
A car accident where he lay alongside his mother, her neck broken.
Another crude cross he had to carve, her ashes carelessly discarded like her life had been.
And Skye’s attacker chasing her from scene to scene, a sinister shadow with no face or discernable features but who left her broken, bloodied, and lost to Rabble.
But then a low, calming sound drifted to him through the horrible dreamscape.
It took a moment longer than it should have for him to recognize the haunting melody.
The soothing notes drifted into his dreams, wrapping themselves around his soul.
He hummed the same song when he had a particularly rough day with his father and escaped to the fence, hoping Skye would already be there, waiting.
She never asked about the song, not that he remembered, but that melancholy tune freed him from his nightmare.
That, and the way she’d whispered his name, Matthew.
The moment his given name passed her lips, he was gone. No one called him Matthew. He introduced himself as Rabble to everyone he met, and he was okay with that. He enjoyed it, especially since she’d been the one to give him that name all those years ago.
The sun, high in the sky, headed toward the western horizon when Rabble woke, feeling well and truly rested for the first time in years.
Skye still slept peacefully in his arms, and he took a few minutes just to watch her breathing, the blankets rising and falling with her steady breaths.
He wanted nothing more than to keep reality away for a little longer, to keep her here, safe and wrapped in his arms, peaceful by his side.
Tucking the sheets around her, he slipped from the bed and found his phone on the folding-card table.
He unlocked the screen, which lit up with several missed texts from Declan and Dash checking in.
Rabble fired off a quick response, letting them know he and Skye were fine.
They planned to rendezvous for a late dinner at the bed and breakfast, giving him a few more hours with Skye.
His Skye.
After taking care of his morning routine, Rabble slid back under the covers and brushed Skye’s bed-tangled hair away from her face. She shifted sleepily and wrinkled her nose before opening her eyes into slits.
“What time is it?” she groaned, stretching from head to toe, sheets slipping around her.
“Time to get up,” he murmured, despite wanting to do the exact opposite. If only he could stay in this worn-out, twin-sized bed with her all day, tangled up in the sheets that smelled of them.
Thirty minutes later, Rabble hadn’t stopped smiling since Skye finally dragged herself from the bed.
She was a grump in the morning, which he found adorable.
Equally, she found him annoying; she’d told him so, at least until he fed her a wild berry pop-tart and poured her a thermos of coffee.
Rabble wished he had more to offer her, but the cabinets were bare, and he hadn’t exactly planned on visiting when they made their early morning journey to the cabin.
As it was, he made a mental note to thank Dash for the supplies he dropped off, along with that pizza.
His brother not only had the foresight to include a few basic groceries but he also had packed a few pairs of clothing for each of them.
Admittedly, he likely needed to thank Elyza for the array of supplies.
Rabble locked the door behind them as they left, and set off into the woods behind the hunting cabin.
He kept her fingers laced with his own as they dodged branches, vines, and thorns.
A thick layer of leaf litter covered the ground, and Rabble couldn’t help but chuckle as he lifted Skye over a fallen log and her feet disappeared in a deep pile of leaves on the other side.
“Where are we going?” she asked when they stopped for a break. She frowned, realizing her coffee thermos was empty.
Rabble passed her a bottle of water, warmth creeping up his neck. “As a child, there were two places I loved to go, under the fence and down here to the river. It runs across the back of the property and is beautiful year-round. When you weren’t home and after, well, later, I came here.”
He focused his eyes on hers and saw the moment she realized what he wasn’t saying out loud, why he came down to the river when they could no longer meet under the fence; when everything in his life took a drastic turn downhill; when she had been stolen away, sequestered, like a pet in a cage.
They walked for another five minutes, dodging fallen trees covered in vines and wild rose thorns.
Rabble was richly rewarded when they broke through the tree line and Skye gasped in delight at the sight before them.
They stepped out onto an outcropping that hung over the river.
Around them, the trees presented full, thick foliage in an incredible array of greens and browns.
The river snaked by below, unhurriedly winding its way across the Earth without care, and the red sandstone and tan limestone of the overhang blended to create a seamless piece of natural art.
“When I came here, I walked out there.” Rabble pointed to the far edge of the cliff, and Skye’s eyes widened with shock, maybe a bit of fear and despair. “Back then, I didn’t care if I came home.”
Her brows slammed down, and he held up his hand, trying to stave off any of the dismayed questions she might lodge at him.
