I cast a side-glance at him. "How city-girl do you think I am?"
"Enough to concern me," he quipped.
"Well, put your mind at ease because Agnes packed me enough food to last all winter, and I've got a nice coat, some boots I've been meaning to try out-"
"You might regret wearing new boots," he warned me.
"They've got to be broken in some time, so I may as well tame them with some hard hiking," I commented.
"It would be easier if I carried you," Adam offered.
I shook my head. "Oh no, you're not bumping me along those trails. Riding in your arms may be the warmest spot, but it isn't always the smoothest trip and I'd rather keep my teeth than have them jarred loose along those bumpy trails."
"Very well. We will start the hike when we return home," he told me.
I blinked at him. "So soon?"
"The sooner we start the sooner we will find the Owens brothers and learn their intentions for your water," he pointed out.
I sighed. "All right, but it seems like we're running off to all sorts of places and I don't get time to enjoy my home-away-from-home," I grumbled. My phrase clicked a memory and I furrowed my brow. "Speaking of homes up here, who do you think that guy was who was asking around? The one Agnes told us about."
Adam shook his head. "I can't begin to imagine. Perhaps he was an old acquaintance of one of our neighbors and wished to garner some sympathy from them."
"Or he's a really crazy old beggar who's probably going to get his toes frosted off," I suggested.
"Perhaps, but we will keep our eyes open for him as promised," Adam reminded me.
A flash of movement ahead caught my eyes, and I noticed a beat-up old pickup barrel down the road toward us. There was something oddly familiar about the scratched paint, cracked windshield, and the two men seated in the cab.
"Oh shit, the brothers!" I shouted.
The truck was indeed that owned by the Owens boys, and inside I could see their toothy grinning faces leering at me. The road was barely wide enough for two people to pass if both parties behaved, otherwise one of the vehicles would careen into the foot-deep ditch on either side of the road. The Owens brothers decided not to behave. The driver brother steered their truck halfway onto my side of the road. In a game of chicken my little vehicle wasn't going to win, so I cranked the wheel to the right. Their truck sideswiped my car and metal grated against metal. I held the course as sparks flew past my window. Another impressive dent was added to the driver's side of the truck, and my car received a long gash on my car door.
Adam grabbed the wheel and turned us farther away from the truck. We dove headlights-first into the ditch and came to a sudden, whiplashing stop against the far side of the hole. Our would-be assassins flew down the road and disappeared around a corner. There was silence for a moment and all I heard was the beating of my heart and the rustling of Adam as he shifted in his seat.
"Are you okay?" Adam spoke up.
"I-I'm fine, j-just a little s-shaken," I replied.
Adam unbuckled his seat belt and scooted over to me. He shut off the engine, pulled my hands off the wheel, and checked my eyes. "You're in shock. Stay there and I'll get you out."
"No problem," I agreed. I'd never been in shock before. It was like feeling nothing at all. No pain, no fear, just a tension I couldn't shake.
Adam managed to open his door and he sprinted around the rear to my side. He opened my door and unbuckled me. "Let's see if you can walk," he suggested.
He helped me out and I leaned on him more than I cared to admit. My eyes swept over the damage and I tried not to whimper. My right-side headlight was busted and the fender was cracked in a half dozen places. The grill was askew and busted on right right side, and the hood didn't lay flat over the front anymore. It stuck up a few inches from either of the fenders.
"Do you think it can run?" I asked Adam.
"I'm more worried about you right now," he replied. He led me to the other side of the road and set me on a large rock. His eyes scrutinized my body. Any other time and I would have been flattered and embarrassed, but right then I was still numb. "Are you sure you're alright? No pain inside?"
"No pain anywhere," I told him.
Adam pursed his lips and reached out with his hands. He wrapped his fingers around my arms and legs, and felt me up as thorough as any male TSA agent frisking a supermodel. I couldn't even manage a giggle. I was too tired and too numb. "You feel nothing?" he asked me again.
I moved my neck and winced when a muscle twanged. "A little," I admitted.
