Chapter Four
When I woke the next morning, it was to my phone telling me it was 7am. 7AM on a Saturday morning. I threw my arm over my eyes and tried to sleep for a little longer. I finally gave up thirty minutes later and took a shower and dressed for the day. I found a comfortable pair of jeans with a t-shirt. I unpacked my backpack and then proceeded to stuff it with a long-sleeved t-shirt and sweatshirt, along with another change of clothes, just in case. I added my sketch pad as an afterthought. If the meadow really was as pretty as Cassie said, I might want to draw while there. Once packed, I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Nicole and Steve were both relaxing around the counter reading a magazine or newspaper. I set my bag down in the corner and turned to the cabinets for a cereal bowl.
“Morning.” I said as I poured some cereal into the bowl.
“Good morning.” Nicole responded. Steve smiled in welcome. I sat down at the counter with them and watched them both put their reading material aside. Uh oh. I took a big bite of cereal as I watched to see who would speak first.
“So,” Steve said, casually leaning back in his seat. “You’re going over to Cassie’s today?”
“Yeah, Nicole said it was ok.” Steve waved off my statement.
“No, it’s fine. What do you have planned? Girly stuff?” Steve looked amused. I snorted. While I did occasionally paint my nails, I wasn’t into all the girly hair, makeup, gossip stuff that most girls my age were. It just wasn’t my thing.
“No. We are going hiking.”
“Up the mountain?” He asked, concern edging his voice.
“Yeah. There’s a place Cassie wants to show me. Says it is really pretty.”
“You know there have been reports of large cats moving through the forest south of here.” Steve stated.
“No, didn’t know that.”
“Steve,” Nicole said, “I’m sure the McCoys, who have lived here a long time, know how to hike in the mountains.”
“Still, I don’t like the idea of you and Cassie going alone.” He shook his head. “Two girls wandering around the forest isn’t a good idea.”
“We’re not going alone.” I muttered. Both Nicole and Steve looked at me.
“Oh?” Nicole was the first to respond. I sighed.
“The whole group is going. Me, Cassie, Bree, Brody, Hunter, and Cade.”
“Oh, well, that’s better.” Steve said almost smiling. I narrowed my eyes as I watched him try to hide behind his coffee cup.
“Am I missing something here?” I asked as I looked between Nicole and Steve. Nicole bit her lip and tried to keep from smiling herself.
“I might have mentioned to Steve about your boy troubles.”
“Boy troubles?”I asked slowly.
“You know, with Cade.” Nicole said with a wave of her hand.
“I do not have boy troubles. Especially with Cade.” I stated firmly.
“Uh huh.” Steve replied, also trying to hide his smile. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
“You two are ridiculous.” I stood up and placed my bowl in the dishwasher.
“So who’s picking you up this morning?” Steve asked. I didn’t turn around because I knew my face was flaming. God, why did Cade have to be so stubborn!
“You two know there’s nothing going on between us, right?” I asked when I was finally able to turn around without my face beat red.
“Who, dear?” Nicole asked innocently. I glared my response. She laughed good-naturedly and slid from her seat. “You know we are just teasing. This is the first time you’ve put yourself out there and interacted with your classmates.” She rounded the counter and gave me a quick hug. “We’re very proud of you.” She smiled at me.
“Thanks.”I think.
“And,” Steve said, pulling my attention back to him. “If there ever is something that develops between you and,” he paused at my scowl and cleared his throat, “another boy, just let us know so we can be aware of things.”
“This conversation is so weird right now.” I muttered.
“Just looking out for you,” Steve replied. I nodded in acknowledgement.
“What are your plans today?” I asked to change the subject.
“I’ll be headed into work. I have to work 2nd shift so I’ll be home late.” Steve said as he stood up and placed his cup in the dishwasher.
“And I have some last minute shopping to do before work starts.” Nicole added.
“Here or…” I asked, leadingly.
“I might have to run over to Ashland to get everything I need.” Nicole admitted. I nodded. A small town only had so much to offer before you had to go to a bigger city.
“When is your ride coming?” Nicole asked and glanced at the clock.
“Ten.”
“Would you mind helping me with a few things around here, then? If you are all ready to go that is.”
“Yeah, sure. What do you need?”
We spent the next hour and a half putting things in the garage attic for storage that, in my opinion, should have been thrown out in the first place. Luckily, the day was shaping up to be a cool, but gloriously, sunny day. Just as Nicole handed up the last of the boxes, a rumble from outside had her glance down the driveway from the open garage door.
“Looks like your ride is here.” She smirked up at me. I tried to see out the attic hole but couldn’t see pass the door.
