Page 4 of Shattered Love

“Then I’d have to go barefoot. Become a real mountain man. Isn’t that what you’re into?”

My head whipped up at his question and the fire lit the teasing glint in his eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m an observer, babe. And you’re about as transparent as a window.”

Rolling my eyes, I sassed back, “I’m not sure what you’re observing when you’re never around.”

Warner’s lips quirked up into a devilish smirked and he leaned closer, dropping his mouth toward my ear. “Missing me?”

Backing away slightly, I fought back a shiver as his deep voice rolled over me. “Not quite. Just wondering where you go when we’re doing work around here. You know, to keep us all alive, including you.”

Warner raised his brows. “Have I not been pulling my weight?”

I paused before answering, realizing that although he was rarely around during the day, he had been pulling his weight. He always came back in the evenings with water and either a small animal or some nuts. And he religiously kept watch each night.

“Okay, you’ve been helping. Except for today.”

“I was busy today.”

“Doing what?” I couldn’t help the curiosity. I wouldn’t say that I missed him when he was gone, but a ball of anxiety formed in my stomach each day until he reappeared at night.

“If you can leave the fire for a few minutes, I’ll show you.”

My curiosity piqued even more. Noticing that everyone was around and could easily take over the cooking, I nodded, struggling to stand up. Warner immediately reached under my arms, pulling me tight against his chest. The man knew nothing of personal space.

Pushing against the firm planes of his chest, I stepped back, mumbling a thanks. Warner didn’t grab me again, but he hovered close as we walked out of the clearing, darkness encompassing us as the fire grew further from us.

After several minutes of walking, Warner finally stopped beside a large tree. My eyes were still adjusting to the dark as he reached for two things leaning against the tree, and when he brought them into view, my eyes widened.

“You made me crutches?” My voice was bewildered, and I didn’t know what to think about the sentiment.

Warner spent so much time alone. Barely interacting with the rest of us and he had made it clear more than once that he was looking out for himself and no one else. But then he did things like follow me into a locked building instead of escaping and spending an entire day making crutches.

“Don’t be thinking I’m like one of your mountain men. I’ve seen you struggling to walk and it’s going to get worse after a week straight of hiking. And we don’t have enough food for more than a week.”

“So, it’s entirely practical?” I asked, taking in the crutches. He must have used a knife to smooth down two branches, making them smooth for where my hands would grab. The tops were fitted with bunches of moss tied to the sticks with vines.

“Exactly. Practical and nothing else.” The sky was too dark to make out his expression, but no matter what he said, it seemed like there was something else behind the gesture.

“Well, thank you. I’m quite impressed with the design.”

Warner grinned cockily at the compliment and I rolled my eyes. Fitting the crutches beneath my arms, I tested them out, realizing they weren’t entirely uncomfortable. It’d still be a pain to hike miles with them, but much better than my legs giving out on me.

Using the crutches as support, I started to head back toward the clearing, but Warner stopped me with a hand to my shoulder. Gripping firmly but gently, he turned my body. The cocky grin was gone and in its place was a concerned frown.

“Is there something else?” I asked, a little impatiently. He disappeared all day, not allowing for much conversation, and right now I was hungry.

“Don’t you find it a little odd?” He asked, dropping his hand from my shoulder once he realized I wasn’t leaving.

“Find what odd?” I had no clue what he was talking about.

“Let’s say you had a cottage that was basically off grid. Well water, wood burning appliances, and no one was living there. Why would you choose to go into the woods with two small kids instead of the safety of a home?”

My back went straight at the accusation in his statement. “What are you implying?” I gritted out, uncomfortable with the way this conversation seemed to be headed.

“I’m not implying anything. I’m simply observing. It seems a little odd to me. And let’s not forget, you’ve been out here for nearly five months. Why only bring it up now?”

I hated that his questions were getting to me. I had implicitly trusted Elizabeth and Emmanuel. Even when I was skeptical of Rainer and his motives, I had never questioned the others. Elizabeth was a mother who treated all of us like her children. And Emmanuel was the man who had taught me how to fish, the man who had worked with my father.

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