For Her: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 4

  “You mean mud season?” Conner chuckled, pulling off his coat and pushing up the sleeves of his sweatshirt to acclimate himself to the much warmer interior of the cabin and show off a rather colorful collection of tattoos. He shrugged and sat at the kitchen table. “Some years the snow starts flying in October and continues until April.”

  Daisy groaned and Conner laughed harder. “Oh, come on now, it’s not that bad.” He said, accepting the mug Lily held out to him. He took a sip and then continued. “Actually I came out to see if you ladies have everything you need to weather this. It’s supposed to clear off late tonight, but I wanted to make sure you had enough firewood and food to see it through.”

  That was definitely one thing Daisy had to give the town credit for. Felines and wolves were natural enemies, yet this town had taken them in when they had absolutely nothing; not even clothes on their backs. They’d given them a place to live, food, and clothing. They may not be fully trusted, or considered pack, but they had been treated well with a generosity that both females had been grateful for and humbled by. Had a similar situation occurred in her pride, wolves seeking shelter on pride lands, those wolves would have been immediately turned away.

  Conner stayed and had lunch with them, brought in some more wood and stacked it for them neatly beside the woodstove, before he finally took his leave. Once he was gone, Lily let out a yawn and made her way to the bedroom to curl up under her quilt and take a nap, while Daisy tucked a blanket around her on the couch and did a few more sketches. By the time she was done, she had captured Alek’s likeness almost perfectly. She ran her fingertips gently over the image and hoped Conner had been right that this storm would blow over tonight because she couldn’t wait to see Alek again in person.

  The next morning, Daisy woke when Lily got up to get ready for work. The sun was just on the rise and she nearly leapt out of bed and paced the floor in excitement as Lily showered. She was eager to have a shower as well and be on her way. Lily eyed her warily when she stepped out of the bathroom. “What has you all riled up this morning? You’re not usually up so early.”

  Daisy was nearly bubbling with excitement but tried to tamp it down. She shrugged. “Probably just a bit of cabin fever after yesterday. I want to get outside.”

  Lily grunted as Daisy barreled past her into the bathroom and shut the door. She heard her sister grumbling before she raised her voice. “If you need to shift and run be sure to stay on pack land.”

  “I will.” Daisy called, turning on the water. She wasn’t actually going to break that promise. Lily had specified staying in the territory to shift and she had no intention of shifting.

  The giddy feeling in her chest only continued to increase as she showered, dressed, and made the trek through the woods to Mrs. Potter’s house. When she got to the road she needed to cross Daisy spotted a large tree limb that had fallen, probably from the weight of snow and ice. The road wasn’t exactly busy, but the branch that was in itself the size of a small tree, would need to be moved. Frowning, she walked toward it and grabbed one of the bare offshoots. She tugged with all her might, but the large limb wouldn’t budge.

  Alek could help her move it. Dusting off her mittens she walked the rest of the way to the house. It was unusually quiet; Mrs. Potter’s records weren’t playing. Daisy frowned and looked up at the sky. She was really early. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Chances were high that everyone was still sleeping. Just because she couldn’t contain her excitement didn’t mean the rest of the world was awake to accommodate her.

  She took a minute to consider her options. She should leave and come back at a more convenient time. It was disappointing after the excitement she had woken up with, but it was the right thing to do. But when she turned and saw the limb still blocking the road, she hesitated. What if someone needed to drive through? There weren’t many houses out here, but there were at least three that she knew of further down that would use this road to access the mountain pass. Surely she should do something.

  Daisy stepped down off the porch and backed up until she could see the front of the house. There was a light in one of the upstairs windows, so someone must be up. Perhaps Mrs. Potter was just now getting dressed for the day and would be down in a matter of minutes and turn on her music. She’d just wait here.

  Several minutes passed and Daisy began to shiver. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Mrs. Potter had once told her that she was welcome anytime. Perhaps her friend wouldn’t mind if she just came in to warm up a bit.