“Please tell me he didn’t bring that monstrosity of a truck.” I asked, just as the engine cut out and I heard a door open.
“Hmm,” was Nicole’s response as she turned to greet Cade. I closed my eyes and sighed. Not that I didn’t admire the truck, only a little bit of course, but it was just a little too much. Really. I turned around and started to climb down the ladder from the attic. I was about three-fourths the way down when two strong hands clasp my waist to steady me. I froze.
“Careful,” Cade spoke softly from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes clashed with his. My muscles wouldn’t move to make the two steps down to the floor and Cade seemed to pick up on my dilemma. His solution? Instead of letting me go so I could MOVE, he tightened his hold and plucked me off the ladder like I weighed nothing, and deposited me on the floor in front of him. His hands lingered a tad longer than necessary at my waist before letting go.
“I have to get my bag.” I stuttered, not meeting either Cade or Nicole’s eyes. I turned and fled toward the door leading to the kitchen.
“You done with this?” I looked over my shoulder to note that Cade was asking Nicole about the ladder which he promptly folded up with Nicole’s nod. I disappeared around the corner and took my first breath since my body froze on the ladder. What the hell did he think he was doing? I shook my head in frustration and confusion. Cade was around me, a lot, but that was really the first time he’d ever touched me. Like, full on, hand contact with body. Holy hell did his touch electrify me. I took another deep breath to slow my breathing and thoughts. Was I reading too much into it? Was he just being a caring big brother? Then I remembered his eyes. Those deep brown eyes that peered right into my soul. I shook my head. I was never going to understand where things were between us.
I grabbed my bag and took a few deep breaths to finally control my breathing. Once under control, I blanked my face and headed back out to the garage. I walked out to Nicole laughing and Cade smiling good-naturedly. Why did he have to look so hot when he smiled? His eyes shifted to me as I approached.
“You ready to go?” He asked.
“Yep.” I replied, evenly. I turned to Nicole to say bye when Cade gripped my bag from behind which pulled it off my shoulder. I turned back to him.
“What’s in here?”He asked.
“Spare clothes, just in case.”
“Spending the night?” He asked, with a questioning look.
“Uh, no. I wasn’t planning on it.” I gestured to the bag. “It has warmer clothes and spare clothes in case these get really dirty.” I glanced down at my current clothes.
“I see.” He nodded and slung the bag over his shoulder. Knowing by now fighting over who carried the bag was pointless, I turned back to Nicole.
“I’ll let you know when I might be home.”
“Ok. Remember by midnight though. Unless you call and let us know you’re spending the night.” Nicole reminded me.
“Yep, got it.” I said. I waved as I made my way out to Cade’s truck. I eyed the thing as it loomed in front of me. The lift had to be a good two feet, which made the bottom of the door at about mid-thigh level after the normal amount of height a truck that size usually had. Cade opened the door and I eyed the interior. My eyes were level with the arm rest. I looked back at Cade in absurdness.
“You do realize this is ridiculous, right?” I asked as I motioned to the leap I would have to make to even attempt to sit inside. He grinned in response.
“Here,” he turned me toward him and before I figured out what he was going to do, he grasped me around the waist, again, and picked me up, placing me on the seat. My hands flew to his shoulders to steady myself and I couldn’t help but feel, and admire, the corded muscle underneath his shirt. My breath caught at our closeness. As soon as I was settled, I snatched my hands back.
“Uh, thanks.” I said, without meeting his eyes. He didn’t comment as he waited for me to pull my legs around to the dash before he shut the door. He walked around to his side and easily climbed in, placing my bag in the back. I put my seatbelt on as he started the engine. He backed out of the driveway and I waved to Nicole who was still standing in the garage, watching us. She waved and smiled in return, giving me a thumbs up at the last moment as we pulled away. I rolled my eyes internally. Nicole and her hopeful, motherly ways. We headed north out of town and were immediately surrounded by forest.
“How far out do you live?”
“Not far. Couple miles.” He replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Thanks for picking me up.” I tried at small talk.
“No problem.” Was his clipped reply. Not knowing why he was in such a mood when he was grinning not two minutes before, I turned away from him and continued to look out the window. A short while later, we pulled off onto a narrow lane. The trees closed in around us even more as we continued on our way. It was a little unnerving and if I hadn’t trusted Cade, with my safety only of course, I would have been worried he was taking me to the backwoods to kill me.
Finally, the trees gave way to a clearing. I looked around to what looked like a small campground, only with full size houses. Five houses lined the lane on each side as we drove down the gravel road that led to the big house at the end. The houses were well spaced, giving ample yard room for each. I saw Bree step out of one house and wave at us as we passed. On the other side, Hunter and Brody were coming out of another house. Cade finally came to a stop in front of the big house at the end of the lane.
