Chapter 12
“Going to the bathroom,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re not ready to walk on it yet. Why didn’t you call me?” He plucked the trekking poles out of my hands before I could think to stop him. Taking my bundle of clothes from under my arm, he wrapped his arm around my waist, shifting my weight to him. As we step-hopped to the bathroom, he said, “You can cause long-term damage if you overuse it before it’s healed.”
The medical warning was textbook and something I knew well. Why the hell hadn’t I just called for him?
“I wasn’t going for a hike, just to the bathroom,” I said, any irritation at being called out completely eclipsed by the fact that he had me pressed tight to his side, practically carrying me the short distance across the hall.
Then it hit me. I hadn’t asked him for help because I wasn’t used to asking anyone for help, and I had zero game. A smarter woman would have used any excuse to get exactly where I was, tucked into Hawk’s side, as close as we could get with our clothes on. Sometimes it didn’t pay to be so independent.
“I’ll ask for help next time,” I promised.
Hawk gave a low grunt that I took for agreement. Who was I to argue if he wanted to carry me everywhere? I should take it while I could get it.
Nothing here was going to last, not even my bum ankle. As soon as Hawk got me back to Heartstone and safety, he was going to run as far and fast as he could. But that was later. For now, I leaned into Hawk’s side, the pressure of his body against mine making me wish the bathroom was a mile away.
Hawk deposited me at the door. “Wait here when you’re done, and I’ll come get you.”
“Yes, sir,” I said with a jaunty salute.
He shook his head with another grunt and shoved my bundle of clothes at me.
Pivoting on my left foot, I braced myself on the bathroom counter and hopped inside. The bathroom was luxurious for a remote hunting cabin, but it was tiny. Even with my bum ankle, it would be easy to navigate.
I’d never been so grateful for a composting toilet. With all the camping I’d done, I was used to making do, but between the cold, the snow, and my twisted ankle, I was very glad I didn’t have to brave the outdoors to go to the bathroom. The pitcher of water beside the sink was cold as I washed my hands but far warmer than it would have been if I’d left the pipes turned on. The running water Prentice had installed came straight from the mountain stream nearby. It was wonderfully refreshing in the summer but ice-cold in winter and spring. I’d drained the pipes and shut them off at the first freeze in the fall, leaving us with the plastic bottles I’d filled with rainwater over the past few weeks.
I was glad I’d packed enough wet wipes to come close to approximating a shower. It wasn’t the same, nothing was, but filling the water tank with snow and turning on the propane water heater would take ages and waste propane we might need if the storm lasted longer than expected. Not worth it when I had a brand-new pack of wipes in my bag.
I’d left my toiletries bag on the shelf beneath the mirror last night. It didn’t take long to brush my teeth and clean my face. I looked a lot better than I guessed I had the night before. No runny, red nose and pale face. A solid night of sleep worked wonders. A good thing since I didn’t have any makeup unless moisturizer and lip balm counted. I pulled a brush through my straight hair, thought about braiding it, and decided to leave it loose.
I wasn’t pretty like my sisters. I didn’t mind. I had gorgeous sisters. Parker with her cool, moonlit perfection. Sterling with her golden hair and bombshell body. Avery, taller than the rest of us, her dark hair and eyes magnetic.
I was just Quinn. I wasn’t ugly, but I wasn’t anything special. Only my eyes, my bright blue Sawyer eyes, were special. And I had good hair. It wouldn’t hold a curl but it stayed neatly in a braid, and when I wore it down, it fell into a sleek, dark curtain that always made me smile.
My eyes and my hair were my best features. Body-wise, I was athletic and on the small side. I’d worked hard for every muscle, and I liked the way they made my arms and legs look both sleek and strong, but it was a functional body, not a sexy one. And I didn’t have much in the boob department. There was a little curve to my hips, but I was no Sterling. My face was okay. I looked good when I had a tan. My freckles were kind of cute, but there was nothing striking about me.
That was okay. I worked a job where what I knew and what I could do were a lot more important than what I looked like. I could live with being admired for my skills and not my face. Anyway, in my sisters I’d seen the downside of being gorgeous. It wasn’t always great to be the prettiest girl in the room. Being pretty made you a target. That was the last thing I wanted. I’d had enough of that kind of attention to last a lifetime.
I smoothed on some lip balm and moisturizer, my version of everyday makeup, and opened the bathroom door. I’d barely tossed my dirty clothes across the hall when Hawk was there, taking the trekking poles in one hand and slinging his other arm around my waist.
“I’ve got you. The less weight you put on that ankle, the faster it”ll heal. You go back to work next week, don”t you?”
“I do,” I said, though after standing in the bathroom for a few minutes, I was beginning to doubt I’d be in shape to take my clients anywhere I couldn’t manage on crutches.