He stood and sighed. "You've had a bad case of shock, but it will fade in a few minutes. Stay here while I see to the car."
I wrapped myself tight in my coat and watched Adam inspect the car. He walked around the front right side several times, and then he looked up and down the road. Satisfied nobody was coming, he placed his hands on the right fender and pushed. The car inched backward up the small embankment of the ditch and onto the road. It still amazed me how much strength those hands held when only a few moments ago he'd gently massaged my muscles and bones to see if anything was broken.
Adam slipped behind the driver's wheel and started the engine. The car roared to life, and there wasn't even a puff of smoke from the engine. Adam stepped out and returned to me. I managed a shaky smile. "And here I was thinking I'd need a different car for these roads," I quipped.
He returned my smile and helped me up. "It seems to be a survivor. I'm sure we can get it repaired soon enough. I know a mechanic in town who can repair anything."
I snorted as he led me toward the car. "You know everybody. Well, everybody who's worth knowing," I pointed out.
We bypassed the driver's side and he helped me into the passenger seat. "It pays to have friends," he replied.
I leaned over the dash and inspected the damage. "It'll help the mechanic's pay because it looks like he's got his work cut out for him."
Adam slipped behind the wheel and steered the car away from the ditch and up the hill. "It will take time, but he won't need to spare any expenses."
I frowned. "Agnes already cleaned me out of my last paycheck," I reminded him.
"But my mechanic friend won't clean you out of yours. I will pay for the repairs," he offered.
I shook my head. "I couldn't do that. My car would never forgive me."
"I insist. If I hadn't destroyed the dam then none of this would have ever happened," he pointed out.
"Those Owens boys are the only ones to blame. If they hadn't built the dam then none of this would have ever happened," I corrected him. Another twang in the back of my neck made me wince and I rubbed the sore spot.
Adam noticed. "Something wrong?" he asked me.
"I think hitting that ditch gave me whiplash. I'll feel better when I can get a nice, warm shower," I replied. We reached my home a few minutes later and Adam helped me out of the car. I waved away his assistance when he tried to help me to the front door of my cabin. "I'm not an invalid." I took a few shaky steps to show him I'd relearned to walk.
"But you still are my responsibility, and I-" He paused and lifted his nose to the air.
I frowned and mimicked him. A horrid stench slipped into my nostrils and I gagged. "Skunk," I muttered.
"No, merely a facade," Adam replied. He looked to my cabin. Nothing appeared disturbed, but Adam strode over and pushed on the door.
It swung open and revealed a wreck of an interior. The furniture was overturned, the pots and dishes lay scattered on the floor, and my food was torn from its boxes and spread over the counters. I stumbled past him and inside with my mouth agape. Everything was destroyed. Even the toilet paper in the bathroom was torn to shreds.
"What the hell?" I whispered.
Adam came up behind me and set a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. This must have been where the Owens brothers came from as we met them down the road," he guessed.
I clenched my hands at my sides and ground my teeth together. "Well, if they thi
nk they can get me scared then they're dead wrong," I growled. I whipped my head to Adam. "I want to personally return the favor for that knife, my car, and this mess."
"I would rather you remain here and rest-"
"Oh no, you're not getting rid of me that easily. It's revenge before renovation, or bust. You take me or I'll follow that trail myself, and if I get eaten by our friendly neighborhood bear then I really will blame you for something," I threatened him.
Adam frowned, but nodded. "I will escort you on your mission for revenge, but don't let anger cloud your judgment."
I snorted and stepped into the kitchen to grab what food I could scavenge. "Don't worry about me. I'll be cool-headed-" I reached up and grabbed a bag of flour, but my slight touch tipped it over. The few remaining contents spilled onto me, changing my face from an angry red to a ghostly white. I shuddered and wiped some of the flour away. "Like I said, I'll be ready to kill them when I see them."