  Daisy bit her lip in indecision, but when a hard shudder wracked her body, she reached out and turned the doorknob. It wasn’t locked. Seeing it as a sign, she walked in.

  She had only been standing there for a minute or two when Mrs. Potter popped her head out the kitchen door and smiled widely. “Daisy! You’re here early. I only just set the kettle on.”

  Daisy sighed with relief. “I wasn’t sure if you were up yet. I didn’t hear the music.”

  Mrs. Potter waved toward the record player. “Go ahead and turn it on, I just hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

  Within moments, the vocals of The Carpenters filled the air. Daisy smiled in pleasure and turned to see Mrs. Potter had disappeared back into the kitchen, so she followed. “Is Alek awake? A tree branch fell across the road and I couldn’t move it.”

  Mrs. Potter didn’t turn from her breakfast preparations as she said, “I heard him moving about up there. Go on up and tell him, he’s in the bedroom at the right of the stairs.”

  Having every intention of going back outside to help with the branch once she’d enlisted Alek, Daisy didn’t bother stripping off her coat or hat, though she did remove her mittens and stuffed them in her coat pockets. She jogged up the stairs and knocked briskly on the correct door.

  When she heard Alek’s “Yeah”, she opened the door and immediately froze. Alek Stevens was hanging from a bar he’d attached to one of the rafters. His hair was damp, curling against his forehead and neck. He was wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants that fell low on his slim hips. His legs were bent at the knees and crossed at the ankles behind him. His chest was bare and gleaming with perspiration; his abdominal muscles defined as he held his torso taut. The muscles in his arms flexed as he pulled himself up and then dropped slowly back down again; the tendons in his forearms stood out in stark relief.

  She didn’t know how long she stood there staring, it was probably less than a minute but her continued silence finally had him dropping gracefully back down to the floor and finally glancing her way. If he was surprised to see her, he didn’t show it. He picked up a towel and wiped his face. “Did you need something?”

  Daisy opened her mouth but she couldn’t for the life of her remember why she had come up here. She dropped her eyes from his intense gaze and that’s when she noticed the scars. He had two small round ones on his left shoulder that looked like they may have been bullet wounds and a long vertical slash down his side that was still pink rather than white with age. The most disturbing, however, sat over his right pectoral. It looked like a burn scar but was oddly shaped; like a fancy number two turned backward.

  She hadn’t even realized she had moved, but she was suddenly in front of him and lifting her fingers to touch the mark. Before her fingertips had made contact, he had her wrist in his grip. It didn’t hurt, but it was firm enough to startle her. She looked up into his eyes to see that all of the blue was gone; replaced by pure gold.

  Chapter Six

  Alek released her wrist and Daisy quickly stepped back. “I’m sorry. I – I’ll just wait for you downstairs.” She made a quick retreat to the door feeling unbelievably foolish. What had possessed her to try and touch him as if she had the right? The man was a stranger who would not welcome her touch or her morbid curiosity. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Daisy berated herself. Reaching the door she turned to apologize once more and was presented with the sight of Alek’s back as he pulled a tee shirt over his he
ad. Long lines, some silvery, some pink, in various thicknesses crisscrossed the muscled expanse like a road map; whip scars. Daisy swallowed hard and fled without a word. He had said he was former military, but what kind of military whipped their soldiers? Had he been a prisoner of war? What kind of atrocities had Alek witnessed?

  She thought of her sister’s scars. The diagonal slashes that marred such exquisite beauty. Unlike Lily, Alek could hide his scars from prying eyes by pulling on a shirt whereas Lily was reminded of her past every time she looked in a mirror, or met someone’s horrified gaze. But it was the long term abuse that still caused Lily nightmares. She may never recover. Alek’s scars implied varied traumas over the course of years and those were only the ones you could see. What scars were hidden on the inside? What terrors did Alek see whenever he closed his eyes? Daisy shuddered and pushed the thought aside.

