CHAPTER THREE
– ELODIE –
“What was the sheriff doing here?” Jaxie signs, and I shrug.
I walk to the bag with my camera and grab it, and the box with wood sculptures so I can carry them into the bedroom.
The only best friend I have follows me. “T-tell me, E-Elodie. I see you. I k-know you.”
She truly does. Annoyingly so if I may add.
I can put on a mask and act as if nothing is wrong to the outside world, so I can ignore people, but Jaxie?
She’s been through hell herself, and definitely recognizes the trauma inside me.
It’s probably why we became friends real damn fast all those years ago.
Dropping the stuff on the bed, I turn to face her.
“They found bones in the forest on Burk’s property.
Orson is pretty sure it’s Burk. How the hell is that possible when they fed him to the pigs?
Surprise, because they didn’t and instead left him for a bear to munch on.
Which makes me wonder what else they are hiding. ”
“H-hey, back u-up,” Jaxie growls and turns to ASL. “Seamus told me they changed their plan. They received an alert about an aggressive underfed male black bear. It would make more sense to report Burk missing, and have predators feast on him so his death is ruled natural.”
“Natural?” I squeak and lower my voice to hiss, “I killed him, Jaxie. Bullets entered his body. How many predators in the forest carry guns, eh? Right, the human kind. Shit. I should leave.”
“No, the fuck you ain’t,” Murray growls, scaring the shit out of me. “You’re staying right here with me. Even if I have to tie you to my bed and hand feed you to keep you safe. So. Be. It.”
My heart slams against my ribs and I release a tiny whimper. Dammit. When the hell did I start to feel small again? Like a rabbit being chased. Which isn’t far from the truth since Nolan is coming for me because I killed his father.
“Murray,” Seamus grunts. “Maybe rein it in a little? Can’t you see you’re scaring the piss out of her? Maybe it’s best if she stays with us for a while, especially with Nolan returning.”
“And that right there is the reason she’s staying right the fuck here with me.
” His fierce dark eyes lock on me. “I made sure there were no bullet marks left before I dumped the asshole’s bones in his own backyard.
Dinner was served for the male black bear I tracked down and managed to somewhat guide toward Burk.
I swear nothing will blow back on you. I have your back the way you had mine. ”
I release a choppy breath, knowing deep down what Murray just told me is the truth. The ferocity in his words, the unwavering look he gives me...I just feel as if I can trust him with my life, because I saved his.
“Okay,” I murmur.
Jaxie lifts an eyebrow at my answer and I shrug. “He made a good defense.”
My heart swelled a bit during his gruff rant. Giving up would be too easy. To pack up, buy a bus ticket, and leave the damn state. I’ve done it before, but then again...I was young when I came to town and landed a job at the ranch.
The thought of leaving my one and only friend behind while facing this fucked-up world by myself doesn’t sound appealing at all.
The room falls silent until Seamus tells Jaxie, “We might as well head down to the station.”
I frown, wondering why, when Jaxie signs, “Orson asked us to swing by to catch up on a few things. Not just Burk, also my father’s office being trashed, remember?”
How could I forget? It’s the day my horse was killed, and Nolan probably did it to lure Jaxie out of the cabin so they could search through that place. They were looking for the file Jaxie found in the hidden safe in her father’s office. The one with the information Dax gathered.
Not being able to hide my reaction from my friend, I voice my thoughts on a low whisper, “How could I forget?”
A grunt rips from me when Jaxie throws herself at me and hugs me tight. I close my eyes and briefly sink into the moment. Which turns out to be a horrible mistake when I feel my eyes start to burn while my throat clogs up.
Emotions. They are a no go. Once you allow them it’s like a dam bursting.
The only way I used to balance them out was through Goat, my horse.
The one they killed. The one who was in my life for over twenty years.
I missed his birth by an hour and bought him as a foal the second I laid eyes on him.
I trained him myself and he was used for horse therapy sessions for children.
The longing to work with a horse, or any animal for that matter, is strong. Yet, on the other hand, I don’t want another horse. Everything is still too fresh in my mind, and I can’t imagine replacing Goat because in my head it would feel like it.
I step back. “Okay, yeah. Well, we’ll talk later.” Turning to Murray, I add, “My turn to make dinner, right?”
