Chapter Thirty-Two
Jo
A n hour earlier…
I want to scream.
If I weren’t JoAnna Montgomery, he would kiss me.
He wouldn’t be concerned about what it means.
He was right before, I don’t want my first kiss to be fake.
I want him to kiss me because he wants to.
I want him to kiss me.
“What exactly is your plan, Jo?” Hayes asked as he was driving me home.
“What do you mean?”
“You trick everyone into thinking you’re engaged, and then what?”
“I’m not trying to trick anyone, I’m just trying to escape my parents.”
“Well, you’ve done that for the most part. You’re here, you’re almost done with school. I think you’re putting too much emphasis on your parents’ power over you.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I do, more than you think. ”
He didn’t elaborate, but maybe he’s right, I’m giving my parents too much power.
I sigh against the door jam of the empty guesthouse because I can’t make myself go in.
I wish Lochlan were here, despite how frustrating he is, I wish he was waiting for me on his porch, asking me to sit with him.
My steps take me across the gravel lot towards the bear fences.
I’ve never gone this far before, I’ve never dared, but Lochlan isn’t here and I want to see the bears.
I have more free will now than I ever have, according to Hayes, and I’m tired of feeling trapped.
The dirt path is worn and flat from years of men working these fences and tending to these animals.
The first tall fence I come to is about twice my height and not nearly as sturdy as I presumed it would be.
Now, I understand why they’re working on them so often.
Thin chain links connected by aluminum poles, and stabilized by wooden boards, are the only thing keeping me from danger.
I study the patchwork as I move down the path, peering into the darkened trees that are barely lit by the moonlight, determined to accomplish one goal tonight.
My feet are covered with dirt, and my toes are starting to blister against the thin strap of my heeled sandal by the time I make it to the end of the fence where it meets the exterior perimeter.
The fence keeping people off the property is sturdier than the one keeping the bears in.
I can hear Lochlan’s voice now.
Humans are always scarier than animals.
I walk the path between the two fences until my feet hurt badly enough that I have to take my shoes off.
The dirt is soft enough that I can walk barefoot easily .
I should turn around and go back, but for what?
To sit by myself inside?
To study for tests that I know I’ll ace?
To wait for Lochlan to come home and ignore me?
Grunting startles me suddenly, and I freeze.
It’s somewhere close, but it’s difficult to see without a light.
I hold my breath, waiting to hear the direction of the sound when a loud snuff draws my eyes to ten feet down the fencing, just on the other side.
One of the bears is standing right next to the fence, face to the ground, nibbling on the undergrowth.
He hasn’t raised his head to look at me, but his ears twitch like he’s alert.
They’re probably used to people being around Lochlan and the parolees, but I’m still not trying to make it mad.
Its indifference urges me forward, tiptoeing until I’m nearly in front of it on the other side of the flimsy chain link fence.
I watch in fascination as the moonlight reflects off the giant bear’s shoulder blades as he eats.
His dark coat is camouflaged expertly with his surroundings.
I’m not entirely informed on bears, but it does seem odd that it’s not paying me any attention.
I take another step forward to test his observation skills when the pad of my foot crunches something beneath it.
The bear grunts but doesn’t stop eating.
It almost feels like dried mulch under my feet, but that can’t be right.
When I pull my phone out to shine it on the ground, the bear rears back on his hind legs suddenly, startled by the light.
It roars loudly, throwing me back on my ass and I land right on my tailbone.
It takes off into the dense trees, but I stay on the ground, stunned.
That was the animal I was expecting .
Despite my thundering pulse and aching butt, I start feeling around on my hands and knees for my shoes and my phone that flew from my hands when I fell.
I’m feeling a lot less confident about being out here alone, now.
I find my phone at the same time my palms roam over the crunchy ground, and I use it to investigate the tan pellets littering the path between the fences.
I don’t know what it is, but it looks like it was thrown over the fence, and the bear was eating it.
A knot forms in my gut because I know deep down that I just discovered something bad.
I shove the pellets into the pocket of my dress and forget my shoes, running back towards the house.
Except, it’s so dark that it’s hard to see where I’m going, and at some point I miss my turn, or take the wrong one.