  She replayed the scene again as she walked down the stairs. Something was niggling at the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it; something other than his scars, something she should know… what was it?

  The thought slipped away completely as she entered the living room and saw Mrs. Potter sitting in her comfy chair; her breakfast untouched on a tray in front of her. Her eyes were closed, her head leaned back, and a dreamy smile on her face. That’s when the music finally penetrated Daisy’s sluggish brain. Through the Years by Kenny Rogers was playing. Whenever this song came on, Mrs. Potter always stopped whatever she was doing and closed her eyes to embrace the memories. The first time it had happened, Daisy had asked her about it. This was the song she and her husband Harold had danced to at their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary; it had been the last time the couple had danced together.

  Daisy stayed unmoving waiting for the song to end, not wanting to interrupt the memories. She heard the creak of the stairs behind her, knew that Alek was standing at her shoulder but she didn’t look at him. When the last note finally faded and a more upbeat song took its place, Daisy took a deep breath and forced herself to smile as the older woman opened her eyes and reached for her teacup. Mrs. Potter’s eyes moved from her to Alek as she took a sip and Daisy wondered if she could see the tension between them. Daisy could certainly feel it, but was it all in her head?

  “Best put a coat on Alek, it’s chilly outside.” Mrs. Potter said as she set her cup back down and reached for a wedge of toast.

  “Ma’am?”

  Alek’s confusion was plain in that deep voice and Daisy finally remembered what had sent her upstairs in search of him. She cleared her throat and busied herself pulling on her mittens. “A tree branch came down in the storm and is blocking the road. I tried to move it, but it’s stuck. I thought the two of us might be able to get it out of the way.” She had tried to sound brisk and businesslike rather than the scared rabbit she felt like inside and without waiting for his response, she made her way to the door and the bite of cold outside that would hopefully restore her equilibrium.

  Alek watched as Daisy stiffly left the house and glanced at Mrs. Potter. The woman raised an eyebrow in question, but didn’t press when he grabbed his coat and followed Daisy outside without explanation. He shouldn’t have grabbed Daisy’s wrist like that. He knew he had scared her, had seen the color leach out of her face before it had flooded back in a vivid blush, but it was imperative that she not touch him. He was already having a hard time fighting his instincts when it came to the little female, his inner cat too close to the surface whenever she was close. He wanted to touch her too much; wanted to rub against her and stroke her, wanted to feel her stroke him as well. Just the thought elicited a deep rumble of a purr in his chest and he quickly squelched it. He needed to constantly remind himself that she was his target; his job. He couldn’t afford any entanglements. He absolutely had to stay impartial.

  He spotted her immediately and took a moment to simply observe. She was standing in the snow covered road, tugging ineffectually on a huge tree limb. Her feet were braced, but her body was tilted slightly backwards as she put her all into tugging the stubborn limb. He could vaguely hear her muttering to herself: “stupid, stupid, stupid”, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was talking to the limb and wishing it was him. When she let go and kicked it, he chuckled now convinced she was imagining him and the abuse she would like to rain down on him.

  As he walked over to help he weighed his options. He could apologize, get back in her good graces and hopefully be able to charm information from her or he could say nothing and hope she kept her distance so that he could restore his sanity. The choice was obvious. His sanity was not going to get him the answers he needed.

  He took a deep breath, told his inner cat to behave himself and sent up a small prayer to whatever deity may be listening for strength, and faced the tiny, fuming female before him. He stepped up beside her and she turned to glare at him. He wouldn’t have been surprised right then if she’d hissed, her frustration was so close to the surface.

  “I’m sorry, Daisy,” he said, “you startled me and I overreacted. Can you forgive me?”

  Alek watched as an array of emotions skittered across Daisy’s expressive face: doubt, relief, and then finally hope as she smiled at him and nodded. When she blushed and turned her gaze from him shyly he had to fist his hands to keep from grabbing her again, this time to pull her close and nuzzle his face into her neck and breathe in her scent. He felt his claws prick through his skin and he focused on breathing.