“You live here?”
“Yes.”
“You weren’t kidding when you said you didn’t live far from each other.” I muttered as I unclicked my seatbelt. Cade didn’t answer as he opened his door and hopped down. I took a deep breath to control my growing agitation at his non-talkativeness and opened my door. Cade met me on the other side. He started to reach in to help me down, but I stopped him with a raised hand.
“I can manage.” I stated firmly. Cade scowled in return but stepped back to give me room. I eyed the distance to the ground and decided the best thing to do was slide off the seat and jump at the last second. I did, thankfully landing on my feet. I moved to the side so Cade could shut the door. He moved around me to open the back door and grab my bag.
“I can take that.” I said as I motioned to my bag. His answer was to sling it over his shoulder instead. Ok, this morning was off to a great start! Before I could comment, Cassie’s voice called my attention.
“Kendra! Hey!” I looked around to the front of the big house and saw Cassie skipping down the front steps. I moved toward her and she wrapped me in a big hug before letting me go. “You ready for a hike?”
“Yep. Good day for it.”
“You’re not kidding.” Brody said, smiling as he came up beside us with Hunter and Bree. Without warning, he pulled me into a bear hug. Shocked, I didn’t have time to reciprocate before he stepped back. Two seconds later my bag was shoved into his chest by Cade.
“Put this with the others.” Cade ground out between his teeth. I looked at him, confused as to why he would be so angry all of a sudden. Brody grasped my bag without comment, but was waiting on something else.
“So,” Bree said, as she stepped up to cover the awkward moment. “We have everything ready. You just have to meet Cade and Cassie’s parents.”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded. The way she said it seemed like it was expected, like a formal procedure was being followed. Cassie motioned me to follow her.
“Come on, I’ll show you the way.” I followed her up the porch stairs and into the house, everyone else trailed in our wake. I took a moment to admire the rustic but elegant design and structure before my attention was diverted to the couple standing in front of me near the foyer. The man was tall, broad shouldered, physically fit, and handsome. He exuded a sense of power that was quite intimidating. The only comforting factor was that he was smiling which seemed to soften his features. I could just imagine that Cade would look exactly like him in twenty years.
My eyes drifted to the woman standing beside him and even though she was smaller, she by no means was any less intimidating. She had the same powerful presence that the man did only hers was subtler, like it was waiting for the right time to assert itself. Her features were similar to Cassie’s, brown hair and eyes. Eyes that were alight with welcome.
“Kendra, it is so good to finally meet you!” The woman gushed. “We have heard so much about you.” She held out her hand and I shook it while smiling.
“This is my mom, Mica,” Cade said moving to my side. He motioned to the man beside Mica and said, “My dad, Liam.” I moved to Liam and held out my hand. “This is Kendra.” Cade said absently to finish the introductions.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” I smiled, trying to keep my racing heart from pounding out of my chest.
“Welcome to the McCoy lands.” Liam said warmly, as he continued to smile down at me. He studied me for a minute, as if he was trying to figure something out. I pulled my hand back and looked around the house.
“You have a very nice home.”
“Thank you.” Mica replied. “It’s been in the family for generations. Someday it will belong to Cade and his family.” She said with pride as she looked at Cade. Family? And what about Cassie? I looked to her but she didn’t seem too perturbed about the revelation.
“All right, if we are all done with the intros, let’s get this show on the road.” Cassie said cheerfully. She pointed to Brody and Hunter, “Grab the gear, would you?” Both nodded and disappeared to the back of the house, my bag firmly held by Brody. Bree looped her arm through mine and tugged me back toward the front door. I looked back at Liam and Mica.
“It was nice meeting you.” I called.
“You two, honey.” Mica replied warmly. Just before Bree pulled me through the door, I saw both Cassie and Cade turn to say something to their parents.
“When was the last time you went on a hike?” Bree asked conversationally as we made our way around the side of the house.
“Um…probably last year some time.”
“Well, if we go too fast just tell us to slow up or you need a break. We do this kind of thing all the time. We could hike for hours and never tire.”
“How far is this waterfall?” I asked a little nervously. Yeah I was in shape, but hiking for hours? Not my thing.
“Oh no worries. Two hours of lazy hiking should have us there. We’ll spend a while there before heading back down.” She smiled as we rounded the backside of the house and found both Hunter and Brody going over a couple of bags. Mine was sitting on the ground beside theirs.