I liked that Hawk knew my schedule. I liked that he cared. Liked that our minds had been on the same track. And I had to admit, like was too tepid a word for how I felt about all of that. Thinking about all I had in common with Hawk Bristol was asking for trouble. Or a broken heart.
I didn”t care.
All I had to do was think about the last time I”d worried about a broken heart. Years before, I’d danced around the man I liked. He’d danced around me. When we finally got up the nerve to admit there was something there and plan a date, he went on a kayaking trip and hadn’t made it home.
We’d wasted our chance messing around, thinking we had all the time in the world to figure it out. After he was gone, I decided I’d rather risk heartbreak than not go after what I wanted. And here was Hawk, probably destined to break my heart. He was not a man looking for a relationship. You can’t win if you don”t get in the game, right?
I thought of Hawk stroking my hair when he’d woken and discovered me on top of him. Hawk didn’t want to admit it, but he felt something for me. I was more than just Griffen’s little sister. More than part of his job. I just had to figure out how much more.
Hawk helped me to the table and put a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. “Milk?” he asked.
“A splash, please. It”s in the cooler.”
He nodded. “I saw it. I got out the eggs. Do you want breakfast? I was going to make scrambled eggs with cheese.”
“That sounds perfect,” I said.
“Bacon?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I never turn down bacon.” I sat at the table sipping my coffee. Excellent coffee, another point in Hawk”s favor. The fire in the woodstove crackled and popped, the cabin cozily warm. He must have added more logs as soon as he got up. I watched him at the counter, efficient and competent, whisking the eggs while bacon sizzled in the cast-iron pan.
“Everything is quiet at the big house,” he said, his back to me, his eyes on the bacon.
He must have radioed down to them while I was in the bathroom. I had to admit, even with my independent nature, having Hawk here looking out for me felt good. “Whoever went after me in the woods hasn”t shown up at the Manor?”
“Not so far. Cameras are all operational. I”m going to add them along the trail to the cabin.”
I made a face. I hated that idea. I liked technology in nature when it came to things like the composting toilet. But cameras in the trees? All that hard metal and plastic hidden in the leaves? No.
“Quinn,” he started, and I shook my head.
“I don”t like it, but you”re right. I come out here a lot, usually by myself.” I drew in a long breath and let it out in a rush. I wasn’t sorry my father was dead, but I hated everything that had come after. Ford being in prison. These stupid attacks on my family.
What did anyone want from us anyway? Prentice had been a raging asshole, but the rest of us hadn’t done anything worth killing over.
“I miss the quiet,” I admitted. “I miss not needing the cameras. But you”re right. If you guys can add them, I think it”s not the worst idea. And if you have an extra one of those sat phones,” I added grudgingly, “I’ll carry one with me when I come out here in the future.”
Hawk nodded. “I think that”s smart.”
“Okay,” I agreed, not liking the idea of being under surveillance in my beloved forest.
But I knew if Hawk hadn’t been coming after me?—
I didn’t want to think about it, but the way the snow had been coming down, all signs of our fight, all of the tracks in the woods, would have been long gone by the time anyone realized I was missing.
If they”d had cameras, they could have at least figured out how far I’d gotten on the trail before I went missing. They might have even caught the guy on camera. Without Hawk’s good timing, I would have just disappeared. The thought sent a bone-chilling stab of fear through me. I wanted to pretend it didn’t matter because I was safe, but I was lying to myself. If Hawk hadn’t come along, I’d probably be dead.
I sighed again as Hawk slid two plates of food on the table. “More coffee?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Later. I can’t handle more than two cups, and I want to savor it. You make good coffee.”
He nodded, the tiniest smile touching his lips before they pressed together in a thin line. “We”re leaving as soon as the snow stops,” he announced as I was biting into a crisp piece of bacon.
I chewed slowly and shook my head. I’d known this was coming, and since I had no intention of us both dying because we left before it was safe to do so with the snow, I thought about the best way to get through to him. Emotional pleas about my not wanting to cut my vacation short wouldn’t work. And besides, until that guy was caught, I didn’t love the idea of being here on my own.
“No, I”m not doing that.”
“Quinn, this isn”t a negotiation.” His jaw was set, jutting forward, his dark eyes steely.
I didn’t know where I got the balls to argue with him. He was objectively scary when he looked like this. But it was Hawk. He’d never hurt me. And, in my experience, it wasn’t men like him who hurt. It was the ones that looked harmless who were dangerous. “It is a negotiation,” I said, “unless you”re planning on knocking me unconscious and carrying me back over your shoulder.”
His eyes went squinty. “I will if I have to,” he said in a low voice.
“No, you won’t,” I said, “and we”re not leaving the second the snow stops. First of all?—”
Hawk opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out, I held up a finger to stop him. To my shock, it worked.