Page 10 of When You Saved Me

Great food and even better company were the perfect distraction as we wound up digging into a fresh wildberry pie Sarah had made earlier that day. Ranger poured me two fingers of bourbon and we sat around their firepit on the back deck.

In the silent moments, it didn’t take long for the burning fire in front of me to slowly morph into a scene I tried to bat out of my mind almost every day. It was a constant battle that raged inside of me, and I spent the rest of the night wondering how I was going to win now that I had a reminder of the mistake I made that day living on my property.

Sarah was right. Charlie was a beautiful woman. One I felt drawn to the moment I saw her tiny body curled into aball in the corner of her demolished bedroom, the threat of death looming over her. The scar I knew she bore—the one that matched my own—had been my fault. And now I was forced to live with that mistake for the rest of my life.

Chapter 4

Charlie

A shrilling ring shattered the silence in my new home. Grabbing my phone from the kitchen counter, I pressed the green button to answer my mom’s call and put it on speaker.

“Momma!”

“Sweetheart! I have dad on the call with me. How are you settling into the new place?”

I took a moment to look around the space and felt a sense of peace in my heart. The walls were still barren and the small number of boxes I had were mostly still packed, but it still felt like home.

“It’s going really well.” I grabbed the rest of my paint brushes and started assigning them to their respective containers. Last night, I started setting up my painting space. It was much smaller than what I had in my last place, but I knew the rich nature that surrounded the cabin would be inspiration enough for me to continue my work with ease.

“I’m almost done setting up my painting area. Thelandlord even agreed that I could paint some murals on the walls inside the cabin.”

“That’s wonderful honey.” My dad’s voice came through the line. “Did you get a chance to meet him in person yet? Do you feel safe?”

A smile pulled at my lips. Always the protective one, my father had the hardest time after the fire. If he had it his way, I would have stayed with my parents indefinitely after I was discharged from the hospital. But he knew that wasn’t going to work. I’d always been a free spirit who needed her space. It was part of my creative process.

So, I hid the fact that I had met my landlord years before I moved to Georgia and that he wasn’t exactly throwing a welcome party in my honor. My parents didn’t need any reason to worry about me. Plus, I could handle Deacon Calhoun. Even if his presence did something funny to my insides and that it was difficult to look at him without wondering how perfection could truly exist in a man as rugged as him.

“He’s perfectly fine, Daddy. He should be coming around in the next few days to fix the dock behind the cabin. Did I tell you guys that it’s right on the river? I can see the water from my back window!”

“That sounds amazing, Charlie,” my mom responded right before my dad said, “Well, don’t go on the dock until he fixes it.”

I rolled my eyes. “I promise I won’t.”

Casper jumped on the arm of the sofa next to where I wasstill organizing all my brushes and paints. He let out a little squeak that melted my heart.

“Casper says hello.”

I could nearly hear my parents smile through the phone when they both responded, “Hello, buddy! We miss you!”

Casper bumped his head into the palm of my hand and flopped over. I stroked his belly. My parents were of those few people who loved animals as much, or maybe even more than they loved humans. They didn’t mind that I hadn’t given them human grandchildren yet. Both of them were completely content with having Casper to spoil.

And they spoiled him rotten. The fluff ball had an entire section of my tiny closet dedicated to a bin of toys my parents surprised us with before we left for our trip.

I was thankful for it though. My parents supported me in whatever decisions I made for myself. They trusted that I knew what I was doing, and it felt nice knowing I had their approval.

We spent the next hour chatting away on the phone while I organized my art supplies to my liking. They updated me on all the gossip going around Charlotte and we planned for a visit at the end of winter when spring brought the forest back to life.

By the end of our phone call, I stepped back and took in my cultivated space. A blank canvas sat atop my easel next to the open window looking over the rushing water of the river. It was the perfect spot, and I already had butterflies thinking about painting the deep blues of the water and greens from the surrounding pine trees.

“Wanna go for a little adventure, buddy?” Casper perked up when he heard the sound of my voice.

The temperature outside was likely dropping given how low the sun was behind the trees. So, I traded my leggings and sweatshirt for warmer clothes and slipped on my boots and beanie hat before I put Casper’s booties on his paws. When I strapped the last one onto his back paw, he stared up at me, unmoving.

“They’re to protect your feet,” I tried to coax him to act normal, but he just blinked at me likeIwas the idiot who put booties on a cat. Which, to be fair…I was.

“Come on. You’ll thank me later when your paws aren’t frozen from the cold ground.” Opening the back door, I gestured with my hand for him to follow. Stifling a laugh, I watched as he lifted each bootie-clad paw higher than necessary until he made his way onto the back patio.

He followed me down the steps and toward the river where I nearly lost my breath from the beauty just outside my door. I closed my eyes and listened. There was both a roar to the moving water and little plopping sounds from splashes landing in the depths. A dedicated wind had branches groaning against the pressure and rustling leaves scraped against one another. It was a masterpiece written by the most talented creator, making my hands ache with the need to stroke my brush against canvas.

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