Without blinking he jerks his chin in the direction of the kitchen. “The veggies are on the counter, start chopping, woman.”
I hear their voices, but I ignore them. Making dinner is a task easy to complete, and it doesn’t entail feelings.
Chopping beef, potatoes, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, all ending up in a big pan to make beef stew.
It’s a good thing the stew will need hours to be ready, because I’m not hungry at all.
“They’re gone.” Murray steps closer and turns to lean back against the counter.
Great. We’ve been living alongside one another for weeks and now the man wants to get social? Nope. Not freaking happening.
“Go away,” I grumble.
“I wanted to tell you,” he starts.
Keeping my eyes on the celery I’m cutting, I ramble out the words, “Sure you did, but let me guess, you couldn’t find the right time. Well, we drove right over the little speedbump of dumping the body instead of making it disappear, all for the greater good. So, like I said...go away.”
“Kinda hard to do when it’s my cabin, little rebel.”
I glare while he smirks. Little? My ass and thighs are huge and they’re filled with imperfections.
It’s similar to the road up the mountain, filled with freaking potholes.
Then there are my arms, flappy like a flag on a pole swinging back and forth while the man in front of me doesn’t have an ounce of fat on his body.
Seriously. Bulging muscles, abs, huge shoulders, a large back, and I’ve seen him naked from the waist up while splitting logs. He’s a sight to behold with his beard and nicely groomed hair. All while I have days where I don’t even comb my hair but put it in a bun and be done.
Ugh. Life is unfair. I’m the ugly duckling lusting after a Greek god. Okay, totally exaggerating, but it’s a close enough comparison. Murray is the type of man who would have women lined up to be with him. The mere thought of him with another woman makes me see red.
A jolt vibrates through my body and I hiss at the familiar feel of a knife slicing through my skin.
The knife in question clatters to the counter and bounces off, making me jump back and kick my leg back to prevent the thing from landing on my foot.
Murray curses and before I can utter a single word, the man has a hold of my hand and is squeezing my finger. Hard.
He reaches for a clean cloth and wraps it around my hand to stop the blood from seeping out. “I’m going to grab the first aid kit from under the sink, and you’re going to move with me.”
There’s nothing else to do than let him lead because the man still has a firm grip on my hand. Once he has the kit open he lays out some bandages, strips, antibiotic ointment, and a pair of gloves.
“Hold your finger with your other hand. Squeeze it tight. I’m going to glove up and have a look, okay?”
“If I say no, you’d still do it,” I mutter.
Murray chuckles and lets go of my hand. I instantly grab a hold of the cloth around my finger; the blood is already seeping through. Unwanted memories assault me; the metallic scent, the crimson spreading. My ears start to ring, and I can’t catch my breath.
My throat is suddenly gripped and when my eyes fly open, I’m staring into Murray’s dark depths.
His forehead is pressing against mine when he says, “Breathe, Elodie. You’re safe. I’m right here with you. Just fill your lungs, hold it, and gently let that shit go. That’s it, baby. Breathe for me.”
I hate feeling weak. If my freaking emotions weren’t fried earlier, then this wouldn’t have happened.
“There we go. Come on, let’s take a look. Not too bad. Okay, first we’re gonna clean this cut.” Murray rambles some more, but I tune him out.
Going through the motions and compartmentalizing is something I’ve mastered early on in life.
“Elodie.” My name is a harsh snap, making my gaze collide with Murray’s when he adds, “You can look.”
I glance at my finger and see the strips he’s put on the cut, making it seamless and without a trace of blood.
He covers it with a bandage. “There, all done. Take the bandage off later today, let the air heal the wound instead of covering it. Want me to help with the stew?”
I bob my head. “Yeah. It was your turn to make dinner.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “I know.”
Yet, he gave me the excuse to walk away from Jaxie earlier to make it seem it was my turn.
My life was thrown into a tailspin a few weeks ago, allowing Murray to enter my life.
Yet, I might have met him at some point with his property being near Jaxie’s.
Although, we would have a different connection instead of being thrown together due to a deadly threat hanging above my head.
A casual meeting is totally different than forced proximity. Spending time in the same room with a man like Murray spikes sexual desires in any woman. Especially when his fierce protective side comes out to play.