"I will find us both enough food," he offered. He half-turned, but paused and glanced back at me as I wiped the whiteness from my skin. "Are you sure you want to come?" I whipped my head up to him and glared at him. I knew he received the message when he held up his hands and backed up. "Very well, I only wished to be sure. I will return in a short while."
Chapter 8
Adam scrammed and I got to fixing the place up as well as my shaky hands could manage. The whole place was a disaster. The kitchen table was broken, there were knife stabs in the couch, and I found they hadn't spared my bedroom. My clothes were flung everywhere, and I swear some of my panties were missing. I didn't want to ponder what two lonely backwoodsmen had in mind for a couple of pairs of used woman's underwear.
Adam returned with two backpacks filled with food. I was partly cleaned of the flour and had found my hiking boots and some extra clothes in case I went for another unexpected dip in water. One of the few food items I could contribute was the nutri-gross bars, of which I stuffed a dozen into both our backpacks. If I was going to suffer through them then I wanted company, or at least someone to help me get through the whole lot Agnes had me buy. The spare clothes also went into my bag.
Adam looked over my clothes. "Are you sure you will be warm enough?" he asked me.
I gestured down at myself. My attire consisted of two sweaters and a thick pair of snow pants over jeans. "You don't think this will keep me from freezing?"
"The nights are very cold up here," he reminded me.
"Well, if I need another sweater I've got two in my bag," I told him. I hefted the straps over my shoulders and winced at the weight. "All right, let's get hiking."
Adam slung his over his shoulder like it weighed nothing and led the way outside and back up the creek path. The water still flowed which was a boon to my wildlife but a curse on me. The cool water chilled the air and occasionally splashed on the trail. My feet slipped and slid along the path, and I was glad when, after an hour, we reached the top of the path. The dam was still destroyed, but the broken logs were moved from out front and a stack of freshly chopped logs lay on the other side of the dam near the ATV trail.
"It seems our neighbors have been busy," Adam commented.
"Yeah, fixing this dam, wrecking my house, and trying to kill me, and all in one day. Gotta admire their multi-tasking skills," I quipped.
Adam nodded at the narrow vehicle trail near the large pipe. "We will follow that as far as it leads. It would be easier for both of us if I carried you."
"How far?"
"The entire distance, however long that may be."
"Um, no. I want to test out these new boots a little longer." They were killing my feet by now, but I wasn't going to tell him that.
"It may be several miles."
"I'll manage."
"I would rather-"
"Adam?"
"Yes?"
"Lead on or I'll do the leading, and you don't want me to do the leading."
A sly smile slipped onto his lips. "Very well, but first we need to find a place to cross the creek."
I frowned. "Why do I not like that look on your face?"
"Let me show you." Adam led me upstream twenty yards and gestured to the creek.
I followed his arm and noticed a row of wet stones partially submerged beneath the water. They were spaced two feet apart from each other, and there was a gap of four feet from the last one to the other side of the creek. I nodded at the rocks. "That's how we're going to get across?"
"These rocks are the nearest crossing. There may be a log a few miles further upstream, but we can't be sure and I would rather not waste the daylight hours," Adam told me.
I sighed and my shoulders slumped. "All right, but you go first."
Adam bowed his head and turned toward the rocks. He leapt onto the middle rock three yards into the creek and jumped to the opposite side of the creek. Adam turned and smiled at me. "Just like me," he instructed me.
My face dropped. "I could if you made me into a werewolf," I argued.
"That won't be arranged for this occasion, and we are losing daylight," he scolded.
I furrowed my brow, stiffened my upper lip, and walked back a few yards. "All right, but stand back. I'm going to need a lot of room for my landing."
I made a running start and leapt from the bank. The first stone was fine, but when my other foot hit the second stone it slipped on the mossy surface. I let out a yelp and flailed my arms as I fell back. A flash of color flew from the opposite side and I prepared for a hard, cold splash. Instead, I fell into the hard, warm arms of Adam. He himself stood in the half a foot-deep rushing water while my feet swung in the air.
Adam smiled at me. "Care to have me carry you now?" he offered.