“What do you have in the bags?” I asked curiously as we came up beside them.
“Mostly lunch. Few essentials just in case.” Brody answered.
“In case, what?”
“We get stranded on the mountain.” Cade said from behind us. I looked over at him.
“Does that happen often?” I asked a little worried.
“No. Not for us. But it’s good to be prepared just in case.” He reached down and grabbed my bag. I watched as he started to lengthen the straps.
“Hey! What are you doing? Those were perfect!” I made a grab for my bag but he swung it up out of my reach.
“This won’t fit me. You’re too small.” He pointed out. He maxed out both straps then slung it over his shoulders.
“It doesn’t have to fit you. It’s my bag. I didn’t bring it so you could carry it.”
“I’m not letting you carry it.”
“It’s my bag.” I ground out.
“And I’m carrying it.” He said as he squared off with me. I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. Liam and Mica were standing on the back porch steps watching our exchange. I noticed that everyone was watching us, some with amusement, and some with shock on their faces. Realizing it was stupid to argue who was carrying the bag, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“Fine. Whatever.” I turned away and muttered under my breath, “Next time I’ll put rocks in it.” Giggles erupted from both Cassie and Bree. I turned to them, surprised they heard me. I glanced back at the boys to see all three smirking. Rare form for Hunter.
“Even rocks wouldn’t slow me down.” Cade boasted, and then winked at me. My eyes widened in response. Did…CADE…just wink at me? Before I could formulate a response, he turned to Brody and Hunter and motioned to the bags. Without a word, they each took the remaining two and strapped them to their backs. All three of us girls didn’t have to carry a thing.
“And who said chivalry was dead?” Cassie grinned my way as we set off towards the trees.
The hike wasn’t too bad. The trees gave a nice, shaded path to walk under. The trail we followed was narrow which forced us to walk single file. Hunter led, while Bree, Brody, Cassie and I followed. Cade brought up the rear. It was a little unnerving having Cade at my back the whole way. It made me more than a little self-conscious.
I caught myself glancing back at him a few times to either see him watching me, or the rare times he wasn’t, he was looking at our surroundings and then his eyes would snap to mine the second I looked at him. About the fourth or fifth time that happened, I tried to cover my tracks and strike up a conversation.
“Steve was telling me there have been some large cat sightings in the mountains around here. Does he mean, like, mountain lions?”
“Probably. But they won’t bother us.” Cade said reassuringly as he brushed a limb aside to pass.
“How would you know that?”
“Mountain lions, or cougars, are normally solitary creatures. Six people tramping through the woods would scare them off rather than attract them.”
“Normally?”
He hesitated before answering. “There have been some cases of the cats grouping together.”
“Really?I didn’t know that.”
“It’s not a problem for us.” Cassie said over her shoulder, making me look forward to her. “We know this land like the back of our hand. There aren’t any cats around.”
“So, your family owns all this that we are hiking on?”
“My dad’s territory butts up to the National Forest and extends for miles.” Cade replied. “He believes in space and the preservation of the forest. Owning the land ensures that logging is kept under control and the natural resources thrive.” I nodded in agreement. It was smart to look after the land but his term of “territory” was a little weird. Most people would say land or property, not…territory.
“What do your parents do?” I asked.
“They oversee the property and buildings they own in town. They employ our…neighbors…in the businesses, as well as some of the town folks. They also have a wood shop near the house that Dad works in.” Cade replied.
“What does he build?” I slipped a little on the path but caught myself in time. I noticed Cade was closer than he’d been two seconds ago. Because I’d slipped?
“Furniture mostly.” He replied, bringing me back to the topic at hand. “People order his projects online and he ships them all over the country.”
“That’s so cool.” I replied impressed.
Cade nodded. “I like to help him after my school stuff is done.”
“Really? You like woodworking?”
“I like building stuff with my hands. Creating things with wood is one of them.”
“Could I see your work sometime?”
“Sure. When we get back to the house I’ll show you sometime.”
“Thanks.” We continued along for a few more paces before Cassie looked over her shoulder at me.
“What about Steve and Nicole? What do they do?” I looked at her as I noticed she didn’t say “parents”.
“Cade told you, didn’t he?”
“That Steve and Nicole aren’t your parents? Yeah. We know.” Cassie smiled reassuringly. “Someday I hope you can tell us about your birth parents, but only when you’re comfortable.”
“Afraid there’s not much to tell.” I shrugged. “They left me when I was two.”
“Like, left you with family?”
“No, like left me on the doorstep of a church. Who then handed me over to child services.” I replied evenly. I’d accepted my beginnings a long time ago, but it didn’t mean it made it any easier to talk about. The group stopped in front of me and Bree made her way back to stand beside me.