  Suddenly she was leaning in closer and staring up at him in fascination. “Your eyes are gold again. That’s so cool.”

  He stared at her for a moment. He’d known his cat was close to the surface but he hadn’t realized how much he’d actually given away. His lack of control was unacceptable; at any point she could have figured it out, but instead she was giving him a pass: unusual eyes that changed colors, he could work with that. Daisy Munroe did not have good instincts and that may very well save this op. The thought lightened his mood considerably and he actually felt his lips turn up in a smile before he bent, grabbed the large limb and with a strong tug that finally pulled the limb free of the snow and ice that held it, he hefted it easily over his shoulder before striding back the way he came.

  He chuckled as he heard Daisy shout, “Show off!”

  She scurried up behind him as he dropped the limb near the wood shed beside the barn. “You could at least try to look a little winded.” She grumbled and he thought she looked adorable as she stood there frowning, her arms crossed over her chest. He grinned, perfectly willing to play the game. He wiped his arm across his forehead and let out an exaggerated, “Phew!” before he said, “All that heavy lifting really worked up an appetite!”

  Daisy scoffed at his effort with a snort of disdain before she headed back toward the house. “Come on, Hercules, I’ll make you some breakfast.”

  With a grin he couldn’t seem to repress, Alek followed her back into the house.

  Chapter Seven

  Daisy ended up not asking Alek to accompany her to the falls. Her embarrassment over what happened earlier continued to gnaw at her. Every time she thought of what she’d done her stomach rolled with apprehension and she couldn’t even look at Alek. Her behavior was inexcusable. If some guy she had just met approached her with intention to touch as she had done to Alek she would have slapped his face and screamed her head off. What must Alek think of her?

  Luckily, Mrs. Potter provided a buffer and before long she found herself paying more attention to the conversation than her unseemly behavior. They had finished eating breakfast and were once again sitting in the living room. Unlike the previous day where Alek had joined her on the couch, today he had taken a seat in the other recliner near Mrs. Potter and well away from Daisy. At first she’d been mildly incensed, his message clear: stay away crazy female, but the distance turned out to actually be a relief and she was able to breathe much easier. Mrs. Potter was encouraging Alek to talk about his travels again. “Mark my words, you should take advantage
of your youth and see as much as possible.” She said pointedly to Daisy. “Now that I have time to travel, my body can’t make the trip.” She banged her cane, “So I have to live vicariously through you young folk.”

  Alek leaned back in his chair, his fingers laced together over his middle and he smiled fondly at the older woman. “Where would you go? If you could pick just one place.”

  Mrs. Potter considered the question for a moment and then shook her head. “If I had to go alone I guess I’d just stay right here. If you can’t share the wonder with someone special than it’s just not as meaningful.”

  Daisy cut in, “Well, what if you were able to take someone special?”

  The same dreamy smile that Mrs. Potter tended to get when she heard Through the Years came back to her face. “Harold and I used to talk about going to Venice.” She sighed. “Then one day we woke up and realized we were old.” Another thump of her cane before she pulled the end up slightly and nudged Daisy’s leg. “Make sure you don’t turn out like me, Daisy. If you want to see the world you need to do it. Pack your bags and go.”

  Daisy laughed. “Do you think I’d make a good gypsy? Since I’m not exactly rolling in money, I’m assuming I’d have to travel pretty lean and sell fortunes in towns I come to until they run me out.”

  “Where would you go?” Alek’s deep voice cut in. His eyes, vivid turquoise as he watched her. “If money wasn’t a problem. Where would you go?”

  Daisy’s laughter dried up at the intensity of his look. It was as if they were no longer playing a game of what if. Suddenly, her answer mattered. She felt her face heat at being the focus of his scrutiny and she had never felt her lack of education so keenly. She knew so little about the world. Geography, history, other places, other cultures… they were all a mystery to her. She thought of the places she’d heard Alek describing the other day and the destination just popped out of her mouth. “Russia.”