The concern and sorrow in her eyes said more than enough of her thoughts about his admission; a secret he kept close to his chest his entire life, that he had spent many hours overlooking that river, wondering
“I was young. My mother was gone. You were gone, and my dad was… Well, he was what he was. There were days when Mr. Jack at the pharmacy was the only person who cared where I was. Later, Mrs. Basket joined the list. Eventually, I had a few people who cared that I came home, who expected something of me.”
She was silent for a while, staring out at the cliff’s edge. When she answered, she worded her response carefully. “I’m glad you don’t go out there now.”
“Me too.”
They stood together, away from the cliff, but still watching the lazy river wind past them. Neither spoke, lost in their own thoughts and memories, their fingers intertwined as the summer wind blew around them.
Just before they turned to head back to the cabin, Skye tugged Rabble closer, brushing a kiss against his jaw, and whispered, “Thank you.”
He swallowed hard and squeezed her hand lightly in his, careful not to put too much pressure on her dainty fingers.
A current of emotion flowed through him, wreaking havoc in his chest and building pressure behind his eyes.
There were a lot of words he wouldn’t say, couldn’t say to her, not here, not about what showing her this place meant.
He trusted her perception though. She tended to see more than he wanted her to, always had.
He loved her for that. It was one of the countless reasons why he loved her.
Back at the cabin, Skye dragged Rabble into the economically sized shower, claiming the water conservation was good for the environment.
He seriously doubted they managed to save any water by the time they finally finished and were on their way to The Sunny Morning Trellis.
According to the many missed text messages from Declan, everyone else was already waiting at the bed and breakfast and Rabble needed to “hurry his ass up.”
When Rabble started his truck, Declan sent another message. “Do I have to send the local PD around for a well-check?”
Rabble’s thumbs typed quickly, “Keep your panties on. We’re on our way.”
Three dots later, Declan shot back the middle-finger emoji. As Rabble barked with laughter and Skye smirked, he shifted the truck into reverse.
They arrived at the bed and breakfast less than fifteen minutes later.
Entering through the dining room, they found their friends seated around the large wooden table.
Fortunately, none of them looked any worse for wear, which Rabble was eternally grateful for.
Judging by the way Skye scrutinized each of them after dispersing hugs to everyone, she had similar thoughts.
Their late dinner was a fun affair, though notes of strain underlaid their attempts at upbeat conversation.
Rabble and Declan entertained them with humorous anecdotes about their time in the military and since they’d opened the security firm.
Dash rarely added anything to those tales, though he often smirked silently with mirth.
While the others laughed and joked along, Bekah remained withdrawn and quiet.
Her smiles were forced, and when Rabble wondered if he should say something to her, Skye reached over and grasped her friend’s hand reassuringly.
He watched them, a warm sensation spreading through his chest.
The rest of the evening passed in companionable conversation, an unspoken agreement to not mention anything negative and just enjoy each other’s friendship.
Elyza, Kellyn, and Dash were the first to rise from their chairs, heading for their rooms upstairs.
They would spend one more night at the bed and breakfast while Dash tested out the new security systems he’d installed at each of their homes, along with Bekah’s and Skye’s cottages.
As long as he was satisfied with the results of his testing, they could return home the following day.
Elyza glanced back on her way up the stairs, pinning each woman with a stare. “Tomorrow ladies, 10:00 a.m. at the shop. Don’t be late!” She wiggled her fingers in farewell.
Kellyn groaned quietly as she followed behind.
Elyza must have heard that because she shouted over her shoulder, “I have champagne!”
The groan turned into an appreciative hum, and even Bekah laughed as the dinner party broke up and she left with Declan. They would spend one more night outside of Shiloh Hills, allowing Dash to run his equipment tests without interference.
With their friends gone, Rabble mulled over taking Skye back to her cottage for the night. She would likely appreciate sleeping in her own bed, but he struggled to resist the allure of returning to the cabin and spending another night with her.
She made his decision for him as she, not so subtly, mentioned the merits of the cabin settled in the woods. “After all, it is far away from civilization. And Dash’s new equipment testing…”
“Okay, I get it,” he chuckled, walking her to his truck.
After parking outside the little cabin, Rabble left Skye sitting inside the truck and locked the doors. Looking disgruntled, she rolled her eyes at him when he told her to stay put, but he wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.