“Do you have any family, Kendra?” Bree asked softly. My throat seized with the concern I heard in her voice. I shook my head, unable to vocalize anything. She enveloped me in a hug that surprised me, but I returned her embrace. I felt the tension in my body lessen and I could finally take a deep breath. She pulled back and smiled up at me.
“Better?”She asked.
“Yes, thank you.” I smiled weakly at her. I felt heat at my back and knew that Cade was standing close, but I refused to turn around and look at him. Brody shuffled from up ahead on the trail which made me glance at him.
“You’ll always have us.” Brody reassured, in a very serious, totally un-Brody-like, tone.
“Uh, thanks.”I replied hesitantly.
“Yeah,” Cassie nodded in agreement. “We can be your family now.”
“So, you not only adopted me into your group of friends, I now have brothers and sisters?” I teased to lighten the mood.
“Absolutely.” Brody smiled, back to his old self. What sounded like a grunt of frustration came from behind me. Before I could turn around and look at Cade, Hunter spoke up.
“If we’re done, we should probably keep moving.” I looked to Hunter and found him almost scowling. What was his problem? “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can eat.” He then turned and started walking again.
“Hunter’s always hungry.” Bree commented as they all turned and started up the trail again. I chuckled, glad the somber mood had passed. Just as I was about to follow Cassie, a hand on my arm stopped me. I looked back at Cade to see him looking down at me with concern in his eyes.
“You sure you are all right?”
“Yeah.I’m fine.”I stated.
“If you ever want to talk about your parents, or past, I’m good at listening.”
“You may be good at listening, but I’m not good with talking.” I commented.
“Offer still stands.” He nodded and motioned for us to catch up with the others. I smiled my thanks and turned to follow the others through the forest.
There was little wildlife, which surprised me. Either there wasn’t much in this area or six teenagers walking through the forest was loud enough to scare everything away. I took a moment to listen to my surroundings. There were a few birds and squirrels in the trees, but no deer or small animals scurrying around. I also noticed that I could only hear my footsteps, none of the others, as we walked up the path. That was weird.
“You guys have got some serious stealth moves,” I commented to no one in particular. Cassie glanced over her shoulder at me.
“What do you mean?”
“When I step, it sounds like a herd of elephants crashing through the forest. When you guys walk, there’s not a crunch or twig snap at all.”
“Oh, well,” she hesitated before continuing, “that’s because we’ve practically been raised in the woods. Dad and Mom take us hunting all the time so we learned at a young age to walk quietly.”
“That makes sense.” I nodded. “What do you hunt?”
“Deer mostly. Elk or moose. A few rabbits.”
“What season is in right now?”
“Uh, I don’t know.” She admitted. “I haven’t checked lately.” She turned back around and continued up the trail. I frowned. If they hunted as much as they did, wouldn’t they know what seasons were in?
“It’s deer.” Cade replied from behind me. I glanced back at him to see him watching me. I nodded that I heard him and looked forward again, not wanting to trip over anything.
Before long the path led to the cascading waterfalls known as White River Falls. I caught my breath at the sight. The water probably fell about ten feet, not gigantic by any means but still breathtaking. There was a pool where the water fell before flowing down between boulders and rocks down the hillside. Wildflowers dotted the rocky hillside as I looked around. A grouping of rocks off to the side of the pool was level enough to have our picnic.
“Oh my God! This is so beautiful.” I breathed, my eyes widening.
“Told you, you would like it.” Cassie smiled as she trailed out onto the rocks. I found myself following, running my hands through the taller grasses surrounding the edge as I passed. I couldn’t help my glance back at Cade, to see what he thought of this place. He was staring at me, like he’d never seen me before. His head was cocked to the side, feet braced shoulder width apart, hands at his side as he gazed at me. I turned to fully face him and studied him right back. The picture that came to life in my mind was familiar. He was silhouetted just within the trees, half in shadow. His piercing eyes watched me, reminding me of the drawing from last night, of my wolf in the woods.
“Kendra, you coming?” Cassie yelled from behind me. Shaken from my thoughts, I broke eye contact with Cade and turned to Cassie who was out on the rock outcropping.
“Yeah,” I called. Without looking back at Cade, I headed in her direction. It was close to noon since it was a long walk up the mountain. When I joined the others, they were seated in a semi-circle already digging through the bags for lunch. I sat down beside Bree and two seconds later, Cade sat next to me.
“We have all the fixings for a sandwich.” Bree noted as she pulled out more containers of food. She passed around the plates and napkins, followed by the bread. Next the rest of the toppings made it around the circle. I watched as Brody piled slice after slice of meat onto his sandwich.