"You can carry me across the water, but drop me on the shore," I commanded him.
He sighed, but bowed his head. "Very well."
Adam waded through the water with me in his arms and dropped me feet-first on the hard ground of the opposite shore. He climbed up the steep embankment and shook his legs. I glanced down at his legs and saw he dripped creek water on the cold ground. "Did you need to change clothes?"
He shook his head. "No, it would be easier if I merely removed my shoes and socks."
I blinked at him. "So are you changing or not?"
"Not." He sat down on a nearby rock and removed his shoes and socks as he said.
Adam stretched his feet out and my eyes widened as I watched his toes and arches stretch outward. His toenails lengthened to sharp points and fur sprouted on the tops. His feet narrowed and the ankles moved back. He stood and the change in his features forced him to stand on his toes and the first few inches of his feet. I gawked at his wolf feet while he packed his shoes and socks in his bag, and when he finished he noticed my staring.
"I hope you won't mind. These feet are much more useful for this terrain than my shoes."
"Can I. . .can I pet them?" I requested.
He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
I shrugged. "Because you've never let me pet your fur before, and I wanted this chance."
Adam chuckled. "Very well."
I knelt down and set my bag beside me. The feet were in my sight and within reach. I wiggled my fingers and dove at them, intent on avenging myself for Adam's past indiscretion with my ticklishness. My plan hit a roadblock, or rather a fur-block, when I couldn't really feel his skin beneath the thick bunch of fuzz. I pressed my fingers into the soft, bunchy stuff, and came away with not revenge but a feeling of mink-like softness.
"What are you doing?" Adam asked me.
I tilted my head back and sheepishly smiled at him. "Trying to tickle you?" I squeaked.
He smiled. "I'm afraid I am not as ticklish as you, particularly when my body is covered in as thick a fur as my transformation offers."
My face drooped, I saddled my bag on my back, and stood. "You're no fun," I grumbled.
Adam gently took hold of the crook of my arm and led me toward the ATV tracks. "There will be plenty of chances for fun when
we have finished your revenge on your car and cabin," he reminded me.
We reached the spot where the pipe started and I glanced down the hill. The incline was gentle and the hill was covered with the remains of spring and summer flowers. The frost had killed the latter, and the ATV trail made a horrible gash in the frosted grass. The trail followed the pipe until both disappeared into the thick trees and brush at the bottom of the hill. I glanced farther down the valley. There wasn't a sign of an electric pole or road.
I jerked my head toward the valley. "Anyone told this valley that the eighteenth century passed?"
"Not yet, but we will introduce it to the twenty-first," Adam replied.
We walked down the ATV trail and slipped beneath the dark canopy. By this time half the day had passed and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Dark gray clouds drifted overhead and the air grew colder. I buried myself deeper in my coat, but the cold crept inside and I couldn't stop myself from shivering.
"Did God forget to close the door?" I chattered.
Adam stopped and glanced at the sky through the trees. "No, but in our eagerness to start this journey we neglected to remember Agnes' warning about the weather. She spoke of a snow warning, and I believe it may be coming this night."
I ground my chattering teeth together. "Great, just what we need, a mess of snow on the ground."
"It may be worse than that. We should find or build a shelter. You remain on the trail and I will forge through the brush," Adam offered.
I looked to the sides of the trail. The brush was thick with brambles and their pointy needles and twigs. "No problem," I told him.
And with that our plans for revenge changed to plans for retreat. Adam pushed through the brush and vanished among the mess of trees. I tried to keep myself warm by running in place, rubbing my arms, and yodeling. Well, not that last part, but I did find that because of the thickness of the canopy and the tunnel-like quality of the path there was a slight echo.
"Hello down there," I called.
"There, ere, ere," my voice called back.
"Food. Midgets."
"Ood. Idgets."
"If you're quite done then I found a spot for us."
I jumped and spun around to find Adam beside me. His backpack was gone and his clothes were the worse for wear because of the thorns. "Don't do that to me! I thought you were one of those brothers snuck up on me!"