It was a miracle!
Amazed and bewildered, Eliza inspected the leg that she’d wounded during the night. There was absolutely no sign of an injury. Cautiously putting her weight on it, she discovered no indication of a bruise beneath her kneecap. She had no idea that a hot Epsom salts bath could work such wonders, but there was no mistaking the fact that she was completely healed. There wasn’t even a scar from the jagged gash on her leg.
She’d have spent a bit more time pondering such a miraculous recovery had she not been preoccupied with the idea of acting as a guide on the state lands for Oliver as he searched for his missing brother. She’d accepted his invitation without thinking about the fact that she’d been wounded. That came after the call ended. Her relief was acute when she discovered that she had no injuries whatsoever to concern herself with.
Once again, she felt inclined to give a
Eliza sucked in air as her car pulled into the parking lot of the gas station she’d agreed to meet Oliver at. She couldn’t help equating his long, muscled figure as he leaned against the side of his late model, immaculate looking black GMC pickup truck in his faded denim jeans and form fitting black tee shirt to a male model she’d admired in one of her father’s farm magazines a few months back. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember the name of the magazine or the exact looks of the model. She just remembered that he was sexy and pleasing to the eye. She was certain that if they came to Oliver and asked him to pose, those lean muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt would make a mighty find picture. Better than the model in the magazine.What she was oblivious to was the fact that Oliver was having a similar reaction to seeing her in her well-worn, form fitting khaki hiking pants and navy tee shirt that
Oliver’s mind struggled with what information he should and shouldn’t divulge while his eyes were mesmerized by the gentle sway of Eliza’s shapely hips as she led the way up the trail. He’d told her that he was searching for his brother, but he’d offered no reason as to why. Interestingly, she hadn’t asked.At first, he thought that the reason why she didn’t ask was because she had no interest in him. After spending time with her and feeling the electricity between them, he knew that wasn’t true. She was just one of those polite people who didn’t pry.If they found his brother near nightfall, it could prove dangerous for her. It was only right to inform her of this fact. The problem was that he had no idea how to tell this beautiful woman who had an immediate hold on him from the moment he set eyes on her that he couldn’t quite explain but knew he couldn’t give up that
True to her word, Eliza left Oliver making camp just before sunset. He gave her a bit of resistance over the fact that she’d have to go back down the trail on her own, but she insisted that it was something that she’d done so often that she could do it with her eyes closed. She also made it a point to impress upon him that the trail was monitored by rangers and quite safe. This was done more for the fact that his behavior at the mention of her leaving led her to suspect that he feared being alone than to assure him of her safety.Since going back to her jeep meant that she was going downhill, she covered ground quickly. She used this short time to mull over her disappointment that the handsome, hunky man she’d just met was a bit of a wimp when it came to the great outdoors. Since she was a true nature lover, this was a major disappointment.She reached her jeep just as the sun began to sneak over the top
A smile of satisfaction and relief spread over Eliza’s oval shaped face when she opened her almond shaped, rich chocolate eyes and realized that she was snuggled in her own bed and still wearing the pajamas she’d donned the night before. Pulling her hair from the bun that she’d fashioned for sleep, she grabbed a hairbrush and smoothed the tangles from her long, wavy dark brown locks before pulling it onto a ponytail and securing it with an elastic hair tie. After a quick visit to the bathroom for her morning preparations, she rushed back to her room and quickly dressed in clothes suitable for a day of mountainside hiking.The sound of her parents rousting themselves from slumber could be heard over her head as she popped a bagel in the toaster and grabbed a cup of freshly brewed coffee that had just finished dripping into the pot. She heaved a sigh of gratitude for her parent’s consideration in setting the timer on the coffee maker so that she&rs
It was late morning before they reached the top of the trail. Disappointed in not finding his brother along the way, Oliver sat on a large boulder and openly pouted.“I thought for sure he’d be on this trail,” he complained.“Why?” Eliza asked.Surprised by her question and even more surprised over the fact that he’d pouted in front of her, he said, “I didn’t mean to complain to you. I’m just very disappointed. Every so often, my brother takes off like this. I’m usually able to track him down. This time, it was different. All of the clues I scraped up were useless.”It suddenly struck her that she’d been so enamored with the fact that she was in the company of a man who made her feel something that she’d never felt before that she neglected to find out anything about this brother he was searching for.“How old is he?”
Eliza cautiously inched away from the two brothers, hoping while she did so that they’d stay consumed with each other and not notice when she ran like the wind to get away from them. She was still confused by the topic of their conversation, but she clearly understood the words ‘killing people’ and ‘us or them’. That was all she needed to hear for panic to flood her body and the need to flee as quickly as possible to become overwhelming.Because her thinking was clouded with emotions, she ran in the wrong direction. Instead of heading back toward the trail, she rushed deeper into the wilds of the mountainside. The thick array of random foliage that grew between close growing trees made the going arduous, but the adrenaline in her veins helped her plough through with relative ease. So much so that she hardly noticed it.When she stopped to catch her breath, she could hear the faint, animated voices of Oli
Arthur chewed on the mouthpiece of his pipe while slowly rocking in his favorite rocking chair on the front wrap-around porch as he watched Eliza’s jeep ease up the long drive and park not far away. He studied her movements as she slipped out from the driver’s side and planted her feet on the hard packed, grassy ground. It was clear that she was exhausted.The shadows cast by the setting sun, along with the fact that he was located near the corner of the house, made it so that he wasn’t immediately seen by his daughter as she slowly climbed the steps to the porch. Because of this she jerked with surprise when he spoke.“Long day?” he asked. Then, seeing her reaction, he added, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”“I didn’t see you,” she noted with a warm smile as she traversed the last step and leaned her back against the post that helped support the roof at the top of the steps so th
One Month LaterOliver sat back in the driver’s seat of his pickup truck and cautiously sipped at the piping hot coffee he’d just gotten from a drive-thru a block away. He’d tried calling Eliza on multiple occasions but it just kept going into voicemail. He left a few messages but got no response. Then, one day the number was no longer in service.He’d been devastated to discover that she’d run away after Richard showed up. Although, he couldn’t blame her. She had no idea that they were talking about werewolves. From the tone of the conversation, she probably thought that his brother was a murderer.He emitted an ironic huff. What did it matter? One was as bad as the other, wasn’t it? Telling her that his brother was a werewolf would make him sound crazy enough to frighten her off as would saying that Richard was a murderer.Running