“Jeez, Brody, want a little bread with your meat?” I laughed. He quirked one lip in a semi-smile.
“I’m a growing boy. I need my protein.” He replied right before taking a huge bite of his sandwich. I shook my head as I finished making my sandwich. I was just about to take a bite when Cade’s voice stopped me.
“That’s all you’re putting on your sandwich?” I looked over at the frown on his face.
“What’s wrong with my sandwich?”
“You only put three slices of meat on it.” He pointed out.
“So?”
“You should eat more.” He shook his head before muttering, “You don’t eat enough to feed a bird.”
“Excuse me?” I huffed, glaring at him. “I’ll have you know I have a healthy appetite.”
“Just for food?” Brody grinned before adding, “Or for-“ he abruptly cut off when Cassie elbowed him in the side. “Sorry.” He muttered before digging into his plate. I chose to ignore Cade beside me and also dug in. A beat passed in awkwardness before Bree started talking about one of our classes. Tension broken and we laughed and talked about the first week.
Besides the sandwich, I had also placed a few strawberries on my plate. I was absently eating them as I followed the discussion around me. After a while I realized that I was eating more berries than what I had originally thought I put on my plate. I glanced down quickly to see Cade’s hand disappearing from my plate that definitely contained more berries then what I had placed on it. I looked up at Cade.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you sneaking strawberries onto my plate?”
“No.”He stated firmly.
“Were you?” I demanded, changing my question to the past tense so he couldn’t lie.
“You were eating them. I was making sure you had enough.” He shrugged.
“Who does that?” I asked, bewildered.
“I do.” He replied heatedly, glaring at me before rising and stalking off. I immediately felt bad for my comment, even if I still did think it was a little weird. I watched as he made his way to the woods and disappeared. Silence around the circle made me turn back around to see everyone was staring at me.
“What?”
“I’ve never seen Cade act like this before.” Cassie whispered quietly, like Cade was still close by.
“I don’t think he can hear you.” I said, taking another bite from the offensive strawberry. I looked back at her before adding, “Like what?”
“So…protective.”Cassie replied.
“Concerned.”Brody added.
“Caring,” Bree breathed.
“Possessive.” Hunter growled while looking in the same direction Cade had disappeared.
“Maybe it’s the whole new kid, shiny toy syndrome.” I said, trying to brush off their comments.
“Hmm,” Cassie replied noncommittally as she bit her lip.
“Look,” I said as I brushed my hands together and placed my empty plate near the garbage bag. “I don’t know what’s going on, or what could possibly be going on in his head. But I think the best solution is to get some space between us. I don’t need someone looking after me.” Or a boyfriend if that was Cade’s aim.
“And how are you going to accomplish that?” Brody asked dryly. I pressed my lips together in thought.
“I might need your guys’ help with that.”
“Oh, no,” Brody shook his head, vehemently. “No way am I getting between an-“ He paused before adding, “between you and him.” He shook his head. “He’d beat me to a pulp.” I looked to Hunter.
“I’m not getting involved.” He held up his hands. I sighed in frustration.
“We’ll figure this out.” Bree said reassuringly. “Just give us some time to piece some things together. A solution always presents itself eventually.”
“Right.” I replied, not convinced at all. Instead of commenting, Cassie leaned forward and starting repacking the leftover containers. I sighed and moved to help. Brody dug through one of the bags and produced a football. He and Hunter wandered a little ways off and started tossing it back and forth. Bree and Cassie pulled out two blankets and gave one to me. They took one and lay down, enjoying the sun’s rays. I laid out the spare blanket and sat down on top. I listen as Bree and Cassie carried on a conversation, but I didn’t really have anything to add.
Remembering I packed my sketchpad in my bag that Cade had dropped next to him when he sat down, I reached over, took it out and found a comfortable position. I went to the next page after the wolf in the trees drawing and started sketching my surroundings. Pretty soon I was lost in the drawing and majesty of the forest and waterfall. After a while, I noticed that Cassie and Bree were both napping and I found my own eyes growing heavy from the sun bathing me in a warm glow. I closed my sketchpad and set it down beside me as I lay down on my back. I closed my eyes and soaked up the sun.
I didn’t know how much time passed, but I slowly became aware that I had fallen asleep. My cheek rested on something solid, but warm, and I was on my side. I must have rolled over in my sleep but that didn’t explain the way heat was radiating from under my cheek. I opened my eyes and noticed a jean clad leg stretched out in my line of sight. Which meant the heat I felt under my cheek was someone’s thigh. I caught my breath which made me even more aware of the all too familiar scent that always surrounded Cade. I was lying on Cade’s thigh! I slowly sat up, trying not to let my panic surface and become visible. I turned and found Cade, not looking at me, but flipping through my sketchbook. Without asking.