I’m not sure how many paths lead to and from the enclosures.
It’s taking longer than it should to find my way back to the barns, but I’m not worried about it.
Not until I hear shouting and multiple engines running like they’ve fired up the four-wheelers.
It’s late, something bad must’ve happened.
Finally, my path ends near the last barn where they keep the strays.
The mule that was abandoned at the beginning of the summer is standing in his open stall window, staring at me as he chews on some hay.
I blow out a deep breath, admitting my exhaustion.
That was a bit too much adventure for me.
The alleyway between all the outbuildings isn’t as smooth as the one through the woods, and I don’t have my shoes to traverse over all of the gravelly bits.
I still hear people shouting, but I can’t make myself move to find out what’s going on.
Rain runs out from behind the other building, nearly plowing me over in surprise.
“Oh, fuck! What are you doing out here?” He asks, staring at me in obvious concern.
I don’t have a good answer for him, so I just shrug.
“Boss, I’ve got her. She’s down by the strays,” he relays into his radio, still eyeing me up and down.
I must look worse than I thought.
“He’s got the whole mountain looking for you, girl.”
“What? Why?”
“He thought someone snatched you up.”
I don’t have a chance to respond when three people come sprinting down the alleyway towards us.
Lochlan, Hayes, and Jackson.
Oops, I think I’m in trouble.
“What happened? Are you hurt?” Lochlan’s head swivels, taking in every inch of me, looking for damage.
“I’m fine.”
“Where are your shoes?” Hayes asks.
“What were you doing?” Jackson asks at the same time.
“You’re fine?” Lochlan asks in tandem.
My head swings between each man, and I don’t know who to respond to first.
I don’t know why they’re freaking out but now my little adventure seems like it was a worse idea than I thought.
“I went for a walk. I wanted to see the bears.”
Lochlan throws his head back and turns away in disbelief.
Hayes watches me warily, and Jackson still looks like he’s checking my arms and legs for injuries.
“And, you didn’t think to tell anyone?” Lochlan swings around to yell at me .
“I didn’t think anyone would care.”
“Christ, Jo. You have ten people standing on this property who care!”
“I’ll clear everyone to go to bed,” Hayes murmurs into his radio, nodding his head to Rain, who backs away quietly.
“Are you okay? Really?” Jackson asks, looking at me closely.
“I’m fine, I just needed to clear my head. But, I found this.” I turn my pockets inside out, dumping the pellets onto the ground in front of me.
“The bear that I saw was eating this. He wouldn’t even look up. I think it came from the wrong side of the fence.”
Lochlan’s gaze snaps to the pieces at my feet, and he kneels, inspecting them.
“Looks like rat poison.”
“Only one bear was eating it, from what I saw at least.”
He slides a hand over his face.
“I’ll go drive the perimeter, see if there’s a sign of anything,” Jackson offers, giving me a ‘good luck’ glance.
“Where’d you find it?” Hayes asks.
“I don’t know, I got all turned around. I started by the bunkhouse but somehow ended up over here. I left my shoes in the spot where I found it, though.”
“Okay, I’ll go check it out.” Hayes steps away, leaving me alone with Lochlan, and my nerves return.
“Your feet are filthy,” he grumbles, finally standing.
“It was easier to walk barefoot until I got here.” I point to the rocks at our feet, and he nods.
He leans down and swiftly sweeps me off my feet, cradling me in his arms.
He doesn’t say a word as he walks us back up to the house, and all I can do is stare at the side of his face and the intensity of it.
“I’m sorry if I caused trouble,” I whisper .
He doesn’t say anything as he deposits me on my feet in front of my door, but he also doesn’t move away.
He braces his hands on the door on either side of my head and squeezes his eyes shut before looking at me.
“Don’t ever do that to me again. You might’ve gotten me wrapped up in this fake engagement shit, but do not forget that I am your boss. I told you not to wander.”
“I was just–”
“No! Don’t use that pretty mouth to soften me up. Your adventure starts after you leave this place and not a second before! Do not forget who is in charge here.”
He pushes off the door frame, and I watch his back get farther away through blurry eyes.
That’s the Lochlan that I first met, and not the one I’ve fallen for.