Chapter 4
Sadie
Kane gets to his feet. Reaching down a hand to help me up, but he won't look at me.
I set about brushing the hay off my clothes and catch him watching.
I'm reminded of the crush I had on him when we were teens.
He is two years older than me. My brother is four years older than me, the same age as Kane's brothers.
I think about asking after his family, but I don't want to mention them. I like that it is just he and I.
Wouldn't it be something if Kane think's I'm attractive now that I've grown up.
He would be in the minority. Not that I'm horrific looking, but I'm a wildlife photographer.
I spend my day literally lying around in the dirt, waiting for that perfect shot.
The animals don't care that I don't wear make up or that my hair and clothes are a mess, and so neither do I.
And I'd rather enjoy my food than work out what's good and what's bad.
And so I'm kind of curvy. It's nice to had the extra padding on my ass when I'm sitting in a hide or driving long distances.
I check my camera equipment.
"Everything okay?"
It seems like a loaded question. If everything was okay I would have gotten the shot of the owl I was looking for and I would now be heading back down the mountain to Starfall Valley.
My folks have moved away but the town still feels like home, full of childhood memories.
There would be a warm bed and a hot meal at the hotel.
Instead, I'm here in a barn, having just narrowly escaped a fate worse than death.
I've fallen through a roof twice. It's cold.
It's raining. And I'm hungry. I look back over to Kane.
Maybe it's not all bad. I am here with my teenage crush, my childhood friend, all grown up and standing here looking sexy as hell.
"You live here?" I ask.
"Not in the barn." He answers with the first hint of a smile. "Though the cabin is not that much better."
We make our way over to a small log cabin. My own apartment is tiny. I don't mind because I move around all the time. More and more lately I have been wanting to buy a house and settle down somewhere, tired of always living out of a suitcase. But I just don't know where I want to settle.
A tiny apartment is one thing. But this cabin is falling apart. Holes in the roof. Floorboards missing.
Turning to Kane, I ask again. "You live here?"
He shrugs. "It's just a place to crash. I move around a bit."
I move around too, but I like to be warm at night. It hurts me that this guy who had so much potential has ended up here.
"What happened to you? The Kane I knew used to build things. He used to talk about fixing up a house one day. This.... this can't be good for you."
"Well, best you get used to it. Thanks to your timely appearance in front of one of the area's worst gangs, you're stuck here."
I let out a snort. It's been a long time since I let anyone tell me where I could or could not go. "My truck's out back."
"No, Sadie, I'm serious. We've got a real problem here. I can't let you leave. There is only one road back to town, Malcolm could be waiting for you. The guy is nuts. There is no telling what he might do."
I can't help the shiver that runs over me. I certainly don't want to meet Scar Face on some dark road at night. Plus, the roads around here aren't great in the dark and the rain.
Looking around. There is a single bed in one corner.
At least the blanket and pillow look clean enough.
The floorboards are unpolished. A little pot belly stove in one corner.
The window rattling against the wind. A sink.
A door which I hope leads to a bathroom.
No kitchen, just a sink and a cupboard. It's certainly sparse.
This is the living quarters of someone who has given up on life. Someone who thinks he is unloved.
I remember all those times as kids that I saw the pain in Kane's eyes. It makes me angry to think of how his parents treated him. Sure, he was a little wild and reckless, but that was no reason to show such obvious favouritism to his older brother.
Turning to Kane now, I offer a small smile. “It is good to see you again, Kane. I’m glad you were here.”
“I wish I could stay the same. But you shouldn’t be up here Sadie. It’s dangerous.”
“At least I have a legitimate, legal reason for being here. It’s my job. Whereas you’re here because….?”
“That’s none of your business.”
I put my hands on my hips. Giving him a stubborn look. “We’re practically family. If you're in trouble then it is absolutely my business. You always were a bit wild, but I never imagined you would get mixed up with criminals.”
Kane shakes his head. “You haven’t changed a bit. You’re still a brat demanding to know everybody's business.”
“Yeah, well you're still a stubborn fool who thinks he has to do everything on his own. Remember when you climbed to the top of the water tower and we all had to help you get down?”
He looks at me for a moment and then there is a hint of a smile. “I remember you had a chance to tattle to my parents, but you never did.”
“Because we are friends. We were with each other through thick and thin.” I have good memories of my childhood and most of them involve getting into trouble with Kane.
But I know he had it harder than I did. While I would never tell his parents the things we got up to, I know his brother often did and the results were unpleasant for Kane.
Now he relaxes his shoulders and hands me a blanket. The hint of a smile at old memories. “Take the bed. I’m going to stay up and keep watch.”
Getting into the bed I watch Kane sit in one of the chairs.
I feel safe with Kane. Realise that all those old feelings are still there.
I can see underneath the hard exterior. There is a hint of the boy I once knew.
The guy with the charming smile. The boy who was funny and quirky.
Who was wild and reckless. The one who jumped off balconies and then challenged me to do the same.
He is still there. And he is there but now wrapped up in a sexy package.