“What are you doing?” I bit out sharply. He looked at me, surprised by the anger in my voice.
“I like your drawings. Really good.” He said, nodding down at the book.
“Thanks, but I don’t like people looking at them.” I reached across him to grab the book but he stopped me with his hand.
“Why not? They’re really good.” He said sincerely.
“It’s just not something I share with others.” I wanted to snatch the book back, but he had just turned to the wolf one that I’d drawn last night. His hand stilled.
“When did you do this one?”
“Last night.”
“Last night?” He questioned.
“Yeah, I was thinking about the woods and just started drawing. When I realized what it was, I decided to finish it anyways.” I shrugged. “Like I said before, I’ve always had a thing for wolves.”
“Yeah?” He grinned at me in pleasure. Weirdo.
“Yep, ever since I can remember.” I motioned to the book, “If you’re done?” He closed the book and handed it back to me. I pulled my bag closer and tucked it away. I looked around and noticed the others were nowhere in sight.
“Where is everyone?” Especially after our earlier conversation when I said I needed space from Cade. What do they do? Leave me alone with him.
“They wanted to do some running. I told them to go and I’d wait with you.”
“Running?”
“Yeah. It’s something we like to do in the forest.” He shrugged like it wasn’t important. “They should be back soon. We have to start heading down before too long.”
“What time is it?”
“A little after four.” He paused before adding, “Cassie was going to invite you for supper at our parents’ house then to watch a movie later. If you want.”
“Oh.” I said, thinking about Tyler’s invite to the bonfire.
“She really wanted you to stay and hang out.” He added. I thought about it and figured I could catch up with Tyler another weekend. He did say they had bonfires every Saturday.
“Yeah, ok. I’ll probably have to call home and tell them though.”
“You can call them back at our place. You won’t have much reception up here.” Cade commented. Without a word, we both stood and he helped me fold the two blankets and pack them in the bags. As we finished, the other four emerged from the trees, laughing amongst themselves. Cassie and Bree waved as they approached, Brody smiled, and Hunter, well, he just nodded in my direction.
Cade told everyone that I was sticking around tonight and Cassie was ecstatic. She talked nonstop most of the way down the mountain about supper, what movie we were going to pick, what snacks we were going to have for the movie, and if we could possibly get two movies in before I had to go home. I just smiled and let her plan. It was nice to have friends to make plans with.
When we made it back to the McCoy house, I called Nicole’s cell and told her I would be staying a little longer but would be back by midnight. I could tell Nicole was happy I was making friends and told me to have fun. Supper was just the McCoys and me. Bree, Brody, and Hunter went back to their homes to eat with their families. Liam and Mica were nice, but I felt like they were watching me for some reason. Waiting for something. It was a little unnerving to be watched so closely and I was glad when the meal was over.
After supper, Bree, Hunter, and Brody all came back and we secluded ourselves in the downstairs basement that had an awesome couch and TV. The couch must have been two sectionals pieced together because it was a huge U-shaped piece. The TV itself almost rivaled any movie theater. Ok, it wasn’t that big, but it was huge.
“This thing is monstrous,” I said, eyes widening as we rounded the corner of the couch.
“Yeah, but it fits everyone comfortably so it works.” Cassie said, setting down the popcorn and candy on the coffee table. No matter that we just finished supper. Cassie insisted we have snacks too. “Best thing is,” she grinned as she reached down and pushed a lever. “The whole middle section reclines with a footrest and everything.”
“That is so cool.” I breathed as I climbed on in the middle and made myself comfortable. Cassie sat next to me and before anyone else could move in, Cade claimed the spot on the other side of me. I should have said something, I mean, I was trying to put distance between us but he wasn’t exactly in on my plan. Brody and Bree took up positions on Cassie’s other side while Hunter sprawled out on Cade’s side.
“Hey,” I said, before we were all settled in. “Do you have any blankets?”
“What for?” Brody asked, confused.
“So I can keep warm and snuggle down?” I asked slowly, like it was obvious. I watched as Brody’s eyes slid to Cade before coming back to mine.
“Sure. I’ll find you one.” He jumped up and disappeared around the corner. Five seconds later a blanket was sailing toward my face. Before I had time to put my hands up, Cade caught it and scowled at Brody.
“Thanks,” I said as I shook my head. I reached for the blanket but Cade was already spreading the blanket out, over both of us.
“What are you doing?”
“Keeping you warm.” He replied.
“Can’t you get your own blanket?”
“Can’t you share?” He asked, with a raised eyebrow. He had a point. I was being childish and the blanket was big enough for both of us.
“Fine.” I turned away from him. Cassie had already put the movie in and was working the controls. I pushed on my footrest to recline more and felt, more than saw, Cade do the same to match me. I tried to ignore his closeness and succeeded for the first movie. We finished off the snacks, well mostly Brody did, and moved onto the second movie. Once the second one was in, I started to feel tired as the long day caught up to me. I felt my eyes droop as I fought to keep them awake.
“I can take you home if you want.” Cade whispered beside me.
“No, I’m fine.” I argued. “Just need to rest my eyes for a minute.” My eyes closed and the last thing I remember was hearing Cade’s chuckle.
When I woke, my bleary eyes registered that the credits were running on the screen. I was cocooned in warmth and didn’t want to move. I snuggled down more and sighed in contentment. I didn’t know a couch could be so comfy. I closed my eyes and that’s when I realized my couch had a heartbeat. A steady, strong heartbeat and moved up and down like it was breathing. My eyes snapped open and I finally grasped the position I was in. Sometime in my sleep, I had rolled closer to Cade, wrapping one arm around his middle and laid my head on his chest. One of my legs was even slightly over top one of his. I could feel his arm around my back, a steady cage of warmth and protection. Oh. My. Freaking. God. I scrambled up as fast as I could, knocking my legs into his and pushing off of his chest.
“What the hell, Kendra?” Brody yelled in surprise as I stumbled back and almost fell into his lap. I caught myself at the last moment and straightened as I looked around the group and avoided Cade’s eyes.
“I, uh…sorry.” I muttered. “What time is it? I need to go home.” No one moved or looked like they were going to answer. Finally, Cade sat forward and I couldn’t help my eyes as I watched him slowly straighten from the couch in front of me.
“It’s 11:30. I’ll take you home.” He said softly. I nodded, not sure I could find my voice. I turned to everyone else and said bye, then made my way to the stairs. I could feel Cade behind me as we walked up the stairs and out to his truck. Without a word, he opened the door, grasped me around the waist, and hoisted me into the cab. I tried not to touch him but when you’re being lifted off the ground two feet or more you kind of need to steady yourself. I straightened in the seat and he shut the door once I was settled. I swallowed nervously as he rounded the truck and pulled open his door as he climbed inside. He started the engine and turned the truck around so we were headed past the other houses and down the narrow lane.
We didn’t talk all the way to my house, and I thought that I was going to get by without saying anything as he pulled into my driveway. I should have known my luck wasn’t that good.
“Kendra.” Cade said my name softly which forced me to look at him.
“What?” I asked, hand on the door handle, seatbelt already off. He looked like he was going to say something, sighed, and then changed his mind.
“Wait there. I’ll help you down.” He opened his door, climbed out, and shut it. I watched, entranced again, as he gracefully walked around the front of the truck to my side. He opened the door and easily scooped me up before setting me down on the ground. I stood there for a second, nose to collarbone before I realized how close I was to him. Clearing my throat, I stepped away and he shut the door. He followed me up to the front door and stopped on the porch.
“Thanks for the ride home.” I mumbled but didn’t meet his eyes. Out of the corner of mine, I saw him run a hand through his hair in frustration before he dropped it and stepped closer. Before I knew what he was doing, he enveloped me in a hug that almost crushed me.
“Can’t breathe,” I gasped out and he immediately dropped his arms.
“Sorry.I’m sorry.”He stepped back.
“What was that for?” I questioned as I took a couple deep breaths.
“I…I just wish…”Closing his mouth he shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Ok.” I said slowly. Man, were boys confusing. I turned and opened the door, and then looked back as I shut it too see Cade watching me intently. I closed the door and locked it, listening to his retreating steps. Soon his truck started and the sound faded as he drove home. I sighed, turned around, and almost jumped out of my skin. Steve was regarding me from the next room.
“Everything all right?” He asked, concern edging his voice.
“Yeah. Fine.” I said as I faked a yawn. “I’m going to bed.” I nodded goodnight and could feel his gaze on me as I went up the stairs. I went through my bedtime routine and was soon slipping under the covers. My phone beeped as I reached for the light. I pulled it up and saw a message from Cade.
Sweet Dreams, Kendra.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds. Cade sent that? I shook my head but typed out my response.
Night, Cade.
I closed my eyes and dreamed about the black wolf from my drawing, peering from the trees.